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creepswrites · 9 months ago

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MASK OF HATE (CH 2) | Michael x Reader

so when i was writing this, my editor Insisted i use a grilled cheese gif for this chapter. you'll see why... i hope you enjoy though LMAO

MICHAEL MYERS x FTM!READER (he/him)

SUMMARY: When the door slammed back open with more force this time, you jumped and let out a surprised yelp. Your dad came barreling in, Michael having already disappeared back upstairs as quiet as he'd come. You tried to intercept him from storming upstairs but his horrified expression stilled you. "That was our neighbor Gladys down the street. She said she saw Myers come up to our house about an hour and a half ago."

WARNING: graphic depiction of deaths, animal violence

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"Has anyone ever shown you kindness?" Your voice had Michael opening his eyes, blinking as he looked up at you slowly, your hands tangled in his wet, sudsy hair. He was sprawled out on the porcelain bathtub while you washed his hair, the room dim and sleepy and smelling of lavender soap. He had no qualms letting his legs and arms rest upon the rim to have extra room. You’d since become accustomed to him, no longer flushing at his nakedness, so washing the blood off his skin didn’t bother you.

You’d since bought black washcloths and a black towel for Michael so your father wouldn’t get suspicious about any bloodstains. Lounge clothes - some sweatpants and a t-shirt finally in his actual size - sat folded on the counter beside the sink, his navy blue jumpsuit in a pile on the cool, linoleum floor.

For the past few weeks, you two established a routine of sorts. Michael would get hurt or hungry and come visit you. Sometimes he'd watch you sleep but he'd usually be gone by morning. With your dad's presence in the house very touch and go, it was hard for Michael to stay for any extended period of time. Sometimes he watched you from a distance whenever you'd go in the garden but that was the extent of it.

You knew it wasn't normal for him to care about another person so you did your best to make it easy for him. No more lunging at armed police officers for you, you'd lamented to him in a joking manner. You hadn't been able to see his face but you got the impression he'd glared at you.

You'd also taken to touching him more, getting him to reassociate touch with compassion. It wasn't easy to undo years of trauma but you did little things here and there. Brushing his hands with your own, touching his arm when you wanted attention, small things. He was building a tolerance to it, you could tell. Washing his hair now was the most you'd touched him beyond patching him up after run-ins with the police.

But progress was progress.

Today, he hadn't come home bloody but he had come to you for something. He'd shown up at the backdoor, made a beeline for the bathroom, and you'd gotten the message. Bathing him had also become pretty regular, though you still recalled the first few times where it'd ended with him shaking from how overwhelmed he was by your touch.

Now, though, his gaze bore into you, staring up at you like a big lazy cat. Like a lion too content to strike. Your hands had stilled, still poised to scrub at his scalp. He needed a haircut, you noted to yourself.

"Besides me," you clarified as you resumed scrubbing in slow circles. "You don't… You're-" You huffed, trying to find the words. "I feel like people didn't care for you like you needed them to. If that makes sense."

Were you anyone else, you don't doubt he'd kill you for saying that. Instead, he just glared at you, pretty hazel eyes narrowed to slits. In anger or confusion, you couldn't tell.

That was yet another development. He'd been taking his mask off of his own accord now, even when he didn't have a reason to. The first time he'd done it had been because his hair was too long and sat uncomfortable in the mask, tickling against his ears and neck. You offered to cut it and, while it took some reassurance and thought on his part, you'd come home one day to him sitting on your bed. Scissors in one hand and mask in the other, clutching it like a child would to a security blanket. He hadn't been shaking or looking up at you with fearful eyes but his jaw had been clenched hard as he white knuckled the accursed mask. A wordless question you'd answered with nimble fingers and gentle tugging on his curls.

Having something so sharp close to his vulnerable neck hadn't been his idea of a good time regardless if it was his idea or not. He'd gotten up half a dozen times during the haircut to stand in the corner to come down from what was probably overstimulation. You were patient with him though.

You'd gotten better at reading him. He'd gotten better at leaving you clues.

In the present, he sat up and slid his legs back into the water. Wet hair slipped from between your fingers as he turned to properly stare at you. Michael was interesting to you still. You could tell he was curious about you too. He stared at you often, like when you watered your plants, washed his clothes, or made food in the kitchen. You felt his eyes on you constantly no matter what.

"What?" You asked with a small sigh, staring back at him with the same intensity.

Michael gave you a slow blink, similar to the ones Mayhem gave you as a show of trust. "Don't gimme that," you teased, smirking at him and motioning for him to sit back down. "I just- I always feel bad thinking about it, in retrospect. I mean, you grew up in an asylum alone. Didn't it-"

He interrupted you by sliding a wet hand around your throat, holding you still as though to physically stop your ramblings. Not squeezing, just holding. You got the message there: let it go. He lay back down and you resumed washing his hair, unbothered by that exchange.

Things like that were normal with him. It had freaked you out at first when he'd wrapped his hand harshly around your throat and pinned you in a doorway. But you'd slowly begun to understand him. He didn't have a way to communicate that wasn't through violence or knives.

Or hospital rooms under scrutiny, you reminded yourself with a grimace. You masked it behind a soft tune you hummed, resuming washing his hair.

Once he was cleaned and dressed, jumpsuit in the wash, you ventured back downstairs to make dinner and feed Mayhem. Michael trailed after you, hair dripping dark spots along his shoulders where it was still damp. He didn't like the hair dryer very much and only tolerated you using it to get his hair comfortably damp. No more.

“You’re probably due for another haircut by the way,” you said as you opened the fridge. Mayhem was immediately rubbing up on Michael’s leg, meowing insistently.

He looked down at her, standing comfortably in the doorway to the kitchen. You glanced over your shoulder to look at him and felt struck with the knowledge that, if it weren't for his injured eye breaking the illusion, it almost felt like you just had a boyfriend over. Your face warmed up at the thought and you snapped your head back around to stare into the white, chilled expanse of the fridge. "Umm… anything specific you want tonight?"

When you looked back over at him, you jumped in surprise when he was barely a few inches from you. Jesus, you thought to yourself. You didn't think you'd ever get used to how quiet he moved sometimes.

Michael tilted his head as he stared at the fridge with you. "I need to go shopping soon, huh?"

He didn't say anything but you could almost hear his nod.

You liked how expressive he'd gotten as the two of you began to trust each other. Little things like that made the whole thing feel domestic somehow.

"Well, hope you like grilled cheese." You snagged the almost-empty package of sliced cheese and dangled it tantalizingly. "I'll go shopping tomorrow, promise. If you want anything in particular, let me know." You said as you grabbed the bread from the cabinet. Before he could say - or, technically, not say - you spun on your heel. "Besides pumpkin pie."

He nodded once and you smirked.

Domestic, your brain said again in an almost mocking tone. You swallowed and tried to focus on the sandwiches and not the way Michael stared at you. You began buttering the bread as the pan warmed up and tried to not envision life being like this forever: painfully domestic and sweet with Haddonfield's best known serial killer in soft lounge clothes you'd bought him, curled up on the couch eating an early lunch together after you'd washed his hair.

The sound of the front door rattling open was out of place and terrifying. Never in your life had you felt as though the ground would swallow you as your heart threatened to pound out of your chest. You spun to face Michael and quickly assessed your options.

There were two doorways that led out of the kitchen - one that faced the living room and another that led into the hallway to the stairs. There was a dividing wall between the two doorways. Meaning if you could get Michael into the hallway, he'd be out of sight for at least the briefest few seconds it took your dad to walk towards you.

"Upstairs, now!" You whisper-yelled, grabbing him by the arm and hauling him towards the hallway. "Stay quiet, he'll go away soon."

Hopefully, you thought to yourself. Hopefully he will.

"You're home early." You called to him as you took your spot at the stove again, spreading butter on bread and placing them in the pan.

Your dad sounded exhausted, shrugging off his outer coat and tossing it atop the back of the couch before slumping in his chair. "I decided to come home early. It's been an exhausting week. But Myers seems to be taking a break from killing these past few days."

You couldn't help but frown. Not killing? Sure you'd noticed less blood on his clothes but surely he'd stopped altogether. So close to Halloween too…

"Cool, I was, uh, making lunch." You called out over the pan sizzling. "You want some?"

The telltale creaks of the wooden floor had your hair standing up on end. It wasn't like normal sneaking around when you had a boyfriend, this was Michael Myers you were hiding. Right under his nose. Even if your dad didn't immediately go for his gun when he saw him, you were still a liar. And an accomplice to his crimes.

"Grilled cheese, huh?" He smiled for the first time since he'd taken on the case. "Want some help? I can-" The sound of his phone ringing cut him off, making him grimace. "I'll take this outside," he sighed as he went back out the door. You sighed with relief and looked towards the doorway to the stairs.

Michael stood there, mask on, gripping a knife tight in his hand. You had no idea where he'd gotten it, since your knives were accounted for.

You tried to seem reassuring. "He's probably going to get called back into work, it's okay." Even though you'd gotten used to it, you still swallowed when you saw the glint of the knife in the dim lighting of the doorway. "He, um, he said you haven't been killing lately?"

Michael was eerily still. Just staring at you.

"Is everything…okay?" It felt a bit weird asking when he was going to kill someone again. Like it was just a casual hobby of his. "Just let me know, alright?"

He just stared at you. His walls were back up, you could tell, so you tried to not take it personally.

When the door slammed back open with more force this time, you jumped and let out a surprised yelp. Your dad came barreling in, Michael having already disappeared back upstairs as quiet as he'd come. You tried to intercept him from storming upstairs but his horrified expression stilled you. "That was our neighbor Gladys down the street. She said she saw Myers come up to our house about an hour and a half ago." His gun was out, alarming you. "Have you… have you seen anything?"

"No." You swallowed around your lie, quickly turning the stove off, lunch forgotten. "No, it's been quiet. I was out in my garden, mostly."

He didn't seem convinced though. "She said he was circling around the house before coming inside."

At that, he froze. He held a finger to his lips, signaling you to be quiet. You wanted to roll your eyes at how comical this was but you also couldn't afford to break character. Scared young child of the police detective, home alone with a killer in this house.

"Where's your cat?" He whispered, glancing up at the ceiling as though expecting to hear footsteps.

Glancing around, you tried to play up your alarm. "I don't know!" You whisper-yelled. "Do you think he's-?"

"Dead, then." Your dad's bluntness made you flinch. "Myers usually kills the pets first. Keeps 'em from sounding an alarm." He didn't even try to look sympathetic as he crept towards the stairs. You followed after him as he crept silently from room to room, pushing the door open slightly before scanning the room with his gun out. It made you anxious and you kept periodically glancing towards your bedroom, dreading the impending inspection. First the hall closet, then his bedroom, then the bathrooms, and finally: your bedroom.

You felt sweat drip down your temple as he pushed open the door. Everything felt tense, suffocating you as you chewed anxiously on the nail of your thumb.

He swung open the closet door and fired at the first sign of movement.

Mayhem yowled, a sharp, piercing sound, then darted past your legs as he took off down the hall. "MAYHEM!" You shrieked in horror, watching blood trail behind him faster than you could catch him. You ignored your dad's stammered apologies and took off after your cat.

The blood trail went down the stairs and out through the back door, which had been left cracked open to let Mayhem come and go as he pleased. Now he was gone. Your heart sank as you ran outside, crying for Mayhem to come back. In the tall, mud-riddled forest it was hard to see any kind of blood trail or spot your all black cat. Minutes ticked by with no response and you fell to your knees, wrapping your arms around yourself as you bawled.

He was your little kitty. And now he was gone.

"Sweetheart, I- I'm so sorry. I didn't know he was there." Your dad tried to explain as he watched you from the doorway. "It- It'll come back, I'm sure."

"You SHOT him!" You rounded on him almost instantly, storming up to meet him and relishing in the way he backed up in fear of your anger. "You SHOT him and now he might DIE out there!" While you didn't consider yourself an angry nor violent person, it felt vindicating to shove him and watch him stumble back. "You don't even CARE!"

"No, I don't!" He shouted, trying to scare you back. "It's just a cat! What if Myers had been there, huh?"

You felt hysteric. "I don't care about that! Fuck, dad, I care about my CAT!"

Suddenly, he'd grabbed you by the shoulders and slammed you into the nearby wall, his voice hissing like a viper when he spoke. "I don't give a shit about your fucking cat. I am stressed enough as it is and I am focused on finding Michael fucking Myers, not your shitty little cat. Let. It. Go."

The sign of movement in the shadows behind him made you smile.

Michael grabbed your dad by the back of his shirt and yanked him back harshly, letting him fall to the kitchen floor. He stood there, knife tight in his fist as he stood over the whimpering man who scrambled for his gun.

You watched with an empty expression as Michael kicked the gun aside, skittering on the tiled floor and out of reach. "Grab it!" He hissed at you. Michael tilted his head down at him but he tried to not be intimidated. "Grab my gun, just-"

Reality began to settle in as shock wore off. Your ears were still ringing from the gunshots and you could smell the charred butter coming off the stove. "Michael." Your mouth moved but you didn't feel like your words were yours. "I'm okay."

A heavy boot thudded against your dad's chest and you watched him scramble to try and understand. The dark pits of the mask's eye holes bore into you, almost searching for permission.

"You've been hiding him." Your dad gasped in horror. "You've been hiding the man I've been hunting. Right. Under. My fucking nose!" He roared, struggling to get out from under Michael, only ending up grabbed like a scruffed kitten in his attempts to lunge at you. "How long!? How long has he been hiding here?!"

You didn't feel like answering. So you didn't.

He didn't like that though. "What have you two been doing? What, do you nurse him back to health under my fucking roof every night? Is that why you've been buying first aid shit?"

None of this felt real to you in any substantial way. It felt like a movie almost, a sick indie film about a serial killer you'd grown attached to finally snapping and slaughtering your family because you'd finally given him the chance to get close. You watched Michael press the tip of his knife to your dad's sternum and could almost see the anger and hatred rolling off the masked man in waves.

After all, you'd given him a hard line of not hurting Mayhem. And your dad just broke that rule.

You backed up against the fridge and slid to the floor, watching with a distant expression as Michael wrestled the man to the floor. "Yeah." You said quietly, more to yourself than to him. "I clean him. Bandage him. He protects me." A wet laugh left your throat at the absurdity of it all. "We're partners."

No point in hiding it anymore.

"M-maybe I should call Loomis, s-see if I can get you two joint rooms in the fucking asylum-!" The man below Michael yelled out, his words muffling as Michael jabbed the knife into him. Wet squelching sounds that became almost monotonous as hot red sprays erupted from the holes in his neck. Puddles of red seeped beneath the man's body and Michael seemed to relish in the thrill.

"You killed my cat," you mumbled bitterly to the corpse of the man you once called dad.

And you watched as the body ran cold with Michael's anger. He stood up, towering over you as he tracked bloody footprints as he approached you. "Hi." You said absently, giving him a small smile. "You'll have to kill our neighbor. No witnesses."

He tilted his head curiously and you just let your head fall between your knees. You didn't want to talk about this anymore than you had to. "Just- Just get rid of the body, okay? I'll clean up."

Had you looked up, you would have seen his nod.

The stench of bleach burned your nose and made your eyes water as you scrubbed at the now blood-free kitchen floor. You'd opened the windows to air out the smell but it still felt like it was suffocating. But there was no evidence anymore, thank god.

You didn't ask Michael what he'd done with the bodies. You'd kept your head down when he'd lifted it up and carried it with him out the back door and you were content not knowing. It would only serve to upset you.

Clutching the rim of the sink, you let out a long, pained sigh. Things were going to change now. Your father and Mayhem's blood was all gone, the knives would be disinfected, and Michael's jumpsuit would go through the wash again. No evidence any of this had even happened.

Logically, you knew this should upset you. It did, only in the sense that the wet plunging sounds of the knife echoed in your mind. But you couldn't feel anything beyond anger that he'd shot Mayhem. That he didn't care about you, only his work. It infuriated you to think about how little your life would change with him gone. The house was bought and paid for, you knew everything he owned would be left to you, and life would continue on.

He didn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. You repeated this mantra over and over to yourself as you heard the back door open.

Michael stood there, his hands and suit stained with blood. Flecks of dark red stained the white mask in harsh streaks that made you want to hurl. "How, um, how did it go?" You tried giving him a smile but fell short. He approached you and you did your best to hide your flinch when he took your wrist. Red stained your skin and you heard the sickening stabbing again. "Sorry," you mumbled, "I should have done something to- to try to make him leave, or-"

Michael cut you off with a harsh tug on your arm. Your head snapped up to meet his eyes behind the mask, your own wide in confusion. He just stared you down, only gripping you tighter when you tried to pull away.

His silent question felt loud in the little kitchen, even if he said nothing. "I'm… I'll be okay." But you weren't sure if you were telling that to him or yourself. "It was inevitable. I- I just didn't think it would be so soon. But, um, I knew I was… I knew I was going to be sticking with you. Partners, right?"

You didn't wait for any type of response, gesturing to his jumpsuit. "Lets, um, get you into clean clothes, yeah?"

Michael didn't budge.

Slowly, achingly slowly, he lifted his hand towards your face, dragging a bloody finger down your cheek and marveled at the way it stained your skin. A red to match his own,

And as quickly as he came, he left. His footfalls were heavy as he went up to the bathroom and left you floundering in the kitchen. You broke from your trance only when you heard the shower running. Swallowing, you followed his trail upstairs to collect his bloody clothes. You could only hope the blood was fresh enough to come out easy.

When you passed by Mayhem's food dish, you winced at the memory of your cat's blood streaked across the house. You filled his bowls and set them outside, hoping the prospect of dinner would entice him home.

It was the best you could do, really…

The cops came two days later. When no one on the force had seen or heard from him in a few days, they'd come by to check. It wasn't hard to play up your distress. The five stages of grief had hit you harder than expected. On the first day, you'd just yelled at Michael, slamming your fists into his chest as he watched you curiously. You'd wondered to yourself after sobbing over breakfast how he'd felt after his sister died. You'd only ever heard stories but you wanted to ask him.

"We found him off a backroad down the way with an older woman in the car," the officer interviewing you asked. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"

You swallowed and shook your head. "He, um, he mentioned he got a call from Gladys. That, uh, Myers was outside her house so- so he told me he was going to take her to a hotel and then go back to work." Your voice trembled as you spoke. "H-he'd been working so much, I-"

The officer gave you a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, kid."

Michael was easily named the killer so you weren't even considered a suspect. What they didn't know was that he was taking this opportunity while the police were busy to kill again, letting out his frustrations that had been building up.

He hadn't left you alone since your dad had died. Always hovering in doorways or your wrist if you were close enough. You knew Michael well enough at this point to know he didn't necessarily feel bad for what he did. But he was certainly capable of fearing your reaction. You could easily turn him in now, all wound up emotions like a ticking time bomb.

But you didn't. You were partners. A pact now sealed in your father's blood

Once the police left, you wanted to get out of the house. It all felt too suffocating. You just needed a moment without Michael's eyes on you, if such a thing existed. So you'd gotten dressed into proper clothes and went into town. You knew the whole town would be looking at you so you tried to keep yourself presentable while still looking a wreck.

Which wasn't hard, after everything that happened.

News reports of your dad's false crime scene would be all over the news in a day. All over the televisions, newspapers, and your dad's police buddies would be sharing stories in bars over drinks. You felt sick at the knowledge that he'd had a life outside you and your little bubble of fake domesticity with a serial killer.

It all felt like a huge reality check that left you stumbling like a drunk on the curbside.

You snapped back to your body as you stared emptily at some crummy greeting cards in the little general store. You'd been walking the aisles with no clear goal in mind and many of the other patrons simply let you pass with pitiful smiles that made your skin crawl. "I should've looked at the fridge…" You mumbled to no one.

"Hey." A soft voice interrupted your train of thought and you gave a glance over your shoulder. Laurie Strode, dressed in all black like she was attending a funeral. Maybe she was - a funeral for the town. You knew the paranoia of Michael stalking her never really went away and you felt a little bad for her. A part of you wished you could reassure her.

“Oh, um, hi.” You stuttered inelegantly. “What- um-“

“I’m sorry,” she gave you a sorrowful look. You were getting pretty sick of those. “I heard about your dad… Michael is ruthless.”

You swallowed around a lump building in your throat. “Y-yeah. I hope, um, you’re doing okay too.” You tried to give her a reassuring smile but you weren’t sure if it came out like a grimace.

Laurie just laughed, no joy behind her tight smile. “I’ll survive. Always do.”

You said your polite goodbyes and you left her, now even more uneasy. It was jarring to be reminded that life existed outside your little house in the forest, that Michael's actions had consequences that spread far beyond just you.

It made you wonder if Michael’s intentions were what you thought they were. He’d never leave Haddonfield. Not willingly. He’d continue killing with or without you in his life.

And that knowledge made you feel sick.

Your dad's funeral was mostly uneventful. A few of his work friends came to console you but you denied their company when you went to the cemetery. Your dad had told you many times when you were young that, when he died, he wanted to be poured into water used to help grow flowers on your late mothers grave. It had struck you as odd then but now you understood.

Guilt still ate at you. He'd probably haunt you if he didn't get to be reunited with your mom in some way, so you'd bought some daisies - her favorite, according to him - and brought them with his ashes and a bottle of water. Haddonfield's graveyard was nothing spectacular, just rows and rows of headstones. Some newer with fresh flowers and photos, some older and covered in moss and dirt. The forgotten ones always made your heart clench.

You pointedly kept your head down when you passed Judith Myers' grave. Her parents had a joint headstone beside her, a spot they'd reserved for themselves a year after she'd died. According to stories, they'd believed Michael deserved nothing but cremation. No tombstone, no funeral, just death in silence.

The fate of the Myers family had been a horrible story. Even after their son was shipped off to Smith's Grove, the family still received harsh criticisms for what they'd done. While Michael's actions were certainly the focus, some people still believed the parents had some sway in it or had influenced his behavior. He'd only been a little boy, after all. A possibly mentally ill, neglected child whose parents had, allegedly, favored Judith to the point Michael acted out.

A car crash killed them, according to the news. You weren't sure. The timings had been too close and their funerals had been closed caskets. But you'd been too young to really care about that sort of thing. Now, though, you were curious. It felt like you'd get answers somehow if you knew. Regardless, Michael was left without guardianship and became a ward of the state, locked away in a hospital for fifteen years. At first, the town didn't know what to think of him. The poor, unstable boy who now had no one waiting for him if he ever got out. Many villainized him, of course, but some wanted to see him make a full recovery. They saw a traumatized child who needed help.

It was only after Michael broke out of Smith’s Grove and killed again that public opinion on him changed.

You pushed those thoughts away and focused on kneeling before your mothers grave. Your fingers were still damp from the wet earth you'd pulled out as you'd dug a little hole for the flowers all on autopilot. The little flowers looked nice, spots of white and yellow against mucky browns and greens. This wasn't that different from gardening, you thought to yourself as you added the water into the jar of your father's ashes. Not that different at all.

It felt a bit weird. But it was his wish. After everything you'd done, the least you could do was honor that. Besides, you didn’t really think you could cope with having the jar of his ashes in the house you’d let him die in. So you poured the water over the flowers, dirt under your nails as you showered them graciously.

You'd never made a habit of talking to your mom's grave. Your dad did it a few times and you'd seen people doing it before but there was just no appeal to you. Talking to air felt weird and you weren't exactly going to start now. You'd never known your mom, she didn't need to hear your stories.

She’d died when you were young so it wasn't like you knew her. The concept of a mother meant more to you than who she specifically did. When you were growing up, sometimes you'd feel a longing absence that she wasn't there but the woman buried beneath your feet still meant nothing to you. A stranger whose photos lined the walls of your dad's bedroom - photos you would probably store in the attic. Like you'd never really known them. A part of your dad died with your mom anyways so the symbolism felt right.

He’d always go on and on about how much you looked like her, how similar you two were, that sort of crap. Now, staring at her headstone, you wondered what she’d think of you.

The feeling of eyes on you has become commonplace for you now. An is-ness rather than a concern. So you didn't even bother lifting your head. Just slumped forward, cross-legged, and picking at the dirt under your nails, flicking it at the daisies. "Do you ever miss them?" You asked aloud. You knew Michael was close enough to hear, especially since you were alone. "Your parents, I mean. I doubt you miss your sister too much. I mean, I heard what you did with her headstone when you killed those high schoolers." The bitterness in your tone was not missed but it didn't feel right to put words in his mouth.

"I'm still trying to decide how I feel." You sighed, poking at soft petals. "I never knew my mother so I can't miss her. She wasn't part of my life, only her ghost was. But I don't know how I feel about my dad dying. It always felt like I was competing with her for his affection. He loved her so much and could barely spare me a passing glance…" You swallowed and your throat clicked. "Sometimes I wonder if he'd have been happier if I had died and she'd lived.

If Michael Myers had to be the one to hear your confessions, at least you knew he wouldn't tell anyone.

You wiped your eyes and sniffled. "It's weird. I haven't decided if I hate him for that yet. If I hate him at all, even." When you looked up, Michael was staring down at you, face hidden behind the mask. You almost envied his ability to simply hide his feelings away. You'd never been able to avoid wearing your heart on your sleeve. "Do you ever think about if your parents wished it had been you instead of Judith?"

The silence felt suffocating and you broke into a helpless sob. The kind of crying that you did when no one was around and it felt like nothing was ever going to be okay again. Michael sat down beside you in the dirt, silent companionship through your tears.

He didn't say anything. But he didn't have to.

#🔪 creeps writes #slasher x reader #slasher x s/o #slasher fanfiction #halloween 1978 #michael myers #michael myers x you #michael myers x reader #mask of hate

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mi-co-uk · 4 months ago

Text

coming clean

blue!reader x saviour!matt

─── blue readers past has caught up with her just in time to rescue her when she needs it the most - childhood best friend and saviour matt wants to help every step of the way.

WARNINGS: descriptions of bruising, implications of DA/DV, interactions with someone @bus!ve, fear - panic attacks, language, vague mentions of SH, self hate. the series itself will contain heavy angst , fluff and smut 𖦹

I've never written a fic before so any feedback and support is appreciated !

p.s im dyslexic lmao

2.1k words

pls enjoy <3

MASTERLIST

prev parts: intro / 1 / 2 / 3

CHAPTER 4 - "kiss it better"

MATT'S POV

my ears were ringing with a mix of frustration, fear, confusion and anger- the guilt sets in as soon as I realise she sees my anger. I breathe deeply before responding.

"you went back to his house?" I said lowly, a slight hint of irritation creeping in unintentionally.

she slowly nods taking a small step back away from the kitchen table and towards the sink. I know it's not specifically me that she's scared of but now all my emotions are wiped other than my regret.

I relax my hands holding them by my sides in a more open gesture to before- taking a step back to give her more room (despite already having almost 3 meters between us).

she's still gripping the whiteboard and cries softly as she wipes off her initial message and begins writing a new one.

'I just went to get my stuff , I'm really sorry'

she holds it up towards me, refusing to make eye contact.

"look, its- it's okay. it's just not safe. did anything happen? are- are you like, okay?"

she sniffs, her sobs subsiding as she nods but still stares towards the kitchen table.

how could nothing have happened?

"I'm not trying to yknow be right or anything I just wanna make sure you're okay. you um- you don't have to say what happened but, did he see you? did he hurt you?" I try my best to be careful with my phrasing, not wanting to make matters worse.

she doesn't answer me. her hyperventilated breathing switches to a complete lack of it. fuck.

"it's okay- it's okay." I try to kill the silence while still trying to get a grip on my train of thought. "I can get you bandaids or um bandages a-and some ice if you need it?"

my eyes scan around her frame frantically trying to see any indication of blood, bruises, scratches- just anything. which is made difficult by her baggy clothes- my clothes.

she finally looks up at me momentarily, before moving her attention back to the whiteboard.

'ice please'

she's sat in the fetal position in the corner of the couch. I walk over holding an ice pack, wrapped in a cloth. I sit beside her before handing it over- taking note of her hesitant expression.

"what's up? you okay?"

her eyes gesture towards her thighs. I feel awful.

"oh um- I-I can give you some space I'm sorry - it's okay" I get up and head towards the kitchen table, sitting down and facing away from the sofa- partially.

she tugs down the sweatpants I let her borrow - way too big for her but she's comfortable. on the first morning she was here, I let her scroll on various clothing websites so she could pick out some stuff she liked. she only picked the essentials- I'd already offered for her to wear my clothes which i think meant she didn't see shirts or pants as essential, feeling too guilty to ask for much. while my heart feels warm seeing her in my clothes, it quickly gets shot down when I think about why. she wears them with the strings pulled and knotted tight around her hips aswell as cuffed at the bottom of the legs.

I peer out the corner of my eyes- it's hard not to. in the moment I try to rationalise it by saying that I'm looking to see any serious damage to her, but the real reason for this (and probably everything I'm doing) is my pent up feelings for her. the curiosity gets interrupted when she's finished tugging them down and I can see the full extent of her bruising.

oh my god.

her skin has large red and purple blemishes- the newest ones. not only these but there's scattered bruises indicating various ages- blueish ones, yellowish ones, brown ones. some I can tell are from someone's fingertips. there's also some scarring- clearly intentional ones. knowing her history, it's hard to tell if they are hers or his.

she places the covered ice pack on the largest of the new bruises. I watch as she gently moves her finger across the other bruises, wincing when she goes over another red one.

I shouldn't have looked but now that I know she needs another ice pack I have no choice but to get her one. I dig around in the freezer for a bag of frozen vegetables, wrapping that in another cloth. I grab some pain killers from the cupboard and water out the refrigerator, heading in her direction while averting my eyes from her legs.

she looks up at me with her wide eyes- seemingly not embarrassed.

I begin to pass her the medicine and water but she taps the space next to her. I place myself down, holding various items to help her. she doesn't seem uncomfortable - the closest thing to a positive emotion I think she could get right now. she removes the cool from my lap and places it on her other leg, trying to get a comfortable position that also holds up both packs. I watch her with undoubtedly sympathetic eyes while I try to think of ways to cheer her up.

READER'S POV

I hope matt doesn't see less of me.

he's leant back on the couch next to me. I think one of the hardest parts about being around him is the fact that I really want to be. its so easy to be around him - I feel comfortable, safe and there's a third feeling I try desperately to bury down.

the scattered bruises have begun to cool down, finally dulling the burning ache. I lay back on the couch, relaxing my body, exhaling loudly. I turn my head towards matt, seeing him already staring down at me. he looks calm. I flicker my eyes back and forth between his. he does the same, quickly flicking towards my mouth for a quick second but immediately darting back to my eyes as if with regret. I shuffle closer, burying my head in the crook of his neck and gripping his shirt to relax into him further. his arm reaches across the side of the couch and around my waist. the embrace is the most comforting I've had for years.

I think back to last night. seeing him again. having to kiss him again - feel him again. it was horrible before but knowing now how gentle and simple love could be now, all of the time, it felt even worse somehow.

he was stood in front of the stairs when I opened the door. I didn't expect him to be awake. I had hoped desperately that he was asleep.

"where y'been." he spoke roughly.

my entire body feels like I'm being stabbed by millions of tiny needles. my fight or flight going off the radar. I push my back against the front door.

"y'ignoring me or still not talkin'?" he steps closer and I'm frozen in fear. he reaches towards me - his fingertips brushing over my neck where the bruise still sits.

"a week is pretty fucking long. I was worried about you."

his fingertips start to increase their pressure on my neck.

"yknow you left me right? abandoned me? had me hurting myself, all worried and shit."

he reaches behind me and locks the front door, maintaining eye contact.

"ya with someone? someone take you?"

his thumb caresses my cheek.

"I never meant to hurt you." liar. "yknow that?"

he leans his head down pressing his lips to my cheek, slowly trailing down to the bruise on my neck as his grip on me tightens a little. "it's been so long. I needed you." he continues in-between the kisses. "say something,"

he physically detaches himself from me completely, staring me dead in the eyes with a look void of emotion. "you're serious?" I nod at him, mt finger indicating towards my neck. he sighs and heads towards the couch. "cmon" he mutters as he walks. I walk over slowly, trailing behind him and watching as he scrambles around for some scrap paper and a pen.

this isn't the first time I'd ran away. the first time I ran to a hospital - begging them with my out of control bloody nose to not let him find me. I couldn't bare it anymore. I hadn't been able to bare it a long time before that. they assured me he wouldn't get in. they promised me. then there he was, walking in as if he owned the place and stood by my hospital bed; whispering sweet lies about how he'd be better, how he loved me and how he didn't mean to. it was bullshit and I knew it. but I can pinpoint the exact moment I gave in.

he caressed my hand with his thumb - the way he used to when we were better. I watched as tears brimmed his waterline and I watched as he covered his face with his palm, quietly sobbing. thats when my guard - my resistance dropped. "i-i can go if you want. I can go and I'll never see you again. b-but know that I didn't mean to. I really never meant to hurt you. please believe me." he weeped, holding my palm with both his hands as if pleading for me to love him still. I still can't tell who was more pathetic in that moment.

I'm sat next to him now as he slides the paper and pen across the glass table towards me.

"go on. write something." I tap the pen against it, not knowing where to start. "tell me what you're here for" he encourages, eyes full or faux sympathy.

there's always these moments that made me feel like I could be okay. the weekend I left, we'd almost had the most perfect day ever. he was off work, decided I'd been good enough to head to some stores. there was an adorable vintage store where he bought me my favourite band CDs and he even let me stock up on snacks in the house. he was smiling. he was happy. and that meant I could be happy. but then we ran into nick and chris. he wasn't happy at all after that. he felt threatened.

my heartbeat begins to thud louder than my thoughts, unsure of any excuses i could make that wouldnt get me into trouble. my eyes flicker toward his - a new idea sparking in my head on how to keep relatively safe and get what I need to. a stupid idea. his eyes peer into mine and I take the opportunity to gently press my lips to his. he relaxes into me, gripping my hair to deepen the kiss. i think it's the first time I had ever kissed him first. I went from being a nervous teenager, too shy to initiate anything, then to who I am now and not having a choice in the matter. my hands hesitantly are placed on his shoulder while his hands move to my hips - digging into my skin. he didn't question it. probably too taken aback with what happened to try and interrupt it with questions.

I woke up alone, naked but he'd at least taken the time to cover me with a blanket. a note was on the paper in front of me.

'@ work. help yourself to anything. I'm really glad you're home and I'll try to get off early. love u.'

fuck you.

I stand up immediately, rushing to put my clothes back on and running up the stairs to the bedroom. I grab a bag and pack it with the items I deem most vital. panties, bras, my notebooks, my sketchbooks and pencils, some old polaroid photos I'd somehow managed to keep all these years. there's one more thing I need. I root around all the drawers in a hurry. pulling them out, scurrying through them and closing them again.

where.

I pant heavily, hands gripping my face to try and ward off a panic attack. I check one of the drawers off the closet. lifting out various items.

got it.

I put everything back in, desperately trying to keep everything as neat as it had been previously. I run down the stairs, still hyperventilating from pure terror. I push open the door, taking large strides away from the house and ignoring the fact that I'd left it unlocked. the fear sets in deeper. I start speed walking - faster and faster until I'm sprinting up the street. it's a relatively simple journey to matt's house now that I know where it is. I memorised the streets names on my way down to ensure I could get back to him. I kept running, stifling sobs as I went.

the house was quiet when I got back, im grateful that they all tend to sleep until late morning. I slowly creep into matt's room, finally breathing at a regular pace. i cautiously bury the bag under the bed - my passport secure inside it - before slipping into my sleep clothes. I don't bother leaving the room, convinced that he's deep asleep and not wanting to make further noise and draw attention to myself. i slide under the covers on the opposite side of the bed to matt, I struggle to bury down the emotions I'd been putting off.

I'm done. I'm done. he's gone.

gone. he's gone.

it's over.

but as usual I can still feel his hands on me.

the hand I let him put on me.

and I fucking hate myself for it.

𐙚🧸ྀི

a/n , I tried to be really careful with this, this is a topic personal to me so I think I'm okay at knowing certain triggers and the right way to talk about this topic but if anyone has a criticism in my way of talking about it , please tell me so I can do better <3

alsooo matt stuff very very soon !! this is probably the last part of just setting up the scene

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ - mi

tags: @pair-of-pantaloons @oopsiedaisydeer @corspebridedelrey @faiyaz555 @izzylovesmatt

(let me know if you only want to be tagged to certain fics of anything I don't mindd)

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fairyboygenius · 3 months ago

Text

everywhere, everything

simon “ghost” riley x original female character

prev | next

a/n: have a morsel- more introspective of a character study than you might have expected but i felt it fit lmao and the sexual tension is still there for sure

@dwarvenagenda come get ur food

cw: in depth religion thoughts for both simon and allie, allusions to child abuse (on simon’s side)

Allie had feared that the first mission she went on with the group would be something bombastic, like Chicago and everything that represents.

It was bombastic, technically- capturing an assassin for the CIA- but it wasn’t emotional, wasn’t battlefield dramatics like so many of her missions with the Shadows. It was a helicopter ride to Marbella, squished between Soap and Gaz like they were children going on a road trip. Lola sat on the floor, obediently at Allie’s feet, ear protection fixed on her floppy ears.

Allie slipped on her own ear protection and busied herself with Lola’s bulletproof vest, letting the sound of the helicopter drown out any errant thoughts. She could feel her body slipping into mission mode: withholding everything, from the sense of justice she carried inside her to the empathy that crushed her when she did things like rescue a spider from her room. A pistol hung heavy on her hip- to be used for self defense, or to shoot back if an injured soldier was shot at. In the breakdown afterward, that very gun would be locked up with the rest of her equipment as a precautionary measure.

Helping those that are injured is unquestionably good, she repeated to herself the way she did before every mission. No matter what those people have done, no one can fault you for helping someone who needs help. Thinking too much about being an accessory to any immoral acts the 141 may commit would make her fearful and nauseous. But that’s not what they needed.

So she packed the most traitorous parts of her bleeding heart away for now and pulled on the armband that should- ostensibly- protect her. The kind of people the Shadows (and now, the 141) were hired to take down didn’t exactly care about things like the Geneva Convention, but the gesture calmed her. The armband reaffirmed that she was just there to help her soldiers.

Allie could hear Soap, reciting a rosary under his breath. A silver cross dangling from the same chain as his dog tags glinted in the dim light. She wondered if he was still practicing or if he was more like her- trying to find his own version of God among the rubble of deconstruction. Standing in a rotting church, still able to recall specific passages of the KJV by heart. Picking through shards of stained glass for simple paintings of Jesus as he lived, feeding the poor and washing sinners’ feet.

Her dad had texted that morning. (Hope you’re doing okay, baby girl.) They talked more now that he had quit being a preacher and was putting himself through nursing school. He had left the megachurch job when she’d come out to him, and had been bouncing around to several smaller churches in her teens and 20s. The last few years- when he had seen her with Philip, someone who so loudly claimed to be Christian, and saw the way he treated her even in public- had shaken his belief, plain and simple.

“You and I, we’re kindred spirits,” he had told her ever since she realized her interest in healthcare. “We’re helpers. Servants of the Lord.” He gestured to the supplies on the table- he was packing backpacks of food for hungry children in their town. The governor of Texas had just voted against free school lunch again. “I help from the pulpit, and I help in the community. And my girl will help people feel better.” He kissed her forehead before turning back to the lunches. “You’re making God proud, baby girl.”

He’d said that same thing when they realized she’d have to go into the military instead of college and nursing school. You’re making God proud. “What about you?” she had asked. “Are you proud?” He hesitated, facing her.

“I will never stop being amazed at how smart and kindhearted you are, baby girl. Especially growing up with the mom you had.” He smoothed his hand over Allie’s hair then. “I am worried for you, being out there in warzones, but I have faith. And I’m disappointed that I can’t pay for your college, where you’ll be safer. But I’ll pray for you every day. God is calling you to this, I think, and while we don’t think it’s fair, it’s what God has planned.” That was his refrain when horrible things happened to people in his congregation and even when Allie’s mom had killed herself the year before: everything was God’s plan. Looking back, she understood why her dad would repeat this. It gave him a sense of peace to know that these things weren’t random. It was the same reason he wrote her a prayer, Psalm 91, on a piece of loose-leaf paper and tucked it into her belongings the day before she left for Fort Sam Houston.

Allie was used to the idea of being a soldier, having been raised to be a member of “the Lord’s army”. She had never believed in anything that strongly before or since- the idea that she would lay down her life for her God if He asked. Her dad sent her into that battle, gave her that martyr complex buried deep in her bones. He tucked it into her tactical vest of flesh and blood, next to her weapons of faith. Would she die for the US military? Maybe incidentally, never on purpose. Allie wasn’t even sure if she’d die for that version of God anymore. All she believed in was kindness and compassion, the two things she had control over. Treat her patients with kindness, and receive small kindnesses in return. No real friendships for her. Just giving and receiving.

She sent him a text back from the base that morning: All good here. Miss you. Hope you’re doing well.

The text that popped up next caused her to choke back a rush of hot tears.

Godspeed, soldier.

It had become somewhat of a joke between them once he had quit preaching. Her dad always joked that God would appreciate this particular use of his name in vain. Sometimes it was lighthearted, but mostly it was a plea- Come back alive for me. She sent back a simple heart emoji before turning her phone off and climbing into the heli.

Simon was looking at her and Soap, she realized, and she wondered if he could see what they had in common. She wondered if Soap knew what bound them- though Catholics and Southern Baptists didn’t seem to have much in common besides a love for imagined persecution.

She couldn’t quite decode the flash in Simon’s eyes- that took energy she didn’t have. Bloodlust, maybe? Jealousy at the way Soap’s knee knocked with hers? That second one felt more like wishful thinking than anything. Same with those glances at the pub the week before. Giving her his jacket felt more platonic by the second. He had stopped wearing the crutches after getting the all clear, but Allie could see the outline of the nose splint under the balaclava. The boot still sat heavy on his foot. She wondered if his ankle was bothering him. Wondered if he’d ever admit it if it was.

Philip used to rile up the Shadows on the way to missions. They’d play school bus games and sing drinking songs, like they weren’t about to go murder civilians. (Let’s be real, they did more of that than anything else.) The 141 were quiet- at least this time. She knew with the way they bantered on base they could keep things lighthearted. Maybe it was the early hour, or maybe they were just in a quiet mood today.

Philip also led a group prayer before some of the more dangerous ops. It wasn’t technically mandatory, but “highly encouraged”, and he would look down on Shadows who chose not to participate. He knew her feelings about religion- was there when the congregation of her father’s church was extensively slut shaming her- and yet he would still glare if she wasn’t in the circle, head bowed.

It wasn’t like that here, and she was glad for it. She pulled up Psalm 91 and started reciting it in her head.

O Lord God Almighty, Please deliver me from hidden traps and diseases. Father God, cover me with Your camouflage; Hide me under Your wings; Let Your truth be my shield and buckler Against the fiery darts--the lies--of the enemy.

Compartmentalize. Help your men stay alive.

Stay alive.

If he hadn’t been sure it was gone a long time ago, Simon would be losing his mind right now.

Competence had always been a big turn on for him. It had spurred his attraction to dancers and bartenders, people good enough at their craft to get his heart racing and his pants tight. But seeing Allie, in the field, in gear… fuck.

He shook his head a couple of times, hoping to lock back into mission mode and get away from the dirty corners of his mind. He watched her load the pistol and nearly passed out as she wrapped her hands around the barrel. Fuckin’ hell, this is pathetic.

Allie soon went off to go wait, setting up camp somewhere in the vicinity. She gave them a friendly wave, jogging off with a two-finger salute. His ankle throbbed as he shifted his weight, and he considered following her for a moment. Hate to see her go, love to watch her leave. Her ass really did look great in the fatigues.

Simon shook his head once. You’ve got a job to do, he told himself. You’ll see her at the end if all goes well. He set his shoulders firmly, loaded his own rifle, and sauntered off to his station.

He sat in the helo afterwards, watching Allie bandage a cut on Johnny’s arm.

“‘M comin’ up, God,” Johnny dramatically declared. His face screwed up in pain.

“That’d be really embarrassing for you. Haven’t you been shot multiple times? Why would this be what takes you out?” Allie’s voice was steady, with the slightest twinge of mirth. Simon thought the assassin would be laughing too, if he could, but he’s gagged and bound in the back.

“Shit, lassie, dinnae make me laugh,” Johnny wheezed, clutching his chest.

Allie just nodded. “Remind me to check on your ribs when we get back to base.”

Simon found himself impressed, once again, with the deft way she handled Johnny’s… everything. She seemed to withhold parts of herself from all of them with a practiced ease. He did the same thing, he knew, but it felt different watching her. Like he was being denied access something he had to earn, when he was used to holding it all back from others.

Ever since the pub, he had lain awake trying to figure out where the fuck to go from here. Would she have shared all of the things about Philip if she hadn’t been drinking? Did she want to talk more when she was sober, or was that just a one-time thing? Was he ever going to get his fucking jacket back? (He didn’t particularly care either way- in fact, he almost hoped she’d keep it. It was so sexy on her, the way it grazed the tops of her thighs.)

He didn’t believe in a god the way Johnny did. “God” didn’t exist in houses like his. Wherever and whatever He was, Simon thought his house was the opposite. A vacuum for all things holy and good.

Simon’s mother was Jewish. He felt more of a connection to that than his father’s loosely held Christianity- mostly used as a weapon, like everything his father ever said or did. People liked to describe Simon as a living weapon, and he knew they were right. He mirrored his father in that aspect because his father had molded him that way. Roba had only sharpened his blade.

He had never been to Hebrew school, never had a bar mitzvah. He had never even stepped foot inside a synagogue until a few years ago, when they visited one on a mission to rescue some refugee children. Despite the circumstances, something tugged at his heartstrings that day. A feeling of belonging. His mother would light a single, secret candle around Hanukkah, whispering stories into his and Tommy’s ears before blowing it out quickly. His father found them once. Simon still had the scar from the candle being pressed to his temple.

Could he even claim a religion based in peace after spending his whole life at war?

He looked at Allie again, eyeing her straightforward and flat expression with curiosity. She felt his eyes on her, gave a small smile without making eye contact. Once again, a blush crept up his cheeks. If anyone saw, he could blame it on the heat of the helo.

The moment swept away like a breeze, and she went back to petting Lola. He just blinked and stared intently at the wall.

#simon ghost riley #call of duty #john soap mactavish #cod #kyle gaz garrick #captain john price #task force 141 #allie bishop #everywhere everything #simon ghost riley x oc #allie bishop x simon riley

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icharchivist · 7 months ago

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Hi Icha!! I haven’t been able to read your liveblogs bc spoilers. What do you think of Veilguard so far? You loving it?

Some of my friends have said it has kinda crappy writing so I’m a bit worried, but others have said it rocks. I’m curious your thoughts on it 👀 on the writing and story from a fan perspective!

oh god, hi! hey!

Ofc, i put it under spoilers for this exact reasons so don't worry about it ^^

Personally i really love it. For /me/ personally it works like a charm, i adore the characters, the plot is pretty engaging, i think the roleplay is really cool, and i can't not adore it when it basically confirms all the theories i've had for ever lmao

for some more details

if it's like, "crappy writing" about how things are said or why they're said (basically content vs theme), i think the themes have been extremely tight and consistant so far and it sets my brain on fire. In term of "do you think the characters are cringe/the plot badly structured" that will be up to you on that one. I'm blinded by the lit major of "if it's thematically consistant i'm so in it". That said i still am far from finishing the game so i don't know if it carries to the finish line.

also i don't think the characters are cringe or talk badly or anything like that, but also take it as a layer of "i'm not an english native and i have always heard people say things i found cool were cringe mostly due to the language barrier" so who knows

I really love them though, the themes that unite them together are some of my favorite themes in fiction and it's been making my heart burst. Again, very personal. very "tailored for me."

I really love the gameplay and the exploration is really so much fun. Again it caters to Me in particular because a lot of the things they decide to explore are things i wanted to see more of.

The story itself is fun and i was legit speculating some of the major elements of it for years, so the vindication takes over everything for me lmao (overanalysis wins!) so to me it works out.

I really only have one issue with the game so far and it's that it has difficulties with what is carried over from the prev games (which doesn't happen a lot, but some things did make me raise some eyebrows)(except Solas but that's another point). I know a lot of people who really just want back the "feeling the consequences of my past actions" will be doomed to be disappointed. I am a little, but i am so content with the new stuff that i'm cool with that.

I think also whether you like or hate Solas will also play a lot on your enjoyment of the game because the game goes really hard in trying to make you relate to him. a huge win for me, most normal Solas fan, but i can certainly imagine that if you don't care much for him this will be complicated.

Ironically my other issue is that i think it would deserve a little more of a bite? like, no one is really mean, even me playing an elf in Tevinter has only my character talking about how tough it is without feeling it at all. The companions are all precious and they get along well, and i like that! but i do miss not having a massive bitch just being mean for the sake of being mean in the party. LIKE DONT GET ME WRONG there's The Horrors, but i'm not talking about "horrifying stuff" bad, i mean "losing 10 approval with one companion because you said "can i help" to someone" type of bite.

oh wait, third issue: less codex entries. It's a crime against me, the bitch who has all the codex on pdf form to read as light reading. but i think that's also just a me thing.

I also think a part of the enjoyment can be judged by whether or not you read Tevinter Nights, because a LOOOOT of characters from Tevinter Nights come back for the game without exactly lengthy introductions later on. Which i think would come off as bad writing for people who haven't read the books because suddenly you have those people with already set dynamic just talking to each other around you without really knowing what's up.

but since i read TN, i love seeing all of them back, and it gets into what i really love about the game that i was really lacking in DAI in particular, is the fact it really feels like everyone has a life outside of you. They have their own histories between one another you haven't been privy to and it adds up.

(and yeah in general i think it's like. If you read TN and liked it, you'll like the game. If you read TN and didn't like it, you probably won't like the game. if you didn't read TN take your gamble.)

also my main recommandation is to not just speed fast travel from one place to the next while barely stopping by the HQ. there's limited-time cutscenes and conversations in the HQ that can unlock when you go there and they help so much making the world feel this alive.

Like i genuinely don't get how some people are already done with the game when there's legit so much that keeps unlocking if you do other things than the main quest itself yaknow

To me it's a step up from dai and DA2 in all the ways that matters. It does however kinda mix both of those vibes so i think like. if you didn't like dai/da2 the game may be rough. It still has some elements that do really remind of Origins though.

I still need to see if it sticks the landing but as of now, i genuinely couldn't be happier with the game.

But well that's my POV as someone who's fav game already was more DAI than DAO (i adore DAO to pieces of course but it doesn't feed my brainworms nearly as much) and who was already in a position to be receptive to the game because i did The Homework:tm:

I know you're more fan of Origins so i genuinely can't tell you just how much you'd appreciate it

but yeah personally

👍 having a blast

#ichareply #loveless rhapsodos #ichafantalks da

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ladysomething · 1 year ago

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I love everything that you’ve written for F1 so far (you are just the most incredible writer, I could read all of the fics you’ve written a million times and never get bored) but you’ve truly outdone yourself with Where You Go, I Go!!!! I literally read chapter 2 like 4 times last week and I’ve just been counting down the days until I could read chapter 3 (but I pinky promise I do not mean that in a “write faster” kind of way, I mean it in a “I was excited that I audibly squealed when I saw you posted today” kind of way). And ABO is something that I hardly ever read. But you just do it SO well. I LOVE the world you’ve built. And this fic is just SO incredible. I wasn’t sure how you could top the first two chapters, but eek CHAPTER THREE. The way that Charles going into pre-heat prevented any questions about Max and his intentions from getting answered (the tension is buildingggg) and Pierre showing up and Charles getting claimed, oh my god every scene was incredible and I am SO EXCITED to find out where this is going, because I genuinely don’t know what to expect!!! Thank you so, so much for sharing this fic with us!!!

I am a different anon than before, but I was very interested in reading your response about if you found writing long fic to be daunting. Like prev anon, I am a numbers girl, so learning a little about your writing process/philosophy was super interesting!! I have another question if you don’t mind me asking- how do you decide on your posting schedule?! Although I would literally read this whole fic in one sitting, I do love the 1+ weeks between updates because I love getting excited for a new chapter and looking forward to it, but you said in the ask that you were already writing ch6, so I’m curious what made you pick the schedule you did!!

thanks again for sharing this fic with us, we are truly all so lucky to read it!!

ahhh!!!

well firstly I can't take the entire credit for this fic. @saiyanwitcher reached out to me after I wrote Give Me That Fire and offered to beta for me. As we were getting to know each other, she asked if I'd ever consider writing an Omegaverse fic, and I said yes, and here we are. But if there is any reason why this fic is better than the others, it's all because of her! She has spent so many hours brainstorming with me, proofreading, and pulling me back from the edge when I said "I want to do THIS" and she said "girl what" (she didn't really, everything I propose she says "alright, lets figure out how we can make that work").

I'm so delighted to hear you loved chapter 3! this whole fic is sooo different to anything I've ever written, but I LOVE exploring new themes and topics and ideas in fic - you'll never really catch me doing the same thing twice. pushing boundaries is what I love about fic, but it doesn't always pay off, so I'm SO happy to hear that people are loving this fic as much as they are.

as for your question ... which, firstly, like most artists I am extremely self involved, so talking about myself is like my fave thing to do lmao. I will answer literally ANY question you could ask.

but, posting schedule. after many years of trial and error while posting long fics, the thing I've found that works for me is that I need to have a fairly sizeable amount of the story in the can before I start posting. I usually like 5-6 chapters, but, more importantly, I want to know that I have the feel of the story before I start to post, because once I post I can't go back and change things. at about that 5-6 chapter mark, I know that I'm deep enough into a story that the plot is right, the characters are right, and the tone I'm using is right, and then I feel comfortable starting to release it out into the world.

from there, I post a chapter only when I finish a chapter. so I finished chap 6 on Tuesday, and then I worked on chap 3 on Wednesday, gave it to @saiyanwitcher to beta on Wednesday evening, and then by this morning she'd done a final check and I was okay to post.

my own personal goal is to write one chapter a week, with Wednesday being the day I'm always aiming towards. so this week I was actually a little later than my "schedule" because ch 6 was giving me a headache and it took longer to write than I wanted.

at this point, I know roughly how long it takes me to write one chapter for this story (a week), but I also know some of these chapters are harder to write than others so I HAVE to give myself some extra leeway (hence the maximum of 2 weeks).

I hope that kind of explained my thought process and as I said, I'm so happy to answer any questions!

#where you go i go #anon ask #lestappen fic

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echthr0s · 1 year ago

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tagged by @longeyelashedtragedy

1. Do you make your bed? Absolutely not. I also sit on my bed during the day, but even if I didn't I never really saw the point. Also, in my opinion a bed should have a chance to air out when it's not being used.

2. Favourite number? Nine and nineteen. Mainly nineteen, for Reasons. Those are the two numbers I use whenever I need a number for literally anything.

3. What's your job? Full-time dilettante, desire deity, and begrudging PR agent for the Earth-facing facet of the Laudarant Configuration.

4. If you could go back to school would you? Much like the person who tagged me, I am not at all suited for a school environment. I do love to learn and I could even love to learn in a small group setting with likeminded individuals (this would be nice for stuff like languages, which kind of requires the social element), but school is not for me. I do like it when other people go to school and then tell me all the stuff they learned, though. I get all the benefit and none of the bullshit!

5. Can you parallel park? Of the very few things I know about driving, how to parallel park is not one of them. And no, I am not at all interested, it seems awful. Driving in general seems awful, in this country in this day and age. Proud to be a passenger/pubtrans princess ✊🏿

6. Do you think aliens are real? Do I think life exists on at least one other planet? lmao of fucking course, like... statistically speaking, the math maths Do I think it's life like in Mars Attacks or The Day The Earth Stood Still or the MCU or whatever? Most likely not. But I also believe in the multiverse, which is immensely more complex of a concept than just the idea of sapient life on another planet in the same universe, so... you know, maybe. Maybe!

7. Can you drive a manual car? See #5.

8. Guilty pleasure? Guilt? In my me? It's not as likely as you think. Or likely at all.

9. Tattoos? The number 19 in Roman numerals with a spider on my wrist, the Mannaz rune on the back of my hand, and "scully, it's me" on the inside of my elbow. All on my right arm.

10. Favourite colour? Yellow. Pink is a close second. Really, I think they just share the first place spot, because I do what I want.

11. Favourite type of music? Metal is technically my favourite genre, since so many bands and songs I love fall under that umbrella. But there's so much music out there that gets me that it feels restrictive and reductive to just name a favourite genre and leave all those other ones out in the rain. I have no idea how to answer this question otherwise, though! My favourite type of music is my favourite type of music. You know?

12. Do you like puzzles? I like jigsaw puzzles and logic puzzles (not nearly as good at these as I was as a child, but they're still fun) and fill-ins (constructed like a crossword but instead of solving clues to find out what the words are, you're given the words themselves and have to figure out where in the puzzle they fit) and... that's about it, really. When I'm playing a video game, I hate puzzles, lmao. They're always so annoying (at best).

13. Any phobias? None.

14. Favourite childhood sport? I did not enjoy participating in sports, ever, but my favourite sport to watch when I was a child was figure skating. In fact, it still is. But I was super autistic about it back then, when I didn't know what masking was and wasn't bogged down with adult nonsense.

15. Do you talk to yourself? Occasionally, but mostly I talk to Can Calah and whomever else is hanging around in the Configuration. To other people, that'd just look like I'm talking to myself, so I guess it counts by way of perception.

16. What movies do you adore? laughing about the fact that prev said "I'm not a huge movies person" and then went on to name about 25 movies (I understand, it's just funny)

I am a huge movies person and I have a Letterboxd account, so here are all the movies I've hit the "Like" button on (my highest honour): Liked Films There are a few on there that are outdated, like I watched them in like 2014 and loved them then but I probably wouldn't feel the same way now (like, I see Chappie on there and I'm like "hm. really?" it's probably fun and all but I can't imagine it's Like worthy :V), but mostly it's accurate.

17. Tea or coffee? Tea. I do enjoy coffee, I just find tea to be the superior beverage.

18. First thing you wanted to be growing up? how on earth would I remember this 💀 I do remember wanting to be an environmentalist when I was a middle schooler, though. I used to badger my father about recycling batteries and shit like that.

#fun with tag games #remember: if you the reader would also like to answer these then consider yourself tagged by implication #also i do q&a type things like this frequently @ eldritchsurveys ^__^ been doin them since 2002 and ain't stoppin no time soon

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brownfrogs · 2 years ago

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I haven't really thought much about Overwatch for a hot minute (hyperfixations do be like that 😔), but RE: that other anon, how exactly is Yeehan toxic? Like, they barely interact in the game and most likely don't even know about each other in canon- how can you come to that conclusion? Even if it's not exactly my favourite ship for either of them, I don't see how one could say it's unhealthy or Problematic™ unless you like. specifically write them out to be an unhealthy couple

(Also, feel free to ignore this if you don't want to answer for whatever reason! I'm not trying to stir up discourse, I'm just genuinely curious)

I wouldn’t blame prev anon’s interpretation bc I did make a post saying that Spuriken is a healthier ship a while back. So I’m sure that’s why they’re framing it like that. But to be fair to myself, it was a few years ago so I have matured with my thoughts. So, I am redacting my previous statement.

Just cause a ship could be a healthy relationship, doesn’t make it inherently better than any other ship. Shipping unhealthy or toxic ships doesn’t inherently make you a bad person [throws confetti in the air]

I mostly find it ironic out of all the things I’ve said this is the thing they’ve been holding onto. (Back then I even referred to myself as a garbage man for preferring Yeehan, so it was a v unserious post to me) I’m sure I’ve said more contradicting things bc that is simply the nature of being human on the internet!! We grow and change and that’s okay.

As for why I thought Yeehan was not as healthy in the first place, I was mostly going off the fact that Hanzo’s voicelines are very harsh and antagonistic towards most ppl. The voicelines they do have together, he can be very standoffish towards Cole. At Hanzo’s core, he is simply just an asshole LMAO. So I’m sure any relationship Hanzo possibly could get in too, “realistically” there would be a lot of of baggage that needs to be waded through. And the same with Cole, that drinking problem stems from somewhere. He’s got shit to work on too. Add them together, and it could be an extremely volatile mix. They could make each other worse.

Or not. And that’s where the fun potential lies. At least for me it is. You can also skip all that and simply have them have fun silly shenanigans together.

While Genji has already gone through a healing journey and is pretty mellowed out. So I’m sure, he would be better at the whole relationship thing haha. But that changes whether if we’re in Blackwatch era. Whatever he and Cole could possibly have had during this time, I would def not call it healthy LMAO. But again, that’s just me.

Anyways, this was fun. I honestly don’t mind discourse, as long as we all have level heads about it! 🫱🏾‍🫲🏽

#this is esp ironic since im goin thru a toxic situationship with them and i oop-#mel answers asks #ill tag this #fandom wank //#just so ppl can know its not that serious and can ignore this if wanted #new hanzo fans are so lucky. he has hobbies now LOL #so hes less of a dickhead

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hellfirenacht · 8 months ago

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Prev anon here, and yeah I can respect that. Tbh I also had a shit time reading it tho lmao, I only really started to like it during my re-reads.

I never really re-read the weed deal scenes however because I kinda hated that plot tbh,,

I did feel like the book was def outta character tho..

But the scene I disliked the most was him arguing with Ronnie? Like dude, wtf? She was worried about her Best friend because he just disappeared on her?? and he just snaps at her with his comment about her having a scholarship to NYU when he was just talking about how excited he was for her?? (tbf he does admit that he only pushed her away bc of his insecurity later in the book but fucking stillll 🫠)

And then they're make up is so rushed at the end of the book? "Oh hey, I'm sorry" "ok cool" "want a ride?" "No" *Kid getting beat up* "hey I'm a freak" *end credits* WHAT??

Anyway, I'm really sorry you had such an awful time reading FOI tho. I legit cried at times because of how much of a dick he was in that book for whatever reason?? I mostly just tried to scavenge whatever little pieces of his backstory that I could get- like Eddie waiting with him mom for his dad to come home as a kid, Elizabeth introducing him to Chicago blues & teaching him how to dance to it and such, really just any references to his mom.

My favorite scenes were definitely Eddie in the recording booth with Paige where he opens up to how music and his kind of music is important to him, Eddie going to the record shop and crying at seeing a record that his mom had and also Eddie's house burning down weirdly enough? You can just feel Eddie's literal fucking panic as he watches his mother's records melting in the fire and to me, it really just settles in that his mom meant a lot to him and it's honestly probably my favorite because of that?

but yeah, seriously- I'm sorry that FOI is really triggering for you :( </3 so I sincerely hope you have a good day & you're my favorite writer btw !! (Wing man, the isekai series and 'cmom it's just one night' are my personal favs) /gen /pos

Anon, you have all of my love and affection. It will never cease to amaze me that people like my writing and go as far as to call me their favorite and for that I will always appreciate you 💜 (sorry I'm also fucking slow lol)

Anyway that said...

Eddie going from insecure to sure of himself was so phoned in! It was scenes like him fighting with Wayne and Ronnie that made me feel like this book could have been written for anyone who wasn't Eddie. Again, it feels like there's a huge disconnect with both Eddie's. It felt so generic and just beat by beat for how the story went.

Also, let's talk about Paige here. Do I have a weird jealousy thing with her and Eddie? Yes. But the way the fandom treated her like a bad guy was such B's her biggest crime was liking Eddie and doing what she thought would help both of them.

"Eddie in FOI gets all the bitches" NO! He got one girl who had an interest in him, who HE USED, just like the two girls before Eddie USED HIM. he said that the girls he dated before only wanted to get with the freak and were never actually interested in him. He wasn't even The Freak then! He was as much of a "freak" as Johnathan in season 1. Paige was even upset when he came to her again and he only wanted her to sign him. Like, come on guys.

Also I'm with you when it comes to Eddie and his mom's back story. The record scene made me cry. I also nitpick and take bits and pieces. "take what resonates, leave what doesn't."

So in my fics, Ronnie and Eddie will always make up. Eddie WILL grovel though. I'm sorry but Eddie is not innocent in that book. But he is 18, so I get it.

It always comes down to "this doesn't connect. I don't feel closer to Eddie" but that's just me being a broken record.

#nacht ask #anon #flight of icarus #nacht of Icarus

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the1975attheirverybest · 1 year ago

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So I was listening to this podcast that some anon sent you, they were talking about how it was weird and pretty 'convenient' for Taylor to choose to hang out with Matty ( after her prev long relationship with this picture perfect ex bf ) in this specific time. They said it was a 'classic move' made by Taylor that in that moment, in that time where she was at was just good for her to go out with someone like him, let's just say 'bad kinda one/problematic'. I am not trying to start anything but.. it could be like that. Personally I don't hate her but it was an interesting but yeah this could be totally wrong. I wanted to ask your opinion what do you think about this take?

I honestly don’t quite know. The only reason I’m not sure I believe this one is because I think Matty would rather chop off both of his arms and legs and then eat them than do a “PR move” (ie date anyone for publicity or whatever the fuck).

Also, here are my Matty X Taylor hot takes:

I think they may or may not have always kinda liked each other / had a crush etc. I mean, Matty did basically say that back in 2016. That he had feelings for her but didn’t think it would be a good idea. That, plus, him flying 20 hours overnight to be at one of the most significant dates of her tour, hang out with her family and friends, etc. seemed like a huge move. He wouldn’t just do it for “a hook up” you know?

If they just wanted to have a fling etc they could’ve easily done it in private. She knows how to remain hidden whenever she wants to be.

So, I do think that maybe they were trying to have something. And the backlash ruined it. Cuz Taylor would rather cater to the fans than be with him.

It was a stupid idea though. I could’ve told him that and saved his career setback lmao. They don’t work as a couple. Whatever cute little romanticized version of each other they had in mind from memories of 2016/ 2014 or whatever….that was almost a decade ago. Their ideals don’t line up. Long term, it never would’ve worked out. It’s nice that they gave it a shot though.

I can’t speak on Taylor’s publicity moves other than to say they’re disingenuous and sort of gross imo. But even if she wasn’t dating someone for PR, she does have a history of then utilizing the optics of that relationship to drum up business / create a narrative. She did choose to be public with him. Whether it’s because she saw him as a serious partner that she wanted to introduce to the world or because she was making some kind of statement about her breakup with Joe or whatever….im not sure. Wouldn’t put it past her. It’s always possible. But yeah.

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 2 months ago

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he's on the chapter 4 trial and just reached... er... that reveal, the one that makes it feel like your soul is being carved out of your body with a knife

before the reveal he STILL thought kokichi was a harmless little prankster, he said "he probably didn't kill miu bc that's too obvious, and if he did, it was in self defence". he also briefly brought up the possibility that kokichi teamed up with someone to kill miu and then will backstab this person later... i almost lost my mind. like YEAH.

he also found it hysterical just how much kokichi was bullying everyone this trial. before he was like "oh well it's just banter" but at this point it's way too far, lmao.

he didn't suspect gonta at all. he's been a gonta stan from the beginning and is utterly heartbroken. so am i even though i've played it like 4 times by now. we're not at the end of the trial yet so he doesn't know everything but he's really going with the "well the error probably glitched his personality or something, he wouldn't kill miu on purpose!!!" UM, ABOUT THAT... *breaks down sobbing*

since he's a kokichi stan he's also coping hard. like "okay so i no longer think he's harmless, but i STILL think he's just a prankster!!! see he kind of helped them by leading the trial and telling them the truth... h-he's just a funny guy... definitely... the bullying was just -- he was just pretending or smth...." haha, just keep going, see how long you can defend him for, things are only going to get worse :D

(...i laugh, but i'm really no different except with kaito instead. if you're paying full attention to him he's awesome as hell and most of what he says and does actually makes sense. if you're focusing on other stuff, he comes across as the most annoying person on the planet. it's so rough being a kaito stan 😔) (for the record, i like kokichi too!)

he thinks gonta's execution will be "getting eaten by bugs", like a nightmarish version of the insect meet and greet. he thinks monotaro will die as well and monophanie will be the last monokub remaining. he found miu adopting monotaro oddly adorable (same). everything else about the monokubs right now is... cursed.

i haven't actually confirmed or denied whether gonta is the murderer yet, though, since he hasn't got that far and i'm not spoiling anything. he's just already resigned himself. yeah... i did too the first time... that horrible sinking feeling you get when you realise that THIS time kokichi really is telling the truth, in the cruellest way possible...

he laughed really hard at miu nyooming off the edge of the roof and slamming into the chapel wall and yes i accidentally typed "chappell roan" there first

oh wait the prev chapter!! okay during the prev chapter he was distraught when angie died since she was one of his faves (he fully supported her whole student council brainwashing thing). he found the seesaw murder method to be very funny and enjoyed the chapter as a whole. he also couldn't stop laughing at the thought of that kaede statue spinning round and round lol

he also stanned monodam by the end of that chapter and audibly gasped when he killed himself.

he's absolutely LOVING maki's character development, and thank god bc same. same. SAME. SAME. SHE'S THE BEST CHARACTER EVER I'M SO GLAD U GET IT--

seriously, every time she has a Moment (telling shuichi not to forget his identity the way she threw away hers, opening up about her backstory, admitting she's worried about kaito, working hard to become trustworthy and trying to be friendly in her own weird way, etc) he's always grinning loads and outright says it's really good. he was very happy to see her two (2) entire smiling sprites.

he also found it very very funny how when you do her free time events, she's talking about how she was put through horrors beyond human comprehension and tortured horribly and whatnot, and yet the music is like. so ridiculously cheerful and unfitting. she had to kill her own friend and is haunted by the person she's become and YOU'RE JUST BOPPING YOUR HEAD BC IT'S A JAM. iconic tbh.

i've been slowly showing my brother the danganronpa games and he's on chapter 1 of v3, and in my spare time i have also been replaying v3 and i'm on chapter 6, and let me tell you -- experiencing those two chapters almost simultaneously is making me feel physically ill

#this is so much better than a let's play #me: 'hey remember when you said x character would never kill anyone? >:D'#my poor brother: '.......so i may have been mistaken...'#danganronpa #random stuff

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hotxcheeto · 3 years ago

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━ 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) - Ellie Williams x Fem!Reader

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Cursing, alcohol consumption ( legal ), brief mention of needles ( tattooing ), ex's and awkwardness, fluff lmao

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ? - Yeah/Nope

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - I hope you enjoy! I did forget about this for a while but it's back and I really do like this part more than the second!!!!! I'm in a better mental state right now and things have felt good, expect some OG works soon . . .

PREV | NEXT

☾ ONE NIGHT STAND MASTERLIST ☽

To say she felt different was a definitely a statement, and to say that each text message she sent felt like a love letter would be a bit dramatic.

But it was true, you explained to your cat. Poppy sitting pretty in the kitchen windowsill while you moved your hands around like a crazed woman each day something Ellie said would get you excited.

Ellie wasn't like the other girls you'd talked to, and she sure wasn't like Anya who still drunk texted you from time to time which you promptly ignored and then forgot about.

Focusing your energy elsewhere, elsewhere being Ellie and Poppy who did not care about you nor the girl you squealed about each day while practically hugging your phone.

And now the day came, the day you'd set up a real date with the practical stranger, hoping that you weren't psyching yourself up again all for it too fall through the floor like it usually did.

She was straight, or she was taken. She didn't want you or she wanted you so bad but wanted that other girl too.

It was always something, but this time was different. You could feel it.

"Finally." You heard her voice as you stepped up towards her table outside the restaurant, rolling your eyes playfully while hooking your purse on your chair. "Oh shut it, I already told you why I'm running behind."

You sat across from her, hearing her all too familiar chuckles.

"Yeah, yeah. Cat's are evil, I'm telling you." "You don't know Poppy, she's an old soul, she has attachment issues."

You felt like you had the first night you met her, butterflies tickling your insides while with each breath you felt the air escaping you. It was as if she was stealing it away.

"I forgive you.. this time." She shrugged, leaning back in the chair, her hands resting between her legs on her thighs. "I'd hate to have you mad at me.." You rested your head on your palm, crossing your legs in front of you as you met her darkened green eyes.

"..but I'd bet you'd love it. Especially finding ways to get rid of it." "If it was anything like the first time then yeah, and I wasn't even mad then." You felt yourself going hot, instead focusing away on a waiter walking up to the table with a notepad in hand, scribbling a number down.

"Decide what you guys want to drink?" "Coke." Ellie replied without tearing her eyes away from you, making you nervous under her stare.

"Um.. sorry I'll have a mimosa." "You got it." He stared at you for a second longer before walking off leaving you both to yourselves once more.

"How's work been?" You then asked, turning your head to face her once more while a lopsided smirk displayed itself on her lips. "Boring. Jesse's been getting all good clients."

"What do you get the valley girls wanting matching cherry tattoos? Or maybe the dicks that want their dicks done."

Ellie snorted messing with the fork on the table while shrugging.

"Something like that. What about you?" "It's been slow, since you payed me the little visit in my office." Your phone buzzed but you ignored it, continuing on. "Besides that... nothing much." "Oh c'mon, someone like you can't have that boring of a life."

You giggled with a shrug seeing from the corner of your eye a waiter walking towards your table, setting your drinks in front of you.

"I dunno, I've been focusing most of my time to a few certain people." You thanked the waiter, taking a drink of your beverage. "Decide what you want to eat?"

You knew that voice anywhere, glancing up to meet your ex's eyes, throwing an awkward smile on your face last minute. Swallowing harshly while you nodded.

"Yeah, actually. Right?" You turned to Ellie wanting to avoid Anya's face as much as possible while Ellie's eyes went a bit wide nodding, confused as hell it would've made you laugh if you weren't about to fall off your chair.

"Veggie burgers, for me." "Sounds like you, Y/n." You wanted to puke, sending her another sharp smile. "You guys know each other?" Ellie then questioned, biting her lip while Anya spoke for you.

"Yeah, funny enough–" "Long time ago, friends." You shrugged, Ellie again looking at you awkwardly while Anya glared you down.

Ellie said her order, glancing back to you every now and again. Your legs vibrating up and down while you stared straight ahead and prayed that she'd just go away already, and finally she did.

"Everything alright?" Ellie laughed a bit, keeping it light hearted while you nodded. "Yeah, all good over here. Just wasn't expecting to see her." You laughed. "But back onto you.. what do like to do besides go to lesbian bars?" Again Ellie laughed, taking a drink of her soda.

"I draw, obviously." She could've smacked herself in the face for that one, but you giggled getting a grin out of her. "I like to play.. the guitar?" "Is that a question or a statement?"

From the corner of your eye Anya stood at another table, but was looking over at you. Yet you refused to give her your eyes, nodding as Ellie continued.

"Statement. Shit, sorry.. just.." "You're fine. Did you not see me five minutes ago?" You chuckled, adjusting your dress before again resting your chin in your palm. "Yeah I play, my foster dad taught me." "Aw, that was sweet of him." "Yeah he's great. Joel's a good guy." "You still live with him?"

She shook her head, looking down at her hands while playing with them.

"No, he adopted me after a shit ton of shit," She laughed. "but I moved out last year."

You nodded with a hum, your eyes unintentionally glancing away seeing Anya once more at another table. But with her gaze set on you.

"He sounds amazing." You then said, turning back to her. "What about you?" She then changed the subject, leaning back once more.

You took a breath.

"They're alright." You shrugged. "Me and my mom don't really get along but for the most part they're pretty cool. I have a few siblings but that's about it." "Siblings?" You nodded, sipping your drink seeing Anya disappear into the restaurant.

"A sister and a brother. Both older and upstate. But we text and call each other all the time. It's like we're all teenagers still living in the rooms beside each other."

Ellie stuck her bottom lip out, humming. "I'm guessing you're an only child?" "That obvious?" "A little, just the personality gives it away, but only a little." You referenced it with your hand, hoving the pads of your fingers over each other.

"So it's just you and Poppy in the city?" "Yep." You said popping the 'p' with a grin. "She was gift, from my grandma before she passed. My grandma's favorite flower was Poppies, we agreed on the name together before.." "Maybe she really is an old soul."

Ellie winked while you gave her a soft smile, sitting up a bit at that.

"That's a sweet way to think about it. Do you have any pets?" "Not in my apartment. Joel has a dog though, he's old but he's awesome."

Anya then appeared at the table as if she teleported there, just as you were beginning to forget about it all, about her. Sinking back into Ellie's sweet voice that seemed to get excited at the idea of her old pet.

But thus it was interrupted by the she-devil herself.

"Here's your food." "Thanks." You replied sharply with not a care of your tone getting a glance from the girl across from you. "You're welcome Y/n/n." You stared forward at your plate, Ellie thanking her before she walked off.

"You sure she's an old friend?" "I'm not letting her ruin the date, eat and tell me about the dog." You snatched a fry from your plate, hearing Ellie laugh harder then she had the entire time you knew her.

"His name is Vegas." "Vegas?" You smiled. "Yeah, fits him. Trust me." "Will do, I'm guessing he's sweet though." "Very, has trouble getting up and down stairs though so Joel started sleeping on the couch. It's getting closer though.."

"Aw I'm sorry." She moved her shoulders. "Comes with life." "You've got quite the view on death, don't you?" "Just seen a some of it..." You nodded quietly, choosing your next few words. "If it helps.. so have I?"

Taking a few bites of your food, a comfortable silence around you both, allowing you to enjoy your food. Ellie watching you for a moment, deciding if she was going to bring it up, until she made her choice.

"She's not an old friend is she?" You took in a deep breath, opening your mouth but nothing came out. You could see the regret in Ellie's eyes from even asking the question, your phone buzzing once more.

"Hold that question for a sec." You smiled, trying to seem like you were as disheveled and uncomfortable as you were. Turning your screen on to see a few messages from the waitress herself, asking if it was you and who is she. The last being a teasing message poking fun at your taste in women.

"She's an ex. That's all." You said, practically shoving the phone into your back and turning to your alcoholic drink, avoiding Ellie's stare the entire time. "Not a fun one either, so no we are far from friends. But please, just let's get back to you or me. Anything but her."

Ellie wasn't sure though, awkwardly moving her jaw around while trying to push down her unsure feelings. She liked, she did, but your mind was far from her now.

"You alright?" Ellie forced herself to ask, feeling your leg bouncing up and down at your nervous picking at your nails. "Fine, I'm fine. Do you write songs?" "Sometimes. When I'm bored enough, or have good inspiration." You continued to eat while she talked, nodding to her words.

"You should come in for a tattoo." "Trust me I'd love to see you in your element, because fuck that just sounds hot," You smirked, seeing a little blush appear on her freckled cheeks while she looked away, "but a little needle being on my skin for more than a few seconds, yeah I'm opting out for now."

"Well, if you work up the courage." "You'll be the first I call. Have you thought about extending your career with art?" Ellie thought for a second, looking past you, eyes then shooting back to yours. "No, no probably not but when I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut."

She smiled when you began to laugh, then deciding to cover your mouth.

"Sorry, that's adorable, reminds me of my brother. Would you ever go down that path?" "Maybe not now," She shook her head, matching your giggles, "but who knows, right?" "I wanted to be a writer as a kid, still now, working on my book and then the firm. I guess it was always meant to be."

"Guess so, I'd like to read some of that writing." "Hm, well you're making a great case for yourself. None of my friends are allowed too, but your... different?" "Is that so–"

"Would you like the check?"

You could've jumped, and Ellie nearly did, looking to your side as Anya gave you the fakest expression she could probably have mustered in that moment. And you've seen the girl be fake before.

"I guess?" Ellie said quietly looking at you while trying not to break out in laughter, but you were completely frozen, staring down at the table again.

"Alright, be back babe. Sorry, I mean Y/n." Anya snickered, like it was some sort of bad joke her date made and she wanted to pretend she liked them until it was over. "Yeah."

"You know, the food isn't bad here. The staff is terrible though." "I agree." You then spoke softly, trying to pull a happy face when you let her suck you back in. "Maybe next time we stick to an apartment?"

She could tell you perked up at the idea of a 'next time', a genuine beam of energy coming out when you spoke again.

"Poppy would love to meet you? Besides, maybe you can see more than just my bedroom?" "Don't hate the idea. But I did clean recently."

Her eyes then moved behind you once more, a nervous expression crossing her face and flooding her eyes.

"Everything alright?" You grabbed her hand, running your thumb along it gaining her attention before it hit you and you pulled away. "Sorry." "No you're fine.. fuck." She whispered under her breath, rubbing her fingers along her lips.

"What's your favorite season?" She could've replayed the way your face changed a million times over, like a confused puppy before you piped up once more.

"Winter, or fall, I do really like fall. Fires and hot chocolate. Cuddling. It's perfect." You shrugged excitedly, "yours?" "Fall, same reasons too." Her eyes went right passed you once more before Anya again teleported beside the table with the check in hand.

"Here–" Ellie took it from her and pulled her wallet out from her pocket. "Hey wait, we can split." "I got it, don't worry about it." "Ellie!" She smirked at you before shoving her card in the pocket of the check and signing the receipt.

"I said it's fine." She handed it back to Anya who couldn't help but glare at the woman across from you. "Besides, makes up for the terrible service." Anya stood there, almost stupidly while watching Elie hand her back the little black book, your ex walking off without another word.

"Thank you.. for the great date and for paying." "Eh, had to make it up for the shitty surprise you got."

Then, once more, she looked behind you, finally getting you to turn around.

"Hey, what about color?" But you didn't answer, seeing a woman sitting at the table with a familiar face. The girl who'd come to your office with Ellie, and a few others at a table.

But the woman wasn't looking at them, she was now looking at you after she'd been looking at Ellie.

"Pink, or brown. I like off-white too though." You then replied, turning back to her. "And you?" "Green." You began grabbing your bag, placing it on your shoulder while you both stood up awkwardly from the table.

"You want me to walk you home?" You grinned at her, nodding a bit. "If you'd like? And wouldn't mind?" "Shit, farthest from minding at this point." Ellie went to take your hand though it wasn't long lasting.

"So–" "Ellie!" The girl you'd made eye contact with earlier skipped over, brushing passed you in order to hug your date. Ellie seeming taken aback and a bit uncomfortable at the interaction.

"Hey Cat." She gritted her teeth and hugged her back, looking at you standing there trying not to look at them both for too long. Not wanting to seem invasive despite it being your date with her.

"I thought it was you! I wasn't sure though.. it was hard to see you.." She glanced at you yet didn't even care to introduce herself nor decide to turn to you at all. "Here's your card." Anya returned getting your attention while Ellie was handed back her card.

"I'll talk to you later Y/n/n." "What?" Ellie went to talk to you only for Cat to grab her arm, looking at you. "You're the girl Dina was talking about! Shit this is a date, isn't it?" Cat questioned, tilting her head like she was taunting you, but you weren't sure if she meant it that way.

"Sorry, I'm Cat, Ellie's ex-girlfriend. You've gotta be Y/n." "Yeah, actually. Nice to meet you–" "Awesome!" She then turned back to Ellie. "Come sit with us after you're done here."

You shifted uncomfortably, crossing your arms while looking to your date.

"Actually Cat–" "I've gotta go anyway, Poppy's waiting on me back home and besides, they're your friends." You gave her a reassuring smile before grabbing her upper arms and kissing her cheek.

"Just text me later, okay?" "Yeah sure, are you sure though?" Cat seemingly scoffed trying to pull her off towards the table.

"She doesn't need a knight in dull armor Ellie, she's got it." You laughed at the joke, giving Ellie a reassuring squeeze.

"All good, but I'm expecting a good conversation later." "Yeah, yeah of course."

And with that you walked off, hugging your arms as your dress blew in the wind. Your stomach finally dropping at the terrible date that had just took its course and for once you both shared a though.

That was awful. She thought.

"That was awful." You whispered

#ellie tlou #ellie x reader #ellie the last of us #ellie #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams #tlou 2 #tlou x reader #tlou #tlou part 2 #the last of us part 2 #the last of us #nevy writes

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arlecchno · 3 years ago

Text

mission accomplished [ scaramouche x reader ]

twenty-two | the story of us

prev masterlist next

the aftermath of everything.

warnings: swearing, use of scara's real name, use of signora's real name, mentions of injuries, signora calls you sweetheart lol, just a bit of angst at the start, not exactly proofread

a/n: this is pretty much a filler chapter cuz it's just you trying to avoid scara lmao. title and overall chapter is heavily inspired by the story of us by taylor swift. happy reading!

grammatical errors may occur so please let me know if i've made any mistakes!

you feel like absolute shit.

yun jin eyed you worryingly from the kitchen as she prepared you a drink. walking to the living room with a mug in hand, she carefully placed it on the coffee table in front of you.

“you should have something to drink.”

you didn't reply, opting to only stare at the beverage instead. the hot mist of the steam was still floating around, and the strong aroma of the famous steeped liyuean tea waft through the room.

“do you think i'm a bad person?”

yun jin arched an eyebrow, placing herself next to you on the small couch. “what do you mean by that?” she asked, looking at you.

still staring at the mug, you speak up. “i always sacrifice myself for others, albeit a little too much, you could say.” you chuckled to yourself. “i thought that if i were the one who ended up hurt instead of others, it would be for a good cause. i never see myself fit being saved, because honestly, i don't deserve it.” you said as yun jin eyed your head along with your damp hair, wrapped up in a soaked gauze roll.

you looked out to the small window of yun jin's dorm, taking in the dull view of the still heavy rain. how long has it been? over an hour now? the rain still hasn't stopped.

“yet i made the person who i treasure the most hate me in just one night, just because i was too busy wanting to be the hero.” you turned your head towards yun jin, eyes puffy from the short breakdown you had earlier. “does that even make me a good person at all?”

yun jin sighed, grabbing ahold of your hands. your hands were as cold as ice, not surprising, she thought to herself. you showed up at her door still clad in your soaked dress from last night, and an unknown black blazer draped over your shoulders. you may be smart in yun jin's eyes, but archons, you couldn't even bring an umbrella along?

“there's nothing wrong with putting others first, luna. but you should also know that you deserve just as much help as others do, you know.” she said, hands smoothing along yours in reassurance. “is this about ivan?” she questioned, and you slowly nodded.

eyes tearing up again, you looked down to your lap. “we were doing so good, yun jin, so, so, good. but i just had to ruin everything, i'm so awful, archons, i shouldn't have stormed off on him.” you sniffled, tears falling down to yours and yun jin's hands.

you recalled back to the things you did with scaramouche before it all went wrong. the dance, the balcony, the night before, everything. looking at it now, you felt like that was all just a fever dream, because none of it could explain why you were breaking down over a heated fight with scaramouche.

how did things get so wrong?

you thought after the grad ball, you would've found leads and close up this case after getting enough evidence, and would continue on your life with a blooming relationship with scaramouche. but now, you're not sure if you could even go on with this case given your situation.

it was your fault, really. if it wasn't for your actions, you would've saved both you and scaramouche, with no one hurt. but you just had to be the saviour and risk your life, only to end up sabotaging your own relationship with him.

it was entirely your fault, even from the start.

maybe you should've never agreed on working undercover for this case.

“i really am a horrible person, huh?” you chuckled, averting your gaze back to yun jin. she had a sympathetic expression plastered on her face, feeling sorry for what you're going through right now.

yun jin engulfed you in a hug, hands rubbing your back. “don't say that, luna. you're just having a hard time. don't beat yourself up for it.” she said, pulling you closer.

you stayed still for a second, in yun jin's arms, before finally breaking down fully, drowning your tears on yun jin's shirt.

the rain was still pouring heavily, with bolts of lightning shattering across the sky, just like how everything was shattering your heart into millions of pieces right now.

“what in the world happened to you?”

signora stared at you through her computer screen, referring to your very obvious bandaged head.

you looked away, avoiding her sharp gaze. even though it was merely a video call, you can't help but get scared of her. from the tone of her voice, you could already tell that she's worried as hell.

huffing, you replied. “it's a long story.”

“that's not your room.” signora pointed out, looking at the background. “it isn't scaramouche's either.”

“i'm at yun jin's.”

“and why are your eyes red and puffy? did you just finish crying?”

you groaned, grabbing a pillow to bury your face in it. “you ask so many questions.” you complained, voice slightly muffled.

“of course i'm gonna be throwing out a lot of questions, i'm a cop.” she tried joking around, though stopped when you don't respond.

signora sighed, looking at your slouched form with your face deeply buried in a pillow, body slightly shaking.

she's never been like this, she thought. even during stressful days at the precint, or during finals back in uni, you were never one to show such vulnerable emotions to someone, let alone to her, your closest friend.

it must be that bad.

“are you okay?” she finally asked, voice soft, contrary to what it was a moment ago.

chuckling, you perked your head up from the pillow, tears already threatening to fall. signora's face turned even more worried at the sight.

“no. i feel like absolute shit.”

signora didn't reply, looking at you in worry through the screen, waiting for you to continue.

“i had a fight with him.”

the blonde-haired woman raised a brow. “don't you guys always do that?”

you heave out a huff. “this was different.” you muttered, looking down on your laptop keyboard. “we were getting along really damn well for the past week, but everything fell apart when last night happened.”

“i did remember that gremlin texting me that you got in the hospital, which was the main reason why i called you.” signora shrugged. “but i didn't expect for the story to be this complicated. you're gonna have to tell me all about it, y/n.” she said, hands making gestures.

sighing, you averted your attention back to her. “fine. i'll tell you.”

after what felt like forever, you finally finished telling signora about what had happened, from the past few weeks, all the way to yesterday's fight. even though the information were rather a bit too much for one to listen, signora was still able to catch up quickly on the story, humming at your sentences in acknowledgement.

“well, that's about it.” you finished, voice cracking.

“do you like him?”

“what?” you asked, dumbfounded.

signora brought up her hand to look at her nails. “the way you talk about him makes it seem like you have feelings for him.”

widening your eyes, you stared at your friend in disbelief. “wha– no!” you denied almost immediately. you wiped the tears in your eyes with your sleeve, and continued on rambling on how you have absolutely no feelings for the ravenette.

you went on for a couple of minutes, looking elsewhere to avoid signora peering at your flustered state. but when she never replied to any of your retorts, you snapped your head back to your laptop screen, just to see signora smiling mischievously at you.

you pursed your lips in a thin line. what is she smiling about?

oh.

oh. this woman.

“you're just trying to distract me from being sad now are you?” you deadpanned, and signora's smile grew even wider.

she let out a laugh. “ah, y/n, what a great detective you are, always catching onto stuff in a heartbeat.”

narrowing your eyes at her, you frowned. “not cool, rosalyne.” you said, crossing your arms. “you always do this.”

“i just don't want you to be sad, sweetheart. surely you two could work this out, no? the balladeer may seem like a bit of a douche, but i doubt he'd be this big of a jerk.” the blonde-haired woman raised her two hands and made gestures as to how big she was referring to, making it a point.

you chuckled. “sure.”

“have you went back to your dorm after the fight?” signora questioned after a moment of silence.

“yeah, kuni would've been in class this morning so i went back to get my stuff.”

signora raised a brow. “kuni? is that a new weird nickname you have for him?”

your eyes widened for the second time, and you quickly fumbled for a reply. “uh–n-no! no, it's um, nothing. just a uh– inside joke, yeah.”

no way in hell would you ever reveal scaramouche's real name to her, even if she was your closest friend. it's not like you wanted to be the only one who knew, but scaramouche had trusted you, and only you, for him to reveal a sliver of his background.

there's no way you would ever go behind his back to expose such a thing.

signora eyed you suspiciously, but didn't question further. clearing up her throat, she speaks up. “are you really going to be okay? if there's anything i could help then i'd be–”

“no.” you cut her off, cracking up a small smile. “it's okay, rosalyne. this'll be over in no time.” you reassured.

oh how you were so wrong.

the past two weeks have been hell for you.

you've never thought how hard it would be to avoid scaramouche in campus, and given how you only have one class together, you thought it would've been rather easy to not bump into him.

but you were proven wrong. so many times.

the first day without him was the hardest. you both had criminology that day, and you were stupid to think brushing him off would be that easy.

sure, yun jin was in criminology too, but it didn't mean it wasn't easy to not spot the ravenette in a lecture hall full of students with that obnoxious hair of his. you sat with yun jin quite far from your usual seat, which was a few rows back.

the bandage on your head was long gone now. after your last trip to the doctor's, he's informed you that you were free to take it off, which you immediately did right after your got home, cursing about how the thing's been such a hassle for you.

scaramouche still sat at the same place, not even sparing a glance at you, seemingly like he doesn't even know you at all.

but you couldn't take your eyes off his purple head, staring at the way he focused in class, the way he takes notes, everything. there wasn't even any reason for him to be acting like a student when you two were just working undercover, yet he blended in with everyone, listening intently on what the lecturer was talking about.

you, however, could not be subtle at all. yun jin had to keep pinching at you every time you glanced towards scaramouche's seat, which was every single second. it was impossible for you to focus in class when he's just sitting a few rows in front of you, you were practically itching to get over there and apologize for that night.

but you didn't, and would never do that, not even over your dead body. you could never let your pride down and just waltzed right back into his life, not after everything.

so you held your head high, pretending like all of this could be avoided.

you're convinced that the universe hates you.

“you've gotta be fucking kidding me.” you mumbled under your breath, watching as the bell to the campus cafe chimed, the guy you were trying to avoid for weeks from walking in.

out of all times he could've been here, you thought to yourself. this is gonna kill you.

you were just sitting in the campus cafe with your laptop on the table, trying to continue on the case, but he just had to come here. it was inevitable, no matter how hard you try. scaramouche would always appear in the corner of your eye, wherever you are. oh how you want to dig yourself into a big hole and just bury yourself in it.

covering half of your face with your hand, you turned your head to the window in hopes of scaramouche not noticing you.

maybe you should leave this place, and go somewhere else to focus back on your work. if scaramouche was here, there was no way in hell you'd be able to continue on working.

slowly turning your head back to the busy counter, you watched as scaramouche ordered his drink, with him solely focusing on the menu.

this should be it, you think. this was the perfect opportunity to escape!

you closed your laptop and quickly packed your stuff in your bag on the empty seat beside you. taking a deep breath, you grabbed your bag and drink, heading for the door.

you had your eyes plastered to the floor and head hanging low as you quickly head for the exit, hoping that scaramouche wouldn't turn his head back and notice you.

what you didn't realize was scaramouche trying to find a seat while waiting for his drink, and he was heading towards your direction, as you were heading towards his.

luck really wasn't at your side at all.

next thing you knew, you bumped into scaramouche harshly, the impact making your drink spill. luckily for the ravenette, your drink didn't land a single drop on him. unfortunately for you, your drink spilled all over your clothes.

“shit!” you whisper-shouted, caressing your head that bumped into a stranger's chest. slowly widening your eyes, you snapped your head up, wanting to apologise to the random person you just head-bumped, just to see that scaramouche was the one in front of you, eyes as wide as yours.

oh archons, this is awkward.

“y/n?” scaramouche mumbled in shock. his eyes darted towards your clothes that were now stained from your spilled drink, making him tug you closer by the arm.

he stared at your shirt for a couple of seconds before looking up at you, bringing up a hand to hastily check your face and head for any injuries.

his breath was fanning your face, and heat quickly rushed up to your cheeks from the close distance. you haven't been this close to scaramouche ever since the grad ball, which was around two weeks ago.

his touch felt foreign, but also something that you've longed for.

“are you okay? you didn't hurt yourself, did you? was the drink hot? did you get any burns?”

blinking for a couple of times, you brushed off those thoughts out of your head. this is not the time to be thinking about the past, y/n.

you grabbed his shoulders to push him away slightly, just enough to give you two an appropriate space. “it– it's fine! i'm fine.” you turned your head sideways, avoiding his gaze.

scaramouche furrowed his brows, not used to the idea of you pushing him away, when you've always been the one to pull him close.

“i uh– i actuallly need to get going.” you said sheepishly, rubbing the back of your head. brushing past him, you headed for the door, the bell making a sound as you opened it.

“wait–” turning back, scaramouche tried chasing after you, but stopped when you already left the cafe.

the ravenette frowned, retracting his hand back to his side. were you still mad at him? he asked himself. he pursed his lips into a thin line. maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh on you.

the few weeks without you has been hard for him. before, he'd always come home to your presence, whether it be you watching tv, eating at the kitchen island, or you doing work on the couch. but now, he comes home to an empty dorm, with only silence engulfing the place at all times.

scaramouche hates to admit it, but he missed you. more than anything.

“order for ivan!” a barista called out to him, making him turn his head to the counter. his drink was ready to be picked up, with the fake name of his written on the cup.

he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he headed for the counter. grabbing his drink, he left the campus cafe, the chilly wind automatically nipping his skin.

scaramouche took a sip of his drink, the hot beverage hitting his throat just nicely. he sighed once again, looking to his surroundings to see if you were anywhere in sight, which unfortunately, you weren't. goodness, how fast were you even walking? were you that willing to avoid him?

shaking the thoughts out of his head, scaramouche watched as the wind blows through the trees. he shouldn't be dwelling on such trivial matters. he doesn't need to see you right now. none of this bothers him. he's doing fine.

oh how he wished any of those words were true.

“you know, you can just go to him if you want to make up so bad.” yun jin remarked, watching as you stare at scaramouche's back.

one hand resting on your chin, you turned your head towards your friend. “hm? did'ya say somethin'?”

“you're unbelievable.” yun jin glared at you, flicking your forehead, which earned a whine from you. the young woman paid no mind as she continued on complaining. “you should go up to him and reconcile. i doubt he'd reject you.”

rubbing the spot she flicked at, you groaned. “no way. he's the one who should come to me and apologize. i'm not gonna just give up and let him win this argument.”

“is this really just about winning your petty fights?”

“...what do you mean?” you asked confusedly, giving her a perplexed look.

“i feel like there's more to it than just that reason.” yun jin crossed her arms. “otherwise you wouldn't be avoiding him for this long.”

you huffed, turning away from her dramatically. “it's only been two and a half weeks. i can go much longer without him.”

“doesn't seem like it to me.”

snapping your head back to her, you arched a brow. “what?” you questioned.

“don't think i've never noticed how your gaze on him lingers longer and longer in each class, how you keep stabbing and staring at your meals, and how you always save a seat at every single place we've been to, because his place was always a spot next to you.” yun jin pointed out, every single fact being shot right to your head like a missile.

not waiting on your response, she continued further. “there's even an empty seat next to you right now!” she pointed her finger at the unoccupied seat to prove her statement.

“that's just coincidence!” you fought.

she rolled her eyes at you, causing you to frown even more. “stop being in denial, luna.”

“'m not in denial.”

“then go and sit next to him right now.”

“wha– no!” you quickly turned down, bringing up both of your arms to make an 'x' sign.

you love your friend dearly, but archons is she annoying the hell out of you right now. you wished she could just keep her mouth shut, even if everything she's said were true. partially.

but then again, you're not gonna just tell her that.

yun jin narrowed her eyes at you for a moment, before sighing. she turned her head back to her laptop, which was opened to the topic you were gonna learn in criminology today. “viktor told me a couple of things about how ivan's been acting these days.”

you accidentally slammed your hands harshly on the table, which earned a lot of stares from other students in the lecture hall, scaramouche included. rubbing your neck sheepishly, you slouched on your seat in embarrassment, avoiding the stares you were receiving. yun jin merely chuckled at your actions.

“what did viktor tell you?” you asked almost immediately, figure still slouching. “did he mention something about me?”

yun jin smirked, finding it amusing how you were so eager to know about what's been going on with scaramouche, when you were the one who kept denying about the fact that you missed him.

catching onto her act, you pouted. “i'm only asking because you were the one who talked about it first.”

“sure, you are.”

“just– just get to the point!”

yun jin laughed, but obliged to your demand. “well, in terms of emotions, ivan is now pretty much emotionless. which is not surprising considering how he wasn't that much of an emotional person anyways. he's like a brick or something.” the black-haired woman said, eyeing the lecture hall doors to see if the professor has arrived.

seeing that he hasn't, yun jin continued. “viktor also told me that ivan's been hanging out at the campus library as of late. no idea why though, he's already gotten the dorms all to himself, he doesn't need to go to the library to get away from roommates anymore.”

“yun jin.” you cleared your throat after she finished her sentence, placing your hands on her shoulder as you turned her to your direction. “i love you, but that's just how ivan is. he's an emotionless prick who likes to do whatever he pleases. i've known that for over five years now.”

“...five? i thought you guys met at your old college?” yun jin asked confusedly, making you widened your eyes at your slip up. “five years ago would be when we're around seventeen. did you meet him back in highschool?”

releasing your hands from her, you scratched your temple awkwardly. “well– i uh, i guess so?”

“what do you even mean by that?”

“we– i um, met him in highschool, yeah, but we didn't really get to know each other until college.” you quickly fumbled for a lie, causing yun jin to eye you suspiciously. “stop looking at me like that!” you complained, avoiding her gaze.

yun jin stared at you for a couple of seconds, and you sweat, silently hoping she doesn't catch on your made up story. who would even believe that a 26 year old was making up a lie that they were 4 years younger?

the young woman huffed, about to say something before the professor suddenly barged through the doors.

you sighed in relief. maybe you were lucky after all.

or not.

“what do you mean you can't come with me to the library?! you promised to accompany me!”

the black-haired woman sighed, busying herself with her hair. “sorry, luna. viktor made a last minute decision to meet me, said he needs to talk about something.” she turned her head to your direction by the door.

groaning, you pinched the bridge of your nose in annoyance. “viktor has the same assignment as me! can't you two just have your little date at the library?”

“i'm afraid not, y'know that viktor has always been a last minute person.”

“please?” you pleaded.

“no.”

“pretty please?”

yun jin rolled her eyes, heading to the fridge to get a drink. “that's not gonna work on me, luna, i'm not like your dear boyfriend.” she muttered. “why do you even want me to accompany you so bad? you like going places alone.” she asked, gulping down a cup of water whilst waiting for you to answer.

“first things first, he is not my boyfriend.” you denied rather quickly. “and secondly, you said he always goes to the library now, what if he's gonna be there?!”

“i doubt the library is going to be full, you'll be fine. just sit somewhere else if you see him or something.”

you eyed her sceptically. “i'll kill you if you're wrong.”

looks like she's gonna heave her last breath after all.

you have no idea why, or how, a library this humongous would be filled to the brim, students filling up the place like an ant's nest.

it was painfully unbelievable how much of bad luck you have for the past few weeks (you like to think otherwise), and it'd be the death of you if these things were gonna keep on happening. there was no way you'd be able to finish up this case in time.

peering over the many tables, you attempt on finding an empty seat with your arms full of books, which in your case, seemed to be impossible. you walked around the whole library, in hopes of finding a spot to do your work at, but to no avail.

grumbling, you silently cursed to the students that came to the library today. really, out of all days this library would be full, it just had to be the day you need to get your work done.

after what felt like forever, you finally found yourself a nice and empty seat a few feet away from you, even if the long table was full with other students. you'd accept any kinds of spot at this point, as long as you get to sit and do your work comfortably.

smiling, you walked up happily to the table like a baby duck following its mother, until you stopped halfway when you caught glimpse of the very familiar bundle of violet hair, your smile faltering almost immediately.

no.

this cannot be happening.

absolutely not.

“this has got to be the worst fucking month of my life.” you mumbled under your breath, the thought of your incident actually being the worst month for you suddenly thrown out the window.

this is seriously killing you.

slowly backing away, you turned around and walked over to the nearest bookshelf, hiding behind it.

what in the world are you gonna do now?

you slightly peeked your head to the side of the bookshelf, just enough to see scaramouche doing his work on the table, a few seats away from the empty chair you've been eyeing on. holding onto your books tightly, you quickly think of a plan.

should you just go back?

no, you want to finish up this assignment as soon as possible, you don't want to be late in submitting your work. just because you weren't exactly a student here doesn't mean that you can slack off on work, that's quite literally the only priority you have in life.

should you just look up the topics on the internet?

no, the internet is not the most reliable source, and you'd much rather gather up and use books, they're much more informative and useful. there's no way you'd fully rely on the web. and to add, you already have the books here in your arms anyways, it'd be a hassle to put them all back after everything.

should you just sit there?

it probably won't be that bad, right?

clenching your jaw, you finally decided that, fuck it, you're going there, whether you like it or not. ignoring him won't be that hard, you've basically been doing the same thing for the past two weeks, surely this'd be nothing.

you finally worked up the courage to walk back there and snatch the empty seat, just in time before anyone else could claim it. sighing in relief, you placed the heavy books down on the table and got ready to work as you pulled out your laptop.

after setting up your small work space, you cracked your fingers and did a bit of stretching, the thought of scaramouche being present barely bothering you anymore.

it's fine, just a couple of hours and you'd be out of here, there was no need for you to pay attention to that annoyingly purple headed guy.

speaking of which, maybe taking a teeny tiny peek at him won't hurt...

taking one of the borrowed books, you opened it up to a random page and act it as a shield for you to ogle your eyes at him, slightly peeking your head out to the side of the book to look at what he's doing.

scaramouche was busy working up something on his laptop, occasionally looking at a notebook to his left. you let out a huff at his annoyingly and frustratingly attractive face. why does he have to look this good in such a boring library?

the ravenette raked a hand through his hair, slightly knocking his glasses out of the way. you furrowed your brows, questioning yourself. when has he ever gone to public with his glasses on? you thought to yourself. that's fairly new, you think as you duck your head back down, just enough to hide behind your book.

pondering on the thought, you hadn't realised that, the guy you were thinking of, snapped his head right to your direction, and when you finally looked back at him to take a more closer look, he was already staring at you with a blank expression.

you widened your eyes, quickly hiding your head back behind the book you're holding upwards with heat running up your cheeks. what the hell?! why is he looking at me?! you fought with the demons in your head, cursing yourself over and over for your actions.

maybe this was a bad idea after all, because once you peeked back to his seat, he was still looking at you, with that stupidly forsaken nonchalant look of his.

fuck, you think to yourself.

at this point, you just wanted the ground to open up and swallow you, bringing you the very core of earth, in hopes of avoiding being in a sticky situation like this.

you two held eye contact for a moment, seemingly like time has stopped, everyone and everything stopping in a motion except for you and scaramouche.

it was funny, you thought. you only ever see these kind of things happening in tv shows and movies, yet the same exact thing is happening to you right now, which is fairly weird. is your life just some sort of entertainment?

the one to break the continuous eye contact was scaramouche, as he suddenly turned away to pack up his stuff, slamming his laptop down and shoving it in his bag. you continued staring at him with a confused expression, as you watch him standing up and leaving.

scratching your head, you thought to yourself at what you could've done for him to leave all of the sudden. did you have something on your face? you silently pondered, rubbing your face to see if there was anything there.

after a few seconds of no answer, you shrugged, and continued on doing your work like nothing happened.

maybe he just needed to take a shit.

how scaramouche wished you knew how crazy you're making him right now, suddenly leaving him with a rapidly beating heart, sweaty palms, and flushed cheeks. he thinks you're utterly insane, because he has no idea why the most subtle things you do is making him feel like this, his chest tightening up every time you were in his presence.

scaramouche shook his head as he left the library, slinging his bag properly onto his shoulder.

maybe he should ask childe about this, if he was even available that is. that shithead, he thinks, he always has to go missing at these times.

maybe pierro? or pulcinella, he guessed, the guy's one of the only few people he could actually tolerate, unlike dottore.

he sighed, cursing to himself over and over again for the whole walk back to his dorm.

you're fucking crazy. absolutely batshit insane for making him feel this way.

did you really think i was gonna make them reconcile this early

taglist; @beriiov @hopesandlegacy @cloudsandrenoswife @salamiwrites @thenightsflower @bleedingwhiteroses222 @lisiastak021 @yuuki4646 @lez-zuha @ryhie @sleepy-waffle @yoursockstinks @shizunxie @kunikame @kunikuzushiit @anonwhocried @vqqrii @luminesuprrmacy @calxb-do @sixscara @xooya @mobiussdarling @mafukissu @antri13 @ireallylikehamsters @hejtorii @moatsnow @sinnersbyfear

(unfortunately i am unable to tag those that are in bold, i'm sorry!)

want to be added to the taglist?

#h✧˖—mission accomplished #scaramouche #genshin impact scaramouche #genshin scaramouche #genshin scara #scaramouche fluff #genshin impact #genshin #genshin x you #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact reader insert #kunikuzushi #kunikuzushi x reader #scaramouche x reader

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chateautae · 4 years ago

Text

maybe i do | kth. IV

➵ summary : maybe you love each other, maybe you don’t. when a deal between your fathers leaves you forcefully wedding kim taehyung, arguably seoul’s most powerful CEO, you’re prepared for a loveless marriage of eternal regret and unhappiness. but maybe, it doesn’t turn out that way after all.

↳ part of the high-class series!

➵ pairing : taehyung x reader

➵ genre : arranged marriage!au, ceo!tae, s2l!au, eventual smut, fluff, angst

➵ rating : 18+

➵ word count : 16k

➵ warnings : swearing, light angst, loads of teasing, you kick tae once LMAO, sexual tension :o, kissing, heavy making out, straddling, marking, dry humping, light possessiveness, some jealousy, slight exhibitionism (?), mention of a name kink, descriptions of acrophobia (intense fear of heights)

➵ a/n: i’ve returned with another loaded chapter i somehow made angsty, a lil smutty and yet soft? idk what i’m doing anymore i stg taehyung and this trifecta will not leave me alone. as always, feedback is appreciated my loves!

chapter four : “feels like a river’s rushing through my mind”

prev. ↞ || ↠ next || masterlist

“Jimin, we had to leave early because a lot happened last night, okay?” Taehyung tried to reason with his friend over the phone, rubbing his temple tiredly as he leaned back against the kitchen counter.

“What the hell else happened?” Jimin asked on the other end. “You two put on quite the show before you left.”

And there it was, a reminder of that searing kiss you pressed to Taehyung’s lips that still racked his brain, quite frankly all of last night’s events between you two invading his thoughts.

“A lot. Look, I’m sorry we left early. It was a great gala but we just didn’t have a good night.” Taehyung sighed recalling the fiasco.

“It’s alright, tell me later.” Jimin softened, suddenly remembering a contributing factor to the terrible night. “But is Y/N okay? Hisung probably scared her.”

“I think she’s okay.” Taehyung stated, wishy-washy about his own answer. “I’m worried... though.” Taehyung took a poignant pause, reflecting on his own feelings as he worked through them, speaking again. “Is it normal, Jimin? To want.. to protect her?”

Taehyung’s friend contemplated the question. “I mean, depends on why you want to. What’s bothering you?”

“... I don’t know. I��m just worried about.. if she’s alright. I know people said things to her and I don’t want her hurt. ” Taehyung asserted, your well-being suddenly beginning to occupy the forefront of his mind. “I think.. I don’t like seeing her hurt, and it makes me want to protect her?”

“Well, I think that’s normal for any human being.” Jimin suggested. “But she’s your wife too, Tae, you’re bound to care about her.”

Taehyung was quick to counter Jimin, but more so seeking his opinion. “Yeah, but it’s just.. do I care because she’s my wife? Or because it’s her?”

“What do you mean?”

Taehyung sighed, searching for the best way to word his spinning thoughts. “I think I don’t know whether I care because I feel obligated to, or it’s something... else.”

Jimin paused on the other end of the line, considering his friend’s confession.

“Taehyung, even if it’s about her, that’s not a bad thing, you know?” Jimin stressed. “It’s not bad to feel something more than an obligation.”

Taehyung considered the statement carefully, understanding Jimin’s point. “I guess...” He acquiesced into the phone, attempting to digest the weight of the words until you suddenly appeared drudging into the kitchen, rubbing at your eyes tiredly.

“I’ll call you back, Jimin.”

Taehyung ended the call after Jimin’s farewell, casting his phone aside as he watched you sluggishly plop down onto a chair by the island.

“Hey, good morning.” Taehyung greeted.

Your eyes were nearly half-lidded, not even returning his greeting as you instead propped your elbows onto the counter, holding your head in your hands.

“Did you not sleep well?” Taehyung inquired, concerned by your lethargic state.

“I don’t even know. I think I eventually did but I tried sleeping mad, and that’s never good.” You answered honestly, groaning at the sleep still lulling the back of your eyes.

“It’s because of those women, isn’t it?” Taehyung accused bitterly. “Can you please tell me what they said? It’s bothering me too.” He admitted with an irritated tone, bringing his teacup to his lips as he kept recalling your hair from yesterday; most likely wet due to something they did.

And it still pissed him off, even if he didn’t exactly know why.

“I’ll tell you when I’m dead.” You deadpanned, collecting yourself and biting into a kiwi from a bowl of fruits.

You couldn’t help but remember the context of what they conveyed, nodding towards knowing Taehyung for more intimate reasons, and you oddly felt jealousy at the thought. Though you ultimately decided to leave it be, patiently wait for Taehyung himself to open up about his past with women.

Because after all, it wasn’t your business.

“God, why’d the night just have to suck so much?” You complained.

“I have no clue. I swear galas aren’t like that at all. They’re actually usually boring.”

“Well, clearly not this one.” You beamed superficially, assuming a perpetually grumpy mood as you began to pick at food.

Taehyung had done much thinking about the event when you’d both returned to your humble abode, you having shredded everything off your body to immediately sleep while Taehyung dressed down and sat in his office chair to brood.

There was something bugging him.

“Honestly, I think it all came down to one problem.” Taehyung claimed, leaning forward onto the island to level himself with you, hands clasped against the counter.

“What problem?” You questioned.

“I think it has to do with the legitimacy of our marriage.” Taehyung suggested. “Hisung only approached me because he thinks our marriage isn’t real, and said others can tell too. That’s not good at all.” Taehyung cautioned, becoming troubled by the realization himself.

You nodded in agreeance, recalling the events from last night. “Actually, I think you’re right. Those girls mentioned our marriage seeming fake too, and how people can apparently tell.” You informed, thinking it was alarming yourself three people had already told you the marriage seemed superficial.

“Really? Did they say anything else? Why they think that?” Taehyung asked eagerly.

You became apprehensive about spilling the details of what was said to you, not wanting to throw another pity party. So you masked some of the vile words and relayed an augmented summary instead. “It was just about the marriage lacking substance. There seems to be no love, so it seems fake.”

Taehyung digested that, rubbing against his lips inquisitively as he reviewed the information. “So the issue is we don’t seem in love?”

“Probably. You can usually tell when two people are in love, and that’s clearly not us.” You’re not sure why your heart felt a little sting at that claim, again painfully remembering you were robbed of ideally falling in love with someone, but now more so at the fact Taehyung and yourself could possibly never achieve that sense of love.

Taehyung also felt a twinge at your comment, thinking it was a touchy subject, though wasn’t against the idea if it ever auspiciously occurred in the future.

Could it ever really happen between you two, though?

“You’re right, but is anything we’re doing wrong? We act like a couple, don’t we?” Taehyung added, uncertain of the reason behind people’s suspicions considering how much of a show you two put on in public.

“I mean, maybe it’s not that.” You suggested. “I think it has to do with our statuses.”

“What do you mean?” Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows.

“I’m some runaway heiress, Taehyung, and you’re one of the most powerful CEOs in Seoul. It could easily seem like something’s behind our marriage with that knowledge.” You reasoned, feeling some of the daunting words those women said to you resurfacing, pairing with your mother’s awful insults. “I have an incredibly scandalous reputation compared to you, it can seem fishy. ”

Taehyung painted his face with slight disapproval, not liking what you said. “You’re not just some runaway heiress...”

“Look, scratch the reason.” You moved on before you could overthink his sentiment. “We just have to appear more couple-like, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So why don’t we try it? We should probably start going on dates, maybe.. I don’t know, you start driving me to work or something, build our public image as a couple.”

Taehyung became intrigued by your idea, accepting the proposal. “You’re right. Maybe we should even spend our lunches together?” He offered his own suggestion. “I visit you and you visit me, say.. once a week? People would always see us at each other’s workplaces so it could deal with the status thing.”

“Yeah, I think that works.” You agreed. “If we lay enough pieces of evidence, people won’t speculate so much.” You figured, feeling good about the proposal yourself.

“We’ll need to plant more evidence than just dates and driving, though.” Taehyung pushed himself off the counter and advised, gesturing towards your device suddenly. “What do you have me saved as in your contacts?”

You didn’t understand where he was going though followed his instruction, unlocking your phone and displaying Taehyung’s contact on the screen, turning the device towards him.

CEO Kim Taehyung.

“Why’d you give me such a formal contact name?” Taehyung nearly looked offended, folding his arms as he scrutinized you.

“Hey, you’re a year older than me. I thought I’d have some respect.” You pouted as you answered, knowing you were right in your action.

“I don’t do the whole age and honorifics thing.” Taehyung dismissed. “You should have me named as something less boring, more cute.” He proposed as he leaned back against the counter again, watching you in all your morning glory as you pouted grumpily at him.

You looked soft this way, and even if you were flashing him a testy look, he couldn’t help but find you cute for the umpteenth time.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you typed in a new contact name, snickering to yourself when you turned your phone back to him.

Taehyung zeroed in on the screen.

Bread Crust Boy

“That’s cute, right?”

“Yah, you’re so...” Taehyung huffed out before he leaned over and quickly snatched your phone from you, typing in something himself.

“Hey!” You almost propped off your chair and protested before Taehyung finished, flashing the screen to you.

Taehyung ♡

“There.” He smiled to himself accomplishedly, offering your phone back.

The emoji made you a little shy, never having thought about putting a heart next to his name. “Why the heart?” You grumbled under a rosy blush.

“It’s cute. I’ll change yours too.” You retrieved your phone and watched Taehyung pull his own out, typing with one hand.

You realized peering at him do so that even a relatively large phone appeared small in Taehyung’s hand, impressed by his ability to work his phone so deftly.

It made you momentarily think about what his hands could do in other scenarios.

Taehyung then hummed to himself satisfied and it brought you down to earth, seeing him grin at his screen before he turned his phone to you.

Y/N ♡

“Now when people see our contacts it’s more realistic.” Taehyung explained, shutting off his phone as you caught sight of the plain wallpaper of his device.

“On that note, we should probably change our wallpapers. Make them pictures of us.” You suggested with a strawberry in your mouth, thinking this was one of the primary ways of flaunting a relationship.

“But we don’t have any pictures.”

“Sure we do.” You answered distractedly as you swallowed, accessing the camera on your phone suddenly. “Come here.” You gestured for him to come to you, holding out your arm as you remained in your seat.

Taehyung became a little apprehensive, stepping over to you with crossed arms not understanding what you’re doing. He made to your side and you draped an arm around him, pulling him down to your height and he complied by bending, becoming eye-level with you. His expression dropped once he caught sight of your camera app open.

“Seriously, we’re gonna take a selca?”

You smiled sweetly for the camera as you answered absentmindedly. “Yes we are, say cheese!” You cheered annoyingly, snapping the photo before he could even protest.

You reviewed the photo only to find Taehyung wasn’t even smiling, rather looking at the camera blankly and with crossed arms like he was fed up.

“Taehyung..” You whined. “Can’t you smile? Why is your face always so scary?”

“It’s a habit.” He defended, eyes narrowed.

“Well smile for me. We have to look like a couple, remember?” You tried to encourage, pulling him close to you again and extending your phone for another photo.

You were all about adjusting your position and smiling again until Taehyung spoke up all of a sudden, nearly making you choke.

“You like my smile, don’t you?” His voice was smug as ever, you snapping the photo just as your eyes went wide. You instantly took a trip down memory lane, recalling how you so boldly listed the things you liked about him last night, genuine things and he’d heard it all.

“Wh-what? I just said that for the guys, totally not true.” You sputtered, feigning innocence as you grimaced at the terrible photo you took; your expression surprised with Taehyung smirking devilishly.

“Hmm, sure.” Taehyung played along, though suddenly got all mischievous. “I recall something about my hands and voice too, no?” He began teasing, dropping his voice an octave lower as he ghosted the shell of your ear, arms unfolding so he could wrap his large, warm palms around your waist and pull you snug to his chest.

You shivered at the actions, feeling extremely attacked by nearly all of your favourite aspects of him coming on at once, and you deflected it all speedily.

“H-hey, we have a photo to take. Make it cute, cuddler boy.” You quipped back at him, knowing a clear blush was heating your cheeks while positioning the phone for another photo.

“Ugh, fine.” Taehyung groaned, ultimately assuming a friendlier smile as he still hugged around your torso, cheek to cheek as you two grinned for the camera.

You snapped the photo and admired it; both of you dressed all homey adding to the domestic feel of the selca while quite intimately close together.

It looked cute though a little too simple, didn’t convey the message you two wanted practically flashing in front of everyone like a neon sign. “This looks too plain, let’s do something cuter.” You suggested into the air, though beamed when another idea dawned on you. “Oh my god, let’s take a Live Photo!”

“What?” Taehyung questioned as he glanced at you.

“A Live Photo, genius. We’ll smile for the picture at first then do something cute, so when people hold down on it it’ll look all couply!” You were practically jumping out of your seat, explaining like an excited child showing off their favourite toy, and Taehyung found it incredibly adorable.

“Okay, that sounds good.” Taehyung and yourself then settled next to each other again, his arms encasing your waist tighter as you held the phone out.

“Remember, make it cute.” You remarked, feeling his temple against yours as you initiated the Live Photo.

You both smiled at first, your usual grins until you ended up scrunching your nose, eyes turning into pretty crescents and Taehyung flashed a boxy grin, free hand coming up for a V sign.

You thought that was the end, concluding the photo already cute enough until Taehyung suddenly turned his head and pressed a kiss to the apple of your cheek, your expression baffled.

The Live Photo caught Taehyung’s kiss though cut off right before your reaction, Taehyung’s soft lips now on your mind. Your own lips turned into an inquisitive pout, doe-eyes looking at him. “What was that for?”

“You said make it cute.” Taehyung casually shrugged, grasping his cup of tea from across the counter and taking a sip, eyeing you as he did so.

You could only sit innocently and break eye contact, timid about the fact that Taehyung just decided to kiss you. The little sound of his mouth leaving it also made something swell in your chest, finding the act too cute for its own good and you seriously needed to do something about your stupid blushing habit.

Why the fuck did he always get you like this?

Taehyung was unbothered as he watched you, your shy self returning to your phone reluctantly and he seriously couldn’t stop from snickering at your reaction.

“I’ll..uh, send it to you.” You offered practically hiding your face into your phone, working away on the device. “Live Photo’s don’t work on home screens, by the way. Unless you don’t care about your home screen.”

“We should change our home screens. Maybe one of our wedding photos?” Taehyung suggested, his hand hooked onto the back of your chair as he stood next to you.

“That sounds good. We should probably try keeping a wedding photo in each of our offices, the house too. Looks super domestic.” You proposed as you sent the photos to Taehyung’s contact.

“Our photographer sent some to me a few days ago, let’s look.” Taehyung placed his cup down and referred to his phone, bending down beside you and leaning an elbow against the counter to draw closer to you. His one arm was still around your chair and enclosed you, making your chest flutter a little.

You both scrolled through numerous photos, mutually dismissing most of them since they either appeared staged, someone looked too unhappy or they simply turned out unfavourable. You both were nearly giving up until Taehyung landed on a photo taken of you two at the altar, perfectly timed at the moment after you both shared your first kiss. You both were looking almost dreamily into each other’s eyes, in such a genuine manner it reminded you of why your expression appeared so in the first place.

Taehyung had made his little promise before he kissed you, and quite tenderly at that, dawning the realization Taehyung was actually a kind person, someone considerate enough to ensure your kiss was somehow magical despite the circumstances of your coerced marriage. It’s what made you look at him in earnest, your eyes shimmering brightly at him with a soft smile.

Taehyung found himself smiling at the photo as well, recalling that very moment. He’d thought your lips were so delicate, and sincerely hated seeing you fight so hard to do this for him, with him. So the sudden, emphatic need to make your world a better place, that he at least owed you the care of a real husband dawned on him at that time, smile warm as he looked into your Bambi-like eyes.

Suffice to say, you both liked the photo, and it was you who spoke up to point it out. “I think this is the best one.”

“Yeah, me too.” Taehyung agreed with a grin as he looked at you, though you were only focused on the photo.

“We should get this printed, plaster it everywhere to be convincing enough.” You brought Taehyung back to reality, addressing the whole purpose of this conversation in the first place.

Taehyung mentally recollected and lifted himself off the counter. “Yeah, I’ll um.. send it to you for your home screen, get it printed for our offices and the house.”

You nodded as you returned to eating your breakfast, all completely normal and Taehyung couldn’t understand how you could be, thinking a lot just happened in the last 10 minutes that wasn’t exactly average between you both, and yet you were unaffected.

“How about we go on a date next weekend? I’ll take you somewhere.” Taehyung perked up from his own thoughts.

“Sure.” You agreed, distracted as you set the Live Photo as your lock screen.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?” Taehyung watched your distracted self, clicking away at the device and he oddly wished you’d look at him.

“I’d love anywhere. Do you have a favourite place?” You inquired unexpectedly, catching Taehyung off-guard.

“Me? My favourite place?”

“Mhm.” You nodded.

“My... favourite place?” Taehyung reiterated to himself, never having been inquired of such a thing before and didn’t know how to answer. “I don’t.. think anyone’s ever asked me that.”

You furrowed your eyebrows to yourself, eyes still glued to centering your lockscreen properly. “Really? Well, now I have. I’ll go anywhere you like. You’re in charge, Mr. Kim.” You gave Taehyung the wheel.

Taehyung sincerely tried not to feel affected by you addressing him as Mr. Kim, though felt himself tensing at the term more than he should’ve anyway, mind wandering places.

What would you sound like if you said that in another scenario?

Taehyung ticked his head to the side reprimanding himself, audibly taking a breath and clearing his scandalous thoughts. He then returned to his other intoxicating thoughts; where he’d realized he was seldom asked questions about himself, and you seemed to be the only person who ever did.

“Alright, then. I’ll think of a date for us.” Taehyung affirmed. “We should enact all this right off the bat, by the way. I’ll drive you to work from now on starting Monday, and I’ll come by at your lunch hour.”

“Sounds good. Though are you sure about dropping me off every morning?” You looked up at him beside you, knowing it was your own suggestion though only threw it out there for the sake of the conversation, considering later Taehyung had a more demanding career than you. “Don’t you start earlier than me?”

“I’m the CEO of my company, I can start whenever I want.” Taehyung shrugged, unbothered.

“Alright, Monday it is.” You smiled at him with a thumbs up, eyes flashing to your phone screen once again when a notification popped up.

Something occurred to you at the same time, though, speaking up when it tickled your brain. “Do you do pet names, by the way? I think we’ll seem 100x more convincing if we call each other by them.” You threw the suggestion out there, trying to remain calm though became anxiety-ridden gauging his reaction. He didn’t answer right away, rather remained standing in silence and you assumed this may have been too intimate.

You grimaced at your mistake, retracting the idea. “Um, if you’re uncomfortable with that we don’t-”

“Jagiya.”

“What?”

“I do pet names. I always planned to call my wife Jagiya.” Taehyung confessed, tone casual next to you and you suddenly became aware he was still holding the back of your chair, his proximity apparent as ever.

“I like Jagiya, it’s pretty.“ You admitted.

“What about you?” He asked.

You became shy about exposing yourself, deciding instead to make this amusing. “Guess.”

“Hmm, babe?”

“Taehyung, everyone likes babe and baby. Those are a no-brainer.”

“I was just making sure.” Taehyung countered. “What about honey?”

“No, too 70′s.”

“Darling?”

“You wanna go 50′s, now?”

“Umm.. Princess?” And that’s when your cheeks immediately heated, freezing on spot and feeling your heart leap even if it was just for a second, hoping Taehyung wasn’t paying attention to you.

Though his next words proved you wrong.

“Wait, you like princess?” Your chest fluttered at his reiteration of the term, this one pet name having always been your weakness.

“No, I don’t.” You grumbled, hiding your hot face in your hands so he wouldn’t be able to see you, though Taehyung was always about teasing.

You felt him bend down next to you, speaking smugly into your ear with a purposefully lowered tone. “Don’t lie to me, princess.”

“Shut up, Taehyung.” You huffed. “I know you like it when I address you formally.” You retorted back, now daring to stare him square in the face with narrowed eyes, and watched as he slightly sputtered. “What? I never said that.”

“Please, I can tell you have a name kink, especially with your titles. It’s obvious.” You teased him, stating it so matter-of-factly it had Taehyung quipping back in seconds.

“No I don’t, there’s no proof.” He tried to deny convincingly, standing up and folding his arms as he looked away from you.

“Oh really, Mr. Kim?” Your tone suddenly became sultry as you reached out for his forearm, and you couldn’t help but become alighted by the feel of his veins underneath his skin.

Taehyung visibly tensed, his eyes almost alarmed as he glanced at you touching his arm, rebutting as a distraction. “Yes, Mrs. Kim. I don’t feel anything.”

“Are you sure, Chairman Kim? I think you’re lying.” You then slid your hand up to his bicep, smoothing him over as you continued to tease smugly. It only made Taehyung’s jaw lock harder, physically reacting to your every addressment and it had you nearly cackling.

Though Taehyung knew how to fight back. He suddenly became bold and positioned his hands on either side of your seat, leaning over and drawing his face so near your own your breath hitched dangerously. “I think you’re the one lying, Princess.” His tone scarily dropped an octave. ”I know you like it when I call you that.”

The coldest shiver ran down your spine, sucking in a breath. He stared deviously into your eyes with his deep voice hanging in the air, breath fanning your face, and you turned away from his scrutiny before it could affect you deeply.

“What? I never said that.” You held your head up high as you diverted your eyes and copied him, causing Taehyung to bite back a smile at your little act.

He found himself enjoying this more than he should’ve, both of you nearly on the same wavelength of energy and it was genuinely amusing.

Taehyung couldn’t suppress the feeling of eagerness that now overtook him considering your newer, more engaging arrangements. Maybe in near anticipation of being able to spend real time with you, even take you out on a date and explore a new level of intimacy paired your already thrilling chemistry in mind.

It made Taehyung smile at first, though ultimately fade upon further thought.

He suddenly remembered how unaffected you seemed earlier by the idea of your new couple-like tactics, and felt discouraged even more recalling this marriage has only ever been something fake to you in the first place. It caused him to squash any thought of that something else he’d mention to Jimin earlier, translating to him ultimately burying his exhilaration deep down to avoid developing anything at all.

Little to Taehyung’s knowledge, though, was that you were bubbling with eager excitement all the same underneath, only deflated by thinking this didn’t mean as much to Taehyung as it did to you.

Monday had arrived, and it was time to entirely transform the way you interact with Taehyung. It had all began with his promise of dripping you off at work, climbing into his Mercedes and discussing details about your lunch date for later that day.

It would be relatively normal, though with some flashing each other kind smiles and make-believe loving gazes in case a camera decided to follow you two.

Your day progressed as usual at work, casual co-workers continuing to ask you for the details of your married life with Taehyung, and only providing the polished ones Taehyung and yourself had agreed upon. You never dressed anything up too fancily without his consent, knowing one misplaced piece of evidence in your story could debunk the entire marriage.

It was bordering your lunch hour now, awaiting a text from Taehyung as you collected the things you needed. You were shuffling around in your purse to confirm your wallet when your phone screen brightened.

Taehyung ♡ : i’m here

You picked up your device.

You : i’m coming :)

You fixed your purse onto your shoulder as you met Taehyung in front of your building, leaning against his Mercedes adorning an Alexander McQueen suit, hands tucked in his pockets. The expensive outfit hugged his body snug, displaying the perfectly carved proportions of his masculine curves, internally gawking at the sight.

His hair was set handsomely to reveal some forehead, the dark locks falling above his eyebrows flawlessly. His strong brows were lightly quirked with boredom, the action harmless in nature though the image was lethal. He truly appeared as the epitome of a Greek God, the manner in which he rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek as he waited beyond sexy.

And you seriously wondered how you even breathed properly in his presence.

He caught sight of you and his face lightened up, addressing you right away. “Hey, wife.”

“Really, that’s how you’re gonna greet me?” You chastised him as you settled in front.

“Calling you wife makes sense cause we’re in our honeymoon phase.” Taehyung rebutted you. “Just get in, Princess.” He emphasized snarkily as he pulled your car door open, expecting you like a gentleman.

You rolled your eyes, almost brushing past him normally until you decided to lay a hand on him, seductively dragging it across his chest as you walked by, voice submissive as hell. “Anything you want, Mr. Kim.”

Taehyung felt something shoot through him, something dangerous and he wet his lips with his tongue, scoffing at your audacity. He shut your door shortly after you climbed in and began his drive to your lunch venue.

He’d decided on an Italian café, choosing a table on the third floor in order to view the scenery of the city. The lunch progressed as normally as it could between you two, asking questions here and there that were too general for a married couple, though funnily befitting for you both.

“So you’re CEO and Chairman of the board of directors, right?” You inquired, having done enough research on him and finding the two roles sitting comfortably under his notorious name.

“Mhm.” Taehyung nodded, taking a sip of water. “My father stepped down as CEO when I was 21. He held both positions and didn’t trust anyone taking over except me.”

“Wow, you’ve only been running the company for only 4 years and it’s reached this status? That’s... impressive.” You sounded it out yourself, genuinely taken by Taehyung’s success in such a short amount of years.

“You know how much the company’s success has grown ever since I took over?”

“I mean, it’s under any article that talks about you. You’ve done a lot for a 25-year-old.” You complimented him, biting into an egg,

“Thanks.”

“Why’d your father make you marry so young, by the way?” You questioned out of sheer curiosity, having found both your ages quite young to be bound to matrimony.

“My father thinks I’m too invested in the company for my age. He wanted me to marry now to..” Taehyung stopped himself, not exactly wanting to spill the details behind his life since it bared a flaw of his, quickly changing the sentence. “..uphold our name. My father married young as well, it’s common in the Kim family.” Taehyung saved his answer; it wasn’t exactly a lie anyway, just not the right truth.

“Ohh.” You nodded understandingly.

“What about you? Aren’t you young as well?” Taehyung redirected the question to you.

“Yeah, but it was mainly for my family too, especially my father. I owe him a lot, the least I could do was listen to him for once by marrying you.” You felt a pang of hurt plague you, remembering your mother’s words of how much you ruined your family. “I’ve also been on my own for a long time, so I don’t feel so young anymore.”

“Fair point, I can relate.” Taehyung agreed, finding a correlation in both your lifestyles having forced your sudden maturation, amicable about having that in common with you.

It wasn’t hard to relate Taehyung the more you talked to him, surprisingly finding yourself enjoying your time with him. You were more similar than you expected, and it dawned a new sort of appreciation for him. It was like this entire marriage would seem easier than you thought, especially with a great partner like Taehyung.

That was.. until it came time to pay for the meal.

“And there’s your bill, I’ll come by in a short while.” The waiter smiled at you both before making their exit, scurrying off to another table.

You weren’t really paying attention to Taehyung, and maybe that’s what made you believe grasping the bill would be easy. That’s exactly why you unsuspectingly jut out for the bill, suddenly feeling Taehyung’s hand also clamp down on the small black book.

You both instantly shot a look to each other, eyebrows furrowed in incredulousness.

“What are you doing?” Taehyung scolded.

“I’m trying to pay the bill? What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to pay the bill. You don’t have to pay.” Taehyung tried pulling the bill in his direction, though you kept your hand firmly placed.

“And you who said that, President Moon? Move your hand.” You attempted to grasp the bill harder but Taehyung’s long fingers and somehow Godly grip became iron at this point.

“I said it, now move your hand.” Taehyung stressed, eyes trying to discourage you though you remained as stubborn as ever.

It then became a constant battle of pulling the bill in either’s direction, continuing for an almost laughable amount of time before the waiter returned, both of you composing yourselves at their presence.

“Are we ready to go?”

“Yes.” You and Taehyung both answered, snapping a scrutinizing look to each other.

“Alright, then. Is there a card in the book?”

“Mine.” Again Taehyung and you answered at the same time, both of you becoming irritated with each other and sending death glares enough for the waiter to feel displaced.

“So.. whose card will it be?”

“Mine, here you-” Taehyung almost responded completely until you sharply kicked him in the shin underneath the table, Taehyung biting down on his lip to contain his reaction and hand faltering from offering his card.

“There you go, thank you so much.” You beamed at the waiter as you passed your card, bowing respectfully before leaving you both alone.

Taehyung was still reeling from you kicking him, speaking to you in a hushed hiss. “What the fuck was that for? You’re wearing heels!” He bent down to rub at his possible wound, wincing at the sting.

“Pay for me like that again and it’ll be harder next time. You’re already taking me on a date this weekend.” You hmph’d at him as you crossed your arms, feeling slightly sorry for kicking him so hard though you tried to justify it by remembering he deserved it.

“For fuck’s sake, what am I gonna do with you?” Taehyung asked rhetorically, scoffing as he found himself between scolding you but also cracking up at the situation.

Nobody has ever dared kick him, let alone tell him off.

Nobody but you.

“My shin still hurts, you know.”

“Taehyung, I didn’t even hit you that hard. Stop complaining.”

“Well, clearly it was. I guarantee there’s a bruise.”

“Then we’ll treat it, yeah?” You and Taehyung bickered down the hallway as he offered to walk you back to your office, claiming he should be able to see where his wife works for ‘informational purposes’.

Whatever it was, you let him tag along.

“Maybe if you didn’t hit me so hard.” Taehyung was really just trying to pull on your leg at this point, maybe even trying to elicit your sincere apology just so he could see you cutely beg him for forgiveness.

He wouldn’t admit that aloud, though.

“Look, my office is right there.” You pointed to the door just at the end of the hallway. “You’ve successfully walked me back, you can go now.” You softened a bit, grateful he’d taken his time to actually accompany you back to your office.

“Nope. I should see your office too, don’t you think?” Taehyung wasn’t even sure why he was so adamant on not leaving yet, just found himself interested in exploring your life.

“Fine, I’ll show you.” You sighed, walking in front of him to open your door.

Taehyung was welcomed by a small, though cute office. You had wall-to-ceiling windows against one side of the room though was cut off by the unfortunate width of the smaller room. The view was large enough though to look out at the hint of Seoul’s skyline, not as high as his own though it was substantial.

The office actually seemed to reflect you in many ways; the warm, pastel colours, a gigantic smart board clearly for designing, little personal touches that screamed you. Not to mention the scattered equipment and supplies needed for the workings of an architect sprawled across your desk, reminding him of the way your things were frantically moved into your studio back home.

He smiled, liking the way you’ve managed to transform the rather quaint office into something welcoming, cute, almost relaxing. “It’s really.. warm in here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I get cold easily so I turn the heat-.”

“No, no. Not like that.” He clarified. “The room, it feels warm as in.. comforting. It’s nice.” Taehyung couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the room’s feel and you, flashing back to when you so easily calmed him down at Jimin’s gala a few days ago.

The way your delicate hands soothed him, even kept him from hitting Hisung; it all continued to occupy his thoughts in a way he couldn’t quite word.

The only thing he could accurately describe was gratitude. Gratitude that you were so warm in that situation, so comforting and could so pacifyingly aid him in a time of need. It was fucking poetic.

“Oh, thanks.” You smiled at his compliment, almost shying away as you watched him admire your office. It felt scary to have a big-shot CEO visit your office knowing his is 100x better, the compliment definitely refreshing.

You didn’t even realize you were admiring Taehyung admiring your office until someone knocked on you ajar door, turning around to see it was your co-worker Alex with some papers in hand.

“Hey, Y/N, sorry to interrupt but could I borrow you for a second?” He gestured to the hallway outside, and you immediately followed the request knowing it was work-related. “Oh, of course.”

Alex then stepped out, not having noticed Taehyung was in your office. It would’ve been okay, but Taehyung already didn’t like hearing your name uttered by some strange man, whirling around at just the lower register of a male voice.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he watched you leave, you mouthing to him you’ll be back in a just second. You were just outside the room anyway, so you knew it wouldn’t be long.

Though Taehyung didn’t know that, and he again found himself eavesdropping knowing it was a bad habit of his.

“Did you get the proposal Mary sent to you?” Alex asked.

“I.. uh, did she send it Friday?”

“Yup, to everyone. She wanted us to review it this weekend before the briefing today.” Alex informed, though he found you drawing a blank. “Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“Ah, fuck.” You swore as you remembered Friday, having left early and most likely missed the entire memo about the proposal. Not to mention the grand shit show that occurred that day and had kept you in such a sour mood you never considered work. “Honestly I did. I was so busy that day.”

“You’re so lucky we’re friends, Y/N. Here,” Alex offered you a set of notes, your eyes scanning over them quickly. “It’s a summarized version. I knew you’d miss it since you left early on Friday, so it’s enough you’ll survive Mary’s nagging.”

“No way, did you seriously do this for me?” You were baffled, flipping through the document to see it seriously detailed the right amount of information, and wasn’t just fluff.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? Can’t have her chewing your head off about it.” You and Alex laughed, recalling Mary was quite the eccentric character, and often grew angry over the smallest of details.

“Seriously, Alex. You saved my life. Thank you so much.” You beamed, genuine gratitude in your voice.

“No problem, I could tell you were busy when you left so early. Someone had to be your knight and shining armour.” Alex quipped, nudging you and you chuckled a little.

“Oh please, I’m so sorry I made you do all this extra work.”

“Don’t sweat it, it’s what friends are for.” Alex then suddenly reached a hand out and gripped your upper arm, nearly gazing into your eyes and his tone was coated with such sincerity you could feel it in the air. “I’ll always be there when you need help, Y/N. I mean it, in anyway I can.”

You digested his words. “Thanks, Alex. I’ll make sure I summarize Mary’s proposal for you on our next project!”

“We’ll see about that. I never want you to be doing more work than you should.” Alex chastised, hinting towards your slight workaholic tendencies and you felt like you were caught red-handed.

“Ah, we’ll see. I’m gonna get going, I’ll see you around!” You chimed, stepping towards your office as Alex called back, walking away. “For sure!”

You waltzed back in after shutting the door behind you, still replaying Alex’s sentiment of actually doing this amount of work for you as you placed the documents on your desk, lingering for a second until you completely forgot there was someone else in the room.

You didn’t even remember him being here until you felt that same looming aura nearly demanding it be known, and you almost responded to it, before his deep, weighty voice sounded from across the room.

“So, who’s Alex?”

You turned around in lightspeed, remembering Taehyung was here. He’d assumed a leaned position against the wall with folded arms, his stare intimidating as he studied you standing in front of your desk.

“Huh?”

“Who’s Alex?” Taehyung reiterated with a curt tone, though didn’t seem entirely angry.

“He’s just a co-worker, Taehyung.”

“A co-worker who can’t see your married?” He scoffed, suddenly finding himself vexed.

“Taehyung, it’s nothing like that.” You tried assuring, though Taehyung didn’t budge.

“He did that extra work for you, doesn’t seem like nothing to me.” He countered, annoyance leaking into his tone as he kept his hard gaze set on you.

“Oh c’mon, Taehyung. He was just being nice. Don’t tell me you’re getting jealous.”

“Jealous? Couldn’t be me.” Taehyung denied. “I just don’t understand why you’re not wearing your wedding ring.” He suddenly pointed out with a scarily leveled tone, and at this point it became alarming. He was being too calm for the context of his words, making you apprehensive.

You wanted to physically smack your forehead at his observation though, forgetting you’d left it behind by accident. “Fuck, Tae, I swear it was a mistake. I just forgot it on my vanity after I took a shower this morning.”

Taehyung slightly softened at you using his nickname, and seeing you didn’t purposely leave it off. Though he was still annoyed by the situation more than he liked, grumbling to you. “You should always be wearing your ring. People should know you’re married.”

“Taehyung, I would never purposely leave the ring off. Besides, people can get the hint just by the way I act.” You knew you gave the correct signals to veer needy men away, becoming confused why Taehyung was so adamant about the wedding ring.

“I always want to see it on you regardless. I could tell just now by the way he was talking to you it was more than being a co-worker, the ring would’ve made a difference.” Taehyung was less harsh now, though still held a resentful manner of speech whenever he mentioned Alex.

“It wouldn’t have, he’s acted like that even before I wore the ring.”

“So he acts however he wants regardless of whether you’re married or not?” Taehyung became even more annoyed. “Who’s this guy? Where’s his office?” Taehyung was just about leaving the room before your voice called him back.

“Taehyung! Oh my God, there’s nothing going on. He knows who you are.”

“He knows who I am but still had the audacity to touch you? What a brave fucking man we have here.” Taehyung joked to negate this burning feeling simmering inside him, scoffing to himself. You attempt to lighten the mood with a harmless chuckle. “Taehyung, you’re acting like he kissed me better than you or something. Don’t get so mad.”

“Oh, so he’s kissed you?” Taehyung didn’t know why that one sentence pissed him off so much, but his tone naturally grew more snippy than he planned and it gave him away.

“No, Taehyung, I was joking.” You stressed, arms crossed as you looked at him from across the room. “It’s not like you’d kiss me for more than a show, anyway.”

“Who the hell said I wouldn’t kiss you for more than that?”

“Me.” You deadpanned. “It’s all just for show. You wouldn’t kiss me to claim me, and you wouldn’t even kiss me if someone dared you to.”

“I can kiss you for a lot more than just a show, especially when it involves a guy who can’t remember you’re married.”

“Oh, please. I dare you, Bread Crust Boy.” You became bold, rolling your eyes as you exchanged looking at him for sifting through your papers unbothered, not expecting anything from Taehyung, “I’d like to see you try. You know, maybe Alex is a better kisser, maybe I should find it out.” You continued on a rant, frustrated he was getting so worked up over nothing.

“Or maybe I should go looking in my department for other guys to lock lips with only to see you still wouldn’t-” You were then cut off by Taehyung suddenly inches before you, grabbing your face and colliding his lips against yours in a single breath.

You barely had time to react, eyes widening at first though registering the feel of Taehyung’s lips against yours, ultimately relaxing into his kiss. Your hands came up to hold his that held you, mouthing at him just as much as he mouthed you.

His lips were so soft, oh so soft and full, it was difficult to not take the plushy flesh between your teeth. You felt sparks fly within your stomach as it felt like he was kissing you with intent, to prove a point, evident in the way his large palms completely engulfed your cheeks and were pulling you onto his lips.

Taehyung continued to open his mouth to swallow more of yours, not even realizing the sheer power of his kiss had somehow walked you both back against a wall.

Your back suddenly contacted the cold paint and your breath hitched, feeling his mouth swallow any exclamation you’d make, the feeling of his body crowding you against the wall utterly divine. His tongue swiped the bottom of your lip patiently as you gushed in a place you shouldn’t, almost requesting access and when you opened your mouth, Taehyung was more than happy to slither his tongue inside.

You tasted him then, the sweet sensation so good you let out a light moan, fingertips digging into the back of his rough hands.

Taehyung’s body jolted when he hears you moan for the first time.

Your grip on his veiny hands become harder the more he worked his lips against yours, constantly mouthing at you like you were fresh water and you only reciprocated the same desire back.

The kiss was intoxicating, becoming utterly otherworldly until Taehyung suddenly tore his mouth from you, leaving you flustered and oddly, disappointed.

You were both only left breathing hard, eyes staring into each other’s in shock as you huffed and puffed together. Taehyung then licked his lips and broke eye contact with you, clearly trying to register what in the world just happened. He collected himself in a split second, returning a more serious look as he cleared his throat.

“Like I said.. I can kiss you for more than just a show.” He made his point, retracting his hands from your face as he began walking towards your door. No rush or haste, rather calm, too calm as he stepped away from you.

You were still trying to quell your racing heart as you watched him grasp the door handle, pulling it open by just a crack before speaking, his broad back to you.

“Always wear my ring. And if I see that co-worker touch you again, I’ll make sure the way I kiss you is definitely to claim you, and nobody has to dare me.”

And with that, he left with a hard slam of your door.

Two weeks.

Two weeks have progressed, and you still haven’t been able to erase that fucking kiss from your mind. You knew it was the result of your own teasing, though were completely unaware Taehyung was the type of man who did not like his ability being questioned, and if you ever did so you’d be in more trouble than you bargained for.

But you’d gone and done it anyway, your punishment being your inability to forget his mouth against yours for 14 whole days.

And it was utterly dangerous.

Not only did it occupy your mind as a singular thought, but also invited multiple ones of what more he could do, what more he was capable of with those deft hands and muscles of his, often sending you over the precipice. You found your mind wandering more than it ever has, now regarding everything about him in a new light that was leaving you tearing your hair out.

His lap wasn’t just a lap anymore, it was now a seat you were sometimes itching to sit in just to know what it feels like. His arms weren’t just limbs, rather strong muscles you wish would hold you, wrap around you. His lips weren’t just a part of his face, rather ravenous, plushy pillows you wanted not just against your own mouth, but on your neck, your collarbone, your skin, anywhere else on your body that had you igniting at just the salacious thought.

And it was agonizing, had you physically needy and trying your damn hardest to now ignore anything remotely hot or attractive about him.

But alas, that was the most difficult thing to do on planet Earth, because all of Taehyung was hot and attractive.

Ignoring him was not easy at all, because avoiding how incredibly tempting Kim Taehyung is, especially when he lives in the same damn house and sleeps in the same bed as you, also not to mention, is your husband?

Call Tom Cruise, because it was mission fucking impossible.

It was even more difficult now considering your new farce as a couple, needing to be closer, more intimate with him as you two continued on with your lunch dates and car rides.

And each riveting time you were subjected to seeing him manspread as he kept a firm hand on his steering wheel, seat himself across from you at restaurants in his impeccable, sexy winter fashion and hair always, always set to perfection.

It especially didn’t help seeing him all the fucking time, viewing him in all his glory, in his natural element as you picked up on the smallest of things about him. You noticed he held this sense of innate mindfulness for you, recognizing the way he’d walk on the side of the street with the traffic, placed your one mug you frequented for your coffee on the counter every morning, left more of your favourite fruit, kiwi behind in the fruit bowl during breakfast.

Absolutely none of that rather sweet stuff slipped your attention, but then came the stuff that made you quite shamelessly rub your thighs together whenever you saw him. You noticed he had enough muscle that indicated he lifted weights, sometimes pondering what he looks like when he works out.

You didn’t even want to begin on whenever he worked at home, living completely normally, innocently and yet he was spitting image of Adonis every fucking day.

He would often adorn glasses and dress down enough to be void of his suit jacket, shirt sleeves folded up with a few buttons on his chest undone, and that silky hair of his sexily mussed as he’d run his slender fingers through them in concentration.

And oh, what you would fucking give to have your hands in that hair, card through the dark strands, maybe tug at the tresses as his face is nestled right between your—

“Ouch!” The shower’s hot water suddenly burned your skin, the steam clouding up the marble walls as you lowered the temperature, water running down your body as you got ready for your date with Taehyung tonight.

Another punch to your mental gut was that this was Taehyung’s shower.

You both had at least agreed on using different showers in order to keep some privacy between you two, knowing it would’ve been too intimate to share a bathroom in general terms. This led to you using the bathroom of the room next door while Taehyung used the bathroom of originally, what was his own room. You’d already had an argument over who would use which bathroom since Taehyung insisted the largest bathroom in the house (his), should belong to you. Though you ultimately kept shutting him down to the point in which he acquiesced, and you settled on the second largest bathroom in the house because he still insisted on at least that.

Today Taehyung was working in his study, and claimed that one of his housekeepers reported there was a more apparent draft of winter’s cold air leaking into your bathroom, the window’s seal possibly weakened. Knowing you get cold easily, Taehyung became precautionary and convinced you to use his bathroom instead to get ready for today.

You didn’t know how he felt about that, and concluded he felt no particular way since after you two shared your quite steamy kiss, he’s been completely normal. Even when it came down to acting more like a couple, he was relatively average and like himself, nuanced and composed. It would make your heart sink a little, thinking after all a dumb kiss wouldn’t mean much to him considering Taehyung has been with other, probably hotter women before you.

That aside, here you were, using his high-end shower to no avail at actually understanding how to use it. He’d supplied the instruction of simply turning the handle for temperature and such, and cautioned not to press any of the other settings next to it.

You’re not exactly sure why, but you had a hunch it had to do with the extra jets on the sides of his shower, concluding you should obey him since you’d probably get yourself in a mess otherwise.

You’re seriously unsure why it was always so hard using someone else’s shower, though everyone eventually felt victim to the struggle one way or another.

And sadly, a part of that everyone was you today.

You were shampooing your hair, humming mindlessly to yourself when your mind wandered for the 57th time since Taehyung kissed you, when you suddenly felt a sting in the corner of your eyes, blinking a few times until it quickly spread throughout your entire eye painfully. You attempted running your eye under water to quell the sting though began feeling it in your other eye too, causing both to temporarily lose sight while you blinked incessantly in discomfort; and that’s when you realized you’re the biggest idiot on Earth.

You’d gotten fucking shampoo in your eyes.

You began panicking considering you’re a hypochondriac who was always sensitive about your eyes, and so your hands speedily came up to try rubbing the stinging solution out of them.

Though had completely forgotten there was even more shampoo in your hands from washing your hair, only making the situation worse.

Great fucking going, Y/N!

It utterly stung to open your eyes anymore, and began writhing in the shower haphazardly, whining at how utterly stupid you are and trying to soothe some of the pain under the running water. It almost worked until you suddenly hit your lower back against the handle of the shower, feeling some sort of nozzle shift and ultimately spell the doom of your next 10 minutes.

Out of no where, hard jet streams of pressurized water came bursting out at nearly all directions of the shower, and considering your shorter self, while Taehyung was much taller, you were completely engulfed in the bouts water.

The streams were harsh and felt like knives against your skin, coming out so strongly you were only left exclaiming and trying to cover them with your hands completely frantic and panicking. Nothing worked with water spraying in all directions, unable to view the adjustment of the settings at all and it seemed only someone’s help could save you at this point, screaming the first thing that came to your mind.

“Taehyung! Taehyung!” You called out urgently, water continuing to practically beat you with it forcefully spraying all around you, and that’s when you knew you were never going to shower in Taehyung’s bathroom ever again.

“Oh my fucking God, TAEHYUNG!” You screamed louder, more severity in your voice while aimlessly trying reaching for the shower handle though couldn’t find it for the life of you.

“I need help, Taehyung!” There was a shrill in your tone with so much necessity, it wasn’t long before Taehyung came bursting through the door seconds after, slamming it open and filled with emergency like someone was dying.

“What?! Y/N, what’s wrong?! Are you okay!?”

“Taehyung! The jet streams turned on and I can’t see, I CAN’T SEE!” You were shouting as though you were in a horror film, unable to see Taehyung though knowing the shower door was separating you both.

“What happened? I told you not to touch any of the other settings!”

“I’m sorry, I turned it on by accident, just please turn it off, Taehyung, it fucking hurts, please!” You were begging, voice grave and Taehyung could tell this was real fear he was hearing from you.

“Okay, I’m coming! But you have to let me open the shower door.” Taehyung abandoned all care and stepped towards his shower, worried like hell hearing you continuously exclaim in either pain or complaint.

“I will! Just for the love of God turn this fucking shower off!” You stressed, trying to rub your eyes again though it was only causing the solution to spread further in your eyes, the jet streams blocking your vision.

Taehyung took a breath to calm himself down before sliding the shower door open, ultimately unable to see your body though averted his eyes from you nonetheless. He disregarded the fact that he was getting his own clothes wet, the jet streams spraying on him as he reached over for the handle of the shower and finally turned it off.

He quickly subtracted himself from the shower, grabbing his bathrobe from the back of his door. He automatically looked away from the direction of the shower when he turned around, only stepping close to hold the robe out along his wingspan.

You still couldn’t open your eyes though, the shampoo continuing to burn until you registered the water was finally turned off.

“Taehyung, don’t look at me or I swear to God I’ll kill you!” You managed to get out, suddenly realizing there was nothing to hide your naked body before him.

“I’m not even looking, Y/N. Don’t worry, just come to me.” Taehyung instructed, knowing your wet, naked body was just before his eyes, and trying his damn hardest to not lose his mind over it. It was utterly distracting with the knowledge your bare skin was dripping with water, clouding his thoughts about what more he could see, though kept himself strictly in check. He continued to avert his line of sight, held the robe high enough so he couldn’t see below your shoulders.

“Taehyung, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to come to you?” You held your arms over your body to conceal yourself with shut eyes, scandalized by how candid this all was.

“Why can’t you see? I already turned the water off.”

“I got shampoo in my eyes, okay! It’s still burning for fuck’s sake!” You whined, shaking your leg incessantly to try and manage the pain.

“What? You got shampoo in your eyes? How much of a genius are you?”

“Just help me, okay! It really hurts.” You nearly wailed, and Taehyung sighed heavily thinking about what the absolute hell he was going to do with you.

“Okay, okay. Look, just step out the shower, I’m holding out my robe and I’m going to wrap you in it.” Taehyung directed with a calming tone, drawing himself closer to the shower door for you.

“But I can’t see!”

“It doesn’t matter! I’m standing right in front of you with a robe, just come out, Y/N.” He cautioned, you pouting about being unable to see until you ultimately gave in, the sting in your eyes still burning as you took a tentative step out, arms covering the intimate parts of your body.

“Don’t look at me, please.” You pleaded with embarrassment, foot meeting the bathroom floor.

“Don’t worry, I’m not looking. Just come a little closer and I’ll put my robe around you.” Taehyung tried to quell your worries, peering only at your face.

You then stepped further out, becoming cold until you suddenly felt Taehyung wrapping his warm, fluffy bathrobe around your smaller body, engulfing you in his arms. You sniffled as you nuzzled into his hard chest, the feeling of him warmly hugging around you all too comforting, if it weren’t for the remaining sting in your eyes from the shampoo.

“Do your eyes still hurt? Can you open them?”

You looked up at him with closed eyes, trying to pull them ajar though it only made you continuously wince, Taehyung speaking up.

“Okay, don’t open your eyes. I’m going to wash them out.” Taehyung secured the robe around you, wrapping it tighter around your body as he tied it, the expanse of his broader shoulders causing the robe to slightly slide down you smaller ones.

He then lead you towards his large, high-end bathtub, sitting you against the edge as he knelt down on one knee in front of you. “I’m gonna lean your head back against the edge of the tub, and use some water to rinse your eyes out, okay?” Taehyung warned as he reached over for his handheld spray, leaning you against the tub as you complied.

“Okay.”

The back of your neck then met the edge, Taehyung holding your cheek to maintain your position as he pressed against the spray’s button, allowing the water to softly contact your eyes and wash out the shampoo solution.

“Is it too cold?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Alright, try opening your eyes slowly so we can get water in them.”

You nodded and did exactly so, fluttering your eyes open occasionally as the cold water began soothing the sting in your eyes. You let Taehyung treat you just like this, carefully spraying until you could eventually open them properly.

You cautioned him you were okay and Taehyung stopped, placing the spray back as he gently grabbed your sides and lifted you up on the edge of tub, still propped on one knee as your heights evened out.

He looked at your slightly reddened, bloodshot eyes, jutting out his hand to move a piece of your wet hair from your face. He seemed to be looking at you for the sole purpose of looking again, and it was a poignant moment before you said anything.

“I’m sorry.” You solemnly apologized, your eyesight falling to the ground catching his white button-up nearly drenched from the torso up, his hair damp.

Taehyung chuckled, hands faltering to grip your arms instead as he regarded you. “What for? Because you can’t shower properly?” His little laugh was music to your eyes, glad you were able to make him to do so.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you have such a complicated shower.” You just about hid your face into Taehyung’s robe, cheeks heating up in complete embarrassment.

“I told you not to touch anything.”

“I got shampoo in my eyes!” You protested. “I started freaking out and pressed something by accident.” You pouted at your own stupidity, crossing your arms.

“You’re like a baby, you know that?” Taehyung teased, cocking an eyebrow as he registered the robe was almost hilariously too big for you, sweater paws coming out as you folded your arms and he found it adorable.

“Shut up, you like taking care of this baby.” You hmph’d as you looked away from him, completely embarrassed by him having to save you from some stupid shower mishap.

Taehyung chuckled again, clearly amused by the way your cheeks so easily gave you away. “You’re not wrong there.” He laughed, though came to the unfortunate realization of something.

“We don’t have to go on today’s date if you don’t feel like it.” Taehyung felt a twinge of disappointment saying that, though wanted to consider you may not want to go anymore seeing your red eyes.

“No, no.” You instantly denied him, having been excited about the date for an entire week and you weren’t going to pass up that opportunity. “It’s okay, Taehyung. I want to go.”

Taehyung’s faced lightened up, rubbing the pads of his thumbs against your arms. “Alright, then. You can get ready and we’ll go anytime.”

“Yeah, of course.” You then looked at his white shirt soaked, sticking to his body and revealing skin you seriously did not have the capacity to say sane enough about.

You absentmindedly reached out to touch the ends of his wet hair, apologizing. “I-I’m sorry you’re all wet cause of me.” You stated guiltily, lips falling into just about a pout and Taehyung could never get over the affect it had on him.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll just change my shirt.” He brushed you off, getting up from his kneeled position as you protested, “Wait.”

He halted, you standing up as his eyes fell back to you. You’d grabbed a small towel by the edge of the bathtub, swinging it over his head and tippy-toeing to lightly dry his wet hair.

He looked at you with near puppy eyes, confused until it turned into a grateful grin. “Thanks.” He said, smiling a welcome back and letting him dry his own hair. “Remember to wear something warm today, by the way.” He reminded you, turning around and making towards the door after you responded with an okay.

He then exited, leaving you wrapped up in his gigantic robe and constantly thinking about how damn much he was becoming a part of your life.

Taehyung was holding your hand in front of the entrance, smiling widely next to you as he tried gauging your reaction. Your lips were tucked away behind a white scarf, adorning a grey, plaid coat and black knee-high boots as you looked on in wonderment, taken by where Taehyung chose for your first date.

“This is it.” Taehyung gestured, you trying to register just how gorgeous it was.

It was a winter-themed amusement park, absolutely stunning in having set up the usual rides though with a winter wonderland theme; the polar express as an interactive attraction, Christmas lights anywhere you looked and even a Ferris wheel that looked nearly like a gigantic reef.

“This... is your favourite place?” You gawked, sight flashing to every bright and festive embellishment that added to the park’s charm, Taehyung falling victim to admiring the way the lights reflected in your big, doe-eyes.

“Mhm. Let’s go.” Taehyung led you with a smile on his face he didn’t remember having.

It took no time for you to automatically love what he chose for you both, adoring the place as you two sauntered around care-free, your arm hooked around his as he detailed the attractions and the park for you.

It didn’t take much for either of you to be dragged onto rides as well, both of you mutually wanting to visit every amusing thing the park had to offer and bubbling with excitement anytime you waited in line. Your conversations were light-hearted as usual, teasing here and there while talking about the most useless, though somehow entertaining things.

You both eventually found shelter inside a sweet shop, nabbing a table near the window in order to see the lights and rides shining outside. Taehyung was just opposite of you, both of sipping away at milkshakes.

“This place is... beautiful. I can see why it’s your favourite.” You commented, eyes catching sight of an attraction whizzing by as you brought your straw to your lips.

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Taehyung piggy-backed, following your line of sight and also watching. There was a moment of silence as both your visions wandered off, your light voice breaking it.

“Tell me.” You said, confusing Taehyung.

“Tell you what?”

“Why it’s your favourite. Tell me... anything about you, if you want to.” You voiced softly, almost hesitantly as your gaze locked with Taehyung, admiring him in his brown, plaid winter coat with a white turtleneck underneath, hair set to fall delicately over his forehead though curl above his eyes. He looked far too handsome for your heart not to flutter, the slight colour in his face as a result of the cold only making him glow more handsomely, finding him nothing short of a work of art.

“I came across it 2 years ago trying to sign a deal.” He placed his milkshake down. “I thought it would be a smart considering amusement parks are moving towards more technological enhancements for rides and attractions. I ended up signing a larger park, though, not this one.” Taehyung casually relayed as he crossed one of his legs, seated suavely as he looked out at the park.

“What the hell? I didn’t mean the business side of it, genius, I wanna know why you like it.”

“I just told you? I found it.”

“No, you tea drinker. There’s clearly something you like about it enough to bring me here.” You deadpanned, leaning over the table to talk to him more convincingly. “You can tell me, what do you like about it?”

Taehyung began spinning with his inner turmoil again, unsure how someone is so invested in knowing anything about him. Ever since his young age he was raised and trained to really only care about the betterment of a business, consider the most optimal ways to achieve success as a Kim so he could ultimately bring pride to their name. He rarely explored anything outside that concept, and even less was ever questioned about it.

That’s what usually tied his tongue as well, whenever it came to revealing anything about himself. He was always so rooted in keeping it all hidden, uncertain if he’d ever spill such details about himself to anyone.

Though with you, there was something different. There was always something different about you, and so he found himself leaning against the table to speak earnestly to you.

“I.. like winter.” Taehyung started, not really making eye contact. “I’ve always liked snow. I think it’s cause I was born in December.”

“December 30th, right?”

“Yeah, so it’s natural I like the holidays as well. I guess that’s why I like this place so much, it’s everything good about winter in one place.” Taehyung shrugged, relaying more than he ever really has to anyone. “I like amusement parks, too. So there’s that.” Taehyung added with a light smile, taking a sip of his milkshake.

“That’s nice. I love winter, too.” You agreed with him. “I think snow is pretty, but I also like when you stay inside with people. It’s always so warm that way.”

“Really? With your anemic ass that always cold?”

“Shut up.” You rolled your eyes, though there was a smile tugging at your lips. “That’s precisely why I like it. You get to be close and warm with people.”

“Fair point. I’ve always liked that too.. warmth.” Taehyung doesn’t know why there was something lingering behind that sentence, especially when he should’ve been talking about warmth as an objective concept. However, he couldn’t help but compare you to warmth, remembering his observation from the first time he met you.

You were just really warm.

“What else is there to know about the mysterious Mr. Kim?” You twinkled your fingers for effect, gauging his answer. “How would he describe himself?”

“As the best CEO in Seoul.” Taehyung leaned back in his chair and draped his arms over the back, attempting to appear cool with a smirk but you weren’t buying it.

“Oh my God, could you not associate yourself with your job for like, two seconds? I meant you, Taehyung, as in Kim Taehyung, not CEO Kim.” You stressed, feigning disappointment in him as you watched the gears shift in his head.

He was oddly shocked at his first, eventually pursing his lips in thought, carefully considering what to say before he answered.

“I guess I’m a little.. reclusive.” Taehyung admitted. “I’m a people person, but I also like being on my own, where I can recharge. People usually misunderstand me, think I’m emotionless with an intimidating stare, but I just don’t know how to express myself all the time. I can’t always put it into words, so nobody exactly.. understands, or tries to.” Taehyung revealed candidly, almost thinking it was too much until you digested the information attentively, positively.

“I get that. Especially in the business world where everyone judges really easily.” You spoke from experience, remembering this was one of the many reasons you hated the lifestyle so much, especially when you were of familial status.

“Yeah, not the nicest .” Taehyung agreed.

“Is that why you like art and photography?” You suddenly asked, Taehyung snapping his vision to you impressed. “Pardon?”

“I mean, I like designing because it lets me express myself. I was thinking maybe it’s the same for you.”

Taehyung sincerely thought in a moment like this he’s never met someone like you. He felt utter appreciation in seconds, gratitude that someone actually understood him for once in his life. Someone had just genuinely seen him, not the CEO, Chairman Kim others saw, but Kim Taehyung.

He was beyond happy.

“Yeah, actually. Art has always been.. a fascination of mine. Photography is more personal, I feel like I capture my feelings in time.” Taehyung gestured as he created a frame with his hands, capturing the bustling scene outside the window. “I feel a lot of things when I take photos, so they’re like a manifestation of how I see the world through my eyes, my own lens.”

Taehyung was being so sentimental you actually thought he could see the stars in your eyes, adoring the way a genuine smile constantly tugged at his lips as he talked, and it made you grateful he had something that brought him such joy.

“That’s beautiful, Taehyung. Really beautiful.” You complimented.

Taehyung chuckled a little shy, addressing you. “What about Mrs. Kim?”

“What about her?”

“Tell me about her life, how she ended up here.” Taehyung took a sip of his milkshake again, setting it down as his attention fixated on you.

“You know most of it.” You began. “I’ve come to hate business ever since my father’s start-up. He became successful, but then I hated the idea of depending him, like my success would somehow always be linked to his name, so I abandoned my role in his company and now everybody hates me.” You beamed sarcastically, taking a small sip from your milkshake as your eyes focused on nothing in particular.

“That’s a lie, how could someone hate you?”

You scoffed, “You clearly haven’t met my mother.”

Taehyung then flashed back to your disastrous conversation with her, remembering the words said to you along with the wound on your check, grimacing at how much it still pissed him off.

“If I can ask, has your relationship always been that way? With your mother?” Taehyung asked out of curiosity.

“Pretty much. She hates me for not being the heiress I should be. Compared to my brother Yoongi, I’m pretty much a disappointment. I ran away for selfish reasons, and I’m... a burden.” It began to hurt to talk, trying to smile to lighten up the sting buzzing in your chest, though you stopped before anything became too grave. “I’m just kind of.. worthless, I guess.”

“I don’t think so.” Taehyung defended. “I think it takes guts to do what you did, it makes you courageous, if anything, not worthless.”

His words made you look at him, his eyes filled with something assuring, comforting and it automatically soothed you more than it should’ve.

“Thanks.” A small smile found your face, beginning a new topic to get away from this miserable one. “What was your life like, before we got married?” You asked, this one questioned having itched at you ever since the gala. “Have you ever been in love?”

Taehyung didn’t react to your question really, only drew his index finger to his lips in thought, lightly shaking his head when came to an assured conclusion. “No, never been in love.”

“Really? You’ve never dated?”

“I have, just nothing serious.” He answered simply, your mind chasing for him to reveal more about his past with women until you reprimanded your nosey thoughts.

“What about you?”

“Me?” You pointed at yourself.

“No, the waiter.” Taehyung deadpanned. “Of course I mean you.”

You flashed him a narrow-eyed look before sighing, sipping your milkshake dispiritedly. “You’ve already met him.”

“I have?” Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows, leaning onto the table again.

“Mhm, think hard.” You waited for him to get it, knowing he’s intelligent enough.

Taehyung then connected the dots like he usually did, tone inquisitive. “Kiseok?”

You nodded. “Our dads are friends from SNU so I’ve known him all my life. I fell in love somewhere...” Your words faded, heart breaking at just the memory of your tiresome, tragic relationship with him. “But I don’t think he did. He would say so, but it was always a lie. I was just some fun for him to have, I guess.” Your eyes faltered and rather watched yourself fiddle with your own fingers, trying to manage the pain that came with admitting something you tried to avoid for a long time.

Taehyung could see the hurt on your face, knowing this was something difficult for you to share and he hated ever asking the question. His heart softened, filled with a twinge of pain seeing you try to smile again. He also filled with anger at the fact that he didn’t clock Kiseok like he should’ve, though he digressed for your sake.

“You’re more than that, you know?” Taehyung’s dulcet voice pulled you out of your haunting thoughts, weary eyes looking at him as he continued. “You don’t deserve that, Y/N.” Taehyung said, gentle eyes set on you. “You don’t deserve the terrible things that have happened to you.”

You’re not sure why Taehyung’s statement resonated with you so much, nearly sending you to the brink of tears with the amount of earnest in his words. You could only feel sheer gratitude for someone having finally said that to you, especially after how much you’ve endured on your own.

You’d spent too long silently fighting your battles, constantly forcing yourself to push through whatever hell you experienced without rest, and most certainly without help. It was hard, extremely hard to have been alone all this time, so hearing Taehyung tell you that, his look as warm as ever, and you were completely moved.

Taehyung’s lips then curved into a little reassuring smile, looking into your eyes with compassion as you locked with his gaze. A moment passed before he suddenly rose from his seat, stepping towards you and extending his hand. “C’mon, let’s take you to my favourite place.” He cocked his head towards the exit, expression tender as he held his large palm out for you.

You smiled up at him, taking his hand delicately as you left your seat, chest filled with incessant butterflies you had no way of getting rid of, and didn’t know if you exactly wanted to.

“For fuck’s sake, when did it get so cold?!” You hissed, jogging in your place in line with Taehyung to keep yourself warm.

“Don’t worry, we’re next in line.”

It still didn’t take away from the fact that you were freezing your ass off, muttering frustrated as you tried warming up your hands. “Doesn’t make it any less cold, genius.” You retorted, stepping faster in your place for more warmth. “You wouldn’t know since you’re a furnace.

“Jheez, just come here, you icicle.” Taehyung grumbled as he suddenly pulled you towards him, wrapping his arms around you from behind and tugging your back to his chest, chin resting on top of your head.

“T-Taehyung, what are you doing?” Your eyes practically blew out, hands instinctively falling around him holding your waist.

“Keeping you warm.” Taehyung stated simply, until he suddenly dipped his face into the crook of your neck, speaking lowly by your ear. “Princess can’t be cold, now can she?”

Your heart was beyond fluttering at this point, nearly hiding your face in your hands at the feeling of Taehyung’s strong arms wrapped snug around you, acting mischievous in front of everyone watching.

You were only focused on the feeling of Taehyung hugging you from behind when you suddenly caught an extremely good-looking pair of women ogling at him, stealing your attention.

Scratch that, now that you looked, nearly everyone around you gawking at Taehyung and yourself very evidently, clearly admiring his Godly looks or high-status reputation and it instantly left you either jealous, insecure or both. It didn’t help that every woman who saw him and gave you a dirty look was someone incredibly hot, causing you to flash back to the women who spoke so casually about spending the night with Taehyung, and little to your knowledge just how many nights, with how many women.

It made you possessive, jealous that everyone was most likely considering how much better he could’ve looked with someone else, someone hotter, someone prettier. Insecurity was surely there, though now you severely felt the stubborn emotion of wanting to prove a point to everyone, and even more so to Taehyung.

Just like when you kissed him at the gala, you couldn’t help but think that maybe sometimes Taehyung could also contemplate he wants a better wife; a sexier one, a smarter one, a prettier one, and it’s what caused you to grab his tie arbitrarily and kiss him so boldly that night. Even if he’s always been relatively nice to you, maybe you really were a disappointment in areas that turn him off.

Especially in the sexy one.

You knew you could be sexy, but it just took the right amount of trust and knowing a guy to really become engaged with him in that way, and Taehyung has always been a bit of a stranger to you.

These are the thoughts that occupied your mind as you two found your seat in one of the Ferris Wheel cars, sitting across from Taehyung as the ride began to move. More of the amusement park came into view, and Taehyung became taken by the lights brightening the dark night. You would’ve said the same, watching as the attractions below became smaller, smaller and smaller until one thing you’d forgotten before getting on this ride suddenly occurred to you.

Your extreme fear of heights.

You were trying to remain calm until the car had reached the highest point of the Ferris Wheel and abruptly halted, sending the car to scarily move. You thought it only stopped in place to permit more people onto the ride, though an announcement sounding just after your wishful thinking confirmed it would be much longer than you expected.

“Some technical difficulties has stopped the ride, we’ll proceed normally in 10 minutes.”

And this was when you went into overdrive. The ground suddenly became too far away, the dark of the night making everything only half visible to you and the height entirely dreadful. Panic began to flood your chest, leg bouncing incessantly as you gripped the edge of your seat hard, trying to swallow your fear down your throat.

You thought Taehyung wasn’t paying attention to you, though he spoke up suddenly noticing your change in behaviour. “Hey, are you okay?”

“N-no.” You decided to admit honestly for your own good as you swallowed hard. “I-I don’t really like heights.” You hated that you always manifested tears in your eyes whenever panic overtook you, trying to dry them so as to not alarm Taehyung, though he became concerned all the same.

“You sure you just don’t like them? You seem terrified.”

“Okay, I lied. I’m really fucking scared of heights.” You declared near tears, trying to hold them back as you looked at the ground beneath you and could only think about what would happen if you fell.

“Really? So if I just..” Taehyung then teasingly reached for the width of the car, about to move it as a joke until you cried out in a frantic shrill, utterly horrified.

“Taehyung, stop!” You nearly shrieked. “I’m serious, please don’t move it, please” Your tears betrayed you and one dared to fall, shaking in fear, wanting to curl up into a ball just to escape the suffocating feeling of panic in your chest.

“Oh shit, you’re actually acrophobic.” Taehyung realized he’d made a mistake, grimacing at his now stupid joke.

“You think!”

“Okay, okay. Come here, come to me.” Taehyung then leaned over and held out his arms, the car small enough so that he was substantially reaching for you.

You were apprehensive, though slowly hooked onto his forearms securely, standing up with deer-like legs as you stepped tentatively into his arms, Taehyung pulling you next to him in a single breath. You plopped down beside Taehyung and rapidly wrapped your arms around his torso, nuzzling yourself close to him in fear when your weight on his side of the car made it move.

You clutched onto him for dear life, on the verge of crying at how high you two were. “Why is it so high, why are we so high?” You asked rhetorically in a fearful mantra, voice breaking as you bordered on more tears.

You were tensing in utter terror until you felt Taehyung’s comforting arms find purchase around you, hugging you to him. He held you near, rubbing at your arm pacifyingly as he leaned you into him. “It’s alright, Y/N. I’m sorry I scared you, I didn’t mean to do that.” He apologized in earnest, registering you had a serious phobia and could tell just by the way you were fearfully shaking in his hold.

You didn’t respond, him only feeling you continue to shake as you clung to him hard, figure telling of intense fear. “Hey, try talking to me.” Taehyung offered, knowing you two would unfortunately be stuck here for a while. “Is there something on your mind? Talk to me.”

You tried to focus on his words and less on your fear, remembering there in fact was something on your mind, bringing it up as a distraction.

“There is, actually, but.. I don’t know if I should say it.”

“You can tell me anything.” Taehyung encouraged.

You thought the question over before you considered suppressing it. “D-do you think our relationship needs to be more sexy?” You grimaced at yourself for asking, feeling Taehyung tense underneath you and thought you’ve really done it now, preparing for some sort of rejection.

Until Taehyung responded.

“What do you mean?” His tone was oddly too leveled.

“I just.. um, thought maybe people don’t believe our relationship cause we’re not.. sexy enough.”

“Why.. do you think that?” Taehyung sounded it out himself, growing alert by the context of the conversation, while you were adamant on proving a point.

“Well, maybe people like my co-worker get too comfortable cause they don’t see the sexy side of our relationship.”

“And how would we fix that?” Taehyung knew his question opened the door for something more, more discovery, more exploration and he thought he may have taken it too far. Though when you lifted yourself from off his side, looking into his eyes in earnest, he thought he may not have made a mistake after all.

Taehyung swallowed, looking into your expectants, doe eyes as you looked at him innocently; until you flashed a glance at his welcoming thighs deliciously manspreading. You tried to remain calm about it, taking a deep breath and going all in, tentatively bring your hands to his chest and hook one of your legs over him.

You bravely straddled Taehyung’s lap in a single moment, settling above his crotch as you peered at him with an unreadable expression.

You didn’t know you could be so bold yourself, but kept replaying you may be depriving Taehyung of something you’ve been wanting all this time, too, and so you took your leap of faith.

Taehyung froze, eyes wide as his hands naturally fell around your hips sitting on him, and he couldn’t help but grow weak at the innocent look in your eyes though your body doing the contrary. He only watched as your sight lingered on his soft lips, his own hands canvasing up to grip your sides with an emotion he could only label as want, eyes filled with anticipation.

“We can fix it... like this.” You spoke, hand sliding up to grab Taehyung’s jaw. You didn’t think, mind blank as you leaned forward and pressed your mouth against Taehyung’s in a single second. Taehyung didn’t even have time to feel surprised, in shock for an instant before he began relishing in the familiar sensation of your lips, warm palms smoothing over your sides.

You slid closer to his body, feeling your chest push against his own as you deepened the kiss, already slow and searing in nature though now with a hint of lust, a hint of desire that leaked into the way you began grinding your body against his, needing more. Taehyung gladly accepted that, opening his mouth to let his tongue tentatively take action, adoring the taste of you in all its glory.

He tongue swiped your bottom lip, loving the wet feeling and you opened right up for his taking, all-consuming and head-spinning.

You snuck your hands up into his hair, tugging at the tresses lightly and Taehyung groaned satisfyingly into your mouth, revving your engine carnally. You became more impatient for friction, something to quell the continuous bouts of arousal shooting through your body, and so you began moving yourself over his welcoming crotch. You felt him twitch underneath you, beginning to rock himself along with your smaller body, pushing his hips up into you that yearned for more, yearned for more of him.

Your mouths began moving more harshly the more time passed, full on making out as you moved more urgently against him, the hint of his length grazing you sensitized area lighting you on fire. He caught your bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled away from you, tugging on the flesh as he breathed for much needed air, moaning as your foreheads found each other.

“Y/N.. do you want me to touch you?” He breathed hard, trying to compose himself before you chimed in, clasping the nape of his neck as you whispered into his ear.

“Touch me, Taehyung.” You breathed hotly. “I’m yours, aren’t I?” You catered to his tendency to be possessive, loving it yourself as you felt your veins buzz with electricity.

Taehyung instantly felt ignited, his cock jolting at just the feeling of you straddling him and he dragged his tongue along the inside of his cheek, smirking.

“Anything you want, Princess.”

The heat of Taehyung’s stare then turned dark, smoothing his large palms over your thighs until he met the meat of your ass underneath your jacket, hands cupping around as he pushed you down right above his growing length. He wasted no time in colliding his lips with yours again, continuously moving you over himself in a grinding motion that had you reciprocating, moaning with him as arousal began dripping you both.

This time his tongue openly licked into your mouth and you let him in completely, darting your tongue out to tangle with his passionately. The kiss was growing sloppy, both of you getting high off practically dry humping each other, your hands mercilessly feeling up his taut chest as he moved a large palm behind your back, arching you into him.

Taehyung then suddenly came off your lips and began kissing the side of your mouth, trailing down to your jaw while you reeled at the feeling of his searing lips against your skin. He laid hot kisses all the way down until he reached the junction of your neck, finding a sweet spot and began sucking at it with need, working his mouth against your soft skin to imprint you with his desire.

His teeth occasionally grazed your skin, Taehyung licking over the bites for an apparent mark and the sound of your moan each time. He didn’t care who saw his dark hickeys, in fact, he wanted everyone to see. Especially men who can’t fucking understand you’re married. Taehyung didn’t know he could be so possessive, so adamant of something being his unless it came to you.

For some odd, unknown reason, he found himself wanting you to him, wanted to be the only one who gets to have you; maybe it’s because he’s never felt this way before, or has never felt so emphatically about it. But it constantly ate at his brain, thinking of the men that got to kiss you just like this, got to have you sit on their lap just like this.

And he fucking hated it.

Hated that the one time you gave your heart to a man he treated you so horribly, hated that the same man was the reason you were so apprehensive when it even came to sex or anything alike, remembering the night your marriage was supposed to be consummated.

But what he mostly hated was knowing you’re right in front of him while he craves you, right before his eyes and his wife in every sense of the word, though felt as though he could never truly have you, never truly within his grasp as your stranger of a husband, a physical boundary between you two he should never cross, and it was just sickening.

Though now the line was crossed, and all Taehyung could feel in this moment was his sheer desire, his incessant, passionate desire for you and it was growing exponentially. That kiss from last week sent his mind spiraling, thinking he was absolutely stupid for having so boldly kissed you though kept remembering the way you teased his ability. The way you questioned his wanting to kiss you for more than just the farce you two were putting on, thinking you were so entirely wrong about it.

He wanted to kiss you all the fucking time.

So Taehyung channeled it into his work now, having been completely surprised by your bold act though giving in because it was you. He knew this was his indication things could be taken further with you, to another level he’d imagined on occasion and that was all now seemingly possible.

It’s what made Taehyung leave such dark marks, feeling you up all over your body and finally able to touch where he knows is simply beautiful. He knew your body was gorgeous, quite frankly all of you was. He’d seen it when you slept with him every night in just a cami and shorts, he’d seen it in the red dress that hugged your every curve and wanted to tear it off your body, and he’d seen it with your little shower mishap just earlier today.

And it made his mind wander, wander dangerous places he didn’t think accessible.

But here he was, you grinding against his clothed, semi-hard dick while he sucked hickeys onto your pretty neck in a fairly public place, and it alighted something he’d kept suppressed the entire time he’s known you.

Taehyung was getting completely lost, almost animalistic in his kissing until you let out the prettiest moan he’s ever heard, his name at the end of it and he couldn’t help but grow fucking harder.

“Taehyung.” You breathed out, his name seeming so natural to roll of your tongue, hugging his head into your neck and you couldn’t help but gush at the fact that his face was stuffed into you. You moaned again at the prospect, knowing you had Kim Taehyung’s lips sucking hickeys onto you and you were wetter than you should’ve been.

“Taehyung.”

“Fuck, don’t do that. It does shit to me, princess.” Taehyung breathed out frustrated, knowing you’d hit the nail right on the head when you’d teased him about having a name kink, because he most certainly did.

You moaned again until you needed a break, winded when you suddenly grabbed his face off your neck and made him look into your eyes, his lips swollen pink from the kissing and it only made him appear more delectable. You couldn’t even think of anything to say, only gazed at him as he gazed at you, feeling mutually confused about what’s happening though loving it all the same.

Taehyung couldn’t get over the way your eyes shone as they reflected the lights below, semi-wanting to have brought you here just to see the way your eyes would light up in the dark. He also couldn’t grasp how you seemed like the most innocent thing on Earth but could so boldly straddle and make out with him in this moment, losing his mind at the prospect there was still so much to you he had yet to discover.

You began gliding your thumbs across Taehyung’s skin, finding him simply the most gorgeous human you’ve ever seen, the moonlight always finding a way to emphasize that fact.

You couldn’t think of anything to say right now, the sentimental moment lingering in a way you never really wanted to end. You didn’t want to ruin it with questions or statements that meant too much either, simply smiling at him as a settlement, eyes glistening in a way that conveyed how you felt instead.

How despite your fear of heights there was a sense of security you felt in his arms, how he managed to always quell your troubles, the way he looked at you as though there’s something more behind his eyes, more than just the mystery he showed everyone else.

So all you could do was bring his lips to yours for a sweet, delicate kiss. A kiss so slow it was searing, a kiss so tender it made him smile against your lips in a way that had your heart leaping hurdles. It was progressing again, both of groaning into the kiss until another announcement sounded initiating the continuation of the ride.

You disconnected from him as the Ferris Wheel car began to move, quirking your eyebrow smugly as you swung your leg off to unstraddle him, plopping down beside him.

“We should make things sexier like that.” You casually said, folding your arms and suddenly the height of the Ferris Wheel didn’t feel so scary, looking off at the attractions below you two. “You know, as more evidence.”

Taehyung was only left flabbergasted, having thought he should’ve cherished the moment more because one second you were in his lap, and now suddenly it was empty. He scoffed to himself as he looked down and realized you’d gotten him hard, abandoning him just on the cusp of finishing him off.

Taehyung bit his lip as he peered down at you and caught sight of his purple marks on your delicate neck, completely turned on by the arousing contrast in ways that left him wanting more, responding to your earlier remark.

“Yeah, we fucking should.”

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a/n : funny tidbit if you want to know but the shower thing actually did happen to me LMAO, i’d gotten a new showerhead and when i was trying to figure out the settings i ended up turning on the strongest jet stream that hit my face so hard i got shampoo in my eyes, i literally had to fight the water to eventually turn it off and it hurt like a BITCH. i had no hero like tae but it was literally straight out of a cartoon, it was so fucking hilarious i just HAD to write it, and yes you’re allowed to think i’m a dumb bitch 😭

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