#girls when one never know what will start paris holds the key to your (her) hearttttt <33333< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[loverboybrightsideghost]

that part of paris holds the key to your heart where all the instruments just briefly cut out as the ensemble sings "the city of light, how it glitters and glows." you agree. reblog

[aek1ra]

Paris | Mark Lee

Pairing boyfriend!mark x fem!reader

Summary: Your boyfriend, Mark, gets the offer of a lifetime but it means moving to Paris. Is this the start of a new future in a new city or where a great romance goes to die in the city of love.

Genre: angst, no warnings I think. Giselle and the rest of the æspa members play a small role.

Word count: 2,458

All stories are the property of © aek1ra, please do not copy, repost or translate without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation.

Friday

“I can’t stay here and be single for you, you’re my best friend why can’t you just be happy for me” you whisper shout at her in the middle of the crowded streets of Manhattan. “I am happy for you, I just don’t want you to regret this decision in the future-” she takes a deep breath and continues “look all I’m saying is that you’ve given up a lot for this relationship and this is one more thing he’s asking you to give up. Moving to Paris isn’t your dream y/n you’re chasing after him.” 

You heard her loud and clear, in fact you knew exactly what she was talking about. As much as you hate to admit you had been thinking the same thing for weeks now but how could you let him go. He was the missing puzzle piece, no he was the image you’re left with after the puzzle is completed. You had everything a girl in her mid twenties could ask for, the apartment in your dream city, the expensive shoes, the dream job and the dream boy. or at least you thought. No, you did and besides you’re not giving up your dream you’re simply moving it across an ocean. Yes, they have nice apartments in Paris, expensive shoes and people read magazines everywhere. It would take some time to find a job and some friends but once you got settled things would be the same, right? 

“I heard you, now let's drop this conversation I already quit my job and besides we leave tomorrow” you retort, taking a sip of your coffee hoping the warm beverage will help the lies come out smoother. She doesn’t say anything for a moment in fact you forget she’s even there. 1 beat 2 beats. “You weren’t even going to say goodbye to us? You can quit your job, throw away your shoes, hell even your hopes and dreams for some boy, but are we, am I that disposable to you.” pause “Actually you know what never mind, forget I said anything. Have a nice life y/n” 

3 beats, 4 beats. And with that you were left in the silence again except this time she really was gone. 

You walk into your shared apartment anxiously toying with your keys, the previous conversation replaying in your mind. 

“Baby your home, can you help me with the-” he stops mid-sentence seeing the tears well up in your eyes. 

“Hey what’s wrong? Things didn’t go well with Aeri, I take it?” you nod finally letting the tears you’d been holding all night cascade down your face. Mark is quick to pull into his chest, one arm around your waist pulling you in close, rubbing circles on your back. “She hates me. I don’t know why she can’t see things from my point of view. Everyone but her is happy for us, she’s my best friend and her opinion means the world to me. I mean she was my best friend.” you say in between sobs. 

He continues to listen as you drone on about her not understanding your feelings under the soft glow of the fluorescent lights. 

You were going to tell them, you did plan on saying goodbye but everything happened so fast. Mark had gotten offered the deal of a lifetime last week and asked you to move with him. Although it was sudden you couldn’t imagine your life without him. And with the long list of things you had to get done before the move like; putting the apartment up for sale, handing in your notice at work, packing, passports, visas,  you simply forgot to deliver the good news to your family and friends. 

When you called your parents this morning they expressed their excitement seeing you going on this adventure, truthfully they were just happy you’re happy, they know just how much you and Mark love each other. The other girls, Jimin, Minjeong and Yizhuo were all happy for you even if you knew deep down they had the same reservations as Aeri. She was the only person who didn’t seem to understand, or the only one not cowardly enough to say it out loud. She’ll come around eventually, right? 

After 15 minutes of effectively soaking your boyfriend's t-shirt he breaks the silence “come on” he starts as he cups your face softly in his hands wiping the last of the tears away, “let's get you to bed, we still have a few things to do before our flight tomorrow”. And with that you let him lead you to the bedroom thoughts of your friendship pushed to the back of your mind as the excitement and slight anxiety takes over. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, First day in Paris

Before you knew it you were in Paris, standing in the lobby of the infamous Ritz Carlton. The company had booked a 5 night stay for you both while the deal was being finalised. Mark went off to get your room key while you stood admiring the crystal chandelier hanging above you. It was mesmerising, dazzling, the main star, the sun, the other lights danced around. He was standing at the front desk a few steps away, the lights above him creating a spotlight on him. There he was, your crystal chandelier, your sun and you were his earth quietly, forever orbiting around him. 

“Hey” his voice snaps you out of your haze, “let’s head up stairs yeah” he takes your hand in his, the sound of hurried footsteps and soft giggles are all that's left as you both disappear into the elevator.

Ding!

You come to a stop on the top floor, the Imperial suite. The view up here was stunning. Breathtaking. You felt like the luckiest girl in the world, every morning you would be waking up to two of the most beautiful views, the Eiffel tower and your boyfriend. 

Thump. There it was, that feeling again, you had been feeling this pang in your heart, a sort of longing like something was missing. If you were being honest you had been feeling this since your talk with Aeri yesterday, more specifically after she left standing alone outside your apartment. 

The faint sound of a phone ringing pulls you out of your thoughts, you watch your boyfriend talk to someone on the phone, probably his manager. 

 “Right now?”

“No, that's fine I’ll be there. Can you give me 20 minutes? I'll shower and meet you at the studio.” he hangs up the phone making his way towards you. He stands in front of you staring in your eyes, “I’m so sorry I know we said we would spend the day together before I got too busy. But I promise you I’ll be back before 7, we’re still on for dinner right beautiful?” 

Mhm. You hum in response planting a quick peck on his lips “don’t worry about me I’ll go shopping for our date tonight.” 

To be quite honest you were upset it hadn’t even been 24 hours and he was already too busy for you. Who were you kidding, did you really think it would be different, Manhattan to Paris the only change was your address. Maybe he just had no more room in his life for you. No, it sounded urgent, probably something with the contract, a typo or something. You’re a big girl, you can spend the day alone in the hotel room, or better yet go out and buy yourself a new dress for dinner tonight. 

“Besides I think I’ll go out and check out the stores around the area” he gives you one last squeeze before letting go and making his way into the shower. 

Tshhh

The sound of the shower water interrupts the quiet of the room, wishing the water could just wash away all your worries.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night  

Standing in front of the mirror admiring yourself in the strapless Versace dress you purchased earlier on. The sneaking suspicion that Mark wasn’t going to make it home starts to creep up on you. He was always doing that, making plans with you and cancelling at the last minute, sometimes not even showing up and forgetting to call. You know how important his work is to him and how crazy his schedule can get sometimes. At the start of your relationship he made a point to always let you know if he was going to be late, sending flowers on the days he misses a date. But as time went on the flowers and calls started to slow down eventually coming to a stop. I mean you knew he didn’t mean to, you didn’t need gifts to know that he never meant to forget you, he never meant to keep you waiting. 

The clock finally strikes seven and you’re sitting on the small couch at the end of the hallway, opposite the front door. Dazedly staring at the front door willing it to open, like a puppy waiting for its owner to return. Seven o’clock becomes eight, eight becomes nine, eventually it's Ten and you tire of waiting around so you decide to head to bed. 

It’s a quarter to Midnight when Mark returns, you spent the past thirty minutes tossing and turning, head full of questions, where could he be, was he alone, was he even thinking about you. He walks into the room, no he stumbles in knocking over a few perfume bottles that were on the dresser. You feign sleep, you're suddenly hit with the smell of alcohol. The bed dips next to you and soon enough you feel this lips on your cheeks, a quick bittersweet lingering kiss. The smell of alcohol is so overpowering you start to get dizzy. You feel a new emotion, not hurt, not disappointment, not hurt, but for the first time ever you were angry at him. While you were worried sick that he could’ve been somewhere out there lost in this foreign country where neither of you speak the language, or worse out dead in a ditch somewhere he was out drinking. Mark could be careless, inattentive, forgetful whatever you want to call it but never was he stupid. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning 

The sun rose at 7 this morning, you hadn’t slept at all last night, thoughts of what your future would look like if you decided to live here with him. Mark starts to stir in his sleep, finally waking up. He wraps his  arms around your waist, pulling you towards his chest murmuring a quick  “good morning beautiful”. When you don’t respond he shifts slightly, lifting his head off the bed to get a good look at your face. 

“Baby, hey I’m sorry time just got away from me-” he starts, but you think it's pointless listening to the same speech you’ve heard all these nights before. Mark was the best boyfriend a girl could ask for, that is when he’s not too consumed by his work. You see for him everything else would always come second to his love for music, and maybe one day you would be strong enough to handle that truth. 

“Don’t worry about it. I forgot myself” you interrupt him before he can finish, “You have to get going, you’re going to be late for your important meeting.” you say albeit a bit too venomously for your liking, quickly sliding out of the bed and opting to sit by the window. 

“y/n” he starts but decides against it, instead deciding to give you your space. 

At 8:30am you hear the door to your room close signalling Mark has left for the day. You guys barely spoke to each other at breakfast, a silent dance of tension. Every few minutes you’d shoot him a soft smile in an attempt to show him you’re not mad, or in an attempt to lie to yourself. 

You had planned on going to see the cute cafes today while Mark was at his meeting, but after the events of last night you decide to stay in and wallow in self pity. Plus you have to console yourself before the dinner tonight with some music company executive that Mark kept droning on and on about on the flight over. You know this dinner is super important for his deal and no argument between the two will get in the way of that. So you swallow your hurt and anger, and decide to waste your time watching some random French drama. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night 

At exactly 7pm Mark walks int through the front door. Of course he’s always 

The happy couple, you walk hand in hand into the restaurant. Mark’s manager greets you guys at the door, ushering you both to join the rest of the party inside.

 “Mark, I want you to meet Mr. Devon” his manager announces pushing Mark towards the older gentlemen. 

As he let go of your hand for what felt like the millionth time, your picture perfect dream was starting to crumble all around you. All the painful memories, all the nights he left you waiting around for him, all the times he put his work, friends, colleagues before you, all the broken promises and forgotten dates.. Yes, forgotten, like you had forgotten your friends like they were something to check off a to-do list. But at the end of the day, you couldn’t blame him, not really, no. Mark, he was only chasing after what was important to him, and that wasn’t you, not anymore.

With your head hung low, you quietly make your way to your seat. 

Once Mark is done making the rounds saying his hellos, he takes his seat next to you, intertwining his fingers with yours. And as you stare aimlessly down at your interlocked fingers, you catch a glimpse of the classouses on his hands from hours and hours of strumming his guitar mindlessly while writing lyrics. It then becomes painfully obvious to you, you don’t belong here, at least not with him, not now, it was time for you to let go, let him run as fast and far as he can, chasing after his dreams. Slowly removing your hand from his you plant a soft kiss on his cheek letting your lips linger for a second before you whisper your last words of the night to him  “I love you, I’m sorry for doing this to you tonight but I wish you the best Mark”. You walk out of the restaurant refusing to look back, too afraid that one look into his beautiful tear filled irises would make you crumble on the spot. 

Au revoir mon amour, if the universe wills it surely we’ll meet again. 

(Note: Hi 👋🏽 if you’ve made it this far thank you so much for reading for first ever fic. I started writing this based on Carrie & Miranda’s argument and then just let the story take me where ever. I’m thinking of maybe giving it a part 2, what do you think?)

[offthrack]

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐙 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄.

𝑠𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑓𝑡ℎ ; 07:51 pm

[ a lightly tipsy 𝐧𝐚𝐨𝐦𝐢 enters the set, still riding the high of her album release, a 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 no. 1 placement on Apple Music & Spotify's hip hop charts, and her successful release party. as the host's signal the start of recording, the tune of 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙮 infiltrates her ears and compels the artist to break into performance while taking her seat, continuing her dancing while she's being introduced. ]

tonight we got big mama in the building, everybody welcome 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄! we saw her on 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒉𝒐𝒑, she got our attention with Soufside and now she's on fire after releasing her first studio album 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚—'cause she is the 𝑺͟𝑯͟𝑰͟𝑻͟. thank you so much for comin' out, we been waiting on this one!

"huh? huh? when a real one hold you down, bae you supposed to drown—ayeeee, that went over a lotta nigga's heads, for real! definitely happy to be here, thank you for having me. i been busy as hell, doin' interview after interview since before the record even dropped. it's been a wild ride; a fun one, fasho. there's definitely been a few bumps in the road here and there, but yeah. since i dropped it, i been tryna focus on having a good time with my loved ones and just. . .goin' up! you know, this album is a culmination of my real life shit over the last two years. it's only right that now everybody has it, i can finally rest. Right after this interview a bitch packin' for jamaica. then i got invited to a couple of paris fashion week shows—just got a lot of shit lined up now that the 𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡 thing is done, which was putting out a piece of work I'm proud of."

and you should be proud of it. it definitely blew us out of the water—props to you for sure. bumps in the road are to be expected, though. you pushing boundaries for the genre in a way. female rap is evolving in a way we never thought it could, and you apart of that in a special way. and the cool thing is it seem like y'all are friends. you ever feel the heat of the competition from other rappers? you got a top five out right now that's really doing their thing?

"i mean. . .𝑛𝑜 .ᐣ" [her laughter comes out instinctively at the question, shaking her head.] "nah. rap is a game and i'ma play it well; they my girls at the end of the day, but if anybody wanna lean up and compete i ain't never shy away from it. i only really smoke gas but i'll smoke a bitch out behind my respect. now of course i got my favorites. but i'on know, it's soo many rap girls killin' shit right now. so top 5 is hard. i'ma say monaleo, cardi. . .𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑛, i'm not tryna be stereotypical, but meg, glo and kaliii. just based off my playlist."

you and saweetie stay posted up together on socials, so i definitely thought she might be in your top—

"woah, hold on hold on hold on hold on. let's get sum' right—i loooove saweetie! that's my girl in real life, fasho. but from a music perspective, i wouldn't say my top 5. but she cold. next question."

confidence is definitely key. it's good to see you got that on lock! and that's a solid top five. it's cool to see women empowerment in an industry thriving off conflict.

"for me, confidence is a non-negotiable. i done seen how insecurity can fuck you up and have you diminishing yourself when you really got it. obviously, i'ma be humble because i know what it's like to be without and be hungry for the game, for a piece of the game. but i'm just at the point where my life is so lit that i don't give a fuck what nobody got to say about me, it's nothing i haven't heard before. i got the house i want, the cars i want. . . the nigga i want. like i don't give a fuck! you either with me or you don't exist."

okay, okay. you not throwin' shots right now, but online they been posting your lyrics and puttin' names on them bullets. are there other rappers you didn't name that you might have a couple shots reserved for?

"the internet gon' talk no matter what was said. i let 'em 'cus to me that mean i'm part of the conversation. shit, i am the conversation. i'm on your mind and money on mine. we ain't the same, type shit. i talk my shit in my rap because. . .that's real shit i go through. nobody went into the studio wit' a vein poppin' out they head thinking this really gon' get that one hoe mad. now, i can't say the same for my assumed 'opps'. at the end of the day if you felt hit, if that shit applied? then so be it. but a bitch ain't gon' touch me so i'ma keep popping my shit. that simple. bitches be too worried about the comments nowadays, wanna be an internet warrior. put that shit in a song, dead it."

when you say you're gonna keep poppin' shit, does that mean we can expect any new music? i mean i know the album is still hot on the streets, but on the low—you got some surprises? we saw your tweet about gettin' in the booth with jimmy brooks, that got the people talking.

"definitely full of surprises. i got way more songs that ain't make the project—unfinished shit that only my dog has heard. been in talks of filming a couple music videos for the project. you know, it's a lot of cool shit coming. and as far as 𝒎𝒓. 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔,. . . y'all not the only ones that got excited off that. my manager phone been ringing off the hook—been getting called for features left and right! it's crazy how one association 'a do that. but you know, me and my girls also have some real cool shit comin' up. can't speak on it just yet, but it's gone be a movie for sure."

[hannahssimblr]

Chapter One

“Okay girls, turn over your papers now.”

The whole hall fills with the sound of rustling paper as sixty of us flip over English Paper One in tandem. I take a deep, shuddering breath and read the first question. 

SECTION 1. TEXT 1. This text is taken from An Irishwoman’s Diary by journalist, Lara Marlowe. She was Irish Times correspondent in Beirut and Paris, and is now based in Washington. Here she responds to an article critical of cats written by her friend and fellow journalist, Rosita Boland.

I read the article. Then I read the questions. Then I read them again. From my seat at the back of the hall I glance up the aisles of students, most of them already writing something. I hold my pen over the blank, lined page in front of me, my hand trembling slightly as I write down Question 1. Then I hesitate, I try really hard not to panic and then I read all the questions one more time. 

Claire, who is one aisle over and three desks from the front, turns around slowly, knowing she’s not allowed to look at anybody else but does anyway, checking first that the examiner isn’t watching her. Her eyes widen to saucers and she shakes her head at me in disbelief. “What the hell is this?” She mouths, and I shrug. We’ve already talked about this. Neither of us is going to do well in our Leaving Cert, it’s not just speculation. It’s fact, and I’ve never been more convinced of it now as I sit in this hot room, day one, paper one, question one, and I can’t even think of how to begin. 

It had all seemed a lot funnier a few weeks ago when we agreed upon how ill prepared we were. Claire has never done well academically, in fact I’m almost sure she’s got undiagnosed dyslexia, even though her proud-as-punch parents refused to have her assessed even after the guidance counsellor practically begged them to. Meanwhile I spent the whole year in the art room working on my portfolio instead of joining the after school study group, mostly because Kelly was doing it, but also because I haven’t been in the headspace. It’s been a strange year. Now though, on this bright June morning with a three and a half hour exam ahead of us, nothing seems that funny anymore and the choices I’ve made throughout the year seem to be nipping at my heels. The terror in Claire’s eyes illustrates exactly how I feel. I’m not sure how we’re going to get through nine more of these truly harrowing papers, but I know that I have to try. I put my head down and start writing something – anything at all. 

When we finally spill out of the hall that afternoon I feel like my body is made from rubber. Claire and I console one another outside the doors, arms around one another in defeat. 

“That was awful.” She complains. “I’ve failed.”

“You haven’t failed. Nobody fails English.”

“I’ll be one of the few that does.”

I let her go and start digging around the bottom of my bag for my keys. “Let’s go to Starbucks. We’ll get chai lattes and try to make ourselves feel better.”

Right then Kelly comes sweeping out of the hall, her new best friend Cristina at her side. She’s one of those mousy brunettes who wears her school bag straps tightened all the way, and has a particular fondness for horses. I’ve seen her show jumping at the agricultural fairs before, and I’m convinced she’s the one behind the fan page on Facebook that’s been set up for herself and her horse Barney. It’s just a stream of photographs of her on the horse with weird captions like Cris and Barney looking fab! I distinctly remember Kelly complaining about how strange she was before, but now here they are, joined at the hip, and I know purely because she needs to have someone in her corner. It doesn’t even matter if she likes her or not. 

“That was so easy.” Kelly says loudly. “I thought they’d at least make paper one a bit of a challenge, but it was a breeze. I’ve never felt more confident” She’s trying very hard not to look at either Claire or me, thinking she’s being sly, but Claire gives my ribs a little nudge with her elbow and I know that we’re going to be laughing about this over coffee in about ten minutes. Kelly thinks these types of statements are devastating to our psyche, but when we’re together she holds no power over us anymore, even if sometimes when I’m alone I remember the fun we used to have. She wasn’t always awful, she wasn’t always mean, and there’s times that I feel sad for what’s been ruined, but I’d never ever admit those things out loud. 

Claire and I leave the school building and climb into my car. I can drive now. I passed my driving test in April, much to her delight, because now that Shane is away at college she needs someone to transport her wherever she wants to go. My car isn’t very good, actually, it’s my dad’s car, and it’s from 1995. The shine has worn off the paint so that it’s this weird, matte, chalky texture, so it’s not good looking, but it’s better than nothing at all in a town that doesn’t even have public buses. We spend so much time in this car, just driving around and talking and eating McFlurries. We used to talk about boys a lot. She’d tell me all about Shane and what he was doing and how she felt about it, about how weird it was to be away from him and to not ever really know what he was doing up there in UCD.

“Studying science.” I’d always tell her jokingly. 

“Yes, but what else? Did you see all the hot girls they had in the prospectus?”

“And he isn’t looking at any of them. If he was, he’d be some fool.”

“He’d be a dead man.”

“Any messing from him and we’ll drive through campus and plough him down.”

“I love how you always have my back.”

She listened to me talk about boys for a while too, but it was really only ever one boy. It was fun while it lasted, going into depth about all these tiny details like the way the muscles in his arms moved when he changed gears in his car, the curve of his nose bridge from his side view, the exact places where he put his hands and the way he turned his head when he kissed me, but after a while she began to get bored of hearing it. 

“You know, there are other fellas out there.” She started saying. “The world is filled with hipster-y arty type boys, you just have to go out and look for them.”

“I don’t want other boys.” I’d said. “I want him.” And I did. I still do, even though we don’t talk to each other anymore. Sometimes, late at night when my head is swirling and I can’t sleep I’ll open up our old email thread from last autumn and read through every message until I reach the last one. It’s from me, sent on the 6th of November, and it says: Happy birthday! I hope you’re going to do something fun today. Do you think your new friends will get you a cake, or maybe take you to a bar? It would be great, and I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. I’ hope that your project is coming along well. I don’t know how you do it, and in German too! Das ist klasse!!! I better try to learn a few words for when I get to visit you. All the best, E. 

He never responded, and it feels like my message is still hanging somewhere in the ether, just waiting to be acknowledged, for him to remember that it’s there, to pluck it out and finally type out his response, but I know now that he won’t. Too much time has gone by, and too much has happened. Still, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought about him, looked at a picture of him, googled his name. 

Prev // Next

[lovejosephquinn]

I feel like it's horny season, all the thirst on my dash is killing me and the Paris con, don't even get me started ☠️ I'm not sure if you have done something like this before, but may I request Mr. Quinn shamelessly railing you after the con in a hotel room, because you've been feeling insecure about all the girls he met? Or something along the lines. Please 👉👈

It's horny season all year round on tumblr, don't you know? 💀 Especially this year, the year of Quinn istg 😫

Thank you for your request @iliveforotps, I hope it's what you wanted and more x

UNDER 18'S DNI.

It had been a long day, you'd watched on from the side lines Joe interacting with hundreds of fans at the Paris con, 90% of them female and usually it wouldn't bother you, maybe that was because you'd never been there to see it properly. You knew in the darkest depths of your mind that Joe was yours and only yours. But you couldn't help but feel a tad jealous over the way he was innocently flirtatious with a handful of them. It was his job at the con to please the people that had paid money to meet him, you had to walk away sometimes just purely so you didn't yell out anything stupid; you often think out loud and that was a dangerous game in this particular situation.

You decided to text Joe, letting him know you'd gone back to the hotel room a little earlier rather than waiting for him to finish his panel because you were 'tired.' An absolute shit excuse.

Laying on the bed silently sobbing, unsure as to why you'd let today get the better of you, there was absolutely no reason to be behaving like this, but here you were.

You heard they key card swipe across the door and in came your boyfriend, mid yawn rubbing his eyes walking in and locking the door behind him, finding you curled up under the sheets, not a word spoken, your eyes shut pretending to be asleep so you didn't have to face telling him the truth so soon. Joe knew you like the back of his hand and could tell something was up straight away, it was unlike you to not want to be by his side so when he received the text and read it after the panel he instantly worried about you.

"Baby?" He cooed, slipping off his jacket and shoes and climbing into bed next to you. Joe rubbed back and fourth down your arm, leaning over you and planting a kiss on your cheek. You couldn't ignore him.

"Hi." you whispered, a blank look on your face.

"Why'd you run off? I missed you." Joe pouted his lips like a sad child, instantly giving you the puppy eyes you adored to see. You hid your smile, Joe's head tilting to one side taking a hold of you and pulling you into him as he enveloped you in his arms, cradling you like a baby.

"Long story." You sighed, nuzzling your head into his chest, the scent of your boyfriend calming you ever so slightly, his warm embrace was hard to refuse.

"How long is long?" He questioned.

"Not very. I just-"

"You just?" Joe interrupted, you leaned upward to meet his face with yours.

"I just got a bit jealous today, seeing the way you were with all the... girls, it was just a bit much."

Joe smiled sympathetically. "Oh my beautiful girl, don't be so silly, you know I'm yours." You should of seen it coming in the second his lips crashed onto yours, your mouths opening up to prolong the kiss, tongues slipping and sliding in, Joe letting go of you and laying you onto your back and caging you between himself and the mattress; the way his arms flexed as he held himself above you. You drank in his features, your boyfriend was so undeniably sexy you couldn't help but gawk.

"Let me show you." He uttered, before meeting your lips once more, grinding his hips down onto your thigh, the way they tilted open so he could straddle between them, pushing himself into you whilst his lips caressed yours fiercely. Biting down on your lip earning a messy whimper from your throat.

"Is that what you want, does my girl need some attention the way only I can give her?"

You nodded slowly, staring down at the way he licked his lips, savouring the taste of your saliva that had been left on his mouth.

Joe rid you of your clothes thick and fast before undressing himself, ushering the sheets away so you were completely bare before him and vice versa. "Mmm, nobody compares to you, you're so fucking hot Y/N."

You liked that line, it even put a smile back onto your face, without any warning, he grabbed a hold of your legs pulling you to the end of the bed, hoisting your feet back onto the edge and spreading your thighs apart to reveal what he craved most.

"It's been a hell of a day and all I've wanted is to eat this beautiful little cunt, can I?" He uttered, kneeling down on the carpet before you, his pupils dilated and clearly hungry for a taste.

"Mhmm. Show me who you belong to and who you love most like you said you would."

Joe wasted no time in using his hands to open up your slit, showing your aching clit and the entrance that made his cock throb hard below. "With pleasure." His face smashed against your cunt, tongue rapidly licking up and down like a starved animal, lips instantly meeting your clit and wrapping them around it, sucking harshly and nibbling slightly, you grabbed a hold of your tits, playing with your nipples as his darkened eyes looked up to you, you felt his mouth smirk into you, his tongue flickering over your bud thick and fast.

"Just like that." Your hands grabbed a hold of his hair, pushing him inward and bucking your hips up, giving him no room to breathe but just devour. His tongue stroked down your cunt, lapping circles around your entrance. "This sweet pussy needs tongue fucking I think." He gestured in a questioned tone.

"P-please."

"Please what, my love?"

"Fuck my hole with your tongue."

"Absolutely." Joe hummed, his muscle sticking itself straight inside you, flattening out and curling around all the ways you enjoyed, making you writhe onto the bed, you were unsure of where to put your hands, so you pushed them back and grabbed a hold of the pillow, your back arching as he vibrated it around inside of you. Reaching his thumb up to vigorously attack your clit, you were so god damn close by this point, your moans were bouncing off the walls of the hotel room, his name being squealed loudly with all you could muster. Then he stopped.

Standing up to lean over and flipping you over onto your stomach, Joe's devious smirk reappeared. "On all fours, my cock will take your cum." Joe spat onto his cock, lathering it with his fingers making him hiss. "You see what you do to me? If this isn't clear enough to let you know I'm yours I don't know what is."

"Still don't believe you, prove it." You egged him on further, ready for the fuck of your life, a growl erupted from his throat, as if he hadn't already proved it, you irritated him a little with your words and with that, he plunged his cock into your hole, giving you no room to adjust, just all of his length crashing through the tightness of your cunt. Your moans hit an all time high as he shamelessly railed into you, his fingers bruising your hips using you as a prop to fuck you harder. "I'm fucking yours, you slut, don't second guess it." Joe screeched, his head falling back and eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"And you're mine, all fucking mine." Joe took a hand off of your hip and crashed it down to your ass cheek, spanking you hard, your face falling into the mattress as he pushed your back down so it was only your ass at cock level. "Yeah take my fucking cock baby, oh my-"

Your moans echoed in unison, the way he fucked you as hard as he did had you both in panting messes, his cock throbbing inside of you almost ready to burst. You pushed yourself backwards, creating a motion of you fucking into him as he fucked into you.

"Keep doing that, I'm going to cum. Are you close pretty girl?"

"I-I-" You couldn't say another word as your walls tightly caged his cock, his foreskin feeling the benefit and his tip hitting the base of your cervix. "Yes Y/N, yes!" His hand spanked you one last time along with one last thrust and he was spent, his cum flooded inside of you and you milked him for every drop.

"D-did t-that h-help." He could hardly make a sentence, his lungs had practically given up from how good that felt.

"Tell me one more time." You giggled, Joe pulled out of you and threw himself down next to you, leaning onto his side and tickling your ribcage.

"That's what I thought." His soft, loving smile returned along with the sparkle in the eyes that you loved so much, sealing the deal as he took a hold of you tightly, planting a light kiss, the taste of you still lingering. He was indefinitely yours, but maybe you'd be a little insecure more often if that was the endgame.

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Chapter Seven: Trying for Normal (Gifts)

Prev

AO3

“You can not honestly tell me you are thinking of announcing that girl as your daughter.” Damian says, his scowl deeper than Dick had seen it in a while.

“‘That girl’ has a name, Little D. Plus she’s your sister.” Dick says, resisting the urge to nudge him. They had gotten to the point where a small nudge wasn’t a death sentence, but Damian was on edge. And a small nudge would probably not be appreciated.

“I do not care what her name is, Grayson. Since coming to Gotham she has been involved in two separate Rogue attacks. She is suspicious at best, and a nuisance at worst.” He replies, crossing his arms.

“Enough, Damian. Marinette is not a nuisance. She simply has bad luck.” Bruce says, obviously trying to defend his daughter.

“And poor self-preservation skills. Talking back to the Joker? Snarking the Riddler? For an individual with no combat training, she gets much too involved in attacks. It is idiotic.” Damian argues, shaking his head.

“It might have something to do with the Paris situation. She said she’s been at attacks before, so she must have some experience with villains. And from what I read on the Ladyblog, none of the damage in Paris lasts. She just may not realize how dangerous it is for her to do here what she would do in Paris. We just need to warn her, or, at least remind her, that Gotham is a dangerous place.” Dick says, thinking back to her reaction to the Riddler and the Joker. She was definitely more tense with the Joker, despite the fact that both villains had arrived with armed goons. Maybe she thought the Riddler was less likely to kill someone, not true. Or maybe she- Dick frowns as he remembers a key difference between the attacks.

“I just realized something.” He says with a frown.

“Care to share with the rest of the room, Dickiebird?” Jason asks, strolling in and flopping onto a chair.

“She was more tense at the attack with the Joker, she seemed to understand that it was a dangerous situation. Sure, she talked back to him, but she didn’t try to fight back or anything. But at the attack with the Riddler, he wasn’t even targeting her at first. He was targeting the boy she’d been talking to. And she was more reckless, and then she fought back. She fought well, but it was still super dangerous.” Dick rambles, pacing as he explains the predicament.

“Is there a point to this? I feel like I walked in at the wrong time.” Jason calls out from his chair, feet propped up on the table in front of him.

“My point, Jay, is that Marinette has a crush.” Dick says, shuddering at the word like it’s something disgusting. (It is, his sister is too young for crushes and boyfriends).

“Is that why she ran off with him right after the attack?” Jason asks with a smirk. Dick feels his eyes practically shoot out of his head.

“She what!?” He yells, running over to the Batcomputer to look at the security footage from the wax museum. Spots that were targeted frequently, like the wax museum, had their security footage directly linked to the Batcave. Just in case of an emergency or in case an attack happened and they needed an extra set of eyes.

“I’m sure she didn’t do anything that you wouldn’t do.” Jason teases, and Dick pales.

“Shut up, Jason!” He moans, his typing turning frantic as he scrolls through the day’s footage. He stops when he gets to the moments after the battle. When the phones of the French students had all gone off. Frowning, he watches as his sister runs up to the boy and grabs his hand, leaning in and whispering to each other before the two run out of the room. Towards the bathrooms. Oh hell no. Dick scrolls forwards, frowning when they don’t come out in five minutes. Or ten minutes. Huffing, he switches to the cameras aimed at the exits. Surely one of the cameras had to catch the pair leaving the museum. He rewinds it and watches, but...there’s nothing. They don’t leave the bathrooms and they don’t leave the museum. For the rest of the day.

“Has anyone been in contact with her since the attack?” Bruce asks from right beside him, making him jump out of his seat with a yelp.

“I don’t even have her number.” Dick says, resisting the urge to glare at his adoptive father. He might’ve had Marinette’s number had Bruce actually acted like he wanted her to be there for dinner the other day. Instead, he practically ignored her and she left. And now she was missing. Definitely missing, because she never came out of the bathroom at the museum.

“Hello, Marinette? Yes, I apologize for calling so suddenly. I was- yes. Yes, I did hear about the attack….yes, that was part of the reason I was calling. I was wondering if you would like to come to dinner at the manor. You could bring your friend, Adrien Agreste, I believe was his name. Of course. Yes. Oh no, I’ll send a car. No, no I assure you it- Marinette please. Taxis aren’t always safe after dark. Thank you. Yes, I- we’ll see you then. Goodbye.” Bruce hangs up, and Dick looks at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Just gonna suddenly invite her and her boy toy to dinner, B? What’re you gonna do, interrogate them?” He asks frowning.

“That’s the second time that Marinette has ran off after that alarm. I’ve seen videos of the situation in Paris and I’m concerned. Now go upstairs and act normal. I want all of you on your best behaviors at dinner. Damian, better than best please. No weapons.” Bruce directs before leaving the room, presumably to ask Alfred to pick up Marinette. Dick sighs and looks at his brothers.

“Well this isn’t going to be a disaster or anything.” He says. --- “Tikki this is going to be a disaster!” Marinette whines, throwing herself face first onto the bed. She tries to ignore Tikki’s amused giggle. This was not funny. This was dinner with her family that she hadn’t made a great impression on the first time. And Adrien was invited, and she wasn’t sure where the two stood but she was sure that if Dick was at dinner, he would just push Adrien farther away from her.

“I could practically hear your suffering from Adrien’s room, pigtails.” Plagg says, making Marinette sit up and glare at the Kwami.

“Are you just here to mock me?” She asks, pouting. He snorts.

“No, I’m here to tell you the kid’s on his way over here. I told him you were panicking and he practically ran out his door.” Plagg says with a chuckle. Rapid knocking on the door makes him laugh more before dropping onto the bed next to Tikki. Marinette sighs, rolling off the bed and pulling the door open, jumping forward in time to catch Adrien before he completely falls to the ground.

“Are you okay? Plagg said you were panicking, did something happen?” He asks quickly, looking her up and down. Marinette blinks, slightly taken aback by his sudden concern. It was nice, but still a lot all at once. Shaking her head, she gestures for him to come in and shuts the door behind him. Walking back over to the bed, she once again face plants and groans.

“She’s nervous because Mr. Wayne invited the two of you to dinner.” Tikki chirps, giggling when Marinette lifts her head up enough to glare at her.

“Traitor.” She says, dropping her head back down.

“If you don’t want me to go with Marinette, I won’t.” Adrien says. Marinette immediately jumps up, shaking her head rapidly.

“No, no that’s not what I meant. I just- I’m nervous about actually sitting through a dinner with them. And I’m pretty sure Dick will try and sit between us and glare at you like he did at the museum.” She admits, cursing the way her cheeks heat up. Adrien raises an eyebrow.

“He was glaring at me?” He asks, utter confusion on his face. Marinette groans, dropping her head into her hands.

“Sometimes your obliviousness is cute-”

“You think I’m cute!”

“But right now, it’s kinda making me want to scream into my pillow.” Marinette admits, giving him her signature “not amused” look. A look she usually saves for when Chat Noir is making a pun.

“Wait, why wouldn’t Dick like me?” Adrien asks, thankfully stuck on that now instead of the fact that she thinks he’s cute.

“Um, maybe because we were holding hands? Did you really not notice how he kept standing in between us the entire time we were at the museum?” Marinette asks, suddenly unsure if she’d imagined the whole thing.

“Oh no, I did. I just didn’t think it meant he didn’t like me. I’ve never really dealt with siblings before. I mean, I’ve met Nino’s little brother but...that’s about it.” Adrien says, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Marinette sighs, grinning softly.

“I don’t really have a lot of experience either, so maybe I was just imagining things.” She admits. Adrien’s shoulders instantly relax and she smiles. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“So, did you want me to come with?” He asks after a moment of silence. Marinette nods, agreeing immediately.

“Please. I don’t think I can go back there alone, not yet anyway.”

“Of course, Mari. Now, what’re you wearing?” --- The ride to Wayne Manor wasn’t as quiet as her first, with Adrien making quiet jokes and saying things to try and help keep Marinette out of her head. She was thankful that he had come with, because she was definitely going to need the emotional support to get through dinner. The car stops and Marinette sucks in a deep breath. Smoothing out her skirt nervously, Marinette glances at the small, neatly wrapped package sitting between her and Adrien. It was something she had started back when she first found out she was adopted. And that her parents didn’t know her bio dad. A scrapbook with copies of everything important from her life: baby pictures, school pictures, birth announcement, report cards, clippings from newspapers where she had won or placed in contests, pictures of her early designs and recent designs, pictures of certificates and trophies from various competitions and activities. Basically a road map of her life to be given to her bio dad so that he could get to know her. She’d written her name on the front page, with the words “daughter of Bruce Wayne and Bridgette Le” underneath. A sort of amendment to her birth announcement which listed her as the daughter of Tom and Sabine Dupain Cheng. And while she definitely was their daughter, she also wanted Mr. Wayne to know that she wanted to be his daughter too. Not just by blood, which isn’t the important part. No, she wanted to get to know him and for him to get to know her. Pushing down the intruding thoughts insisting that it was too soon and that he didn’t want her in the first place, she opens the car door and steps out, clutching the package to her chest like a safety blanket.

“Would you like me to take that for you, Miss Marinette?” Alfred asks, glancing at the package.

“Oh, no thank you Alfred. It’s for my da- er, um, Mr. Wayne. I can hang onto it.” She says with a bright smile. She could do this. Sure, it didn’t go great the last time she was here. And she was pretty sure Mr. Wayne’s youngest son could kill her and wanted to kill her. But it was fine. Everything is fine. Walking through the front door, her shoulders relax slightly when she sees Dick is the only one standing there waiting for them.

“Marinette! He cheers, rushing forward and picking her up in a hug. As in, legitimately picking her up. Okay then.

“Good to see you too.” She says, trying not to show that he’s literally suffocating her with the hug.

“Good to see you again, Dick!” Adrien says cheerfully. Marinette feels Dick tense before setting her down, his smile less bright as he looks at Adrien.

“And you. Adrien, right?” He asks, sticking his hand out for a handshake.

“Yup!” Adrien says cheerfully. Marinette watches cautiously, noticing that Dick seems to be squeezing a little too hard….and then Adrien appears to match his strength, if the look on Dick’s face is anything to go by. Marinette coughs to hide a snort, her face heating up as both boys turn to look at her.

“Uh, is it just you and Mr. Wayne tonight?” Marinette asks, choosing to ignore their awkward handshake.

“Nope! It’s me and Bruce and Alfred, of course, and Jay and Tim and Damian and Cass. Steph’s not in town and Babs is having dinner with her dad.” Dick says, and Marinette’s eyes widen. There were a lot more people in her bio dad’s family than she thought. She knew about the boys, but she hadn’t seen anything about Cass, Steph or ‘Babs’.

“I didn’t realize I had sisters too.” She says instead of voicing her insecurities. Before she only had the boys to measure up against, now she had three girls too?

“Well, the only official sister is Cass. Steph used to date Tim and she just kinda stuck around. She’s practically family at this point. And Babs and I used to date, but again, she stuck around after and now she’s practically family.” Dick explains with a grin and a shrug. Cause having your exes around isn’t awkward. Or, maybe it isn’t. She doesn’t have any exes to compare it to. Just as she starts to get lost in her thoughts, she feels Adrien brush against her gently. Reminding her that he’s there, for her, giving her the strength she needs to follow Dick into the living room. Where everyone else was sitting. Oh boy.

“Marinette, so glad you could join us. And Mr. Agreste, nice to see you again.” Bruce says, standing from his spot and moving to shake Adrien’s hand.

“You as well, M. Wayne. And please, call me Adrien. Mr. Agreste is my father.” He says, and Marinette can just barely see his wince. His father always had been his least favorite subject, no matter how much or how little they spoke of him.

“Thanks for inviting us.” Marinette says, moving the package so that she’s no longer clutching it like a lifeline. Holding it out to Mr. Wayne, she laughs at his confused face. “It’s a present.” She adds.

“Oh, well, thank you.” He says, his face unreadable. Marinette shifts her weight, glancing between him and the package, waiting for him to open it. Or properly introduce her to the rest of the family. Either option would work at this point. Glancing at Dick, she sighs in relief when he claps. At least someone was going to make the first move.

“Right, so I don’t think you got the chance to meet Jason and Damian properly when you were here the other day.” Dick says, tugging her around a still frozen Bruce in front of the two boys from the other day.

“No, I didn’t. Hi, I’m Marinette.” She says, smiling and holding out a hand to Damian first. He tuts and turns away, making Marinette’s smile fall slightly before she turns to Jason. Jason grins and shakes her hand.

“Welcome to the family, kid.” He says, before whistling. “You didn’t get B’s height, that’s for sure.” He teases, Marinette snorts, her smile turning into a teasing smirk.

“Hey, don’t count me out for my height. Ever heard the phrase, small but mighty?” She asks, crossing her arms. Jason snorts, reaching out and messing up her hair.

“Whatever you say, Pixie Pop.” He replies. She rolls her eyes and turns to the other two siblings she hadn’t met.

“Hi, you must be Tim and Cass.” She says, smiling at both of them. Tim nods, his hand twitching towards his pocket. Marinette tries not to laugh, having seen Max do the same thing when he had to socialize for any amount of time. The boy was always far more comfortable with his phone in his hand, even if he wasn’t actually looking at it. Cass smiles, and Marinette notices her hands moving. “Sorry, could you repeat that, I wasn’t watching closely.” She says. Cass’ smile widens and she nods before starting over.

“Welcome to family. Nice to meet you.” Cass signs, making Marinette beam.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” She says, eyes widening when she realizes she left Adrien alone with a frozen Mr. Wayne. Whirling around, she moved back to Adrien and tugged him forward, rolling her eyes at his surprised yelp. Honestly, he should expect this by now.

“Geeze, Princess. Give a man a warning.” He says, adjusting his shirt that she’d accidentally messed up.

“Sorry k- Adrien. Sorry. Anyway, uh, everyone this is my friend Adrien Agreste. Adrien this is Jason, Damian, Tim, Cass and you already know Dick.” Marinette introduces, gesturing to each of her new siblings. Adrien shoots a wide smile, not quite his model smile but also not quite a real one.

“Nice to meet you all.” He says.

“Marinette, I apologize. Did you want me to open this now?” Mr. Wayne asks suddenly. She turns and raises an eyebrow at his unreadable expression and the way he holds onto the present like he doesn’t know what to expect. Which is fair, considering they’d only met in person the day before.

“Oh, um, if you want to. It’s nothing big.” She says, watching nervously as he nods and unwraps it. His eyebrows twitch together as he looks at the book, obviously not yet understanding.

“Open it, B.” Dick whispers, clearly understanding the gift more than their father. Mr. Wayne nods and opens it, his unreadable expression falling into one that she...still can’t read. But it’s not emotionless anymore. As he flips through the book, a small smile creeps its way onto his face and Marinette almost cheers. That’s the most sincere look she’d ever seen on the man.

“Did you put all this together?” He asks, glancing up from the book to look at her. Marinette nods.

“When I found out I was adopted, I wanted to have something to give my bio dad. So that even if he didn’t want to see me in person, he could get to know me. When I found out you’re my, um, dad, I added some personal touches.” She says.

“And I can keep this?” He asks, and Marinette’s shocked that he sounds almost scared. As if he thinks she’ll say no and take everything back. She smiles.

“Of course. My Maman and Papa already have those pictures. These are all yours.” She says.

“Thank you, Marinette. I- This is an amazing gift.” He says. Marinette’s smile widens and her shoulders sag in relief. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be a disaster after all.

Next

Tag list: @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @jayjayspixiepop @jjmjjktth @mizzy-pop @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @waiting247 @laurcad123 @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @imarivers8 @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks

[rafescoke]

hi ! i'm obsessed with your work ! <333 can i request a rafe cameron x reader

the reader is always there for rafe when he's sick or in trouble but rafe doesn't really show any reaction or gratitude from the reader's affection - but when reader goes sick (or nosebleed) he immediately begins to worry/make sure reader is okay. basically fluff !

August ; Cupcake! Rafe Cameron

masterlist

Read Cupcake if you haven't before you start this fic!

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x reader

Summary: In which Rafe cares more for the girl he likes rather than himself.

Warnings: Extreme fluff! Mentions of alcohols and drugs, Rafe Cameron being a complete sweetheart

A/N: After a week full of nothing but angst I've decided to give y'all what y'all have been screaming for; fluff. Thank you for all the love over my stories, I love you more than anything else in the world <3

p.s, I'm so sorry @blank-velvet if this isn't what you had in mind :(

"Hello, beautiful."

(Y/N) rolls her eyes, giving him a side smile as she locks her front door. "You're late today."

Rafe pouts, pulling her into a hug as he breathes into her scent. She doesn't smell like cupcakes anymore, thank god, because he can't take another few hours of flashbacks of him whisking the batter.

Turns out, the children's home becomes a fortnight habit for the both of them. They would bring so many cupcakes for the kids and spend the new 2 hours chatting and playing games.

Rafe hates to admit this, having to show the soft side of his, but he likes it. Every single bit of it; children telling him he's the best person in the world and how they like his frosting over (Y/N)'s because his were more 'unique'.

"Are you thinking of another girl?" (Y/N) teases, poking him by his side. Rafe looks down to her height with a shocked expression and shakes his head.

"Never."

"Yuck," she replies, but she's smiling. She keeps her hands in his, loving the way his fingers are wrapped around hers. His metal rings knock against hers, and she can feel the slight tightening every time the light turns red.

She wishes she can assure him that she'll never leave his side, no matter what happens. She knows how hard his life is for him, dealing with his family and his addiction, and she swears to be in his life until he's okay.

"I don't want you to leave once I'm okay."

"I don't mean it that way, Rafe. I'm just saying that if you decide to find anyone else after this whole bullshit ends, I'll be fine."

Rafe shook his head, "I don't want anyone else, (Y/N)."

"Now you're thinking of a guy," Rafe rolls his eyes playfully, turning into a corner before stopping directly before a fancy restaurant (Y/N) can't roll her tongue to call it. He steps out, helping her to her feet, and proceeds to give his car keys to the butler.

"You don't have to pay 30 dollars for valet parking," (Y/N) rolls her eyes. "I'm perfectly fine with walking a long distance, you know."

"Not in that heels," Rafe answers, pointing to her pink mules. "You'll get your dress dirty too."

Rafe escorts her to their table by the beach with her arms in his, and the couple never looked so beautiful. Rafe's hair is left messy today, since (Y/N) likes it that way, and anything that (Y/N) likes, Rafe will try to obey.

"We can eat at Fraiser's and I'll be happy, Rafe. This is too much."

Fraiser's is Obx's famous burger shop located in The Cut, and sometimes even the kooks would come down to the other side of the island to enjoy the food.

(Y/N) stares at the beach, hearing its calming waves and turns to Rafe. He's still admiring the view, his lips pulled into a charming smile, and (Y/N) has the urge to kiss him.

"I want to," he says. "I'm glad we met."

The candle burns brightly by the side of their table as he gazes into her eyes, feeling himself getting lost in them. Her (E/C) eyes are mesmerizing, and it had struck him.

"Stop. You're getting all mushy mushy."

The dinner is perfect. To (Y/N)'s surprise, Rafe had requested her favorite song to be played by the band earlier. When the starting melody to August by Taylor Swift starts playing, she's basically gaping at Rafe.

"Shut up! You did not!" she hits him on his arms as he laughs.

"I thought you'd like it," he shrugs, stuffing his mouth with the garlic bread. "Do you like it?"

"Are you crazy? I love it, Rafe!"

Before Rafe can process his mind to what she just said, she pulls him into a hug from the other side of the table, and the other diners glance at the sudden sound of a chair scraping against the wooden floor and clanking of cutleries.

Rafe relaxes, "You're embarrassing us."

She pulls away, her face red, but Rafe holds her tightly.

"It's okay. I like it. Embarrass us even more, please."

(Y/N) feels like she's in heaven, soaring high above the clouds with Rafe by her side. Her life can't be more perfect; being in a close relationship with the boy he likes, doing so many things together she feels like they were married already.

Keyword: close relationship. He never proposes her to be his girlfriend, and she's too afraid to bring it up.

But whatever they're having now; she loves it. More than anything else in the world.

"Let's go to the beach."

"Okay," she giggles, gathering her clutch and her forgotten shoes somewhere under the table. She feels like leaving them, but the heels were one of the many presents from Rafe a few weeks ago, and she intends to keep them until the day she dies.

She stops, placing the clutch against his chest. "Have you paid?"

Rafe looks up to her, "Nah."

"Go pay."

"No."

"Rafe!" she widens her eyes, closing her mouth with her hands. "They'll catch us!"

"Not if we act like we've paid. Come on, they know me. They wouldn't suspect me of fleeing before paying."

She bites her lips nervously, but her heart is thumping wildly against her chest. Fleeing away from paying is never on her bucket list, but she always likes watching these kinds of scenes on the big screen.

"Okay. Fine."

"Okay, sweet. Come on."

He pulls her hands in his as he walks towards the exit. The waiter close to them bows, giving them his thank you, and when (Y/N) feels like they're safe, a loud voice from behind them shouts.

"Sir! Madam! Have you paid?"

(Y/N)'s grip around Rafe's hands tighten, but Rafe is a natural at lying. She wonders if he ever lied to her before.

"We have, a few minutes ago. This is a very bad moment for me and my wife, we are catching a flight back to Paris in an hour and you're wasting our time."

(Y/N) looks at him, gawking. His wife?

(Y/N) isn't sure if his lie would get them out of this situation, because his fake British accent does not sound anywhere near British and no English couple would spend their summer in a place like Obx.

The manager, (Y/N) assumes takes a step back, bowing down to them. When he looks up at them, he still has the curious glint in his eyes.

"Can I get your name?"

There's a long silence between them, and (Y/N)'s getting more and more nervous. "Coke." she blurts before she can stop herself.

"Coke?"

"That's her nickname, right, my love? It's not coke, my dear, it's Cookie," Rafe sighs and turns back to the manager. "I'm sorry. She had had a few drinks tonight."

"Sir," the same waiter that had muttered his thanks to them says, standing beside the stern manager. "They haven't paid."

"Run!" Rafe exclaims, running towards the exit with (Y/N) in his trail. There are shouts behind them, but they don't stop, running for dear life until the music from the band playing sounds a distance away.

Eventually, the gravel turns into sand, and they stop running. (Y/N) is the first one to laugh, throwing her head back and pulling him into a hug.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, Rafe, that's the best thing that has ever happened in my life!" she exclaims, placing her arms around his neck. The adrenaline from before is still flowing at a fast pace, and she never felt more alive.

Rafe smiles, catching his breath. He let her in his arms, smoothing her locks and lifting her slightly from the ground.

"Let's go in the water!" she says excitedly, pulling him towards the waves.

The cold saltwater pools around their ankles as they stand in the water, intertwining their fingers. (Y/N) looks up at him, watching as he stares at the darkness ahead.

She looks in the direction he's gawking at and sees the silhouette of a huge boat somewhere in the distance.

"What's wrong?" she asks, tugging at his hands.

"Someday, (Y/N), I'll bring you around the world."

She smiles. Always the charmer, that one.

"Rafe!" She suddenly shouts, bending down and letting the water soak her dress. "Something bit me!"

Rafe snaps back to reality, holding her in place and trying to find the mysterious creature in the water. Can a piranha get this far?

"I don't see-"

(Y/N) cuts him off by splashing the water at him, and he steps back with a shock.

"You'll regret doing that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not feeling anything."

"Get ready."

"For what?"

Rafe splashes her with a larger amount of water and uses the stalling time as she gasps and tries to get away from him by pulling her down into the water.

"This," he laughs, watching as she screams playfully. She's between his legs now as they sit peacefully, letting the water soak their expensive clothes.

"I'm sorry I'm ruining the dress you bought for me."

"It's okay. It's just Dior. Besides, I'll probably ruin it by-"

"Later," she cuts him off, placing her pointer on his lips to silence him. "Let's just watch the ocean."

And Rafe obliges.

A walk back to your home doesn't take long when you're in love. (Y/N) has Rafe's hands in hers, swaying them back and forth as they skip back to her apartment.

"I'm not going to be responsible for your car if it goes missing, Rafe."

He smiles, "It's okay. I have insurance."

She's on cloud nine; singing along to August and letting Rafe twirl her around under the night sky full of twinkling stars.

"I love this," she whispers, stopping midway. "Thank you, Rafe."

"For what?"

"Being the best."

He kisses her cheeks in response, "Always."

Just before they can continue their walk back to her apartment, a familiar blue mustang pulls up beside her, and Rafe pulls her to his other side in reflex.

He waits until the car window pulls down, revealing a half-drunk boy with his black hair messily slicked back.

(Y/N)'s breath hitches, and she pulls Rafe closer to her.

"What do you want?" Rafe sighs. "Can't you leave her alone?"

"Rafe," she whispers, pulling him in alarm. Out of all the time in the world, her ex-boyfriend decides to surprise them after a good night full of good memories.

Jack ignores Rafe and stares at (Y/N), smiling in a taunting way. "Hey, (Y/N), why are you all wet?"

"Rafe," she pulls him again.

"Come on, I'm just asking," he laughs. "I thought you liked getting wet."

"Fuck off," Rafe says, gritting his teeth. His chest heaves with every breath he takes, and he longs for the moment to connect his fist with his smug face.

"Aw, come on Rafe, you used to be so fun," Jack fakes pout, sighing. "Now you're all up in her ass. Does she feed you bone?"

Rafe steps forward, but (Y/N) quickly pulls him back.

"Does she beg you to go to the some children's shit too?"

Rafe stalks forward again before (Y/N) can help it, and launches Jack's car door open. He topples over from leaning over and not wearing the seatbelt, and Rafe uses the chance to throw him on the road.

"Wanna talk shit again, asshole?" Rafe yells, pushing him as he staggers backward. Jack clutches onto his chest, holding a hand up and moving backward.

(Y/N) cries, waiting for Rafe to come back. As Rafe turns away to go with her, Jack takes the free time to bring him down to the road again and throws a punch against his face.

"Jack! Let him go, please!"

Rafe groans, feeling his bones cracking, but he's too fueled by the snickering Jack had made toward (Y/N). He turns him over and continues his punches against the thrashing boy.

(Y/N) pulls Rafe's arms, not wanting him to get hurt, but the pull is so strong that when he finally lets go of Jack, she topples backward and falls straight on her bottom.

He gushes out beside her, "You're okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you!"

Jack scatters into his car again, muttering a curse word under his breath and saying something along the lines of 'I'll get back at you, Cameron' before speeding off into the night.

(Y/N) groans, rubbing her legs and turns to Rafe. She gasps, holding his face in her hands. "Oh my god! Your nose, Rafe!"

Rafe grunts, pushing her hands away. "I'm fine. It's just a nosebleed. You scraped your thighs!"

"Just the side of them," she mumbles, glancing at the ripped part of her used-to-be beautiful midnight blue dress. "Let me see your nose."

"No."

"Please."

He sighs and lets her examine his broken nose. His eyes are red, and (Y/N)'s sure there's some kind of a broken blood vessel in there, and there are bruises starting to form under his eyes.

To compare with her pain, Rafe is a hundred times worse.

"Jesus Christ, we have to get you to the hospital."

"No!" Rafe exclaims, pulling her hands away from his place. "No, please. I hate hospitals, you know I do. Let's just get home."

(Y/N) sighs, knowing there's no way she can win this fight against Rafe and helps him to his feet. She staggers backward, feeling the sudden pain coursing through her from the gash on her side.

"Oh god, you're losing so much blood."

"No, I'm not. I'm perfectly fine. It's just a scratch," she bites her lips.

"Let me carry you." he stops her.

"No! You're an idiot. If anything, I'm the one who's supposed to carry you," she rolls her eyes and turns to look at him again. "Rafe, you're crying blood. Let's get to the hospital."

"I'm not, I just drink too much red wine."

"It doesn't work that way. Please, Rafe? I'll be there with you the whole time."

Rafe sighs, and after a long time of thinking and weighing his options, he nods.

"If they start telling me to open my clothes, I'll head out. I will only remove my clothes from you tonight."

He can still joke around at a time like this?

(Y/N) bites her lips, "You will do exactly what the doctor says."

"You're my doctor," he shrugs. "Be my doctor?"

(Y/N) decides, with Rafe limping beside her, walking towards the hospital will be the stupidest idea ever. She orders an Uber, and before the driver can ask why they're booking to go to the hospital at 11p.m. on a Friday, he speeds away when he sees the sight of Rafe.

"It's not too late to just go home," Rafe mumbles against her neck. Her hair tickles his nose, but he likes it like that.

He feels safe. Protected.

"We're not sleeping in my apartment tonight."

"Can I still make love to you in the hospital?"

"We'll think about it."

(Y/N) pays the driver, muttering her thanks, and attends to a groaning Rafe again. One of his eyes is shut, and the other is fighting its best to stay awake.

The EMTs grab a wheelchair for Rafe as soon as she pulls him in through the automatic door, and when (Y/N) finally lets go of him, he shouts over the loud orders of the workers.

"She needs to stay with me or I'll die!"

One of the technicians looks at (Y/N), and she sighs. "I'm sorry. We got into a fight, and I think he's just not thinking straight right now."

She nods and asks (Y/N) to wait for him in the waiting room.

Half an hour later, with a coffee from the 24 hours cafeteria near the emergency room in her hands, the doctor finally calls for her attention. She stands up, her dress sticking to her bloody wound, and she winces from the pain.

"Why didn't you tell us!" the doctor sighs, pulling her into the same room he brought Rafe in. Rafe isn't in there, and (Y/N) can't help but search around.

"He's okay. He's sleeping. He's suffering from subconjunctival hemorrhage. It's nothing serious, really, but we decided to keep him under our watch for one day."

(Y/N) nods, slightly relieved, and let the doctor removes her skirt so he can take a better look at her wound.

He clicks his tongue, "What's your name?"

"(Y/N)."

"Okay, (Y/N), we called for your boyfriend's parents and they'll be here in an hour. Do you have any parents I can contact?"

"I'm okay. I'm not suffering from any hemorrhage."

The doctor sighs, "I know. But you just confessed to being in a fight, so I have to get the parents involved. It's protocol."

Fuck.

(Y/N) mumbles out her brother's phone number, and she hopes against hope he's out with his friends and getting drunk so that she wouldn't have to face her family.

"Okay. Do you want to see your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend. But yes, I want to see Rafe."

(Y/N) holds out his hands as she sits beside his sleeping form. She smiles, grazing her fingers across his soft skin as he breathes peacefully.

"I'm awake now."

She pulls her hands away, gasping slightly at his tired voice.

"Come on, hold me again."

She rolls her eyes, but her fingers are around his again. "We look so corny."

"I know. Wanna know something cornier?"

"What?"

"Take that thing out of my pocket. No, not that, that's my dick, (Y/N), my pocket, yes, yes, take that box out."

(Y/N) holds out the small box in her hands, letting the white light from above illuminate the box. Her face is still red at the mention of accidentally touching his private part, but she's more intrigued by the box now.

"Open it," he says softly.

(Y/N) hesitates, and pops the box open. She gasps, having a small diamond glinting back at her.

"Do you like it?"

"You did not, Rafe, oh my god."

"Wear it. Wait, fuck, I messed it up. Wait, wait, let me just-" he sighs, trying to sit up, but (Y/N) stops him midway. "Would you like to be my girlfriend, (Y/N)?"

She looks up at him, her eyes teary now, because God, no one has ever done this to her.

"Would you?"

"Of course, asshole, even when you're asking me in the middle of your deathbed."

He smiles, "Okay. Now you can put the ring on."

She slides the ring on her ring finger, holding her hand up and admiring the way the ring compliments her hands.

She loves it. More than anything.

"Oh, and they called Ward and Rose. I'm sorry it's going to be your first time being my girlfriend and meeting them."

She laughs, leaning over him and placing a longing kiss on his lips. He kisses her back, feeling so much better now he can walk out of this hospital.

"You're like a princess. Nursing me back to health. None of these Harvard graduate doctors can compare to you."

"Urgh, shut up," she rolls her eyes. "Now you're pushing it."

-

@okayshoto @joselyn001 @onceuponateenagetrash @dyingsleeping @iwannabeapogue @meaganjm @rafesobxs @flossy2929 @unfortunatekiwitrash @scottybitch @asimpwriter @amaya124 @tommy-tommo @thatshithurted8 @fallincindy @marvelwhor3 @rafeswh0ree @kookap @supernaturallydc-blog @blank-velvet @alaniskauany @kiiim8 @witchywrter @kaitlyn2907 @heyimflo @overcookedpastasause @tsukkiswifeey @spidey-d00d @anonymousobxfan @gotmeinloveagain @chicagoblackhawkslover96 @lexi-writes @classydragonthingknight @belongtoyou-u @badbussylol @savannah-elliott @angelreyesgirl100 @haterpenny @beehappyyy @alwaysclassyeagle @maybankslut @kayleea122 @clearbolts @lovelyxtom @christianaevans @jemimah-b99 @opierdalacz @dangerdolns @wildflowerliv @classygirlything21 @pogueslandia @alwaysclassyeagle @rottenstyx @wxn-drlst

[smoochkooks]

—hymne a l’amour (m.)

⟶ pairing: park jimin/reader

⟶ genre: smut, fluff, tiny bits of angst

⟶ word count: 5.5k

⟶ summary: it’s valentine’s day and your boyfriend decides to surprise you in more ways than one. and when you’re dating park jimin, cocky, smart and obnoxiously good-looking archeologist, you can be sure of absolutely nothing.

⟶ warnings: dom!jimin, sub!reader, big dick!jimin, sir kink, oral (m receiving), thigh riding, multiple orgasms, orgasm denial, ass slapping, dirty talk, use of degrading names, unprotected sex, mentions of jimin having a daddy kink, jimin being disgustingly sweet boyfriend, oc having at least 2 (two) mental breakdowns, cringy valentine’s day presents

this is eldorado valentine’s day special but it can be read as a standalone. enjoy! xx

Spending Valentine's Day in the city of Paris is like walking through the streets of Beijing and smelling the strong essence of soy sauce and chicken every time you take a breath.

Overwhelming.

(Or at least that's what you think is a good comparison, since you've never stood your foot in Beijing before.)

Paris seems to be on another level when it comes to celebrating Valentine's Day. It's because that's the city of love, someone may say, but no, my friend, it's not just that. French grammar isn't the only stupid thing about said country. Citizens are even weirder, in more ways than one. It's the Eiffel Tower and the smell of garlic that disguises it all when you first visit France.  

A week before February 14th, restaurants, cafees and grocery shops are all covered from head to toe in red hearts, chubby cupids, big teddy bears, various kinds of roses and, at the top of that – everywhere you focus your eyes on, you spot those huge inscriptions where words ‘love’ and ‘I love you’ are spelled in hundred different types of swirly fonts.

It's all too kitschy for your liking but tourists and locals don’t actually mind it even a bit. Once a year Paris turns into a set of the most cliché rom-com and no matter how irksome it might feel, you just have to survive this festival of boofonery.

You've always despised Valentine's Day with every fiber of your being (mostly because you hadn’t had anyone you could actually spend this day with) but your judgement took a sharp three-sixty turn when certain blond, charismatic man entered your life. Now, while you’re happily taken, a romantic dinner and a bouquet of red roses don’t sound that bad.  

But when you're dating someone like Park Jimin, a smart-ass, cocky and obnoxiously good-looking archeologist, you can be sure of abosultely nothing.  

It's a little past ten, you’re laying in your king-size bed, a day before the actual Valentine's Day. Jimin informed you he was going to be late for dinner because of some extra paperwork he had to do in the office, so you patiently wait for him. Wrapped like a fancy Christmas gift in a new pair of flimsy, lacy lingerie you recently bought in Victoria’s Secret, all hidden underneath Jimin's baggy t-shirt (the combination of casual and slutty never fails to drive him crazy). The set is cute, in a baby pink colour. The last time you pulled a move like this, Jimin went hard, literally and lyrically.

Let's just say that Park Jimin (and his dick) likes high-quality underwear.

Dating Jimin has taught you a few things, one of them being that his sex drive is insatiable, so you always need to be prepared. That’s why you're now laying here, on your bed, freshly shaved and smelling of coconut, your precious pussy ready to be worshipped by Jimin's mouth.  

When you hear the familiar jingle of keys and the door to your apartment swings open, you squeal in excitement, grabbing your phone from the nightstand to scroll through it mindlessly so you don’t come across a girl whose only purpose in life is to get dicked down by her boyfriend.

(Which, right now, is your only purpose.)

“Babe, I’m home!”

You hear Jimin pulling off his shoes and coat, so you shout back, “I’m in the bedroom!”

He seemed to be in a good mood in the morning and if nothing's changed, you're positive about getting some action tonight. A well-deserved orgasm after work it's all you crave. You squeeze your thighs, and wait.

“God, I’m so fucking exhausted.” Jimin announces upon entering the room and as soon as those words leave his mouth, he collapses face down onto the bed. His lifeless corpse smells like sweat mixed with his usual cologne and you wrinkle your nose in disgust.

And that’s on getting railed by your boyfriend tonight.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he murmurs after a moment, voice laced with tiredness. He grunts and lifts himself up to place a chaste kiss on your lips. He tastes like bitter coffee and it makes you cringe, but you kiss him back nonetheless. He pulls off too fast for your liking and nuzzles his head in the crook of your neck instead. He cuddles into your side, mumbling something about you feeling warm.

In your head, you count. When was the last time you two had sex? Right, last Tuesday. Oh boy, what a night it was. Your ass still hurts a little while sitting on a chair, a byproduct of your boyfriend's palm landing smack after smack on your cheeks. Lesson learned: never smile too broadly to the waiter who blatantly flirsts with you. You're sure the whole appartment complex heard that night who makes you feel that good  

(As if they don’t already know.)

See? Park Jimin is unpredictable.

“How was work?’’ you decide to ask instead, clearing your thoughts from the inappropriate images of Jimin’s bare body pressed to yours as he fucked you that night. You thread your fingers through his blond locks just the way he likes, massaging his scalp.

He sighs, his words muffled when he speaks. “This new employee can’t do shit. I had to prepare everything before tomorrow's expedition by myself,” he says. “I have to tell Namjoon to fire his ass.”  

You falter your movements for a second. Right, the expedition. You completely forgot about it. Jimin's going to be out of town for the whole day, digging in the soil in some French village the name of you cannot pronounce.

It looks like your fancy lingerie has to wait for her big premiere a little longer.  

“What time are you planning to be back home?” you ask.

“Dunno. Probably late.” Jimin exhales loudly, his breath tickling your neck. His hand travels to your nude thigh, giving it a firm squeeze. You fight back a moan that threatens to spill from you mouth. You really need to get laid soon. “We set off at 6am.” he adds, tracing circles on your bare skin. Your smile drops.

So the plans for morning sex on Valentine's Day stay where they belong. In your dreams.  

“You're so soft. And you smell like coconuts. I could stay like this forever.” Jimin mumbles, circling your waist with his arms and pulling you even closer to him.  

You sigh, basking in this situation just for a while, stroking Jimin's hair and listening to his steady breathing until he eventually falls asleep. Still fully clothed, still with his hand on your thigh. Carefully, so you don’t wake him up, you get up from the bed to take off your underwear. You do feel a little disappointed, but it's okay.  

When you settle yourself on the bed next to Jimin again, your back facing him, a strong arm pulls you flush to his body. You hear him sighing with relief, and it makes you smile to yourself.  

Lights off, everything can wait for tomorrow.

In the morning, just like expected, you wake up alone. There's no sight of Jimin, his side of the bed empty and cold. For your dismay, there’s no bouquet of red roses waiting for you in the kitchen, no box of chocolates or a small, cheesy note with your name written on it. Not even a short “Happy Valentine's Day, baby!” text on your phone. Absolutely nothing.  

You tells yourself it’s fine. Maybe Jimin didn’t have enough time, maybe he was too occupied with expedition to prepare something special, maybe the big surprise is yet to come. However, you can’t quite shake off the feeling that something do seem odd and it makes you anxious. Leaving without a single text is not Jimin's style. Not when it's your first Valentine's Day spend together.

You probably shouldn’t worry that much. It's not a big deal, after all you hate those types of annual holidays and Jimin knows it. Yet something about the whole situation makes you uncontrollably uneasy. You have never been like this, vulnerable and sheepish. You hate Park Jimin for turning you into such a softie.

Walking through the streets of Paris makes you feel nauseous. You look at all the happy couples sucking each others’ faces for everyone to see and fight an urge to gag. Someone shouts “Love is in the air!” and you almost throw up. Everytime you see someone holding heart-shaped balloons or flowers, you whip your head in other direction. It's nothing, you keep reminding yourself. A stupid holiday that doesn’t mean anything at all.

But the actual nail to the coffin happens to be the atmosphere in Eldorado headquarters. It drives you absolutely crazy.

It's 12am and still no word from Jimin. You checked: this bastard was online one hour ago, so he just doesn’t want to talk to you. Fine, mister. If this is how you wanna play, try sucking your dick by yourself, beacuse I’m not getting near it anytime soon, you think to yourself, filled with rage.

Yeri wiggles her pretty eyebrows at you and asks about your plans for tonight. You fake a giggle, saying that Jimin will probably surprise you with something when he gets back from his expedition. The words taste bitter on your tongue, especially when the high hopes you had simply melted away this morning. Your friend then starts babbling about the restaurant she's going to with Jungkook after work and you listen to her rant with forced smile on your face the whole time.

Meanwhile, a few meters away from you Hoseok is giggling like a teenager, typing something on his phone, without a doubt (sex)texting his girlfriend. She's out of town and you’re more than sure Hoseok hasn't gone to bathroom ten minutes ago just to take a piss. Even Namjoon is in a pleasant mood today, humming some old ABBA hits under his breath. Yesterday he couldn’t shut up about his date with a girl who’s also his new neighbour. He met her when she came by to give him homemade croissants. Ironically, that sounds a lot like some kdrama lovestory to you, and Namjoon hates kdramas.

During lunch time, you scroll through your Instagram and almost slam your phone on the wall. There's a new photo uploaded on Kim Seokjin's account.  

kimseokjin92: Celebrating Valentine's Day on Maldives w @minsuga #couplegoals #boyfriends #valentinesday #loveislove

They are on fucking Maldives. Fucking Maldives! You grit your teeth. It's fine. Completely fine.

But the absolute peek, the moment when you almost break down into tears and curl yourself into a ball of misery, comes in the person of Jeon Jungkook. He enters the office with a bouquet of the most beautiful red roses you have ever seen, a huge grin plastered on his stupid face.

Your heart clenches in your chest. Park Jimin could never.  

Jungkook hands Yeri the flowers and she laughs, slapping his chest when he starts declaiming Romeo's monologue from the Shakespeare’s tragedy. He then kisses his girlfriend deeply and lovingly, making her cheeks flush in crimson. Hoseok coos at them, Namjoon following him. You swear you saw Jungkook's tongue in the process of said heavy make out session.  

(Jealously is an awful emotion, you've decided a long time ago.)

An hour later, the bouquet stands proudly on Yeri’s desk and you stare at it with melancholy. You briefly avert your gaze to Jimin's desk and the memories flash before your eyes. The same desk he had you bent over, skirt bunched around your waist and cock drilling into your pussy, when you both stayed together at work after hours not so long ago.  

You mentally slap yourself. Get your shit together, woman. It's not like he broke up with you. It's just some stupid holiday. It's nothing.

“Something's wrong?’’ Yeri asks you with genuine concern written on her face.  

You swallow, forcing yourself to smile. “No, everything's fine. Just a headache.”  

She eyes you suspiciously. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” you say. Even though your friend doesn’t look convinced, she eventually stops bothering you.

It's all good. My boyfriend forgot about our first Valentine's Day together but everything's alright. No worries, you want to say instead.  

Later that day, when you exit the elevator and walk straight to your apartment, a strange smell of something burning fills your nostrils. Is that food? A real fire? No, that's definitely some meat that stayed too long in the oven.

The closer you are, the smell becomes stronger, like it’s actually coming from your apartment. You furrow your eyebrows.

“What the fuck.” you mutter to yourself.  

When you open the door, your jaw falls slack, eyes wide like saucers.

Never, in your entire life, had you thought  you would see Park Jimin, your own dearest boyfriend, popping out from the kitchen with his hair disheveled, sweat coating his forehead, wearing a black suit underneath the most ridiculous apron you have ever seen: pink with a big-ass ‘mr good lookin is cookin' written in the middle.  

(Can someone remind you why are you dating him? Oh, thank God he isn’t naked underneath.)

He looks completely lost when he spots you, waving awkwardly in your direction. It's probably the first time he touched something in the kitchen that isn’t coffee machine. He’s so flustered that you almost forget he nearly turned your apartment into ashes.

“Hi, babe.” he says sheepishly.

It takes all the willpower you hold not to spit a lung watching your boyfriend who absolutely hates cooking, trying to look unimpressed by the smell of burnt food. He does a pretty poor job though, an apron not helping in the situation.

“Happy Valentine's Day!’’ he exclaims perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, approaching you and planting a kiss on your cheek. And after that, you burst into hysterical laughter.  

(Seriously, you almost lose your own breath three times.)

Jimin looks terrified but most importantly – put out. You’re probably hurting his enormous, almost the size of Russia pride right now. (Not your fault Jimin has the biggest praise kink on the planet.)  

“Why are you laughing? Is it because of the chicken? Fine, I can’t cook for shit but I tried, okay? I didn’t have enough time and it was the middle of the night in Korea so I couldn’t just facetime my mum for advice and-”

You interrupt his rambling with a searing kiss, effectively shutting him up. He falters for a moment but quickly catches up, pulling you closer to him, placing his hands on your waist and deepening the kiss.  

But then, when his about to trail kisses down your throat, you hit his arm.

“What was that for?!” Jimin yelps, looking at you with astonishment.

“I thought you fucking forgot about the Valentine’s Day!” you yell, slapping his chest. “Why didn't you tell me about this?!”

“Because the definition of surprise says you can’t reveal it sooner?” he reponds in a mocking tone.

“Oh, shut up.” you grumble and pull him in for another kiss. You could feel him smiling into it, cheekily biting onto your lower lip. He places a loving peck on your forehead and brushes the strands of your hair behind your ears. There's so much affection in his eyes you could melt into a puddle right here and there.

“I’m sorry. Jungkook told me you looked upset the whole day.” he whispers.

“I wasn't!” you protest.

“He told me you almost cried when he gave Yeri a bouquet of red roses.”  

This stupid brat.

You look up at Jimin. “Fine. I was mad. And sad. Everyone was having the time of their lives and here I was, on a verge of mental breakdown because my idiot of a boyfriend supposedly forgot about the Valentine's Day.” you say, crossing your arms over chest with a pout.  

Jimin rolls his eyes and takes your hand, leading you to the living room, where a bottle of (your absolute favourite) wine is standing on the table, along with candles and, yes, red roses. It's too cheesy and straight from the cringy rom-coms but you don't mind, because it's Jimin and he poured his heart into this and it's all that matters.

When he approaches you again, he isn’t wearing that stupid apron and you blush at how perfect he looks, almost painfully handsome. His hair needs a cut so it’s pushed back from his forehead. God reincarnated in the form of a smart, cocky archeologist who happens to be your boyfriend.

You're, well, in your black jeans and baby blue sweater and you probably stink, but Jimin assures you with his loving touches he doesn’t mind, never will. He always does that, looking at you with those sparkling eyes which say you're the most beautiful thing in the world for him.

And it doesn't matter how many times you scold him throughout the day, how many banters you have over silly things, because at the end of the day, in each others’ embraces, it feels like home for the both of you.

“Since the chicken chickened out,” Jimin says nonchalantly, filling your glasses with red wine. “We can always get drunk and watch some old romantic movies.”

You smirk. “You cried the last time when we watched ‘When Harry met Sally’.”  

Jimin clicks his tongue. “Don't test my patience, sweetheart or you won't get the presents.” he warns.

You raise your eyebrows. You hope one of them comes in the form of his dick. Suddenly, you’re reminded of your lingerie set, so you make a mental note to wear it after the shower. “Can I see those presents now?” you ask, looking at Jimin with pleading eyes. It's exactly three seconds till he softens.  

“Fine.” he mutters and heads to the bedroom.

When he comes back, he’s not alone. Literally not alone, because he's caring the most hilarious Valentine’s present you could ever think of. A giant, white teddy bear, almost in the size of him, heart-shaped balloons attached to his right paw.

“This is,” Jimin whips his head to read the name on the bear's chest. “Ted.”  

You blink. “You bought me a teddy bear named Ted?”  

Jimin opens his mouth to say some witty comment but he stops when he hears you sob. “Baby, sweetheart, what's wrong?” He kneels in front of you, the bear long forgotten on the floor. You burst into tears and Jimin tries to calm you down, rubbing soothing circles on your thighs.

Once you eventually stop crying and regain your normal breathing, you wipe your tear-strained cheeks and look down at your very much worried boyfriend. “You are an idiot, Park Jimin. A fucking idiot. That teddy bear is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen and I should humiliate you for giving me that but...” You take a deep breath. “But I can’t. Because I fucking love you, dumbass.”

The corners of Jimin lips lift in amusement but you’re clearly not done with your little speech, so he waits until you finish. “You organized the most cliché date ever. You read all the Grey's books. You can’t cook for shit and this stupid apron you wore? God have mercy,” You visibly cringe. “You declaim Greek philosophers when you shower. Fuck, you persuaded me to do teacher-student roleplay and I kept calling you daddy during the whole thing because you asked me to. You are everything I despise but at the same time I love you so much,” you say, tears once again welling in your eyes. “I’m sorry I’m telling you this now, even though I've realised this a long time ago.”

Jimin’s silent, so unlike him, declaring his emotions with a huge grin this time. He stands up and picks your body into his arms. You wrap your legs around his waist as he walks you both to your bedroom. He places you gingerly onto the mattress, hovering over your figure.

(Your fancy lingerie can wait for another occasion.)

“I love you too, ___.” he says, staring into your eyes. “You’re making me the happiest man in this world.”  

You roll your eyes, however there’s no use for that because your cheeks are already tainted red. “Oh, stop being such a sap.”  

He smirks. “You love when I’m like this.”  

“That is, in fact, not true.”  

You’re lying and he knows it, but he always lets you banter with him like this anyway.  

“Then what do you want me to be today?” he asks, his hands travel down to your zipper, then pull down your jeans. “Sweet? Loving?” He helps you take off your sweater and you’re left with nothing on beside your underwear. “Or do you want me to be rough? Push you around and fuck you stupid?” You gulp, your attitude successfully shut down. “Come on, use your words.”  

Somehow, you manage to gain your composure. “Want you to take off your clothes first.”  

Jimin chuckles, lowly and with a promise of more to come if you’re patient and behaving well, according to his commands. “You’re not the one to give orders here, baby.” he retorts. Then, he’s gripping your knees, pulling your legs apart and putting your pussy on full display for him.  

There’s already a dark, wet patch forming on your grey panties and he tsks disapprovingly. “You’re wet and I haven’t even touched you yet. You want it that much, huh?”  

You nod. “Please, touch me.”  

“Try again.”  

So he’s in that mood today. You’ve explored a fair share of kinks with Jimin so far and what you know for sure is that he always takes the leading role in bed. He likes to dominate, be the one in charge, railing you into the mattress until you’re crying out so loud your neighbours are banging on your walls.  

You slip into your role naturally, your usual confident behaviour gone and replaced with timidity. He relishes in seeing you like this, helpless and vulnerable, a stark contrast to how you act on daily basis.  

Jimin pins you with his dark stare and you give in. ‘”Yes, sir.”  

“Good girl.”  

He rewards you with a feather-like touch of his fingers on your pussy. He finds your clit with ease, rubbing it with practiced strokes until more juices drip down from your hole, wetting your panties embarrassingly fast. Your legs shake with want for more, to feel him sink his digits knuckle-deep into your cunt and finger you like he did that one time in a bathroom on your flight to Japan.  

He doesn’t seem the slightest bothered with your state, ignoring your pleading eyes and wanton moans. He hasn’t even taken off your underwear yet and you’re already on the verge of an orgasm.  

Jimin knows your body inside and out, probably better than you do, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to you that he can sense when you’re about to climax. He withdraws his hand from your center seconds before your release. You can’t help but huff with annoyance.

“Something's wrong, babygirl?” he asks, saccharine-sweet and annoyingly innocent.  

Your retort dies on your tongue the moment he decides to unbutton his white dress shirt. You’re too distracted with delicious lines of his sculpted chest to complain about your denied pleasure anymore. Your hands itch to touch him but you stay immobile, devouring him with your eyes instead.  

Jimin notices you're staring and smirks. “Like what you see?”  

You nod. “Yes, sir.”  

He then stands up from the bed and motions for you to come closer. You oblige without an ounce of confusion, crawling until you’re sitting on your heels in front of him. It’s a rather humiliating position but you can’t help but feel the rush of adrenaline in your veins when he cups your chin and tilts your head up.  

“Take off my pants.”  

You rush to obey, unbuckling his belt with shaky hands because you know what’s coming next once his pants are pulled down. He’s already hard, the prominent bulge of his cock straining in his briefs.  

“Now my underwear.”  

You nearly moan out loud when his cock slaps his abdomen, mouth salivating to take him in deep but you don’t dare touch him without a directed instruction. He makes sure your eyes are on him and starts stroking himself, spreading the precum all over his length, hissing when his thumb rubs the sensitive head of his cock.  

Jimin groans, low and throaty, and you whimper quietly in response. “What, baby? You want my cock that much?” he asks, his left palm cupping your cheek. You whisper a meek “Please” and he chuckles. “Come on then. Show me what that slutty mouth of yours can do. Open up.”  

Your lips part on command and you nearly moan when he guides his cock into your mouth. You’ve sucked Jimin's dick enough times to know what he likes, what brings him to the edge quicker than hitting the back of your throat. You lick the tip of his cock, eyes darting to check his reaction and, just as you expected, his features twist in pleasure.  

You relish in a minute or two of the control you have over him before he grows bored with your teasing and decides to fuck your mouth instead. But for now, you make sure to have him suffer a little for that stunt he pulled earlier when he didn’t make you come.  

You take him deeper, hollowing your cheeks for extra stimulation. Your hands reach to fondle his balls and you smirk around his cock when you hear a groan leave Jimin's mouth. “Good girl,” he murmurs, stroking your cheek. You lean into his touch, moaning at the praise. “My pretty slut.”  

The first hit on the back of your throat makes you gag because fuck, is he big. The only thing bigger than Jimin's ego seems to be his dick, apparently. When he threads fis fingers through your hair you know what’s about to come; jaw relaxed, saliva dripping down from the corners of your mouth, you’re ready to be ruined.  

He withdraws, giving you exactly five seconds to breathe and then pushes forcefully inside. Your mind is filled with mental images of him giving your pussy the same treatment later. You would whimper at the thought, if your mouth wasn’t stuffed full of dick. Instead, you give your best, swallowing every inch of him obediently.  

“That’s it,” he rasps, clamping one hand on the back of your neck for better leverage. “You’re doing so good, baby.” When he nudges the back of your throat again, you feel him throb. He pulls away from the warmth of your mouth seconds later, panting heavily. He falls back onto the bed and pats his thighs. “Come here.”  

You scoot closer to him and crawl onto his lap. He smiles at you from below, pulling you in for a kiss. The hands he previously gripped your waist with now travel upwards, unhooking your bra. Your hips unconsciously move, pussy gliding along the flexed muscles of his thigh.  

Jimin notices your desperate attempt at getting some friction on your most sensitive parts and helps you rock your hips. He moves your panties to the side and you moan, felling the delicious pressure on your bare center. He’s watching with amusement as you’re falling apart on his thigh, thumb reaching to rub your clit. You cry out, climaxing so hard you’re almost seeing stars behind your closed eyelids.

He keeps helping you ride out your high until you’re whimpering from the overstimulation. “Did you like it?” he then asks, urging you to look at him. “You were so desperate to come, sweetheart. Fucking yourself on my thigh like a bitch in heat,” You whine instead of responding, earning a harsh smack on your ass. “Use your words.”  

Another slap lands on your cheek and you mewl. “Yes, I loved it, sir.”  

He chuckles, maneuvering your body so you’re now positioned over his cock. He gives your ass a firm squeeze and you whimper, arousal dripping down the inside of your thighs despite orgasming just minutes ago. “Ride me, baby.” he says.  

You hurry to obey, guiding his cock inside you. It's a tight fit but your wetness makes it smoother to push him deeper. “So big,” you mumble, bottoming out. You know damn well Jimin likes to be praised and if the smirk that stretches on his lips is anything to go by, he enjoys what you just said. “That feels so good, sir.” You start moving your hips languidly.  

“Yeah?” Jimin quips, hands gripping your waist so tightly it almost makes the skin bruise. “Then show me what a good girl you are for me. Fuck, look at you. You’re so hot.” His palms cup your breasts, thumbs stroking your nipples.  

You keen at the praise and quicken your pace. Your thighs start to burn but you ignore that, bouncing on your boyfriend’s dick like there’s no tomorrow. The room is filled with lewd noises, skin slapping on skin. Jimin looks down, staring at his cock coated in your juices as it disappears inside your hole. He curses at the sight.  

Your legs start to shake, huffs leaving your lips. “Sir–please,” you whine, feeling yourself getting closer to the edge.  

“What do you need, babygirl?” he asks, pinching your nipples. You squeal, your pace losing its previous rhythm.  

“I’m so close.” you stammer. “Please–touch me.”  

“Where you do you want me to touch you, baby?” He ignores your whimpers, the way your pussy keeps squeezing his cock in a vice grip. “Here?” He touches your tits again and you shake your head violently. “Or here–” His fingers find your clit and you cry out loudly. You feel so full, his cock hits your cervix every time you drop down onto him.

“Yes, yes,” you chant, mouth wide open and eyes squeezed shut. You probably look right now like a professional porn star but you couldn’t care less, not when you’re so close to the climax. “Sir–fuckfuckfuck, please!”

“There you go,” Jimin coos, circling your sensitive bud with his thumb. “Come for me, baby.”  

You’re gushing around his dick, arousal leaking out of your hole and coating his thighs with your release. Your upper body gives out and you collapse onto Jimin, your cunt pulsing from the intense pleasure you’ve just experienced.  

“Oh god,” you mumble. “I just saw the answer to the whole universe.”  

You feel Jimin's chest shaking with laughter and when you look up, you find him grinning at you. “That good?”  

“That good.” you confirm, sighing tiredly.  

“Are you okay?” You hear him asking. No matter how much he likes to push you around and fuck until you’re seeing stars, he always makes sure if you’re feeling comfortable to continue.  

You spare him a nod. “You know I can handle it,” you say, lifting yourself up. “I’m a tough girl, right?” Despite the oversensitivity, you start rocking your hips again. “M-made for you.”

Jimin smirks. “Yeah, made for me,” he confirms and slaps your ass. Your pussy flatters around his cock. “Not like this,” he mutters and turns you onto your back with one, swift motion. “Much better.”  

You pout. “You didn’t like it when I was riding your cock, sir?” You’re bluffing, but a girl can her fun too.  

He clicks his tongue, guiding his cock through your folds again. “Oh, baby, I was enjoying it very much,” he says, picking up his speed. Your legs wrap around his waist, pulling him even closer. “But now I want it harder.”  

He fucks you just like he likes the most; fast and rough, unforgiving. He leans down for a messy kiss that’s all teeth tongue and his eyes nearly bulge out of his head when he sees his saliva dripping down your chin.  

(He decides right here and there that he might wanna explore his newfound fantasy soon.)

Soon you’re feeling the coil in your stomach tightening for the second time, embarrassingly quickly so. You moan, cunt squeezing around his dick. “Again?” Jimin asks, voice laced with both mirth and disbelief. Tears well in your eyes and you give him a nod. “Such a fucking slut.” he spits, slithering himself into you even faster than before.

Your third and final orgasm is so powerful and sudden, it nearly makes you black out. Jimin curses, fucking you through it. “Kiss me,” you whimper deliriously and he obliges, slipping his tongue inside your mouth. “I love you.” you whisper into his lips and that’s what sends him over the edge.

“I love you, I love you–fuck.” he groans and spills himself inside, coating your pussy with his seed.

He collapses next you, chest heaving with every exhale. Your legs feel like jelly and you know you’ll have trouble walking tomorrow. Just when you’re about to tell Jimin to call in sick and spend the whole day in bed instead, he suddenly sits up.

“Wait, I forgot I have another present for us.” he says, rushing to pick something up from underneath the bed.

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Jimin, I swear to God, if you bought us matching t-shirts–”

He grins like a child, showing you two white pillows, the most basic ones you could ever think of, with ‘his side’ and ‘her side' written on them. It's cringy and ridiculous and you fight an urge to punch him, but you don't.  

Because it's Jimin and you will never complain about it.

Because you love him. And that's all that matters.

[bluejaem]

7 THINGS — J.JH

❝ The seven things I like about you. Your hair, your eyes, your old Levi's. When we kiss, I'm hypnotized. You made me laugh, you made me cry, but I guess that's both I'll have to buy. Your hand in mine when we're intertwined, everything's alright. I wanna be with the one I know. And the seventh thing I like the most that you do. You make me love you. ❞ — ♫ 7 things by miley cyrus

↳ PAIRING — jaehyun × gn!reader

↳ GENRE — tooth-rotting fluff lmao, slight angst in the end, post-break-up!au

↳ WORD COUNT — 2.16k ; « 8 min »

↳ WARNING/S — a kiss, mentions of food at one point, like one curse word ig

↳ PLAYLIST — paris in the rain by lauv :: fly away with me by nct 127 :: king of my heart by taylor swift

↳ A/N — perhaps I fell in love with jaehyun while writing this fjsnfjdjf. low-key plagiarised some of my own works while writing this lMaO. Anyways, I just hit my 3-month mark with this blog on this hellsite. So this is a celebratory work ig?

↳ SYNOPSIS — Sure, he broke your heart. But you still weren’t over him. No matter how much you tried, he was the only one in your heart.

And here lie the 7 things you love about jaehyun.

the first thing — your eyes looking in mine

“Ooh, do you remember this one? We took this on our first ever date. You were so cute then — not that you still aren't—” you pulled out the polaroid picture of the two of you from the album and showed it to Jaehyun, who was sitting beside you.

But he turned out to be staring at you.

His eyes were like an empty canvas, gradually being painted with love after every moment that passed. His eyes were always gentle. They looked at you with a softness you had never encountered before. The gaze that was filled with nothing but warmth and fondness. His eyes that spoke a thousand words at once. With a thousand tales to tell.

You were lost.

Lost in his eyes. For who knows how long. But all that mattered was that he was too.

“What?” you giggled when you saw him smile. “nothing, you're just really endearing,” he gushed.

This statement was soon followed by a shy smile taking over your face. He couldn't help but chuckle at this sight. How you'd always shy away whenever he complimented you. Or how you'd try to be the flirty one, but when he said something next, you'd be the flustered one.

He loved the fact that he still had the same effect on you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the second thing — your smile

“hi bubs, and what's your name?” you crouched down to talk to the little toddler holding onto her mother's hand. “I'm Zoey!” the girl replied. 

“Hi, Zoey! I'm y/n!” you flashed her your sweetest smile and put your hand forward for a handshake. She returned your smile with the same amount of affection and shook hands with you.

“And this is uncle Jaehyun,” you take Jaehyun by his hand and make him crouch down beside you.

“Hi, Zoey! That's such a pretty name!” Jaehyun cooed with delight. “Thank you,” the girl giggled, and you did too.

The way his smile grew wider, the dimples making an effortless appearance. He adored you so much, and you had no idea about it.

“Bye!” you waved Zoey and her mom goodbye and turned to look at a smiling Jaehyun.

His eyes, his lips, and his spirit all at once smiled at you. He paints a ray of sunshine all over his face. His smile lights up your world — always. His smile was one of happiness growing, much as a spring flower opens. You could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. In his sweet smile is all the love you'll ever need.

And there you went, falling for him all over again.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the third thing — your hand in mine

“Do you trust me?” he asked as he finished tying the black cloth on your eyes.

“with my life,” you replied, feeling the soft fabric of the clothing on your eyes.

“Well, then,” he smiles, taking your hand in his as he leads you to a surprise that awaits you.

The warmth of his hands penetrating through your skin. The way your hand fit perfectly in his. The feeling of his fingers intertwined with yours was one that couldn't even be described in words.

It felt like holding onto your world at your fingertips and never wanting to let go of it.

“And we're here! Please don't open your eyes until I tell you to do so,” he untied the cloth and ran to the other side.

“Can I open my eyes now?” you snickered because you kind of knew where this was going.

“Yes!” that was the last thing you heard before opening your eyes to a smiling Jaehyun holding a huge card that read, "”ill you be mine again?”

You slowly made your way to him, a candle-lit pathway made just for you. “happy 1st anniversary, love” he gave you a peck on the cheek as he kept the card down.

“you didn't have to do all this?!” you let out a shocked chuckle as you looked at the rest of the decoration. “Now you're making me feel bad that all I did was gift you a bottle of perfume!”

He smiled at your comment and took out something from his pocket. He went behind you, and you felt a cold chain making contact with your skin. He locked the necklace from the back and made you turn to face him.

“Don't feel bad — your presence itself is a gift from heaven above.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the fourth thing — your ears when you're shy

You woke up to the sound of the sizzling of eggs on the pan. You broke into a big yawn as you sluggishly made your way towards the kitchen.

“Good morning to you too,” he chuckled when he looked at you barely able to open your eyes.

You instantly found yourself smiling when you heard his voice. You walked up to him and hugged him from behind, resting your chin on his shoulders as he continued cooking.

“we're eating eggs again?” you groaned out of boredom. “What did you want to eat?” He snickered.

You wore a sly grin as an idea hits you at the right moment, "I want you.” you whispered in his ear. His eyes slowly grew wide, processing whatever the fuck that you just said.

He turned around — only to see you, a laughing mess. And as soon as you saw that smirk on his face, you knew it was time to run.

“aww, your ears are turning red. What happened, loverboy? Were you flustered because of what I said?” You teased him as you both were waiting for the other one to leave their side of the couch and run.

It was one in a million moments when jaehyun was the flustered one, and you were the one who provoked him to be. And so, these moments really had to be the most memorable ones.

“Jae, no–” you sprinted to your room as he followed you. “Let's not–”

Your legs hit the end of the bed, and the next thing you knew was that you had fallen on the bed and jaehyun got on the bed with you, tickling the life out of you.

“Wait, do you smell that?” you said as you sniffed dramatically. Jaehyun stopped tickling you for a moment, and the look on his face when the realization hit him was honestly the funniest thing you had ever seen. You let out the weirdest chuckle when your heard him shouting in horror,

“my eggs!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the fifth thing — your lips when we kiss

"”want a sip?” he offered you his coffee while you were sipping on yours. “How'd you know I wanted to try it?” You let out a soft chuckle while you take his coffee to try.

“I mean, even when you're sipping on yours, your eyes were on my drink. What else should I decipher it as?” he continued walking along with you, smiling when he saw your reaction to consuming his cup of coffee.

You let out a dissatisfied cough after drinking a little bit of his coffee. You hand him his coffee back. “How do you drink that stuff, dude?” you gulped hard, trying your best to get rid of the bitterness by taking long sips of your drink.

“Not like yours is that great,” he said in his cockiest tone in an attempt to provoke you.

You stopped on your tracks, disbelief was written all over your face, “Excuse you, for this is my best buddy!” you scoffed. Well, almost choked, but we won't talk about that right now.

“Then let me try yours—”

“Nope, sorry. And now you've lost the both of us.” Sure, you were fighting like an elementary school kid at that point. But in your defense— yeah, no. You were just being petty, and Jaehyun was just playing along.

You walk ahead of him while he stood there, trying to think of how to get back at you. An idea perks him as he looks at your figure slowly getting smaller the further you walked. He quietly jogged his way towards you, wearing a smug smile on his face.

Oh, dear y/n. You signed up for something you didn't know was about to come.

When he finally caught up to you, he tapped on your shoulder. As a reflex, making you turn around to look at who it was. But instead, you were met with a pair of lips on yours. Not just anybody, but the only guy ever, Jung Jaehyun.

Resistance — was something you were always pretty bad at. And especially when it came to Jaehyun.

No matter how hard you'd try, you always end up giving in. And as a matter of fact, that's what happened then too. He smiled in between the kiss, knowing very well that you had once again given in to him. Your other hand runs through his hair while he pulls you closer to himself, closing any distance between the two of you.

God, you missed kissing him.

He finally broke from the kiss, and started walking, leaving you totally confused. He wore a smile of triumph as he said, "I never liked Mocha anyway," not once did he look back at you before saying that.

For a hot minute, you were pretty confused as to what he meant by that. And that's when you understood that he was talking about the coffee.

You stood there, totally baffled — screaming on top of your lungs while he still kept walking,

“Get back here, Jung gorgeous-ass-man-who-just-tricked-me-like-that Jaehyun!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the sixth thing — your voice when you call out my name

“you coming?” you shouted as you got out of the water, walking your way up to where jaehyun was standing. He seemed to have been writing something on the wetter side of the sand.

“And, done!” He presented you with the small surprise he had prepared for you. You smiled when you saw what it was. He took you by your hand, giving it a kiss before making you stand beside him.

“Jaehyun + y/n forever” he read it out loud while pointing at the sand.

The way your name rolled off his tongue so easily, yet giving it its own unique color. It felt foreign but at the same time, it was so familiar and resounded through your whole self. No matter how many times he calls out your name, something about it still gives you a sense of serenity and you could never get tired of it.

“you plus me forever indeed,” you softly said, burying your head in the crook of his neck as you hugged him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the seventh I like the most that you do — you make me love you

“This is the last one for today, I promise,” Jaehyun said as you both climbed up the stairs of an unknown building. You both entered what looked like an empty terrace with a bench in one of the corners.

He sat on the bench and signaled you to sit beside him. “We're ready!” he shouted.

You were kind of confused by whatever that was going on at that moment. “For what?” you looked at him. Anticipation getting the best of you when you saw the proud look on his face.

“For that,” he put both his hands forward, pointing at the other side of the terrace, basically the wall.

And that's when the led lights lit up, and you could see some words coming the other way like a long led banner.

He read, “There are days when I feel down, and there are days when I feel joy, but the best part of it is going through it all with — you. I know what I'm going to say next is kind of cheesy, but”

This time he turned to you, reaching out for your hand “— will you be my once upon a time?”

It was like the flower of love bloomed once again. There’s something about him that you find so intriguing. Something to his aura that never fails to bring in pleasant surprises. It was like this weird force of attraction that never failed to make you fall for him all over again — if that was even possible. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

But as history has seen it before, every story has an ending. And the one of yours and jaehyun's was of no exception.

© BLUEJAEM, 2021

Tysm for reading! Feedback is very much appreciated <33

[kireimarkeu]

My Little Pea; j.jh

+repost :))) 

just a summary of how it’s like to be dating jaehyun. i got so many inspiration from so many videos/people while making these. HAVE FUN 

4k words

+Day 1 [he asks you out] 

Jaehyun couldn't stop himself from smiling every few seconds. Every time he remembered what happened an hour ago, his face and ears would flush red and his palms would start to sweat.

Just an hour ago, Jaehyun finally asked you to be his girlfriend, after seeing each other for a few months. The feelings were mutual, and you were glad he finally asked you. 

You squeezed your boyfriend's hands, looking up at him, amused, "what are you smiling at, cutie?"

He looked down at you, biting his lips to stop himself from smiling. "Can't believe I can finally call you my girlfriend."

You couldn't help but blush at his sweet words. "I feel the same, boyfriend."

Jaehyun suddenly stopped walking and pulled his hand from yours, covering his face with both hands.

"You can't say that!"

+Day 30 [your 1st month]

"Happy one month, baby!" Jaehyun beamed, holding a vanilla cake in front of him. 

You grin happily, looking up at him. "You bought a cake for us?"

Jaehyun nodded sheepishly, "had to treat my girl after not being able to see her for so long."

You stood up and ambled up to him, "thank you for this. You're the best boyfriend ever."

You take the cake from him and placed it on the table before wrapping your arms around his neck, placing a soft kiss on his neck then another his lips.

"Thank you so much, love," you cooed, pressing your lips on his nose.

Jaehyun smiled at you, dimples obvious, "anything for my favourite girl."

 +Day 48 [his first I Love You]

"Jae, hurry up!!" you whined at your boyfriend, crossing your arms with a huff.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Jeez, what's the rush baby?" Jaehyun yelled back, quickly putting on a clean t-shirt before leaving the changing room.

"Gosh, for a guy you take pretty fucking long in there," you raised your eyebrows, grabbing your boyfriend's duffle bag, handing it to him.

Jaehyun grabs your hands in his as the both of you starts walking, "can you tell me why you're rushing me?"

You let out a soft sigh, opening the door for the both of you, "well, it's supposed to be a surprise..."

You looked up at your boyfriend only to see him raise his eyebrows at you, "I reserved a restaurant for the both of us."

Jaehyun's ear immediately turned scarlet. He couldn't believe how cute you were being. His little baby was rushing because she planned a date for the both of you? How adorable.

"You've been super busy with practice, and I know how stressed you get, so I thought I would bring you out," you told him sincerely, squeezing his hand lightly. "Is that okay?" you asked, looking up at him with anticipation evident in your eyes.

Jaehyun burst into a huge smile, "are you kidding me, baby? I love this! Thank you so much, you're an angel!"

Jaehyun immediately wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his chest as he hugged you tightly. Jaehyun was tall– extremely tall, so whenever you hug him, you always had to tiptoe to match with his height.

"I love you."

You gasped, pulling away from Jaehyun, "what?"

Your boyfriend cleared his throat, looking around shyly, "I said... I love you."

 +Day 64 [he leaves for the tour]

"Are you not asleep?" Jaehyun sighed from beside you, turning to look at you.

It was 2 in the morning, the both of you weren’t cuddling like usual, and your eyes were still wide open, staring at the ceiling with tears brimming your eyes every few minutes.

"I can't," you whispered, hands going up to wipe the stray tears away.

"Don't cry, princess," Jaehyun mumbled, stretching his arm to pull you closer to his side, hiding his face in your neck.

It broke Jaehyun's heart to see the love of his life cry because of him. If he could, he would've already called his manager to cancel the tour just for you. If only he could.

"I just..." your voice shaky, "I'll miss you. So much."

"Impossible."

You chuckle, resting your head on his. You raked your fingers through his soft hair. "Can't I send you to the airport tomorrow?"

Earlier today, you've been bugging Jaehyun to let you send him to the airport for the last time, but the whole time Jaehyun wouldn't let you.

"No can do, baby. There would be too many fans, I don't want my little pea to get hurt."

Now, that was a lie. He didn’t mind the fans, but he knew he would burst into tears if you were to follow him to the airport to send him off. And he didn’t want anyone to see him cry, he had to maintain his big boy demeanour. 

You pouted. "Well, okay, but you'll have to wake up early tomorrow so I can spend a little more time with you."

"Anything you want, angel," he told you. "But right now, you need some sleep alright?"

"Mhm, goodnight jae-bunny," you giggled at the nickname.

"Goodnight, my little pea."

 +Day 128 [you just missed him so much]

"I think I'm gonna' cry," your voice shaky as you told Jaehyun through the phone.

"Baby..." he sighed.

Tears roll down your cheeks as soon as you heard his voice through the speaker. "It's so hard, Jae..."

"I know baby, I know. We just gotta hang in there for a little while, alright?" Jaehyun's voice was so soft and comforting.

You started to sob, all you wanted was for Jaehyun to hold you in his arms, go on fun dates while wearing matching outfits, but Jaehyun had to leave Korea for 3 months without any break in between and it just broke you.

"Don't cry... you know it breaks my heart..." Jaehyun sounded like he was about to cry, from his quivering voice.

"I can't do this," you immediately told him before ending the call and tossing your phone on the bed before covering your face with your pillow while tears continue to leave your eyes.

It took you a good half an hour to let all the tears and feelings out. You grabbed your phone, turning it on only to see multiple messages from your boyfriend.

Boyfriend: baby

Boyfriend: baby? 

Boyfriend: are you okay? 

Boyfriend: what do you mean you can't do this? 

Boyfriend: don't leave me, angel

Boyfriend: I can't live without you

Boyfriend: you probably need some time y/n 

Boyfriend: please text me back, princess 

Boyfriend: I love you. so much baby. you don't even know

Your lips turned into a small smile at his texts.

You: hi

You: sorry, it was just hard to hear your voice for so long and i couldn't control my emotiona

You: emotions*

Boyfriend: we can do this baby. I know we can ❤

You: jae

Boyfriend: ?

You: you're an idiot for thinking i would ever leave you

 +Day 156 [your first I Love You] 

Your palms were sweating, your eyes were locked on the watch you were wearing.

Your boyfriend was finally coming back home today and you could never be any more nervous.

With your lips between your teeth, you tip-toed between all the tall fangirls to see if your boyfriend has arrived.

It all felt like a dream when you saw Jaehyun come out of the door. It was all slow motion, the cameras started clicking and the screams of the fangirls were so loud, you could barely hear your thoughts.

With a small smile on your lips, you walked to the van that the boys were supposed to get in. You quickly get in so the fans wouldn't get suspicious.

In about 30 minutes, the doors unlocked and soon, one by one, the boys entered the door.

You could see Haechan was ready to squeal at the sight of you sitting inside, but he gets pretty loud and he didn't want the fans to find out that there was a girl in the car.

Finally, Jaehyun entered the van. When his eyes landed on you, it immediately lit up, pushing the other boys to take a seat next to you. He quickly wrapped his arms around your waist and placed his head on your chest like a baby.

The van finally started moving and he pulled away from your chest, "I didn't know you were coming.."

Your scrunched your nose at how cute he was being, "it was a surprise."

Jaehyun grinned at your words, "I have a surprise for you too."

You looked at him with a gasp, "a surprise? what is it?"

He looked at you sneakily before telling you that he would show you the surprise when the both of you are back at the dorm.

 ***

"Gimme your bag," you told Jaehyun, reaching out to grab the bag from him.

He shook his head, making a cute sound. "No, it's okay."

"You're tired Jae, I can carry some stuff for you," you said, reaching further to grab the duffle bag from him, but only pushed his shoulder bag so you couldn’t reach for it.

"It's heavy," he protested.

"I'm a big girl," you huffed, crossing your arms.

 He let out a sigh and shrugged, "if you say so," he passed you his bag.

 You quickly grabbed it and hang it around your shoulder and– oh, it was heavy. You looked up at Jaehyun who was stifling a laugh as he stared at you. You quickly changed the position of his heavy bag and placed it around your chest– you didn't want shoulders that aren't level.

"You good there, babe?" Jaehyun asked you, laughing from next to you.

You nodded with a hum, flashing a fake smile to your boyfriend, "Perfect."

Jaehyun could only shake his head as he grabbed his luggage from the trunk.

You quickly went to Taeyong to grab the keys from him so you could unlock the door. Taeyong sent you a soft smile, mumbling a 'thank you'.

Once everyone has settled in their dorm rooms, you followed Jaehyun from behind. You were excited to know this 'surprise'. What could he have planned while he was away for 3 months?

You tugged on the sleeves of his shirt, "Jae... the surprise," you pouted.

"Ah, yes," he quickly ran to his black coloured luggage, unlocking it, he quickly skimmed through a bunch of unfolded clothes to find the thing he was searching for.

Finally, he pulled out a small teddy bear from the mess. He waddled back to you, with a smile on his face, dimples prominent.

You raised your eyebrows.

"I was in Paris, and I saw this and it looked exactly like you," he told you.

You held the small teddy bear in your hands as you scanned its face. You looked up at your boyfriend, who was staring at you with heart eyes.

"How?"

"Well, this was the only unique bear, which means, you're a gem, y/n," he explained, "also, it's so small, like a pea– like you. A-and look at its eyes! It's so shiny, exactly like yours– when you look at me," he giggled, turning the bear to show you.

Jaehyun frowned at the lack of reaction from you, "do you... like it..?"

"Are you crazy, Jae?!" you yelped– and at that moment, Jaehyun thought he had fucked up, "I love it!"

"Really?”

You nodded, "mhm, it does look like me," you laughed, looking back at the bear.

Jaehyun pressed his lips against yours softly before pulling away, resting his forehead on yours, "I'm sorry– you just looked so adorable. My little pea."

Hungry for another kiss, you pulled him down by his collar and pressed your lips against his again.

"I love you," you mumbled against his lips.

 +Day 198 [you visit him at work]

Jaehyun suddenly stood up, his arm that was around you left you, making you feel cold. 

You pouted, reaching for his hand, stopping him, "where are you going?"

Your boyfriend chuckled at your pout, "I'm just going to the toilet, baby," he squeezed your hand.

"Okay, come back fast."

He hummed, quickly pressing a kiss to your cheek before leaving you with the rest of the boys.

You pulled out your phone, trying to find something that could entertain you since the boys were busy themselves– all of them were either doing their make-up, making sure their outfits looked good or practising their vocals. 

"Hey, hey," Johnny called out, getting the attention of everyone in the room. You pulled your attention from your phone to look at Johnny. "Are you guys hungry?"

A chorus of 'yeah' and 'yes' filled the room. 

"Should we play scissors, paper, stone? Loser will buy food for everyone?" Johnny suggested, a smirk plastered on his face as he scanned the reaction of the room.

Everyone shrugged, agreeing with the idea. 

You could only chuckle at how cute the boys were. You continued to scroll through Instagram, ignoring their voices.

"Wait–"Taeyong called out, "Jaehyun isn't here, though?" 

"Hmmm... how about Y/N? We can use her to replace Jaehyun?" suggested Mark.

Your head shot up at your name, you raised your eyebrows at the boys who were staring at you. 

"Will you replace Jaehyun?"

You shrugged with a small smile, "sure."

You threw your phone on the couch and walked up to the boys who were already in a circle. 

"Scissors, paper, stone!"

The game repeated multiple times until it was left only you and Johnny. 

"Ah, this is getting competitive," you sighed, glaring up at Johnny playfully.

"You'll lose, Y/N," he joked, laughing softly.

"Scissors, paper, stone!"

You held out scissors while Johnny held out rock.

The room was filled with loud waves of laughter from the boys as some pointed at you as if to mock you. You let out a small scream, laughing with the boys.

As if it was perfectly timed, your boyfriend entered the room with a straight face. He raised his eyebrows, all confused as to why everyone was laughing loudly. 

"We have a surprise for you," Taeyong told his friend. "You didn't know what we did?"

Jaehyun shook his head, "No,"

"Ah," Taeyong pursed his lips, "Y/N will tell you," he giggled. 

Jaehyun turned to look at you with raised eyebrows.

"Your card please," you asked, reaching out both hands, trying to stifle a laugh.

He looked around, still confused until he remembered the boys saying they were really hungry and he finally figured everything out. 

He looked at you with betrayal in his eyes, then back at the boys with a fake smile, "have a good meal guys!" 

The boys roared another wave of laughter.

He let out a soft sigh, going to his bag to fish out his credit card, giving it to Johnny since he was ordering. He walked back to you and quickly pulled you in his arms. 

"I can't believe you would betray me like this," he pouted.

 +Day 209 [your first fight] 

You angrily stomped in the dorm, slamming the door in Jaehyun's face. Jaehyun then opened the door after you slammed the door loudly, glaring at you, following you to his room.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Jaehyun asks you, shutting the door, turning to look back at you.

"Nothing."

"You can't tell me it's nothing when you're acting like a fucking child, Y/N!" he raised his voice at you.

Recently, Jaehyun had started to get busy again, and apparently, today was the only day he was free after weeks of not seeing each other despite living in the same household.

Both of you had planned to go on a date, to make up for the lost time in the past weeks. It disappointed you when Jaehyun had stood you up, so you went to SM building to find him– just to see what he was up to since he had stood you up.

What shocked you was when you saw Jaehyun sitting with a girl at SMtown Cafe, talking happily and sipping iced tea.

"I don't know Jaehyun, why don't you think?" you snapped, glaring at him.

He let out an annoyed groan, pushing his hair back with his fingers– something he does when he's stressed out.

"Y/N, could you just tell me? Babe, I don't know what I did wrong!" he begged, voice filled with desperation.

"Jae," you breathed, "today was the only day you had a free day, and we both promised to finally go out."

Jaehyun finally remembered about the date that both of you planned weeks prior.

Shit.

Jaehyun closed his eyes, letting out a breath. "Baby..."

You  knew what he was going to say and you didn't want to hear it. You felt like the relationship was going south and you didn't know what to do because you don't want to leave him.

"No– Jae, I– I don't wanna hear... your apology– or an excuse, just... just leave, Jaehyun."

"Y/N, I'm sorry, my schedule was just so hectic, and–and, I just forgot about our date–" he looked up at you with pleading eyes, "please forgive me, babe, hm?"

He ambled closer to you, reaching out to hold your hand in his, but you roughly pushed his hand away.

You shook your head in annoyance, "Just leave, Jaehyun!"

Jaehyun pushed his hair back as he glared at you, "why are you being so difficult right now?” 

You gasped at his words, "I'm being difficult?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I said what I said, Y/N. You're being fucking dramatic."

"Dramatic?" you repeated. "Jae, I haven't seen you for fucking weeks! And then when I try to find you, you were with some other girl! What the fuck, Jae?"

Jaehyun rolled his eyes at your words, "right, I'm sorry for having a hectic schedule then."

You shook your head, getting tired of the argument, "I'm tired of this, Jaehyun, just leave me alone, alright?"

"Fine."

 +Day 210 [he apologizes]

남친 = boyfriend

 남친: baby

남친: i'm sorry about yesterday

남친: after leaving your place i couldn't stop thinking about it

님친: i love you 

님친: i promise i wont forget about our dates next time 

Both of you had playful fights before, but it had never gotten serious like this before. And honestly, it scared you– a lot. You didn't want to lose him, not like this.

You: i'm sorry too

You: for overreacting

It only took Jaehyun a second to reply to you.

남친: no baby, don't apologize

남친: it was my fault.

남친: i'll come over okay?

A smile spread across your lips before typing a reply to Jaehyun.

 +Day 365 [your first year together]

"I can't believe you begged your manager just to go to Hawaii," you huffed while pulling your suitcase into the pretty room.

Your eyes scanned the room– it was beautiful. It had the prettiest view of the sea, the room was huge, a bed in the middle and tv right before the bed.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "with you. You wouldn't think I wouldn't spend time with you on our anniversary right?"

You turned to glare at him, "It's sweet of you, babe. But if you keep skipping your schedules, your manager is going to hate me!" you whined, frowning at your boyfriend.

Jaehyun couldn't resist your cuteness and walked up to you, pulling you to his chest. "So? At least I get to spend time with the girl I love the most."

You pulled away from his chest and scrunched your nose at his words, "You're cheesy."

"Oh, you love it."

Well, he wasn't wrong.

You pulled away from your boyfriend and sat on the soft mattress, "well, what do you want to do first?" you asked Jaehyun, turning to look at him.

"Well, I'm pretty hungry?" he said, rubbing his stomach.

"Okay, where do you wanna eat?" You asked him, already looking through your luggage to find an outfit to wear.

"Well..." he started, you looked up at him suspiciously, "I was thinking we could just order some food?"

You let out an annoyed grunt, "but Jae, we're all the way here!"

"I know, I know! But I wanna spend some time alone with my little pea..." he said softly with a sullen look.

You stared at him with a straight face.

"Please...?"

He walked up to you, pressing his lips against yours quickly.

"My little pea? Please?"

This time he sent you puppy dog eyes and kissed your lips once more, and you had to fight back a smile.

"Baby? Come on..."

"Argh, fine!"

 +Day 371 [he sings for you]

"Can't sleep?" Jaehyun whispered from beside you.

You turned to look at him, a sad smile plastered on your face.

Turning back to stare at the wall, you opened your mouth, "nope."

"Why not?"

You took a while to reply him, "this past week... has been the most beautiful and awesome time of my life and I'll cherish this moment forever," you explained. "I just can't believe we're going back tomorrow."

A grin spread across Jaehyun's lips. He was so happy when he heard you say that. It took him months to plan this trip for both of you.

Your boyfriend reached for your hand to lace it with his, his thumb rubbing the ring on your finger.

The ring. Yesterday, he gave you a promise ring. He explained that the ring was more than just a mere promise that he would marry you one day. It was also a promise that whatever happens, he'll always be there for you. A ring that held a lot of meaning.

"Want me to sing you to bed, babe?"

"Mhm."

You move closer towards Jaehyun and laid your head on his chest as he wrapped you in his arms.

His beautiful voice started to fill the room, whispering beautifully in your ear.

"I love you, Jung Jaehyun."

"And I love you, my little pea."

 +Day 382 [abs????!!!!!] 

You couldn't believe this. You couldn't believe your eyes. 

Jung Jaehyun– your boyfriend– was too shy to show his body to you, but he could show his motherfucking abs to the camera?

"JUNG JAEHYUN!" you screamed out angrily. 

After hearing your scream, Jaehyun immediately ran to your room, only to see you seated down on your shared bed with your phone in your hands. 

"Yes, baby?" he asked, going up to you. 

You looked up at him with a scowl, "don't 'hey baby' me!"

He stared at you with puppy eyes, "what did I do?"

With a scoff, you lifted your phone to show Jaehyun a picture of him lifting his shirt and caressing his abs after. His ears turned beet red as he looked back to your dark eyes. 

You placed your phone next to you and folded your arms with a frown. "You don't even let me see your abs yet you can show your fans your body?"

Jaehyun let out a forced laughter, "do you... wanna touch it?"

A grin spread across your lips as you nodded at your boyfriend’s words. Honestly, you were just joking, you didn’t want to make your boyfriend uncomfortable with his body. 

What shocked you was when Jaehyun didn’t hesitate to lift up the t-shirt he was wearing. Your eyes were about to leave your eyes as you reached out to stop him, he looked up at you with confusion. 

“Baby, I was just joking,” you told him, “I would never make you do something you don’t feel comfortable with.”

But he shook his head, “I’m really okay with it. You’re my girlfriend.”

You squint your eyes at him, he laughed, “really.”

A smirk appeared on your face as you pulled your hands from Jaehyun. 

“Go on.”

[iloveitwhen]

You want angst i have arrived!!!

Please can Adrian find a lost child turms out the child belongs Damien and mari extra salt if the child looks more like mari

So like Adrien doesn't find Marinette's lost child.... I totally forgot about that part of the ask....😭😭 Sorryyyyyy, i hope you still like it!

10 years ago

“I’m fine,” he snaps, “stop dotting on me, what are you, my mother?” He turns and storms away instantly regretting his words but not as strongly as he was annoyed by hers. 

“I don’t understand,” Marinette says so softly that Adrien slows to a stop. “Why are you acting like this?” Marinette walks around to face him, trying to catch his eye. “I mean I thought we were happy, I thought you were happy?”

Adrien can’t look her in the eye, he can’t tell her he only started dating her to get over Ladybug, which had been failing miserably for months. At first he was happy, well she mostly just made him feel not so alone and that was everything he could have asked for, until he realized that that wasn’t enough, it wasn’t love, only comfort. Isn’t love supposed to hit you like a ton of bricks? Isn’t it supposed to take your breath away? Make you feel an abundance of emotions like nothing else ever could? Ladybug took his breath away, made him feel things, and Marinette? She was just a placeholder, he was trying to shove her in the hole that Ladybug had left in his heart, but she didn’t fit. 

“Look at me.” Marinette doesn’t sound angry, just sad, defeated. 

“I don’t think this is going to work,” he blurts, finally looking into Marinette’s eyes just in time to see her breath catch, her hand to fly to her mouth in shock, and her eyes water. Just in time to see her break. 

“What?” she chokes out, “why?” 

He shook his head, he knew even before they started dating it wouldn’t work but he “tried” anyways for Marinette’s sake, even though the object of his affection was really Ladybug. And of course he knew it was bad to flirt with another woman while he was dating Marinette but it wasn’t like it was hurting anyone. Besides, if he actually was able to pull Ladybug then it wouldn’t really matter in the end, sure Marinette would be a little hurt and he’d feel bad about it but it never would have worked out between them anyways.

“I’m in love with somebody else.” Adrien may not be the best person in the world but he at least can be honest, he really does appreciate Marinette, but the longer he stayed with her the more she reminded him of Ladybug, only driving the stake deeper in his heart that he wasn’t with her, only Marinette. 

“Who?” she demands. 

Adrien laughs, even he could hear the arrogance in the sound. “Why? What are you going to do, attack her?” For a moment she looks shocked but it quickly morphs to anger. 

“I would like to know, Agreste, because I think I deserve it after all this time we’ve been together. I can’t believe that you’d really think that I’d-”

“It’s Ladybug,” he cuts off her inevitable rant but immediately regrets it. 

“What?” 

“I’m in love with Ladybug.” No turning back now.

“Adrien, you don’t know Ladybug, how the fu** are you in love with her?”

“We used to meet up,” well it’s not necessarily a lie, “she would always be there for me, she made me feel special, like I was her favorite civilian. We would have long talks about everything and nothing,” that’s how it used to be anyways. 

“You’re lying.” Marinette is no longer crying but her eyes are red and she looks. so. angry. 

Adrien shakes his head even though he is partly lying, “I’m not, but she told me how she was in love with Chat Noir,” oh how he wished that were true, “so I pushed myself away, but clearly it didn’t work. I’m still in love with-”

“Stop. Just stop.” This time Marinette cut him off. Looking up from the ground Adrien sees an expression he’s never seen on her face. Disappointment, contempt, just like the way his father looks at him. “I can’t believe this,” she laughs, empty of any humour, and shakes her head. Heading back over to the table she left her things at, she continues to laugh while repeating, “I can’t believe this.” Swinging her purse around her shoulder she grabs her keys and turns back to him. “This whole time. I can’t believe I've never seen it before now. I was so blind. So blind.” 

“So you believe me?” Adrien knows it’s not really important but she was acting weird, crazy even. 

“Do I believe that you’re in love with Ladybug. No. No, I don’t think you’re in love with her, I think you’re obsessed with her. I think you need therapy. I think you need to take a look at yourself and realize that love goes both ways, Adrien. Ladybug doesn’t love you back, never has, and never will.” Anger swelled in his chest but she yanks the door open and looks back one last time, “I can’t believe I gave my heart to a psychopath. You know, I really hope you get over her, Adrien. Because she will never. Ever. have you and you will never be happy with anyone else.” She scoffs and rolls still red eyes, “turns out I was blinded by you like you were blinded by her,” she says before stepping out and slamming the door shut. 

Marinette never looked at him the same way again, gone was the soft adoration in her eyes and replaced with disgust and anger and disappointment, much like the way Ladybug did, if only she could get over her unnecessary negative feelings over him and love him as he loved her. 

--- 

It was amazing how lonely one person could be, Adrien had only returned to Paris for the 10th anniversary of Hawkmoth’s defeat and it was a bigger celebration than usual and festivities were already beginning; but Adrien only felt a gaping hole in his chest from the memories of broken relationships with friends, his only sense of family, and regret. He took in the decorations hanging above doors and the happy squeals of the children in the park. He sat on the end of a nearly empty bench, flashing the pregnant woman on the other end a quick, polite smile not bothering to really look at her, only to reassure that he only meant to sit and not have a conversation with a stranger. 

As he settled and saw all the happy families bustling about the familiar thought of being alone re-emerged, Adrien had simply accepted that he was built and born to be lonely and had accepted that a long long time ago. He accepted it the night Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth and out of necessity he had revealed himself to the world to avoid suspicion of any involvement of his father’s crimes. Now he was invited every year to give a speech but every year he declined, holding out that Marinette would join him, would reveal to the world that she was Ladybug, but she had dropped any and all communication with him so he always said no. It was silly thinking back to that night, at first he was confused why Ladybug wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he revealed himself and, according to her, only by the goodness of her word revealed herself to him. Although he suspected it was more to watch him suffer than anything else. 

“Oof!” Adrien’s thoughts scatter when a little girl trips and falls right in front of him. 

“ARGHH I coming for youuuuu!” A man’s voice growls out in a playful manner and Adrien turns his head to look at the source of the sound, it’s a rather handsome man with green eyes that were striking against his dark skin. 

The little girl giggles profusely and scrambles up, quickly hiding behind the arm of the bench and using Adrien as a shield from what he assumed was her father. 

Adrien chuckled and glanced over at the girl, about to make a comment to her when his words died in his throat. The girl had a familiar splitting smile with twin pigtails and blue blue blue eyes. Save for the tan skin she was the spitting image of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of Ladybug. 

Adrien is staring at her and she notices and her brow furrows. 

“You’re not my mommy,” she says as if he had somehow replaced her or she was considering her mother really was him and had disguised herself somehow. 

A giggle sounds from the other side of the bench. Adrien whips his head to the woman to find her laughing into her hand. She looked different than he remembered but it was unmistakably Marinette, she had a bun atop her head with bangs that framed her face and a sundress with a very pregnant belly. 

“Marinette?”

A happy squeal right in his ear sounded, he flinched and looked over to see the man had snuck around the bench and scooped the girl up in his arms. “No! Papa put me down! Put me down!” she laughed, trying in vain to get out of his grasp while he placed obnoxiously loud kisses all over her face. The man turned to Adrien with a laugh and an easy smile on his lips. 

“Sorry about that-” recognition flitted across the man’s features as he cut himself off, his face falling to a sneer, as if Adrien was scum of the earth, as if the man could not think of a better pass time than to kill Adrien. It was a terrifying change of demeanor, Adrien desperately felt the need to get out of this man’s sight before he got murdered. 

“Damian,” Marinette’s melodic voice sliced through the tension but the man only walked towards her, not dropping his gaze from Adrien. 

Adrien tried to look anywhere else but unfortunately found that the mini-Marinette had developed the same look and was glaring at Adrien. 

Marinette had stood and placed a hand on the arm of the man to placate him before turning to Adrien with a small smile. 

“Hello, Adrien.” He had imagined this moment so many times. So many times. And this was never in any of his imaginations. Marinette with a family that wasn’t his. “It’s good to see you.”

“Really?” he blurted, he needed to know if it was true, had she really thought of him as much as he thought of her?

“Of course.” 

Of course. Of course. Of course. 

“This is husband, Damian-”

“Damian Wayne,” Damian shifted his daughter to his left hip and thrust his hand out. Adrien reached his hand out and the other man practically crushed his bones with an unnecessarily strong grip. 

“-and our daughter, Bridgette.” Adrien glanced at the girl to give her a polite smile but she was still glaring at him the same way her father was. It was quite unnerving. 

“She’s the spitting image of you,” he tries awkwardly. 

“And she’s got her father’s glare it seems,” she chuckles and Adrien tries to laugh along but it sounds much too forced. “I really do hope you’ve been doing well, Adrien. I know we didn’t leave on the best of terms but I hope you’ve been blessed with happiness as I have.” She contemplates him for a short moment. “We both deserve it after-” she waves her hand through the air gesturing towards the festivities, “-everything.” He knew she was referring to their time as Chat Noir and Ladybug but he only thought of how much he couldn’t have happiness after all the things that happened in his life outside the suit. “We have to get going but it was nice to see you.” She sends him one last smile and turns away, easily slipping into her husband’s side, who was Damian freaking Wayne, CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, and walks away. Again.

Adrien could never compare, and he knew it. 

He lamely calls out, “It was good to see you too,” before collapsing back onto the bench and takimg a deep shuddering breath. 

Ok i know he didn't find a lost child but I don't want to rewrite it😭😭 I hope it still checks the rest of the boxes!

[thatbangtanbloom]

we’ll always have paris | kth

we’ll always have paris

characters: kim taehyung x reader

genre: idol!taehyung, reader

categories: fluff, angst, smut (pls forgive me it’s my first time)

warnings: dirty talk (tae loves it ngl), oppa kink???, taehyung is absOLUTELY WHIPPED for reader, unprotected sex (pulling out - do not do this ok; wrap it up kids!!!!), curse words 

word count: 9.8k 

Talks of traveling from Seoul to Paris were a frequent topic between the two lovers for the first two years of their relationship. Paris was a place of new beginnings, for strolls all the Champs-Elysses, and kisses under the Eiffel Tower. Renowned for its beauty and culture, any couple intending on forever had to travel to this as a form of pilgrimage. 

Nevertheless, the duty of an idol did not align with that of a student. The number of times Kim Taehyung traveled to Paris for touring could not be counted on his fingers, for his trips were numerous. The love for ARMY was not the same for his girlfriend (and soon-to-be fiancée) so the feelings that Edith Piaf sung in ‘La vie en rose’ left him misty-eyed in anticipation for the moment he would finally do so.

“I’m going to Paris!” were the words that greeted Taehyung on his daily virtual call from his girlfriend, YN. Her chubby cheeks were filled with light as she crossed her legs in her dorm room. It was reassuring to see she was happy: her bed perfectly fixed behind her and the Tata plushie he brought him tucked under her arm. “Well.. Lyon, but my exit flight is in Paris.”

Her excitement is infectious to Taehyung. “Wait.. you are only going to Paris for your exit flight?” He asks with a frown on his lips.

“Yes.. I am traveling to Lyon for an engineering conference for spring break, but I will be going to Paris via train for my flight?” She exclaims with a giddy smile.

Her words paired with her excitement makes him think of last year when they watched the Hollywood golden-era classic, Sabrina. “자기.. Paris is not meant to be an exit flight..”

“I don’t have the money to stay longer.. Paris is expensive.” She pouts before shrugging. “Traveling like a native and then to the airport is enough for me!”

A slight frown settles into Taehyung’s soft features. As much as he loved her, he sometimes wished that she would depend on him more. For lack of a better word, he wanted to be needed. It were times like this when he wondered if she would always be a immobile rock evading his offers. “You should experience Paris properly for your first time.. with me.”

“With you?” She asks in surprise. “But what about your practice and preparations for the new album?”

Taehyung shakes his head. “We are getting a two week break.. I can just work a bit more now and I can meet you after the conference, my sweet engineer.” He is shy as his boxy smile comes into view. “We always talked about backpacking across Europe, right? Let’s start in Paris and go wherever the wind takes us.. and be spontaneous.”

Spontaneous was definitely a word to describe Taehyung. She heard him numerous times to considered doing things with him to be more adventurous; it even led to a few arguments from time to time. 

“Well.. if it is not too much of a burden for you..”

“It is not.” He smiles at her brightly. “It would be so nice for us to spend this time together too.. I miss my tiny little spoon.” He leans his cheek against his palm.

As YN usually disagreed with being a little a spoon, she concedes without a struggle. “Your little spoon misses you too... 오빠.”

“Then let’s do this.” The familiar gleam of mischief that she has always loved has reached his eyes once more. The anticipation is rising. “How does that sound?”

“I’ll start packing.” YN concedes with a wide grin. Paris and Taehyung? It’s a love story for the ages.

The warmth of a lover is the most fulfilling experience in the world. For others, it may be success and money, but such things can be replicated time and time again. The effects of true love are unwavering and everlasting in ways that no dictionary in any language can attempt to emulate. This much passion and fortitude remained elusive to be defined, but YN knew that she felt it.

Her heart was beating loud in her ears as she sat on the bed of their hotel room; the key to their shared suite living her heart in circles. She was greeted with rose petals on the bed and a small card from Taehyung that made her wonder if they were soulmates that transcended time. It were the little things like this that made her realize their love was eternal.

자기야 (Honey) 

I can’t wait to see you tonight. I seriously haven’t been able to sleep at all, thinking about what this next week has in store for us.. I’m so happy that you’re letting things go as they do. I’ll be there soon. This first night, let’s rest. Tomorrow? We run!

나는 너를 사랑해. 보라해💜 (I love you.)

너의 김태태 (Your Kim Taetae)

She smiles down at the card and plops down onto the fluffy comforters. Taehyung never filled to fill her lungs with roses and make a garden blossom for him. It were times like this when she realized the deepest realization of love was embodied by him. Her Taehyung.

Falling for Taehyung on that winter night in 2016 was the first time that she learned to go with the flow and follow her heart. Apprehension was a common practice when it came to her distinguishing the crush from mere admiration, but once she let it settle.. it began to grow into eternity. It did not fester and cool like the raisin in the sun she worried it would be.

“어... 왜 그래? 자기?” The familiar deep timber whispers, sending tingles down her spine as she shakes away from her daydream to be met with chocolate orbs. He sends her a smirk, clad in his mahogany brown day coat and black beret. He knew Parisian fashion like an atelier at Chanel. 

Her heart instantly flutters as she pulls him on top of her to take him into a tight hug and steals a kiss from his soft lips. “Taehyung!”

“What were you thinking about? You didn’t even hear me come in.” He chuckles into her ear as he settles all of his weigh on her with a smile. His fingers toy with the bow of her white sundress absentmindedly. He had missed her so much that he felt light headed just being around her. He was on cloud nine. With his girl. 

YN blushes as she takes off his beret to place it on her own head and strokes his hair. He lays his head on her chest, holding her in his arms. “I was thinking about how lucky I am to be with you.. you’re the man of my dreams, you know?”

“어?” Taehyung turns slightly red at the confession. “And not Park Hyunsik-ssi?” He teases, knowing the many occasions she fawned over his hyung while they watched his drama. 

YN giggles, “Yes. You have all that I want..” She begins to caress his cheek as he places a kiss on her clothed tummy. “The fact.. the fact you came all the way to Paris and we are going to spend the next week together backpacking makes me excited.”

“I can’t wait for our cottage in the Netherlands. I finished the reservation this morning,” He confesses while stroking her hip. “If we could.. maybe.. maybe we could extend our trip?”

“I wouldn’t say no to that.” YN doesn’t miss a beat. Taehyung’s boxy smile spreads across his face as he climbs up to kiss all over her lips in appreciation.

Taehyung smiles as he pecks her lips quickly. “Let’s drink some of the champagne and spend tonight coolly. I want to enjoy this. And you.”

“We should shower first...” she agrees with a smile as she wraps her arms around his shoulders to peck his lips. “I can order the room service too. Strawberry cheesecake?”

“And steak.” He chuckles as he thinks of their fruit: strawberries had been a deciding factor for the two of them. “I’ll head in now.”

“Mmm~.” She sing songs to him before brushing her nose against his. 

Two showers, one call to the front desk, and a knock at the door later, the two lovers sit across from each other cross legged as they feast on steak, potatoes, chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne. It is nothing short of a midsummer night’s dream and a memory that neither of them had wanted to get. The lilting tone of Sarah Vaughn plays in the background as YN listens intently to Taehyung talk about the latest episode of Adventures of BTS. He was so talkative when he was excited about something.

“And Jimin-ah! He could tell that Yoongi-hyung was falling a bit behind so he decided to stop walking. It’s a surprise that hyung had tolerated this much from us.” Taehyung laughs as he takes a sip of his accompanying soft drink, Coca Cola, while smiling. It was rare that he felt this comfortable when someone outside of Bangtan or his family, but this was why he loved YN. He felt safe and secure and he knew that her commitment to him was unwavering just as his was to her. “I’m talking too much about them.. aren’t I?”

YN shakes her head with a giggle. “Tae.. I know how much you love them. I don’t mind.” She beams as she steals another chocolate strawberry despite Taehyung whining earlier about wanting the dark chocolate one.

“Yah! You are just saying that to eat all the dark chocolate ones.. you haven’t even touched the white ones.” His smile crinkles up into moon crescents are how much of a baby she was. He always liked how youthful she was. It was reinvigorating for him to be unapologetically himself with someone who did the same.

YN is chewing on the tarty delicacy, “What? Ngh, no-“ She says as she pops another in her mouth. Taehyung only stares at her blankly for a moment before the smile returns to his face.

“Since you look cute wearing my shirt as you eat my food, I will let it slide.” He says with small chuckle. His free hand taps against the small nightstand table that they had turned into a restaurant platter. 

YN shifts in the ribbed chair and leans forward. “Then let me feed you!” She bats her lashes in her particular way that makes Taehyung go weak in the knees. She takes the initiative to bring her chair closer to his and leans forward, “Say Ahh~”

“Ah~” He song songs to her back to her in perfect key as his mouth makes a circular shape. His eyes are large and doe-like when they make eye contact. Her heart flutters like the first time.

YN picks up a medium-sized strawberry dipped in chocolate and brings it to his mouth for him to bite into it. The action is so innocent, but Taehyung aims to tease his baby whenever he can. He purposely bites into the tart fruit so that the juice coats her her fingers and his mouth before taking her fingers to lick the access chocolate-infused strawberry residue.

“Delicious,” He whispers as his eyes never leave hers. He knew how easy it was to charm her. She was wrapped around his finger.

YN bites down on her lip. If it were not for his teasing nature, she would have been perplexed by the blatant act of submission from him. The two of them often tried to outdo each other, but Taehyung’s strength and habit of spanking had considerable influence. “Do I taste good?”

“Show me.” He plays along, but he raises a brow knowingly as though to provoke her. The reaction his sly move elicits comes in the form of her returning her gaze back to her steak and bubbling on it shyly. His baby.

A few glasses of champagne later, Taehyung is tipsy. Despite not being one for alcohol, there was a certain charm about champagne and the girl that he loved that made the night all the more wondrous. Her presence in itself was intoxicating, but the sparkling alcohol softened the edge.

“Let me show you a trick, jagi.” Taehyung chirps to her as he opens the bottle with his signature move. It takes a mere flick of the wrist and a smug grin to make her laugh at how dorky, but cute he was. “Was Oppa cool?”

“Mmm. Was he?” YN likes to tease him, tapping her cheeks. She had no interest in drinking, but she was always eager to look after Taehyung if the time was right.

The lack of a compliment makes his lips pout; the small action complementing his hair that falls over his eyes. “You don’t think Oppa is cool?” His voice becomes higher in tone and he squeezes her hand to pull her closer. 

It was rare, but seeing Taehyung as a clingy boyfriend threw her heart into triple time. His grip on her hand was light, but still firm when he pulls her close and holds her in his arms. “Oppa.. I think you are cool..”

“아? 맞아요?” He asks with a small grin spreading across his face as he admires her soft features. The little debbtails about her are endearing and makes him want her even more. He giggles - a rare feat that he feels only with her. 

“오빠가 예뻐요.” YN whispers to him as she pecks his lips faintly. It is the times like this: when YN is in his lap and her arms are wrapped around his shoulders in a tight embrace that he feels the safest. 

The compliments makes him turn even more red and his face scrunches up into the sweetest arrangement possible. “아이고... 하지마..” The satoori drawl is evident when he speaks; the Standard Seoul accent that he picked up after years of living in Seoul gone from how flustered he feels. 

“My baby boy is so pretty,” She presses on while stroking his cheeks gently. Each touch leaves a trail of scarlet and Taehyung thinks he might faint from how charming she is. “Oppa is my baby boy.. right?”

Under normal circumstances, he would never give in to being her baby boy. He liked to think of himself as her protector, her lover, the one who was her equal and caregiver. He had been raised where the man always took control and stepped up to the plate when necessary, but taking a break from that was something he liked to do once in a while. Especially with her. 

“맞아..” he whispers into her chest so that he can hear her heartbeat. It beats to the same cadence and he wonders if he has ever felt this alive before. 

YN smiles alluringly in his direction and begins to push his hair back from his forehead to kiss his hairline. “Are you tired baby? We can rest-“

“No! I want to be awake for every moment with you.” He whispers as he nuzzles his face between her breasts before looking up at her. “I want to do something fun.”

YN hums, “Something fun?” This earns her a quick nod. “How about this.. remember the Van Gogh paint set I bought? Let’s work on that!”

His eyes immediately light up and he nods. He had been eyeing the set earlier, but figured waiting until Seoul when YN was no longer there would remind him of the lovely excursion in Paris. “Let’s do that!”

The excitement Taehyung feels bubbles through him as he carries her to the bed and then rushes to his luggage to take out the set she had tucked away. He moves so fast that his white shirt bunches where his plaid pajama pants begin before walking back to the bed where YN lays in one of his white shirts and briefs. 

“You can do Almond Blossoms and I’ll do Cafe Terrace at night!” He exclaims as he begins to move the table and lay out the protective paper onto the floor.

YN watches him with a smile before rushing to the bathroom to retrieve water for the brushes. “You remembered how much I love Almond Blossoms.”

“I know you love Rococo paintings the most.. and that one reminds me the most of it,” He admits shyly as he lays out the two canvases and mixed the colors eagerly. “Jagi?”

YN gives a noncommittal hum in response as she sits down beside him. “Mm?”

“사랑해.” He whispers as he lays his head in her lap as he stares up at her. “I love you.. so .. so much.” He whispers while kissing her hand.

“I love you too. More than anything or anyone else in this world.” She whispers to him quietly before pecking his forehead. “Let’s paint.”

Taehyung giddily paints with his head in her lap the warm hues that contrast with the cool color to create a nice depth in perspective. Still bubbly, his right hand never leaves her while he paints with his left. The little things like this made him happy that he was ambidextrous.

“You paint so well, Tae!” She exclaims as she looks over from her own painting to take a glance at his. It mimicked the original perfectly and she is reminded of the immense talent that Taehyung has into everything.

Taehyung blushes at the compliment and wraps her hand over his heart. “Do you know how fast my heart beats whenever you say things like this?” 

“I say it from my own heart to yours.” She replies with a small giggle as she brushes her nose against his own repeatedly. “I love you~.”

Taehyung giggles as he shifts to paint his initials onto her palm. “Mmm~ and now you are mine.” This prompts her to use her own brush to draw on his cheek.

“And now you are mine!” YN chirps in reply as they both burst into fits of laughter. His heart was racing instantly. “We are even now.”

Taehyung sits up before attacking her with tickles, while still being careful not to ruin the paintings as he climbs on top of her. 

“Tae-taehyung!” She says in a fit of laughter as she holds on to him while trying to get away from him, but she never goes too far.

The next morning, YN awakes from her slumber with Taehyung spooning her tightly. He always was a late sleeper, but he slept like a baby when he did. It makes her happy to see him content when they would exchange their struggles amongst each other in the best way an idol and a student could.

Being the little spoon had its own merits when it came to having warmth and the security of having someone there, but it also proved a struggle when trying to get get out of the bed in the morning. It is even more pressing when Taehyung snuggles himself deeper into her neck with a small whine of “아닌데..”

“Tae.. I have to pee.” She whines in response as she shifts to look at his sleepy eyes. Once more, the pout from last night is there and she remembers the cute displays of aegyo paired with Taehyung’s whining that kept her amused the entire night.

Not one to judge, Taehyung says two words only: “Hold it.” 

She bursts into laughter before squirming out of his embrace and wiggling out of the bed to stand up. “I’ll just order breakfast for us after, okay?”

Taehyung opens one eye of defiance and nods. “Okay.” He says simply as he cuddles the pillow to envision that it is her.

Eating together was the staple of their time together as Taehyung often asked to be fed and desired to feed her at every moment. His love language made him eager to give, but being in the receiving end made him happy too. The little domestic things, such as eating crepes in bed while they talked excitedly about what they should do for the rest of the day set both of their hearts aflame.

“Let’s go shopping.” YN suggests. The three words make Taehyung do a double take. For as long as he had known her, he knew the rarity in YN desiring to shop. “I want to buy you a present..”

Taehyung pouts slightly. “Yah.. I don’t want you to spend your money on me.”

“Tae.. I am buying you something.” She chirps as she feeds him another crepe and leans forward to wipe the powder from his upper lip. 

Not to be outdone, Taehyung holds up his finger. “On one condition.. I buy you something too.. I have a date planned for us tonight and you need a new dress.”

“A new dress?” She raises a brow to her hairline. Being in Paris was one thing, but with the style that Taehyung had, the dress would no doubt be a more than a month’s salary.

“Let me spoil you... please?” He asks in a soft tone as he takes her hand in his and kisses the back of it. “You will love it. I promise.”

Always one to give in, she only nods when he sends her his boxy smile. “Fine..”

Unbeknownst to her, Taehyung knew that tonight would be one to forever change their lives. Tonight was the night that he would propose to her and she would be his forever. The cross between lover to fiancée was what he anticipated the most each time he thought of the diamond ring burning a hole in his suitcase.

“I think you look beautiful,” Taehyung says as he loops his fingers into the fabric of the little black dress. The pout on her lips is evident from the knowledge of the price tag. She knew Taehyung and his appetite for fashion knew no bounds, but this?

YN turns slightly red as she looks in the mirror to turn slightly. “You really think so? The price.. Ah..”

“You don’t have to worry about it.. do you know how happy you have made me these passed three years as your boyfriend? No monetary amount can be put on that.” He whispers in her ear as he snakes his arms around her. “You look absolutely beautiful..”

“When did you learn to speak so prettily?” She asks with a visible pout as they sway from side to side. He has long discarded his tan jacket to feel more of her warmth.

Thank the heavens that the personal shopper had sensed the emotions running rampant and took an exit stage left.

“I wanted to sound like a native speaker.. you started learning Korean too.” He chuckles into her ear as he pulls back to spin her around. “I think you look amazing.. you have to wear this tonight.”

YN hums in reply, “Oh? You like this that much?”

“I love it,” He says with a small grin. The dress was simple, yet elegant. It was her style and complimented the more bold choices that Taehyung wore. “It’s classy and chic... just like you.”

YN turns to face him and bites her lip. “Sometimes it feels like you do all the giving and I just receive.. you wouldn’t even let me buy you that scarf from Gucci.”

“Jagi, I told you I don’t want you spending your money.” He whispers as he strokes her cheek gingerly. “Besides, your curves look amazing in this dress.”

YN plays with the hem of the dress. “I’m surprised you chose this one.. you are usually more.. traditional.” She raises a knowing brow.

“It’s only because I know you will look better without it on.” He whispers into her ear before clicking his tongue. His tone drops a single octave, making her feel weak in the knees as he tilts his head to the side. 

YN stares into his eyes, instantly detecting the seduction he was doting out for her. The tension was real and never was it more prominent when his hand danced along her thigh. “Then make haste on your promise.”

“We’re done shopping here!” Taehyung exclaims as he is greeted with the familiar Coco Chanel mnemonic. 

“Wow,” is all that Taehyung can say as he watches YN step out of the bathroom. For years, he had seen her as his darling girlfriend with the adjective ‘adorable’ enshrined with every thought of her. The allure of her charms manifested whenever she taught him something new, such as the sun’s ray of light is only what we feel eight minutes after it has passed, or her being flirty while toying with his hair and calling him his favorite honorific. However, this? The level of beauty that she was presenting to him was transcendent and left him resorting to the darkest parts of his desires. 

And who was he to say no to them?

YN feels a bit confident when she sees the surprised look on Taehyung’s face. She watches as it contorts from surprise into a look of satisfaction with the slightest hint of smugness. “I look good, don’t I?”

“So good,” He whispers as he crosses the path to snake his arms around her to draw her flush against his chest. “Almost do not want to leave here.. What if we just stay here?” He asks while pulling her to his lap and toying with the excess fabric of the dress. It’s amusing to him how it hugs her in all the right places and is reminded of what he has always known. She is beautiful both inside and out.

YN laughs, “The restaurant you booked for us will not take kindly to your cancelling.” She jokes playfully as she smooths out his blazer and pecks his lips. “Which… you still have yet to tell me which one it is or where it is?”

“Because I know you and that you would micromanage every detail and I can’t have my little jagi doing that~” He sing songs to her with a small smirk pressing on his lips. “Just now that we are not overdressed and tonight is going to be perfect.” And he means every word of it.

The drive to Le Jules Verne is nothing short of eventful, just as everything has always been when it comes to Taehyung. He could barely keep his hands off of her; the moment the taxi driver arrived, he was snaking his arms around her waist to hold her close and drawing small circles over her thigh absentmindedly. The nibbles along on her ear led to the string of giggles that never seemed to end the more that he kissed her and the caress against her bum was enough to make her turn red and whine to him the the taxi driver would see.

Taehyung could care less.

Tonight would be the night that he would pop the question, completely unbeknownst to her. He knew that Paris was the place for lovers, the place where reality and fantasy intersected in the west way possible. He also knew of her eagerness to practice her French while turning back to look at him and ask, ‘Did I look cool?’ as he smiled back to her in reassurance. Just seeing her smile was enough to bring him to his knees, but the way that she loved him ardently and never sacrificed what they had for the thoughts of others - that was what made him get on one knee to propose.

Their relationship had not been an easy one. Time and time again, insecurities flared during the long periods apart. Furthermore, despite ARMY being very loving and accepting in general to any and all of the loved ones that Bangtan adored, there had been many who loathed her with a passion and wanted to depreciate their love for each other with every possible excuse. Hoards of ARMYs swearing she did not love him enough when she did not attend a Korean university to be nearer to him. A long list of people complaining how she spent only the summer in Seoul for the sole purpose of keeping Taehyung away from the fans and the sole reason for his frowns when the smiles did not appear fast enough in interviews. The worst of it all had been them flooding her social media with hate comments, demeaning her personality, looks, and intellect to the point where private seemed the only viable option and even that opted for screenshots of her (rare) stories.

The fights had been terrible, especially when Taehyung began to question if she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her worries of ‘not being good enough’ often fostered in her offering to set him up with other people or ‘let him go to find someone to make him happier’. His own insecurities began to flourish when she admitted that she did not turn to him first when it times of need and it festered when she told him that he no longer made her happy: nothing did. 

Nevertheless, the two persevered to be where they were now: Paris in the springtime. With his fingers entwined with hers while walking through the entrance of the Eiffel Tower to the second floor haute French restaurant, nothing could compare to the giddiness he was feeling. He is keenly aware of the coruscating lights that dot the beautiful structure, the epitome of Paris, and how bright her eyes look when she sees it It was her first time. It was her first time and she was able to experience with him.

“It’s.. It’s beautiful!” Her voice almost falls completely silent while staring up at the breathtaking structure built of iron widgets and the soul of France. Years of imagining her life in the romantic city is more than enough to bring her to tears and she covers her mouth. “Taehyung..” She whispers chastely as she turns to him.

Taehyung sends her a small boxy smile, just as he always had. The reliability of his grin was more than enough to make her feel more secure than ever. He does not budge when she throws herself into his arms and kisses the top of her forehead repeatedly. “I’m so glad that I get to experience your first time here… You look so beautiful when you’re happy.” He whispers as he shifts to peck her lips, “Now.. let’s get inside and we can walk around a bit more. Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She smiles warmly as she holds on to him tightly with a fluttering heart and they make their way up the stairs and to the elevator.

After ordering their finest wine and the specialty, YN is left under the watchful eye of Taehyung. His stare was dark and alluring as he initiated hooky under the table. There was nothing that he loved more than to see her flustered because of him. There was something endearing about the way she was innocent to his dark desires.

Sexual encounters were not a forgotten moment for Taehyung the few times that they happened. The chemistry was there, no doubt, when his hand ghosted over her hip and he gave her the look prior to his voice octaves dropping. Her soft voice murmuring Oppa was more than enough for him to lose all control.  

“You’ve been staring at me,” YN murmurs with a blush as she brings the caramelized onion to her lips. 

Taehyung chuckles as he looks at her and unbuttons his suit as he returns back to his coq au vin. “It’s hard for me not to.. you look breathtaking tonight, just as you always do.”

His words send a flame across her cheeks and she finds herself growing even more shy in the process.

“I don’t think I will be able to control myself tonight.” He confesses after a sip of champagne and leans forward. “I couldn’t stop thinking about our time in Seoul.. after the final concert.” 

She did not know that it were possible, but she becomes the definition of red. She knew exactly what he meant: the concert adrenaline has rushed through Taehyung the night as he brought her back to his hotel room and ate her out for hours. He even refused to let her reciprocate after tugging at his hair repeatedly from the overstimulation. He let her fuck his face until she cried and murmured something about it not being the last time before falling asleep. 

 “I remember how pretty you sounded.. moaning 오빠 like the good girl you are. I even taught your stubborn self manners..” he drawls as his knee parts hers with a seductive purr. “I bet you’ll sound even prettier tonight.”

It takes everything in YN to not choke in reply to words of a siren. That was what Taehyung was, eager to make her his and submit to him. “I think it’s time you sound pretty too.”

“I want to.” He deadpans once his wine is finished and nods for the waiter to bring their dessert. “Let’s have dessert on the patio.”

“Patio?” YN asks with furrowed brows prior to dabbing the napkin across her lips for any excess residue. 

Taehyung nods as he takes her hand and brings her up. “Yes. We have to go right now.” He sing songs as he guides her to the biggest surprise of her life.

The proposal.

The ground is peppered with pink roses making a makeshift trail as Taehyung walks with their fingers entwines and his head is beating in triple time. Violins greet them with ‘winter bear’ playing lightly in the background to contribute more to the overall serenity. He had meticulously thought of everything by from the strawberry cheesecake dessert in the center of the patio and the flowers surrounding it.  Would she say yes? Surely she would. 

“Taehyung.. is this for us?” She asks, never letting go of his hand as she walks to the table with him and rests her arms in the table.

Taehyung nods as he picks up a fork and lifts a small bite of cheesecake to her mouth to feed her. “It is.. I thought you may enjoy the scenery a bit more.”

“You can see everything from here.. I would have never expected to be blessed with this view.” She confesses with a flustered look on her face. “I mean that ardently.. you make me feel secure.”

Taehyung smiles as he leans his head on her shoulder to feed her more. “I hope that I can always give you that security.. for the rest of our lives.”

“I hope so too.” She whispers as she picks up a strawberry that looks much larger than the others and her brows furrow. “This one is cute.”

His heart races. His ring was placed in the makeshift strawberry: this was the moment. “I think you should cut it, first.”

YN nods as she cuts into the juicy strawberry. She is careful to do so, having already an inkling of where this would be going. Was he proposing to her?

She nearly faints when she sees the silver band in the strawberry and to turns to see a beaming Taehyung. Her voice cracks in her throat, “T-taehyung.”

He sends her a warm smile as he gets down on one knee and he takes his hand out of his pocket. “YN-Ah..”

YN’s own heart is racing faster than ever as she fights back the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes. “Tae.. Taehyung-Oppa..”

“Since the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were someone special in my life.” He begins as he thinks back to the words he spent countless times reciting to sound like a native speaker. “In the beginning, I thought of you as someone who I needed to take care of, to protect, and love, because you were so fragile.”

“But I was wrong.. you were so much more than a girl that I wanted to love. You were your own person and you never let me or anyone else dictate your life... I was never your only goal.. you loved me for me and continued to be yourself authentically whether or not it the outlook was pretty.” He licks his lips as his grip on the forehead velvet box tightens. “We had our own ups and downs, but that was what made us stronger. I showed you the ugliest parts of myself and you did the same. We learned to love each other as people first and then lovers.”

“They say love is blind and can change your perception of the world if you are not careful, but my vision became perfect when it came to you. You learned to read my emotions, understand the little things about me that I did not understand myself, and reminded me what it meant to be Kim Taehyung, not V. You gave me the normalcy that my job took away.. you even gave me that card.” He laughs as he tried to think of the name. “Bend.. bend a.”

She can’t help but smile with the way he looks at her knowingly. She always would correct him. “Ventra.. and you loved the CTA.” She laughs in the midst to stop herself from being on the brink of tears. How could he be charming even while cracking a joke? 

“The experiences we have had together helped me grow.. the times I felt isolated and alone, you were there to be strong even when you struggled too.” His thoughts drift back to her wiping away her own tears to console him, the reassurance that he needed was given to him. “You taught me how to be strong.. you taught me how to continue to go on when I no longer could fight anymore because as long as I had you, I had someone worth fighting for.”

“My parents.. they love you.” He says with a small grin on his face. “My family has been the only consistent entity that I have had since I became an idol. That was what I thought until I met you. You even began to learn Korean just to communicate with us at family dinner.. when you did that, I knew that I needed you as my wife.” 

“The sacrifices you’ve made to be with me have been great and not once have I ever thought of taking them for granted. Jagi.. you’re one in a billion and I am never going to let you go.” He smiles warmly. “I love all your little habits. I love how you overplan everything and even included me in them.” This earns him a shy chuckle. “I like how you treat Yeontan like our baby and swaddle him despite him hating it.. I like when you wake up at six in the morning to bake me cakes just because you feel like it.. the times you smile without reason and how infectious your laugh is.”

“It is the way you ask me about little decisions just to remind me that my opinion matters and how you keep me grounded.” He has to bite back his lip. “When I felt like giving everything up, you put my head in your lap and held me as I cried. You told me that you would always be there for me and that you would love me no matter what my decision was. I learned you loved me for me when I could not love myself that way.”

“So with this ring, I am asking you to not only be my wife, but to continue being my best friend, the mother of my children, and soulmate until our last breath. I will love you until the day I die.. for.. I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.. so YN LN. will you marry me?” 

YN is brought to tears when he finishes. The trip down memory lane has made her feel all the more tied to him and she never wants to let go of him, ever. “Yes.. yes.. a million times yes!” She says as Taehyung stands to his full height and places the ring onto her finger.

“사랑해.” He whispers into her ear as he kisses her deeply. He wants to transmit every bit of emotion that he feels for her into the kiss with a shaking heart. He wants her to know that she is his first and his last. “정말 사랑해.  난 절대 널 떠나지 않을 거야.” he whispers quietly into her ear and rubs the small of her back.

(trans. I love you so much.  I never will leave you. )

After the engagement, the two lovers spent a few moments admiring the view of the Eiffel Tower for a few solemn moments. It was in this moment that they felt infinite and that the world could not throw anything in their way to stop their happiness. How many people were blessed to find their soulmate? Their better half? And all without compromising themselves as people? It was transcendent.

The ride back home goes off without a hitch; the two eagerly embracing each other in every way possible in the backseat as their emotions begin to bubble up. They had taken it to the next level: engaged to be married! 

“I want you so bad,” He whispers into her ear with a grunt in the elevator as his hand finds chase on her thigh. All he can think about is making love to her as his fiancée. The dress wraps around her curves like a glove and he thinks she will look so much better without anything on. “Want your pretty mouth moaning my name as I eat you out.”

She gasps as he presses her against the mirrored elevator with his face buried in her neck to leave a hickey. Taehyung had a terrible habit of marking her, especially where anyone could see. She once loathed turtle necks, but with his habit, there was no choice but to give in the the made her feel so good. 

“Can’t wait to fill you up with my cum,” He grunts into her ear as he parts her legs with his knee to grind his hard member against her clothed sex. Normally refined, Taehyung was a man starved. “You’re not going to remember any other name but mine when I am done with you, jagi.”

He grips her hips to grind her forward to show how hard he was, “Look at how fucking hard oppa is for you. You like seeing your oppa wanting you?” He does not stop his ministrations when the elevator door opens and guides her to their Parisian suite that he seemed to know like the back of his hand. 

“I love it so much, Taehyung.” She moans as he presses her against the door and fumbles to get the room key from his blazer. The lack of honorific makes him growl before leaving another love bite on her shoulder. “I-I mean oppa.”

He chuckles darkly once the door is open and pulls her in swiftly to pin her against the door. “I guess I have to remind you who you belong to then.. huh?” He asks smugly.

“You’ll look so good with my cock buried inside of you..” He whispers before hoisting her up and carrying her to the bed. He moves at the speed of lightning, kissing along her inner thigh while undoing her shoes without much trouble. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to make love to you? And now I get to do it as my wife.”

“Wife-to-be…” She corrects as he lifts the dress over her hips and makes her sit up.

Taehyung scoffs, “Wife.” He repeats quietly before attacking her with another kiss. His hands roam around her body, focusing on each crevice and curve that entices him more while grinding his cock against her wet sex. She was practically dripping when his fingers slipped between her satin underwear. “You’re so wet for me already?”

“Mmm.” She moans while looking at him, “Let me take care of you first.. oppa.” 

Her purr makes Taehyung stop for a moment. As a man who loved to be in control, he did not want to stop himself from eating her out for hours and then thrusting into her tight cunt for the first time. Yet, the offer is far too enticing when he remembers how her pretty lips look wrapped around his cock and he can’t say no.

So he doesn’t. 

Taehyung rolls off of her to admire how she looks in her lacy black bra with matching panties. Every curve of her body is evident and he knows that he has hit the absolute jackpot. How could anyone be that intelligent, charming, and sexy? Her worries of always being the lesser in the relationship were ill-founded.

“I bet oppa can’t wait to get his fat cock sucked by his princess, can he?” She provokes him with the vulgar language while unbuckling his belt and tossing it to the side. He sits back, amused, at the seductive sway of her hips. “Lift your hips.”

She does so without problem.

She remains on her knees as she begins to stroke the underside of his cock through his boxers. Her eyes then avert from his nether regions to his eyes with a shy smile, “You should tell me how it feels.”

“And let you know how good you are making me feel? Aish..” He groans, the satoori lacing into his words while grinding his hips into her palm for more friction. “Don’t tease me…. I want to feel how tight you feel around my big, fat cock when you clench so hard around my fingers.”

YN remains amused as she rests an elbow on his knee and lets her head rest on her left hand, “You like knowing that you’re the only person to be inside of me.. don’t you?” 

“I fucking love it,” He grunts when she flicks her wrist just the way he likes it and it has him jutting his hips slightly more forward in the process. “Want to fill you up so badly… I want to cum inside of you.”

The lewd confession makes her turn red, but it only ignites her confidence to push forward as she tugs his boxers down to her ankles to be met with his standing cock that slaps his stomach. His dress shirt is crinkled and the blazer at his shoulders sags down as he stares at her knowingly.

“Be a good girl and suck my cock, won’t you?” He asks with the tone of a siren. He is alluring in all ways, the dark stare I this eyes and the smug look from looking down at her. It turned him on to see the girl with such high standards and work ethics reduced to his good girl wrapped around his finger. 

And he knew she liked it too.

YN hollows her cheeks as she begins to pump the base of his cock. She can almost feel how wet she is when small moans of pleasure begin go erupt from Taehyung. She loved how his deep voice sputtered with each stroke of her tongue.

“Fuck, fuck, just like that.” He grunts in pleasure as his hips buckle forward to hit the back of her throat. “Such a good girl and all for me.” He rasps before slapping her ass.

Taehyung has to wonder how she’s gotten better at sucking cock for a few moments before he pushes her off when he feels a knot begin to form in his stomach.

“Want to eat your pretty pussy out,” He says as he picks her up and pins her against the satin sheets. Her cheeks flush red at his lewd words and he asks himself how he managed to be so lucky to have a girl like her.

He quickly discards the black lingerie that adorns her skin and he mentally thanks himself for sneaking it in last minute. It hugs her every curve and he only wants more of her. All thoughts of before disappear once he spreads her knees and places an open mouthed kiss over her wet cunt.

“아름다운,” He whispers before spitting onto her cunt and takes her fully into his mouth. The reaction is instantaneous when she nearly folds into two and he laughs in response. It sends a vibration against her clit which only makes it more amusing to him when he has to hold her still. “Baby, stay still.”

Before she can protest, he flicks her clit with his tongue and never looks away from her with such intensity that she feels like she will faint. Kim Taehyung was a force to be reckoned with and she had no qualms learning how to reckon him. He draws figure eights over the hem of nerves to elicit a string of whimpers from her. 

“Tae - tae -taehyung-“ she chokes out when he decides she is to his liking and begins to thrust a finger inside of her tight, wet cunt. 

Taehyung pins down her leg to rest his chin on top of it. “How do you call me properly?”

“Taehyung!” She cries when he adds another finger and thrusts deeper into her. She was so tight that it made him wonder if he would fit.

“Taehyung.. what..” he provokes in a darker tone. “Be a good girl and say it. Just me and you here.” He adds another finger and increases his speed. She’s almost a sobbing mess when he purposely brushes against her g-spot. “자기~.”

She squirms more in his embrace to cause more friction, but it is to no avail. “Taehyung.. 제발..”  she whimpers to him. “오빠..” she cracks.

“Good girl,” Taehyung whispers before curling his fingers inside of her and soon she completely becomes putty in his arms. She cums all over his fingers, her hips still twitching with he brushes the inside of her folds. “괜찮아?” 

YN nods as her chest rises and falls periodically. “Yes..” she sits up before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulls him on top of her. “I’m ready,”

“I know you are.” He teases as he shows her the white substance that coats his fingers and licks it slowly. “You taste like you’re ready too..”

“I want to be on top.” She says before using all her pressure to climb on top of him. Despite knowing her nature, it still throws Taehyung for a loop. 

Taehyung thinks she’s sexy when she takes charge. He likes it even more when she lets him guide her hips onto his throbbing cock that was beginning to drip precum . 

“I’m on the pill,” YN says with a blush on her cheeks. 

Taehyung chuckles for a moment as he continues to stroke the base of his cock for a few moments with the remainder of her cum. “So you knew this would happen?”

“No.. I just thought..” she turns as red as a tomato.

“I’m not really a fan of condoms.” Taehyung confesses with a chuckle. “So I like the idea of fucking your tight pussy raw.. but I’ll pull out just to be sure.”

“Mmm,” she nods as she finally sinks down so just the head of his cock was pressing against her folds. “Fuck..”

“You can take more..” Taehyung coos as he pushes her hair behind her shoulder to begin leaving kitten licks across her collarbone. 

“I can.. you’re so big..” she whimpers as she places her hand in his shoulders to take more of him. Taehyung has to take a sharp breath when she clenches around him so hard. She wasn’t even at half of his cock yet and he felt like he was seeing stars.

Taehyung smiles at her, “Your pussy is all wet and tight.. just for me, yeah?” He asks with a click of his tongue. He was growing a bit impatient with this; how could he focus when she was clenching around him so tightly?

“Shit..” she whispers one last time before sinking onto his cock completely. Her walls cling around taehyung tighter than ever, making him want him to take all of her.

“Can I thrust up?” He asks, eager to move. She felt so good around him that he struggled to keep his self control. 

She gives him a commital hum of approval, “Mm,” She can barely think straight when his hands up both of her hips to piston his hips deeper into her tight sex. She can feel his pulsating cock as it begins to fill her walls, “Fucking hell Taehyung-“

“You sound so pretty when you take my cock like the good girl you are,” He rasps prior to slapping her ass. His grip only tightens with each thrust; each of his actions only embolden when he hears her soft mewls of pleasure. “Who knew you were a good cockslut for me, huh, baby?”

“Oh - shut up -“ She can barely choke out the words when Taehyung brushes against her g-spot ever so slightly.

What a fucking tease he was.

Taehyung is not fairing any better than her, especially not when her walls clench around his throbbing cock. As generous as he is, it’s hard for him to not chase after his own high when she makes him feel this good. He seriously thinks he must have saved the country in his past life to have all of her to himself.

“Just like that, babygirl. You feel so tight around me. I bet you’ll be cumming all over my fat cock soon. Huh?” He remarks cockily as his fingers find her clit to draw figure-eight’s on the sensitive bud. She nearly doubles over from how well he seems to know. 

Each time he thrusts into her, he bottoms out inside of her to the point of no return. “T-taehyung-“ She stammers out, “I’m close-“

“Fuck, me too baby.” His voice lowers an octave from the pleasure that was soon to arrive. “Can’t wait to cum all over you,”

His thrusts become quicker in speed as he repeatedly begins to hit her g-spot; each time sending her into another wave of pleasure. Her hips ritochet from how good it feels.

“I’m c-cumming,” She chokes out as her arms wrap around his shoulders, holding him tighter from the impending euphoria. No one even came close to making her feel this good. Ever.

Smirking, Taehyung knows all too well. “You can’t wait for me like a good girl, huh?” It’s a shock that his voice manages to stay stable when his cock is seconds away from exploding with pleasure. “I’m close too baby-“

“Fu-fuck!” She stutters out with another thrust of Taehyung’s hips into her wet core before she soon cups all over his cock. She wilts into his arms while lazily lifting her hips to the same cadence of Taehyung’s pistoning hips.

The wind is nearly knocked out of him as he pulls out of her quickly as his own high rapidly rushes toward him. Her pussy was so wet and tight that it was milking him for all that he had, “Fuck-“  He grunts as he pumps his cock once, twice, three times before spilling onto his stomach.

Only the sound of heavy breathing fills the suite as Taehyung pulls her close into his arms and kissing her temple. 

“You’re sticky,” She whines with a pout as Taehyung only laughs in response.

“You should help me clean up.” He provokes with a brow raise at the girl. 

Never one to back down from a challenge, she only rolls her eyes in faux disapproval. “You know where that will leave us..”

“I do,” He whispers as he stares into her eyes with that longing look of his he had always sent her. “It’ll leave us together. Here. In Paris,” He always had been too romantic for his own good, too romantic for her to say no to any of his ideas.

“And if we end up spending all of our time on top of each other? Instead of actually exploring Paris?” She presses on; the chase was always fun between the two of them. The push and pull only end up right back with one another.

“Mmm. We’ll always have Paris.” Taehyung whispers lazily before closing the distance between the two of them with a full heart and a new petal of lust blooming in his chest.

 -   -    -   -   -

Don’t be a stranger and let me know what you think! Let me know if there should be another part too.

[enthusiasticharry]

𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓   |    𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 24.0k

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : in all honesty, i can’t believe that this day has come. the last part of checkmate. i would just like to thank everyone who has given this fic all of the love over the past three months and supported me through the trials and tribulations of writing it. i hope that you have all loved this fic and chessrry as much as i have, words really can’t explain it. please let me know if you’ve enjoyed reading! 

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : sexual content, explicit language and sadness because it’s the end of the chessrry universe. 

𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐕𝐈 here

The light slipped through the gap in the curtains, the early morning light dancing over the naked skin of the two bodies that laid in the bed. It wasn’t the first time the morning light had seen the two of them this way, and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. YN’s head rest on the naked skin of Harry’s chest, her leg slipped between the two of his as his fingertips softly run over the skin of her bare arm. The duvet that should be there to preserve the heat between the two of them rested just to the small of her back, covering up the majority of their modesty whilst they laid there, without a care in the world other than each other. The room was theirs, and this time together was there and nothing else mattered apart from each other and the feelings they had for each other. 

YN lifted her head up so that she was looking directly at him, tilting her head to the side. She couldn’t help but lean forward and place her lips on his, a small grin on each of their lips. 

“Have you had many girlfriends?” It probably wasn’t the best question to ask, but she was curious — and curiosity sometimes got the better of her, “You don’t have to tell me, but if you want to, you can.” 

Harry studied her intently for a while, looking at her as if she’s got three heads for a second before seemingly snapping out of it, “Why do you want to know that?” 

She shrugs, “I don’t know. I guess I’m just curious.” 

“Uh.” He lifts one of his hands over his face, rubbing it slightly before looking at him, “I’ve had a few, nothing serious.” 

“Well.” She bites her lip to suppress the smile that threatens to cross her lips, “Do you want one? A serious one?” 

He pulls away slightly and looks at her, his lips parted in shock, “Are you asking to be my girlfriend?” 

“I don’t know.” She shrugs, “Do you want to be my boyfriend?” 

He grins at her, and she giggles at the excitement that falls over his face, “Of course I do.” 

“Then I’ll be your girlfriend.” 

He tilts his head and looks at her, “Does that mean we’re officially a couple?” 

“I think it does.” They share a kiss, a small one that caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach, something that is very familiar to YN when she’s in Harry’s presence. 

YN and Harry had flown home from Paris the day after the final, and they hadn’t been without each other since that day. It was unusual, to say the least, for YN to feel so strongly for someone in such a small space of time, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. YN loved Harry, and she loved being around him and it only made sense that she would want to spend all of her time with him and near him. He hadn’t complained about it, and it had been a week now so YN reckoned that he felt the same way. If he didn’t, he certainly was a good actor. 

As much as YN hated to admit it, laying in bed with Harry and just being around him in general made up to be some of YN’s favourite times every in her life. The watched the day meet the night together, the days pass by and mould into new ones, all whilst they were together. Nothing could hurt them as long as they were together, and YN was going to live by that. 

Over the last week, they hadn’t done much to say the least. They hardly ever left his house, only to go to the shop, and then the rest of their days were filled with talking, chess, sex and relishing in the time that they had together. In a few months time she would be jet setting the world again, and she wasn’t to know what was going to happen when she arrived so she wanted to stay like this for as long as she could. Neither had them had mentioned the World Championships, and neither of them had made any want to mention it and that was okay. Whilst YN had been laying in Harry’s bed, he had asked her a few things but that had not been one of them. The most surprising thing that he had asked her was whether or not she wanted to live with him for a while, until she found her feet. She had only mentioned that she probably would have to sell the house and buy something smaller once to Harry, but he had mentioned it and he had offered to help her. There was sadness in her, due to the fact that she was having to sell the house that she had grown up in, spent all of her days and learnt to play the very thing that she loved the most just to survive. He’d been there when she cried after talking to the estate agent on the phone, and he had been there when they had phoned her up and said that they already had someone that wanted to look at the house. He had told her that he would be there for her, and YN was beginning to understand that the more that life threw at her. 

An hour or so after YN had gotten the news that people were interested in the house, Harry had called her name from the kitchen. At first she hadn’t wanted to leave the little home that she had made herself under Harry’s duvets, but when he called her name again she sighed and stood up, making her way down the stairs and towards Harry’s kitchen. On the island, Harry had prepared a meal for them, with glasses of blackcurrant squash and candles and everything that she could ever want. The thing that she loved the most was that it was him. He moved around the kitchen, finishing up their meal with such ease and all whilst wearing a yellow, floral apron that looked like it had just walked out of a nineteen-fifties advert of some sort. 

“What’s all this for?” She had asked, walking over and taking a seat in the one that meant that she still had a view of Harry moving his way around the kitchen. 

“I just felt as though. . .” He starts, bringing a bowl over to her and placing it down on the mat that he had placed down, “You needed some cheering up. Pasta always cheers me up, and I guessed that it might work the same for you.” 

She had bit her lip to suppress the smile that threatened to move over it but it didn’t work, and the grin crossed over her face. He responded with one of his own, one that made her stomach flutter and her heart miss a beat. He seemed to know how to bring her out of her funks, and make her feel all the better without actually doing that much. 

“How did you know?” She grinned.

He sat down in the chair next to her, his own bowl of pasta in front of him and he shrugged, “Call it, a lover’s intuition.” 

YN shook her head, laughing at Harry’s choice of words. He was right, they were lovers at some sort at that point in time, but it still didn’t mean that it didn’t cause her heart to flutter in love for the name and also in cringe that the man had said it. There were plenty of things that he could’ve called them, and lovers just seemed to be the worst of them all, “Never call us that again.” 

His shoulders shook when he laughed, and her heart started to beat faster within her chest. It just seemed as though anything the man did, absolutely anything, caused her body to only think of that and what it meant to be with him in the way that she was. They hardly said a word during the meal, only stealing stolen glances at each other whenever they found it right to do so, which to YN seemed to be all of the time. It seemed to be the same for Harry, because he also couldn’t take his eyes off of her — holding intervals of looking at his meal in front of him and then at the girl. 

“You know. . .” He he started, it being the only thing that he had said the entire time that they had been eating, “I think pasta might actually be the key to my heart.” 

When they had finished eating, the two of them moved to the living room. Harry sat in one corner of the sofa whilst YN laid with her head in his lap, him reading a book of some sorts above her whilst she just laid with her eyes closed and the sound of the record that they had spinning filling the room. It was pure and utter bliss, something that she certainly wasn’t going to be taken for granted. 

She looked up at him, biting her lip as she looked at his concentrating face, one that he had seen plenty times before. 

“What.” She giggled and shook her head. 

“Nothing.” She shrugged. 

“Nothing?” He closed his book and threw it so that it landed on the coffee table in front of them. She grinned and moved so that she was sat up and facing him, “I’ll give you nothing.” 

She fell back so that she was laid on the sofa, Harry’s body hovering over hers. He wrapped his hands around her wrists so he could pin them to the sofa, next to her head. He leant down so that his lips were hovering over hers, “Harry, don’t tease.” 

“Why?” He grinned, leaning down to kiss her nose, “I live for teasing.” 

She giggled and she moved her head upwards, capturing her lips on his. He pulled away and tutted, “Less of that, I’ll be the one to decide when I’m finished teasing and not.” 

“What about me?” She mumbled, pressing a single kiss to his jaw and then to his cheek. 

“What about you?” He laughs, “You want to tease me?” 

She shrugged, pouting slightly, “I wouldn’t mind it. You tease me enough, I wouldn’t mind to be on the opposite end of it for once.” 

Harry shook his head, leaning down and capturing his lips on hers again. She never wanted to stop kissing him, she was addicted to his lips, “I’d like to see you try, love. I think you’re all bark and no bite.” 

That night they had gone to bed wrapped up in each others arms, and each other’s taste upon the other’s lips. They were exactly how YN wanted them to be, with each other but also so happy within themselves that they believed noting could hurt them. All of the sadness that she had felt had been pushed to the back of her mind, and all she could focus on was trying to make Harry feel good, and feel as loved as he made her. 

“In all seriousness.” She ran her fingers over his forehead, pushing some of his curls off of his forehead, “How many girlfriends have you had?” 

Harry sighed again, reaching over and placing his hand upon her cheek. He kissed her. He kissed his girlfriend whilst trying to conjure up the best way to talk about his exes with her. She knew that  he maybe wouldn’t want to, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t try. He pulled away and smiled at her, and she knew that everything would be okay. 

“I’ve only had three in my life.” 

“Three?” She looked a little dumbfounded, and she knew that it probably wasn’t the best look. 

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, “Don’t look so shocked.” 

It wasn’t that she was shocked that Harry actually had three girlfriends, she was more so shocked that the number wasn’t higher. She couldn’t believe that nobody had found him as irresistible as she did. A part of her was happy, though, because it meant that nobody had snatched him up before she was given the opportunity to. 

“I’m not shocked, maybe surprised.” 

Harry chuckled, placing a kiss to her lips, “What are you surprised about?” 

“I don’t know, I thought the number would be higher.” 

“Are you calling me a slag?” 

“No!” She chuckles, shaking her head, “I just can’t believe nobody else has snatched you up, that’s all.” 

He raised one of his eyebrows at her, “Are you saying that you’ve snatched me up?” 

She chuckled shaking her head and snuggling herself closer into his chest. His fingertips danced over the exposed skin of her back, drawing little doodles onto her skin with the tip of his fingers. YN smiled at the feeling, giggling slightly whenever he did something that tickled the girl, which was more often than not. 

“I am.” She grinned, “Is that okay with you?” 

“Fine by me.” He certainly seemed happy with the words he was saying, causing her stomach to bubble with excitement. 

“Now tell me why I’ve managed to do it.” 

He glanced down at her, pressing a singular kiss to her nose, “I don’t know. None of my past relationships ever seemed as serious as this, and they always seemed to end for some reason — usually to do with chess, if I’m honest.” 

YN furrowed her eyebrows, not quite sure what he exactly meant from his words, “Chess? What did chess do?” 

“You have to admit, chess does take over our lives.” 

She ponders the thought for a minute, “I suppose so, yeah.” 

“The first girlfriend I had was in high school, and she didn’t like that every free second I had was playing chess, and trying to get better and she didn’t like that. The other two were when I was twenty and then twenty-two, when my career started to peak and they started to think I cared about chess more than then, which wasn’t exactly a lie.” 

“I understand.” YN nodded, “I guess that it’s easier for us because I understand it for you, and you understand what it’s like for me.” 

He nodded and pulled her closer to his chest, moving slightly on the bed so that his head was level with hers. There was something about laying with him, completely naked for him to see that excited YN but also caused nerves to flush across her entire body. For YN, she had never really had this closeness to someone before and she was learning what she was comfortable with as they went along. She was sure if she wasn’t comfortable she could change the way that she was, but she wasn’t, so she didn’t see the point. 

“They didn’t.” He explains, “They saw that I was spending my time going over Ivanov’s work instead of taking them on dates and didn’t like it. I suppose I understand, because I never had any time for them but for us, we’ll be able to spend that time together and focus on our chess.” 

“You don’t mind that I’m better than you?” 

He looked down at her, “I can’t say my ego likes it but I don’t mind.” 

She pouted, tilting her head to the side. 

“I don’t think I believe you.” 

“Well, I promise you. And anyway, I helped you win. I’ll always have that.” 

“You will. I wouldn’t have been able to do it with out you.” 

YN looked up at Harry, and he looked as though he was going to say something really profound when in reality he said, “I know.” 

Harry laughed as she shook her head, “Are you sure your ego doesn’t mind?” 

He nodded, “I’m positive.” 

“Now I truly think your bullshitting.” 

He runs his fingers across his arm, a silence dropping over them for a second, “What about you?” 

“What about me?” 

“Boyfriends? Relationships?” 

“Uh.” She hesitates for a minute, trying to find the right words to say, “I haven’t had a boyfriend before, you’re my first.” 

“Really?” He does look shocked, “I can’t believe that.” 

“If you knew me a few years ago you would. I never left the house to meet people to date, only to go to the pub and get drunk. People came to the store, obviously, but they were people who knew me as the shy little kid from high school that spent her days with her little travel chessboard rather than concentrating on school.” She explained, “I never tried to make friends because I knew they wouldn’t understand me, and I felt as though people would only want to spend time with me if they had sex with me. It didn’t fill the void when my grandfather left. I still felt just as upset and angry as I did before I left for the pub but it was the only way I thought I could get over it.” 

Harry stilled for a second, “I understand.” 

“I can’t changed what I did, and I can’t say that I regret it.” She explains, “If I wasn’t how I was I wouldn’t be happy with my chess-playing boyfriend as I am now. My granddad will be so proud.” 

“Yeah?” He asks, a large grin crossing his face, “He would?” 

She nodded, “If he was alive he’d want to play with you, and he’d probably beat you.” 

“I’d be defeated happily.” 

“I know you would.”

They smiled at each other and continued to lay in bed, silence overcoming them and the only slight sound they could hear was the light breathing coming from the two of them, and there was something about just sitting with him and doing nothing that she loved, and adored about this man. She was at ease with him, something that she can’t say about much else in her life. Chess made her nervous, and whenever she thought about her family an overwhelming sadness rolled over her but Harry, the man laid beneath her, made everything better. 

When the two of them finally decided to get out of bed, they dressed and moved themselves from the bedroom, to the living room. Harry started to give the place a little clean, whilst YN hoovered and then they both settled themselves in the sofa. There was something about being so domestic with each other that YN loved and wanted nothing more than to do for the rest of her life. YN was reading, and Harry was scrolling through his phone as a vinyl spun around on Harry’s player. It was another thing that YN loved about being with Harry — they didn’t have to talk and they were just comfortable with each other. 

“YN?” She hummed when she heard Harry’s voice, not lifting her eyes away from the book that she was reading. It wasn’t chess, for once, and she was really enjoying it, “We do need to talk about the Championships at some point.” 

She shakes her head, “I don’t want to.” 

Harry chuckled and sat down the sofa with her, dropping her head to her shoulder, “We need to. You have the World Championships in less than a month.” 

“Thank you for reminding me.” 

“You’re welcome.” He chuckled, “But we do need to talk about it. Have the ECA said anything?” 

“Nope.” She pops her ‘p’ and shakes her head, “Well, I don’t think so. I haven’t looked at the mail.” 

“Is it coming here?” He asked and she nodded, so he got up and walked towards the door, picking up a few envelopes and shifting through them until he found the one that he was looking for, “I think I’ve found it.” 

She places the book down on the coffee table and holds her hand out for the letter, “Let’s look at this, then.” 

He passes it to her and she sighs, opening the envelope and immediately being met with the ECA’s logo embossed in gold at the top. Very fancy for a chess association, she must admit. 

“Read it to me.” Harry says, dropping his head to her lap and she nods. 

“Dear YN YLN.” She starts, “To start, the English Chess Association would love to congratulate you on your recent win to become the European Champion, we are so proud of you, and I hope you know how amazing you are. A little bit of history for you: the last British Champion was Isaac Williams who won in 1956. You are also the first female champion to ever win. Honestly, Harry I can’t explain how pissed off I am with the female shit. I’ve had this at every single game I’ve ever played except from the one with Sarah and I’m sorry to get heated, but my fucking vagina doesn’t make any difference to how I play chess.” 

Harry blinks at her for a second before bursting out in laughter. She looks at him and tries not to laugh, because she is being very serious, but his laugh is infectious and she can’t help but laughing. 

“You need to print that on a t-shirt.” He wipes one of the tears that had slipped out of his eye from his cheek, “That was gold, fuck, I wish I had recorded it.” 

She rolls her eyes at him before picking up the letter again and continuing to read, “As you know, the winner of the European Championships is invited to play in the World Championships, with the best players from the other continents in the world in Russia. The last time that a British player made it there, I’m sure you could guess, was in 1956. A British player has never, ever won the Championships, but we hope that it will be you.” 

“It will be you.” Harry nods, “I have absolutely no doubt about that.” 

“I’m glad you don’t because I certainly do.” 

“Oh shut it, will you.” He shakes his head and pokes her stomach slightly, “You’re going to win.” 

“I’ll let you keep thinking that.” She shakes her head and clears her throat, “At the moment, we have the information to book your tickets for yourself and your second, Mr. Harry Styles. The trip will be for seven days to Moscow, Russia. If this isn’t the case please let us know ASAP. We wish you all the best and we will send all of the information closer to the time. Sincerely, everyone at the ECA.” 

The letter wasn’t as impressive or as interesting as she thought it was going to be and she was disappointed that there wasn’t anything of real substance for the girl to read and look at. YN passed Harry the letter, and he reached forward to place it on the coffee table. YN dropped her hand to run through his hair. 

“Is that still the case?” She asks, a slight nervousness to her words when she said them. 

“Is what still the case?” 

“That you want to come to Russia with me?” 

Harry sat up immediately and turned so that he was looking at her, directly in the eye and not moving them away from hers. She would say that she felt a little intimidated but now that she knew Harry there wasn’t an intimidating bone in his body even if he tried. 

“Do you not want me to?” 

“Of course I want you to.” 

“Then I’m coming.” He smiles, “I never wasn’t coming. I’d never let you go to Russia to play on your own — it’s a recipe for disaster.” 

“Probably.” She hums, “I don’t want to think about it.” 

“We’re going to have to think about it.” 

“I know.” She sighs, dropping her head to his shoulder, “It’ll be Mr. Styles’ chess training camp again, and I’ll feel like I’ll be walking around half-asleep all of the time.” 

“It wasn’t that bad!” 

“It was.” 

His lips clamp shut for a second, “I’m not sorry for it. You won.” 

“I’m not either.” She lifts her head up again and looks at him, “I just like complaining.” 

“I know you do.” He sighs, leaning forward to place a kiss to her lips, “It’s a good thing I like you, love you even.” 

It certainly was. 

A week or so later the two of them had to take a break from going over chess games to drive up to the North West of England so that they could pack up YN’s grandparents house up and get everything sorted that needed to be. It was a long few days of packing everything up, and taking things where they needed to go but YN was happy that she had done it, seeing as though she wouldn’t be able to look after the place on her own and it seemed to like a waste to keep the house for herself when a family could live in it and create memories just like she had done with her grandparents. 

All of YN’s boxes of things, albeit there weren’t that many, they brought to Harry’s house. He had offered to let her stay there for a while when they arrived back from Paris, and she promised herself that at some point she would start apartment hunting for somewhere to live but the two of them were okay with what they had going on at the moment, and she wasn’t going to ruin it by starting to apartment hunt. In a few weeks, if Harry turned to her and asked her to leave then she would, but right now she was okay. 

They had gotten back into the swing of practicing and constantly going through and playing different games to the point that YN wanted to rip her hair out. She understood why it was important, because she did want to win but at the same time she hated that the higher she went in the chess world, the more pressure she felt to succeed and find herself at the top every single time. If she didn’t have a chance at all to win, then she would try her best and accept that she lost but when she knows that she could win, it makes everything ten times worse. 

As much as she hated to admit it, she’s noticed that it also makes Harry ten times worse. 

Leant back in her chair, her arms crossed and her eyes slowly closing, she found herself letting out yawns in intervals quick that what she usually would to say the least. Harry was dribbling on about something that she knew that she should probably should be paying attention to but they had been at this for hours today and she can’t remember how many weeks that they had been like this now. There was only so much chess that one can endure without going a little bit insane, and YN was teetering on the edge. 

Harry was looking over something in a book when she stood up to take her plate and mug into the kitchen. 

“What are you doing?” 

She stopped when she heard his voice and turned around slowly to show him the plate and cup in her hand, “I was going to wash up.” 

She raises her eyebrow at him and he looks at her as though she really does have three heads sitting on her shoulders. She really didn’t think that it was too much of an odd thing to want to do, especially as the time was teetering on being quiet late and she wanted nothing more than to shower and get in bed. A hot shower and getting in Harry’s warm bed sounded like bliss if she was honest. 

“We haven’t started these games yet.” 

“I’m just really tired, Harry.” She explains, “I just want to go and get in the shower and then get in bed. Can’t we start them tomorrow?” 

He sighs and drops the book that he had in his hands on the table, “We need to go over Kuznestov’s attack tomorrow, we won’t have time.” 

“Harry. . .we will.” She starts, starting to feel more and more irritated as time continued, “I just need to go to bed now. I’m really tired.” 

“And if we miss something, we’ll fall behind. We don’t have time for that.” Harry spoke, as though it was the most important thing in the world and not the fact that she needed sleep. 

She shook her head and walked into the kitchen, not wanting to listen to whatever else he had to say, “Harry, we’ll make time for it. I need sleep.” 

He shook his head, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest and following her into the kitchen. She didn’t look at him and instead placed the plates and mug in the sink and started the water. 

“YN.” He was close to her, she could hear him. She flickered her eyes back to look at him and saw him leant against the counter opposite where she was stood, “I’m only trying to help you. The more we prepare the better you’ll be when we get to Russia.” 

She looked away from him again, her eyes falling back to the sink that was now full of water. She shook her head and picked up the washing up liquid that was in a bottle by the side of her and grabbed a sponge that would make it easier for her to clean up the dishes. She wouldn’t say that she was annoyed with him at this moment, but if he carried on the way that he was she knew that it wouldn’t be long before she really was annoyed with him. He wasn’t listening to her and seemed to be ignoring every little thing that she said. 

After a few minutes or so, and after she had cleaned both her plate and her mug and placed them on the draining board, she turned to look at him, “Harry?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I want to go to sleep.” 

“You can.” He shrugs, “Once we’ve finished the games we had planned.” 

“You had planned.” 

“Oh, so now you don’t want to do it?” 

“Harry—”

“— YN, I am just looking out for you, that’s all I’m doing. I could be doing a thousand other things right now than helping you with this fucking chess but I’m doing this for you! The least you could do is actually fucking be awake for me to do so!” 

Everything in YN’s body stilled and she closed her eyes. 

“I understand that you want to help me Harry, I do—”

“No!” He stopped her immediately, “I don’t think you do, YN! I’ve fucking planned and worked my arse off so that I can make sure that you’re prepared to play the best fucking players in the world and all I get is that you’re fucking tired?” 

“Don’t you think that I deserve a break? We deserve a break?” 

“I do.” He explains, his eyes lifting to look at her, “And we’ll get it when we’re back from Russia and you’re world champion.” 

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. 

“You know what, Harry?” He hums, “I would agree with you, but I’ve worked my ass off for I don’t know how long, I don’t know whether I have enough money to survive and I’m fucking petrified of playing these players and for one day, one fucking day, I just want to shower and go to sleep earlier than fucking midnight.” 

“YN—”

“No, Harry!” She sighs, “I’m not going to listen to you say all of that and then not stand up for myself. I’m exhausted and I just won’t stand for it!” 

He blinked at her a few times and ran a hand through his hair, “I’m just trying to keep things realistic, YN.” 

“Realistic?” 

“These players, as we keep saying, are the best in the world! Best. You know I believe in your YN, but I’ll believe in you more if you keep preparing and looking over the games like we had been.” 

She sighed, “It’s one night, Harry. Five fucking hours.” 

“That’s still time that we’re wasting.” 

“Does anything matter to you other than chess?” She sighed, leaning back and crossing her arms across her chest, “I’m fucking standing here and arguing with you I could be in the shower and be in bed by now.” 

YN saw the vein pop out of his head, and she wondered how angry he was getting, “Why aren’t you then?” 

“Because I’m stood here arguing with you! You’re so adamant against the fucking thing!” 

YN closed her eyes and tried to stop them from becoming even blurrier than they were. 

“I just want you to win, YN. That’s all I’ve ever fucking wanted.” 

A tear rolled down her cheek, “I know, Harry.” 

“Then you must understand where I’m coming from.” 

YN clamped her teeth down on her bottom lip and nodded, her heart racing out of her chest. She knew that it was important but she just wanted to sleep. 

“I know you’re trying to help me, Harry, I know you are.” She sighs, lifting her hand up to wipe her cheek, “But sometimes people need a break, and today is one of those times. I’m tired. I need a shower. The last thing I want to do is start looking through more of Kuznestov’s games when I know that they’ll be hard and complicated and I’m almost certain that the words will go in one ear and out the other. I just know it.” 

After a minute or so Harry sighed and nodded his head. 

“Now. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get in the shower.” 

There was a part of YN that knew that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave Harry and go get in the shower, since he was right and she did have a Championship competition to play in a couple of weeks but she couldn’t overwork herself, and she knew that. She was surprised that he didn’t know that. He had been playing in these Championships a lot longer than she had, so he must know that overworking isn’t a good idea, right? YN knew that overworking in school wasn’t a good thing, and she knew that overworking in a setting like this isn’t something that should be done. That didn’t mean to say that she hadn’t done it to herself in the past, it was just now that she decided not to do so. 

Harry must understand that. He has to. Harry was one of the most understanding people that she had ever met in her life and now here he was seemingly not understanding something that she thinks most people should know. When they were at her house, preparing for Paris, he worked her hard and long hours but she never once wanted to stop. Maybe that was why she hadn’t noticed that he overworks not only himself but the people he is around. 

YN let out a long sigh as she walked up the stairs, making her way down the hall and towards Harry’s bathroom that now had quite a few of her toiletries in. She didn’t know what Harry was doing downstairs, and a part of her didn’t want to know what he was doing. When she walked into the room, she closed the door behind her and leant her head against it with a sigh. She hoped that the shower she was gong to have would calm her down, relax all of her limbs so that she could enjoy it. She moved her towel from the radiator to the cabinet by the shower door so that she’d be able to reach it and turned on the water, not stepping in just yet so it had time to warm up. She stripped of her clothes, dropping the material into a pile on the floor and then kicking it away so that it wouldn’t get wet when she was opening and closing the shower door. 

Once the water was warm enough, she opened the shower door and stepped in, allowing the warm water to flow down her body. She instantly felt her muscles relax under the stream of water, all of the tension leaving her body as she sighed. As she stood there, she remembered that she knew that Harry had did have down time in his life, she just wondered whether he had it enough. She maybe thought that he only had downtime whenever he didn’t need to prepare for something, but because YN did have to prepare for something, maybe he didn’t think that they should have downtime. She didn’t know, because she hadn’t been with him when they had prepared for things before, whether he worked and worked and didn’t give himself any breaks until he had finished the Championships. Maybe that was why he didn’t like the idea of the break but she didn’t know, she was only thinking of things. 

She started to wonder whether or not that was one of the reasons that when YN met Harry, he was so against continuing to play in Championships. If he had been playing non-stop and practicing non-stop than she wasn’t surprised that he wanted to stop playing. It wasn’t an healthy way to do something. All of these thoughts ran around her head and she started to feel sorry for him, and it was as though the argument they had just had evaporated from her and all she could think about was making sure that he was okay and letting him know that she only wants to help him understand. 

As she ran her hand over her hair, slicking it back and making sure that every strand was wet she heard bathroom door open. She turned her head from looking at the wall to the door, where Harry was now stood. He looked at her with questioning eyes and bit his lip, and no matter how much she knew that it probably wasn’t the best thing to do, especially after they’ve just argued, she nodded her head for him to come into the room, and hopefully into the shower. She watched as he slipped the shirt he had on his body over his head and pulled both his joggers and boxers down at the same time, leaving him completely naked and watching every move she made. She looked back at the wall and heard the door open, the cool air of the bathroom invading the shower as she stood there. She shivered slightly. He came up behind her, so close that she could feel him hovering as though he was slightly nervous to touch her. She felt his hand hovering over her shoulder and she leant back slightly so that his skin met hers. He obviously picked up a little courage, and he moved her hair to the side so that the back of her neck was exposed to him. He leaned forward and placed a kiss to her skin, the sort of kiss that to YN felt like an apology. An apology without any words. 

YN leant her head back so that she could rest it upon Harry’s shoulder, her back immediately pressing to his front and the two of them feeling sort of like themselves again. He rested his hand upon her waist, and she closed her eyes at the feeling. YN had never in her life had a connection like this before, one where she could communicate with someone without having to say anything. It was a breath of fresh air, especially since a lot of the time she didn’t really know what to say when it came to talking to people, especially when it came to emotions — she was way better at showing them than speaking them. 

Harry’s hand moved across from her hip to her stomach, dancing across the skin lightly. She threw her head back even further if it was possible and hummed, her eyes fluttering shut when she felt his hand slip lower to meeting between her thighs. He used one of his fingers to run between her folds, feeling the arousal that had started to collect there just from him touching her lightly. To her, she couldn’t understand how him making such light movements across her skin could make her feel the way that it did. He started to circle his finger over her clit, the tightness immediately gathering in her stomach and her legs starting to tremble slightly. She let out what she thought was a quite moan but it must have been louder than she anticipated because it seemed to egg Harry on, circling his finger faster. He couldn’t take his eyes away from looking at her, down her body and to the point where his finger met her. He could almost moan at the sight himself but he kept it together, knowing that it would be a little embarrassing due to the fact that nobody was touching him at all. 

YN couldn’t help it, and she burrowed her hips backward, the softness of her skin rutting against his hardening cock. He couldn’t help but groan into her ear at the feeling of that, she couldn’t help it. Her hips twisted against his finger, and as he circled his finger quicker he could feel how hot and slick her cunt was, and how it convulsed for him. He wanted to please her, and he felt as thong the was when he heard the little moans and whimpers that left her lips. He could listen to that sound forever and never get tired of it. It was like music to his ears, a sweet sound that he wanted to savour and cherish for as long as he physically could. She knew that she wasn’t going to last very long, especially if he carried on like he was, circling her clit whilst one of his hands tweaked her nipple. 

“Gonna come for me?” His voice was gruff in her ear, “Gonna come, baby?” 

“H. . .” She couldn’t even say his entire name, and the words came out of her lips embarrassingly breathy. She whimpered as his fingers left her clit and moved them down so he could slip two into her wet cunt. 

He lifted his other hand to her hair and manoeuvred her head so that he could place his lips upon hers. They haven’t done anything in the shower before, and the feeling of it sent her head spiralling and every part of her body wanting more. She was completely and utterly devoted to him, and to his touch and no matter how much she could try and convince herself that she wasn’t she certainly was. If Harry was the only person in the world that she could speak to and be with after this day she wouldn’t mind at all, because he was one of the easiest people to be around that she had ever met, and one of the best people she had ever met. YN felt as though they were made for each other, and she knew that there was a word for that but she just couldn’t remember what it was. 

She tipped her head back again and whimpered when he started to move his fingers in and out quicker, slipping his other hand down her body to toy with her clit. He knew how to make her feel good and more importantly he knew the things that would have her withering underneath his touchy and screaming his name at the top of his lungs. He loved her and she loved him, and that meant that they knew how to do things for each other, things such as these. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered in her ear, “I’m so sorry.” 

Her eyes immediately opened and she turned her head to look at him, she could almost see the tears in his eyes. He didn’t stop his movements, and she felt overcome with a lot of emotions in such a short amount of time that she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. She didn’t move her eyes away from the side of his head and he didn’t move his away from the spot in between her legs where his hands still rested. 

“Please say something.” 

“I forgive you, Harry.” She says, her words coming out jumbled, “I do, but please. . .” 

He quickened the pace of his fingers and she lifted her hand and gripped his arm, her nails digging into his arm as he brought her closer and closer to her climax, the feeling bubbling within the pit of her stomach and causing her eye sight to go slightly blurred. 

“Please what?” 

“Harry you know what!” She threw her head back and moaned, the sound filling up the small room they were in. 

He curled his fingers deeper in side of her, grinning slightly into her shoulder as she noticed her hips rolling and her lips parted, his fingers obviously hitting the spot within her that brought her closer and closer to her peak. 

“I don’t think I do.” He teased, “Tell me.” 

She was right on the edge of her orgasm. She knew that, and he knew that. The hot water from the shower still sprayed onto them, and she wished that it relaxed her like it had done when she had stepped under the stream not that long ago but now it just seemed to bubble in her and cause even more heat to dance over her body. Her head pushed against his shoulders, and she knew that she was digging her nails into his skin harshly but she just couldn’t help it, her legs were starting to tremble and she knew that she was going to jump off the edge at any second. 

“Come, baby.” He whispered in her ear, “Do it. I know you’re there.” 

She was there. Her entire body shook and she felt a heat run across her body like wildfire. She moaned and didn’t care about how loud she was because she knew that nobody else could hear her but the two of them. She saw stars when she came, and she didn’t know whether or not it was because of the heat of the shower or because of how emotional she felt. It just seemed as though everything that had happened today came to that point. 

Once she had recovered slightly, she turned around and placed her lips onto his. Their fronts were now flushed against each other, her arms around his neck and their lips firmly clamped together. She didn’t want to pull away, and she could feel Harry’s cock against her and she knew that she had to do something to make him feel better. She moved one of his hands down from around his neck to his chest, dancing over the tattoos that littered his skin and down until she could she could take him in her hand. He groaned and dropped his head against her neck as she wrapped her hand around him, moving it up and down as the stream of water poured above them. He knew that he wasn’t going to last long, and the way that she every so often ran her thumb over the tip of his cock meant that the time was coming on them quicker and quicker. 

“What do you want, Harry?” She taunts, the words slipping off her grinning lips, “Tell me.” 

He groans in response to her and shakes his head, knowing exactly why she was saying this. He loved to tease her, and she hated it but whenever she felt like she had the upper hand she had absolutely positively made sure to do it back to him. He deserved it. 

“Fuck, baby.” She moved her hand quicker and she could see his stomach flexing, and she knew that he was close. When he did, it landed both on her stomach and on the floor of the shower, slipping down the drain and being washed away. Harry lifted his head from her shoulder to place a kiss to her lips. 

She pulled away and leant over to grab his shampoo, and he knew that everything would be okay. 

Harry was still asleep when YN woke up the next morning, and she decided that it was probably best if she didn’t wake him up, so she didn’t. She slipped out of bed and pulled on Harry’s purple dressing gown that was hung on the back of the door and made her way downstairs. Downstairs looked identical to how it had when she left last night, with her dishes still on the draining board and the chess board still set out on the table in the same way that it had been when she left. She sighed and moved the pieces back to the way they would be if she was about to start a new game, thinking in her head that it was a new day and it would be best if she was starting a fresh. Once she had done that she made her way back into the kitchen so that she could boil the kettle. She took out two mugs from the cupboard and placed a tea bag in one and left the other by the coffee machine for when she knew that Harry would want when he came downstairs. 

She poured herself a cup of tea, one that she knew would at least start to bring her round once she’d had it from her slumber. She sat down at the table that they had been working at last night, and throughout the days prior to that and looked at the board. She knew that she needed to carry on working through games, and she said that would continue the next day but she just needed a break then, but Harry didn’t listen to that, and here she is. The Kuznestov games that Harry wanted to go through yesterday were still sat in a book by Harry’s side of the table, so she reached over and picked up the book, sighing when she saw the page that he obviously wanted to work on and opened it up, starting to play through the moves in complete and utter silence. 

“YN?” She heard Harry call her name from upstairs. 

“Down here!” 

She could hear the taps of his feet on the ceiling above her, and then to the right where she could hear him walking down the stairs. 

The stairs creaked as he moved, “Have you seen my dressing gown?” 

“The one that’s on my body?” 

He stops dead in his track when he saw her sat at the table, with a king rested comfortably within her palm, “Yeah. That’s the one.” 

“Your mugs under the coffee machine.” 

“Thanks, darling.” He walks past her and places a kiss to her temple, as she just carries on looking at the board and flicking through all of her options in her head. 

She tried to concentrate on the chess board in front of her, but when the loud buzzing of the coffee machine started and then Harry’s whistling that she normally loves to hear but today just isn’t sitting right, she drops her elbows on the table presses her fists into her temple to study the board. No matter how many times she thought she found a move that could counter the one that Kuznestov played, it hardly ever played out for longer than a few moves. 

In a few weeks she would be playing this man, no doubt in the final of the World Championships because if anyone was going to stand a chance of beating her, it was this man, and here she was, unable to find a move to counter his that wasn’t one that caused his opponent to loose. She wasn’t too nervous, because she knew that she’d be able to find one at some point but she was starting to feel as though everything that happened yesterday didn’t help her cause to say the least. 

“YN.” Harry walked over to where she was stood, his now full of coffee in his hand. She had been trying so hard to find a move that she hadn’t even noticed that the coffee machine had finished its buzzing and Harry had finished his whistling, “What are you playing?” 

“Kuznestov.” 

“What year?” 

“2002. Against—”

“— Eugene.”  

YN rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself, “Yes. Against Eugene.” 

“He was at his prime then. Kind of like you are now. I can’t say that he’s gotten worse than then, but I can’t say that he’s gotten any better.” Harry sits down and places his mug on the coaster that they had there from the day prior, “You won’t be able to find any faults because there aren’t any. His games from 2002 and 2003 have no mistakes in them, and if they do, then I and plenty of other people haven’t found them.” 

“Nobody has found any moves that would give his opponent the upper hand?” 

Harry shakes his head, “I studied them a few years ago, when I was preparing for a tournament in Germany. He wasn’t there but it was good practice.” 

“You played in Germany? I didn’t know that.” 

“I went through my international phase just like you are. I think I was twenty-two, twenty-three.” 

“International phase?” She chuckles and crosses her arms over her chest, “That’s what I’m in now?” 

“Yeah. Jet-setting all over the world, playing top-level chess in hopes that I’d bring home a hefty pay-check at the end.” 

“Where else did you play?” 

“Ugh.” He leant back in the seat, blowing out a breath of air as if he was thinking slightly, “I played in Berlin. Kraków, uh, Madrid. I played a bit of speed chess in New York when I was twenty-one, went with Mitch and a few other players from the ECA. It wasn’t really a work trip though, more so a—”

“Play speed chess and gamble sort of trip?” 

He nodded. 

“Exactly that.” 

“Did you always win there too? When you played?” 

He shifted his head from side to side slightly, “The majority of the time. Most of the time it was just betting for money. They weren’t on the book games, so to speak.” 

“But you prepared for them like you would a tournament?” 

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, “What?” 

“How would you prepare for them, Harry?” 

She leant back in her seat, keeping her arms crossed over chest as she looked at him. She didn’t mean for it to come out like it was but she just couldn’t help herself. 

“What is this? An interrogation?” 

She shrugs, “I’m just curious.” 

“Why? It’s all in the past. I won’t be playing anymore tournaments myself but I’ll help you prepare. I always will.” 

“I know that.” She nods, “But how did you prepare when you did play them?” 

It was his turn to shrug his shoulders, “Similarly to the way you do, I guess. I play through the games I find necessary before I leave and then I play.” 

“How long did you practice for?” 

“YN, I don’t know how this is—”

“How long?” 

“I don’t know, okay?” He snapped, but she didn’t flinch at the sight raise of his voice, “I did it like we do now. A nine to five. Like a working day.” 

YN shakes her head, “I know when you’re lying, Harry.” 

He stands up, knocking his chair back slightly as he did so. She kept her face stern and her eyes directly forward. 

“What do you want from me, YN?” 

“I want you to tell me the truth!” She says, looking up at him, “I just want to know, Harry.” 

He looks at her, and sees her eyes and the tears that have started to collect in them and sits down again in his chair. 

“I wouldn’t stop, okay?” He says, dropping his eyes down to the table and then looking back up at her, “I couldn’t stop.” 

YN’s lips parted slightly but she calmed them shut not that long after, “What happened, Harry?” He didn’t say anything, “We’re supposed to talk to each other, right? Trust each other? Tell each other everything?” 

He looked at her for a few seconds and then nodded. YN waited until he was ready to say something, not really wanted to push him further than she already was. 

“When I first started playing chess, I loved it. I couldn’t wait to get home and play the game that I as actually good at, something that I could beat anyone who I played against and I was only a kid.” He shook his head slightly, “My parents didn’t see it as something to be proud of. They saw it as a money making scheme. Started me playing in tournaments and even paid someone to train me.” 

“Train you?” 

He nodded, “His name was Rick. He was a national master of some sorts but then something happened and got his title revoked and he wasn’t allowed to play in anymore ECA games. He still played in underground games and somehow my parents found out about him and hired him.” 

“What did he do?” 

“He cheated.” Harry shrugged, “When I searched him up it only said that he cheated, never explained how. He also never spoke about it, so I didn’t know.” 

“And he trained you?” 

“He made me do what I showed you. Look through certain books and pamphlets and play through the games, hoping that I could find some mistake.” 

“Did you? I find the mistakes?” 

“I couldn’t leave until I did.” 

YN’s eyebrows furrow, “What?” 

“He wouldn’t let me leave the room until I did. I’d spend hours, days and nights staring at the same game on the board until I thought of something, anything so that I could go outside. Or have some food. Just something.” 

“What did you parents say?” 

“They didn’t care.” He shook his head, “My sister tried to get me out a few times but it was useless. He wouldn’t budge and they wouldn’t.” 

“Harry.” Her voice is quiet, and she’s trying to find the right way to ask this but she just can’t find the words, “Did he ever?” 

He looked down, “When it came to Kuznestov’s games, and other grandmasters games where they just didn’t make mistakes he’d get angry. He’d say that he was giving his time to helping me and I couldn’t even do what was asked of me. He’d say I wasn’t worth his time and that slackers don’t get anywhere in this world and then he’d. . . then he’d punch me.” 

The words cut through YN like a knife, and it all starts to become more obvious the more that YN thought about it. When she first met him, the first time she ever got angry with him he was trying to get out of playing tournaments like the ones that they were, and it was starting to make sense. He was trying to break himself out of the cycle, the cycle that he had grown up with and known nothing else but what it was like and she certainly hadn’t been someone to help, to say the last. She had asked him to help her prepare, and because she had no idea about what that as going to be like for him, because he hadn’t spoken to her, he had no idea about the consequences. 

She wished that he had told her. If he had, she wouldn’t have ever asked him to help her. If she had known what it was like for him, and what it could do to him she would have never had offered. At the same time that she was thinking this, he could’ve also told her. At any point during the time they had been together he could have told her, and it had taken to her literally forcing it out of her to get some information. She was guilty that it had to be done this way, but at the same time, she was happy that she knew. It was information that she needed to know. 

“Harry.” A tear rolls down her cheek, followed by others, “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

He shrugged, “I don’t know.” 

“I wouldn’t have asked you to help me.” She sniffs, running the back of her hand across her cheeks, “I would’ve done it by myself. You didn’t need to put yourself through it.” 

“I was okay.” He shrugs, “I didn’t struggle with anything up until yesterday. I could feel it all day and I didn’t say anything. I should’ve. I apologise.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Harry.” She reaches by the side of the board and over the table so that she could grab his hand, “I’m sorry. I pushed you tell me. I should’ve known that it wasn’t right. I should be the one apologising. 

“I guess we’re both sorry, then.” He says, lifting her hand up to his lips so he could place a delicate kiss to the skin. 

“I just need you to promise me one thing, Harry.” 

“Anything.” 

“You won’t keep anything like this from me again?” 

“I promise.” 

The two of them had a sort of agreement from that conversation onwards. YN still prepared for the Championship in Russia, but the routine wasn’t as rigours and Harry wasn’t as involved with it. He still was there if she needed to talk to him about anything, or if he noticed that she’d missed anything but she never, ever pushed him to do something that she knew might not be the best thing for them, and he never, ever pushed her to carry on doing something or to start something that she didn’t want to. They had their own little routines that they kept to, but they always made time for each other, and that’s probably why they managed to keep everything calm and collected like it had been before their little bust up. YN was thankful for that. 

The week before they left for Russia, YN started to work longer hours than she had done. She’d get up at nine and work though games and tactics and endgames until around five o’clock. Harry would come and help for an hour or so in the morning and then for a few hours in the afternoon but he would distract himself with others things. YN knew that he had started to play in more speed chess competitions in London, but he hadn’t explained to her what else he was doing. She didn’t want to pry but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t curious. 

Leaving for Russia, YN was more nervous than she had been for any other tournament. She had said that the last time she played abroad, in Paris, but she truly meant it this time. The people she was going to be playing, she had been studying their games and learning from their games since she was a child herself, and here she was, going to play them. No matter how many times she reminded herself that she would be able to do it and there was a reason she had gotten this far, but it didn’t help overall when she had a real knack for self-sabotage just before she was going to play in one of the biggest tournaments of her life. 

They were sat in the back of a taxi, on their way from the airport to their hotel in Moscow. YN’s hands were messing with the end of her jumper, and her leg was periodically bouncing up and down. Harry had put his hand on her thighs, hoping that it would stop the bounce but it just transferred to the other leg, and he knew that he had to do something about it. 

“YN.” Harry grabs one of her hands and threads his fingers through it, “Let’s play chess.” 

She turned up to look at him, her eyebrows furrowing, “Chess? I’m about to play hours of it.” 

“I know.” He runs his thumb over the back of her hand, “But you won’t be playing against me.” 

She shakes her head, “We don’t have a board.” 

“We don’t need one.” He shrugged, “We can play in our heads.” 

“Okay.” 

“I’ll be white since it was my idea.” He grins at her and she rolls her eyes, “Pawn to king four.” 

“Pawn to queen bishop four.” 

“N.” Using a ’N’ when describing a piece meant a knight, “K-B3.” 

“Pawn to queen three.” She truly had to think about the moves when she played like this, thinking strategically and focusing on the board and the different movements each person made all on her head. From the years she had been playing, she could imagine the board up but had to focus more on making sure that she didn’t miss anything. She hadn’t played like this before. 

“P to Q four.” 

“Pawn takes pawn.” 

“Knight takes.” 

“N.” She tilts her head to the side, “King bishop three.” 

Thinking more about it, she realised that it was easy, and what Harry had planned for it to do was actually working. She wasn’t worried about what was going to happen in the Championship because she was now focusing on the imaginary pieces on the imaginary board in her head without any difficultly. 

“N to Q-B.” 

“Pawn to king’s night there.” She responded. 

“P to B four.” 

“P to B four.” 

“Not my favourite.” He shakes his head. 

She shrugged, “I like it.” 

She looked out of the window for a few minutes, looking at all of the cars lined next to her trying to get to the centre of the city. They were stuck under a tunnel, and she could hear the driver muttering something in Russian that YN didn’t understand. 

“Knight to B-3.” 

“Knight takes.” 

“Pawn takes.” 

“Pawn to king five.” 

“Pawn takes again.” YN smiles, knowing that she’d studied that a few days prior, “What are you smiling at?” 

“Nothing.” She shakes her head, “Queen takes Queen. Check.” 

“King takes.” They continued to play to around twenty-eight moves, up until the point where he had no choice but to resign. 

“Why did I offer to play you?” Harry shakes his head, running his hand over his face, “I always end up fucking loosing.”

She looks at him and smiles, “You were trying to help me. Thank you for that.” 

He hums, leaning forward to place a kiss to her lips, “I’m just such a good person. I even push past the fact that you’re so much better than me at chess.” 

“I suppose you have to.” 

They were playing and taking for so long that they hadn’t even noticed that they were outside of the hotel they were staying in until the car stopped. Harry thanked the driver and paid and they made their way inside. It was extravagant and beautiful, with marble floors and chandeliers and the expensiveness that YN only ever seemed to have when she came to tournaments and competitions. She couldn’t help that her lips parted in awe as she looked around. It seemed as though not only did the stakes in every Championship rise when YN moved further up, but the extravagance of the hotels also did too. 

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” She mumbled to Harry, as she looked around and he did the same. 

“It’s certainly something that’s for sure.” 

“I wonder what the rooms look like.” 

Harry turned to her and grinned, and she rolled her eyes in response, “I’m sure we’ll be finding out what they look like very soon.” 

“Just get going, will you?” 

He chuckled and walked forward towards the reception. She ignored his chuckles and walked even further towards him, this time making her way to the receptionist first. She ignored his tut and carried on what she was doing. She was given a large key with a fancy keyring on it that said ’24’ on it. Harry grinned and took the key off of her, and she didn’t protest and instead just walked up towards the lift and pressed the button for it. 

Their room was more like an apartment, and it still shocked YN every time she stepped into one of the hotel rooms and it seemed to get bigger and better than the one that they had been in prior. The sitting room had a TV, sofa and a whole dining table that would be perfect for some last minute practice before play started the next day. The colour scheme was black, white and a dark green that YN wouldn’t mind decorating a room in her house with the colours of this room. 

Her house. When the thought ran across her mind of having a house that was hers, she couldn’t quite imagine it. If someone had asked her a couple of months ago, she would probably say that she would live in her grandmother house forever, but that had changed. She would’ve then provably said that she would find herself a flat somewhere, just a small one but somewhere to live and call her own. She loved the idea of having somewhere to call her own when she was younger but now, everything had changed. 

YN couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live without Harry. She couldn’t imagine waking up and not having her beside him, his body touching hers and his light snores filling the room. She couldn’t imagine making herself a cup of tea and not having to make Harry a coffee. She couldn’t imagine playing through a chess game without him either sat across from her or somewhere within shouting vicinity. She just couldn’t imagine it. YN could honestly and truthfully say that if when they return back from Russia, even though they really hadn’t been together a long time and it probably was way too early to think about anything of this sort, if Harry asked her to move in with him, she would say yes without any hesitation. She didn’t know whether he would ask her to move in with him, full time and not just whilst she found her feet, but a part of her wished that he would. Prayed that he would, actually. 

“YN!” She heard Harry call her name from the other room, “Come look at this.” 

She makes her way towards his voice and sees him sprawled out across one of the largest beds she’d ever seen. It must have been double the size of a double bed, and she couldn’t help but wonder why someone would need such a big a bed and how many people would be able to fit in the bed at one time. Harry lifted himself up on his elbows and smiled at her, tilting his head as if to urge her to come and sit on the bed with him. She walks over to him and straddles his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. Harry placed his hands on the skin of her back, underneath her jumper. 

“I’m going to miss this.” He muttered, smiling at her. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Once you win this there’s no where else to go. No more ECA competitions for you to win. You can play wherever you want.” 

“We can still go away though.” 

“I know.” He nods, his tongue slipping out to wet his bottom lip, “But it won’t be the same.” 

“We could make it the same.” 

“I know we could.” He grins, “But I think the next time we leave England, I want it to be for a proper holiday. One where we can be tourists and do touristy things and annoy all of the locals we meet.” 

“By being tourists our just with your bad language skills?” 

“Both.” They both chuckle. 

“Would we leave the chess at home?” 

He nods, “We certainly would.” 

“Where would we go?” 

“Somewhere hot.” She nods her head, liking the idea, “And we wouldn’t do anything. Nothing of real strain at all.” 

“I like that idea even more.” 

“I’m glad.” He leans forward a places a kiss to her nose, “But first? You need to win this so that will all become a reality.” 

“I’ll try.” She grins, “Just for you.” 

After placing a long kiss on his lips, she pulls away and clambers off his lap, making her way into the bathroom that it attached to the bedroom. The first thing she notices is the grand porcelain bathtub sat in the middle of the room, one that immediately sparks her interest as something she wouldn’t mind spending her time in whilst she’s here. She’d probably do it after having a particularly hard game, which she knew would be coming up with all of the people who she would eventually be playing during her time here. 

“I think we should get a bath.” Harry spoke as he walked into the room, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. 

“A bath? Where? In your house?” 

“No, I think we should get it for the garden.” He sakes his head, “Of course I meant in my house. I think it’d be a good new addition.” 

“Why haven’t you gotten a bath before?” She asks, turning around so that she’s facing him and her back is leant against the sinks counter, “You have enough room in your bathroom for it, and enough money for that matter.” 

He shrugs, “There wasn’t one when I moved in and I never felt the need to get one. I wasn’t one for baths myself and I’ve never had someone to want to share one with. . . until now.” 

She shakes her head at his remark, and more so at the wiggle of his eyebrows that he gives her, “Don’t get your hopes up too quickly, baby, I think I might make you wait a little longer.” 

He sighs, “Why?” 

“Dunno.” She shrugs, walking over to him, “Just feel like it. I have things to do, can’t be distracting myself with baths of all things.” 

She leaves the bathroom with a small smile and after placing a kiss to his cheek. 

When she arrived for play the next day, there was a man stood to greet all of the players before they started. The man in charge of everything spoke a few sentences in English, and then he moved on to speaking more in Russian. YN had learnt a few simple phrases but not enough to understand what the man was saying. He did explain that the games would begin every day at ten o’clock, which she was happy about because it meant that she had time to wake up and prepare herself for the play before it begun. The man also explained that there would be a referee that stands at each table whilst they play to make sure that everything is running smoothly and that there are no irregularity within any of it. 

After the brief introduction, the players were escorted into a room that had not only a large stage in the centre but an even larger area for audience members to sit in. A part of that did worry her slightly but not as much as would have a few months ago. She had started to become more and more used to the fact that the higher she went in these competitions, the higher the stakes were and the higher the popularity was to the point where there’s hundreds more audience members than there are players in the actual Championships. 

In the middle of the stage there were four tables, each the size of a desk with new and clearly expensive boards and pieces set up on them. As well as the expensive board, there was a black chess clock and a jug of water with two glasses, one for each of them. The chairs themselves were padded, meaning they would probably be more comfortable to sit in for the long amount of time that these games usually went on for. By the time they all walked in, the referees were already stood by the tables, pristine black suits on their backs and a board behind them that already had the games set up. 

She stood and waited for the director to say her name, and he did, it spilling it out of his lips and into the microphone for the entire room to hear. There was applause from everyone in the room, and she sort of felt dizzy from the warmth and happiness that it gave to her. She walked over to the table that she had been directed to and sat behind the black pieces with a smile upon her face. She felt like a celebrity, a chess celebrity at that, but one nonetheless. After she had sat down, the applause started again but this time for her first opponent, Volkov. YN knew that he was in his twenties, having been born to play chess like many of the Russian players are and had quite youthful features. What annoyed YN about him was that the second he sat down, he started drumming his fingers on the table. If he continued to do that she wouldn’t know whether or not she would be able to concentrate at the task at hand. There wasn’t a large question about it, though — she would have to be. 

When the applause in the room stopped, and all of the other players, including Kuznestov, had been introduced, the director walked down the row of table and pushed the clocks. He did so with a stuck-up poise that YN wasn’t surprised to see. As he walked past their table, he placed his finger on the top of the button on YN’s side and pressed it, starting Volkov’s clock. 

Volkov immediately started play by moving his king pawn to the fourth rank. YN didn’t hesitate in moving her queen bishop pawn, the feeling of butterflies bubbling within her stomach at just playing this type of chess, against another person of skill similar to hers. The board itself was unlike any she’d seen before, with heavy pieces with glossy finished and each of them sitting comfortable on their opaque squares. The bard had a matt finish to it, which contrasted the glossy one of the pieces. In her head, she wondered whether or not at some point she’d be able to get a board like this one. It was beautiful. She leant back in her chair and watched as Volkov played his king’s knight to bishop three. She played her queen’s knight and moved it to queen’s bishop three. Their play continued, with Volkov playing pawn to queen four, which she took with her pawn and setting it to the right of her clock. She could hear the referee behind them repeating their moves on the big board. She felt her shoulders seizing up and she made a mental note to remind herself to ask Harry to rub her shoulders when her gave finished.

She knew what Volkov’s style was from the games that she had played through with Harry, and she knew which Variation he would use to follow her certain moves because he had done it repeated times in different games. It made it easier for her because she knew that if he had prepared things before, it usually meant that they would prepare things for other games. As far as he could tell, his play was similar to Auch’s who she had played to win the European title, so she knew that it wouldn’t be too hard to beat him, even if it would take quite a while like it had done in the last game she played. She knew that she didn’t really have a name over here, because nobody in her own country had even heard of her until a few months ago and she knew that meant he would be expecting an easy win, but he wouldn’t get it, because she knew what she was doing and she knew that he was good at it. 

She castled in response to his move, feeling comfortable in it knowing that it would help her in the long run from everything she’d learnt about his games. Their game started to gradually move from an opening without any errors to a middle game where the two of them had both without one king and one bishop and their kings protected and no downfalls that each could see in their games. By the seventeenth move they both had found themselves in equal positions on the board that could lead them both to danger. They were playing subtly, and certainly not in the way that she would normally play the game where she would attack early on. 

Due to Volkov playing white, he did have an advantage and he did try to use that by offering threats that could have worked on a less skilled player, but didn’t really work on her. On the twenty-third move of the game she found an opportunity to open a file for her queen rook whilst forcing him to retreat a bishop as she did so. Volkov looked at it for a while, as though he was studying it in his head before retreating his bishop. She brought her rook over, and sighed knowing that it was starting to fall into place for her. 

A few more moves later she found a way of increasing her chances, pushing a pawn to the fifth rank and offering it up as a sacrifice. He didn’t take the offering though, but was later forced to bring the knight it attacked back to the square in front of the queen. YN brought her rook to the third rank, and she knew that he would have to think to respond to it. He seemed to start to become more and more concerned as time moved on, whilst also trying to not look concerned at all that any of this was happening. His clock ticked and ticked as he carried on looking over the board. Maybe he hadn’t prepared for this game as much as she thought that he had, and now he was shocked that he could make a move like that. She continued to attack him, and he finally reached the point where she could safely post her remaining knight on queen five, where she couldn’t dislodge it. Two moves later she moved it there and brought her rook over to the knight file, directly where his king was. He again studied the board for a long time afterwards, and the frequent clicking of his clock and his fingers against the table rung around in her head. She wanted him to make his move for her own sanity. He did make the move that she had hoped, pushing his king bishop pawn up to attack the rook. When he pressed the button of her clock, his eyes didn’t lift up to look at her. 

She picked up her bishop and took his pawn, offering a sacrifice. When she saw the referee move the piece on the big board, she couldn’t ignore the whispers that she heard from the spectators, obviously not expecting her to have made that move. Volkov couldn’t just ignore her bishop, and whilst he looked at it and he tapped his fingers along the table she knew that she had him exactly where she wanted him. He looked at the board for another twenty-three seconds exactly before he stood up and held out his hand to her. Grinning slightly, YN rose and took his hand. There wasn’t a single sound from the audience. What shocked her was the fact that the director of the whole thing walked over and also shook her head, as though it was a right of passage for her to leave. She did so with a smile, just to be nice but didn’t hesitate to walk away with a smile on her face and a relieved sigh leaving her lips. 

Dinner that night was a fancy one that YN and Harry had been invited to by the English Embassy in Russia. Harry and herself walked into the lobby of the hotel, her arm in his and small smiles upon their faces. YN had returned after her game to be greeted by a loving kiss from Harry in the doorway of their hotel room and immediately made herself busy by getting ready for the meal they were about to go to. She had curled her hair and pinned a few pieces back so they weren’t in her face, added some light make-up to her skin and dressed in one of the prettiest dresses she had ever laid her eyes on. The dress itself was a velvet material, royal blue in colour and with a plunging neckline that gave ample cleavage to anyone who dared to look — mainly Harry — and the sleeves came to her elbow with two scrunches and then a flare at the end. She loved how the material looked upon her body, she couldn’t help it. It was gorgeous. Harry was wearing a black suit, with a lace shirt tucked into his trousers. As a pair, the two of them looked unstoppable and she wouldn’t be surprised if people felt a little intimidated by them. She would if she saw them. 

“Do you have any idea who we’re meeting?” Harry asked as they stood by the entrance to the restaurant, his eyes looking around all of the people there just to see if he had any incline by looks to who they were supposed to be having a meal with. 

“All I know are names.” She shrugged, moving a piece of his hair off of his forehead as they waited for the slight queue in front of them to go down, “Patricia Taylor, Nathaniel Baker and Reece William.” 

He raises his eyebrow, “They sound like a treat.” 

She thwacks him on the arm and shakes her head, “We haven’t even met them yet. We can’t be making any judgements yet.” 

“I’m not judging. . .” He shakes his head, “I’m just. . . stating the obvious.” 

“Yeah.” She tilts her head, “We can leave that for another time.” 

The waiter who stands at the door asks them for their name, and the reservation and in sort of broken Russian and English that the man can just pick up on, they find themselves making their way over to a table that three people are already sat at. They aren’t late, because YN made sure of it, so she guesses that they’re just really early. It’s the easiest explanation of why they’re already there. The waiter himself didn’t look a day over sixteen, and he asked them for their drink order the second they sat down. Harry ordered something that she didn’t quite pick up on and YN ordered a lime and lemon, just lime cordial and lemonade — not wanting to get herself into a position that she would regret and not be able to get herself out of. 

“It’s so lovely to finally meet you, YN.” One of the men who had introduced himself as Nathanial spoke, “We’ve heard a lot about you.” 

She smiles, “Good things I hope.” 

“Good things. . . yeah.” 

All of a sudden small baskets of bread and little dishes of butter and what looks like caviar and sour cream are placed down on the table. She looks at them for a moment, and then looks at Harry and he has a slight grin on his face. She watches as the other people at the table tuck in to everything to offer, whilst YN just butters herself one slice of bread and takes a few bites out of it. It wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry, because she was starving if she was completely honest, it was more so that there were still nerves bubbling in the pit of her stomach about this whole ordeal that made it so she wasn’t quite ready to start tucking in just yet. 

The men and woman looked very put together, and they were able to mutter things in Russian that the two of them didn’t understand. They often shared glances that let the two of them know that they’re okay, and also that they both feel more uncomfortable here than they every had within anything to do with chess. The waiter reappears with their drinks upon a tray, as well as a pitcher of a clear liquid and a few small glasses. 

“Vodka?” 

“Nyet.” 

The whole thing was a little off putting to her, and the way that Harry’s fingers messed with hers on his lap. YN couldn’t understand the point of inviting the two of them for a meal to then ignore them and speak in a language that neither one could understand. It was boring and just outright rude, but she wasn’t going to say that to them. She wasn’t rude, and she certainly wasn’t going to stoop down to their level just to get some conversation out of them. 

“YN.” They finally spoke to them, and YN didn’t know whether to feel relieved or annoyed still. It was Patricia who had spoken to her, “How long have you and Harry been together?” 

YN tried not to roll her eyes, and slipped her fingers through Harry’s, “Uhh. . . a few months or so.” 

“Oh?” She raises her eyebrow, “Not that long, then?” 

“No.” YN shakes her head, “But we’ve been friends for quite a while now, opponents beforehand.” 

“When did that change?” YN really couldn’t understand why this woman was interested in their love life so much, “I mean, I thought opponents were supposed to stay opponents.” 

“They are.” Harry says, “And we were, we were just friends and then something more whilst we did it.” 

The dinner continued to be a bore, and she focused on the food that she was eating and the company of the man next to her rather than anything else around her. She knew that this was necessary and the ECA had asked her to go to the meal and she wasn’t going to say no to the people who have paid her a hefty sum of money over the past year. She did learn after the meal, when she and Harry were making their way back, that Kuznestov had won his game and the other players had drawn. She’d learnt that her opponent tomorrow would be Nikolaev, which she wouldn’t say that she was worried about but she would certainly say that she had to get some sleep and make sure that she was fully prepared for what she was about to play tomorrow. It was certainly going to be an experience to say the least. 

She entered the stage the exact same way that she had the day prior, and there was a larger cheer when she walked across the stage when she moved this time. That was surprising to her, maybe people were starting to learn who she was or Harry’s voice had just gotten louder and louder over the last twenty-four hours. She was playing white against Nikolaev, and a part of was thankful that was the case, but it also wasn’t the case because she knew that she’d be able to win him even if she played black. 

On the eleventh move Nikolaev made an error in his judgement, and she made no hesitation to pounce on it, pinning his knight in front of a rook. It would keep him there for a moment whilst she figured out a way to get out her other bishop. From studying his games with Harry, she knew that he was cautious and strings in the defense movements he made, and that was why in a spur of the moment thing she decided to wait until she had the chance to overwhelm him. By the sixteenth move she had both of her bishops on his king, and on the twentieth she had both of the diagonals open. At the start he hid from it, using his knights to hold her off but she brought out her queen and he knew then that there was no way back for him. 

By the twenty-second move he was trying to ward her off but he just couldn’t and by the twenty-fifth he had resigned. The game wasn’t even over an hour long. Everyone else was still playing and she had finished, and words couldn’t explain how good it felt to know that. She walked away from the table, past Kuznestov’s table and saw that he was still playing. Her face broke out into a smile as she walked, feeling so proud of herself that she actually had a skip in her step as she moved. 

Harry met her outside of the stage with a kiss on her lips, and she couldn’t help but smile into it. They ate a sandwich for their lunch, and then decided to take a walk outside of the hotel. They walked down a boulevard and then down a narrow street towards a park. There was a bit of traffic on the road but nothing that they couldn’t manoeuvre if they weren’t ever so careful about it. There were large groups of pedestrians on the pavements, but none of them said anything and only a few offered them a small smile. The sun was shining on the day, even though it was quite cold outside and the two of them stayed pressed up against each other but it was beautiful. 

The park they found themselves in was nestled between the enormous buildings around them. There were benches that people were sat on, and a few of them stared as they walked past. She didn’t focus on it too much, but a part of her couldn’t help but doing so. They soon found themselves in a square surrounded by trees and flowers and everything that made a lovely park. What surprised her more than anything, were the people seated on the paths playing chess of all things. YN looked to Harry and he held the same exact shocked look on his face that she had. 

The men that were playing were mainly old, and from the looks of what she could see they played very old school chess but YN really didn’t mind, just seeing all these people who could be doing anything they wanted but they weren’t and instead they were playing chess made her tummy flutter with excitement. They walked past the tables slowly, just so that she could look at some of the positions that they were in whilst she did so. There were a few that she recognised from some of the books that she learnt to play from, and others from games that she played. They didn’t have clocks, and it seemed as though they were truly just playing the game for the fun of playing chess — something that could often be lost when she played the games for the stakes that she did. 

“I can’t believe it.” Harry muttered, shaking his head in shock as he looked at her, “They’re playing chess.” 

“I know.” She grinned, “I knew it was big over here but I didn’t know that they just played in parks, just like this.” 

“I almost makes it seem fun.” He chuckles. 

She nudges his shoulder with hers, “Don’t be like that. It is fun. You’ll find that again, I promise you.” 

“I always thought that I’d be like this when I was younger.” He explains, their hands swinging between them, “That I’d play chess all of my life and then when I was old just play it because I loved it. Not for the money, not for the publicity it gets. Just because I love it.” 

“That can still happen.” She squeezes his hand, “I swear to you Harry, we can make that a reality.” 

“Chess helped me through some of the hardest times in my life, because even though it was the root of many of them, it was also the thing that helped me through it.” He explains, “I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I want to do something. I don’t know what exactly it is yet, but something that can use Chess to help people, and young people for that matter, who need it by focusing their mind on something else.” 

After a few seconds YN smiles, “I think it’s a wonderful idea, Harry.” 

“You do?” His whole face lights up. 

“I do.” She nods her head, “People need something like that, and who better than you to help them with that.” 

“Who better than us.” He says with a smile, “Us. It won’t just be me, YN. It’ll be both of us.” 

“Us, then.” She grins and he quickly pecks her lips. 

The games that she had next were with Solovyov and Titov. Both of them were gruelling and exhausting and by the end of them YN didn’t know how she could keep her eyes open, but she never found herself falling into a position where she could loose her winning streak, and for that she was thankful. The work that she had done with Harry over the past few months gave her strength in her already strong opening moves, and she even managed to maintain them throughout the middle games and until the point where both of them had no other optimum but to resign. 

Solovyov resigned with dignity, and gracefully shook her hand and did everything that someone who has been playing chess a long time does when they realise that they can’t get themselves out of whatever mess they’re in. Titov didn’t take it as well and he didn’t say anything to her, and he didn’t even shake her hand. She was used to it, so that from him didn’t make any change to what she felt about him. She had to play seven games in all, and she had known this from the first day but it didn’t make it any less daunting the more that she thought about it. She knew that on the last day she would be playing white against Kuznestov, and she knew that was what she needed to do was play the games well so that she would make it to that game relatively unfazed. 

She wasn’t playing Kuznestov today though, she was playing black against Golubev. He was the oldest player there, and YN remembers playing her game when she was little. He had won the World Championships years before she was born, and now here he was. He was an icon in the chess world and a part of her felt lucky to say that she was going to sit across from him and play his games. He was an amazing player and even better man, and she knew that she would have to be ever so careful whilst she was playing him. She would be though, because she always was when things were at stake. 

They were playing at the first table today, the one that Kuznestov had played all of his previous games at during this Championship and a part of her was excited by that. Golubev bowed when he walked over and then took his seat. He was wearing a maroon suit that looked highly expensive, but she knew that if anybody could afford to buy a suit like that it would be him — he was loaded. YN’s long forest-green skirt and black turtle neck looked like nothing compared to it, and a part of her genuinely thought that she had looked amazing when she walked out of the hotel room earlier. Harry certainly complemented it. 

He was ready to attack by the eleventh move, subtly but YN noticed it. He moved his pawn to queen rook three. Thirty-five minutes later he had a heavy pawn defense on the queenside and she had to delay what she was planning to do so that she could deal with it. She had to study the board, and a part of her certainly wasn’t happy that he had made that move but she knew that it had to be done. She lifted her eyes upon to look at him, and he was smiling. It was almost as though he was happy with what he was doing. 

He continued to advance his knights pawn as if to ignore where she was with her knight. A part of her couldn’t understand it, and she couldn’t figure out what he was doing. She had to find a way out of the trap that she found herself in, because if she didn’t then she would have to take the rook pawn with her knight and four moves down he would be able to attack her queenside and pick off her queen rook in exchange for it. It wasn’t an exchange that she would be happy with if in a few moves he would be able to do it. 

She leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table, her cheeks resting against her clenched fists. She knew that she could work this out if she tried hard enough. She could hear the clicking of the clock getting louder and louder as she continued to study, flicking through every combination of move that she could see until there was nothing. She had to give the exchange and get his rook pawn as consolidation. It meant he would still be attacking her queenside, and she wasn’t too fond of that. She was too stupid to have seen it actually coming and she hated it. 

YN pushed up her queen rook pawn and watched the moves play out. He took the rook for his bishop some moves later and she couldn’t help but have a little bit of her die inside when she saw it happening. She knew that it would have to in her head but seeing it was a completely different thing. She took the rook pawn two moves later, but it offered her very little help for everything else that she was doing. She had fallen behind, and she didn’t really know what else to do. 

Stopping his advance of pawns on the queenside was enough for her to want to rip her own hair out. She had to return the pawn she had taken from him, and he was doubling his rooks on the king file. There was no way that he was going to let up. She made a threat towards his king to cover up the fact that she was trying to trade his rook for her remaining one. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to ride whilst she was down but she had no option but do so. She had to. 

By the middle game they were both entrenched with every piece supported at least once and a few of them twice. She tried her hardest to avoid trades so that she could find a wedge that could bring her back even but he countered everything that she attempted. The intervals between each moves were long, and there was an opportunity down the line that she wouldn’t be able to bring herself back. She knew that she would have to at some point. 

A few moves later he had brought his rook to the third rank and put it above his castled king, limiting its movement to to three squares. If she found a way to trap it before he lifted the knight, it would put her in a stronger position than the one that she was in. Flicking through the play in her hair, she couldn’t find anything that would be able to help them and she wasn’t happy about that. She felt dizzy and she pulled her elbows off the table and leant back so that she could look at her clock. She had less than fifteen minutes. She had to make her move quickly or there was no way that she’d be able to recover from it. She moved her knight to knight five, a strong move but one that didn’t really help her in any way. His reply was as expected and it forced her to bring the knight back to king four where she had wanted to put it in the first place. She didn’t have much time left on her clock and she made sure to study the board in the time that she had left. He moved the rook move that she had known he would and she made her move. He advanced his pawn just as YN had expected. 

From finding that move in such a short amount of time, a part of her was thankful that she had done it because it gave her the hope that she might be able to recover the game in front of her. She needed to do so to win. Golubev was ahead, and the two of them knew that but he had a rook that she had to contend with and she could use it against him. If she could bring it off, she could exchange a bishop for it and even the score. She started to work quickly on that. It was difficult and long but he seemed to be ready for it, obviously having studied it ob the board himself. She pulled the bishop away from the diagonal his rook was on and hoped that he wouldn't see what she was planning. It would look as though she was attacking his pawn formation, forcing him to weakly advance. She wasn’t even a little bit concerned with his pawn positions, all she could think about was getting the rook off of the board. 

Golubev pushed up his pawn. In her head she knew that he should’ve thought about it longer, but he didn’t. He made the mistake and moved the pawn. She felt an excitement in her stomach that she hadn’t felt at all during this game, She took the knight off of the diagonal and put it on queen bishop five, offering it to this queen. If he took that move she would be able to take the rook with her bishop. He hadn’t even noticed that in the mist of all of this, making the move he wanted meant that she would get his knight in return for the queen move. She felt unstoppable. She looked up at him with a smile upon her face. 

He looked over the board for half an hour and found nothing. He then took the knight, and she was finally able to take the rook. He took her bishop and she checked him. The game was even know, and they both knew that there wasn’t going to be a lot left of the game anymore. There wasn’t a clear reason for him to resign, and his queenside pawns were evenly placed, but she attacked them and his remaining bishop, forcing him to bring up his queen to hold onto his pawns together. She knew that she would have him, and she now had to focus her attention completely on his king. 

She had twenty-seven minutes left on her clock and Golubev almost had an hour but she wasn’t going to let that effect her. She brought her rook pawn up to the fourth rank, announcing her intentions and he had no option but to move. She worked out each variation of moves he may make trying to find an answer to them, and she finally did when he made his move of bringing his queen to protect. She ignored the chance to grab one of his pawns and advanced her rook pawn one more square. It was an amazing move, and she certainly knew it and it was almost as though he knew it as well. 

He looked over the board fora few more minutes, as though he was contemplating what he was going to do. Then, he lifted his eyes up to her, looked at the board briefly again and then smiled. 

“That was amazing.” The words came out of his lips in a thick Russian accent that she certainly should’ve expected but it still shocked her, “I’ve never seen someone recover from something like that so well before.” 

YN can’t help but smile at his words, agreeing with him and starting to feel more proud of herself. She watches as he reached forward and grasped the the top of his king and tilted it over to its side. 

“I resign.” 

They shook hands, and YN’s never seen it happen so warmly from someone before that wasn’t Harry, “I’ve always played your games. I learnt chess playing your games.” 

“Don’t.” He shakes his head, “You’ll only make me feel old.” 

“I don’t mean to.” She smiles. 

“It doesn’t matter.” He shakes his head, “You’re a marvel, dear. Don’t ever forget that.” 

When she had walked into the hotel lobby, she felt arms wrap around her waist and spin her around. She couldn’t help the squeal that left her lips as he did so, and she noticed the watchful eyes of other people in the lobby once the culprit had put her down. She wasn’t surprised that it was Harry. 

“I’m so proud of you.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek, “So proud.” 

She turns two him with furrowed eyebrows, “Did you not think I could win it, or something?” 

“Of course I thought you could win.” He brushes it off but she raises one of her eyebrows, “Okay maybe I was a bit nervous when I woke up this morning, and when you were loosing — but you brought it back!” 

“I know I did.” She tuts, “At least I believed in myself.” 

“I always believed in you, YN.” He shook his head, “I was just a little. . . nervous.” 

“You don’t need to be nervous about that game.” She says, slipping her hand into his, “You need to be nervous about Kuznestov because I certainly am.” 

“Nah.” He shakes his head and lifts the back of his hand up to his lips and presses a kiss to it, “We don’t need to be. You’ll be fine.” 

“How are you so sure?” She asks. 

“I just know.” 

When they walked back up to the room, YN immediately drew herself a bath to relax her muscles. Harry ordered some food and he sat and ate what he ordered. He did ask to join but she decided against it saying that she needed the time to relax and she understood. The fact that in a few days she would be playing Kuznestov laid heavy on her chest, and no matter how many times she tried to knock the idea out of her head, she just couldn’t seem to do it. She wasn’t too worried, but there was a part of her that knew that it could any which way and it was just a case of her knowing what to do. 

She walked out of the bathroom half an hour later with just her towel wrapped around her, and smiled at the sight of Harry sat on the bed with a book in his hands. It was one of the books that she had given him from her grandfather’s collection, and she couldn’t be happier that the book came to a person that would enjoy it. He looked up at her over the book and raised his eyebrows, and she raised hers back. She walked over to her suitcase and started to shift through the clothes that she had in it, trying to decide what she wanted to put on so that she could sit and go through some games. 

She’s about to do that when she hears a loud groan coming from the man behind her. 

“What?” She flips around to look at him, and the book was now abandoned on his chest, “What is it?” 

“You can’t walk out here like that and then put on clothes.” 

“Oh, really?” She asks, “Is my lack of clothes sparking the teenage boy in you again? 

“It is.” He pouts, opening his arms for her, “I can’t help it.” 

“Well.” She sighs, “I better do something about it then shouldn’t I?”

She climbs onto the bed and straddles his hips, her hands slipping underneath the material of his shirt and onto his stomach. She can feel it tensing and relaxing beneath her. He grins up at her. 

“You should.” 

And she does. She leans forward and kisses him, her hands gripping his waist as she did so. She would never, ever get board of kissing him no matter how many times they did. He kissed her back almost instantly, not even an ounce of hesitation on him. He made sure that the kiss wasn’t quick like she had intended it to be, and she draws it out. He coaxed her lips further apart, being able to slide his tongue into her mouth. It’s so familiar, and so comfortable that it was like almost second nature to them. What was just a nice kiss between the two of them soon turned into an urgent and messy kiss. 

“Fucking addictive.” He mumbles as he pulls away, “Could never get enough of you.” 

The two of them are panting against each other, and she moves her hands up to his hair so that she can grip it slightly, “I never want you too.” 

She slips her hands down to grip the collar of his shirt, placing her lips back on his. The only sound either one of them could hear was their laboured breathing. They often had to pull away slightly to catch their breath, but it didn’t stop him from dragging his nails down her back, pushing the towel that she had around her down so that she was exposed to him. His hands rested upon her hips and squeezed the flesh, just like he always did and just like she wanted him to do. They never pulled away. They stayed there, with their lips against each others and their hands all over each other. 

“Are you sure you can be doing this?” He says against her lips. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Shouldn’t you be studying?” He asks. 

“It can wait.” 

Her lips are back against his and she’s moaning into his mouth when his hands fall to her arse, squeezing the flesh. He buried one of his hands in her hair and tilted her head, allowing him to kiss into her mouth again. A smile crossed her lips as he did so. He fumbles with the towel on her body and pulls it off, throwing it a direction that she doesn’t know. He thrusted his hips upwards towards her, and she could feel how hard he was against her. 

“Fucking hell.” He moaned into her mouth, “You’re soaking me.” 

It was impossible not to moan against his lips, but it was cut short when Harry flipped them over so that she was laid on the bed and he was hovering above her. There was something to her about being with him like that made her feel as though her entire body was on fire, and it was only ever put out when he touched her which he was doing, and she wouldn’t tell him stop when he was making her feel the way that he was. He started to kiss her again, this time moving them down from her lips to her neck and then down to her chest. 

She closed her eyes when she felt him press his tongue over her nipple, circling it with her tongue. She arched her back off of the bed, feeling the need and the want for more and more from him. He knew exactly the right spots to make her toes curl and have her withering beneath him, just like he was now. He continued to move his tongue over her nipple, and she gripped his hair in encouragement. 

“I fucking love you.” He places his hand upon the outside of her thigh, “No two ways about it.” 

She grips down on her bottom lip to stop anymore sounds from escaping her lips, even though she knew that probably wasn’t what Harry wanted, but YN couldn’t help herself. She started to rock her hips up to him, letting him know that she was ready for him, He needed to know that she was ready for him. 

“That’s good.” She grinned, “Because I love you too.” 

He pecked her nipple again, wrapping his lips around it briefly before he started to kiss lower and lower down her stomach, closer and closer to the place where she was absolutely dripping for him. 

“What do you want, baby?” He muttered against her stomach, wanting nothing more than to do everything under the sun but he knew that he had to be patient, “Tell me. I want you to say it.” 

Her breath is shaky, and she doesn’t know how she’s managing to keep herself together but somehow she is, “I want you to fuck me.” 

“How?” 

“On top.” She lifted his hips off the bed, “I want you on top.” 

“Your wish is my command.” 

She watched as he unzipped his trousers, the sound of his belt sending her heart beating in her chest quickly. He takes his trousers off as well as his boxers, taking his time to truly tease her. YN bites her lip as she watches him pull his shirt over his head, revealing not only his tattoos but the train of hair that leads down to between his legs. She couldn’t stop the small giggle that escapes her lips.

“What are you giggling at?” 

“Nothing. . .” She shakes her head, “Nothing!” 

“Yeah.” He kneels back on the bed, “We’ll see if you’ll be laughing in a minute.” 

Harry leaned over her, his face hovering above hers as he looked down between them. She could feel him on her thigh, and her inside started twist. She watches as he slips his hand down the front of him and grips his cock in his hand, bringing it to her entrance. He back arched up off the bed again, and she moaned into his mouth as he kissed her again. He started moving himself in, slowly to start with and then more so so as time went on. 

“Fucking, shit.” He muttered the words through his teeth, trying to mask the moan that would escape if he didn’t keep them clamped shut.

YN couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips, wrapping her arm around his shoulders so that she could have something to grip on to. She lifted her knee slightly so that she could spread her legs and give him better access. When she moaned, Harry couldn’t help but pick up the pace of his hips, moving them in and out for her. 

“Keep going.” She moaned into his ear, her eyes clamped closed, “Go faster.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

She chuckled slightly, squeezing his shoulders as she could feel her stomach tightening with every move that he made. She was addicted to it. More so than anything else in her life. She continued to focus on her climax, his hands resting on the pillows by her bed. The sound of their heavy breathing was now masked with the sound of their flesh against each other, and the occasional moan or groan that escaped their lips. 

As much as they would love to be slow and sweet with each other, they just aren’t physically able to. They couldn’t stop themselves from being hard and quick with each other, but it made them the way that they were together. For the amount of time they were with each other, they focus on one and another and making themselves feel like the best in the world. It was just how it was with them. Harry’s grip on her skin tightened and the loud moan that escapes her lips as she’s pushed closer and closer to her orgasm. 

“Feel so good, YN.” He mumbled against her lips, “The fucking best.” 

YN arched her back again, her chest colliding with his and he continued to moved with each other, in one rhythm and with the feeling of bliss washing over both of their bodies. She couldn’t understand how being like this with someone could melt away everything else that she had to worry about until it was nothing. Her grip on his shoulders tightened more and more and she could feel her insides twisting, as he thrust himself forward and back. She moved her thighs so that they were behind him, helping to thrust his hips forward to her. She could feel her orgasm coming on and she clamped her teeth on her bottom lip, not wanting to be too loud because she knew that there are other people in the hotel and she didn’t want to be too noisy. 

“Be loud.” Harry seemed to know everything that she was thinking and a part of her hated that, “Let them hear.” 

“Are you sure?” She mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing, 

“I’m positive.” He kisses her cheek, “Come, baby.” 

YN dug her nails into the flesh of his back as she came, it overruling her body quicker than she could’ve caught up with. His name escapes her lips in a string of moans, and she physically can’t control how loud she is because of how it feels. Harry came not long after her, spilling into her. She watches his face, unable to bring her eyes away from him, and the small furrow between his brow. Their chests were heaving up and down from how mind-blowing its was, and she never wanted it to stop. 

“I love you.” She runs her fingers through his hair, “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” He grins, pushing her hair off her face. His becomes quite serious all of a sudden, “I hope you know that you’re going to win this thing.” 

“We don’t know that Harry.” She smiles, “We just hope.” 

“Then I’m hoping a whole lot.” 

A few days later she found herself walking onto the stage about to play against Kuznestov, somebody who she used to read to prepare for her games. It truly felt insane to her that she’s sat across from someone who she used to learn about in order to plat in tournaments well and now she was here trying to win his title. She hoped that he wasn’t too annoyed with her. 

She was playing white, which certainly gave her a nice advantage. She would have to hang on to that advantage if it was the last thing that she did. She would play the Queen’s Gambit, because playing the Sicilian against him just didn’t seem like the best option. Her best option was to try and get him to make a mistake, it was all that she could hope for. There was an applause from the audience as they both walked out, and she knew that it was going to be now or never. This was it. She had played through all of these tournaments, practiced for hours upon hours and all she had to do was make sure that she didn’t mess up and that she won. It was certainly going to be easier said then done. 

The referee pushed the button, and her clock started. YN moved her pawn to queen four and looked down at the pieces. She wouldn’t look at his face, not yet. He moved his pawn to queen four, and she responded by playing pawn to queen bishop four, offering it as a gambit, but he declined, moving his pawn to king four. She took the pawn, and he played pawn to queen five. He looked up at his face and it was completely calm, as though he wasn’t nervous and nothing at all was worrying him. She hoped that she could feel like that at some point but she knew that would be a long way away. She continued by playing her king’s knight and he played his queen’s and the play continued. 

The seventh move he played surprised her more than she had expected it to, and it was obviously something that he had thought to spring on her. She responded and was glad to get him out in the open, it would make it easy for their dance. By the fifteenth move they had equality, and he maybe had an edge. She knew that if she was to win she would have to continue developing her pieces, opening files when she had the opportunity of physically anything that she could do that would give her the edge that she needed. If she let his rook out, it would tear her apart. If he allowed her queen to move to the bishop file his king’s protection would topple. She wouldn’t let his bishop to check. He didn’t look at her the entire time that he was looking over the board, and then he moved his knight to bishop five. If she could have chosen a move for him to make, it would’ve have been that move. She pushed her rook pawn a square forward. 

The next few months ran swimmingly but before she knew it he brought his remaining rook to the centre and she felt her stomach sink. She hadn’t thought of this when she moved through all of the movements in her head that he could make. It was almost as though she was back to square one again. She took her eyes away from the board briefly so that she could figure out how to do something about the rook. It was staring at her in the face and she knew that at some point she would have to do something. It sat on a black square and her bishop would be gone. Three moves of her knight would get her near enough but it was too long. She couldn’t use a pawn and she couldn’t use her own rook because it was in its corner, not having been moved. Her only option was her queen, and she’d have to find a safe way to move it because it truly was her only option. 

She leant her cheeks against her fists and looked all over the board. She could move it nine squares in one direction, three in another. Each one looked weak, so she started to examine all of the in-between squares, finally falling upon king knight five. If the queen was there it meant he could swing his room under and occupy the file. She couldn’t do that. No check was possible without her bishop but after that she could attack the queen with her knight. He would have to put it on one of the black squares, and that would start something. She could drive the queen into a king-queen fork with the knight. He would ate her queen afterwards but she would still be down a bishop. She would be able to take his bishop with her knight and it would be equal again, and then she could threaten the rook. 

She moved the queen. He brought his rook under it and with no hesitation did she pick up her bishop and bring it out to check. She was waiting for his queen to take it. She didn’t know whether she had missed something by the way he looked at the board, but she certainly knew that she hadn’t when he muttered the word, “Draw?” 

She looked down at the board for a second and contemplated the word in her mind. Taking the draw would meant that she would be a co-champion again, and that wasn’t really what she was looking for. She was looking to win the entire thing, and she knew that she could do it, especially now that he was so scared to even continue to the point where he had asked her those words. 

“No.” She shrugged, “Sorry.” 

He himself shrugged and took the bishop. She attacked his queen wither her knight and he moved it where he had to and brought the knight up. He moved the king and she lifted his queen up from the board. He took hers also. She attacked the rook and moved it back a square. That was the whole point of the sequence and now that she had done it she was unsure what to do next. She knew that every move that she had to make needed to be strategic. There wasn’t the opportunity to not be strategic with it. She needed to win. 

Unlike all of the other games she played, she couldn’t hear the ticking of her clock. She silently looked over the board and looked at what she could do. If this carried on how it was going, it would be mate in nineteen or so moves. She reached forward and moved her king pawn to the fifth rank. Kuznestov advanced his king to stop the pawn and she advanced her knight forcing him to protect. She moved the pieces with a new found speed, but his started to slower. When she had finished threatening, she moved a pawn to a sixth rank. His expression didn’t change and hers didn’t either. 

When she advanced the pawn to the seventh rank, he grunted. He let out an actual, physical grunt and she didn’t know what to do about it. He took his time to move his knight to block it. She didn’t look at him when she picked up the knight and set it down, because she knew that was it. The moment he let out another grunt her heart started to beat quicker and quicker within her chest. 

“You’ve done it.” In one movement, his king was on its side. 

The applause was almost deafening, and she knew that the majority of it would have probably been Harry. They were standing and clapping for her. They were making that sound for her. YN genuinely couldn’t believe that she had won, and in a time that she couldn’t help but be proud of. She had won.

She was the World Chess Champion. 

All of the time that she and Harry had spent preparing, every little second of it was so they could make it to this moment — to the moment where she won. She couldn’t have done this without him, and she hopes that he knows that. She stands up with a smile and turns around, immediately spotting him on the front row. She can’t help it when her feet drift towards him. He smiles and opens his arms so that he can catch her body as she basically plummets it at him. She chuckles into her ear and lifts her up slightly, before pulling her away so that he could press a kiss to her lips. It was a kiss that celebrated so many things, but more importantly it celebrated them. The two of them together and what they have achieved. 

“I did it.” She grins once she pulls away. 

“I always knew that you would.” He places her back down again, “I never doubted you, not even for a second.” 

“I’m sure you didn’t.” She grins, with a roll of her eyes.

“I didn’t!” She exclaims, “Well, not a lot.” 

“I don’t care, Harry.” She wraps her arms around his neck, “I knew that it was going to be hard and I’m absolutely certain that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.” 

“You would.” He shakes his head, “You have the talent for it, I just helped you bring it out.” 

“You helped me in more ways than that.” 

“Oh yeah?” He raises one of his eyebrows, “Care to explain.” 

“Another time.” He chuckles. 

She pulls away and looks at him, threading her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck, “Can I say something, and it might be a little cheesy?” 

“Of course you can.” He smiles. 

“I really do love you so much, I feel like I’ve won more than just a Championship because I’ve won you. You’re the check to my mate.”

He grins, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, “We’re checkmate, baby, I’ve always know that.” 

One Year Later 

A year ago today YN was in Russia, winning the World Championship as the younger ever contestant there. When she had won, she hadn’t thought of anything other than the fact that she had, and she certainly didn’t think of everything that was going to follow. She was plummeted into a year of interviews, and photoshoots and recognition that she didn’t know what to do with. Everyone knew about her, and it wasn’t just the chess players of the world anymore, it was everyone. 

It did start off with the interviews being in the chess world, which she had expected, but then the entire country seemed to realise who she was and she was asked to do interviews on national television and in magazines that everyone would read and not just people that knew about chess. That did cause nerves to bubble within her, but everyone was lovely (for the majority) and there wasn’t anything for her to be nervous about. She loved reading about how many people were now playing chess because of her, women and men to the point where she couldn’t understand how herself just being herself caused them to want to play the very game that they did. It was baffling to her. 

As well as all of the chess in her life changing drastically, everything else about her life changed drastically also. She moved in with Harry, which wasn’t too much of a shock to everyone who knew but it certainly started to make everything more real between the two of them. Her things weren’t in a suitcase anymore, or in boxes, but they were laid out. She had space in the bathroom cupboard, she had her own wardrobe space and her little knickknacks that she wouldn’t let go of now were dotted around his house.  The most drastic change certainly had to be the fact that they now had a bath that they had installed because it made it theirs. 

Words really couldn’t describe how much she loved that man. 

Over the past year or so, the best thing that had happened to them was their Chess School. They originally spoke about it on their trip to Russia, and the second they made it home they started to plan it and look at places that they could buy. Harry had enough savings, and from the money that YN had made from the championships and the appearances she was making, they were able to gather enough money to put their deposit down on a building that the rented. It wasn’t huge, and it only had two rooms but they promised each other that when they made a little more money they would buy some place bigger and better for them to turn into a proper school.

The building itself looked a little out of place on the street it was on, and there were only two rooms in the entire thing — one that was the classroom and the other that YN had lovingly dubbed: ‘the safe hub away from children.’ YN did like children, she wouldn’t have started the school if she didn’t, but she wasn’t a very patient person and to teach loads of young children how to play chess wasn’t exactly in her agenda. YN knew that she was better with the older kids and that’s why she found herself being more comfortable teaching them than teaching the youngest kids that they have in their midst. 

Today was a little different than any other day, though, just because of what it was commemorating. Instead of getting and ready and going to the Chess School, YN found herself having to go to the ECA for an interview to commemorate the last year and let her ‘fans’ know what she had been up to. She found all of it a little off putting, and she doesn’t know how many times she’s going to be able to carry on sitting through interviews where they care more about what she’s doing with Harry than their chess. All in all, it had been quite the long day and she wanted nothing more than to return home, snuggle up on the sofa with Harry and eat her annoyance away with Chinese food. 

When she did return home though, and she called out Harry’s name into the house, she didn’t receive any response, which did confuse her. The school was open, but Harry usually closed up when it was just him at four so he had time to get home and make sure that he was home for your arrival back. That’s why YN was quite surprised when she walked through the door of the house and saw no lights on and no Harry anywhere. However, when she walked into the kitchen she did find a note, one that was folded and her name scribbled on in Harry’s very particular handwriting. 

Opening it, she couldn’t help the smile at the writing that was scribbled inside: 

Come to the school. I’m waiting for you. I love you. H. 

YN wasted no time in getting herself to the school, maybe going a little bit over the speed limit but that didn’t really matter. When it came to things like this all of the patience that she has evaporates and she’s left wishing that someone would just tell her what was happening so that she wouldn’t to conspire any more. 

From the outside, the school looked as though it was locked, and that nobody was going in and nobody was going out but when she walked up to the front door, she realised that the door was open but there still weren’t any lights on inside. 

“Harry?” The door shut behind her and she could feel her heart starting to beat faster than it already was in her chest, “Are you there? If you’re planning on jump scaring me I won’t be happy.” 

“In here!” 

YN instantly feels herself relax at the sound of his voice, and her feet carry her quickly in the direction that it had come from. He was in the main room, she could see that now. The entire room was lit up with what felt like to be hundreds of candles all around a lot of chess boards, she couldn’t even count how many there actually was. YN found herself raising her eyebrow at him, throwing him a quizzical look. 

“What’s all of this?” She asks, taking a step forward. 

He was dressed in a suit, a beige one with a thinly striped shirt and a dotted tie, one that she had definitely seen before but she couldn’t quite pinpoint where. 

“I have a question to ask you.” 

She furrows her eyebrows at him, “Could you not have asked me it at home?” 

“No.” He shakes his head, a small smile dancing over his lips. 

“Well.” She takes another step forward, “What is it?” 

“Why don’t you look for yourself?” 

His hand motions to the boards set up in front of him, all in a row and all with a very special message on them. She moves forward so that she can look over all of them individually. She can feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes, the feeling becoming almost overwhelming and she knows that at some point if she isn’t careful a sob could leave her lips and make this situation a whole lot more embarrassing that it was. 

The first four boards had the letters: W, I, L and L written on them. Will. 

The next three boards had the letters: Y, O, and U written on them. You. 

The next five boards had the letters: M, A, R, R and Y written on them. Marry. 

The last two boards had the letters; M and E written on them. Me. 

Every breath that YN takes she feels as though the whole world is slowing around her, and all she can think about is the letters she’s looking at, all made using chess pieces, the thing that they love the most apart from each other, asking her a question that she never, ever in her life thought that she’d ever hear. 

A part of it was that she didn’t think she deserved to have a love that she would call everlasting, the love that means a person wanted nothing more than to marry her. She never thought that she’d get that. YN did see love like that when she was growing up with her grandparents, and a part of her like any child would thought that maybe one day she’d get to love someone like that but she never thought that somebody would love her in that way. Of course it had crossed her mind whilst she was with Harry the subject of marriage but because he never mentioned it to her, she automatically just thought that he didn’t want to marry her and she was okay with that. She had to be okay with that because that was what she thought. 

It turned out that she was really, really wrong and that really wasn’t the case. 

Her eyes floated up from the board to where she thought Harry would be stood but he wasn’t, he was down on one knee in front of her with a box open in his hand. A tear run downs her cheek, and she swears that it was a happy tear, she promises that it was. 

“YN.” She nods her head a few times, moving fast so that she fears that she might give herself whiplash, “I know that we haven’t been together for the longest time, and I know that the start of our relationship wasn’t the most conventional but it was ours and we had that.” He hesitates for a second to let out a long sigh, “I know that you love me, and you know that I love you more than anything in this world. I know we haven’t spoken about marriage before and I’m now really hoping that you aren’t against marriage because if you are I’ll look like a right twat—”

“Harry.” She interrupts and he hums, “Breathe.” 

He lets out a deep breath before continuing, “I know that I’m not the best with words the majority of the time and that’s probably why I haven’t asked you this before, or about this before but. . . YN YLN, will you marry me?” 

She doesn’t even hesitate, and she’s nodding her head again and muttering, “Yes!” over and over again. 

To YN it doesn’t seem real, certainly not true that he’s saying this to her and asking her this question but as he walks over and slips the ring onto her finger and she looks down at it, she knows that it is. It is real, and Harry had just asked her to marry him. To marry him. YN really couldn’t believe it.

Harry’s quick to stand up and wrap his arms around YN’s waist, and she places her hands upon his cheeks and their lips are pressed together in a kiss that’s quick and rushed but everything that they need at this moment in time.

“I love you.” She grins once she pulls away, resting her forehead against his, “So much.” 

“I love you, too.” 

A year ago YN’s life changed in ways that she could only dream about. She became one of the most recognised chess players in the world and had a title to match that. A year later her life had changed again, in this way to the point where she would be spending the rest of her life with the man who she loved more than anything. 

In her eyes she had won, she had reached a checkmate and there was no turning back from it. 

She didn’t want to. 

𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 buy me a coffee

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 : @havethetimeofyourstyles​ @stylesfics-xx​ @millennial-teenybopper​ @burberryharold​ @heartbreakweatherharry​ @ucancallmechlo​ @ill-be-your-honey-bri​ @the-tumbl-r-of-my-youth @njpic @hipslikejagger​ @caprisunstyles @itsbuckysworld​ @afire-hes​ @louie-bug​ @lolapuffs​ @cutemint​ @hswritingrecs​ @disposableerror​ @peachybloomss​ @rubytersteege @coni-martina​ @sleepingdancer​ @harrys-cherrry​ @rainbowbutterflyboy​ @shawn-youth​ @swtxel @harrysunflowerkiwi​ @nesiamenick​ @glitterandharry​ @hhh33-3l​ @yourhsficsplug​ @gliitteryy​ @duh-dobrik​

[nobodyfamousposts]

BURN THE WITCH! - Part 8

Finally! It is finished.

Also...warnings I guess for itchiness. And severe scratching due to itchiness.

Here goes:

Lila was prideful. Exceedingly so. But let it not be said she was too prideful to know when it was time to jump ship.

And the ship that was Paris was sinking fast.

All thanks to Ladybug, of course. Because “Little Miss Righteousness” just had to stick her nose into Lila’s business. How dare that insect make a fool out of her?

She would have had to leave soon anyway. While she could certainly come up with a new story to fool her classmates and explain away the previous unfortunate incident, it would still be difficult since they were starting to wise up and it would be harder to keep them under her thumb if she stayed much longer. While the akuma had been dealt with and everyone’s memories erased, Lila didn’t want to take any chances.

Then there was the matter with Hawk Moth. She had some suspicion of his identity—but that was all it was: suspicion. The evidence she had to go on was circumstantial at best. Unless she could find something to confirm it, it was useless. And even if she was right, there wasn’t much likelihood that she would be able to make use of it without proof.

She clenched her fists in growing rage at the reminder.

How dare he turn on her like that?!

There was something that grated at her knowing that she would be leaving things unfinished. That she would be letting him get away unscathed. She at least wanted to get some sort of payback for him leaving her to dry.

If there was any real justice in the world, she would get the chance to try and take his Miraculous for herself. Wouldn’t that be ironic? Especially after how he had cut ties with her.

But now he would expect her to try something. He may even try to take her out himself first. It was what Lila would do in his place.

No, it was better to cut her losses. She still had the an exemplary school record. She still had her position and experience as a model to take with her. She could just move somewhere new and start over. There was nothing worth staying in Paris for anyway. She was getting bored here.

Her decision had absolutely nothing to do with Ladybug’s threat though! Ladybug was clearly the one jealous of her! She wasn’t scared of that pathetic little bug! She was too much of a goody-goody to actually do anything to Lila herself! Ladybug was supposed to be held to a higher standard, after all! She was just bluffing! She wouldn’t actually do anything to her! So Lila had no reason to be scared! And she wasn’t!

It took a moment for Lila to realize her hand holding the phone was trembling. She bit back a curse and clutched the hand with the other to hide it and force the them to still. But when that didn’t work, she set the phone on speaker before putting it on its stand on the table.

Lila’s mother, bless her, was ignorant of this inner turmoil—or if she was aware, she simply attributed it to Lila’s claims. The woman was all too willing to blindly trust her precious daughter. All Lila had to do was use that and soon Paris and all its problems would be nothing but a bad memory.

She busied with drying her hair with a towel while regaling her mother with the tale of the latest attack—albeit a heavily edited version. Honestly though, wasn’t that stupid Cure of Ladybug’s supposed to fix everything to how it was before the attack? So shouldn’t she have been dry already? And back in her new designer clothes?

As it was, her fall in the Seine had left her hair a mess, and she barely had time to simply wash it properly, much less take the good long soak she really craved. She was fortunate enough that there had been time to return home and try to clean up at all. And especially to get rid of those clothes she had “borrowed“ from Marinette’s home. The last thing she needed was to be seen running around in that. Not that there was anything wrong with the clothes themselves, but questions would no doubt arise as to where she had gotten them or why she was wearing them. And the last thing she needed was for her mother and Marinette of all people to meet.

After a moment of consideration, she twisted the towel just enough to cause her pain. With a hiss and a gasp, it sounded quite like she had been crying. Enough to fool someone who was not physically there at any rate.

“I just miss Home. It’s been so long.” She said, ending with a sniffle that may have been partly exaggerated and may have been partly a sign of a cold coming on.

“But what about your friends? You just seemed to be getting so settled in Paris. You even have a boyfriend. From what you’ve been telling me, you two are awfully close. You have a difficult enough time seeing each other as it is. Won’t moving just make it worse?”

Geez, the woman was being annoyingly persistent today.

“We can write and video chat.” Lila replied easily. She could just “break it off” later. Maybe claim he’d been cheating on her. That was usually good for some sympathy points.

Her mother paused at that. “But long distance relationships are much more difficult. And I thought you liked it in Paris? You’ve been doing so well here. I hadn’t seen you so happy in a long time.”

Of course she’d been happy. She had people devoted to her every whim, fame and connections as a model, and a cushy front row seat to the downfall of that so-called hero.

Lila narrowly avoided clicking her tongue in irritation. Why did her mother have to be so parentally concerned now of all times?

“But Mom, I’m just worried about all of the akumas!” She said with exaggerated earnesty. “This last one was really dangerous! I could have been killed!” She bit her lip and hitched her breath, as if trying to hold back tears. Or hide her lack of them. It was a good thing her mother wasn’t there to see and possibly call her out on it.

Not that she would. She was such a good mother like that. Overly trusting and easily duped. How many teenagers could say they were so lucky?

“I’ve tried to make the best of Paris, but it’s just too much!” Lila cried.

“Oh, my poor dear!” Came her mothers’s voice over the phone. “I’m so sorry I didn’t realize how much this move has had an effect on you.”

In that instant, she knew she had good as won. From the safety of her home and with no one in direct sight, Lila allowed herself a smug grin of victory before schooling her expression back to that of the pitiful child she wanted the older woman to see her as. No one may have been there to see it, but as an avid actress of her skill level, it helped her to match her desired tone and inflection with an appropriate expression. She gasped loudly and grabbed the phone to bring it closer to her.

“But Mom, I know how important this job is to you! I don’t want to get in the way...”

“It’s all right, dear. I can contact your aunt and have you stay with her and your cousins until I can finish things here.”

That made her frown.

Lila’s aunt was...not ideal, as her cousins had been among the earlier victims of Lila’s manipulations. She dared say her aunt favored her over any of her children by the time she’d left them. And her cousins were wary of her to say the least after the way she had played them against each other and themselves. But that had been a couple of years ago and she couldn’t be sure they hadn’t caught on and solidified their relationships to better counter her.

Still, if Paris was any indication of how easily people could be fooled and turned against one another, she could probably manage it again.

“Lila?” Her mother called, drawing her attention back. “Are you all right?”

Lila played up the uncertainty. “I don’t know…I wouldn’t want to cause you or Auntie trouble…I can just stay here.” She looked down and to the side and spoke tonelessly, the picture of a dejected daughter. “I’m sure I can just try to put my fear aside and make the best of it…”

“Nonsense!” Her mother exclaimed. “You should never have to make yourself suffer like that!”

There was the sound of papers being shifted, followed by the clicking of a mouse. No doubt her mother was already looking into the procedure on how to transfer.

“I only want you to be safe and well, mi bella.” Her mother said, softly. “And if Paris isn’t the best fit for you, then I’ll discuss the matter with the Embassy and see about ending my assignment early.”

“But Mom, you don’t have to! I can manage, really!” She half-heartedly attempted. “The heroes are even starting to do a…half-way decent job.”

Her mother scoffed. “A job that they have been at for over a year and still can’t manage! It’s clearly not safe here if the city’s own heroes can’t even do their jobs properly.”

Hook.

“But let’s get you taken out of that school first.”

Line.

Lila smirked, unseen.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Sinker.

__________________

Another loss. And a worse one, even.

Witch Hunter had been ruthless and efficient. Perhaps one of his better creations to date. Her powers to know one’s sins and enthrall anyone who heard her announcements soon gained her the entirety of Paris under her sway—and by extension, his. That the powers specifically targeted one girl would have been a disadvantage had the girl in question not had such a…sordid history. That history fortunately gave plenty of opportunities to rally others to the cause, but as evidenced from the fight, it still had limitations.

If only Lila had some ounce of subtlety. Then even Ladybug would have been affected by Witch Hunter, and both Miraculous would have been willingly handed over to him if it meant getting rid of the girl in exchange. The key had been that Ladybug’s opinion of Lila had already been so low that no “reveal” of her misdeeds had been enough to enthrall her.

How curious. He had been aware of Lila’s grudge against Ladybug, but he hadn’t realized that the feelings were mutual. Just what had Lila done to make Ladybug despise her so?

He could hazard a guess, but not any that would lead him anywhere. Lila’s list of crimes was rather extensive. And despite the knowledge he had of her, even he couldn’t boast immunity to the rage.

So what had kept Ladybug from giving up on her?

Was it Ladybug’s Miraculous that protected her? Some sort of inner strength? Or was she already aware of his use of Lila? But even if she was aware, how would that be enough?

He had been able to keep his head, but some of the things he heard had been enough to turn his stomach and make him question his alliance with her. He had been accepting at first of her audacity in how she approached him on both sides of the mask, as she presented herself as useful and willing to aid him. And she had been useful, he would give her that. Her main concern was having others under her sway and she was willing to do anything to maintain it…even remove anyone who would become a threat to her.

He hadn’t lied when he told Lila she was of no more use to him. But that hadn’t been the entire truth. Given what he now realized, she was more of a threat than he had ever considered. He couldn’t put it past her to try to figure out his identity to take his Miraculous for herself.

He took a breath.

Perhaps...he needed to reconsider the girl’s position? On both sides of the mask.

“Sir? What should be done about Lila Rossi?” While the interruption from Nathalie was timely, it didn’t truly disrupt his current thought process.

It was a good question. She had been a willing ally and useful tool in manipulating people. He certainly had praise for her skills.

But...

Perhaps he should have been more cautious and try to question just how she obtained those skills?

As well as her intentions for the future. For himself and especially for his son.

How much did she know? Had she discovered him? Did she suspect? What plans did she have? And now that she had been revealed as a willing ally, what information could others get out of her that could lead back to him?

Lila Rossi was a threat. He could see that now.

But just how much of a risk was she? How much did he risk if she were allowed to remain free? It was clear Ladybug knew of their alliance, and she would be keeping an eye on the girl from here on out. What else could she gain from Lila if he didn’t remove her?

“Sir?”

He paused, considering for a moment.

Then came to a decision.

“Nothing.”

Nathalie started at that in surprise.

“Her contract with the company will be terminated, of course.” He stated, turning to go to his desk and prepare to sign the necessary paperwork. “The company will put out an official statement that we deny any knowledge of her history or dealings, and that we disavow her actions. Anything else is already held under a nondisclosure agreement she signed upon her hiring. Though we should prepare legal action if she attempts to retaliate.”

“But…what should be done about her assistance to you as Hawk Moth?” Nathalie asked.

He straightened.

“Nothing.” He repeated. And he did not like to repeat himself.

“Sir? Is that wise? She has been an accomplice.” She warned him with a frown. “What if she has learned who you are? She could become dangerous.”

He sighed.

“She is a loose thread. But to act on it at this point and try to remove her will only backfire. Ladybug will doubtless be keeping an eye on her from now on. We would risk more if we were caught trying to get rid of her.”

“But since you left her to Witch Hunter’s mercy, she may try to retaliate against you.”

Oh, of that he had little doubt. It was in her nature to turn on those who would not play by her rules.

He had little choice at that point. Witch Hunter and all of Paris were focused solely on seeing the girl punished. He had no way of knowing Ladybug wasn’t already part of the crowd by that time. His mistake was underestimating Ladybug’s will, but even then, would he really have responded differently?

Lila Rossi had lost her use as a tool, and with her antics had used up any good will he had towards her. She lacked the subtlety or even the good sense to simply limit the extent of her lies lest she be found out and face backlash. But much like Miss Bourgeois, she seemed inclined to push the limits of what she could get away with. And unfortunately, with superheroes and villains in Paris, the bounds of what she could normally get away with had increased drastically. Even worse was that she fully seemed to believe she ‘deserved’ the praise and attention simply for claiming things she had never done.

And given how one of her first actions was to buy a trinket to pass off as a false Miraculous and proclaim herself a hero, how long would it have taken for her to decide that she ‘deserved’ a Miraculous as well?

“It was only a matter of time before she set her sights too high. It would be better to cut her off now before she got any ideas about taking a Miraculous, even if it was my own.”

He couldn’t put it past her. Because as much as she despised Ladybug, how could such a girl be satisfied only with her destruction? If she did aid in Ladybug’s defeat, she’d likely just take the Ladybug Miraculous for herself at the first opportunity, and then Gabriel would be back at square one.

No, worse. Because Lila Rossi wouldn’t risk herself for others. It was highly likely she would run away with the Miraculous and then he would lose any chance of obtaining it in this lifetime.

…

Lila Rossi had her uses, but it was best to cut his losses with her now. And Witch Hunter had been the prime time to do so.

It would have been foolish of him to risk his hold over Witch Hunter just to spare Lila at that point. But there was no doubt that she will seek retribution for it. She was certainly spiteful enough, even when it would be to her own detriment.

Still…

“That girl has caused enough problems. We don’t need her interfering with our plans.“

Nathalie clutched her tablet, still worried. “But if she knows…if she tries to reveal you…”

“Lila Rossi is a liar.” He stated as he pulled up news footage of the latest akuma fight. “She is a liar and now people know it. Anything she thinks she knows, we can dismiss as a jilted teenager with delusions of grandeur and an unhealthy interest in my son.”

He paused for a moment, then leaned back in his chair to look to his assistant.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the tale of the ‘Boy Who Cried Wolf’?”

“I am familiar with it, yes.” She replied, albeit confused as to the sudden subject change. “But what does that have to do with this?”

“In the story, the boy is eaten. But his final claim is ultimately proven true, for all the good it does him.” He looked back to the footage, pausing it on Lila’s expression while she was on the pyre.

“But if we do not respond…if Hawk Moth does nothing to silence her, there is no ‘proof’ to her claims. People will suspect it to be another lie. Even moreso, that it’s merely an attempt to get back at me as her ‘former employer’. There will be no ‘wolf’ to validate her claims, even once she’s gone. So yes, we will leave Miss Rossi to her daily life. Let her say what she may think she knows.”

He smirked.

“She could scream it to the world and no one would believe her.”

__________________

It took a while for them to have their conversation and for Marinette to dry her tears. By the time she was able to reach some level of calm, it was almost time to return to school.

One would think that they would be allowed the rest of the day to recover from the akuma attack, but Paris as a whole and the school in particular seemed used to the frequent interruptions by this point. Though perhaps it was more of a testament to Ladybug’s efficiency in dealing with akumas.

…as well as the efficiency of the civilians to set up an entire festival on a spur of the moment. Perhaps she should recommend they try another one at some point? One that doesn’t involve lighting anyone on fire?

When she went downstairs, she found her parents in something of a state of worry. They looked up in surprise when she came down, but were relieved to see her.

“Marinette? When did you get home? I didn’t see you come in.” Tom said.

“A little while ago. We must have just missed each other.” Marinette replied quickly. Then frowned when she notice their expressions. “Is everything okay?”

“There was an akuma attack earlier and one of your schoolmates came here.” Sabine explained. “We had tried to help her and allowed her to change clothes here into something dry, but she took it upon herself to go into your room.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“I don’t know what she was doing in there.” Sabine huffed, angrily. “When I caught her, she tried to claim she had gotten lost. Then your father had gotten a text message from Nadja about a ‘Witch’ and she took off running.”

Lila. There was no one else it could have been. Which meant she had probably done something to sabotage her.

Great. Just great.

They had checked her room and taken pictures of how she left it since they were uncertain of what she may have messed with. As it stood, they wanted to know if anything had been stolen and were questioning whether to call the police.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Her father told her.

“We both are. She was soaked and we had wanted to give her some privacy while she changed.” Sabine shook her head. “I hadn’t thought she would go roaming around the house, much less sneak into your room.”

Tom rested a hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “We should follow up on this though. Maybe Roger will have some advice.”

Sabine nodded to him before turning to her daughter. “Will that be all right, dear?”

Marinette hesitated.

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t frustrated. With them. With the situation. All of it.

In their defense, they hadn’t realized it was Lila. And even if they had, they weren’t aware of just how horrible Lila truly was. Despite Marinette’s pleas of innocence during her expulsion, her parents hadn’t fully taken her word for it and even afterwards hadn’t quite believed that Lila was a chronic liar.

But there was a part of her—the part that was still full of indignant anger over the incident and would have formed the core of the Princess Justice akuma Hawk Moth had wanted her to be—that blamed them. If they had just listened to her back then. If they had simply heard her out. If they had believed her about Lila.

They should have known. They should have recognized Lila. They should have remembered what she had done before and at the very least thought to keep an eye on her just in case she tried anything like she had before.

…but Marinette didn’t have it in her to hold a grudge. Especially after what she had seen with Lila and her own grudge.

It wasn’t their fault, it was Lila’s. And while she was irritated with her parents for their negligence, she was willing to forgive them and keep her focus on the one who really deserved her ire.

So for now, she would try to move forward and do what she could.

“I’m not happy about it. But if anything can be done, I’d like to see if we could.”

Her parents agreed and offered reassurances that they would try to address the issue. They also promised her they would be more cautious in the future, which was nice fo them. They offered to let her stay home from school, but that was one thing she had to turn down.

Whatever Lila had done, Marinette probably wouldn’t know until Lila revealed it. It made her dread returning to school. But she couldn’t keep putting it off. If she went now, she could at least try to meet with the others and head off anything Lila could do.

So she made a quick rush to the kitchen to get a small lunch for herself and some cookies for Tikki. With her parents otherwise occupied, that meant that Tikki could come out of hiding and they could talk freely for a bit longer.

“Marinette, maybe you should take a break and stay home for the rest of the school day?” Tikki suggested. And wow, she was certainly taking this ‘be more supportive’ role to heart.

Something in Marinette warmed at that. And in any other circumstances, she would happily have taken Tikki’s advice.

“I’m fine, Tikki. Really.”

Tikki frowned, clearly not buying it. “But you’ve spent half of your day dealing with the crisis caused by Lila and then the akuma that was caused by that crisis, all while trying to keep Lila safe. Even when she was working against you.”

Yeah. There was that.

“You did a lot today. Both as Ladybug and Marinette.” Tikki continued. “No one would fault you if you let yourself recover.”

Marinette hesitated at that.

It was tempting. She was tired. And if she was being honest, she really just wanted to sleep and not deal with anything until tomorrow at least.

But…

She bit her lip.

For all that Tikki’s words made sense and clearly came from a place of concern for her, Marinette couldn’t help but be reminded of only a couple hours ago where Tikki had been trying to convince her to let Lila burn.

She knew that this was different. A matter of self care and health. But even though it’s something she’s wanted and something she appreciates hearing from her kwami, it still felt so strange now that she was experiencing it.

This was something she was going to have to get used to. And she would, she was sure. After all, Tikki was clearly trying for her. And Marinette wanted nothing more than to reciprocate—and also to just drop off into sweet blessed sleep…

However…

“I need to see this through.” She stated, resolutely.

She needed to get back to the school. Both for class and to check on her friends.

After all, even if her Miraculous Cure had fixed the damage caused from the akuma, that didn’t mean her friends were fine. And she still wanted to check in on Rose at the very least.

Tikki looked up at her sadly. Then she floated over and nuzzled Marinette’s cheek, showing her silent support.

It only took a few minutes to gather the rest of her things and make her way to the school.

Even if Tikki assured her that what happened wasn’t her fault, Marinette still felt the need to apologize to Rose for what had happened. Maybe they could still find some way to fix things.

She reached the school in minutes and had almost immediately run into one of her classmates.

Just not the one she had been expecting.

“Adrien?”

He spun to face her, appearing nervous. Even panicked.

“Oh, hey! Marinette! Hi! Hey, um…hey.” He finished, looking embarrassed. “How…are you?”

“I’m fine. Just…have a lot on my mind.” She shrugged. “Just…with Rose and the akuma and everything.”

“Good. That’s good. Well, not good-good about the akuma. But good that you’re okay. Um. Me too.” He looked away, clearly still nervous.

She frowned in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Fine! I’m fine! Just…y’know…got caught up in the akuma attack and was one of her minions for a while. But Ladybug saved me so we’re good.” He said with a not fully sincere smile.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She hadn’t recalled seeing Adrien among the mob. But given how big it had gotten, she wouldn’t be surprised.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking. 

“Marinette…one of the things Witch Hunter said…” He looked her in the eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me Lila had threatened you?”

She straightened in shock. “What?!”

He rubbed the back of his head, looking to the ground. “I’m sorry, it’s just…she said a lot of things Lila had done that I hadn’t known. Like…well…” The book. Her framing Adrien for insulting Nino. Her working with his father. “How she threatened you?”

“Oh.” She said, a bit blankly. Because what else could she say?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He implored her. “I had said we were in this together, but…you didn’t tell me she did that.”

It was true. She hadn’t.

But…why hadn’t she?

“I…didn’t think it was a big deal?”

Why was she asking him instead of telling him?

“Not a big—Marinette, she threatened you!” His eyes widened in realization. “Her expelling you was part of her threat, wasn’t it?”

She flinched, but nodded.

“Just…why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you! I would have done more!”

She waved her hands frantically, trying to console him. “It’s okay, Adrien! Really! You were only—it was just…”

A tap at her leg caught her attention. It came from her purse. A quick glance downward revealed Tikki looking up at her from the safety of the clutch she carried with her. The little kwami remained hidden to Adrien, fortunately, but visible to her. Tikki looked up at her with wide eyes and gave a smile and small nod of encouragement.

Why would she—?

Oh.

Oh, right.

“No.” She admitted. “It’s not okay.”

She had been spending months now convincing herself that things were okay when they weren’t. That she was okay when she wasn’t. And that if she at any point felt she wasn’t okay, it was a failing on her part.

That wasn’t a healthy way to live, as she was only just now starting to understand that.

“I don’t know if you realize this, but I’ve been listening to you on things because I look up to you. I took your advice because I trusted you and believed that you only had everyone’s best interest at heart.”

“But I did!” He insisted automatically before catching himself. “I mean, I thought I was...”

“I trusted you over my own intuition. I listened to you when you kept emphasizing the feelings of others over my own. Chloe was bad enough, but Lila too? Even if they were the ones who were horrible, it felt like I was expected to just...” She struggled for a moment to find the wording to accurately convey her feelings before simply shrugging. “Just deal with it.”

He winced. He hadn’t realized the impact he’d had.

“Because of that,” she continued, “whenever I started to have an issue, I brushed it off because I figured that if there was a problem with someone and something they were doing...well, it was just me, right? So I had to do the right thing. I had to be the bigger person. I had to be the ‘Everyday Ladybug’. Even when I didn’t feel like I could be.”

She took a breath.

“And that wasn’t fair to me.”

He looked up at her. Sad and worried and sympathetic all in one. “I never meant to make you feel like you didn’t matter. I just thought...”

“Chloe’s your friend so it makes sense that you’d want to defend her.” Marinette reasoned. “But Lila, too?” She wrung her hands. “They both did horrible things. They both hurt me...really badly. And it felt like you’ve cared more about their feelings than mine.”

“That’s not it!” He exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. “I just...I know they aren’t then nicest, but they’re struggling. It’s…harder for them than it is for you.“

“If they’re having a hard time, it’s because it’s entirely of their own making. Chloe has been bullying everyone for years, so it’s not our fault that we don’t want to continue to deal with that mistreatment. And Lila has been actively lying to everyone not to be like, but just so she can manipulate them. I get that you care, but your attempts to protect the people you see as ‘needing it’ has resulted in harm to other people who don’t deserve it. You aren’t just enabling them...you’re rewarding them.

“You said to take the highroad, but whatever the highroad is, I don’t think that’s it.”

He gaped at her, some combination of shocked and horrified.

“But I haven’t been encouraging any of this! I tried to help you! I made a deal with her so she would get you back into school.“

Well, that was something she hadn’t known. Although his sudden friendliness with Lila had been suspicious. As had the schools sudden change of heart about her expulsion. But she hadn’t realized the two had been related.

She was grateful to him. Truly. He had only done it for her.

However...

“I never asked you to.”

She wouldn’t have wanted it had she known.

“I never asked you to become Lila’s toy or put yourself in such a bad position for my sake. I only asked you to stand by me and support me.”

She had turned to him that day, wanting him—just someone who knew the truth to speak up in her defense.

To say she was innocent.

To admit that Lila had lied.

To just say she was believed. That she was worth believing in.

“And you didn’t.“

He stared at her. Long and hard. As if this had never occurred to him before. He seemed unable to speak for a full minute.

Until…

“I’m sorry.“

She jumped in surprise.

“I was a hypocrite. I knew she was lying but I convinced myself it wasn’t that bad. And even when I knew people were hurt, it didn’t matter until her lies hurt me.”

He gave a weak laugh.

“Witch Hunter…did you know? The way her power worked was that you only fell under her spell when she announced something Lila did that truly makes you angry.”

He covered his face. In resignation? In guilt?

“I only fell under Witch Hunter’s spell when she revealed Lila had been spying on me for my father. Not when I found out what she did to Rose. Not when I found out what she did to Nino. Not even when I found out what she did to you.” He shook his head. “It only mattered, really truly mattered when it affected me.”

He hung his head in shame.

“I’m a real jerk.”

The denial was automatic on her lips.

“You aren’t a jerk!” She insisted. “You were just—”

He gave a bitter laugh, cutting her off.

“I was so proud of myself that day. When I told you to take the highroad and not out Lila.”

He looked up at her smiling humorlessly.

“Do you know what it’s like to watch you? All the time, I see you doing the right thing. Standing up for people. Doing things to make people happy. Making things better.”

He sighed.

“It felt...it felt good being the one you would listen to and follow.” He admitted. “You were looking up to me and taking my advice. I was so proud of myself! I got to be the one who had solved the problem and made everything better!” He announced with a wave of his hands in an exaggerated fashion before slumping down.

“I’m such an idiot.”

She stared.

He…really admired her that much?

And at that time, he’d just been trying to impress her?

That…hadn’t been the inclination she had gotten at all. It had just felt that he was admonishing her at those times for not being the bigger person. Looking back, now that she was willing to admit it, it had felt like more expectations and double standards.

“I can’t say what you did was okay, because it wasn’t. Lila was able to hurt me. And now she’s hurt Rose and everyone else now because neither of us spoke up when we should have.”

She took a breath.

“But I think I get it. About wanting someone you care about to listen and look up to you. Because that was how I’ve felt about you.”

He jumped and looked up at her in surprise.

Because when it came down to it, hadn’t she been the same? Doing things that had hurt her or others because she had been so focused on Adrien and wanting him to think well of her?

Was it ironic that it was only now, after everything that had happened this day, that she could finally voice even a bit of the feelings she has for him?

They just weren’t the feelings she thought she’d ever be sharing…

But maybe, she thought as she felt Tikki’s comforting presence by her side, these were the ones she needed to?

“It hurts that even when I’m doing the right thing and you say you’re with me, it still feels like you’re not really on my side. Even—especially when I’ve let things get this far at your request.”

“I didn’t mean—I’m sorry—” He started, but he broke off as she raised a hand to stop him.

“I just...” She shook her head. “If we really are friends, I wish you would show it more. And...that you would stand up for me the way you do for them.”

He stared at her in shock. Perhaps a bit of horror as her words really got to him.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured. “I never meant to make you feel that way. I never wanted you to think I don’t care.”

He stood straight and held out his arms to her in clear indication of…something. But she was exhausted—both mentally and physically as it was and her mind was a bit slow to catch just what he was intending to do.

“I know you can handle things, Marinette. You’re strong. And brave. It’s why I know I can trust you when things get tough. But…that you can handle things doesn’t mean you should have to. It doesn’t mean you don’t need support.”

He smiled at her. And oh damn, that smile. It was like a miniature sun and she couldn’t help but stare even as her brain was yelling at her to look away.

The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and…oh…this must be how being held by the sun felt like…

“I want to be someone who you can count on to support you, Marinette.”

Oh. Okay. Nice. This was nice. More of this please. More of just all of this.

The hug must have lasted an eternity. An hour at least? Because it felt like forever until she was drawn out of the soothing feeling by a rumbling and a series of sounds that seemed to mean something…

Could she just…stay like this? For a day or two? Maybe the rest of her life? Tikki tried, bless her, but kwami arms just weren’t the same as human arms and the feeling of being wrapped up in sunshine was bliss.

Oh wait, he was talking more. She should probably be listening right now.

“—contract. Maybe I could talk to them? See what else they know of that could help?”

“Hmm?”

She was dazed and completely out of it, something Adrien seemed to pick up on as he released his hold (noo, don’t do that!) and backed away (noooooo) to arm’s length to look her over.

“Marinette? Are you okay?”

She blinked a few times as her mind reoriented to where she was.

And more specifically to who she was with.

“Oh! Right! Fine! You’re fine—I mean, I’M fine. Just…” She sighed, rubbing at one eye with the palm of her hand. “Just a…long day.”

Maybe she should have stayed home after all if just one hug could do that…

Adrien seemed to notice this and frowned in concern. He took in her state and apparently there was something about her appearance she had missed earlier because he seemed to get the same idea.

“Marinette, are you okay? If you’re tired, maybe you should go home and rest?”

She shook her head insistently. “No. I can’t.”

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to push yourself. Remember? I’m going to support you. And I know everyone else would understand.”

She didn’t think they wouldn’t. But as much as she just wanted to sleep until tomorrow and skip the rest of this day, she wasn’t sure she would be able to relax at home if she didn’t know what was happening with her friends.

“If nothing else, I want to check up on Rose.” Seeing that he looked ready to argue, she rushed on. “I need this. Please.”

He hesitated. And she was worried he would push the issue, because she was sure that she would give in if he did. She just did not have the energy to argue at this point. Fortunately though, he seemed to understand as he took her arm in his.

“Okay. But I’ll be right here with you.”

Any other day, she would be a stammering mess if Adrien were to take her arm and walk with her like this.

Today, she was simply grateful.

__________________

It didn’t take them too long to find Rose. She was in the hallway talking with Alya. The two seemed deep in conversation that they didn’t notice the duo approach.

“Rose!” Marinette exclaimed, loosening her arm from Adrien’s hold and rushing to her friend. “Are you okay?”

The blonde looked up at her, tearful.

“I’m okay.” She murmured as she wiped at her eyes. 

“But are you?” Alya broke in, asking Marinette. “Girl, I saw the footage!”

Marinette blinked.

“Footage?” She asked, and then started to back away at the expression on Alya’s face.

Alya could be headstrong, but she never really got angry. Upset, certainly. Annoyed, often. But even in the heights of Lila’s worst attempts to make Marinette look bad, Alya had never truly gotten angry—just righteous and in Marinette’s opinion that was admittedly a bit resentful at the time, acting a bit superior. Perhaps the only time she had ever seen her friend look truly angry was during Hero’s Day, and even then it took a hit from Dark Cupid and Hawk Moth’s control to get her there.

So seeing Alya looking ready to claw someone’s eyes out was…unsettling, to say the least.

Even Adrien apparently seemed to think so, as he moved up to Marinette and almost seemed to position himself slightly between them. “Alya? What happened?”

Despite Adrien’s attempt to act as a barrier, Marinette tried to reach out, concerned for her friend’s state. The way she was looking, Marinette half wondered if she wasn’t still affected by Witch Hunter. A quick glance to a worried Rose disproved that easily enough, but perhaps it was a remnant of her power the Cure missed? “Are you okay?”

“What do you mean am I okay? Are YOU okay?!” Alya shouted, pointing at Marinette. “Girl, I saw what what happened with you and Lila!”

Marinette jumped. Her mind immediately raced to her call out of Lila just a little over an hour ago. Did someone record her going off? Was there something that had revealed her as Ladybug? Had she messed up?!

“What?! No wait—it’s not what you—I didn’t mean—!”

Alya was pulling up her phone, and by the time she turned it so that Marinette and Adrien could see, the video already started playing. The video was recorded from someone within the akuma’s mob—not yet grown to the level of the city yet.

Marinette briefly recognized that the location in the video seemed familiar but hadn’t quite registered how when a sudden commotion caught the attention of the group. The person recording turned the camera sharply, which blurred and then focused on a fallen figure a short distance away.

“—conspirator helping the Witch! Someone grab her!”

…oh. That figure was her.

And the moment when Lila had betrayed her and tried to sacrifice her to the mob.

“Hey! That’s Marinette!” Came Alya’s voice from the phone, shortly followed by the exclamations from the crowd that Marinette already knew were coming because she had lived this and yet despite seeing it on record, she still struggled to believe it actually happened.

…the crowd leaving her alone part. Not the Lila betraying her part. THAT, she could believe no question.

“I can’t believe she would do that!” Alya exclaimed. The real Alya. The present one. Who was standing in front of her and not the one in the phone—who was almost disturbingly cheerful in how she was calling for Lila’s blood.

…to be honest, Marinette wasn’t sure whether that mob Alya or the furious one in front of her scared her more. Present Alya, for her part, was clearly NOT happy about the events.

Neither was Adrien, apparently, as he grabbed the phone from Alya and looked to be furious himself.

“Wait—Lila did WHAT?!” He demanded. And…wow, was this what Adrien had been like as part of the mob? She hadn’t known he could get that angry.

“She tried to throw Marinette to the mob!” Alya bit out.

“I can’t believe it!”

“How could she—?!”

“When Marinette had just been trying to help her!”

“That lousy little b—”

“WHY did she even think that was necessary?!”

“Is it too late to torch her and say the akuma did it?”

Marinette looked between the two, feeling that she should be saying something but honestly, just getting all the more overwhelmed.

A hand on her arm broke her attention away from the two and back to poor Rose, who looked almost to the point of tears again.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette! I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Oh Rose, you deserved better than this.

“No! You actually let me go.” She insisted, much to the blonde’s visible relief. “You were focused only on Lila. And aside from getting people to help you hunt her down, you didn’t do anything to anyone else.”

If anything, the people of Paris seemed pretty happy for the excuse.

…maybe she really needed to talk to the Mayor about having a fun festival to just let everyone blow off steam?

She could focus on that later though. She shook her head and returned her attention to Rose. The girl still looked nervous, but less worried at least. That was good.

Rose sniffled. “I didn’t know. I’ve just been scared to see what my akuma did.”

“No one was hurt in the end.” Marinette assured her. “Ladybug came and stopped it. Nobody was hurt.”

Because Rose never really wanted to hurt anyone, she was sure. Even if it was Lila.

At most, maybe Lila got a little smokey smell to her. And a lot wet. But she survived. And without burns.

Rose seemed to slump in relief. “I’m so glad.”

And this…this right here was why it was worth it. Because the difference in Rose’s posture and expression within a few seconds meant a situation she could feel move on from versus a guilt she would be carrying with her all her life.

“I can't believe I almost did that! What did I become!?" Rose cried.

“You were akumatized. You were rightfully enraged by someone you thought was a friend taking advantage of you. Honestly, the only reason I didn't join in is because nothing about her shocks me anymore.”

Despite the attempt at reassurance, the smaller girl drew in on herself more. She rubbed at her eyes to wipe away tears and merely nodded at Marinette’s words. Hearing, but not fully agreeing. Or maybe it was the reminder that Marinette had known and tried to reveal Lila sooner to no avail.

Of all people, Rose didn’t deserve this. None of the classmates did, but Rose had been particularly trusting and was affected the worst because of this.

She couldn’t help it. She hugged Rose. If Adrien’s hug earlier had been so nice for her, maybe this could help the smaller girl in turn.

Rose certainly seemed to appreciate it as she hugged back…quite strongly, actually. Marinette had known Rose had some upper body strength given how she had been able to carry Chloe during the Zombizu attack but wow. Rose was smaller than Adrien, but her hug was just as warm but more tight.

Marinette lost herself a bit in the comfort she was giving and receiving. She barely even noticed that Adrien and Alya were still talking. She was peripherally aware that it was happening, but once again had lost track of what they were actually saying.

She had checked on Rose and made sure she was doing…well even if not fully okay. Maybe this was a sign she should go home?

“LIAR!”

It seemed it wasn’t to be, however, as a sudden commotion caught her notice, dragging her attention to a gathering down the hall.

And suddenly, Marinette was wide awake.

__________________

“—trusted me. Ladybug knew I would never do such a thing! That’s how she was able to ward off Witch Hunter.”

Lila giggled.

“You could say that the ‘power of friendship’ saved the day!”

Of course she was lying through her teeth once again. Not that she needed to at this point, really. Her mother was firmly in her corner and Lila would be getting to leave Paris soon enough. But there was a part of her that wanted to see if she couldn’t convince them one more time.

While she may not have a chance of getting revenge on Hawk Moth, she at least wanted some victory to take with her when she left. After all, Lila was hardly one to simply let things go and let this end without a last hurrah. No, if anything, when the chips were down, she was used to going all in. And if she lost? Well, not like it mattered if she wasn’t there to pay afterwards.

This time would be no different.

Truthfully, the only reason she was at the school at all was so her mother could file the paperwork to transfer her out. She hadn’t really wanted to go, but she had needed to be there to run interference in case anyone attempted to approach her. It had been part of the reason she had insisted on going despite her “harrowing” experience. Her mother had insisted on starting the process to remove Lila from the school immediately. And while she was sure no one would recognize the woman if she arrived alone, Lila knew she had to be there to “lead” the discussion between her mother and the Principal, as well as protect her mother from hearing any untoward rumors that could taint her view of her loving and trusted daughter.

Lila hadn’t intended to be caught by her soon to be former classmates. The original plan had been to simply disappear from their lives and leave them with their guilt and uncertainty. It was part of the reason she had agreed to come with her mother to the school so soon, as she had expected that everyone should be in class by the time they arrived. But her mother had gotten out earlier than expected, and people were still milling about the school.

She had kept her head down and hoped that no one would notice her. But luck was not in her favor it seemed, as Bustier had been late for some unknown reason, so her students had chosen to hang out in the hallways instead of waiting in the classroom or simply calling it a day and going home early.

A minor hiccup. She was sure that they would be forced to leave once class started. She separated from her mother with the pretense of saying goodbye to all of her friends, in the actual intention of simply buying time until the teacher returned and called them away. Her mother and Damocles had even seemed eager for her to, reassuring her that they did not need her and ushering her out of the room, which was all the more in her favor she supposed.

And really, how could she resist one more opportunity to see them dance for her?

After this, she would be home free. Not like they could do anything to her across international borders even if they did try.

There was no risk to her at this point. So It was worth pushing to see just how far she could milk this.

And these were the best saps a girl could ask for.

The present classmates listened to her tale of woe. Though  only a fraction of the crowd she would normally draw and not quite as eager as they used to, they were still listening to her patiently at least instead of simply blowing her off or calling her out. Which meant there was still a chance they would believe her.

A few of them actually seemed to be buying her story. And it had been one of her better tales, in her personal opinion. There were one or two that rolled their eyes—which, rude. A couple who seemed disinterested. But most of the rest seemed uncertain.

It was a shame Rose wasn’t there. Lila was sure that she would especially appreciate the performance. Though part of her was relieved, since she figured that the emotional girl would probably start crying if she had been.

Though there was also no Marinette either, which meant no one to counter her story as she had no doubt the little Miss Perfect would.

“You’re really saying that Marinette handed you off to the violent mob?”

That also meant she wasn’t there to defend herself either.

Lila hunched her shoulders and brought up a hand to her face in a nervous expression. “It’s not her fault. I’m sure it was because of the akuma. Even she wouldn’t turn on me like that just because she doesn’t like me…”

Cry her a river? She’d be seeing Marinette cry a river once she was done here. If she accomplished nothing else before she left, she would at least make sure Marinette Dupain-Cheng regretted talking to her like that.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t have done it if she was herself.” Mylene reached forward to comfort her but stopped a foot away and immediately decided to back off and keep her hands to herself. She coughed into her hand and looked away.

Lila frowned, scratching her head. What was that about?

She shook it off and kept to her plan. Play up the innocent act and leave them guessing until it was time to go. Whatever happened after that was their problem.

“I was so scared.” Lila whimpered. “Her expression at that time was…terrifying.”

Some more of the classmates looked sympathetic. Yet none of them approached her. Now that Lila noticed, there was a distinct space between her and the rest of the class. No one would come within five feet of her.

She hugged herself, looking the picture of wounded and helpless. “I was just lucky I was able to get away after she outted my hiding place to the mob.”

“LIAR!”

Everyone jumped to see a fuming Alya approach. A somewhat less visibly angry but still no doubt displeased Adrien was right behind her.

Both of them were focused completely on Lila.

Lila gasped, as if hurt. “What do you—”

“Can it.” Alya cut her off immediately, not even giving her a chance to spin some new lie. “You can’t be trusted, Lila. Or did you think we would forget about earlier?”

“That was a misunderstanding.” Lila explained, raising her hands in a peaceful gesture. “You weren’t here, but I had already told everyone what happened and why.”

“Oh really?” Alya asked, clearly disbelieving.

“She said that she was hit by an akuma before the attack today and only snapped out of it after Rose was akumatized.” Alix stated with a droll tone and an expression that said she didn’t believe it either.

Alya gave Lila a flat stare. “Do you actually expect us to believe that?” 

“It’s the truth.” Lila rested a hand over her heart akin to an oath before curling her fingers and drawing in on herself as if pained. “I was horrified when I woke up and realized what had happened.”

“Then where is the money?” Alya demanded. 

Lila resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Usually Alya would take her at her word, which was useful when others in turn trusted her for her reporting skills. It worked to her advantage when Alya believed her, but having those skills turned on her was a real pain.

“Hawk Moth must have taken it.” She suggested. It couldn’t be proven, of course, but it couldn’t be disproven either. And this group was particularly gullible and willing to believe the best in anyone regardless of common sense.

Except this time, apparently.

“If Hawk Moth needed money, we would be seeing akumas robbing banks, not stealing donations from teenagers for a fake charity.” Kim pointed out.

“He was probably being discreet.” Lila said hastily.

“Stealing money from a charity isn’t discreet!” Alya shouted, drawing even more attention much to Lila’s annoyance.

“Everyone already knows you lied and pocketed the money. The very least you could do is admit it.“ Adrien said, looking rather cross.

Of all the times for the doormat to actually try to stand up on his own, did it have to be now?

Lila gasped, looking hurt. Internally, she was annoyed more than anything. He was supposed to be passive. He’d never stood out like this before!

“But Adrien, you said we were friends, remember?”

It was a reminder of their “deal”. As well as a thinly veiled threat of what she would have free reign to do if that deal was broken. Not just to Marinette, but to him as well. After all, Adrien knew about Lila’s lies all along and did nothing. If he was going to out her here, she would be dragging him down with her.

“I said we were friends as long as you didn’t hurt anyone I care about!” Adrien corrected her. “And you have! You hurt Kagami. You hurt Marinette. And now you’ve hurt Rose!”

“Wait—dude! You knew?” Nino asked, looking hurt.

“I knew she was a liar.” Adrien admitted to everyone. He looked down in shame. “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought…” He paused before shrugging. “Well, I thought a lot of things that were wrong.”

“Dude.” Kim muttered.

Ivan gave Adrien a stern glare. “You owe Rose. Big time.”

“Marinette, too.” Alya added, gesturing to the pig-tailed girl who had approached the group alongside Rose.

“I know.” Adrien nodded and turned to the two, even going so far as to bow lowly from the waist. “And I’ll accept any punishment if it means you will all forgive me for not speaking up sooner.”

He knew better now. The absence of overt conflict doesn’t mean that the problem is solved. He had thought he was fixing problems, but really, he was only dealing with symptoms.

Rose looked uncertain. She stared at Adrien, biting her lip. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a touch to her shoulder. Looking up in surprise, she saw Marinette and remembered that the other girl had still been beside her. Even now, she was acting as a support.

Marinette patted her on the shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. “It’s up to you.”

Rose looked back to Adrien.

He hadn’t been the one who did it. But he knew…if not that Lila was lying, then at least that she was a liar. He knew and he didn’t say anything. Which…well, wasn’t AS bad as Lila actually lying, but still bad.

She frowned.

“I want your endorsement on the charity.”

“Done.”

“And a cake for the class as an apology.”

“Just tell me what flavor.”

“And for you to take Marinette on a date to a fancy restaurant.”

“I’ll check my sched—wait, what?” He asked, standing up straight.

Marinette covered Rose’s mouth before she could repeat herself.

“Just the first two will be fine.” She said, flushing with embarrassment. Because really Rose?

Rose, for her part, gave her an annoyed look but didn’t fight her. Nor did she attempt to keep up the demand even after Marinette released her.

“Are you sure?” He asked, holding up a hand to her as if in offering. “After everything, a nice meal would be the least I could do.”

Then he smiled.

And suddenly, Marinette’s initial willpower just took a hit.

“It’ll be my treat.” He promised.

Marinette felt herself heat up at that. He hadn’t seemed to notice the ‘date’ part of Rose’s statement, but seemed rather stuck on the idea of getting a dinner together and Marinette knew she shouldn’t, but she didn’t want to say no either…

The classmates were all grinning or sending each other knowing looks. Alya was getting her phone out to record for blackmail future wedding material. Rose was beaming excitedly. They were all glad that some good was coming out of this.

Except, of course, for Lila.

Any cheerful atmosphere or chatter immediately died at the way Lila cleared her throat. Somehow, she just seemed to draw all attention to herself. The others looked to her in question. But Marinette, who knew Lila well enough to know she was plotting something, only felt dread.

“But is that really appropriate?” Lila asked, innocently. She rubbed at her arm. “After all, you wouldn’t want Adrien to be leading on Marinette the way he did me.”

The others stared. “What?”

Marinette paled.

Oh. Oh, this was going down a bad road, she could feel it.

Adrien glared. “I never led you on, Lila.”

Lila chuckled cheerfully. “Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, of course. But taking a girl out to a fancy dinner would…well…certainly imply things. Especially if the girl in question already is enamored with you.”

He blinked.

“What?”

“She holds feelings for you.”

A moment’s pause.

“You mean…as a friend?” He asked.

…seriously? Was he not getting it?

“She is clearly crushing on you.” Lila stated flatly.

Adrien stared.

“…What?”

Lila sighed in irritation. “Why else do you think she always freaks out around you? The stammering? The nervous giggling? The weird statements that don’t fit the context?”

Marinette pulled at her pigtails in frustration. Because of course. Of-freaking-course Lila would sink this low!

Adrien blinked, then rubbed his chin. “I thought it was because of the way I kept surprising her? Like approaching her from behind. Or appearing behind her locker right as she closes it.”

Nino squinted at his friend. “Which I’ve been meaning to ask, how do you even do that?”

“Not the point.” Lila cut in before turning back to Adrien. “Seriously, Adrien, didn’t you wonder why she had all those posters of you in her room?”

“Because she’s a fan. She even told me as much.” He stated.

Lila stared as Adrien beamed at his Very Good Friend. “And it’s kind of nice knowing that a fashion designer like Marinette likes what I do. And looks up to my father.” He snapped his fingers in realization. “Hey! Maybe I could see if you can’t meet my dad sometime!”

Marinette smiled uncertainly and just…sort of nodded. “That sounds nice.”

Because really, what else could she do at this point?

Lila gaped in growing outrage.

Was…was he just going to keep ignoring her? To focus on…THAT?

“What? No! Adrien, she is crushing on you! Like…obsessively!” Lila exclaimed.

Adrien seemed to be getting annoyed with Lila’s continued interruptions, given the look he threw her. “Lila, do you really have to keep making things up?”

“I’m not making this up!”

“Yeah,” Alix said sarcastically. “Just like the charity.”

“And Marinette leaving you to the akuma.” Alya added, still clearly angry about that.

“And everything else you’ve ever said.”

Lila growled. “But this is true! And I have proof!”

With a smirk, Lila held out her phone, showing the picture she had taken earlier of the schedule inside Marinette’s room.

“See? Marinette has your schedule on her calendar!” She exclaimed.

Adrien frowned at her, disapprovingly. “Are you seriously making things up now just to make Marinette look bad?”

Marinette winced. 

He was really keeping his word and trying to support her. She knew in this moment that if she denied it, Adrien would believe her. And it may save face and protect her from any further humiliation.

As well as sticking it to Lila, which was always nice.

…But Marinette hated liars. And if there was one thing that this entire mess taught her, it was that great harm could come from lies. She didn’t want to give Lila any additional ammunition to use against her, but she knew it would only be worse if it got out later.

And she didn’t want to misuse Adrien’s trust in that way.

“Actually, I do have your schedule.” She admitted.

Adrien stopped in the middle of the lecture he was about to give Lila. He turned to her in surprise.

“What?”

“It’s just…you would mention certain activities or plans. Fencing. Tutoring. Lessons. And I would hear and add them to my calendar so I would be aware when it came to planning things.”

Silence.

Lila smirked in victory. So the goody-two shoes had a fault and was actually admitting to it for the entire class to see. Even Adrien’s protective best friend must be up in arms as he took Lila’s phone with the picture of the schedule to look it over.

Adrien, for his part, blinked as he registered the information.

“So you’ve kept track of all the events and scheduling I’ve told you about to add to your calendar?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

A longer pause. Marinette mentally kicked herself. Why hadn’t she just stayed home and avoided this mess?

Then he smiled. “That was nice of you.”

“What?” Marinette asked, stunned.

“What.” Lila less asked than stated. Shrieking even in her disbelief.

“Well, friends keep friends on their schedules.” Adrien said, nodding resolutely.

Lila stared, her eye twitching slightly.

But he paid her no mind, keeping his gaze on his very good friend.

"Can I see it?" He asked her.

Marinette blinked. "What?"

He was actually looking eager now. “That way I can fill in any gaps so we can choose better times to hang out!”

She flushed. This was not the direction she had expected this to go. And from Lila’s disgusted expression, neither had she.

Far be it from her to argue. Especially against Adrien’s hopeful puppy eyes.

"Okay."

“Great! I’ll come by your house later! Maybe we can play Mecha Strike while we’re at it.” He said with a smile that—gah, too bright! It would probably blind her if it didn’t make her heart explode.

Marinette blushed.

“Okay?” She agreed because really, what else could she do at this point?

"WHAT?!" Lila raged, her skin starting to turn red. "Why would you want to help her keep your schedule?! Isn't that creepy?!"

He turned to Lila at that with a frown. “But...she's my friend. I'm on her Personal Calendar with all the people she considers friends!" And she’d done this even before their talk today, so that meant she really did like him, right?

Lila rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Adrien! Who actually does that?"

Adrien shrugged. "Nino does."

A pause. Slowly, all eyes turned to Nino.

The cap-wearing teen realized the sudden attention he'd got and jumped back, waving his hands.

"Well, how else were we supposed to have hangouts with that schedule of his?" He defended before turning his attention to Marinette. “You’re missing his Chinese lessons by the way.”

Marinette turned to him in surprise. “What?”

“Yeah, also he has a photoshoot this weekend and in the middle of next week. And I see my schedule on there, too, but you don’t have my gig Friday.”

“Wait—you’re on her schedule, too?” Ivan asked, surprised.

“All of her friends are.” Nino confirmed.

Kim raised his hand. “Am I on there?”

“All of her friends are.” Nino repeated, and looked down at the picture of the calendar. “She has your swim meet for next Tuesday. And a plan to bring some of those tarts you like.”

“Sweet!” Kim exclaimed, giving a fist pump.

Nino nodded to Marinette before handing the phone back to Lila. “Plus Alya and I are having a date Sunday, not Saturday, so we won't need you to babysit. Might want to add that.” 

Marinette blinked as she just…tried to register everything.

“Oh. Okay.”

Apparently, that was becoming her default word as she was still trying to process how any of this was happening.

Alya stared at her boyfriend.

“So wait, you have Adrien’s schedule, too?”

“Of course, I do! Hangouts are difficult enough, but we also need to know what times we can video chat.” Nino shrugged. “How else do you think I knew when his dad was leaving? And how to get past his bodyguard?”

Lila gaped. She couldn’t believe this!

Even the other classmates seemed unbothered. Did they really have no concept of boundaries?

…of course they didn’t. They were teenagers.

The fact that Lila herself had commonly infringed on Adrien’s boundaries in a physical way on a daily basis and most recently violated Marinette’s boundaries specifically to find this information to use against her in the first place seemed entirely lost on her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me? How are you okay with this? Are you seriously that stupid?” Lila demanded.

Adrien frowned at Lila, stepping in front of his friends. “Marinette and everyone else here are my friends. Of course, I care about them and would want them to know when I’m available—”

“You can’t possibly be that blind! MARINETTE. HAS. A. CRUSH. ON. YOU. She is so hopelessly in love with you that it’s pathetic!”

“Don’t talk about her like—”

“She has birthday and holiday gifts for you for YEARS!” Lila shouted. “HOW IS THAT NOT WEIRD?!”

The classmates blinked or jumped in surprise before all eyes turned to Marinette.

Why? Why was she Lila’s go-to target?

“I was just…I mean…” She stammered, looking down in shame and embarrassment.

The classmates seemed to be waiting for an answer. It seemed they were at least trying to give her the benefit of the doubt since it was LILA making the accusation, after all, and it was clear by this point that she was simply throwing out anything to make her look bad.

Hesitant, she looked up to see Adrien’s reaction.

And Adrien…oh god, he actually had tears in his eyes!

“Really? Is it true?”

Marinette jumped to try and explain.

“I—um—well—you see—”

His eyes widened. “I can’t believe it...”

“No wait! It’s not—”

Okay, yeah, she was a mess and had nothing.

“You felt so bad about missing my birthday that you’ve been making gifts for me ahead of time so you won’t miss it again!” He exclaimed, looking excited.

Which was okay, apparently, because Adrien had apparently drawn his own conclusions. As evidenced when he pulled her into a hug.

“You didn’t have to do all that, Marinette.” He said, giving her a squeeze. “I don’t hold it against you that you forgot my birthday. You didn’t know.”

A part of Marinette was screaming. Because oh, the irony. If only he knew…

Alya…out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Alya also looked like she desperately wanted to say something. Probably the truth about his scarf. Which now was a bad time to reveal.

“You have no reason to feel guilty for not getting me anything.” He told her, releasing her with a smile and patting her shoulders. “But I appreciate that you felt so strongly about it that you would try to get such a head start to make up for it. It means a lot that you care so much about me.”

Marinette…yeah, Marinette.exe has shut down.

“But that’s not...” Mylene started, only to pause for several seconds before frowning with a small wince. “Actually yeah, that does sound exactly like something Marinette would do.”

“Remember how she got Alya an interview with Ladybug after she accidentally deleted that video?” Kim chimed in.

Nino slapped his forehead. “Oh yeah! Alya went on and on about that for weeks!”

Alya—even Alya, her best friend, who knew full well about her crush and the gifts actually looked uncertain at the news. She bit her lip, looking back and forth between Adrien and Marinette in confusion and concern.

Because she remembered that Adrien’s father had somehow wound up with credit for Marinette’s gift to Adrien. She also remembered how Chloe had broken into Marinette’s locker and vandalized her gift to Bustier. Then there was the time Marinette made Adrien that hat but didn’t take credit for that either.

Marinette…just seemed to have bad luck when it came to giving people things, apparently.

So was it really any wonder that the girl would become that anxious over gift-giving? Or that Marinette, being Marinette, had gone so far as to prepare a multitude of gifts as backups in case something like her gift being stolen, lost, or vandalized happened again?

Alya...honestly didn’t know anymore. Maybe that was something she should try to help with more in the future.

Adrien for his part was simply basking in the glow of happiness that came with knowing how much his good friend Marinette cared about him. Nobody had the heart to argue with him. Nor did any of them even have an argument to make.

“Are you kidding? No one keeps that many gifts for one person in their closet! Can you possibly be that stupid?”

Except Lila, but after everything that had happened, no one was really feeling inclined to humor her.

“Since you’re bringing that up though, here’s a better question.” Alix cut in, giving Lila a glare. “How do you even know any of this?”

Lila drew back in surprise as she suddenly found herself the subject of glares from the rest of her classmates.

“I somehow doubt Marinette invited you into her room.” Alix continued.

“Her parents did!” Lila quickly explained, absently scratching at her wrist. “They invited me inside since the mob was after me.”

Okay, yeah no. Marinette’s brain had rebooted at that. There was no way she was going to let Lila implicate her parents.

“I already talked to my parents about what happened after I saw you wearing my clothes. They invited you into the bakery.” Marinette corrected angrily. “They did not invite you into my room.”

“It was an accident.” Lila claimed. “I had gotten lost, but once I realized where I was and what I was seeing, I just had to warn everyone—”

“‘What you were seeing’,” Marinette cut her off coldly, “should not have been seen unless you had been looking for them. I kept those gifts in my closet. The schedule was put away. The pictures were not visible from my trap door—which you should have realized right away would NOT lead you to any exit.”

Lila scratched at her neck. “Well, I hardly know anything about you since you keep me at arm’s length. Can you blame me for being a little curious?”

“YES.” Came the resounding echo from…well…nearly everyone. It was clear that nobody was buying anything Lila was trying to sell.

“You don’t try to ‘learn about someone’ by breaking into their room, recording what you find there, and sharing it with people!” Mylene ranted.

“It sounds like you’re trying to make Marinette look bad to distract us from your own actions.” Ivan said with a glare. “Because none this changes what you did.”

“You lied to us about the charity and EVERYTHING else you’ve ever said!” Alya exclaimed.

“Did you make up all those illnesses, too?” Kim asked, disappointed and disapproval evident in his voice.

“I bet you were the one who nearly caused Marinette to get expelled.” Alix hissed, leading more growls and angry muttering from the audience.

“No, I haven’t! It was just a misunderstanding!” Lila insisted.

“Was it?” Came a voice.

Everyone immediately silenced and all eyes turned to one person.

Rose stood tall. Or at least as tall as she could in such a situation. In truth, she was shaking. Her lip was trembling like she was trying not to cry. And she stared straight at Lila, almost as if she was gazing into her soul.

If it was anyone else, Lila might have been concerned.

But it was Rose. Poor simple Rose who always believed in everyone and would listen to anything she said without question.

It’d be easy enough to get back in her good graces.

And all it would take…

Lila sniffled, lowering her head. “I’m sorry.”

Everyone stared.

Marinette wanted to bang her head against something.

Lila rubbed at her eyes to give the illusion of tears. She even managed a couple of hiccups. “You were just all…all so amazing and I was scared about fitting in. I did embellish some things but I…I just wanted you all to like me.” She covered her face, effectively hiding her eyes.

“Things just spiraled out of control and before I knew it, I was trapped! I couldn’t be honest and I was so scared of what you all would think of me!” She sobbed out. 

Disregarding, of course, the fact that she had just tried to throw Marinette under the bus—and not for the first time.

Lila looked up at the group, eyes watery though no actual tears have been shed. “I never meant to hurt anyone.” She whimpered. “I just admired you all so much! I’m so sorry!”

They hesitated. Of course they did. They were easily played by emotional appeals. All she’d ever had to do was fake pain or sadness and they would fall over themselves in response before any true logic or reason could set in.

And of course, Rose of all people stepped forward.

The small blonde rested a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes, with what had to be some form of reassurance on her lips.

Leave it to Rose to forgive any transgressions and be willing to start anew. She was always the first to offer reassurances. The first to believe in someone. The first to support a good cause. If anyone would understand and show sympathy, it would be her.

“I don’t believe you.”

That…was not it.

Rose stepped back from Lila, her nose scrunched in disgust. She backed away a good couple of feet. She even wiped her hands on her dress—or attempted to, until Mylene handed her some hand wipes. As if touching Lila had been filthy to her.

“Is even touching me that bad?” Lila asked, acting pitiful.

A long pause. Several of the classmates glanced between each other. They all seemed to want to say something, but couldn’t seem to bring themselves to.

“You stink.”

Except for Juleka, who was glaring at Lila.

Lila gaped.

“What?”

Did…she mean that literally or was she just being juvenile?

Kim actually pinched his nose. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you kind of reek.”

Lila clenched her fists, her anger growing and her skin starting to turn red. “How dare you?!”

"Like...you stink...and you stink. Figuratively and physically." Kim said, sounding nasally with his nose plugged.

“Kind of smells wet and musty.” Nino muttered.

“I was thinking it smelled more like a dumpster.” Mylene noted.

“It’s probably her soul.” Alix muttered, shooting Lila a dark glare.

Marinette gasped and spun on Lila. “Wait! Lila, didn’t you jump in the Seine earlier?”

Lila flushed, embarrassed at the reminder and the realization that her shower earlier had only done the bare minimum for her hair. “It wasn’t by choice!”

The other teens gave Lila disgusted looks.

“You…do know the Seine isn’t the cleanest, right?” Ivan asked.

“It wasn’t my fault!” Lila exclaimed. “It was that damn Ladybug who splashed me with water!”

Several of the classmates bristled at that and the insult to their city’s hero.

“She was putting the pyre out.” Alya countered, looking up the video on her phone. “Otherwise you would have been burned. And then you would have died. And none of this would even be up for discussion right now.”

“Really, you could show a little more appreciation for Ladybug rescuing you.” Adrien said, narrowing his eyes at Lila. “Even if she wasn’t your best friend.”

He knew she wasn’t. He had been there when Ladybug herself had confronted Lila on her lies, so of course he knew that they weren’t friends. Not that anyone else did. But the reminder of that particular lie and Ladybug’s recent threat brought out a level of fear within her that she hadn’t experienced before.

She could almost swear that she felt Ladybug’s gaze on her.

Lila silently fumed momentarily but forced herself to calm and steady her nerves.

Remember, she was still the one in control here. Not the school. Not these classmates. And certainly not Ladybug!

She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

Oh well. She gave it a try and it didn’t work. An annoyance, but ultimately, no real loss. She was still leaving. And they had nothing they could pin on her.

Rose was the one who collected the money. The school and teachers were the ones who hadn’t verified her paperwork. Gabriel had been the one to hire her to spy on his own son. Hawk Moth had been the one to use her. And Ladybug had been the one who didn’t protect her.

Really, wasn’t it their own fault?

“If that’s how you all feel, then I’ll just leave.” Lila said, looking away in a manner she was sure looked dejected. Such a look would normally lead people to feel some pity for her and some remorse for anything they had done.

Here though, it just made her look petulant.

None of the classmates were impressed. Several looked ready to argue. Maybe to even try to brave the stench around her and force her to stay and admit to her acts.

Except…

“The one thing I don’t understand though is why did you keep doing it? Why all the lies?” Rose asked.

“Yeah,” Alya agreed. “Looking back, your lies were all over the place and didn’t amount to much. Not until the fake charity scam, anyway, and you were bound to get caught. What was even the point of it all?”

What was the point? Was she serious? It was everything.

Lila rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Like any of you would have really cared about me if you hadn’t thought I had something you could use.”

They all just stared at her incredulously.

“Um…but we would have.”

Lila paused, blinking in confusion.

“What?”

Rose brought her hands up. “We would have liked you regardless, Lila! You didn’t have to lie!”

“And even if you do lie,” Mylene continued, “we still could have forgiven it and liked you anyway.”

“We may not have been happy about being lied to, but we could have understood. Maybe even helped.” Ivan stated, rubbing his head.

Marinette stepped forward. “I told you before Lila. We could be friends when you stopped lying.”

Lila stared at her. Was she serious?

That was…

Lila gaped at them all in disbelief. None of them argued. Many even nodded their heads in agreement.

She couldn’t believe it…

That was the dumbest thing she’d ever heard!

Who actually forgives people for things like that? Even little acts that seemed weird were often enough to turn people off. Even good qualities like leadership, prioritizing, and professionalism could be twisted and used against the person. This was supposed to be a world where any flaw should be enough to ruin someone and warrant raking them over the coals!

And these idiots were just…fine with it?

Honestly, it was no wonder she was able to get away with so much! These idiots were practically begging to be manipulated!

Lila forced tears to her eyes. “You would be willing to forgive me? Just like that?”

“Well, not now, no.” Adrien said, finally speaking up.

Lila stared. Because…this was Adrien. Adrien Agreste who was Paris’s Sunshine Child and seemingly incapable of holding a grudge. Or standing up for himself.

And…he was going to refuse to forgive her?

“I figured your initial claims about knowing famous celebrities was just to make people like you. We could have forgiven you for that.”

His eyes narrowed.

“But then you used your lies to hurt people. And in ways you had to go well out of the way to do.”

“What?! No, I didn’t—”

But he cut her off.

“You tried to get Marinette expelled. You stole from all of us and made Rose’s charity work into a criminal act. And while we’re at it…” He drawled, making Lila nervous. “Maybe we can discuss how you’ve been spying on me for my father?”

Lila tensed briefly before putting on a wounded expression.

“That was just the akuma making things up!”

“Yeah, I spoke with my father about that.” Adrien continued, sounding…particularly cold. “Oh, and by the way, you’re fired.”

“Fired?” Lila balked. She clenched her fists and her shoulders raised in growing ire. “What do you mean ‘fired’?!”

Adrien steepled his fingers together as if he was trying to think. “Um, how else can I say it? You’re being let go. Your department’s being downsized. You’re part of an outplacement. We’re going in a different direction. We’re not picking up your option. Take your pick. I’ve got more.”

She grit her teeth.

She’d known from her call with Nathalie earlier that they were firing her. Part of her had believed that it was simply due to Witch Hunter’s control. But if that was the case, they shouldn’t remember it now. Though it could be that they remember the initial claim from Witch Hunter that brought them under her influence, but even then, there wouldn’t be any proof.

No…this had to be intentional. Given her suspicions of Gabriel, she had considered that he would cut ties, but to do it like this? Through Adrien? In front of everyone?

Oh. She was going to make him pay.

Outside of Lila’s thoughts of revenge and misery, the classmates realized something about Adrien’s totally cool and not at all corny or referenced speech.

Kim stared. “Dude…did you really just…”

Nino held up a hand. “Let him have this.” He wiped away a fake tear. “I’m so proud.”

Muffled chuckling from others indicated that they all knew what he had been referencing.

Except for Marinette, who was looking around in confusion. Because sure, Adrien was being cool just then and it was kind of funny to see Lila get some comeuppance, but what was all the snickering for? “Wait…what was that about?”

Adrien spun on her in shock. “Wait—you’ve never seen Emperor’s New Groove?”

Marinette blinked, uncertain. “Um…no?”

He took her hands in his, looking so serious that this had to be a matter of grave importance. “We must rectify this immediately. Will you come watch the movie with me? Father is being unusually lenient about things to make up for everything with Lila that he’ll probably allow a hangout this weekend.” He smiled. “So would you like to binge watch movies together?”

Oh. Oh, Marinette thought she was over this. But clearly not as she felt her face flush and her heart leap into her throat. Her brain was short circuiting because this was…this was a date with Adrien? ANOTHER date with Adrien? THREE dates with Adrien? That she hadn’t even had to be the one to ask him for? Just what is life right now? Was this life? Was this a dream? Lila finally outted as a liar and Adrien agreeing to spend time with her…this felt like a dream.

At best, she was only able to nod. And Adrien’s smile in response was near blinding. She didn’t even notice the way their classmates grinned or gave each other high fives.

…or the way Lila was turning red in her growing ire. 

Lila scratched angrily at her neck. Hard enough to leave marks.

Not only did he fire her, but now he was ignoring her and just flirting right in front of her?! It was bad enough she was revealed and chased around for the past few hours thanks to an akuma. Then betrayed by Hawk Moth. And then threatened by Ladybug. But this…this was just adding insult to injury by this point!

She wanted to say something—anything to break up this delightful little scene and wipe that happy look off their faces.

Sometimes, spite overcame reason.

“Oh please!” She shouted, drawing everyone’s gazes away from the cute scene and back to Lila where she was pointing at Adrien in anger. “The only reason he’s firing me is because I know he’s Hawk Moth!”

A long pause.

Alya looked at Adrien before turning back to Lila, eyebrow raised. “You mean Adrien?”

The blond in question paled and drew in on himself. It wasn’t true, but what if she brought up some ‘evidence’ like his tendency to disappear during akuma fights? Would anyone else believe her? Especially given how he’d messed up before and inadvertently helped Lila to create prime akuma material?

“Adrien isn’t Hawk Moth!” Marinette insisted, looking angry, and Adrien felt a combination of relief and admiration for the girl.

“Yeah!” Nino agreed, wrapping an arm around Adrien’s shoulders and holding out the other hand in front of them like he was trying to ward off Lila or perhaps her stench. “Don’t be talking about my boy like that!”

“Wow.” Kim muttered. “You’ve told some bad lies before but that takes the cake.”

“Shame on you, Lila!”

Lila reared back in shock at the direction this went. “What?! NO! I meant Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth!”

But people were just…rolling their eyes and looking away from her.

She held her hand to her chest in earnesty. Her other hand went to scratching her side, which kind of spoiled the effect. “He knows I’m a threat and he’s trying to discredit me!”

A long pause.

“You’ve already discredited yourself, Lila.”

“Yeah, it sounds like you’e just saying anything at this point.”

“She’s just mad that Mr. Agreste is letting her go.”

“After everything she did, I don’t blame him.”

“The guy os a jerk, but come on. Hawk Moth? Really?”

No one was even considering what she had to say now. If it wasn’t clear before, it was now.

Lila had lost any credibility.

Several of the classmates were gathered around Adrien, trying to support and comfort him over the accusations. She had a feeling that even if she had irrefutable evidence, they still wouldn’t believe it. Not now, anyway. It grated at her, but at this point, there was nothing she could do.

There was nothing she could do and she had just wasted her last trump card to no effect. And if it got back to Gabriel that she had accused him…

All the better to get out now then.

“Hey, wait!” Alix shouted as she noticed Lila trying to sneak away. “We’re not done here!”

Honestly, it was perfect timing that the teacher arrived to start class.

“All right, class! To your seats!” Bustier said, smiling nicely in her usual fashion.

And it looked like that would be the end of it. With Bustier back, there would be no further pressing of Lila. No retribution. No way to hold her accountable.

Alya for her part tried though. She raised her hand and called out insistently. “Wait! Ms. Bustier! Lila has been—”

Bustier shook her head. “I’m sorry, Alya, but it will have to wait. We’ve missed part of the school day as it is.” She paused and turned to Lila. “Oh, Lila! Your mother and the Principal are waiting for you in his office.”

Lila smiled politely. “Thank you. I’ll head right there.”

This was it then. A final meeting and she would be out of this school and out of Paris.

…though maybe after she takes a more thorough shower first, she thought to herself as she scratched at her neck.

Still, she couldn’t help but send one last smirk back at her now former classmates as she walked away. She hadn’t managed to pull them back under her sway, and she couldn’t say she had won.

But she could at least find some satisfaction in the growls and shouts of anger as she left them behind.

__________________

In the Principal’s office, the adults had a…rather interesting conversation of their own once Lila had departed.

“Good heavens! I didn’t know how much longer I could stand that smell.” Principal Damocles asked as he opened a window to try and freshen the air.

Amara Rossi took her seat in front of the desk, feeling a bit lightheaded herself. “Did something happen today? Science class? Chemicals, perhaps?”

“It could have been an akuma attack. We had one just earlier.” He replied.

Her eyes darkened. She was reminded of the constant prolonged akuma attacks that disrupt daily living and the inept superheroes who allowed them to persist. “I see. That will be one thing we will no longer have to worry about once we leave, at least.”

“Quite right.” He agreed kindly as he went to his files to pull out Lila’s paperwork. “I do hope that Lila’s new school will be better suited to accommodate all of her illnesses.”

Amara shook her head, uncertain of what she just heard. “I beg your pardon?”

“Of course we did try to adjust to Lila’s needs as we were made aware of them. Especially with her little…fibbing illness. But it was difficult without official documentation to clarify what she had and the best ways to address them. And we were never able to get clarification during her stay here.” He rested the paperwork on his desk and looked up to make eye contact with Mrs. Rossi. “We of course are not judging, but it would be prudent for you to make the appropriate arrangements prior to her arrival at her new school, wherever it may be.” He puffed up in pride. “And of course we will be more than happy to assist in sending over documentation as well—”

“No wait. Hold on.” Amara interrupted him. “What needs are you talking about?”

Needless to say, once Lila was out of the room, it didn’t take long for them to notice things weren’t adding up. And the conversation that followed ended up being…

“What tinnitus?”

Quite informative.

“What fall down the stairs?!”

With certain parties being made aware of things they hadn’t known previously.

“WHAT LYING DISEASE?!!”

By the end of it, both adults were in shock.

Damocles wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, clearly…unnerved to say the least. “I…erm…take it that some of these things might have been said…er…erroneously?”

Amara covered her face with her left hand, exasperated. “Unless my daughter has been under an akuma’s influence for the past several months the school has been closed.”

He frowned at that, unnerved. “On that note, I’ve been trying to reach out to you for some time about your daughter’s absences. Have you not gotten my calls?”

“I only received one or two. And Lila warned me not to answer because you were akumatized.” She paused in thought for a moment before lowering her hand and looking to the Principal. “Has the school been closed at all? Lila said you had been akumatized and that the school had been shut down, which was why she had to stay home for so long.”

Damocles blanched at that. “It was only the once! Well…twice actually, with the attempted mass akumatization during that one incident. But I assure you, madam, that the school was never closed. Certainly not for more than a day at any rate!”

She frowned, unsure. “But…the heroes…”

“Are quite adept at their job for youngsters!” Damocles hurriedly told her. “Akuma battles are normally finished within a couple of hours. Some have lasted overnight at most. There is only one to my knowledge that continued for a few days, but that was a rare exception and the damage was minimal.” Though the harm to Chloe’s mental state couldn’t be quantified.

“Oh…” She murmured. Wow. While Lila’s complaints had dampened her view of the city’s heroes, she had known her coworkers and the city at large seemed to admire them greatly. She regretted that she had never really listened to their gossip about them, but she was grateful she had never spoken up on what she had believed. Otherwise she would likely be a laughing stock at work.

He shook his head. “But no akuma has lasted for months, I assure you! In fact,” He said, reaching to his monitor and turning it so that they both could see the screen, “the Ladyblog should have all the facts about the akumas and our heroes!”

Amara observed the blog, curious. It was well made. Perhaps they could get the designer to help update the embassy site.

But on point, the blog listed news reports and updates. Hero sightings. Events. Akuma attacks. And in particular, the most recent attack…

“Wait!” She gasped. “Is that Lila?!”

From there, it had been a simple matter of reviewing the footage from the latest akuma attack.

Including the incident where Lila had shoved an innocent girl to the ground in front of the mob. (“That would be Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A bright student and the Class Representative. But…er…she and Lila haven’t quite seen eye to eye and there was an…incident a few weeks ago…”)

As well as a compiled list that had been taken of every claim made by the akuma—Witch Hunter? She was apparently a classmate of Lila’s. And according to the Ladyblog, she had been a victim of Lila’s lies, which had resulted in her akumatization and targeting of Lila. (“My word!”)

And worst of all, a video of Lila tied to a pyre and surrounded by a mob of people wanting her to burn. In and of itself, it was horrifying. Especially for any parent to see their child in such a state.

But for Lila…it was like she didn’t think it was real. Like she didn’t think she was in any actual danger. Or she thought this was a game.

And that, Amara found most terrifying.

“This is…” She muttered in shock. She couldn’t even begin to describe it. Her daughter, tied to a pole. About to be lit on fire. All because she had been lying this entire time? Not just lying, but stealing from her peers? Framing people? And she didn’t dare say it, but from some of her statements in the video and the akuma’s claims, it almost looked as if she had been working with a known terrorist!

She had known her daughter wasn’t perfect or innocent. But this much? To go this far? And for what? She couldn’t even begin to understand…

“Madam, I…think this is a most serious matter.” Damocles stated. He was trying to be delicate but…well, really. How can one approach this sort of thing delicately?

“I agree.” She stated, resolutely. “Lila has been playing everyone it seems. But now that we know, what should we do from here?”

Damocles stroked his beard as he thought. “I admit we have never had a situation this extreme before. But if you will permit, I believe there may be a way to approach this…”

The rest of their time was spent discussing the matter at length and coming to an agreement. Damocles admittedly had his failings, particularly when it came to stubborn and selfish students with access to parents in positions of authority and willingness to abuse that authority to get their way. But when he wasn’t having to work around such barriers and had parents who were actually working with him instead of obstructing the school regulations, it was substantially easier to make appropriate accommodations and plan accordingly.

Which is what Lila ended up walking in to once she was asked to return to the office.

“Is everything settled?” She asked sweetly, her expression belying her earlier anger. Honestly, her only concern was finishing this as quickly as possible and going home to shower. A good three or four times.

She forced herself to ignore the way the adults in the room turned their heads away from her with upturned noses. She took advantage of the moment and attempted to unobtrusively scratch under her arm. Honestly, this itching was only getting worse! How had she not noticed it earlier?

“Well, Lila.” Damocles coughed as he turned on a fan. “Your mother and I have been discussing things and we couldn’t help but notice a few discrepancies.”

Lila froze. She steeled her expression to hide her rising panic. Because no. Not here. Not after everything.

“Lila…” Her mother called, her tone harsh and warning of her slowly boiling anger. “You told me that the school had been closed. And here I come to find that not only had it still been open and running all this time, but that you had been excusing your absences with claims of trips around the world!”

Shit.

Why had she left them alone?!

“But there were akuma attacks!” She insisted. “And the school was closed!”

“Not for weeks at a time!” Her mother exclaimed, furious. “And what is all this I’m hearing about your actions since you got here? Lying to your teachers? Stealing from a charity? Getting another student expelled?!”

Here, Lila straightened. “She had been bullying me and I had only been trying to protect myself.”

“Then why did you claim a lying disease to have her brought back?” Damocles questioned.

Lila hugged herself to look sad and sympathetic—and also used the opportunity to scratch at her side again. “I was threatened.” She admitted morosely. “Adrien said—”

“Adrien? Adrien Agreste?” Her mother interrupted. “You mean the boy you said was your boyfriend?”

Lila hesitated for a moment before a plan came together and she nodded. “Yes. It was why I wanted us to leave Paris. He’s been harassing me, Mama.” She shuddered and hitched her breath as if in fear. “He threatened me if I didn’t take back the allegations. He’s been cheating on me with her, Mama!”

“Interesting. Very interesting.” Her mother said in a blithe manner that only made Lila more nervous. “Because according to this Ladyblog, it sounds like  you were the one harassing him. As well as this Marinette girl, regardless of whether she is his girlfriend or not.”

Lila snapped up and gaped at her mother. The woman never bothered with the Ladyblog. Lila had been sure she hadn’t known it even existed!

“You can’t trust the Ladyblog! It’s just a teenager’s fan site! It’s nothing but lies!”

Her mother glared down at her. “Like this informative interview of you claiming to be Ladybug’s ‘bestie’?”

Lila paled.

“I was only trying to get people to like me and make friends.” She said, lowering her head in shame. Not that she had any, of course, but it paid to look the part at least. “I didn’t think anyone would see it.”

“Lila, the Ladyblog is extremely popular. It’s a central news source for anyone in Paris to know what the most recent update is regarding any akuma attack! Anyone would have seen it!” Damocles exclaimed.

“Even if it wasn’t,” Her mother continued. “You still shouldn’t have been claiming things like that! What if Hawk Moth saw it and thought it was true? What if he tried to kidnap or hurt you?”

She wasn’t worried about that. He wouldn’t have harmed her since she was working for him.

Well, Lila realized with a small wince. Not anymore.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal.” Lila said, looking away.

“Getting back on point.” Damocles interrupted. “There is the problem regarding all of the days you’ve missed. Your teacher was led to believe that you were out of town while you had informed your mother that the school was closed. This is a serious matter, young lady.”

There was no way to lie that she hadn’t done it now that both of them were aware and on to her. But she could still try to reframe things in her favor.

“I’m sorry. I had just needed a break for a while and I didn’t know how to tell you.” Lila spoke, tearfully. “It was just…all of the akuma attacks and everything with Adrien and the bullying…it was too much!”

She sobbed into her hands.

“I just couldn’t take it! I’m sorry!”

She continued her sobs for a good minute. Since she had her face covered and her head lowered, she couldn’t quite see how the adults in the room were responding. Sneaking a peak got her a glimpse at best lest she risk them seeing her.

Her mother looked drawn. The Principal seemed tired. Neither of them so much as tried to get closer to Lila to comfort her. Though that may very well have been due to the smell, and she cursed Witch Hunter and Ladybug both for causing the situation in the first place and for not fixing this with the Magical Cure as well.

Really, she thought hatefully. This was all their fault. Rose’s. The class’s. Hawk Moth’s. And especially Ladybug’s. She never would have ended up in this position if not for her!

“I’m sorry, Lila. If you were truly having such trouble, then you should have spoken to one of us about it and we may have been able to help you.” Damocles sighed. “I’m afraid there’s nothing else for it now. It’s already gone much too far for us to be able to overlook.”

Amara nodded, resigned. “I understand.”

Lila sniffled and raised her head.

“So I guess I’ll be expelled?” She asked with a mournful tone.

Okay. All right. So she would be sent to another school somewhere. A boarding school perhaps? Some sort of alternative or otherwise stricter school meant to “rehabilitate“ her, no doubt. She could handle this. It was still someplace new where no one would recognize her. It wouldn’t take too much before she could just start over. Within two months, no one there would even really know why she had transferred.

She could still make this work for her.

Damocles, however, looked at her in surprise.

“Expel you? What are you talking about? We don’t expel students for truancy.”

Lila froze.

“What?”

“You will be suspended for a time.” He continued. “Though I believe given the nature of your actions, it would be better for your suspension to be altered so you remain on campus and under constant supervision.”

Lila stared. She would swear she could hear cracks forming in her reality.

“And we will have to keep you in a separate classroom as well to remove any...distractions.”

Crack.

“Of course.“ her mother agreed. “I’ll be removing her computer and phone for the time being as well. Depending on how things go, we may have to dispose of them altogether.”

Lila felt her eye starting to twitch.

“This will be an opportunity for you to catch up on all the coursework you missed.”

Crack.

“And there will be a hearing as well.” Damocles continued. 

Lila jumped to her feet and slammed her hand on the desk.

“But—but you expelled Marinette immediately without a hearing!”

Damocles appeared flustered at that. “My actions at that time were…admittedly hasty, especially considering that it turned out they were based on a lie...” He gave her a sharp look at that. “But given what appeared to be dangerous and escalating behavior at the time, I had only acted in a way to protect the other students in this institution.”

He clasped his hands. “But less school is not the appropriate answer for a student whose crime was skipping school. Especially in this case given that Lila may very well need to be held back a grade as it is.”

“What?!” Lila demanded.

He gave her a dry look, unimpressed with her reaction or the repeated interruptions. “Young lady, regardless of your reasons, you’ve missed months of your precious education. Surely you didn’t think you would be able to graduate alongside your classmates. At this point, you won’t be able to get the approval from the conseil de classe to move on to the next grade, much less be prepared for the brevet.”

Lila blinked. “The what?”

Her mother groaned and covered her face. “It’s the mandated test required in secondary school into get your diploma, Lila.”

Lila gaped, glancing back and forth between the two, as if expecting this to be a joke. “But…college in France is just scuola media! It’s middle school! How do they require a diploma?!”

“It’s a national requirement and certification of the knowledge and skills acquired.” Damocles explained, ignoring the way mother and daughter were reacting as he instead puffed out his chest and straightened his jacket. “And we here at Francois-Dupont are dedicated to our students and making the appropriate accommodations to help them succeed! Regardless of any…”

He paused, sending Lila a look. “Complications.”

Amara sighed but faced Damocles. “So what would you recommend?”

He brightened at that. “The best answer to get young Lila back on track would be an alternative remedial program in which she can remain in school and make up for what she missed in a setting where she can be more closely monitored to keep something like this from happening again.”

Remain here? In Dupont? With everyone aware of her lies?

“You can’t do this!” Lila shouted. But to no avail as the adults paid her no mind at this point.

“What about the fraud?” Her mother asked. “I believe she had solicited funds under false pretenses?”

“Oh, that is outside our jurisdiction.” Damocles answered, waving it off. “We can only deal in school and school-related matters. Fraud is a legal issue, so that will be going to the courts as a separate case. But on that note, I would recommend getting a lawyer.” He said, turning serious.

“Hopefully, that won’t be necessary.” Amara replied. “As we will be making arrangements with the students who started the charity and reimburse the funds Lila took.”

“WHAT?!”

“Returning everything you bought with the money to the stores you purchased them from should be a good place to start,” the woman continued, “assuming they will even accept the exchange once they know what you did. Which you will be telling them if they didn’t already know from that akuma.”

“But…but I don’t have them!” Lila exclaimed, suddenly realizing that she had worn Marinette’s clothes back home and left her designer items at the bakery.

“Then you will just have to find some other way to make up the lost funds.” Her mother stated, dismissively.

Lila stomped her foot, the picture of a child throwing a tantrum. “But that’s not fair!” 

“You stole money from your classmates, Lila!” Her mother bit out sharply. “Giving back what you took is the very least you could do!”

“But I can’t pay it!” Lila yelled, scratching at her chin in fury.

“Then you can use your now copious amount of free time to take on some extra employment. Because you won’t be sitting around at home doing nothing or getting into more trouble while I’m not there. And you certainly won’t be going out with your friends—assuming you have any left after this mess.”

“But…where am I supposed to find employment?!”

Her mother looked through her tablet and pulled up a number of listings when she then handed to Damocles to print off. “There are always openings for extra hands. Odd jobs. A part time job. I don’t care if it’s something like washing dishes at a diner, you will be doing it. And whatever you earn is going to go to straight into the bank until you pay back every euro you took.”

Lila gasped. “I’m fourteen! That’s child labor!”

“That didn’t seem to be an issue when you were modeling for the Gabriel line without telling me.” Her mother countered, growing more furious.

Lila glared back, enraged and for once incapable of speech.

“Whatever you have to say, this is your own fault for stealing the money in the first place. And also using it when you knew it wasn’t yours!” The woman shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t even understand how you thought that was supposed to work.”

“We were supposed to be out of Paris already!” Lila muttered darkly.

Unfortunately for her, her mother heard her well enough. “Which I suspect was the real reason you suddenly wanted to leave, wasn’t it?”

Lila stayed silent. Merely sitting petulantly and scratching at her arm.

Her mother looked down at her daughter. She had never seen her like this before. And now that she knew what the girl had been up to, she wondered if she had been blind to the truth. And for how long.

She sighed.

“You dug yourself into this, Lila. And you won’t be running away from it. You are going to pay back what you took, no matter how long it takes. If this does end up going to court, you are going to agree to any deal they offer and you will make this right. And if you are very very lucky, they will accept your apology and your return of the money, and not pursue harsher charges. Because if they do, you will be accepting those charges and any consequences that come with them.”

Damocles coughed, daring to interrupt. “Am I to presume she will be losing her cellphone and laptop as well?”

“That would be a given.” Her mother replied. “Though at the rate this is going, I may very well sell those off as well to contribute to her debt.”

“What?!” Lila screeched. “But how am I supposed to do schoolwork then? Or keep in contact?”

“With pen and paper like everyone else. And you won’t need to worry about contacting anyone since you are going to be grounded for the foreseeable future.”

Lila groaned and sunk further into the office chair. She tried to keep her arms crossed, but couldn’t hold it for longer than a couple seconds before she felt the itchiness again and started scratching at her arms once more.

“And would you stop scratching yourself?”

“I can’t help it!” Lila cried, spilling real tears for once.

The lighting in the office was decent. Adequate to see by, but not quite enough to get a full detail of what they were looking at. In an attempt to help, Damocles turned on his desk lamp and moved it shine on Lila, putting her skin in much clearer display.

And particularly, the red and splotchy areas that were slowly spreading on her body.

“Good heavens!” Damocles shouted as he went to his phone to call the nurse. “That is an extensive rash, dear girl!”

Her mother grabbed her arm to look closer. “What did you do? Take a bath in the Seine?”

“I didn’t have a choice! I was being chased!” Lila exclaimed, attempting to pull her arm out of her mother’s hold so as to scratch more.

“That…would explain the smell.” Damocles noted before the receiver picked up and he quickly turned his attention to requesting the school nurse’s assistance.

“Did you at least wash it off? Didn’t you shower when you got home?” Her mother asked, exasperated as she had to keep hold of Lila’s arm to prevent her from scratching herself.

Lila hunched over. “No. I had to call you first.”

Her mother groaned in response, much to Lila’s irritation. She glared up at the woman who should be reassuring her own child in this hardship but instead was merely shaking her head at Lila like this was something she had simply brought upon herself!

How could she?! What sort of mother would be so cruel?

She barely paid any attention when the nurse entered the office with some ointment in hand. She only realized what they were doing when they started to slather the gel on her skin, which felt gross and humiliating. Made all the moreso with the way the nurse and her own mother couldn’t fight the looks of disgust at the smell that still covered her. Even Ladybug calling her out in front of Adrien hadn’t been so humiliating.

But it would get worse.

Damocles coughed. “We will resume this discussion another time. Madam, if you are willing, I can arrange a meeting with the students involved and allow you to discuss reparations in an informal…non-court setting.”

“If you please, that would be preferred. In the meantime, I will be taking Lila home so we can deal with all of…” She paused, waving her arms around and trying to think of the right words before simply shrugging with a sigh. “This.”

“Wait! I can’t go out there! Everyone will see me like this!”

It was perhaps out of some love as a mother, or just some small mercy that had Amara Rossi agree to take her daughter through a roundabout path out of the school. One that allowed Lila to take hallways that were less used and offered less visibility in and out of the classrooms.

And most importantly allowed her to avoid Bustier’s class.

After getting instructions from the school nurse regarding skin care to get rid of the rashes, Amara thanked both Damocles and the nurse before taking Lila outside. The two made it to the front of the school with few being there to witness Lila’s ‘walk of shame’ so to speak. It was probably more than Lila deserved, but her mother was hardly cruel. Tough when she had to be, certainly.

There was now just the final leg of the trip. Amara started down the steps of the school and made it to the bottom before she realized her daughter wasn’t following her.

“Lila!” She hissed. “Get down here!”

“But…” Lila hesitated, looking up and behind her to where Bustier’s class would have a perfect view of her exit.

“Now, Lila. Or do you still want to be out here when classes are over?”

Lila forced herself to move down the steps—both as quickly as possible to try and lessen the amount of time anyone had to see her and as carefully as possible to avoid anything touching the ointment on her skin.

“When we get home, the first thing you’ll be doing is taking a shower to clean yourself properly this time. We will be going through your room as well and taking back your laptop, your phone, and anything I even think you may have bought with that stolen money.”

Lila grumbled but didn’t argue.

“Yes, mother.”

At this point, she just prayed no one had seen her.

__________________

They saw her.

“Is that Lila?”

“It is! And her mom!”

“What’s that on Lila’s arms?”

“Oh. Wow.”

Bustier had stepped out of the room for what she said would be a minute while leaving the class with some assignment to do until she returned. Naturally, given the drama of the day, no one was really able to focus on the schoolwork. So instead, they took to quietly chatting with one another. Or in Alya’s case, nudging Marinette repeatedly as the girl tried to wrap her head around the prospect of having a date with Adrien.

No, THREE dates. Wait—were they dates? Like…date-dates?

Fortunately for her own peace of mind, her imagination was put on hold by the exclamations of those near the windows. Helpless to the draw of wanting to know what all the fuss is about, Marinette and the others on her side of the class joined those at the windows to see just what it was about Lila that had grabbed their attention.

And she had to say: Yikes.

“That has to be the worst rash I’ve ever seen.”

“Looks like that dip in the Seine did not agree with her.”

Marinette winced in sympathy.

As Ladybug, she had a few instances of having to make use of the Seine or the sewers as an exit, so she knew full well how nasty the water could be. The suit and resulting Cure would normally rid her of any of the water or contaminants or so Tikki said, but that didn’t stop Marinette from taking a good long shower afterwards. Or three. Just to feel clean afterwards, despite Tikki’s reassurance.

What happened this time?

She looked down to her purse, but the little clasp remained resolutely closed. Even when she tried to pull at it.

Tikki...what did you do?

“I feel kind of bad.” Rose murmured, resting a hand on the window. “She only jumped into the Seine because of me. Because I had everyone hunting her.”

“I don’t.” Alix replied. “You were only after her because of what she did.”

Nino nodded in agreement. “Yeah. And if the info on the Ladyblog regarding Lila’s crimes are any indication, she may have been doing it to help Hawk Moth.”

“We can’t prove that, though.” Ivan noted.

Rose hugged herself.

Marinette hugged her as well. “Whether or not Lila deserved it, it happened because of Hawk Moth. Not you. So please don’t blame yourself, Rose.”

Adrien came up next to them and rested a hand on Rose’s shoulder. “If we try to question who is truly at fault, we’ll be dragging this out forever. All we can do at this point is try to figure out where to go from here.”

“Hey, that’s right!” Mylene realized. “Rose, what are you going to do about the charity?”

Rose looked down. “I don’t know. It’s kind of pointless now since we don’t have the money anymore.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t try again.” Nino reassured her.

Adrien nodded in agreement. “Plus Alya and I were talking earlier. If you still have the ledger of the funds, you could try to bring up charges against Lila to get the money returned. My father has some attorneys our company frequently uses for any legal issues. I could see about getting one of them involved to find out how to proceed on this.”

“Dude, seriously? Is your dad cool with this?” Nino asked, completely taken aback that the man would do such a thing.

“It’s only the beginning of what he could do to make up for his part in this.” Adrien muttered.

Nino blinked at his friend and his���strangely dark expression. Then he grinned and slapped Adrien on the back. “Good for you, man!”

“But what about Lila though?” Ivan asked.

“Murder?” Juleka asked.

Which of course, none of them took seriously.

Right? Right.

“If Lila’s mom’s attitude is any indication, I don’t think Lila will be getting away with the theft.” Kim said, looking out the window in the direction the two ladies left. “She looked maaaaaaad.”

“She is angry from what I have heard.” Max said from his seat. He didn’t look up from his tablet and was the only one aside from Nathaniel to not move from his desk. “Apparently Lila had been lying to her mother and the school about why she’s been absent for months. And then with the theft on top of that, plus all of the other things revealed thanks to Witch Hunter, I believe there is a 97.3% chance that Lila will be grounded for the foreseeable future.”

“Wait. How do you know that?” Kim asked.

“Markov told me.”

“Oh.”

A pause.

“And…how does HE know tha—”

Max simply disregarded him and turned to Rose. “You should probably discuss the matter with Lila’s mother. It sounds like she is taking the issue seriously and would like to meet with you and work this out appropriately.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” She said with a smile. Albeit a somewhat wary smile.

“So there may be a chance to get the money back then?” Ivan asked, hopefully.

“But wait—what about Prince Ali?” Alix realized.

This brought all eyes to Rose, who looked hurt at the reminder of her friend cutting off ties with her.

“Rose…” Marinette started.

She winced. “I…still have his email. I don’t know if he’ll talk to me, but…I can apologize. And I can try to make it right. I think…” She took a breath. “I think I understand now why he was so upset. He’s a Prince and must be used to a lot of people trying to use him.”

She hesitated, looking down.

“Lila was…probably that exact type of person. And she was able to use him through me—even if she didn’t know it.”

The others winced.

Yeah, it was probably a good thing they learned about Lila now before it got too serious. Who knows what would have happened if Lila had ever actually gotten to meet him? Or really any of the other celebrities they actually knew.

Rose bit her lip for a moment, then looked up. “I’ve been thinking…if I do get the money back…since the charity Lila had told us about doesn’t exist, we can’t donate the money as planned. I would like to give the funds to a charity with a similar purpose—I even found one that looks genuine and does a lot of good, but…” She frowned. “That’s still misleading to the people who originally donated.”

“So what will you do?”

“I have a log of everyone who donated since I had wanted everyone to get credit or some sort of ‘Thank You’ for helping. I can try to reach out to them and ask them what they want to do.” She brightened slightly. “Alya is also helping by putting a notice on the Ladyblog about what happened and what we’re doing so that anyone who did donate before can be alerted and know to contact me.“

Alya smiled. “It seems to be working so far. If anything, I’ve been more messages from people wanting to donate as well.

Mylene gasped in delight. “You may end up with even more funding for your charity, Rose.”

“Just as long as we make it clear it’s the real deal this time.” Alya agreed. “I posted the charity’s info on the website as well as some links to verification sites so people can check for themselves that it’s real. This way, we don’t run into the same problem we had with Lila or get accused of lying ourselves.”

Well, that was a relief. They had a plan and they were certainly taking this seriously.

“I’m glad for you, Rose.”

Rose smiled back. “Thank you. I know this doesn’t really fix everything, but it feels like the right thing to do.”

“Aww!”

The group hug that commenced was just what they all needed.

__________________

Tom and Sabine had quite the busy day. Especially with that girl who had come in earlier and snuck into Marinette’s room.

And the akuma. Though they were at least getting used to daily disruptions caused by those.

“I hope nothing came of it.” Sabine worried as she was finishing putting things away. “I’m sure she was doing something up in Marinette’s room.”

“I’m sure if anything happened, Marinette could handle it. And if she couldn’t, she would let us know.” Tom replied as he headed to the laundry room to put away their used aprons and towels.

There was silence for a bit.

Then…

“Honey?”

Sabine paused and turned towards her husband. “Yes, dear?”

“Did that girl ever come back with Marinette’s clothes?”

Confused, she started towards the laundry room where her husband was. “No, why?”

Tom turned to her, with some items in hand. “I think she left her things behind and the Miracle Ladybug Cure didn’t send them back.”

Sabine stared. “Oh my!” She reached forward. “These look practically brand new!”

“And expensive.” Tom added.

The two looked over the items before looking up at each other. With a nod, they seemed to come to the same conclusion.

“Early birthday gift for Mari!”

“We’ll take it to Roger.”

…not…so same conclusion, evidently.

Sabine gave Tom a flat look. Tom smiled embarrassedly and rubbed his head.

“Yes. We can take it to Rodger as part of the case.” He agreed, sheepishly.

Sabine sighed and shook her head.

“Though maybe we can discuss it with the school.” She mused. “Since that girl is a student there. And some of the things on the Ladyblog are a bit concerning…”

“Should we still press charges?” Tom asked, worried. “Let’s wait and speak with Roger tomorrow. And see what Marinette has to add.” Sabine said, taking the items from Tom and placing them in a safety box where they wouldn’t be mistaken as common items.

…or early birthday gifts.

__________________

Taking the Dragon Miraculous back to Fu was easy enough.

Apologizing for beaning him with a pot was less so.

“It is all right, Marinette. Really.” Fu assured her as he took the box back from her and restored the choker to it’s rightful place. “With the Miraculous Cure, I no longer have the injury.”

Marinette winced from her seat at the table. “Still, I feel really bad about it.”

He shook his head. “You did what you had to. The akuma’s influence was widespread by that point and the situation was dire.”

Especially since her kwami and the Guardian himself had both been affected as well.

He wouldn’t say he…approved with her methods. Or the headache it had caused him. But it had allowed her to defeat the akuma and restore things in the end. And truly, that was what mattered.

“It took a lot of strength from you today, Marinette. I am proud of what you accomplished.” He told her as he returned the Miracle Box to its hiding place.

“I just wish I could have helped Rose more.” She murmured.

“You did everything you could, Marinette!” Tikki insisted.

“It is difficult, but sometimes there is only so much that can be done, even with the aid of the Miraculous.” Fu returned to his seat at the table. “But I sense that is not the only thing on your mind today. Am I wrong?”

Marinette gasped. “Oh, Master! There’s something we’ve discovered today. Something really important!”

Tikki gasped. “That’s right!”

The two nodded to each other and spoke at the same time.

“Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth!”

“Adrien invited you to see a movie!”

Marinette froze, turning red at the reminder.

Tikki, for her part, blinked at Marinette in confusion.

“Wait…you mean what Lila said earlier?”

“That’s right.” Marinette said, turning her attention to Fu and away from any distractions of stupidly cute blond boys. “Earlier today, Lila tried to claim that Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth.”

Fu frowned. “Marinette, are you sure about this? Lila Rossi was Hawk Moth’s accomplice. As well as an unrepentant liar. This may be a lie as well.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Lila tells lies if she thinks they’ll benefit her, but she’ll tell the truth if she thinks it could serve her more.”

Yeah, she knew that much from Lila’s attempt to sneak into her room and get dirt on her.

But more than that, Hawk Moth had betrayed Lila. After working with him all this time, someone she had…at least trusted she could use if not actually trusted had turned on her. And was even outright going to let the akuma kill her.

If Lila could be so spiteful for this long over Ladybug simply telling someone she had lied about knowing her, she couldn’t put it past the girl to not hold some grudge against Hawk Moth as well. And if she thought she knew who he was…

Well, if all else had failed her, there was no reason at that point not to try to reveal it.

“It would explain her connection to Gabriel Agreste as well.” Marinette reasoned. “He was a known recluse for a year before Adrien started school. He would keep Adrien from any events. Refused to let his friends come to visit him or for him to visit them. And wouldn’t even let Adrien have a birthday part.” She frowned, tapping her chin.

“So why would a man like that who is so protective of his son trust some random teenage girl with Adrien’s well being? Especially one he has never met who lied to his staff, forced her way into his home, manipulated his son into a photo op,” Not that she was bitter of course, “…and snuck into his personal office?”

Fu frowned, considering her words. “That is strange.”

“Exactly!” Marinette said, pushing closer to the table in earnest. “Even if she didn’t know he was Hawk Moth at the start, she still tried to get to him because of his control over Adrien. It was a connection she knew she could use, so it would benefit her. Which is Lila’s MO.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

She shook her head. “But this would explain why he would seemingly trust her. If he was Hawk Moth, that means he akumatized her before. Three times, even!”

Fu nodded. “The powers of the Butterfly would have let him know what she was like. If she was a willing assistant as Witch Hunter’s scroll proclaimed, he would have known.”

Tikki gasped. “It could also explain the mass akumatization when you had gotten expelled!”

Marinette gripped the table in growing anger. “They must have planned it! How else would he have known to have it ready?”

“Calm yourself, Marinette.” Fu reached out to place a hand over her own. “This is a good theory, but you don’t want to open yourself to an akuma. Especially not after everything that has already happened today.”

She wilted at that. “You’re right, Master. I’m sorry.”

“That is all right.” He assured her with a kind smile. “It is healthy to feel emotions, but you cannot let them overcome you.”

“But…” She hesitated. “Do you think I’m wrong?”

He paused for a moment, thinking it over as he took a sip of tea. “I had suspected once before that whomever had the Grimoire likely had both the missing Miraculous as well. After Gabriel Agreste had been akuamtized, I had wondered as you did whether it was simply coincidence.”

“Because the Butterfly user can’t akumatize himself, can he?” She asked.

He gestured to the tablet containing the translated Grimoire. “Normally, I would say not. But as you have learned, there are ways around any barrier. And as coincidences increase, at some point, we must ask how many coincidences are necessary before something is proven true.”

He smiled. “One such coincidence may be that he had the lost Grimoire. But another may be how convenient it was that he should be akumatized immediately when anyone may be suspecting him after its loss.”

She frowned, uncertain.

“Let us think on it for now, Marinette. And it will be best if we keep an eye on both Gabriel Agreste and Lila Rossi in the meantime.”

“Yes! Thank you, Master Fu!” She nodded before getting up and heading to the door.

“Goodbye, Master! Goodbye, Wayzz!” Tikki chimed before she flew into Marinette’s purse.

As Marinette walked down the street towards home with Tikki in tow, she continued to think over things. What she had learned. What Master Fu had told her. What she had experienced throughout the day.

“Oh!” She gasped as she realized something.

“What is it, Marinette?” Tikki asked from within the opening of the purse. They were mostly alone for the moment, so they could afford to speak if they did so quietly.

“Something I’d been meaning to ask you.” Marinette told her. “What happened with Lila today? The Cure normally fixes things to how they were before the akuma, so why was Lila covered in a full body rash?”

“The Cure sometimes acts in mysterious ways.” Tikki replied.

Marinette frowned. The answer was obviously vague. And Tikki’s refusal to meet her gaze indicated she knew more than she was letting on.

“Tikki…”

“Oh, look at the time! You should be getting home, Marinette!”

“TIKKI!”

__________________

Rose looked over her draft for what had to be the thirtieth time.

Excessive, maybe. But she wanted to make sure she was doing it right.

Ali,

I do not know if you will read this letter, or if it has even been permitted to reach you. At the very least, I am hoping for a chance to tell you from the bottom of my heart:

I am sorry.

While I had never meant to harm you, it doesn’t change the fact that you were harmed. And this harm could have been prevented had I been more cautious.

I could come up with any number of reasons as to why I chose to put my trust in the wrong person. The girl I had thought was promoting this charity was my friend. I wanted to believe the best in my friend. But that is no excuse.

If I truly had respect for you as a friend and as your station of Prince, I should have done my due diligence in ensuring the honesty of anyone I trusted. Especially before I tried to encourage you to trust them as well.

You were right. It was foolish of me.

From your perspective, it must have seemed as a sign that I did not take your friendship seriously. And I am deeply ashamed that I ever allowed that impression to anyone, but to you most of all.

If you choose not to forgive me, I understand. But I at least want you to know that I am going to make this right.

I am pursuing legal options against the girl in question. I do not know how much we will be able to see returned, but I fully intent to refund the donations to you and everyone else who had trusted me to do the right thing.

This may not fix anything. And you do not owe me anything from it. But I hope I can at least try to make up for my mistake and be the person you believed me capable of instead of the fool she turned me into.

Thank you for everything,

Rose

She took a breath.

Okay.

This was it then.

Any last words? Any final changes? Any regrets?

…no.

She shut her eyes and clicked ‘send’.

And finally exhaled. With the air, she breathed out all of her anxieties, fears, and doubts.

She had done what she could.

She was doing what she can.

That was…that was all anyone could expect of her.

All that she could expect of herself.

…

…

…

That didn’t make it not ache though.

But there was nothing for it now, she realized as she turned away from her computer to go to bed.

She wanted to fix things. Desperately so. But she couldn’t force Ali to accept her apology and forgive her anymore than she could force Lila to be honest.

Rose curled up under her covers and hugged her pillow close.

It was a small comfort. But one she was going to allow herself.

She hoped for the best. She always did.

But even if he didn’t…she would move forward and continue doing good. Just as he inspired her to.

She just…

A couple tears fell.

She had just wished he would be around to see it.

It would take another hour before she would fall asleep.

…

…

…

It would be another three hours before an email alert came up on her computer.

__________________

Ugh.

Lila fell onto her bed, huffing angrily.

This whole day sucked.

She was attacked by an akuma. Everyone turned on her. Hawk Moth was going to let her die. And even when everything was saved, everything was ruined.

Thanks, Rose. Thanks, Hawk Moth. Thanks, Ladybug.

And now she was stuck here in Paris and couldn’t even get away from any of it!

She groaned into her pillow. She couldn’t be too loud, though, as her mother was being annoyingly alert and “keeping an eye on her” now. The last thing she needed was to give her reason to suspect something was up and cause her to come barging into her room.

There was no escape this time. Not now that everyone knew.

She’d still have to deal with her class. Even worse, she’d have to see Adrien and Marinette making eyes at each other.

She’d still have to deal with the school. And now that they knew what she did, she wouldn’t be getting away with anything again.

She’d still have to deal with Hawk Moth, and his akumas would still be a risk for her, as well. She wouldn’t put it past him to try to take her out. What little power and control she had was gone now.

And worst of all…

…Ladybug.

That measly little bug and her damn threat against her. To follow her. To keep an eye on her. To be her…special friend.

Like she would really do that.

Lila turned over in her sheets, settling into her bed and getting comfortable.

Or trying, at least.

Something felt off. She just didn’t know what.

She glanced around her room. It was much more barren now since her mother had cleared out a lot of her belongings. Her laptop and cellphone were gone, as was the limited light they provided in the dark.

She huffed and turned over to face away from the door.

Half asleep, she glanced out the window.

Two glowing blue orbs were staring back.

She screamed.

__________________

A creak of a window opening and closing.

A giggle.

“Huh? Tikki? Zzat you?”

“I’m fine, Marinette. I was just checking on something.”

A yawn.

“What was it?”

Another giggle.

“Nothing important.”

Two blue eyes sent a glare out into the city.

“Nothing at all...”

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Chapter 3: Happy Little Accidents (Identities)

Prev

AO3

@maribat-bdbwm

Marinette stared at the man in front of her, trying not to let her jaw drop. Sure she’d seen pictures of Bruce Wayne last night, Adrien made sure she was well educated on the man’s less than ideal fashion choices. But his choice of a sharp suit or his eyes that too closely matched hers weren’t why her jaw dropped. No, her jaw dropped because-

“Batman!” She says, in a wonderful moment of word association added to the man’s height and build. Mr. Wayne’s eyebrow quirks up and Marinette’s face instantly turns bright red as she hears the snickers of her classmates around her. Marinette immediately wishes that they would have left her and gone back to the bus without her, but no such luck. Instead they got to see her embarrass herself in front of her bio dad for the first time. Not that they knew that, but still. It was the principle of the thing. 

“I-” Mr. Wayne starts, but she cuts him off. 

“Oh, no, oh my god, I’m- no, I’m so, so sorry. I just, you’re- and you- and well yesterday, um, so I just, you seemed really familiar and I saw Batman yesterday so I said it and I shouldn't have and I'm so sorry I'm just freaking out cause my bi- ohhhhh….I mean-” Marinette rambles on, her blush darkening as she tries and fails to let out a coherent sentence in front of the man. She’s mercifully saved by the sharp blare of an akuma alert, the phones of every one of her classmates blaring at the same time. Mr. Wayne and the other employees in the lobby of Wayne Enterprises look confused, but Marinette is relieved. 

“What-” Mr. Wayne tries to ask, but is cut off yet again. 

“Oh well that’s not good gotta go call Paris-bye!” She yells, rushing away from the group and towards the bathrooms. She groans at the look Kaalki give her when she opens her purse. 

“That was a disaster.” They say simply with an unamused face. Marinette groans again. 

“Please don’t remind me. Tikki, spots on! Tikki, Kaalki, unify!” Marinette yells before calling a portal and falling into Paris, the awkward situation pushed to the back of her mind while she pours her focus into her Ladybug duties. 

---

Bruce Wayne was confused. And worried. But mostly confused. Or, the confusion overweighed the worry until he asked about the alarm on the French class’ phones. That’s when the worry began to take center stage. A supervillian? In Paris? For almost two years? Why was the League not informed? 

“Um, would you like to watch the battle, Monsieur Wayne?” A blonde boy asks, holding his phone out and rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous fashion. Bruce studies the boy for a moment and recognizes him as the one who hugged Miss Dupain Cheng the day prior. His daughter. Who is currently living in a city with a supervillain and no League intervention. Nodding, Bruce takes the phone and watches the battle, his horror growing. There was one hero, rushing around the scene, one of her pigtails singed and soot covering her face. What the hell kind of villain was this? And why did the hero look so small? Bruce flinches as the hero, Ladybug the comments called her, is thrown against a building roughly. He waits with baited breath until she stands back up, her face set in a grimace before she went on the offense with a vengenace. 

“Who is this villain? I’ve never heard of them?” Bruce asks Adrien, not bothering to look away from the fight. 

“I don’t know this one’s name, Akumas all have different names and powers.” Adrien replies. Bruce’ gaze snaps up to meet Adrien’s as his blood runs cold. All. As in, multiple. 

“How many villains?” He asks, thankful that his newly discovered daughter is currently in Gotham instead of Paris, a sentiment he never expected with the crime rates of his beloved city. 

“Oh, there’s only one villain. Hawkmoth. Akumas are just people who’ve had a bad day.” Adrien explains as if it’s a simple concept. 

“And what does that mean?” Bruce asks, feeling frustration creep into his neutral posture. 

“It means that what you’re seeing right now is a normal citizen who’s being controlled. Hawkmoth…. He has the power to control anyone who shows an extreme negative emotion. Heartbreak, anger, sadness, lonelines, anything negative can be used against you. We, Paris that is, don’t blame those who were akumatized. They can’t even remember what they did when they were under his control. It wouldn’t be fair to hold them accountable.” Adrien explains, and Bruce can’t help the feeling of complete and total helplessness that rushes over him. If he went to Paris, even with the intention of helping the hero in order to protect his daughter, he could become an even bigger obstacle. He could hurt her. He could hurt others. 

“Is that why the Justice League isn’t there?” Bruce asks, slightly amused at Adrien’s face rapidly changing from understanding to shocked. 

“I-um, probably? If you want more information, miraculousparis.org or the Ladyblog would be your best places for information.” Adrien offers. Bruce nods, mentally making a note to check out those sites later. 

“Very well. Thank you. I hope the rest of your trip to Gotham is enjoyable.” Bruce says, careful not to slip into a threatening tone. The boy hadn’t done anything to him, and while he might want to play the protective father, he knew it wasn’t his right. Not yet, anyways. Now he had a supervillain to destroy from behind the scenes. 

---

Opening a portal into her hotel room, Marinette sighs tiredly. The battle had been tiring, especially since she was on her own. Chat Noir had some kind of trip that he couldn’t get out of and had aplogized endlessly for it. She had reassured him that she could do it, but now… she knew she could do it but she really missed her partner. Letting both transformations drop, she sighs, relieved that the odd number of girls in their class allowed her to have her own room. Until a gasp filled her ears. She instantly shifts into a fighting position, shoulders tense as she stares at-

“Adrien?!” She yells in shock and confusion. What was he doing? In her hotel room? Without her? How did he even get a key? How was she supposed to explain this? Well, he did know the basics from his time as Aspik but-

“But you’re Multimouse!” Adrien yells before clapping his hand over his mouth, his cheeks instantly turning red. Marinette’s eyes widen. 

“How do you know about that?” She asks, panic rushing through her system. 

“Oh my god.” Adrien says, his eyes widening as he glances from Marinette to Tikki and back again. “Oh my god.”

“Please don’t tell anyone! I know you don’t owe me anything, but I just really don’t know if I can handle being the center of attention and then my family would be in danger and I know they wouldn’t approve because it’s dangerous and I-”

“THE TWO GIRLS I HAVE A CRUSH ON ARE THE SAME GIRL?” Adrien says, his eyes wide as he cuts off her rambling. 

“I- wait what?” Marinette sputters, completely shocked at this turn of events. 

“Well I’ve had a crush on Ladybug for forever and then like a month ago, I was talking to Plagg about how mad it made me that people weren’t listening to you and how hurt you were by the whole high road advice which was, honestly, not my best moment. And somehow, I started ranting about how pretty your eyes are and how kind and amazing you are and so then Plagg told me that that’s a crush, and I thought he was wrong. Until I saw you the next day and realized that he was right but then I felt bad because I felt like I was betraying Ladybug by having a crush on you instead, but Ladybug is you. Which makes sense, now that I think about it and-” Adrien’s cut off by Marinette covering his mouth with her hand, desperate to get him to stop talking. 

“Plagg?” She asks, jumping back from him as the Kwami flies out from Adrien’s pocket. 

“Good job kid, you broke pigtails.” He says, gesturing at Marinette who suddenly felt like the human version of the windows error screen. Could this trip get any weirder?

Next

Tag List: @vixen-uchiha @liquid-luck-00 @stainedglassm @jayjayspixiepop @jjmjjktth @mizzy-pop @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @waiting247 @laurcad123 @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks 

[missdawnandherdusk]

Together In Paris

Auror!Draco X Auror!Reader

Summary: Cliche mini-series: There was only one bed/fake dating

A/n: I have no idea where this came from but it’s beautiful and so soft and cute and ugh. I love you guys so much so let me know what you think as always!! Also this is 8k words because I have no self control at all.

“There has to be some mistake,” I gasped. “Harry, you can’t be serious!”

“I need this case in the hands of my two best Aurors, and that’s you and Malfoy,” Harry leaned against his desk, arms crossed.

Draco was very quiet and very still beside me. Where my anger was loud and biting, I could tell that his was cold and unforgiving.

“Okay, and I’m flattered, but Harry,” I dismayed. “This is a weekend in Paris for a couples retreat. What the bloody hell do you expect us to do there?”

“Act like a couple,” Harry said, as if it were obvious. And I wished that it wasn’t. “And bring in this potions smuggler,”

I huffed and stormed off, heading to my desk to gather what I needed for this god forsaken case. Stupid Harry. Stupid Malfoy. Stupid shiny shoes that were in my line of vision.

“Bloody hell, Malfoy,” I looked up, abandoning my spare anti-hex potions in their bottom drawer. “What do you want?”

“You act like I’m happy about this,” He snapped coldly. “I’d rather spend a weekend in Paris doing something enjoyable with just about anyone else.”

Fury burned in my heart as his words pierced it. I couldn’t deny that they stung a bit. Truthfully, Draco wasn’t the worst person to get stuck on a case with. Instead I was angry because Harry just assumed that I’d be okay with pretending to date someone, even for a case.

“Just what every girl wants to hear,” I snarled. “What do you want Malfoy?” I sighed, continuing to pack my bag.

“What time would you like me to pick you up tonight?” His tone was so polite that it had me reeling, abandoning my task of packing.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“The case, it starts tomorrow evening. I assume that you’d like to get there early and see what we’re dealing with? You have with cases before,” He gave in tidbit of knowledge so offhandedly that I almost missed how Draco had somehow managed to pick up on my habits.

“I... uh. Yeah,” I zipped my bag and slung it over my shoulder. “Is seven alright with you? I have a few things that I need to get in order before we head out.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven then,”

Deciding that the interaction with Draco was one of the weirder moments of my life, I prepared myself for a weekend filled with... coupling—ugh. I spent about an hour ranting to my empty flat as I packed a suitcase and garment bag, my more expensive dresses safely inside. I paused in the mirror and sighed wistfully. Coupled with Draco Malfoy. Yeah right. We weren’t even in the same spheres of influence. Our spheres didn’t even touch remotely.

Promptly at seven, my doorbell rang, and I could tell that Draco was eyeing my jeans and sweater skeptically. I seemed like a teenager standing next to his immaculate, no doubt tailored- to-him suit. Lost. Lost was a good word that fit. I seemed lost when I stood beside Draco.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” I sighed, letting him in so that we could apparate together.

I should have looked over the case notes a bit more. I would have dressed better if I had known Draco and I would be staying at the Ritz. I understood Draco’s look of contempt for my wardrobe earlier.

“Are you ready?” He asked again, softly.

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled settling into a fake persona that was desperately in love with Draco Malfoy. With the smile he returned, I could tell that Draco had done the same as he wrapped his arm around my waist. I tried not to gawk at the lavish lobby as Draco checked us in and I tried to also ignore the disapproving looks I got from the staff about my wardrobe. I stuck closer to Draco after one to many nasty stares.

French fell elegantly from his lips as he spoke to the receptionist. It escaped my mind that he could speak the language—it was probably one of the leading reasons that he was placed on this case: he could thrive without a translation spell. The small French woman made a remark that seemed to upset Draco, his words becoming harsh, his lip curling in anger. The woman started to stammer her words in what I assumed was apologies as she smiled nervously at me before pressing a key into Draco’s hands. A bellhop followed behind us with our luggage.

“What was that all about?” I asked Draco when we were alone in a imperial suite—either the Ministry had given Harry way too much power over funds or this had Malfoy written all over it.

“What was what?” Draco asked, drawing the curtains.

“The receptionist,” I gave, running my fingers over a marble statue of the Venus De Milo.

“Yes? What about her?” He raised an eyebrow at me, shrugging off his blazer and undoing his cufflinks.

“You snapped at her,”

“Ah,” Draco’s lips drew into a thin smile. “Well, I could hardly stand for her to be insulting the love of my life, now could I?” Sarcasm dripped in his tone as his smile became wicked.

“Oh, you stuffy people and your stuffy rules!” I dismayed. “Jeans are comfortable! So are sweaters!” I folded my arms childishly.

“I’m not arguing there, but Y/n, come on, at the Ritz?” Draco piqued an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know it would be here! Bloody hell, I would have dressed better if I knew!” It’s what I had been wanting to scream for the past hour that it felt nice to let the words finally leave my lips.

A chuckle fell from his lips as he sat at in a plush armchair, gesturing for me to join him. I sighed and sat in the adjacent chair, pulling my legs up onto the seat with me. If Draco disapproved, he didn’t voice his opinion.

“Now, before we begin,” His voice dropped into a formal tone, and I knew he was speaking about the case. “I need to know boundaries for you. Yes, we have to be a couple, but I don’t want to do anything that will make you uncomfortable or throw you off guard. I need you sharp and focused for us to do this case successfully,”

“That was... almost sweet,” I chuckled darkly.

My tongue darted between my lips as memories that I tried hard to keep locked down came resurfacing. It was another reason for my fury about the case. Harry knew that I had just gotten out of a toxic long-term relationship and I doubted he thought twice about my approval on the matter of this case. My eyes dropped to my lap; my eyebrows drawn together.

“Y/n,” He called softly, drawing my attention from my spiraling thoughts.

“Just...” I started. “I’m fine. Hug me, kiss me, hold me close, call me whatever, I don’t care,” The words were sharper than I meant them to be as I stormed out of the room and slammed whatever door was between us.

Leaning against the same door, fighting tears and the urge to apparate back home, my eyes settled on one large, silk draped, pillow lined, king sized bed.

“No,” I gasped. “No, no, no!” I screamed. “There is no way in hell!” 

“Y/n?” A soft knock was on the door behind me.

I yanked it open and met an anxious looking Draco.

“What the hell!?” I gestured wildly to the bed.

“Are you alright?” Draco neared me cautiously. “Are you sure you’re up for this case?” 

“Oh, don’t patronize me!” I snapped. “I’m just fine!”

“Then what in the world are you on about?” He folded his arms defiantly.

“The bed,” I hissed.

“Yes, what about it?” Oh, I wanted to punch him. 

“There’s only one.”

“Oh, she can count, the day is saved,” Draco rolled his eyes. “Yes, there’s one bed, do you think a couple would be sleeping in separate beds? We have a cover to keep,”

My face scrunched up in anger as I sighed and scrubbed my face, my resolve falling flat.

“Right, the case.” I nodded, putting on a false calm smile. “Any boundaries of yours I need to know about?”

Draco eyed me warily, and whatever he wanted to say died on his tongue as he regained composure.

“Just be polite. Formal. We’re... how did you put it? Stuffy people, not teenagers,” There was a small smile on his lips.

“Right,” I nodded and sighed. “I’m sorry I yelled at you,”

“It’s my fault, I should have warned you.” His tone was soft. “And I also should have mentioned that I fully planned on sleeping on the floor, or perhaps a couch. I’d never impose on your privacy like that.”

I thawed a little more and my smile became a bit more real. “Thank you, Draco,”

“I’ll... leave you alone. If you’d like to change, we can explore a bit, though it’s all about the same here,”

“You say that like you come to Paris for lunch,” I drawled. “Not all of us have been out of the country, Malfoy,”

“You’ve—” He backtracked. “You’ve never been to Paris?” 

“No?”

“Get changed,” He ordered. “Never been to Paris,” He scoffed, closing the door behind him.

 __________________________

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

“Harry,” Draco hissed, his eyes darting away from your retreating form.

“Can it, Malfoy,” Harry pushed off his desk and rounded it. “I don’t want to hear how you don’t want the case either,”

“Forget about me.” Draco nearly roared. “Don’t you understand how bad this is going to be for Y/n? How much this is going to hurt her?”

Harry looked dumbfounded. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you are so blind!” Draco distressed. “She just got out of a very unhealthy relationship not a month ago and you want her to pretend to be in love with someone else? Are you bloody mad?”

“It’s just one weekend,” Harry insisted.

“Oh, I pity the girl you take home,” Draco sneered. “I’ll do the case. For her sake.” 

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

Of course, Draco knew about your breakup. He worked with you for Merlin’s sake. He noticed when you were too quiet or skipped out on meals. Not that he ever meant to, but he liked his routine, and every other person in their rightful place as well. He noticed when a pattern was broken.

You were still a brilliant Auror despite it all. You smiled more. You actual made conversation with him now. He was happy for you. You seemed... free. Reanimated. He feared that this case would be the mental breakdown that everyone around you seemed to be waiting for. And Draco didn’t know if he was ready for that. He didn’t know if you were ready for that.

So, he’d be civil. He’d be a jerk if it meant sparing your feelings. He’d make this as easy as he could for you. He knew what it was like to need to break but terrified of the act itself. To hold his head high despite wanting to lash out at everyone and everything. And he had grown from it. Learned how to break in a healthy way. And how to pick himself back up.

It was about fifteen minutes before the bedroom door opened and you stepped out. Draco’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of you. Switching your jeans and sweater for an A-line black skirt that draped down your frame, paired with a white button up blouse, sheer thigh highs and a pair of heels in one hand and a Prada bag in the other.

“Is this okay?” You asked timidly. “I... I don’t really do this sort of thing,”

Your hair draped effortlessly down your shoulders, and light makeup that gave you an airbrushed look. An inviting look. Whatever made you think that you shouldn’t do this sort of thing needed to be stopped immediately because you looked wonderful.

“Draco?” You pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked a few times, recovering.

“Uh. Yes, that’s perfect,” He rushed out, your cheeks flushing pink. “Shall we?” He offered his arm.

Slipping on your heels, they clicked on the floor, a melody to the sharp sounds of his dress shoes harmonizing on the marble floors.

“So, you’ve never been to Paris?” He mused.

“No,” You looked down. “I’ve always wanted to travel but...” A sharp breath entered your glossy lips. “I guess I can now. Huh,” You smiled at the thought, holding your head high and Draco wondered if your ex-lover had prevented you from travelling. “So, this is Paris?” Your eyes flitted to the towering antique buildings, the smile remaining on your face.

“A small part of it,” Draco chuckled. “The night is coming soon, but if we have tomorrow, I’ll take you around the city,”

A laugh bubbled from your lips, a pretty sound that went with the flowers in the window boxes. The sun was setting and the streetlamps hanging their heads began to illuminate the Parisian streets. It gave the scene around them a softer look, painting you in a golden light.

“You know you don’t actually have to take me on a date,” You mused. “It’s just a case, Draco,”

“Case or not, I won’t have you in my city and not see some of it.” Draco decided.

“Your city?”

“You understand that I do have a summer home here, right?” He raised an eyebrow. “And this is where my family used to come on holiday? And that one of my best friends lives here?”

“Really?” Surprise flickered across your face. “Who?” 

“Pansy,” Draco smiled. “She moved here after...”

You nodded and your eyes traced to a small café and a couple sharing a soufflé on the patio. Your eyes dropped to the sidewalk under your heels, your smile falling.

“Would you like to get some dinner?” He asked softly.

“I... no thank you,” Your voice was quiet. “I already ate.” 

“Dessert then perhaps?” Draco tried. “Ever had crème brulee?” 

“Can’t say that I have,”

Your hand dropped from the crook of his shoulder as you wrapped your arms around yourself. He could see you shutting down at the thought and he wasn’t sure if he should keep pushing you or let you close yourself off.

“Don’t you think you deserve one? You’ve always wanted to come here, you’re here now. Don’t let him ruin it,” Scared he had overstepped his bounds as your silence dragged on, Draco began to grow more worried with each quiet second.

“You’re right,” You finally spoke. “I’m here now. I’m free to do as I please. And I really want to try a crème brulee,” There was a childlike smile on your face.

Draco led you across the cobblestone street to the small café that you had been eyeing earlier and swiftly ordered for the both of you in French as you got lost in the sights and smells around you.

Despite the later hour, the café was far from closing down. The waiter came with the assortment of bakery sweets that he had ordered, and you gaped at them.

“I thought we were getting one crème brulee,” You protested.

“Well, I figured you’d want to try a few other things as well. I know that you enjoy sweet things,”

Draco pushed the small dishes your way and watched you nibble your way through the pastries and desserts, hoarding the ones you enjoyed and passing to him the ones you didn’t prefer. You were lost in your own little world as you marveled at the Parisian pastries, particularly enjoying macarons—as well as your crème brulee.

“Thank you,” You looked down, a soft smile on your lips. “This was... really nice.” The dishes had been long cleared from the table and it left the pair staring that the stars through the shop window.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Draco offered his arm again and led you back towards the hotel.

There was only one bathroom in the suite, so Draco allowed you to use it first. In the meantime, he stood out on the balcony of the suite, overlooking the Paris skyline. It hadn’t changed much since he was a small child. The only thing that seemed to change massively was the one looking out. Draco didn’t know how long he stood there, pondering the stars, but your small voice pulled him from those thoughts.

He turned and you were back into your normal favored attire: cotton sweats and a sweater, thick socks on your feet and your hair in a messy ponytail. A smile touched his lips, because you looked just as wonderful like this.

__________________________

The girl in the mirror looked confused, but happy all the same.

“We’re just friends,” I told her. “That’s all I need. This is a case. This is a job, and Draco’s a friend.” She smiled back at me and nodded.

“Draco?”

He was on the balcony, lost in thought I supposed. He turned all the same, a soft smile on his face.

“I... I can take the couch if you want,” I offered. “I’m shorter than you... it’ll probably be a nightmare for you to sleep on the couch,” My gaze dropped as I shifted from foot to foot.

“Don’t worry about it,” Draco smiled, closing the French doors to the balcony and drawing the curtains. “I’ve done it before, I can do it again,”

“Oh,” I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that but brushed off the intrusive thoughts that threatened.

Since the bathroom was connected to the master bedroom, I perched on the bed, the bedside lamps on allowing me to continue my book. It was an old muggle classic that I found myself lost in. The bathroom door opened, and my eyes darted over to see Draco with damp hair in an old pair of Slytherin sweats and a V-neck. A small laugh escaped my lips at the sight.

“What?” He demanded.

“Nothing just didn’t expect to see you in Slytherin sweats, that’s all,” I closed my book, resting it on my lap.

“Oh, well.” He flushed slightly. “Goodnight,” 

“Goodnight,”

He closed the door behind him, and I stared at the ornate doors for longer than I cared to admit. Sighing, I pulled out the case file and began to comb through the details. Harry wanted us to find potions smugglers who sold to high-brow cliental. From Polyjuice potion to Death Draught. The next sale was supposed to go down this weekend here at the Ritz during a couples ball. There were no names given for the criminals, but a description: male, two meters tall, brown cropped hair, and green eyes.

There was something almost familiar about the description, but I couldn’t place it. Sighing, I set down the file and turned off the lights, settling in for a long day tomorrow. The oversized pillows and expensive sheets offered me no comfort. They were too cold, to silky. I craved my quilt from home and my cotton sheets.

Giving up on the notion of sleep, I threw off the covers and went to the closet. There I found a knitted blanket that was heavenly soft to the touch. Stripping the bed of the top sheet and duvet as well as most of the pillows, I curled up with the blanket and a couple pillows and chased sleep.

“What in Merlin’s name?” The voice was confused and loud for this early in the morning. “What did the pillows ever do to you?”

I blinked out of the warmth of my dream and into the crisp morning, face to face with a disheveled sleepy Draco Malfoy.

“What?” I sat up, scrubbing my eyes.

“The bed? Hell, if I knew you were going to demolish it, I would have said take the couch,” There was a slight smile on his face.

“Didn’t feel right...” I mumbled, hugging my knees. “I’ll... I’ll clean it all up.”

“Don’t bother, we’re paying enough, housekeeping can take care of it. I’ll ask if they can switch the sheets to cotton for you,”

“Oh, no. Please don’t cause any trouble on my behalf.” I stammered quickly. 

“It’s not trouble,” Draco smiled. “It’s their job, darling,”

“Doesn’t mean we have to make it harder.” I stumbled out of bed and grabbed my wand, casting a spell so that the bed remade itself. “Why are you up so early anyway? The sun is barely up.”

“Old habit,” he gave a tight smile. “Fancy some breakfast?”

“It’s too early to eat,” I grumbled. “Coffee however is necessary so lead the way, darling,” I drawled sarcastically, draping one of the hotel house coats around me to mirror Draco’s silk green one that he no doubt owned already.

Draco paused at the door.

“If you need an out. Or a break. At any time. Let me know and I’ll get you out.” His voice was careful and serious.

“I’m not going to break,” I refuted defiantly. “If that’s what you’re waiting for.” I pushed past him and out the door, down the hall and to the elevator. The ride was quiet and tense.

“I never meant to imply—”

“Just leave it.” I cut him off. “I haven’t had enough caffeine to deal with this yet.”

“I’m sorry,” Draco whispered as we exited the elevator and I wasn’t quite sure what he was apologizing for, but it thawed me out a bit.

Breakfast was tense and quiet as we ate in silence. Draco read the Daily Prophet and I continued on my book. We made polite conversation with passersby and smiled like we were in love.

And I was in love. With the China teacups and their gold leaf accents. With the rich foods served and the beautiful decor. I was in love with the lavish tablecloths and the fancy napkins. I adored the chandeliers and sconces and fresh flowers that were on every table. It was beautiful and I was in love with it.

It wasn’t fair that Draco looked at home among the beautiful things. As if he came with them. “Are you still wanting to see the city?” He asked cautiously when we were back up in the suite.

“If you’re willing to put up with me for the day,” a smile touched my lips. “I... I know I can be a handful.”

“All things considered,” he mused softly. “I think you’re doing wonderfully.”

I smiled and lingered a moment longer than necessary before heading to the master bedroom to change. Favoring for a pair of high waisted black slim pants and a cold shoulder emerald top, I decided I could have looked worse. Lacing up my boots I headed out to Draco who was laying down his collar. His eyes swept over my figure, leaving me slightly self-conscious as I braided my hair loosely.

“Here,” Draco reached into the nearest drawer and pulled out a black ribbon and passed it to me before reaching back into the drawer. “These are my mother’s, but I don’t think she’ll mind you borrowing them,”

He offered me a black velvet box and inside were nestled a pair of diamond earrings. 

“Draco, I can’t—”

“You can and you will,” he smiled. “You deserve it,”

I looked at the earring and my resolves crumbled as I put them on.

“Is this your suite then?” I mused.

“Took you long enough to figure that one out,” he chuckled.

“Should have known from all the green,” I teased back.

“It’s a regal color,” Draco insisted.

“Sure thing darling,” a chuckle left my lips as we headed out the door. 

“It is!” He tried again, causing me to laugh. 

_________________________________

Draco had been to Paris just about as many times as he had been to London. Perhaps the city lost some of its shine over the years. Maybe after the war the Paris lights didn’t look the same to him. Perchance he had lost his childlike awe of the historical envied city.

But you... you had never been to Paris. You have never walked along the Seine. You had never seen the Eiffel Tower, never browsed the art of the Louvre. You’d never stood under the light filtered through the stain glass of the Notre Dame. Your fingers never ran over the rough stone of the Arc de Triomphe.

Now you had.

“This was a very nice not date,” You smiled, sitting beside him on a bench watching the people of Paris below you from the top of the Eiffel Tower. “I can see why you keep coming back,”

“I haven’t been since the... since I became an Auror,” Draco’s eyes were trained on the horizon.

“Well... I’m glad you came.” There was a gentle smile on your face as he caught your warm eyes. “On the case, I mean.” You recovered and looked down at your hands. “I know this probably isn’t easy for you either,”

“It could have been worse,” Draco teased lightly. “I could have been stuck with Greengrass,” His words seemed to pull you from your moping thoughts as your smile returned.

“She’s a sweet girl, I’m sure you would have been fine.” You went back to fidgeting with your hands, your eyes dropping to them, “Besides who wouldn’t want to go undercover as Draco Malfoy’s significant other,” It was a sad sort of humor.

“You?” Draco pressed softly.

You gnawed on your lip, lost in thought as your eyes became glassy with unshed tears. “We should go,” You barely whispered, standing. “We have a banquet tonight at the hotel.” 

“Y/n,” Draco followed you to the elevators.

“What?” It was a bit more defensive now.

“I didn’t mean—”

“You don’t mean a lot of things, I know,” Your arms folded tightly across your chest, your head ducked down. “It’s fine, we have a case to do and a criminal to catch. You said it yourself, I need to be sharp and focused to do this successfully,” Your tone was clipped, and Draco was taken aback at your sudden change of attitude on a drop of a dime as his words came back to haunt him. “So, if you don’t mean any of it, then neither do I,”

Draco opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came. Your abrasive words sent him reeling. What had happened to the girl who was wonderstruck by the city? The girl who was amused at the street performers and the girl who smiled something carefree? Just when he thought the real you was free beside him, you caged her back again and locked him out, and he shouldn’t care, but he did. Because you were hurting. The same way that he used to.

But he had to admit that you were right, he had a case to accomplish. And if he wasn’t focused you could get hurt, he could get hurt, or the felon could slip through your fingers.

In his well tailor suit and his hair coiffed back precisely, he was ready to do everything and mean nothing. A cold mask that you mirrored as he met you in a deep navy draped silk gown, your heels in hand again. His heart didn’t mean to skip a beat.

Tucked against his side, smiling like you didn’t have a care in the world, he was quite glad that the other guests and staff didn’t expect much animation from him. It gave him time to keep an eye on you. He could schmooze with ease and little effort, and he soon learned that so could you. From the outside, you two looked perfectly smitten with another. Despite his many shortcomings, Harry was right, you two were perfect with this case.

But that’s not what held Draco’s main focus. Instead, it was the constant reminder that this meant nothing. Every gentle touch of your hand, every smile, every pet name, every laugh, every praise of him, every declaration of love, every concerned and caring word—they all meant nothing. It meant nothing to you. It was an act. A job. A case.

And he was losing focus.

Because though you had stumbled into his affluent world in jeans and a sweater, you were now at home among the wealthy wizards you now rubbed elbows with, possessing the grace and poise of someone who was brought up like he was. You knew how to use the silverware set before you. You knew proper etiquette.

“Miss Y/n,”

Amelia Bones, the former head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was sat at the banquet table along with you and Draco. You rose your head politely, nodding a hello.

“I’m surprised to see you so cozy with Mr. Malfoy, was it not a month ago you were engaged to another?” Her words seemed harmless, but Draco watched your smile become more forced as the breaths passed.

“My apologies,” Draco cut in coldly. “But I don’t see how that is any of your business,” 

“Oh, forgive me dearie, I meant no offense at all,” Mrs. Bones flutter her hand.

“Of course,” You smiled widely, “And yes, you’re correct, but well, since working with Draco it deemed nearly impossible not to fall for him,” The look you gave him made him lose focus completely. “And it was an arranged marriage, my parents offered me the option at the beginning of the war, and well, I had no reason to refuse,” Your hand slipped into his. “Until I met Draco that was,”

“Oh, isn’t that just lovely,” Mrs. Bones fawned to her husband beside her. “A real fairytale ending you have yourself Y/n, I’m sure others are just dying to be in your shoes,”

“I’m sure,” Your smile became forced again, but you held your composure.

But that didn’t mean that Draco didn’t commandeer the conversation to keep the attention off of you for the remainder of the banquet. You excused yourself slightly early, though it was a polite time to leave, nonetheless. Draco bid the folks he was talking to and followed you out.

He found you on the balcony, barefoot, your hair out of the tight bun it had been in, your dress still on. The stars stretched out before you over the rooftops of Paris, the Eiffel Tower illuminated in the distance.

“I told you, I’m fine,” Your words were barely audible.

“I didn’t say anything,” Draco retorted, slipping off his blazer and tie.

“You were thinking it,”

He smiled as he came beside you, leaning against the railing.

“Maybe I was,” He sighed softly. “Regardless, you’re my partner on this case, and I dare say you’re a friend of mine. I’d like to know if you’re okay. It’s what friends do,”

A sigh escaped your lips as your eyes lifted from your hands back to the skyline blinking back tears.

“Friends,” You muttered weakly. Not that he liked the word much either, but he’d take it to keep you close.

“I... I know that we—I haven’t had much luck at this, but if... if you need someone to...” Draco trailed off, shaking his head. He knew it was a lost cause. He knew that you didn’t mean anything.

Again, you were quiet. He turned to leave, but you spoke up.

“He was supposed to be my happily ever after,” The words were soft and sad. “My prince charming come to save me.” Draco paused and turned back to you; his brows furrowed. “All this time I thought he’d save me... but I ended up saving myself, and him.” You went from facing the city to facing him, “And he refused to save himself. And made me feel terrible for saving myself... for becoming someone new... someone stronger.”

“You... seemed happier after...” Draco spoke carefully.

You nodded. “Everyone was waiting for me to break. To cry... go off the wall... and sometimes I wonder why I don’t. Why I can’t.” You turned your head to the side. “Sure, I get snappy... and the nights haunt me... but to cry? To miss someone who drained me?” A shrug fell from your shoulders. “I can’t do it...” A pause. “Maybe I am broken. I can’t even break properly.”

“No one said you had to break,” Draco took a careful step forward. “No one said you had to cry.” 

“But shouldn’t I?” There were tears in your eyes now.

“No,” Draco shook his head softly. “Breaking hurts, and it seems like you already have. Now you’re just picking up the pieces where you can,”

You mulled over the thought and nodded, facing the city once more.

“They always talk about the one who got away, but they never ask her why she left, do they?” The question was gentle from your lips as Draco left you alone to think. He was sure that he wasn’t meant to hear it, but he did.

____________________________

The cotton sheets of the king-sized bed that night welcomed me. The bedding had changed drastically, from silks and down feathers to cotton and quilted blankets. They were still green and gold, but it was an improvement as I stared at the paintings on the walls and ceiling. Despite the change in sheets, sleep still eluded me. Frustrated this time, I slipped on the housecoat and quietly opened the bedroom doors.

Only to find Draco awake with the light on, reading. I almost wanted to smile at how he was draped over the couch in sweats and nothing else, looking at home among the lavish furnishings. He looked up from his book.

“Can’t sleep,” I confessed, leaning against the door jam. “Thanks for the sheets and stuff though...”

“Is there something I can do?” He asked softly, setting down his book, sitting up.

“Got any Sleeping Draught on you?” I asked hopefully.

“Afraid not,” He pursed his lips.

Moving to the adjacent chaise lounge, I curled up under the throw blanket, running the golden fringe through my fingers.

I wasn’t aware of when I had fallen asleep. I was barely aware being carried to the lavish bed and tucked in. I was aware that I had moved when I awoke to the sun shining in through the curtains.

“Good morning,” Draco greeted as I exited the bedroom, dressed for the day.

The day was a quiet affair. Breakfast mimicked yesterday and lunch mirrored dinner last night. There was no time to go out on the city today, not with the masquerade ball tonight. This was the entire reason for this weekend in Paris. To get into this ball and catch the convict. It took the two hours that it took to get ready to remind myself that this was a case, and not a fairytale ending. I didn’t get those.

Draco escorted me down to the ballroom, commenting on how beautiful I was. I let the compliment roll off my shoulders though I desperately wanted to cling to his words. Words that he didn’t mean.

It didn’t seem fair that the entire Ritz hotel was something out of a fairytale and tonight I was required to pose as the perfect princess, though I felt far from it. My only relief was that my eyes were hidden behind a mask. No one would see accidental tears. I had told Draco that I didn’t need to break, but this might just break me.

An hour slipped by of talking and schmoozing other guests before Draco led me to an adjacent standing table, offering me a haven from the prying eyes and whispers.

“Would you care to dance?” Draco offered his hand, smiling, as the next waltz began from the live quartet.

“We don’t have time to dance,” I retorted. “We’re on a case here,”

“It’s just one dance,” He rolled his eyes, his hand sliding to my waist, ready to escort me.

“You need to focus on this case Draco,” I snapped. “We need to catch this guy in case you’ve forgotten.” I didn’t mean for the words to be so harsh.

“Of course,” His hand dropped from my waist, “If you’ll excuse me,” Draco said quietly. 

“Dray, wait, I didn’t mean—”

“I’d know those lips anywhere,” A familiar voice purred from behind me.

“Dean,” My breath caught in my throat as I turned, wishing I hadn’t just sent Draco off.

“And I thought he’d never leave.” Dean grinned. “I gotta say, didn’t think you’d move onto some stiff like Malfoy, and so soon. Does he know he’s a rebound?”

“Oh, fuck off,” I muttered, taking my clutch and walking away from him, scanning the crowd for Draco to no avail.

Dean grabbed my arm and spun me back, a dangerous look in his eyes. He pulled me to a quiet corner of the ballroom.

“Let go of me,” I shook him off, drawing my wand.

“Now, now, wouldn’t want to cause a scene, now would we?” His smile became predatory. “There are quite a few important Muggles in the crowd tonight,”

“You’re a bastard, you know that?” I hissed.

“Such naughty language in front of such high paying cliental.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “It’s you,” I breathed out. “You’re the seller,”

“In the flesh, sweetheart,” His green eyes held danger. “What, didn’t expect me to move onto something better? Like you went off and did anything valuable with your life after me, not that Malfoy is much of an improvement.”

I hid my surprise well: he didn’t know that I was an Auror. He didn’t know about the case. Now all I had to do was get him away from harming anyone and pray that Draco would find me to help detain Dean. But to get Dean away from these people, I was going to have to break. Hard.

A perfect masquerade to be someone that I wasn’t. Someone that Dean wanted me to be. Someone who would break my heart.

“Tell me about,” I smiled sweetly, “Maybe I’ll ditch the stiff.” My eyes scanned over Dean in false want.

“So, you realize that leaving me was a mistake,” Dean tilted his chin back.

“Since the moment I walked away,” The lie weighed heavy on my tongue. “Please De,” My hand trailed up his arm.

I could feel my heart splintering. 

_______________________________

“Not to alarm you Mr. Malfoy, but it seems that your lady is being entertained by another young man,” Mrs. Bones spoke softly. “They just left out the side door,”

Draco snapped out of his self-pity party as he scanned the crowd for you, his anxiety and adrenaline spiking. You had found the convict.

“Thank you,” Draco gave curtly, untying the mask from around his head and as soon as the door closed behind him, he took off running, wand out, desperate to find you.

He heard soft voices in coming from an adjacent sitting room and cautiously hovered outside the door.

“Remember this?” The voice was low and husky, and one he didn’t recognize. 

“Yes,” Your breathy voice came in response.

A thousand thoughts ran through Draco’s mind and for a moment he thought that you really had run off with someone else. That you hadn’t found the felon, but rather someone to... He didn’t want to finish the thought.

“Say it,” The first voice demanded.

“I’m s-sorry,” Your voice whimpered. “I’m sorry I ever left you. Draco... he—he’s nothing compared to you,” Fear and tears were mixed with your voice and Draco had a very good idea of who was in there with you.

Call it jealousy, or his job, Draco burst into the room, finding you pinned against the wall, hands above your head held there by a young man whose lips were pressed to your neck, making you whimper and squeeze your eyes shut. A man with green eyes and brown cropped hair. Their target. And you had found him. And he seemed to know you. Very well.

Then it clicked. The criminal was your ex-lover. Of course, it was. When Draco saw Harry again, he was going to sock him a-la-muggle.

You look absolutely terrified when Draco caught your eyes. Your mask was gone, and you looked disheveled and defeated.

“I was hoping you’d show Malfoy,” An amused smile curled on the target’s lips as he let you go. You fell to the floor, caught off balance.

“Don’t hurt him,” You pleaded, picking yourself up, and Draco didn’t know if you were talking to him or the target.

“You’re not in a place to bargain, sweetheart,” The target snapped. “Auror Malfoy. Here to turn me in I suppose?”

“After I beat the hell out of you, yeah, it’s on my list of things to do,” Draco snarled. 

“What? For taking your girl from you?” The target laughed. “She was never yours.” 

“She might not be mine, but she sure as hell doesn’t belong to you either,”

“I’m afraid she does,” The target grabbed your arm and jerked you in front of him, creating a shield between he and Draco with you. “And you obviously care for her, so here’s what’s going to happen.” The man drew his wand and held it to your throat. “You’re going to let me make the deal I need to, and then I’m going to take Miss Y/l/n here and leave,”

Draco glowered, his mind racing to figure out how to get you safely out of this. He could see you trembling, your eyes refusing to meet his.

“Dean, please,” You whimpered, curling yourself into his arms.

Your arms draped around the target’s—Dean’s shoulders as you whispered soft things into his ear that made Dean grin and Draco’s blood boil. How could Dean not see how uncomfortable you were? How you shied away from him? Draco’s grip on his wand tightened.

He watched as your lips pressed to Dean’s neck, your hands trailing down his ill-fitting polyester suit as you slinked your way around the felon, distracting Dean long enough that Draco was able to throw a Full Body Bind at him.

“You bitch!” Dean roared.

“You’re the bitch here,” You snarled. “How in a million years could you think that I would want you?” Seething you rounded your frozen ex, wand drawn. “I did do something with my life you asshole! I’m an Auror! And a damn good one!”

“You never had the guts,” Dean barked a laugh.

“On the contrary,” Draco grinned. “She’s the best one we’ve got,”

“You two set me up!”

“Duh,” You laughed, tucking away your wand.

Draco wanted to warn you about the dangers of the deed, but you surprised him and drew back your fist, landing it squarely on Dean’s nose.

“That’s for assaulting me!” Another to his jaw, “That’s for using me!” One more to his cheek, “And that’s for coming back into my life,”

You turned and walked away from Dean, leaving him bleeding, still petrified. Draco caught your hand before you stormed out of the room.

“I’m fine,” You shrugged him off.

“No, you’re not,” Draco refuted.

“Awe, trying to play hero, now?” Dean jeered.

You froze under Draco’s touch, squeezing your eyes shut, your jaw clenching.

“She doesn’t need a hero,” Draco let you go and faced Dean. “She picked herself back up and walked away from a lowlife like you. You were so wrong to ever assume that she needed to be saved.”

There was a knock on the door. 

______________________________

I was still trembling. It had been about two hours since Dean first touched me. First shoved me against a wall and forced his lips on mine. From when I had first started to shatter.

In that time, Mrs. Bones had intervened and called backup to detain and court away Dean to Azkaban, the room had been cleaned of any trace of our battle, and Draco and I were alone in the suite, for one last night before we left.

We hadn’t spoken a word since the fight and the tension between us was tangible. Curled up in a deck chair, I desperately tried to rid my mind from Dean and the feeling of his hands on me, his lips on my skin, his whispered words. I shouldn’t be afraid. Not like this. I was an Auror. I was independent and strong.

But hell, I was breaking. Fast and hard.

Draco knocked on the balcony door, drawing my attention. I looked to him, hopeless and terrified. He offered his hand, an invitation, a call. I rose, my resolve fading as I ran into his arms, breaking down in tears. His arms wrapped around me, cradling me to his chest. I frantically grasped at his white button up, trying to ground myself.

Draco gently tugged me to the floor, still cradling me in his arms.

“I—I’m sorry,” I cried out. “I... he... I thought I...”

He shushed me softly and rubbed my back softly. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” 

“I didn’t mean it,” I gasped out through tears. 

“I know,” His tone was somber.

But though the night dragged relentlessly, it was not the worst night of my life. I took comfort from that. And I was not alone. There was a great deal of comfort in that, too.

My hindsight seemed unbearably clear tonight. I could see every mistake I’d made, every bit of harm I’d done, the small things and the big things. Each pain I’d caused Draco, each wound I’d given myself, stacked up into neat piles that I could not ignore or deny.

And I realized that I’d been wrong all along about wanting to be alone. It had not been Draco and I that I’d been trying to force apart, it was the two parts of myself, the one who craved a companion and the one who was independent and free. But they didn’t know how to exist together, and I should have tried harder to figure it out.

I’d done so much damage.

Draco said little; he just held me on the floor and let me ruin his shirt, staining it with saltwater. At some point a blanket was draped around my shoulders and I was too miserable to figure out where it came from.

It took longer than I thought it would for that smaller, broken part of me to cry herself out. It happened, though, and I was eventually exhausted enough to sleep. While I slept, I felt warm, protected, comforted. I didn’t feel alone.

In the morning, I saw the reason why. It was one of the reasons that had me terrified in the beginning of this entire case:

There was only one bed.

And I wasn’t alone.

Epilogue:

“I did apologize right?” I asked again sheepishly.

“And I told you, you have nothing to apologize for,” Draco smiled. “It’s what friends are for Y/n,”

I smiled at the word. Friends. It was the solution to my dilemma. The part of myself that craved a companion but satisfied the girl with dreams and freedom. It was in front of me the entire time. I wished I had realized sooner, and maybe this weekend would have been different, but friends... more than friends, whatever we were or weren’t, Draco had decided to stand by me regardless, and I was grateful.

“Y/l/n, Malfoy, how was Paris?” Harry asked offhandedly as we reported to him Monday morning.

What I wasn’t expecting however, was Draco grabbing Harry’s collar and decking him.

I covered my mouth, trying to conceal a laugh but failed miserably.

“What the hell Malfoy?” Harry sputtered, holding his bleeding nose.

“You wanna know who was dealing those illegal potions?” Malfoy snarled. “Her ex. And you sent her into this weekend blind,”

Harry’s eyes widened in shock as he stammered out apologies.

I rolled my eyes and left the office, a warm smile on my face. Draco walked beside me.

“You didn’t have to do that you know,” I muttered. “Is your hand alright?”

“I know how to throw a punch and not injure myself,” Draco rolled his eyes at me. “And I’ll take any chance I can get to punch Potter in the face,”

I laughed as we apparated to Paris for lunch.

.

Tags: @coffee-addicti @msmcsmutt @ravn-87 @artemismohr18@whygz @crazywritingbug @fuzzy-panda @bitemebro522@zombiesnips-blog @savingdraco@welcometomyworldwithoutrules @akari180 @slytherin-emerald@memalfoy-spidey @queenfeatherwings @fanficflaneuse @go-whovian-universe @spicyshenanigans @darling-im-not-okay-i-promise  @dietkiwi @katsukink @takemetothekingdom @strangerr-things @tmnt-queen @hxneybgb @justsomerandomgur@belcvayelena @moviesbooksandfandoms @howdycharlie@xtrashmouthxtozierx @cocochanelthepupper @ninacotte@braelynn-j @jiggllyy @honeymarvel @darcypotter-blog@atomicpunkrock @thiccheerioss @lottie289 @boredashaeck@beautiful-pegasus @tceedlmao @deadlynyghtshayde@iconjuresnapeingrandmaclothes @anonymous034 @bi-andready-tocry @lunna-does-real-doodle @dragonsandbread  @okaydraco@the-queen-of-hell-things @cmxreader @alienmotel @oh-itsnothing @sunflowerxsadnessw @fattycooter @angelotakunerd08@thisisahugemistake @fanficsigottaread @gweaslvy@strawberriesonsummer @gaysludge @cleopatera @ray-of-sunrise@artist-bby @shadowsingeraxolotl @peters-legos@quillsareforwriting @ghostlytoadalmondhairdo​ @wollymalfoy​ @lilpieceoftoast​  @paper-cats​ @floweryjh​ @sdicapriox​ @slothgirl22​ @peachesandpinks​ ​ @hufflautia​ @livize75​ @annie-mcl​ @riathearora​ @live-like-luna​ @justathoughtfulangel​ @coconutdawn​ @skteaiy​ @wannabeskinny-thinspo​ @naughtygranger​ @queenofmankind​ @dragonsandbread​ @abundantxadorations​ @moony-artnstuff​ @myforeveryoungblog​ @and-then-a-girl-with-luv​ @1-800-luvsick​ @pandas-rice-field​ @strawberriesonsummer​ @jjustsomerandomgirl​ @mrvlfangirl3190​ @in-slytherin-we-trust​ @emmaa-t​ @introvertedrae​ @infinity1o1​ @stoleurmomsvan​ @echpr​ @sunkissed-hufflepuff​ @dekulover​ @marshmallowtraver​ @cereuselle​ @lonely-skywalker​ @xlosttdreamss​ @sleepysnapesnake​ @hoeforthefictional​ @coldlilheart​ @helen-paris​ @romance-geek​ @rosie-starlit-sky​ @californiaa-babyy​ @vulture-withafile​ @hogstupefy​ @littlepanda-love​ @eveft​ @iraniq​