#how did i do this? simple make everyone your oc and then talk about them with ur inner circle of fandom friends | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

magicshopaholic · 2 months ago

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Part 2: A Stormy Night

Summary: Namjoon is on holiday with his girlfriend - and without Namjoon, all hell breaks loose.

Pairing: OT7 x OC (different OCs)

Genre: Humour, fluff, angst, smut, chaos

Word count: 20 fkn K (idk how I did it)

Rating: 18+

Warnings: language, making out, oral sex, sex, dirty talk, masturbation

A/N: I have no words because way too much happens in this fic and I am exhausted. Starts right from the end of A Rainy Day. Highly, highly recommend reading Part 1 first - this story will make almost zero sense without it.

Tagging: @bbl32@quarter-life-crisis2@dreaming-with-happiness@faearchives@margopinkerton@purpleseoul7@confessionsofamarshlily @jiminjhang @xjoonchildx @tarahardcore @infinitehobi @handfullofcandids @whoisbts @kflixnet (drop a message if you want to be added)

Listen to: “bittersweet symphony" by the verve

teaser | part 1 | main masterlist

On a warm summer afternoon, a young girl walked home alone. The pavement under her feet was rough, poking the soles of her feet through the thin flip flops. She brushed her fingers absently against the picket fences on her way, unaware - or simply uncaring - of the beautiful day it was; the green gardens; the picturesque street of her childhood; the bees hovering lazily over colourful flowers.

Perhaps she wasn’t at the age where she understood the beauty in the simple things. Or perhaps she was distracted, and somewhat sad, that she was walking home alone on such a beautiful day. It was, after all, her birthday.

When she reached home, her mother was sifting through mail at the dining table. The birthday cake she knew she would cut later this evening sat on the kitchen counter in a pink cardboard box, and she could see her name through the transparent top, written in chocolate icing.

Her mother noticed. “You’ll just have to wait till this evening,” she sang, wiggling her eyebrows in exaggeration.

She responded with half a smile; maybe her mother hadn’t realised, but she was fourteen today, much past the age where her birthday cake was the highlight of the day. Still, she was grateful her mother was trying, that she was here - unlike everyone else.

“Anything for me?” she asked hopefully.

“As a matter of fact,” said her mother, pushing a small pile of differently coloured envelopes towards her, “there is.”

For the first time this afternoon, she felt excited. Reaching for the pile, she scooped them into one hand and hopped off her chair, immediately running upstairs to her bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

If her friends were not in town for her birthday, at least they might have wished her from afar. She had received a couple of e-cards: brightly coloured animations that opened in another window of Internet Explorer, slowing down the internet connection in her entire house.

But this whole year, all the cool kids in school had gotten into the fad of writing letters. It probably had something to do with the new drama that had come out last year, set in the nineties where the characters made it through the entire plot mostly through letters across the country.

Naturally, everybody had become inspired, finding emails and text messages too bourgeois, and opting to write letters to each other even if they lived in the same block.

She understood it. There was something extremely satisfying about folding the sheet of paper, placing it in a crisp white envelope, sticking a stamp on it and depositing it in a mailbox, watching it disappear into the abyss and waiting for the day your friend’s response arrived in the mail.

Now, she fell onto her stomach on the bed and picked the first one to read. Everybody wished her a happy birthday, talked about their spring vacation, missed home and gushed about meeting once the semester resumed. Each letter was like a little wave from a different part of the country; subconsciously, one letter kept getting set aside until it was the only letter left, the last pastel blue envelope with her name in a familiar scrawl.

Hey birthday girl,

I hope you’re not too lonely without me (and all your other friends, but mostly me). You know I wish I could’ve been there to smear your face with cake and watch you get all dramatic about it but since I can’t, I’m just going to picture it and laugh my ass off (LMAO).

Busan is nice but it’s so hot! My favourite cousin didn’t come this time so I’m stuck with her two little brothers who spend all their time playing with sticks they found in the garden and pretending they’re swords. I wish I could join them but it’s honestly been way too long since something like that sounded fun.

Speaking of which, did you like your birthday present?? I totally wanted to see your face when you opened it! But when my parents told me I wouldn’t be there, I gave it to your mom that morning you got late for school and asked her to give it to you.

(And here I hope you’re reading this AFTER she gave you the present, otherwise the surprise is ruined LOL)

Anyway, I know we were supposed to go out on your birthday so I promise we will when I’m back… but it won’t be your actual birthday so I’ll DEFINITELY make it up to you next year. Or if that seems too far away, we can celebrate your half-birthday - whichever sounds better. Maybe all three (although I hope not because I’ll probably run out of pocket money by then).

Hope you have a great day and you BETTER write back. Splotch some icing on your face from me.

- Your favourite person on Earth (you KNOW I am)

She read it three times, giggling quietly and wishing he were here so she could flick his forehead every time he cracked a lame joke. Her cake and future present forgotten, she clambered off the bed with the letter and sat at her desk. Reaching for the light pink stationery set her aunt had gifted her this morning, she tucked her hair behind her ear and began writing her reply.

—

The rain is pouring with a vengeance now, and Jimin blinks it out of his eyes as he hurries into the hotel manager’s office. His hair is wet and the AC blows a gust of freezing air through it, making him shiver.

“Sir,” he begins, then stops. The manager turns around and Jimin blinks. “Um… Mr Moon?”

“Oh - he is busy with another client,” says the manager. “I’m Mr Jang - Jang Jiyeong - at your service. The deputy manager.” He reaches forward to offer a hand that Jimin takes, confused.

“But I just spoke to Mr Moon on the phone - I’m his client,” he says, a bit hassled now. “I called him an hour ago about booking the gazebo for the night and he assured me it was free - and dry. And now I can’t get ahold of him.”

“I’m sorry - let me see what I can do,” mutters Mr Jang, dialing a number and looking up at the ceiling as the phone rings. Jimin stares at him for a minute until he puts the phone down. “Apologies, Mr…”

“Park. Park Jimin.”

“Mr Park Jimin, yes - you see, I can’t -” He stops abruptly and his eyes go wide. “Park Jimin, the idol? My daughter loves you! Would you sign an autograph for her?” he asks, eyes shining excitedly.

“I will come to her in person and thank her for being a fan,” says Jimin deliberately, hearing his own voice shake, “If you can please help me get in touch with Mr Moon.”

“Ah, yes, Mr Moon. I apologise,” he says quickly, apparently remembering himself. “I’m sorry, sir, I couldn’t reach him. But I’m sure it’s just because of signal issues. In fact, if you wait right here, I’m sure he’ll -”

He’s interrupted by the door slamming open and Mr Moon stumbling in with a wet umbrella. “Oh, Mr Park, you’re here,” he says, sounding relieved. “Sir, I’m sorry to tell you but we’ve run into a slight problem. You see -”

A loud clap of thunder makes them all jump and is on cue, the lights fizzle out and the office is plunged into darkness.

“- we seem to have lost power.”

—

“Okay - what? Wait, slow down.” Taehyung winces at Jimin’s incensed shouts on the phone. He looks up to see Jungkook approaching, pushing his sweaty bangs back with a headband and taking a seat at the lateral pulldown machine. He raises his eyebrows and Taehyung puts the call on the speaker. “So - okay, so where are you now?”

“I’m driving down from that stupid hotel back down to Gangnam!” he answers, sounding livid. “Apparently half the city has lost power including a damn five star hotel - so I thought I could try the astronomy museum across from the office,” he adds sullenly.

Jungkook frowns, wrinkling his nose. “The one we all went to after we debuted?”

“Yes, well, I don’t have a lot of options,” sniffs Jimin, followed by the sound of water splashing. “But it had that auditorium where you lie on the ground and they display the history of the universe or whatever. I figured fake stars are the best I can do tonight,” he grumbles.

Taehyung raises his eyebrows, sensing that telling his friend that Sooah will like whatever he does would be unhelpful at this time. “There’s that Japanese place next door to it, too, if you want to pick up food from there.”

“Yeah, that’s probably what I’ll do because the caterer that I booked today has gotten stuck in the rain because their car broke down. All I have is a single bottle of champagne that wasn’t even my first choice, my hair is wet and not in a sexy way, and now the gourmet meal I’d planned is going to be replaced by takeout sushi! This is the worst birthday ever!”

“Doesn’t Namjoon hyung have a liquor cabinet in his studio? He might have a bottle of champagne you can borrow.”

“Yes, he does, and I called him to ask for the password to his studio but he didn’t answer.” There’s the sound of a screeching horn, followed by Jimin swearing under his breath.

Taehyung and Jungkook look at each other, both lost for words. “Hey, uh, Jimin hyung,” says Jungkook slowly, looking up at Taehyung for approval, who nods at him to go on. “Listen… we won’t keep you, but let us know if you need any help, okay?”

“My socks are drenched!” With that, Jimin hangs up.

“Wow.” Taehyung places his phone on his hand towel, folded neatly by his water bottle. “This is the most stressed he’s ever been in… like, years?”

“Since that outdoor taping of Filter, where the wind kept blowing the hat off his head mid-routine,” remembers Jungkook, and they snicker. “I’m glad I’m not out there right now. Although the rain does look kind of nice from here,” he comments, pointing to the window by the treadmills.

“I take it you did cancel your date finally?” Taehyung asks, stretching his triceps over his head. He hadn’t intended on doing much at the gym except for giving Jungkook some company, but Jungkook had been so excited about teaching him this new exercise his trainer had taught him that Taehyung had gone along with it and surprisingly enjoyed the endorphin rush.

“Yeah, I wasn’t too keen on it,” he replies dismissively, reaching up for the bar and pulling it down in a smooth motion, face screwing up slightly with the weight.

“Really? Because the first time you saw her - wait, what’s her name again? Haneul?”

“Hana.”

“Right - the first time you saw her when you went to get your first tattoo, you couldn’t stop talking about how hot she was,” he recalls. “Remember? You called me when I was at my parents’ and kept saying you’d just met the woman you were going to marry? And then you corrected yourself and said you probably wouldn’t marry her but you could see yourself proposing at least once?”

“Oh, man.” Jungkook grimaces, the tip of his ears reddening. “I was a stupid kid.”

“Nah, you were cute.”

“Stupid,” repeats Jungkook, grunting as he finishes his last rep of the set and lets go of the bar. Taehyung offers him a sip of water, grinning at his embarrassment. “But she’s still hot. And she’s pretty chill, too, but… I dunno. Not feeling it today. But I’ll probably catch up with her after Sooah’s birthday lunch tomorrow,” he adds, straightening up and beginning his second set.

“Sure, if Jimin hasn’t had a nervous breakdown and cancelled the lunch in a fit,” says Taehyung, rolling his eyes. “God, my arms are going to kill me tomorrow,” he mutters, turning to the wall mirror and stretching his biceps again.

Jungkook flashes him a toothy smile in the mirror. “No pain, no gain, hyung,” he says wisely.

Taehyung gives him a playful smack on the shoulder and moves towards the mirror, observing his biceps from different angles in the light, wondering if today’s workout is actually making a difference.

“Looking sexy, hyung,” remarks Jungkook, finishing his second set and standing up.

“I know, right? C’mon, we have to take a picture,” he instructs, waving him over and reaching for his phone. “Let’s commemorate my last gym session for the rest of the month.”

Jungkook chuckles, pushing the sleeve of his t-shirt up to reveal his own biceps. “The fans will get a kick out of this.”

Taehyung flexes his own and points the phone at the mirror and clicks, then groans. “No way, your muscles are way too big,” he complains, reaching over and shoving Jungkook’s arm out of the way. “They make mine look so silly.”

“Nuh-uh, your face looks better in the picture -” Jungkook starts to say, trying to force his arms further in focus as Taehyugn tries to push them away. They grapple jokingly until Jungkook pulls him back in a pretend headlock and faces the mirror, his biceps firmly in the centre of attention.

Taehyung snorts but has to admit that the pose looks hilarious, so he flexes his own bicep and holds his phone up with the other hand, and both of them grin at the mirror. “Perfect.”

Jungkook laughs and lets go of Taehyung as the latter starts typing a caption. “Is ‘gym bros’ too predictable?” he asks.

“Nah, it’s fine. Wait, are you posting it on Instagram or Weverse?”

“Neither. I’m sending it to Dilara.”

“Oh.” Jungkook pauses, long enough for Taehyung to look up at him. “Do you… I mean, you think she’ll be okay with that? Us hanging out?” he adds when Taehyung raises an eyebrow.

Taehyung blinks, then sighs heavily. “Alright, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this, properly. Look - let it go.”

When he doesn’t continue, Jungkook frowns. “Let, uh… let what go?”

Taehyung tilts his head and gives him a look, not fooled. “Look, it’s okay. I’m not mad at you. I get why you did it, alright? She’s your friend,” he says simply. “And that’s separate from our relationship. You were a good friend to her when I couldn’t be there for her and it’s not fair to assume that that won’t continue just because we’re back together now.”

Jungkook’s eyes, huge and doe-like, seemingly process this information. “She’s my friend,” he murmurs in agreement, almost as though he’s saying it to himself.

“Yes. She’s your friend. And as we’ve established over the many, many years we’ve known each other, that you get protective of your friends,” explains Taehyung. “Like the time that interviewer made fun of Jin hyung, or when that fan was taking pictures under Nayeon’s skirt when she was at the edge of the stage? You stood behind her and accidently kicked the phone out of his hand?” Both of them shudder at the memory.

Jungkook’s eyes flicker to Taehyung and he slowly nods. “She’s my friend,” he repeats, “and I get protective of my friends. She’s my friend,” he says, half-chuckling, sounding almost relieved that Taehyung apparently seems to understand this now.

Taehyung raises his eyebrows at this effusive response but goes along with it. “Yeah, she is. So… you know. I get it.”

“Right. So… so we’re really cool?” Jungkook asks.

His eyes shine hopefully, enough to make Taehyung’s heart break just a little. He places his hands on either side of Jungkook’s face. “Yes, you ridiculously muscled kid,” he says seriously, squeezing his face. “Now will you please chill the fuck out about this?”

“You got it,” says Jungkook immediately. “And, uh… Dilara, too?”

“Even more so, if it’s possible. In fact, she, uh -” He takes a step back, moving to leave. “She asked me to ask you if you’ve got the sequel to the last Resident Evil… Hazardous Waste installment or something on your Playstation. And since I couldn’t care less, maybe you could text her yourself and let her know?”

“Definitely.” Jungkook nods, sounding relieved. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, this is more than enough exercise for me. It’s kind of getting in the way of my lying around time,” he points out, grabbing his things and waving.

“Alright. Oh, send me the picture!” Jungkook calls, seeing Taehyung’s thumbs up before he disappears out the glass doors.

—

The auditorium in the astronomy museum is less than ideal but Jimin knows he is fast running out of options. While the museum is almost shutting down for the night, he manages to keep it open for a sum, for a private tour with whom the manager refers to as his “lady friend”.

He’s at the gift shop, ruminating over a blanket and some fake champagne flutes, when his phone buzzes in his pocket. Expecting the manager again, he fishes it out and tucks it in between his ear and shoulder.

“Hello?” “Jimin?”

Jimin drops the items he’s holding and picks up the phone. “Sooah? Hey, I was just going to -”

“Jimin, where the hell are you?” she yells, her voice barely audible over the rain. “It’s so dark - how do I even find you?”

“What do you -” And suddenly, Jimin’s heart stops, for he does know what she means. This can’t have possibly happened, he reasons, his heart pounding and stomach dropping at the same time. Somewhere, in the midst of securing one venue after another, coordinating with various sellers and bitching to his friends while driving in a storm, he has forgotten to inform the birthday girl of the change in plans.

“I’m at the park! Chim!” The sound of the rain is even louder now. “I’m holding the yellow umbrella at the front gate but, babe, it’s pitch black,” she tells him, sounding uncertain. “Are you sure this is even a good idea tonight?”

Jimin falls to the ground, resting on his heels, and presses the ball of his palm to his eyes. This night was already starting to seem unsalvageable, but now it suddenly feels like an all-time disaster.

“Sooah,” he starts, feeling exhausted and defeated all at once, “listen, I’m… fuck, I am so sorry.”

“What? Chim, I can barely hear you,” comes her voice, slightly muffled through the rain. “Listen, the night guard here just told me the park is closed? Can you please come here? Or - or can you come to the Caffetta across the street? The rain is just way too strong here.”

“Yes,” he says immediately. “Yes, yes - I’ll be right there.” He hangs up and abandons the shopping, heading straight to the parking lot and going to Sooah. This drive feels like a blur; Jimin tries to ignore the disappointment, knowing that if he doesn’t rein it in now, he’s bound to start crying and that’s the absolute last thing Sooah needs after the hideousness that’s been this night.

He spots the logo of the Caffetta coffee shop as he’s nearing the park, the place where it all began today, and slows down the car. A brand new coffee chain borne out of a coffee brand, with branches all over Seoul, the place looks incredibly cozy and warm from where Jimin is, in the cold and the rain surrounded by dim streetlights and nothing else. He hurries inside, no longer caring if he gets wet in the process.

Sooah is in a cushy armchair, finger combing her hair when she looks up and spots him and, in what is probably the only highlight of Jimin’s day so far, she beams at him.

“Hey, I was starting to get worried,” she says as she walks up to him, immediately moving to hug him. He hugs her back, feeling his face start to morph as the urge to cry in anger starts to take over, until he takes a deep breath to force it away.

She squeezes his shoulders before stepping away. “What happened? You sounded really stressed over the phone,” she says, taking him by the hand to the table she was sitting at.

Jimin sinks into the chair next to her and sighs, wondering where to begin. He looks around briefly; it’s a pretty café, full of warm brown and yellow toned furniture, beanbag chairs and a corner booth - but it’s also almost empty. Aside from one table with a man and woman who look to be in their forties, and one younger man with headphones around his neck and a laptop in front of him, Sooah is the only other patron.

He turns back to look at her, eyes roaming over her damp hair. Her sweater had clearly gotten wet; she’s taken it off and draped it across the back of her chair, left only in a thin full-sleeved shirt and jeans.

“I tried to…” He trails off, shaking his head. “I tried. I really did. I wanted to give you an amazing birthday, booking out the park and getting gourmet catering and falling asleep under the stars, but…” He rubs his eyes. “Everything got so fucked up.”

Sooah frowns slightly but it disappears, being replaced by a growing smile. “That actually sounds amazing.”

“Yeah, I knew you would love it!” he exclaims, feeling even worse now. “And then it started raining so I tried to move it and then I tried to book a hotel - but then the stupid power went out everywhere and the food never arrived,” he lists, “and all I had left was the champagne… which I now realise I left at the museum.” He swears and drops his head into his hands.

“Oh, my God.” Sooah is silent for a moment before moving, and he feels her soft hands on his. “Jimin. All I want for my birthday is to be with you. Anything you do will be lovely - I’ll love it no matter what.”

“It’s your first birthday since we got back together,” he says in a small voice, sniffing and looking up. “We’re always on-and-off and I don’t want this time to be like all the other times. Starting with this.”

She bites her lip, and Jimin is somewhat glad to see how affectionate she looks. “God, you really still are the sweetest guy I’ve ever known,” she murmurs, brushing back a stray lock of hair. “And you look cold. It means everything that you tried, baby, but I promise - I don’t care about that stuff.”

Jimin gives her a look. “That’s just not true. You… you’re - ” He struggles for the words, then gives up. “You’re Kim Sooah!”

She frowns, bewildered. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You love grand gestures! All the way from that chocolate-based treasure hunt in high school. And you just said the park thing sounded amazing.”

“Okay, yes, I would’ve loved that,” she admits, a little sheepishly. “I would’ve been blown away. But not at the expense of your evening. Chim, no grand gesture is worth you taking this much stress over it. And that part is true.”

Despite how much of a bust this evening has been, Jimin finally cracks a smile. “I promise lunch tomorrow will be better.”

“A simple restaurant, as long as it’s just you and me.”

“Yup,” he confirms, straight faced. “Totally.”

She pokes his forehead teasingly before kissing him. “Oh, wait. What was your original plan at the park, anyway? Like a picnic?”

Jimin shakes his head. “It was going to be a movie screening, just for us. Delicious food, champagne, a couch, the night sky above us… It would’ve been pretty spectacular. But honestly, I’m just tired now. Not to mention freezing.”

“I’m glad you said that because you know what? So am I.” Sooah stands up and heads towards the front of the shop and begins to order something.

Jimin jumps to his feet. “Absolutely not,” he says firmly, hurrying over and sliding in between her and the counter, before turning around to face her. “You are not going to pick up the tab on your birthday, too. Not unless you want me to kill myself.”

“Dramatic much?” she asks, making a face but moving away anyway. “Fine, a hot chocolate for me and…” She cranes her neck to read the menu. “And a hotdog. I’ll get us a better table,” she adds as he waves her away, brandishing his wallet in the air.

When Jimin returns with the food, it’s to see Sooah at a table in the back of the cafe, this time on a plush couch right by the window. She reaches eagerly for the hot chocolate, even before he’s set the tray down. He doesn’t go for the food, though; instead, he sits back on the couch next to her and sighs. The streets outside are dark, with the rain blurring every shape in the city and only the glow of streetlights piercing through the storm, like little charms. Now that his hair is drying, the view actually looks pretty.

“You okay?”

“You know, in a really twisted way, I’m glad the whole thing got ruined to the point where I just can’t salvage it, no matter what.” He gives her an apologetic look. “I mean, I wish it had worked out, but… God, this is the first time all day that I’ve finally relaxed.”

Sooah snickers, reaching over and kissing him on the cheek. “I was just thinking, though - maybe it’s not a total bust,” she points out, unlocking her phone and getting ready to type. “What was the movie?”

“Guess.”

“I dunno. Star Wars?”

“You -“ He gasps, affronted. “You think my romantic evening was going to be with Star Wars? Damn, Sooah, I thought you got me. It was going to be Grease.”

“Best movie of all time,” she agrees excitedly, typing it in. “And my favourite. And what do you know?” She turns the phone screen towards him. “It’s on Netflix.”

“Convenient,” he says, nodding. “But this wasn’t really how I’d pictured -”

“Things very rarely happen the way we picture it, Chim,” she says wisely. “But, as Chaeyoung told me that one day my face broke out right before a work event and I was out of concealer, we just have to make the best of it,” she says, placing her phone against the cute little tissue dispenser on the table so it faces them. “And I didn’t believe it would work either,” she adds, handing him one of her Airpods, “until she helped me discover the beauty of simply being who you are.”

“Wow.” Jimin raises his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yes. That and BB cream.”

He nods, feeling so lucky in this moment that he feels sorry for every other individual out there who doesn’t have someone like Sooah. Taking the Airpod and tucking it into his ear, he picks up his own hot chocolate as she starts the movie. Maybe a movie on a big screen under the stars with gourmet food and champagne simply wasn’t in the cards tonight. Maybe this, shared earbuds and cuddling on a couch with hotdogs and hot chocolate, while the rain poured outside, was their BB cream.

“Oh, hang on.” He stands up and places his hot chocolate on the table. “I forgot something; I’ll be right back.” He jogs out of the cafe and runs to the car, wincing at the rain again. Determined to make at least one thing go according to plan tonight, he throws open the passenger door and retrieves the Gucci hoodie.

—

When their car almost hits a pothole, the jerk from swerving out of its way makes Yoongi feel like his stomach is falling out his back.

“Oh, my God, will you please drive in a straight line?”

Yoongi grits his teeth and exhales sharply out of his nose, barely hanging on to his last shred of patience. “Hey, you know what? If you think you can do a better job, you drive next time.”

“Oh, really? Do you think you’ll actually let me in the drivers’ seat of your precious Range Rover next time?” Miso snaps, but it lacks its usual bite.

Yoongi chances a glance at Miso, looking away from the chaotic windshield for a moment. Her back is pressed to the passenger seat and her hands grip the edges, knuckles white. Her pale face looks a bit green but when another flash of lightning occurs, her entire face comes into view for a fraction of a second.

“Eyes on the road, Min Suga!”

“I can’t see anything!” Yoongi exclaims, turning back to the road and clicking his tongue in frustration. “There are too many trees and the damn leaves are flying everywhere! Fuck!” He swears, hitting the steering wheel. “One thing can’t go right today!”

“Oh, God,” mutters Miso. “Not this again.”

“Why the fuck not?” Yoongi demands. “I had been preparing for this meeting for weeks! Do you have any idea how many presentations and budgeting meetings I sat through with the management? Preparing demo after demo, just for you to get all prissy in there and ruin it?”

“Prissy? I was defending you, you prick!” she retorts. He can see her shift slightly to orient herself towards him, probably so she can yell at him more easily. “That guy was treating you like dirt, acting like you were some silly singer who didn’t know jack shit about business!”

“So what? He’s an arsehole - everybody knows it!” he argues, maneuvering through a blind turn on the highway. “But we need his money! We needed this investment because my - a lot of things depend on this! And now -” He huffs and breaks off, shaking his head and trying to focus on the treacherous road.

“You were really okay being spoken to like that? I don’t believe it,” she states. “You have way too much pride for that - and I can’t believe you’re getting mad at me for standing up for you.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but you didn’t just stand up for me - you insulted him to his face!” Yoongi scoffs, more out of frustration than anything. “It’s not about pride, Miso. Nothing comes for free, so if him making his little digs was going to ensure he gives us what we want, it’s fine!”

“What we want - you mean his money? He insulted your whole career - aren’t you the one who always says that music is the soul of this company?” She reminds him. “That that’s why you feel so protective over it, because you built it or whatever?”

“I - that’s still true,” he admits, reeling a bit at the realisation that she remembers a conversation from ages ago. “Music may be the soul of the company but it still needs cash to run. You probably don’t value it as much because you’ve always got it so easy, but some of us have to take shit -”

“Oh, here we go,” she interrupts loudly, and he can hear her rolling her eyes. “Obviously I can’t make it through one investor meeting because I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth. Because I eat gold and burn money for fun. Is that it?”

“Your words, not mine.”

“Jesus. You talk big about taking shit to make a company run - is that why you’re still agonising over a fucking collaboration because you’re afraid it will hurt Namjoon’s feelings? Even though it’s sure to top the sales of any solo this company has ever put out?”

Yoongi grips the steering wheel so hard it makes his forearms hurt. “That is a completely different thing. I’m not okay with betraying someone I’ve worked with for so long - someone I lived with for over a decade for a project.”

“Why not?” she argues. “How is it different? He’s in the business, too, isn’t he? He’s a smart guy - he probably knows it’s okay to take a couple of digs if it means getting what you want.”

“You’re impossible,” he mutters, finally approaching the end of the highway, Seoul now almost within view. “Fucking hell, the road is flooded.”

“Shit.” Miso sighs. “Are you sure your car has enough ground clearance?”

“Only one way to find out.” He pushes on, the wiper blades working over time. “Damn it, how did it get so late?”

“Maybe you took one too many digs on a rainy day.”

“God, will you shut up for two seconds?”

“Sure, probably around the same time you grow a spine. You know, you can give me a little credit,” she continues, cutting Yoongi off just as he turns to her furiously. “I was sent here with you for a reason. You may know a lot more than me about music but this is more than just artistry - it’s a business. And as the only person in this car with a business degree, I think I can -”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! You think you were sent for this meeting because of your degree?” he retorts. “You were sent because you're Kang’s Jaesung’s daughter, another billionaire who invested in the company! They hoped that guy would see you, find out who your father is, and see him as a viable example to invest! That’s why you were sent here - you’re a proof of concept!”

There’s silence in the car, the rain sounding loud and like a hundred gunshots on the roof of the car. Yoongi breathes heavily, grimly satisfied at finally having shut her up - not least because the road ahead looks chaotic as hell.

“What the -”

There’s the faint sound of honking in the distance, followed by two cars driving by them in the opposite direction and spraying a wall of water on his car as they do. Yoongi wants to wonder out loud but he stops himself, deciding there’s no way to go but forward.

At that moment, his phone rings and he answers out of habit, ignoring Miso’s quiet scoff. “Hello?”

Seokjin’s voice emanates out of the speaker. “Yoongi!” he exclaims, voice sounding urgent. “Listen - have you ever seen the resting rooms on the top floor of the company building?”

Yoongi swerves a bit, trying to avoid branches and leaves on the ground that have turned to mulch. Next to him, Miso straightens up, her eyes up ahead on the road. “Shit,” she mutters.

“What?”

“The resting rooms on the top floor,” says Seokjin, apparently thinking Yoongi’s question was intended for him. “Have you seen them? What are they like?”

“Oh… that. The ones for the idols?” Yoongi asks absently, starting to spot some kind of commotion up ahead - but the rain is making it too blurry. “They’re fine, I guess. I’ve crashed there a couple times after all-nighters.”

“Really?”

But Yoongi hardly hears him, for his headlights don’t shine on the tree trunk blocking the road until he’s only a few feet away from it.

“Yoongi - that’s a tree!”

“Fuck!”

Miso’s hands appear out of nowhere and turn the wheel with surprising strength, just edging the car out of the trunk’s way. Yoongi’s foot hits the brake automatically and the car screeches to a painful stop.

Yoongi turns the car off, his heart thumping madly. Miso’s hands disappear just as quickly as they appeared and he turns to see her just as shaken as he feels, brushing her bangs off her face. She meets his eyes, glares and looks away.

“Uh, hyung?” Yoongi says, realising suddenly that they aren’t alone. “I’m going to have to call you back.” Without waiting for Seokjin to answer, he hangs up.

Once again, there’s silence inside the car. The tree trunk is blocking almost the entire road and now that they’ve stopped, Yoongi can see barricades up ahead, along with traffic police carrying flashlights.

“Are you okay?” he asks Miso, giving her a sideways glance.

“Spectacular.” She doesn’t turn away from the window. “Let’s go,” she adds in a smaller voice.

Yoongi obliges, turning the car back on and driving around the trunk up to where the barricades are. “The road looks blocked,” he says, but she doesn’t respond. It isn’t until one of the policemen, shrouded in a thick plastic raincoat, tells them the same thing and informs them that this is only the first of many tree trunks blocking the highway and that it will take all night to clear the road to Seoul, that Miso speaks.

“What do we do now?” she asks, almost to herself.

“Well, we’re not getting out of here tonight.” Yoongi sighs and moves the car to the side of the road, before turning off the engine. He runs a hand through his hair; this is not how he saw this evening going. “I’m guessing we can’t call a car from Seoul either.”

“No, we can’t,” she confirms in a mutter, looking at her phone. “If there was any way into Incheon, Seungkwan would’ve found it. I’m telling him I’m checking into a hotel for the night,” she adds, shaking her head.

Yoongi nods, glad he doesn’t need to create a fake plan so people don’t come looking for him. He knew her father was out of the country, which meant her neglectful mother might be the only one capable of realising she’s missing.

Miso catches his eye, almost as though she knows what he’s thinking. “My mother is on a spa weekend.”

“Okay. Well, now that you’ve covered your bases…” He trails off, asking the obvious question with a shrug.

“I guess we find some place to kill the night,” she finishes.

A combination of Google Maps and dubious road signs later, Yoongi and Miso find themselves checking into a motel by the highway. It doesn’t look too secure in terms of safety but Yoongi reasons that they just need to make it to daybreak, once the rain has stopped and at least one road is cleared out.

The receptionist looks tired herself, looking to be in her early thirties at best, with her hair in a ponytail and faded sweatshirt, circles under her eyes and a complete disinterest in the guests she’s checking in. The only thing that strikes him about her appearance is a pair of thin gold earrings with a brilliant green stone in the middle.

“ID?” she asks listlessly, barely looking up at them.

Yoongi and Miso exchange a wary look; without speaking, they hesitantly place their drivers’ licenses on the counter. If the receptionist sees anything familiar in either name, she doesn’t show it. She simply checks them in, the green earrings catching the light of the table lamp next to her.

“Room 104, straight down. Follow me,” she says in a monotone, taking a big yellow key off a board on the wall and starting to walk down the hall. It’s a small, unassuming establishment, with the ground floor opening up into the open, a patch of grass separating it from being right on the sidewalk.

Frowning, Yoongi follows her after making sure Miso is, too. The receptionist stops in front of a room and unlocks it, jiggling the key a couple of times before the door creaks open.

“Water is complimentary, snacks are chargeable. Check-out is at ten am. Have a lovely stay with us.” Her face unchanging, she turns to leave.

“Wait a second,” says Miso, stopping her. “We’re two people. And we’re not together,” she adds pointedly, ignoring Yoongi’s sigh as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

The receptionist seems to not register the implied statement for a few moments. “We only have one room left,” she states. “If you wish, you can look for something else up the highway.”

Miso bites her lip, her jaw hardening. All of them turn to look at the street, the rain coming down in waves of fury as gusts of wind change its direction. Yoongi raises his eyebrows at Miso, who rolls her eyes and looks away, but doesn’t argue. Nodding, Yoongi holds out his hand for the key.

“Thank you. We’ll let you know if we need anything.” He waits until the receptionist is out of earshot before turning to Miso. “It’s just for a few hours.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She stalks in, dropping her bag by the door and shrugging off her jacket.

Yoongi shuts the door behind them and takes off his as well, shaking out his damp hair. “Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” he says, walking inside. “It’s not like we have…” He trails off as he walks further inside the small room and stops. “Okay, there’s only one bed.”

Miso stops next to him and folds her arms across her chest. “Oh, my God, there’s only one bed.”

—

The sprint from his car to Chaeyoung’s apartment drenches Hoseok to the bone and by the time she opens the door, his teeth are chattering.

“Hoseok? What are you doing here?” Chaeyoung steps aside and ushers him inside, closing the door behind him. It’s dark with minimal light, just as he’d expected. “Jesus, did you drive? That’s so dangerous, oppa - there’s a storm outside!”

“I know,” he replies, still shivering as he tries to drink in the warm and dry interior of the apartment. Compared to his woolen hoodie and thick jeans - all of which are wet now - she’s dressed far more freely in an oversized t-shirt and shorts, her feet tucked in a pair of furry blue house slippers. “I heard the power was out in this area. I called you - but you didn’t answer,” he points out, trying to keep his limbs from shaking. “And I got worried. Why the damn hell didn’t you answer?”

“My phone is out of charge.”

“Then why didn’t you charge it?”

“Because there’s no power!” Chaeyoung frowns and tilts her head. “Seriously, is that why you came all the way here? Because I didn’t answer my phone?” When Hoseok opts not to answer, partly feeling silly and partly because he doesn’t want her to hear his teeth chatter, she sighs. “You’re crazy, oppa.”

“Yeah, you know what? You seem totally fine so this was just - like, a false alarm. I’ll head out now,” he says quickly, turning to leave when she grabs his arm.

“Whoa, no way. I’m going to get you a towel. Hang on.”

She disappears inside and Hoseok steps further into the small apartment, now allowing himself to shiver a bit more visibly. He takes off the wet hoodie and that’s when he notices her living room, lit up with a dozen suns. Just beyond the couch and television area, between the closed balcony and the dining space, is a mattress on the floor and at least ten to fifteen candles in various spots around the room, the flames small but bright. There’s music at a low volume playing from somewhere, sounding like Taylor Swift.

“Okay, here.” Chaeyoung steps out of the tiny laundry room with a stack of clothes in one hand and a towel in the other. “You can dry off and take a shower if you want. And these I presume are Jimin’s,” she explains, handing him the clothes. “It’s just a t-shirt and tracks because unfortunately, I couldn’t find boxers. Not that I looked,” she adds quickly.

“Not that I would wear another guy’s boxers,” he mutters. “Er, thanks. Should I…” He waits for her to point to the bathroom before ducking inside. Like most things Chaeyoung suggests, she’s right about the shower. After peeling off his cold, wet clothes and feeling the hot water against his skin, he feels reborn as he throws on Jimin’s borrowed stuff and traipses back out into the living room.

“Tea?” Chaeyoung asks as soon as Hoseok steps out and because he is taken by surprise, he nods and gratefully accepts a cup of steaming green tea. He notices her outfit a little more closely this time. Unlike her usual outfits which seem carefully styled and perfectly coordinated, all the way down to her shoes and accessories, she seems almost bare without it all. He reminds himself that this is likely what is underneath all that - this is simply the first time he’s seeing it.

“How come your phone’s out of charge?” he asks, taking a sip and feeling the heat start to return to his bloodstream. “Where’s your power bank?”

“I lost it,” she admits sheepishly, sitting on the edge of the mattress and tucking her knees under her chin. “I think I left it on the bus a couple weeks ago.”

Hoseok half-chuckles and takes another sip of the tea, looking around the room again. He realises now that some of the candles must be scented; he catches a whiff of lavender and inhales it, the storm outside becoming a distant memory.

“Feeling better? The tea,” she says, pointing to his cup when he raises his eyebrows.

“Oh. Yeah, actually. Thanks.” He gestures to the room. “You’ve got a hell of a set up here, huh?”

Chaeyoung shrugs. “I guess. I figured it would be a good night to stay in but then the power went out and… well, my room got pretty dark and there’s this branch outside that looks like a hand which just freaked me out.” She shudders. “So I got my stuff out here. The apartment feels less empty this way.”

Hoseok nods, spotting the pillows neatly set up at one end by the balcony, a soft purple blanket folded at the other. There is another half-finished cup of tea on the floor next to the blanket, along with her tablet which is open on Spotify, a flashlight, a book and what looks like a knitting project next to it.

“Oh, that’s a new hobby,” says Chaeyoung, following his gaze while he takes a seat next to her. “I didn’t think crocheting would be fun but I have to say, it kind of grows on you. Check it out,” she adds excitedly, leaning over him across the mattress to pick up a little figurine he hadn’t noticed. “My first finished project,” she declares, holding up what looks like a crocheted bear, a little smaller than the palm of his hand.

“You made this? Caterpillar, this isn’t half-bad,” he says, impressed. “I like the tail. Except… oh, I think its eye is a little loose…” He holds it out so she can look at it, amused when she groans. “It’s okay, he looks kind of cool. Like a pirate bear.”

She grins. “Yeah? Is that a thing?”

“Sure. Anything or anyone can be a pirate. Doesn’t even have to be about the eye, although that’s a bonus.”

“Pirate vibes,” she offers.

“There you go.” He goes to hand it back to her but she shakes her head.

“Keep it. I mean, if you want.” She gestures to the half-made crochet project still on the needles. “I have a lot more where that came from and the last thing I want to do is become a crazy lady surrounded by her creepy crochet animals.”

“This isn’t creepy,” he argues, tucking it into the pocket of Jimin’s tracks.

“Yeah, because it’s just one and not an army.” Chaeyoung exhales and stretches her legs out in front of her, her long hair falling down one of her shoulders. She looks warm and dry and cozy, especially surrounded by the clean cotton and soft candlelight, but he thinks he catches a bite in her tone.

“How’s Sooah? Was she excited about tonight?”

“Not sure. The last time I spoke to Sooah was…” She checks an imaginary watch on her wrist. “Six days ago.”

Hoseok frowns. “What?”

“Well, unless you count a cursory hi or a good night or do we have any milk left? Otherwise, it’s pretty much a lot of texts from her telling me she’s staying over at Jimin’s so not to wait up.” She bites her lip. “Sorry. I probably sound really bitter.”

“Not bitter,” he says reassuringly. “Maybe a little resentful. It’s understandable, though.”

“I’m happy for her,” she admits in a low voice. “And Jimin. They’re cute and - and she’s in love. It’s great. But… it’s kind of come to my attention that Sooah is my only friend in this city. And when she’s away…” Chaeyoung sighs heavily, looking slightly embarrassed. “It gets kind of… lonely. Which is my fault, not hers, I guess.”

Hoseok stares at her, waiting for her to look at him and raising his eyebrows when she does.

“What?”

“Well, not to be dramatic or anything, but I would say that a person who drove across the city in a storm because you didn’t answer his calls could be counted as a friend, too.”

Chaeyoung’s cheeks go slightly pink and her eyes widen slightly, before she laughs. “You’re definitely my friend, too, oppa,” she says, leaning over and hugging him. “I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Hoseok rolls his eyes but can’t help smiling, too. She smells of lilies and he shifts slightly closer to her. “I get it, though. Namjoon was that way a little bit in the beginning, when he started dating his girlfriend. She didn’t live here, though, so it wasn’t as bad, but… it’s a tough change.”

“I guess. You know, I’m trying really hard to shut up that tiny paranoid voice in my brain that’s insisting that Sooah was just pretending to be my friend until she found a more worthwhile person to be with. I know it’s ridiculous,” she says quickly, rolling her eyes. “I don’t actually believe it.”

“Good. Don’t. It’s just the honeymoon period,” he says, setting his cup down and leaning back on his hands. “And if you think she’s slipping away, you’re allowed to ask her for one on one time, you know? Friends have a right to ask that of each other, within reason.”

Chaeyoung looks doubtful, but also hopeful. Her eyes are wide and doe-like and Hoseok has to repress the urge to brush his thumb against her cheekbone.

“Maybe I will.” She nods and holds his gaze for a few seconds. “So, uh…” She clears her throat. “Did you really drive across the city in the storm just to check up on me?”

Hoseok doesn’t look away. “Is that so hard to believe?”

She doesn’t answer immediately, but the pink tinge returns to her cheeks. “You didn’t have to.”

“Well, if I’d known you’d prepared this well for it, I probably wouldn’t have.” He pauses. “But I’m kind of glad I didn’t.”

This time there’s no mistaking it; she’s definitely blushing.

“In fact, uh… I was a little unsure,” he admits after a moment, looking at his feet. “I mean… maybe I’ve been imagining it, but…” He looks up at her again, searching. “Have you been avoiding me lately?”

Chaeyoung blinks. “I - of course not. Why would you think I was?”

Hoseok’s mind flits through the abrupt texts and strange excuses he’s heard over the last few weeks. “I don’t know. Just felt like maybe you were.”

“Well, I wasn’t.”

“Okay.” He nods, sensing a slightly defensive tone but unable to be sure. “But… hypothetically if you were,” he ventures, “and hypothetically if it was because of something I did… I’m sorry. For whatever I did, hypothetically.”

Chaeyoung bites her lip, not quite meeting his eyes. “You didn’t do anything. Hypothetically, if I were avoiding you,” she adds. “Which I wasn’t, so…”

“Mhm.”

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You made a sound! You don’t believe me,” she accuses him, scowling dramatically.

“Yeah, because you’re a terrible liar. You always have been.”

She swats him on the shoulder and he mock-gasps, grinning when she huffs and stands up. “To think I gave you my debut crocheted stuffed toy. I’m going to make the next one so much cooler, believe me,” she declares, picking up the needles on the ground.

“If it has two intact eyes, at the very least. Oh, come on, that was a joke,” he implores, laughing and lightly grabbing her ankle as she starts to walk away and sits a few inches away in the centre of the mattress. “I love the bear. I am sorry I barged in on your night, though,” he adds honestly.

“Oh, don’t be. I’m happy you did,” she admits, and the pink tinge returns to her cheeks as she looks down at her lap. Hoseok’s heart skips a beat, trying to think of anything and everything else he can say that can keep those faint pink spots from disappearing.

He turns properly to face her and is about to say something, when he spots a writing pad he hadn’t noticed next to her tablet. “What’s this?”

“Oh -“ Chaeyoung reaches over and snatches it out of his grasp, hiding it behind her back.

Hoseok, still reeling, looks up in confusion. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to -“

“No, it’s fine,” she mutters, shaking her head and waving him off, apparently a little embarrassed at her reaction. “It’s just… notes. Work stuff.”

“You got that defensive over work stuff?”

She gives him a look and he thinks she’s about to respond smartly, but instead she sighs. “Okay, I’ve been dying to tell someone, I guess… I kind of want to ask my boss if I can transfer to the creative team. You know, the one that actually works on the themes and end-to-end campaigns? Well, there’s a spot open there and all those teams are under my boss…”

“But?”

“But it’s a higher designation. So I’m essentially asking for a promotion,” she finishes. Her shoulders deflate slightly. “It’s a long shot, but… God, I really think I can do well there, you know? I have the ideas, I’ve worked on a couple of projects with the creative team, too. My entire internship during college was with a team like that.”

Hoseok leans forward. “So what’s stopping you?”

She looks at him like it’s obvious. “I mean… I have to actually ask for it. It’s not that easy.”

“Of course it’s not easy,” he agrees, his voice gentler now. “But you’ll never get it if you don’t ask. Are those notes for that conversation?”

Chaeyoung nods. She visibly hesitates, but then passes the writing pad to him.

Hoseok shakes his head, though. “I don’t need to see it. But if you want, you can practice with me. I’ve had my share of experience asking for things. And getting rejected a fair few times, too.”

She looks doubtful, but she sits a little straighter. “Really?” Her brows furrow slightly. “You won’t make fun of me?”

“Never.” He gives her knee an encouraging squeeze. “Go on.”

Chaeyoung nods and sits up on her knees, resting her hips down on her heels. She holds the pad up and begins a clearly rehearsed speech, occasionally looking up at Hoseok for his reaction. He nods as she goes along, giving her his feedback only when she stops and asks for it.

It’s probably the longest conversation they’ve had in months and it’s only towards the end, as Chaeyoung gets more confident and has added another half a page worth of notes to her original set, that he realises how terribly he’s missed her.

“You’re a lot more talented than you think you are,” he remarks when she sets the writing pad to the side, looking far more at ease than before. “Any team would be lucky to have you.”

“Thanks,” she says gratefully. “I was just spiralling a bit, I guess. Especially because I was going crazy just keeping it to myself. Are you hungry?” she asks suddenly. “I managed to store just enough hot water in my thermos when the power outage warnings started.”

Marvelling at her ability to plan, far better than he or any of his friends did, he nods wordlessly. They devour a cup of instant ramen each while they chat, and then split a brownie she’d baked earlier in the day.

“Damn it, this is really good.” Hoseok takes another bite, the chocolatey goodness melting in his mouth. “You really baked this this morning?”

“I told you, I’m pretty bored these days. And my fingers started cramping after the first hour of crocheting, so I thought I needed a change,” she jokes, popping a piece into her mouth.

Hoseok chuckles and helps himself to some more, watching as she does the same. The candlelight makes her skin look like silk, throwing the softest shadows around the contours of her face. Without thinking, he reaches out and touches her cheek with the back of his hand.

Her eyes widen and he immediately yanks his hand back. “Sorry, there was, uh… cake. On your… yeah.”

“Oh.” She brushes her face a couple of times. “Did I get it?”

Not trusting himself to speak, Hoseok nods. Wanting to avoid catching her eye, he looks at the balcony doors behind her. The rain is still pouring heavily, streaks of lightning appearing in the sky, trees blowing in the wind and making it seem like a horror movie out there. Inside, it’s warm and lit and dry, just their voices and soft music in the background.

Hoseok doesn’t want to leave. He hopes she won’t ask him to; even if she denied avoiding him, he wasn’t fooled. But whatever it was that made her avoid him, she seems to have let it go for now - or she’s just too nice to ask him to go back home in the storm. Whatever it is, he’s glad. It’s never been like this before; she’s never opened up to him this much, this easily, this… readily. He feels like he’s seeing someone else - or it’s the same girl he’s always known, but it’s a side of her that hasn’t come out around him.

“Are you planning to sleep out here tonight?” he asks, patting the mattress and leaning back against the side of the sofa.

“Yeah, I was. I figured Sooah would sleep over at Jimin’s again so I’d have to literally weather the storm myself.”

She tries to play it off as a joke, but Hoseok spots the corners of her mouth turning down. “Dude, I know she’s got a boyfriend but trust me, okay? Just ask her to lunch or say it’s a girls’ night or something. She’s not going to turn you down.”

“Oh, she won’t turn me down,” agrees Chaeyoung. “But a girls’ night will just turn into a girls’ night, plus Jimin.”

“Call me the next time that happens. I’ll kick his arse.”

That makes her laugh. “I’m sorry, oppa, I can’t picture you kicking anyone’s arse. And I like Jimin,” she adds with a shrug of her shoulders. “He’s sweet, always comes with booze and his facemask application technique is out of this world. I just… don’t like being left behind,” she confesses.

Her eyes flicker towards Hoseok, lingering before looking away, and it makes him wonder if there’s more to this than she’s letting on. He’s not sure if he wants to ask, though. Her vulnerability feels too delicate to disturb; the last thing he wants to do is cause her to clam up.

“Well…” He searches for something to say. “Don’t worry. He’ll be back working sixteen hours a day again before you know it.”

Chaeyoung frowns. “Why? Didn’t you just finish touring? And I thought you said it’s the first time the company's given you a break after a tour.”

Hoseok’s heart stops for a moment. “Wow, you really do remember a lot of our conversations,” he mutters, mentally slapping himself.

“I do. So why will Jimin be back at work?”

He bites his lip. Chaeyoung looks genuinely curious; compared to the company or his members or anyone else, she seems like the only other person in the world right now.

“Can you keep a secret?” he asks, holding her gaze and waiting until she affirms it out loud. “We… the group… we’re going on a hiatus soon.”

Chaeyoung’s eyes widen. “What?” she asks in a hushed voice. “How - I mean, when? Why?”

“Soon,” he repeats, “and… it just seems like the right time. But listen, Chae - you can’t tell anyone. Okay? This is top secret stuff - even most people in the company don’t know it. Once the Hybe takeover happens and they release some more content under the new label, we’ll probably announce it. But until then, you have to keep it to yourself. No one at work, not Sooah - nobody finds out.”

“I - of course I promise,” she says quickly, looping her little finger around his when he holds it out. “But what do you mean it’s the right time?”

“I mean… we don’t want to do it exactly,” he admits. “We kind of have to, if we want to grow as artists at all. We’re getting pushed into a mould and it’s just not working anymore. Plus we’ll have to start enlisting soon…” His stomach jolts weakly. “We all have so much we want to do. Yoongi wants to tour, Namjoon wants a series of collaborations with artists half of us haven’t heard of, Taehyung wants to have fun, whatever that means,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Jungkook -”

“And what do you want?” Chaeyoung asks, interrupting him.

Hoseok doesn’t answer immediately. The answer has been noodling around in his mind for years now; first as a pipedream, then as a personal goal, and more recently, as a scary but real possibility if things worked out right. Now, it’s at the tip of his tongue, ready to be said out loud for the first time ever.

“Okay,” he says hesitantly. “Just… don’t laugh, okay?”

“What?” She scoffs. “Hobi, I just roleplayed a scenario with you where I asked for a promotion at work. Of course I won’t laugh.”

He nods. “I want to headline a music festival,” he says. “Like Coachella or something. I fucking love concerts,” he confesses, feeling his chest expand at the realisation that he’s finally saying it. “I love the preparation, the rehearsals, the costumes, the high on stage, the audience singing along. I’ve done tons of them with the group but I want to do one myself. Just to see what it would be like.” Just to see if I can.

Chaeyoung is starting to smile, and it makes Hoseok nervous. “Maybe it’s stupid,” he says hurriedly. “It’s stupid - just forget I said anything at all. It’s just a -”

“Oppa.” She interrupts him again, this time accompanied by a light slap on the shoulder. “If you score me a ticket to this festival, I’ll scrounge up enough cash to fly out there myself and watch you,” she says. “It’s not stupid.”

Hoseok regards her suspiciously. “It’s not stupid?” he asks, uncertain.

“It’s not,” she confirms. “In fact,” she continues, getting on her knees and leaning across from him to reach for her glass of water, “it sounds pretty on brand for you.”

“That’s - no, come on,” he stutters, feeling his face turn hot - and suddenly aware that he isn’t wearing anything under his joggers.

“I’m serious. I know you probably didn’t think you’d actually find success with BTS at first, but believe me - where you are now is exactly how I pictured you’d end up when you left Gwangju.”

He considers this. It had been a big decision, especially for his parents to balance their anxiety and desire to support him. His sister had given him some rare, sisterly advice at a time when she’d started building her own life, Chanyeol had called their classmates over for a farewell party, while young Chaeyoung had been a extra in his life - part of the extended family circle, but only by her association to the Kang family.

Confessing his secret lifelong dream to her hadn’t been on Hoseok’s bingo card. But there’s no one he trusts more at the moment, and possibly very few others he would drive through a storm for.

“Just let me know which festival and when,” she says after a moment, tone slightly teasing. “I’ll crochet a new, two-eyed bear for you.”

He nods. “That’s a long time to be crocheting. How did you get into it, anyway?”

Chaeyoung shrugs, not meeting his eyes. “It was a gift from… from my stepmom.”

Hoseok doesn’t respond immediately. She looks up at him, and he leans forward and kisses her. The rain is just in the background now, like the candles, the music - everything except Chaeyoung.

Her hair smells sweet and her lips are soft; it’s exactly how he’d imagined it would be. The last time they had kissed had been over in a flash, too quick for him to appreciate every single physical aspect of it. He had been too consumed by the fact that it had happened at all, but it’s so fitting right now, as though every single thing that happened today was leading to this moment right here.

Chaeyoung kisses him back; if his hunch is correct, if the racing in his stomach is indicative of anything, it’s that she probably wants this as much as he does. He feels her fingers in his hair and her nails light against his scalp; he moves his hand from her face down her arm and reaches for her hand. He feels her move; a moment later, she’s climbing onto his lap.

Hoseok is afraid for a moment that she will feel just how much he’s wanted this and how long he’s wanted this but before he can think it through, he has her in his arms and the thought leaves his mind instantly, along with every other thought. His hands are at her hips and he’s so aware that it’s Chaeyoung, young and lifelong family friend Chaeyoung, that he stops them from moving any lower. It’s difficult, though; he tugs at the ends of her t-shirt and it’s harder to resist it this time. He moves his hands under the cloth, feeling the waistband of her shorts, her slender waist and the light indents of her ribs.

“Chae,” he murmurs against her lips, somewhere hearing her name sound on his tongue like it never has before. She hums in response but doesn’t move away. “Are you… are you a virgin?”

There’s a pause and Hoseok freezes, terrified he’s ruined the mood. Then she snorts and shakes her head. “No, Hoseok, I’m not.” She pulls away slightly and slips off her t-shirt, revealing a faded grey sports bra with thin straps disappearing over her shoulders in an X. “Don’t worry,” she assures him, tilting her head and kissing him again.

He doesn’t stop her; he can’t imagine ever wanting to. There’s a lot more skin now, soft and smooth; his lips glide over sections of it, the side of her neck, her collarbones, the base of her throat. Somewhere during it he gets his t-shirt out of the way and feels himself pulsate in his tracks and knows there’s no ignoring it longer, especially now that he thinks he knows where this is going.

“Chae.” Reluctantly, he pulls away again. At the sight of her swollen lips, flushed face and particularly her somewhat exasperated expression, he almost forgets what he was going to say. “Listen, I… this is…”

“Do you want to stop?” Her voice is even, but there’s a hint of disappointment he doesn’t miss.

“No,” he says immediately. “The… opposite. I just think I need to tell you…” He swallows, finding it hard to think straight amidst her raised eyebrows and her hand absently resting on his chest. “Um, so when this happens, when I - when I do�� something like this… I tend to get kind of… carried away.” He swallows and waits for her to react, painfully conscious of her warm crotch against his, the hem of her shorts having ridden up all the way.

It seems to take Chaeyoung a few seconds to work out what he means. “Carried away?” she repeats. When he nods, she bites her lip and for the first time in a long time, he thinks he spots a hint of shyness. She bites her lip and her cheeks redden slightly, but she nods, tossing her tousled hair back and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Gotcha,” she mutters, and this time he kisses her.

The last time Hoseok had hooked up with a girl was almost a year ago. He’d been recording a song in Los Angeles and met her at a party and despite the fact that they didn’t have much to talk about, they’d carried on a casual fling for the three days that he’d been there, during which time she had remarked with some admiration that he had “the stamina and determination of an athlete”.

She hadn’t been the only girl to say this to him in his life, and Hoseok had gathered that this was just something he brought to the bedroom and probably didn’t need to apologise for it. He wouldn’t have actively warned anyone else, but Chaeyoung didn’t feel like just anyone. She knows now, though, and despite the fact that he would’ve thought she’d be the last person to ever know this about him, finally telling her, seeing her blush at his admission and her clear desire to keep going, lets loose what he’s been suppressing around her for a while now.

Deciding that Jimin would probably not want these track pants back, Hoseok pulls her closer to him before leaning forward and easing her onto her back. Her head hits the pillow and she looks momentarily surprised at the impact but Hoseok kisses her again and she responds instantly. She sighs against his mouth and he hardens, feeling it against the inside of her thigh, where she bends her leg at the knee and pushes her hips up to meet his.

One hand stays on the mattress to support him and the other runs down her body, past her waist and around her hips to stop between her legs. She’s warm through her shorts; the thought of what’s in there makes his cock throb and he palms her and squeezes. Her surprised moan fills the room and he pulls away from her mouth abruptly, reaching up to take off her shorts. The mismatched black panties make his erection even more apparent and he drops down to her body, kissing her sternum, her willowy ribcage, the smooth skin of her abdomen down to the elastic of her underwear where, without hesitation, he slips it down her legs.

Hoseok glances up at her from between her legs, just in case he’s misreading anything, but the sight of her arched back, her closed eyes and long hair splayed on the white pillow wipe any and all doubts from his mind.

Chaeyoung tastes incredible. Hoseok takes his time going down on her, starting with his lips on her thighs, exploring every single fold with his tongue before reaching her clit. It dulls his senses and heightens his desire at the same time, reeling him in as he holds her legs open, devouring her and welcoming the taste, the only other sensations being her fingers in his hair and her sweet, sweet voice moaning his name.

He knows when she’s about to cum; he pulls his hips to her face, hearing her gasp in between the sounds that are reaching higher and higher in pitch and frequency. She clutches at his hair just as she climaxes, her warm wetness filling his mouth and her legs trembling slightly as he sets them down. He sits up slowly, wiping his mouth with one hand while the other absently strokes her thigh, watching as her chest rises and falls in the aftermath of her orgasm, the orgasm he just gave her, and feels his heart jolt.

Hoseok crawls to her side to lie beside her, using his elbow for support and resting his head on his palm as he waits, patiently, for her to open her eyes. When she finally does, they’re slightly unfocused as they find him. He says nothing, but simply brushes her bangs out of her eyes.

“Wow,” she says softly. “I’m really glad I left my power bank on the bus.”

Hoseok chuckles and a moment later, both of them laugh.

—

It’s very nearly dawn - probably.

The sky is dark outside and the sound of the rain outside is calming. The city is sprawled underneath them and the moon is the only source of light in their hotel room, the massive windows illuminating the bed, the rumpled sheets and Kaya’s naked body straddling his.

In the three years or so they’ve been together, their intimacy has never been a source of conflict or stress. It’s only ever been the opposite; whether it was distance or work or disagreements, the thought of her skin on his and her mouth on his body reduced triggered the most primal form of attraction, despite the cerebral aspect of their relationship he prided himself on so much.

Sometimes she is under him: he loves the sight of her underneath his body, encased and safe, for his view only as he thrusts into her. Sometimes her back is to him and he pulls her in, feeling sensations and strength as their hips meet with force; sometimes it is against a wall or a table and she wraps her legs around his waist as they struggle to stay quiet, only their silent gasps mingling as he fucks her into a wall.

But nothing - nothing - compares to when she rides him.

He doesn’t know what it is - maybe it’s the visual of her entire body up there on display for him, her long hair falling down one shoulder as she rolls her hips into his, eyes closed and neck tilted up. Maybe it’s the way her back arches when she hits a sweet spot, and her head falls back as she moans, or maybe it’s the sight of her taking charge, speeding up and slowing down as she wishes, edging him until he’s compelled to grab her hips and take matters into his own hands.

They shouldn’t have maintained any hopes of getting any sleep tonight, not in the last precious hours of their trip before the morning arrives and after three amazing weeks, they have to part again. Even though they’d fallen asleep for a bit, it hadn’t been long before he’d been awoken by her tugging at his arm, waking him up to make love on their last night together, just as they’d done throughout the holiday.

Namjoon had lost count of the number of times they’d had sex by the third day of their trip. It had been impossible to stay away, to keep his hands off her, to resist her advances even if they appeared in semi-public. Throughout the trip - and possibly their entire relationship - those urgent sex sessions that began with filthy words and roaming hands in public and culminated in desperate and earth-shattering sex in private, dominated.

She’s so beautiful. His eyes roam her naked body, committing it to memory until the next time they see each other, knowing it’s what will keep him going until they do. He moves one of his hands up her waist and to her chest, stopping underneath her breast before lightly brushing her nipple with his thumb. She bites her lip and moans softly, when a buzzing sound interrupts them.

Her frown deepens and the erotic sounds change as she groans in annoyance. Namjoon clicks his tongue and turns to look at his phone on the bedside table; the screen lights up and Hoseok’s name flashes on the incoming call. He reaches over and declines the call, just as he’d done the last time Hoseok had called five minutes ago.

The call ends and Namjoon catches a glimpse of a trail of messages left by his friend, none of them particularly coherent, but Namjoon can’t begin to decipher them right now. In the last six hours, every single one of his members had called him at least once, all coincidentally during moments when he couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. They’d tried to leave him alone for most of the trip but apparently, they couldn’t keep it going for long.

A movement distracts him and he looks up to see Kaya sweeping her hair off her neck, her skin sweaty and glowing. All thoughts of his members clean out of his mind, he sits up and wraps his arm around her waist to flip them over.

—

The rain is deafening as Nari stares at him in silence. Seokjin’s eyes fall again to the papers in her hand and the thick socks on her feet, hoping she will respond soon.

“Seokjin,” she says slowly, “it’s not my birthday. My birthday is in -”

“May, I know.” His heart stutters slightly as he realises for the first time that coming here might have been somewhat stupid. “But we weren’t exactly on the best terms in May and I was on tour anyway… so today is kind of the next best thing.”

Nari frowns for a moment before it dawns on her. Her forehead clears and she starts to smile, pursing her lips in amusement. “Of course it is,” she agrees, nodding.

Massively relieved, Seokjin smiles back. “I’ll rephrase: happy half-birthday, Nari.”

She laughs. “Thanks. You did wish me over text, so it’s not like you forgot.”

“No, but an in-person wish is the bare minimum. I tried my best to make it here before midnight but the streets are fairly empty. I thought they’d be jammed all the way to Hongdae.”

“Yeah. Wait - you drove in this?” Her eyes widen and she glances at the window behind him. “Are you kidding? Is that why you’re wet?”

“Kinda - I had to run from my car to your building because there’s a pothole open right… there,” he answers, opening the window wider and pointing to where he’d left his car. Nari comes up next to him to look at it, resting her hand with the papers on the wall.

Unfortunately at that exact moment, a strong gust of wind blows through the street, making them flinch away and cover their faces, and a few of the sheets in her hand fly out of the window.

“No!” Nari shouts in panic, reaching for them as though hoping they will fly back to her.

“Shit, that was - wait, what the hell are you doing?” Seokjin watches in confusion as she darts back into her apartment and out of it in a second, her feet in slippers, and dashes down the corridor. “Nari!” He hurries after her as she runs down the stairs and out into the street, splashing in the direction of the papers.

“No, no, no…” She shakes her head and looks around wildly, wiping her wet hair off her face. She whips around to face him, blinking through the rain. “Help me look for them!” she yells.

“What are you talking about? Nari, they’re gone!” Seokjin yells back, still at the doorway of the building. When she doesn’t respond, however, stepping further into the puddles, he runs out after her. “Nari, you’re going to fall sick!” he says loudly over the rain as he reaches her, grabbing her arm and trying to tug her back.

“I can’t! Those were my notes from a medical seminar about a groundbreaking clinical trial!” she cries, still looking around. “I need them for my application to be a part of the research - and now they’re gone!” To his surprise, she turns around and hits him on the shoulder.

“Ow! Just print out another copy!” he yells back, rubbing his shoulder.

“They’re handwritten, you idiot!”

“What? You wrote notes in this day and age?” He asks incredulously. “What happened to the Macbook I got you for Christmas two years ago?”

“You know that typing distracts me while I take notes,” she reminds him, glaring as her wet hair sticks to her face. “What am I going to do?”

“What about your friends? Can’t you borrow their notes?”

“I - mine were colour coded with different highlighters!” she argues, but she takes a step back. “But… yeah, I guess I could. Damn it, Kimbap!” She slaps him on the arm again, but it’s lighter this time.

“Hey!” He reaches over and shoves her shoulder. “It’s not my fault!”

“Of course it is!” she retorts, shoving him back.

“I came here to wish you a happy half-birthday because I missed your real one,” he points out, the rain starting to blur his vision. “And you gave me a lot of grief for it in middle school, in case you don’t remember.”

“I - that was - that was so different,” she stutters, before her shoulders fall. “But kind of accurate,” she mutters.

Seokjin scoffs, placing his hands on his hips. “You really thought you were going to find your notes floating around in the sky? The ink must be smudged beyond comprehension!”

“Don’t remind me,” she groans. “I worked really hard on that. And now we’re probably going to get hypothermia!”

He shrugs uncertainly, looking around the deserted street, the branches of the trees swaying and rivulets of water flowing down the street. Clearly there were kids playing on the street before the real downpour began, for a football, a couple of tennis balls, and a pair of what look like water guns have been abandoned on the pavement in front of the building.

“Didn’t you have one of those?” he asks, pointing to the guns.

Nari turns and her annoyed expression instantly fades. “Oh, yeah,” she says, chuckling. “I got it right after Eunbi’s birthday party where her parents took us all out to that water park. And, no, I didn’t forget,” she adds quickly, holding her hand up to him, “that you’re the one who got it for me.”

Seokjin nods in satisfaction. “I did - I had to save up for, like, four months for that. Was it your fifteenth?”

“Fourteenth.” She eyes the guns before looking back up at him. “We’re both thinking the same thing, right?”

“If we aren’t, then one of us is an imposter.”

She laughs and they sprint for the guns at the same time, grabbing one each and immediately filling it with water from the puddles on the road. Seokjin reaches them first but waits for Nari to shoot him first, feeling it hit his shoulder as she cackles, and proceeding to return the favour. It’s a complete one-eighty from when they’d run out of the building five minutes ago, in a state of confusion and disarray, only to be using water guns for the first time in over a decade while the city of Seoul drowns in the rain.

“Ugh - that one was right in the face, Nari!” He shouts after a bit, wiping his eyes as she hoots in the background. “That’s not fair!”

“I have better aim than you - just accept it, Kimbap,” she crows, coming over and peering at him from a distance. “You’re fine. Now come on!”

“I think you just blinded me, you ghoul,” he accuses her, blinking rapidly. When she comes closer, frowning slightly, he raises his gun and shoots her right on the college logo in the middle of her sweatshirt.

Nari gasps. “That’s - I’m going to get you for that, I swear to God!” They resume play, splashing through the puddles and laughing whenever they get in a good shot, until she aims at him and pulls the trigger, only for nothing to come out.

“Oh, shit - okay, hold it! I’ve been compromised!” she declares, checking her gun frantically as Seokjin narrows his eyes, wondering if it’s a tactic.

She looks up, panting slightly. “Okay, I think I may have broken some kid’s water gun.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes!” She nods, jogging over to the pavement and dropping the gun where they found it. “Shit! I’m going to have to buy this kid another one, aren’t I?”

“I - probably!” Seokjin joins her and places his gun neatly next to it. “I don’t know. Do you even know whose it is?”

“Not really.” She swallows and looks up at him, wiping her hair out of her eyes again. “Or… I don’t know - who leaves their shit outside like this instead of taking it home? Anything could have happened to it!”

“You’re right,” he says. “Anything could have happened to it!”

She raises her eyebrows at his tone, which he returns with an incorrect shrug. A smile spreads across her face and she shakes her head. “I guess that’s true!”

Seokjin winks at her conspiratorially and she laughs, raising her hand. She presumably intends it to be a high-five and he obliges, but somewhere along the way, in the rain and wet sweatshirts and water ricocheting off every surface, they reach for each other and meet in a kiss.

Something explodes in Seokjin’s stomach and the aftershocks continue even after it’s gone. It’s a new sensation, with the water and the cold and the entirely unexpected nature of how it occurred, but before he can wrap his head around it, she pulls away.

The rain pours around them, a ridiculous secret about water guns in the middle, but now that the guns are gone and so are her notes and it’s just them remaining, the cracks start to form.

“Shit,” she mutters, squeezing her eyes shut and dropping her head.

Seokjin doesn’t saything, the bursts in his stomach now dwindling away to form a knot that feels uncomfortably like guilt. “I’m sorry,” he says hoarsely, taking a step back but she shakes her head.

“It’s not right,” she states, her voice trembling slightly. “You have a girlfriend and I have… it’s not right,” she repeats, swallowing and looking up at him, seemingly with some effort.

There’s nothing more to say. Seokjin feels a dangerous lump in his throat, the impending complications looming before him. “I’m going to go,” he says, turning around and feeling defeated.

“Seokjin.” Nari tugs at his sleeve. “Just… hypothermia.”

“Come again?”

“You’ll get hypothermia.” Nari opens her mouth to say something else but then closes it. A moment later, she gestures to the building. “You need to towel dry your hair, and drink something warm. And… at least put on a dry hoodie before you leave.”

He’s about to decline; he wants to get out of here, suddenly be as far away from here as possible before his mind goes into overdrive. But his fingers are frozen - he may not even be able to grip the steering wheel properly. Plus… Nari is asking. She’s really asking, meaning what she says and after a moment, Seokjin nods.

Apparently convinced that he’s listening to her, she beckons to him and they walk back into the building together.

—

Yoongi can’t believe how this night is turning out. He’d pictured it so differently: prepping for the meeting in the morning, calming his nerves during the drive from Seoul to Incheon, finishing the meeting and hopefully securing the investment he needed, having the rest of the evening to himself.

Most of all, for once, he and Miso would get a few hours outside of the office and away from the Seoul elite. Her father is abroad for work and it shows; she’s far less on edge and the fact that Seungkwan hasn’t paraglided onto the doorstep of their motel room to whisk her back to her prison is proof of that.

Taking her on a date seemed like an alien concept, in those words, at least. He didn’t know if that was actually something he wanted and he definitely couldn’t imagine her ever agreeing to one either. But he reckoned that even just a day away, seeing her with her guard down, actually spending time with her, hooking up in his car before he dropped her seemed like something to look forward to.

That’s what he reckoned.

“What is wrong with you that you can’t see how fucked up it is that you don’t care what the outcome of your behavior is?” he demands, standing by the edge of the bed, next to the bathroom door.

“My behaviour? You know what - I’m sorry, Yoongi,” she snaps. She’s at the other end of the tiny room by the window, the curtains blow in the wind entering through the cracks, brushing her arm. “I’m so sorry that I ruined your precious meeting that no one senior from the company couldn’t even be bothered to make it.”

“It’s for my tour!” he bursts, livid now - and frustrated, because while he’s admitted why it matters so much to him, it’s a coin toss to see whether she will care. “I’m going on tour next year so yeah, I’m the one that needs to secure the investment!”

“If you’re going on tour, you’re still doing it for the company!” Miso points out with irritating condescension. “You’ll be making them money and losing sleep and working yourself to death - and they couldn’t be bothered to have someone from management come with you?”

“I chose you,” he says bitterly, shaking his head and turning away. “The board suggested it and I pushed for it. And now I’m starting to regret it.”

“Why wouldn’t you? Just a proof of concept, right?” she sneers, although it lacks its usual bite. She folds her arms. “All I had to do was sit there and shut up and let my last name do all the work. No wonder you chose me.”

Yoongi sinks onto the chair next to him and drops his head into his hands, tired. There’s no explaining this to her; it’s too complicated. He would have to reveal things he’s barely acknowledged himself, only for her to get defensive and throw it back at him.

He struggles but forces himself to recall how she’d switched teams and taken her name off a record for him, ages ago. Where is she, though? Her disdain for the company and its dependence on her father’s money is expected, but he can’t fathom why she wouldn’t care that she’s sabotaged his future, too.

“You’re not a proof of concept,” he says hoarsely, trying again. “I shouldn’t have said you were.” He looks up at her hopefully, only to see her face still and stony. “And I get it - I get that you thought you were trying to defend me, but -“ He shakes his head. “God, Miso, all he did was act aloof and say that rap doesn’t sound like real music to him - which a lot of people think,” he adds quickly. “I don’t agree but who cares what he thinks? You insulted him and his business to his face and just be honest, alright? You did that because you knew he couldn’t touch you, because he knows who your father is.”

A dark shadow passes across her face. “I promise you, my father is not who I was thinking of at that moment,” she says coldly.

“No, but you were able to say all that because you knew you’d get away with it,” he presses. “You’ve never had to face a single consequence in your life so you just -“

“Fuck me - you don’t think I’ve face consequences?” she interrupts furiously. “You wouldn’t last one fucking week in my life, Min Yoongi,” she spits, pointing a finger at him. “You and your self-righteous bullshit would be crushed under my father’s shoe, believe me.”

“But you’re still there, aren’t you?” Yoongi retorts, standing up and shrugging. “If you’re facing all these consequences then why aren’t you - God, Miso, why don’t you just leave?” he asks, and his voice cracks on the last word.

He knows she’s heard it, too, because she doesn’t respond immediately. He retreats; it’s a thought he’s managed not to say out loud to her so far, despite wondering about it constantly, because there’s no telling how much he would be prying. Going to find out now, I suppose, he thinks grimly.

“That’s - it’s complicated,” she mutters, turning away from him.

“What is complicated?”

“It’s not as easy as just packing up and leaving,” she snaps. “There’s a lot more in the picture.”

“What are you talking about? You’re twenty-nine - most people your age are living alone,” he points out, frowning incredulously. “You must have savings, don’t you? Just - just find an apartment and leave. Or - or you can stay with me until you find something, but at least try -”

Yoongi breaks off when she takes a deep breath and exhales loudly, suddenly feeling like a child explaining things to an adult. It makes him fume.

“You know,” he starts again, then pauses. “You keep talking about how terrible your life is. Your shiny, perfect life on the outside but behind that, with your narcissistic parents and stalker of a driver who follows you everywhere. But you have to get out of it yourself, Miso. You can take help where you need it but you’re the one who’s going to have to take the first step.”

She scoffs. “Why? Because there are no handouts in the real world?”

“Yes,” he answers immediately. “You’re clearly unhappy but… why are you still there? In your father’s house, under his thumb? Is it because you’re scared? Because… I don’t know, you think the heir to the Kang empire can’t leave or something?”

Miso’s stance doesn’t change but there’s a flicker in her eyes. Her face relaxes minutely and she exhales again, but this time it isn’t impatience. Yoongi can’t be completely sure, but he thinks it might be relief.

“Oh, my God.” The words come out without thinking. “I’m right? You’re not leaving because you’re the heir to his fortune?” As he says it, Yoongi knows he is right. Her father’s words from the dinner come back to his mind, as does her evasiveness when he’d questioned her about it in his studio.

Something contracts in his ribcage; the air isn’t reaching his lungs fast enough or his lungs aren’t accepting it or… he closes his eyes and takes a deep, deep breath, feeling his stomach slowly start to loosen, just enough to keep him standing up.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” he asks, watching how she doesn’t seem caught or surprised. “You’re the heir to his… what did he call it? His legacy? His fortune?”

Miso doesn’t answer immediately, but her eyes shutter over a bit. “I deserve it, don’t you think?” she asks quietly. “After everything he’s put me through?”

“Really? So you’ve been taking his bullshit all these years because you know you’ll get Kang Industries at the end of it? That’s what your freedom is worth?”

“Two hundred billion dollars?” She shrugs, but doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll take it.”

Yoongi sighs shakily; somewhere, he knows he hasn’t processed this fully, that it will hit him in full force later, what it really means. But for now, he just wants to know.

“Are you serious? After everything you’ve told me about him, every time you’ve looked so scared of him - all of that is worth it because he’s going to give you his company when he retires in twenty years?” He’s bewildered, angry, disappointed. “And you’re just going to keep taking it?”

“He doesn’t have any other children,” she says. “He has no choice. One day, he’s going to have to look me in the eye, sign over his company to me and know that his life’s work is in my hands.”

“Two hundred billion dollars,” he repeats.

“Sounds like a fair deal.” She scoffs again, but there’s no force behind it. “But I’m sure you think it’s money-hungry or egotistical for me to think that.”

“No,” he says. “I think it’s sad.”

She licks her lips and swallows. “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she whispers, but her voice trembles. “I’m making the best of my situation, something you will never understand.”

And Yoongi explodes.

“You think I don’t know what making the best of a situation feels like? Are you serious?” he shouts. “I delivered food to people to pay rent! I couldn’t afford the bus, or dinner! I made music using a second hand laptop and knocked on the doors of producers before getting the Big hit audition - an audition!” He glares, panting slightly. “I had to audition for the opportunity to make something of myself - not be born into two hundred million!”

“Are we back to this again? I grew up with money and you didn’t so that makes you a more morally superior person somehow?” she demands.

“No, but it makes you a hypocrite!” he retorts. “All this time, I thought you were different but you’re just like them! You’re a regular old chaebol who’s selling out for the money - except you’re selling away your entire life for it! Can’t you see how fucked up that is?”

“For two hundred billion? You’re right - I am a chaebol,” she states, her cheeks flushing now. “I was born into it and I can’t do anything about it. But that’s how it is, okay? Every single time my father has treated me or my mother or anybody else like crap, it’s been for his company. For his money. And one day, I’m going to be in charge of it.”

“But what about your life? Fucking hell!” Yoongi kicks the edge of the bed in frustration, noting how she flinches very slightly. “Your father’s money, your money - there’s a world outside money, Miso! There’s family, there’s friends and loyalty and - and passion and love - and so much else!”

Miso frowns incredulously, then gives a harsh, derisive laugh. “Family? Friends, love… what - what the hell are you talking about? You sound like a children’s book, Yoongi,” she accuses, scoffing. “My father added a bonus to my trust fund every time I got a good grade - that’s the extent to which we’ve been a family.” She shakes her head but a flash of lightning lights up her face for a moment and even through her glasses, Yoongi is startled to see her eyes wet.

“I get it, but -”

“No, you don’t! Where the hell do you get off acting so high and mighty, huh?” she argues. “You’ve spent this whole evening bitching at me because you didn’t get an investment for your little tour! Isn’t that about money, too?”

“That’s different! That’s for my job, that’s for - it - “ He struggles to articulate it, realising he never thought he would have to. “It’s not a fucking coping mechanism, Miso! Because that’s what you’re doing - you’re using this heir thing to cope with your family’s bullshit!” he points out. “You’ve never even mentioned this to me in two years!”

“Yeah, telling you I’m the heir to my father’s company would’ve worked out great for our relationship,” she snarls, rolling her eyes. “You could’ve added chaebol to the nepo kid crap you kept giving me.”

“Don’t turn this on me,” he says dismissively. “The only time I’ve ever seen you care about anything has been music, when you’re stuck in the studio for hours and hours, eating cold takeout and Diet Coke! You don’t care about the company - that’s just what you’re telling yourself. What - do you go to sleep screaming two hundred billion two hundred billion into your pillow every night?”

“Watch yourself, Min Suga,” she snarls, her eyes flashing.

But Yoongi is too far gone right now. Everything seems unfamiliar and his only defense is offense. “You’re putting up with all this crap - you’re giving up your whole life just so you can inherit your father’s billions! At this rate, you’re probably going to turn out just like him!”

In a flash of a movement, the cordless phone hits the wall next to him and crashes to the ground at his feet.

“Get out.”

Yoongi doesn’t need to be told twice. He turns around and wrenches the door open, stepping out and slamming it shut behind him. He needs air - fresh, rainy air and space to breathe. It’s still raining, albeit not as heavily as before, so Yoongi makes his way under the roofed area to the end of the corridor and lights a cigarette, wondering if he should just drive back to Incheon.

The thought disappears as soon as it enters his mind. He smokes in silence, his heart heavy and disappointed, but most of all angry at how he’d never considered this possibility at all.

Or had he? Yoongi struggles to remember. Hadn’t he always had some amount of contempt for her and what she represented? Where had it changed? Was it when he’d started seeing her as a victim of her situation, too - and if had, had he been completely wrong about all of it?

Not all of it, a voice reasons in his mind. Yoongi remembers the bruises on her wrist, her agitation the entire day leading up to the dinner at her house. She hadn’t been faking that. She’d seemed like a cornered animal just now but the brand new realisation he’d made made her seem like a completely different person. Yoongi doesn’t want to think about why that hurts so much that he can’t breathe.

“Uh… sir?”

Yoongi turns tiredly to see the receptionist back at her desk, a dim lamp lighting the small area up. The brilliant green of her earrings match the lone fake plant at the end of the desk.

“You’re not allowed to smoke here.” She points to a sign on the wall.

He pauses but doesn’t get rid of the cigarette immediately. “Why not?” he asks, hearing the defeated, almost-whine in his own voice. “There’s no one here and we’re outdoors…” He doesn’t have the energy to argue further, simply waving his hands to indicate the rest.

The receptionist evidently doesn’t have an answer to this; if anything, she looks just as tired to care. Her eyes fall to the cigarette in his hand, her right hand twitches, and she looks away.

Yoongi raises his eyebrows and fishes the pack out of his pocket. “Would you like one?”

Her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to answer, before abruptly looking around, presumably to see if anyone else is there. She steps out from behind her desk and hesitantly picks out a cigarette, lowering her head in thanks, and taking the lighter he offers.

“Do you live around here?” he asks after a minute, since she continues smoking next to him. He looks around as well at the rain, wondering how anyone is supposed to get the hell out of here.

“I live in Seoul,” she answers. “But I’m working the night shift tonight and also it’s raining…” She trails off.

“You come here every day from Seoul?”

“Yes, there’s a bus.” She pauses. “I like Incheon more but my siblings go to school in Seoul and… well, I heard there are better schools in Seoul.”

He nods, not actually knowing whether that’s true. “Are you from Incheon? Because you don’t sound like it,” he adds, having recognised an accent in some of her words.

“Oh… no. I’m from Daegu, actually.”

She sounds almost ashamed of it, until Yoongi says, “Yeah? So am I.”

Something changes in her face and she smiles a bit, still looking exhausted. “Good to know,” she says, her accent suddenly changing completely to a Daegu one. “My parents still live there. Do you go back home often?” she asks.

“Not as often as I’d like.” He looks up when she tosses the butt of her cigarette on the ground and kicks it off the elevated corridor. When he offers her another, she shakes her head.

“No, thank you.” She gives him a small smile again, the green of her earrings catching a flash of lightning. “Thank you for the smoke. Good night.” As abruptly as she’d appeared, she turns around and disappears into a small room behind the desk labelled “Staff”.

Yoongi lights another one and takes a long drag. It occurs to him suddenly that he should’ve asked for the receptionist’s name, the one from Daegu who’s working a night shift before returning to Seoul in the morning, to the younger siblings she’s clearly the guardian for.

There’s more than a little that’s familiar there. It makes no sense, he reflects with some chagrin, how he’s now found himself so deep in the water with the most unfamiliar of people, a chaebol he met at his work because of a nepotistic hire. His people were like the receptionist, hard workers from the provinces who came to the capital and worked to the bone, doing what they could to take care of their families.

Miso wasn’t his people. He hadn’t ever assumed she was, but this chasm between them, vast and of unfathomable depth, had never seemed this large.

He eventually finishes his cigarette, followed by a third, before he deems it time to go back to the room. He doesn’t want to argue with Miso anymore - he truthfully doesn’t think he can. But it’s late and he’s tired and the small burning hope of a temporary reconciliation fuels his legs to move.

He opens the door quietly. “Miso?” he murmurs, stepping in to see the room dark. The only light is a dim one by the door, just enough for him to see Miso on the bed, right at the edge, curled up and asleep. He doesn’t move for a few moments, wondering how long she’s been asleep or if she even really is.

But she doesn’t move either and finally, Yoongi slips out of his shoes and steps into the room, turning off the light on his way. Only a sliver of moonlight giving him any visual aid at all, he reaches the bed. It’s small, but she’s taken only about a quarter of it.

He reaches over and gently slips off her glasses, folding them and placing them over her body on her bedside table. Then he slips under the covers on his side and closes his eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

—

Dilara wakes up to a blue sky and an empty hotel room, in a bed that’s too big for her, and extremely, extremely frustrated.

She has to be out on the track in a few hours, in the cold winds of Austin, Texas in November. But for now she’s in a warm bed under cozy covers, keenly aware that she isn’t wearing pajamas.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why during this weekend in particular it’s so hard to ignore the fact that she’s alone, without Taehyung. It is, technically, around the time of their anniversary and this very hotel is where they’d officially become a couple two years ago.

She’d started feeling sentimental about it a few days ago and she knew he had, too. It was generally a romantic time and had they been in the same city, they would’ve made the best of it. Unfortunately, she has a race and he has some meeting at the company headquarters tomorrow that he can’t miss, and their anniversary weekend is pushed by another week.

There is something exciting about the distance and longing, too. A couple of days ago, she’d been texting Taehyung while he’d been at lunch with his friends, the messages getting progressively more explicit. He’d told her to cut it out but had also accompanied it with a subtle picture of his denim-covered crotch and his hand in the frame, clearly taken under a table.

The entire experience, including when he’d abruptly stopped responding for about ten minutes, had been so hot and so incredibly arousing, that Dilara had been waiting for another opportunity for another remote quickie.

She rolls over and picks up her phone, scrolling to their chat.

Dilara [08:10] Hey you

Tae [08:10] Hey beautifulJust woke up?

Dilara [08:11] Mhm. Had a really nice dream.

Tae [08:11] Oh yeah? Was I in it?

Dilara [08:11]Oh you definitely came in it

Tae [08:13] What are you wearing?

Dilara [08:13] Just underwearBut I’ll probably take it off soonI woke up with it really wet

Tae [08:14] Come on Zoom right now

Feeling her heart toss and her abdomen clench, she reaches over for her tablet on the side table and flips it open. Scrambling out of the blanket, she piles a couple of cushy pillows in front of her and places the tablet on it, balancing it neatly on the cover. She opens the Zoom app and checks the view on the preview screen, to see herself leaning against the remaining pillow, her face and entire body visible at the perfect angle.

Satisfied, she enters the meeting. Taehyung is already on the screen, his long black hair falling casually into his eyes, looking freshly washed and on their way to drying. He looks up and there’s a momentary smile that flickers across his face, interrupting the tension-filled atmosphere. It disappears quickly, though, and she sees him lean back and tilt his chin up.

He’s in his bedroom on the floor, sitting against his closet door with his laptop presumably on the bed, also positioned perfectly so she can see him perched nonchalantly, relaxed and in the forefront, only his bedroom door and a corner of his bedside table in the frame.

“You told me you were just wearing your underwear,” he notes.

Dilara nods, silently taking off her t-shirt, leaving almost all of herself completely exposed. It’s working already; she rubs her legs together in anticipation, wishing he were here in person to put her out of her misery.

“Good.” Taehyung is silent for a few moments, his gaze burning into her even through the screen. He palms his crotch, almost absently, and then flicks his head once. “Show me where it’s wet.”

Licking her lips, she bends her legs at the knees and spreads them, moving her hand down between them and pressing her fingers to her core. “Right there,” she confirms softly, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

“Does that feel good?” His voice is low, deep and raspy. When she nods, he leans forward. “Do it again. And don’t stop.”

Dilara obliges, resting her head back on the pillow and rubbing herself through her underwear, her back arching slightly and her other hand twitching. Fortunately, he takes his cue.

“Squeeze your boobs for me,” he murmurs, sighing quietly when she obeys. “Flick your tits - like that, exactly. Play with your nipples.”

This was exactly what she needed; feeling his eyes on her, his voice commanding her and every single nerve ending alert and awake. “I’m really fucking wet, Tae,” she groans, opening her eyes to glance briefly at him.

“Take it off, then. Show me that beautiful pussy.” She can hear his sharp intake of breath when she slips her underwear down her legs and spreads them again. “Wider,” he says hoarsely. “I want you to rub that clit till you cum all over your fingers.”

She hums in pleasure, her moans growing in volume as she holds onto his voice, thick with arousal, and pictures his fingers inside her, his lean naked body against hers, her nipples in his mouth and his thick, hard cock pulsating against her thigh…

“Like what you see, baby?” Dilara opens her eyes again to see his bottom lip between his teeth and a deep frown on his forehead. “God, I wish I had your cock in my mouth right now…”

This time, he takes the cue. Swearing gruffly under his breath, he slips his tracks down his hips and frees his erection, the drops of pre cum glistening on his tip. His breathing gets choppier as he strokes himself and Dilara feels a familiar clench in her stomach once again.

She squeezes her eyes shut, able to focus on nothing but her fingers, her wetness starting to coat them and the knowledge that across the world, Kim Taehyung is coming undone just watching her pleasure herself.

“Oh, God,” she whispers. “Tae, I’m - I’m close…”

Taehyung says something, louder than before and her heart skips a beat: has she made him cum already? Just as she starts to reach the base of her orgasm and she hears him say something else, her eyes snap open - because that is not Taehyung’s voice.

“Lara!” Taehyung’s voice rings loud this time and she straightens up to see, unmistakably, another person in the room.

Dilara gasps and rolls out of the frame, her leg getting caught in the covers and causing her to tumble down onto the soft carpet. Her heart races, partly due to the mortification at being caught and partly due to the orgasm that was so rudely cut short. She yanks the throw from the chair next to the bed and wraps it haphazardly around herself, even though no one can see her anymore.

From the tablet, she can hear Taehyung go, in an annoyed voice, “What? Do you want to watch or something?”, followed by the other person - it’s Jungkook’s voice - going “Sorry, sorry, oh, my God -” and the sound of the door closing.

Dilara still doesn’t move, not until she hears Taehyung’s voice call her name.

“Is he gone?” she asks, gingerly climbing back onto the bed and keeping herself covered.

“Yeah.” Taehyung’s pants are hitched back up around his hips and he looks just as exasperated and disappointed as she feels, though seemingly minus the embarrassment. “Sorry… Namjoon broke the lock to my room and Jungkook just - what’s the word? Like, came in suddenly -”

“Barged in,” she mutters, settling back up in front of the camera. “You guys really need to learn how to knock.”

“We really do,” he agrees. He tilts his head apologetically, as though trying to gauge her exact mood. “Are you okay?”

“I am. I think JK was more traumatised than either of us, though,” she adds, cracking a small smile. Taehyung’s eyes twinkle, and they both burst out laughing.

—

One, two, three and four! Five and six, seven and -

Jungkook squeezes his eyes shut as the next step slips his mind. He forces himself to focus, humming Dionysus under his breath to keep his mind trained solely on the choreography, recalling every step and every movement and every muscle and every expression -

Oh, God… I’m - I’m close…

He grunts in annoyance as he turns on the shower in his bathroom, starting the routine from the beginning in his mind. He needs to focus - on Dionysus, on the Kyla Hanagami video he’d encountered on Instagram this morning, his gym routine today - on anything except his best friend’s girlfriend, naked and pleasuring herself.

His she’s my friend, she’s my friend mantra had been working ever since Taehyung had said it, and Jungkook had managed to convince himself that that’s all it was. He loves his friends, all his friends, and she was just that, a friend, a close friend, a close naked friend whose ribs jutted out just the tiniest bit as her back arched, whose tanned legs and small feet involuntarily pointed and dug into the covers as her voice got higher…

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

But the damage is done. He covers his face with his hands as the hot water falls from the shower; the choreography to Dionysus or whatever the hell he’d been trying to recall is clean out of the window by now. The image of Dilara, so naked and so hot and so insanely beautiful is burned into his mind and he doesn’t imagine it can ever leave.

It’s so wrong. It was so wrong of him to even catch a glimpse of it, accidental as it had been; it was so wrong to be unable to forget it, and it’s so wrong of his cock to be so hard in his hand right now.

She’s my friend. She’s my friend. She’s my…

The mantra continues, but it settles somewhere far behind in his mind, a different sort of instinct taking over. His hand moves of its own accord and he exhales softly, knowing he can’t stop now. She’s my friend that I accidentally saw naked, his mind tries to amend weakly, even as he sees only one thing behind his closed eyes.

Her high-pitched whines, ones he can hear ringing in his ears, mix with his lower, quicker, more frustrated grunts. His hand goes up to the wall for support as he reaches his climax, spilling over his fingers until he’s spent. He opens his eyes slowly, watching the evidence of his slip wash away into the drain.

His heart starts to slow down as he realises what he’s just done, and his stomach sinks low into his body.

—

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review :)

#bts fanfic #thebtswritersclub #bangtanwhq #k-vanity #houseofddaeng #wkcnet #namjoon x oc #seokjin x oc #yoongi x oc #hoseok x oc #jimin x oc #jungkook x oc #taehyung x oc

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karahalloway · 8 months ago

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(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 19 - Field Day

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: It's off to the bridal boutique, but Harper and Olivia have a secondary agenda...

Word Count: 6,200

Rating/Warnings: M (royal bitchiness, possible emotional abuse, kidnapping, threats of murder)

Chapter theme song:

A/N: So, I have tried to keep everything as realistic and accurate as possible in terms of the locations that are touched on in this chapter. The only thing that is made up is the antique store. As usual, translations for the French and Italian are at the end.

Chapter 19 - Field Day

The five-minute drive to the bridal boutique is every bit as excruciatingly awkward as can be expected.

"What part of we are already running late is so difficult to comprehend?" derides Madeleine before the limo door even shuts. "When I tell you to hurry, I expect you to do exactly that!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Madeleine," stammers Penelope tearfully. "The heel of my shoe became caught on—"

"Save it!" the Countess of Fydelia snaps. "If you cannot do something as simple as totter down a corridor without breaking your neck, then frankly, I do not see how you are supposed to be of use to me."

Penelope's face turns whiter than a sheet. "I—"

"As lest you forget, I took you on as a lady-in-waiting as a favour to your family, given the historically close personal relationship between our fathers," Madeleine reminds her with a steely edge to her voice. "But that does not mean that I cannot send you packing just as easily. And if you do not get your act together, then that is exactly what will happen. Am I clear!"

"Yes," Penelope whimpers, lowering her gaze.

"What was that?" demands Madeleine imperiously.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And the same goes for the rest of you," adds Madeleine, casting the haughty gleam of her gaze over the limo. "One misstep — proverbial or otherwise — and you are gone. Not just from my employ, but from court as well."

Shifting my gaze over to Hana, I see that she is just as perturbed as I am about this borderline psychotic power-trip.

Talk about being a queen bitch...

Olivia scoffs from her seat in the corner. "How about you try making a threat you can actually carry out..."

Madeleine bristles. "As Queen I will have the authority to—"

"Do exactly what Christian permits you to do," Olivia interjects flatly, examining her nails. "As lest you forget, you will only ever be a queen consort — not queen regnant."

The Countess of Fydelia's eyes narrow. "That is but a technicality."

"I still wouldn't overplay my hand," Olivia cautions with a smile. "Wouldn't want to get caught out on a technicality now, would you?"

Madeleine glares down the length of the limo like a viscous viper.

"Didn't think so," smirks the Duchess of Lythikos as the driver pulls the vehicle to a stop...

...and the paps immediately descend on us like a swarm of black flies.

"What the—?" I blurt, catching the flash of the cameras through the blacked-out windows. "When did they get here?"

"Five minutes ago," replies Madeleine tartly, slotting a pair of shades on.

My jaw drops. "You... told them where we were going?"

"Of course," she affirms as the Royal Guard who had been riding shotgun manages to squeeze his way through the human press to open the door. "Royal patronage elevates the esteem and profile of any institution. It is only right that the press should be invited to cover the visit."

"Like that's the only reason..." I mutter as Madeleine steps out of the limo and the roar of the crowd becomes deafening.

"Contessa!" several people shout. "Contessa Maddalena! Quaggiù, per favore!"

"It's horse shite, by the way," Olivia advises as she slides past me. "The only thing she is looking to promote is herself."

"Well, she definitely seems to be succeeding..." I admit, watching the Guards struggle to hold the photographers back as Madeleine sashays her way towards the doors of the boutique.

Olivia scoffs. "It's an act of desperation. Nothing more. She knows she is on thin footing with Christian... and the public."

"Great..." I groan, pulling Drake's blue aviators from my clutch as I, too, exit the limo.

Rather than being an unfortunate one-off, it seems like yesterday's altercation at the Apple Harvest Festival was actually the opening salvo in a concerted campaign of media brinksmanship that Madeleine is determined to win.... at my expense.

Yet, I'm just not sure I have it in me to play her contrived publicity game. The paps have already up-ended my life more completely than I would've ever thought possible, so the last thing I want to do is pander to their voracious appetite for scandal.

"Duchessa Harper! Duchessa Harper!" the photographers shout as I step out onto the sidewalk. "You made it to Italy! What do you think of the city so far?"

"You did not travel with the King and future Queen! Were you forced to make alternative arrangements because of your argument?"

"Will you attend the opera tonight?"

"When was the last time you spoke to your family? Is it true you cut all ties with them?"

Gritting my teeth, I force myself to keep my head down and my feet moving forward as the invasive questions zing over my head like bullets. Camera bulbs flash in my face as the photographers press in, trying to get that front page close-up...

...and that's when I spot him.

My heart skips an uncomfortable beat as recognition hits me like a punch in the chest.

Oh, my God, the photographer from Applewood!

He's standing in the second row, regarding me almost casually, like a tourist at a zoo, faded red baseball cap slung backwards over his head, just as in the picture Ana de Luca had saved on the flash drive.

Our eyes meet and I stumble to a stop, unable to tear my gaze away, my morbid curiosity overpowering my senses even as the paps close in around me...

...but then I feel the warmth of a hand on my back and the sound of a familiar voice brings me back to earth.

"Nous vous tienons, Demoiselle," Allard assures me, appearing at my side to shield me from the press invasion.

Glancing up, I see that Schweitzer has taken up position in front of me, using his body like a blocker to force a path through the crush.

Curling into the safety offered by my Guard's no-nonsense attitude, I let them whisk me into the boutique.

"Thank you..." I say sincerely as we pass through the doorway into the foyer.

Allard relinquishes his hold on me with a nod. "Certainement. Vous allez bien?"

"Yeah..." I reply, heart pounding as I try to recollect my bearings. "I just—"

"Oh, my gosh!" gasps Hana, stumbling into the boutique behind us. "That was horrible!"

"C'est le bordel!" agrees Kiara as she and Penelope manage to squeeze themselves through the press before the Guards shut the door. "Qu'est-ce qu'elle croyait?"

"She wasn't," Olivia replies flatly, shooting an accusatory glance over her shoulder at Madeleine, who is already being given a queen's welcome by the boutique's owner.

A tense silence descends as we all process this assessment.

"I... I suppose we should go through," Hana suggests eventually.

"Oui," Kiara affirms with a huff, smoothing the front of her dress. "Sa Majesté expects our assistance."

Penelope glances uncertainly towards the fuss being made over Madeleine. "I don't think she's expecting mine..."

"Don't be silly!" Kiara admonishes, looping her arm through her friend's to tug her forward. "She just had a petite éclat. Every bride gets nervous and she is under a lot of pressure to maintain constant perfection. But that is why we need to help her, non?"

Penelope looks like she's about to disagree, before finally acquiescing with a sigh. "I just miss Merlin and Morgana..."

"J'sais..." consoles Kiara, patting her reassuringly on the back of the hand. "Hopefully once the tour is finished, Madeleine will allow you to send for them."

"I doubt it..." Penelope mutters meekly as they join Madeleine in the store proper. "She said she hates yappy little dogs. You don't suppose they have anything here with poodles on them, do you?"

"I don't think this boutique specialises in that type of lingerie..."

"Oh..."

"I'm sure they have some pretty floral designs, though!" Hana offers encouragingly. "Italian lace is known around the world for its intricate rebrodè detailing."

"Yes, because that's what men care about on the wedding night..." Olivia mutters dryly, turning towards me. "You coming, or what?"

"Huh?" I ask, snapping my head up. "Umm... Yeah. Sorry."

"You better be," she snips disdainfully as she starts down the foyer as well. "I refuse to be the only sane participant in this clown show..."

I glance warily back towards the front of the boutique, where the paps were still battling each other, trying to snap a shot of us through the tastefully curated window displays.

"What?" Olivia objects after a beat. "No snide comment? No wry clap-back? You're not conveniently coming down with a sudden fever, are you?"

"I... I saw him," I admit, tearing my gaze away from the feeding frenzy outside.

Olivia grabs my wrist to yank me to a stop. "Saw who?"

"The photographer," I say tightly, pulling my arms around myself in a bid to stop myself from shivering, despite the record-breaking temperatures outside. "From Applewood."

"Dion Guillard..." clarifies Olivia, staring at me intently. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I nod.

Olivia purses her lips. "He could be here on his own volition, or because someone invited him. Either way, we should make use of this opportunity."

"How?"

"By making him an offer he can't refuse," she replies slyly, pulling her phone out.

My eyes widen. "You mean right now? But Madeleine—"

"Has enough sycophants coddling her already," she counters flippantly as she quickly types up a text. "We only have one chance to do this. Do you want the truth, or not?"

I swallow down the lump in my throat. "I do."

"Good," she nods, slotting her phone away again. "You don't mind if I borrow your hunks, do you?"

"Umm..."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," she responds, clicking her fingers authoritatively at Allard and Schweitzer. "Meet me in the back in fifteen minutes."

Before I have a chance to respond, Olivia has already spun on her heel and is striding towards the rear of the store, my two Guards in tow.

"'Kay..." I mutter under my breath.

I have no idea what Olivia's plan is... much less how she thinks to arrange a clandestine meeting with the photographer under Madeleine's nose while there's an entire army of paps parked outside watching our every move.

But I've learned during the course of the social season that the Scarlet Duchess is as enterprising as she is resourceful, having pulled a number of successful ploys in a bid to advance herself in the competition. And Drake seems to trust her implicitly, otherwise, he wouldn't have asked her to keep an eye on me while he's off in Dubai.

So, it looks like I'm just going to have to trust her, too.

Taking a deep breath, I move towards the other end of the shop floor, pretending to peruse the various items on offer while I wait for the allotted time to tick down.

Luckily, Madeleine is busy loudly shooting down each and every lingerie option that is presented to her by both the boutique staff and her increasingly frazzled ladies-in-waiting, so nobody really notices when I announce a pretend visit to the restroom.

Slipping back out into the foyer, I move as casually as possible towards the back of the store, knowing that the paps are still watching me like hawks through the windows.

Rounding the corner, I allow myself to speed up a bit, casting my gaze left and right, looking for Olivia...

...when I'm suddenly yanked into a dimly-lit storeroom stacked with cardboard boxes and plastic-wrapped veils and dresses.

"Hey! What the—?" I protest as the door is shut promptly behind me.

"You're late," Olivia informs me dryly, clicking the lone light bulb on above us.

"Sorry, I had t—"

I reel back in horror as my eyes land on the bound and gagged form of Dion Guillard perched on top of a box of lingerie.

"Oh, my God!" I gasp. "When the heck did this turn into a kidnapping?"

"Ten minutes ago," she replies breezily.

I drop my head in my hands. "I am going to jail... I am literally going to jail..."

"Oh, ye of little faith..." Olivia admonishes, stepping over to the photographer.

He shrinks instantly back from her.

My brows shoot skywards. "Jesus Christ... What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," she shrugs. "Yet..."

A chill runs down my spine. Apparently, Olivia's reputation is more than well deserved...

"I presume you know who we are?" she asks Dion levelly, coming to a stop in front of him.

The man nods tightly, brows bunched together beneath the line of his baseball cap.

"And your current circumstances leave you under no illusions as to the lengths we're willing to go to obtain — by force, or otherwise — the clear and unvarnished truth?"

His gaze slips to meet mine for a second before sliding back to Olivia's to give her the barest of nods.

"Good," she smiles, reaching towards him. "Then this will go that much faster."

In one quick motion, she yanks the scrunched-up handkerchief from the photographer's mouth, making him wheeze.

"Sa mère la pute de—"

"Who are you working for?" Olivia demands, folding her arms.

Dion spits on the floor next to her feet. "I'm a freelancer. I work for—"

"We know who you are," Olivia interjects with a wave of her hand. "You're a lowlife slug who's willing to do anything to make a name for himself. You demonstrated as much when you sold compromising photos of my friend here to the press. The question is, who hired you?"

Dion scoffs. "Nobody hired me. I work for myself! That is what I've been trying to—!"

"Liar," Olivia accuses. "We know you didn't just stumble upon this by yourself. Who's your client?"

"Nom de dieu..." he disparages under his breath. "I told you already, I—"

Olivia is suddenly up in his face, knife pressed to his throat. "And I didn't like your answer."

Dion jerks back instinctively. "Your petite friend is correct... You are going to jail..."

"They'll have to find your body first," she tells him silkily. "What little will be left of it, anyway... Because no one here is going to the police. And I'm sure that your so-called friends out the front will secretly be glad for your unexplained loss. The freelance photography business is oh-so cutthroat, after all..."

"Tu es une salle grace..." he snarls through clenched teeth.

Olivia presses the knife tighter. "Then you should know that it's not in your interest to test what's left of my patience..."

Dion laughs bitterly. "À quoi ça rime? You say already that you will just—"

"What if we paid you?" I interject, stepping forward.

Olivia's head snaps angrily around. "Harper, stay out of—!"

"Paid me?" the photographer cuts in, eyes swirling to meet mine with interest.

"To give us the information we're after... voluntarily," I clarify, in a bid to avoid the impending bloodshed. "And to sell us the photos from Applewood."

Dion frowns. "I already sold the pictures to the papers..."

"Not all of them," I correct, hoping against hope that my gut instinct is correct and I haven't just torpedoed Olivia's interrogation for nothing. "You only sold the ones you were told to sell — the ones that fit your client's narrative."

Dion seems to assess me in a new light. "You come prepared... Fine. I'll do as you ask... for five million."

"Ducats?" asks Olivia.

"Euros."

I very narrowly catch my jaw from falling to the floor at the sound of the obscene price tag.

"You've been paid once already," counters Olivia. "The highest we can go is one million."

"Four," insists Dion, somehow managing to find the balls to negotiate even with a knife pressed to his throat. "There are a lot of pictures."

"Which no one else is willing to buy, so two is our best and final offer."

"Three," declares Dion. "And I'll forget this conversation ever happened."

Olivia purses her lips for a moment, before whipping the knife away with a flourish. "Fine. Start talking."

Dion lets out a low exhale. "I received a call some days before the Jamboree. The person had a tip on one of the Prince's suitors, and said it would make big news if it got out. Naturally, I was interested."

"Who was this person?" I ask.

"I don't have a name," he replies. "The tip was anonymous, and the call came from a hidden number."

"Was it a man or a woman?" Olivia queries.

"A man."

Olivia and I exchange a glance. Tariq or Godfrey.

"How did you get into Applewood?" I ask, turning back to Dion.

"A security pass was delivered to my apartment. No return address," he adds before either of us can ask.

"And that didn't seem suspicious?" I press.

"Demoiselle," he scoffs. "I am a paparazzo. I am not going to... How you Américans��say? Count the teeth of a dog?"

"Look a gift horse in the mouth..." I correct dryly.

"Once on the estate, I took some pictures of the Jamboree — in the event, you know... nothing came of the tip — but then I received a message on my phone that the suitor in question was on her way back to her room with her paramour, andI should make myself ready."

"How did you know which room to go to?" I cut in.

"There was a blueprint of the manor included in the same envelope that provided me my security pass," Dion explains. "It was your room that was marked."

His words hit me like a kick to the guts.

It's been clear for a while that my run-in with Tariq has been anything but chance. But to learn the malicious extent of the planning that had gone into setting it up makes me want to actually puke.

Who was sick enough to even think up something so twisted?

"What then?" asks Olivia, diverting Dion's attention from my momentary muteness.

He shrugs. "I took the photos, and left."

"How?" I croak in disbelief. "How could you just stand there while—?"

"I am a journalist," he shrugs apathetically. "My business is to be impartial..."

"You watched me get assaulted," I hiss through trembling lips. "There is nothing impartial about that!"

He shrugs again. "Affairs are messy. Maybe you should choose your lovers more carefully."

I feel my fists clench at my sides as I take a step forward. "He is not—"

Olivia's hand pulls me back. "How did you deliver the photos?"

"There was no delivery," Dion counters with the same level of nonchalance that he's exhibited since he started talking. "I selected the best pictures and put them out to offer to the newspapers. The Sun offered the most for them, so I sold to them the exclusive rights to publish."

"That's it?" queries Olivia. "No one else was given copies?"

Dion scoffs. "Absolutement pas! Selling copies to anyone else would violate the license agreement with the most influential tabloid newspaper in the country! Why would I put myself out of business? I am not an idiot..."

"You didn't send any samples to the person who tipped you off?" I press, having finally managed to regain my composure somewhat.

"Non," he insists. "I said before — he was not a client. I have no obligation for him. And even if I did, I have no way to contact him because—"

"—the conversations were anonymous," I finish wearily.

Apart from lending credence to our suspicions that Godfrey may have had a hand in the set-up, this conversation has confirmed literally nothing.

The people involved in the plot have been too careful in covering up their tracks.

Which means that all our hopes now rest with Tariq... and Drake's ability to find him.

Dion nods. "C'est correct. And I told you everything you asked. We still have a deal, yes?"

"On the condition that you hand over all the remaining photographs — including any digital and backup copies — and disappear off to a godforsaken island somewhere," Olivia clarifies.

Dion nods eagerly. "Naturellement. I always desired early retirement."

"Good," she approves, cutting the bonds from his wrists with a cold smile. "Otherwise I will personally ensure that you don't live to spend a single Euro of your newly acquired millions."

The flash of the wicked-looking blade so close to his groin causes the photographer to blanch involuntarily. "Je le jure."

Olivia flashes him a cold smile. "We'll be in touch..."

"You're just letting him go?" I hiss into Olivia's ear as Dion pushes himself up.

"Unless you would prefer to dump him in the Tiber?"

I reel back. "What! No! I just—"

"Your instinct was right," she advises softly, as Dion gathers his bag and Allard escorts him back out. "He is an opportunistic shark. He just had to be made to believe that he was fleecing us."

My eyes widen. "So, you played bad cop deliberately."

"As you said, this is my area of expertise," she smirks. "And I knew you would not be able to keep your sentimentality at the door."

"Umm, thanks... I think..." I mutter. "But where are we supposed to get three million Euros from? We may both be aristos, but neither of us is Jeff Bezos..."

"The Palace has a designated slush fund set aside for these sorts of expenditures," Olivia assures me breezily, slotting her knife away. "Since you are now a member of the royal family, we'll just send the bill to Jonathan."

I slant her a wry look. "I'm pretty sure that's not what either he or Christian had in mind when they decided to clean up my image..."

"Oh, please!" she admonishes, stepping back out into the corridor as well. "As recently as last year, Constantine was authorising expenditures of five to ten million Euros to stop pictures of Leo shagging B-list actresses on top of various vehicles making it onto the front pages. Three million Euros is trump change for the Rys."

"If you say so," I concede, my mind still reeling from astronomical sums of money that had been so casually bandied about. "Let's just hope Dion doesn't screw us over..."

"He won't," she assures me. "Nobody is stupid enough to cross a Nevrakis."

"The people who blackmailed you did..." I remind her cautiously.

Olivia's mouth tightens as we reach the end of the corridor. "Which was their first mistake. And one that they will pay for dearly."

"You never actually told me what they threatened you with on the night of the Coronation Ball..."

Olivia glances at me sharply. "The less you know the better."

"But—"

"It is for your own protection," she insists. "You haven't played this game long enough to know how to handle something so... explosive."

My eyes widen. "What? More explosive than—?"

Olivia clamps her hand over my mouth. "What did I tell you on the plane?"

"Sorry..." I mumble through her fingers.

She withdraws her hand. "If — on the very slim chance — I require assistance, I'll ask for it. In the meantime, you should rejoin the bridal parade."

"Why? Where are you going?" I ask as Olivia moves towards the back loading doors.

"None of your business," she ripostes, disappearing outside.

"Bye to you, too..." I snip as the door slams closed in her wake.

Olivia may now be on my side, but she is still as caustic as ever.

Turning back towards the main part of the boutique. I barely make it four steps before Madeleine's shrieks of outrage — and the sound of breaking glass — echo down the hallway.

"How many times do I have to tell you, no thongs! They are ribald and tasteless!"

"Yeah, no..." I mutter under my breath as I promptly spin on my heel to head back towards the rear of the store.

I don't care what Kiara may have said earlier; I have no interest in spending the rest of the morning being trapped in a bridal boutique, being screamed at by Madeleine. I have much better things to do with my time... and sanity, especially given that I'm still trying to mentally and emotionally process what the photographer had said. And after everything else that's happened in the past twenty-four hours, a small break would definitely go a long way in diffusing my pent-up stress.

Admittedly, a part of me feels bad for leaving Hana behind to suffer the full brunt of Madeleine's tirade, but trying to pull her away as well would only jeopardise my chances of making a successful getaway. I'll just have to think of some other way to make it up to her.

Not wanting her to get into any unwarranted trouble on my account, I decide to pull out my phone to send her a quick text letting her know that I'm not feeling well, and that I'll hopefully see her at the opera in the evening.

Slotting my phone back into my clutch, I push the back doors of the boutique open with a decisive shove, and step out into the sunshine.

Letting my eyes adjust to the brightness outside, I find myself in a small courtyard. On a whim, I turn back towards my Guards.

"Which way to the Trevi Fountain?" I ask, pulling my sunglasses back down over my face.

Allard and Schweitzer trade glances, clearly uneasy with this request.

"Demoiselle, that is not a prudent—"

"—way to get lost in the crowd?" I counter. "I can't think of a better one. If I don't advertise myself, no one will know I'm even there. Especially while the paps are tied up on the other side of the building."

My Guards don't seem convinced. "Commandant Walker left specific instructions to—"

"I'm not planning on disappearing on you," I assure them. "I just want to make a quick detour to grab some pastries, and check out the fountain. So, which way is it?"

Perhaps seeing that I'm not going to be swayed by any cautionary counter-argument, Schweitzer gives Allard a one-shouldered shrug of acquiescence.

Allard pulls a face before finally resigning himself as well. "Par ici," he says, indicating the far side of the courtyard.

"Thanks," I chirp with a smile, setting out across the cobblestones...

...and promptly get the heel of my stiletto pumps stuck in a crack between the stones.

"Eugh," I grumble, as I manage to wrench myself free after a brief battle. "I really didn't think this through..."

"Would Demoiselle require a taxi?" asks Schweitzer as he helps steady me from behind.

"I was hoping to walk..." I admit sheepishly.

"Via Borgognona is nearby," Allard suggests. "It is a well-known shopping street, though quieter than the more famous Via Condotti. Demoiselle might find more... comfortable footwear there."

"Not to mention some more appropriate clothes in general," I gripe, already feeling the tight fabric of my pencil dress start to stick to me. "How far away is it?"

"Just around the corner."

I flash him a bright smile. "Perfect!"

With Allard leading the way, and Schweitzer holding my hand, we manage to cross the courtyard without further incident, and sneak past the paps still thronging the front of the bridal boutique without getting spotted.

Crossing the pedestrianised thoroughfare, my Guards usher me down a narrower street that is lined on either side by cream-coloured buildings casting some welcome shade in the midday heat.

We pass a smattering of tourists and locals, but luckily everyone seems to be too absorbed in their phones or personal conversations to pay any specific attention to me.

And — more importantly — as Allard promised, the street is composed entirely of fashionable-looking independent boutiques.

"Let's try this one," I suggest, indicating the arched entryway of a store with an Italian name that I do not recognise, but which nevertheless seems to have several options for sandals on offer. And — given the scalding nature of the weather — an open-toe option is definitely appealing right now!

Stepping into the air-conditioned entranceway, I am immediately greeted by an immaculately made up woman with a severe ponytail, who starts questioning me in rapid-fire Italian.

"Umm..."

Luckily, I am saved from the embarrassment of trying to cobble together some kind of inappropriate response with the very limited — and wholly unhelpful — Italian that Bertrand had managed to teach me on the plane by Allard, who steps deftly up to my side.

"Lei è alla ricerca di alcune nuove scarpe."

"Che tipo de scarpe?"

"Sandals," I say, having understood the gist of the question. "No heel."

"Prego," the assistant says, flicking her hand towards some minimalist shelving.

"Gracia," I acknowledge with a smile.

Moving over to the indicated section, I quickly assess the options...

...and nearly die when I lay eyes on the price tags.

"Almost a thousand Euros...?" I gripe under my breath "For a few scraps of leather...?"

But then my eyes land on a pair bejewelled, gladiator-style sandals.

Given my limited window of opportunity to sneak in some sight-seeing before people start to question my absence, I don't have the luxury of being able to hunt for a bargain. And if I'm going to end up forking out this much money on a pair of shoes, I'm at least going to spend it on something that I like the look of.

And these sandals definitely fit the bill.

Decision made, I pull out my phone to quickly find out how my normal US shoe size converts to the vastly different European sizing, and turn back to the patiently waiting assistant.

"Size 36, please."

With a nod, she disappears 'round the back.

While she's gone, I take the opportunity to look up the location of the little pastry shop that the President had mentioned.

Since I'm heading towards the Trevi Fountain anyway, and Madeleine had pulled us out of this morning's meeting before the refreshments could be served, I had been serious when I told my Guards of my intent to tackle two birds with one stone. Especially since it's nearly lunchtime, and chances are I won't otherwise see food until the opera this evening.

The assistant reappears with my selection, and after a quick try-on, I give her a nod to ring up the extortionate purchase, being excessively grateful that I still have cash left in my US account, given that I don't actually have access to my new Cordonian accounts yet.

Stepping back out onto the street, I change out my shoes, slotting my pumps away into the high-end bag that I've been given, and dumping the shoebox in a nearby trash can.

My toes flex gratefully in their newfound freedom as I cross the street to the clothing boutique, wondering how much a top and pair of jean shorts is going to set me back...

In the end, however, I am pleasantly surprised to emerge back onto the street in a simple, white wrap-dress, a straw Panama hat, and a matching straw bucket bag in which I've stowed my old dress and shoes, all for under two hundred Euros, which means I was able to make recourse to the money Drake had given me, and still have plenty of cash left over for other potential emergencies.

"Thanks for the suggestion," I tell Allard sincerely. "It has definitely saved me from melting into the pavement!"

"De rien, Demoiselle," he acknowledges with a smile. "Are you ready to continue?"

"Lead the way, Monsieur!" I tell him with a grin.

Taking up poll position with a scoff — with Schweitzer bringing up the rear — Allard takes us left at the next intersection to zig-zag us down various side streets, presumably in a bid to avoid both the ferocity of the midday sun, and the chances of me being recognised on the busier avenues.

But, the back route pays off, and within ten minutes, I find myself standing on the edge of the crowded plaza that serves as the gateway to the romantic monument.

"Wow..." I breathe, taking it all in. "It sure is busy!"

Allard and Schweitzer exchange a tense look, no doubt worried about the prospect of being able to keep tabs on me in the press.

"I'll be fine," I assure them. "Just a quick peek and then we can get moving."

Neither of them look convinced, but they don't try to dissuade me as I plunge into the crowd.

Skirting around wedding parties, tour groups, and other miscellaneous sightseers, I manage to work my way to the front of the throng, and my mouth parts with a gasp at the sight spread out before me.

The four-storey monument rises up from the base of the fountain, framing the dynamically positioned statues from under whose feet the water gushes into the aquamarine pool.

It's like a Renaissance painting brought to life.

But, while I'm glad to have made the trip out here to see it in person, I can't help but feel my chest tighten morosely as I gaze up at the beauty of the world-famous landmark.

I didn't necessarily realise it at the time, but part of the reason why I enjoyed my outing in the Cordonian capital so much was because I had Drake to share the adventure with. And it was the same in Avignon — his wry quips and local knowledge had definitely brought the whole experience to life, making me see the city through different eyes than I probably would have had I been by myself... like I am now.

Eugh... I miss him...

Reaching for the ties of my bag on impulse, I pull the fastenings apart just enough to plunge my hand inside. Finding my purse, I snap it open and extract a Euro from the coin pouch.

Squeezing my fingers 'round the warmth of the metal, I clench my eyes shut with a heartfelt wish as I turn back towards the fountain...

...before sending the coin flipping through the air to land in the water before me with a soft plop.

Blinking my eyes open, I am somewhat disappointed to find myself still standing solo by the railing, and Drake has not magically appeared before me like the hot Italian guy did in The Lizzy McGuire Movie.

"Worth a shot..." I console myself somewhat dejectedly as I reach back into my bag to extract my phone so I could snap a couple of pictures to send to my mom.

Mission accomplished, I turn away from the fountain to make my way back to the edge of the square, Allard and Schweitzer falling into step behind me as I scan the various store-fronts clustered around the fountain, searching for the bakery with the pistachio croissants.

My eyes suddenly land on something in one of the window displays...

...and without really thinking about it, I let my feet carry me inside.

The little brass bell above the door jingles as I step into the cramped confines of what appears to be a shop selling a motley collection of antiques and touristy knick-knacks. A wizened old man sporting glasses and a thick head of white hair looks up at the sound of my arrival.

"Buon pomeriggio, signorina," he greets. "Posso aiutarla a cercare?"

"Umm... sì," I say hesitantly. "Hai avo... in the window?" I point at the item that had caught my eye with an embarrassed flush.

The man's face cracks into a grin. "Ah, certamente!"

Stepping out from behind the counter, he ambles his way over to the window display, to pull back the protective glass. Reaching in, he lifts up the silver chain and holds it out to me.

I run the tip of my finger across the edge of the pendant with a smile. "It's perfect."

"For you?" he asks, lifting the chain up to my neck indicatively.

"No," I laugh. "It's a present... Por mi amore?"

His eyes light up. "Ah, bellissimo! Lo avvolgerò in su per voi!"

"Gracia," I say as he scuttles excitedly back behind the counter in search of a box.

Pulling one out with a conspiratorial flourish, he sets about packaging up the piece as if he were swaddling a precious child for a hazardous journey, even managing to dig out a slightly dusty ribbon to tie on top.

"Cento euro," he declares, presenting the completed ensemble to me.

Pulling my wallet out, I extract my card. "Visa?"

"Sì! Ovviamente!" he proclaims, slapping a brand new Square card machine onto the counter, that was starkly at odds with the otherwise Ollivander-esque décor of the place.

Slotting my card into the reader, I complete the purchase, and am just about to reach for the box to stow it away in my bag when I feel a sudden presence behind me.

"This is becoming a bad habit with you..."

I freeze at the sound of the familiar voice.

No way...

The story continues in Chapter 20 - Steal Me Away

A/N: As per usual, translations below:

Nous vous tienons, Demoiselle - We got you, m'lady

At the bridal boutique:

Contessa! Contessa Maddalena! Quaggiù, per favore! - Countess! Countess! Over here, please!

Certainement. Vous allez bien? - Certainly. Are you alright?

C'est le bordel! Qu'est-ce qu'elle croyait?" - What mess! What was she thinking?

Sa mère la pute de— - Your mother is a whore of a—

Nom de dieu - Oh, my God!

Tu es une salle grace - You're a real bitch

Absolutement pas! - Absolutely not!

Je le jure - I swear

Lei è alla ricerca di alcune nuove scarpe - She is looking for some new shoes.

Out and About

Par ici - This way

Che tipo de scarpe? - What kind of shoes?

Prego - Please

Gracia - Thanks

De rien, Demoiselle - No problem, m'lady

Buon pomeriggio, signorina. Posso aiutarla a cercare? - Good afternoon, miss. Can I help you find anything?

Ah, bellissimo! Lo avvolgerò in su per voi! - Ah, lovely! I will wrap it up for you!

Por mi amore?* - For my love?

*This is a completely butchered attempt at Italian. The grammatically correct way to say it would be 'È per il mio amore'. However, Harper is improvising, so she's not going to get things completely correct 😇

Cento euro - One hundred Euros

Sì! Ovviamente! - Yes! Of course!

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arc-misadventures · 1 year ago

Text

Secrets Well Kept

Jaune was having a bog-standard day until the moment his day was flipped on its head.

Literally.

Right now he was suspended in the air by his leg hanging over the roof of a building situated away from prying eyes.

He was surprised how quickly he got up here, how a single thread was holding him suspended in the air, but more importantly, that he didn’t throw up his guts in the process of getting here.

But, considering he was hanging upside down he suspected that there was still a possibility of that happening.

Peachy.

Fortuitously he wouldn’t have to worry about that for long. Hopefully.

For his captor have finally revealed themselves before him, and he only had one thing to say to them.

Jaune: If you dare say, “How’s it Yanging?” I will deliberately throw up on you.

: You wouldn’t dare!

Jaune: Unless it is by the form of a vile semi-non-lethal case of projectile vomit, how else could I, a common human possibly harm you, Spidergal.

Spidergal, the wisecracking web-slinger that swung around the city, saving people from a variety of things: Criminals committing crimes, cars speeding out of control, an introductory lesson of the ramifications of underestimating gravity. She will come in, and save everyone, be they petty criminals, or crazy men in monster suits. There were too many of those weirdos around town lately.

Jaune: Or… should I perhaps say… Yang Xiao Long…?

Spidergal stared at him for a moment before pulling off her mask, revealing a mane of golden hair, vibrant amethyst eyes, and a face that vibrated with fear.

Yang: Why?! Why did you do that?!

Jaune: Seemed pretty simple really; Your name is, Yang. I’m hanging from a… Crane? Yang, hang: Yanging. Seemed pretty simple considering you like towards making cheap puns.

Yang: it’s good I’ll give you that! But, why?!

Jaune: Why?

Yang: Yes: WHY?

Jaune: Why what?

Yang: Why didn’t you tell anyone that I was, Spidergal?!

Jaune: Are you talking about that time I caught you changing into your spider suit, and I caught you in that tantalizing lacy violet underwear?

Yang: Yes tha…?! Wait, you peaked?!

Jaune: To be fair, I couldn’t help it. You were changing your outfit at the time, and I just happened to walk on you in the process.

Yang: …

Yang: That’s fair… But, why didn’t you tell anyone?!

Jaune: Yes, I’m going to tell everyone I found out, Spidergal’s secret identity because I caught her in her underwear whilst changing into her suit. Who the devil would believe that, that could possibly happen?

Yang: Well… uhhh…? Honestly I wouldn’t believe that either.

Jaune: Precisely! Besides, I try to be a gentleman; I would have legged it out of there if it wasn’t for the fact that your friends… What are their names… Weiss, and… Blake?

Yang: Yes, their names are, Weiss, and Blake.

Jaune: Yeah, they could have caught you in that compromising position. Short of confessing you were, Spidergal, or a nudist how could you have gotten out of that?!

Yang: Definitely not the nudist route…

Jaune: Not to mention that squid guy…

Yang: Dr. Oc!

Jaune: Lame. Anyway he was on a rampage, so you had more pressing matters to attend to.

Yang: But… T-That was a month ago! Why haven’t you done anything?!

Jaune: Anything? What do you mean by that?

Yang: you could have blackmailed me into doing stuff for you, or you’ll reveal my identity! Like stealing stuff for you, o-or… m-making me doing something lewd…

As, Jaune lazily hung from the air he shot her an infuriated look that shocked her as she gazed upon a face that screamed offence.

Jaune: I’m tempted to tell everyone now for how insulted I feel that you would dare think that I would do something like that!

Yang: I’m sorry! It’s just… you know… secret identity that she has to keep secret… smoking hot babe… teenage boy…

Jaune: Get your head out of whatever gutter its in lady!

Yang: Okay! Just, why haven’t you told anyone about this, hell why didn’t you come to me about knowing this?! I’ve been on edge all month thinking you were planning something?!

Jaune: Hmm… That’s a fair concern. Well, I’ll tell you precisely what I was planning! But, first, I require a favour…

Yang recoiled in fear, her nerves were on edge as she saw the loopy smile across his face. She didn’t think he was planning anything sinister, but she couldn’t risk it.

Yang: What favour…

Jaune: Get me down from here! The blood is rushing to my head, and I think the projectile vomit is more of a warning, not a threat now!

Yang: Oh shit, yeah, sorry!

Yang quickly brought him down where, Jaune promptly laid on his back as he let his blood settle. After a few minutes he stood up, shaking the dizziness away.

Yang: You better?

Jaune: Somewhat? Imma gonna need to lie down for a while… that is so uncomfortable…

Yang: You can get used to it.

Jaune: Yeah, but I’m not… whatever it is you now are.

Yang: Hey!

Jaune: Okay… What I was planning to do was this: Nothing.

Yang: Nothing; you weren’t planning on doing anything?

Jaune: Not a gods dammed thing.

Yang: S-Seriously?

Jaune: Yep, I wasn’t planning on doing anything. You’ve been a great help to this city, it needs people like you, honest to god hero. I didn’t want to mess that up for internet clout. I mean, image how many people will be impacted if they knew you were, Spidergal. I mean… How many people could be hurt if your secret got out. And, I don’t just mean your family, but your friends, and any random schmuck on the street. Me telling who you are puts so many people at risk. I couldn’t dare dream of doing such a thing. So, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.

Yang: Oh… T-Thank you…

Yang fidgeted with her hair nervously as she looked away with a faint blush on her face. She did this because she thought the heroing was cool, and the overall right thing to do. But, to hear someone thank her for doing what she did, seeing that her being a superhero, and doing the things she does, and for who she does it for was more important than knowing who she was, meant the world to her, and really gave her that boost of confidence she needed.

Jaune: So don’t worry about it, Yang. I’ve kept this a secret for over a year now, I can keep it secret still for years yet to come.

Yang: Thanks, Jaune, I really…?! Wait… ‘Over a year now…?’ Hold up! You’ve know I was, Spidergal for over a year now?!

Jaune: Yep!

Yang: How?!

Jaune: Remember when we first met?

Yang: Uhh… We met in the hallway at school… you were helping me by putting a textbook back into my backpack?! You saw my suit when you were putting that book back?!

Jaune: Close, I saw your suit in your backpack before I put that textbook back in. Why do you think I zipped up your backpack when I put the textbook back, and gave you that warning about letting stuff fall out?

Yang: You’ve known the whole time that I was, Spidergal since our freshmen year?!

Jaune: You weren’t really famous for a while yet, but yeah, pretty much.

Yang: H-Have you been protecting my secret the whole time as well?!

Jaune: More, or less.

Yang: Oh… okay…

Jaune: So… now what?

Yang: I don’t know… You know my secret, and have been keeping my secret for over a year now… I guess we just carry on as we are?

Jaune: I can do that.

Yang: Do you… Would you mind if I came to you… To talk about all these things I’ve been through? I don’t have anyone to talk about this to, and I could really use someone to talk to… do you… Would you mind?

Jaune look at her before walking over to a vent box on the roof. The metallic box echoed as he sat upon it, he turned to her, and tapped a spot besides him. Yang smiled at him before jumping, and summersaulting in the air, and landing gracefully next to him.

Jaune: So… Lets start at the beginning shall we?

Yang: How I became, Spidergal? That’s a good place to start.

Jaune: Oh, I was going to ask how you hide all that hair under that mask of yours; like seriously, how?!

Yang laughed as she lightly punched his arm before she told him the origin story of the, Astonishing Spidergal.

And, Jaune had to admit, it was too ridiculous to be true. But, such is life: Too ridiculous to be true.

///

Ahh, finally get to play out that Spiderman idea I’ve had stuck in my head for months now!

That was fun. Well, back to the grinding stone.

Do enjoy~!

#rwby #jaune arc #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #weiss schnee

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butterflywannabefree · 5 months ago

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Moodboards for @camhues

So, I've been getting a bit bored with my life lately and decided I needed to do something to get busy. My art skills are killing me and I'm trying to practice but I gave up for a while. Then I'm scrolling through Tumblr and admiring everyone's amazing OC's and I wish I could draw like them and some of them are underrated more than should be so...Why not just celebrate them ?! I can't for my own life draw anything good but what I can do is find good aesthetic choices and I love making moodboards and such for characters. So that's what I'm doing for OC's of people who need more attention ! Today we are starting with the beautiful and talented @camhues. If you don't know them, she is a artist of Tumblr mostly known for her LMK OC's and does a lot of doodles with them. And she makes only women and OH MY GOD, THESE ARE THE MOST GORGEOUS WOMEN IN MY LIFE AHH- Enough, I need to get on. She has a lot and I did one for all of them ! (Sheesh-) Or at least the ones I know. So Here's the Moodboards for them and a quick summary of what I think of them.

First off, Mama Jun. Her main OC from what I know and sort of a mother figure to MK and a reincarnation like Pigsy and Tang. Um, she's so gorgeous. I want that braid and the simplistic design works in her favor because there is something so simple and charming about her when I look at her. Also, her Mama-Son bond with MK is adorable-

Then there is Daiyu who from what I know is a Plant-Controller Demoness...or something ? Oh, and she's shipped with Red Son and their name is RedJade. Not as simplistic as Jun but it works in her favor here because she could step on me and I wouldn't be offended. Just let me smell the roses you grow, Daiyu !

Next here is Ling who is a Jade Maiden and is probably one of my current favorites. One of the simpler designs which I love and the lore behind her is also something I wanna find out. Her aesthetic was something I struggled with but it worked out. And as for who she is dating, it is unclear as Cam said she could be with one of three characters. Azure, Wukong or Macaque- I think she and Azure would be really cute-

Here we have Miss Suyin, secretary to the Spider Queen and Resident Mommy according to those who repost her- That's why I added that 'Mommy, sorry-' picture, I couldn't skip the joke. This woman is one of the many reasons I like women with glasses and she's a spider and her 4 eyes look cool-

Another one of my favorites, Baozhu. A Monkey Painter who is someone who I really wanna exist in real life so I can touch her fur and hair because it looks so fluffy ! I mean, look at this girlie ! She's FLOOFY ! I wanna touch the floof ! <333

And now we have domineering Lady in Ao Jiang who from that name I believe is somehow related to Ao Lie ? And is part of Mei's family ? I don't know that much yet but yeah, I love this one. Also, the little jewels hanging from her horns ? *Chef's kiss*

Space Lady Polaris who is giving me stars in my eyes for how cute she looks alone. She looks like someone who would be waiting in my dreams so I could just talk to her. I don't wanna burden her with my troubles though-

Brave Knight of the Falling Stars Asterius who I think might be related to Polaris in some way. They are both Space related in a way. I wonder if there is a connection ? But I love how she looks. She seems like a tomboy and I love tomboy characters :)

Lychee, Oh Lychee, how I tried to do justice for you ! But your aesthetic was something I couldn't nail down much. But at least I added real Lychee's for your sake and put some baking and wrestling into it. Please don't hit me...Or you can. You're gorgeous as you are friking intimidating. For a wrestler and a baker anyway.

Meihua who is honestly one of the most wholesome characters I have seen in a while. She gives me hopeless romantic vibes which I tried to add in here. The flowers for his florist work as well and mainly pink for this one because it matches her hair. Younger me would've loved her while current me thinks she's a lovable character who needs protection.

This woman, however, doesn't need protection as she can use her heels to murder her way through the crowd. Xin Yan, everyone. An evil woman who is gorgeous and she knows it. I heard she was a dancer and singer and the owner of a nightclub so that inspired this a lot. Xin Yan looks like she could kill me with a stare...and I would thank her for it.

Zhenzhu who I don't know much about but damn I really wanna give her a hug because she looks so sad in this picture. She's a handmaiden from what I know for the Empress of Heaven. HOW IS SHE A HANDMAIDEN WITH THE LOOKS OF A GODDESS ??

Chenguang is the ancestor of Jun who once went on the Journey to the West disguised as a man. Her aesthetic was hard to nail down but I eventually went for one that has themes of independence, journeys and outdoor backgrounds.

Ehuang who I thought was another version of Wyldfyre from Ninjago: Dragons Rising. If I didn't know she couldn't control fire, I would've thought fire would be her entire thing. That's why I added boiling water. Along with potions and lots of red.

And last of the OC'S, Chyou ! Who I really don't know much about except for the fact she is an Egret Celestial. So she's graceful as the bird itself and as beautiful as it as well. She is really lovely and the flowers in her hair are a nice touch <3 And that's all the OC's belonging to @camhues ! Or at least the ones I know. If I missed anything, I apologize and I'll make one for them on another day. But for now, have this. These were so much fun to make ! :)

Also, Cam, if you are looking at this, this is for you:

This moodboard is for you ! Don't take this the wrong way but you give me Chaotic Academia vibes- That's not an insult ! I'm sorry, your art is lovely and should be viewed by everyone ! Maybe I'll do this again but I don't know yet. I have to find time to do so. For now, have these gorgeous women ! And guys, please go and take a look as Cam's stuff. They are a very talented artist with a unique style and just a lot of women who you will grow to love ! For now, I'm Vee and I'll see you later when I can :D

All these beautiful characters belong to @camhues (Do not steal from her)

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livingdreams97 · 4 months ago

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Kylie Jenner -- "The Babysitter" (Part 2)

Kylie Jenner x fem reader/oc

Summary: Who would have thought that anwering to a babysitter job offer for the summer to a unknown family would let to meeting someone that would move your world.

Words: 4.196

Masterlist

Kylie POV

I change Stormi for a metallic bathing suit, so that I can match her and take some photos of us. We arrived in Mykonos yesterday afternoon, but we were all exhausted and all we did was have dinner together. After dinner everyone went to their room to sleep and rest for today.

Today's plan was quite simple. We would take a yacht and sail around the island, trying to have as little contact as possible with people and thus be able to enjoy some family time.

We would spend the night on the yacht, so we had to bring a small bag with clothes and what was necessary for the night and the next day.

I already had everything ready. I am wearing a metallic gray bikini like my baby, with a short blue and white dress over it, esparto sandals and a white hat over my loose black hair. Stormi was dressed just like me, only she wasn't wearing her sun hat and she's wearing transparent children's sandals.

I also had the bag ready with tonight's clothes and tomorrow's clothes for both of them. So with the bag in one hand and my daughter's hand in the other, we walked to the outside table where is the rest of the family having breakfast?

Kylie: Good morning family.- I greet seeing most of my family sitting at the table and having breakfast.

Family: Good morning.- They greet each other happily and continue eating.

Kylie: Where are Kim and Kendall? - I ask between confused and interested, when the only ones missing are them and Kim's children and babysitter.

Khloe: They left ten minutes ago, because they already had breakfast and we had to go in different cars anyway.- she answers with a smile, as she gives True a spoon of fruit.

Kourtney: And Penelope has also gone with them, because they were going to choose the rooms and she wanted to share it with North.- she informs me, while I place food for both me and my daughter on our plates.

Kris: Anyway, we have to finish breakfast in five minutes and get on the vans.- she says looking at her wristwatch. -Because the yacht sets sail in forty minutes and the trip to the port is a little more than twenty.- she comments to us and we all nod in understanding.

We finished having breakfast and we got into two vans, since we all did not enter in one. I'm going with my daughter, Khloe, True, Dream, Kourtney and Mason. While in the other ban are my mother, Corey, Scott, Reing and Rob.

Khloe: Yesterday I couldn't ask you.- she comments turning to me, since we were in the same row. -But what did you think of Kim's new babysitter?- she asks me with a smile.

Kylie: I thought she was nice.- I answer in a simple way, without trying to tell her more.

Kourtney: Just that?- she asks me, turning around in her seat so she can see me and not turn her back on me since she is ahead of me.

Kylie: What else do you want me to say?- I ask her in my defense. -I didn't talk to her for a long time, because she was working and taking care of the children during the whole flight.- I explain to them, seeing how they both look at me with narrowed eyes.

Khloe: Well, something else girl.- she says a bit exasperated. -If you found her attractive, pretty, ugly or anything. We are not asking you much.- she says with a smile that I know very well.

Kylie: She's not ugly.- I affirm with a frown. -But I don't see why that should matter, Y/n seems friendly and quite efficient, but I don't understand what her physique comes from with her work.- I commented, trying to change the subject and evade any intention of my sisters about the girl.

Mason: Y/n is beautiful and she's very hot.- he comments with a big smile, making me give him a dirty look and the other two adults laugh.

Stormi: Y/n is very pretty.- my daughter tells from my lap.

Kylie: You should tell your son not to talk like that.- I complained to my sister, since it's a very vulgar way of referring to a woman, especially if it's about MY wife.

Wait what? MY wife, but I hardly know her and I know little more than her name, age and what she studies. What's going on in my head? She's not mine, much less my wife. She's just Kim's babysitter and nothing more than that. Although she is very attractive and her British accent turns my stomach in a good way.

Kourtney: Mason Kylie is right, you can't talk like that about a woman.- she claims to her son. -But he's not lying.- she says shrugging her shoulders.

Khloe: I agree with you Kourt, she has a body to die for and her accent is very sensual.- she tells her amused and biting her lip. -If I didn't like men so much, I assure you I would try something with her without any shame.- she says amused, making our older sister laugh and I look at her with a frown.

Kylie: That's what's stopping you from trying with her, that you like men too much? - I ask impressed and somewhat annoyed.

Khloe: Well yes.- she answers shrugging her shoulders. -I don't see any other reason why I wouldn't try something with her.- she comments without giving it much importance.

Kylie: I mean, having almost ten years more and a daughter is not an impediment for you.- I comment with a bit of irony.

Khloe: Well no, there are many couples even 30 or 40 years apart.- she tells me with a smile. -Besides that she's good with children, so I'm sure she wouldn't care much if I have a daughter or not.- she assures me with amusement and some malice.

Kylie: Whatever you say.- I say looking out the window, ending the conversation and thinking about the conversation we just had.

Ten minutes later, the van stops and parks at the entrance to the port. We got out of them, me putting my daughter on my hip and starting to walk behind my mother. The drivers will bring the bags onto the yacht, so I no longer have to carry her and I can hold my daughter in my arms.

Kris: Kim has told me that they are on the second floor where the pool is.- she tells the rest of us. -So now you choose your rooms on the lower floor and we all meet by the pool.- she orders us and gets on the yacht with Corey behind her.

We all do as he has told us, getting on the yacht and going down to the floor where the cabins are. I choose one of the first, since it is closer to the stairs and I don't have to walk that far to my room.

I enter finding a quite nice room, spacious and with what is necessary for a cabin for one night. I let the yacht bellboy drop my bag on the bed and with a little thanks he leaves the cabin. I begin to prepare myself to go up to the pool, to later prepare my daughter and be able to get together with the rest of the family.

POV You

I'm in the pool with Penelope and Kim's children, playing with them and entertaining them. We had reached the yacht almost an hour ago and still had about ten minutes to go before sailing.

So Kim has decided to put on our swimsuits and play in the pool, so the children are entertained and tired by the end of the day.

I was with the children in the pool, along with Kendall and Kim is out sitting on one of the loungers and watching her children play. Pslam is in Kenny's arms, since he is still 2 years old and too small to let him loose in the pool. I hold Chicago when she gets tired in one arm while I play with North and Saint.

I had put on my emerald bikini, completely exposing my physique. You could clearly see my abs and the V, that thanks to all the exercise I do for soccer I have.

Khloe: The one you guys were crying foris here!- she shouts announcing her arrival and making all of us present see her.

Chicago: Tutu! - she screams excitedly from my arm, as soon as she sees her cousin and she runs towards us.

True: Chai chai! - she shouts, stopping at the edge of the pool.

Kim: About time you got here, we've been here for an hour and waiting for you all.- she complains to his sister.

Khloe: Not all of us have a sexy babysitter and brought her with us.- she comments and I can't help but laugh.

Y/n: Thanks for the sexy thing.- I appreciate jokingly, helping Chicago out of the pool so she can play with her cousin.

Khloe: Don't blame me, with that accent and that body you're almost irresistible.- she comments, staring at my abdomen when the water covers me by the waist and leaves the upper part of my body visible.

Kendall: Almost?- Confused question. -She's completely irresistible.- she tells her sister laughing and I splash her with the funny water.

Khloe: If she had a penis she would be irresistible, but since she doesn't it's an almost and a very small one.- she replies to her amused sister.

Kris: Leave the poor girl alone, Khloe.- she tells her playfully, appearing behind her with Corey behind her.

Kim: Yeah, leave my sexy babysitter alone and stop ogling her.- she orders her sister amused, who pretends to be indignant and walks to the lounger next to her.

Khloe: I'm not bothering anyone, right Y/n?- she wonders and I deny laughing.

Y/n: You don't bother me at all.- I answer with a smile, picking up Saint and taking him out into the water at his own request.

Khloe: See.- she says pointing at me with his hand. -Besides we're just kidding.- she tells her sister.

Kim: Whatever you say.- she says with a small laugh.

Kris: Let the holidays begin.- she says excitedly, with a glass in her hand and leaning back on a lounger.

Chicago returns with her cousin and I help them both get into the pool. While I watch them and play with them, Kendall and I pick up the thread of our conversation about classic cars because we both like them.

I tell her about the dark chalk Aston Martin DB5 I own. My father gave it to me at 16 and we restored it together, as it was in very poor condition. A year later the car was like it was new and since I got my driver license that year I was able to use it from the beginning.

The only bad thing is that my car is in London and I can't use it in the United States. My parents offered to send it here, but I don't want it to break with the way Americans drive or something like that. So I prefer to use it when I come back to London and use my Jeep here.

On the other hand,Kendall owns an aquamarine 1957 Chevrolet Corvette, a red 1966 Ford Mustang convertible, a lilac purple 1964 Cadillac El Dorado convertible, and a black 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. She clearly has some awesome cars, plus she understands them and it's something we can talk about for hours.

Y/n: Well, the Austin Healey 3000 is very similar to the 1957 Chevrolet.- I comment with a smile, while I throw Chicago into the water and making her laugh.

Kendall: Yes?- she asks a little confused.

Y/n: Yes, my father has had a blue and white one for as long as I can remember.- I reply, throwing True now. -My father is fond of classics and he has always told me which car is similar to which one and even which one is better.- I commented to her, throwing Chicago again.

Kendall: What would you say is the car of your dreams?- she asks me interested, playing with Pslam in her arms and looking at me with a small smile.

Y/n: A matt black Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.- I answer her with certainty. -Yours?- I ask now, still playing with the girls and watching Saint, North and Penelope out of the corner of my eye.

Kendall: I think a 1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster.- she answers me after a few seconds.

Y/n: It's a nice car.- I comment with a smile, and then I feel a little body throw itself onto my back and hug my neck tightly.

Kylie: Stormi be careful! - I hear the scream and when I see all the children except the one named, I already know who I have on my back.

Stormi: Hiiiii.- she greets clinging to my neck, making me and Kendall laugh at the girl.

Kendall: Hello Storm.- greets her with an amused smile.

Stormi: I want that too.- she says happily, separating from my neck and throwing herself strangely into my arms.

Y/n: What do you want little one? - I ask a bit confused.

Stormi: Throw me like Chi chi and tutu.- she tells me with a smile and I look at Kenny, who nods to me and I toss her a bit into the air so she falls into the pool.

Chicago: Me, me, me.- she says throwing herself into my hands and I throw her, then doing it with True, Stormi and Chicago again and so on for a few minutes.

Kylie POV

My eyes never leave the British girl. I closely observe how she talks animatedly with my sister and how she plays with my daughter and nieces. I can't help but watch her body over and over again, letting myself be delighted by her incredible body.

I have completely stopped disguising my looks, since I have joined the family and seen her in the pool, my eyes have been glued to her.

Right now I don't care about my sisters, mother and family companions. Because all I can focus on is the 1.73cm, 19-year-old Brit and her abs. Who at that age has such a defined body? I do not understand it, but I will not deny that it is a gift for the eyes and for the imagination.

Kim: Stop violating my babysitter with your eyes.- she whispers in my ear and I turn my face towards her, looking at her badly.

Kylie: I'm not doing any of that, I'm watching my daughter and making sure nothing happens to her.- I say and I turn my gaze to where the girls are, but looking at my daughter this time.

Kim: Umjm, I'll pretend I didn't see you bite your lip and press your thighs together while you were staring at Y/n's abs.- she whispers again in amusement and turns to face the pool.

Kylie: Shut up.- I growl at her and go to Instagram on my phone.

The rest of the day goes by quickly, with the adults drinking and having fun, while the children play and are entertained with Y/n. I have to admit that all damn day, I haven't been able to go more than five minutes without looking at the nanny and her perfect everything.

From the perfection of her smile, to her beautiful brown hair, her defined abdomen, her beautiful ass and all of her perfect being.

I know that Kim has caught me more than once, since she sends me suggestive looks and some reversed smile. But she hasn't said anything out loud yet again and she hasn't mentioned it to the rest of my sisters. So I have time to be calm, without my four sisters being on top of me and teasing me every second.

But I think Kendall has started to realize it too, since from time to time her eyes found mine on the girl and she looked at me somewhat thoughtfully.

All because she has been with Y/n almost all day, helping her take care of the children and talking to her. Which if I'm honest, makes me a little jealous and it's not for less, since Kenny is a Victoria's Secret model and everyone loves her.

Kylie: I'm going to sleep.- I say with a bit of difficulty, now being 2 in the morning and because tomorrow I'll have a horrible hangover if I stay longer.

Khloe: Don't go yet, bitch!- she yells at me from the opposite sofa. -Take another shot with us and let's have fun, we're on vacation.- she says excitedly and clearly drunk.

Kylie: You drink that shot, I'm going to sleep and avoid looking like a zombie in the morning.- I say getting up and staggering a little with a little laugh.

Kourtney: Well be careful, don't fall overboard and be unlucky that your implants don't float.- she comments amused, causing laughter and some strange noise from those present due to drunkenness.

Kylie: Honey it's all real.- I say pointing to my body. -The one with the boob surgery is you, so be careful, those must already be expired and I'm sure they'll end up sinking you.- I say with a muffled laugh, pointing to her breasts and high-fiving Ken and Klo.

Kendall: That's my little sister.- she says, still laughing.

Kylie: Good night bitches.- I say goodbye and walk to the floor of the rooms.

As I walk the corridors of the yacht, I hold on to the walls and try to avoid a painful fall. When I get to the cabins I try to open my door a couple of times, but it resists me and does not open.

Kylie: Stupid door.- I mumble while trying to open it. -You only have two jobs, to open and close yourself and you don't even know how to do that.- I say staring at the door and giving it the middle finger.

I keep trying to open the door, while muttering insults and obscenities at the door. But this stays unfazed and still does not open. Until suddenly, the door opens from the inside and my mouth drops open in total surprise.

Y/n: Do you need something? - she asks hoarsely, rubbing her left eye with her hand and only in a wide short-sleeved shirt which is just below the butt.

Kylie: What are you doing in my room? - I ask confused, after getting out of my head and staggering a bit.

Y/n: I think you're making a mistake.- she comments with a beautiful laugh and I'm staring at her. -This is my room, yours is the one in front and has the number 3.- she says pointing behind my back.

Kylie: I like your laugh.- I comment gawking, ignoring what she told me and focusing on her face.

Y/n: Thank you?- funny and somewhat confused.

Kylie: You're very pretty.- I assure her with a goofy smile, staring between her eyes and her thin but soft-looking and plump lips.

Y/n: Do you want me to help you? - she asks even more amused and I just nod watching her. -Have you had a lot to drink?- she asks placing her hands on my shoulders and turning me around.

Kylie: I haven't drunk a single drop.- I answer holding back my laughter and clearly lying. -I just got dizzy.- I assure her, nodding my head at what i'm saying.

Y/n: I'm sure that's it.- she says, carefully opening the door of my room and guiding me into the cabin.

Kylie: Are you going to sleep with me?- I ask hopefully, like a little girl.

Y/n: Shhh.- she whispers close to my ear. -Stormi is asleep and it's better not to talk too loud.- she whispers again, causing chills in my body and getting me into the bathroom. -Now sit on the toilet.- she orders, pointing to the cup and looking at the things on the sink.

Kylie: But will you sleep with me?- I ask again with a pout, doing what she ordered and sitting on the toilet.

Y/n: I don't think it's the right thing to do.- she answers without looking at me, looking through my makeup products and looking for something between them.

Kylie: But I want to.- I whimpered a bit, running my eyes all over her body and trying to see under her shirt.

Y/n: I don't think you want to put a stranger in your bed with you and your daughter.- she points out the last thing, taking something and approaching me with it.

Kylie: You are not unknown.- I assure with certainty. -You are Y/n, you are 19 years old, you study architecture and I don't remember what else at UCLA, you play soccer, you are British; which is very sexy because of the accent and you work as a babysitter for my sister Kim. - I list with my fingers, watching how she denies amused and kneels between my legs.

Y/n: Even so, you don't know me.- she assures me with a smile, taking a make-up remover wipe from the package and bringing it closer to my face.

Kylie: And neither do you, but you are removing my makeup and helping me.- I say as if it were a point of weight. -Besides that you're between my legs and with this dress I'm sure you're seeing everything.- I say with a suggestive smile and she laughs, shaking her head.

Y/n: You're something else Kylie.- she assures fun, gently grabbing my chin and starting to remove my makeup.

Kylie: But I can be your something else.- I assure moving my eyebrows up and down suggestively and listening to her hoarse laugh.

Y/n: I think that tomorrow you will regret having this conversation.- she assures with a smile, concentrating on what she is doing and biting her lip for concentration.

Kylie: I'll only regret it if I don't do something.- I say with confidence.

Y/n: And what is it? if I can know .- asks curiously and I bite my lip in response.

But instead of telling her I just show her. I grab her face by the cheeks with both hands, pulling her to me and connecting our lips in a simple kiss.

I close my eyes during the kiss, feeling the warmth and softness of her lips and the turmoil of emotions that a simple kiss is generating inside me.

Kylie: That.- I answer almost without a voice when I break away from the kiss, resting my forehead against hers and keeping my eyes closed.

Y/n: I... I'm... not but... but what? - she asks confused, separating our foreheads and making me open my eyes to see her.

Kylie: I like you a lot and I was going to regret it if I didn't kiss you.- I explain with a small smile, looking at her eyes and seeing a certain brightness in them.

Y/n: But I'm just the babysitter.- she says confused and I frown at that.

Kylie: And what has to do with it.- I say a little annoyed. -I like you, not what you work on or what you study, i like you and nothing else.- I assure pulling her neck and bringing her face closer to mine. -Sooo, do you wanna sleep with me? - I ask again with a smile.

Y/n: I like you a lot too, but I don't know if it's appropriate and a bit hasty.- she responds somewhat insecurely.

Kylie: Shut up and do what I ask.- I order and I kiss her again, but this time more deeply.

After kissing for a while, she finishes removing my makeup and helping me put on my night creams. I changed into some feminine white boxers and a wide blue stormiworld t-shirt to sleep. Y/n helps me get into bed with my daughter and finishes tucking me in.

Kylie: Where are you going? - I ask confused, grabbing her hand when she separates and starts to walk away.

Y/n: To sleep in my room.- she responds a little nervous.

Kylie: Stop fooling around and come inside.- I ordered with a smile, pulling her hand hard and forcing her to get into bed behind me. -Now hug me and be the big spoon.- I tell her and I turn around, turning my back and hugging my daughter to my chest.

Y/n: Bossy.- she murmurs in an almost inaudible way, passing her arms under my neck and over my waist.

Kylie: I've heard you.- I say giving her an elbow in the stomach.

Y/n: Besides being bossy, your aggressive too.- she assures with a very soft laugh.

Kylie: Keep going so you'll know what aggressiveness is.- I assure her, closing my eyes and relaxing in her arms. -Good night.- I whisper, feeling the heaviness of more eyes.

Y/n: Good night.- she whispers back, leaving a kiss on my shoulder and yawning against it.

And that's how I slept for the first time with my now fiancée. No one would say that this temporary babysitter would become my girlfriend and later my fiancée, with whom I would later marry.

We would move to a house that she has designed herself and with which I would have two more biological boys and three more biological girls, besides Stormi for my part.

THE END

#kylie jenner #kylie jenner x reader #gxg imagine #gxg #the kardashians #khloe kardashian #kim kardashian #kendall jenner #fanfic #oc character #fem oc #kris jenner

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mandy-asimp · 1 year ago

Text

Random confessions

Pairings: Melissa Schemmenti x oc(they/them)

Warnings: kissing! Gary hate(I promise I support him🙏) cursing, I think that’s it?

A/n: this is like doing the fork in the garbage disposal

“Janine, I think you shouldn’t beat around the bush. Yes, neither of you have it in you to confess, but if you let him go then you’ll be upset about it.” The two younger teachers walked in together. Alex advising the friend to not make their mistake.

They were the last two to get to the teacher’s lounge. “You speak like you know how it feels?”

Alex nodded, their curls bouncing in the action. “I am, I liked melissa since my first day, cause anyone in their right mind would, but she has Gary so I just admire from a far and I’m telling you Janine, being envious of someone is not fun.” They casually said. The whole room was quiet.

They kept moving through their routine. Pulling out their lunch, heating it up. “Seriously, don’t make my mistake. Plus, you two are head over heels for each other, it’s just a matter of the moment.” Alex shrugged. Taking their seat across from Melissa at the table. Looking up to meet the eyes of everyone else, they stared confused. “What? I thought it was extremely obvious I like her?”

“No! No it wasn’t!” Melissa was the first to shout. The red head didn’t waste another second before storming out the room.

Alex furrowed their brows, “that was a bit much. I mean seriously, it wasn’t a secret.” They were so calm about it and everyone was stunned.

Barb cleared her throat, “I think we’re all confused, especially because we all thought you would never say it out loud…in front of her.”

They let out a small laugh and went on with their day. Not really putting much attention to the whole lunch thing.

That was until Melissa stomped in at the end of the day. Slamming the door shut. “You got some nerve kid! You don’t get to make me think that you hate me for almost two years just to casually confess you have a little schoolgirl crush on me.”

“Did you really think I hated you?” Alex turned in their chair to face the red head. Smiling just ever so slightly at how the redness on the woman deepened. “I mean if you wanna know what me hating someone is I guess I’d say it’s more like I completely ignore their existence.”

“You have hardly ever said a word to me?” Melissa mentioned. “You said it yourself, I have Gary.”

Alex shrugged again. Turning back to the paper work and letting the conversation end. There wasn’t much to talk about. Melissa had Gary. Alex could only imagine.

“No! You don’t get to shrug and turn away! We’re not done talking,” Melissa grew annoyed. How could someone have the nerve to turn from her?

“There’s not much to say really. I like you but you’re in a relationship. I truly don’t mind it, if he makes you happy then he makes you happy. And I do talk to you, just in a group setting.” It was a plain and simple concept. “Honestly Melissa, I’m just a kid in your eyes, but I’m a kid who’s going to have a crush on you.”

“This is not something that you can be so casual about!” She cried out. “You don’t get to be so casual about this!”

Alex turned. Looking at the woman once more. “Melissa, I don’t know what you’re trying to get out of me here. Do you want me to be flipping out over it? I’ve learned it’s just one of those life events you either follow or let slip away.”

Melissa opened her mouth, but shut it. With a growl and a shake of her fist, she left the school for the day.

She was going to go home, but she needed to let this all out. It’s how she ended up at Barb’s house. A glass of wine in her hand while she paced.

“I mean, now what? I can’t just act like I don’t know because I do! The nerve of some people honestly! That’s the thing with new teachers! They don’t think about what they’re saying no matter who it hurts. They just say whatever. They knew I was with Gary, so why would they say it out loud like it was a simple sentence?!” Melissa thought out.

“Well you could try and forget it? Its not like you two ever really talk one on one?” The friend reminded. Never once really seeing the two interact alone.

Melissa sighed, “that’s the issue though! You know I have always had a thing for mysterious people. And they’re…well mysterious! Nobody knows anything about them except for their pronouns because Jacob…oh my god!” She realized her answer. “Jacob knows Alex.”

“Now Melissa, before you go harassing that poor child, think. You have Gary. Who is someone your age.” Barbara reminded. Yet she knew, her words weren’t going to get through. Once Melissa was set on something, she was going to go for it. “I guess I’m saying is, be careful about this. They’re a young adult and don’t know what they want. They’re an indecisive child compared to us.”

Melissa did take in those words. They were almost young enough to be her child. But the thought of being wanted by someone so young and yet such an old soul. That’s how they got to the lunch table after all.

Barbra had noticed how they would talk about things the two of them knew more than what their age group did talk about. It wasn’t about Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, it was always The Ronettes and Frank Sinatra. Humming songs that the two easily recognized.

The next morning rolled around. The teacher lounge only hosting Melissa for the moment. The soft humming soon disturbed her thoughts.

“Pretty woman,” was whispered. An accent playing on the words. Alex started dancing while getting their juice together. “And you look lovely as can be.” They never noticed Melissa, but once they did. The song suddenly became about her and they sang it like they didn’t care.

Spinning themselves out the room with ease. Leaving Melissa blushing and alone. She need to get it together and fast. This whole mixed feelings was suddenly becoming too much and it was only the first day of it.

“I don’t know why you actin’ all surprised,” Ava chirped as she waltzed in. “I’ve seen their taste in woman, and it is an elite flavor.”

“You knew?!” Melissa almost jumped to strangle. “How did you know?!”

“It was the first random confession they gave me. The second one was that one time they were out with friends and wanted to get over you on Valentine’s Day, so they went to a bar but a really ended up going home sober and crying because some lady who had dyed red hair reminded them too much of you and they realized that you were for real with Gary even tho they were so positive it wouldn’t work and they’d swoop in and get their chance.” Ava rambled. The story making Melissa wonder. Who actually knew and who played surprised?

“Do you know who else knew?” Melissa leaned forward. Hands folding on the table neatly.

Ava thought for a second. “I think it was me, Jacob, then Barbra? No it was definitely me, Barbra, Jacob, then Gregory. Janine was the last one to know. They told us that the day they said it out loud would never happen. That’s why we were all shocked.”

Melissa frowned, but once everyone else started walking in, the conversation was dropped.

Alex’s voice could be heard coming down the hall. “No but what I’m saying, is if you don’t try it then you’re never going to know if you like it. Its like when you took me with you and Gerald onto the cruise in hopes to help me get over Melissa because in your words ‘it’s better to try than to wallow in your self pity.’ So, I’m saying, you and Gerald should try a different cruise line. Just for one trip!”

The room once again looked at them. “Are you serious right now?” Melissa rubbed her temples.

Alex gave a classic shrug. “I seriously don’t know how you thought I was mysterious. I mean, I walk in here everyday giving some advice and relating it to some confession.”

Melissa shot a look to Barb. Her own friend talked about her issue to the issue? It was like a feeling of betrayal but at the same time she was kinda ok with it(this one time).

“Yeah, don’t you remember last week when I was having issues about getting a pet or not? Alex had a really odd confession. And thinking about it, a lot of them were somehow connected to you?” Jacob sipped his drink.

“Mine was about my dads business and Alex connected it back to you.” Gregory piped in.

Melissa looked around the room. Everyone talking lightly about some random confession. “Are you all telling me, you all knew? And yet never said a single thing?”

“I mean why would they? It’s my crush?” Alex laughed with their words. “I don’t know, don’t think about it too hard. It never leads to anything good. Like this one time I overthought just you looking at me and then I ended up at home crying because I couldn’t tell if you meant it with anything or if it was because I was staring at you with absolutely no thought in my head. Because usually that’s how it feels being near you. Like I just never think about what I say. Its kinda like now how im just rambling because I’m getting nervous just talking to you. So its actually my cue to leave this room before I keep going and embarrass myself!”

Alex quickly walked out the room. Hiding away in their room for the rest of the day not really believing the conversation that was had that morning. But even, when trying to avoid everyone at lunch, Melissa came in.

“Look, I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it ends now.” She spoke through gritted teeth as she locked the door and drew the blinds. “It’s not fair ya know!”

“I know its not.”

“So then why do you keep saying things that you don’t mean? Telling these stories to everyone if you know its not fair?” Melissa was leaning against the door.

“I dunno. I guess apart of me didn’t keep it a secret because I hoped you would find out. That once you knew, the unrealistic fantasies of you leaving Gary to be with me would come true.”

“Kid this is reality. Your fantasies are nothing more than that. You can’t just go lying just because.” Melissa frowned.

Alex finally turned to face her. “I’m not lying. I’ve liked you since the first day I started. Barbra told that you were going through stuff when I accidentally told her and she told me to not. I couldn’t help myself though.” There was sincerity in each word. Alex meant the words with everything they had.

Melissa stared. Her mind racing. What was she getting into? “Alex…”

“It’s whatever if you want it to be. I mean, you have someone. So we can just make it a joke if it makes you feel better? I’m ok with joking about it. I do it a lot whenever I have a random confession. Which really aren’t random. I just like talking about you to people. Even my mom knows about you. She asks me everyday on our phone call about you and I tell her about the entire day.” Alex rambled again. The nervousness really shinning through this time.

Melissa stepped off the door. Moving to sit on the edge of the desk. She let out a sigh. “Don’t you want someone your age? Someone who’s just as indecisive as you?”

Alex frowned. They knew that with confessing would come rejection, but they didn’t think it was gonna be this painful with all the preparation. “I’m not some indecisive child you paint me to be.” They whispered. Eyes glued to their computer screen now.

There was a silence. A loud….long……silence……..

“I don’t appreciate this Alex.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I’ve said it out loud.”

Melissa gave one last look before leaving the room. What was she to do now? Did she like Alex back? Was it a possibility? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t love the calmness of their personality. People specifically went to Alex with problems knowing they’d solve them without knowing.

Yet, a week without anyone’s problems being solved lead to chaos. Alex bad randomly disappeared for a week and nobody knew what to really do.

The Wednesday they came back, they were the first one at school. A box full of at least everyone’s favorite donut. All spread out accordingly.

“Where the hell were you for an emergency week call off?” Ava was the first one to arrive. Finding her donut front and center. “For me?! You shouldn’t have!”

“I had just a family thing. It was really last minute.” There was something off. Ava could see it. “I’ll be back, I left my phone in my classroom.”

They were gone and hidden before anyone could see them. But once they pranced back into the room everyone cheered. “I know! I know!”

“Where have you been?” Jacob was the first to raise the question. “Everyone was looking for you! Janine even sent the police to your house.”

Alex shrugged. “It was a family thing. They’re trying to do a bunch of stuff before my parents move to Australia. They waited till they made sure all their kids were set for adult life before going back home.”

Ava took the seat next to them. Turning them to face her. “You’re from Australia?!”

“Only until I was like 17? I try to hide my accent but it really shows when I’m alone. So I like to try to blend in. It also shows when I try to pronounce certain things.” They explained, biting into their donut. “But one day when we go out I’ll let it shine. Really draw in the woman.”

“Right go out so you can forget your crush on Melissa.” Ava laughed before leaving. Knowing she was right too.

Alex glanced at the woman. Already seeing her staring back. “She’s right ya know. That’s probably the only reason I go out at this point.” They beamed. Showing off that charming smile.

“For someone who was gone for a week, you sure came back with a sense of wanting to forget.” Melissa shot back. Catching Alex off guard for only a brief second.

“For someone who’s a Philly 11, you sure act like a Chicago 9.” Alex attempted to insult her, but it was damn impossible.

Melissa smirked, “for someone who’s a teacher, you sure could use a lesson in comebacks.” She had Alex pinned. Or so she thought.

“So then teach me Mel.” They stood. A shit eating grin plastered to their face while they left. Knowing Melissa was hot on their trail.

It was only a second after Alex got into their room, that the door slammed shut behind them.

“You can’t keep doing this kid! You need to learn to snap out of this crush!” Melissa was fuming. She couldn’t handle this game forever.

Alex gave her a look. A devilish smirk, and their confidence grew almost instantly. They slowly stalked closer to the 2nd grade teacher. Walking her right against the door.

Melissa began to feel small. Along withOther things. Things Gary hasn’t ever made her feel. Alex met her eyes. An innocence glossed over them. “So then teach me to snap out of it.”

The opening to kiss was right there, but Alex was respectful. They backed off, returning to the desk and working on a few papers for the day.

Melissa was frozen against the wood. Was she dreaming? She couldn’t be! She could feel the warmth of their breathe brush her cheeks. She blinked a few times. Realizing what she was in here for.

“That! You can’t….do that!” Melissa stuttered out. She let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t focus when you do things like that.”

Alex let a smile take over their face. “Well honey, if things between you and Gary don’t work, just know I’ll be waiting to treat you the right way.” They picked up their head. Flashing a soft smirk, watching intently as Melissa struggled to get out of the room. “You know where I’ll be!”

The day ended with Melissa dodging Alex entirely.

She honestly felt tied. Yes, she liked Gary. She also has had something for Alex. Yet, she still was with Gary. The choice was eating her alive. But she knew what her answer was. Her mind began to race at the sight of her issue. A intense migraine coming on.

“Alex, now really isn’t the time.” Her head fell into her hands. Blocking out all light from hitting her eyes.

Alex hummed. “Well, then I’ll be quick. This is my number. Whenever you need someone who isn’t Barb to talk to.” They delicately placed down the pink sticky note. “Have a good night, Melissa.” They spun on their heel, going home for the day.

Melissa sighed. Feeling completely helpless in the moment. Its honestly how she felt for the next few days.

With the jokes that were made and the constant staring, Melissa was trapped in her own discomfort and silence. The discomfort being more so because Alex was belittling their feelings just for her and being so respectful about Gary.

That was until Thursday.

“I mean, if you and Zach want to go out I can watch your niece for the night. You know she loves me more than both of you combined,” Alex offered to Jacob. “Seriously, I don’t have any plans or paper work.”

The two were having a peaceful conversation till Melissa walked in. And Alex was going to move over to her, but they decided to just keep in the conversation.

“You’d really do that so we could go celebrate?” Jacob was touched. The only other person that would’ve offered was Janine, and last time was a disaster. “Can you be there by 6?”

“I’ll do you one better, I’ll be there by 5.” Alex patted his hand. Getting ready to leave the teachers lounge for the rest of the hour.

Bumping into the man they envied the most. Backing up for a second to let him in, but was met with a push instead.

Alex stumbled back a bit. Lucky enough to catch their balance before anything. “The hell?” They furrowed their brows. Not really showing their anger and distaste for the man.

“You got some nerve kid! Thinking Melissa would ever leave over your silly confession!” His voice was loud. “She doesn’t want you! Get it through your head!”

Alex blinked. Trying to figure if this was really happening. It was. “No. You know who has nerve? You. For coming in here and disrespecting me when I have done absolutely nothing. I’ve openly flirted with her a total of three times. For two years she thought I hated her. So you should really watch yourself before things get ugly Gary. Because I’m not an ugly person. I think you should treat her with the most respect you could possibly think of in that tiny pea brain you have. Because one day Gary, you’re gonna fuck up. And she’ll realize she’s too good for you and gave you this ego. And to come in here and embarrass her because of your own insecurities! Real wise of you.” Their accent came through. The anger being so dominant, hiding it wasn’t worth it.

“And what? She’ll come to you? You’re basically a child. She’ll never come to you no matter how low life gets.” He folded his arms. Standing tall and proud of his words.

The curly haired teacher gave a dry laugh. “I may be a child, but I’m more of a man than you will ever be. And even if she comes to me at her lowest, I’ll sure as hell bring her to her highest. Show her everything that makes her so desirable. If that’s how I get my chance, then I will take it and charish her every single day of my damn life. So really, watch yourself.” Alex walked away.

The room was silent as they stared at the man. Nobody dared to move at this point.

Melissa slowly rose from her chair. “Gary.” Her voice was venomous. “We’re through.” She shouldered past him. Fury written all over her body.

A second went by. “Y’all heard that accent right? Shit was so sexy, you got your ass handed to you!” Ava cackled as she went to her office.

Meanwhile, Alex was hunched over their desk. Staring straight down with their own thoughts blocking out the world.

How could one man be so stupid but have the most amazing woman? It wasn’t fair. Alex would do anything to understand it.

“Alex…” Melissa’s voice was the only thing to pull them out of their thoughts.

With a sharp intake, Alex looked up. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you like that.” They were quick to say. “It was completely unprofessional and I should’ve just stayed in my place, but the way he talked….it just….I’m sorry.”

Melissa stood stunned. They were apologizing for something they didn’t do. “Alex, hun. You don’t have to be sorry. If anything…thank you.”

The curls shook. Blocking out the remains of tears. “I just…he was just the tiniest bit right. No matter what, you’ll never see me as more than a kid. And as much as I’ve tried to accept it, it still hurts to hear.” They confessed. Confiding in the woman for just this one moment. Almost like flipping a switch, they flashed a smile. “But don’t worry about me. I’ll get over it in a few hours.”

Melissa let a frown take over. “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Belittling your feelings because you think you’re not good enough. As someone who isn’t…amazing with emotions, you’re still allowed to have them. And it doesn’t do you any good by making them so small just because you think it’s what we all want.” Melissa cautiously got closer.

They let their smile fall. “If I cant be with you, then you have to stop chasing after me just to give me a false hope. You’re not playing fair…just like me.”

She didn’t know what to say anymore. Instead she placed her hand atop of theirs. Gaining their eyes. “I know I’m not. But in all honesty it’s hard to not want to chase after you. For two years I tried to get to know you, and anytime you would run or give me some shit answer. I truly thought you hated me. But now? I just don’t know what to do.”

There was a glint of hope in Alex’s brown eyes. Could this be it? “Melissa?” The whispered. Noticing how she inches closer and closer. “But…Gary?”

“He’s not important anymore,” she hummed. She left enough space for them to back up. Not knowing if they were truly ready.

Yet, Alex was more than ready. In a quick manner they grabbed the back of her neck and crashed their lips together. Humming into the feeling and melting instantly.

They couldn’t fully process it even once they pulled back. Alex just kissed their crush. They felt high off the feeling. Trying to hold onto it forever.

Their fingers gently touched their lips. Grinning ear to ear.

Melissa raised an eyebrow at them. A smirk taking over her lips. “It was that good?” She teased.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I tried to describe how good.” Alex couldn’t stop smiling. Just enjoying the moment. “Can I…take you out? Like on a date? Friday night?”

“Where we going?” Melissa folded her arms. Suddenly putting Alex in the spotlight. “Somewhere fancy? Or somewhere cute?”

“Well I know how much you like to cook, and I don’t like going out out. So what about, we cook together? Then that’s our dinner? We could go buy everything together and then go back to either mine or yours, which ever you prefer, and just see where the night goes?”

She let out a soft hum. “I’ll see you Friday night then.” She didn’t say anything else, just casually walked away. Hearing a ‘hell yeah’ being shouted behind the door.

The next day went by slower than usual. Teasing Alex with every minute. Yet the moment the last kid was gone, so we’re they.

Racing home to get ready. Not even bothering to bring in their bags. They just found themselves in their closet.

Failing to even think of an outfit. That’s where Ava came in tho.

“I knew you’d be in here struggling!” She walked in. “Move let me see!”

“How….did you break in?” Alex looked at the woman. “Ok but besides that, do I wear something like sexy or cute?”

“You’re going to hers for making dinner, right? So wear something she’ll have a hard time keeping her hands off of. Cause I’m in beta that y’all definitely getting freaky.” Ava was shifting through their clothes. Gasping when she pulled out a black dress.

It had no back and slits up the sides. A lace trim around the top and a floral design down the front.

“Ava that’s basically lingerie.” They shook their head. “I’m not wearing….welll?”

“It’s not too less and you can through a cardigan over it. Then when you cook take it off and act like you’re not being scandalous. Plain and simple. Why do you have so much lingerie in here anyways?” Ava looked through the expensive sets.

Alex shrugged. “I like feeling fancy. Sometimes I put on a set and dance around the apartment. Sometimes I do it just cause I know I’ll look sexy.” They grabbed the dress and found the bathroom to change.

Coming back and looking better in it than Ava expected. “Now hold on. You can’t be going around lookin sexier than me.” She shook her head.

“I literally would get fired if I wore anything in that closet to school. My school clothes are in the dressers. I don’t even go in my closet for when we go out,” Alex mentioned. Looking at all angles in the mirror. “Are we sure this is the right approach? Cause I have these jeans!”

“No. You look hot, with some of those big socks you usually have and your white shoes? You’re bound to take those shoes off. And let your hair down. Then you’re basically ready. Melissa Schemmenti knows what she want so don’t keep her waiting.” Ava left quickly. Not really giving much more help to the friend.

But Ava knew what she was doing when it was with her friends and what not. She wouldn’t steer anyone wrong. So they had nothing to worry about, right?

That’s what Alex truly thought until getting to the address. The house was stunning just from the outside. Nothing compared to their tiny apartment. One that wouldn’t even hold a cat.

Alex took a few deep breaths while getting out the car. Grabbing their cardigan they left in there earlier and struggling to get it on.

Eventually they stood before the door. It was easy now to turn around and leave. Disappear from the state. Leave no trace of existence. Then the doorbell rang. Once. Then twice. Then on three, the door was opened and there she stood.

The two dressed completely different. It honestly embarrassed Alex for dressing up a bit. Especially when Melissa looked so good in the jeans and green top. The blue button up pulling out her eyes even more. Not as much as the red shirt and leather jacket she wore the other day. But maybe that’s because Alex could always focus on those eyes.

They flushed when they realized they were just standing there. “Right! Sorry! You look amazing! Like more than usual because you honestly always look amazing.”

She showed no reaction but a smirk. Seeing how her presence alone made Alex stutter. “Would you like to come in?” She stepped aside. Seeing the hesitation in the twenty something year old. Realizing she never really knew how old Alex was.

“Your home is really beautiful from the outside.” They complimented while keeping their eyes away from the pictures.

The red head, who looked too good in a ponytail, passes with a hum. “I already went to get things, which honestly wasn’t a lot. Mostly cause I had everything here. But the good places close early so I figured you wouldn’t mind?”

Alex shook their head, “I trust you know where the good ingredients lay. So what are we making?”

Melissa looked over her shoulder. A devious look in her eyes at the first answer she thought of. And Alex wasn’t oblivious to the look. “A small lasagna. Its a family recipe. You might want to loose the cardigan, it can get messy.”

With a nod, they removed the piece. Draping it on the back of the chair furthest from them. Spinning around and grinning at how Melissa was looking at them.

Her eyes taking in everything. From the smooth skin that was revealed and how chocolatey it was. She realized they were beyond what she imagined.

It almost made her sick how she began to feel so nervous. With the cardigan on, her mind didn’t wonder as much. Now she couldn’t keep her mind in one place.

“Mel?” Alex called to her. Letting the intense blush be ignored.

Melissa was still staring. Snapping out of it after a second had passed. “Right! Ok, so I prefer making my own noodles. Unless I’m in a rush, I suck it up, but we’re not so.”

The night went smoothly. The lasagna was made, but not with out subtle touches.

The one moment that lingered in Alex’s head was when they were mixing the cheese’s. Melissa had come up behind them, standing behind them. Her front just slightly pressed against their back.

“You’re mixing wrong,” she had pointed out. Her voice was low and close to their ear.

Slowly, her hands slid over. Leading Alex through the movement. It was a careful gesture. Truly anyone would’ve thought nothing more. But Melissa knew about the crush and how nervous she makes Alex already.

Now they sat on the couch with glasses of wine. From the second bottle that is.

Alex’s phone lit up with a text. It was Ava, but they mainly looked at the time. “I should get going,” they hummed.

Their dazed eyes taking in Melissa. Without noticing their hand reached out to touch her cheek. “You’re so pretty.” They lazily smiled. Feeling how warm the woman suddenly became.

“And you’re tipsy, dare say drunk.” Melissa returned, breaking from the contact. “You should stay the night, it’d be safer.”

Alex shook their head. “If I don’t get home my child will be worried. And I’m just tipsy. I’m not a lightweight like Janine. Who actually almost never drinks.”

“Your child? How old are you even?” Melissa laughed lightly at the claim.

“35, 36 in a few weeks.” Alex shrugged. Pulling on their cardigan. “And he is a very clingy child. Well for a cat, he’s clingy. Its what I get for babying him.”

Melissa stood in the kitchen. Hands on the island and a certain look. “There’s no way you’re 35.”

“1987. Im the oldest child, thats why I’m the only one with an accent besides my parents.” Alex shurgged. “What? You think I was like 23?”

“Yes!” Melissa threw her hands up. “How come you just started at Abbott?” Alex let another shrug go. “Can you stop shrugging?”

“Sorry, I started because I transferred from a different school. What? Is 35 too old for you, Ms. Schemmenti?” Alex teased. Stalking closer and closer.

“No! Its just nobody knew much about you. I mean last week you disappeared and then tell us you’re from Australia. And then soon after you let your accent shine when yelling at Gary.” Melissa flushed. Crimson invading her face.

They kept getting closer. Letting their cardigan slip off their shoulders and onto the floor. A new look in their eyes. One that was about to pull more from the red head.

“I mean, the only one who knew anything was Jacob. And then when you let your accent show, dare say it did things that I’ve never felt. You have a lot of tricks up your sleeves.” She just shook her head. Trying to get it together in her head.

There was silence. Alex was right next to her now. “Do I make you nervous, Schemmenti?” They smirked. Holding the upper hand here.

Melissa stared at them. Eyes fluttering just a bit. “No! Not at all!” She shot down. Being extremely unconvincing.

Alex hummed while backing away. Completely ignoring the cardigan. They collected their bag and got ready to leave.

Not noticing how Melissa got to the door before them. Alex looked up, jumping a bit at how she was there. So close. Flipping the tables.

Melissa was in front of them. The look in her eyes making Alex incredibly nervous. Especially when she kept walking closer, until Alex was against the door.

“You are nothing short of the greatest tease.” She whispered. Her voice dangerously low. “And I failed to tell you how sexy you looked tonight.”

“Melissa…” Alex mumbled. Eyes dropping to her lips.

There were no other words, just a steering kiss. One that made Alex melt in the others hands. It only increased the longer they were there.

Melissa made her way to Alex’s neck. Finding the pulse points in mere seconds. Sucking to with the purpose to show everyone. Earning a quiet, airy moan.

“Mel,” they were cut off by their own gasp. Hands grabbed at anything possible. The dress leaving nothing in between the skin to skin.

“Already begging for me?” Melissa smiled against their neck. But she pulled away. “Let’s not rush this though?” Alex frowned. “I promise, hun. But if we rush it, it might get ruined in between. Next weekend though. Its my turn to plan our date.”

“This is gonna be a weekly thing?” Alex lit up instantly. Melissa nodded getting another kiss in return. “I’ll see you Monday.”

“Bright and early,” Melissa smiled. Watching as they left her home giggling.

When she turned around, she saw the cardigan on the floor. Smirking at who it belonged to.

“Until next week,” she whispered to herself.

#abbot elementary #abbot #elementary school #melissa schemmenti #original character #lisa ann walter

142 notes · View notes

heyybaejjk · 6 months ago

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SOMETHING ABOUT YOU !

pairing. teen!miguel o'hara x fem samoan oc

content. implied smut 😞 SIONE DA BEST MAN MENTIONED 🗣️🗣️🗣️ secret relationship, jealous miguel, cutesy moments between miguel & manaia <33 not proofread yall

main masterlist.

series masterlist.

She was the epitome of beauty, that's what Miguel loved to think. In everything she did, it was utter perfection in his mind.

To the way she smiled, the way she walked, the way she sat in silence with her earphones blasting her cultural music and letting her mind run wild while jotting everything she knew in her book, whilst everyone else in class had caused chaotic mess with their confusion in every mathematic problem they tried to solve.

He admired her from across the table they both sat on, and his heart was fucking racing. He was close, yet so far away. And no, he wasn't going to slowly move his foot forward to accidentally hit her own, no.

Instead, he called out her name after finally shifting away his thoughts. "So, Manaia," she looks at him with an endearing smile, taking out both of her earphones to give the boy her full attention.

He shuts his mouth instantly. "Uh, never mind, sorry."

Miguel bites his lip nervously when she shakes her head and laughs, "You can talk to me anytime, Miggs. Don't be shy," yet she hides the fact that her face was hot, and if Miguel wouldn't open his mouth in 2 seconds, she was sure she'd run out the room out of nervosity.

He smiles, "I just wanted to say I love your new hair," and he says out of truth.

Manaia's hair that had once been honey brown had been dyed black, with a blonde counterpart underneath. She had found it so stupid, but to him, it was beautiful. She was beautiful.

"And your lip piercing as well," he compliments with a whisper.

Miguel's heart dances when she hears her giggle.

"I've always had this, Miguel," her ever so soft voice laughs.

To this, Miguel chuckles, "Never had the chance to say how beautiful it looks."

How beautiful you look, his mind thinks.

He smiles at her shy self, hiding a smile with her palm. "That's very sweet of you to say, Miggs." Her hand slides across the table to hold onto his, but backs away

Manaia loved to experiment with her looks. Now there wasn't much you can do with a simple skirt, blouse, and the same mediocre looking jumper.

Miguel was excited everyday to see what was different; whether it be with her hair, new lip combo, or with how she styled her school uniform. She loved putting on jewelry as an addition, either way, she was ethereal without a doubt.

He made notes on which look stayed for a few days, indicating she loved it. And which look only lasted one period before something was changed the next time he saw her during the breaks.

Miguel had to come to accept the fact that people around him also had eyes.

He glared at those whose whispered about how elegant and beautiful his girl looked; nonetheless his mouth stayed shut.

"Smash or pass?"

Of fucking course.

Miguel craned his neck to the side, the table he sat on was isolated but he still heard the whispers of the two boys from across the room.

"Who are you talking about?" one of the two asked, wearing his hat backward as the other had long, yet messy gold hair placed in a tight braid.

"Girl over there," the long haired boy motioned his head over to Manaia who had her back facing anyone that sat behind her. Her headphones had blasted the latest song she had downloaded, seemingly on repeat as she couldn't get over the tune.

Miguel's glare goes unnoticed from everyone else in the room, thankfully.

"Oh, Naia?" his eyes slightly widen, and he doesn't hesitate at all with his answer. "Fucking smash, obviously," the guy with the backwards hat had smirked, dapping up his friend as he chuckles.

Miguel resisted the urge to get up and make his way over to the both of them.

"Reckon she's even good at, you know?" the Rapunzel dupe questioned, trying to get his voice low as possible yet failed miserably.

"Boys? Is there anything you'd like to share?" an authoritative voice rung through the room. The middle-aged woman who stood in front of everyone had raised a brow towards the back of the room, eyes set on a particular pair of boys.

Miguel watches as Manaia pulls down her headset to pay attention in case she were the one who was in trouble, then looking behind herself to see who the elder was talking to.

"No, Miss," the boy with hair that reached his ass crack had snickered, and Miguel's blood began to boil.

But his heart calms when Manaia looks over his way with a gentle smile, as well as a wave. He smiles awkwardly back after being caught staring at her.

Miguel looks back down to his notes pretending to write.

It was semi-normal for couples to find a space where they could talk, kiss, and stuff...

Nonetheless, it was no different for Miguel and Manaia - who had walked around together with aching want to hold hands but managed to find a set of stairs that conveniently led up to the block they both had classes in.

Miguel had sat on an upper step so Manaia could sit a step below him. Settling herself between his legs, she slipped off her headphones and placed them around her neck, her music still playing in the background.

A few kisses on the cheek and forehead were shared, whispers of affection, and the sickly sweet banter - the usual of loving couples.

After awhile, they had fallen into a comfortable silence. Listening to each other breathe in the air they shared, letting each other gain warmth from the touch their bodies shared.

Manaia pulls away from his touch slightly to look up at him. "What are you thinking about?" she smiles.

Miguel is pulled away from his thinking, looking down to the girl he had his arm wrapped around.

"Pardon?"

A giggle erupts from the girl before him, "I said," her hand reaching up to poke his cheek, "What are you thinking about? I hope it's about me," she jokes.

Miguel gulps at the strong eye contact Manaia had held with him. He feels the warmth of her soft palm spread on his cheek, the soft push had made him look directly down at her just as she intended.

"Just us." Miguel whispers quickly.

"Mhm," her other free hand cups his other cheek, her head tilts curiously, "And what about us?"

"I'm just tired-" he drags his words, his eyes then widen when Manaia lets his face free from her soft hold, "Wait- no, no, not of us- I'm not tired of us, I swear I didn't mean that!" He whispers in an assuring tone, cupping her face and giving her forehead as many kisses as he could.

"Okay, okay, I believe you," she whispers in a soft voice.

Miguel sighs, "I'm just tired of us not being able to, you know, be a proper couple and we've been together for like," He counts with his fingers, "Months! We can't hold hands in public, I can't walk you to class, I can't show you off. I can't show anyone that you're my girlfriend, and vice versa," he pours his heart out to his girlfriend in expectant of her understanding.

Manaia nods her head in acknowledgement to her sweet boyfriend's words, she smiles at the trust Miguel had in sharing his feelings with her. "I get you, Miggy. I've felt the same way before, and I know I was the one to say I'd like for us to be private. I'm just scared, to be honest."

Miguel raises a brown, fully intrigued.

"What are you scared of?"

Miguel feels his heart jump when his sweet girl groans angrily, which he finds cute, "What should I not be scared of, Miguel?"

First-name basis? Miguel gasps as he thinks to himself.

Oh never-mind, she was truly upset.

"Miggy, you're-" She groans again with a pout, "You're attractive! you're bulky, you're tall, you're sporty, and you're smart!"

His face flushes at the rush of compliments he's given, "I still don't understand what you're trying to say, Naia," his fingers delicately brush a strand of hair behind her ear, as he noticed it slightly annoyed her.

Manaia huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms. Miguel chuckles, "Please just tell me what it is that's bothering you," he kisses her temple countless times as she doesn't pull away.

"You already know I barely have friends. Besides Sione, Kiuga and David, there's no one else I can talk to. And I don't want girls to try and befriend me just to get close with you," Manaia admits. She fidgets with the golden bracelet with the M initial Miguel had gotten her for their first month anniversary.

"I don't know what I'm saying honestly. I just know that I want you to myself, even if it means to keep us a secret," Manaia averts her gaze from his in a shy manner.

Manaia continues in a lowered voice, "I know how people can be. If people knew we were together, they'd talk about you regardless, especially in front of my face. They- ugh. What's that word, Miggy? They.. uh.." looking around to see something that would help her.

Miguel intervenes, "Naia, what are you-"

"FAWN! Yes, they fawn over you!" Manaia dramatically faints into Miguel's lap. Then peers back up with widened eyes looking straight at her boyfriend in shock.

"What if you find someone better along the way as well?!"

She continues on her rant for countless minutes about the silly what ifs and the "pretty" girls that would snatch him away from her.

Miguel could only admire the girl before him with a wide smile on his face, "I get what you're saying," planting a kiss on her forehead to calm her down. "But I want you to know that being together in this relationship means I'm only for you and it'll stay that way." he emphasizes before cupping his girl's beautiful face.

That was all Manaia needed before getting shy again. Trusting her boyfriend, she reaches up and leaves a loving peck on his lips.

Still in a mood, Manaia raises a brow, "You'll only love me, right?" her eyes sparkling with curiosity. His ears then catch on to the ongoing melody that rung through Manaia's headphones.

she looks just like a dream

the prettiest girl i've ever seen

Miguel chuckles, "If I wasn't going to love you only, I wouldn't have asked the prettiest girl in the world to be mine."

Manaia chuckles as she rolls her eyes, smushing Miguel's cheeks with her hand, "So cheesy."

"But if you're so concerned about people fawning over me," Miguel teases as his girl lightly slaps his chest, holding onto her wrist to keep it there, "I can think of a way to get people to lay off."

M.Ohara_99 has mentioned you in his story !

Manaia is stopped from her endless scrolling on tiktok. Her attention is on the new notification from her boyfriend. Tapping on the notif, she immediately feels a rush of heat spread on her face when she sees her chat with Miguel.

Miguel was a gym fanatic, those who liked to look knew of this. It was bound for him to post at least one photo of his progress. Yet, for him to post a photo, flexing his arms and his uncovered neck that was marked with dark, purple hickeys?

He knew those who prayed and wished for him to be theirs were going to be hurt. But did he care?

Not at all.

Manaia isn't able to fully inspect Miguel's story completely when another mention pops up.

It shows Miguel flexing his muscular back, the long and deep scratches on his back definitely wasn't made to be hidden with the way he solely focused the camera on them.

Before Manaia could bang her head against her pillow happily, she notices the very obvious mention of her username in Miguel's story.

Not even a minute goes by and Manaia gets another message.

mahi_sniffer has sent a message to pussy eatersssss

mahi_sniffer: GUYS I AM HONORED TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT YALL DATING

mahi_sniffer: BUT I SWEAR TO FUCK IF I FIND OUT YOUS HAVE SMASHED ON MY BED WHILE YOUS WERE OVER AT MY HOUSE IM GOING TO FUCKING FREAK

this is so chat, i just wanted to upload this cos why not, i didnt know how else to end this LOL

#sau la'u tama aulelei #miguel o'hara x oc #miguel o'hara #miguel x oc #sau la'u tama aulelei playlist #miguel spiderman #miguel 2099 #atsv miguel #miguel o'hara smut #miguel ohara imagine #miguel ohara x you #miguel o’hara fanfic #miguel o’hara smut #miguel x you #yandere miguel o'hara #across the spiderverse #spiderman #spiderman 2099 #samoan oc

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sockssketchingshack · 27 days ago

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So uh. I never really did an intro soooo

I see a lot of people asking about commissions and I am here to tell you that I don't do them! They stress me out! Sorry but they're Scary. But I do drawing *requests*. Because I like drawing things without any form of pressure to draw them!

Now that's out of the way, hello there! My name is Socrates. But everyone calls me socks.

I am an adult! 18 years old, April 23 2006.

My pronouns are he/him!

I am both a trans man and bisexual!

Things you should know:

I have low to severe functioning autism. Meaning I need help from those outside of my own self. Basically help with my day to day life and for scary situations such as talking to strangers IRL. Or complex decisions such as bank details or that kinda thing. I need others to help me!

That doesn't mean I'm not smart though. I'm mostly slow. I call it rebooting. So if I ever take a while to respond it's probably because I'm thinking about what to say!

I have bipolar disorder. I deal mostly with mood swings one minute ranting about how cute my cat is the next minute crying over how cute my cat is.

I deal with a lot of doctors! Two or more appointments a week! So if I tell you multiple times over a short span of time I can't talk cause I'm going to the doctor's it's not an overused excuse! It's true!

I have severe anxiety. Meaning any communication at all stresses me out. But I still really wanna try to socialize!

I have memory issues.

So if you wanna talk I'm welcome to it. I'm just really, really, shy. And sometimes I'll panic and end conversations out of nowhere. So if you ever wanna talk all I ask is to be understanding and a lil patient.

And if you talk to me long enough I'll grow to trust you! Which means I'll feel more comfortable and calm when talking to you!

About my art:

I love art! But it's hard to do since I have some physical problems. But I do it anyway! I mainly draw things I like or request / challenges I receive. I like to draw my little persona alot because he's simple and easy to draw. I also have a lot of OC's! Ask me about them! I love them all and will be over the moon to share their stories outside of just the art I make of them!

About my text posts:

Text posts are semi common. It's mostly little ramblings or rants. Or just how I'm feeling. But again I mostly posts art.

If I ever interact with you or your posts:

It means I wanna talk to you but don't know how so I just try to show affection with hearts and sometimes if I'm brave enough a comment or reply. But I still really wanna learn to socialize with you!

Hobbies:

Art, cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, video games.

Lastly:

Ask me stuff! Talk to me if ya want! I am lonely. And I love you! And I'm proud of you! Take care of yourself! You deserve it! Bye! Love you!

Things I like (extra bit):

Get ready it's a long lists,

anime!

Any anime really even if I haven't seen it! I have watched a bit of or completed, Naruto, one piece, jujutsu keisen, Ouran host club, black clover, sword art online, attack on Titan, Yuri on ice, one punch man, my hero academia, assassination classroom, food wars, pokemon, the promised Neverland. And a bit more I'm probably forgetting.

Video games!

Any video game really! Even if I haven't played it! But I have played or watched others play: stardew valley, undertale, Minecraft, Roblox, terraria, cult of the lamb, overwatch 2, dead by daylight, Skyrim, halo, rocket League, cod black ops 2 zombies, moonlighter, hollow night, sky children of the light, don't starve together, subnautica, subnautica below zero, alot of different Pokemon games, five nights at Freddy's, astroneer, monster hunters, and one of my absolute all time favorites SLIME RANCHER!

other medias / things, TV shows, books, etc:

Percy Jackson, a bit of harry potter, marvel universe, DC universe, amazing digital circus, don't hug me I'm scared, Steven universe, avatar the last Airbender, we bear bears, and more I'm probably forgetting.

That's all bye.

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daddysfangirls-dc · 2 days ago

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The Arrangement Ch.22

CH.22 Violence

Damian Wayne x OC! Female

Prev | Next

He hummed as he petted his little friend, cradling them to his chest. An orange kitten a few days old, small and fragile. Robin cooed as he continued to pet his orange friend. " cute," Syn said as she slowly approached him and his new friend.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could use some company," She said, petting the kitty.

"He's been abandoned. Found him hereunder this dumpster."

"That's sad," he passes over his new fluffy friend. She held on tight as Robin pulled her close, using a grappling hook to swing them onto the rooftop.

"Nice uniform"

"Thank you. Kato made it for me." She twirled, showing off her outfit. It was simple: Black buckled cargo pants, boots, and a half-hoodie cloak. It was all simple and black. "This is just a prototype. He's going to make another. He has been studying other heroes' uniforms to make something better. He's inventing some gadgets, too. He's very excited."

Alfred had meet Kato and the two must have hit it off because they were making constant phone calls and future plans a nice relationship was building. Alfred had been a big help when it came to finding materials and supplies.

"It's nice to see Kato settling in."

"Do you want to keep this one?" Syn asks, still petting the orange kitty.

"I doubt Father will allow another stray."

"Four is a lot."

"Five actually."

"Goliath, it was with your mother the last time I checked." The Dragon-Bat was his first pet, and she met him when she returned to the League. She was upset to have missed him but happy to help raise Goliath for a time. He is a good Dragon-Bat. " He is doing well, by the way. He thrives, but he missed you."

Damian missed Goliath, too. He missed him dearly, but Gotham was a big city with no place to house/hide him. The cave was not suitable for him. He needed open land and open air. Gotham could not provide. "And I him."

Robin reached forward, petting the kitty in her arms." Thomas, I shall call him Thomas."

"Thomas the cat. Duke will be honored."

"Yes, he will," Spoiler said, reminding Robin that his comms were still open and everyone heard everything. Delightful. Robin groaned, tossing his head back as his siblings erupted in teasing. Syn giggled as she heard the commotion over his comm. They were loud. She mouthed. 'Sorry,' he glared. She found no real heat behind it. His gaze softened as he watched Syn cuddle and cooed Thomas, already enthralled with the animal. Her soft smile, kind whispers, and gentle touch it was all beautiful and perfect.

He felt good. His heart soared, and he wanted to say it. For her to hear it. He couldn't say it. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't believe he deserved it. The words were like weights sometimes they weighed down his tongue, and other times, they choked his throat. The unspoken hurt him in ways he knew he deserved. So far, further punishment, he never spoke to them. So, instead, he replaced the words that were wanted with two words that were deserved and needed.

"I'm Sorry"

She looked at him, confused. He removes his eye mask and looks at her.

"I'm So sorry".

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. The unspoken that came with his words, the shadowed past. Syn gave a small smile and whispered, " I Know."

"We're still here."

Tim always knew that Damian was bad before he came to Bruce if coming from an assassin cult didn't prove that the attempt on his life did. He always knew that Damian was bad. He had changed a lot over the years. He had far more empath than before (more towards animals than people), was aware of social norms, and how fragile yet shitty normal people were. Tim never knew how cruel Damian was. Maybe there were hints of it when he screwed over the few who wronged him. But Tim didn't think about it, or he just didn't pay attention.

Tim just couldn't imagine Damian being that cruel. He had been proven otherwise. Now, he couldn't look at Damian the same. He had found himself avoiding Damian. Of course, others noticed simply believing that they argued, no bruises or wounds to suggest a fight. Something bigger or more important would pop up, and their argument would be forgotten. No one truly worried.

Damian, however, knew why Tim was avoiding him. Syn had told him about her accidental confessions to Tim and how he reacted. He was expecting some blowback but not silence. Still, he'd wait for Tim to approach him. In all honesty, Damian didn't know how to approach Tim about it and waited for him to simply do it. Make the first step. It may have looked like a cowardly action, and it was Damian would admit it was. But he really didn't know what to say.

That's why now, he stood before him unmoving in silence. The kitchen was empty beside the two of them. Tim didn't acknowledge him instead, he moved about the kitchen, making a snack while lazily pulling off his work suit. Damian stood in the doorway watching him.

"Why?"

Tim takes a bit of his sandwich.

"I don't know. There were several reasons, but none of them made sense," Damian said. Tim nodded, signaling that he would continue while he ate. " At first, I didn't think she was worthy, and I wanted to prove that by hurting her. And then I started having feelings for her I didn't understand them, I had no one to explain them to me. I became anger, not understanding, I continued to hurt her. But I'd... I'd patch her up afterward; I'd care for her. She was mine to hurt, mine to care for her, mine. I was taught she was mine to do as I please. And I did."

Tim moved to the pantry, grabbing a bag of chips. " You know better now."

"Yes"

"Then why are you still with her? You know what this looks like, right? You used to torture her for your own pleasure, and now she follows you like a devoted little puppy. That's Stockholm Syndrome." he moves over to the table.

"Why didn't you let her go?"

"I did. I did. She... she came to me. I proposed the idea of separation, of ending things. She didn't like that. I proposed a temporary separation, so she could explore. I'd hope she'd find someone else in her explorations. She came back to me."

"You let her stay." Damian sighed and closed his eyes. Tim watched as he sat on the floor. Some tears escaped streaming down his face.

"I thought- I wanted her to come back knowing, angry. I wanted her to punish me, to kill me. I had hoped she'd find something or someone and just rid herself of our past, of me. Start a new. But she came back, came to me, and wants me." Damian wipes his tears. " I know what I did was wrong, and I'll spend the rest of my life atoning. She wants to be with me, and I want her to be with me. I don't deserve her but I want to-I want to have her."

Watching Damian sitting on the kitchen floor, fighting back his tears, was uncomfortable. Damian, the angry little gremlin in tears, it was unnatural. Damian doesn't cry. He screams he shouts, he growls, he pouts, and he gets upset, but he has NEVER Cried, NEVER shed a tear. Hell, the brat got stabbed on several occasions and still managed with dry eyes. This entire situation was very uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say or do. He didn't imagine this situation going this way. He was prepared for a confrontation, not whatever the fuck this was. He didn't know what to do with this. Getting up, he grabs a few napkins and passes them to Damian.

"Good to see you have empathy. And you know what you've done wrong." He takes his plate to the dishwasher. " However, Domestic violence is a slippery slope. You say you won't do it again, but you're going to get angry one day, might fall into old habits, might hurt her. We are well aware that you are capable of violence, and she is likely to forgive you." Tim offers a hand, helping him up.

" If you slip, I'm going to fuck you up."

#batman #robin #fanfic #fanfiction #dc universe #dc comics #damian al ghul #damian wayne #damian wayne fanfiction #damian wayne fanfic #damian wayne al ghul #damian wayne x oc #damian al ghul x oc #robin fanfic #robin x oc #dc robin #dc #fa

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yanderehsr · 1 year ago

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Hiya! So I saw your OC x Character thingy and decided to request, note that im not very good at making OCs so it might not be the best.

So basicaly his name is Aleron (It comes from latin and means the The winged one) he is a Pigeon Hybrid. He comes from a world/planet that Is full of diffrent types of Bird-Hybrids. It's full of vast forests and beatifull plains, from an outsider's point of view it looks like Paradise, but it doesn't take much to realise it's not as beatifull as it seems. This world's Society operates on a Class System, where Bird-Hybrids like Pigeons, Crows and Ravens are lower class Citizens, and legendery bird- like Hybrids (Like pheonixes etc.) Are at the top of the "foodchain". This Unfairnes and overall bad treatment from his "superiors" had coused Aleron to dream of leaving this World/planet and Traveling, meeting new people and cultures. Said Dream was unfullfilled for the longest time, until one Day The Astral Express had made a stop on his world. After learning who exactly they are, he practicaly begged them to let him join them. After some thought, the Astrall Express Crew had decided to agree on letting him join.

His is somewhat shy, not to the point where he Has problem talking with people, but he only realy opens up to people he knows he can trust.

He usualy prefers to avoid crowded areas, he is insecure about his wings and thinks everyone is staring at them. (Forgot to mention he Has wings, sorry)

Due to personal expiriences, he despises people that consider themselfs superior to others.

His hobby is cooking. He isn't super talented at it, but he knows how to make something Simple and good. It relaxes him and he Likes seeing people eat what he made.

As for his looks, he Has a short grayish hair and Brown eyes. He is on the shorter side of things. On his back is a small pair of Brown and White pigeon-like wings. They are too small to fly, but if the wind is just right he can glide.

I don't realy know what character I want to be yandere for him, so I would prefer if you were the one to choose. Hope it's not a problem.

Well I Hope I didn't forget to write anything important needed for the request, if I did feel free to ignore this

Thanks for sending in a request, Hope you'll enjoy😄

Trigger Warning: Yandere, Obsessive behaviour, Possessive behaviour, Kidnapping

Venti: He loves Aleron's wings, he loves to pet and take care of them, there is one thing he hates about them tho, he hates that Aleron can glide away from him, Venti might be the archon of freedom but that freedom is limited to HIS side... please don't leave him alone.

It's probably great that Aleron can cook since Venti cannot, he will be superannoying about it and request food from Aleron at every opportunity he gets, mostly he requests apple pies, he loves apples.

Venti will sooner or later get paranoid about Aleron's ability to glide, who's to say that Aleron wont glide away from him, sure he hides the wings but that doesn't change that he has them, and even if Venti is the archon of Wind, that doesn't mean he controls all wind, so Venti takes Aleron away to somewhere safe, somewhere he has no chance to escape from, and Aleron is all his.

"Such pretty wings, in the wind I see you glide around in rings, you truly look sublime, how lucky of me that you're all mine"

Guinaifen: She forced herself into Aleron's life, whether he wants to or not, if he's doing something then she's doing that as well, if he goes somewhere then she follows, it's suffocating having her around, especially for someone like Aleron that is so shy.

On top of that, Guinaifen asks alot of questions about Aleron, about his childhood, his favorite foods and stuff like that, she just wants to know alot about her lover is that really so wrong... oh, she isn't one, well she doesn't care, she sees herself as his girlfriend so it's pretty much official.

Guinaifen will make Aleron be part of her videos, she wants to show off what her viewers cannot have, what is hers and hers alone, she also likes that he hides the wings, she wants to be the only one who knows about them, a little secret between Aleron and her.

"Such pretty wings, can I touch them... Hmmm, I'm gonna do it anyways"

Tried to do something poetic with Venti's voiceline... hope it wasn't too cringe😅

#yandere #yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr #yandere genshin impact #yandere genshin #yandere male #yandere female #yandere venti #yandere venti x reader #yandere guinaifen #yandere guinaifen x reader #oc #oc x canon #oc x character event

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monstrouslyobsessed · 1 year ago

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…tumblr can you go and soak yourself in a burning pit of hot sauce…i never even got notifs of any of the older asks i got…

so very sorry if you've been waiting for like two months on my answers;;; and here i was wondering how dead my inbox was last month…rude, tumblr, very rude. all the asks are under the cut!

just a quick note, to the super sweet asker who send in two very long asks v recently, ima answer them separately after this one, if thats okay!! <3

tw / tags: dirty confession, monster fucking, breeding mentions, implied noncon, brief pregnancy mentions, long post, beastfolk / beastfolks characters mentioned: lady hyena, the lioness, conservative lion, papa bull, duke, cerelos, father fox, velarius

I love Daddy Bull and Duke, (along with so many other of your works!), do you have any plans on doing a confrontation between the two bulls and the reader? My thirst is dryer than the Sahara for these two bulls. I need more content. I’m a desperate whore… 。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。 —anonymous

hm i'm STILL chewing on how this saga should go tbf because it really could go any way!!! i might just bite the bullet and write au's of papa bull and duke saga, even if i feel a little weird making varying storyline au's of my characters.

it was just supposed to be a bull daddy enjoying his little human, how did duke end up there lol

I know everyone is dying over Baldur’s gate rn but have you heard of Lustful Desires on itch.io? I just got into it and I’m dying to talk about it. They literally let you have a poly relationship with 3 different werewolves it’s so good —@flameshadowwolf

i've never heard of it! ima have to check it out now, thanks for the rec <3

Sorry if you consider this a request, but I'm very interested about your OC's yandere MBTI types (from @ddarker-dreams), so if you feel like it, can you identify them in this system? —anonymous

i…ah, am kinda bad with these mbti things. idk if its because i'm older than most writers i know (hi lock my love!! hope you're doing fantastic!), but i guess i can make my best attempt…? i'll just pick a few characters and list them for ya. if you want more specific characters or want me to make an official post with expanded explation, lmk and i'll make my best attempt

here's the link for anyone who are interested

lady hyena: reverent, delusional(?), manipulative (?), lenient, rdml the lioness: reverent, aware, honest, and strict(?), rahs conservative lion: cruel, aware, honest, and strict, cahs papa bull: reverent, delusional, honest, and strict(?), rdhs duke: cruel(?), delusional, manipulative, and strict, cdms father fox: reverent, aware, honest, and lenient(ish), rahl valerius: reverent, delusional(?), manipulative, and lenient, rdml

that's just a few! and they're all beastfolks since they're more fresh in my mind, aha. i tried my best hhh

Thirst chat thought: Have you ever thought that Cerelos could just find a way to tie up his wife underneath him as a cock sleeve, gag her, and just walk around a bit for the day doing royal duties and stuff? The man already has a equine skirt he wears, so he can easily hide everything underneath… (Also I’d happily give this man a dozen babies because I am a simp for him 💕) —anonymous

i think i touched upon that at one point! i wanna say he did that during a large meeting, maybe with his darling magically gagged? lemme see if i can find that post…

found it! its super brief but still

well, now i wanna write that…that's one more to my long to-do list, aha.

also you're valid

I am a simple man all I desire is your happiness. Tis all. I noticed you were feeling sad lately and I thought man next time I have extra money I'll kofi MO but recently I acquired a small fortune and I was happy to find a way to repay you for the time my friends and I giggle and go horny over your works Re-Reading your works is payment enough ….but if you wish to repay me I wouldn't mind maybe a dilf monster vampire (kinda like what you did for wolf pack? but Victorian times) or sequel to snake movie star or sequel/prequel dragon But I would rather you do what you are passionate about! Share your creations with the world! Rejoice in your delights! —anonymous

hi i love you and i swear i answered this before

i did the snek boi just for you <3 i hope you (and your friends!!) enjoyed it! he's a difficult boi to get through but i had fun writing him and his weird camera hobby

link: SMILE FOR THE CAMERA

Also increase your kofi goal —anonymous

im…okay. i didn't really have a goal target in mind so i hope thats sufficient??? sdfkdfj

Which of the beast folk are most likely to mate with humans? Like what about big cat beastfolk? —anonymous

it'd be fangedfolk, since they're canine (dogs) and are most attracted to the humans'…hm , simplicity and openness, i suppose you could say? and possibly treefolk (primates). i based my beastfolks' basic common grounds with irl animals, as canines are pack animals and dogs are more emotionally connected to us. as for primates, humans have evolutionary connections, similar social intelligence, and the shared abilities to solve problems and such.

that said, while fangedfolk are the most likely to have a human "companion", they are also most likely to have a poly pack with their human. whiskeredfolk (feline) are probably in the top-middle of that list, if we were to have a most-to-least likely ranking, with toothedfolk (rodents) due to their prey/nervous natures and seafolks (aquatic) on how dangerous/rare they are to communicate with, at the very bottom. the reason why i feel the whiskeredfolk being in the top-middle is that they can be fairly arrogant and being independent, but adores the complete attention their human can give them and how easily they are to manipulate.

that said, this is extremely generalized list, since the list is not really factoring in specific sub-groups under these categories, such as lions being social animals and are more likely to acquire a human lover, cheetahs more likely to need a service human pet to help with their anxieties, maned wolf being solitary type, etc. and other facets, like countries/areas, cultures, when/which eras, political affiliations, etc.

hope this answers your question, love!

Hello, I've been binging your Masterlist and I just want to say your OCS are exquisite —anonymous

i think you're exquisite as well, love! <3 thank you~

Are you eventually going to do more father fox content?? He's my favorite and I love him so much ♥️ —anonymous

ye! i have couple requests for more hcs for him~though they're all kinda pretty broad. if you have anything more specific for a hc request, hmu! i'd love to write a full piece of him someday too, since i think his quietly manipulative personality is fascinating to work with.

Daddy Bull and Duke content soon? I NEED these two fine beasts in my life!!! And can’t wait till the cute baby arrives!!! And hopefully many more…😋🥰 —anonymous

send in a request then~! preferably something a bit less broad, aha, but yes!

i especially would love to write a full story of those two someday, maybe as a book?

Hi hey sorry to bother you, hypothetically if I wanted to make an ai bot of one of your beastfolks, would that be alright? If not I totally understand, I just want to make sure! —anonymous

as long as there are proper credits included, go for it! just please be sure to link back to me if you do make one <3

whewwww, i...really hope i didn't miss anyone. most of them were (or looked like) a request of some kind and two i wanted to put into their own posts for me to answer soon.

hope yall are doing wonderfully and are having at least a decent holiday season!! ima try and get something nice out by christmas so heres hoping!! just...gonna decide on which i wanna do...lol.

#ghosts are curious.👻#☠️not writing...#anonymous #asked #answered #☠️monster is whispering...#beastfolks #beastfolk

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s-creations · 3 months ago

Text

Excavation - Chapter 1

Now that everything's calmed down slightly, Daisy explains why she's there. Mainly looking for the heroes' help in solving a problem that's coming from deep in one of her Kingdom's temples.

The group divides into two parts: One to solve the temple issue while the other tries to convince the Desert King to join forces against Bowser.

To everyone's surprise, it doesn't quite go according to plan.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario & Luigi & Wario & Waluigi Additional Tags: Pretty Much Everyone's Here, Named OCs - Freeform, world building, lore building, sometimes in the most painful way, Treasure Hunting, another mural to worry about, Mentions of Blood, we have a lot of people opening up in this one, cursing, heavy cursing, like I haven't used this heavy of cursing for this story for quite a while.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Daisy gave a nod to encourage herself and started.

“One of our oldest temples has started to crumble. We’re unsure as to why, but there are some warning signs pointing to something powerful currently trapped inside. And that it’s trying to get out. Quickly. Causing quakes to happen more often. While we’re worried, we also don’t have anyone who can go in to figure out what’s going on. No one’s ever been trained to ever traverse such dangerous areas, and there’s a fearful thought that we don’t have time to train them before something goes wrong.”

“My father refuses to try and reach out for help, from any kingdom. But I know that my home is in danger yet I’ve been held back from trying to figure things out. That’s why I’m here. My kingdom, my home, needs your help. If whatever is trapped inside is released, I’m terrified of what could happen.”

The room was quiet after this. Peach sharing a worried look with Mario. Who gave a short nod back with a smile that caused the princess to relax.

“Of course we will help.” Peach offered, beaming as Daisy’s shoulders dropped in her own relief. “We’ll pack up and leave as soon as we can.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Wario waves his hands. Leaning on the table to stare the princess in yellow down. “If you’re not training anyone, then what has your father been doing? And how dangerous are we talking about?”

Daisy frowned softly at the question, “In order to figure out what’s really going on, he would need to send some citizens in to start digging down to where we think this problem is located. So we don’t really know how dangerous it is. As far as your first question…basically nothing? I mean, planning on figuring out ways to get in there. But, basically nothing.”

Slowly nodding, Wario eventually slammed his hand down onto the table. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

“What?” The room collectively called out. The eldest brother let out a small groan before continuing. “Need I remind you all that I have gone treasure hunting before.”

“Yeah, a century ago.” Waluigi added.

Wario glared his eyes at his younger brother before continuing. “Bottom line is that I have the skills and the knowledge to get the job done!”

“I mean…I did just come here for the heroes.” said Daisy, waving a hand over to where the twins sat.

Only for Luigi to whisper out, “I don’t want to go back underground again.”

He shrank back slightly as all eyes turned to him.

“So, Wario and I will go,” Mario quickly answered. “With his skills and my…fire ability, we’ll be fine. Figure out the issue and either report back or solve it ourselves.”

Letting out a huff, Waluigi leaned on his hand in clear boredom. “Why do I feel like this is the blind leading the blind kind of situation.”

Peach clapped her hand as she stood up from her chair. “We’ll make the best out of this situation, shall we? While Wario and Mario handle the temple, Waluigi and Luigi will help me with rebuilding the relation between the two kingdoms. Simple solution.”

Daisy bit her bottom lip, “I don’t know if a crowd arriving at the castle would be the best idea… I just came for these two.”

“If you want the heroes, you’re dealing with all of us.” Wario argued back. To which the princess in yellow just pouted as a reply.

“Happy that’s decided,” said Peach, “I would advise that we separate for now and prepare as we need to. We’ll leave tomorrow as early as possible.”

“Noon?”

There was a slightly silent scuffle as Wario was piled onto by the remaining three brothers in an attempt to keep him quiet.

Peach pointedly ignored this and continued with, “6am it is! The castle will be open for anyone if they want to sleep here tonight. To save on travel time. Make it as easy as possible.”

“Thank you, princess,” Mario replied with a smile. Which slipped away when he toppled over as Wario finally broke free.

Being the only ones who needed to leave, the brothers shuffled out of the castle and their designated homesteads. Wario and Waluigi were practically ready in no time. The younger more than used to packing part of his life away quickly. Suitcase in hand as he watched, brows raised in disbelief, as Wario just shoved whatever he could reach into a stained duffle bag. Slinging it over his shoulder once it was jammed full and giving a confidence filled wink to his brother. Who merely rolled his eyes.

“Really, you’re going like that?”

Wario snorted and shook his head, “Of course not! I have to get my tools also.”

“Oh, right.” Waluigi shifted back to allow Wario out of his room before following, “You sure you’re going to be okay? I wasn't joking when I said you haven’t done this in a while.”

“Eh, it’s like riding a green pipe! You never really forget how it goes.”

“One, that saying is for a bicycle. Two, being swooped from one end to the other is not even close to treasure hunting. Let alone treasure hunting abandoned temples!”

Placing his bag down, Wario gave a pointed look to his brother. “You’re being overly weird… Feeling nervous? Or sick?”

“Well, forgive me for realizing how bad of an idea this all was.”

“Look, this is just a part of what we do now. I guess. Daisy said no one was skilled in this sort of thing. Well, I have the knowledge and tools, while Mario is the hero.”

Waluigi gave a weak thumbs up. “What great points you make.”

“The point I’m trying to get to is that this will all be okay. Unless it literally crumbles while we’re inside it or we possibly run into someone else… But we’ll be fine! Besides, you will have the hard part. Having to please daddy and mommy dearest.”

“Meh, it’s just using colorful words to sway people. Not really the main issue of this whole story.”

“We’re just playing to our strengths. Try and keep calm, it’ll all work out.”

“Sure…calm.” Waluigi gave a small smile when Wario offered a cry of triumph as he pulled out a dusty and very old looking satchel bag. One that had clearly not seen the light of day for a long time.

Calm was not what they walked into when arriving at the twin’s household. The first floor was left unscathed, but the upper floor looked as if a bomb went off. Mainly, a clothing bomb. Outfits and articles scattered everywhere, pouring out from the open doorways leading to the bedrooms. Wario and Waluigi took tentative steps moving forward as if waiting for something else to go flying out. Only to find the twins sitting on the floor at the end of Luigi’s bed. Both leaned against each other as they stared at the wall. Clearly showing some kind of defeat.

Polterpup, who had been resting at Luigi’s feet, perked up as the other brother’s walked in. Letting out a happy bark as they trotted over to the other two.

“Alright then,” Waluigi muttered, “this is interesting. What exactly did we walk into?”

“We don’t know how to pack.” Mario replied back.

“...What do you mean?”

“We’ve never packed before,” Luigi answered weakly, “We’ve never had a reason to.”

“Never moved. Never went on a vacation. What do we bring? What are essentials?” Mario finished.

Letting out a low groan, Waluigi practically slammed his belongings into Wario. Who doubled over for a moment while the tallest of the brothers said, “Okay. Wario, you wait downstairs. I have my work cut out for me, apparently.”

“I could help.” Wario frowned.

“Absolutely not. Stay downstairs. Keep Polterpup entertained. You two, get up, we need to start packing. I would like to get back to the castle before nightfall.”

_____________________________

The next day started early with a quick and sleepy breakfast while the carriages were packed up during that time. Mario bore the brunt of holding up the rest of the brothers as they slept, waiting on the sidelines for when they could finally board. Polterpup, seeming to burst with so much energy, was rushing around. Either weaving in between the empty spaces or just phased through everything. Trying to take it all in.

Eventually, after rolling Wario into their marked transport (literally), three carriages moved out from the Mushroom Kingdom before the sun even began to rise.

It was as they passed the kingdom’s border, the sky painted a pastel pink that Mario felt Luigi shift slightly. The older twin assumed the other was starting to wake up again. He didn’t say anything as he just focused on the scenes passing the large window. Doing his best to ignore Wario and Waluigi snoring softly as they slept.

Luigi, on his part, gave a small groan as he began to wake. Sitting up to slowly work out his sore muscles while letting out a wide yawn. Resting across his lap was Polterpup. Who had apparently worn themselves out from that excited early morning. Undisturbed as their owner stretched. Eventually, Luigi slumped against the seat and looked over to Mario.

“‘Ello…” Luigi gumbled softly.

“Hey,” Mario reached over to ruffle Luigi’s hair, “extra sleep help?”

“Little sore, but yeah.” There was a nervous twitch when Waluigi gave a heavy snore. “Geez, have you been listening to that this whole time?”

“Afraid so, and now you get to join me.”

“Joy.” The unwanted noise was quickly forgotten as Luigi’s attention went to the window. Mario more than happy to let the other leaned over him to get a better look, while Polterpup let out a huff. Who was now annoyed with the constant movement. Floating over to Waluigi to rest on his lap instead while the twins took in the sights.

The large rolling meadows of the Mushroom Kingdom were replaced with mountains and heavy forests. Creatures not seen by either of the brothers scuttled along the trees or flew above the foliage. The vibrant colors of their homes were replaced with warmer ones. Arrays of reds, oranges, and yellows out weighing the brown and tan, making the twins think of autumn.

“We should move here.” Luigi teased.

Mario laughed softly, shuffling to lean against his brother, “Think they celebrate Halloween here?”

“Oh goodness, I hope not. They have actual ghosts here. Could you imagine what else we would have to face down that would relate to Halloween monsters?”

“Funny how you mention ghosts but not the giant, fire-breathing turtle.”

“Well, then, don’t remind me.”

They shared a chuckle at that.

“How about we just talk Peach into a vacation here? A chance to explore more.” Mario continued.

“Maybe? I’m sure she wouldn’t be against it. But I would love to make sure we went somewhere we wouldn’t face some kind of danger.”

“With how this place is built? Good luck.”

“Aww…”

“If you had to pick, where would you want to go? Beach or mountains?”

“Hotel.”

“That wasn’t even an option!”

“I’m selecting a luxury hotel and you can’t convince me otherwise.” Luigi held back a screech as he pulled away from Mario, trying to avoid the fingers digging into his side.

There was a brief but silent scuffle as Luigi tried to keep Mario at bay. Both pausing when Waluigi let out a large snort before shifting to lay across Wario. The twin letting out small snorts at the action, deciding to settled down to allow the other brother’s to sleep peacefully. Both content to just watch the strange world go by.

The autumn themed forest eventually gave way to dry, grassy plains, the rolling hills of golden sand. The carriages only able to traverse by remaining on the pathways of what appeared to be tightly compressed sand. The twins needing to lower the brims of their caps to the sun wouldn’t blind them as they tried to take in all they could see.

Which wasn’t much, as it was just a lot of sand. But having never seen a desert on Earth, this was still a new experience.

Waluigi began to wake at this point. Cracking his neck as he sat up, pushing away from Wario while holding Polterpup closer, quickly turning his attention to the twins. Letting out a snort seeing their squinting faces. “Enjoying yourselves?”

“Don’t mock,” Mario said, “We’re just curious.”

“So, sightseeing trumps keeping your eyes from cooking inside your skull?”

“Okay wise guy, what genius idea do you have in mind?”

Reaching forward, Wario pulled the tinted shade down over the window. Snorting when the twins looked at said item in shock.

“Oh,” Luigi said, “...To be fair, we didn’t know about that.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that.”

Mario turned to sit back down properly, focused on Waluigi as the younger twin brought down the shade for the other window. “Do you think we’re close?”

“Don’t know, it’s all just sand. No landmarks. It’s all the same to me.” Waluigi casually commented back while running a hand along Polterpup’s back.

“Haven’t you been to this kingdom before?”

“Pfft, no, what gave you that idea? New Donk was the first time out of the Mushroom Kingdom for me. All I know about this place is that it’s stupid hot. So, I hope you like the heat.”

Luigi gave a small groan in defeat, but nothing more was said.

“So, you haven’t even met the king and queen from this place?” Mario continued.

With a small hum, Waluigi settled back into his seat a little more. “I mean, King Olivine visited the Mushroom Kingdom from time to time. Guess you could say I’ve seen him. But I’ve never met the queen. And even with Olivine, it’s always been from a distance…”

“You dated Daisy, but never visited or met her parents?” Luigi frowned.

“Do you really think any of those royal bloods would be happy to hear that their only heir to the throne was dating a commoner? Even more so, dating a well known criminal?” Waluigi grumbled, “We kept our relationship as best of a secret we could. Letters were easy to hide and cheaper than trying to find passage to and from here.”

“Has anyone in this carriage been to the Desert Kingdom before?” Mario asked.

“Think that through again and look at the two of us. What do you think?”

“...Good point.”

“We’re all getting a first look at this kingdom. This’ll be interesting.”

The carriage jostled slightly as the pavement beneath suddenly changed. Tightly packed sand changed to rather bumpy cobblestone, Polterpup slightly annoyed to be woken up again. Those who were awake leaned over to see all they could out of the window. Just catching a glimpse of wide doors before stepping onto the large castle’s entrance grounds. A large pool of water greeted them first. One that stretched back towards the towering structure of the castle itself. Occupants inside the carriage noticed small pathways of water breaking away from the larger source. All flowing past the castle and into a tightly packed town that laid past the royal structure.

The carriages continued their way in approaching the castle. Only stopping when they were right in front of the grand steps leading up.

“...Anyone notice how quiet it is?” Waluigi mumbled out.

“I was about to say the same thing.” Mario replied.

Turning away from the window, Luigi looked at the other two, “Where are the guards?”

As if waiting for that cue, there was a sudden flood of cactus-like beings dressed in silver armor and carrying spears rushing towards the carriages. All becoming surrounded very quickly as said weapons were brandished towards them. Mario instantly pulled Luigi away from the window, the younger twin letting out a small yelp from the sudden change. Polterpup’s hackles raising as they let out a low growl, moving to the floor and focusing on the carriage door.

“This is really not the welcoming I was expecting,” said Waluigi with a frown, “I mean, I wasn’t waiting for a warm reception but- Would you wake up!”

As Waluigi shoved his brother off, Wario hit the wall of the carriage. Waking with a harsh snort and grunt. Looking around frantically as he searched for his ‘attacker’. “What happened?”

“We’re here.” Waluigi replied back.

“You couldn’t have woken me up normally!”

The argument was cut off when the carriage door was forcefully opened. With numerous calls of ‘Get out!’ pointed at the brothers. Mario took the lead while having a hold of Luigi’s arm and keeping the younger twin behind him. Polterpup barked as they floated between the four brothers, doing their best to keep the guards away. The twins on edge as they were led towards the castle’s front steps. Wario and Waluigi follow at a more easy pace. Keeping an eye on everything, just in case, but trying not to get too worked up over it.

When they found Peach and Toadsworth being led further on, Luigi had to grab onto Mario’s arm to keep the other from rushing forward. Daisy soon joined them, not held at spear point, but still caged in from every side. Arms crossed with a look of clear disgust on her face.

“Daisy! Oh, my dear Daisy.”

Attention was pulled to the grand golden steps. Where a slim woman, seeming to sparkle and shine in the sunlight, quickly descended. Long golden hair seemed to merge with her flowing veil when both billowed from behind her. Even her tan skin appeared to merge into her dusty golden gown. Her clear green eyes stood out further from her complexion, which were directed at Daisy. She waved her hands as a silent command for the guards to step away. Allowing her to pull Daisy into a tight hug.

“Mom,” Daisy let out a low groan, “stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Well, pardon me for being concerned about my daughter who just left us in the middle of the night! What were you thinking? You don’t even leave us a message?”

“I was on a rescue mission! Look! Look who I brought back.” Daisy pulled away to stand next to Peach. Who looked a little nervous when the desert Queen turned her focus.

“Oh…is that Peach?” the queen breathed out, eyes wide.

Peach offered a low bow as she quietly said, “Hello, Queen Monazite. It’s been…many years.”

Toadsworth offered a small bow of his own, “Madam, it’s good to see you again.”

Letting out a small coo, Monazite lifted Peach to stand back up. “Look at you. You’ve grown into a wonderful young woman. What a horrible greeting this is! Put those weapons away, we have guests. Goodness, we know better than to act in such a way.”

All were able to relax as the spears were lowered. Monazite gave the guards a hardened glare before her face softened to greet her guests. “Even with how sudden this visit is, we happily welcome all of you. And I believe I see some new faces among the crowd.”

The four brothers stood a little taller as the queen approached them, Polterpup hunkering down in front. Just in case. Guards parted the way quickly as their queen walked forward while Monazite offered each a warm smile.

“I welcome you all to the Desert Kingdom, and to the Sarasaland castle. Despite the rather rough opening, we are happy to have you here.”

“Mom,” Daisy stepped in, “This is Wario and Waluigi, old childhood friends.”

“I do believe those names are familiar. Your father may have had a few stories about two young rebels that interrupted some meetings. All in good fun, I would hope,” Monazite gave a small laugh, “Wonderful to finally put a face to the names. And what of-”

The smile that held strong slipped away as her attention turned to the twins. Appearing to be in stunned silence before whispering out, “Humans.”

“These are the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the main reason why I just…left. I figured they could help us! You know, with the recent issue we’ve been having?”

The surprise fell away as Monazite fixed her daughter with a pointed frown. “Daisy-”

“That temple is causing too much trouble and you know it! Dad’s being an ass for not asking for help and we can’t just keep sending random people in! So, I decided to go get the help we need. I brought the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom here to help us.” Daisy beamed as she placed her hands on her hips.

Monazite, however, did not seem to share this optimistic.

The queen turned to the small group once more, her smile a bit wary now. “While I’m happy to have you here and that you would willingly arrive with the intention to help… Our king will have the final say in this. Which will be hard to do at this moment.”

“Because he’s a stubborn ass.” Daisy mumbled.

“Don’t say such things, Daisy.”

“But-” The retort fell silent when Monazite held up her hand.

“They will not be allowed entrance unless the king grants it. Your father has the final say.”

“We’ll talk to him,” Peach said, “I’m sure if we state our caste, we’ll be able to convince him.”

“...Very well, if you believe this. Please follow me.”

The guards followed close as Monazite led the way into the large castle. Unlike the solid walls with tall windows as found in the Mushroom Castle, this building was as open as they could be. No glass covering the wide arches to allow a breeze through, the windows decorated to distinguish against the doorways. Even with the openness, the interior was in shadows that paired well with the comforting breeze.

Monazite waved her hand to one of the large rooms, one that held numerous maps and papers. Both hanging on the walls and littering the long, narrow table that stretched from one end of the room to the other. Opposite from where the group entered was Kind Olivine, surrounded by bi-pedal mouse creatures wearing robes of yellow and red. Small spectacles resting on their pointed noises as they peered over as many pieces of parchment they could grab onto.

Olivine’s gruff and very stressed demeanor that had been focused on the table melted away when he saw Daisy. Gently pushing past the group of scholars to pull his daughter closer. “Daisy! My darling flower, where did you go? What were you thinking disappearing on us like this? Are you hurt?”

“Dad, I’m fine.” Daisy’s voice was muffled by the king’s golden robes.

“I’m so happy to hear this… I suppose you’ll also be fine with being confined to your room for at least a week for this action.”

That got Daisy to push away, looking absolutely indignant with what had just been said, “You can’t be serious!”

“I should be saying that to you. Do you even know the panic you put us into? I had my top men shift focus from the ruins to trying to figure out where you could have gone.”

Daisy looked a little uneasy at that. “You haven’t sent anyone else in, have you?”

“No…but the situation has grown worse. I’m fearful of the weakened structure our excavating has done.”

At that, Peach stepped forward. Doing her best of royal control. “How much worse?”

Olivine faltered once more, a soft whisper of ‘Dahlia’ escaping him. Only to quickly push past that with a stern face and a sharp, “Princess Peach, I was not aware you were…”

“Clearly. Daisy arrived at my kingdom saying that you needed help. To which I’ve arrived with, um, our heroes.” She gestured a hand over to where Mario and Luigi stood.

Sharp eyes turned to the two humans, both faltering slightly under the cold gaze. The desert king seeming to fully take everything in. Instead of being impressed by the heroes or relieved that some kind of help had arrived, Olivine appeared furious.

“While the offer is appreciated, it won’t be needed. Thank you for bringing my daughter home. I will request that you return to your home at this time.”

“What- Dad!” Pulling away from her mother’s hold, Daisy blocked Olivine’s path as he made his way back to the group of advisors. Narrowing her eyes as she started him down. “If the situation is becoming worse, then this already stupid plan is now painfully classified as a suicide mission. It was bad enough before! But now I really have to question if you really care about our people.”

Olivine puffed out his chest, clearly angry. “Daisy, I will not be talk to as-”

“Too bad! You pulled me out of Peach’s life before with a stupid reason of having me focus on our kingdom. The very one that you’re clearly tossing aside! For what reason? Pride? I think with how the world is going, it would be best to forget about all of that. Can you please start being a decent king for our people? Can you do that?”

Taking a deep breath, Olivine lowered his raised shoulders before addressing his father once more. “I…understand where your concerns arise from. However, with the target on the Mushroom Kingdom-”

Daisy let out a noise of disgust, rolling her eyes. “I’m calling on my status to allow the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom to help us. They have my full permission to do what they need and go where they need to keep our kingdom safe.”

“Very well, if you’re so sure. I’ll allow you this overruling.”

“Oh trust me, I don’t need your ‘allowance’.”

With that, Daisy turned and made for the door. Making sure to grab Mario and Luigi’s wrists to pull them along. Peach, Wario, and Waluigi quickly followed after. Leaving Toadsworth in the room with a clearly angry Olivine and silently amused Monazite. The elder Toad tapped his cane to pull attention.

“I’m unsure where your head is at the moment, your highness. But I would advise you remove it from where it’s lodged.” With that, Toadsworth turned to Monazite. “I don’t suppose you could find accommodations for us?”

“Of course, follow me.”

Olivine was left to feel gobsmacked, the room filled with nervous tension. The advisors flinching slightly as their king turned sharply to face them. Not a word shared as they shuffled the paperwork once more.

A few hallways away, the twins were still being dragged along by a clearly furious princess. Daisy seemed to not have a plan on where to go. Just stomping around, hissing and mumbling with heated words that the brothers couldn’t really make out.

“Daisy, y-you’re going to pull o-our arms out.” Luigi whispered frantically as they stalked the hallways. Only to wince when Daisy practically threw their arms down. Both rubbing their shoulders once free.

“I can’t believe him!” Daisy let out a noise of rage as she began to pace. “What a stupid, stupid man-”

“You can’t worry about…all of that right now. You’re calling the shots at the moment, and it seems like we’re on borrowed time. We need to get to that temple. Now.” Mario said in a hopefully calm demeanor.

It did calm Daisy down enough to stop pacing. Looking past the twins as the rest of the party joined them. Luigi let out a sigh of relief as Polterpup pressed against his sore shoulder. The chill giving comfort as the heavy conversation began again.

“I can’t believe you pulled something like that.” Peach hissed, looking more than a little worried.

Daisy waved her hand, “It’s been a long time coming, to be honest.”

“Well, it’s not going to make the conversation about re-establishing our kingdoms again easier.”

“You know it was never going to be easy.”

“You didn’t exactly help.” Waluigi mumbled out.

“Pardon me for putting my foot down,” Daisy crossed her arms. “I hope you know we wouldn’t be able to have this conversation if I hadn't done anything!”

“Joy. Now this already stressful situation is 10 times worse.”

“Listen here you-”

“Okay,” Wario quickly stepped in. Actually holding onto Daisy’s arm to keep her from hitting Waluigi. “Let’s try and keep a cool head. We need a plan on how to handle each part.”

“Do you have the tools we need for this?” Mario’s question points to Wario.

“Yep.”

Luigi held out a bag with a few golden bones to his brother. “Just in case you get separated from Polterpup.”

“You sure?”

“You’ll need someone good with searching, and with going through walls.”

“That is a good bonus.” Waluigi added.

“Then we’re about as prepared as we can be without actually being there,” Wario nodded, “What about the rest of you?”

“Queen Monazite may be our best first goal.” Peach stated with Luigi nodding.

Waluigi, however, looked unsure. “She’s not very vocal.”

“Mom’s not a fighter,” Daisy weakly agreed. “But if we can get her on our side, we might have a better time convincing dad.”

“Let me try and talk with her. Maybe I’ll be able to find some even ground.” Luigi offered.

“Do you think a queen will open up to a new commoner?” Waluigi frowned.

“Would you like to talk with her?”

“...Not really. But I’ll be nearby for emotional support.”

Peach nodded with a smile, “Same.”

“Couldn’t ask for more.” Luigi beamed.

“And while you’re dealing with that,” Daisy faced Mario and Wario with a wide smile, “I’ll be with you two.”

“You’re not going to-” Mario’s worry was paused when Daisy shook her head.

“I’ll be waiting for you two outside. But I need to be there to grant you authority to enter these areas. Plue, it’ll also be nice to have someone to greet you once you get out.”

Wario slowly nodded, “That…sounds reasonable. I like that idea. I’m expecting some good food when we get this problem fixed.”

“You got it.”

Mario shook his head with a small laugh. Twitching slightly when Polterpup jumped onto his shoulder, a small chill fell over him. He looked over as Luigi drew closer.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Luigi whispered softly.

“Of course,” Mario pulled his brother close with a smile. “We’ll be back by nightfall, no doubt. You just focus on what you can while you’re here, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Luigi pulled Mario into a tight hug, who returned it. Both taking a few seconds to relax into the embrace before pulling away, their names being called.

Mario gave a small nod with a smile, turning to join Wario and Daisy. Polterpup happily resting on his shoulder. The younger twin remained rooted to the spot as he watched the other three disappear around the corner. Only turning away when Waluigi placed a hand on his shoulder.

“They’ll be okay.” The taller brother said easily.

“...I hope so.” Luigi replied back.

#s-creations #fanfiction #mario #luigi #wario #waluigi #mario & luigi #wario and waluigi #yellow purple red green #YPRG #yprg #princess peach #toadsworth #daisy #princess daisy

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