#i miss my hair freshman year it was so long (like shoulder length) and beautiful even tho i didnt take care of it

[yourworldiseternallycomplete]

it's taking way too long for my hair to get long enough to tie up

[snelbz]

Tempting the Fates {Chapter 1}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

A/N: Fun fact about this one, y’all. I wrote the first chapter over 3 years ago and it was for a completely different story. This one has evolved on it's own and Tara and I are so excited to finally share it with you.

Word Count: 3493

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist 

Zeus

– King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, lightning, thunder and law.

The waves lapped against the sand as Aelin sighed. Strong hands rubbed the muscles in her back and worked out the kinks in her neck as the warm sun heated her body. The smell of the salt water filled her senses and she settled into the cushioned chaise. Another set of hands set a fruity looking drink with a little pink umbrella on the table next to her head. She smiled at it.

“Can we get you anything else, miss?”

Aelin opened her mouth to tell them exactly what they could do to her.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Aelin’s eyes snapped open and she glared at her phone, chiming at her to get up.

She groaned, reaching for the offending device and silenced it, pulling her pillow over her head. She began to doze back off when her bedroom door flew open, smacking into the dresser on the wall behind it. She sat bolt upright and found her roommate leaning against the doorframe, a bowl of cereal in her hands and a gleam of mischief in her emerald eyes.

“Rise and shine, princess,” Lysandra drawled. Aelin just continued to scowl at her roommate. The bright warmth of the sun in her dream faded away as she looked out the window. Ice coated it and she could see a fresh layer of snow coated everything. “Aedion is about to be up, too. If you’d like any chance of taking a warm shower before class today, I’d suggest-.”

She was up and in the hallway before Lysandra could even finish her sentence.

Thirty minutes later, she sat on the kitchen counter, hair wrapped up in a towel, eating an apple and going over her schedule for the thousandth time. Her four classes were split into two days each, mercifully giving her Friday off.

Her cousin, long golden hair tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, came into the kitchen, pulling the jug of milk out of the fridge. He leaned on the counter across from her and drank straight from the plastic bottle, glaring daggers at her.

“Can I help you with something,” she asked him sweetly.

“You used the last of the hot water,” Aedion sulked, taking another swig.

She looked over, blowing him a quick kiss. “Maybe you should have gotten up earlier.”

He rolled his eyes, identical to her own, and came over to look at her computer screen. “What classes do you have this semester?”

She scrolled down the list, reading them off. “Pathophysiology, Caring for the Childbearing Family, Health and Gerontology, a few labs, and Mythology.”

Aedion’s eyebrows pulled together as she read the last one. “That doesn’t seem like it will be very helpful to a nurse.”

She shrugged, closing the laptop and sliding off the counter. “I needed one last elective. I’ve always been interested in Greek and Roman mythology and it’s a freshman level class. I figured why not study something for fun for once?”

He couldn’t fault her logic and began pulling ingredients out of the fridge to cook breakfast as Aelin headed back towards her bedroom. “Whatever you’re cooking, make two,” she called over her shoulder. She didn’t even need to look back to know the obscene gesture being flicked in her direction.

-------------------

Aelin was regretting studying something fun for once as she looked at the map of her classes.

All of her classes, save for one, were in the nursing building. Of course, that one other class was all the way across campus, in one of the general education buildings. At least walking there would take her right past her favorite coffee shop on campus and with an eight am every Tuesday and Thursday morning, she knew she’d take full advantage of that.

Thankfully today was a Monday, so she’d be spending the entirety of her day in the nursing building. But first, she had to have coffee. The first day of the semester required coffee.

Aelin parked in one of the student lots close to the nursing building. Throwing her leather bag over her shoulder, she slammed her car door. It was absolutely freezing and she suppressed a growl as she saw soft white flakes drifting toward the ground.

What a great way to start off the semester, she thought.

She made her way across campus, hands deep in her pockets and face buried in her scarf. As she crossed the quad, she pulled her phone out to check the time. She still had about twenty minutes to get coffee and get to class. Snow crunched under her boots as she picked up the pace, wanting to be sure she made it on time. Aelin was big on first impressions.

As she approached the door of the café, she reached for the handle, but the door swung open suddenly, slamming into her and knocking her off her feet.

The young girl, eyes wide, apologized profusely but said that she had to get to class and ran off. Aelin was mumbling something about where the freshman could go, when she heard a deep chuckle and a tan, tattooed hand appeared in front of her face. She glanced up and the air was pulled from her lungs.

The owner of the hand was a handsome man in his mid-twenties, with hair the color of the snow swirling around his head and green eyes. Not emerald like Lysandra’s, but deep and rich like a pine tree. A tattoo, similar to the one on his hand, snaked up his neck and onto his face. She’d be willing to bet it ran down the whole length of his arm. She’d love to find out for herself. He smiled at her, a wicked, beautiful smile. She could only stare at the gorgeous stranger as she gripped her hand in his. He lifted her to her feet.

“You okay?” He asked. Aelin nodded, pulling her hand out of his. He opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him. She stepped into the delicious warmth and immediately got her wits back.

“I’m Aelin,” she said, giving him a man eater’s smile.

“Rowan,” he said, a slight incline of his head in acknowledgment.

“Thank you, Rowan,” she said, letting his name slip out of her lips like a purr, as she’d heard Lysandra do it to her cousin many times. She knew it drove Aedion crazy and for some reason, that’s exactly what she wanted to do to this man. She walked to the line. He got in line behind her and she pulled out her phone, figuring that would be that. A bit of shameless flirting with a stranger was never a bad thing. She ordered her coffee and was surprised when the barista handed her the paper cup, a phone number written on the side. She quirked an eyebrow at the girl, who gave Aelin a knowing glance and looked over her shoulder. Aelin turned around, meeting a pine green gaze, and smiled at him. She headed back out into the frost and snow, pulling her phone out to snap a picture of the cup to send to Lysandra, knowing her best friend would love this.

Finding the classroom in the nursing building where she’d spent the bulk of the past two years was a breeze and she made it into the classroom with seven minutes to spare. She enjoyed her time with Professor Hafiza in the fall and anticipated she’d like her this semester again, too. Nonetheless, she settled in about three-quarters of the way up and looked at the coffee cup again.

Feeling bold, she entered the number into her phone and sent a quick text.

Any chance you want to sweep me off of my feet again and grab drinks later? I’m free anytime after 5:00. – Aelin.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

My last class lets out at 6:00 and I have to go to the gym afterward. How does 8:00 sound?

She typed a quick reply and placed her phone back on her desk.

Sounds like a date. The Beer Cellar, on Church Street.

She smirked to herself and glanced down at her watch. 9:58. Not even 10:00 am and the semester was off to a great start.

She unlocked her phone, shooting a quick text to Lysandra, letting her know about her new plans for the evening when she heard the door open and students started to hush.

It wasn’t the most exciting class, Aelin had to admit, but she supposed the information was necessary. Hopefully it wasn’t an indication of how the rest of her semester would go. She needed a little excitement in her schedule, that was for sure.

Aelin liked to be kept on her toes.

After two classes and a crappy salad for lunch from the school cafeteria, Aelin was hurrying across campus and down the street, toward her apartment. Lysandra was nowhere to be found, which meant she was either snuggled up with Aedion somewhere or still in class. Aelin’s bet was on the former.

After organizing her deskspace, Aelin went to her closet, and attempted to pick out what she should wear for the night. It was her first date of the semester, which either meant that it could be a complete win or a complete fail.

She ultimately decided that the sluttier the better.

Laying the gold dress out on her bed, she let herself into the Lysandra’s room, borrowing a pair of strappy black heels she knew her roommate would absolutely approve of and was back out the door, ready to suffer through her first lab of the semester. Three hours was going to drag by, but thankfully, it was only once a week.

And drag by it did, but Aelin wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the monotonous recap of her previous semester’s information or thinking about seeing Rowan again. She usually wasn’t so forward, even though Rowan had clearly been the one to start it all, giving her his number. But still, she typically would have at least waited a day or two before texting him.

But there was just something about him that she couldn’t get out of her head.

She grabbed her gym bag out of the car, thankful she had a bit of time to get a work out in before she went out. Thanks to tonight, Aelin was a pent up ball of energy and needed to get it out someway. After a solid forty-five minutes on the treadmill and nearly thirty on the free weights, Aelin was heading for the locker room when she noticed a silver head of hair across the gym.

She watched him as he pulled himself up on the bar, his chin going over the piece of metal each time. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, sweat poured down his chest as his arms swelled. Aelin had been right.

That tattoo went across his chest, and all the way down his arm. He did the pull-ups so effortlessly, and Aelin’s mind began to wander to unholy places.

It wasn’t until his feet hit the mat beneath him that she was brought back to reality and hurried into the locker room. If he was here, that meant their date was approaching, and she had to get ready. She checked her phone. It was nearly seven.

Aelin hurried back home and showered. She had once vowed, during her freshman year, that she would avoid the gym showers at all costs and only used them under emergency circumstances. Luckily, her and Lysandra’s apartment was only five minutes from the gym.

After a shower and a full-body shaving session, Aelin was brushing out her long, golden hair and blow drying it until it was flowing freely down her back. She kept her makeup decently simple - at least, that’s how she made it look, and straightened the slight waves out of her hair before putting on her little, golden dress.

Once she had slipped on Lysandra’s heels, she was looking at herself in the mirror and even she had to admit that she was looking hot.

After grabbing her clutch, she hurried down the hallway and into the living room, where she found Lysandra and Aedion snuggled together on the couch, watching a movie.

“Going out with a stranger?” Lysandra asked, brow raised. “I'm so proud of you.”

“Yeah, just keep it in your pants,” Aedion mumbled.

“I thought I’d bring him back here,” she said, winking at Lysandra. “You don’t want to have breakfast together tomorrow?”

“Absolutely not,” Aedion mumbled and Lysandra chuckled, leaning into his embrace.

“Have fun, call me if you need me,” Lysandra called as Aelin blew them a kiss and headed for the door.

Her Uber was waiting when she walked out front and before she knew it, she was walking down the stairs into her favorite bar. Glancing around, she didn’t see Rowan sitting at the bar or any of the booths around the room.

So she bought herself a drink and claimed one of the pool tables, setting her coat and clutch on a bar stool nearby. Over halfway through the game, she felt eyes on her and glanced up to find Rowan standing at the other end of the table. Giving him a smirk, she knocked the cue ball into the yellow-striped 9 ball. It sank into the pocket.

“Playing with yourself?” Rowan asked, and Aelin caught a slight accent that she had missed earlier.

Aelin’s grin widened. “Well, if I’m left hanging, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.”

Rowan breathed a laugh. “Fair enough. And if I asked to join?”

“You sure you don’t just want to watch?” she asked, leaning on the table, making sure her cleavage was perfectly visible.

Rowan’s tongue shot out and subtly licked his bottom lip. “Tempting.”

Aelin pushed herself back and grabbed the rack, starting to collect the balls. “Buy me a drink and then we’ll talk.”

Rowan bit his lip to hide his spreading grin. “Fair enough. I’ll be back.”

Aelin watched as he left, watched as he went to the bar and bought her another drink, alongside one for himself. He came back with two glasses. One was the color of the sunrise, the other a caramelly brown.

“Sex on the Beach?” Aelin asked, brow raised.

He shrugged and handed her the glass. “Sounded promising.”

“So… Rowan,” she said, letting his name drag out as she said it. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and the black Henley he wore made his hair seem even brighter in the dim light of the bar.

“Aelin,” he purred right back, pulling a pool stick from the wall behind her, nearly boxing her in. She realized then how much larger than her he was.

She loved it.

“I hope your coffee helped you get through the rest of your day,” she said, resetting the game and racking the balls. She glanced at him over her shoulder as she reached into the middle of the table, and he was watching her, staring at her ass.

Slutty was definitely the right option tonight.

“It certainly did, especially considering how boring it was,” he replied, reaching around her for the chalk that rested on the edge of the table. “But when I got your text, it gave me something to look forward to. Even if it made the day last twice as long.”

“Happy I could help.” She picked her drink up and stirred it, before taking a long sip through the straw.

“Would you like to break, or should I?” He asked, nodding to the pool table.

“Let’s see what you can do.”

He grunted as he stepped forward, lined up his stick, and knocked the cue ball into the others. They broke apart, but none of them fell into the pockets. Rowan stood there for a moment, his lips pursed. Meanwhile, Aelin tossed her head back and burst into laughter.

“Alright, alright,” Rowan said, straightening up and turning to face her. “So pool isn’t my thing.”

Aelin stepped up next to him and aimed her stick, leaning over the table, her ass nearly rubbed up against Rowan’s front. “Hopefully you’re better at other things.”

Rowan’s hand brushed along Aelin’s hip, just as she got ready to shoot, causing her shot to go haywire. She spun around, eyes narrowed. “That’s foul play.”

“No one said we were playing fair,” he countered.

“What about playing for drinks?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He lifted his own eyebrows and he said, “I’ve got an eight am…”

Shrugging, she said, “So do I.” Then she leaned in close, thankful for the three-inch heels she’d pilfered from Lysandra’s closet and breathed into his ear, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re up in time.”

“So sure of how this night is going to go,” he said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear him, and she felt his hand skimming over the curve of her ass. “Fine. We’ll play for drinks.”

It turned out Rowan hadn’t been lying about pool not being his thing. They played three games back to back, and he lost them all, but every time he returned with a drink for Aelin, he had one for himself as well. By the time she dragged him towards the small dance floor in the center of the bar, they were both stumbling and his lips found her neck before his hands even gripped her hips.

His lips were soft, gentle, nothing like she had expected. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe he was just getting tired, perhaps he was usually rough.

But, when his hands found Aelin’s hips and he brought her back into him, she felt that roughness. It seemed Rowan was the best of both worlds. Gentle when prompted, rough beneath the surface.

Aelin turned to him and slung her arms around his neck, bringing his lips to hers. Their mouths crashed into one another, and their bodies slowed until it felt like they were the only two on the dancefloor.

Rowan pulled away, just a little bit, and breathed, his eyes wild, “Aelin-.”

“Take me to your place,” she said, her mouth finding his, once again.

Before she knew what was happening, they were in the backseat of an Uber, unable to keep their hands off of one another. Thanks to it being a college town, the driver didn’t say a word, just dropped them in front of an upscale building, just off the east side of campus.

She noticed how nice it was on the short elevator ride up, but was much more preoccupied by the way his hips pressed into hers. He dragged her along the hall, his lips never leaving hers, until her back was pressed against a cool door and he was fumbling to get it unlocked. It swung wide and she gripped his collar, pulling him inside.

Throwing her clutch and coat by the door, Aelin let her hands dive into his cropped silver hair and he responded by cupping her ass and lifting her up. Her legs were around his waist and he carried her through the apartment and into his bedroom. Neither of them had any delusions about how and where this would end and Aelin felt like she was going to combust as he dropped her on the bed and gazed down at her.

His eyes were full of lust, full of hunger, a wild animal with his eye on his prey. He wasted no time stripping Aelin down and admiring her body with his hands, his tongue, his lips. Rowan may not have been good at pool, but he was right when he said he was far better at other things.

He worshipped her, and Aelin knew it wasn’t the alcohol when she was sent into utter bliss.

When he rolled off of her, breath still uneven, Aelin watched as he dealt with the condom and fell back into the bed beside her.

She cleared her throat. “I can go…if you want me to.”

Rowan turned to look at her, and she could tell he was still just as drunk as she was. “What? No, of course not. You said you’ve got an eight am, too, right?” She nodded and he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him. They were both still gloriously naked and she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. “Then we can both make sure the other is up so we aren’t late. Or too hungover.”

Aelin snorted softly, resting her head on his chest. “I think that particular ship has sailed.”

“You’re probably right,” he mumbled and she could tell he was already starting to doze. She was on the brink of sleep herself.

Aelin decided then, as her eyes closed, that she didn’t care if she was hungover in the morning, or if she was late to her eight am. A night being praised by Rowan had been perfectly worth it.

[btsmutimagines]

Our Future

Look, I suck at titles, y’all and I’m a day late ffs but happy birthday Kookie 

Arranged Marriage AU

Word Count: 7.5K (I really need to stop)

Grey skies arched above you as you walked home, kicking a small pebble along with you until it got caught between a crack in the sidewalk.

You audibly sigh, enjoying yourself as you kicked it further and further each time. It was almost like you were that pebble, your life seeming to be pushed by something until it stops.

You were stuck, just like your little pebble.

You finally reached your house, unlocking the front door and noticing the familiar shoes. They were shined up and as uninvited as usual but their owner paid no mind to what you thought, clearly.

The back of your father’s head greeted you as you stepped into the living room and he put down the newspaper he was reading.

You brace yourself, knowing he came to talk to you about something. He never really looked for a conversation, just a breathing punching bag.

“Hello, father.”

“I expected you to be home sooner.”

“I hadn’t expected any guests.”

“Maybe if you answered my phone calls once in a while.”

“You don’t pick up when I call back.”

“I’ve been busy, Y/N.” When are you not? You silently retorted in your mind.

“What did you need to say, father?”

“I’d like you to come to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

“I rather not.”

“Tell me why? Is there something unpleasant about a father and daughter enjoying a nice dinner together?”

“When have we ever done anything ‘nice’, father?” He cocked an eyebrow, he knew damn well that your relationship was far from any loving familial ties.

If you had it your way, he won’t ever know where to find you.

“The Blanche, seven o’clock. I’ll have Hyunjin pick you up.” He adjusted his tie, standing up to walk away and you clenched your fists.

You wanted to yell, at least tell him off for coming over uninvited to force you into some weird dinner. But you merely stood as he brushed past you, you standing in your spot until you heard your front door shut.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ─── 

This morning, you found a box with a card attached in front of your door.

You could tell from the intricate design on the card, it was from your father. Inside was a gorgeous red dress, the off-shoulder design along with the leg slit satisfying your tastes.

You held up the dress, looking in the full-length mirror and imagining yourself in it.

“As if he would know what I liked.” You scoffed to yourself, pulling the dress back on your bed. He probably just sent off one of his servants to find something for you.

Even so, what would be so important that he would send you something to wear? You were his well-kept secret, him wanting you to keep yourself hidden from his life for appearances.

He couldn’t afford to be distracted, he said. In exchange for you disappearing from his life, he sends a weekly allowance that you’ve been saving in a separate account.

Maybe one day when you’re finished, you can pack up your things and truly disappear. Nothing was tying you down to this city anyways.

Bzzt.

You heard your phone vibrate, a text notification appearing on the screen.

Incoming in 5, 4, 3, 2…

“One!” You heard your friend, Yeseul entering your apartment and you put to the dress back into its box hastily.

“Where are you?”

“Bedroom.” She wandered in, quickly embracing you in a hug and you stood still. You’ve been friends since freshman year, Yeseul being the only one who put up with you.

You didn’t mind hanging out with her but you didn’t put your eggs into her basket yet.

Memories of your ‘friends’ asking you to hang out, racking up a huge bill and then making excuses to leave you to pay each time. Your dad even got on your case, interrogating why you spent so much each week. He cut you off, only giving you enough for lunch and your so-called friends were suddenly too busy for you.

How naïve.

“You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“Zoning out, burning imaginary holes into the last thing you looked at. You know, the usual.”

“I was just thinking, Seul.”

“Well stop that, we got other things to do.”

“We? What are you roping me into now?”

“Why do you say that like I only get you into trouble?”

“Because you do.” You deadpanned, you haven’t forgotten the time she thought it was a good idea to stay for after-hours when there’s a curfew in place. You had to dip into the savings to pay off the ticket you got.

“It’s harmless fun, Y/N.”

“That citation definitely harmed my savings.” You muttered.

“Anyways, listen. You and me, dancing and drinking at Hoseok’s party tonight. Sounds like a dream, right?”

“A nightmare, actually.”

“Come on, Hoseok was gracious enough to invite me with a plus one, meaning you.”

“I have to pass.”

“Why?”

“I have plans. Dinner plans, actually.”

“Who’s the mystery man? He must be worth your time since you’re passing up an offer from me.” She knows damn well you would pass up any party with or without plans.

“That’s not important. I just don’t think I can miss this dinner. Sorry.”

“So secretive. I expect no less though.”

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

“It’s fine, Y/N. I’ll take enough shots for both of us.”

“Remember to drink water in between and eat something too.”

“Okay.” She pursed her lips, leaving your apartment right after and you sat on your bed. You shook off the tension, checking the time and preparing yourself for this dinner.

Whatever it’s about, you had a feeling you wouldn’t like it.

You were adjusting your necklace when you hear a knock at your door. Opening the door revealed Hyunjin, one of your father’s drivers. He was newer than the others but devoted to your father like the others.

“Miss Y/N?”

“Y/N is fine. Take me to where I need to go, please.”

“As you wish, Y/N.” You took his arm, locking your door behind you and followed him to the car. The unease settled in when he started driving, part of you that you just went to that party with Yeseul.

Maybe she wouldn’t make that pointed comment and you would send your father a message.

Alas, here you are, walking into the Blanche like the little good girl he expected you to be. Wearing the dress he picked for you, even putting in the useless effort of making yourself presentable to only be met with him scowling at his phone.

“Hello to you too.”

“Ah, so you did come. Glad to see you have the decency to clean yourself up.”

“I rather you tell me why am I here instead of having this conversation with you.”

“First, sit.”

“I don’t plan on staying.”

“Then, change your plan. I have very important people that you have to meet arriving soon and it would be rude to stand there as you are.” You grit your teeth, sitting across from your father and crossing your arms.

A waiter braved his way to your table, filling up your water glass while you shot daggers at your father. Bastard didn’t even have the decency to even hint at who these ‘very important people’ are and why it should somehow matter to you?

You thought the deal was you wouldn’t even say your father’s name in passing and he could live his life freely. No burden of you.

“Ah, Younghee.” Your father got up, making you turn your head to look at a woman who was walking towards your table.

God, was he going to tell you that he was marrying this woman? Why would you even care if he gets remarried?

“I’m terribly late again, aren’t I?”

“Hardly. Is he here as well?” He? Was there a man accompanying her? Her son?

“Of course, he’s an important part of this conversation.”

“That is right. Oh, I almost forgot, this is Y/N, Younghee.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“How polite. Ah, you’re more beautiful than I thought.”

“Thank you very much.” Currently wishing the ground would swallow you whole, right about now. At least before this other guest shows up.

“Oh, Jungkook, darling, over here.” She waved someone over you, this time you stared forward. You froze as this man took a seat next to you. Fuck, you should have ditched when you still had the chance.

“Pardon my mother and I’s tardiness, sir.”

“It’s quite alright, Jungkook. All that matters is that we are all here now. Before we start, we should actually order something. Breadsticks will not get me through the night, I’m afraid.” This fucker is just going to keep dancing around the real topic for as long as he can-

“Um, I’m Jungkook. Y/N, I presume.” You looked at the man, quietly taken aback by how attractive he was. His hair was slightly parted, each hair perfectly in place. His shaped jaw highlighted his face, his pink lips were a perfect hue and he was just… perfect. But he was going to be your stepbrother, right? You shouldn’t even look at him in any other way.

“You would be right, Jungkook.”

“See, they’re already getting along.” You wanted to roll your eyes, all you did was introduce yourselves.

The waiter took your order, you quietly tapping your foot while your father acted jovial with his two guests. You only answered when addressed, quiet otherwise and hoping your food would arrive soon.

“So, Jungkook, your mother says you’re a game developer.”

“Yes, sir. Currently developing a sequel to one of my first projects.”

“My Jungkookie’s project has sold almost one billion copies globally. I’m lucky to have such a successful son.”

“Mother.”

“That’s impressive, right, Y/N?”

“Yeah, sure.” You were more interested in swirling the rich wine that sat in the glass you held in your right hand than whatever this conversation was about.

“Y/N’s in university, right? I’ve heard from your father that you have multiple companies scouting you.”

“That’s really cool.”

“Yup.” You said, taking a large swig and placing your glass on the table.

“Alright, enough of the small talk. Why are we really here?”

“Forgive her, Younghee, I’m afraid alcohol tends to loosen her lips. But I don’t mind cutting the chase.”

“It’s quite alright, I’m sure she wants to relax. After all, to be married so young in this day and age is a rarity.”

Married?

“Wait, excuse me. Who’s getting married?”

“You and Jungkook are getting married. Engaged for now.”

“Are you joking? This is a joke, right?”

“Had you not tell her? This is a lot to load on the child.”

“She could have seen it coming.”

“You’re too mean.” You got up, walking away from the table as you glared at your father. Of course, he would pull some shit like this with you now and then he has to remind you that he was in control.

“Y/N!” You didn’t look back, not caring about who was following you.

“Y/N, please.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“I can’t. Not when you’re like this.” You stopped, turning around to face Jungkook. He loosened his tie, his coat over his shoulder as he caught his breath.

“You know you walk fast in heels.”

“Why did you follow me anyways? Did your mom send you?”

“I came on my own. Your dad made some excuse about you being drinker than he thought, and my mom just accepted it. I figured it was more than that.”

“Even if it was, it’s none of your business.”

“Hard to say when we’re engaged now, Y/N.”

“I don’t want to get married to you, Jungkook.” He looked down, running his hand through his hair.

“Are you really okay with this, having everything in your life dictated by someone else? Don’t you want to know what it’s like to choose?”

“All I ask is that you give me a chance.”

“Jungkook.” How strong is his mother’s hold on him?

“I know that this is probably the worst thing that could happen to you, being forced to be stuck with someone like me but I want to show you who I am. Show you that I’m someone that you can fall in love with. If we don’t work, I’ll break the engagement myself.” You looked at him, his hand clasped together as he pleaded with you.

He looked so sincere, something in his eyes made you feel like he meant it.

“I’m holding you to that.” You replied, looking away from him and he pulled you into a sudden huh. Your body stiffened, not expecting the sudden skinship. He felt warm, the scent of his cologne making it hard to think of a better adjective.

“Thank you.”

“You’d be welcome if you let me go.” You blurted, not wanting to linger around him any longer.

“Sorry. Got a little too excited.” He cleared his throat, you avoid his eyes while you fiddled with your dress.

“Can I take you home?”

“If you’re okay with a few blocks.”

“Why not call a taxi?”

“Easier to walk.” You asserted, beginning to walk in the direction of your apartment and Jungkook could only follow you.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

 You made it home, Jungkook awkwardly bidding you goodbye while you muttered a good night before slipping inside. Thankfully, you had classes to distract you but all you could think about how your dad decided to basically sell you off for his best interests. Someone like Jungkook probably had a monopoly on the gaming industry and your father wanted to venture into technology.

Regardless of how good looking he was, how successful he is, you couldn’t shake the feeling that it was mainly your father’s and his mother’s influence that is driving him. How long can he put up this earnest act?

Give me a chance.

“Ugh.” You groaned, his words repeating in your head and you felt someone poking at your head.

“Quit it.”

“It’s only Monday.”

“That’s part of the problem, Seul.” You looked up to see her sitting next to you, she didn’t seem upset anymore.

“Then what is it? Mystery date was a dud?”

“Something like that.” More like mystery fiancé.

“What happened?” You came up with a lie, telling her that your father arranged your marriage overnight would result in questions you didn’t want to answer.

“I agreed to a second date and I’m not sure if I’m still up for it since we didn’t start on the right foot.”

“What do you like about him?”

“He’s loyal to a fault, he puts in the effort, ambitious…”

“Sounds like things you put on a resume.”

“It wasn’t the best first date.”

“But you said yes to a second one.”

“But he said some sweet things when he did. It sounded like something out of a drama.”

“Aw, he melted your heart a bit, didn’t he?”

“Shut up.” You snapped, embarrassed that you admitted that part of what he said actually affected you.

“I think you should give it a shot since you saw something in him. Plus, you could always dump him if he’s not what he seems.”

“I guess, you’re right this time.”

“What do you mean ‘this time’? Aren’t I always right?”

“You wish.” She nudged you, you were laughing in response.

After your talk with Yeseul, you felt better about the bombshell. But you figured you would have some time before you would see Jungkook. Not him standing outside of your apartment building with his hands in his pockets.

He looked formal, wearing a waistcoat with a dress shirt. You could see gloves covering his hands and you cursed yourself for immediately thinking of how hot he looked.

“Y/N.”

“At my pace, my ass.” You muttered as you tried to pretend that you couldn’t know him, but he started to jog towards you. The two of you ran in the opposite direction of your apartment until he caught you, your back pressed against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Caught you. Part of me is starting to think you like the chase.”

“I like space, which you’re invading.”

“Right, no hugs. But can we talk face to face?” He let go and you obliged to his request, currently giving him a hard stare.

“I really came because I don’t have your number, can’t give our relationship an honest try without each other’s number.” You gulped, even the word ‘relationship’ made you feel weird. He was right, you thought to yourself, you had to give this an honest try, so you could properly reject him and break it cleanly.

After all, how could you fall for someone like him?

“Y/N?”

“Huh?”

“Having daydreams about me?”

“Ha, you wish, Jeon.” You started to walk back in the direction of your house, not wanting to stay out for long.

“Not even my first name, I thought we were closer than that.”

“You have to work for it.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes.” How do you say things like that so casually, ugh? You pulled out your phone, handing it over to him to enter his number before he turned it over.

“Kookie?”

“It’s cuter hearing you actually saying it out loud.”

“I’m literally never saying that again.”

“Aw, come on Y/N, I can make up a cute nickname for you too.”

“Please don’t.”

“You seem like a sugar plum.”

“What kind of nickname is that? Sugarplum? I don’t even know what that is.”

“Have you never tried them?”

“I think your terrible nickname counts as a deterrent.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to be compared to a candy?”

“It’s not exactly something I want to hear, to be honest.”

“I promise to come up with something better.”

“A promise I wish you can’t keep.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“This is a weird hill you want to die on but by all means, go ahead.”

“At least it’s earned me a smile today.”

“You talk like the main lead in a romance drama. Just awfully cheesy.”

“I hope you’re not lactose intolerant.”

“Seriously, stop it.” You reach your apartment, the two of you talking while walking up flights of stairs until you were at your door.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“I wish it would stop, kind of liked talking to you.”

“Mhm.”

“Ouch, you didn’t feel the same. I thought we had a good chat.”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Can’t play all my cards, can I?” You unlocked your door, letting yourself in but leaving it open enough that you could still see him.

“If this is a game, hope you don’t mind losing. I play to win, Y/N.”

“We’ll see about that. Good night.”

“Night, Y/N.” You shut your door, walking into your bedroom and plopping on the bed.

I play to win, Y/N. Not on my watch, Jungkook.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“If you stare at your phone that hard, you might actually shoot laser beams at it.”

It’s been two weeks since you and Jungkook had met, the man semi occupied your thoughts. He kept his distance, probably leaving the ball in your court in terms of whether you wanted to talk to him or not.

And you hate to admit it but you did want to talk to him at least.

“Har har.”

“Is Mystery Date on your mind again? Did you have your second date?”

“I guess you could say so, it went so much smoother like I could say anything, he would know what to say back. It was nice.” God, you sounded like a high schooler in their first relationship. And you can’t even see you and Jungkook beyond acquaintances.

“So, he wasn’t a waste of time but what’s wrong now?”

“I don’t know what to text him.”

“Wait, you weren’t already texting?”

“I met him off Tinder and he wanted to delete the app so we exchanged numbers.” You lied coolly, Yeseul humming in response.

“What are you hoping this message sends to him? Not literal, like do you want him to be more enticed by you or like you’re playing a hot and cold thing with him.”

“Just that I’m open to texting.”

“Oh. You’re not ready for sexting anyways.”

“What?”

“Just send him a simple ‘hey’.”

“Isn’t that too simple?”

“But you’re just opening a conversation, you don’t need much.”

“Are you sure?”

“Y/N, do it before I do it myself.”

“Okay, okay.” You murmured, typing it out and hitting send. He must have seen it, the familiar three dots appearing on your screen before his message came.

I didn’t think you would actually text me, I was preparing to camp out your apartment door.

I would totally call apartment security if you did.

So mean, honey bun.

Honeybun? I think you should retire from this nickname thing, it was funny the first time and now it’s just sad.

No good, huh? I have gotten plenty more to try out.

I swear I’m going to block you if you do.

Fine, I won’t try them out here. But believe me when I say that I’m going to have the perfect nickname for you and you’re going to love me for it

Sure, Jeon.

You do realize my name is actually Jeon Jungkook, not Jeon?

I am aware

Man, you play hard to get on the hardest mode, but I’m not giving up. I’m going to capture your heart.

“Oh my gosh, he’s going to ‘capture your heart’. He found your weakness, sappy lines.”

“They are not my weakness.”

“Please, all I have to say is ‘Don’t let go-”

“It’s too soon, Yeseul. Okay, too soon.”

“Are you sniffling?”

“Shut it.”

Great, you got my friend in on your corny lines

Aw, you talked about me to your friends? Can’t keep us a secret, babe? ;)

I rather keep it a secret but I need advice.

Advice?

Yeah, how to deal with such a shameless man.

Hey, I have some shame. It take a lot of confidence to talk to a girl like you, I feel like you can see through me

So, you know to not waste my time.

Time with me is always worth it, trust me.

Mhm

Somehow that hurt more than when you do that in person.

Hey, Y/N, I’m really happy you texted me but I gotta go? Talk to me later or something.

Don’t play too hard

That’s literally my job, Y/N but seriously bye J

“He sounds cute.”

“He’s something else, really.”

“I know you like to keep people at an arm's length but it really looks like he wants to be centimetres apart if you catch my drift.”

“We’ve been out twice, I’m not going to sleep with him.”

“Is he hot?”

“Objectively.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“I’m going to tell you to bag him.”

“You’re nuts.”

“No, it’s been two weeks since you met, he seems pretty decent and he’s objectively hot, whatever that means.”

“I still need to get to know him.”

“Just take him for a test drive.“

“Yeseul!”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

You were scrolling through your twitter feed, reading some thread exposing another influencer when you heard a knock on your door.

“Coming.” You said, walking over and opening it to Jungkook.

He lost the business attire, wearing a simple black shirt and jeans. Fine, so it wasn’t the suits that made him look so hot.

“Wow.”

“Is there a reason you showed up on this fine Saturday?”

“Because I want to take you out. Plus I got to see you in shorts.”

“My eyes are up here, Jeon.”

“Wait, let me admire them a bit longer.” You were about to swing the door shut when he stopped the door.

“I was just joking, Y/N. But would you like to go out with me?”

“You don’t mean like a date, do you?”

“Whatever you want it to be.”

“Then we can hang out, Jungkook.”

“You said my name.”

“Did I? Must have been a slip of the tongue, Jeon.”

“Shoot, I should have enjoyed it while it lasted.”

“You can wait in the living room. Touch anything and I’ll have your head.”

“You’re joking, right?” You smiled in response.

“Oh.”

“So where are we going?”

“Somewhere fun, casual.”

“How descriptive.”

“It’s no fun if I tell you everything. You’ll know when we get there.”

“Of course I would because we would already be there.”

“Just get changed, Y/N.”

“Bossy.” You teased, going into your bedroom to change.

Should I dress up for him? But the most we are is friends and since when did friends have to impress each other? Gosh, why are you even thinking about this? Just toss something together!

You put on a crop top and some shorts, joining Jungkook in the living room after brushing your hair.

“Let’s go.” You clapped your hands together, getting Jungkook’s attention and walking towards the front door.

You thought you heard Jungkook mutter under his breath, making you quietly smirk before turning to look at him.

“Is something the matter?”

“Of course not. After you.” The two of you opted for the elevator, you listening to Jungkook hum melodically. He led you to his car, opening the door for you and you sat with a quiet ‘thank you’.

“Are you really not going to tell me?”

“I’ll give you a hint. It’s a building in this city.”

“I see you can be mean too.”

“Taste of your own medicine. A bit bitter, isn’t it?”

“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?”

“A bit.”

“Hmph.”

“Sounds more cute than angry.”

“You’re a strange man.”

“Only to you, Y/N. Mother says I’m the most perfect person in the world, you’re a close second though.” You rolled your eyes, you’re surprised he went so long without mentioning his mother and chose now to bring her up.

“Of course she does. You’re her baby boy.”

“Oh shit, forgot about your father.”

“Let’s keep him forgotten.”

“Alright.”

“I’m surprised you know how to drive.”

“What a weird comment. Why wouldn’t I know?”

“You seemed like the type to have drivers, mommy won’t want her baby to get into an accident.”

“I’m not that much of a momma’s boy. I have a motorcycle license, I’ll have you know.”

“You? On a motorcycle?”

“I was 18 and feeling rebellious. It explains the earrings too.”

“They suit you actually.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, I have to see you on a bike.”

“Depends, will you take a ride with me?”

“You just want an excuse to get me to hug you, don’t you?”

“Damn, nothing gets past you. But I miss the night rides and it’s nicer with company.”

“I might take you up on that.”

“I guess I better dust off the old bike, then.”

“It’s not a date, remember that.”

“I know, I know.” He pulled into a parking lot, smoothly reversing into a spot before the two of you getting out.

“This way.” You followed him, the sign a dead giveaway and you smiled.

“I could have guessed that you would pick an arcade.”

“It’s fun and casual.”

“Hey, Ms. Han.”

“Oh, Jungkook honey, you came! Who is this lovely woman? Your girlfriend?”

“No, she’s just a friend, Ms. Han.”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Y/N.” You bowed to her and she waved her hands.

“No need to be so formal, a friend of Jungkookie is a friend of mine. This rascal has been coming to this arcade for years, even skipping classes to beat the high scores on most of these machines.”

“Is that so? What a bad boy.”

“Hey, don’t gang up on me. I still did well, didn’t I, Ms. Han?”

“With the skin of your teeth. You’re lucky you were a talented kid, now a big name game developer.”

“I’m still the same Jungkook.”

“You are the reason I still have banana milk in my fridge.”

“My favourite. Thank you, Ms. Han.”

“Ah, you.” Jungkook cheekily smiles before laughing, soon enough the three of you were. You took a seat at a machine, Jungkook sitting next to you and playing.

“Wanna make a bet?”

“Depends, what do I win?”

“Your most embarrassing baby photo.”

“Blackmail material, huh? Won’t put it past you.”

“Humour me with what you think you’ll win.”

“You let me take you out on a real date.”

“Aiming high, aren’t you?”

“Of course, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. You in?”

“Better be ready to hand that picture over tomorrow.”

“Don’t count on it, babe.” There’s the damned nickname, hearing it in person has the same effect as it does typed out. You didn’t let it seem obvious, focusing on the machine and the two of you playing a single round.

“I win. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sweet blackmail material.”

“Sure, after our date.”

“That isn’t part of the deal.”

“Check the scores again, Y/N.” You looked at the two screens, Jungkook putting his arm around your shoulder with a smile on his face.

10660 to 1066…5. He beat you by 5 points.

“How.”

“I’ve been playing since high school, I think I’m losing my touch. I have the high score on this game, I think.”

“I want a rematch.”

“If that’s what you want.” You tried different combos, putting all your focus on your character and finishing with a better score than the first time.

“Beat you by 10, this time.”

“Are you cheating?”

“I think it’s a classic case of sore loseritis.”

“I am not a sore loser, just can’t wrap my head around you beating me.”

“Well, I am a game developer. If I were horrible at games, that would be ironic.”

“This isn’t fair.”

“Wait here, I’ll get you some banana milk.” You frowned at him, watching him go into the back and Ms. Han hit you with a rag.

“He looks really happy with you.”

“I think he just likes winning games.”

“This is a different kind of happy, the smile on his face looks different than when he sees me coming into the arcade with a carton of banana milk or hearing about how the neighbourhood kids talked about his game.”

“It’s like he’s in love. Just like that girl he used to talk about in high school.”

“Jungkook had a crush?”

“But he has you now. Keep your eye on him for me, will you Y/N?”

“I-”

“Ms. Han, you’re running low on banana milk.”

“Ya, you punk, you should supply your own.”

“I promise I’ll buy some next time. Y/N, here.” He handed you a bottle, the straw already inserted and you took a sip. It was really sweet, you never thought he would like something like this.

“Can we book a karaoke room?”

“For how long?”

“An hour.”

“Jungkook.”

“I want to hang out with you a bit longer.” That innocent comment led to the two of you singing the opening to Naruto three times and you two belting Unravel on the top of your lungs.

You took a seat, tired and Jungkook sang on his own. He had such a pretty voice, each note sounding perfect in your ears. Is there anything he can’t do?

“One more song?”

“You’re totally going to lose your voice.”

“I’m dedicating this song to you, Y/N.”

“Oh my god.” You covered your face, laughing as he dramatically pointed at you and he entered the code.

The gentle piano played through the speakers and he kept his eyes on the screen as he sang. It was a simple love ballad, it felt like he was truly saying these words to you.

“Are you crying?”

“Shut up, that was beautiful you ass.”

“I’m not sure whether to be offended or flattered.”

“It’s a compliment, you jerk.”

“Okay… let’s take you home.”

You followed him out to his car, going back to your apartment.

“Are we really going on a date?”

“Why? Can’t wait?”

“I rather not.”

“But we had so much fun today.”

“But it wasn’t a date.”

“I know. But it was a test run for our real date.”

“You planned this out, didn’t you?”

“No comment.”

“I can admire the sneakiness.”

“I planned the whole thing, except for the little chat between you and Ms. Han.”

“Did you eavesdrop?”

“No, I thought she would say something embarrassing that I rather not relive.”

“Really, not even the girl you had a crush on?”

“She didn’t tell you her name, did she?”

“No, but now I’m curious. A girl that got your attention, wonder what she was like? Could she be the reason you got all rebellious?”

“Hey, save these questions for our date.”

“You’re serious about that?”

“Of course. Let me walk you up.” He locked his doors behind the two of you, taking you up to your floor while talking with you more.

“Just what I wanted to see.” You looked at your father standing out of your apartment, Jungkook stopping behind you. He smirked at the two of you, your blood boiling as he adjusted his cuff links.

“Why are you here?”

“Is there something unusual about a father caring about his only daughter?”

“You? Care about me? When did that start? When I became an asset to you to use?”

“Watch your words, girl. Do you realize who you’re speaking to?”

“A deadbeat father who chose money over me.”

“You-” You shut your eyes, knowing what should come next but it didn’t. Opening your eyes, you saw Jungkook holding your father’s arm and he let go.

“Remember this, Y/N, your life was never yours. Never.” He spat, walking off and Jungkook turned to you.

“He’s done that before, hasn’t he?”

“I push his buttons a lot, don’t I?”

“You don’t have to tell me but I won’t let him get away with it anymore. Okay?” You let him hug this time, holding onto a piece of his shirt for a moment. He didn’t make you say it, thankfully but he knew what your father truly was at least.  

His hand patted your hair, the soft gesture melting your heart a bit. Your mother used to do the same thing when you were scared at night before you’d fall asleep she would say these words:

“I’ll protect you.”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

 Yeseul came over, tossing dresses in your direction and currently spazzing while you dodged.

“Oh my god, how come you have like nothing to wear?”

“We’re standing in like a hill of my clothes right now.”

“And yet you still have nothing to wear.”

“Maybe I should get a raincheck.”

“Oh hell no, I can finally meet this mystery man tonight and you can’t take that away from me.”

“Yeseul, calm down.”

“I am calm.” So not calm. You sighed, just fishing through the clothes that Yeseul chucked and finding a simple little black dress.

“That is it. Simple, chic and elegant. My tossing abilities have never failed me.” You rolled your eyes, knowing better than to argue with Yeseul about her not noticing it when she initially tossed it at you but there was no point being a dead horse.

After putting on the dress and Yeseul becoming an impromptu hair and makeup artist, you waited for Jungkook.

You heard him knock and Yeseul sprinted to the door before you could make three steps.

“Oh my god, he’s hotter than I imagined.”

“You must be Yeseul.”

“So you have talked about me.”

“Yeah, just the usual, you being annoying and slightly overbearing. Everyday things.”

“Sometimes I wonder how Jungkook managed to get through 2 months of you without even thinking he needs a break.”

“I think about it every day, try me.”

“Oh yeah, you can start right now.”

“Oh no, missy, and pass up on this date when you’ve dressed up so beautifully? I’d would have to be locked up in an asylum.”

“I told you you looked hot.” Yeseul boasted.

“Hush.”

“Now, I’m stealing Y/N for the night. Not sure if I’ll get her back by morning.”

“By all means, take her.”

“Gee, Yeseul, some friend you are.”

“Have fun, lovebirds.”  She rushed you both out, giving you a thumbs up and wink. You cocked an eyebrow, Jungkook leading you away and you were met with a midnight blue motorcycle.

“You weren’t joking.”

“I’d never joke about my Harley. Come on.” You took the helmet from him, placing it on your head and sitting behind him.

“Trust me and hold on.” You listen to the bike roaring to life before purring as he began to ride. He weaved through traffic carefully, probably because of you and parked at a restaurant.

“Can I..um…hold your hand?”

“Yeah.” You breathed, Jungkook quietly lacing his fingers between yours and leading you into the restaurant.

“Reservation for Mr. Jeon.”

“Right this way, sir.” The host led you to your table, an intimate booth with virtually no one in sight.

“A waiter will be with your shortly to take your orders.” He said, walking away and leaving you with Jungkook.

“Are you nervous?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to look this beautiful, it’s kind of distracting.”

“Should I be offended or flattered?”

“You’re beautiful.”

“You’re pretty handsome, I guess.”

“Compliments with you are like pulling teeth.”

“At least you know how much I mean it when I say one due to their rarity.”

“Point taken. But I’m going to keep telling you how beautiful you are until it sticks.”

“You might give me a big head.”

“Even so, you would be beautiful.”

“Charmer.”

“I aim to please, babe. Since you like it when I call you that.”

“When did I-”

“Didn’t think I would notice how you gulp anytime I said it and you look to your left?”

“Okay, that’s weird for you to notice.”

“It’s because I’m always looking at you. It’s hard to keep my eyes off you.”

“Sap.”

“But you drink it up like syrup.”

“Doesn’t make it any less sappy.”

“Fair enough.” The waiter came by, the two of you placing your orders and once again were left to each other.

“What was your childhood like?”

“Always with the hard questions, Y/N. Dad was busy expanding his empire and legacy, Mom took care of me and my older brother. My older brother started working for our dad, spending more time with the company then getting married and putting any other free time into his wife.”

“It was me and mom for a while, but my dad would come back to remind me that I was his son and he’s the one calling the shots.”

“I remember the day I ran off after turning 18, spending countless nights mindlessly riding through cities, spending nights in bars and crashing at random people’s houses to get by. My mother came for me with two men to drag me back home, my father was gone. Fucked off to god knows where.”

“Mom was lonely and so was I, so we lived together. I put my time into game development, being one of the lucky ones to hit big with my first project and here am I.”

“I guess a power-hungry father is a trope we share.”

“You’re right.”

“But you’re conveniently forgetting this mystery crush from high school.”

“She was so carefree, always doing what she wanted but never in the way of others. Like a bird. She flew away, out of my life for years.”

“Do you know what happened to her?”

“I.. don’t, could only guess she’s happy now.”

“I’m surprised your crush wasn’t a video game character.”

“Lara Croft is still my number one.”

“I see, that’s why you like shorts so much.”

“It was an awakening.” You tittered, he’s such a goofball.

“Your turn.”

“It was just me, my father and mom. My mom died in my first year of middle school, dad starts nosediving into work and I had to raise myself. Dad came home one day and told me that we shouldn’t be associated with each other anymore. Sent me away after high school and occasionally pops in to make me feel like I’m nothing without him.”

“You’re more than what he could ever be. He’s just a grumpy piece of shit.”

“It’s nice to hear someone else finally say it.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” He reached for your hand, his thumb stroking the back of your palm.

“Yeah.” He caught your eyes, the two of you having a quiet conversation through eye contact. You didn’t know what to say next until Jungkook started to wiggle his eyebrows at you.

“God.” You started to laugh, breaking eye contact.

“I win.”

“When was this a competition?”

“Since I said it was.”

“Is everything a game to you?”

“Not when it comes to like… serious stuff.”

“How profound, Jungkook.”

“I should be a philosopher.” You shook your head, him chuckling to himself. The waiter came around with your food, appreciating the arrangement before taking a bite.

It was silent yet comfortable. The quite clatter for utensils against dishes left you to think about this moment in time.

You would have never thought that you would be able to sit across Jungkook, being about to joke around with each other and just feel happy in each other’s company.

Didn’t think that you’d find yourself talking every day, hanging out whenever you were free, sometimes even missing him- Wait, when did things become so different?

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s just you got a little something on your cheek.” You took a napkin, gently wiping his cheek before he could. He watched you, those brown eyes drinking the sight of you and you felt like you were drowning.

His hand came to cover yourself when you were about to pull away. Your face grew hot, his large hand clasped over yours against his cheek while he gazed into your eyes. You were slowly becoming his leading lady and you hadn’t even realized it until now.

“I like you.”

“What?”

“I like you, Y/N. Not because of our parents, but because I got to see parts of you that I didn’t know existed. You’re witty, competitive, smart, beautiful, everything I could ever want and need.”

“Jungkook.”

“Tell me I’m not crazy for feeling like this, that I’m not the only one.”

“You’re not crazy.”

“But how do you feel about me?”

“Promise me you won’t grow a big head.”

“I won’t grow a big head all of a sudden.”

“I think you’re different from who I thought you were.”

“Good different?”

“Good different. Maybe more than that.”

“I’ll take it.”

 ───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

 You took off your helmet, fixing your hair and Jungkook getting off after shutting his bike off.

“You totally rode slower this time.”

“It’s the only time you’ll hold me.”

“That’s because…you’re the affectionate one.”

“And I’ve been deprived, you know.”

“You have my permission now.” He took a step closer to you, his hand gently smoothing over a strand of your hair before tucking it behind your ear. His hand swiftly moved to hold your cheek before he looked into your eyes.

“I want to kiss you so badly.”

“Please do.” You breathed mindlessly before he leaned in.

He was gentle, your kiss barely touching before you pulled on his tie to reel him closer. Your mind was racing faster than your heart, the softness of his lips blocking out any other thought beside Jungkook.

He tasted like the champagne you two shared, the sweet taste more intoxicating than the actual alcohol. You melted, him wrapping an arm around your waist and temporarily breaking your kiss.

You dived back in, not wanting to let go the feeling his lips gave you. It hadn’t occurred to you that you were waiting for this for so long, holding back for what?

You pulled away, needing to breath and he held you close. His heart was pounding as hard as you was while you quietly listened against his chest.

“Give me your hand.”

“Now, close your eyes.”

“You’re getting bossy, you know.”

“Sometimes I like to wear pants, you know.”

“Don’t get used to it. I like control.”

“Then I’m all yours. Open them.” You looked your hand, seeing a ring on your ring finger.

It was a silver band with red heart crystals embedded around it.

“It’s just a promise ring. A promise that I’ll be by your side… as your boyfriend.”

“Jungkook.”

“Will you be my girl?”

“Of course, I will, Kookie.”

[karlyfr13s]

One Love, One Lifetime

A Phantom of the Opera inspired Captain Swan AU

Rated M, cover art by @hollyethecurious

Chapter Two: Think of Me

Friday dawned clear and bright, and Emma woke earlier than usual. While she was normally happy to lay in bed until mid-morning, today marked the beginning of the season and the opening gala at the opera house, and she was anxious to get limbered up and ready for tonight’s performance. The day would require all-hands on deck, and Emma loved it when the whole venue was buzzing with excited and busy cast and crew members. Today was particularly special for Emma as she was given her first starring role. Regina hadn’t shown her face since the incident earlier in the week, though several of her lackies had been spotted skulking around backstage, most likely gathering gossip for her as usual. Emma was sure the managers spent most of their waking hours attempting to call Regina back and garner her favor. Sure, she wasn’t beloved by most of the crew--who she constantly berated and treated like personal servants--and a substantial portion of the cast ran hot and cold in their feelings--probably because she criticized everyone but Sidney and herself--but... Emma lost her train of thought as she stretched with her fellow dancers. Regina was the leading lady, so surely they had no choice but to try and lure her back, right?

Emma wondered aloud to Ruby whether Booth and the others were hellbent on getting Regina back on stage because they didn’t have faith in Emma’s own abilities, guessing that her managers might already fear the worst in tonight’s opening show. Ruby dismissed the thought out of hand as any best friend would do with only hours remaining before showtime. Of course, her managers had no idea how nervous Emma was, but ever since the impromptu audition on Tuesday evening, Emma had nightly conversations with her hidden Angel. He had coached and encouraged her as she practiced, working to perfect her enunciation and ensure she hit each note of the final cadenza in the complex aria with precision and confidence. Though the Angel didn’t always speak to her, Emma never felt alone in the moments she practiced despite the rest of the large venue sitting dark and silent in the small hours of the night.

As she readied herself for costume and makeup, anxiety rushed through her, sending Emma’s pulse racing and her breathing became shallow gasps. She tried to still the fluttering in her stomach, tried to shift into the single-minded focus she usually felt as she warmed up with the rest of the chorus, but doing so alone was far more difficult. Yet as she gazed at her reflection in the floor-length mirror, Emma felt a strange and sudden quiet fall over her. She could do this--she was going to do this. Tonight. She had trained for it, had been practicing numerous complex pieces for years now, had intentionally set herself the repeated challenge of playing secret understudy to Regina. With a nod to her reflection, Emma left her room and made for the theatre and the final rehearsals for blocking.

That evening as she slipped into the sparkling white ball gown, as the costuming crew clipped glittering crystalline stars into her long golden waves, she coached herself under her breath. She said a quick word of gratitude to the spirit of her father and to the Angel whose influence brought her to this moment. As she took her place backstage, Emma straightened her shoulders and Ruby snuck in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “They’ll never know you’re sweating a river under that thing--way too many layers for anyone to notice. Plus, they’ll be so blown away by your voice that nothing else will matter. Go get ‘em, girl!”

With that, Emma Nolan took the stage and had her first moment in the spotlight. It was an out of body experience. Surely it wasn’t little orphan Emma who commanded the entire stage? There was no way some girl from small-town Maine stood at the Paris Opera House-- at Palais Garnier --and bespelled an entire audience with the light, complicated, and wondrously beautiful “Think of Me”. Knowing the box would be vacant, Emma set her sights on box five and put her whole heart into the next four minutes. She could feel the swell of the music accompanying her, letting the warmth of the strings pull her onward, compelling the crowd with the sudden softness as she reached the third verse, and allowing herself to be taken over by the moment as the song crescendoed.

Recall those days

Look back on all those times

Think of the things we'll never do

There will never be a day

When I won't think of you

In the back of her mind, she heard a loud call, “Bravo!’” ring from the audience, and in the last verse of her solo, Emma felt as though she were flying. Her voice building higher and higher in the cadenza, each note crisp and clear as it rang across the theatre and back to her so that when the last two notes burst from her like some wild, magical thing they were half drowned out by the standing ovation that spontaneously began right in front of her.

Emma didn’t have time to remove her makeup or change before she was completely swamped by well-wishers. Cast, crew, and several attendees who’d somehow made their way to the hall that led backstage all vied for her attention. She couldn’t catch half of what they were saying, wished desperately to get out of her heavy gown, and found herself repeatedly saying ‘thank you’ more than anything else. It was entirely overwhelming. Thankfully, her managers interrupted, Jefferson swooped in and took a bouquet from her laden arms, offering her a flute of champagne instead. “Hell of a first night, Emma,” he beamed at her and they clinked glasses. “Seems Madame Lucas was right about you -- we’ve had to set half the stagehands to temporary security so we can get people out of the building instead of having them wander in search of you.”

“He’s right,” Locksley chimed in, freeing her other arm from the elaborate bouquet of stargazer lilies, which had been starting to make her nose tickle. “You’re quite the sensation, Miss Nolan!” She thanked him for the kind words and he insisted she call him Robin, introducing the dark-haired woman who’d appeared at his elbow as his wife, Marian. “With that, we must take our leave. Babysitters are ludicrously expensive in this city, and Roland should already be asleep anyway. Enjoy the moment, Miss Nolan, it certainly won’t be the last.”

Gradually, the crowd began to disperse and Emma was given a small amount of breathing room between introductions and congratulations. Her feet were aching and she was about to call it a night, when she saw a familiar face lingering in the crowd. “Graham?” She took a few steps toward the man, his light brown hair falling into his eyes as he grinned at her. She took off at a run, kicking off her heels, and he caught her in his arms. “I knew that was your voice -- I just knew it! What are you doing here? How?”

He spun her in a circle, the vast skirts of her gown swirling around them and clearing a space as several onlookers gawked at the pair. “My parents are patrons of the opera,” he explained briefly, kissing her cheek and blushing pink at the public attention. “When I heard tonight was your debut, I told them I’d represent the Humberts for the opening gala -- Emma, you were incredible out there!” The reunion was abruptly interrupted when Granny caught Emma’s eye where she lingered near the hall to her apartment. Granny gestured to her watch and Emma immediately stepped back from Graham’s embrace.

“It’s so good to see you, but...I have to go for the night, Graham, it’s late.” As she spoke, he took both her hands in his, wrapping her slender fingers in his warm grasp and insisting they go out and celebrate both her triumphant debut and their unexpected reunion. “I can’t, Graham, I’d love to -- it’s been so long since we saw each other -- but curfew is strict here, and I have to go. Goodnight.” She stepped back, gathering up her shoes as she fled the attention. The last thing she saw before making her way to her room was Graham with his brow knit in confusion. The image was quickly swept from her mind when she saw her whole apartment overflowing with bouquets and congratulatory gifts.

She turned to face Granny, her eyes wide. The old woman offered a kind smile, though she didn’t mention Graham or even ask who he was, which seemed odd. Instead, she handed Emma a single, perfect pink rose unlike any she’d seen. The stem was tied with a black satin ribbon and as she passed the delicate bloom to Emma, Granny’s only explanation was “He’s pleased with your performance, Emma. You sang like an angel tonight.” She helped Emma out of the elaborate costume, taking care to brush out her hair as she removed the numerous clips and pins. Emma hummed to herself as the two worked, Granny focusing on the items that needed to be brought back to the costuming department while Emma swiped her way through layer after layer of makeup until she was left fresh-faced and rosy-cheeked from the experience. She slipped behind the wardrobe screen after Granny left, changing into a soft floor-length robe.

Graham was here. It had been years since they last saw one another, and Emma tried to hold the vision of him now -- a man grown, complete with stubble on his cheek -- alongside the boy she’d spent so much of her childhood with. So many days had been spent at the top of her father’s loft, daydreaming and sneaking chocolates with Graham -- he was an excellent storyteller, and seemed to have a knack for knowing when her father was feeling particularly unwell. After they received the news that her father’s illness was incurable, Graham had become a daily presence in the house. He was always helping out -- fixing leaky faucets or repairing the shutters after a bad storm. As she sat and pondered her own reflection, Emma was drawn back to their freshman year of high school and to her first kiss -- their first kiss --she’d always assumed she’d end up with the boy next door.

That had changed with the revelation her father was taking her to Paris. Graham had not taken it well, and had stormed out her door for the last time two weeks before she uprooted her whole life with the move. She had needed him, had relied on him as a constant in her life, but almost immediately she saw him around town with someone else. Emma found out later it was some woman a few years older than Graham, and heard they had followed one another through Europe for a year before starting university in England. While that clearly hadn’t worked out, the old wound still stung. Undoubtedly, he had been through Paris several times, and he knew precisely where she was. So why had he never visited until now? It seemed likely she was only catching his attention now that it was her name on the marquee.

“Darling, who exactly is Graham Humbert to you?” came the voice in the darkness. Though Emma knew it could only be her Angel, she’d also never heard him like this. Usually the voice was low and encouraging, a mentor and gentle guide to her, but now...something was off. His pitch was too high, his pace too rapid and it felt angry somehow. She explained to the darkness around her that Graham was a friend, and had been for years. “Uncanny, isn’t it? He reappears suddenly just as you step into your own destiny,” the voice trailed off, his tone harsh and clipped.

“What do you mean? You don’t think...Graham wouldn’t do that! We’ve been friends since we were kids -- his family’s a patron of the arts, that’s all.” Emma felt oddly torn, needing to defend Graham’s intentions, while also feeling compelled to soothe the hurt her Angel so clearly felt right now.

“Men of low ambition seek greatness only through possessions -- through acquiring what is not theirs to have , darling.” His voice kept shifting, changing its origin as though he was everywhere and nowhere. “You are a marvel,” he crooned, voice softening to a low purr in her ear though he remained out of sight. His tone shifted abruptly, voice nearly a growl. “You were born for more than his small mind can imagine, and I will not see him bask in your glory. This triumph belongs to us -- to you and I alone.”

Emma realized then that she mattered to this unseen Angel, though for the life of her she couldn’t understand why . What’s more, he seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere -- had he been in the crowd after the curtain call? Had she seen him and simply not known? The thought seemed impossible; she’d always been sure she would know him the instant she saw him. “I know that,” she began, not knowing what he wanted from her, but wanting to try. “I never thought I could do anything like I did tonight, and without you, I know I never would have tried. Please,” she faltered then, wondering where to go from here and how best to help him understand how much she valued every lesson and moment they’d spent together. She squared her shoulders, looking at her resolute expression in the mirror. “Please, let me finally see you. Let me know who you really are -- who it is that made tonight possible.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear. Go on then, if you’re sure you can handle it, keep watching your mirror, Emma.” She leaned forward, at first seeing only herself gazing back until the surface swirled with crimson smoke and from the cloud emerged two brilliant blue eyes set in an astoundingly handsome face.

“Oh,” she heard herself gasp softly and she reached toward the image as the smoke cleared. She took in the black hair that tumbled artfully into his eyes, the confident smirk that gave her a brief flash of white teeth. She reached out, startling herself when her fingers found, not the solid glass she’d expected, but the scratch of the stubble that dusted his cheek.

“Come now, darling. I know you’re more curious than that,” he hummed, waiting patiently and leaning against what now appeared as a doorway rather than her mirror. She took her time, sweeping her eyes over his strong, lean frame. He wore all black from the embroidered silk waistcoat to his full-length leather coat and Emma was sure on most men it would look outlandish, but he was definitely not most men. His wolfish grin must have erased something in her brain because she realized belatedly he had a gleaming silver hook where his left hand should be. It appeared deadly sharp, and she wondered what story had led to its existence. She knew she was staring and tried to say something, anything at all.

“How?” she eventually sputtered, not knowing how to form the question she wanted to ask. He was real, and here. The man -- the Angel? Did angels look like this? -- who had watched over her for years now. The man who taught her to take raw talent and shape it into art. He was real. She reached out, laying her hand flat against his chest, her eyes fixed on the place over his heart. Taking a steadying breath, she slowly turned her gaze up to meet his eyes. “You’re real.” She felt stupid the instant it left her mouth, though his low chuckle wasn’t unkind.

“Real indeed, darling. And to your earlier enquiry: magic.” She tittered, faking a laugh at this and thinking she may have found herself at the mercy of a lunatic. He broke out in a warm laugh at her expression. “Not many people greet me in such a way, but you are not most people are you Emma?” She briefly wondered if he read her earlier thoughts, but before she could think much more he offered his arm which she took out of pure curiosity. “Perhaps a demonstration then?” And suddenly the world was shrouded in crimson smoke.

...

Thank you @ultraluckycatnd for beta-ing this piece, and @lonelyspectator12 for being an incredible brainstorming partner.

Shout-out to @eastwesthomeisbest for your artwork--it inspires me to persevere past writer's block!

Tagging CSMM Discord and those who've asked:

@kmomof4, @teamhook, @veryverynotgood, @caught-in-the-filter, @hollyethecurious, @laschatzi, @donteattheappleshook, @lonelyspectator12, @the-darkdragonfly, @zaharadessert, @winterbaby89, @jrob64, @wefoundloveunderthelight, @ultraluckycatnd, @stahlop, @alexa-fangirl-forever, @superchocovian, @monosalvatore16, @snowbellewells, @batana54

[rowanwhitethornisbae]

Faking It Ch 2

A/N: Thanks for all the love on chapter one! I’m defiantly going to make this at least ten chapters so buckle up haha. TW: Language 

Aelin couldn't remember when she’d lost count of the number of shots she’d taken. All she knew was that the alcohol coursing through her veins offered temporary relief from the breathtaking pain. The pain that had her sobbing so hard that she vomited her guts up each and every night. These pointless high school parties were her only escape from reality. Her parents were dead. Who gave a fuck about anything. Stumbling a little, Aelin made her way over the kitchen sink, prepared to vomit if need be. 

“Are you okay?” A low voice asked from behind her. 

“Fine.” She muttered and leaned against the counter for some semblance of balance.

“You don't look it.” The stranger said kindly. 

“Well isn't there some saying; Don’t judge a cover by its book or whatever.”

The mystery man laughed and Aelin finally lifted her head to look at him. He was handsome. So much so that if she hadn't already been leaning on something she might have swooned. His eyes were green, the colour of a pine tree in the dead of winter. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled and a tattoo crawled down the length of his arm and decorated the edge of his collarbone. 

I like men with tattoos. She thought. 

“Thanks.” He said, laughing awkwardly under his breath. 

Oh shit. She avoided meeting his eye, instead landing her gaze upon his silver hair. 

“Do you dye your hair.” She asked casually. 

He seemed slightly taken aback, but smiled all the same. “No. Do you?” 

She gasped as if it was the most preposterous thing he could've said and ran a hand through her long blond hair. 

“I’d sooner eat snakes.” Aelin grinned.

“People all over the world do that voluntarily.” The green eyed man mused. 

An image of someone eating snake popped into her head and Aelin suddenly felt bile rise in her throat. Before she could vomit on the perfect stranger, she bolted from the kitchen and into a vacant bathroom. Gagging, she fell onto her knees and was violently ill. 

So gently that she barely even noticed, her hair was pulled back from her neck and shoulders as her stranger eased himself onto the cold tile beside her. When Aelin had finished vomiting, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and slumped against the wall. 

“Thanks.” She said, tying her hair into a messy bun with shaking hands.

“I’m Rowan.” He answered, extending a hand. 

For the first time in weeks, she felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips. 

“Aelin.” 

“Miss Galathynius are you even listening.” Her math teacher’s voice snapped her out of that very unwelcome flashback. 

“Do you want me to lie to you?” She asked, earning a few laughs from her classmates and an elbow to the ribs from Aedion. 

“Take a walk.” He snarled, and Aelin breathed a sigh of relief. She needed fresh air anyway. 

The hallway was practically empty, save a few students on their way to the bathroom, and Aelin started towards the side doors to the parking lot. She passed a locker that had been decorated for someone’s birthday. Streamers flowed down from the top, framing the collage of photos perfectly. The girl in question looked to be a freshman, with a bright smile on her face and eyes that screamed innocence. The things Aelin would do to go back to freshman year. To live with that lack of knowledge and trauma that she so desired. But she couldn't. 

She was rounding the last corner when something made her stop dead on her feet. There, leaning against the wall in a way she’d seen so many times before, was Chaol Westfall. Still, it wasn't the sight of him that send her heart into a flurry. It was the girl fiddling with her hair opposite him. It took Aelin a minute to recognize her. Nesryn Faliq, they had advanced chemistry together. She laughed at something Chaol said and reached out a hand to brush his arm. Shivers ran down Aelin’s spine at that hint of a touch. Chaol smiled back at Nesryn and leaned in to whisper something in her ear. 

Unable to watch anymore, Aelin turned on her heels and bolted to the women's bathroom. She was breathing too hard, her heart racing much too fast to be healthy. God this was an awful time to have a panic attack. Slowly, she managed to calm her breathing enough to splash water on her face. 

This was bad. Really fucking bad. They’d broken up barely 24 hours ago and Chaol was already flirting with the entire female population of Terrasen High. Fine, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration.

Clearly Lysandra had been right. Aelin slumped down against the wall and curled her knees to her chest. She needed a rebound, and fast. Aelin pondered names as she ran her fingers through the grooves in the bathroom wall. Name after name came forward and she found herself subconsciously shooting them all down. 

Nox, Fenrys, Sam, Lorcan, Sartaq. None sounded right. 

In fact, the only one she could ever see herself with was Rowan Whitethorn. The silver haired senior who’s heart she’d held in her hands sophomore year. Held and crushed. She deserved every ounce of the hatred he had for her. 

Still, he wasn't a bad option. She knew he found her beautiful, he’d told her as much. The only problem was that he would never go for her again. People tended to put up a guard after having their heart shattered. 

Flirting with him would be futile and unfair. The only way she could ever get him to date her was if she gave him something in return. 

“Holy shit.” Aelin swore, jumping up so fast that she nearly hit her heat on the sink. 

If there was anything Aelin knew about Rowan, it was that he wanted to play on the football team. He’d gone on and on about it before. According to him, he had been deathly ill during tryouts and had ended up vomiting off the side after one hit. He’d begged and begged the coach to let him try out again but it was four years later and Rowan still wasn't on the team. Lorcan, Fenrys, Vaughn, and Gavriel all were and Rowan was half miserable because of it. 

There it was. A plan. She’d get him a tryout, somehow, and in exchange he would help her beat Chaol in whatever sick game they were playing. With a newfound purpose, Aelin washed her hands and walked back to math class.

Lunch. She’d make her move then. 

----------------------

The cafeteria was mostly empty, a normal occurrence for Tuesday afternoons. The lunch provided was some weird crossover of meatloaf and mashed potatoes that had most students eating out. Unfortunately for Rowan, Fenrys had convinced them to eat in the cafeteria today in his attempts to stalk a blonde girl on spare in the lounge. 

Now, he was picking at his food as his friends discussed the football game tomorrow. Rowan was just beginning to think his day couldn't get any worse, when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. 

“Can I talk to you?” Someone asked from over his shoulder. He knew that voice. Had heard it in both his dreams and his nightmares. Rowan’s grip on his fork tightened and his knuckles went white. His foot began drumming against the floor as he braced himself for impact. Everyone else at the table was rapidly flicking their gaze between Aelin and Rowan. 

“No.” He said harshly, not daring to turn around. Rowan didn't think he’d have the will to deny her anything if he was forced to meet her eye. 

“Please.” Aelin pleaded. “I have something to say to you.” 

“Well that’s too fucking bad because I have nothing to say to you.” He responded, voice carefully exempt of any emotion. 

“Then just listen.” She begged. “If you don't like what I have to say than we can go back to ignoring each other like you wanted.” 

“I wasn't the one who wanted that.” He snapped before he could take it back. 

Rowan felt more than saw Aelin stiffen behind him. Lorcan was drumming his fingers on the table, as if prepared to hold Rowan back if called for. 

But it was Fenrys, the friend who was kind to everyone, who spoke. “I think you should go Aelin.” 

She swallowed audibly behind him. “Alright.” She relented. “I’ll be at the Starbucks during fourth for spare. Come find me if you want.”

Rowan didn't bother to nod. Instead, he gripped his fork harder, letting up only when the sound of retreating footsteps subsided. He looked up slowly to find all eyes on him.  

“So that just happened.” Lorcan mused. 

“Yes thank you so much for that observation.” Rowan sniped sarcastically. 

“Woah.” Lorcan replied, throwing up his arms in mock surrender. “You’re mad at Galathynius, not us remember.” 

“Whatever.” He mumbled and went back to picking at his food. After a few seconds he threw his fork on the table and let out a groan of frustration. 

“This food is the worst thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. It is terrible and horrible and fucked up and I have no idea what to do with it.” Rowan half-shouted. Heads swivelled in his direction and he ignored them. Judgement from people he didn't know was the least of his many concerns at the moment. 

“Is that supposed to be some sort of metaphor for your life?” Vaughn asked, dead serious. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Seriously Rowan. All I've heard for the last year and a half is Aelin Galathynius this and Aelin Galathynius that and now she’s finally speaking to you and you’re not going to do anything about it.” 

“I don't talk about her that much.” Rowan mumbled under his breath. Lorcan shot him a look as if to say “Yes. Yes you do.”

“I know I'm normally not one to get involved in deep shit, but Vaughn’s right. I’ve never seen you nearly as happy as you were for those few months in tenth. And honestly, what’s the worst that can happen. You hear what she has to say. You like it, great. You don't, fuck it and forget about her.” Rowan had never heard Fenrys speak for so long without sarcasm in his life. 

“To be fair,” Gavriel said, always the buffer. “We’ve also never seen Rowan as broken as he was after Aelin. Maybe the risk outweighs the reward on this one Fen.” 

Rowan didn't reply. He was too busy struggling to get the memory of those painful few weeks from his head. 

“Just talk to her man. Who gives two fucks it’s high school.” Despite being mainly in an attempt to end this conversation, Lorcan’s words made sense. It was just high school. In one more year he’d be out of this shit hole and hopefully across the world in Rithfold. Talking to Aelin was just one step along the way. 

“I’m going to.” He said, willing his tone to stay confident. 

“Great man.” Fen said, patting him on the back. He barely felt it though. Barely felt anything as the rest of the day passed by in a blur, his thoughts occupied by a beautiful blond haired girl. 

---------

It had been twenty minutes and Aelin was starting to think Rowan wasn't coming. In all honestly she should've expected that outcome from the beginning. Even though she understood, the way he had acted towards her at lunch had hurt more than she was willing to let on. 

Instead of wallowing in her own self pity, Aelin took a long sip from her coffee. It seared her tongue and burned her throat, the pain helping to ground her in a way nothing else ever could. She was picking at her fingernails, head down, when he arrived. 

A metal chair scraped against the cobblestone, a bird sung from a oak tree, a paper bag rustled in the wind, Aelin Galathynius blinked. That’s all she had time to do. One blink to compose herself before she was looking dead into the eyes of Rowan Whitethorn. 

She allowed herself a brief second to take him in up close. His high and defined cheekbones, perfectly crafted nose, striking green eyes, and silver hair had always made for a truly stunning combination. He looked the same as ever. Except he didn't. His eyes no longer possessed that unbridled joy and love that she’d seen whenever he looked at her. Instead he just looked done. Done with life and done with her. 

Aelin swallowed audibly and handed him a coffee. “Cream and sugar.” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood. 

Rowan’s hands tightened slightly. “You remembered.” It wasn't a question. After a brief moment of hesitation he accepted the coffee and went back to staring at the table. 

“What is this about Aelin?” He asked softly. Although his voice was gentle, his tone was hurt in a way anyone else would’ve missed. She hated that. Hated that now, even a year later she was still somehow hurting him. 

“So you know I broke up with Chaol. Or, he broke up with me.” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. Rowan nodded once, nearly imperceptibly, and she took that as a sign to continue. “Anyway, Lysandra says that I need a rebound and I need one first because Chaol is the one who broke up with me.”

Rowan’s eye flared with surprise and something else she couldn't place. “I won't be your rebound. Please don't disrespect me by asking.” 

Her heart nearly cracked open at the pain lingering in his words. “No no I would never.” Aelin paused for a brief moment to regain her bearings. “Here’s the thing. I don't want a rebound. I’ve been in a relationship for as long as I can remember and I'm in desperate need of a break. But, I’m also the most competitive person you'll ever meet. Like seriously it’s an issue, once -” 

“I know.” Rowan interrupted. “Once you sprained your ankle 8 km into a 10 k run and still finished first because you couldn't stand the thought of losing. You told me already.” 

Aelin just stared at him for a second, her chest unbearably tight. Rowan’s eyes looked her up and down and she could've sworn his eyes flashed in satisfaction at the pain written on her face. 

Not wanting to look at him anymore, she went on. “I figured maybe instead of me actually doing the whole dating thing, we could fake date.” 

She held out a hand as Rowan opened his mouth to protest. Begrudgingly, he restrained from commenting and gestured for her to go on. 

“That way I'd beat Chaol in whatever this is, I wouldn't have to answer everyone’s condolences on my being dumped, and I’d be saved from the whole post breakup dating fiasco.” 

Rowan’s voice was hoarser than before when he finally spoke. “What do I get out of this.” 

She took a deep breath in. “I’ll get you a football tryout.” 

His knee slammed into the table and Aelin couldn't help but flinch. His eyes were wide and lit up with hope. “Seriously? How the hell are you going to do that?” 

“I have a plan.” She tried to sound confident despite her growing doubt. 

Rowan let out a small laugh. “The last time you said that we ended up in the back of a police cruiser covered in raw eggs and paint.” 

Aelin’s face broke into smile and she began to laugh. For a moment she could almost pretend they were back in sophomore year, lying on Rowan’s lawn and watching the stars. Neither of them had known anything about constellations so they’d made things up based on what they looked like. By the end of the night, Aelin’s stomach hurt from laughing. She wondered when the last time she’d been that blissfuly happy was. 

Just as suddenly as they had arrived, their smiles and laughs died on their lips. An uncomfortable silence seized the air and Aelin began to play with the hair elastic on her wrist. 

After a few more seconds, Rowan cleared his throat. “I’ll do it.” He announced, although it sounded like he was still trying to convince himself.  

“Great.” Aelin smiled. “Why don't you come over tomorrow and we can work out logistics.” 

“Don’t you live with Aedion?” Rowan asked cautiously.

“Yeah but he’ll be at Ren’s place tomorrow for a project. I checked.” 

Rowan nodded slowly and rose from his chair. “Alright.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, Rowan standing and Aelin sitting. “I’m going to uh... go.” He said at last, severing the quickly brewing tension. 

Without waiting for answer, he turned and fled, leaving Aelin to do nothing but watch. So they were actually doing this now. What’s the worst that could go wrong? 

TOG Tag List: 

@queen-of-glass

@courtofjurdan

@fictional-horan

@bamchickawowow

@julemmaes

@in-love-with-caramel-macchiato

@chieflemming

@morganofthewildfire

@http-itsrebecca

@captainswanandclintasha

@booknerdproblems

@sassys-world

@thegoddessofyou

@cityofchelsea16

@loudphantomdragon

@poisonous00

@wesupremeginger 

@becarefuloflove

@more-espresso-less-depresso-xx

@tillyrubes10

@perseusannabeth

[strawberrysoup]

Let’s Review || Chapter 22

Peter Parker knew that his big sister would do anything for him to be safe and happy. She’d given up everything for him twice over already and would do it again in a heartbeat. And that’s why, when the criminal mastermind Tony Stark started inextricably following him around, he didn’t say a word. Because he knew without a doubt Penny would do whatever she had to if it meant keeping Peter safe. He had to protect her, just like she always protected him. He never considered what would happen if Stark decided both Parker siblings were worth taking. Never considered who else in Stark’s inner circle would agree. He just wanted to protect her and yet somehow, they both ended up with needles in their necks.

relationship: Steve Rogers/Original Female Character/Bucky Barnes, background Peter Parker/Tony Stark rating: Explicit warnings: Dark Steve Rogers, Dark Bucky Barnes, Dark Tony Stark, Dark Avengers, kidnapping, non-consensual&dark sexual situations, underage Peter Parker, emotional and psychological abuse, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat  additional warnings: open the read more, CTRL + F and search “content warnings” to skip to the additional "spoiler-y" tags for trigger warnings

hey guys! i made a ko-fi! if you enjoy this and have some cash you could spare to help me out with my bills, id really appreciate it! if you follow the link and check out the ‘posts’, there’s a snippet for ch. 4 of posies! 

Their parents had died a few months after her thirteenth birthday and Penny essentially blacked out for the next 8 months. She didn’t remember anything from that school year, although she’d evidently scraped by in all of her classes—actually, Penny was still convinced that little Peter, who was already showing signs of being a tiny genius, had done at least half of her homework. She didn’t remember Hanukkah that year, or the first Christmas she’d ever celebrated with Aunt May and Uncle Ben. She had zero friends coming out of that year, having accidentally pushed everyone away in fits of rage or sadness that she couldn’t even remember. The pain cut just as deep every time she remembered showing up to school the first day of her freshman year only to receive the cold shoulder from half her grade.

That was actually one of the first memories she’d retained after coming out of 7 months and 3 weeks of complete emptiness, how none of her best friends wanted anything to do with her. Everything had been confusing, somehow devastating all over again but… it was less. Her parents were gone and it hurt so much but it was nothing compared to the agony that had beset her form seconds after being informed her mom and dad were dead. When Penny racked her brain she could almost remember Aunt May crouched in front of her while she sat on the couch at home, holding her hands.

Somewhere in her brain, Penny had known that plane crashes were possible. Like, as a concept she understood the idea. The plane that was flying through the air stops doing that, and all the people inside the plane die. But it couldn’t possibly happen to her parents—they were her parents, they were infallible. Plane crashes happened, yeah, but her parents couldn’t be gone. Aunt May had told her several years later that she and Ben had been petrified she would try to kill herself, especially when the state tried to take the young girl away from the Parker’s.

They’d never had the money for therapy and Penny figured she’d never regain the memories from those months but honestly, she didn’t want them. The gaps were reprieves, the missing conversations, the absence of any and all detail. Wasn’t she sad to not remember her eighth-grade graduation? Fuck no, it was a blessing to forget how she’d felt like everyone in existence had their eyes on her—except for the ones she wanted.

There were times she absently wondered how disappointed her parents would be that she didn’t finish college, let alone get an actual high school degree. Her dad had been so smart, a genius in his own right. And her mom… Penny tried not to think of her mom often, not when it hurt so deeply. Mary Parker had been a gentle soul with an IQ of 150 who made Penny feel safe and loved and understood every day of her life. Her mother would’ve been understanding, she would’ve seen the necessity in her dropping out but it would’ve hurt that gentle soul to know the opportunities her baby had missed.

It hurt Penny in a special way that neither of Mary and Richard Parker’s children would be graduating from high school. Neither would attend university. They wouldn’t go on to press the limits of their parent’s knowledge or make an impact on the world. Somehow despite everything she’d sacrificed, Peter would never get the opportunity that he deserved. Her genius baby brother, his potential capped before he had a chance to try. God, it was an agonizing burn in her chest, a searing pain that made her nauseous and light-headed.

Her heart was pounding so hard she wondered if her ribs would crack. The cabin was lovely. Dark wood and an A-frame, a nice deck in the back and lots of windows. It was surrounded by trees, with dark needles or thin pale trunks, the purple mountains of the Rockies a lovely backdrop. It was colder than she’d expect for summer, especially considering the overcast sky and the breeze. The clouds moved so fast at such a high altitude and Penny watched trembling as a shadow passed over the house, chasing the light away before the sun followed its path ravenously once more.

Steve and Bucky were unloading suitcases from the back of the SUV, passing each other calculating looks as Penny stood practically frozen in place. Her shoulders were hunched almost to her ears, arms wrapped gently but tightly around the white kitten in her arms. It was purring quietly, the same way it had been for hours now. The little thing had cried the first few hours after they’d left the tower and subsequently the chubby cheeked orange kitten behind, only settling when Penny laid down across the middle seat in the SUV and let it burrow into the crook of her neck.

If Penny turned around she would’ve recognized the mournful looks on their faces, the pain in the lines of their eyes. The soldiers knew the hurt she felt, to be separated from their most important person—they understood that Peter was the most important person in Penny’s world. This separation was on their heads, but what could they do? They’d worked themselves into a rut, the three of them, wearing such deep treads into their negative behaviors that they couldn’t climb out. A complete shakeup was the only solution.

Both winced when she abruptly folded at the waist, clutching the kitten to her chest, and vomited over the pine needle strewn dirt of the driveway. Her hair fell in heavy, curly curtains around her face as she heaved again, hiding her tear-streaked face from the soldiers’ view. The sound of them setting the bags they held down registered in Penny’s ears but she couldn’t find the strength to collect herself before they converged on her.

“Come ‘ere doll, lemme take you up to the bathroom,” Bucky stated quietly, sweeping her and the cat up into his arms as gently as he could, “you can take a bath while me and Steve get everything unloaded. I think you’ll really like the cabin baby, we… well, we designed it just for you. If there’s anything you want to change, you just tell us. We want it to be perfect for you.”

She mostly caught flashes of green and white and brown, tucking her chin to look at the kitten snuggled into her cleavage. It felt cruel, to have taken the white one and left the orange, but the little chubby-cheeked kitten had taken to her brother so well—better than it had taken to her, even. Peter had named it Malcah and while it still didn’t like being picked up or held, it twined his ankles and meowed at him for love.

“Sit here baby,” the soldier set her carefully on the lid of the toilet, after having climbed a set of stairs and turned multiple blurry corners, “let me run your bath.”

It was all white tile, the toilet built into the wall. The tub was a freestanding clawfoot, with a spray nozzle and high sides. It was surprisingly small, considering how large the tub in the tower had been. Penny idly speculated that only perhaps one of the soldiers would be able to fit at time and it would certainly be a tight squeeze if she was forced in with them. There was a standing shower on the other side, where the roof wasn’t so sharply sloped by the A-framed roof. The nice thing, that Penny would never admit was very nice, was all of the plants. The entire room was predominantly white but there was a long-vined philodendron hanging gracefully over the tub, snake plants sitting on the shelf before the toilet. She could see a rubber plant and another type of vine by the sinks, framing the mirror.

They’d obviously gone to great lengths to make sure it would be something she liked, clearly evidenced by the bathroom alone. There were even candles waiting to be used on the antique, hunter green shelves and bath bombs with lovely scents. If she’d been able to design a personal bathroom, Penny figured it would probably have looked something like this and that made her hate it all the more.

The bastards were so in their heads they could barely see the sunlight. Penny was convinced that they were so distracted orchestrating her nightmare they’d lost the plot. They kept throwing stuff at her; beautiful plants, nice clothing, cute cats, lovely homes—but it didn’t mean a single thing. All of the possessions in the world didn’t make up for the gaping, rotting hole in her chest.

“Alright doll, let’s get you undressed,” Bucky shifted towards her once the water was at the right temperature and filling the tub, a small smile on his stubbled face.

“Do you think I’m debilitated?” She rasped after a moment, rolling her eyes up to stare him in the face before spitting a vomit speckled wad of phlegm onto the rug by her feet and setting the kitten on the shelf next to the snake plants. “Last time I checked I didn’t need to be treated like a baby. Are you gonna keep standing over me like a pervert? Get out.”

The soldier’s eyebrows shot up his forehead, surprised by the calmness behind her cutting tongue. Usually, when Penny got an attitude, it came with fury and fists and resulted in broken bones or bleeding wounds. This was overwhelmingly controlled; a bitchy rebuttal. Her voice was the gravelly tone she usually got after screaming or crying, dark brown eyes nearly black.  When he didn’t move, Penny rolled her eyes and stood, whipping her t-shirt over her head and dropping it to the ground.

“You’re bein’ a little moody, babe,” Bucky watched calmly as she undressed, her clothes piling up on the floor. “Wanna think about reigning it in?”

Penny’s hair was big and curly around her face, framing the clenched jaw and sneering nose. “What are you gonna do, kill me? Whatever.”

“Penny, what—”

“Peter is a thousand miles away,” Penny’s voice started out sharp but very quickly faded into a tired drawl, “you can’t hurt him from here. And what do I care if you hurt me? So could you either get the fuck out and let me take a bath or fucking drown me in it? Whatever it takes for this interaction to be over.”  

“Are you looking for a punishment right now?” Bucky’s lips pulled down at the corners, eyebrows furrowing, “‘Cause you’re working your way towards one really quick.”

“What’re you gonna do? Kill someone in front of me?” She groaned, reaching up to dig her fingers into the roots of her hair, tugging sharply before dragging it into a tangled, thoughtless bun on the top of her head “Or spank me until I can’t sit? Rape me? Could you just get it over with? I want to be alone, please!”

Bucky was silent for several long seconds before sighing through his nose, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows. “Take your bath, think about your fuckin’ attitude. Steve and I are gonna bring the bags in.”

He left the door open and Penny was further irritated to learn he had too much dignity to stomp down the stairs the way she’d hoped he would. His break in composure had been so good for her it was unbelievable—but there was likely a punishment on the horizon and Steve wasn’t likely to let her off easy once the brunet told him what she’d said. The bastard was stone cold when it came to that shit.

She stared idly at the steaming bath, naked with her clothes piled around her feet—the question was whether she wanted a bath or if she’d been resigned to it? The water was scented, because of course it was. It was even one of her favorite citrusy scents, she noted disdainfully, another thing they had paid so much attention to while keeping her locked up in a tower like fucking Rapunzel. Now in a cabin, she figured she was a Jewish Goldilocks surrounded by hungry bears.

But it smelled nice and her body ached from the long car ride, it had already been run so why not hop in? Besides, it would keep her busy while the soldier’s fucked around and she wouldn’t have to see them for a bit. They were shuffling around and she could hear the sounds of bags being placed around the cabin. The door banged off the walls several times, always accompanied by a groan or a curse, one of which she recognized as a Yiddish swear—which she refused to find endearing. The kitten meowed at her from its position on the shelf, looking put out to be so far away but Penny shushed it quietly.

“You won’t like the water, just stay there,” she murmured quietly at the distraught little creature, picking up a washcloth and dunking it into the perfumed water. “If I come get you I’ll make a huge mess.”

She ignored the kitten as it continued to communicate with her, chittering in annoyance and pawing the edge of the ledge for several minutes before evidently surrendering and lying down with its little paws draped over the edge. Penny smiled to herself, the cat’s tail was roughly the size of its body and when it curled the fluffy mass of fur around itself it became unrecognizable as a cat. The orange one would’ve continued to complain until Penny let it down, would’ve just barely given her ankles a rub before running off to hide somewhere.

That’s why she decided to leave Malcah with Peter; the orange cat didn’t run from or scratch him. She twined his ankles, sat next to his thigh on the couch, kneaded her little paws against him. Peter had decided both kittens were female, based on the very reasonable basis that he wanted them to be. Penny wasn’t sure, didn’t quite care. The only thing she ever referred to the cats as was Chatul—which literally meant cat in Hebrew. She’d shortened it to Tuly for the white kitten, for the sake of ease, but refused to say it in front of the soldiers. The cat was hers, she didn’t have to share it with them.

The sounds of the soldiers were becoming more consistent throughout the cabin and Penny figured they must’ve brought in all of the bags and were focused on unpacking. She could hear someone down in the kitchen, unloading the masses of groceries they’d brought up the mountain while the other was in the bedroom. Penny rubbed the washcloth over her skin lightly, the oils from the fragrance making her skin soft and slippery.

She didn’t hear him come in, she felt Steve come in. The blond’s presence was just as overwhelming as Tony Stark’s, an aura bigger than his body that filled the room. She could feel the disappointed stare, even as she continued to wipe herself down with the washcloth. Her teeth ground together as he watched in silence, just waiting.

“Bucky said you’ve caught an attitude, baby doll.”

“Caught an attitude?” She rolled her eyes. “Wow, if only I hadn’t become desensitized to living in constant terror—you never would’ve realized I’ve had an attitude the whole time!”

“We’re supposed to be turning a new page, Pen.”

“Turning a—” Penny scoffed, face appalled as she abruptly stood from the bath and ignored the water going everywhere, “we’re not turning a new page—You burnt the fucking book!”

The blond’s eyes widened; Penny had gotten angry in the past, furious even. She’d broken things, broken skin, broken bones and it was always accompanied by outraged screaming. But Penny didn’t make unnervingly straight eye contact while she did it. She was barely coherent at the best of times, mostly she screamed to the room at large before flying into a violent frenzy—it was different. It was startling, the light in her eyes and the way her voice cracked.

“There is no page turning, there’s no fucking­—fucking reconciliation here, Steve,” she snatched a towel from the rack behind the tub, wrapping the light green fabric around her chest tightly, “I can’t believe after, fuck, how long has it been? A month and a half? Two months? What fucking day is it?”

“…It’s July 2nd,” he found himself choking out, still feeling shell shocked as she stepped out of the tub.

“A month and a half,” Penny’s face twitched, just barely concealing the distraught look he could see she wanted to make and she started shifting past him, “Jesus Christ after a month and a half you guys still don’t get it—you know what, never mind. After a month and a half, I should’ve been smart enough to realize what dumbasses you both are.”

“Penny—”

“God, fuck!” She shouted up at the ceiling, stopping in place halfway out the door. “I have listened to you two talk at length for what’s apparently been a month and a half! I have tried to listen to your stupid fucking rules, I put in the fucking effort and you still decided to take away the one thing I care about! I’m sick and tired of you saying my name in that fucking tone, I’m tired of constantly internalizing and I’m tired of being fucking walked on! So I’ll tell you what I told Bucky—either kill me or leave me alone, but for fucks’ sake just give me space!”

A low mew followed her statement and Penny made an abrupt about face, stomping past him to snatch up the kitten from where it had been sitting on the ledge and storming past him again. It was like getting brushed by a wildfire and Steve fought the urge to take a step back when her wet hair whipped against him.

She dug through one of the bags that held her belongings angrily, kitten on her shoulder, knowing that the blond continued to watch her from the bathroom doorway. Shorts, underwear, a sports bra, a t-shirt, and a hoodie over that. She would’ve put on socks but she knew it bothered Steve when she went barefoot.

“Come downstairs, precious,” he sighed after watching her dress, gesturing towards the stairs, “we’ve got to talk.”

“We’ve always got to talk,” Penny snorted derisively but started down the stairs anyway, Tuly back in her arms, “but it’s usually just you two telling me what I can and can’t do. Stop bossing me around.”

Steve followed after her, aghast and confused—Penny had always been brave in the situations she was forced into, whether it was taking custody of her fourteen year old brother or dealing with being kidnapped from her apartment by a billionaire criminal, but she hadn’t ever antagonized before. She’d talked back, got irritated, snapped, but she hadn’t ever just been flat out bitchy.

On the main floor, Bucky had already put away all of the groceries and was folding up the cloth shopping bags to tuck away for next time. The brunet’s eyes locked on Penny for several long calculating seconds and her hackles raised; whatever was coming was going to be annoying. She refused to be afraid though, not when there wasn’t anything to lose. Not anymore.

“Sit on the couch, let’s talk,” Steve directed, watching as she seemed to contemplate following the direction before doing so, “things are obviously going to be different here, precious.”

“The cabin is equipped with the same AI as the tower but its restricted to monitoring and safety protocols,” Bucky explained, gesturing to the open layout of the main floor, “you’ll be able to go outside so long as you ask first, there’s plenty to do out there. When Steve bought it there was an overgrown vegetable garden out there, we had it cleaned up for you and the shed fixed up and stocked. A lot of good hiking around here too.”

“I can’t talk to JARVIS?” She asked, eyes tracking the way the soldier’s exchanged glances. “Of course not. Then I would have some sort of interaction beyond the pair of you. Damaging to your plan, huh?”

“Penny, the rules didn’t end just because we’re out of the tower,” Steve had one hand braced on his hip while the other rubbed over his forehead, “be—”

“If you say Be Sweet I’ll find a way to kill myself,” Penny intoned, a dry look on her face. “Jews don’t have an afterlife you know, I’m not afraid of going to Hell.”

“Penny, we’re trying—”

“Penny we’re trying,” she mocked in a high-pitched voice, dead eye stare once again boring into Bucky’s, “I’m not. I’m done trying. You’ll either kill me or drive me insane, I’ll never see Peter again—I…I failed. I couldn’t protect him, I couldn’t even keep him safe until he was an adult, isn’t that insane? Grand total of three years and some change and I fucked it up.”

Penny stood up from the couch, shaking her head as she went. The kitten was quick to jump off the couch and follow after her, meowing while that massive fluffy squirrel tail curled over its back. The open floor plan of the cabin came in handy for the soldiers though, because she couldn’t really escape even as she walked across the living room and into the kitchen.

It was hard to pretend she didn’t actually love the cabin. The kitchen was small, located beneath the loft that held the bedroom and bathroom. The railing to the loft was covered in live vines that hung down to create a tiny illusion of separation between the living room and kitchen, the kitchen itself was sage green with white and dark brown accents. There were more plants, open cabinets mounted to the walls, the sink was small but there was a dishwasher. She loved the spiral staircase that led up to the loft, framing the kitchen to the left with small shiny baubles hanging from it.

There was a hamsa and a cross, both stained glass and hanging from the tallest step. Pretty cat toys hung from the lower railings, just within the kitten’s reach. It made Penny’s skin itch, just how lovely and perfect the whole cabin was. More evidence that they were paying a freaky amount of attention to her and every move she made.

“You didn’t fail, doll,” Bucky’s tone was quiet and he hesitated for a moment before following after her several paces, ending up on the edge of the kitchen, “You didn’t fuck it up, Peter—”

“Peter is trapped in a prison in New York with a creep more than twice his age who wants to violate and brainwash him,” Penny was on her knees in front of the fridge, digging through the crisper drawer in the bottom. “Literally all I had to do to prevent that from happening was pay more attention to his daily life. Fuck, kid was practically raising himself with how often I was gone—never stood a chance, you know?”

“Don’t think like that Penny,” Steve sighed, leaning down to pick up the kitten that had circled back to his ankles and setting it on his shoulder, “there’s nothing you could’ve done. You know who Tony Stark is, you know what he’s capable of. You can’t heap that guilt on your shoulders.”

“Oh, can’t I?” She hummed, absently throwing a package of bacon onto the floor, followed by a flat of raw chicken and beef. “There can be dairy in here or there can be meat, not both.”

“We might need a second fridge,” Bucky observed quietly, watching Penny drop a couple of deli bags with sandwich meat onto the ground before she started shuffling everything into different places within the cooler. “We could keep it in the shed?”

“No room,” Steve shook his head absently, “garage?”

Penny had collected a stack of items from the fridge and piled them onto the counter, not even bothering to look back on the soldiers as she began puttering around. The open-faced cabinets on the walls held mostly dishes and containers filled with ingredients and she ducked down, opening the lower cabinets and digging out several pans.

“Do you… do you want a hand, doll?” Bucky asked hesitantly after several moments, watching her collect ingredients and tools and turn on the stove.

“No.”

“Penny—”

“Can I make lunch please?” She whipped around, an irritated look on her face and a spatula in hand, looking like she was about to use it to beat them both, “I’m hungry and I want to die, I figure you’ll only allow me to fulfill one of those wants so can you let me cook?”

The next thing she knew, Penny had been swept up into Bucky’s arms. The solider looked confused, lips curled in frustration but his brow furrowed with dismay. She stiffened at the action when he stomped back to the couch and sat down roughly, dropping her over his knees and landing a smarting blow to her ass through her shorts without warning.

“Thirty for this fucking attitude,” he barked, yanking the shorts down until the waistband settled under the curve of her ass against the tops of her thighs, “count.”

A sharp inhale followed the first skin to skin hit and Penny snarled in response, “one.”

“Apologize,” Steve’s fingers tangled into her hair, extracting the hair tie and letting the curls fall in chaotic waves over her shoulders and face.

“Two,” she counted dutifully and angrily, narrowed eyes landing on Steve’s face, “I’m sorry you’re a fucking monster!”

“That just added ten more, Penny,” Bucky sighed through gritted teeth, “you better reign it in.”

“You better just kill me,” she rasped, nails digging into his leg where she was holding on for balance through the hits, “because I won’t reign it in. I’m sick to death of you motherfuckers—Oh, fuck, three!”

“No cursing during punishments, start from one,” Steve ordered darkly, the hand in her hair pulling taught as he glanced into Bucky’s eyes—the baffling combination of anger and dismay and loss in the brunet’s eyes let him know he wasn’t the only one scrambling.

“Fuck you!” Penny shook her head roughly as if to dislodge his hand, canting her head to the side the best she could manage to look him in the eye, “beat me black and blue, I don’t fucking care. Don’t you get it? It doesn’t matter anymore! Nothing fucking matters.”

content warnings: spanking *edit, addition content warning: disrespectful terminology for Jewish people 

[mybiasisexo]

Oh, Brother

Genre: Angst | Fluff | College!au 

Pairing: Kai x Reader

Length: 7.5k

Warning: Unfinished | Language | Love Triangle (I know, but hear me out!!)

Summary: You’ve finally started college and are getting the full freshman year teen romcom experience and it’s not as great as you though it would be, but a certain ballerina (ballerino? I googled it and its ballerino in Italian [quote unquote] but in French they are a danseur and im rambling) might be the calmness you’ve been needing...that is until you meet his brother....

Author’s Note: I plan on turning this into a scenario??? Question marks cause idk if I want to turn it into a chaptered fic instead??? Anyways I wrote this back in like 2014 so its kinda dated but it is what it is yall. 

MASTERLIST

credit

With the arrival of the bell came the flood.

You got caught in it. Dragged into the depths of the sea that was the main hall. You grunted and fought against the current, as students barged their way past you, slamming roughly against your shoulders as you clutched onto your books for dear life.

It seemed never-ending, it actually felt like you were moving backwards as more and more people rushed, trying in vain to arrive to their next class on time.

You didn’t think that college would be like this.

You thought it would be peaceful and calm, like a pond or a small lake.

Not the damn sea during a hurricane.

It was probably because it was the first day, and everyone was still trying to catch their bearings. Or because this hall was seriously the most used and classes held up to two hundred people. Whatever the reason, you felt a sudden panic attack crawling up your throat like a corpse clawing out of the grave. You knew that very soon you would lose it, and so you began to count in your head to calm yourself down.

“I…2…3…4—” push “—5…6—” shove “—7…..8….9….”

Before you could lose your cool, you broke the surface and felt the cold wind snap deliciously against your damp face. You closed your eyes and sighed with relief as you realized that you had won.

You battled against the human sea and you beat it victoriously.

But could you deal with that every other day?

You shuddered as the thought hit you and decided to ignore it for the meantime. You had to admit, despite that near death journey you had just trekked, your first day as a college student wasn’t as bad as you—and your parents, not to mention your little sister—had imagined. Today was Monday, and on Mondays, you had three classes: English 1102, Math 1143, and Introduction to Art.

You had just left the math department and now had a couple hours to kill before your last class.

You decided to call your best friend, Suho, and see if he had escaped his side of campus.

“Hello?” He answered happily—did he have any other emotion?

“I nearly died just now. This hallway is lethal, I don’t know if I’ll make it.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it out alive. When does your next class start?”

“In two hours. Wanna get lunch?”

“Absolutely, I’m starving. Meet me at the Student Union building?”

“Okay, see you then.” You hung up and tried your hardest to recall just where exactly the Student Union building was located.

Nearly twenty minutes later, you stumbled upon the holy land. You found Suho almost immediately and rushed over to his table.

“What took you so long?” He wondered, munching on a fry.

You plopped down in the seat across from him and let out an exhausted breath, “I forgot how to get here. I had to backtrack like four different times.”

He sighed, “You could have called me, I would have helped you.”

“I’m aware,” you dismissed, stealing a fry from his tray. He frowned, but didn’t do anything to stop you from stealing another one.

“It’s the first day, and I’m already beat,” you muttered after you had returned to the table after leaving him briefly to buy a cold sandwich, a bag of salty chips, and a bottle of green tea.

“And it’s not even over yet,” Suho reminded you with a smile on his face.

“Can you not? I don’t want to think about that just yet.”

“At least it’s art. You can unwind in your last class. My last class is Physics, there is no unwinding in physics.”

“You’re smart, you can literally handle anything.”

He cocked his head to the side and studied you. Once he caught your attention, you stuck your tongue out at him and drained your drink, smacking your lips obnoxiously when you were done.

“it’s a wonder we’re even friends,” he mused aloud around his sandwich.

You shrugged, “you still have time to run.”

He grinned, not missing a beat, “I wouldn’t even dream of it.”

You held out your semi-empty plastic bottle, “I’ll drink to that.”

He chuckled and lifted his own soda can, your drinks clinking exotically together, confirming your status as best friends for life.

Which Suho was. The two of you had known each other since you were five. Your fathers were childhood friends that lost contact after college, but somehow—when the two of you were five—reunited and stuck to each other like glue. Even opening their own music store together. Kim Junmyeon, who was lovingly addressed as Suho, and you grew up at the music store, learning how to play different instruments as well as the ropes to owning a business, and the chemistry between your fathers ultimately rubbed off onto you, causing yet another family-like bond.

“You are taking piano, aren’t you?” You asked him a few minutes later.

His attitude shifted instantly as his smile faltered a tad. It was barely noticeable, but you could read this young man in front of you like a book.

“Junmyeon,” You said warningly, using his real name to show how serious you were.

He sighed, “I want to. I just… so much is already on my plate, and I didn’t want to burden my parents with another credit and…”

“And you just didn’t want to,” You finished for him. You lowered your voice, “I thought you liked music.”

“Of course I do, but that’s something our fathers love. Music is their dream, not ours.”

You pouted. He was right, even you weren’t taking any classes related to music, but you were still planning on practicing the viola on your own time. Music was in your blood, it was just as unavoidable as Suho. You didn’t know what life would be like without it, and quite frankly, you didn’t want a life without it.

Suho adored music more than you did. When his father first taught him how to play the piano, he had to be forcefully removed from the bench. There was nowhere else he would rather be, and as he grew, so did his talent. He was so talented, that he won many competitions, and even wrote compositions for many popular songs heard on the radio today.

He was a prodigy.

You? Well, you just liked to play. You were nowhere near as good as Suho, despite the many things he had told you, and you knew that and was fine with it. For you, it didn’t matter if you won or lost, as long as you got to play. You learned how to play the guitar, clarinet, drums, and even the piano, but nothing called to you like the viola. It was an extension of yourself, and Suho once said that when you played, people could tell you transported into a different realm. You were in your own little universe, and would only return once the piece was finished.

“It can be both, couldn’t it? You play so well…” You could tell Suho felt uncomfortable and would rather not discuss the matter anymore, so you just let your sentence carry. Instead, talking about everything else and nothing for the rest of your time together. “Well, my class is about to start in ten minutes. Luckily, I know where the art building is. I’ve only been going there since I was twelve.”

You tried to laugh, but got nothing out of Suho. His smile still plastered on his face, but his eyes dull as he pulled himself up and collected your trash, throwing it in the trashcan and following you out into the crisp fall air.

The art building was very hard to miss. It was one of the bigger buildings because the college you attended focused mostly on the arts, and was painted a bright blue, while every other building was a tan brick color.

“Paint me something nice, alright?” Suho said once you both stopped outside the doors of the building.

You rolled your eyes, “You know I suck at painting, Su, I’m more of a charcoal person.”

He shrugged, “I still want a painting. Charcoal is so boring.”

You smacked his shoulder, “go. Before I lose my temper.”

He laughed and held his arms up in surrender, “We wouldn’t want that now would we?”

He sauntered away and left you to stare up at the intimidating building. Hesitantly, you pried the glass door open and scuttled into the structure. Noise overwhelmed you. You could hear many people tuning their instruments, and the noise of a teacher counting and the soft thud of footsteps. If you listened harder, you could faintly make out people singing.

It was beautiful.

The cacophony of sound settled around you in a somewhat numbing hum, beckoning you to walk even deeper within the building. Almost all the doors were open and you peered into each one, loving everything that you saw. A chubby boy wailing away on his trombone. A lanky boy with a mop top and a short thick girl with glasses singing a duet. What appeared to be an African dance class. A trio practicing on their violins. A boy twirling about in an empty dance room.

You paused once you glanced inside the dance room. He was doing barrel turns across the room, and when he reached the end, he pirouetted for what seemed like a long time, stopping smoothly with one foot resting in back of him and his arms held out in the perfect stance.

He was breathing hard as he dropped his position and ran his fingers through his dark hair, dragging the strands away from his face, only for them to return. He must have felt your stare, because he suddenly swiveled his head to meet you eyes.

He was gorgeous, to put it simply. He had slightly tan skin and perfectly shaped almond brown eyes and a straight nose, and lips that seemed to be the center of his face. He looked almost ethereal as he attempted to catch his breath and sweat slid alluringly down his lean frame and his eyes remained on you.

“Lost?” He asked. His tone wasn’t mocking, simply curious.

His voice was just as lovely as his features. You shook your head, “Just looking around.”

He walked up to the mirror where a drawstring backpack laid, and pulled a small towel out of it, wrapping it around his neck, “class starts pretty soon, doesn’t it? You might be late,”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s so easy to get distracted in this building. There’s so much going on.”

“First day?” He asked with an understanding nod of his head.

You returned the nod with a rushed one of your own, “I’m in sensory overload at the moment.”

“Happens to all of us.���

He turned around and headed back to the corner of the room. You stared at his retreating frame for a moment and then decided it was time to leave. “See you around then.”

He turned his head so that you could see the outline of his nose and raised a hand, “see you.”

You had to forcefully remove yourself from the doorway, and practically run to your classroom, making it in with thirty seconds to spare.

~*~

After your last class was finished, you headed over to the dorms.

You still could not believe you were actually living on your own, away from your parents and sister. And as you stepped into your new home, you couldn’t help but grin.

It was small, but cozy. With a living room that held a couch, there was one bedroom that your roommate and you would be sharing and you got your own bathroom which was nice.

You noticed that your bedroom door was open and you could faintly make out a voice coming from within. It appeared your roommate was in. You hadn’t met her yet, and was nervous. Would you like her? Would she like you? You carefully tiptoed towards the door and paused in the threshold. She was singing under her breath and it was beautiful. The words did not sound very familiar to you, but her voice was so lovely, you found myself creating notes to accompany her with in you head.

Finally, you grew the courage to gently knock on the wall and peek your head in.

She was sitting at a white vanity she must had brought with her, and was clipping something into her jaw length black hair. She spun around quickly, startled.

Once you were facing each other, you carefully examined the other. She was gorgeous, but seemed a bit rebellious with her black lace clothing and scruffy boots. With the light from the window on her hair, you spotted green and blue highlights in it. Her eyes were covered in kohl and her lips were set in a hard line, but you noticed the tips curled slightly in a mischievous grin.

After your slight stare down, she held out her hand, “Park Sunyoung. But I go by Luna.”

You smiled and marched in to shake her hand and introduced yourself as well.

“Like what I’ve done with the place?” She smirked, spinning around to face the mirror again.

The room was placed in such a way that each half was your own. Her side was crowded. The white walls were covered with posters. You spotted both movies and boy and girl groups respectively. She had a purple fluffy mat on the wooden floor, and clothes were strung there and about. She also placed a flat screen television on a dresser that she pushed in the middle of a wall so that it was between your beds.

You glanced at your side, You had only put sheets on your bed, leaned your viola case against the wall, and tossed your suitcases on your bed. It was—and would still be once you finished unpacking—bare compared to hers.

You nodded your head, “you just moved in?”

She nodded her head also. “Bout to grab a bite to eat. Wanna come?”

You bit your lip. You wanted to unpack and maybe practice your instrument for a while, but the need to make friends overwhelmed you, especially a girlfriend. “Sure.”

You watched as Luna hopped off her chair and grabbed a black homburg hat before snatching your wrist and dragging you out of your room.

You entered the cafeteria five minutes later, the building was bustling with life and you couldn’t help but to search around, looking at your fellow schoolmates.

There were a bunch of different stores to choose from, and after watching Luna tap her chin while glaring at each station, you both finally decide on Chinese. You grabbed your plates and then Luna pulled out her phone, dialing a number before she pressed it to her ear.

“Yah! Where are you?” She laughed. Your eyes widened. You were not planning on meeting other people. “I can’t see you! Oh! By the taco station? Mmm… Okay, on my way.” She hung up and glanced at you, tilting her head in the direction she was heading before walking off. You quickly tried to match her pace. You arrived at a round table with seven chairs and two girls sitting there in comfortable silence.

“Hey!” Luna sang as she pulled a chair next to one of them, you quickly followed suite.

The girl next to Luna had brown hair that she had cut really short, a pixie cut. While the girl beside her had straight black hair that cascaded down her body. The one with the pixie cut was sporting a guy tank top and khakis while the one beside her was wearing a black and white stripped dress and blood red lipstick.

“Who’s the stranger?” The girl next to Luna asked, studying you.

“This is my roommate,” Luna beamed with pride and you smiled shyly as she introduced you. “This is my cousin Victoria and our friend, Amber.”

“Nice to meet you,” you greeted.

“Are you a freshman like Luna?” Amber asked, giving you her full attention.

You nodded, “what grade are you in?”

“We’re both juniors,” Victoria supplied, taking a giant bite of her food.

“So… how was your first day?” Amber asked Luna, who rolled her eyes.

“Fine. I guess. All I had were generals today. I can’t wait till my fun classes begin.”

“Are you, by any chance, in choir?” You asked.

She stared at you with wide eyes, “oh god, no! What makes you think that!?”

“Well,” you began nervously. “I heard you singing when I entered the room…”

“Oh~~” The three nodded.

“I do love singing,” Luna informed somewhat sheepishly. “I just…”

“She just doesn’t like to do things when told to do them.” A girl who just walked up to the table finished for Luna, pulling the chair next to Victoria out and unceremoniously plopping down. She was tall and skinny and had long blonde hair. Just like Luna, she was wearing dark clothes and makeup, her expression unimpressed.

Another girl who was the polar opposite took a seat beside her. She had reddish-brown hair that went down to her collarbones and was wearing a pink skirt and shirt and a genuine bright smile. She instantly reminded you of Suho.

“Shut up, Krystal,” Luna barked.

“Make me,” the Krystal girl retorted, sticking her tongue out.

“Choir is just so stuffy,” Luna defended herself. “You have to sing three octaves higher than you normally do, have to wear hideous outfits, and have to move your mouth like this,” she began to open and close her mouth in a way that resembled a fish. “It’s horrible.”

“Plus, she never goes to class, so she’d probably get dropped,” Krystal grinned wickedly at Luna.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?!” The two began to bicker, and you locked eyes with the bright girl next to Krystal who was looking at you.

“What is your name?” She asked. You told her and asked for hers in return. “I’m Sulli. Sorry about my friends. They tend to not have manners.”

“I heard that!” Krystal screeched and smacked Sulli’s shoulder, causing her to wince. She then turned her gaze to you. “I’m not that bad, really. I’m Krystal, by the way.”

You introduced yourself to her and she boldly held out her hand for you to shake. Her hand was very soft.

“Are you a freshman?” She asked and you nodded your head. “Cool. So are Sulli and me. Are you Luna’s roommate?”

“Yes she is, so can you stop asking so many questions?” Luna asked, exasperated.

Krystal shrugged, sniffing a cup of fruit, “just curious. I’m surprised you’d invite her along. I know how much you hate new people.”

“I don’t—”

“YES YOU DO!” The four interrupted Luna, causing the whole table to laugh.

“You all suck,” Luna pouted, but a smile tugged on her lips.

“Welcome to our crew,” Victoria said to me, holding up a bottle of apple juice. You lifted your own drink and you all chugged the liquid.

It tasted like a long friendship.

~*~

Back in your room, all unpacked and exhausted, you laid on your bed. Luna was taking her last class of the day, which was at eight, and she wasn’t very excited about that, so you had the place to yourself. You wanted to play your viola, but was so tired, you couldn’t budge.

Vibrating caught your attention and you groaned as you felt around for your phone. Once found, you answered it without bothering to check caller I.D.

“I take it you’ve already eaten?” Suho asked you from the other end.

You grinned, “What makes you so sure?”

“Because you aren’t harassing me about how you will die any second if you don’t get any food in you soon.”

You sighed, “You know me so well.”

“That’s why I hold the title of best friend.”

“Sorry. Are you hungry?”

“Kind of.”

“Did you just finish your last class?”

He was silent for a second, “no. I, uh, finished it a while ago.”

“Well why didn’t you call me then?”

“I was…distracted. Come down. I’m at your dorm.”

“But, Suho!”

“You shouldn’t have unpacked all at once. That’s your fault. Hurry!”

He hung up and you had no choice but to get your lazy butt up and head downstairs.

He was outside the building, leaning against the cool brick.

“What is the rush?” You asked once you spotted him.

“It’s the first week of school, there is so much we could do!”

“Like…?”

“Like visit the art building and watch people.”

Your eyes brightened and you hurriedly pushed Suho, he laughed at your eagerness and you headed over to your favorite building.

“I should have brought my instrument,” you pouted as the doors opened.

Suho shook his head and you entered the first room you found.

There were a couple kids acting in this one. You watched for a minute, but you both knew which rooms you wanted to really be at.

“Let’s just go to the music room,” You ordered. You started running down the familiar halls, eager to enter the one room you had been in over the years.

Suho continued walking, and you wondered if it was because he didn’t want to go to this room after all.

You entered the room and took a deep breath, smiling widely as you were surrounded by all the instruments. You were in the string room, and you bowed to the professor before heading over to decide which instrument to play.

There were a few kids there in a small circle with guitars on laps, so you picked up an acoustic guitar and joined them.

You quietly tuned your instrument as two of the other boys were playing off each other. The music was very bluesy and you nodded along as they continued.

All music stopped and you heard a few gasps. Suho must have entered. You turned to verify his presence and tried not to laugh at his awkward smile. He hated the attention. Anybody who considered themselves piano players knew who Suho was, and anybody in this area who was aware of music knew who he was as well. He was kind of a big deal.

“Please, continue,” Suho said, motioning for the two boys to play. They stared at him instead, either too nervous or starstruck. With a sigh, you held your guitar on your lap and began to play a song you had made up a few years ago. The people around the room blinked over at you, distracted from Suho, which you knew he was grateful. You felt him sit down beside you, but you ignored him and continued playing. Your fingers gliding confidently over the strings.

“You think she’s good at this,” You heard Suho say. “You should see her play the viola.”

You missed a note and lost your train of thought as laughter bubbled up your throat.

“Please stop, Suho,” you chuckled, finishing the song quickly. Once you were done, everyone in the room applauded and you bowed your thanks and Suho and you sat silently and listened to the others play for a while.

“Should we go now?” he whispered in your ear after about twenty minutes and you nodded. You both got up and bowed to everyone before heading out.

“That was nice,” you grinned up at your best friend, his hands in his pockets and his smile somewhat strained.

“Uh… yeah, nice…”

You laughed, “You hated every waking minute of it.”

“No!” He quickly defended. “I just… you know I hate it when people treat me like that.”

“Like a celebrity?”

He sighed, “I hate that word.”

“But, I mean, you kind of are a celebrity, Suho.”

He groaned and covered his face with his hands, “don’t say that!”

You laughed again and dragged him out of the hall. On your way out, you passed the dance room, and you glanced into the empty room. You were somewhat disappointed to see how lifeless it was in there compared to earlier today….

~*~

Your first week went by smoothly. You hung out quite a bit with Luna and her friends and only got lost once. Suho and your schedules did not align very well, and you rarely got to see each other, which frustrated both of you, but you made time—as little as it was—to hang out at least once a day.

It was Monday again, and after a semi stressful weekend, you were looking forward to another week of college.

Your alarm went off and you chuckled as Luna groaned and tossed in her bed, “turn that off!”

She threw a pillow in your direction and you turned the alarm off,  and with a whispered ‘goodbye’ you left for your first class.

After your math class ended, and you had once again fought against the ten o’clock rush, you decided to head over to the art building early to goof off for a bit and kill time.

You found yourself pausing in front of that damned dance room again. The door was closed, but you could hear the faint thud of bass coming from the speakers within, and you just knew that man from last week was in there. After a bit of hesitation, you finally pried the door open.

He was there alright. Wearing cut offs and a black wife beater. He was stretching on the center of the floor, leaning against one leg as the music played on. When he lifted his upper body he noticed you, “you’re back.”

You couldn’t tell if he was happy or annoyed by the fact, but you smiled at him anyway, “I told you I’d see you later.”

He laughed once under his breath and shook his head faintly.

“Mind if I watch?”

He opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything.

You deflated, “or…not.”

As you began taking a step back he let out a breath, “no! Wait.”

You glanced at him expectantly and he sighed, “You can stay if you want.”

You beamed and came all the way into the room, closing the door solidly behind you. You sat against the mirror and pulled your legs up to your chin.

“It’s nothing much,” the beautiful boy began. “I’m just going to be doing some stretches and going over some routines….”

“That’s fine,” You encouraged and he paused before nodding his head self-consciously.  

After fifteen minutes of warming up, he began to dance. You knew he was not going full out, but even still he was captivating. He moved effortlessly, almost as if he were bored, and he made every move seem easy, although you knew it was anything but.

At one moment he attempted a leap, but couldn’t land right. He groaned with frustration, “I can’t get this jump right.”

You perked up, with him talking for the first time in thirty minutes. He was standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips, eyeing himself in the mirror.

“I don’t even know why it is so difficult for me, but I just can’t get it. The teacher told me I was landing too hard but what does that even mean?”

You blinked at him and were silent for a moment. Finally you worked up the courage to speak, “may—maybe you can demonstrate it again? I’ll watch and see if I can spot the problem?”

His eyes flickered to yours questioningly, “you dance?”

“Uh… no, but I’m sure I’d notice if you weren’t landing right.”

He thought about it for a second, but must have seen there was no harm in it because he shrugged and started the music up again.

You watched him as he twirled around the room before going for the leap. He was flawless in the air, but once his foot came down, he was a stumbling mess. He had to hold his arms out to catch his balance and you figured out the problem.

“You’re not distributing your weight properly,” You informed him once he was at a standstill. “You put all your weight on the leg you’re landing on when you need to put it on both.”

“How do I go about doing that?” He asked, twirling the lid off of his water and chugging half the bottle.

“As soon as your foot touches the ground, stretch out your back leg and lift your arms higher.”

The dancer’s eyes wandered above him for a minute, probably imagining the actions he had to take, and then he put his water down and started the music again.

When it got to the troubling leap, you held your breath. He was up, up, up and then he came down. His foot touched the floor and he seemed to spring higher as he flexed his legs and raised his arms, not even wobbling.

“Perfect landing,” you breathed with a grin as he continued on with the choreography. You couldn’t help but to notice how dazzling his face looked graced with that triumphant smile that seemed nearly blinding.

He was now going all out, as if he were performing on a stage, and your heart was in your throat.

You had seen a lot of beautiful things. Watching your father play the trombone, watching Suho play the piano, listening to one of your friends, Yuri, sing, but this fellow in front of you took passion to another level.

Tears began to obstruct your vision as you watched him reach towards the heavens with every jump. Every flex of a muscle seemed to be a part of a story only he knew how to tell, but the story was magnificent and you could not look away.

It ended with him pirouetting before landing on one knee, an arm stretched towards you.

The music ended and the only thing that could be heard was his hard breathing.

“That… that was beautiful.” Beautiful could not cover base to how life altering watching him perform was. He was beyond that, he was something no word could yet define.

“Thank you,” he grinned and bowed humbly.

“No, I’m… I’m serious. I don’t think I have ever seen anything that passionate before in my entire life, and my father lives and breathes music. You are truly talented.”

You watched him bite his lip and scratch the back of his head before repeating, “thank you.”

“No, thank you,” That sounded so cheesy out loud, but you really wanted to thank him for showing you that. You wiped away the tears that had fallen from your eyes and laughed at yourself, “I swear I don’t usually cry watching people dance. Only if I’m moved enough.”

“I moved you?” He asked. You noticed the teasing tone in his voice, but also surprise, as if he didn’t believe he was that good.

“To tears,” You confirmed, holding your hands out to show him the salty wetness on them.

“Thank you,” he repeated yet again, and you blinked up at him.

“For what?”

“For helping me with that turn. Also for letting me know just how good I am. Sometimes you need other people besides those who are always telling you to realize your potential, you know?”

“Absolutely. I definitely understand. I remember when I was first learning how to play the viola, and my father was constantly telling me how good I was, but I felt like I wasn’t adequate. It took my best friend to finally make me realize that maybe I was worthy of the instrument.”

The sweaty ballerina just stared at you for a moment, and you grew embarrassed. Were you talking too much? You were definitely talking too much. This is why you only had two friends growing up.

“You can come watch me practice whenever you want,” he suddenly allowed. His smile grew at your shocked expression. “I realize now I enjoy the company, and you can probably help me on some things. So… whenever you want, if I’m here, don’t be shy.”

He said all of that without even glancing at you, but you could tell the sincerity in his voice. Plus, you found it endearing how he dug the ground with his toes.

It was your turn to repeat yourself, “thank you.”

~*~

You ran all the way to your dorm after art, eager to get this off your chest.

You felt kind of bad that Suho wasn’t the person you wanted to talk to about the matter, but this was strictly a girl thing, and you knew he wouldn’t understand.

“Luna!” You practically screeched when you finally slammed the door to your bedroom open, scaring the living daylights out of your roommate.

“Jesus!” she cried, throwing the magazine she was peacefully reading on her bed onto the floor. “What’s gotten into you?!”

“I’m in like,” You breathed, falling unto your bed with a longing sigh.

“In like?” she questioned.

“Yes. With a beautiful ballerina.”

“Ballerina?”

“It’s a guy,” you clarified, rising up to meet Luna’s gaze. She was grinning from ear to ear, leaning in closer.

“Well, spill it!”

You told her about the mystery dancer who just so happened to be drop dead gorgeous and wanted your company.

“Wow, that is so romantic! What is his name? Maybe I know him.”

“It’s…” Your smile melted off with the realization that you in fact had no name for the face you most definitely would be dreaming of later tonight.

“You don’t know?” Luna’s eyes widened and than she gasped, “that’s even more romantic! It’s like Cinderella! Does he know yours?”

You shook your head and she threw a pillow up in the air. It hit the ceiling before landing on the floor behind her, next to her long forgotten magazine. “Oh my god! The two of you are so mysterious! That is so hot.”

You couldn’t help but giggle. You’ve grown quite close to Luna this past week; she was someone you really needed in your life.

“You have to keep me posted on the development on your unfolding love story. And don’t forget who was there in the beginning when you have to pick a maid of honor for your wedding!”

“Oh, I will def keep you up to date.”

~*~

Sadly, there was nothing to report back to Luna.

Classes started to add pressure the rest of the week, and you were so swamped in schoolwork, that you had no time to eat a normal meal, let alone watch someone dance for a couple hours. you even had a test in art!

When Friday came around, all you wanted to do was relax, but Suho had other plans for you.

“Come on! We haven’t seen each other all week! I miss my bestie!”

“I miss you too, but I’m so tired,”  you complained, rolling around in your bed for affect.

“We are all tired, we’re college students.”

“Why can’t you hang out with your roommate? I’m sure he will keep you company.”

“He is hanging out with me. I’m trying to expose you to more people,” You could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“I don’t need more friends. You’re like five friends put together!”

“Please,” Suho whimpered, muttering your name softly. You tensed, knowing what he was doing. “We haven’t seen one another in five days and I just really need my best friend right now. Is that a crime? Is wanting to see you such a bad thing?”

He sighed when you remained silent, “fine. I won’t bother you anymore. Take your nap and be a loser for all your life, but don’t call me when you finally want to settle down, because I would have moved on with a new bestie by then.”

“Fine!” You cried, hopping off your bed. “Jesus, Suho! I’ll hang out with you, damn!”

He chuckled and you heard a muffled ‘works every time’ before he was back in your ear, “you have ten minutes. Dress really cute, we’re going somewhere fun. You better be waiting for us when we get there.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” You hung up before he could guilt you into doing something else you didn’t want to do and slumped over to your closet.

Suho’s definition of really cute was a scary concept, and it made you wonder where he was dragging you. He loved heels and thigh highs. You always joked and told him he was a subtle pervert, and he would reply by simply shrugging, tilting his head to get a good view of the girl he had his eye on at the time.

You groaned and yanked the clothes you knew he was already picturing in his head before getting ready.

Six minutes later, you were standing outside the dorms in a thin pink dress, black tights, chunky black heels, and a glare.

True to his word, Suho was in front of the dorms ten minutes after your call ended. He stepped out of the passenger side of a very expensive looking black car, dressed in dark jeans and a sky blue button down, and you knew that you were dressed accordingly.

His grin grew into a full-blown smile as he took you in, “you never disappoint.”

“Shut up, you perv,” You retaliated. He just laughed, continuing walking up to you. Once you were right in front of each other, he pulled you into a hug and you soon felt a tugging at your hair.

Suho pulled away with a satisfied grin, “you look prettier with your hair down.”

“What is this?” You snapped, as he ruffled your brown hair that he had released from the ponytail you had it in seconds ago. “Are you trying to hook me up with someone?”

“I might be, but I just want you to have fun tonight. You have to dress good to feel good.”

“I mean, I guess?” You let him drag you over to the car. He opened the backseat door for you and helped you get in before crawling back to the front. There were two males sitting to your left, both incredibly handsome and one behind the wheel.

Suho called you and you glanced at him, really nervous. You usually felt at ease around the opposite sex, but Suho made you dress up, and it made you self-conscious, especially since all the men in the car were good looking.

Not as fine as your little ballerina, you thought suddenly, and you felt your cheeks heat up. They definitely weren’t that pleasing to the eyes.

You blinked, quickly focusing back at Suho. He had his hand on the driver’s shoulder, “This is my roommate, Kris, and those two sitting next to you are Kim Jongdae and Do Kyungsoo.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said, nodding towards them. They all nodded in return and you zoomed off to some unknown place.

“Jongdae and Kyungsoo are singers,” Suho informed as you continued driving. “And Kris here is an actor. They all have scholarships and are top of their classes.”

“Why must you talk us up like this?” The one furthest to the window whined. He had a cute voice and a cat like curve to his lips that you couldn’t help but stare at.

“It’s alright,” you began. “It’s in his nature. He’s like a proud father.”

“This girl right here,” he started, and you rolled your eyes. “Is one of the best viola players in the country, if not the continent! She also draws, plays other instruments, and sings.”

You shook your head rapidly, “please do not tell professional singers that I sing, Suho. That’s embarrassing.”

He simply shrugged, “how many times have you sung the lyrics to my compositions?”

“I’m not sure anymore, Suho,” you sighed, your gaze flickering to the singers beside you. They looked intrigued, and you wanted to shrink.

“Exactly, because it’s been too many times to count. If it had been up to me, I would have given you the songs to record. I write them for you anyway.”

“Gross,” you cried, kicking his seat. Sometimes he said things that made it seem as if you were closer than you actually were. It was a habit you were trying to get him out of.

It was around ten when Kris—who had been silent throughout the entire ride there—pulled into a karaoke bar.

“Damn,” you muttered under your breath. Suho was toying with you the entire ride there, the bastard.

“What was that?” The smaller boy beside you, Kyungsoo, asked. His voice was deeper than you had thought it would be at first glance and his wide eyes and plump lips made him seem older than you would have originally thought, more mature.

“I should have known we would be singing,” you said a bit louder to him, although you pushed your knee deep into the back of Suho’s seat.

“And drinking,” the guy near the window, Jongdae, winked at you playfully and you sighed with both content and relief, because he was really cute and you really needed a drink.

“Good,” you breathed as you all headed out.

You followed the guys into the bar, and was led into probably the biggest room you had ever seen in one of these places. It was already filled with about six other people, both male and female.

You felt pressure on your arm and lips at your ear. “Don’t be afraid to make friends, and maybe even get a bit touchy if you want,” Suho winked at you and you grimaced. What was up with him today?

There were only two other girls in the room, and you quickly ran to sit beside them, introducing yourself quickly. They were Hyeri and Hyorin. There was a guy singing a Super Junior song, and he was really good. You just sat silently as everyone got comfortable. Jongdae soon appeared with around four huge bottles of liquor, while Kyungsoo scuttled behind him with shot glasses.

“Whose ready to turn up!” Jongdae’s high-pitched voice rang loudly over the commotion of the room, and everyone—including yourself—cheered. Jongdae and another boy who you weren’t acquainted with poured the shots, while Kyungsoo handed them out. You were the last one to receive a glass, and he sat beside you with a shy smile. You returned it and waited for one of the shorter boys in the room to give the toast speech, “to freshman! To the beginning of the rest of our lives!”

You all held your glasses up high before tilting your heads back and downing the liquid fire with grimaces and coughs.

Liquor made you friendly, to put it simply. It also made you extremely confident, yet also very uncoordinated. You took six more shots of the strongest stuff Jongdae had to offer, and before you knew it, you were singing a duet with one of the boys named Byun Baekhyun. It was an intense balled, and you acted the part, even pressing against each other, his arm around your waist while one of your hands were on his cheek as you both shared his microphone.

You gathered hoots and hollers and you just laughed and laughed when the song ended. He gave you a wink and carried you off the small platform, making you sit on his lap back on the couch.

“You’re fun,” He yelled into your ear, his voice deep enough for you to feel warm from the compliment.

“You give good speeches,” you replied, remembering him giving the toast earlier.

“You sing very well,” he countered.

“Well… you’re very handsome.”

His smile was a million watts.

~*~

(Another lil snippet that I haven’t even gotten to plot wise but I had a Vision™ and wrote it down before I forgot, to give you better insight on what I'm trying to do here haha)

“Jongin….”

“Oh no, silly girl, I’m not Jongin,” his eyes remained piercing into your soul as he pushed a chunk of your hair back behind your ear just to whisper, “I’m Kai.”

You blinked up at him, “who?”

“Kai,” he clarified. “Jongin’s twin brother.”

It was silent for a moment and then you burst out laughing, pushing his shoulder. He looked at you stunned, “stop playing, Jongin. What kind of joke is this?”

He raised an eyebrow, “It’s not a joke, plus, Jongin’s sense of humor wouldn’t allow him to play such a prank. Maybe when we were younger and used to switch classes for the day, but ever since college, all that boy’s focused on is the art.”

“The art?”

“Dancing.”

“Oh… oh!” Your eyes widened as you remembered asking Jongin about his hiphop routine. Your eyes flashed up to the Jongin in front of you, “you were the one doing the hiphop routine!”

He smirked and nodded boldly, “That I was.”

“Shit, you’re telling the truth.”

“Duh. I’m not a liar. But, it seems like Jongin might be…..”

[homeformyheart]

i don’t feel so alone anymore - noah harris x mc (mtfl)

author’s note: i had to repost this due to blog access issues. this was an idea i had early on when my two first loves started and takes place before mason and ava break up. i used the farmer’s almanac to pick specific flowers to reference in this fic. the meaning of white jasmine is “sweet love, amiability” and pink camellias represent “longing for you,” which i thought was fitting for noah. the other two flowers are defined in the fic.

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. moodboard created by me. series/pairing: my two first loves - noah harris x mc (emma rating/warnings: 13+; minor grief, mourning word count: 3.3k summary: it’s the third anniversary of emma’s mother’s passing and the price family have plans to visit her grave. noah finds out and offers emma his heart in support.

i don’t feel so alone anymore

the day was here again. i can’t believe it’s been three years, emma thought to herself as she grabbed a black sweater dress and pulled on a pair of black tights. am i really going to wear all black today? screw it, she thought, pulling on her calf-length black leather boots as well. she didn’t want to spend another minute thinking about her outfit or school. she just needed to make it to lunch.

emma sighed and pulled out a photo album from the bookshelf on her desk, opening it about three quarters of the way with practiced ease. she couldn’t help but smile at the photo in front of her – the last time her family was complete and happy. she had just started her freshman year of high school and made the cheerleading squad.

“we need to celebrate! can we have 4 specials, including milkshakes, and the family-sized ice cream sundae for dessert?” mrs. price ordered in rapid-fire succession, before everyone had even settled into the booth.

“mom, you know we’re not going to be able to finish all of that!” emma said, trying to be serious but failing to stop the wide grin on her face.

mr. price put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “it must be a special occasion if we’re getting the ice cream sundae.”

mrs. price looked pointedly at her husband, but the twinkle in her eye suggested she was teasing. “of course, it’s a special occasion. our little emma bear is a high schooler and a cheerleader!”

emma stuck her tongue out at the childish nickname her mom continued to use. “mom, don’t call me that!”

it was the last memory she had of her mother that she could look back on fondly, before she got sick. emma traced her mother’s face with her finger, her gaze lingering on the deep purple scarf with pink and gold flower detail and matching dangling earring set. she looked up at the box hidden in the top shelf inside her closet, where those same scarf and earring set were stored, untouched for the past three years. taking a deep breath, emma grabbed the box and pulled out the scarf first, running the soft fabric through her fingers before wrapping it delicately around her neck. she picked up the gold dangling earrings next, sliding them onto her ears, the pink and purple crystal flowers catching the soft light of the bathroom lights. her phone buzzed a few times and she glanced over at the notifications.

noah: [want a ride to school?]

mason: [hey emma, need a ride to school?]

it was the same every morning, except when mason was carpooling with ava. she stopped expecting texts from ava, after she decided that emma was trying to steal her boyfriend. however, she was not in the mood for any of the stupid drama today. she quickly texted a brief “no,” to both, put her phone on airplane mode, and followed her dad out to his car.

“i’ll pick you guys up at 12:00, right here,” mr. price said, looking over at emma and mackenzie, who just nodded and stepped out of the car.

emma looked over at her dad and noticed the tired look on his face. his eyes were red and puffy, like he had spent the night crying. “we’ll get through this together,” she said, softly.

mr. price met her gaze and smiled. “you look beautiful today, just like your mother did when she wore that scarf.”

emma felt her lips quirk up. “thanks, dad.” she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stepped out.

she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone today. she walked to her locker to grab her history textbook before heading to homeroom.

“look at miss goth-wannabe over there. going to a funeral?”

emma took a deep breath. she saw lauren and ava walking towards her out of the corner of her eye and turned away so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact. she blinked rapidly at the stinging feeling forming behind her eyes at lauren’s comment and quickly sat down in the back corner of the room, on the side of the room closest to the door. if she had looked at ava, she would’ve seen the conflict on her best friend’s face. but they weren’t really talking these days, and emma didn’t want to feel hurt and disappointed in case ava didn’t remember what today was. only four hours to go.

as soon as the bell rang that signaled the start of lunch, emma walked as fast as she could toward the school entrance. she was weaving around students heading to their lockers or the cafeteria, heading in the opposite direction, when someone grabbed her wrist. emma tried to yank her wrist away and whirled around to see who had grabbed her.

“hey emma, where are you rushing off to? is everything okay?” noah asked softly, still holding onto emma’s wrist.

emma looked up at him and her eyes softened at the genuine concern in noah’s eyes. she bit her lip as she debated internally whether to tell him the truth. there were only two people who really knew what happened freshman year and would understand why today was so significant, but of course, those were the two people she wasn’t really talking to much lately.

“my dad’s picking me up for lunch and i have a free period after. i’ll be back for practice,” she said finally, avoiding eye contact.

noah let go of her wrist and moved to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. the simple motion made emma’s heart flutter and her body tense. bringing her eyes up to meet his, emma let out breath she didn’t realize she was holding. noah’s gaze was soft, gentle, but inquiring in a vulnerable way. his hand lingered by her cheek and she subconsciously started to lean into his palm. as if on cue, noah brought his palm closer and emma felt his thumb gently stroke her cheek.

there was something about the look he was giving her that made emma want to let him in. “we’re going to visit my mom’s grave. she died three years ago today,” she said softly, dropping her gaze to the floor.

noah held her chin firm and lifted her face so she was looking at him again. “i’m so sorry,” he murmured. “it’s understandable why you’d want to avoid everyone today. what can i do?”

emma pulled back instinctively, startled, but noah’s grip on her chin held her in place. most people who had never lost a loved one usually asked, “are you okay?” and emma would say “i’m fine,” as if it were a reflex. if they hadn’t lost a loved one, sometimes she would get the unintentionally offensive “time heals all wounds,” that she’d respond to with silence until they awkwardly excused themselves from the conversation. this was the first time in a long time someone just acknowledged her pain and asked her what they could do to be supportive rather than presume she wanted to hear unsolicited advice.

“that’s really sweet. i don’t think anyone’s really asked me that before, so i don’t really know if there’s anything you can do. but i really appreciate it,” she said finally, feeling a small smile appear on her face.

“i have a free period after lunch too,” noah started slowly, bringing his thumb to stroke her bottom lip. “i could keep you company or provide you with a distraction. whatever you need.”

his voice never wavered but emma saw the uncertainty in his eyes that darted between her eyes and her lips.

emma smiled a little wider. “that sounds nice. maybe you can meet me at the graveyard after my dad goes back to work? i’ll text you.”

noah’s eyes seemed to brighten and soften at the same time. “you got it, emma,” he said and with one last, quick glance at her lips, he dropped his hand from her face.

as soon as his hand left her face, emma missed the warmth. her gaze dropped to his lips once, before moving back up to meet his in what she hoped would be seen as silently asking for permission. noah’s gaze darkened so slightly that emma wondered if she imagined it, before his soft lips were on hers. she wasn’t sure who moved first, maybe they both moved at the same time, but all she could focus on was noah. he was kissing her sweetly and gently, as if he were afraid of pushing too hard or overstepping, and it was just what she needed.

she finally pulled away after what felt like minutes even though it was probably a few seconds and smiled. “thank you,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze before walking out the door.

ten minutes later, emma slid into the booth next to mack at the diner they used to go at least once a week. now they went as a family a couple times a year, in the spirit of remembering her mom. both mack and her dad were quiet and staring at the menus in front of them.

“3 specials with milkshakes and an ice cream sundae?” she suggested, mustering an encouraging smile on her face as she looked at her dad.

mr. price’s face brightened a little. “that sounds perfect for today.”

mack rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop a smile from forming on her face. “i am definitely going to fall into a food coma after lunch.”

emma quickly put in their order, making sure to also ask for coffee for her dad. once the food came, the awkwardness dissipated a little as they reminisced about their favorite memories with their mom. emma noticed both mack and her dad’s expressions seemed a little lighter by the time they were ready to leave.

after the meal, and boxing up lots of leftovers, they headed to the graveyard after a quick stop at the florist to pick up a bouquet of pink calla and stargazer lilies. emma held tightly on to the bouquet the entire ride over, feeling a sting behind her eyes and trying to keep the tears at bay by blinking rapidly. her mom absolutely loved pink lilies in all forms and while looking down at the picture-perfect flowers in her hands, she could feel how much she missed her mom. she missed her so much it physically hurt.

all too soon, she’s standing in front of her grave and the large tombstone with only the left half filled out. her parents had bought a shared plot and tombstone when her mom got sick. it was one of her mom’s strengths – she was always thinking ahead to find ways to lighten the burden on her family, even if said burdens came. the design and inscription on the tombstone were thoughtfully designed and selected by her mom, so the message was especially poignant. it was also the way her mom removed the burden from her family of having to deal with the logistics of arranging everything while they were deep in their grief.

“i love you mom. and i miss you so much every day,” emma said softly, kneeling down to help her dad clear out the weeds in front of the stone before laying the bouquet down. i hope i’ve made you proud, she thought to herself, taking a few steps back to allow her dad and mack to have their own private moments.

mr. price stood between emma and mack with an arm around each daughter. he gave their shoulders a light squeeze and emma wrapped her arm around her dad’s waist to give him a one-armed hug.

“come on girls, i’ll give you a ride back to school,” he said as he started walking back toward the car. mack followed but emma hesitated.

“actually, i’d like to stay a little longer. i don’t have any more classes today so i just need to get back in time for practice. i can take the bus back,” emma explained, tensing as she waited for her dad’s reaction. to be honest, she expected him to get angry and go into a lecture about skipping school even if she had a free period, but he didn’t.

he was quiet for a few moments before nodding. “i’ll see you at home later. be careful,” he said, turning back around.

emma let out the breath she was holding. she ignored the 30 unread texts and 5 voicemails from mason and sent a quick text to noah, who arrived more quickly than she expected. she walked back toward the main path so he could see where she was and noticed that he was holding two bouquets.

“what’s this?” she asked, as they walked back to her mom’s grave.

noah looked at her sheepishly. “well, i wanted to bring you and your mom something. the hyacinth and gladiolus flowers are for your mom,” he said, pushing the bouquet in his right hand toward her.

emma bent her face down to take in the scent of the flowers. “these are beautiful. usually people just get roses or chrysanthemums. i don’t think i’ve heard of these before, why’d you pick them?”

“i did some research on the meaning of flowers. white hyacinths can represent prayers for someone, and gladiolus flowers represent remembrance,” he said, softly. “i wanted these to be special.”

emma felt her heart swell with warmth. “noah… you being here is special. but thank you, this is incredibly thoughtful.” she smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. she motioned for him to place the flowers next to her bouquet from earlier before turning back to the grave.

“mom, i want you to meet someone special. this is noah harris from school, a very important friend i made this year,” emma said softly, intertwining her fingers with noah’s and giving him a light squeeze.

“just a friend?” he teased softly.

emma blushed and tried to keep her gaze forward. “i, well, you’re special to me,” she stumbled, embarrassed.

noah squeezed her hand. “you’re special to me, too.” he turned to address the grave. “mrs. price, you have an amazing daughter. she tried so hard to become my friend when everyone else preferred to ignore me. i never thought i’d have someone like her in my life, someone who sees me for me and chooses to see good. i am so grateful that you raised her to be so kind and thoughtful.”

emma’s jaw dropped and she turned to look at noah’s face. even from his profile, she could tell he was being sincere, and very vulnerable. he turned to her with a soft smile and emma just felt like her insides were melting. she surged forward to kiss him, hard, letting go of his hand so she could wrap hers around his neck. noah took a step back in surprise but quickly regained his balance and held her waist firmly as he kissed her back. he pulled back shortly after to hand her the other bouquet, which emma had forgotten about. she took the bouquet from him and inhaled the perfume radiating off the pink and white flowers before looking back up at him.

“these are for you. white jasmine and pink camellias,” he said softly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“thank you,” emma said, sighing happily when noah placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “and what do these flowers represent?”

noah was silent. emma looked up from the flowers at him curiously but he was avoiding her gaze. was he blushing? she couldn’t remember if she had ever seen him blush before and now, she was really curious about what these flowers represented.

“you’re blushing! now i really want to know. please or i’ll just look it up,” emma teased, elated at finally seeing noah blush.

noah turned to head back toward the main path, but not before he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. “i think i’d rather you look it up when you get home so you can’t tease me anymore today,” he said quickly as they made their way to his motorcycle.

“fiiiine, but i reserve the right to tease you about it tonight or tomorrow,” emma said, taking the spare helmet from noah.

he grimaced but emma could see the ghost of a smile twinkling in his eyes. she climbed behind him on the motorcycle and held tight as they made their way back to school. they walked hand-in-hand to the football field, ignoring the looks from everyone as they continued toward their respective locker rooms to get changed for practice. emma held on to her bouquet tightly and couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she chatted with noah the entire walk over.

if anyone was looking closely, which emma wasn’t, they would’ve noticed that noah wasn’t really saying anything but looking at emma adoringly as if everything she was saying was the most interesting thing ever. which it was, at least, to him. not even seeing ava being handsy with mason could put a damper on emma’s spirits as she said goodbye to noah before heading over to the bleachers for cheer practice.

“how good of you to come back for practice after skipping school at lunch,” lauren remarked sarcastically as emma started stretching. the entire cheer squad and even mason seemed to have gone silent, waiting for emma’s reaction or response.

emma took a deep breath and straightened up to look at lauren directly with a frostiness that seemed out of character. she could see ava and mason out of the corner of her eye look at her with concern. “i didn’t skip. my dad signs us out for a half day so we can visit my mom’s grave on the anniversary of her death every year. got a problem with that?” she stated, her voice unwavering. lauren’s eyes widened in surprise. “didn’t think so.”

“two laps everyone, now!” ava ordered. the other cheerleaders seemed relieved as they started jogging away from the bleachers. “emma, wait. can we talk?”

emma paused and turned to look at ava and mason. “em, i’m sorry. i tried texting and calling you all day,” mason said, hands clenching as though he was trying to keep himself from reaching out for her. emma knew what he was really saying, which was that either he was sorry he forgot it was the anniversary of her mom’s death and that emma would need all the support she could get from her friends or that he remembered and was sorry he didn’t try harder to reach out. maybe he was too preoccupied with ava.

emma gave both of her friends long, appraising looks. “is that all?” she said, a little inwardly surprised at her own indifference. ever since her two best friends started dating, instead of seeing them both more, she saw them even less. she thought she would feel less alone after coming back from wisconsin but being a third wheel threw a wrench in that. until she started getting to know noah.

“emma… you know we’re here for you,” ava said softly, her eyes searching emma’s face for cues.

emma thought back to how noah stopped her in the hallway before she left to meet her dad and the flowers he brought to the graveyard. “except you know, you actually weren’t there for me today,” she said, giving them both a piercing look. mason and ava seemed to both tense and inwardly withdraw.

“but don’t worry, i’m okay. more than okay, actually. for the first time in a long time, i’m happy and i don’t feel so alone anymore,” she said, more to herself than to them, as she turned to start jogging along the track.

she didn’t look back at the concerned looks on mason’s and ava’s faces but did wave to noah when she noticed he was looking at her. she still missed her mom every day, but today it didn’t hurt as much. and she knew who to thank for that.

* * * * * mentions: @nyastarlight​; @khoicesbyk​; @chetachisblog​;  @robintora​;​ @shows-simp-card​;

[unabashegirl]

Enticing (19)

Author’s note: Hi guys — I hope you are all having a wonderful night. There is not much to tell. We are still stuck in quarantine since the number of infected is still on the rise.

Let me know how everyone is doing! My birthday is right around the corner.

Also, had anyone seen the kid that vlogs, talks and laughs like David? I've seen the videos and he has copied all his mannerisms. It's so odd.

---

Y/N is oblivious to why David hates his father so much. It doesn't feel right to ask about such a deep-rooted issue. She only hopes that when the time is right and he reaches out.

"How come you never told me about your father?" David breaks the silence that has settled within the car. Interestingly enough, they have never talked about their families. They've talked about politics, art, traveling, and plenty of other things.

"I don't really know" She shrugs, there isn't a specific reason to why Y/N has kept the death of her father in the dark. She wasn't hiding it from anyone. It was just hard for her to talk about him without getting chocked up.

"Tell me about him" David's thumb continues to stroke the side of her thigh. It is mostly for his comfort. He enjoys her soft skin against his fingertips.

"My dad was wonderful. My mom to this day says that he was an average lover, but a magnificent father" Y/N swallows back, trying to control her emotions. "I had a great childhood. I wouldn't change a thing. I was spoiled, loved, and cared for" David remains quiet as he thinks about his own father. "We found out about his cancer during my freshman year of college. I begged him to let me stay just so I could take care of him. He was too selfless and forced me to leave" Y/N just wishes she had more time with him. She wishes that they had gone out more frequently to fish. It was his favorite hobby.

Mr. Y/L/N just progressively got sick after being diagnosed. It was aggressive and all her family could do was sit around and pray for the best. It essentially metastasized to his brain and lungs and left him in bed. His brain tumor made him lose his short term memory. It also caused him to lose the movement of the side of his body. The man in that bed those last few weeks wasn't her father. The tumor made him disoriented and confused. She still held his hand until his last breath. He died of respiratory failure on a very early morning.

"I am sorry" It isn't until David takes her hand in his that she realizes that she is silently crying. She smiles through her tears and quickly wipes them off her face.

"I guess it's just hard to accept the fact that he will never be there. He will miss my wedding and he will miss the birth of his grandchildren. He'll never get to see me as a fully grown adult" Y/N hates thinking about it, but someone will always be missing. "I still have my mom though."

He doesn't know what to say or respond. He feels like an actual dick for complaining about his father. Her father had died and there is nothing she can do to bring him back. Whilst he has his father very alive and all they do is fighting.

"What about your family?" They have just crossed to Queens. They are behind schedule. They had stopped for a coffee and a snack. Henry was also fuzzy since he isn't used to staying in his car seat for so long.

"Where do I start? My mother is an angel sent from heaven. I have a young sister named Allison. She is a lawyer. She just recently got engaged to Nate. He is in medical school. Lastly, there is my father. He used to be CEO of the company too" Y/N knows that she shouldn't, but she is still pretty nervous to meet the Dobrik clan. She just wants to make a great first impression.

"When is your sister getting married?" Mr. Dobrik senior didn't approve of Nathaniel. He worried that Nathaniel wouldn't be able to provide for his daughter. Nate was a bit lost and hadn't decided on what to study when he had proposed to Allison. Mr. Dobrik called him out and treated him like trash. David had to step in and ask his father to back off.

"Hopefully soon. My dad doesn't approve of Nathaniel" David explains, "He thinks he isn't enough for her. He says Nate is just common and ordinary" He rolls his eyes. David just doesn't understand the necessity that his father has for controlling everyone's lives.

"As long as they love one other, the rest doesn't matter" David smiles at his girlfriend's words as he continues the drive. His father can be impolite and make anyone feel very small. David just hopes that he doesn't overstep this time around.

While growing up, Mr. Dobrik always emphasized the importance of investing money in property. At the beginning that's what the house at the Hamptons was. None of the family members ever imagined the great joy and memories that it would give them. As soon as school was out Mrs. Dobrik would gather the kids in the car and move to the house.

During college it became that hang out place for David's friends. They would all fly in and stay at the mansion. Now it's the place where the family spends long weekends, holidays and summers. It doesn't matter the season or the temperature outside. The Hamptons house is the sanctuary of the Dobriks.

"David wait!" Y/N stops him before he can get out of the car. The palms of her hands are sweating and her legs feel wobbly. He let's go of the handle of the car and shift his body to face her. He can read her with just a glimpse of her face. "I'm scared" she exhales, "What if they hate me or don't approve?"

"Their impressions or opinions about you won't phase me or stir me away from you, baby" He holds her hands, "I would love for you guys to get along, but I also know how difficult they can be" David kisses her hands trying to ease her thoughts. He hopes his father keeps his comments to himself. He knows he will protect her at all costs. "Ready?"

She nods and gives him a small smile. David leans over and gives her a chaste kiss.

David is the first out of the car. He carries what is left of his venti Americano under his arm as he opens the trunk of the car. Y/N gets out a few seconds after him after taking a few deep breaths. She stretches out her legs and gathers the wrappers and trash that has accumulated in the car for the last two hours.

Y/N had planned out their trip based on Henry's naps. They arrive perfectly in time to wake him up from his last nap. She throws the diaper bag over her shoulder before moving to the seats in the back. Y/N doesn't want to wake him up abruptly since she knows how mad he can get. Plus, the whole point of planning their arrival at this time is for Henry to be happy and in his best mood to greet his grandparents.

"Hi baby" She whispers as she takes him out of his seat and into her arms. Y/N wraps a fluffy blanket over his small body before cuddling him close. She runs her index finger over his T-zone to get him to wake him up. Like clockwork, his eyes start fluttering and a small yawn escapes his lips. "How was your nap, bubba?" Y/N asks as she kisses his forehead. Before she can continue to cuddle him, loud squeak peers, through the air.

A younger woman, with dark, shoulder-length hair comes running out of the house towards David. She wears black leggings and a baggy sweater with a top bun.

Allison Dobrik is the spitting image of her older brother with the feminine touch of their mother. She is shorter than David but just as ferocious. She isn't like the girls she used to play with. Allison is independent and very stubborn. She hates when she is compared to her older brother or her father.

"Look at you!" David laughs as he hugs her tightly as he spins her around. The only woman beside her mother and Y/N to call him out in his bullshit is Allison. "God you are heavy" He exhales after setting her back down on the floor.

"Are you calling me fat, asshole?" She asks as she smacks his stomach. "Not all of us have a private gym and chefs" Allison is an environmental lawyer. She spends most of her days advocating for clean technology and climate change law. It is her greatest passion.

"What's mine is yours. I've told you this a million times" Allison rolls her eyes at her older brother. Allison and David text most days and they let each other know about their days. David most days tries to convince her to move back to Manhattan. She currently lives in D.C with her fiance. Henry's cooing causes Allison to turn her attention to his girlfriend. "This is Y/N, -- my girlfriend".

For a second, Allison is taken back and surprised by her older brother's words.

"Hello" Y/N shyly smiles as she tries to get Henry to suck on his pacifier. Allison smiles back at Y/N.

"Hi! It's so nice to meet you!" Allison is very protective of her brother mostly because he is always around dumb and superficial girls. She can perceive by the looks of Y/N that she isn't like the rest. She is different so Allison is willing to give her a chance.

"Likewise" Y/N exhales, content with the first exchange of words. Allison's attention turns to Henry. "Here is your nephew. He is a little bit out of it because he just woke up" Allison smiles widely to the little boy and reaches out for him.

"Hi baby. I missed you! You are so big already!" Allison kisses his chubby cheeks before giving him a gentle hug. "What are you giving him?" She asks surprised at his growth. Allison had been there for the birth of Henry and hadn't seen him since he was two weeks old.

"Just milk" Y/N beams as she tickles his belly with her index finger. David shuts and locks the car before approaching them, carrying the bags.

"and lots of love" He says giving Y/N a quick kiss on the cheek before walking past by. Allison giggles at Y/N's blushed cheeks. Allison instantly finds their small interaction cute. She had never seen his brother be affectionate with another woman.

"Come on" Allison urges her towards the main entrance of the house. Y/N can already hear David yelling their arrival when she walks into the beautiful residence.

Just like most houses a lamp hangs from the ceiling of the house by the entrance. The interior of the house is painted in white. At the right of the entryway staircases are leading upstairs and downstairs. David settles the suitcases by the front door before turning to close the door after Y/N.

"Here" he notices her carrying the diaper bag and some of Henry's blankets and toys.

"I don't mean to be rude or state the obvious, but this house is huge!" She whispers to her boyfriend. David chuckles and intertwines their hands before turning back to Allison who is making faces to Henry.

"Where is the rest of the herd?" Allison laughs and shakes her head at him.

"They are in the living room" She rolls her eyes before leading the way into the living room.

Mrs. Dobrik stands in the bar that is situated on the side of the living room. She is pouring her own cup of red wine when she hears her kids walk in.

"I thought I heard the car!" She says as she places the wine bottle down and faces up. "Hi sweetie!" Mrs. Dobrik beams as she approaches the couple. She is quick to notice them holding hands and the way that Y/N is shyly standing behind David. She cups David's face and kisses both of his cheeks. "I've missed you so much"

"I missed you more" David responds as he hugs her with a single arm. "This is Y/N"...

TAGS: @getmepizzza​, @imsad05​, @yourwonderbelle​, @nohalohoseok​, @lavendercuddles​, @2007rh​, @marvelgirl2118​, @jeezkiddo​, @beeechhh​, @duh-dobrik​, @kllycole​, @meanlopz817​, @snazzydobrik​, @frickin-bats​, @wonderlandlovelove​, @millie-753​, @hollietee1​, @cubanidiot​, @itsdaviddobrik​, @justlikehufflepuff​, @clarissahunter​, @saltysebastianstan​, @daviddobrikssflamethrower​, @sloaneemily​, @unfitmisfit​, @blueyedstarlight13​, @galaxy-moon​, @alyssajunell​, @crowdedimagines​, @pineappledobrik​, @roxyedobrik​, @owenniasstars​, @didyouheartherain

[cheeri0-queeri0]

my two first loves (wlw version)

Chapter 2:

Emma couldn’t sleep, thoughts racing, completing their track then passing the baton to imaginations and worries and - and - and -

Her dad calls her down to breakfast an agonizing eternity later. Emma rolls out of bed, combing her fingers through her hair and sloooowly changing into the outfit she’d laid out yesterday.

Stylistically ripped skinny jeans and a crop top to show off the almost abs she’d gotten over a long summer of little to do but run and while away the time. And thrown over the top a plaid flannel, because, well. It’s as close to rainbow as she’s comfortable with. 

...She’s got a long way to go.

Mackenzie’s eyes widen as Emma comes down the stairs. “Damn, sis. Didn’t think you had it in you.” Her grin makes Emma stand taller, tentative pride unfurling in her chest. It means something, since she’s the avant garde one of the two of them, pushing boundaries. Today’s no different - her sister wears a nearly skin-tight turtleneck.

Her dad is less than thrilled, however. “You have got to be kidding me.” He pushes his glasses up so he can pinch the bridge of his nose. “Go change. Now.”

“But Dad… it’s the first day of school…” Her shoulders slump.

“It’s a big day, I know. Obviously you let your excitement cloud your normal judgement. Now, go.”

He’s unrelenting. Whatever hope Emma has had, she can feel it being squeezed by his iron fist.

Noticing her hesitance, his brows furrow. “Do you have something to add?”

It’s useless. It always has been. An entire summer uprooted from her friends, her life, despite her and Mack’s protests just proves it.

She sighs. “Yes, sir,” she replies before trudging back up to her room.

She looks at herself in her full length mirror. The outfit looks good, dammit. Unlike her usual father-approved, sexless clothes.

Something that just maybe a certain someone would notice.

Emma feels a hot flush creep up her neck at the thought of her best friend. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she mutters darkly, changing into a t-shirt and formless jeans. “She’s straight, anyway, what’s the point?”

A throat clears behind her. Emma’s heart stalls, then reverberates in her chest like some unholy hammer of god.

Mackenzie stares at her, something indecipherable in her eyes before her expression smoothes. 

“Mack! A- a little warning, next time!” That flush? Now full-on taking over her face.

Her sister raises her hands in surrender. “Sorry, dude, just… wanted to come check on you.” She frowns. “That was kinda painful to watch down there.”

Emma screws her eyes shut and exhales a sharp breath. “Yeah, well. That’s Dad for you. I just...” she trails off, frustrated.

Mackenzie wanders over to her bed, gently picking up the top she’d discarded.

“I’d cover for you, if you’d rather not look like you’re heading to a library bake sale in those mom jeans?” She offers, laying the top back down and crossing her arms as she turns back around.

“You - really?”

Mackenzie smirks. “Sure. I’m eager to see where this rebellious streak goes, as the lonely little family black sheep. Let’s go early and you can change in the locker room, he won’t hear a peep from me.”

They head back down. Her dad looks up and gives Emma an approving nod.

“Much better.” 

Her sister elbows her in the side, and Emma just barely manages to conjure up a crestfallen pout.

Milk and cereal - the healthy fiber-and-no-other-taste flakes her dad insists on - are already on the kitchen table. Emma opts for fruit instead, grabbing a red delicious out of the bowl on the granite countertop and taking a bite. 

Her dad’s pager goes off, nearly startling her into dropping the apple. He scrambles for it, reading it quickly, mouth falling open.

“Emergency appendectomy. They need me there ASAP.” He looks up, brown eyes pleading. “Emma, can you-”

Emma smiles placatingly. “Don’t worry, Mack and I already have rides, I figured - ”

Her dad is already moving, keys jingling in his grip, expression miles away. He doesn’t even say anything as he jogs out the door.

“Yeesh.” Mackenzie rolls her eyes. “But hey, at least I won’t have to cover for you anymore if you still want to walk on the wild side.”

Despite herself, Emma’s mouth quirks up, and she practically skips up the stairs to change.

Mackenzie’s settled in the living room waiting, her boot-clad feet propped on the coffee table, by the time Emma comes back. Her sister lets out a low wolf whistle.

“Damn.” She looks amused more than anything. “Someone you’re trying to impress?”

Emma trips over her own feet, a hand darting out with a vice grip on the couch to steady herself. “Uh...what? No! W-who would I want to impress?”

Mackenzie raises a brow, smirk drooping a bit. “You tell me.”

“Mack…” Emma can’t. The words won’t come. 

A horn blares, a familiar beep beep beeeeep!

Mackenzie shrugs. “Sounds like your BFF is here.”

Emma gulps.

Mackenzie’s gaze softens, and she steps up, gently steering Emma towards the door. “Go on, sis. You look great. Knock ‘em dead, or whatever.”

Emma swivels around and gives her a quick, crushing hug. “Thanks,” she mumbles into dark-and-aqua ombre hair.

Outside, she spots her best friend waiting in her car, singing along to the some top hit pop song Emma missed over the summer. She’s so carefree, head bopping and hands drumming the steering wheel. When she notices Emma, she pretends to serenade her, holding an imaginary mic in one hand and pointing with the other. Emma melts.

Because this is Ava Lawrence, her best friend and the girl she’s in love with.

They’d met in freshman year in cheer tryouts, and Ava had had her back ever since - no matter the ups and downs and all the drama. 

...Except Emma’s crush. That Emma was keeping very very close to the chest. Which means she’s got to tamp down on the butterflies in her stomach, stat.

Ava shoots her a grin that could outshine the sun itself as Emma slides into the passenger seat. “First off, great to see you.” Her brown eyes glance her up and down, lingering on her stomach. “Second, are you trying to seduce me or something? That crop top. Is. Hot!”

Emma blushes and she swears she can feel her mind powering down. “I’m...attempting something new this year. I guess all that self-reflection over the summer was good for something.”

Ava presses her hands together, looking up dramatically. “Thank you, Montana.”

Emma has to look out the window as they peel out of the driveway. She’s sure her lovesick expression would give her away.

Ava fills her in on gossip as they drive. Cheer squad rivalries, who’s dating who, crazy summer parties. Emma listens with half an ear, nerves building the closer to school they get.

“There is one other, minor thing. Just an itsy-bitsy bit of personal news…” Ava teases as they pull into the school parking lot, miraculously snagging a spot right near the front. 

Emma’s pulse quickens, dread pooling like molasses in her veins.

Ava kills the engine, eyes sparkling as she jumps out of the car and into the arms of --

Mason.

“Hey, beautiful,” he says softly. She leans close, arms snaking around his waist underneath his letterman jacket.And then - and then -

They’re kissing each other.

Emma feels sick. Her stomach churns as she shuts the car door behind her, hugging her arms close to her chest. “Y-you’re… you’re dating? Each other?”

She winces at how stupid it sounds, words hanging in the air as she’s greeted by two saccharine smiles.

Her best friend and the love of her life were dating each other.

And Emma was caught in the middle.

[numba99]

Welcome to Sweden

Summary: finally putting respect on Lias’ name doing an imagine. You meet Lias while studying abroad over the summer and obviously a good time ensues (back at it with bad summaries also this was requested ty anon who sent this in!)

Warnings: you already know they fucking, light choking 

Swedish dance music thumped through your system as you took you drink from the bar. You sipped it slowly, still trying to get used to how much stronger they made the drinks here. If you weren't careful you could get a pretty decent buzz off just one. 

“I still can’t believe we’re here,” Your friend said to you as you both settled into a little corner of the club. You couldn’t believe it either. It was the summer before your senior year in college, your last chance to do a study abroad. You’d been roommates since freshman year - and best friends - and it was something you both always wanted to do, but were to scared to. On a whim the night before the applications closed you both applied and now you were here in Sweden.

“Best decision we’ve ever made,” you replied clinking her glass with a smile. 

“I think I know what the second best decision you’re ever going to make is,” Your friend said between sips of her drink. 

“What’s that?” you raised a brow at her.

“Going to talk to the guy over there who’s been eyeing you since we got here,” she told you, nodding across the room. You followed her gazed, finding a tall, handsome blonde with a small smile on his face. 

You turned around so he couldn't see you were talking about him. “No way he is looking at me,” you replied. He was easily one of the hottest guys you’ve seen in your time here so far, which is saying something since there are a lot of beautiful people in Sweden.

“Are you kidding me? You’re hot look at yourself,” Your friend playfully slapped your shoulder, “Go over there and talk to him.” 

You in America would have said no, but fuck it, you’re in Sweden and you wanted to have fun. If you embarrassed yourself you’d be in another country in just a few weeks and you’d never see him again. You took a swig of you drink, needing that extra boost of confidence. 

“Alright I’m going in,” you handed you glass to your friend who eagerly cheered you on. You wished she could cheer you on the entire way because you were losing your nerve the closer you got, but there was no turning back now.

“You must be new here,” the mystery blond said when you reached him. You were relieved he spoke first because you realized you had no idea what you wanted to say... or if he even spoke English. 

“What gave it away?” you asked, trying to remain cool, but he was even cuter up close.

“I come here a lot,” he told you, “If I saw a girl as pretty as you I’d remember.” 

“That line usually work on girls or...?” you teased. If an American man had said that to you, you would have rolled your eyes. Something about it coming from him made it charming. Maybe it was the accent.

“Not sure,” he smirked, “You’re the first girl I’ve ever said that too. Did it work?”

You playfully rolled your eyes and nodded. “Maybe a little.”

“You’re really not from here... that accent, you’re American?” he guessed.

“Yeah,” you confirmed, “I’m studying abroad here for a few weeks.”

“Well I’m happy to welcome you to my country. I’m Lias,” he stuck out his hand. It made you laugh, it was almost too formal from a young guy, but it was sweet.

“y/n,” you told him, shaking his hand. Lias didn’t let go, pulling you towards the dance floor. You let out a giggle, following him eagerly. You never been too much of a dancer when you were out, but there was something about the Swedish music that moved you.

And so you and Lias danced for a while, with each song that passed you inched closer to each other. Eventually you pressed firmly against him, your ass grinding against his crotch. Lias’ hands gripped your hips, keeping you close to him, as you both moved to the beat. His lips found your neck and you tilted your head back, allowing him better access. You shut your eyes, reaching back and running your fingers through his hair as he kissed you. It felt so good and you were certain it was going to leave a mark. That thought only added to the desire building between your legs. You let out a soft moan, nearly forgetting where you were.

“Can I take you home,” Lias asked breathlessly in your ear. You opened your eyes, searching for your friend in the room; you didn’t want to leave without her knowing. You spotted her wrapped around a handsome brunet, and you were glad she was having some fun too. You locked eyes and had a silent exchange, her eager smile telling you you were good to go.

“Please,” you replied, taking his hand as he pushed through the crowd for the exit. He lived close by, so it was closer to walk... or nearly run in this case. It was a struggle to keep up with his quick pace. 

You finally made it to his place - only slightly winded - and wasted no time. The second the door shut he was on you. You realized he hadn’t actually kissed your lips yet and fuck could he kiss. You moaned against his lips, as he blindly led you back to his bedroom. You were both stumbling, but didn’t care; neither of you wanted to stop kissing, not even for a second. 

Once you hit the bed, Lias was on top of you. He pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the floor. You looked at him in awe, surprised by just how nice of a body he was hiding. Lias smirked like he knew exactly what you were thinking. 

He returned to your neck, kissing at the already-sensitive skin as he slid the thin straps of your dress off your shoulders. He kissed down your body, slowly pulling down your dress to reveal more skin for him to kiss. He was eager to get to your boobs, kissing them just as roughly as he did your neck.

Lias was nestled between your legs and the more he kissed you, the more you needed him. You ground against his thigh, desperate for any kind of relief. The more pressure you applied, the Better it was feeling, causing you to get breathless. Lias chuckled against your skin, realizing what you were doing.

“Alright I can take a hint,” he teased, reaching into his bedside table to get a condom. You wiggled out of the rest of your clothes, kicking them off the bed. You tried not to stare at Lias, who was currently rolling a condom onto his length - which was bigger than you would have thought.

“Like what you see?” Lias asked with a smirk. Guess you didn’t do so great on the whole no staring thing. A blush rose to your cheeks, which only made Lias chuckle. He grabbed your legs, pulling you over to him. He positioned himself between your legs again, a place he seemed more than comfortable. He looked to you, silently asking for permission to start, which you gave eagerly. 

He pressed in slowly, allowing for you to savor the stretch around him. You bit your lip as he bottomed out, feeling so perfectly full. He started with deliciously long and slow strokes, already drawing moans from your lips. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him close so you could kiss him.

Lias didn't miss a beat, putting more strength behind each stroke. Your finger nails dug into his back as you tried to maintain your composure, which he seemed to love. His hand slid up the front of your body, resting at the base of your neck.

“Can I?” he asked, his thumb running over your throat. It took you as second to realize what he meant. He wanted to choke you. The thought made you tighten around him.

“Yes,” your voice was breathless and needy. Lias wrapped his hand around your throat, pressing gently at the sides. He slowly applied more pressure as he continued to rock into you. He knew what he was doing, choking you just right to make everything feel more intense.

“Lias,” a small gasp escape you as you were getting closer. You were sure you were drawing blood with how hard you were scratching at his back, but he didn’t mind one bit. You felt lightheaded, but in the best way, and knew you wouldn’t last much longer.

“Cum for me y/n,” Lias coaxed you, “come on let me feel you cum on me.” He continued to rock into you as he spoke, making it impossible for you to hold back. You gasped as a wave of pleasure flooded your body. Lias loosened the grip on your throat, the blood rushing to your head, making your orgasm feel all the more intense.

“Fuck,” Lias let out a low groan as he came along with you. He slowed only slightly, drawing out every last second of pleasure possible for both of you. His lips found yours again, giving you slow and lazy kisses as you both finished.

He eventually pulled out of you, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you on to his chest. “What a welcome,” you teased when you finally caught your breath.

“I wanted to make sure you liked Sweden,” he replied.

“You’ve definitely accomplished that.” You both laughed and Lias kissed the top of your head. It was weird, you hadn’t known this man for long at all but something about him made your heart flutter. You tried to ignore that, though, he was just some guy from Sweden, there was no sense in catching feelings for him. It would never work.

“What part of America are you from?” Lias asked, running his fingers through your hair.

“New York,” you replied.

“No way,” Lias said, “I play for a hockey team there. The Rangers.”

“You’re fucking with me,” you sat up to look at him. 

“I swear! Let me show you.” He pulled out his phone, showing you pictures of him on the ice. Damn, you thought, he really was not kidding.

“So does that mean you live in New York?” you asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“I do during the season, which is honestly most of the year. I’m usually just in Sweden for the summer,” Lias explained.

“That’s amazing,” you replied. You couldn’t imagine a much better place to spend summer than in Sweden.

“It is, I love it,” Lias replied, “Maybe when I get back to New York we could see each other?”

“I’d love that,” you replied, smiling softly.

Lias cracked a sweet grin, pulling you back on to his chest. He kissed the top of your head and nuzzled into you, “It’s a date.”

[zayndrivesmeinvain]

The One Where He Comes to your College Graduation

-

The moment you’ve been waiting for, all the long sleepless nights and falling asleep in the library has paid off. You graduation day is finally here and you couldn’t be more proud of yourself, you’ve come a long way and getting two different degrees will really pay off. Since you’ve completed your internship last summer, they were highly impressed by your work ethic and drive to learn that they offered you a full time position for the fall.

You’re beyond excited but your nerves have gotten the best of you, both of your parents will be attending but they recently haven’t been on the best of terms, your younger siblings will also be attending and you somewhat feel responsible to create a sense of role model for them since you’ve done so well since both of your parents didn’t go to college and you are the first in the family. Your family never severely struggled, however there were bumps in the road and your parents had to work 2-3 jobs at times when you were younger to pay the bills and get food on your table.

You’ve been very fortunate to have the parents that you have because they have done so much for you, however you saw how they struggled with you and your siblings and you vowed that your children would never have to ever wonder if they’ll have a meal the next day, or ever let your children see you in such distress that you witnessed your parents.

-

You’ve just arrived at your graduation ceremony and you’re waiting impatiently in the back with the rest of the graduates. You palms begin to sweat and you just want to have your diploma in your hands by now. Big crowds make you nervous and waiting your turn does too. You’ve spotted a few of your friends as more people start to walk through and make their way in. They look just as impatient as you do, however happiness over runs those emotions. As you look away for a moment, a wave of white overcomes the room and the one big room feels so small.

They required us to wear some sort of white or light colored outfit and you’re thankful they did because the pressure of finding a dress these past few weeks had to be the last thing on your mind with finals and thesis’ due. Thankfully, you found a beautiful thigh length flowy dress online and paired it with some nude wedges. Since it’s your big day you decided to bump it up by curling your hair and doing some extra make-up to symbolize your special day.

“Y/N, Y/N.. are you even listening?” you come out from your own thoughts and look back at your friends.

“ I’m sorry, I uh- I uh- was just thinking.. What were you saying?” a nervous laugh escapes my lips and I pull my attention to my friends.

“ I was asking if Harry was coming? Isn’t he in London recording again?” If you’re being completely honest the thought of Harry coming to your graduation never really crossed your mind. You obviously mentioned it, however you knew he was busy and last time you talked to him last night, he was in fact in the studio. He was there with a few of his friends having a few drinks and sharing some laughs. The pressure of having an album ready hasn’t taken its toll on Harry yet since it’s still early but when the time does come, he was be completely focused.

“ Oh, I don’t know. It’s been really hard for him to come back and forth all the time, and he had some meetings to get through this week so I doubt it.” Sadness has overcome your conscious but you can’t show your friends how you’re actually feeling because this is supposed to be one of the most exciting days of your lives. Harry has always tried his best to come to the important events in your life but it’s always caused an issue because he gets recognized and an important and beautiful day that is supposed to be yours, is spent having him sign his autographs and taking pictures with fans. It’s never his fault but the two of you had agreed maybe your graduation wasn’t the best place for him to come, which is why you never minded: until now.

-

You’ve been sitting in the metal folding chair for the past hour and graduation has moved smoothly. Attending a State University has really taken the pressure off of yourself because in realization there are thousands of students graduating today. Many of these students you haven’t seen since Freshman English, Math or Science. Some of these people have really changed since freshman year and some of those you never thought would graduate but they did it.

You notice your phone vibrating and you pull it out from your dress pocket and it’s a sweet message from Harry.

“ Hey Bubs, good luck today! I’m so proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished. I can’t wait to celebrate when I see you. xxH”

Even though you’re understanding, Harry is truly one of the very few people if not the only person you cared for if they came. Even though your parents helped pay for the first few semesters Harry has been the only one to take an interest in what you’ve been going for. He’s taken the time to really get into it with you and has listened to all your hopes and dreams, the last year he’s helped you pay for school even though you made a deal with him to pay him back. However, him paying for your schooling has helped you save up some money and you’ve caught up with rent and has let you buy some new appliances for your apartment.

You’ve always prided yourself on being independent, especially when it came to college. No one helped you when it came to filling out the applications or taking the SAT’s or helped you study for your AP classes in high school. Because your parents were so busy you often took the bus to interviews and college fairs throughout the city. When Harry come into your life, he insisted on helping you financially as much you let him but he never overstepped his boundaries. You never wanted him to feel as though you were taking advantage of him or his money because he earned that himself and he wasn’t your personally piggy bank even though he offered to be.

-

Names were being called and after 20 minutes your rows turn was up and you were about to walk across the stage. The moment you’ve been anxious about, studied hard for, pulled all nighters and even cried many times for, is here.

You walk over and get in line and only a few people are in front of you, all your beloved teachers are standing up there and some that you have never met before.

“ Y/N,” you walk across the stage, shake a few hands, exchange a few hugs and stop to take a final picture. The moment flashed before your eyes before you knew it, and it’s all over now. Your college career has finally come to an end and you couldn’t be more overjoyed yet sad at the same time. You spent countless hours in this building for pep-rallies and parties and you won’t be coming back. The last 4 years of your life have flashed before your eyes, and what you would do to go back.

-

My family rushes over to me as I meet them outside where the rest of the students have met their families. My parents are getting along for the sake of the day, my siblings holding onto balloons and flowers for me. My younger siblings run into my arms and I take them into a tight embrace as they congratulate me.

“ It seems like yesterday you were running around in your diaper in our first apartment together. I always knew you would do amazing things Y/N, I just didn’t know they would come so soon.” My mom pulls me into a tight embrace as I can feel her tears falling onto my shoulder. My mom has always been a very strong person, especially growing up as a teen mom, and she rarely has ever cried in front of me.

-

Out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of someone familiar. When realization kicks in, I instantly start running towards them and fall into their embrace.

“ You think I’d miss the most important day of your educational career, Bubs?” Harry really came all the way to the States to come visit me.

“ You seriously don’t know how much this means to me, Harry. Thank you.” A sweet quick peck was shared between us before the rest of my family joins us.

-

You ended up going back to your parents house after your graduation ceremony, where your parents made dinner and had a cake for you. You honestly preferred this over some lavish dinner, even though your family can be annoying and at times dramatic, you have stayed close knit together, and they take Harry’s job into consideration which leads to a lot of family gatherings.

One of your favorite parts of Harry is that he’s adjusted to your life so well, he knows that you don’t ask for much or even expect anything from him, he understands where you come from and how your family is. Your parents adore him and so do your siblings, it’s the perfect family picture with a lot of dark pasts.

-

The night is slowly coming to an end, dishes are being put away in the washer, napkins and tablecloths are being put away, drinks are shoved back into the freezer and cake is being wrapped up so you can take it back to your apartment.

You thank your parents once again, Harry and you make your way out the front door after many hugs and kisses and endless goodbyes and congradulations.

“ Are yeh ready to have a party of our own at home, Bub?” even in the dark you could see Harry’s eyebrows wiggling up and down, a swift smack to your ass followed by a gentle nudge to your arm.

[authorsblocksucks]

Love in Low Places

Chapter 1

Warnings for this chapter: violence, blood, language

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the delay, but it couldn't have been helped. Tumblr kept glitching on me and not saving my progress. If all goes as plan going forward, I will do my best to update this story on Fridays. So now, without further delay... chapter 1 of the first series I have ever written.

*Lucifer’s POV*

I couldn’t believe it, not that I wanted to. After all I had done and been through, Dad was actually giving me a second chance. I didn’t ask for a second chance, nor did I want a second chance. And yet... here I was. Being given a second chance by the Almighty himself… as a fucking guardian angel over a puny little human. Of all the possible ways to make me pay for my crimes he could have thought up, this is by far the worst one yet. But… that doesn’t mean I still can’t have a bit of fun with this😈. She was lovely enough, for a human. Her name, so I was told, was Aislin O’Brien and she certainly was a vision of beauty as her name implied. She had shoulder-length, wavy raven hair, intelligent light amber eyes, a radiant smile that could light up The Empty like a morning sun… not that I had a soft spot for her or anything. But… that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate genuine beauty when I see it. I may hate humanity, I’m not blind. If only I had known what I was getting into when I first laid eyes on her… 

*Aislin’s POV*

 I stumbled arm and arm with my best friend and our friends out of the club. It was a late night and I was definitely going to have a hangover tomorrow. But, it would be worth it. I mean, how often does your best friend get married, right? And this was by far the best bachelorette party I’ve been to in a long while. “You’re sure you’re okay walking home alone,” she asked me. “You know how dangerous this city can be this late at night.” “I’m sure I’ll be fine. What could possibly happen? The house is just a few blocks away.” “Alright. Goodnight, Aislin.” “Goodnight, and I hope you had fun on the last free night of your life!” She laughed as we went in opposite directions with her friends. I knew the city was dangerous at night, but I was too drunk to give a shit. Besides, I’ve had a few close calls before. No matter how close to danger I thought I was, nothing seemed to happen to me. I may have had a relatively normal childhood, but near the beginning of my freshman year in college, I found a snake. I say that I found him, but... it was almost like he found me. The beauty was a particularly stunning, albino, white-lipped python with icy blue eyes. He is probably the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my entire life. I ended up calling him Alistar, which is an Irish name like mine. It means defending man; help. He saved my life three times before I finally gave in and adopted him. Since the school did in fact allow pets and I owed the six and a half foot serpent for scaring off the danger, I decided to keep him. I wandered aimlessly on the sidewalk to my apartment, daydreaming about my snake. I was eager to get home to him.

Since it was summer break and my macabe obsessed older sister wanted to get married in an old church in town, St. Mary's convent, I returned home to Ilchester, Maryland after I finally finished freshman year.

Back to the present, I was walking down the sidewalk with an elated pep in my step, excited that I would be able to see my sister married when I suddenly was pulled into an ally. I let out a shriek, but my noise was quickly muffled by a hand.

“Shut up, ” a man’s voice growls. I bite his palm and he lets me go in surprise. I try to make a run for it, but I’m too slow in my high heels and am caught by another pair of hostile hands. “Not so fast, sweetcheeks. We’re not done with you yet.” He has a tattoo of a goat head pentagram on his neck and his voice has a dangerous edge to it that frightens me. He shoves a bandana in my mouth tying it behind my head. I know I’m in danger. I need to get out of here. I try to struggle, but two more guys hold me back and pin me harshly to the cold stone wall.I cry out in pain though the gag at the impact. “Gentle, you morons,” goat tattoo commands. “We don’t want to break our pretty guest too soon...” I struggle harder, headbutting him in the face. I hear him make a pained cry. I look up and there’s blood running down his face from his nostrils. His face contorted with rage. “You bitch! I’ll make you pay for that!” He raises his hand to strike me. I flinch so hard my eyes close, fearful and ready for impact. But... it never comes. I slowly open my eyes and see a strange man.

He wasn’t one of the men who attacked me, but his eyes seemed… familiar. Though, I’m not quite sure how or why. He’s handsome, too. He stands a little taller than me, muscular, with short, blond hair, and icy blue eyes. “Are you alright,” he asks as he unties the gag. “Did… did you see what happened to them? There were four men. They… they jumped me. One of them was about to hit me when I closed my eyes. But when I opened them I...” “Shhh… relax. Don’t worry about what happened to them. Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?” “No, I… I think I’m fine.” He lets out a sigh. “That’s a relief. I… I was worried they may have harmed you.” “... Who are you?” “I… My name’s Nick. I heard your scream and saw them grab you... the whole thing. Well, most of it, anyway. I only got here in time to see you suddenly standing there shaking in your stilettos with the gag in your mouth. But… you're safe now.” “Do you know where they went?” “I think I might have an idea, but I'm sure they won't be bothering you again. You must have some pretty special luck, miss…?” “Aislin. Ha, yeah, well... my parents and friends sometimes joke that I must have a guardian angel or something at this point. Things happen to me sometimes, but I… I don't know. Those things just never seem to go anywhere. But… I'm certainly not going to start pressing my luck now.” “Huh. Well, if you do have a guardian angel, he's good at his job.” “Yeah, well, that would be a doozy of a coincidence, now wouldn’t it? If I do have some avian-winged asshole who’s always watching over me, I’d kinda want to know who they are so I can give them a piece of my mind..” “That’s not exactly fair, now is it? You could have died!” “Yeah, well… it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been near such danger. It was nice to meet you and all, but it’s late and I really need to get home before my night gets any worse. Thank you for untying that gag for me, but you can take that ‘guardian angel’ bullshit and kindly shove it up your ass. Goodnight.” I storm off, stumbling over myself in my heels without another word and just trying not to twist my ankle. I wanted to be dramatic while also still retaining a shred of dignity. If only I had known who I had really just mouthed off to…

[bbaba-yagaa]

You Meant the World to Me

A/N: I'm a bit late, but this is for the March challenge as requested by @queerchoicesblog ! The prompts were "Fluff" and "Family. This fic actually ended up more on the angsty side so please forgive me!

Summary: Post ES Rourke ending. Tobias (MC) tries to cope with the decision to let Rourke reshape the world.

Parings/ characters: Estela Montoya x M!MC, Diego and Quinn make a brief appearance as well!

Rating: M to be safe!

Word count: 3,442

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, I'm only borrowing them!

**********

“Welp, if that isn't perfect timing, I don't know what is.” Quinn Kelly throws up her arms in exasperation; Though nobody can see her gesture in the pitch black dorm on the Hartfeld campus. Groans of dismay fill the air as disappointed students begin to funnel out of the building now that the lights have gone out and the party has ended prematurely.

Tobias and Diego each take one of her hands before heading out the front door. When the trio exits the building, they realize the entire campus is dark.

“I guess it's candles and oil lamps for us tonight, guys.” Tobias scratches his medium length beard as he debates internally whether or not he's ready to call it a night.

“Do people even oil lamps anymore? Where would we even get them?” Diego holds his open palms face up at eye level while looking to Quinn and Tobias for an answer.

Excitement overtakes the redhead of the group and she lightly bounces in place while tugging at her companions’ arms. “Ooh, guys! We could go on an adventure looking for some. It'll be fun. What do you say?”

Diego can't help but smile as he drags a hand down his face; stopping momentarily to stroke his own facial hair briefly. He sighs knowing that trying to talk Quinn of night of hunting for novelty items would be pointless. “Sure, Quinn. We can try to find some, but what if the power comes back on before we find them? Or worse yet; what if the electricity comes back as we are walking back to our dorm with our newly acquired, whale oil lamps in hand?”

“Then we would have the fun memories of running around like crazy people in the dark looking for them. Now, let's go! Before we waste more of our valuable scavenger hunt time.” Quinn takes Diego's hand and reaches for Tobias while he runs a hand through his spiky, brown hair. He gives her a weak, unenthusiastic smile. Reflexively, she pulls back her hand quickly. “Oh… do you not want to come Tobias?”

“I was kinda thinking I'd raid the party for some leftover beer and hit the roof. It's not often that you can see so many stars in the middle of the city and I'd kinda like to soak it in. You guys go ahead; I'll catch up later.” Diego shoots Tobias an annoyed looked as Quinn nods and begins to drag the shaggy looking young man away like a disobedient toddler. Tobias chuckles to himself while shaking his head as he reenters the dorm on a mission.

After groping his way through the kitchen and not finding anything, he finally turns to the fridge. When he swings the door open and places his hand on a box inside, the familiar sound of bottles clinking brings a smile to his face. “Ah, jackpot!” The young man pulls an open twelve pack from the cool darkness and much to his surprise, only one beer seems to be unaccounted for. Tobias reassures himself that nobody will miss the beverages as he carefully navigates the pitch black dorm on his way to the rooftop.

After setting himself up at the northwest corner of the building, Tobias pops the top off a beer and takes a long drink while staring up at the starry night sky. While marveling at the sight, his minds wanders to painful memories of a previous life. Three years have passed since he and his friends were cast back in time to their freshman year at Hartfeld. Rourke had kept his end of the bargain and restored the world along with everyone's families, but at a steep price. The sociopathic billionaire had somehow twisted the world around his finger and appointed himself a seat of power that had never even existed before.

Tobias shakes his head in an attempt to dispel his agonizing thoughts. He quickly finishes his beer, carefully sets the bottle aside and grabs another while struggling not to remember. But when he closes his eyes, all he can see is her face and those beautiful, soft brown eyes that displayed so much intensity. Tears begin to roll down his face involuntarily as he recalls their very last conversation. Tobias had told her that he was a part of something much larger than himself. That he was but a small piece of Vaanu; the being indirectly responsible for the destruction of earth. Remembering the look of agony on the young woman's face as he explained the situation causes the tears streaming down his face to pour faster.

Tobias chugs the beer in his hand and quickly grabs another while attempting to dry his tears. Estela Montoya. The one woman who just seemed to understand him and yet he had decided to trust her demented, psychotic father with restoring the world. Tears had welled up in her eyes when Tobias made his decision but it was her words that stung the most. “How could you? After everything we've done to try and stop him…”

For three years Tobias had fought to forget about the terrible, selfish decision he had made. Rourke had promised to give him a family all his own, along with the chance to lead a normal life. But the truth that he realized all too late, was that his friends were his family. They were all he ever needed and since their arrival back at freshman year, Tobias had worked tirelessly to rekindle the lost friendships. After a lot of effort and patience on his end, he did actually enjoy success in this endeavor. All but two of them, Aleister and Estela, were once again his friends. The son of Everett Rourke was too absorbed in his position of power for Tobias to reach. Estela, on the other hand, the young man could not bring himself to face her. During that first year, every time he'd think about reaching out, the sting of his last words to her would keep him from doing so. “For rebellions to survive, you need to survive…” Tobias had expected everyone to eventually remember the events that had transpired, especially since Diego had showed signs of doing so at first. But those hopes, along with the certainty that they could rise up against Rourke once again, vanished as the years went by and Tobias found himself simply existing there at Hartfeld.

After finishing another beer, Tobias angrily hurls the empty bottle across the roof and finds a sliver of satisfaction in the sound of breaking glass. He takes a deep quivering breath before grabbing another and taking a drink. As his focus returns to the heavens above, be begins to sing softly to himself, quietly at first.

“Can you hear... the desperate cries that are calling out your name… twisting your arm… holding out their hands and tugging at your sleeve.” But as the alcohol in his system takes effect, he grows louder.

“Do you feel this underlying sense of urgency or are you as blind as meeeee,

I hit the ground and I'm still running but I need a place to stay tonight,

I swear I'll be gone in the morning,

I just need somewhere now..”

Tobias continues on; steadily raising his voice as he continues to drink by himself. When he finally trails off and brings the current bottle of alcohol to his lips, a soft, familiar voice rings out across the rooftop causing him to spit his drink reflexively.

“If you were trying not to draw attention to yourself, you did a horrible job.” Her silhouette is dimly lit by the stars and her face isn't clearly visible, but Tobias would recognize that voice anywhere. Estela.

“I...I mean, what is it?” Tobias flinches at his own abrasiveness and silently curses himself.

“I don't know, you tell me. You're the one up here singing a really sad song and breaking glass bottles. Wouldn't you investigate if you heard the same?” As she steps into the radiant moonlight, Tobias notices the blanket draped around her shoulders and the sting of an old memory renders him silent. “I'll leave you alone then.” Estela turns to leave but Tobias calls out to her.

“Wait. You can stay if you like. I've got plenty of beer to go around.” The disheveled young man reaches into the box next to him and realizes that he's drank all but three beers. As his unexpected visitor takes a seat next to him, he silently tries to count just how many drinks he's had.

Tobias pops the top off of a beer and hands it to Estela before grabbing one of his own. The two of them stare off into the starry night sky while sipping their drinks in silence. After a few minutes, the brunette notices her companion shivering. She scoots closer to him and throws one end of her blanket around his shoulders before he can object.

Silently, Tobias struggles against his internal thoughts and the longing they bring with them. The familiar warmth of Estela's small frame is welcome, but the sting of regret almost drives him to stand up and walk away. But Estela gently breaks the silence with a question.

“So… why are you up here singing such a sad song, Tobias?” Estela gently brushes her shoulder against his to gather his full attention.

Tobias sighs in resignation, takes a long sip of his drink and lets the words come flowing out. “I was just thinking about someone who forgot about me a long time ago.”

“Why spend your energy thinking about a person who isn't a part of your life anymore? Seems like a huge waste of time and energy.” Estela raises an inquisitive eyebrow at Tobias as he takes another long drink from the bottle in his hand.

“Well… it's not exactly her fault, it's mine. I made a stupid, selfish decision thinking that it would be best for everyone, but it blew up right in my face.” Tobias chugs the rest of his beer before hurling the empty bottle across the rooftop. He picks up the last beer and holds it toward Estela who shakes her head at the cold beverage.

“I'm good, thanks though. So why didn't you admit your mistake and try to rekindle… whatever it was that you two had?” Her eyes grow slightly wider as Tobias pops the cap off the new drink and downs half of it in a single pass.

“I'm not sure to be honest with you. Maybe because I feel I'm not worthy of her forgiveness? She was the greatest though: strong, driven, loyal. Nothing and nobody stood in her way and if they did… well let's just say they didn't stand or breathe too much longer after.” Tobias pauses to take another long drink as his companion sizes him up.

“Wow. It sounds to me like you really cared for this woman. Where did you guys meet?” By this point, the blue eyed young man is so intoxicated that he doesn't sense the calculation in Estela's questions.

A woeful laugh escapes Tobias as he runs a hand down his face. “We met and grew close while on vacation at a,” The young man pauses briefly to emphasize his air quotes, “‘island’ paradise. We even tied the knot there after just a few short weeks together. God she was a nervous wreck that day on the bridge overlooking the bay when she proposed to me; it was so sweet and genuine. There was something about her being anxious that was unbelievably adorable. Believe it or not, when we first met, she was full of rage and hell bent on ripping the still beating heart out of the man that took a loved one from her. Hell I didn't blame her: if I had been in her shoes, I’d probably be the same way. Considering the circumstances, I did the only thing I could: I stayed by her side and together we faced many challenges. In return, she taught me a lot about myself and shared many treasured memories of her home life before everything went to shit. My favorite saying that she shared with me is, ‘La familia es todo’, family is everything.” Dizziness begins to plague Tobias as he finishes and tosses his last drink.

While brushing the blanket off his shoulders and attempting to stand he catches Estela's gaze which, to his surprise, has turned ice cold. Terrified that he had somehow offended his companion, Tobias attempts to excuse himself. “I-I really have to get going Estela. It's getting late and I…” Before he can finish his statement, Tobias begins to wobble and sway uncontrollably. The last thing he sees while the world fades to darkness around him, is Estela reaching out as he collapses there on the rooftop.

*******

Tobias awakens to his head throbbing furiously and sunlight pouring onto his face from a nearby window. Slowly he pulls himself to a sitting position before rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Good, you're finally awake.”

Sitting in a chair close to the window is Estela herself. Her arms are firmly crossed and the expression she wears is stoic. Panic strikes Tobias like lightning as his heart begins to pound furiously. For three years he had gone out of his way to avoid her and now here they are, face to face.

“Um… hi? What happened last night and where am I?” As Tobias speaks, he realizes his mouth is bone dry. “And you wouldn't happen to have some water would you?”

Estela unfolds her arms and grabs a glass of ice water from the desk she's sitting next to. Silently, the brunette hands it to Tobias and takes her seat again without saying a word. She watches her guest quietly as while he downs the ice cold beverage before finally speaking. “You got blackout drunk on a rooftop last night and told me a very interesting story. When you passed out I brought you here, to my room and stayed up all night thinking about your tales of adventure. I've decided to share a story with you and when I'm done, I'd like you to answer one question. Is that fair?”

Tobias silently nods knowing that he truly has no other choice at this point.

“Good, I'll start at the beginning. My mother raised me with help of my tio in San Trobida. My father, Everett Rourke, wasn't involved in my life until I was a teenager. Hell, my mother didn't even tell me about him until he just reappeared one day and offered her a once in a lifetime career opportunity. Up until that point, me, her and my tio were inseparable. But things changed dramatically after Rourke inserted himself into our lives and a rift began to grow between her and my uncle and I. In fact, the reason I'm here at Hartfeld is because they wanted me close to my half brother, Aleister, so that I could help ‘keep him in line’. From the beginning of this arrangement, I knew it was a smokescreen. They wanted to separate my tio and I along with choosing this particular school so that Aleister could report to them if I disappeared or did anything that displeased them. Are you still with me so far, Tobias?”

Nodding silently while his lower jaw hung slightly, the blue eyed young man took in Estela's words and noted the disturbing difference in her past. When she was satisfied that Tobias was listening intently, the brunette continued her story.

“I despise Everett Rourke. Everything about him and everything that he's done with his wealth and power. But I could never bring myself to contest my mother or her life decisions openly.” Estela sighs and breaks away from Tobias’ intent gaze for a brief moment. She takes a deep breath and continues. “La familia es todo… when I was young, my mother always reminded me that family is everything. But that saying lost its meaning when Rourke tore us apart. I had all but forgotten that little detail until you said it last night in your inebriated state.”

Tobias quickly holds up his hand in an attempt to interrupt and explain himself, but Estela shuts him down quickly. “You can give your excuses after I finish what I have to say. Got it?”

Defeatedly, he drops his hand and allows her to continue. “As I was saying, Rourke changed my life for the worse and I might as well have lived in a padded cell. But three years ago, I began to have strange dreams of an island paradise where mysterious entities ran rampant. They plagued me for months even though I dismissed them as nonsense. But then I began to recognize faces from these dreams around campus. Quinn, Michelle, Sean, they were all there. I felt like I had finally snapped and that i was going insane. But that's not even the half of it. There was also a man in my dreams; one with brown, spikey hair and blue eyes. I saw him and I fighting a battery of creatures that only exist in nightmares and not once did he ever leave my side. There were so many different places that we visited: a cavern with brilliant luminescent walls, a beach with sand as white as snow that we walked down, dressed in beautiful outfits. Then there was what appeared to be a space station, in orbit around what appeared to be the earth. Above us the billions of stars were breathtaking, but below, the earth glowed bright red as if it was on fire. As always though, the man was right there with me, holding me while I cried…” Estela trails off as a single tear streams down her cheek.

Tobias resists the overwhelming urge to reach over and brush it away; he simply watches until she regains her composure. For three years he had been avoiding her, but never in his wildest dreams did Tobias think she would remember anything when nobody else did. Guilt from his decision had kept him away from her; a self imposed punishment for failing everyone, but most of all, his soulmate. A few silent minutes pass before Estela finally turns back to her guest.

“That man was you Tobias. I mean, you didn't have the facial hair going on, but it was you all the same. So my one question for you is this: Are these dreams really just that, or are they flashes of a life that was stolen away from me?” The brunette’s soft brown eyes shimmer with sadness while awaiting the answer to her question.

Sighing in exasperation, Tobias carefully considers his words and options. He could lie and go back to his normal routine of avoiding her and truth, but the crushing weight on his shoulders implores him to tell her everything. In the worst case scenario, she would simply dismiss him as a lunatic and never speak to him again, so there really was nothing to lose. “It's a really long and complicated story, Estela and you may not believe a single word of it.”

“Well, it's a good thing that I've got nothing but time then.” Estela settles in and listens intently as Tobias begins to tell the entire story of their time on La Huerta.

*******

A few hours later, Tobias finishes telling his side of story and answering any questions that Estela had for him. The two of them sit together silently, not really sure what to say next.

Tobias stands and stretches his limbs before finally speaking up. “I think I've told you just about everything. I'm not sure where we go from here but it sure does feel good to get it all off my chest.” The young man catches Estela's gaze and notes the blank expression oh her face as she continues to remain silent. “Look… I understand if you're mad at me; hell I'm mad at myself for what I've done. Betraying the only only family I've ever had was the biggest-”

“Stop.” Estela cuts Tobias off mid sentence and rises from her resting place. “You didn't betray them or me. You gave us a chance. Admittedly, it's a long shot but-”

“Whoa, hold on a minute. A chance for what?” As he asked the question, Tobias realized what she was about to say before the words even passed her lips.

“A chance to fight back.” Estela offers Tobias a small smile along with her tentative hand. He hesitates slightly before taking it, but as he does, a long forgotten feeling begins to build in his chest. Determination.

[flickerofcalum]

once bitten, twice shy | part one

“I’ll have you know I am 100% percent, completely and totally over Luke Hemmings,” she said as she straightened her shoulders and turned back around towards her friend. “This isn’t about him.”

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” Brinley complained as she scrutinized the red dress she was wearing in the mirror. When she tried it on in the store, she loved the way it looked on her – tight enough to give the illusion that she had curves, ending at the perfect length right above her knees – but now it felt all wrong. “Maybe I just shouldn’t go to the party.”

Her best friend rolled her eyes from where she was sprawled out over Brinley’s childhood bed, having gotten ready thirty minutes ago. She haphazardly threw on an off the shoulder red sweater and tucked it into a green skirt, put on some mascara, brushed her long hair a few times and managed to look amazing. Brinley only resented Olivia a little bit for her ability to always look effortlessly beautiful.

“It’s the first time we’ve been able to see each other since the summer. You’re not ditching me,” Olivia insisted, moving off the bed to stand behind Brinley, placing her freshly manicured hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s going to be hard, but you can’t avoid him forever, Brin. It’s a small town.”

Brinley let out a long sigh. She’d been on Christmas break in her hometown for a week, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been trying to avoid running into her ex-boyfriend. She hadn’t seen him since their break up over a year ago, when he’d left for Los Angeles without warning to start a music career. That was right before she’d started her freshman year of university. Now, she was halfway through her sophomore year, and was thriving. Since arriving at college, she landed an on-campus job as a peer mentor for freshmen, joined a sorority, and was passing all her classes with flying colors. It was hard for her to not let the break up destroy her, and she was scared that seeing him again was going to ruin all the progress she’d made.

“I’ll have you know I am 100% percent, completely and totally over Luke Hemmings,” she said as she straightened her shoulders and turned back around towards her friend. “This isn’t about him.”

Olivia rose an eyebrow, giving her a disbelieving look. “If you’re 100% percent over him, don’t you want to rub it in his face? Show him hot you look and how much better off you are without him?”

Brinley pursed her lips together. She knew Olivia was right, she couldn’t spend the next three weeks avoiding Luke. The likelihood of running into him in their small town was too high and it was only a matter of time. She needed to get it over with. Plus… it would be pretty satisfying for Luke to see how well she was doing without him.

“Alright, fine, you’ve convinced me,” she finally relinquished, slipping on a pair of nude heels before she grabbed her coat. “But if it’s a total disaster, you’re buying me pizza afterwards.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. “Deal,” she said, grabbing Brinley’s hand and dragging her towards the door. “Let’s go. I promise when Luke sees you, he’s going to regret the day he left.”

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Justin Bieber’s voice was blaring through the speakers when she and Olivia walked into the crowded house. Familiar faces were scattered in groups around the large living room – talking, smoking weed, doing shots, dancing – and she immediately felt nostalgic. It was almost like she was in high school again. The warm feeling faded almost instantly when she realized that every memory she had from high school was with Luke.

Desperately needing a drink, she attempted to drag Olivia to the kitchen, but she was already distracted by the boy that approached her. She sighed as she made her way through the crowd, smiling and waving at a few people, silently praying that no one was going to try to have a conversation with her.

“Hey Dorsey!” A familiar voice called out, followed by a strong pair of tattooed arms wrapping around her waist to lift her off the ground.

She squealed as she attempted to wiggle out of his grasp, unable to stop herself from giggling. “Calum, put me down,” she insisted, kicking her feet a bit until he set her back on the ground. She turned toward him and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. “I missed you so much.”

Calum had been one of her best friends since middle school, bonding quickly after he threatened to punch a kid who attempted to look up her skirt during their lunch period. They were inseparable until high school when he and three other guys started a band and she was forced to share her best friend with them. It didn’t take her long to warm up to them, especially one in particular.

He grinned down at her after they pulled away from the hug. “I missed you too, Brin,” he replied fondly. “Let’s get you a drink and you can tell me all about your fancy college life.”

Brinley rolled her eyes playfully as she led him into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he made her a drink. “Please, my life is not nearly as exciting as yours, rock star. Although, I suppose you can’t read about mine on the internet.”

“Oh, so you’ve been keeping tabs on us, huh?” Calum rose an eyebrow, giving her a look that she didn’t quite like. She tried her hardest to avoid reading too much about the band, about Luke, but it was hard when they were all over the place. She kept it to a bare minimum as not to obsess over it too much. From what she had gathered from her phone calls with Calum, the tabloids always exaggerated information and never really got the full story.

She opened her mouth to reply in an attempt to defend herself, but she was saved by another voice cutting into their conversation. “What have I told you about trying to steal my best friend away from me?”

“Hey! You were the one who stole him from me first.” Brinley protested, grinning as Ashton slung an arm over her shoulder. She leaned into his side, looking up at him. “But you can keep him. I’m sure he’ll be annoying the fuck out of me within five minutes.”

“Oh, thanks so much, Brin,” Calum replied sarcastically before he began poking at Ashton. It was only a matter of seconds before the two of them were bickering again, easily getting wrapped up in each other. Brinley took a long sip of the drink Cal made her, wrinkling her nose as she realized just how much vodka was in it. She lifted her eyes to look around the party, her gaze landing on him almost immediately, and she nearly whimpered as she took in his appearance. She’d seen pictures on social media, of course, but nothing could have prepared Brinley for seeing Luke Hemmings again in person. He looked so much older. His once soft, sweet baby face was replaced with prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline littered with stubble and he had grown even taller, much to her chagrin. Brinley tried her hardest not to, but she couldn’t help but think that he looked gorgeous. She’d never seen a boy fill out a pair of skinny jeans than Luke did, and he looked effortlessly cool as ever with a dark blue button up over the t shirt he was wearing. His flattened hair peeked out from underneath the backwards snapback he was wearing, soft strains of the dark blonde hair brushing against his forehead.

She probably could have stared at him all night, if it weren’t for the realization that he was making his way towards her with Michael by his side. Brinley panicked, immediately clutching onto Calum’s arm. “I can’t see him right now.”

Calum managed to drag himself away from Ashton for a moment, looking around for a moment before his own eyes landed on Luke. “It’s going to be obvious if you just run away,” he pointed out.

Brinley knew he was right – she was trapped and there wasn’t much she could do about it. She needed to keep at least a semblance of her normalcy. She took a deep breath as the two boys finally reached their group, her brown eyes lifting to meet the piercing gaze of Luke’s blue.

“Hi,” Luke said gently, his lips quirking up into a hesitant smile.

“Hi,” She replied. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, feeling her chest tighten.

Everyone was silent for a moment as the two of them stared at one another. Finally, Michael broke the silence with a cough. “Hey, Brinley, is Liv here?”

Brinley tore her eyes away from Luke for a moment to glare at Michael. “Don’t you dare go bother her, Clifford. She’s with a guy and she doesn’t need you showing up to ruin it.”

She watched as Michael’s eyes darkened for a brief moment before he walked away, probably in search of Olivia. Brinley let out a groan. She was going to have to deal with Olivia’s sour mood later, if her history with Michael was anything to go by.

Speaking of history… Brinley looked back up at Luke, who was still staring at her. She felt her cheeks heat up underneath the intensity of his gaze. When he opened his mouth to speak again, Brinley felt her heart rise up in her chest in panic. She couldn’t do this right now.

“I should probably go make sure Olivia doesn’t punch Michael in the face. It was good to see you though,” she said a bit too loudly, awkwardly patting Luke’s chest as she moved past him quickly.

She ignored Calum calling after her, pushing through the crowd to find Olivia so they could get the hell out of there. She had been silly to think that she would be able to see Luke without completely freaking out, especially when he looked as amazing as he did. Who was she kidding? She was 100% not over Luke Hemmings.

And she wasn’t sure she would ever be.

[iliketowrite1996]

College Days

Okay- I have never written a story like this before, so I did my best! I hope it is good- I want to experiment with different writing types.

Mentions of unrequited love, breaking up, and friendship troubles. second guessing and nervousness. Freshman Year

You are strolling down the sidewalk on our university’s campus, head bopping to the song that is playing that is playing through your headphones.

   You are three days into your freshman year, and you already love this place. Your roommate is nice, your dorm is close to a majority of your classes, and you’ve already gotten a head start on next week’s homework. You are relaxing in the moment, relishing the feeling of accomplishment.    

   Until a dark cloud zooms in and ruins what was an otherwise fantastic day.

   Someone bumps into you, spilling your iced coffee down your pristine white shirt.

   ‘’Cold, cold, cold!,’’ you squeal, watching as the brown liquid soaks into the white fabric.

‘’Miss, I am so sorry. Here, let me help!’’

‘’No, no, that is okay,’’ you sigh, but take the napkins that the strangers offer you.

You suddenly feel a jacket over your shoulders, and you look up to see the young man that gave it to you.    

Calling him handsome would be an understatement. His skin is glowing beautifully in the sun, his teeth are beautiful, his eyes are beautiful.

This boy is fine.

   ‘’My apologies, miss. I did not see where I am going. I can have your shirt cleaned for you if would like.’’

   ‘’No, no, that’s fine! I got this at the thrift store. I spill on myself all of the time, I have become practically immune to it.’’

   You realize that you are wearing his jacket, and attempt to slide it off to give it back to him before he stops you.

   ‘’Please, take it. It looks good on you  Besides, I am about to ask you for a favor: could you please tell me where room Hawthorne Hall 341 is?’’

   ‘’Do you have English-W 131 with Professor Jenkins? Because that is where I am going.’’

   ‘’Great!,’’ he says a bit too enthusiastically, ‘’I mean, would you mind if I walked with you?’’

   ‘’No, not at all. Let’s go.’’

   The walk is long, and is, unfortunately filled with silence.

   Not the comfortable kind.

   The awkward kind.

   The kind that has you counting how many steps it takes to get to your destination.

   55.

   You enter the lecture hall, which can’t seat more than seventy-five people. One of the huge perks of going to a smaller university is that you get more one-on-one time with your professor. And if you're going to graduate in four-five years, you need all the help you can get.

   ‘’Would you mind if I sat next to you,’’ the young man questions, although the class is nearly empty since you still have fifteen minutes.

   ‘’No, I don’t mind,’’ you say as you climb to the highest level of seating.

   ‘’Thank you kindly. My name is T’Challa, by the way. T’Challa Udaku. I know that we did not get to do formal introductions earlier.’’

   ‘’No we did not. I am Y/N Y/L/N, the girl who is currently wearing your coffee. It smells like vanilla. What a waste.’’

   ‘’Well, I would not say that it was a waste. I do believe I have made a new friend.’’

   From that moment, you knew you were going to enjoy your college experience.

Sophomore Year

   You and T'Challa became close after that day. You studied together every Wednesday, did your homework together, and had dinner together once a week. He was your partner for group assignments, he was the one who accompanied you to events where you would have felt awkward going alone.

   Well, him and the girl he had initially introduced as his sister- Okoye.

   Which is how, after a summer spent apart were the only way to keep in touch was through video chats and messaging.

   ‘’So why can’t you come see me,’’ you’d pouted when he first video chated you.

   ‘’You know why, Y/N,’’ he’d laugh.

   T’Challa had waited until the very last minute to reveal to you that he was the whole prince of a whole country. He’d wanted to make sure that this was genuine friendship. And when he realized that it was, he’d told you the truth. And you promised not to tell anyone. It was easy, too. For one, you kept your friend group small. There was you, T’Challa, Alyssa, and Anthony. For another thing, T’Challa’s name was known to the world, but not his face. King T’Chaka had taken every precaution to ensure that his son’s privacy could be protected for as long as possible, or until he was ready.

   Judging from how well you took the news- after you questioned him for two hours- he figured that’d be soon. And it was. He’d let the story slip, even giving an interview for the journalism club. Still, he kept his friend group small, with just the people he knew liked him for him.

   Now, you’re sitting in Anthony’s dorm with T’Challa, Anthony and Alyssa, watching a movie. T’Challa’s back is against your wall as you lounge next to him, feet in his lap. Okoye is on the floor, still under the guise of being T’Challa’s sister. Alyssa is sitting in T’Challa’s chair that is pulled away from his desk, and Anthony is on the floor in front of her as she braids his hair.

   Alyssa and Anthony have a very unique friendship, similar to your and T’Challa’s. They’re best friends, but everyone always thinks there is more to it, trying to put them in the ‘’Will They or Won’t They’’ plot line.

   You and T’Challa never fell into that. Was there attraction on your part? Of curse. The boy is still fine, and he is definitely growing into himself. He is a good man, and he’s showing that each and every day.

   And you know he’s attracted to you, too. You still remember the way he looked at you in your floor length, emerald green dress at the Freshmen Formal earlier this year in May. He’d been your unofficial date, seeing as you , him, Alyssa and Anthony all went in a group. You just spent most of your time dancing with T’Challa, especially since he was graceful during the slow dances.

   Right now, he’s currently rubbing your ankles, as you’ve been on your feet all day.

   ‘’You have got to get some more comfortable shoes. You know you are going to be on your feet all day as a teacher.’’

   ‘’It’s only one day a week. This is just my internship. I can handle it,’’ you sigh, relaxing into his touch again.

   ‘’You may cause permanent foot problems, beautiful.’’

   It’s not the first time that he’s called you that. But he calls Alyssa that as well. You’re a very tight knit group.

   And you’re not jealous when he calls her that.

   No, you’re not.

   ‘’Can you two either shut up or make out,’’ Alyssa asks, ‘’I can’t hear the movie.’’

   Okoye, as graceful as she is, chokes on her water, stifling her laughter by burying her face in her arm.

   Okoye is always teasing T’Challa about the nature of your relationship with each other, but he doesn’t see it as hostile. Besides, you know it’s coming from a place of love- she does not want T’Challa to get his heart broken with… whatever it is you two have going on here, and you understand.

   ‘’I mean, Y/N does have nice lips, but I am rather busy rubbing her feet because she doesn’t listen and wears heels to her internship.’’

   ‘’And T’Challa’s lips are dry,’’ you quip, and he looks at you in faux hurt.

   ‘’Please. They are never chapped.’’

   ‘’I’m looking at them right now, boo.’’

   ‘’For the love of… just date already,’’ Anthony jokes, using the line T’Challa had used on him and Alyssa just weeks prior.

   It’s not that you haven’t entertained the thought of dating T’Challa. Who wouldn't’? He’s sweet, he’s smart, he is involved. He is currently treasure of the Black Student Union, he volunteers at the homeless shelter, he is always on the Dean’s List.

   ‘’It’s getting late. Maybe Y/N and I should be getting back to our dorm. We can always finish the movie tomorrow. Besides- it’s boring,’’ Alyssa shrugs, never one to hesitate and hold back what she is thinking.

   ‘’I will walk with you. Okoye, I trust that you are heading back to your apartment?’’

   ‘’I am,’’ Okoye says, knowing that this means T’Challa is relieving her of her duties for the time being, ‘’I shall see you all soon. Good night.’’

   You say your goodbye’s, and T’Challa escorts you and Alyssa to your dorm.

   She stays on the first floor of the building, and you on the second in your single bedroom dorm. So after T’Challa and you say goodnight to her, he walks you to yours.

   ‘’I hope that it did not make you feel uncomfortable,’’ he tells you as you stop outside of your door, fishing your keys out of your pocket.

   ‘’No, no, you did not. I understand- I know that we’re just friends. People just like to joke, tough, Why, does it make you uncomfortable?’’

   ‘’No, no, not at all. To be attached to a woman who is so beautiful and smart? How could that be a bad thing, Y/N?’’

   ‘’Stop,’’ you laugh, staring at him, ‘’You don’t have to say stuff like that. I am already your friend.’’

   ‘’I only speak he truth,’’ he stuffs his hands into his pockets, ‘’You know I'm attracted to you.’’

   ‘’And I to you, T’Challa.’’

   ‘’So , the real question, I guess is this: ‘Are we going to do something about it?.’’

   That throws you, because that question can carry so many different meanings. And you don’t know what it means to him, but you know what it means to you. You want to be more than friends, and yet you don’t. You want something complex and something simple. But relationships are never ever simple.

   So, essentially, what you hear when he asks that question is: ‘’Is it worth giving this a shot, no matter the outcome?’’

   ‘’Come here,’’ you take his hand, guiding him into your dorm room, where he sits on the couch pressed against your wall.

   ‘’T’Challa,’’ you sigh, sitting down in your desk chair and facing him, ‘’You know I care about you. But you are one of my best friends, and I’d hate to lose you.’’

   ‘’You would not lose me, Y/N. You know that I would not treat you any differently if we tried to see where this led and it did not work out.’’

   ‘’I know. I’m worried that you’d see me differently, or that I’d see you differently. I don’t want to lose this friendship,’’ you stress, and he nods.

   ‘’Alright. I would not want to try to convince you of something that you don't want. Are we going to be okay?’’

   ‘’We are,’’ you promise, giving him a hug when he stands, ‘’I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast?’’

   ‘’I would not miss it,’’ T’Challa grins genuinely, ‘’I will see you at the diner at ten.’’

   He presses a kiss to your forehead, and for a brief moment you wish he’d press one to your lips.

   And you almost take the initiative and kiss him when he pulls away, staring into your y/e/c eyes with his deep, brown ones.

   But you don’t. Instead, you let him out, demanding that he messages you when he gets back to his dorm.

   And you try not to wonder if you made the right choice.

   The next day, you meet T’Challa at your favorite diner. You go there every Saturday morning to catch up, decompress from the week, and to get some homework done together. T’Challa is a Political Science major and you’re an Education major, but it works. He lets you practice lessons on him, you proofread his papers, and he has even asked if you’d ever consider working abroad.

   ‘’I would. Maybe you, Alyssa, Anthony and I can study abroad senior year,’’ you say as you take another sip of your orange juice, ‘’It’d be fun.’’

   Before he can answer, Tessa Atkins, a girl from your and T’Challa’s English class last year, glides over.

   ‘’Hey, T’Challa.’’

   ‘’Hello, Y.N,’’ she says to you, but without the same flirtatious tone she’d use don T’Challa. It wasn’t mean, just different.

   You’d definitely noticed her attraction to T’Challa last year. It was there before she found out that he is a prince, but you’d be lying if you said that you didn’t feel just a tinge of jealousy.

   Just a tinge.

   ‘’I’ll call you later to discuss our plans. Bye, y'all,’’ she sashays away, and you turn to T’Challa in confusion.

   ‘’Plans? What plans?’’

   ‘’Oh, she asked me to accompany her to the movie night on campus,’’ T’Challa explains.

   ‘’You’re going on a date?’’

   ‘’If you would like to call it that,’’ he shrugs, ‘’I Haven't dated a lot. You know this. Nakia was my first and last girlfriend before I moved here. I am not so sure that this is a date. I think that we are just hanging out.’’

   ‘’The way you hang out with me,’’ you ask, stressing the last word in effort to convert what you are really trying to ask.

   He looks up at you then, seeing the meaning of your questions in your eyes, ‘’No. It is different.’’

   And he changes the subject, so you leave it at that.

   But it stays burning in your mind for the rest of the day.

   It’s three months later that they start dating, and you’ve never been more grateful for Christmas/Holiday/Winter break in your life/. You retreat back home, spend your time with friends from home and working to raise extra money for the next semester. The calls between you and T’Challa are becoming less frequent, and you know that you have no right to be feeling the way that you do.

   You’re the one that told him that it wouldn’t work, and you still believe that.

   It doesn’t stop you from wishing that you’d just taken the change.

   And yet it does.

   And you’re confused.    

   You’re happy for him, but also hurt, and you're still trying to figure out how that can be.

   ‘’Y/N, are you okay?,’’ your coworker, Justin, asks.

   ‘’I am,’’ you insist, clearing a table, ‘’I’m fine.’’

   ‘’You’ve been acting like this for the whole day. You literally just put the napkin holder in the bin,’’ he tells you, and you sigh, moving to the next table after placing the metal napkin holder back on the table.

   ‘’I just have a lot on my mind,’’ you shrug, and you wish he’d let it go.

   He does not.

   ‘’Well, maybe you and I can hang out tonight. Go to dinner. It always helps to talk about your feelings.’’

   You tell him you’ll think about it.

   Mull it over for the rest of your shift.

   Agree.

   Three weeks later, you’re heading back to school with a boyfriend.

   Conversations between you and T’Challa pick up on conversations, and things are back to how they used to be.

   Sort of.

   You don’t spend much time together, but you have dinner together every Wednesday and do homework together on Thursday’s.

   Justin takes the train to see you every weekend, and you double date with T’Challa and Tessa. It’s nice, though, because you and T’Challa are still friends, he’s happy, and you’re happy.

   You’re content.

   You hope things can stay this nice.

Junior Year

   And they do. You’re in love and it is nice and amazing and strange and wonderful and terrifying.

   It’s a whirlwind of emotions that you don’t really want to end.

   But it does, when he visits you for the last time to break up with you in person, saying that he feels like you two aren’t clicking anymore.

   That your heart isn’t in it anymore.

   And he’s right.

   Because it isn’t.

   Which is how you find yourself at T’Challa’s apartment, thirty minutes away from campus. It’s the October of your junior year of college, and tomorrow would’ve been your ten month anniversary with Justin.

   Now, you’re lying across T’Challa’s bed with him as you both listen to a playlist of your favorite songs, reflecting back on heart breaks.

   ‘’This really hurts,’’ you laugh sadly, sniffling as T’Challa brings a hand up to rub your shoulder comfortingly, your head on his own shoulder, ‘’It sucks.’’

   ‘’I know,’’ he sighs, ‘’Breakups are never easy. But fear not. We have a long weekend due to fall break. We can sit here and listen to music and watch movies.’’

   You laugh then, genuinely, and long and loud. He laughs, too, and it’s nice just to not feel the weight of everything else for a little while.

   It’s three weeks later that you are taking T’Challa ice skating for the first time, laughing as he falls to the ice.

   ‘’Are you alright?’’

   ‘’I am. You may laugh now, Y/N, but you will not when I am the Black Panther. I will have grace and agility,’’ he smirks, leaning on you for support as you help him to stand.

   ‘’For someone who’s never skated before, you are doing fairly well.’’

   It’s a nice way to calm down, enjoying Thanksgiving break since neither of you went back home. Instead, you had a turkey dinner with him yesterday, and he made you the same pastries that his mother, Ramonda, often makes for him when he is home for the summer.

   ‘’You look beautiful under these fluorescent lights,’’ he tells you, and you burst out laughing as he takes your hand again, letting him guide you around the rink.

   ‘’Thank you. I’m still going to laugh at you if you fall.’’    

   And fall he does.

   Right on top of you.

   Talk about awkward.

   ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he apologized, bracing himself against the ice to roll off of you, ‘’Maybe we should take a break? We can get something warm to drink?’’

   ‘’Yeah, that sounds nice.’’

   Even though you kind of wanted that moment to last a little bit longer.

   You find yourself rushing into T’Challa’s apartment, soaked from the freezing cold, November rain.

   ‘’You can get undressed in the bathroom. I will get you a shirt to borrow, then take our stuff downstairs to get them dried.’’

   ‘’Thank you, T’Challa,’’ you slip into his bathroom, pulling off your soaking wet clothes.

   Sure enough, he leaves a pair of his pajamas for you outside of the bathroom door, which you slip into.

   He takes your clothes downstairs before returning with a pizza, ‘’I ran next door to that pizzeria. Got your favorite. I will take care of dinner tonight.’’

   ‘’Such a gentleman,’’ you smile, taking some glasses down and preparing for dinner.

   And falling even more in love with this man.

   ‘’Are you going to be alright,’’ T’Challa asks, referring the scene you’d witnessed earlier.

   It was Tessa arriving at the skating rink with her new boyfriend on her arm.

   That new boyfriend?

   None other than Justin.

   Because that’s salt in your wound.

   You’d been okay, but you wanted to leave. He still hasn't talked to you since the break up, and you didn’t really feel up to conversing with him at the moment.

   Unfortunately, the bus to T’Challa’s apartment would not be arriving for another hour, so you two walked. Then, it started to rain. Hard. Hence why you are now spending the night at T’Challa’s apartment.

   ‘’I am. I mean, it hurt a little bit at first, but I’m over it now. I’m fine,;; you shrug, laying your head on T’Challa’s shoulder, ‘’You?’’

   ‘’I am. What Tessa and I had may be over, but I’ve still got you. So I would say that I am the real winner in the situation.’’

   There’s silence then as you both chew on the pizza, listening to the rain and thunder outside.

   He places a kiss to your forehead, like he always does, but this time when he pulls away, you pull him back in.

   Your eyes ask for permission, and he nods, as if he can read his mind.

   You're learning in further and further until…

You hear the door opening, and you find yourself both wishing Okoye would have stayed out longer and silently thanking her before you ruined your friendship with T’Challa.

This was one of those moments that got away from you.

And you spend the rest of your night what would have happened if all of the events of the day had happened just a few seconds sooner.

   The rest of the semester is pretty uneventful. You study together, he gets good grades, you get good grades. You hang out with Anthony and Alyssa, and he promises to call you over Christmas break. He does, you make plans to hang out as soon as you’re back on campus.

   When you do meet up again, you have a two hour catch up session. He tells you all about Shuri and her latest antics, about his mother and dad. You talk to him about your family and things happening back home. He also asks you to the school’s winter fundraiser dance as friends, and you accept.

   ‘’You look incredible,’’ T’Challa tells you, admiring you in your black, floor length, long sleeved dress.

   ‘’What, this old thing,,’’ you joke, attempting to stop your heart from beating as fast as it is.    

   Because T’Challa looks amazing in his tux as he takes you back to your door, hand in yours,

   As friends.

   That’s all you are.

   You constantly have to remind yourself of that.

   The hall is pretty empty, with most people out on a lovely, January, Saturday night.

   ‘’Hey… can we talk for a moment?’’

   He turns to you, nodding, and letting you lead him into your single bed dorm.

   And that’s where it happens. There’s no epic moment, no birds, no music, no rain. You can hear the old school music your neighbors are playing, and you can hear the couple next on the other side of you loudly playing Monopoly.

   But you don’t care. Because you’re in the middle of the dorm room, with T’Challa’s lips on yours, his hands on your waist as he pulls you closer to his body.

   ‘’I thought you wanted to talk,’’ he breathes out before bringing his lips back to yours.

   ‘’Later, We’ll talk later,’’ you sigh, then pull him back into the kiss.

   And the moment is perfect.    

   It’s wonderful.

   It’s hot and romantic and long awaited and you’re not sure why you were so hesitant to give this a chance.

   Because his lips are made for yours and you’re sure.

   ‘’Wait, what does this mean,’’ T’Challa asks breathing heavily as he rests his forehead against yours, ‘’Are we together now?’’

   In a way, you feel like you always have been. He’s always been there for you, and you for him. Timing was never right, and you were never opened to this idea until now.

   Because he’s your best friend when your worlds apart, he’s your best friend when you're right next to each other, and he’d continue to be your best friend even if this didn’t work out.

   So the real question is this: Are you ready to dive in?

Senior Year

   Time changes.

   People change.

   Minds change.

   Like the seasons, most things are not permanent. Unlike the seasons, people don’t always work how you expect them to.

   Which is why it’s a surprise to you in the May of your junior year when Justin returns, asking you to get back together.

What’s not a surprise is when T’Challa is approached my Tessa, who makes the same request in the August of your senior year.

   It's no surprise that this leads to both you and T’Challa screaming at each other, crying, voices breaking and resolves shaking.

   It’s not a surprise that you don’t speak to him for quite a while, and he doesn't speak to you, until Okoye lets you both know that you are being difficult and need to talk.

It is a surprise when you’re laughing with him again, and it’s just like old times. You wipe the    It’s not a surprise that you can feel graduation fast approaching, and neither of you have decided what to do about the situation.

It’s not a surprise that life happens, and that you and T’Challa don’t really talk about the situation until it’s almost too late.

You weigh all of the reasons that it could work- you’re good together, you like each other, you’re attracted, you really care about each other.

You weigh all of the reasons that it could not work- he’ll be moving back to Wakanda, Tessa and Justin are still people you have strong feelings for, timing has never been right for you too, it seems like it won’t work.

So, with a month left until graduation, you make your choice.

And you both try not to second guess where it leaves you too.

Graduation Day

   You're walking the stone path one last time, relishing in all of the memories that you made on this campus. Some good, some bad. It’s where you where when T’Challa got news that his parents could make it to graduation. It’s where you found out that you got hired for that teaching job. It’s where you found your heart. It’s where you broke it. It’s where you had so many firsts and lasts.

   ‘’Babe,’’ your boyfriend pipes up, ‘’Graduation is beginning in thirty minutes. We need to line up.’’

   ‘’Coming, honey,’’ you sigh, taking his hand and letting him lead you back to the arena.

   ‘’I must go take my spot. But I will see you as soon as this is over,’’ he presses a kiss to your lips, ‘’I love you.’’

   ‘’I love you, too.’’

   You are not sure what the future holds.

   You don’t even know what tomorrow holds.

   All you know is that you have the love of your life, T’Challa Udaku by your side, so you will take things as they come. And he’s got you.

   And you’re so thankful for the day that he spilled coffee on you.

   And for the day that you decided to take a chance and dive in. 

DISCLAIMER- I own none of the Marvel Characters or any fictional worlds- they belong to their rightful and respectful owners.