#i feel like she’s done this a few times with multiple characters but this is the main time I can think of
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mahou-furbies · 17 hours ago
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First impressions on Champignon Witch
This manga isn't really magical girls, but there is a witch in it (duh) and no way I'm not gonna talk about it. I saw this in a compilation of anime that's coming out in 2025 and from the promo art alone I knew this was going to be my manga (from the mushroom witch hat with ornate decorations), and so far it has lived up to expectations.
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The story is set in a fairytale style world, where the black witch Luna lives in her little mushroom house in a forest with her magic familiars, and makes various powerful medicine out of poisonous mushrooms. People fear and hate her because she emits poison, and even the few merchants who will do business with her and treat her in a friendly way wear protective items around her and will scrub clean everything she has touched after she leaves. Luna continues to create medicine for the townspeople though, because she has few other ways to feel connected to other people outside seeing everyone all happy about the anonymous source's cures, even if she knows that nobody would want them if they knew they came from the poison witch. Also unbeknownst to the normies the poison she radiates is actually beneficial, because she involuntarily sucks up this vague evil bad vibe energy around her, and turns it into a more manageable form.
The first volume or so is spent following Luna's life, and it isn't until later when she finds the turbo poisoned boy Lis, somewhat cures him and takes him as an apprentice that the main story actually starts. The council of the black witches wants to kill him, because it is speculated that his poisoning will eventually take over and he'll cause large scale ruination, and only allow a limited time for Luna to teach him to manage his own poison.
I like how the whole series has a rather somber tone, which mostly comes from the characters wanting and failing to be close to one another, and trying to make peace with having to give up on someone. Like Luna has lost several of her black witch friends to witch hunt executions. The story also has a difficult relationship with love, since love is "poisonous" to black witches and messes up their magic, and also Luna has to live in isolation anyway. But it doesn't seem like this is a "love conquers all" kind of romance, because it has a side character give a speech on how it's condescending of outsiders to think that life without love is somehow incomplete.
I really like Luna, aside from the lovely character design she also has sweet quiet personality and it's easy to root for her to get through her self esteem troubles. I also like that she is already an experienced witch at the start and not a newbie who is baffled by everything. I'd say my biggest complaint about the story is that lately it has been a lot more about characters other than Luna, I wish she'd come back to the spotlight soon!
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Since Luna's character design is what drew me to this in the first place, I was extremely happy that she wears a lot of memorable "medieval fantasy" type outfits. Quite many of them in fact, she has a new one almost every chapter! And sometimes multiple in the same chapter! And you know how I often like to draw collections of animu outfits with the character standing there in a neutral pose, here the author has done my job for me because almost every chapter ends with a good reference image full body pics of the major characters' new clothes! Even the ones that only appear once on a cover! It's like this was made for me.
Finally it should be mentioned that eventually Lis falls in love with Luna; it's somewhat complicated how old he is because he keeps getting aged down by magic so he is chronologically older than how he looks (and so is Luna for that matter, this is a "magic people stop aging" kinda series), but if that's a dealbreaker to you then maybe steer clear.
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ciderjacks · 5 months ago
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I love how Ryoko Kui uses context and pov in scenes like this.. bc like, in the first scene where he’s saying Laios isnt normal, it’s from Marcilles point of view, she takes it as him just being a jerk, and so you sort of think it’s a one off joke of him insulting Laios for doing something as insane as using his leg as an anchor.
And then a few chapters later, that scene comes back from Chilchuck’s point of view, in a way more serious tone, and you realize that the reason he reacted like that is because seeing someone he cared about put themselves in such a painful and dangerous situation with seemingly no regard for their own life really disturbed him. And like, witnessing the aftermath of that was apparently traumatic enough that it stuck with him long after the fact.
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deafsignifcantother · 11 months ago
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the v's reaction to someone taking your hearing aid
♥ summary: "what the Vees would do if they noticed their partially deaf s/o being picked on - like the other people would tear out their hearing aid(s) and break them and stuff" @aceduchessdragoness ♥ characters: velvette, vox, valentino ♥ notes: screaming and crying okay so i did val's spanish as spain spanish bc i think spain sign language would be better than narrowing his signs down to a specific latin american country but if the translation is cringe then tell me bc i'm literally using an lse dictionary
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Vox
♥ word count: 1.9k ♥ notes: i use [Y/N] for the first time in my career ong, she/her pronouns used in third person, reader doesn't speak and only signs, protective but violent vox, vox in a healthy relationship, reader gets harassed in public
It was never a mystery to you how Vox always knew where you were. Even without the watch on your wrist, you felt his eyes on you, the looming knowledge of persistent monitoring.
Not that it bothered you, of course. If anything, you were worried that he wanted to spend his time watching you instead of running his business. But whatever, it was flattering.
Whenever you went on your routine errands, you would smile at every television or security camera you encountered. On the big screens in Vox's room, he feels like the common softening of his heart. Your smile always seems so genuine. How can somebody like you adore him so much?
.
Blue light illuminates your living room. From the kitchen, you groan as you make your way to the television. Can he stop bothering you at this hour? All you wanted to do was get some damn water, but of course, as always, he's monitoring you.
Words pop up on the screen as you approach it. You rub your eyes, the brightness overwhelming. You reach for your coffee table.
GO TO SLEEP
With the sudden click of the remote, you smile as the screen goes black. One, two, three... it lights up again.
DON'T TRY
Again, the screen goes black. One... again, a bright blue illuminates you.
[Y/N]. The television shakes.
You snicker at him, finally sitting on the floor and putting the remote down. On the other side of that screen, Vox sits on his swivel chair, gazing up at you, your frame taking up multiple monitors. Your eyes look below where his point of view is.
"It's late," you sign, and the light makes your hands shine in the darkness. "Dim it a little."
He listens; his small act of consideration makes you melt. Your eyes soften immensely. Internally, he begs you to stop looking at him like that; it's embarrassing how good it makes him feel.
The television is still a blinding blue as you go from the living room to the bedroom; he follows you per any screen by your side. Worst of all, a flat-screen faces your bed, which was mandatory.
"Goodnight, Vox." You sign while putting your face up to the screen.
You turn this TV off, and to your delight, it stays off.
.
With a yawn, you stretch your morning aches away and lean your head against the table of your vanity. You get a few seconds of shut-eye before popping back up. Vox is watching; if he notices you're tired, he will try to be domestic and nap with you regardless of how much work you must do today. So you rub away your sleepy eyes and massage the tension in your jaw. Putting on your hearing aid is first on your daily to-do list; you'd like to hear if he pops up on your television and decides to update you on his morning. Sometimes, he gets so impatient. Next, while picking up your moisturizer, you try not to shiver at the coldness once it touches your fingers.
You wish yourself a good morning before rubbing it in.
At the same time of day, Vox was already up and doing his rounds, making sure his employees were getting work done. He gets antsy between when you wake up, and you get to the tower. Every morning once he sees you entering the elevator, he'll wait on the other side to welcome you in with a kiss to the forehead.
Vox checks his watch. It shows his favorite things: your vitals, location, and pretty little face whenever you dial him.
You've finally left your place, thank goodness. Pacing aimlessly has never looked good on him.
.
He stands by his window, looking down at the streets below, watching you approach. You're wearing your usual uniform, one that he picked out just for you; it consists of the same red and blue stripes he has on his everyday suit. It makes you an eyesore in the everyday crowd.
If you didn't know any better, you'd lift your head to see if you could spot him among the many stories. The building is beautiful, overpowering. The V tower's magnificent brightness outshines the rest of the V district. The constant noise of people always has you walking with your hearing aid turned as low as it can go without turning off.
With the pink light reflecting off your face, you look both ways before crossing the street, a bright smile on your face, stepping onto the asphalt before a hand grabs your wrist.
Vox furrows his brow at the sight.
You turn your head and see a friendly reporter and a cameraman, the camera not yet rolling. Your pupils flicker between them.
"Hello!" She smiles, removing her hand. With caution, you fully face her, stepping back onto the sidewalk. The 'professional' persona you've been forced to practice is finally coming to fruition.
"Hello! I'm Deaf; I don't think I'd be able to do an interview."
She flicks her hand and rolls her eyes in the most friendly way possible. "Not a problem," she signs, moving the microphone vibrantly, "I can work this out, no problem!"
You widen your eyes in a wowwwww, oh my god, that's perfect... "Oh, what a kind woman you are!"
Vox? You beg internally. Baby? Save me.
Up high, he doesn't remove his eyes from you. With the use of sign language, he can't listen in, and he can't tell whether he needs to intervene or not. There's nothing wrong with going to check, right? Or will he seem possessive, or scared? He doesn't want people to think he doesn't want you to talk to anyone. It's good that you get to sign to someone other than him and Velvette, right?
The camera starts rolling, and you square your shoulders, adjusting your sleeves for more mobility. The news reporter throws the microphone at the cameraman, who does not catch it but ignores it as she shows off her brightest smile.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I have the sweetest person in hell with me, [y/n]! Tell me, how long have you two been together?"
Of course, the news has been recognizing you recently. You've been seen countless times adjusting Vox's tie (he purposely fucks it up so that you'll step close to him) as well as wrapping your arm around his and pinching the corner of his screen endearingly before you give him a babying compliment. Many people have taken pictures and edited hearts around you two. People are obsessed with how "heavenly" your relationship is.
"Oh, many months now!" You nod to yourself, trying to stop your eyes from shining with admiration. You always get so soft when you think about him; it's one of the things people notice. She looks at him as if he's her entire world.
"Beautiful!" The reporter puffs out her bottom lip innocently. "I'm sure you make that man very happy."
What do you even say to that? I hope so.
"The happiest."
"Now," she doesn't hesitate to change the topic. "Are there any challenges you two face about your... differences?"
Your eyebrows raise before furrowing in confusion. Differences? At first, you think she means his television head, but when she notices you pause, she rudely clarifies. "I mean, with your lack of hearing, you know? Don't you find it a little embarrassing?"
You lean your body away from her. "What are you saying?"
The shock of the tonal shift has you freezing in place. The reporter looks at the camera, her eyes squinting with sadistic amusement. Her fingers twitch as she lifts her arm, not even looking at you before plucking the hearing aid from your ears. She crushes it in her hand.
At first, you grab your ear, pressing your hand to it in disbelief. Your face contorts, your shoulders dropping as you try to step away. Why couldn't you see this coming? And on television—is that where this is airing? The air around you goes quiet, the sensation of spatial awareness fading a bit as you stumble back, your hand still grasping your ear. The watch on your wrist hits your cheek, and without a second thought, you tap on the screen repeatedly. The next thing that popped into your head: her bravery is the most surprising.
With a brief fall of light, Vox stands where the lady once was. You eye him with uncertainty, a look you have never given him. He faces the cameraman, not looking your way. Your eyes go up and down his body; his stance is tense, his arms are folded behind his back, and his fingers sparking with small glimmers of electricity.
You see that lying behind him is the woman, body entirely limp, smoke coming from her mouth, and her eyes looking stuck open.
He speaks to the camera, pointing his finger at it, staring intensely into the shaking, blinking red light. Your hands link around his bicep. Composure, you remind yourself. You turn to the camera with a weary smile and lean your head against him.
.
"That'll never happen again." He stares at himself in the mirror. His dressers and tables are filled with claw marks from his previous meltdowns.
You just sit on his bed, crossing your legs uncomfortably, watching him as he goes back and forth between signing to you and mumbling to himself. You haven't said a word. You just keep your eyes on him.
He protected you in the way he knew best. He wanted nothing more than to put his hands on the sides of her head and crush her skull. It would stain his suit, awful. Even worse, your suit would have been ruined, too.
Should he force you to move into the tower? He's always wanted to. The commute would be no more, and you'd be safe from the outside.
Should he prevent you from leaving at all without him? No, that might be too much, but his entire body craves to keep you secure and protected.
He won't ask you what you want. He knows there's a chance you would just coddle him and tell him it's okay. There's no reality where he will do nothing; he must devise his own plan. But first (actually, secondly, after getting his anger out on his furniture), he wants to make sure his sweetheart is okay.
Once he calmed down and sat next to you, rubbing your thigh, he watched as you scrolled through social media, looking at the hundreds of people laughing and reposting the event. He shuts off your phone, grabs it, and tosses it across the room. You roll your eyes helplessly before he lifts his hands and signs to you.
"I will track everyone down and punish them severely, baby. No one will ever touch you again, or else they will the next flashing headline."
"I know, baby," you wrap your arms around his chest and lean into him, rubbing your cheek against the smoothness of his overcoat.
You hum against him, finding it in yourself to smile softly. Protector, protector, protector. You run those words through your head; they're comforting to their own extent. Suppose he ends up locking you inside the tower. In that case, it's better than him leaving you entirely over this (which, obviously, he'd never actually do). Spending every morning and night with him wouldn't be wrong. Everything happens for a reason.
He leans back onto the bed, his feet dangling off as you curl into his side.
Before resting completely, you use a hand to sign into his chest. "Everything will be fine."
Your coddling, though annoying, provides the most relaxing warmth to his body. He groans, wrapping an arm lazily around you, feeling the usual butterflies in his stomach as you press a small kiss to his collarbone.
.
.
.
Velvette
♥ word count: 1.6k ♥ warnings: reader speaks, party scene, getting harassed by a man, vox is in this too ♥ a/n: i completely headcanon that velvette took an asl class in highschool when she was alive, i have no idea how velvette usually acts in fanfiction so this is MY velvette now
Velvette found you, such a pretty thing, in your little corner of the internet, making content for your little community. That little corner of yours is where you told the news and interpreted a lot of banter from the overlords. Your channel was the perfect mix of education and drama, all for the Deaf community in Hell.
You were, as Velvette described, a tea channel.
She invited you to the V tower to show you around. The three V's introduced themselves to you in their own way, offering you a job. The bossman, ever so gentlemanly and charming, didn't let Valentino try and make sex motions to you for longer than necessary. And before Velvette forced Vox to scurry off, she forced him to snap a few pics of you posing with her as a faux collab.
You weren't stupid. You knew Velvette only wanted your attention to spread whatever brand she endeavored to popularize. But this might be a golden opportunity. You'd learn the behind-the-scenes from three different overlords, and the content you can produce will gather insane traction.
.
Velvette is just so sweet; the way she showed her care for you was just through gift-giving.
She loved putting together gift boxes for you, similar to the sorority kind. The boxes went from cute little baskets to a cardboard box resembling a PR send. These would always be set on your desk with a bit of note from her, each time she'd signed off her name with a heart.
Jackets, shoes, candies, jewelry, pens, everything. The gifts are versatile with familiar themes of hearts. Every day was like Valentine's Day when she was 'courting' you (did she even realize she was?).
She made you bags: totes, crossbody bags, clutches, phone pouches, coin purses, anything she thought you would need with an array of colors to match any outfit. She put in hair clips and pocket mirrors, cozy slippers and fancy journals.
She even got you two matching bracelets.
You love the smirk she wears whenever she notices you adorning anything she's given to you. Damn right, she thinks, I knew it would look good.
The most enormous box she'd ever given you was the day before one of her fashion shows. Inside were glorious clothes from her collection, all for you to pick out and wear. She really loved her stripes.
You put your hearing aid on, smiling at yourself in the mirror as you watch the charm she made you glisten in the light. With your bracelet ornamenting your wrist, you pat down your stripped outfit before taking a deep breath.
.
Your entrance reeks of reluctance. The temptation to retreat back to your room is unbearable. Seeing Velvette will definitely lift your mood; where is she? Surely, she'd be the highlight of the room, but amongst all the women with their eccentric colors and clothing shapes, you can't find your eye drawing to her anywhere.
The sounds of the party blend together in a nasty concoction; you can't help but turn your hearing aids off. The sound is similar to what it's like being outside in a heavy storm; the wind, the pouring rain, the blur and whine of the hearing aids. And instead of lingering by the double doors, you push into the crowd. You're the least recognizable in the crowd of celebrities, but it doesn't stop people from moving out of the way when you try to wiggle through. You're wearing stripes, her stripes. You're either bold or very special to her; they don't want to intervene.
But your stripes also get some people to stare at you longer than they would have otherwise. Across the room, in front of you, you notice a tall, almost shirtless model coming your way, directly staring at you. You break the quick eye contact before squeezing through a cluster of girls taking selfies. They won't let you through, grimacing but not laying any hands on you. When you turn to go the other way, the man is behind you, holding out his hand, waiting for you to put your hand in his.
You click on your hearing aid and scroll up. "What did you say?" You ask verbally, clearing your throat a bit.
His eyes bounce from yours to your hand, looking at what you're touching. His head tilts in interest. You don't like the sight of his smile.
"Oh wow." He says.
Immediately, "Yeah, no," Velvette puts her hands on your shoulders and tries to push you away. "I swear, don't even look at him, he's fucking insane."
He speaks over her, but you can't process his words over how close Velvette's lips are to your ear. Her warm breath sends goosebumps down your arms, and your spine straightens. This only makes her hum in amusement.
After turning and growling at him, she effortlessly maneuvers you away. Eyes watch you even closer now as she touches you. You let her guide you throughout the room with not a clue as to where she's leading you, if anywhere. But eventually, you two end up in front of a mirror the size of a wall.
She stares at you through the mirror. "Look at you," she signs, "extravagant as ever, darling."
"Thanks to you."
"Obviously." And she bumps her hip into yours. You laugh, mimicking the motion back.
You had ditched your initial motive of getting close to the V's to gain more information about them. They were fine people to hang out with, making you laugh and feel involved. Velvette gave you special attention that nobody in your afterlife has ever given. Her lipstick left stains on your cheek whenever she kissed you, and she made an 'appointment' in her schedule once a week to paint your nails the same black color as hers.
The afternoon went by quickly; you spent time clapping and watching models show off their garb. Velvette is a true talent.
But something ruined your evening. The air hummed with laughter and the rhythmic beat of music. Velvette had been whisked away by the other V's to overlook the crowd and count the people who had attended. Among the colorful crowd stood a familiar figure whose eyes sparkled with mischief. Different from last time, you don't notice when he starts to approach again.
"You," he coos, placing his hand under your chin. You must stare at his lips to comprehend his words over the music, an awful innuendo you wish you could have avoided. He leaned in closer to you, and in return, you leaned back. Valentino had told you a bunch of times to not worry if someone puts their hands on you, that it's a typical formality in Hell. You would always roll your eyes at him, never expecting a stranger to grab you like this.
You were mentally preparing yourself to dodge a kiss. But then, daringly, he leaned in and gently plucked the hearing aid from behind your ear, holding it aloft like a trophy. Fear flickered across your face, your hand instinctively reaching for it, but he pulled it away. The charm Velvette gave you dangles like a jewel.
"Don't," you say with desperation. He puts a finger in front of your face and waves it back and forth. He coos, using that hand to grab your face as if you were the most adorable thing he's ever seen.
Your eyes are locked on the charm, and it's brash jolts. You almost beg for him to just give you the charm back.
In the middle of a conversation with Vox, Velvette raises an eyebrow; shocked and pissed, she glared at whoever had torn off your hearing aid. She mumbles, "I'd tear their hearing aid off and break it."
Before she can move closer to you, Vox puts his hand in front of her while watching the interaction. "Think before acting, Velvette."
Her frustration turns into anger as she pushes his hand away. He lets her run off; he holds a hard stare as her pink hair bobs through the crowd.
Your eyes are stuck wide with shock, and a million things run through your head, all relating to the appropriate situational response.
True to your casual self, you were having a hard time not just jamming your hand in his eyes and kicking his shins. Would you make Velvette mad? Vox?--Would that result in you being removed from the V Tower? It's all so complicated. Though you were panicking over a 'quick' decision, you and the man stayed in that position for a few seconds. He stayed laughing, dropping the hearing aid and stomping on it.
At almost the same time, Velvette threw a glass from someone's hand at the man, perfectly aimed, hitting him in the face. She lets out a small "nice!" before rushing to you.
Her hand runs down your face, and she holds you tenderly, not turning to face Vox as he puts himself between her and the man. Your eyes bounce around the entire room. Will you ever get a break from being at the center of attention?
"We're leaving. Now." she signs in a single motion so quick that it makes you smile, relieving some of the stress that's been making your head pound. She's able to sign so naturally now.
The crowd splits into two.
Behind the both of you, Vox is declaring an end to the event, apologizing to the people for the inconvenience. Velvette keeps muttering about him under her breath; you can see her lips moving and her face grimacing.
.
She has beads in front of her, a bunch of small charms with string. She signs, looking up at you. "I should have killed him."
You just watch her craft another charm, laying on her bed and kicking your feet. "That would have been funny."
She scoffs and smiles, her painted lips turning upwards. Her fingers trace over the beads, deciding which one to pick up. She wants to make it different than the last one, but what should it look like? She picks up a pink heart with a slight hum before sliding it down onto the string. She whispers to herself, perfect.
.
.
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Valentino
♥ word count: 1.7k ♥ note: reader is a vodka drinker, i'm obsessed with writing a loving valentino, reader doesn't talk very much and prefers sign, sexually suggestive things happening but it's not nsfw, kinda written like ass, drugs mentioned but no named just symptoms, takes place on porn set, valentino kills someone, blood description
Every time you step into the studio, you're hit by the smell of sex, mostly the sweetened stench of that strawberry lube he loves so much. Visiting his work is not usually something you do often, but he's seem to be so busy lately that you can't help but bring him a drink, the most beautiful drink in hell: vanilla vodka. You can already see him licking him lips.
Strawberry lube, so prominent in your nose.
His legs are crossed and he stares at the scene in front of him, his sunglasses hiding whatever his emotions are, but his lips are still in a prominent scowl.
Though, when he sees you, his expression changes drastically. He stands with so much excitement that the actors stop to see what he's reacting to. All eyes are on you, you shy away from the attention a bit but Val doesn't seem to notice, else care.
"Amor mío!" One of his hands signs, running down his cheek while his bottom two motions for a hug.
Before you can initiate a hug, he wraps his arms around you and brings you into his chest, trapping your arms in. He's warm, vibrantly so, it's hard not to melt against him. You couldn't be surprised if you let out a small moan at the contact. Oh, how I've missed you so much.
He pulls away quicker than you'd like and takes the bottle from your hand, holding it up close to his face so he can examine it. "Burnett's, oh you shouldn't have!"
He hesitates, torn between his responsibilities and the irresistible allure of having a drink with the person he was enamored with. He's not so easy to whisk away from work, therefore (of course), you seem to be the only person who he is at every beck and call.
You smile softly, "I knew you'd like it."
With a laugh, he takes your hand and spins you, his free hands popping open the bottle, ready to embark on whatever journey you had in store.
He turns and addresses his employees, granting them a small break before turning to you with his sharp smile.
And together, you slip away from the set, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the studio for a simple moment of peace and luxury. Walls blazed with hues of pink and blue, you both find yourselves nestled on the fluffy couch in a lounge, a wineglass in your hand while he chugs from the bottle.
"You've been so busy." You sign. You switch the wineglass into your non dominant hand to avoid spilling any of the contents. Val holds the bottle with his bottom set of hands while signing with his top ones (he was originally going to do it the other way around).
“I know, princesa,” one of his hands comes up and squeezes your cheek. “Business calls, I cannot help myself.”
“Which is why I came to visit.” 
The two of you clink glass upon glass before taking a drink. He’s trying not to finish the drink before you, he’s making sure to take his time. He doesn’t want you to leave as much as he doesn’t want to rush the break. His eyes go over your entire form and take you in, there feels like an eternity since he saw you last. Why do you have so much patience for someone like him? It’s astonishing. Surely someone as beautiful as you could find someone sweeter than her. But he’s grateful to have you, he’s mildly addicted to that internal battle of whether he wants to cherish you or own you (perhaps he can do both? Something he’s never done before). 
“What?” You ask.
“Hm?” His fingers pinch together in the casual way of signing.
“You’re staring at me.”
“I can’t resist.”
“What were you thinking about?” You sign and lean forward, giving him bright eyes. Your gaze swallows him, moth to a flame. 
He matches your body language, “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, amor mío.”
When he tries to grab your hand, you pull away. “You're acting as if you're wine drunk.” You sign. You have a sappy smile as you put your glass to your lips. 
“Never,” he wiggles his fingers as he signs. You eye him carefully, debating asking if he's kept his favorite gun on him. There's nothing worse than a drunk Valentino.
After the wine break, he has to go back to work. He feels himself getting irritated as he walks back, why can't he just continue spending the day with you? Is it worth sending everybody home? No, he has a job to do, and he needs to complete it before relaxation. But maybe he'll consider taking breaks (his least favorite word) to spend time with you.
You follow, both of your hands holding his, clinging onto him like a child.
Everybody was still in the studio, waiting for his return, not daring to leave in fear of him coming back. Actors were talking to each other casually, away from the camera, it built a strange sense of community for you. They're so nice to each other off-camera.
He drags you to his chair still holding your hand as he sits in it.
Drinking with you had been a much-needed respite from these people. He made a mental note to gift you more wine.
You remove your hands from his and smile. “Get back to work, baby.” 
Pearly white, sharp teeth show through his large smile. He presses his lips against each of your knuckles while his eyes skin over all of his actors, counting them. He makes eye contact with one particular one, a woman. They stare at each other for more than a second. She's scowling at him and he squints his eyes at her. The fuck is your problem?
She usually looks at him with sultry looks, but now there's a sharpness to them.
But his eyes peel away from her and go back to you, he leans forward and presses a slow kiss to your forehead. He signs low, almost as if he's whispering a secret. "I'll come see you after."
You smile and start turning away. "Good."
Upon noticing your departure, the actors and crew start returning to their places, keeping an eye on Valentino and any commands he might make. Their eyes are always on him, worried to test his anger. But not all the actors were worried about testing his anger.
"Hey," an actress grabs your hand before you could reach the door and you turn to her. She talks, her voice making your hearing aids buzz, "Are you guys like, dating? Are you dating the Valentino? Like, literally one of the V's."
Her words all bunch into one. You blink, taking time to think about both what she could be asking and the connotation behind it. "Yes?" It sounds more like a question than an answer. Is that the correct response?
She hums and nods, her eyes wide in amazement. Her pupils are large. Her cheeks are hollow and she has strong eyebags. With a distant sound from Val, him talking to the crew, she looks back at him before turning to you. "I mean like, why? Why would he want you?"
Oh no. You try to move away but she just follows you, stepping in front of you closer. It's like being cornered, being trapped in an almost unavoidable situation.
"Why wouldn't he?" You test with a squint of your eyes.
She just smiles at you. "Uhm," and her arm reaches over, grabbing the hearing aid from your ear, pinching it between her claws, "Obviously this."
You reach for it but she pulls it away from you, trying not to laugh.
So you do what you know is the best solution, you call his name, practically screaming it. "Val!"
At the sound of you using your voice he whips his head around. The air goes still, you can tell from the way she pauses. Her pause is only for a second, she reeks of hesitance and sudden worry. She looks at the hearing aid in her hand as if she's finally realizing what she had done and what was about to happen.
Before she can say another word, her entire body stiffs, her eyes widen before her pupils roll back. And then she's on the floor, almost falling onto you.
You wipe blood from your cheek and groan.
Val stares at you, his expression unreadable. In his hand is his jeweled gun. He pauses for a moment to take a long drag of his cigarette, letting out a cloud of red smoke before he looks at his gun with a toothy smile until he tucks it back into his belt.
He starts to approach you and for a second you're scared, it was a primal feeling. He walked like a king.
All you can do is watch him, frozen in place.
The first thing he does when he reaches you is bend in front of her body, plucking the hearing aid from her hand. It's bloody, the liquid drips from it as he lifts it up. He wipes some of it off on his shirt before handing it to you. He drops it into your open hands.
He speaks, knowing you'd have a hard time understanding. "Laying her slutty hands on my angel..."
You lean into his touch when he caresses your face. His eyes gaze at you, softening, his smile widening at how soft your eyes look. You're his greatest treasure. He gets off immensely from protecting you, he would ravish you to death in this moment if he could. Valentinos eyes drift down at the body and his pupils narrows as he glares at the dead woman. He's going to have to clean this up. Her blood is getting every where.
One of his thumbs rub against your cheek, touching the bloody smear. It stains your skin in a delectable way. So perfect.
He melts when he sees your soft eyes slowly start to match the mischievous smile growing on your face. He protected you and he was open about being dithered over her behavior, he didn't laugh at it or tease you about it. You don't doubt for an instant that he's the man of your dreams. He killed someone for you in an instant.
When you take his thumb into your mouth, sucking the blood, his spine straightens. He pulls away immediately and turns around, yelling at the his workers that filming will be cut short today.
He just can't wait any longer to spend some lovely time with you.
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orbitsaturn · 4 months ago
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"actually?" "yeah, actually."
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─ in which you accidentally bump (fall) into someone you might know in an indoor climbing gym
"his arms look really meaty..."
modern au! kinich x reader abt 2.1k words!
final part of part 1 this can be read as a standalone!
your user is sparkling toots in this fic
──────────────────────
"I'M DODGING I'M DODGING!!" you yell over the call, hastily pressing multiple keys and moving your mouse quickly. it's been a while since you played with your friend, almightydragonlord, yes, cheesy username. but still, you enjoyed playing with him as he makes everything easier, really, EVERYTHING easier. he helped you with your builds the first time you met him, albeit much to your refusal (felt insulted when his so-called lizard, 'ajaw' called your characters trash) (it was actually ajaw but you refuse to believe how a lizard can somehow spell out the words l o s e r).
anyways!
the only response you can hear from the other side of the call is loud typing, followed by a brief. "mhm" from the almightydragonlord. he's quiet, the only time he really speaks to you is when he's giving you constructive criticism or the rare times he chuckles when you die during boss fights. which you respond by angrily yelling at him.
"toots, behind you." snapping out of your thinking, you quickly dodge the incoming attack hurled behind your character by the boss you both were fighting. with one more quick setup from the almightydragonlord it was instantly over, the huge numbers brought by his characters becoming more and more like a regular sight for you. welp! at least your daily boss fighting is done for the day.
"dragonlord I'm gonna go now! i'll see you later?"
"mhm, see you"
"as curt as ever i see! bye!!"
and with that, you ended the call. pulling off your headphones and doing your daily routine to hang out with one of your friends later in the day.
───
"hi mualani!" you waved enthusiastically to your friend who was at a distance. she also waved back with the signature smile that she boasts.
as you make your way towards her you feel a sense of suspicion by the seemingly mischievous smile on her face.
"guess what we're doing today!"
"what?"
"rock climbing!" mualani says, clapping her hands together eagerly.
"we're going rock climbing?!" you cried, quickly whipping your head to look over at the outfit you wore today, which was clearly not appropriate for some activity. furthermore, you've never rock-climbed before except for that time in elementary in the local playground.
wait.
you did have some experience in rock climbing. maybe you should just rely on your memories from your elementary school days! but that was years ago.. and your outfit might hinder you from movements that are essential for climbing.
"don't worry. i got some extra clothes in the back of my car." mualani winks upon seeing your worried demeanor "also it's indoors! so we won't be climbing on real rocks! haha!" she pats your back reassuringly.
upon hearing that you breath a sigh of relief. "oh thank goodness" you say dramatically clasping your hands together. you knew you'd actually be fried if it really was real rock climbing. after the brief chat you both share you quickly make your way to her car door, quickly sitting down and buckling up before the car starts.
always. remember. to. buckle. up.
was the mantra you always repeated before getting into a car when you were young. nowadays putting on the seatbelt was just muscle memory for you. whenever you get into a car you put on your seatbelt without thinking. a necessary habit honestly.
the ride was short, it only took a few minutes to arrive at the indoor climbing gym. funny enough you saw a car with the plate "drgnlrd" parked near the gym. who the hell names their license plate like that?! it's also the same name as the username your friend online has.
well, it's probably just a coincidence!
as you both head into the gym with no expectations whatsoever you were instantly baffled by the sheer height of the
fake rock climbing thingy?
you don't know what it's called but you do know you'll be able to conquer it. i mean, you weren't called the ruler of the playground for nothing! you were dubbed "sonic" by your peers back in elementary for climbing super fast on the rock climbing part in the local playground near your house.
it's safe to say you might be the best (worst) one in the room!
as you head your way to the changing rooms in the gym you notice a familiar figure high up on the rock.
"his arms look really meaty..."
"what are you looking at? let's go so we can climb sooner!" a voice from behind you quickly snaps you out of your thoughts.
oh my god. why were you even thinking about how some random dude's muscles look tasty?? get a grip!
as the both of you head inside you remember the time when almightydragonlord sent a video of him skydiving. yes skydiving, falling out of a helicopter type of skydiving. the area he was skydiving at looked really familiar too!
wait.
familiar?
as you retrace back to the video he sent you, the feeling of dread forms in the pit of your stomach.
lush green trees, tall hilltops, and the distinctive sight of saurians.
lush green trees...
tall hilltops.
SAURIANS?!
NATIVE TO NATLAN SAURIANS?!
HE LIVES IN NATLAN?!?
BUT YOU LIVE IN NATLAN TOO??
ugh! you even shouldn't be thinking about him when your supposed to be conquering the climbing wall soon!
"ugh.. let's not think about this today..." you grumble, quickly putting on the clothes mualani handed you earlier. as you make your way outside the room mualani is already there waiting for you,
"hi!! ready partner?" she smirks at you, dragging you to the rock wall (which looks even more intimidating close up) that you have to conquer.
gulp.
NO!! you can do this. you weren't called the ruler of the playground for nothing. you can conquer this. maybe think of it as a necessary level to beat! plus you have a harness attached to you right now! so you won't wall to your death if you fall. and! if the harness fails you know who to sue to get money.
with one more final nervous gulp, you start conquering (climbing) the wall. when you look up you already see mualani way ahead of you. oh dear, looks like you have a time limit to this level.
"wait!!" you cried, starting to climb the wall, with ease actually, this was way easier than you thought!
"heh. I might actually be the ruler of the climbing gym now!" as you smirk to yourself you notice some weird white powder on mualani's hands? "mualani, what's that stuff on your hands?" you yell out above, "oh! this is climbing chalk, it helps strengthen the grip of your hands if they usually sweat." she yells back.
sweat
sweat
sweat
you know that feeling when you're suddenly aware of how your hands produce sweat and it sweats right after? yeah, it's sweating right now when you realize your hands have the function to sweat.
"oh uh! that's fun" you reply nervously, the word 'sweat echoing throughout your head, the feeling of your sudoriferous (sweat) glands activating within your hands right now, it isn't mandatory to lather that white stuff when you're climbing, so it should be fine...
right?
yeah no, it's not fine you can feel your hands sweating right now, loosening your grip, BUT,
it's not mandatory to lather that stuff so...
"hellloooo!! up from above! hurry up!" mualani's voice snaps you out of your thoughts once again as you look up in response, "we're almost to the top y'know!" she yells making you realize that you were really high up.
and that makes you sweat even more.
but you prevail! you grab onto the next wall hold, and the next, but the feeling of your grip getting weaker every second was not concerning at all! (lie) but you were almost there! you're about to beat mualani and claim the title of the ruler of the climbing gym!
"watch i'm going to win," you say confidently, but in that moment your grip was already weak, weak enough to make your hand slip.
the last thing you see is mualani's shocked expression, followed by one of relief and confusion..?
...
..
.
a hand quickly snakes around your waist, making sure you don't fall to your inevitable doom.
"you good?"
a familiar voice brushes against your ear, your stomach dropping. a foreign feeling of heat rushing to your face due to embarrassment.
as you look at the person who saved you, you are instantly dumbified.
a beautiful mixture of green and orange meets your eyes, with long, thick, dark lashes that compliment the brightness of his orbs, creating a stark contrast that makes it difficult to look away.
wait.
beautiful amber green eyes with dark fluffy hair.
no way.
is he..?
"almightydragonlord?" you say breathlessly, staring at his face shamelessly.
"oh?" his arm unconsciously tightens around your waist, a look of surprise painting his face with the utterance of his online username. in a few seconds his face begins light up as he realizes your identity, "sparklingtoots?" a subconscious smile making it's way to his features, which in turn causes you to gawk even more at him.
oh dear. that smile is deadly.
"t-thank you?" you say confused, blinded by his smile. gosh, he was cuter in person, instead of falling to your death maybe you'll die by the brightness of that smile instead.
wait.
shouldn't you be falling right now?
you slowly look down at your waist.
a hand.
his hand.
the hand you complimented earlier without realizing it was him.
snaked around your waist to prevent you from falling, the proximity between you two was worse, your left side touching his right, his fingers gripping your waist tightly to secure you onto him, the feeling of his forearm around your stomach firm.
oh archons, he's built too?
"u-um, aren't you tired?! shouldn't you let go?! uh! I have a harness don't worry! and I must be heavy!" you say nervously, the close proximity between you two was not helping your conversational skills whatsoever!
"oh sorry, it was on instinct, I'll let go if you want to" he slowly releases his hold on you, careful to not make you drop unexpectedly.
wait, wait, wait, wait.
you're still really high up! you might actually faint if you start free-falling!
you instantly grab his hand, positioning it back on your waist again. "wait! actually please keep holding on, i think it'll be terrifying once i start swinging down." you look up at him, eyes that basically read, 'please don't drop me or else I might actually pass out.'
"you think i'd drop you without any warnings?" he looks at you confused, his hand keeping a firm grip on you once again to prevent you from falling. "i mean... you're carrying a full-grown person right now, so you might claim that you won't drop me on purpose but i don't know if your hand is gonna agree!" you say worriedly in response.
"don't worry i'm strong." he replies, trying to reassure your worries "do you see my pocket? there's some climbing chalk in it, use your hand to get some."
"uh, which pocket?! the front or back?"
"any."
you hesitantly reach into the front pocket of his pants, grabbing a handful of chalk which you quickly lather all over your hands. "now use one of your hands to grab onto one of the holds closest to you" he instructs, which you quickly follow. as you grab onto a yellow hold and then grab onto another one until you are free from his hold, you realize just how much your grip has improved, that you should've just slathered on some climbing chalk before you started climbing to prevent this whole fiasco from happening...
"thank you! um, almigh-"
"kinich."
"oh! thank you the almighty dragon lord kinich!" you tease. in response, he lets out a brief chuckle that you've always heard on the calls you had together.
"i didn't know you lived in natlan!" you exclaim, slowly making your way down the wall. "i thought you knew?" he replies confused, keeping watch of you to make sure he'll catch you before you fall again. "shhh.. i know you sent me that skydiving video months ago but i just realized until today! also, do you do that stuff often..? i mean... you had no hesitation jumping off the helicopter!" you ask him in curiosity, it's strange! most people would hesitate for a bit before jumping off! but this dude didn't even look worried at all!
"oh yeah, i do a lot of stuff like that, like bungee jumping, mountain climbing, sky di-"
"HUH?!" you look at him in disbelief. is he one of those adrenaline junkies?!
"i know most people are shocked, but I find extreme sports enjoyable." he says, looking at you with a gentle smile.
oh dear, you don't think you'll get used to that smile anytime soon.
as you both make your way down, you learn more about the almightydra- kinich, how his lizard ajaw was really the one who made the nasty comments about your characters (which you still don't believe), and how many extreme sports he does, which was a lot. and mualani also descended down quickly to make sure you were okay! as you near the start of the climbing wall you swear you're gonna kiss the ground once you make it back down.
"oh my archons." you collapse on the floor, heaving a sigh of relief, at least you know now to make sure you have emergency climbing chalk in your pockets... you really should invest in some if you're planning to climb more in the future...
as you are laying down on the strangely comforting gym floor you feel a cold object against your forehead. "are you free after this?" a voice above you says as you look up to see kinich leaning over you, water bottle in hand, pressing it against you. just as you were about to respond you were quickly cut off by another voice above you. "yeah she's free!" mualani chirps above you, giving a thumbs up to kinich which she then looks down to wink at you. "I'll be going now. make sure to tell me everything after," who then looks down to whisper at you, giving you a mischievous grin before walking away.
kinich then drops down beside you, turning his head to face you.
"lunch with me today?" he asks, which in turn you grin, "are you asking out on a date? the almighty dragon lord kinich! asking me out on a date! can you believe it?!" you tease,
"and what if i was?" he responds, his amber-green eyes meeting with yours.
"h-huh? actually?" you say surprised, taken aback by his forwardness. you knew he was curt but you didn't expect it to translate over to real life! "yeah, actually." he stands up, offering his hand to you. you grab his hand as he helps you stand up before facing him.
"also, don't worry, i don't do extreme sports with my car." he flashes you a grin.
──────────────────────
A/N!! OH MY GOSH HELLO EVERYONE. thank u all for the support from part 1, I hope you guys liked this one as much as the previous one!! I tried really hard to not make kinich ooc... (I hope I didn't..) I looked up his lore and stuff and found out he liked doing extreme sports! and the skydiving from the previous one I wrote was pretty unexpected BUT!! akshually (nerd emoji) "As a core member of the Scions of the Canopy tribe, Kinich is fond of extreme sports, and is said by his companion K'uhul Ajaw to have plunged headfirst off a cliff and lived to see it (LIKE!! THATS BASICALLY SKY DIVING!!)" quote the genshin wiki!! anyways I hope you enjoyed reading this.HAVE A GOOD DAY OR NIGHT!!
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oddinary4bts · 6 months ago
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Chasing Cars | ch 10 (jjk)
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☆summary: when your brother goes to study on a semester abroad, your life collides with his best friend Jeon Jungkook, who's coincidentally your roommate. Will you survive the collision, or will you crumble into dust?
☆pairings: brother's best friend!Jungkook x younger sister!female reader, Yoongi x Hoseok
☆rating: 18+ (minors DNI, this chapter contains mature content)
☆genre: forbidden love?au, college!au, slice of life!au, smut, angst (as usual a lot of it), fluff
☆warnings: side character breakup, jungkook is still a little jealous lmao, alcohol, curses, they both are anxious to lose each other tbh, explicit content: hickey, breast play, oral sex (male receiving), jerking off, fingering, protected sex
☆word count: 10.1k
☆a/n: fun fact, this is the chapter that made me choose the title for this fic!! and this is also where the angst starts :') I hope you still enjoy reading <3 and thank you to @moonleeai for beta-ing, you're the best <3
☆series masterpost
☆add yourself to the taglist here!
☆☆☆☆☆
If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol
☆☆☆☆☆
Monday, March 25th 
You hate college. More specifically, you hate having to turn in multiple lab reports every week. There’s just something about building a lab report that irks you.
You don’t know how researchers do it. You think you’d go insane if you had to write report after report after report but…
You’re already going insane after all.
You sigh, rubbing a hand on your forehead as you look at the tables you’ve been trying to make for half an hour. Yoongi, sitting across from you, raises his head from his laptop, an eyebrow cocked. You offer him a tight-lipped smile, going back to your report as he doesn’t pry, focusing back on his own work.
As much as he spoke to you at the party last week, Yoongi has been a lot more silent today. You reckon you might know why - Hoseok said in the group chat that he’d come to study too, and he’s yet to show up. It’s evening now, and you have a feeling he’s just not going to come. 
You don’t know if you can entirely blame him - it’s Spring Break after all, and most people are trying to forget about college for the week. 
But you can’t, because you’ve got that lab report to work on and a final to study for.
You blink a few times, trying to bring your laptop back in focus, and then you go back to work. You spend another thirty minutes fixing the tables, not caring that the titles clearly could be better. Nabi said she’d go over everything you’ve done, and you know she’s much better with titles anyway.
You’re lucky she’s your lab partner. 
“Are you hungry?” Yoongi asks all of a sudden, and you startle, looking up at him.
Right in time, your stomach grumbles, and you let out a small laugh. “Yeah, a little.”
“Want to order burritos?” Yoongi suggests.
You nod enthusiastically, and he chuckles, picking up his phone. The smile that was on his lips dies almost immediately, and he deeply sighs. You furrow your brows questioningly, glancing outside of your study rooms.
Jungkook isn’t working today, yet you find yourself looking for him all the same. 
“What’s wrong?” you ask Yoongi, pushing Jungkook away from your thoughts.
Even though every thought of him makes you warm inside, giddy like a teenager with a crush.
“Hobi,” Yoongi simply replies.
You purse your lips, picking up your water bottle to take a long sip as you search for something to say. You settle on, “You guys talked after the party?”
Yoongi nods. “Yeah.” He pauses, sighing deeply again before handing you his phone. “Just choose which burrito you want.”
You grab his phone, quickly choosing what you want to eat as he remains silent, typing away on his laptop. You’re aware he’s avoiding the question, but you have a feeling he needs to talk. It’s in the way he worries at some dry skin on his bottom lip, an anxious tell you recognize all too well for having it too.
“How did the conversation go?” you ask as he finishes up the order, putting his phone back down on the table.
“It went okay,” he admits, yet he looks defeated. You understand why when he adds, “He told me he doesn’t want to be with me anymore.”
You widen your gaze. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Yoongi laughs bitterly, slightly shaking his head. “I feel blindsided. We were all happy before the party and now…” He shrugs vaguely, letting out a choked sound that almost passes as a chuckle. “It just came out of nowhere.”
“I’m really sorry…”
He shrugs again. “What can you do? I really just jumped in too fast without realizing that he was reluctant. I was stupid.”
“I don’t think you were stupid,” you say, trying to sound reassuring. “You’ve had feelings for him for a long time, and it felt like you were finally getting something in return. Anyone would have been blindsided.”
“I should have known when he insisted we take it slow and not share a room though,” Yoongi insists. “And though the sex was great there was a lot of stuff he was uncomfortable with. Not that I ever did anything without him wanting to do it but…” He wets his lips, glances your way before setting his gaze on his keyboard again. “I was his first guy.”
“Yeah, he told me,” you admit.
Pink dusts Yoongi’s cheeks, and you can tell he’s embarrassed by the turn of the conversation. So this time you don’t pry, letting him figure out what he wants to say next.
“I think he realized that he’s not into guys all that much,” Yoongi eventually says. “Like… he wanted to try it out and turns out it’s not as nice as he thought it’d be kinda thing, you know?”
You nod. “It sucks that it had to be with you though. You didn’t deserve that.”
Another shrug, like it’s all Yoongi knows to do right now. “Yeah, I guess.” He chuckles, a sad sound that makes you want to get up and hug him, though you know Yoongi’s not big on physical touch. “I don’t know if I should be mad or sad,” he admits a few seconds later.
“You’re allowed to be both.” He cocks an eyebrow as if not convinced. “I’m serious,” you insist. “You like him. Obviously, it’s going to hurt if he decides he doesn’t want to be with a guy. And obviously, you’re allowed to be mad too, because to you it can feel like he was leading you on.”
Yoongi meets your gaze. “Have you ever thought about becoming a therapist?”
His statement surprises you, and you laugh, scrunching up your nose. “No?”
“I think you’d be good,” Yoongi says. He sighs deeply again, picking up his phone. “Food’s on its way.”
You’re technically not allowed to eat at the library, so you end up eating on the steps outside when the food arrives, the fresh evening air welcoming after being stuck in a small, stuffy room for a couple of hours. Yoongi keeps pouring his heart out to you all along, as if he’d been holding everything in for too long, and the dam finally burst.
You’re happy to be there for him. Even though most of it is the same thing as at the party last week, you’re happy he’s comfortable enough to confide in you, and you try to cheer him up. 
“If you want,” you say after a time. “I could try to speak to Hobi. See what he really thinks about this all.”
Yoongi holds your gaze for a few seconds before looking away, his eyes shifting to the cloudy sky. “Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says. “I’ll just have to move on.”
You don’t know what to say to that, so you just nod. “Your choice. I’ll be here for you.”
He smiles, sighing. “I know. Thank you.”
On that note you return to your study room and to the lab report awaiting you. Yoongi busies himself with his composition as you work, and you finally finish taking care of the text for the results about half an hour later. Nabi said she’d do the discussion, so you send her the link, asking her to tell you if she wants you to fix anything, and then you close your laptop, folding your arms on top of it.
“Done?” Yoongi says, pushing his headset down so that it rests around his neck.
You nod, dropping your face on your arms. “And I’m dead.”
“When do finals start for you?” he asks.
“Next Tuesday,” you admit.
“Isn’t that early?” Yoongi asks, gaze widened in surprise.
It might be. You only have one then though, and you still have two weeks of classes in your other courses before the rest of your finals. You’ll still take it - it means one less final during the true final week.
You tell so to Yoongi, who admits he doesn’t have finals, instead having projects in three classes. It leads to a conversation where you compare biology to his music major, and another fifteen minutes go by in comfortable silence when the conversation dies of its own volition, as you scroll on your phone and Yoongi keeps on working on his music composition.
You startle when someone knocks on the door of the study room. You glance that way, eyes widening when you notice Jungkook on the other side. Yoongi lets out a small laugh at your expense, and you get up, opening the door for Jungkook. 
“What are you doing here?” you ask as he walks in, two coffees in hands. 
“Thought you might need this,” he says, offering you one.
You take it with an eyebrow cocked quizzically, and then you watch him as he drops in one of the empty chairs at the table. He’s got a backpack with him, and he pulls out a laptop and a notebook from it while you and Yoongi are just stunned silent.
“What are you doing?” you ask again as you sit back in your chair. 
“Figured I’d come study here with you guys,” he explains simply.
You glance at Yoongi, who shrugs.
“Oh?” you let out, settling your gaze back on Jungkook.
“Unless you guys don’t want me to?”
Yoongi saves you by replying, “No, you’re all good man. I was leaving anyway.”
He clearly wasn’t, as you’re the one who finished writing your report and he was still in the middle of his composition, yet he still gets up, closing his laptop and putting it in his backpack.
“Text me if there’s anything,” you tell him as he’s sliding one of the straps of his backpack on his shoulder.
His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, and he nods curtly. “Will do. Thanks for everything.”
You offer him a small smile, and then he’s walking out, not once looking back. 
“Did you really have to come here?” you ask Jungkook, and it sounds far more accusing than you meant it to be.
“What?” he lets out. “Just wanted to see what the hype is all about when it comes to the library.”
You offer him a no-bullshit look. “Were you jealous because I was studying alone with Yoongi?”
Jungkook frowns, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. His lips jut out in the hint of a pout, and something melts inside of you, like it always does when it comes to him.
“He’s the one that left the second I got here,” Jungkook points out.
“Because he’s going through a hard time, dumbass,” you say, punching Jungkook in the shoulder. 
He rubs at the spot, his pout intensifying, if that’s possible. “He still could have stayed, I wouldn’t have minded.”
Jungkook isn’t wrong, and though you really want to be there for Yoongi, you know he’s the kind of person that needs space a lot. Or at least that’s the impression he’s given you in general, and you really hope he didn’t leave because Jungkook showed up.
“I was done though,” you admit, patting your closed laptop. “I was thinking about heading home.”
Jungkook flicks your nose, taking you by surprise, and you sit back in your chair as you shriek. It earns you one of his bunny grins, and you truly are melting like snow in the sun. “Well then you’re going to have to stay with me for a little longer, mmh?”
You tilt your head to the side, though you can’t help the smile that tickles the corners of your lips. “And do what?”
“Study?” he sarcastically lets out. “Do whatever it is that you bio majors do.”
You end up doing so, rereading your notes for your first final. It’s boring, and you don’t think it’s really productive when Jeon Jungkook is sitting next to you, stealing quick glances in your direction. 
You catch him for what feels like the tenth time, and you roll your eyes. “Stop looking at me.”
“Why?”
“Because,” you offer as an explanation. “We should go home.”
He narrows his gaze at you. “Why?”
“People could see us here.” And go and tell Taehyung about it.
“I’ll handle Tae if he gets upset, don’t worry,” Jungkook tries to reassure you, but it does the opposite.
Indeed, a drop of lead forms in your stomach because, what if Taehyung learns?
You don’t want him to know. It’d complicate everything, ruin everything. 
“Besides,” Jungkook adds, “I’ll have to handle him in April anyway.”
You frown, a confused crease streaking across your brow. “Why?”
Jungkook meets your gaze. “I’m going to Paris with Jimin to see your brother at the end of the semester.”
Your heart starts racing in your chest, anxiety flooding your blood. “Oh?”
Jungkook toys with his piercings, scanning your features carefully. “Yeah. It’s been planned for a while.”
“You didn’t tell me.” You’re aware you once again sound accusing, but you can’t help it.
Not when you see the expiration date of your relationship with Jungkook flashing in your mind.
“Sorry,” he apologizes. “I just didn’t think to tell you? I thought I mentioned it when we Facetimed Tae the other day.”
You can’t blame him for not explicitly telling you - the trip has likely been planned for a while, and it’s not like you speak about your brother a lot. Though you mention him once in a while, you’ve both been good at avoiding talking about him. Now that he’s mentioned the Facetime call though, you do recall, and it’s like a hand is squeezing around your heart some more.
“No worries,” you say, and you offer him what you hope is a reassuring smile. “When do you leave?”
“April 29th, I think? I’ll check.”
You nod, and you look away from Jungkook to stare at your laptop instead, though your gaze loses its focus as your brother invades your thoughts. You think about what he’d say - you know he’ll be furious, and he’ll likely kick Jungkook out of your apartment. 
Jungkook will never be able to handle Taehyung. Not when he’s being an overbearing asshole like only he knows to do.
“Peach,” Jungkook says in a small voice that almost sounds whiny. “Why do you look so upset?”
“You can’t handle Tae,” you say. You worry at your bottom lip and then take a deep breath. “It’s really better if he doesn’t know.”
Jungkook remains silent for a few seconds, though he nods his head. “Okay.” He nods again, offering you a tight-lipped smile. “Do you want to head home then?”
“Yeah,” you answer without a beat of silence. “Yeah, I think we should go home.”
Jungkook’s gaze drops to his laptop, and you feel bad. You truly do - he looks defeated, much like Yoongi looked like earlier.
“Can we watch something when we get home though?” you quickly ask.
You can’t help it. You can’t stand the sight of Jungkook upset - it’s just wrong to you.
He immediately brightens, a small curving his lips upwards. “Yeah?” 
You nod. “Yeah, definitely. Should get some cuddles in too.”
His smile widens, and he meets your gaze, the usual mischievous twinkle back in the depths of his eyes. “Sounds like a plan.”
And it really is. You think, you don’t need more with Jungkook. You don’t need the relationship to change, don’t need anyone to know. Because it’s simple right now, and there’s beauty in its simplicity. 
Wednesday, March 27th
“Don’t!” you shriek, but Jungkook ignores you, stealing the TV remote from your hands.
“We’re not watching your reality TV show,” he says as he plops down on the couch into a lying position.
You glare at him, frowning as you fold your arms on your chest. “You like it.”
“Sometimes.” He flashes you a bunny grin that makes you gulp around a sudden lump in your throat. “But right now, I’m in the mood for a movie.”
You look up to the ceiling, searching for salvation yet finding none. “What movie?”
“Just come here,” he says, opening his arms for you.
You can’t resist. His gravity is too strong, and he pulls you in, like he’s the sun and you’re the comet. 
Though you might come from the Kuiper Belt, you know you’re bound to crash into him anyway.
Once you’re nestled in his arms, Jungkook resumes his scrolling on Netflix. 
“What about this?” he asks.
“Extraction?” you say as you eye the movie he stops on. “I’m not in the mood for action.”
“Then a romantic comedy it is.”
You chuckle against him, pecking the mole on his neck. He chooses the movie Always Be My Maybe, and then tightens his grip around you.
“I like that movie,” you say.
“You’ve seen it already?”
You reach for his hand before he’s able to change it. “Yeah, but I don’t mind,” you reassure him. 
He nods, and that’s how you end up watching the movie, slowly dozing off on his chest. You’re in and out of sleep, watching the bright screen whenever you wake up, and when the credits roll in, Jungkook yawns over you.
“Were you sleeping?” you ask, faking offence.
“You were,” Jungkook points out, flicking your nose as you raise your head to look at him. 
You move your face away, resting your head on the couch. “Barely.”
Jungkook cocks an eyebrow, and then you both burst out laughing. 
You like this. You like the intimacy of being with Jungkook in your own home, like that in between these walls you get to call him yours. It’s treacherous, but oh so inebriating, like he’s summer wine you’ve become addicted to.
Instead of watching another movie, Jungkook goes to his room to retrieve his speaker, and he puts a random playlist on while you fetch a rosé bottle from the fridge, where you’ve left it before watching the movie. You’d decided to spend the evening in despite both your friends and his friends asking to hang out, and so you’d gotten a bottle earlier today.
That, and the board game Ticket to Ride, your favourite board game.
“That’s not how it works,” you complain a while later, when you’re one glass in and Jungkook grabs a locomotive and wagon card from the five on the side.
“What?” he lets out.
“If you take a locomotive you can only take one card,” you remind him.
It’s his first time playing, and though the game is fairly simple, you’ve noticed Jungkook has a tendency to try and cheat his way to the win. You’re tempted to let him keep the two cards when he offers you puppy eyes, yet you stand your ground, holding your hand out.
“Give me the wagon back.”
“Take it from me,” he teases, lips stretching in a smirk.
“Oh, you want to play this way?” you reply in the same teasing tone, and Jungkook toys on his piercings.
“Maybe?”
You get up from where you’ve been sitting on the floor, walking to the other side of the coffee table. Jungkook watches you, an apprehensive yet excited look in his eyes, and he laughs the second you drop behind him, hands aiming for his sides.
He leans against you, his large frame almost enough to make you crumple to the floor, and you wrap your arms around him, holding him close.
“Give me the wagon,” you repeat.
“Or what?”
“Or I’m not playing the game anymore.”
He looks over his shoulder at you, a pout on his pink lips. “Okay then, take your wagon back.”
He gives it to you, and you smile victoriously before pecking his cheek. “Thank you.”
You walk back to your side of the table, though you stop halfway, eyes brightening.
“I love this song!” 
Jungkook leans back on his hands, tilting his head to the side as Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol starts playing.
It was your favourite song growing up. You used to listen to a different version of it you’d heard on Grey’s Anatomy, and you’d listen to it whenever you felt sad. Whenever you needed to feel like you weren’t alone in the universe, like someone was waiting for you, somewhere.
And as you look down at Jungkook while the lyrics start, you know someone was waiting all along.
“Sing it for me,” Jungkook says, smiling softly.
You can’t help the blush that creeps on your cheeks. “I don’t know how to sing. But you do!”
He chuckles, yet immediately starts singing as you offer him a hand to pull him up to his feet. He obliges, and he rests his large hands on your waist as you wrap your arms around his neck, holding him close. He sways you to the music as he softly sings, cheeks dusted in pink, and you pull him even closer, resting your head on his chest.
Simple intimacy. That is what you and Jeon Jungkook are made of, and you think, if he’d ask you to lay here, in this moment, you’d lie with him until eternity took you in its hold. Until you’d be nothing more than dust between the stars - remembrance of what was once great. 
But April is looming closer, a giant towering over the both of you, one step away from crushing you under its boot.
“You know,” Jungkook says while the song continues in the background.
“Mmh?” you let out, looking up to meet his gaze.
His eyes are heavy with emotions, and you swim in them, bathe in them. You feel complete, cherished, and you hope he knows you feel the same way.
You hope he knows you’ve been falling in love with him despite the odds.
“I’ve never been like this with anyone before,” he admits, his voice gentle. “I’ve had situationships, I guess, but nothing like us.”
You smile softly, your heart racing in your chest. “Me neither. You’re the first.”
It’s true. Though you’ve sort of dated Sam Hwang for a few weeks during the summer, it was nothing like it is with Jungkook.
Sam Hwang never looked at you the way that Jungkook looks at you.
Jungkook leans forward, resting his forehead against yours as he keeps on swaying you both to the music, the song nearing its last chorus. Your eyes flutter shut from the proximity, and your breaths mingle as you fall silent for a few seconds.
“I love having firsts with you,” he whispers.
You almost reply that you love him. The moment calls for it - the atmosphere is that of romance,  the music is close to your soul, and he… He’s the blood in your veins and the oxygen in your lungs. Yet you can’t say it - you’ve never told anyone you loved them before. And you’re not even sure you truly love him. Yes, you have feelings, but everything is overshadowed by the knowledge that you’re bound to end.
You don’t want to tell him you love him and make it too real only to have him slip from your fingers the second Taehyung learns.
“Me too,” you instead reply. “I love spending time with you.”
It’s as close to the truth as you’ll get, and he allows it, pressing a soft kiss on your lips. It’s slow, patient, like the whole universe will pause for you two. He pulls away when the song ends, bending to grab his phone on the table. 
He restarts the song, and the second his phone is back on the table again, you pull him back in, tiptoeing to kiss him again. He wraps his arm around your waist, holding you tight against him, and you sigh at the pillowy softness of his mouth, at the way his piercings feel just right pressing indents in your lip. His free hand cups your cheek, holding you in place as he deepens the kiss, tilting his head to the side.
His tongue swipes at your bottom lip, almost hesitantly, but you open up for him immediately, tasting the rosé in his mouth as he kisses you deeply, languidly. The kiss never accelerates, yet it’s infinitely passionate.
Much like that first kiss you’d exchange, during the power outage on Valentine’s Day.
You think you knew then - he’d kissed you so softly, like you were fragile, just a flower petal a second from being blown away. Even then, he’d cared for you, and it’d scared you.
But there’s nothing scary about this. There’s nothing scary about the way he gently hikes your shirt up to slide his hand underneath it, his fingers tracing idle patterns on your back, leaving goosebumps in their wake. There’s nothing scary about the way he sighs when you run your hands through his hair, gently tugging at the soft strands. There’s nothing scary about the way he backs you towards the couch, spinning around at the last second so that he can sit down.
There’s nothing scary about him pulling you in, always, so that you straddle his lap, connecting your mouths again a second later. No, it’s only natural. He’s the wind and you the leaves. He’s the sun that shines on you, his moon.
You were always meant to collide after all, and though the aftermath might be terrifying, all you can do right now is enjoy it while it lasts.
Jungkook tentatively grinds up, his arousal evident as he presses against your clothed self. You let out a breathy sound that makes him push his tongue in your mouth, and you suck on it, earning a grunt from him as his hands drop to your hips to drag you on him again. You grab at the hem of his shirt, disconnecting your mouths just long enough to pull the fabric off him, and then you’re kissing him again, crashing your lips on his hard enough that you think you taste blood, though you don’t care.
You just want him. Need him, so viscerally you think you’ll combust.
“Peach,” Jungkook lets out as you move to his neck. 
Unable to resist, you suck a hickey on him, a bright purple mark on the spot where his shoulder connects with his neck. He groans, leaning his head back against the couch to give you better access as you lick at the spot, soothing the sting.
When you straighten, Jungkook meets your gaze, his chest quickly going up and down. You’re just as out of breath as him, and when he reaches for the hem of your shirt, you let him take it off you, leaving you in only your black lace bralette. He looks at your breasts, cupping them in his large hands as he sighs appreciatively.
“Every time it’s like you get more beautiful,” he murmurs, and he looks up at you then, his eyes crinkled at the corners in what you can only call adoration. 
“Kook…”
His hands return to your waist, and he wets his lips, playing with his piercings. You grind against him, and his eyes immediately flutter shut.
“You think we can fuck out here?” you tease, rolling your hips.
“On the couch that your brother bought,” he replies, and there’s something so sinful about the thought that you know you’ll do it.
It’s not like Taehyung is around and will know.
So you bend forward, capturing Jungkook’s mouth in another languid kiss while you unbutton his pants. When the button comes undone, you straighten, standing between his legs so that you can pull the jeans down his legs. You leave the boxers on, eyeing his length as you kneel, hands resting on his thighs.
“Can I suck your dick?” you ask.
He chuckles. “Yes. But please be quick, I want to be buried inside of you.”
You narrow your gaze at him, but let out a laugh despite yourself. 
You focus on his dick again then, on the wet spot at the top where his purple underwear has turned darker. You bend forward, littering small kisses along his shaft, and you tentatively lick at the wet spot, the taste of his precum filling your mouth. And though you’d planned to tease him, to be the brat you know he likes, you give in right away, pulling his boxers down just enough so that you can lick at his slit.
He lets out a breathy sound that has you bite your lip as you look up at him through your lashes. He’s got his head thrown back, eyes closed, and from this angle, all you can see is his sharp jaw.
You pull his boxers down more, and he helps you by raising his ass for a few seconds. His dick springs free, already rock hard, and you immediately grab the base to hold it up as you finish taking off his boxers, letting them tangle around his ankles. You’re quick to lick a long stripe from between his balls up to the tip of his cock, and then you take him in your mouth, hollowing your cheeks around him.
He bucks his hips, fucking up into your mouth, and you moan when he hits the back, your eyes immediately watering. 
He lets you lead after that, hands lost in your hair as you bob your head up and down, working him closer to his high. You love the feel of him in your mouth, love the way he grunts and praises you under his breath, and you think you’d be able to come from just hearing him, pleasuring him. 
It doesn’t get to that though. When Jungkook truly nears his high, he pulls you away from his dick, and you meet his gaze to see his pupils are blown wide, filled with so much lust all you can do is obey when he says, “Go get a condom in my room, mmh?”
You nod, and you get up to walk towards his room, feeling his gaze burning on you as you pass the threshold and head to the night table. You pull a condom out, and you walk back to the living room to find Jungkook jerking himself off, his grip on his dick tight enough you know it has to hurt a little.
“Put it on for me,” he says, and he stops jerking off, holding his dick up for you. 
You sit next to him, pulling the condom out of the tinfoil package, and then you roll it on his dick. He hisses as you do so, but the second it’s on he pushes you back until you’re lying on the couch and he’s hovering over you. 
His hair falls in his eyes, and you quickly push the strands back. He leans in, pressing his lips on yours for a kiss far softer than what you expected, and you smile against him.
He grins when he pulls away, eyes shining with lust and adoration again, and then he’s taking off your pants, taking his sweet time. Kissing every inch of skin revealed, from your inner thigh to a spot below your knee. He stops after that, instead eyeing the wet spot on your underwear, and then he pulls at his piercings, sending you a dark look that makes you go molten.
“I want to fuck you in this,” he says as he finishes taking off your pants, his free hand going to your hip where he traces your underwear. “Want to ruin your panties.”
“Do it,” you challenge him.
He doesn’t need to hear more before he’s returning over you, and his hand pushes your panties to the side so that he can run a finger between your folds, and then circle your clit. You grind your hips, seeking more friction, but Jungkook doesn’t oblige, instead pulling his finger away from your pussy.
“Be patient,” he whispers, and then he kisses you again.
The kiss is feathersoft, gentle, and you lose yourself in the very essence of him. You don’t care - you just want this moment, forever. A scene constantly replaying, away from the atrocity of the world, with your favourite song as the background music.
“Please,” you beg in a soft murmur when he pulls away from your lips, and this time he obliges, returning his hand to your pussy. This time, he pushes in, and you sigh against him as your walls clench around his digit.
“You’re already so wet,” he says, and then he’s kissing you again, his tongue lapping at yours. 
You moan in his mouth, hands lightly scratching his back as he adds a second finger. You can hear squelching sounds between your legs, and you’d be embarrassed if it didn’t feel so good that you can’t form a single coherent thought.
“Fuck,” you curse, and Jungkook chuckles, pecking your cheek.
“You take my fingers so well, peach,” he praises. “Will you take my cock just as well?”
You moan again, and you nod your head yes. “Yeah. Please.”
He smirks, pulling his fingers out of you. You both eye them - they’re covered in your juices, and it’s decadent, sinful.
Even more so when Jungkook puts them in his mouth to clean them thoroughly, drinking in your juices. 
“So sweet,” he whispers after, and then he shifts, straightening between your legs so that he can align his dick with your entrance, your panties still pushed to the side. He meets your gaze, his own dark with lust. “How do you want me tonight?” he asks, rubbing his dick on you slowly.
“Just fuck me, but come near,” you say, pulling on one of his wrists so that he leans over you again. 
He smiles, infinitely soft despite what you’re doing, and then he pushes in, ever so slowly. Inch after inch, Jungkook spears you with his dick until he bottoms out. He stills there, and you wrap your legs around his dainty waist to keep him as close as possible. He obliges, stealing a deep kiss on your lips, and he slowly pulls out before slamming to the hilt again, and you moan in his mouth.
The rhythm he establishes is slow and steady. Deep, in a way that makes you see stars in his gaze. Or maybe that’s just the way the light reflects in his eyes, or the emotions still swirling in the depths of him. You don’t know. All that you know is that you’re falling and falling, with no chance to ever stop now.
You’ve crossed too many lines to ever be able to stop. So you’ll enjoy it while it lasts. Chase all the cars around his head until you can’t anymore, until the last nail is in the coffin and you have to say goodbye to this, to him.
But for now, you enjoy. And you enjoy as best as you can, eyes fluttering shut as he slightly picks up the pace, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. You hold him close, arms and legs tight around him, and you moan as he makes love to you.
At least that’s what this feels like. And you wouldn’t want it any other way. You just want the warm proximity of his body on yours, of his lips kissing your mouth. Jungkook gives you all, and you hope he knows you’re giving all to him in return.
Everything. You’ll give him everything until you have nothing left to give, if he so takes it.
“Fuck, peach,” he whispers. He slows down his rhythm, meets your gaze. “I’m really in love with this pussy of yours.”
You know why he says it that way. Know exactly what he truly means but can’t say, and you take that too, keep it locked up in a safe corner of your heart.
“I know,” you whisper, cupping his cheek, and he rests his forehead on yours again.
“I’ll fuck you like this every day,” he says, and it sounds like a promise.
A promise that maybe you’ll make it past your brother’s return.
“Please do,” you beg, and then you’re kissing again, and he’s pounding into you harder, seeking completion for the both of you.
You come before him. Nails digging in his back while you arch yours, walls pulsing around him. That’s what sends him over the edge, and Jungkook climaxes, his head falling in the crook of your neck as he comes and comes.
He’d paint you white if it wasn’t for the condom, and the thought makes you grind your hips instinctively. He kisses your neck in retaliation, and you moan softly, tilting your head to give him better access.
When you’ve come down from the high, you glance towards the coffee table and your abandoned game of Ticket to Ride. The sight makes you laugh, and you press a soft kiss on the mole on Jungkook’s neck as he asks, “What’s got you laughing?”
“We never finished the game,” you remind him.
He lifts his head just enough to look at the coffee table. “Damn,” he lets out. “I totally forgot about that.”
You can’t blame him. When you’re together, you forget about everything, too - he becomes the center of your universe. And you wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Should we finish it?” you ask.
He meets your gaze, pecks your forehead once. “Shower first?”
You can’t say no to those big doe eyes, so you follow him to the bathroom.
And while he washes your back, you hear the clock ticking, your expiration date looming closer with every second that passes.
Saturday, April 13th
The movie theatre is packed. 
You’re waiting in line for popcorn with Nabi, Namjoon and Ria, while Seokjin, Hoseok and Yoongi go to the bathroom. The hall of the movie theatre is loud, and you’ve been standing in silence with your friends as you wait for your turn, though you’ve been eyeing the menu as you’re trying to decide what to order.
You settle on a medium-sized bag of popcorn to share with Yoongi, and Namjoon and Ria grab different candies and chocolate bars for themselves and your other friends. You’re walking towards your movie room when you notice an all-too recognizable tattooed boy, who stands taller than the group that surrounds him.
His eyes light up when he sees you, and he grins broadly as he waves at you.
Four pairs of eyes turn to look at you - Jimin, Sera, Lisa and Eunwoo - and you smile at them, though your gaze quickly shifts back to Jungkook.
You’d told him you were coming to the movies with your friends before going out for drinks. You’re not surprised he’s decided to pull up - despite everything you’ve told him, he’s jealous of your friendship with Yoongi. Which you reckon is funny - Yoongi is trying to fix things with Hoseok, and all you’ve been doing is offer help to him when he needs it.
You don’t think the relationship is fixable, but you haven’t had the strength to break it to Yoongi yet. Not when they had a moment last week, and he’s been far too happy about it since then.
You walk over to where Jungkook’s standing, your friends in tow. It’s hard to stop yourself from hugging him, but you manage to do it, instead greeting everyone and smiling at Jimin as he asks what movie you’re going to see.  
“Dune 2,” you reply. 
Jimin snorts, saying, “Thought so.”
It sounds ominous, and you slightly furrow your brows, glancing towards Jungkook. He only shrugs his shoulders as he purses his lips.
And that’s how you end up mixing friend groups for the movie. You’re not surprised when Jungkook manages to sit on your left - he’s clearly been scheming for this all along. Yoongi, entirely oblivious, sits on your right.
“I haven’t even seen the first movie,” Yoongi says as he leans towards you. He quickly glances further down the row, where Hoseok sat with Namjoon and Nabi.
Jungkook mirrors Yoongi, and he’s so close you catch a whiff of the detergent he uses to wash his clothes. “It was practically a walking simulator in the desert. Not much to miss.”
Yoongi nods, sitting back in his seat. He offers you a knowing look, and then turns towards Seokjin and Ria on his other side, joining whatever conversation they’re having. You purse your lips, before sliding your gaze back to Jungkook.
“What are you doing here?” you ask through gritted teeth.
“My friends wanted to see the movie,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “Thought we could go at the same time.”
You look up to the ceiling, though a smile is playing at the corners of your lips. “What a coincidence.”
He grins. “What a coincidence indeed.”
It makes you chuckle, and before you can say anything else, the light of the movie theatre dims, leaving you in only the glow of the screen as it comes to life.
You eat your popcorn as many movie trailers pass on the screen, Yoongi taking some once in a while. The movie starts when you’re halfway done with the bag, and soon you’re lost in the scenes, too focused to eat.
That’s when Jungkook strikes, stealing a handful of popcorn from your bag.
“Hey!” you whisper-shout, and he winks at you as he eats a mouthful of the snack. 
“What?” he whispers back once he’s swallowed.
“That’s mine.”
He flicks your nose, leaning closer to say directly in your ear, “What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours, peach.”
You narrow your gaze. “You haven’t even bought any snacks.”
He shrugs. “I knew I’d steal yours.”
You roll your eyes, slightly shaking your head as you look back towards the screen, and he chuckles softly. Scenes flash in front of your eyes, and you get lost in the action. It might be an hour later, or just a few minutes, when Jungkook pokes your knee, attracting your attention.
You glance at him, but he’s focusing on the screen, his skin looking honey-like in the light. You furrow your brows in question, but when he doesn’t say anything, you shrug, looking back at the screen.
He does it again thirty seconds later, and this time he’s stifling a laugh when you glance at him.
“What do you want?” you whisper as you lean closer to him.
“You,” he replies simply, his eyes darkening as he meets your gaze.
You gulp. “We’re in the middle of a movie theatre with all of our friends.”
“I know,” he says, shrugging. “I’ve just been thinking of how you feel around my…”
You punch his shoulder before he can finish his sentence, and Lisa throws you a look that makes you sit back in your seat, folding your arms on your chest.
“Just focus on the movie, Kook,” you mumble.
He chuckles again, but before he can say anything else, Lisa nudges him. He glances at her, leaning closer when she whispers something you can’t quite hear. 
His whole demeanour changes after that, and he sits back in his chair, a slight pout on his lips. Gone is the playfulness, but you think it’s safer that way. He’s way too obvious when you’re in public, and though Taehyung still hasn’t said a thing, you know it’s bound to explode in your face soon.
Jungkook is leaving for Paris in just a few weeks after all. 
It douses you, and you finish watching the movie with a lump in your throat, one that doesn’t disappear even when you’re at the bar later, your friend group mixing with Jungkook’s far too easily. Of course, Jungkook notices, and he sits next to you, nudging you.
You glance at him, noticing the concern in his eyes.
“Is something wrong?” he asks.
“No,” you lie, but he sees through it immediately.
“Is it your cramps?”
You’re on your period. Obviously, he knows, and he’s been sweet about it, buying you snacks and putting his hands, always warm, on your lower stomach while you cuddle. 
You purse your lips, shaking your head. The concern doesn’t disappear from his features though, and you feel bad. Enough so that you say, “I’m just…”
You trail off as Lisa appears, sitting on the other side of Jungkook with two beers in hand. She gives one to Jungkook, who thanks her quickly before setting his gaze on you again. Yet she lingers, and you find yourself unable to speak, shrugging your shoulders.
“If there’s anything, just let me know,” Jungkook says, and he offers you a small smile that does nothing to tame the worry in his gaze. “I don’t mind heading home earlier.”
You nod once, and the conversation dies as Hoseok appears on the other side of the table, cheeks red with the shots he’s already downed.
“Not drinking tonight?” he asks you.
You shrug. “Not really in the mood.”
Hoseok narrows his gaze in his suspicion. “I’ve never seen you not in the mood to drink.”
You chuckle. “Well, now you have.”
You’re relieved when he lets it go, especially as you sensed Jungkook tensing by your side, an indication that he was going to intervene if Hoseok didn’t drop it. There’s a short silence, during which you notice Hoseok looking at Yoongi where he’s drinking with Namjoon and Seokjin, a few tables over.
You glance at Jungkook, motioning towards Hoseok. Jungkook frowns, not understanding, and you quickly pull out your phone to text him.
[10:37 pm] You: i want to talk to hobi about yoongi but not in front of you guys
Jungkook pulls out his phone to read your message. He doesn’t reply, yet he nods, turning towards Lisa. “Where are Sera and Jimin?”
“Ordering something at the bar,” Lisa replies, entirely unaware. “Why?”
“Want shots?”
Lisa beams under Jungkook’s gaze, and you taste bile in your mouth as they get up and walk away together, Jungkook shooting you a quick glance over his shoulder.
You can complain all you want about Jungkook being jealous of Yoongi, but you’re just as jealous of Lisa after all.
“What’s up with you and Yoongi?” you ask when they’re out of earshot, gaining Hoseok’s attention.
“Man…” he trails off. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel.”
“Is that why you’ve decided to switch universities?” 
You’ve been asking yourself that question for weeks, but Hoseok has been good at avoiding you, clearly realizing that you’ve grown closer to Yoongi.
Hoseok widens his gaze, and the blush on his cheeks deepens. “No? I said it’s because I’m following a professor.”
“What professor?” you ask, cocking an eyebrow.
Hoseok shrugs, his eyes dropping to a knot in the wood of the table. “Why do you care?”
“You’re my friend,” you remind him. “No matter the history that we have. I’d be sad to see you go.”
He chuckles, and it’s a lot more bitter than you ever expected to hear him. “Listen, I don’t really want to be questioned. Is Yoongi the one that asked you to ask me this?”
“No,” you say. “Not at all. I’m just worried about you.”
“About me?” he repeats. “I’m all good, Y/n.”
He doesn’t sound convincing at all, so you say, “Just make sure you don’t do something you’ll regret.”
“I already did,” he admits, and his glance towards Yoongi is far too telling. “I’m not into him like that. I don’t even know if I’m into men like that.”
“Have you told him?” 
He shrugs. “Here and there. I think he knows.”
You think so too, as Yoongi had mentioned it when you’d studied together a few weeks ago. 
“Just make sure you’re honest with him, and honest with yourself,” you say after a few beats of silence.
Hoseok purses his lips, nodding once. “Will do.”
The air turns awkward as Hoseok just keeps on staring at the knot in the wood. You feel bad - you used to be a lot closer to him, and in just a few weeks, your relationship shifted. But you think it might be for the better - you can’t imagine how Jungkook would feel if you were close to someone you used to sleep with, considering he’s jealous of a friend you’ve never done anything with.
Not that that would stop you from being friends with someone. Especially not when April 29th is coming soon, and with it, your situationship - you’re not sure you can call it a relationship - will end. 
“Where are you moving?” you ask.
“San Diego,” he replies quickly, and a shy smile appears on his lips, like the thought excites him. “I can’t wait to not have to deal with winter anymore.”
“I can imagine,” you say, chuckling. “Though winter wasn’t too bad this year.”
“If there was an inch of snow then it was bad.” He says it wisely, and this time you laugh as he breaks into a smile.
The conversation is easier after that. Still heavy, because you both know the friendship likely won’t survive the distance, but you still manage to have fun as you speak about classes, about life, and about what he’ll do once he’s in California. Half an hour passes like that, and then you move to the bar, agreeing to grab a single drink.
You settle on an Amaretto Sour, and Ria and Nabi join you at the bar. You end up doing Lychee bombs with them, and then you follow them all back to the table where the rest of your friends are, along with Jimin, Sera and Jungkook.
You’re relieved to see Lisa isn’t there. Not that she’s not nice. She always is, despite her obvious attraction towards Jungkook. And though she clearly senses that something’s happening between you and Jungkook, she’s never said anything, and you respect her for it.
You sit between Nabi and Ria, and Nabi quickly melts against Namjoon next to her. You snort at the sight, turning to say it to Ria, who seems to be in a staring contest with Seokjin across the table.
You don’t really know what’s happening between the two. Ria mentioned that she’s not interested in him, saying he’s just gotten out of a relatively long relationship, and you’re not close enough to Seokjin to know his opinion.
You’re just observant, and you know just how much the air fills with electricity when these two are concerned. Lightning is bound to strike at some point, and you just hope it does so without hurting anyone.
You wonder, is that how the people around you perceive you and Jungkook?
The evening unfolds, calmer than your usual outings - you find yourself going home just a little after midnight. Jungkook’s with you, and he unlocks the door as you slowly walk up the stairs, shooting you a glance.
“You sure everything’s okay?” he asks as you finally reach the top.
You purse your lips, meeting his gaze. The streetlight down the stairs reflects in his gaze, and he looks angelic, innocent like this.
“Yeah, I’m just…” you trail off. “You’re leaving soon.”
His features soften, and he opens the door for you to walk in, following behind you. “I know,” he says once he’s shut the door.
You turn the lights on, meeting his gaze. Unable to help yourself, you cup his cheek, thumb swiping at his skin. “Want to share a bed tonight?” you ask.
As if you haven’t been sharing a bed for weeks already.
“Yes, of course,” he immediately agrees, and he covers your hand with his own, tugging you closer. “If you kiss me first.”
That makes you smile, like only he knows to do, and you tiptoe, pressing your lips on his in a featherlike peck.
“That doesn’t count,” he complains, lips jutting out in a small pout.
“Then kiss me,” you challenge. “Kiss me stupid.”
You don’t need to ask twice - he closes the distance between your mouths, lips ravaging yours, and you lose your hands in his hair.
Later, after you’ve sucked his dick in the shower - you don’t like having sex on your period, but you still wanted to make him feel good - you lie down in your bed, the fairy lights making the atmosphere far gentler than it should be.
It’s treacherous, and you lie with your head on Jungkook’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Chasing Cars is playing on his speaker, and you hold him tighter, putting all of your love in the act. He kisses the top of your head, mouth lingering against you.
“I’m happy you came tonight,” you admit. Indeed, despite the anxiety of Taehyung learning, you like hanging out with Jungkook. Like spending as much time as possible with him right now - the clock is ticking after all, and the sound resembles that of a bomb about to go off.
“Me too,” he whispers. 
You lift your head, meeting his gaze. “Have you talked to Taehyung recently?” 
The question takes him aback, and his eyebrows knit together. “I speak to him almost every day, why?”
Because you’ve been avoiding your brother like the plague. Because you know the second you speak to Taehyung, you’ll blurt out the truth, and you’re not ready to face his reaction yet.
You doubt you’ll ever be ready.
“How is he and the girl doing?” you ask. “Ariane?”
“Good,” Jungkook answers. “They’re pretty much official now.”
Your lips stretch in a thin line, and you rest your head on his chest again. 
You don’t want him to see the jealousy in your gaze.
“Good for him.” It sounds just as flat as you feel - like a tire pierced with a nail, emptied of all air.
Jungkook must feel it too, because his grip around you tightens, like he’s trying to fuse your bodies together. As if it’d save you from the looming heartbreak.
“We’ll figure it out,” Jungkook whispers a while later, when you thought he was asleep. 
You hope he doesn’t take your silence personal - you just don’t think you can figure it out.
Taehyung would never let it happen. So silence is what you offer Jungkook, and you wonder if the beat his heart skips is an indication that he’s breaking, much like you are breaking too.
Sunday, April 28th 
Time goes by fast. Sometimes, you think it’s even faster when you’re trying to hold on to something - like sand slipping through the fingers of a fist held tight, time has been slipping away.
The end is near. 
You’re sitting on Jungkook’s bed, watching him as he packs his suitcase. He’s been lazy, stopping often so that he can kiss you, hold you. He’s been clingy lately, much like you’ve been.
Like you’ve been trying to fit a whole relationship in just a few weeks. 
Jungkook lifts his head from his sock drawer, meeting your gaze. He smiles, but there’s sadness behind his pupils, lurking in the depths of his eyes. You want to take it away, but all you manage to do is smile a weak smile.
“I wonder if they’ll want to go to the Catacombs,” Jungkook says.
He’s been saying random stuff once in a while as he packs, grasping for a conversation you haven’t been able to join in. But you try, you always try, and you know he’s not mad at you for it.
Jungkook could never be mad at you. 
It’s strange how he changed in the last four months. You think back on the Incident, that dreaded Incident you had believed to be the most embarrassing thing in your life. Today, you know it wasn’t. It was the start of something great, something you wish never had an expiration date.
But nothing gold can stay, or so they say.
“I bet they’re creepy,” you answer. “Not sure I’d go if I were you.”
“I assume you’re the kind of person who gets scared while watching horror movies too, huh?” Jungkook teases, and he walks towards you, hands full of socks.
He drops them in the suitcase at your feet as you slightly shake your head, a teasing smirk growing on your lips. You doubt it meets your eyes, but it’s the best you can do.
“Says you, who prefers watching romance over action,” you tease.
Indeed, the first few times you’ve watched movies together, he’s suggested going for action first. But he never once appeared disappointed when you chose a romance movie, instead beaming at you as he nodded enthusiastically. It was adorable, endearing, like everything is when it comes to Jungkook.
You can hardly believe he used to sleep around, used to be the most renowned fuckboy in your college. Nowadays, Jungkook appears more like a hopeless romantic, and it’s easy to figure out why.
As someone who never received love from his family, he’s been craving it his whole life. At least you think so, and you’ve been giving it to him, pouring it to him, by actions rather than words.
“Nothing beats romance,” he declares, and you chuckle as he plops down on the bed next to you.
You turn your head towards him as he lies down, one hand on his chest.
“Is that why you cry in every movie?”
He frowns, a pout adorning his lips. “I don’t.”
You cock an eyebrow, because obviously he does, and you both burst out laughing at the same time. 
No matter how dreaded the circumstances are, the chemistry between you and Jeon Jungkook is undeniable. And as you look at him, you wonder if there’s a universe out there where you’re allowed to be with him. Where older brothers aren’t a thing, and where you get to call him yours, to scream it from the rooftops.
It douses your enthusiasm, and your smile falls as you look away. 
Jungkook sits up, cupping your cheek to force you to look at him again. He scans your features for a few seconds, and you stare at his eyebrow piercing, as if that will keep you from crumbling.
“You know…” he lets out. He sucks on his lower lip piercings, pulling at them so hard you think it has to hurt. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Yeah?”
He nods. “I really want to make us work.”
His simple sentence empties everything in your head, in your soul, until there’s just him left. 
“But how?”
“I’ll speak to Taehyung,” he says, for what has to be the thousandth time. Indeed, you’ve had that conversation before, but you never once agreed. “I’ll speak to him in Paris, and then when I come back this doesn’t have to be over.”
“This?” you repeat.
“Us.”
You sigh, and you look between his eyes. Hope lights his gaze, and you think there has to be a museum out there to exhibit such beauty. 
Jungkook is breathtaking in every way that matters.
“Tae will kill you,” you say, and the hope slowly withers like flowers in the fall. “Try to have a nice trip instead.”
“Then we can talk to him when I come back,” Jungkook suggests. “Together. I can use you as a human shield if he tries to kill me.”
You snort, and the hope reignites in his gaze. “What if it doesn’t work?”
“Then he’ll be mad,” Jungkook simply states. “I don’t want to lose you, peach.”
Fuck. You’re in love, and you’re in love deep.
“You might lose his friendship,” you say, but your resolve is melting away far quicker than you expected. Because he’s offering you a silver lining, a life vest in the storm that’s been raging inside your head for weeks.
“I honestly don’t care,” Jungkook says, but you see it in his eyes: he cares, and he’d be hurt. “I’m sure he’ll get over it.”
You highly doubt so but… what if he does? What if he forgives Jungkook, forgives you?
Then you wouldn’t need to travel to another universe. You’d have this one, and you’d have Jungkook.
Maybe you should try.
“Are you sure?” you ask, voice smaller than the atoms holding your body together.
He nods vehemently. “I am. 100%. I don’t want to lose you when we’ve barely just started.”
“Kook…”
He kisses you then, as if he needs to show you with action instead of words. You end up tangled in his bed, your bodies connected on a level deeper than the physical, yet you wouldn’t dare say it. And he doesn’t either, not even when you inevitably go to bed later that evening. 
You’re nestled in his embrace, a few minutes after he’s turned his LED lights off, when you say, “Kook?”
“Mmh?”
“Don’t talk to Tae in Paris,” you say. “We’ll wait for you to come back. And we’ll talk to him together.”
“Okay,” he whispers. “Okay. If that’s your wish, then I can do it.” He’d said so earlier after all.
You nod. “I think it’s better if it comes from us both instead of just you.”
“Makes sense.” Jungkook kisses your forehead, and a soft smile spreads on your lips. “And peach?”
“Yeah?” you murmur.
“If you miss me too much, feel free to sleep in my bed and wear my clothes, okay?”
“Okay.”
He kisses your forehead again, and despite the words exchanged, you fear it might mean goodbye.
Prev | Chapter 10.5 | Next
☆☆☆☆☆
no but why did I forget how sad this chapter was? Help, they are so afraid to lose each other :') anywayyys what did you guys think about this chapter? Did you like it?? Please let me know:)
All rights reserved to @/oddinary4bts, 2024. Do not copy, repost or translate.
618 notes · View notes
reiderwriter · 1 year ago
Note
😝 brain rot from my character ai scenario… the team goes out to a bar to celebrate and you wear a tiny little dress (just to rile him up obvi) but you also end up attracting a lot of male attentionand he gets SO jealous and protective of you he’s like sitting off to the side just watching you flirt with everyone and the team is like “he looks like hes gonna explode wtf” and then the SMUT HES ALL “they can’t have you, you’re all mine” “you really like all the attention huh? i’ll give you what you wanted” OMG it’s making me crazy i hope i described it good enough 🥰🥰
A/N: Is it really a reiderwriter smut if I don't have to clarify that 'I got carried away' at some point in the authors note? No, it is not. Thank you for the request. My brain is now equally rotted, oops.
Warnings: complaints, dirty talk, semi public sexual activity, partial voyeurism, fingering, hard/rough sex.
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You weren't even dating.
Which made the situation even more frustrating for Spencer, and even more exciting for you. 
You'd always flirted with the man a lot, had been told multiple times to knock it off even after getting a little too close for comfort on a case. 
But you couldn't really blame yourself on that one. You'd had to do a quick takedown at a dive bar, and you'd been tasked with pretending to be a touchy couple at the bar to block the back entrance at the staff entrance. 
You'd draped yourself all over him, allowing yourself to get closer than you'd ever been before. 
If you'd just happened to let your hands fall down to his crotch, it was pure coincidence. So was giving his obviously erect length a few strokes through his jeans as he sat staring at you like you were his last meal and he was back in prison. 
Emily had to pull you aside after that one personally. 
You knew she was protective of Spencer, seeing him as a little brother, but it seemed like she was more protective of you at that moment. 
“Are you sure you know what you're doing?” She'd asked, waiting carefully for your answer before she said anything more. 
Two could play at that game. “What is this concerning?” 
“With Spencer.” 
“I'm not sure what you mean, Emily.”
“Yes, you do. Listen, I don't care what you get up to in your personal life, but Spencer has a way of making others feel very… seen. He can get protective and pushy. And I just want to know you're ready for that, and you're not going to let it affect your work.”
“Is Spencer having the same talk?” 
She laughed at that. 
“Spencer? No. I already know it's going to affect his work, because it has since you joined our team. He still gets his job done, but I know where his priorities would lie if there were an emergency.” 
You'd shivered at that and excused yourself. 
If he was that obsessed with you, why had he not told you? Stepped over that line from friends to more than that?
You needed to force the issue, and you had the perfect opportunity when Penelope invited you out for drinks. 
“Y/N! Don't go, it's Friday night, we-” she said gesturing wildly to the team gathered around you, “are going to a bar. No, you can't rain check either.” 
“Can I at least get changed first?” 
“You need to get changed. We're going to a nice bar, Y/N.” Running off again to grab the rest of your team members and force their attendance, you grinned after Penelope. 
It was time to see exactly how focused on you Spencer Reid was.
And how willing he was to let you slip through his fingers.
An hour later, you were stepping out of your taxi, pulling your skirt down as you did. The short black dress had a terrible habit of pulling up your thighs to flash your underwear at anyone in a 10 foot radius. Usually, that bothered you, but tonight, you planned on using it to your advantage. 
After all, you'd left out the underwear tonight for a reason. 
Pulling your jacket around you tighter, you pushed the door to the bar open and scanned the room for your team members. 
“Y/N, over here!” Tara called you over, nursing a beer. Luke sat next to her, Penelope on his other side, and Matt on hers and completing the group was Spencer Reid. 
“Where are JJ and Emily?” You asked, doing your very best to ignore Spencer as you sat down next to him, practically falling into his warmth. You sat so close to him. 
“At the bar. Emily is convinced she can flirt her way to a free drink, and JJ is convinced she cannot. The girl she's working on now has to be 22 at most, so it could honestly go either way.” Penelope answered, and you felt Spencer shift slightly beside you. 
“Speak of the devil,” Luke said as the two women approached. 
“Well? What's the result?” You grinned up at them, letting your head fall back against Spencer’s shoulder as you gently rested your hand on his thigh. He sat silently for a minute, not moving and just taking in the conversation. 
“I've still got it.” Emily grinned triumphantly. 
“Maybe I should give it a try. There are a few hot male bartenders tonight. Who knows, I might score more than just a drink.” 
Spencer choked on the drink he was sipping as you spoke quickly, a few knowing looks passing between every other person at the table. You'd have to be blind to miss it. Or Spencer. 
“Spencer, are you okay? You should be careful, I wouldn't want you to choke. That's how I want to end my night, but it's not for everyone.” That one earned you a few snickers from the others and a glare from the man himself. 
“I'm fine, thank you, Y/N.” He smiled down at you and gave your knee a friendly tap that turned slightly less friendly as he pushed it further up your leg. 
The others had since averted their attentions, moving their conversation onto other things, but you and Spencer were still stuck in each other's orbits. 
Your heart beat faster until you were sure it could be seen, raw and fit to burst out of your chest. His fingertips brushed your hem. He was seconds away from realising that you were going to get the attention you wanted that night. 
Slipping just an inch up the hem, he twitched almost imperceptibly as he searched for your panty line, brows knitting when he couldn't find it. 
“What's wrong, Spencer? Searching for something that isn't there?” You enjoyed watching his frown deepen as he registered your words, but you enjoyed it even more when you gently pushed his hand away as you stood. 
“Well, I need a drink. Let's hope I can recreate your success, Emily.” You said, finally pushing off your jacket. The dress may have been short, but it was also low cut, burning the candle at both ends as your breasts threatened to spill over with any particularly deep breath. 
“Sweet lord in heaven! You didn't come to play tonight.” Penelope exclaimed, practically applauding your body as you twirled for her and showed off the form fitting dress, giggling all the way. 
“You said it was a nice bar, Penelope. I'm hoping there are also some very nice men here, too.” With a wink, you turned on your heel and strode to the bar, making sure your hips swung seductively with every step. 
You couldn't immediately give in and turn to see if he was watching you when you got to the bar, though, not willing to give him the satisfaction. You were doing it all for him, but you still didn't want him to know that.
It didn't take long for men to swarm you. They came one at a time, and you entertained them each as you waited for your unnecessarily complex cocktail order to be prepared. 
In the 7 minutes you'd been away from the table, you'd been approached by three separate men. They all tried lines on you, gave you their numbers and tried their best to woo you, but with Spencer’s eyes burning across your body as you leaned against the bar, you really couldn't have cared less. 
Still, you leaned in, giggled in the appropriate places, and took the numbers, knowing they'd never be called.
When your cocktail was finally ready, and the last one offered to fund it for you  You finally felt a hand at your back. 
“That won't be necessary, thank you.” Spencer ended the conversation, handing his own card over to the bartender as he kept his hand on your back, his body crowding yours. 
The man walked away in defeat, and you turned on him, sipping your drink as you refused to move away.
“Now why ruin all my fun, Spencer?” 
“You're really enjoying all this attention, huh?” He said, pushing your hair behind your ear as he leaned closer to you, his next word a whisper against your skin.
“I can see your pussy from all the way back there,” he said, tugging down your skirt slightly. You weren't surprised though  simply taking another sip and maintaining eye contact. 
“I know.” His hand, having slipped up to your waist, tightened as his gaze dropped to your lips. 
“You want everyone to see your dripping cunt? Want to let all the men here take a turn trying to catch your attention so they can slip in?” His voice was low, practically a growl as he licked his lips.
“No. I wanted to see how long it'd take you to come over and do it. By my count, that was eight minutes, correct?” 
“Good girl. Just remember that you're mine. I'm not letting anyone else have you.” Giving your face a gentle stroke, he let it trail down your body, subtly cupping and squeezing your chest on the way down. 
“All of a sudden, I feel very tired, Spencer. Take me home.” He wasted no time, grabbing your hand and gathering you up, your jacket and bag collected from the desk as he gave minimal answers to the others as you departed. To their credit, they asked minimal questions. 
The cold air hit you hard as you pushed the doors open again, but Spencer was unperturbed, pulling you over to his car silently, a strong hand on your shoulder helping you into the passenger's seat.
You dare not talk the entire drive to his apartment, so sure that any word from you would have him turning immediately to deposit you right back at the bar. 
He didn't, though, but he also didn't look at you or touch you. You sat squirming at the heavy atmosphere, suddenly desperate to know exactly what thoughts were trapped inside Spencer’s impressive brain. 
“We're here.” He announced, pulling up quickly and cutting the engine, climbing out in a hurry. 
You fumbled with your own seat belt as he pulled your door open, catching you up in his arms as he closed the door behind you. You wrapped your legs around his waist as your arms wrapped around his neck, letting him carry you up the stairs to his apartment.
His lips didn't meet yours until the door was firmly closed and locked behind you, and even then, he didn't immediately dive in. He out you down, and a touch of disappointment flooded your body as he completely entangled himself from you. 
It dissipated completely when his hand wrapped around your throat. 
“Let me be clear, Y/N. You are mine. If you want attention, I will give it to you. If you want to choke on something, I'm more than happy to provide it. If you want to dress like a little whore, go ahead, but don't forget who your sweet little cunt belongs to.” His fingers tightened with each word as you gasped for air, back resting on the nearest wall as his body pressed up along your own. 
“Do you understand?” He asked, and you nodded repeatedly, fast and desperate. 
“Good. Now, ass up on the bed. I'll meet you there.” You practically sprinted to the room in question, slinking up onto the bed. He said ass up, but you hesitated slightly as he quietly shut the bedroom door behind you, just long enough to earn a slap on your ass as he finally returned to your side. 
“You have to listen, Y/N. You wanted this, so you have to listen nicely.” 
“I'm sorry, Spencer, it won't happen aga-” He stole the end of your sentence as he slipped his fingers into you, gently working the two longest ones up into a frenzy as he finger fucked you. 
“Sorry, what was that? I don't think I quite caught your words.” You could only moan in reply as you buried your head in his pillows, ass pressing back into his fingers to help him get deeper.
“So needy. Look at this little black dress. You knew this was going to happen, right?” A third finger slipped inside you, and you screamed out in pleasure as he continued using you.
“Burying your head isn't going to work, Y/N. Your cunt is answering for you.” 
You heard the rattle of his belt unbuckling as his fingers finally slipped out, the emptiness only a relief for a second before his cock was hitting deep inside of you. 
Thoughts escaped you as you finally got what you'd been begging for for weeks. His every frustration was pounded into you as he tugged at your hair, pulling your torso up so he could hit even deeper. 
Pulling back your head with a hand on your throat he laid a barrage of kisses across your upper back and shoulders, making sure to bite and suck and nip as his spare hand toyed with your nipples, pinching and pulling. 
In a second, you reached your climax, not having the breath left in you to let him know before you tightened on his shaft and let your body fall limp under his hands. 
“I'm going to mop up our cum with this dress, Y/N, and then I'm going to make you put it back on.” With a final grunt, he pulled out, jerking his cock through his release as he shot his load right over your pussy lips. 
He collapsed on top of you, and you finally gave up your last bit of strength beneath him, enjoying the pressure of his weight pushing down on you again. 
“Thank god that worked,” you gasped, catching your breath. You smiled as he flipped you over and pulled the dress off your head, true to his word. 
“What worked, Y/N?” 
“This. You don't know the lengths I'd have gone to to get you yo finally fuck me if this hadn't worked.” 
“But suddenly, I'm curious, and I have all the time in the world.” You laughed lightly but snuggled into his chest again, meaning to sleep. 
“Unless you want to get dressed again now…?” 
2K notes · View notes
starstruckmiraclekitty · 1 year ago
Note
Hello! How do you think König (or any of the guys really) would react to you calling them "my sweet lil guy"?
Thanks for this request!!🩷🩵🩷🩵 I just did this for multiple characters, as I thought this would be funny to see them! They’re short and sweet!
141 + Königs Reactions to Reader Calling Them "My Sweet Lil Guy."
Warnings: slight swearing, fluff, slight sexual references
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Simon Ghost Riley-
“Bloody hell.” Simon groaned, his hands moving to grasp at his back. “Damn thing hurts.”
"Awe, my sweet lil guy got a backache?" You teased, moving to rub Simon's back gently.
Simon turned, slowly, toward you a look of mock horror on his face. "The hell you just call me?"
You bit your lip to prevent a giggle, watching the confusion on your boyfriend's face with amusement. "My... sweet lil guy?"
Simon stared at you, his brows furrowing in confusion. “I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but little isn’t one of them.”
“First for everything I suppose.” You shrugged your shoulders, struggling not to crack a smile under Simon’s intense stare.
“You’re a little brat, you know that?” Simon chuckled, kissing your temple.
“I’m the little brat, you’re the sweet lil guy.” You teased, scrunching your nose at him.”
“You’re pushing it, kid.”
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Johnny Soap MacTavish-
“Everyone, I’d like for you to meet Johnny.” You smiled, introducing your boyfriend to your group of friends.
"Is this the "sweet lil guy" you've been telling us all about?" Your friend asked as she regarded Johnny with a smile.
Johnny blinked a few times before looking at you. "Your sweet lil guy?"
Your friend gave a hearty chuckle. "Yep, they call you thay all the time."
“Tha’ so?” Johnny quirked a brow at you, a devious smile making its way to his lips.
“Johnny no, pl-.” You started, but Johnny was quick to cut you off.
“That’s not what they were screaming in bed last night.”
Oh yeah, he won your friends over that night.
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John Price-
“Cmon, sweetheart. It’s past midnight, surely you can put the book down and go to bed.” John groaned, it was well past his bedtime.
“Is my sweet lil guy tired?” You cooed, turning to face John in bed. “Promise I’m almost done.”
"Your sweet lil guy?" He looked at you, bemused by your nickname. “That really what comes to mind when you think of me?”
“Sure is.” You faked a yawn, flipping over to finish the chapter of the book you were reading.
John wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling your back flush against his chest. “Yeah, you’re sure about that?”
Your cheeks burned crimson, the prominent bulge in your lovers boxers now pressing hard against your back. “Y-yes.”
“Give me about two minutes. Once my cocks inside that pretty little mouth of yours- you’ll be choking on those words.”
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König-
“Maus, can you help me with these straps?” König asked, gesturing to the buckled straps of his vest. “I can’t reach them.”
“I’ve got you sweet lil guy.” You chuckled, making your way over to him. You began to fiddle with the straps before he stopped you, abruptly turning to face you.
Königs cheeks became beat red as he stuttered out his words. "W-what?"
“Sweet lil guy? I meant it as a term of endearment Kö.” You blinked a few times, watching as your boyfriend’s face became as red as a tomato.
König couldn’t explain why.. exactly the name had him feeling so flustered. He was ANYTHING but small, in any regard, but he…liked the thought. It made him feel you didn’t find his large stature menacing, and the thought was comforting to him.
“Can you.. call me that again?”
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Kyle Gaz Garrick-
“Damnit!” Kyle exclaimed, running his hands over his head in frustration. “I was so fucking close! I had him!”
"Did my sweet lil guy lose?" You chided, watching your boyfriend throw his controller on the couch in frustration.
“Yeah. I fucking did. I’ve been trying to beat that game all.. wait what did you call me?” Kyle whipped his head around to you, and it took everything in you not to laugh.
“My sweet lil guy is throwing a tantrum.” You giggled, watching as the corners of his lips turned upward. “Does baby need a kiss to make it better.”
Kyle nodded, his bottom lip pouting slightly. “I do.”
You bit your lip in amusement, before wrapping your arms around your boyfriend pulling him close to you. “I’ve got you baby boy.”
Kyle wouldn’t ever admit it, to anyone, but he certainly wouldn’t complain if you wanted to call him that again.
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antiquarianfics · 1 year ago
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The Best Things Take Time
Bucky has a code. You manage to crack it.
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A/N: This took me so long because I wasn't really sure how I wanted to go about it. I'm pretty happy with it, I think. Also, my first request! I hope I did your brain-child justice. :) Warnings: Mild language. Based on this request. Note: I do not own the character Bucky Barnes or any other Marvel affiliated characters.
You do not have permission to repost or translate my work; however, feel free to like, comment, and/or reblog.
----
Bucky Barnes decided early on in his life as a free man that he wasn’t going to try and date—even with Sam and Yori pushing him all the time. His triggers are gone, yes, but he is starkly aware that he still has a long way to go before he might be considered ready to give time and energy to another person on a daily basis. However, if there is anyone in the world that makes him reconsider his own rule, it’s you.
The two of you first formally met when Steve, Sam, and yourself finally tracked him down. You were kind to him, but you kept your distance. He never made many attempts to speak with you, but the short interactions he did have with you were short and clinical. He never asked, but he’s pretty sure you’re afraid of him—of what he’s done.
Despite this assumption, Bucky takes note of the way you drop everything to help him time and time again. You back him in Washington, you back him in Siberia, you back him in Wakanda, and you back him in Washington in the second go-round. He is appreciative—very much so—but he keeps his distance regardless. After all, he shouldn’t risk losing an ally by something as silly as small talk.
Things begin to change, though, when he runs into you at the airport. Both him and you felt the need to get on Sam’s back about giving up the shield.
“What are you doing here?” You ask, a little indignantly. You cringe a little at your tone, but you brush it off nonetheless.
Bucky shoots you an annoyed look before turning to Sam.
Throughout the mission to track down the Flag Smashers, you and Bucky bicker (even more than Sam and Bucky do). You challenge him on every opinion he shares, poke fun at every misstep he takes, and side with Sam for the sake of disagreeing with him. He returns the favor, and he ignores the bitter taste it leaves in his mouth.
Your interactions are not particularly pleasant, sure, but they’re existent—which is progress.
“Does he always stare like that?” Walker asks Sam, eyeing Bucky uncomfortably.
“You get used to it,” Sam replies.
You glare at Walker. His attitude towards you and your boys bothers you. His entitlement to Steve’s shield and name bothers you. He bothers you.
“Does she always stare like that?” Walker asks, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“Only when douchebags harass my friends,” you deadpan.
You are plenty aware this is the first time you’ve called Bucky your friend, and you can tell he is too by the way his eyes shift from Walker to you. You’re not aware, though, that your concession of friendship serves as the push he needs to talk to you more.
It takes time, but over the next few weeks, Bucky manages to get you to open up. He’s surprised with himself by how he’s willing to talk to you; after all, people are usually trying to get him to talk.
Bucky finds out that you’re actually not as reserved as he thought, but you had heard both Steve’s stories of before and multiple people’s accounts of after. Your distance, you admit, was a consequence of you trying to give him space when everyone else was crowding him. Your teasing and bickering with him was a consequence of trying to create said space. The revelation makes Bucky’s heart clench: no one has made him feel so cared for in a long time.
Bucky sticks by his no dating rule, though. After all, you may be friends, and you may be acting nicer to him lately, but there’s no way you like him like that.
Or, at least he thinks so until Louisiana.
“Hey, Sarah,” Bucky says, flashing a charming smile at her from where he sits next to Sam and yourself on the dock.
“Hey!” You smack his chest with the back of your hand. “No flirting with Sam’s sister.”
He lets his attention shift to you, and he can’t help the surprise. He’s aware that you could just be enforcing Sam’s demand from earlier, but you’re so adamant. He thinks maybe he sees a flash of jealousy in your eyes, but he thinks, too, he might just be seeing what he wants to see.
Sam and Sarah continue to bicker before she shoos the three of you away from the boat. Sam and Bucky step onto the dock and begin to walk away before you, and they keep walking even when Sarah stops you.
“Subtle,” she says, smirking at you. You wave her off, your face heating up with a blush.
“Shut up,” you say, embarrassment entwined with each syllable.
Bucky thinks maybe—just maybe—you might like him back.
Looking back on the last few years, Bucky can hardly believe the journey you and he had been on. Being so distant most of your time together in the first few years, and then being so rude to each other the next few, and then needing a push from the Wilsons to actually do anything about your feelings… it was interesting, to say the least.
He remembers the day you agreed to leave Louisiana with him. It was an impulsive decision, but it led to the first time the two of you had truly been alone together. It led to inside jokes and deep conversations. It led to a genuine friendship.
“I’m headed out tomorrow,” Bucky informed you and Sam.
The three of you were sitting on the porch of Sarah’s house, conversation flowing from friendly jests, to Karli, to the boat, to whatever else. Your head shot up to stare at him, eyes widening.
“What? Why?” Your tone was a little panicked. Bucky raised his eyebrows at your tone. Sam laughed, and you shot him a glare.
“I don’t want to overstay my welcome, Doll,” he said. Ever since the incident with Sarah, he’d let a few pet names for you fall from his lips, and he smugly noted the way they made you squirm.
“Oh.”
“Well!” Sam exclaimed, clapping his palms on his knees as he stood. “I’m gonna go check on Sarah and the boys while you,” he pointed at the two of you in turn, “figure whatever is going on here out.”
You protested, but Sam was gone without another word. Neither one of you spoke for a moment, and you chewed on your lip.
“You’re really going?” You asked shyly.
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
“You can come with me, if you want,” he offered before he can think better of himself.
Your eyes shot to his, analyzing his face for any sort of jest. He seemed sincere, and once you decided he wasn’t pulling your leg, you responded.
“Okay.”
He remembers the day the two of you finally addressed that you were more than friends. Bucky, of course, has a no dating rule, and you? You had no such thing, but you weren’t dating either. In fact, you hadn’t since before Karli and the Flag Smashers showed up.
Bucky and yourself were at a bar, drinking and laughing with one another. He was sober, of course, but you were a little tipsy. You had a dopey smile on your face that he thought was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. He still thinks your smile is the prettiest thing he’s ever seen.
That’s when a young woman sauntered up to the bar. She was gorgeous; her long, black braids reached her waist, her lips were painted a bright red color, and she wore a halter top that left little to the imagination.
“Hi,” she said, grabbing your attention, shooting you a flirtatious smile.
“Hi!” You said, the alcohol making you friendlier than you usually are.
“I saw you across the bar, and I was jus’ wonderin’, would you wanna grab a drink with me? Maybe dance a lil’?” Her eyes dragged down your body and back up to your eyes.
Your eyes widened and you blushed.
“Oh, uh! T-thank you! I’m flattered, but, uh, I got my guy right here, and I kinda like him too much to date!” You sort of yell-whispered the confession to the girl.
She glanced behind you to Bucky whose eyes had also widened in shock, his mouth hanging open a little. The woman laughed and touched your shoulder comfortingly.
“‘s alright,” she assured. “Was worth a shot, though.”
She turned to Bucky then.
“Yo, congrats, man. You’re a lucky guy once you two talk that through.”
With that, she had left, and you turned around to Bucky.
“Look,” you said, more sober sounding than you’d been since the two of you arrived at the bar. “I don’t know what you think this is, or what you want it to be, but I’m all in if you are.”
Bucky leaned forward and kissed you without a second thought.
And he remembers the moment he decided he was going to marry you, if you’d have him.
The two of you were sitting on the couch in your shared apartment; after about two years of dating, you insisted you live together.
“Buck, you’re always here. All your stuff is here. I don’t think you’ve stepped foot in your apartment in a month. You’re just wasting money on rent at this point.”
You were leaned into his side, eyes glued to the tv screen. The two of you were watching The Princess Bride (it’s one of the many movies you insisted was so culturally significant that he had to see it). It was the way you would turn to him at your favorite parts, gauging his reactions to see if he loved it like you did; the way you would mouth the most iconic lines along with the characters; and the way you would sigh contentedly and cuddle further into his side at the romantic scenes that really pulled the realization from deep within him. And, perhaps, it was the way you produced the most ridiculous voice to say "Mawwiage! Mawwiage is what bwings us here today!" that truly brought the idea of marrying you to the forefront of his mind. Regardless, he knew he wanted you around for the rest of his already over-extended lifetime.
Bucky Barnes decided early on in his life as a free man that he wasn’t going to try and date, and he decided late in his life as a free man that he wasn't going to ever try and date anyone other than you. So, here he finds himself, kneeling on the ground in front of you with a ring extended towards your person, and hoping you'll say yes.
"Sweetheart, I know we've had a lot of ups and downs. We met when I wasn't truly myself, we got together when I was still figuring out who I am on my own—without Steve, without HYDRA—but no matter what, you've been there for me. You're still here for me.
"You deserve the world, Doll, and I want to give it to you. I want to be here for all your ups and downs, and I want to spend my life being to you what you've already been to me.
"You're my partner, you're my best friend, you're the love of my life. And if you'll have me, I'll be your king, if you'll be my queen. I'll be your husband, if you'll be my wife.
"Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?"
You let out a laugh through a sob, pulling your hand to your face to quickly wipe your tears away, and you nod vigorously. You drop to your knees, pulling Bucky's face into your hands, caressing his cheek gently. Smiling, you respond.
"James Bucky Barnes, of course I'll marry you."
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restlessmaknae · 5 months ago
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water prince // leehan
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When you receive a wedding proposal from the Water Kingdom, you are set on making Prince Donghyun change his mind about marrying you. At least, until you actually see him for who he is.
➳ Characters: prince!Leehan (called Donghyun in the story) x princess!female reader/you
➳ Genre: royalty au, arranged marriage au, magical kingdom au, elemental powers au, fluff, comedy, a bit of angst too
➳ Words: 13.7k
➳ Warning: mentions of food, reader almost drowning and being seasick, Leehan's father in the story is quite hostile, Leehan feels insecure about not being loved by his father
➳ A/N: Happiest birthday to the loveliest person on Earth @dat-town❤️ So happy for everything you've achieved and so excited to see what you will continue to achieve! May you have the best year ever, and stay healthy and happy all throughout! ❤️
➳ Taglist: @s00buwu, @dat-town, @emmylksblog
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“You are to marry Prince Donghyun.”
You literally choked on your water when your father announced the big news he had assembled the family for. Your little sister patted your back, trying to be helpful, while your mother shot you a surprised look as if she couldn’t decide whether you were appalled or delighted by the news, and that’s why you were so taken aback. Your brother, Sungho, sat in his chair in a calm manner as usual, quietly analysing the situation while cutting his meat into tiny pieces in the quietest way possible.
You couldn’t blame him. You were in the middle of your regularly scheduled dinner in the dining hall of the palace when the King finally told you what he had been hiding from you for sometime. Before that, you couldn’t even know whom it entailed - your little sister, Sunghee, your brother, Sungho, or you -, the only thing you knew was that your father had been in talks with other kingdoms. Which was nothing new, really, it was one of his duties as the King of the Fire Kingdom.
“Why him,” was your first question after you managed to stop coughing, and you couldn’t tell who was more shocked by your question: your mother, your father or your little sister. Sungho seemed rather amused, his lips slightly curling upwards. No wonder he knew you the best.
“Because they offered a wedding proposal?” Your father half-asked, half-answered, and as you put down the glass of water onto the table, you were trying to rationalise his words, but there was nothing you could rationalise about this. From a young age, you knew that this would be your fate, you just didn’t know how to face it now.
“I would rather know why I am supposed to be marrying a prince from the Water Kingdom, if it has to be Prince Donghyun out of all people.”
“They say that he’s really handsome,” Sunghee chirped in, her eyes already forming hearts at the mention of the prince. Then again, she was 15, and she had heart eyes for every prince that she saw at formal events.
“You should feel grateful that he chose you. Princesses from other kingdoms are all lining up for him,” your mother weighed in, nudging you in the side, and you felt like a kid being reprimanded for something that she had done, not a princess who didn’t want to marry a prince who had once tried to sweet talk her into dancing with him at a royal wedding, only to trample on her feet multiple times. That guy was full of mischievous ideas, and you wanted nothing to do with him and his troublemaker ass. Besides, he was said to be full of himself, and you hated nothing more than smug princes who thought that a few compliments would make a princess fall for them.
“Prince Donghyun’s birthday is coming up, and he is supposed to find a bride for himself after his 20th birthday. They sent out the offer on his behalf, but before they expect an answer from you, you are invited to his birthday celebration to get to know him better,” the King explained in detail, and you wanted to evaporate right then and there. Really? You were even invited to his birthday celebration? Was he really that enchanted by that clumsy dance you had had at the wedding, or did the Water Kingdom had ulterior motives behind this decision?
You let out a sigh in return, clearly against the whole thing, but it’s not like you had a say in it. However, you had a say in how you behaved around Prince Donghyun, and actually, this birthday celebration would be the perfect chance to make him change his mind about you - or his family or whoever came up with this stupid idea of being his bride. You could be on your worst behaviour, and make him hate you, or worse, make him disgusted by you, and that’s exactly what you needed.
“When is this celebration?” You inquired from your father who gave you a satisfied smile in return, and told you that he would tell you all of the details and show you the wedding proposal after dinner. Sungho narrowed his eyes at your sudden change of behaviour, but when you turned towards him, you merely mouthed “I know what I’m doing”, and he seemed to believe you, going back to his fig jam-coated meat.
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Whenever you attended a formal event in another kingdom, at least two members of your family had to be present. Before you and Sungho had turned 20, you had always needed to be accompanied by an adult - mostly your mother because the King had other duties to attend to. Since you were both deemed responsible adults when it came to age and appropriate behaviour, the two of you could go together to Prince Donghyun’s birthday celebration since your mother was to attend one of her sisters’ wedding with Sunghee the day later you set out to the Water Kingdom.
Since travelling on a ship would have required more people to accompany you (and since you were often seasick when out on the sea), you travelled by carriage, and you were supposed to arrive the day before the actual birthday celebration as per the Water Kingdom’s request. That left you with plenty of time to tell Sungho all about your plan of changing the prince’s mind starting from your choice of dress for the day of your arrival - a beautiful, knee-length black dress with puffy sleeves and a V-neck that highlighted the pretty necklace brightening your pale skin with little diamonds in the shape of a flame. It was an appropriate dress in style and length, maybe the V-line was a bit steep according to some, but it was its colour that mattered. In the Fire Kingdom, black represented the end of something - just like how flames turn to black ashes when they can no longer feed on oxygen -, and usually, you wore black clothes at the seasons’ farewell ceremony. You had a farewell ceremony for all four seasons when you bid goodbye to the previous one and welcomed the new one, gathering around a huge fire and giving your blessings to the kingdom and the royal family.
You highly doubted that Prince Donghyun would be aware of such traditions in your kingdom, but that was the best part of it: that he didn’t know about it, but you knew why you dressed like that. You had other tricks under your sleeve, and whilst Sungho didn’t disapprove of your plan, he was partly worried about your feelings.
“Will you be able to handle that? You hate nothing more than embarrassing yourself,” he pointed out gently, in his own big brother way, when you mentioned that if you had to embarrass yourself for your plan, you were ready to give it your all. The goal was to make Prince Donghyun go back on his words - or beg the one who came up with the idea of you having to marry him to change their mind  -, and the journey getting there might not be all rosy, but it would be worth it.
“I’ll make sure I do it subtly enough to not bring embarrassment on myself in front of others. Plus, I think he will want to speak with me in private, so that’s when I need to strike for real,” you announced with a triumphant smile as you tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear. The ladies all dolled you up at the palace, but if you were going to a battle, you needed to go in style.
Sungho didn’t show it if he was against your plan, and instead, he directed a topic elsewhere but your looming marriage proposal. This way, at least you didn’t feel like crawling out of your skin until you arrived, and guess what, Prince Donghyun just had to wait for you at the entrance of the palace when the carriage halted and the servants helped you down.
You tried hard not to stare at him because he did look… different. Of course, he looked different, he had been around 16 when you had last seen him; it had been a year after that ominous wedding, and you had seen him in passing in the circle of princesses who cooed all about his beauty and his deep voice and whatnot. Years had passed by, and he grew taller, his shoulders were broader, and his hair was longer, it reached his shoulders already. His features were less boyish, but there was still that mischievous spark in his eyes when you walked up to him after waiting for your brother to get out of the carriage.
You even forgot to look behind him to take in the grandiose palace walls and huge rose windows because he was the main view for you. The way the fading sunlight - late afternoon flowing into early night - shone onto him made him seem like someone from another world, or rather, someone from those fairytales your sister still believed in. If someone embodied royalty, it was him, and you had no idea how he had such an effect on you when you had come here to destroy his plans to marry you.
Alas, you could not let yourself sway just because he was pretty. Beauty could be deceiving, beauty could hurt, and if anyone, you knew that. Being praised for being beautiful, but never being praised for being smart or reliable or kind made you see this whole thing in a new light. So you kept your compliments to yourself, and focused on the boy’s cheeky smile instead.
There was a round of formalities with bowing and courtesy, the servants already hustling-bustling around you, carrying your luggage and gifts, and you heard two ladies from your own kingdom whispering about Prince Donghyun’s angelic smile as they passed by.
You rolled your eyes at their antics, but the Water Kingdom prince either didn’t seem to notice, or he didn’t mind. Instead, he posed a question that made you furrow your eyebrows.
“Did you come in black because you’re putting an end to your life without me?”
“Pardon me?”
“I read that black symbolises the end of something in your kingdom,” he pointed out in a casual manner, and you needed to hold yourself back from commenting that you didn’t expect him to do some reading on the Fire Kingdom and its traditions. You could clearly see Sungho’s facial expression though, he was visibly impressed.
The prince gave you a crooked half-smile as he took one step closer to you, closer than before, but not close enough to call it inappropriate. You had a feeling that he was playing at just that;  dancing on the fine line of being playfully flirtatious and a bit too much in general. 
“But did you know that it symbolises deep love in our kingdom? It’s a metaphor because if you love someone deeply, you would be willing to swim to the bottom of the ocean for them and the bottom is always so dark, almost black,” he continued equally joyfully, but you needed to gulp down the profanities that were threatening to leave your mouth.
Just how could you mess this up so badly? Not only had you chosen a black dress that symbolised deep love in their kingdom, but you had also failed to consider Prince Donghyun actually looking up the meaning of the colour in the Fire Kingdom. Well, you had to give it to him that he won this round, but you wouldn’t have said it out loud for all the money in the world.
So you let Sungho ask about the palace instead while you were ushered inside, and if Prince Donghyun had any itinerary planned for the rest of the day since you were supposedly the only ones who were invited to come a day earlier. Prince Donghyun explained that you would have dinner together and he could show you around the palace afterwards if you were up for it.
“Excellent idea! I would love nothing more than to spend more time with you,” you announced in an overzealous manner, hoping that it could make the prince falter in his good boy role. On the other hand, he seemed rather amused, not weirded out, and suggested that you could check out the lighthouse and the docks if you were that interested. You had no idea that they had such places on palace grounds, but sure, you were in the Water Kingdom after all.
Hoping to direct the topic to something else, when you spotted a bouquet of flowers in a huge vase, you acted oh so innocently as you asked:
“Ah, are these fake?”
“My mother picked them from her garden in the morning. She likes tending to her flowers,” the prince pointed out casually, and you bit down on your tongue in response. Damn it, why couldn’t you get a hold on him? 
Sure, you might have been the only kingdom that had fake flowers placed in the palace corridors because they just didn’t grow as exuberant as the ones in the Earth Kingdom, for instance, but you had different climates as well. You would think that the colder, rainy climate of the Water Kingdom didn’t necessarily help flowers flourish, but well… maybe you were wrong about more than just one thing.
You pressed your lips into a thin line, forcing yourself to shut your mouth, while you were following the prince and the servants down the corridors that were full of paintings of the royal family. The amount of paintings about Prince Donghyun from a very young age to present days was overwhelming: him with a book in his hands in what seemed like a library when he was a child, him in the garden surrounded by flowers, him standing by the sea, him standing by a fish tank, him holding a rose and the list goes on…
You weren’t sure whether looking at the actual real-life prince or his painted features was more unsettling, so you did neither and just stared ahead of yourself. Which was a mistake on your part because you managed to walk into the prince’s chest when he halted in front of a room.
“Are you alright, princess?” He inquired with wide eyes as he held you by the shoulders to steady you. You immediately stepped backwards, making him yank his hands away from you.
“I’m alright. It was just a bit dizzying with all the floors and corridors.”
“You will get used to it,” he said naturally, but there was a slight hint of nervousness in the way his eyes darted from your face to Sungho’s when he said the words out loud. Your brother, on the other hand, merely stayed still, calmly listening to your conversation. You were sure that you would hear his opinion on it later on, but for now, he didn’t seem fazed by the boy’s behaviour and flirty remarks.
“So will these be our suites?” Your brother asked to break the silence, and indeed, Prince Donghyun took this opportunity to show you to your rooms. Yours was fully equipped with a bathroom and a restroom, a huge wardrobe, candles by the double bed and a wide wooden desk by the equally wide full-length windows that led to a balcony. What took you by surprise was that the fluffy blankets, the luxurious curtains, the welcoming pillows and the walls of the room were all in different shades of blue, but it was done in an elegant way, so no colour overshadowed the other. However, the sight made you feel as if you were close to the sea, and you didn’t necessarily like it since the sea always reminded you of those boat travels when you got seasick.
Prince Donghyun said that a servant would come by when dinner was ready, but until then, he would let you unpack and settle down. When he got out of sight, you let out an aghast sigh, and fell into the bed, silently screaming into the pillows.
This was so not going as planned.
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Dinner was passing by excruciatingly slowly. You literally checked the huge clock on the wall - which had a different type of fish painted by each number of the 12-part circle - every 5 minutes, hoping that time would go by faster, to no avail. You might have been able to spark a fire or put out one as a Fire Kingdom princess, but your magic didn’t involve meddling with time.
Alas, you had to sit through the forced conversation with Prince Donghyun’s parents (his older brother was away for a trade talk or something like that), and while his mother was a lovely woman, and her smile, at least, seemed genuine, his father was the definition of a politician. Which wouldn’t have unsettled you so much if you had not known his type, and how all of his sentences were well-calculated, carefully practised and being a part of a bigger plan. Even when he complimented his son, you could see that the prince was taken aback for he was smiling so coyly, you had a feeling that he scarcely complimented his children without an audience around.
You were thankful that Sungho was good at reading the room and changing topics in a polite enough manner, so that the King wouldn’t deem his action rude. It was difficult to displease them because while playing a foolish girl who always finds something to complain about and acts all so erratic was all fun and games with Prince Donghyun, when you tried to do the same in front of the royal couple, the King’s comments made you retreat. He was borderline misogynistic, saying that your honesty would be “cured” by having a husband, and that you should be lucky someone was willing to marry you with your reputation of being a fiery princess who always rejected princes.
It got to a point that you needed to excuse yourself to head outside because he started putting down your own parents for raising a princess like you, and you could not stand that. Even though you told them that you would go to the restroom, you had no place in mind, so when a servant left you by the closest restroom, you just stood there for a minute, completely frozen.
“Do you need anything, princess?” A familiar voice spoke up beside you, and you actually jumped back when you heard his voice. You were totally lost in thought, trying to process what you had been told, you didn’t pay attention to anything else.
Prince Donghyun noticed your shaken state, and his lips quivered slightly when you didn’t speak up. This was the first time that you saw something apart from mischief flash across his orbs when he looked at you, he looked genuinely concerned this time, and suddenly, you had no idea what to do with it.
“I’m so sorry about my father. He isn’t the best with…”
“You don’t need to apologise on his behalf. He needs to do it himself if he wants my forgiveness.”
The moment the words rolled off your tongue, you knew how naive it might have sounded, but you didn’t care. You kept your chin up high, kept the eye-contact, and the boy did the same. You had a feeling that he was afraid that if he looked away, you would run away. Which was incredibly close to what you actually wanted to do right then and there.
Even though you were usually good at keeping your composure in check, or at least acting like you didn’t care what people said about you, you didn’t have it in you to continue acting that night. So you were about to say that you would head back to your room to avoid having a conversation with the prince in your state, but he beat you to it.
“How about that walk to the lighthouse? That's the furthest place from the dining room,” he suggested out of the blue, his words carrying a certain gentleness. You couldn’t decide whether this was the perfect, kind prince role that he wanted to play, or whether it came naturally to him.
Nevertheless, you didn’t have the luxury to ponder over it, you just wanted a change of scenery - as much as the situation allowed, at least. So you gave in to the prince’s suggestion, and followed him outside the palace through a few unfamiliar corridors, walking through his mother’s garden to get to the docks. It didn’t resemble the docks for trading that you had been to before, it was a much more sophisticated one. It was more like a pier with only two ships waiting by the riverside, probably the ones the royal family used for travel.
For starters, the path was lit up by lanterns that glowed joyfully with the last few patches of the sunset still present on the horizon, like little fireflies in the night. The wharf itself wasn’t very well-lit, but the brightness coming from the lighthouse made up for that, illuminating the wooden structure leading up to it periodically. Even though there was mud where the water licked into the ground, the palace’s garden was connected to the shore with a little bridge, so you could walk on it as soon as you stepped past the fence separating the two sides.
Prince Donghyun held his hand out to help you step onto the wharf, and you would have objected fervently if it had not been for your dress - which seemed quite impractical for this kind of movement -, but alas, you accepted it. His grip was strong enough to hold you yet gentle enough to not crush your hands, but you didn’t hold onto him longer than needed.
“Oh no,” you said as soon as you stepped onto the wooden structure, realising that there was no railing on the sides. Even though the pathway was wide enough for two people, maybe even for three, in the momentary light the lighthouse provided when it was its turn to shine onto the wharf, you weren’t sure that you could cross it without getting panicky about it.
“What is wrong?”
“I don’t like the fact that there’s no railing here,” you announced as you pointed at the obvious lack of added safety, to which he merely gave you an amused smile.
“You can hold onto me if you want to,” he offered with a playful wink, and you were anything but impressed by his idea.
“I get seasick easily, and even though we are not on a boat, just the idea of being this close to water without an extra barrier makes me feel odd because I can’t swim, so…”
You were not one to talk about your weaknesses so easily, but the sight frightened you more than you would have admitted, and the words just rolled off your tongue without thinking ahead. It was too late to go back on your words though, you could already see how the prince was trying to make sense of the situation.
“I have an idea,” Prince Donghyun announced, mischief no longer evident in his voice as he turned his back to you and stood still.
You blinked, confused, and the thought crossed your mind that this would be the moment he would scare you or push you into the water, and you would have every reason to hate him then because you couldn’t swim. Not to mention that you were seasick often, so you absolutely detested anything that was related to water.
“You know, if you are trying to make a joke out of this whole situation, I wonder why-” You started as you took a step back in case he really did want to trick you. Instead, he raised his hands around him in a circular motion, and a few seconds later, a literal bubble formed in front of him. Then, he directed that bubble to hover between you two as he turned around.
“How did you do that?” You breathed, bewildered, as you looked at the water bubble in front of you, moving at his will. The boy couldn’t hide the smile that was creeping onto his lips at your awestruck expression that turned even more surprised when he started expanding the bubble. You were about to open your mouth to say that you didn’t want to get wet when it started getting so big that it almost touched you, but the collision never happened. What happened was that the bubble grew around you without touching you at all, so ultimately, you found yourself insead it, the world around you suddenly quiet and dim.
“It doesn’t burst with human contact or with objects. At least, I can now control it,” Prince Donghyun explained with a bit of a giggle as he stood inside the bubble with you.
You shook your head, trying to recover from this daze, but gosh, it was such a mesmerising sight. The prince looked to be in his element as he was talking about how he had learned to create bubbles and then to control them, all wide-eyed affection and enthusiasm pouring off his gorgeous features. Even if you had moments before when you questioned just how genuine he was, you couldn’t question it now, it was enough to look at him. He was dazzling, maple-brown shoulder-length hair tucked behind his ear, big doe eyes filled with stars, while he was showing you how you could touch the bubble from the inside, but it wouldn’t budge.
“I am good, aren’t I?” He quirked an eyebrow after his monologue, a proud smile tinting his lips. You looked back at him, rolling your eyes at his antics, but you had to try hard to sniffle your smile.
It felt like being inside a separate little island as you were walking inside the bubble, walking towards the lighthouse. You had to be close to him though, or else, he would need to expand the bubble even more, so you followed him diligently, and only halted when you reached the end and stood beside the beacon. This part of the wharf had railings, but you almost didn’t notice because the bubble kept out not just the outside world, but also your worries for a while.
“I didn’t know you could do something like this.”
“I’m glad to hear that I could surprise you,” he flashed you an even wider grin, if that was possible, but there was something coy about it now, as if he couldn’t believe that you could see him in a different light. Well, what could you say? You definitely didn’t expect this either.
The prince seemed curious at this point about what you could do with your powers, so you told him that you could make anything related to fire - you could create a spark, you could light up a fireplace, you could burn objects if you got your hands on them, and you could also put out fire if needed. There weren’t a lot of uses to your power, to be honest, but you didn’t mind. You always had a feeling that the reason war didn’t break out between the kingdoms was because you could only practise your magic in your own kingdom, meaning that you couldn’t do anything with fire here, even if you wanted to.
Prince Donghyun was attentive and curious, his eyes still having that bright spark to them, and for a short while, you even forgot why you ended up there, inside a bubble he created. Yet, when the next strike of light shone onto you two, and you felt your throat closing up at the sight of him - so boyish, so gentle, so affectionate -, you told him that you wished to go back.
He did seem a bit disappointed, but an understanding smile replaced his momentary pout in a bit, and he walked you back without a word. When you stepped off the docks, the bubble didn’t actually burst around you with splashes of water, it merely disappeared. You attempted to seem disinterested, but you were impressed, even if you tried to divert the topic elsewhere.
When you reached your suite, Prince Donghyun offered that you could let him know if you needed anything anytime, he would assist you. You could even knock on his door at the break of dawn - he had shown you where his suite was located on your walk back from the lighthouse -, he would be ready to help.
“Shouldn’t I notify a servant instead?” You raised an eyebrow, challengingly, but the boy either didn’t seem to take note of it, or didn’t deem it as an act of challenge.
“Well, I’m a man of many charms, and I can do a lot more than you think I’m capable of.”
“A man, pff. You’re not even 20 years old,” you pointed out cheekily, and he let out a deep, long laugh before his features went back to their previous state.
“But I will turn 20 tomorrow. I will be a man,” he retorted as he took a step closer to you, his eyes not leaving yours. Your heart betrayed you because when your eyes locked, that traitor decided to skip a beat. You had never been this close to him before, not even inside the bubble, and instead of feeling like you had to keep your guards up, you wanted to destroy the walls you built around yourself, and in that moment, he looked like he wanted to do the same.
“Good night, Princess!” He wished with a widening smile, shattering the serene moment into tiny little pieces, before he turned around and walked away.
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The birthday celebration officially started the next day at noon, but guests started arriving from early morning. You didn’t even finish breakfast, you were notified that the first carriage pulled into the court, and Prince Donghyun dutifully followed his mother outside to greet the guests. The King was supposedly in his study, but you actually preferred it that way, especially after the previous night’s conversation at dinner.
So that left you and Sungho enough time to finish the rest of the breakfast while discussing the day ahead. Your brother even brought up the events of last night, and where you had been with Prince Donghyun.
“Nowhere scandalous, trust me!” You justified more fervently than needed, and Sungho held up his hands as a peace offer. He looked like he was conflicted whether he should be amused or concerned by your dramatic reaction.
“I would have been surprised if you had been anywhere scandalous, especially with your plan to make him change his mind,” he pointed out reasonably before reaching for his mug of tea. One of the reasons why you liked your brother was because he could keep his cool, and he knew you well enough to not jump to stupid conclusions. His question was probably more out of curiosity than teasing either way.
Hence, you decided to be honest with him, though you didn’t want to talk about Prince Donghyun creating a water bubble around you, so you would dare to walk the wharf with him. You didn’t know why, but it felt like a rather affectionate reaction to your seasickness, and you didn’t want to bring it up.
“He showed me the lighthouse, and we talked about our magic, and what we can do with it.”
“Seems pretty ordinary to me. Where did you leave your over the top acting?” He inquired with a playful smile, and you gently pushed his shoulder with your own.
“I didn’t feel like doing it last night. The King’s words got to me more than I would have thought so,” you admitted feebly, suddenly finding your empty plate more interesting than anything else in the dining room. You were usually not one to be swayed by others’ opinion, you weren’t a naive and scared teenage girl anymore. On the other hand, you had never even met anyone as hostile as the King of the Water Kingdom, and you had met a lot of royalty, so that said a lot.
“I’ve heard that he’s like that with everyone; he’s never truly satisfied, and doesn’t agree with anyone even if he’s wrong. So it wasn’t directed at you,” Sungho reassured you softly, and when you looked up at him, you directed a grateful smile at him. He always seemed to know what to say, and you appreciated it more than ever.
You didn’t have a lot of time to yourself afterwards because the servants notified you that you should get ready for a bath before they would do your hair and make-up. So you followed them and let them take care of you from head to toe. Sometimes it felt cumbersome to be all dolled up for an event, but you enjoyed being pampered after the previous day, and you didn’t want to let it show that you had been affected by the King’s viciousness.
Red was the trademark colour of your kingdom, so you picked a cherry-red dress for the event, one that you always felt so powerful in. The bottom part was a widening skirt in wine-red with a thin, more translucent layer covering the silky one underneath that had such a nice fall to it. From your waist up, the material switched to lacy with pretty embroidery making it more intricate on your chest and on your arms alike. Golden beads dotted the middle line that ended in a V-cut that revealed an appropriate amount of skin before it closed up underneath your neck which was covered in beads again. You had matching burgundy high heels to top the look, though they would be covered by the wide skirt either way.
The ladies curled your hair and made the locks resemble the waves in your dress, letting them fall over your shoulders elegantly, with the exception of your front locks which were held back and secured to your temple with a ribbon. Your eyes were covered in a mixture of sparkly silver and burgundy, your lips the colour of ruby-red apples.
You were of the opinion that if you were forced to attend such events, you would do so in style, and you were thankful that your parents let you choose your outfits and consult the tailors yourself, they didn’t really meddle with your preference in dresses. Same went for Sungho who showed up in a burgundy-black outfit with delicate embroidery on the chest of his long-sleeved shirt, and an exquisite pair of cotton pants.
As always, you didn’t fail to compliment the other’s look, and when the beginning of the celebration was announced, you made your way to the ballroom, your arms resting on your brother’s. Since he was by your side, you were more reassured that you barely knew anyone here, though you saw a few familiar faces from other kingdoms. It was easy to tell who came from where because apart from a few different colours, everyone chose to dress in the trademark colour of their own kingdom - blue for the Water, green for the Earth, white for the Air and red for the Fire Kingdom. Since most of them wore some kind of blue, you assumed that quite a lot of relatives of Prince Donghyun showed up, and judging by the older boy by his side, you guessed that his brother also came back from the trade talks in time for the celebration.
The King started his toast with a historical lesson on the Water Kingdom which bored you to no end, so you rather chose that time to examine Prince Donghyun’s flawless outfit. What you expected from such a flawless visual, though? Sure, he would have not looked as dashing in a stable boy’s clothes as he looked right now in his light blue shirt dotted by silver pearls that resembled tiny little water drops, tucked into midnight-blue cotton pants, his shoulder-length hair partly tucked behind his ear, but he had a certain aura to him that was hard to beat.
You might have been staring at him for quite some time because he caught your eyes, and suddenly, you felt exposed. Not only because you had been quite obviously checking him out, but also because he didn’t seem smug or teasing, he seemed rather in awe, his lips slightly parting. Could it be because of your dress? He was clearly looking at you, so it couldn’t be because of someone else, and yet… oh that traitor heart of yours betrayed you again.
“Am I interrupting something?” Sungho mumbled quietly, so only you could hear him, but even his hushed voice was enough to turn your cheeks ruby-red.
“What are you talking about?” You turned to him, trying your best to put on an act, but your brother knew you well enough, he knew that you were lying.
“You seemed to have a moment there with Prince Donghyun, and I suddenly felt like an intruder. Come to think of, yesterday evening, you also left with him, leaving me behind, which implies that despite the fact that you claim that you want to change his mind, you have also fallen-” He started up on a whole monologue, and you had never been more thankful in your whole life that the crowd cheered and clapped, so their loud voices covered up what he was saying.
“Oh yey, it’s finally over!” You clapped enthusiastically with the crowd when the King finally ended his speech, and people started dissolving from the middle of the ball room. Sungho would have probably continued teasing you if it had not been for Prince Donghyun walking right up to the two of you because then, he shut his mouth, but his eyes were telling a different tale.
“May I have this dance?” The prince inquired as he motioned towards the people who started dancing in pairs not far from you which made you realise that you and Sungho just happened to stay at the exact middle of the ball room. Which was awkward in itself, but the way your brother bit down on his lower lip to prevent himself from saying anything made it even more awkward.
You felt the need to clear your throat before you answered.
“Only if you’re better than you were at 15.”
Prince Donghyun let out a joyous laughter hearing your proclamation, probably remembering that memorable dance from years ago all too well.
“I can assure you that I’m way better than I was at 15. I’ve taken dance lessons since,” he claimed proudly, puffing his chest out, and Sungho chose this moment to leave you two behind, stating that he was not in the mood for dancing, so you two go ahead. You tried to sear holes into his back while he was leaving you two behind, but to no avail. He didn’t even look back.
“Sure. Let’s see how much you improved. But if you step on my foot, I will step on yours too, and trust me, you don’t want to encounter these high heels closely,” you threatened half-jokingly as you turned back to Prince Donghyun, but he merely laughed off your warning. He seemed pretty confident in himself, so you wanted to give this a chance, and indeed, he did the right thing by immediately extending his hand to you, so you could reach for it. Then, he escorted you further into the dance floor, expertly manoeuvring around already dancing couples.
If the beginning wasn’t enough to convince you, the rest of the dance sure was. The boy knew what he was doing, and he did it confidently. You could tell that he had taken those dance lessons seriously because there was only slight hesitation in his movements when he first touched you - your hand, your back and your waist -, afterwards, he overcame his coyness, and continued on like nothing happened.
He held himself like a prince, a delicate prince, and you were bewitched by the twinkles in his chestnut-brown eyes, as if stars were truly dancing in them, he was glowing, his endeared smile crowning his look. He held you so steady that you knew, you could tell that if you were to fall down, he would be able to catch you, and you had never felt so taken care of during a dance. It wasn’t about him showing off - despite how he introduced his dance skills -, it was about elevating your dance experience to something you had never had before.
“I’ve told you I got better,” he stated matter-of-factly after swirling you around, and when he closed the distance next, you found yourself mumbling something along the lines of:
“Yes, I can tell.”
“Excuse me, I couldn’t catch that. Could you say that again?” Prince Donghyun teased you, flashing an all too boyish grin, and you rolled your eyes, not believing his antics. Fine, two can play this game, you thought, before you leaned closer and tiptoed on your heels, so that you could be at eye-level with him.
“You can really dance like a man now, Prince Donghyun,” you whispered into his ears, and when you leaned back, you could see a pinkish hue colouring not only his cheeks but also his ears. You got him flustered, and you called that a win.
The song the musicians were playing came to an end, so you let go of his shoulders, and sank back to your heels. The boy was so dazed that he didn’t let go of you for a few more seconds, only when you thanked him for the dance and wished him a happy birthday. You knew that other girls would be lining up to dance with him or other royalty to have a word with him since it was his birthday celebration, so you let him enjoy his day, and got lost in the crowd of royalty.
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You ended up having a talk with a princess from the Earth Kingdom, then two of Prince Donghyun’s cousins - Prince Jaehyun and Prince Woonhak - who chirped your ears off about how excited they were to meet you, and shared embarrassing stories about their cousin without flinching an eye. You were sure that it was a way to show you that Prince Donghyun was more than meets the eye, but you got the most surprised when they claimed that the prince had been harbouring feelings for you ever since that dance all those years ago, and he had not stopped talking about wanting to meet you again.
“Why would he do that? I reprimanded him for dancing so poorly,” you pointed out matter-of-factly, but that just fuelled the boys’ chattering even more.
“Oh yes, he did say something about loving the fact that you dared to put him in his place.”
“And that you weren’t afraid to speak your mind since most royalty wouldn’t do so,” Woonhak added to Jaehyun’s answer, and their words just made you wonder even more how much say Prince Donghyun had in this wedding proposal. It should have definitely gone through his father, which made you question why he had even agreed to it if you could not appease him at all, but was the choice ultimately the prince’s? Or did he have as much say in it as you did?
You were about to ask the cousins about this matter when the King announced that it was time to slice the five-tier cake, but he wanted to say a few words before. The princes beside you got all too pumped up at the mention of dessert, and excused themselves to get closer to the cake, so they could be one of the first ones to have their share.
“I would like to start by saying that we are very grateful to have all of you here to celebrate the birthday of our younger son,” the King started with his best neutral smile as he gave Prince Donghyun a side-eye who tried hard to appear more gentle than his father. You could feel from the moment you were here that their relationship was quite strained, but what his father said next just went beyond anything you could expect.
“But we have more to celebrate today, and I would like to hereby announce that our first-born, Prince Donghee, is going to marry Princess Dayoung from the Air Kingdom. Our son has just returned from finishing up on the marriage talks, and the wedding will take place in two months’ time.”
The claps came on quietly at first, then they appeared thunderous in the vast dining room, echoing back from the walls in a mocking tone while Prince Donghyun tried his best not to seem affected. You could tell that his small smile that didn’t reach his ears was anything but joyful, and he clapped like he was a mere shadow of himself. His father didn’t seem to take note of it as he asked Prince Donghee - the older brother you had seen by his side when they had started the celebration - to step forward and say a few words as well. It was all too perfect, all too practised, you felt sick to your stomach as you watched the scene unfold in front of your eyes.
“Marriage talks are underway with princesses for our second-born as well, but it looks like we have to put them on hold to prepare for the wedding day,” the King concluded after Prince Donghee was finished with his own speech, the room filled with roaring cheers once more.
You should have felt relieved that your possible marriage with Prince Donghyun was put on hold, and you should have felt a bit enraged that there were other princesses in question since they had not told you that you had competition. It shouldn’t have mattered, really, but you didn’t like the way the King was playing this game, and you felt anything but triumphant over the news. The prince seemed gutted, to say the least, and the way his eyes were searching for yours told you that he hoped that you wouldn’t take his father’s words the wrong way.
No wonder you didn’t feel like having a slice from the cake when they finished their speeches, and when you saw Prince Donghyun quietly walking away from the crowd, you decided to go after him. You met your brother in the meantime, and told him that you would be back. You didn’t know where you were going, and for a moment, you thought that you lost sight of Prince Donghyun, only to find him leaving through the garden, heading towards the lighthouse.
You tried to catch up to him, but he was a few metres ahead, and didn’t seem to notice you following him. However, when you stepped onto the dock, and realised yet again that there were no railings in sight, you came to a halt.
“Prince Donghyun!” You shouted after him, trying to gain his attention. He immediately turned around, his eyes widening in surprise when he caught sight of you standing still at the very end of the wharf.
“Princess, what are you doing here?” He inquired, his tone neutral, as he stood there, standing still a few metres ahead of you. You felt like there was a distance between you two both physically and metaphorically, and to hell to all of your plans of changing his mind, you would feel awful if you didn’t check on him after how he had checked on you last time following the King’s derogatory remarks.
“I wanted to see if you’re okay,” you blurted out, surprising yourself with how confident you sounded, but how couldn’t you? The prince in front of you never looked more vulnerable, more humane and more in need of a heart-to-heart talk - a mere 20-year-old boy who was hurt, and everyone decided to turn a blind eye to him and his feelings. The way his eyes were full of sorrowful stars instead of the joyful ones you usually saw swimming in them, and the way his lips quivered, full of emotion, but they looked as if they had never learned how to curl into a smile clenched your heart, not just a little.
“I’m not sure this is the right time to talk,” he dismissed your confession, the look on his face betraying his own words, because he looked like he wanted to talk, he just didn’t want to admit it out loud. He was ready to walk away from you when you finally broke from your frozen state, and took a step closer to him.
Your heart was in your throat as you took one step after another, focusing on the prince’s frame instead of the obvious lack of railings by the sides. You pursed your lips in concentration, remembering all those etiquette classes when you had learned how to walk in a straight line. Yet now, your steps were wobbly, your high heels clicking on the wood underneath your feet, and your long skirt didn’t help either.
However, when Prince Donghyun heard that you were indeed walking after him, he turned around, and started walking towards you. It crossed your mind for a moment that maybe he would walk by you, so that you wouldn’t come after him, and when he halted beside you, you held in your breath nervously, more nervous than you had ever been around him before.
“Why did you start walking after me? It’s dangerous,” he pointed at your dress, but there was no malice in his voice. Instead, he sounded as gentle as if he had been talking to a child. For a moment, you couldn’t find your voice, and when you did, you were all just a jumble of words. Gosh, this boy…
“I am… I just… I thought…” You started, inwardly cursing yourself for ever putting yourself in this situation. You hated nothing more than embarrassing yourself, and he knew that, he knew that all too well.
“I’ve never thought I would make you speechless,” he mused out loud, the side of his lips curling upwards, and you felt the need to punch him in his chest for teasing you like that. You were ready to do just that, raising your left hand, but he reached out for it instead, and laced his arm with yours, as casually as if it had been the hundredth time he did that.
Now you were actually speechless, blinking up at the boy whose side profile was enough to tell you that he was feeling rather shy himself, both his cheeks and ears were turning red after his gesture. He guided you towards the other end though, holding your arm safe and steady, as you were walking side by side towards the lighthouse.
May it be because you were more awestruck by Prince Donghyun’s gesture than your own fear of the open water around you, but you were at the other end before you knew it, and you didn’t even think about falling into the water, not even once. Or may it be because he was holding you like he wanted to protect you from all the bad in the world, but there was gentleness in his grip, something that didn’t go unnoticed by you (and that traitor heart of yours).
“I’m sorry about what my father said. It’s true that he has been in talks with other kingdoms regarding marriage proposals, but I haven’t been in talks with anyone other than you. I’ve wanted to tell you sooner, I just-”
“I know, I could tell,” you cut the prince off before he could feel even more guilty about something that wasn’t in his control.
“Really?”
“Yes,” you nodded seeing his bewildered expression. Well, you couldn’t blame him since you definitely looked like you wanted to find anything you could criticise about him or his kingdom the day before, but this - standing beside the lighthouse with his arm around yours, watching the setting sun on the horizon - was different. “And I know we don’t always have a say in what we want when it comes to the matters of our own kingdom. Plus, marriage is a serious topic, and it’s understandable that your father looked at other options, too,” you added matter-of-factly, but you could feel a little bit of a lump in your throat.
Prince Donghyun didn’t say anything for some time, so you hoped that you didn’t cross any boundaries. You could feel him tense a bit beside you, and since you didn’t know why, you let go of his arm, so he could have his own space if he wanted. He looked at your retrieving arm for a few seconds before he spoke up again.
“I’m not sure how to word this, but I feel like my father… he doesn’t love me the way he loves my brother,” he confessed, raw and vulnerable. He was staring far ahead, but you could tell from the way he was clenching his jaw that even this was hard for him without looking at you. “I don’t know why because I’ve tried everything my brother can do, and still… I always get that I’m only good for my looks, and I should marry someone who could bring more to our kingdom.”
You felt your heart drop at his confession because it resonated with you so much, especially the last sentence. Even though you weren’t pitted against each other with Sungho, you were also told by distant relatives and royalty from other kingdoms that you were so beautiful, but nothing else, and that you should marry someone who could make you someone. As if you weren’t already someone just by being born into your family. You weren’t perfect, but you tried to learn how not to let it get to you since as a princess, you had to deal with such comments all the time.
On the other hand, you would have never thought that Prince Donghyun might be going through the same thing because everyone had been gushing about him, and not just about his looks. Yet, you could never know what goes on in a palace unless you live there yourself, so you would never have the heart to question his words. You could tell that he was telling the truth.
“I know it might sound naive given that we are royalty, but the only person you should be good enough for is yourself. Trust me, you will feel a lot lighter if you know that you live your life for yourself, not somebody else,” you shared honestly, looking at him, and that’s the moment he turned his head to look at you, too.
When your eyes met, you thought that he would ask you about your experience, and you would have told him. Something in you shifted since last night, and you weren’t trying to undermine his efforts and see him in a bad light anymore. In fact, what all that bravado showed you was that he still accepted you, and he was willing to put up with your behaviour no matter what.
However, instead of asking about your side - though you had a feeling he understood you even without saying it out loud -, he said the next few words that truly put everything in a whole new light:
“But I want to be good enough for you, too.”
Sunset reflecting in his eyes, painting his locks in shades of chestnut-brown and statice-purple, his tall frame towering over you as if he wanted to shelter you from the outside world, your heart skipped a few beats before it picked up its pace, and started thumping against your ribcage, electrifying your whole body from head to toe. Your throat was dry, your words non-existent, and you unknowingly took a few steps backwards, as if to detach yourself from this perfect moment… only to step on the insides of your two-layered skirt, and fall - very far from elegant - into the cold water.
Your body was in survival mode immediately, your arms flailing around wildly as you tried to keep yourself up in the water. Your lungs were on fire, and despite the fact that you tried to pacify your breathing, telling yourself that you would be okay, your brain didn’t listen to you, and made up worse and worse scenarios of you drowning there. Even when firm arms took hold of you, all you could think about was that there was no air, no air, no air… drowning, drowning, drowning…
It could have been mere seconds, you couldn’t tell, before you got to the shore, and Prince Donghyun helped you push yourself upwards, so you could cough up the water. It felt so violent, your lungs and your throat seemed to battle each other while your eyes were on fire due to the salty water, and your whole body was shivering in your cold, damp clothes. In the meantime, you could subtly feel his gentle pats on your back that turned to circles when your coughs easened up, and your breathing wasn’t stridulous anymore.
“It’s okay. You’re safe now. It’s okay. I’m here,” Prince Donghyun said as a mantra while you were trying to pull yourself together. Yet, the moment you felt your shock fading away, you found yourself tearing up, your body starting to shake with the sobs.
Prince Donghyun looked alarmed for a moment, not knowing what to do with you, but you didn’t let him decide. You threw your arms around his equally wet body, and sobbed into the crook of his neck.
“Thank you… for saving me,” you mumbled between ragged breaths, and an intense wave of sobbing came over you when you said the words out loud. You could have died, you could have died just a few minutes ago, and he had jumped in to save you. He could have teased you that the water wasn’t that deep or he could have forgotten that you had told him that you couldn’t swim, and let you drown there, but he had jumped in without hesitation, and pulled you to shore so swiftly, you wondered if he had used some kind of magic just now. For you.
Prince Donghyun didn’t say a word, he let you cry as much as you wanted, while he was holding you safe and sound, while you were holding onto him.
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A whirlwind of events followed your unfortunate fall. As soon as you entered the palace, the prince called for servants to help you undress, bathe and help you get warm, and he also notified someone to send a royal medic over to your suite after everything else was taken care of. You were trying to say that he himself should do the same, but he looked more worried about you than his own wet clothes and dripping locks, and you didn’t find the right words to say, still a bit under the influence of the past events.
You followed what the servants asked you to, and you liked that you were being told what to do for a change because it helped you to focus on something else other than the near-death experience. Whenever your mind was trying to replay the scene from when you had been in the water, you pulled yourself back to reality, holding onto the bathtub or the side of your fresh gown a bit more tightly, so as to keep you grounded. It was difficult at first, but the more you practised it, the easier it became, and when the servants tucked you into bed, you felt like you were close to being okay again. The medic also stated that you didn’t have a fever, there was no sign of a creeping illness, your heart probably beat faster than usual due to the shock, and prescribed some calming herbal tea.
Sungho visited you as soon as he was allowed to, and of course, he came with all those “I should have been there for you” monologues, the ones you quickly dismissed because you could take care of yourself, you didn’t need his supervision all the time, but mostly because it was your fault that you fell (and your dress’), no one else could be blamed for it. You also asked him not to blame Prince Donghyun, but he seemed more offended by the fact that you dared to assume that he would hold the prince accountable than by the way you were so quick to take the prince’s side.
“How could I blame him? He saved you, after all,” he declared simply, and let out a long sigh after his words. It was rare that you saw him so concerned, you usually didn’t give him any reason to worry about you, so it warmed your heart yet again just how much he cared under that otherwise teasing brother surface.
“I’m sorry for making you worried.”
“If you’re really sorry, you should get better soon, and listen to the medic,” he reprimanded you as if you had been a child, and maybe he thought the same because he let out a deep laughter afterwards. “Huh, I sound like a real big brother, don’t I?”
“You do, and it kind of scares me a bit. When did you grow up?” You mused out loud playfully, and the effect was immediate. The boy’s furrowed eyebrows smoothed out, and his features easened, softened, his shoulders sagging at ease. He crouched down to toss an unruly lock to the side that was falling into your eyes, and patted your head.
“I remember I did the same when you fell into that pond on our trip to the meadows,” he reminiscenced with a soft smile, and you didn’t need to be told twice what he meant by it. You remembered that day as if it had been yesterday. You had been 12 at the time, and your family had already known that you didn’t know how to swim, so it had been Sungho who had jumped after you. He was already an excellent swimmer, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been shaken by that experience. You remembered how he had stayed by your bedside for the whole night afterwards, afraid that nightmares would haunt you.
“Will you stay by my side for the night this time, too?” You elevated an eyebrow challengingly, and he let out a bewildered huff in relief.
“Do you think I don’t know that you wouldn’t let me?”
“Fair point,” you agreed wholeheartedly, but let him pat your head a few more times before there was a knock on the door. You both turned towards the visitor when he opened the door, and when it turned out to be Prince Donghyun, Sungho gave you a knowing look before telling the boy that he should come in, he was about to leave anyway. It didn’t slip your attention that on his way out, he squeezed the younger prince’s shoulder in an affectionate manner, and even though you didn’t see it from that angle, you had a feeling that he said thank you to the prince, and that’s why he seemed so coy all of a sudden.
His hair was extremely fluffy (now that it was freshly washed like yours), the locks curling elegantly around his ears and neck like soft little tendrils, his doe eyes shining in the dim lights of the room, all bright and fond. He was wearing more casual attire than at the party, so you deemed that him jumping into the water after you meant that he had no desire to go back to his birthday celebration that was soon coming to its end either way.
You felt awfully exposed with your hair still wet at the ends, lack of concealing touches and make-up on your face, and being tucked into bed in a nightgown was not at all how you wanted Prince Donghyun to see you, but he didn’t seem fazed by your appearance. Nor did he make a comment on it when you beckoned him closer, and he could see for himself that you were fine.
You wouldn’t admit it for the world, but it warmed your heart how worried he was, and when it was the fifth time you had to reassure him that you were fine, you had a feeling that it was more out of guilt than anything else, hence, you felt the need to emphasise:
“It wasn’t your fault that I fell into the water, so don’t be sorry. What’s more, you saved my life, so I couldn’t be more thankful for you,” you admitted genuinely, and the blush that crept onto his cheeks was adorable. You had to bite down on your tongue to hold yourself back from smiling at his shy state.
“Still, I’m sorry that you had to experience it.”
“It wasn’t the first time, actually,” you justified, and continued telling him about that time at the pond Sungho had just talked about, and one time when one of the royal teachers had tried to teach you how to swim, but you had nearly drowned. It hadn’t been a super important requirement for a princess to learn how to swim, but since you travelled by ships to both the Air Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom, it was a weakness that possible enemies could take advantage of if things went south. So they had tried to teach you, but to no avail. Your panic always kicked in as soon as water surrounded you.
The prince stayed quiet, and you couldn’t tell whether it was because he didn’t know if he was allowed to ask questions, or he didn’t have any. On the other hand, you had questions, so you inquired if he knew how to create bubbles underwater, and his eyes immediately lit up when he started talking about his power. He did know how to create bubbles both outside of water and underwater, so he could breathe in there without oxygen, and he shared that sometimes he used these bubbles to watch the fish and crabs underwater because he had always been fascinated by them.
His whole demeanour changed when he was talking about the sea and the creatures living there, sharing both stories of his childhood days when he had been collecting shells alongside the shore, and interesting facts about sea life that he read books on. At one point, he was so into talking about his favourite type of fish that he didn’t even notice a servant coming into your room and placing some food and another mug of tea on your bedside table. He only realised that the lady was in the room when she pushed a chair beside your bed, so he could sit down on it while talking. Then, he giggled, a heartwarming mixture of excited and embarrassed, and thanked her for the gesture.
“May I?” He asked before he would have sat down on the chair, and you nodded immediately. It’s not like you weren’t the visitor here, but you appreciated the gesture.
The prince was definitely interrupted because now he didn’t know where to continue or where to start, and he just looked around, his eyes darting between different parts of the room until they settled on the steaming bowl of food and the mug of tea on your bedside table.
“Oh, you should have it while it’s still hot,” he suggested as he pointed at the steaming bowl. “Since there was mostly heavy food for the celebration, I’ve asked a chef to prepare something more nutritious to prevent you from coming down with something,” he explained as he averted his eyes from the food to you.
You blinked rapidly at him, your suspicion kicking in, but then you remembered what he had said just a few hours before:
“But I want to be good enough for you, too.”
And it all made sense now. Not just his kind actions, going above and beyond to make sure that your stay at the palace was comfortable from offering to help with anything to checking up on you the first night you had that awful dinner with his parents, but also the way he was different to you than with other girls. Even if you wanted to deny it, you could see that the prince didn’t dance with anyone else at his birthday party other than you, and Prince Woonhak and Prince Jaehyun also said that he had been harbouring feelings for you, and now it made sense. He had even learned how to dance properly because of you, and he had created a water bubble, so you could cross the wharf with you.
“What’s wrong?” Prince Donghyun’s concerned voice brought you back to the here and now, and you just shook your head with a smile. You weren’t sure that you could ever look at him the same way after knowing that he liked you.
“Nothing. I’m just thankful,” you admitted, and reached for the bowl of steaming soup. You could feel the boy’s eyes on you when you took the first spoonful of the soup, but it was delightful, and when the prince asked about it, you said so. He seemed very happy to know that you enjoyed it, and went over what was in the soup, or at least, what he remembered the chef telling him.
“So…” You cleared your throat after the first few bites, feeling silly for wanting to bring up the topic, but also feeling silly for not wanting to bring it up. In the end, you thought better of it, and just blurted it out. “Did you have a say in the wedding proposal you sent me?”
“Yours was the only one I had a say in. My father sent out two inquiry letters to other kingdoms, and he was the one who chose the possible brides in those cases,” he answered immediately, and you saw heat returning to his cheeks when it dawned on him that he basically confessed that he was the one who had chosen you.
“Oh,” you found yourself saying, but the boy’s expression was quizzical upon your reaction.
“Oh? Oh as in ‘oh, I’m so disappointed’, or oh as in ‘oh, I didn’t expect that’ or… ‘oh, I’m so happy to hear that’?” He listed out the options, and furrowed his eyebrows, totally clueless. It was a cute look on him, you had to admit, especially in comparison to his usual confidence demeanour.
“Oh as in ‘oh, I didn’t expect that’, but it makes me feel kind of… good?”
The moment the last word rolled off your tongue, you knew that you were done for. Yet, the boy’s smug smile just confirmed that he wouldn’t let you live down afterwards, so you braced yourself for his teasing. Instead, his proud smile softened, his big doe eyes turning to little crescents as he watched you eat, and didn’t say a word. You found yourself smiling back at him, letting the silence embrace you, and it was so crazy that a day before, you would have done everything to change his mind about you, and now, you just admitted that you were glad that he was the one who had chosen you. Now, you had a better idea why he would have done so, and it made you feel fizzy and warm and a bit enchanted.
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You were the only guests who stayed for two nights, but it was the Water Kingdom’s request, so nobody could blame you for it. However, staying for the night after having a heart-to-heart conversation with Prince Donghyun in your room felt odd, as if it was an invitation for something more even though you were perfectly aware of the fact that the King of the Water Kingdom would most probably do anything in his power to choose someone over you when it came to his second-born son’s marriage. The fact that the prince had been the one to choose you as a potential bride - and you had been the only one he had a say in - made you feel somewhat special, but it also made you feel slightly competitive.
It was laughable, really. You had come here to destroy Prince Donghyun’s plans to marry you, and now, you wanted to destroy his father’s plans to outrule you. You weren’t a petty loser, you knew how to lose, but still… with the way the prince cared for you and went above and beyond to assist you and keep you company during these days made you feel almost compelled to make a better impression on his parents. Not to mention the fact that he had also saved you from drowning.
However, nothing was certain for now, especially not with Prince Donghee’s upcoming marriage that would take the spotlight either way, so you didn’t want to pry about the matter on the day of your departure. On the other hand, you managed to bump into Prince Woonhak and Prince Jaehyun - also having stayed for the night after they had eaten through the whole menu for the celebration - when you left your suite, and they insisted that they wanted you to come back again.
“That isn’t my choice to make, I’m afraid,” you broke it down to them with a friendly smile, and Prince Woonhak pouted as if he would never ever see you again. You had seemed to make a good impression on them, and it warmed your heart since you had only had one conversation. Though that was a very important conversation given that they had spilled the beans on Prince Donghyun having a crush on you for years.
“You should invite us to your birthday celebration then. When is it?” Prince Jaehyun suggested with a wide grin, and when you let them know about the date and that you would keep his words in mind before organising it, he looked like an overzealous kid, all smiles and bright eyes. Gosh, they were so cute, it made you miss your ever-so-bright little sister even more.
“We’re rooting for you two, you know,” Woonhak beamed, not letting silence fall over the three of you, his unruly locks falling into his eyes.
“For who?”
“You and Donghyun. It’s obvious that you like him, too,” he continued with a smug grin, and you were about to open your mouth to decline him, but you were unable to form words. That just seemed to confirm everything in their eyes because their smirks grew even wider, their eyes even brighter.
Thankfully, you were interrupted by a servant who notified you that your carriage was ready, so after a few bubbly words and wishes from the two boys, you were guided outside. Sungho was already there, talking to the Queen of the Water Kingdom by the carriage while you caught sight of both Prince Donghee and Prince Donghyun bidding farewell to other guests. When you halted beside your brother, the Queen inquired if you had a good night’s sleep, and apologised for the inconvenience the day before. You reassured her that you weren’t inconvenienced, you were rather grateful for Prince Donghyun’s assistance, and she smiled a genuine smile, one that made your erratic thoughts calm down a little bit. The King might have been hostile towards you, but the Queen had never been openly critical of you, so you hoped that it could stay that way.
“Excuse me, I have to bid farewell to the other guests,” the woman announced after having a few words with you and Sungho, then, she reached out to squeeze your hands. The gesture took you by surprise, but only in a positive way. “Please, make sure to visit us again. Donghyun might not say it out loud, but I could see how happy your presence made him,” she shared with a secretive smile, and despite your bewilderment, you reciprocated it, squeezing her hands once before she let go.
“With pleasure, Your Majesty,” you bowed respectfully as both an answer and both a farewell. You watched her leave before turning back to your brother who had that amused half-smile playing on his lips that told you that he really wanted to call you out on something, but he tried to hold it in. Sighing, you raised an eyebrow in question.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing, really. I’m just amused by the fact that you came here, set on not wanting to come here ever again in your whole entire life, and now, you just got invited again,” he blabbered as if his words weren’t teasing at all, but you didn’t want to admit anything, so you merely pointed out, trying to keep your voice as confident as possible:
“She meant ‘us’, not just me.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever. Your Water Prince is likely walking towards us because he also wants to meet me again,” Sungho gestured towards Prince Donghyun who was indeed coming up to you, elegance radiating off him while he was taking one step after another. It was unfair how vividly he stood out, and how perfectly the morning sunlight bathed him in its glory, drawing a halo around his chestnut-brown hair. It was also unfair how much your heartbeat picked up its speed when he halted beside your brother, and how much you had to try to sniffle a smile when your eyes landed on his ethereal features.
“I truly hope you enjoyed your stay with us,” he started politely, probably as a matter of courtesy, and he was about to continue when Sungho spoke up.
“Oh, I certainly enjoyed my stay,” he said as he gave you a not at all subtle side glance, and you felt the need to roll your eyes at his antics. Gosh, did he have to call you out like that?
“Thank you again for the invitation, Prince Donghyun,” you spoke up as if nothing happened, and the boy beamed, a smile blooming on his lips at your words. Unbeknownst to you, your lips also curled upwards. Staring at him felt both so wrong and so right at the same time, and seconds passed by with the cacophony of the surrounding noises fading into the background.
At least, until your brother decided to clear his throat and announce that he would let you two proceed while he would check on the insides of the carriage. A lame excuse, you could tell, but you appreciated his gesture because while you wouldn’t do anything inappropriate with the prince that he should not be a witness of, you felt like you could say a proper goodbye to the prince if it was just the two of you.
“I hope you also enjoyed your stay despite my father’s words on the first day,” Prince Donghyun mused out loud, his eyes searching for yours, something akin to concern flashing across them. You bobbed your head, reassuring him that you were doing better than on that first day.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he noted, letting a small smile invade his lips as he looked down at his intertwined fingers for a few seconds. You had never really mastered the art of saying goodbye to someone, let alone someone like him… someone who made you feel so many things in such a short span of time.
Maybe he was the same for the silence stretched a bit too long, but before you could get discouraged again, you spoke up.
“Thank you for everything. My stay was more enjoyable… thanks to you,” you blurted out, your voice cracking a bit by the end. The prince looked up right in that moment, and his cheeks flushed, tinting his pale skin in the shade of cherry blossom-pink. You could also feel your cheeks heating up, and it was so unlike you that you felt like running away and throwing yourself into the carriage right away.
“Thank you so much for coming, and if it’s up to me, it won’t be the last time we see each other. If you let me, of course…”
The prince let his words trail off by the end, curious and contemplative, while his eyes never left yours. You felt another rush of heat going through your body at the implication behind his words, but even if you wanted to deny it, even if you didn’t, there was only one right answer.
“I’d love to see you again,” you confessed feebly, but in the next moment, you pointed a finger at him warningly to mask up your anxiety. “But only if you keep practising your dancing.”
Laughter bubbled up the prince’s throat - airy and carefree - before he promised you that he would keep practising, so that he could continue dancing like a man. Then, he flashed one of those boyish grins of his that made princesses’ knees go weak, and now you kind of understood why that was the case.
“See you again, Prince Donghyun!”
“See you soon, Princess!” He bid his farewell when the coachman came up to the two of you, letting you know that you could leave whenever you wanted to. You smiled back at the waving prince as you made your way to the carriage, and the coachman helped you inside.
Once you took a seat and looked up at your brother who was sitting in front of you, you warned him:
“Not a word, Sungho.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“That’s your luck,” you stated playfully before looking out of the window and watching Prince Donghyun’s waving figure getting smaller and smaller until he was out of sight.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this story of mine! Let me know what you think!
If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for BOYNEXTDOOR or for other artists, consider signing up for my taglist here.
Hope you have a lovely day/night! Take care! ❤️
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etaleah · 1 year ago
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The reason everyone was expecting Nine to take Shadow prisoner and use him as leverage for Sonic’s energy isn’t just because of Sonadow. It’s because that’s the story that would have been the most engaging and made the most narrative sense to tell.
Batten Rouge, Sails, and Catfish are perfectly fine characters, but I don’t think viewers are ever going to care about them as much as we care about Shadow, for a couple of reasons. (1) Shadow has been part of the franchise for much longer and so there’s much more of a history with him, (2) Sonic spent entire episodes with Shadow and had just been saved by him several times whereas he maybe had a few seconds of dialogue with each of those pirates, (3) Shadow is the very last part of Green Hill that remains, and (4) Shadow is his own character and not just one out of multiple versions of the same character like the pirates are. I understand they’re all supposed to be different characters, but I still found myself not feeling all that concerned about what would happen to Batten Rouge because hey, even if she goes down, we still have two more Rouge’s! But there’s only one Shadow. Using him as leverage would have been the smarter choice because the audience is more invested in what will happen to him.
It also would have kept Nine sympathetic. If he goes after Shadow, then he’s defending himself against someone who threatened to attack him first, and who has made it very clear that he doesn’t plan on holding back. But if he goes after the pirates, then he’s targeting innocent people who haven’t done anything to him, and that makes it harder to sympathize with him.
Not to mention it would have added actual purpose to Shadow being knocked down a hole and could have played with the cliffhanger of “Oh no, Shadow’s hurt, will he be okay?” instead of it just being a temporary inconvenience to take Shadow out of the action for no reason and an emotional bait-and-switch where we’re meant to think that he’s been hurt only to then have it be revealed that he’s fine.
It isn’t just about shipping. Audiences are good at knowing what needs to happen in a story for the narrative to make the most sense. So when it doesn’t, it’s…puzzling, to say the least.
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sweet-writings9 · 11 months ago
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Only For Them | one
Summary: A lone omega was on the run from a ruthless alpha. Running was all she knew until she bumped to two certain alphas that would change her life forever. Crazy things happen to her once she realizes that they are her mate. Two mates. How will she able to cope?
Characters: Omega!Fem!reader , Alpha!Steve Rogers, Alpha!Bucky Barnes (James Barnes)
genre: omegaverse au, alternative au, love, humor, angst, comfort, yandere
warning: self harm, suicide, dark past, trauma, insecure thoughts
notes: i'm so glad you all really liked the prologue hehe i was so shocked at how many messages i got. you guys are amazing and I'm glad you guys like it so much. Here's the first part which isn't much but it'll soon get better. :) hope you like this. feedback is appreciated! thank you again!
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It was black.
Pitch black.
Nothing was to be seen from miles away.
[Y/N] ran as far as her legs could go. Even with the darkness, she forced herself to keep on moving. She wouldn't stop. She couldn't. She wanted to turn into her wolf form but she couldn't. She panicked as she kept moving.
She wondered why.
Why was she here? Why was it so dark? Where was she?
She was focusing on her running that she couldn't focus on her change form. Her breaths came out rapidly and loud as she couldn't control her breathing from all the running she had done. She didn’t know why she felt so weak. Normally, she would last hours running but now she could barely catch her breath. It felt like she was running for hours. She then turned back to see nothing but darkness getting closer to her which scared her more.
Pitch black.
She didn't know why she was running away or from who but she had that gut feeling telling her to keep moving. She had to. There must be a reason why she was here. She slowly started to slow down as she felt her legs giving out. She fell to the ground as she started to take deep breaths so she can breathe again. Calming down her heartbeat since it was beating rapidly. She sighed as she leaned against a tree big enough to hide her entire body which was a mistake as she started to hear voices around her.
Multiple voices that she's never heard before.
She gasped as she looked around, expecting for someone to come out and laugh at her, revealing all this to be a joke like some alphas from the past that would do it to her all the time; but nothing came which scared her even more.
The waiting. The anxiety was killing her slowly.
She suddenly felt a sharp pain coming from her chest, placing her hand where she felt the pain. She slowly looked down, seeing blood dripping everywhere. Her blood. Her eyes widen as she opened her mouth to yell for help.
But she couldn't.
It was like she couldn't speak.
Like her vocal cords were ripped out of her throats.
Then, she heard those voices again.
"You're nothing but a weak omega!"
"You're just weak. Trash to everyone!"
"Just die already!"
Those words that always have made her heart hurt more than everything. She never showed her weakness to anyone but she felt her heart break each time.
Those words that haunt her everyday since she could remember.
Until she heard that voice. His voice.
"[Y/N]…"
She heard it clearly yet it sounded so far away that she hardly heard it over the other voices. She closed her eyes slowly as she felt the cold ground against her back as she soon blacked out. Still hearing someone calling her name but she couldn't open her eyes. She was slowly dying.
[Y/N] gasped loudly as she sat up and looked around, seeing herself in the middle of a street. She gripped her head as it felt like a pile of bricks fell on her until she heard a loud honk coming from her right. She slowly turned to see a few cars coming her way. Her eyes widen as she quickly got up from her feet and ran away as she heard a few curse words coming from behind her. She ran towards a dark alley and fell on her knees as she couldn’t feel her legs. She felt drips of sweat crawling down of her face as fear was written all over her face. She doesn’t remember anything. Nothing at how she got here. In this city. She was about to get up until she felt a sting feeling coming from her chest.
It was time. 
It was heat season. 
The worst time of the year that she hated so much. 
After all, she was an unmarked omega. 
Every year it would get stronger and more aggressive that she could hardly bear with it but she managed with it. Sadly, she had to stay away from anyone, hide that way she wouldn't be able to attack anyone or the other way around. The heat was something so vicious and it could turn the innocent to monsters. 
She crawled back until her back was leaning against the brick walls as she tried to calm her breathing. Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest but she knew that it'll be over soon. She just had to stay hidden and away from everyone, especially Alphas. She didn't know how long she'll be able to manage since she was in New York. In the place filled with all sorts of people. It was the worst time for her to be on heat. She leaned her head back as she closed her eyes and tried to ease her mind and heart. She slowly calmed her body as she fell into a deep slumber.
Yet, who would ever want someone like her? 
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Somewhere out of the city
Tossing and turning, sweat dripping all over his body. Words mumbling out of his mouth as the dream was taking over. He had been like this several night. Ever since he started having these dreams of this woman. This woman that he didn't know at all, but he kept dreaming about her.
Her running away from him.
The more he calls for her. The more far she goes.
It makes his wolf howl for her.
Bucky can't stand it. He needed to see her. To be close to her.
"STOP!" He screamed out as he sat up on his bed, breathing heavily as he looked around to see himself in his room once again.
He cursed under his breath as he rubbed his face that was filled with sweat.
It has been several days since he had been having the same dream. The same person every time. It always ended the same too.
Once he would reach her, she was gone. Vanished like she didn't exist at all.
It would make his chest hurt so much that he just wanted to rip out his heart out to stop all the pain. The disappointment.
He leaned back down as he tried to calm himself down. He turned to the side to find the other side of bed empty where usually Steve would sleep. He sighed as he figured that he must of been called for a mission. He was always out helping everyone unlike him that was still trying to deal with everything that has been happening to him. The nightmares. The triggers that would take him back to the past. His horrible past that he just wanted to erase. Now with these dreams, he felt like he was going even more insane. He had the urge to just go out and find their scent.
Their scent filled with strawberries. Sweet strawberries.
It made his mouth watery just by the thought but he shook his head. After everything he has done, he didn't deserve a mate. No one. He felt out of place, but his friends; Steve and Sam would always help him out.
Mostly Steve since he was his mate.
Sam would annoy him and he'd do the same back to him which would always be a rowdy argument.
With them by his side, the cold walls became warm and welcoming.
Even with the missions he would go to weren't helping him at all. There would be times where something would trigger him and he'd black out and remembering what he used to do back with HYDRA.
Steve noticed right away and would help him out of it, but there was times that it wasn't enough.
He knew that now he couldn't go back to sleep. Too much adrenaline and thoughts going thru his head. He got out of bed and walked to his balcony for some fresh air. He has been doing it ever since the dreams happened. Stayed up all night, trying to forget about her.
The woman that has made his wolf and himself go crazy.
"Who are you?" He whispered as he looked up at the dark sky with stars shining dimly back at him. "Where are you? Why can't I ever catch you?"
Everywhere he looked, he would see mates happily living their lives which he wanted. Just wanted to be normal with a mate, living normally like everyone else yet at the same time he didn't. He knew he didn't deserve that life. He was a killer, well used to be.
He was broken and nobody wanted a mate like him, right?
But he wasn't the only one that was suffering with these dreams. Steve as well.
Steve was up in a hotel in Washington after finishing his mission, he decided to stay the night and leave early morning for NYC to see Bucky. He was concerned for him. He worried for his friend and mate. He knew everything Bucky went through and he was there when Bucky laid it all for him. He didn't judge him at all since he couldn't understand the pain he was going thru.
Yet, he was by his side no matter what.
Nothing would change that. He was his mate after all.
They had been mates ever since they were little and the time that they were apart was torture for them. When they met once again, they were so happy to find each other again. So happy yet they still felt incomplete.
Like something was missing. More like someone.
He felt the same as Bucky, not being worthy of being someone else's mate. He felt like he didn't deserve it.
He didn't deserve a mate.
Didn't deserve that woman in his dreams as well.
The strawberry scent filled his nose and his wolf would howl in joy. He didn't understand whom this person was.
Why he had this effect just by the thought of her?
He sighed as he looked outside of his window as he wondered if that woman was real or just a figure of his imagination.
"This is just ridiculous..." He mumbled to himself as he headed towards his bed and turned off the lamp.
Pitch black all over his room as he laid back down on his bed, trying to get some sleep.
He hoped that morning would come sooner so he can go back to Bucky. He admitted that he missed his mate. His friend. He let out a sigh as he closed his eyes, hoping to forget about that woman that's been in the back of his head ever since the dreams started.
....
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jester089 · 1 year ago
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I have a request for the tdac characters to fall in love with child reader(platonically) and basically be attached to them like their younger sibling figure, and now imagine the reader starts to slowly get insane in some way and abstracts, and they just watch in horror as they see their practically younger sibling abstract and taken away to the black hole(I forgot what its called), and they get out of character, I need some angst and out of character mfs
So young
Now I have done multiple things on this type of idea so it's probs gonna be really similar to some of my past works. I'll still do my best though. For future reference in requesting please specify if you want a oneshot or headcannons. I did a little of both for this one but it was tiring, so please specify.
TADC Crew x Child Reader Who Abstracts
You were by far the youngest in the Digital Circus. Out of everyone you actually enjoyed it there, it was colorful, safe, had plenty of things to do. And had people who actually cared about you. It was a place of respite for you after you're awful family. Well awful isn't the right word they weren't abusive or anything. Just neglectful. Caine was a lot like a weird uncle to you. Always had some kind of gift for you when he saw you and despite what he says you know he cares about you. You were just about the only person who genuinely enjoyed his little adventures and jokes so he ended up getting kind of attached to you. As much as an AI could at least.
Gangle more often then not wasn't around you. She didn't avoid you or anything but she didn't go out of her way to be around you. One time when her mask broke and you saw her crying you went to Caine to ask if she was ok. He explained as best he could to you that she isn't really sad, just her mask broke. So you asked Caine to help you fix it. A few hours later you're at Gangle's door with a fixed mask in a present box. Once she saw that you of all people, the youngest one here went out of your way to help her she started to warm up to you.
Zooble most definitely didn't enjoy being around you Lies. She always acted like you annoyed her and she wanted to be anywhere else. But the few times you two have been alone she's surprisingly nice. She taught you how to make a paper hat one time then for the next few weeks you were never seen without one on.
Kinger took on a much more loving approach with you. He saw you as young and in danger and with no one to guide you. And if you were just left alone Jax would probably swoop in like a vulture and corrupt you. So he half took you in and did his best to raise you and teach you. It was hard as their isn't anything for learning in the circus but he did his best. It annoys him to no end when he hears a censored word come from you only to learn that Zooble's been teaching you swears behind his back.
Ragatha did her best with Kinger to raise you so you had some kind of future ahead of yourself. Despite the fact that they no one ages they still want you to be prepared. She took on a very "over protective older sister" kind of way with you. You're young, weak, and gullible so she's constantly worrying about you. Enough for her to set up a bed for you in her room. Plus side is she'll read you bedtime stories.
Jax's sole goal since he found out Kinger and Ragatha were teaching you and keeping you away from him is to taint you. Whenever you're left alone he kind of just appears and offers you something fun to do with him so you'll follow him. He has fed so many lies to your malleable young brain. Like "Hey kid. Did'ja know that Ragatha loves centipedes? I actually caught one earlier today. Why don'cha give it to er?" so naturally you did. You got grounded for that. Pomni is the one you feel closest too. You're innocent and kind nature help her keep calm(er). And her being around your height makes you feel more comfortable around her so you're always seen dragging her around to do something silly. You help her look for the exit, kind of. Your different way of seeing the world has helped her find many things out though. Did you know that their's a secret building at the bottom of the the digital lake? She only found it cause you mentioned said something about Atlantis while swimming then proceeded to dive under the water scaring her.
All of them started to get worried when your usual energetic and optimistic self started to act tired, all the time. Even someone as at your age who seems to be the perfect fit isn't immune to the problems the circus has it seems. When you started to get depressed it freaked Ragatha out causing her to be more strict with you because she didn't want to see you hurt. That only made it worse though. None of them take you abstracting well. Even Jax, despite being a jerk he ended up getting kind of attached to you. Cause no matter how mean he was you were always nice to him. "Wonder if their still causing chaos in the afterlife..." Caine being the ring master was always trying to cheer everyone up and get their mind off you but it never really worked. It slightly affected him too, not because he was attached to you. But because you were so young... "Couldn't even keep a kid alive..." Ragatha after losing you would either lock herself in her room staring at your old bed trying to decide on if she should or shouldn't take it down. It the only thing she has left to remember you by. You had your whole life ahead of you. But she ended up not being able to help. Just like with all those others... "Is it even worth the effort at this point. Am I even helping..." Kinger had already lost Queenie his S/O... Now you, the one he was actually starting to see as his kid. That is what pushed him over the deep end. You two his family, both abstracted. At least he'll get too see you two again... "I'll be there soon love, just have to grab Y/N's books..."
(Idk if this is good or at all what you wanted. But I tried. Hope you enjoyed it. Also if you all could please check my request rules before requesting. It would make my life much easier. Thanks. Also I kinda wanna re-write this without the abstraction part.)
xoxo, Jester
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sepherinaspoppies · 9 months ago
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Only If For A Night (ii/?)
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pairing: Dark! Book Aemond Targaryen x Modern! Reader
summary: In Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), she gets forcefully transported to Westeros and meets her favorite book character, Aemond 'One Eye'. She asks and begs for his help to send her back home after realizing this was a world she did not want to live in. Unknowingly to her, her favorite fictional man had already grown too attached to fully let her go.
warnings for this part: physical assault, derogatory behavior, mentions of rape, blood, violence, Aemond sorta unhinged in protection mode lol.
wc: 3,271
series masterlist
my masterlist
pt i
notes: lol so I've decided to make multiple chapters of this series I hope that's okay :)
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Chapter 2: Bring Me To Life
When she was a little over the age of six, she remembers when her mama happened to be two hours late to pick her up from elementary school. She stood outside the school gates with her Hello Kitty backpack and her Bratz Dolls lunchbox in hand, waiting until she was the only kid left. 
When she was close to giving up and deciding to walk the fifteen minute walk home, a tall dark haired woman with sunglasses stood in front of her offering her a ride home. She was a bit hesitant at first, the woman was a complete stranger, yet the way she was dressed, elegant with an expensive buttoned green trench coat and a Chanel bag, made her wonder what harm could be done in taking up the kind offer. The woman looked rich enough to adopt a kid of her own and besides she was a woman, just like her mama. 
The woman must have seen the uncertain look in her face, resulting in her pulling out a Paleta Payaso out of her bag and saying she had more in her car if she simply followed. She remembers smiling and nodding, taking the woman’s hand while she unwrapped her favorite candy. 
Mere seconds before getting into the car, she heard her mama call out to her and before she had time to explain, the woman in the green trench coat was gone into thin air. The only trace of her was the chocolate marshmallow candy in her hand…
Don’t take candy from strangers! Her mama warned. Except she did. 
That occurrence that had been stored in her memory was what awoke her. There was a burn in her eyes as the sun’s rays hit directly at them from the window, blinding her vision. She wondered if her abuela intentionally opened up the blinds to get her ready for their usual mile walk around the plaza. 
Except, she received no response after the three times she had called her out. 
Odd. 
She gradually sat upright, wincing at the pain radiating throughout her back. Gods, how long did I sleep for? She mused before releasing a long yawn, stretching out the ache within her muscles. 
Immediately, she feels her stomach drop down to her feet as she takes in her surroundings. All at once she starts to recollect everything that Alyssandra did and said. 
The tea. The blood. The marigolds. The sapphire…
She ponders if all had been some sick cruel joke or a scam to steal some pesos out of her mercado bag. Unfortunately, she had none. Maybe ten pesos which basically converted into sixty cents. Not much could be bought from that. 
“Alyssandra?” She calls out, though it’s proven to be useless. It appeared that the cottage had no other occupants but herself. A series of spewed curses leaves her lips as she but all feels a strain in her back and neck. The saying of laying in a bed of rock, couldn’t be any more truer. 
After a few stretches and rubs to her neck, she begins her search for her belongings: her dress, her mercado bags, and her Fire and Blood book. But to her bewilderment, none of her stuff laid previously on where she saw them last. 
Everything of hers was gone. Or better yet, stolen by that bruja. Including her wallet, her groceries, her shoes, and even her bra and underwear. 
Great. Shoeless and commando it is. 
Without turning back, she exits the rustic cottage and tries to figure out some kind of explanation that didn’t sound implausible in the ears of her abuela. 
Adivina qué abuela, en lugar de tomar un uber fui estúpidamente a la casa de un extraño porque estaba lloviendo. Y una bruja me robó mis cosas y me drogó. Por eso estoy vestida así, sin tus compras y sin zapatos. (Guess what grandma, instead of taking an uber I stupidly went to a stranger 's house since it was raining. And a witchy woman stole my stuff and drugged me. So that's why i'm dressed like this, without your groceries, and without shoes)
The word ‘tonta’ lingered in her head with the same scolding tone as her abuela’s. Yea she was tonta alright. 
She figured with Alyssandra gone and the fact that she thieved her belongings, she sure would not miss a bundle of cempasuchiles from her garden. They were fresh and bright enough for the ofrenda and it was at least something she could bring back after being robbed. 
She uses the small mental notes as a guide to lure her back to the pueblo and halts halfway into the forest depicting two vital things into her surroundings. One, it was daytime without the residual wet smell one would distinguish after it rained. Two, the grass beneath her feet was free from moisture as if it had not rained and stormed one bit. 
Strange.
Instead, she smelled something faint amidst smoke and ash and something else she couldn’t quite identify. She shrugs, maybe someone left out the carne asada on the grill for far too long. (roasted meat)
The bundle of flowers in her hands nearly drops once she fully exits the forest, she expects to see the street that she had taken with Alyssandra but to her puzzlement she is met with an open field of uncut grass and hills that she had never seen before. 
As far as she knew the pueblo only had mountains. For a moment she thinks she took a wrong turn out, but she was certain this was the same very path that she followed Alyssandra to. However, curiosity turns into panic, when she spots a large gothic looking castle in the distance that resembles where a particular vampire, Dracula, lived in. 
Except this castle appeared to be in ruins or decaying and something told her that not only might have the Dracula resided in there but many ghosts as well. 
Where the fuck am I? 
It’s not long until she hears loud hoofs in the nearby distance, galloping closer and closer. She hides between a large tree and some bushes, covering up her mouth to restrain her heavy breathing and panting. 
She peeks through her shoulder, spotting three men high on their horses wearing some sort of armor medieval knights would wear. In the middle of their chests, a green surcoat was worn over their armor, a golden three headed dragon engraved in the center. 
A sigil. 
The marking was vaguely familiar from somewhere. Some place. Something. 
Through the corner of her eye, she sees all three men coming to a sudden halt. Not too far from where she hides, a middle aged man saunters with his head hung low examining thoroughly at the ground. He hums as his eyes find hers over the end of the trail of faint footsteps, giving her a cruel ‘I’ve got you’ tight lipped smile. 
Fuck. 
“Look at what we have here!” She gasps, the man grips her forearm impossibly tight, forcing her out of hiding into the views of the others. “We found ourselves a whore!” He whistles as the others laugh. “She’d be good use to us back at camp. Take her with,” Another man snickers. 
Rage seethes right through her, “No, let me go. I’m not a whore!” She sneers, pushing his hands away from her body as the man snarls and takes a hold of the roots of her hair but she is quick to act as she curls her hand into a fist socking him straight in the side of his nose. 
In that moment, she was thankful for learning such a bold move she mimicked from a Lucha Libre fight her cousins invited her to. (professional wrestling)
The man lets out a painful groan, holding a very bloody nose between his fingers, anger written all over his face. “You fucking bitch,” He hissed, using the back of his hand to slap her so brutally that it sends her directly to the dirt. 
A metallic taste swims around her mouth, no doubt her own blood and looking at the few drops on the grass all but confirms it. She hears the other men laughing and she feels too hazy and shocked by it all to continue to fight. 
“R’ ye done?” The man asks. She knows he is talking to her, and she looks up at him with furry eyes as she spits her blood against the top of his shoes as an answer. 
All four of them rode back in silence. They cut through most of the trees with ease, passing by other knights with the same sigil printed on their chest, circling around a large cliff that hoisted up the ruined castle. Those who were not guarding, hauled lines of other contrarily dressed knights over wagons. Most likely prisoners, she assumed. 
Gerald, whom she came to know as the knight who struck her, kept her securely bound with a knife to her throat as a warning to not try and fight him. She knew it was a foolish move to do so. But at some point, she deliberately pushed herself forward against the knife hoping this all had been some weird dream or hallucination that she could wake from.
But to her frustration, it surely was not.
Every single thing about this seemed odd… How did Alyssandra expect her to find a sapphire in this place? And where exactly had Alyssandra send her to? 
So far, she’d been led astray, drugged, displaced (to put it lightly), insulted and assaulted. And somehow, she knew her journey had only just begun. 
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The smell of smoke and ash became more amplified as they barreled further up the cliff. She but all felt like a tiny ant amongst the rubble once the four of them arrived inside the castle’s gates. 
There were five towers in total, she counted, all of them tall but not equally the same height. Erosion was a plausible effect of why the castle was in ruins. However, as she looked closely it was quite clear that it was not caused by natural agents of wind or water but that of fire. 
But what kind of fire melts stone? 
They stopped near the stables, where more men similar to them sat on wooden benches either dining or sharpening their tools. Tents were set up near the most bizarre looking tree she had ever seen. It had eyes with what appeared to be blood pouring out them, leaves that looked like hands waving to her as the branches pendulated.  
“Move,” The guard said after he carried her off the mount. She glanced at her possible options of routes for escape. Not many were good enough for a safe return back to the cottage or better yet the woods. It would be a stupid move to run the way they came, guards guarded the main gates and most of the town.
Her best bet was going through the small hallway opening that led inside the castle itself. Perhaps through there, there might be some kind of exit that was unguarded. 
No.
“Did ye not hear me, whore? Move!” 
She gritted her teeth in fury as Gerald pushed her in the path of the tents. 
All color and emotion drained from her face when she heard it. Screams and cries and small pleadings of ‘no’. Groans, growls, and the slaps of skin echoed right back. 
At that very moment, it hit her that she was overhearing the acts of rape. 
She felt her heart drop down to her stomach. Anger, horror, icy and deep sluiced through her for what these evil and vile men were doing. As she glanced up, tall flagstaffs waving tripartite pale, blue, red, and green on white sigil dresses up in the sky. 
Their clothing…
She wanted so much to hurt them as they did to the women. Perhaps even more. Not a single person attempted to put an end to this and she had a feeling that they wouldn’t either. What kind of place did Alyssandra send her? And why did she choose this one? 
Why Alyssandra?
She swallowed that useless and weak feeling that rested in her throat. If she couldn’t save them, she could have a chance in saving herself. 
She glanced between the small opening and the knights, deciding. If her calculations were correct, she had a sixty percent chance of outrunning them and potentially hiding inside the melted castle. Luckily she was small enough to fit into tiny surfaces. 
The guard shrieked as she stomped heavily on his foot and struck him right in the place she hit him from before. And with the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she broke out in a run before anyone had a chance to seize her. 
By how fast she was running, one would’ve thought she was in the olympics. If her high school gym teacher could see her now. Perhaps she could’ve finally given her an A. 
She saw one corridor unguarded and open and without hesitation, she took it. She glanced behind her, noticing a few men catching up to her and while her feet started to ache she ignored it and continued to run faster. 
Carelessly and unknowingly, she felt the front part of her body collide against cold hard metal, causing whatever she clashed in to move. 
It was then when she saw the most beautiful man she had ever seen. 
Stop. Go. Now. 
Rage sketched in his features at first. Then his eye locked into hers and that rage quickly went away into something she couldn’t quite describe.
Shock? Awe? As if he finally found what he was in search of.  
“It’s you,” He said, his lone violet eye wide and wild as he stumbled backwards, a hand clutching at his chest. 
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Me?
She drunk in the rest of his appearance. He was exceptionally tall, the kind of tall where she could already feel a strain in her neck from looking up.
He appeared to be not that much older than her, perhaps around mid twenties the most. His hair, curated into a half up-half down hairstyle, was an angelic type of silver that reached just about the middle of his chest. It looked silky smooth and soft and she fought the urge to run her fingers through it.
A scar covers and paints the left side of his face underneath a leather eyepatch that suits him so well. Something about him feels eerily familiar. She had seen him before but to put a name on him was difficult.  
This definitely was going to bother her.
She watched as he brought a hand to the left side of his chest, about to speak again when the guard from before came, gripping harshly at her forearm. “My Prince, I offer my sincere apologies. She outran us and–” Gerald’s anxious explanation was interrupted by the man as he held up his hand to silence him. 
Prince? 
Of course he’d be a prince. With hair that lucious and shiny and silver— Her lips parted open and her eyes widened in pure realization.
The sigil on the surcoats and on the banners. The black castle where they had taken her.​​..
Holy fucking shit! 
The one and only, Aemond ‘One Eye’ Targaryen, stood directly in front of her.  How was this possible? How could it be? He was just a character. How could he be real? 
Que mierda’s esto? (What the fuck is this?)
His expression shifted and his lone eye darkened, noticing her very sheer attire that left nothing to the imagination to what was underneath. Unfortunately to Aemond, if he could notice the outline of her breasts and hips, so could the eyes of his men. And he could not have that. No. 
Her body was only for his eye to see. No one else. 
So Aemond tore away his crimson cape from his armor, wrapping it delicately around her body, making her skin tingle with shivers. 
“Thank you,” She manages to squeeze out. The top of Aemond’s lip lifted for a millisecond until it disappeared as he took heed of remnants of dried blood in the corner of her lip.
The one eyed prince became enraged, his lips turning into a sneer as his hand gripped tightly at the hilt of his sword. Who had dared to touch what was his? Especially in such a violent way.
“Which one?” Aemond whispered, his voice rough with an edge of unruliness. All she needed was to say the name of the assaulter and he would kill him. 
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Aemond stepped impossibly closer, “Which one did this to you?” He asked again, tone harder as he gently traced his thumb to the swollen flesh of her lip. At her wince, Aemond was readying to kill the entirety of the army. 
It didn’t go by unnoticed by Aemond, the way she shifted uncomfortably against the hands of the guard that was holding her in place.
Him. 
He wanted so much to peel every inch of the man’s skin off his body for all the people of Harrenhal to see or mayhaps sever his fingers and make him eat it. Death by his dragon, Vhagar, was too quick. Aemond knew his dragon had not eaten and his corpse could be something of a light snack. But it all was too easy. He yearned for this man to die a painful death. Even if it meant one less guard for his brother’s army. Aemond abhorred any kind of violence directed towards women. Especially to his one and only. 
“You,” Aemond pointed towards the guard with his finger. “Stand there” Aemond gestured towards the pile of decaying bodies of House Strong. She trembled in horror, her face going pale like the color of her chemise as she saw Aemond swiftly strike the guard right across his face in the same location he had slapped her. 
She heard the man cry his apologies but Aemond was not having any of it. “It’s not me who you should be apologizing to. It’s her,” He pointed his sword towards her. The guard redirected his empty  apologies to her but she stood frightened to say anything. 
“Now which hand was it? The left or the right?” The man didn’t answer for he did not have time to. Aemond’s patience had always been thin, especially now as his one and only was here. 
If she hadn’t thrown up before she did now as all hell broke loose. Two detached arms were added into the pile followed by high pitched screams of the now armless guard crying for mercy from the one eyed prince. 
She should have run from such violence. Gone back to the little cottage from where she came from now that she had the chance to escape. However she was worried what the repercussions might be especially if what she read was true about the one eyed prince being ruthless and merciless. 
What would he do to her? 
Aemond had turned to face his one and only, wanting nothing more to take her up the castle and undress her and make her his now that he found her. To his dismay, he would not do such a thing until they were bound in marriage to one another. And when that day came he would be at her disposal worshiping every inch of her skin like the very image of a Queen she is. 
“Never again,” He whispered before he turned. The guard’s head was separated from his body in the blink of an eye.  
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386 notes · View notes
yelenasdiary · 2 months ago
Note
Darktober BuckyNat :)
They're an established couple and are best friends with Reader, but they're both actually behind all the stalking incidents (phone calls from untraceable numbers with distorted voices, flowers being sent seemingly whenever she's having a bad day, threats sent to anyone that flirts with her, her favorite take-out orders showing up for her when she works late and forgets to eat, handwritten notes left on her car windshield,
Reader of course goes to the police, but they tell her the usual, nothing can be done yet as no laws have been broken, though they are looking into the threats. She of course confides in the couple and they try to cheer her up (though internally they're excited, they feel like they're wearing her down making you at your most vulnerable for them to finally strike)
But one night when someone that was stupid enough to ignore their threats (could be another character or a nameless person, I'll leave it to you) and actually asks you out on a date, they know its time to move. They deal with the idiot first, then come for Reader. It's time to make her theirs.
For smut I'm thinking (if you're comfortable): non-con, choking, spanking, degradation mixed with some praises, lots of biting and scratching and hickies, both fuck R multiple times (but the how and position I leave in your hands), I like to think that as the night goes on R fights back less as BuckyNat are just that good at manipulation coupled with R finds herself shamefully liking their attention.
Thanks in advance if you chose to write this 🥰
A Burning Desire
Pairing: WinterWidow x Fem! Reader
Summary: After the police turned you away, you seek comfort from two of your closest friends who have been patiently waiting for you. 
Dark Angst
Warnings: R is Bisexual, Stalking, Stockholm Syndrome?, Hints at Murder, Kidnapping, Drinking Spiked | 2.8K
AC: Thank you for sending this! I hope you enjoy! x 
October Masterlist 2024
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As you walked down the hall from the elevator to your apartment, your feet ached to be off the ground. Another long day at work greet guests and checking them in an out of their room at one of the hotels a few blocks away from your cozy apartment. You didn’t hate your job but sometimes the long hours can be draining. Today you worked 3pm to 11pm, a shift you were never truly a fan of. As you approached your apartment door, a bouquet of flowers lay peacefully on the floor. 
“Every time you look at these flowers know that someone far away is thinking of you” 
The small card reads. The words printed in black made your heart drop to your stomach. At first, the flowers were delivered to your place of work then they were left taped to your mailbox in the lobby, but this was the first time they had been left at your door. 
You naturally looked around at your surroundings while you fiddled your keys into the lock before opening your door. You made sure to instantly lock the door behind you before throwing the flowers in the trash can. 
Your answering machine flashed with the number 1 in red, your heart sunk even more as you felt nothing but fear as you wandered over to the machine and pressed play. 
“You have 1 missed called from number: unknown”
The standard voice of your machine said, adding to your fear. 
“Saw you grabbing a coffee this afternoon, you looked so beautiful, you should smile more” The distorted voice that had been giving you nightmares for weeks now, filled your apartment. You felt sick as you quickly disconnected the landline and double checking that all your windows were locked, and the blinds were down. 
After you had a shower, you heard a knock on the door. Hesitantly, you wrapped yourself in your purple robe before wandering to the door and looking through the peep hole before answering it. You saw nobody in sight but could smell the goodness of your favorite take-out. Carefully, you opened the door only to see two bags of your favorite take out on the floor. This was the final straw for you, you grabbed the food and threw it in the trash along with the unwanted flowers. 
You hurried to get changed into some comfortable clothes, your best friend, Natasha, on the other line of your phone while you sobbed in fear to her. 
“We’re coming to get you” your friend informed you, “it’ll be okay” she added in hopes to assure you of your worries. 
“We’ll keep you safe!” You heard Bucky, her partner, in the background. You hated that you had just interrupted their night, especially this late but you couldn’t bear to spend another moment in your apartment alone.
As you waited for your friends to come pick you up, you sunk into your sofa in fear. Your mind reminding you of all the recent events that had been happening in your life, even after going to the police to report that you had a stalker, there wasn’t much they could do. They could look into the distorted voice messages but unless your life was in danger, they couldn’t act on the behavior of your secret admire. 
----
Once in the safety of your friends home, a hot drink in your hand and a throw blanket over your legs while you sat comfortably on their sofa, you finally broke down and told them everything that had been going on for the last few months. 
“Do you have any idea on who this could be?” Bucky asked, his jaw clenching at the thought of you being hurt. You slowly shook your head, “nobody that stands out” you replied. 
“Nobody new that’s moved into the building? No new starters at work or even the gym?” Natasha questioned. Her questions got you thinking, you had noticed one or two new members at the gym and one new worker started as a janitor at the hotel you work at but you haven’t had any interaction with them besides a kind smile or a soft greeting in passing. 
“We had a new janitor start a few weeks ago” you replied. 
“When did all this start?” Bucky asked, needing a refresher on some of the details. 
“A few months ago, I can’t exactly remember when it first started” you said, unsure.
“You should stay with us for a few days. We’ll keep an eye on your apartment, okay?” Natasha suggested. Usually you would fit the idea, not wanting to be a burden but you knew deep down it would be useless to fight them about your own safety.
“Only for a few days, I really don’t want to burden you both”
“Don’t be silly!” Natasha said, “your safety comes first. You can stay with us as long as you need. Bucky can go back to your apartment and get you some things if you’d like” she added. 
“Yeah, just write me a list of things you need, and we’ll go get em” Bucky smiled softly. 
“Thank you, I really appreciate this” you replied, giving them both a soft smile. 
----
Later in the week, work was going smoothly, the weather wasn’t too cold nor too warm but just enough for the sun to keep you from needing a coat whenever you took the small walk from work to the café around the corner. 
“Getting that afternoon coffee fix?” a familiar voice said from behind you while you waited patiently for your order. You turned around and smiled softly, “Seth! When did you get back?” You asked, embracing your co-worker with a hug. 
“Last week, first day back today” he smiled. 
“Welcome back how was it?” You asked. 
“Oh, you know, same old” he chuckled, “it was great, didn’t have to worry about work or anything and the food is always better on vacation” he added.
“Tell me about it! It’s good to have you back!” 
Seth smiled once more, “uh, I wanted to actually ask this before I left but I got a bit nervous” he admitted. 
“Ask what?” You question just before the barista calls your name. You took your coffee order with care, feeling the heat of the warm drink in your hands. 
“Do you want to get dinner, with me on Friday night?” Seth asked nervously, his deep brown eyes slightly dropping in fear of rejection. Still unsure on the identity of your stalker, you were hesitant to answer the poor guy but you didn’t want the fear of your stalker to hold you back from living your life. 
“Sure, I’d like that” you replied with a warm smile. His eyes lit up, “g-great, uhm, shall I pick you at 6?” He asked. 
“6 is perfect, I’ll see you back at the office” you gave him one last smile before making your way back to work. 
After work, you returned to your friends home, excited to give Natasha the news of your date in two days to come. “Are you sure this is safe?” The red head asked, “I don’t mean to be a downer on this, I just mean, are you sure this isn’t your stalker?” She added. 
“Seth? Oh please, he couldn’t even look me in the eyes when he asked me” you chuckled, “it was kind of sweet actually. Besides, I really don’t want this creep to control what I do with my life…I don’t want to be scared anymore” you replied.
Bucky, sitting on the sofa listening from a far couldn’t help the anger that built up in him. His mind racing with ways to get rid of this Seth guy from taking you away from him and Natasha. He listened as Natasha went along with your excitement, offering to go with you back to your apartment to pick out an outfit all while his fist almost crushed the television remote in his hand.
He made a mental note that you mentioned Seth would pick you up at your apartment at 6pm, giving his mind a chance to think of the perfect way to get rid of this fool before he even made it to your front door and he waited until you excused yourself for a shower before he spoke to Natasha. 
“Why don’t you look happy” Natasha commented, sarcastically. 
“She’s not going on that date” Bucky sternly replied. Nat wandered over to Bucky and gently cupped his face, “relax darling, this is the perfect time for us to do what we need. You take care of Seth, and I’ll make sure she never makes it to the apartment, problem solved. Now, cheer up, you’re going to make her think something is wrong” she spoke softly before kissing him deeply, “you’re always ten steps ahead, aren’t you” he asked. 
“Always, baby” Natasha playfully winked, “now, dinner, Chinese?” She asked. 
----
As Friday approached, Nat learnt that you weren’t rostered to work a shift, perfect for her plan to have you distracted from the date you had planned that night. She had planned a whole day out shopping, catching a movie and ending the night in with an unopened bottle of red wine. Bucky on the other had was off on his own mission, keeping tabs on Seth while Nat kept you busy. 
“Nat, that Alien movie doesn’t finish before 6” you looked up at her from your phone.
“Don’t stress, it’ll be fine! Plus, it never hurts to be a little late” she replied, throwing you a playful wink. You weren’t all that excited for the movie but you were sure that Nat wouldn’t purposely make you late. “Can’t we see an earlier session?” You asked, looking back down at your phone and seeing a session that would definitely finish in time to get home and ready for your date. 
“How about we just go with the flow? I gotta do some shopping for new clothes and Buck needs some new shirts, I’m tired of him wearing the same old colors. We can even shop for an outfit for your little date tonight” she said, throwing her hair up into a messy pony tail. 
“I guess a new outfit wouldn’t hurt” you said in thought. 
“Good, get dress darling, we have a lot to do today” Natasha smiled.
You and Natasha strolled through the mall, sipping on smoothies while window shopping at some of the clothes on mankins before entering stores. With every dress you tried on, Natasha couldn’t help the smirk dancing on her lips as you showed it off to her, it didn’t matter what you tried on, she loved everything and made sure to compliment you on each outfit. 
“That’s the one!” Natasha’s smile beamed at you through the mirror, a deep ocean blue silk dress that hugged your figure perfectly in every way possible. 
“A-are you sure? I think it’s a but much” 
“Am I sure? He is going to love you in this!” Nat replied, “if you don’t buy that, I am going to buy it for you!” She added as her eyes traced every inch of your body. Her comment made you blush, “well if you say so”. 
After what felt like hours of shopping, you and Nat finally ended up at the cinema. You were still unsure about the timing, but you also didn’t wanna let Natasha down, she had mentioned it had been a while since she was able to enjoy some girl time without Bucky. 
“I promise if the movie isn’t finished by 5, we’ll leave” she assured you. 
----
6pm. You were at your apartment in your new dress patiently waiting for Seth to come pick you up. Stubbornly, Natasha wasn’t leaving you alone by yourself, she made herself comfortable on your sofa with the days shopping bags at her feet. Bucky had texted her a little under an hour ago that Seth was no longer an issue and that he would now just be waiting for Natasha’s call.
You couldn’t help but keep checking the time on your watch as 10 minutes passed, then 20, then eventually, an hour passed and still no sign of Seth. You called but were sent to voice mail, leaving you devastated at the idea of being stood up. 
“He didn’t deserve your time anyways” Natasha said in hopes to comfort you as she popped open the bottle of red wine. 
“It doesn’t hurt to call or text!” You mumbled, kicking your heels off as Natasha poured two glasses of wine. “Now I’m glad I kept the tag on this dress, I can take it back tomorrow” you added. 
Natasha turned carefully on her heels, handing you a glass of red before sitting down beside you, “don’t return that dress over some stupid guy. He’s the stupid one for standing you up, anybody would be lucky to have you” 
“You’re just saying that because you’re my friend and you don’t have to worry about being stood up… you have Bucky” you said, taking a generous mouthful of wine. 
“If I was just saying that I wouldn’t be a very good friend. I mean it, you deserve somebody who will look after you, make time for you and be there for you. Not some guy who can’t even be bothered to let you know he’s a no-show” Natasha explained before sipping her wine, but she could see the disappointment in your eyes. “Let’s just order some take out and have a girl’s night, we can bitch about all things male because, let’s face it, they’re useless” she added with a soft smile.  
“Only if you let me pay for dinner, you paid for the movie” you replied. 
“Deal” Natasha smiled. 
As the night progressed Natasha whisked you away from the thoughts of your stalker and your no-show date. You both reminiscing about shared stories and laughter as the bottle of red was shared to the last drop. You felt a warmth that you hadn’t anticipated, but as fatigue settled in, you drifted into a peaceful sleep with your head resting peacefully in Natasha’s lap. 
----
Your eyes fluttered open slowly as you stirred, the room was dimly lit and entirely foreign. You sat up slowly, your heart racing as you looked around the room trying to workout where you were. “Natasha?” You called out, placing your feet on the ground, “Nat?” You called out once more, this time louder.
The door burst open, faces bright with concern as they rushed to your side, “you scared us” Natasha said, gently brushing a lock of hair behind your ear. 
“Wh-where am I?” You asked, “my head, it’s pounding” you added in pain. 
“I’ll get you something for the headache” Bucky replied, “other than that, are you okay?” He asked. 
You looked up at him, your eyes shifting between your two friends. “I d-don’t know what happened” you replied. 
“Honey, you called us in a panic. You said Seth admitted to being your stalker, you don’t remember that?” Natasha said as you shook your head at her words. “I just remember waiting for him” you replied.
Bucky lent forward, letting you rest your head on his shoulder, “We think he slipped you something in your drink, we found in some really fucked up place. We had to keep your safe doll, so while you were sleeping off whatever he slipped you, we made a choice for your safety” he explained softly, wrapping an arm around you.
“What do you mean?” 
“Darling, until we know Seth is gone for good, we’re not going home. You’ll stay here with us, at our safe house. You’re safe here” Natasha chipped in, placing a soft kiss on your cheek. Her gesture quickly gave you a sense of safety but the almost proud grin that tugged at Bucky’s lips gave you a hunch that there was more to the story. 
“Can’t we report him to the police? Tell them it was him?” You asked. 
Bucky shook his head, “doll, they will want evidence that he admitted it to you and since he drugged you, it’s his word against yours” 
“But surely they would believe me now, I mean, he drugged me?” You replied with a light frown. 
“How about we get some rest, and we’ll talk more about it later? You look exhausted” Natasha suggested, sitting down on the other side of you. She was right, you were exhausted, but your mind wouldn’t turn off. Your eyes were heavy, begging for more sleep but all you could think about was all the possible things that could’ve happened to you while blacked out. 
“I…I can’t” you replied in a stutter. 
“Shh, it’s okay, we’re here now. Nothing can hurt you detka” Natasha whispered softly, watching as you struggled to keep your eyes open. “You’re ours now” you faintly heard her voice as you started to drift back into a slumber.
“All ours” Bucky added.
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holylulusworld · 6 months ago
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Indecent Proposal (23)
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Summary: Your boyfriend wants to be part of their empire. You are the pawn he’s willing to sacrifice.
Pairing: Mobster!Stucky x fem!Reader
Characters: M'Baku
Warnings: established Stucky, caring mobsters, pregnant reader, polyamory, fluff, angst, implied character’s death, gore (blood, multiple stabbing), implied torture
Indecent Proposal (22)
Indecent Proposal masterlist
Please heed the warnings for this part!
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“What do think, Alpine? Will your daddies come back soon? It’s been a few hours now,” you press the white furball to your chest. You nuzzle the cat’s head and sigh. “You’re very fluffy. No wonder Bucky likes you so much.”
Alpine allows you to place them in your lap. The cat repeatedly nuzzles your swollen belly and purrs low in its throat. “You like the babies already, huh? I bet you will love it when they grab you with their chubby hands.”
You chuckle. “Be patient, sweetie. They won’t hurt you, promised. Maybe they want to cuddle you. You’re just so…fluffy and pretty.”
Kissing the cat’s head you sniffle. “Do you think they are alright? I hope so. I can’t raise two kids knowing their daddies are…” You shake your head. “No. We don’t think about it, Y/N. Steve and Bucky promised to come back to you, and they will.”
Alpine lifts its head to look at you. The white furball meows loudly before lying back down. “You think so too, right Alpine? Soon they will be back.”
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“Come on, do your worst,” Rumlow laughs in Bucky’s face. He knows this is the end, but he won’t go down crying. “I have the truth on my side.”
“You see,” Bucky presses the tip of his knife into Rumlow’s chest, drawing the first droplets of blood. “I get that you wanted to avenge the woman you loved.” He circles Rumlow, while M’Baku aims his handgun at his head to make sure Rumlow doesn’t try anything stupid.
“I would’ve done the same if anyone harmed Steve, and I did,” Bucky stops right in front of Rumlow to ram his knife into the man’s shoulder. Rumlow winces when Bucky twists the knife. “I showed mercy when she tried to get rid of my husband.”
“Mercy,” Rumlow spits in Bucky’s face. “She’s dead!”
“Yeah, because that bitch was batshit crazy!” M’Baku growls. “Bucky and I had to drag her off Steve! She was like a feral animal only because Bucky’s dick was too good.”
“Thanks, man,” Bucky laughs at M’Baku’s comment. “I appreciate your praise, but we have more important things to do right now.”
“Buck—” Steve huffs.
“What I tried to tell you is that I understand where you are coming from, Rumlow,” Bucky slides the knife back out. He watches the blood paint Rumlow’s shirt red.
“But, you didn’t go after us,” Steve rams another knife into Rumlow’s side, stabbing him twice before retracting the knife. “You tried to not only kill our wife, but our unborn children too.”
“Stop toying with that piece of shit. He’s not worth your time. Bastard tried to kill the sweet woman and her babies because his girlfriend found a better dick and went crazy.”
In the background, the rest of the men chuckle. M’Baku is not wrong. There is no use in wasting time on Rumlow and his unjustified revenge campaign.
Rumlow wheezes, he feels lightheaded. He’s close to passing out when Bucky slaps him across the face. “Don’t you dare pass out on me? You won’t get away so easily. What kind of man goes after a woman and her unborn babies?”
“A pathetic little man not getting over the fact his woman wanted something more than him,” Steve wraps his hand around Rumlow’s throat from behind. “You see, no one gets in between me, Bucky, and Y/N. Not you. Not your girl. No one.”
“You made one mistake,” Bucky twirls the knife before stabbing Rumlow’s other shoulder, “you came to our town and tried to hurt what belongs to us.”
“You don’t hurt a woman to avenge another,” Steve whispers in Rumlow’s ear as he slowly sinks his knife into Rumlow’s back. “Do you know why Bucky let her go after she tried to kill me?” He twists the knife meanly. “Because he would never hurt a woman.”
“To be fair, I killed that fake nurse,” Bucky smirks darkly. He twists the knife, earning a yelp from Rumlow. “I don’t know if it was your idea, or hers. But that one is on you. I’d never killed her if she didn’t try to kill our wife and babies.”
“Buck let’s end this,” Steve looks at his husband. He doesn’t want to drag Rumlow’s end out. “We are done here, aren’t we.”
“Not yet…”
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You hear voices, and then heavy footsteps. Your heartbeat quickens and you hold your breath. Is this the moment you’ve been waiting for, or did your men’s enemies win the upper hand?
“Alpine, you punk,” Bucky curses in front of the bedroom. “Why are you wearing a diamond necklace? Hey, did you rob our wife?”
Steve chuckles while his husband fights with Alpine over the necklace. “Well, it suits the furry beast.”
“STEVIE! BUCKY!” You open the door to look at your men. Bucky is busy tugging at the necklace around Alpine’s neck while Steve watches his husband with amusement. “You’re back!”
Looking them up and down you frown. They look uninjured and are in a good mood. It seems everything went according to plan. “Why did you not call? Me and Alpine were worried sick. You missed lunch, and dinner!”
Hands on your hips you rant about missed dinners, worrying you and the poor cat, and anything in between.
“Aw, we have missed you too, Y/N,” Steve takes the chance to hug you first. His husband is still busy scolding the poor cat for stealing your necklace. “I see you found a way to kill the time.”
“Alpine kept me company. Giving the pretty kitty my diamond necklace was the least I could do. Doesn’t Alpine look good? I brushed their fur, and we watched movies together.” You hide your face in Steve’s chest, inhaling his scent deeply. “You smell good, Stevie.”
“I smell good too, baby doll,” Bucky pecks your neck. He hides that Steve and he showered and changed clothes after disposing of Rumlow’s body. “How can we make things up to you?”
You smirk. “I know a way…”
Part 24
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yaut-jaknowit · 13 days ago
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hihi !!
I don't know if you've already been asked of this, so like... Sorry if you have lol, but pretty please can we have a part 2 of Blood in the Water? Thank you writer person 🙏
— : 🥀 anon
Blood In The Water Part 2
Character: T'a'yta (Male Yautja) x Mom!Reader
Word Count: 4736
Summary: Those three days fly by quickly. Everyday, you overthink the whole dinner. Your children try to help in their own oblivious ways, but you can't help it. Before long, the day arrives and you aren't prepared.
Author Note: This is one of the couple times I've been asked multiple times to write a part 2. AND I LOVE IT! I love to write guys. Love it. It's a passion. Never apologize for asking me to write. It may take me a month to get it down but I'll do it!
Part 1
Masterlist
Ao3
Over the course of those three days, you were able to get your car back from the middle of nowhere. Thankful to have your father pay for the tow and major issue. All it was the distributor cap that can completely fried itself. The worse place for it to do that. Like an angel sent to protect you, T’a’yta was there to pick you up and save you. One of the few people in your life who’s done something out of the kindness of their heart.
Now, you had been freaking out what to make him for a dinner. It was your own stupidity who hadn’t thought about asking him what he likes. You had just let him leave. Not even a way to message him to make up for your mistake. So, you had to fall on what were probably stereotypes.
Meat.
T’a’yta looked like a predator. The fangs, claws, the muscle his body is corded with. He reminded you of some hunters from ancient civilizations with what he was adorn with. Basic metal armor that’s decorated with skulls and bones. One skull had been used as a pouch for something on his side. You never got the chance to fully look at everything he carried in that moment. The most important thought was to get your children home safely. T’a’yta allowed for that to happen.
On the last day, you had gotten home from a stressful day of work. Not a second had gone by as you tried your best to think of a dish that may entertain T’a’yta. You didn’t think he would truly care about what you feed him but it was your conscious that drove you like this. To prove to yourself you can take care of yourself, of your children, of a family.
Blame it all on that scum of a husband you had. It was all his fault for the way you feel currently. Not once were you good enough for him. No amount of food or flavor of food. No amount of love. No amount of bedroom time made him love you the same way after you gotten pregnant.
This was all his fault.
Wasn’t it?
Your knuckles turned white while gripping the counter. A cook book sat freely in front of you, opened to a random page. Yet, your eyes never took in a word.
“Mama okay?” Shawn called out to you and pulled on your pant leg. Instantly, you were snapped out of your thoughts. A façade of happiness plastered to your face before you pivoted and knelt down to pick him up. Shawn giggled and gripped onto your shirt.
“Of course, baby boy. Mama is perfectly okay. She’s just thinking about what to make for T’a’yta.” It was a lie. But, you didn’t want them to worry about you. You had to be the strong one here. The only one that stayed behind to take care of them. All they had was you in their lives.
“Pancakes!” Simon screamed from the living room before unsteadily sprinting into the kitchen. He stopped on a dime, nearly pushing himself head over heel. His eyes were on you with a crazed smile on his face. “Pancakes!” Your shoulders sagged. The tension leaving them.
Shawn was set back down on the ground. “Simon, sweetie, I don’t think T’a’yta will like Pancakes. He seems like the one to eat meat,” you explained to both of your children. Simon’s face twisted with his classic thinking face. It was dangerous for either of them to think so hard. They are trouble makers.
The second eldest, Simon, pumped his fists into the air. “Pancakes with ham…buger!” Even in your darkest times, your children knew how to make you smile. You snorted with a shake of your head. “Yeah, he eat that.”
Oh sweet child. You pet the top of Simon’s head. “Sweetheart, that’s not…” you trailed off when an idea hit you. Burgers. Maybe that was a fix to all of this. T’a’yta doesn’t seem like the one to have eaten much of human food. He wasn’t from around here. Anything you feed him would be new and hopefully exciting. God, why didn’t you think of that earlier instead of overthinking the entire situation?
With a sigh, you glanced towards the door. If that’s the case, you would need to run to the store. Money was a bit short at the moment, but it was the least you could do for T’a’yta. Treat him to a special meal for all of the trouble you had put him through. After thinking about it, you were craving a good burger. One of the things you could cook deliciously.
“Alright you two. We need to go to the store for some food, okay?” you told the two of them before preparing for going outside. This included getting your children ready and in their car seats.
This may get you weird looks but you placed both children inside the cart. Simon loves to wander off on his own and get into trouble. A lesson well learned. Shawn liked to stay pinned to your hip if he could. Unless Simon coaxes him to run off each other. It was safer this way for the two of them to have them in the cart. Neither could they knock things over and grab items they didn’t need.
The cart pushed around the isles of the store. Both of your children were enticed by the selection of bread and kept trying to say the names of them. They decided to make it a challenge to see who can saw the word the best, roping you into the game. You were able to multiple task with playing the game and grabbing the cheapest hamburger bread you could find.
Off to the next item on your mental list you had made. Of course, you had forgotten to write a list or even bring a pen or paper to make said list while here.
“Mama, look! Look,” Simon shouted and pointed at something on the end of the shelving units. It was multi colored gold fish. Ah, shit. “Want. I want!” Those are his favorite snack.
You pulled out the mom look both children know so well. “We have some at home. You can have some when we are done here.” Your voice turned stone cold. The last thing you wanted was a crabby child before having a dinner with T’a’yta.
Simon’s face twisted with a pout as he looked at you. His arms folded. Any other moment, you would’ve taken a picture because he looked so cute. Yet, the crowd of people made you want to snuff this issue as quickly as possible.
“Do not give me that face, mister. I will not tell you again.” The toddler age was the worst you’ve dealt with. The had big emotions and didn’t know how to deal with it. Neither did you. You were just trying to survive with your head above the water.
But, the child didn’t relent.
“You seem to fail at every step you take. Can’t even make a child listen to you.”
The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. You felt the way your chest seized as that familiar voice washed over you. You wanted nothing more than for the floor to spilt and swallow you whole.
There was no need to turn around and see those eyes you once were in love with. The same love that was reflected back onto you. Until the moment, he found out you were pregnant. All because of him.
Your knuckles turned white on the handle bar of the cart. Simon instantly read off of your energy and calmed down. Both of your children looked at the man standing behind you with their tiny eyebrows furrowed.
You slowly turned around and had to force yourself to still at the sight. There, in all of his glory was the man you never wanted to see again. Never wanted to speak with. A reason why you never wanted child support from him. Not that he would pay.
“Robert. Hi.” It sounded so force. The small smile on your face just a façade for the storm of emotions building inside of you. “Funny seeing you here.” Out of two years, to run into him after so long was a miracle. His job never worked with your schedule so it was impossible. That you thought of.
There she was. His new wife, pinned to his side like a trophy shank. No way were you jealous but you were disgusted he had decided to choose someone so young and fake at the same time. Freshly eighteen years old. Like the day she turned eighteen they got married. That poor thing.
His eyes roam over your form, taking note of basic clothes you were wearing. Disgust evident in his eyes. “You’ve changed,” he stated with hidden mockery. You knew he was thinking ‘not for the best’ after that. If only you could smack him so hard for his words.
“Kind of happens when the scum of a father dips on his children, leaving the mother to take care of twins,” you snarked back with venom in your voice. No one around was the wiser. Neither were your children as they stared dumbfounded at your change of energy.
The wife sneers at you. “Can’t blame a man when the woman can’t find the gym. He needs beauty in his life,” she retorts. You gritted your teeth, fists shaking at your sides. It took everything in your power not to leap across the space between the two of you and rip her apart. She doesn’t know the scum she had decided to marry. How he’ll leave her the same if she becomes pregnant. You almost felt bad.
“She could find the pantry just fine though,” Robert laughs then kisses his wife on the temple. “Any time I would look at her, she always would have some sort of snack.”
If only he knew the troubles of recovering from twin births. How defeated you were afterwards. How exhausted without the aid of your husband who was supposed to be there.
Knives pierced your heart. After all this time, it shouldn’t hurt, shouldn’t bother you. No amount of time can heal the wounds that ooze from your open heart.
How could the man you loved be so cruel?
Nothing could keep you here. There was no winning this two verses one. They would knock you down if you stayed until you had nothing to stand on. You decided to be the bigger person. You spun around and pushed the cart away. They cackled something else at you but the fuzziness in your ears made it hard to hear.
Darkness suddenly took over your vision. You skidded to a stop. Many other patrons were voicing their confusion and asking if anyone knew what happened. There was a shrieking scream before it cut off behind you. Your heart instantly pounded hard against it bony cage. You whipped around but all you could see was black.
Lights flashed back to life. You squinted through the pain. Only to notice that Robert and his wife weren’t where you last saw them. An uneasy feeling boiled in the pit of your stomach.
For the rest of the trip, you hurried along and got home in record time. Safely. Always safely with your children in the car. You tasked each kid with a small item they could carry up to the apartment. Simon was ecstatic. You carried the rest of the bags up the stairs and entered after both of your children.
All of the bags were placed down on the counters. Simon and Shawn looked up at you before holding out the tomato and onion your gave them. You thanked them with a sweet smile and took the items from them.
The earlier events still haunted you like it had happened a second ago. Their nasty words biting into your heart, tearing it into pieces all over again. All because you were the parent that stayed, the parent that took care of the children. Who cares that you gained weight. Who cares if your body wasn’t as tight as before. Yeah, your boobs hang. You’ve got too many stretch marks to count. But… gods, you do care. It does hurt to know you weren’t pleasing to anyone. That the person you’ve become, despite how strong you were, wasn’t good enough for anyone.
Tears pooled in your eyes. It took everything in your power not to break down sobbing in front of your children. They were your strength. They held you up. They made you strong. They made you into the person you were today.
With that strength, you sucked down the tears and stood back up. Only to jump when a hand lands on your shoulder. You whipped around with a fist flying. It was caught mid air in a firm but gentle hold.
“Ta-ta!” both of your children screamed and launched themselves at his legs. Each one taking space on their own respected leg and held on for dear life.
T’a’yta stood there, maskless, with a sheepish look to his older features. The Yautja cleared his throat and scratched at the back of neck. “I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you,” he apologized genuinely. Your racing heart started to ease up after realizing it was just him.
Then, what your children had said finally hit you. Oh shit. Okay, they need a new nickname for him besides what sounds like them trying to say boobies.
“Simon, Shawn… let’s not use that name.” Quick something easy for two, two years old to say. “Why not Tay-Tay? Yeah, that sounds much better!” Easy to say and for them to remember. Even you are struggling on saying his name.
Instead of using the first nickname, they listened to you and started to calling him that. Okay, one thing had gone right today. You smiled up at him and finally greeted him. Yet, a coppery scent caught you off guard. T’a’yta said your name again and brought you from your stupor. “Shit, sorry. What were you saying?” Today had been so weird and horrible. You were probably all messed up in the head.
The alien had paused for a moment to stare deeply into your eyes. Heat flushed to your cheeks when you noticed. You cleared your throat and turned your head away. T’a’yta blinked then leaned down and picked up each child. They were set off to the side. You spotted out of the corner of your eye his muscles tensing, as if he was ready to move closer to you.
“I got some food today,” you distracted him and moved around the counter towards the fridge, taking a bag with you. “I didn’t know what to really cook for you. Since our pallets may be different. But, I chose hamburgers. They’re really good, I promise.”
He stopped from advancing into your space and picked up his head to stand a little taller. “They sound good,” he agreed and eyed you carefully from his spot. You hadn’t missed the way his eyes narrowed on you. Were you wearing your heart on your sleeve or something?
You had to force the smile on your face to ease his nerves. Not that it worked. Just fake it until you make it. Or die trying.
“Yeah,” you agreed with a nod of your head. “They are. Plus, you can add so many different types of condiments and toppings to a burger. It’s the best.”
All of the non-dinner foods you picked up at the store were placed into a dinky fridge you had in the apartment. For once, your refrigerator looked somewhat full despite what a drain it was on your bank account. You pushed those dark thoughts to the back of your mind. Today has sucked enough. There’s no point in wallowing in it. Better to enjoy the rest of the day.
Before long, you had gotten well into cooking. Both of your children know when you’re in the kitchen, cooking not to step foot in there. That was one of your big rules you had to establish for them. They could ask for a snack or water. But it was meant to keep them from getting underfoot. There had been a time when you had accidentally kicked Simon into the cabinets. You felt terrible for so long after that. Even to this day.
Best thing about having someone else over, they could entertain Shawn and Simon for you. Every time you would glance over your shoulder, there was T’a’yta. He would be on the ground, even on his belly, playing with toys. Both of your boys were happy to have him join, more like beg for him to play with them.
There wasn’t even time for you to say he didn’t have to if he didn’t want to. One look at you, T’a’yta was in the living room, immersed in their world.
And that pulled at your heartstrings without you realizing it. Would your life look like this if Robert had stayed with you? Stayed through the thick of it? Not in this poor apartment. In a real house. With a father in their life that loved them.
Instantly, you scolded yourself for going down that dark path again and returned to finishing off the burgers and getting everything prepped. The condiments and sliced vegetables were set out for you and T’a’yta to use. You first made up the plates for Simon and Shawn, remembering what each child likes and doesn’t like.
Those plates were set down at the table where there booster chairs were. “Simon, Shawn, dinner is ready!” In union, they whined and gave you a pout. All to prolong their play time. One look at them had them coming towards the table. You swiftly put them in their chairs and strapped them in, letting them go to town on their cut up burger pieces and sauces.
T’a’yta entered afterwards. For such a towering beast who could barely stand at full height in your kitchen, he was silent. Even on the squeaky, old floorboards. His blue eyes were calming. You motioned for him to make his pick first. “Go right ahead. Eat, take all what you want. It’s the least I can do for you,” you urged the alien to take what he wanted. Not that you could pay him or cook for him well. But you still at least did something to show your gratitude.
His brown brows furrowed. He shook his massive head. The grey-blue tresses swayed at the movement. “No, you are to go first,” he retorted and refused to move from his spot.
“What? No,” you denied and crossed your arms. “You are a guest in my house. You deserve to go first.” It’s etiquette for an average person housing another.
The alien was unmoved and unbothered. “You brought the dinner home and made it. You deserve to eat first.” There was something in his eyes that solidified the knowledge that he wasn’t going to budge.
As much as you are stubborn to the bone, today had drained of the fight. The last thing you wanted to do was chase him away. Maybe this would encourage him to come by, stay for a while. Maybe enjoy a drink or two with you. Talk, be friends. He was nice and kind. You didn’t want to lose that.
With a reluctant sigh, you picked up a plate and prepared a burger in a way you loved. This was your only day in months you were able to indulge in yourself. Why not treat yourself the way you deserved? After the events today, you deserved it more than ever.
In the corner of your eye, you didn’t miss the slight quirk of his upper mandible. You pursed your lips before sitting down at the dinner table with the plate. This burger looked absolutely delicious.
Clearly, Simon and Shawn felt the same way. Half of their burger had been consumed so far. You snorted with a shake of your head at their antics.
To the right of you, T’a’yta took up the last remaining seat available in your small dinning room area. His size easily ate up all the space there, making you feel crowded to the wall behind you. Not that you minded.
Until that coppery smell in the air returned. It was clouded with T’a’yta’s natural musk. But that solidified the idea it was coming from him. He smelled like blood. What was he doing before he got here?
You tense up instinctively, due to your human nature as prey in the presence of a predator. You faced the burger on the plate and used it to distract yourself from what was coming off of him. It unnerved you with good reason. Without any good evidence, you decided to brush it off and under the rug until there was an opportunity to bring up. Plus, you didn’t want to ruin the moment.
The brown Yautja stared down at the burger before picking up and bringing up to his mouth. This had to be the first time he’d ever had a burger. This time, you spent the extra money to get the good patties. The flavor was in the meat and seasoning you had put on them.
Both of your children had nearly finished their own food by the time T’a’yta brought the food to his mouth. You reached to the side and wiped off some sauce on Simon’s face. T’a’yta bit into it and chewed. The way he ate wasn’t exactly what you had thought. Not that you had thought about it actually. Seeing it happen right in front of you was different though.
When he made no looks of disgust, you were relieved. Actually he looked pleased and quickly took a second bit. Your shoulders released all of the tension they were holding onto. You finally start to consume your own when Simon and Shawn whine to be let down.
T’a’yta was on his feet before you could even will the thought into existence. Despite the size difference between his hands and the plastic buckles, he made quick work of them. Each child was carefully taken out of the seat and onto the ground. You stared at him, lips slightly parted. He had done that… without you asking.
Fuck, why was your heart racing?
“You, you didn’t have to do that. I could’ve,” you explained to him, now feeling a little guilty the guest had to do that for you.
“No. You eat your food. I have it right here,” he argued and left no room for butting back at him. He had shut you down so quickly in a polite manner that you didn’t know what to do. You flapped your jaw a little before clearing your throat and returning to your meal.
Once dinner was finished, you were ready to get up and clean up the rest of the dishes when the plate was stolen. Right from underneath your nose. You tried to grab it but T’a’yta only had to lift it up slightly higher and step away. “Hey! What are you doing?”
The plates were set down in the sink. Then, his massive form came back over to you. You didn’t have a chance to complain when his arms scooped you from underneath and lifted you up. The wooden chair left your bottom. T’a’yta carried out of the dining room and into the living room where your children were playing.
He set you down on the couch and pointed a sharpened finger. “Stay.” He pivoted on his heel and marched back into the kitchen. You sat there. You kept blinking blankly multiple times and moving your lips.
“Huh?!” you absolutely flabbergasted at his stern but kind actions. Why in the world was the guest doing this? And why was is working?! Your confusion aided T’a’yta. He was already in the kitchen and scrubbing away at the dishes when you got to your feet and raced after him.
“Hold up, mister. This isn’t how this wor-ack!” you attempted to scold him when he picks you back up and tosses you onto the couch.
A finger was pointed at you. “I said stay.” T’a’yta spun on his heel gracefully and marched back into the kitchen. You played the same game and earned the same results. Until, finally, you got the point after the four attempt. Fine, if he wants to do them, then be your guest. You huffed and crossed your arms, sinking further into the couch.
In their own world, your children played with their toys in the middle of the living room. You decided to turn on the T.V. to distract yourself from T’a’yta doing the dishes. That little… If your boys weren’t present, you would’ve said some choice words. Because he was the guest. It was your duty as the host to care for him. The least he deserved.
It didn’t take him long before the dishes were cleaned and set on the drying rack. God, he even cleaned them instead of filling up the dishwasher. T’a’yta wiped his hands dry and walked back into the living room.
“You didn’t have to do that… thank you,” you voiced your gratitude to him. A small, genuine smile graced your features.
T’a’yta stood up a little taller. “You made the food. I clean up. It’s a fair deal.” Though, in a way, he was right about that. You still felt guilty for just letting him clean the dishes. Even if you put up a massive fit about it. The alien was standing directly in front of you and looked down at your form curled up on the couch.
Nervous under his intense gaze, you played with the edge of a blanket while looking down in your lap. “Was it good?” you asked him with a timid voice. T’a’yta knelt down to your level and used a hand to tilt your chin back up. His blue eyes bored into yours.
A soft purr started in the back of his throat. “Very.”
With him being this close to you, the coppery tang in the air came back. Your brows furrowed. It felt like you were missing pieces of a puzzle. “Why do you smell like blood?”
Despite being asked such an insane question, the alien acted no different. His mandibles twitched a little. “I took care of an issue that was bothering you,” he stated anonymously. Your confusion only deepened. What did he mean by that? What problems were you were having? He hasn’t been around to know if you were struggling much besides your car.
“At the store. Those worthless oomans were bothering you.”
Freezing cold water washed over you. Robert and his wife. The blackout. The scream. You tried to move back, deeper into the couch but it was pointless.
“The names they called you. Such a disgrace of a donor. That is no father.” Of course, everything he said was right. Everything Robert had put you through. But you weren’t expecting for T’a’yta to outright say it. “He isn’t worth your tears, your sorrow.” You hadn’t even noticed the tears that pool in your eyes.
“Y-you killed them?” you gasped and looked at his with terror. T’a’yta simply nodded his head. The entirety of your body should’ve froze. Yet, there was a small part in the back of your mind that consumed the knowledge. T’a’yta had killed Robert and the scum. They were gone. You wouldn’t have to worry about seeing them ever again. They would never be in your life again.
Maybe, you were a little happier than you had originally let on.
His thumb stroked your cheek. You knew you should’ve pushed him away, ran, called the cops. But… there was that small part of your brain that whispered to you. The voice only grew louder and louder too. He had killed them. For you.
Strangely, this is the greatest thing someone has ever done for you.
“Do you want to stay around for awhile?” you blurted out, trying to overcome your anxious thoughts.
T’a’yta grinned and glanced over at the clueless children. That’s when you realized what position you could ask him to take. They do need a father in their life.
“Yes, I will.”
Special Tags: @justanaveragenerd and @sweatymusictree
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