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animatedminds · 4 years ago

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Let’s Get Dangerous Review!

It’s dangerous. In a good way. <cue dramatic music> Okay, obviously there’s more thoughts than just that. I’ve been waiting for it for weeks, and it arrived just as awesome as I hoped. For the first time, let’s give my full movie style review to the double length Ducktales special: “Let’s Get Dangerous.”

The spoilers are open and widely discussed, so maybe don’t look past the following image if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

To note, I’m not entirely convinced that this was actually meant to be a pilot. It definitely does introduce a new status quo for the Darkwing trio of characters (minus Honker for now, here’s hoping they haven’t forgotten him), but it’s also a very remote story that still tries to take place within the context of Ducktales’ universe, so it really depends on what they choose to do.

But let’s just get down to it.

First off, as I mentioned in my earlier post… Taurus Bulba. He was maybe the biggest and most eye-catching aspect of the first part of the episode, as one of the few elements we hadn’t already seen yet, and his reputation as a really, really bad guy has quite preceded him. As I may have gushed somewhat about, he’s one of the best parts of the special.

James Monroe Inglehart, for those living away from the Disney scene for a decade, is an actor and voice actor most famous for being the original Genie on Broadway’s Aladdin. A grand, bombastic presence, he generally plays characters who - much like the genie himself - a big, jolly, kind but maybe a little mischievous souls that take the attention of a room and brighten up the characters’ day - like Lance, in Tangled the Series. The most interesting thing about Bulba is that Inglehart brings that exact same energy to the role, and so Bulba keep that jollity and lofty personality in a package that becomes increasingly less nice as the story goes on. As someone who keenly remembers Taurus Bulba as cruel monster willing to hurt kids and capable of crushing Darkwing like nobody’s business, the contrast was immediately fun to watch - and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

In this story, Bulba is recast from a crime lord intending to use a super weapon go on an endless plundering spree to a FOWL scientist with a respectable reputation who intends to use a super weapon to take over the world, and the transition goes off fairly well. The end result is a pretty standard mix of superhero fight and Bond plot, as Bulba ends up holed up in his lab with his squadron of elite supervillain minions - all plundered a particular fictional universe - with the heroes having to break in / escape from his captivity and stop him before he destroys everything. It’s very Silver Age, with Bulba in the role of maniacal villain, and he’s contrasted very well with Bradford - who is as always an antagonist who prides himself on pragmatism. This contrast leads to some great moments: Bradford’s increasing frustration with the cavalier attitude of both the heroes and the villains gives him the best stint of characterization he’s had since the beginning of the season - he basically spends the whole episode arguing with everyone about how badly thought out their actions are, while also badly hiding his own secrets.

The Fearsome Five (of which Quackerjack is voices by his original actor) are great to see, though used minimally. If you’re expecting to see classic show dynamics between the villains and Darkwing, that’s not really what they’re used for. Mostly, they’re minions with personality, and they’re more there to establish both to the audience and to Drake the character himself that he is ready to take on really big threats even with his lack of superpowers.

But enough about the villains, on to the heroes!

A couple episodes ago, with the Halloween episode, I criticized that story for not balancing its A and B plot all that well. This episode does not have that problem. The story is actually maybe about three fifths Darkwing’s story, and the rest of it is Scrooge and the nephews as they figure out what Bulba is up to independently of Darkwing and try to stop him themselves. It’s somewhat similar to Timephoon, where they’re there constantly and are doing their own bid to solve the story but the focus isn’t primarily on them. Instead, we have some of the best “HDL actually matter to the story” bits of the show, where they escape Bulba’s prison on their own and lead Bradford out, all the while slowly figuring out that something is shady about the guy. Meanwhile, Scrooge gets stuck in the original Ducktales universe’s most memed scene, which was a fun gag (but not the best gag - that would be the one and only Bonkers D. Bobcat as the Harvey Bullock-style cop in the Darkwing show).

Which I suppose can lead to a digression about the mad science bit here. The alternate universes here are… interesting. I always pay special attention to how things like time travel or other dimensions or alternate universes work in a series, and this one reminds me the most - I think - of DC’s Dark Multiverse: a collection of universes that are both explicitly fictional but made real because people created them. Ultimately, it’s less as if the OG Darkwing universe exists independently of the Ducktales universe and more that the in-universe Darkwing show as a world based off of it that the characters can reach into. I wish the episode had delved into that more, and now you’ve got people trying to use it to look for more establishment of OG Darkwing elements (though I was fine with it being separate, perceiving anything else as rather needlessly inexplicable), but ultimately that is not specifically what the episode is about, and is kept rather separate.

So what is the episode about? Like you didn’t already know…

As always, Gosalyn Waddlemeyer is a little girl whose grandfather was done away with by Taurus Bulba, and who falls into Darkwing’s lap over the course of his adventure with him. Here, her grandfather is (possibly) still alive, just lost in the ether a la Gravity Falls’ Grunkle Ford. And like the mighty glazed McGuffin, Darkwing’s goal in the episode is less strictly defeating Bulba as it is helping her get her grandfather and her home back. Gosalyn here is self-sufficient and action oriented (it may be my inner Brooklyn 99 fan talking, but I loved Stephanie Beatriz as her, and kind of wish she had gotten a wider range of lines), taking on her own crusade against Bulba until she realizes she can go to Darkwing for help, and is constantly trying to pull him into the fight - even while he is reluctant, and no matter what the danger - so that they can win and she can get justice. But in the end, she has to accept that they might not be able to.

As a longtime Batman fan, I immediately recognized a plethora of Robin references with Gosalyn. She’s a kid who’s family was taken from her by a villain, given a surrogate home by the hero - like Dick Grayson. She’s a street tough who originally met the hero committing a crime, and who is both skeptical of his heroism and heavily critical of his flaws - like Jason Todd. And she’s a young genius with a lot of scientific knowledge, tech skills and common sense - just like Tim Drake. There’s even elements of Carrie Kelley or Terry McGinnis there, in her determined if not gung-ho approach to heroism despite her circumstances and the hermit-like behavior of the hero.

And in the end, this is a fairly apt comparison, because Gosalyn essentially ends the story more as a Robin figure than previously, now as Darkwing’s more of a ward and official sidekick alongside Launchpad. The story does not, to note, involve her being adopted by Drake or becoming Gosalyn Mallard. Indeed, they don’t really end up having that sort of relationship. They’re distant and don’t really know how to relate to one another, and not about to broach the subject of family except in distant terms. There’s ultimately far less emphasis than before on Gosalyn and Drake being similar and hitting it off on a personal level, or even really Drake keying into Gosalyn’s potential and spirit as a person vs an element in his adventure. Throughout the story he regards her as a victim to be saved, then ultimately as an ally with potential to be respected, and in the end he gives her an offer to take up the mantle along side him while they search for her family… which ultimately creates something very different.

For people expecting something a little more akin to the implications the show made with Gyro and BOYD, Gosalyn here. The implication that they could be a family is brought up by Launchpad, but neither Drake nor Gosalyn are really there at the end of the story - I want to say they’re not there yet, but the way the story goes gives off the impression that the dynamic duo dichotomy is the relationship for the two the writing is most comfortable giving them.

Again, I’m a longtime Batman fan, so I understand and appreciate the nod. It gives them a really cool status quo that’s distinct from what came before it. Still, the strong father/daughter relationship between the two was very much the heart and soul of the original show, an endearing quality that created the character traits we love about both characters, and ultimately one of the primary characteristics that set the Darkwing family apart even from most comic book superhero stars - so even if they made something great out of it, it’s a shame to see Ducktales ultimately keep that relationship at arms’ length.

But that’s less a criticism and more just something I wish they had chosen to do differently - and it makes sense for the 2017 team’s take on Darkwing, which has always been more focused on “irrepressible hero who doesn’t give up” - a pluckie rookie growing into his competence - than “former fool whose great potential is unleashed through the people around him.” The latter is there, sometimes, but it’s not prominent. Original Darkwing was a man made better by his daughter, while the modern Darkwing doesn’t quite need that to find the hero within.

The only (and I mean only) criticism I have is the way the characters kind of jump around in how they respond to things. Drake wanting more crime, and then freaking out when super crime shows up and it’s way more than he thought he can handle is fine, and is one of the better character bits in the special. It being unclear whether Drake is against fighting supervillains because he thinks they’re too powerful vs because he doesn’t want to risk Gosalyn’s safety is another thing, though - it seems the show intended to imply the latter but forgot to include the line somewhere, so it’s not inferred until later and Drake suddenly benching Gos towards the end lacks set-up.

For her part, Gosalyn is suddenly and quickly afraid to fight for a brief moment so Launchpad can inspire her to face impossible odds, even though it was hardly the first time she had done so in the special. The ending I think wanted the characters to be somewhere that the rest of the special hadn’t gotten them to yet. But it’s all good - it ends well, so all’s well. Best gag of the episode, btw? Fenton, who is awful at keeping his secret identity secret, has hooked up Darkwing with his own hi-tech hero lair. Darkwing, despite supposedly being a detective (or at least an actor playing a detective), ends up as one of the two or three people remaining on Earth who hasn’t figured out that Fenton is Gizmoduck. Darkwing considers himself good friends with Fenton, despite hating Gizmoduck. It’s actually very funny.

It’s as of now unclear what is coming up for Darkwing. We know the St. Canard characters are going to factor in more as the FOWL plot progresses, and this episode kicks that plot into high gear - the characters now know about FOWL and their intentions, and are preparing themselves for a far more dangerous fight than usual. In short, with the midseason comes the renewed focus on the primary plot of the season, as per the usual. Like I said before, while I’m not as on board as most with the idea that this was a pilot, St. Canard was definitely established here - with series regular Zan Owlson as it’s new mayor, and a general aesthetic and set of protagonists. It wouldn’t be remiss for a future episode this season to take place there (though we know Negaduck isn’t happening this season).

The new few episodes, however, are focused more on the quest for Finch’s treasures and FOWL, so that’s going to have to wait for a while. We’ve been promised, as I recall, an episode that brings all the kids together (unless that’s part of the finale), which is nice - I may have mentioned before that the best episodes of the series have been the ones that put the kids (who are the characters with the most focus throughout its run) together and let all their personalities run through an adventure together - and with the cast growing somewhat constantly, it’s nice to know that no one is being forgotten.

Either way, I give the episode a great deal of recommendation - I only had a couple things that bothered me, and a few wishes for different choices, and ultimately I’m planning on watching it a ton of times just like I did the first Darkwing episode. From a classic Darkwing fan, and in the words of Bat-Mite, it’s a different intepretation to be sure, but not at all one without merit.

So thanks to Frank Angones, Matt Youngberg and the Ducktales crew! I hope my virtual thumbs up reaches them somehow, but either way, it was a good day to be dangerous.

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collecting-stories · 5 years ago

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Poolside - Billy Hargrove

Thanks, I had this idea after watching the clip from season 3 of stranger things where Billy work as a lifeguard: he's been in love with YN Henderson since he moved and he finded out that she was at the pool this vacation, he quickly get a job there in hopes to talk toher( and see her in a bikini) but, Dustins sister didn't believe him, that he changed (character development there) and it gos with flashbacks of them together, until the day he goes to work and she goes to see him (cute couple)

A/N: This is AU and goes back and forth with present day and flashbacks.

Poolside | Billy Hargrove x reader

If there was one thing that Billy Hargrove knew about Dustin Henderson’s older sister it was that she wouldn’t give him the time of day. He was certain that he could drown in the Hawkins’ Pool and she would keep on sitting up on her lifeguard chair, pretending like she didn’t even know he existed. He’d tried everything too. Or at least, all his usual stuff. The whole arsenal of Hargrove charm was unloaded on her and still, nothing. She’d ignored him from the day he arrived in Hawkins aside from one time when he was jerking Steve around and she’d shoved his shoulder in the hallway when he walked past, and called him a loser. That was the first and last time she ever spoke to him and it wasn’t even a positive interaction but that didn’t matter. Billy was hooked.

You looked down the length of the pool to where Billy was emerging from the changing rooms, sunglasses on and looking like he just stepped off an episode of Miami Vice. You rolled your eyes at the moms who were lined up beside your post, waiting for Billy to walk past. They were gross, leering at a teenager like he was a piece of meat. Two more minutes and your shift would be done and you wouldn’t have to think about the creepy way Mrs. Wheeler smiled when she saw Billy walk along the poolside. There was only one good thing that came with working opposite his shift every Tuesday. If you hated the way the mothers looked at him then you loved the way they glared at you, like they were truly contemplating jumping from their loungers and throwing you into the pool.

“Henderson.” Billy greeted, sliding his sunglasses up onto his head. He watched you climb down the short ladder, eyes lingering on your legs and ass in your one-piece.

“Hargrove.” You finally replied, turning off the last step so you were face to face with him. And then, with all the mothers leaned in their chairs so they had the perfect view, you grabbed the back of his head and kissed him. He kissed back, grip on the ladder tightening as he let himself get a little lost in the way you ran your tongue over his bottom lip and grazed your teeth against his skin.

When you pulled away he was looking almost like someone had drugged him. You grinned, letting him go and walking back passed the women, each one trying to jedi mind-trick you into the pool. At the last mother you turned, blowing your whistle at Billy who was staring right at you. “Eyes on the pool lifeguard.”

“Yes ma’am.” He teased, that easy smile returning to his face as he climbed up the ladder.

The first time Billy tried to speak to you the school year had just ended. Everyone was talking about summer and vacations and the mall that had just begun construction in downtown Hawkins. It was boring by California standards, which Billy made sure to announce to every single person who asked him what he was planning on doing for the summer.

“Being bored man,” he had replied when Tommy asked him. They were standing around the school parking lot smoking. “Nothing but shit in Hawkins, not like Los Angeles.”

He saw you walking to your bike as Tommy said something about the girls in LA. Billy was already a million miles away from the conversation though as he walked down the hill to where you were, ignoring Tommy and Carol calling him in favor of trying to talk to you. He flung his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out as he stepped up on the curb.

“Bike rack giving you trouble?” He asked, smiling.

You looked over your shoulder at him, maneuvered your backpack, and resumed pulling your bike from amongst the others. “I got it.”

“Ya know, I could give you a ride?” He was over confident in his proposition because he’d never been turned down for a ride before. Girls were usually waiting for him to ask, ready to say yes before he’d even approached them so he wasn’t expected the look of annoyance you shot him as you mounted your bike.

“I got it.” you repeated, clearer this time as though his hearing had been the reason he wasn’t getting that you didn’t want any help from him. “If you would move?”

Billy took a step back, more out of confusion than because you asked, and nodded his head. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

He watched you bike away and despite the cold shoulder he’d been dealt he still felt that same draw to you that he had the first time he saw you at the Halloween party, sipping punch with another junior. Your eyes had locked with his and when he’d given you his signature smirk you’d only rolled your eyes and turned away from him. There was no indication from you at any point from October until now that you were interested in him at all but Billy couldn’t help the feeling of wanting to get to know you. To know what it felt like to have all your attention.

Your shift at the pool was over but Billy was giving you a ride home and he had a whole five hours to kill before he could leave so you went to the changing rooms and swapped out your lifeguard bathing suit for a two piece you’d bought when you took Sadie to Starcourt last week.

The job of the lifeguard was pretty basic: watch the pool, make sure no one drowns, make sure everyone follows the rules, blow the whistle at four pm for adult swim. All that was really required was that the lifeguard was good at swimming, could blow a whistle, and didn’t take their eyes off the pool. Simple enough, and yet Billy was having an increasingly difficult time doing his job this afternoon. You had set up a lounge chair directly across the pool from his station and were sun bathing in the two piece he’d seen in your bag but definitely hadn’t imagined being quite as appealing on you as it was. He shifted in his seat, eyes on you as you reclined on the lounger, your own eyes obscured by sunglasses. Probably closed though, it would be just like you to drift off while you were sunbathing.

Billy placed the whistle between his lips, watching you from behind the sunglasses that were perched on his nose. He could hear the moms chattering below him as he pretended to scan the pool area. It was nearing adult swim and he had his whistle ready for the moment but he was more invested in you sunbathing than in his job.

Another lifeguard, a friend of Tommy’s named Derek or Derk or something, stopped to talk to you and Billy leaned forward a little bit, watching as you took off your sunglasses and gave the guy towering over your lounger your full attention. When he leaned in, bracing a hand on the back of the chair and you laughed Billy decided enough was enough and blew his whistle. The sound was shrill against the backdrop of shouting children and cannonballs. Everyone seemed to turn their attention toward him, curious to see who the lifeguard was going to yell at.

“Hey,” Billy’s voice sounded almost louder than the whistle. “You two, quit distracting the lifeguards, we’re trying to work here.”

“Sorry Hargrove, didn’t mean to distract you.” Derek/Derk shouted back, looking smug. Billy had half a mind to jump off the guard post and tackle the asshole to the ground.

You smiled at Billy and winked but said nothing about his blatant display of petty jealousy. Your boyfriend was nothing if not needlessly dramatic most of the time. It was something you were gradually becoming more and more used to. You had even begun to find it endearing rather than annoying when his dramatic side came out.

Billy wasn’t entirely sure how he had won you over but he somehow managed to get you to agree to a date. It wasn’t anything fancy, a double feature at the movie theatre, some blockbuster end of the year hit that was being advertised all over the place. He really wished he could zero in on exactly what it was that made you say yes to another date. Was it the way he had asked you? Or maybe he’d done his hair in a particularly good way that morning. The clothes were ones he’d worn plenty of times but had he ever worn them in this combination? He couldn’t remember.

All he remembered was the nervous feeling gnawing at the bottom of his stomach, threatening to crawl out of his esophagus and strangle him alive. On the surface Billy was a fairly confident guy. Tough although a little mean at times he was trying to fix the parts of himself that he didn’t like any more. He’d been nicer to Max already, something she had told Dustin who told you during dinner one night the week before you agreed to the date with Billy. So okay, maybe part of him changing himself was based on getting you to go out with him but it wasn’t completely that. At least he wanted to believe that it wasn’t. And if it was, at least he was becoming a better person, and that was good...right?

He asked you out on a Friday, just after the last bell rang as you stood by your locker. He listening to Tommy drone on about something unimportant when he looked in your direction, something he did frequently, and found you looking at him. Billy wasn’t ever embarrassed to be caught staring at someone. Usually when he was it meant that they shared his interest. But he had never seen you looking at him before, and he looked at you a lot.

You glared and then turned away from him, back towards your locker. Billy took the opportunity though, breaking away from the boring group of kids that he hung around with in Hawkins, and walked the short distance to your locker. He leaned himself against the wall, arm over his head to show off his muscles. It was a classic move of his, it had worked plenty of times.

“Hey,” he greeted, self-confident smirk on his face.

You rolled your eyes, “what do you want Hargrove?”

“How about you let me take you out tonight? There’s a double feature down at the theatre.” He spoke with a lot more confidence he had, something he had trained himself to do expertly.

“No.” You shook your head. Just because he had managed to get you to say yes doesn’t mean you had said yes immediately.

“Come on,” he started, pushing through his speech when you fixed him with an annoyed glare. “Just one night.”

You shut your locker and turned to him, watching the way his arm came off the wall and he shoved his hands in his pockets. Dustin had told you all about how nice he’d been lately to Max but he was still hanging out with Tommy and Carol. Still skipping school to smoke pot under the bleachers. He hadn’t totally changed but... “one date Hargrove. You can pick me up at six.” You said, pushing passed him.

You missed the dopey look on his face.

“Why’re you trying to torture me?” Billy asked, trapping you between his car and himself. You had brought Max and her friends to the pool on your day off. While you had thought about telling Billy you were planning on coming you decided you would much rather surprise him. So you showed up, another new two piece, and parked yourself right across from his lifeguard station, just like you always did.

When you had finally gotten up to buy something from the concession Billy had blown his whistle quietly as you passed him. You stopped, smiling and turning to look up at him as he hung over the side of the stand.

“What’d I tell you about distracting the lifeguards?”

“Sorry it’s just...there’s this one lifeguard-”

“Oh yeah?” His sunglasses slid down his nose a little and he looked at you over the rims.

“He’s super hot.” You grinned, dragging out the u in super.

“Lucky him.” He played along. He sat back, leaning against the chair and fixing his sunglasses, “I got break in ten.”

“You don’t say.”

Billy spared you a glance, trying to act nonchalant about the situation which made you smile. “Meet me by my car?”

“I’ll see you there.” You replied, walking the rest of the way to the concession. You polished off the fries you got in less than five minutes and then sat at the edge of the pool chatting with El while Max and the boys had a diving competition. When you saw Heather walking up to Billy’s lifeguard stand you stood and headed out to his car as promised.

You leaned against the passenger side, still in your two piece with a pair of high waisted shorts on. When you saw him walking toward you the smile on your face was undeniable. How you went from hating him to liking him was beyond you but he had managed to work some sort of charm on you. He was quick to pull you into a kiss, pinning you against the side of the car.

“Why’re you trying to torture me?”

“Cause it’s fun?” You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him close to you. He put one hand on the car to hold himself steady and wrapped his other arm around your waist.

“What are you doing after this?” He asked, leaning in to kiss your neck. His lips were soft against your slightly sweaty skin. The heat that radiated from you laying out in the sun made him smile against your collarbone.

“Taking your sister and El to the movies. It’s girls’ day.” You replied, running your fingers through his hair, brushing the strands away from his shoulders.

His eyes met yours, the smallest pout threatening to break through his features. “How about you have girls’ day tomorrow?” He requested, leaning back in and placing a kiss on your hairline.

“I promised Max.”

“She’ll survive.”

“So will you.” You laughed, moving your hands to his chest and pushing him away from you.

“Tease.” He called, catching up with you as you walked back towards the pool gate. He grabbed your waist, pulling your feet off the ground and kissing your neck once again.

“Billy!” You grabbed at his hands, laughing as he leaned back to lift you further off the ground and bend you slightly backwards over him. “Put me down!”

“Have girls’ day tomorrow.” He replied, shaking you back and forth.

“No, I promised Max!” You cried, determined not to give in.

“Have girls’ day tomorrow.” He repeated.

A whistle caught your attention and Billy put you down, looking over to the gate where Heather stood, whistle still in her mouth. She spit the whistle out, “your break is over.”

You took the opportunity to pull out of Billy’s arms completely and head toward the gate again, turning one last time to wink at him. He shook his head and walked back to his lifeguard post, climbing up the ladder and putting his sunglasses back on, already turning his attention to you as you joined Max in the pool.

Fingers crossed this worked with the flashbacks included. Billy isn’t a favorite of mine but I did my best lol.

taglist: @thinkingsofamadwoman @mixedwiththemoon @titty-teetee @queenmissfit @marvelismylifffe @iluvmesomemarvelndc @absentmindeduniverse @his-paradox

#billy hargove x reader #Billy Hargrove imagine #Billy Hargrove fanfiction #Billy Hargrove fanfic #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #stranger things au #collecting stories imagine

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ebullientbun · 5 years ago

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Don’t Be A Deuce Bag

Starring: tennis!Jin x Reader Genre: mildest angst if any, fluff, friends-to-lovers!au Word Count: 3.5k Warnings: someone gets hit in the balls, slight swearing, lots of tennis jargon A/N: this is originally for the Sports!AU August prompt by @btsboulangerie, but I had a feeling that I won’t be able to finish it in time yeet

Summary: You and Jin are doubles partners, though you dream of being more than that. But doubles partners communicate, and Jin has been giving you the silent treatment. You need to get to the bottom of it.

The general public would always see tennis as some sort of elite sport, a hobby that rich people enjoy in their free time if they weren’t on a golf course. But they never consider the level of strategy, technique, and effort that goes into playing a match in competitive tennis, thinking that it’s just for players needlessly grunting as they hit the ball or dramatically falling into a split running towards a fast ball. But you found it to be more than that.

You found a home with the people with you on the tennis court. You’ve made your first friends in high school with these people, driving to and fro from away matches to all day tournaments. You’ve spent countless hours at dawn or late at night practicing drills with each other.

And you’ve discovered your love to be on the court. You first joined the team not expecting much, already knowing that you’ll be accepted onto the team since they were in constant need of female members, but you genuinely created a unique bond with each and every single one of them.

Not too long after your singles match, you plop down on the bleachers next to your best friend, Sooyoung. Snatching your fourth fruit snack packet from your tennis bag, you begin fueling yourself with sugar as you watch the other ongoing matches. You brighten, nudging Sooyoung on the shoulder. “Oh my god, look at Taehyung over there, third court”.

She turns, squealing excitedly. “He’s wearing a headband! Ugh, he’s so hot.” She leans forward to read the scoreboard, squinting. “He’s losing against Jimin, though.”

You hum. “Somehow, being frustrated is low-key making him hotter.” You watch as he wipes his forehead with a towel before tossing it on the bench; you sigh longingly. “I’d let him eat my ass like a cupcake anytime.” Sooyoung giggles at your comment, playfully shoving you in embarrassment.

“Can you not talk about our opponent like that? You’re rooting for the wrong team,” a voice sounds from behind you.

Kim Seokjin. Your doubles partner since you’ve joined the team and made you fall in love with the game. Instead of going through the motions, you felt a combination of excitement and anxiety during every match with him because he’s made it something to build yourself for.

You whip your head around, glaring at doubles partner. “Mind your own business, Jin. It’s legal to thirst.”

He rolls his eyes, before paying his attention back to the match on the first court.

Your relationship with Seokjin was nothing short of incessant bickering. You first got to know each other when you were filling up the team’s water jug as a newbie, and upon struggling to hold it up as it got heavier, he had come to the rescue to help out. Your coach saw the both of you as an opportunity for a mixed doubles team, since none of the other members wanted to be part of it and you both were getting along well. You both gave it a shot - having a position from the coach is better than being benched.

He easily gets on your nerves. He’s a gentleman, yet has a hankering of complaining. When you aim a ball too far and it lands out, suddenly he’s a know it all and tries to correct you for it. But when he makes a mistake, suddenly it’s the wind’s fault! You have to admit, he did help you with your form when you struggled with your backhand stroke back then.

All of that is tolerable when you consider the amount of synergy the both of you have on the court together. While you’re known for dominating at the net, Seokjin was known for keeping long rallies at the baseline. Was he garbage at the net? Sure. But you’ve been mixed doubles partners for the past couple years and have figured out a routine that worked. Playing with a different partner never interested you when you both knew each other’s playing styles so well.

That, and you had a small crush on him. Only a teeny one.

You offer him one of your fruit snacks, and he happily plucks one from the pouch. “Which court are we playing on soon?”

Seokjin nods towards the other section of courts, “Court 7, after Jeon’s finished playing.”

“We have a good advantage then, he’ll be too tired after the singles match to have enough energy for our match right after,” you comment.

Seokjin scoffs, “As if. He’s a powerhouse; he’ll just chug a Gatorade and go back at it again.”

“Who’s his partner again?”

“Yerim, I think.”

You groan. “No way, I hate that bitch! I just played her in singles and she slices every other ball.”

Seokjin hums pensively, “At least we have that advantage of how she plays.”

You nod, crumpling up your now empty fruit snack pouch and tossing it into the trash can. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

Things were not fine.

As Seokjin predicted, Jungkook was a monster and did not resist holding back slamming the ball towards you every time. It’s a dirty tactic to aim solely for the female opponent, but luckily for you and your partner, you were more fearless to his fastballs.

What you did not expect was cheating.

Your match is on the third set, both sides tiring out with a close score. Seokjin and you are in the lead 4-3. Currently, Jungkook is serving to Seokjin, while you are positioned near the net. Seokjin had been rallying cross-court with Jungkook for a while, but the angles were too wide for either of you or Yerim to poach from the net. With quick strategy, Seokjin abruptly rallies the ball straight, into a wide open area that Yerim, expecting another diagonal rally, fails to block. You figure it’s a clean win on the point, but Yerim holds up her pointer finger in the air.

“Out.”

...What?

Both you and Seokjin freeze. Mid high five too. You snap your head towards her.

“...That was in the line.” You walk closer to her at the net.

“No,” she argues, “it was close but it landed outside the double lines.” She crosses her arms and walks over to the area near where the ball landed and points with her racket at a spot out of bounds.

Oh, hell no. She didn’t even see where the ball landed, she isn’t even facing towards it.

You gape in disbelief, turning towards Jungkook. “Are you sure?”

Jungkook bites his lip, looking from you and Seokjin to his partner, before replying, “Yes.”

The audacity. You could feel the steam coming out of your ears. You are this close to childishly throwing a tantrum and asking for a referee, but you stop upon feeling a firm grasp on your shoulder.

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t,” Seokjin mutters, glaring at them for good measure. “We are not going to stoop to their level if this is how they want to play.”

“This is the third time she’s called one of our ‘in’ balls ‘out’, and we’re just gonna sit here and let that happen? Your ball was obviously within the line,” you hiss. You want to smack that snooty look off her face.

Seokjin furrows his eyebrows, frustrated as well - most of the balls Yerim called were his. “Play fair and stay calm. We don’t want to make rash mistakes and slam the next few points into the net.”

You take in a deep inhale, before huffing. Offering your doubles partner a stiff high five, you get back into position for the next point.

Jungkook serves the ball to you, noticing how you rally back but don’t approach the net immediately as you usually would. He subtly starts closing towards the net, but you internally smirk - he was going to drop a short ball on your side.

As expected, he slices the next rally directly down the middle of the court, Seokjin frantically trying to poach the ball but missing. But you’re ready.

“Mine!” You rush towards the net, and with all of the pent up anger inside of you, you slam a forehand ball straight at Jeon Jungkook’s crotch.

Without enough time to react, Jungkook fails to block the fast ball and crumples to the ground. “Oh fuck!”

Yerim gasps, running to him and hollering for a time out. Jungkook, in all of his beautiful and wincing glory, lays in a fetal position in the middle of the court.

You turn your body away from them so they don’t see, but more importantly so Seokjin can see you. “For you, Jin,” you wink at him with a smug smile on your face.

Seokjin, who had mild concern for the poor boy, stares at you in bewilderment. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Then, he bursts into a chuckle and offers you a low fist bump. “That's my girl.”

If you had known any better, you would think that his eyes were twinkling in the slightest bit. Your heart, in addition to the adrenaline, flip flops excitedly at the endearment.

In the end, you both still lost.

It wasn’t too surprising, but you both still had hope that by hurting Jungkook to his friend downstairs, you would have an advantage by winning only two more games. But, no. It appears that it just fueled the rage monster that unleashed within Jeon Jungkook and you lost three games in a row. Nonetheless, you and Seokjin took it in stride, already accepting upon walking onto the court that a loss wouldn’t be too bad as long as both of you did your best. Seokjin seemed just fine when you both walked off the court after the match to report to your coach.

However, now, Seokjin is a brat to you.

It’s a regular practice day, and instead of doing warm up laps around the courts with you like he normally does, he elects to chat next to Irene instead.

Ok, sure. Whatever. Not like you were obligated to warm up together, you suppose. You slow the pace of your lunges until Sooyoung catches up with you, falling into pace with her.

Sooyoung, despite heaving from trying to pick up the pace with the rest of the team, cocks her head in your direction. “Oh? Why aren’t you with Seokjin?”

You shrug, sparing a glance in his direction before sighing. “I don’t know, maybe he had something to talk about with Irene.”

Sooyoung frowns, nudging you on the shoulder with her elbow. “Then don’t pout, it’s probably nothing.”

You’re about to respond when your coach blows his whistle, indicating to everyone to warm up with a partner for half court rallies. You turn and begin to walk towards Seokjin, but you pause once you see him completely ignore you and beeline straight for your team captain, Jung Hoseok.

Hoseok’s eyes widen in surprise when Seokjin approaches him, nodding carefully while briefly holding eye contact with you as Seokjin speaks with him.

“Uh,” You turn back around, grabbing Sooyoung by the wrist, “can you practice with me today?”

Sooyoung furrows her eyebrows, frowning further upon seeing your doubles partner head towards a court with Hoseok to practice. “Sure.”

As if that wasn’t weird enough, he was in a mood during the practice games as well. He didn’t even acknowledge you when you sought him out, only following you on the court as you played against your teammates. You tsk when he brushes past you to place his water bottle on the benches.

If he wasn’t going to talk to you, you’re just going to act like nothing is happening.

But that was becoming increasingly difficult. He wouldn’t talk strategy with you, much less offer you a high five between points, and it was messing up your flow in the game. You missed more of your serves than usual, even your second serves. Seokjin would look increasingly annoyed whenever you miss a ball, and you’re already hanging on a tight leash.

Seokjin is getting ready to serve for the next game, and he calls your name before passing you an extra ball to hold. You try to decline, but he’s already thrown it your way.

“Jin, can you just roll this ball to the corner?”

“Just keep it in your pockets like earlier?”

“In my pock- I don’t have pockets, Jin!” You yell back, throwing the ball back at him. “Female uniforms don’t have pockets.”

Seokjin squinted. “If you don’t have pockets, how are you holding the extra ball?”

You scoff, “We are not as blessed to have long pockets like you guys, so we stick it in our underwear!” You gleam upon seeing his face go from irritable to mortified. “That’s right, the tennis balls you’re touching? Probably has female sweat from being lodged between our hip and our underwear all the time. But guess what!” You don’t even give him time to respond. “I forgot to wear decent underwear, and unfortunately, a g-string does not hold the ball in place, so I’m having a bit of a hard time running around with a ball sliding down my shorts!”

Your teammate across the court clears his throat. “Uh… can we continue the game?”

You hold a finger in the air, “Yeah, one sec.” You turn back to Seokjin, feeling more angry as you look at him. “And if we did have pockets, they wouldn’t even hold the ball properly. So don’t you dare complain to me about not wanting to hold the extra ball for you while you serve, you privileged asshole! I don’t know why you’re cranky today, but either talk to me about it or don’t take it out on me!”

You huff, turning back around and standing in position at the net, swallowing in awkwardness at your argument with your doubles partner. Regardless, your other teammates also slowly get back into position and the game continues with a tense atmosphere.

You catch Hoseok at the end of practice trying to lock the courts while juggling the box of tennis balls in his other arm. “Hey, Cap! Let me help.” You jog up to him, grabbing the box from him as he finishes locking up.

He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, “Thanks. I could’ve set it down but for some reason I was making it harder on myself.”

“All good, see you tomorrow at practice!” You hand him back the box and prepare to head for the girls’ locker room when you feel a tug on your shoulder.

“Actually,” Hoseok starts, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Seokjin.”

You bristle, “And what about him?”

Hoseok looks at you pointedly, “don’t give me that look. You know as my duty as team captain I have to keep you all in check, but I’ve been getting a couple of comments from some teammates that you’ve both been fighting a lot lately.” You want to interrupt but Hoseok stops you with a glare. “I know it’s none of my business to enter into people’s affairs, but this is making some of the members uncomfortable, hell, I’m uncomfortable because I don’t like practicing with Jin. That lobbying bastard.”

You chuckle, knowing how much people aren’t used to rallying with him like you’ve been for the past few years.

Hoseok smiles, “Just talk it out with him. Please. You can probably catch him since he’s just gone to the locker room. I don’t want to have to seek you out again, but I will if I have to.”

You jokingly salute at him, making your way to the locker room again. This time in a bit of a hurry. “Aye aye, captain.”

You pace quickly up the stairs to the locker room, hoping that Seokjin hadn’t gone home already. Just as you reach the top, you catch him leaving the boys’ locker room at the end of the hall. “Jin! Wait up!” You perk up once he stops in his tracks, jogging faster towards him. “Hey,” you pant slightly, “can we talk?”

Seokjin quirks his mouth to the side, thinking pensively for a moment before nodding.

You fall into step with Seokjin, trailing beside him as the both of you walk towards the exit. It was silent for the first few minutes, but those minutes were killing you. “Okay, I’m not gonna beat around the bush, why were you ignoring me today?”

Seokjin scoffs, unsurprised by your frankness. “I’m not ignoring you.”

“You’re not-oh don’t be a fucking liar now,” you hiss. “You didn’t do the warm-ups with me and you were being especially crabby during practice.”

“If anything, you’re the one that’s being crabby.”

You gasp, “you have the nerve. You know what I’m talking about.”

Seokjin groans, readjusting the tennis bag strap on his shoulder. “Look, I can make buddies with other people on the team, too, y’know?”

“This was different,” you whine. “What did I do wrong?”

Seokjin stops in place, forcing you to halt and stare at him. “Do you consider me as a friend?”

“Of course,” you reply immediately.

“But… only as a friend?”

Your heartbeat stops briefly. “Wh… what do you mean?”

Seokjin stands there, un-answering but intensely holding your gaze. You want to avert your eyes elsewhere, feeling too overwhelmed by his stare and the possible meanings behind his words. You nearly combust on the spot when he slowly raises his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

You sputter, “D-Do you…?”

Seokjin smiles sadly, placing his hand back in his pocket. “I guess you could say I was jealous earlier.” Upon seeing you frown in confusion, he continues, “Before the other school left the other day, I saw Taehyung exchange numbers with you. And you… you seemed pretty into him. It was a bit frustrating to see.”

Your mouth was left gaping, opening and closing like a fish. He was jealous? So that meant, he likes you? Or does he not like your fraternizing with the enemy?

Seokjin sighs at your silence, turning to begin walking again.

You’re stuck in place, trying to absorb this new information. But wait, he’s gone out the door. You haul ass to chase after him.

“Wait!” You holler at him, even though he didn’t gain that much distance from him. “Stop!”

Seokjin groans loudly, “What do you want from me?”

You catch up to him once again, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. “You like me?”

Seokjin shakes his head, and you think you might cry on the spot for somehow misunderstanding him. “I can’t believe I have to confirm with you when it is so obvious.” He leans forward to flick you on the forehead. You whine, clasping sadly at your unnoticeable wound. “Yes, dummy. I like you, and I was so sure you felt the same way, but I guess I’m wrong.”

“EH??” You’re feeling a lot of emotions all over again, but on the bright side, you’re glad that the main one is happiness.

Seokjin scratches the back of his head, unsure if your reaction to this new revelation is good or bad. “Well, Hoseok told me that maybe you just exchanged numbers as friends, so I chilled out.” He starts to fiddle with the zipper on his shirt. “But then I overheard you talking to Irene about him outside the locker rooms. I asked her earlier if you were like, serious with him or something. And she just laughed in my face.” He pouts at that.

You almost laugh, almost. “I do, though. Like you, I mean. I exchanged numbers just to do it, but I didn’t have any real feelings towards Taehyung. At least not like the ones I have for you…” It feels weird to say out loud, and you feel like your heart is pounding way too hard in your chest. You aren’t even looking at Seokjin at this point, but aimlessly staring at trees.

You yelp as you’re harshly tugged forward, darting your eyes to the hands that grasped yours and then to the owner, who has a beaming smile on his face.

“Come on,” Seokjin chuckles, pulling you to the direction of his car in the parking lot.

“Where are we going?”

“Our first date. I know you have nothing better to do.”

You almost kick him in the shin for that. Almost means you attempted, but his long legs maneuver too fast for you to keep up. Seokjin laughs boisterously, dodging your attacks.

Although fake-upset at him, you smile along with him, intertwining your fingers together.

#btsboulangerie #btsbookclub #bts fanfic #bts fluff #seokjin fluff #seokjin fanfic #seokjin scenarios #bts x reader #jin x reader #bts scenarios #seokjin fanfiction #bts fanfiction #bts

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poetzproblem · 5 years ago

Text

Have You Ever Really? Part IV

Author’s Note: Part IV, not by request. Under the cut, or read at FF.Net or AO3.

Rachel has a list.

A very thorough, carefully thought-out list.

It's divided into appropriate love songs with which to serenade Quinn, endearing gifts with which to woo her, and potential date-like activities with which to wow her should this endeavor progress to that stage of courtship.

Because that is exactly what Rachel is doing—courting Quinn Fabray.

And she might still be having just the tiniest bit of trouble wrapping her mind around the fact.

She'd honestly expected to be slapped down—quite literally.

In fairness, Quinn had immediately apologized for that unfortunate burst of temper at prom, and the guilt and remorse shining in her eyes had screamed of sincere regret. Also in fairness, Rachel hadn't been lying about appreciating the drama of it. In fact, it's quite possible that her imagination had immediately conjured up an equally dramatic kiss to follow the slap—something right out of the movies—regardless of the rather unhealthy nature of that particular fantasy. It's also possible that having that fantasy about Quinn Fabray had been one of the things to make her realize that she does, in fact, like Quinn like that.

The list of potential serenades had been drawn up as a sort of therapy for Rachel while she'd been deciding just what to do with the new knowledge that she was attracted to Quinn—and, really, to girls in general. The rest of the list—well, that had been compiled as soon as Quinn had presented her with the opportunity to pursue her attraction.

Granted, her pursuit hasn't been entirely without a few minor setbacks.

First, Finn had decided to ruin their perfectly professional (and potentially competition-winning) duet with an unwanted kiss after she'd repeatedly rebuffed his attempts to win her back with a (perhaps too) gentle reminder that she has feelings for someone else. (Really. His denial about that someone being Quinn has been very frustrating.)

Then, Rachel might have slightly overestimated Quinn's unexpected openness to her attention by choosing to sing She's Always A Woman to her in front of the club. Rachel still maintains that it's a perfectly acceptable love song. She was only attempting to acknowledge that, despite recognizing all of Quinn's flaws, Rachel is still completely enamoured with her.

Explaining that to Quinn had helped to make up for the minor snafu, along with the homemade I'm Sorry cookies and Rachel's next, much more carefully chosen serenade. Perhaps the glee club hadn't fully appreciated her efforts, but it had gotten the job done.

In fact, it had gone well enough for Rachel to jump down three spots on her gift list, breaking into Quinn's locker on their final day of school to leave a stuffed teddy bear with a t-shirt stating I Love You Bear-y Much. (Rachel hadn't been able to resist.) That seemed to go over fairly well too—at least, it did if Quinn's blush and adorable little grin were anything to go by.

(Rachel totally hadn't been lying in wait down the hallway in order to watch her reaction.)

Rachel most certainly had watched Quinn's reaction while singing I'll Be to her in glee.

It had been very favorable—even if Quinn had been trying very, very hard not to let anyone else realize it.

That's what bolsters Rachel's courage to actually ask Quinn out—or at least make some tangible plan to continue courting her through the summer.

(Rachel really, really wants to keep courting Quinn over the summer. This unexpected openness of Quinn's has opened up an entire world of possibilities right before Rachel's eyes. The girl is seriously sexy and flirty and just—ugh! No wonder Finn had kept going back to her again and again and again.)

Maybe Rachel will even get to discover firsthand what it's like to kiss Quinn Fabray.

(Please, Barbra, let her get to discover that.)

But she's getting seriously ahead of herself.

First things first. She has to ask Quinn out.

Just—

"Go out with me?"

Rachel nearly grimaces the moment she says it. She really had intended for that to come out in a far more romantic way—and a more romantic setting, though she's starting to suspect that bathrooms might just be their thing. Maybe she should have put it in song.

An amused smirk pulls up the corner of Quinn's lips, and her eyes glint with specks of green. "Do you think four serenades, a gardenia, and a teddy bear are enough to earn you a date?"

"Technically, there were five serenades," Rachel points out. "My coming out song was obviously for you," she needlessly reminds Quinn.

Quinn arches a singular eyebrow. (It's entirely too sexy for Rachel's mental health.) "There were four," she insists sternly. "We're so not counting Tuesday."

Rachel makes the calculated decision to not argue the point. Again. "Have I at least wooed you enough to earn the opportunity to continue...outside of normal school hours?" she asks, gesturing around to the empty bathroom. "Seeing that we're about to bid adieu to this place for the summer."

Quinn giggles, shaking her head. "What does it say about me that I suddenly find your weird loquaciousness cute?"

Rachel can feel a flush of pleasure crawl up her neck. "I think it says that you take advanced English with a four point five grade-point average and read a new five hundred page novel every week. Hence your easy use of the word loquaciousness."

"I don't think that's it," Quinn muses with a tender smile that makes Rachel nearly lose her breath. "Thank you for the teddy bear, by the way," she husks, stepping closer. "He's also very cute. And," she pauses, catching her lip between her teeth as she gazes at Rachel through her lashes, "kind of forward with his slogan tee."

Rachel swallows, nodding. "I...I wanted to make my case for...for our continued interactions."

Quinn chuckles. "You mean, the date you want me to agree to?"

"It doesn't have to be a date," Rachel hedges, grasping for whatever contact Quinn will allow her. "We can just...hang out. Get to know each other better."

That eyebrow inches up again. "That's generally what dating is, Rachel."

Nervously licking her lips, Rachel nods again. "It is. But I realize that actually dating me might...still be outside of your comfort zone, so I'm willing to engage in...friendly outings if you prefer."

Quinn gazes at her thoughtfully for a long moment before sighing. "Maybe I am still a little uncertain about doing all of this in public," she admits. "I mean, I can't tell my mother about this." She gestures between them. "Not yet...and maybe not ever. But Rachel, if we're going to...hang out," she practically purrs the words, "it will be a date."

"It will?" Rachel asks dumbly, heart racing from Quinn's words and her proximity.

Quinn smiles again—that sultry, seductive one that just lures a person in. "It will. And you'll be picking me up at seven. Tomorrow night," she decides. "I expect you'll plan something appropriately private so we can," her lips curve even more, "get to know each other better."

Rachel sucks in a breath. "Did...did you just ask me out?"

Quinn laughs, shaking her head. "No, Rachel. You asked me out. I just said yes." She lifts a hand to gently brush the back of her fingers across Rachel's jaw. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Rachel breathes out, nodding stupidly. She can feel the grin blooming on her face. "Yeah, you will."

Holy Broadway! She's got a date with Quinn Fabray!

She barely even registers cleaning out her locker for the year. She's too preoccupied with thoughts of her pending date. And the moment she gets home, she races to her bedroom where she obsessively pours over her list of potential date-like activities, searching for the perfect one that is private but still romantic but not too forward because she'd already mucked up asking Quinn out in any kind of romantic way and she's not about to do that again!

What she settles on is—

"Stargazing?" Quinn repeats skeptically.

Rachel grips the steering wheel a little more tightly. "It's stupid, isn't it?" she laments, frowning. "We can go to a movie instead. Or dinner. At a restaurant," she rushes out, ignoring the carefully packed picnic basket in the back seat. "Not Breadstix obviously. Maybe the Thai place on Pine Street." That seems appropriately off the beaten path.

Quinn reaches over to curl a hand around her wrist, bringing her rambling to a stop. "It's fine, Rachel," she says with a reassuring smile. "Stargazing sounds nice. We'll have a chance to talk."

Rachel exhales in relief, smiling in gratitude. "That was my thought." Also—being alone with Quinn under the stars.

So she drives them just outside of town to the OSU campus, feeling a bit apprehensive when she notices that Quinn is once again looking a little unimpressed. "Should we be here?" she asks warily as she glances around at the empty parking lot, just off Campus Drive next to a little copse of trees.

"The spring semester is over, and none of the summer classes meet on Fridays," Rachel assures her. "It's pretty dead this time of year." The students are all off campus, enjoying their weekends, and the handful of professors who teach summer courses are likely gone by now as well. There are probably only a few maintenance workers and custodians around tonight.

"One of your dads teaches here, right?"

Rachel glances at her in surprise. She didn't expect Quinn to know that—or to remember it. "Hiram," she clarifies. "He teaches computer science."

Quinn nods. "A techie. I would have guessed music or theater."

Rachel laughs, shaking her head. "He does love both of those things as much as I do, but he chose to keep them as beloved hobbies, free from the pressures of monetary compensation. I suppose there's some wisdom in that."

"But not for you," Quinn easily surmises, a fond smile dancing on her lips.

Rachel shrugs. "I can't imagine doing anything other than performing. Obviously, I'm hoping the monetary compensation will follow, but it isn't about that for me."

Quinn's smile turns teasing. "It's about the applause."

"Well, of course," Rachel concedes with a grin. "But also pursuing my passion with everything in me."

Quinn's breath hitches, and her eyes seem to darken ever so slightly "Yeah, you do seem to do that."

Oh.

She's kind of doing it right now, and she'd really like to keep doing it—which means that she really shouldn't lean in to taste Quinn's lips before they've even had a chance to really start their date, no matter how tempting Quinn looks right now.

Rachel clears her throat. "I packed a picnic." She gestures to the back seat. "It's just some veggie wraps and pasta salad." She doesn't mention that they're both vegan. "And raspberry bars for dessert." Also vegan.

"I love raspberry," Quinn murmurs with a pleased smile.

Rachel hums a vague acknowledgement. She may have remembered Finn mentioning it once in passing. It seems that she really has been quite interested in Quinn for a lot longer than she'd realized.

"There's a spot just down there," she points to the small clearing between the trees, "closer to the baseball field, where we can spread out a blanket and watch the sunset until the stars come out."

"Somewhere private?" Quinn asks, arching that eyebrow of hers.

Rachel nods. "I know it's not the most romantic place for our first date, but it's far enough away from town to cut down on the light pollution and still be publicly accessible, semi private, and...well...relatively safe."

Quinn tilts her head as she studies Rachel with a speculative look in her eyes. "You've really thought all of this out." It's not a question.

"Are you surprised?"

Quinn shakes her head, laughing lightly, and it's the most beautiful sound. "I'm really not."

She's not even all that surprised when Rachel shows her the cooler she brought along containing water (both regular and sparkling in six different flavors), three kinds of juices, and one milk. "I wasn't sure what you might like."

Quinn only laughs again, choosing a bottle of lemon sparkling water.

They spread out their blanket on the wide expanse of grass behind left field, close to the treeline but away from the obstruction of any overhead branches. The trees act as as a barrier between the parking lot and the field, obscuring them from the view of anyone driving through the main campus.

It's easy to focus on the food when they first settle down. The conversation is less easy—at least at first.

"You know, I've never actually been out here," Quinn eventually says. "I guess I should let you give me the tour, since this is probably where I'll be after graduation."

Rachel drops the last bite of her raspberry bar onto her plate with a frown. "Don't be ridiculous," she chastises. "You're second in our class." It's been a continuous annoyance for Rachel that she can't seem to edge out Quinn in the battle for salutatorian. (It's pretty much a given at this point that neither of them will be able beat Mike for valedictorian.) "You'll get into any school you apply to. You could probably even get into Harvard. Or Yale."

Quinn stares at her for a long moment with an unreadable expression. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do," Rachel confirms easily. "The question is, why don't you?"

Quinn looks away, chewing on the corner of her lip. "I don't know." She shrugs awkwardly. "Maybe because...no one else expects me to be anything more than the pretty prom queen who screws up her life by getting pregnant and gets stuck in her hometown married to her loser boyfriend."

She sounds so angry at herself when she says it, and Rachel can't help but recall another very similar conversation they'd had not that long ago—only at the time, Rachel hadn't understood that Quinn's vision of her future with Finn wasn't ever meant to be something Rachel should covet. But she thinks she understands now.

"That's not who you are, Quinn," Rachel inisists, setting her plate aside. "Not if you don't want to be." Quinn looks at her again with shining eyes. "You told me I don't belong here," she recalls with brand new comprehension. "But neither do you. The mistakes you've made don't have to define you. You can do anything. Be anything."

Quinn exhales unsteadily, turning her head and brushing her fingers beneath her eyes. "What if I don't know what that is?" She shakes her head, glancing back to Rachel with a sad smile. "Not everyone is as certain about what they want as you are, Rachel."

"Maybe you don't have to be," Rachel reasons with a shrug. "Maybe that's what college is for. Or...or maybe it just happens when it happens. I don't know," she concedes, holding Quinn's gaze. "But I do know the only way it even has a chance of happening is if you open yourself up to the possibility. And while OSU Lima isn't a bad school by any means, if you have other options," she makes sure to meet those hazel eyes head on, "and Quinn, you definitely do...why not explore them?"

Quinn stares at her with a trace of wonder in her expression. "Wow. You're really taking that whole give her wings when she wants to fly thing seriously, aren't you?"

It takes Rachel a moment to pick up on the reference, but when she does, she can actually feel her face catch fire. But she tries to play it off. "I...I think that's what you should do when you care about someone in general."

Quinn draws in a careful breath. "I think...you deserve to have someone do that for you too."

Rachel does not disagree. She just can't quite tell if Quinn is speaking in generals or to a very specific someone that Rachel very much hopes is Quinn. "I actually feel like...maybe you've tried to do that a few times already. Sending me on my way, and all that," she recalls with a tentative grin. "I just wasn't understanding you at the time."

The sun is quickly sinking low in the sky, bathing the world in hues of orange and red, but Rachel is almost certain that the color she's seeing on Quinn's cheeks has nothing to do with the current lighting. "Don't give me too much credit, Rachel." she warns. "I wanted you to stay away from Finn."

"By reminding me I'm meant for bigger and better things than Lima," Rachel points out, only really considering now what it means that Quinn had chosen that approach.

Quinn shrugs. "It's true."

"You know, most people generally try to belittle my talent and tell me I'm dreaming too big...that I'll never make it on Broadway...but you never have."

Quinn sighs, her expression going soft. "I never could. No matter what else I might have felt about you before, I've always been in awe of your talent." Rachel's entire being flushes with pleasure, even more so when Quinn admits, "And it's impossible not to admire your ambition."

"Not so impossible for everyone else." In fact, they generally find her ambition off-putting—even Finn had while he'd claimed to love her.

Quinn frowns. "Well, they're stupid. And probably jealous. Don't listen to them."

If Rachel wasn't already nearly certain that she's in love with Quinn, she would be now. She almost says it, but she doesn't want to freak Quinn out. She's still stunned that she hasn't freaked her out already with everything else. "And you wanted to know how I could like you," she murmurs in awe, reaching out to touch Quinn's hand where it's resting on the blanket.

She's pretty sure that Quinn is blushing again, and she's absolutely certain the bashful smile on her face is the loveliest thing she's ever seen. And then Quinn is moving her hand, turning it over to tentatively link their fingers together, and Rachel just about loses her breath. "I think I kind of like you too," Quinn says softly, as if she can't quite believe she's saying it.

Rachel can't quite believe it either, but her heart is practically soaring up to the stars that will soon be appearing in the sky. She only smiles and holds Quinn's hand more tightly to keep from flying away.

And Quinn lets her.

Together, they watch the sun set and the stars begin to shine, and they sink down onto the blanket to gaze up at the heavens. Rachel points out the constellations, quietly reciting the myths associated with them. She has a feeling Quinn already knows them, but she seems content to listen to Rachel talk.

Until she isn't.

Quinn shifts on the blanket, turning onto her side and propping her head on her hand as she looks down at Rachel with a contemplative expression on her face. Rachel's words trail off under Quinn's intent gaze.

"Quinn? You're supposed to be looking at the stars."

Quinn's lips slowly curl into a mysterious smile. "I am. I'm looking at the brightest one."

And Rachel's heart is just gone—rocketing up into the atmosphere and bouncing around between the stars before landing right in the palm of Quinn's hand. A breathless, "Oh," is all Rachel can manage.

And then Quinn is shifting again, moving closer, and Rachel's lips part in surprise and she can barely remember to breath because—

Oh.

Oh, her lips are so soft and warm and—

Finn was not wrong about the fireworks.

Rachel feels like she's flying apart, exploding into a million sparks of colorful light that catch the universe on fire. And when Quinn moans against her lips and deepens the kiss, Rachel knows she isn't the only one who's feeling it.

She knows without a doubt that she just found one more dream to chase, and Quinn is going to help her catch it.

#have you ever really?#faberry #ficlet

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softly-savage-mint-yoongi · 5 years ago

Photo

Moonchild

Genre: Fantasy/Magic AU! Pairing: Namjoon x f.reader Part 3 Previous

Blinking, you realize there’s a warm, comforting presence at your back. Your heart melts at the sight of Hoseok curled up on the bed beside you, fast asleep for an afternoon nap. Additionally, nestled into his side is a small spotted cat purring loudly.

In his language, you call the deer in greeting. It takes him a moment but you know he heard you by the twitch of his ears and the deep breath he takes before opening his eyes.

You reach out, scratching the top of the cat’s head as well, smiling at him when he chooses to wholeheartedly ignore you. Your hand retreats and Yoongi stands, stretching his legs and rubbing his head along the underside of Hoseok’s chin in goodbye before disappearing from the bed.

The deer in question looks at you blankly, daring you to comment on it. Too complex a question just yet, you ask him about it in your natural language.

“Want to tell me about it?”

Hoseok shakes his head slowly.

You laugh, giving him a pat on the head and rise, stretching your arms high above you.

It’s been eight days since all of Namjoon’s friends returned and you started learning Magic. In those short days you have crammed in nearly all of the deer language lessons your brain can keep up with, too many scrolls and books worth of Magic study sessions, and have begun an adjustment to the way life works around here.

Every afternoon, you wake up to Hoseok curled up against your back. Sometimes as you regain consciousness you can hear Yoongi purring, assumed to be with Hoseok, but if he senses you’re waking up he bolts. You don’t have the heart to tell him yet and think it is absolutely endearing.

Taehyung is usually sprawled in front of the fire, snoring softly. You typically wake him with you, grumbling all the while. He makes a great blanket on the chillier evenings when you go outside, but the dark look you get from Namjoon when you’re curled up with him only serves to set your temperature higher.

So far, Jimin has never once not been able to make you smile. His cheerfulness is infections, perfectly fitting of such a pretty little songbird. He always seems to be singing something or chirping away in general. Sometimes he can be seen sitting atop Namjoon’s head talking to him. More often he will be right beside the shyest member of these Warlocks, Jungkook.

The hare hasn’t warmed up to you entirely yet, occasionally letting you get close or boop his nose while he curiously surveys you. As soon as you go to give him a pet or you give him all of your attention, he runs to one of his hyungs. Seokjin has assured you the maknae is just nervous.

Speaking of the dramatic fox, he is normally out hunting and rarely seen in the mornings, much like yourself and Namjoon. It isn’t until late afternoon that he shows himself, coming to be the center of comedic acts along with the three youngest. Most evenings, when things have quieted and you’re sat around the fire with most of them dozing, Seokjin will be watching the stars with a wistful and dour expression, for a fox.

On the less pleasant days, Namjoon will join him in his quiet mood and all consuming thoughts. There are good days and bad days, and you have learned sometimes it is best to let the Alpha wolf be.

The human Warlock, Namjoon, has turned out to be a great help and a great distraction all at once. While he is a fantastic teacher with a wealth of knowledge, he has not made these last few days easy on you by any means.

You wouldn’t say it’s been too difficult, but you can’t help to think learning Magic would be much easier without all of the tension between you. Emotions have been running too high.

On the good days, he teases you with his proximity, always safely keeping his hands away. Other times with his appearance, needlessly going around shirtless or conveniently coming to bathe while he knows you’re already there.

Although you try to ignore it, you get frustrated with it just as easily as you enjoy his flirting. If you’re overflowing with confidence and try to initiate, his own falters to match your own, melting into a shy mess who can barely maintain eye contact. If you let him lead but reciprocate his advances with innocent looks or displays of affection, his eyes grow considerably dark.

It is at this point when things become dangerous and usually end in his mood inflating with jealousy or frustration and he becomes hard to learn anything from. Those days yield little results other than sour moods and awkward silences with stolen glances until one of you apologizes and you mutually agree on the frustration.

He still won’t allow you to outright touch him after the one incident the first time you bathed in the Seponji.

________________________________________

You’ve learned that Magic is simple yet complex. Since there is Magic in everything, it’s not hard to draw on the power when you’re conscious of it. You came knowing that, but not quite knowing how to draw from specific sources or where the Magic would be directed once harnessed.

Namjoon and Hoseok both have taken their time to assist you and help explain the way praying to a God works and thus only being able to harness Magics that fall under that God’s realm.

From several long conversations about your past and your Mother and what you can and cannot do so far with the bit of Magic you know, the answer feels close and makes you anxious.

Having prayed over and over again for your Mother’s resurrection, Namjoon is nearly certain and undoubtedly horrified that you might have prayed to a God of Death and you’re stuck with living a life like his. Especially since you outright told him you tried performing Necromancy, which is the parallel Major Magic to his Decay Magic under the God of Death.

Thinking about it frequently causes Namjoon a lot of emotional grief and he often gets upset before you gently remind him you weren’t cursed and can touch things just fine even if you’re a Moon Warlock like him. Sometimes it results in him phasing and taking off into the woods in a cloud of black smoke and sometimes it results in him apologizing for being weak and you reassuring him that you’re happy you have such a great teacher for your shared Affinity.

Hoseok isn’t as convinced your Magic comes from the God of Death, but his argument is rebuked at every turn over the last week since this became a possibility. If you harnessed a Necromancy Major then why did you fail in resurrecting your Mother? Namjoon is sure it’s because you didn’t know how to direct the Magic properly.

How can you create barriers if that isn’t a Magic that falls under Necromancy or Decay Magic or any of the correlating Minor Magics? Namjoon backs up his logic by explaining it could technically be a Conjuration, further solidifying the Necromancy Major, where Conjuration falls as the Minor. He continues, justifying that it could be an Illusion, which is the shared Minor between the two Major Magics. To physically stop Taehyung that time, it would have to be incredibly powerful, but it isn’t unheard of, especially if your power was uncontrolled.

Hoseok doesn’t bother to argue about the fact that you walked through Namjoon’s Illusion the first time you met. It makes perfect sense that you walked through it if you had the same Magic since it cancels out.

The cycle repeats daily and the mood becomes somber but you do your best to assure everyone that it will be fine. It is only in the brief reprieves you share privately with the handsome human that your mood seems to falter.

As instructed, you’ve spent the last few days adjusting your schedule to a nocturnal one to match Namjoon’s, much as a Moon Warlock should.

For the last two nights, he has taken you out to a clearing at midnight, the Moon in full view, when you should have the easiest time drawing and directing Magic. To say it has been easier would be a lie. You have not once been able to cast any type of Illusion or Conjuration other than simple barriers or to break Namjoon’s Illusions he casts.

__________________________________

This evening seems to be no different when you emerge from the house. Namjoon looks up from the alchemy table, the mortar and pestle in his hands frozen momentarily as he fixes you with a gentle but sad smile before continuing his task.

Jungkook and Jimin are basking in the evening sun, asleep while he works, humming to himself.

“Are you hungry?” you ask, rubbing the sleep from your eyes again.

Taehyung conveniently expels himself from the house as you say it, his stomach rumbling loudly. Both you and Namjoon laugh, but the human Warlock seems distracted.

Without further commentary, you set yourself to work on making a meal for everyone. Namjoon has stopped humming, tense as he tries to focus on his task and ignore you.

You decide to hum to yourself quietly as you cook, an old tune your Mother used to sing to you. You stir the boiling broth to the rhythm to pass the time. It nearly scares you out of your thoughts to hear the quiet, deep tenor of Namjoon’s voice singing the words.

He doesn’t turn to you, but sings so softly it breaks your heart while he keeps busy with alchemy.

“Down the old white mountain comes, over the trees like a calm sea breeze.” he sings.

There’s a smile on your face you can’t hide, humming louder now without disturbing him.

As you add the last ingredients to the pot, you see him peeking at you over his shoulder before turning his back once more.

“Crisp is the touch and just enough, to hide among the gentle ghost.” His voice is a little rough but the emotions he expresses with it are beautiful. You catch yourself wanting to hear him sing more often.

“For there is comfort in the mist coming down the old white mountain.”

The first verse finishes and you have to stop because the soup is ready. The effort it takes to remove the hulking kettle from the fire without getting burned takes all of your focus. Nearly causing you to jump out of your skin, the beautiful man is beside you.

“I’ve got this.” he says gently, nudging you with his elbow. “Let me do this while you get the dishes.”

Nodding, you thank him and step toward the house.

There’s something calm and introspective about the mood while you eat. You surmise that it might be a pretty good night for Namjoon, judging by his gentle smiles.

“Thank you for the song.” he whispers between bites, a dimpled eye smile creeping onto his face.

You’re surprised, “You’re welcome?” before adding, “How did you know that song?”

He pushes his knee into yours from his place beside you and smiles. The thought that he has initiated two simple touches this evening has you temporarily drowned out of the conversation.

“That song comes from way before my time. I’m actually quite curious how you know it.”

“Oh... my Mother used to sing it to me.”

Namjoon hums in understanding before getting up to collect the various dishes from the meal.

As is slowly becoming habit, at midnight it’s time for practice. The maknaes are resting in a pile by the fire with Hoseok and Yoongi. Most of them are dozing off but you notice both Yoongi and Jungkook staring into the fire intently as you leave with Namjoon.

The night is clearer than it has been and you bounce on the balls of your feet while you walk beside him, giddy with the feeling of Magic.

It’s as if you’re absolutely conscious of the Magic flowing within your body now and you often get jittery when you are excited and can feel it thrumming beneath your palms and at the tips of your fingers.

“I feel like we’re close to something tonight!” you exclaim when you reach the clearing, stepping wide and away from Namjoon to stand in the center.

There’s a little bit of a bite in the air, but you think some of your goosebumps might be from nerves. Trying to relax, you roll your head around, shaking your shoulders and shaking your arms before wiggling your fingers and letting the tips brush across the sea of wildflowers.

Namjoon is slowly walking around you in a circle with a grin, looking much like the wolf he is when stalking his prey. The look in his eyes is both dangerous and playful.

“Close your eyes and feel it. Breathe it in and push it to your palms.” he commands in a calm tone.

You do as instructed, but not much changes.

“Okay, now what?”

“Release it.” he hums from the opposite side.

“How?”

You can hear him chuckle. “Push it beyond your palms. You’re still connected to it. Manipulate it past yourself.”

With a deep sigh you attempt, but again, nothing happens. You can feel it exit your body but you cannot feel it past that.

You drop your arms and grumble out the frustration, “I can’t control it once it leaves.”

“You’re not trying hard enough.” Namjoon says.

“Yes, I am! I am telling you I can feel it all around but once I push it out it just dissipates!”

The handsome Warlock is beside you before your heart can pass another beat. His eyes are glinting dangerously.

“I don’t think you are.” he whispers, the Magic of his eyes roving down your bare arms, reading for Magic.

You step away, “You’re not helping with that look in your eyes.”

“What look?” he queries, but the wolfish smile he brandishes tells you he knows.

“The one that says danger.” you whisper with heat on your cheeks.

Namjoon pauses for thought with his gaze on your face.

“And? Are you afraid?”

Your own eyes snap to his, determined and full of an emotion Namjoon tries to deny, “No.” you say.

His dimples dig into his cheeks with his smile and he turns his head down, shaking it. A small laugh escapes him until he stops altogether and his head snaps back to his full height.

“That’s it.” he says.

You’re not sure what he means but it churns your gut, “What?”

“Maybe that’s why you are having a hard time with this. You’re not afraid if there’s no danger.”

“Oh.” is all you can say in reply.

Namjoon steps away with a growl, stalking purposefully toward the edge of the clearing.

“You won’t hurt me. You can’t, our Magic is the same.” You chide, but there are uneasy butterflies in your gut.

“I won’t kill you, but I think you can handle a little pain from other Magic.”

The dark look across his face sets your skin alert with goosebumps. You don’t think he is serious but your body reacts with fight or flight instinct at the implication of his threat regardless.

He unwraps his arms, draping the cloths around his neck. A black, swirling smoke extends around his hands, following them as he moves, fingers shaping signs to weave a spell into the air.

His face is hard and the light coming from the Moon casts a menacing shadow around him, his eyes glittering with Magic.

Before you can blink, there’s a glowing orb of Magic hurtling toward you. You barely dodge it, stepping back and ducking.

“Namjoon!” you yell, mouth dropping open.

“Don’t dodge it.” he growls in reply, weaving another and sending it toward you.

You dodge it again in reaction, your heart pounding in your ears. You’re too focused on not getting hit to even try and focus on casting Magic.

“Conjure a barrier like you always do if you’re so afraid.” he barks.

“I can’t.” you shout at him.

“Yes, you can!”

“How can I focus like this? I’m just as frustrated as you are!”

“You seem to perform better when your life is in danger.” he threatens in a snarl. It is here, at this point in time you can clearly see the vast, unending distance between the levels of yours and Namjoon’s Magic abilities.

He twists, arms extended and weaving a large circle into the sky.

From behind him, deeper into the treeline, a massive blackness extends. There isn’t an end to it as you follow it around in a circle.

All side seem to close in toward you. The frustration you can feel makes you grit your teeth, tears brimming at your eyes as you stare at Namjoon. He watches you with his arms crossed over his chest and a stony expression.

You bend into a ball, so tense you feel like you’ll explode into bits, so you scream to the heavens.

The Alpha watches it all in slow motion. Your scream, and the nearly invisible ripple of Magic extending from not your palms but your entire being, crashes into the spell he cast and shatters it like glass.

In all of his years, he hasn’t ever seen anything like it. Moon Warlocks can’t break Magic of a different Affinity. Especially not without touching it.

He wraps his hands and uses large, hurried strides to reach you as you stand.

You’re confused by what transpired, your head whipping around slowly, brow furrowed. You can’t hear, like shell shock from a bomb exploding beside your head. There’s only a slowly vanishing ringing, and your eyes seek Namjoon for some sort of clue, only to find him with an unreadable expression two paces away.

“Wha-” you try to speak. He cuts you off when he reaches you, his lips meeting yours. No room for breathing or space as he takes your mouth. You’re baffled, but enjoy it nonetheless, kissing him back fervently. Without even touching him you can feel the heat of his body radiating so closely to your own.

He walks you backwards, attacking your mouth continuously. You feel him smiling against your mouth before gently licking at the seam of your lips. A whine pitches up your throat and you cave, bringing your arms around his neck.

Your fingers touch the back of his neck and you’re wholly perplexed when he is suddenly gone, having pulled away in an instant.

You open your eyes to see him standing at the edge of the clearing, in the same place he was when he cast the black spell. Heart sinking into your stomach and turning sour, you realize the cruel Illusion.

Hot, angry tears spring from your eyes and you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand in embarrassment. “Don’t you...” you try to calm yourself, finger shaking at him.

“Don’t you. Ever. Cast another Illusion on me.” Your voice wavers and it is hard to breathe, but you don’t care, too hurt to waste another minute. You can’t believe he did that, and it is all you can think about as you turn and walk briskly back to the house.

Namjoon remains in the same spot, feeling surprised and altogether a bit shameful for doing that to you. He watches you go, wiping at your tears. Once alone, he looks to the Moon as if it will give him the answer.

He is now certain of two things. First, you are not a Moon Warlock. Second, whatever kind of Magic you do possess, you are powerful. He only knows one Warlock who is powerful enough to cast Magic without their hands.

He needs to talk to Seokjin.

___________________________________________

The door slamming shut startles Hoseok into a deer personified scream. He pouts at you until he looks up to your face, tear streaked with a red nose and furrowed brow.

The wood of the bed frame scuffs across the floor a fraction with the force of your momentum as you sit. You heave a sigh in frustration, angrily wrestling your boots from your feet before resting your face in your palms.

Magic aside, Namjoon played a dirty trick on you without thinking about your feelings. Once a bit calm, part of you understands his frustration and reconciles that he may not realize it was such a wrong thing to do. After all, he is socially stunted. The stronger part of you right now feels like it doesn’t matter because he took it too far.

Hoseok walks into your palm, pushing it over his back and leaning against your legs, calling out quietly.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” you say, more tears beginning to well. You dig your fingers back and forth across his spine to distract yourself, shaking your head as if to dispel the emotions.

“Lets go to bed, it’s late for you.”

Hoseok follows you without argument, curling against your legs until you pat his rump and motion for him to lay beside you.

So gentle and so sweet, the Sun Warlock makes himself comfortable with his back to you, allowing you to curl against his fur and drift off.

______________________________________

The Seponji glows a brilliant, deep blue on this clear night, the Magic flowing through the water so concentrated you might think the color was pulsing with the intensity.

Seokjin is in his element here, surrounded by his own Blessings. Able to think and breathe and watch over the river, it’s width giving a grandiose view of the fox’s favorite stars.

Seokjin is at peace here, and even when his thoughts and emotions plague him, the coolness of the water can sap his Magic like the kiss of a desperate lover until he is too tired to think about his thousand years of guilt.

Luckily, before such thoughts can overtake his weary mind tonight, Namjoon clears the treeline and seeks the attention of the Cosmic Warlock.

In a low tone, the Alpha calls to him, “She isn’t a Moon Warlock.”

The fox turns to him calmly, eyes glowing as if to say, “I know.”

“Is she...” he begins in a graceful tongue, the dialect of the fox. He turns away, walking toward the house and motioning for the eldest to follow.

Seokjin’s expression is somber, his tone short in irritation when he replies in the same language, “No, she isn’t part of my Heirloom Magic.”

Namjoon scratches at his chin, thinking.

Seokjin continues, “She may possess Heirloom Magic, but not mine. It is doubtful, since it has virtually been extinct for four hundred years.”

The fox shifts uncomfortably, the memories making his gut churn. Namjoon huffs, knowing this conversation doesn’t bring good thoughts for the wise Warlock, but he is the only one with the information he needs.

“Can you remember if there were any survivors from the clans?” Namjoon asks calmly. There are creases in his forehead as he thinks, face upturned, watching the Moon through the canopy of trees while they walk.

“Unless they had been in hiding before the Absorbers came... I don’t believe so. I would have heard by now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Namjoon.” the fox turns to him sharply, “I killed them all four hundred years ago. Every. Single. One. Burned any trace of that forsaken clan and searched for more than two hundred years for survivors. You know that.”

The Moon Warlock isn’t used to being made to feel stupid and he kicks his heel into the dirt with a growl, “I know. I just... what is she?”

Seokjin laughs, the broken sound in higher fox pitch makes Namjoon smile, regardless of his disgruntled mind. “She’s something special.” he quips in his anthropomorphic tongue.

Akin to their senses, the smell of the smoke from them hearth calms them before they can see the house. Each takes a subtly deep breath during the silence until Namjoon nearly trips over his own feet at the sound of a woman screaming.

___________________________________

Somewhere in your subconscious you can tell you’ll wake up with a kink in your neck from stress and horrible sleep as you toss and turn fitfully. Your Mother did always tell you that when you were upset, you grumbled and moved around a lot in your sleep.

Drifting in and out of consciousness was getting more and more difficult as you couldn’t get comfortable. You felt oddly hot and remember kicking off the blankets without opening your eyes at one point before turning to your other side, curling into Hoseok’s fur and breathing in his scent, similar to the calm of cedar wood.

You float into semi-consciousness again because your palms itch so intensely you have to scratch to relieve them before making a mental note to ask Hoseok for a lotion bar in the morning.

You’re not sure what exactly woke you, your eyes snapping open wide as if a bucket of ice water was injected directly into your veins. It could’ve been the warm, smooth expanse of human skin against your arm or the sound of a man sighing contentedly before a tanned arm was draped around your exposed midsection and you were dragged back into a warm, firm chest. Perhaps it was the feeling of that chest rising and falling in slumber and the feel of hot breath against the back of your head.

You had thought perhaps it was Namjoon until the arm draped across your body and held you tightly. You sit up and turn, a scream escaping your lungs before you have a chance to clamp your hand over your mouth.

The sleeping Tiger at the foot of the arm chair shoots up, eyes wild. The naked man in the bed also bolts up, screeching bloody murder. He remains attached to you.

The sound of the door slamming open makes you jump out of your skin, eyes wider than ever as Namjoon surveys you for injuries in less than a second before looking behind you.

“Namjoon?” the man calls, quickly shutting his mouth and smiling wide. His arm is still forgotten, draped across your bare stomach where your shirt has ridden up with your restlessness.

The Alpha’s face expresses shock and what you might guess is disbelief and totally bewildered surprise.

“Hoseok?!”

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guksthighs · 7 years ago

Text

A Spell For Jealousy || kth

COLLAB

Pairing: V X READER

Summary: ‘Taehyung could see you were busy, he knew his jealousy and possessiveness were apparently unfounded, but you had been lying to him about how you had been studying and had been meeting his best friend behind his back.’

Genre: fluff, angst, wizard au, jealous tae, angst with a happy ending

Length: 2.4k

A/N: this was my first collab and although their account only has a few pieces of writing, i hope you show your support for @korean-hellhole ~ they’re so lovely and i really enjoyed doing this project together.

have fun trying to figure who wrote what !

You sighed in exasperation as the professor’s explanations morphed into gibberish and your gaze wandered towards the window next to your seat, following the snowflakes that coated the school grounds in white. The late afternoon sunbathing the dull white scenery in gold and you silently willed for time to speed up.

“Y/N!” An elbow nudged your side making you turn to look at Namjoon with a raised eyebrow and he used the tip of his quill to point towards the professor as if to say: ‘Listen in class!’ Rolling your eyes at him, you nudged him back with more force and suppressed a laugh when he yelped and bumped into the boy next to him.

“Unbelievably hopeless…” He muttered and shot a warning glare towards your direction but you knew this was far from being over, messing with Namjoon was way more entertaining than watching snow anyways.

An idea suddenly popped into your head and you grinned mischievously, reaching for your wand, your fingers wrapping around the smooth wooden rod and you whispered a simple spell, watching as the pink haired boy’s glasses slid off his face and snatching them before they dropped to the floor.

Namjoon glared at your smug face while you slid his lunettes onto your face, snickering at the dirty looks he shot you as you pretended to pay attention to the professor.

“Okay that’s it for today. Class dismissed!”

Cheering out loud, you stood up immediately from your chair, ignoring the stares your classmates were giving you, and scooped all your books into your messenger bag. “You know you really have to start paying attention to this class (Y/N).”

You turned to watch the pink haired boy’s blurry figure stack his textbooks into a neat pile and blinked, feeling yourself tear up from the glasses. “Joon, I’m terrible at Charms and you know it. It’s okay if I fail this subject, I’ve accepted my fate.” Your reply was said with a dramatic air as you placed a hand on your friend’s shoulder and nodded. Namjoon chuckled as the two of you headed towards the exit, his black cloak billowing behind him, commanding attention from everyone as he walked.

Kim Namjoon was a prefect, top of his class in every single subject he took and an absolute genius. Being taller than most of the student body, he radiated superiority, intimidating many and you were grateful to have a friend like him.

“If you even need help with the spells you just have to let me know alright?”

“Don’t be silly! I don’t need anyone’s hel-”

A pair of arms wrapped around your waist before you could finish your sentence and you immediately knew who it was, giggling before leaning your back against his chest.

“Yah Tae! How did you get here so fast? Don’t you have class on the other end of the campus?”

Your boyfriend nuzzled his nose into your loose hair before turning you around to face him. You beamed at him as soon as his boxy smile came into view and he raised his arms to squish your cheeks when he suddenly stopped, staring at you before glancing at Namjoon who stood behind you.

“Y/N ...Are you wearing Joon’s glasses?” You hadn’t realized you were still wearing and you nodded, taking them off to hand them back to the pink haired boy. Taehyung frowned and mumbled an excuse before walking away.

“You better go after him; you know how possessive he gets when you’re around any of us.” Namjoon urged you to leave, shooing you with his hand and you gave him thumbs up before rushing after your fuming boyfriend.

“Taee, you aren’t mad, right? You know I only have eyes for you!” You hugged his left arm to your chest, resting your cheek affectionately against his shoulder as you looked up to him with large innocent eyes and he gulped before sighing, placing his hand on top of your hair.

“I can never get angry at you; you know that?” Taehyung grinned, finding your bashfulness endearing and freeing his arm from your grip before wrapping it around your waist. “So how was class?” You pouted, remembering the amount of spells you had to learn to keep up with the rest of your classmates.

“Absolutely terrible Tae, I’ve given up on Charms at this point.”

“I can always give you a hand with the spells?

You looked up at your boyfriend smiling gratefully and leaning up to kiss his cheek when he returned your smile with a boxy grin.

“Thanks, babe, but I think I’ll manage on my own…It might be my worst subject but it’s not like I’m failing.”

His smile drooped a little before returning quickly as if it never happened just as you glanced up at him again.

“If you say so…”

“Miss (Y/N), I’m sure you realize Charms isn’t your forte. If this keeps up you’re bound to fail the year.” The professor spoke in a hushed tone, careful not to attract attention from the other students.

Your eyes widened in shock as time seemed to freeze at that moment. “I see; is there anything I can do to raise my grade though?”

“Tell you what Miss (Y/N), if you past the test next week; I can guarantee at least a B for your final grade.” You nodded softly, frowning while your mind whirled with unsaid thoughts and bowed before returning to your seat where Namjoon waited, a worried expression on his face.

What would you do now? There was no way you could learn the spells on your own! Especially with how clumsy you were… you would probably burn down your dorm before you could master one!

Your mind drifted to your boyfriend, smiling faintly as you remembered how he had sweetly offered to help. But knowing Taehyung, he was probably as bad as you if not worse. Sighing hopelessly, you turned your head to watch Namjoon take notes on his notebook and you silently wondered how amazingly smart he was.

“If you even need help with the spells you just have to let me know alright?”

Snapping up as you recalled what the pink haired boy had told you, a sense of hope filled you, he was a genius after all. Maybe you weren’t doomed after all! You poked his arm shyly, giving him a lopsided smile. “Yah Joon! Do you think…Youcanhelpmewiththespells?” You flushed, not used to asking for help and glared when Namjoon smirked at you.

“Oh so you finally admit you need my assistance?” You scowled before nudging him causing him to laugh and nod, nudging you back. “Sure, we can start today after class?”

“Yeah you can use my notes” You gave him thumbs up, and turned to face the professor just to hear him dismiss the class.

You remembered with a groan that it was your date night and that you would have to cancel, and as you sent him a quick text the thought that maybe you should have asked your boyfriend instead of Namjoon made you wonder if you had just messed up doing this even with the knowledge of how insecure he could be about your relationship. And yet you still hit send.

Well, There was no turning back now.

“Babe,” Taehyung whined and tugged at your arm trying to get your attention but you pulled your arm out of his grasp and continued to study, the peace of the library that was meant to hide you from distractions had led you into the biggest disruption of all, your boyfriend.

Taehyung had been working in the library since you had met him, spiderwebs strung in his hair like an ornate crown that sat regally on top of his brown hair. These days the library was less dusty from his constant cleaning, but, as amazing as it was to have him know where all of the books you desperately need were, instead of studying all you wanted to do was fall asleep in his arms to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

However, you were busy reading over Namjoon’s notes, whispering incantations to yourself that now made more sense but whose wording was still needlessly complex. You flicked through the books Namjoon had recommended to read, things like ‘spells for beginners’ and ‘so you can’t remember your spells’ but you were becoming progressively more despairing.

“I’m proud of you,” your head whipped up to meet Taehyung who was staring at you, a small smile on his face as he admired your concentration, “You’re putting in so much effort, I mean look at all of these notes,” he gestured at Namjoon’s work, his obvious scrawl covering the copious amounts surrounding you but Taehyung continued with a beam, completely oblivious to the evidence of your lies, “and you did it all by yourself!”

You swallowed hard, it was becoming obvious that when this came to light he was going to be extremely upset and yet the compliment gave you the boost you needed to learn the last few spells. Quickly you leant forward to press a kiss on the tip of his nose, whispering thank you before you muttered another spell and you both watched in awe as it started to snow above the two of you.

The library was quick to dispel the magic, but Taehyung knew what it meant, you had improved massively and although he had thought he would have to stand in and give you some last minute tips, you seemed to have everything under control.

Contrary to your belief that Taehyung was as incapable at spells as you were, he was actually a magical genius. His constant chatting in class and pranks meant he was under more scrutiny from the teachers which led to him having more help than other students, and within months Taehyung was consistently getting top marks, not that he had told you that.

Taehyung watched you begin to study and wondered if your problem lay in you making incorrect notes, so he leafed through your pages and found a higher grade spell, studying the writing he was hit by an icy feeling of realisation. The messy scrawl that was covering your page, devoid of small animations and pretty colours, was not your handwriting.

Taehyung could see you were busy, he knew his jealousy and possessiveness were apparently unfounded, but you had been lying to him about how you had been studying and had been meeting his best friend behind his back.

In the meantime, he was able to swallow the lump in his throat, waiting for you to finish so at least your deceit would be worth a good grade, even if the second you had finished you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him like there was no one watching, making him feel slightly unsure to the judgement he had made.

Taehyung didn’t kiss you back, instead, he placed his hands on your waist and moved you so you were sitting on your chair again, and that was when you realised he knew, even before he started talking, “Why did you lie to me?”

His voice broke; Taehyung’s eyes fell to his hands that fiddled as he found himself unable to meet your eyes in embarrassment at being so easily deceived. “You lied to me,” he whispered, more to himself than you and as you opened your mouth to reply, he pushed his chair out and stood up.

“Tae-” you tried to get his attention, but he was busy picking up all of the books you had been using and before you could say another word he had stalked off into one of the many aisles of floor to ceiling books and with a quick wave of you wand you packed everything up and into your bag, grabbing it and sprinting after your boyfriend, desperate to diffuse the situation.

“KIM TAEHYUNG!” You shouted, and with a flash, you had been teleported out of the library, their warning system of going over a certain amount of decibels getting you banned was apparently still in place and you paced outside, hoping he would come out and talk to you.

The boys often teased you about how jealous he got, but after you explained it was because most of his ex-girlfriends would date them after the breakup and that had resulted in his confidence plummeting, they lay off and became more protective of him.

You knew you needed to talk to him, so you could explain what had actually been happening instead of the romantic rendezvous he was imagining after watching all of his beloved dramas with Jimin on a Friday night.

“If you had a thing for Joon, you just had to say,” he was standing in front of you, brown hair messed up as if he had been running his hands through it, and you realised he probably had been. Taehyung still wasn’t looking you in the eye, but you could see how hurt he was, his arms hugging his torso as he moved from foot to foot, “You were so scared of me you didn’t even tell me.”

Taehyung seemed in pain, his brow creased as he began to back away from you and your arms extended without a thought, as you tried to make him stay, “That’s not true.” Taehyung smiled but it was hollow, it didn’t quite reach them and make them sparkle in a way that was special to just your boyfriend.

“I’m not attracted to Joon,” he raised an eyebrow at the nickname and you just sighed, taking a step forward and grabbing his hands in your own, “No matter how many times I have to tell you, I’ll say it a thousand more. I love you Kim Taehyung, my eyes are only for you and for no other boy, no matter how smart or helpful they are. You are the one that stole my heart. You, my loving boyfriend, Kim Taehyung.”

He frowned, his brain obviously trying to process what you had just said but you knew this was a matter of the heart, not the mind, so with a smile you leant forward and gently pressed your lips to his, hoping he wouldn’t pull away, and as his hands moved up to lace into your hair, you knew everything was okay.