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gods-perfect-idiots · 3 months ago

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Okay bear with me folks, I have some ~thoughts~ about the Vanessa/Wade relationship (or frankly lack thereof) in Deadpool & Wolverine. I should start by saying that I am analyzing this with the (likely erroneous) assumption that everything on screen is 100% intentional and mindfully written to deepen the characters and inform their arcs. For the record, I don't necessarily believe that's true - there is certainly room for mistakes, lazy writing, confusing plot elements, or in this case, sidelining a potentially strong and important character for nebulous reasons (I'm guessing scheduling conflicts + run time concerns + actor's strike complications but idk for sure). (Also thanks to @gossippool and @kendyroy for encouraging me to post my thoughts instead of just rambling in the tags in the first place, y'all are the realest)

Long rambly post below the cut fyi

Now, granted, it has been a while since I watched the original Deadpool so I am not as well-versed in their early relationship as I am in the handful of scenes Morena Baccarin has in dp3, but I do think it is pretty canon that Wade generally struggles to express his deeper worries and feelings (without filtering it heavily through crude humor, sex, and pop culture references of course), especially after the events of dp1 and the physical and mental damage he sustains, and Vanessa is frankly no exception despite how much he cares for her. The entire first movie hinges on the fact that he doesn't really believe she could love him in his post-Francis mangled state, which is pretty contrived imo given that the film has established already how bonded they are, and she doesn't strike me as being written to be so shallow as to reject him based on a physical deformity. I mean iirc she wanted to stick around through chemo despite him being literally riddled with inoperable cancer, so she clearly is in it for the long haul (at least in dp1), messiness and all.

Now, in dp2, obviously she is shot and killed early in the film, and Wade spends much of the rest of the film wallowing in his very profound grief, trauma, and guilt over losing her due directly to his violent lifestyle. He goes to prison, he basically gives up on life and seems very resigned to dying once he has the power suppressant collar on, even excited to do so so he can be reunited with her. She is mostly sidelined as a Fuzzy Dead Wife trope basically, but the important thing here is that he spends weeks if not months in the throes of despair over losing the love of his life just as they were trying to start a family, and trying to reach across the boundaries of death to be with her.

Now, my first couple times watching dp3 I was frustrated by the trite narrative presented in the interview scene towards the beginning - specifically Wade's whole "my girl is getting tired of my shtick and I need to show her I matter". It felt contrived and disingenuous, and I just brushed it off as iffy writing, a means to an end, but the more I reflect upon it the more I think it is based in an emotional reality that is just handled with a very light touch by the film in favor of fanservice and Poolverine content (NOT that I'm complaining in the slightest - I think this movie is a masterpiece in many ways, albeit a flawed one but that's beside the point here), which for the record I am not against because I think it lends it an air of realism. This is Wade's story after all, Vanessa is a part of it but it is ultimately about him and his journey.

Basically, I think the combination of what happened to him in dp1 (the brain damage, the trauma, the awareness of the fourth wall, etc) followed by the events of dp2 (Vanessa's death, his grief and the associated guilt and trauma of being the direct cause of her death) led to an unbridgeable emotional gap between the two of them that ultimately leads to their breakup.

It's important to note that I don't think Vanessa has any recollection of her own death, given that Wade goes back and saves her before she can take the bullet, and so of course she can never fully fathom what Wade went through grieving her and their life together and their potential family, for however long he spent between her death and bringing her back with Cable's device. She can try (and she clearly does in the one scene I'll talk about next) but I fear she accepts, maybe even in that scene, that she can never succeed. He is beyond her reach by this point, and vice versa, his experiences having fundamentally changed him.

The one scene we really see from their relationship between dp2 and dp3 is the one where Cassandra mind-gropes Wade in the Void and we see Vanessa struggling to reach Wade across this aforementioned gap - she wants him to open up, she wants him to share what he's going through, she wants him to be the person she initially fell in love with (not even selfishly - to her nothing has changed really, because to her no time has passed). But not only does he not understand what she's really asking for but he responds in such a way that makes me think he has unprocessed issues that are only tangentially related to what she's saying - ie the stuff about mattering, about asking her if she even wants to be with him, etc. And he's not the Wade Wilson she met back in dp1 anymore. He watched her die and grieved her and brought her back, believing it would make everything go back to normal and they could resume their life together as if nothing had changed, but he has been fundamentally changed in a way that she can't grasp, even if he WAS good at externally processing his trauma openly without the artifice of wry jokes. She didn't "come back wrong" - instead, she came back exactly the same as before, but HE'S different now. Not wrong, per se. But changed.

It's an interesting scene because it's obviously a memory, and a crucial one at that, but you can see how Wade is misunderstanding what she's saying, viewing it through the prism of his own lack of self-worth and his own hopelessness - he takes away that she thinks he doesn't matter (even though like he says she didn't actually say that, but I don't think Cassandra invented that wholecloth - I think she pulled it out of his psyche because that's what he believes deep down, hence why his fixation on mattering even though she never said those words exactly), he takes away that she doesn't want to be with him, that she thinks he's nothing. Which would be frustrating as an audience member to witness as a pretty simple misunderstanding which could potentially be solved with one conversation, but it feels believable to me that these two people who have shared a great love would be fundamentally separated by unimaginable, cosmic trauma, and the on conversation they would need to have to rectify the misunderstanding is one that is impossible for Wade to verbalize and equally impossible for Vanessa to conceive of. It was one thing when they had shared trauma like violence and SA in dp1, but what Wade has gone through in dp1 and dp2, humor aside, is unfathomably traumatic, brain-breakingly so even, and that's not even factoring in the possible mental illnesses he now struggles with (I've seen folks suggest schizophrenia, DID, depression, etc. but I won't get into armchair diagnosing a fictional character here - suffice it to say he is canonically unwell as a result of what has happened to him, and yes it manifests as quirky fourth wall breaks and cheeky one-liners, but within the universe of the movies he is undeniably profoundly mentally ill, and that includes this humorous alter ego he created to cope with his trauma).

I think off-screen Vanessa probably really tried to reach him, maybe for years (the six year gap implies to me that they didn't break up immediately, that they tried for a while to stay together), trying to get her Wade back, but that Wade is gone. He struggled to express that to her until eventually he started to feel rejected because he couldn't express his trauma or how much he has changed, because even he can't fully conceive of the gulf that has formed between them. The truth is, he WANTS to be that Wade again, for her and for himself, but that Wade died when she died. Or maybe he had already started dying when Francis got a hold of him in dp1.

Anyway, all this is to say, I think Morena Baccarin WAS criminally underutilized in dp2 and dp3, but I think there is a strong argument to be made for the believability of their breakup regardless. I think even relationships built on enormous love can crumble due to trauma, and what Wade suffers over these movies is mind-bogglingly enormous trauma. It's especially heartbreaking that he blames himself for their relationship ending, talks like she just got tired of him, thought he didn't matter, whatever. But it is a credit to him that he never seems to feel anger towards her about it. He doesn't seem to feel entitled to her, though he longs for her and what they had and what she represented (hope, love, a future, a family), but ultimately she becomes more of a symbol of what he lost when he gained his powers, because let's be super fr right now - even if they had succeeded in having a baby, not only would they have lived in fear of her or the kid getting killed, but ultimately Wade would likely outlive both of them even if they managed to die natural deaths. The moment he gained his powers he was already destined to lose her, which is heartbreaking because she was the only reason he opted for the treatment in the first place - so he could stay with her.

I think a big part of Deadpool & Wolverine is watching Wade continue to process his own motivations (vis-a-vis Vanessa but also his other friends) and how he does eventually let go of the idea of "mattering" in favor of just saving the people he cares about (*cough* and being saved right back *cough* by Wolvie, as the final line and shot implies). And in the process he finds someone new who cares about him, who thinks he matters, who tries to sacrifice himself for him and his friends after mere days of knowing him, who comes home with him at the end of the story, who breaks his own centuries-old patterns, who has also experienced unimaginable grief and trauma, who has struggled with wanting to die and being unable to, who not only matches his crazy but matches his FREAK and also not only won't die on him but CAN'T die on him - and more importantly cannot be randomly killed by a stray bullet.

Idk if any of this makes much sense but I do think if you read between the lines and consider the potency of trauma and grief, guilt and emotional damage at play here, Vanessa and Wade's off-screen breakup is actually pretty realistic, and really heart-breaking to boot.

You can tell she still cares about him in so many ways - she shows up for his birthday party, she shows up to his welcome home party at the end, she finds excuses for physical contact multiple times, her eyes get soft when she looks at him, but there is a distance there that Morena Baccarin does an incredible job of portraying. She cares about him deeply, she has mourned the loss of their potential life together, she has let him go and accepted that the Wade she fell in love with is gone, but she wants him in her life even though she's moving on because she realizes he's gone somewhere she can't follow (literally and figuratively). And she wants him to be happy which is why I fully believe she would immediately clock the Poolverine of it all and not-so-subtly encourage them to make it official.

Anyway. Poolverine forever. Nothing against Vanessa at all - I think she delivers a nuanced and beautiful performance, I think their relationship is sweet and heart-wrenching in large part due to her acting chops, especially given how little she is given to work with - but I think their relationship was sadly doomed from almost the very start, because Wade becomes this traumatized superhuman and Vanessa would always be at risk in his orbit, but also would always on the outside of his multiverse superhero experiences. I think it's weirdly beautiful, even if I am filling in a lot of gaps and giving the writers maybe undue credit.

Anyway... thoughts? Please DM me or write in the tags, I am feral about this movie and just want to talk about it with anyone haha. If you have further insight into these characters too I'd love to hear it - I am by no means an expert in these movies or characters!

#wade wilson #deadpool & wolverine #deadpool and wolverine #poolverine #deadclaws #wolverine #deadpool #deadpool 3 #deadpool x wolverine #vanessa x wade #rambly meta thoughts #anyway thanks for reading if you made it through #I def didnt edit this much just sorta wrote it out #I have more to say but it will have to wait I think #deadpool meta #vanessa meta

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silverwhittlingknife · 7 months ago

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So you're a go to source for all things Dick&Tim bros and you tend to write primarily from Dick's POV. So, odd question, but if you were to summarize their relationship from his POV in FIVE panels which panels would you pick? Keeping in mind that one specific aspect of their relationship that you love needs to be clearly represented by each panel (loyalty, trust etc). I hope this is a fun challenge and not an annoying question so if you don't want to answer that's cool! Have a wonderful day!

No more talk. The same thoughts run through two minds... (SotB 29) / You're my equal. My closest ally. (RR 1) / I can't stop thinking how much I rely on him. (GoG 3)

25 Feelings Dick Has About Tim

This was such a kind ask & a cool challenge which I totally failed; here are TWENTY-five panels of Dick's POV on Tim sdfdsfds Look, I got carried away! Marcia and Cindy! The boys!!

OKAY SO BEFORE I GET TO THE PANELS A FEW NOTES:

WARNING THAT THERE ARE SOME NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN HERE because I love conflict but but but you gotta remember those are not the final word!! They are complicated people and sometimes they get mad at each other BUT ultimately their relationship is so hugely important in both their lives & they love each other and rely on each other so much -!!! <3

Also I have CONCLUDING THOUGHTS at the end about what Dick's POV leaves out (mostly: a lot of Dick defending & protecting & supporting Tim, which Dick does instinctively but isn't very self-aware about most of the time)

I have loosely organized my list into 5^5 format (5 categories with 5 examples each!), so if you want to skip to a relevant one, here are the categories!!

Below the cut:

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1-5)

On second thought, he's endearing & fun (#6-10)

Grief is complicated & he's all tangled up in mine (#11-15)

I love him & think highly of him (#16-20)

I rely on him & though it's hard for me, I trust him (#21-25)

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1 - 5)

1) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze me and Bruce, but he doesn’t know me at all, he should get lost (New Titans 61)

2) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze Bruce but he doesn’t know Bruce at all, he should get lost (Gotham Knights 26)

3) He is so nosy about stuff that is MY business (Robin 0)

4) He sounds like an insincere suck-up half the time... but okay, fine, if you push him he's got a sense of humor about it (New Titans 65)

5) I'm sure he's a better vigilante than me. It's my fault for being a failure, but I resent him anyway. (Nightwing 9 - Dick's having a nightmare)

On second thought, he's kinda endearing (#6-10)

6) He worries too much and gets anxious so easily, but it makes him fun to tease (Robin 67)

7) I'm not that competitive - okay, so maybe I'm a little competitive, I gotta make sure he doesn't get a swelled head (Prodigal)

8) I'm supposed to be his favorite! It is not cool for him to be fanboying over my not-girlfriend's not-boyfriend!! (Birds of Prey 19)

9) We have fun together. I can kick back and relax when it's just the two of us. Plus I get to boss him around a bit. (Prodigal)

10) He’s always trying to reassure me, and I guess it's a little comforting, but also he doesn’t really get it. Or me. He makes excuses that he shouldn't, because he doesn't understand that I suck. (Nightwing 64)

Grief is complicated and he's all tangled up in mine (#11 - 15)

11) He reminds me of everything I try not to think about. Sometimes the memories are so strong it hurts to look at him. (Batman 441)

12) WHY IS HE BEING IMPOSSIBLE ALL OF A SUDDEN??? THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING (Nightwing 139)

13) We're the same. He says all the things I don't let myself think about. It's like arguing with myself. (Nightwing 139)

14) He thinks he gets to tell me what to do but he doesn’t, fuck him (Battle for the Cowl)

15) Life sucks, so what. I sucked it up so he should too (RR 1)

I love him and think highly of him (#16 - 20)

16) He’s the closest thing to a brother I’ll ever have. If someone hurts him I will hurt them harder. (Nightwing 6)

17) I can't handle the idea of losing him. (Nightwing 97)

17) He’s so good and I’m not. I'm afraid I’m bad for him. (Nightwing 110)

18) He’s better than me, and it’s kind of a relief because I know no matter what he’ll be okay. (Gates of Gotham 3)

19) In my head he’s the responsible one. (Gotham Knights 10)

I rely on him, and though it's hard for me, I trust him (#20-25)

20) I know I have to trust him but I'm afraid he'll make the wrong choices and get hurt (Nightwing 139)

21) I'm sure I know what he should do because I see myself in him - not that I can take my own advice, but he should (Blackest Night 3)

22) I trust him. When I’m losing my grip on things, he pulls me back. (Gotham Knights 10)

23) I want him to trust me (Red Robin 12)

24) He can tell when I'm lying. Sometimes he sees my weaknesses better than I wish he did. (Detective Comics 874)

25) He’s always there when I need him. (Teen Titans / Outsiders Secret Files)

Final rambling thoughts:

TIM: Uhh, okay, so I'm just skimming this list - do you really trust me? you're not just saying that? - but anyway, I'm confused because you left some stuff out? Like some stuff that's kinda important? DICK: No? I think I got everything? TIM (starts counting on his fingers): The time I was having a bad day but then I called you. The time I got captured by Two-Face but then you saved me. The time I fell off a train but then you saved me. The time I fell off a building but then you saved me. The time I fell off a different building - DICK: I feel like you're trying to make some kind of point but I'm not sure what it could be.

SO THE THING IS, I put 25 panels in here and not a single one has Dick catching Tim when he’s falling!!! But I think that's a central motif of their relationship from Tim’s POV, not Dick’s. I love Dick, but in some ways I think he is spectacularly un-self-aware.

And I think he especially has a lot of blind spots about Tim. He kinda intermittently gets that Tim admires him, and he enjoys it in a playful I-get-to-boss-you-around way. But Dick tends to consistently underestimate all of his own good qualities & skills, and he meets Tim at a point in his life when he's especially down on himself & his abilities. And so he's unable to see his own influence on Tim, & therefore unable to fully understand a lot of Tim's priorities and loyalties and motivations, because you can't actually understand Tim without understanding Dick's impact on him. There's a fascinating moment in Bruce Wayne: Murderer when Dick's completely blindsided & upset to discover that Tim doesn't entirely trust Bruce, even though this has been a definitive fact of Tim's whole thing ever since he showed up with his Batman needs Robin theory, and Barbara has to actively remind Dick of the obvious-to-everyone-except-Dick fact that a lot of Tim's loyalty is to Dick, and Tim loves Bruce but feels free to be more wary of him. (And to give Bruce credit: this is not something he ever begrudges.) But anyway Babs points this out, and Dick manages to sorta process it for about five seconds, but he cannot actually accept it into his worldview so instead he discards it at the speed of light and goes off and has an argument with Tim instead sdfsfdsf

All of Dick's virtues - Dick's kindness at the circus and Dick's determination to fight through grief and Dick's rigid sense of morals and Dick's vigilante skills and every time Dick has ever backed Tim up or listened to him or protected him or saved him from something or just been casually kind to a stranger in Tim's presence etc etc etc - all these things loom really large in Tim's mental story of Who Dick Is, and What Dick And Tim's Relationship Is. Tim meets Dick before he meets Bruce, trusts Dick more than Bruce, aspires to be Robin instead of Batman. And so in Tim's default version of the story, Dick is the super-special and admirable hero and Tim is... nobody in particular, a tagalong outsider who's barely managing to be a hero, not part of Dick and Bruce's family and not part of their story, who, if he's VERY LUCKY and tries REALLY HARD, might be able to fight his way to proving himself and offering something to Dick that Dick will value, if Dick doesn't get fed up with him first.

But that's not Dick's version of the story!!!

Dick's version of the story is almost the exact opposite, a story where Dick's an outcast failure black sheep who's screwing up everything he tries, and meanwhile Tim is The Sudden New Perfect Robin Who's Better Than Me And Probably Bruce Loves Him More And Probably They Gossip About What A Loser I Am, mixed with a complicated edge of Tim Thinks He's So Smart But He Doesn't Know Me/Us At All. Dick gets much more attached to Tim over time, and Tim gets unnervingly better at the know-it-all psychoanalysis so then Dick gets to have complicated feelings about him being right instead of just annoyance at him for being wrong, plus Dick's relationship with Bruce improves a lot, so Tim stops feeling so threatening. But Dick never fundamentally changes his basic theory of their relationship in which Tim is highly impressive and capable, and Dick is not so much.

And so asking Dick about Tim is kinda like if you asked George Bailey to tell you about Harry Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life; like, you'll be there for five hours while he tells you how great Harry is, and how accomplished Harry is, and how he doesn't really get how or why Harry does the things he does, and maybe George does feel a little resentful or jealous sometimes, but that pales in comparison to all his admiration and trust for Harry who he loves so much, who's better than him in so many ways, and he's not gonna openly gripe but secretly he can't help but feel sometimes like he's such a failure in comparison to Harry, a perfect person who emerged fully formed from Zeus's head with all the virtues and also all the accomplishments, etc. etc. etc. --

-- and he will not actually remember the part where he changed and saved Harry's whole entire life unless you literally send him to an alternate timeline in order to force him to remember it. <3

#i enjoyed thinking about this so much i wrote a novel with All My Thoughts sorry sdfsdfs #tim drake #dick grayson #somewhat tangential but as i was writing this i was thinking about zahri's post #about how different types of stories offer different kinds of emotional payoffs #and i think for me for dick and tim the main two payoffs are:#1) someone who sees & understands your grief for deaths that will never get fixed or get better #and who will face your ghosts with you EVEN WHEN you're also mad at each other #2) someone who you look at and you see all the ways that you suck & he's better & you're a loser who's failed him etc etc #but it turns out that you're wrong. that you're good enough. not that none of the failures were real or that they were all in your head #but it turns out that it's okay that you didn't always immediately do or feel the right thing #and it's okay that you weren't perfect. you can fuck up six thousand ways & everything you did right will still matter #not because of making excuses or allowances or somebody pityingly trying to make you feel better #but because in the end the things you did right are just Genuinely More Valuable than anything you did wrong #all the times you tried & everything that you tried to give - everything you think wasn't good enough - it was.#IN OTHER WORDS they are both convinced they're not good enough & they are both wrong <3 #anyway dick and tim are both INCREDIBLY SIMILAR and also CONSTANTLY misreading each other and i love that for them #and like. they will sometimes totally misread each other & then never figure out the part that they misunderstood #but then they manage to keep going anyway. we love each other on purpose <333 #ask tag #dick&tim

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uchispeach · 1 month ago

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Sycamore Tree (Ch. 4)

Dark! Rafe Cameron x Fem! Reader

Warnings: mentioned violence, implied stalking, verbal fights, obsessive behavior, suggestive language, sexual content…

This fic will contain dark content: such as dub-con/ non-con and violence. You have been warned.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Your sister whispered heavily as the sight of an old wooden house invaded your sight. “Who?” You naively posed the question at the brunette, who completely ignored your words while slamming the door’s car.

“Kiara!” You saw her stomping her way into The Château. Your confusion was short lived; the cause of the girl’s grumpiness was elegantly placed a few meters away: Sarah’s shiny SUV.

“John B, she’s gotta go. Now!” The Pogues barely looked your way as you crossed the entrance, too focused on the altercation going on at the blond’s living room.

The Kook girl rolled her eyes in response, unbothered as she sat on John B’s lap. “I’m not going anywhere, Kie.” The mentioned girl groaned in exasperation. “John, I’m being damn serious. If she isn’t out in the next five minutes I’ll be the one leaving.” The blond boy frowned, clearly conflicted.

“Then you should start heading back.” The Cameron girl snapped back, raising an eyebrow with defiance. “Oh, you’re so over, bitch!” Your sister was ready to jump over the couple as you grabbed her from behind. “Kie” You whispered softly as she wriggled violently on your arms.

“You’re the one acting like a bitch!” Sarah abruptly stood up, followed by the blond. “Stop it!” The owner of the house finally spoke, putting himself in the middle of the rising fight. “Kiara, you’re my best friend and Sarah…” He stopped, his eyes immediately losing themselves on the blonde’s face. “Say it” The Kook girl encouraged him with an arrogant smile on her lips. “Sarah, you’re my girlfriend…and I don’t want to choose between the two most important women in my life.”

The brunette let out a humorless chuckle while the rest of you were left astonished. “Unbelievable” You were pushed aside as your sister tried to pull herself as far away from the newfound couple. “Are you okay with this?” JJ was now the one under attack.

The rebel boy seemed to struggle finding the right words, which made the girl in front of him grow angrier. “Fuck this.” She barked her last words out before storming out of the house and into the huge yard.

You could only sigh as your legs made the best attempt to follow Kiara’s path. “Let her be.” A tanned bicep covered your sight as the peaceful voice’s owner grabbed you by the upper arm. “She’s gotta calm down by herself…maybe accompanied by her boyfriend too.” Pope expressed when seeing JJ run after his lover.

“I guess you’re right.” Your words were followed by a heartfelt sigh. The taller boy gave you a reassuring smile, caressing your skin to try to pacify the worry he sensed exuding from your body.

(…)

“You know…when I called you that day to tell you I missed you and wanted to see you...” Pope’s tanned thigh and arm went in contact with your own ones, creating a warm friction between your bodies. “…I was kinda hoping to just be the two of us.”

You were both left alone sitting at the old couch while waiting for the rest of the group to come back from their respective hideouts. “Don’t do that.” You breathed into his cheekbones, trying to gain his attention. “Do what?” His tone carried a certain shyness and shame to it.

“I can see you feeling embarrassed at expressing your own feelings; and you’re so right…I’m the one who has been a bit distant.” Your features morphed into an apologetic look. Your fingertips laid softly on Pope’s shoulder.

“You’re so important to me…You all are.” You offered a small smile and Pope returned the gesture, making you both move on with the subject.

You made the hours feel like soothing minutes as you shared words after words. The constant laughing resonating in the four walls and reminding you of the nice bond you shared with the so called Pogue.

Once the giggles and chuckles finally washed down, you found your distance to be weirdly close. With your shorter legs thrown over his lap, your chin resting in his clavicle and your hands playing with his own rough knuckles.

“Y/N” He called out for you in a honeyed voice. You hummed in response, limbs relaxed and soft breathing as you enjoyed the pacific moment. “There’s been something on my head…and I think it’s time for me to let it out.”

He sounded weirdly serious about it and that immediately alarmed you. “Yes?” You lifted up your head from where it was resting, holding Pope’s gaze on a worried look. “…I think-” The boy quietly pronounced those words before stopping at the creaking of a nearby door.

“Guys!” You jumped out of your current position, limbs immediately tensing as you saw the two couples emerging from the same entrance.

Kiara was the first to enter the room, looking less frenetic as her boyfriend wore a tired look. The mood of the next pair looked quite similar as they each took a seat on the dusty furniture. “Sarah has loosened up…” The mentioned girl threw a nasty look at his blond companion. “Don’t say it like I was the problem.” She was quick to cross her arms in disagreement.

The brunette rolled her eyes, copying Sarah’s childish position. “Kie, let’s just talk this one out.” Even though JJ was considered the wild one, he was trying to be really civilized. “Let’s just leave.” It was whispered into your ear.

Without giving it much thought, your friend took you out of the room. You couldn’t help but look back at all times, even as he tried to convince you to get on his dad’s boat. “It’s not that I don’t wanna go with you…but, I don’t know.” Your lower lip suffered as your teeth buried in the plump skin.

“Chill. They won’t annihilate each other…the boys will take care of that.” He gave you a playful smile, poking you on the side to try to nudge you. “Alright” Your arms raised in defeat, slow steps making their way to the dock.

“What did you say we have to do?” You questioned as he helped you hop in the boat, tanned and sweaty hands wrapping around your waist to lift you off the ground. “Gotta deliver some stuff at the country club.” He started the engine; the old metal making alarming noises.

“Wait!” You jumped at a certain reminder. “I didn’t tell Kie where I left the car keys.” Pope laughed as he saw you struggling to ground your foot on the dock’s old wood. “Just send her a text…I’m sure she’ll prefer that.” He frowned and you took it as a sign to just sit back down. “Yeah, you’re right.” You sighed while pulling your phone from your shorts’ pocket.

As soon as you finished typing, the device started shaking on your fingers.

Four letters appeared on the screen, accompanied by the insistent vibrations; just as obstinate as the owner of the call. You knew Rafe wouldn’t take a whole day without hearing from you. His unyielding interest for you still fascinated you.

“Aren’t you gonna answer that?” You were quick to make the screen face down. Your companion pressed his eyebrows together, but you didn’t falter as the lasting ringtone was replaced by short pings. Notification after notification, you decided to ignore them all as you looked at the moving water.

Meanwhile, a newfound sourness leaked its way into Pope’s mood. “I don’t know how my father does it.” Confusion was written all over your face and he didn’t take long before explaining his own words: “Dealing with them idiotic Kooks…knowing they believe to be so much better than all of us.” Suddenly, the boat’s floor offered a very interesting view. And as he continued to complain, you felt a tight knot forming on your throat. “It’s truly disgusting…how they think they can take anything from anyone.”

You didn’t dare to pronounce a single syllable on the whole trip.

(…)

The plastic bag handles left a red mark on your wrists, still, you couldn’t care less as you beamed around the club with Pope by your side. “We already dropped the food and tools.” Your friend spoke as you both rested against a palm tree.

“I hope that coconut falls off.” Your eyes burned from looking up. The Heyward boy only laughed softly as he continued to examine the deliveries list. “Just the alcohol is left.” He wiggled the boxes of beer in his strong arms. “My dad told me there used to be a mangrove ecosystem right here.” You pointed at the vast territory covered by artificial grass.

“Then a shallow Kook decided to destroy it all and transform it into a golf court…Can you believe that?” Disgust leaked into his humorless laugh. “Yeah, that’s dumb.” You were quick to agree, looking directly into the Pogue’s eyes on a warming stare.

Pope’s lips stretched into a lighthearted smile, and you returned the gesture almost immediately. Your relaxation was cut short by a loud thud; a sound that seemed to come from a metallic material knocking over more metallic stuff -it was obnoxiously loud.

Your chin was held up high in an attempt of finding the source the disturbance; despite being attentive for a few second, you found nothing weird -at least not in sight-.

Your skin crawled in a strange way, followed by the hair on your nape standing up at an alarming rate. No one was around, but you felt watched as you leaned into Pope’s side.

“Whatever, the wine needs to get north…to the reception-” “I’ll take it!” You didn’t think twice before grabbing the bottles from where they rested on the sand. “I’ll deliver them and then I’ll just head home.” Your tongue moved too fast, demonstrating a certain anxiousness.

“You wanna leave now?” Your companion sounded disappointed by your sudden departure. Nevertheless, the want of getting out of there started feeling more like a need as the seconds passed by. “I’m sorry P, but I think the summer sun is starting to affect me.” You were afraid of looking ridiculously paranoid, so you just resorted to lying.

“I can get you some water or-or I-“ He stumbled upon his own suggestions. Your arm wrapped around his shoulders on a side hug. “Don’t stress about it.” You spoke near his ear while squeezing your hold.

His answer was expressed by a full hug, grasping your free arm and wrapping it around his waist. “Take care.” His tone was breathy, and you stayed in his hold for quite a while before pulling away.

(…)

It was not until you reached the street’s corner that you remembered Pope’s interrupted confession. Before feeling too much guilt, you decided to simply make a mental note on calling him later.

The house was empty, making it a perfect time to do the remaining chores in absolute peace. And that was exactly what you felt while separating your clothes into small piles.

You loaded up a basket, gently going through your week’s outfits as you murmured the lyrics of a pop song you’ve been recently obsessed with. That’s when you saw it: the same pink skirt you had worn a few days before.

Jennifer had disappeared with Kelce hours ago, leaving a sleepy Topper and a nonchalant Rafe resting next to the huge pool. You scurried away as soon as you heard the younger boy snoring, weirdly serenaded by the loud rap music playing on the Cameron boy’s expensive speakers.

Your hands wiped the kitchen’s marble island effusively when he decided to sneak up on you. Your muscles immediately tensed up when his body heat invaded your space.

Expensive cologne reaching your nostrils when a pair of toned arms wrapped around your waist, shamelessly squeezing you against his hard rock chest. Your movements stopped, leaving you frozen while sensing his strong muscles press against your smaller frame

The ticklish sensation of his warm breath on your neck’s side was enough to send goosebumps down your spine. Rafe stayed there, his rough fingers digging themselves on your meaty hips as he crushed you further into his embrace.

Just as your felt your brain getting cloudy from his overwhelming presence, he took it a step deeper by burying his nose on your clavicle; causing you to gasp in the process. He inhaled your scent like his life depended on it, groaning while taking the last big dose.

“Rafe” Your voice was reduced to a whiny whisper, making the blond smirk in a wolfish manner while lightly delving his canines into your sensitive skin. A particular painful sensation had you squirming on his arms, causing your lower back to mold against his growing bulge.

You felt your face heating up when he grinded against your ass, making you feel every single inch of his hardened manhood. “You drive me insane.” He sounded groggy, his tone deeper than usual.

His hot tongue took you by surprise, and you instinctively exposed more of yourself to him when he started licking thoroughly -wetting the space between your chest and your ear-.

He found pleasure in making you tremble as he took your earlobe in his mouth and gave it a few strokes with his soaked muscle. “All fucking mine.” He traveled down your throat again, making sure to leave a trail of small kisses. Then, he got rough; sucking with fervor with the intention of marking you up.

You shook your head, taking yourself back to reality as you heard a ‘crack’. Your phone shook violently on the floor, its position indicating it had fallen from the flimsy table’s corner you had placed it on.

A frustrated exhalation was all you could express as you saw the big fracture decorating the device. But your exasperation had quickly turned into curiosity when the now broken screen lightened up again with a compilation of confusing messages: ‘Tell mom and dad I’m spending the night at Jen’s’ followed by a ‘or make up some excuse’ But it was all tied in as the last text came through. ‘We had to take Pope to the hospital.’

Terror made its way into your heart, causing your muscles to paralyze as you stared at the same words again and again.

A/N: I’m still trying to work out the whole taglist thingy (I’m just trying to find an efficient way, so I can actually keep up with it).

#dark!rafe cameron #dark rafe cameron #dark!rafe x reader #dark rafe x reader #dark!rafe cameron x reader #tw dark content #dark fanfiction #dark content #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron smut #rafe cameron x you #rafe smut #rafe x you #rafe fic #dark obx #obx smut

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arabellasleopardcoat · 4 months ago

Text

Taoba (Aemond Targaryen x Reader x Daemon Targaryen)

Summary: Daemon and Aemond settle their pending score.

Warnings: Aemond being a BRAT. Daemon being a sugar daddy (I guess?) Violence. Targaryen way of conflict resolution.

A/N: Final part of the Muña series. This is very unhealthy, but I needed to give it a satisfactory conclusion that felt in character to me, so it stopped using my brain space.

THERE IS NO Sept in Pentos. At least, not in the part of the city where the manse is located. You do not dare go exploring further than a few timid excursions to the surrounding markets.

Being out in the open makes you antsy. Your departure from Westeros is still too fresh, you have not yet settled into a life where you are not at war. Searching for a Sept in which to pray properly seems too trivial.

You still light your candles, one for each person you have lost, plus another one. For yourself.

Aemond is as unsettled as you are. To him, the loss is greater. He has had to shed his identity, cut his chair and remove the characteristic eye patch and leather clothes for more simple ones. He is now a dragonseed, brought along as a paramour to a happily married couple.

“What can I say?” Daemon had laughed, when questioned about it by a magister. “I love my wife, and she does love her toys.”

It had prompted a roar of laughter from his friends. You weren’t too sure you liked being known as a sexual deviant, but you had little choice in the matter. Everyone had to make sacrifices, after all.

Even Vhagar. She is now known as The Cannibal. The Essoi know so little about dragons that an intimidating name to match the intimidating reptile in their city satisfies them.

Daemon, in contrast, settles in as if he had never been at war. He has already been in one before, and has lost little. He still has his name, his money, and his marriage. He even has his old pentoshi friends. They had greeted him warmly, clapped him in the back, and it was as if he had never left.

While Aemond continues to share your bed, Daemon is content to haunt the place. You worry despite yourself when you realize he is not out whoring or drinking as usual. But you are too busy with your inner turmoil to try to fix him too.

Having run away from the only home you knew leaves you unsure about whom you really are. When the war started, you were different. You would have done anything to protect your people. Now, you were a coward who ran with her tail between her legs at the first hint of trouble.

It was difficult to feel such a passionate love for them when they had started resisting your orders. As soon as the Blacks gained a bit of terrain, they started questioning your leadership. By the end of it, they were cursing your name.

Running was easier, after that. Playing Daemon’s wife again wasn’t.

It all comes to a head one evening when you are asked to sweep into that role again. Daemon has insisted on hosting a dinner for some of his friends, and so, you have little choice but to squeeze yourself into a fine gown he commissioned for you. It seems fair that if he is housing you and your lover, you do something for him.

You plan the night to perfection. It is what you have been raised to do, and you thrive on it. There is such an innate sense of control that comes with choosing a menu, the seating arrangements, the entertainment. You enjoy the task so much, you wish you had put it into practice more in your other life.

Aemond sulks in a corner the whole evening, even when Daemon has gotten him a matching doublet. He seems to dislike the implication of being a bastard too much to enjoy himself in a company that cares little for his origins.

“I hate this dress.” He complains, once you have ushered out the last of Daemon’s friends. Aemond toys with the laces on the back of it, making you frown. “Makes you look washed out. Ugly.”

You flinch. You have never liked discussing your appearance, not after many years of mocking. During a good week, a remark about your looks can set your budding self-esteem back a moon. Hearing Aemond say so during a bad one guts you.

Aemond was supposed to understand you. To see you.

“I happen to like it.” You say, picking up the last goblets of wine and setting them into a tray to be taken down to the kitchen. Your household is sparsely staffed, Daemon’s savings not enough to keep it running at full capacity. You find you don’t really mind. The lack of resources during the war had made you go through much worse, and you find you enjoy the privacy. “I enjoy the fullness of the skirts.”

You are careful to keep your back turned to the men, but you cannot hide the tenseness of your shoulders, the stiffness of your spine. Perhaps the insult stings more because you do like the dress. Despite how tight it was, you had felt pretty after putting it on. The seamstress had complimented you, even.

The style was more form - fitting than what you usually wore, a bit more risky. It had been inspired by what the women here wore, and you knew Daemon wouldn’t let you embarrass him. That fact had prompted your confidence to wear it in the first place. But now, you just feel old and fat.

A hand presses to your back, warm and gentle. You stiffen more, thinking it’s Aemond’s.

“You look beautiful in it.” Daemon compliments, softly. And because he cannot resist it, he throws in a dig at Aemond too. “The boy is just bitter because he can’t pay for anything half as fine.”

“That is not true. I could become a…” Aemond starts, and you groan, pressing your hands to your eyes. You have heard the tale of the sellsword plenty. He is a good swordsman, perhaps good enough to take up that sort of life. But he is out of practice. Most of his battles have been from the dragon, not the horse. Unlike cavalry, dragonback doesn’t provide such experience.

“If you become a sellsword, you will die. And all I did would be in vain.” Daemon sits down, placing his boots on the table. You shove him. It’s not as if any of them do any cleaning, but Aemond is far neater. You do not clean either, but as the person in charge of the servants, you prefer not to be embarrassed by how piggish they can be.

Daemon has gone through great pains to secure you a home and safety. You try not to feel too indebted to him, considering the horrible years of marriage and shame, but cannot help it. He is finally behaving like you were taught a husband is supposed to behave, and it pleases your stupid brain.

He provides for you. Pays for your home, dresses, lets you run a household. He protects you. Keeps you safe from the outcome of the war, rescued you from the likely revolt from your tenants. He makes you happy. Daemon pays to keep Aemond safe and healthy, too.

It messes with your head. You shouldn’t feel grateful, you shouldn’t like him and yet…

Siege mentality. That must be it. Your current situation makes you believe it’s Daemon, Aemond and you against the world.

Aemond doesn’t seem to share the sentiment. He has been behaving oddly ever since you got here. The first week, he had been on edge, wary Daemon was going to murder him in his sleep. The second one, he had not left your bed. And then he had settled into an odd sort of depression that involved making everyone around him as miserable as possible.

Aemond was a man born and bred for war. It wasn't unusual that he was struggling with peace.

“Apologize, Taoba.” Daemon orders. While this is not the first time Aemond lashes out, it is the first time Daemon bothers with demanding an apology. It is also the first time Aemond’s temper has been directed at you.

“I refuse to apologize for my opinion.” Aemond smirks. He toys with his goblet, before leaning in. You know the look in his face. It’s the one he wears when he plans to deliver the killing blow. “The dress makes you look ugly.”

You suppose it is better than being outright called ugly. The thought isn’t as comforting as you thought.

“An opinion no one asked for.” Daemon’s tone is icy. You look at him, begging him to let it go. But Daemon has never listened to you, not in all the years you have been married. He won’t start now. “And a false one. I can’t just voice the opinion that the sky is red. Now, apologize or…”

“Or?” Aemond challenges. This time, you turn your pleading eyes to him. Out of the two of them, he is slower to enact his revenge ploys, while Daemon chooses to take immediate and decisive action. You hope that means he can be persuaded to postpone the confrontation.

“Aemond, why don’t we go to bed?” You ask, voice soft and meek. But Aemond’s gaze is fixed on Daemon.

The older man smirks. He leans back on his chair, forcing it to balance precariously on its hind legs.

“I’ll make you.”

It happens faster than you can react. One second they are glaring at each other, the next Aemond has lunged over the table, sending the goblets clattering. He punches Daemon, making him fall off the chair. But before Aemond can get any other punch in, Daemon grabs him by the hair and slams him against the table. You scream.

“My goblets! The tablecloth!” You realize you sound insane, but you feel it too. Your hands tremble. One would think war has desensitized you to violence, but it is one thing to know a battle is being fought and another to see the man you love get beaten by your husband.

You make an aborted motion towards them, unsure if trying to get between them is a good idea. You settle for clenching your hands into fists, powerless to stop the situation around you.

Daemon jerks Aemond upright, holding his hands between his back.

“Aōla gēlȳni iēnkā, taobus!” You can tell Daemon is mocking him. Familiar as you are with his methods, you step forward, hovering.

Were Daemon mocking you, this would be the part where you would defend yourself. Aemond, instead, simply smirks.

“Sa Tida, Kepus.”

Daemon’s face turns into an expression of absolute, murderous rage. His grip on Aemond tightens. He turns to you, almost in… Disbelief? You aren’t sure. You do not know what they are saying, but it can’t be good.

Aemond blushes with pleasure. He smiles a cocky grin, and his chest puffs up with arrogant satisfaction.

It is only at that display that color returns to Daemon’s face.

“I must admit, you had me fooled.” He releases Aemond, and gives him a shove. “But your games will not unnerve me tonight. Not again. We will settle this.”

“Daemon…”

“As much as it pains me, he is right.” Aemond sneers. “There is a debt to be paid, Muña. Do not interfere.”

He gives you a warning glance, before bowing his head. It’s the last time he looks at you.

His attention is now focused on Daemon. He looks up at him, body taut with fear. If you didn’t know Aemond that well, you would miss it. But to your well-trained eyes, it’s obvious. He is terrified.

Aemond ends up lowering his eye again. Daemon’s fierce stare seems to have him unbalanced, unable to hide his emotions as well as he usually does. Knowing Daemon, he must be delighted his intimidation tactics are making him squirm.

Daemon thrives on fear and humiliation. He has perfected his methods through the years, his reputation as a rogue only aiding him in his task. His eyes are like daggers. Instinctually, you know that is better to stay silent for now.

Aemond seems to share your thoughts. He averts his eyes, face red with embarrassment. You wonder what has Daemon said to him that he is so out of sorts.

“You should be kneeling.” Daemon finally says, his eyes on you. For a second, you think the instruction is actually meant for you, but before you can do anything about it, Daemon has turned back to Aemond. He towers over him, somehow, despite being the same height. “You're such a pathetic creature.”

Daemon steps towards him. Aemond takes a step back, and Daemon smirks. He can probably sense the weakness in the same manner wolves sense fear.

“Insulting your woman after claiming to be better than I. Hypocrite. But what more could you ask from a Hightower.” His face tight with anger, Daemon unsheathes his dagger and grabs Aemond's chin, tilting it up.

Never in a million lives you thought you would see Daemon defending your honor. How life surprises us all.

You pity Aemond. His skin is turning red where Daemon is grabbing him, and he is breathing hard, eye closed. He seems to be expecting pain, and it fills you with the urge to comfort him.

Aemond shouldn’t be having to brace himself. This is a storm of your own making. But he has asked you not to interfere, and you do not wish to wound his pride. You stay quiet.

The dagger Daemon holds is now pressed to Aemond’s throat and this time, it is too much. You advance on them.

“Stop it.”

Daemon ignores you. He leans in, close enough that he could kiss Aemond. His hair tickles Aemond’s face.

“And you still fucked my wife without my permission.” He snarls. “Open your mouth,”

Aemond swallows. He seems cowed, for the first time in his life.

“Stop this. Right this second.” You repeat, but neither heed you. Much to your dismay, Aemond makes eye contact with you before opening his mouth. Daemon’s dagger brushes against his lips. He shakes like a frightened bunny, but he still doesn’t attempt to defend himself.

“Open wider.”

Aemond has no choice but to obey. You are struck by how young he looks, how young he truly is. At least ten years your junior, twenty or so than Daemon. He has been a man for such little time, and yet, has done much more horrible things than most people twice his age.

The lesser of those sins is bedding a married woman.

Daemon’s voice is harsh.

“I said wider!” Aemond opens his mouth wider, obediently. “Now, stick out your tongue.”

“… Why don’t we all calm down..?” You feel your hands shaking. Daemon is capable of cutting his tongue. You know it. Aemond knows it. And still, he sticks out his tongue like an obedient dog.

“Your tongue would make a fine gift to my wife. An apology, for all the insults I sent her way.” Daemon smirks. “And a penance, for how you dared treat her, petulant child that you are.”

Your eyes sting. Something like a sob surges on your chest, but it doesn’t get out, caged between your ribs. It takes residence there, caught.

It’s unbelievable. Once, you had prided yourself on knowing Daemon. You had been so finely tuned to his moods, out of an urge for survival, that you could tell with just a glance what he was thinking. His anger had always been transparent to you.

This time, you aren’t sure if he is serious about cutting Aemond’s tongue for the slight, or if it is about the infidelity.

“I do not want his tongue. Daemon. Stop it.” You beg, stumbling back into your chair. You hold your head between your hands, realizing this is punishment for you too. For daring to be an adulterous wife.

Aemond’s face is pale. He is trembling slightly, and his tongue is caught between Daemon’s finger. It makes him drool. He attempts to pull back.

Daemon's eyes flash with anger. There is a dark satisfaction in his face.

“Don't move.” Daemon's voice is low and sinister. “Keep it there. Less my pulse falters, and I leave you without a tongue before deciding.”

“Don't!” You plead.

Aemond doesn't move, the blade still pressed to his tongue, his mouth open.

Daemon softens at the obedience. Perhaps because he has always liked control a bit too much.

“Good boy.” He grins. Aemond sends him a look made of pure hatred, but keeps still. His eye is glued to Daemon’s, set on not backing down.

If someone doesn’t intervene, something bad is about to happen. And there is no one else here, but you.

You stand up, furious.

“That is enough! I happen to like his tongue where it is, inside his mouth and unharmed.”

“You're nothing but a sniveling coward.” Daemon presses the dagger harder into Aemond's tongue, taunting him. “What's the matter? Do you like the taste of the dagger on your tongue? The feel of the metal against your flesh? Sick little boy.”

Daemon laughs. Aemond closes his eye, but both you and Daemon see it. A single tear falls down his face, mouth still wide open, dagger pressed inside. The sight is hauntingly beautiful, like one of the tapestries Daemon used to hang around showcasing Targaryen deviance.

“Do you like that?” Daemon leans in closer, his lips brushing the shell of his ear. You know through first-hand experience how devastating that feels. Somehow, seeing them together, Daemon holding Aemond almost in a lover’s embrace, makes you throb with shameful arousal. “Being completely helpless and humiliated? It should hurt. It shows you your place. On the ground, at my mercy.”

Aemond tries to close his mouth, but Daemon's hands keep his face pushed back as he presses the tip of the blade into his tongue. Aemond's face tightens, a look of pain flashing across his eyes, but he can't say anything. The only sound out of his mouth is a painful groan.

Daemon's expression is cold and hard.

“It feels good, doesn't it? Just like kissing the cunt of a married woman?"

“Daemon! Enough!” And this time, you finally gather the courage to do what needs to be done. You get between the two of them and shove Daemon out of the way. “That’s enough.”

Daemon licks his lips. Aemond swallows, a hint of blood in the edge of his mouth. You wonder if he is tasting copper.

“What a pathetic display of weakness. I've seen a thousand pigs slaughtered with more bravery than you.” Daemon sheathes the dagger. Aemond’s face turns frighteningly angry. Torching the Riverlands kind of angry.

His breathing is deep and labored, like a hurt animal. You rush to his side and hug him.

“You are bold to speak of weakness…” Aemond says, with great effort. His body shudders against yours, and it is a testament to how shaken he must be that he doesn’t jerk out of your grip. “When it was your own what led your wife to my bed. Make no mistake, Muña. An old dog cannot learn new tricks.” He then spits blood at Daemon’s face.

Daemon wipes his face with his sleeve, horrifyingly calm. He then looks at both of you, and bursts into genuine laughter.

“I was wrong, boy. You have balls.” He gives him a hand, helping him to a chair. “We might make a man out of you yet.”

Aemond accepts his help without fear. You stare.

“Both of you are unhinged.”

Daemon turns to you.

“Oh? Then what would you do in my situation?”

“Apologize? Agree to move on and let go of the past?” You offer, weakly.

Daemon scoffs at the suggestion. “Apologize? Apologize! You think that will solve everything?” But he does look over at Aemond, who has now relaxed in his chair, exhausted. “I suppose I should try to be diplomatic, if only for your sake. Fine. I apologize for calling you terrible things, trying to murder you and to cut out your tongue. How does that sound, Taoba?”

Aemond swallows again. He seems unsure if he should be trusting Daemon’s words. He gives you a look. You shrug. If they want to try normal conflict resolution, you won’t stop them.

“Thank you. I apologize for fucking her without your permission.”

Daemon gives him a small smile. Aemond meets his eyes. A strange mixture of emotions seems to pass between them. Daemon looks as if he is seeing Aemond for the first time. There is a new interest in his eyes, one you do not like at all.

Or perhaps, you like it too much. You can’t decide.

“Is that all, then? Or do you have more to say, nephew?” He purrs.

Aemond scratches his nape, embarrassed. He doesn’t seem to know how to react to being flirted with. Because this is what this is. Daemon is looking at him with utter hunger.

“Nothing.”

Daemon looks him over, inspecting Aemond like a predator sizing up his prey.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Daemon studies him for a moment, not looking convinced.

“Someone looks guilty.” He is like a shark, smelling blood in the water. Aemond looks painfully awkward, nothing like the cocky young man that seduced you moons ago. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you attempt to shift Daemon’s attention to you.

“I apologize for bedding him.” You offer, in your meekest tone.

Daemon doesn't acknowledge your apology, his eyes still fixed on Aemond, filled with curiosity.

“I accept your apology.” Then his eyes harden, his face turns serious. “Now, come here. Both of you.”

Aemond’s eye widens, but obediently gets up and creeps closer. Daemon reaches a hand towards you. You go easily.

“That wasn't so hard, was it?” Daemon teases, his eyes never leaving Aemond's face, searching for some hint of weakness.

Aemond nods silently, too intimidated to speak. Daemon grabs him by the back of his neck, firmly. He presses his forehead to his.

“Aōha ēdruta vāedas. Vezof jin azantys, vestri sȳz. Se ābra dracarys jēdo nūm.”

Aemond nods, solemnly. As if he were accepting a vow. Then, they both turn towards you.

“Consider this my repentance.” Daemon says, with a smirk. Aemond looks properly chided. Contrite, even.

“I apologize for being rude. The dress makes your cleavage look phenomenal. I was just… Jealous, I suppose. I used to protect you and now…” He offers, sounding much like a child who has gotten caught with his hands on the cookie jar.

“Now you find yourself in the unusual situation of having me as the protector. I have been shielding you from Daemon and Daemon has been…” You realize it as you speak it. Aemond had come to rescue from your solitude, and your evil, up to no good husband. You had been his damsel in distress, until you had stepped into the role of the protector and Daemon into…

“Providing.” The man himself barks out a laugh. “Seven Hells, am I a stand-in for Viserys? I thought I had issues.”

Aemond blushes.

“It isn’t like that.”

But Daemon insists. He takes a lock of your hair and twists it between his fingers.

“Fuck, I married Alicent. Fucking Alicunt.”

“I am not her!” You protest.

“You do look like my mother a bit. In the right light.” Aemond concedes, and you don’t know if to laugh or cry. “I… I want to do better. And I…”

“I want in. In what you two have.” Daemon’s smirk turns more devious, gently tucking the strand of hair he was still holding behind your ear. “Normally, I would threaten you with kicking you out, or hurting your lover over here. But I have been told it is in bad taste to try to force myself into your bed.”

So he had learned his lesson from the last time. You fight off the pleased smile.

“So. The choice is yours. My nephew and I reached an agreement already, one that will be void without your consent. Otherwise, we can go as we are.” Daemon finishes his offer, placing his hands behind his back.

You look between Aemond and him. Aemond seems encouraging.

“Will you be content to pay for your wife and her lover the rest of our lives? How selfless.” You arch an eyebrow, doubtful. It sounds too unlike him.

Daemon shrugs.

“What can I say? You inspire selfless devotion.”

“He is right. You do.” Aemond says, hugging you from behind. You feel him bury his face on your hair, quietly grounding himself. He has had a taxing evening, for sure.

“What do you think of this?” You ask him, voice low.

“If he is involved, I would feel more settled. Like it is not charity.” Aemond says, kissing your temple.

“I see you have learned from whores, haven’t you?” Daemon mocks, creeping closer. “Being my kept man and my kept woman. How lucky it is to be a prince.”

“Cunt.” You say, giving him a shove.

“Your cunt.” Daemon smirks. He leers at you. “And what a delicious one you seem to have…”

You slap a hand over his mouth, embarrassed. Aemond fights with a smile, and it is that which convinces you.

“Fine. You win. And we actually prefer trophy wife and boy toy.”

“Talk for yourself.” Aemond tugs at your hair, and you laugh.

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hanjisungslag · 3 months ago

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attack on titan headcanons #13

synopsis: they love you but, you love their best friend.

characters involved: eren, mikasa, armin, sasha, connie, jean, reiner, bertolt, annie, levi, erwin & hange

notes: i made my first ever lengthy fanfic! first 3 episodes are out so, go check it out!!

☆ eren jaeger - armin arlert

his heart is crushed to smithereens but, he’ll never ever show it because as long as your happy, that’s all he can ask for in this dreadful world plus, i’m sure armin would be happy for you so… it’s a bonus. i guess. he’ll be fine watching you two get together (no he won’t) (he’ll cry and punch a lot of things).

☆ armin arlert - mikasa ackerman

he gets it, mikasa is way better than him in several different ways but also, stronger than him. she has the resilience for what it takes to survive in this world, she’s not called a 100 man army for no reason! she can protect you and probably love you better than he could. finding out this news takes a huge toll on his self esteem to be honest 🙁.

☆ mikasa ackerman - eren jaeger

oh, TRUST ME! she’s been there and done that, she gets it, if not more than anyone. she feels very conflicted because she got over eren… developed feelings for you… now, you like eren? it genuinely just feels like someone’s playing a sick joke on her.

☆ jean kirsten - connie springer

okay this actually kind of shocked jean because he thought was IN, he was complimenting you, you seemed to be liking it and taking them well plus, you spent a lot of time together! but then, he found out from reiner that you were gossiping with the girls, giggling about connie… maybe he’s funnier? kinder to you? more… handsome?!

☆ connie springer - sasha braus

wow. he loves sasha but cmon, SHES SO STUPID😭. he starts being really mean about her, not to her face, but he’ll make a sly comment here and there in front of people. oh, she messed up on the training? god, she’s so incapable! she tripped and fell? god, she’s so unaware of her surroundings! how stupid, amirite? don’t fret, jean is always there to wack him over the head and tell him to shape up. he only does it because it genuinely really upset him. he liked you a lot.

☆ sasha braus - jean kirsten

oh! i mean i guess that makes sense, sasha is just kind of a kind of silly food lover but jean… jean is ambitious, strong and motivated. maybe that’s what you want in a partner. she definitely changes her habits just out of feeling sad, like not eating as much, being more quiet, becoming less playful etc. everyone’s super worried but she barely realises she’s doing it.

☆ reiner braun - annie leonhart

well i be damned 💀. reiner never thought he’d see the day but here we are, you like annie and he likes you. he likes annie, don’t get me wrong, and he totally sees her good traits but like… really? you have a CRUSH on annie leonhart? he’s more confused than anything. honestly he’s grateful after a while (not really) because you’re a devil (you’re not to him, you look like you’ve fallen from the heavens) and he has to kill you (he would never).

☆ bertolt hoover - reiner braun

deep sigh. deepest of sighs. QUICK EVERYONE ACT SURPRISED! bertolt has always been in reiners shadow, just because he’s more reserved doesn’t mean he’s any lesser than reiner, cmon! but, he realised that maybe you just want someone like reiner, someone’s who is extroverted and manly.

☆ annie leonhart - bertolt hoover

well then, this is quite the turn of event. annie and bertolt were so close, she can totally see why you’d like him and it’s a TOTAL weight off her shoulders. she would’ve never confessed, girls got too much going on so, thank god your eyes wandered somewhere else. but, it doesn’t make it any less harder watching you and bertolt…

☆ levi ackerman - hange zoë

yeah no, like he totally gets it 😂😂😂. you totally didn’t break his heart FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME IN THIS MANS LIFETIME. bro cannot catch a break… it’s chill though. he’s chill, your chill, everyone’s chill (i’m so upset i have to write this) although, he will act more irritated with hange, even more than usual, he’ll act like they’re a pain in the arse. but, it’s understandable hange is, after all, more fun, talkative, intelligent and an all round better person to be with.

☆ erwin smith - levi ackerman

SECOND PERSON THATS BEEN SNATCHED FROM ERWIN but, at least it’s not nile dok again. he totalllyyy gets it like, it’s the levi ackerman. the worlds strongest soldier? hello?? he may be short but he’s strong, fearless, can protect you and goodness gracious he is handsome!! it’s hard for erwin to watch however, he makes sure to bottle it all up and focus on the task at hand.

☆ hange zoë - erwin smith

erwin smith… wow. maybe hange was just too… annoying for you? that’s the only solution they can come to. you still come to visit them and ask about titans and what not, it’s so hard to hear you talk about all the time you’ve been spending with erwin when you used to spend that time with hange. they’ll divulge fully into their work and become more recluse for a while.

161 notes · View notes

teddymoon06 · 3 months ago

Text

Through the Storm

"Are You Sure?" (Y/N x Jungkook)

Are You Sure?

Y/N could feel the tension in the air the moment she stepped into the room. Her eyes darted around, taking in the sight of Jimin, leaning casually against the wall, his expression amused as he watched Jungkook pace back and forth in front of him.

She knew what this was about—how could she not? Jungkook had been a bundle of nerves the past week, constantly second-guessing himself, and now, with Jimin pushing him, it was all coming to a head.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jimin’s voice was calm but teasing, his words hanging in the air like a challenge.

Jungkook stopped pacing and glared at his friend. "I told you, hyung, I know what I’m doing."

Y/N, who had stayed silent until now, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"

Both Jungkook and Jimin turned to look at her. Jimin's smile widened, clearly enjoying the tension, while Jungkook’s eyes softened the moment they landed on her. He looked nervous, which was unlike him. Usually, he was the confident, carefree type, but around her, there was a vulnerability that Y/N both cherished and worried about.

"Of course, I do," Jungkook replied, his voice quieter now. He walked over to her, hesitating for a moment before taking her hand in his. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, a nervous habit she had come to recognize. "I just… I don’t want to mess things up."

Y/N sighed softly, squeezing his hand. "Kook, you're not going to mess things up. But if you're not ready, that's okay too."

Jimin, still lounging against the wall, raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just the innocent bystander here."

Jungkook shot him a look. "Innocent, my ass."

Y/N let out a laugh despite herself. Jungkook’s tension seemed to ease at the sound of her laughter, his lips twitching into a small smile. He loved making her laugh, even when he was anxious.

Jimin, sensing the moment had passed, straightened up and pushed off the wall. "Alright, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. But Kook," he paused at the door, glancing back at his younger friend, "just don’t overthink it. You already have her. That’s all that matters."

As Jimin left the room, the silence settled between them. Jungkook turned back to Y/N, his dark eyes searching her face for reassurance. Y/N smiled softly and reached up to brush a strand of hair away from his face.

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked gently.

Jungkook let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "It’s just… everything with you is so important to me. I don’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want you to regret being with me."

Y/N’s heart ached at his words. She had never doubted her feelings for him, not once. From the moment they had gotten closer, there had been an undeniable connection between them. Sure, there were challenges—there always were when feelings were involved—but she knew Jungkook was worth every second.

"Jungkook," she said softly, stepping closer to him, "I don’t regret anything. Being with you is the best decision I’ve ever made."

He looked down at her, his expression conflicted. "But what if—"

Y/N cut him off by placing her hand gently on his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her palm. "No 'what ifs.' Just us. Right here, right now."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Jungkook’s hand came up to cover hers, holding it against his chest as if anchoring himself to her. His eyes softened, the vulnerability still there but tempered by the trust they had built together.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, echoing Jimin’s earlier teasing question but with a seriousness that tugged at Y/N’s heart.

Y/N smiled up at him, her eyes filled with affection. "I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life."

The tension in Jungkook’s shoulders finally eased, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Y/N wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. In that moment, everything else faded away. It was just the two of them, wrapped up in each other.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair, the words so soft she almost missed them.

But she heard, and her heart swelled in response. She tilted her head up to look at him, meeting his gaze with all the love she felt for him. "I love you too."

Jungkook leaned down, his lips brushing hers in a gentle kiss that quickly deepened, filled with all the emotions they couldn’t put into words. It was tender, yet passionate, a promise of everything they had yet to experience together.

When they finally pulled apart, Jungkook rested his forehead against hers, his breath coming out in soft puffs. "I’m sorry for overthinking everything."

Y/N laughed softly, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest. "You don’t have to apologize for that. We’re both figuring this out together."

He smiled, that familiar bunny grin that melted her heart every time. "Together."

Y/N nodded, leaning up to press another kiss to his lips. "Always."

And in that moment, with her arms around Jungkook and his soft smile still lingering, Y/N knew they were going to be okay. Whatever challenges came their way, they would face them together, hand in hand, just as they always had.

Jungkook wasn’t perfect, but neither was she. And that was okay. Because, as Jimin had said, they already had each other—and that was all that mattered.

The next few days felt like a whirlwind, with Jungkook and Y/N caught between the excitement of being together and the uncertainty that came with it. Despite their intimate conversation, Y/N could tell something was still bothering him.

She found herself sitting at the dorm one evening, flipping through the latest webtoon on her phone, while Jungkook was in the studio, working on some new tracks. The quiet was comfortable but heavy, as if both of them were trying to avoid something unsaid.

The door creaked open, and Jimin peeked in, his mischievous smile immediately catching Y/N’s attention.

“Hey,” he said, stepping into the room like he owned the place. “You alone?”

“Jungkook’s working,” Y/N replied, setting her phone down.

Jimin nodded as if he expected that answer. “Busy as always, huh?”

Y/N smiled slightly. “Yeah. You know how he is. He won’t stop until it’s perfect.”

Jimin plopped down beside her, stretching his arms out across the back of the couch. “And how’s he been? Still overthinking?”

Y/N sighed. “A little. He’s been trying not to show it, but I can tell. I just don’t know how to make him see that there’s nothing to worry about.”

Jimin regarded her with a thoughtful expression, the playfulness fading slightly. “Kook’s been like that since forever. He overanalyzes everything, especially when it comes to people he cares about. He just doesn’t want to let you down.”

“I know,” Y/N murmured. “But he’s not letting me down. I wish he’d believe that.”

Jimin tilted his head, looking like he was weighing his words. “You know,” he said slowly, “sometimes it’s not about convincing him with words. You’ve got to show him that you’re in this for the long haul. Actions speak louder, right?”

Y/N narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What are you suggesting, Jimin?”

His mischievous grin returned. “Maybe you need to challenge him. Push him out of his head a little. Make him realize that you’re here for all of it—the good and the bad.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “And how do I do that?”

Jimin shrugged casually, but there was a glint in his eyes. “I don’t know… maybe something bold. Like, I don’t know, a dare.”

“A dare?” she repeated, not sure where this was going.

Jimin nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Jungkook thrives on competition, right? Daring him to do something he wouldn’t normally do might break that wall he’s been building in his head.”

Y/N considered it. “What kind of dare?”

Jimin leaned in conspiratorially. “Something that will make him stop overthinking and just act. You know, get him to be in the moment.”

Y/N bit her lip, feeling a surge of excitement at the thought of pushing Jungkook out of his comfort zone. She knew Jimin was right—sometimes, the best way to get through to Jungkook was by shaking things up. A playful challenge might be exactly what they needed.

“All right,” she said, standing up with new determination. “Let’s do this.”

Later that night, Y/N found Jungkook still hunched over his desk in the studio, the soft glow of the monitor illuminating his focused expression. His headphones covered his ears, and he was bobbing his head slightly to the beat, completely engrossed in his work.

Y/N stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him with a fond smile. As much as she loved seeing him so passionate about his music, she knew he was using it as a way to avoid his feelings—his fears.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N walked up behind him and gently tapped his shoulder. Jungkook flinched slightly, pulling off his headphones and turning to face her.

“Oh, hey,” he said, his voice surprised but warm. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Y/N smiled. “You’re pretty focused, huh?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry. I was just trying to get this right.”

“I know,” she said softly, sitting down beside him. “But I think you need a break.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by her tone. “A break? What did you have in mind?”

Y/N grinned mischievously, her heart pounding a little at what she was about to suggest. “How about… a dare?”

Jungkook blinked in surprise. “A dare?”

“Yeah,” she said, leaning in slightly. “You, me, a dare. Let’s make a bet.”

His eyes sparkled with interest, though a hint of hesitation remained. “What kind of bet?”

Y/N smirked. “You always beat me at everything—video games, sports, even karaoke. So this time, let’s see if you can beat me at something new.”

Jungkook’s competitive side kicked in immediately, the tension in his body easing as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “What’s the dare?”

Y/N’s heart raced. She hadn’t fully thought this through, but Jimin’s words echoed in her mind. She had to make him feel confident, make him act on his instincts rather than overthinking. Something bold.

“I dare you…” she began, looking him straight in the eye, “…to kiss me.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden challenge. He swallowed hard, his gaze flicking to her lips before quickly looking away.

“Are you sure?” he asked quietly, echoing the same question from before, his vulnerability showing again.

Y/N nodded, her voice steady even though her heart was racing. “I’m sure.”

For a moment, he didn’t move, clearly fighting with himself. But then, something shifted in his expression. The hesitation faded, replaced by the familiar fire of determination Y/N loved so much. Without another word, Jungkook leaned forward, cupping her face gently with one hand as his lips found hers.

The kiss was soft at first, hesitant, like he was still making sure this was real. But as Y/N responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, the kiss deepened, and all the doubts seemed to melt away.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them breathless, Jungkook rested his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed. He didn’t say anything, but the relief and emotion on his face spoke volumes.

“You’re not going to lose me, Kook,” Y/N whispered softly. “You never were.”

Jungkook opened his eyes, meeting hers with a new sense of confidence. He smiled, a genuine smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“Okay,” he said, his voice low and full of warmth. “I believe you.”

And in that moment, Y/N knew they had crossed a line. It wasn’t just a kiss or a dare. It was a promise—one that neither of them would ever break.

The days following their kiss felt different. It wasn’t the usual shift that came after a relationship milestone; it was something deeper, something that grounded both Y/N and Jungkook in a way neither of them had expected.

Jungkook had always been intense—whether it was about his music, his workouts, or even the smallest things, like deciding what to eat. He poured himself into everything. But when it came to their relationship, that intensity had a new layer. After their kiss, it was as if a weight had lifted off him, and now he wore his love for her as openly as he did his passion for music.

One night, a few days later, Y/N found herself in Jungkook’s room at the dorms. The others were out, leaving them in the rare quiet that the dorm never usually had. Jungkook sat on the edge of his bed, his guitar in his hands, absently strumming a few soft chords while Y/N lay sprawled on the bed, her head resting on one of the pillows as she watched him with a soft smile.

The way he focused when he played, his brow furrowing in concentration, was one of her favorite things about him. Music was his safe place. It always had been. But what she loved even more was how much he’d started to share it with her. Little things, like humming a melody he was working on or asking her what she thought of a lyric idea. It made her feel closer to him, more woven into the fabric of his life.

"How’s the song coming along?" she asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Jungkook paused, looking up at her with a small smile. "It’s getting there. I was thinking of making the bridge a bit more stripped back, maybe just the guitar."

Y/N propped herself up on her elbows, curious. "Can I hear it?"

Jungkook’s eyes flicked to her, a hint of nervousness crossing his face, but then he relaxed. He trusted her. He knew she wasn’t here to judge, only to listen. Without saying anything, he began to play.

The melody was gentle, almost intimate, and Y/N closed her eyes as the notes filled the room. His voice, when he started singing, was low and soft, like he was sharing a secret only meant for her. The lyrics were simple but filled with emotion—about holding on, about being afraid but finding strength in love.

As he reached the bridge, the one he’d mentioned, the music faded into just the soft strum of the guitar, his voice almost a whisper now. And as the last chord rang out, there was a moment of stillness. Y/N opened her eyes to find Jungkook watching her closely, like he was waiting for her reaction.

“That was beautiful,” she said, her voice filled with awe.

Jungkook blushed, a soft chuckle escaping him as he set the guitar down beside him. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure if it was too… soft.”

Y/N shook her head, sitting up fully now. “No, not at all. It’s perfect. It feels… real.”

Jungkook’s gaze softened, and for a moment, they just looked at each other. There was no need for words. It was that same quiet understanding they’d shared since the beginning—the kind that didn’t need explanations.

“You inspire me, you know,” Jungkook said after a moment, his voice soft. “A lot of the time when I write, I’m thinking about us.”

Y/N’s heart fluttered at his confession. She smiled, her fingers playing with the edge of the blanket. “I’m happy I can be a part of it.”

Jungkook shifted closer to her on the bed, his hand reaching out to take hers. His fingers traced small circles on the back of her hand, a habit he’d developed whenever they were close. It was a simple gesture, but one that always made Y/N feel warm.

“I’ve been thinking,” Jungkook started, his voice quieter now, like he was unsure how to say what was on his mind.

“About what?” Y/N prompted, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking down to their joined hands before looking back up at her. “About the future. Us. I know I’ve been in my head a lot recently, and I don’t want you to think I’m doubting us, but… I just want to be sure that I’m doing right by you.”

Y/N’s heart squeezed at his words. She knew Jungkook’s biggest fear was not being enough, not living up to the expectations he set for himself. But she also knew that those fears were unfounded. He was everything she could ever want—kind, passionate, fiercely loyal. She didn’t need him to be perfect. She just needed him to be him.

“Kook,” she said softly, reaching up to cup his cheek. “You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t expect you to have all the answers, and I don’t need you to be perfect. I just want you to be yourself. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, leaning into her touch, his breath steadying. When he opened his eyes again, there was a determination there—a quiet but strong resolve that made Y/N’s heart skip a beat.

“I know,” he said quietly. “But I want to make a promise to you, Y/N.”

Y/N’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion. “A promise?”

Jungkook nodded, sitting up straighter now, his gaze never leaving hers. “I promise that I’ll always try. No matter what happens, no matter how hard things get, I’m going to keep trying. For us. For you.”

His words hung in the air, filled with sincerity and emotion. Y/N could feel the weight of them, the way they settled into her heart like an anchor. It wasn’t a grand declaration or a sweeping gesture, but it was real. And that meant more to her than anything.

She smiled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. When she pulled back, she whispered, “I promise the same.”

Jungkook smiled, a soft, genuine smile that made her heart flutter all over again. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest as they sat there, holding each other in the quiet of the room.

For a long time, neither of them spoke. They didn’t need to. The promises they had made were enough. And as they sat there, wrapped up in each other, Y/N realized that she didn’t need anything more than this—this quiet, this connection, this love that they had built together.

Jungkook wasn’t perfect, but neither was she. And in the end, that was what made them perfect for each other.

The night after their quiet promises, everything between Y/N and Jungkook felt deeper, more solid, as if the quiet moments they shared had built an unbreakable foundation. They weren’t the type to rush things—they let their relationship evolve naturally, both of them learning to embrace the little things.

But despite the warmth of those moments, Y/N noticed something lingering in Jungkook’s eyes. There was a flicker of uncertainty, a shadow of fear that she knew all too well. It wasn’t loud, and he wasn’t vocal about it, but it was there, beneath the surface. And she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

One evening, as they were curled up on the couch watching a movie, Y/N’s attention was far from the screen. Her head rested on Jungkook’s shoulder, but her thoughts were on him—on the walls he was still holding up, even after their promises. He was trying, she knew that. But there was something he wasn’t saying.

She tilted her head to look up at him. His face was illuminated by the dim light of the TV, eyes focused but distant, his fingers gently tracing patterns on her arm as they sat together. He looked peaceful, but there was a tension in his posture that she couldn’t ignore.

“Hey,” she said softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Jungkook turned his head slightly, glancing down at her with a small smile. “Yeah?”

Y/N hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to bring it up. But she couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine when she knew he was still carrying something heavy. “You’ve been… quiet lately. Not just tonight, but in general. Is everything okay?”

Jungkook blinked, caught off guard by the question. He shifted a little, as if trying to brush off the concern, but Y/N wasn’t going to let him retreat into himself this time.

“I’m fine,” he said softly, though his tone lacked conviction. “Just been busy with work, you know?”

Y/N gave him a look, one that told him she wasn’t buying it. “Kook… you don’t have to pretend with me. I know when something’s bothering you.”

He looked away, his jaw clenching slightly. The silence stretched between them, and Y/N could feel him pulling back—not physically, but emotionally. It was a familiar dance, one that had happened before when he felt overwhelmed. But this time, she wasn’t going to let it slide.

“Talk to me,” she whispered, reaching for his hand and intertwining their fingers. “Please.”

Jungkook’s grip on her hand tightened, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. His eyes stayed fixed on the TV screen, but she knew he wasn’t really watching it. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke, his voice so quiet she almost didn’t hear it.

“I’m scared,” he admitted, his voice barely audible.

Y/N’s heart clenched at the raw honesty in his words. She sat up a little, turning her body to face him fully. “Scared of what?”

Jungkook let out a long breath, his eyes still avoiding hers. “Of not being enough for you. Of screwing this up somehow. I know we’ve talked about it before, but… it’s still there. That fear. You mean so much to me, Y/N, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Y/N felt her throat tighten as she listened to him. She had known he was struggling, but hearing the vulnerability in his voice—hearing how deeply his fears ran—hit her harder than she expected. She squeezed his hand, leaning in closer.

“You’re not going to lose me,” she said softly, her voice filled with as much conviction as she could muster. “You won’t.”

Jungkook finally turned to look at her, his eyes dark and filled with a depth of emotion that made her heart ache. “I just… I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. And it scares me how much I care. I keep thinking… what if I mess up? What if I hurt you?”

“You won’t,” Y/N replied firmly, her gaze never wavering. “I know you, Jungkook. You’d never hurt me. And even if we have challenges, we’ll face them together. That’s what being in a relationship is about. We’ll have ups and downs, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Jungkook looked at her, his expression softening, but the doubt was still there, lingering in the back of his mind. “What if one day you wake up and realize I’m not enough for you? What if… what if you get tired of me?”

Y/N’s heart ached at his words. She reached up, cupping his face in her hands, her thumbs gently brushing against his skin. “That’s never going to happen. Jungkook, I love you. All of you. The way you care so deeply, the way you always put your whole heart into everything you do. I love you for who you are—not for some idea of perfection.”

Tears shimmered in Jungkook’s eyes, and he blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back. He had always been so strong, so determined, but in moments like this, Y/N saw the vulnerability he tried to hide from the world.

“I’m not perfect,” he whispered, his voice breaking slightly.

Y/N smiled softly, pressing her forehead against his. “You don’t have to be. I don’t want perfect. I just want you.”

For a long moment, they stayed like that, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling as they held onto each other. Jungkook’s hand tightened around hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in that familiar, comforting way.

“I’m trying,” he whispered, his voice filled with raw emotion. “I’m really trying.”

“I know,” Y/N whispered back, her voice soft but steady. “And that’s enough for me.”

Jungkook’s eyes met hers again, and this time, there was something different in them—something stronger. The vulnerability was still there, but so was a quiet determination, a resolve to keep fighting for what they had.

He leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips, and when he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers once more. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice filled with a tenderness that made Y/N’s heart swell.

“I love you too,” she whispered back, her fingers tracing gentle patterns on his cheek. “And we’re going to be okay. No matter what.”

As they sat there in the quiet, the only sound the soft hum of the TV in the background, Y/N felt a sense of peace settle over them. It wasn’t the kind of peace that came from having all the answers, but the kind that came from knowing they didn’t need to have them all right now.

They had each other. And for now, that was more than enough.

A few weeks passed, and while things between Y/N and Jungkook had become more open, more emotionally honest, there were still moments when Jungkook seemed distant. He was trying—Y/N could see it in the way he always made time for her, in the way his hands lingered on hers when they sat together, in the soft kisses he’d place on her forehead when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. But there was still a tension between them, a space that neither of them had quite figured out how to close.

One evening, after a particularly long day at the studio, Jungkook came home exhausted. Y/N was waiting for him in the kitchen, having made dinner for them both. She had hoped a quiet evening together would help them reconnect, but as soon as he walked in, she could tell something was off. His usual bright energy was dim, his shoulders tense, and the light that normally filled his eyes was clouded over with frustration.

“You okay?” Y/N asked, her voice soft as she approached him. She reached out, gently touching his arm.

Jungkook nodded, though the gesture was half-hearted. “Yeah… just tired,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “The song’s not coming together the way I want it to. Feels like I’m hitting a wall.”

Y/N frowned, sensing his frustration. “Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I can help.”

Jungkook shook his head, giving her a small, forced smile. “Nah, it’s fine. I just need to clear my head.”

Y/N bit her lip, watching him as he walked past her, heading for the bathroom to wash up. She knew he wasn’t just tired from work. It was something deeper, something that had been building for a while. The more they opened up to each other, the more it seemed like Jungkook was struggling with something inside himself—something he couldn’t quite name.

Later that night, they sat down for dinner, but the usual light banter between them was absent. The conversation was stilted, filled with small talk about work and schedules. Y/N could feel the growing distance, like an invisible wall had sprung up between them, and it was starting to weigh heavily on her heart.

After dinner, they sat on the couch, but instead of pulling her close like he usually did, Jungkook sat with a bit of space between them, his eyes glued to his phone as he scrolled through emails. Y/N tried to focus on the movie playing, but her attention kept drifting to him—to the way his jaw was clenched, the way his fingers drummed against his thigh in a nervous rhythm.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Kook,” she said softly, breaking the silence. “Can we talk?”

Jungkook looked up, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. He set his phone down, his expression guarded. “Talk about what?”

Y/N sighed, her heart heavy. “About us. About… whatever’s going on.”

Jungkook frowned, confusion flickering in his eyes. “What do you mean? I thought things were good between us.”

“They are,” Y/N said quickly, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. “But lately, it feels like you’ve been… pulling away. Like there’s something on your mind that you’re not telling me.”

Jungkook’s gaze dropped to the floor, and for a moment, he didn’t respond. Y/N’s heart sank at the sight of him retreating into himself again.

“I just don’t want to put my stress on you,” Jungkook finally said, his voice low. “You already have enough to deal with, and I don’t want to burden you with my problems.”

Y/N shook her head, reaching for his hand. “Kook, we’re in this together. You’re not burdening me. I want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t let me in.”

Jungkook sighed, his thumb gently brushing against her hand. “I know. I’m just… I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like I’m stuck between wanting to be the best version of myself for you and constantly feeling like I’m not enough. Every time I try to shake it off, it just comes back. It’s like… no matter how hard I try, I keep doubting myself.”

Y/N’s heart ached at his words. She had known he was struggling, but hearing the depth of his insecurities made her realize just how hard he’d been trying to keep it all together for her. She squeezed his hand, pulling him closer to her.

“You don’t have to be perfect for me,” she said softly. “I’ve never asked you to be.”

“I know,” Jungkook whispered, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and vulnerability. “But it’s hard not to want to be. I see you and how patient you’ve been with me, how much you care… and I feel like I’m failing at giving you what you deserve.”

Y/N leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “You’re not failing. You’re doing more than enough, Kook. I love you for who you are, not for who you think you should be.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping as if the weight he had been carrying finally became too heavy. “I’m just scared, Y/N. Scared that one day you’ll wake up and realize I’m not worth it.”

Y/N’s chest tightened at his words. She could hear the pain in his voice, the fear that had been plaguing him for so long. But more than that, she could hear how much he loved her—how deeply he cared.

She reached out, cupping his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. “I’m never going to wake up and feel that way. Do you hear me? You’re more than worth it, Jungkook. You’ve always been.”

Jungkook looked at her, his eyes searching hers for any sign of doubt. When he found none, his expression softened, and he leaned into her touch. “I don’t deserve you.”

Y/N shook her head, her fingers gently brushing against his skin. “That’s not true. You deserve to be loved, Kook. And I’m going to keep reminding you of that until you believe it.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Jungkook’s hand reached up to cover hers, holding it against his cheek as he closed his eyes, the tension in his body slowly melting away. Y/N could feel the shift in him, the way he was finally letting himself be vulnerable with her.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “For loving me.”

Y/N smiled softly, her heart swelling with emotion. “Always.”

They sat there for a while longer, their hands intertwined, the weight of their conversation hanging in the air like a quiet promise. The space between them that had felt so large just moments ago was gone, replaced by a newfound understanding, a deeper connection.

Jungkook still had his insecurities, and Y/N knew it would take time for him to fully believe in himself the way she did. But she was patient, and she was willing to fight for him—for them. Because no matter how hard things got, she knew one thing for sure: they were worth it.

And as Jungkook pulled her closer, resting his head against hers, Y/N felt a sense of peace wash over her. They had a long way to go, but for now, they had each other. And that was more than enough.

As the weeks passed, Y/N and Jungkook’s relationship settled into a more comfortable rhythm. They’d navigated the hardest parts, or so it seemed, and there was a new closeness between them. Jungkook’s insecurities hadn’t disappeared overnight, but he was trying. He was more open with Y/N, letting her in on his doubts when they arose instead of shutting her out.

But life wasn’t always as smooth as they wanted it to be. Between his schedule with BTS and her own busy life, they rarely had time to themselves. Jungkook’s stress, though manageable now, ebbed and flowed with the demands of their world.

One evening, after a long day of rehearsals, Jungkook was unusually quiet again. Y/N had gotten used to recognizing the signs—his hands fidgeting more than usual, his lips pressed together in a tight line, and his gaze distant, even when they were in the same room. He’d come home later than expected, exhaustion written across his face as he dropped his bag by the door and muttered a quick “hey.”

Y/N stood up from the couch, concern lacing her features. “Kook? You okay?”

Jungkook nodded, but it was the same kind of half-hearted response he gave when something was bothering him. “Yeah, just tired.”

She walked over to him, brushing her hand against his arm. “You sure? You seem a little off.”

He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “It’s just a lot, Y/N. I’ve got this comeback, we’re filming stuff for the tour… I feel like I’m drowning sometimes.”

Y/N nodded, understanding the weight he carried. Being in one of the world’s biggest groups came with intense pressure, and while he loved it, she knew it wasn’t easy. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jungkook shook his head. “I don’t know if talking will help. I just—” He broke off, his frustration evident. “I just feel like I’m not doing enough. Like no matter how hard I try, I’m always falling short.”

Y/N felt a familiar pang in her chest. They’d been here before—this cycle of self-doubt, of Jungkook feeling like he wasn’t living up to some impossible standard he’d set for himself. She stepped closer, gently placing her hands on his chest. “Kook, you’re doing everything you can. You’ve been working so hard.”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked away, as if he didn’t quite believe her. “I know you say that, but… what if it’s not enough? What if I’m not enough?”

Y/N’s heart ached at his words. She knew how deeply he felt things, how much he put on his own shoulders, but it hurt to see him like this—to see the person she loved so fiercely doubting himself over and over again.

“You are enough,” she said firmly, her voice filled with conviction. “More than enough, Jungkook. You don’t have to be perfect all the time. You’re allowed to be tired, to feel overwhelmed. But please don’t think for a second that you’re not enough.”

Jungkook’s eyes softened as he looked at her, but she could still see the turmoil swirling behind them. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, his breath warm against her skin. “I’m trying,” he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. “I’m trying so hard.”

Y/N’s hand slid up to the back of his neck, her fingers gently threading through his hair. “I know you are. And I’m so proud of you for that. But you don’t have to carry all of this on your own. You have me. Let me help you.”

For a moment, Jungkook didn’t respond. His eyes closed, and she could feel the tension in his body slowly start to ease. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and for a while, they just stood there, holding each other in the quiet of the kitchen.

But the calm didn’t last long.

Later that night, after they’d settled into bed, Jungkook’s phone buzzed with a notification. It was from one of the producers he’d been working with, asking for a revision on a track they’d been finalizing. Y/N watched as his expression darkened, his earlier exhaustion settling back into his features.

“I thought we were done with this song,” Jungkook muttered under his breath as he typed a reply, his frustration building. “Why can’t they just let it be?”

Y/N sat up, her heart sinking. She hated seeing him like this, so on edge, so consumed by the pressure to be perfect. “Maybe you should take a break from it tonight,” she suggested gently. “You’ve been working on it non-stop.”

“I can’t,” Jungkook snapped, more harshly than he intended. He immediately regretted it, his eyes flickering to hers with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay,” Y/N interrupted, her voice soft. “I get it. You’re stressed.”

Jungkook sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I just… it’s never enough. No matter what I do, there’s always something else. And I’m scared, Y/N. Scared that I’m going to let everyone down—you, the members, ARMY—everyone.”

Y/N’s chest tightened at the raw vulnerability in his voice. She reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’re not letting anyone down, Kook. You’re doing everything you can, and everyone knows that. But you can’t keep running yourself into the ground like this. It’s okay to take a step back.”

Jungkook looked at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and desperation. “I don’t know how,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how to stop.”

Y/N’s heart broke at his words. She could see how much he was struggling, how hard he was fighting to keep everything together, but she knew he couldn’t keep going like this. He needed to rest, to breathe, to let himself be human.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” she said softly, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. “I’m here for you. Always.”

For a long moment, Jungkook didn’t say anything. He just stared at her, his eyes filled with emotion, before finally pulling her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, his breath shaky as he held her tightly.

“I’m scared of disappointing you,” he whispered, his voice so quiet it was barely audible. “I’m scared of losing you.”

Y/N’s heart clenched at his confession, tears welling up in her eyes. She pulled back slightly, cupping his face in her hands. “You’re never going to lose me, Jungkook. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jungkook’s gaze softened, his hands gently gripping her waist as he rested his forehead against hers. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Y/N whispered, her voice filled with unwavering certainty.

They stayed like that for a while, the weight of their conversation hanging in the air like a storm that had finally passed. The tension between them had eased, and though there were still challenges ahead, Y/N knew they would face them together.

As they lay back down, wrapped in each other’s arms, Jungkook’s breathing eventually evened out, the exhaustion of the day finally taking its toll. Y/N stayed awake for a little while longer, her fingers gently running through his hair as she watched him sleep.

She knew there were still struggles ahead, that Jungkook’s fears wouldn’t disappear overnight. But she also knew one thing for certain: she wasn’t going to let him face them alone.

And that thought, more than anything, gave her peace.

The following days felt like a delicate balance—like walking on a tightrope between Jungkook’s intense schedule and the fragile emotional state he’d been carrying for weeks. Y/N did everything she could to be his support, but it wasn’t always easy. Every day was a new challenge for him, and even with their quiet moments of connection, Y/N could feel the pressure building inside him again.

One evening, after a particularly draining day at the studio, Jungkook came home looking worse than ever. His usual spark was completely gone, replaced by an exhaustion that weighed heavily in his eyes and posture. He threw his jacket on the couch and immediately headed for the bedroom without saying a word.

Y/N frowned, watching him go. She knew he was trying, but lately, it felt like every step forward came with two steps back. The fear that had been creeping into her heart was now an undeniable presence—what if this was too much for them to handle?

Taking a deep breath, she followed him into the bedroom. Jungkook was sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands tangled in his hair. The silence between them felt suffocating, and for a moment, Y/N wasn’t sure what to say.

“Jungkook?” she called out softly, stepping closer.

He didn’t look up, his voice tired and strained. “I can’t do this anymore, Y/N.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

Jungkook let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping further. “This… all of it. The pressure, the constant feeling of not being enough, the expectations. I feel like I’m losing myself. And I’m scared that… I’m dragging you down with me.”

Y/N’s chest tightened, her pulse quickening. She could see the weight of his words—this wasn’t just about his career or the stress of being an idol. It was about them. The relationship they had fought so hard to build. And in that moment, Y/N realized just how deep his fear of failing had grown.

“Kook,” she said, sitting down beside him and placing a gentle hand on his back. “You’re not dragging me down. I’m here because I want to be with you, no matter how hard things get.”

Jungkook shook his head, his voice breaking slightly. “But I feel like I’m breaking, Y/N. And I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t know if I can.”

Y/N’s heart ached as she watched him unravel before her. She had seen him struggle before, but this was different. This was deeper—like all the cracks he had been trying to hide were finally showing, and he didn’t know how to hold them together anymore.

“Then let me help you,” she whispered, her hand gently running up and down his back in a soothing motion. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Jungkook turned his head slightly, finally looking at her with eyes that were filled with so much pain, it made Y/N’s chest tighten. “What if I can’t? What if… I’m too far gone?”

Y/N swallowed hard, her mind racing. She didn’t want to believe that. She couldn’t believe that. Jungkook wasn’t too far gone—he was just lost in the chaos of everything he had been carrying for so long. But she could see how much it was hurting him, how much it was hurting them.

“You’re not too far gone,” she said firmly, taking his face in her hands. “You’re just… tired. You’re overwhelmed. And that’s okay. But you don’t have to keep punishing yourself for feeling that way.”

Jungkook’s lips parted slightly, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. He looked like he wanted to believe her, but something held him back, something that ran deeper than just the stress of his job. It was the same fear he’d been carrying all along—the fear that no matter how hard he tried, it would never be enough. Not for his career, not for his fans, and not for Y/N.

“I just don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “I love you too much to drag you through this.”

Y/N shook her head, her fingers gently brushing against his cheek. “You’re not hurting me, Kook. I’m here because I love you. I choose to be here, through all of this. But I need you to trust me. Trust that we can get through this together.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, his forehead resting against hers. His breath was shaky, and Y/N could feel the tension in his body as he tried to hold it together.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “But I feel like I’m slipping away from myself.”

Y/N’s heart shattered at his words, and she pulled him into her arms, holding him tightly. “You’re not losing me,” she murmured against his shoulder. “We’ll figure this out. We’ll find a way to get through it.”

For a long moment, they stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, the silence between them heavy but comforting. Y/N could feel Jungkook’s body relax slightly in her embrace, but she knew the battle he was fighting inside wasn’t over. He was still struggling, still carrying the weight of his own expectations and the fear of not being enough.

But Y/N wasn’t going to let him face it alone.

“I’m scared too, you know,” she admitted softly, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m scared of losing you, scared of not being enough for you. But I’m not giving up on us. No matter how hard it gets.”

Jungkook pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers. “You shouldn’t have to carry my problems, Y/N. You deserve better than this.”

“I don’t want better,” Y/N replied, her voice filled with conviction. “I want you.”

Jungkook’s eyes softened, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Y/N saw a flicker of hope in them. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her to hold onto.

He leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers once more, his hands gently cradling her face.

“I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” he whispered, his voice filled with emotion. “I don’t deserve you.”

Y/N shook her head, her heart swelling with love for him. “You don’t have to thank me, Kook. Just let me love you. That’s all I want.”

Jungkook’s grip on her tightened, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to fade away. It was just them, holding onto each other in the quiet of their room, their hearts beating in sync despite the chaos that surrounded them.

And in that moment, Y/N knew that no matter how hard things got, they were going to make it. Because they had each other.

And that was all they needed.

In the days that followed, a subtle shift began to take place in their relationship. Jungkook, while still struggling with the pressure of his career, started to lean on Y/N more. He let her in—bit by bit—and it was a relief for both of them. But it didn’t mean that the weight he carried lessened. It only meant that now, they were carrying it together.

It was another late night when Y/N found herself sitting on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone while waiting for Jungkook to return from the studio. They had been having more of these quiet evenings lately, with him working late and her trying to keep herself busy in his absence.

When the front door finally clicked open, Y/N glanced up to see him step inside, looking every bit as drained as he had the night before. His hair was damp from the rain outside, droplets trickling down his neck, but what worried her more was the distant look in his eyes. It was the same haunted expression he’d had before, the one that told her he was spiraling inward again.

“Kook?” she asked softly, standing up and walking toward him.

He didn’t respond immediately, instead kicking off his shoes and running a hand through his wet hair. He dropped his bag by the door and stared at the floor, the silence between them heavy and suffocating.

“Jungkook, talk to me,” Y/N urged, her voice gentle but firm as she placed a hand on his arm.

Finally, he looked up at her, and the sadness in his eyes made her heart ache. “I’m trying, Y/N,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “But it feels like no matter what I do, it’s never enough.”

Y/N took a deep breath, her hands instinctively reaching out to take his. “It’s enough, Kook. You’re enough.”

Jungkook shook his head, his jaw tightening. “How can you say that when I feel like I’m falling apart? When every day I’m pushing myself to the edge just to keep up? I can’t even remember the last time I felt… happy.”

Y/N’s chest tightened. Hearing him admit that hurt more than she’d anticipated. She had known he was struggling, but to hear that he couldn’t remember feeling truly happy? It was like a punch to the gut.

“I hate seeing you like this,” she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. “I hate that you’re carrying all of this alone.”

“I’m not alone,” Jungkook said, his gaze softening as he squeezed her hands. “I have you. And I’m so grateful for that. But it’s not fair to you. I feel like I’m dragging you down with me.”

Y/N shook her head, stepping closer to him. “You’re not dragging me down, Kook. I choose to be here, remember? I’m not going anywhere, no matter how hard it gets. We’re in this together.”

Jungkook let out a shaky breath, his eyes closing as if he was trying to hold himself together. Y/N could see the exhaustion etched into every part of him—the physical and emotional toll it was taking. She gently cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs brushing over his damp cheeks.

“You’re not alone,” she repeated softly, her voice filled with conviction. “And you don’t have to do this alone. We’ll figure it out, one day at a time.”

Jungkook opened his eyes, and for a moment, the vulnerability in his gaze nearly broke her. He looked like he was holding on by a thread, like he wanted so desperately to believe her but didn’t know how.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You don’t have to fix it all at once,” Y/N replied, her heart aching for him. “You just need to take a breath, step back, and let yourself feel everything. You don’t always have to be the strongest person in the room, Kook.”

Jungkook let out a bitter laugh, though there was no humor in it. “I’m not strong, Y/N. Not like people think I am.”

Y/N frowned, her hands tightening around his. “You are strong. Stronger than you give yourself credit for. But strength doesn’t mean you have to carry everything alone. It’s okay to lean on the people who care about you.”

Jungkook stared at her for a long moment, his expression torn between wanting to believe her and the weight of everything he had been carrying for so long. His shoulders slumped, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if she was the only thing keeping him grounded.

“I’m so tired,” he whispered against her hair, his voice trembling. “I don’t know how to stop feeling like this.”

Y/N’s arms wrapped around him, her hand gently rubbing his back in soothing circles. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now,” she murmured. “But we’ll get through this. One step at a time.”

Jungkook buried his face in her shoulder, and for a long moment, they stood there, holding onto each other as if the world outside didn’t exist. Y/N could feel the tension slowly leaving his body, and though she knew the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy, she also knew that they were stronger together.

Eventually, Jungkook pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of gratitude and exhaustion. “Thank you,” he said softly. “For everything.”

Y/N smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, Kook. I’m here because I love you. And that’s never going to change.”

Jungkook’s gaze softened, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he whispered.

“You’ll never have to find out,” Y/N replied, her voice steady and full of love. “We’re in this together. Always.”

Jungkook nodded, his arms tightening around her once more as he pulled her into his chest. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, wrapped in each other’s warmth as the storm inside Jungkook’s heart slowly began to calm.

And for the first time in a long time, Y/N felt like they were going to be okay. They didn’t have all the answers, and the road ahead was still uncertain, but they had each other. And that, she realized, was all they needed.

In the days that followed, there was a noticeable shift between Y/N and Jungkook. It wasn’t as if all of their problems had disappeared, but there was a newfound understanding in the air, a quiet agreement to face things together, even if the way forward remained unclear. Jungkook wasn’t suddenly free of the burden he’d been carrying for so long, but the weight of it seemed just a bit lighter now.

Jungkook had started opening up more. He talked about his fears and doubts, his worries about the future, and the constant feeling that no matter what he did, it wouldn’t be enough. And Y/N listened—really listened—without judgment, offering comfort and reassurance whenever he needed it.

It was a fragile peace, but it was peace nonetheless.

One evening, Jungkook and Y/N were sitting together on the couch, a blanket draped over their laps as they watched the rain gently patter against the window. The TV was on, but neither of them was really paying attention. It was one of those quiet nights where the world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in the cozy warmth of their apartment.

Jungkook was resting his head against Y/N’s shoulder, his hand absentmindedly playing with the hem of her sweater. His eyes were half-closed, and Y/N could feel the rise and fall of his chest, steady and calm. He looked peaceful, and for once, Y/N wasn’t worried about what thoughts were running through his mind.

“Do you ever wonder what life would be like if things were different?” Jungkook asked suddenly, his voice low and thoughtful.

Y/N glanced down at him, surprised by the question. “Different how?”

Jungkook shrugged, his fingers still lightly tracing patterns on her sleeve. “I don’t know. Like, if I wasn’t… me. If I wasn’t Jungkook from BTS. Just… a normal guy.”

Y/N tilted her head slightly, considering his words. She had never really thought about it, but she knew that the weight of his fame was something he struggled with more than he let on. Being Jungkook of BTS was all he had known for so long, and sometimes, she wondered if he even remembered who he was outside of that.

“Do you wish things were different?” she asked quietly.

Jungkook was silent for a moment, his eyes distant as he stared out at the rain. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “Sometimes I think about what it would be like to just… live a quiet life. No cameras, no expectations. Just… us.”

Y/N’s heart softened at his words. She could see the appeal of it—the idea of a simpler life, away from the constant scrutiny and pressure that came with being in the spotlight. But at the same time, she knew how much Jungkook loved what he did, how much he cared about his music and his fans.

“I think… no matter what life you lived, you’d still be amazing,” Y/N said softly. “Because it’s not the fame that makes you special, Kook. It’s you.”

Jungkook looked up at her, his eyes searching hers for a long moment before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You always know what to say,” he murmured.

Y/N smiled back, brushing a strand of hair away from his face. “I just know you.”

Jungkook’s hand found hers under the blanket, his fingers intertwining with hers as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” he whispered, his voice full of emotion.

Y/N leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. “You don’t have to do anything to deserve love, Jungkook. You just have to let yourself be loved.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, leaning into her touch as if her presence alone could chase away the darkness that still lingered in the corners of his mind. He didn’t say anything for a while, and Y/N didn’t push him. She knew how difficult it was for him to open up about his fears, how deeply rooted his insecurities were. But little by little, he was letting her in, and that was enough for now.

After a while, Jungkook shifted slightly, sitting up straighter as he looked at her with a more serious expression. “I’ve been thinking,” he began, his tone cautious. “About… taking a break.”

Y/N blinked in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. “A break?”

Jungkook nodded, his gaze flickering to the floor. “From everything. Work, music, the schedule… I don’t know how long, but I think I need to step away for a while. Just to breathe. To figure things out.”

Y/N could hear the hesitation in his voice, the uncertainty that came with the idea of stepping back from something he had dedicated his entire life to. But at the same time, she could see how much he needed it—how desperately he was craving a moment of stillness in a world that never seemed to slow down.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Y/N said gently, reaching out to take his hand. “If that’s what you need, then you should do it.”

Jungkook looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and fear. “What if… what if I lose everything? What if I take this break, and when I come back, it’s all gone?”

Y/N squeezed his hand, her heart aching at the vulnerability in his voice. “You won’t lose everything,” she assured him. “Your fans love you, Kook. They’ll wait for you. And the people who care about you—your friends, your family, me—we’ll always be here. You’re not going to lose us.”

Jungkook’s shoulders relaxed slightly, though the worry didn’t completely leave his eyes. “I just don’t want to let anyone down.”

“You won’t,” Y/N said firmly. “Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean you’re letting anyone down. It just means you’re putting yourself first for once. And you deserve that.”

Jungkook nodded slowly, as if he was trying to let her words sink in. He leaned back against the couch, his head resting against the cushions as he let out a long breath.

“I think I’m going to talk to the company about it,” he said after a moment. “I don’t know if they’ll go for it, but… I have to try.”

Y/N smiled softly, feeling a sense of pride swell in her chest. It wasn’t easy for Jungkook to admit when he needed help, let alone ask for a break from something as monumental as his career. But the fact that he was willing to take that step—to prioritize his mental health—meant more than anything.

“I’m proud of you,” she whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

Jungkook turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting hers with a soft, grateful smile. “I couldn’t do any of this without you.”

“You don’t have to,” Y/N replied, her voice filled with love. “I’m with you, every step of the way.”

As the rain continued to fall outside, Y/N and Jungkook sat together in the warmth of their home, the weight of the world feeling just a little bit lighter in that moment. They didn’t know what the future held, but for now, they had each other. And that was enough.

Part 1

Part 2

#bts #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts au #bts imagines #bts soulmate #bts x you #bts army #bts jungkook #jungkook #jeon jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fluff #jungkook x reader #jungkook imagine

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lucy-shining-star · 1 year ago

Note

Okay so I'm probably based cause Mateo is my favourite character, so that might turn to defensive but I have to say something about some things from this:

...Though first o all I agree about that blabbing in Rita arc and I must say I'm dissapointed there was never some onscreen reaction to him almost letting her in that room (I don't reember how it's called) or him admitting to that onscreen. Like did it it ever happpen. I'm assuming it did but I can't be sure and this is so annoying damn it.

About Isabel I don't think it's comparable to anyone else cause it was more Elena being mother-figure to her younger sister than anything else? She was angry cause someone who she wants to protect the most put themselves in danger when she said to them to not do that.

About 'Movin on up' vs 'The Last Laugh' ...I don't think either of these episodes was about them wanting free time? 'Movin on up' was about Mateo moving in the palace, so he wouldn't have to take long time to go to palace from home and other way around. ...And about Naomi wasn't that more about Elena being jelaous of Veronica 'stealing' Naomi from her and work was just excuse to not let her? Or did I read to much of elena x naomi interpretations of this episode but like I still think it works with friendships

Hi! I just read your post about Mateo recently. If I may, can you give me any specific instances in the narrative of the show where Mateo isn’t called out as heavily as they should have? I’m just curious?

During the Shuriki returns arc in particular, Mateo makes some pretty glaring mistakes that I feel like he should've gotten much more flack for (and based on what we see elsewhere in canon, I feel pretty confident that if Gabe, Naomi, Isa, or Esteban at least --and possibly even Elena-- had made these mistakes, they wouldn't have been swept under the rug nearly as quickly as they were for Mateo).

While it's unfair to completely blame Mateo for Carla's manipulating him during the "Rita" arc, I feel like it's reasonable to hold him a *bit* accountable. He did after all blab highly confidential information (on more than one occasion) to try and impress a pretty girl with how clever and important he was. (Something tells me that if any of the others had done likewise, they would've been called out for it. But because it's "beloved" Mateo, we don't even get "wait, you told Rita how to get into your workshop? And you've known her for only a few weeks? What were you thinking, Mateo?") Moreover, he never even apologizes for this or promises to do better/be more careful with such important, sensitive information in the future.

Even more aggravating is his behavior in "The Scepter of Night." Mateo is so eager to play the hero and claim all the glory for himself that he twice (!) disobeys a direct order/abandons the plan and goes looking for the scepter piece on his own. This directly leads to Fiero and Victor finding the scepter piece and (temporarily) stealing it. And it's really only due to luck and very conveniently-timed infighting amongst Shuriki's allies that Elena and co. are able to get the scepter piece back. While Mateo does receive some (brief) criticism, it's nowhere near the level that it should be.

Also noteworthy Elena doesn't really get particularly "mad" at him (especially considering how angry we see her get at other characters even for more minor things) . She's not truly, actually angry at Mateo (and Gabe and Naomi are only a bit angrier); she's just a little frustrated and disappointed at him in the moment. And apart from a (very short) little "do better next time" speech, Mateo doesn't face any real consequences or lingering resentment unlike other characters who do.

When Isa obeys direct orders in "Sister of Invention," she has to face consequences (Elena grounding her). Similarly, Elena holds a grudge against Esteban for days (if not weeks) after he interfered with the Feast of Friendship (a much lower stakes mistake than Mateo's imo). Moreover, it's possible to interpret Esteban's staying behind in Avalor when the others go to see the Norberg Lights as a punishment (either self-inflicted or imposed by Elena) for his actions in the previous episode.

In contrast, Mateo just gets a brief "I expected better from you" speech from Elena and Gabe jokingly assigning him push-ups as punishment (which he immediately takes back when Mateo tries to do them). I'll give Mateo a little bit of credit for actually apologizing this time (which he doesn't always do). But it's still frustrating that everyone is so ready to forgive and forget Mateo's missteps immediately while this same courtesy is seldom shown to others.

I think it's worth directly comparing a few Mateo-centric episodes with a few more similar ones that focus on other characters so that we can see how there does seem to be a noted narrative bias in his favor compared to the others.

Let's start with two "feeling kind of insecure" episodes: "Spellbound" for Mateo vs. "Naomi Knows Best" for Naomi. In the former, Mateo expresses doubt that he's capable of rising to the occasion as royal wizard. No one (except Gabe and he gets over it by the end of the episode) blames him for not having reached his full level of confidence and potential right away and not being able to immediately solve the problem. And Elena in particular (and by extension the narrative) gives him so much validation and support. Whereas in "Naomi Knows Best" (and to a lesser extent "Finders Leapers" and the "Carla-as-Rita" arc as well) the narrative "punishes" Naomi for her feelings of self-doubt. We're told that *if only* Naomi had trusted her gut instincts and stood her ground right away, Elena and co would not fallen right into the trap and that Naomi needs to screw her head back on straight and embrace confidence ASAP to fix her mistake.

When Mateo feels insecure, the narrative gives him every reassurance about how capable and special he is, that he can learn at his own pace, and his insecurity isn't really such a problem after all. When Naomi feels insecure, the narrative encourages her to get over her doubts as quickly as possible because unlike with Mateo, there's "no time" for her to wallow in self-doubt and actually the fact that she even had said doubt in the first place is what "caused" the disaster.

On a slightly different note, Naomi is also called out for taking a little free, fun time for herself in "The Last Laugh" when the group needs her, and yet somehow I have a feeling that Mateo would've been allowed to take a day off if he wanted without any protest. He complains about long hours in "Movin' on Up" and Elena gives him the big royal wizard's chambers for him to relax and unwind in. Naomi asks for one (1) day off to spend with her childhood friend for her birthday , and suddenly it's big drama. (And at the time, Naomi asked for said day off, all Elena needed from her was help doing paperwork. The Team Ash stuff came up unexpectedly.)

Similarly whenever Gabe and Mateo get their little rivalry on ("Spellbound," "Party of a Lifetime," "Captain Mateo" and a few other examples) , the narrative either presents them as equally at fault or Mateo as the only one in the right.

When Gabe brings in Bronzino to train the Royal Guards in magic, it's specifically because Mateo failed to explain how and why he was training the guards in the way he was. If he'd just explained how they were going apply the seemingly basic exercise they were doing to real magic, Gabe likely would've allowed Mateo to continue the training at his own pace.

(Also like. it's super hypocritical imo for Mateo to get annoyed at Gabe feeling impatient/impulsive about their apparent-lack-of progress when Mateo himself is easily the second most impulsive character in the show after Elena.) Mateo feels entitled to keep important information to himself (or blab it to a cute girl he barely knows) even when its no one else's best interest. He's only okay with being "cautious and patient" when he specifically is the one setting the pace. And yet, Gabe is the only one who is called out for his behavior in this episode--even though he might not have acted as he did if only Mateo had trusted him and the guards with an explanation in the first place.

And then there's just a few other "dude not cool" little moments that never really get acknowledged/Mateo never apologizes for. For instance, there a two low-key terrifying Mateo moments in "Captain Mateo" that are not only not acknowledged but are also framed in context as Mateo being just "so funny and quirky". Near the end of "Should be in Charge," Mateo magically gags Gabe so he can't protest anymore about Mateo taking over as leader of the mission. And this is after having already enchanted one of the stationary suits of armor to come to life and fight Gabe. (Gabe admittedly does lightly shove Mateo out of the way during his parts of the song, but that's still a far cry from literally drawing a sword on Mateo as Mateo does via magic to Gabe.)

It's played for laughs (The Grand Council is just smiling happily in the background throughout the scene which is so yikes), so it's easy to overlook what's actually happening. Frankly, it's pretty horrifying that Mateo's natural instinct upon his experience/authority being questioned is to literally attack and then silence. (And attack and silence someone who is supposed to be one of his best friends and closest allies at that!)

Rather than the narrative acknowledging that maybe it's a bad idea to immediately grant power to someone to someone who is so retaliatory against fairly minor criticism, the Grand Council just gives Mateo exactly what he wants and doesn't even offer a "maybe next time, let's not gag or attack our friends, okay?" alongside it. I mean sure Mateo does step down as captain at the end of the episode, but it's very specifically presented as his and Gabe's voluntary choice and not an order from Elena/the Council.

#not sure what i think about rest points but i had stronger thoughts about these ones #i also think mateo was presented as wrong in captain mateo but okay he wasn't exactly called out so okay maybe not #(...also maybe i need to rewatch crash course cause was kinda under impression that conflict in that came mostly from mateo teaching adults #late teens like children under 10)#...i also wouldn't like for him to have evil arc but that's more due to fact that i think it would be too much to have two of main #characters do that than anything else #though one thing: after scepter of night (or before like during trailer?) actually many people were thinking/worried that's gonna happen #i had like two dreams about that one being directly affected by 'naomi knows best' synopis somehow #...i think i wrote dark reprise of 'magic within you' but i had it in some notebook i lost #side note: i found out about varian from tangled the series around same time scepter of night premiered lmao #...also i just realized i'm writing fanfic in which mateo is worried it's gonna happen and gabe is kinda worried it's gonna happen and i #didn't mention that things from 'in charge' ...so i guess i kind of...didn't think too much of them...#...also kind of like to think his very quick 'nope can't do that' in lighting warrior was caused by such worry #though that particular headcanon is kinda to all wondering what is difference between dark magic and light magic and me kinda thinking #that it's like the more you use dark magic it starts possesing you? i also think that's the reason victor and carla got changed it that #episode alongside to make elena trust them more #...so with that i also think that 'chaning into stone' is outright dark magic so i do think mateo used it once #...though gotta admit it doesn't really fit with valentina using it...but maybe it's little different when you are changing something back #to stone?#or i guess valentina used dark magic too. well #elena of avalor

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atzloverr · 4 months ago

Text

Selfish desire - chapter 7

previous chapter - next chapter

masterlist for selfish desire

warnings! includes yandere themes, kidnapping, bondage, stalking

help this wayyy too long but I hope you enjoy! (english is not my native language so please mind any language errors)

“Well, what do we have here?” Hongjoong giggled, putting a hand over his mouth. He felt conflicted about the scene in front of him. Part of him almost felt jealous at the situation, but he couldn’t help but find the two of you cute.

There you were, sound asleep in Yunho’s arms, his large sweater hugging your body. He finally saw that peaceful, defenseless look on your face that he craved. He guessed that this was the first time you were able to fall asleep since your arrival, your fear and stress probably making you restless.

“Please,” Yunho whispered, holding his arms protectively around your fragile body. Hongjoong knew what he meant; ‘please let her sleep’.

In Hongjoong’s obsession and hyper-fixation with you, he had told Yunho all about your life. Everything from your largest interests to your biggest fears. Therefore, the man holding you knew how hard it was for you to fall asleep at night. Yunho felt disgusted with Hongjoong, not even wanting to imagine how he even found that out.

It warmed Hongjoong to know that you finally found yourself comfortable enough to fall asleep, but he wasn’t delusional. He knew it was only because of Yunho’s soft and welcoming presence.

Hongjoong made a silent gesture to Yunho, and unfortunately, Yunho could tell where this was going.

In a swift movement, Hongjoong switched places with the man holding you, and instead held you in his own arms. Yunho didn’t fail to notice the man’s cheeks becoming pink, or the way he almost shivered in excitement as he could hold you in his arms once again.

He rocked you slowly back and forth, in a way he knew you would enjoy. His hands found your hair and started stroking it with such a tender touch, that you could’ve never guessed his identity. He inhaled your scent deeply, making Yunho shiver uncomfortably at the sight. Disgusting.

It wasn’t that bad when he was the one being tortured, Yunho thought, but seeing Hongjoong do this to you when you finally felt safe enough to doze off made his blood boil. Yunho had felt so warm inside when you cuddled him for warmth, feelings of tender love and care bubbling inside of him. He felt so proud to have you in his arms.

But of course, here was Hongjoong, snatching that privilege right away from him with such greed.

”Isn’t she just beautiful?” Hongjoong asked in a mere whisper. Yunho felt his eye twitch in rage, but he knew better not to ignore Hongjoong. “Yes,” he let out, sickness bubbling up in his stomach at the view in front of him. Hongjoong continued to rock you back and forth, even going so far as to kiss your neck slowly.

“No, stop,” Yunho rushed, stepping closer in panic. Hongjoong just shot an alarming glare his way.

Yunho felt his hands shaking, and had to grip the hem of his shirt in order to stop. Seeing you, the girl he loved, in the arms of a selfish monster was enough to make him want to throw up.

“Get away from her,” Yunho growled lowly, still not wanting to wake you in this position. Hongjoong’s lips traveled lower down your neck, his smile only growing with Yunho’s rage. You made a small sound in your sleep, making Hongjoong giggle slightly.

“Don’t worry love,” Hongjoong mumbled into your shoulder. “I won’t be down here much longer.” Yunho’s eyebrow raised suspiciously. “You and me… are going on a little trip!” Hongjoong cheered, his small laugh shaking your unconscious body slightly.

You were lucky you slept so soundly, not even noticing when Hongjoong put you back on the cold floor, leaving a small peck on your cheek before leaving you.

The sound of keys rattling made Seonghwa’s head snap to the side. He watched as Hongjoong twisted the keys to the basement, his other hand holding Yunho’s harshly. Seonghwa shot up from his spot on the couch, running to meet the two.

“Let her sleep for a bit, then give her dinner,” Hongjoong instructed while grabbing his coat. “And make sure not to promise something stupid like last time, okay?” Hongjoong smiled. The passive aggressiveness in his voice made Seonghwa tense up uncomfortably.

“Where are you two going?” he asked, watching closely as Yunho put on his shoes. Hongjoong walked up to his beloved, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “We’re going shopping!”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Seonghwa felt the nervous feelings building up inside of him, holding the tray of food. He didn’t know how to act around you. There was that part of him who only wanted to take care of you, love you and cherish you. Then, there was the other part. The part who broke into your house in the middle of the night. The part who wants you to know that you’re theirs. The only part that Hongjoong wants him to show.

Make Hongjoong happy? Or follow his true desires?

Seonghwa took a deep breath, and gently kicked open the basement door, bracing himself for meeting you again.

His footsteps made the stairs creek as he slowly went down. Your form entered his field of vision, and a part of him wanted to squeak at the sight.

There you lay, sleeping soundly, curled up in a little ball on the floor. You wore Yunho’s large knitted sweater, your hair messy and all over your face. As beautiful as Seonghwa found you, it was clear that you were tired, and definitely needed a warm bath and a change of clothes.

You were still in your underwear from the day they abducted you, the only thing different being the occasional shirt you borrowed from Yunho.

Hongjoong insisted that you stay in the basement for at least a day before getting to go upstairs. The part of Seonghwa who loved you so dearly was against the idea, but the part who would do anything and everything for Hongjoong, let him.

Seonghwa set down the small tray on the ground and walked closer to you, examining your sleeping body. His hand found your shoulder, slowly rubbing up and down. He too, loved to see you so peaceful and beautiful, finally letting yourself rest.

“(Y/N),” he called out. He noticed the way your eyelids slowly fluttered open, and the way your body started moving on its own. His breathing quickened at your cute scrunched up face as you finally started to regain consciousness.

“Good morning,” he smiled, continuously rubbing your shoulder. As you finally came to your senses, you couldn’t help the gasp escaping you.

“Hey, calm down!” Seonghwa panicked as your eyes rapidly flew around the room in confusion. You tried to back away from him slightly, the mere sight of him sending shivers down your spine.

“What are you doing here!?” You asked, your own voice sounding foreign in your ears. You recalled the memory of Yunho helping you finally fall asleep, and was mortified to find someone else by your side as you woke.

“Please, (Y/N), just calm down!” Seonghwa’s eyes were wide with what you could only recognize as fear. “I won’t hurt you,” he promised, still keeping a steady hand on your shoulder. His words weirdly calmed your nerves, and you finally started understanding the situation better.

“Where’s Yunho?” you asked, looking the man in front of you straight in the eye. He thought for a second, his eyes wandering around the room. “He’s out with Hongjoong,” he explained. Your eyes widened, and you almost started panicking at the thought. You never wanted Yunho to have to be alone with Hongjoong, not after what he told you.

“Calm down, they’re just out shopping,” Seonghwa explained.

You couldn’t read the man in front of you. You had so many questions, but didn’t know if you even dared to ask them. One day, he was quiet and shy, the next talkative and nice, the third sarcastic and bold. You could tell he was in that second mood today. This still didn’t understand why he used to be so quiet, and now didn’t hesitate before opening his mouth.

“I- I brought you dinner,” Seonghwa said, placing the tray in front of you. You slowly propped yourself up and sat down on the stone floor. It was so cold against your bare legs, and today was definitely worse than yesterday temperature wise.

You watched as his hand slid the tray towards you, inspecting the food in front of you. You couldn’t help but almost salivate at the noodle soup in front of you, feeling the hunger still lingering in your stomach. Your gaze elevated to the man’s face, meeting his unusually calm expression.

“What day is it?” you asked, feeling bold all of a sudden. Seonghwa’s eyes widened slightly, but soon webt back to normal. “Monday,” his quiet voice sounded out monotonously.

You finally averted your eyes from his and thought.

Monday. That means you were supposed to be in class by now. According to Yunho, dinner was usually served around five, which meant you were supposed to be in literature class with Wooyoung. With Yunho. With Seonghwa.

You took a deep breath. “We have class now, don’t we?” you challenged, inspecting the man’s reaction. He only raised a brow at you. “Yes,” he answered. You pouted at his lack of reaction.

“What are people supposed to think when I don’t show up?” you spat, thinking of Wooyoung. All you wanted was to speak to him. Not even that, just get out of this disgusting basement.

The only thing on your mind all day was Wooyoung. You missed your best friend so much, and you were so worried. What did he think was going on with you? Had you also been reported missing? Where was your phone? Had Wooyoung tried to call you? Your parents?

Seonghwa’s deep tone snapped you out of your thoughts. “Don’t worry about that, (Y/N),” he said, almost having a concerned look on his face. You felt so angry. They always showed this face of pure pity, making you feel like a helpless animal in a cage.

“How can you expect me to be okay with any of this!? You kidnap me, and when I ask questions you act all surprised, like YOU didn’t do this to me!” you suddenly snapped. You had had enough of this man and his uncertain behavior. His surprised expression was priceless.

“I can’t believe I even considered you a friend! One day, you act all shy around me, telling me you love me, making me feel bad for you almost. The next, you remind me just how much of a monster you are,” you rambled on.

“Seonghwa, I don’t know you, I can’t understand who you really are, but I know that whatever is hiding beneath those layers of odd behavior,” you yelled. “I hate it!”

You could barely finish your last words of pure rage until a hand was harshly slapped over your mouth. Seonghwa was sobbing, keeping his hand firm against your mouth.

“SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!” he growled, being occasionally interrupted by hiccups and sobs.

I have to maintain control. I have to make Hongjoong proud. I have to make her love me. She hates me, she really does.

Seonghwa kept his hand over your mouth while trying to hug you at the same time. You tried your best to struggle out of his grip, but he only held you closer. His breathing was quick, and although a part of you wanted to feel bad for him, you couldn’t ignore the feelings of satisfaction brewing inside of you.

Gaining any sort of reaction was positive. It showed you that you still had control, that you still had hope. You heard the man’s breathing slowing down after a while, the sounds of small whispers escaping his lips.

“Please,” you heard. You didn’t know what to make of any of this. “Love me.” Your head snapped up at his quiet voice. You felt the grip of his hand loosen, and could finally breathe heavily, in and out.

You couldn’t tell what the look in his eye meant. It looked like he was empty, but at the same time, had a million thoughts. He slowly stood up and turned away from you.

“No one else will know about what happened today,” he commanded, his voice foreign, stern. “Enjoy your meal.”

You watched as he quietly rushed up the stairs and quickly walking out the door, giving you the tiniest bit of warm light. You wanted to go out. Go up there. Take a bath. Change clothes. Meet your friends. Go to school. Work at the corner. Lie in your own bed and just rest.

You felt tears streaming down your face. You eyed the food you once thought looked so delicious, but couldn’t even think about eating right now. You slowly backed away from your spot in the middle of the room, and found the corner you had started to treat like home.

As you hugged your knees, you wondered if this nightmare would ever come to an end, or if it was only going to get worse.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You rested your head against the wall, sighing heavily. Being left here made you go insane. It was like you were being isolated, punished for a crime you didn’t know you committed.

When Seonghwa had come down to collect your dishes, he didn’t say a word. When he noticed the untouched food he worked so hard to make perfectly to your liking, he swore he felt his heart ache. You were sat in the corner of the basement, not even sparing him a glance.

Now, here you were, waiting for something to happen. You impatiently tapped your finger on your knee in a rhythm, thinking of a song you used to listen to. Well, back when you had your phone, and other basic privileges.

You stood up from your spot, letting out a small grunt as you forced your sore legs to stand. You had barely any energy, but your own body tortured you with a lack of appetite and inability to sleep. You wanted to scream in frustration.

You slowly made your way to the small bathroom they had provided you in this basement. You honestly felt lucky to be able to go to the bathroom like normal, considering everything else was out of the ordinary. You splashed some water in your face, anything to feel clean. Unfortunately, the water down here wasn’t warm, so it definitely didn’t help with the constant shivers creeping up on you.

“Ughh,” you let out, almost feeling sick from the hunger.

You gasped when the basement door was opened, the familiar sound scaring you no matter how many times you’d heard it. The fear of who was entering was what made you so on edge, and now, you saw the person you feared the most in this house.

“Hello honey, I see you’re up and running!” Hoongjoong’s unnaturally happy voice cheered. He was carrying something in his arms, making you squint to make it out.

“Well don’t be shy, come here,” he called for you, gesturing for you to come closer. You hesitated. His smile wasn’t wavering, which only made the fear within you grow. You took a few small steps until you were close enough for your liking. That was not nearly close enough for Hongjoong’s. He took a large step towards you, giving you the bag in his arms. You only let your eyes stare at it, not knowing what to expect.

“Take it, it’s a gift!” he said, tone almost alarming.

You hesitantly took the bag and took a peek inside of it. Your eyes widened in surprise.

“Clothes?”

“Mm-hm! We figured you might need some new ones! Don’t worry, I picked things you’ll like!” Hongjoong giggled. That last comment didn’t fail to make you uncomfortable to say the least. You set the bag down and pulled out a sweater.

It was extremely warm, with a super soft material. You would’ve gasped in joy if Wooyoung was the one gifting you this, knowing how much you loved to drown in cozy sweaters during the winter, but you just couldn’t find it sweet when given to you by the man facing you.

He studied your every reaction, seeing the way your eyes lit up in a subtle way. After examining your entire wardrobe, he quickly found a pattern in what type of clothes are to your liking.

Hongjoong watched as you picked up the various clothing items he had picked out for you, seeing the way your eyes widened more and more for every piece. You looked down in the bad when you had picked up everything, but saw something still being in there.

Hongjoong couldn’t hide the laugh escaping him.

You gasped as you saw the underwear he had picked out for you. It was the pair you had been wanting to buy for a while, just not finding the money to spend on it. Your face scrunched up in disgust as you dropped the bag to the floor.

What a shame, Hongjoong thought. You didn’t even get to see the other underwear he had picked out, lying underneath. He had bought some new pieces of ones you already owned, wanting to make you feel comfortable and at home. This was your home, after all.

You had turned your back to the man, causing him to frown. “Awww, c’mon (Y/N), shouldn’t you thank me for my presents?” he teased, stepping closer to you. His firm hands met your shoulders, spinning you around, almost making you stumble.

“Change into this for now,” he instructed, handing you an outfit he hadn’t shown you yet. You must’ve missed when he picked it up.

You swallowed, unwillingly accepting the neatly folded pile of clothes given to you. Hongjoong picked up the bag from the floor, taking it with him as he began to take his leave.

“I’ll come down again in a few minutes, so you better have changed,” Hongjoong smiled, waving you goodbye as he started ascending the stairs.

When you heard that door slam, you felt the feelings of dread and disgust catch up to you, as a silent tear fell from your eye. You didn’t even want to think about it. You didn’t want to realize that Hongjoong had somehow heard the private conversations you had with Wooyoung. You didn’t want to think about how he might’ve found out about what underwear you owned.

You put the outfit on the floor, carefully separating the clothes. Before you lay a beautiful white sweater, clearly of high quality, and your exact size. Next to it lay a pair of black pants, accompanied by the disgusting sight of underwear, from the same brand you usually shopped from. You swallowed, picking up the clothes you were about to put on. As much as you hates this gift, you couldn’t help but feel grateful. Finally, after wearing the same underwear for days, with no socks or pants, you would finally be able to dress appropriately and warm.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You dusted off your pants, noting the way they seemed to fit you perfectly, in a way you’d barely experienced before. You couldn’t help but cry when you felt the soft material of the shirt against your cold skin, the sudden warmth and comfort reminding you of home. In your arms you still hugged Yunho’s sweater, not wanting it to touch the filthy floor of the basement.

Now you just waited. You waited patiently for Hongjoong to show up, and do god knows what. You felt confused at his request to have you change suddenly. Who knows, maybe he just felt nice.

The door creaked open, and was mysteriously not closed afterwards. Hongjoong skipped down the stairs, a grin forming on his face when your clothed form came into view.

“Oh, so you can follow orders?” he teased, putting his hands on his hips. Your shoulders tensed in anticipation.

“Don’t move,” he commanded, spinning his finger around.

You gave him a confused look but obeyed. What you didn’t expect was for him to appear right in front of you, grabbing your arms harshly. You squirmed in his grip, feeling harsh ropes meet your skin.

“Hey!” you yelled, still trying your best to struggle your way out of the situation. He only giggled at your attempt, knowing your body was way too weak to fight against him. A moment later your hands were tied together, the rope burning into your skin slightly.

You tried to protest and question him, but he hushed you when you just slightly opened your mouth. He grabbed the rope like a leash, pulling it slightly and grinning in satisfaction when you stumbled from the tug.

“P-please don’t—“ you started, your voice shaky and unsure. You didn’t know why he was doing this, but knew better not to ask him. The only thing you knew was that being tied up wasn’t a good sign. That much you had collected from Yunho’s stories.

Hongjoong stood next to you, snaking his hand around your waist. He led your body towards the stairs, and even though you desperately wanted to get out of the basement, this wasn’t a good feeling. You had no idea what was waiting for you up there. Was it a severe punishment for not finishing your food? You didn’t want to think about it.

You took uncertain steps up the stairs, Hongjoong’s closeness not making you the least bit more comfortable. The door was slightly open, letting the warm light seep into the dark basement. You felt your heart beating rapidly against your chest, your breathing picking up for every step you took. The man next to you though, seemed unfazed by your growing panic.

Finally, you stopped before the door. As Hongjoong’s hand found the door and pushed it open, you were immediately engulfed by the sudden warmth and light, feeling as though you’d been in this basement for way longer than you actually had been. You opened your subconsciously closed eyes and slowly took in your surroundings.

It was like you’d forgotten the man beside you, when you felt yourself filling up with emotions, seeing the room around you. You were in the hallway, but could peek into the kitchen and living room. The warm lighting and cozy interior felt deceiving. Why would these people have such a homely vibe in their house?

You didn’t even struggle when being led to the living room, a big window coming into view.

A forest.

It was windy and dark, the autumn leaves whirling around between the countless trees in the distance. The outside looked so cold and dull in contrast to the warm, dimly lit living room. You were shocked at the size of the house. You guessed that Hongjoong was rich, considering the brands of your new clothes, and this huge house.

As much as you wanted to admire the room, you had to properly inspect it, looking for any possible escape routes. The window had some sort of high-tech lock that you couldn’t stare at for too long, not wanting to cause any suspicion. You kept looking around, and found the staircase to the upper floor.

Hongjoong tugged at your rope, making you almost fall forward again. He led you to the couch, where two familiar faces greeted you. You hadn’t even noticed them as you were so focused on finding any means to escape.

Seonghwa sat on the end of the couch, with Yunho right next to him, incredibly close.

You were roughly sat down on the couch next to Yunho, looking up to meet his gaze immediately. His eyebrows were furrowed in sadness. You searched for any type of answer in his eyes, any type of comfort, but failed to find anything. Hongjoong plopped down next to you, the four of you taking up the entirety of the soft couch. You didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t dare to ask any questions. The eerie silence made you even more anxious.

Seonghwa’s arm raised in the air, turning the TV on. Yunho’s hand found yours, and intertwined your fingers. You desperately wanted to clutch onto him and never let go, but the restrains served as a reminder of who was in charge of your every move.

The news started playing on the large screen, and you felt your breath hitch in your throat. You hadn’t had any type of contact with the outside world for these past days.

As the lady’s monotone voice started echoing in the room, you felt Yunho’s hand grip yours tighter. You looked up at him questioning, but soon understood exactly why he did it.

“Here are the latest news regarding the disappearance of university student (Y/N) (L/N)…”

You could swear your heart stopped right then and there.

You saw the look on her face, but didn’t want to believe the words coming out of her mouth next.

“She has been identified dead, found by police this morning.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You could barely hear your own hoarse screams anymore, the only words echoing in your head being those said on the news.

You kept screaming, tears flowing endlessly down your face. You were sure this was the end. No one would look for you. You were stuck here forever.

You kept fighting in Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s arms, screaming at them to leave you alone. You kicked with all your might, your only intention to hurt them.

You felt yourself struggling to breathe, the two men invading your privacy only making it worse. Seonghwa’s arms that tried to wrap around you in a somewhat comforting manner, made you feel even more stuck.

“Get away from me!” you screamed in between sobs. At last, the only solution you could think of was screaming. Maybe if you screamed loud enough, they would back off. So here you were, screaming louder than you’d ever done before.

It almost felt freeing.

To finally let out all your pent up emotions and letting your vocal cords ache.

Seonghwa felt the guilt catching up to him. He had to suppress the urge to untie your wrists, knowing exactly how he would feel in your situation. He was familiar with panic attacks, but what you were going through was something else.

It was like something inside of you snapped when you heard that sentence being said. You didn’t let yourself think about anything else, you just let it consume you completely.

With Yunho, this was never a problem. No, he simply cried and went to his room. Now, he was standing about a meter away, stuck in place, his body shaking tremendously.

“Seonghwa,” Hongjoong’s voice called out, barely being heard as you kept screaming and sobbing. “How about you let me handle her.”

Seonghwa saw the way Yunho’s body twitched. He saw the way he wanted to scream, the way he wanted to fight.

Seonghwa nodded at the request, and immediately ran to the taller man’s side. He firmly gripped Yunho’s wrist, making his way towards the staircase.

Hongjoong yelled over your screams once again. “Basement!” he said, his voice like steel.

He knew that was the most quiet place, where barely any sounds were heard from upstairs.

Seonghwa swallowed before walking towards the basement door, his hand firmly pulling Yunho’s wrist. Oh, how he hated having to be harsh like this. He hated having to hear you cry, having to grip Yunho in a way he knew hurt him. But alas, Hongjoong was in charge.

As the basement door was closed behind him, Yunho couldn’t help but throw his arms around Seonghwa. As much as it went against his strong will, he had to give in. He had to let himself be comforted when all he wanted to do was cry. Cry in your arms.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Hongjoong had to admit it hurt.

Hearing you scream like that for hours, refusing to give up, asking him over and over again why he did this to you.

He couldn’t answer. He couldn’t even say anything to you. He just let you scream until you finally passed out from exhaustion.

As long as he knew it would take, he also knew that it was worth it. You needed sleep. You needed to let all those emotions out, and he also knew that no one else in the house could handle hearing you scream for that long without succumbing to the pity.

 He picked up your unconscious body, gazing at your swollen eyes and messy hair.

As he ascended the stairs, he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. He was so happy to finally have you here, assembling the family he always dreamed of. Here you could live in peace, in secret, with no one else daring to interfere.

He wasn’t satisfied with your previous lifestyle. Going out to drink every weekend, working a shitty job to pay the rent and then study like your life depended on it. Your relationship with your family didn’t exactly make it better. He knew your life wasn’t fulfilled. He knew you needed to be saved.

He set you down on Yunho’s bed, figuring you might need the tall man’s company when you eventually awake.

As he wrapped the soft covers around you, he couldn’t resist the urge of giving you a small peck on the cheek.

“Don’t make me put you through that again, my love,” he spoke to you. He didn’t care that you couldn’t hear him. “My beautiful dove,” he started, cupping your cheek with his warm hands. “I promise, I’ll keep you safe.”

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