#five stages of reality au | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

changbunnies · 3 months ago

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Angel of Music (18+)

♡ Pairing: Phantom!Minho x Opera Singer Fem!Reader

♡ Genre: phantom of the opera inspired au, horror themes, dark romance, age gap, smut, dead dove? read the warnings carefully and come to ur own conclusion on what you're willing to read before engaging pls :'), the ending is also a lil dark, sorry!

♡ Word Count: 5.8k

♡ Summary: A phantom exists in the opera house– he controls every production from the shadows, lurks around every dark corner, always watching. In your dreams exists an angel– a guardian that sings to you, guides you, and comforts you. When The Phantom appears before you in your dressing room mirror, you begin to realize that he and your angel may be one in the same.

♡ General Warnings: slightly less extreme age gap than the source material that inspires this fic but it's still fairly large (reader is ~mid 20s and minho is ~40), briefly described attempted murder of minor characters, implications of stalking, hypnotism, hallucinations + doubts of reality, so much usage of the words "phantom" and "angel" it's not even funny, this fic is not an accurate representation of how hypnotism works irl but it's fiction so i'm taking liberties!

♡ Smut Warnings: dubcon (due to reader being hypnotized), additionally to not being in their proper state of mind, there are also moments in which reader does not feel to be in full control of their body, light dom/sub dynamics, soft pleasure dom!minho because i want more of him !!, mask kink (does it still count if the mask doesn't cover his whole face?? idk i hope so!), some biting, oral (f rec), overstim, multiple orgasms

♡ Notes: i've known for ages that i wanted to write a phantom!minho fic, and my kinktober series gave me the perfect reason to finally write it! also the fact that both my uploaded minho fics are age gap romances?? that was not intentional i swear lmao

♡ Disclaimer: please read responsibly, and remember that this work is fiction and meant strictly for imaginative fun. the idols used in fics are more accurately faceclaims and personality outlines for imaginary characters, and should not be interpreted as factual representations of existing people.

All inhabitants of the opera house have been on edge these days– consequence of the new owners of the Opera Populaire, who decided to disregard all of The Phantom's demands.

The Phantom, as the name suggests, is a ghost story of sorts. According to your castmates, he has been here since long before you joined the Opera Populaire's trainees last year, but his activity has begun to increase since your arrival.

He controls all in the opera house, and his demands of the previous owner were always quite simple; perform what shows he instructs you to, follow his casting down to the letter, and keep the seats in Box Five free at all times. Evidentially, Box Five is his favorite place to watch the shows from– and sometimes, his dark silhouette can be spotted in the shadows of the booth, indiscernible but unmistakably there.

No one has ever truly seen The Phantom beyond a shadow, nor have they heard him speak. He communicates with notes, always left within feet of the recipient without anyone having seen him come or go. His notes will even appear in broad daylight, with not a single person having caught a glimpse of him despite all the eyes in the room.

Well, more accurately, no one has seen him apart from the Madame– an older woman who used to be a performer for the Opera Populaire herself, but has taken the role of choreographer since her retirement from the stage. In the 15 years it's been since The Phantom made his presence known to the opera house, she's the only one who's ever seen him, or heard his voice.

A brief encounter, she explained when asked about it– had barely seen him for more than a few passing moments. He spoke little, but the beauty of his voice was striking, completely unlike any other she’d ever heard. And all he asked of her, in that fleeting moment, was to remember that the Opera Populaire is his home– and as long as the inhabitants respect him, he'll respect them in turn.

The previous director, the Madame, and The Phantom all had a mutual understanding of what was to be done. As long as they listened to him, shows would go off without a hitch; but refuse, and there'd be dire consequences. As such, the Madame has been doing her best to express the importance of listening to The Phantom to the new owners.

The Monsieurs view it as no more than silly superstition– every opera house has their own beliefs and customs, things they consider good and bad luck before a show, things they view as omens of a show's future success. The Phantom is simply one of those things– and with a guiding hand, they can dispel such superstitions, show the cast and crew that there is no shadowy phantom to fear.

The first note left for the Monsieurs went disregarded– a barking laugh leaving the elder of the two before he tossed it in the bin. The instructions on the note were clear enough– you were to take the role of Eurydice in the opera house's production of Orpheus and Eurydice, and not Carlotta, as they originally casted.

You were just as baffled as everyone else to learn that The Phantom wanted you to take such an important role– you'd only been here a year, were still so new to your opera training. It's true enough that you have a good voice, and your dancing has improved with all your diligent practice, but you're still young, and the tragic role of Eurydice is not so easily performed.

Natural talent for bringing emotion to performance aside, you lack stage experience– experience that you can easily gain from background roles. To make you such a crucial stand-out role after only a year of training was simply unheard of– no opera house would do it!

This is to be your first production, your first time on stage in front of an audience; and so regardless of what The Phantom wants, Monsieur Reyer opted to keep you strictly in the supporting chorus roles, where you would go from shepherdess, to nymph, to spirit as the acts progressed. Not a glamorous, shining position in the cast by any means, but more than enough to help familiarize you with the reality of performing with hundreds of eyes watching.

It wouldn't take long for The Phantom to make his displeasure with the decision known. And what started off as just small accidents and stage mishaps quickly turned violent and dangerous as each week passed with you still not given the role that The Phantom felt you deserved to have.

The first violent turn came during rehearsals for Act 3, right in the middle of Eurydice's climactic aria, when the chandelier above the stage came crashing down. Carlotta was standing directly beneath it just before it fell, and it narrowly missed her– purely because she happened to take a few steps forward whilst singing.

“An unfortunate accident,” the Monsieurs said, “it had nothing to do with The Phantom!” But the veterans of the opera house knew better– and the conductor swore he saw a dark shadow on the scaffolds just before the chandelier fell; a shadow that could belong to none other than The Phantom.

Carlotta screamed as it crashed just mere inches away from her, right where she's just been standing, and cried as everyone rushed to her side to ensure that she was unharmed. Again, the Madame tried to persuade them to heed The Phantom before another such “accident” occurred.

"Good God in Heaven, you're all obsessed! These things just happen sometimes– there is no phantom!" Reyer cried in exasperation over everyone's insistence, still unwilling to give in to the idea that the opera house's ghost was real.

And tonight, just after rehearsals came to a close, another terrible stage accident occurred– this time happening to Monsieur Reyer himself. He was up on the scaffolding when it happened, making sure all the stagehands properly rigged the lights in preparation for tomorrow night's premiere of Orpheus and Eurydice.

He was bent down, inspecting the bulbs and wires, when a dark figure appeared behind him. The shadow wrapped a noose around his neck faster than anyone could even react, pushed him off the scaffolding before swiftly retreating back to the shadows.

Reyer almost didn't survive– he was lucky that the nearby stagehands were quick on their feet and in their wits, managing to grab his arms and pull him up while another cut the rope that served to hang the poor man. And as if the message from the accidents alone weren't clear enough, another note was left behind right in the middle of the stage.

It was astounding, really, that not a single person saw The Phantom leave the note behind– and while some could argue that it was because all eyes were on Reyer, or because the stage became chaos as they worked to save him, the Monsieurs realized that maybe they should start to believe that there really is a ghost inhabiting the Opera Populaire.

The moment the note was noticed, the Madame picked it up, and read it aloud for all to hear. "Again, I remind you that Y/N will play the role of Eurydice. As I instruct, Box Five shall remain open for my use. These seats will not be used by another. This is my final warning– disregard at your own risk."

Realizing they had no choice, lest they wish to continue putting themselves and other cast and crew in danger, the Monsieurs begrudgingly declared you the new Eurydice, right then and there.

Given that you're at every rehearsal, you know Eurydice's lines by heart, and are confident that you can sing them well– but still, you're nervous. It's your first production, the premiere is sold out, is set for tomorrow night, and suddenly you're in one of the most pivotal roles in the entire opera.

You don't even understand why The Phantom is so adamant about giving the role to you; what is it about you that he likes, what is it that he sees in you? You wish you could ask the Madame, but she met him so fleetingly, and so many years ago– she has no way of knowing The Phantom's heart beyond an educated guess.

Sitting before your dressing room mirror, you sigh, utterly exhausted– now that you're Eurydice, it was vital that you do a last minute costume fitting and makeup test. As such, you've been in the opera house hours past the time you'd normally be here. The moon hangs high in the sky now, you're sure; you wonder if you should just spend the night here, sleep in the dressing room instead of making a late trek home.

Regardless, you hope your angel comes to you tonight. You know no one would believe you if you told them, but you really do have a guardian angel; and in your dreams, he comes to you– always when you are most lost and in need of guidance. He's a gentle, calming presence; always comforts you, talks to you sweetly when you're filled with self doubt, sings to you in the most beautiful of voices.

You've never actually seen your angel clearly– only heard his voice calling your name and whispering, singing, in a way that could only be described as angelic in its serenity. In your dreams, he's nothing but a vague, blurry image– even at his most clear, you can't define any of his features.

Still, you think of him fondly– and you suspect that as an angel, you aren't meant to be able to fully perceive him. And your angel always, always, knows when you need him– you suspect that even now, he's waiting; waiting for the moment you fall asleep, so that he can come to your side.

You look at yourself, still dressed as Eurydice. A beautiful, off shoulder bateau gown in the prettiest, purest ivory. There's lace appliques throughout the gown, has a beautiful cinched bodice before the tulle skirt fluffs out. It's elegant, makes you feel like a bride waiting to walk down the aisle.

Your makeup shimmers– extra glitter applied on your eyelids to make sure the stage lights catch it. Your jewelry too, is extravagant– made to sparkle and shine every time a light shines on you, to twinkle with each subtle move you make. It's a shame you have to take it all off just to put it all back on tomorrow– but the effort to make sure everything fits you was necessary.

You reach your hands up to one of your ears, prepare to remove one of your dangling earrings when you hear a voice you know all too well call your name– your angel's voice.

You look around the room, bewildered, but see nothing and no one. And surely you were mistaken– you're still awake! Your angel only comes to you in dreams, and you haven't fallen asleep... right? You are still awake, aren't you?

Again, you hear his voice, another whisper of your name. You rise from your chair, look around the room once more– no one. You turn back to the dressing room mirror, and jump in surprise, realizing that the view reflected in it has changed. You no longer see yourself, or the reflection of the dressing room around you– instead, you see a man.

He looks just as the Madame described her memory of The Phantom– dark hair, and even darker eyes, with a white mask that covers the right half of his face. Not completely– just from his hairline, down to his pretty, plump lips. Every inch of his skin is covered, head to toe, all of his clothes pure black apart from the ornate red vest.

Sleek boots and dark trousers, a tall collar that obscures most of his neck, long sleeves that cover his arms, even gloves covering his hands. He wears a cape, long and as dark as the rest of his clothes, and it blows behind him as if there’s a breeze rolling through.

You’re confused, a little frightened, but you can’t tear your eyes away or will yourself to flee– and as the figure speaks your name, you gasp; he truly has the voice of your angel. But he’s The Phantom, isn’t he?

The blurry, vague scenery behind him begins to sharpen, coming more distinctly visible to your uncertain eyes. A dark corridor full of candelabra, glowing in dull yellows and shades of orange, held by incorporeal hands with no discernable origin.

What little of your dressing room you see in your peripheral shifts and warps as you stare at him, blur together into dark shadows as the table holding your hairbrush and makeup begin to fade and disappear, leaving the view through the mirror as the only thing you can see.

The figure– your angel, The Phantom?– holds his hand out to you through the mirror, as if the glass that should separate you no longer exists; perhaps it doesn't. Smoke– or maybe fog, mist? you can't be certain– pours into the room as you approach the mirror.

As if under a spell, you reach out to take his hand, thinking not of logic as you follow the beckoning call of your name. Your angel; you trust your angel. He smiles as you place your hand in his, and carefully, you step through the mirror, into the corridor.

Entranced, you stare at him; even with half a mask covering his face, he's utterly beautiful. He appears to be older than you, hints of fine lines beholden around his mouth and eyes, and even that adds to his mysterious charm. He holds your gaze as he takes a step back, a candelabra in his hand now, beckoning you to follow him down the corridor.

You squeeze his hand as you follow, and finally he turns around, walks with purpose as he guides you, glancing behind every so often to look at you in what you think to be adoration. You too, glance behind– and where the mirror once stood is now a desolate, barren wall.

You do not see any hint of your dressing room, or of the mirror you stepped through. And as you continue further down the corridor, the candelabra that were once behind you slowly begin to blink out and vanish from sight, leaving only pitch black darkness behind. A spiral staircase made of stone manifests, and you descend it, hand in hand with your angel.

You're so enchanted and bewildered, you can't seem to find your voice– all you can do is follow, let him guide you along to where it is he wants you to be. Even the staircase dissipates when you've finished descending, and for just a moment, you wonder– is any of this truly real?

Finally, you stand in the middle of a beautiful room, lit candles both resting in more candelabra and strewn about the floor, with dark, intricately woven tapestries hanging from the stone walls. There’s a grand piano, sleek black with gold accents, with even more candles resting atop it, as well as a sheet of music sitting pristine on the music desk, black ink seemingly freshly dried, just waiting to be played.

There are several mirrors, though only one remains uncovered– the rest are obscured by cloth, for reasons you do not know. There is a bed, in what you suppose would be called a “corner” in this otherwise circular space, inviting and plush in its appearance, with blankets colored a rich red. Naturally, candles surround the bed as well, covering it in a beautifully soft, yellow-orange glow.

“Where are we?” you finally find your voice to ask, and the man smiles as he beckons you to follow him towards his bed. “We are home,” he replies, and though it’s a strange answer, you feel you understand– yes, you are home. This is home.

You gaze at him curiously after you sit on the bed, just as comfortable as you expected it to be, and he mimics the way you’ve tilted your head at him. “You’re.. My angel, aren’t you? Or are you The Phantom?” you ask, and the man laughs ever so softly, melodious and beautiful.

“I am Minho,” he responds, as if that alone is a sufficient enough answer– in a way, you suppose it is. What else is there to know? He is Minho. That is enough.

“I have longed to touch you, to bring you here,” Minho whispers as he reaches one of his gloved hands to your face, strokes your cheek slowly, gently. The sensation, though simple, feels so tender– it sparks something inside you, fills you with a warmth you’ve never felt before. You close your eyes, bask in the comfort his touch provides you.

You feel his hand move, travel down until his fingers are under your chin. He tilts your head up, and you open your eyes to see him gazing down at you warmly. “You are so beautiful,” he whispers, speaking to you as gently as he always does. He’s said it before, in your dreams– that you are beautiful, talented, deserving of all you wish to have.

He never lets you linger on self-doubt, never allows you to think you are lesser than someone else, or undeserving of the opportunities you’ve been granted. Your angel knows you– you think he’s appearing to you now, like this, because he knows you are uncertain of playing Eurydice; he must think that he needs to remind you of just how special you are.

All of your doubts about tomorrow’s premiere– he will dispel them from your mind, as he always does. He kneels before you, gazing at you carefully as he inches closer to you, his hands softly rubbing over your shoulders and down your arms. His attentive stare as he caresses you makes you breathing quicken, your heart starting to pick up speed.

“Do you trust me?” Minho asks suddenly, and with not an ounce of hesitation, you nod. You’ve no reason not to trust him– in the year it's been since your angel first appeared to you, you’ve always trusted him. There is no one else that makes you feel so secure, so at peace, so.. Loved, cared for. Yes, your angel, Minho, loves you, cares for you like no other. You trust him.

“I wish to clear your mind of worry and doubt– to make you think only of me, and the music we can make together. I wish to touch you, to kiss you, to hold you," he says, and oh, he knows he shouldn’t be pouring his heart out like this, for it’s too soon, much too soon. But he’s been enamored with you since the first moment you stepped into the Opera Populaire, has been infatuated with you since first hearing the passion in your voice.

He can’t help it, it seems– now that he has you here, in his lair, his defenses falter, all of his desires pouring out of him. To have you here, and to touch you like this, even so simply– it’s everything he’s wanted. And instantly, unconsciously, you reach out to him. Your angel sees you, knows you– you wish to know him too, to understand him the way he does you.

Your mind is somehow as clear as it is hazy– clear, because you know what it is that you want. Regardless of who he is, what he is, you want Minho to have you. Anything he wants, you feel compelled to give, as if it’s all you know; and in this moment, perhaps it is. In the very back reaches of your addled mind, a reminder blares– The Phantom always gets what he wants.

And what he wants now, most of all, is you; and despite what logic may tell you to feel, you trust him to have you. He sees all that you feel in your expression alone, knows all that you think as if he’s seen into the depths of your mind. Even now, perhaps more than ever before, he sees you.

Sees all that you are, and all that you want– and a charming smile plays on his lips as you gaze at him with wanton desire to let him take you. To let him have, to give yourself over– you wish to offer yourself wholly to your angel’s desires.

Your eyes flutter closed as he kisses you, a soft press that you could almost call chaste, his hands slowly moving over your body, each soft touch lingering. You don’t feel his gloves anymore, you realize– did he take them off without you noticing? You suppose it doesn’t matter– his hands are warm, a bit rough and calloused against the soft skin of your arms, and you like it.

Even as his kisses become less chaste, deepen as his hands travel to your hips, they remain slow and purposeful. His hands eventually find the bottom of your dress, begin to lift it ever so slowly up your thighs– not to expose you, but so that he can slot himself between your legs. Somehow, innately, you understand this– and easily, you spread your legs for him, allowing him to find his place between them.

His arms wrap around you after, pulling you closer, pressing your body to his. Your chest is rising and falling rapidly by the time he pulls away, breathless as you look to him with eager, impassioned eyes– a gaze that heats his otherwise cold heart. You reach up, bring your hands to his face; he nearly flinches when you touch his mask, though he knows you mean no harm.

Minho feels himself ugly under his mask– too scarred and disfigured to be appealing to you in any regard; at least like this, with only the good parts of his face on display, you may find him handsome. Your touch is as soft as your gaze, and though perhaps you should, you make no move to remove his mask; you simply rub your thumb over the cold porcelain.

It’s a vulnerable thing, really– how softly you touch his ugliest spots. It doesn’t matter that you can’t see them from beneath his mask– the tender regard you seem to feel for him, even without having seen the scars that mar him, is more than enough. It’s ironic, in a way, that you seem to think he’s an angel; in reality, the only angel in this room is you.

“I want to please you, if you'll let me,” he breathes as his fingertips ghost over your thighs. It makes your breath hitch, blinking at him slowly as you process his intent. There is much your angel wants– but chasing the pleasure of his own flesh isn’t one of those things. He doesn’t need it to feel satisfied; your pleasure will more than suffice him.

His dark eyes bore into yours as he awaits your answer, can tell from his wanting gaze how serious he is about pleasing you, and it makes your cheeks slowly bloom with heat. And it’s not just what he wants– it’s what he needs, really; when you surrender yourself to him, he wants it to be for your pleasure, not his own.

“Oh, please– touch me,” you answer, plead– because something from deep inside you screams for it, wanting it beyond all comprehension. Your darkest, most innate desires manifest for him; desires that you didn’t even fully realize you had. They possess you, drive you to kiss him again, urgent and passionate.

Minho returns your kiss with equal fervor, lets his tongue slip past his lips to meet yours. They share a dance, swirl around each other until you’re breathless again; and then he’s guiding you back, urging you to lay down as he hovers over you. He pulls the skirt of your dress further up your body, until your thighs are entirely exposed and he can see your dampening panties.

He lowers himself to you, but doesn’t go immediately where you expect him too– he takes his time trailing wet, lingering kisses over your thighs instead. Your inner thighs are sensitive, ticklish, and you can’t help but squirm from each kiss he grants you.

You also can’t help but jolt each time the cool porcelain of his mask presses against the hot skin of your thigh, and again when he carefully sinks his teeth into your pliant flesh. He doesn't do it hard enough to hurt, or even fully leave indents of his teeth behind– just enough to leave you panting and squirmy; and he lets out a soft, airy laugh every time he succeeds in the endeavor.

Your bunched up skirt is so full that you can hardly even watch him work you up; but there are times, while kissing and biting over your trembling thighs, that he lifts his head just enough to let you catch his gaze. It makes your heart skip a beat, butterflies dancing in your stomach every time he locks eyes with you while kissing around where you need him most.

You reach a point where you’re no longer squirming because his attention tickles, but because you’re becoming desperate, impatient; and the way he stares at you as he does it all doesn't help in the slightest. “Minho, please,” you whine, shameless; and you can feel him smile against your skin before he lifts himself up from his place between your legs.

“Needy are we, angel?” he asks, grinning as you pout and nod. “Need you,” you mumble, but he hears you loud and clear; he’s attuned to you, your angel is. He lowers himself between your thighs once more, kisses your pussy over your panties– and it’s not quite what you need, but it’s enough to have you gasping and quivering.

Again, he takes his time, as if not a single ounce of urgency resides within him. And make no mistake, it does– but Minho knows how to restrain himself. He’s a stubborn man, that is certainly true, but he’s also perfectly in control of himself; for now, anyways.

And he likes the way you whine for him when you feel his tongue lick you up over the fabric of your panties. It’s not a full enough feeling for you, or a full enough taste of your pussy for him, but the desperate, whiny sounds it draws out of you are delicious enough to satisfy him.

Still, while he’s enjoying the way his soft kisses and kitten licks over your panties is making you writhe and cry for him, he also can’t deny how badly he wants to finally taste you directly on his tongue. He’s been patient enough, he thinks, and so have you– why not indulge just a little sooner than planned?

In contrast to how sweetly he’s treated you up to this point, he’s quick to tear your panties away from your body. The sound of the fabric ripping makes you gasp, and maybe later he’ll apologize– but for now, lapping his tongue between your folds is of more importance. You moan when his tongue finally meets your bare pussy, as does Minho– and despite the hunger that he feels, he continues to lick you over slowly.

The languid pace makes you crazy– you want more, so much more, but your angel has been waiting for this; he needs to take his time with you, needs to embed the taste of your dripping sex on his tongue, needs to make sure it’s something he’ll never be able to forget. And he isn’t trying to tease you by keeping the slow pace– well, maybe he is a little; he does enjoy it, after all– but he’s sincerely craved this for too long to let the moment quickly pass him by.

He brings his hands to your thighs, squeezing them in his hands and preventing you from closing them around his head. You’re sure it’s partly so he can keep you spread out for him, to keep enjoying the easy access to your pussy, but it’s also so that your trembling thighs don’t cause his mask to shift, and fall from his face.

You gasp when the cool, smooth and rigid porcelain covering the right side of his nose bumps your clit as he shoves his tongue into your hole. And while he isn’t purposely trying to get you to cum just yet, his slow but diligent ministrations are getting you there regardless– with his tongue dipping in and out of your heat, always pushing in as deep as he can make it go, and his mask-covered nose nudging your clit.

You let your head fall back against the bed, your every high pitched whimper and moan echoing off the stone walls surrounding you. You try to tell him you’re going to cum, but you fail miserably– all that leaves you is a quick succession of whines before your eyes are rolling, back bowing off the bed as release on his tongue. Minho moans with you, hums happily as he licks the mess from your pussy like the cat that got the cream.

He laves over your clit when he’s done licking up your cum– and it's sensitive, swollen from your orgasm; but that doesn’t stop him from swirling his tongue around it, and positively knocking the air from your lungs. The sensation is overwhelming, he knows it is even without you telling him, but it’s still so good that you don’t want to squirm away, or ask him to stop– or perhaps you can’t.

You get the distinct feeling that even if you tried, your limbs would resist, would fight to keep you in place– despite your best efforts, you would remain just as you are now. Spread open and trembling, exactly how Minho wants you. “You make the prettiest music, angel,” he separates from you long enough to speak, “want you to keep singing for me.”

And sing for him you do when he dives back in, flicks your clit with his tongue a few times before wrapping his lips around it, sucking it like a piece of hard candy. Your moans, the smacking sounds of his lips, the way he hums when he returns to your hole to collect the cream– it’s an orchestra, just for the two of you.

You cum again in record time, of course you do. Minho finds it cute, the way you incoherently babble away as you let go for him again. And he isn’t done just because you came again– no, he’s far from finished with your pussy. He doesn’t tire in the slightest, ceaseless in the way he lavishes with you his tongue and suckles with his pretty, perfect lips.

When you cum for the third time, you don’t even know if you truly ever stop cumming at all– the pleasure just keeps coming in waves, never fully receding before it builds again, washing over you like a tsunami before it all repeats. You writhe and twist, back repeatedly bowing off his bed before falling back, but your thighs stay spread for him, even when his hands stop holding them down.

His hands have found their way beneath you, cupping and squeezing your ass as he eats away. Your hips wriggle, and he helps grind you up against his face, moaning and humming all the while. It’s too much and not enough all at once; your body screams that it can’t take it, and yet your mind screams that it needs more, and God, you can’t think straight– but is there any point in this night that you were?

You’re hot and heaving, sweat dripping from your brow as you tremble and bend. Minho is hot too, of course– his hair sticking to his forehead with sweat, his face red from his cheeks to his ears, and even down his neck. And were you not so far gone, you’d have noticed that his mask has shifted and fallen from his face.

It was because of you, too– when another high took you and tugged on his hair hard, crying as your hips jolted and bucked against his face. He should’ve swiftly put it back on, lest you see his scars, but he didn’t– he just shoved it aside, against his better judgment, so he could keep licking you up without interruption.

You feel positively delirious by the time he’s finished, eyes heavy and bleary, body utterly limp and boneless. He crawls his way up to you, and your gaze is unfocused, blurry; you can hardly distinguish his features anymore– similar to the way he always appeared in your dreams before now.

Regardless, you smile at him before you close your eyes; a weak, but content one that Minho finds oh so endearing. You’re beyond fatigued, but also feel an unmatched sense of elation as your angel strokes your head and whispers sweet nothings for you to fall asleep to. “You belong to me now,” you hear him say, just before you drift off– and you know it’s true.

You think, perhaps, you’ve always belonged to him. From the very first moment Minho saw you, he knew he was never going to let you go. And just as Orpheus had done for Eurydice, he’d gladly walk into the depths of Hades itself if that’s what it took to keep you by his side.

He gently caresses your cheek as you fall into a deeper sleep, presses a soft kiss to your lips and whispers a final soft utterance of love before he covers you with a blanket, and your mind goes completely dark for the night.

You wake the next day with a struggle– at least, you think it’s the next day; it’s too dark in the room you’re in to tell for certain. You reach out for Minho, but don’t feel him anywhere– and as you sit up, and your eyes adjust to the darkness, you realize that you are alone. Your brows furrow as you look around; you’re still in his room, but it doesn’t look quite the same.

There are no candles, not on the floor or in the candelabra that now lie empty. The tapestries adorning the walls are torn and dulled in color, the piano dusty and the gold decorating it chipped. The sheet of music that sits on the piano’s music desk, that last night looked so fresh and pristine, now appears weathered and yellowed.

As you grab the blanket to pull it off you, you realize it isn't a blanket at all that is covering you, but a cape– Minho’s cape. And on the bed, just an arm’s reach away from you lies a note– the same kind that The Phantom always leaves behind inside the Opera Populaire.

Your hand trembles as you pick it up, eyes straining to read it in the darkness. The message he leaves behind, when your eyes focus on the words well enough to read them, is quite simple. “To my beloved and beautiful Eurydice; welcome home.”

#skz x reader #lee know x reader #skz smut #lee know smut #skz fanfic #lee know fanfic #skz imagines #skz scenarios #mdni + divider graphic credit: @cafekitsune #don't ask me how many times i listened to the poto soundtrack while writing and editing this #the answer is obscene (several hours)

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war-of-hormoan · 2 months ago

Text

a touch of silk (m)

You have been working with wolves long enough to recognize trouble the second it walks into the bar but there was something about Jungkook that made you forget everything Namjoon told you about the dangers of lone wolves.

pairing: werewolf!jungkook x f. human!reader genre: werewolf!au, smut, angst with a happy ending word count: 10,160 warnings: language, explicit content (oral and penetrati, non-graphic violence, and mild blood author's note: i posted this on an old tumblr back in 2019/2020 and it has been crossposted on my ao3 since then. i wanted to repost it as i have (after almost five years) have picked writing back up and have decided to continue to work in this universe. i have not edited this since it was originally uploaded. i can't guarantee it still holds up after all these years, but i wanted to post it anyway!

Your dressing room in the back of the club didn’t have any windows, but that didn’t stop the sound of the rain pelting onto the structure of the building from sounding like it was about to burst through the drywall. Night’s like this that made your job difficult as no one would want to leave the comfort of their own warm and dry homes to come to a smoke filled bar to hear you sing. But you were due on stage in 5 minutes and if your performance tonight was cancelled, Namjoon would have popped his head in to tell you to just go home.

So here you are, fixing the red lipstick that had smeared along the edge of your lips after taking a large sip of tea for your throat. You lean towards the illuminated mirror to make sure nothing else on your face was out of place, double checking the bobby pins you had carefully placed to see if they were still secure. It wasn’t like you were much of a dancer, you stood neatly in front of a grand piano for most of your shift, except for the moments when you walk through the crowd in hopes that one of the men who had a little too much to drink felt like leaving you a tip.

You reach down towards the drawers of your vanity, fingers hovering over the handles as you decide which drawer to open. You close your eyes, letting fate decide and open one of the two you had been debating between. It was the first drawer, filled with the flashiest of your stage jewelry. The pair of earrings were covered in crystals and gems that made it seem like a disco ball was hanging from your ears. Some of them were gifts from your fans, given to you in hopes they would somehow get them an “in” with you. As if your love and affection could be bought with something simple as jewelry.

You decide on a simple pair and secure them to your ears. The tips of your fingers brush against the skin of your neck, making you shudder as you remember the way his lips used to kiss the sensitive flesh. You take a deep breath, trying to push the memory to the back of your mind and focus on the reality in front of you.

You look at the time on the clock, it’s hands were pointing to just before showtime. So you disrobe, placing the fluffy pink material onto your vanity bench. Your hands smooth over the ice blue silk fabric in attempts to hide any of the creases that formed when you were sitting down.

There is a soft knock on the door just as there is every night at this moment.

“You can come in.” you call out after hearing a muffled “Y/N?” travel through the door.

Namjoon opens the door just enough to slip through the cracks without exposing anyone to your hideaway. He gives you the once over, running through his own mental checklist to make sure you were dressed for the occasion.

“Are you ready?” he questions, looking at your face through the mirror.

You gesture him to your back to take a look at the bow you had tied with the straps. “Is it even?”

Your friend sighs, recognizing your question was an attempt for him to forget what he was really asking you.

“You’re going to have to talk about it one day, Y/N.” he reminds you as he double knots your bow.

“About what?”

“Him.”

You turn around to face him, trying your best to keep your poker face in tact as it would do you no good if you came apart at the seams just before you were due on stage.

“Not now.” you warn him, squeezing past him to start your shift.

You were surprised at the amount of people in the bar this evening as you were sure the weather would turn the night into a dud but almost every single seat was filled. Yoongi was already sitting at the piano and arranging his sheet music neatly in order even though the set you were about to sing was almost always the same, and he had memorized it long ago.

Involuntarily, your eyes scan for him in the crowd and you are unsure if you want him to be among the faces or not. You know that the entire situation was for the best. And that his presence in your life had only brought trouble. The disappointment you’re feeling doesn’t last long however, as you see the president of the largest cannery in town sitting at a booth with a bunch of his friends that looked like they had taken a shower in cologne.

He would be your target tonight.

You flash a grin to the audience as you make your way onto the stage, making sure they all believed the act you were about to perform.

“Are you ready Yoongi?” you tease in your performance voice.

The pianist nods and starts to play the first song on your list.

By the second song you know you have the president wrapped around your finger. He was leaning forward onto the table, his fingers holding onto the glass of scotch he hadn’t taken a drink from in several songs. It was amusing how easy it was to get them eating out of the palm of your hand. All it took was a combination of eye contact and your hips to send them into a frenzy.

You enjoy watching the way men wrapped themselves around your fingers. Maybe this was the reason you were unable to give yourself fully to someone else, knowing how each of your exes felt about your career. They would be fine at first, completely understanding and accepting of the fact that you flirt with men for a living but then after a few months it would start to turn. They get “protective” but jealousy was all the same no matter what you tried to call it.

So you make a promise to yourself, that as long as you were performing on stage for a living, love would be the last thing on your mind. It was easier that way, at least so you thought.

You reach the point in the night where you engage with the crowd and you step down from the stage and make your way through the crowd, watching as they all hold their breath in hopes they’re the lucky one you chose tonight. He is waiting for you, straightening his posture as you make your way towards his booth, scooting towards the edge so he can get a better look at you. You go through through your calculated motions, making his cheeks deepen with a mixture of alcohol and unfulfilled lust.

He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a crisp bill in the largest sum they make. He slips it between two of his fingers, offering it to you with a smirk on his face like he’s got it in the bag.

“Thank you.” you tease, winking at him with a smile as you grab the money from his hands and slip it into the bust of your dress.

Yoongi rolls his eyes the second the two of you make eye contact as you head back towards the stage, his fingers never leaving the piano.

“I’ll share with you.” you mouth to him, making the pianist wrinkle his nose.

“I’m afraid I only have one song left tonight.” you apologize to the crowd in disbelief yourself that it had already gone by so fast.

The men in the audience protest, encouraging you to keep going.

But your attention isn’t on them as the door to the bar slammed open with a thud.

Jungkook stumbles in from outside. His clothes were soaking wet, sticking to his bones as he makes his way through the crowd. He doesn’t apologize as his limbs crash into other patrons of your work, leaving a trail of men yelling various curses and forms of protest in his path. He was almost to your dressing room when you notice that his shirt used to be white. The button was swirling in shades of crimson.

“Why is he always bleeding?” you think to yourself as you try to remain composed, keeping yourself together as you finish the last song of the night.

“Thank you everyone for coming out tonight!” you smile as Yoongi’s fingers grace the last of the notes on the piano.

The audience around you claps and whistles louder than you deserve and you bow slightly, careful not to expose yourself before heading towards the back of the stage.

“Did you see him?” Yoongi asks just loud enough so that you would be the only one who hears him.

“Yes.” you take his hand as he offers it, holding the skirt of your dress in the other and the two of you head down the stairs in sync.

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Three months ago.” Almost to the day, not that you were counting.

Yoongi sighs, “Please take care of yourself, Y/N.”

But you wave him off, “I always do.”

You head towards the back of the bar, reaching behind the large oak counter top to grab a few bar towels as you had used the last of the ones in your dressing room to dry yourself off from the elements. Out of the corner of your eye notices the metal first aid kid tucked in between Namjoon’s personal items. You were unsure if the contents of the kit would even be able to help him as it looked like he had been bleeding a lot, but you grab it anyway. Just in case your self-taught skills could come to use.

“Where are you going, beautiful?” a low voice asks you as soon as you start to make your way towards the dressing room.

You turn around to no surprise and see the man who had tipped you earlier in the evening. He is staring at you with dark eyes and you know how he wants you to answer his question. But that wasn’t going to happen, especially when there was a bleeding werewolf in your dressing room.

“I’m off to freshen up.” you smile, drawing out your syllables slowly.

“Would you like company?” he asks right on schedule.

You shake your head. “No boys allowed.”

His eyes flash with lust. “I’m not a boy.”

“I can see that, but this lady needs her privacy for a few moments, alright? Why don’t you let Yoongi make you a strong drink and I will be out shortly, okay?” You put a compromise on the table even though you know you might not be able to hold up your end of the offer.

But it was enough to satisfy the man, and he takes a step back, but before reaching out for your hand to place a gentle kiss on your skin.

You rip your hand out of his and gently wipe your hand on the back of your dress before putting distance between the two of you.

“Come back soon.” he winks, making it almost impossible for you to not visibly gag in front of him.

Every step you took made your heart skip further and further into your throat, feeling as though you could almost choke with anticipation for what is waiting for you on the other side of the door. You stare at your hand reaching out for the door knob, wondering how one part of your body could be more courageous than the rest of it. You close your eyes, taking in a breath as far as your lungs could go and hold it until you start to feel a rush in your head and turn the handle.

Namjoon’s back is the first thing you see once you find the courage to open your eyes. His hands are at his hips, balled into fists as he hovers over Jungkook. His body was hunched over the back of your chair, arms hanging loosely as though the blood loss or alcohol had made him lose total control over his limbs.

“It’s almost a blood moon, Jungkook.” Namjoon growls deep within his chest the second you close the door, locking it just in case any of the patrons decide to give themselves a private tour of your dressing room,

“Do you know what kind of risk you’re putting everyone in this bar in? What kind of risk you’re putting Y/N in? Huh? Or are you so fucking selfish that you don’t care about who’s life you destroy?”

Jungkook doesn’t answer, his gaze remains glued to the ground as if he was trying to summon demons to the hellmouth your town was sitting atop of.

“Don’t worry.” you hear Jungkook eventually mumble. “I’ll be gone soon.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” you question him.

Jungkook looks at you through rain soaked hair. The dark black strands stick to his face, making the werewolf in front of you look even more disheveled than he does on a day to day basis. You must have been the last person to run a pair of scissors through his locks as they were hanging in his face, hiding the scar on his cheekbone. You hated how he looked at you, making you feel vulnerable and raw as one glance could tell him everything he needed to know about how you’re feeling at that very moment.

Namjoon steps aside, pinching the bridge of his nose between frustrated fingertips as he knows exactly how the scene in front of him is going to unfold. He takes a deep breath before looking at you with eyes full of pity.

“Y/N, please don’t forget what happened the last time he stormed in here.” he warns you of that night three months ago.

He had found you curled in a ball underneath your vanity, crying into your dressing gown. You were convinced that night was going to be the last time you ever saw Jeon Jungkook. Three months later, here he was, almost exactly where the two of you had left off.

“I won’t.” you reach out to squeeze your boss’ hand, letting him know that you had it under control and he could leave the two of you alone.

Namjoon hesitates, pressing his tongue into his cheek as he debates whether or not it’s a good idea for him to leave.

“I think that’s your cue to leave.” Jungkook snaps at the older wolf.

Namjoon scowls, looking at the lone wolf in disgust. “You are lucky I didn’t throw you to your former pack the first time you walked into my bar and you’re lucky I’m not going to do that now. If you lay even one finger on her, I’ll know and I’ll make sure that Jimin knows exactly where to find you. Got it?”

The threat makes Jungkook laugh, rolling his eyes at the threat. “Whatever you say, boss.”

“I’m sorry.” you whisper as Namjoon turns around to leave.

“I’ll be right outside.” he tells you, eyes flickering over to the panic button he had installed a year ago. “Jus-”

“Just press the button and you’ll be right in.” you nod your head. “I know the drill.”

One last sigh of disapproval leaves Namjoon’s chest before he leaves the two of you alone, closing the door tightly behind him.

Jungkook’s eyes follow your every move as you make your way towards the large cherry boudoir. You open the bottom drawer, pulling out the large first aid kit you and several pairs of surgical gloves.

“Lean back.” you not so much tell him but push his shoulders back into the chair and push his chin up towards the ceiling.

You try your best to keep the long shaggy hair out of his face, but the blood soaked strands have a mind of their own, forcing you to bring out reinforcements. You wander over to your vanity, opening the top left drawer and pull out a pink ribbon before resuming your place in front of the bleeding wolf.

Silence begins to settle like dust around the two of you as you get to work, pulling on the latex gloves to make sure everything you’re doing is as sanitary as it can be in this situation. You collect the hair on the crown of his head and tie it messily in the pink ribbon, making you laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

“What’s so funny?” Jungkook cocks an eyebrow.

“You look absolutely ridiculous.”

“You should see the other guy.”

That joke was funny the first few times you heard it, but after hearing it hundreds of times, all you can do is sigh.

You ignore it, choosing to give all your attention to the task at hand and pull out the large brown bottle of antiseptic.

Jungkook’s lips press into a thin line as he watches you unscrew the cap and pour the clear liquid onto a cotton swab. He was usually a man of many words and countless brags about how he fucked someone up or how he managed to leave the scene of debauchery without getting caught.

Tonight was different. There was something in the air, bubbling under the surface as it waits for its chance to breach the surface.

He winces as you dab the wound on his eyebrow, cleaning up the excess blood so you assess the damage. It didn’t seem to be very deep, only needing a few stitches and he would be as good as he could get.

“Where did you learn how to do this?” he asks, trying to ease some of the tension that had been growing between you.

“Here. I’ve just had lots of practice over the years.”

“So I’m not the first?“

There is a hint of jealousy in his question, making you roll your eyes as you finish your handiwork, and take a seat on your vanity stool.

"Yoongi was the first.” you take off your gloves, throwing them in the trash before you search through your first aid for the last few items you need.

You can’t help but laugh as the memory of that night plays back in your mind. “It was two, maybe three years ago? I can’t remember, but it was a really slow night. There might have been one or two customers inside the bar all night long. I had given up on my set, so I was seated at the end playing a card game with Namjoon while we tried to pass the time. Maybe an hour before last call a group of very drunk and very obnoxious vampires came crashing into the bar.”

Jungkook shakes his head. “When are vampires ever not obnoxious?”

“Sit still, I’m not done yet.” You hold his head in place “Namjoon let them order one more round before he cut them off, which the youngest didn’t seem to like. The others apologized for his behavior, trying to excuse the fact that he was a brand new vampire on his inability to control his temper. But that just made him more agitated so he started to scream nonsense about how he was perfectly able to take care of himself and he threw his empty blood bottle and it smashed right into Yoongi’s face on the piano.”

You take a deep breath. “It was a complete disaster. The second that newborn smelled Yoongi’s wolf blood, he went ballistic. He tried to drain him and it took every single one of his friends to hold him back. Namjoon kicked all of them out before anything else could happen and banned them from entering. Luckily Yoongi was fine, and it wasn’t anything serious but for whatever reason he refused to go to the hospital and made me stitch him up in my dressing room even though I had no idea what I was doing. And now he has that giant awful scar on his left eyebrow. Haven’t you noticed it?”

Jungkook looks at you as your re-gloved hands rub antibacterial ointment on his stitches and place a band-aid over his wound. “No, you’re the only thing I’ve noticed since the first time I walked in.”

His words catch you off guard, making you slam the lid to your first aid kit shut as you attempt to not let your emotions get the best of you.

“That dress looks amazing on you, by the way. I’m glad I got to see you wear it, if it’s just this once.” he tells you, tracing your body with his pupils.

You look down at the light blue silk, feeling exposed underneath the smooth fabric that covers your body.

────────────────────

It was the first and only time you have ever seen Jungkook while the sun was still hanging in the sky. He showed up at your apartment in the middle of your morning coffee and toast. The loud thud of his fist against your front door made you grab the large baseball bat you kept near the umbrellas just in case. You were ready to swing as you watched the doorknob jiggle back and forth, making you freeze in place.

Whoever it was, had a lot of nerve to break into your apartment in the middle of the afternoon. You raise the bat as if you’re ready to swing the second they cross the threshold. You take a deep breath, closing your eyes as your front door swings open.

“Y/N! What the hell!” Jungkook hisses as he grabs the bat in his palms before you could make a dent in his forehead.

Your eyes open wide. “Jungkook? What the hell! Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“You’re hot when you’re about to get violent.” he teases, using his wolf strength to take the piece of wood out of your hands.

“What the hell are you doing?” you refuse to drop the subject despite his attempts of making you forget by taking you in his arms and kissing down your neck.

“I wanted to see you.” He purrs.

“And you couldn’t have called?”

“I didn’t think you would have answered.” he finds amusement in the goosebumps rising in your skin.

You push the wolf off of you, standing your ground. “I’m not in the mood after the stunt you just pulled.”

“I’m not here to fuck you.” he grins, clearly pleased with himself for getting you worked up.

“Then what are you here for?” you fold your arms across your chest.

“I want to take you somewhere.” he reaches out to take your hand, but you recoil.

“And where is that exactly?”

He leans forward, flashing that boyish grin you hate to love. “It’s a surprise.”

You roll your eyes. “Let me grab my purse.”

Jungkook waits for you by the door like a puppy who just heard the word “walk”. And it was moments like these that made it easy for you to forget what he really was. This was a side he seldom shared, letting it slip through the cracks in bits and pieces before he put his big bad wolf persona back on. A part of you wants to ask him to stay and to never let him out of your sight. That question wouldn’t be fair and you know that. Jungkook wasn’t meant to be tied down, especially not to a human like you.

The feeling that was growing in your heart is cursed but that doesn’t stop you from taking his hand and let him lead you out onto the busy streets.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” you ask him out of breath, barely able to keep up with his large footsteps.

He immediately slows down. “Sorry, we’re running late.”

“Do we have an appointment?” you question as he pulls you closer to his side. The gesture makes you nervous as you wait for his warm to wrap around his waist but the ringing of a bicycle bell brings you back to reality. Jungkook was only making sure you didn’t get run over.

“I’m not telling you.” he teases, nodding his head to the right. “It’s this way.”

He leads you down a busy side street, one you had never walked down on your own. Mostly because it’s length was full of stores that were way out of your bar singer price range. Jungkook stops in front of a large store almost at the end of the street. You stare up at the sign, realizing he had brought you to a dress shop.

“Jungkoo-” you begin to protest but he is already two steps ahead of you and holding the door open for you to follow him.

You feel immediately out of place as soon as you step onto the large marble floor of the store. Everywhere you turn are clothing racks full of dresses you had only seen in editorial spreads in magazines. It took all your strength not to reach out and touch every single one.

Jungkook’s eyes were following your amazement, watching you as you walked passed each rack. “Do you see anything you like?”

“You mean everything?” you laugh, your eyes focused on an emerald green velvet dress.

“You can try it on if you like.” he suggests, catching up to your strides.

“I-I couldn’t.”

“But you can.” he whispers.

“Mr. Jeon Jungkook, look how you’ve grown!” a loud voice calls out suddenly, making the two of you turn around immediately.

A small woman covered in needles, thread and tape measures approaches the two of you. Jungkook greats her warmly, leaning down so she can plant kisses on each of his cheeks.

“Oh! I got lipstick on you.” She starts to wipe off her lip prints but Jungkook waves her off.

“I like them.”

“Wolves like you keep me young.” She smacks him playfully on the chest before turning her attention to you. She looks up at you, pushing her large black glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Now who do we have here?”

“Hello, I’m Y/N.” you smile at her warmly.

She looks at Jungkook with an amused look on her face. “You didn’t tell me she was this pretty.”

Jungkook’s cheeks turn a deep shade of red. This was the first time you had ever seen Jungkook blush and you were enjoying the fact the shoe was on the other foot for once.

“Come with me darling and we can get started.” she begins to pull you by the elbow towards a small podium nestled between a three sided mirror.

She urges you to step up as Jungkook takes a seat in one of the large plush pink chairs. Without another word she starts to take your measurements, reaching from your head to your toe, scribbling them down in a worn out notepad.

“Now what were you thinking as far as the design goes my dear?” she asks, blinking several times through her thick frames.

“I’m sorry?” you ask in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“What about a thin strap and maybe a slit that goes up to here?” she places her finger on your mid-thigh. “Jungkook? What do you think?”

He looks up from his phone, “I’m sure any design you come up with will look great.”

The woman nods her head before handing you a large binder that seemed to weigh almost as much as she did. “Take a look through these swatches and I will be back in just a few minutes, alright my dear?”

You nod before taking a seat next to Jungkook who was furiously typing away on his phone.

“What is this for, Jungkook?” you ask firmly, making him slide his phone into his pocket.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” he stares at you.

“Thank you for what?”

“For taking care of me all this time.”

“Someone has to.” you whisper, looking up to stare at him.

Your eyes locked onto his. His pitch black irises were unreadable as you stared at him. Both of you were unsure where to take it from here. This was uncharted territory after all. The first time the two of you had been outside the confines of your work. You hadn’t even fucked in a bed, yet alone go out in public with each other.

“What do you think about these?” you ask, opening the book of swatches to a random page of fabric.

Jungkook’s chest falls as he exhales, directing his attention to the book in your hands. He points to a swatch of ice blue silk. “That one is pretty.”

“Have you decided, my dear?” the seamstress returns to the dressing room.

You nod, pointing to the swatch of silk. “I think I’ll go with this one.”

A large smile spreads across her face. “Delightful! That color will look amazing on you.” ────────────────────

“This is the first time I’ve worn it.” you admit, looking down at the silk dress, playing with the seam of the large slit in your fingertips.

“Then I have perfect timing.”

“That’s an understatement.” you mutter under your breath.

Jungkook takes a deep breath as if he was pulling your emotions from the air around the two of you. His chest rises as he inhales deeply, preparing himself to face the bitterness in your words.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he finally asks you, pulling out the ribbon from the top of his head.

There is silence as you watch him run his fingers through his hair. The dark strands have started to dry, making him look more like a wolf than a rain soaked puppy. The loose curls that were starting to form were new, but maybe they had always been there and you just never noticed they existed.

You were starting to realize how vast the depth of the unknown was when it came to Jungkook.

“Y/N?” he nudges your knee with his palm.

You stare at him, trying to read between the lines of his features for any sort of clue as to where you should go from here. Yet the longer you stare, the larger the fire in the pit of your stomach grows.

“Do you remember the first time you stumbled into this bar Jungkook?”

“Barely.”

“Well, it wasn’t much different than this. You were so drunk you could barely keep your head up. I remember watching you from the stage as you crashed into one of Namjoon’s pack members. I had never seen Hoseok as angry as he was when you knocked his bourbon out of his hand. I thought he was going to rip your head off before Namjoon could intervene. They were going to toss you in the dumpster in the alley and let the rats eat you, but I begged them to let me look at your injuries, to make sure that you weren’t going to bleed out. Hoseok tried to warn me then that you were bad news, that a lone wolf without a pack could only bring trouble. I think I’ve finally realized now what he meant by that.” you try to hold back the tears as the memories of every single stitch you sewed into Jungkook’s skin threatened to make this ten times harder than it needed to be.

“What are you trying to say?” Jungkook asks, pressing his palms together in the way he always does when he is annoyed.

“Once I finally got you stitched back together, I stepped out to get you some ice water. It was last call so Namjoon was busy behind the bar so I helped him out with a few drinks. I was gone for only a couple of minutes but by the time I got back to my dressing room you were already gone. You had managed to sneak out like a thief in the middle of the night.” you laugh. “I mean, I guess you technically are.”

“I’m not a thief, Y/N.” he corrects you.

“How am I supposed to know that, Jungkook?” you ask, unable to hide the hurt in your voice. “Ever since you stumbled into this bar the first night, everything has been on your terms. You show up when it’s convenient for you and disappear like smoke. If it weren’t for Namjoon and Yoongi, I’m not even sure I would believe that you’re real.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“But not for long, right? Isn’t that what you told Namjoon?”

You’ve backed him into a corner with your words. He looks at you like he is completely lost, unable to understand the ice in your voice.

“Y/N-” he reaches out towards your hands, making you back away from his reach.

“I don’t want to hear it Jungkook, whatever excuse it is this time.” you sigh. “I just don’t want to hear it.”

Out of the corner of your eye you see Jungkook’s hands tighten into fists, his knuckles go white as he squeezes the tension into his joints. “You know what I do, Y/N.”

“No, Jungkook. I don’t. I barely know anything about you. That’s the entire problem! Everything has been on your terms since the day we met. You come here it’s convenient for you and leave once you’ve had your feel. Have you ever stopped to think about how that makes me feel?”

His lips press into a thin line and you have your answer.

“You’re a selfish son of a bitch.” you shake your head, leaning forward to rest your elbows onto your vanity.

“Do you think I’m doing this because I want to hurt you, Y/N?” his voice comes out like a low whisper.

“If you’re saying you do this to protect me you can walk out right now.” you hiss, staring at him through the mirror.

“What do you want to know?” he asks you, folding his arms into his chest.

“It’s too late.”

Jungkook leans forward and grabs the back of your stool. You wish you had locked the wheels as he pulls you towards him, but you know that wouldn’t be enough to stop him from using his wolf strength.

He spins you around to face him, “Something tells me that’s not true.”

You scoff, crossing your arms before you turn your head to stare at the rack of dresses, wishing you had worn anything other than this.

“I’m not like Yoongi or Namjoon. I wasn’t born a wolf. I didn’t grow up in a pack. I was a human up until three years ago.” he takes a deep breath, his voice shaking as if this was the first time he has ever told anyone else this story.

“What happened?” you ask, turning your attention back to him.

“When I told my dad that I didn’t want anything to do with the spot in his company he had been saving for me since I was born, he kicked me out. I was sleeping on couches, working shitty jobs in the back of restaurants or anywhere that would take me. Eventually I started to work for Heejun down at the shipyard. At first I was only loading and unloading the containers from the ships. I didn’t know what was inside of them, they were all under lock and key. And heavily guarded.”

He takes a deep breath. “I was there really late one night as a ship from Japan had arrived late due to a typhoon. There was something off, a thickness in the air that made Heejun anxious. He didn’t stop pacing until the ship was fully docked and even then he kept checking over his shoulder as if he was worried someone was going to attack him. Eventually they did. We were ambushed as soon as the first container was loaded into the warehouse. The only thing I remember is one second I was talking to Heejun and the next I was flat on my back, bleeding out.”

“When I woke up, everything was different. My vision was sharp. My sense of smell was so strong I could smell the rotting garbage coming from the dumpsters on the street despite the fact that I was six stories up in an apartment. And that’s when I realized that I wasn’t dead, but something had happened to me.” he starts to stutter through the last words.

“Heejun turned you.” finish for him.

Jungkook shakes his head. “No, Heejun and the rest of my coworkers were slaughtered that night. I was turned by the pack who attacked us. I guess there was something about me he liked, so instead of dumping my body into the harbor he decided to turn me at the last second.”

Jungkook lifts the sleeve of his shirt to expose the bite mark you had seen hundreds of times. He watches your hand move slowly from your lap towards the scarred tissue and closes his eyes the moment your fingertips make contact. You trace the jagged outline, barely able to wrap your head around what it must have felt like for him to go through that, alone.

“It’s funny how I was running away from a life I had no control over, but it still ended up that way anyway. I don’t know how much Namjoon has told you about wolves and their packs but you’re under the alpha’s control. You have to listen to every order. Your body obeys every command. If you’re not a top dog, you’re fucked. I was forced to join his company. To earn my living through his business. The containers weren’t full with what the documents said they were. They were full of drugs, weapons, whatever Siwon and his pack could get their hands on in order to make money on the black market.”

“Is that why Namjoon doesn’t like you?”

Jungkook smirks, “I don’t think that’s the only reason. Haven’t you ever seen how he looks at you?”

“We did fuck once, one night after a really busy night and the two of us had way too much to drink. But we both agreed that it was for the best that it never happened again.” You shake your head. “But don’t try to change the subject.”

“I’m not, just pointing out the obvious.”

“Continue.” you encourage him courtly.

“The beef between Siwon and Nmajoon goes way back, before I was ever turned into a wolf. It’s rare for a city of this size to contain two wolf packs. They were one pack at one point, but Siwon wasn’t happy with how Namjoon ran things. He didn’t understand why wolves were forced to work for the enjoyment of men. Eventually they got in a huge fight and Siwon was able to separate himself from the pack although no one came with him. So he started to turn people like me into wolves. And eventually the company and his pack grew into what it was.”

"If they hate each other then why have I never seen Siwon around? He’s never shown up at the bar.”

Jungkook shakes his head. “Siwon knew that if he causes trouble he can lose everything. That Namjoon has the connections to take him and his entire operation down. So he kept the peace. The two packs acted like they had no idea the other existed. ”

“So why did you leave?” How did you leave? Namjoon told me it’s almost impossible for a wolf to leave his pack.“

Jungkook chews on his bottom lip. "I killed almost all of them.”

You know enough about pack dynamics to understand the weight of Jungkook’s actions. “ How?”

“We were at the docks, like always, doing Siwon’s bitch work as we waited for a shipment of cocaine. It was one of the largest orders we were receiving so Siwon had almost every single one of us there that night. My pack had a long history of violence, killing anyone they thought was a threat to their operation. That night a woman was out late with her child. The boy must have been no older than two. You could see in her eyes that she was exhausted and that he must not have been able to fall asleep so she brought him out for a late night walk, hoping that would be enough to get him to go to sleep.”

You interrupt him. “I don’t want to know the rest.”

Jungkook nods. “That was when I realized how far I had fallen. I had realized that this wasn’t how I wanted to live my life. I knew that the only way I was going to be able to escape was to kill them. So I did.”

“You did what?”

Jungkook looks at you with a devilish grin. “I killed his entire pack.”

“Is that why you always leave?”

Jungkook’s eyebrows furrow. “I always come back, don’t I?”

You avoid answering his question. "How did you end up in Namjoon’s bar that night?”

Jungkook nods. “I knew this was one of the only places that his mean wouldn’t cross. A lone wolf wasn’t as much of a threat as a whole pack. But I also know that Siwon would eventually seek out his revenge. That he would come looking for me if he knew I was still in town. So I left. I come back when I know he is out of town and leave once he returns.”

“If your paths never cross then how did you end up with his?” You point at the gash on his eyebrow. “Who was it?”

“There was only one thing left for me to do to gain total freedom.”

You look him in the eyes, staring into his dark irises as you finish the rest of his story. “You killed Siwon.”

“I did what I had to do to protect myself. And to protect the things I love.”

You stare at him, trying to keep the beating of your chest silent as you hope you aren’t reading too much into his words.

Jungkook leans forward, a red flashes across his irises, illuminating the black pupils for only a second before the color disappears. You know that he is on the verge of his senses. That soon the two of you will cross a line into territory you had told yourself over and over again that you would not step back into. His breath tickles your neck as he hovers above your sensitive flesh. You take a deep breath, trying to control your body’s urges every time the wolf is this close to you.

"Are you scared of me, Y/N?” he asks, chuckling in amusement as he hears your heartbeat start to race.

“You’re not the baddest wolf I’ve ever met.” you counter, watching in anticipation for his reaction.

He looks at you out of the corner of his eye, hesitating for a second before diverting his attention to your lips. Jungkook’s chapped lips press into yours with a several month long hunger. Each of you starved for the other’s affections as you re-learn how each other moves. Although it doesn’t take long for the first moan to slip from your lips as he uses his sharp canines to nibble onto your bottom lip.

The touch of his skin has always been warm, but in the dead of winter you know you don’t stand a chance. His fingertips trace a pleasurable burn down your body as he runs one hand down your back and uses the other to tangle his fingertips into your hair. Jungkook’s arms wrap around your waist tightly as if he is scared you’ll disappear if he lets go. As if you could do anything else but kiss him back.

“Come here.” he breathes, giving you a chance to breathe as he lifts you out of your chair, keeping a firm grip around your waist as he clears the bottles of skincare and tubes of lipstick off the top of your vanity. It all falls to the floor with a thud, leaving him with enough space to prop you up against the mirror, letting your head fall gently against the glass before he returns to kissing every inch of skin he can reach with his lips.

“You look fucking amazing in that dress.” he growls in his lower register. His hands traveling across the light blue silk as he tries to control the wolf inside of him. He has already ruined too many of your prettiest dresses and he knows you might actually try to kill him if he destroys this one too.

“Well, you are the one who bought it for me.” You remind him, taking in as much oxygen as you can as he moves from your lips to your neck. His kisses trailing the plunging neckline.

Jungkook’s hands make their way down to your thighs and your whole body shudders. He swiftly spreads your thighs far enough apart to allow his body in between your legs.

“Fuck.” you moan at how assertiveness turns you on as he is the only man who can make you compliant. Your body listening to every word he says, reacting to every single touch, he had you under a spell as if you were a wolf and he was the full moon.

“Can I touch you?” his hands hover over the top of the slit, waiting for permission.

“Please.” you breathe, spreading your legs even further apart to make things easier for him to access.

He doesn’t waste a second more before his fingertips find their way to the lacy fabric of your underwear. Jungkook looks down at the light colored fabric, smiling as he traces the floral pattern.

“If you destroy them, I’ll kill you.” You warn, mourning the countless pairs of underwear the wolf had ripped to shreds over the years.

“It looks like you already have.” he teases, as his finger swipes along the damp patch growing at your core.

He teases his calloused fingertips up and down your clothes slit, making you whimper in anticipation for what he is about to do you, as he has done countless times before. But there is something different about tonight. A sense of urgency filling the room as he hastily grabs onto your underwear, pulling them down and off your ankles before discarding them somewhere into the depths of your dressing room.

The dulling ache of your position against the vanity mirror is nothing in comparison to the heat starting to spread across your body. Jungkook’s fingertip has made its way to your clit, teasing the sensitive bud with quick flicks that make your bite, nibble and moan in the werewolf’s mouth. He starts to pull away, but you quickly grip the back of his head with your hand, keeping his mouth close as he wanders down your throat, licking along your pulse.

A loud moan escapes your lips as you feel his canines graze your skin carefully. Jungkook was reckless, but he was smart enough to know better than to bite you, knowing the implications of leaving his mark on your skin. He takes your moment of vulnerability to sink a finger into your center, groaning as he slips the digit in your wet heat. He starts to move his finger back and forth, mimicking the motions of what he wanted to do to you later.

“I don’t have much time.” you warn him, reading his mind as he slips in another finger into you. You would love nothing more than to lay him on his back and fuck until the two of you were a panting mess on the floor, but the night was still young. And as much as you loved fucking the wolf in front of you, you had bills to pay.

Jungkook leans back to look at you, removing his fingers to take a glimpse at the mess he was making out of you. He asks. “Is that a challenge?”

You roll your eyes at the wolf coming out the man. “Are you going to pay my rent?”

“I can, if you let me.” he scoffs.

You reach out towards his shirt, pulling him as closely as you can. “Touch me.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice.

Jungkook pushes your legs a part, staring into your eyes as he inserts two of his fingers back into you. He revels in the way you close your eyes, letting your head fall back against the mirror as he fucks you with his digits. He knows your body like a map, knowing where and when to apply pressure that makes you see stars behind your eyelids. You used to be ashamed at how easily he unraveled you with just a fingertip, blushing at how easily he made you come undone. But it had been months and you had missed this (although you would never admit it out loud).

“Fuck!” slips out of your lips as he uses his thumb to apply pressure to your clit, rubbing circles on the sensitive bud as he continues to fuck you into bliss with his hand.

“Come on, baby.” He encourages, recognizing the change in your breathing pattern. He quickens his speed, allowing his muscles to take over as he fucks you closer and closer to the edge.

“I’m gonna cum!” You breathe, rolling your hips to take his fingers in as far as they can and it all becomes too much. You turn into a gasping mess as you grips onto the wolf’s shoulders, bracing yourself as waves of pleasure take over your body. Jungkook’s fingers refusing to stop until the last one finally settles in your toes.

“Come with me.” Jungkook whispers as he rests his forehead against yours.

You laugh. “I’m pretty sure I just did.”

The werewolf shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean, Jungkook?” You ask him for clarification.

“Tonight. Come with me tonight. Leave with me.” There is a desperation in his voice that shocks you, making you realize that even throughout all the times you have stitched up the man in front of you, you had never seen him this vulnerable.

You reach up towards the mess of dark waves on his head and run your fingers through the strands, gently pulling out the knots that somehow always seem to form. The growing silence between the two of you is your answer, but you know you need to say it out loud. “Jungkook, I can’t.”

His eyes flutter open, staring into your soul with their dark irises. “Why not?”

“I have a job!” You cannot hide the frustration in your voice. “I have an apartment. My friends are here. I can’t just leave them Jungkook.”

“I will pay to have someone pack up your things, to ship them to wherever we end up. Or I can just fucking buy you new things.” He starts to plead.

“Jungkoo-”

“Please, Y/N. Please let me protect you. Let me take care of you.”

You wrestle your wrist out of Jungkook’s grip, neither one of you realizing he had a hold on you. You can’t bring yourself to look at him, choosing to focus on the rack of dresses in the corner instead. You blink several times, refusing to let the wolf see you cry over him.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” He asks in defeat, sinking back down into the chair you had stitched him up in.

The truth is, you want you. You want more than anything to believe that he would take care of you. That he would be able to keep you safe from the constant supernatural threats that have entered your life since the moment you stepped foot into this shitty seaside town. Except the responsible part of your brain was screaming at you to remember Namjoon, Yoongi, and the rest of the wolves you had in your life that kept you out of harm’s way the second Jungkook disappeared again. You had a life here, and while it may not be much on paper, you loved it.

“I don’t know what to say.” You admit out loud.

Jungkook immediately stands up. “You don’t have to say anything. I-I-I just thoug-.”

“I’m surprised you thought I would go with you, Jungkook. How am I supposed to believe anything you ever say to me? How much time have we actually spent together outside of this room? How many times have you told me you would come back only to disappear again. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? How worried I get about you? I am terrified that one day you’re going to end up dead and I am only going to find out about it months later. So how can you expect me to just drop my entire life and run away with you?”

He turns away, giving you the cold shoulder as he can’t bring himself to answer your question. His shoulders shudder slightly and for a second you think the wolf in front of you is crying. But Jungkook quickly turns around without a tear in sight. The warmth in his eyes were gone, leaving nothing but blank empty spaces in his irises.

He was shutting down.

“I guess that’s it then.” He tells you coldly, straightening his back to remind you how much taller he is.

“Jungkoo-”

He interrupts you. “I don’t want to hear it. I think you have made your feelings clear. I apologize for everything I put you through, but after tonight I won’t bother you ever again.”

You clamp your mouth shut as you watch him dig through the pockets of his pants. He hands over a small purple velvet pouch. “Take it.”

The taste of blood fills your mouth as you bite the inside of your cheek as you try to distract yourself from the pain filling in your chest as you take it from his hands. You open it, revealing a silver chain and pendant. A heart shaped locket hung at the end of the chain, but it was too wide to be an ordinary locket.

“You don’t have to open it.” He tells you just as your fingertips reached for the hinge. “It’s full of herbs that will keep you safe. Vampires, demons, witches. Even wolves.”

You can feel the tears start to break from your bottom lash line. “Thank you.”

Jungkook shrugs. “It’s the least I can do, after everything I have put you through. Please, take care of yourself, Y/N.”

The sound of his footsteps are the final straw and you feel your heart break into a thousand pieces as he closes the door behind you, leaving you alone to pick up the pieces once again.

You don’t know how much time has passed or how many tears you have cried before you can finally feel the pain in your chest turn into a dull ache. You sniffle, reaching towards the tissues to wipe the mascara tears away from your cheeks. If you go back out into the bar Namjoon and everyone else will know you’ve been crying. That tonight is just like every other night when Jungkook was involved.

With a deep breath you try to pull yourself together. You powder your face and touch up your lipstick before running your fingers back through your hair and putting each strand back into place. You don’t bother trying to find the underwear you had been wearing, choosing instead to pick a fresh pair from the stock you kept in your vanity. It was after the third time you and Jungkook had slept together that you realized you needed to keep extra clothing in stock as he couldn’t always keep the wolf inside of him in check.

You turn around, taking your time as you look around the dressing room. There was nothing that he hadn’t touched. That didn’t have a memory attached to the man that had just walked out of your life for the last time.

What really was keeping you here? The seaside town was never meant to become your home. It was supposed to be temporary. A place where you could find your footing after leaving college. You were only supposed to stay for a few months, but then it became a few years. Sure, you loved your job. Namjoon, Yoongi, and the rest of the boys took care of you. They made sure you had what you needed but there wasn’t room for growth. It’s not like you could get promoted. This is all there was. And you knew that.

Maybe it was time for you to leave, for you to figure out what the hell was out there in the rest of the world.

“God damn it, Jungkook.” You mutter under your breath.

You lift the light blue silk off your frame and quickly change into your every day clothes. Your fingers fumble with the buttons of your jeans as you try to get them on. The sweater gets stuck on your head, making you question if this was the universe telling you to stay in place.

You take a look around your dressing room, trying to figure out if there was anything else you couldn’t leave without. You yank a few dressed off the hangers, shoving them and the light blue dress into your bag that becomes full to the brim.

“That’s it.” You say goodbye to the room, smiling at all the memories you’ll hold dear in your heart.

As soon as you open the door and step out into the bar, now full to the brim with customers, you make eye contact with Namjoon. The glass he was washing in his hand comes to stand still as the two of you stare at each other from across the room. He shakes his head knowingly, telling you in his own way that he knows exactly what you’re doing and just wants you to be safe.

“If he hurts a single hair on your body, I’ll gut him alive.” Yoongi whispers as he walks past towards his piano.

“You and me both.” You smile before weaving your way through the crowd and out the door.

The rain had stopped, leaving behind puddles and pavement that that reflected the dim street lights. The smell of smoke drifts through the night breeze from the docks and Jungkook’s handiwork. You hope that there wasn’t too much damage to the piers surrounding Siwon’s. Those people didn’t deserve to have their source of income damaged. They were innocent.

You look around, trying to figure out what direction the wolf could have gone. It certainly wasn’t towards the dock, so you turn around and walk in the opposite direction. You steps quicken as you cross every deserted street. There was no one around, not a single wolf in sight. You reach the end stretch of town and have to make a decision. You can turn left and go home or you can turn right and see what lies ahead of you on the outskirts.

The overwhelming fear of being too late rises in your chest and you hope that this wasn’t the case. You back a decision and turn towards the right and immediately slam into what feels like a brick wall.

“Why are you walking home late at night, by yourself? Have I not told you a hundred times to be smart?” Jungkook growls.

“I was looking for you, you asshole!” you cross your arms in front of your chest.

“Why? So you can tell me how fucking terrible I am?” Bitterness lace his words.

You smack him as hard as you can in the chest, but his body barely moves. “Jeon Jungkook, if you ever leave me like that again, I am going to gut you myself!”

“Okay, Yoongi.” The wolf rolls his eyes before finally processing the words you had just said. He takes a step closer to you, hesitantly reaching out to hold your waist. “What did you just say?”

You stare at him, reaching up to brush his hair out of his face. “I said that if you ever leave me like that again, I am going to gut you myself.”

He presses his forehead against yours. “I promise, I won’t.”

You take a deep breath. “I want to believe you, Jungkook. I really do.”

“I’ll prove it to you.” He pulls you in closer, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice.

“Please don’t make me regret this, Jungkook. Please don’t make me regret falling in love with you.” You stare back at him.

“I won’t. I love you too much to ever let you out of my sight.” he places a gentle kiss on your lips before whispering. “Now where do you want to go?”

You take a second to think as a gust of cold air sends a shiver through your spine and gives you your answer. “Somewhere warm.”

Jungkook smiles. “I think I know the perfect place.”

#bts fanfic #bts #bts fanfiction #bts fic #jungkook fanfic #jungkook #jungkook smut #bts smut #bts x reader

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eternalbuckley · 11 days ago

Text

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ WISTERIA VINES. (an aemond targaryen series)

— chapter one: Your Romeo. Your Juliet.

SUMMARY: You and Aemond find out that you got the roles of Romeo and Juliet but didn't know yet about the other one. You only found out that Aemond will be Romeo through a phone call with Helaena. And Aemond got the news about you from his older brother. How do you both react to these news?

word count: 4,415

genre: just some tiny angst i think? | no specified reader, queer!reader, bipoc!reader and plus-size!reader friendly

warnings/tropes: modern au, Y/N and they/them pronouns are used a few times, english is not my first language, slightly proofread and edited — if I forgot something, please let me know!

a/n: i'm more than excited to finally share the first chapter of this series. i've been working on this whole project for a while now and i really hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as i enjoy creating it! this will be my last fanfic this year, so i hope you'll have a great start into the new year or had a great start (whenever you're reading this) <3 reblogs, feedback and comments are highly appreciated and welcomed! ♡

disclaimer: please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work or post this anywhere without my consent. i don’t give you my permission to use my writing for any ai related things, don’t do it. do not translate my work and post it anywhere — i give you no permission to do that. i only post my stories here, so if you find my work anywhere else please let me know!

dividers by saradika-graphics

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ navigation | wisteria vines masterlist | main hotg masterlist | series taglist

You nibbled nervously on your nails while you sat on your couch in front of your opened laptop, rocking with your leg as you waited for an e-mail from the production team that produces the ballet show of Romeo and Juliet of the upcoming ballet season. Ever since you’ve first seen a performance of this production, you wanted to be a part of the ballet as well, especially in the role of Juliet. You’ve always dreamed of it and worked hard for your dream.

You’ve already worked with the choreographer before and would love to be able to work with her again. You’ve worked with her on two different productions before; the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. You loved working with her and were fascinated by how she was able to put her visions into reality.

You first got into ballet shortly after you turned five and started having ballet classes. It didn’t fill you with joy in your early stage of being a ballet dancer, you sort of disliked it, but you grew to love the art of this dance over the years. One of the main reasons for falling in love with ballet was a performance you saw with your family in a theatre when you were almost seven years old. You were fascinated by the dancers, the costumes and the whole representation of the stage. It was magical for you and since then, you were determined to get better each day, hoping you’d be as good as the dancers you saw on stage. Eventually, you were allowed to use pointe shoes for the first time when you were thirteen years old – causing you to be the happiest person.

Officially, you have been a professional ballet dancer for a few years now. When you were seventeen, you had the opportunity to be able to dance in a bigger role in a Nutcracker production, which changed you into a better person and was a big step for your ballet career. It was one of your favourite times you’ve ever had, thanks to different people who were involved in the whole process.

“Come on…” You whispered to yourself and refreshed your e-mail inbox for the hundredth time today, hoping there would be an e-mail for the production. You wished there would be a positive message – a message which would tell you that you were a part of the production in the next ballet season. You’d be happy enough to be a part of the production in general, but your main aim was to get cast as Juliet. But after all, you would be happy either way.

You stood up with a sigh and walked into your kitchen to get yourself a glass of water. While you poured the water into your glass, you got a notification on your phone – an e-mail.

‘Casting Results for Romeo and Juliet’

You widened your eyes and immediately sat down your glass on the counter to sprint to your laptop and refresh your inbox to read the e-mail. Your pulse increased and your palms started sweating as your nerves almost exploded. You deeply breathed in, opened the e-mail and read the first lines.

“Hello Y/N,

we are more than happy to tell you that you have been selected as our Juliet for the Romeo and Juliet ballet of the following season. Congratulations!

The complete casting list will be released in the following days. The date for the first rehearsal will be sent to you with the official casting announcement – please make sure you’re prepared for everything!

Until then, relax as much as you can. We’re sure everything will be more than perfect this season! We’re very excited for it.

See you at the first rehearsal,

your production team :)”

You reread the lines multiple times, you couldn’t entirely believe it yet that your dream has just come true. “OH MY GOD!” You happily screamed out loud, jumping on the spot multiple times – you were more than happy. A few tears slipped out of your eyes while you unlocked your phone to call your best friend – Helaena Targaryen. Your hands shook a bit from feeling overwhelmed by the news.

You met her through ballet classes you took together when you were nine and ten years old, and you became best friends very quickly, grew up together and were inseparable. You were thankful to have her at your side. You were there for each other whenever you needed each other and built each other up whenever the other one wasn’t doing well. Especially when Helaena had a knee injury when she was eighteen and sadly had to give up on ballet. She wasn’t doing well mentally and lost her love for it. For a while, she tried to avoid it at every cost after her injury. Even you. You never blamed her for acting the way she did, you understood her. You would probably act the same way if you had to stop the thing you loved because of an injury.

It wasn’t an easy time for Helaena, but over time, she found other interests, and slowly got happier again when she discovered her interest in fashion and designing. It filled her with joy to create her own clothes and bring her ideas to life – it was Helaena’s passion. Being able to design clothes in the way she wanted brought her self-confidence back and gave her a voice. While you thrived in the world of ballet, she thrived in the world of fashion. You support each other in every step and success you’re able to make. Over the years, she had designed your costumes for different performances you were a part of. Seeing you in her creations whenever you danced on stage made her proud. Both of you moved in together shortly after your nineteenth birthday and had been living together for six years by now.

Your phone rang a few times until Helaena eventually appeared on your display. She wasn’t home because she was currently in Winterfell for a design job.

She smiled at you and leaned against the bed headboard in her hotel room. “Hi babe, what’s–“ Helaena began to speak but immediately sat up and gasped as soon as she saw your happy expression, “Did you get a part?!”

You nodded quickly while you walked over to the couch in your living room and sat down cross-legged. “YES! I will be a next Juliet,” you grinned proudly and excitedly while you put your phone against the plant pot that stood on the coffee table.

She clapped, “Oh my god, yes!! Congratulations, babe, you deserve it so so much,” she matched your excitement but then became a bit more serious for a moment, “Wait… Do you already know who your Romeo will be?”

You shook your head, “Not yet, the e-mail said that the complete casting list will be announced soon. I don’t know when, but I hope soon, and I hope it will be someone who’s…” You noticed her serious expression and how she nervously bit down on her lip, “Wait… What do you know?” You furrowed your eyebrows – you were confused.

“Nothing…” She cleared her throat to hide the nervous tone in her voice, but you knew she was lying because she wasn’t looking at you anymore.

“Helaena,” you said warningly, “Tell me what you know?”

She sighed and nodded her head. “Aemond just called me before you did,” she began, and your face faltered for a moment – you knew what this meant, “He will be your Romeo.”

“Oh… Uhh,” you cleared your throat in surprise, “That’s fine. Really. I’m sure it will be fine, I mean… He’s a wonderful dancer, and I adore his passion, but…”

“You’re afraid it will be weird between you? Considering that you’re not together anymore?” She interrupted you without a second thought. Her face showed sympathy as she asked you a question you tried to ignore for yourself.

Your shoulders were slightly slumped, and you nervously bit down on your lower lip. “Yeah,” you nodded slowly and shrugged. “But we’re professionals, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work through it in the next months. I doubt there will be any problems; we ended on good terms. In some way. We agreed to stay friends, remember?” You inhaled and put a few hair strands behind your ears.

“Babe,” she tilted her head, “You two can’t really be in the same room with each other. Every time you stare at each other like two lovesick puppies that obviously still love each other. When was it the last time you actually saw each other?”

You were aware that you and Aemond were extremely professional and wouldn’t let personal feelings ruin any experiences for your careers. But even if you agreed to stay friends and that you wouldn’t let any personal feelings between you, you had to stop dancing with him entirely. The weird tension between you was too heavy after your breakup. You and Aemond used to be dance partners, even before you got into a relationship. You only hoped it would end well.

“I don’t know. It probably has been a few months by now.” With an apprehensive sigh, you leaned against the backrest of your couch and placed a cushion on your lap to play with the fabric. “And besides, the moments you mentioned probably happened shortly after we broke up. I’m sure he and I moved on and can be professional. You know how important our careers are for us.”

Helaena hummed teasingly and nodded her head, “Of course, of course…. I’ll pretend I believe it now.” She chuckled as you rolled your eyes and huffed. If she were here, you’d have thrown the cushion at her. “Whatever! This only means that I’ll finally be able to design another dress for you,” she smiled and clapped excitedly. You chuckled and smiled at her through the screen, her excitement made you happier.

You talked for a few more minutes with her before she had to end the call because she got called by one of her clients. You sighed after the call ended. This was not what you had planned. This was not what you thought would happen. You weren’t exactly sure how to feel about it that you’d be dancing together with Aemond, especially in such a story as Romeo and Juliet. If you were honest, it didn’t bother you that you’d have to dance with him, but you were nervous. More than nervous that something might not work out in the way it should be.

You weren’t lying when you told Helaena that you and Aemond decided to stay friends, but she wasn’t lying either. You barely saw each other or were able to stay in the same room for long without staring at each other when the other one wasn’t looking. There were still feelings between you. Feelings that both of you tried to ignore and deny, even if it was obvious that they were still there. Especially to Helaena – she knew what you and Aemond still felt for each other. She deeply hoped that you would get closer again someday and maybe be honest with yourselves and each other.

You met Aemond and the rest of Helaena’s family when you were having a sleepover at her place for the first time when you were ten – it was like a little celebration of your friendship. During the first years of your friendship with Helaena, you barely talked with Aemond or any of her brothers, you barely knew them, only the things Helaena had told you about back then. The interests were too different, even if Aemond was into ballet and a ballet dancer as well. You couldn’t really find a way to connect with him.

Surprisingly, you had talked with Aegon more than with Aemond, despite the slight age gap. Aegon was like an older brother to you and treated you like a second sister – even if he technically had two already. He was happy to see that Helaena had someone who shared her interests and didn’t judge her for the way she was. You had met the other half of their family only a handful of times so far. Even if everyone tried to be polite with each other as much as they could, you were able to notice the tension between everyone – some had more and some had less tension, but it was there.

But over the years and the older you were, you grew closer to Aemond and became friends. You found interest in each other and realised that both of you had sides inside you that neither of you were aware of. You had been spending more time with him after Helaena had her injury and wasn’t able to dance anymore. Whenever you weren’t with her, you spent your time in the studio with her younger brother. You started to like him more after you got to know each other better. You trusted him, he trusted you. Both of you motivated each other for your dancing and after some time, you tried to dance together, and it was like you were made for each other. Dancing with him always seemed more than easy and the chemistry between you made it even more magical. You supplemented each other, which resulted in both of you being able to dance in a Nutcracker production together when you two were seventeen. It was the start of the best time of your lives.

Both of you were able to turn your hobby into your career and danced together in many productions, even the teams behind every production were mesmerised by the chemistry between you. Many times, you were asked by other dancers if you two were in a relationship – which you had to deny every time. Although, you had a crush on each other, but you never told each other, even if everyone around you seemed to notice the underlying feelings between you.

Especially Helaena noticed it, then and even now, and she loved teasing you about it. Even Daeron and Aegon seemed to notice something after some time. They cracked jokes about it many times before, about how well you’d fit together. Both of them didn’t even notice the glares Aemond gave them or how his and your cheeks heated up. Nevertheless, it took some more time until Aemond got the courage to officially ask you out on a date when you were rehearsing for a production. You didn’t realise in the first place that he was asking you out but once you did, you agreed happily.

You were the one who was able to bring out a happier and more cheerful side of Aemond, one he mostly only shared and barely let out due to different things that had happened in his life. Especially since he was ten years old and got into an incident with his younger nephew and lost his left eye to it. Since then, he has been wearing a prosthetic eye, which brought him his own difficulties from time to time. There had been days when the pain would be unbearable for him, and nothing could help him to ease the pain. Before he had been with you, he wanted to get through this alone and show everyone that he was strong enough, but he slowly let you comfort him and be there for him, the more he trusted you. But even then, there had been days when he pushed you away and wanted to be alone.

In your presence, he was mostly able to forget about his burdens and worries and could feel peaceful because of you. Especially whenever you danced together, he was much calmer and able to forget about his problems during these moments. He may have gotten rude comments about him being a ballet dancer from different people throughout the years, but he paid them no attention. Ballet saved his life in a way only you could understand.

Luckily, your relationship didn’t end because anything negative happened between you. It was rather a decision the two of you had made together almost a year ago, so both of you could focus more on your careers as ballet dancers without any distractions. You had been quite busy with your schedules and barely saw each other that much anymore, given that you and Aemond had to work on different performances and were busy with your training, classes or rehearsals all day. At the time, it was the better decision to part ways and stay friends.

Even if that worked in some way, neither of you wasn’t truly able to move on. Even if you had agreed to stay friends and act normally, it wasn’t easy to see each other afterwards. You kind of grew apart even more and only saw each other rarely. Before and during your relationship, Aemond used to visit you and Helaena a lot, but after your breakup, he rarely stepped into your and Helaena’s apartment. Only if he knew that you weren’t there.

It hurt Helaena to see her younger brother and her best friend growing apart like that, she felt kind of helpless. She didn’t want to get between you, but she understood your decision and tried to be there for each of you as much as she could. Even if it could be difficult for her sometimes – she tried her best, and so did you and Aemond.

After a while of thinking about old memories, you cleared your throat and got up from the couch to distract yourself. You didn’t want to spend the rest of your day thinking about your ex-boyfriend and what you experienced together. You wanted to focus more on being happy that you were finally going to have the opportunity of your life – you were a next Juliet in the ballet world.

You walked into your kitchen and took a sip from the glass you poured yourself before you received the email with the news of the casting. Your phone lit up with a message from Aegon – he congratulated you on getting the part in the production. You smiled and shook your head, Helaena must have texted or called him after her call with her client. You quickly opened the message and replied to him before you started to cook yourself dinner.

Meanwhile, Aemond cut some vegetables for his dinner and was on the phone with Aegon. He just told him that he got the part of Romeo and was more than excited to start the rehearsals – but Aemond didn’t know yet that you were going to be his Juliet. He hoped that the other dancers he’d work with would be as professional as he was.

“How was the first concert, by the way?” Aemond asked his older brother and got a pan out of his kitchen counter – fully unaware that Aegon was texting you.

Aemond furrowed his eyebrows when Aegon remained silent, “Brother?” He placed the pan on the stove and continued to cut the vegetables.

“Hmm? Yeah?” Aegon cleared his throat on the other side of the phone, “Sorry, what did you say?” He changed the position of his body while lying on the couch of his hotel room, a quiet groan leaving his lips as he tried to find a comfortable position.

“Your first concert… How was it?” Aemond repeated his question with a short sigh and added the vegetables to his pan and turned on the stove. But he didn’t get a reply again, which caused him to snap slightly, “Aegon, are you even listening, or what are you so busy with?” Aemond hated it when his brother wasn’t listening or was only half-listening.

“I’m just–“ Aegon paused and thought about his next words for a moment before he continued, “I’m wondering… How does it feel for you to know that you’ll dance with Y/N again?” He furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation.

Aemond stopped his movements, and the grip on his knife tightened with Aegon’s question. “I have no idea what you mean?” He hoped that he just misunderstood Aegon, that it was just some mistake, but how could it be a mistake? Aegon used your name, he must mean you, it could only be you. The words echoed in his mind as he gulped with the consideration that Aegon was telling the truth – that he’d have to dance with you again after everything that happened.

Aegon chuckled nervously. ‘Didn’t he already know that he’d have to dance with Y/N?’ He asked himself and cleared his throat. “I uhh…,” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he couldn’t save himself anymore, “Helaena called me before you did and told me that Y/N got the part of Juliet. And you’ll be Romeo. So… They’re your Juliet. I thought… You already knew.”

Aemond stared at his cutting board, did he hear his brother correctly? You were going to be Juliet? No, he must have misheard something, right? This newfound information caused him to stay quiet for a few moments. He wasn’t sure what to do with that information. On one side, he was happy that he got the part of Romeo, but it meant to dance with you. He felt conflicted about it, he knew that dancing with you always felt magical and easy, but he wasn’t sure how it would be after everything that had happened. Even if it has been a year since the end of your relationship, he didn’t know what to expect. He should’ve expected that this could happen, but he didn’t.

“I certainly didn’t know that at all. I only got the news of my part…. They’ll announce the complete list of dancers soon, but I didn’t know about Y/N.”

“Sorry, I–“

Aemond cut him off and shook his head, even if Aegon wouldn’t see it. “Do you know if they know that we will... You know,” he cleared his throat, he felt somewhat tense, “Dance together?”

“I don’t know, perhaps?” Aegon replied, quite unsure of his answer, “If you already have told our sister about it, then I’m quite sure that Y/N knows too by now.”

Aemond hummed and pursed his lips. Should he text you and congratulate you on getting the part for Juliet, or should he wait until you see each other for rehearsal? But what if you didn’t know yet that he would be your Romeo and that you’d find out because of him? It could be strange. After all, he knew what the whole Romeo and Juliet ballet meant to you, so it wouldn’t be weird to congratulate you for getting the role you always wanted, right? But he wasn’t sure if he should reach out to you after all.

“We’ll talk later. I’ll prepare my dinner now. I’m sure that you… Must prepare for your show tonight. Bye,” he quickly ended the call and let out a desperate sigh. This wasn’t how he thought he’d spend his next months.

You haven’t seen each other in months, how would things be between you two? He was excited about the production if he was thinking about his career, but he was nervous about his personal feelings.

Later that evening, you found yourself sitting on the couch of your living room, one of your favourite blankets wrapped around your body while a movie was playing on the TV in the background. You shivered a bit, even if the room was warmed up by the fireplace. But you weren’t sure if you shivered because you were cold or because you were feeling nervous. You stared at the screen of your phone, eyeing the chat with Aemond – you were considering if you should text him or not. After all, you were about to spend your next months together, almost every day until the last performance at least. It wouldn’t hurt to text him quickly, right? But did he even know about you being his Juliet?

Your thumb hovered over the chat with him, your nerves causing your hands to sweat a bit, and your pulse beat strongly in your ears. It was just a simple text; it shouldn’t be anything you should worry about. But your pulse was still beating strongly, your mind flooded with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Little did you know that Aemond was in the same situation as you while he was lying in his bed. His blanket covered half of his body while only the small lamp on his nightstand brought some light into his bedroom. One arm was placed under his head while he held his phone in his other hand. His thumb hovered over your chat as well. He desperately wanted to text you and let you know how happy he was for you that you were going to be Juliet. He was happy for you, but the thought of dancing with you caused his nerves to hit him deep inside. Aemond rarely felt nervous, but if it involved you? Completely different. You made him feel things no one else could, even after your breakup and not having seen each other in a while. The thought of you increased his pulse immediately.

After some more thinking, both of you tossed your phones away, letting out a long and exasperated sigh. Both of you covered your faces with your hands while your shoulders relaxed. This wouldn’t be easy. If you couldn’t even text each other a simple ‘Congrats’, how should things go when you would dance together? How were you supposed to spend your days together in such intimate moments? You’d have to be close – very close with each other and trust the other one. You were sure you could trust each other, but you were afraid of what else might happen.

And that’s when it hit both of you all of a sudden – he immediately sat up, his shoulders tensed while yours did as well as you both realised what it meant to be dancing as Romeo and Juliet.

You’d probably have to kiss each other.

On stage.

In front of so many people who would watch the performances.

It would most probably be a part of the choreography, and neither of you could change it, even if you could – neither of you wanted it to be changed, either. It is such a delicate moment between the characters and displays the feelings between them – it would be foolish to erase that moment. The next months surely would be interesting.

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xinfinityl0ve17 · 4 months ago

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MALICE MIZER - M-Gazette - November 1998 Vol.21

“Merveilles” Tour Final 98.7.22 Yokohama Arena

There was a castle, on stage, as if time was flowing backward only there… A scene encountered in the distant memories of a faraway past, evoking such an illusion… Is that place truly a part of the real world?

Does MALICE MIZER truly exist in reality?

In the world of collective imagination, where the unreliable five senses of humans mistakenly perceive, is it all a dream? Standing by the seaside where a gentle breeze flows or walking cautiously through a dark forest with no lights, always aware of what’s behind… In that instant a stage existed that could transform the scenery dramatically like the lighting that thundered fiercely in the dark night. And from above, no, as if sent from a different dimension their figures appeared in that space. And through sound, vibration, and light… everything about MALICE MIZER began to flow into our brains through every sensory organ.

“An integrated arts group,” MALICE MIZER.

Artists have their limits, musicians have their limits, directors have their limits. However, what need is there for “chic” in conveying things, events, emotions, and the world to people? “Is this a false space created by them? Are they false on stage?” Such trivial thoughts almost arise, but there is a world there. Yet, it is perhaps just showing what they can express. They have the authority over the “time” of this world.

And the lights in the castle began to fade, revealing a night sky adorned with countless stars… And the door to that space closed, while outside, the rain poured down heavily. Too many things unfolded in that brief moment and remained.

On the way back. “There’s no rain like this in a storm… maybe it’s still continuing from that place earlier.” I thought about such things as if I were running over a river in the car.

Text: Nobue Ishibashi

M GAZETTE Original MALICE MIZER Card-Type Calendar

50 readers will receive a gift.

50 readers will receive a 6-piece set of the M GAZETTE Original “MALICE MIZER Card-Type Calendar.” For details, please refer to the “Treasure Release” section on page 112.

“merveilles” — The End and Return ~TOUR-98 7.22 Yokohama Arena SET LIST

S.E. Bois de merveilles (instrumental)

M1. S-concious

M2. ILLUMINATI

M3. Np.s Ngs

M4. mana közi/Solo

M5. Gackt kami/Solo

M6. Syunikiss ~ The Second Mourning ~

M7. Nocturne Under the Moon

M8. Vel Air ~ In the Moment of Emptiness ~

M9. Dance of Death

M10. Aegean ~ With the Wind that Passed ~

M11. yu-ki/Solo

M12. Je te veux

M13. Madorigal

M14. Brise

M15. au revoir

M16. ma cherie

en. Le ciel

#malice mizer #mana sama #kami malice mizer #malice mizer közi #magazine #malice mizer mana #yu~ki malice mizer #celebrity interviews #malice mizer gackt #malicemizerinterview

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redrandomposts · 3 months ago

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feeling embarrassed writing this. anyway, have some lukaivan before R7

idol/actor au (...not quite like off the record)

=====

luka watched, with empty eyes, his two juniors. it was almost amusing how ivan chased futilely after till. it made luka... want to control him? not in a creepy way, but rather, take care of ivan. his heart seems rather fragile for someone like till to take hold of it.

is it the heartbreak reflected in ivan's eyes, his words, his every action? luka can't quite decide, but he's sick of seeing it. they're being put in the same group, and he can't have any of that near him. and, well, if the best way to do that is make ivan fall out of love with till...

luka looks at ivan again. he's alone, now, looking at the pencil he'd stolen forlornly.

...then isn't he a perfect candidate for a "second chance at love?"

of course, that's not easy to say. luka has three easy steps for this, though.

getting his contact was easy. knowing that they're being put in the same group together, no guards were raised for that. a good morning text here, a good night text here, a check-in during lunch...

finding his schedule was even easier. considering the amount of time ivan spends alone with till chasing after mizi, luka integrated himself in quite well. two coffees in the morning for himself and ivan, a break in practicing with two cold drinks, and spending a late lunch together.

hanging out outside of the company building was unnecessarily difficult. luka supposed it was because of their upcoming debut; their workload was gradually increasing, from practice to photoshoots. he managed to pull ivan on a "dinner date" to discuss their duo. then three days later, they were going to the park. in gradually settled into a dinner once or twice a week.

===

ivan has found that his routine had changed imperceptibly yet entirely one night. his thoughts and knowledge, too, had expanded to include another person; luka.

he isn't sure how it happened. in the morning, a bit after he first gets to the building, luka will show up with two coffees. if it's an "important" date, there'll also be pastries to share. they started to practice together in preparation for debut, and they'd have a five-minute break chatting. (previously, ivan had saved that time to take a look at till a few floors below.) they'd get a bit too engrossed in their practice and have a late lunch down the street, luka somehow able to eat two people's servings of food during the fifteen or twenty minutes they spend eating. they'd practice for a while, and normally on fridays or tuesdays they'd have dinner together discussing their upcoming debut.

ivan's grown to know that luka prefers cold, sweeter drinks like frappuccinos, he can eat really well, and has the flexibility of a gymnast. he knows classical literature but would rather hear ivan's interpretations of it, and he writes songs to reflect a distorted reality. he's taken ballet classes when he was younger and had had chronic migraines up until a few months before joining the company.

it's... unnerving, how easily ivan got that information. with till, he's had to keep careful watch since they were children to know that his favorite food were any combination of meats and spices, that he drew breathtaking scenery and flowers, and that he's composed music since he was five. with luka, it was as natural as breathing.

it was refreshing.

as months passed, ivan found himself on stage, side-by-side with luka, overlooking fans the company had gathered pre-debut. he found that this was what he wanted in the future; back to luka's, or next to each other, or looking at each other, sharing the same love for music or whatever else they may be.

===

it was a marketing gimmick by the company. as the world grew more tolerant, the company naturally had to follow; even if that meant taking a newly-debuted idol pair and smushing them into boyfriends for the stage.

it's not as if they had to kiss, though. his manager had made sure that ivan wouldn't be forced to do more than heartfelt gazes if he didn't want to. curiously, ivan wanted to feel what luka's lips would be like on his.

he had never kissed another, after all. between till and school or work, there wasn't a carnal need.

so, one night while they were livestreaming, ivan had asked luka. and, five minutes later, he knew;

luka's lips were soft yet cold, tasted like the dinner they had together, and he was quite domineering. he didn't only kiss with his lips - he used his hands and pulled him in, caressed his hip or thigh or face or whatever he could grab ahold of. he didn't care for an audience, but would rather not get ivan implicated by turning them so that only the back of luka's head could be seen.

as luka pulled away and looked in his eyes, ivan could tell. ivan had fallen in love, yet again, and this time it was reciprocated.

===

till stared at his phone, stomach churning. his timeline, the traitor, had been filled with ivan's new relationship as if it were a dedicated page for it. from debut to now, he'd seen ivan less and less. gritting his teeth, till turned off his phone and looked at his most recent composition. he'd lost all inspiration.

#alnst luka #alnst ivan #alnst #lukaivan #ivanluka #alien stage

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epicbuddieficrecs · 1 year ago

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Favorite Buddie fics of 2023!

Every single year at @epicstuckyficrecs I used to do a fic rec at the end of the year with my favorite fics. I figured I should keep the tradition going! So, without further ado, these are my favorite Buddie fics (in no particular order) published in 2023! (you can also check out some other favorite Buddie fics of mine here)

If you have any favorites that aren't in this list, don't hesitate to share them in the comments! :)

Complete

find a way to you (if it kills me) by foxwatson/ @eddiediazes (Post S6E13: Mixed Feelings, Pining | 19K | Mature): the one where eddie decides to start dating again, buck figures out his own feelings just a minute too late, and then he spends a week going through the five stages of grief

let the world have its way with you by fleetinghearts/ @shitouttabuck (Post-Coma AU | 54K | Explicit): or, a bucket list that’s really about buck needing to make a change and an eddie who’s ready to do anything to see him fall in love with life again. it takes some crossing off for eddie to realise—the thing at the top of the list in his own heart? it’s been right here all along

Being Eddie by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Time Travel, Post-Season 6, Getting together | 80K | Teen): When Eddie starts seeing a new therapist, he’s presented with the opportunity to revisit several days from his past and right regrets that still bother him. OR: Eddie goes through the time travel therapy process of the 2009 Canadian TV show Being Erica.

Evan Buckley & The Coma-Verse of Madness by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Coma AU, Multiverse | 58K | Teen): After being struck by lightning on a call, Buck experiences a plethora of alternate realities showing him different directions his life could have taken. Fighting hard to get home, Buck learns what, or who, is important to him in every lifetime.

like a dog with a bird at your door by fleetinghearts/ @shitouttabuck (Post-S6, Getting Together | 51K | Explicit): or, evan “i love you like a dog” buckley has only ever known how to love like, well, a dog, but maybe eddie diaz is the kinda guy to give a flea-bitten mongrel a forever home

Both Blade and Branch by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Post-S6 | 62K | Mature): The chances of being struck by lightning twice are incredibly minute, but Buck still manages to pull it off. During a double date with Marisol and Natalia, nonetheless. Eddie manages to resuscitate him, but as Buck recovers from yet another trauma, Eddie can’t help but notice there’s something very different about him. He’s not quite sure what version of Buck he got back.

where all of the people dancing and clapping would greet me with such warmth by trysetmeonfire/ @try-set-me-on-fire (Season 6, Magical Realism | 15K | Mature): In the fall, Buck begins to disappear. (Part 2 of All I Am, All That I Am)

Nothing Left But You by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars ("Blip" AU | 27K | Teen | Warning: MCD): In May of 2021, 25% of Earth's population suddenly disappears. Including Eddie. In May of 2026, they all come back. Eddie finds himself suddenly in the middle of a world he doesn't recognize, where the people he loves most have changed significantly.

Your Love is an Oil Slick (It Glows like Rainbows, It Stains My Soul) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Canon Divergent - Supernatural Elements, Ghost Buck | 67K | Explicit): When Eddie's son claims he has an imaginary friend, Eddie doesn't think much of it. Christopher is seven, it's what kids do. But then weird things start happening around the house, and Eddie starts dreaming about a handsome blue-eyed man. Turns out, Christopher's friend isn't so imaginary. Their house is haunted.

come with me, together, we can take the long way home series by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (Canon compliant | 105K | T to M):

Get me through the night; Make me feel alright (Post-S3 Finale | 11K | Mature): After an emotionally-gutting reunion with Abby, Buck turns to old coping mechanisms. Eddie helps him find a better way. In Uncertain Times, The Uncertain Rules Apply (Pre-S4 | 22K | Teen): Covid comes to LA. Eddie copes. Or doesn't. Holding out for Something More (Stuck in Reverse) (Post S4E3/Lone Star Crossover | 26K | Teen): LA is coming out of lockdown and the world is returning to some sense of normalcy. But going back to the way things were hurts more than Buck expected. While his therapist challenges him to confront what he really wants, the team takes a trip to Austin... and El Paso. so far from being free (S4E4: 9-1-1 What's Your Grievance?, S4E5: Buck Begins | 46K | Teen): That’s Daniel. He was our brother. Buck doesn’t know what to do with the past tense. He never had a brother. He’s always had a brother. He gained one and lost one in the same breath and it feels impossible.

Kink Club AU series by Princessfbi/ @princessfbi (Canon Divergent - Different First Meeting, BDSM, Dom Eddie, Sub Buck | Complete | Explicit): Canon compliant one shots where Eddie works at a Kink Club as a side hustle and meets Buck there before his first shift in 2x01.

The Warmth (of You) (25K): aka where Buck and Eddie first meet at a kink club before the firehouse To Weather the Storm (With You) (21K): aka the fallout of Buck finding out the dom he met at a Kink Club is his new coworker Safe Here (With You) (20K): aka Buck and Eddie handle working a shift after their first scene The Building Pressure (of You) (15K): aka Buck reaches out to Eddie after he leaves Abby's place in 2x07 An Offer to Torment (You) (14K): aka Eddie is all twisted up inside about what to do with Shannon. Buck offers himself up for some much needed holiday stress relief.

like when the sun came out by spaceprincessem/ @spaceprincessem (Canon Divergent, Ghosts | 39K | Mature): Evan gave up trying to explain what happens to him after his parents forced him to have a talk with one of their friends, supposedly a pediatric therapist, and cruelly hinted that if Evan didn’t stop seeing and talking about his “invisible friends” as if they were real then his parents would send him far away to places where they lock children up in padded rooms. “Look,” Evan says quickly, forcing out the words before he gets too scared to speak,” I—I know this is going to sound crazy, but, um, ever since I was a kid I can see ghosts.”

tomorrow will always and forever now be today (tomorrow is our always and forever) by withmeornotatall/ @chronicowboy (Post-S6, Time Loop | 43K | Mature): eddie gets trapped in a time loop on the day buck marries natalia

All My Shattered Oaths by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Vampires AU | 107K | Explicit): Eddie wants to stay away from his family’s legacy and give his son a normal life. Buck’s desperate to find a way to get over the love he lost. Fate has other plans for both of them.

Don't They Know It's the End of the World? by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Fallout 4 AU, Post-Apocalyptic | 32K | Mature | Warning: Violence): After being put in a cryogenic sleep for over a hundred years to wait out an apocalyptic event, Eddie Diaz wakes up, too early, to find his son has been stolen from his cryo-chamber. Scared and alone in a frightening world he doesn't recognize, Eddie is willing to do anything to get his kid back.

but i can see all along, love (it was you all the way down) by diazchristopher/ @captain-hen (Post-S6, Time Loop | 28K Mature): He puts his laptop away after a bit, and paces the length of his apartment as he tries to take stock of the situation at hand. One: The date is March 22nd, 2024. Two: It has been March 22nd for 3 days now. Three: Buck is trapped in some kind of time loop that is forcing him to relive this day. Four: Eddie is, apparently, in love with him. And. And. Five: Buck doesn’t feel the same way.

WIP

And here are my favorite WIP that I really hope will continue to be updated in 2024! 🤞

for all the haunts and homes of men by euadnes/ @kananjarus (Canon Divergent, Post-Apocalyptic, Station Eleven Crossover | WIP | 11/? | 96K | Mature | Warning: Violence): The year by the old calendar is 2025. Home is gone. Home is a failed rescue mission and an echo of a memory. Home is a lost boy living in a wooden house by the sea. But first, there was a promise. Christopher, when it's safe, I'll take you back to your father. Buck had all but given up on keeping it after the world had died and everyone in it. But just as some oaths refuse to be forgotten, so the same can be said about the endurance of love.

Things We're All Too Young to Know by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon, S1 through S6 | 104/? | 283K | Mature): This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

Precious & Fragile Things by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Small Miracles AU, Angel Buck | 10/? | 25K | Teen): Buck is the Fallen Angel of Petty Temptation, who has been tasked with tempting human Eddie Diaz to sin and enjoy life, but just a little. He thinks the job will be easy - get in, get out, go back to Peru to continue messing around with eternity. But when Buck arrives in Los Angeles, he finds Eddie is harder to tempt than expected, and more compelling than Buck had hoped.

Right Where You Left Me by hyacinthusbloom/ @thebloomingheather (Canon Divergent, Post-S4, Angst | 89K | 20/? | Explicit | Warning: Rape/Non-con): "Therapy?" Eddie suggests. Buck almost laughs, but instead says, "I'll go if you go." Because he had fully expected him to be chicken shit, to disagree, and instead Eddie, the bastard, replies, "Deal." Or Buck never tells anyone that he slept with his therapist and deals with the butterfly effect years later.

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know by JJK/ @trenchcoatsandtimetravel (Demon Buck, Canon Divergent | 7/? | 12K | Teen): Buck is a demon with the power to help with pregnancy, childbirth, and infant health. When the Buckleys make a deal asking for someone to help 'save their baby', Buck leaps at the chance as it will give him what he's always wanted: a life on earth. But demon deals are tricky and neither of them gets quite what they're after. This is Buck's journey as he navigates growing up on earth and remembering how to help those in need.

#epic buddie fic rec #buddie #buddie fic rec #buddie fic #buddie fanfic #buddie fanfiction #911 fanfic #911 fic #911 fanfiction #favorites

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thisisourlovestory · 1 year ago

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Safe and Sound

Finnick Odair x reader soulmate AU

Summary: you are a victor from district 4. The Quarter Quell has just been announced. How will you cope with the turn of events coming your way.

Word count- 2.8k

Notes: Merry Christmas! Thank you to everyone who’s read this so far and to my beta reader who has hyped me up about this whole thing. I’m going to try and update once a week but occasionally it may take a bit longer or less depending on how much I work on it since I am writing it as I go. Hope you enjoy! Also who here knows how to make the masterlist thingymajobs? Because I don't and I want to make one

Chapter 2

A scream shattered the silence and my hand was up in the air before I even knew what I was doing as I uttered those four dreaded words.

“I volunteer as tribute!”

The second I said them Lysander was practically jumping in delight, a grin spread across his face as wide as can be as he proclaimed loudly.

“I believe we have a volunteer.” I stepped forward, ignoring the shocked looks Annie and Mags were throwing my way. Lysander babbled on and on for a few minutes about ‘how exciting for a victor to volunteer’, how ‘he was sure none of the other districts would have tributes’. I felt like throwing up, looking out into a sea of faces, most of them open mouthed, a few simply confused as if wondering who the hell I even was. I saw a couple of people who I used to know, refusing to meet my eyes. My ballet shoes hung by my side, a heavy weight pulling down, anchoring me to reality as my mind drifted.

I turned to Lysander and gave him a pathetic attempt at a smile, lips tilting upwards slightly, a flash of white teeth for a second. “Please,” he said, “Shake hands.”

I didn't realise what he said until Finnick stepped forward and held out his hand to me. My eyebrows furrowed and I bit my lip, twisting the sleeves of my cardigan again, holding out my other arm to hold his hand loosely before pulling it back quickly as I felt my mark burn slightly. He looked confused for a moment before his expression cleared and he put on a charming smile, waving to the crowd. As for me, I stood there silently, chewing on my lip worriedly, wondering why I volunteered, why I didn't even hesitate.

“Your tributes for the 75th annual Hunger Games!” Lysander yelled to the crowd over their obedient clapping as peacekeepers pointed guns at them, threatening to shoot. All of a sudden we were herded off stage and I was dragged to the same room I had been in all those years ago, the paint still peeling, a splintered chair and table on dusty stone. I took a few steps in and collapsed on the floor, chest heaving as I tried to take in deep breaths. I curled my hands into fists, nails cutting into the soft skin of my hands, a few tears dripping down my face but I heard heavy footsteps down the corridor and quickly composed myself, brushing away the tears and standing up, elegantly sitting down in the chair as the door opened. Mags walked in, escorted by a guard who muttered.

“Five minutes.” And closed the door behind him. Mags stared at me for a second before walking over and placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her and she mouthed one word. Why?

I smiled slightly as I answered.

“She doesn't deserve to die. She needs to live and I'll do everything I can to get Finnick out and back to her.” Mags looked confused so I rolled up my sleeve and showed her my wrist. “He's my soulmate,” she blinked quickly and I continued,”And he doesn't love me but he loves her and they deserve to live.” She looked angry and somehow managed to croak out a few words.

“What about you?” I patted her hand, standing up and looking out the window.

“I don't matter, I just want him to be safe and sound. I want him to be happy, even if it's not with me.” She looked at me pityingly, brown eyes filled with emotion as she folded me into her arms; I broke down, sobbing silently into her shoulder, tears soaking the fabric. “I just can't let him die, not if I can do something about it.” I managed to get out between hiccuping sobs and sniffles. She comforted me gently, stroking my hair with wrinkled hands and all too soon it was time for her to go.

The door swung open and Mags scurried out before they could drag her away, the last thing I saw of her was her long grey hair before another person walked in and the door was slammed shut behind them. Annie stood in front of me. Long auburn hair tangled, sea green eyes gazing at me curiously. She took in my puffy eyes and red face streaked with tears saying nothing as she kneeled down and took my hands in hers.

“Why did you do that?” She asked quietly, not looking me in the eye, “Why would you give up your life?”

“We aren't so dissimilar you and I.” I spoke, removing my hands from hers and laying them on my knees. “The games,” my voice cracked,”The games left us both broken beyond belief. The difference between us is that you had someone there to build you back up after you came out. I didn't. Or I did, but they didn't care enough to stay. We've both been dropped and shattered on impact but you've been fixed, mostly, the cracks are still there and with the right push it'll all come crashing down. But me, I've got nobody and nothing left, everyone left me to crumble to pieces as if I would just be fine, but I'm not, I'm just a pile of broken glass waiting for someone to finally care and put me back together. So I volunteered. Because you have everything to lose; I’ve got nothing left.” Annie said nothing, just watched me carefully,

“I'll get Finnick out for you,” I whispered,”You don't have to worry about him. I promise.” The door opened and she was led out, throwing a last glance over her shoulder at me, a strange look in her eyes as if she knew something I didn’t.

I was left alone to my thoughts again. Wrapping the ribbons of my shoes around my hands repetitively. Wondering what it would be like this time around. Would I even have a chance at survival? I dismissed that one immediately, with victors like the ones from districts 1 and 2, plus Katniss and Peeta from last year, I wasn't getting out alive. I was good but not that good. I could throw knives perfectly, fight in hand to hand combat and tie complex knots with lengths of rope, I was even half decent at using a bow and arrow. But compared to others I was weak.

The door creaked open again but this time no one entered except some peacekeepers in their white uniforms and masks, they dragged me out, gloved hands twisting my skin. I shook my arms out of their hold and glared at them, they let me loose and marched me along the corridor to the exit where a car would be waiting. They opened the side door and pushed me in. My head knocked against the metal and I hissed in annoyance but said nothing. The car pulled away from the justice building and I stared out at it for the last time, the carved marble flawless and perfect but oh so cold. My eyes trailed over the shapes of people outside, cheering my name; screaming for the games to stop. They hadn't even known who I was before, why did they care now? Why did they care just as I was sent off to my death once again? Why did they care when all they had ever done was pretend I didn't exist?

How could they stand there and scream my name, their beloved victor, when they had never before known me? How dare they pretend to care about me. How dare they think I wanted this. How dare they congratulate me on my actions when the choice didn't even exist to begin with. In those moments I was filled with nothing but disgust for the people of my district. We were supposed to be united against the Capitol yet here they were excited for me to go back in. Granted there was the idea that if they didn't then they would be made an example of by peacekeepers for not complying with orders. But behind every forced action there is a planted seed that was simply nurtured to form the fully fledged evil.

I sighed, propping my head up on my hand as we entered the station, reporters from the Capitol waiting for the chance to get a shot of Finnick or I. We jolted to a stop and Finnick stepped calmly out of the car in front, waving to people, giving them his charming smile, playing up to his persona as the Capitol darling. I took a deep breath as he disappeared from sight, people screaming for one last look at him, and pushed down the handle to open the door. I stepped out and was immediately assaulted by loud noises, too loud. They ripped through my skull and I flinched while I walked along the pathway that was cleared for me. They screamed my name and they wouldn't stop, it echoed in my head, their voices like nails as they raked down the walls I had built up in my mind to block out the bad and keep the good close. The peacekeepers surrounded my shaking form, tiny compared to the crowds gathered; herded me to the platform where the train was waiting. Sleek and silver, like a bullet, and just as fast as one.

I stumbled over the gap where the platform ended and the train doors opened, allowing me to topple to the floor in a graceless heap. I groaned and sat up, pressing a hand to the side of my head and frowning in annoyance as I felt the slightest of bruises there. My feet slipped out of my sandals so I picked them up in one hand alongside my pointe shoes and pushed myself to a standing position leaning on the wall of the train. I took a minute to calm myself, mentally preparing for the interesting conversation that was sure to come when I walked into the next compartment. I dropped my head forwards and wiped a hand over my face before sighing and reaching out to the handle, pushing it down.

I stepped in and three sets of eyes locked on me, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

“Hi.” I cleared my throat and they resumed their conversation. I relaxed in relief and dropped into a chair at the table, immediately reaching out for a plate. I filled it with all kinds of foods, meat, pasta, vegetables and more. A luxury I couldn't bring myself to afford with the money I had won, food I tended to steer clear of because in my mind it belonged to the Capitol and eating it made me one of them. But I figured I was going to die soon so I might as well indulge while I could. I speared a piece of fish and potato and it was halfway to my mouth when I noticed eyes on me again. Lysander was giving me a look of wonder as he leaned forwards onto his hands.

“So Y/N, tell me why did you volunteer? We need to know so we can spin this story to give you the best chance of winning that we can you see.” He smiled and bit into a leg of chicken, tearing the meat away with his teeth. My mind blanked, I couldn't exactly tell him the real reason I volunteered, that would not go down well with the current company, I glanced over to Finnick and my eyes widened as our eyes connected for a split second before I snapped my gaze back to my plate. I shrugged my shoulders and shoved the food in my mouth. Lysander’s mouth twisted into a scowl at my disregard for him and Mags, seated next to him, smiled down at her plate.

I swallowed my food and sipped on water in a glass next to me before I answered his question

“I didn't want her to die.” He spluttered in delight.

“I can work with that. A story of two best friends, one worried for the other's safety so she volunteers to save her from certain death.” I shook my head at his words.

“No. We aren't friends. I just didn't think she deserved to die and that's the only story you're going to tell.”

“But, but, but,” Lysander stammered under my glare.

“But nothing,” I said calmly, “There is no story, I volunteered because I felt sorry for her, nothing more nothing less. Now if you'll excuse me,” I shoved the chair back and stood up, “I'm going to my room and I don't want to see you, until morning.” With that I stormed out of the compartment, slamming the door shut behind me, rattling the ornaments and pictures hanging on the walls. My footsteps were heavy as I almost ran along the corridor, I finally reached the door I wanted and stared at it, remembering how seven years ago I had stood in the exact same spot.

My thoughts were pretty different about being in the Hunger Games now. Back then I had had no choice so it was just an unfortunate circumstance I found myself in with the added threat of death. Now it was more of an actual game and I suppose that was the point, throw previous victors into an arena together, seasoned killers, guaranteed chaos would ensue. They'd have the perfect show, death upon death that would look interesting and be absolutely brutal because the executioners would all know what they were doing. It would be the most viewed year of the games in history. They’d be making hunters into performers, fighting to stay alive for the cameras. Doing anything to gain sponsors. It wouldn’t surprise me if some people went too far. But most of all, we’d be angry. Angry that we had to go back, they’d promised we were done and now it seemed they lied.

I pushed the door open and stepped into the room. It smelled of fresh peaches and vanilla, the white bedsheet pulled tightly across the mattress, light green comforter spread across the duvet. I gently closed the door behind me and threw my sandals on the floor. I leapt onto the bed, sinking into the mountain of pillows piled up near the headboard. A headboard engraved with swirls of waves and shells to represent district 4, I looked closer and on every wave was a set of initials and a date, the initials of every other district 4 tribute in the history of the games and the date they were reaped. A tradition upheld by every new victim. I traced over my initials on one of the waves and picked up the knife I had taken a few minutes ago, I picked a new wave and ripped into it, my initials carved as deeply as possible. A message that I was not going easy. I would go but I would fight every step of the way.

I chucked the knife down and admired my handiwork. I was no artist but if I were this would be my best piece. Rolling over I stood up and made my way to the wardrobe. Opening it I found an assortment of clothes and night dresses. I picked out a white one that fell loosely to my knees and pulled my pointe shoes on, tying the ribbons around my ankles and standing up. Humming a song, I rose onto my toes, hands lifting above my head as I twirled around, the skirt floating around me. I kicked one leg into the air, leaning to the other side and bringing my arms close to my body, curving them in. I danced for what seemed like hours, lost in a world of my own as I spun around in circles, sweeping my arms above my head and out in front of me. Finally growing dizzy I stopped, one foot turned out in front of me, the other pointed behind me as I let my arms drop slowly to my side, my humming stopped and I opened my eyes. Remembering the reason I was here, to help Finnick. All urge to dance left me as I quietly undid the knotted ribbons, pulling the shoes off and staring at my feet, blistered and bruised. Plasters taped on them to stop the cuts being infected. I climbed into the bed, pulling the sheets over my body, shivering as the cold fabric touched my skin and then burrowing further into the warmth it provided. I yanked the comforter closer. Rubbing my cheek on the fluffy material, hand reaching out to turn off the lights, switch just in reach making a sharp clicking sound as I flipped it. My eyes started to drift closed in the darkness, my limbs tired from the exhausting day and I fell into dark oblivion.

Taglist:

@nekee-lilac02 @hinata7346 @bambikitten @the-lonely-abyss @mxacegrey @m-maxie-ie @not-aya @camatchoum @maw1dk @avoxrising @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @somdreamy @thehairington86 @millzluvrs @val-writesstuff @erindiggory @reader-bookling123 @elisa20beth @maxinehufflepuffprincess @user123453226780536 @littleanubis21

If the tagging didn’t work or you want to be added to the taglist just let me know!

#finnick odair x reader #finnick x reader #finnick x you #finnick odair x you #catching fire #angst #the hunger games #thg x reader #thg series #implied finnick x annie

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bidisasterevankinard · 6 months ago

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Wip Wednesday

do I have the stage where I start new wips but barely write the one's I have because I'm super indecisive and not inspired? yes. let's hope soon I will be fine and work on my wips I want to work on. Anyway meet new wip where bucktommy will have long angst in their relationship because Tommy needs to grief "what ifs" with Sal he never thought about till he sees Sal as Captain of 118 (it's an au where Sal is a captain instead of Gerass)(it's only the start of the fic btw)

thanks to nonny @racerchix21 and this song (the title taken from the song and it's "I tried to go on like I never knew you"

Tommy knows it all should be in the past. In stolen kisses in bars they knew Gerrard and the team would never come too. In usually passionate and wild - almost never tender and sweet - sex. In secrets they shared under sheets, when they both knew that the moment their fabric cover was gone they couldn't talk about those moments of comfort and vulnerability they shared. In breakfast’s Sal made for him and his nonna's lasagna recipe Tommy cooked for the man. In wild dreams Tommy knew could never be a reality. Especially not when Sal changed stations and firstly their meetups were less and less frequent until they stopped after Sal’s wedding.

And Tommy swears he thought he was over it. Over Sal. Over dreams of the future they could never share. But one look at the man whose appearance barely changed since Tommy last saw him five years ago, staying near 118 trucks the same way he always did, while talking with Chim, and all that got back at him. All the memories of stolen love and painful hope to be happy, proud and loved. Preferably by his “best friend”. By the one of the best men he ever met even if they could be rough with each other or rude or just wrong. Sal always came back with sorry, that Tommy knew was genuine. They were so wrong together, but also so wrongly perfect. So electric. Sal made him feel how almost no one could. Only his first crush Eric from the army, Sal and …

“Hey, handsome, sorry for the delay, Hen needed help to choose a present for Karen,” Evan kissed his cheeks, smiling like thousands of suns.

If Tommy didn’t know and was pretty acquainted with Evan’s quirks and little signs of his fatigue, he would never think the man just ended his 48 hour shift.

“It’s fine, baby.”

Tommy smiles and he hopes his inner turmoil of seeing an old friend is not shown on his face.

“Have you met my new captain yet?”

“No, but I don’t need to.”

Evan adorably tits his head and Tommy wants his heart to be so fast only because of it and the taste of Evan’s lip balm on his cheek, but he swears he can feel the taste of liquor he and Sal were drinking last time they kissed. Right before Sal asked Jennifer out on their first date.

“I worked with Sal. Even more than Chim and Hen,” Tommy says and Evan for a second frowns and then hits his face.

“And they were no less inseparable as you and Eddie,” Chim says, with the loud sound of gum bubbles breaking.

Tommy doesn’t know when he and Sal got closer to them, but he would really happy if they never see that Tommy was there at all.

“God, of course. In my defense it was so long ago I just haven’t even thought that all three of you were a team.”

“Yeah, I left the station almost a decade ago and it feels like it was in another life, so it’s fine, Buck.”

Sal smiles at his boyfriend and Tommy wants to make as much room between them as possible. Maybe it will help him to to separate all these feelings of worry and anxiety and love and confusion from the sight of the man he had loved for years, but had never had the opportunity to own his love completely for himself, never feeling that Sal had given him his heart, and a man who he knows is step away from get into his own chest and rip out his heart with all the vessels and give it to Tommy if he just says the word. Sal would never do it even if Tommy would beg

I was tagged by @tizniz @cal-daisies-and-briars @diazheartsbuckley @diazsdimples

Tagging @wikiangela @neverevan @hippolotamus @watchyourbuck @evnnkinard @evansboyfriend @evanbegins @evanbi-ckley @repressedqueen @rogerzsteven @racerchix21 @eddiebabygirldiaz @theotherbuckley @pirrusstuff @saybiwithme @steadfastsaturnsrings @devirnis @giddyupbuck @honestlydarkprincess @kinard-buckley @loveyouanyway @lonelychicago @bigfootsmom @bekkachaos @bi-buckrights @bewilderedbuckley @monsterrae1 and anyone who wants to

#I really wanted to write this idea where Saltommy were pretty toxic but not exactly exes #but Sal is happy married man who grieved that he and Tommy were right person but wrong time and moved to his happiness #while Tommy boxed his pain and thought he is over Sal #but Sal is now in 118 and Tommy suddenly faces all the pain and memories and what ifs #and his grief for a while effects his relationship with Buck #and yes no cheating in this fic #Sal is actually good guy here and wants only best for Tommy #who will self sabotage for a while while dealing with the grief of love that he lost and trying to fully embrace the one he has now #saltommy #<- the past(maybe even some flashbacks and not just overall description)#bucktommy #my wips #fic: I tried to go on like I never knew you #sal deluca #evan buckley #tommy kinard #tevan #kinley #kinkley #evan buck buckley #Spotify #salommy

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jinnie-ret · 1 year ago

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MY YOUTH | SKZ NINTH AU

stray kids x ninth member!reader (platonic)

<---------- back to my youth

<---------- back to main masterlist

chapter 1

genre: fluff content warnings: swearing (?) word count: 1.1k

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"Sunny... Lou, wake up, we've got to get ready for practice!"

"Give me five more minutes mum..."

"Yah! I'm not your mum!"

Louisa rolled over in her bed, squinting as she opened her eyes from the sun peeking through the blinds. Huh. Since when did she have blinds in her room? Blinking to adjust her vision to the lighting, she was shocked to the one and only Lee Know from Stray Kids.

"WHAT THE FUCK!!!" she exclaimed in shock at the top of her lungs, which clearly gave the same feeling to the man as he jumped back from her sudden and unexpected yell. The two of them could only wordlessly look at each other, both of them speechless but for different reasons.

Footsteps suddenly came piling into the room, which as she tore her gaze away from one of her idols, she noticed the room was something she could have only dreamed of. Her walls were painted a lovely sage green colour, tapestries hung up on the wall, wound from thick white string. There was an overall calming feeling to the room, Louisa noticed, which was added to by the soft fluffy rug in the middle of the floor and several variations of cat plushies scattered around the room.

"What's happened? Why is there shouting?" Bang Chan questioned hurriedly, looking over the two of his members and seeing no clear signs as to what just happened.

Meanwhile, Louisa was freaking out. All of Stray Kids were in her room, which wasn't her room but she would have to assume for now that it was. Maybe it was all happening in a dream? And she finally shifted like she saw everyone do on Tiktok.

Yes! That must be it.

Taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down, she did her best to act normal.

Easier said than done.

"Hey? Hello? Anyone in there, Sunny?" Seungmin waved his hand in front of the girl's face, bringing her back to reality. Or whatever this place was.

"Oh, hey, what?" Louisa wiped her tired eyes, clocking onto the fact that they kept calling her 'Sunny'.

Was this her stage name?!?

"You screamed in my face," Lee Know pretended to burst into tears, grabbing onto Han's leg in comfort from his position on the floor he hadn't moved from.

"My baby!" Han joined in, gasping and sinking to the floor as he cradled Lee Know to him and hugged him tightly.

Hmmm. At least they weren't acting differently from how she expected them too.

"Oh," Louisa said and let out a giggle at her two members. Wow, that would be something to get used to.

"Haha, she just said oh," Jeongin laughed pointing at the girl who still seemed dazed.

"Lou, why did you yell? Stays are right you really are like Minho," Hyunjin pointed out with a grin on his face, lazily brushing a stray hair from his face.

Wow, to be compared to Lee Minho.

"Oh, I umm, had a dream I was at home so I was confused when I woke up and saw Lino in my face," Louisa laughed, quickly coming up with a sketchy lie that could be covered up by her tiredness.

She saw a couple of the members pull a sad face at her and wondered why. It would have to be something she'd find out later.

"Ah Lino-ah, you gotta stop surprising Flo like that, we told you enough times already!" Changbin scolded him, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yah! I didn't want her to be tired for practise. You know she can be moody," Lee Know said back, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Moody?" Louisa held a hand against her chest in disbelief. She hoped she wasn't moody around her favourite people.

"Hey hey hey! Our sunshine is never moody!" Felix sat down next to Louisa and covered her ears to protect her from the words.

Louisa could feel her heartbeat picking up quickly. Was she this close with the members?

A sigh was let out, and everyone turned to Bang Chan to see him shaking his head.

"Guys, it's literally only gone 7am," he muttered shaking his head before he began to walk away, "such a handful."

The other members began to follow suit and continue getting ready and whatnot, when Han turned to Louisa.

"It wasn't a bad dream, was it?" he asked her quietly, a brow raised in concern as he became serious.

"No, it was a good one, probably one of the best ever," Louisa thought to herself as she recognised this dream of Stray Kids to be one of a kind.

"Okay, good, well make sure you're awake, we leave in half an hour," Han cheerily said, happy his youngest member was too as he went to hunt for some food for breakfast.

_____

On their way to the company, Louisa felt in her element being around the boys. It just felt so natural. Like she was meant to be there. She praised the gods above for letting her experience this dream.

"So your schedule today starts off with dance practice for Miroh, then you have vocals to record and some free time after that for producing or anything else you need to prepare," the manager that was in the car with them began.

So they were practising for Miroh? Gosh Louisa didn't even know what year it was until then. From her own knowledge they had just entered the summer of 2021, after winning the competition show Kingdom Legendary War where they participated with other boy groups. She wondered how it would work with her being in the group now.

At least this way she knew the dance quite well already, it would be just knowing how to fit into the formation.

Getting out of the car and entering the company was another thing. Louisa had no clue where she was going but as they walked past the café inside she couldn't help get excited - she had heard amazing things about the food. At least for now she could justify following after the other members as they all went in to practise the dance for Miroh.

Someone bumped her shoulder as they walked through the corridors, causing Louisa to stumble back a bit.

"Ugly slut," a girl muttered under her breath as she walked past.

"Huh?" Louisa questioned out loud.

She'd barely walked into the company and was already being faced with drama. Silly to think she'd live a life without it as an idol.

"Lou?" Jeongin turns around when he notices she wasn't walking with them.

"Oh, sorry, got distracted!" Louisa brushed off what happened and jogged lightly to catch up with the guys.

"Yah Lino-ah really must have startled you," Bang Chan laughed at the girl's expression.

"Shhhh," Louisa held a finger against her lips as she rolled her eyes.

"Kids, get to practice!" the voice she recognised as the manager's called out. Good to know there's someone keeping them in check when Chan gets in his cheeky moods.

First practise, this would be a breeze, right?

next chapter -->

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paradiseinternet · 12 days ago

Text

I Hate Tony Stark

pairing: Tony Stark x Soulmate!Reader

word count: 4.4k

triggers: war (hinted at), death (mentioned, not detailed), childhood trauma, poverty, out-of-body-experience.

author's note: Ayo, waz up. If you see this fic pop up in ao3 at some point it'll probably be me. I've got three chapters done so far but not gonna post them all right away. If you don't like world building, slow burns, and a touch of enemies to lovers, then this fic isn't for you. If you like soulmate au's, somewhat realistic character interactions (not "omgomg y/n I love you!!! <3"), and heavy main character setup, then this is for you. Seriously, I'm afraid of commitment so that slow burn gonna come in h a r d .

Enjoy luvs. --Missy

Chapter One: Merely a Suggestion

Although it is a controversial topic, you are one of the few who believe soulmates are only really a suggestion. This naturally wasn’t your original hot take on soulmates; in fact, you swore to marry your soulmate the moment you found them. However, the world is sweeter to a five-year-old and reality doesn’t really daunt on the youth until at least eight. Marriage is a beautiful thing and by the time you were six you’d concluded that although you and your soulmate would get married, it didn’t have to be immediately. When you were seven and outside during recess, you would tell your schoolmates that you couldn’t wait for the day you could meet your soulmate. Don’t get it twisted, you weren’t entirely ignorant—your mother and father had told you that many people got a soulmate, but few met them. This didn’t damper your optimism and everything was sunshine and rainbows until you turned eight. It was at this point that you became more self-aware and less self-absorbed.

Your mother, bless her heart, was a kindred soul who worked two jobs: one as a waitress at a restaurant down the street in the evenings, and the other as a childcare worker for a local pre-K daycare. On the other hand, your father worked only one job as a mechanic for his own business (of which was slowly going bankrupt). They are soulmates and you love them just as much as they love you. However, love doesn’t mend all holes. When you turned eight, the entire world seemed to flip on its head. Quickly you became aware that living in a single-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of California wasn’t typical for a family of three, never going out to eat isn’t necessarily common, and working more than one job in a two-income household isn’t normal. It was at this point that when your birthday came, you’d ask for fewer, less expensive things in hopes of being less of a financial burden. Your family was not rich, well off, or even content. Instead, this loving family was so poor that your father would need to occasionally go to food pantries sponsored by local churches to even put sustenance on the table.

Even with such a financial burden, you’d made sure to do your best in school in hopes that one day you can be successful and care for your own parents when they reach retirement. And so, by the time you became eight, your fantasy of marrying your soulmate went onto a backburner as more pressing matters took stage.

By the time you were almost ten years old you’d accepted that maybe you were part of the 40% of the population that didn’t have a soulmate; or more dauntingly, the 27% that would never meet their other half. Not that the former number is necessarily terrible, it’s certainly better than the other side of the 27% that typically results in death.

In reality (and taking historical facts into consideration), only 6% of the 60% who are supposed to find their soulmate actually do—and live. So, when your tenth birthday came and no new soulmate identification aid popped up on your skin, in your mind, or with your vision, you’d thrown in the towel with grace and accepted your placement in society.

In this universe, an unknown power assigns one person with another and declares them soulmates. The most common pairing is between a man and a woman; however, it isn’t uncommon for there to be a same-sex bond, a bond with multiple people, or a bond that is simply platonic. Something more consistent are the Soul Identification Aids (SIAs for short). These are the aids given to each soulmate as a sort of guide on how to find the other. Not all SIAs are immediately noticeable, but they tend to be on the more obvious side. Additionally, a new SIA is given to the person when they turn ten. Typically, the old SIA will be replaced by the new SIA (since many aids are not compatible). In the event both identifications can work smoothly together, the soulmates keep all pre-existing SIAs. Everyone is given an SIA at birth as many doctors and nurses exclaim with joy when a baby is born and they are first to witness the name, phrase, etc. of a lifelong future partner. There is however a small caveat to identification aids-- if your soulmate has yet to be born, you are stuck with your initial SIA from birth until your destined person comes into the world. In which case, the younger soulmate will receive two new SIAs (if compatible) and the older soulmate will gain one new aid on the day of birth of their soulmate. Many scientific investigations have also speculated that if your soulmate is not born by the time you turn ten, you do not receive a new SIA until your soulmate enters the world.

So, when you were born late into the night and there was no physical sign of a SIA, this didn’t worry your parents. Afterall, not all SIAs are visible, and non-visible marks tend to run in the family. Your mark would eventually show up, and even if it didn’t, there was always a new one that would come when you turn ten. Thus, when you turned ten, your parents began to worry. You had woken up excited to see in what way you were going to find your soulmate, only to see not an inkling of a sign. The rest of the day was spent with your parents testing, prodding, and scanning for any sign of a new SIA. When nothing came to a head and you began to feel low, your parents told you everything was going to be fine and that they loved you no matter what. Then, with a little hope, your mother reminded you that you were an evening baby, so perhaps the new marks wouldn’t kick in until you were officially ten.

That night, emotionally exhausted, you’d slept like a rock. There was only one point where you were rustled awake by the feeling of falling. Like your room, everything was dark; so, when you opened your eyes and couldn’t see a thing, you reminded yourself that you were in fact not falling, but instead sleeping in your twin-sized bed. Attempting to go back to sleep, you resituated yourself and cozied up with a pillow and cuddled up to the person beside you.

What?

You bolted into an upright position, trying to see what was going on. Stumbling out of bed, you turned on the lamp light to see no one in your vicinity other than your mother and father on the other side of the room cuddling each other on their full bed. At your hasty and loud movements, your father raised his head to look at you.

“What is it?” He mumbled, still half-asleep.

Looking around again, you decided to brush off the odd event as a physical hallucination and yawned, “Nothing, just felt like I was falling.”

He nodded his head before going back to sleep, only for you to turn off the light and do the same.

Christmas Day came, and the holiday was slowly losing its charm the older you got. With the new information that there isn’t a Santa Claus, you’d fell into a world of horror—not at the idea that there wasn’t a large man sneaking into the apartment every year, but that your parents, without fail, have been paying for your extensive wish-list every year. That was a bandage that was ripped off the same year that it was determined you didn’t have a soulmate. You were twelve now and had come to terms with becoming unnecessarily excited with gifts you felt so-so on. So long as your parents believed you were happy with the inexpensive present, you were truly gifted with the joy of relief in knowing you’d saved them a few bucks. This, to you, was enough.

Although this year was a little different. In recent news, your father came home a few months ago saying that his business will go bankrupt soon and so he’s looking for other jobs. With the new financial stress, you’d done everything you could to cut down on costs. Shorter showers, walking home instead of being picked up, finding little things you could do to lessen their burden. So, when this Christmas came around and your father made the announcement, you were overjoyed.

“I have found a job!” He declared joyously.

Not only had he found a job, but it would pay more than what he was initially doing at the auto shop. The catch however was that it was a job with the military, and he was required to go into basic training for a few weeks, away from home.

Your mother, the strong-willed woman that she is, held down the fort as you both gave your goodbye’s as he left for training. In the weeks that he was gone, time was a little strained and schedules were jumbled. The apartment was becoming more of a mess as there was now only one parent in the house. However, you both pushed through and welcomed your father back with open arms when he was finished.

He wasn’t stationed immediately; in fact, it wasn’t until you were 15 years old that he had gotten a call. The army had found a placement for him somewhere in Afghanistan and he was to be deployed for about nine months. This time around your mother was a bit more hesitant. Afghanistan? At his age? He was already close to the max age of deployment, and they had limitations for a reason. It took a few days, but with the hope of giving you a better means of living and perhaps putting some more money in the already lack-luster college fund, she reluctantly confided.

Unfortunately for you, when your father was expected to be deployed it would mean he would miss your birthday—the sweet sixteen. But with promises of trinkets and memorability, you smiled with tears in your eyes and waved goodbye once more. The two of you would have a father-daughter date when he came back to make up for the lost time.

The day had arrived, the day that you’d never forget. Your 16th birthday. There were no big parties and no equally big plans. Just you and mom having a nice at-home dinner with a small gift ceremony. In the morning you were treated to sleeping-in and then given breakfast in bed with your favorite breakfast items. A small lunch came later in the day with plenty of sweet snacks to accompany you throughout the special event. Time was spent watching movie marathons, panting nails, writing letters to your father, and a variety of other activities you enjoyed. As the memorable day came to an end it was topped off with a Skype call with your father, having him wishing you a wonderful birthday, and an even better year. You’d hadn’t even gone into the bedroom until after eight in the evening, and so you began your nightly routine. Shower, pajamas, brushed teeth, water on the bedside, along with some extra routine things you do. By the time you had gotten done with preparing for bed, your mother had already dozed off, having put on an eye mask and earbuds in to allow you ease of movement as you got ready for slumber. The day was certainly memorable.

But it didn’t end there.

Almost as soon as you laid your head down onto the pillow, you felt the sensation of falling. Except this time, you were awake opposed to sleeping, and your eyes hadn’t even closed yet. Light had filled your vision so fast that it was as if the sun decided to take a detour back into the sky, pushing the night away. This wasn’t the only sensory overload however, as the audio of the quaint bedroom seemed to be blasted with dozens of voices—voices that did not match the tone of your mother. Next you had realized that you were no longer laying down, but instead standing up straight with a hand tucked into your dress pant pocket.

Dress pants?

It was then that your eyes focused, not looking at something, but more everything in hopes that some sense can be made. Your heart was beginning to beat rapidly, and your brain took laps within your skull. Confusion molded your facial features, your brain having not a clue as to what was going on, but somehow something inside of you understood. “Understood what?” is a good question, a question you were about to come to the answer of.

“—are you okay?” Asked a voice to your left. You twisted your head to track the voice, only to see multiple mouths.

Another person spoke, this time possessing a higher pitched tone, “Mr. Stark, do you need a glass of water?”

‘What?” Was the thought that passed through your mind.

Someone tapped your shoulder, and you looked towards the direction of the touch.

“Sir, are you alright?” A man was in your face. You looked up at him, he was only slightly taller which would make him rather short for a male. He was pudgy with brown eyes and slicked back hair that was a little longer than what would be typical for a man.

You breathed and formulated some form of a word out of your lips, “Where . . .”

Then you stopped without even continuing the sentence, a look of surprise cased along your features as you were startled by your own voice. Except it wasn’t your voice. This voice was a lot deeper in comparison. Had you not felt it come out of your throat, you’d have assumed someone was right next to your person and said the word instead.

You licked your lips as a strange look passed through the features of the man in front of you as he tried to make sense of what was going on. When your tongue exited your mouth, however, you felt little hairs move on your face. Now that you think about it, your mouth doesn’t taste how it did a moment ago. It felt drier and there was a linger of something that had a potent after-taste. Something was different, a lot of things were different. As the few seconds ticked by, a dawn of realization casted across the man’s face.

It was at this moment that you’d come to the realization that the room was a bit quieter than it was a few moments ago. You had turned your head to where the initial parade of noise was coming from only to find some faces. Correction, many faces. Each one showcasing a similar expression to the one the man beside you displayed a few moments ago. Then, as if following a script, the faces started to change into the same form of realization the man had given you.

That’s when the room roared to life with questions ranging from “Who are you?”, “How old are you?”, “Where are you from?”, and so on. There seemed to be a never-ending assault of words pointed in your direction that came so quick you could feel the exhales of the people warm you up slightly as it touched your skin.

Then it dawned on you, a realization that could be titled ‘Better Late Then Never.’ This situation, this body, these people, this is not your setting. Not your room, not your mom, and certainly not your body. That man beside you is not short but instead you happen to be taller. The only thing that you knew in this situation was that this is the body of your soulmate. A man, standing on a slightly elevated stage with a minimalistic microphone in front of him, addressing dozens of people in what can only be assumed to be a press conference. A man you thought didn’t exist, a soulmate you previously believed you were not destined for.

You glanced back at the man beside you as he hastily grabbed and dragged you into a particular direction. Where you were being taken off too was unbeknownst to your knowledge as you blink and find yourself back in the apartment standing in the middle of the kitchen.

The time could not have been more than five minutes since your initial, unexpected bodily switch, and yet your entire world has changed. Focusing your eyes again and feeling the cold vinyl below your feet, you took a shallow breath. This felt like your body. Your mouth tasted familiar, and your fingers felt leaner than the ones you had just moments before.

Looking down at the counter you faced, a torn piece of paper and a well-used pencil was before you, as were a combination of letters and numbers that filled the off-white sheet. Gently grabbing the paper, in fear of tainting its viability, you slowly read the note as you process what it says.

10880 Malibu Point, California, USA

An address. Your soulmate gave his address.

Suddenly your mind swirled with the next course of action as your heart started to speed up again in excitement. However, you stopped the trail of thought as a smile crept onto your face.

‘I have a soulmate,’ you’d thought in endearment.

Had it not been for your sleeping mother you would’ve squealed. That thought was quickly swept away as worry settled in.

You don’t have a phone book with adresses, so you’d have to go to the library and use the computers there. Additionally, you’re 16. If he has his own address and is a speaker at a conference, he’s probably an adult. The Global Soulmate Registry Association (GSRA) isn’t particularly favorable towards the joining of an adult and minor soulmate after breaching the threshold of a particular age gap. Additionally, if he had immediately left the room to look for something to write on, he probably doesn’t realize how old you are.

‘A letter it is then,’ you had concluded.

A letter is the most viable step. You wouldn’t need to go to the library in that case to see how long it would take to get to his home, you’d just need to get a letter and a stamp. A letter would be able to inform him that the two of you would need to be separated for the time being until you’re a legal adult. A letter is a harmless form of communication that can keep the two of you in contact without actually seeing each other. This way, you get to know this “Mr. Stark” without breaking any rules set in by the GSRA. And to be completely honest, you were very interested in learning about this man and why his name sounded so familiar.

The news had been on fire for at least a week. Talk was going around about the recent happenings of the “2003 Tokyo-Stark Conference” and how world-renowned Tony Stark does in fact have a soulmate. Video footage had been released of the entire ordeal staring you and your awed expression. While watching the news you couldn’t help but flush in embarrassment as your eyes darted everywhere within the video and facial features contorted constantly—most being a sign of confusion and disorientation.

You’d yet to get ahold of the letter and stamp—still frazzled by the whole ordeal. If the press is this attentive to a single man, how would they react to the news of who you are? Nerves shook your body as doubt laid on your mind. Perhaps this letter needed to be re-thought.

Another week went by, and you’d finally calmed down your nerves. Regardless of the repercussions, you would let your soulmate know that you got his message. A smile made its way on your face once again at the thought of having a soulmate.

Sitting beside your mother, the two of you were chatting away with the TV on in the background. You have yet to tell her the exciting news, but tonight that was going to change. The most recent broadcasting was still on the “Soul-Stark” mystery; however, now it was highlighting the many women who have come forward claiming to be Tony Stark’s soulmate. Initially you were worried that he would believe them, and that your soulmate would be ripped away from you; but, after Tony released a press statement, your worries melted.

“She knows how to find me. Figured she’d find me sooner, but hey, patience isn’t my strong suit,” he had stated with a sly smirk on his lips.

That’s right, he gave his address to you. No one has his address other than the ones he trusts. No one can prove their reliability unless they possess the note that you have. That’s why a letter is perfect. It’s effective, reliable, and prevents any bundles of nerves from forming if you two were to meet in person. Because to be honest, you’re not entirely sure if you could meet him face-to-face right now. The very thought makes something in the back of your brain twitch. It wasn’t anything bad, just that this person who has all the fame and fortune anyone could want, was your soulmate. You. Acne-infested, poverty-stricken, popularity-lacking, you. There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that he would take you at face-value, but considering your face is one big zit, that’s a hard pass. Perhaps after some time you can accept the man the universe has given to you, and you expect that time will come in about two years when the GSRA won’t breathe down your neck.

Suddenly, your mother grasped her chest in pain.

“Ahh!” She groaned.

Your eyes widened in shock, unsure how she could be in pain without anything physical around her to be threatened. Swiftly you held the hand that was on her chest and put the other on her back, rubbing small circles.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” You asked in worry.

She shook her head, seemingly unable to speak. This carried on for a minute or two as she caught her breath.

Releasing some air she huffed, “I don’t know, it just felt like something stabbed my heart.”

In that moment she looked at you in the eyes and your own widened in shock.

“Mother!” You yelled, unintentionally recoiling from what you looked at.

Her features molded into that of confusion as black tears rolled down her cheek. Almost simultaneously she seemed to be aware of the liquid feeling on her cheek as she went to wipe the tears away, only to see the gunk that came out of her sockets. The two of you stood still not saying a word, trying to understand what was happening.

It was during this moment that the TV flashed blue and red as it had the words “Breaking News” on the screen. Then a woman’s face appeared as she began to give the people the latest scoop.

Without a breath the newswoman began, “Break news: We have just received reports of an airstrike in Afghanistan. The attack, carried out by opposing forces, targeted a U.S. military base. Details are still emerging, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely. Stay tuned for further updates.”

That’s when it occurred—the realization.

Your father is stationed in Afghanistan. Your mother is crying black tears. There was an attack on a U.S. military base. Those tears weren’t bizarre, they were signs of a soul break. Your father is dead.

Unsurprisingly, your mother derived the same conclusion but was not willing to accept it without proof. She quickly got off the couch and ran to get the home phone, dialing a number you didn’t know. The next few moments were spent with her waiting as she got past the operator who connected her call only for the other end to speak out:

“Sorry, but all available representatives are currently on the line. Please wait as—.”

She fell to her knees, no longer able to take the strain on her brain and on her heart. It was when she fell you heard a sound you’d never forget, as the most soul-sucking sob left her lips. Mothers have a tendency to take all the weight of any situation, standing strong so that their little ones have something to look up to and aspire to be. Therefore, when the very woman who has raised you with an iron fist and soft heart completely fell apart, you were confused. You were worried. You were devasted. How does one fix a hole that is too big to mend?

Taking tentative steps to the corner your sob-filled mother fell, you were about to get down with her when the TV made an announcement.

“This just in: Our latest sources have confirmed that the weaponry used in the attack on the U.S. military base in Afghanistan was manufactured by the domestic company, Stark Industries. More details to follow as we learn more,” the woman said in haste.

A far-taken picture was displayed on the screen detailing a missile on course to the base with the logo of Stark Industries plastered to the side.

The only thing close to a representation of your thoughts after the announcement was the word “numb.” Your mind drew blank as your breathing stopped. Any movement made to aid your mother was quickly drawn to a halt. A few seconds passed by as the sound of your mother’s sobs only increased with the new information—having the attack being worse coming from your own country. As for you, your mind began to piece it all together.

Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries and the mind behind the weapons, killed your father. Your soulmate killed your father. Fuck the idea of indirect actions—one man is dead because of another. The man you have loved your entire life was killed by the one you’re destined to be with for the rest of eternity.

At this revelation you have made your decision. One that you will argue was not made as an act of emotion-clouded judgment, nor a means of revenge. It is simply because of the bad taste that enters your mouth when you say his name.

And here it is, the moment that defined everything:

“I hate Tony Stark.”

So yes, even though it is a taboo perspective, your opinion remains stagnant.

To you, soulmates are only really a suggestion.

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aohisworld · 8 months ago

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MAGNETIC PULSE! 03

ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝ Sunoo and Aohi are placed into bed rest after their incident at their comeback stage, and Aohi takes this time to try and mend things between Jungwon and Ri-ki, also gaining a new person by her side.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝ eventual poly!ot7 x added member!oc. (sunoo centric). contains. angst, a little arguing, uhm cringe writing lol.

| : ̗̀➛ MINTIE’s NOTES: sorry for a bit of a delay!! I’m trying my best to write as fast as I could for you guys, and with the different plots I write a lot of things 😭— anyways enjoy this fic until I can bring more for you guys to read 🫶

| : ̗̀➛ WARNING! How I write ENHYPEN is not meant to portray the idols irl, this is my au and I write this for fun. contains angst and a little bit of bickering/awkward tension.

key: Japanese - Korean.

✧. ┊ ⁭"...hi! Aohi!" Xiulin shook the girl's arm, effectively bringing Aohi from the confines of her mind.

"I'm losing you here, c'mon!" Xiulin spoke, worried for Aohi. The girl looked up dazed, trying to wrap her head around reality. "I'm sorry, I was thinking..-"

"Find yourself, batsy." Xiulin held the girl's cheek, her eyebrows furrowed. "The manager texted me, she wants to see you."

Aohi looks at Xiulin, trying to figure out if her unnie was trying to mess with her. "So.."

"So, what? We have to get you there, like, now!" Xiulin spoke, Aohi wasn't really sure what she was doing prior. Aohi just agreed, feeling the car start to move, leaving their separate photoshoot to arrive at the HYBE building as fast as possible.

"Are we actually serious?" Aohi asked after a while, pushing herself into her seat, as if wanting to disappear within the leather seat.

"I wouldn't joke about this, batsy, especially this early into our career." Xiulin glanced at the younger girl, feeling for her hand, to comfort her somewhat.

"I don't want to go, unnie, what if it's something bad?" Aohi mumbled to the older girl beside her. "It won't be bad, it'll be okay. "

Aohi could only hope it was.

BE:LIFT meeting room, 9:40 pm. —

✧. ┊ There was a growing pit in Aohi's stomach the closer she got to the meeting room, in all honesty, all Aohi wanted was to go home, she's had a long day of shoots and she was in desperate need for a nap.

Aohi walks into the meeting room, and she makes eye contact with Sunoo. Aohi seems to click in her head what the meeting was about, and it took everything in her body not to groan about it.

She politely bowed to Sunoo, before taking the vacant chair next to him. Aohi knew the chair was specifically for her, for one, it was the only chair vacant, second, she notices their manager practically pointing at her to sit.

"Go on, sit."

Aohi hesitantly nods, and she's slightly intimidated by the way their manager said that, she places her small bag onto the table, awkwardly smiling at Sunoo.

"Let's see here..." Aohi and Sunoo watch as the manager looked through their folder, glancing at the papers inside for a few moments before slamming it closed, the loud sound startling the two, obviously tensed members.

"What is your guys' problem?" The manager suddenly asked, staring at the two, expecting an answer, and Aohi was startled by the manager's sudden aggressive question.

Aohi felt like a scolded puppy, her tail between her legs as Sunoo tries to form words to reply to their manager.

"What.. could you possibly mean?" Sunoo asked with hesitance, he wondered what their manager could mean, and you could say he was playing dumb, because Aohi had a hunch that he knew as clear as she did what the manager was implying.

"Five months, we gave you exactly five, to fix whatever discourse you and the girls had," The manager motions with their hands towards Sunoo and Aohi.

"We thought, you'd all be mature enough to move forward from being awkward groupmates to an actual co-ed group," Aohi could feel herself hold onto her hands, applying pressure to her palms, as if it'll help alleviate the anxiousness in her heart.

"First off, all we had to do the last few days was not mess up the promotion for Manifesto, it was all I asked, remember?" Their manager asks, and Aohi and Sunoo make the reflex of nodding their heads, deciding to agree rather than argue.

"Then explain the performance yesterday night." Aohi's mouth feels glued shut, not wanting to speak about it in fear of what she'll say. "It was nothing but a mistake!-" The manager silences Sunoo, putting their hand up, and Sunoo can't help but shut up.

"Aohi, did you really have to trip over Sunoo?" Aohi is suddenly put in the spotlight, and she processes what has been asked of her, and she's perplexed.

Sure, she disliked most of her male members, but she wouldn't ruin their image like that, Aohi genuinely made a mistake!

"I didn't mean to do that, really!" Aohi set her ground, denying their manager's accusation. She's somewhat offended that their manager would even think that Aohi was the type of person to sabotage her own group out of pettiness.

"I don't think she meant it either, she was genuinely sorry to me." Sunoo's eyebrows are furrowed, listening to the conversation with a confused expression.

Maybe his hyungs didn't like her, Aohi might've also intimidated him, and he doesn't know Aohi well, but he can sense the girl wasn't the type to ruin any of their hard work.

And Sunoo knew better than to stand by and let Aohi be accused of sabotage.

"Aohi, I understand that the whole situation is not ideal but-" — "I really didn't do it!" Aohi pleads, and her hands almost clasp together to beg their manager to believe her.

"And how do you intend to prove that to the fans?"

Aohi tries to make up an excuse, but the manager's words hit her like a truck. Aohi didn't think of that night, a trait of ignoring things until they got better or worse.

Her throat dries at the idea of fans already disliking her when she hasn't even debuted for a month!

"The fans are already ripping into you, Aohi, your first co-ed album hasn't been out for three weeks and we can't help it if fans start to protest for the co-ed project shut down.."

"Engenes will understand, don't make her feel any worse! Don't blame her for making a rookie mistake." Sunoo felt frustration boil in his veins.

Their manager looks at Sunoo, and they take note of the subconscious hand in front of Aohi, as if protecting her. The manager decides to make a choice for Aohi and Sunoo.

The manager stays silent for a little bit, and Aohi glances at them, seeing them sigh into their fist as they started to grab their stuff. Aohi feels her heartbeat increase the more they moved around her.

"If you're right, and Aohi really didn't mean to make that mistake, we will try to do damage control." The manager spoke their thoughts after a while. "Aohi, apologize to Sunoo for injuring him and do better in your performances.."

Aohi bows to the manager, thanking them for their understanding, "Yes, I'm sorry, really!-" — "And.. Be more conscious of what you do, if you ruin your reputation, we're willing to cut you off to save our own."

Sunoo looks towards Aohi, and he's in distaste the way Aohi lets their manager blame her, when accidents happen all the time.

"I wasted my time, don't do anything stupid again girl, you understand?"

Aohi nods at these words despite it leaving a bitter taste in her mouth, she spoke soft apologies to the manager, "yes, I understand, I'll do better."

The manager leaves the room, and Aohi feels like she could breathe again, but this also gives Sunoo an opportunity to turn to her, and his lips open.

"Yah! Why'd you let them to talk to you like that?" Sunoo demanded to know why, wondering why Aohi was prone to letting anyone tell her she's in the wrong.

"You knew yourself it wasn't intentional, but you apologized like it was! How could you give up on your ground so quickly!" Sunoo scolded, and Aohi sighs, sitting back down and letting the older boy yell at her.

She could feel her heart beating against her chest like crazy, it felt like any faster, it would go up her throat.

Sunoo goes quiet as Aohi just allows him to scold her like his mother does, and he notices her silent sigh, Sunoo feels perplexed that Aohi could just allow anyone to scold her any way they saw fit.

"Are you okay?"

Aohi glances up at Sunoo, and she wonders if there was anyone else in the room asking the question. Aohi looks down at her hands before shrugging.

"Do you just let your management scold you like this, is this why you agreed to the project?" Sunoo asked, and he feared the worse for the girl, knowing she was a teenager like him, it would hurt his heart, already ready to empathize.

"What?- No, I just... I'm tired, hyung." Aohi spoke. "And it's nothing like that back there, they treated me the best they could, so don't say that."

"So was that your first time being scolded by management then?" Sunoo mustered, swaying side from side with his chair.

Aohi stared at Sunoo, and she wonders why he wants to converse with her anyway. "More like I couldn't stay long enough to be scolded."

Sunoo feels the awkward tension creep up on the both of them, so he slightly smiles, "You know, Heeseung-hyung broke one of the tablets we used in an interview," Sunoo looked around the room, before motioning to it with his hand.

"And we were scolded in this same room, it was his first time being berated as well, and he cried like a baby."

Aohi snorted at this, ENHYPEN's eldest weeping after an accident was totally out of her expectations for him.

"Just because he accidentally broke a tablet?"

"Eung, he was all like, 'I'm going to get kicked out, boohoo...'" Sunoo made wiping actions with his fists up at his eyes, making Aohi laugh a little.

"We had to join him in the meeting room because he couldn't even step inside."

Aohi giggles at this, and Sunoo's mood seems to ease up at the gentle sound. The two giggled at the story Sunoo told for a little while, before it dies down, and Aohi is left with a soft smile on her face, rather than one of worry.

"Why did you tell me that? Now I can't get it out of my head.." Aohi leans back on her chair, turning to face the fox-faced boy.

"At least you don't have to think about tonight.. you laughed." She was a little surprised, had Sunoo told her that story to distract her from her thoughts?

"How did you know? Y'know, that I'll start thinking?" Aohi inquires, slightly impressed, she watches as Sunoo giggles at her question.

"I'm an F type." Sunoo winks, bringing another laugh to Aohi's face, and an expression that obviously said corny. "That's such a lame joke!"

"It made you laugh though." Sunoo replied smugly. Aohi shook her head, before her smile disappears into a thin line, and she can't help but glance at Sunoo.

"Are you okay? About yesterday night, I still feel awful." Aohi rubs the back of her nape in embarrassment.

"Nothing I can't handle." Sunoo dismisses, shooing with his hand. "You're so nice to me, I honestly thought you didn't like me.." Sunoo tilts his head at this, "Maybe the hyungs don’t but the idea never even bothered to form in my head."

Aohi's perplexed, as in, yeah, it still stings that her hyungs could probably hate her guts, but more so Sunoo's opinion not following theirs.

"..How? Doesn't the hyungs like... I don't know, talk bad about unnie and I?"

"Please, as much as they dislike you, those four don't have a reason to badmouth you, despite disapproving of you and Xiulin." Aohi felt her heart lighten, just a little bit, at Sunoo's words. She feels a little less burdened, knowing that the older members would leave her alone at most.

"I'm glad.. I don't think I could handle something like that, especially after tonight.." Aohi's lips leave a sigh of relief.

"But, I did have a question to ask." Sunoo made sure to sound passive and as least intimidating as possible. Any weird emotion, and he would startle Aohi away.

"Eung? What is it?" Aohi is quick to pick up Sunoo's head-tilt habit. Sunoo has wondered this for a bit when Jungwon came home yesterday night, he didn't bother to greet anyone at the dorms, making a bee-line for his room.

Worst part is that Ri-ki didn't seem to care, and as the youngest, he would cling to any of his hyungs, and ignoring Jungwon? They were inseparable.

Until yesterday night, of course.

Sunoo worries a lot about his members, the same is said for the others to Sunoo. When the sudden atmosphere at the boys' dorms changed because of the incident and the avoidance of Leader and Maknae, he had to know what happened between the two.

Of course, he tried to dig on his own during the morning, but it was futile.

Thankfully, there was one person he hadn't tried yet. Aohi. Sunoo knows that if anyone knew what was with the two, it had to be her.

"You were the only person besides Xiulin to have spoken or maybe witnessed something between Jungwon and Ri-ki," Sunoo recalls, "They came home the other day, and ignored each other like the plague."

Aohi tenses up at his words, and Sunoo notes this in his head. That confirms that their youngest female member had at least of witnessed something between the two boys.

"Ah, what about them, Sunoo-hyung?" Aohi tries to keep a blank facade, Sunoo presses further anyway.

"Neither one would tell me what was going on," Sunoo didn't want to potentially scare of Aohi liked a startled deer, especially when she was Sunoo's only lead in his detective case, the Wonki incident. (Yes, he unironically calls it that.)

"Deciding to be a caring and responsible members, I remember that you had spent time with them as well, so... would you, maybe... know something about it?" Slowly, Sunoo asks.

Aohi could almost snort at the way Sunoo interrogates her carefully, if not for the way his eyebrows furrowed in seriousness, she would've laughed right in his face.

And also the fact that she's now figured out that the boys had started fighting, because of her.

"Ah..." Aohi wasn't sure if she should tell him about the current situation and how she somewhat knows that she's had a part in their fight. This felt like those choice-making simulation video-games she used to play with the XG members.

Aohi was deciding whether or not she should spend her crystals (her dignity) to unlock a more dramatic route (Sunoo's trust). As a gamer, it was a difficult choice, but as an idol though? A member's trust is always superior.

"I.. don't know if.." — "I just need to know, I won't tell any of the hyungs."

Aohi sighs, before she spoke, "Okay, but they really cannot know." She emphasizes her seriousness by pointing at Sunoo and he thinks that Aohi was adorable, entertaining her by nodding enthusiastically.

God, was this a regrettable choice, because he honestly didn't expect what was going to come out of Aohi's mouth.

"Jungwon and I kissed, Ri-ki and Xiulin-unnie probably saw, and I don't think Ri-ki took it well and-" Sunoo stops Aohi as she blurts out. She felt like she wanted to vomit, but Aohi holds back, only cringing and waiting for Sunoo's reaction.

"...Well, I didn't expect that." Sunoo breathed out, Aohi sighs and nods, "I didn't want to say it because Ri-ki and Jungwon were close and now he's uncomfortable because I-"

"What?.." Sunoo interrupts Aohi, "Jungwon's not the only one who likes you.. Ri-ki does too."

"What?"

"..Huh?"

A bat and a fox stare blankly at each other. One is flabbergasted, and the other is already stumbling the room with the bit of dignity he has left.

Aohi sat there processing, before she looks at the open door, "Yah! Kim Sunoo! Get back here!" Aohi runs after the eldest maknae, who was already turning the corner of the halls.

The two ran for a little while, before Aohi manages to catch Sunoo, toppling over him. "You... can't just-... tell me that and run!"

"I... left something on-... at home!" Sunoo panted making a dumb excuse as the two comically wrestled on the ground. Aohi was appalled at the sad attempt of an excuse from him anyway.

"I can't believe you just gave me the dumbest excuse to get out of this.." Aohi is pushed off by the older guy, huffing as he laid on the floor.

"I can't believe you tackled me like a bodyguard!" Sunoo retorted, looking at Aohi with one of his iconic side eyes.

"You're telling me that it didn't bother to click in your head that maybe, Ri-ki would've had feelings for you after spending so much time with you?"

"No! He's like, a year younger than me, I thought he was just being nice!" Aohi cried out, in all fairness, Aohi was fairly affectionate with her friends. So, Aohi wasn't expecting her sweet Ri-ki to even think of her that way.

Aohi could try to defend herself, I mean friends hold hands sometimes right? Ri-ki was just being a good friend— They always sleepover at each other's dorms, do dumb stuff together! Aohi doesn't just.... you know... oh.. oh.

Oh.

It finally clicks for Aohi and Sunoo could tell from the way the girl's eye twitches. "Finally clicked for you, tokki?" He asks, watching as more of Aohi's gears click in her mind. "...Yeah." Aohi breathes out.

"But.. why?" — "Why, what?"

“All I did was be nice to him.” Aohi pats herself off the ground, looking at Sunoo.

“Sometimes, being nice is all anyone needs to gain feelings for someone.” Sunoo shrugs, finally catching his breath and standing alongside Aohi.

At her hyung's words, she thinks. Sunoo takes this opportunity to slip past, free from Aohi's interrogation.

Aohi wonders about what Sunoo said, firstly, she's somewhat upset that Jungwon would fight with Ri-ki. Secondly, her sweet, "ki-ah" actually likes her.

Like, like likes her.

Thirdly, she might like both of them. Wait. She might like both of them. She likes both of them.

She, Yoon Aohi, likes both of them.

Aohi takes off running once again, catching up to Sunoo, who was desperately just trying to get home after tonight.

"Sunoo-hyung!" Aohi called loudly through the halls, and the boy jumps at the sound of his name, turning around quickly.

"What're you doing? Keep your voice down!" Sunoo scolds, looking around in case anyone heard the loud girl. Aohi pants beside him as she holds onto his arm, making sure he wouldn't leave.

"What do you want, huh?" Sunoo places his free hand on his hip, as if he had better things to do, which Aohi thinks he probably does.

'Aish... this hyung is so sassy..' Aohi thinks, she catches her breath before gulping and focusing on Sunoo with the most cutest determined look he's ever seen. (platonically, of course.)

"Please sneak me into the dorms, so I can talk to Jungwon and Ri-ki!" Aohi clasps her hands together, squeezing them and bowing down to emphasize her need.

"Are you crazy? You can't!" Sunoo gasps. Technically, it was allowed, but Sunoo doesn't see any fun in it if he just agreed.

"Please! I want to fix what I caused, eung?" Aohi pleads, yet Sunoo continues to shake his head. "Do you want a bribe? Is that what you want?"

Now, she was talking. Sunoo thought of her offer, placing a hand on his chin. Aohi waited for his response with a pout.

"Fine, but it has to be late at night, and you owe me take-out for a week," Sunoo listed, but before Aohi could agree, Sunoo stops her. "AND, I have to supervise."

Aohi's eyebrow raises at the last demand, as if skeptical if Sunoo actually wanted to supervise.

"Hyung... if you just want to eavesdrop, just say so.." Aohi deadpans. Sunoo is offended at these words, "You mean, I want to be responsible! I can't be a good hyung if I don't know what's going on!" Sunoo scoffs.

"Okay!- Just, okay. Tonight, okay?" Aohi agreed to his demands, requesting her own. Sunoo smiles, and it's an obvious indication that he's satisfied with the circumstances.

"I'll give you my number. Be ready, because I'll be losing my beauty sleep for this."

MIDNIGHT, OTW TO EN- BOYS' DORMS, 11:50 pm, —

"Batsy, I really don't think you should do this!" Xiulin tiredly hissed by the door, her arms crossed as she watched Aohi get ready to make a midnight adventure.

"Unnie, Jungwon and Ri-ki are fighting, we already dislike each other, them turning on each other isn't going to be any better.." Aohi argued, placing her fluffy slippers on, they were bat-inspired, a gift from Xiulin.

"So? Our fight ends here, if they were a good enough group before we came, then let them prove it." Xiulin stops Aohi before she could leave, placing her arms on the girl's shoulder, a concerned look on her face.

Aohi sighs and looks towards her phone, 11:54 pm, flashes across her face, taunting her to make a choice.

Does Aohi take Xiulin's advice? Does Aohi fix her mistakes? Her debate lasts longer in her head as Aohi steps out of their dorm, and starts to walk up the stairs to the boys' floor.

Xiulin doesn't seem to stop her, only hearing a sigh behind her, before the pitter-patter of her feet, indicating that she had gone back to bed.

She has the mind to walk back but her want to keep good terms with the boys she knew seems to overpower, Aohi continues to fight against herself, not realizing that she had arrived at the boys' front door.

Aohi debates knocking, her fist could barely touch the door when a face-masked Sunoo opens the door, obviously ready to sleep.

"You are so lucky I'm doing this." He hissed, his jaw clenched at the thought of losing sleep because of Aohi, and she could only shoot him an apologetic look.

She quietly enters the dorm anyway, mouthing a soft apology to Sunoo, who sees, but doesn't mention anything about it.

Sunoo leads her down the halls, where they stop at a door, obviously the room him and Jungwon share. Sunoo wanted to tease Aohi, to lighten the mood, wondering what Aohi could possibly tell Jungwon, turning to her with a teasing grin

Although, it falters. Sunoo's smile slips off slowly, watching Aohi tremble beside him as she stared at the door with a worried look. He could see her quivering lips, even in the dimly lit halls of the dorms, since most of the boys had gone to bed.

Suddenly, it felt wrong to even tease her.. "... Hey.. you don't have to confront them.. you know?" Sunoo placed a hand on Aohi's shoulder. The younger girl shakes her head, shaking Sunoo's hand off with it.

"No.. If I don't they'll just fight more, and I need answers." Aohi smiles, trying to ease the both of them, working up the courage to enter the room, but Sunoo only worries.

"They're grown boys, they should be able to fix this themselves."

Aohi still places her hand on the doorknob, twisting the door slightly open, but she stops when she doesn't feel Sunoo follow her. Aohi closes the door again and glances behind her, watching Sunoo doesn't seem to make an effort to move.

"Aren't you coming?" Aohi whispers, just loud enough for him to hear. Sunoo's tired smile returns, "It seems personal to you, so I changed my mind." Aohi felt appreciative, walking to Sunoo and pulling him into a hug.

Sunoo is surprised by the sudden contact, hesitantly hugging back. "Thank you.." Aohi mumbled into his shoulder. She then walks back to the door and enters, closing the door with a sudden boost of confidence from her... oppa?

Jungwon laid in his bed covered in his blankets, with a sizzling turmoil in his mind, it's been a while (a literal business day) since he and Ri-ki had spoken, Jungwon couldn't even try to talk to the youngest because he could barely glance Jungwon's way.

So he sat in his dorm, sulking, since his crush hasn't bothered to talk to him, and now his only dongsaeng doesn't bother to look his way.

Jungwon refused to talk to his hyungs either, disguising it by "not feeling well." furthering the isolating agenda.

Sunoo tried to get him to spill, but all the hyung got was a cat hissing him away. So, when Jungwon felt a dip in his bed, he groans, thinking it was Sunoo.

"Hyung, I said I didn't want to talk-" — "I'm not Sunoo-oppa.." Aohi interrupted, her voice soft and quiet.

Jungwon is alarmed by the sudden feminine voice in the room, sitting up in surprise and hitting his head against the bunk of his bed.

"Ack!" Jungwon holds his head as Aohi gasps, her hands reaching over Jungwon's in worry. He winced, not registering the close proximity he and Aohi shared.

The two looked at each other, seeming to get distracted in each other's gaze, before Jungwon regains his awareness and is the first to pull away. Aohi frowns at this.

"It's late... you should be in bed.." Jungwon mumbles like a kicked kitten, looking away from Aohi as he rubs at his bump.

"I know it's not nice to leave someone after you kiss them, so I came back.." Aohi whispered.

"Is that all you came back for, to pity me? I get it, I won't do it again." Jungwon still refuses to turn her way, making Aohi's heart hurt worse.

"Wonnie.." Aohi pulled at Jungwon's chin, turning it to face her. Jungwon sported an upset pout, looking at Aohi with his brown orbs.

"I like you, I really do..." Jungwon raises his hand to cup over Aohi's. "But?.." He whispers.

"Everything we worked for, everything you worked for.. You'll lose it if we pursue anything.." Aohi explained, running her thumb on his soft cheek, before pulling away from Jungwon's hand.

"So what?" Aohi is confused by his response, "What do you mean, 'so what'?" She spoke, looking at Jungwon's furrowed eyebrows.

"I do have feelings for you, real, romantic feelings," Jungwon grabs at Aohi's hand, re-establishing a touch with her. "Months of denying it put me in this situation, but I don't care losing it all if it meant I get to be with you."

Aohi shakes her head at his words, as if in disbelief of what she's hearing. "What's stopping us, huh? We both like each other, I'm okay with losing this as long as I'm with you."

"Jungwon, you're not thinking straight.." Jungwon pulls Aohi closer, and a hitch of a breath is heard from her. "I'm serious, Aohi." Aohi pushes Jungwon away, moving away from him as she raises a finger.

"No, you're not, because if you were, you know that these feelings wouldn't just hurt us, but everyone around us, and you'd agree with me why we can't pursue anything!"

Jungwon tilts his head slightly, wondering what she was talking about. Aohi wonders why he doesn't understand, why he can't see what she sees. The boy can only stare on hopelessly, hoping to be told what she meant.

"Listen to yourself, Jungwon.." Aohi begged, "You're going to choose me over the future of everyone in this group?" Aohi shakes her head, a scoff threatening to leave her lips.

"Do you know how selfish we are, even thinking about something like that?"

"We'll be okay.." Jungwon wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, because the more time passes, it felt like he was only speaking to himself.

“Jungwon, how could you think that way?” Aohi whispered, both of her hands placed on either side of his face. “How could we be so selfish to love each other like this?”

Jungwon’s helpless, he doesn’t know where to focus his gaze, is it to Aohi’s eyes, as her tears fall in crystal droplets? Her quivering lips, how they hesitate to move?

Why does he still think she’s so beautiful like this? So beautiful, even as she hurts?

“Don’t you want to? Don’t you want us to love each other?” Jungwon whispers, his hand hesitantly covering Aohi’s in a warmth she hates to love.

“I could never ask for that,” She whispers, it felt like she was telling herself these words and even as it hurts to tell him the same things, Aohi continues.

“I’ve never been a selfish person, Won,” A small swipe of her thumb is made under the boy’s eyes, and Aohi ignores the burn his tears make on her skin.

“That’s why we can’t.. because I refuse to want something so selfish, something like loving you.”

Jungwon finally drops his hand, and Aohi's heart joins it. "I get it, I'm sorry.. you're right, I'm the leader, I should do better.." Jungwon gently pulls away from Aohi's hold.

"I'm so sorry... please forgive me, it's better this way.." Aohi sniffles, her tears at a freefall, the droplets hitting Jungwon's blanket.

"Please leave, Aohi." Jungwon pleads with a broken heart. Aohi wants to shake her head, to comfort the boy who's heart she broke. "I'm so.. so, so sorry, won." Jungwon steps out of his bed, his hand around Aohi's wrist as she could only be pulled to the door.

Jungwon was kicking her out.

"No- Jungwon!-" Aohi hics, as she's finally pushed out of the dorm. Jungwon slams the door shut as he leans his forehead against the door, hearing the silent sobs of Aohi from his side.

Aohi doesn't even notice Sunoo's presence as she shuts her eyes, refusing to open them, and covering them with her hands. Aohi could feel herself be lead away from the rooms and into the kitchen where Sunoo pulls her hands away from her face.

"Aohi, what happened?" Sunoo asks, holding the girl by the shoulders, Aohi hiccups as she looks up at Sunoo.

The boy no longer work a face-mask, a concerned look had replaced his tired one. Aohi shakes her head as she tries to push past him.

"What the hell's going on, hyung?" Ri-ki had emerged with a water bottle in hand, at first, he seemed annoyed at the noise but he started looking at Aohi and Sunoo with confusion and anger, assuming Sunoo had made her cry.

"Hyung!" Ri-ki hissed, pulling Aohi in his arms as Sunoo's breath hitches, surprised at the youngest's presence. "Ri-ki!" Sunoo whispers, shocked at the way he snatched Aohi away.

Before Sunoo makes an effort to pull Aohi back, she disappears as Ri-ki abandons his mission for water and instead deciding to hide Aohi away in his room.

"Noona.. what the hell happened out there? What did hyung do?" Ri-ki leaned down, using his hand to pull away hairs that stuck onto her cheeks by her tears.

"Aohi, look at me.." A sob escapes Aohi as she shakes her head, and Ri-ki clicks his tongue, using his now free hand to run itself in his newly dyed black hair.

Ri-ki moves to hug her, and she lets him, his hands wrapping a comforting warmth around her as she sobbed.

“It’s just me, Aohi-san.. It’s just Ri-ki..” He tried, attempting to comfort the girl, just enough that she’d stop crying.

“I don’t know what to do, I just wanted to- I didn’t want Jungwon to hate me!-“ Aohi hiccuped, and Ri-ki tries to place a hand on her head, “Don’t! I know you’re comforting me because you like me, and I don’t want you being just like Jungwon!”

Ri-ki is hurt by the accusation but he shakes his head anyway. "I just want to help you, please let me.." He pleads, waiting for Aohi to trust him.

"I hate you.. both of you.." Aohi whimpers, and despite Ri-ki knowing that she was just emotional, it still stung. Ri-ki made a move, burying the girl in his arms, and Aohi reacted by beating her fists against Ri-ki's chest.

"I know, I'm sorry.." Ri-ki whispers, Aohi's punches weaken as she results to go limp in Ri-ki's arms. "It's okay.. we're okay."

go limp in Ri-ki's arms. "It's okay.. we're okay."

Aohi sniffles as Ri-ki guides her to his bed, sitting her down. A few moments go by with Aohi's sniffles only filling the room.

By the time Aohi had stopped, she ended up coddled by Ri-ki, his hands rubbing up her back in comfort. He makes the first move to talk.

"Jungwon-hyung made you cry didn't he?"

"What?" Aohi mumbled, "I heard you and hyung.." Ri-ki replied softly, and before she could think she was weirded out, Ri-ki saves himself.

"The walls are thin.."

"Then.. won't he hear us too?.." Aohi spoke up, "Even if he did, he wouldn't show his face to you.. especially when he made you cry.." Ri-ki pulled at his blanket, offering it to Aohi.

"I shouldn't be here." She sighs, taking Ri-ki up on his offer. "Yet you took my blanket?" Ri-ki spoke, amusement laced in his voice. Aohi deadpans at him and thinks twice about taking the blanket.

"I should leave then.." Aohi takes his joke as an opportunity to run away, back to the comforts of her dorm.

"I'm kidding, c'mon!" Ri-ki pulls Aohi back down as she stands up. Aohi lets out a laugh, her voice a bit stuffy because of her stuffy nose.

"Why do you want to leave so badly? How come Jungwon gets an explanation, and he makes you cry-" Aohi tries to stop him from speaking any further. "No! How come I don't deserve one?"

Aohi tries to excuse her avoidance towards Ri-ki but he seems to beat her to it.

"If it's because I have feelings for you, then tell me." Ri-ki appealed. "Please talk to me."

"How'd.. How'd you know that I knew?" Aohi looked towards an upset Ri-ki, her eyes widening in shock.

"Sunoo-hyung told me, he apologized for telling you.." Ri-ki shakes his head though, "That's not the point, I'm glad he told you because now I don't have to explain myself to you."

Aohi stays silent, and opening her mouth, but is unsuccessful at speaking a word.

"I know to an extent what you're going to say, but I'm not going to apologize to Jungwon-hyung for my feelings, or fighting with him."

Aohi finally shuts Ri-ki up, using her hand to cover his mouth. "Ri-ki, let me speak, damn!" Aohi huffed out. "First.. You're going to apologize to Jungwon because it's the right thing to do."

Ri-ki tries to speak, but Aohi points a finger at him, telling him not to. "Secondly, you shouldn't have feelings for me."

"Because you like Jungwon?" What was it with guys interrupting her before she could even start to explain?

"No! Because we're idols, weirdo! You don't think I want to like you, or Jungwon?" Aohi yelled in a whisper, Ri-ki tilting his head at her words, "You like both of us?"

Aohi felt like passing out at the way Ri-ki was selectively picking what he wanted to hear.

'This punk..' Aohi clicked her tongue.

"You're not denying it." Ri-ki points out, "Can you focus? The main point is that, we can't pursue this.." Ri-ki moves closer to Aohi. "I'll drop it if you let me test something."

"I'm not playing games here, Ri-ki." Aohi groans, and at this point Ri-ki had trapped her between a rock and a hard place, him being the rock and the hard place being the wall.

"It's not fair, Jungwon gets to kiss you and I don't." Ri-ki grumbled, "God, ki, you're upset about that now?" Aohi was appalled at the way the youngest doesn't acknowledge anything she says.

"Yeah, I am, you make such a big deal about it because Jungwon is the leader, but you brush me off because I'm younger than you." Ri-ki argues, and Aohi can somewhat sense where his anger is coming from, she argues with him either way.

"What are you talking about?" She hissed.

"God, Aohi, doesn't it ever occur to you why I want to hang around you?" She refuses to listen, opting to push Ri-ki away, but his hands wrap around her wrist to stop her.

"Do you think I willingly share the same things, or let you baby me, just because we're 'just friends'?" Aohi tries to free her wrist from Ri-ki's hold, but there's not much she could do against him.

"You brush off my feelings because I'm always going to be your dongsaeng, and you can't see past that."

Aohi shakes her head, trying to deny Ri-ki's words, but he continues anyway, "You don't even realize that I've had feelings for you longer than Jungwon-hyung had."

"To you, I'm just a teenager going through a school-boy crush, but I know it's more than that, you just won't process it in your head."

"No Ri-ki, I genuinely can't like you or Jungwon."

"So, if I kissed you right now, will you still sit there and tell me you don't feel anything for me?"

Aohi doesn't reply, Ri-ki had her trapped of course, quite literally. "You don't know what you're doing Ri-ki.." Aohi felt like she was in this situation before, Ri-ki inches closer and closer.

Her hands that held Ri-ki’s shoulders, trying to push him away, made no effort to move anyway, despite her disagreements.

“Then help me know.” Ri-ki replies, taking Aohi’s silence as an opportunity to meet his lips with hers.

Aohi's breath hitched at the feeling of Ri-ki's soft lips and she couldn't help but feel tears prick her eyes. Ri-ki pulled away, his lips tingling.

Ri-ki looked at Aohi's face, her cheeks getting wet from her tears. Ri-ki could feel his chest hurt at the way Aohi seems to crumble in his arms.

"I don't want to go through this.. I don't want to put you and Jungwon through this.." Aohi whispers, looking up at Ri-ki, and despite no sobs leaving her lips, tears freely poured down the curve of her cheeks.

Ri-ki is unsure of what to do, not expecting this reaction of Aohi, and he could only sigh and hug her, his hand wrapping around her head. Had he overwhelmed her with how he felt? Was he too harsh with Aohi?

"... I'm sorry. You should get some rest, noona. I didn't mean to stress you out." Ri-ki whispered, he's forced to guide Aohi onto his bed, where they used to nap together, trying to sleep away their boredom on days off.

"I didn't mean to make you cry... I just wanted you to understand how I felt." Ri-ki pulled Aohi's head into the crook of his neck, his fingers combed at her hair, and he swore Aohi mumbled words to him.

"I do understand.. I'm sorry you felt that way.." Aohi's muffled voice spoke into his shirt, the vibrations makes Ri-ki shiver at the feeling.

"I never meant for you and won to fight, or for you to gain feelings for me..or.." Aohi stopped herself from naming a few more things as she didn't want to ramble.

"If I knew this would happen, I would've gone back to Fukuoka, instead of putting you two in this predicament.." Ri-ki reacts strongly at Aohi's words, couldn't even imagine for her to return to Japan all by herself.

"Don't say that.. you said you'd be my home away from home, you'd be leaving me here all alone.." Ri-ki whispered, remembering her promise. Aohi sniffled, shaking her head, "I won't speak about my feelings anymore, just stay here, with me."

Ri-ki waits for response, and when he doesn't gain one, he looks down, seeing Aohi fast asleep. He notices the damp streaks on the girl's soft cheeks and makes a move to wipe it with his thumbs.

Ri-ki wonders how a girl like Aohi could be so understanding and accommodating to him and his hyungs, especially when they make such a hassle for her.

The youngest pulls his blankets over Aohi's sleeping figure, allowing her comfort in her sleep as Ri-ki slips to lay next to Aohi.

Ri-ki glances at Aohi's sleeping face, and for once, this was different from all of the times the two slept in the same bed, this time Ri-ki was aware of his feelings and he could only stare at her lovingly as she sleeps off the tears she shed.

"I'm sorry for making you cry, batsy.." Ri-ki spoke, making sure not to wake Aohi, she had told Ri-ki of her nickname once, only using it secretly for Aohi.

With a guilty heart, Ri-ki follows after Aohi into sleep, soft breaths leaving his lips.

EN- DORMS, 9:38 am, —

Aohi awakes with a quick and sudden jolt, alarmed at the environment that wasn't her dorm. She tiredly shuffled around the bed, familiar with Ri-ki's bed as she feels around for her phone.

Aohi felt the familiar case of her phone, reading the time groggily. 9:43 am. She stumbles out of bed as she calls Xiulin from many of the missed calls on her screen.

"Unnie!" Aohi calls out as she hears the phone pick up.

"Aohi! You didn't come back to the dorm, I was worried sick!" Xiulin scolded the younger girl, Aohi could hear the commotion from wherever Xiulin was, which urges her to ask.

"Unnie, where are you?" Aohi asked, switching her hand from one to the other. "At a photoshoot, why?" Xiulin replied.

Aohi stayed quiet for a few moments to her shock, and suddenly panicked shuffling could be heard from Aohi's end, as Xiulin sighed.

"The staff want you home, you and Sunoo were placed in a sort of bed-rest after your meeting." Aohi stops her ruffling with a huff. "Sunoo-oppa is home?"

"You call him oppa now?" — "Unnie!"

"...Yes, the staff wanted you guys to rest after you squished him on stage." Aohi could curse out, but she composed herself and let out a calm hum, "Anyways, just rest, we'll be back soon, I'll make you dak gomtang, okay?" Xiulin replied.

"Yes unnie, have fun, get home safe.." Aohi sighs, gathering a hoodie from Ri-ki's, knowing he wouldn't mind.

The call ends, Aohi's gaze drifts to the empty bed, her question of Ri-ki's presence being answered by Xiulin. Aohi at least has enough responsibility to clean up after her stay.

Aohi folds the blankets and arranges the pillows, she tried to finish with haste because she already felt weird staying after... the wonki situation, second, she felt puffy from crying last night, and her creeping headache wasn't helping.

Thankfully, it was only Sunoo in the dorms so she didn't have to walk out of Ri-ki's room with any awkward encounters.

Aohi tries to leave as quietly as possible, poking her head out for any signs of Sunoo, before stepping out once the coast was clear.

The girl wasn't awkward with Sunoo or anything (she hopes), she was just embarrassed last night, knowing she cried in front of him. Aohi could almost celebrate as she reaches the front door when a certain someone pokes his head out of the bathroom.

"I sure hope you're not leaving without explaining last night," Sunoo spoke, his hand rubbing at some cleanser on his face.

Aohi could almost curse when she hears Sunoo's voice, turning around with a defeated voice, "Well.. I have to get ready and... I can just come back!" Aohi was lying, she was not going to come back and hide in the comfort of her and Xiulin's dorms.

"I can share." And Aohi could imagine the defeat screen in her head as Sunoo opens the bathroom door wider, inviting the younger girl. Aohi places her phone by the holder at their door, and walks towards the bathroom.

Sunoo makes space for her to enter the bathroom and handing her a few products. "I couldn't check on you because Ri-ki looked like he could kill me if I even peeked in his room."

"Thanks for caring anyways.." Aohi mumbles. She squeezes a few pumps out of Sunoo's cleanser as the two quietly did their routines. Aohi could only hope she doesn't break out from using someone else's skincare.

"So? Spill. You obviously managed to do something because Ri-ki apologized but, Jungwon still doesn't want to talk to him." Sunoo spoke, washing his face and grabbing a tube of moisturizer from the counter. He turns to Aohi who seems to rub the cleanser too harshly into her skin.

"Yah! You'll damage your skin!" Sunoo pulled Aohi's hands away as the girl sighs, the entire thing with Ri-ki and Jungwon might get her to breakout than her harsh scrubbing.

"I don't know how many times I have to say this but I really don't want to deal with this." Aohi huffs, "Aohi, tokki, no one wants to deal with your problems either." Sunoo jokes, smiling at the way Aohi rolls her eyes and glares at him through the mirror.

"I mean it, I just wanted to keep my job. I didn't think this would happen." Aohi groans.

"You like Jungwon don't you?" Sunoo pats his face dry, his voice muffled through the soft towel.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aohi asks, approaching the sink to wash away Sunoo's cleanser off of her face.

"I'm wondering, same for Ri-ki as well." Sunoo shrugs, cleaning up his skincare products once Aohi was on his moisturizer.

"I have feelings for Jungwon... but.." Aohi is unsure whether or not she should tell Sunoo of her feelings for Ri-ki as well.

She knew she always had those feelings but she wasn't aware until now, not until last night. "You like Ri-ki as well?" Sunoo finishes her sentence for her, feeling satisfied when Aohi is weirded out on how he knew.

"How?" Aohi tried to ask, pulling a small laugh from Sunoo. "Everyone doesn't really notice me, but I'm not dumb and I can put two and two together."

"I don't know anything about you, it's not fair you know that much." Aohi complains, and Sunoo is amused by the way Aohi slams her fist on the bathroom counter.

"I'll tell you a few things then, just don't sulk." Sunoo compromised, a gentle pat on the girl's head to ease her. "What if I do something about that info?" Aohi slightly smiles, and Sunoo can see from the mirror.

"Please, you're practically harmless." Sunoo snorts, earning a yell of distaste from Aohi.

“Anyways, I’d stay away from Jungwon, and maybe even Ri-ki.” Sunoo leans against the wall, crossing his arms, Aohi watched him, a little surprised at his boyish behaviour.

Aohi was used to only seeing Sunoo when necessary, that meant interviews, fanmeets, filming, whatnot.

Aohi was used to his feminine side, and she respected him for being so open, despite her being an F type like he was, it was hard to pull anything out of her, much less be outgoing about it.

“Why?” — “If you want them to focus on being an idol, don’t give them the chance to even think about having you.”

Aohi could tell that it was better to take Sunoo’s words to heart, the way his tone tells her that it’s not something to be taken lightly.

“Make the right decision, Aohi. I’m—“ Sunoo takes a pause, “Your hyungs, hopes you know what’s better for all three of you.”

"Aohi, you know what this'll do to us if anyone finds out right?" Sunoo asks slowly, making sure Aohi understood. "Yes, I do.." Aohi hesitantly replies, her mind blurs at the various thoughts in her head. Aohi wonders if she really should've declines Yuzi's offer back then.

"You should head home then, the boys will be home soon, and they won't like you being in here." Sunoo ushers Aohi out of the bathroom, walking her to the door.

"Get some sleep, go eat breakfast, batsy." Sunoo spoke, "That's what Xiulin and Ri-ki calls you right? Batsy?" Sunoo is satisfied when Aohi nods, confirming his assumption.

"Does that mean you're my friend now? Only friends can call me batsy." Aohi hides her small grin and it's obvious she was happy to potentially gain another member as a friend. (Despite not being on the nicest terms with the others.)

"Sure, Batsy."

———

✧. ┊ Aohi took Sunoo's advice to heart over the next few weeks. Despite the unfamiliar distance between her and Ri-ki and the lack of words exchanged with Jungwon, she stood her ground with them, never too far, never too close.

Aohi struggled for the first few days, struggling to say no to Ri-ki because even if he had feelings for her, he was still his friend.

Thankfully, Sunoo is there to encourage her. With the growing distance with Jungwon and Ri-ki, Sunoo is able to soothe Aohi's loneliness enough to keep her going with waiting their feelings away.

For instance, Aohi and Sunoo had decided to have a sleep-over, being bored, and having a day-off anyway.

"Did you just take the last bite of mint-choco?" Sunoo asks from beside a playful scoff leaving his lips. The two called their sleepover a "self-care" night, an excuse to hang out.

Despite the hyungs' disagreements of Sunoo befriending Aohi, she was too interesting, Sunoo understood why the youngest boys never seemed to get enough of her. Aohi was a magnet, she could befriend anyone and she lured anyone with her charms.

Sunoo believed Aohi's presence was electrifying, stuns you into wanting more.

Sunoo felt his teenage giddiness return with Aohi's aura encouraging him to have a small bit of teenage mischief between the two.

"Eung, I'll buy you a tub next time, as compensation." Aohi bumped her shoulder towards Sunoo, a giggle resonating after.

Sunoo just rolls his eyes but that doesn't deter the younger girl, her smile stays strong on her lips, knowing that Sunoo was naturally sassy.

The two decided that they should gossip, talking about the week's funniest moments, like Aohi mistaking another idol's dressing room for theirs, or Sunoo laughing about Jay bumping into a pole while they were out.

"You know, the other hyungs hate mint-chocolate." Sunoo spoke, his spoon in his mouth, licking the remnants of ice cream on the utensil.

"It's the mint, oppa!" Aohi nudges Sunoo, "Did you know, they place the same flavouring from toothpaste into the ice cream." She explains, her gaze never leaving the Ipad screen that played a k-drama Sunoo could care less about.

"So, you're saying mint-chocolate is healthy, because it's like toothpaste?"

Aohi snorts at this question, "No oppa, mint-choco just tastes somewhat like toothpaste, but it doesn't have fluoride like toothpaste does."

Sunoo feels his heart warm at the call of Oppa by Aohi. He couldn't lie that Aohi has carved a spot in Sunoo's heart, and it's almost ironic how he'd fallen in a similar predicament Jungwon and Ri-ki had.

Sunoo guesses it's just Aohi's aura, being so magnetic, he honestly felt like it was a talent.

"Aohi," Sunoo asks, "Eung?" Aohi hums, placing her spoon inside the empty ice cream tub and scrapping for bits of chocolate from the melted ice cream.

"You haven't talked about Jungwon or Ri-ki in a while." He reminds, actually, he doesn't know why he does, Sunoo can't seem to find a reason in his mind to tell Aohi of this information. "Ah... yeah.. I, don't know how I'm lasting.." Aohi tries to focus on the k-drama, and for once, Sunoo can't help but notice Aohi's unwillingness to talk about it.

"Did... are you?— .." Sunoo stumbles on his words, why does he want to talk about this with Aohi? "Am I?..." Aohi repeats, a little confused on what Sunoo was trying to say.

"Do you want to talk?" Sunoo blurts, and he curses himself in his mind at his attempt to salvage the conversation. For being extroverted, he really sucked at talking right now.

"Sunoo-oppa, what are you trying to get at?" Aohi nervously asks, at this point, she was assuming her elder member was having a stroke.

"I don't know, but just talk to me." Sunoo replied, feeling breathless. "Well.. okay, but... are you alright?" Aohi wanted to make sure Sunoo wasn't feeling unwell or anything of the sort.

"yes, just talk." Sunoo ushered, the k-drama was long forgotten, the 'are you still watching?' application being ignored.

"Well, what do you want me to talk about?" — "Their feelings, your feelings, what'd they tell you?"

Aohi laughs at his question, and the sound soothes Sunoo. "Do you really want to know that?" Sunoo nods, yet he doesn't want to listen to her words at all, just finding comfort in the soothing voice of Aohi's.

Sunoo had always listened to Aohi, they were practically best friends from the way they gossiped like it been forever. Sunoo never knew how Aohi didn't get tired talking or he never got bored listening to her.

Aohi and him share skincare all of the time now. Sunoo knows Aohi comes over to use his skincare sometimes. That's why he runs out so often. Sunoo doesn't get mad though, not when it was Aohi, when it was anyone else, Jay-hyung, Ri-ki, Sunoo would rain hell, but never Aohi.

Sunoo never seems to realize that after weeks of talking, he starts to look for Aohi, whenever she's not by his side.

Sunoo believes that now that Aohi had integrated herself into his routine, he fears he won't be able to move on if Aohi somehow disappears.

Sunoo seems to fear something as well as Aohi's disappearance, but at the moment, he allows himself to be distracted by Aohi's soft ramblings.

The boy wonders what he's so scared about. Aohyi giggles at a certain moment she calls as Sunoo thinks and all of the sudden...

Everything clicks.

Aohi finally finishes speaking, "Anyways, I don't know why you wanted to know about that— " She looks up and she's met with a tearing Sunoo.

"Sunoo-oppa? Omo, what!?— " Aohi is quick to rush for tissue and Sunoo's heart races, he seems to know.

Sunoo knows what has him in such a frenzy. Kim Sunoo defeatedly accepts it though. With a heavy heart, he does.

Aohi returns with kleenex in hand, a worried expression, and Sunoo can laugh at Aohi's obliviousness. The girl reaches to wipe at her oppa's tears, when Sunoo's gentle hands grasp at her wrist.

"Sunoo-oppa? What's wrong, why did you start crying?" Aohi is quick to ask.

"Aohi, I'm no better than Jungwon and Ri-ki." Sunoo laughs.

Aohi is confused at his words, she wonders what he could mean. Why would he even compare himself to Jungwon and Ri-ki?

Sunoo could tell Aohi wasn't getting it to click like he could, Sunoo's hands went to sandwich Aohi's free hand in both of his, and Aohi gently wipes at Sunoo's cheeks.

Aohi takes note of his soft cheeks, but she continues to look directly at Sunoo's teary eyes.

"Yah, Yoon Aohi. I can't believe you made me fall in love with you too."

#˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑰𝑺 𝑨𝑶𝑯𝑰!#enhypen #enhypen 8th member #enhypen added member #enhypen addition #enhypen au #enhypen female oc #enhypen female addition #enhypen female member #enhypen oc #enhypen fem oc #enhypen ot7 #enhypen x oc #enhypen fic #enhypen members #kpop added member #kpop addition #kpop oc

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143-iloveu · 8 months ago

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Credit goes to the owner, @slave_girl_1004 I do not own this photo!

MDNI - Not all of my works are NSFW, but I do not want minors interacting with my blog just to be safe. All NSFW content will carry a Mature Community Label. Ageless and empty blogs will promptly be blocked.

Eternity

Idol!Chan X Idol!Reader

Tooth-rotting Fluff

Content Warnings - Teeny tiny make-out session, Chan calls reader princess (otherwise GN!Reader), reader stares at Chan's shirtless torso (can you blame them?)

Word Count - 2,040

Synopsis: You never imagined going on tour with your boyfriend and his bandmates would lead to this. Although, you wouldn't change it for the world.

A/N: This will be part of an 'Idol X Idol AU' series. Once I post the next part, I will create a master list with each part in the order they should be read. You can absolutely read this as a stand-alone though.

Your recent collaboration with Stray Kids dropped nearly six months after you and their leader, Bang Chan (Chris to you), officially announced you were in a relationship. Chris had originally written the song as his gift to you for your fourth anniversary. He wanted to write a song that would help you feel closer to each other whenever the two of you are touring opposite sides of the globe. That same night, the two of you (and JYPE) released statements confirming your relationship. After four years together, you both felt that it was time to tell the world.

Chris begged you incessantly for weeks to sing it as a duet with him. He desperately wanted to hear your beautiful voice singing his lyrics.

“Hearing you bring the song to life could get me through my darkest days! Besides, only you and I will ever hear it.”

He didn’t realize it then, but that was a lie. Well… not a lie, exactly. He just changed his mind once he finished mixing it. When he let you hear the final cut, you knew immediately that you had to share this masterpiece with the world. You couldn’t even try to convince yourself to be so selfish.

“This should be on the next album!” you both said simultaneously.

“Only if you will sing it with me, though,” he adds, “No one else’s voice is acceptable!”

Fast forward six months, and your duet with Chris is the most popular song on the new Stray Kids album. Fans are giving rave reviews. Some are even saying that they love how much you and Chris love each other, labeling your relationship as ‘#GOALS.’ JYPE took notice, begging you to join Stray Kids on their next tour. They offered you the opportunity to ‘open’ for them in the way many Western artists do, performing some of your songs before the boys took the stage each night. In return, you were asked to perform your duet with him near the end of each show.

Tonight, you and the boys are performing in Sydney for the second night in a row. They gave the boys a few days off before the shows to visit with his and Felix’s families, but they still came to tonight’s show to support them. The pressure you put on yourself for this performance is nearly crushing. You get along with his family very well, but something about knowing they will be watching you perform with their son causes your anxiety to spike.

“Five minutes, Y/N!” the stage manager shouts.

You are nothing more than a pacing ball of nerves at this point. You’ve never been so nervous for a concert… not even in your early debut days.

“Two minutes!”

Just as they shout the warning, all eight men come running down from the stage. Chris quickly scans the room, searching for you. He smiles when his eyes land on you. You meet his gaze just before he’s yanking his shirt over his head, changing into the last outfit of the show. You can’t resist the urge to admire your boyfriend’s toned torso, the way his muscles contract with every movement momentarily relieves your anxieties. Mere seconds later, he’s pulling another shirt on and adjusting his mic, snapping you back to reality.

“You ready, princess?” he calls as he motions for you to join him.

You nod and step onto the rising platform. Chris is quick to intertwine his fingers with yours, squeezing lightly. Your worries melt away as he holds your gaze.

“I love you,” he says as the stage manager yells a ten-second warning.

“I love you, too.”

The platform rises, and the stage lights flood your vision. The crowd cheers as your silhouettes come into view, and the music begins to play as the two of you step into the spotlight. You look over to Chris, trying to keep your anxiety in check. He looks breathtaking under these lights. His beauty captivates you, just as it has for the entirety of this tour (and your relationship), drawing a smile on your face.

As Chris begins singing, you feel goosebumps rising on your skin. No matter how many times you hear or perform this song, it will always affect you. There is so much emotion in his voice. He’s looking at the crowd far less than usual, keeping his eyes fixed on you. It’s as if the whole world is standing still around you.

As you finish the song, he finally addresses the crowd.

“What did everyone think of the show tonight? Did you have a good time?”

Everyone cheers.

“You guys were absolutely amazing! The energy was intense!”

“I agree, Chan. They were phenomenal!” you chime in.

“Stay, what did you think of Y/S/N’s performance?”

The crowd erupts in cheers yet again. Stays have been so accepting of you and your relationship with their Bang Chan. Sure, some people didn’t take the news well, but most Stays have welcomed you with open arms.

“Me too, me too…” he begins, “It has been such a blessing and honor to share our stage with her. Thank you all for welcoming her so positively. It warms my heart to see your love for her.”

“Yes, thank you, Stay. Your love and support mean the world to me. I had so much fun with you all tonight. Good-”

“Actually, before we say goodnight…” Chris interrupts, cheeks red as a tomato, “I have one more thing I want to say.”

The crowd cheers for a moment before he gently asks them to quiet down.

“Y/F/N…”

Your eyes go wide. He never uses your real name on stage, not a single slip-up. He’s a professional through and through.

“The last four and a half years with you have been a dream. No one has ever understood or accepted me the way that you do. Having my members and Stay made my heart feel full, but then you came into my life, making it feel so full that it may burst.”

“Channie…”

He steps closer to you as he continues.

“Christ, I’m rambling… Sorry, I’m nervous,” he says with a shy giggle, mostly to the crowd.

You catch the other members making their way back onto the stage. They are grouped, standing at the rear of center stage. The crowd cheers until they each make a shushing gesture.

Once the crowd quiets again, he continues.

“What I am trying to say is that you are the most amazing and important person in my life. You are my best friend, my rock, and my home. You make me happier than I ever thought possible. You are irreplaceable, and I want to spend eternity with you. So, in front of my family, my members, and Stay…”

He bends down on his left knee, holding your hands in his. Felix jogs over, handing him a small blue box. When that box comes into view, your heart begins to race. Is this man proposing to you in front of all these people? He sure knows how to make a grand gesture!

The entire stadium erupts into a chorus of gasps before he holds the mic up to his lips again.

“Y/F/N, will you marry me?”

Your tears are flowing freely before he’s even finished his speech. He opens the box, revealing a stunning ring. It’s a modest princess-plus cut diamond nestled between two opals (his birthstone) and two of your birthstones. It’s beautiful! You are sobbing at this point. He clearly understands that you prefer to leave the flashy jewelry for the stage.

The crowd is screaming now, the floor vibrating from the intensity.

“Say yes, say yes!” they chant.

The boys are shushing them. The crowd takes a moment to respond, eventually quieting to just above a murmur.

You nod your head a few times. Suddenly, Seungmin’s voice comes over the speakers.

“What was that, Y/N?”

You lift your microphone, your hand shaking like a leaf.

“Yes,” your voice trembles, “of course I’ll marry you!”

His eyes light up before his toothy grin smushes them into the cutest little half-moons. Once he slides the ring onto your finger, he jumps to his feet and pulls you into a hug, spinning you around in excitement. You laugh at his cute antics. He places you back on the floor before pressing his lips to yours, kissing you deeply in front of 20,000+ people. Your heart is beating erratically, and you’re overjoyed. The boys are each screaming their congratulations and well wishes into their mics, clearly happy for their leader-hyung.

You were the first to pull away. If you hadn’t broken the kiss, there is a good chance that Chris would have stood there kissing you all night.

“I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, Christopher.”

The crowd is going wild. They’ve been screaming for nearly a full minute. The boys let them have a moment before attempting to reign in the energy. Once the crowd settles enough for the boys to be heard, the intro to #LoveSTAY begins playing. You know this is their encore, so you make your way off the stage.

You flop onto the couch in the group dressing area. Your body feels as if it is vibrating with excitement. You stare down at your left hand, the ring on your finger making your heart race all over again. You’ve known that you wanted to marry Chris since before your first anniversary, but you never imagined that he’d propose like this.

After the boys finish their performance, he comes to find you. When he catches sight of you smiling down at the ring on your finger, he feels an immense wave of pride wash over him. He’s the one who made you smile like that, and he is beyond thankful that he’s the one who gets to bring you so much happiness.

He walks up behind you, leaning down to press a kiss to your cheek.

“I can’t wait to wake up to that smile every single morning.”

“Channie!” you squeal happily.

You climb over the back of the couch, nearly jumping into his arms. He smooths your hair before kissing you passionately. You will never tire of the feeling of his soft lips pressed to yours, always leaving you breathless. He places one strong hand at the nape of your neck and the other on your waist, sending shivers down your spine. A moment later, he pokes his tongue out, silently asking for entry. You grant it, tongues in a slow battle for dominance. He easily takes control just as the rest of Stray Kids enter the room.

“Ew!” Hyunjin jokes.

Chris’ hand leaves your neck, raising a middle finger in the general direction of his grown-ass ‘children.’ You pull away before the boys can make any more comments. The pout your now fiancé wears is almost cute enough to draw you back in.

“While I am happy to sleep in my bed finally, I’m sad that the tour is over.” Jeongin sighs.

All of them nod in agreement.

“I had so much fun with you these last few months, Y/N.”

“Me too, Channie. I had a blast with all of you!”

“I never want to go on another tour without you,” he smiles as he pulls you into a hug.

The others groan in mock disgust at his affection toward you. They always act as if your public displays gross them out, but you know they are just being dramatic.

“Get in here, you dorks!” you shout as you wave them over.

You only have to ask once before all seven of them are bounding across the room. They shout happily before they squish you and Chris into the center of a giant, bouncy group hug. Your chest is pressed firmly against his, and he smiles apologetically. The boys have you two trapped in a too-tight embrace, but neither you nor Chris would want it any other way. Wrapped in the muscular arms of all eight members of Stray Kids, you know that you will never be lonely again.

“I love you boys so much!”

“We love you too!” they shout in unison.

A/N: Thank you, Elly, for prompting me to write a mushy Chan proposal with idol!Chan and idol!reader. Without your input, this fic wouldn't exist. Soft, mushy Chan deserves more recognition, and I'm here to ensure he gets it! I hope you love this as much as I do!

And thank you, Elly, for being my number one hype-woman! You are the only reason I was confident enough to start posting in the first place. You mean the world to me!

~Ashe 🦊🐺

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mistystarshine · 5 months ago

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Alright gang! Help me choose which fic idea I'm going to be writing once I finish one of my many, many current projects.

Road Trip AU: In the aftermath of the hotel battle, an unknown force drops Charlie, Vaggie, Lucifer, Lilith, Adam, Lute, and Alastor in Texas, powerless and in human form. There, they discover that they must make their way up to rural Canada if they hope to return to their respective places. During their quest, they face complications in the form of their interpersonal relationships, their true forms slowly bleeding through (without the accompanying powers), and a veritable web of secrets.

Note: This is the least plot-heavy option of the three. It is primarily slice of life, comedy, and character development. Crack treated seriously, basically. Ships are Chaggie, Guitarspear, and Lucilith, except the last two are both experiencing unspeakable drama.

Time Loop AU: One week after the hotel battle, Lute comes down and slaughters everyone in a vengeful rampage before dying herslef. In her final moments, Charlie wishes to save her friends. And then she wakes up in the middle of the hotel battle. Caught in a week long time loop, she sets out on a quest to get all of her friends. However, her plan goes awry Adam is also stuck in the loop and believes that it will break when he successfully destroys the hotel and returns to Heaven as an angel, defying the damnation he faced the first go around. Both are made to face a brutal reality; the only person that the loop cares about is Lute, and it will not stop until she is saved in both meanings of the word.

Note: This fic would have background Guitarspear and Chaggie, but a primary focus on a slow-burn friendship between Charlie and Adam and Lute character study. It would be built around the five stages of grief, with bargaining being from Adam's PoV and the other four being from Charlie's.

Hadestown AU: Charlie turns to magic in a desperate attempt to find out what happened to her mother. When her spell goes awry, she and her friends find themselves transported to a very different version of Hell. Suddenly, they are all indentured workers in a massive mining town ruled by Lucifer while Lilith spends half her time in Heaven and half with him. As their relationship falls apart, so the does balance of the world around them. Charlie quickly recognizes this as the story of Hadestown and discovers that unless she and her friends can fix her parent's relationship and win a happy ending for Orpheous and Euridyce before the story runs out, they will lose their memories and be trapped in the story forever. However, not only do the people they must save believe this world to be real, but fixing one of the world's oldest tragedies becomes significantly harder when instead of getting Cherri and Pentious like they were expecting, they end up with Lute as their murderous Orpheous and Adam as a wretched Eurydice.

Note: I would write this story in such a way that it can be read with absolutely no prior knowledge of Hadestown. It would not be a direct copy of Hadestown, but rather a mix of the story and a mirror of actual events as they were occurring prior to Charlie's spell. Charlie would hear the melodies from the musical in the background at various intervals, effectively serving as a countdown until time runs out. This fic would be posted anonymously so that people who haven't seen this poll can't look at my other fics and immediately know that Orpheous and Euridyce are going to be Lute and Adam.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel adam #guitarspear #guardrock #lucilith #chaggie #hazbin hotel fanfic #hazbin hotel fanfiction

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siriuslysatorusimping · 1 year ago

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Before I Love You (Gojo Satoru oneshot)

Trying something new... Cross-posting here and AO3 😬

Like I said before, this is Gojo and Rinko, but it's not Another Level or Physical Paradox. Complete AU.

The title is from Takeaway by Chainsmokers

You can also read it on AO3: Before I Love You

Implied/Referenced cheating, past relationships, a tiny lil bit of NSFW

Part 2: Broken Lens

Before I Love You

2017

Her eyes were trained on the field, bottom lip firmly between her teeth as she watched the game.

Holding her breath, she barely registered the person dropping into the empty spot beside her when Mai began sprinting toward the goal, dribbling the ball as she went.

“Ya know,” a voice said, the familiar drawl causing her to jump. “This is the last place I expected to see you.”

She whipped her head to the side as they spoke, her eyebrows shooting up.

Gojo Satoru sat next to her, his bright blue eyes shining behind his dark shades as they swept down her body and back up. The years had been good to him. Still lean but clearly muscular, and his stark white hair was almost ethereal in the early afternoon sunlight. His ridiculously long legs were covered in a pair of teal pants, a short-sleeve tan button-up half tucked into them over a long-sleeved white t-shirt.

He looked good. But he’d always looked good. And he’d always known it, too.

She blinked a few times before shrugging, turning her eyes back to the soccer game just as the crowd of parents cheered around her. Mai was backing away from the goal, throwing her fist in the air as the goalie slammed her own into the ground.

Tie game. They had a chance.

The opposing team called a timeout, and she felt a grin overtake her face when Mai waved.

“Zenins,” Gojo noted, nodding toward the field. “Guessing you know them?”

“Cousins,” she replied absently, shrugging again as she watched Mai accept an excited high-five from Maki. “They asked me to come to the game because their parents weren’t going to make it.”

Their parents never went to their games. Never supported their daughters’ successes because they weren’t academic.

“The real question is, what are you doing here?” she asked, turning back toward him. “Don’t tell me you have cousins-”

“I have a few students on the soccer team,” he replied, jerking his chin toward the field. “I’m here to support them. Looks like this game is a bit more of a game than we all expected, though. Explains why they wanted me to come to this one.”

Her chest swelled with pride at his words. The twins were a surprise to everyone when they joined the team.

A secret weapon of sorts for a school with a losing streak almost a decade long.

But Ogi didn’t give a shit about sports, so he paid no mind to whether their high school had a decent soccer team, even though the girls could get excellent scholarships if the right scouts saw them.

“Been a while,” Gojo leaned back slightly as he pushed his shades up to shield his eyes from the bright glare of the sun.

Five years. At least. The last time she’d seen him was the day of graduation. But they hadn’t spoken. She had just seen him through the crowd and heard his name called as he walked across the stage.

The last time they’d spoken was when she’d thrown him out of her apartment, not wanting to hear his lies.

His bullshit reasons for why she’d seen him with another girl after they’d agreed to be exclusive. After he had asked her for a real relationship. Asked to call her his.

A part of her had known, felt that it couldn’t end well. But she’d agreed anyway. She had to give him some credit, he’d play the part well. For a while.

But in the end, the reality was that he couldn’t hold a relationship to save his life. That he wouldn’t know true commitment if it slapped him in the face.

Because when she’d agreed to a dinner with her father over the break, she’d seen him. Sitting way too close to someone who wasn’t her, whispering in the girl’s ear before his lips were pressed against hers with his tongue in her mouth.

Confirming what she’d known and ignored already: that nothing was enough for Gojo Satoru. He’d never been able to commit to someone before, and she’d known better than to think she would change that, but she’d let herself believe otherwise.

Even after so long, she was almost shocked that he’d chosen to approach her. But that was another thing about Gojo Satoru: he was shameless. She doubted that time changed that.

“You look good,” he stated, giving her a small smirk. “Really good.”

“Thanks,” she replied, trying to ignore him as the game continued.

If she was honest, she wasn’t upset with Gojo anymore. Hadn’t been in a long time.

In fact, she’d mostly been upset with herself for ending up in the position to be hurt in the first place. She had been more upset that she let him hurt her than with him for doing what she’d always known he would do.

“How have you been?” he asked, his eyes clearly watching her face carefully. “Are you-”

“Been fine,” she cut him off.

Her eyes were following Mai again as she ran ahead, clearly waiting for the ball.

The girl suddenly tumbled to the ground hard, her leg twisting slightly as she collapsed. The player guarding her backed away as they tried to appear innocent. Mai shoved herself to her feet, her eyes filled with anger as the two exchanged heated words. A referee broke them apart, the whistle telling them that a penalty was awarded, and Mai gave the other girl a smug grin.

She held her breath again as she watched the teen square her shoulders in front of the goal for the penalty kick.

It went straight in, the goalie having lunged in the opposite direction.

They were winning. A game they were supposed to have no chance in just went from tied to them being up 2:1.

But Mai was limping. The timeout was called, and she allowed Nishimiya Momo to support her as they approached the sidelines. Maki was by her side in the next instant, the two of them listening to the coach for a few moments before Mai accepted an ice pack and sat down on the bench. They both waved her concern off when they turned to look at her, smirking.

The message was clear: Mai’s part was done now that they were in the lead. It was Maki’s job to keep them there.

“Some tough kids,” Gojo leaned forward, his eyes now watching the sisters interacting as the timeout ended. “Twins, right?”

“Yeah,” she replied, nodding absently.

They had to be tough coming from their family, especially with Ogi as their father.

He hummed, and they settled into a tense silence as the game continued once again.

“It’s- it’s good to see you,” he finally said, turning his head to stare at her. “Really. I’m glad I ran into you. D’you live in Tokyo now?”

Her nod was paired with a shrug as she debated just getting up and walking down to check on Mai anyway.

“We should grab dinner sometime to catch up,” he continued casually, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Wanna hear about how you’re-”

“No thanks,” she didn’t bother turning to look at him. “I’m pretty much always busy. Sorry.”

Not a lie. She spent a lot of time with the twins when she wasn’t working. They practically lived at her place now.

Anything to get away from their parents.

“Come on,” he reasoned, a frown in his voice that had her rolling her eyes. “Just to catch up.”

“Not interested in catching up with you, Gojo,” she stated bluntly, finally turning to meet his eyes. Staring into them, she noted the surprise at being turned down twice. “I’d say I’m surprised at your nerve to even ask, but that’d be a lie because it’s you. Everything’s always been a joke to you.”

“Didn’t realize you held such long grudges,” he muttered, a pout pulling the corners of his mouth. He hadn’t changed a bit. “That was years ago. Things are- different now. And I’m not- I’m not asking you out on a date. Just want to catch up as- old friends. Wanna hear about what you’ve been up to. I’m obviously teaching now - I teach physics and math, by the way.”

“Good for you,” she said drily, turning back as the clock ticked down.

The ball bounced off Maki’s hands as she tapped it away from the goal, and Mai was on her feet again, screaming in relief when the time ran out.

It was over.

And they’d won.

Shoving herself to her feet, she went to rush down the stairs, but Gojo stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Wait,” he pulled her back slightly. “Please. Just- let me at least buy you a coffee. I- never got to give you an explanation for- and I want to apologize for what happened between us.”

He ran his hand through his hair as she stared at him with one eyebrow raised.

“I didn’t want your explanation back then,” she began, removing his hand from her arm. “And while I appreciate the sentiment, I still don’t care to hear your apology, either.”

“Rinko-”

“Goodbye, Gojo.”

2011

“You wanna be my girlfriend?”

She tensed, her body going rigid beneath him as he stared into her eyes.

“I- I’m sorry, what?” she asked, blinking up at him. She’d had to have heard him wrong. “Did you just-”

“Yeah,” he nodded, tilting his head to the side. His hips had paused their movement, leaving him seated inside her while he nonchalantly asked if she wanted to be his girlfriend, as if he was asking her about the weather. “I- I wanna call you mine, ya know? Introduce you as my girl.”

She pursed her lips to the side, squirming beneath him a bit uncomfortably as he moved a hand to her face.

“You want a relationship?” she balked, searching his face for any sign that he was messing with her. “As in exclusive?”

“We basically already are, yeah?” he gave her his boyish grin as he started rocking his hips again. “Just without a label. I mean, I haven’t slept with anyone else in a few months now. Dunno about you.” His cock was brushing against her gspot with each roll of his hips, and she struggled to focus on his words as she moaned quietly. “But- yeah. What do you say? Can I call you mine, Rinko-chan?”

The skeptical look on her face made him stop, his hands cupping her face.

“I’m serious,” he murmured, all teasing gone now. “Been thinking about it for a bit, actually. I- I wouldn’t bring it up if I didn’t mean it.”

He had a look in his eyes that made her uneasy. It felt far too serious for him. This wasn’t who he was. Gojo didn’t do relationships.

Still, it was appealing. And if he really hadn’t slept with anyone else in a few months-

“I- okay,” she whispered, giving him a hesitant smile. “That mean I get to introduce you as my boyfriend, then?”

“You can introduce me as whatever you want, baby,” Gojo replied cheekily as he pulled his hips back and slammed back into her. “I’m yours however you want me, Rinko-chan.”

“Think my parents like you more than they like me,” he grumbled, burying his face in her neck as he lay on top of her. “S’not fair.”

They were cuddling in his bed after getting dinner with his parents. His mother had grilled her excitedly until his father reminded her that they were there to eat, teasingly telling her to at least wait until they’d finished dessert to scare their son’s girlfriend off.

“He’s never introduced a girlfriend to us before,” the woman had argued, offering her husband a pout that left no question where Gojo had gotten his own from. “You must be special, dear. We’re so excited to get to know you.”

They’d sat with them in the living room when they got back, sharing a bottle of wine as his mother continued gushing about how delighted she was to see her son so happy.

“Don’t be jealous,” she teased now, stroking his hair gently. Her nails scraped along his scalp, drawing a contented hum from his throat. “They’re just amazed someone was able to tame you. Change your fuckboy tendencies.”

He scoffed, biting her neck gently as she snickered.

“My parents don’t know about those tendencies,” he mumbled. “They just know I’ve never dated anyone worth bringing to meet them until you.”

Her heart jumped in her chest, and she willed herself not to read into his words.

“Guess I am special, huh?” her breath hitched as he leaned up, smiling down at her softly.

“Yeah,” he murmured, his eyes shining. “You really fucking are. Lucky to call you mine, baby. Gonna do everything I can to keep it that way.”

2017

“Got one in 3,” Kouji said as he stuck his head into the breakroom. “You take ‘em? I was supposed to go on break two hours ago. You’re better with kids, anyway.”

“Yeah,” she replied, running her hand through her hair as she pushed herself to her feet. “On it.”

She knocked on the door lightly as she entered, her eyebrows shooting up when she saw a familiar face sitting in the corner.

“Megumi,” her fingers input her ID absently as she stared at him. “Are you hurt?”

He shook his head, and her gaze moved to the pink-haired boy seated on the small bed, cradling his left arm. She glanced at the summary as the computer loaded, pursing her lips to the side as she grabbed the blood pressure cuff and moved to his side.

“Itadori Yuuji?” she asked. “Tell me what’s up, kid.”

He shrugged sheepishly, holding his right arm out for her to check his vitals.

“I, uh,” he gave Megumi an embarrassed look, and she noticed two skateboards leaning against the wall beside him. “I tried to catch myself-”

“He missed the rail on the stairs in the park a few blocks over,” Megumi cut him off flatly. “Tried to catch himself, and I heard a pop when he landed.”

Nodding, she moved back to the computer, adding his blood pressure and pulse, along with the notes from Megumi, before turning back to them.

“Anything else?”

They both shook their heads, and she gently began checking his arm.

“It doesn’t feel broken,” Itadori joked, and she chuckled. “Doesn’t look broken either.”

“Unless it’s sticking out, they typically don’t,” she said, causing him to laugh. “We’ll get some x-rays to check out the full damage, kid. But it’s likely you just dislocated it-”

An urgent knock on the doorframe cut her off, followed by a slightly panicked voice that made her tense.

“Yuuji-kun!”

Of all the people it could be.

“Gojo-sensei!” the kid exclaimed excitedly.

“Are you okay?” Gojo asked, moving to his side quickly. “They didn’t give me any details, just that you were in the emergency-”

He trailed off when he turned to face her, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Hey.”

“I’m okay, Gojo-sensei,” Ittadori said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry if I worried you.”

“You’re fine, Yuuji,” he replied, turning back to the kid. “Just glad you’re okay. What happened?”

She tuned them out as she moved back to the computer, typing a few notes as she double-checked Ittadori’s information.

Emergency contact: Gojo Satoru

Huh.

Megumi said her name quietly, and she tilted her head slightly to let him know she was listening.

“My phone is dead,” he stated, holding it up. “Can I borrow yours to call my dad?”

“Yeah,” she replied absently, pulling it from her pocket and unlocking it for him. “Unlike you, kid. You don’t usually let your phone-”

“Someone-” he paused, giving Itadori a pointed look, “drained my battery watching videos.”

“They were cat videos!” Itadori argued defensively. “Cute, fluffy little cats! How could I not-”

“Use your own in the future,” Megumi snapped. “I’ll be right back.”

“Stay out of the breakroom,” she ordered, watching him scowl. “Yeah, thought so. I’ll bring you cookies next time I visit. But if there are any missing when I go back in there, I’ll know it was you.”

2011

“Thank you for agreeing to this.”

She shrugged, leaning back in her seat as she stared at her father across the table.

“I promised my mom I’d be civil,” she admitted. “S’long as you don’t invite the little shitspawn of yours, dinner isn’t so bad.”

His mouth pressed into a firm line as she raised her eyebrows, daring him to disagree with her.

“Fair,” he admitted, giving her a reluctant smile. “I am sorry. For- how he treats you. I know I played a major role in it, but that doesn’t make it right. And-”

“He’s an adult,” she cut him off. “How he treats me is on him now. I’ll- I’ll try not to hold it against you too much.”

His smile was small, and she took a deep breath as they ordered their food.

It wasn’t horrible to spend time with him when he was sober. She didn’t enjoy it, but it wasn’t miserable.

It also gave her an excuse to surprise Gojo. They hadn’t had a chance to see each other since she’d spent the first few days of break with his family. They’d both been busy. The holidays were when her mother’s bakery was the busiest, which was why she’d had to return to Kyoto instead of spending the entire break there with Gojo like he’d originally asked. But now that the holiday rush was over, her mother no longer needed the extra help.

Gojo’s mother had already said she was welcome to stay the night after dinner with her father, and she’d gone to their house to drop her overnight bag off so she didn’t have to lug it around with her. She was excited to see Gojo’s face when he realized she’d also brought him some of those cookies he was obsessed with.

She excused herself to go to the restroom as her father ordered a small dessert, sending a reassuring text to her mother that dinner was going fine. She was being civil, just as requested.

Her mother’s response, expressing how proud she was, made her smile as she walked back to her seat. The distinct white hair caught in the corner of her eye made her gut churn as she turned her head.

Gojo was sitting in a booth near the front, his arm around a girl she didn’t recognize. He was whispering something to her, and her cheeks went red as he smirked and nipped her ear. His hand was running along her thigh under the table, inching its way up slowly. Suddenly, he lifted his hand to her jaw, turning her so he could press his lips to hers.

Can I call you mine, Rinko-chan?

She snapped out of her daze when he slipped his tongue into the girl’s mouth.

I’m yours however you want me, Rinko-chan.

Her chest felt empty as she realized how meaningless it had all been. That she’d let herself get pulled in by his boyish grin and sweet kisses far too easily. That she’d really been that stupid.

Blinking, she kept walking, fighting the hollow feeling threatening to drown her as she took her seat. Her father furrowed his brow at her sudden change in demeanor.

“Not feeling too well,” she explained weakly, trying to figure out how she was going to get her bag from Gojo’s house without raising too many questions from his parents about why she was leaving. But she couldn’t stay there now. Not when she felt like she was going to suffocate at the thought of being anywhere near him.

She felt so stupid.

Shame was choking her as her father’s face scrunched in concern.

“You can go,” he said, his eyes searching her face. “I appreciate you coming to dinner. I- won’t subject you to them too often.”

Shaking her head, she forced herself to give him a small smile.

“You’re doing a- decent job,” she informed him quietly. “I- also appreciate the effort. Doesn’t make up for everything. But- it’s a start.”

He gave her a wide smile, his dark eyes shining slightly as he nodded.

“I’ll let you go since you aren’t feeling well. Have a good night, Rinko.”

“You- too.”

Pulling her phone back out as she moved toward the exit, she typed a quick excuse to Gojo’s mother, saying that something came up and she needed to get back to Kyoto after all. If she hurried, she could make the last train of the night.

As she approached the front, she felt someone watching her. She turned her head briefly to see Gojo staring at her, his eyes flitting in the direction she’d come from suspiciously. It was almost comical how his jaw dropped open slightly when he saw her father. As if he thought he’d caught her cheating.

I’m yours however you want me, Rinko-chan.

His arm withdrew from the girl’s shoulders quickly, now looking panicked as she heard him say her name.

“Rinko-”

She turned away, keeping her expression blank as she walked out, refusing to acknowledge him any further.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, a message from his mother saying she hoped everything was okay and to be safe getting home. Another message asked if there was anything in her bag that she needed, saying she would have Gojo bring it to her if there was.

At this point, she didn’t want any of it back. Not if it meant having to see him. Everything in that bag could easily be replaced.

Just like her.

Part of her wondered if he would follow her, but she knew better. She wouldn’t ignore the fact that she knew he didn’t have it in him to care enough again. Not when the message was perfectly clear.

Rushing to the train station, she barely made it in time for the last bullet train to Kyoto.

The tears finally formed as she dropped into her seat, curling her legs beneath her and leaning her head against the window. She blinked at her reflection, hating the sight of the crying girl staring back.

Three months. She’d wasted three months being an idiot. Allowing herself to be lulled into a false sense of happiness, of love. Let herself believe his lies.

He’d never wanted a relationship. He didn’t do relationships. She’d known that from the beginning. Should have listened to her gut when he’d asked to be exclusive.

Can I call you mine, Rinko-chan?

He’d wanted her to be his. But he’d never wanted to be hers.

I’m yours however you want me, Rinko-chan.

Liar.

2017

She’d been right. The kid had dislocated his wrist.

As they showed him how to care for the splint, he smiled sheepishly again and thanked her.

“Don’t sweat it,” she replied, going over the instructions and reminding him to take over-the-counter meds for the pain. “You’re all set, kid. Good luck.”

Ruffling Megumi’s hair quickly, she walked out and back to the nurses' station.

As she sat down, she noticed that Gojo had followed her.

“I- Can I talk to you for just a minute?”

“Working,” she replied instantly. “Don’t have-”

“What time does your shift end?” he asked, leaning over so no one else would hear him. “Please, Rinko. Just- ten minutes. I- I know I don’t deserve your time, but-”

“And yet you still ask for it,” she cut him off. “I don’t know why you care after so long. It’s been six years, Gojo.”

“Please,” he whispered, meeting her eyes when she looked up and giving her a small pout. “I won’t bother you again.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, she checked her watch. It didn’t hurt to listen.

“Seven,” she relented tiredly. “I get off at seven. But-”

“I’ll meet you anywhere you want,” he said immediately. “Where works best?”

“There’s a coffee shop at the end of the block,” she sighed again, feeling wary at the hopeful expression on his face. “I’ll meet you there once I get off work. But you get ten minutes. No more.”

“Deal,” he nodded, his eyes lighting up as he gave her a small smile. “I’ll see you then.”

2011

“I- I can explain,” Gojo pleaded, his voice desperate as he called out to her through her front door. “Baby, please. Just let me-”

“No,” she clenched her jaw as it trembled.

She’d cried enough already. The entire train ride back, and while she dug through all of her things to make sure she found everything of his that was in her apartment. Anything that would remind her how stupid she was. All of it was now tucked away in the box sitting next to her front door, which she wasn’t sure if she was willing to open because she knew he’d just force his way inside.

“Baby,” his voice was louder than before, hoarse, as he begged her to let him inside. “Please. Please just hear me out. Please, baby-”

“Don’t call me that,” she cut him off, wiping her eyes before the tears could fall. He didn’t deserve them. And she didn’t deserve to feel sad. Not when she’d let this happen. Let herself fall into his stupid little trap.

When she’d known better than to trust his words.

“Please, I- I have your bag-”

She ripped the door open, yelping in surprise when he fell forward because he’d been leaning against it.

“Baby,” he rushed out, dropping her bag and reaching for her. “Please, just let me explain-”

“Don’t touch me,” she swatted his hands away. “There’s nothing to explain, Gojo. You got what you wanted from me, and it wasn’t enough. So you-”

“That’s not it,” he insisted, following after her desperately. “Please, just- I’m sorry-”

“You’re sorry you got caught,” she snapped, forcing herself to take a deep breath as she felt the walls closing in. “You’re sorry that your fun was ruined. That you don’t get to keep stringing me along like an idiot. I’ve gotta give it to you. You had me convinced. Meeting your parents was a nice touch, I must say. Really sold that you actually gave a shit. Made me feel special-”

“You are-”

“I guess I can’t blame you for taking advantage of the fact that I was stupid enough to believe you-”

“You’re not stupid,” he argued, his brow furrowed as he stepped closer. “Please, just- I can explain. It was a mistake-”

“Which part?” she cut him off, stepping further away. “Planning the date? Going on it? Your hand on her leg? Your tongue in her mouth? Or was it just this entire thing? Was that the mistake? Me?”

The tears broke free, and she wiped her eyes furiously.

“Baby, that’s not-”

“Don’t fucking call me that,” she hissed, running her hands through her hair. “Don’t pretend to give a shit. Just- don’t.”

“I- I do care, Rinko,” Gojo wrung his hands together. “Please, I just- I-”

“How long?” she asked, watching his eyes. “Those nights when you were too tired to call the past couple weeks, were they all because you were busy with someone else?”

He said nothing, staring at her, his expression filled with guilt.

“You were the one who wanted this,” she accused, glaring at him as his eyes pleaded with her. “You said you wanted-”

Can I call you mine, Rinko-chan?

The sob escaped before she could stop it. She grasped her hair, pulling it slightly as reality crashed into her once again, and she realized just how stupid she was.

He had just wanted the only thing she hadn’t already given him. Wanted to make sure that no one else could have her. But he didn’t care.

It was about getting something for the sake of having it.

But she wasn’t shiny and new anymore.

The relationship wasn’t what he wanted, so he went and found something that was.

And now that he’d been caught, he was pretending to care. Pretending to want her.

“Get out,” she whispered, unable to get her voice to come out any louder. “Leave. And don’t fucking talk to me. Don’t come near me. Just- you got what you wanted, yeah? You got-”

Can I call you mine, Rinko-chan?

“Sex wasn’t enough,” she choked, unable to breathe as she realized it had all just been a game. “You got your prize, yeah? Got to call me yours-”

“That’s not what this is,” his hands grasping her face gently. “You’re not a prize, baby. I- you’re mine, and I- I’m yours.”

It was like those words broke her.

She almost couldn’t believe his nerve. That he’d lie so blatantly after what she’d seen. But she knew better. It was Gojo.

“Don’t fucking lie to me!” she screamed, pushing him away. “Don’t fucking- you’re not mine. And you never were. You don’t even know what that means. You- you really do just fucking say whatever it takes to get what you want. Anything at all.”

“That’s not- no, that’s not how-”

He cut off as she shoved the box into his hands, his face crumbling as he saw the first sweater she’d stolen from him before they started dating.

“Baby,” he whispered. “Please. Please just give me a chance to explain. I- this will never happen again. I fucking-”

“It won’t happen again,” she agreed, pushing him toward the door. “Because this is it. We’re done. Get out. Pretend I never existed, just like you were at dinner-”

“That’s- no, please, baby-”

“I said don’t call me that,” her chest felt tight, her throat threatening to close, and she grabbed the door as soon as she got him over the threshold. “I don’t ever want to hear from you again.”

“Wait,” he begged, dropping the box to the ground as he tried to reach for her again. “Rinko, wait, please-”

She slammed the door shut, locking it and sinking to the floor beside it as she curled in on herself.

It was her own fucking fault for believing him. For thinking she was special to him even for a second.

2017

“I- wasn’t sure if you still liked matcha lattes,” he pushed it toward her hesitantly. “But I- went ahead and got it just in case? That way, you don’t have to wait in line-”

“It’s fine,” she replied, taking a small sip. “Thanks.”

“Yeah,” he ran his hand through his hair as she checked her watch deliberately. “I- thank you for agreeing to hear me out. I just- I really am so fucking sorry, Rinko. I fucked up. Really bad. And I really wish I could take it back. All of it. Every single thing I did that hurt you.”

“It’s been six years,” she repeated her earlier words, staring at him. “It’s in the past. I honestly don’t get why you still care so much.”

“Because I hurt you-”

“It was my own fault,” she informed him bluntly. “I knew who you were. What you were like. I let myself believe I was different. That was my fault.”

His face fell as he met her eyes, the blue dimming just slightly.

“I- I was a real piece of shit to you,” he admitted, his eyes staying firmly on hers. “You were too good to be true, honestly. Too good for me. I knew it. Everyone knew it. Shoko and Nanamin never failed to tell me I didn’t deserve you when we were together. And I- I just had to be an idiot and prove them right.” He sighed, fidgeting with his cup in front of him. “My parents fucking loved you. Knew they would, you just- you were perfect.” There was a sad smile on his face. “My mom still asks about you sometimes, ya know. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me for losing you.”

“We were never going to work,” she stated, watching the smile drop again. “We both know that. You didn’t want a relationship, not really. You never did. It was just something you thought you wanted because it was the only thing you didn’t have from me-”

“That’s not true,” he argued, frowning. “That’s not what it was at all. I- I wanted to be with you. I- I still do.”

She snorted, somehow not surprised.

“You want to be with me now because it’s a challenge,” she rolled her eyes. “Because it’s something you don’t have. Something that-”

“That isn’t- do you really think I just see you as something to obtain?”

Pursing her lips to the side, she nodded.

“Yes,” she admitted, taking a small sip of her latte. “It’s what our relationship was. You saw something you didn’t have, something that I could give you. And once you had it, you got bored of it. The sex wasn’t enough, so you wanted a relationship, but then neither of those were enough, so you-”

“Please don’t- please tell me that isn’t what you’ve thought all this time,” he whispered, his face crumpling. “Rinko, please tell me you don’t think that it was because you weren’t enough.”

“For you,” she clarified, shrugging. “Like I said, I knew better than to believe that I was somehow special or different from anyone else you’d been with.”

“But you were,” he argued, his eyes suddenly filling with determination. “You are. I- it was me-”

“I know it was you,” she reminded. “I know you fucked up. But I should never have given you the chance to fuck up.”

He was silent for a few moments, his eyes searching her face before he spoke again.

“Do you regret dating me?” he asked quietly, meeting her eyes carefully. “Do you- do you really wish you’d never even given me a chance?”

The question had her gnawing on her bottom lip as she thought, staring down at the cup in her hands.

Did she regret it?

The way it made her feel after, absolutely. She’d felt empty and worthless for a while afterward.

But in the good moments, the ones where she’d thought he cared, she’d been happy. Felt loved. It was why she’d felt so stupid when everything was over.

“Not completely,” she finally whispered. “The beginning was good. But-”

“I- I said I would explain,” he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table as he clasped his hands together. “The- there were two people that I-” he paused, taking a deep breath before meeting her eyes again. “I slept with two others. It- the girl you saw me with- that was the second time I saw her. She- I never saw her again after-”

He stopped, running a hand through his hair as she clenched her jaw. She didn’t even know why she was here. Why she was listening to this after six years.

“When- when you didn’t stay for break, even though I knew it was because you needed to help your mom, I just- I thought maybe I’d already done something wrong,” he continued, swallowing thickly. “Or that you didn’t like my parents. Or- I don’t even know. But I was- I panicked. Because I- I was falling in love with you, and I was fucking terrified. So when the panic set in- when you didn’t stay after meeting my parents-” he shook his head as his brow furrowed. “I just- part of me thought I was softening the blow for myself so when you broke up with me, it wouldn’t hurt as much. It- was fucked up of me to do.”

“So- you cheated on me because you thought that I was going to break up with you?” her eyes narrowed. “Because that’s a great way to save a relationship-”

“I fucked up,” he admitted, dropping his head to his hands. “I- really fucked up. And I can’t ever apologize enough. I- three times. One person twice, the one you saw me with once. I- fuck, it’s even worse saying it all out loud.”

He wasn’t wrong.

It was like ripping open old, healed scars and watching them bleed just for the sake of it.

“I- don’t blame you for not listening to me when I tried to apologize,” Gojo whispered, lifting his head to stare into her eyes again. The blue orbs were bright with a sincerity she was wary of. “But- I’d give anything for another chance. I- I know I don’t deserve it. But I would do anything for the chance to do things right. To do right by you.”

She gnawed on her bottom lip, unable to hold his gaze. Getting involved with Gojo Satoru again was the last thing she needed in her life. But staring into his eyes made her want to believe him.

“I won’t- push any further,” he murmured. “I just needed to get that off my chest. To know that I at least tried to- make things right. Thank you for- listening.”

“You- you said anything,” she said curiously, watching him tense before he gave her a hopeful look. “What- what do you even mean by that? What could I even want from you?”

He chuckled wrily, running his hand through his hair again.

“That- I think that was more of a plea to the universe, ya know? I mean, name your price, and if it’s possible, I’ll fuckin-”

“Why now?” she asked. “It’s been years.”

“Because,” he sighed, offering her a small smile. “I- never thought I’d see you again. Hadn’t seen or heard about you since school. So when I saw you at that soccer game, all I could think about was that it had to be my second chance. It felt like I’d be tossing that chance away if I didn’t at least try talking to you. Today was- I had no idea you worked at that hospital. I was only there because of Yuuji.”

That piqued her curiosity further.

“How did you end up as that kid’s emergency contact?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “He’s Megumi’s age, which means he isn’t in high school yet, so you can’t be his teacher.”

“After school program,” he replied sheepishly. “I- I help out in the after-school tutoring program Yuuji goes to. His parents aren’t around, and I’m the most consistent one there, so he asked if he could put me down as his emergency contact. Figured it’s better than him not having anyone.” He shrugged. “I’ve only met Megumi once. He’s- he’s a cousin, isn’t he? Looks just like those twins. Maki and Mai, right? I- remember you mentioning them once or twice when we were together.”

“A cousin,” she confirmed, pursing her lips to the side as she checked her watch. It had been longer than ten minutes. Much longer. “I- should go. Maki and Mai tend to come over on the weekends, so they’re probably at my place now. Thank you for- apologizing. And explaining.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he nodded.

“I’m- thank you again for hearing me out,” he said, watching her push herself to her feet. “Will I- I know I said I won’t push, I just- wanna ask if- I’ll see you around?”

“I’ll be at the twins’ next soccer game,” she replied, and his eyes lit up. “I- I’ll be at all of their soccer games if I’m not working. Though, Mai is gonna be out for the next two.”

“Can I-” he paused. “If I go, would it be okay if I sat with you? Or just- if I just came and said ‘hi’ instead of sitting with you. I don’t wanna crowd-”

“Ask me again if you see me there,” she cut him off, unable to fight the small smile at his rambling. “I’ll- see you around, Gojo.”

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