#friend is buying the trailer tomorrow night so i need to clean it out tomorrow

[lvllns]

real weird to realize that the end date for horses in my life is tomorrow!

[jaebeomsbitch]

Best Friend's Kisses (E.M.)

Summary: After seventeen long years of friendship Eddie decides to fulfill a ten year old promise. Something whispered in the middle of the night. He gives you the best gift of all.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem! reader, really only mentioned like two or three times

Mid-twenties Eddie and reader. Mechanic! Eddie

Warning: Slight smut at the end, talks of insecurity, making out, flirting, swearing, and melancholy reader. MINORS DNI!

AN: This is only my third fic on here. I'm still trying to understand the formatting.

Eddie Munson had been your friend since you met him on the playground in third grade. He had defended you against some asshole kid who tried to take away your toy. Pushed him to the ground and yelled at him, you’d been inseparable since then. You saw each other through the awkward phases of becoming teenagers, watched him struggle through high school, and then eventually graduate.

Now you were both in your mid twenties, still having movie nights at the Munson’s every Friday after your shift at the record shop. You had a chance to leave, to go to college in New York but you turned it down. Not that you told Eddie, you didn’t want him to feel guilty. Truthfully you did stay for him, afraid that he might break without you but, did he really need you?

Eddie was an incredible sweetheart, making friends left and right with whoever would listen to him. It seemed like anyone that had a chance to really talk to him could see beyond the rumor around him. He was surrounded by people who loved him. Sometimes you regret staying, maybe you could’ve become something. Maybe you could’ve gotten a good degree, move your parents out of this shitty town but you were afraid.

The truth being you use Eddie as a crutch, you always had. Hiding behind him, gripping onto the back of his shirt as he yelled at another person for you, cleaning him up after he fought with a guy for groping you, Eddie was your protector in a sense. So you stay, stay in the shitty down you despise, wallow in self pity for being a fucking coward like you always are, and spending your days drinking or getting high with Eddie and his friends.

Today was a special day, Eddie had gotten a job at a mechanic shop. He always said that when he got his first paycheck he’d buy you something really special. He’d jump around from job to job until he found Earl. Earl was the only person who truly gave Eddie a chance.

“Honey, I’m home,” He jokes, walking into the trailer. Already expecting you to be lying on his bed when he comes home like you always are. He walks in shoulders hunched, face covered in grease stains, and hair knotted. “Gonna take a shower, then’ll be back. Got something exciting for you sweetheart,” He smiles, grabbing the pile of clothes you left on the foot of his bed ready for him. “Toodaloo,” he wags his fingers behind him as he exits the room.

Oh god what did he get you? Eddie had a reputation for going overboard, always saying he had to spoil his ‘princess’ because you were his longest friend. Always rambling about how you deserved the world for sticking by his side. Steve and Robin like to tease him, poking fun at your friendship. Always whispering, “you’ve never thought ‘bout it?” with their questioning gazes. It didn’t matter what either of you said, they never believed you. They could see the way the tips of your ears turned red or the way Eddie silently threatened Steve.

“I feel so much better,” He sighs, throwing himself next to you. He cuddles into the pillow, throwing the sheets over himself. “You forgetting something?” You laugh.

“Oh shit, sorry. M’tired,” He mumbles, eyes open wide. “Just go to sleep, Eds. You can give me whatever it is tomorrow,” You whisper. Trying to lull him back to sleep as you massage his scalp. “No, been waiting forever,” He murmurs, eyes blinking slowly. He must’ve been really tired for him to forget dinner. Eddie was never one to skip meals, always saying they were his favorite part of his day. You watch him sleep, he looks so peaceful with his eyes closed, his lips slightly parted. It isn’t until you hear the phone ring that you move your hand from his curls.

“Hello?” You whisper trying not to wake him up. “Oh hey! I was expecting Eddie,” Steve says on the line. “He got home and fell asleep immediately, I was just about to make dinner. What’s up?” You ask.

“You sound so domestic, like a housewife,” Steve chuckles.

“Yeah, yeah. Hardy har har.” You roll your eyes leaning against the wall.

“H-has he given you the present yet?” He asks out of nowhere.

“No, he just said he had something for me then fell asleep two seconds later. I don’t know what he did today but he skipped lunch. You know how unusual that is for him,” you say slightly concerned.

“It’s just… he loves you a lot you know?” Steve says, his voice sounding a little weird.

“Yeah and I love him too,” You reply quickly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Just… keep that in mind, I’ll see you tomorrow,” He says.

“What wh-” He hangs up. What the fuck was that about? Of course you’d see Steve and the gang tomorrow, it was your weekly get together with the adults of the group but this felt weird. It almost felt like something monumental was supposed to happen today.

You try to shake away the feeling, looking through the fridge to see what they have. Cheese and tortillas, the ones you brought from home because you ‘accidentally’ bought two packs. You make quesadillas like you’ve made all your childhood, they were quick to make and easy for Eddie to eat while he’s half asleep. He had this miraculous way of waking up, eating, and forgetting that he even ate when he woke up.

“Eds… Teddie,” you whisper, gently shaking his shoulder until he groans. He gained the nickname after a long night of calling each other annoying nicknames, you saw your childhood teddy bear and instantly thought of Eddie. Just like it, he brought you comfort and he was also the person to give it to you. Claimed he won it in a claw machine for twenty five cents but you knew he had saved his money for weeks to buy it for you. You'd seen it at the store when your mom dragged you shopping for your sister's new clothes.

“I know, I know, baby. Just eat and you can go back to sleep okay,” You whisper, sitting on the ledge of the bed next to him. He slowly blinks, turning toward you as he scratches his neck languidly.

“Come on, eat,” You show him the plate but he still blinks at you not understanding. So you feed him like a sick child, watching as he takes little bites and tilting his head forward when he needs a drink. “Go back to sleep,” You whisper, kissing him on the forehead as his eyes close again.

Steve was right, it all felt entirely domestic. You’d never treat him, Robin, or any of your other friends like this but Eddie, he was special. Your heart clenches at the idea, always longing for Eddie in a way you know is not possible. Always afraid you’d ruin your seventeen years of friendship, afraid you’d lose the one person who made you feel comfortable. You’d always cuddled with him, he was overly touchy with you to the point that everyone thought you were together. You were always off limits to the other guys in Hawkins, only ever catching the eye of passersby. You fall asleep, thinking about all the should haves and could haves.

The sun filters through the small crack in the curtains hitting you straight in the face. You look around the room, remembering you fell asleep next to Eddie. His arm is around your waist, head buried in your neck, hair tickling your nose. You try to stretch as much as you can while being basically pinned down by Eddie.

“Ten more minutes,” he mumbles, pulling you closer.

“You slept for sixteen hours already,” you snort.

“Not enough,” He nuzzles into your neck.

“You gotta stop that or I’m gonna piss myself,” You say, trying to pry his arm off of you.

“Do it, you wouldn’t dare,” He challenges.

“No I wouldn’t but seriously, I gotta go!” you say more urgently.

“Fine, but you jump right back in bed the minute you finish,” He bargains.

“It’s almost one o’clock, I am not staying in bed,” You protest, still pulling at his arm.

“Either way you still owe me a present,” You say.

“Oh shit, I forgot,” He says, finally letting you go. You run to the bathroom to take care of yourself, peeing and brushing your teeth. You’d had a toothbrush right next to Eddie’s since your first sleepover, he always took charge of changing it out every couple of months.

“So what’s the plan for today?” You ask, rummaging through his closet.

“Eat, present, meet Robin and Nance and 'em,” He says, standing up from the bed to join you. He picks up a pair of black jeans, his favorite because “they fit him the best and they make his ass look good,” according to Eddie. It was warm out, you could already tell by the heat in the trailer so he picks out a cutoff tee that shows off the sides of his ribs if he moves a certain way. He didn’t know this was your favorite shirt of his. He always looked so fucking hot with it on, his tattoos peaking through the side, his midriff exposed at the corner of your eye. Well if he was going to play that game you needed a better outfit, no band tee for you.

You search through your overnight bag for the black lacy cami top that usually leaves him speechless and a pair of shorts. He looks at the outfit in your hand and gulps.

“Great, I’m starving,” You wink at him as you walk by. What the fuck were you doing? What has gotten into you? He might’ve just been thirsty or something. There was no guarantee he even noticed what you grabbed or even cared. When you come out dressed you hear Wayne’s voice to the right of you talking to Eddie about his job.

“Good…afternoon!” You greet them.

“Finally decided to wake up I see,” Wayne says, eyebrow raised. He wasn’t judging you, he liked to tease but he knew how hard Eddie and you worked. He always treated you like a dad, more than your own father. He was protective and caring in his own way.

“Blame Teddie,” You nudge Eds in the ribs.

“You know I need my beauty rest,” He says, flicking his hair.

“Maybe you need to sleep longer,” Wayne’s eyes light up, teasing Eddie.

“Some sleep would do you good,” Eddie says, tone more serious. Wayne had been picking up more shifts lately, you had hardly seen him the last three weeks.

“I’m already as pretty as I’ll get,” Wayne grumbles, not liking Eddie’s concern.

“Weren’t y’all ‘bout to get food, c’mon get,” Wayne pushes you both out, slamming the door behind you two.

“He really is overworking himself,” You sigh as you climb into Eddie’s van.

“I know, that’s why I’ve been taking longer hours at the shop. Just want to take some burden off the old man,” He says, eyes focused on the road. You both sit in silence on the drive to Benny’s, thinking about how stuck you felt.

You wanted to help Wayne in any way you could but you still weren’t making enough money. You rented out a room from your parents because according to them the second you turn eighteen they weren’t supposed to help you anymore. Even if you wanted to leave you couldn’t afford the lease. You remember all those nights with Eddie, dreaming of the day you finally became adults so you could become independent.

“We’re here,” Eddie says, snapping his finger in front of your face.

“Fuck, you scared the shit out of me,” You jump, hand clutching your chest.

“What’s got you so spaced out?” Eddie asks, during the short walk into the diner and into your “designated” booth.

“Nothin’” you say, playing with the salt and pepper shakers.

“C’mon tell me what’s on your mind,” He pushes.

“I just wish I could do something to help Wayne out,” You sigh, not looking up at him.

“Me too,” He says, taking the pepper from your hand and playing with it. You didn’t expect the heavy atmosphere but thankfully it's broken when Doris comes over with your drinks. You always ordered the same thing, every week.

“Here’s your cola’s, just put in your order,” She smiles.

“Thank you!” you beam at the sugary beverage.

“There’s something magical in these sodas I swear,” You moan, as you gulp it down.

Eddie’s looking at you through his eyelashes, tongue swiping at his bottom lip.

“Yeah tastes pretty good,” He observes, voice deeper than normal and pupil’s slightly blown out. You make conversation over your pancake breakfasts, talking about shitty customers and bonding over telling them to fuck off. The tension from earlier is gone as Eddie promises he can scarf down his food in less than ten minutes.

“I never said you couldn’t do it, I just said it wasn’t worth the upset stomach I know you’re gonna have,” You say, walking toward his van.

“Well it was worth it,” He gives you a toothy smile.

“Now for the big event,” He says, as you both get in the van.

“Big event?” You question.

“Got you a surprise, something I promised you a long time ago,” He says, staring into your eyes. There’s something there you don’t recognize, his gaze looking different. You wrack your brain trying to decipher his riddle. What did he promise you? He had made so many promises over the years, pinkies intertwining each other as Gareth made fun of your childish ways.

“Okay…” You look at him suspiciously.

“But, I’m gonna need to blindfold you,” He says, eyes full of mischief.

“Ooh kinky,” you wag your eyebrows at him. His eyes slightly widen before he snaps out of it and grabs a scrap of fabric from his door.

“Turn around for me sweetheart,” He mumbles. You can’t help but slightly shake as he places the opaque fabric over your eyes, his hand brushing the back of your head as he knots it in place. The entire act felt all too intimate, your heavy breaths in the silent van weren’t helping either.

“Can you see anything?” He asks, presumably waving a hand in your face as you turn to sit straight.

“Nothing, scouts honor,” You say, raising two fingers.

“You weren’t even in the scouts,” He laughs, turning the key in the ignition. You don’t know what direction you’re heading in.

“Oh my god are you gonna murder me? Been playing the long con? Get me comfortable so I go without protest,” You tease.

“Oh yeah, gonna chop you up in the forest in the name of satan,” He says dramatically.

“Sounds ‘bout right,” You laugh, as he pulls to a stop.

“We’re here, just give me a second” He says, opening the door and rounding the car to open yours less than a second later.

“Wrap your arms around my neck princess,” He says, carrying you out of the van and placing you on your feet.

“Woah,” You grab onto his arm as the dizziness sets in.

“You alright?” He asks, concerned laced in his voice.

“Yeah just give me a second. M’dizzy” You say, gripping harder onto his bicep.

“Take your time,” He says.

“I’m ready,” You say after a minute. “Okay, just follow my voice. It’s a trust exercise,” you can hear the smile in his voice as he leads you. “There’s like three steps, just take ‘em slow. Here’s the first one,” He says, stopping so you can get your footing. He leads you up the last two, “Before you take your blindfold off… just, I don’t know. J-just I don’t even know how to explain it,” He says, voice full of nervousness.

“Eds, I feel like I've been blindfolded for an hour. If this is another prank I will fucking kill you,” You threaten.

“Not a joke, promise,” He says, “Ready?”

“Been ready,” You answer. He takes your hand putting something cold in it and leaning over your shoulder to see the knot. You blink at the sudden light, trying to grab your bearings.

“W-what?” You asked confused. He’d placed a key in your hand, you were standing in front of a house.

“We always promised we’d move out together, it was time for me to bank it in,” He smiles.

“Wait, what?” You still couldn’t believe it. It had to be some sort of joke, he probably found this key on the floor.

“C’mon open the door,” He nods his head in the direction of the lock.

“You’re serious?” You ask, eyes wide in shock.

“As a heart attack. C’mon! I’ve been waiting for months to show you it,” He says, pressing you to open the lock. Your hands shake as you approach the door, the key surprisingly sliding in and turning. Oh no he wasn’t lying, this wasn’t an epic prank. You open the door to an empty living room, his hand guiding you inside.

“I haven’t picked out the furniture yet, thought you’d want to do it together,” He stammers, as you silently scan over the room. It was nice, the entrance opened to the living room, to the left was an open floor plan kitchen, and to the right a bedroom.

“T-together?” You stutter. You were speechless.

“I know how much you hate living at your folks home and you know we made that promise that we’d move out together when we had the money,” He says scratching the back of his neck. He was nervous at your lack of response, did you hate the house? Maybe he should have consulted you first.

“So you and me, living together?” You question, taking in every single detail.

“Yes, just you and me. Maybe Wayne but I doubt he’ll leave the trailer. He’ll finally have a bedroom again though,” He trails off.

“Holy shit, this is for real?” You ask again, walking around the living room toward the kitchen.

“Oh my god how many times do I have to say yes. Did I tie that blindfold too tight? Not enough oxygen in your brain” he chuckles at his joke. You jump into his arms, legs straddling his waist. You hold onto him like a monkey as he grabs your thighs.

“This is the best present ever! Holy shit, Eddie,” You say hugging him close.

“Least I can do for your long years of serving me loyally,” He laughs, walking deeper into the house. You slide down his body as he pulls you through, giving you the grand tour. The house had three bedrooms total, apparently he got an insane deal on the property. Someone from the shop got a huge opportunity in Indianapolis and was trying to get rid of it. They passed down the title to Eddie instead of going through a broker.

“Now this, I think may be your favorite part,” He says, pulling you toward the back door. Your hands entwined, which was not unusual for you both. He opens the door to a beautiful garden, the previous owners must’ve loved this place. It was full of flowers and fruit trees.

“There’s a perfect shady spot to read your books, we could put a table out there and have breakfast together,” He says.

“Holy shit Eddie, it’s perfect,” You say, pulling him in for another hug. He’s bent at an awkward angle to meet your height. Without thinking you peck him on the lips before letting him go and walking down the steps to the garden. You look back at him still frozen in that weird position.

“What’s wrong?” You ask oblivious to what you had just done.

“D-did you just kiss me?” He asks, running down the stairs to meet you halfway down the yard.

“T-that was-” You stutter, realizing what happened. He towers over you, hand tilting your face upward as he kisses you again.

“This okay?” he mumbles into your lips. You move your hands to his shoulders, nails digging into the skin. “Mhm,” You agree, trying to pull him closer. His tongue swipes against your bottom lip with a groan, his kisses becoming more desperate. You open your mouth inviting him in, his tongue mapping out your mouth as you moan. “F-fuck,” You breathe out as he pulls away, kissing down your neck. You’d never been touched like this by Eddie, his hands running all over you anguished for a piece of skin to grab onto. He leans his forehead against yours, as you both catch your breath, his hands under your shirt on your hips.

“W-what was that,” You stammer.

“Been wanting to do that since middle school,” His breath ghosts over your face as he leans back to look at you, skin flushed and chest rising rapidly.

“Since fourth grade,” You laugh, throwing your arms around his neck to pull him down to your level.

“That long?” He says incredulously.

“You were my first crush,” You admit, face flushing at the confession.

“You were mine!” He says, voice raising in astonishment.

“So we could’ve been doing that for fuckin’ years?” He says more to himself than you.

“Guess so,” You shrug your shoulders.

“No wonder everyone thought we were dating. You made the goo goo eyes at me I made the goo goo eyes at you,” He laughs.

“That was your fault! You always had an arm around my shoulder or were holding my hand. Anyone would’ve thought we were together!” You reply.

“As if you didn’t love it. Don’t think I didn’t see the way you look at me when I wear this shirt,” He teases.

“So you admit you did it on purpose?” You ask, smacking his chest.

“Course gotta make you all nervous,” He pecks you on the lips.

“Well don’t think I don’t notice all the times you stare at my boobs especially when I wear this,” You motion to your outfit.

“I fucking knew it! You’re a temptress y’know that?” He growls, pulling you in for another kiss.

“Anyway, I was always touching you because I didn’t want anyone hanging around my girl,” He mumbles at his admission, neck and cheeks flushed.

“Your girl?” You question, eyebrow raised.

“Always have been, always will be,” He reveals.

“You don’t know how many girls I had to fight off,” You chuckle.

“No way! I had to fight off half the town. You don’t even know how many fist fights I got into because of you,” he says.

“Girls are a lot more vicious. You know there was always a rumor going around about you,” You divulge.

“Oh yeah?” He motions for you to go on. “Always heard you had a big dick,” You reveal before hiding in his chest. You feel his chest vibrate as he laughs, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teases.

“Yes I would,” You say, gaining confidence. You look up at him, the way his chocolate brown eyes are swallowed by his pupils. He pulls you in for another kiss, this one faster and more aggressive, it almost felt primal.

“Finally!” Robin cheers from the door, Eddie groans at the sound. He forgot he called them while you were changing. Steve, Robin, and Nancy scramble down the stairs giving you both congratulations. Gareth, Jeff, and, Grant arriving a few minutes later. Eddie’s annoyance dies down when he sees your face loving the way you laugh around your friends. You spend the rest of the afternoon drinking and eating take out with them. Nancy had brought a board game, this felt like home. Having them all here, Eddie's arm wrapped around you as he kisses your temple. You were finally home.

Eddie was finally yours and you were finally his. All your internal struggles and insecurities paid off. You had won the big prize at the fair! You spend the night on a blow up mattress with Eddie, eventually popping it because he has no control. After years of waiting you both felt more than desperate, clawing at each other's clothes.

“Shit- shit shit! M’close,” You moan.

“Fuck me too!” his eyes roll to the back of his head, thrusting in and out at a brutal pace.

“Say you’re mine, wanna hear it,” He begs.

“M’yours, always yours,” You claw at his back. “Yes yes yes yes,” He rambles until you’re both seeing stars. He pulls out of you, pulling you to his sweaty chest.

“This has to be a dream,” He exhales, staring at the ceiling. You kiss his chest in response. It was all too real. Your dreams had become reality. You finally had Eddie in your arms. You were his and he was yours just like you both promised when you were children.

[imissjoongsmullet]

Something Better (1/2)

Pairing: Bang Chan x reader

Genre: fluff/angst (will lead to smut eventually because hi hello it’s me writing about Chan)

Summary: You and Chan have been best friends since before you can remember but now that you’re in college, things start to feel strange, especially with the way he acts when it comes to your boyfriend.

Read part 2

Warnings: part 1 of 2 (probably), cutesy friendship stuff, lots of stupid banter, bit of suggestive conversations, a good dash of angst, Changbin as your boyfriend (do you need a warning for that lol), oh and though this one is pretty clean, there will be smut in later chapters.

Word Count: 2k

Author’s Note: Ok so I’m going to try to keep this to 2 chapters but I can’t promise anything. Anyone who follows me knows I tend to get carried away it’s a thing... Also, yes, this is such a cliché trope but BOY DO I LOVE IT! Thanks again for the request. I had a great time writing this!

► 

Five minutes to four. Almost there. The old man at the front of the auditorium had been droning on about the history of bleebidiblah wherever for the past two hours and you were very much ready for it all to end and for the weekend to begin. You heard a pencil drop beside you and turned to see your friend pick it back up and place it between his upper lip and nose.

“Looking great,” you whispered, fighting back a smile.

“I know,” he snickered, making the thing drop into his lap for the dozenth time that class.

Chan was kind of an idiot. But he was also kind of your best friend. You’d grown up in the same neighborhood and had been inseparable since kindergarten. He was the first person you’d went to when you’d found out Santa wasn’t real, the first person you’d ever sneaked out of the house to go to a party with and the first person you’d ever gotten blackout drunk with; not to mention he was the only one who knew about your irrational fear of oven toasters. He knew everything about you and you knew everything about him. You were a team, tied together so much so, that you’d even decided to follow each other to the same college.

“Hey,” he nudged your shoulder, “how about we go downtown tonight and celebrate the weekend? I heard it’s prolonged happy hour at GB’s.”

The twinkle in his eyes made you want to say yes; it was a very tempting offer. “Can’t,” you replied eventually, scrunching up your nose at him.

“Come on, why not?” said Chan, leaning in and shaking your thigh, “we can go to karaoke after and you can crash at my place. I bought so many Doritos and they’re not gonna eat themselves.”

You bit your lip. “I kind of promised Changbin I’d go over tonight.” You already knew what was coming.

“Again?” he exclaimed a bit too loudly, drawing the attention of some of the other students, “you stayed over like three times this week already.” He sagged in his chair, rolling his eyes at you.

“Don’t be a child,” you retorted shoving him lightly.

That put some of his smile back in place. “You know, I think this Changbin guy isn’t the one for you,” said Chan, pretending to look pensive, “he’s got shifty looking eyes… and his nose is too big.”

You couldn’t keep from chuckling. Dipping down in your chair out of sight of your teacher, you turned to your friend. “You’re so full of shit, what does that even mean?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “maybe he’s having evil, shifty, big-nosed plans and you don’t even know it.”

“Your nose is big too, you know?” you said, pinching his nose.

He slapped your hand away and pinched you back, which made you cry out so loud the teacher went silent, eyes in your direction. Your cheeks flushed hot but just as you were about to apologize to the entire auditorium, the bell rang, pushing everyone around you into motion.

“Oops,” said Chan, eyes full of mischief as he rose from his chair along with everyone else.

You packed your things and followed him, kicking at his heels pettily.

“Seriously though, all the staying over,” Chan went on once you were out in the packed hallway, “sure he isn’t tiring you out?” The wicked grin on his face told you exactly what he meant.

“Chan, I swear if you don’t shut up,” you started but he interrupted fast.

“I just mean, you’re a studious girl,” he explained, grabbing your shoulders and rubbing them, “you can’t have a shifty-eyed boy like him distract you from your super important studies with sexy times.”

“And you taking me out to GB’s is helping me with my studies how exactly?”

“At least I’m not trying to put my dick in you every single night.”

“Chan!” you yelled out, looking around frantically at all the other students within earshot of your conversation.

“Aww,” Chan chuckled, hugging you closer, putting his lips near your ear, “you’re so cute when you’re all flustered.”

You were extremely happy he was behind you and couldn’t see the look on your face because you were even redder than before, staring eyes-wide into space. For as close and you and Chan were, you couldn’t help but feel shy whenever he mentioned sexual stuff around you. Not that you weren’t a sexual person; you just didn’t really know how to act around him when it came to those things. It didn’t help that you felt him all over you now, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand right up.

“Listen,” you said, shrugging out of his grip and trying to compose yourself, “how about we hang out tomorrow night? I’m sure the drinks will be just as toxic and delicious then.”

He came up next to you. “Fine, but you’re buying,” he said, “you’ve been leaving me lonely far too much. I demand compensation.”

You smiled and shook your head. “Fine.”

[I’ll be there in 10]

You hurriedly typed as you left Changbin’s place. You were meeting Chan for coffee. You were supposed to work on an assignment together that afternoon but you felt more than a little distracted after the previous night hadn’t ended up as fun as you’d hoped. You didn’t even really remember how it had started but you and Changbin had gotten into an argument that had lasted for most of the night. It wasn’t anything heartbreaking; it was just frustrating that your relationship wasn’t going the way you’d imagined it. And now you’d have to face Chan and pretend everything was okay because you were far too prideful to give him the satisfaction of saying ‘I told you so’.

He was waiting at your typical spot in the back of the café, his notebook ready on the table. You were happily surprised to find him jotting things down as you walked up. When you sat down, however, you realized he’d just been doodling obscenities in the margins of his book.

“Good afternoon,” you said, closing his book and grabbing the coffee he’d ordered for you.

You felt his eyes on you as you sipped the burning hot drink. You were just waiting for it at this point.

“So,” he started, amusement dripping down his face, “how was last night?”

“Shut up,” you countered, opening up your own book and looking anywhere but at him.

You and Chan were used to working together. Chan always had problems focusing and you were always there to give him the kick in the ass he needed to get the work done. On the other hand, Chan was the one coming up with the most creative ideas for your projects so, despite your differences, you worked quite well off of each other. 

For a while, things were fine: Chan was on his second coffee and the ideas flowed generously; you just had to write them down and turn them into usable content. Things were nice and light as they should be. You took a break and ordered waffles, enjoying them without any mention of Changbin; it was great. You talked about concerts you were excited to go to together in the coming months, showed each other movie trailers of stuff you really wanted to watch together and you laughed at the absolute dumbest things. You thought perhaps it was the caffeine that was making you both so silly.

Unfortunately, after that initial boost of energy, came the inevitable crash.

By the time Chan was picking at the ice at the bottom of his empty third coffee, things were started to shift. You were trying to finish up the assignment but it was clear Chan was starting to get burnt out. Gradually, conversation trickled away from the project at hand and into less productive territory.

“What is it you like about him?” he asked, staring zombie-like into his cup.

“Not now, Chan,” you sighed, eyes on your laptop screen. You felt his fingers at your side, poking lazily.

“No, come on,” he said, voice sleepy, “I wanna know.”

You stopped typing and took a deep breath.

“He’s—” you started, trying to think of something while your head replayed how you’d argued the night before.

Chan let out a chuckle. “Yeah, he sounds great.”

“Oh, fuck off,” you groaned, a little harsher than you’d meant it, “let’s just get this done.”

But Chan didn’t let up. Your inability to define your love for Changbin had apparently made him very eager to tease you and it was getting harder and harder to ignore him.

“I bet he sleeps with his socks on,” he said, sipping his empty drink loudly, “weirdo.”

“Chan please.”

“Tell me he doesn’t.”

“Chan.”

“He totally does, doesn’t he!”

“Chan I swear if you don’t shut up I’m gonna kick you where it really hurts!”

“Fine,” he said, still laughing, putting up his hands in defense, “jeez, I was just having fun.” Then he came closer and, entirely oblivious, wrapped his arms around you tight. “No more coffee for you, it makes you mean.” He gave your temple a quick kiss and, chuckling, got up from his seat.

“Gotta pee, this coffee is going right through me, be right back.” 

It occurred to you, as you watched him walk off, how odd your relationship with Chan was. Or maybe Chan was just an odd person? Or maybe he was simply acting oddly recently? You tried to shrug off the confusing thoughts and instead opened up your phone. The last text from Changbin was right at the top. You clicked it and smiled, rereading the sweet message he’d sent you the day before. You should probably make up with him soon, you decided.

After another half hour of half-assed adjustments, you and Chan finally called it a day.

“If you could input your slides right after mine, I’ll do the touch ups and bring it all to class,” you said, staring at your laptop screen, “we should probably go over it together the day before though.”

Chan’s face was in his arms on the table, looking drowsy. “Yeah, sounds good,” he mumbled, “I’ll type them out by Monday, we’ve got most of the stuff down already, it shouldn’t be hard.”

“Good,” you nodded, finally letting yourself sit back and relax. You closed your eyes in a long yawn as you stretched out your arms. When you opened them again Chan was looking at you.

“Tired huh?” he said, his lips curling up into a knowing smirk.

You stared back at your friend blankly. “You know what? Yes, I am actually. I stayed up most of the night.”

His eyebrows rose up in surprise but he didn’t speak.

“And that’s all I’m gonna say on the matter so can we please wrap this up now?” you added, “I think I should go see Changbin later tonight cause— well, we just have some things to discuss.”

“Wait, hold up,” said Chan, straightening up beside you and, finally, all laughter was wiped from his face, “I thought we were going out tonight.”

The memory of your promise hit you, throwing a small dose of guilt over your head. “I’m sorry, Chan, really. I just got some things to do—”

“Some things to do?” he interrupted, now definitely irritated, “you’re gonna ditch your best friend for some mediocre sex?”

“Chan that’s not what this is,” you started but you knew you’d set him off and there was no going back.

“Whatever,” he snapped, “it’s fine I’ll call some people who actually wanna hang out—”

“Chan—” you tried, shocked at the rapidity with which his mood had switched.

“—instead of someone who’ll leave me for the first boy to give her the least bit of attention—”

“Hey!” you said, getting up from your seat, heating up from the sting of his words.

Chan got up as well, the look in his eyes pained. “I said it’s fine,” he repeated, placing some money on the table and walking out.

(part 2)

[bellatrixxmarierose]

Possibly an Addict *Trigger Warning*

Not sure how to start this but here we go. When I was 10 I drank for the first time not knowing what it was my mother never told me about things like that I guess she didn't feel the need to until moving to a certain place where she said I became a "trouble maker". But anyway a new friend of mine had brought Rum and Coke to school and offered me some and we had a few classes together so her, myself and another friend of ours were passing this drink around for a couple classes. I didn't get drunk though I didn't even learn what exactly I was drinking until I got home that day. That was a fun talk I had to have with my mom about alcohol. I got drunk for the first time at a different friends slumber party about 2 months later, I turned 11 a few weeks prior, anyway her cousin was 4 years older and had a couple bottles of Jack with her and me always wanting to grow up way to fast drank with her. After that night I continued to hang out with her even sneak out at night, which the first night she literally cut my screen open to get me out of the window because it was not budging trying to be pulled up or out(that was fun to lie about to my mother later). Yes, at 11 years old I was sneaking out to go drink and other things this post is not about. I will admit I did other things that did become a problem in my life and I know I was addicted to and thank goodness I have been clean from it for almost 8 years now. With that being said this post is about alcohol as you can see the pattern. She and I were close friends at night mostly with the occasional skip school to go get totally fucked up days or get totally wrecked before school. This friendship lasted for several months before she went away, not by choice. But after that I started to sneak my step fathers rum straight from the bottle and back then I didn't think to replace it with water. He noticed but never confronted me on it. At 12 he allowed me and my new best friend, who I am still friends with to this day just not as close life and all that, but anyway on holidays and special occasions he allowed us to have one drink and one night I got really drunk. My mother and step father didn't realize I had already been drinking prior to the dinner we were having, that was the first time they had seen me drunk and told me I needed to stay home for the rest of the night. After that it wasn't so bad I could control myself a lot of the time. So my mother and step father didn't think it was a problem. I moved yet again this time back to my birth state at 12 and like I said before I was good at controlling myself a lot of the time with alcohol anyway. The times where I wasn't so good at controlling myself were the parties my family would have or occasionally steal tequila from my step father. When I was 13 at one of my Aunt's big parties my step father put my uncles 30 something year old nephew(No relation to me)up to getting me really drunk so I wouldn't want to drink again. It backed fired on him in more ways than one I ended up doing things(not sex but other sexual things) with this 30 something year old man while very drunk and also woke up the next day completely fine no hangover whatsoever much to his dismay. My step father eventually decided if I was going to drink it's better at home where I can't get into trouble. So he stopped caring if I stole his liquor because I was home doing it and not out getting myself into trouble. I had friends over once got drunk and hooked up with a friend who was a girl and apparently straight and lets just say after that night we weren't friends anymore. Things just got awkward after that drunken night together. Well for her I had been openly bisexual for a bit by this point. When I was 15 I started getting drunk with a very good friend of mine, who I am also still friends with, but anyway this time it wasn't at home it was at her house and while drunk we always and I do mean always ended up walking from one town to the other. I still to this day have no idea how we didn't get caught or die. At 16 before I moved again I got drunk with this

friend, her bf, and his friend this time we just stayed at her house, but her bf went from having sex with her to trying with me in front of her his friend had to pull him off me and out the door because neither me or my friend was okay with it even drunk me was not having it. After I moved I had started controlling myself again...a bit. I moved in with my Omie(Grandma) I had a bottle that looked like a bowling pin that was empty when I moved in with her so she would think it was just something I thought was cool. I ended up pouring southern comfort into it later she never knew. She had only caught me drinking one night when I was across the trailer park at my friends she had gotten a phone call saying I was drinking and while drunk I lied through my teeth and made myself so convincing that I was sober she let me go back over for the night. 17 comes along and I am drinking before school again literally walked down the road to my friends house did several jello shots then got the bus to school. Same friends house had a party I not only drank but did a certain drug I had a huge problem with already like I did more than usual of both that night. My lips turned dark blue, I was shaking uncontrollably, and threw up a few times this was also not too long after I had surgery so yeah not the best idea. There's a lot that wasn't said things too hard to talk about that have happened to me and things I did while intoxicated. But being a kid and teen I thought maybe I'm just being a normal teenager and so did my step father and mother. Looking at my adult years I have been so much better at controlling myself with alcohol except when my mental health is really bad...most of the time. I spoke about how the love of my life was an alcoholic in my post "How I lost my mind again" but what I didn't say was my own struggle I constantly want to drink but don't other times are easy not to, some aren't. But since losing the love of my life in October I have just wanted to escape the pain in any way possible. I got drunk off and on until Christmas. Then just completely threw myself into Teen Wolf that I had already watched all the way through a few times before and was in the middle of again because it's my favorite show. But I have been keeping my mind busy off the pain of everything with this show and reading fanfiction about Thiam and reading into all these things about the show...until a couple days ago when I realized that it's getting closer to our 8 year anniversary(May 26). Now it has become harder to keep my mind busy and all I want to do is down bottles of vodka. Funny thing is I had a decent day today, but then night came and I found myself buying 2 bottles of Kissed Caramel Vodka that wont be delivered until tomorrow morning. I don't know if I have a drinking problem because I can control myself at times and then other times I can't. But I do know when I start drinking I have a hard time stopping.

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

Get A Clue

Scott invites the reader to a game night, not realizing it’s a setup with Scott’s older brother, Chris. 

-

           “Promise me you’ll come?” Scott asked as the two of you filed off of set toward your trailers. He was talking about the get-together that he was having at his house that night, mostly just for the cast. You hadn’t had much bonding time with anyone but Scott, who had quickly become one of your best friends. And you’d had strep throat the weekend the directors brought everyone on a retreat, so it was safe to say that you were, unfortunately, the outsider.

           “I’ll be there,” you sighed. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to. You loved everyone and you were excited to spend time with them. But you and Scott been shooting all day in the sun and you were exhausted. You could just drink a coffee on the way home and be fine, but for the moment it was like you didn’t even remember what it was like to have energy.

           “Good girl. Oh, and since you have time, I want you to bring a batch of those sugar cookies. Everyone’s going to love them,” he said.

           “You’re a liar and you just want that marshmallow frosting all to yourself,” you replied. He nodded with a dumb, boyish grin on his face, and split off to go to his trailer. A minute later you received a text from him with his address, the house that was really his brother’s but that they both lived in while Scott was out filming. You quickly changed out of your wardrobe and left the trailer unlocked, then headed over to your car and drove home.

           You hated living alone. Not that you even lived in the apartment – it was a long term Airbnb until you could go back to Boston, where Scott had also grown up. You had grown up half the time in New York with your dad and half the time in Boston with your mom, but you called Boston home for the most part. You were thankful that Scott was also from there and he understood when you craved Tasty Burger. You had decided to get yourself a dog when you got back to Boston, just because you were so lonely.

           Even so, you started baking. Baking was therapeutic, and along with a White Claw it was probably your favorite way to unwind from working. You weren’t much of a cook, so your eating habits consisted of frozen pizza, takeout, and whatever you were baking. You cut the cookies with a mason jar and put them in the oven before taking a shower. The icing was Scott’s favorite part, and just to spite him you put a little food coloring in the last of the icing and wrote on top of one Just for Scott!!!, hoping it would give him a laugh. Then you started getting ready, going through almost all of your clothes before finding something that would look cute but not too cute. You decided on jeans and a nicer shirt, and after putting the cookies in a tub and grabbing a six pack you hadn’t opened yet, you shrugged on a quarter-zip shirt with the Yankees logo on it. Hopefully Scott wouldn’t kick you out for being a Yankees fan.

           You must have nervously sat in front of the house for two or three minutes before pulling in the driveway, spotting three cars that didn’t belong to Scott. One of them was probably his brother’s, and the other two belonged to your co-stars. He hadn’t lied. He wasn’t throwing some rager, thankfully. You walked up to the door and rang the bell, and immediately you heard a dog barking.

           “Back, buddy!” You heard Scott say. He answered the door and a grin came over his face.

           “There’s a special one just for you,” you said as you handed him the cookies and six pack. “Who is this?” You knelt down right away to pet the dog, and his brown fur was as soft as it looked. He whined at you until you pet his ear, and then he leaned his head to the side. You hadn’t even noticed that Scott had gone to the kitchen with the beer and cookies you had handed him.

           “His name’s Dodger,” another voice said. It was definitely a Boston accent, and when you looked up you saw a face somewhat similar to Scott’s. It was definitely his brother, Chris. He was attractive, you thought.

           “What is he? He’s so pretty,” you marveled, shaking the dog’s paw as he offered it to you. You stood up after a second, smiling, and you thought you caught Chris smiling too.

           “I’m not completely sure, I think he’s boxer and Pomeranian, but there’s gotta be a retriever or something in there too,” Chris answered. “I’m Chris, by the way. I’m Scott’s cooler older brother.” You laughed.

           “It doesn’t get much cooler than Scott. I’m Y/n,” you replied as you shook his hand. You noticed that it didn’t have a ring on it, but then you also remembered that at one point Scott had tried to get you to go out with him. Hopefully Chris didn’t know about it, but he wasn’t acting like he did.

           “Normally I wouldn’t let a Yankees fan in, but you brought cookies, so I’ll let it slide.” You laughed.

           “Yeah, I grew up half in New York and half in Boston. My dad was New York, so it could only be the Yankees.” Chris nodded, giving you another bright smile.

           “Guys, come on! Get a drink, we’re gonna play a game!” Chris sighed at Scott’s voice. The dog brushed past both you and Chris to follow Scott’s voice.

           “Oh, God. By the way, his tell is always scratching his nose.” Chris winked at you before walking into the living room where Scott had moved the coffee table out of the way. Your co-stars all greeted you. One of them stood up to give you a hug. She was sweet, but you never got to see her because you only had one scene together.

           “What are we playing?” You asked. Everyone started to gather on the floor, but you headed to the kitchen. You weren’t planning on getting ridiculously drunk, but you spied some craft beer that was calling your name.

           “You want one?” Chris asked as he grabbed himself one. You nodded, and after a second of messing with a bottle opener, Chris was handing you a drink. “Ladies first.” He offered to let you go first and you did, walking back into the living room. Scott was handing out cards to Clue, and of course the only two spots left were for you and Chris, side by side. You were starting to suspect that Scott had something to do with it.

           Chris was right – you made it through two rounds of Clue before realizing that Scott’s tell was scratching his nose. So you put your cards down and took your turn.

           “I think,” you started, giving Scott a grin that said you had him hook, line, and sinker. “I think it was Colonel Mustard, in the study, with the lead pipe.”

           “Oh, my God, you can’t be serious!” Scott exclaimed. Your co-star checked the cards in the envelope, and sure enough, you were correct.

           “Ha!”

           “Hey, now, I get half the credit,” Chris said, “I told her your tell. So we split the win or nothing.” You laughed, shrugging.

           “Get me another beer and I’ll let you be the full winner.” He smiled and went to get you another. One of your co-stars went to the bathroom, and two of them were having their own conversation as you watched Scott get the Cards Against Humanity box from a storage bench in the corner of the room. You started packing up the game, putting it back in the box, and by the time you did, Chris was back with your drinks.

           “Thank you,” you said as he sat back down.

           “I’m about to smoke all of you bitches!” Scott announced as everyone gathered again for the game.

           “Yeah, buddy, we’ll see about that,” Chris said under his breath.

           You ended up winning one round, your co-star won another, and then Scott won the final round. Before you knew it, it was ridiculously late. You and Chris alone had gone through one and a half six packs, unfortunately for you, because it meant that you couldn’t drive. But the whole night he was basically at your side, making jokes and telling you stories about Scott. But then he did something weird – he actually asked you questions, like he cared to see what you had to say. Each time you needed something, he would grab it. And you ended up spilling about your childhood, telling stories you hadn’t told anyone. He was just so easy to talk to, and he was so welcoming. And when he laughed he would scrunch up his nose and toss his head back and his hand would fly to his chest like he was trying to make his heart stop beating so quickly.

           It was safe to say that you’d developed a crush on him in the past few hours, and you couldn’t help but blame Scott. That was probably why he’d wanted you to come. He’d always said you and his brother would get along, but you didn’t know how much you believed it until you met him.

           “You sure it’s okay if I leave my car here?” You asked Scott as you pulled up the Uber app. Everyone else had left, but you’d stayed to help he and Chris clean up a little bit.

           “Yeah, we have plenty of room. Just text me when you’re coming to grab it tomorrow. Actually, you should come for brunch. Chris and I were going to the Beachwood tomorrow anyway, you should come. As a thank you for the cookies?” Scott said as he started moving the coffee table back where it belonged. Chris was taking Dodger out for a quick walk.

           “You just want me to spend more time with Chris,” you responded with a small smile. You couldn’t hide it. The thought of Chris just made you happy. He made you happy.

           “Yeah, I do. I told you so.” You rolled your eyes, but smiled anyway. Your Uber said it was one minute away, so you quickly agreed to buy into Scott’s scheme of getting you and Chris together. You walked outside the house to see Chris at the mailbox, grabbing that day’s mail.

           “Oh, hey, you should come to lunch tomorrow, if you want,” he said.

           “Scott already asked,” you said with a smile. He nodded.

           “Of course he did. I’ll see you then. And don’t wear that Yankees logo and nobody gets hurt.” You scoffed, leaning down to pet Dodger again, and then your Uber pulled into the driveway. You left the massive house for your own Airbnb, making pleasant conversation with the driver.

-

           “What looks better?” Chris asked the next morning, holding up two shirts for Scott to look at. Scott, hungover as hell, just blinked.

           “I don’t know. Y/n likes plaid, so do plaid. Oh, by the way, I’m not coming.” Chris looked at his brother, about ready to slap him across the room. His stress level shot from seventy to a hundred.

           “What? Dude!”

           “I set you both up and it went very well, if I say so myself. I think you’ll be fine on your own. Call it a date.”

           “Dude, you promised-”

           “Get a clue, Christopher! Your little brother just did you a huge favor! And she said she’ll be here in fifteen minutes, so get your ass in gear. I gave her your number. I’m going back to bed.” Chris rolled his eyes and huffed before rushing to finish getting ready.

           Your Uber was fifteen minutes away from their house when you got a text from Scott. Too hungover, it said, here’s Chris’s number. Call it a date. YOU’RE WELCOME, by the way!! You laughed to yourself. You’d really let Scott play you like that. And you really believed that brunch was no pressure, but suddenly you were questioning the small amount of makeup you were wearing and the plaid shirt you were wearing, wondering if you should’ve gone for a dress or at least a nicer shirt. You’d decided against wearing a Yankees hat at the last minute, expecting Chris to make some comment about it. You added Chris’s contact to your phone and sent a message.

           It’s Y/n! About fifteen minutes away from the house. It was a minute or so before you got a reply.

           Scott tell you he’s dropping out???? How rude! You smiled.

           I think he’s trying to set us up or something…

Chris sent the exclamation point emoji, and you turned your phone over to watch the morning scenery. You would never get used to Los Angeles. Even if things didn’t turn out with Chris, you were still grateful that you were out there and you had a friend like Scott to keep you on your toes. The driver finally pulled up to the house, and at the same time, Chris walked out.

           “Hey!” He said loudly, smiling at you as you got out. Thankfully, he was wearing a blue flannel shirt so you were definitely not underdressed.

           “Hey!” You responded. He gave you a quick hug, but you would both be lying if you said you didn’t want it to last longer.

           “I guess Scott really wanted to get us together, because he looked fine half an hour ago,” Chris said. You scoffed.

           “Yeah, I guess so. He was trying to tell me a couple months ago that we would get along, but I didn’t think he actually meant it.”

           “He said the same thing to me, too. But I guess a date’s the only way to find out, right?” He unlocked his car with a key fob and you both started walking toward it. Like a gentleman, he opened and shut your door for you. “If that’s okay.”

           “It’s beyond okay,” you responded with a grin. “So you’re okay with the Yankees thing?” He cracked a smile and looked you up and down, and you couldn’t help but feel the heat rise to your cheeks.

           “No. But I guess I can get past it.” Chris put his car in drive and started to drive the two of you down to your favorite café, and you silently thanked Scott for setting you up on what turned out to be the best first date you’d ever had. 

A/N: I hope you love it! I enjoyed writing this one! 

[statticscribbles]

Kitten

Summary: Sweet Pea/Reader; Sweet Pea finds an injured cat and brings it to the vet

Sweet Pea hates himself sometimes. This is not one of those times. He’s careful with the kitten, almost nervously holding it. It doesn’t mew anymore and he’s worried, it was tiny, so small he could hold it in his hands and he’s not really sure how big they’re supposed to be. It’s bleeding from its nose, or was at some point because there’s a line of blood on it from it’s nose like it had a nose bleed and now he’s wondering if cats can get nose bleeds like people. But the way it just blinked at him and mewed; not even putting up a fight when he picked it up. He knows something is wrong; so he brings it to the vet across town.

It seems the kitten does not like being moved from the warm spot between his arm and chest and when he tries to get a better look at it, it claws him across the face. It stings a little, it’s more a hit to his pride; especially when he spots you in the vet’s office.

You’re surprised to hear someone knocking on the glass. Most people knew the emergency vet’s number and know that you’re only an intern so you can’t actually help with any medical problems their pet has. Still you unlock the door, watching the boy, he’s around your age and you freeze up a little, the black leather jacket marking him as a Southside Serpent. Besides Hot Dog you weren’t aware of any of them having pets. Still you nod to him, trying not to laugh at the scratch on his face.

“I didn’t know what to do, I mean can cats even get nosebleeds? He was so small and i dont think they’re supposed to be this small and then he scratched me when I tried to move. Oh my god is it even a boy???” He sounds increasingly more panicked so you put a hand on his arm and hum slightly to get his attention.

“Who did you bring in?”

“A stray cat, just a little one; i found him when i left… when i left work. And he’s so small. Is it a boy? Will he be okay?”

“Well first of he, is a he. And he should be okay, he seems a little thirsty and hungry, the bump on his nose just looks like he fell, maybe from a short window?”

“Okay so what do you need to do..”

“Well-” Sweet Pea pulls the kitten towards him and you look to see Victoria, the dog you’re looking after moving towards all the noise.

“It’s just Victoria, she’s the reason I’m here; she needs round the clock monitoring so I volunteered for the weekend night shifts.” The kitten meows at you and you pick it up, wrapping it loosely into a blanket and putting a plate of wet food in front of it.

“Oh, sorry to barge in then.”

“No it’s okay, she’s mostly healed up, it’s a just in case measure, plus it looks really good on college applications. Now; let’s see what we can do for that scrape on your face.” You grin at him and he sits on the stool you pull out nervously waiting for you to clean the cut on his cheek.

He comes back the next day; to check on the kitten and you happily show him how little Snake is doing. He laughs at the name you’ve given him and you can tell he’s trying to fight the urge to pick up the kitten and run. He offers to buy you lunch at Pop’s and you accept, it ends up being a five am breakfast because you have to keep an eye on Victoria, but neither of you mind.

”So what’s going to happen to snake, to the kitten..” he asks, after a week of visiting.

“Well once he’s a little bigger he’ll be taken to the pound.”

“The pound, where they kill animals?”

“Well yes; although as a kitten he’ll be adopted in no time; unlike Victoria.” You miss how Sweet Pea looks pained.

“She’s not your dog?”

“Oh no; she got hit by a car, and the family we found through her microchip didn’t want her back; so she’ll be going to the pound as well; not likely for her to make it out with a family.” You smile sadly and Sweet Pea offers to buy you a shake stating he can’t bare to see you so sad. He pets Victoria and you don’t bother telling him she’s going to the pound tomorrow.

When you get into the vets office both Snake the kitten and Victoria are gone.

“What wrong Y/N?” Sweet Pea asks, he’d offered to get you lunch again and you’re dangling a cheese fry in your fingers.

“Victoria and the kitten are gone.”

“Oh, to the pound?”

“Yeah, I thought i’d have the rest of the day to spend with them.. To say goodbye.”

“I’m really sorry about that; how about you say hello to them later?”

“I guess; assuming they don’t just put Victoria down.” You slump sadly and Sweet Pea sighs.

“You want to come over to mine for a movie night? Me and my friends do it on Fridays usually, but I can get them in mine if you want some cheering up.” You agree, surprised at how kind Sweet pea is being despite having known you for only a few weeks.

”So Y/N, these are my friends.” He grins swinging the trailer door opening and laughing when you shriek, Victoria wagging her tail and Snake asleep on a pillow.

“What are they doing here?”

“They didn’t go to the pound, after your shift ended I went back and adopted them; I didn’t want either of them to be stuck in there; seeing you happy is a huge bonus.” he grins as you smile back at him.

Support My Writing?

[lilhemmo]

So I am absolutely in love with your writing and I was wondering if I could request a sweet pea/reader fic where reader takes care of her younger sibling(s) after her parents dip out on them and sweet pea is there to help her the whole way and they just become this cute little family

you’re so kind! I hope you enjoy what i’ve written :) feel free to request more!

ask box | wattpad | ao3 | mobile masterlist

“They’re gone,” you whimper, tucking your arms into your body as you allow yourself to crumble for the first time in a few months. Your jaw shakes as you try not to crack and cry. You’re unsuccessful, tears leaking down your cheeks and dripping on the hardwood floor underneath your feet.

You can’t be too loud, your three year-old sister and ten year-old brother are in the bedroom just a few feet away. You don’t want to wake them, it’s hard enough for them to sleep already.

The house is quiet, too quiet, but you refuse to make a peep because it might break the silent glass bubble surrounding your barely-there family.

You know that the Serpents know, they have to know. They had to see your parents driving away in one of the two cars sitting on your lot. They had to hear as the car started up and spun out of your driveway. They had to hear your sister’s screams and your brother’s cries. They had to know.

The Serpents’ main selling point is that they’re a family. But, they can’t be what you won’t let them.

Even so, you don’t send back the food that appears on your doorstep each night and you don’t tell the guards lingering around your home to go back to their posts. You do not actively seek their help, but you don’t turn them away either.

It’s strange, though, when a certain Serpent is lingering by your truck after school one Friday afternoon.

“Sweet Pea, I already told Jughead that I don’t need people following me around to make sure I don’t get stabbed.” You try to laugh it off but your words are thick in your throat. You wave your hand and swallow before hesitating to look him in the eyes.

He’s quiet, like he always is, but he opens the passenger side door to your truck and nods, “Get in.”

“I have to go pick up Jamie,” you shake your head, “I don’t have time for this.”

“He’s already with Toni, and so is Sam. She’s taking them to the zoo this afternoon and going to breakfast at Pop’s tomorrow.”

You take a step back and your eyes grow hot with the threat of tears, “N-No, they’re not her responsibility, they’re mine. I-I need to go and get them. I-”

“Get in,” he repeats, reaching out to barely touch your elbow, but enough of a warmth to break you from your anxious bout.

If you’re honest, Sweet Pea doesn’t scare you. You’d grab him by his ear and throw him to the ground if you really wanted to. But, you don’t think you want to. In fact, deep down, you’re grateful.

Yet, you can’t tell him that, and so you stomp your way to the truck and climb in, crossing your arms and glaring out the truck window. He takes the keys from your bag and revs the engine before pulling out of the Riverdale High School parking lot and heading towards the Southside.

You’re surprised when he pulls up to his own trailer, parking your truck behind the building. He takes your bags and walks close to you as he takes the steps to unlock the door.

Quiet has fallen on the both of you and he doesn’t break the barrier as he walks around the tiny kitchen, preparing something from a casserole dish. You settle into the couch, curling in on yourself like you do in the dark late at night when you’re the only one left awake and the burdens of this life settle heavy against your shoulders.

You pick a spot on the wall to stare at and focus on it, counting the specks on the wallpaper until a jolt against your shoulder breaks you from your trance. You suck a sharp breath in between your teeth, your body shaking as you look at the perpetrator.

“Just me,” Sweet Pea says gently, placing two plates of lasagna on the coffee table before turning to look you in the eyes. “I didn’t mean to startle you, I’m sorry.”

You shake your head and wipe furiously at your face, “No, it’s my fault. I went out of it for a minute, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Sweet Pea flashes you a quick smile, but it’s sad you think. He looks away from you and the two of you eat in silence until your plates have been cleaned.

He turns to speak again, but you blurt: “I’m tired.”

Immediately, he reaches out to touch your elbow and move closer to support you however you might need it. He rubs his thumb over your forearm, “That’s why I had Topaz take the kids. You need some rest. I made up the bed -”

“I’m so tired,” you whimper, feeling like the same scared kid from the night your parents fled. Your fingertips shake and your eyes water, but you still try to hold yourself together in the presence of another person.

“I know,” you’re surprised to hear him whisper. He’s close to you and you feel the warmth of his arms slip around your shoulders. Sweet Pea whispers against the shell of your ear as you try to keep yourself stiff against him, “It’s okay, I know.”

You’re not sure why, but you allow yourself to wilt into his arms and let out a grotesque sob, your whole body quivering under the stress you’ve been under for the past few months.

You cry loudly, your voice shaking as you talk, “I love them and there’s nothing I can do, you know? It’s not my fault that my parents left us, is it? Did I do something wrong? I-I can’t-”

“Stop,” Sweet Pea speaks sternly. His hold on you tightens, “You can’t do that to yourself. Everyone has choices - they made theirs.”

“How am I going to do this, Sweet Pea? I barely got custody, thank God I was eighteen and working two jobs when they up and left us.” You sniffle, tucking your head further into his neck. Your hands find purchase in his body, anywhere, just so you can make contact and know that there’s someone else here with you. “I can’t raise two more people, I can barely raise myself!”

Sweet Pea tucks his knuckle under your chin and he tilts your head back so you look him in the eyes, “Serpents take care of one another. Let me help, whatever you need.”

And oh boy, he’s not kidding.

Sweet Pea starts taking your little sister, Samantha, to daycare and eventually to kindergarten. He makes sure to spend time with Jamie, throwing a football and a baseball and teaching him tips and tricks in the auto shop he bought from Veronica Lodge. They spend afternoons in the Wyrm, waiting behind the bar for you to get home from your second job working at the bookstore owned by Betty Cooper.

You are constantly reminding him that you don’t need charity and you can get by on your own, but when Jamie is asking why Sweet Pea has to work so late and Sam wonders why you’re taking her to school instead of SP, you stop asking questions and just accept the good deed.

The rumors start a couple of months in - that you’re shacking up together, that you’re sleeping together, that you’re secretly dating, that you’re pregnant with his baby.

You’re always running from something, it seems. And so, this time, you run away from your feelings.

You don’t want to be considered somebody’s object, but when you see Sweet Pea cradling Samantha in the backyard hammock one October afternoon, you try to wonder how awful it might be if he just stuck around at night.

You will not be reduced to a love interest, not with how hard you’ve worked to put your siblings through school and provide them with a good home-life. And yet, when Sweet Pea encourages Jamie to go to baseball tryouts and he makes the team and you buy all of the new team garb and make it to every game, you think that having him accompany you to these events for the rest of your life might not be the worst thing.

It’s Spring Break and somehow Sweet Pea has talked your boss into allowing you a whole paid week off of work so you can all take a “family field trip”, as your siblings so affectionately refer to it.

“You don’t have to do this,” you tell him as he packs the suitcases into the back of the truck. You reach up to touch his shoulder, “Seriously, Pea, I don’t expect you to cart us around and call it a ‘family vacation’. It’s just-”

He ravels you up in a hug and rests his chin on the crown of your head, “Stop being such a bum, okay? We’re going on this vacation and it’s going to be the best vacation you’ve ever been on. Now stop whining and help me get the kids loaded up.”

It’s so weird having him call them ‘the kids’, as if they’re your children you’re looking after. He says it all the time, but when people inquire about your siblings, he talks about them as if they were his own. The only reason anybody local knows that they’re not his children is because the Southside knows what happened to your parents, and they quietly correct anybody who has the mind to think differently.

Sam and Jamie are sound asleep in the back, the night sky twinkling in the distance as you ride with the windows down. It’s hot, but not miserable, and on the highway there is enough wind to keep you from sweating.

“Thank you,” you speak up after a couple of rock songs you’re too familiar with play on the radio. You look across the dash at this man who has so quickly become your best friend and confidant, “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you thank you before.”

Sweet Pea shrugs, “Thank you isn’t always so straightforward.”

You tilt your head and cock a brow, “And how is that?”

“Well,” his cheeks go pink, “in the same way that you don’t always directly say ‘I love you’ to someone, I don’t think you have to actually say ‘thank you’ to mean it.”

You’re chewing on your lip and he takes your silence as a prod to keep going, “You say thank you to me when you bring me coffee in the mornings and when you let us watch the Fast and Furious series on repeat even though I know you don’t care for the first few movies. You say it when you smile at me when I pick up Sam and take Jamie to ball practice. You’re even saying it now when you’re looking at me like that.”

“Looking at you like what?” you ask defensively, pressing your fingertips to your lips. You’re worried the colors of your irises have spewed your deepest secrets.

Sweet Pea smirks, “Like I hung the moon. It’s nice, when you look at me like that. Nobody’s ever looked at me like that, like I did anything good.”

You can’t help it when you reach across the dash and take the hand tapping on his thigh in your own fingers. You look at him even though he can’t stare back at you because he has to keep his eyes on the road.

“You’re the one good thing other than those kids in the back seat that’s ever happened to me,” you tell him, squeezing his palm for emphasis. You feel tears well up in your eyes but you don’t care because he’s seen them too many times. “I know my parents stepping out on us was wrong and I should hate them for it, but I can’t. We’re better off without them. With you.”

There are no more words that pass between the two of you until you’re telling the kids that you’ve arrived at the lake house you’ll be staying at for the next couple of days. You help him to unload the bags and get your siblings settled into their respective rooms.

Immediately they both want to jump in the lake, so you help them to get sunscreen and swimsuits on as quickly as possible. Sweet Pea lays out a blanket near the lakeshore and the two of you find your way to it with a pitcher of lemonade and a couple of peanut butter sandwiches.

You’re sitting far too close to be just friends, but you don’t care because his body is warm thanks to the shirt that’s missing from his torso, and so you lean into him with grace. Sweet Pea rests his arm behind your back, your legs pressed against one another as you watch Jamie and Sam splashing around in the lake.

It’s unexpected but not unwarranted when he presses a chaste, gentle kiss to your temple. You swear it’s just the sun beating down on your face, but your cheeks turn red and you feel heat wash over your body in waves.

“Can we do this forever?” he asks you, nudging his nose against your hairline.

Your throat goes to sandpaper as you stare up into his eyes, panic swimming in your irises but his gaze never wavers.

“Um, well, I-” Your breath leaves your body as he gets closer to you, the tip of his nose nudging against yours. You touch his cheek with your fingertips and even though they’re shaking, he doesn’t care as he leans into your caress.

“I love you,” he blurts in the most graceful of ways. His hand is hot against your skin as he cups your cheek. “I’ve loved you for a while now but I didn’t want to tell you in case you didn’t feel the same, but Topaz swears that you-”

You cut him off with a kiss.

Your lips meld together, hot in the spring sun. Your hands are all over each other as you try your hardest to get closer even though it’s difficult with the way you’re sitting and the company surrounding you, splashing just a few yards away in the lake.

“I love you too,” you breathe, allowing your palm to slide down from his face to his bare pectorals. He tilts your head with a gentle knuckle under your chin, a laugh bubbling on his lips.

“So, forever, huh?” you ask him, a smirk baited on your lips to match the lilt of teasing in your voice.

Sweet Pea hugs you tightly anyway, kisses peppered into your hairline as you both laugh in the sweetness of the afternoon. You turn your head to gaze out at the water, watching as Sam and Jamie swim about in the lake, and you know that this is the family you’ve worked so hard to have. This is the family that makes every day worth your while.

This is the family you deserve.

a/n: i actually really loved how this turned out!! sorry it’s such a slow burn, even for a short drabble! request more if you liked it!

tagging: @thesweetestsweetpea @sweetpeasbabydoll @the-gargoyle-queen @sweetpeasjelloshot @princesweetpea @southsidewrites @southsidearchive @wayward-river @brittanyvengeance @jinxfanfics @theangriestpea @cactiem @serpentcentral @griffins-and-gargoyles

[thiswasinevitableid]

57 with indruck would be the perfect christmas gift! Love your work!

#57: You called me at two in the moring insisting that I come over and help you bake christmas cookies for the party tomorrow because you forgot to make them earlier and need help now.

It’s 1:58 a.m, December 22nd, and Duck Newton should really be in bed. 

Instead, he’s aimlessly puttering about his kitchen. 

He can’t sleep. He’s tried. But something in his mind won’t settle, and each time he tries to grasp at it, to see what’s troubling him, the thought skitters away into some dark corner of his brain. 

Any distraction would be welcome at this point; hell, even if the now-closed gate were to open up with an abomination, that would be an improvement. At least then he’d know what he was worried about. 

Ringring

Thank god. Maybe Leo can’t sleep either, maybe Minerva’s decided he needs to do some kind of sudden hero training, maybe Barclay needs help at the lodge.

“Go for Duck.”

“Hello, Duck.” The lilt drifting across the telephone lines is unmistakable.

“Hey, Indrid, everything-”

“-okay? Yes. Or, well, mostly yes. My call is not a matter of life or death, if that’s what you mean. I was calling to ask if you’d be able to help me with something.”

“What kind of somethin?” Duck is already looking for his shoes, partially as a means of distraction from the filthy picture his mind just supplied of how he could help Indrid in the middle of the night.

“I am baking cookies for the party tomor-, ah, well, I suppose it’s technically today now, and I require assistance.”

“I mean, sure, but why call me? Sounds more like Barclay’s kinda thing.”

“True, but the futures showed me that you were going to spend the remainder of your night in a restless funk, and I wanted to prevent that. Also they show Barclay, ah, preoccupied with Agent Stern this evening. Goodness, who knew they-”

“Whoah, god, please do not make me think about my friends doin it. I’ll be over in a few.”

Indrid’s smile is audible, “wonderful. I shall see you soon.”

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

Indrid spends the next fifteen minutes cleaning. 

Shoving things into cabinets and under furniture counts as cleaning, right?

Perhaps he should have done this sooner. But there’d only been a 50% chance Duck agreed to join him. In half his visions, the human politely declined, and spent his night simmering in discontent. 

A crunch of tires is in new fallen snow means he doesn’t even need to look at the futures to see Duck arrive. He has a minute before he reaches the door. 

He glances down at the eggnog stain on his pajama pants, and dashes into the bedroom to change them. Gets to the door two seconds before Duck knocks. 

The ranger lowers his hand, smiling gently, “Hey.”

“Hello. Apologies in advance for how warm it is in here.”

“Eh, visited you enough lately that I’m kinda gettin used to it.”

“Oh, good. That’s very good.”

(Why are there futures of them kissing? Where is that coming from?)

Duck steps into the trailer, shutting the door as Indrid heads into the kitchen. 

“So, what are we makin’?”

“Sugar cookies. I promised Barclay I would bring some to the potluck tomorrow. I have all the necessary supplies here.”

“Great, what recipe are we usin?”

Indrid looks at the pile of ingredients on the counter. His future vision told him which ones to buy, but isn’t of much use when it comes to predicting a recipe.

“You don’t have a recipe, do you?” Duck says with amused patience.

“No, I do not.”

“Don’t suppose you got any cookbooks layin around.” Duck opens the nearest cabinet, which contains solely Capri Suns.

“I may. I collected various books that seemed useful during my travels. They’re in that cabinet towards the front.”

Duck kneels down, begins searching through the cabinet and pulling out books. 

“‘Drid, how the hell are you fittin all these in here? The physics don’t make sense.”

“Mmm? Oh, most of the cabinets and the closet are enchanted to allow for more storage space.”  He waves his hand distractedly, trying to parse out the warmth swirling in his chest at the use of the nickname. 

“Sewin’ guide, anatomy textbook, uhhhh maybe, nope, that’s a repair manual for the Bago. Didn’t know you worked on it yourself.” Duck leans further into the cabinet and Indrid spends a moment appreciating how his legs and ass look in his jeans before responding. 

(Probability of kissing jumps ten percent).

“I can do basic repairs. Though, at this point, my home is held together mainly by magic. And duck tape. A truly excellent human creation.”

“Not fillin me with confidence about the safety of drivin in this there, ‘Drid.” Duck teases. There’s rustling from the cabinet, though no further commentary.

The kissing futures jump even more. What on earth is happening? Yes, he wants to kiss his  friend. But as far as he can discern, Duck does not want that, and it takes two for that fantasy to work. 

“Aha, got it.” Duck crawls backwards, proudly produces a red and white checkered cookbook, “Bettin this has what we need.”

“Wonderful!” Indrid claps his hands together as Duck flips to a page with a recipe for sugar cookies and hands it to him.

“Oh dear, I do not have a mixer, this is going to take…” He blushes at an oncoming future. 

“You also got a friend with chosen strength. Ain’t just good for savin the word.” Duck grins and flexes his arm. 

Indrid chirrs appreciatively, then catches himself, “Ahem, in that case, please beat this butter and sugar in that bowl while I measure out our dry ingredients.”

They set to work, side by side. The small kitchen means they bump into each other often, but neither seems to mind. In fact, Duck seems to be bumping into him more than usual. 

“How come you waited until now to make these?” Duck cracks an egg into the bowl.

“I didn’t mean to. But as you know, I can be easily distracted by watching futures or trying to stop them.”

“Coulda just bought some at the store in the mornin. Not that I mind helpin you.”

“I...you will think me silly if I tell you.”

“That what the futures show?”

“Half of them, yes.”

“Try me?”

“It has been a long time since I had any kind of connection to my fellow Sylphs. Let alone friendships with both Sylphs and humans. I want to demonstrate that I value those connections, make things to contribute to our time together. It is nice to belong, in a way, and I often fear losing it.”

“‘Drid, you know you don’t gotta earn your place with us. We all care about you. I care about you.” He takes Indrid’s hand from where it’s paused, mid gesture, and squeezes it once.

“Thank you.” Indrid sighs, decides to take the risk of his next words, “I’ve seen the end of things, so many things, so many times. I am used to it, in many ways. But there are times when I struggle to believe that the good things in my life will not be cut short in the same way.”

“I mean, everythin’ ends cause of time and mortality and shit like that.But that don’t mean good things are gonna disappear as soon as you find ‘em.”

Indrid smiles.

(Seventy percent of the timelines show them kissing.)

“Hey, goofus, I see you floatin off into the futures. Stay in the present with me, or I’m eatin all the cookies myself.”

Indrid grins, “ You wouldn’t dare.”

Duck grabs a nearby spoon and scoops out a bite of dough and chews it with an exaggerated “mmmmmm.” 

Indrid pouts and makes grabby hands, as humans call them. 

“Nope, this is all mine now.”

“Noooo, the raw dough is the best part.” Indrid grabs for the bowl, but in spite of being shorter than him Duck manages to keep it out of reach. 

“I’m savin you from yourself, you’re gonna get salmonella.”

“I am not, my Sylph biology prevents such a thing. You, on the other hand, can very much get that illness. So,” he lunges for the bowl playfully. Duck sidesteps him and he stumbles with an undignified chirp. Duck snickers and Indrid giggles 

“Okay, okay, I’ll give you some if you tell me one thing.” Duck sets the bowl back on the counter, blocking it with his body, “How come you have a bunch of drawins of me saved in your cabinet?”

“I, ah,” oh goodness, he should have seen this coming, “I save certain drawings if I like them.”

“‘Drid, those were almost all of me.”

“Because I like them. I like you. Seeing futures of you made me feel happy while I was away from Kepler.”

Ducks eyebrows slowly raise.

There’s no point in looking at the futures. Indrid has to do this in the present, has to face the reactions in real time, because that us always what being near Duck does to him; draws him back to earth, to the moment, over and over again because all he wants to focus on is him.

“I am very fond of you, Duck. It has been quite awhile since I had anything resembling a crush on someone, and my feelings for you have grown considerably in that direction. But I understand completely if it is not reciprocated.”

“That’s uh, that’s, fuck, uh-”

Indrid droops; if Duck is trying to lie, it must be to spare his feelings. 

“Um, I don’t, uh, oh fuck it.” 

Warm hands are suddenly on his upper arms as Duck pulls him into a kiss. Sugar and butter on his lips, strands of dark hair tangling in his fingers as he clasps Ducks head. It’s tentative, a tad awkward because of his glasses, and he never wants it to end. Whimpers when it does, and Duck simply smiles, bumps their noses together. 

“I was tryin to come up with some line about how I was surprised. But I ain’t, not really, especially not after findin those drawins. I been fallin for you for awhile, and was gettin the sense you might be doin’ the same. Just didn’t wanna push my luck and scare you off, sugar.”

Indrid grins.

“What?” Duck arches an eyebrow.

“I simply enjoy the nicknames you give me. Most of my aliases are attached to my sometimes unnerving appearance. It is nice to be called something new and sweet.”

Duck kisses him, first on the cheek and then snowflake-light on the lips, “Good to know. Now, c’mon, we can uh, cuddle, more once these are done and I need that real bad. So let’s finish these cookies, sugar.”

[imagine-riverdale]

Commitment Part One- Fangs Fogarty Imagine

Part Two (coming soon)

“For fucks sake Edward!” Kimberly shouted as she entered the Whyte Wyrm where a bunch of the teenage Southside Serpents were cleaning their wounds and drinking. “It’s three in the morning!” She stomped over to him.

“What in the world are you wearing?” Fangs asked standing up as he noticed his girlfriend wearing only a pair of pajama shorts and a camisole along with her sneakers and a small cardigan. “Lord.” Fangs shrugged off his jacket and tried to slide it over her shoulders.

“Would you stop!” She shrugged it off her and rested her hands on her hips. “Toni called me, you idiots go into a fight with the Northside! What the hell?” She groaned. “Look at your face!” She motioned for him to sit and took the first aid kit from Toni and began to clean his split lip. “Why do you have to worry me? Huh?”

“I’m sorry babe, but it’s really hard for me to focus when you’re dressed like that.” Kimberly stopped cleaning his lip and glared at him.

“How hard do you want me to punch you Fogarty?” She asked as Fangs smiled wrapping his arms around her hips and pulling her closer.

“Depends, you hitting me with your hand, or your lips.” He asked smirking as Kimberly rolled her eyes.

“You’re an idiot.” She mumbled moving away from him and putting away the first aid kit. “I cannot believe you.” She stated.

“Baby.” Fangs stood up and set his hands on her hips. “We’re fine, you should probably talk to your brother though.” Fangs motioned over to Sweet Pea. Kimberly looked towards where Sweet Pea was holding a bag of ice to his eye.

“For fucksake!” Kimberly through her hands in the air. “What is with you people?” She asked moving towards her brother whom was pushing Toni away from him. “I got it Toni, thanks.” She looked to her brother. “What were you guys thinking?”

“I was thinking that I don’t particularly like having a gun shoved in my face by bulldogs.”

“A gun? So you went to his house!” She shouted. “Are you fucking kidding me Sweet Pea? You could have died! Fangs could have died! Hell you could have killed all of them.” Motioning around the bar at the group of Serpents that were all being treated.

“It was stupid, I know but,”

“But nothing Sweet Pea.” Kimberly stated. “Are you trying to get yourselves killed? I cannot lose you or Fangs, Pea.” She said softly. “I love both of you, okay? Stop putting your lives in danger. Please.” Kimberly begged as she looked at Sweet Pea’s eye. “You’ll live, put a bag of peas on it.” She teased. “Now I’m going home, to sleep.” She said heading towards Fangs.

“You leavin?” He asked touching her arm.

“Yeah, I’m headin home, I want to sleep, okay? I love you, I’ll talk to you in the morning okay? Go home, straight home, no more fights tonight, okay baby?” She asked.

“Okay.” Fangs agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, let me know when you get home.” Fangs kissed her as Kimberly nodded.

“I will.” Kimberly headed out but not before stopping and glancing back at her boyfriend. “You’re more than welcome to stop by when you’re done here.” She smiled. Kimberly didn’t even make it back to the truck she shared with her brother before Fangs was grabbing onto her and spinning her towards him.

“I can’t let you go home alone.” He teased before kissing her.

“Hmm, we can come back for your bike.” She hummed looking up at him.

“Yeah.” He nodded before the two headed back to the trailer that she shared with her brother.

-

“Kimmy?” Sweet Pea called entering the trailer. “You here?” Kimberly groaned as she looked at the clock and noticed the time being eleven in the morning, Kimberly looked over Fangs who was sleeping next to her. Standing and quickly throwing clothes on she headed towards the living room where her brother was.

“What Pea?” She asked. “Why are you coming in and yelling?” She asked moving towards their small kitchen and making a pot of coffee.

“You were supposed to be at the Wyrm an hour ago for work.” He stated. “I’ve left you like ten messages.” He stated.

“Pea, I forgot to plug my phone in okay? I’m fine, I slept in, especially after I got called down to the Wyrm last night.” She reminded him.

“And I’m assuming the reason Fangs’ bike is still at the Wyrm is cause he’s currently laying naked in your bed.” Kimberly laughed.

“Yes Pea, Fangs is currently asleep, in my bed, and he may be naked, you wanna go check?” She teased turning towards him with her coffee.

“Ew no.” Pea shook his head.

“I’ll get ready and head to work, okay? Don’t worry I’m fine.” Kimberly waved her elder brother away as she headed back to her room where Fangs was getting ready. “Well good morning handsome.” She teased leaning against the doorframe.

“Hey babe.” Fangs glanced over as he finished tying his boots. “Pea here?” Kim nodded as she moved over and sat on Fang’s lap.

“Yeah, he just came in. Reamed me a new one for being late to work.” She placed a kiss on his jaw. “Unfortunately I need to head to work.” She stated standing off his lap, but not before pressing a kiss to his lips. “You want a ride to get your bike?”

“That’d be great.” He stated as Kimberly nodded before beginning to get dressed.

-

“Hey Hog, sorry I’m late I,”

“Hey.” He held his hands up. “Don’t worry about it, I saw you come in around three and leave with Fangs, I get it.” He stated. “You’re good Kim.” Kim nodded before getting to work on restocking. “Heard about the brawl, good thing for them all.” He said as Kimberly laughed.

“They were reckless Hog.” She reminded him. “The kid had a gun for godsake.” She sighed. “Pea could have been killed, Fangs could have.”

“Speaking of Fangs, did I hear you call him Edward last night?” This caused Kimberly to laugh.

“Yeah Hog, that’s his name.” She mentioned. “He was only called Fangs because he used to have bad teeth when he was younger.”

“His teeth ain’t bad now.”

“No, they’re not.” She stated. “He got them knocked out when they were still his baby teeth.”

“By who?” Kimberly moved towards the store room. “Me.” She glanced back at Hoghead before moving to grab the stock she needed.

-

“Hey break it up!” Kimberly yelled around six that night as she was breaking up a bar fight between two people whom seemed to be from somewhere else. Kimberly picked up a bat from behind the bar and jumped over the table and hit it loudly against the cement floor. “I said break it up!” She shouted again causing the two men to jump apart as a few Serpents stood behind her. “Pay your tab and get out.”

“And who the fuck are you to tell us what to do?” The older of the two asked.

“I’m the women with a bat whom is very willing to use it.” She stated smiling sweetly. “Unless you want two dislocated kneecaps I suggest you do as told.” She held the bat up for them to see.

“Yeah?” The one asked as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. “And what is your bat gonna do against a gun?” Kimberly paused before hearing multiple Serpents point guns at the man.

“Oh it’s not gonna do anything, but I think your gun is outnumbered by ours.” She stated motioning around as the bell above the door rang, and in walked Fangs and Sweet Pea.

“Kimberly!” “Babe!” Both Fangs and Sweet Pea yelled pushing through the crowd as the guy put his gun down and four Serpents restrained the two men.

“Baby.” Fangs wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.

“I’m fine. You both owe me $36.” She stated stepping towards them. “Not including tip.” The two of the four Serpents holding them back pulled their wallets out and handed Kimberly two fifties. “Thank you, gentlemen, now get the hell out of my bar and don’t come back.” The two were kicked out and the bar went back to its normal self.

“Do not go after men with guns!” Sweet Pea shouted as Kimberly turned towards him.

“You mean like you two did?” She asked as Fangs shook his head and headed to the bar where he grabbed a beer. “Do not be a hypocrite Pea, plus I had the guys backing me.” She stated patting her brother’s chest and heading to the bar. “Hey baby.” Kimberly leaned kissed Fang’s cheek before heading behind the bar.

“You’re trying to give me a heart attack, right?” He asked taking another drink of his beer.

“Oh you mean like you did me?” She asked teasingly as she leaned against the bar. “Because I remember correctly you legitimately went after a guy with a gun yesterday baby.” She reminded her boyfriend before moving down the bar to continue working. “I’m off in an hour. You can buy your girlfriend a beer once she’s done.” She mentioned.

“How the hell are you so calm after having a gun pointed at your head?” Fangs asked looking at Sweet Pea who was sitting next to him. Kimberly stopped what she was doing and glanced at her boyfriend. “You didn’t even flinch when he pulled it.”

“Fangs.” Kimberly headed back towards him. “After having a gun pulled on you, so many times, you learn not to flinch, it gives them the reaction they’re looking for, scared.” She stated.

“And how many times have you been at gunpoint?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Kimberly shook her head before continuing her work.

“Don’t push her man, she’ll open up, eventually.” Sweet Pea stated. “Let’s play pool.”

-

“Here you go babe.” Kimberly set a beer in front of him as she fell into the seat next to him with her own beer and kissed his cheek, whilst he was talking with a few of his other Serpent friends.

“Wow you get beer hand delivered.” One stated as Fangs laughed.

“Not usually, only when she wants me to do something.” He stated glancing over at his girlfriend. “And what is it that you want from me?” He asked as Kimberly laughed.

“Nothing.” Kimberly shook her head with a smile.

“Kimberly.” Fangs stared at his girlfriend for a minute.

“I don’t want anything, lord Fangs.” Kimberly laughed.

“I’ve known you since we were eight.” He reminded her.

“Fine.” Kimberly caved and turned batting her eyelashes at him. “How much do you love me?” She asked as Fangs groaned glancing at the other guys.

“Fuck, what is it that you want?” He asked. “Or better yet, what the fuck did you do?” Kimberly looked at the beer bottle in her hand.

“Baby.” Kimberly touched his arm. “I love you okay, remember that.” She stated.

“What did you do?” He asked again as Sweet Pea headed towards where the two were sitting.

“Okay it was an accident.” She stated with a sigh. “You left your phone at the bar and it rang coming up with ‘Love of my life’.” Kimberly looked at Fang’s face to see his eyes widen.

“Are you cheating on my sister?” Sweet Pea asked as Kimberly shook her head.

“No Pea, he’s not.” She shook her head. “I my have answered it and called your mother a ‘whoring skank who needed to back the fuck off or I’d kill her.’” Fang’s mouth dropped as Kimberly handed him his phone, the rest of the table began laughing.

“Fuck Kim.” Fangs groaned leaning against the booth. “My mother is gonna flip, I have to go.” He motioned her out of the booth.

“Baby.”

“Kim, my mother is insane, I haven’t even told her about you. She is probably having a heart attack right now.”

“Wait you haven’t told her about me?” Kim asking sliding out of the booth.

“No! She’s insane and would have freaked.” He started heading for the doors. Kim following behind him.

“You haven’t told your mother about us? Fangs we’ve been together for over a year!” She shouted before glancing at her brother. “I’ll see you at home tonight bro.” She stated before continuing into the parking lot where Fangs was. “You’re kidding right? Your mother knows we’re friends but not that we’re dating? Why does she think I stay the night twice a week?”

“She thinks you’re helping me study!” Fangs shouted climbing onto his bike.

“Wait what?” Kimberly laughed. “Your mother, think I help you study? Fangs you’re doing better in every class than me.” She reminded him. “Hell you’re a year older than me, if anything you should be helping me study.” She stated crossing her arms as Fangs started his bike.

“I had to tell her something,”

“So you lied to her, instead of telling her we were dating.” Kim sighed resting a hand on her head. “Tell her we’re together.”

“I can’t Kimmy.” He told her softly.

“You’re not going to lie to your mother.” Kim stated. “So until you decide you want her to know that I was your girlfriend, we’re done.”

“Kim,”

“Edward.” Kimberly called him by his first name stopping anything that was going to come out of his mouth. “I love you more than anything, but if you can’t tell your mother, the most important person in your life, that we’re together, how much can you really love me?” She asked. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” She gave him a soft smile before backing up and heading back into the Whyte Wyrm. 

As always thank you for reading my loves! It’s the begging of the new semester and I’m drowning already so instead I chose to write. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again my lovelies!

REQUESTS ARE OPEN FOR ALL RIVERDALE CHARACTER

[softjeon]

The perfect Illusion | Pt. 3

• Pairing: Geisha!Jimin x Namjoon | Side-Pairing: Geisha!Jungkook x Yoongi • Genre: Fluff / Angst  | Geisha!AU ( → Gifset Trailer) • Words: 12k | ↳ AO3 • Disclaimer: mentioning of abusive behavior

*** please note that this story doesn’t mean to represent accurate geisha tradition, it was solely inspired by the beautiful art form, giving it a modern twist in a fictional universe and therefore has been dramatized for entertainment purposes.

written with @cassiavioletblue

↳  He was the perfect illusion. The getaway for anyone who didn’t want to face reality. And yet, there was something in his eyes, something vulnerable and hopeful as if he was dying for someone to see through him, to care for him enough to look behind the mask and draw out the real Jimin. And Namjoon couldn’t wait to do exactly that.

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“Are you fucking kidding me Kim Namjoon,” His voice sounded lower and raspier than usual and it was obvious that he was grumpy. But who could blame him, when his best friend stood in front of his door, robbing him of his beloved sleep in the middle of the night while ringing the doorbell like a maniac. He pushed the door open nonetheless, waddling back into his apartment sleepily. “You owe me one for this…” 

Yoongi motioned for Namjoon to sit down on his couch, while plopping down in his favorite armchair and pulling the blanket over his body. He yawned tiredly, rubbing his eyes in a weak attempt to feel a little more awake. “So, now start from the beginning. You were at the tea house? Alone? And you did...fucking what?” 

The entire time Namjoon was talking and trying to explain his situation, Yoongi was rubbing the side of his temples, awaiting a headache to settle in soon. The other was talking so fast, jumping from one topic to another that Yoongi felt dizzy. When Namjoon was finally taking a deep breath and it was quiet for more than five seconds, Yoongi looked at him thoroughly. “So, you want me to explain it to you? How it all works?” Blowing out some air in a sigh, he sat up a bit more. He was definitely awake now and from where he sat, Yoongi could see the sun starting to set at the horizon through the window. 

“Jimin belongs to the tea house,” Yoongi sighed deeply, his eyes locked with Namjoon’s to make sure he understood everything he would be explaining now. Namjoon was smart, too smart sometimes and way too kind-hearted if someone would ask Yoongi. A charming optimist. Only this time it wouldn’t make this situation any easier. “And if I say that, then I entirely mean it like that. The tea house owns Jimin. If Jungkook says that his debt is not paid off with his mizuage then...he must have been sold off at a very young age or whoever sold Jimin really needed a lot of money. Therefore, nothing belongs to him either. Anything he buys, he eats, his entire upkeeping only pushes his debt higher. I don’t want to know how much Jimin has to work to pay even an eighth back of what he owes Hoseok and yes, Nams,” He held up a hand to calm the other, knowing his friend too well, “That’s unfair and shouldn’t be Jimin’s fault when he’s been the one who had been sold after all - but it’s the only way he can get out of this. See it this way: With a debt he at least has a chance of being his own person again.” Biting his lip, Yoongi let that information sink in with Namjoon for a moment, reaching for the bottle of water that always stood by his coffee table. “Where do you think a tea house owner gets his dancers from? Either you're born into this or you have been sold. Rarely anyone chooses to become a geisha on their own free will anymore. They have to train a lot and from a young age to become this good. The gifts customers give him are only another way for him to pay the money back. I believe that his mizuage money must have been really high...I mean we have both seen him dance. He’s popular and still it seems like it isn’t enough. Makes sense that he told you that he let go off his past right? What if he never had anything else but this life?” Yoongi shrugged his shoulders, taking a sip from his water bottle. “How do you even know Hoseok is bad? All I am sure of is that you can’t cause a scene like this. You’re diving headfirst into something you’re not even sure about. It was very brave of you to ask him to date.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Namjoon asking a geisha out, “But pretty stupid, too. You can’t date a geisha, especially not one like Jimin. I mean...you could marry him, I guess. But even then you need to have the papers, have Jimin’s and the tea houses agreement...and if he’s so deep into a debt then I am not sure. Anyways, what you did was very reckless. You could cause Jimin more trouble when you act up, just because you think you need to play the hero in this story. If you want to see that boy again, then you need to keep your head down. Play by the rules and you’ll be able to see him again.” Gazing deep into Namjoon’s eyes, Yoongi’s expression softened, “I can’t tell you to stay away from this, right? You know he’s a geisha. It’s his job to make you fall in love with him. I mean, I’m all for going back to see...the amazing show again...but what makes you so sure of it? That he likes you? That he is in,” He air quoted the next word, raising his eyebrows,”...danger?” He lowered his voice, ”I really don’t want you to get into serious trouble Namjoon. Not for a random boy.” 

Yoongi meant well, Namjoon knew that. And still he could feel himself getting defensive at bis words. ‘Random boy’ didn't sit well with him, not after Jimin had opened up to him like that. He did have a point though when reminding him that it was Jimin's job to be mesmerizing and draw people in. Especially when he's done this since he's been a little kid, then maybe even Jimin himself couldn't distinguish properly between what he did out of habit and what he really wanted in terms of flirting.  

"Sold…," He whispered, tongue getting heavy with its weight. It was such an ugly word when talking about a human life and thinking about young Jimin being given away from his parents for money, the people who should love him and care for him the most - he couldn't imagine how it must feel like to be reminded of that every day when thinking about the "debt" Jimin had to pay that wouldn't even be there if his parents had done their job right and loved him more than anything else. He sighed deeply as he reminded himself not to judge before he knew the whole story. Maybe his parents had given him away because they loved him, and their living conditions had been horrible - or they had simply died. Instead of being discouraged or repelled by what Yoongi had told him he was now more determined than ever to be with Jimin again even if it meant to ‘play by rules’ that he hated.  

"No, you can't tell me to leave this. But you already knew that. I can't just ignore how much I like him. And I know you just want to keep me from getting hurt. But even if Jimin leads me in or this will end badly - I still have to experience it or else it will forever linger in my mind what maybe could have been and that I left him there like that even though I promised otherwise." When Yoongi nodded defeatedly Namjoon gently smiled at him. "You helped me a lot though with trying to educate me about this. And you could do even more if you would go with me again next time to keep me from fucking up again." 

“Just be careful, okay?” Yoongi said, reaching out for his friend to make him look up and not get lost in his thoughts already, “Make sure to know what’s really going on before you run headfirst into the wall. We’ve got a reputation and it’s a gentleman’s club with a lot of businessmen. We can’t just walk around and cause trouble. We’re not anyone anymore.” He smiled reassuringly, “But that also means that we do have power. All rich men have power, right?” Yoongi chuckled low. Sometimes it was still crazy to him how their lives had changed so quickly. “So...what’s the plan? Do you want to talk to Jimin?” He motioned around with his hands, “I mean….I could talk to….Jungkook if you want? You know...just to get more information about Mr. Jung. I...I think...he would talk to me.” 

Namjoon nodded. "You don't have to worry. I was overwhelmed and surprised by everything - including how much I started liking Jimin. But I won’t lose my head like this again, I promise. I wouldn't damage our business like that." Yoongi was right, a tea house was like the epitome of "the rich get a say" so he should use that power as it was supposed to be (according to Hoseok) and feed the system he didn't like for the sake of everyone involved. And if he saw it purely from a logical point of view then every private meet up with him brought Jimin closer to freedom because it meant more money. Namjoon smirked. Yoongi wasn't fooling him. "If you need an excuse to talk to Kook then yes. But something tells me I'm not the only one enjoying tea house company."

Yoongi scoffed, “I’m just enjoying the tea. They have very lovely tea.” He nodded determinately as if to underline his statement. “I like tea.” 

…

Jimin still stood in the empty tearoom, even though Hoseok had been long gone and ordered him to wash up. He was biting his lip repeatedly, his eyes focused on the floor. His jaw, where Hoseok had gripped him tightly only seconds after Namjoon was gone was still aching. But whatever Hoseok had told him, Jimin already forgot about. The image of Namjoon way stronger, his thoughts circulating around him and only him. He slid the door open quietly, gripping his robe so he wouldn’t fall over and began to walk downstairs. It was quiet in the tea house, only the cleaning ladies were working now and a few young maikos who were preparing the rooms for tomorrow's service. A smile was stuck on his lips, but in his head was a raging storm. How could have been so easy for Namjoon to break his surface, his perfect mask? No one had done that before. He had always played, twisted things around easily so he wouldn’t need to answer honestly and made people think whatever beautiful story he was telling them that it was true.  

But he didn’t want to lie to Namjoon.  

“Jimin!” Jungkook was hurrying behind the older, who had startled so much that it worried the younger only more. If Hoseok was reprimanding someone in front of Customers something really bad must have happened. “Are you alright?”  

Jimin nodded at that, stroking over Jungkook’s back lovingly and giving the younger a genuine smile. “Was your dance successful? I heard it was good.” When the maiko gave him a worried look, only humming in response, Jimin gave in. “I am fine, Jungkook. Please don’t worry too much.” Jimin walked ahead and linked his arm with the maikos, “Hoseok was just mad that I went over the time limit. It was almost an hour. If I had another customer that could have messed badly with my schedule and…and he reminded me of that.” 

Jungkook only relaxed when Jimin linked arms with him. You could always feel it when Jimin was tense; he could perfectly control his face and his body on stage, but he let his guard down around Jungkook a little more so the younger could read his body language. Jungkook was pretty certain that Jimin didn't do it on purpose but simply reacted subconsciously to him as he trusted him and so he cherished it all the more. "Wait, you went over time limit? You? And with Namjoon?" Normally Jimin was perfection personified, "You must have enjoyed it a lot when you forgot to keep track of time. What did you do? Did you dance for him? Recite something? Was he asking you to reenact a scene from Theater?" It was quite common for customers to do that as that way he could make the Geishas tell them that they loved them just by asking for a love confession scene. 

“I...I was enjoying it,” Jimin said and opened the door to their room, only then letting go of the other again before roaming around in his drawer to find a towel and not face Jungkook directly. “We just talked, actually. I mean...I danced for him. I showed him the butterfly dance.” His voice was soft and quiet. A soft, shy blush on his cheeks when he turned around. “The one I showed you? I asked for his opinion.” Jungkook’s raised eyebrows and surprised expression let Jimin chuckle, before he added quietly, “Oh and he hated it. Thought it was awful. He said I should practice some more.” Biting his tongue, Jimin was trying hard not to start laughing only waiting for Jungkook’s reaction. 

Jungkook startled at this. He knew how important this dance was to Jimin and how much of himself he had put into it. His initial surprise and joy over Jimin daring to share that with Namjoon quickly turned into shock and indignation. “He.... he what?” He would have never thought that Namjoon could be so cruel as to crush Jimin’s spirit, especially not when he shared something so personal (everyone who paid a little attention would have seen that this dance wasn’t a regular entertainment program). He had seemed so honest and kind, actually so much that he felt almost out of place around here. Apparently Namjoon wasn’t as ‘safe’ for Jimin as Jungkook had thought. “I’m...I’m so sorry.  Don’t listen to him, what I saw last time was beautiful and he has no right to say that to you! You practice more than anyone and even if you danced something right on the spot it would blow people away. He’s just... awful himself.” As the other wasn’t answering Jungkook got closer, worried about how the other must felt. It was rare enough that Jimin let a customer in so much that he actually valued that person's opinion. What a pity Namjoon had turned out to be just another stressed businessman playing his games and messing with the geishas feelings for fun, “Jimin... are you okay?” 

Jimin burst out laughing, holding onto Jungkook’s shoulder to keep himself upright but failed only seconds later when he fell onto his knees. “H-he liked it,” Jimin was barely able to catch his breath, “I’m sorry Jungkookie! He is awful himself, huh?” He was still giggling, trying to get up again, “He said I am mesmerizing…I am the one who thinks it still needs work. Namjoon is too sweet to say something mean like that. So much I figured out. ” 

Jungkook gasped in betrayal, starting to lightly slap Jimin repeatedly on his arm “Why~? Why would you do that to me?” He whined. “I am worrying about you! It’s obvious that Namjoon is interested in you and that he doesn’t know how people normally act around us so don’t mess with me like that! It makes me think he might be up for all kind of things! I don’t want to wake up to you having been abducted or some shit.” 

“Yeah, he doesn’t.” Jimin bit his lip, thinking about Namjoon’s oblivious expression each time he told him something new and smiled faintly. “Abducted? Now you’re talking nonsense. You should sleep more,” Jimin fluffed through the youngers hair and pushed him down onto his bed, before just letting himself fall onto the younger, making him squirm and giggle under him. “No more talking about customers. We got a long day ahead of us, so we need sleep!” 

…

When Jimin opened his eyes, the sun was shining through a small slit in the curtains. The thin line of bright light ran across his pillow and straight into his eyes. Blinking tiredly, he moved his head out of the bright rays and got up. He sighed, glancing over to Jungkook who had kicked his blanket all the way to the end, snoring softly, obviously still deeply asleep. Nonetheless, Jimin opened up the curtains wide. The warmth on his face felt so good as the morning sun slowly worked its magic and woke him up entirely. He opened up the window to let in a fresh breeze of air into their sticky room, hearing Jungkook groan in the back. “Good morning, sleepy head!” Jimin walked past him, ruffling lovingly through his hair. Jimin looked out of the window again, a small cloud passing over the sun and coolness swept across his face. As it made it’s way past the sun and onto the other side, Jimin wondered about Namjoon. He had dreamed about him. About his smile and his warm touch. The warmth came back and Jimin blinked his eyes as the sun shone bright again. 

A sleepy grumble diverted his attention back to the bed where Jungkook had started to stir but instead of getting up he had pulled the cushion over his head to block out the sunlight and shuffled a little to get comfortable before he went back to falling asleep. 

It only took Jimin about fifteen minutes to get Jungkook up and into the bathroom with him to wash up and get dressed. In the kitchen, Jimin prepared some water with mint and lime, as he had restricted Jungkook from drinking caffeine because he needed to care of his skin for his mizuage. And he never drank coffee himself. With a book in his hand and their casual clothing, Jungkook followed Jimin down into the garden that was a beautiful replica of a Japanese garden, complete with artificial brooks, overhanging blossom trees and waterfalls. Jimin always thought it was the most beautiful part of this tea house. Biting his lip deep in thought, Jimin wondered if Namjoon would like just as much if he’d ever come by on an afternoon. Since Namjoon visited him a couple of days ago, he was constantly on his mind. He had thought about customers before – that wasn’t the part that made him worried, but the fact that his heart was aching each time his image crossed his mind. A painful, aching stab to his heart – a yearning. Jimin had never felt like this before. He didn’t know how to sort this feeling out. So, he had tried his best – with meditation, working, dancing more than usual and choreographing new routines – to forget about Namjoon. He was a geisha after all. He needed to make sure to keep his emotions in check. Jimin had no time or use for emotions, they only got him into trouble.

Pulling Jungkook along, Jimin went straight for his favorite spot. Right under a blooming blossom tree that gave enough shadow to hide from the bright sunlight. “Come here. I bet you forgot to apply your sunscreen again, am I right?” Jimin chuckled and placed his things aside. Other geishas preferred the dance studio or library to work and train with their maiko’s and even though Jimin loved the studio it was always occupied by others and why not take such a beautiful day to be outside? Jimin looked over to the establishment, the main part of the premises. A little narrow path of stone followed from the terrace, where sometimes customers could play outside with the geishas on a sunny afternoon, which lead right into the garden. A small, wooden fence separated the official part from the personal space of the geishas. Right behind it no one was allowed in if he wasn’t personally invited by Hoseok or a dancer of this establishment. They had a small private garden as well, where they hung their laundry when it was warm outside, and a few others loved to garden but Jimin never really liked it. He hated to get the dirt from under his nails.  

But right here, under the blossom tree, Jimin was the happiest. And he only hoped Jungkook loved it here just as much. 

The geisha was stretching out his leg, his hand reaching for his toes to feel his muscles work. “Did you think about your mizuage dance, yet?” Jimin asked and intertwined his hands to stretch them over his head and behind his back, before starting to roll his neck carefully.  

Jungkook had followed Jimin like a little chicken, blindly trusting as always. Jimin always made sure they had a nice sport to train. Today’s one was beautiful as well with the sun shining down on them and flowers all around them. Jungkook wasn’t one who liked to sit around and do nothing (which made him a little fidgety when he had to wait in a room for the customers or behind the stage) but this part of the garden was so beautiful that he would have loved to just watch a little. Of course, that wasn’t an option though and when Jimin mentioned his mizuage he quickly cast down his eyes. He couldn’t help how small his voice sounded when he answered. “No. I tried to think of something but... then I remembered that all eyes would be on me and not for a dance but because... because…,” He broke off. Every geisha before him had done it as well and yet he still felt like it was an impossible task whenever he thought about dancing for the visitors with the knowledge that a few hours after one of them would have sex with him that night. 

Jimin looked up from his stretching and his heart ripped apart the moment he looked into Jungkook’s eyes. “Hey, baby, it’s okay.” Jimin got up on his knees to shift over to him, taking Jungkook’s cheeks into his hands. “I wish I could do it for you, I really do.” The geisha leaned in to place a kiss on Jungkook’s hair and sat down in front of him. “I’ll be with you. All day. It’s going to be fine. He will be nice, and it will be good. It isn’t as awful as you think.” He soothed over his soft skin and down his shoulders to take his hand in his, “And I’ll be close by wherever you are. You just have to scream my name once and I’ll come running okay?” He let go off one hand but only to raise his pinky for Jungkook. “I promise you that I will be there whenever you need me.” 

Jungkook nodded trying not to cry with how nice Jimin was, how protectively he held him. It actually made it worse because even though he always loved this about Jimin it reminded him that no one else had ever touched him and that whoever would pay the fee would be allowed to touch him wherever he wanted, and his insides felt all wrong at that thought. He wished that Jimin could protect him from that too but he couldn’t and he also couldn’t scream for him in case he got scared because Jimin wasn't allowed to interfere and if Jungkook wanted to be a geisha - and he needed to become one or else he would be stuck in his debt forever and Hoseok would cast him out if he had no value - then he had to go through with it. Causing a scene wouldn’t exactly do well for his worth so he better got his act together and did what everyone else had done before him; smile and dance and be as beautiful as he could be - while hoping that it would be over quickly. 

Jimin kissed Jungkook’s cheek softly, smiling at him in a reassuring manner, “You have your private lesson with Hoseok tonight. But I will help you.” Jimin was glad that Jungkook trusted him blindly. This way it was easy to pull the younger up with him, ordering him to close his eyes. “I want you to think of something. Something that makes you happy and feel completely yourself. Not the mizuage. Not this tea house. Anything else but this. You can make dreams come alive, Jungkook.” Jimin whispered and rushed to his bag to get out the small portable music box. He had compiled all of Jungkook’s favorite music and a few new titles, knowing that the younger would like the flow of it. “Do you have something in mind?” He asked softly, letting his hand wander down Jungkook’s back to remind him of his posture. “Think of something, someone, anything really. Do you see it in front of your eyes?” Jimin took a step back and reached for Jungkook’s sketch book and a pen, ready to scribble down notes while the other was starting to dance. He knew Jungkook hated to multitask, so just dancing and letting Jimin do the job of writing down steps would definitely help him. 

After training for an hour and choreographing, they fell against the blossom tree completely exhausted. Taking a sip from his water bottle, he gave it over to Jungkook, who drank it just as hastily. “You look beautiful when you dance, Jungkook. I wish I had that strength,” Jimin was watching Jungkook draw, while he was picking up a few daisies from the side and creating a flower crown. Both were completely immersed in what they were doing, when Jimin saw Taehyung approaching.  

Taehyung was the son of a geisha, he prided himself in being born as such and Jimin never knew what to think of him. He easily kept up a façade, training a lot and improving every day. It was admirable, if it wasn’t for his attitude. 

“He! Hoseok says you two need to get in. Customers will come soon, and you know he doesn’t like it when you’re in the main garden.” He scolded them from afar, already dressed up and fully made up in his geisha attire. Taehyung probably had early customers and as he was living in the teahouse far longer than Jimin, both of them followed his orders right away. “Oh, and Jin is asking for you two. Jungkook needs to name the colors he wants for his mizuage robe and…well, he got some bad news for you,” Taehyung added nonchalantly leading the way. The younger geisha furrowed his brows, “What do you mean ‘bad news’? What happened?” But Taehyung only shrugged his shoulders, his lips pursed. “I don’t know. Do I look like a mailman? Go and just ask him yourself. I have customers.” Fixing his hair one last time, Taehyung turned on his heel. Jimin smiled reassuringly at Jungkook and put an arm around the younger to lead him down to the tailors office. 

Leave it to Taehyung to ruin the carefree mood they had been in just a second ago. Jungkook took a hold of his flower crown to take it with him and keep besides his bed as a reminder of what Jimin had said. That he looked beautiful, which meant there would be people bidding for him. Because even worse than people bidding for his innocence would be if no one would bid for him and he had to choose to stay a Maiko or let someone that the tea house owner would choose to do it for free. He clung tighter to the flowers, hurrying down the hallway while both of them were tense and worried about the “bad news” and what they could mean. They didn’t have to go very far as Jin stood in the hallway, waving some piece of cloth that had some similarity to one of Jimin’s more expensive robes - just that there were more lose ends than there should have been. 

“Oh no, this can’t be!” Jimin’s eyes widened immediately when he saw the expensive robe ripped and torn into pieces in Jin’s hold as they entered, “What happened…d-did Hoseok see this already?” Jimin was taking the piece of cloth from the tailor carefully, eyeing it and trying to examine the damage and if he could save it somehow. But it was no use. It was completely torn. 

“A young maiko washed it wrongly.” Jin didn’t even glance up but rather looked at the sketches Jungkook had been showing him as an idea of what he imagined his mizuage outfit to be like. “A maiko? Who?” He frowned when he didn’t get an exact answer from Jin who was adamant on just ignoring him. “I don’t know. A new kid, I guess. You know that happens sometimes. You shouldn’t be giving this expensive stuff to the kids; I always tell that to you all. Can you pay it off?” Jin turned to look over his shoulder and Jimin’s face paled, shaking his head softly.

Groaning deeply as a response, Jin took Jungkook’s drawings. “I’ll take some measurements of you,” He looked the maiko up and down, “Which means no more gaining weight or losing it from now on. If you ruin my work because you thought that extra ham was too delicious…” Jin raised an eyebrow as a warning before addressing Jimin, “And you should better tell Hoseok you fucked up a satin robe. I can make you a new one but only if he gives you the money so you can buy new satin.” The house designer always had an attitude and Jimin had never figured him out. Some days he was fond of him and on other days it seemed like the other couldn’t stand him. Jimin clutched the fabric tightly, the anger boiling hot. Of course, it wasn’t his fault that the fabric was ruined. The young maiko’s always were the one’s taking cares of everyone’s stage robes and still he had no name for whom to blame. Even if he had, Jimin wouldn’t tell on him. There was no pretending, he’d rather take the punishment himself. Just like he always stepped in for Jungkook. He couldn’t count the times he had taken the punishment from Hoseok instead of Jungkook, not caring about kitchen work or anything else but the younger maiko having no trouble. 

Jungkook felt with Jimin but he didn’t move. You never messed with Jin, that was the law. If he liked you and you didn’t do anything wrong he could make the most beautiful robes for you but if you angered him or he preferred others over you out of different reasons then he could make the robe too long (which made it more difficult to walk gracefully and you were prone to falling) or a seam too tight (which could make it rip during a dance or in front of a customer which was a total disgrace and all he had to do was to say that they gained weight). The robes were incredibly expensive so each time you needed a new one it set you back, with a noticeable amount of money adding to your debt. He send a sympathetic look Jimin’s way, promising quietly to himself that he would give his first stage money as a geisha to Jimin so that he could pay the new robe. It was Jimin’s in a way anyways because without him Jungkook didn’t think he would have come that far. 

...

Knocking on Hoseok’s office door moments later, Jimin let himself in when he heard Hoseok calling out. “I apologize for disturbing,” He bowed his head, the ruined satin still in his trembling hands. He hated facing Hoseok with bad news, especially when it was about money. Slowly he raised the fabric to show it to him, adding quietly, “It somehow ripped in a washing process. I am sorry.” 

It was quiet after that statement. Eerily quiet, as if Jimin was the only person in the room. Jimin hadn’t even dared to look up at Hoseok’s face. He knew his anger all too well by now.

 “You.. what?” 

And he was used to it by now. 

Hoseok laughed, as if Jimin was telling him an especially funny joke. “It somehow ripped you said. How can something somehow rip? Especially when all the other robes manage to come out perfectly fine. Did the water have something against you? Did it magically fall into pieces? Tell me Jimin at your age and state, don’t you think taking care of your own clothes should be something you can handle? How can I let you go on stage with good conscience when I know you can’t do something as basic than washing your clothes right. This needs to have consequences.” Hoseok gave him a long look, “You understand that, right? That I can’t just let you mess up and give you more money even still you’re so deeply in debt? I wish it was that easy but it’s not Jimin. No one gets money for free.” 

...

Jimin’s hands were still trembling when he was applying his make-up moments later. He had asked a few of the maiko’s on his way over who had ruined his robe, but none of them knew and somehow Jimin had a weird gut feeling that made him question the whole story. But even if he could proof that maybe someone had wanted to destroy the robe on purpose Hoseok wouldn’t take off the money from his debt. It was his robe. He needed to care of it. So therefore, he had to pay for it.  

Jimin scoffed to himself, applying some more blush and lipstick. His hands felt too shaky, so when he messed up the perfect line he couldn’t help but curse. “I’m sorry, Kook,” Jimin mumbled when he noticed the youngers worried stare and he quickly laid his head in his arms, hiding. “Can’t we just go back to sleep? I don’t feel like serving tea today.” He whined quietly, feeling too weak and too sensitive to conquer the world tonight. “Or turn back time and lay in the sun again.” Jimin sighed deeply, raking his hands through his hair as he sat back to take a few more deep breaths.  

Jungkook was up on his feet immediately because a Jimin who wasn’t showing off the perfect smile and instead actually voicing something that you could see as unmotivated or critical speech - that meant he was really, really exhausted. So Jungkook did his best to help Jimin with his stage attire as he himself was already finished and he hoped that it might bring back the smile to Jimin’s face. 

Sometimes Jimin wished he could sell his virginity again. Just to repay more of his debt. Looking at Jungkook, who was sitting in his natural beauty right next to him made him only wish that the younger would get enough money to pay off his own. He didn’t want him to share his destiny. No, Jungkook should have a better life and Jimin would make sure that no harm would ever get to him. “I wish you could come with me tonight. I feel like I’m in need of good company,” He reached out for Jungkook, cupping his cheek in a loving manner, “Practice hard, will you?” Smiling reassuringly, Jimin motioned for Jungkook to get up, only to hold him back again, “Can you come and get me when my appointment is done? But make sure to come right to me. You know you’re not allowed to run around without makeup in the main room.” 

The younger nodded and then bravely thought that breaking another rule wouldn’t make a difference so he quickly hugged Jimin (despite his stage robe, which wasn’t allowed). He tried to make his voice sound as reassuring as possible when he promised, “Of course, I’ll come pick you up, straight line, no risks. Maybe the people are nice, and you’ll get a good tip tonight. I’ll see you in a bit.”  

Jimin would have loved to stay in Jungkook’s embrace, only parting from him with a bittersweet feeling. He didn’t want to pretend tonight. Feeling too exhausted. 

Taking a deep breath, Jimin shook the feeling off himself and tried to concentrate. When he passed the main room, the music was playing loudly indicating a small show going on. From where he stood, the geisha could see Taehyung dancing with the biggest smile on his face twirling in midst of guests as he lured them in perfectly, everyone being in a dream like state. He broke his gaze off the scenery and went upstairs to the private tea rooms, to get to the one right at the end of the hallway. None of them had really “their own” room, but this was the one Jimin used the most. It wasn’t always that he arrived before the guests, but when he’d only been booked by someone for the whole evening Jimin liked to make sure himself that everything was perfectly prepared. Another maiko was already setting the table, while he focused on the music player. The soft tunes that began to play, made Jimin close his eyes and he hummed along with the rhythm. It was calming his anger. When the maiko was gone, Jimin couldn’t help but to start singing to the music quietly. He still had some time until the show downstairs was wrapped up and the pair that booked him would be up. Jimin hadn’t really cared about the name of his visitors really, so he had only asked for the number of the tearoom his appointment was in when he passed the reception. It had been an exhausting day, one that made him wish to just go back and hide under the covers of his bed. So, when he was sitting on his knees, preparing the tea, Jimin was just fully enjoying the moment to himself.  

Namjoon had been a little nervous despite Yoongi telling him to calm down for three times now (which was a critical amount for him) so they had ended up arriving a little too soon. Namjoon had sat down to wait but the young Maiko had told them that of course they would visit the room and get themselves comfortable there because there would be already refreshments waiting and they could talk to the Maiko that would be getting the room ready before the booked geisha would arrive. When they came within reach of the room they could see that the Maiko was leaving already - and yet there was someone inside. Jimin’s angelic voice gave away who it was and Namjoon stilled, stunned into motionlessness at how beautiful it sounded. Even Yoongi stilled and listened, eyes wide at the clear but soft notes that came from the room while Jimin was walking around, almost as if he was preparing the room first and singing second, unconsciously passing the time or something. 

Jimin hadn’t noticed them observing him, that was until a choked off sound came from Namjoon who had stumbled into the room, almost knocking over something in the process. Yoongi had his hands still extended out from where he had pushed his friend hard, his eyes wide flickering over to Jimin.  

“Sorry!” He breathed out hastily, “I…I’ll go look where the bathroom is!” With that he quickly slid the door close and turned around, running off to wherever before Namjoon could get angry at him. He really didn’t mean for him to push Namjoon so hard, nor to disturb the youngers singing but Joon seemed so gone again that Yoongi was afraid he would never move again. 

“Namjoon!” The name fell of Jimin’s lips a little breathlessly, his eyes unsure as he stood with his back against the wall feeling like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “Oh…you’re the couple….oh oh, I…” Jimin fell so quickly onto his knees that he flinched from the pain, biting his lip as he bowed deeply to greet his customer.  

Namjoon’s brain didn’t catch up fast enough so he interpreted the respectful gesture as Jimin having fallen so he kneeled down as well right away to help him up earning a confused look from Jimin before he realized and blushed hard. So much for not outing himself as an ‘outsider’ all the time. “Oh, uhm, thanks, I mean.. you can get up now if you want.” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck glad that he had a reason to look around with checking out the room, trying to collect himself during that time. “The room is so nicely decorated. Ah and the sacks look really delicious. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?” He leaned down to snack a tiny little piece of rice from one of the plates and swallowed it, “There, now you can eat freely.” 

Jimin couldn’t help but smile fondly, when Namjoon reached out for food immediately to not make him starve again. “It’s fine, thank you, sir. Namjoon, s-sir.” He shook his head, trying to collect himself quickly and ignore the racing heartbeat inside his chest. “Mr. Kim, thank you. I am not very hungry today.” Jimin held his breath, his hands on is lap, nervously playing around while he tried to keep calm. How was he a complete mess already. He had promised himself to focus on what was important. Being a geisha, getting a good tip to pay off the robe as soon as he could. “Please enjoy your food. Do you want to watch me dance while you snack, or do we wait until your friend is back?” 

It hurt more to see Jimin so reserved after the younger had opened up to him last time. Though he probably should have expected it. Jimin very obviously got reprimanded for going over time at their last encounter so he tried to be as ‘perfect’ as possible this time. “Can I request for you to call me Namjoon while we’re in private? Or would that make you feel uncomfortable?” His voice was soft, probing, ready to talk about anything else if necessary that would make Jimin feel like he had control over the situation. “I think Yoongi might take a little while. So, we should sit down maybe, and you can dance for the both of us later? If you want to that is.” 

“Namjoon,” Jimin’s voice turned soft immediately. There was no way to explain this feeling. Being in Namjoon’s company felt calming, a feeling that he wanted to chase forever. A few words and he had cracked Jimin again, making him fall into the trap. “Why do you care about what I want?” The words sounded harsher that he intended to, “I mean…It’s not like I have a choice. You tell me what to do and I will try my best to fulfill your wish. That’s what a geisha does.” 

Namjoon had understood by now that if he strayed too far from the rules he overwhelmed Jimin an as he didn’t want to scare him off he had decided to play along as much as he needed to - and let Jimin be himself as much as he could. “Yes, I... realized this. And if you really want to fulfill my wish then you can do that in a really easy way. I don’t like when everything is under my control. I feel better when I know the person in front of me isn’t uncomfortable. And I’m also a curious person. So, with being yourself, and being as honest as you feel comfortable with you’ll fulfill all my wishes at once. Does that sound okay with you?”  

Jimin nodded carefully to show that he understood but in reality, he had no idea how to be himself.  

Biting his lip in an anxious matter, he took a deep breath. Jimin turned to reach behind him to get out a game of chess he usually liked to play with all of his customers. “Do you maybe want to play?” He looked up at Namjoon, his eyes unsure and feeling insecure. Another thing that Namjoon did. It was a new feeling, never felt he so vulnerable in front of someone. Not in front of a customer at least. 

Jimin gave up. He simply gave in to whatever it was about Namjoon. Maybe it was all about him, or just because Jimin was yearning to be himself and lay down the mask he had to wear all day. For the first time in a long time someone was listening to him instead of the other way around. And Namjoon even seemed really interested. He watched the dimples appear and disappear on his cheeks, fighting the urge to just lean in and poke the soft skin. It was absolutely mesmerizing to watch Namjoon talk about his business, never before had he cared about any of his customers office work. Honestly, he found it quite boring usually – but the way Namjoon was praising Yoongi’s work and talking about his friend was making Jimin smile. “You’d do anything for him, hm. Yoongi, I mean,” Jimin asked, finally talking and moved another chess figure, looking at Namjoon with big eyes, “I know what that feels like. I would do the same for Jungkookie. I don’t want him to ever get hurt. He’s so talented.” Now that he was finally saying something, he opted that he could tell Namjoon the truth. He had wanted honesty, so as a geisha he would try and fulfill his wish, “And I am sorry for earlier, for the way I reacted. I had a long exhausting day. One of my robes got ripped…it’s all in pieces now and I don’t kn-…I’m sorry. It just angered me today. I don’t want to dwell on it, but it was one of my favorite ones. I wished I had Jungkook by my side today.” 

He was grateful when Jimin took the initiative and asked him to play - and even more so when after a while bit by bit Jimin shed his mask and let him peak through, opening up again like a blossom until in front of him there no longer sat Jimin the geisha but the soft boy that he had been lucky to meet last time.  

“I’m sorry about the robe.” He bit his lip before adding, “You can’t take gifts like that, can you? A new robe? Cause I don’t mind some money missing but you do.” He took a sip from his tea to cover up how nervous he was and then continued and is he hadn’t just offered to pay a really large sum of money just because he could. “You’re right, Yoongi and I go way back. Longer than the company, longer than even the idea of it. We weren’t always the ‘rich boys’ we started pretty low and with lots of uncertainties and hardships to overcome...” He felt a little bad talking about ‘hardships’ when Jimin was here with literally no money and no family. “It worked out though. Even better than what we imagined in our wildest dreams. What about Jungkook? How long do you know each other?” 

Jimin shook his head quickly, not daring to look up but rather moving his figure to another place. “I see your friend told you a little more about the world of a geisha?” Chuckling quietly, he added, “It wouldn’t matter. I have to pay for the ripped one either way.” He smiled faintly, motioning with his hand so Namjoon wouldn’t miss his turn. “I know Jungkook since he came here. I was very young myself and usually you only are allowed to teach a maiko when you’re a fully trained Geisha. But I wasn’t one, yet.” Gazing off into the distance, Jimin smiled at the fond memory of the shy little boy holding onto Hoseok’s hand tightly, whose eyes had been so fearful. Jimin had reached out for the young boy’s hand and ever since he never let go of Jungkook.  

“There was no geisha who could take another maiko and since…,” He hesitated, gulping heavily. “Since I was trained well already and only too young to be a Geisha, Hoseok gave Jungkook in my care. So, I did. He’s preparing his mizuage tonight,” Jimin said nonchalantly, “It’s in a couple of weeks so he has to prepare a lot and Hoseok had only some spare time tonight for him so…you know how you do a special choreography? It’s all made by yourself basically and it’s supposed to…” The geisha stopped, blinking up at Namjoon, biting his lip, “Well…lure them in to pay some good money. You only have one chance. So, he has to prepare himself well.” The last bit of the sentence was almost a whisper, a faint smile on his lips while Jimin’s eyes were flickering over the chess board – but his mind wasn’t in the game. 

The heartwarming story Jimin told him quickly turned into something way more serious when Jimin mentioned the ceremony. “He...what?” Namjoon paled visibly. He knew that Jungkook would do that eventually but Jungkook was like a child. A pretty and well trained one but still there was way too much innocence in his eyes and naivety in his face for him to ever be self-aware enough to healthily handle a one night stand. Especially if it was his first sexual encounter ever and he didn’t have a choice in when and where and how… 

The longer Namjoon thought about it the more nauseous he got but he knew better now than to stir up chaos again. No matter what he said or did it wouldn’t prevent this from happening. If anything, it would only make it worse for everyone involved. He clenched his teacup a little too tightly when he took another sip. “How... how old is he?” He wasn’t sure if the nonchalant tone of voice he was attempting was working. 

Jimin could see the obvious distraught written all over Namjoon’s face. “Twenty-one,” He smiled and reached out for him, soothing over his hand softly, “Just like we’ve all been. I…I told him I will be there. I promised him to never let any harm get to him and so far I succeeded and it…” Jimin stopped, sighing deeply. “I know what you feel. He’s sweet right? Naïve, his eyes full of wonder still. But that’s how it is in our world Namjoon. We can only hope it’s someone that appreciates the beauty he is.” His eyes wandered down to the chess game, shrugging his shoulders as if this wasn’t a big thing. As if losing his virginity to a stranger who paid you wasn’t prostitution and completely unfair. “I think you’ve won.” Jimin pointed at the chess board, smiling at Namjoon a little too forced for it to seem joyful. 

Namjoon had lost all interest in the game.  

They had all been that young... that meant Jimin as well. He could picture it too colorfully, how scared Jimin must have been, trying to stay strong for Jungkookie to not give him a bad example or let him think that it was something he didn’t want or else Jungkook would be scared of his own mizuage as well. “Who was it?” He knew he should keep his mouth shut. This was way too private, way too direct and it probably violate the rules to tell someone.. or maybe it was an open auction were the bidders prided themselves in being able to bid for a sweet Maikos virginity. “How can they do that to you?” 

“Wh-ho?” Jimin furrowed his brows, “What do you mean? Who?” It suddenly felt like the air was too heavy to breathe in, gulping hard against the lump in his throat. His heart was beating so fast that he felt it in his throat.  

Namjoon could backtrack now and pretend he had been talking about something else - but he couldn’t let go. He knew he couldn’t just push that question into the back of his mind again. He didn’t know himself what he would do if he had the answer, would he just google a random person? Nonetheless he answered in a way Jimin couldn’t misunderstand it. “Who was the one who paid for you becoming a geisha.” 

“Namjoon,” Jimin was looking at him, reaching out carefully for the other who suddenly seemed so furious and yet so frozen in his state, almost as if he had locked up every muscle in his body. There was no way he could tell Namjoon who it was. If it would have been a stranger...maybe. But it wasn’t a stranger to Namjoon. And Jimin had an awful feeling that he wouldn’t be able to take it. 

“There are things I don’t talk about as it’s an agreement between the customer and I, please respect that.” He spoke softly, hoping his voice would soothe Namjoon. Even if it was just a little bit. “Please, I am fine, okay?” He took the game board to put it aside and shifted closer to the other, holding onto him. Slowly, Jimin retreated one hand from his arm and reached for Namjoon’s cheek to make him look at him. “I didn’t get hurt and that’s all you need to know. I had an awful day already, please let’s talk about good things. I shouldn’t make you feel like this. Do you want me to dance for you? Do you want more tea maybe?”

It hadn’t been what he wanted; neither to make Jimin feel bad nor make him feel like he had to be more of service. It ached to know that this was what was normally happening, young boys tending to their customers’ needs while their own were neglected. Though getting angry now or letting out his desperation wouldn’t change anything, it would only bother the last person who should be faced with it; Jimin himself. “Of course.” Namjoon nodded resignedly. “I understand. I didn’t mean to upset you. Would it cheer you up if I brought you a gift? Something that Hoseok won’t have any intentions of taking from you because it’s just a tool or everyday use. But it’s yours if you want it and it could remind you every day that you are your own person and... that there are some people that think way more of you than you do yourself.” He thought a long time about what to get Jimin (the brooch wasn’t finished yet) because he wanted Jimin to like it - but it also couldn’t be valuable or eye catching enough for Hoseok to notice it. So, he had settled on chopsticks. They were simple really but elegant, made from high quality wood which you only saw when you took a closer look or held them in your hand. At the end there were a few small inlays, the ones Yoongi made but you could think of them as fake pearlescent paint because they were so small. Only if you knew that they weren’t painted and that the finest mother of pearl had been used you could see their true value.

Jimin held his breath, still holding onto Namjoon’s cheek as he didn’t dare to move. “Y-you…” He couldn’t even start the sentence, when he felt something burning behind his eyes. Jimin had gotten plenty of gifts before and he was always grateful for them, giving them over to Hoseok the second the customers were gone. But getting something from Namjoon was different, because it held meaning. A lot more than he wanted to admit.

He sat back on his knees, observing Namjoon who turned to get something out of the bag he had brought. Jimin was shaking, his eyes feeling too teary to see straight, so he didn’t really see it at first and only when Namjoon gently took his hands to place a box in his palm did he realize what it was. Carefully slow he opened it, his eyes glistening when he saw the beautifully made chopsticks inside, bound together with a single red ribbon. “Is…is this what you do? Is…this what it looks like?” Jimin’s voice was shaking and he let his finger soothe over the wood. “Joon,” He whispered, the nickname slipping from his lips without noticing. “I don’t want to give it to him. I want it to be mine.” A tear fell down his cheek when he looked up. 

“No, this is not what we do. Not normally.” He reached out to gently wipe the tears from Jimin’s face. So much for cheering the younger up. “We never had chopsticks before, they were specifically made for you. And I chose chopsticks because.. I didn’t want Hoseok to take them away. Use them. Don’t keep them locked away. They are there to remind you, as I said. And If I’m estimating Hoseok right then he’s a busy man. Too busy to notice what kind of chopsticks you are using especially if they aren’t shiny and new but well used. Which you should do. If you want to of course.”  Namjoon took the chopsticks out and placed them in Jimin’s hand. “I can leave them with you now and take the box with me so no one will know that they were a gift. And if it really happens that Hoseok sees them and takes them - then don’t worry. I could make a new pair, just as beautiful as those - and then I will keep them for you for when you are out of here. As your first real possession. Solely for you.”

If Namjoon only knew. Jimin looked at him, holding on tightly to the chopsticks in his hands. “When I’m out of here…,” He looked down at the chopsticks with a smile, “Yeah. That would be nice. Thank you, Namjoon.” Jimin wanted to lean in, place a kiss right on Namjoon’s cheek – just because, but he stopped abruptly.

There were footsteps.

And with a sudden heavy feeling, Jimin snapped around to look at the clock at the wall realizing they were over time again. He gasped, getting up from where he sat, looking around frantically to find something to hide the chopsticks in. Jimin knew it was probably the dumbest mistake to ever make, to hide something from Hoseok as it could cost him everything, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t let him have it. “N-no-no,” Jimin jumped behind Namjoon right in the moment when the door slid open, holding the sticks between his body and Namjoon’s back to keep it hidden. His hold around the other’s arm tightened as he peeked out from his shoulder.

“Jungkook!” He relaxed visibly at the sight of the younger, reminding him that he had told the maiko to come by after he was done with his practice and his appointment was over. An idea popped into his mind and Jimin pulled Jungkook into the tearoom, pushing the chopsticks into his hold. “Can you hide this for me? I will explain it to you later but Hoseok can’t…”

Footsteps.

Again.

Jimin simply reacted on instinct, taking Jungkook by his shoulder and pulling him towards the door that lead into the closet room, where the geishas stored some music instruments and props in between tea ceremonies and pushed Jungkook in, motioning him to be quiet. “I will explain, I promise. Just…be still…” He closed the door quickly, running back to Namjoon’s side, panting and feeling too breathless from the sudden game of hide and seek.

Just for Yoongi to peek his head around the corner. “Hey…so…ehm…are you guys done or something?” 

They stared at each other and Namjoon wondered what Yoongi was seeing as the other closed his mouth, smile fading. Jimin was still obviously shaken, his eyes glassy and Namjoon looked like he was ready to fight someone (Hoseok). “Joon?” Yoongi’s expression got serious but before Namjoon could explain there was someone calling out for the geisha. 

 “Jimin?” 

The way Jimin paled Namjoon realized that it could only be Hoseok. Of course, it was. Quickly he pulled Yoongi inside and closed the door so that Hoseok wouldn’t see them right away through the open door. “Namjoon!” Jimin whispered, his voice laced with panic as he held onto him and it was enough for his protective (and very much own panicked) mode to take over. Taking Yoongi by his arm, Namjoon hissed at him to be quiet and that he would explain it all later before he opened the door to the closet and pushed his friend inside.

Jungkook had heard Hoseok’s voice too and from how Jimin had reacted, the chopsticks that were currently in his hold must be something meaningful (he completely forgotten about the fact that he was wandering around with no makeup on and customers had just seen him like this). He gasped, pressing his palm on his mouth to not make any more sounds, realizing this must be a present for Namjoon and Jimin wanted to keep it. He quickly turned around, bending over a couple of boxes, squinting his eyes to see in the dark because the small window didn’t let much light through in the small closet. Jungkook almost lost his balance, right when the door to the closet opened again and someone kept him in place, hands firmly gripping his waist. 

Yoongi could think of way more pleasurable ways of getting pushed into a closet and he was about to make up a very angry very loud statement in his head of what he thought about being treated like that that he planned on giving Namjoon right after this was over - until he felt someone stumble in front of him. Instinctively he reached out to stable whoever-was-there hoping that it wasn’t some creep spying on Jimin. Then his fingers felt the soft satin of a robe and the tiny waist of a young boy and he realized that it must be a Maiko - or a young geisha - probably hiding for similar reasons than him. He had to fight hard to keep from chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. At least he had company (very certainly cute one).

Jimin felt awful for pushing Jungkook into the closet, but there was no way Hoseok could see him wandering around without make up and interrupting a tea ceremony. It would have been his fault, but Hoseok wouldn’t have known and… With horror he realized that he was having a full blown panic attack, his breath coming in short pants as he stared at the closed door, holding on tightly to Namjoon. He needed to stay calm. For Jungkook. For this to not blow over. He snapped around to reach for his fan, pushing Namjoon down to sit back on his knees to run around the table to get into position to make it seem like he just finished dancing. 

Jungkook very gently, but with a firm grip pulled the hands away from his hips only to snap up and press himself against the wall. His eyes were wide, his heart beating fast and it skipped a beat when he realized who stood in front of him. Tightly he held onto the chopsticks, flinching visibly when Hoseok’s voice drew closer. Jungkook saw Yoongi open his mouth and he quickly pushed his finger onto his lips. “Please,” He whimpered quietly, closing his eyes tightly, shivering from the fear to get caught.

His eyes widened when he realized that it wasn’t just any Maiko but Jungkook. Which now that he thought about it made a lot more sense. Even though Jungkook wasn’t supposed to be here he was always close to Jimin. 

He couldn’t wait for Namjoon to explain what mess he had gotten himself into this time.

This obviously was a lot more serious for Jungkook though as he flinched every time the heard feet tapping even though that couldn’t be Hoseok yet. Yoongi nodded as a sign that he had understood, and he knew that although there was barely any light Jungkook would feel his head move because of the fingers on his face. Carefully he got a step closer (a movement that had him crossing the entire distance between them because the space was so small) and leaned over Jungkook, shielding him effectively from view in case someone opened the door. 

Jungkook took in a sharp breath when Yoongi moved closer, his hand placed firmly at his back to keep him still and make sure he felt the calming presence. At first he didn’t dare to move, waiting for Hoseok to arrive but the seconds felt like minutes and so Jungkook looked up at Yoongi, one hand still holding on tightly to the chopsticks that were now hidden in between their chests while the other was slowly reaching for the hem of Yoongi’s suit jacket to hold onto it. Their gazes met and Jungkook couldn’t help but smile shyly - that was until he realized that he was wearing absolutely no makeup. His expression visibly paled and he quickly casted down his eyes, flinching once more when the door of the tearoom slid open and Hoseok’s voice came closer. Jungkook let out a small whimper, inching closer to Yoongi. 

As it was so dark Yoongi could only guess what Jungkook’s face looked like right now, he could barely make out when he smiled - but he definitely felt the youngers shudder. The small, lost sound the boy made sliced right through his heart and he held him closer, drawing reassuring patterns into the small of his back as he couldn’t talk, lips brushing Kook’s ear nonetheless as if he wanted to whisper to him to calm him down. He felt a little too helpless for his liking in their current position.

Jungkook wasn’t necessarily shuddering because of Hoseok anymore, but more because he could feel Yoongi’s breath right on his neck, tingling and making him too aware of their position right now. He could have turned around again not facing the other, but the confined space would have only made this more awkward. Opening his eyes carefully, Jungkook listened to the conversation outside, how Jimin was telling Hoseok that he just finished his dance and would accompany Mr. Kim outside soon and then return to clean up but Hoseok was adamant not to go right away. He could hear the desperation in Jimin’s voice, the nervousness and it was making him more anxious. And then there was Yoongi, whose touch felt way too good but at the same time he wasn’t supposed to be in a position like this…if Hoseok would look in the closet he would be done for. For more than one reason.

When Yoongi’s breath was making a shiver ran down his spine again, Jungkook stiffened up. Carefully his hand wandered up to Yoongi’s chest to keep a certain distance (as much as he could) between them because the urge to lean in and hug the other for real was way too real right now. He blinked up into Yoongi’s eyes, smiling a bit unsurely. 

Yoongi got that the situation was dangerous and that the tea house owner was right outside. So, playing it safe and not moving a bit would have been the best decision. Yoongi had a history of ignoring reason though and he followed that tradition by tightening his grip a little further. Jungkook’s body was pressed against his and he could feel the younger gasp quietly. They were so close now that he could feel the younger’s breath against his lips, warm and sweet and so, so tempting. This was a bad idea. Something in his stomach fluttered as if he’s had moths for breakfast. His free hand found its way to Jungkook’s face, caressing the soft skin as delicately as he could. He was so beautiful. Even when he could barely see him he just knew that the younger was full of beauty because his warm heart and cute smile proved it even in the dark.

Jungkook’s eyes widened when Yoongi touched his cheek so softly as if he didn’t even care about the rule of not touching a maiko. He wasn’t supposed to be touched in any way by a customer. And still it made his heart flutter, picking up its beat. Reaching for Yoongi’s wrist slowly, he wrapped his hand around it, for a moment he wanted to pull it off – because it was the right thing to do but the second he held onto his delicate wrist, Jungkook couldn’t tear his gaze from Yoongi’s eyes. Gulping against the lump in his throat, he stayed completely still. 

They held hands in some weird way now with Jungkook holding onto him. Yoongi had expected the boy to try and wiggle out of his grip or turn his head away. instead he held onto him for dear life - and if he wasn't mistaken then Jungkook had even inched closer. Their lips were so close to each other that it would only take a few inches for them to kiss. It was absolutely forbidden, a sacrilege, especially with a Maiko, the untouched blossoms of the tea house. Yet it was always what was forbidden that tasted the sweetest…

Yoongi leaned in and pressed his lips against Jungkooks. They were soft and warm and when the Maiko gasped in shock he unintendedly gave Yoongi the opportunity to taste him for real. Nonetheless it was a sweet kiss, careful and Yoongi retreated after a short while to not overwhelm the boy. The young maiko’s eyes were wide. Fear, surprise and a weird feeling he couldn’t distinguish mixed together, when Yoongi’s warm lips were kissing him. He reacted completely on instinct, his hold around his wrist tightening when Yoongi leaned back. Jungkook was speechless, completely frozen in his state. Yoongi felt strange, with his lips tingling and sparks at his fingertips where he still touched the boys delicate skin. He had thought that kissing Jungkook would satisfy his curiosity - though now that he’s had a taste he only wanted him more. 

Jimin bowed his head to Hoseok, who nodded to Namjoon in a respectful manner before finally turning around. The geisha stumbled back, feeling breathless, dizzy and like crying all at once. “Oh god,” He whimpered quietly, feeling Namjoon reach out for him to steady him as he felt awfully wobbly on his legs. His heart was beating so fast and hard against his chest that he was sure Namjoon could hear it. He turned in Namjoon’s hold and simply gave in to the urge to let himself fall against him. Leaning his head against his chest and wrapping his arms around Namjoon tightly. He stayed like this for a moment, only parting when he remembered their friends in the closet. “Oh…no, Jungk…” Jimin couldn’t end his sentence, still holding onto Namjoon when Jungkook stormed out of the closet, eyes wide and his cheeks blushed. 

Namjoon let go of Jimin when Jungkook came towards then because he didn’t know how comfortable Jimin was with others seeing them like that. And as he had expected Jimin straightened up the moment Jungkook was close. He looked as shaken as the geisha and went right up to him, hiding behind his back and cuddling up to Jimin so tightly as if he wanted to disappear. His eyes were wide as if he was still shocked but there was a shy smile tugging at the corners of his lips and a dark blush dusted all over his cheeks. 

With a slight creek the door of their hiding spot opened wider and Yoongi stepped out, looking as calm and collected as if he hadn’t just been stuck in a cramped space together with someone else. Namjoon immediately reached out for him trying to talk Yoongi out of getting angry and hoping that the older wouldn’t be sulky for having to hide. Surprisingly though Yoongi didn’t look like he was about to give him a hard time.

Jimin was surprised when Jungkook was hugging him so tightly, trying to hide behind him – although he was shorter than the other. “Are you okay, Kook? I’m sorry, I pushed you I will explain everything in our room, okay?” Jimin whispered, reaching behind him to reach for Jungkook’s hand to intertwine them as he felt like Jungkook was a bit shaken, thinking it was because he made him go through this nerve wracking experience.  

Jungkook just shook his head, hiding his mouth behind his hand as he had to suppress a stunned giggle. He still couldn’t believe what had happened and he wasn’t sure yet if he should let himself feel excited and joyful - or freak out about it. Jimin would know though. Jimin always knew. So, he leaned in and whispered into the geishas ear. “Yoongi, he.. he kissed me. In the closet. In the dark. He kissed me!”

Jimin’s jaw dropped. He was stunned, only for a second though and then reality hit him. Jungkook, his maiko, had been kissed. His sweet, innocent boy. He held on tightly to Jungkook, shaking from the uncertainty what to do now. Jungkook didn’t seem like it was against his will but at the same time…there was no way Yoongi had been allowed and if Hoseok would find out. Too many rules had been broken tonight. And waiting and letting time pass was only making it worse now. Jimin whined helplessly, before his gaze focused on Yoongi and he narrowed his eyes. Taking the chopsticks from Jungkook, he pointed them at the shorter man. “You...you both need to go now.” Jimin spoke as confident as he could, “Before Mr. Jung comes back…and finds out.” He snapped his gaze around to Yoongi, looking him up and down as a warning and pulled Jungkook a little behind himself just to make it clear to the other that he would keep an eye on him.

There was obviously something that Namjoon was missing because a simple whisper from Jungkook had made Jimin stare at Yoongi as if he was the devil personified. His words had been clear though and Namjoon felt like he’s brought enough chaos into the geishas life so he retreated like the other had asked him to, telling him goodbye while Jimin was already busy cleaning up, keeping a grip on Jungkook the whole time as if someone was about to snatch Jungkook away from him (even though it was really impractical during the cleaning).

They left the private rooms quickly as Namjoon wasn’t keen on meeting Hoseok again. He didn’t slow down when they were out of hearing range, but he addressed the topic immediately. “Okay, spill it. What did you do?”

Yoongi just simply shrugged his shoulders, following Namjoon outside of the building. He lifted his arm to call for a taxi, staring into the distance to wave for an empty one while adding nonchalantly. “I kissed him.”

Namjoon had to make a double take at that. “You did what? You… You of all people who told me to stick to the rules and don't fuck this up because it would bring trouble for both the boys and ourselves - you kissed Jungkook? Even I know that this is absolutely not allowed!” 

Yoongi could only be joking right?

He sat down in the taxi, telling the driver their street before answering Namjoon, “Yeah, well…you know I’m not good with following my own rules.” He raked a hand through his hair, looking at Namjoon, “He didn’t move away and Jungkook certainly liked it…so what about it? Yeah yeah, he’s a maiko. No touching allowed. But there was no room in there. We had to touch each other! If you see it this way…it’s your fault. Not mine. You pushed me in there for whatever reason.”

Namjoon shook his head, trying to get comfortable on the taxis worn seats. “Yoongi, please don't do this. Don’t mess with Jungkook just because you can.” No wonder Jimin looked at Yoongi as if he had personally offended him. “It might mean a little fun for you - but it will confuse Jungkook a lot. You saw him. And he’s already under a lot of stress because he’s currently training for his mizuage and…”

He broke off when Yoongi made an involuntary sound, something surprised and raw and for a moment his nonchalant facade broke away. Now it was Namjoon’s turn to be shocked. “Wait.. wait! You like him? Like I am into Jimin? Even though you teased me for being interested into a geisha and you told me that it’s just their job and that they are supposed to make you fall for them? You fell for Kookie? The sweet little maiko boy? You who can’t make it through the day without swearing! Well…,” He shook his head in disbelief, but he knew Yoongi too well to misinterpret his reaction, “I definitely didn’t expect that.”

A/N: Whuhu! Another sunday, another update! Don’t forget to leave us a comments on how you liked it. What do you think? Did Yoongi take it a step too far now? Will Hoseok find out ;) Will Jimin get the punishment for it....hm.........

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[liilireinhartstan]

Lonely Hour - 4.02 Bughead Drabble.

It was going to be another lonely hour.

This life goes by so fast and none of us are really good at stopping to savour it

It got him thinking

What life could possibly be like without his partner in crime. His best friends. His ride or die.

In only a year from now it would be completely different. But he focused on now. On today. On them.

“Is anyone else absolutely shattered, or is it just the champagne kicking in for me finally?”

“Good point” Archie Added.

“I’m so ready to sleep, it feels like all I’ve done today is mope around and eat crap”

“Hey!Don’t talk about good food like that..” complained jughead.

“You guys are in the guest room straight along and up 4, it’s chilly in there all the time so I’d recommend going in there after heating up or 2 seconds before you pass out asleep”

“Wanna grab the spare night bags with me Betts? they are upstairs”

“Let’s get them then I can go to sleep pleasee”

Veronica held Betty back to murmur a tipsy joke.

“No funny business on the nice rug , my mother would skin me and then boil me alive.”

They both giggle ...

“Gosh” jughead murmured

“Veronica wasn’t lying, it’s absolutely freezing in here”

“Guess we’ll have to warm eachother up” Betty suggested

......................................................................

“Jug have you seen my toothbrush? Or my towel or my face wash? They aren’t there”

With everything kicking in - Champagne, hormones & restlessness. Betty began bawling.

“I forgot them all at home, I’m so stupid, how do I forget my night bag”

Jughead got down to her level from where she was placed in the bed. He cupped her face and tucked her hair behind her ear.?

“Hey, it’s okay. Veronica will have spare, I’m sure,and if not I can go buy you some. You’re alright and you’re most definitely not stupid. Betts.”

Jughead knew Betty was having a moment so he said “ I will go sit in the lounge and wait for you, let’s go get you what you need babe.”

He looked for reassurance in her eyes and she nodded. “Thank you juggie, i love you”

5 minutes went by and Betty still had not emerged from the Arctic like room and jughead began to worry.

Not wanting to disturb Archie and Veronica he lightly knocked on the door but then felt someone run their hands through his hair from behind

“Shit, Betty I thought that was Hiram or something”

She giggled “I’m ready to go when you are”

“Cool do you have Keys before we leave so we can actually get in?”

“No, do you?”

“Fuck, this was my idea and I didn’t even think about how we would get back in. Unless you stay and I go we will meet back here.”

“No jug, we aren’t doing that, I will use what Veronica has got and first thing tomorrow I will just ask her for a toothbrush”

“But Betty it was my Id-“

“Kiss me jug, kiss me”

......................................................................

A couple months ago Betty and Jughead had both decided to chat about their sex life with her gynaecologist.

He had suggested that she try the pill and see how it made her feel. She put weight on her boobs but overall she was happy so he was happy.

The first time without using physical protection was terrifying but amazing and ever since They’ve enjoyed exploring eachothers body more.

.............................................................

“Jug I don’t wanna go to that cold room lets have sex right here. Please.”

Jughead being cautious after a near miss at the trailer with him betty and his dad even though he been knew. Ever since jughead has strict boundaries on where he will have sex with Betty.

“What if someone walks in Betty, what will we do then.

Betty rolled her eyes and sighed

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay we can just watch a movie.”

“No, I want to, like really want to but we need to be quiet, I’d rather not have my best friends looking at my manhood.”

Jughead smirked.

“Come here”

It was fantastic, as per usual. Jughead kissing her all over, leaving his mark on part of her body only her and himself would ever see. Betty giving jughead a blow as in perfect as she was she knew how to give perfect blow jobs and jughead was not complaining. Jughead alternating between slow thrusting and quick thrusts and Betty calling out his name asking for more. Lately they had been trying out jughead topping. As much as Betty loved the sight of him on top she couldn’t control many things in her life so being on top during sex gave her some sort of control and it made jughead come harder in her so it was a win win.

“Fuck that was so good” their hot breaths met yet again this time for a long passionate kiss the taste of kissing jughead after hot sex was something of dreams betty thought. Sweat, cum, tears.

“How did I get so lucky”

After 20 minutes of pillow talk which was always the second best bit of having sex after the actual sex. Betty got up to get cleaned up after picking up their quickly disregarded clothes and tidying up jugheads hair betty went to go clean up.

She brushed her hair first then brushed her teeth with her toothbrush which was in her bag which of course she hadn’t even forgotten, she had just packed it away.

Then she hopped into the shower.

“Ouch that stings” there was a little blood too.

Jughead had went a little too rough on poor Betty and oh did that shit hurt.

“I’m done juggy, you can go in the bathroom.”

Jughead did the same hair, teeth then shower.

Once they got into bed, light out and then bedtime voices on.

“Goodnight Betts.”

“Night.”

‘Night He thought that’s odd Betty never says night like that.

“Is everything okay betty?”

“Yep I’m just really tired, why?”

“Nah it’s nothing you just never say night like that it sounded kinda dry, so I was just checking if you were okay. If there is something up you can say if it was about y’know then I -

“It’s not that deep, well actually it kinda is, it literally Is”

She sighed

“What are you talking about Betty, is this about earlier?”

“Yes it’s just you kind of hurt me a bit, like it was cut and I was bleeding a little, it doesn’t hurt or anything I just wanted you to know you went a little bit too far in today. Not to make you upset or lower your self esteem just so you know for next time.”

“I’m so sorry betty. Why did you not say anything?”

“We were enjoying ourselves I didn’t want to be dramatic, I had a good time but it just scared me a little. Like after our first time I didn’t even bleed.”

“Fuck” jughead thought to himself. He didn’t even ask if it was okay at all today during. “I’ve been a dick I’m sorry” he thought. Jughead had to go think stuff through and how to make it up to her.

“I’m going for a walk Betty” the mood in the room dropped from happy to sad in a matter of minutes.

She wanted to protest and tell him to stay like he did to her but this was a heavy personal thing and he needed to let off some steam.

“okay jug, I will get the door for you when you’re back.” She went to turn the light on but he’d already left.

It got to morning 8:55 to be exact and jughead had not returned.

Morning B Veronica said when she saw her at around 9am. Sleep well? Ready for the last day of summer.

“Morning, yeah yeah I am.” She smiled with some confusion on her face.

“Where’s jughead this morn.?”

“Oh Is he not with Archie?”

Veronica looked at Betty then the floor then Betty again.

“No Archie has been with me all morning he’s just in the shower now. Is everything okay?”

“No actually it’s not i am quite worried V.”

She wanted to say the truth and get advice but she didn’t want to drag out a situation that was irrelevant to them.

It’s just something that happened last night it’s ok though, just a bit of an emotional night that’s all.

Veronica called Archie to see if he knew anything.

“Well it’s good that you said something, it must have been really bad if he’s not came back yet though.”

“Betty and Jughead had a little fight and Betty hasn’t seen him since last night have you heard anything.”

“Honestly I should not be saying anything but yes I did he just texted to say he was okay and he’d be back for breakfast and to tell you, I guess he meant you betty, that he was sorry.

What was it that happened it sounds like it really upset you both.

And then all of a sudden Jughead emerged from the main room door.

[percussiongirl2017]

One Day At A Time

Title: One Day At A Time: Part 1

Prompt: “There’s no shame in having to fight every day.”

Summary: You’ve been a part of the cast for a while yet no one has ever seen you cry, in character or in person.

Pairing: All friends. No pairing. Jensen, Jared, reader, and other SPN cast.

Word Count: 2700

Warnings: swearing, some angst, mentions of depression and anxiety.

A/N: REPOSTING OF AN OLD FIC. This was from an old challenge. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. Tags are below the cut.

Buy Jared and Jensen’s Scent Here!

******

*Jensen’s P.O.V.*

     I walked onto the set after getting my coffee. Jared was talking to Rich and Rob and Y/N was walking around set with her headphones on and her nose buried in the script. She must already have an idea of what we’re filming today. I went over to Jared and Richard.

“How long has she been pacing around?” I asked.

“About an hour.” Jared answered.

“You guys have a lot to film today.” Richard added. “It’s going to be a long night.”

“Wonderful.” I stated. “What’s on the agenda?”

“Mainly scenes in the bunker.” Jared answered. “I think an Impala scene and something else.”

“A fight scene.” Richard commented.

“Wait.” I said dumbfounded. “Like the fight scene that everyone’s been talking about?”

“Yep.” Jared popped.

“Should be interesting.” Rich smiled.

     I took a sip of my coffee while processing what they said. This fight scene was the high point of the season finale. Y/N’s character, Rae, gets into an argument with Sam and Dean and finally breaks. It was going to be interesting to see because Y/N hadn’t had an emotional or high-tension scene yet and like her character no one’s ever seen her cry. I read over the schedule Jared handed me and found that it was the last scene we would film today. Jared and I were going to be in the bunker all day while Y/N was off filming with both Marks and Misha.

       After filming for several hours, we stopped for lunch before getting back to work. I nudged Jared as we walked back to set.

“Have you seen Y/N?” I asked.

He shook his head. “She’s still filming with Mark and Misha. I’ve checked her Instagram feed too. She’s been silent all day.”

     Before I could answer Mark Pellegrino came through the side door and made his way over to us.

“What’s up, Mark?” Jared asked.

“Do either of you know what’s wrong with Y/N?” He questioned.

“No.” I answered. “Is she okay?”

He shrugged. “She just seems off today. She’s been really quiet and hasn’t talked much.”

“She hasn’t said anything to us.” Jared commented sounding worried. He was incredibly close to Y/N.

“We’ll talk to her when she gets here.” I assured Mark and Jared.

“Thanks, guys.” Mark nodded. “Let me know if I can help any.”

“Will do.” I told him.

     They were finishing the last touches of makeup on me and Jared when Misha and Y/N walked onto set. Misha went over to talk to Richard while Y/N was bombarded by hair and makeup. She joined us after they finished.

“Hey, guys.” She greeted.

“Sup, kiddo?” Jared asked.

“Nothing much.” She shrugged.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She chuckled. “I’m fine.”

“PLACES!” Richard called over us.

     Jared and I moved over to one of the tables in the library while Y/N disappeared down one of the hallways. I waited as it became quiet on set and Rich yelled “Action!”.

“You know she isn’t going to be happy about this, Dean.” Jared said while packing the weapons bag in front of him.

“I’m not exactly wild about this either.” I countered. “These Brits have all the fancy weapons in the world. Why do they need us?”

“Networking.” He answered. “We have to convince the other hunters that the British Men of Letters are here to help.”

“Who’s helping with what?” Y/N asked while walking in. She looked up from the book she was holding. “Going somewhere?”

“Umm, yeah.” Jared said. “Mick called and needs help with a case.”

She looked at Jared. “Mick? Like Mick Davies with the British assbutts? Why the hell are you helping him?”

“We’re working with them for now.” He answered. “They’re just trying to help.”

      I watched as Y/N’s demeanor changed.

“Help?” She scoffed. “They can help by going back across the ocean and staying there. When were you planning on sharing this information?”

“Eventually.” I stated. “It was need-to-know basis and you didn’t need to know at the moment.”

“Have you two lost your minds?” She questioned. “Do you not remember everything they’ve done to us?”

She turned to Jared. “How can you work with the same people that tried to kill you? I mean seriously, Sam. She was going to kill you if you didn’t cough up any information.”

Jared tried to explain. “Toni was a rogue agent, Rae.”

“How can you be sure?” She questioned. I could see her eyes starting to water. “I was scared, Sam. I thought I had lost you for good and now you want to work with them?”

     Jared was quiet before Y/N turned her attention to me.

“And you…” She started. “I’m shocked.”

“Why?” I asked.

She shook her head as the tears finally spilled down her cheeks. “The Dean Winchester I knew would have destroyed anyone that hurt his family. He wouldn’t be buddying up with them. They would have been dead the second he knew his family was safe.”

“I’m still that guy.” I assured her.

“No, you’re not.” She shook her head again. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re not the Dean Winchester that I know.”

“We can trust the British Men of Letters.” Jared tried to reason with her.

She was starting to get angry again. “Who’s to say they aren’t playing us? Where has trusting people gotten us, Sam? Name one person that’s come into our life and not screwed us over.”

“There was….” I started.

“That’s still living.” She interrupted.

     There was a moment of silence.

“Exactly.” She said.

     She grabbed her book off the table and turned around.

“So, what does this mean for us?” Jared called out.

      I watched her shoulders shake as she turned around. Her face had turned red and tears streamed down her face, but I could see the hurt and anger in her eyes.

She shrugged. “It’s me or them.”

“Don’t be like that, Rae.” I pleaded.

     She turned around again and continued to the hallway before stopping.

“I’ve already watch them kill one family of mine.” She choked out. “I’m not going to watch them kill another.”

“CUT!” Richard called.

“Did we do that in one take?” Jared joked.

“That’s a first!” Misha called from offset.

     I watched Y/N as makeup swooped in and fixed everything. Mark was right. She seemed off. It looked like something was bothering her. I went over as makeup cleared out.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I hope that take was good.”

I gave her a quick hug. “You did amazing.”

She hugged me back. “Thanks, Jen.”

“RESET!” Rich announced.

      We moved back to our starting points and cameras starting rolling. Y/N walked in and messed up her line which earned a chuckle from everyone since she didn’t mess up often. A few hours later, we were still filming the same scene. Jared had started cracking up which caused me to laugh. However, a lot of it was on Y/N. I could tell she was trying her hardest, but she couldn’t help but slip up. Finally, we got through a take without a mistake.

“CUT!” Richard yelled. “That’s a wrap, folks!”

     People started cleaning up or clearing out. All the film would be reviewed and sent to post production. We were done with the season and had a short break before conventions and filming would start up. Jared stayed behind to talk to Mark and Misha and Y/N walked down one of the far hallways to grab her stuff. I decided to give her a moment instead of intruding. Mark and Misha eventually left and Jared joined me.

“Waiting on Y/N?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Figured she’d probably want a minute to herself before meeting up.”

“True.” He said before patting my shoulder. “I’ll catch up with y’all tomorrow. I’m beat.”

“Night, Jare.” I called.

“Night!” He called over his shoulder.

      A few minutes later Y/N emerged from the hallway. She had changed into her AKF hoodie. Her headphones were around her neck and she scrolled through her phone as she walked onto the empty set. I was standing near the set door so she didn’t see me.

“Hey.” I said as she looked up.

“Hey, Jensen.” She said.

“Ready to call it a night?” I asked.

“Definitely.” She yawned.

     I held the door open as she walked out. Our trailers weren’t far from the set. I glanced over at Y/N and could tell she was lost in thought. I placed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her next to me.

“You okay, Y/N/N?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“You sure?” I asked. “Mark said you seemed off today.”

She shrugged against me. “Just tired.”

We stopped in front of her trailer. “You know I’m always here if you want to talk.”

She moved and hugged me. “I know, Jen. Thank you.”

     She gave me a small wave before climbing into her trailer. I went to my trailer and took a hot shower before crawling into bed. I’d have to get up early and pack my bags before our flight.

*Reader P.O.V.*

     I gave Jensen a small wave before entering my trailer. I closed the door and sighed. I tossed my bag on the small couch and pulled my headphones off. I shrugged out of my hoodie and went to wash the stage makeup off. I went ahead and took a shower and put on a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. I sat on the edge of my bed and took a deep breath. It had been a rough day. I loved the scenes we filmed today because it gave great backstory to Rae’s character, but I wasn’t in a good frame of mind going into filming. I hadn’t told anyone yet, but something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I was pretty sure it was depression and anxiety, but I was too scared to say anything. Being one of the younger cast members, I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle the pressure.

       I had screwed up a lot today. I knew the lines, but I couldn’t portray the right emotions. I felt like I was going to actually break down on set. I did well with the Marks and Misha. I only messed up a few times, but when I got over to Jared and Jensen I bombed every take. I felt…I didn’t know how I felt. Empty, maybe? Alone. Worthless. Those were a few adjectives that had crossed my mind the last few weeks. I pulled my phone out and sent Jensen a message. I needed to talk to someone. About 5 minutes later someone sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Jensen asked.

“That’s the problem.” I stated. “I don’t know.”

“What’s going through your head right now?” He asked. He and Jared always knew when I was lost in thought.

“Too much.” My voice cracked.

“Let’s go talk to Jared.” He offered.

“But he’s asleep.” I countered. “I don’t want to bother him.”

Jensen smiled. “He’s not going to mind.”

      I pulled my hoodie on and found a pair of slip on shoes. I followed Jensen to Jared’s trailer. He kept me tucked underneath his arm until we reached the door. He pulled a key out and unlocked the door. We had keys to each other’s trailers just in case we needed anything. I stepped up into the open space.

“Grab a seat.” Jensen said. “I’ll go get Jared.”

    I sat down in one of the arm chairs and turned sideways so my legs were hanging over the edge of the arm and my back was against the other arm. I rested my head against the cushioned back and waited on the boys.

*Jensen’s P.O.V.*

      I walked back into Jared’s room and turned the light on.

“Jared.” I called while shaking his shoulder.

     He grumbled and rolled over.

“Come on, Jare. Get up.” I said.

“Why?” He mumbled.

“It’s Y/N.” I told him.

       I had never seen Jared move so fast. He sat up and started looking for a shirt.

“What’s wrong? Is she okay?” He asked while digging through his stuff.

I grabbed his shoulder to stop him. “Calm down. She’s fine. I brought her over here. I think you need to talk to her.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Give me a minute.”

       I walked out to the main room and saw Y/N curled up in one of the arm chairs. I sat on the couch across from her.

“How long?” I asked.

She turned and faced me. “How long what?”

“How long have you felt like this?” I clarified.

She laughed and shook her head. “A long time.”

     Jared walked out in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His hair was still sticking out at weird angles as he sat next to me.

“What’s up, kiddo?” He asked.

     She shrugged. I patted Jared shoulder’s.

“I’ll let y’all talk. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.” I said.

     Jared nodded as I walked over to Y/N and kissed the top of her head.

“Love you, Y/N/N.” I whispered.

“Love you, too, Jen. Thank you.” She said.

“Anytime.” I said before walking back to my trailer.

*Jared’s P.O.V.*

     Jensen closed the door behind him and the trailer fell quiet. I watched Y/N as she was lost in thought. Her eyes were rimmed red and she looked like she was about to cry.

“What’s going on, Y/N/N?” I asked.

“There’s something wrong with me.” She whispered.

“Like what?” I asked.

“I’m not as strong as you, Jared.” She shook her head. “I’m tired of fighting.”

     It suddenly clicked what she was talking about.

“You’re stronger than you think.” I told her. “Have you talked to anyone about this?”

She laughed. “No one cares about my problems, Jare.”

“I care.” I assured her. “Jensen cares. Misha, the Marks, Rob, and Rich care. All of us care about you.”

“I know that.” She said. “My brain doesn’t.”

     She moved over and sat next to me on the couch. She leaned over and placed her head on my shoulder.

“I just feel worthless compared to you guys.” She whispered. “I feel like I’m walking upstream every day and I’m tired.”

I pulled her close to me. “You’re not worthless, Y/N. You are more than enough. There’s no shame in having to fight every day.”

“I’m struggling, Jare.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want the others to look down on me for it.”

“It’s okay, Y/N.” I assured her again. “We’re here for you. We could never look down on you.”

     She shook next to me as sobs racked through her body. I held her closer as she cried. Eventually she calmed down and started wiping the tears from her face.

“I’m sorry, Jared.” She said. “I’m just a mess right now.”

“There’s nothing wrong with needing help, Y/N.” I told her. “Can I ask a question?”

“Go for it.” She laughed.

“Have you talked to anyone professional about this?” I asked.

“No.” She whispered. “I don’t…I don’t know how to talk about it without breaking down.”

“That’s okay.” I nodded. “I’ve got an idea if you’re up for it.”

She sat up and ran her hand through her hair. “I’m listening.”

“When we get back home you can stay with me and Gen and maybe, if you’re up for it, we can visit a friend of mine.” I offered.

“What kind of friend?” She asked.

“Someone that can help.” I said.

She looked up at me and nodded. “Okay.”

I pulled her in for a hug. “You’re so much stronger than you think, Y/N.”

“How do you do this every day, Jare?” She asked.

I chuckled. “One day at a time. Somedays are better than others, but you just have to take it one day at a time.”

“I think I can do that.” Y/N whispered.

I hugged her tighter. “I know you can. Everyone will be there every step of the way.”

******

Tags: Any feedbackk would be appreciated.

@impala-dreamer @feelmyroarrrr @mariekoukie6661 @latishiante1001 @ellen-reincarnated1967 @i-cant-believe-its-not-satan @ellie-andthemachine @spnbaby-67 @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @meeshw777 @rideandwritethings @sleepylunarwolf @moose-and-sqruille-lover @youre-acting-like-a-psycho @waywardasfudge @amotleyworld @fallenangelsneverfade @claitynroberts @wingedcatninja @carryonmywaywardwriters @dean-winchesters-bacon @death-unbecomes-you @arses21434 @lonely-skys @mannls @internationalmusicteacher @theloudkilljoy @closetspngirl

[fandomoblivion]

And There She Was (Part 2)

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader, kind of Billy Hargrove x Henderson!Reader but not totally

Request: can u do a cute steve harrington x henderson ! reader? idrc what it is im just in the mood for something steve lol

Summary: (Y/N) Henderson has lived all her life pining after Steve Harrington. Steve Harrington: the athlete. Steve Harrington: the King of Hawkins. Steve Harrington: the player. Steve Harrington: the boyfriend of her best friend. But the thing is, when they’re forced to be together while fighting other-worldly creatures… stuff goes down. But hey, you know what they say. Shit happens.

Warnings: Swearing, violence

Word Count: 2,615

Notes: UH. THE S3 TEASER TRAILER. STEVE. UGH BE STILL MY HEART.

prologue / part one

You rolled your eyes as Dustin got into your car, completely dressed in Ghostbusters gear. “Dustin, nobody dresses up for Halloween at school.”

“Maybe not in high school, Miss “I’m-too-cool-for-a-costume.”

“I never said that.”

“But we do in middle school.”

“Did Mom get pictures?” You asked, changing the subject. He nodded. “Of course she did. She takes Halloween way too seriously.”

“It’s a fun holiday!” Dustin protested.

“Shut up, Stantz. We’re here.” You said, pulling into the middle school’s parking lot. “Get out. And, uh, have a great day. Happy Halloween… and all that crap.” You said, making Dustin laugh and close the car door behind him. As you drove off, you noticed that none of the other kids were wearing costumes. “Fuck.” You mumbled, but there was no way you could help him. You had to get yourself to class.

You walked into the lunchroom, Billy trailing behind you. The night before had been… weird, to say the least.

He had picked you up and the two of you went to a diner where he insisted on buying the two of you burgers and fries. You opted out, just ordering a milkshake, and you told him all about Hawkins. At least, you tried to. He cut you off before you could get a full thought out and started talking about himself and why he was “drawn to you.” Pfft. What a smooth-talking, greasy-haired, foul-mouthed asshole. But…

You needed to get your mind off of Steve.

So you played along.

Sure, some would call what you were doing “leading him on,” but anyone who knew you knew you didn’t like him. Just… he didn’t know.

You knew none of this was logical. You knew it was bad. You knew it was immoral. And yet, you couldn’t handle the thought of facing school alone for much longer.

You started to walk over to Jonathan, when Billy pulled you back by your hand. “Do you really want to sit with that photography nerd? C’mon, let’s just ditch. We can go for a smoke out back.”

You scrunched up your nose. “I don’t smoke.”

“Yeah, but I do. So come on.” You huffed and reluctantly followed him to the back of the cafeteria building.

On the way, Jonathan caught your eye. He looked from you to Billy, and back to you, with a quizzical look on his face. “Really?” He mouthed out. You shrugged and looked away.

“I’m driving you home after school.” Billy said outside.

You scowled. “My car is here.”

He shrugged. “Then I’ll drive you to school tomorrow so you can pick it up.”

You looked at him, studying how he was leaning against the brick wall. “No. I want to drive myself home.”

He looked at you, and let out a puff of smoke.

“Fine. Suit yourself, Sweet Pea. Just know that you’ve gotta make it up to me somehow.” He said, wrapping an arm around your waist.

You quickly pulled away and started cleaning your glasses on your sweater.

“What, so you just ain’t gonna say anything?”

You looked up. “How am I supposed to respond to that?”

He leaned in to your face, real close. “You’re supposed to fuck me, right?”

At this your breathing hitched. Like, really, dude? Gee, way to make you swoon.

You scoffed and looked around. Nobody was outside to help you. Your heart was now pounding. “No, I’m not screwing you.” You shoved his arm off of you once more and stormed back into the cafeteria, sitting down across from Jonathan, and now Nancy and Steve.

“(Y/N), what was that all about?” Jonathan asked you.

“What was what about?” Nancy asked.

You and Jonathan shared a look. You stole a fry from Jonathan’s plate and said, “Nothing,” before shooting Jon a glance that said, “We’ll talk later.” He nodded.

Nancy and Steve looked at each other, confused.

That night, you drove to the Wheeler house with Dustin and watched as he got out of the car. The entire time from when you picked him up from school until now was filled with ranting about MadMax, about how nobody else dressed up, and about how Mike and Lucas were bickering before school about who was who in their Ghostbusters group.

You parked your car and got out, dressed in your last-minute costume that Dustin had forced you to get.

You took an old dress of your mother’s--a long, red dress with long sleeves, cut the dress to be a decent length, added a strip of black around the neckline and the hem, and finally you ironed on an iconic Starship Enterprise logo.

You pulled on a pair of tall black boots, teased your hair into a bun for the gods, and put on some “groovy” makeup to finish the look.

“There, you happy now, Little Dude?”

You had asked Dustin. He clapped his hands together excitedly. “Yes! I am! You’ve finally gotten into the Halloween spirit!”

You got out of your car and spotted Jonathan. You waved, and he got out of his car. Upon seeing your costume, Jonathan’s face broke into a grin. “Wow, how long did it take your mom to convince you to wear that?”

You glared at him. “It was Dustin. I felt bad about the MadMax thing and let him dress me up. He picked Lieutenant Uhura.”

Jonathan laughed. “Well you look nice.” He paused and the two of you watched the kids interact. “You’re a really great sibling, (Y/N).”

You smiled, seeing the curly-haired dork annoy the others with his Chewbacca impression. “I try my best. He’s an idiot, but I love him.”

Jonathan gave you a sideways glance. “You still have to tell me what happened at school. I mean, when you came back your cheeks was all red and your eyes were all watery and-” he must have noticed you had trained your focus onto tugging down your skirt in an effort for it to cover more, for he stopped and said, “sorry.”

“So… Dustin is making me stay with him for at least an hour-”

“(Y/N)!” You were cut off by your little brother.

“Yeah, Little Dude?”

“You can go!”

You and Jonathan shared a smile. “R-Really, Dustin? You don’t want me to-”

“No no! If Jonathan’s not staying you don’t have to.”

You smiled. “Thanks, kid.”

“Want a ride to the party? Nancy and Steve are already there, I think.”

You looked at your parked car, sitting in front of the Wheeler household. “I’ll get my car later. Sure. Thanks, Jon.” He nodded with a small smile.

The two of you got into Jonathan’s car, but he didn’t start it up right away. He sat there, looking at you, clearly waiting for you to tell him what happened.

You sighed. “You know that new guy, Billy Hargrove?” He nodded. “Well he and I went out on a date the night of his first day at school.”

Jonathan scowled. “What? Why?” You bit your lower lip and didn’t say anything, but he understood. “Oh. Steve.” You nodded. “So what happened at lunch?”

“He was being a dick. So I got mad at him. But I… I feel like… I feel like he’s the only way to get my mind off Steve,” you said, your brows furrowed and your eyes focused again on tugging down your skirt, even though you were sitting down.

This was when Jonathan noticed your tick. Well, not really a medical tick, but a nervous habit you had whenever you were uncomfortable. The two of you still didn’t know each other very well, but he just acquired a bit more knowledge about you. Then he noticed you exhibited your “tick” quite often. Whenever Steve said something cute to Nancy, you were tugging on your sleeves in an effort to make them longer, or adjusting your shirt to heighten the collar. You were trying to hide.

“Well if it’s hurting you it’s not worth it.” He said after a bit of silence, finally starting up the car as well.

“But I think it’s hurting me more without Billy.”

“Listen, (Y/N). I don’t like Billy. He seems like an asshole. So I’m gonna advocate for you to stay single, or at least to stay away from him. But I can’t really stop you… so just…” He glanced at you, nodding briefly and saying, “Be careful, yeah?” before looking back at the road.

You blinked and reached to push your glasses up before remembering that it was once of the (very few) times you were wearing contacts.

“Yeah. I will.”

When Jonathan pulled up to the party, the first thing you noticed was the music. How could you not? I mean, you heard it from nearly two blocks away. The next thing you noticed were the people. There were so many people, way more than you were used to being around at one time.

The two of you got out of the car and went inside, sticking together and looking around for Nancy.

“That’s how you do it, Hawkins! That’s how you do it!” You heard someone yell as they entered in behind you. People were chanting his name. You smelled the now familiar scent of cigarette smoke and and a new scent--the unmistakable scent of beer--waft your way. You felt an arm sling around your waist as the person slurred a, “Hey, Sweet Pea. Glad you could make it. You look… hot.”

You lost Jonathan in the crowd as Billy pulled you somewhere, the two of you flanked by his goons. “We got ourselves a new keg king, Harrington.” Shit.

You looked up and saw Nancy and Steve talking, leaning against a wall, dressed in a couple’s costume. Of course. Billy’s friends got in Steve’s face about the keg, but the two of them were watching you. You had Billy’s arm around your waist, and you just realized that someone shoved a red solo cup filled with… something… into your hand. Steve took off his sunglasses as Nancy walked away, an annoyed look on her face.

Steve was about to say something when Nancy took off. He saw her walk away, and he looked at you and shrugged, before following her.

“Yeah, that’s right, Harrington. Walk away.” One of the guys standing with you and Billy said.

“Hey, uh, what’s in this?” You asked Billy, swirling your drink around in your cup. The red liquid was opaque, and it reeked of alcohol.

“Some guys are calling it ‘Pure Fuel.’ I call it bullshit. Let’s get you a real drink.” Billy said, taking your cup. You watched on as he took a bottle of Fireball whiskey from someone and filled your cup with it, cutting it with some Surge energy drink. He handed it to you. “It’s a new kind of whiskey. The brand came out this year, I think. But whatever, it’s good as shit, so drink it.”

You took a sip and immediately started stifling a cough. “Oh… shit.”

Billy smirked. “Yeah.”

You looked over and saw Steve and Nancy dancing amidst the crowd, then Nancy pulled Steve in for a kiss. You felt your chest tighten and you turned back to Billy. You grabbed his wrist and led him to sit on the kitchen counter, right near Nancy and Steve. You didn’t know what you were doing; the alcohol that you had now downed had made you mind fuzzy.

From Jonathan’s point of view, he just saw you straddling Billy, kissing him right where you knew Nancy and Steve would see you. But it didn’t make sense to him, since he knew your goal was never to make them jealous. Why would it make them jealous? Nancy didn’t like Billy and Steve… Steve didn’t like you.

It was just something dumb you had thought up. But when Jonathan saw you, he went over to you and Billy and pulled you off of him. You stumbled a bit, and he noticed your eyes were hazy.

“(Y/N), come on. You’re really drunk. How many drinks have you had?”

“I just asked Billy to keep ‘em coming. A-And he did. So…” Your speech was slurred, and Billy was drumming his fingers on the tile that he was sitting on, clearly impatient. “You can go now, Johnny. Go find Nance!”

Jonathan got closer to you and dropped his voice so Billy couldn’t hear him. “Listen, (Y/N). I really think you should come with me-”

“Jonathan, you said you’d let me get my mind off of Steve. So let me.”

You could see the cogs working in Jon’s head while he weighed out the different scenarios that could happen. “Fine.” He said finally. “It’s just a party. I’m taking you home tonight, though. Promise?” You nodded.

You looked back at the crowd where Nancy and Steve just were, but you saw that they had moved to the drink table again. They were arguing over something, and within a second Steve and Nancy had managed to spill her drink all over her top. You just stood there, silently watching, before Billy clapped a hand onto your shoulder. “Serves him right. Fuckin’ ‘King Steve’ bullshit.”

You turned back around and saw Billy standing now, right up behind you. You pressed your lips to his as the crowd’s mood rose again, matching the music of Depeche Mode in the background.

A few minutes passed, and you were still with Billy, drinking and dancing, drinking and kissing, drinking and… well, drinking. Right when something by Kim Wilde came on, you were shoved into Billy’s chest by someone trying to get through the crowd. You turned around and saw Steve, scowling, pushing his way through everyone.

“Billy, I’ll… be right back.”

You followed Steve outside and watched as he got into his car. He wasted no time in peeling away from his parking spot and leaving.

That was when you knew this night was going to take a turn for the worse.

You turned around and saw Jonathan leaving with Nancy stumbling next to him. “Hey, is everything okay?” You called out, running--you didn’t know how you managed not to trip on the way--up to them. Jonathan was helping Nancy into the passenger seat of his car. “You’re my ride home, Jon. A-Are we leaving? ‘Cause I’ll go tell Billy and-”

Jonathan closed Nancy’s door and scratched the back of his neck. “Listen, (Y/N). I need to take Nancy home.”

“B-But my car is parked in front of her house. Can’t you-”

“I need to help her. She’ll barely be able to get to her doorstep, much less to her room without her parents noticing.”

“Jon, I can help-”

“Just… Billy can take you home, right?”

You tugged at your collar. “O-Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I guess he-”

“Great. Perfect. Thanks, (Y/N).” He said, before getting into his car and shutting the door. You smiled slightly and waved at him through his window, watching him drive away, into the dark night.

You stood there, unsure of how to get home.

You lived kind of far away, and your car was far away, too. Your feet would kill you if you walked. You didn’t want to ask Billy, because you knew he’d try to make some sort of disgusting move on you beyond kissing. You couldn’t call your mom and let her know you had left Dustin alone. You knew Dustin would be home and asleep by now, and there was no way he could even help you. You couldn’t ask someone at the party to drive you home, since you didn’t really know anyone there, and you didn’t trust anyone enough to spend time in their car with them, drunk and alone.

You didn’t know what to do.

So you took off your shoes, tears welling in your eyes, and started walking home.

Tag List (let me know if I forgot you or if you want to be added!)

@alonewolfsblog . @harringtonwife . @highly-uncomfortable-titles . @lilithmouse . @lovingcupcake51002 . @natpete . @slythergirlimagines . @whataloadofmalarkey

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

23

Your co-star, Chris, hears about your ideal date in an interview and decides to take you up on it for your birthday. After that night, you begin to wonder if there’s something more there.

-

           “You ready, Y/n?” Chris asked as he adjusted his sweater sleeve around his watch, looking over at you. It was your first interview together of what would be many. You were paired together on the press tour because you had chemistry, despite not having many scenes together, and this morning was Buzzfeed. No pressure, right?

           “As I’ll ever be,” you responded. You were friendly with him, mostly because you were friends.

           “Don’t be nervous, they’re great,” he said, putting a hand on your back. “I’m the only one in that room about to make a fool of myself. Trust me.” You walked from the green room together to the stage area, where you sat down and they gave you both microphone packs. Yours was hanging off the back of your romper, but his was fixed securely to his shirt.

           “Alright, we have a quiz for you guys,” one of the producers said to the both of you, putting out two laptops in front of you. “What we’re gonna do is you’ll read the question out loud and you’ll answer and kind of talk us through the answer. If we need to change an angle we’ll stop. Sound good?”

           “Sounds good,” you replied at the same time Chris did. That made him chuckle and elbow you a little bit. You started the first two questions as easy enough – pick your favorite puppy and choose your dream job if you weren’t an actor. And then the third question came – what was your ideal date in New York City?

           “We have a picnic in Central Park, a day at the MOMA, brunch on the Upper East Side, or ice skating,” Chris said. “I think… I don’t know. They’re all good ideas. But I really like just talking to someone, getting to spend time with them, so it’s either brunch or the picnic.” He looked over at you with a little smile, urging you to answer.

           “I don’t know! They’re all cute ideas. But I’ve literally never been on a date that didn’t end in some kind of disaster. I think a picnic in Central Park is really cute, though. I’m definitely going with that one.”

           “But bugs!” Chris said, obviously trying to bring you out of your shell.

           “But it’s such a cute idea! If you’re with the right person bugs won’t matter.” Chris sighed and clicked on his answer and you clicked on yours.

           “I hate it when you’re right,” he replied with a sly smile, moving onto the next question that it was your turn to read. You noticed that he threw his arm behind you on the chair as he laughed at a question. It was a natural move, not a planned one, and he was laughing his head off.

           “See!” He said an hour later after you finished. “I promised you’d be fine.” They were taking the mic packs away from you and you were going to your next individual interview with them.

           “I guess,” you replied.

           “Your birthday’s coming up, right?” He asked.

           “Tomorrow. Nobody likes you when you’re 23 though, right?” You referenced Blink-182, one of your favorite bands, and one that you and Chris had jammed out to many mornings in the makeup trailer when you just happened to be there at the same time.

           “Then we should do something. Come on, let me take you out and buy you a drink.”

           “You don’t have to,” you insisted, “I’m sure you have friends in town that you wanna see.”

           “No, I want to. Come on. Please?” You eventually accepted and started to walk to the other interview after squeezing Chris’s arm in thanks. If you had eyes in the back of your head, you would have seen his eyes lingering on you as you walked away and you definitely would have wondered why.

           Your birthday came and you answered a few messages, just saying you were planning on going out with Chris after another long day of press. He was extra nice to you all day – he brought you coffee in the morning, he bought your lunch even though he wasn’t there, and he told you he had a surprise.

           “What kind of surprise?” You asked for the millionth time. You were getting out of your final interview.  

           “You’ll see when we get there!” He insisted. “Just go clean up and don’t eat anything. I’ll meet you in the lobby at seven, okay?”

           “Can you at least tell me what outfit to wear?” You asked. He opened the taxi door for you that would take you back to your hotel.

           “Fine. We’ll be outside, so dress for sixty-three degrees.”

           “Alright, Captain.” That was the end of your conversation – you took another shower, put on more makeup, and then waited for Chris in the lobby. He was approximately two minutes late, but he was smiling so much that you couldn’t help but let it slide.

           “So are you going to tell me where we’re going?” You asked as he walked with you outside. He grinned.

           “Nope. Just walk with me and everything will be fine.” You chose to do what he said, knowing that he wouldn’t do anything crazy because he knew you didn’t like doing particularly crazy things – he had learned a lot about you after six tequila shots on the first couple of nights filming. You walked alongside him, just making conversation, and walked for about ten blocks before he pulled out his phone. Probably just to look at a map.

           “So are you going to tell me now?”

           “No!” He elbowed you with a grin on his face. “We’re going into the park. I’ll tell you that much.”

           “Aww!”

           “Yeah, yeah, just keep walking before I change my mind!” You giggled and followed him as he laid a hand on your back, walking into one of the park’s many entrances across from the Dakota. You kept looking over at him to see that he was looking for something, or someone, and you walked on the outskirts of the park for another minute or two before he looked at his phone again. He looked like he realized something and he led you over to one of the less crowded areas of grass. You saw an empty blanket that looked slightly familiar, and on top of it was a bag of takeout. It only took you a second – he’d listened to you in that interview and given you a picnic in Central Park.

           “Chris!” You said, grabbing onto his arm. He had a shit-eating grin on his face as he led you over.

           “Did I do okay for a birthday dinner?” He asked. You stood up tall, hugging him even though it slightly smeared your makeup, and sat down. He pulled two bottles of beer out of the bag, your favorite beer, and un-capped them as you found a place to sit on the blanket.

           “How are you so sweet?” You asked him. “You didn’t have to do this.”

           “Yeah, I did!” He said as he handed you a bottle of beer and started to unpack the food. You hadn’t heard of the restaurant on the bag’s label, but when Chris pulled out your favorite Italian food, you almost died. Almost. “Look, you said in that interview that you’ve never had a date that didn’t end in disaster. So let me change that.”

           “You’re the best.”

           “I know. I know. But I’m not taking any credit, it was technically Buzzfeed’s idea. You just picked that answer.” You smiled and crossed your legs, and you and Chris started eating the massive amount of food he’d brought because he said he didn’t quite know what your favorite was. He hit it completely, and after downing another beer after eating, you were just sitting there as the sun set. You could barely see it through all of the trees and buildings, but it was orange and purple and gorgeous. It started to cool down by the time you were throwing your trash away and folding up the blanket. It was the blanket Chris always brought on planes.

           “Have I mentioned that you’re the best?” You said as you started walking back. You both had temporary MetroCards, but decided just to walk. It gave you more time together, and even though you weren’t sure that was his motive, you were glad to get the time with him. You loved being around him, hearing all of his stories, and hearing about the website he was working on. He was so passionate about everything and it made you want to fall in love with the world in the same way that he did. And he was the ultimate gentleman, having you go in front of him, taking your arm or your hand to guide you.

           All too soon, though, the doorman was opening the hotel doors for you and you got inside the elevator. Chris had been smiling the entire time and so had you. Your face hurt and your makeup had smile lines, but you loved being with him. The elevator got to your floor and he walked you out toward your door, even though his was on the next floor up. He stopped in front of your door as you grabbed the key, slightly opening the door.

           “Thank you, Chris. Nobody else would’ve done that for me.”

           “Hey, you deserve it. I couldn’t believe you’ve never been on a good date before, you’re 23.”

           “Not for another hour.” He chuckled.

           “Right. Well, happy birthday.” Maybe it was the two beers because you were such a lightweight. Maybe it was because you were just feeling bold despite what a Blink-182 song said about being 23. But you stood on your toes and kissed his cheek, feeling him start to blush underneath you as you grabbed his arm.

           “Thank you,” you said again. He was beaming. You didn’t know why, but maybe it was just because he liked that you were happy. Or maybe it was something more. You didn’t want to think about it, though.

           “Good night, Y/n. Sleep tight and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” He closed your door behind you and you walked into your hotel room, taking off your shoes, and you started texting a group of your friends about the night. Most of them seemed to agree – Chris liked you. Even if it wasn’t completely obvious, he liked you. He was a nice person, sure, but he wouldn’t do that for just anybody. And he wouldn’t blush like that. You took off your nice clothes and started getting ready to go to bed, opening an email from the press agent about the next day’s schedule and questions that you might be asked. This was for a women’s magazine, of course, because your movie was kind of romantic enough to be considered a romantic comedy. Your producers knew your market.

           Most of the questions were just normal – tell us about the movie, about your characters, about the relationship your characters have with each other. But then they started getting deeper and you grinned at one of the last few – what do you do when you like a guy/girl? What’s your tell?

           This was about to get more complicated. You knew that and you were fine with it. If your friends were right, you had an opportunity to shoot your shot. And you might as well. No harm done, right? Your press tour wasn’t very long and you could stand awkward with Chris because awkward with him was still extremely friendly.

           The next morning you’d mentally prepared yourself to shoot your shot, even if it ended up crashing and burning. You met Chris in the lobby again to go over to the office where you were interviewing, and while last night was a topic of conversation it wasn’t in-depth. You were nervous and he could tell, and you were sure they’d sent him the same email with the interview questions. Maybe he was scheming like you were. Or maybe it was just another interview where women would swoon at him and he would act like he didn’t expect it.

           “Hi, I’m Chris Evans,” Chris said to the camera on your first take together, looking at you as he said his name.

           “And I’m Y/n,” you said.

           “And today we’re going to tell you a little bit about a movie that we’ve been working on.” The movie questions were easy, and Chris was fantastic at answering them. He always pulled you into it, even if the questions weren’t directed right at you. He was looking at you a little bit longer than he had before last night, and you noticed. Finally they got to the complicated questions.

           “What do you do when you like someone? How do you act around them?” They directed for Chris to go first, and he nervously ran a hand through his hair.

           “I feel like I’m really bad at hiding it. You know, I always get caught looking at them for a little longer. And if they talk to me I start blushing like a fifteen year-old. I would say I’m a romantic, so if I do anything that’s specific to you, I probably like you.” Chris looked over at you to answer, and you glared at him as you did.

           “If I like you, I’m very, like, giggly and I love to listen to people talk, so if I listen to you and keep getting you to talk I definitely like you. And if I’m slightly more bold in conversation, it’s kind of me being like, you know, please notice me,” you answered. “I’m also a lot more affectionate, which I guess they don’t expect, so that’s usually the tell that’s like yeah, I like you.” You saw the realization wash over Chris’s face, but you weren’t sure the cameras did.

           “What’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for you? Y/n, you can take this one first.” Here you go, you thought.

           “Well, I’d said at some point that I’d never been on, like, a good date before. And so he took me out and he just kept saying that I deserved better and that kind of thing, and he had my favorite drink and food. And I don’t think it was meant to be a date date, but it was really sweet and I truly appreciated just getting to spend time with him.” Your words didn’t come out as anonymous as you wanted them to, but it worked. Chris was next, and you couldn’t help but zone out to watch him as he spoke. His face was slowly turning red, maybe not on camera, but you could tell underneath all of the lights. When the interview was over, you had a few minutes until the next one started, so you got out of there and got another cup of coffee. Just as you were about to stir in some sugar, you felt a hand on your back.

           “Can I talk to you?” Chris asked you. He looked nervous, which was something that you almost never saw. You knew he got nervous, but he was extremely good at hiding it. “You were right. Last night wasn’t meant to be a date date, but I really liked spending time with you, and I think you’re amazing, and I know this might be overstepping a boundary but I figured I should ask anyway. Just in case. Would you maybe want to actually go on a real date?” He spoke so quickly you could barely catch what he said. He was definitely nervous. All you could do was look down and smile like an idiot.

           “That’s what I was trying to tell you in there.”

           “Oh.”

           “Yeah!” The both of you started laughing.

           “Is tonight too early?” You shook your head.

           “Meet in the lobby at 7?” You asked him. He grinned and nodded.

           “I’ll meet you in the lobby at 7. And I promise I’ll tell you where we’re going this time.”

A/N: Thank you to the anon with this idea! I thought it was super cute! I hope you like it ❤️

[southside-vixen]

Fire and Ice (Sweet Pea) 3

Chapter 3. Hold My Beer

AO3

Adrianna Rivera has just made a difficult move from Arizona to the southside of Riverdale. With the history of her life in Phoenix behind her will she be able to find a new family in the Southside Serpents? Or will a certain tall, dark, and rage inducing Serpent cause issues?

A couple weeks passed since the debacle at Pop’s. Things were quiet for the most part. Adria and Sweet Pea ignored each other like their lives depended on it. The worst being the history class that she only shared with him. But overall things were improving. She and Toni were growing closer, and she was also spending quite a bit of time with her new neighbor. When he wasn’t spending time with the enemy that is.

“Thanks for the ride home, Fangs.” Adria handed his spare helmet back to him

“Of course, Ads. We’re next door neighbors, why wouldn’t I give you a ride home?”

“Ugh. That’s going to stick isn’t it? I guess I don’t hate it.” She shivered as she watched Fangs put his bike under the car park next to his trailer “I don’t know how you guys live here. With all this…weather.”

Fangs laughed “If you owned anything aside from crop tops and ripped jeans maybe you’d survive. Not like I’m complaining, it’s a good look.” He winked at her. There was no way she would be able to buy an entire new wardrobe with her budget of 0 dollars. She’d have to ask Ness if she had anything she could use. The idea of using hand me downs was definitely a hard one to get used to.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow” Adria smiled and walked into her new home to see Ness sitting on the couch, the screams coming from the TV indicating she was catching up on the old horror movies she loved so much.

“Hey, Ness. Can I ask you something?” Adria threw her purse down on one of the kitchen chairs and plopped down in the chair next to her aunt

“Yeah of course” Ness sat up and paused the TV, causing the room to go silent “What’s up, buttercup?”

“Well. The weather here sucks and I have nothing to deal with it. The warmest thing I own are some thin sweaters.”

“Oh, shit. Yeah your crop tops aren’t gonna keep you warm for much longer. I think I have some old clothes from a few years ago in the basement that I never got around to getting rid of. Let me bust ‘em out and we’ll wash what you want and finally donate what you don’t. You look to be about my size when I was a few years younger.”

Adria looked at Ness, her aunt looked more like her than her own mother did. At least from what she could see from pictures. Even some of the older Serpent members had mentioned that she looked like Ness from high school.

“I didn’t know we even had a basement. Or that trailers had basements in general.”

“Cool it with the classism, Penthouse Barbie” Ness laughed “First off, this is a double wide. Second, it’s a glorified crawl space filled with cobwebs. Not a place for late night parties. Don’t worry though, I’ll clean the spiders off the bags before I bring them up.”

“I really didn’t need to know about the spiders” Adria shuddered “And I don’t think anyone’s called me a Barbie before.”

“You’re a beautiful girl, Adrianna. I would know since you look nearly identical to me when I was your age.” Ness flashed a smile and got up from her seat “I’ll be right back”

Adria watched as Ness opened a door in the hallway and disappeared behind it. She settled into her phone looking at all the photos her old friends were posting on Instagram. Pictures of their recent trip to some new exclusive club in Las Angeles. Sitting in the VIP area with bottle service. She missed her old life more than anything. Brunch with her father on Sundays, Friday nights with the girls at a different club each weekend. In Riverdale her fake ID would get her nowhere, not like the Wrym carded anyone anyway.

A long sigh escaped her lips, it was easier to pretend her new life was fine when she avoided social media. None of her old ‘friends’ contacted her after her father’s trip to prison. The isolation from her old group was hard to cope with, but none of them had any loyalty to her. Hell, she wouldn’t even be surprised if they were close to her because of her family and her money. She wanted to believe that people here were different, even if they only reason they were around her initially was at her aunt’s request.

“Something wrong?” Ness threw two large black trash bags of clothes onto the floor and shut the basement door behind her

“Just in my own head, I guess.” Adria put her phone back into her pocket “When do you think my dad’ll be able to call from prison? It’s been about a couple weeks now.”

“He’s probably just settling in and spending most of his time with his lawyers, I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon.” She brought the bags to the living room and dumped their contents onto the ground. There was loads of blacks and greys with some dark blues and greens thrown in here and there. Adria plopped herself on the floor and began sorting through the sea of flannel and leather. Finding anything that stood out to her. It wasn’t her style at all, but then again Toni rocked it so maybe she could too.

“I don’t think your classmates will give you as much shit with all this. You’ll look the part of a Southside High student. Ness said “Just remember, it’s just for the colder seasons. If it’s really that bad we can check out the local thrift stores but we definitely don’t have the budget to match the clothes you brought.”

“I know, Ness. I understand.” Adria had resigned herself that this might be the case on the bus ride in. She felt a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole at times. Riverdale was an entirely new world and she was determined to show she was strong. Even if that meant sucking it up and wearing hand me downs and thrift store finds. Hell, she would even make them look good.

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

The next day Adria walked into school in her ‘new’ clothes she received from Ness. After careful consideration in the mirror that morning she decided on ripped jeans, a black tank top, dark green flannel, and to top it off- her aunt’s old, patch free, leather jacket.

For once, she blended. No Ghoulies looked at her like she was an injured deer waiting to be gutted. It was actually pretty refreshing. She sat down at her lab table for chemistry and plopped down her bags. Conveniently enough she had chemistry with Fangs. Not like it was great for either of their grades since they were both terrible at it.

“Ads?” She lifted her head to see Fangs standing wide eyed at the end of the table “Shit. You almost look like a completely different person.”

“I look like an idiot, don’t I? I knew I couldn’t pull off flannel and leather.”

“You look like a Serpent. Pretty impressive transformation for overnight. It’s a good look for you.” He set down his bag and sat next to her “You shouldn’t worry so much about appearances. They don’t matter as much as you think they do.”

Adria breathed a sigh of relief “Yeah, I’ll try. Just difficult when I feel like a kid playing dress up.”

“You’re overthinking it. It’s just clothes.”

He was probably right. Just clothes, she was still the same Adria. Even if she was wearing flannel, something she swore never to do. But it was for warmth. Not because she was trying to be something she wasn’t. Nope, same Adria. Just in a leather jacket. That was it.

By the time she arrived to lunch the table was already buzzing.

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?” Adria took a seat next to Toni. The conversation died immediately after she arrived, and more than one person’s jaw dropped to the ground.

“Ads?” Toni asked, a smile creeping on her face “Damn, girl you look great! Fangs said you had a makeover but this is something else.”

“I told you it was a good look!” Fangs walked over and slung his arm around her shoulder “what do you think Sweet Pea?”

Oh no. This is exactly what she didn’t want right now. He would open his mouth and all of her self-doubt that had been easing away over the course of the day would come flooding back.

For a long moment Sweet Pea didn’t say anything

“She certainly looks the part”

Adria was in awe. It wasn’t an outright insult. Sure, it was vaguely implied but it wasn’t outright malicious.

“Okay then” Toni nodded with a smile, “Anyway big news, Ads. Starting tomorrow you won’t be the new kid anymore.”

”What, really? Who is it? Do you know them?” Adria was more than excited to not be the newest one in the group. Maybe it would get Sweet Pea to lay off her once he had someone else to take his anger out on.

“Forsyth Pendleton Jones the Third. FP Jones’ son.”

“Who’s that?” Adria looked around at the rest of the table. Clearly everyone else knew what was going on.

“He’s the leader of the Serpents. Well. Kind of. He’s in jail right now.” Fangs responded

“Figures she doesn’t know the name of the leader of the gang she’s trying to imitate.” Sweet Pea swept some of his hair out of his face “She may look the part but she’s still not one of us.”

“Fine.” Adria slammed her hand down on the table “What do I need to do to prove to you that I have what it takes?”

“Tomorrow. The quarry. We’ll figure something out.” Pea stared back at her across the table. She was at the end of her rope dealing with his attitude. She would do whatever the idiot wanted to prove herself worthy to be part of his stupid little group. The stupid little group that was starting to mean a lot more to her than she initially planned.

The next day came quicker than she would have liked. Sure enough, Toni was absent most of the morning showing around the newest member of their group the school. She didn’t see her again until she was able to pull her into the bathroom after English.

“Toni, what did I agree to?” She looked around to make sure no one was around to hear her fear “I was up all night worried about what the hell that douchebag is going to have me do”

“Okay. Calm down and take a deep breath”

She did as Toni instructed

“You’re going to be fine. It won’t be as bad as you think, I promise. That’s all I can tell you as I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

Toni’s reassurance didn’t make her feel any better. She greeted the newest member at lunch, Jughead Jones. He seemed nice enough, although she couldn’t focus on anything aside from what might be happening at the quarry. The sand in the clock ran out much quicker than she would have liked. Before she knew it she was on the back of Fang’s bike on the way to the quarry. The only promise that Toni and Sweet Pea would meet them there.

“How are you feeling?” Fangs asked once they had finally arrived. The quarry was too cold for swimming this time of year. Adria walked over to the fire pit that he was trying to start. Waiting for something to warm her up.

“Nervous. But you have to promise not to tell that pompous asshole you call your best friend.” She whispered harshly. More of the Serpents she didn’t really talk to were starting to show up and her nerves continued to grow. She had genuinely hoped it would just be the four of them.

“I won’t say a word. Promise.” He put a hand on her shoulder and ushered her to a fold up chair by the fire.

It seemed like ages before Toni and Sweet Pea showed up. When they finally did they brought enough booze to drown a small family.

“Hope you’re ready for what’s to come, Princess.” Sweet Pea walked over and put an entire bottle of whiskey into her hands “This one’s yours. Better get started.”

This was it? Her task was to drink a bottle of whiskey on her own? This was like an average Tuesday back in her old life. This was going to be much easier than she thought.

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

Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs were all in awe about how much the small framed city girl could put away. She drank her entire bottle of whiskey without even batting an eye, then had a couple swigs from Fang’s bottle. By the end of her bender she was sitting on Toni’s lap, giggling at just about anything that was anyone said. Sure everyone else had been drinking, but she was the drunkest girl at the party by far.

“So is this it?” Adria slurred “This is nothinggggg” she laughed, throwing her head back. She barely missed bashing Toni in the nose.

“I think she’s ready” Toni peeked around her friend at the guys

“Alright, Ads. Welcome to your trial” Fangs said, trying to be serious although he was also clearly drunk.

“We don’t keep secrets in the Serpents so your first task is to go around and tell us all what you really think of us” Sweet Pea stared her down from across the fire “Let’s start easy. With what you think of Toni Topaz.”

Adria looked turned to look at Toni and smiled

“Toni Topaz. I first thought you were a huuuuuuge bitch. But you’re so nice!” Adria’s grin grew “You’re a precious angel in what I thought would be a hell hole. I love you, Toni. You’re such a good friend” she grabbed her friend around the neck and gave her a huge hug, listening to a small chorus of ‘awww’ around them.

They went around while she gave her opinion of the other Serpents that were there, not like it was much considering she barely talked to most of them. They were all superficial drunk ramblings. Then it brought around to the end, with only Fangs and Sweet Pea left.

“Fangs…Don’t think I don’t notice you’re a huge pervert” She laughed “But you’re cute so I forgive you. Thanks for being around and helping me feel like I have a home here”

“Cute, huh?” Fangs laughed and gave her a wink

“Not gonna happen.”

“Well. We’ve saved the best for last Ads. Tell us exactly how you feel about Sweet Pea.”

This one was a doozy and everyone around the circle knew it. They had been watching for weeks as the two barely spoke and when they did everyone around them prepared to break up a fight.

“Sweet Pea, huh?” Adria’s smile faded as she locked eyes with him across the flames “Sweet Pea is the biggest dick I’ve ever met. I have no idea what is issue is with me as I’ve done literally nothing to him. This is all made significantly more infuriating by his face. His stupid attractive face.”

Adria stopped dead in her tracks. The whole idea of the gathering was that getting her outrageously drunk she would speak exactly what was on her mind. And sure enough she did, even the things she had shoved way in the back. The murmurs around the circle had gone completely silent as everyone stared at her.

“This has been so much fun. Toni, can you take me home now?” she looked at her friend pleadingly.

“Well, there is one more thing Ads.” Toni gave her a half-hearted smile as she pushed her off her lap

“Strip.” One of the other Serpents said, she was pretty sure his name was Andre.

“What?” Adria looked back at Toni “This is a joke right?”

“I’m afraid not. I’ll help hold you up” and she did. Toni held Adria’s arm as she removed all her clothing down to her bra and underwear.

“Fine. Now what?” She demanded, her buzz quickly wearing off with the cold and fear settling in

“Now you jump in the quarry. Show us how tough you are” Sweet Pea stood up from his seat “That’s what you wanted, right? A chance to prove yourself?”

Adria looked down, it was only about a 10 foot jump into the water. The incredibly cold water. She was already shivering, even with all the alcohol. She looked back at Toni who gave her a small nod, urging her to just get it over with. So she did.

Adria took a deep breath as she ran and jumped, doing her best to brace herself during the small fall for her fate. But it wasn’t enough. The cold water hit like daggers and took her breath away. At least she thought it did but the scream she heard echoing through the air sounded a lot like her own. When she regained her composure she noticed Fangs standing on the edge of the water, his hand outstretched.

She swam over and her friend lifted her out of the water, placing his jacket over her shoulders. Trying to rub her arms to warm her up

“You killed it Ads, you looked tough. Screaming and all.” Fangs smiled “Let’s get you by the fire”

Fangs walked her back to the small beacon of heat as everyone around her cheered and gave her pats on the back. She stood in front the fire with another bottle of whiskey trying to warm herself up before putting her clothes on

“Holy shit, I’m glad that’s over.” Adria lamented to Toni while she put her clothes back on “I’ve never been that cold in my life”

“You held up really well. Especially for someone who just arrived from the southwest a few weeks ago. There’s no way Sweet Pea can deny you’re tougher than you look now” She took the bottle from Adria and took a couple of swigs herself.

“Speaking of, where is the devil incarnate?” Adria asked, scouting the clearing which had erupted into a full blown party now that they were done with her ‘trial’. She didn’t see him anywhere and she had a drunken bone to pick.

“Last I knew he went to take a piss in the woods. Why, what’s up?”

“Funny coincidence. I also have to take a piss. In the woods. Right now. Be right back!” Toni stood, confused, as Adria all but ran to the tree line. What in the hell was she doing?

Adria reached the trees and glanced around. She found a couple people who snuck away from the fire to go make out in the privacy of the trees. She ignored them and continued her search for who she was actually looking for. And she found him. Sweet Pea had turned around from a tree outside of everyone’s view and was zipping up his pants when Adria spotted him.

“You!” she yelled “I need to talk to you”

Sweet Pea stood dumbfounded as she strolled right up to him, chest to chest as she stared into his eyes.

“Why do you hate me for no reason? And yes, it is no reason because you’ve never even bothered to have a conversation with me.”

Sweet Pea just stared down at her for a few seconds. He was at a loss for words and the booze wasn’t helping.

“I know exactly your type. Girls like you think they can get whatever they want because they have money. But not here, Princess. Not with me or the Serpents.” He didn’t take his eyes off her

“You’ve never met a girl like me.” Aria attempted to stand on her tip toes to look taller and more imposing but she failed miserably. She was far too drunk to be taken seriously. She teetered back and her reflexes were all but gone. She made no attempt to catch herself as she fell backward.

Sweet Pea instinctively grabbed Adria’s arm to keep her from falling and pulled her back up, securing her with a hand behind her waist. Adria looked up, both of them looking shocked at the other. She could hardly feel the pain in her shoulder from being yanked so hard.

For some reason neither of them moved to correct the issue. Later, both of them would blame being too drunk. Adria stared up at the boy she told herself she absolutely despised. Hands grasping his arms. His incredibly toned arms. And then there was yelling.

“Ads?” she heard Toni yell “Please don’t be dead in a ditch” Toni turned the corner to see two people up against a tree, the dark obscuring their faces. “Have either of you seen Adria? She’s been gone for far too long.”

Both of them moved too slowly to have avoided it. Sweet Pea quickly pushed Adria back and she whipped herself around to face Toni. Both of them looking incredibly guilty.

“Uh. Hey…Toni.” Adria stood in front of Sweet Pea, putting her hands behind her back “Is it time to go home?”

[boondockerblog]

It was such a joy this morning to run alone - no cars, no people, no noise, no man-made objects in our view. Only brilliant sun, blue sky, soaring mountains, and lots of rocks and cactus.

Day 41 and 42  - Quartzsite

These are days to just exist in our daily routine - like the desert just exists doing it's daily routine of sun and wind and super slow change. So we get up with the sun, Maddie and I run, Bill reads the news and does the endless vacuuming, windows, etc of desert or forest motorhome life. I do work emails. We sheet dressed. We cook, eat breakfast and clean up. I work on office projects and have meetings. Bill does various motorhome projects and plans the taxes.

We take an exploration hike or play Frisbee with Maddie. We cook, enjoy dinnerbamd clean up. We read, write and/or watch a movie. We get ready for bed and sleep surrounded by outdoors in our 3 walls of windows bedroom.

...and repeat.

This may sound like a mundane way to use a few days but, number 1 - we've spent the last 17 days driving to a different place each day or at friends' homes so could use some routine, and number 2 - each "routine" day has additions to the routine.  A sampling:

The first night we got to the desert in the dark, and after the slow drive up the bumpy road (that most won't tough out) we didn't even try to scout out the perfect place. We just stopped. The next morning, running, I found something and before dinner we all walked there to see if we should try it.  The answer - yes - so moved.

Every so often Bill puts up the TV antenna hoping, in the no man's lands that we try to find, hoping for some regular channel (or any channel). One night we found Perry Mason - I loved to watch it with my Dad as a little girl.  Boy have attorney and crime solving shows changed.  It was a cultural experience just to be reminded of how people talked, thought about races, religions, sexes and people in authority in the early 60s.

Finding a TV channel allowed us, sadly, to see the news as they turned a simple snow storm and below normal cold into a life threatening event (it has been nice the past 6 weeks to be away from the news media). So our location had a 32 degree low predicted (usual 45 or so). I was all prepared at running time to need heavy gloves and ear muffs . But it felt nowhere near 32 degrees.  Had we not seen the news I'd not have known and would have just dressed for what it felt like (I think when we get home, surrounded again by the trappings of phone weather and the news I'm going to go outside to see what the weather is like I do in the motorhome).

When we were in Quartzsite 3 weeks ago Bill found that only 100 yds from us was a road that went into town. Running I looked at it and thought  it looked like all the other washes (stopping  and starting). No way or was a road or we'd see more people way out here. Now we were parked aost o it so we ran it, and guess what,  it does go all the way into town (about 4 miles).  About 200 yds past us it does a huge and sideways dip, gets narrow and has deep tire tracks suited only for ATVs or small trucks. But still, a road.

We bought slate for kitchen and bathroom backsplash 18 days ago in Cathedral City with Jim and Wally but hadn't had time to put it in. Today was the day and it made almost as much difference as the carpet (see Day 26).

We discovered that we were low on oil in the generator and the oil we had with us miss have been used already.  Neither one of us wanted to drive to town (30 minutes to go a few miles) until we had to water.  So we just planned to not use it - we can do everything the battery except toaster oven, microwave and high heat on the hairdryer dryer. and what happened. After a dinner toasting bread in a frying pan, a breakfast toasting bread under the oven pilot light, 15 minutes of reving the engine to give the battery enough umph to keep the hair dryer going Bill decided to go buy some oil from people in a trailer way up by the road. He came back to tell the story - they didn't have any but they were going in their truck into town and would be happy to get what we needed.  A couple hours later they drove it to us.  Never met them before, likely never see  them again as they're leaving tomorrow. A reminder that we're all in this together.