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#i am getting closer to being at a place where i've dropped enough money that i never have to use disposables again
britneyshakespeare · 1 month
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reusable period products are a cult and i'm a brainwashed follower
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justdaniel-eh · 2 months
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I wanna ramble so it's time to talk about
⚙ MINISTER ⚡
Pre-warning: this post is gonna be a LOT cos I don't think I've talked AnoVerse lore much publically. I will do a public AnoVerse lore breakdown at some point. Or at least what I'm fine with revealing.
Also, I really hate how there's no yellow text honestly I cannot keep sufficing for orange, that's not Minister's colour that's Danny's 😭
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Gonna be so real guys help I have no idea how to put his little patchy beard into the smaller format god send help (in short, the sprite is still not done)
Minister is our teams unofficial leader, not just by being the oldest (in his late 20's roughly), but also because he's by technicality the one who really started it all. Though, in the end of the day, the 4 of them have never even discussed the idea of a team name let alone roles or positions haha. Minister himself is a massive nerd engineering, mechanics, and science. He spends a lot of time locked down in the basement, tinkering away at little inventions, but ends up needing to go out and about now and then anyway.
His most beloved creation is Myr (seen to the left of Minister in the sprites above), his handy assistant robot. She follows her creator most days - the two only splitting if Minister is needed in two places at once, or if Minister needs an extra pair of eyes on the house. He would probably go crazy if she were to ever break or get damaged.
Minister's story though is also our beginning to AnoVerse. Appearing out of literally no where in Faremont roughly a decade ago, he began making a name for himself, fixing and creating devices for the townsfolk. The money he saved from these jobs allowed him to save to begin building his own house on the outskirts, sick of the noise the city brought, and also just wishing to be more isolated and alone.
Then one night in late Winter, there was a knock at his door. A poor kid stuck out in the cold and snow, needing a shelter to stay in. Minister really wasn't one for unexpected visitors, but alas he couldn't leave a child to freeze in the snow - and thus, Deejay began staying at Minister's house.
The two eventually formed a bond. Deejay got Minister to become a tiny bit more open and less isolated, even if it was with him. Minister gave Deejay a place to call home. Generally though, that's all you need to know for now.
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Above: Minister in his early 20's, shortly after Deejay appeared into his life, and before being fired from his job at the time.
Anyway, here's a list of Minister's relationships with other characters
I am about to name drop a ton of characters I haven't quite mentioned before be ready LMAO
As previously mentioned, Minister provided Deejay a home. Between the other 3, Minister has the closest relationship with Deejay. Someone he can confide in and rely on when he needs to.
Minister's relationship with Another is... rocky. You'd imagine Minister to be closer with one of his creations, much like Myr. But something about the way Minister looks at Another, you can see hints of... disappointment? It's odd and not something Minister wishes to open up about. The two generally tend to never speak 1 on 1 unless absolutely necessary.
Minister doesn't know much about Danny... just that he kinda barged into the house one day, made himself at home, and Deejay convinced him to let him stay. Though, he feels the less he knows the better.
Minister and Grant Evco (AnoVerse's main villain/the head of Escenic for those who do not know) have a complicated history. One that kind of stays in the past... but it really impacts how much they seriously dislike each other now. Though, for what it's worth, they still have enough respect to not destroy each others reputation.
The final major person in Minister's life is Samantha Heel - the head of defensive operations for Faremont City. The two end up working together a lot due to the amount of times the government commissions work off of Minister, but have had history before even then as they have both worked in the same company on a couple occassions in the past decade. And though Minister will never confirm anything... They might be sneaking off together now and then. She's definitely the person he's closest to, maybe barely just above Deejay.
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Above: my favourite piece of Minister and Deejay. A remastered piece, originally from a comic. All done by @/evilredyoshis. I cannot stress how much art she's done for my projects in previous years, as usual go drop her a follow or show her posts some support.
This. Is a really long post. For something that I probably need to give LOTS AND LOTS MORE context and world building around before anyone even touches this.
Anyway that's all goodnight hehe :))
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queenharumiura · 1 year
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Taken from meme: [x] ||Accepting|| I sometime send in or interact with two different Haru's in mind, but i'm going with the one where Haru owns a tavern and is acquainted with a nearby guild, because I can.
For Rowan
Your first impression of Rowan: "What a big, burly guy. As long as he's not about to trash the place, I don't care what he does." The large sword he's carrying could do a lot of damage, and she certainly didn't want to have to demand any reparations from him should things go south.
Current impression: "He's usually walking around fighting things, so it's not like he stays in one place. So the sightings of him aren't that frequent around these parts, but I see him enough to remember him." She says that like she doesn't memorize anyone who has stepped foot into her tavern. "A cool guy, he is."
Are you attracted to your Rowan: She hums as she's polishing a glass, "If you're asking if he's attractive, then yeah. Conventionally, he's attractive, wouldn't you think?" If the question was moreso asking if she was interested in him, she'd probably lean closer to no? "I am in a steady relationship with money." There was also no bigger waste of time and effort in someone who wasn't interested in you in the first place.
Something you find frightening about Rowan: "I haven't actually seen him fighting yet, but i'm sure that's a sight to behold. I think there would be a healthy amount of fear coupled with awe and admiration."
Something you find adorable about Rowan: "..." A distant stare at this customer who has been grilling her with these weird questions about Rowan this entire time. "I... I don't know." Was there something to find adorable about him? "There would be a list if you changed the question to what I found cool about him. That's a better question."
Would you sacrifice themselves Rowan?: "Honestly, I don't think my sacrifice would amount to much. Moreover, I think i'd just get in his way. I'll just stay here and have something prepared for him when he drops by again, how about that?"
Would you go on a date with Rowan?  platonic/romantic: "Well," she shrugs her shoulders, "these days aren't the best times to be going on dates, yanno?" She wouldn't be opposed if he asked her out on a date (platonic or otherwise). "I might have to decline if the date includes being bait or something. I can be convinced if you buy enough from my tavern."
One word you would use to describe Rowan: "Ohhh~ Are we coming up with interesting monikers? Is this going to circulate around as his title among the masses or something?" How exciting! How would she describe him? "You gotta come up with something good, even if it may be embellished a bit. That's how these nicknames work. Adds to the whole prestige of a name that travels around." Trust her, she knows. She runs a tavern, so she's heard of all sorts of named 'heroes'. "He goes around killing supernatural beings... so how about... 'The punisher' or 'the super-killer.' How's that for a moniker?" Was she missing the point? Tsk tsk, no, she understood the mission just fine, actually.
Would you slap Rowan if you could?: "If I could? I mean- I don't know?" She thinks about it. IF she were to try to slap him, was he the sort that would let it happen or would he avoid it? "I may be a curious soul, but i'm not that curious to test my luck. There isn't a good reason for me to do so, anyways."
Would you hug/kiss Rowan?: "We're not close like that, so that'd probably be too much," though Haru isn't against handing out hugs to whoever needed one!
"What weird questions you've been asking. Alright, I've answered your questions, so you have to do your part and order something for my service."
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sirenascales · 3 years
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-> double black [part one] 18+
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-> Chuuya x 1stPov!F!Reader x Dazai
-> Who knew getting fired from work could lead to this?
-> Content: SMUT, slight angst, violence, murder, swearing
A night out drinking leads to a small misunderstanding with a handsome, yet dangerous man. [Chuuya x 1stPOV!F!Reader]
3,894 words
note: edited this so it could still be read as a reader fic! it's actually a lot of fun writing in first person! hope those who read this enjoy my first bsd fic!
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Final || masterlist
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I've experienced a lot of amazing things since I've moved to Japan. A new job in a different country, new co-workers and friends, work parties, themed bars, cafes, and hookups with pretty strangers. There was a long list of great things I've had going on, and a long list of things I've never expected... and being fired from the job I had for a year was not one of them.
"A year of hard work... for nothing," I mumbled bitterly as I sat at the bar with my close friend, and now ex-coworker, Keiko. She was beautiful, with long black hair and brown eyes. She frowned, a sympathetic look on her pretty face as she sighed.
"I'm so sorry," she said softly, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "I'm sure you'll find something else soon! You have an awesome resume, and you're an amazing worker who can speak English, Japanese AND Spanish... there is totally a place for you out there!"
Keiko has always been supportive and enthusiastic, a really bright and friendly girl who made it her mission to befriend me as soon as I started working with her. She was relentless, and soon enough, I found myself spending many hours with the woman.
"Yeah..." I just mumbled again and she laughed softly.
"It's okay to mope... that's why I brought you here!"
"Yeah, about that," I started, sending Keiko a look as I swiveled the stool so my body faced her. "Why did you bring me here?" As soon as the work day was done, Keiko immediately dragged me to what was clearly a mafia bar. That didn't surprise me, since she was actually dating a mafioso.
A mafioso, who was part of the Port Mafia. It wasn't long after I moved to Yokohama that I started to hear stories about the organization, and was also warned not to cross them. Of course, with my luck, I became best friends with someone who dated someone who was in the Port Mafia. How a sweet girl like Keiko ended up with a man like him, I'll never know.
What I do know is that Taichi adored Keiko, gave her everything she could possibly want and need with the money he makes, and that was just being a normal grunt! Even so, it was dangerous, but Keiko didn't seem to mind.
"I come here with Taichi all the time," Keiko answered, sipping her drink. I turned to sip on my own. "You can't tell me it isn't luxurious." It was. My jaw had dropped to the floor when we first stepped into the very luxurious bar. "Don't worry about it, okay? Drink your sadness away! You're safe here. Since I am Taichi's woman, and you're with me, nothing will happen, okay?"
"Where is Taichi anyway?" I asked, glancing over her shoulder when I spotted a group of men walking in through the entrance. I missed the way the light left Keiko's eyes, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. My eyes were on the men, which in the middle was a man with orange hair, a black hat adorning his head. I felt my breath hitch in my throat, my eyes looking at the very handsome man up and down. I swallowed thickly.
"He had a job tonight and couldn't make it. He'll be home to- hey, what are you looking at?" Annoyed at me ignoring her, she turned in her seat, a shocked look on her face before she smiled tightly.
"Taichi! I thought you had an assignment!"
"Hey, babe! We finished early, which was quite surprising, honestly."
The couple embraced and I barely registered the mushy love between the two as I watched the ginger man lead the rest of the group further into the bar. He walked by me, and before I knew it, dark blue eyes were staring right at me, eyebrows furrowed.
"The hell are you looking at?" he sneered and my face turned red, heart dropping in my chest.
"No one! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, quickly turning back around and facing the bar.
"Tch. Whatever," the man only responded before walking off.
"You look like a cherry," Taichi said, clearly amused. I sent him a half-hearted glare, Keiko slapping his chest lightly.
"Be nice to her. She got fired today."
"Ohh, that sucks. If you need help-"
"She won't take it," Keiko said with a huff. "Stubborn ass."
I rolled my eyes at her, biting my lip nervously as I fiddled with my glass. "So uh... who was that guy? With the hat?"
Taichi blinked. "Oh, that's Chuuya Nakahara."
"Is he part of the Port Mafia?"
Taichi barked out a laugh, Keiko giggling softly behind her hand.
"Baby... he's an executive. Chuuya works closely with the leader of the Port Mafia."
"And I work under Chuuya," Taichi finished, amused at how wide my eyes have gotten at the answer.
"You mean to tell me... I pissed off... an executive member..." I was dismayed, heart pounding in my chest.
"Hmm, probably. Don't go home alone tonight," Taichi grinned as I balked, clearly having fun torturing me.
"Taichi! Babe, don't listen to him."
I gulped nervously, downing the rest of my drink before signaling to the bartender to get me another one.. "R-right..." Despite my better judgment, I turned my head, looking towards the obvious VIP section of the bar. Chuuya sat with some other grunts, a glass of what seemed to be red wine in his hand. Of course, his eyes found mines yet again and I whipped my head back around. Fuck, I did it again! I quickly downed the newly made drink, unaware of Chuuya's eyes narrowing as he watched me.
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"Nooo, do you have to go?" a drunk Keiko whined as she latched onto my arm, a forever amused Taichi watching on. "Don't leave me with hiiiiiiim."
"I want to go home, dammit," I huffed, successfully peeling her off of me and handing her to her boyfriend. "I have to start job hunting tomorrow. Thank you for bringing me here, I do feel better and I love you but... I'm tired."
"Ugh, you are such an old lady!" Keiko whined again and I couldn't help but laugh, turning to start walking towards the exit.
"Goodnight, you too. Please get her home safe, Taichi."
"I wouldn't count on it~"
I rolled my eyes at his teasing, leaving the two behind as I left the bar. I stepped out into the cool night air, shivering a bit as I closed my cardigan tightly around me. I wore a simple but cute outfit; a black dress with burgundy tights underneath, black flats on my feet and my favorite tan cardigan over the entire outfit. It helped me fight off a bit of the cold, but as I started to walk down the block, I grabbed my phone to start searching through my usual rideshare app.
I didn't get far. My phone cluttered to the ground as it fell out my hands, a gasp leaving my mouth as I was slammed against the nearby brickwall of a narrow, dark alleyway.
"Who the fuck are you?" a familiar voice hissed and I'm shocked to find Chuuya Nakahara glaring daggers at me, his strong hands pinning my arms against the wall. He growled when I didn't answer. "Answer me! Who sent you here?!"
"N-No one!" I cried out, shaking like a leaf. Of course, of course I would be confronted by a fucking high level member of one of the most dangerous organizations in Japan. "I swear, I just came here with my friend."
Chuuya growled again and he flipped me around, pressing my front against the wall. "Stay still," he grunted, and my face started to heat up as I felt his gloved hands quickly feel along my body. He was frisking me, and I gulped when he shoved his hand under my dress, producing the knife I had strapped to my thigh.
"I carry that to protect myself," I immediately explained, Chuuya turning me around again to face him. His eyes were still narrowed, staring me down as if trying to figure out what the hell I was up to.
"And the bouncer didn't pat you down?" he questioned and I shook my head quickly.
"No, he didn't pat me or Keiko down."
"Tch, that's Taichi's woman," he said, though he still looked at me with narrow eyes, hesitating a bit before he turned my knife in his hand, handing it back to me hilt first. "You sure know how to make yourself look suspicious."
I cringed a bit as I strapped my knife to my thigh strap again. I missed how Chuuya's eyes lingered, him licking his lips. "That's my fault I... I know I was staring..." I could feel my face heat up again and I couldn't even look Chuuya in his face. "S-sorry if I creeped you out. I don't mean any harm. Keiko brought me here 'cause I got fired and she wanted to help me feel better..."
"Hm," was his only reply, crossing his arms over his chest. "What you do to fuck up?"
My mouth fell and I sputtered as I tried to come up with the words. "What do you mean?! I didn't fuck up!" I protested. "It literally came out of nowhere! I worked my ass off all year, only to get fired 'cause I wasn't what they needed anymore. Fucking bullshit."
Chuuya was amused by my little vent, snickering a bit as he gave me a quick look up and down. "I'm sure it wasn't your winning personality."
I scoffed. "Says the one that shoved a random woman against a wall?! That hurt, you bastard!"
Chuuya raised his eyebrows at me, and I immediately slapped my hands over my mouth.
Oh no. Fuck, I forgot who I was talking to.
Chuuya snickered again, his eyes flashing in amusement. He stepped closer to me, making me press back against the wall again. Chuuya leaned his face close to mine, a smug smirk on his face as he spoke.
"Be careful who you talk to like that," he hummed, and I shivered despite feeling some of his body heat. "Someone might just cut out your tongue for talking back like that. Me? Well, it'd be a waste, especially when I think of all the things I could make you do with it."
I squeaked, the heat never leaving my face as I stared at Chuuya with a puzzled expression on my face. The sudden switch up was giving me whiplash... and lowkey turning me on. "I..." I stuttered, looking away and finally noticing my phone still on the ground. "Crap, I hope it's not broken."
I rushed over to pick my phone up, ignoring Chuuya's hard stare on me. I looked over my phone, sighing in relief when I saw that it had sustained no damages.
Chuuya then stepped up to me, jerking his head back towards the bar before walking off. "Let me take you home. Take that as an apology for being so rough on you."
I blinked. "Um..."
"Hurry up!"
"Okay!" I squeaked and followed after the man quickly, chewing on my lip as I asked myself... what the fuck was I doing? Am I really about to get inside this man's car? He was a stranger! Who frisked me! Let alone, he is clearly a dangerous man.
I must be insane.
"Tell me," Chuuya started and I was dumbfounded as he approached a rather cool looking motorcycle. No way. "What the hell were you being so creepy for?" He turned to me and asked, an all-knowing smirk on his face. I blushed deeply. Of course, he already was able to figure it out once he realized that I wasn't a threat.
"No reason," I huffed out, earning a low laugh as Chuuya grabbed the only helmet I could see. I looked at him confused, gasping when he unceremoniously placed the helmet over my head. "What about you?"
"I don't need it," Chuuya simply answered before he finally mounted his bike. "Come on, you little liar. Hop on."
I couldn't help but stare, my mouth going dry as I took in the image of this handsome bastard with his bike. The engine roared as he turned it on, revving it a bit and making me make a mess in my panties.
"Hey, ya done eyefucking me, dollface?"
I sputtered. "I was NOT eyefucking you!" I stormed over to the bike, glaring at the grinning bastard as I climbed onto the bike behind him.
Chuuya snorted. "Yeah, like you weren't eyefucking me earlier in the bar," he retorted, easily reaching behind him to grab my wrists, pulling me against his back as he wrapped my arms around him. I was stunned silent, from his words, and his actions and the fact that his back felt so solid.... and he smelled so good...
"I was not..." I mumbled, pressing my cheek against his back. "Shut the fuck up."
He laughed darkly, and that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Where do you live?" Chuuya asked and I hesitantly told him my address. "I know where that is. Hold on."
"You do? It's on the other side of the city," I said and Chuuya just chuckled softly, looking over his shoulder and smirking at me.
"And who exactly runs this city?"
I clamped my mouth shut, his eyes staring into mine. I blushed and looked away from him. He turned his head back around with an amused laugh, the engine revving as he took off on his bike.
"Hold tight, dollface!"
He didn't have to tell me twice, my arms tightening around his torso as he sped down the street, weaving in and out of traffic. It was scary, but also so fucking exhilarating. My heart was thudding in my chest, my eyes watering because of the wind. Still, I kept them open, wanting to watch the world blur by us. Chuuya made a sharp, right turn, making me scream while he laughed loudly. 
"Man up!" he yelled at me.
"Stop driving like a crazy person!" I yelled back.
I didn't see the large, almost evil smirk that grew on Chuuya's face. Didn't see him licking his lips excitedly as he eyed a rather tall building coming up ahead.
"Tell me, dollface," he hollered back at me, revving the engine and I gulped as I held him tighter, his bike going faster. A bad feeling started to settle in my stomach, balking when he asked his next question. "Do you want to defy gravity?"
I didn't have time to answer, not when I finally realized that we were heading right towards the side of the building. I couldn't even scream, fear striking me as I suddenly started to see red, body jostling as Chuuya maneuvered the bike to jump in the air.... before landing perfectly on the side of the building and continuing vertically up towards the sky.
"Don't let go!" Chuuya sneered. Like that was ever going to happen.
I didn't dare turn my head to look down, my wide eyes staring up into the night sky as we made it closer to the top of the building. I couldn't even think straight, my body just running on nothing but adrenaline and fear.
"Ch-Chuuya!" I gasped out sharply, the bike finally making it to the roof of the building. Chuuya didn't slow down though, only barreling towards the edge and I started to panic. "Chuuya! What are you doing?!"
Chuuya only snickered, revving the engine once more before sending the bike flying off the edge of the building. I squeak and screw my eyes shut, pressing my face against the middle of his back. I didn't want to watch us plummet to our doom.
"Hey, idiot, open your eyes."
I whimpered and shook my head. "N-No..."
Chuuya sucked his teeth. "Just open your eyes! You'll regret it if you don't."
Biting my lip, I wanted a moment before I lifted my head up and opened my eyes, a small gasp leaving my mouth as I looked around me.
We were still floating in the air, biking moving through the sky. The City of Yokohama was lit up beautifully underneath us. I looked over, seeing the ocean at a distance, the ferris wheel lit up and spinning slowly. My mouth had fallen open, eyes wide in wonder. Chuuya was looking back at me, a triumphant grin on his face.
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We made it to my apartment and Chuuya stood over me, an amused smile on his face as he watched me melt on the ground after I got off his bike.
"That was intense..." I mumbled, still feeling the effects of flying through the fucking sky. "I shouldn't even be surprised that you're gifted, with the power that you have already in the Port Mafia."
"Yeah, it was pretty great, huh," Chuuya said smugly, gloved hands stuffed in his coat pockets. I laughed softly, slowly standing up with my shaky legs. He took one look at my frazzled state and he grew even more smug. "That's a cute look on you, though if I really had my way with you, you wouldn't even be able to stand."
My face turned hot, sputtering as I tried to respond, but I had nothing to even say. Because the thought of actually inviting Chuuya inside and--
"Fuck..." I breathed out softly, looking at the man standing before me. His eyes didn't leave mine, the heat in them making a shiver go down my spine. "Do you... want to come inside?"
Chuuya fixed his hat on top of his head. "Lead the way, dollface."
"So... your ability lets you control gravity?" I asked once we made it inside the elevator of my apartment building. We were going fifteen stories up, after Chuuya parked his bike safely, of course.
"To put it simply, yes," Chuuya answered, stepping closer to me. I gasped softly when he grabbed my chin, the leather of his glove pressing against my skin. "But we're not here to talk about that." He pressed himself against me fully, leaning his face in until his lips hovered just above mine. I shivered, looking at him with hooded eyes. "This will be a one time thing, dollface."
I nodded, appreciating his honesty. "Of course," I replied just as the elevator stopped on my floor, doors sliding open. I grinned at him. "So let's make it count."
He liked the sound of that, grabbing my wrist and leading me out the elevator. I rushed to my apartment, grabbing my keys and hurriedly unlocking the door before opening it.
The door slammed shut as Chuuya immediately pressed me against it, his lips on mine in a fervorous kiss. I knocked his hat off his head as I ran my fingers through Chuuya's hair, moaning when his hands started to roam all over my body.
"Fuck..." I moaned softly when Chuuya started to kiss down my neck, squealing when he squeezed on my ass.
"Damn... you won't be able to fucking sit right, either," he growled against my neck as he massaged my ass and thighs. "Let's go."
Groaning when he moved himself away from me, I rushed to lead Chuuya to my bedroom, our clothes coming off in the process and making a trail on the floor.
It didn't take us too long to start really going at it, our lust fueling us to incredible heights. Chuuya held my hips tightly with his leather clad hands, thrusting his hard cock in and out of my soaking pussy.
He was fucking me hard, my body just sprawled on the bed as I moaned and grunted from the pleasure this man was giving me. "Fuck, fuck, Chuuya!" I whined, making the man grin widely as he kept his pace. Sweat covered both of our bodies, moans and deep growls mixing with the sound of skin slapping against skin.
"That's right, dollface, ride me," Chuuya smirked up at me, now on his back as I bounced up and down on his cock. His hands were right on my hips, his eyes going back and forth between  watching my bouncing breasts and watching his cock disappear inside my heat. "Fuck, you're so fucking sexy," he growled, thrusting up particularly hard and making me toss my head back, screaming when I finally fucking cum.
"Oh my God!" I gasped sharply, still squeezing around him as I began to slow down. "Oh fuck... it's so good," I moaned, reaching out and hooking my finger into Chuuya's black choker. I pulled and he pushed himself up, lips meeting mine in a messy kiss.
I moaned against his mouth, still slowly riding him as his hands ran up and down my sides, the leather cool against my skin. Then, Chuuya placed his hands on my hips, and with a mischievous little smirk, he licked his lips. Immediately, my body started to feel a little bit lighter, and Chuuya started to effortlessly bounce me up and down on his cock, 100% controlling my body with his ability.
"Chuuya..." I moaned his name, head lolling back. He continued to maneuver my body, little grunts and moans leaving his own mouth as he worked to reach his own pleasure, and mine.
I came again, tears falling down my face from the intense pleasure, and that was enough for Chuuya to pull me off of him completely, putting me on my knees before him on the bed. His hand grabbed the back of my neck and he pushed my head down, stuffing his cock in my mouth.
"Take it," he growled, his hands in my hair and using it to push my head up and down as he fucked my mouth. I moaned around him, a new wave of pleasure washing over me as I let the mafioso use me as he wanted. Soon enough, he exploded into my mouth, and I made sure I swallowed all of him.
"Fuck, that's hot..." Chuuya breathed out when I opened my mouth to show him that I did so. "You're such a good girl, dollface."
That made me flustered and I looked away shyly, earning a chuckle from him. I looked over when I felt him get up from the bed, thinking that he would leave. Instead, he just gave me a look. "Where is your shower?"
We showered together,  which took longer than needed because Chuuya couldn't keep his hands to himself. I was surprised when he climbed into bed with me afterwards, allowing me to cuddle against him as we slowly fell asleep.
I wasn't surprised though, when I woke up the next morning, sore and alone. I didn't get too upset about it, though. Chuuya laid it out clear and I accepted it and moved on.
I sat on my dining room table, looking through the newspaper as I sipped on my morning coffee. I was looking for a new job and figured looking at the local ads wouldn't hurt.
"Hm... let's see..." I whispered, reaching over and grabbing my knife. I ran the tip of it down the paper, stopping when one particular ad stuck out. "Hm... the Armed Detective Agency, huh? Interesting..." I set my knife down, staring at the ad as I took another careful sip of coffee.
-End
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marsbutterfly · 3 years
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Skyfall
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Summary: When you are hired to kill the most dangerous mafia boss, things get a little complicated.
Wattpad Version! | AO3 Version!
|◁ II ▷|
“This is the end
Hold your breath and count to ten
Feel the Earth move and then
Hear my heart burst again”
7:34pm
The clock on your wrist tics quietly but in the silent room, it nearly sounds like bombs being dropped from above. Not a word is exchanged between you and the man sitting across the room but you know exactly what he wants.
In his hand rests a dark colored suitcase, you can barely tell until the light hits his belt ever so gently but you finally see the gun he’s been carrying.
You take a deep breath, getting up for your seat. The sound of your heels clicking on the floor fills the atmosphere as you walk towards him, the smirk on his lips is undeniable and you don’t understand what he has to be smiling about.
He stands up a second after you and walks in your direction, bumping against you and dropping his suitcase and the papers in his hand. In response, you throw on the floor the suitcase you once held. 
The man apologizes profoundly as you help him collect the papers on the floor. You say over and over that it is ok, while all the curious eyes in the room land on you. As you stand up, you hand him the suitcase you once had in your hand and he nods, thanking you for the help and apologizing one last time.
You begin to make your way back to your car, the smirk on his lips still engraved in your brain as a chill travels down your spine. “Why was he smiling?” You ask yourself not wanting to admit it but you are a bit scared of knowing the answer.
Though once you open the suitcase, you understand why. Inside, rests the pictures and information of your next target, the millionaire leader of an enemy gang. Though you don’t enjoy taking sides, you’ve been paid a large amount of money to take her out, more than you have ever made.
The war between these two gangs has been going on for the longest time and you have killed enough people on both sides to earn a fair amount of enemies, but this time you couldn’t help but feel a sinking hole opening in your heart.
Hanji Zoe has always been the deadliest member of the underground group. Her kill count is even higher than yours, at least 500+ heads under her belt. They say her torture methods surpass even the ones they use in hell.
She’s known as the Devil herself.
“For this is the end
I've drowned and dreamt this moment
So overdue, I owe them
Swept away, I'm stolen”
8:15pm
Your keys unlock the heavy doors of your house and somehow the marble floors feel colder than ever. Your shoes rest in their designated spot by the coat holder and you throw the suitcase on the couch.
Two cups rest on the counter near the bar area inside your home. One of them contains what you assume is whisky, due to the color and the amount of ice in the cup, it has always been her favorite after a work day.
The lipstick marks are fresh meaning she has just now gotten home. Upon paying closer attention, you realize the shower is on and steam is coming out of the bathroom. You think about joining her but ultimately decide to have a drink first, trying to forget about your next target.
Gently, you take two rocks of ice and place them in the clean cup specifically placed out for you. Pouring yourself a single shot of whisky, you walk towards the balcony feeling as the cold air of the night hits your face.
You knew this day would come but you hoped it would take longer. 
Deep in your own thoughts, you don’t realize the water has been turned off in the bathroom and wet footsteps approach your body.
It’s not until her wet arms wrap around your black dress that you realize you are no longer alone. Her face is buried in your back and you can see steam leaving her arms as the hair on her skin stands up.
The tattoo of your initials on her hand still brings butterflies to your stomach. The memory of the night she got it is still one of your favorite moments you spent together, especially since it was after your first date and she told you she knew you were the one.
“I missed you.” She says, placing a kiss on your skin. You can feel as her breasts are pressed against you and a gasp leaves your body.
“I missed you too.” You reply, a disobedient tear rolling down your face as you chug the contents of the cup in your hand.
“What’s wrong?” She asks, placing her hand on your waist as she turns your body around so you can face her. She is a few inches taller, nothing too extreme but enough to make you look up at her gently.
Her thumb brushes the tear on your cheek before rubbing it above your lips. You take a deep breath, gathering the courage to tell her the news you just received.
“You are my next target.” You say and Hanji nods, a sad smirk on her lips.
“Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together” 
9:00pm
The brush goes through her hair with ease for the first time, as if she took care of the tangles in the shower already knowing what the news you were bringing would be. After shower moments were the ones where Hanji was the most vulnerable.
She would simply close her eyes and appreciate the attention she’s been given as she fades in the echo of your voice. You hum a melody quietly, Hanji’s favorite song in the hopes to bring her any comfort at all.
Your tears drip down your nose onto her scalp as you put her hair in a ponytail, attempting to help her get ready for the party she will be attending in an hour. At the highest floor of the second tallest building in the entire city.
“How are you going to do it?” She asks, lighting a cigarette and blowing the smoke up in the air while trying to make rings out of it. You giggle, touching her shoulders before sliding your hands down her arms.
You notice the goosebumps rising on her skin and can’t help but smile at how she reacts to your touch. “Must we talk about it?”
“I need to know.” She replies and you nod, sighing heavily while finally agreeing to talk about the elephant in the room.
“I’ll be on the roof of the Paradise building. I am pretty sure they will send someone to watch me do it.” You begin, spraying the bottle of perfume around her and noticing as the drops of liquid fall on her tan skin, masking the smell of the cigarette.
“But they might not.” She says and you shrug your shoulders.
“They might not.” You say quietly.
“I wouldn’t expect any less from this city’s top 1 assassin.” She says, taking your hand in hers and planting a soft kiss on your palm, leaving behind the red mark of her deep colored lipstick.
She stands up, allowing the robe to fall to the floor and reveal her naked body. You can’t look away from the perfect shape of her breasts, the line that goes through her abdomen from a previous surgery and all of her battle scars.
“Make me yours one last time.” You say, pulling your shirt above her head as you expose yourself to her and she nods, a devious smile curling up on her lips.
You see a few old bullet wounds, some healed while others are still healing. Every single one of them tells a story about who she is and how she has lived her life but your favorite story has always been the one of how she lost her eye.
It was three years ago, the day you met. How could you ever forget?
“Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
At Skyfall”
Since you were a teenager, you’ve been good at killing. First your shitty parents and every family member who sided with them, including your own brother and sister. Finally being able to control your life, you decided to make a living out of it.
This career put you through college where you earned a chemistry degree, learning how to mix your personal kinds of poison, some of which no one has ever even heard of which makes it hard for the police to find who was responsible for it.
At first, you would go for basic targets: rapists, animal abusers, anyone who dared hurt another soul but word got out of how excellent and quick you were at your job and your number of clients tripled and your name was in everyone’s mouth.
One day, you got a call from a blocked russian number. A smile creeped on your lips as you heard a familiar voice over the phone, Erwin Smith. The man who gave you a chance to grow in this life and made you who you are today, your mentor.
“Y/N, I’m dying.” He says, his voice is faint and you notice his life force is fading away. 
“I can tell.” You reply trying to lighten the mood and he laughs.
“Will you still work for the next boss?” He asks, coughing out a liquid which you could only assume was blood. 
“If that is your dying wish.” You respond and he hums in agreement over the phone, “Then yes.”
Later that week, two men showed up to your house to escort you to Erwin’s funeral. The rain poured over his coffin, hiding away the tears of those who loved him.
Surrounded by at least five men sat a woman in a black coat, her eyes looking in your direction as she took the cigarette to her lips. The tattoos on her leg on display for anyone to see, you could’ve sworn she was silently flirting with you.
And in a moment of weakness, a car drove by shooting up the place completely. Of course they were received with a buffet of bullets as well, but nearly a third of the people around the casket were now dead.
As a bullet makes its way towards you, the brunette with danger in her eyes rushes forward to protect you only to receive the bullet with a glass platter. Needless to say, an uncountable amount of shards found their way into her eyeball.
While she bled in your arms, you tried to make sure she remained awake.
“What’s your name?” You ask and she smiles, bringing your hand towards her lips and licking your thumb with a palpable sexual energy.
“Hanji. Hanji Zoe.” She replied, “The new boss.”
“Skyfall is where we start
A thousand miles and poles apart
Where worlds collide and days are dark
You may have my number, you can take my name
But you'll never have my heart”
10:05pm
Once you are finished redoing Hanji’s hair, she stares at the closet before finally picking out a blood colored suit. No shirt underneath, she places the blazer right above her nipples, only enough to cover them while allowing the rest of her breasts to be exposed.
You on the other hand plan to dress yourself in a completely black outfit hoping to blend into the darkness of the night. Luck was on your side for there were no stars to brighten the sky, allowing you to take complete cover.
As far as you know, nobody is aware of your relationship with Hanji, not even her subordinates. Keeping business away from your private life has always been a priority, even before you committed your first paid killing.
She places a final kiss on your hands and one of your lips, though it does not feel like a goodbye and you sadly accept any kind of comfort you can find.
When her car is out of view, you decide to go up and take a shower by yourself. You wanted to decline this job, to throw everything away: your reputation, the money and simply run away with Hanji to a place where you could live your lives.
But you can’t. Before even knowing who your targets are, you are always made to sign a consent form and if broken, it would cost you your life.
The warm water hits your face and you can still smell Hanji’s strawberry shampoo in the air mixed with the fading smoke of her cigarettes. You begin to remember every shower you spent together, every kiss you shared at the most exquisite places around the world.
Hanji always knew how to make you feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Eventually, you can no longer if the water streaming down your face comes from the shower or your tears.
As you finish your shower, you begin to get ready. The black outfit had never been colder and the unsettling feeling at the pit of your stomach still remains. While putting a mask above your face, you look at your rifle.
It has your initials and Hanji’s secretly carved on the side and on the other it has the date you started dating. A good luck charm, as she liked to call it.
Tonight will be a fucking awful night.
“Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)
When it crumbles (when it crumbles)
We will stand tall (we will stand tall)
Face it all together
At Skyfall”
1:53am
Hours have passed since you've been sitting at the top of this building by yourself, looking through the binoculars at the party happening not too far away.  In the end, they decided not to send anyone to watch over your shoulder as you do your job.
The richest and most powerful people in town were all attending and, even though they wore masks, you could still tell exactly who they were. The years of analyzing and recognizing targets from afar has given you the extraordinary ability to identify covered faces.
By the bar, you see her as she rests her arm on the glass top. She looks beautiful. Her whiskey brown eyes match the liquid in her cup as the black mask covers her features. For a second, you could’ve sworn she looked directly at you.
The instructions were clear: at 2am, a single bullet should be shot directly to her head, killing her instantly. So you position your gun, looking through the lense as Hanji disappears in the crowd for a bit before returning to her usual spot.
You sigh, stopping the tears that attempt to cloud your vision. Your finger slowly moves towards the trigger, as if time itself is desperately trying to stop you from killing your loved one, but it doesn’t matter. No one could stop you now.
Counting the seconds, you make sure the shot to her head is clear and you pray she won’t suffer at all. “Goodbye, my love.”
Time nearly stops once you pull the trigger. You watch closely as the bullet goes through her brain and blood splatters across the clear counter causing every person in the room to desperately run for their lives, not knowing they are all safe.
Only one man stands in the room and he raises his glass at you for he is the only one who knows no more shots will be fired. The asshole who hired you to kill the love of your life. Fucking Zeke Yeager.
With every ounce of your body, you decide that killing him isn’t worth it. He deserves to live to suffer in the future.
You bring your body back up, beginning to disassemble your rifle. It takes you less than a minute to be on your way and you can hear as police sirens approach the building in front of you.
“Where you go, I go
What you see, I see
I know I'd never be me
Without the security
Of your loving arms
Keeping me from harm
Put your hand in my hand
And we'll stand”
Finally getting back to your house, you throw the bag containing the gun on the couch before plopping your body right beside it, a long sigh escaping your lips.
Your eyes then notice the packed bags, all ready to leave as soon as possible. The clicking of heels comes from the other side of the house and you smirk, rushing your thumb through your lips.
“I feel bad for the lady you hired to die in your place.” You say, turning around and propping your chin on the back of the couch.
“Would you prefer if I had died in her place?” Hanji asks, rushing her hand through her freshly shaved head in an attempt to get rid of any hairs that still remain attached to her.
“Of course not, love.” You reply, walking towards her before taking the glass of wine from her free hand.
“Hanji Zoe is dead and the witness to it is Zeke Yeager himself.” She says, a devious smile on her lips.
You can’t help but link your mouth with hers, tasting the delightful mixture of alcohols she has had tonight. Her hands travel through your body, exploring every inch of your skin before gently brushing against your inner thigh.
You gasp gently, nearly melting in response to her actions. God knows you want to melt but you don’t have time.
“It’s 4:25am, the plane leaves in 35 minutes so we should go.” She says and you nod.
You grab one of the packed bags plus your rifle and she grabs the rest before extending her hand to you, hoping to walk away from this life with you by her side but not before staging your own kidnapping and death, everything so no one would ever look for either of you.
Once done with arrangements, she smiles. 
“So where are we going to make our new home?” You ask.
“My home is wherever you are.” She replies and you feel your cheeks getting warm before she continues, “But I was planning the Carribeans.” 
“Fuck yes.” Is all you say and she laughs, squeezing your hand as you both say goodbye to the apartment you’ve shared for years. Leaving behind a life of danger to live together in the house of your dreams, far away from all the negativity.
Just you and Hanji. And maybe a few cats and dogs along the way.
“Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)
When it crumbles (when it crumbles)
We will stand tall (we will stand tall)
Face it all together
At Skyfall”
72 notes · View notes
crowtrinkets · 3 years
Text
A World Knowing You Aren’t in it
Prompt request from @mouselungs​ 
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*forehead kiss* ty for that sweet sweet angst 
I wrote this at 1-2 am after watching a sad movie so uh yea I take my angst v seriously lol
Gender Neutral Pronouns for Apprentice, He/They Pronouns for Asra
Word Count: 2,208
I push my way into my shop, unwrapping my scarf from around my face. I take a deep slow breath of the not-so-fresh air mixed with dust and magical goods long since past their expiration. Wearing face coverings, just to go shopping in the market is necessary but I can't help but miss the days I could breathe in the fresh scents of spices and my favorite pumpkin bread without worry of getting sick.
"Asra? I'm back," I call out. I hear thumping traveling from the second floor and down the steps. A cloud of fluffy white hair pokes out from behind a curtain.
"Welcome home," he gives me a warm smile to which I return with my own.
"They were out of potatoes, something about merchants being scared of trade with Vesuvia," I follow them back up the stairs carrying my basket, sparse with groceries.
"I can't say I blame them," Asra mumbles to themself. I only hum in response, not wanting to push this topic further.
Asra has talked about leaving many times, but we had yet to do so, if we had the means we could but, there's no money in magic that can't heal a plague. Placing my basket on the counter of our kitchenette I pull out the food items I bought. Asra snatches an apple and bites into it but then grimaces.
"This apple is soft, like it's been left out," he goes to throw out the apple but I catch his arm.
"Don’t throw it out, if they're too soft I could make a cobbler or something out of them," taking the apple from Asra's hand I place it in a bowl with the other fruit I purchased.
"Oh, but they were out of sugar… maybe they're sweet enough on their own?" I mumble to myself.
"There's no need to go back out just for sugar, I'm sure we'll manage without it," Asra says with a smile that doesn't reach their eyes. They grab the lettuce I pulled from the basket out of my hand.
"Why don't I put these away while you go take a bath hmm? Wash the city air off of you," I give Asra a short nod and head off to the bathroom to wash up.
Suddenly feeling the weight of my day, running all the possible errands I can at once, so I am exposed less to the outside. I grab a towel from our tiny linen closet and pass by to give Faust chin scratches.
"Have you been bundled up here all day?" I question. She only responds by slithering closer so she can lean into my scratches. Her movement causes a blanket to fall, revealing a pile of books under it. My curiosity is piqued and I pick one up to read its cover. "Nopal Desert" it reads. I pick a map that was underneath it, depicting the better part of Vesuvia and surrounding territories. Nopal circled in ink. I hear Asra humming while he opens and closes the cabinets in the other room. I elect to bring it up after my bath.
The water is hot, almost too hot for my liking, but its burn soothes me in a way. Making me feel something other than the heavy burden that lays on the whole city's shoulders. I let myself sink down until the water cradles my head. Curling up so my whole body is submerged. I stare at the ceiling, watching the steam from the bath slowly rise, allowing condensation to sit on the wooden beams. I didn't bother to open the window so the bathroom could stay dry. I'll do that afterward. The water cups my ears, muffling the already quiet streets outside. My mind travels back to the books and maps I saw earlier. Was Asra trying to get us to leave? I explained in the past that I can't afford to pay rent on my shop and pay rent in a whole new area. Vesuvia is unsafe but the shop is my home, my lively hood. I can't give it up. I lie there, pondering and contemplating until the water has become lukewarm. My body aches after laying in the tub for far too long. After drying off my body and getting dressed I exit the bathroom, not bothering to stop my hair from dripping all over me. 
I walk towards my bed, finding the books and maps, untouched, and staring at me. I let out a frustrated sigh and collect the items.
I walk into the kitchen to find Asra nursing a cup of tea, and gazing out the window. They haven't noticed me yet. His eyes stare longingly out at the night sky. Sad and distant. I quietly approach and gently place the items on the table. Asra looks up at me in surprise. Neither one of us talks for a while. I clear my throat.
"What are these?" I motion to the map with the large black circle around the words that very obviously do not say Vesuvia. Asra places his cup down and fully faces me.
"Well I thought we could… stay there, I've heard the plague isn't present there and we could go, we could be safe and not have to worry about wearing face coverings just to go shopping," Asra's demeanor becomes meek the more he talks. I let out a sigh and collapse into the nearest chair.
"Asra I told you, I can't afford to keep my shop if I'm not here to work in it,"
"I can help you!" Asra says, straightening a little. "I-I've been painting masks to raise money, and we could go to Nopal for a few months, I could sell masks out there and you can have a makeshift shop in the desert," Asra reaches for my hand, taking it and rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. I give him a tired look.
"Asra, it's not that I doubt that you couldn't help me pay, it's just… Vesuvia is my home, our home, and I can't just leave at the drop of a hat like you," Asra winces and pulls away.
"Who knew you thought so little of me," he mumbles. I mentally kick myself for my choice of words.
"I'm sorry that’s not what I meant," I bring my head into my palm and lean my elbow on the table.
"What I'm trying to say is this is my home and I want to protect it so… I've decided I want to study medicine, to help with the plague," I look up to meet Asra's eyes. Their face pales and they sit back in their chair.
"Oh," is all he manages to say. I sit up fully and bring my hands into my lap, wringing them nervously together.
"I could use my magic to help too, and I want to be able to help the people, just like I did when I had people coming by regularly for magical ailments," I try to say something, anything to get Asra to stop looking at me the way he is. Scared, confused, frustrated, maybe even a little mad. He suddenly rises, his chair squeaking along the floor as it's pushed back.
"Asra please," I say barely above a whisper. Asra walks over the kitchenette and paces before turning to me, expression full of pain.
"That… That’s a terrible idea," he says. I suddenly feel taken aback.
"What wanting to help?" I say. Asra's face twists.
"You'll get sick, you'll… You will get hurt, you won't be safe!" he exclaims, starting to pace once again.
"There are people dying Asra I can't just sit around and let it happen! I want to do something, we can do something, we're both magicians!" I rise from my chair so I can fully face Asra as he frantically paces and runs his hands through his hair.
"How are we supposed to survive then, being exposed every day?" Asra looks me in the eye, his expression one of distress.
"Asra we're barely getting by as is," I motion to the bowl of fruit that I was organizing earlier. "The food isn't fresh, we have to go shopping all in one day so we don't risk exposure, and I am barely scraping by with my rent on the shop!" I let out an exasperated huff, folding my arms.
"I told you I would help you, I can sell masks, I can do fortune-telling just not here," Asra enunciates that last word by sharply pointing to the ground to make their point.
"I want to help, Asra… I want to be here," I shift awkwardly in place looking down at my feet. A lump begins to form in my throat, making it hard to breathe. Asra approaches me and places his hands on my forearms in an attempt to soothe me.
"Please, we can't stay here, let's just leave to where it's safe," He pleads, barely above a whisper. I slowly shake my head. Asra leans into me, trying to look into my eyes. His violet eyes, specked with tears in the corners.
"Why don't I help the people here? A-and you can stay home and make money off your painted masks," I say meeting his eyes.
"No, no no no," Asra begins to speak over me. He pulls away and faces his back to me, running his hands across his face.
"Asra I can't force you to stay here but you can't force me to leave," I say making my voice stern, hoping he understands my point. Asra quickly whips around tears falling down his face.
"Then how am I supposed to protect you!" he shouts. My breath hitches and I take a step back, my calves hitting the chair I was previously sitting on. The room grows eerily silent from his out burst.
"You can't protect me from everything, especially not this," I say, my own tears threatening to fall.
"Yes, I can! If you would just listen to me and leave! We could be safe," he approaches me, hands reaching out to me. I put my own hand up, stopping him from getting closer.
"Asra, I've made up my mind about this I'm not going anywhere," my chest aches, I want to leave with him, I want to leave because I'm scared. But I know I can help these people and I can't let my fears stop me.
"Please, you'll die," his voice cracks.
"If it saves the lives of even just a few people, then maybe was worth it,"
"No, you are too important to me!" they plead.
"Asra I have made up my mind! Nothing you can say will change it!" my volume begins to rise. Asra pleads my name and approaches once again gently grabbing my hands.
"Please it will kill you,"
"Asra..." my heart pounds in my chest.
"I can't live in a world knowing you aren't in it!"
"No Asra!" tears form in my eyes and my voice starts to crack.
"You will die-"
"Then death is better than this life we are living!" I shout. I didn't mean to. But I became so overwhelmed my temper flared-up. Asra takes a step back, releasing my hands.
"Is that how you feel," he says. I can't bring myself to answer, the lump in my throat has grown 3 times in size, swallowing my voice. "Very well," Asra turns away from me. Grabbing various clothing items as he goes. He disappears around a corner and I can hear him rummaging. I take in a painful deep breath. Wiping my tears as they fall. Asra comes back in with a bag, shoving items inside angrily, my eyes are too cloudy to fully see what he's doing but I can tell.
He's packing to leave.
"Asra," I croak. "Where are you going?" my voice comes out pathetically, as I try to compose myself. But my heart races in my chest. Asra ignores my question and continues to put items in multiple bags. All his clothes, his trinkets, their books. Anything they can carry.
"Asra please," I drag my feet as I try to follow him, but I can't stop the waterfall of tears escaping me. 
Asra finally stops in the middle of the room, passing me. He has multiple bags on both shoulders. I stand at the hallway entrance and watch him. Faust quickly slithers out from behind me, Asra crouches allowing her to climb up his arm. He takes his hat off the hook and places it on his head. I stumble towards him reaching out.
"Asra I'm… I'm so-" their eyes meet mine, cold, angry, pained. I stop in my tracks
"This is the grave you made yourself, I will not be there to watch you get buried," he says. His voice cracking. Without another word, Asra turns and goes down the stairs and into my shop. 
I can only gawk in silence, in disbelief that he actually left. The wall-shaking slam of the door breaks me from my shock. I grip the fabric of my top, just over my heart. Feeling as though it has broken in two. I sink to the floor and sob, harder than I ever have because a piece of my heart has left me.
80 notes · View notes
foxanonforneon · 3 years
Text
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I made the story with just two random lighthouse operators and @neonthewrite 's character, Chase. I used the picture above as a prompt.
Please have a good read. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!! :>
Warning: This contains catboy, fearplay, angst, mention of eating people/hard vore, and dehumanization of a person.
If you are uncomfortable with any of these things mentioned, you may pass this now.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Viewer Discretion is Advised.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is that time of night again, where the seaside is calm and the night is dark as burnt charcoal, with pretty stars in the sky as if it were an artist's canvas.
The seaside playing Mother Nature's music playing for anyone willing to listen was interrupted by two forms, one with a gruff exterior with a purpose in his stride, the other timidly but quickly following close behind the older man.
The two of them came out here for a purpose, the purpose needed and only could be done in the cylindrical, white tall building near the shore of the coast.
"S-Sir, are the rumours true?" the new operator's voice quivered as he got his query out. The voice soft enough that it could be mistaken for the wind.
"What?" the older man huffed with a sharp raspy voice, looked sceptically at the newcomer with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"I dunno what yer' talking 'bout boy, once we get to the top o' this place," he waved his hand lazily to the lighthouse, "ye' can tell me what ya mean." The operator looked at the newcomer expectantly as he presumed to walk to his desired destination.
As the younger of the two was unparalysed from the uneven gravel, both of the occupants in the vicinity felt a slight vibration from under their feet. It was barely noticeable as they stepped foot into the building.
As the seasoned lighthouse operator took his time up the winding stairs, the newcomer felt, off. Like the lighthouse suddenly dropped in temperature. Uneasy. Darker than usual in the room containing the giant flashlight. He felt a pit in his stomach with a mix of butterflies, a different contrast to the older operator, who seemed to be at ease.
As the top of the lighthouse drew closer in the operators' eye line, the newcomer felt tremors and heard the gravel underneath but brushed it off as someone having a late night dip and kept it in mind to question why were their steps so heavy, it when he calmed down and got settled.
Unfortunately, those thoughts vanished as he watched in astonishment as the elderly man took the two foldable chairs from the flashlight and plopped them down in front of it, near its sides, at an age that that would be a problem to do at that speed.
As they settled into their seats, the tremors and crunch of gravel came to a steady halt. The older man then stared at the younger one intently and curiously as to proceed with his queries.
The younger took this as his cue to speak. "Sir, did you not hear the rumors about the monster, that creeps around these parts, of the coast at this time of night?" the newcomer spoke as he looked around skitishly.
His posture hunched over fearfully as it looked like his spine was about to jump out of his skin. The older man took the information he was given into consideration. He stared at the flashlight, moonlit enough to make out its shape, as he hummed in deep thought.
"No, I don' recall any rumors 'bout a monster round these parts, guess ya coul' describe it fer me?" the older operator gestured softly to the other, so they could calm their own nerves. He leaned back and loosely crossed his arms as to indicate that he was all ears.
"I-I heard that it has very dark fur, from w-what I heard from some p-people, they say b-black or dark gray. They s-say that the monster has teeth longer than the tallest h-human being and it has claws that can reduce trees to nothing but a pile of sawdust! Very few people say it has the eyes of an apex predator!" The younger operator explained fearfully, his body quaking from fear.
"And? Do ya know wha' it does or eat fer that matter, if you want ta keep explainin'?" The seasoned operator asked as he gently cupped the newcomer's palms in his own to aid his worries about this 'monster'.
"I-I've also h-heard that it goes a-around looking for p-people that are by th-themselves and it-" the young operator quickly stopped and stared as the other got up quickly with a huff.
"You continue talkin'. I'm listenin', am jus' gonna operate these lights an' make sure people git home safely." He said as he quickly glanced back at the young operator, as he strode over to the back of the huge flashlight. "Ye might wanna wear t'e sun glass, y'er...whatever t'ey called." He said trying to identify the object with a hint of annoyance. Again, the unknown tremors started but weren't heavy enough to notice from the top of the tower.
"Oh, yeah, as I-I was saying, it m-maybe kidnaps the people t-that are by themselves, s-since I haven't seen those people a-again and the only way to get to the next t-town is by c-car or bus, some of the people gone, don't have enough money f-for that, or maybe it eat-" The younger of the two snapped his mouth shut as he covered his ears shut, a reflexive motion, from the loud ringing in his ears.
What he didn't expect, was that the seasoned operator had a cross and annoyed look on his face. His pale skin allowing his emotions to be seen in the glowing moonlight. What he really didn't expect, was the monster chasing the bright beam of light, and mostly likely causing the source of the tremors before and now, like a kitten.
As the monster continued to chase the light around like a cat on catnip, an idea popped into the young operator's head. He rushed over to the giant flashlight, shoving the seasoned operator away as gently as he could, as he used his strength to turn the beam of light towards the ocean of the cliff side.
As the older man was about to bark out an order to stop turning the flashlight, it was already too late as the blur of fur(presumed as the monster) fell off of the cliff and into the freezing ocean with a loud yowl of distress, followed by a splash, which sounded closer to cat more than anything. Making sure there was no movement from the over the cliff side, the young man turned to check on the other operator. "See sir! That was the monster I was talking about from the rumors, it is real...Holy shit, it's actually real and I stopped it!" Assuming the monster didn't know how to swim, why would it? There's plenty of people to eat on land!
He then quickly turned off the flashlight to make sure the beast didn't find its way back to land.  Who knows how much damage to the nearby village it can cause.
When he held out his hand out to the shaken officer to give him a lift. Otherwise, the seasoned one didn't seem too pleased with what he had done.
"Sir...Di-d I do something wrong??" As the young operator checked over the experienced other, looking for any outward signs of damage. The younger one of the two, energy drained from a chain broken from his schedule, looked as if he were to pass out, adrenaline looking as if keeping them from doing just that.
The gruff operator took the hand's invitation, steadily but not in a way that was anything but pleased.
"No, not really." He quickly huffed as he took to a stand. "Then, sir, what have you gotten your mind? I also need to ask out of curiosity, do you have a cat or is there any in vicinity? I haven't seen any coming all the way out here." The newcomer asked pure curiosity and a sheepish smile appearing on his face. If observed carefully in the moonlight, the older man could barely make out a faint tint of pink, in the moonlight, on the other's cheek. He's embarrassed.
If the other saw his face completely, he didn't mention it.
Meanwhile faint splashes and rumbles came from the direction of the ocean as the gruff man began to answer the other's question. "Nothin', just," he paused as he turned to the direction of where the gigantic being pounced off, the scene replaying in his mind. Then derailing his train of thought, he resumed, "that damn cat is back, but no, there isn't a cat 'round here, a' least one that I know o'." He stormed off in annoyance towards to the flashlight as to get it on again with the scowl on his face directed at no one.
The younger operator gaped at the other in complete confusion and bewilderment. If there is a cat that returned, why would he go ahead and tell me there isn't one right after? "T-then sir! How is there a cat when their isn't one??? I-I don't.." he trailed off but quickly spoke up again with a high pitched squeak, "What, does he get into the garbage cans?" As he got out his question, his posture quickly changing from one of fear to uncertainty so quickly that if you blinked, you would of missed it.
The distant tremors were getting closer now, and if focused intently, they felt and sounded like footsteps. After some time, the pace slowed to a halt. As that noise stopped, another started, which could be identified as someone pawing a tuft of grass. With the sound and surface known, there must be a place where it is identified, which directs the younger operator's eyes to where the beast threw itself off.
"I'm afraid not, but aye, keep watchin' the cliff fer the cat to climb back up, I'm gonna try fix this thing." The older man barked the command as he tried getting the flashlight back on.
"What am I supposed to be watching for, si-" Before he got the question, awe and shock kept him shut and began to override his thoughts as he's trying to process what he's seeing.
The claw of the monster, dug into the dirt of the cliff and pulled itself up. Following after the first claw, was another which pulled what seemed like a head of soaked, black hair with black cat ears on top to match.
A deafening whine and deep growl slightly shook the lighthouse to its core, as the rest of the beast tried pulling itself unto the cliff.
The operator had time to process that the beast had clothes. So far, a red jacket with a gray shirt underneath, reflecting as much light as the moon allowed. Apparently, the seemingly intelligent beast, moved faster than the operator had expected from such a large being, that when it moved, his brain was trying to figure out what the blur of fur was, not if it had any human emotions of its own. His eyes widened as he saw the beast express human emotion through the growls it was making, like it was talking to itself. Frustrated. Distressed.
If the operator could open his eyes any wider, they might fall out of their sockets, as he stared in awe as more parts of the beast rose over the cliff's side. The beast looked so, humane yet the young man's mind couldn't comprehend that the beast, itself, is absolutely massive. Trying to take in details of this being all at once while it's crawling on all fours, while quickly coming closer, getting away from the edge, and flashing the water off like a dog trying its best to get dry,  isn't working.
About one hundred meters from the lighthouse's base, the seasoned operator kicked the giant flashlight once more, this time turning the light on, snapping the awestruck operator out of his trance, while directing the beam unto the beast which shielded its eyes from the sudden brightness that laid upon it while it let out a whine and quickly shielded its eyes.
The flashlight shining its brightest, clearly showed what or who the young operator was looking at. "You're posed be watchin' fer the cat." The seasoned operator spoke, words slicing through the silence like a sharpened knife, as if the silence itself were butter. The other operator lightly flinched at the words spoken out of the other's mouth as he turned around to acknowledge his presence.
Noticing how calm the older man was about the monster in the vicinity, he gave the man a puzzled and skeptical look as for the man to explain himself.
The gruff man sighed, as he saw the look on the other's face, like he's been caught stealing a pie from a kitchen window and forced to apologise. Taking slow steps to inch his way beside the younger man, the older started to explain his calm attitude towards the titan so close to the lighthouse. "NOPE, as you can see, there is no cat and I know fer sure, that there is no monster nei'er. I know fer sho' that that manegy bein' on the other side of this lighthouse, ain't eaten' a single person nor has tried to, since I'm here."
As the seasoned operator paused to think, he looked at the young operator who looked to have a face that didn't show any emotion, just a blank stare.
The beast movement caught the operator's eye in the bright beam the flashlight seemed to cause. At least now the young man could make out what the beast looked like.
Curled up on the ground, the beast seemed to have a humane figure of a short, skinny man, if put at the right scale, would be smaller than his five foot, six inch frame. The beast itself slowly unfurled itself, keeping its eyes shielded and squinting towards the beam directed towards it. That didn't stop the young operator from picking up its features he hadn't seen yet.
Like its dark gray sclera around its pupil as it-...he's trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness. The beast's olive sun kissed skin, appeared to have a silky texture other than a few healing bruises visible on its body. The rest of the articles, of clothing, seemed to replicate a pair of black boxers fitting snugly around his waist and upper thighs.
As he saw before a loose, gray shirt underneath a thin, dark red sweater, reaching from the collarbone of his neck to the bottom of his waistline, covering his unmentionables. At last, the darkest but most outstanding feature of this beast was his soaked, fluffy, black tail, which seemed to convey the some emotion on this beast's face.
As those details got into the young operator's head, the beast let out a tiny(for its size), sneeze which, still shook the lighthouse. Recovering from the quick but sudden noise he made, he got on all fours as he crawled over as slowly as he could, while keeping his eye on both of the operators, intent not to scare them, especially the younger one out of the two.
Once he got close as he dared, he slowly sat on his knees to stare back at the people who watched him with awe and ease. Both at eye level, staring hesitantly, as if waiting for him to do something. Hesitantly, he returned the stare, with a look of curiosity for the newcomer then looked at the seasoned operator questioningly as if he would tell him about this new person staring at him and why he's there.
This new person quickly looked to the gigantic one staring at him curiously then to the other operator who looked slightly annoyed at the titan outside, yet the man looked so at ease.
"Hey! Quit scaring all the new workers away! We've got business to do at this time o' night!" The older operator scolded the titan as if it were a small toddler. The only thing keeping both of them separated, is the movable, giant glass screen in front of them and the beast holding back its unimaginable strength. Surprisingly, the beast didn't make any move of hostility towards the building, but he let out a low whine and a look of shame as if he didn't know his presence should have people gone running with a glimpse of his shadow.
"S-Sir, what does i- he want??" The young operator stuttered out his question in fear as the beast turned his eyes to observe his quivering frame with, corcern?
"I think he wants ya ta r'deem yer self innocent. Or somethin', I don't know.." The seasoned operator said with a light teasing in his tone as he gently pushed the new operator to the window. As the young operator got close enough to window without getting hit, the older man opened the window, pulling it from the inside, a gentle night's breeze flowing in.
The young operator glanced back at the gruff man with worry, showing clearly on his face, as he turned back to the beast watching him outside. Taking his time, he got to the edge of the open window making sure the beast didn't do, something...terrifyingly, horrendous. Instead, he was just watching the man inch forward, carefully wary of him, with curiosity and excitement.
As the frightened operator leaned out far enough to see over the beast's cat ears, his stomach dropped. He realized too late that he was being lifted up by bigger than some tree trunk sized, fingers. Which were surprisingly gentle and barely put any pressure on his back, and his waist. It wasn't as painful he thought it would be in the beast's pinched grip, he didn't leave any bruises on the his body as was he gently placed him in the middle of his cupped palm, not realising he was shrieking the whole time, until his feet touched the warm but soft surface.
Which he gradually stopped, as he tried to focus on the white noise in his head. Trying to focus on a certain noise, he turned his head to the lighthouse, presumably, where it was coming from. Looking down at the window where was at mere seconds ago, the seasoned operator was firmly waving his arm at the beast and commanded him to give the young operator back to him, but the beast deliberately ignored him to focus on the young operator in his hand.
As he mentally noted that, he tried to figure the other sound out. It not only came from underneath him, but it enveloped the entire direction his backside was facing. He quickly spun to face the direction of the sound to confirm his theory, which was correct. The noise came from the beast's throat and vibrated through its whole body, which was identified as a loud purr.
Once identifying the sound and its source, the operator's head hung from vertigo of the sudden ascent from the beast's midsection to his face. Identifying his transportation's sudden break, the operator begged, with tears in his eyes, to the beast to not put him in his dark, humid cavern, presumably his huge mouth.
Upon hearing the pleas, begs and cries, the beast let out a sharp chirp of surprise and a high pitched whine of guilt, tears almost forming at the corner of his eyes, his thoughts playing on repeat on what people thought he was, a mindless beast. A freak. A feral man-eater. A monster. He quickly brushed those thoughts away in hope of trying to calm the weeping, shaking mess of the man, that's still begging for his life, in the centre of his palm. On impulse, he quickly brought his hands to his cheek, trying to hug the operator long enough for him to calm down.
The seasoned operator kept an eye on the beast with baited breath, watching to make sure the newcomer was unharmed in the titan's clutches.
Maybe the beast was toying with him when he started purring again, but the young operator wasn't wet nor fighting for his life against a giant muscle, so he took it as a good sign to open his eyes and maybe calm down. His bloodshot red eyes cracked open, glancing around trying to identify the pitch black area with only a few beams of moonlight coming from above loose fingers. He then spread out his arms in front of him, hands being met with the resistance of skin, pushing and kneading into the unknown area of flesh in front of him.
After pushing it for sometime, the beast's pulled his hand away to bring it back down to the lighthouse's window, where the gruff operator patiently waited for his return. Halfway there, he hesitated. He then quickly brought up his hand up to bridge of nose, to, by the looks of it, nuzzle the operator in the form of an apology.
The operator seeing the beast's ears flattened on his head with the heavy regret and guilt in his eyes, was taken back how he made a titan, a being with immeasurable power, more than enough to destroy cities and end people's lives, if he wanted, apologise(without speaking) for nearly scaring him to death.
After he got his bearings together, the beast saw this and briskly put the young man back into the room, but not before giving him a sloppy, gentle lick on his side, spiking the side of his hair into the air being held by nothing but, much thicker than usual saliva.
The seasoned operator took the other into his arms, bridal style, relieved that the beast outside didn't do any lasting damage to the person sitting limply in his arms. He looked into the operator's eyes but all he could see, was no emotion. Just a blank stare off to who knows where. "Tha' was quite scary, wasn' it?" the older man asked, snapping the other out of whatever thoughts he had. He wouldn't admit it to himself but, he'd almost passed out from when those giant, gray eyes first landed on him, and the only thing keeping him awake at that time, was awestruck adrenaline.
"Yes, sir, that was, terrifying but, also, exciting, to say the least." The young man admitted, shock on his face, directed at no one. He had time to process the rollercoaster of the events that just happened to him in the span of under half an hour.
The seasoned operator walked back over to the unlit flashlight preparing himself to have a hard time turning it back on again.
While all of this is happening inside of the lighthouse, the rumbles of kneefall, were coming from the beast skirting around to get the back of the lighthouse. Most likely to get out of the workers' hair, metaphorically.
Once the young operator got up to help the seasoned one to help to get to back to work, the beast idly watched them to make sure it worked. Not for that reason only, but also to reassure himself that the younger operator is okay, keeping in mind that he caused enough trouble for himself, and he would leave when the two workers got the flashlight on.
Within seconds, it did.
So with a couple rumbles in the earth, he pushed himself to a steady stand to get himself ready to go back home. What he didn't expect, was the young operator shouting a "Hey!" at him so suddenly, it was enough for him to flinch. Whipping his head to the direction of the top of the lighthouse tower, his eye fell upto the operator with the older one in tow. Seeing this for himself, he slightly turned to have a better view, letting out a quiet chirp of question and surprise to the one addressing him.
"Uhhhhhh," the younger operator bowed his head as he got the beast's full attention, "you don't have to leave if you don't have a place to stay. You can stay here, please don't leave here forever because of me!" The younger man projected as he looked up to see shock on the beast's face in the dim moonlight.
"Do you have a home?" the younger operator asked, voice watery, scared of the answer he might receive. To his relief, the beast nodded and gave a chirp of approval but went ahead to take a quick step away, thinking that he's overstaying his arrival. Before the young man could get out of the beast's vision, he shoved a hand at the beast in the form of a handshake.
Before realising how stupid the action looked, the beast came over, slowly crouched behind the lighthouse and gently took more than half of the arm between his thumb and index finger, making sure to not add any pressure to the limbs between them. The beast appreciating the gesture nonetheless, purred the whole time, content that the operator gave him a second chance and even wanted him to stay.
As the beast let go of the arm, he gave out another short purr as he turned and left to go wherever home was. The young operator watched him go until he was just another shadow in the dark sky.
He couldn't wait until he came again because he the only monstrous thing about the legend's beast, was only his size.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
@neonthebright
@nightmares06
@borrowedtimeandspace
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rinharu-purple · 3 years
Note
Emmm 👉👈 can i request Gavin's spring festival date analysis?! Ehem especially when Gavin said "I've waited a long time for today.." 💙
But Of course if you're not busy.. I'll wait patiently.. I just.. love read your analysis 💙 like i can feel your love and dedication for Gavin.. a lot of Gavin stan is very smart and loyal.. just like Gavin itself
Hello nonny and of course you can! Thank you for your lovely ask and reading my posts. It makes me really happy to hear this 💞 I can also double up what you've said, Our birdcop is smart and loyal and I really love being a part of Gavin-standom which includes so many talented writers, artists, analysts and it has @cheri-translates! There are so many great posts from various accounts and one can feel the love, passion and loyalty towards Gavin in all of them! 💫
An analysis on Spring Festival date is so overdue, so it is me who should apologize for not having written this before. I will more than gladly include your request scene, I hope you enjoy it ^_^
MC Testing Waters: Spring Festival Date
At the beginning of the game, MC is a young woman with lots of love in her heart, however without much experience in love. Fortunately this starts to change when she meets LIs as adults.
Spring Festival Date takes place after Firework Date and before the Romantic Date, although the timeline is quite messy, which I will come to by the end of this analysis.
If you look closely, you can see MC checking Gavin's romantic feelings towards her by using this "boyfriend game" and also uses the opportunity to get beyond his hardened exterior and touch his vulnerable side 💗
Spoilers start below this line
This date comes to, because MC lies to her aunt about having a boyfriend to avoid arranged blind dates and even promises to visit her on New Years with her boyfriend. Speculatively it seemed like a solid play, until...the time literally came.
Thinktanking about a way out of this with Kiki and Willow, they weight different options as to tell them she broke up with him, leave the city or call in sick but then the best wingman on earth Minor saves the way and suggests that she just takes a "fake boyfriend" with her, surely enough with Gavin in his mind.
MC goes through her contacts list to search for a suitable candidate, but her heart Whispers her the answer by skipping a beat as her fingertips scroll down to one name.
... Gavin
As such... MC has chosen her player for the game and Gavin's Heart Trial with MC's family commences...
---Press Start---
Creativity Test
Unluckily Gavin actually shows up for this highly important date late, with his phone off! From the storyline he arrives a couple of minutes late to MC’s aunt's place, thus starting the game one point behind. He was late because he was buying presents for the whole family! With the spot on gifts which are well received by the family because they're expensive, imported goods, limited products, cute and thoughtful he makes up for the lost points.
But it's just the first stage and he has 3 more stages to clear, the pressure is slowly rising.
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This gray suit has a lovely story behind it, which you can find by the end of the story.
Decision Test
Gavin has passed the creativity test with flying colors, but in the second stage more challenging questions are on the menu. The eldest aunt wants to know Gavin's age, occupation, salary(?!) and possessions(?!). The last two questions are fairly over the line and is a no-no in my country. Asking people about their financial status as well as bragging about it is perceived as rude and insolent, that's why the way Gavin answers these questions skillfully without bragging about his wealth adds just another brick on my Gavin-temple.
Age: 24
Occupation: Police Officer
Salary: Covers the bills
Possessions: A flat in the city and a motorcycle.
In my Prank date analysis, I've mentioned about Gavin's ability to deal with impertinence and also here, he stays friendly, but only answers the questions necessary to get through with the situation. MCs family is checking whether he's wealthy enough to take care of MC (which is sad that in the 21st century that in some countries women need to be financially secured by men). So Gavin just gives them just the right enough of information to pass the test and pass he does.
There is another aspect to his way of answering though. You see, Gavin is an unmaterialistic man. He doesn't care about money or any other meta. He doesn't touch upon the fact that he's coming from a wealthy family, or that he inherits his grandparents house or that he can afford designer dresses, overseas travels or gems without giving a second thought. That shows just how humble Gavin is and I love him for it. What defines him is not his wealth, nor does he allow anyone define him on his financial status. It's his character, the values he stand for, the vision he embodies, the way he treats MC.. Ehm.. And.. His champion body and drop dead gorgeous looks (comes as an extra;))
But the game is far from over, because the family council is now going to challenge him on...
Affinity Test
This is where things get rosy as the family would like to know how they've met and whether they've been together since high school.
Look, Gavin is actually not playing a game, but living the moment. He is well aware of the fact that once he and MC become an official pair, he will be standing on the same spot a year later. He is serious...
So when they ask about their affection, he gives them his genuine answer and confesses his crush on her during high school and says that they've been going out since fall. This dazzles MC, as if she hasn't been dazzled enough lol.
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The three glasses of drink he gulps surely has a role in this sincerity and taking three glasses of a drink as a punishment also becomes a tradition for MC and Gavin in the future.
And so, he proudly passes the Affinity Test with flying colors, effortlessly. Only one more stage and he's done it!
Execution Test
Every hero has his moment, when the fight takes a gloomier turn against his favor and the odds don't look good as before when he gets a strong blow, that is when the family hits him with the question "Don't you get alone well with your family?".
This is Gavin's weak spot, his cryptonite, his bleeding wound and MC's family just pressed on it. What makes this scene so heartbreaking is not just the topic itself and we know why it is a sensitive topic for Gavin but also that Gavin actually tries to signal them that this is not his favorite topic. He tells them he doesn't go home for holidays (friendly warning number 1), the aunties pushes by telling him to take some meal with him to which he replies "Thanks, but that's okay. I've been away for a long time" (friendly warning number 2) the family pushes further and as a one last resort he tells them that during college he rarely went there and spent holidays working afterwards (friendly warning number 3). Sadly the auntie than ignorantly ask whether his family doesn't worry about him and now because he's given three fair warning shots which, he downright gives them a brief and resolute answer:
- No.
That's usually the latest where people with common sense stop digging in further. Unfortunately then the auntie asks whether he doesn't get along well with his family to which Gavin no longer responds. This is the perfect way of dealing with such people and Gavin has a very intuitive talent for dealing different people from different mindsets. Give them three friendly and fair warnings, still pushing? Then give them a last chance by one final brief and to the point answer, they choose to ignore the signal? Stop interacting, you can only waste time beyond this point.
The only problem with this situation here, is that these people are not just somebody, Gavin wants to win these people over, so he cannot just ignore them. But also he cannot do it without a timeout, so he goes to grab some wine. (God it makes me so sorry everytime he has to face his family drama or is misjudged. I just wanna hug him bring him hot cocoa, give him a backrub and bring spicy food for him. Luckily he has MC ^_^)
But let's not talk only about about Gavin, because MC is struggling too. And we should recognize her stick up for him with the most cherishing words:
-Auntie, you got it wrong. He is a decent and pure man and has come to my aid many time and in quite dangerous circumstances.
When she comes back however cannot find Gavin, once she does, a heartwarming moment blooms between them.
This scene is very crucial in Gavin and MC's relationship because this is the first time MC sees Gavin tired and flustered. She feels sad for him but also happy for herself, for she feels as though she gets closer to him, thus seeing the real Gavin. By the way she show him her genuine care, Gavins heart melts and kisses the back of her hand as a gesture and so the first intimate moment involving them having a kiss ensues. Furthermore, they show each other their mutual care, which brings them one step closer and this gives Gavin the only courage he needs to tackle the situation.
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When our hero gets the courage and the stamina he need from his girl, nothing can stop him now. Having gatherer his strength, Gavin returns to the dinner table:
“I am so happy to be here with you all today. In fact, I haven't felt this atmosphere of family in a long time. I have a very strict father and a brother I seldom see...I don’t even know when I turned into such a loner. Eating alone, sleeping alone, doing everything alone...until I met her. It was a beautiful autumn day. The gingko leaves were floating in the wind. I was also going through a pretty dark time. But she saved me before I hit bottom...It’s she who told me I could live a stronger life. And it’s also she who told me I could live a more tender life. I never felt lonely before, until I met her. I started to get used to star-gazing with her, having dinner with her, spending the New Year’s with her. In the future, I'll give it my all to stay with her, to take good care of her and love her. I wanna make up many times over for all the times I wasn't there”
MC’s heart stopped, aunties eyes teary, the elder Aunt want his actions to back up these words and thus Gavin has a pass from MC's family. Now that he's won the game, it's time to collect his prize.
After they leave MC's aunt's house, our lovebirds walk together in the night full of fireworks and Gavin tells Mc that Minor has mentored him on being the perfect son-in-law, hence he was late. He also asks her what she would do if he didn't show up, to which she says that her intuition says that he won't fail her and he murmurs quietly:
- I've waited a long time for today.
Of course he doesn't repeats himself when MC asks him about what he just said. But that's what kept him going all night long.
He has waited for six whole years to meet her again, to stand by here, take good care of her and love her. Tonight, he could do them all by being her "boyfriend", giving his word to her family and having their blessings. He could see that she also cares a lot for him, worries about him and wants to be there for him. He landed his lips for the first time on her delicate skin and could give her warmth.
He could finally confess his feelings for her and say the genuine things he will only say to her.
So yes, he has waited for a long time for this moment to come and when it came, he made sure to grab it tightly.
----—----—---
Timeline issues:
- The order of the dates in the game doesn't always reflect the real course of events. The grey suit that Gavin wears is actually bought after Romantic Date, which takes place after this date.
-Even though MC plans this whole game to avert blind dates, but she still gets set up later on a blind date by another aunt lol.
Thank you once again for your patience nonny and I hope that the analysis proves to be worthy of your wait 💗
Masterlist
For MC's confession let me take you here
For Gavin and MCs relationship milestones here
For a fun trivia about this date you can click here
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getitinbusan · 3 years
Text
10 years with Jungkook
California
You met Jeon Jeongguk in the summer of 2012. Two kids brought together by a calling to California and a chance at making it big. Best friends from the start, what happens when only one of you becomes successful? Do you ever forget your first love? 
Childhood friends to lovers, angst and smut.
Words:  4600
Warnings: 18 plus smut. Oral F, Sex MF, Swearing. Pretty Mild for me. This is a previously posted fic that has been updated and reworked.
It was a rare rainy August day in California. The heavy drops created a sad melody on the window as you put the dishes away. Tired and lonely, the feeling in your gut kept nagging at you, maybe it was time to give up. 
The savings account was drained, there were no jobs to be found and  this was the second month of falling short on rent. Surely it would only be a matter of time before your roommates would stop exchanging house cleaning for money. 
Hanging the threadbare towel over its hook you stood in the kitchen, your mood mirroring the dim light of the afternoon. Feeling frusterated and stupid, it had taken you way longer than it should have to realize that in LA, you were nothing. Not pretty enough, rich enough, skinny enough or talented enough to ever make it big. So this is how the great Califonia chapter of your life would end, not by choice but necessity. 
Gathering up the mail that was strewn across the countertop, you shuffled through it sorting its priority. Junk mail, bills, personal…one in particular standing out. Your heart began pounding as you took in the details.
The penmanship was nice, black ink on an unassuming envelope. But it was the stamp that caught your attention. It was sent from Korea.
Flipping it in your hand you examined the torn top. The letter, having been read, was cradled back safely inside. Addressed to your roommate a frown crept onto your face. Why wouldn’t he write to you?
It was a ridiculously hopeful notion but you widened the envelope and inhaled trying to find a trace of his fragrance, something, anything to trigger a happy memory. Cool California nights were the best excuse. How many times had you borrowed his sweaters just to have his smell on you?
You missed him. It had been a year and a half and you couldn't help but once again ponder the nagging question that always crept back. If you hadn't forced him to break the rules would he still be a part of your life? 
It was too tempting to resist, your fingers pinched the paper inside of the envelope and pulled it free. 
I’m feeling low, I don’t know who I am, only who I’m supposed to be.
What would life be like if I had stayed in California? We could all be roommates, hanging out and having fun, going to the beach on weekends.
Does she even think about me?
It sounds greedy that with how much I have right now, it’s not enough. I would give anything to wake up in bed beside her everyday. I want more than anything to be able to talk to her about these things but I can’t. I’ve made the mistake of trading her for fame and now I’m destined to keep her at an arm’s length so she’ll never know the price I paid.
How does she even see me? As an Idol? As the boy who abandoned her? Has she forgotten the good days we spent together?
I’ve been wrestling with myself, whoever that is. I wish I could be the teenage boy from that long ago summer again. I wrote this song thinking about it…
~When I see you smile in the screen
You’re good at everything
You’re just perfect
Feels like I've never been you
Do you even see me?
Do you know who I am?
Or how do I look now?
You don’t like me like that
I want to be your decalcomania~
I’m afraid I may not get back for a while, please write. Your friendship and thoughts of her are the only things that are keeping me tethered to some semblance of reality.
JK
Clutching the letter to your chest, your mind took you back to that day. 
"Decalcomania, the art or process of transferring pictures and designs. Making a copy of the original on a different medium"  
Reading the description on the wall you’d both stood laughing at the piece's strange name, Decalcomania. The gallery visit felt like lifetimes ago but you still remembered clearly. You remembered, not because the piece had struck you as particularly special but because that's where you had decided that Jeongguk's laugh was the best sound you'd ever heard.  
California had lured you into its promise when you turned 14. Having been accepted to an  intensive dance program at The Movement Lifestyle Studio you packed up and headed West for the summer. 
It was July and it was hot, the dancers stepping off the bus one at a time took their places in the studio.
Looking around there were so many older kids, you were probably one of the youngest. Calling out names they put you into groups, it appeared to be by age so you made your way across the unfamiliar wooden floor to the tiny gathering of teens in the darkened corner.
Shy introductions were made as one more member was ushered over to where you had congregated. “This is Jeongguk.” 
He had the cutest smile and barely spoke english but his eyes twinkled like the constellations. Immediately drawn to each other you became fast friends.
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Absolutely exhausted by the end of the first few days he quietly knocked at your door.
He was homesick and lonely, used to being surrounded by his six members, he couldn’t sleep well without someone beside him. You let him crawl into bed with you, you were 14 and it was innocent. 
Inseparable, days and nights were spent side by side, the others began referring to you as the twins. It was the best summer of your life but like every boy meets girl summer story, it had to come to a close. Promising through tears to keep in touch and stay friends you went your separate ways. 
Jeongguk would send silly videos of his practice sessions, goofing around with the other members.  He’d facetime and text but he always loved to send handwritten letters.
They lived in a box under your bed and contained stories of how hard he was working to become an idol. He always signed off with, "I miss you,” and a few lines of lyrics he’d written.
You didn’t know then how important they would become, the only tangible piece of him you could still hold on to.  
Whenever he came back to America you did everything you could to see him. You always found a way to get to the small tour stops whenever they came through. 2015 was the first, then KCon in 2016, but 2017, it was different.
Facetiming you with the news that they were bringing the Wings tour to NY, Chicago and Anaheim, he asked if you’d be part of the dance crew. How could you turn down two weeks with Jungkook the hottest new K-pop Idol? They were getting bigger, more popular and their lives were changing rapidly.
He had strict rules, girls were completely off limits. No talking, no hugging, no smiling at one another, any little thing could be easily misconstrued by the fans. Everything had to be done in secret. Jungkook would sneak you into his hotel room where you would spend your nights together catching up. The boys would bring you in food and cover for him while you both stayed locked away out of sight.
While happy to be with him, you could tell there was an underlying sadness he was holding on to.
"I wish I could go and explore the city with you like we used to," his voice trailed off.
You were laying in each other’s arms cuddling on his bed.  Leaning over he kissed the top of your head.
"All I really want is to take you on a proper date."
You snuggled closer into his side as he exhaled deeply, releasing his secret. 
"I’ve been waiting so long to become someone, a man worthy of your affection. Now I’m stuck. I have everything I wanted and I’m not allowed to share it with you."
His arms gripped you tighter.
"I’m sorry, this is a terrible confession. I don’t expect you to love me back, not under these circumstances, I just need you to know, you’re the only girl I’ve ever loved and there won’t be anybody else, ever." 
Every bit of his confession, every moment of that last night in the hotel room had stuck with you to this day. The words of a 19 year old boy whose life had become bigger than the feelings of two people.
He'd left in the morning without knowing. You were a coward, too afraid to tell him you loved him too.  
LA became your home right after they left Anaheim. Focused on your dancing, if you became good enough, maybe you could join the tour with him. 
A letter with a big bouquet of flowers arrived a few weeks later. 
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"Congratulations on your new house in LA!
I hope that all of you are getting along as roommates, it’s hard living with others sometimes.
Last night I dreamt that I was there with you and all of our friends. We were having a party on the beach and we sat together watching the sunset.
Do you remember after practice when we would skateboard as fast as we could to the ocean so we wouldn’t miss the colors?
Maybe one day my toes can feel the sand there again.
I miss you, I miss me… the me I am when I get to be with you.
We're coming back in October for a few days and I’m hoping I can see you, I’m lonely already.   
Jeongguk
~Won’t you please stay in dreams
I can hear the sea from far away
Across the dream, over the bush
Go there where it becomes clear
Take my hands now
You are the cause of my euphoria
When I’m with you, I’m in utopia~
By the time The AMAs came, the plan had been finalized. You would steal Jungkook away so that you could take him on your first real date.
Having enlisted Namjoon to help, he was your inside man. The boys, happy to help finally get you together, would cover for his whereabouts with management. The day before the awards they were only scheduled for styling, as long as he wasn’t late for the press rounds the next afternoon your plan could work.
It was Namjoon’s job to get him out of the building. Telling him to follow his lead, Joon convinced the managers that Jungkook must have eaten something bad for lunch. Claiming to not feel well, he was whisked away to meet you at the hotel’s back receiving door. 
Sitting in the shiny red rented convertible you tossed him a pair of sunglasses. What you wouldn’t give now to see that smile again.
Barely giving him time to get in you’d sped away heading straight for In And Out Burger.
"Kookie, I hope you’re ready for the best day of your life! We’re going to eat until we explode, drink and party at the beach and then, instead of returning you to your fancy 5 star hotel you’re staying the night in my crappy little house with a tiny uncomfortable bed!!"
He laughed, that perfect laugh. It was so pure and honest, thinking about it now made you sad. Was that the last moment he'd gotten to be his true self? Jeongguk the man not Jungkook the personna? 
Knowing you only had one day to give him everything, one day to show him you loved him, you tried to make the best of it.
Picking up the food Jungkook held onto the red and white bags in the passenger seat, sneaking his hand in to steal fries when he thought you weren’t looking. If you weren’t sure you were in love with him before you you certainly were now.
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Pulling up beside the tree on the beach he was stunned, "Ahhh Jagi, I can’t believe you brought me here."
Happy that it meant as much to him as it did to you, you both sat on the branch and ate. Two blocks from the old studio this used to be your escape. Every break you’d make your way to the tree for some time alone, together. 
With the burgers done he turned to you and smiled. It felt like he wanted to say something, but stupidly, you'd cut him short leading him back towards the car.
Making your way through your checklist you brought him back to where you'd first met. The Movement studios students were starstruck when he walked in. After insisting that he teach some choreography, he reluctantly led the class.
Your eyes were glued to him as he moved in front of the mirrors, no longer that awkward teenager but a full grown man mesmerizing you with his every move.
Getting back to the car he stopped you before you reached for the handle. Putting his arms around you he pulled you in close. But again, you resisted him. 
"You stink Jungkook, our next stop is the ocean."
You remember pulling away. How stupid you were, you should have held on to him longer. Reaching into the back seat you revealed a pair of swim shorts and a towel. He looked disappointed that you kept interrupting his attempts at intimacy. It broke your heart but you had a plan and limited time to execute it. 
The Ocean was chilly but the wind was warm, he came out of the change room with the shorts on but still wearing his shirt.
"Kookie, this isn’t Korea, you don’t have to be so modest here. Plus, you should grab some sun, you may not believe it but when your skin is sunkissed," you grinned, "you look really sexy."
He raised his eyebrows and quickly removed the shirt at your request.
Running into the water you splashed and played and he took great pleasure in picking you up and throwing you as far as he could.
The sun was getting ready to set and you wanted to dry off before the cooler air set in.
Leading him back to the shore you both laid down on the towel. He put his arm around you and you cuddled into his side.
"My god Guk, look at your abs!"
He blushed like crazy as you traced the muscles on his stomach.
"Stop, it tickles," he giggled.
But you didn’t, you kept tickling him until he held you so tight you couldn’t move. He had you pinned, flipping you on your back he shook his wet hair flinging water droplets all over you. Pleased with himself he leaned in closer to you, his eyes asking for permission to kiss you. As the gap between you got narrower you could hear his name being shouted and footsteps running closer. He flopped onto his back and sighed as your roommates and friends piled on top of him.
Eating, drinking and catching up with everyone you watched each other from across the bonfire. Moving from person to person he slowly made his way back to your side.
"Welcome back." Running your hand through the back of his hair, it was now or never. 
Pulling him closer your lips finally met in the way they were destined, soft, slow and full of love. His hands instinctively moved to cup your face as the world stopped around you.
"I love you," you whispered.
Nose to nose he smiled at you and it was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen.
It didn’t last long, his phone started going off incessantly. The managers knew, you’d been careless, photos and videos of him from the studio had been posted online.
"I’m so sorry Jungkook, I didn’t mean for you to get in trouble."
His eyes turned hungry as he grabbed your hand.
"You promised I wouldn’t be going back to my hotel tonight, let’s get out of here."
If he was going to get in trouble anyway, why stop now?  
The drive back to your place was quiet, adrenaline and hormones flowing like electricity through you both. The time for smiling was over as the seriousness of the situation lingered in the air between you.
It wasn’t just being in trouble or being caught, but the fact that you both knew what was going to happen when you stepped into your bedroom. One act that would change everything between you, it held the power to change the dynamic of your relationship forever.
Leading him to your room you closed the door and stood staring at him as he sat on your bed. He raked his fingers through his hair before he spoke.
"I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than to be able to make love to you. BUT I also know that when I leave I’m not going to get to see you again for a very long time." His head hung low. "Management is going to do everything possible to keep us apart and that won’t be fair to you. I think that maybe we should just let our happy memories of today be enough, I don’t want you to regret anything. " 
Walking closer you stood between his legs and he wrapped his arms around your waist.
"The only thing I'll regret is never getting to experience all of you. I can’t live not knowing how it feels to be totally yours even if it's only for one night."
He rested his head against your chest, "You’ll always be mine."
His hands traveled to the hem of your shirt and his fingers ran over the soft skin of your stomach. Undoing the button of your jeans he slowly slid them down your legs and you stepped out of them. 
Standing up he lifted the thin fabric of your shirt over your head and you stood before him waiting as he took his off too. Unclasping your bra he sighed as he looked at you taking in your shape, his fingertips hovering over your hard nipples.
"I’ve never done this before," he confessed.
"Me either," you whispered. "I've only ever wanted it to be you."
More relaxed he let his mouth start exploring your body. You were goosebumps and shivers beneath him as his tongue found it’s home between your legs.
He was soft and careful, placing his lips over your clit sucking it in delicately until your moans couldn’t be contained any longer. You could feel his eyes burning into you as he watched in awe as his finger slid inside you.
"It feels good Kookie, please…"
You could feel his mouth stopping to smile before he picked up speed. Moving your hips to eagerly meet his mouth you were unravelling quickly.
"The way you taste is better than anything I had imagined."
Devouring you in sessions between his words of adoration you came hard on his tongue. 
"I'm really regretting running you all over town today when we could have just been here...doing that.. " You were out of breath. 
"I was worried that I wouldn't be any good." He grinned at you pleased with himself. 
Moving up to where your head lay on the pillow he pushed the dampened hair off your face, "Are you ok? Do you need anything?"
He placed his forehead against yours.
"I just want you. I need you to know I'm yours, forever. 
Rolling a condom on he moved slowly to line himself up with your entrance.
"Tell me if you need me to stop okay?"
He pushed carefully, slowly stretching you around him. Watching intently for discomfort he froze when he saw the tears welling in your eyes.
"Shit, I’m so sorry, let’s stop, I didn’t mean to hurt you." He was apologetic as he thumbed away the tears.
"No," you delicately kissed his lips. "I’m okay… I’m just so happy, so overwhelmed with how much I’m feeling right now."
He smiled down at you, pressing his body closer he gave another push until he was fully inside. Your bodies fell into a beautifully choreographed rhythm until Jungkook was so lost in pleasure he began to move at his own pace. Quicker and deeper he moved until he finally spilled into the condom. 
Laying together in euphoria you kissed, and kissed, and kissed until you finally found sleep while wrapped around one other.
Every few hours he’d wake you up. His hands running over your body checking to make sure you weren't just a dream. You’d made love each time, everytime better than the last.
It was 9 am when he caressed you awake once more.
"I have to leave soon. I don’t want to." He spoke in whispers nestled into your neck. "Please tell me to stay."
Your heart broke at his words. "If I ask you to stay, I’m selfish, you’ll always wonder if you made the right decision." The tears came, knowing you had to do what was right. "If I tell you to go, your dreams come true… ” your voice trailed off.
"And I’ll always wonder if I made the right decision,” he finished. 
Your phone started ringing and you knew time was up.
It was Joon, "I’m outside. Sorry, I held them off as long as I could. I told them that I’d come get him so you could at least have time to say goodbye."
Your tears fell out in heavy ugly sobs, "Okay, five minutes… and Joon… thanks, I know you’re probably in trouble too."
Hanging up you turned back, Jungkook was already out of bed with his clothes thrown on. He stood with open arms bravely waiting. 
"Thank you for yesterday I'll never forget it."
Laying your head against his chest you took a moment to listen to his heartbeat. You could hear him sniffle and knew he was crying too.
You flashed back remembering that night long ago when he came to you homesick, holding you so he could sleep while he tried to hide his tears. There was a knock at the door and Namjoon’s voice broke through the moment.
"We’ve got to go Jungkook."
Stepping away you’d left his shirt soaked in tears, handing him his sweater he pushed it back towards you. "You keep it."
He kissed you one last time before opening the door to reveal Namjoon's weary face. His Hyung put his arm around his shoulder and led him to the car.
Turning one last time he looked back, his eyes were filled with tears as he gave a small wave before getting in the back of the big black sedan. 
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For months you pretended that management was the only thing keeping you apart.
You held on to that silly notion until May when they were coming for the Billboard awards. For weeks leading up you waited for a message, a secret meeting arrangement, but you got nothing. His image was all over the TV and his voice echoed through your empty heart. Then, just like that, it was over and he was gone again. 
Now, here you stood in your kitchen, his letter bringing him to the forefront of your mind and opening old wounds.
He was just as sad as you but what could you do? 
Picking up a pen you began writing… 
I shouldn’t have done it but I read it in your letter
You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better
I wanted to reach out but I never said a thing
You don’t ever have to be stronger than you really are
And honey, you don’t ever have to act cooler than you think you should
You’re brighter than the brightest stars
You’re scared to win, scared to lose
I’ve heard the war was over if you really choose
The one in and around you
You hate the heat, you got the blues
You’re changing like the weather, oh, that’s so like you
I’ll pick you up
I’ll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California
We’ll do whatever you want, travel wherever, how far
We’ll hit up all the old places
We’ll have a party, we can dance till dawn… 
Y/N
October came again and a chill was in the air, the smell of the ocean hit your nose and you stopped to take it in.
Bundled in Jungkook’s hoodie you threw your bag over your shoulder and began your walk to work. You'd gotten lucky, Movement had hired you just as you were about to give up and leave California. Filled with hope and excitement a new intensive program was scheduled to start today and you were going to meet the future superstars of the dance world. 
Memories flooded your mind as you made your way through the familiar neighborhood. It still hurt, but things were beginning to feel happy again. Writing the letter had given you closure, he knew how you felt and beyond that there was nothing else you could do.
Opening the heavy door to the studio you caught a familiar reflection moving in the mirror.  Chalk marker in hand he was writing something, It couldn’t be?
Hearing the door click back into place he turned to face you.
"Hi."
He walked towards you slowly. Unsure of what your reaction would be, he approached with caution.
"Hi."
You were breathless, in the months of not seeing him he’d only grown more handsome.
"I can’t change what happened… and for the rest of my life I’ll be sorry for all of the time we missed."
He was getting closer.
"But I can’t take another day not knowing if I can fix this… somehow…"
He reached for your hand but you pulled it away. His head fell in disappointment.
"Jungkook, I can’t listen to this… look at me."
Reaching for his chin you pulled his head up until he was facing you again.
"I refuse to listen to you apologize for something that is out of your control. Your life was decided before you met me and I am nothing but grateful that I got to appear in some part of your story."
He tilted his head and pressed a small kiss into the hand that was still holding his chin.
"God I’ve missed you." He wrapped his arms tightly around your waist.
"How long are you here? I’ve got to teach class.. It’s the first day but I’d love it if we could catch up?"
He laughed at you and your knees buckled at the sound of his happiness.
Taking his chance he pressed his lips to yours and you could feel the smile forming on his face.
"I’m your private lesson Jagi, I’ve booked you for the next two weeks."
Taking a step back you had to ask, "How Jungkook? What will you be giving up?"
Pulling you back to his embrace he began to dance with you.
"There is no more giving up, on anything. Our contracts were over and I only had one thing I wouldn’t negotiate on, that’s you." 
He guided you to look at the mirror.
"I wrote you something."
~Please call my name one more time
I’m standing under the frozen light, 
but I’ll walk step by step towards you
Still with you ~
"I promise I’ll never let you go again."
59 notes · View notes
hufflesmonsters · 4 years
Text
New Beginnings
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A/N: hi, just dropping in to say I’m writing again >:D enjoy this slow burn. Also, surprise, it’s not a lizard man story though I do have one in the works so there is that.
~*~*~*~
Torren swung the ax down, splitting the log in two. Sweat beaded his brow as the sun bore down on him. He stuck the ax down in the wood stump and stood, wiping away the sweat with the back of his hand as he looked up at the sky. Just past noon, he’d have to get a move on if he was going to be on time for the kings summon. If he even wanted to take the job, whatever it was. If King Richard the second wished to hire a mercenary, it surely couldn’t be for anything fun. He clearly didn’t want to waste his own men for this, which meant that Torren was likely going to die during his job. 
And yet… the money he would get if he lived. He could retire, and finally live his dream of being the towns hermit to its fullest potential. As in, he only ever comes into town on stormy nights to buy ten kegs of ale and disappear for another three months. He grew his own food, hunted his own meat. Of course he kept messing up his tomato plants which meant he had to go into town to get those, but once he can figure it out then mission Hermit was a go. 
Stepping back, he grabbed the shirt he had draped over a nearby branch and walked towards his home. It was a nice little shack, one he’d built from scratch back when he was just a young boy. He had found the location by accident really, one minute he was being chased by his elder brothers, the next he was standing in a clearing with a pond and no one in sight for miles. At first it was just a cool hideout, somewhere he could go to get away from his crazy family and village bullies. But over the years he spent more and more time here, fixing it up and expanding the facilities. Next thing he knew he had completely moved in and claimed the land officially as his. 
Tossing the shirt on the couch, he walked into his bedroom and opened his dresser. He wasn’t sure what he’d need really, if this was a quick trip, and he hoped it was, he’d only really need two shirts, pants and his washing supplies. He already had his armor on, his swords were already by the door, polished and ready to go. He grabbed the shirts, extra pants, and his bag of supplies and stuffed them into a bag that he could tack onto his horses saddle. He’d grab a small coin purse for food and drink, which should cover him for his trip if he was careful. If he ran out of coin he’d only have to offer to chop wood for inns or something like that. 
As he turned to leave, bag in hand, he stopped by the kitchen and grabbed the oat bag for Sweetie. Most of the time she was content to just chew on grass, or even break into gardens and devour everything in sight. But oats, how she loved oats. 
The sun glared at him as he exited the house, he stopped briefly to lock it up before continuing down the path to the pasture. He could already see the giant grazing peacefully, black tail flicking away bugs as her dappled gray coat shone silver in the sunlight. She was truly a magnificent horse, holding a presence without even trying. She was a draft horse, one of the few capable of holding a full grown orc. And she was an absolute sweetie, hence, her name. 
“Got something for you, Sweetie,” Torren called as he entered the stall part of the pasture, grinning as her large head shot up, ears pointed forward and nostrils flaring. She smelled the oats like sharks smell blood in the water. With a graceful trot, she soon stood in front of him, towering over him by two feet. She bent down and nuzzled his cheek lovingly, snorting into his ear as he tried to shove her away. “We don’t have time to cuddle, girl. The King wants us at the castle by midday tomorrow.”
Sweetie snorted and stood upright again, flank twitching as she moved past him and into the tacking area. She was smart, smarter than most horses he’d met. She waited patiently as he began to saddle her, taking his time to secure the bag and oats in a place where she couldn’t get to it. She was tricksy, especially when it came to oats. But she also knew that those were a night time snack, something that he wouldn’t just give out unless they narrowly avoided death and allowed her to have something to chew on while he fought off a panic attack. 
He slid the reins over her head, patting her cheek as she opened her mouth to allow the rod to go in. Once she was fully outfitted, he lead her out of the stalls and closed the doors behind her. He swung up onto her back, and settled in. Gathering the reins, he clicked his tongue and set off down the dirt path that lead into town. The castle wasn’t too far, if he traveled nonstop today he’d be able to make it before midday tomorrow. Talk to the king, get the job done, and they’d be home before they knew it. 
~*~*~*~
Reaching the castle, Torren almost turned back around. He’d heard the rumors, how King Richard the second seemed to… overcompensate. The walls around the kingdom were large, but not as large as the damn castle. It towered over everything, almost as if it was a direct challenge to the gods. It was also very, very ugly with its pale brown coloring and lack of windows.
Showing his summons slip to the guards at the gate, he slowly made his way into the kingdom. It was another thing that irked him about King Richard, he was a man with “purist” beliefs. No race other than human was allowed past the walls without a proper invite. There was no trading, or apprenticeship allowed between humans and others. Which raised another red flag about this job offer, why would a king who hates his kind specifically ask him to complete a task for him. 
Torren tightened his fist on the reins as he watched the crowd wearily. He was going to die, either here or on this job if he wasn’t careful enough. The townsfolk weren’t bad, they looked more open to him than the guards did, but he didn’t dare interact with them. Not even to the young children who waved at him for the guards were watching him just as closely as he was watching them. 
Reaching the palace, he climbed off of Sweetie’s back and handed the reins over to the stable boy, a warning look in his eyes. If they mistreated her, he would rip all of their spines from their backs and beat them to death with it. Torren turned to look at the guards that approached him, back stiff as he towered over them. It was almost laughable, how they escorted him into the palace. 
The inside of the castle was just as ugly as the outside, the same beige walls, no decorations whatsoever. Whoever helped the king design this deserved to be publicly executed. Knights stood at every corner, some seemed to be standing at random places the further they got in. It was almost as if someone had just told them to pick a window and stand. The guards increased as they drew closer to the throne room, all of them standing at attention as they stopped in the middle. The guards beside him stood at attention, hands over heart and back straight. 
One of the guards announced the arrival of the king, everyone else following in salute. Torren looked up in expectation for the infamous King Richard the Second. Looking, looking, out of confusion, his gaze drew down to the floor when an irritated cough sounded. 
Oh, oh gods… 
Torren had to physically bite his tongue as he took in the sight of King Richard the second. No wonder the castle was so large and hideous, this man barely stood past a humans waist. He recalled an old nickname for the king, one that was immediately outlawed in the towns surrounding his kingdom. Little Dick Jr, the bane of all of Pufort. 
Torren knelt in front of the tiny king before any more offense could be given. And he had a lot to give at this moment in time. “Your grace,” he said stiffly. 
“Rise,” came the nasally response. “Do you know why I've called you here, orc?” Dick Jr asked once Torren towered over him again. 
“No, m'lord.” 
“I am a king without a queen, I'm basically a laughing stock in all the kingdoms!” Torren was willing to put money on it, that wasn't the reason why, but he knew better than to say that. “But there's a princess, locked away in a tower due east. And she will be my bride.” 
“And you wish me to retrieve her?” Torren asked for clarification. That didn't sound so hard at all. 
“Yes, it's a week’s journey all together, the roads are treacherous, but I'm sure you're no stranger to that,” again, nothing dangerous. “And then of course there's the active volcano and lava surrounding the castle and the dragon guarding it.” Ah, there it is. 
“I see, that doesn't sound too difficult for me,” Torren said, lying through his teeth. He could handle bandits, he could even sneak past a fucking dragon. But lava? An active volcano? That was something he'd never experienced before and wasn't too keen on the idea. 
“Perfect, we will discuss your payment when you get back. Godspeed, I wish to be married by the end of the month!” Little Dick Jr clapped his hands twice, alerting the guards that he was done talking to the half orc. 
Torren bowed his head and turned to make his leave. If he walked fast enough, he could get out of this city by the time the king reached the stairs. The guards had attempted to follow him out, but after they had to literally run to keep up they quit. It wasn't like he was going to do anything anyways. 
He eyed the gods awful bust of Dick jr. and contemplated tripping into it…
No, no. Not yet. 
~*~*~*~
If there were small miracles, Torren may have found one. Sweetie was in perfect condition when he had retrieved her, granted she had been touched by the stable hands and she made sure to voice her displeasure by biting his shirt and nearly throwing him into a mud pile. Sweetie was a sweetheart up until she had the wrath of the gods placed upon her. 
They had made their way out of the kingdom as fast as they could, and Torren was grateful that the guards didn’t give him an official escort out of the kingdom. Though, he had noticed several guards watching him carefully if he lingered too long in an area. Sure, there was traffic, but he was an orc, that was an unforgivable crime don’t you know? He half expected to get harassed when he passed by the front gate guards, but he was uncomfortably surprised to find that they did not. 
Oh, he was going to die on this mission. He should have gotten his affairs in order, who was going to take after Sweetie when he was gone? His brothers were half a kingdom away and his neighbors didn’t know he existed. Now, he was realizing as he traversed the hills, it was a bad time to be a hermit. Sweetie was smart though, maybe she’d find a new hermit to adopt and go about her life. 
Okay, maybe he should focus on traveling and not his soon to be untimely demise. 
Torren had just crested the hill overlooking the neighboring village when a shout came from his right. Looking over, he was wary to see an elf making his way over on his own sturdy steed. The elf seemed friendly enough, though most elves he met rarely stayed friendly. He paused and waited for the elf to approach, keeping a hand on his dagger just in case. 
The elf wasn’t bad looking, kind of handsome really if Torren was being honest with himself. Tall, a bit taller than most of the elves he met, golden skin that would make King Midas jealous. Long brown hair braided back in practicality rather than aesthetic, though it was a tad too ornate for pure practicality. He was dressed in simple leathers, with elven embroidery up around the shoulders, partially obscured by the cloak he wore. 
  “Hail, friend! I see you came from Pufort, a fine accomplishment for those of us considered too “unpure”,” the elf gave a laugh as he settled beside Sweetie. “Gavril, merc for hire,” he introduced himself as he put his hand out.
“Torren,” Torren said as he took the hand and shook it once. A mutual respect was given to the elf, some mercs stuck together, especially those around Pufort. The land wasn’t known for tolerance, mostly the guards fault, and so it wasn’t common to see many mercs who weren’t human. “What brings you to Pufort?”
“Ah, but the king, of course!” Gavril gave the man a bright smile before his smile dropped. “Better to talk here than in the village. Less ears.”
Torren felt his heart drop at the comment, dear gods was this the end? He hadn’t even made it out of Pufort yet! Gods, the amount of fun his brothers would have when they find out that he died in Pufort of all places… 
“I can see you’re freaking out, fear not, I am not going to say “long live Dickie”,” Gavril let out a laugh, and Torren didn’t appreciate it, like, at all. “He hired me a month back, and when I disappeared he chose to hire you.”
“And I should believe you, why?” Torren actually did believe him, it was just the dick move that Dickie would pull. But he was a distrustful man by nature, and so grilling the elf it was. 
“Why would I lie? Being here in of itself is a death sentence for me if one of his guards spots me,” Gavril shrugged. “No, I felt as if the job was far too… strange for me to complete without the full story.”
“And that story was?” Torren raised a brow as he shifted on Sweetie, who snorted in warning as she grazed. 
“The princess, she’s apparently the daughter of the neighboring kingdom, Aster. I did my research and went to them with the information on Richard. They don’t like the idea of an unsavory man such as him “rescuing” their daughter in such an unhonorable way,” Gavril leaned a bit as his voice dropped. “I was riding by, coming back from another business that I had to attend,  when I happened to have heard he had another summons, I thought it was only fair to let you know about it all.”
“And what, exactly, are you hoping to inform me of other than the princesses misfortunes?” Torren leaned slightly in despite himself. 
“I’m to meet another fellow, a minotaur by the name of Jardor. He was the princess's guard before she was imprisoned so she’d be more trusting of us. Her parents hired me to take her Aster instead of Pufort, and their offer is extended to any other mercenary hired by Richard.”
“And this is legitimate? How do you know they won’t cast you off to Richards' wrath once they have their daughter?” 
Gavril nodded as he sat upright. “A fair question, I, myself, found myself doubting it. However, I asked around their former employers and found that they were actually credible. I understand that you have no reason to believe me, but if you are curious you are more than welcome to come with me to meet up with Jardor.”
“And where is he?” Surely a minotaur would be noticeable around a place like Pufort.
“He was smart enough not to come to the welcoming land of Pufort,” Gavril said with a grin. “He’s in Halder’s Rest in the neighboring village, Stonewall, I believe.” 
“And you just happened to be riding by Pufort and saw me?” Torren raised a brow as he leaned back. 
Gavril let out a soft laugh. “Fair enough, I might have been lingering around to see what the little man’s reaction would have been.”
“How? You couldn’t have been allowed in the city.”
“It’s actually fairly easy to sneak in if you find the really dumb guards,” Gavril said with a smirk. “If you talk fast and use big words to explain away things, they simply just let you in.”
Torren shook his head, “very well. I’ll come with you to this Jardor, but I make no promises that I will join you.”
“Of course,” Gavril gave a bow to his head. “Now, what do you think are the odds that these kind folk will allow us to rest in their undoubtedly comfortable inn?”
“‘Us’?” Torren looked at the elf with furrowed brows. Surely he didn’t think they were going to travel to Halder’s Rest together, did he?
“Yes, ‘us’,” Gavril said with a raised brow. “Surely you didn’t think I’d just abandon you to these unwashed masses, did you?”
“Yes?” Torren wasn’t sure who he pissed off up there, but he was fairly sure he didn’t deserve this kind of forced upon companionship here. 
“Oh, my friend,” Gavril gave a sympathetic pout before clapping Torren on the shoulder. “You’re stuck with me.”
Gods help him.
~*~*~*~
Turns out, the good folk were not willing to rent out their plentiful rooms to two distinguished gentlemen like them. So, seeing as the guards started gathering around them once they exited, the duo had opted to camp out on the spacious planes outside of the village. Pro: it was a nice night out with the stars shining bright; con: there were wolves and they very much were eyeing them as a snack.
Luckily for them, the wolves found a rather unfortunate deer and left them alone for the rest of the night. After that, the sleeping got easier, though Torren still kept a hand on his dagger under his pillow. And if he noticed that Gavril did the same with his staff, well, he wasn’t going to be one to talk. 
The morning was a tense affair, Gavril had cooked and while it smelt delicious Torren wasn’t one for accepting food from strangers. But his mother also raised a gentleman with manners so he ate anyway. And it pissed him off more that it was, indeed, delicious in all honesty.
They set off not long afterwards, mounting their steeds and making their way to Stonewall, a village that was a good two hours away. Both Sweetie and Torren did their best to ride ahead of Gavril and his steed, Farren, however the two seemed to be professionals Thorn in his Side, for they stayed right on his heels, humming a stupid little song.
Torren really pissed off some of the gods. 
But, by the Grace of the gods, they finally made it to Halder's Rest with minimal spats. Or, "character building" in Gavril's mind. The vast difference between Aster's civilians and Pufort's was easily spotted. Where an inhuman was hard to see even just passing through in Pufort, it was hard to not see them in Aster. From vendors, to guards, to just a milk maiden lizard girl. 
It felt… welcoming. 
"Halder's Rest is just down the road,'' Gavril said as he led Farren though the bustling roads. 
Torren let him take the reins, not sure if he should run or not. He had no idea really what sort of situation he was walking into. One kingdom was going to be pissed off, that was for sure. Either Pufort or Aster, and he wasn’t sure which one was better. Aster wasn’t known for its military, sure it had it, but no one had seen it in action in well over a hundred years. They preferred to stay diplomatic in negotiations, and somehow it’s worked so far. And yet, he feared what Aster would do if King Richard the Seconded got his grubby little hands on their daughter. 
But another part feared what the King would do to him if he failed to deliver the princess. He wasn’t the first mercenary, and even Gavril admitted he was cheating death when he hung around Pufort waiting for Torren to leave. Pufort was well known for their military power. King Richard was always willing to fling a fleet at a neighboring kingdom, or hell, even his own people, if he felt there was even a hint of offense at him and his legitimacy of his rule. 
He should run, Torren realized. Like now, right now-
“Hey, there he is!” Gavril said as he pointed at the minotaur guard that stood outside the inn with his arms crossed.  “Jardor!”
Jardor looked up with irritation on his face. He was big, even for a minotaur and just as uniquely colored. Most minotaurs that Torren had come across were either brown or black with white colorations. But Jardor was a multi-colored minotaur, white based but he had russet, black, brown and gray mottled on the skin that was exposed through his armor. His horns were wide and angled high, making him more imposing.
“Stop calling attention to us,” the guard hissed as they drew closer. “You could jeopardize the mission.”
“Oh, please,” Gavril rolled his eyes. “There’s only milkmaids here, it’s not that dangerous.”
“The king could find out and send his fleet,” Torren hissed at the elf. 
“Exactly,” Jardor snorted as he shifted his stance. “Our success depends heavily on stealth. Until we deliver the princess back to the capital of Aster, we are not out of the weeds yet.”
Gavril sighed heavily but nodded. “So, are we heading out or is there other business we need to attend to first here?”
“We’ll head out, most of the pleasantries can be exchanged on the road,” Jardor said as he led them to the guards stables and pulled his draft horse out of the stall. As he mounted, Torren surveyed the town. It was a nice place to be, he supposed. But he still preferred his privacy.
“I don’t believe we met,” Jardor said to him as they set out. “I’m the Princesses’ guard, Jardor Stoneskin. And you?”
“Torren Azorrn,” Torren said finally. “Just got hired from the King-”
“-and poached from me once he left,” Gavril interjected with a cheerful grin.
“Yes,” Torren agreed with a heavy sighed. 
Jardor snorted and shook his head. “Of course,” he sighed. “I apologize for him, he was supposed to go home and then make his way back here. Though I am glad he did make the detour, I doubt I would have survived the trip with just the two of us.”
Torren found himself smiling as Gavril let out a gasp of mock hurt. “It is nice to have a more level headed company,” he agreed as Gavril mumbled to himself as the two men snickered. 
“I will have you two know, I am pleasant company!” Gavril said as he steered his horse next to Sweetie. 
“Of course, my friend,” Jardor said evenly with a placating smile. “Of course.”
“Why did you have to return home, anyways?” Torren asked with a raised brow at the elf. He had only mentioned business arrangements, but going home was an entirely different thing “Was that the other business you mentioned earlier?” 
“It was,” Gavril said defensively. “I have people at home who were waiting on me, had to let them know I’d be back for good later than anticipated.” 
Torren nodded and left it at that, he wasn’t going to judge people for their personal affairs, he knew that if he was still in contact with his own brothers he’d be doing the same. They lapsed into a silence after that, save for the occasional direction change from Jardor the other two were content with just following him. Finally, Torren found himself speaking up. “Jardor, if you’re the princesses’ guard, then why aren’t you with her?”
“Ah, there are two princesses in Aster, the one who is heir to the throne and the second in line should anything happen to the eldest sibling,” Jardor said. “The princess I served was the second in line, though she loathed the whole thing,” he added with a soft smile. “When she was...cursed, I was ordered to stay behind and help protect her sister.”
“So she’s cursed?” Gavril asked with a frown. “You didn’t mention that.”
Jardor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I, yes, she’s cursed,” he said stiffly. “The sooner she comes home, I’m sure she’ll be closer to breaking that curse.”
“Isn’t true love usually the factor in those curses?” Gavril asked with a furrowed brow as Torren studied the minotaur. 
“Yes, but that is not the case here,” Jardor said with such confidence neither mercenary knew what to do with that. 
“So what is this curse?” Torren asked. “Why was she moved to such a remote location, surrounded by lava and a dragon?”
“It was considered necessary by the Throne, it was not my place to question it,” Jardor said stiffly. 
“So you did disagree,” Gavril noted. “Which means it likely isn’t a curse, and that makes me so much more intrigued, don’t you feel the same, Torren?” 
Torren didn’t comment. But he did note that the minotaur was clearly hiding something, and that made him all the more wary of this job. He should have just stayed home. 
“Must you grate on my nerves, elf-boy?” Jardor snapped as he looked at the elven mercenary. 
“Ah, elf-boy is actually my younger brother, a cute lad but not nearly as annoying as me, elf-man,” Gavril said with a grin, but it dropped quickly in the wake of a grim expression on his face. “Look, we can deal with a dragon, and even the lava. But if she’s cursed, we need to know exactly what we’re walking into.”
“Nothing dangerous,” Jardor promised, and the two men relaxed just a bit at that. The situation was weird, but Jardor radiated a trusting aura that it was hard to suspect they were walking into a trap. At least for Gavril, Torren always assumed there would be a trap involved when he traveled with others. “Just let me take the lead when we get to the tower, a familiar face will help her.”
“How long has she been locked away?” Torren asked finally. 
“Seven years,” Jardor said with a weary look in his eyes, and deeper down, pain. “It’s high time for her to come home.” He nudged his horse, kicking her into a faster gait as they made their way out of Aster and into the wildlands. “That said, we’re a three day journey away from the tower, it’s in a remote part of the country that few travel by. We shouldn’t face any resistance before the volcano.”
“Well then, let’s get ourselves a princess,” Gavril said with a smirk at Torren as he sent Farren barreling after Jardor. 
Torren sighed heavily and patted Sweetie’s neck, “let’s get this over with,” he said to her as he nudged her side gently, a gentle permission to run with the other horses, a permission that she gladly took as she galloped next to their two companions. In just three days, he’ll be fighting off a dragon surrounded by molten lava just to rescue a princess. That was the only certain thing he knew about this mission, if there was a curse, if they could get her to Aster before the King found out, if he still was getting paid.
Gods, was he still getting paid?
~*~*~*~
[eye of the tiger blasting]
Jardor kept the lead, forging ahead when Gavril decided that bickering with Torren was a Lovely Idea. Both men, both adult men, were constantly five seconds away from getting into a slapping fight that escalated when Gavril, a four year old apparently trapped in a twenty eight year old's body, claimed that Torren had hit him. 
Jardor just let it happen when Torren really did hit him. 
Setting up camp was a horrid affair, all three of them were skilled in camping, but those skills had varying degrees. Jardor could put up an excellent tent, but the sleeping cot kept getting tangled and eventually he just laid out on the mess with a stoic resolve. Torren was an expert in putting out his sleeping cot, but his tent kept falling out on one side and eventually he just moved Sweetie over to help keep it propped up with the promises of getting her an extra big bag of oats. And Gavril would put his tent up, but in the process of laying out his sleeping cot the tent would fall. When he’d try to put the cot up first, the tent would fall and he’d have to find his way back out again. And so, in a moment where his remaining two brain cells bumped together, he tied his tent up to the branches of the tree keeping it up and elevated while Torren glared at him from the inside of his lopsided tent that was beginning to smell of horse.
The morning didn’t help anything either. 
Torren, used to years of cooking and traveling by himself, had woken up early and made himself, and only himself, a nice breakfast. The other two, woken by the pleasant smell of bacon and the heavenly sizzle of fresh eggs being cooked, came out of their tents with growling stomachs and crushing disappointment when they spotted Torren eating it all by himself. Jardor was disappointed, Gavril was dismayed. The two had to fend for themselves, Jardor splitting a piece of jerky with the elf as they glared subtly in Jardor’s case, and blatantly in Gavril’s. 
When they finally set back out again, it was in lesser spirits than the day before. They were less than a day away, according to the smell of sulfur that got increasingly heavier as they traveled on. Gavril could see why no one had rescued the princess prior till now, the lands around the volcano were barren, the roads treacherous by hungry wolves. It was dangerous even for the three of them, he couldn’t imagine a merchant or a lone adventurer braving this land.
Well, maybe Torren.
But everyone else would be fucked.
Jardor let out a soft laugh up ahead and slowed to a stop at the crest of the hill. He glanced back at the two catching up, a light shining in his eyes as he grinned at them. “We’re here,” he announced as the tower, tall and magnificent, loomed below. It wasn’t exactly just a remote tower, Gavril could make out some crumbling structures of a once beautiful palace. He wondered, hoped really, that it was still stable and safe for the princess, surely her parent’s wouldn’t have dumped her into this hell hole if it was unstable. He paused, actually, he’s met some gods awful parent’s. It was a high possibility. But that was neither here nor there, the tower was still far enough away, but they would arrive there within the hour if they paced themselves. They still couldn’t spot the dragon, and none of them were willing to go head on against a fucking dragon.
Torren opened his mouth to speak, to ask what the plan was in case the dragon reared its head. But before he could utter a single word, a horn sounded from behind them. The three turned on their steeds to watch as a troop of soldiers made their way towards the tower, banners flying high, and armor glittering in the sunlight. 
Pufort. 
"Fuck," Gavril said with pursed lips. 
Fuck was right. 
~*~*~*~
Princess Amirah was absolutely, and positively bored. She had nothing else to paint, unless Harold suddenly changed their mind about her painting his scales. She’s run dramatically through the hallways a dozen times this morning, and really she wasn’t feeling it for a thirteenth time. All the books have been read, a countless amount of times. At this point she could quote the books and she did, constantly, to Harold as they cleaned their teeth from their meal each night. Harold never spoke as to whether or not they enjoyed it, but she assumed they would have put an end to it by now if they didn’t. 
She sighed heavily as she paced her room, paint brush in hand as she tried to figure out a new canvas. There was still some room on the window sill, maybe even the dresser if she painted small enough. She paused by the open window, the smell of sulfur no longer bothered her as she breathed it in. She barely remembered the smell of fresh, clean air. Or the sound of bustling streets, the maids coming in with sweet hushed words, her mothers hugs…
Amirah shook her head and smacked her cheek chastisingly with her paint brush. No, no thoughts like that, she’s survived seven years without those things, she can survive many more. In all honesty, she probably could leave. It wasn’t like anyone was going to come looking for her of all the princesses in this unholy tower. They were more likely to go for the skinny blonde overlooking the ocean than her. Which was fine, she was the second born princess of Aster, her sister was always considered the prettiest, the fairest, the princess that all should aspire to be. 
Amirah made it her mission to defy that expectation. She hated the princess duties that her mother and sister had forced her to attend. She hated the expectations that were expected of her as the second in line to the throne. To marry a neighboring kingdom, to secure an alliance between the two. To have their heirs and continue the bloodline. It all made her squeamish honestly. In a perfect life, she wouldn’t mind marrying and settling down on her own terms with someone that she truly loved. But she didn’t have the perfect life, she had her mothers expectations and her sister's legacy. 
She was honestly safer in the tower than back home. 
A strange sound filled the air, and a frown pulled at her lips as she looked off outside. She adjusted her glasses as another horn sounded, a horn of all things. Why would a horn be here, who was blowing the damned thing. They were going to wake Harold up!
Leaning out the window, Amirah let out a gasp as banners crested over the hill. Banners that belonged to Pufort, the kingdom ruled by King Richard. In the distance, she spotted three men charging ahead of the group, and hope glittered in her heart as she spied familiar horns. Was Jardor really here? She didn't know who the other men were, or what she assumed were male honestly she knew some beefy female knights, oh gods was Clarissa here? That would truly make her day. 
Before she could speculate, however, a loud roar filled the air and shook the ground. Clinging to the wall, Amirah looked up in slight fear. She knew that roar, and what it meant. A challenge, anyone who wanted her, had to go through them.
May the Divines bless their poor souls.
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The Perfect Bad Boy (Pt. 06 of 18)
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Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader
Word count: 2.4K
Summary: Working as a lifeguard in the Hawkins Community Pool, you try to fit in after moving from New York. Things were going pretty well when you notice you've been under someone's stare. Billy Hargrove, Hawkins' bad boy, has been staring at you since day one. You never intended to have anything to do with him, judging by the reputation he has. But Billy won't leave you alone, determined to show you his feelings are different this time...
As if your heart flooding you with confusing feelings wasn't enough, there are weird, strange animals lurking in the woods... But those have to be just part of the wild live of the woods surrounding Hawkins... Right?
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{Stranger Things Masterlist}
×
Point of No Return
“(Y/N)! Go get the door!” Your aunt yells from the kitchen. “I'm busy here!”
“Ok!” You turn off the blow dryer, quickly fixing your hair before rushing downstairs. “What are you doing?”
“Grandma's cake.” She answers as you move to open the door. “Who's this?”
“Monica, probably.” You're still speaking when you unlock and pull it open. Your heart skips a beat when you see it isn't Monica. You raise an eyebrow to see him leaning against the door frame, a smile spreading through his lips.
“Honey?”
“It's just Billy, aunt,” you say, raising your voice a little. Pushing him backwards, you close the door behind your back. “What are you doing here, Hargrove?”
“It's our day off. You promised to go to my place to meet Maxine, remember?”
Oh, you completely forgot about that. “I made no such promise.” Crossing your arms, you jump a little when the door is opened again. Turning around, you see your aunt with bright eyes.
“(Y/N), won't you invite your friend in?” Her tone makes you blush.
“Goor morning, Miss Florence. Actually, I'm just here to pick her up.”
“I can't go today, Billy. Diane is baking something nice and–”
“No, no, no. She's going.” Diane cuts you off, grabbing your arm and pulling you inside. “Go change out of your pajamas, honey.”
“But–” She gives you a meaningful look.
“(Y/N), go change.”
Rolling your eyes, you sigh. “I'll be right back,” you tell Billy, ignoring how embarrassed you are, and the smirk on his lips.
You run upstairs, trying not to think too much about where you're going. You were kinda hoping he'd forget about that, but you'll try to keep in mind what Monica said. There's no reason to overthink. When the moment comes to make big decisions, you'll make them. You do enjoy being around Billy, and you do have fun together. The whole feeling you have when you're around him is unlike anything you ever felt before, and some part of you is starting to get addicted to it. On the pool, you have found yourself excited for the lunch break because you'll get to talk to him... It scares you, but as you change into a lilac blouse and jeans, you make up your mind for the day. You'll be with him today, so you'll make the best of it.
After taking one last look in the mirror, you take some money because you remember saying something about pizza. You take a deep breath before leaving the bedroom. But you move backwards abruptly when you see Billy standing outside. “What the hell!” You exclaim, pushing him and closing the door.
“Can't I see your bedroom?”
“No.” You wouldn't mind actually, but you decide to tease him since he came all the way up here without asking.
“Then you won't get to see mine.”
“That's fine by me.” Shrugging your shoulders, you bump into him as you move back downstairs. “I'm going, aunt. See you.”
“Have fun with your boyfriend, honey.”
You freeze by the door, feeling as if Diane just betrayed you. You feel Billy's eyes, burning, and you bet he has that stupid smirk on his face. “He's not my boyfriend,” you shout at her, grabbing Billy's arm and pulling him out.
You're impressed by the fact that he opens the passenger door for you, but since you're still blushing, you avoid his gaze. The short trip to his house is silent as you hope what your aunt said fades away... And you're also memorizing the way there.
Soon enough you're at his front door, and you watch as he unlocks it. “The place used to suck, but I've been trying to fix it, so... Don't mind it. It's not as cool as your house.”
“Uhm...” You mumble, stepping inside and looking around, taking in the place. It's not bad as he described it, it's cozy...
It's Billy's place. You feel weird to be here, as if you're giving a whole new step closer to him. “How many girls have you brought here?” You suddenly need to know if you can allow yourself to feel special.
“One.” He moves to stand before you, holding his index finger up, then slowly pointing it at you.
Taking a deep breath, you step back, smiling. “You brought me here to meet your sister. Where is she?”
“Max!” He yells suddenly, at the top of his lungs and you jump, heart racing.
“What the hell.” You breathe out, slapping his arm playfully. His bare arm. You haven't noticed the sleeveless tattered dark gray shirt that leaves his arms exposed. You have to force yourself to look away, meeting his blue eyes. “Why did you do that?”
“Did I scared you?” He smiles, towering over you.
“Yeah, you did.” You step back again, eager to put some distance between you and him. “Jerk. Go get your sister before I change my mind and go home.”
“She's probably listening to music.” Billy walks away, disappearing in the hall. You're left alone so you walk around, noticing the bench press he has in the middle of the living room. Walking around it, a piece of paper above the TV gets your attention. Taking it, you sigh to read Max's handwriting. “She's not in her room.” Billy says as he comes back, gesturing at the hall.
“Be back in fifteen minutes, shithead.” You read the words out loud to him, showing the paper.
Billy takes it from your hand, rolling his eyes. “I'm gonna kill her.”
“Sorry that you have to stay alone here with me. It must be a true nightmare, Billy Hargrove.” Raising an eyebrow, you smile at his expression. “What about that?” You walk around the bench press, standing behind it and trying to pull the barbell up. The thing doesn't even move, so you try again, using more strength, but nothing happens. “Whoa, this thing is heavy.”
“I work out almost every night, so I just leave it here.”
“That you work out is pretty obvious.” You gesture at his arms and chest.
“Yeah. I'm glad you noticed.” He comes to stand behind you. “Let me just–” He picks the weight up, both his arms around you, keeping you caged between his body and the bar.
“What are you doing?” You ask in a low voice as he starts moving the damn thing, up and down, up and down. “Ok, I'm just a tiny little bit impressed to see you lifting this thing up, but put it down, please.” He knows the effect he has on girls, and he also knows you're not immune to it.
He doesn't say anything, pulling the bar up once again, forcing it a little against your shoulders, pushing you backwards until your back hits his chest. His solid, strong chest. “You're such a jerk, Billy.” Why is your voice so weak? You look at his left arm, how tensed his muscles are. “These things are heavy. Put it down before you drop it and hurt me.” You need to get away from him. Being this close is dangerous, because you feel something coming from the back of your mind, an idea that had never crossed your thoughts before.
“I'd never let anything hurt you.”
You turn your head to the side, just enough to look at him. He's already looking, those blue eyes threatening to drown you. Your eyes fall on his lips, of how close they are. You could easily tiptoe now and find out how his lips would feel on yours. It feels like he knows exactly what you're felling because when he moves the bar to give you more space, you turn around, almost as if you're being pulled towards him, like a magnet.
But you know you shouldn't kiss Billy. It would be a point of no return. That's it, a big decision... But right now, the last thing you want to do is think. You just want to feel, and let these feelings flow out.
When you're face to face with him, you feel the bar on your back, pushing you against his chest, making it impossible to run away. As if you would even if you had the chance. “You know I hate you, right? For doing this.” You whisper, as your arms involuntary move to lay on his chest.
“I'm not–”
“Hey, shitface. I'm back.” A girl's voice drags you out of your numbness, and Billy puts the bar down on the bench.
“That's disgusting.” Someone else says and you step away from Billy, catching your breath and clearing your throat. Max isn't alone. She brought a small army with her, five people, and everyone looks the same age.
“Perfect timing as always, Max,” Billy complains. “(Y/N), this is Maxine, my dipshit sister. And the rest of her gang.”
“The gang that saved your ass, you mean.” One of them says, his voice a little muffled, which makes you giggle a little. “Dustin, nice to meet you.” He steps forward and shakes your hand. “So. Are you Billy's girlfriend?”
“No, I–”
“Ok. These are Lucas, my boyfriend.” Max starts, and you feel Billy sighing when she names the boy. “Will, Mike, Eleven, and Dustin you already met.”
“So these are your saviors,” you say, turning to look at Billy.
“Every single one of them.” He answers.
“If you two aren't dating, why did you bring her here, Billy? Wasn't there a rule about not bringing your flings to the house?” Max mutters, walking past you and to the TV. The others move to seat on the couch and some on the floor.
“(Y/N) is not a fling.” He says, rolling his eyes. You try hard not to smile at what you just heard.
You're a little uncomfortable since Max's friends keep staring as if you're a ghost. Their eyes fly from Billy and back at you, and they even gossip, whispering on each other's ears. “Max, you look like a very smart kid.”
“I am.” She says with a smirk. “Unlike my brother.”
“So, if I make you a question, would you be able to answer real quick?” You smile at her curious face, as you slowly step backwards, closer to the hall and further away from Billy.
“Yes.”
“Billy's room?” You burst out, speaking a fast as you can.
“First door to the right.” She yells, just as fast as you spoke, and you're off, like a lightning bolt because you see Billy moving.
You run through the hall and literally throw yourself on the door, opening it and almost stumbling in. You're laughing when he grabs your wrist, giving up when he notices you're already in. “You got me there, I'll admit.”
It's your time to smirk at him, teasingly, stepping further into his bedroom. “What did you say before? That I wouldn't get to see your room?” As you speak, you start pacing around. His room is more organized then you expected. His bed has a dark red blanket over it, and it looks very comfortable. There are movie posters on the walls and a sound system on his dresser. You move to stand before the mirror he has on the nightstand beside his bed, looking through the colognes he has. “Which one you use?”
“All of them.”
“No, there's one you use more often.” You have the scent vivid in your memory, so you quickly go through the small bottles, bringing them close to my nose. “This one.” You look up, meeting his eyes through the mirror.
“It's my favorite.” He says, moving a little closer.
“Mine too.” Thanks to the proximity, you can smell it, irradiating from his body. It's fresh and strong, very masculine. “I mean... I like it.”
Billy takes the bottle from your hands, opening it. “Here.” He pour some on his index and middle finger, bringing them to your neck, on the soft spot below your left ear, pulling the hair away, and does the same on the other side. You feel the cold liquid spreading through your skin, and the scent surrounds you completely. “Now you smell like me.”
What should you say? Or do? You're frozen, inebriated by the closeness, by the low sound of his breathing. “I...”
“Hey, lovebirds. We're watching a movie.” Max says, and her voice brings you back to Earth. She has such perfect timing to save your ass. “You can either come and watch or stay here and make out. You pick.” And she leaves.
“Movie...” You tell him, catching your breath.
“Did I make you nervous?”
“I just want to watch the movie, Billy.” Grabbing his hand, you pull him towards the living room. “We're watching the movie,” you tell the kids.
“You and you. Move.” Billy gestures at Dustin and Will, who immediately stand up from the cough, giving you and Billy enough space to sit down.
The movie is already starting, and you roll your eyes to feel Billy's arm around your shoulders. You're aware the kids are staring, but you guess they're not used to see Billy like this with a girl. But you try to really focus on the movie, as you slowly relax.
You feel as you move closer to Billy, your legs touching. The movie isn't very good, and you laugh when Billy sigh's out of frustration. The kids seem to like it though.
“Not a very good one, right?” You whisper to him.
“You picked the wrong option, princess.” He snaps back, and you immediately remember what the other option was.
“What makes you think I want to make out with you?” You turn your head to look at him, using all the sassiness you have to cover up the truth. That you want to kiss him so bad, a fact that you just realized today. You've been wanting to kiss him for a while now, but you know how dangerous it would be.
“You think I don't notice when you blush? Or when you start breathing fast? Or when–”
“Shhh.” Someone mutters, and your eyes move back to the TV, abruptly. You feel Billy's chest moving when he laughs.
“I need to know something...” He whispers, and you feel as his arms slide down, encircling your waist and pulling you closer. You can feel his breath on your hair, and whatever is on the TV right now is just a distant blur. “I need to know if you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you.”
×
@chloe-skywalker @dpaccione @tilesandtokens @dreamin-of-dacre
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fritae · 3 years
Text
The Missing Piece (Chapter 8)
Anxiety.
gang! au / ceo! au
characters: dabi x female oc, lov, other original characters
status: ongoing
read on ao3 here.
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I'm sure Mr. Lane has seen me.
With a groan, I take Dabi aside.
"You can go ahead, sir." I tell him quickly, glancing behind me to see if they're watching me.
Dabi looks over my shoulder.
"Is that what's-his-face?"
I shoot Dabi a look and gesture toward Aliyah. We may be friends but I didn't tell her the real reason I left NNTV. She thinks work became too stressful and I needed a break.
She doesn't know about the argument me and Mr. Lane had after I discovered his support of the Todorokis. Or about his cutting my salary and threatening to fire me.
Besides, bad mouthing a former employer is horrible professionalism.
"It's Mr. Lane. Go, go," I try shoo-ing him away. "I'll see you tomorrow sir."
But Dabi doesn't budge.
His eyes are trained on mine.
"I don't like that look on your face."
I groan. "What look? Sir it's just-"
"Like you're uncomfortable."
The comment catches me off guard and I quickly avert my gaze.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I say quietly. "These are my friends."
But that only seems to make him more determined. Dabi turns to face me completely, his feet firmly planted in the ground and his hands tucked coolly in the pockets of his pants. He doesn't look interested in listening right now.
"What are you worried about?" He asks. "Is it him?"
I run an anguished hand through my hair. "Sir please. Please. What happened to not asking about our private matters?"
I don't want Dabi and Mr. Lane meeting. Especially considering how our last conversation went. I didn't tell Mr. Lane I was working for the Blaze, and considering how salty he was that I left after all these years, facing him once again fills me with anxiety.
"Alright I won't ask you," Dabi ignores me. "I'll find out from him."
My eyes widen and I pull him back before he could make his way toward Mr. Lane. Aliyah went to bring Mr. Lane to say hi. I feel my chest get tighter when I see him getting closer.
"See? I don't like that." Dabi eyes me with concern. He tsks and pulls a box from his back pocket. He tries to hand me a cigarette but I shake my head quickly.
Mr. Lane doesn't know I smoke.
And with the amount of anxiety pooling in my gut, it wouldn't even help.
Dabi shrugs, no longer facing me.
"I'm here," He says. The ice in his voice from earlier is gone. I look at him once more before Mr. Lane gets within earshot.
He gives me a small nod and reaches for me, his hand brushing against the small of my back in a way that sends electricity up my spine. "He's not your boss anymore. He has no power over you."
I nod and plaster a fake smile on my face as the short man approaches us.
I hope it's enough to hide my thundering heart.
"Ms. Aoki," His voice sounds as insufferable as ever. "Fancy meeting you here."
I nod my head in respect. "Mr. Lane. It's nice to see you so soon."
As if!
But already, his attention is off of me. Instead, he eyes Dabi up and down.
"Is this your partner?" He asks.
My face heats up immediately. "Oh - no sir. This is my, um - my new boss. Mr. Dabi?"
Just as I expected, Mr. Lane's expression darkens immediately.
I expect Dabi to extend a hand out for formalities. But his hands remains in his pockets. He merely gives him a nod in acknowledgement.
"So you've found a new company after all." Mr. Lane comments coldly.
"Yes. Yes sir."
"What's the name of your company, Mr. Dabi?"
"The Blaze." Dabi says. "I do luxury trading. Rina told me she previously worked for a broadcasting company - what was it called again?"
Mr. Lane's face hardens. "NNTV. We're a leading force in the industry-"
"Right, right. That company that always underperforms?" He asks apologetically.
Me and Aliyah gasp, glancing cautiously at Mr. Lane.
"I have a friend that works at CBS, you see."
There's a smile on Dabi's face.
"I haven't even heard of your company," Mr. Lane quickly counters, evil in his eyes. "When Ms. Aoki abandoned us in such a manner, I assumed she'd join a better known business."
"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of us," Dabi sighs, that same mocking tone in his voice. "You see, we cater to a highly exclusive audience."
Aliyah mouth drops behind Mr. Lane, looking extremely amused. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes the subject of tomorrow's lunchtime gossip.
"I see," Mr. Lane smiles at Dabi but it is anything but friendly. "Anyway. Careful with this one." He tells Dabi. "She's loyal to the - " He rubs his fingers to his thumb to indicate money. "It doesn't matter how well you treat her, if she finds a better offer she'll run off on you. Looking at you now," Mr. Lane sizes him up. "it probably won't take long."
I didn't leave because of money you piece of shit! If you actually saw me as a person, you'd know that!
I feel Aliyah's eyes on me in surprise.
Great.
Now she thinks I'm making more money and keeping things from her.
I don't face her.
"Hm," Dabi says. "What do you define as a better offer? Because we certainly don't pay-"
Don't say that! I think frantically.
I clear my throat.
Dabi looks at me quizzically. But he understands soon enough.
"...her what she's worth. With how well she's driven up sales this past month, she certainly deserves every penny."
"With all due respect," Mr. Lane smiles apologetically, venom lacing his words. "A secretary who intervenes in your business, gives unsolicited advice, and tries to control decision making is not worth her price. There are many other qualified secretaries who will drive up sales, and do it better than she can."
I feel my heart fall.
Of course he would say that.
Mr. Lane thinks of me as disloyal now. Leaving NNTV so suddenly after all these years, I knew it would matter more to him than he let on during our last meeting.
He doesn't exactly tolerate betrayal. And being his secretary for so long, I've seen how he treats former employees enough to know how vicious he can be.
That's why I didn't want him and Dabi to meet.
My face reddens immensely at the mention of my frequent "interventions" and "unsolicited advice". Because Mr. Lane doesn't believe in teams, he believes in workers who do as they're told. That's it.
But considering how much Dabi cares about his space, the comment fills me with anxiety.
Especially given the conversation we had today.
Will he think this is a pattern now? Will it drive him further away from me - cause his lack of trust in me to balloon even more?
There's an uncomfortable feeling in my gut as my mind questions all these possibilities. I wish Aliyah hadn't seen me.
No.
I wish I just told Dabi I was busy when he asked me for dinner. I hesitantly glance at him, searching for any indication of how he's receiving this.
There's embarrassment written all over my face.
However, Dabi's expression doesn't change. He remains aloof.
Although on closer inspection, I think I see his jaw clench.
I feel my eyes water. Is he angry with me?
He should be.
Perhaps I am too talkative and opinionated for a secretary.
But Dabi's response makes me furrow my brows in confusion.
"She was a member of your team. Of course she would advise you. And intervene as necessary."
My eyes widen.
"It's as much her company as it is mine, so I do hope she does more of that for us in the future."
I look at Dabi in surprise, trying to figure him out. Doesn't he hate it when people intervene in his business though? Is he just saying this in front of Mr. Lane?
That's gotta be it.
Regardless, I'm grateful that he hasn't thrown me under the bus, using me as conversation material. Anyone else would happily listen and even share their own criticism of me to keep the conversation going. Especially considering Mr. Lane is realistically the more powerful CEO of the two. Anyone would say anything to get on his good side.
And part of me feels like Mr. Lane used me in order to shift to Dabi's good side too. After all, what manager doesn't love critiquing his employees?
Only Dabi didn't take the bait.
"I suppose I should thank you actually," Dabi continues, the height difference only further emphasizing the power imbalance in the conversation. Mr. Lane looks small for the first time ever, as he stands there looking up at Dabi. "If you hadn't let her go, our company wouldn't be in the place it is today. She's extremely capable, as you know. And such an agreeable team player, as well."
But instead of responding, Mr. Lane focuses on me with those murderous eyes.
As if it's my fault he was humiliated tonight.
How dare I go on to build up someone else's company. How dare I not cry and beg him to take me back, that I was sorry and have learned from my mistake. That I would never challenge his decisions again and be the loyal, silent employee he expects me to be.
I shrink under his stare, and before I know it, Dabi's hand is once again on my back.
He has no power over you.
I take a deep breath. "Unfortunately, Mr. Dabi has a prior engagement and we don't want to be late." I tell Mr. Lane. "But thank you for coming over personally to say hello. Hopefully, an opportunity for us to meet again arises in the future."
Mr. Lane nods coldly and walks away. He didn't even shake our hands before he left. Aliyah smiles at us apologetically and comes to hug me once again.
"He's a good man," She whispers in my ear. When she pulls away, she gives me a sly wink and my face reddens. She shakes Dabi's hand before she hurries behind Mr. Lane to the outdoor seating area where the rest of NNTV's administration and senior employees lounge.
And Dabi and I are alone once again.
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Text
Come Into My Life
This is my entry for @nekoannie-chan​‘s writing challenge. Congratulations on 500followers :D! Thank you so much for letting me participate!
This is a series. The remaining parts will be posted throughout the day. It is a Thor fanfic with a song prompt “Entra en mi Vida” (its a beautiful song, i highly recommend).
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Song Prompt: Entra en mi Vida by Sin Bandera 
Warnings: swearing, like a lot of it. Mentions of human experimentation. that’s it?? Also, people are idiots here, folks. bare with me.
Summary: You live in a world where soulmates don’t exist. Like, at all. All that meant to be, fate has chosen nonsense? Not real. Literal, actual, from-the-TV-screen fairytale. So... why is the God of Thunder convinced that you’re his?
Part One: Entra en mi vida, te abro la puerta
"So—" You clear your throat, throwing yourself onto the only empty seat, "—all jokes aside, guys. What the fuck!"
Everyone blinks at you, drinks in their hands and confusion all over their faces.
You stare back at them, completely dismissing the new sets of eyes staring at you. "No, seriously, like what the fuck?" You reiterate. "Like, no guys, this fuck needs an answer. What the fuck."
"Are we supposed to know what this fuck is?" Ghost asks, the first among the group of five to surpass her confusion. "Because I have a what the fuck for that what the fuck."
You reach over to grab her drink and she – having been used to your antics after three years of friendship – moves it closer for you to grab. You take a sip, let the taste of her chamomile tea settle on your tongue, blanch and give it back.
"So, you know how the Avengers got their asses whipped after they pulled a deadbeat dad, right?" You make grabby hands towards Hope's drink, and she – just like Ghost – pushes it over to you.
"Careful," she grimaces, "it has a kick to it."
"So did Thanos," You mumble as you take a sip of her drink. The espresso sits heavily on your tongue and you swear you can feel it stain your teeth. "What the actual fuck, Hope? What is this? And why does it not have sugar?"
She chooses to roll her eyes at you and mimic the remaining two new faces by staying quiet. Her eyes narrow at you in warning.
"Don't get a tude with me, missy—" You wag your finger at her, “—you're the one that MIA'd for five years without a return address and pissed off the Feds. Like, seriously, what the fuck guys? We had plans and everything! Why the fuck would you leave me alone for that long? You know how I get when I'm not forced to socialise!"
Ghost snorts. "Don't be a baby."
Pouting, because you’re very mature, you feign a sniffle and stick your tongue out at her. "Weeeeeh."
The dude with the annoyingly short blond hair snorts, consequently gaining your attention, and tries to hide his smile with his cup.
"You're new," you narrow your eyes at him. "Why are you new? And why do you look like the dude that owes me 12K for wrecking my car?"
"Oh my god—" Ghost grumbles in the background, "—not this again."
"I have bills and crippling debts and things that need to be paid for, Ghost!"
"You're a trust fund baby, you shithead!" She argues. "You don't know what crippling debt looks like!"
"You don't know that! My investment portfolio has been crumbling since the stock market crashed last year due to the recession."
Sam grins cheekily at you. "You have no idea what you just said, do you?"
Huffing and puffing, all you can say is. "Let's go back to the what the fuck that needs to be discussed." You glare at him pointedly, "then maybe, we can discuss why you're still here and why you came back from ashes."
"I know you missed me, cupcake." The evil bastard reaches over and pinches your cheek.
"I miss dancing on your grave," You try to swat his hand away, "now, thanks to your selfishness, I need a new dance floor. Very rude of you to not stay dead."
"You're adorable."
"As I was whatting the fucks," You turn back to Hope and Ghost, "when the fuck did my life become Thor versus Thanos, and why am I the Thor without the hammer to fight Thanos?"
"Is that your what the fuck?"  Ghost frowns.
It's her turn to get glared at. "Don't act like you haven't seen the footage. You know exactly how badly Thor got yeeted off his high horse. I'm only regretful that Captain Wrecking Ball wasn't knocked off his."
"You know he's over here, right?" Hope, ever the oblivious one to your obvious jabs, points at the dude that wrecked your car.
"Yeah, unlike my car and the check he has yet to hand over but hey—" lifting up the cup of espresso, you grin at her "—when life gives you lemons."
"I'm still confused and offended about the Thanos reference." Sam, the gift from the bad side of Pandora's box, begins. "What do we have to do with your life?"
"What does pulling a deadbeat dad mean?" The other new dude asks, his face is both the definition of confused and annoyed. "And what does it have to do with the Avengers?"
You frown. "Now I'm confused—"
"Oh no—" Ghost grimaces.
"—Why do you look like the dude from Gossip Girl but also like the dude on the UN's wanted poster of 20something?" You turn to Sam for assistance. "Doesn't he look like that old geezer from the museum?"
Sam grins, leans back in his seat to take a proper look at the manbun dude. Your table is the round one placed at the corner – the irony – and, until recently, it has always been occupied by the four of you. That was before they decided to ghost you for half a decade.
 "Now that you mention it—"
"Oh, fuck off." Manbun snaps at Sam, and you swear you've never fallen in love faster in your entire life than you have in that moment.
Your grin is wide and shit-eating as you put the cup down. You extend your hand to Manbun and wiggle your freshly painted — somehow chapped – fingers.
"I'd tell you my name but it's better if you just called me sweetheart," You’re still grinning. "What's your sign and what time can you pick me up?"
He blinks at you, still confused, and frowns at your hand. Slowly, because you’re a patient girl, you lean over and pry his left hand away from his cup. You place your palm in his and wrap your fingers around each other.
"I'd ask for your name but I think I'll settle for calling you babe," You shake his hand, and then place it back on the cup. "Or hun. I'd call you handsome, but that's too tacky and we—” You point between the both of you, " – don't do tacky."
You sit back in your seat and glance at Sam. "Well... Most of the time anyway."
At this, the rest of your life flashes you a grin. "How does eight o'clock sound?"
"It sounds like a recipe for disaster." Ghost cuts in, narrowing her eyes at you. "Back off, shithead. You've hurt enough of my coworkers"
Jaw dropping and shock feigning, you gasp. "How is that my fault?"
"Is that joke?" Ghost frowns, "because I feel like it's a joke. Three incidences with the analysts and five tech support team make it look like a joke."
You scoff at that. "Look, if your little back up boys can't handle the essence of a real woman, then that's not my fault." Confidently – and silently annoyed – you also add. "Plus, I actually did SHIELD, or whatever ridiculous name you're calling the remake of a failed organisation, a favour. If your boys behind the boys in spandex can't handle being told off by a 'mouse' as they call us, then they shouldn't be behind the dude that wrecked my car.
 "But now that I've said that out loud—" You pause, "—I finally understand why the Avengers are so bad at their job. I mean, with such poor support systems, it's no wonder boy blue and red uses cars as a landing mechanism. It's almost as if he's never heard of a parachute."
There's a pregnant pause as you pretend to ponder the situation. The new dude with the blond hair has visibly turned red and is shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Manbun has a very permanent looking frown smeared all over his face and you’re pretty sure you've just ruined whatever chances you had of giving him children. And Sam, because he's Sam and is patiently waiting his turn to roast you, has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
Ghost pretends to scowl at you, even though you’re pretty sure she's already drawing up the schematics for the pedestal she's about to build for you. Hope, because she's Hope and has first-hand experience of dealing with spoilt little brats that use creative antics to slowly drive people away, decides to use that exact moment to sigh and expose you.
"Hey sweetheart," she begins in that voice of betrayal. "Can you, like, not be an antisocial, territorial pain in the ass for five minutes and be nice? Stop trying to get our guests to leave with your little mind games, yeah?"
You blink at her. Once, twice. Because the betrayal always takes a few moments to sink in.
"They're not mind games." You retort. "Boy Blue over there did wreck my car. He used it to cushion his fall, because apparently the super-secret organisation that harbours entitled idiots doesn't invest in parachutes."
"But you don't even need that 12K—"
"I didn't ask for the 12k. I just simply pointed out that his reckless behaviour is very costly for those who suffer for it."
"Okay, guys—" Ghost tries to interject, but it's too late. The fire has already started, and Hope and you have never been on the same page when it comes to anything involving the Avengers.
"You're being unreasonable now. You, of all people, should understand that some things are out of our control."
"That doesn't excuse or make the damage done alright. The ruining of people’s livelihoods isn’t a necessary evil for your super heroe'ing righteousness." You point out, eyes narrowed, and teeth bared. "I, of all people, don't understand your defence. Because I don't use the lab that made me as an excuse to get away with the bad shit I do to people. Whether intentionally or not."
"Really? Because you weren't singing that same song when you cashed in on all that HYDRA inheritance."
"I am not the people that made me and it's not like I'm vacationing the money away. Or have you forgotten about that harbour I had to fix because your boyfriend decided to grow a few sizes?"
"Oh, how could I forget? It's not like you rub it in his face every time he tries to so much as even say hi to you."
"People should be held accountable for their actions. Excuse me for exercising my fifth amendment because I don't think communicating with the guy that turned your dad into a fugitive by siding with the anti-accords gang is cool!"
"That accords was messed and you know it!"
“Yeah, but I didn’t go around trying to be a vigilante about it!”
"Just admit that your stance for the accords is only because you need the government's protection against ex-Hydra agents."
She hit a cord and she knows it. "You're treading on very thin ice, Hope."
 "Scared they might come back and finish what they started? Now that Pierce and Rumlow are gone, there's nothing stopping them from finishing what they started, is there?"
"You know," You sigh, reaching for Ghost's drink and taking a sip. "At least, I don't have to abduct a man from his home, nearly ruin his chances at freedom, risk his life numerous times for my personal gain, just cause I have a theory about my mom's whereabouts. And then—" You let out a condescending laugh at the thought, "—have the audacity to look him in the eye and call it love. Because, ya know, turning a guy into a science experiment and berating him for doing what he thought was right is so romantic."
She's turning red. You can see it before it actually happens and there is a sick sense of pleasure coursing through your veins at the thought. At the fact that you’re the one pressing all the buttons.
Boy, are you fucked up.
"Damn." Sam mumbles, then chortles, then belts out a laugh. "Shit. Who pissed in your gourmet breakfast?"
"People," You scowl at him. “Fucking people. Because, now call me a bitch if you insist, I don't remember telling management to sign a deal with SHIELD."
"What the fuck?" Ghost, ever so caring, contributes to your bewilderment and pissy mood.
You nod frantically at her. "Exactly! What the fuck! Do you see why I needed you guys so bad? Like, it's like the creation of the Strike Force all over again!"
"Hold on—" Captain Damage Ball cuts in. "—I'm confused. What exactly is going on and what does SHIELD have to do with it?"
"Oh boy. Germany, here we go again—"
"Don't be an asshole, shithead."
 --
 When SHIELD fell and Black Widow released all those classified documents to the public, your existence was made known to the public. It turned out that running a terrorist cell inside a super-secret organisation wasn't the only thing Pierce had hidden from the world. You were.
You were supposed to be an experiment. Another volunteer, like the Twins, for Hydra's ultimate plan. Another Bucky Barnes, but without the constant torture to keep you mindless and loyal.
 You were supposed to be the next generation. The Rumlow that wouldn't need force and violence to get the job done. That was the requirement. Those were the orders. That's what you were supposed to be.
Instead, somewhere deep in the dark, cold corners of an abandoned Hydra lab, the inhumane attempt of creating Winter Soldiers through 'natural means' had taken place.
The surrogates were all volunteers, the scientist claimed.
The procedure was necessary for the mission, the doctor explained.
This is the only way forward, the master mind behind that plan argued.
Rumlow took care of the agents himself. Pierce burned down that lab himself. And, out of all the children born, you were the only one that lived longer than the rest. The others were unfortunate enough to be experimented on, before Rumlow found out.
Not knowing who to trust, Pierce kept you hidden from the world and Hydra. He never hid the truth from you, nor did Rumlow. They knew that, at some point, those that knew about the lab would eventually find you, and you needed to be prepared for when they did.
When SHIELD fell, the paper trail that led to your existence was small – miniscule, even – but it was there. Sam found it, but he kept you a secret as well until you were ready for the whole world to know.
But the world wasn't waiting for you to be ready. It wasn't that patient, nor kind. Because, with everything out in the open, chaos ensued, and you were still – at the end of the day – the next generation. All those assets couldn't remain frozen forever and all those lives that were ruined by Hydra couldn't remain unaided.
So, you had to step out and – begrudgingly – announce your existence to the world. Put a huge target on your back and claim the inheritance that Pierce had unwittingly left you.
"I'm gonna go piss off alot of bad people—" You had said to Sam over the phone, right before your News Interview. "What do you think I should start with?"
He wasn't having any of it. "Did you just wait for me to leave the country so you could do something stupid?"
"Of course not, I'm not you—" You scoffed, checking your outfit again. "—I hired a hacker to fake a series of cyber-attacks. Then I asked that girl, you know – the one that could walk through walls, to freak a bunch of people out. So, you know, it could be an Avenger level threat, but not the kind that needed Captain Spandex, so they'd send you. Then I scheduled the interview for the night of the supposed attack, because I knew you'd be gone—"
"Are you kidding me, Y/N— Clint, turn this thing around now!"
"—So, I was thinking I show up on stage and say 'the law says I can take all those assets and I'm gonna use them to do the exact opposite of what my ex-bosses would've wanted'. How does that sound?"
"Do me a favour. Don't move. I wanna kill you myself."
You grinned. "I knew you'd love it."
--
Next Part
TAGS: @nekoannie-chan​ , @thorfanficwriter​
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starlightnakamoto · 4 years
Text
She Knows • Yuta Nakamoto
Member: Yuta x Reader
Genre: angst / fluff / smut / slow-burn / mystery
Warnings: Language, Drugs, Alcohol/Cigarette Use
Summary: You needed to find a way to raise money to find somewhere to stay. Little did you know it had to be through becoming a stripper at the biggest club in town, owned by the ceo himself. He’s not only a ceo though. Only at night he was.
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Chapter 5
Soft lips were trailing all over. From your jawline to your collarbone, you felt the stars in you lighting up in a way you never felt before.
“More.. please”, you kept begging, not getting enough when you wanted all of him.
His hands were getting to know each part of you as you kept his name at a whisper, afraid if anyone would hear.
Two star-crossed lovers had become one through lips and you felt things heating up more.
“Yuta.. I need you”.
“So greedy.. I’m making you a fucking mess aren’t I?”, he smirked, looking up from where he was marking what’s his on your collarbone.
The moment started to fade along with the colors and his touch.
You didn’t want it to end but too late.
The blaring sound from your phone alarm had woken you up from the bittersweet dream you had so longed for.
You groaned into the now familiar pillow of the motel room you were staying in.
8:15 am. Today was show day.
Finally you were gonna get your first paycheck and could start seeing your dream be opposite from black & white.
You did the usual & went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. After getting out, you dried your body & curled up hair in a rose towel and went to get dressed.
You put on baggy silver pants & a crop tee, even though later you would be changing into the real outfit for tonight.
You & Ten had been anticipating all week to see what you two would look like on stage.
After putting on hoops and a final shape of lip gloss, you left the motel, this time with all your things.
It was time to find a new place after today and with the money you’d get you wouldn’t pass the opportunity.
The train ride to the Nakamoto Club was usually quiet & filled with only the mind being loud.
Ride by Lana Del Rey was blasting through your headphones as you tapped your hands against the foggy window.
I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast, I am alone in the night. Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind…
You arrived to your stop and made your way to your destination.
As you climbed up the hollow steps, you headed to Room 1026 to meet up with everyone else even if everyone to you was mainly Ten.
You walked in and immediately were greeted by a slim pair of tan arms but with a body that radiated warmth for you.
“Y/N!!”, Ten gleefully cheered while ruffing your hair up and leading your hand to where you two would usually sit.
“It feels like forever since I saw you, I missed my best friend,” he pouted as he did his usual habit of playing with your hands.
“We just saw each other yesterday before you left me alone with—”
“Yuta!! Oh my god, tell me everything now. How big was it—“
“Ten!!”, you rolled your eyes, softly hitting his arm. “We just spoke for a bit and got to know each other’s names.. nothing else I promise.”
“Aghhh Y/N!! I tossed and turned all night just wondering if a moment finally happened with you two. I didn’t leave you in there for nothing—“
“Well a moment did happen..”, you cut him off as you played with the rings on his sculpted hands.
“Well tell me the moment.. I got my popcorn out and everything”
“Well it wasn’t much but it’s just the way how he looked at me like he already saw through me. Like I know it’s fast and all but I swear you could feel some—“
“Connection?”, a different voice had blurted out.
Oh shit. You had felt your whole face heat up into one color of crimson.
“Yuta—“
“Ten I think this is yours.. you uhh left it here yesterday”, he smirked like the bastard he was seeing the color you were, as he handed him his water bottle and walked back to the front.
He too was flustered but tried hiding it.
Ten had thrown his head back and squealed into your arm as you sat there with your mouth open.
“I don’t know what just happened but girl I’m loving whatever kdrama yall got going on”, he nonstop said between laughs, trying to catch his breath.
“Yeah yeah okay. Keep laughing, you’ll be crying later when that happens to you one day”, you rolled your eyes as your cheeks were still flushed and playfully flipped him off.
Your bestfriend kept teasing you for the rest the day about the most embarrassing moment of your life and you couldn’t wait till it happened to him later.
The night started getting closer and everyone was getting ready.
We got to our dressing rooms and staff was rushing around everywhere, helping with makeup, lights, outfits or what not.
It was all going so fast but he didn’t leave your mind, which brought you to the thought.. where was Yuta?
“He was there for most of the day but he seemed to have left”, a staff had told you while doing your eyes a bright shade of glitter red. “What can you say? He’s a busy man”.
You had hoped he would appear to see the performance you guys had worked so hard on, at least. After all, he helped with most of the moves.
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7:30 pm
You started to feel more adrenaline as your first time performing is coming sooner than you think.
You had your makeup done & your outfit had shaped your body well. It was a crimson color built up of a corset with fishnets that made you feel self-conscious but everyone else had wore the same in various colors so you tried to feel at ease.
Looking up from your phone you heard “Damn Y/N!!”, from the now familiar cheery voice of Ten. “Girl you look amazing whatt!!”.
With the continuous praises you got & telling you to do a 360, you kept looking down getting all shy. He really was the only one of the dancers who made you feel at home.
Ten was wearing a see through black long-sleeved shirt with patterns on the front which had perfectly fit his figure & leather pants. It almost even turned you on.
His eyes were batted with sparkling black eyeshadow and wavy designs around it.
“The show is starting soon.. have you heard from him yet?”, he had asked as you two sat back down at your parlors.
“Nope. I’m just hoping he’ll show up at this point. I mean he has to after all the hardwork he’s done for us.”, you sighed while applying a cherry flavored lipgloss.
“He should. Lisa’s here, Johnny, everyone. It’s a big night, especially for you Ms. Yuta..”, he had chuckled looking in the mirror while fixing his combed back hair.
“Let’s not get too ahead now. We don’t even know his last name”, you admired how stunning you looked, pleading in your mind that he would consider coming.
“Yea.. weird but whatever”, he pondered but then decided to change the subject and apply final touches as you did the same.
8:25 pm
“We’re on in 5 minutes ladies!! Start wrapping it up and head backstage now”, Lisa had commanded everyone passing by each row of parlors.
“This bitch always forgets I’m here too”, Ten sighed, getting up from his seat.
You chuckled following with “C’mon my lady”, as you two linked arms to head backstage.
Showtime
Your nerves finally were kicking in as you had no idea how your first performance would play out. You just had hoped it would all go well after busting your ass to learn it for the past week.
When your group’s name was called on stage, you started recalling all the memories from the day you first got here. So much had happened already and you weren’t here for that long yet but you felt like you had. The places you were getting used to.. the faces that became familiar.
To see yourself doing all you can to get to that dance dream of yours, that was home. You knew all your hardwork would pay off one day and you were excited for it.
You got to your spot up in the back as you climbed up the shimmering steps on stage in your platforms, trying your best to see the taped X’s glowing in the dark to find your spot. You got into position as Ten got into his which was further down your row.
Lights of flashing black and white came on that then faded into color hue as the song started.
You know, from the moment she turn around.
She know, how to back it up and drop it down
She know, she what all the fellas looking at
'Cause they know, soon as her song come on it's a wrap.
You had been mirroring the moves everyone else had been doing as the chorus was building up.
And she loves the attention
That she get when she moves, yeah
Showin' out with her home girls
Hypnotizing all the dudes, oh
And she knows.
Even as a back dancer, you had felt confident in how good you were doing and living it up in moment that you hadn’t realized Yuta did show up.
But him also being Mr. Nakamoto, he had sat near the back blending in with the other people sitting on the barstools.
“You seem to come here often. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were Mr. Nakamoto himself”, bartender Jaehyun had remarked with a small laugh as he wiped the bar and served more drinks to customers. “In that case, welcome.”
Yuta was in a gaze as Jaehyun’s words were only muffles to him, trying to set his eyes on you even if you were blended in by other dancers.
You looked so beautiful right then and there even from far. The lights had illuminated your entire beint and made you feel like you were the only dancer in the room to him.
It was all going so well right up until after the chorus that Rosé had tripped you.
You knew something was up when Lisa had asked Ten and Rosé to switch spots before show day.
The music had continued but there was gasps throughout the crowd that led you to rush down the steps and back to the dressing room.
Hot tears were running down your face as you sat in your chair that had faced the mirror & violently threw off your platforms.
You had a bloody gash on your knee from the trip but other than that you just tried to breathe amidst your anxiety attack.
Yuta had noticed later in the dance that you were gone and was starting to worry as well.
You felt too embarrassed to wait till the performance was over to find Ten or just see anyone.
You had picked up some wipes laying around the lights framing the mirror and starting to wipe off the canvas that had been painted earlier on your face.
“It’s just a fall, quit crying Y/N”, that voice in your head telling you on a loop.
Mascara tears kept streaming down but you just hurried up the process so you could grab your things and head on out in the back.
You kept getting flushed at the embarrassed moment that kept replaying in your head and just wanted it all to be erased. Possibly to even just go home and forget you came here. You knew your family & few friends was worried sick from all the missed calls as well.
You were from Cloud City, a small town that not many knew about with only black & white surroundings. It wasn’t anything like Blossom City, with all the colorful lights everywhere and endless people with stories in them filling the streets.
You had come from a complete different area, all opposite from this.
After all you were a dancer, not a dancer for these types of clubs.
You went through the back door and droplets had hit you which progressed more as you walked further to the nearest bus stop.
You still had your outfit on but with a coat over it and your heels in your hands. You didn’t feel like going on the subway with the way you looked this time so the bus it is.
You pulled out a lighter to light up your cigarette as you had stayed hovered under the stop. The rain was making it harder for it to light up so you occasionally blurted curses under your lip with the paper between it.
As you let out the first puff into the foggy night air, you coughed a bit but felt more at ease. You were still new to this as you had picked up the habit from Ten.
Before the next bus arrived, you had realized you didn’t get your first performance’s pay and panicked at the thought of literally having nowhere to stay at tonight.
Suddenly a white polished Benz had pulled up with the passenger window rolling down to greet you with a face that had made the familiar flush come back to your cheeks.
Usually he wouldn’t greet any of his dancers at this time of the day with the work he had going on but here he was with his one hand on the wheel and other waving at you.
“Hop in”, was all it took for you to drop everything and forget your thoughts for the rest of the night.
0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5
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bumblesimagines · 5 years
Text
The Wolf Pack
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Part 4
Request: Yes or No
"I wondered what Betty might be doing." (Y/N) said, taking the money from Jughead.
"Is Archie comforting her? Don't these questions pop up in your head?" He asked. Jughead nodded, taking off his beanie and running a hand through his hair. He seemed exhausted. (Y/N) got some beer, opening it and placing the glass bottle infront of him.
"Why didn't Veronica give you money? She has a owns a restaurant, doesn't she? That just seems selfish to me. Poor Archie, he seems so naive and selfless." (Y/N) said, getting some beer for himself. Jughead grabbed the bottle and started to drink.
"What do you think about Veronica?"
"She's a bitch." Jughead mumbled. (Y/N) held back an amused grin.
"I've noticed. It's a shame that she can't even be bothered to help her friends. I guess she's just a pretty face with an ugly heart." (Y/N) shrugged lightly. Jughead sighed deeply.
"From one gang leader to another, I suggest you cut off anyone who isn't willing to help you and the gang." (Y/N) said. Jughead looked at him.
"How? She's my friend." Jughead said. (Y/N) smiled.
"I can deal with her." (Y/N) said with a smile.
"I don't want her to get hurt-"
"I'm not gonna hurt her." (Y/N) promised.
(Y/N) walked forward, bumping shoulders with someone.
"Shit, my bad." He apologized, crouching down and picking up some of the things the girl dropped.
"It's okay, I should've paid more attention."
"No, no, no. I was on my phone." (Y/N) said, finally making eye contact with Veronica Lodge. She paused before shaking her head.
"It's fine... But if you're so guilty, maybe you can make it up to me with a milkshake at Pop's." She smiled. (Y/N) chuckled, nodding.
"Alright, it's only fair." He smiled.
"I'm Veronica Lodge." She stuck out her hand. (Y/N) faked a surprised look.
"Oh." Veronica furrowed her brows.
"Oh?"
"Sorry, it's just... Jughead was talking about you the other day-"
"You know Jughead? How is he? Is he being treated right?" Veronica asked, stepping closer. (Y/N) nodded.
"He's fine. Sorry about everything that happened, Alpha is very serious about his money since some of the members badly need it." (Y/N) said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"How come your in Riverdale?"
"I've lived most of my life in Greendale, I wanted to check the place out." (Y/N) said meekly. Veronica couldn't help but smile.
"Welcome to Riverdale.. Wanna head over to Pop's?" She asked. (Y/N) shrugged, nodding.
"Did you and Jughead have an agrument before Alpha took him?" (Y/N) asked. Veronica shook her head, frowning.
"No, why?"
"Well, it's just that we were talking about his life in Riverdale and he... Nevermind." (Y/N) looked away from her. Veronica placed a hand on his arm.
"Tell me, please."
"He was probably in a bad mood but... He called you a bitch." (Y/N) winced as Veronica blinked.
"I've stuck by his side for so long and he calls me a bitch?"
"He probably had a bad day-"
"Doesn't excuse anything! What an asshole." She huffed.
"How is his girlfriend doing?" (Y/N) asked.
"She's acting like her boyfriend, a total asshole. I get your boyfriend is dealing with some stuff but it doesn't mean that you should act like a total whore! She's trying to cozy up to Archie!" Veronica said, shaking her head.
"Maybe... Maybe she planned all of it. Once Jughead was away, she'd get close to Archie and get with him until Jughead gets back." (Y/N) said. Veronica rubbed her forehead.
"You know what? I need to forget all of them. Betty's always accusing me of something, Jughead follows her around like a puppy, and Archie is always kissing someone." Veronica sighed.
"I really thought they were my friends." She whispered. (Y/N) rubbed her arm.
"It's alright, I'm sure you'll be fine without them." (Y/N) assured her.
"You're really nice. What's your connection to 'Alpha'?" She asked. (Y/N) grinned.
"I am the Alpha, babe." He sent her a wink, continuing on his walk when she abruptly stopped. (Y/N) headed over to his car when Blu parked beside him.
"How'd it go?"
"We'll see." (Y/N) said, getting in the drivers seat.
"Riverdale is so interesting. Better than all the witch bullshit that's going on in Greendale." (Y/N) said.
"Better to have them on our side than against." Blu pointed out, grabbing (Y/N)'s phone and working on the recording. Blu made the recording seem like Veronica was just calling Betty a whore and Jughead an asshole for no reason.
"Why do you wanna pin them against each other?"
"Because it's fun." (Y/N) smiled. Blu handed him the phone back and looked out the window. (Y/N) drove into Greendale, driving to the place where The Wolf Pack hungout. It was a bar owned by (Y/N)'s friend with apartments above that some wolves, including (Y/N), stayed at.
"Veronica's cute but she seems stubborn."
"Penny's like that." Blu looked at him.
"But she's mature. Veronica's childish." (Y/N) got out of the car, heading inside.
"Hey, Jug. I paid your friend a visit and..." (Y/N) played the recording. Jughead clenched his jaw, annoyed and betrayed. (Y/N) patted his back, glancing at the Ghoulies who hung around. Malachai was playing poker while Penny counted her money.
"Daddy!" The screech of a young girl spooked everyone but (Y/N) who grinned widely. He spun around, picking up the young girl as she reached him, causing her to squeal and laugh.
"Hey, baby bird." He cooed. Jughead stared at him with wide eyes.
"You're a a dad?" He questioned.
"Don't act so surprised Jughead, you'll probably be in my shoes soon enough." (Y/N) said.
"This little bird is gonna be the next Alpha after me." (Y/N) said, putting her down and letting her greet the other wolves.
"Why? What if she doesn't want to be Alpha?"
"Only the people related to the original Alphas can become one. If they can't or don't want to, it firstly seems like disrespect and their kid will have to be Alpha or else they'll be kicked out." (Y/N) explained.
"I was thirteen when good ole' dad passed and mom was too mentally ill to know what the hell reality was."
"Thirteen and leader of basically a mafia?" Jughead raised his brows.
"Serpents always act as if their gang is the only one with parents who need to feed their children, felons who were homeless, street kids... The Wolf Pack takes anyone without a home and gives them a place to stay until they're back on their feet. Of course, they have to pay us back but it's easy. Give a bit of money and you have our protection." (Y/N) told him.
"But don't get me wrong, we have a decent body count." With that, (Y/N) grabbed a bottle and went over to his daughter.
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kinghoranshit · 4 years
Text
The Watchers (1D) - 00 Hours
Part 1
I watched the names light up on our hologram. You never wanted to see your name listed. It meant someone put down a sum of money to have you killed during the 24 hour purge. If your name's not on the list, you're free to join in on the hunt or stay in your house; no one could kill you, but the sounds of screams were deafening. The amount of people who turned their backs on their loved ones, both figuratively and literally by killing them, was disgusting. There were even those "friends" who thought it'd be funny to list you.
Now, you're thinking that a purge is such a dumb idea. Want to know what's more stupid?
A bounty purge.
It's the government's way to keep the crime and gambling rates down, and those who may not be fortunate in their social class have a way to level up and gain funds. It became a sport for some. This was the 100th annual year and the names being listed were a lot of celebrities; normally the ratio of high and low status didn't fare this much.
My family and I were in resistance; my mom died trying to protect someone, now it was just my dad and I. We helped those whose names were on the list, not for free of course. We're like bounty hunters, but the opposite. A guard or babysitter sounds so lame though, so don't call me those.
I felt my eyes go wide when I saw all five names that formed One Direction. Who...would do this? They weren't even technically a group anymore; they only just started a virtual reunion tour. They all went solo long ago, so it didn't make sense as to why they would be grouped together. The amount of money put on their heads was ridiculous. Sadly, I didn't see them making it through the 24 hours, unless they have some great body protection, or are suddenly kickass in combat.
The blue hue to the hologram disappeared and it was silent darkness for a while. There were so many bounties this year. It was obvious that they didn't have a limit for the 100th year. There wouldn't be enough of us. Our organization, The Watchers, dropped by a third because it was such a significant milestone year for the bounty purge. I guess people became afraid again.
"Katie," my dad stated.
I sat up and looked at him. "Yeah, what's up?"
"You're being assigned to Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne."
I blinked my eyes a couple times then cupped my ear for dramatic effect. "I'm what? Say that again."
"Modest!, their management, has contacted The Watchers and asked for you specifically. I guess they must've seen how well you kept Selena Gomez safe last year."
Yes, this work has lent to meeting celebrities, but the conversation doesn't tend to get that far. Last year was Selena Gomez, and the previous was Brie Larson. Both were troopers, especially Brie, she was fun to hang out with when we weren't fighting others. She still messages me every now and then when she's not working.
I cleared my throat. "That's...dad, they've got the largest sum I've ever seen for a bounty. You know how many people will be going after them?"
He smirked. "Is...Katie Lee..scared of hunters?"
I scoffed. "No, I'm not. I just know when my odds of keeping said assignment safe are high or not."
"Sorry, kiddo, there's no getting out of this one. They've prepared to set you up on a hidden bunker and arm you with anything you need if someone happens to find it."
A hidden bunker? Any weapons I want? That doesn't sound like a bad negotiation. I've definitely been dealt with less advantages.
The hologram started up again and it was one of the leaders, Rump. A cynical grin played on his lips. This couldn't be good. It was never good when his face appeared.
"Hello everyone, now that the names have been presented, we would like to bring in a new factor to the 100th year of the bounty purge. Instead of 24 hours, it will be 72 hours. That is three whole days to find your prey and get your prize. Let the purge commence in 48 hours."
For once, I felt sick to my stomach. Is this what fear felt like? Three days to keep these five boys alive? Let's hope no one trying to kill them were great trackers or hackers; if the base was hidden well enough, I could set traps outside and inside. That was going to be a must with the new circumstances.
My teeth clenched and I let out a deep breath into my fists. I sat there thinking for a little bit longer. If I was going to even manage to keep a few of them alive, I needed to leave tonight.
I stood and went upstairs to pack the essentials; I don't care if I have the weapon vault of my fucking dreams, I will never leave my crossbow at home. Every save I've had over the last eight years has been with this crossbow. When I came back into the living with my duffel bag slung on my shoulder and crossbow in hand, my dad actually had a look of worry etched into his face.
"Be careful. I know The Watcher's word is 'assignment comes first, you come second', but if it becomes too much, you get yourself out of there, okay?"
"Dad..." I trailed, at a loss for words. I've never heard my dad speak against The Watcher's word.
"You hear me?" he pushed.
I cleared my throat with a nod. "Yeah, dad. I do."
He pulled me into a tight hug. "Good. Your transport should be here any moment."
I pulled back with a small smile. I was well aware this could be the last time I saw him, but I couldn't bring myself to say the three words. It was a mutual thing we both had. We knew we both loved each other.
I peeked out the front window to see the black sudan parked in our driveway. I gave my dad a peck on the cheek before I slipped out the front door and jogged to the sudan. I opened the driver side passenger door and threw my bag and crossbow in first.
"Please state your ID number," the driver ordered.
"Watcher 402, Katie Lee, reporting for duty."
Carl smirked. "Perfect."
"That never gets old for you, does it Carl?"
He shook his head. "Never."
I laughed and buckled myself up. I pulled out my tablet to find the recent file sent to me. It was everything I needed to know about my transport, the bunker we'd be hiding away in, and the contact info for the supplier.
"So...who are you babysitting this year?"
The driver's never get told who a Watcher's assignment is for reasons. But I've known Carl for years; he was always the one who took me to the helicopter.
I still answered, out of precaution, "An important band. That's all I'm saying."
"Really? A certain boy band?" he mocked.
"You know I won't say the name, but yes that one boy band."
"That'll be fun, I'm sure."
I rolled my eyes in response.
I busied myself with contacting the supplier to get my vault sorted. This was definitely the most reinforcements I'ved used. I felt probably an unsettling amount of excitement to get my hands on everything. I knew that in the line of action I would be less thrilled.
***
The helicopter landed on the last minute created pad. It was a circle created by rocks; a majority of them were like this. I knew that we were in upper Minnesota, near the lakes. I snatched my duffel and crossbow as I got out of the helicopter and followed the other Watcher that had been waiting for me. Now, I was guided to a different car that drove off deeper into the forest.
It looked secluded enough by the trees; the bear traps were going to hide perfectly in the bushes. And if that didn't stop them? I knew that the wiring, jumper cables, and car batteries were going to work wonders for every door and window, along with strips of nails at the edge of the entrance if they happened to surpass everything else. And if they also bypass that? Well, they'll have to go through me.
I'm going to Home Alone this motherfucker up.
I was guided to the front of the house and my jaw dropped at the beauty of the steel siding and roof. Okay, the blueprint did not mention the steel exterior. And from where I stood I could see the small security cameras. There's no way they just built this in a matter of a day. This has had to be used in prior purges.
I walked up the stairs and through the front door. It was...way too fancy. Glass tables and lighting fixtures everywhere, grey couches, a fucking duve in the bathroom, and multiple bedrooms.
What was I so worried about?
I dropped my bag off in the room that had my name on the door and then saw that the rest of the members also had their own rooms. There was one name that I didn't recognize so I went to the door and knocked. It just slowly opened by itself and I peered in.
There stood, a bubbly redhead. She jumped from being startled. "Oh! Hi, I'm Maddy, the onsite medic. You must be Katie, our Watcher."
I furrowed a brow. "Uh...Yeah, I am. This place is a fucking fortress. Why am I here?"
She laughed under her breath and continued to unpack her items. "Every fortress has a fault, and they always like a backup plan."
They must be Modest!. It was clear that this wasn't Maddy's first purge hired under them. Who else has been under their company that they had hidden here? I've never been on an assignment where they had an onsite medic ready.
"Fair...do you know where the band is at? I'm going to need their help."
"In the kitchen, I believe. I will be down to help as well. My station has already been cleaned and prepared."
That was eerily comforting to hear.
"Okay," I replied and left her to her own devices.
I didn't bother unpacking yet. I probably wouldn't to be honest. Getting comfortable never sits right with me. The voices grew louder and louder as I grew closer to them. It was clear they were having a good laugh despite the circumstances as to why we were all here.
I cleared my throat and they all stopped to look at me. I gave them a small wave. "Hi Niall, Louis, Harry, Zayn, and Liam. I'm Katie, your Watcher for the duration of this purge."
"A girl? They hired a girl, who looks to be younger than me, to keep us safe?" Liam remarked.
"Mate," Niall and Louis breathed and shook their heads.
I chuckled and stalked up to the brunette who currently had his hair looking like 2014 Harry.
"I can't make you like me. In fact, that's not part of my job description. But you should reconsider... My crossbow can manage a mile range and shoot three arrows at once. I can also build a gun in under a minute, have practiced in the art of knife throwing...and I have been known to get my hands dirty in a physical fight. What can you do to keep yourself safe, Liam boy?"
The other four held in their own snickers. Liam didn't flinch in the slightest. If anything, his "tough" exterior only hardened, which just made him look even weaker in my eyes.
"I don't buy it. Modest has to be messing with us."
I smirked. "I know your ass will be calling my name, begging me to protect you, as someone tries to machete your body to pieces. You better start playing nice, mate." I stepped back and gestured to the rest. "Come on, troops. We need to set up the traps."
Luckily, Zayn, Louis, and Maddy quickly picked up on how to set up the bear traps so I put them on that duty while the rest of us stripped the entrances with nails. Of course, I knew the risk of having them set the traps rather than myself, but there was a lot to do before tomorrow morning. An hour before the purge starts, I'll set up the electrical traps. Since there were steel doors that locked down, I planned to set the electric currencies in other spots.
I familiarized myself with the layout of the rich bunker as much as I could and the security camera room. Yes, there was an entire room dedicated to the security cameras. My vault was hidden in four different locations so I'd have something at any given moment.
That evening, we were all chit chatting at the dinner table, eating the grilled chicken and potatoes Niall cooked. This was probably one of the best meals I've had the night before a purge; it was weird to feel so at ease. I knew not to get too comfy.
"So Katie, how old are you?" Louis prompted as he took a swig of his beer.
"Yeah, you seem too familiar with all of this. How long have you been a Watcher?" Niall concurred.
I laughed under my breath and dropped the fork onto my plate. "Uh, well...I'm twenty-four, and this has been my life for as long as I can remember. Both of my parents were Watchers themselves. I started assignments when I was fifteen."
"Woah," Zayn remarked. "How many have you killed?"
"That..." I coughed into my hand and ran a hand through my hair. "Hard to say...I don't like to keep track."
Louis leaned back in his chair and looked down at his lap. "How many do you think you'll have to kill for us?"
I raised my brows in surprise. "With that sort of bounty over your heads, your guess is about as good as mine."
"Fuck," Niall scoffed and jugged the rest of his beer.
"To be honest, I've never felt this confident going into a purge. And we've got Maddy for any injuries, it doesn't seem like her first rodeo either."
She smiled sweetly and shook her head. "It's not, but...I've never actually had to jump in. This bunker has always held up."
"Hear that?" I asked. "It'll be..." I trailed off. I couldn't make any promises, even if our odds did seem to be in our favor. "It'll be just another purge."
That wasn't what I mean to say either. Their facial expressions right now broke my heart.
I clapped my hands as I stood up. "Okay, I say we all get to bed now. It will be an early start."
They all nodded and put their dishes away before going to their assigned rooms. Liam sat on the couch by himself. He didn't join us for dinner, nor did he eat. If he wanted to be a loner during this, then I'll treat him as such.
I padded over and sat down next to him.
"You know I'm only here to help. If you hate me, that's fine, but you need to be a team player for the rest."
Once again, he stayed silent. I truly didn't know what his deal was. I wasn't the best at reading that side of a person's mind. I pursed my lips before I got up and went to my own room.
I slipped into my own pjs before I did a few meditations. I set my alarm for six in the morning, the purge started at eight. This is all I have ever known. Preparing every single year to risk my life for someone else's, to defy against this ridiculous event, and if I died this year, it wouldn't be in vain.
Next part: 24 Hours
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