#good talk chet (after he left)

[chetter-holmgren]

JDub and JWill did an ig live earlier, and Chet got on for just a few minutes, but the whole thing was gold (also feat. former Thunder legend Darius Bazley) 💙💙

[sondheim-girly]

my submission for day 4 of @outsidersweek! Thanks again to @walmartbrandwhatever for being my beta reader, and here's the masterpost for this fic.

September, 1967

Marcia

Marcia hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d just sat and watched the movie with Cherry and those two harmless greaser boys. However when Trip saw her sitting with them, he didn’t think of it that way. It seemed as though every other day now they found something to be arguing about, it didn’t matter what it was. It was exhausting, and sometimes Marcia wished she could just break it off. But when they weren’t in an argument, he treated her like a queen. In those moments she was so in love with him that it made up for everything else. It was this endless cycle, going back and forth and never ever breaking. 

So, when he saw her with those two boys and got mad, fixing things was simply second nature. She knew exactly how to shower him with affection, apologies, and kisses, until he forgot why he was even mad in the first place. Once she finally managed to get Trip to calm down, his attention turned over to Cherry, who was still hanging out with one of those greaser boys. 

“What is she doing walking around with that greaser kid?” Trip scoffed, his eyes trailing Cherry and her unlikely friend as they walked away from the concessions stand. “I can’t believe her.” 

Marcia hated when Trip got like this, just itching for a fight. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t even spend one calm night together. But she just sighed, and gently placed her hand on Trips cheek, attempting to bring his eyes back to her. 

“Trip calm down, they aren’t doing anything wrong,” Marcia tried to keep the exasperation from her voice.

“I’m sure Bob would disagree,”

“Well that's on Bob then! He ran off and left her alone, it’s not her fault.”

“It is her fault, she was flirting with Chet,”

“She was talking with Chet! Trip, please just leave it.” Marcia urged, running her hand through Trips' hair. He finally let out a resigned sigh, and gave into her. 

Two-Bit

Two-Bit was no stranger to flirting with girls. He did it all the time, in fact. It never felt like something that was a big deal to him, probably because the only girls he flirted with were simply looking for a distraction that neither of them cared about. And Two-Bit didn’t mind that. He liked the little flings! He liked the soc girls who’d engage with him for a minute, just for a thrill, before running back to their friends and forgetting it had ever happened.

Yet this was never the case with Marcia. He wasn’t sure why it was so different, why they’d made a connection that day at the drive-in, like an invisible string pulling them together. But after that day it seemed any time they were both at the drive-in, sequestered into their separate areas with their friends, they’d always find some way to flirt. Being next to each other in line at the concession stand, or sneaking glances any moment they could without their friends noticing. An idiotic idea if Two-Bit were being honest with himself, because he just knew the moment her boyfriend noticed, Two would be as good as dead. But he didn’t stop, and neither did she.

He was just musing on this while sitting in the back of the drive in, when he heard some sort of commotion going on. 

“CHERRY!” An angry voice shouted, “what the hell are you doing hanging around this ignorant piece of shit!?”

Two-Bit jumped up to see a drunk boy yelling at a pretty redhead, and across from the redhead? The youngest Curtis. Two raced over to Pony’s side in an instant.

“Is there a problem, Robert?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“You greasers don’t know where your damn place is. Opie Taylor here was moving in on my lady.”

“We were just talking,” Pony retorted. His face was cold, but Two knew him well enough to see how uncomfortable he was.

“you were just talking?” Bob looked over at Cherry. “Is that what that was?” He asked, as he made his way over to his girlfriend. “Cherry, get in the car.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Cherry asked quietly,

“Enough to know we’re done here.” He responded. Cherry shook her head and stepped back.

Two-Bit didn’t quite know why he kept on getting involved, but his mother had always taught him to treat women with the utmost respect, and seeing mr. prom king yell at that girl fired something up inside him. “It’s pretty clear the lady doesn’t want to ride with you… prom king,” he interjected with a laugh.

Bob stared at Two-Bit in disbelief. “You wanna fight? Just me and you? ” Bob challenged, taking off his pristine letterman jacket and handing it to his girlfriend without even glancing at her. His friends all started to gather around closer. “Man to man?” 

Two-Bit wasn’t one to chicken out of a fight, and definitely not one with some soc who’s drunk out of his mind, but there was something nagging at the back of his brain knowing that Marcia was standing there, watching him. He couldn’t help but take a moment to consider what she’d think if he fought Bob. He remembered a few weeks back when she’d gotten into an awful fight with her boyfriend because he showed up to the drive-in all busted up. He could still hear her voice yelling that she didn’t want him to get into fights. Against his better judgment, he glanced over at her. She had done a double take when she saw that he was looking at her, and her hazel eyes were begging something from him. He snapped his gaze back down to where Bob had drawn a line in that gravel before he could give her a moment's more thought.

 “Step up to the line, sugarbush,” Bob said. Two hesitated, but he heard those boys making fun of him, and Two-Bit Matthew’s had never been afraid of a fight. It didn’t matter what some pretty girl thought about it, she had a boyfriend, and she’d stay with that asshole no matter what he did. Two dropped his can of beer in Ponyboy's hands and raced towards Bob, but he stopped when he heard a loud interjection.

“Enough!!! I’m not going anywhere with anybody!!” Cherry yelled,

“Sherri Elaine Valance, get in the car!” Bob yelled, shocking Two-Bit. Calling his girlfriend by her full name? That was sure to help. 

“Bob, we’re done,” Cherry said, throwing his letterman jacket at Bob's feet. There was a pause, palpable tension rising through the air.

“What do you mean we’re done? What does that even mean?” Bob protested,

“It means she’s done Bob!” Marcia yelled.

“Eat shit Marcia!” Bob retorted, and Two-Bit was feeling more ready than ever to put this motherfucker in his place.

“Stop it! Just stop! It’s over, ok Bob? This is over!” Cherry repeated. Bob just looked at her in shock.

“Did you just break up with me?” he asked in disbelief. “Is that what just happened? Cherry, get in the car. Now!” He moved towards her threateningly with a final dangerous plea. Cherry crossed her arms and planted her feet, and Two-Bit couldn't help but admire her stubbornness. 

Bob looked at her for a last moment, before turning back around and coming at Two-Bit for a fight. Two just shoved him away, and he was close enough to see that alongside all the anger, there was heartbreak in Bob's eyes.

Marcia

“You’re fucking dead, loser!” Bob yelled at that kid, Ponyboy. Marcia wished she could move, but Trip had been holding her back the entire time, his arm snaking around the front of her waist. Bob was finally leaving, their friends started following suit. Other than, of course, Cherry. Marcia still couldn’t believe Cherry’d finally had the guts to break it off with Bob. She knew how much Cherry loved him, but she still couldn’t help but think that this was a long time coming. Trip grabbed Marcia’s hand and started dragging her behind him to follow their friends, snapping Marcia back to reality. She tore her hand out of his, stepping back. He stared at her for a moment, and she wondered if he’d have the nerve to start a fight. But maybe with the air of break ups flying around, he wasn’t in the mood to risk anything. He let her stay without a word. When Marcia turned away, Cherry was already making her way towards her. The two friends met, but Cherry's attention had turned on Ponyboy. She squeezed Marcias hand, then stepped away to go up to the boy. Marcia just stood there, stuck.

Cherry stayed over at Marcia’s house that night. At around 3am Marcia was sitting on her bed with Cherry, comforting the crying girl as best she could. Her mind wouldn’t stop going back to Two-Bit standing up for them. Well, certainly he was just helping out his friend, Ponyboy. But he’d helped Cherry as well, hadn’t he? She sighed. Why was that what she was worried about, when her boyfriend was probably mad at her, and he best friend was nursing a broken heart! Speaking of which, it seemed like Cherry had finally fallen asleep. Marcia lay her down, covering her with a blanket. Marcia stood up, her stomach in knots, and went down to the kitchen to make herself some tea. She had this feeling in her gut that something was wrong. She was proven right when she heard a frantic knock on her front door. She immediately ran to open it, confused and terrified about who could be at her house this time of the night. When she saw her boyfriend standing there, his face blank, it was like time stopped. 

She remembered him choking out what had happened. She remembered falling to her knees in horror. She remembered Cherry coming downstairs, having been woken up by the commotion. She remembered watching her best friend's face as Trip told her what had happened. It was something she never wanted to relive- she’d never seen grief like this. The screaming through the sobs was a sound Marcia was sure would stick with her for the rest of her life. She remembered holding her best friend as even more waves and waves of tears wracked her body. Trip stayed for a while, sitting with his back against the front door just staring ahead of him, unable to process what had happened. 

Something broke in all of them that night, Marcia thought. What do you do when a life is taken from you so soon, so quickly? He was only 17 years old. Marcia really hated him sometimes. The way he’d get drunk and get all the boys into trouble. His eyes had been like ice to Marcia, and he could be so rude. He used to try and get along with her, but eventually he gave up and either ignored her or was flat out mean. She knew he hadn’t deserved Cherry, but she also knew how much they loved each other. The way Cherry used to talk about him… and now he was gone. It didn’t matter that he could be so horrible, he shouldn’t have died. No one should die that young. 

Trip eventually left, without saying a word. But Marcia sat there, holding Cherry until the sun rose. 

[sparklingcid3r]

hellllooo i love all of ur hc nvr apologize for yapping tooo much bc these r so good it's amazing!!

what do you think pauls like post-darry was like? like when darry is officially out of his life and it's just bob and their new group of socs. do you think he really started to miss darry or was he so far gone w bob now?

Paul is so cooked fr we’re referring to him with the phrase “post-Darry” i love it. And ty anon i’m happy yall fw my silly goofy hcs<3

I’m of the belief that Darry is able to move on, but Paul never did, even if he thinks he did. He’s got Darry on his mind soooo often but he never talks about him to anyone, he’d rather die. Darry has people he needed to take care of like his brothers and the gang. It helped him not linger on Paul for too long since had to get up and go and not look back. Paul never had that. He had to do things the old-fashioned way like getting rebounds and listening to breakup music.

He fills in the hole Darry left behind with other Socs like Bob and Chet, but it’s not the same. Darry was to Paul what Pony was the Cherry. Darry was someone he could talk to and who would listen because chances are, he gets it, and if he doesn’t, he’s not the kind of person who would judge him. Greasers have a kind of unique freedom that Socs don’t, and Darry made Paul realize that, and after Darry leaves, he hates him for it.

[beauregardlionett]

we made peace with the empty hourglass (the word limit's gone and you came home)

AO3 Link

It wasn’t often that Fearne was the one awake and Orym the one out cold. Yet, here they were—Orym fast asleep with the fingers of one hand tangled in her leg fur, and Fearne on watch with Chetney. 

Since they had returned from Ruidus, Fearne thought they might catch a break, maybe travel on their own whims for a while with the chance to breathe. But they had been so busy, leaving almost no time to think or talk unless it was regarding their current goal. Earlier that evening, they had finally completed their latest mission after several grueling days of sleuthing and fighting. After all that, the party decided to extend their return journey so they could rest and relax for a few days.

Which landed them here, with Orym deeply asleep for once. Fearne had watched him wear himself to the bone, had borne witness to fresh scars and new fears that would never be addressed. She loved her little Halfling so dearly, but sometimes she wished he would let her protect him the same way he protected all of them. It seemed the least she could do was to sit sentinel over him like this while his guard was down.

The night was quiet—peaceful. Fearne drank in the steady melody of Chetney carving away at a new project, underscored by the soft, slumbering breaths of Fearne’s friends. However, beneath this gentle chorus, Fearne picked up on a sudden, discordant note.

Straightening, careful not to jostle Orym, Fearne’s ears flicked as her eyes scanned the shadowed trees beyond the light of their campfire. Chetney’s carving paused as he glanced up at Fearne in silent question.

Snap.

Fearne’s head whipped around, staring off into the shadows on her left. Chetney tracked the sound as well, eyes sharp and carving forgotten. His knuckles were white where he tightened his grip around his chisel.

She caught sight of movement just outside the glow of the firelight, and opened her mouth to call out, to scare off whatever or whoever dared approach them.

“Fearne? Chet?” 

Whatever Fearne was about to say choked off into a startled gasp, her heart leaping in her chest as the shadowed figure stepped into the light.

“Dorian?” Fearne said, voice thick with joyful disbelief. He grinned at her even as he pressed a finger to his lips, his gaze darting around to their sleeping companions. Dorian looked road weary, but otherwise unharmed. He looked stronger, too—a little sharper at the edges, more confident in the line of his posture.

Fearne had missed him so much.

“Holy crap,” Chetney breathed, grinning as he leapt to his feet and threw his arms around Dorian’s leg. “How did you find us, you little shit?”

Dorian laughed softly, reaching down to pat the top of Chetney’s head, looking unbearably fond. 

“It’s a long story,” Dorian whispered. “One I’m happy to tell in the morning after I’ve slept and greeted everyone.”

Chetney released Dorian’s leg with a half-hearted grumble about having to wait, but went back to his project without further complaint. Dorian stepped around a slumbering Ashton to sink down next to Fearne and fall into her sideways hug. Fearne wrapped him up tight in her arms, content to never let him go again if she had any say in the matter. She let him pull away, though, only so she could get a good look at his face and hold his hand with ease.

“I missed you,” Fearne said, voice soft and wobbly. “We all did.”

“And I’ve missed you,” Dorian said. “The Crown Keepers send their regards, by the way.”

“How’s Opal?” Fearne asked, tightening her grip on Dorian’s hand. Her worry for their beloved friend was something she couldn’t put off or ignore until morning. “Is she doing alright?”

“She’s as well as we could expect her to be. Still annoying the shit out of Lolth, of course.”

Fearne relaxed minutely, laughing softly. “That’s good.”

She glanced around at the group, making sure they weren’t disturbing anyone with their hushed conversation. When she looked back at Dorian, however, she found him staring down at her opposite hip, his expression wistful and complicated. Fearne followed his eye line to Orym’s tiny fingers, barely visible over the top of her thigh. The rest of him remained hidden in the draping folds of her cape he was using as a blanket.

“How is he?” Dorian whispered, voice almost indiscernible over the fire and the lull of slumbering breaths.

Fearne hesitated. They never got the chance to tell Dorian the full scope of what had occurred since he left with his brother. He didn’t know both of them had died, the details of their mission on Ruidus, or that they had been separated following the events at the Key. In turn, they knew little of what Dorian had been through with his brother and the Crown Keepers. There was so much to say in response to such a simple question.

“Tired,” Fearne settled on, and felt exactly how lackluster an answer it was the moment she said it. Being able to say as much as she wanted after being constricted to twenty-five words for so long was not such a simple transition, it seemed. “A lot has happened, and he shoulders things he shouldn’t—just like always.”

Dorian’s face did something complicated as he kept staring at Orym’s hand.

“He missed you,” Fearne said at length, smiling sadly when Dorian’s gaze shot up to meet her own. “He tried to message you every day, even when we knew the Sending Stone wasn’t working.”

Dorian’s expression twisted into something pained as he huffed out a strained exhale, looking away. It took him a long moment to find his composure, but eventually he turned back to Fearne and spoke in a watery tone, “so did I.”

Fearne reached out and pulled him back into her side, sighing happily at the realization that she finally had both her boys here beside her.

Orym made a quiet noise beneath her cloak and shifted, fingers tightening in her fur. Dorian pulled back enough to peer down at him, expression bright and hesitant at once. Fearne moved her arm, giving Dorian the freedom to move around to her other side and shift the cloak away from Orym.

“Fearnie?” Orym mumbled, still half asleep. “Is it my watch?”

“Not quite,” Fearne said, her voice wobbling with emotion. Orym, ever perceptive, startled awake at her tone, concern lining his features before he was even fully upright. He opened his mouth, likely to ask if she was okay, before he caught sight of Dorian in his periphery and froze. Orym turned to Dorian and stared at him for a suspended moment of absolute silence.

“Hello,” Dorian whispered after a pause long enough to leave Fearne wondering if they would ever say anything. He smiled at Orym, shaky and hesitant, but intensely joyful.

“Dorian?” Orym said, his voice strained as it cracked over the syllables of his name. “Is this real?”

“Yes,” Dorian breathed, laughing wetly. “Quite real.”

“How…I mean–when did–?” Orym cut himself off with an unsteady exhale before launching himself into Dorian’s chest and wrapping him up in a hug so tight it almost looked painful. Fearne grinned, wide and aching, as Dorian gathered Orym closer and pressed a firm kiss to the top of Orym’s head. Both of their shoulders were shaking—from tears or joy Fearne couldn’t be sure. But she stared at them and her heart was full.

“You didn’t answer last time I messaged you,” Fearne heard Orym say where he had his face smushed into Dorian’s shoulder. “I thought you…I thought the worst.”

“I’m sorry,” Dorian said, voice pained. “I had already tried using the Stone that day when you called. And then I tried again the next day, and it was like the Stone never worked at all.”

“We were back on Ruidus by then,” Orym said with a quiet sniffle. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Dorian pressed another kiss to Orym’s head and glanced up at Fearne, his smile tired but real. “Me too.”

Fearne reached over and placed a hand on Orym’s back, her other cupping Dorian’s cheek. She had her boys, safe and whole.

“You should sleep,” Fearne whispered, pulling back to spread out her cloak beside her again, patting it invitingly. Orym made a soft, panicked noise before Dorian could move, making both Dorian and Fearne freeze.

“Orym?” Dorian said, trying to sound calm despite the concern on his face. Fearne watched him smooth a hand down Orym’s back without trying to get Orym to release his hold.

“Don’t leave.”

It was clear to Fearne that Orym had meant to say it like a question instead of the painful plea it ended up being. Her heart broke a little with the realization that he was scared—their tiny, unflappable guardian admitting a fraction of his loneliness.

“I won’t,” Dorian said with fierce conviction. “I will be here come sunrise, Orym—I promise.”

He glanced up at Fearne with a mix of emotions on his face as he clung to Orym. She patted her cloak again, gesturing for him to lie down beside her while she continued her shift with Chetney. Dorian, without releasing his hold on Orym, curled up on top of the soft fabric and pressed his forehead against Fearne’s hip. He tucked Orym’s head beneath his chin and exhaled at length. Fearne buried her fingers in Dorian’s hair, scratching gently at his scalp.

“Love,” Fearne whispered.

“Love,” Dorian responded immediately, his smile curling up at her.

“Love, love,” Orym mumbled from where he still refused to part from Dorian. “Missed you.”

Dorian didn’t respond, but Fearne saw the way he tightened his hold on Orym and curled up just a little more.

Big spoon, middle spoon, little spoon—a complete set once again.

[syeren]

NEW YEAR, NEW ME.

summary — after the both of you decided to break off your relationship, geto lays alone in his apartment, reminiscing over, over, and over about you.

tags — angst

His finger shakily tapped along his knee as he braced himself for the nth time. A call. A stupid. Fucking. Call. Geto gulped down a lump in his throat as he heard a voice on the other end.

“… Hello?”

“Is this… I mean— I’ve been trying to reach you, haven’t you received my calls?”

“Oh, no sorry. I think you have the wrong number.”

“I… See, yeah… Yeah, I should’ve judged by the voice.”

“No worries! I think I’ve seen your number floating around frequently during the past week, I didn’t pick up though. Genuinely, I thought it was another spam call—“

“Ah, I’m sorry for troubling you. I’ll end the call now, have a nice day.”

“You too—“

Beep. Beep. Beep.

A clammy hand dragged down his dehydrated skin, his long lashes poking out through the gaps left open by lazy fingers. A deep rumble from a sigh vibrated in his throat, then echoed around his humid studio apartment… Drenched in nauseating vanilla musk cologne, and thick smoke billowed from a half-lit cigarette. In the corner of his apartment was a Vinyl player, playing Chet Baker softly as he thought.

“… Fuckin’ hell.”

He slowly got up from his hunched position against the wall, pushing some weight off of the surface to compensate the weakened muscles he had left. He had no courage or stamina to even reach the front door if anyone wanted to check up on him, perhaps he had been too optimistic about that mere thought.

He stumbled in his apartment, toppling over heaps of garbage and empty liquor bottles, a loud statement of his pain. As he neared his unkept bed, he plopped onto his flat, tear-stained mattress. The quiet rumble of traffic outside his apartment window was his alarm clock, while the occasional chatter from his next-door neighbours were his source of entertainment. Amongst those were the occasional pops of fireworks going off in the distance, ahh yes, the welcoming of the new year.

Another year, he thought, to wake up and go through his schedule on autopilot. It was rinse and repeat, at this point. His body clock already stopped working after countless nights of insomnia, and he spent that time thinking… Again. Another day, another year.

The record continued to play, aiding the descent into his brain once more. It had been a long time since he last seen you, heard your voice, felt you in his arms— Hell, the fact he couldn’t reach you anymore was already driving him insane. What drove you away? Perhaps it was his lack of understanding towards you, maybe it was the fact he stuck his nose into his own stuff and never had the light of day just to talk— Properly, that time. However, it may be the certain situation that he was burying himself into, the over-thinking. Did you get tired of it? Were you too exhausted to put up with it?

He wanted to understand. Those countless nights he spent just pondering over his own pessimism and confusion, it was enough for him already. He turned his dreary body around, planting his face against the pillow and shutting his eyes. He nestled into the illusion of comfort, but the true beauty of peace is long gone.

The intoxicating vanilla and musk clung to his bedsheets, doused in the saltiness of tears and a hint of fresh pine. He hadn’t taken a shower yet, a proper bath didn’t even pop into one of his hundreds of thoughts running in his brain until now; thus, he opted to submerge himself in his racks of cologne and perfume for the meantime. His eyes darted sideways, tilting his head to the darkness the night sky blanketed him with. Another sigh left his lips.

“… Did I not love them enough?” his voice broke through like a scratchy record, hoarse and unpleasant. A broken record of anxiety and negativity. “Did I love them too much?”

He laid there on top of his bed, drifting off into a dreamless sleep. Sleep sounds good, real good. To simply release those relaxing chemicals into your brain, signalling it to shut down. He wished he could that to his thoughts all day but, he holds on to something he can’t achieve— The notion to meet you once more. As the time passed, he felt his body sinking deeper into his mattress and—

Ring. Ring. Ring.

A groan bursted out as he lazily reached over to his bedside table, grabbing his phone and putting it to his ear. He knew that he would get another mouthful of false-positive comments from his buds, and he sucked in a breath once pressing ‘answer.’

“Satoru, I already—”

“Geto?”

The familiar chime sound, it was the type of bell that twinkles and flutters; much like a Furin in a soft Summer breeze. It wasn’t anything like the Church bell noise that Satoru’s voice gave off, resounding, rich, yet clanging to his ears. His eyes shot open as he clambered to sit up in his bed, crossing his legs as he tried to gather his scatterplot of thoughts.

“Hey,” he managed to croak out, albeit with a loud voice crack. “I didn’t… Expect you to call me.”

“Satoru told me I should check in with you, so that’s why,” your voice sounded like you were smiling through your words. He swore he could picture you smiling. “This is my new number, you can save it if you would like.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t want to disturb you, however.”

“No, no! You wouldn’t. Well, I just wanted to check in.”

“Okay, okay… No promises on being convinced,” he added, chuckling awkwardly as he cleared his throat into his fist.

“Alright. Well, I’m gonna hang up now, okay? Stay safe, Geto.”

“Mhm, you too. Thanks— For checking in, I mean.”

“No worries, bye!”

“Goodbye.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

He immediately threw his phone down to his side as cold sweat profusely beaded around his temples. Black, messy locks draped over his eyes, and his gaze shot down at the mattress beneath him. Slowly, he leaned back against the wall once more, staring at the phone that connected you and him together. Even if it were brief.

All the times he called you, wanted to talk to you, hear that voice… Yet he wussed out, only managing to blurt out a quick ‘thanks for checking in.’ He wanted to profess his adoration, his emotions he held deep within his heart but once he finally got the chance to tell you, it didn’t meet to his expectations. Strings of profanities left his lips, muttering out into the silence of his own home.

Just as the clock renewed itself on that plastic display, he too, decided for that change. The unfamiliarity of the numbers twinkled in his eyes, and surely this would be a sign of hope. To pick himself up and just start anew— Well, once he figures out how to fix up his living quarters, that is.

The distant popping and cheers echoed from his complex and outside, and once Geto looked over at the clock, it was 12:00 AM sharp. A painful chuckle left his lips as his head craned back to rest against the surface. A new year, huh? It was ironic, how cheerful and abundant the atmosphere was throughout the building and the city, yet here he was wallowing in nothing but the repetitive Chet Baker record he had on. He reached in his pocket, grabbing the same pack of Camel he had and popping a cigarette up. Pressing the stick between his lips and lighting the butt, he inhaled deeply and blew out a thick cloud of smoke. The Turkish blend scattered through the air, filling the room with hazy puffs.

Another day, another year. Maybe this one will treat him better.

_______________

an; happy new year! :3 LOL i didn’t think i would make an angst for the new year, but i’ll infuse all my good energy into this post so it won’t affect ur upcoming blessings <3 creds to saltinesaltine1

[soobadnoonecanstopher]

Can I Stay? (A Baekhyun Story) Part 3.

Pairing: You x Baekhyun

Rating: M

Word Count: 6.4K

Warnings: Unresolved sexual tension, apologies to anyone named Chet, contagious giggles, gratuitous use of the word cunt, an unspecified age difference, an English story that uses the word Noona for lack of another word in English that carries the same feeling, if you don’t like this, then don’t read this story.

Author’s note: remember all those years ago I said I’d write a Baekhyun x Noona fic? This is that fic.

Inspired by the Ray LaMontagne song Can I Stay

Tag List: @andimoon @his-mochi-cheeks

Story Links: Can I Stay? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[WARNING- This is Part 3! part 2 was just posted a day before this. DON’T SKIP PART 2]

‘Noona, can I stay?’

Of course you wanted to tell him yes. Of course you had grown attached to him in ways you could never tell him. But how much power did this man really think you had in this company? Between the two of you, he had so much more influence here; heaps more than you had.

“Baekhyun, that is not a decision for me to make. You are a great assistant, but you are a more important person than just my assistant.” You made your best attempt at it. The sooner he understood the magnitude of his potential the sooner he would let go of this fixation on staying in this department as your assistant and the better off he would be. If for the sake of his future in this company, he should probably move on. Although, you also realized that part of what made you so damn good at your job was the years of experience you had with it.

“And…if the decision was yours?” His eyebrows were lifted and his expression challenged, as if he asked some mysterious, unsaid veiled question instead of this very obvious ‘Can't I just stay as your assistant’ question he was actually asking. You wondered what had made him so determined to get a response from you.

“I think with a couple of years here with me, you would get too good and surpass me.” You pursed your lips in contemplation. You saw his incredible potential the minute he walked through that door on the first day.

“And then I would have to kill you.” You said it with a straight face and it took him only a minute before his eyebrows dropped and he let out a half exhaled breath mixed with a loud laugh.

He’d spun on his heels and taken a step back from you, before turning back to look at your face again, his wide grin quite evident on his face. “This is the first time I’ve heard you make a joke.”

“What makes you think I am joking?” You deadpanned, no longer even looking at the man and he laughed out loud again.

“Oh my god,” he said out loud to himself. “I think this might be a new step in our relationship.”

“I beg your forgiveness, you kick me in the chest. I ask you to hold on to me and you threaten me with death.” He was talking only for himself now. Amusing himself with his little jokes like he often did. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of into it. I guess that ‘What Rihanna Song Are You’ quiz was right. Chains and whips do excite me.”

“Are you done?” You interrupted, actually unable to take any more after your started leafing through the pages and pages of work you had accumulated on your desk.

The more you looked the less you wanted of all of it. You began handling everything with rougher hands and eventually resorted to angrily tossing things into a miscellaneous pile you had just created that made no logical sense. If these things annoyed you the most, they landed in that pile. After a while, after every other toss a swift hand would come into your field of vision and pull something out of the pile.

You didn’t know where it went, but the pile was shrinking and your mood was feeling lighter because of it.

The only pile left after Baekhyun’s mystical sorting just needed signatures. You could do that and walk at the same time if you had someone watching for obstacles in your path.

“I have a meeting with Choi’s First AE in ten minutes and I needed all these signed like yesterday. Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Now, Baekhyun. Sign and walk and don't let me fall into an open manhole cover.”

He did pretty good with it. “Step up,” He called out beside you and you stepped up when he told you, finding the perfect rhythm and finding the step he warned you about. “Four steps, then turn right,” he said again while also grabbing the folders and flipping to the signature pages that he had already pre-marked with brightly colored sticky tabs last week when he was desperately trying to get you to sign them. Apparently he had been getting emails about them. They were overdue. There might have been phone calls too. Not dangerously late, but you did feel guilty for the delay. Why didn’t you think of this before? You’d probably wasted hours of your life just walking. Those walking hours could have been used for signing. You were pretty sure you were a genius.

That was until your forward progress was abruptly and jarringly halted by a firm arm wrapped around your waist and you were pulled back violently. A loud sound like a beast’s roar echoed against your eardrums and you gasped out loud. Your stomach leapt up into your throat as a panic rose up inside of you from the shock of it.

You’d just stepped off a curb. He’d warned you about the step down, that wasn’t the unexpected part. The danger came too suddenly for either of you to prepare for right after that. You smelled the exhaust of a retreating motorcycle. You could see the crazy driver speeding off in your peripheral vision. You felt the trembling and the shaking inside of your chest as you tried desperately to breathe though the tightness of the arm squeezing around your waist, pulling you back to safety.

“Shit,” Baekhyun swore out loud sometime during the commotion and you’d cried out the same.

It took a few moments of steadying yourself. When your mind sharpened to what happened you found yourself having stumbled back two or three steps with Baekhyun’s arm still wrapped around your waist, the firmness of his forearm digging into the softness of the skin directly below your breasts and his hand you felt laid flat over your rib cage, fingers digging in hard. Tight and firm everywhere. You felt bound up entirely. A clattering of documents bounced onto the floor by your feet and your eyes blinked hard and fast as you tried your best to calm your breathing down. He was still holding onto you when you could feel the panic subsiding and your breathing returning to normal.

Baekhyun’s upset seemed to take longer to pass. You felt the rapid up and down breathing of his chest echoed through your back and his face was buried in the space just over your shoulder, against your neck and into your hair. You could feel the heat from his breath on your neck. It was warm and sticky.

You gave a light tap over his arm that still held you tightly around your waist. Trying to get him to loosen the hold and let you go. It took some convincing though. His arm was very firm and he was holding you very tightly. Close call with literal death aside, a new danger was quickly making itself evident. He felt incredibly warm and nice with his body pressed up against you like this and you recognized the need to separate yourself from him if you were going to keep any remaining bits of your sanity and self resolve intact.

“Are you okay? You aren’t hurt?” He asked from somewhere buried behind you and you urgently nodded. He needed to let you go. He smelled so good.

You tapped his arm again, faster and more insisting, nearly begging now.

“I’m okay,” you said as calmly and as convincingly as you could manage with the limited oxygen you had in your lungs. You could finally feel the tension in his body relaxing a little. But only a little. The longer he held onto you, the more you felt something else making the air around the both of you feel so heavy — something else making the heat spreading between your bodies somehow feel warmer.

Baekhyun was not letting you go, and this was changing for him too, it seemed.

It took no less than a miracle that you did not moan out loud when you felt the deep inhale he took into his lungs with his face still buried deep within your hair. That deep inhale was paired with the smallest sound that came from somewhere deep inside of his chest that, if you were thinking strictly with your rational brain, you could maybe contribute to the relief. He made that sound out of relief that you were not hurt. He pulled that warm breath into himself deep and slowly, savoring it for much longer than necessary out of…relief. A wave of warmth ricocheted through your chest and down into your belly and you closed your eyes through it, desperately reminding yourself that you and him were now, well out of harm’s way, standing on a sidewalk at your workplace where anyone with eyes could see this.

Your tapping was harder now. It woke him up.

As soon as his arm was loose enough, you made a quick and clean break of every and all bits of contact with his body. As abruptly as this happened, you extracted yourself and you ignored the way his eyelids fluttered slowly open and that fucking pink hue in his cheeks and lips that turned his face into one of the most attractive faces you’d ever laid your eyes on.

You squatted down, picking up everything that had fallen and soon enough he joined you, grabbing things from your hands to add to his piles without saying a thing about what maybe he also felt building between the two of you whenever you happened to get too close to each other.

It couldn't happen. It no longer mattered whether or not you believed it was happening. You knew for certain that whatever was or was not happening, it needed to stop here. You simply would never put yourself into any position for this man to need to touch you ever again. You could not trust yourself.

A moan. You almost moaned. You could practically feel the sound ready to come out of your chest if you’d only allowed your mouth to open, it would have. You were insane. You were a crazy person, a goddamned lunatic and a menace. He was your assistant for god's sake.

You steadied your breathing and your resolve and decided to allow yourself two entire minutes to sign the rest of these things on the spot. So what if you were late to your meeting. Punctuality be damned. Sure, the almost dying part was a little scary, but even you had your limits of what you could stand. You had almost moaned! What next? An orgasm right here on the sidewalk? Lock you up and throw away the key now.

You made it on time to your meeting. He was the First Assistant Editor to the Picture Editor Sophie Choi, with whom you had been working very closely with for months on this project. Sophie’s 1st was a man who simply went by Chet. No last name, just Chet. Apparently it was his thing.

He was nice. He was always polite with you even when he had some bad news to deliver, he always relayed whatever news, projects updates, or requests for your team he had for you with an empathetic and professional filter. Unlike some other utterly obnoxious 1st AEs that you’d worked with in the past, Chet was alright.

He was also tall and extremely handsome if you were into muscles, backwards ball caps, and men who looked like they probably moonlighted as underwear models in the back pages of GQ magazine. Not that you had ever seen him in his underwear, but you did follow his instagram and you always made sure to give him that little heart when he posted his pictures.

Chet was a hugger. When he saw you his smile was charming and inviting as he called out your name and he wrapped his big arms around you, pulling you in like a long lost friend. You weren't exactly friends with him. While you’d been invited for drinks with him and his team on many occasions your schedule had always been too swamped to take him up on the offers, but he was still just as friendly with you.

You didn't require Baekhyun to attend this meeting but he was weirdly insistent on tagging along after the quick introductions you made between the two men. They both shook hands and there were some formalities and awkward pleasantries exchanged between the two. Baekhyun whispered to you that he was sure that he should attend this meeting for learning purposes. You were sure nothing important other than networking was about to happen, but he insisted that everything was important in its own way. He was stubborn and after a few back and forths you finally just gave in to the man. If he wanted to waste his lunch hour, who were you to argue?

Chet made a kind of too loud joke about some rumors that you’d been saddled with some fresh meat intern and you were quick to assure him that Baekhyun had actually turned out to be the best assistant you’d ever had. After the harmless joke, you risked a careful glance at Baekhyun. If he’d taken any offense, he certainly didn't react. He spent much of the meeting sitting in the back of the room typing furiously on his cellphone, no doubt answering many emails on your behalf. Baekhyun was always busy on that phone, keeping your workload down as a side effect.

The meeting was about halfway through when your stomach growled noisily and embarrassingly, reminding you that yes, you were indeed human and you probably should eat something today.

“Why don't we take this downstairs—” Chet lifted an eyebrow in your direction, “—have some lunch… on me?”

You considered it. It didn’t sound like a bad idea. You had all of the materials already and you skipped dinner last night and now that you thought about it, you skipped breakfast this morning too. Your nerves about the presentation had kept your appetite muted. The last meal you had was something shoved into your mouth by Baekhyun sometime yesterday afternoon.

‘Eat this,’ he had said at the time and you blindly opened your mouth and received whatever he shoved in there.

“Some lunch sounds lovely, Chet. Thank you.”

“That does sound lovely, Chet. Thank you,” Baekhyun mirrored from the back of the room, obviously inviting himself along. You couldn’t be completely sure, and you definitely wouldn’t swear to it under oath, but there was something funny about his tone.

Chet’s wide smile had a microscopic hiccup as his eyes moved between you and Baekhyun and then back to you again.

“Great!” He said over-enthusiastically, almost manically and you also detected something just a little funny in his response as well.

You didn't know what, but something was up with these two men.

Lunch was delicious. Baekhyun took the spot directly beside you, took it upon himself to unwrap your utensils and he placed them just so beside your plate and Chet sat across from you and took it upon himself to unwrap your straw and place it inside your glass for you.

You weren't sure what kind of an imbecile you had appeared to be, but clearly they thought you needed help with something as simple as feeding yourself. You smiled politely to both men. Maybe they were both just overly polite people? Although you knew for a fact that Baekhyun wasn’t that polite when it was just the two of you alone.

Something was definitely up with these two men.

Oddities aside from them, you didn't realize just how hungry you were until you took the first bite of your pasta. If this was going to be your only meal of the day you were going to have some carbs dammit.

Baekhyun had grabbed a chocolate dessert with his lunch plate. You recalled him mentioning once that he wasn’t that into sweets but you didn’t want to pry. You did steal occasional glances at the chocolate layers and one such glance had your eyes bouncing up onto his face where he chewed lazily on his sandwich without any care in the world for how lovely those chocolate and vanilla cream layers looked and must taste.

His eyes slipped to the side and he looked at you as he chewed and swallowed casually. He put his sandwich down and his hand slipped over to the dessert plate. With a single fingertip he touched the edge of the plate and he pushed it quietly and carefully in your direction until it sat there beside your pasta as if it had belonged there all along.

Your eyebrows lifted and you widened your eyes in his direction, mouthing a silent and hopeful ‘me?’

He nodded his head once giving you the tiniest scrunch of his nose and he picked his sandwich back up and continued to eat until it was almost gone.

You had abandoned your pasta, you’d had your fill of it. You took the first bite of the chocolate cake and you were pretty sure you could weep. You were also pretty sure you had completely and thoroughly just fallen in love….with the cake. You could so easily be bought and sold with a good chocolate cake. Baekhyun was the winner. Whatever the competition was, if any at all, whatever these weird vibes between them were, as far as you were concerned, it was over with the first bite.

Then lunch and the meeting were actually over and you didn't catch any more strange interactions between Baekhyun and Chet. Perhaps you’d imagined it all. With your belly full and your workload even lighter you graciously accepted the goodbye hug from the tall well meaning man and you even promised that you’d make an attempt to meet him for drinks once this project wrapped. You did, afterall, have an end date in sight at last. And even if you only saw him at the wrap party where there would be drinks, you wouldn’t technically be lying to him right now. He accepted your promise with an extended pinky finger waved into the air as you walked away cheerfully.

Your mood was grand. It was probably the cake and the pasta.

“Ahh, he’s great.” You remarked out loud and from your left you heard a stifled scoff poorly disguised as a cough from Baekhyun. You turned to look at him with wide questioning eyes.

“Chet.” Baekhyun said his name out loud once with an audible emphasis on the T at the end. As if that T was its very own punctuation mark. As if it was its own hilarious punchline.

“What? He’s nice. He’s so good to work with and he’s never given me any trouble at all.” Why you felt the need to defend Chet to Baekhyun you couldn't quite explain.

Technically, Baekhyun hadn’t even said anything bad about him. He just kept saying his name as if that in itself was the problem.

“Chet.” He repeated the name again, slower this time and then he laughed outright into his hand as if it was the funniest joke he’d heard all day. You’d expected one or two chuckles from him. But strangely, and concerningly, it didn’t stop. And worse, it was weirdly contagious. You fought it all you could but you accidentally allowed a few giggles to escape when he was in the thick of the fits of laughter. It had gotten so bad in the elevator up to your office that you had to smack him on the arm to get him to stop laughing and breathe before he passed out. His eyes were watering from it. He was wheezing and he was gasping. You reached up and wiped a tear stain from his cheek and patted him right on the face kind of hard, almost a slap, anything to get it to stop. It didn’t.

You were feeling dizzy as well. You felt drunk on this madness you both found yourself trapped in. It was silly. It was childish. You couldn’t remember the last time you laughed so hard. Even something as simple as eye contact with Baekhyun from across the quiet office would set you both off again. And he’d reach for the box of tissues and cover his face completely all the while loudly cackling. You had been overworked, exhausted and stressed maybe and this was a side effect of all of it. Maybe you’d both finally just lost your minds.

He eventually wound back down, calming and then busying himself with actual work.

“Chet.” He said out loud almost an entire hour later, bursting into noisy laughter all over again. You had to actually bite down on your lip to keep yourself from laughing. You were sick of it. Your stomach muscles ached and you were so very, very tired of the giggles.

“No more,” you begged, holding your face in your hands. Your cheeks were sore, everything hurt. Finally you just gave up and left the room to go to the bathroom and splash some water on your face. What was this? You wondered if you’d ever be able to meet with Chet again and just act normal. You definitely couldn't ever meet him with Baekhyun again, that was for damned sure.

Sometime in between redoing your entire face full of makeup that the laughter and the face washing wiped it out, and taking your seventh brisk lap around this hallway you decided it was time to put your foot down.

You were in charge here. This was your department, you had twenty seven subordinates that, on a daily basis, treated you with the utmost respect and followed your orders to the letter. You had made a decision that it was time for Baekhyun to do the same. You didn't care what he called you or who his father was.

You marched back into your office to face him with a plan in place ready to set into motion and you found him in a spot you absolutely didn't expect.

He was sitting behind your desk, in your chair doing a little sideways back and forth wiggle in your spinning office chair. He was humming a soft tune to himself as he carefully and slowly wrote something down with your pen on your pack of post-it notes, underlining and dotting and crossing letters. Your office phone had been moved. You guessed you received a phone call while you were out.

When he saw you walk through the door he looked up at you briefly before looking back down at what he was doing.

“Assistant Byun,” you said firmly. He hummed out in response and continued to write without looking up at you. You were fired up and ready for this and no amount of his distraction techniques were going to work on you this time. You knocked twice on your desk. “Assistant Byun?” You’d called out again and his eyebrows shot up in the middle of his face.

“Yes, yes, I am here. Your Assistant Byun is here, what do you need my esteemed and magnanimous Manager Noona?” He was still in a playful mood it seemed.

“Byun Baekhyun, from today onward you, nor I, are not allowed to say the c-word inside of this office. Do you understand me? The c-word is banned.” You put on your angry and serious voice and Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he looked straight into your face.

“I’m not allowed to say the…c-word?” he paused and his eyes looked down at the post-it note that he had just pulled off the pack and was holding gingerly between his thumb and his index finger.

“The c-word. You are not allowed to say the c-word anymore.” You harnessed the annoyance for the time wasted today. You thought about the hours of work you’d have to do at home to make up for today and you used that to make yourself seem as authoritative as possible. You meant business now. Play time was over. This was serious.

Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed and he dropped his chin in confusion.

After a long moment of thought he spoke.

“Cunt?” He whispered.

You closed your eyes and inhaled a deep breath. You had completely forgotten about that c-word.

“No, Baekhyun. Not cunt, Baekhyun.” You gritted your teeth.

“The other c-word from earlier, from the past three hours Byun Baekhyun, the other c-word. You can say cunt,” you hissed in annoyance with a hand wave, “You are forbidden from saying that other c-word.” Your frustration from the day was mounting. You rubbed your temples with your fingertips, willing the headache you felt building to subside.

“So, I can say cunt in this office?” His voice was louder now and you closed your eyes, threw your head back and inhaled a deep breath. “Cunt is okay? The other c-word is not allowed, but cunt you are okay with. That right, Boss?”

“Yes. You can say cunt if you have to say cunt. Do not, under any circumstances, say the other c-word in this office. Am I clear?” When you opened your eyes he was leaning his head far back in your desk chair in a lounging position. He’d pulled the lever below the seat so the seat back leaned way back and he was watching you with that little post it still held gingerly between his fingers and there was a look of smug satisfied amusement on his pretty face.

“Did anything happen while I was away? Why are you in my chair?”

“Well,” he began, sitting up straight and pushing himself up onto his legs as he made his way back around from behind your desk where you were pretty sure you had never given him permission to be. Not that it mattered, he already had access to everything you had access to, just for the sake of the assistant’s job.

“Well?” You urged him to continue and he looked down at the note again, reaching once more for the pen he scratched something off very thoroughly and you caught a quick movement as he wrote something in its place. He stood up now, straightening his shoulders, looking as put together and professional as ever and he straightened his back as he began reading word for word from the post-it note.

“Cunt called while you were out and asked if you would like to meet him tonight for drinks. I was sure to let him know that your schedule tonight is full and would be full all week, and I made sure that he knew that you do not have space to fit him in for drinks tonight, as you will be busy all night long, with the wrap. Cunt sounded unreasonably upset and just a little bit like a c-word. You are more than welcome, but not in any way obligated, to call him back. From Baekhyun.”

He looked up from the note with wide innocent eyes and his lips pulled into the smallest little pout and you reached forward and grabbed it from him quickly. Sure enough the entire thing was there, word for word. He’d crossed out Chet, replacing it with the word with Cunt every time.

You were pretty sure you were about two seconds away from a complete nervous breakdown.

You knew when you were beat. It was close enough to quitting time that you merely wadded up the note and tossed it into the nearest trash can and began packing up your laptop and a few things you knew you could work on at home. You knew you had a hard deadline coming up tonight by midnight that you absolutely could not miss but everything was on your laptop, you could simply get it all done and submitted from home.

Your quitting time meant it was also Baekhyun’s quitting time. He helped you pack up a few of your laptop accessories, lifting a few peripherals into the air in silent question. You nodded or shook your head for what you would need and they either went into the bag or they went back to the desk. This quiet communication between the two of you was one of your favorite things about him.

The ride down the elevator to the lobby was peaceful. Today felt like running a marathon. This job was usually stressful and eventful but today had been a whole other monster entirely. You could feel the stress and tension in your shoulders and you longed for a long soak in your bathtub.

Baekhyun walked out of the elevator beside you but in no way did you both have the same destination. You knew he would go out to his car and you would make your way down to the subway. You knew he lived on the opposite side of town from where you lived. The distance had to be maybe a 40 minute drive with this office being a center point. You hoped he got some good rest at home and you knew with your workload you’d have to settle for a 30 minute nap at most.

You’d cleared the elevator hallway and stepped into the open hallway when you saw him. It was Chet, and you caught the back of him seated in a chair having a rather casual and loud conversation with a buddy. You’d recognize the 2nd AE’s toupee atop his head from a mile away. This was definitely not something you needed right now.

Your steps paused and you backed up a quick two steps, hiding behind the wall that divided the elevators from the lobby. You could clearly hear the two men laughing and reminiscing about whatever it was two buddies talked about.

Baekhyun who had been just a step behind you caught your rapid evasive motions and his eyes also zeroed in on and instantly understood the danger in the lobby.

“Oh shit,” he said under his breath. “He doesn’t even work in this building. I bet he’s waiting for you.”

“What do I do? I don't want to go out for a drink. I have a midnight deadline. Is there a back door?” Your voice betrayed your panic and Chet’s noisy words broke through the occasional squeaking of the wheels on the cleaning lady’s bucket as she mopped the hallway floor and curiously glanced at the two of you hiding here behind this wall.

‘Man, she’s got this new cockblocking assistant. Real fucking annoying, one of those pretty boys. I mean like I’m pretty but I’m still manly, you know bro? Anyway, I’ve been working on this chick for like six months which is fucking bullshit, for me, you know that. She’s a fucking tease, a sexy tease, but still. Dude, she likes all of my posts. Yeah, tonight’s the night. I’ve waited enough.’

The air felt thin and you could feel that suffocating sinking feeling in your stomach that sometimes came with these horrible realizations about people you thought you knew. Behind you, you felt his flinch as every muscle in Baekhyun’s body seemed to tense up and he took a step forward.

You reached out a hand and wrapped it securely around his arm and you pulled him back hard.

“I still have to work with him,” you said firmly and you did your best to keep the trembling out of your voice.

Baekhyun was frozen and his ears were bright red with a look of anger like you hadn’t seen before from him set deep inside his eyes.

He was eerily quiet save for the sound of his steady breathing and his fists were white from how tightly he clenched them. What was this strong reaction? It wasn’t like he had that much allegiance to you. Maybe he just hated the sight of those womanizing, degrading types of men who treated women like conquests and objects.

Baekhyun looked around at his surroundings and his focus stopped on the old woman with the mop and squeaky wheeled bucket. He was reaching into his pocket and he pulled out a crisp bill, you couldn't quite make out the denomination but it had to be at least $100 and he walked up to the woman with a smile on his face. A few words were exchanged and she quietly nodded and accepted the offering from him, turning and walking away quietly with the mop in her hand, leaving behind her bucket in the center of the hallway, close enough to where Chet sat for you to instantly understand Baekhyun’s intention.

Baekhyun was casual about it. You watched on in awe as he returned halfway to where you were and then made a quick circle, working up some speed he pulled out his cellphone and acted as if he was glued to the thing, completely immersed as he moved fast. He kicked the bucket with enough force for a wall of dirty mop water to go flying. The water was nearly black and it traveled with impressive speed, hitting Chet and soaking almost up to his waist. He yelped out in surprise and Baekhyun yelped out in surprise as he really sold it and fell down onto the floor, grabbing at his shin as if he were in great pain. The cellphone he had in his hands flew and clattered onto the carpet and Chet stood up half surprised, half enraged but too soaking wet to do much other than hobble around.

“What the fuck!?” Chet howled toward Baekhyun who was already being helped up by several concerned onlookers all who looked back at Chet in admonishment for instantly rushing to blame Baekhyun, who was clearly injured here. Chet was just wet. A few of the more sympathetic bystanders tossed a few take-out napkins in his direction.

“Who left that there?” Baekhyun called out in concern and groaned in fake pain.

“Oh no, Chet! Your pants, Bro!” Baekhyun said loudly and you had to cover your mouth with both hands to hide the loud snort of laughter that erupted from your mouth. The commotion itself lasted until Chet grumpily wobbled out of the front door, probably headed back to his own office for a change of clothes. The old woman returned shortly after that with her mop and began soaking up the remains of the liquid and Baekhyun straightened his posture, miraculously recovered from his injury and he sauntered his way back to you with a smile on his lips.

“My dearest Manager Noona,” When he reached you, he did so with his palm lifted into the air and a sweet little addition to your title on his lips, “Chet seems to have been called away on an urgent matter and is regrettably unable to join you for drinks this evening.”

“Oh no. What a shame,” you replied with a bright smile for him. You can't remember ever being quite this smiley at work before Baekhyun. If someone were to see you, they’d think you’d gone crazy. Maybe you had.

At least today was Friday. At least after you met your midnight deadline you had a late start tomorrow, you would be able to sleep in. You’d be able to eat breakfast and you’d be able to have a meal at a table like a civilized human. Your Saturday was relatively light compared to what today had been.

You said your farewells to him and you made your way to the subway, settling into the seat as you casually considered the quickest and most efficient way to make your deadline tonight. Your hand passed over the pockets, feeling for the blue external hard drive you always kept there in the pocket of this bag that had vital attachments that had been cleared and vetted by every important department at work to submit to the production teams. You felt with both hands over that space in the bag and found it suspiciously flat and terrifyingly empty. The pocket was empty. The hard drive was not in there. You were already nearly home and you searched your recent memory for clues, where had you left it. Where would it possibly be?

You searched through your memory and came up blank. Where had you seen it last? A feeling dawned suddenly and you remembered something Baekhyun had told you while you had been mentally occupied with something far more important at the time.

‘The blue hard drive is…’ His voice echoed…but you could not recall the rest of his sentence. Is where? Where was it?

You pulled out your cell phone and sent a text.

‘Blue hard drive’ you said those three words and only those three words and your phone was ringing.

You lifted the phone to your ear and before you even said a word Baekhyun was speaking.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I have it. I have the blue hard drive. Shit. This is make or break isn’t it? I forgot to give it to you. Where are you now? I’m turning around. I’m coming to you.”

“I just got home. I’ll text you the address.” You hung up the phone without saying anything else and you quickly sent him your home address. As soon as you’d done it you felt uneasy anxious butterflies swimming around inside of your belly when the realization of this hit you.

Baekhyun was coming to your house and you were about to have a full blown panic attack at the thought of that man alone in here with you.

Byun Baekhyun was coming to your house. He’d given a little thumbs up to the text message with your address and that meant that he was already on his way.

[To Be Continued]

Story Links: Can I Stay? - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[thewickedkat]

100% love your analysis on laudna and her handling of the current situation!!! This is a tangent off of that because this isn’t meant to detract from your really good take on laudna’s current state of mind! But I also have a thought that in that whole altercation a more prevalent part of Delilah was influencing her to the point of even her motives and fears were mingling with Delilah’s so the moment/ the way she snaps at Chetney abt how he had ‘no right to talk about loss to her’ gave me the impression that that was Delilah helming the reigns more so than laudna. Idk I think the lines between them have blurred so much since laudna has been feeding her more and more. I really worry about how she hasn’t even acknowledged that aloud because she really is becoming Delilah. It definitely lends itself to the self sabotage that you talked abt already, but you can really see the flaws laudna already carries being amplified and influenced by Delilah to get her ultimate goal. And as a viewer gotta give it to marisha because her rping as always is so layered and interesting

(I also haven’t really paid attention to how the cr fandom is reacting to the current debacle, but I’m sure it’s rancid lmaoo ‘xD just want to say I really like your take being able to acknowledge the extremely flawed characters without infantilizing them or condemning them to be without any redemption and how this is also a show made for entertainment)

oh, i think Delilah is definitely influencing Laudna more than even Laudna realises, and when she is aware of it, i think that knowledge brings a deep and abiding shame, which only further fuels her self-sabotage. because in all honesty, here is a woman who, in her life, apparently had little: Laudna didn't have money, or lands, or a title; she was a simple farm girl who had a budding propensity for magic. by her own account, she had few friends. by the time the Briarwoods came to Whitestone, she was just ordinary, a little lonely, and then the new lady of the land comes and acknowledges her, seems to see her, and invites her up to the castle. what common person wouldn't be a little starstruck by that?

then the most horrible thing happens to her. she wasn't special, after all, just bore a passing resemblance to someone the Lady hated, and her corpse was strung up for all to see after it was altered. and then she is 'restored' to something that only passes for life, scares townspeople through no fault of her own, and is summarily run out of town and left to subsist in isolation, always on the fringes of civilisation, for the next thirty-odd years.

it's awful. and of course Delilah is going to take full advantage of that, no one knows you like I do, dear, no one understands what it's like to be able to do what you can and be what you are, but I do, I've always seen that within you and I can teach you, I can help you do so much more; all you need to do is let me in.

even if Laudna despised Delilah in the beginning (and from what we know, she absolutely did), after a while, with only her as company, Delilah is going to erode Laudna's resolve like water on a stone. it's grooming, without the gross sex connotations. all Delilah has to do is hammer down on the point that she has known Laudna the longest and still 'chooses' to 'help' her grow in power, remind her that she has seen Laudna at her worst and hasn't forsaken her. that's it, that's the crack she gets her narsty bitch fingers in and pries open. not even Imogen knows Laudna's darknesses and insecurities, not like Delilah, and Imogen will never need Laudna the way Delilah does--she's eminently capable, Imogen is.

Laudna is terrified she will be left alone again, and so she swallows down those parts of herself that seem to cause friction: when she got angry after the party split and the half that went to Uthodurn seemed to have a good time (Letters found FRIDA; Fearne and Chet and Deanna knocked boots; they had a shopping spree), she choked that anger back so as not to upset Imogen. when she tried, later, to talk to Imogen about Delilah, Imogen literally cut her off with a kiss and derailed that conversation. every time a serious discussion potentially crops up between those two, the words I love you are deployed (not just by Imogen, to be fair) almost as a stop sign, to quell any unpleasantness between them.

(not that either of them know what a healthy relationship is like, having grown up alone and isolated, whether emotionally or physically or both. not that either of them know what stable love is like, how good it can be despite spats or arguments.)

so Laudna keeps quiet on a great many things and Delilah isn't one to sleep on an opportunity.

see, i think Laudna knows she isn't special but deeply wants to be, just like any person does. i think she very much wants to belong, to be part of something, and i think she is afraid that if she is 100% wholly open, she will run everyone off--after all, it's happened before, repeatedly. and Delilah just gleefully pours gasoline on that fire, amplifying the self-sabotage and self-destructive tendencies.

but after all of that empathising, after all the tragic backstory and yes, Bad Things happened to you, Laudna, i get it, i think it is completely possible that even if Delilah weren't riding shotgun in her head, Laudna would be just as much of a mess--i just think it would happen much more slowly, with less bang and more whimper. Delilah just turns up the volume on the ugly.

conversely, i feel there's also cognitive dissonance within Laudna in that she doesn't want to admit that she's becoming more Delilah, that she's abrogating her own autonomy and giving slivers of herself up. because she's worked so hard, recently, to be herself, to become herself and feel comfortable in her own skin. because she has friends that worked so hard to bring her back, friends who don't run from her scariness, friends who like her and want to be around her and who understand even just a little about how awful the world can be to the smallfolk who live in it. and if she admits that Delilah is beginning to suffuse her, then all that work and effort and time? means nothing, doesn't it? means Laudna isn't worth it, means that her self is just something to be absorbed and used and ground into dust. so she clings to the idea of I'm fine, I know what I'm doing, this is my choice because the alternative is too awful to think about.

all that being said, all she had to do with Orym was say 'Can we talk about that sword? Cause it gives me the ick.'

[oceangirl24]

Saudade: Ties that Bind

TW for the this chapter: Mention of a miscarriage, lost child talked about, brief mention of throwing up.

"What happened that's makin' you so concerned about Aud not likin' this poem? Which is very good, I might add."

Shawn stared at his hands and began to pick at the skin around his thumbs. Once again, Jon put his hand on top of his.

"Shawn?"

The teen pulled away and let his hands drop limply into his lap. "Nothin' I ever did was good enough for Mom."

Jon took a deep breath and prepared to hold back his temper and opinion on Virna.

"What happened?"

"Every year I tried really hard to make her happy," he said so quietly Jon had to lean over the table to hear him. "I couldn't really get her anything, you know. But I tried to make her stuff. She seemed pretty happy until I was six. That year she locked herself in the bedroom and I didn't see her all day. The next year she wasn't there and didn't come home for several months. The next year not even Dad was home, so I went to Cory's."

Ignoring his rising anger, Jon tried harder to focus on Shawn. "So Mother's Day was usually spent with Cory's mom?"

Shawn nodded.

"Last year, I tried to make breakfast for her, but I didn't do things right. I burned the toast on accident, and she ranted about Dad smokin' and stinkin' up the house, even though she smokes too." He looked up at Jon briefly, then stared at the window over his shoulder.

"She hates scrambled eggs, but they were all I could make at the time. She tossed my breakfast in the trash. She was more interested in lettin' the whole trailer park know what a loser Dad is. I tried to cheer her up by giving her the card I spent a really long time workin' on. I told her I loved her. She looked at the card, told me my handwritin' is so bad she can't read it and she doesn't like poetry anyway. She shoved it in the trash on top of the eggs and burnt toast. Then she left."

At that moment, Jon despised Virna almost as much as he did Chet. He could not imagine treating any kid the way Virna treated her son even if an ex-girlfriend showed up claiming her kid was his and lied about it.

It was cruel.

Shawn slumped over the table as he continued, "So I went to the Matthews and stayed there. Right before dinner, Mom showed up and acted like nothin' happened that mornin'. We got home and she spent the rest of the night complainin' about how ungrateful I am because I chose to spend Mother's Day with Mrs. Matthews instead of her and how that made her feel like a terrible mother."

Jon put his hand over his mouth and counted to ten so what he really thought about Virna did not come out. After a moment he reached across the table and took hold of the teen's arm.

"You didn't do anythin' wrong, Shawn. You did what every kid would do for their mom if they could. And you know Audrey isn't Virna. You could burn the kitchen down and she'd just teach you the basics of cookin' again and give you a fire safety lesson afterwards."

Shawn frowned at him then his expression softened. "You'd the burn the kitchen down before I would."

Read the Rest:

AO3 FFN WattPad

[lovelyknifes18]

Alright, here's part two of Sweet child of mine😄

Chapter two: Holy Mary

Across the country in Oregon. Erin's mother, Linda gets out of the car. Thankfully she doesn't have to sit in it for another three days. She would have gone about her day if it hadn't been interrupted. "Hi, Linda! Haven't seen you for awhile. I was afraid something happened to you." The shrill voice of the resident nosey neighbor, Barbara, Is one that nobody can escape. "No, I'm fine."

"Where's your daughter?!"

"My what?" She raised her eyebrows. Barbara shouted louder, as if she wasn't two feet away. "Where's Erin!?"

Linda's eyes slightly widened, thinking fast for a response. "Uh-oh, is she not here? I had a family emergency and left her here with a sitter.

"Well I haven't seen anyone or her around... Oh my God, Linda. You don't think she was-

"I think so." Linda said, as Barbra nodded ran back inside her house, yelling for her husband. "Chet, Cheeeet! Linda's girl has been kidnapped!" So after, the police were searching everywhere for Erin, only to come to the conclusion she was nowhere in the town's limit. Erin's mother and the police chief were bombarded with news crews and reporters as an official statement was made. "Rest assured, we will find the bastards who took this innocent girl. And bring them to Justice."

"If anyone finds my girl, the reward will be $15.000"

An awkward silence fell amongst the crowd, the police chief, Gerald Malone leaned in. "Uh, ma'am. Are you sure you don't want to bump it up?"

"What, it's not like I'll need it since she'll probably be dead- shit, I mean. WHAT'S THE POINT?! IT WON'T BRING BACK MY BABY IF SHE'S GONE!!!" She sobbed dramatically, though if you looked close enough. When she wasn't busy throwing herself into Malone, there wasn't a single tear in her eyes. Meanwhile, a gang from the west coast of California happened to be watching the news. One of them spoke up. "Aye, we could probably use that money."

The assumed leader looked over. "Maybe, but what the hell are we gonna do with $15.000?

One of the three shrugged. "Get new threads? Or maybe a couch."

The leader slightly nodded. "Aight, at least we get to beat some dumbass." The rest of the gang stood up, grabbing baseball bats and other weapons. Including guns. "let's go."

Rockford IL December 12th.

This had to be a dream, it just had to be. But it wasn't. "Here." Erin looked down at the sandwich Jake handed her. "I'm allergic to fish."

"It's tuna."

"What do you think tuna is, Fats?" Erin scoffed Jake chuckled about how he'll take it himself and that she's missing out. "Great, I must be the luckiest girl right now. Out in a shitty town, at a shittier gas station. And was almost murdered by tuna." The two brothers looked back at her, they heard of teenage girls being moody and somewhat, at dramatic. But they've never seen one as close as now, it was a little fascinating. "Geez, are you always this cheerful?" Jake snorted.

"I don't know, have you always been a total loser?" Erin snapped back. Elwood just shook his head while Jake couldn't help but smirk. "Damn, she's quick. I think we'll get along just fine." The car started up again, finally leaving Rockford after staying the night. And almost having the car stolen, again. Elwood was completely lost, how was he supposed to talk to a teenager. Let alone one that was a daughter he never knew about. He cleared his throat, looking back through the rearview mirror at Erin. "Sooo..."

"... So?"

"Are you doing ok in school?" Elwood managed to say, while Erin looked back. "Are you really trying to parent me?" Elwood shrugged, lightly tapping the steering wheel. "I'll assume good, I never understood that crap."

"No wonder, half of the shit they teach us is either misinformed or complete bullshit." Erin replied bitterly, which Elwood shot her what Erin could only assume was a look. "Don't say shit."

"Hey, El. Listen to this shit." Jake turned up the radio, as they listened to a report about a missing Oregon girl. Who had medium length brown hair, eye color described as greyish blue. Light skin, and was 5'4. "Damn, that's a shame." Elwood said. Erin couldn't believe it, they were either very good at playing it cool or were the dumbest people she's ever met. "You got to be kidding me." She muttered. "Don't worry, you'll be fine with us, we just gotta make a quick stop before we really get going."

"A stop where?"

Jake groaned as he already caught on. "Why? She doesn't even have anything to do with this."

"We're going to visit the penguin."

"The what?" Erin said, perplexed by the sudden turn in conversation. "Sister Mary Stigmata. She runs the orphanage we grew up in." Elwood explained. "She's the penguin."

"Right, cause that completely makes sense." Erin remarked sarcastically, which the brothers paid no mind to. "Okay, this couldn't get any worse. Where is this "penguin" at?"

They arrived at the Saint Helen of the blessed shroud orphanage, at this point Erin was wondering if she somehow was hit by a car and was hallucinating as she slowly died from brain damage. "This is serious, isn't it?"

"Yap." Elwood confirmed.

Jake sighed, kicking the ground beneath his feet. "I'm not going in. Not after the last time, she should be thankful they still got the money we did to keep this place open."

"Come on, Jake. We gotta see the penguin."

"You grew up here?"

Jake nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they walked up the stoop. "Yeah, we were raised here. The born part... They don't call it an orphanage for no reason."

As they passed the beds, Erin looked up at the staircase. And the statue of Jesus that hanged above, ominously. "That's one way to instill Christ." She murmured, surprised by how the door had opened itself. A freaking nun? She thought to herself as they walked into Sister Stigmata's office. "Surprising to see you boys again. And I see you brought someone?" Elwood nodded, placing his hand on Erin's shoulder, that she slapped away. "My name is Erin, sister." She replied, as the brothers exchanged glances. "Hey, where the hell was that when- Ouch!" Jake was cut off as he earned a quick wack with the ruler. "Have I taught you nothing? With the way you act I wonder." Sister Stigmata turned to Erin. "That's a lovely name you have, dear. Come sit." Jake looked dumbfounded as Erin got to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk, while himself and Elwood still had to sit in desks that they've long grown out of. "This is ridiculous."

"Now, what brings you here again?" The sister asked.

"They're helping me get back home, sister." Erin answered, once again throwing the men off by the sudden change in her demeanor. "Really?" Sister Stigmata was surprised, maybe the boys she raised had really redeemed themselves. "A message from God, if you will. To ensure the safe travel of a child of God." Jake interjected, while Elwood just shook his head and looked away. It was clear Jake was just bullshitting. "She's my kid." Elwood clarified, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided eye contact with the sister. She raised her eyes a bit, before beckoning Erin closer. "Come step closer, dear. I want to get a better look at you." Erin stood up from the chair, and stepped closer. Allowing the penguin to see Erin's features more, after a moment of silence followed the elder nun hummed to herself. "You have the same look your father used to have at your age, definitely turned out a lot more responsible than him and his brother though." Jake slightly stood up, then again it was a little difficult since he was wedged in a child's desk. "Hey, don't let the midget's innocent act fool you. This little shit tried to steal our car!" Jake got another quick wack in the head with the same ruler, as he stumbled back with a groan. "Jesus fucking christ, Jake it's no hard feelings now- Ow!" Elwood yelped as Stigmata grabbed his ear. "You boys still have those bad attitudes, you may have given the money we needed but you're still on the path of redemption." She let his ear go, standing behind Erin as she placed her hands on Erin's shoulder. "Maybe this young girl will do some good, she's your family. Your legacy, Elwood. It's your responsibility to be an example, someone she can look up to."

"So can we go now? Maybe we can catch Curtis on the way out." Jake nudged his brother's arm, Sister Stigmata let out a weary sigh. "I'm afraid he's not with us anymore, the Lord had taken him peacefully in his sleep." The sudden atmosphere had taken a more somber tone, it didn't take much for Erin to figure out Curtis must have been someone very important to Jake and Elwood. "Oh... Okay, let's just get going." Jake sighed as he freed himself from the desk and went straight for the door. Elwood and Erin were the last to follow. "Who's Curtis?" Erin asked, her tone much softer than she previously used with the brothers. "... A damn good guy." Elwood replied, before looking back at the penguin. "Sorry, sister."

"Be careful, and may the Lord bless you on your travels." Erin waved back, snapping her head back as she could have almost sworn that she saw the door close itself shut.

"Jake, you know what this means?"

"That the only man, who was the closest thing we had to a father is dead?" Jake huffed, as his sunglasses were able to conceal the tears that were threatening to fall. "Besides that, don't you see? This was supposed to happen for a reason. She 𝘸𝘢𝘴 supposed to steal the bluesmobile." Jake furrowed his eyes, trying to get where Elwood was going with the comparison. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's a message from God."

"A message from God." Jake repeated. "You're not serious right?"

"This is the most serious I've been, this was meant to happen. We were meant to run into her. And I don't care if she is one of those tall dwarfs, she's my kid and your niece. We're getting her home." Elwood declared, while Erin's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why the fuck do you keep calling me a midget?"

Elwood stepped over to her side. "Erin, you might not know a lot about me."

"I don't know anything."

"And I might not know everything about you."

"You didn't even know I existed."

"That's in the past," Elwood looked down at her as he continued. "Like it or not. We're your family, that means you are our family now. And I promise, with our blessed lady of acceleration. We'll get you home in one piece."

"We are gonna have to avoid the cops though, since people think you're missing." Jake said, as he climbed in.

Erin shook her head, looking up at the sun that shined through the clouds. Taking a deep breath as she spoke to herself. "If there is a god, please make sure I don't die or anything." Erin shoved her hands in her jacket, the snow crunching beneath her feet as she joined them in the car. The blues brothers next mission has begun.

[just-my-type-x]

i have the best fic idea and it’s just pure fluff

the reader is messing about on the piano on stage because no one is around and then brad catches her and teaches her the chords to married in vegas (so cute!)

they could like make out and stuff at the piano until people come and spot them

Talk Is Cheap

I walk around the stage, making the final touches and making sure every instrument is placed in the right place. I exhale sharply and relax when i see that everything is on point and that me and the team nailed the stage decoration once again.

"Everything looks great on camera too", Dean says from behind me, checking the footage back on his huge camera

"That's music to my ears, Dean", we both chuckle and he leaves backstage, leaving me alone. I turn around to look at the huge venue with the empty seats, my palms sweaty in anticipation for my friends. I've been touring with them and helping them on stage and off stage with different stuff, which made me a key member on their team. Fortunately, i got to get along with everyone and the boys are my best friends. I want to leave the stage also, to get some stuff done backstage, but i stutter and turn around, looking intensely at the piano. I look around one more time to make sure nobody's watching and i give it a go.

I sit at the piano and find the chords i know of one of my favourite songs. I start pushing on the chords, the lovely sound of Talk Is Cheap by Chet Faker being heard all over the stage. I mess one chord up and i smile shyly at my rookie mistake, but start again, humming the lyrics along the melody. I get all caught up in the vibe of the song and i jump when i see Brad a few meters away from the piano, looking at me with a smirk and his arms crossed at his chest.

"That sounds so good, what is it?", he asks smiling and approaches me, leaning on the piano and intertwining his fingers together

"Talk is Cheap", i blush and take my hands off the piano and rest them on my thighs.

"Solid song, it sounds amazing acoustically", i nod at his words and i get up from the piano. "No, don't go. I'm sorry, i didn't want you to think you need to leave. I don't rehearse on the piano until later.", Brad apologises and gives me a reassuring smile. I chuckle.

"I know, don't worry. It's just.. I only started the piano lessons a few days ago and I'm doing online classes of it", i paused and both of us laughed. "i needed to rehearse as homework from the music teacher.", i sit back on the piano and Brad relaxes his posture when he sees i didn't leave

"I bet i can teach you more", he says with a smirk and i raise my eyebrow at him.

"Alright, bet", i smile widely at his confidence.

"Ok, ok", he walks around the piano and sits next to me. I scoot over to give him more space and i place my hands above the piano keys and wait for his instructions. "I will teach you Married In Vegas. So now you're gonna press on these three keys right here", he points to where i have to press on. "And with your pinky, you're gonna press on this third one right here. Be careful not to touch the one in between", he gently takes my pinky between his index and thumb and places it on the right key. I laugh at his way of teaching my finger to reach the right chord.

"You're already a bad teacher of you have to extend my fingers yourself", i giggle and his laughter fills up the venue. I look towards him and take in the amazing sound of his happy and amused voice. The sight of him throwing his head back, laughing and his wide smile remaining on his face after i made the joke made my heart flutter. I felt my cheeks reddening and i turned my attention back to the piano. "Ok, what now?", i ask, a trace of amusement still in my voice

"Now, you're gonna move this hand", Brad grabs my wrist with a feathery touch and positions it on the right keys, "and the left hand, bring it closer to your right one by three chords", i do as instructed and press the keys at the same time. "Great, now, repeat from the start". I follow his words and repeat my movements, but fail miserably.

"I'm sorry, my pinky didn't reach the key", i say as i try again to hit the right chords. Brad chuckles and moves my finger again, so it could reach.

"It's not that hard, maybe if you get longer nails..", he makes fun of me and i let my hands fall on all the keys at ones, making a loud noise. Brad jumps a bit and i laugh, making fun of him.

"Haha, you've got jokes, Bradley.", i joke, but try to remain serious. He smiles at me and i switch my initial position to me sitting with my legs on both sides of the piano chair.

"You've got cute, short fingers, you shouldn't be mad at that.", he copies my position and rests his hands on his thighs, while i check my fingers, my hands in front of our faces.

"You think?"

"They look like little sausages", Brad jokes again and instead of playing hurt, i give in and we both laugh loudly.

"I think you've waited for the right time to bully me, Bradley.", i joke and take my other leg on the opposite side of the piano, ready to get up.

"I've been waiting for several things when it comes to you, to be honest", i turn my head at him, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for more information. Instead of a spoken answer, i see him leaning in towards me. I freeze for a moment, but get i closer to his face, one of my hands cupping his face. He stops in his tracks and only let's our noses to touch, his eyes searching for mine. "One of the things I've been waiting for.. Is this", he almost whispers and slowly gets lower to my lips, pressing his soft lips on mine. I pull him even more towards me and he licks my bottom lip, taking control of our actions. His hands find my waist and pulls my body closer to him, the kiss becoming more and more heated.

"Hiii Brad", a loud voice is heard in the venue and we're both quick to stop what we were doing. We checked the area and saw a few fans coming in, the phones already out for taking pictures and filming. I get up and smile at them, giving Brad a tap on the shoulder to let him know I'm leaving backstage.

"So, who wants to listen to Married In Vegas?", i hear him ask the fans, followed by some excited "wooo's"

.

.

.

This is the song, i know it's weird how it comes up, but it's the only way u can find this specific version. I hope u liked it ♥️

Pic from Pinterest

[muerder-snail]

Learn to love again

Warning ⚠️ self harm and unalive thoughts

The sound of silence filled my room, my brand new room for you see I was picked up by a group of others like me chosen by evil or dark deities and made into creepy freaks like me a good example was tang yun he was told me how painful it was to be able to suddenly go from normal hearing to being able to hear past, present and future and how even after it was still painful leaving him with six ears instead of two and not to mention the black and purple eyes. There were a lot of us who were given our powers through pain and hardship and those who have become animals I feel must have had the worst of it but none will talk about it.

It was eair the quiet it made me miss the time I lived with Joe, his laughter, his smile, his voice, but I would never hear that again because of those mirrormon who ripped him away from me! A sigh left my lips as I played with the feathers of my wings, in a way I was glad Chet had chosen me to be his esper. If it wasn’t for him I would probably be dead as well whether by my own hand or by those monsters.

“Hmm I wonder what would happen if i-” and like that a shot of pain like an injection went through my wing as a small amount of blood fell from the fresh wound.

“Must be easier when the bird is dead” I tilted my head looking at the dark purple feather, it reminded me of a reven. “Hmm I think I’ll turn it into a quill… Hm, why does that name sound familiar?… oh well” I sighed as I spoke, giving a breath to my words, even with no one to hear me I still looked around as if looking for attention. That was the downside of being the god of hates esper, no one wants to be near you.

[b-a-n-a-n-a-ss]

Fire house boys x reader - Living At The FireHouse pt.2

Second part to the part series.

Summary: Daniel invites y/n to a party at school and it doesn’t end well.

Warnings: fire, teen drinking, drugs, cussing, mentions of sex.

Characters:

Roy Desoto

Johnny Gage

Chet Kelly

Marco Lopez

Mike Stoker

Hank Stanley

Dixie McCall

Kelly Brackett

—————————

I shut my locker door and giggled as Daniel tickled my sides. I turned around so my back was against the locker and I was facing Daniel.

“So there’s this party tonight, and I think we should go together.” He said as he kissed my neck sloppily.

“Hmmm where is it?” I asked in a low voice as I ran my hands from his chest to his belt. He smirked at me and I pulled him in closer by his belt.

“It’s at that seniors house, that Jessie girl. She Invited all the juniors and seniors. It starts at seven tonight.” Daniel explained while he ran his hands down my back.

“Okay, will you pick me up?” I asked him.

He nodded, “of course! I’ll be there by six thirty.” He said leaning down to kiss me. We shared a loving kiss then the bell for eighth period rang. I gave him a quick peck and went off to my last class.

___

I brushed through my hair to try and fluff it out evenly. I was dressed in a beautiful yellow dress that had all sorts of designs on it. The dress went to my mid-thigh and was long sleeve with the loose ends. I was also wearing some white high heels and had a pearl necklace on. I also had these big silver circle earrings and a Smokey eye with a red lip.

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time then I sprayed some perfume on me. I looked at the clock on my wall and it was 6:28. Daniel should be here literally any minute.

I heard the station call alarm go off and the dispatch guy give out information. I heard the fire truck sirens start blaring then it all faded into silence again.

I quickly left my room, shutting the door behind me. Both the fire and paramedic trucks were gone so I was alone. Perfect.

I didn’t tell them about the party because none of them would let me go.

I saw Daniels car pull up into the driveway and I quickly walked out to it. I got in the car and gave him a peck on his cheek. He started driving and soon placed his hand on my thigh.

“You look so beautiful y/n.” He said. I smiled at him and looked down a road we passed. The fire trucks were there. I let out a breath and started to feel nervous.

“You didn’t tell them about the party did you?” He asked me.

“No, they went out on a call right before you came. They wouldn’t have let me go.” I sighed. Daniel squeezed my thigh and played with the hem on my dress.

“We’re gonna have fun tonight. I promise.” He said. I nodded once more and we pulled up to a packed driveway. The house was huge and there were many people running in and out of the house.

Daniel got out of the car and quickly ran to my side to open the door for me. I got out of the car and looked at the house. It was very modern and was two story’s.

Daniel wrapped an arm around my waist and we walked into the house. It was loud with people talking and there was a huge table full of alcohol and all sorts of drinks.

Daniel immediately started to pour some vodka into two cups with some fruit punch and he squeezed some lime in both of them.

He handed me a cup and we both took a sip at the same time. I swallowed the liquid and scrunched my face up a little. Daniel did the same but then took another sip.

“It’s not that bad. I could get drunk off of this.” He joked. I laughed and we both continued to drink our drinks. After I had finished the first cup I wanted more. So I dragged Daniel over to the drink table and we saw a guy making drinks for people.

He turned to us with a smile and got to cups ready.

“What kind of drink do y’all want?” He asked.

“Anything that can make me feel good.” I replied. He nodded and started to pour some alcohol together in both the cups. The guy couldn’t have been older than 19, I mean he was good at his craft but he didn’t look old.

He handed me and Daniel the cups and smiled at us as he turned to the next people in line. I took a sip of my drink and let out a satisfied breath. Daniel did the same then we came across the drug room.

There were people smoking weed and doing all sorts of drugs. We sat in a big chair squished up together and we watched as the drugs were given out to people. The room was foggy with all the smoke.

I finished my drink and reached for the weed. It got passed to me and I hit it. My brain immediately was overcome with a wonderful feeling and I continued to hit it. Daniel came and hit it from my hands. I put it in my mouth and let the smoke fill my mouth up. Then I put my lips on Daniels and breathed all the smoke into his mouth.

He moaned and started to kiss my neck. I scanned the table of all the drugs and saw some cocaine. I moved up further on the couch and leaned down to the line of it. I held one nostril shut and sucked in the powder with my other. I leaned back and let out a heavy sigh. I was off my rockers.

Another cup of some alcohol was now being passed around. I took a big gulp of it and i straddled Daniels lap. He held his hands on my waist and we started to make out. I dry humped him slowly and I tangled my hands in his hair.

One of Daniels hand rested on my ass while the other rested on my waist. He stuck his tongue inside my mouth and I sucked on his lip. Right when we were about to start getting at it I smelled smoke.

I sobered up a little and stood up from Daniel. I looked around then I heard screaming and saw a burst of flames from the upstairs bedroom. Everyone started running and I could hear the fire truck sirens in the distant.

Daniel grabbed my hand and started to run with me. I was so out of it I couldn’t keep up and ended up falling on the ground. Nobody stopped to help me, I kept getting kicked and stepped on. My lungs started to fill with smoke and I started coughing violently.

I tried to crawl to the door but I was so weak and everything hurt. My vision started to blur and I started to feel sick. I was coughing and struggling to breath.

I saw figures enter the house and I heard yelling. I felt arms wrap around my body and I looked to see Johnny with Roy.

“Y/n? Here keep this on okay? We are gonna get you out of here.” I heard Johnny say as he put his breathing mask on my face. I took deep breaths and tried to calm down. Johnny picked me up and carried me out of the house.

He gently laid me on the little tarp they had put out. I was out of breath and panting. My head hurt and so did my stomach. My stomach had a sharp pain in it.

Johnny stayed next to me while the other men plus Roy put out the fire. My dad rushed over to me and quickly helped Johnny with everything he was doing.

Johnny called rampart and checked me in, I could here Dr.Bracketts voice over the little speaker thing. When the fire was finally out all the other men rushed over to me.

I felt so weak and I wanted to go to sleep. My eyes kept dropping closed but Chet would hit my cheek lightly.

“Hey come on stay with us y/n. Does anything else hurt?” Roy asked me.

“My stomach.” I groaned.

Roy started to press on my stomach lightly.

“Okay tell me when it hurts.” He said. I nodded and Roy went around my stomach pressing different spots. Then he got to my middle and pressed. I cried out and my dad pet my hair and tried to calm me down.

“Right there?” He asked. I nodded and he looked to his captain.

“Can we cut her dress? We need to see what’s wrong.” Roy asked. My dad nodded frantically.

“Do anything you need to.”

They cut the waist of my dress and pulled it to my ribs. There was a big gash along my stomach that was bleeding badly.

I whimpered and reached for my dads hand. He held it and I squeezed it tightly as Johnny started to clean it.

“Okay come on we are taking her in the truck to the hospital we can’t wait anymore.” Johnny said. All the men quickly packed up and made sure I had a place to lay in the back of the fire truck.

My dad picked me up and laid me across one of the seats. Mike was sitting on one so I had to lay my head on his lap. My dad sat across from us and Chet and Marco in the front. We followed the paramedic truck to the hospital.

I groaned as I started to feel sick again. I felt tired and I started to close my eyes.

Mike quickly moved my had lightly and patted my cheek.

“Hey no, don’t go to sleep.” He said. I moaned and tears spilled out of my eyes.

We finally made it to the hospital and my dad quickly brought me in and laid me on a stretcher.

The nurses wheeled me in a room quickly then I blacked out.

____

I opened my eyes and groaned, my whole body felt sore.

I looked around the room and nobody was in there but there were many bandages and gauze on the table beside me.

I pushed the little nurse station button and soon Dixie came in with Dr.Brackett and my dad.

“How are you feeling y/n?” Brackett asked me.

“Everything is sore, especially my stomach.” I told him. Dixie pulled my now white shirt up and started to replace the bandage on my stomach. The white shirt was most likely my dads. He always lets me where his shirts if I need it. And my dress was ripped. I also had on some shorts that I usually sleep in.

“It was a nasty cut y/n, you needed stitches.” Brackett said. I nodded and hit my lip as I watched Dixie.

“How did you get it?” Brackett asked. I looked towards my dad then at Brackett. I let out a slow breath and went to admit where I was.

“So I went to a party. That’s why I was in the house when they came to the fire. I was drinking and I smoke some weed and hit a line of cocaine. I was so out of it I could hardly get out of the house. Nobody stopped to help me either. God I was so stupid I would have died if Johnny didn’t find me. I couldn’t breath, I was so scared.” I said.

My face was now drenched in tears and my dad was holding my hand.

“I’m so sorry dad.” I cried. My dads eyes had so much sadness in them. He came over and stood beside Brackett. He ran his fingers through my hair and he kissed my forehead.

“It’s okay y/n. You’re safe now, it’s okay.” He said. I calmed down and Brackett began to explain how to take care of my cut properly. Dixie had left by now and my stomach had a new bandage on it.

When the men got done talking Brackett helped unhook me from my IVs and my dad helped me walk to his truck.

He even helped me get in it. He drove back to the fire house in a comfortable silence, listening to the radio.

He pulled in and parked. He helped me out and helped me walk to the kitchen where everyone else was. I sat in a chair in between Chet and Mike.

All the men consoled me and made me feel better for my mistake. My stomach started to growl and that’s when dinner was served. I ate with the men and ended up feeling so much better.

After dinner, Chet helped me walk to my bedroom and helped my get into bed. I changed by myself but he was there just in case. He kissed my forehead and then I fell asleep.

[herdarkandsmuttythoughts]

TW - 18+ ONLY - Smutt - The Night Friend Lovers- (M F F)

Ora Was home alone one evening soon after her Ex Husband Chet had moved out of their home and given it to her. Chet had been controlling and violent at times, unfortunately Ora had been seeing him through rose colored glasses till one night. This night Ora had too much to drink and smoke, nothing left in her to fight. All she could do was say no. Did that stop the man who said he loved her from taking what he wanted from her? Of course not, that night while he takes advantage of her lack of strength she makes up her mind that it's time to leave him for good. After all the times he yelled and screamed when she asked for help, all the times he hit or kicked a wall, throwing things in her direction but not at her, every other time he had taken what he wanted, every time he left work mid shift to spy on her even though she was fast asleep, EVERYTHING to this point and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. This story is How she found herself and found out who her true soulmate or soulmates were and for now it's romantic. It wasn't always so and it won't always be, but for now they will enjoy themselves and give in to the lust that's built up. And Spoilers yes when it's over they all remain friends. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER and the Husband who gets to enjoy his two “wives” as wives and not just the wife and her bestie.

-----The events unfolding the night before and the next morning.------------

Stretching and yawning Ora looks at her clock on the wall its almost midnight. Deciding it time for bed Ora stands turning off the living room tv. Checking all the doors and windows to make sure they are locked shut. No one could get in through any of the windows without a ladder anyway but Ora still checked, left over trauma from her ex. spying. She walks to her room changing into a night dress. She climbs into bed with a book in hand reading a few chapters before turning her light off and falling asleep. Her sleep is not a restful one she feels like someone is around. The 1st time this has happened scents she moved into the house after her ex left. She keeps waking up every few hours to little sounds that are not normally there. Finally around 4 am she starts to really fall asleep when suddenly she hears a loud crash and a sudden rush of cool air. She sits straight up to see her Ex looking through the open window that the AC unit had been in just moments ago. Screaming at her ex she turns on the light and he runs off. Awake Ora takes the time to reinstall the AC unit this time adding screws where she can to keep it from being pushed in again or pulled outside.

She Calls her friends while she is doing so. Unknown to her they quickly got dressed and headed her way. When Mae and James arrive at Ora’s house it is about 5:30 am and they are still on the phone with her. She didn't know they were coming over. When they get the house they tell her to open the door and let them in. She excitedly hangs up the phone and runs to the door. Mae Hands Ora her favorite lavender tea, James walks in behind setting breakfast sandwiches on the counter. Ora and Mae sit on the couch and start to talk about what has happened and eat while James takes the time to inspect around to make sure her ex can't get in. After James is done Checking everything Ora takes the time to go change clothes for work. Mae and James tell her they will be taking her to work. In the car they tell her to let her know she will be late, and she is going to an emergency hearing at the courthouse. Ora starts to question them but James says “Be a good girl for me and do as you're told”. Slightly melting inside Ora listens to him. They arrive moments later at the courthouse where they get a herring with a judge already on property. Unfortunately the judge does not grant a protective order at that time saying there is not enough evidence to do so. James is Beyond angry Mae and Ora barely able to calm him. Ora looks at them Mae 1st then James. “ Why not come stay with me at the house, you can check things each night, set up a camera or two we can get evidence and come back” Ora half expects an argument in response. Instead his eyes soften as he looks up at Ora and then over to Mae.

“ Okay but we are ALL sleeping in your room that bed is big enough for us all and i don't want either of you alone in a room with windows or and entry door”

In unison the girls answer “OKAY”

The girls, in front of James, hand in hand; the three best friends leave the court house. Once back at the car James Opens the doors and helps the girls into the car before shutting the doors. They Drop Ora off at work 1st. When she goes to open the door James tells her no while he gets out of the car himself. Again confused Ora just listens. Mae is snickering slightly trying to hide her laugh but Ora knows her well enough to notice it. James walks around and Opens the door and Offers Ora his hand to help her out of the car. Standing to straighten her dress Ora looks over to see that James has pulled her bag from the car for her and is watching her intently.

“Thank you James” Ora says, reaching out for her bag. Stepping forward James pulls Ora closer to him Kissing her gently on the lips.

“ Your welcome babydoll, '' he says as he pulls away. Ora, in shock, stands there stunned as James gets back into the car with Mae. Promptly rolling down the window Mae laughs out to Ora that she better get into work. With that Ora goes inside to start her long day waiting for her friends to pick her up not knowing what to expect next.

If finally hits 6 pm and ora is off of work James pulls up with Mae parking the car he gets out walking to Ora he takes her bag kissing her on the cheek and then opens Mae’s door as well as the back door setting Ora’s back inside. Mae gets out as well and she hugs her best friend and kisses her other cheek and leads her to the front seat. Mae then enters the backseat. James Kisses Mae and then shuts her door. After shutting that door he goes to ora kissing her forehead and closing the door before getting into the drivers side. On the way home James keeps hold of Ora’s hand the whole ride.

Jame begins telling the girls of the camera system he got that has 10 cameras to cover every area of the house and the set up he has in mind. They also talk about splitting time between James and Mae’s and spending most of the time at Ora’s house, once Home James letts the girls out of the car and tells them to head inside. James then carries all the bags from the car into the house. Ora is amazed to see a few groceries as well as the camera system and a large suitcase and a small one she assumes both have clothes for her friends.

“I only ordered enough for dinner and a snack tonight because i didn't know what all you had. We can go out for more groceries tomorrow and James took his lunch and went back home to grab some things we need.” Mae explained “ Now go take a shower and I’ll start on dinner while James sets up the Cameras”

“ I can't thank you all enough for everything” Ora hugs her best friend before walking into her room to get a change of clothes and to shower.

When Ora is finished showering she takes over watching the dinner while Mae takes her shower. James comes inside and joins mae in the shower. Just as the time goes off saying dinner is ready they both enter the kitchen. Grabbing the plates from Ora they all help plate each other's food and take it to the dining room. The three friends enjoy the meal while talking and laughing. This is an act Ora had not gotten to do much over the years her ex had made it impossible and she was slowly getting more and more social but still wasn't used to it. Ora was very much enjoying this time but in the back of her mind she couldn't take her mind off the events of the night before. Mae could see her disconnecting, giving her husband a look she announced she would be cleaning up from dinner and for James and Ora to head to the room and start getting the bed ready for three people.

James stands taking Ora’s hand “let's go babydoll we wouldn't want to keep babygirl waiting once she is done”

Once again Ora is stunned but stands and walks with James to her bedroom; their bedroom now, all three of them. After adding a few pillows and blankets to the bed Ora stares at the bed thinking, disconnecting again. James slowly walks up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist he begins to kiss on her neck. “I know what your thinking “ James speakers between kisses “Mae knows exactly what is happening Babydoll, she gave her blessing”

Ora leans back into James “Is Mae going to join us and you seem to already have a new name for me it makes my core melt” she honestly tells him.

“ Oh yes Babydoll I wouldn't do this without her, after all I know you both love the taste of each other” He keeps kissing her neck as he lifts her shirt over her shoulders and off her onto the floor. Spinning her around James Places his thumb on her chin tilting her head to look up at him. Ora’s eyes close as she enjoys the moment. Placing a hungry Kiss on Ora’s lips James walks Ora backward to the bed till she finally falls back on to it. Next thing Ora feels is hands on her hips fingers inside her shorts and thong before they are gone in one swift Motion. Her eyes shoot open as the cool hair hits her most sensitive area. At that same ment Mae walks into the room quickly stripping herself down as Ora and her Husband watch. Ora is unaware how close James’ face is to her center.

“About time you got my Bestie into bed my darling” directing her conversation at James as she climbs on to the bed over to Ora.

“ I didn't want you to miss anything my Pet '' James kissed Mae before diving into Ora’s Soaked cunt, spreading her lower lips with his own, his tongue landing right on Ora’s clit. An instant wave of pleasure rushes through her, her back arches screaming in delight “OH FUCK JAMES” a sentance Ora never thought would be spoken in the way they just were. Mae laughs before kissing Ora. “ I hope you enjoy this Babydoll '' and with that Mae places one leg on either side of Ora’s head and sits on her face. Ora instantly begins to lick and suck on her best friend's clit. It's clear both women have been turned on for a bit with how wet they already are. Ora enjoying the taste of Mae again for the 1st time in years; James enjoying his 1st taste ever of Ora. James quickly becomes addicted to the flavor. It's different from Mae’s but still excites him. Both Girls quickly came to their first climax of the night from all the oral stimulation as well as the fingers that had been added to the mix. As Mae loses her strength to stay up right James pulls his finger from Ora her Juices cover his fingers and he puts them into Mae’s mouth. This act lights a fire in Mae and she begins to take a little bit of charge. Moving Ora onto the bed a slight bit more Mae begins her descent into eating her Best Friends deliciousness. Both girls lick and suck on the other until they both climax for a second time. James watched them stroking himself intently. He stands still storking and announces “I can't wait anymore I need to have her”

In the midst of her bliss Ora moans out a raspy needy agreement to James and Mae nods her head to her husband. Lifting off of Ora Mae lets James have a full view of Ora. He’s secretly told Mae many times how much he would like to Breed Ora. Mae knowing this is one of her bestfriends deepest kinks she convinced her husband that now was their time to all have their fun. James bends, kissing Ora as he lines himself up to her entrance. Able to taste his wife on the lips of the other woman he lusts after sending him into overdrive. In one swift motion he thrusts into ora making them both moan at the pleasure. She was tighter than his wife but not by much it still made him excited. Slowly moving his hips allowing Ora a chance to get used to his size. James Breaks the kiss to whisper in Ora’s ear “My beautiful babydoll I plan on ruining that pretty little i'm stretching right now. I'm gonna Breed you like the good little Breeding slut you are. And my wife is going to watch as your pussy takes every drop of my seed inside you.” Ora instantly cums her eyes rolling back in her head, her insides clenching around his hardness, her nails dig into his back and she lets a slew of curses escape her. “Now Now babydoll such filth. Babygirl come back over and fill her mouth with something much sweeter” with that Mae gets into position over Her best friend's head again not expecting the instant suction on her clit. Mae falls into the arms of her husband. James holds her up while one of Ora’s legs is up over his shoulder and he continues to plow into her. Ora keeps one hand on each of them. One hand lands on James Stomac the other on Maes thigh. Mae wraps her arms around James' neck kissing him. The two talk between kisses about Breeding their perfect little toy below them. Ora can hear it all and her moans are no longer muffled. James Begins to thrust unrhythmically and Mae is getting more unsteady. Ora knows what's about to happen, all three of them are about to hit their climax. Two or three more Hard thrusts and James Shoots his seed Deep inside Ora she is able to feel every twitch and shot and how full she actually is now, This sends her over the edge her pussy clenches miking even more cum from his cock, She also pulls Mae down on her face more her tongue moving so fast licking every part of Mae from her clit to inside her pussy. Mae then loses control, filling Ora’s mouth with her cum. They all take a moment to breathe before trying another position and then another and another. Finally once they are all spent James lays Down 1st kissing Mae telling her he loves her and she back to him. They both lay on either side of the bed leaving only the middle for Ora. Laying between them on her back. Mae Kisses her deeply saying I love you to each other it seems to mean more tonight. James Laughs saying how much he loves seeing HIS girls so loving to each other. James takes the time to make Ora look at him. “ I mean it BabyDoll your my girl well my second girl. My second wife. And second isnt less. I love you Ora.” he finishes by placing a kiss on Ora’s lips. The girls turn on their sides facing the wall Mae scoots back to be the small spoon, Ora has now become the Middle spoon and James the big spoon they all fall asleep quickly holding onto each other and knowing from now on their lives are more entwined than they had been before.

And that was the night Friends Become Lovers.

[alluringjae]

au cours de l’été - jjh

⤑ translation: over the summer

⤑ summary: this is a story of an exhausted painter who needed a breather from the hectic city life. so aside from moving to the countryside, the needed air in your lungs also came in the form of a person. this summer meant for pure relaxation, perhaps your heart may dive into him too.

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 15.2k (so much for saying that i’ll be writing shorter stories)

⤑ genre: fluff, romance, smut | author!jaehyun, painter!reader, strangers to lovers!au, 50s-60s!au, summer love in france!au

⤑ warnings: me inserting some french phrases because I want to practice (feel free to correct me if I made mistakes, i’ll appreciate them), fictional interpretations of real-life people, explicit language, jaehyun being such a romantic pls im in tears, mentions and scenes of burnout (the worst)

⤑ playlist: everybody loves somebody by dean martin | c’est si bon by eartha kitt | it’s always you by chet baker | les yeux ouverts by emilie-claire barlow | a sunday kind of love by etta james | the most beautiful thing by bruno major | try again by jaehyun and d.ear (duh) | free love (dream edit) by honne | petite fleur by jill barber | plus je t’embrasse by blossom dearie | so this is love by ilene woods and mike douglas

⤑ author’s note: this was an idea that just came to me after pinterest kept recommending me poetic beauty/try again jaehyun, so here we are! i intended to write less than 5k words but sometimes plans don’t go as planned once you really invest in the story yet i’m really happy how this turned out!

the romantic exhilaration in my bones are off the charts because this is jaehyun we’re talking about lol enjoy!

⤑ masterlist

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism, or hellos!

3 juin 1957

The city life overstimulated your entire system, losing your brainpower and inspiration. Another exhibition that’ll feature your works with other influential painters was happening at the end of the year, and you had nothing prepared so far. You’ve crashed to the deep end of creative fatigue.

So you needed to get away again; somewhere quieter and surrounded by nature.

That’s why you ended up in the countryside down south, somewhere within Provence. It’s purely just for the summer, but extensions were okay as long you get back at least a month before the show. Filing that leave of absence at the studio you worked at was worth it.

You rented an apartment overlooking the marketplace, where the heart of the village was. After arranging things from your boxes and luggage the entire day, you found out that you lacked in the food department.  

So the succeeding day, the entire morning was spent on grocery shopping downstairs then stocking them inside your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Right after changing out of your pajamas into a flowy floral dress and sandals, you decided to bike to the bakery that locals suggested. A must-go place for newcomers, they all raved.

“Café des Étoiles Perdues.” (Café of Lost Stars.)

The clear chimes of the bell resounded through the small, cottage-like lobby as you entered inside. An old woman, whom you assumed was the owner, welcomed you openly.

“Oh la la, vous êtes belle! Vous vous appelez (Y/N), la nouvelle venue, n'est-ce pas?” (Oh la la, you’re beautiful. Your name is (Y/N), the newcomer, right?)

She complimented, making you shyly mutter your answer. Wiping off the flour from her apron, she introduced herself kindly.

“Je m’appelle Camille. Mes spécialités sont les macarons pisctaches et des croissants avec des amandes. Autre chose que tu aimes?” (I’m Camille. My specialties are the pistachio macarons and croissants with almonds. Is there anything else you like?)

“J'aime tout ce que vous suggères, Madame.” (I’d like anything that you suggest, Madame.)

A younger man, who went by Jaemin, was a part-timer barista who asked for your coffee order. As he directed you to the best seat of the café, which was outside overlooking the garden of blooming sunflowers, you pulled out your sketch pad so you could capture this dreamy view. It was nothing like you’ve ever seen in your life.

You’ve decided on a theme already for your exhibit thanks to your conversations with locals yesterday, which was related to freedom. After being chained to cities for so-called better living and financial standards, it’s actually how your inspiration to create squeezed the life out of you like a lemon. Although it was fun at first to see those tourist spots, it eventually got tiring.

Another matchstick to graze intensity through your bones was what you prayed for.

While you’re engaged in a rough sketch of the scenery, the dandy presence of a young man entered the café with his books. White shirt, red trousers with a matching beret, he sported freckles on his pale face. Despite visiting his favorite café numerously, Camille was overjoyed to see him and his serene smiles.

“Jaehyun! What brings you here?”

“Bonjour, Madame! I’m starving for your croissants because I ran out back home.”

“Not to worry! I’ll pack up some so you’re on your way.” She lightened him up like one of her kids, taking one of the bigger paper bags.

“No rush though, Madame. I’ll be reading and working here for a bit here.” Jaehyun affirmed, bringing it out his wallet and called out for Jaemin.

“Un café crème, s’il vous plait.” (One cup of cappuccino, please.)

Jaehyun’s usual chair was by the large window, overseeing the wide garden planted by the citizens of the village way before he was born. It was places like this he missed after moving to the city for his education and work’s sake. 

That’s the thing when you’re coming from a rich family; you don’t have much of say with what your parents order you to do. However, his recent request to stay in his childhood home (or mansion) again was fulfilled because he couldn’t search for what he needed in the cities anymore.

Jaehyun was a sucker for romance; an old romantic others would say. A lot of women mistook his kindness as flirting on many occasions, but ironically he just wasn’t looking for anyone yet. 

Starting as a novelist in the said genre based on real-life stories of people he met in Paris, Barcelona, London, and more, his stories were popular hits especially to young adults who aspire to find love one day.

However, traveling to the known places no longer felt fun as he got older. The stories he gathered were very similar, just in different languages. It took an enthusiastic dinner with his family, specifically his only older sister Krystal retelling fond stories from their younger years to get the idea of moving back for a bit. So consumed with the city life, he wanted to see things from another perspective.

What was the difference between a love story formed in the countryside than in the city?

It’s been a month since he arrived, but he didn’t hurry himself to do his research. He’s been reading books in his family library, revisiting monumental places, exploring around the village, and reconnecting with old friends as if he never left. 

Readjusting to his former life would make writing easier when he’s motivated enough to do it again. Besides, his books were profiting well enough to his taste; good enough for the next 10 years according to his personal accountant, Kim Jungwoo.

Jaehyun resumed reading this book his mother recommended him before he left. Entitled “Réessaye”, which was about a young man who reunites with his childhood sweetheart after his arranged marriage failed. After what she put her through, he’s hesitant whether to try again or let her go.

Jaehyun enjoyed reading books with realistic outlooks on love because he found them more meaningful, enlightening how exactly it makes you feel and do. Even if he enjoyed reading sappy, fairytale-like stories from time to time, he always returned to the real ones as they only displayed the truth.

That love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, but something that can also break you especially if you go after the wrong person. This kind of mindset was how he toiled on his stories, which gained him a status outside of his unavoidable labels such as “the only striking son of the Jeong family” or “Valentine Boy”.

He diligently browsed through the climax, where the main male character confessed all his constrained emotions to his sweetheart. But it was until Jaemin pressed the bag of croissants in front of his face after placing down his childhood friend’s drink to disturb his peace.

“Reading again?” He taunted, snatching his book away and throwing the bag on Jaehyun’s lap. “When are you writing that book already? Everyone is practically dying for you to release something new again!”

Jaehyun flatly shook his head, drinking his coffee quietly. It’s not the first time anyone asked (or pressured) him about his next release, and it’s the last thing he wanted to think about. “Not in the mood right now, Jaemin. Now off to work before Madame Camille scolds you again.”

“You’re just stalling because you have nothing to write, don’t you?” Jaemin cunningly expressed, raising a brow. He’s known to catch onto the people’s bs easily; the last person you’d want to say your secrets too and Jaehyun realized too late. Though lucky for him, Jaemin shut the topic down right away so he wouldn’t pop a vein.

“Sais-tu de la nouvelle venue dans le village, d'ailleurs?” (Do you know about the newcomer in the village, by the way?)

“Une nouvelle venue?” (A newcomer?)

Being stuck at his mansion recently, news about village affairs were now late to him. Jaemin’s finger discreetly pointed outside the window, pertaining to a young woman sat outside painting her view in front of her.

That would be you, shading all the flowers in bright colors.

Seeing a new face amazed Jaehyun, especially when she was almost someone right out of a book. In a neat bun with white daisies printed in her dress, she crossed her legs whilst continuing her movements. She bit her lower lip, frustrated over an accidental smudge she made and trying to fix it by blending it with another color. When she accomplished it, she swapped brushes. A thinner one, to outline the shapes of the flower. Her lips curved to a smile after finishing another one perfectly with the rest.

“Jaehyun?”

Jaemin snapped his fingers to his distracted friend, zoning out the window. Still something he hasn’t stop doing, he pondered. With a final snap, Jaehyun broke away from falling hard from his abstract. Jaemin calculated the problem so quickly, analyzing his friend breezily like his medical school requirements.

“Elle est splendide, n'est-ce pas?” (She’s gorgeous, right?)

“Elle ressemble à une personne décente.” (She looks like a decent person.)

Jaehyun pushed it aside, flipping back to the page where he stopped reading. Before Jaemin responded, the door chimed open again to alarm him that a new customer came in. He excused himself to his friend, warning him that this wasn’t the last time he’ll talk about the newcomer too.

Jaehyun nodded along, not taking his friend’s cheeky words so seriously. However, the final result you attempted to create tickled his curiosity, so he slyly peeked from his book to the window.

You’ve freed your hair down, victorious to have started your collection this early in your break. A fantastic start, you let the paint dry first and munch on the croissant that served as your reward. However, you ‘re quick to notice a manly figure glancing through the window. From the side, his brown eyes appeared lively even if his entire face was hidden by the book.

Réessaye by Mark Lee; he must be a romantic. Every person in your studio read it, excluding yourself. Painfully beautiful, they’d summarize it.

Daring to meet more people, you locked eye contact with him. He didn’t expect it, almost flipping from his chair. Bashfully, you waved him a hello to somewhat break the ice. However, it broke his composure, and suddenly, he scurried off with his things from the café.

Now, you got quite worried. You checked your tiny mirror if he saw anything unpleasant with you, but you’d say you look relatively fine. Oh, maybe you could redeem yourself the next time you saw him. After bidding goodbye to Camille and Jaemin, the latter chased after you when you prepared yourself on your bike.

“By any chance, did you say hi to a guy with brown eyes and a red beret?”

“Well, more like I waved at him, then he zoomed out. Did I do something wrong?” You questioned with concern, putting your hands on the handles.

“That’s my friend, who’s quite reserved with strangers. I’m sorry on his behalf.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” You brushed it off politely. “See you again soon, Jaemin!”

Peddling away, letting the cool breeze fan you, your mind reverted its thoughts to that strange man. Maybe you’ll give it some time; you had a lot of it.

“Shucks, he was pretty cute.”

12 juin 1957

The world must really be on your side with these good decisions because you crossed paths with the strange man again in the café a week later. But instead of running away, he asked nicely if he could sit across your free chair in front of your table outside. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed.

“Joignez-moi, s’il vous plait.” (Join me, please.)

You insisted, giving yourself time to subtly observe his physique a lot more. Freckles dotted under his eyes like a constellation, bushy eyebrows, pink cheeks to match his pale complexion, and wearing a fuzzy knit sweater that meshed well with his green beret. He had some sort of necklace too; there was a heart pendant.

“Vous êtes une artiste.” (You’re an artist.) The small wooden palette of paint beside your small sketch pad was exposed, finding it as a great icebreaker.

“Une peintre, spécifiquement. Franchement, les visuels ici sont trés captivants qu'à Paris.” (A painter, to be specific. Frankly, the visuals here are more captivating than in Paris.)

“Je suis d’accord,” (I agree,) Jaehyun leaned against his chair, taking a better look at you with the remaining light from the descending sun.

“Oh, vous êtes comme moi. J’habite à Paris aussi.” (Oh, you’re like me. I live in Paris too.)

“Bon, je suis née à Londres. Puis, j’ai déménagé où je voulais en Europe depuis j'avais 18 ans. Mais oui, j’habite définitivement à Paris maintenant.” (Well, I was born in London then moved wherever I wanted in Europe for inspiration since I was 18. But yes, I live permanently in Paris now.)

You clarified, beginning to enjoy his comforting company. Initiating conversations with people you’re not acquainted with wasn’t in your range of skills, though he didn’t have an intimidating vibe. He looked too youthful to act like that.

“Je m’appelle (Y/N), d'ailleurs.” (I’m (Y/N), by the way.) You stuck out your hand as a sign of respect, which he enthusiastically obliged.

“Salut, (Y/N). Je m’appelle Jaehyun.” [Hi, (Y/N). I’m Jaehyun.]

He kissed it in a gentleman fashion, applying the manners he’s been taught since he was a child. Should you have been flustered, but no.  It’s been a long time since anyone greeted you like that, specifically back home.

Throughout your talk, you learned more about who he was, his job, and what his life in the countryside is like. He was an author of romance novels, yet you’ve never heard about him prior. Heavily prioritizing your work, you don’t keep up with the new releases or trends at all. Though after mentioning his last name, it piqued your interest.

“Jeong? As in the business, Jeong Tea Inc.?”

“Correct.”

His family was one of the most affluent families in Parisian society. Old money immigrants from South Korea, they brought their tea business to France and it boomed successfully. You’re quite sure you’ve seen his parents in past exhibits, but never did you approach them because you were a rookie then. But he reassured you that it was fine, and to just treat him like you’d treat your friends. Plus, it came to your knowledge that he was the same age as you too.

He opened up how this village was where he lived his childhood, so he asked his parents if he could hand over their mansion for a while for rest. It then shocked both of you at how identical your reasons were for staying in the countryside.

“I’m burnt out from the city, so I’m trying to regain my spirit here hopefully. Besides, I needed a change of scenery after living there for 3 years. My longest stay yet outside of London!”

“I need new ideas for my books. The cities don’t charm me anymore, so I returned here for peace and quiet. Maybe let these ideas come to me rather than me going after them.”

From a bigger lens, people would conclude your interaction as a sight of two artists who passionately talk about their art. But to you, you’d interpret it as two relaxed, young adults in their twenties who simply wanted to run away from the pressures of their art and enjoy the summer as every young adult should.

Not cooped up in the studio or office, but innocently waltzing around with your youth while it’s still there.

début de juillet 1957

“Dépêche-toi, (Y/N)!” [Hurry up, (Y/N)!]

Jaehyun yelled at your open balcony from downstairs, parking his mini car beside your bike. He planned on taking you somewhere a little farther this time; to absolutely feel like one of the locals.

The countryside urged you to wear more dresses and flat shoes, so you took out a turquoise dress with a white scarf to wrap on top of your head. Like your relaxed fit, your mindset too was calm. Upon meeting him, he wore his round spectacles with a red knit sweater over a white turtleneck long-sleeved top. His fingers were adorned with silver rings, then around his neck was a thin black ribbon. He curled some of his hair again, a style you really liked of his.

You can’t lie, but this man could pull any trend or style and still look extra pretty.

Out of all the locals you’ve befriended in your stay, Jaehyun was always your companion. He took you to varying places that those locals don’t visit nor tourists acknowledge in their reviews for the past few weeks. For someone who hasn’t been in the village for a long time, his memory didn’t disappoint. His childhood was only filled with cheerful moments.

Today, he was taking you to a peaceful district of shops in the farther part of the village. It’s where he’d buy sweets, journals, and accessories with his mother, Krystal, and one of his housemaids every other weekend.

All the stores there were currently bombarded with blooming flowers along their alley, bringing more enticement to those who were roaming around. There was so much life here; the head waiter of one restaurant smiling at every passing customer, one florist handing a free flower to anyone who asks, and a young lady showcasing her jewelry collection to a bunch of women who looked like tourists.

“Cette librairie vendent des livres enveloppés dans du papier. Ma mère m'a offerte l'un d'eux pour mon anniversaire tous les ans comme une surprise.” (This bookstore sells books wrapped in paper. My mother gifted me one of them on my birthday every year as a surprise.)

He trained his attention at a rustic shop with open wooden windows giving a glimpse of their shelves.

“Avez-vous fini les lisant?” (Have you finished reading them?)

“Du début à la fin.” (From cover to cover.)

He took you to this rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire plaza. Since he didn’t arrange a reservation yet didn’t get rejected, he must know the owner. Especially how a lot of the staff gave casual hellos and high fives.

Speaking of the owner, he walked out of his kitchen to introduce himself to you. He went by the name Moon Taeil, another one of Jaehyun’s childhood friends whom he used to play at his house whenever his parents came along.

Gobbling up in the appetizing food Taeil prepared beforehand, Jaehyun brought up your painting exhibition again. He loved hearing artists talk about their works, wanting to know more about their driven mindset and what their imagination is like. After all, it does vary for everyone.

“So far,” You poked your fork through the chicken, taking a bite of it. “I’ve produced 3 paintings. The garden of flowers outside Café des Étoiles Perdues, the kids playing hopscotch in the alley, and the peach tree outside your house.”

“Woah, you’re on a roll.” Jaehyun clapped across you, pouring you another glass of water. He recalled the nights you ranted not having any clue what to do for the exhibit. Then after taking you to more places, he’s rewarded to see you be creatively active again. “How many artworks do you left to make?”

“Around 3-4 left. I have ideas already, but I’m still brainstorming.” You internally rejoiced, loving how much progress you’ve made. “How about you, Jaehyun? How’s your progress?”

Unlike you, Jaehyun still felt stuck. Although he did find couples around the village, none of them intrigued him as much as his past stories. But he won’t give up easily; that’s not in his work ethic.

“Still searching, but I’ll get there.”

Recently, you got ahold of some of Jaehyun’s books from him personally since they weren’t sold in the village. You wanted to understand how he became so well known outside the labels people put him under. Reading his first novel entitled “Des Papillons” (Butterflies), it was about a couple separated during World War II without contact or knowledge about their well-being. Yet whenever they saw butterflies on the day they parted, they took it as a sign that the other was alive wherever they were.

You’re always hanging on the cliff when the scenes revert back and forth to the main male lead getting stuck in intense war scenarios, rooting for him to get out alive each time. In the end, it took 7 years before they were reunited and wed.

Jaehyun had a wonderful way with his words and descriptions, managing to enwrap you in as if you’re also a character in the book. Like how you rooted for that male lead, you’re rooting for him to find his spark again.

Following this uplifting conversation, Jaehyun finally took to your greatly anticipated spot. It was the main viewpoint of Gordes, one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in the country. The sunset was about to hit, and the lights from the city across you slowly turned on like a bunch of dominos.

As you marveled at its aesthetics, Jaehyun leaned against the hood of his car. He sensed how in awe you were, more than you ever were in the city he assumed. So used to the city that being surrounded with nature became foreign to you.

He took out his polaroid camera from his trunk and captured a photo of you from behind. The shutter sounds were obvious, turning your back at the commotion. Jaehyun fanned the freshly printed photo to dry, giving a mischievous smile.

“What can I say? While you’re fawning over the view, mine was more enamoring.”

Although Jaehyun felt overwhelmed the first time he locked eyes with you, he can’t resist the power of his developing feelings for you. The more time he took you around, the more his heart found different details about you to admire. After listening to all those love stories in the past, the people he spoke to shared how there will be some distinct moment where your heart decides who they’re longing for.

That exact view of you by the cliff, he already knew.

He’s infatuated by you.

“Tu es très ringard, Jaehyun.” (You’re so cheesy, Jaehyun.) You scoffed sassily, with a hand on your waist.

“Un gentleman ne ment jamais, (Y/N). Allez, il fait nuit maintenant.” [A gentleman never lies, (Y/N). Come on, it’s night already.]

He cleverly responded, grabbing his car keys from his pocket. The trip back to the village was energizing, putting down the roof of his car to relish the chill breeze of the night weather. You even raised your arms in the air, losing your scarf even from the speed Jaehyun went at!

The two of you belted along to the songs on the radio when the fields were the only ones surrounding you, no neighbors to shout at your rambunctiousness.

The late-night hours drew by so quickly almost like dinner with more of Jaehyun’s friends didn’t happen. Arriving at the front doors of your apartment complex, Jaehyun raced over to your side to open your door. Always maintained proper observation of manners, you appreciated that side of him. Rarely anyone in Paris that you’ve encountered treated you that way because you were a foreigner.

“Bonsoir, (Y/N).” [Goodnight, (Y/N).]

“Bonsoir, Jaehyun. Quand est-ce que je te revois?” (Goodnight, Jaehyun. When can I see you again?)

“Demain et après-demain. Appelle-moi quand tu es libre.” (Tomorrow, and the day after that. Just give me a call when you’re free.)

With a short wave, you entered your building and marched up to the stairs. A good day only meant being tired to the core, ready to crash and fall in your soft bed. Opening your wide windows to let more of the cool breeze in, your eyes easily caught Jaehyun’s classy car still there. As for the owner, he didn’t move an inch from his leaning position.

“Rentre à la maison, Jaehyun! C’est tard!” (Go home, Jaehyun! It’s late!) You shrieked, peeking side to side to make sure none of the neighbors scold you.

Jaehyun laughed wholeheartedly, not budging at all. “La nuit ne fait que commencer, ma chérie.” (The night has just begun, my darling.)

“Comment tu m'as appelé?” (What did you call me?)

Either your ears were fooling you or he addressed you by a divine pet name. The gasp you swallowed, as your entire body tingled with exhilaration. Your mind would simply disregard it like his former teasing words, but your heart begged to differ.

Rather than responding with words, Jaehyun’s voice serenaded you with a wondrous song, C’est Si Bon by Eartha Kitt, that played on the radio earlier. Out of the blue, a random guitar accompaniment followed his baritone vocals.

“En voyant notre mine ravie,”

Against the railing of your wired balcony, your body shifted forward to watch him better.

“Les passants dans la rue, nous envient,”

Your hand perched on your cheek, admiring his talent.

“C'est si bon de guetter dans ses yeux,”

It was like a lullaby, and here you were drowning in its peacefulness. Sensing the passion he gives off in his singing, your heart couldn’t refrain the strings inside from being swayed and tugged.

This was your moment of realization: that you too were smitten.

“Un espoir merveilleux, qui donne le frisson…”

À la mi-juillet de 1957

“Hello, nature!” You greeted brightly as your legs raced the huge garden in his manor. It was the first time he invited you over, too lazy to go out of the city. His social battery needed a recharge for the weekend, so a picnic within his home would do the trick. Additionally, it was an excuse to bring you over after the numerous times you’ve begged him to.

Jaehyun merely shook his head, enjoying the rush of childlike fun in your veins while you squealed and grazed your hands through the flowers.

He carried a wooden basket full of treats his family maids cooked, taking his time to venture through the rows of flowers. They were growing healthily and phenomenally these days, sometimes riding his bike to personally water them since he became busy with writing again. Lately, he found inspiration again, and so he wrote day and night to set them free.

“Voila!” You yanked out a sunflower, sniffing it a little. “Come on, Jaehyun! Pick up a few for our lunch!”

He followed your order, picking out some he found ideal. But just for fun, he put down the basket and carried you from behind out of the blue. You tried kicking him away, but his muscular arms can’t compete with your soft ones.

“What are you doing?”

“You said to pick up a flower, so I did. The prettiest of them all.”

His flirtatious words were never serious, yet you took it as a compliment. That’s how high your confidence is. Only we define our own worth, not others. The two of you chatted more about your lives until the first rain of the season poured down, chilling down from the raging heat. None of you had an umbrella; the weather was too unpredictable.

Deciding to just run for it, he gave you the wooden basket to protect yourself whilst he used the blanket you’ve sat on. Running with laughter to return to his mansion in the muddy dirt, the cool drops shivered your figure yet felt fantastic.

If you were in the city, you’d panic because it’d mess your appearance and your boss would be infuriated by your unprofessionalism. But in the countryside, it didn’t matter at all. The condition of the rain wasn’t budging to improve, getting stronger by the minute. His entire house even lost power, his housemaids having to bring candles to his bedroom and your assigned one once night dawned.

It was hopeless to return home for you, plus it’s dangerous to drive in in the dark, narrow streets too. Jaehyun handed you some of his fresh clothes so you’d be free from flinching from cold dress sticking to your body.

“Get dressed and some sleep, (Y/N).”

Nodding, you excused yourself to find the bathroom. You’d assume it’d be easy, but this was your first time in his house; a mansion even. Doors from left to right, long corridors that seemed never-ending, no maids were within the vicinity whom you can ask for guidance.

Resorting to return to Jaehyun’s chamber for help, you were taken aback by what your eyes laid on. In front of his full mirror, he discarded his now-dried shirt. Even with the dim lighting, you could make out that he was fit by the transparent view of his abdomen. Peeping like this was wrong, yet you couldn’t turn away just yet. The heat in your cheeks was inevitable, finding composure in such an unholy sight.

Though a gear in you suddenly twisted; a gear that straightened your nerves. You’re taking a bold move on the chessboard of your feelings. Wholly opening his bedroom door again, you leisurely sauntered inside without warning.

“Oh, (Y/N)! Ne peux pas trouver la salle de bain?” (Oh, (Y/N)! Can’t find the bathroom?)

Unbothered as he stood shirtless, you on the other hand silently dropped his clothes on the floor. Holding intense eye contact, your fingers graciously unzipped the side of your dress. Inch by inch, the tension built up like the strong tiny flames lit on the candles around you two. Joining the pile of clothes, all that remained were your white lace undergarments. Unplanned for the get-go, it’s the ideal set for your earlier outfit at the picnic.

“Je me suis perdue, mais je pense avoir trouvé quelque chose de mieux.” (I got lost, but I think I found something better.)

Your fingers grazed your arm up to your collarbones, faking your naivety. From your lust-filled stare, the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes darkened. He gulped at the revealing sight of you, brushing his hair back to restrain himself.

None of you could utter a single word, only the vivacious rain being the only sounds ringing around you. Thus, you allowed your actions to pursue precisely what you desired to do.

Taking baby steps towards him to test the waters, he met you right in the center and closed the leftover space. His hands cradled your face, whilst yours clung to his chest. His lips tasted like red wine, watching him pour in a glass for himself earlier. He did offer, yet you declined.

Your tongue darted his lower lip, gaining access after. Sensing the edge of his bed, you plopped yourself down the cushion. His knee urged your legs to widen, letting his body slide in. From your face, his fingers lowered to the back of your bra, snapping the clasps open.

“It takes skill to accomplish that in one try, Jaehyun.”

“I lived in Paris too, ma chérie. You out of all people would understand and have the experience.”

His palms massaged your freed breasts, throwing your head back even more to his pillows as his lips ravaged down from your stomach until the fabric of your not-so pure panties.

“Call me that again, please.”

“Ma chérie, seras-tu mienne?” (My darling, will you be mine?) He kissed and licked the tiny ribbon in front repeatedly, where your now-swollen clit laid. It electrified your bones, pulling on to his ruffled hair.

“Tu peux m'avoir.” (You can have me.)

Sex in the form of one-night stands were all you’ve invested; upcoming artists like you weren’t capable to maintain long-term relationships. Les plans à trois even if you’re extra freaky or drunk from the afterparties of your events. All that these occurrences had in common were not seeing those men ever again after sneaking out of their apartments in the morning.

This time, it’s different.

When they said that doing the deed with someone you’re romantically entangled with was more special, they didn’t bluff. You could plan bits of your life, but it can sometimes change aspects of it when you least expect it. Sometimes for the best or the worst, but right now, it went beyond your expectations.

It’s rewarding that the man you’ve slowly fallen for within your stay returned your affections.

Around late 3 am that night, your brain jolted with artistic ideas that awoken your sonorous rest. There are no hopes of sleeping them off because they tend to bother you for hours until you do something about it. But you’re already so cozy having Jaehyun’s arms around you, skin to skin under the duvet. His lips daunted right above your forehead, recalling his endless kisses there that helped you fall asleep.

Well, these ideas don’t work themselves unless you do. Untangling him tactfully, you stepped out of the blanket and wore one of his long white shirts he gave you earlier before pulling out your sketchpad and palette of oil paints.

Luckily, there was still one available candle to use as the rest have melted indefinitely. You slid the matchstick again to the sand surface, boring a flame from the friction which you placed on top of the wick.

All your ideas that night leaned towards one thing, or person rather: Jaehyun.

You spent a few minutes retracing how he vividly looked at the picnic, leaning back from the chair of his work desk. His outfit of a turquoise turtleneck underneath a white button-top with trousers matching the said turtleneck looked good together, how his ears tingled red after you complimented his newfound inspiration for his book, and the prominent veins in his arms when he rolled his sleeves due to the heat.

The thin brush you held defined the shape of his face, then paying attention to the messy strands of his hair. Stroking in a circular way to outline his eyelids, a hoarse grunt disturbed the peaceful silence.

“Get back in bed, ma chérie.” His eyes drowsily opened, lying on his side. The moment he no longer felt your warmth, he worried something happened. Instead, you’re working late at night after quite a rough yet romantic night.

“Shush,” You shunned him down with your index finger. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Perhaps, are you painting me?” He hunched from the covers. “Your eyes looking back and forth would never lie to me, would they?”

“Maybe…” You teased, batting your eyes at him without any risky intentions. Or not?

He deeply chuckled, sluggishly removing himself under the covers. In his pure nudity, he advanced himself towards you. You shrieked, covering yourself with your free hand.

“Jaehyun, stay back! I told you I’ll be there soon!”

Not listening, he carried your bridal style, making you drop your precious palette to the fur rug. Laying you carefully, he popped each button open. By the sight of his cock hardening again, you knew you were in for another round with him.

“Wet again, ma chérie? Oh, this will be fun.”

Fin de juillet 1957

So this kind of summer romance concept that everyone fantasized about… it became your present.

Together you’d stroll in the smaller streets and immerse yourselves in the unique culture of the village. Whenever anyone saw you together, holding hands, biking, or what-not, they’d praise in the name of love for bringing you both together. A romance like yours in the countryside was a lively sight.

Remember how extensions were a possibility if your search for inspiration wasn’t found? Well, it’s not a question that you’d make one, except inspiration found you instead. And he had one arm around you as he slow danced with you in the open grounds of the village, listening to the live band covering song classics.

In particular, Chet Baker. He was Jaehyun’s favorite artist at the moment.

There was an ongoing week-long festival dedicated to summer, giving more plants their bloom and spreading gratitude to the hardworking people. Especially the students, off on their break.

The faint radiance from the post lights as Jaehyun swayed you around, making you laugh as he tried to mumble the lyrics of the song. All those glasses of wine he tried earlier with you from the bartender offering it for free had its effects, and you weren’t off the hook from them either.

Blisters started to form from your ankles, adjusting to the new pair of heels Jaehyun gave (or insisted to buy) you a while ago after staring at them like lasers. You’ve always provided things for yourself that being spoiled by someone else felt weird to you.

“If there’s anything you want me to buy for you, just tell me.”

“How can I buy you if you’re already mine?”

His smooth talk often made you punch his shoulder, but it’s just a mechanism to hide the exhilaration.

Under each other’s spells in your dance, you laid your head on Jaehyun’s chest. Feeling the strong beat of his heart, you were reminded of how much life he’s filled with. And you became a part of it, in the same way he crossed yours.

Jaehyun’s lips sank to the top of your head, pecking it affectionately. The first-ever summer where he wasn’t stuck at his desk working or drinking his life away with his rich friends in their Parisian homes, it couldn’t get better than this.

“Oiii! Flirtez ailleurs!” (Oiii! Flirt somewhere else!) The distinct voice of Jaemin, handing out pastries to passersby, shouted at the both of you, making you flip your middle finger at him.

“Trouve une copine d’abord, d’accord?!” (Find a girlfriend first, alright?!) You shouted back jokingly, almost falling due to the ache of your feet. Your immodest behavior was censored by Jaehyun’s large palms, not wanting the kids around to see it. Whispering closely to your ear,

“Tu es ivre. Laisse-moi te ramener chez toi.” (You’re drunk. Let me take you home.)

You changed back into your sandals as Jaehyun led you through the different alleys. Your vision was too hazy to navigate, so he had one arm wrapped around your shoulders. The weather grew cold too, shivering your bones so he draped you in his blazer.

“Wait,” You stopped, making him do the same. But before he could ask for your reason, your hands yanked him by his suspenders and your legs walked backward to reach the brick wall. Standing in his 5’11 glory, you were overpowered.

Yet your lips captured his effortlessly, raising to your toes to press yourself closer to him. He moved fast, one arm hugging your waist while the other hoisted your leg up. Tangling around his waist, the urge to move your hips against his crotch couldn’t be contained any longer.

Everyone was probably still out at this time or sleeping. The sloppy sounds you’ve produced were beyond suitable for any audience. Not to mention, the nasty words Jaehyun’s pretty mouth spoke in your ears desired you to fall to your knees.

“Not afraid of getting caught, ma chérie? You want me to ruin you right here, right now?”

“God, Jaehyun,” Your hands tugged his belt forward, the friction it gave to your core twitched the naughty side out of you. “Do it, please.”

The idea of public sex thrilled your mind into overdrive, yet you’ve never done it. In Paris, a city where several people started to know your name, you didn’t need a scandal to be plastered in your resume yet.

Jaehyun himself included, and still opted not to give it to you.

“Another time, ma chérie. Your apartment, now.”

The moment you unlocked your apartment door, Jaehyun was far from gentle like in the mansion. Ripping you out of your frilly dress didn’t take long, so was unbuttoning his trousers down to the floor.

On your knees, his hand gave you a makeshift ponytail as your tongue flicked the slit of his cock. Then slowly taking him inch by inch on your mouth, you’d let out a loud pop when you needed to breathe. Your hands fondling his balls, he groaned from the edge of your bed and tightened his hold on you. Tears formulated in your eyes as you got to swallow him whole, uncontrollably bobbing your head.

He felt like putty when he released, your throat taking the salty base. You hastily unhooked your bra in front of him when suddenly, his hand flicked on the fabric of your panties, cueing you to stop your motion.

“Keep them on when you ride me.”

Straddling on his lap, his head laid against the headboard of his bed. His arms roaming around your back to stabilize you, your fingers pushed your panties to the side as you pushed yourself down his protected length. Your moans became shaky. Up and down, you bounced while bracing on his shoulders.

Against his ear, your moans were harmonious. His hips moved against your beat, hitting your g-spot like the sexual ace he is. His thumb rubbing your clit, you shuttered your eyes at the impending high approaching you like a bus.

“I’m close.” You choked out, the overstimulation overwhelming your nerves.

“Fuck, me too.” He grunted, slapping your butt that made you shriek.

Soon enough, everything hit you both all at once. The knot snapped, and so did your body falling on his chest after a single scream. Panting, Jaehyun pecked on your temple as his cock softened up. Once you returned to your senses, you lifted yourself from his length, laying bare beside him.

His eyes started to fall, but before they did, he muttered huskily. “Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

It was the first time he’s said those words in the way they meant, and he’s more than certain that it’s what he felt with you. Sure, it started as mutual infatuation, but now, it can’t leave. Not on his watch.

Love was a concept unfamiliar to you, but Jaehyun slowly taught you what it was and how it felt like. Books and films may give sneak peeks, but to personally give and receive it back was made possible by him.

From this moment on, you could conclude that yes, you reciprocated it.

“Je t’aime aussi, Jaehyun.”

16 octobre 1957

Autumn made its way to the countryside.

The leaves switched into red-brown shades, the weather in the south was warmer, and the wine harvest was highly anticipated. Jaehyun’s camera was a common item in your outings, taking as many photos as he could so the two of you had something to look back on.

Planned and candid, his range was wide. These were moments that proved that your youth was as happy as you wished it to be. You wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Painting in his mansion was a regular thing, having new canvases prepared at his patio. There were so many items that amused you there like you could base your entire collection on his home. It’s not like Jaehyun could argue; it meant more time with you whenever you came over.

“Jaehyun, if you smudge paint on me, so help me Go-” He refused to listen to your “threats”, smearing black paint on your cheek.

“You were saying?” He cockily pestered, showcasing his paint-filled fingers. You dipped one of your brushes into the new paint and chased after him without hesitation. The entire evening became a paint war, a laugh fit even after seeing your reflections in the mirror. But before you could clean yourself, Jaehyun’s camera was by your face and he pressed the button.

“Still breathtaking.”

But the middle of the season arrived, that’s where your planned extension you’ve reached its end. The exhibit was next month, getting calls from your boss regarding your return and the paintings you’ll present. You informed her that you already had them mailed to your studio way back, so there’s nothing much to worry about.

All your bags were packed in the private car Jaehyun rented. Here, you’re bidding your goodbyes to every friend you’ve made outside the doors of your apartment complex, saving your last words with Jaehyun.

The night before, he stayed over and helped you pack your last items in luggage bags. He even brought extra clothes for you so you wouldn’t work extra. You’ve talked it out the whole evening through what happens next to ease your worries. In your bed, he opened the wide windows and pulled you under the sheets.

“Write to me.”

“Call me when you’re free, or whenever you feel like it.”

Leaning against the railing of the stairs, watched the sorrow in your face over this parting. He sensed how bittersweet everything was, but he wouldn’t change anything about it. He’s positive that your story won’t end here, not right now.

Sauntering to him, you sighed whilst taking your bag he held the whole time from him. His touch was tighter as the two of you hugged tenderly, nuzzling his head on your shoulder. The scent of his citrus cologne that implanted in your brain felt comforting, despite the uncertainty of everything between you.

You hinted a minty taste from the menthol candies from his home as his lips brushed yours, colliding it timely. He waited when everyone left, relishing these last seconds.

Stepping inside the vehicle, you waved your summer love farewell one more time before the driver hit the pedal. Your eyes couldn’t stray away from looking back, the distance between him and your former apartment widening. Only when he was no longer in the frame, you shifted your focus back in front.

Your fingers fiddled with the charm bracelet he gifted you from the market. It was custom-made by a jeweler who was great friends with his mother in his younger years. There were two pendants chained on it: a paintbrush and the sun.

“A paintbrush to remind you of your passion, and the sun to remind you of the summer we first met.”

The man was like one of his romance books, in human form. He knew how to catch your breath effortlessly.

Your stay, for now, may have concluded, but there was always next summer. And the ones after that. The village felt like a second home, one you can’t neglect like the other places you’ve lived. Then having Jaehyun here, the more reasons to return.

Undoubtedly the best vacation you’ve ever been in your adult years, one that didn’t sacrifice for your art so you could compete with other artists. The weight on your chest poofed into thin air, and you felt ready for what the next steps as a painter were.

Appreciating the greenery you passed by, you peeked over the side mirror of the car only to find Jaehyun quickly biking in your direction.

Now, what was he up to?

You instantly requested the driver to slow down his pace, rolling down the window of the car. Not caring about the strong winds, “You fool, what are you doing?!”

Although he trusted your last words, he had the greed to see your face again. It would be a long time until he’ll see you in person again. So he pedaled as fast he could to still reach you. Oh, the things you do when you’re in love.

“Mon cœur bat la chamade pour toi, (Y/N)!” [My heart beats loudly for you, (Y/N)!]

You giggled at his silliness, throwing out flying kisses.

“Je reviendrai bientôt, Jaehyun!” (I’ll come back soon, Jaehyun!)

21 octobre 1957

Only your friends at the studio gave you a warm welcome back, receiving comments like “get back to work” from your first encounter with your boss. Popping a champagne glass open after work hours on the rooftop of your studio, they interrogated you with all the questions they could think of.

“So this village in Provence…. was it beautiful as the tourists said?” Ten, who moved from his home in Thailand to Paris at a young age, expressed his curiosity whilst leaning against the railing overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

“Beautiful is an understatement, Ten. I miss it dearly!” You heaved a sigh, twirling your glass.

“So this inspiration you were looking for…” Amélie, your dear friend since your university days, created some tension as she prolonged her last word. Playfulness twinkled in her eyes, crossing her legs. “Was a person involved by any chance?”

For a moment, your throat almost gagged on the sizzling alcohol going down.

“What do you mean?” You acted clueless, pouring your now empty glass with more booze. But the moment Ten gave you the troublesome look coordinating with Amélie, you already knew you wouldn’t hear the end of it. These two were such gossips in and out of the studio.

Ten took the seat across you on the table and leaked all his pent-up information.

“So you know Seo Youngho, the only son of the Seo family. Rich, socialite, a total hotshot… yeah, all that jazz.” He dived in, seeing you nod over knowing that man. Someone in the past you’ve slept with, but that’s another story. “Well, Amelie and I attended one of his parties at his large penthouse. He had his usual crowd there; Kim Doyoung, Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, and Lee Minhyung. But fun fact: there’s another member in that friend group who doesn’t go to these kinds of events.”

“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Amélie excitedly took off like the pipelette (chatterbox) she is. “Youngho, who was talking to us for a bit, asked where you’ve run off. Poor him, he must’ve missed you in his bed but anyway! We told him that you went down south somewhere in Provence for a break. Oddly enough, he mentioned how the mentioned member moved back there for the same reason.”

Ten and Amélie gave each other another frisky look, merely to piss you off. So predictable of them.

“Get to the point please!” You screeched.

“Jeong Jaehyun, ever heard of him?” Amélie imitated your tone of voice. “I mean, you should since you made a whole painting of him.”

“H-How,” Speechless, that’s what you were. Ten went on a fit of giggles, signaling the build-up of his intoxication.

“Youngho visited the studio to find a specific painting for his home, and we helped him in choosing. Then when your deliveries of paintings arrived that day and were unwrapped, the look on his face when he saw Jaehyun’s painting was priceless. Things started to add up, especially when he told us that he called up Jaehyun prior, he said that Jaehyun was seeing a girl during his stay there.”

“A young, burnt-out painter from Paris, to be specific.”

They’ve put you on the edge of the cliff, and it was too close to call it a coincidence. Of all things to be revealed, this had to be the first.

“Well, I was waiting for another time to tell you guys about him though.”

Their gasps of joy could give you guys a noise complaint by the neighbors, telling all about your escapades of him and you. During it, the more you missed seeing him daily either on his bike or his car. It was stuck in your routine, but now it’s reverted to your old one.

Could the next summer come any faster?

14 février 1958

Perhaps your newest collection at the Louvre was your most successful one yet.

Entitled “Inspirez, Expirez” (Breathe In, Breathe Out), your sceneries during your stay in the village varied. An old couple slow dancing under the night sky, and the quiet district of shops Jaehyun took you, those were some of your last additions.

A multitude of positive reviews on the newspapers and art magazines came in, commending on taking on a fresher, brighter outlook for a change whilst finding your spark again. As fulfilling it was, what you longed the most was the one responsible for it.

Lately, it’s been tough to contact him. His maids always answered the calls, informing you that he was busy with work or family matters. It’s so rare for him to act like this. Whatever it was, it wasn’t grand or serious hopefully.

Back to your collection, tonight was the last night of it. Just in time for Valentine’s day, where numerous socialite lovers embarked on this event, but you’re more fixated that it was also Jaehyun’s birthday. A boy full of love born on the day dedicated for it, things made more sense. In case, you’ve sent your birthday wishes to him through letter and passing the message to one of his maids. Even on his special day, he hasn’t reached out to you.

But to momentarily forget about that, there was a closing ceremony held for this exhibit with the other artists involved, and it was your turn to give your final remarks. More esteemed socialites and journalists were present, which didn’t halt your nerves the slightest. You were a professional after all, holding pride in your craft as you stood in front of the microphone wearing your new favorite custom-made gown.

There are perks when you have close friends in the fashion industry, specifically Kim “Key” Kibum from the House of Key. After defending him from a disrespectful client when you were picking up a dress for your boss during your internship years, not only did you earn his respect, but an invite to his shows and first claiming of new items from his collections. Dining in expensive restaurants in the metro was a plus, catching up on your lives. Sometimes calling each other out for your sexcapades too.

Speaking of him, he was in the crowd that night, ordering every photographer to take photos of your gorgeous self in one of his dresses. Or in your opinion, bribing some by how he stuffed a few thick stacks of Euro bills down their pockets.

Only one of it ever made. A dark green satin v-neck off-the-shoulder gown, where diamonds adorned your neck and ears and white stilettos kept your perfect balance. Also courtesy of Key.

Because it’s the winter season, he gifted you a limited edition white fur coat every socialite tried getting their hands on. Your hair was styled in a bun, emphasizing your dark tinted lips from this new lipstick Amelie insisted you buy.

Most people would get the first impression that you were one of the socialites, a child from one of the affluent families even. But you were a lot more remarkable than that, having inborn talent in the arts that you specialized over your youth and rising to the top without any parental help.

“Thank you to everyone for their endless support towards the magnificent collections of each artist present. As for mine, I am grateful to rechannel my creative side by taking a break. Rather than romanticizing overworking our bones to the core, there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back from the pressure. Being alive is a blessing, realizing further how our youth won’t stay with us forever. Being away from the boisterous cities, I found relaxation in the countryside of Provence.”

Your lips quirked into a grin as every single memory during that time reeled in your head like a movie. “The beauty of Provence cannot be simply put in words. The muses I’ve encountered were more than lovely, especially the man behind the Poetic Rose. With that, I sincerely thank everyone from my bottom of my heart and I hope to continue to support me in the years to come.”

The applause roared once you stepped down the platform, shaking hands with every esteemed guest with more gratitude as they praised you. These days, socializing with them was a lot easier. You’ve even taken more initiative to greet people first before they do, conversing with them easily about anything.

Key definitely noticed that as you toured him around your section, holding his nth glass of wine for the night.

“You, Madame (Y/N), transformed into a social butterfly.” He nudged your shoulder, smirking once he got a better view of his favorite painting from you. “I guess that’s the thing when you’re in love.”

“I beg your pardon?”

With this free hand, he motioned it up and down at the painting in front of you. “The Poetic Rose is none other than the youngest son of the Jeong family, whom I’ve met through his older sister, Krystal.”

“Am I really the only one who doesn’t know him?!” You stressed, jokingly. Key was elated to capture you in his trap, the changes of your personality too evident in his eyes. Figuring it out that it was love took a while, but being acquainted with Krystal, she’s the one who told him that her younger brother was in love with a painter in Provence. Do the math.

“I’ve met him through his older sister, one of my highly favored clients. He’s not much of a socialite like her, so I don’t really blame you for that.”

Searching for a waiter to refill your wine glasses, a surprise emerged the both of you.

“Madame Krystal, you’re absolutely stunning.”  Key complimented her, giving the engaged heiress of Jeong Tea Inc. kisses on the cheek as respect. Her recent engagement to Kim Donghyun, her childhood sweetheart and also the heir of Kim Couture, was the talk of the town.

They arrived at the event together, drawing the attention of everyone in the room earlier. Now, he was speaking to a few influential socialites he made a deal with this week about the art collections present.

“Key, you never fail to look fantastic,” She remarked positively, poking his necktie before placing her undivided attention on you. “So you must be (Y/N) (Y/L/N). You’re beyond bewildering in that gown.”

“Flattered to hear that, Madame Krystal. Such a pleasure to meet you.”

The three of you chatted as if you were the only people there. From art, passion, and love, pride filled in your chest when you toured your collection. It was like walking down memory lane for her, adding out how she used to climb the peach tree with her younger brother during their childhood. Once her eyes laid on Poetic Rose, she took her time admiring it.

“My younger brother grew up well. That’s all I could ever hope for as his only older sister.” She paused, noticing how silent you became when you stared at the painting along with her. She observed the passion lit in your eyes, yet there was longing behind it by the way your lips pouted briefly. “You must really love him, do you?”

“I do, truly. After meeting him, not only was I boosted with so much ideas, but my heart embraced him for what and who he is in this universe.�� You professed confidently, earning an approving smile from Krystal.

“If that’s how you feel, why not tell him that yourself?”

Her fingers gestured you to turn around. Stood in a grey suit with his brown hair slicked back, it was like seeing a completely new person. A handsome one though. His fashion in the countryside heavily differed from his fashion in the cities. So sophisticated and refined, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairytale.

Your fairytale.

“Jaehyun.”

It’s like everything stopped once he sprinted towards you, pulling you off your feet for a snug hug. Your arms threw themselves on his neck by instinct, not wasting a single second in his grasp. Your nose inhaled the woody scent of his cologne, something more formal than his usual fruity scent.

The smell of aftershave in his jaw couldn’t go ignored either, assuming that he must have had plans to go out tonight. Nonetheless, you squealed as if you were back in Provence, giggling at his boldness. Once he put you down, neither of you could get your hands off each other.

“What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you’d be in Paris!” Clutching your waist, you gazed at him with doe-like eyes, instilling confusion.

“J’ai voulu te surprendre, my chérie.” (I wanted to surprise you, my darling.)

He chuckled, pushing some straying strands of your hair behind your ear. His eyes evoked so much endearment towards this elegant look you prepared, making his heart race as if he were in the gardens of his manor again.

Hearing his petname for you again attacked your heart every time no matter how much time passed, he lifted your chin high. Jaehyun urged himself to kiss you senseless right there, leaning lower. And yes, you anticipated it by how your eyes instantly closed.

Only if it weren’t for Krystal to clear her throat, obviously ruining the mood. Flinching away from your sensual lover, you rubbed the nape of your neck. Towards an heiress like her, it must’ve been unprofessional.

“Couldn’t you at least wait until I left, younger brother?” Her fingers flicked Jaehyun’s forehead, a teasing trick they used to do as kids. Even if she was a lot shorter now, it didn’t mean the impact was weak. He cursed under his breath, covering his forehead.

Stifling your laughter was a failure, crinkling your eyes to unleash your emotions. So this is what their sibling dynamic was like?

“Now excuse me, older sister. You didn’t tell me you were visiting the exhibit after my birthday dinner with our parents?” He crossed his arms, exchanging a judgmental look. For his sake, he wanted to maintain his pride. “All you said after dinner was that you were going straight home with your fiancé after all the alcohol mother gave you because it made you lightheaded.”

“Well, you know Key and his persuasiveness. He insisted I attend this event last minute because all the collections were amazing.” She explained, shedding a subtle glance at you. “Plus, it’s an excuse to finally meet this lovely girl you raved so much through your letters.”

Jaehyun kept his family life private, so this piece of information was new to you. The unpredicted way the fluttering feeling drew in your stomach, all you could do was smile from the flattery.

“He spoke about me to you?”

“More than speak, my dear. He practically professed his love for you, asking me advice on how to court a girl, make them smile, etcetera. You’re the first girl he’s been this affectionate with, and I completely understand now.” She patted your shoulder, hopeful. She had such a strong older sister vibe, reminding you of your older siblings back home. “You’re a clever, talented woman. I look forward to seeing you more often.”

As you nodded in approval, she turned towards her brother with her recurring teasing look. “Yah, Jaehyun. You better take care of her. If she ever sheds a tear because of you, I’m hunting you down in the gardens.”

“Harsh of you, Krystal.” He planted his hand on his chest, feigning pain. “But no worries. Having you and mother around me kept me well-mannered towards women growing up.”

Playfulness aside, Krystal felt honored towards her younger brother. Men these days maintained their sexist beliefs and rudeness, especially those who doubted her high position in the family business once her father stepped down. Nowadays, it’s men like Jaehyun who could really challenge the patriarchy and make women pursue a lot more than being limited as a housewife.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now please excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

Krystal waltzed her way out without tripping from her slight intoxication, which Jaehyun worried about earlier. But anyway, that left him alone with you. Filled with so many questions, you didn’t know where to start.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Paris? Why didn’t you acknowledge my birthday wishes to you? Why aren’t you answering my calls and letters?” You blurted without wasting a breath, weren’t trying to come off as needy, but it became peculiar when he was contacting you like usual.

You pushed off thinking of the worst scenarios, not wanting it to ruin your drive and your emotions either. Yet you trusted Jaehyun enough to know he wasn’t the type of person either.

“Okay slow down, ma chérie.” His hands maneuvered for you to stop for a bit. “Ask me one by one and I’ll give you a solid answer for each while we roam around.”

He arrived in Paris last week, which was initially for work. Then his birthday clashing was a coincidence. It would be too lonely to go home and celebrate his special day alone, so he extended. But again, it’s his work that caused his abrupt contact.

When you were too busy delving into the success of recovering your inspiration, he also found his spur to write again too. Day and night, his mind kept him tedious with an endless trail of thoughts and words. Overall, he finalized it then brought the end product to the same publishing house where his books in the past went through.

In fact, he decided to publish them specifically today on his birthday. The only day in his itinerary he planned, where after publishing, he’d hang out with his friends, have dinner with his family then run off to reunite with you.

“I didn’t intend to make you feel like a second choice, so please forgive me for that, ma chérie.”

“All is forgiven, Jaehyun.” You held both his hands, kissing them tenderly out of habit. “I’m overjoyed that you rekindled your creative side again.”

You were so understanding and empathetic, and Jaehyun aimed to act that way too. He learned so much from you as his friend before being his lover. Quickly enough, you’re both back to his portrait in the center. Like a critic, he narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. Tapping his chin with his finger,

“This man in Poetic Rose, he’s quite dashing.” He commented with conceit, walking closer to it to view it better. “His freckles are on point, his dimples and dazzling eyes too. Why exactly is he described as a Poetic Rose?”

“Well sir,” You stood beside him, imitating his actions. “This man here always spoke so eloquently, like he had a very poetic approach on life. He reminded me also of a rose by his rosy tinted cheeks and his beauty. He was alluring inside and out.”

“Is he your favorite muse?”

“I never quoted him as a muse because he’s more than that. Muses can be replaced once they no longer serve purpose towards the artist. Though with him, he’s the never-ending flame that I want to keep for the rest of time."

You held on to his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. The apparent reddening of his ears proved that he was flustered, yet you spoke no lies.

“Joyeux anniversaire, ma flamme.” (Happy birthday, my flame.)

“Merci beaucoup, ma chérie.” (Thank you, my darling.)

Something about his new release piqued your attention so you brought it up again.

“So tell me about your new book.”

“Let me show you instead.” Inside the blazer, there was an inner pocket that sealed a small hardbound book. Taking it out, he handed it over to you. “This is your copy.”

The cover of the book had an illustration of two young adults running down the fields under the bright sun, with the title written in cursive and placed in the center.

“L’Été de 1957.” (The Summer of 1957.)

Like a child who received a new gift in the mail, you flipped the book open. Seeing the table of contents and credits to other important people involved in the process, there was a detailed dedication right before the starting chapter. It’s an unexpected page, noticing that he never put anything like this in his last works.

“Pour ma chérie, qui a peint les couleurs manquantes de ma vie.” (For my darling, who painted the missing colors of my life.)

Although Jaehyun planned to write about the couples he met in the countryside, he chose to change his perspective. Instead, he based this new book on your summer romance, installing more original characters who made your romance blossom more.

“I was once so engaged in listening to people’s love stories, hung up on what they felt.” He expounded, pacing around the floor whilst you skimmed through the pages. There were black and white photos from your adventures too to wrap the reader further in the story.

“While I was struggling to find the next story, I realized late that my story with you was a perfect choice. When I fell in love with you, it’s like I didn’t have to fret anymore about anything. Everything slowly yet surely aligned into place for me. Like how we found inspiration in each other.”

A poetic speaker meant having a poetic, wise mind. You kept an open mind whenever Jaehyun shared his thoughts on life with you, an intimate time that didn’t require using your bodies. Whether you were stargazing or drinking wine by his patio, his soulful personality never changed.

“So I recapped every single memory we had and compiled them,” He resumed, taking a closer step towards yours. His warm hands grasped your waist again, catching a glimpse of your astonished face. Mostly, towards your lips that he missed feeling against his.

“This book expressed my own take on love this time, the one I want to grow in.”

You’d care less if you dropped the book and your coat right there, your major desire to kiss him again was driving your senses to the edge of a cliff. Nothing could’ve braced yourself the second you fervently collided your lips with his. It didn’t feel like you were in this exhibit, but somewhere back in his mansion engulfed in each other’s presence.

Your legs almost melted by your daring move, if it weren’t for Jaehyun’s arm moving upwards to your back to stabilize you more. Your body tingled with goosebumps due to his relaxing fingers all over your body. His tongue caved in your lips, and you couldn’t ban its access.

Such an explicit sight, it felt forbidden as you were inches away from the public crowd. Yet it was the least of your worries if they made a big fuss over it. Jaehyun was here again with you, and that was more valuable to you. He savored every trace of your touches, taking his delicate time with you. No past birthday could defeat this, especially when it’s the first one to celebrate with you. The first of many.

As much you wanted to keep this up for hours, your lungs started feeling constricted of air so your lips timidly let go. Though your hands couldn’t, your overwhelmed eyes couldn’t shift away from the heart-stopping view of your lover. Wherein even after such a fearless session, his eyes fused with love and need with his plumper lips.

“Everything about Provence, especially you, that’s the life I want.” You confessed this concealed secret that’s revolved your head for a while now. Yet its certainty was true.

“Are you sure, ma chérie? What about work?” As an artist, he believed you should stay where everything is accessible. Yet as his woman, he wanted you to follow your heart. Jaehyun didn’t want you to choose or struggle.

“I’ve grown out from the idea that the city life was the only life meant of an artist like me.” You replied, confident enough to discuss it after deep thought. “Cities like Paris hold exciting, vigorous flames that will have you clinging on to them. But then, they’ll eventually die the longer you stay. You get burned in the process too. However, I stand by what I said earlier. I found an endless flame when I met and began loving you, Jaehyun. It doesn’t sting at all; it illuminates strongly every living day.”

Urging him to lower his stance with your fingers, you stated one last phrase. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

“If that’s the case,” Jaehyun acknowledged, sticking his arm out for you. “Let’s get out of here.”

Astounded expressions crowded the socialites in the event as they watched the both of you exit together. If the news of Krystal and Donghyun weren’t crazy enough, some journalists figured the mysterious man behind The Poetic Rose and spread it like wildfire.

How was the youngest son of the Jeong family turned renowned romance novel author connected to the impressive, up-and-coming painter from London?

What really went down in Provence?

“How can you miss out on the signs? Did you not see them share a kiss earlier?” Key protested to those who weren’t approving whatever relationship you guys had. He loved his tea but hated those who simply were money hungry. Wanting a chance to be a part of the rich family, only to fish them out of their riches sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the winter season didn’t stop any of you from roaming the streets of Paris. Moments like these were a preview of the future you’ve envisioned with Jaehyun. Youthful, free, and fiery, a love between two artists created more magic not just in their crafts but to those around them.

Promenading a street overlooking the Seine River, Jaehyun took out a smaller instant camera from his pocket and took a candid shot of you. Stunned, you slapped his chest with your bag.

“Hey! Just how many more things are hidden in your blazer?”

“Just my wallet and a few condoms. Why’d you ask?” He raised a suggestive brow, feigning good intentions.

You hummed, faking your deep thought mindset. “At this rate, I don’t think we’ll make it back to my apartment alive.”

Jaehyun tugged you by your coat, his lips hovering your ear to whisper. “If we call a cab right now, I can finger you in the backseat.”

You chuckled at his vulgar idea, but it seemed ideal. You loved the thrill of getting caught or having someone overhearing you two, just like him. Besides, his fingers don’t match up to yours when you touch yourself alone in your apartment. You bat your eyelashes, giving in.

“Deal.”

6 ans plus tard (1964)

Summer returned, the sun strongly smiling down to the plentiful flowers at your family garden. By the patio of your home, your canvas was already laid by the easel stand. Shades of yellow were applied first to symbolize the brightness of the day, following the outline of your desired scenery for this piece.

Dipping the brush in water to change colors, you took another glance at the breezy sky. Light blue with clouds resembling soft pillows, you inhaled gently as your brush faintly stroked the canvas again.

Your hair was tied in a bun, meaning that you’re in for a busy session. But a more soothing one as the jazz music flowed from the vinyl player inside. Stress was the last thing you needed right now.

“What’s madame artiste up to right now?” Your husband piped in from behind, placing down a tray of tea and crackers. With some top buttons of his white top left unattended, you glimpsed on his toned chest when he leaned down. But you mustn’t pry whilst working, even when temptation was calling your name repeatedly.

“The summer sunshine healed me of my discomfort, so I think it’s about time I painted again.” You chewed on the snack, looking back and forth to the view. As enchanting as all the flowers you and him planted over the years grew, you’re more amused by a little boy strolling around it with his magnifying glass and tiny wooden basket with his furry puppy by his side.

His tiny legs often troubled the two of you because he enjoyed spending time with nature. Only God knows what he found in the garden this time.

“Adrien est explorer encore. Devrais-je lui dire qu’il change de place, ma chérie?” (Adrien is exploring again. Should I tell him to change places, my darling?) Jaehyun cautiously asked, not wanting his 3 year old son to impair your perspective.

“Non,” (No,) You held on to his hand, kissing it sweetly. Although you peeved any unnecessary details found in your scenery in the past, Adrien was an exception. As his mother, it’s hard to say no to him unless necessary.

“Il est un garçon curieux, alors il devrait explorer et flâner où il veut.” (He’s a curious boy, so he should explore and wander wherever he wants.)

Life ever since you returned to the countryside shifted into something more precious than you imagined. From moving places constantly, you found a home to settle in for good. A home with overflowing love and inspiration. A home within Jeong Jaehyun.

Recently, you halted your work-related activities in Paris and came home because you were heavily homesick. It even affected your health as a whole. So you made adjustments with your schedules, postponing appearances to events to next year.

On the plus side, you could be more active as a mother to Adrien. It felt like you burdened Jaehyun to take care of Adrien most of the time because he mainly worked from home, wherein important people who wanted to meet him would have to fly out to the countryside.

Back and forth to Paris, your presence towards Adrien often lacked. Here came your biggest fear, which was Adrien forgetting you. But Jaehyun told you over and over again that it wasn’t the case. As he listened to every wrenching thought you had, but he’d combat it with heartfelt words of reassurance so you wouldn’t overanalyze things.

He vowed to love and take care of you when times get hard, and he will continue doing so.

Remember when you said how his mansion felt too big?

It no longer did after getting married.

It gave more room to grow and breathe more life into it. When Adrien was born, he was the prime reflection of your and Jaehyun’s love. He mirrored his father’s physical traits but with a daring personality like yours. A perfect mixture, the world worked amazingly to bring a boy like him into your life.

“Maman! Papa!” Adrien bolted to where you and Jaehyun stood. From the clothes he wore, it’s very much clear that his father was in charge of it whilst you slept in the entire morning. Suspenders, capri shorts, a white shirt, and a red beret, he deserved his title as Jaehyun’s mini-me.

Jaehyun swelled with pride and love for his only son, peeking over what he brought to show and tell you both. “Oh Adrien, what do you have for us today?”

In his basket, there were 3 sunflowers stuck out from the edge. It’s been a while since you’ve seen some in full bloom, lowering your stance to get a more vivid view. He took them out to hand them to you and your husband.

One flower for Jaehyun and two for you. You let out a gasp, scrunching your brows to the center. He always gave one of each item to you and Jaehyun, never more or less.

“Ooh, deux fleurs pour Maman. Pourquoi, Rien?” (Ooh, two flowers for Mama. Why, Rien?) Jaehyun let his nickname out for his lips while you grasped his small hand.

“Well, I heard from Olivier next door that on his birthday, he gave extra flowers to his mother so he could have another sibling. And it worked!” He spoke so innocently, yet it hitched a choke from Jaehyun’s chest. Your eyes widened from disbelief. The information he collected due to his curiosity, no boundaries truly.

“Le mois prochain, c’est mon anniversaire. Je me demandais si je peux avoir un frère ou sœur comme Olivier? Tu es toujours occupée, comme Papa. Je ne veux plus être seul, alors je veux une amie aussi.” (It’s my birthday next month, and I was wondering if I can have a sibling like Olivier? You are always busy, like Papa. I don’t want to be alone anymore, so I want a friend too.)

You exchanged looks with Jaehyun, not knowing how exactly to respond. Although you and Jaehyun did agree that you wanted more than one child when you were younger, neither of you brought it up again since your careers were always loaded with plans.

Adrien was a surprise child actually, conceived on the night where you and Jaehyun celebrated after L’Été de 1957 was announced to be the best-selling romance novel of the decade in the country.

In Paris at his family home, where his parents brought out all their prized liquor, the two of you drank the entire night away to the point Krystal and Donghyun had to push you away from each other from your public affections because their children were present.

But it didn’t stop you two once you reached his bedroom, far away from everything and everyone. And you’ll never change it.

“Oh, Rien,” You eased in, consoling him. “Je suis désolé. Mais c’est franchement une grande demande, n'est-ce pas?” (I am sorry. But that’s quite a big request, right?)

“Mom and I will think about it first, okay? Another kid is a big responsibility, and you’ll be their older brother. That’s another important job, can you do it well?”

“Yes, I can, Papa!” He beamed with glee, his covered head patted by his father after. As you placed the sunflowers beside your palette, Adrien then proceeded to ask you if he could paint with you like old times.

Never you refuse especially with his sparkling round eyes and chubby face that makes you want to squish every time.

As you lifted his light body to sit on your lap, you placed your brush between his stubby fingers and carefully aimed in whatever angle seemed fit so the painting process would run smoothly and perfectly. He let out sounds of amazement when the strokes get bigger, jumping slightly too because the picture became more vivid. You’d smile and coo at him, commending whenever he followed instructions well. As his mother, you only encouraged your child in whatever they want to excel in.

Adrien was the child of two artists, so it was only natural that he had an artistic side in his veins.

Too caught up in your fun, hearing the automatic shutter of the camera from your side was delayed. The source was none other than Jaehyun hiding behind his camera. Jaehyun’s heart soared at the heavenly view of the most important people in his life, wanting to treasure the moment as a lovely memory.

“Hey!” You shouted, placing down the messy brush by the palette. “Je suis très laid!” (I am very ugly!)

“Shh! Tu est rayonnant, ma chérie. Papa est juste, Rien?” (Shh! You are glowing, my darling. Papa is right, Rien?)

Jaehyun politely quizzed the peppy boy, nodding excitedly. His dimples deeply showed up, the main trait he claimed from his father.

“Oui, papa! Maman est toujours belle!” (Yes, papa! Mama is always beautiful!)

He exclaimed, pecking your cheek numerously. You squealed, attacking him with tickles and kisses back. His shouts of delight, then he was suddenly carried by your tall husband in the air like he was flying in the sky. Adrien enjoyed that motion highly, ending up on Jaehyun’s shoulders shortly after to play by the garden again.

“Go paint. I’ll take care of him now.” Jaehyun persuaded, roaming through the long rows of flowers in full bloom. Though seconds after adding some strokes to your piece, you let down your hair, put a hat and sandals on, and ran to the cute duo to join them.

And that’s how your family spent the entire afternoon. By the garden, running around and taking photos and short videos from Jaehyun’s camera. Freezing these valuable memories, this was truly the life you loved so much.

After your break, you could convince the company you worked at that you’d prefer fewer trips to Paris and stay in the countryside longer. How badly you’ve wanted to hold your exhibits here instead. Plus like Jaehyun, let influential people visit you. You’ve already made a big name for yourself now, so that should be valid enough.

Dinner time passed by quickly too, eventually putting Adrien to a smooth slumber as you massaged the roots of his soft hair while Jaehyun sang him a lullaby. This was your joint parenting technique with him since he was a newborn, and it worked quickly as lightning.

You redressed into your silk nightgown after bringing your canvas to the master bedroom, opening the balcony doors to invite the cool breeze in. You tweaked some bits of your painting, including a silhouette of your small family. Regarding where to place it, probably by the living room as it matched the theme.

“What a spectacular day, don’t you think, ma chérie?” Jaehyun conversed, admiring the calm movements of your brush. He noticed a quirky smile grace your lips.

“It’s been a long time since we had quality time like that with Rien. He’s a feisty ball of energy these days.” You replied with a nostalgic daze. “It’s so crazy how one day, he was still crawling to us. Now, he could outrun the both of us.”

“Comme le temps passe vite, hmm?” (How time flies fast, hmm?) Nodding, nothing braced for what your husband had in mind. You almost dropped your brush mid-way. Jaehyun’s lips impatiently devoured your neck, his huge hands fondling your breasts. Violently throwing your head back against his chest, a needy moan parted your lips.

“Jae-” His touches reaching south to where you desired him highly, dampening hastily as your legs naturally spread apart. Rushed exhales, “À quoi tu penses maintenant?” (What are you thinking about right now?)

“Rien se sent seul,” (Rien feels alone,) His hot breath whispered against your ear, his fingers dangerously trailing your thin panties up and down. With your hands tightly clutching on his bicep,

“Alors, donnons-lui une amie.” (We should give him a friend.)

Ever since Adrien mentioned such a daring topic, it hasn’t left Jaehyun’s mind the whole day. After seeing you in utter bliss with your son earlier, he found you so majestic and radiant. It’s a different kind of happiness, especially for parents.

Now you went on hiatus, he thought that it was the right time to have another. He enjoyed his younger years with Krystal, and he wanted Adrien to experience it too. 3 years was quite a wait, and it seemed ideal to try again.

From his nude chest, you flipped around to intensely clash his lips with yours. Draping your arms behind his neck, Jaehyun lifted your entire figure from the chair. His hands gripping on your butt, he delicately lowered you down your bed.

Drowning into his sensual kisses with his hands all over you, this could prolong for hours. Reddening love marks started to resurface whilst your fingers tugged on the drawstring of his pajama pants. Jaehyun’s fingers dove under the fabric of your panties, his index finger rubbing figure 8s the sensitive bundle of nerves.

You struggled to swallow your moans, not wanting Rien to hear it. You wouldn’t want to repeat history, covering it as Jaehyun massaging you after a hard day.

“I know you want one too, ma chérie.” His fingers began to drape down the straps of your gown, presenting your breasts in its full, perky view. But before his lips could suck on your erect nipples, you parted momentarily from him and got up on your feet. Pulling up your straps again, Jaehyun simply laid down but he wasn’t pleased from how you left him hanging.

“Où vas-tu, ma chérie?” (Where are you going, sweetheart?)

He was growing impatient. You were never to interrupt such a sexy atmosphere ever.

From one of your drawers in your vanity table, an important, half-opened envelope was hidden. You were supposed to give it tomorrow but now seemed like a perfect time. Reading it as soon one of the maids handed it to you gave you the jitters, but in a positive way. Sitting back down on the edge of your bed, you exhilaratingly passed it to your husband.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” (What is this?)

“Ouvre-le.” (Open it.)

Jaehyun slowly opened the edges and once he took out the contents. Reading it thoroughly, he couldn’t believe it as his jaw dropped, pacing from the letter and you back and forth.

“Vraiment, ma chérie?” (Really, my darling?)

It was from a doctor you visited in Paris a few days before you left, who confirmed just exactly what caused your health to go feeble suddenly. You already had one certain suspicion, which you addressed in your leave of absence letter. Amelié, who finally got the position as the head, couldn’t believe her ears and insisted you take all the time off you needed.

“On dirait que Adrien a reçu son cadeau d'anniversaire en avance.” (It looks like Adrien received his birthday gift early.)

Overall, it turned out the headaches and repeated vomiting you mistook as motion sickness from traveling was a surprise hello to your second child.

A girl specifically, thanks to the blood test she recommended.

“Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

“Montre moi combien tu m’aimes, Jaehyun.” (Show me how much you love me, Jaehyun.)

The whole night through, the two of you vigorously celebrated with the moonlight from the windows and a few scented candles set in the room. Wet kisses left on your collarbone, words of devotion exchanged, holding his hand as he groaned from heartily thrusting in you, the number of moans from your lips overlapped with the vinyl playing in the room. The intimacy between you two increased, almost as if you made love for the first time again all those years ago.

Excluding being drenched from the rain.

Once the two of you grew tired, Jaehyun lied down beside you. Wrapping one arm around, one hand trailed down your naked skin again. His wedding band flashed your eyes, reminding you of the commitment you promised each other. For better, and for worse.

Jaehyun promised to love you endlessly as a woman and his wife, and it didn’t cease when you became the mother of his children. He respected how strong you are, physically and mentally. He helped you in any way he could as you endured the struggling process.

At the end of the day, his family was his biggest priority. More than ever now, you needed him as you go through the pregnancy phases again. Specifically, his index finger lingered on your stomach. There was no bump or other signs of showing, except for that glow he complimented you earlier on.

“We met and fell in love over the summer, got married in summer, had Adrien mid-summer, and now found out about our daughter at the start of summer.” He smiled, blessed at all the good he’s received during this time.

“The summer gods must adore us.” Your vacant hand with your wedding band topped his. To love and to cherish. “Ils m'ont amené à toi.” (They brought me to you.)

His power on you was simply addicting, as if your early twenties revisited you. You straddled himself once again, your fingers caressing his face sweetly. When it reached his lips, he placed longing kisses there and pulled you closer again for another kiss on your lips. In between, you mumbled in a silvery tone,

“Then they led us to say I do. Pour toujours et à jamais.”

copyright © 2021 by alluringjae.

[auroracalisto]

beware the macabre

summary: you go with your boyfriend to camp redwood after his friends talked him into checking out what it had to offer around halloween. word count: 746 words warnings: slight au, where instead of being there for the summer, the 1984 crew visits the camp during halloween, cussing, major character death, blood, stabbing, montana using pussy as an insult a/n: wrote this as a submission for my challenge! using the following prompts: "Can we leave before we're all possessed?" "This place scares the hell out of me."

A chill ran up your spine.

"Can we leave before we're all possessed?" Xavier asked, standing right behind you.

You jumped at the sound of his voice, but his hand that soon rested on your arm quickly soothed your momentary fright. You looked back at your boyfriend, your eyebrows furrowed.

"We're gonna be possessed?" you asked, your anxiety getting the best of you.

Xavier's eyes widened. "No, just, uh, just a figure of speech. You know that," he said. He wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you close, looking over at Chet and Montana. "Really, guys. This isn't fun anymore."

Montana rolled her eyes. "You're all a bunch of pussies. You're fine. I'm fine," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Chet shined his flashlight on the two of you, raising an eyebrow. "You can leave if you want. No one's making you stay."

Xavier frowned deeply. He knew if he left, his friends would never let him hear the end of it. But you, on the other hand, were quite literally terrified. The chill of October, the only light other than handheld flashlights being that of the full moon, and the fact that this stupid camp was supposedly haunted was starting to get to him, as well.

"This place scares the hell out of me," Brooke nervously said, sticking close to Ray. He placed an arm over her shoulders as Montana groaned.

"Then leave, you guys. Seriously."

You leaned back in Xavier's embrace, frowning deeply. Leaves rustled, just beyond the cabin you stood by. But there was no wind. Despite the chill of autumn, the wind had been stagnant for some time. Your hand quickly reached up, gripping onto your boyfriend's.

"Did you guys hear that?" you asked.

Montana rolled her eyes. "Stop it, [Your name]."

"What?" you looked at her defensively. "I'm not lying."

Xavier frowned deeply. "What did you hear, babe?"

You shook your head, swallowing thickly. Hesitantly, you pulled away from your boyfriend, pushing back whatever fear you had as you walked over to the tree line. You turned your flashlight on, shining it through the bushes.

It was quiet. There was nothing there.

You looked over your shoulder, softly sighing. "I'm sorry, it must've just been some animal," you said. "I'm not good with this sort of stuff."

You stood back up and turned around, seeing your boyfriend's face distort into that of horror.

"Xav?" you asked, warmth spreading across your stomach. "What's wrong?"

"[Your name]," he quickly spoke. "Don't – don't move, babe," he shakily said.

Montana's hand gripped onto Chet's arm as she watched, her eyes wide and a mystified expression taking over her features.

"Tana?" you began, as the warmth from your stomach slowly began to turn into an indescribable pain. You looked down, seeing a knife protruding from your abdomen. Blood trickled down your front, and would surely gush if the knife was removed.

No one was around – there wasn't anyone that could have done something like that.

When Xavier realized you were standing there alone, he rushed forward, quickly taking you in his arms. "Hey, baby, look at me," he said, attempting to lower you to the ground.

Your legs shook as he moved you. Pain rippled through your body.

"Be careful," Ray quickly said, rushing forward. "You're gonna hurt them," he said, getting to his knees beside you. "Was there a phone?" he asked, looking towards Xavier. "We need to call for an ambulance."

"There was one," Brooke said. "It wasn't working when I tried using it earlier."

"Shit," Ray cursed, looking down at you.

Your eyes were hazy and unfocused.

"Keep her awake," Ray ordered Xavier.

Your boyfriend reached forward and cupped your cheeks, his hands trembling. "Shit, shit, shit, we shoulda never come out here, baby," Xavier lamented. "You said it was a bad idea. I should've listened."

"Not your fault," you weakly said, smiling up at him. Your teeth were stained a light pink from the blood slowly spilling from the corners of your mouth.

"Ray, what the fuck is happening? Are they gonna die?" Xavier asked.

Ray didn't answer, looking at his friend.

"Fuck," Xavier cursed. "Fuck, fuck," he said, pressing a hurried kiss to your lips. "I love you, baby, you know that, right?"

Xavier didn't get an answer. 

The last thing you saw before visited by a wave of darkness was your boyfriend's eyes, and the thing that stabbed you slowly creeping up behind him.

please comment and reblog if you enjoyed it!  reblogs are the best way to help creators get recognition. feedback is always welcome.

[oceangirl24]

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

"Chet never called."

Jon closed his eyes. The mention of that name sparked so much anger in him.

"No," he said gritting his teeth. "Didn't even bother to send a card."

"We didn't miss the call, did we?"

"Chet likes to tell stories to the answerin' machine more than he likes to talk to his kid. There haven't been any answerin' machine stories, so I doubt it."

"Has Shawn said anything to you?"

"I sort of forgot."

At the sound of the teen's voice, Audrey stepped back from Jon and held out a hand to him.

"What do you mean you forgot?" she asked

"Just that," he said leaning into her. "We've been so busy and everythin's been so much fun, I just forgot Dad hasn't bothered to remember Christmas."

"You don't sound upset about it," Jon commented, leaning against the kitchen counter."

Shawn shrugged. "He was never really involved in Christmas. Not since I was little. The only real difference this year is not seein' him sit in recliner all day talkin' to himself."

Jon swore at Chet under his breath.

"What about your mom?" Audrey asked, running her hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes.

He shrugged again. "Last Christmas she sat with Dad for half the day, then left. So not much different."

It was clear that the teen really had not given much thought to his parents being gone since he'd been so engrossed in their activities. Now he was thinking about it. His brow pinched together tightly as a mix of anger and hurt clouded his face.

"Neither one could be bothered," he said bitterly. "I bet Dad found her and their travelin' together, happy to be rid of me."

"Stop that," Jon told him forcefully. The anger he had for Chet and Virna, ws nothing compare to the hurt he felt for Shawn. He knew well what it was like to have parents who would turn their backs on a fifteen-year-old. Without thinking, he put his hand around the back of the teen's neck and pulled him into a hug. Audrey wrapped her arms around them both.

"From what you've told me about those two, they're miserable with and without each other. If they are together, they're not happy- nothin' to do with you. You're a good kid, Shawn. Their issues are not your fault."

"Sure feels like it," he mumbled. He looked at Audrey and said seriously, "Things would be easier for you two if I wasn't here."

"You're the reason why we're together at all," Jon said firmly.

Shawn frowned. "I am?"

"You are, Shawn." Audrey lovingly ran her hand down his cheek. "We wouldn't have what we do without you."

"Yeah," Jon agreed. He looked at his student teacher. While he couldn't say those words to her, he could say them to Shawn. "I love you, kid. If you were gone there'd be a big hole in our lives."

Audrey nodded. "That's right. Everything would be a mess if you weren't with us."

Shawn inhaled a shaky breath. He wasn't convinced that his parents would be happy without him, but he felt less adrift knowing that two people in the world wanted him. At the same time the conversation stirred up a swirl of emotion he was uncomfortable with.

"I wish things didn't have to end tomorrow. "

Audrey held the teen tightly while Jon was silent. After a moment he shook his head.

"It won't end tomorrow," he said firmly.

"It won't? "Shawn and Audrey asked in unison.

Read the Rest

AO3 FFN WattPad