#don't worry though. i'm managing. the guy was really nice and apologetic about it and i got to correct my number

[evendrierguys]

you know you've truly become an adult when you get an update on some Adult Matter so infuriating all you want to do is go home early and scream about it. which is exactly what i just did

[bangchansgirlsblog]

My Biggest Regret

Part six.

**

"What’s going on you two?" She asked the two siblings standing infront of her. She was terrified at what she just hard. She was so disappointed in Hannah.

"Y/n I tried talking to him but his being so difficult about it," Hannah wiped the tears off her cheeks. She was crying.

"Look, both of you need to talk it out and we aren't going back in there until you do. You're not going to ruin this day for everyone else okay? I don't know what happened but please just sort it out. For me,"

Y/n's arms were crossed and she had a disappointed look on her face. The guilt ate up Hannah because she knew how much Y/n didn't like fights. She didn't like conflicts and she didn't like problems. She wanted everyone to be okay with one another. So Hannah accepted it and listened to Chan.

"Hannah, I know I missed a lot. I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry that I did but I couldn't come back and you knew that, no matter how much I tried to, management wouldn't allow it. Don't be mad at me. Please."

"I'm only letting this go because Y/n asked me to, so it's fine. I hope you enjoy your days in Australia."

Hannah shrugged and walked past Y/n giving her an apologetic look. She had forgiven Chan and that's what everyone wanted right?

"Hannah-" Chan called out for the younger but she was already back inside the house leaving Y/n and Chan standing outside speechless.

"Just give her time, she hasn't really soaked in everything," she tried comforting Chan.

"Yeah I guess," they both stood in silence. Waiting for one of them to speak up.

"I geuss I'll go back in-"

"No stay with me? Let's talk," Chan held her arm before she could go back inside the house. She agreed and sat down on the benches that were facing the sandy beach.

"So..How have you been?" He asked trying to start a conversation.

"Good, good and you?"

"I'm good,” he replied and looked over at her. Her skin was glowing under the moonlight and her eyes twinkled like the stars. He loved that.

“How are you? Like how has your medication and stuff been? Are you still ill?”

“Yes I am Chan,” she smiled and looked over at him. Both their eyes connect making her feel butterflies in her tummy, “I’ve been taking my medication, the tumor decreased and I’m probably going to need surgery,”

“Surgery?” He asked confused and worried.

“Yeah, sooner or later I was going to have it anyway so. It’s minimal though. So not a big deal,” she shrugged and continued to analyze his pretty face.

He made sure to note that down. He made sure to remind himself so that he could be there for her when she went in and out of surgery. He would have to do some convincing though.

“Oh okay, um..”

“Tell me all about stray Kids Channie! Tell me about South Korea! Do you like it over there? Is it nice? What do you guys do on a daily basis? Oh My God! Is it true that there is a library as big as the Dubai mall?” She gasped, her eyes went wide as she got more and more excited waiting for Chan to tell her all about his adventures and so he did.

He started talking about everything from the beginning till the end. He Ofcourse left out the parts of drugs and girls but he knew if he did tell her all about it she would end up heartbroken.

She listened. She paid close attention to everything. She made sure to ask questions and for a second it felt like they were back to their younger selves. Chan missed it. He missed this. He missed her. The conversation itself wanted to make Chan move back to Australia, back to his family. He felt so stupid for forgetting about her. He (for once) felt like a real human being and not a robot under watch.

“Chan?” She called after they had finished their conversation about South Korea and his new life.

“Yes Aya?” He replied.

“Did you forget about me?” Her eyes were now soft. A pang of guilt hit his chest so hard he had to take a deep breath. He didn’t want to lie anymore, he wanted to come clean so,

“No Ofcourse I didn’t, I waited for you,” Chan you liar, what were you thinking? The words rolled off his lips with a bitter taste. He couldn’t help but lie to her, she looked so innocent.

“Really Chan? I waited for you too! I haven’t fallen for anyone ever since you left,” her smile was big as she spoke. She was happy. But Chan on the other hand was questioning his existence. Did she really not fall in love with anyone when he was away? Surely it can’t be true it had been four years.

“Y/n, I’m sorry I got so busy and stopped checking in. I was scared you hated to me. I was scared that we weren’t close anymore so you didn’t need me. I hope you aren’t angry at me like Hannah,” his eyes glistened.

“Oh no, no, no,” she held his hands in hers hoping to give him some comfort, “I’m not angry, at first I was but I can never be angry at you Chan. I was the only that encouraged you to go remember? So don’t you ever think I hated you or I was angry at you,”

“But you were sick and-“

“Yes I was sick but I wasn’t dying,” Y/n you’re lying to him! “Plus look at how much you’ve grown! You’re a kpop idol! Not many people can say that they have successful idol bestfriends,” she joked causing a smile to crip up Chan’s face again.

“I love you,” he said casually.

“I love you too Channie,” she replied.

He leaned in slowly finding his face close to hers. She leaned in too, finding his face close to hers. Inches away. But Y/n was nervous. This would be her first kiss ever. She wanted to be perfect but she didn’t know how to make it perfect.

“Chan I-“

“Can I?” He softly asked. His hand laid on cheek. Her lips were so plump and pink. Chan craved it. Craved her. He was going to get close to her one way or another.

They both closed their eyes. Chan almost closing in the gap when,

“Guys dinners ready!” A voice called for both of them causing them to jump away from each-other.

They both looked over at the door to find Hyunjin standing there.

Proud of himself for ruining the moment. He was going to get Y/n because whatever Hyunjin wanted he would get even if it meant bringing Chan down.

**

Hey *insert a stack of money in my hands* , will you be my gf? 🤭🤭🤭

Don’t forget to reblog if you want to😋

-🩷

[lovely-peace]

Eclipsed hearts

Summary: Reader is avoiding remus for weeks now. But when the hogsmeade weekend comes in sight this task becomes impossible, because their friend group wants to go their together. But when all things come together it doesn't go as planned....

Warnings: self hatred, panic attack (tw!!!), bad to no communication, might get mad at everything lol, I am a very angsty writer sryy

I might went a little over board with this one, but whatever right?

Masterlist part 1 ~~~ part 6 part 7

Weeks passed. Weeks in which I avoided Remus as much as possible. In class I worked together with Luis. In the meantime I would call him a friend. It was nice to know someone who wasn't also friends with Remus.

But then the first hogsmeade weekend came in sight. And just like we talked about it, it was planned that we went there together. So I couldn't avoid Remus there. I was afraid of it. But at the same time I was excited.

What was wrong with me?

It was during the last Potions class that Luis suddenly approached me.

"Hey, would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me? It's totally okay if you don't want to!" he said it so fast that I needed some time to understand what he was saying. He asked me if I could go to Hogsmeade with him.

But I had promised Lily not to chicken out. He stood in front of me waiting for my answer and I felt like the worst person on earth. In the end, I just sat down next to him to hide from remus.

I was cruel. I mean what if he liked me?

I somehow managed an apologetic smile. "Hey, I'm sorry about that, but this weekend my friends and I were already planning on going on a group outing."

I could literally see his hope dwindling and him feeling embarrassed. "Oh."

He couldn't look me in the eye. I just felt worse. Why was this so hard?

"We can meet some other time though." why did I say that? I didn't want to give him hope, that was cruel. I didn't like him like that.

He looked at me with a crooked smile. "Yeah, we can do that. Sorry if this has all been a bit awkward."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll see you soon then. "I felt awful. How did it all look so easy in the movies? Even in books it's so simple. But in real life, it's all so difficult.

He walked slowly and waved at me before disappearing around the corner. It was only when I exhaled that I realized I had been holding my breath.

Suddenly I heard a crack behind me and turned around. I saw only sand-colored hair, which quickly disappeared behind the next corner.

~~~

"Are you ready to go?" Lily was all excited and had put on one of her most beautiful dresses, which looked incredibly good on her. We were going to meet up with the boys in Hogsmeade and to be honest, I was dreading it.

"Yes, yes I'm ready." I hadn't really dressed up. I had normal clothes on and even with my hair I hadn't done anything special. Lily seemed disappointed, but she didn't say anything.

"Are you guys finally coming?" Mary had been ready for a long time and was waiting for us.

"Yeah, we're already done." Lily literally pulled me after her. And We set off on our way. ~~

We approached the three broomsticks in which we would meet with the others. To say that I felt uncomfortable would have been an understatement. Why was I so nervous?

As we approached we saw a couple of Ravenclaw boys. I had the feeling that they were looking at us. I had the feeling that they were looking at me.

They whispered to each other as we got closer. One of them looked me sourly in the eye. I wanted to just keep walking, but I stopped. I could not help it.

"What's wrong?" Mary followed my gaze and became quiet. I hadn't told them what had happened with Luis. But that won't have anything to do with it, will it?

Suddenly one of the boys stepped forward and came toward us. He stopped in front of us and looked me straight in the eye.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" his voice was quiet but firm. I looked briefly at mary and lily who exchanged a quick glance. They just shrugged their shoulders.

"Sure," I said. He looked at me briefly and then raised an eyebrow.

"I think it would be better for you if we were… Alone."

That sounded like I was hiding something terrible from my friends. And maybe that was the case. We talked very little now.

"Can you leave us alone for a moment?" I asked the two. Even if it was more like a request.

They looked at each other again and it was as if they were talking to each other in a language I didn't understand. This frustrated me.

Lily looked at me worriedly." Are you sure?"

I just nodded and the two of them hesitantly went into the store. I turned to the boy, expecting the worst. And yet, I wasn't really prepared.

His eyes rained down before he spoke.

"Listen, I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I'm tired of it. You seem to constantly portray yourself as a victim here, even though you're just playing with the people around you. I mean sitting down next to Luis and giving him hope? You're only doing that to make Remus jealous. Everyone can see that something happened between you. "

I was speechless. I wanted to contradict him, but I was at a loss for words. But he wasn't finished anyway.

"And this whole cat and mouse game that you play with him is pathetic, honestly. I heard your friends talking about you. Everyone is worried about you. And you? You just go ahead and shamelessly take advantage of it. If I were your friend, I would have told you off long ago. "

I pushed down the tears that were slowly coming up. I couldn't cry, not here. I was tired of crying all the time. So this is how the whole situation looked to the outside world. I didn't want people to think about me like that. I couldn't stand that. I couldn't stand that.

"I'm n-not taking advantage of luis." When I said it like that, it sounded like a lie. It didn't feel right to say either.

Was I really as he described me? I didn't want to be like that. The person he was describing was a cold heartless person who took advantage of everyone around him. I wasn't like that, was I?

He scoffed.

"Do you really believe that? Or do you want to portray yourself as a victim again and run away? Honestly you're pathetic."

His friends were standing a little further away, but it sounded like the whole world was hearing his words. I wanted to run and hide, he was right. This was really pathetic. The world started to spin. I didn't want him to be right. But I couldn't listen to him any longer either.

"Look, here comes your lover boy and his friends! You want to hide behind them?" he mocked me. I couldn't move, I was frozen.

"I'm not going to hide behind them…" the words came out as if in slow motion and were much too quiet. I almost choked on them. My body did not listen to me. Everything inside me was screaming for alarm, but I was still frozen.

"Sunny?" I wanted to disappear. "Hey, asshole what are you doing to her?!" I was acting horrible. "We were just talking, chill." I wasn't really aware of the voices around me anymore. Inside my head I was alone and it was holding me captive right now. "What's going on with her? Why isn't she saying anything?" Eyes everywhere. Everyone seeing what I'm doing. "She suddenly froze, I don't know either…" I just want to be normal, what's wrong with me? "Sirius go check on lily and mary! Maybe you can help." Everything I do is seen and evaluated. Everyone sees my mistakes and feelings. I don't want to be so transparent. "Nothing to see here, get lost!" I don't want to be weak. "Hey is someone getting help?" I don't want to be vulnerable-

Hands wrapped themselves around my shaking ones. They were warm. My breath slowly became slower. I didn't even know I was breathing so fast. Calmness spread through me. Followed by cozy warmth.

"You are safe, all is well."

Slowly my surroundings became clear again. I was in front of the three broomsticks. I just wanted to hang out with my friends. But I had ruined everything.

When I realized who was holding my hands, guilt rose in me. I pulled my hands out of Remus' warm hands and immediately regretted it when I saw the look on his face. I regretted it when I saw the looks of the others on me.

"I'm fine." I said quickly, trying to forget the whole thing. If only it were that simple.

"Are you sure? You were shaking all over and didn't answer us for a whole 20 minutes!" lily's worried expression came into my field of vision. How many times had I seen that expression the last few weeks?

"Sorry, I just spaced out a bit." I turned to the boy I was talking to. "Sorry if I worried you. Wasn't your fault or anything like that."

He wasn't angry anymore.

He almost looked like he was scared. As if he was afraid for me. His eyes were no longer so cold. I suddenly saw similarities between him and luis. They had the same eyes.

Could it be?

We looked at each other quietly for a while, then he cleared his throat.

"I'll leave you to it, then..."

Mary scoffed at that. "Thanks. And just so you know, we won't leave you 'alone' with her again!!!" she literally screamed after him. If looks could kill, she'd be a serial killer.

I tried to fight it, but my eyes moved to remus' eyes as if by themselves. And suddenly I realized what kind of situation I was in. All my friends were gathered around me, looking at me worried.

Everyone is worried about you. And you? You just go ahead and shamelessly take advantage of it.

I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Sunny?"

If I were your friend, I would have told you off long ago.

"I just have to go to the bathroom."

And I ran past them into the three broomsticks. I quickly went into the bathroom and locked myself in.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Do you really believe that?

Breathe in, breathe out.

Or do you want to portray yourself as a victim again and run away?

Breathe in, breathe out.

Honestly you're pathetic.

Breathe in.

Look, here comes your lover boy and his friends! You want to hide behind them?

Exhale.

~~~

"There you are! We were getting worried." Mary spread her arms as I approached their table. I mustered a wry smile and sat down next to her. Across from remus.

"Should we take care of him?" James' voice sounded threatening. He was talking about the ravenclaw boy. I shook my head.

"No, we were really just talking."

His look told me he didn't believe me. I didn't say anything more, though, so he dropped the subject.

Lily smiled warmly at me. "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded and smiled at her too. I didn't want to make her worry anymore. I wanted her to smile more.

Everyone is worried about you. And you? You just go-

"What did he want to talk to you about anyway?" sirius asked the question floating in the air. Everyone went quiet and looked at me, waiting.

"It... It wasn't anything important-"

"It was about his brother, wasn't it? Luis. The one who asked you out yesterday." Remus' voice wasn't as warm as usual. It was almost... Harsh.

"What, Luis asked you out?" mary looked at me in shock. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I just didn't really get around to it..."

"I think she could hardly believe it herself." remus interrupted me the whole time. All of this was so not like him.

He was making me angry.

"And what exactly couldn't I believe? Please, tell me."

Now he hesitated. It was almost as if he realized what he was saying. But then his eyes hardened again.

"Well, that he's playing with your feelings. The fact that his brother showed up right after you hurt his brother's pride only proves it."

Who is playing with my feelings here?

"Oh, is it so hard to believe that someone might actually like me, Remus?"

His eyes widened. "No, I just meant-"

"I think we all know what you meant." This time, I didn't let him speak. I was behaving terribly, but he was just as awful.

"Besides, he just asked me if we want to do something together. It could easily be meant as just friends hanging out. And you don't even know him!" I was angry.

Remus scoffed at that. "Yeah, sure. That was definitely meant as just friends hanging out. Sometimes you're really naive." He whispered the last words, but I still heard them clearly.

"Oh, really?"

James looked panicked between us. "I think we should all calm down a bit..."

"Why do you even care so much? It's none of your business who asks me out on a date!"

I've never spoken to him like this before. I don't know what came over me, but in that moment, it was all just too much.

He fell silent at that.

Lily placed a hand on mine. "Maybe we should stop talking about it..."

"No, please, Remus, tell me. Why do you care so much? If I remember correctly, you were the one who rejected me! So don't pretend like you really care about who I'm with or not!!!"

He looked away.

"Whatever."

That was the final blow. I stood up and turned to the door.

"Well, you know what? That was a mistake. I shouldn't have agreed to do something together. This whole thing was just a big mistake."

I was already at the door when Lily stood up.

"No, wait, please! He surely didn't mean it that way, right, Remus?"

But Remus remained silent.

"Remus, say something?!" Lily's voice was frustrated.

"Lily, just stop."

I turned to the others one last time.

"I know exactly what he meant."

And then I ran away. Once again.

The sun and the moon meet again after a while. They long for each other and still don't come closer to the one other.

Taglist : @juleshadalittlelamb @fluffybunnyu @tendous-pretty-hair @helloitsmeeeeeee @valencia-rou @woohoney @mothermaryisdead

[approximately20blorbos]

all of the pre-relationship questions!!!

YIPPEE thank you!!

1. How did they first meet?

Immor and Regaya first met when Embrist was trying to introduce the two to each other. Regaya was looking for a partner and he thought that at the very least both of them could use a friend even if they didn't end up dating. so he went through all the impressive effort of arranging a meet up at a bar and then dragging Immor out of the house (who was very depressed at the time) only for Regaya to have gotten tipsy already and she was quite wildly gesturing and managed to immediately smack Immor in the face and break his nose. #meetcute

2. What was their first impression of each other?

Immor's first impression of Regaya was a very apologetic woman who gave him the excuse he needed to go home. and Regaya's first impression was that Immor seemed very calm and unbothered about having his nose broken and also she thought he was hot. so

second impressions were SLIGHTLY better because Regaya brought him a sort of apology gift basket the next day but she still came off to him as strange because she also quite literally asked him out then and there (and he said yes before fully processing the question and was like WAIT WHAT as soon as she was gone LMAO)

3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

I mean Embrist obviously since he set them up with each other! but other than that, no. Immor didn't really have any living family left, and Regaya's mother hated Immor with a burning passion. in fact its safe to say that part of the reason Regaya was so interested in Immor in the first place is that he was like. #1 option available to really piss off her mom by dating him

4. Who felt romantic feelings first?

Definitely Regaya! she decided she was into him really fast, like weirdly fast, and Immor was more of a "oh no I accidentally said yes to her asking me out. well I guess I can humor her for a little while so I don't have to immediately go back on what I said and hurt her feelings" and then it was far more than a little while

5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

as far as getting together, no. deepening the relationship though? very much so. both of them had a lot of baggage and secrets that they didn't want the other to know and this went on for years until finally they ended up in a situation where they had to talk about it. but they grew extremely close very fast after that—in fact, it was the morning after that conversation that Immor realized he wanted to marry Regaya :)

6. If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

I guess that depends on what time in the story? logically before they met, so,

I think Immor would be shocked pre-war, because Regaya was this pretty high society lady with a fiance and he was just some guy. after the war but before they met I think he would just straight up not believe you. sure, that's nice, but he's toootallyyyy never going to find love or anyone new who's going to care about him. go tell your silly tales about soulmates to someone else

as for Regaya, I'm not sure she really knew who Immor was for a long time? depending on time period, I think she'd be upset to learn that her soulmate was not the woman she had a serious (and secret) relationship with while she was still with her awful fiance. after she murdered the fiance though I think she'd kind of watch Immor from a distance for a bit and try to get an idea of the type of person he is. and she'd probably worry about how rough of a state he was in at that time but also overall I think she'd be satisfied

7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?

well Regaya would probably be doing pretty well for herself all the same! she has a doctorate degree and all that. I think if she hadn't met Immor she probably would have moved back out of Hafalia again to get away from her mother, though. maybe she would go find work as a professor at the First University

as for Immor,,,,, really hard to say. I'd like to think he would have recovered fine and moved on with his life had he not met Regaya, but. she really was integral to pulling him out of his depression and I think if he hadn't had her support he might not have been able to deal with Cadaea's death some time later. but he does have Strendthras and Embrist by his side, so I think he could have pulled through. but what he had really needed at the time was someone who could meet him at his lowest and still care for him, not out of any history or prior obligation to care, and Regaya was that person. I think its safe to say that he'd be fine in the end, but not happy.

thank you again for the ask!!!!

[jaehunnyy]

I'm stuck with you

Genre: fluff, comfort? (wanted to turn this into an angst work really bad but well... i couldn't bring myself to do it haha)

Word count: 1k

Pairing: boyfriend!Chan × reader (Chan's an idol)

Warnings: one curse word, kind of an open ending?

_________________________________ ׂׂ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

The big curtains were drawn, leaving the room dark, the warm light of the sunset being trapped outside. Bang Chan was talking and laughing in front of his phone, his weekly "Chan's Room" still running, after 30 minutes since he had started it. Dim lights brightened his face, showing off his soft features, and the fans could swear he looked so ethereal, just standing there and grabbing a slice of pizza. With the background music resonating softly in his and the fans' ears, he started to read some comments, excited for every time he got to spend with his fans, always thankful for being able to talk to them.

"Chan, what's wrong with your voice?" He read, before starting to explain the reason behind his hoarseness: "Umm, yeah, so… I got the cold… umm, my voice is really, really deep, I think it's deeper than Felix's… but besides that i'm fine! Just coughing a little bit and… yes, all should be fine!" he stated, a shy smile lighting his face when he mentioned his friend's name.

Despite the worry of the fans, they have always admired his energy, and how Chan has never neglected them, always finding time for his lives, the little time he had reserved for his fans. Though something, or rather someone had some plans of interrupting his usual routine, for today. The door cracked open, a slight squeak making him look in that direction—oh, no.

"Baby, I brought you some tea, and some pills for your headache," you, Chan's lover, smiled softly, before noticing the little screen placed in front of your boyfriend, and the colored hearts that seemed to come out of it, signaling that he was doing a live. One that you've just appeared in.

Your eyes widened, followed by your mouth opening in shock, and your flabbergasted expression that made him chuckle a bit on the inside—cause on the outside, he was as terrified as you were.

"Please don't drop the mug, you might hurt yourself!" he then faced his phone again, while a nervous smile stretched his lips. "Guys, do you wanna see who's here today, with me? We might have a little guest."

Another round of comments covered the screen, and the fans' excitement could be read through them.

"Let's see if they wanna come. They are a little shy, so please be gentle. Babe, would you like to meet our stays?" he gave you a nod of approval, letting you know that you are safe.

"Come here, honey." he gestured to you, leaving the chair empty for you.

Still unsure, you threw him an apologetic look, then went to him, settling yourself on the chair. It felt wrong to stay where he would usually spend hours talking with his fans, in the position of his lover. "Would his fans feel betrayed? What would his manager and members think?" Those were the thoughts that couldn't leave your mind, and you started to feel uneasy, a strange feeling building inside your chest.

"Say hi to them," he smiled, softly rubbing your back as a source of comfort, noticing your sudden tension.

You shyly waved at the phone, reading some comments. You were surprised to see that the fans were actually happy, so you chose to ignore the few negative comments that didn't hesitate to appear, and proceeded to read some supportive ones: "You look so cute, omg!", "I hope you're treating Chan well, he deserves a nice lover.", "You two are adorable, why didn't you tell us about them before, Channie?" and a lot of other comments that made both of you smile wide, a slight, crimson blush decorating your cheeks.

"I have to admit that this situation escalated quickly, but I love the way it got revealed," he smiled, then slowly made his way closer to you, his lips finding your forehead and kissing it slowly.

"This is definitely something I will remember for my whole life, but in the bestest way." Your lips curled in happiness, taking his hand in yours and kissing it slowly.

Still smiling, he read another comment: "Tell us more about you, Chan's lover!" he chuckled at the nickname, before adding: "They wanna know more about you, angel." He brushed your hair with his fingers, encouraging you to introduce yourself.

"My name is Y/N… and I'm a college student, and not a trainee as you all might think. Me and Chan met 2 years ago, at a fansign. And then… things just took this route, we just went with the flow, and it led us here."

"And I am really happy, guys. My partner is treating me amazingly."

"You should spend time with them now, but make sure they will show up more in your lives!" you read the last comment, before joining Chan and waving to the screen, uttering your goodbye words and turning the live off.

You looked at Chan, the way his eyes held the whole universe in them making you smile. He grabbed you softly, heading to the bed and placing you there, before trapping your body in his arms, cuddling you warmly.

"Aren't you mad at me? For accidentally revealing myself?"

"I could never be mad at you, darling. We'll take this as a sign, it was about time to show your pretty face to them."

A sweet grin found its place on your face, and you pressed a sweet kiss on his neck, his curly, blonde locks stroking your head. After leaving a short peck on his mouth, your head found its place on his chest, his hands hugging your waist.

"I love you, angel. Very much."

"And I love you, Channie."

Not long after, you felt him shift under you, and before you could give him your confused stare, you felt his hands all over your body, starting to tickle you. Your laugh resonated through the whole room, bringing happiness to your boyfriend's ears, who loved your giggles as it was his favorite kind of music.

"Ch-Chan—'m tired, please!" some racked words escaped your mouth between the chortling, and you sighed, a relieved feeling taking over you. But then you looked at Chan, and his tensed, but somehow amused look made your adorable, wide eyes appear again.

"Holy fuck, my manager called me!"

[charliedawn]

How would they react to the new arrival ?

" Hi everybody. My name is Y/N and I am the head nurse around here. If you have any questions, you can ask them to me. I see here that two of you are transfers from St John's, so you'll be assigned to miss Harrison's department..However, I see here that mister Wendell Crumb has just been released from prison ? Who is mister Wendell Crumb ?"

A close cut man raises his hand with a slight smile.

" That would be me."

You smile back before checking something on your file.

" Fine. You'll be transferred to my department. However, I see here that you've got many names..May I ask who I am talking to ?"

Wendell Crumb suddely straightens up and stares right at you with a very unsettling smile.

" I'm Barry. Nice to meet you.."

You raise an eyebrow suspiciously before looking down at his file. Creepy smile. Judgy stare. Feminine stand..Yeah, definitely not Barry..

" I'm sorry, but in order for us to get along, honesty is the key..Now, could you please tell me who you really are ?"

The man's smile only widens as he congratulates you.

" Clever girl. I'm Patricia. Nice to meet you."

He then claps with both hands and you narrow your eyes, trying to figure the new patient out. He seems harmless enough, even though his file seems to suggest the contrary. A great pretender. After all the effort you had put in getting the patients to trust you, this one would surely bring chaos. You could already tell by just looking at him in the eyes: he wasn't here to get better.

You sigh before closing the file and signaling to the patient to follow you as Harrison enters. Wendell Crumb is almost too eager to follow you. You can feel his stare on you, as if he was sizing you up and down.

" The patients are eating, I suppose it is a good time to get acquainted with them and make some new friends. What do you think ?"

You smile and try to be nice to him, but he doesn't answer. He only huffs before looking away. You open the door to the cafeteria and feel the stare of all the slashers on you and the new arrival. Patricia seems to be doing a quick assessment of each slasher before finally landing on you.

" By what I heard, I thought I would be meeting fearless and bloodthirsty demons..But all I can see is a bunch of old-timers."

Your eyes widen in shock at his words and you can see some of the slashers tense. However, far from being intimidated, Kevin widely grins and seems to slouch slightly, taking another personality you guess.

" Hi guys ! I'm Hedwig ! I'm soooo excited to meet all of you ! Patricia said you were like us ! That's like, totally cool !"

To that, Freddy is the first to answer with a mocking smirk.

" Great. Another kid..Me who thought we would finally be enough to play poker. What a disappointment..Can he at least change his own grown-up diapers ?"

Suddenly, Hedwig's joyful expression shifts to a much serious one that glares daggers at Freddy.

" What did you say, steak face ?"

Oh oh. Freddy's expression darkens and he stands up to face Kevin that only arks an eyebrow at him, a silent challenge. One that Freddy is eager to respond to.

" What did you call me, baldie ?"

But, far from feeling intimidated, Kevin only stares down at him with a little smirk.

" You heard me, midget.."

You can feel the tension rising and put yourself between the two of them promptly.

" Hey ! That's enough ! Be nice ! And you.."

You turn towards Freddy with furrowed eyebrows, clearly displeased.

"..I told you to hold your tongue with them."

Freddy only humphs unhappily before getting out of your grip and glaring at Kevin that only grins defiantly at him.

" What ? That's it ? This is the infamous Freddy Krueger ? The bringer of nightmares and slayer of children ? I must admit that I am deeply disappointed.."

Patricia, she wants to rile him up. You quickly get another nurse to get Freddy to sit back down before he gives in to his violent impulses. You then glare at Kevin before taking him by the arm for him to follow you outside of the room.

" What are you trying to do exactly ?! Get killed ?!"

But, far from feeling guilty, Kevin's grin only widens as he stares directly back at you for several seconds, as if looking deep inside your soul..At the end, he pretends to be apologetic by raising his hands in surrender and finally giving some kind of explanation for his behavior.

" I'm sorry. I'm just feeling overwhelmed, garden variety issue..You understand. We mustn't let the bad seeds take roots, or we may end up with bad weed issues.."

At this, Pennywise that had followed you discreetly gets out of his hiding spot to growl menacingly at Kevin.

" Bad weed ?! Who are you calling bad weed, pal ?! I'll show you bad weed."

But one stern look from you, and Pennywise reconsiders. But, he is still glaring daggers at Kevin that only giggles maniacally while you get him back inside. However, he doesn't miss the way you instinctively hold on to the pendent hanging around your neck..What a strange necklace..? He turns his head towards the slashers that all seem on edge now, like a pack of wolves ready to attack. However, it's even worse when he suddenly takes you by the shoulders to smell you behind your ear, his gaze still fixed on the gang that seems ready to jump into action at any moment..Even Pennywise doesn't notice that he is munching on his spoon instead 9f his actual food. You try to get out of his grip, but he only tightens his grip on you as a response.

" What ? Are you all her lapdogs now ? I see the appeal..But still, to think she managed to have you all around her little finger..The strongest men on Earth, all submitting to that small bite."

As if to prove his point, he starts nibbling on the top of your ear, waiting for a reaction. However, before anyone could do anything, Kevin feels something piercing his skin and turns around to see a smirking Five with a needle in his hand.

" Nighty night."

Kevin collapses and you quickly kneel by his side to take his pulse. Thankfully, he's alive and you ask some nurses to bring him back to his room. You had agreed with the hospital not to use the collars unless it was a case of extreme emergency, looks like this could be one..

" Thank you, Five. But, dont use medical supplies without my permission again, okay ?"

He doesn't lose his smile before replying casually, hands in his pockets.

" Can't promise anything.."

The slashers are still staring at Kevin that is dragged out of the room. It takes you a while to reassure them that you're fine, even longer to convince yourself. However, Five seems even more suspicious than usual, he seems to be eager to return to his bedroom, and he was late for lunch..But, you don't have the time to worry about him. You finally manage to get them all to return to their bedrooms and walk inside your own. There, you let the mask fall and collapse on your bed, burying your face in a nearby pillow in order to muffle your tears and screams. Each time, you try to contain your own fear for the safety of the patients and yourself, but just with one touch, this new individual had made all of your walls crumble. However, you have to get it together, you couldn't let the other patients see you like this..You get up and cough a bit before cleaning yourself up. You then open the door, not expecting all the patients tumbling inside as they were listening in..You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose.

" What did I say about listening on doors ?"

They all stand up and look at everything but your face or simply try to justify themselves.

" Look, hon..We were only worried..Kinda ?"

Freddy tries to explain, but you take a big inspiration before stepping out. This is just what you needed: serial killers worrying about you.

" It's the hour of your medication. How about Michael and Five come to help me in the kitchen while you wait in the your rooms ?"

You finally decide to ignore Freddy and are surprised when Arthur takes you gently by the arm so you can look up at them.

"Hey, don't shut us down. Freddy is right, we were only worried."

You eyes soften at their genuine concern, but you quickly shake the feeling away. You had faced far worse, but this patient scared you the most..because he had attacked you as if he already knew, as if he knew who you were before you even introduced yourself. You will have to keep a close eye on that one, that's for sure. Fortunately, the patients hadn't reacted too extremely, or it would have turned bad, very very bad..You don't know why the hospital had suddenly decided to add another patient, but one thing is for sure, this new patient wasn't transferred here, he was sent here with a purpose. Now, your goal is to discover whatever purpose that is. You are on your way to his room when you realize something..You hadn't seen Jason all morning. He wasn't there for lunch either. You feel cold sweat running down your back when you suddenly hear some fighting noises. You run in the direction of the sounds and are shocked to see Jason, Five and, surprisingly, Klaus in Kevin's room. You don't have the time to ask what the last one is here that Jason takes Kevin by his shirt and throws him through the window.

You look at Five for an explanation, but he doesn't look at you and looks at the broken window instead.

" Did he just..?"

" Yup. He just did.."

Klaus confirms before turning towards you with a small awkward smile.

" Can someone please explain to me why a civilian is here and why Jason just threw Kevin out of the damn window ?!"

You exclaim and for once, Five is speechless and it's his brother that decides to step up to explain the situation to you.

" Hi. I'm Klaus, Five's older brother and I was about to help him escape until we heard noises of a fight outside. We got out and saw a bold man talking and fighting our dear sweet Jason that threw said man flying through the window. Literally."

Your eyes widen at the news of his planned escape and then look at Five with a confused frown. The idea of escaping wasn't what surprised you the most, but why would he want to leave now ? However, before you could ask, Jason, who is clearly upset, pushes right past you with angry groans and an uneven breathing. You give a stern look at Five, clearly signifying that this discussion isn't over before running after Jason before he could murder Kevin. When you get out, you see that all of the slashers had encircled Kevin that seems angrier than ever.

" I'll kill you all !"

He shouts, but Freddy only cackles while leaning against the wall, with the sunglasses you had given him sitting on his nose, and Pennywise that has a bowl of popcorn in his hands.

" Come on, Jason ! We'll enjoy the massacre..There are no witnesses. Just show that clown who's the boss ! No offense.."

He quickly adds at the end to Pennywise that only smirks before fist-bumping him.

" None taken."

You run to stand between the two huge men that don't seem to even notice you. You look at Michael for help, but he only crosses his arms, clearly implying that he wouldn't interfere. Great..You think before turning towards the devil you know, your hands outstretched towards him.

" Stop, Jason. Please. This is not you. Whatever he told you, it is not worth this. You will be punished, severely. They will maybe not kill you, but they will lock you away, somewhere nobody will ever find you again.."

Jason seems to finally snap out of it and you smile when he takes your hand and yanks you forward with his supernatural strength. You chuckle, relieved while he hugs you. But then, you hear a loud sound behind you and turn around swiftly to see..Brahms ?! Brahms just took Kevin by the throat to crash the back of his head against the concrete and his hands are now around his throat, squeezing painfully tight. You run towards them and try to get Brahms to let go, but he only tightens his grip on him as you yell.

" Let go, Brahms ! What are you doing ?! I said let go !"

But he doesn't listen to you, even worse, he gives you a hard blow to the stomach with his elbow that knocks all air out of your lungs. However, you still find the strength to get up and this is when Brahms finally shouts furiously.

" He took my doll !"

You are surprised how he managed to form a whole sentence without stammering and also horrified by the news. Brahms' doll is Brahms' most precious possession, no wonder he wants to kill Kevin. But then, Kevin laughs and spits blood on Brahms' mask.

" Idiot. You kill me, you won't get the doll and they'll throw you in the darkest deepest hole they can find.."

You know that he is telling the truth and look at Brahms that doesn't seem to be willing to stop. You take a big breath before finally taking out the pendent they had offered you. You hold it tightly in your hand before ordering Brahms to stop.

" Stop, Brahms ! Let him go ! Now !"

Suddenly, as if under some kind of transe, Brahms straightens up and finally releases Kevin. Brahms then slowly turns towards you and walks to you until he is barely a few inches away from you and leans in so close you can hear his hectic breathing. You almost fear for your life and hold on to the pendent even tighter.

However, he only humphs and walks away. You look up and, for once, see the disappointment in the different slashers' eyes. They all saw what happened, what you used to control Brahms.

" I..I didn't want to.."

But it's too late, the damage is done. The Joker, that had stayed silent so far, suddenly bursts our laughing, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes as he tells you bitterly.

" You know why Jason attacked Kevin ? Because he said that you were using us..Looks like he wasn't so wrong after all.."

He walks past you, not even giving you a second glance. You turn towards the rest of the slashers that seem either angry or even fearful of you.

" P..Penny..?"

You try to extend your hand towards Penny that is eyeing you warily and who growls warningly at you when your hand is too close. Suddenly, a hand snatches yours to yank you backwards.

" Back off, lady !"

Pennywise cautions you, his eyes glowing yellow in the dark. However, suddenly, some armed forces enter the yard and get out tazers to restrain the patients. You see one of the guards tackle Pennywise to the ground. To your horror, Penny bites the guard's shoulder that screams loudly in pain. Before you could say anything, another guard shoots some tranquilizers at the Penny that collapses.

" No..No !"

You run towards Penny and cradle his face with tears in your eyes. It wasn't supposed to go this way. What had gone wrong ? You look up at Pennywise that is now restrained and muzzled. He tries to break free to reach Penny, but the guards won't let him.

" Pennywise..I'm..I'm so s.."

But he glares at you and cuts you off harshly.

" Nah. Save your breath, princess.."

Pennywise says while eyeing you up and down with new-found disdain, even Freddy is not smiling anymore. The slashers are brought back inside with shackles and you feel your lower lip quivering. You didn't want to use the pendent, but he was going to kill Kevin and..You look back to see that Kevin is smiling. He even dares giggles when some guards come to take him away.

" Rejoice ! You are of the worthy ! You are broken !"

You don't understand and frown in confusion, but he doesn't add anything. You sigh deeply before getting back inside as well, you had to make it up to them..somehow.

" You really think it's a good idea ? We aren't even sure that Kevin will be able to accomplish his mission."

But the woman, far from being worried, only puffs out a cloud of smoke and replies with a confident smile.

" Believe me, John. It will work..Soon, we'll have the slashers at our mercy. They'll be our little tin soldiers. And nothing will be able to stop us, brother.."

[the-real-tc]

Bad Business Ch. 9: Dark Horse Candidate

Author's Note: It's amazing how things change over time. When I first wrote this story, the name "Karen" did not have the negative connotation it has come to have in this post-COVID world of ours. I named a Dude Ranch guest "Karen", having no clue that years later it would be pejorative. In any case, I chose to keep the name, because it's a perfectly good name, and this "Karen" is one of the nice ones.

I'm afraid things still will not be much clearer, though danger is lurking closer. The end is also in sight, so hang on tight.

Chapter 9

Dark Horse Candidate

Lou came to the difficult but nevertheless necessary conclusion she would have to kick all the Dude Ranch guests out for the next couple weeks.

"Lisa's family is going to need a place to stay," she explained to Jen over the phone. "They can't all cram into the ranch house, and we're not going to force them to stay in a hotel in town. Let the guests know I'm refunding them in full, but they need to be out right away. Give them an hour to clear out, give or take."

"All right, Lou. I'll get on it right away," said Jen after receiving her boss' request. "And I'm so sorry about Lisa."

"Thanks, Jen," Lou said. "I appreciate it. Let me know when all the guests are gone."

"For sure. 'Bye for now."

Heartland Equestrian Connections

Jen reluctantly knocked on the door to the main cabin. A homeschooling family of four had arrived only three days earlier; Mitch had taken them for a trail ride he turned into an impromptu educational nature walk on the first afternoon they had all enjoyed. Now, they would have to find some other accommodation for their vacation.

The door opened to reveal a forty-something woman dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Jen, the Dude Ranch manager," Jen said, putting on the most professionally apologetic tone she could muster. "We met when you checked in. It's Karen, right?"

"Yes, that's right. What's going on?" asked Karen, a look of consternation creeping into her features. "Have the kids been too noisy?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Jen said easily, quelling the woman's worry. "I'm really, really sorry, but we have to close all the cabins right away."

"What? But we just got here the other day," Karen said in dismay, very evidently disappointed.

"I know—and you'll be reimbursed totally," Jen was quick to add. "But, um, there's unfortunately been a death in the owner's family, and she's made the decision to shut things down for the next little while."

"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that," Karen immediately uttered with sympathy. "How much time do we have to check out?"

"I don't mean to rush you," Jen replied. "An hour or so would be really great, though."

Before moving on to the next guest, Jen gave Karen all the necessary details for her compensation owing to the inconvenience.

***

"Hey, Mitch," Jen spoke into her cell phone. "Have you seen the guy from Cabin Two today? There's no sign of him here."

"Cabin Two? That's our 'Do Not Disturb' guest who just re-booked to the end of the month, right? No, I haven't," Mitch answered. "Last time I saw him was maybe two days ago when I offered to take him on a trail ride or a hike. He said he was okay and was keen to do some hiking on his own. I told him to watch out for predators since there have been some bear sightings again."

Jen nodded wryly. "Well, his truck is still here, so let's hope he hasn't met with some unfortunate accident. That's the last thing Lou needs right now."

"Yeah, no kidding," Mitch sighed. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, Lou wants the guests out of here as soon as possible. Can you take a ride around the usual trails and see if you find him?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks, Mitch. Let me know if you find anything."

"Absolutely."

"Excuse me," Karen said after Jen ended the call with Mitch. "I couldn't help but overhear—well, we couldn't help but overhear your talk about the guy in Cabin Two."

"What about him?" Jen asked, looking at Karen and the youngster by her side, a boy of about eleven years of age.

"My son just said he thinks he saw him last night," Karen said. "Go ahead and tell Jen what you saw, John-Paul."

The boy stepped forward. "I was kinda half-asleep," he started. "The sound of a motorbike or something in the distance got me up. Then I couldn't go back to sleep for a little while. Then I realised I had to use the bathroom. Well, the outhouse. When I came out from doing my—y'know—business, I saw someone out by the lake, well, on the deck by the firepit."

That grabbed Jen's attention. "Could you identify who it was?"

John-Paul shook his head. "Not really, but it was a guy, and he was bald, like the guy in Cabin Two."

"What time do you think this was?" Jen asked.

"Sorry, I don't know," John-Paul replied with a slight shrug. "It was dark, but the firepit was lit. The man's back was to me. It looked like he bunched something up and threw it into the fire. He was poking at it bit. Then I started feeling kinda guilty for spying on him, so I snuck back inside our cabin. I peeked out and saw him coming back towards the cabins. I'm pretty sure he went inside Cabin Two."

"Thank you for that, John-Paul, that's really helpful." Jen said, her mind turning over this new piece of information. So Mr. Cabin Two was here up to last night, if John-Paul is right. But if that's the case, where is he now?

"Is that all you need to know?" Karen asked.

"Yes, thanks," Jen replied. "Now we at least know the guy was probably here last night. He probably took off early this morning for a hike or something and still has not come back."

"Okay. I hope he shows up," Karen said. "And please tell your boss I'm sorry for her loss."

"I will," Jen said. "Thank you."

***

Heartland Equestrian Connections

After over an hour of aimless trekking along the trails normally reserved for rides and hikes, Mitch turned back for the cabins. There had been no sign of their missing guest.

"Nothing?" Jen asked when she saw him ride up.

"Not on any of the marked trails," Mitch replied as he dismounted from Maverick.

"That's just so weird," Jen said as she put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"I think it's time we ask Lou if we should open up his cabin," Mitch stated. "I don't care if he doesn't want his space disturbed. What if the guy had a heart attack and he's dead in there?"

Jen went pale in the face, mentally kicking herself for not considering that possibility beforehand. She swallowed. "You're right. I'll call Lou. I really think she should be here to open it up, just in case."

***

"Okay, so explain again to me why it was so urgent for me to be here," Lou said, wondering why her manager wasn't acting in a very managerial way.

"Because the guy in Cabin Two is still a no-show," Jen answered. "Mitch searched all the usual trails earlier, but he didn't find anything. It's suspicious."

"And he's booked right up to the end of the month, right?" asked Lou.

"Yes. And his truck is still here," Jen continued, pointing at the vehicle. "We've tried the cell number on file. It just keeps getting kicked to voice mail. Now, one of the kids staying here told me he thinks he saw our guy last night out by the fire pit, but he can't be sure. It was late, and it was dark, so, who knows? Lou, what if he's had a heart attack or something in there? I'd be way more comfortable if you're here for something like that."

"Right," Lou said with a pout. "I guess it's time we opened up that cabin."

Jen reached for the master key. "Let's go."

Cabin Two was in near pristine condition. Some of the occupant's clothes were folded on the bed; the latter had been neatly made up in almost military-like precision.

"He's not in here," Jen sighed, almost in relief, the earlier fear of finding him collapsed on the floor or dead of a coronary now vanishing from her thoughts.

Lou frowned. "But if he's not here, then where is he?"

Jen shrugged. "It is a mystery."

"I hope he isn't lost out there," Lou grumbled, glancing out one of the windows. "I might have to resort to getting in touch with his emergency contact on his forms. If he doesn't show up soon, I'll have to involve the police."

"All right, Lou," Jen said with a short sigh. "And once again, I'm really sorry about Lisa. This whole thing is so unbelievable."

"I know. But we'll make it through," Lou said, embracing the other woman briefly. "Thanks, Jen. You and Mitch are hereby excused from Dude Ranch duty for the next two weeks."

"Are you sure you don't want my help for when Lisa's family gets here?"

"I'm sure," Lou said. "We can handle it. Thanks."

After Jen drove away, Lou pulled out her cell phone and dialled her father's number. "Hi, Dad. We've managed to clear all the cabins except for Cabin Two. We can't find the guy who booked it anywhere, and neither Mitch nor Jen has seen him in a couple days. I'm not sure what to do about this. It's crazy. I'm worried."

"Don't be," Tim replied, uncharacteristically calm. "Honey, just call the cops, relax and let them handle it. Everything is going to be fine, okay?"

"Okay," Lou said doubtfully, willing herself to be calm while resisting the urge to ask about how Jack was doing. She wished he would just come home, but knew he needed the time and space away from everything for the present.

***

Rookie Hudson Police Constable Mike Becket frowned. The Missing Persons report he just tried to file for Samantha Louise Fleming was making no sense.

The name Dov Grosvenor, allegedly belonging to the man booked at Heartland Equestrian Connections, did not match any name in the Alberta Motor Association database. Worse, his truck's registration sticker was fake. Becket probed even deeper and brought his findings—or lack thereof—to his boss, despite knowing how busy he was with a murder investigation.

"Could be something, could be nothing, but we can't find a record of anyone with that name anywhere," Becket said to Chief Parker. "Not in the motor vehicle records, not in any employment records or taxes, no arrest records, zip. No one answers his cell, and his emergency contact number doesn't exist, either.

"He registered under a fake name and provided a false emergency contact number?"

"So it would appear, sir," Becket said. "Everything about him is fake."

"The lengths people will go to for privacy," Parker commented dryly.

"But the biggest red flag, sir? The registration sticker on his license plate is fraudulent," Becket said. "I think this has more to do than just wanting privacy. What should I do?" asked Becket.

"Well, you can't file a Missing Persons report for someone who doesn't exist," Parker said. "I admit it is very suspicious. But until this 'Dov Grosvenor' shows up, or until someone comes looking for him, there's very little we can do, legally. We have no real name and no details to go on. But if he does show up, you know we're going to have a lot of questions for him."

***

The dog would be a problem, of that much he was sure. No stranger could approach that ranch house during the night without her sounding the alarm. One bark from that animal, and the whole house would be on the alert. Already, there was too much coming and going; people stopping by to offer condolences; too much activity to be able to pin down when the vet would be alone in his barn office. He would have to find some way to get close enough to the mutt, maybe feed her a poisoned doggie treat or something. Whatever he did, it would have to be soon. There could be no witnesses left to what happened to the Stillman woman; no loose ends. Of course the risks were extremely high, but then the payoff would be, also.

***

Hudson Hawk: Your Eye on Hudson

A Blog.

May 5, 2019

Is it A Case of Mistaken Identity in the Deaths of Stanton and Stillman?

Your watchful Hawk has been tracking these two awful cases pretty closely. One thing to note is the fact Valerie Stanton and Lisa Stillman bear a superficial resemblance to one another. Both middle-aged. Both blonde with blue eyes. (See attached images for comparison.) Both well-known in the world-class equine community.

One fact this blogger learned from an anonymous source is Stanton was riding a horse belonging to Stillman at the time of her death. (Side note: That horse is very valuable; it is not outside the realm of possibility it could also be the target of greedy thieves, which brings to the table a potential motive for the murders of these women.)

But back to the original topic at hand: Is it possible Stillman was the original target, and Stanton was the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity?

Drop your comments or theories below.

I've got my eye on you, Hudson.

-Hudson Hawk

[Photos courtesy the Hudson Times]

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Comment: OMG that is so creepy! I think your right about this town use to be so safe, now I dont know what to think anymore. I just hope the police catch whoever did this awful things. I use to see Lisa Stillman in Maggies Diner. She seemed pretty nice. You'd think someone like her would be too stuck up to have coffee in a place like Maggies but she seemed pretty down to earth to me. I know there were rumors that Valerie Stanton was mean and snooty, but no one deserves to get killed like that. I mean she was just out for a ride. I'm almost afraid to go for a ride myself now with a crazy gunman on the loose. Thanks for keeping us informed like this Hawk.

-PalominoPatty

Comment: Based on the pictures of the two women, I don't think there's any connection. They look nothing alike, really. It's more likely a coincidence. I heard Stillman was loaded, though. Maybe her husband did it. I heard rumours that Heartland ranch is barely scraping by. Weren't they the ones who were put under quarantine a few years back because of a Strangles epidemic and then again when there was an equine influenza scare, right? Business must have dried up because of that. Bet Stillman's widower stands to inherit a fortune with her out of the way. Easy fix to the financial problems they've been having. Sorry, just my opinion.

-AlbertaBoy

Reply: Don't be a dumb***, AlbertaBoy. That's such a load of bull****. I know this family. No, they're not "barely scraping by". Have you ever tried Heartland Beef sold at Garland grocery stores and served at Maggie's Diner? That's this family's beef cattle. There are no "financial problems" for them to fix. Next time keep your "opinion" to yourself.

- GreenRodeo

Reply: Touchy! Get a grip. I don't care if you know the family or not. You have to admit that it's fishy the police have not said anything about a motive, nor have they arrested anyone. And the last person to see Stillman alive was her husband. I'm just putting two and two together. Have a nice day!

- AlbertaBoy

Reply: And how is it you know Lisa Stillman's husband was the last one to see her alive? Go on, share your sources. If not, stop spreading dumb rumours. Hey, maybe you're the one who did it, if we're going to be throwing around baseless accusations!

-GreenRodeo

Reply: AlbertaBoy's source: "Trust me, bro." LOL.

-YYC_Stampeder

***

Amy opened the ranch house door after hearing a knock. Neighbours and friends in the community had been calling and dropping by in predictable fashion to express their sympathies, so this was not totally unexpected. What did surprise her was who was behind the door this time.

"Jesse? What are you doing here?" Somehow, the elder Stanton offspring was not on her list of likely visitors to Heartland. Memories of the way he had tried to ruin Ty surfaced at that moment, bringing with it long-forgotten anger she thought had been buried.

"Hi, Amy. I know I'm probably the last person you expected to see here, but of course heard about Lisa, and I..." Jessie said while shuffling his feet. "I, uh, wanted to give my condolences in person, and to thank you for your support after my mother... you know..."

She took in Jesse's earnest face and considered his stated reasons for being at Heartland. Val's death seemed to have changed him, and Amy had to acknowledge Jesse had steered clear of Ty ever since he dropped the assault charges. "Of course," she finally said. "Um, why don't you come on in?"

"Thanks," he said, sounding much relieved. He followed her inside where they sat down at the kitchen table.

"Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?"

"A good stiff drink would be nice," he said with a sardonic twist of his mouth. "No, I'm kidding, Amy. I really don't plan to stay long. Thanks, anyway. How's Jack?"

Amy bit her lip while her heart took a dive. "He's... coping," she responded slowly. "He wanted some time away from everything, so he went to his fishing cabin for the next few days."

Jesse stared at her. "He went alone?"

"No. My dad went with him. Lou insisted on at least that. The last time Grandpa tried to grieve alone up there, he nearly drowned in the river."

"What about a funeral?"

Amy shook her head. "Not for a little while. Lisa's Aunt Evelyn is overseas right now and has begged for a little time to arrange her travel plans back to Canada. Grandpa didn't want to offend her by saying 'no'. Plus, Lisa had lots of friends in Europe who would want to come, too, so delaying a funeral makes sense right now. Her sister and Ben get in the day after tomorrow, though."

"Right, Ben. I remember when that guy was at Briar Ridge. I'm sorry, Amy," Jesse said. "I mean, I know Lisa wasn't related to you by blood, but I get that you loved and respected her as if she were. This has to be tough on you."

"On all of us," Amy sighed heavily.

Jesse looked at her carefully before speaking again, judging her mood. "Listen, I know things haven't always been easy between us; that my stupid jealousy ruined everything. But...If... if there's anything I can do..."

"I'll let you know," she said with a sad nod, filling in the unfinished sentence, taken aback by his admission of jealousy and his desire to be of some help.

"So, uh, how's Herring?" Jesse asked, awkwardly changing the subject.

"Yeah, he's doing really well, actually," Amy replied, somewhat surprised Jesse was concerned about the horse. "The bear's attack left more than physical injuries, but he's come a long way."

"Well, that's good news," Jesse said. "As you probably know, he was the last horse my mom got to ride. I keep thinking—as morbid as it sounds—Herring probably prevented that bear from dragging her body off..."

An involuntary tremor raced through Amy's frame. "Good Lord, Jesse," she murmured, trying to blot out the mental picture Jesse's words conjured up.

"Sorry," he said, averting his gaze before clearing his throat. "This whole thing has been brutal on all of us. I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad Herring is okay and that Ashley and I had Mom's body to bury. It wasn't the outcome we were hoping for when she went missing, but it could have been a lot worse."

"You're right," Amy agreed, desperate for another change in subject.

A hopeful expression replaced the anguished one on Jesse's face. "Can I—do you think I could see him?"

Amy gladly acquiesced. "Of course! Let's go to the barn."

They walked out into the yard, waving at Georgie as she vaulted over the jumps on Phoenix, Remi dutifully watching from the sidelines, as usual. Amy could not help but remember the time Val had briefly asked to train at Heartland.

"Did you know your mom once asked me to coach her?" she asked Jesse as they reached the stables.

"Really?" he said, a quick smile coming to his lips, as if thinking of happier times. "She never mentioned that. I guess this was when I was away at university in Toronto?"

"Yeah," Amy chuckled. "She told Grandpa it had something to do with her 'Happy List': a list of things she wanted to do that made her happy."

"Oh, was that after her first bout with cancer?"

"That's right," Amy replied. "Showjumping was one of those things."

"Why didn't she just get someone at Briar Ridge?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" Amy asked, a sly smile playing across her lips.

Jesse's face puckered into a puzzled frown for a moment, then understanding dawned. "Ohh, I get it. Coming to Heartland meant she could take time to visit with Jack, right?"

"Ah, that would be my guess," Amy replied.

"Heh. Ashley and I always suspected she was into him," Jesse said. "We thought it was gross, like most teens would."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Everyone knew your mom was 'into' my grandpa. Anyway, here he is," she said, coming to a halt at Herring's stall.

The wounds were healing nicely; Ty's ministrations and Amy's behavioural work—coupled with the intangible assistance from the Remi—seemed to be exactly what the horse needed to recover.

"Hey, boy," Jesse called softly. "How ya doing, huh?"

Herring's tail swayed once as if to acknowledge the greeting. He bent his long neck down to pull at some of the fresh hay lining the floor. Several mute moments passed while the pair watched this activity.

"Jack said some very kind things about my mom at the funeral," Jesse said at length, breaking the silence.

"Truthful things," Amy commented. "In the end, they were good friends."

"And she was grateful for that," Jesse uttered, growing serious again. "I know she was. I know Jack was there for her when she was sick. It should have been me—or Ashley, even, ferrying her to all those appointments, but I was away, and Jack really stepped up. Mom always said she didn't deserve to have such a loyal friend."

Amy reached out and gave Jesse's shoulder a comforting pat. Despite all the previous rancor between them, it seemed the right thing to do.

"Do you—do you mind if I just stay here for a little while longer?" asked Jesse, seemingly flustered by the effort of making the request. "My mother did have the idea she might buy him from Lisa. I don't know who legally owns him now—I guess that might be Jack—I, uh, I'm thinking maybe I might want to pick up where my mom left off."

"You'd want to buy Herring?" Amy asked, eyebrows quirked.

"Yeah, maybe," Jesse responded with a diffident shrug. "I don't know. Maybe I'm being stupidly sentimental, but like I said before, he is the last horse Mom ever rode, so I guess I feel some kind of weird connection."

"I get it," Amy said with a knowing smile, thinking back to how Spartan was the last horse she rescued with her own mother. That simple fact forged an unbreakable bond between them after Marion's sudden death. "Take as much time as you need, Jesse. I'll leave you two alone."

***

"You will never guess who came by today to express his condolences," Amy said when Ty returned from his shift at the clinic.

Ty raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Jesse Stanton."

"You're kidding," Ty scoffed. "He actually showed his face at Heartland."

"He did," Amy said with a nod. "And to say he might want to buy Herring."

"Seriously?"

"Yup," Amy confirmed. "I don't know, Ty. I think Val's death really shook him. He said he felt like there was a bond between him and Herring, since that was the last horse Val ever got to ride."

"I didn't think Jesse was interested in riding," Ty said.

"No, I don't think it's about riding, necessarily," Amy explained. "I think it's more about taking in and caring for the horse that probably protected Val's body from being dragged off by the bear."

"Well, Herring sure would be treated like royalty if he ever went to live at Briar Ridge. You and I both know it's pretty ritzy. After Hillhurst, Briar Ridge is the most high-end training facility in this part of the province," Ty added. "I guess that guy really has turned over a new leaf."

Amy gave a short nod. "And since Ashley has no interest in being involved with running Briar Ridge in any way, Jesse's got to pick up the pieces by himself. I almost feel sorry for him."

"'Almost'?" Ty echoed, hearing the authentic note of empathy in his wife's voice.

"Okay, I do feel sorry for him," she corrected herself. "Even after all the bad blood between us and Jesse, you and I know first-hand what it's like to lose a parent. It's never easy, especially the horrible way Jesse lost Val."

"Come here," Ty said, stretching open his arms. She went to him and allowed him to embrace her snugly. He then planted a kiss on her forehead and they stood together for a few moments of silence.

"Mmm. What was that for?" Amy eventually asked.

"For being such a caring person," responded Ty. "Even when it comes to people who don't have any particularly redeeming qualities."

***

Dinner and baby bath-time were over. Ty and Amy had together read Lyndy a bed-time story and put her down for the night. After the horrific events of the preceding days, this routine was a welcome taste of normalcy. The child seemed to be unaffected by the sad, somber mood of the adults around her, and she went down easily in her crib.

The relative calm was about to be broken in the form of another unexpected emergency.

"Ty?!"

Georgie's cry rang out from the barn below.

"Georgie?" Ty answered back, wondering why his niece was shouting.

"Come quick!" the girl was half-way up the steps now.

"What's the matter?" Ty went to the top of the stairs and peered down, wishing she would lower her volume lest she wake Lyndy.

"Something's wrong with Remi!"

There was no mistaking the desperation in the teen's voice; this was clearly something dire. Amy was now beside Ty, also on the alert. Amazingly, Lyndy was still in dreamland.

"I'll be right there, Georgie," Ty finally responded as quietly as possible so as to still be heard, but not loud enough to rouse Lyndy.

"Please, hurry." Now that she knew she had been heard, Georgie lowered her voice, though both Amy and Ty noticed a quaver in her voice that indicated she was far from pacified.

Ty shoved his feet inside his boots and shrugged into his leather jacket. "I'm ready; what's going on?" he asked, opening the baby gate.

Georgie turned on her heel and careened down the stairs, two at a time. "Come with me!" she called. "Hurry! I think Remi's having some kind of seizure."

"A seizure?" Ty repeated with a touch of panic, increasing the speed of his own descent at this piece of bad news. Once in the barn office, he snatched up his vet kit. He raced across the yard behind Georgie to where she beckoned inside the ranch house.

In the living room, Lou crouched worriedly over the twitching dog. Remi's legs were paddling restlessly while a foamy saliva dribbled from her mouth. Ty noticed the rug beneath the dog was visibly wet, a tell-tale sign that Remi had lost bladder control.

"How long has she been like this?" Ty asked briskly, all business-like while pulling on a pair of gloves.

"Uh-a—about, I don't know, four or five minutes now, maybe?" Georgie replied shakily. "I'd just finished washing the dishes with Mom. I called Remi to go upstairs, and she—she dropped and started shaking like that."

"What's wrong with her, Ty?" Lou asked, her own voice indicating her deep concern at seeing the dog in this condition.

"I don't know for sure yet," Ty answered as calmly as possible. He knelt down next to the animal with a needle and syringe of diazepam. "Lou; Georgie, help me hold Remi, but stay clear of her mouth because she might snap and bite in this state."

The two of them drew closer to assist, and Ty managed to inject the drug into a vein in the foreleg.

Georgie asked: "What are you giving her?"

"Something to relax her," Ty replied, keeping note of how the dog was reacting to the medication.

"Valium?" Lou guessed.

"Yes, that's the brand name for diazepam," Ty said.

Georgie's worry still had not abated. "Is she going to be okay?"

"We won't know until we get her to the clinic, Georgie," Ty replied hastily. "The both of you, I need your help again. We need to move her to the truck right away. Georgie, find me a blanket that I can use as a kind of temporary sling."

"Right," Georgie said, and scurried off.

Knowing Cassandra had the overnight shift, Ty said to Lou: "Call Cass at the clinic and tell her I'm bringing Remi in because she's had a seizure."

"You got it," Lou answered, and went to make the call.

Seconds ticked by. Ty could hear Lou speaking with Cass; heard Georgie rummaging in the linen closet. The dog's manic twitching continued. If the relaxant did not start to work soon, he feared the outcome would not be very favourable.

He heard Lou say, "Ty said he gave her Valium. He's coming with her now... Yes... He's got to get her into the truck... Okay... Thank you, Cass."

Yes, thank you, Cass, Ty thought. Knowing his very capable colleague, she was already starting to prep the clinic with all the necessary medical tools, equipment, and drugs they might need so that upon arrival they could administer immediate help to the stricken dog.

"Good girl, Remi," Ty cooed while stroking her coat, relieved to see her spasms were starting to subside in the couple minutes since the diazepam had entered her bloodstream.

"Here's a blanket, Ty," Georgie said upon returning. "Sorry I took so long. It's an old one, so it doesn't matter if she soils it."

"Good thinking," Ty said. "Thanks, Georgie. She's calmed enough now. Let's slide it under her. Please get the door for me while I carry her. Okay?"

"Okay," Georgie said, rushing ahead of him through the kitchen. She opened the door and pushed the screen out of the way so Ty, burdened with the animal, could make an easy exit towards the vehicle. Next was the truck door. Amy appeared right then with the truck keys dangling from her finger and his wallet in the other hand.

"You'll need these," she said.

Ty looked at her with affection at her forward thinking. "Thank you," he uttered gratefully. Amy unlocked the truck and Ty deposited Remi gently into the passenger side.

"I'll be at the clinic," Ty said as he sat behind the steering wheel.

"Right," Amy said, choosing to refrain from delaying him with useless questions or comments.

Seconds later, the truck roared out of the yard towards town.

***

Next Day

"I got the bloodwork back for Remi," Ty announced as his phone dinged the message from the lab. As soon as the words left his mouth, the family instantly froze, their faces locked in expressions of apprehension. He paused, realising he should have schooled his features a little better. Feeling like the constant harbinger of bad news, Ty intuited they were expecting the worst. "It was poison. Strychnine."

A gasp escaped Georgie.

"Strychnine?" Lou repeated, immediately unsettled.

"It's common to use it around these parts to control the gopher population," Ty said.

"I know, but we don't use that at Heartland. Grandpa hates that stuff," said Lou.

"Exactly," Amy said heatedly. "Someone must have left baited food somewhere around here and Remi got into it."

"No," Georgie spat, shaking her head vehemently. "No way. I've made sure she hasn't been wandering off lately because of the bear sightings. I'd know if she did."

"Are you sure?" Lou asked, fixing her gaze on the teen. "You can't watch her 24/7."

Glumly, Georgie plopped back down in the couch. Lou sighed, placing a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Then how else could she have been poisoned?"

"I don't know," replied a baffled Ty. "I don't think any of our neighbours uses anything toxic like this, either."

Georgie spoke up again. "Do we call the police? Shouldn't Chief Parker know?"

"And tell them what? It's not illegal to use strychnine as a gopher poison in this province, Georgie," Lou said, hating in this instance to be the voice of reason.

"Well, it should be!" she shot back sullenly.

"I agree," Amy put in.

"Symptoms of strychnine poisoning in canines can manifest in as little as fifteen minutes," Ty said reflectively. "But they can also take up to two hours. Georgie, you said Remi was with you the whole time yesterday, right?"

"Yes," Georgie said, sending a glare her mother's way. "She never went outside alone. The only time she was outside was when I was jumping Phoenix and when I walked out with her to do her business."

"Well, since we don't keep strychnine in the house, how did she ingest it?" Amy asked.

"That I don't know," Ty said. "In any case, I took samples of the water and food from her dishes to be tested to rule them out as the source."

"We have to do something," Georgie said, eyes ablaze. "What if it is contaminated dog food? What if happens again to other dogs in Hudson?"

"We're gonna try to make sure it doesn't," Ty said as calmly as he possibly could. "We're still having the contents of Remi's stomach analyzed, so we might get a better idea of precisely what it was she ate that was poisoned."

"That's good, right?" Amy asked tentatively.

"It will tell us what, but it might not necessarily tell us how or where Remi was poisoned," Ty answered.

"Why is this even happening?" Georgie lamented miserably. Her eyes brimmed. "First Val Stanton, then Lisa... now Remi..."

No, Lou thought grimly. First poor Lanny and Paige. A chill descended upon her and refused to lift, despite the warmth of the day. So much evil.

***

Chapter 10: There the Vultures Will Gather

[theduosetter]

── 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙐𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙠 ──

Pairing: Daichi Sawamura x f!reader

Summary: Two strangers laid their eyes upon one another and were captivated at first sight. All they were itching to know was their name yet who knew they were closer to each other than they realized.

Warning(s): cursing, fluff, adorable all around!!

A|N: I hope you enjoy this mini series! Any heart or reblog would be appreciated thank you! Feedback too :D

Links: m.list | writing commissions ✏️ || tip the writer ✍️ ||

Part: 3

"Hurry up, Y/n!" Hinata yelled as he grew impatient.

"I'm coming, Shoyo! You're literally outside of my door." you hung up and grabbed your bag along with your phone.

Opening your bedroom door you saw your best friend standing there tapping his foot. "Was it really necesarry for you to call me when you were already here?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed "I don't want you changing plans last minute."

"I'm not going to bail on you guys." you chuckled "Relax, we are going to hangout together today."

"Alright. Come on we still need to get to the gym to warm up." he grabbed your hand and ran downstairs.

"Shoyo!" you exclaimed "Where's Tobio anyway?"

When you got to the bottom of the stairs you saw the black haired friend sitting down at the kitchen table. A sigh escaped your lips knowing he wouldn't pass up the chance of some milk with your mom's pastries. "I can't quite say that I'm surprised."

"Do you wnt...s-sum?" he muffled as he chewed down on the bread making his cheeks chubbier.

"I'll be fine." you answered unlike the orange hair who stuffed a plastic bag filled with pastries while your mom laughed.

"Why don't I just give you guys some extra ones?" your mom said as she filled another bag with individual wrapped bakery goods.

"We'd appreciate it!" the duo spoke.

"We gotta go or else you'll be late for the game!" you exclaimed pulling each one away from the counter covered in sweets.

"Let me get one more!" Hinata whined, "One more-"

"You'll both end up getting stomach aches if you don't stop!" you retorted.

What seemed like eternity you managed to get them out the door despite the begs. "Please make sure to come back soon boys!" your mom said.

"We'll be back Mrs. (last name)! Thank you for the sweets!" they both yelled in unison.

"I will see you before closing, mom." you kissed her cheek and grabbed the four bentos. "Thank you for the food!"

"Be careful okay?" she waved goodbye at you then chuckled to herself, "I'm glad my baby has her friends."

"Seriously you guys barely have enough time to get to the gym!" you yelled out as you three ran towards the school's grounds. "I told you we had to go!"

"Yeah but your mom's bread was so good!" Hinata jumped "It tasted like a fluffy cloud Y/n!"

"She definitely needs to bring her food to the next school's festival." Kageyama added "Imagine how much attention your mom's bakery would get."

You bit your lip "You're not wrong about that..."

Hinata looked at his watch, his eyes widened. "We only have 15 minutes to practice before the other school get's here Kageyama!"

"You idiot! I told you we had to go!" he moved closer to kick his butt but Hinata managed to dodge his hit.

"Oh shut up! You were stuffying your face too!"

"Why am I friends with these two again?" you muttered.

"Come on pick up the pace y/n!" Hinata and Kageyama grabbed your hands and ran faster than your legs could move.

"G-guys!" you exclaimed "I-I'll end up falling─ slow down!" they were too focused on getting to practice than hear about your objections "If I break a bone I'm telling my mom to ban you from the shop!"

After a five minute run that was supposed to be ten, you finally arrived. Your legs felt like jelly and your sweater was long gone as your body was too sweaty. 'This was worse than a summer day...' you thought, 'I showered and got dressed so nicely only for it to be ruined by those two. Ugh they owe me big time.'

You slowly treaded towards the stairs of the gym, their teammates were too busy preparing to notice you. A sigh escaped your lips upon feeling the cool air coming from the a/c. "This... this is nice." you mumbled. "It feels like a cold freezer..."

"Um... hi." a voice spoke coming from behind you.

"You two are so banned..." you muttered under your breath. Slowly you turned around to come face with two guys. 'They must be their teammates.'

"Are you going to keep blocking the door or can we get through?" the tall guy with the glasses spoke.

"Tsuki." the shorter one mumbled.

"Well?" he stared you down, "We don't have all day."

'He must be the guy that Shoyo and Tobio went up against.' you thought.

"R-right... but you don't have to be so rude you know." you answered.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes walking passed you meanwhile his friend gave you an apologetic smile. "He's usually not mean." he chuckled slightly "Do you need help with something?"

"No... I came to see some friends. But they left me out on the front steps to get ready for your match today."

"Wait... are you really their friend?" he asked.

"If you're talking about the tall one and the ginger then yes." you chuckled, "They said it was fine for me to come today."

"Don't take this the wrong way but..." he scratched his cheek looking away from you, "I'm surprised they have a friend that's a girl, given the way that they are."

"No worries. I understand what you mean especially since we met in very different times." You two walked inside "I'm still surprised they are friends."

"Y/n!" looking to the left you saw Yachi jogging over to you. "Oh hey, Tadashi!"

"I should go warm up, it was nice meeting you!"

"You too Tadashi!"

She then spoke again, "What happened to you? Did you run all the way here?"

"Hinata and Kageyama were too busy stuffing their faces with my mom's pastries. By the time they actually listened to me it was too late and we had to run all the way here." you whined "Now I'm all covered in sweat and I feel disgusting."

"I told them not to get distracted." she sighed "Do you want to freshen up? I have an extra shirt in the club room."

"Really? Id really appreciate that."

"Come on we still have a few minutes before the whole team gets here."

Your feet were too tired to walk yet somehow you managed to go upstairs to the room. "I swear one day those two will be the death of me." you complained.

"Can you blame them? Your mom's sweets are too good." Yachi chuckled.

Shaking your head you went inside and washed your face along with your arms and back. "How are the two doing with their quick attack by the way?" you asked.

"They're getting there, although they still want to make sure it comes out perfect. Coach Ukai said they need to upgrade it or else it won't be enough to get past the blocker's hands."

You nodded, "There's no doubt in my mind they will make it work. From the videos you've sent me those two can work a miracle even if they end up fighting... their goals are the same."

"Oh right I was going to ask you..." Yachi continued "... how did it go with your guy by the way? Did he end up messaging you?"

Biting your lip, you put on the white clean shirt. "He did, he was so nervous and sweet. I apologized to him about what my mom did yet he said he didn't mind because he was nervous about talking to me." you giggled.

"Wait so your mom really did give him your phone number?!"

"She did! I wasn't expecting her to go that far." you answered "But it is kinda embarrasing how she had to do it for me though..."

"Nonesense!" she exclaimed "You just needed that little push well you both did. I'm sure he knows that especially since he took the time to message you."

It was difficult to hide the smile that kept creeping up on your face. "As cliche as it sounds... it really feels like a movie Yachi."

"You're barely at the talking stage but what if he asks you out on a date then to become something more. Are you ready to go that far?"

Closing the locker you turned to face her, "Not going to lie with everything that has happened... I feel scared to say yes. After what happened I never really thought someone would take an interest in me and that I'd feel the same way."

Yachi placed her hand on your shoulder, "It's been at least 4 four years I think it is time to enjoy a new adventure in your life. You may never know what might happen."

"Yeah, I know."

There was a knock on the door, "Hey! Yachi are you almost ready? Kiyoko said she needs your help setting up."

"Yeah! We'll be right there Sugawara!" she yelled back.

"Who's Sugawara?" you asked.

"Come on let's go meet the rest of the team that way it'll be easier." she chuckled taking your hand and walking back to the gym.

There were sudden butterflies in your stomach, although you knew your friends were part of the team, you couldn't but wonder if it was okay for you to come. All you wanted was to make a good impression for the team that gave your friends the opportunity to play.

As soon as she opened the door everyone turned their heads to look at you. Two memebers then ran over to you both making you jump back.

"A new girl!" they yelled in unison.

"She's so cute!" the shorter one exclaimed.

"You didn't tell us you had such a pretty friend Yachi!" the taller one added.

Yachi became flustered, "Ah! T-this is m-my friend! She came to w-watch the game today. Y/n this is Tanaka and Nishinoya."

Feeling embarrassed you gave them a nod, "It's nice to meet you guys."

"She's so adorable!" Tanaka exclaimed "I hope we get to see you around here more often."

"Oh... um sure, if you guys don't mind." you said.

"Where have you been all my life?!" Nishinoya's eyes widened not being able to handle how cute you looked.

"Oh Y/n!" Hinata then jogged over to you guys "Can you help us toss some balls?"

"Yeah let's go-" you went to follow Hinata only to be taken away in the opposite direction.

"You need to meet the whole team." Nishinoya held your hand dragging you over to what seemed to be the third years along with other members.

"Guys! This is Yachi's friend, Y/n! Y/n, this is Suga or Sugawara for short, Asahi, Tsukishima, Tadashi, and Ennoshita!"

You tried to hide your nervousness, "Hello! It's nice to meet you guys, thank you for letting my friends play."

Tsukishima stared at you with an uninterested look, while Tadashi smiled softly.

"How did you manage for Hinata and Kageyama to get along? They were at each other's throats." Sugawara chuckled.

"Well... let's just say it's still hasn't changed much." you rubbed the back of your head. "But we make it work."

"Are you also a first year?" Ennoshita asked.

"Mhm I had to change school's during the second semester." you answered. "Karasuno is my second school."

"Well welcome to the team, I apologize in advance if things get out of control." Sugawara said "They're usually..." he tried to put into words but you understood.

"No worries if I can handle those two I'm sure it won't bother me." you chuckled. "Is this the whole team?"

"We're only missing our captain." Asahi answered, "Where is he anyways?"

Tskushima shrugged "He said something about needing to find his knee pads."

"Anyway we should go get ready before the school shows up. Let's start to warm up." Sugawara said and everyone went off to do their own things. "If you want you can sit down besides Coach Ukai and Mr. Takeda."

"Oh okay." you then looked around "Do you need help with anything?"

"I think we should be good, can you help with picking up the volleyballs and putting them in that basket when the other team gets here?"

"Sure." you were about to grab the cart when you heard the door open again.

"Oh! Daichi come over here!" he yelled.

Your feet froze, the numbness you felt earlier in your legs returned. 'Please... don't be who I think it is...' you thought lowering your head, 'Oh my god what if he gets dissappointed?'

You tried to subtly fix your hair and tuck in the club room shirt. Sugawara noticed, "Are you okay─"

"What is it Suga?" Daichi asked as he walked over to where you both were.

"This is the friend that they were talking about, this is Y/n." he said smiling softly at you. "Daichi?"

You slowly lifted your head to come face to face with those loving brown eyes. Daichi was in the same state as you, shocked yet happy to finally see you.

"Are you alright?" Sugawara asked looking at him.

"Y-yeah..." he chuckled awkwardly "It should have been obvious right?"

Your face was hot, "Y-yeah, I shouldn't have been so dumb."

"You two know each other-"

"This is y/n... the one I've been telling you about." Daichi said.

"Oh...." Suga mumbled "So you're the one he can't stop rambling about." a smirked then formed on his lips.

You blushed, "W-what, really?"

"Suga!" Daichi exclaimed.

"I can't believe after all this time you two would end up meeting each other at school." he said.

"Yeah..." you chuckled lightly "I knew you played a sport but never thought you were my friend's captain."

"I didn't know if it sounded cool─" he admitted.

"Are you kidding?!" you exclaimed "It's amazing! Volleyball isn't an easy sport. The amount of people that depend on you to lead them, yet you still have their backs and know what to say" you smiled looking up at him. "It's admirable really."

Daichi rubbed the back of his head, shyly smiling "Thank you I try my best to keep them under control... but sometimes they don't bother to listen."

"I know how that feels."

Sugawara stood quiet watching you two converse as if you were the only ones. He wanted to say something to get Daichi all flustered but didn't have the heart to do so. 'I am sooo going to have fun with this.' he thought.

[barjogaron]

This is the continuation for my Elite AU Love & Deceit! The fanfiction can be read on ao3 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32302612

And on Wattpad here:

Chapter Three:

Waiters and waitresses all dressed in white stand on every corner of the table. There are young men who play violins in the corners of the room, and women who tug on the strings of harps. I see my suite mates are already seated and I grab a random seat to sit in. From across from me I see Polo looking at me with hungry eyes, teasing me with a smirk. I ignore him and observe the rest of the dining hall.

Traditional European foods of all kind are already set up neatly on the white blanketed table on silver plates that are partnered with a drinking glasses and silverware. A heavenly chandelier hangs from above everything and Crisanto sits at the head of the long table. He is accompanied by other people dressed just as fancy as him. A young man with rosy cheeks and a friendly smirk, sitting next to another guy with beautiful caramel-colored skin and dark eyes. There is also a girl who sits beside them and they all bicker in a soft chatter, laughing and giggling in unison. There are a few other important looking people as well. I assume they are all Cristano's very opulent friends.

"Welcome, everyone. This meal is not only for my departure, but also in dedication to you, the new addition to the White Mansion." Crisanto smiles. Even though I shouldn't take it in other way, "new addition to the White Mansion" sounded pretty odd to say, but I shouldn't think too hard about it.

"Ah, right on time as always." Crisanto turns his heads to his sons that enter the room. Leading his brothers, dressed handsomely, is no other than the bruiting, Guzmán.

He is dressed in a black velvet suit, a suit that darkens his eyes in a strange deep incandescent green filled with obscured devilry. His hands are in his pocket, and he looks at just about everything in the room, except for in my direction. For a split second our eyes lock, and he quickly turns away clenching his jaw. I can tell he is forcing himself to avoid me. But why? I wonder what his problem is.

His brothers are dressed in a more casual formal  attire. They all sit in seats near the girls I'm living with, and some next to each other and other guests who I am not yet familiar with. By the time all the boys sat down, the only spot left for Guzmán to sit is next to me...

His powerful scent infiltrates my nostrils and I can't help but to think how good he smells. I try my best to ignore him, tapping my fingers on my thighs. I can feel him eyes looking over me, and from the corner of my eye I see his jaw do his signature clenching thing again, and he quickly turns his head away from me, taking a sudden interest in the silverware in front of him.

"Now, shall we say grace before we begin?" Crisanto smiles but it quickly fades when he looks at me, giving me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry Nadia, forgive me. Would it be alright to say prayer? I don't want to oppress any different religious beliefs." he asks me and I shrug in my seat, trying to avoid all the eyes of the room staring at me.

"I really don't mind it." I smile nervously.

"Splendid. Come now, let us all hold hands." he tells us. I'm not so keen to the idea of holding hands with Guzmán, but I must do so. This day just keeps getting better and better...

We all stand from our seats, grabbing onto one another's hands. I am hesitant to hold Guzmán's hand, inching my hand closer to his.

"I don't bite," whispers Guzmán. "Hard." He surprises me by practically snatching my hand into his. His hands are bigger than mind, fingers slender and ringed with silver, and easily wraps around my cold hands. Unlike his, which are somewhat soft and very warm. For some odd and stupid reason, I can feel my face heating up and I literally shake my head to fight against the sensation. I hate this.

"Our gracious Heavenly Father," Crisanto begins the prayer and we all close our eyes as he continues. For some odd reason I am tempted to open my eyes, and stupidly, I do, only to see Guzmán staring at me. I close my eyes quickly and I hear a soft chuckle escape from his mouth. I didn't think he was even capable of even chuckling, let alone laughing. I can feel the heat rising, my palms getting hotter and hotter.

Please end this prayer already! Please! I mentally scream. I repeat it over and over in my head, just so I can escape Guzmán's grip. Within moments, Crisanto ends the prayer with an amen, and we all sit back down in our seats. Thank goodness.

I snatch my hand back as quick as I could, looking away and pretending Guzmán doesn't exist. Yet, this cunning young man has the audacity to lean closer and whisper into my ear.

"Don't worry, I enjoyed holding your hand too." he grins against my ear. I can feel him smiling at me. I know for sure it's with all the wrong intentions.

"Don't flatter yourself." I whisper back to him and his eyes simmer cold, but his perky lips still hold that smirk. Guzmán smirks and focuses his attention to his plate.

"I can tell you're not going to be an easy catch." he says and my mouth hangs open. I know he's trying to get under my skin. I can tell by his cheeky smile.

I scoff.

"You have another thing coming if you're thinking I'm a catch." I tell him and focus on my plate, waiting for the waiter to reveal our meals. Everyone else is socializing with one another like normal people, and here I am with the dreamy yet diabolical, Guzmán, who I barley even know—is finding it in his twisted pleasure to annoy me.

"Don't worry, little rabbit, I enjoy a good game." I look at him and I lose it.

"Game?!" I shout and everyone goes quiet. I clear my throat thinking of something of a way to quickly dig myself out of this awkwardness.

"I didn't know you fancied sports so personally, Guzmán." I shoot Guzmán a wicked look, hoping he catches on. He simply grins. Damn his smile is gorgeous, but already I despise him.

"Oh yes, basketball is a sport I love. As well as rugby, and such and such." Guzmán replies and everyone continues to their casual banter. I notice his brothers whispering to one another, chuckling.

"Nadia, I'd like you to meet my young friends who are successful in the fashion industry," Crisanto smiles at me, pointing to the gentleman with the dark blue suit and wavy brown hair. I can tell he is a model because how charming he is.

"This is Nathaniel Gray, he models for Calvin Klein. The fellow next to him is his friend, Austin, accompanied by their companion, Eleanor Steel, who is a photographer.

I wave to them and they give me friendly smiles, but I can tell they weren't really interested in the acquainting business. The waiters reveal our meals which consist of steak, lobster, salads, vegetables, fruits, and my personal favorite beverage besides lemon water and wine.

The night had went on and on about business talk and getting familiar with one another. The boys kept cackling to jokes most of the time, and I would occasionally talk to my suite mates. Carla was busy flirting with a guy named, Joseph, who was more than alluring on his part

Throughout dinner, Guzmán stayed quiet and kept to himself. He didn't make any snarky comments, or made an attempt to bother me. Every time I talked, he just...watched me. Maybe he didn't think I noticed him, or felt him looking at me. Or maybe, he didn't care if I did...

"So, Nadia, please do tell us a little bit more about yourself." Nathaniel asks, taking a sip of wine from his glass.

"There's not really much to know about me." I nervously reply. Being the center of attention was never my favorite thing to be.

"Please, enlighten us." Nathaniel insists and I sigh to myself. Guzmán is fully focused on me and I can feel the anxiety brewing within me.

"Well, I'm from Madrid, Spain, born and raised. I love singing and photography, as well as writing. Um, I'm in my last year of college at NYU, majoring in English and hope to one day publish a story of my own. I'm Twenty-one years old, and I have a loving family who I am thankful everyday for." I tell everyone and notice Guzmán has turned his attention somewhere else, burying a smile under his hand pressed against his lips.

"Well that was a perfect little bio if I ever heard one. Nice to meet you, Nadia." Nathaniel says and I smile and mentally pat myself on the back. I take a quick glance at Guzmán who drinks his wine. As soon as I look away to down the rest of my glass of wine, I think I hear him say, "This should be fun."

"What did you say?" I look at him. I meant for it to come out more with authority but I sounded like a timid school girl.

"Nothing, Princess," Guzmán grins while standing. "Enjoy your meal." he winks and walks away from the table, leaving the dining hall. Crisanto watches him leave and I pour me more wine and continue eating.

I really wonder what goes on in Guzmán's head. I sigh. So far I have survived the ongoing night. Let's see how it ends.

...

AFTER DINNER ENDED everyone said their fair-wells and goodbyes to one another. Carla kept flirting with Joseph, and the other girls were a trying to keep their drunken behavior managed until they got back to the suite. Crisanto had got into his white limousine hosted by William, and had left for the airport. The house is now officially in the supervision to me and his sons. Honestly, I don't know which terrifies me the most.

I stroll around outside on the balcony after getting changed into more comfortable clothes to sleep in, which is just a typical silky white gown. My hair in a messy bun and I am so glad to have all that make-up off my face. I put on my reading glasses and make me some tea to soothe me. I figure I'll take this peaceful moment to enjoy the night air. I tip toe outside onto the balcony while the the girls are asleep l in their rooms.

I take in the fresh late spring air. The breeze cool, just right, soothing and running across me. The balcony is big and acts as a perfect view for most of the enormous backyard of the white mansion. I see the tennis court, the basketball court, the swimming pool, the green house, and the walking trail that stretches into a land of tall trees amongst the meadow between the mansion and the woods.

I lean on the ledge of the stone balcony guarded by more white lions. Below, I notice someone standing near the swimming pool. He just stands there, looking at the large pool illuminated with the lights beneath it. I set my cup on the ledge and watch him. It's of course, Guzmán, to no surprise. I just watch him. What is he doing? Why do I care?

I continue to watch as he mindlessly watches the pool with his hands in his pocket. Then, to my surprise, Guzmán begins to slowly undress, taking off his clothes peace by peace. His skin is open to the night air. He pulls down his pants, kicking of his shoes and sliding off his socks. Finally, the biggest shock, is that he slides off his black name brand boxers and tosses them to the side. Oh my god, he's naked! Skinny dipping at that!

I can't help but to notice how his physique is literally godly, Greek defined for sure. The shape of his rear even, it's unearthly. I blush at the sight and I want to look away. In fact, I even turn my head...but instinctively, I find myself looking back.

He rakes his fingers through his hair and I am mesmerized by the intensity of his back muscles. He must work out. A lot. Catching me off guard, Guzmán turns his head back towards where I stand and I quickly duck to the floor of the balcony. I peak at him, seeing him turn back around and I cautiously stand back up. I watch as he dives into the now disturbed water, swimming naked and proud without a care in the world.

taglist: @inmyarmsyoufell @elitestan @glamorizing @jasminejc4525

[cityylove]

chapter one | talia karim/daniel seavey

[ wednesday, april 17 ]

“There’s nothing on tv Eben.” Daniel groaned from where he sat on the nicely made hotel bed, throwing his hands, along with the remote, onto the sheets.

“Alright Daniel, I love you and all but you’ve been complaining that you have nothing to do for the past forty-five minutes. Go for a walk or something. Just don't get jumped.” Eben said, unplugging his phone and rolling over.

“Fine, I’ll go for a walk.” Daniel huffed and turned off the tv.

Eben looked over at him, watching him pull on a beanie, “Don’t get mugged, or run over.”

“Appreciate it,” Daniel saluted him before making sure his key card was in his pocket. Kicking over a random shoe he moved towards the door.

He walked to the elevator and through the lobby, nodding at one of the bellboys on his way out. Once he stepped into the streets of New York he took a deep breath, inhaling the heavy smell of rain and gasoline. The lights bouncing off the slightly wet sidewalk resembled the shimmer in his eye. Even though it was nearly eleven pm, the city was still loud, energetic and just as bright as it had been earlier in the day which fascinated him.

The cool city air filled Talia’s lungs, the familiar scent of burnt pretzels from the street vendors and sewage water filling her nose. In a way, it comforted her, along with the loud, angry shouts from the drivers enduring the stereotypical traffic that came with living in the city.

She walked a few blocks, shoulders hunched while music played from her AirPods helping relax her shoulders and clear her mind. She walked to nowhere for a while, taking random turns while her phone vibrated in her back pocket.

She knew it’d be her roommate and close friend, Aria, worried about her storming off after causing a small scene in their dorm room, her textbook and notepad landing on her desk with a hard smack. She let out a puff of air, her annoyance slowly building up again.

They had sat together, each at their own desk and decided to get some work done before bed. Talia had tried to work through her finance paper, but if she had to research credit management any longer she was sure she would’ve done more than slam her textbook shut and storm out, leaving behind a worried Aria.

Deciding to push finance to the back of her mind, she chose to head to her favorite place in all of New York, the Planetarium, the thought of being under thousands of stars exciting her. Picking up her pace, she quickly crossed the street only slowing down when she was a few blocks closer, the smell of burnt pretzels now replaced with gas exhaust, the sewage scent remaining as she walked further away from Washington Square.

Daniel stepped onto the asphalt of the road, his body becoming another in the swarm of people crossing the street. His gaze bounced around the buildings, the people, the billboards and the lights. He didn’t really have a destination, he was just wandering.

He noticed a planetarium a few blocks away when he reached the other end of the street. He considered taking a cab but decided on walking, the air was cool and relaxing. The music playing in his AirPods and the rush of the city around him gave him an energy he loved. The fast pace and feeling that everyone was living in a different world was something he couldn’t get enough of.

...

Talia’s phone had vibrated yet again, causing her to groan before pulling it out, her steps faltering. Her lock screen was filled with missed calls and messages from Aria asking where she was and if she was okay. She was about to send her a text letting her know she was safe when something collided into her back, causing her to stumble.

...

The song changed and Daniel’s focus remained in his head, not really paying attention to what was going on around him, only to bump into someone.

...

With an already sour mood, she frowned, ready to tell off whoever ran into her as she turned around. But she never opened her mouth, instead getting caught in the blue of the stranger’s eyes that seemed to glisten under the city lights.

His cheeks tinted red as he took in her furrowed eyebrows and small frown as she turned to face him.

“I'm sorry,” he told her, a slight smile on his face, his eyes apologetic.

The frown lifted off her face once she saw his smile, “It's fine, I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk.” She told him as she tucked her phone in her pocket, Aria forgotten as she turned and continued walking, noticing that he was only a few feet away.

...

She’s pretty he thought.

That marked the end of their talk, and Daniel began walking again, his eyes shifting noticing that the girl was a few feet to his right, her dark hair flowing behind her as she hunched her shoulders against the light breeze

...

She walked another block and a half, close to the planetarium when someone spoke up from next to her, “Are you following me?” they asked, tone light. Confused, Talia looked up, noticing it was the guy from earlier.

“No, I’m heading to the Planetarium.” She said.

“I’m on my way there too.” He perked up, his happiness dimming when she nodded and looked away. Maybe it's a New Yorker thing, he thought as he looked at her, noticing how upset she seemed from the furrow in her dark eyebrows to the slight frown on her lips, “Do you want to walk together?” He asked in hopes of not being annoying. She looked up at him, blinking a few times before nodding, her small yet pretty smile coming back.

Thinking it was best to distract herself and not go back home grumpy, she said, “Sure.”

The two of them began walking towards the planetarium side by side, shoulders brushing against each other every so often due to the crowded sidewalk.

“Do you live in New York?” She asked him, breaking the silence. He looked around her age so she assumed he’d be in school, even though she had never seen him on campus.

Maybe he goes to Colombia.

“No, I’m just here with my b- friends this week.” She turned when he quickly changed his words, seeing his gaze on the concrete, his white-blond hair ruffling in the light spring breeze,

“How ‘bout you, do you live here?” looking back at him she chuckled at the glimmer in his eye.

“Yeah, I go to school here.”

He nodded. “What do you study? Does it have something to do with space?” He asked nodding towards the building they were approaching.

“No, just really into stars and stuff. I’m studying to become a brand manager, or something along that.” He seemed impressed.

“Wow, that sounds tough.”

“It's kicking my ass.” She let out a chuckle, Daniel joining.

“So how long have you been into ‘stars and stuff’?” He asked, putting emphasis on the last few words.

“I’ve kind of been into them for as long as I can remember to be honest.” She told him, casting her eyes to the sky for a second, “there’s just something about knowing there’s a whole different world outside of what we know.”

“I have a great friend for you,” he told her smiling in her direction as they approached the front doors.

“You do?” she smiled, thinking she’d never see him again after today. They were two people in a city of millions. This meeting was a simple coincidence.

[seventhroses]

☁️ Dreams

👩🏻 A/N: It's here! This is my first story! I just wrote it as I needed an outlet to get my mind off reality. Probably gonna write again? Idk 🤔Anyway I'm excited to share this! Not sure if it’s good BUT I hope anyone that gives it a go would enjoys it! 🥰

🌠 Geners: Fantasy, fluff, slight smut

📃 Word count: 4.9K

Since young, you always have a thing for dreams. You were told many stories of different people's dreams and you've always finds it fascinating on what goes on in there when your body shuts to recharged.

There was one in particular that had it imprinted in you till now. It was your grandparent's dreams. You can't believe that they actually met in their dreams and how their love unfolds into reality.

How can anyone dreamed of someone else when they've never cross path or see each other before? You always questioned.

You could never figure out no matter how many times they tell you their tales. But even so, it was the sweetest love story that you've heard and of course, seeing it through parts of their times, you were partially convinced that maybe dreams do come true.

As you get older, instead of popping colours of life, nightmares get the best of you. You eventually start sleeping lesser and lesser hours. Dreams were no longer the happy fluffy thing you did look forward to every night.

Today was the worst. It was one of those days, where you felt like everything was collapsing on you. This week have been so exhausting and you probably had less than 10hours of sleep in total. Having to deal with your sickening boss that always throws you with piles of urgent paper work that you end up OT till 1-2AM to finish, colleagues that act as if they're the only one that have a life outside of work and dumped their unfinished work on you.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worst, you sprained your ankle while chasing for your last bus home tonight.

"How great.." you sighed while limping up the bus with your now sore ankle.

"Well at least, I managed to catch the bus…" Trying hard to comfort your miserable self as you found a seat and sat down. 

You finally reached home after what seems like forever. Throwing your heels aside, you limped towards the kitchen to get some ice for your swollen ankle. Walking to the living room you plopped yourself onto the sofa, turning the TV on that you have no plans on watching. You find yourself staring into the ceiling, can't help but to question about your life.

Even though you're tired as hell, you can feel yourself fighting that tiredness, refusing to let another nightmare invade you tonight. But as the clock ticks away by the minutes, you know your fight is futile.

"If only.. I just wish for one good dream.. Just one, to end this miserable week" with that, you find your heavy lids closed as you fell asleep.

The next thing you know, upon opening your eye you saw the ray of morning sun shining into your room.

Checking the time on the clock, 

"It's 11AM?!" Now, widely awake. "Did I just sleep through the night?"

Not remembering when's the last time you slept through the night without waking up with cold sweat or hyperventilating from the nightmare you had. Though, you weren't complaining. You were in fact longing for a good sleep like this.

You got out of your bed, slipping into your bunny slippers, ready to kicked start your day. You just felt really good and recharged from the long sleep. After washing up and making yourself a cup of coffee, you walk to the sofa and sat down, finding a comfortable position to plan how you should go about your day before having your best friend over tonight for dinner and movie.

While you were making plans, a suddenly feeling strikes you. Something doesn't add up, but you can't seem to put it into words.

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It's 1PM. You're dressed in your ripped jeans and cute smiley sweater ready for some shopping therapy and groceries shopping for tonight's dinner. You grabbed a pair of your most comfortable heels and skipped out of your apartment. You were in a good mood, stress free and you know that's not normal but again you're not complaining. You're going to enjoy it while it last and so you thought.

As you were going down the long flight of stairs towards the bus stop, you were impressed at how you managed to go up these 'stairs of hell' with your swollen ankle last night. That's when you realised, they aren't painful anymore. You were pretty sure it was swollen before you fell asleep but they seem perfectly fine now. You also remember falling asleep on the sofa and not in the room.

So, how did I get to the room? When did I changed into the pj? Now, lots of thoughts are flying in and you couldn't much process or find an answer to them.  Are you that tired that you can't remember what you did?

 "Be careful!!" A loud voice snapped you back into reality and you can feel a strong hand holding on to your arm.

Facing the stairs down, you're pretty sure that you will get more than just swollen ankle if it's not for this person. You turned your head around wanting to thank your saviour but came to face with a white tee and strong veiny arms that is holding on to you. You tilted your head up trying to see who's this perfect fitting body belongs to and there, you saw a pair of small worrisome eyes looking at you.

 "Are you ok? Hurt anywhere?"  he asked worriedly.

At that moment, you couldn't seem to find a word as you were too focus on looking at this charming looking gentleman in front of you.

Let's be honest, ever since you start adulting, life has been a struggle of paying off bills and dealing with your work life. You hardly even have time for yourself, so let alone finding yourself a partner to add on the struggle with.

The only male presence in your life other than your dad, is your childhood best friend, Lee Minhyuk. Well, he's called your best friend for a reason. You have been in each other's life for more than a decade and you know each other all too well. Also, knowing that there will probably be no peaceful day ahead if you guys were to even try. You and Minhyuk can't even decide on a movie together for movie night without bricking for at least 30 minutes and ended up having to tossed a coin to decide. Which, you think it's probably going to happen tonight too. So, it has never really cross both of your mind about developing your relationship into anything else more than what you guys are.

You did met a few people, go for a few dates before but that was in collage when you had the privileged of time. All that just seems so long ago.

Right now, having come face to face with this charming guy, it is sure to activate your needs for a new male presence in your life. Not to mention, this gentlemen in front of you, his visual is… let's just say, he's totally your type. With your 'love struck' expression which you probably are showing now, he figured that you should be ok.

"Hi, I'm Hyunwoo." Waiting for your answer while holding on to you as you steady your feet. 

You noticed his expression changed to a shy and smiley eye, that would totally make anyone soft.

 "Hi" … "I'm y/n." Quite sure you sounded like a robot.

A red one to be exact because you can feel yourself blushing hard and the distant between the both of you and his perfume smell is not helping at all. You can hear him chuckled. His hand is still on your arms. His warm palm on your skin certainly have you feeling the butterfly flying wildly in your stomach.

 "Are you free for a coffee?" You blurted out of nowhere and a sudden realisation that you're thinking out loud, got you in panicked mode.

 "I mean… I mean you just saved me from the probability of cracking my head like an egg... so.. " pausing and cursing yourself for the lame joke. Now, you just want to dig a hole and hid.

He laughed. "I like that" not sure if he said that out of courtesy, just so your now red af face wouldn't burst. 

"and sure. I would love for a coffee with you, Y/n. "

You liked the way he calls your name. Like you never knew it could sound so sweet.

 After the awkward invitation, Hyunwoo slide his hand down from your arm. Holding on to your hand now, he casually walks down the stairs. Going one step ahead of you as he leads you down. He turned his head to looked at you and smiled,

"Now, you don't need to worry about getting your head cracked."

You're very sure at that moment, your face was in tomato red as Hyunwoo holds your hand and walk towards the nearby café.

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

"Do you stay around here?" You asked as the both of you set down on the sofa seating in the café.

"Yes, I just moved here recently and was exploring the neighbourhood. You stay around the area?"

"Yup. Not far from the 'stairs of hell'." Almost rolling your eye.

Hyunwoo let out an airy laughed "I totally know what you mean."

Taking the first sipped of his drink, he started making some sound. "Mmmm! Mmm! This is so good!"

His reaction makes you adore him. How can someone be so charming, gentle and cute all at the same time.

"Oh, what did you ordered?" you asked out of curiosity.

"Honey grapefruit tea! It's on the drink's special menu. It's so refreshing!" You smiled at him as he sounded so proud of his order.

"Do you stay alone?"

 That question was definitely out of nowhere.

 There was a short pause as you were a little startled by the intruding question. Hyunwoo probably felt that he might have make you uncomfortable, so he explained.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. Since I moved here alone, I just thought it would be nice to know people in my neighbourhood. But its ok! You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry for the sudden question." Looking apologetic and not sure if he sounded weird.

But somehow his explanation makes you feel comfortable enough to tell him, so you looked at him,

"It's ok, dont be sorry. And yes, I kind of stays alone. But I have this best friend of mine, that would come crushing every so often to check if im still alive. So i'm not sure if that counts." Again, cursing yourself for the lame joke but it's kind of true too.

Well, atleast your reply showed Hyunwoo some relieved as you can see the smile back on his face.  

"It would be nice if we could have…"

 Before you manage to hear finished his sentence, the whole place start to shake violently. You could hear someone calling your name very loudly, somewhere but you couldn't find the source. Scared as hell, you closed your eyes shut.

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

 When you opened your eye, you were in a dazed. Minhyuk is now on the sofa beside you and shaking you violently. You frowned, now back to your sense. You were quite sure if he were to continue shaking, you would have thrown up on him that instant.

 "Babe! Back on earth?! You scare the hell out of me!" "What happen to you?!" "I came into the apartment and the first thing I saw is your dead body on the sofa!" "I mean lifeless. I mean.." As Minhyuk went on with his chains of words, you rolled your eyes at him. You can totally see that small smirked on his face.

 You had given Minhyuk the password to your apartment on day one when you move in, as he was whining non-stop about it until you gave him the digits. Since the both of you are having movie night every other Saturday, so you though it did be more convenient to do so too. But Minhyuk always says, it's for your safety so he can come by to check on you and see if you're still alive and kicking. You just want to rolled your eye, knowing all too well it's for his own convenience, as he always comes over for free meals, if not when he wants to escape from his mom's nagging. But even so, you never really mind it because he would keep you accompany whenever nightmares start taunting you.

 "What time is it now?" you asked.

 "It's almost 7PM, y/n! And you are supposed to start cooking dinner at 6:30PM!" He shouted across the kitchen while getting you a glass of water.

 You took the glass from him while trying to figure out what just happened.

 "Are you having nightmares again?" Minhyuk asked with concern on his face.

 "No, it's not a nightmare. In fact, it was a good dream." You paused.

"Well, at least it is until someone starts shaking me so violently, I thought there was an earthquake." You said to him with a somewhat annoyed tone now. He pouted.

You stood up wanting to get a quick shower because you're still in your yesterday's work clothes but your ankle give way. Now you remembered that you had sprained your ankle and it's still swollen. You realised what was not adding up. You were dreaming, that's why it wasn't hurting earlier.

And that guy in your dream, Hyunwoo.

Who is he? Have you seen him before?

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

 It’s been a month since you dreamt of Hyunwoo and you were hoping to dream of him again but instead, the whole nightmare routine starts bugging you instead.

 Today, was no different as you find yourself fighting the tiredness to sleep. But after sometime, you finally can’t hold much longer and you fell asleep on the sofa. When you opened your eye and to your delight, you were at the same cafe, same sofa seat where you and Hyunwoo were at before.

 "Hey, your coffee." Looking up, you saw that smiley eyes that you were missing so much, right in front of you.

 "Hey.." You replied, fighting the urge to ask if he he's real. Afraid that it would break the spell to whatever is causing this dream.

 You decided to throw the thought to the back of your head, as you have been waiting for this to happen ever since that day, you tell yourself to enjoy it well it last. So, you turned your focus back on him.

 "How have you been?" You smiled while sipping on the coffee he got for you.

 "I'm good. And I've been thinking about talking to you again" That sudden confession caught you off guard.

 Has he been thinking about me? This is a dream, right? He's probably a reflection of what I've been wanting to hear from a guy.

Now you're very much convinced by yourself that all this are probably just in your head.

 The both of you talked for a while, enjoying each other's company. It felt nice talking to Hyunwoo and you were hoping to talk for a little longer but a loud ringing sound woke you up.

Lazy hand searching for the source of the dreadful sound, you grabbed the alarm and turn it off. Looking at the time, it's now 5AM and you know you are back at the harsh reality of work week. A sigh leaves you as you drag your heavy body out of bed.

 On the way to work, you can't help but be hopeful about dreaming of Hyunwoo again since the second time did happened.

 Indeed, you found yourself seeing Hyunwoo in your dreams for the third, fourth and fifth time in a spent of 2 months. It always happens at the same cafe. The both of you would be seating at the same sofa seat, drinking the same drinks. Even though, there's no knowing to when you will be dreaming of Hyunwoo but when you did, he never fails to makes you happy and recharged. You start seeing yourself looking forward to sleeping and dreaming again. Something that you use to love before adulting. Not to mention, nightmare have been less frequent and you were feeling better every day. It was a good sign for you.

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

 And today you're dream again, the sixth time. But you found yourself at a different setting. It wasn't the usual cafe or the sofa seat that you always sat on. It was a place you are not familiar with. It was someone's home.

 It was Hyunwoo's home to be exact. You can see his family picture framed up sitting on the kitchen's table. He was smiling so brightly in the picture and you can see where he probably gets his youthfulness from. You smiled because in front of you, stands a familiar back hovering over the stove.

 "Your mum look so young and pretty." you said while admiring his back view.

 He turned around sounded in agreement. Now turning towards you, you can't help but to admire this perfect looking guy, in his home clothes and combing his hair back with his hand. He wearing a white tee that hug his body perfectly, showing his chest muscles curve and broad shoulder and a pair of shorts that shows his long legs. Unaware of yourself checking him out so openly, he chuckled

 "Enjoying your view huh?" he says jokingly as he turns back to cook.

 You cough trying to hid your blushing face, "Ahem, are you cooking ramen?" "The legendary 'Hyunwoo's ramen'?" You giggled as you teased him.

 "Yes, I promised its the real deal."

 "Are you sure is that good?"

 "Oh yes, it's that good that you would want for more." feeling challenged as he places the ramen in front of you.

"Go on, have a taste"

 He leans in on the table, moving into your personal space as you took your first bite. You're trying to ignore his extremely close presence, not sure if it's the ramen or Hyunwoo that's making you all hot now.

 "How is it? Good?" Staring at you earnestly, waiting for your feedback.

 How am I supposed to concentrate and eating with him being so close?

 In all honesty, he looks so yummy you just want to eat him instead. You can't help but blush so hard at your own desirable thoughts.

 "Are you ok?" Hyunwoo asked as his hands feels your burning cheeks and his face just inches away from you.

 Your face now so close to his. You looked at his so kissable lips and a sudden impulse urged you to slid forward and kiss him. You retreat back and shut your eyes, hoping to wakes up so you don't have to face the embarrassment from your action. But you didn't. Before you know it, you felt Hyunwoo lips clashing back on yours causing you to open your eye in a shock. That impulse and innocent kiss had turned into a heated open mouth kisses as Hyunwoo move his hand behind your head keep you closer. You felt yourself heated up from the action. You want more. He pulls away after a while, only to carry you up onto the table as he parted your legs to stand between you. He latched his lips back on yours and you swear you're feel all sorts of sensational feeling with what he was doing. Hyunwoo slowly moves his hand with lazy fingers gliding all over your body leaving hot trials and tingling feelings to where ever he passes. You can feel the shiver up your body and the tight knot somewhere inside of you wanting more of him.  

He pulls you closer to him while moving down to your neck, giving you soft open kisses. You can feel his growing bulge pressing on your centre as he grinds up against you, cause you to make soft seductive moans that you never thought you're capable of making.

 "Hyunwoo.." You murmur as you arched your back.

 He tilted his head up to look at you, so done for him just from the kisses. You can see his pupils blown; eyes filled with lust. He wants you. Before you can think of anything, you shudder as you felt the sudden contact of his palm cupping your heated clothed centre. You moaned and that encouraged him to move further. He slipped his hand through the side of your shorts and pushing your panties aside. You hissed at him when he parts your folds and starts making circle at your swollen nub. You can't remember the last time someone had taken care of you like that and saying you were a moaning mess is an understatement. You moved your hand wrapping around his now fully grown budge, wanting to help him relief from the strain in his shorts. You can hear his low moaned when you start pumping him. He sounded so attractive, yet so sweet. Soon after, both of you were helping each other to chased your much needed high.

 "Baby.." the sudden pet name got you closer to your high " I can't…" you curled your toe and shut your eyes, preparing for the rush that was going to come through.

 But talk about bad timing.

 As you opened your eye as you found yourself lying on your own bed. You rolled over, face pressed down and you screamed into your pillow venting out your frustration. You need to settle your sexual frustration. Reaching down to your panties which is now soak with aroused. 

You sighed. "I want him." 

You find yourself craving for Hyunwoo. While thinking of him, you settle your needs with the fate of your own fingers.

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

 2 weeks went by after that heated dream you had. The seventh didn't come.

  "Just go to that damn cafe! It won't hurt anyone…" Minhyuk retorted over at the other side of the phone. Clearly annoyed at you talking about the cafe for the nth number of times over the months.

 You had told Minhyuk about all your encounter with Hyunwoo in your dreams. Maybe not all, you did leave the sixth encounter out to save yourself some teasing that you would for sure get from him.

 "I dont know. I mean they're dreams. I shouldn't let it bothers me so much." turning and twisting your hair on your finger while you talked.

 You have been thinking of going to that cafe ever since the first dream but you couldn't find a reason to go. You make your own morning coffee so you won't willing to spend that extra money on coffee outside. Work also got the best of you, so you go only between your work place or home. Your life it's so exhausting, so during weekends you just wants to stay at home do your overdue laundry and spend the rest of the day sloth-ing.

 Today, Minhyuk finally convince you to get out of your den and you both were planning to meet for lunch.

 "How about you go there and get me a cup of coffee before we meet?" Minhyuk suggested. Clearly taking advantage of your dilemma but, it works. You were more convince to pop by the cafe for a reason.

"You're one smart ass." you can hear his sinister laugh, knowing that he succeeded in getting himself a free coffee.

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

 "Hi, welcome!" The girl behind the cashier smile as you walk through the door. In reality, you have never noticed this cafe before, so let alone visit it, but it felt familiar. The interior and the seating were the same as what you could remember from your dreams. You look at the menu board for a while, even though you know you would probably get an ice coffee to satisfy your caffeine needs as you didn't have one in the morning. But you saw 'Honey grapefruit tea" on the drink’s special menu and without much thinking you ordered it along with Minhyuk's ice coffee. You set down at the same sofa seat that you and Hyunwoo had sat on in the dream, while waiting for your orders.

Your phone vibrates.

TheannoyingBFF: Hey babe! Please dont kill me!

TheannoyingBFF: Hyungwon car broke down and he needs me to find him

You: ...

TheannoyingBFF: I'll buy you dinner tomorrow

TheannoyingBFF: I PROMISE!

You: You better!

You: Be glad that I'm still at the cafe and not on my way

TheannoyingBFF: I'm sorry and I love you!

You: I would've killed you

You: along with hyungwon

TheannoyingBFF: Hope you will bump into him, so my sin can be off set *Praying emoji*

You: ...

You: Bye

 You grabbed your drinks when your order tag buzz and went back to the sofa seat. Having your plans cancelled and with no back up, you decided to stay in the cafe for a while. This cafe makes you smile. You were happy when you're there, so it naturally makes you feel good.

 You took a sip of the new drink and with an impressed look, you mumble to yourself “Waoh, it's indeed nice and refreshing."  Continue drinking, you stare at Minhyuk's ice coffee that is place in front of the empty seat, you thought to yourself how lonely this makes you look. Like you've been bumped or something and this makes you feel like cursing at Lee Minhyuk.

 'Ting Ting' the doorbell of the cafe rang. You didnt react to it as it has been sounding out quite a few times. While you continue to scroll through your feed, a familiar voice started talking.

 "Hi, is this seat taken?" Looking at you and gesturing at the empty seat in front of you.

 You looked up, couldn't believe by the person standing in front of you. You start looking around and find the cafe seat all packed, so you turned back to him "Erm.. No" while you kind of avoid looking at him as you try to calm your nerves and trying hard not to show that "love struck" expression.

 He smiled and thank you as he set down. You moved the cup of now showing two layered coffee away, so he can have his space.

After a minute or so, his order tag buzzed and he stood up to get his drink. Your eye followed him as he went over to the counter. When he got his drink, you notice the table at the far end were about to leave and you can feel a slight disappointment in you, thinking that he would move to that available seats. 

But to your surprise, you see him walking back towards you.

 "If you don't mind, I did love to seat here. Is that ok?" His requested makes you smile.

 "I don't mind. Please seat."

 Both of you were quiet for a while, looking at your individual phones when you decided to break the silence.

 "Do you stay around here?"

A sudden Goosebumps came to you as you asked the same question, at the same place, same spot.

 He looked at you and with a soft smile, not questioning or looking at you weirdly.

 "Yes, I just.."

before he finished his sentence, you were mumbling under your breathe, like you already know what he would probably say.

"..moved here recently and was exploring the neighbourhood."

 He now looked at you with wide eyes but somehow it doesn't look like he was spooked by you but rather a sense of realisation. Like you know his secret.

He grabbed your hand and rushed out of the cafe, bring you to the 'stairs of hell'. That very spot when he first met you.

 "Do you know this spot?" trying to search for an answer from you.

 "Yes" is all you say, as you're trying to process the situation here.

 He grins, showing his teeth and his eyes turned into a smiley eye that were so familiar with.

 "This is real right?" you couldn't help but asked.

Because at this moment, you were just confused and happy all at the same time. Hoping that this could be real and not wakes up to nothingness again.

 "It is." "Let's do this all over again." Not sure what he means by his words, you waited.

"Hi, I'm Hyunwoo. Nice to finally meet you." he stretched out his hand wanting for a handshake.

 You couldn't help but to smile and hug him instead. The guy that you have been thinking of, debating if he is real or just fantasy, is right in front of you.

 "Hi.. I'm y/n" you murmur as you can feel the tears that trapped in your eyes threatening to fall out.

 He hugs you back and you could hear him say "Thank you for finally going to that cafe."

You look up at him "Did you go to that cafe frequently, hoping that you could meet me?" You're certain your face is now showing that 'love stuck' expression as you ask that question.

 "Yes" is all he said as he held your arms and gave you a kiss on your forehead. 

That moment, knew you're the one that needs to buy Minhyuk a meal and you can't love him enough for giving you the reason to go to the cafe.

 "Shall we continue where we left off?" He whispered softly into your ears and turns to look at you with a goofy smile. 

You can feel your face burning as he reached down to kissed you on your lips.

 Having to experience ‘real dream’ yourself, you now truly believed your grandparents dreams and that some dreams really do come true.

[jamkookies]

° Bon Voyage °

• Part X •

Bad Influence

~

You'd held him like a child.

He hadn't been able to say anything else, the unspoken words threatening to break him down.

So you had held him, swallowing back your tears for his sake and rocking him back and forth.

You hadn't pushed him to talk any further, scared of making him relive the experience all over again.

Some moments later, the nurses had come into the room and urged him to use the wheelchair and he had never left your eyes for a second, even when the door closed behind him.

You were now left with a feeling of emptiness that no other person could fill.

You just couldn't wrap your head around the fact that he had killed a person for you.

A despicable, evil, but living person nonetheless.

Just how far could Jungkook go for your sake? you thought.

"I hope you're feeling better by now."

You turn your head to the side and see Manager Sejin sitting on the same chair.

You hadn't even noticed him, too absorbed into the swirling vortex of thoughts in your mind.

There's a smile on his lips but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. Then we can continue."

He pulls his chair close to your bed and props his elbows on his knees.

"You do realize you have caused us a lot of trouble, right?" he begins.

You fail to look him in the eye as the embarrassment of recent events causes heat to rise in your face.

"I know and I am really sorry."

"Just being sorry isn't enough, though. I would've let you off the hook if you had brought these things only to yourself but the problem is, you haven't.

You've made the other members get caught up into your situations."

As you slowly raise your head, you notice that this isn't just a normal scolding session. Sejin wasn't gonna let this go with just a couple of warnings.

The guy was serious about this and you had to admit, he was right.

Jungkook had had to kill someone because of you.

You wished you had died instead.

"First, I get notified by the bodyguards that you had thrown a tantrum at the beach, unnecessarily looking for Jimin when he was safe and sound just a little further. Then, you get drunk as a skunk, making us delete all the footage ,and let's not even mention the childish swearing and cussing."

You open your mouth to say something, but no words come out.

What could you possibly tell him?

He was right about everything.

"Did you know what Jungkook had to do? He said that when the man came back, he tried to kidnap you again. While they were brawling, Jungkook had

grabbed a rock and smashed it into his skull."

You stare at him, mouth agape.

Jungkook...

"He was in a state of shock because of what he'd done, but he managed to pull himself together for you. And you don't even know what he went through because you've been unconscious for two days".

He sighs and lowers his tone a little bit, trying not to get too carried away.

"I know that not everything that happened is your fault. Jungkook said he was the one who pushed you to go out of the bodyguards' sight, but that doesn't justify your actions.

You should realize that the boys, especially Jungkook, tend to be more reckless when they're around you. I don't know if it is to prove you something or just because they want to."

He glares at you with daggers shooting from his eyes.

"I also noticed that you've become rather close with him."

You duck your head again in shame. He had almost caught you red-handed a while ago.

"Listen, Y/N. I'm going to be honest with you. You're really good at your job. You can sing, dance and perform perfectly, but you're no good for the boys.

You're a bad influence."

There they were.

The words you had been expecting.

You'd figured out that it was a matter of time before he'd say them.

You muster up the courage to raise your head as a final act of maintaining your dignity.

There's no emotion in your words - no hate, no hard feelings. Just pure professionalism.

"I'm really sorry about everything. I'll pack up my bags as soon as they remove my bandages."

He nods once and you can't help but almost cringe at his sigh of obvious satisfaction.

"It was nice knowing you, Y/N-ssi." he says and offers a hand for you to shake on.

You extend yours and fight the urge to squeeze it harder than you have to.

He rises from his seat and leaves the room.

You felt like someone had ripped a chunk from your heart and shredded it to pieces.

No more concerts, no more shows, no more shooting, no more fun time spending with the boys.

No more family.

It was time for you to leave the group.

* * *

"So, what was so urgent that you called all of us here?"

You're stalling for time, not knowing how to say it to them, and Namjoon wasn't making it any easier with those pretty eyes of his boring into you.

"I have been thinking a lot lately." you say. "And I've noticed that there are so many things that I have to fix."

"Like what?" Jin asks.

"My life. It's pretty much in shambles right now."

"Uh-oh, I think the nurses must have put something into her medicine." Taehyung says.

"I'm not joking, hyung. This is serious."

"Is this because of the accident? We thought you'd gotten over it by now." Jimin approaches you with worried eyes.

"It's not just that. Everything I've done has gone for the worse and I don't feel well."

"Is there something bothering you? Are you sick?"

"No, I just-"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Namjoon insists.

"I'm saying that I need to take a break."

"For how long?" Yoongi asks.

"Forever."

"What?!" Taehyung exclaims.

The others echo him and you're left with their constant buzzing into your ears, words that you can't discern.

"What do you mean by forever? Is this some kind of joke?"

You say nothing.

"Y/N, we know you feel bad about what Jungkook did but it was not your fault."

Jimin looks at you sympathetically and you almost drop your guard, almost tell him that it was not your choice, that you had to do this because of them.

You'd realized they wouldn't let you go if you told them the truth so you had to improvise. Let them think you were leaving the group to satisfy your own ego. Be selfish for once.

It was the only way they could carry on without you.

"I know that, hyung. But I don't feel like doing this anymore. I think I'm gonna do things on my own from now on."

Hurt flashes in his eyes and you can feel your heart being shattered into a million pieces.

"You wanna go solo?" Jin asks.

You still say nothing.

"But we've been together for so long." Taehyung pleads.

They look at you expectantly, begging for you to at least show some emotion, except for Namjoon, who can't seem to take his distrustful eyes off of you.

Damn him and his 148 IQ.

You muster up the courage as you try to keep your voice from shaking.

"It's time I leave the group."

"You what?!"

You snap your head towards the voice and you suddenly wish for the floor to split open and swallow you whole.

Jungkook is standing on the doorway, flabbergasted at your declaration.

He closes the distance in three long strides, instantly at the side of the bed.

For a moment you forget about everything and almost cry in relief at his improvement. There was still a hint of limping but he was walking just fine.

"Tell me this is a joke."

"I..."

"Y/N."

"I'm not joking."

It's like all of his face loses its pigment, and he just stares at you, speechless.

Then, two droplets of tears slide from his cheeks to his chin.

You'd never seen him cry since debuting.

"After all we got through, you're giving up now? You wanna chase after your dreams? Huh? Is that what you wanna do?"

"Jungkook, please..."

"Why now? Why now out of all times?" His voice cracks and it's the most heartbreaking sound you've ever heard.

You can't do this anymore.

You have to get out, get away before the truth spills from your lips.

On the verge of tears, you rip the blanket off of you and start clawing at the tubes attached to your arms.

"Y/N, what are you doing - " you hear the others say, but you can't stop.

Out.

You had to get out.

Jungkook grips you by your forearm with pleading eyes but you shake him off.

Out.

"Are you okay?"

"Y/N, I'll call the nurses-"

"Just let her go". Namjoon's voice.

In nothing but your hospital gown, you make your way out of the room.

* * *

The continuous chirping of the birds doesn't do anything to calm the raging storm of emotions in you. You felt conflicted, having to choose between playing the bad guy and being truthful.

You hated it with all your might but there was nothing else you could do.

It had come to this.

"Int tajjeb?" the nurse asks you in Maltese.

"Iva. Grazzi."

At least the week spent here had proven to be worthy of something.

You'd managed to learn some basic phrases and you could understand that she had just told you if you were okay now.

The nurse offers you a smile and scuttles away, tending to another patient.

You take a deep breath of the crispy air and let it sink in.

The bench you were sitting on and your lack of undergarment beneath the gown didn't do anything to shield you from the cold breeze.

Oh, how you wished you could let everything go to hell.

You were sick and tired of it.

What were you gonna do from now on?

Where were you gonna go?

Just go back to your parents in shame, with not a single decent excuse to why you had left?

Absolutely not.

You feel a jacket being thrown around your shoulders and you lift your eyes to see Hoseok's head above you, wearing an apologetic smile.

"Thanks." you barely a whisper.

He takes a seat next to you and stares ahead.

"You know, I've only seen Jungkook cry before we debuted." he says in a low, cautious voice. "I was going through a lot and I decided to leave the group. The kid started bawling his eyes out. I don't think he ever cried like that for his parents."

You nod, remembering all too well the exact look on his face when Hoseok had claimed his farewell.

He turns his head now, looking at you dead in the eye.

"Jungkook loves you, Y/N. We all know that."

You almost choke by the straight-forwardness of his words

"And I know you're not really interested in starting a solo career. You think we're dumb?"

"But I-"

He stops you with a palm raised in front of him.

"I don't want to hear it. But just know,

Y/N, that Jungkook doesn't deserve to experience this for the second time."

You gulp harshly and the sting of your next lie makes your throat hurt.

"Well, then tell Jungkook that I also have a life to live."

It was over.

You were never gonna go back to how it was before.

The words had been said and the damage had been made.

All of it intentionally.

If he wasn't gonna fall for your previous lies, then he would definitely buy this.

He doesn't say anything but the shock is quite visible on his face.

He nods once and leaves without looking back.

The jacket slips from your shoulders and along with it, the fake mask of your pretention.

* * *

The heavy suitcase weighs you down and it's all you can do not to scrape it on the floor.

Clad in new, comfortable clothes you make your way towards the room with the number 215 on it.

You can't get rid of the nervousness that has taken hold of you, no matter how hard you try.

With shaking hands, you put the suitcase on the ground and crack the door open, careful not to make a sound.

He's laying on his back, wrapped up in the blankets, eyes closed.

You grimace, trying to hold in the whimper that rises in your throat.

Feet light as a cat, you approach the bed, obviously too small for him as his legs were sticking out of the frame.

If only you knew how much I love you.

If only you knew how I wish we could stay like this forever.

You bend down and press a feather-light kiss on his forehead.

The last time you'll ever look at him like this, drinking him in, savoring the feeling of his image behind your eyelids.

He was gonna hate you with all his might, you knew that.

You knew it and you still did what you had to do.

As long as he is safe.

As long as they are safe.

You take backwards steps and close the door behind you, your heart now a shattered mess.