#filler chap

[crsssie]

kissyou - spencer reid x sharpshooter!reader

"This one doesn't go well with my fit." You huff, wiping the color from your lip as Spencer passes by behind you. "Shit, it stained."

"Vaseline? Or lipstick remover." Spencer reaches over you, handing a tube to you as you pout.

"Thank you." You turn your head to press your lips to his jaw, sighing. "See you at work?"

"Yeah. I'm heading in early to get stuff done. Do you want me to take anything from you?"

"My stack is pretty thin. I'll be alright."

You feel like you forgot something, but Spencer's gone to the office by the time that you think you realize something. Oh. You forgot to wipe the...

"Oh my god!" Garcia gasps. "Your jaw!"

Morgan quirks up a brow at the sight. "Oh, Reid. Busy morning?"

Reid tilts his head, fingers brushing at his jaw where you kissed him to wipe for color. Nothing shows, so he pulls up his phone to take a look. Ah. Stain. Not lipstick. Your lip stain dried on his jaw, it seems.

"Spencer!" You yell from the elevator, rushing over with the makeup remover in hand as you gasp. "I'm so sorry. I realized when I was leaving that I stained your jaw."

"It's alright." He hums, leaning into your touch. "Help me get it off?"

"I thought you wanted to keep it." You brush at his jaw with the cloth, frowning when it doesn't come off. "I'm gonna use the gel."

He cooperates as you tilt his jaw, pulling out a tube to squeeze over his jaw as he stays there, your free hand scratching at his chin as he hums.

"You grew a little stubble." You hum, blinking when Spencer seems to purr, chest rumbling. "Did you just—"

He coughs. "Humans can't purr. They don't have the throat structure."

You laugh, pulling out a napkin to wipe the color that's come off. "Yeah? You didn't just let out a low hum in contentness?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He mumbles, frowning when you show him the napkin.

"It's all off." You tilt your head. "You want a kiss?"

"Well, if you're offering." Spencer wraps his arms around your waist, lips pressed to yours as he hums contently.

The HR report can come later. How could he ever say no to you?

[superbellsubways]

hi it’s me again i finished chapter 5 earlier . flavio was fun he even got a little character development moment ….,, most importantly though i like that his signature instrument is a stupid little kazoo and it gets added to the music when he joins your party

YEA the kazoo stuff is soooo funny 😭 i appreciate the devs for including that it rlly adds to his goofiness.. favorite forever 😁

[ficyorick]

BARELY written today but ☝️ i have written . i need to get the intro + setting out of the way, then i have a LARGE chunk of prewritten material that i will have to edit (but later) and then i get to write the main event/finale which i think should be fun, i just gotta get thru the setting first.

[mkzmerryfriend]

Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), My Chemical Romance Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Fun Ghoul/Party Poison (Danger Days) Characters: Party Poison (Danger Days), Fun Ghoul (Danger Days), Jet Star (Danger Days), Kobra Kid (Danger Days), Original Killjoy Characters (Danger Days) Additional Tags: Zones Culture and Customs (Fabulous Killjoys), Android Party Poison (Danger Days), Angst with a Happy Ending, Wedding Planning Series: Part 8 of Killjoys Summary:

They've dealt with so much in their lives, put themselves in danger countless times, almost died for one another several times, and have put off one of the most important moments of their lives in order to save just about everyone from the deadliest "natural" event in the zones to date. But now, it's finally time.

The train is broken down, the turnstiles to the underground levels of the city are closed, and the people of the zones all need help, but if the Killjoys can manage to make it out the other side of the zones' restoration, the promise of a beachfront wedding is waiting for Party Poison and Fun Ghoul. That is, if they survive that long...

Welcome back to the zones. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times, and remember to have fun!

[nin-twst]

im researching gargoyles for this fic malleus better be proud of me

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Into the Unknown, Part 55

First

Previous

Damian pressed up against the glass, staring up at the fossils with wide eyes.

“Wonder what he’ll be when he grows up,” Marinette joked quietly, adjusting the tiny box of cupcakes she had prepared for their unofficial party at the science museum. “Maybe a weatherman.”

Tim snickered, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder. He was wearing a dorky little party hat, and Marinette rolled her eyes when he purposefully twisted his head to poke her with the point.

“He’s going to be the cutest little biologist the world has ever known,” Tim said proudly.

Marinette hummed her agreement.

~

You know, Hanukkah isn’t actually a huge deal in Jewish culture. There has been a rise in people talking about it in recent years, as to combat Christmas being thought of as a completely secular holiday, but it’s not really meant to be a Big Thing.

Why did Tim care about it so much, then?

Tim wasn’t a particularly pious man. He did some things, and forwent others.

But Hanukkah… was the only thing his parents cared enough to come home for every year. They would get criticism for leaving Tim alone during ‘such an important time of year’, everyone was asking about what their plans were and they couldn’t risk people wondering why Tim never seemed to be involved.

Hanukkah — for him, at least — meant family. Which was why he was so grateful that Marinette was willing to celebrate the holiday despite not being ethnically or religiously Jewish in any way.

And it was also why he was currently pissed off at Jack and Janet Drake.

Not his parents, they were long dead, but instead an alternate version of them. Which, apparently, couldn’t be assed to visit this year.

Part of him wanted to use Kaalki to teleport to wherever they were and punch them both in the face.

He wanted to punch them for what they’d done to this alternate version of him. This version that was curled up on his couch, wrapped up in his boyfriend’s arms, sobbing and wondering what he’d done wrong.

He wanted to punch them for what their counterparts had done to him. He’d never really gotten the chance to tear them a new one in his reality. He’d not realized the extent of their harm when they were alive, and there was nothing but a grave to scream at by the time he’d fully processed it.

It would have been easy.

He still might do it later.

But there was something far more pressing. Tim stared at the alternate version of him.

That could have been him.

It was him, technically.

A version of him that, despite the mental nickname for him saying that he was a worse version of Tim, had done everything right. It was just that doing your best, sometimes, just isn’t enough for some people. And sometimes the best thing you can do is take that first step, confront those terrible feelings you want nothing more than to push down and smother in hopes that one day, maybe, they will love you (if only you can meet their impossible standards)… and decide to simply move on.

Not run away.

Move on.

“You’re never going to be able to get their love,” Tim said, quietly. “No matter what you do. It’s not your fault. Sometimes people just aren’t meant to be parents, and the kids have to suffer for it.”

Worse!Tim… no, Other!Tim… looked up at him with wide eyes.

“You’ve done everything you can, okay? It’s unfortunate that you ended up giving your love to people that will never really be able to return it.”

Other!Tim started crying harder. Whether that was a good sign or a bad one, Tim wasn’t sure, but he did know that this was what he had needed to hear all those years ago, and if this version of him was anything like him at all, then this information might be good for him.

“But… the thing about family is that blood, ultimately, means nothing. You can choose someone else, if that’s what you want.” He sighed. “It hurts a lot at first, trust me… it still hurts a little now, from time to time… but you can’t really heal until you take that first step.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying for a smile.

“It just so happens that I know a family that might just be a perfect fit for you, if you’d like to try.”

Other!Tim was quiet for a moment, other than the sobs that were steadily petering off.

And then he nodded, a steely look in his eyes.

Tim got the feeling that Other!Tim may be doing this with spite in mind, with emotions as raw as they were… but just because someone didn’t have the best intentions in mind didn’t mean that they couldn’t accidentally stumble onto something good for them. Tim’s motivation back when he had become Robin wasn’t entirely pure, either, after all, even if he hadn’t admitted it to himself until much later — he’d wanted a family, people that would be there for him and would have his back through thick and thin — but he’d gotten better, both at understanding his role and responsibilities as Robin and at learning to truly care for the family he had suddenly found himself a part of.

He wanted to give this version of Tim the same chance.

(A similar chance that didn’t involve all the almost dying, at least.)

And… well, he could feel something coming. He could tell Marinette could feel it, too. A change in the air, a whisper that something will happen soon…

He wasn’t sure what would happen, but he did have one thing he was sure of:

He didn’t want to have any unfinished business.

For now, though, he smiled and poked the other version of him’s nose. Right where Kaalki’s glasses sat on his own face.

“Are you feeling better now? Because I want to go back to calling you Worse!Tim in my head and it feels weird to do that when you’re crying.”

“You call me what in your head?”

~

Listen, when you’re a kid, you think odd things. Like parties thrown in your name are actually about you, rather than excuses for your parents to bring over their friends with kids and have them distract each other for a few hours.

Why was this relevant?

Because that was exactly what Paige, Ava, and Marinette were doing with their kids (Floyd, Jasmine, and Damian respectively).

And also this:

“I’m older than you!” Floyd huffed. “So, I’m in charge!”

“No, I’m older than you,” Damian said.

Floyd turned to his mother, who paused in painting Jasmine’s nails. “Tell him I’m older!”

“You’re not, though,” Paige said, gently, patting him on the head.

Floyd blinked. “But… I’m taller, so I’m older.”

“No,” Ava said, her lips twitching. “That’s not how that works.”

“Though, seriously, Paige, what are you feeding that kid?” Marinette joked lightly, fanning Damian’s glittery green nail polish to get it to dry faster, since Floyd was insisting on them two playing with their action figures together. Damian wasn’t actually against it, he just wanted to wait for his nails to dry, which was where the original argument had come from.

“No clue,” Paige sighed. “The doctor said he might end up over seven feet.”

“… I just realized all our kids are probably going to be taller than me,” Marinette said, her eyes widening in horror. “I don't think my old, frail heart will be able to take that.”

Ava made a face at that. “Don’t say that. Jasmine, honey, you’re not going to be taller than me, will you? You’re going to stay my baby forever, right?”

“I’m going to be taller than everyone, momma,” Jasmine said.

Ava groaned.

~

Steph crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, so you invite your long lost twin brother to your weird psuedo-family Hanukkah gathering but not me?”

“Uh…” Tim was torn between pointing out that inviting a supposed family member to a family gathering made sense (he was trying to keep the lying to a minimum), admitting that he had mostly only done it because Worse!Tim was sad (not his story to tell), or just staying quiet and hoping for the best (likely to end in Steph being more annoyed with him). “Yeah?”

She huffed, wiping a fake tear from her eye. “Really makes a fake sister feel neglected, you know.”

“Well, if you want to go…”

“Of course I want to go, Tim!” She swatted at his arm. “I’m a college student do you really think I’m going to pass up a chance at free food?!”

~

“Marinette,” Steph said, pointing at two of the different pictures she had printed out. “There’s a difference between these types of cells. Don’t you see? This one has more of a round shape.”

Marinette who had finals coming up and was very much tired of staring at these things looked at Steph with dead eyes.

“Don’t play with me, Stephanie, they’re both round.”

“But this one is more round, see?”

Marinette did not.

“Man, I’m so going to fail.”

~~~~~

Next

@unoriginalmess @hammalammadamdam @astrynyx @laurcad123 @927roses-and-stuff @toodaloo-kangaroo @queenz-z @imarivers8 @jeminiikrystal @adrestar @twsssmlmaa @literaryhiraeth @trippingovermyfeet @ev-cupcake @its-maemain

[ddelline]

halcyon (and on and on) 3/4

work: halcyon (and on and on) fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | my hero academia rating: M relationship(s): bakugō katsuki/midoriya izuku character(s): ensemble cast (tagged on ao3) tags: post-canon | characters are pro heroes | getting together | slow burn | mha manga spoilers | aged-up character(s) | canon-typical violence

summary work:

Life began as a massive explosion, a blinding light. In contrast, Katsuki’s demise begins with a flour streaked counter, wilting green onions, and a bloodied kitchen towel. or: Katsuki falls in love, wages a war, and learns how to unearth a forest from behind trees without resorting to large-scale arson.

summary chapter:

Two things happen: Katsuki relaxes his jaw—relaxes, period, actually—plus he feels his shoulders and the span of his chest drain of tension. Izuku’s palm is rough and wide, warm through Katsuki’s flak jacket. He’s not gripping, just cupping—long fingers loose but present, grounding but not restricting. Izuku’s hand. Izuku’s fingers. Oh no. Nope—absolutely the fuck not.

ch 03 | on attrition | here

[rintoorou]

aloha, hawaii update ? 😣🤲 (no rush!!)

omg hi babess i was busy the whole weekend so i only got to write the next chapter today 😭 but it’ll be up by tmr dww

[hesthermay]

things that have happened since i posted chapter 2 of the great fight:

work drama rama!!!

got subpoenaed to testify against my dad :)

had one trial prep, have a second one scheduled

working my ass off to cover my bills and feed myself

got new shoes! converse are falling apart </3

got mad at my dad bc he insinuated i’m not taking care of our old man family dog (who lives it up at my house) good enough even tho he’s IN JAIL??

added a 3rd roommate (temporarily)

completed chapter 3 entirely!!!

STARTED ON chapter 4 already!!

chap 3 sneak peak:

[nothoughtsjustmhaandotherthings]

why did I decide to give each chapter of yitw taglines this is a hell of my own making

if anybody knows of a good sea shanty playlist send it my way pleeeaaassseee

[bellylivesthepoguelife]

I'm sorry - FILLER chapter?!

FILLER?!

This was anything BUT a filler chapter!

They found JJ & Oh my gosh, JB starting to lose it -- the moment between John B & JJ?! Sarah watching reader & grabbing her hand to pull her away from the bait shop?! The breakdown reader had?! The moment between her and JB in the kitchen?! Him calling her out for skipping meals?! JJ wanting to see the full extent of the bruises?!

bruises // ghost of you

pairing: jj maybank x routledge!reader

summary: the pogues go searching for jj while sarah volunteers for babysitter duty, lots of therapy conversations happen, and john b's crash out starts right now

warnings: lowkey a filler chap, lots of sappy conversations, minor john b crashout

navigation -- series masterlist

ask me anything 

--

John B had his work cut out for him. Not only was JJ not here to be an extra set of eyes on you, considering you were practically dead in his arms hours ago, but Sarah was pregnant, and he was not happy about either of you tagging along on this adventure. Stakes were higher than ever and now that they knew Groff was unhinged beyond their initial thoughts, everything was risky.

The only thing he had going, was Sarah practically refused to move from your side. After a bit of persuasion and a promise that they would come back tonight, she agreed on hanging back with you as the rest of the group went in search of JJ. 

You weren’t happy at the idea of being left out, but you were exhausted and John B was quick to clock your slight incohesion. Pope confirmed it was common after the lack of oxygen to the brain and you just needed to take things slow, so you agreed. If the group was going to Morocco, you needed to be at your best.

John B was hesitant to leave you both, considering everything that happened the last time he’d left you here. All of the Pogues were hesitant to get on the boat, actually. The past few hours were really scary, but JJ was missing and no Pogue was ever left behind, so they had to go.

Pope was up on the lookout deck, his eyes scanning the sunset covered water for any sign of movement. Cleo was next to John B as he drove steadily, too scared to go any faster in case he missed something. The dark-haired girl was looking closely through a pair of binoculars, but it was difficult with the sun reflecting off the water. That left  Kie to huddle around your phone screen where JJ’s location had stopped responding, the 2 hours ago next to his name haunting them. There was nothing in sight, but his location had to be in this general area. 

The unexpected part, was how quiet John B had been. He’d been unusually silent when making a game plan and shoving everything into backpacks. It was obvious there was a lolt going through his mind. He’d come way too close to loosing each and every one in the group, but to have both you and Sarah lifeless in front of him was too much, way too much to handle, and he was having a tough time wrapping his head around it.

“He’s gotta be somewhere around here!” Kiara called back to John B as she glanced at your phone. There wasn’t much to say, all of their thoughts focused on getting JJ and getting the group back together.

And then John B heard it, faintly, but it was enough to make him perk up with more hope than before.

“I see him!” Pope shouted from above, his finger pointing out in the general direction ahead of the boat. “He’s over there! Keep it steady, John B.”

Your friends moved instantly, Cleo leaving your brother to help where she could as Pope climbed down from above. Kiara yelled JJ’s name, and John B could barely make out his figure in the water as the boat floated closer. Pope and Cleo moved with clean motions to haul him up on the back of the deck. 

“What the hell happened?” John B asked as he crouched in front of him, eyes instantly going to the red color taking over the lower portion of his abdomen where his hand was barely hovering. Cleo’s hand fell against it wordlessly, applying enough pressure that he groaned in pain.

“Groff,” JJ grunted when she pushed down further and Pope winced at the sound. He knew the bloodflow would slow with more pressure, but he really wasn’t a fan of any of you being in pain. The important part was JJ was alive.

Cleo eventually managed to slow the bleeding enough that JJ could sit up slightly, being careful not to shift too fast in risk of reopening the skin. Kiara watched him carefully, knowing shit was about to hit the fan in the few seconds it took for JJ to realize you weren’t there.

“You okay?” John B asked as Pope took over steering the boat back home.

JJ let out a deep breath, finally taking in what was in front of him now that he could focus. “‘M fine. Where are the girls?” He looked to John B for an answer, considering both you and Sarah were his to watch.

The slightest tug on his best friend’s lips was enough of an answer before JJ demanded to be home, now.

--

You and Sarah had been pretty quiet all evening. Not that you could say much to begin with, but whatever show she had turned on was at least keeping you from a spiraling mind. Pope had sent a text that they found him, the news slightly delayed by the lack of service in the open water, but it was enough relief to the two of you that you couldn’t sit still. 

“Here,” Sarah handed you a cough drop in hopes of soothing your throat. You nodded in appreciation, popping the hard piece in your mouth and resuming your stare out at the water. 

Sarah plopped on the hammock next to you and tucked her feet up. The TV was still playing in the background but it no longer held her interest. She was doing her best to keep you occupied, but if she was being honest, it helped her too. There hadn’t been much time to really process the fact that she would soon be responsible for someone other than herself. Sure, there was still a lot of time to go, but the whole idea of growing a human in her own body was crazy.

“You feel any better?” She asked softly. Pope had given her a list of things to look out for, so she checked in often but didn’t want to annoy you.

You nodded, and really meant it. Your chest was still sore but slowly improving with the medicine in your body. Your headache had thankfully disappeared and you were still able to recount everything that happened. It was the mental effects of it all that you knew would take time. It wasn’t healthy, the way your group went through these life altering moments and brushed them off like it was an everyday occurrence. You could run through the insane list, but it wouldn’t make you feel any better, especially when you had a feeling it would continue to grow much to your dismay.

The second you caught sight of the approaching boat, both you and Sarah were fumbling out of the hammock, slight laughter following the chaos as you guys rushed to meet the group at the dock. You weren’t sure how JJ was going to react to everything, and you were more nervous about him feeling guilty than anything else.

The nerves turned into concern when you watched John B help JJ stand and lean against him so they could hobble their way up the dock. You moved past the others to intercept your brother and fiancé, who was holding his side carefully.

“Careful,” John B warned when you took JJ’s other side, the two of you helping the exhausted boy up to the bait shop. His shirt was wet and cold, and the small gasps leaving his mouth made you want to cry, knowing he likely got left in the water for who knows how long. 

JJ managed to pull himself up on the counter when you patted the surface wordlessly. You reached for the first aid kit beneath the counter, giving your brother a pointed look. You weren’t sure if he already told JJ what happened, but considering the boy in front of you wasn’t losing his shit, you figured nothing had been shared. But it was only a matter of time before JJ picked up on the fact that you were unusually quiet.

You tugged on his shirt, helping him pull it off before your hands went to work inthe first aid kit to clean the wound properly.

“Got me with the damn anchor,” JJ cursed as you brushed a particularly sore spot while trying to clean the outside. “He wanted to run to Morroco without you guys. Told him no, I wasn’t stealing and he flipped.”

“So he has the map and the lens?” John B asked, keeping his eyes on you as you moved fluidly with your work. He wasn’t sure at what point you became so good at patching all of them up, and quite frankly, it made him sick to his stomach to think about.

JJ nodded. “Yep. Not sure how he got the scroll, actually. Meant to ask you,.” His attention turned to you. “What happened? Did he show up?”

You glanced up at him and your luck ran out at that moment. At this angle, JJ could clearly make out the hand shaped bruise on your neck and his vision went red. His fingers were so gentle on your chin as he titled your head back further, a lump growing in throat at the sight of it. “Who did this to you?”

You blinked away tears and tore the packaging off the antiseptic spray, attempting to ignore the question, but also knowing better.

JJ whispered your name, his hand trying to stop your work on his waist to pull your attention back. “Did he do it?”

“She sent an SOS text, dude.” There was a hint of anger in John B’s voice as he took a step closer. His emotions were winning over his head, and suddenly he was pissed. “Your dad came back here. Knocked out Kie before he came outside and went after her. Busted the Twinkie window with her head. Locked her in the fucking cooler. JJ, I gave her CPR!”

You took a step back when John B got too close to you and JJ. There had been plenty of times when John B acted out like this, and you always blamed it on him inheriting your dad’s quick-to-anger attitude. But now? You weren’t in the condition to hold him back and his misplaced anger was directed toward JJ.

“CPR?” JJ repeated the phrase, his eyes teary as he looked over at you. You blinked, for once at a loss for words (not that you really had any). “What?”

John B’s arm swiped across the counter, clearing it of half the little knicknacks you loved to organize. They came falling with a crash and you jumped, staring at him in shock. 

“She wasn’t breathing! Fucking lifeless, and cold, and she wasn’t breathing,” Your brother was yelling now, a fury in his eyes as he recounted the events that just occurred hours ago. “I thought she was dead, and you weren’t… you weren’t even here. We needed you, she-I… I needed you.”

JJ was moving before you had a chance to, pulling John B into a tight hug as your brother fell into a fit of sobs. You were shocked, having no idea this scared him so badly, and then you felt selfish and guilty that you had been the source of that feeling. 

Sarah had come in at the sound of yelling, having been recounting everything with Kie, Pope, and Cleo outside when John B’s voice took over. She wasn’t necessarily prepared for the two boys to be wrapped in an embrace, but she was understanding regardless. John B had been shaking since he pulled you off the floor of the surf shop hours ago, and despite Sarah’s best efforts, she knew nothing would calm him until he got these emotions out in the open.

The boys were holding their own quiet talk so  you resorted to cleaning up the first aid garbage, suddenly unaware of what to do in this kind of scenario. You weren’t a stranger to JJ and John B’s friendship, but their conversations were never regarding something this heavy. This is what you did best though, deflect and retreat back into your own mind, leaving them to figure this out on their own. 

Sarah watched you move around quietly, realizing shit had probably hit the fan between the two boys and you didn’t even have a moment to explain. She knew from experience you didn’t handle stuff like this well, especially when it regarded you because you would feel like it was attention seeking. 

Taking the steps toward you, Sarah cleaned up the remaining pieces of the first aid kit and stashed it back under the counter as you stood silently. She grabbed your arm gently, slipping her hand down until her fingers intertwined with yours and she could pull you from the bait shop to let John B and JJ have their moment.

You followed her easily, figuring she wouldn’t have pulled you away if she thought it was the wrong idea and continued back into the house. Cleo was already up at the stove, conjuring up some meal she’d learned while directing Pope as her executive sous chef. 

It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to filter into the somewhat normal routine, each person taking up their dedicated task around dinner time. The large table somehow managed to fit all of you amongst the plates and silverware. You took your usual spot next to JJ, neither of you really speaking, but his hand on your thigh said enough in the moment.

You let the group carry conversation, praying nobody would bring your name into this shit mess where you’d have to attempt to explain yourself. It felt like a broken record in your head - something happens, there’s a misunderstanding/argument, a breakdown, you apologize and cry, then go to bed. And it just kept repeating and repeating and repeating. Every time you told yourself you could move forward, something grabbed you and pulled back just as hard. 

You waited until most of the group had finished eating before starting to clean up, your part of the dinner chores alongside John B of all people, because neither of you could cook to save your life. The group slowly shuffled out, JJ giving you a squeeze and a quick kiss, whispering to talk in a few. You moved around the kitchen fluidly, but paused when John B set your nearly full plate in front of you on the counter. 

“Hey.” He was gentle as he pulled the dirty plate you were washing from your hands to set it in the sink. His free hand shut the water off, Kie’s voice in the back of his head telling him not to waste it. You almost wanted to laugh at how dad-like he looked with the dish towel over his shoulder and a hand on his hip (okay Steve Harrington). John B pointed to your plate to prove a point. “Skipping meals isn’t something we do in this house, you know?”

You nearly rolled your eyes but figured it would be better not to. “Sorry.”

John B winced at the raspy tone in your voice, but even he had to admit you sounded better than earlier. He sighed and tugged at his hair. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, just…um. Lot on the brain, you know? You, Sarah, JJ missing and-”

“I can take care of myself, John B,” You whispered.

His heart fucking broke.

He knew you didn’t mean it poorly, and he tried to remind himself that you had been through a lot today, but John B was more emotional than he had been in a really long time, so hearing that from you…

You noticed the instant tears in his eyes and felt horrible. It was easy to get caught in defense mode and listen to the desire of shutting people out so nobody can hurt you but yourself. You’d tried to remove that aspect of your healing process, but it had been the hardest one to beat. 

“I know you can,” He replied like you hadn’t just metaphorically stabbed him in the chest with your words. “Thanks for that reminder, oh-”

His sarcastic comeback was interrupted by you landing against him and hugging him tightly, all his fears floating out the door with your embrace. 

“I can take care of myself, but that doesn’t mean I ever stopped needing you,” You clarified as he returned the hug with as much pressure, the physical touch healing pieces of you that neither wanted to mention. As long as you were here, you would need John B, and he needed you. The world had done a lot to pull you apart (and shit, do we mean a lot?), but you’d survived it all so far. 

Before Sarah, before this treasure hunt started, before the Pogues came about, John B was a big brother. Had been one actually, for as long as he could remember. You were a year and a half younger than him, so all he really could remember was being your big brother. Granted, he wasn’t always good at it, but he tried his best and he really didn’t want to mess up now, not when you needed each other most.

“I thought y’all didn’t do sappy shit?”

You turned your head against John B’s chest to see JJ leaning against the staircase watching the two of you. He had clearly gotten a shower and was looking refreshed. Your brother huffed, feigning annoyance, “First time for everything, I guess.”

“Mind if I steal my girl?”

“One Direction headass,” You mumbled as John B’s hand rubbed across your back before he separated, letting you go so you could cross the room. Your fingers were cold against JJ’s warm skin, lightly brushing under his shirt where you could feel the rough texture of fresh bandages, likely from Pope’s precise hands. 

JJ’s arm fell across your shoulders softly, his fingers lightly pinching your skin before he gave John B an affirming nod and started toward the door with you in grasp. The air was a little chilly, the rumble of thunder nearby telling you a storm was pushing its way in and would provide you a good lullaby for the night.

JJ tumbled into your large outdoor egg chair, his hands tugging your waist to bring you with him and you laughed, being careful to watch his side as you straddled his lap and placed your hands on his shoulders. His eyes were a shady blue, full of relief and appreciation as he looked up at you.

“Hi.” You broke the surrounding silence, your fingers playing with the strands of hair against his neck. He was in desperate need of a haircut if you had any say in it, but there simply wasn’t time. 

Closing the distance between the two of you, your lips met his softly, his hands wandering across your lower back to pull you even closer as if you weren’t already laying across him. Your mind went quiet, competely occupied with the boy in your hands and the way he seemed to hold your entire universe. When a small gasp left his mouth, you shifted back, scared you moved too much and were irritating his side. 

He shook his head at your worried expression when he met your gaze. JJ’s finger brushed back a piece of hair, his lips pulling into a smile just for a moment before he frowned again. “Hi, sweet girl.”

“It’s okay,” You reassured when you realized he was focused on the bruising around your face and neck, his fingers light as they brushed over the coloration. 

He shook his head sadly. “No, it’s not. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left with him.”

You pulled his hand from your cheek and kissed his palm, holding it between yours. “Jayj, in no way whatsoever, was anything that happened today your fault. You had no idea, none of us did.”

Whether the shakiness in your voice surprised him or not, you couldn’t tell. He sighed, letting his head drop just below your chest, thankfully far enough away from where John B and Pope’s hands had been. You could feel the tightness and bruising with each motion, so you could only imagine how rough it would look after tonight. It wasn’t extremely painful, just annoying enough that you didn’t want to move too quickly and shift more than needed.

“You had a bad feeling and I didn’t listen,” He spoke, moreso to himself than you, but you heard it nonetheless.

“Look at me.” When he listened, you gently cupped his face with your hands. “I love you so much, and I would never ever blame you for someone else’s actions, whether you had control over it or not. Understand?”

He gave a weak nod, still in his head about everything and you knew it would take time to process it all, so you didn’t push. You wanted to point out that things didn’t necessarily go well on his side either considering he came back with a bloody waist and was left stranded in the ocean, but you figured he got the gist.

“Can I see?” The question was so quiet you almost didn’t hear it and blinked at him. His gaze was on the bruising again and you sighed. 

“J-”

“Please?”

The crack in his voice made you want to cry but you knew if roles were reversed and your dad hurt him, you’d want to see too. 

You shrugged the arms of the sweatshirt off and JJ took over, slowly pulling the material from your frame to leave you in sweatpants and sleep tank. It was low cut enough in the neck that the full aftermath of this afternoon was in view.

The purplish-blue tint to your skin was weird to see, but it was almost relieving to know your body was working to heal. Your breath was shaky as you took in the sight for yourself for the first time and everything seemed to hit you like a wrecking ball.

You had died. For a moment of time, you weren’t breathing and your heart had stopped. 

“C’mere.” 

JJ anticipated a breakdown from the moment he saw you on the dock. While John B didn’t tell him anything, he knew you were on a build-up from the rollercoaster of the past few days and hadn’t had time to process it all through. From everything with Rafe and Charleston, to getting engaged, to his so-called father putting hands on you… it was a lot, and even JJ wasn’t sure he understood it all.

It hurt to breathe as you sobbed into JJ’s chest, every inch of your body so tense and rattled with anxiety that you couldn’t bring yourself to stop. “I-I.. was so scared, and-”

“Shh, just breathe, baby.”

JJ held you tightly but kept a careful eye so that he didn’t squeeze too harshly. It had been a while since the two of you had a good cry session (it’s healthy, by the way), so he knew you were overdue. You hated crying, and he did too. But your therapy sessions promised it would help release pent-up emotions and you could feel it. 

Sometimes, you just needed a release, and JJ was always happy to hold you through it. 

You settled down a few moments later, overwhelmed with your tears that the day was finally catching up to you. JJ didn’t appreciate your joke that you’d taken a good nap earlier, but the roll of his eyes told you he understood your humor to cope. 

After a while, JJ helped you wiggle back into your sweatshirt and soon enough, your friends trickled outside. Pope set to work started a bonfire for the group, various blankets being passed around. Even though summer was trickling into the fall, the water always created a cool breeze that made you want to curl up under the fabric. 

John B paused to kiss your forehead before settling into the bench chair with Sarah under his arm. Kie fumbled with the joint in her hands, cursing softly to herself as she fucked with the lighter. Cleo eventually pulled the worn lighter out of her hands and handed her a new one that sparked instantly, and Kiara literally sighed in relief. 

“Morocco, huh?” John B’s attempt at breaking the silence made you burst into laughter, a few chuckles falling from your friends. Your brother faked offense at your reaction and it made you laugh even harder. 

JJ smiled as your laughter shook him too, the mood shifting to a much lighter one. Everyone fell into their normal ease, jokes and one liners flowing like your usual chaos. This normalcy was the one you’d craved for so long. To just be carefree, comfortable, and home where you were surrounded by people you loved.

You knew better, though.

Moments like these were always the calm before the storm, and whatever awaited you tomorrow would be nowhere near as kind to you as this.

--

a/n: sorry this was probably so boring and short, i couldn't get my brain to do anything LOL but buckle up for next one ;)

song for the chap: bruises by queen reneé

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[lqfiles]

PAY THE PRICE — 46. #BringBackGenderNorms2024

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notes ; this lowkey feels like a filler chap but anyway next chap will be in fact written sozz y’all BUT it will probably be the second last written chapter of this smau woooooooow

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[theneighborhoodcryptid]

i can’t stop thinking about the differences between c!tommy and c!will after they’re revived

like, tommy is revived and everything is too much. after the quietness, the stillness, the absence of everything in limbo, being alive again is just too many sensations all at once. the sun hurts his eyes and noise hurts his head and he can feel the air on his skin and it’s just overwhelming and wrong. his own voice grates on his ears, so he learns to speak more quietly. the others think he’s traumatized and shit from being dead (which, i mean, they’re not wrong) but it’s just because he can feel the vibrations of his own voice, and it’s just makes it too loud to even think.

but wilbur is revived and he revels in all sensations. he’d been in limbo for so long, the feeling of being alive is euphoric. he seeks the feeling of wind chapping his cheeks and he runs his hands along walls just to feel the texture. often, compulsively, he places his fingers on his wrist to feel his pulse. to feel his blood pumping for the first time in so long. to feel that he’s alive, he has another chance. he takes to talking to himself, a habit he picked up in the afterlife. but now it’s not a time filler, something to keep him sane in the abyss, but rather just for him to feel the rumbling in his chest and the air going in and out of his lungs as he speaks quietly under his breath.

[thegreatandpowerfulwas]

I could do without Happosai in the reboot for sure

One thing about the Ranma remake is I hope they can finish it but I’m totally okay with them cutting a lot of the filler episodes from the manga :p There’s a lot of fluff that doesn’t really need to be animated, as appreciative as I am of seeing Ranma getting his ass beat on a daily basis 😂

[hwaslayer]

the space between us three (jyh) | two.

⇢series masterlist | series playlist

⇢summary: while juggling the demands of life, yunho continues to do his best to raise his independent 11 yr old daughter, seora. throughout the years, they've built a strong foundation, an unbreakable bond— one that consists of late night talks and food runs, father/daughter dates, and sideline cheerleading at her basketball games. so when you unexpectedly come into their world, things shift. despite the uncertainty and the fear of stepping outside of their comfort zone, yunho and seora eventually learn how to open their hearts and learn how to rebuild a home where three can thrive together.

⇢pairing: single dad!yunho x f. reader

⇢genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, single dad au | fluff, angst, eventual smut

⇢word count: 4.3k

⇢chapter content/warnings: cussing, the cliché coffee incident pls forgive me lol, parents pushing expectations, honestly not much but an intro to y/n and her family - bit of a filler chap!

"Can you visit mom and dad this weekend with me?" You nibble on the rest of your ramen while you wait for your brother to respond. You're currently sitting on a table outside near the trees, taking your lunch under the shade.

"Can't. I have plans with the boys."

"Wonwoo." You sigh.

"What? I promise, I'll head up there the weekend after. You can come with if you want. Sorry. I just planned this ahead of time and can't go back on my word now."

"Fine." You sip your water and toss your trash onto your tray before standing and throwing it into the appropriate bins.

"What, has mom and dad been on you again about us not visiting?"

"Kinda, yeah? You know how they always make passive aggressive comments because we don't come to see them often." You grab another cup of coffee, taking your time mixing it with half and half and some sugar. "It's always 'you two are always too busy for your parents!' or a 'it doesn't even take long to visit your parents!'" Your younger brother sighs as you quietly hand over some cash to the mobile coffee shop attendant.

"I know, but they also don't understand we've got our own things going on, too."

"I guess, yeah." You lick your lips and take a small sip, being careful enough to not burn your tongue from the scorching temp. "We really should do better, though."

It's not that your parents were bad. In fact, your parents were amazing. They had brought up both you and your younger brother comfortably and happily, sending you both to the best schools and supporting you until you two were able to fully walk on your own two feet, soar high with your own two wings.

It truly was just life.

You had gotten busy; always working at the hospital, growing from the bottom up, barely taking any of your vacation or sick days. If you did, it was because you had to or else you'd reach your max, or because you truly were rotting away in your death bed from a bad flu or food poisoning.

Otherwise, you were always at work. You were always with your girls. You were always going to lagree or bootcamp style studio classes. You were always doing something to occupy your time— mainly work. And the same thing goes for your brother, younger than you by 2 years.

He's just a boy.

But, he's your brother and you're incredibly close to him. He was always listening, was always good growing up. Would always protect you, especially from dumb boys and fake friends. He got good grades and went to college overseas before moving back home and settling down. Since then, he's always learned how to be on his feet— barely ever staying stationary. He, too, was always out with his boys. Working as a full-time software engineer, working out. Traveling when he gets the chance. Dating every now and then. But, you do love that he's living life and spending time with good people. He seems to have a good balance between his work and personal lives, which makes you happy.

It's just unfortunate that you two can't seem to manage slipping in more time with your parents. You both had agreed to do better about it, especially with your parents getting older.

"Are you still gonna see them this weekend, or are you gonna wait for me?"

"Yeah, I'll pop in for a second. I already told them I'd swing by."

"Hm." He hums. "Tell them we'll stop by for longer next weekend."

"Yeah, after I get the earful first." 

"They won't." He clears his throat. "So, how's work been? Ate lunch well?"

"Yeah, I did. Work's been kinda crazy. They're opening this new department at the main hospital and it's expanding into the pediatrics side, too. We've been gearing up for it."

"Oh, really?" You nod as if your brother can see you.

"Yeah. They've been working with adult patients for their two studies, but they're going to start their pediatrics study soon. Pending on the IRB approval. But, once that's all good, they're hoping to secure their first patient, and we need to have everything ready to go."

"That's pretty cool."

"It is, but kinda hectic. Too many moving parts and people involved. It's a lot to keep up with."

"I'm sure you'll handle it well. You always do." You let out a small sigh before checking your watch and slowly walking back towards the peds hospital. 

"Hope so. Work's been okay for you?" He chuckles.

"Same old! Nothing much has changed. Not like that, anyway."

"I see. So, what happened to that one girl you were seeing recently?"

"Uh, we're just better off as friends."

"Better keep that to yourself before mom starts setting you up on blind dates."

"Same goes for you. She'd probably go for you first. Been tryna marry you off." You roll your eyes.

"It's not my priority and she doesn't get that."

"She wants a grand baby and lowkey, I kinda want a nephew or niece to spoil, too." 

"You're no help." He snorts. "Anyway, I gotta head back to my office and get some work done, I got a big meeting for that new department later today."

"Alright. Well, text me when you get home and try to take it easy."

"I will, you too, punk." Wonwoo chuckles. "Love you."

"Love you too!" And with that, the call ends. Your eyes are glued to your phone as you continue to walk back towards the hospital. The weather isn't too bad today, a slight breeze hitting your skin to balance out the warmth from the sun. You continue to switch between keeping your eyes in front, back down to your phone as you scroll through social media to catch up to things you've missed over the past few hours. When you finally get into view of the familiar building and the side lobby entrance, you slip in and head straight to the elevator without paying much attention— especially when it dings and slides the doors open for the individual behind to step out. You feel a soft thud; your body slightly coming into contact with theirs, causing some of your coffee to spill out of the opening on the lid. 

"Oh— oh shit, I'm so sorry!" You look at the tall figure, wide-eyed as you survey his outfit to make sure your coffee didn't spill everywhere on his jacket.

"You're good." He says, eyes coming down to his jacket. There's a few drops of coffee dripping down near the zipper, but nothing that can't be fixed.

"I'm soooo sorry." You repeat as you dab a napkin at his jacket.

"No, seriously. It's fine. You're good." He laughs, brushing you off in a friendly manner. "Nothing laundry can't fix."

"Still another piece to add to your load." You look up at him and slightly pout. "Sorry."

"Maybe just be careful next time?" He gives you a small smile before he brushes past and out of the elevators. You realize he's got his large hand still propped up to prevent the elevator doors from closing on you, and you can't help but feel extra embarrassed. You do a tiny nod before he lets out a small chuckle and walks away, allowing you to be in your peace as you slip into the elevator and watch the doors close in front of you.

It just had to be him.

you: i almost spilled my coffee on a really cute guy ☹️

wonwoo: he'll def never come near you again. way to go sis 💗

you: you're a piece of shit

wonwoo: 🥰

You click your teeth and sigh as you step out of the elevator and onto your floor. You had been working as project manager supporting the pediatrics unit for about a year and a half now, starting at the hospital a few years ago as an admin associate and slowly working your way up.

"What? What's wrong, hun?" Your coworker and also one of your childhood bestfriends, Noeul, chimes in. She works as an HR manager, but her team sits nearby— giving you two the numerous opportunities to chit-chat and catch up in between meetings and tasks.

"I almost spilled my coffee on some really cute guy." She purses her lips together before giving you a toothless smile.

"I mean, you didn't, right?"

"No. Maybe a few drops. Now he'll have another piece of laundry to add to his load. All because of me."

"That's a good way to be memorable." You sigh. "I'm sure he wished he got your number."

"Wow, you're the complete opposite of my brother and I love that." She laughs.

"Of course, I'll always support you."

"How'd your meeting go?" She shakes her head.

"I don't know. So many sensitive issues. I think they only keep escalating and getting worse."

"Are you still dealing with that one manager and her staff member that weren't getting along?"

"Yup. That's exactly the thing that's getting worse."

"Sheesh. I hope they find middle ground soon, or at least find new avenues so they don't have to work with each other."

"Hope so too!" She looks at you. "When's your big meeting with the hospital people?"

"Hm." You hum and check your watch. "In the next hour." You settle at your desk and she follows along, sitting on the edge of the corner. "My inbox blew up over lunch so I gotta take care of a few things before I head over." You sip on your coffee.

"My busy bee." You give her a look. "Goodluck! Let me know how the meeting goes. I've gotta file a few reports and hop into a few other meetings myself. I'll see you later for a quick break?" You give her a small smile.

"Goodluck to you, too." She blows you a little kiss before she's prancing away to her desk, greeting people on the way over. You busy yourself before you need to start packing up and heading over to the main hospital, drowning in a few urgent emails that came in over your lunch break. Time sure flies when your brain is scattered everywhere, your to-do list seemingly never-ending and tossing you in a million different places at once. 

You gather your things about 10 minutes before the meeting, which, doesn't give you much wiggle room in case you get lost. You don't go to the main hospital often, and you're not even sure if you have access to the room or how all of this would work. You are familiar with a few people also attending the meeting, but they're equally just as busy and are probably coming from other commitments. 

You let out a small breath as you power walk over to the main hospital, happy you're at least getting your steps in for the day. You trickle into the huge lobby along with others, turning towards the left where the elevators are located. You press the button, waiting alongside a visitor as the elevator makes its way down from the 6th floor. You step in and patiently wait off to the side, checking your work calendar on your phone to make sure the meeting was indeed today.

Why does it feel like you're the only one heading over?

Were you the only one late at this point?

You step out of the elevator once you make it up to the 7th floor, pausing in your steps because— where the fuck do you go now? It was such a maze in this hospital, you didn't know whether to go left or right; the numbers on the doors skipping from one number to another. You turn to you right just because you go with your gut, hearing a trail of soft voices as you finally see a group of people heading towards a huge conference room further down [and definitely closer to your left had you just turned that way]. You pick up your pace, nodding and sending soft smiles to the familiar faces that catch you through the window of the room as they settle into their seats. Rushing over, someone is stationed at the door— probably waiting for you to make it inside.

"Thank you— oh, hi." You look up at the same, tall figure you damn near spilled your entire cup of coffee on.

"Hi." He gives you a toothless smile as he holds the door open for you. "Well, at least you aren't ramming into me with your cup of coffee this time." He jokes and you can't help but feel the heat rise to your cheeks.

"Yeah, mm'sorry about that still." You wince and slightly pout.

"I'm just joking. No worries. It happens." He smiles down at you, waiting for you to walk into the conference room. You give him another subtle, short bow before slipping into a chair on the opposite side of the table. You watch as he greets people coming into the room, a bit confused as to why he's still standing by the door until he finally sees the face he's been looking for. 

He's got some kind of wit, some charm. Can't deny it's pretty attractive.

And to your surprise, he plops down in the seat next to you, followed by one of his team members [the said face he'd been looking for] you assume.

"Hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all." He gives you another toothless smile before eyeing your badge. 

"Nice to meet you, Y/N." He puts out a hand for you to shake. "Yunho."

"Nice to meet you as well, Yunho." You shyly respond. "At least I don't have to call you the guy I almost spilled all my coffee on anymore."

"Yeah, no." He laughs. "This is Taehyun, my team lead. Taehyun, Y/N." You and Taehyun give each other small, curt bows just as the higher ups step in and settle at the front of the room. 

"Hey everyone! Thanks for meeting. I know everyone is super busy so it's much appreciated." Yoori says as she flips her laptop open and pulls up the agenda slide on the powerpoint presentation. The meeting kicks off with small introductions around the table since a lot of people hadn't worked together like this, especially you and a select others mainly supporting pediatrics. When Yunho introduces himself, you find yourself enjoying the way he speaks. He's got a deep tone, but nothing off-putting. He speaks lightly and positively, chuckling in between statements.

Yeah, he's def got a witty charm to him.

When it's your turn to speak, you can feel Yunho's eyes from the side. He's paying attention and listening closely even if these are quick introductions to the team. He notices the way you shyly smile at those around you, still managing to speak clearly and concisely despite your nervousness that's physically manifesting in the way that your hands tug on the material of your jeans, fiddling with your fingers underneath the table in between the conversation.

Cute.

Then, after the light, airy introduction portion, the presentation gets a lot more technical, and you find that you're actually more involved in this than you expected. You're being asked to oversee the development of the clinical trial room in the pediatric wing, along with scheduling biweekly meetings to discuss updates. Making sure all required attendees are at the meetings and driving things forward. Coordinating across calendars, providing updates every step of the way.

And things seem to be picking up, moving real fast. Things were stalled and slow just a few months ago; now, it's all gas, no brakes.

When it comes to dealing with the ordering structure and IT developments, Yunho takes the lead and discusses the current updates and how they're still figuring out a few tweaks. Yoori is diligently taking notes on her own laptop, along with everyone else who is clarifying through questions of their own.

"Y/N, can you please work with Yunho and his team and the clinical informatics team to make sure the patient ordering enhancements will be taken care of and pushed through? Along with securing the data storage and network? I'll send you the list of required attendees that need to be at each meeting to help push these efforts forward. Let's prioritize this and try to get that done within the next week." You nod, glancing over to Yunho afterwards. He's got his chin resting on the palm of his hand and his eyes dart down to you. His brows perk up before he gives you a tiny, toothless smile. You feel your hands get sweaty from the look alone, so you divert your attention back to your laptop— typing up the rest of your notes on the side. Yunho can't help but glance over at your incredibly organized notes and the way your emails are categorized; all the folders within folders. 

Never-ending folders.

Definitely Type A. 

He does like that, though. Can't help but feel a little endeared by it. 

As the hour long meeting progresses, you feel yourself getting slightly overwhelmed by your growing task list. You can't help but feel an itch to get to your desk to scribble in your planner and get your thoughts organized. 

And as soon as the meeting ends, you cut out with quick goodbyes before rushing over to your office. Yunho was hoping to catch you afterwards to talk a little more, but he watches as you leave, the opportunity now a long gone thought. 

"Where'd you go?" Sian, your other good friend, asks. She's in the finance department, and typically comes over to check in with you and Noeul, especially when she has to drop off some mail for the peds hospital. "You and Noeul were both gone."

"I had that meeting, remember?"

"Oh shit, yeah. How'd it go?"

"I don't know." You plop onto your desk and let out a huff, pulling your planner from your bag before pulling up your notes in the cloud on your desktop computer. "So many things to do and everything feels so urgent." You've already got a few people to meet, along with pushing the operational aspect of this huge project. You've got your hands tied.

"Wow, they're moving fast with this."

"Yeah, very." You shake your head as you write out your thoughts, suddenly pausing to look back up at her as she fiddles with the figurines on your desk. "Hey, do you know the IT managers well?"

"Most of them, yeah."

"Do you know Yunho?"

"Jeong Yunho?" You shrug since you didn't really catch his badge on him. "He's the only Yunho I know of. How could you not know him?"

"Girl, I'm mostly on the peds side, I rarely come to that end." You giggle.

"He's handsome as hell. Tall. Super nice and helpful. Him and his team are so good about coming to the rescue ASAP." Sian nudges you and wiggles her eyebrow. "He's a single dad. I believe his daughter is 10? 11? Probably 11."

"Mm, dad of a pre-teen girl."

"Hey. He's making it." Sian shrugs. "Heard he's a really good father despite losing his wife years ago. I'm sure it must have been incredibly hard." You nod.

"Yeah, I can only imagine."

"He's good friends with Park Seonghwa from marketing. I think they're besties or something." You nod. 

"I only know Seonghwa from the one interview I did with him when we did the remodeling project at the peds oncology unit. After that, barely have spoken a word to him."

"He's a little hottie, too. But, I heard he's got a thing going on with Yoori."

"Yoori? Like.. Director Yoori?" Sian nods.

"They're so weird about it, though. Definitely not known publicly, but people have seen them out together a select few times. Or, seeing Seonghwa go to her house."

"Nosey." You laugh.

"Well, it's definitely a small world around here." 

"Hm." You hum. "So interesting, especially after I just saw her. I would have never suspected."

"What about Yunho, though?"

"First, I almost spilled my coffee on him this morning." Sian nods.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm not that clumsy." 

"Mmkay." Sian laughs. "How much coffee?"

"A few drops." You make a face. "And then he ended up being in the meeting and sitting right next to me." 

"See, big hospital but small world." You chuckle. 

"Feels like college."

"Yeah."

"Speaking of Yunho." You furrow your brows when you see a little notification pop up in your Slack app.

yunho: hey! 

you: hi there! you found me!

yunho: 😀 sorry, i tried to catch you after the meeting but you rushed out. 

you: oops, yeah. i just had a few things to catch up on. 

yunho: all good! do you wanna schedule some time to meet before scheduling the wider meeting with everyone else? i can walk you through everything so we're on the same page.

you: sure, yeah! that'd be helpful. i'm pretty free next week. i just prefer not to schedule anything over lunch if it can be helped. 😅

yunho: i'm the same, don't trip. lol. i'll send you an invite for early next week. what time do you get in usually?

you: mm, around 7:30-8am.

yunho: hm, wanna do 10am on monday then?

you: good with me. ☺️ thank you, yunho!

yunho: sure thing!

"Aw, he even went out of his way to message you." Sian watches you exchange messages from behind.

"Girl, please? We need to talk about getting the patient ordering system together and fixing all the infrastructure for the peds unit." 

"Sounds like you'll be working with him closely? I'm actually kinda surprised his team is on this. Not saying they aren't great, but they're a bit smaller and support other departments." Sian ponders for a bit. "The other IT teams are pretty swamped though, now that I think about it. They probably have the best bandwidth right now."

"Who knows. But, yeah. I guess so. His team lead was also there."

"Maybe you'll get close to Yunho."

"Maybe I won't and just get my job done while minding my own business."

"Y/N. You're single and he's single, don't be so quick to cut him off just because he has a kid. You should put yourself out there again." She teases and you roll your eyes.

"Get out." She snorts. You hate that she's a little right about it; it had been awhile since you were in a serious relationship. You might've messed around with an old college classmate a few times, but it was so casual it ended up fizzling out all by itself and that was that. It's not like you had any bad relationships, either. They just weren't a fit, but you didn't hold any bad blood towards each other. Your mom was tired of it, though. She was hoping you'd finally stay in a serious, committed relationship— one where you'd end up walking down the aisle, settling down in a nice family home, one or two little ones running around [or more, she wouldn't be mad about it]. Maybe that's why you also dread visiting home, because she never fails to remind you that she's waiting, and that time doesn't wait for anyone. She gives Wonwoo a piece of it, too. 

Just not as much as you.

It's always this game of comparison, trying to one-up her friends in some fashion. It's frustrating to deal with. She didn't understand that you were good with where you were at. And even if you did long for a partner and affection in that sense, it's not like you could wish for it to happen and change your life overnight. These things take time. These things need to develop naturally, wholeheartedly, genuinely;

It wasn't your time yet, you guess.

"Anyway, are we still having our little girls night at your place tomorrow?"

"Mhm. Just gotta visit my parents first then I'm all yours."

"Ah." She nods. "Is your brother coming along?"

"Nope. Next weekend, though."

"Goodluck, sweets. Tell us all about it when we come over." Sian looks at her watch. "I was gonna try to wait for Noeul, but I guess she got caught up in some things. I should head back." You nod. "See you tomorrow, my love."

"See you." She smiles before giving your shoulder a gentle squeeze and turning on her heel to take her walk back over to the main hospital.

As the afternoon rushes by, you're able to dock off a few more things on your list before feeling satisfied enough to call it a day. You decide you're a little too tired and worn out to be driving elsewhere for food, so you'll pop into the main hospital cafeteria.

wonwoo: did you spill your coffee on anyone else today?

you: no 🫥

wonwoo: [sends money]

wonwoo: go get a massage or something dude, relax

you: are you serious?!

wonwoo: yeah. 🙄 got a lil bonus from work, so if i'm eatin, you eatin too i guess.....

you: best brother award 😭

wonwoo: u don't mean it

you: i do!!! ily!!! 💕 i'll never call you bighead again!

wonwoo: yeah u def don't mean it

You giggle to yourself, feeling comforted by your brother even at a distance. The thing about your relationship with Wonwoo is that you two were always sharing in each other's ups and downs— good days, bad days. There was never any competition or need to feel like one had to do better than the other, thankfully; and this was a prime example of how close you and your brother were. You truly can't wait to hang out with him next week. You adore him to bits.

As you head back to the main hospital to grab food for dinner before leaving for the day [you definitely prefer the food there], you catch Yunho speaking to one of the nurses on her way out. She's blushing, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while she laughs. Yunho looks nervous, but he's keeping himself pretty composed by the way he's smiling and laughing along with her. You brush past them quickly, and you aren't sure if Yunho noticed you or not— not like it matters, anyway. 

He was definitely asking her out. And by the looks of it, she said yes. She had been wanting to say yes for awhile. 

Welp, there goes the really cute guy you spilled coffee on. 

It wasn't your time yet, you guess.

⇢taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @nopension @curse-of-art @thechaotictheoryy @likexaxdaydream @dalsuwaha @enha-stars @yasuraokaa @professormingisglasses @yunyunrin @pommelex @astral-trashcan @laura1399 @domfikeluva @tournesol155 @hwaskookies @yusalterego @hwa-stars @hyukssunflower @chngbnwf

[simp-ly-writes]

Days & Nights

─────── · · How Could You Refuse? (pt.10)

Pairing: Jayce Talis x Shy!Reader

─ · · SUMMARY: You and Jayce share 3 days and 3 nights before your move back to Piltover. During these days you both reassure one another's worries for your shared future, go on a date, spend time with friends and family, and pack up your apartment.

─ · · TAGS: female pronouns used, teasing, pet names, sickly sweet fluff (no but seriously), some emotional hurt/comfort (more like reassurances), kissing, suggestive themes, very brief mentions of violence, Evren (OC) being a little pice of shit /affectionately, reader is mentioned to have hair and is shorter than Jayce, not beta read.

─ · · MASTERLIST | TAGLIST REQUEST | WORDCOUNT: 6,050

─ · · SERIES MASTERLIST

─ · · A/N: last fic of the year! (2025 sounds so futuristic I hate it here 😭). Also this chapter is kinda filler! next chap wedding? 👀

─────── · ·

─ · · You sit on a lounge within Jayce's hotel room reading one of your new romance novels from your bag. Afternoon passes to early evening and you both had yet to move from your spots, simply enjoying one another's company.

Every time you finished another chapter you would look up and across the room to watch Jayce sign his signature and write letter after letter before sealing each with wax hammer emblem for his house. A part of you felt bad for making him take his work to you and by the sheer amount of letters he had to respond to by the end of the day to make sure they made it back in time...

"Bored of your book already darling?" Jayce asked leaning back in his chair and stretching out his legs. You watch as he picks up his wine glass, swirling the blood red liquid before taking an elegant sip.

"No," you look back down at the page blushing at the desperation of the male love interest and trying to conceal a giggle once they finally kiss, "It's actually getting really good." Jayce watches the way your eyes light up before quickly turning to the next page, the book practically touching your nose as you read the next words carefully before shutting the book and kicking your feet.

Jayce stands, walking over and taking a seat by your feet before extending his hand in a silent ask for the book, you look at his hand and then raised brow- curious. You tuck the book close to your chest shaking your head, "Nope! Sir Antoine is for my eyes only!"

Jayce scoffs, placing his arm across the back on the lounge and his wine on a side table before putting your legs on top of his own and massaging your calves. "Should I be worried about this Sir Antoine?" Jayce teases, giving your leg a squeeze.

You reopen your book, eyes going wide as the scene heats up and you lose yourself again to the text, breathing in sharply through your nose as you read, I want to be your every waking thought, make you feel the ghost of my touch with every step in your walk, understand that you are what makes me breathe. Your jaw drops at what you read- not noticing how Jayce glares at the cover of the book. I have more definition than that guy, he thinks to himself.

You look up from the book to look towards the ceiling, crossing your ankles together as the replay the scene in your head, biting your lip before closing your eyes- and Jayce steals the book as you hastily lean forwards and try and snatch it back.

Jayce stands, your legs falling off his lap as he holds the book up at out your reach. He goes back a few pages, humming and nodding along as you grip his arm trying to force it done to no use. "Jayce!" you plead but your boyfriend simply ignores you and flips to the next page before holding your hip.

"Almost done, just taking notes," Jayce hums, staring down and smiling at your glare before leaning down kissing your nose. You scrunch it, "You don't need notes Jayce," you try and entice his ego into letting the book go but Jayce shakes shakes his head, "apparently I need to do better if you're imaging other men in that brilliant mind of yours."

Its your time to laugh, "Jayce... I was imaging you the whole time." His eyes quickly catch your own, lighting up, mouth in a playful smirk as he marks the page and places it on the lounge before taking you into his arms, "you were now? and what was I doing to you-hm?"

"I mean, you just read it for yourself..." you trail off, playing with the buttons of his dress-shirt and observing the small flowers within the metal design. "Maybe I just want to hear your voice," Jayce counters before pulling away and sitting back at his desk, sighing at the other stack of letters he still has to get through before the end of the day.

You sit back on the lounge picking up the book and flipping to the next more relaxed chapter before reading it aloud for you both, Jayce nods along to the sound of your voice as he slices open another letter and observes it continents.

─────── · ·

─ · · After reading through all of Piltover's words and demands to help Jayce finish up for the day and by having memorized his signature and forging it, you both take the boxes to the front desk to be shipped back home. You grab Jayce's arm while walking down the street and back to your apartment where Ximena and Evren were waiting for you at the kitchen table. "Busy day today?" Evren asks while filling up your glass.

You shrug, "got the marking done for the weekend and helped him with the mail," you explain before stealing a bite off of Jayce's plate watching as he playfully glares at you before returning to his conversation with his mom.

Evren nods, "I'm going to miss you when you're gone..." you smile sadly, reaching your hand over the table to grasp his own, "I'll write to you every week until I annoy you and at that point I'll come for a visit," you explain watching as Evren smiles and squeezes your hand before placing a kiss to the back of it, "I look forwards to then but you have to tell me!"

"Tell you what?" you ask, squinting your eyes- trying to decipher his words before he speaks them to life, "what do you plan to do when you get back? You two moving in together? What are you going to do for work?- or are you gonna be one of those hot little housewives waiting for their man to get home~" Evren teases you with a wink.

You gasp, taking your hand away to cover your mouth, "Evren!" you shout now catching everyones attention at the table as both Jayce and Ximena look between the two of you curiously. Evren leans back in his chair, clutching his stomach as he laughs at your horrified reaction, "I mean... I don't think Jayce would mind-" he manages to speak in between gaps of laughter.

"I hate you," you whine, hiding your face in your hands, head in your lap as Jayce rubs up and down your back only making you feel worse. "You're not making me feel any better, Jayce!" you explain as Jayce slows his movements and leans down to whisper in your ear asking if you're okay.

You quickly sit up, face flushed as you blink away tears from concealing your own silent laughs while pointing a finger and glaring at Evren who simply blows you a kiss. Ximena clears her throat, your eyes snap to her as she looks at you concerned, "what happened, dear? If you don't like the food I can make you something else? If its my son? I apologize, but know that he loves you."

You shake your head, "No, no, the food is delightful as always and Jayce is... yeah," your mind still held up on the housewife comment. Evren chokes on his own drink, picking up his napkin feeling as you kick his shin from underneath the table. "Ouch- hey!" he glares at you staring as you cross your arms over your chest. Jayce sighs, shaking his head with a smile at how you both act like an old married couple together.

Ximena still looks worried as she motions for Jayce to comfort you again, "What did Evren say to upset you?" Jayce asks quietly. You can't look at him, only holding your sights on Evren- daring him to speak first. "Well," Evren sits up in his chair, looking at everyone at the table before keeping his eyes on Jayce for his reaction, eyes shimmering with mischief, "I said that our friend here would give all those high ladies in Piltover a run for their money being the hottest little housewife waiting for their man to get home."

You groan, wanting to become a puddle and seep beneath the floorboards into nothingness. I hate you, I hate you Evren, Why, why why did you say that? You listen as Jayce roars with laughter, feeling his hand caress the back of your head and to your horror, Ximena nods along agreeing with Evren, "I think she holds more class than the entire upper class put together. Oh let me show you the pictures of them together, I enjoyed seeing everyone's jealous faces," Jayce's mom claps her hands together excitedly before grabbing a photo album she's been preparing for your wedding, you want to die.

"Can I just catch a break, please," you beg to the floor watching as Jayce's foot taps the side of yours, you look up to your boyfriend's large eyes holding nothing but care and affection within his irises, "If thats what you want to do, know that I can and will provide for you." You stare at him, watching for a bluff yet Jayce only kisses your forehead before leaning back in his chair, glass in hand as he holds your thigh, squeezing it gently as his mother returns to the table- book in hand.

Evren looks utterly pleased with himself, graciously taking the book, "Damn! You two look so good together, tell me that you still have this dress?" he turns the album around, finger tapping at a photo from Jayce's councillor party. You remember that day vividly, Jayce's hot stare at you throughout the night before carrying you down the hall and then... you bedded another. Jayce tenses beside you, seemingly remembering that fact the same time that you do. He smiles tightly at Evren who quickly looks down to the next page of you and Jayce shopping together, a little girl in your arms.

Evren takes his time looking at that image before passing the album back to Ximena who smiles, "my favourite picture," she comments, closing the book softly before setting it aside. You look around the table before looking at Jayce to find him already looking at you.

Ximena leans over grasping Evren's arm as she whispers into his ear while watching you both with a smile, "It may just be a generational thing but I do hope she considers your words." Evren nods, pulling away before shooting you a horrified look, I promise you I was just kidding, his mouths to you.

─────── · ·

─ · · When night falls you hug Evren goodbye for the night and close the door behind you, Jayce is wiping down the table before looking up at you with a smile. Your eyes feel heavy as you lean against his back and close your eyes with a sigh. Ximena leans against an archway between the kitchen and the living space staring at you both while grasping her hands tightly together underneath her chin.

Jayce raises his arm to get a glimpse of your sleepy form, "tired there are you miss?" he teases, "please know that I have a girlfriend."

"Mmm, I'm sure she wouldn't mind," you murmur back, smiling towards Ximena. "I would think otherwise, I really must go see her if you'll let me go?" Jayce counters, grabbing your hand- interlacing his fingers with your own, gently pulling you off of him. You giggle before running off, "Night, Jayce!" you call from down the hall before closing your door. Jayce scoffs looking towards him mom, "What did I do wrong this time?"

Ximena shrugs, taking the towel from his hands and throws it by the sink, "I haven't got a clue, sweetie," she pats her sons arm looking down at your door, "Maybe she just wants to sleep by herself tonight, nothing wrong with that right?" Jayce lets out a deep long breath, "...yeah I guess." Ximena chuckles before leaving to get herself ready for bed as Jayce debates weather or not to take your couch or to head back to his hotel room.

Suddenly you open your door in one of his shirts as you switch off the lights, "Jayce?" you call, Jayce's heart picks up- hopeful. "C'mere let's sleep-" Jayce races over, picking you up in his arms, closing the door with his foot behind you both before placing you back on your bed.

He quickly undresses himself before sliding himself underneath the covers- smiling as you burrowing your face into the side of his chest with a satisfied hum. "Can we make a rule of not going to bed alone?" Jayce asks softly. You laugh, "Sure, Jayce."

"I'm serious," he speaks softly and your laughter dies, "no matter how angry you are with me or what happens, I just need you there at the end of the day." You press a kiss to his chest, lingering for a moment before pulling away, "same time, anywhere and always."

─────── · ·

─ · · When you step into Evrens office the next day, you are shocked to see his desk covered in cards and parting gifts as various staff and students alike prepare for your impending departure. You smile, ripping through the assortment of ribbons and paper- taking your time to note down each sender and write them a small message back on your break.

Evren looks jealous, taking a look into the various bags and boxes with a huff, "nobody sent me things when I got divorced." You shake your head at your professor friend as he grumbles to himself, stealing a scarf from one of your presents when he thinks you not to be looking before heading to lecture leaving you to conduct office hours.

A knock sounds at the door, "come in!" you yell, quickly disposing of all the wrapping before taking a sip of your now lukewarm coffee. Jayce walks in, jacket draped over his forearm and briefcase in his other hand as he smiles at you. "Do you have a moment for some questions, miss?" he asks, taking a seat in front of Evren's desk. You giggle, taking a seat in his chair before leaning forwards and trying to conceal your smile. "I have all the time in the world for you, Jayce-my-boy, whatever are your questions, young student?"

Jayce shakes his head, "I'm afraid its a rather serious affair," he deadpans. "Oh? Do go on then," you wave your hand, leaning back in Evren's chair as Jayce leans forwards on the desk. "I need a dinner date." You gasp, the shock... the outrage!

"I do beg your pardon, pupil. But it would be against policy for me to accept your request," you explain, crossing your legs as you place your head on your palm, elbow resting on the arm of your chair. Jayce pouts, ringing his fingers through his hair, "surely there could be an... exception for your favourite student?"

"Thats quite the bold claim you've made there," you respond, eyes gleaming with humour as Jayce stares at you, trying to figure out how to get you to fold. Suddenly he stands, rounding the table and placing his hands on the arms of your chair, boxing you in.

You lean as far back as back in your chair, staring up at Jayce as his face becomes steadily closer to your own. His hair brushing your forehead, his breath hot against your skin as his eyes flicker between your own and your lips, "I can prove it to you if you allow me to show you," he whispers.

You pause for a moment, looking down at Jayce's lips before trailing down to his neck and tie in which you tug him even closer by, you hear him gasp as your lips brush against his, "show me," you murmur before feeling his lips linger against your own. His hand moves to cup your cheek- tilting your head up to deepen the kiss.

You moan giving Jayce access to explore your mouth, you gasp as his other hands joins to hold your face, fingers brushing your cheeks before pulling away as you both gasp for air. "So can I expect to see you in my room at six?" Jayce asks, thumb brushing up against your lower lip as you give it a teasing lick watching as his eyes darken.

"What should I wear?" you ask.

"Honest answer? nothing," he says with a shrug.

"Jayce Talis!" you scold, he smirks, "Same thing from the gala."

"But you've already seen me in that," you pout thinking about the various other articles you've collected for special occasions and a moment like this. Jayce kisses you once more, "But I didn't get to dance with you in it, kiss you in it, make you feel my hand drag up your leg through the slit or watch as it falls to the floor leaving you bare for my eyes only," he explains watching as your cheeks warm and how you push yourself back on the wheeled chair and into a corner of the room, refusing to meet his eyes that drink in your flustered look.

"I thought you were over that night by now," you mumble underneath your breath looking at Jayce through the corner of your eye as he nods his head contemplating- eyes looking upwards to the ceiling as he considers his next words, "I'll always want more of you- doesn't matter if it's then, now, or the future. Sometimes I fear that we won't have enough time to experience it all..."

Your frown at his words, "I think we've experienced more than the average lifetime, Jayce."

"But... I- just," Jayce sighs, "never mind." You stand and walk over to Jayce, picking up one of his arms and placing it around your waist- pressing a kiss to his jaw, "I'll love you regardless of what you say next Jayce... just as long as its within reason," you try and lighten the mood. Jayce sits with your words before opening his mouth again to speak.

"I just want enough moments we share to be happy ones... we just... so much happened to us that I don't want you to look back and regret choosing me," Jayce whispers, blinking a few times before looking over your shoulder.

"Is this what you've thought for sometime?" you ask worriedly, taking his face into your hands when he refuses to meet your eyes, the silence is telling and your heart aches in response. "Jayce," you whisper his name, trying to call him back to you and out of his negative thoughts.

He slowly turns his head, "sorry for ruining the movement," he kisses your cheek and wraps his other arm around your waist. You both stand there for a moment, feeling one another warmth as you press your lips to his softly, whispering, "No, thank you for sharing that with me, Jayce. Never think you're protecting me from your emotions, I want to hear what you have to say, always."

Jayce nods, pressing his lips against your own as you close your eyes, dragging your fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp, you feel as his shoulders drop adding a smile to your kiss. "What?" Jayce asks, eyes brightening as he tilts his head watching your smile grow, "I just love you," you respond with a giggle.

Jayce smiles mirrors your own as he gives you a squeeze, lifting his chin to place atop your head, "I love you too."

─────── · ·

─ · · You held a bouquet of flowers in your arms while trying to knock on Jayce's door... you were a bit early... as in an entire hour early but you thought he wouldn't mind.

─ · · Within the room Jayce was still working, hand gripping the pen tightly as he sighed frustratedly, the numbers were just not adding up for what other regions were demanding from Piltover in return for what they were offering... the upper city had already finished rebuilding after the crises. Local businesses were returning back to their regularly scheduled hours and with the people of Zaun being able to freely come up to the surface and vice versa... the old contracts just did not make sense any longer.

─ · · Jayce gripped his hair, leaning back in his chair as he looked down at his watch, she's coming soon... but I have to get this done... fuck, Jayce thought to himself before standing abruptly at the sound of your knock.

He opened the door, startled to see you all ready, hair all done up and in thee dress, he stared for awhile before remembering to let you inside. You placed the flowers at the foot of the bed, kicking off your heels as Jayce smiled offering his slippers before suddenly remembering his dishevelled appearance.

His shirt was unbuttoned half way, tie left stranded on the desk. His forearms are on display, tattoo dragging up his arm that he scratches the back of his head with- hair a waterfall against his forehead. "Today is just my day it seems," he sighs while looking at the flowers you brought him and he had nothing to offer you, feeling disappointed with himself.

"You look good, my love. I enjoy the relaxed look," you say honestly. Jayce furrows his eyebrows in question, "Jayce..." you laugh fully now, falling back into the bed, "I looked at pictures when you first came back and..." you blush, "...you looked good then." Jayce shakes his head, disturbed someone had shown you pictures.

"That was something I tried to hide purposefully-" he begins to explain, embarrassed as he pinches the bridge of his nose as you bat your eyelashes up at him. "Why?" you cut him off, curious as you sit up slightly, leaning back on your elbows.

"I just didn't want you to see me at such a low point, such a mess," he explains before joining you on the bed, placing his head in your lap to cover his face. Someone's the shy one today, you think to yourself.

"You don't always have to look your best or be strong for me, Jayce. I promise thats only a fraction of you that I fell for," you reassure him, relieved to be getting all the doubts and worries out now.

"But I just want to be the best man for you," Jayce picks up, body hovering over your own.

"You are, Jayce. The man I love is selfless, intelligent and above all, kind. He kisses me after a long day of work, dances with me even when I step on his designer shoes, laughs at my terrible jokes, and is always there to bring me up no matter how many times I don't think I am worthy of all this love and attention that he too seems to forget he is just as worthy of feeling regardless of being the "man" everyone else tells him to be. You are everything I need or could ever want you to be, Jayce." you are nearly breathless by the end of your speech and the way in which he kisses you passionately, unable to contain his affections.

"Could I marry you now?" Jayce, equally breathless asks in a tone light yet holding an edge of sincerity to it.

"You're mother would be severely disappointed... I would also be taking her Mrs. Talis title," you counter yet knowing within yourself you would go down to the courthouse now without a care for any large ceremony.

"I guess you're right... but then again, she'll more than understand. Know that when we get to Piltover theres nothing stopping me from becoming your husband," Jayce states as you look up at him, fingers brushing his lip, picking up the edges to make his smile grow, hands falling once seeing it spread on its own. "Mr. and Mrs. Talis," you hum to yourself, testing the titles you had already been called countless times on accident, "Mrs. Talis," Jayce echos, a part of you in shock that one day it would be official.

─────── · ·

─ · · Your inside date would tick off every box Jayce had mentioned earlier. A record played in the background as he twirled you dizzy before crashing you against his chest and tilting your head up into a dizzying kiss that held your knees weak. His mouth distracts your trail of thoughts as you feel how his hand drags up your leg, up and under the slit of your dress and towards your undergarments before the phone rings.

Jayce holds you against him, breaths ragged as he reaches over to pick up the phone, pressing a kiss to your cheek, "Hello?" you bite your lip at his baritone, not quite listening to what he says but how he says it. "Dinners here," he explains as the line dies, you nod your head, dragging yourself out from underneath his hold and ensuring that you look... somewhat presentable as people set the table and leave quickly that has you looking over yourself worriedly before noticing the mark you left above Jayce's collar bone on display... and the over a dozen lipstick kisses across his skin and dress-shirt... oh.

"Gods, it looks like a ripped you apart," you say, reaching from your glass, chiming it against Jayce's who smiles underneath the lip of the glass, "a good thing, no?" He tries to boost your ego. You roll your eyes, "everyones gonna think I'm just using you," you grumble, taking a bite off your plate.

"You're welcome to," Jayce indulges you with a wink, tongue swirling around one of his canines as stare at him for awhile, "Sometimes I question how long I withstood your advances."

"I question that too," Jayce admits, "when I first started I was willing to do just about anything for you to see me" You gasp, "so you knew exactly what you were doing!" You think back to the various times you thought to have caught him in a state of undress, imagining him purposefully placing things too high for you to reach, or calling you anything but your name in front of your peers.

"Guilty as charged, sweetheart."

─────── · ·

─ · · Waking up in the morning you both took a slow morning getting ready before heading back to your apartment and starting to pack everything away with the help of Ximena and Evren.

Suspiciously all the heavy boxes you packed and tried to hide to carry later were all taken and gone. Your furniture was going to stay for the next household as You and Evren worked around it, folding your clothes into bags and boxes alongside wrapping the glassware in the kitchen with Ximena.

Jayce was in a pair of kakis and black t-shirt, sweat dripping down his forehead as took a box out of your hands and walked out the door not listening to your demands of helping to carry things as Ximena dragged your arm back to the living room to finish taping the boxes on the table.

Seeing Jayce out of the corner of your eye, you dropped your chest over the box protectively, "If you don't let me carry this box Jayce I'm leaving you at the aisle," you threaten, standing and walking to the door as Evren silently trails behind giving Jayce a look up and down watching as he wipes the sweat off his forehead.

"You two are going to be somethin' huh?" Evren yells before stepping outside after you, loud enough for both you and Jayce to react separately with laughs.

─────── · ·

─ · · Everything was loaded onto a train carriage headed a day ahead of you all to arrive when you got there. Jayce laid on your bed, chest down as you startled his hips, massaging his back. You laughed listening to him complain about your cold fingers before groaning as those same fingers loosened a knot in his lower back, "I told you to let me help you," you pressed down a bit harder as Jayce whined, biting his lip, the pain felt relieving to the stress he felt within his muscles.

You lessened your pressure, working your way upwards as your hands traced his shoulders before squeezing them. Jayce burrowed his face, groaning into the comforter you would be taking on the train as you laughed, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his neck. "Feels good?" you tease watching as Jayce slowly shows his face again, mischief in his eyes that has you slightly worried for his next words, "stealing my line there are you sweetheart?"

You flush not knowing how to respond but thankfully you wouldn't have to, freezing at a scream, heads whipping over to see an embarrassed Evren who thought to be walking in on your both. "Evren! I'm just massaging Jayce's back, promise," you reassure your friend as he hesitantly opens his eyes before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Do you both ever fear being too attached together?" he asks seeing how Jayce reaches behind feeling for your hand as you lace your fingers together, you both think for a moment, "We can last at least a week with no contact," you nod, "Yeah, maybe two depending on how earlier weeks were."

You and Jayce proceed to go back and worth determining that the longest timing with different prior variables. Evren was not planning to witness you both debate like old times in the lab as you get back to rubbing his shoulders and neck; Hypotheticals and theories, what if I sent a gift part-way? Would letters count as contact? What If I visited part way and then left... could we go longer then?

"I think the answers conclusive, 3 weeks with at least two visits and gifts," you tap Jayce's back, sliding off as Evren does not know weather to feel disgusted by how sweet you both are with one another, disturbed by how telepathically you read one another, or enamoured by the affection you both share. "I cannot believe you even decided on getting with that officer," Evren jokes as you roll your eyes, "don't remind me about him, that was a poor choice on so many levels. But then again... If I hadn't done that Jayce and I may not have gotten together in the end."

"Still not thanking that fucker," Jayce curses, throwing his shirt back on before extending a hand, helping you off the bed, "oh no, I was going to try and invite them to the wedding," you joke... Jayce stares blankly at your head in response as Evren smiles at you both, "I love you two."

You rush over hugging Evren tightly knowing that this would be one of your final moments together, "Love you too Ev!"Jayce joins the hug as you both smush Evren between your bodies, "Now this was NOT the threesome I'd imagine," Evren says, patting both of your arms gently with a wheeze.

─────── · ·

─ · · You count every bag and item on your person before double checking Jayce's hotel room to ensure you both got everything. Evren and Ximena were both waiting for you on the tracks, watching as the luggage got loaded.

"I told myself not to cry," Evren says to himself with a pout, blinking profusely as if to delay the tears... yet it only seemed to make them come faster as he sniffled, dragging you into a hug as you both swayed side to side, "Why am I getting so emotional? We only hung out for what... a few months?"

"Ouch, Ev. I thought my friendship meant more to you," you joke, rubbing his back seeing as his glasses fog up, "It does I assure you. Just like how I'm dead set on delivering a speech at your wedding." You groan at the thought of it knowing that in your many nights out together after class... you told him almost every secret you had to share.

"You wouldn't do that to me!" you try and guilt trip him, feeling as he shakes his head, pulling away from the hug, a smile returning to his face that matches your amused one, "Consider it payback for leaving me here."

"I told you you're welcome to come back, I'm sure I could find a spot for you within the Academy?" you counter. "I'll get back to you on that once the loneliness settles in."

"Whatever you need, Ev. Whatever you need," you reassure him, pulling the professor in for one last hug before standing off to the side watching as Ximena gathers her own hug before joining you observing as Jayce and Evren hold a handshake, unsure of what they are whispering to one another.

─ · · "Take care of my friend, please," Evren asks quietly, "I know I joke about it a lot but divorce does hurt." Jayce nods firmly, eyes determined without a trace of fear or doubt, "I promise you I will and I don't mean my words lightly."

"Thank you."

─────── · ·

─ · · On the train back to Piltover you sit beside Ximena as you both share your combined excitement to see if parts of the upper city were how you remembered and what restaurants you both wanted to sit in as soon as you got back.

Jayce leaned back on a bench opposite of your both, watching with a smile wishing he brought a camera to capture this moment for all of eternity. You and his mom held hand, shaking with laughter as she recalled various stories from Jayce's childhood you had yet to hear.

"Oh and Jayce used to make pretend weddings in school wanting to stay in his uniform like a suit. And did I ever tell you about how he caught his hair on fire the first time in the forge? Or what about the hour before you arrived to our house for the first time?- Jayce was pacing around the kitchen nearly digging a hole into the floor with worry. 'What if she doesn't like the food, mom?' 'Oh god I never asked if she came from nobility?' 'Is it bad of me to be worried this much?'" Ximena looks lovingly towards her son who blushes a furious red, "mom you were just as worried as I was!" he counters with a huff.

You smile, "I was worried too that I was overdressed or what address you by the wrong title. I also didn't know what work material to bring without feeling intruding even when thats what you requested," you explain as Ximena grabs shakes your hand in her own. "You were so beautiful that day, I think I fell in love myself," you laugh lightly, "I can see where Jayce gets his charm from."

"Only learned from the best," Jayce adds.

─────── · ·

─ · · You and Ximena had yet to move from your spots when Jayce came back in his sleepwear. Laying down in the cot he looked between you and his mom, lingering on your form with consideration. Ximena caught his look, "If you didn't keep her from me earlier in the week, Jayce, you would have more time together now." You shake your head in humour, "I'll get ready in a few minutes, my love. Just discussing flowers for the wedding."

Jayce frowns but nods, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest trying to create a comforting weight. You continue your conversation yet can't help your eyes from constantly darting to look at Jayce with longing. Ximena shakes her head, "alright, I'll let you both sleep now. See you two in the morning," she stands, kissing your cheek gently before moving to her own room two doors down in the carriage.

You watch as Jayce opens his arms expectantly- not being able to contain your laugh before rushing over and collapsing against him. "G'night," you mumble, pressing the light-switch beside the bed feeling as Jayce shuffles the blankets over you both in the small cot.

Jayce's turns on his side allowing you more space as intertwine your legs, "Night, sweetheart."

─────── · ·

─ · · SERIES MASTERLIST

─ · · A/N: I think this series is officially the longest thing I've ever written... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, JAYCE TALIS 🫠

─ · · JAYCE TALIS TAGLIST: @sseleniaa @sunshiines-stuff @kiromiix @todorokishoe24 @w2momo @m-arj-1 @reid490 @kaminocasey @chickenlvr123 @peachhiz @hellokittyluvr69420