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olderjodijournals · 5 months ago

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Thursday, July 1, 1993

Now that I have a night off, I can finally catch up in here with all that’s been going on. Since the Candy Store and the Mile High screwed me over, I knew I had to go a distance. Favors is a half-hour away. The money’s so much better, though, that I’m glad I got screwed over. If I’d known about private room dancing, I’d never have bothered with bars.

So anyway, let me back up to June 27th. Late afternoon I went to Tom’s house for the first time. His house is old for AZ. It’s a corner house that was built in 1950. All of them are right around there in that subdivision. They’re tract houses. A little too small and definitely too close to the neighbor. Their driveway is just a few away. His house is about 1400 square feet, and to be honest, it’s pretty ugly. Especially the bathroom and kitchen.

Friday, July 2, 1993

So last Sunday Tom and I swam in his pool, talked and had a field day with his computers. He’s very lucky cuz he’s got 8 computers and I have a busted typewriter.

So far Tom’s been a perfect gentleman who insists I never need to worry about him trying to move in on me or change me, as much as he really likes me and is attracted to me.

The following day he turned 36 (although I tease him and say 41).

I slept on his couch and on Monday he took me to Favors. It sure is a piece of cake. No hustling, no loud smoky bars and no latex. Most of the time you sit on your ass. Every week we pay $30 in security fees. If you cut $300 or more a week - and you will - you pay $50 for advertising fees. Tuesday night I cut $245! I only took home $175 of it cuz of fees and cab fare. Steve and his day driver, Bob, have cut my fare from $15 to $10. This place is a half-hour away, but right near Tom.

I’ll stay at Tom’s some days that I work. Especially on Mondays cuz that’s when the landscapers come. They are here earlier now due to the heat. I still hear the blowers daily, but not right by my window, and I sleep with the radio on. I knew they’d keep going back on their word at the office, even though it’s still much better and quieter than the other apartment.

Wednesday night I had only one show, but I made $70. I’d never make as much in bars. I work 4 days a week from 5:30-1:00. Wednesday I worked 40 minutes of my 7½ hours for $70. Tuesday I worked only 2½ for $245. I’ll never have a set schedule, though. The days will vary. When no one’s doing a show, or you’re not, we eat, watch videos, or whatever we want. There’s a kitchen and we can order food too.

Later I’ll write about my projects on Tom’s computer as well as other stuff.

Later...

I am going to bed real soon and I hope to hell no blowers wake me up. Why do they need to do this every day?

The guy downstairs has a weird habit. He sleeps with his bedroom window open, yet has his AC on too. What a waste.

I slept on the couch at Tom’s place which was very comfortable compared to mine. I may take his bed tomorrow as he said it’d be no problem for him to sleep on the couch.

I’m too tired to write about what I did with the computer.

Sunday, July 4, 1993

I am at Tom’s house right now and I’m finally going to update all that’s been going on.

My typewriter’s dead, so I’m doing it this way. His computer is awesome and it has several styles of really neat printing. I’d give anything to be able to print into my journals this way. Tom says you can if you buy a binding system. This way you just buy the covers and paper, type onto the paper, then bind the thing together into a book. I’d also just die to have a computer and a printing machine of my own cuz it sure makes things a lot easier. I’ve got to save up hundreds of dollars though. Or maybe $200 to get the parts to build a computer with Tom who already has certain parts. He already has a printer he does not use and he’s gonna check into prices as far as the binding thing goes.

So far I’ve already typed up letters to my parents, Tammy, and the girls, Fran, Nervous, Bob, Kim and Rosemarie. Soon, I’ll do letters to Scott, Stacey, Barbara, Ellie, Andi and whoever else comes to mind along the way. For now, I’ll copy into my journals whatever I type up, then send off the printed sheet to various people.

Work at Favors is going really well. I usually only work with Alyssa or Monique and they’re really cool. I’ve only worked 4 nights so far and I got $70 for my second and third nights. Last night I didn’t make anything. There was only one show and Alyssa got it. It’s a good thing Monique called out of work. The money’s still much better than the bars. You make much more for much less work. If you have only one one-hour show for the whole night, you’ve made $80. You’ll never always get that in the bars, whether you bust your ass trying to or not.

I saw the pictures that Ron took. All 27 of them were on a contact sheet. I saw the one that’s going into The Beat magazine that goes throughout Phoenix. There’s another one that’ll go on a shelf along with other dancers’ pictures at the front entrance of the place.

The last time I wrote I left off with what Tom and I did for Nervous, Fran, Bob, Kim and Tammy. Tom has dirty pictures that we printed out onto their letters. For Fran and Nervous we found dirty pictures with bodies close enough to mine and we cut the faces off them. We told them that Tom took nude Polaroids of me, then we ran them into the computer which printed them out onto their letters. These suckers will surely fall for it. I did the same thing for Bob and Kim, but in Kim’s letter, I explained the truth along with what I told Fran, Nervous and Bob. I put a nude picture in my sister’s letter along with flowers, birds, butterflies and pigs. My parents and the girls got flowers and stuff like that.

Last night was sure funny at work. Andy envies me cuz he has to slave his ass off all day. We watched a movie, danced to the boombox which was cranked to the max, ate like pigs and even pulled pranks on each other. At one point I crashed on the couch for about an hour cuz I didn’t sleep too well here the last night when I slept here. Then Alyssa woke me up saying the doorbell rang. I knew I didn’t hear it and she opened the door and no one was there. Later, Mike, the security guard, rang the doorbell and I pulled the same joke on Alyssa.

Toward the end of the night, we played a great joke on Mike. We called the telemarketing line and I used my girlie voice asking if there were any girls who’d lick my pussy. It was quite hilarious.

I have to work tomorrow, then I have the next 3 days off. There are only two things that suck, though. One is that my schedule’s never the same, but it will be 4 nights a week. The other thing is that I must call in at 5:30 even when I’m off to see if I’m needed to come in. If I don’t I get fined $25. So when I’m off, I’m still on call.

Whenever I’m to work on a Monday, I stay at Tom’s cuz of the landscapers. Tom really helped me get started with this job, but I owe him $50. I should have no problem paying him back before the month is out. Andy owes me money too, but I told him to only pay me back some of the $135 till he knows the outcome of his case with Scott. We also want to rent a camcorder, so I may have him use some of the money towards that.

I’ve paid $400 of my rent and all of the $108 owed to US West and all of the $58 owed to Sprint. All I owe is $89 to APS and $100 in rent. Pretty good, huh? And it’s only the 4th.

Andy left a message saying that he spoke to a guy who lives next to Stevie Nicks and that she did get Shadow and his box. Andy says he has her address and I told him to leave it on my machine. I’ll write to her and explain why I had to give him up at the time and see if she has him or if she gave him away. I don’t think it’ll do me any good, but it’s worth a shot.

I think I have everything updated for now that’s important, except for Ellie. Well, Andy finally got over there and was able to call my place. Sure enough, her number came up. I’m really shocked that such a paranoid loon like her wouldn’t have gotten her line blocked from caller ID. Her name’s Eloisa F.

Monday, July 5, 1993

I’m at work right now. Only Sarah and I are working tonight. She got a show, but I’ve got nothing so far. Jay, the security guard’s taking me home, which is great, especially if I don’t make anything tonight due to the holiday. There are always holidays.

I’m watching a movie now and soon I’m gonna have a cigarette. Maybe some coffee, too.

I have the next 3 days off, but I’m on call Tuesday and Thursday.

I spoke to Andy a little while ago. He was reading part of a 9-page letter he wrote his mother. He only got to page 3 when the doorbell rang, but I said I’d call him when I got home. If he’s asleep I’ll hear the rest of the letter tomorrow. He’s gonna be seeing someone about a job impersonating Stevie Nicks.

This Thursday when The Beat comes out, Tom’s gonna get 8 copies. For Bob, Kim, Nervous, Fran, Andy, Tammy, my parents and myself. I’m gonna be topless in this shot, so the one going to my parents will have my tits covered in black marker.

I slept until 8 PM on Sunday, but believe it or not, I fell asleep at 7:30 at Tom’s. He forgot to turn off the ringer and the volume on his machine so I woke up twice. At 8:30 Andy called. At 9:30 his co-worker Wendy called. Luckily I fell back asleep after that till 3:30.

Thank God I got this job when I did, cuz they only like to have 8 girls. Everyone’s new except Sarah and Kayla. Then, there are Alyssa, Monique, Amber, Gabrielle and me. Lea also dances at times.

Later...

It’s 10:30 now and still no more shows. So we ordered food and now I’m watching TV.

Last night I typed a letter to Scott. I have a few more folks to send letters to.

Later...

I am staying up till 8:00 to call the office when it opens. I can’t fucking believe these people! I’m so sick of dealing with apartment management. Why do they keep going back on their word? First, they promised no blowers early in the morning and that’s hit or miss. Now I got a letter from Dan. They promised me up front I could pay $300 on the 3rd, then take the remainder of the month to pay the remaining $200. I explained up front about SS and SSI and the fact that I get paid in chunks here and there. Keri told me that if over half the rent’s paid, there are no late fee charges. Now this letter says I must pay in full and I must add on $4 a day after the 4th of late fees. Those fucking assholes. I should’ve had them put this oral agreement into writing.

I finally found a way to get a natural-looking tan without dying in the sun, getting sun poisoning, or going to tanning salons, which is just as dangerous. I bought a sunless tanning lotion for $3 and it works great. I’ll never be white again.

I hope to talk to Tom when he gets in and after he hears my many messages.

I tried calling Tammy twice, but she finally got an answering machine. Her outgoing message is so long and she sounds sooo serious.

When Tom and I stopped in Smith’s grocery store I bought a journal with ballet slippers. It’s so cute, but I don’t know if I’ll like it. It’s so small compared to my others.

Jay and I had an interesting talk at work about the music business. He once lived in L.A. and did security for celebs till he moved here. He mentioned stuff I already know, as well as other stuff I never thought of that makes perfect sense. I’ll get into it later, but he told me a sure way to never again be conned by another Scott M.

Later...

I have had a very enjoyable day off. As soon as I awoke I called Keri who said don’t worry about the nasty-o-gram. They have it noted on the computer as far as my arrangement. The computer also routinely does these letters and they must give them to me. She said I’ve been very good about getting the rent paid, so don’t worry unless they call me. Thank God this is taken care of. This is the last thing I need to deal with.

She also asked how my new job was which was at the Candy Store, but I told her how they dicked me over and I got hired at Favors. I also told her about The Beat and she said to bring in copies. I told her they were topless, so she could either get a copy of her own or I’ll show her one of mine.

I also could swear I heard keys jingling outside my door earlier while I was watching Poltergeist. Maybe it was next door, cuz Scott’s had plenty of time and he’d never enter with me in here. I never heard the key go into the door either.

Nervous is supposedly broken up with Linda and is now either friends with or dating a girl named Crystal. Two different nights she answered his phone. Nervo was shocked to hear Laurie H is gay, cuz he, as well as others, say she’s married and pregnant. She’s a closet butch and I told him earlier I’d send the tape of her and Andy along with her so-called confession about a girl named Donna.

The ballet journal came with 2 little heart-shaped keys. One will go to Fran and the other will go to Nervo. I don’t need them. They’re also getting my journal stuff I did up on the computer. Any stuff I don’t want them to read goes in no-postage-necessary envelopes.

Tomorrow I hope to get the 50 love stamps I ordered.

I must call the bank for a photocopy of the check I sent for address labels. I never got them, but that’s ok, cuz now I need new ones anyway with this apartment number.

I got a $19 killer outfit from the same girl who goes to the Mile High to sell stuff. She says it’s still dead and it always will be till they fold under. It’s a deep royal blue 1-piece. The top’s like a tank top, connected to what looks exactly like a short wide skirt which is really shorts.

Back in 1989, my dad got me a gorgeous floral skirt at Steiger’s in Longmeadow, but it’s ripped. Alyssa at work is a seamstress and she says she’ll fix it for $5. Cool.

I ordered a meatball grinder and a big chef salad. Boy, I needed that.

I spoke to Dad earlier and updated him on my life.

Wednesday, July 7, 1993

I rearranged my photo albums earlier. I sent my parents a postcard from a family we met while I was having ear surgery in 1978 in Boston. They were from Caracas, Venezuela. They spoke no English and back then and I spoke no Spanish. I could never translate what they wrote on the back of the picture till I learned Spanish. It’s not much, but they said: Recuerdos de Boston, Noris familia - junio 1978 - Caracas, Venezuela.

Translation: Memories of Boston, Noris family - June, 1978 - Caracas, Venezuela.

Later...

I can’t sleep yet, so I’ll write a bit, then listen to music.

I finished edit tape #2 for Tom who’s now sick with the stomach flu.

A few days ago (I don’t remember how the subject came up), I was mentioning how to call information state by state. You use whatever the area code is where you’re calling, then dial 555-1212. He began to laugh his ass off saying 555 is in the movies. Of course, I went to his phone and proved him wrong.

I left a message about who I’m sending copies of my picture in the “Beat Off.”

I also read him part of “Saundra’s” story that I wrote.

Tom used to work at the post office and he goes there all the time, so he’s gonna bring in the huge mailbag I’m sending Tammy and the girls. I would never even try to guess how many stamps to put on, so it’ll be better this way. I sent old shirts, skirts, bathing suits, a necklace and those 5 posters I colored with markers on the black velvet background. I’ll have to refill the space on the master bedroom wall where they were.

I’m gonna call the bank tomorrow and also see if Montgomery/Ward will shoot a picture tomorrow night. If they can’t get me in so soon, I’m seeing Andy’s new place either way. It’d be better for Tom to take me there, plus they could meet, but our schedules clash. Tom has a set night schedule, Andy has a set day schedule, and my night schedule’s always different.

Andy’s gonna give me $70, plus a nice shirt and Andi’s (Andrea’s) tax thing that says she owes the IRS a little over $100.

I almost cried earlier, cuz I miss Gloria’s pictures that my mom just had to up and ditch. I think there’ll always be a bit of bitterness in me cuz of it. I don’t think I can ever fully forgive her for a stunt like that.

I have a few old and ugly pictures of me I no longer want. Also, some shitty drawings from when I first began. They’re ready for the next NPN envelope available.

I went back as far as journal 36 and counted all the taped-in pages of Bob’s envelopes or stuff I typed. There are 66, but there could be a few more in the earlier ones. Sure wish I could have Journal 1 to the current one all in different styles of print from the computer. Maybe someday.

Thursday, July 8, 1993

Yesterday morning I didn’t fall asleep till 10:30! I set my alarm for 4:30, but kept hitting the snooze till 7:30.

Andy didn’t get here till 10:30. He did not want me to see his place cuz he says it’s trashed. His brother sent his stereo so he’s got boxes all over. He loves his new place but says all the people who work there are incredibly rude. There’s a guy above him too, who has two little kids running around like crazy here and there. Especially on weekends. The office said they’d do whatever they could, even evict him if the problem continued. Then, a day later he said they said, “Well, we know him. He’s a good friend of ours.”

As if to say - fuck you. So he’s gonna have me call there and say I used to live there and I want their main office address to write in great things. Then, he’ll write in how he feels and sign it.

I’ve been having unfortunate vibes about him being unhappy there, despite how much he loves his apartment He says there are car alarms always going off, people always park in fire and handicapped lanes and blast their music.

He brought us stuff from McDonald’s as well as $70. He also gave me a gorgeous shirt. It’s of rayon-type material with bright neon colors streaking through a black background. He gave me 4 no-postage needed envelopes, a funny tax form thing, Andrea’s tax bill for $174, Stevie’s address and an address and phone number for two different things.

The same agency (Carefree Records) is looking for female models for CD covers, videos and whatever else. Also, a wealthy investor is looking for talent, (I guess that means singers).

I’m on call tomorrow, then I work the next 4 nights.

At 7:30 yesterday morning I left Stacey’s edits on the VV machine. At 9:00 Andy, Sarah and I were on the phone. Andy decided to call her and thank her for being a credit reference when he rented the CD player. Also, to see if she’d say anything.

Paula quit, but as Katrina (Paula’s replacement) answered, we could hear her and Judy saying, “That’s weird!”

It’s just our luck that Stacey’s on vacation this week. I’ll do it again next week and I’ll make it even better. The part where she says, “It’s our goal to provide you with the best service,” will be replaced with, “It’s our goal to provide you with nothing.” I know I have Nervous saying the word “nothing” around here somewhere. I’ll use him for that word.

Speaking of Nervo, I spoke to him last evening. He really does believe those nude computer prints are of me. I told him to expect The Beat, the tape, and letters, and I updated him on my life.

I laughed when he said he’d never waste his money on a computer, cuz all it is is a glorified typewriter.

Yeah, sure.

He said Linda moved to Kentucky and now he’s dating Crystal. From her telling me they’re just friends, and by the sound of her voice, I doubt they’re dating.

Andy agreed that my tan looks natural, but my feet are too white and the palms of my hands are too dark.

I gave him about 20 bars of soap, cuz I like gel soap better.

Later...

After I spoke to Nervous, I called Kim. She’s still having Bob problems. She was over at his place recently and he asked her if she’d make love to him. She told him she didn’t know whether to laugh or to kill him. She’s expecting a please-forgive-me letter any moment.

Why does she go see him? I know she only does once in a great while, but if she’s so fed up with him, why does she bother?

She and Alex aren’t always getting along. She says he’s quite emotional. She still hopes to get out here by the fall, but I’ll still have to see it to believe it.

Bob will never move out here. He’s the type to consider things out loud but never does them. I’ll tell him this in my next letter, cuz come on. Does he think I’m stupid? Shockingly, I’ve received no letters from him lately. Probably too depressed. Kim hasn’t sent the letter I wrote to him from “Nick.” She says she will this week from Vermont.

I still have to call the bank and get my picture taken one of these days.

I’m gonna get my period any minute. I’m sooooo bloated. My tits are killing me and I have slight cramps that tell me it’s on its way. I’ll have to cut the tampon cord at work. Fun, huh?

Later...

I just made popcorn and listened to music. I even sang a little. Soon I must take my meds.

I called Heather, who trimmed my bangs when I first got here. Her husband answered and I left my number. I need 2” trimmed. It hasn’t been trimmed in 9 months and the ends are very split. It’s getting a bit scraggly looking.

Tom gets in at 8:00 and I told him to call. Whether or not I’ll be up, who knows?

I realized something if I ever get a binding system. That is that there’s plenty of room on the sides of the paper after you print whatever on it to punch holes in, then put it in a 3-ring notebook. There’s a 2” margin on both sides, but you can adjust that too, however you want it.

God! I want a computer and a printer badly! Will I have my very own within a year? I sure hope so, but I don’t ever count on anything till it’s been done.

I owe only $55 this week in fees, but I sure hope I make great money Friday - Monday. I want to get the $100 paid to the office, the $89 to APS and $50 to Tom. I need groceries, too. I have to ask my dad about taxes. Lea tells the tax guy how much each girl made quarterly. I guess I must file at the end of the year. Does this mean I’ll owe money? Especially since all my money’s made in cash? If I end up owing, will it be a ton of money?

I’ve done 17 journals since I got here, but of course, it’s more like 13 or 14 cuz of large print, drawings and other odds and ends.

Andy also brought me 25 pages or so from a 100-page chain letter his friend Donna got. I sent 5 pages in a no-postage-necessary envelope and 20 to Nervo.

Boy, do I look really tan! Wish I got this stuff a long time ago. Well, I’ll never be white again, but I must get plastic gloves. I look as if I have a black person’s hands. Wouldn’t it just be wonderful, though, if this stuff was permanent and never faded? I’m even surprised the stuff’s stayed on this long.

I must go get my meds and make myself coffee which I haven’t had all day.

I’ll finish this journal in a little while, then begin with 41, the one with ballet slippers.

Later...

I just took my meds and had coffee. Just tried to call Tammy, too. It rang and rang and rang. Not even their machine came on. Where the hell are they? I wish they were on their way to see me. When in the hell will my family ever get out to see me? Will it be years? I hope not.

Later...

I am now listening to a tape of Nervous, Fran, and Andy and I’m putting it on Tom’s machine. Later I may do some editing. I’ve got tons of stuff to edit.

I set the alarm for 4:30, but I hit the snooze till 5:30, then I called into work. Everyone was there.

I spoke to Tom briefly at 6:00. He’s picking me up from work tomorrow. Then, we may come back here so I can get shit I don’t want to lug into work with me. I may stay over at his house Friday - Sunday night.

I briefly spoke to Andy and I watched TV.

For 3 days now I’ve been trying to reach Tammy, but there’s no answer. I called Mom (Dad was out playing cards). I said how much I miss everyone and she said that maybe she and Dad could come see me next spring or summer. Who knows when Tammy and the girls will ever get here?

Mom gave me the same story I get from her every year. She’s sending me old pictures. Yeah, right. Then, she said she was keeping pictures of me. She said something about sending me pictures of my apartment. Which apartment? I’ve only had 9. Then she said she was sending an envelope, then changed it to a package. I wish she’d send my Gloria pictures.

Friday, July 9, 1993

Well, I ended up looking through my journals, rather than editing. I left messages on Andy’s and Tom’s machines. I’m so fucking bored! I just don’t feel like editing right now. I feel like doing stuff on the computer and I wish Tom didn’t have such long hours and I wished Andy worked nights.

I hope I make good money over the next 4 nights at work. I must remember to bring Alyssa the skirt she says she’ll fix.

I never got a call back from Heather about trimming my hair. I’ll try again some other time. I know she just had a baby, so maybe she’s busy.

Guess I’ll go listen to music now, even though I’m in the mood to write. Days will go by when tons of shit happens, but I’m not in the mood to write. I’m in the mood now, but I’m all caught up and there’s nothing to write.

Today, since my stamps didn’t come, I only mailed the NPN envelopes. I mailed two plates in the name of “Rachel D” to Tom’s but of course, they’re for me.

Gloria’s Greatest Hits, along with her new all-Spanish album, Mi Tierra, wasn’t in the record club applications in the TV guide. Tammy asked me to send her some, so I used the name Kelly something and sent her some. Then there were 3 out of 4 NPN envelopes Andy gave me. One had part of that chain letter. One had an old, ugly picture and drawing. The other had phone numbers and addresses I copied into my phonebook. Here, I have about 6 envelopes to mail to Nervous. One has the tape of Andy and Laurie H. Also, there are letters to Fran, Mom and Dad, Scott and other stuff I can’t think of now. I sure hope my stamps come tomorrow and I still have to call the goddamn bank.

I’ll be at Tom’s for most of the next 4 days and I won’t be taking this journal. I’ll update it on the computer, copy it in and send it off to Fran, Nervous, or whoever the hell I want.

Later...

I am still wide awake and thinking of my pictures. God, do I miss them! I wish she really did keep them (of course out of spite) but she planned to send them within a year. I’m sure she really threw them out, though. I’ll never forgive her for that, let alone ever be able to forget. But, how great it’d be if I got a package that was large enough to hold them all, opened it up and there they were! Yeah, right. Dream on. First she said it was an envelope, then a package. Well, if I open my mailbox to see a regular envelope, I’ll know they’re not there. They’d be too big.

Many many years ago when I was into Charlie’s Angels, I supposedly got in big trouble. She said she ditched all my scrapbooks of them, but it turned out that she kept them. She only said that out of spite and to scare me and depress me.

Thursday, July 15, 1993

Well, today’s Linda’s birthday. I forget exactly how old she is.

Been through a lot of shit lately, and since I can’t sleep, I figured it’d be a good time to write.

Favors let me go last week, so I’m back in the same old shit again. Lea let me go saying business is slow. That’s true, but why the fuck did she hire me if she knew this? She said she was letting others go too, but I don’t know who.

So anyway, I still got my picture in The Beat and it was okay. I’ve sent copies to my parents, Tammy, Nervous, and Keri wanted a copy.

Backing up in order of events, well, I got that package of pictures. Tammy said she got one, too. Great. I wonder just how many other old and very ugly embarrassing pictures of me Ma has. They were mostly of my nieces. Some were of Mom and Dad and some old pitiful ones of me. I threw them in an NPN envelope. There were some various nature scenes and an old one at the beach. Dad was sitting at the beach all wet and sandy. Behind him, all holding pails, was me (at age 5), Andy, and what I think are my first cousins Lori and Lisa who are sisters. I also noticed this picture was torn in half. Must’ve been Andy’s parents, Larry or one of the many people they fought with.

She sent back my apartment pictures of 2001, but none with me. I’m gonna send them to Nervo.

Tomorrow night Andy’s taking me to audition at the Excalibur, and win or lose, I’m gonna see his place.

Tuesday, July 20, 1993

I have quite a bit of updating to do, so I’m gonna try to do it as quickly as I can cuz I have some letters to copy in.

I had a nice talk with Lisa yesterday as well as with Tammy. Tom was here when I called her and I said, “Guess what I did to Tom?”

Tammy goes, “Well, you didn’t have sex with him.”

No, but I rubbed a cotton ball all over the stubble on his face!

Tammy got the package but said 90% of the stuff no one could use.

Speaking of K.D. Lang, the other day at the pool she was amazingly calm.

Andy’s had some chats with Ellie, but I must remain quiet when on the 3-way otherwise she’ll hang up.

Dad was bitching at me over a call he got from a collection agency. I’d hung up on him for going off on me for various stupid reasons. Our credit is fucked up now for 7-10 years. For me, it doesn’t matter as I couldn’t afford a house anyway. Not with the business I’m in being so unpredictable. Plus, there are more bills and responsibilities.

Later...

I’m gonna call Andy back in 5 minutes. We called Andrea at work and next, he’s gonna call Stacey. He’ll thank her for giving him good references and I’ll edit what I can from that as well as put the other stuff on the machine there. Yesterday I recorded Tom saying the word “nothing.” I let her say, “Our goal is to provide you with,” then Tom filled it in with “nothing.”

Later...

Andy’s on the phone now talking to Ellie.

Andy briefly spoke to Stacey. It was pretty funny. At the end, Stacey said she was tied up. Andy asked if Judy untied her.

Andy’s been harassing Crystal a lot, so it turns out. I didn’t even know this. That’s Scott’s girlfriend and of course, it’ll piss him off.

Shortly after 9:00, I got a message from a detective asking me to call him but I doubt it was really a detective and I’m not calling anyone I don’t know.

Later...

In between phone calls, I’m going to write.

Keri has a copy of me in The Beat. She really liked it and she asked me for a copy. Andy said he thought about that and wondered why I don’t do anything. Well, I’m attracted to Keri and I’m pretty sure she’s attracted to me, but what can I do? People who work here aren’t allowed to mingle with tenants as far as I know. If I knew she was leaving I may speak up, but there’s nothing else I can do. Maybe if she did not work here and was single something would happen, but this is how it always is. This is why one of the reasons why more and more I realize I’m not a woman’s woman. Yes, I’m gay. That’ll never change, but I think whoever’s up there wants me with men. There’s a reason why they’re all I can get (other than butches). I was always taught that when you can’t get what you really want you should try for the next best thing.

With each day that goes by, I’m more and more comfortable and impressed with Tom. So far, the inside of him I like 100%. He’s a great person. Totally unlike your average person, let alone the average male. No lust whatsoever on the outside, but he has beautiful eyes. I won’t make any decisions overnight and he’s not pushing me in any direction either. He respects the fact that I’m not sure yet whether or not to settle. I may give it a little more time to continue seeing that I’ll never have lust, but every 1-2 years. Then, in time, perhaps he won’t be such a major settlement. He’s no Ron or even a Brenda. I feel so relaxed with him. I can totally be myself. He’s so calm and never tries to change me. He understands my fears and doubts, though, and knows I don’t want to get trapped in anything which may be hard to get out of. He knows I also believe that sex can kill a friendship. He agrees that’s true for most people, but I don’t think he believes that for us. He’s one of the very few guys I believe would never cheat on a woman, but he doesn’t want an open relationship.

I explained the DES to him and said I was too small for penetration. I asked if he could live without that. He said absolutely yes if he loved the woman, and there’s way more to sex than that.

Well, right now I don’t know what to do, but while I’m still young, I don’t want to waste my time waiting for lust to come around once a year or so. It may be time to settle, but I’ll never live with anyone, get married, or have kids.

I feel like I’ve known Tom forever, but a reality check says I’ve known him only two months. Maybe within a year, or by the end of ’93, I’ll settle. It will take time and guts. I’m not brave enough or ready yet, but I am determined to learn to settle (within reason). Never could I settle with just anyone.

Yesterday Tom and I went to the Excalibur. He waited outside. Not that he couldn’t handle me in only a G-string, cuz he’s seen me that way before, but he’s just not a bar person. He has some coworkers who go in there and his friend Wendy used to work there.

I’m gonna work Wed-Sat from 7 PM – 1 AM. I was gonna be Brandy, but someone has that name, so I’m back to Mystery.

Later...

Boy, this day’s getting better and better by the minute.

Well, true to my feelings, that guy was no detective. He left two dirty messages for Andy. They were funny, though. Before he called Andy, I sure got freaked out when there was a knock at my door. I didn’t move till I heard my door open, then, “Maintenance!” Bill changed my AC filter.

The guy that called Andy and I was associated with Crystal.

And now here’s more Keri news. I called to tell her I had several bottles of perfume to get rid of due to my allergies. I didn’t want to toss them out and she was the only one I could think of who may want them. I brought them to the office and she said, “Perfect timing.” She was very pleased and we chatted for nearly 10 minutes. She’s now promoted to manager. I said that she’d be a great friend if one of us left here. She wholeheartedly agreed. I also think she may be pregnant again, too.

She asked about work and stuff in general. She said, “Well, hopefully someone will see you in The Beat and say, we want her!”

Speaking of wild fantasies, it’d sure be nice if she called to say, “Now that I’m manager, your rent’s only $400.”

Even if we could be friends, who knows if we’d end up in bed?

Last week I spoke to Frances (Alyssa). She was bitching out her sister, but we did have a cool talk for over an hour. She did say she was bi as I figured.

Yesterday, Tom and I also went to a restaurant, got that blood work done, got my Theodur refill and got some groceries. I ran out of the Azmacort inhaler and am trying to do without it. So far, so good.

I’m making Tom a bracelet out of that flossy-like yarn as well as more edits and a few Bonnie Raitt songs he likes.

Kim left a message the other day and played me Bob’s message. He got his letter from Nick and was crying and bitching about it. Kim says maybe I can edit him, but it’s so muffled. I got a letter from him about it and I’ll mail it to Kim. Kim says she mailed me a letter, as well as one she got from Bob. I got two yesterday from Bob and guess who also wrote me? Fran! Can you believe it? Finally! He actually writes better than I thought, but he did have a few funny mistakes. I’ll soon copy it in as he wrote it.

I called Fran last night, then he called Nervo. He was in his mood and after cussing at he hung on silently for a while. Long enough to hear Tom whom I called. Tom finally got to talk to Fran. Fran also called his local crisis center where I complained about seeing cactuses and palm trees.

Later...

Shortly after I last wrote I got a call from my doctor’s office. My white blood cell count’s too high. Probably a urinary infection and my stomach’s been killing me and I’m very bloated. Tom came over, I played him the convos of Andrea and Stacey, went there, took a leak and came back. I must return to the vampire next week to see if there’s any change in my white blood cell count.

On my way up here, I met the couple who moved in next door. They said they moved in today, but I didn’t hear a thing. They’re a young couple, both good-looking, named Brian and Amanda. Amanda’s pretty good-looking. They sort of look like partiers, but I hope not. They look like the type to have lots of loud company and fights but I’ll try not to judge till I see. Current Location: Arizona

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redwing2000 · 2 years ago

Text

Sorry that I have whole week no new works. Whole Aug maybe just has Kiana reward only as this is end of Aug already…

This week is so busy for these things. Phone and Ram

Phone issue. As you see I use very outdated phone. It's no problem to me. As I don't use app. I don't need online at street too. But 2G services is terminated at end of Sep. You may said just cancel it or change the card to 3G / 4G is ok.

For prevent trouble. I just use my passed away mother phone number instead. This card sign up by my brother. Which is move to England already.

Either you change card or cancel this card. You need ask him to do that. Yea. This is the problem. He let me do everything for him. This almost wasted me whole week already.

Realtime here https://discord.com/channels/500692948497858570/674290382884044840/1144141998274658364

And… I also need to go bank to change all my contact number in this case. This is another day wasted.

this is the final summary. 1) A store customer service ask you call customer service 2) customer service ask you call another customer service 1 * 510 3) another customer service 1 * 510 ask you cal another of another customer service 1 # 21 4) another of another customer service ask you should call the owner. Tell him call them directly.

And this is business side heaven.

If this is insurance payment. If you don't pay. Terminate your insurance right now. If this is some fee. If you don't pay. We would assume you want our service. Keep the service until they give you Demand Letter for the arrears.

My crazy dad see me busy. So he give me more job make me more busy. I don't know how but I tutor 2 or 3 apps to him.

OK… That Friday already. You think everything is done? Right. This time PC betray me. Remember the last month. I change my PC. And Ram has problem (Happy Ram Ramble)

That "Kirito" Ram die soon I guess.

Let me said my ram as last 2 num ID 15 16 are fine. 19 are sub 20 is the Kirito

Now I guess my old PC is down maybe not board problem………. maybe that is RAM problem. Aww…. Properly not. I remember I testing plugging ram too actually.

I don't know the modern ram has so many error. But you still can run Windows. PC can boot liked it has no problem. But it wouldn't blue screen and shut down your PC or don't let your PC boot.

After you restart. You can play game for hours without problem again.

I discover the problem is the browser stop too often only. And the AI can't run seems something stop it loads. KKS HF patch can't installed.

Then Memtest. WOW.

20 ram has many errors. And after I update my BIOS. It become around 10000 errors even when it boot in 2133 mHz. So I guess this ram is no hope already. I need to ask warranty tomorrow. This maybe 2 more days wasted.

Real Time here https://discord.com/channels/500692948497858570/674290382884044840/1145157714377441341

It supposed to be checking 3600mHz memtest now. But it would waste whole day as once check need 5-6 hours. So I stopped it. I do that check when I sleep.

19 sub because. 19 can run smooth and has 0 error in 2133mHz. But when switch to 3600mHz. It usually make PC can't boot. It looks liked 15 16 hasn't this problem. Everytime 3600mHz can't boot > plug out 19 then it runs. That looks liked 19 has early issue liked 20. But currently 19 has no error during memTest ( 1.1hours in 3600mHz memtest already ; resume the full test tonight)

If you ask me why I'm so focus on 3600mHz. Becasue this ram is supposed to be 3600mHz. It's fine if it can smooth run in 3333mHz. Actually 20 RAM run smooth at 3333mHz at July and Aug. But today it's… too many errors. That make you think if keep using this ram would destory the PC.

先說抱歉，這個8月很大機會只有KIANA這作品而已。現在都已經8月末…

這周我完全沒時間工作，主要的是給電話和RAM問題纏繞。

先說電話，如你看到我用的電話是超老的。你問為什麼不轉？因為沒必要，我總是在家工作，平時出街都不需要上網。APP遊戲我亦不玩的。手機對我來說只是… 一些認證時必須才要保留而已。如果銀行連電話都不用，我就我最後的手機號碼都可以丟。

然後這種舊機2G服務在9月末就完結。你可以轉卡和取消這個服務。我是有2個手機號碼，另1個是亡母的號碼。我是打算用那個作日後的認證用算了。

問題來了，轉卡和取消都要本人。而登記人是我老哥 (已移民英國)。然後所有東西都推在我身上了，這下的工作差不多沒了1星期了。

實況在此 https://discord.com/channels/500692948497858570/674290382884044840/1144141998274658364

基本上就是華人最愛的踢皮球遊戲。那個CS就是在說

1 你在門市的CS叫你找CS聯絡 2 CS又叫你到另一個CS聯絡 3 另一個CS聯絡再叫你找另一個另一個CS聯絡 4 另一個另一個CS終於說你可以怎麼樣

然後隔天再打去

另一個另一個CS又說你要用EMAIL 來解約。

WOW

最後一提，因為另一個另一個CS要求要交到10月2日。所以我又要去門市。然後門市CS就是一句。

CS"這些事你要找CS聯絡"

你不就是CS了，怎麼我找完CS又叫我找CS聯絡。你們究竟有什麼用的？

其實還有一個問題是

如果這是保險單，你斷一個月交費立即和你中斷保單但一般收費，你斷一個月? 我自動幫你續期，續到3-4個月然後一次過出律師信要求賠償 :)

真的是商家天堂

我的瘋父親襯火打劫。明知我忙就添亂，我從來都不用APP，你要我裝你的中國APP？我連你的手機怎麼打字都不會…

好吧，星期五我以為可以安心坐下工作。PC來個大背刺。還記得上一個我換PC和RAM的問題嗎？

那條「桐人」RAM快掛了

這次我用ID(最後2位數)來說比較好 15 16是沒問題的 19 很可疑 20 就是「桐人」

或者我的舊PC不是底版問題，也可能是RAM了不過我有印象當時我有抽插過RAM…

我現在才知道現代的RAM死亡時，你的PC還可以用它的。WINDOW就好像什麼事都沒有正常啟動。並不會藍畫面，忽然閃退或連PC都開不動。

然後你有程式問題時，你只要RESTART又好像什麼事都沒有。

我是最近常看到BROWSER不自然沒RAM，AI開不到，KKS PATCH裝都不給你裝才知道是RAM有問題。

然後MEMTEST… WOW

20的ERROR又再來，然後我更新一下BIOS。20的ERROR接近上萬，即使用回2133mHz都是如此。我想這RAM沒救了，明天我還要打電話問保用問題，這應該又2天了。

實況在此 https://discord.com/channels/500692948497858570/674290382884044840/1145157714377441341

原定現在是在作3600mHz memtest，但1回memtest要花5-6小時。我還是把它改在我睡覺時才慢慢查。

19可疑是因為。19跑2133mHz是0 error。然而每回轉3600mHz，PC就很難啟動。每回很難啟動，都剛好拔掉19就能解決。這其實看起來和20的初期狀況很似，上月我不就說20很桐人，就只有它1條時才可以開機。而3600mHz memtest 1.1小時，19是沒問題的。不知道19有沒有事。

而且保用我也不知道是不是19 20要一拚給，畢竟19 20是同一盒RAM。

如果你問我為什麼那麼執著3600mHz。畢竟買了的RAM是3600mHz，正常人也不會用2133mHz來跑。如果你不去弄XMP，你買RAM時其實揀最低mHz的就行。一來便宜，二來高mHz的全都是要靠XMP / DOCP來推，如果你買了RAM一直都沒在BIOS改XMP / DOCP。你的RAM很大機會就是跑2133mHz。DDR5的原廠速度我就沒查過是多少了。

== 29 Aug Updated ==

19 20 RAM is traded. Now my PC can run 64GB ram in 3600mHz without error. So... if you a ram can't run the promoted speed. This ram properly going to dead...

I look back the history. The 20 ram is dead within a month ; properly 19 is going with it too as... it can't boot PC well in 3600mHz. It keeps can't boot and need to replug it till it can boot PC.

...

And the Phone issue not done yet.

#blog

0 notes

endlynshortstories · 2 years ago

Text

The Harwell's Secret

In the town of Ecley, a ship, The Halwell, had been docked for the last 30 years. No matter how hard people tried. The wheel didn't turn, the anchor could not be wound up no matter how many men pulled, and the sails stayed up as if they had been glued in place.

Most assumed it was cursed because its history was a dark one. It had been owned by a fearful pirate crew. For thirteen years, the crew sailed unopposed until that fateful day. The crew attempted to board an abandoned boat when they found it was simply bait to catch them. They ran as fast as they could but had made a wrong move, and with their backs to a mountain and three Navy ships bearing down on them, they knew they had been cornered.

At first, they had been captured, left in the brig of their ship as the Navy sailed the ship to the closest port town. They tried to break out a few times, but the ones who did were killed. With only half the crew left, they decided not to die anywhere but on their ship. With one final battle, on the night the ship had been docked in Ecley, they were all killed. All of them refused to give up till either their enemies were dead, or they were.

Since they couldn't move the ship, The Navy left it docked, offering the town a small amount to take up the dock, which the city happily accepted. It was only supposed to last for a few weeks, but then the original owner appeared.

He had proof that the pirates had stolen the Halwell from him, and so he took over the dock fees paying to keep it in place for all this time. But not anymore. The owner had run out of money to pay for it, so the town was planning to scrap it tomorrow.

But Salcaro couldn't let that happen. It was beat up and run down, but he still thought it was beautiful. He had talked to the owner and had raised the money over time, enough to buy the ship for himself. He didn't know what to do with it, but he couldn't let it die.

There were only a few problems left with the ship; His promise to the old owner, "If you manage to set sail…", he didn't know how to care for her, and he was the only member of his crew. The last two issues would take care of themselves.

~*~*~*~

Even from Salcaro's untrained eye it was obvious there was a lot of work that needed to be done. He had spent most of his money buying the Halwell but had some leftovers for some supplies. He decided to work on the ship’s deck first. He was only a beginner, so if he made a mistake there it wouldn't cause her problems while sailing.

He bought what he thought was most important and carried them to the ship himself. Since the Halwell still couldn't sail, Salcaro was lucky the docks let him work there with no problem.

While he was cutting the wood to replace a hole he saw on the deck, someone walked up to him.

“Captain... Captain... Captain…" he was too busy sawing to notice her at first, "Shipowner...Shipowner…” After a while, he thought she was trying to get someone else's attention, "Hey You!” she banged on the box between them.

He looked up suddenly when she did that, putting the saw down before standing up and brushing himself off “sorry, how may I help you?”

She gave him a bright smile, “could you do me a favor and sell me your ship for half price?”

His eyes went wide, “no way.“

She pouted at him for a moment. “I don't have that much money. Do you think you can manage with only 1/4 off?” she looked at him up through her lashes, fluttering them slightly.

He took a step away from her. “I think you misunderstood. I can't sell this ship. Like at all,” he shook his head rapidly.

“Come on, big guy. Little old me needs this.”

He crossed his arms. “I'm sorry I spent all my life savings on this ship." She opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off "It's too beautiful to part with.” when she just stared at him, he felt a bit bad for his tone, "sorry."

The two just watched each other for a moment before she nodded and sat on the box she had originally hit “that works even better. So what are we going to do with her Captain?”

He sighed, looking up at the ship. “I haven't thought about it yet... Wait, we?”

She smiled at him brightly, “I was just thinking since it's just the two of us, maybe merchants? I'm great at sales.” she gave him a wink.

He quickly waved his arms out in front of himself. She was going too fast for him, “wait, stop, weren't you just trying to buy it from me?”

She nodded her head, “that was because I thought you were some rando who bought her for a quick buck. Not that you cared about her too.” she looked up at the ship, “she might be beautiful to you, but she is important to me.”

“We need to sail away from here,” he said, looking through an eyeglass made of cardboard.

“And where are we sailing to?” the girl said with a laugh, quickly moving the wheel a little to the left. The two always snuck out at night once a week, imagining they were pirates sailing the sea.

“They’re catching up to us.” he said, looking at her with a big smile.

“Then pull down the sails, we need them more open to go faster,” she said, pointing at them. He nodded his head and ran to the deck pulling on the rope, both imagining as if the sails were being unfurled. After that, he ran back up and looked behind her.

“We did it.” he laughed before turning around and pulling her into a hug. She sighed and leaned against him.

“Oh,” His remark seemed to bring her out of whatever daydream she was having.

She turned to smile at him again, “I have some very important moments on the Halwell with a very important person.”

He frowned “wait, she's been blocked from the public for years."

She laughed, “you can't tell me you never snuck on her to imagine you were sailing her.”

“No!” that made her laugh harder.

“Well anyway, I’m Chesura. It will be good to work with you.” she held out her hand to him.

He sighed and accepted her handshake, “I’m Salcaro. Let’s work well together.”

~*~*~

With Chesura’s money, they hired some carpenters to repair the big damage in the hull. They had the carpenters focus on getting her sailing. It took them two weeks, and while there was still slight damage to it, they were now ready to sail.

Salcaro had just been walking back home from watching over the carpenters to make sure they didn't mess up when someone stepped his way and pointed at him. "Hey, you!"

Salcaro blinked at them. At least this one had been more forward about getting his attention, unlike Chesura. "Yes?" Salcaro might not be the most observant but he couldn’t mistake this one.

"When you set sail I want to be on that ship." The person said with an upright and proper position. Even though he was facing Salcaro, his eyes were looking at the sea.

He slammed the door as he walked into the house. The slam brought his parents to the main room, "why are my classes set up like that?" He shouted.

"It was the best classes we could find."

"Why did you pick them. I was excited to pick my own."

His dad crossed his arms "we knew you would pick the wrong ones."

"You can't choose my life for me."

"It's for the best," his mother said with a sigh, "we want to set you for life."

"Set me for life! With how rich you two are, I could take my money and leave with no financial problems."

"And what would you do?"

That made him falter, "well...I…"

"Oh are you thinking of following that stupid dream of yours" his mother shook her head "no one makes money from writing. You'll be better off if you listen to what we say."

"But-"

"But nothing." His father interrupted. "You're too young to know what you truly want. Once you finish your classes, you can give that writing" the last word coming out as a sound of disgust "and see how worthless it is. But we don't want you wasting this precious time to set up your life."

He couldn't fight against his parents no matter how much he wanted to. "You promise."

His father blinked at him, "what?"

"You promise once I finish my classes, I can go off and try being a writer, and you two won't complain."

His parents chuckled "fine. At least then you'll have a proper job when that dream fails."

"Fine" Salcaro's words made the man flinch. He looked back at Salcaro, his posture easing a little. Salcaro needed more crew than just him and Chesura anyways. "So, what ship work can you do?"

"You expect me to work?" he crossed his arms and managed to stand even a little bit straighter.

Salcaro frowned, "of course. We have so few people on the ship we would need it."

"Not happening. I'm much too important to work. You're lucky I'm willing to pay my way onto the ship."

Salcaro’s frown grew. They did need that money as Chesura’s was running low with all the work the ship needed. The two weren't sure they could buy the rest of the supplies. "If that is the case, why don't you just pay to go on a passenger ship?"

He waved Salcaro's suggestion away "I've been on those before. They have planned routes they must take. It doesn't allow you to see the world."

Salcaro sighed, "I can't make this decision on my own. Meet me tomorrow in front of the ship to talk to Chesura."

The man nodded and walked off without saying another word.

The morning came faster than Salcaro wanted, but he got up bright and early to spend another day watching the ship get repaired. He was the first one there like always, but he didn't mind, he liked the silence.

Eventually, Chesura ran up to him, and he explained the situation to her. "So he wants freedom?"

Salcaro nods "that seems to be his reason for choosing us rather than passenger ships."

Chesura frowned "he would be a pain to watch over, but we kind of need that money."

"That's what I thought." He said, looking back at the town to see if anyone was coming yet. He was eager to have the Halwell fixed as soon as possible.

"Would you be okay with him joining us?"

Salcaro thought about it for a moment, "we were planning to make a short trip to test her after the repairs. We could bring him along for that and then just leave him behind if we can't stand him."

Chesura laughed "Oh, that's a good idea. Alright, when he gets here, let me do the talking. Need to get as much money as possible out of him."

Salcaro sighed but nodded. Slightly worried about what person he had accepted as his first mate.

It wasn't until midday when the man eventually arrived, introducing himself as Bolirin. Salcaro introduced him to Chesura, who was more than happy to have a long conversation with him. Salcaro could see all her flirting from where he sat. And with the amount Bolirin agreed on, he knew it had worked.

~*~*~*~

With the money from Bolirin, they were able to get a bunch of supplies to sell at their destination as well as enough food for all three of them for their planned short trip. It wasn't going to be long, only a few days since they wanted to make sure it could sail before planning anything longer.

They were walking up to her as they talked, "we bought everything, but we don't even know if it can sail." Salcaro muttered.

"The carpenters told us it would," Chesura said.

"No, I mean. When she was first docked here after…" she nodded, he didn't really need to say it. "Nothing moved. Not the wheel, the sails, or the anchor."

Chesura frowned, "well, some things changed."

"Why do you say that?"

"The wheel moved when I used to play on the ship. We never went further than turning it, but if that moves, maybe everything else will?"

Salcaro sighed "I guess." As the two walked by the ship's bow Chesura noticed someone replacing a few pieces of wood close to the top of the hull. They had fashioned a seat out of another piece of wood and seemed to be humming to themselves.

Chesura watched them for a moment longer before commenting, "did one of the carpenters come back to do more work?"

“no?”

“Then who is that?” she pointed to the person they just passed and Salcaro frowned before walking back over.

Salcaro had to shout to get heard over the sound of the hammering “who are you!”

The person jumped and almost hit their finger before turning to see the two and smiling. “Oh hey, cap." They waved at the pair. "Sorry it's so early I was just so excited.” They smiled brightly.

“What? Who are you?” he crossed his arms, having to glare up at them.

“Oh, sorry, I'm Danoy”

“And what do you think you're doing?”

“fixing the ship, I know the others did most of the work, but you can't just leave these holes.” both just watched them swing for a moment “look, Captain, I can't let you work on this masterpiece. You might wreck it.”

They heard the door slam as their father entered the house. They watched from their room as their dad sat at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands.

"Daddy?" They shouted as they jumped off their bed and ran over to him.

Their dad gave them a tired smile as he held his arms out for Danoy to run into. "How was today?"

"It was good. I had a lot of fun. How about yours? Was yours a lot of fun?"

Their father sighed and hugged them tighter, "it's much better now that I got this great hug."

Danoy giggled before pulling away "what happened?"

Their father stood up and moved to the kitchen window. From it, you could see the dock, he pointed to the Halwell. "You see that ship."

"Yep"

"It's slowly getting destroyed, and no one seems to care. I've been asking the dock owners to let me care for it but just keep getting turned away."

"You'll fix it," Danoy said, bouncing in his arms.

Their father smiled, "if I won't maybe, you will someday."

Danoy's smile only grew, "we'll work on it together."

“and you're a master?” Salcaro's shout seemed to bring Danoy back to reality.

They looked at their hammer that was old and worn, “well no…" the grip on their hammer tightened, "but I have more knowledge than you.”

“But I can't pay you,” Salcaro muttered.

“A little bit of a bummer but that's fine, just take me with you. I can't let this be destroyed.” they patted the Halwell lightly, avoiding the hole they had been fixing.

Figuring he couldn't really argue, Salcaro nodded his head. Danoy smiled before turning back to their work, going back to humming almost right away.

“That is the third person to love the ship. I wonder if they're more,” Chesura said as they headed to the ramp onto the ship. Today they had to load their supplies on since it was delivered early in the morning.

“Obviously, you aren't the only ones to grow up with that ship sitting pretty at the dock.” They both turned to see a man walking out between the boxes with a clipboard in hand.

“Who are you?” Salcaro muttered, not even surprised another person was there.

“Maromu. I assume Danoy asked to come along with you?” both nodded. “I thought so. I have arranged for extra food to arrive later today. Paid for by me, looking over what you bought previously, it should be enough for whatever journey you are planning."

“and who are you?”

"The name is Maromu. I already said that.”

"...and do you also love that ship?” Chesura asked, looking him over quickly.

“ No matter where Danoy goes, so do I.”

When Maromu left the building with his certificate, Danoy was waiting for him with a smile. "You did it." Immediately Danoy pulled him into a hug.

Maromu sighed and sank into it, making sure not to crush the certificate. "Wouldn't have without your support."

Danoy laughed, "what are you talking about? It's all thanks to that big brain." They kissed him on the top of the head, and Maromu laughed.

After enjoying the hug for a bit, the two broke apart before heading to a spot Danoy had prepared for a celebration picnic.

The two were eating and enjoying the sunset when Danoy spoke up again. "So where are you planning to go?"

Maromu looked at them, "what are you talking about?"

Danoy sighed and leaned back, "well, your skills would be wasted if you stay here."

"So that means I need to leave town?"

Danoy turned to smile at Maromu, "the world needs you."

"Don't you love me anymore?"

Danoy's eyes went wide, "of course, I still love you. Why would you ask that?"

Maromu nodded, "so then I won't be going anywhere."

Danoy's eyes went wide, "what!"

"I'm going to stay with you."

"Why?" Danoy looked down at the dock where the Halwell was, "I can't even leave because of my promise to my father. Why tie yourself down to me."

Maromu leaned over and grabbed Danoy's hand, "because I love you." He gave them a smile.

Salcaro frowned, "you'll leave town because Danoy decided to sail with us?" Maromu loosened his grip on his clipboard where he had been looking.

Maromu looked at him carefully, "I loved them enough to stay. Leaving isn't any harder. I don't want to be away from them." He had a small smile as they looked off to where Danoy was working before looking back at Salcaro.

Salcaro looked over at Chesura who was frowning "alright. We'll go plan out where stuff is going to go okay?"

Maromu nodded and went back to his clipboard while Salcaro led Chesura into the ship. "You okay?"

Chesura sighed, "I'll be fine. He left a few years ago now. And hey, I might see him while we travel." She gave a smile, but he could tell it didn't reach her eyes.

"Why did he leave?"

Chesura leaned against the wall, "His talents would be wasted here. Just...he didn't take me."

"I'm sorry," Salcaro muttered, touching her shoulder lightly.

Chesura gave him a small smile, but it was better than the one before. "What are you sorry about? You didn't do anything." Her smile grew even bigger. "If we do meet him, I just have to make him beg for forgiveness for leaving me." Salcaro sighed. For the guys' sake, he hoped they wouldn't meet up.

~*~*~

It was finally the day before they would take their first voyage. The last thing they needed to do was clean the rooms of the old crew. No one was looking forward to it, having avoided them as much as possible with the repairs. They had demanded the carpenters leave those walls alone, as well as not to enter those rooms.

Salcaro was there first, like always. He sat on a box looking at the Halwell, waiting for the others to arrive. They had agreed to do this together.

“I see you got your crew together.” Salcaro looked over his shoulder to see Alraslo standing there, leaning on his cane.

“Yeah,” Salcaro said slowly, standing up from the box and turning fully towards him. He knew what was coming but didn’t want to hear it.

“And you're going out on your first voyage tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Salcaro shook his head. Maybe he could convey his feelings without saying them.

“And you remember your promise when I let you buy the ship?”

That made him pause, he didn’t really want to answer that one, “yeah.”

Alrasio glared at him, “What was it?”

“When we set sail, you want to come along but…” Salcaro tried, but Alraslo interrupted him with a laugh.

“Don't want the old guy to spoil the fun? Don't worry, you'll barely notice me.”

“No that isn't it-”

“If you're going back on your deal-” Alraslo took a step forward, the clack of his cane sounding extra loud.

He took a step back, almost falling off the dock, “it's too dangerous.”

“I've been on the seas before, lad, unlike your crew. If anyone knows the dangers, it's me” he said with a frown.

“I know, but if you died because of me-”

“Do any of you know how to navigate?”

Salcaro frowned, "I learn some-"

"Enough for a small voyage for sure, but what about once you take longer ones? Once you're fully out on the ocean, you can't just follow coastlines."

"Well...I can learn."

"From who?" Alraslo watched him carefully. When Salcaro said nothing he nodded. “I thought so. I have sailed with a few tough Crews. You need me if you don't want to die.”

Salcaro sighed. Alraslo had him there. He only had one chance left, "only if the crew agrees."

"What?"

"I can't accept you if the crew doesn't agree."

Alraslo took a step forward "you going back on your word?"

Salcaro wanted to step back, but doing so would send him into the water. "I made that deal thinking it would just be me and some hired people. Now that I have people that chose to be on the crew they get to choose who they sail with." Salcaro bit his lip. Alraslo might be old, but that didn't mean he was weak. The two stared at each other for a while before Alraslo sighed.

"Fine, if your crew doesn't agree, I'll figure out a way to change our deal." Alraslo muttered. Salcaro sighed and went back to pacing in front of the ramp to the ship, trying to figure out how he would explain it to the crew.

Chesura was the first to arrive that morning. She practically skipped up to Salcaro, "here first as always." She said with a smile before noticing Alraslo, "who are you?"

Before Salcaro could say anything Alraslo spoke up "I'm the ship’s navigator" he said with his head held high.

"If the crew agrees," Salcaro said quickly. He didn't want Chesura to think she didn't have a choice. Chesura shrugged before moving to sit on the end of the dock, eager for the others to arrive. Salcaro went back to his pacing.

Danoy and Maromu arrived together walking up to the three holding hands. However, Danoy was pulling Maromu, who had a small smile. That smile fell when he noticed Alraslo, "who's that?" He waved at Alraslo with his free hand.

"The ship's navigator," Alraslo and Chesura said together, Chesura not even bothering to turn towards them.

"Only if the crew is okay with him." Salcaro muttered. Maromu looked at him, then to Danoy, who was staring at the ship.

Maromu rolled his eyes and pulled Danoy out of the way as they waited for their last crew member. Whispering to them to fill them in on what they probably didn’t hear.

When Bolirin arrived, he looked among the crew members he had already met, having met Maromu and Danoy when he came to check when they were leaving, when his eyes landed on the only one he didn't know. "Who-"

"The ship's navigator" everyone but Salcaro and Alraslo interrupted him. Alraslo smirked at Salcaro. who didn't even bother repeating himself. Everyone had decided it seemed.

With the crew all assembled, they made their way onto the boat and to the section that held the rooms. The boat had obviously been specially made as there wasn't a captain's quarters. Instead, there were a bunch of rooms all the same size. Each door had a different letter carved into it.

Before anyone could move, Alraslo walked over the door with an N on it, entering without another word and closing the door. "Why does he get to pick first?" Bolirin muttered.

"Because he used to own this ship. If he didn't sell it to Salcaro, none of us would be here." Chesura said, looking at the doors. "Looks like the pirates labeled them. Want to follow that?"

"I doubt there is an accountant," Maromu muttered.

"And it might be too far from mine," Danoy said, squeezing Maromu's hand tighter.

"I don't have a job," Bolirin said, looking along the rooms.

Chesura sighed. She pushed Salcaro to the door marked with a C which was the first room on the left, and to the right of the room Alraslo entered. She then stood in front of the door with an F which was the first one on the right side. "We'll take these two. You three pick wherever you feel fits best."

Bolirin went off to pick the one next to Chesura, this door marked with an M, but Danoy raised his free hand, "what if one room isn't big enough? Could I take a wall down between the two of them?"

Chesura looked over to Salcaro, who shrugged, "as long as it doesn't affect the ship, it should be fine." Danoy nodded and moved to pick the room to the left of the one Alraslo entered, marked with an Ca, with Maromu picking the one next to it, marked with a Ch. However, they all knew the two wouldn't have separate rooms for long.

Salcaro entered his new room and looked around. The room was musty and covered in dust, but there were still things left by the previous captain. He looked around the room and found a small chest hidden in one of the corners. He wiped it off carefully before opening it to see it was half empty. With the same amount of care, he took everything that belonged to the past Captain and placed it into the chest. Once he was done, he closed it again and put it back where he found it, placing a cloth over it.

Once that was done, he was more willing to go through and throw out everything else. While the furniture like the bed frame and desk could stay, everything else was gone. They had enough leftover from Bolirin's money to pay for a new mattress for everyone, and that would be done later today.

With the rooms now picked and set up, their plans to set sail on their small voyage were all ready. They met again the next morning and started sailing.

It wasn't easy with all of them new to their new jobs, but they slowly were figuring it out. Since Maromu had nothing to do while sailing, he agreed to be the crew chef and spent the first day cleaning the kitchen area. They also found a job for Bolirin when Danoy was sitting on some boxes on the deck holding a cloth to a cut in their arm.

Bolirin walked up to them with a frown, "what did you do?" He had spent a lot of time looking around the full ship their first day, and this was the first time most of them had seen him above deck that day.

Danoy smiled at him. "Oh, I just cut myself while removing wood from our room. Don't worry about it, it will be fine…" he removed the cloth to see the wound was still bleeding and replaced it "...soon."

Bolirin's frown only deepened "wait here."

"I wasn't planni-" but before Danoy could even finish, Bolirin was walking away, heading to the room area. He was only gone for a little while, but when he came back, he had a bag. "What is-"

"Let me see it." Danoy nodded and held out their arm for Bolirin to look at the wound. Bolirin pulled out supplies from his bag and started to clean it. Once he was done, he wrapped it before packing his bag away.

Chesura came over to watch Bolirin while he worked. Once he was done, she pointed to the bag "why do you have that?"

Bolirin frowned, "my parents forced me to learn medicine." He looked at the bag "despite wanting to, it seems I brought it with me."

Chesura smiled brightly, "that's it. You can be the ship's medic."

Bolirin crossed his arms "why would I need to work? I paid to be on this ship."

Chesura nodded "yes, that was for a one-way trip to our destination."

"One way? The amount I spent could have paid for ten people on a passenger ship."

Chesura frowned, "well, of course ours was more expensive. We have to protect you, and this is a historical ship." She rubbed the railing for a moment before turning with a smile, "but if you become the ship's medic, you don't have to pay anymore." Bolirin was silent and she fluttered her eyelashes at him "please?" Bolirin blushed but nodded slowly. Chesura cheered, Danoy joining in even though they didn't know fully what was going on.

The first trip was slow going but went smoothly. The crew was small, but then so was the ship, and when it got really hard for them to handle, Chesura could convince Bolirin to help out.

The few holes that needed to be fixed were found by Bolirin's wandering Danoy taking care of them right away. When they weren't fixing the ship, they spent their time in the kitchen bothering Maromu to try and get little tastes before they all ate. To make up for it, Maromu made them do part of the cleaning.

They got to the new town and sold their stuff right away. Chesura had a strong handle on sales, and with Maromu keeping track of their numbers, they were able to make a little extra when supplies were low. They planned out their next trip and bought the supplies. The profit was split between the entire crew. Bolirin hadn't been expecting to get money as well but was happily surprised to receive some.

~*~*~*~

Salcaro laid down for the night. The long voyage had been going well so far. Everyone was getting along and slowly learning how to do their jobs. And the ship was still going strong, all the repairs holding out even as they got into the deep ocean.

They had been sailing for a week so far and had no other ships or land in sight. They had anchored the ship, and most of them were sleeping besides Alraslo, who had announced he would keep watch. No amount of arguing from the crew could dissuade him.

It seemed like only a moment of closing his eyes before Salcaro felt a cold hand wrap around his arm and fling him from the bed. He crashed into the wall with a cry of pain, when he opened his eyes he saw a ghost standing over his bed.

The ghost was strong-looking but had tattered clothes. The thing that stood out most to Salcaro was that it wore a big hat. In all of his research, the only one allowed to wear one on the ship was the captain.

The captain floated towards him with a glare. "What?" Was all Salcaro could get out before the captain grabbed the back of his shirt and started to drag him from the room.

Once they made it onto the deck, he was thrown into a pile of the others as ghosts surrounded them on all sides. "Salcaro!" Chesura shouted as he tried to orientate himself.

Thanks to the full moon, it was very bright. All the ghosts seemed to shine because of it. He looked to see most of his crew now behind him. He noticed a girl he didn't recognize in the group but was more relieved to see Alraslo wasn't there. Salcaro was slightly glad that whatever was going to happen to them, Alraslo would be safe from it.

"Why are you on my ship?" The Captain asked, floating a little above the ring of ghosts looking down at the group with a glare.

The fear Salcaro felt surrounded as his crew was, made him forget for a moment why they were even there, "I...I bought this ship. So it's mine."

The captain's glare seemed to get even sharper, "you didn't buy it from me." The captain started to float towards the wheel of the ship "now what to do with you all?"

Salcaro heard the sound of the anchor being raised and watched as the captain turned the wheel sharply left. Salcaro’s eyes went wide "wait!" He said, reaching out with his hand. It passed through the ghost standing in front of him, and he was surprised by the sudden cold.

Captain turned to him "you dare to-"

But Salcaro cut him off "if you go that way the ship will crash."

"What?"

"There are some rocks that are just under the water. We avoided them today. You probably hate us, but I can't let you kill this ship. It's too beautiful."

The captain was silent but Salcaro breathed a sigh of relief when he turned the wheel all the way to the right. There hadn't been any hidden rocks that way. Though he gasped when the captain spoke again, "you may live. The others die."

"No!" Before Salcaro could do anything, the ghost in front of him grabbed his stretched-out arm and threw him towards the rooms. He turned to face the group but could do nothing as he watched his crew separated.

Chesura had now taken the position he was in, placing herself in front of the crew with her arms outstretched. It didn't do much good for her when two ghosts just grabbed both her arms, practically lifting her off her feet with how tall they were compared to her, to pull her towards the side of the deck.

The unknown girl stood to the left of the group. When the ghost was heading towards her, she curled into herself, covering her head with her hands. One ghost grabbed both her arms to drag her to the side, she planted her feet, but the ghost just pulled her harder.

Danoy and Maromu we're to the right, holding onto each other tightly, two ghosts walking towards them. A ghost grabbed each of them and tried to pull them apart. Slowly they were pulled from each other but kept hold of each other's hand. The ghost eventually gave up and just pushed Maromu into Danoy, sending them both into the railing. Danoy hugged Maromu close once again, putting his head into their chest. The two ghosts stepped closer to them.

As each person was pulled from the group, Bolirin moved back, allowing a wall of three ghosts to separate him from the others. He kept walking backward until his back hit the mass. He looked up at it as if surprised it was there before quickly grabbing one of the ropes tied to it. The three ghosts that had walked up to him reached out for him.

Somehow in all of the confusion, the clacking of Alraslo's cane was louder than anything for Salcaro. Salcaro's attention was pulled from the crew when he realized the clacking was getting louder and from behind him. He turned to tell him to get out of here, but it died on his lips when he saw Alraslo.

He was slowly walking down the hall, his jaw set, the feeling of bloodlust rolling off of him. Salcaro didn't know what would happen when he reached the deck but didn't want to be around for it. He scooted back, but once he felt cold he stopped knowing a ghost was behind him.

As soon as he stepped onto the deck though, everything seemed to go quiet. The ghosts all turned to look at Alraslo and seemed to freeze. He looked around the deck, slowly giving each ghost a once over with a glare. He noticed the ship was sailing and turned to the wheel, his mouth open to say something. When he saw the captain was the one steering, another word seemed to ripe out of him. "Kanibon?"

In all of his research about the pirates that owned this ship 30 years ago, Salcaro never found a single name, descriptions of what they looked like and habits they had were easy. There had been a few journals printed a few years after their death. But even in those, every single name had been scratched out. Salcaro had assumed it was to erase them from history. But with how Kanibon flinched, it was obvious that was his own.

Kanibon let go of the wheel and floated down in front of Alraslo, looking him over. Alraslo seemed to stand a bit straighter under the watchful eye. "Alraslo? You survived."

Alraslo nodded quickly, “thanks to your sacrifice.” he quickly glared at Kanibon, “not that I wanted to be pushed off the boat when you all were captured,” he muttered.

Kanibon shook his head then frowned at him, “you should have lived a happy and long life then.”

Alraslo sighed and moved to the edge of the deck. Where he went, ghosts parted, “I did. I spent years watching over her,” he said as he rubbed the railing. “as I worked on the dock helping soldiers and sailors alike.”

“Then why are you here?” Kanibon muttered.

Alraslo was silent for a moment looking out over the ocean, “after floating for a while I washed up in a small town. While healing up from almost drowning, I heard about what happened to all of you and the ship. Right then, I decided if she sailed again, I would be on her. I got to town and forged papers to claim you stole her from me. Got a job so I could keep her docked safely.”

“But you sold her?” Kanibon said.

Alraslo nodded, “I was being fired and heard them talking about scraping her to pay off my debts.” he chuckled before turning to look Salcaro in the eyes. “You have the same look as Kanibon did when you looked at the Halwell," He looked at the railing again. "Until you came along, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't let her be scrapped, but I couldn't care for her myself either."

Kanibon nodded his head "yes, that one I approved of."

Alraslo chuckled before looking at the rest of the group still held by the ghosts. No one had moved since the two started talking. When his eyes landed on the unknown girl, he smiled. As he walked over to her, the ghosts parted once again. When he was in front of her, he looked at the ghost holding her and she was let go. Alraslo patted her head, her shaking subsided a little.

He turned back to everyone. When he did she hid behind him grabbing onto his shirt tightly. He looked Kanibon in the eyes. "Could you approve them for me? They may not be up to your level, but they're good kids and are willing to learn."

Kanibon watched him for a moment before nodding, he looked among the ghost and crew. “If Alraslo gives his approval, then we can't argue." With that, all the crew were let go, Chesura stumbling when she landed. "Since our work is done we'll leave."

"Wait!" everyone turned to look at Salcaro. He shifted for a moment before taking a breath, "can you come out often?"

Kanibon pointed to the moon overhead. "We have more power when the moon is full. Which is why we attacked you tonight. We can't touch people besides when the full moon is out but can touch objects and interact with them every night but the new moon." Kanibon looked around to see his ghost crew moving to their favorite spots and the Salcaro’s crew watching them carefully "why?"

"I was hoping you all could teach us. We're all new at this, as Alraslo said."

"What!" If anyone hadn't been watching, Chesura's shout would have drawn their attention. "They tried to kill us and you want them to teach us."

Salcaro patted her shoulder lightly, "They know more than us. Any help wouldn't be a bad thing."

Before Chesura could reply, Kanibon spoke up " and why haven't you let Alraslo teach you?"

"They won't let me, Captain. They think I should relax while we're on the ship, and I hate it. How am I supposed to relax when I see them making beginner mistakes?"

Salcaro turned towards him, "I just don't want you to overwork yourself."

Alraslo shook his head "teaching a bunch of newbies ain't going to overwork me," he waved to the girl who was still hiding behind him, "I've been teaching this one just fine."

Salcaro frowned "I've been wondering who that was."

Alraslo smiled "yeah, I found her in my room the day we cleaned the rooms out."

"what!" This time Chesura shout was directed at Alraslo.

Alraslo sighed as he stepped onto the ship, the familiar sway under his feet was something he could never forget. Once the group got to the rooms, he moved quickly, he wouldn't let someone else take the room given to him by Kanibon. He heard them talking behind him but ignored it as he closed the door.

Once he was inside, he sighed once again. His eyes swept the room only to find a girl standing in the darker part of the room. He frowned. "Who are you?"

"I-i'm sorry." She muttered.

When she didn't say anymore, Alraslo took a step closer to her. She took one back. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I thought this room would be safe to hide in. I hadn't heard they had a navigator, so I didn't think anyone would pick this room."

"The rest of the crew didn't know about me till this morning." He wanted to move closer to her but knew she would only move more into the corner. He instead decided to sit on the bed. "We aren't leaving until tomorrow."

She nodded her head quickly, "I know. But I didn't know when tomorrow. So I felt sneaking on today would be my safest bet." She fidgeted for a moment "i-i can sneak off tonight. The rest of the crew won't even know I was here." She looked down at her feet.

Alraslo frowned "why did you sneak on anyways?" When she didn't say anything, he got up and moved closer to her. She tried to move back but bumped into the wall and started to shake. Once he was in striking distance, his grip on his cane tightened. He could see the bruise that was forming on her cheek as well as the black eye that had been hidden by the darkness of the corner. He didn't know who had done that to her but assumed there was more.

She closed her eyes tight when he stood right in front of her and flinched when he placed his hand on her head. When all he did was rub it, she looked up at him carefully. "I don't know who you're running from, but I'll help you get away."

"Really?" She whispered.

He nodded, "it will be easier for you to hide on the ship with us working together anyways." She watched him for a moment before tears streamed down her cheeks, and she pulled him into a tight hug. He rubbed her back as she let out all the tears she had.

Kanibon nodded his head, "ah, a stowaway like you."

Alraslo chuckled, "that's why I convinced her to stay after the short trip. If I just wanted to get her away from whatever, I would have set her up in the town we were just at." He looked back at her to see she wasn't shaking anymore "you should come out and introduce yourself."

She moved from behind him but kept a hold on his arm. "I'm Saycalin. I've been learning how to navigate and deal with the sails." She looked at Alraslo quickly, then back at the group "I'm sorry I stowed away on your ship."

Maromu frowned "but we haven't been low on food even though we've been feeding an extra mouth," since he was making the food, he knew exactly how much they used.

Alraslo shook his head "I've just been giving her half my food. That's why I have been eating in my room."

"then you should have just told me about her instead of going hungry!" Maromu shouted. Danoy pulled him into a hug, and Maromu sighed, "do we even have enough food for her on this trip?" He muttered.

Alraslo nodded "oh yeah, I bought double of what you suggested. I was trying to figure out some way to tell you all, but I was waiting till we were fully on the sea since you all didn't seem like you were the type to kill stowaways."

Everyone frowned at the notion, and Saycalin shifted, "sorry for the trouble." She brought her hand up to bite at her thumb.

Salcaro shook his head, "we needed more hands to help sail anyways."

~*~

With the ghost pirates now teaching the merchant crew, they learned how to run the Halwell faster than ever. It was weird for the crew at first. They would be tying a rope down when suddenly a whispered “not like that.” would come from nowhere. The whispered voice would then inform them how to tie it right.

Most of the crew couldn't always tell which ghost they were talking to but knew where specific ghosts spent their time. Like Kanibon who stayed near the wheel, and Cholaven, the pirates' lookout. She never left the crow's nest, not even on the night they had first attacked.

The exceptions to this were Alraslo, who had known them long enough to recognize their voice even as a whisper. The other was Bolirin. After they met the ghosts, he took whatever chance he could to talk to them since he didn't work unless people were hurt, which gave him a lot of chances.

He spent the days talking to them and writing down their stories or information they wanted him to. His room had a slowly growing pile of filled books. When he wasn't talking to them he found any secrets the pirates told him about and showed them to the crew.

Saycalin was slowly getting used to the crew too. The first few days, she spend any time not around Alraslo in the crow's nest. Which is how the crew found out about Cholaven. The two seemed to hit it off thanks to similar situations. Saycalin informed the crew that after Bolirin wrote down Cholaven's story, she had demanded only Saycalin was allowed up there. The crew, seeing the after-effects of whatever she had left behind, agreed.

After a few weeks, she stopped cowering every time they yelled or flinching when they raised their hand. She was still doing it every once in a while, but it got less and less with time. The crew assumed it was the time away from them and in the company of Cholaven that helped the most.

After the one attack, most of the trip was uneventful. They even made more money than they were expecting. Some bought supplies, like Bolirin bought more empty books, or Saycalin who bought a wide-brimmed hat to keep herself from getting burned.

The rest of the crew saved their money having most of what they needed though they all pooled their money together to get better food to cook. Maromu complained at first, but when Chesura offered to help, he agreed.

They spent a week in town slowly selling off their stock and trying to figure out what to buy to sell at their next destination. Salcaro and Chesura entered a jewelry store to see if there was anything worth it when they heard a gasp. They turned to the man standing at the counter, and Chesura frowned.

"Chesura, is that you? What are you doing out of Ecley?"

Salcaro looked him over. He didn't look that impressive. Chesura looked up to the roof as if counting something. Since she wasn't going to say anything Salcaro spoke up instead. "Do you know her?"

"Do I know her? Of course I do. I'm Lugarow."

That name meant nothing to Salcaro. Chesura didn't talk much about her past. She turned to look at Lugarow with a big smile. "I'm sorry it's been so long I forgot who you were till you said your name."

He frowned, "how could you forget? We were childhood friends." That made it click for Salcaro who this was. He took a step back not wanting to get in her way.

"Yes, but it's been so long." She leaned on the counter he was standing behind. "Actually mentioning our childhood, I'm sailing on the Halwell you know?"

"Yeah right."

"No, it's the truth. Isn't it captain?"

Salcaro blinked, being suddenly brought into the conversation. "Yep, I bought it from the old owner."

Lugarow seemed to straighten at that. "Prove it."

Chesura frowned and looked over at Salcaro, "can I bring him on the ship? Once he sees it, he'll know it's the real thing."

Salcaro shrugged, "I don't see why not."

"Great," she turned to look back at Lugarow, "come by tonight, okay? We're busy till then." He nodded and the two left the building.

"What are you planning?"

Chesura gave him a smile but it didn't reassure him, "what do you mean?"

"No one but us is going to be on the ship tonight." They took shifts to keep the ship safe, the rest slept at an inn.

"Don't worry about it. Also don't come back to the ship right after dinner okay?"

Salcaro sighed as he nodded his head watching as Chesura ran off with a wave heading in the direction of the docks.

~*~*~

Lugarow stood in front of the ramp leading up to the Halwell. He couldn't believe it was really here, that it was really sailing. "Chesura?" He called out.

"In here," a soft voice said from the ship. He could tell it was a women's voice but nothing else.

"Chesura? Is that you?" He started to walk up the ramp and onto the Halwell. Since he had been allowed by the captain he wasn't worried about getting into trouble. When his feet reached the deck, he was only met by silence.

He looked around, and old memories of playing with Chesura came back to him. He gave a small smile as he looked down the hall or rooms, remembering hide and seek they used to play, even if there were only two of them.

He started to walk towards them when the wheel creaking drew his attention. Instead, he walked over to it and looked out at the boat in front of him, a little lost in his memories.

He grabbed the wheel lightly and was about to turn it when a voice spoke up, "what are you doing on my ship." He looked to his right to say something but the words never came as he saw Kanibon floating there glaring at him.

"I….I….I have permission." He said but let go of the wheel, taking a step away from Kanibon.

Kanibon followed, "and when did I give permission?"

"The captain….the captain gave me permission." He said quickly, doing his best to slowly move back down to the deck. But with every step he took, Kanibon floated closer.

"I'm the captain." He growled. Once he hit the deck Lugarow moved a bit quicker to try and get off the ship. He took a moment to look in front of him only to find another imposing ghost blocking the ramp.

"I must have got the wrong ship." He said, backing away from the new ghost. He moved closer to the rooms knowing there were places he might be able to hide. "If you want I can leave now if you would ju-"

Kanibon interrupts him with a laugh, "no one leaves once they step aboard." Now two ghosts were heading towards him. He took a step back when suddenly a bunch of hands grabbed him from behind. He gasped and tried to pull away, but they held tight.

Suddenly he heard someone running up the ramp. Once she stepped on deck, he could breathe a sigh of relief as Chesura stood there breathing hard. "Chesura, save me." He shouted, drawing her attention to him and the ghosts' attention to her.

She glared at him, "why did you walk on the ship without me."

He frowned, was this really the time "you said you would prove it."

"I would have, but we need to ask before letting anyone on." She waved at the ghosts between them.

Kanibon stood between them, "so you were the one that broke the rule." It was a statement, not a question.

"No. He di-"

Kanibon interrupted her, "you know the rules. Either you let us have him or give yourself up for him."

"What but-"

"Chesura, please." She looked at him for a moment, then back to Kanibon who took a step closer.

With a quick shake of her head and a quiet, "I'm sorry." She ran down the ramp again, leaving him to the cold hands that gripped him.

He watched her retreating back with mouth open before he was suddenly pulled back farther and farther down the hall, farther and farther from the light. He fought against the cold hands that grabbed him when suddenly he was free. He ran down the hall and almost fully crashed into the mass, thinking it would take longer than ever to reach it. He looked to his right to see the city and his freedom and ran, not even bothering to look around as he moved. His feet hit the solid ground, and he only ran faster, trying to get away from that haunted ship as fast as he could.

Chesura burst out laughing as she watched Lugarow run from the dock. With how he was acting, she doubted he even knew she was standing right there with Salcaro.

Salcaro frowned up at the ship, "how did you convince them to do that?"

"These guys love scaring people. Plus, they get a new story to tell Alraslo." She said between her laughter. She was laughing so hard her stomach was starting to hurt.

He looked down at her as they started to die down, "Feel better?"

She sighed as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I felt better a while ago. This was just a bonus."

"Oh?"

She nodded as they walked up the ramp, "I realized that it wasn't him that made those moments so wonderful. But the offer of freedom the Halwell had. He just got that freedom before me." She said with a shrug.

Salcaro nodded, "but now you have even more freedom than him."

She chuckled, "yeah I win in the end" she pumped her fists into the air and Salcaro laughed. The two walked up the ramp to the cheers of the pirates.

~*~*~

They left that town behind with rumors that their ship was haunted. Since it didn't affect sales and was true, they didn't bother correcting it. Though Chesura did her best to avoid Lugarow the rest of the time they were in town. But with him avoiding the docks, it was easy enough.

They had set sail easily with all that they had learned. They had sailed for a few days when they were met with trouble.

Saycalin was the first one to alert them that a ship was coming towards them. Salcaro ordered the Halwell to be stopped since it still looked like a pirate ship, and he didn't want to cause a problem.

The ship came closer and closer until the people were able to come aboard, having both ships side by side. The people that came across were not fellow merchants, sailors, or officers but pirates.

The crew were surrounded pretty quickly; the only one escaping capture was Salcaro, who was still hidden in the crow's nest. "Not a bad catch today. A bunch of newbies we can take their ship and supplies from." Salcaro wanted to speak up, but with the swords pointed at his crew he couldn't bring himself to.

"Now, you'll be getting off my ship." The pirate growled as he moved the sword closer to Salcaro who stood his ground. He couldn't just let the ship be taken.

"This is my ship, not yours." Kanibon's voice floated around them.

The head pirate looked around "who's there?" Before anyone could say anything, the cannons on the Halwell went off, blasting holes into the pirate ship. Head pirate looked at his crew "I thought you collected all of them "

"They did." The head pirate looked up to see Kanibon floating above him. Kanibon was more see-through than at night but still visible thanks to tonight being a full moon.

"What!" The head pirate brought his sword up to stab into Kanibon who just looked at it.

"You can't affect me, but I can still affect you." Kanibon said as he swung at the pirate's arm.

The pirate cried out as he dropped the sword. "What did you do to me!" He glared at Kanibon as he clutched his arm.

Kanibon shrugged, "I've only numbed it. But you don't want me to hit the other one, or you won't be able to swim back to shore." The head pirate took a step back. "Crew?" Suddenly the deck was filled with ghost pirates. "Throw the intruders off our ship." Salcaro’s crew braced themselves, besides Alraslo, and we're surprised when the ghosts didn't even touch them, going after only the pirates. They might have been becoming friends with them slowly but we're still worried the pirates would change their minds at any moment. Even Bolirin who had been talking to them a lot.

Salcaro blinked at Kanibon "oh I thought you were going to throw us off too."

Kanibon frowned, "why would we do that?"

"We don't know if you would change your mind. And take back the ship as yours." He muttered. They had talked about it once or twice on the night of the new moon when they knew the pirates couldn't hear.

"you're part of the crew," Kanibon said, crossing his arms. "The part that moves the ship anyways"

Alraslo laughed "aw Kanibon I didn't think you'd come to like them that fast."

Kanibon didn't say anything while the crew looked at Alraslo "he does?"

Alraslo nodded, "he only lets people join the crew if he likes you. Otherwise, you're just helping hands."

Kanibon turned to Salcaro to change the subject. "You shouldn't have stopped the boat." Now that the pirates had been thrown off, the other ghosts were disappearing again. The crew went back to work, though they could still hear the Halwell's cannons going off.

Salcaro frowned, "what?"

"When you see another boat you should just keep moving."

"But the ship still looks like a pirate ship. I didn't want them to think we were pirates."

"That would be helpful to you. Other merchant crews would avoid you, and the navy would ask you to stop. Pirates are the only ones to attack other pirates."

"Oh." Kanibon nodded knowing his point was made. He looked out over the deck as the Halwell started to sail again with a small smile before disappearing. Salcaro stepped up to the wheel and knew he probably had the same look.

#ghost pirates #short story #original story #lgbt+

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ladyantiheroine · 3 years ago

Text

Maybe I Just Like Seeing You Smile

Characters: Julian Kaye, Lizzy Fandom: American Gigolo Rating: R for language, graphic sexual content, smut Word Count: 7,713 Prompt: Julian and Lizzy have chemistry and I’m here to resolve it.

Read it on my AO3 at @afterhourscafe:

Chapter 1: Late Fees

Lizzy gave the door one last knock.

“Julian,” she said. “I know you’re in there. I saw you come home.”

She’d been standing outside his door for several minutes. She’d caught a glimpse of him coming up the steps half an hour ago. Based on the way he carried himself, quickly fumbling for his keys in his pocket, he was trying to slip inside before she saw him. But she saw him, and she knew he was late on his payment.

Finally, she heard footsteps on the other side and the knob turned. The door swung open to reveal Julian’s uncharacteristically bashful face.

Lizzy felt a little spark in her chest. Julian had been living in her complex for a while, but she still felt an electric kick every time she saw him. He was a handsome man, the kind of sharp handsome that almost hurt to look at. Raven hair, a strong Roman nose, and brown eyes that reminded Lizzy of a baby deer.

Julian gave her a small smile. Perfect white teeth.

“Heeeey, Lizzy,” he said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Lizzy crossed her arms and gave him a look.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Julian,” she said. “You know why I’m here. Your rent for this month was due two and a half weeks ago. I’ve already been generous with the late fees, but I’m starting to get impatient. This isn’t a homeless shelter or a charity house. You’re not the only one who needs money.”

Julian was quiet for a second. Lizzy could see his thoughts rushing through his head, scrabbling for an explanation. She had heard plenty of excuses from previous tenets, none of them very convincing. She waited for which he would choose.

Instead, Julian held open the door.

“Could you come in for a sec?” he asked.

Lizzy raised an eyebrow but obliged. She stepped in through the door and Julian shut it behind her. He turned to face her.

“Listen,” he said. “I have the money. Well, I will. Tonight.”

“Tonight?” Lizzy asked. “What’s tonight?”

“I’m…getting paid tonight,” he said. He ran his tongue along his lip, a gesture that made Lizzy stare at his mouth just a little too long. “Listen, Lizzy, I know I’ve been bad on this. But I promise, I swear on my life, if you can wait until tomorrow morning, I’ll have it for you. Everything I owe you, plus late fees.”

Lizzy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Julian…” she said. “I’m not accepting any more excuses. I might have to—”

“I’ve been getting back on my feet the last few weeks,” he said.

Lizzy looked at him.

“What do you mean?”

Julian bit his bottom lip.

“I’ve had a…change in employment, recently,” he said.

Lizzy couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Change in employment?” she said.

Julian shoved his thumbs into his pockets and shrugged.

“I’m not a dishwasher anymore,” he said.

“You just told me you’d have the money for me tomorrow. And now you’re telling me you don’t even have a job anymore?”

“I do have a job,” Julian assured her. “I’m just not a dishwasher.”

“Then what are you now?”

Julian didn’t answer her. A long silence stretched between them while he looked at the floor. Lizzy narrowed her eyes.

“Julian,” she said. “How are you paying your rent?”

He pursed his lips and looked at her.

“I’m…” he said. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I’m back in the business, Lizzy.”

It took her a moment to remember. But then she recalled the article in the paper, the conversation they had right as he was moving in.

“Julian,” she said. “I told you, you can’t be doing that business in my building.”

“I know,” he said. “And I’m not doing it in your building. I have a strict rule with my clients. They decide the location. I never tell them my address so they can’t bring me back here. I either see them at their place or a hotel.” Julian lifted his hands in surrender. “You can ask the neighbors, put a camera by my door. I swear to god Lizzy, I’ve never brought anyone around here.”

Lizzy looked at him for a long moment. She had seen him come and go from his apartment. True, she’d never seen him with anyone. And on top of that, the walls of this building were paper thin. She lived right above him and heard every noise he made. The sound of his occasional snoring. The creak of his bed. Him turning on facets and moving pots in the kitchen. The sound of water and faint humming while he was in the shower…

Lizzy quickly shook the thoughts from her head.

“You said you weren’t doing that anymore,” she said.

“I know,” Julian said. “But…with everything that’s happened…” He trailed off for a moment. “I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to be a dishwasher forever.” He pursed his lips. “So, I thought I’d go back to doing the one thing I know I’m good at. Something that will pay way better than working in that kitchen ever will.”

Lizzy thought back on the last two months. She heard everything about the mess that was Julian Kaye’s life. The Strattons, their kidnapped son, two murders. It was the kind of stuff Lizzy only knew from movies and shows. To think it was all happening with the strange new man living right below her.

She had to admit, she felt bad for him. But still, she had her own bills to pay and she didn’t need trouble knocking on her door.

Julian looked at her with begging, pleading eyes.

“Please, Lizzy,” he said. “I know I’m behind on payments. But I’ve got another gig tonight. It’s at a hotel on the other side of town. It’s my first real big one. It’ll be enough to pay off all my missing payments and anything else you need from me. Just give me until tomorrow morning, I promise. And if I don’t have it, you can evict me on the spot.”

Lizzy gave Julian a long look.

“Are you staying over with her?” Lizzy asked.

“Hm?”

“Are you spending the night with your client? At the hotel.”

Julian shook his head.

“No,” he said. “This one wants it quick and dirty.” He couldn’t resist a small quirk in the corner of his lips. “I’ll be home right as it’s getting dark.”

Lizzy nodded.

“Get the money to me tonight when you come back,” she said. “And you’re off the hook.”

Julian released a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Lizzy,” he said. “You’re a saint.”

“I want it in cash,” she said. “Bring it right to my door.”

Julian gave her a small smile.

“Will do.”

He held open the door for her as she stepped out. Lizzy could feel his eyes watching her until she was out of sight. She heard his apartment door shut and she made her way upstairs to her place.

Julian Kaye was a strange man. From the moment he stumbled in front of her porch, too impeccably dressed to be homeless, she knew he was unusual. And that was before the shit show that was the last few months, with the murder and the cops and all the other trouble that circled Julian like a bloodhound.

And of course, there was the elephant in the room: His profession. The world’s oldest, in fact.

Lizzy had to admit, he was definitely attractive enough to be a hooker. From day one Lizzy found herself staring just a little too long at his face, his broad shoulders. The way her ears drank the sound of his deep, husky voice. The curious way her eyes lingered on the buttons of his shirt, imagining what she’d discover if she just plucked a few down…

Lizzy quickly shook the image from her head as she unlocked her apartment door. Landladies lusting after their tenets was questionable at best. Besides, now was not a time for such wandering thoughts. Devilishly handsome or not, Julian still had rent to pay.

Chapter 2: Pay Up Front

Julian came back right when he said he would. Right as the sky was turning a deep evening blue, Lizzy heard footsteps coming up the front steps of her building. She sat up from the couch where she was watching TV and sauntered over to the door. She opened her door just in time to see Julian.

He smiled at her and held up a crisp white envelope.

“Two months rent in cash,” he said. “Presented in the finest envelope for her ladyship.”

Lizzy gave him a look, though she had to resist smirking. She swiped the envelope from his hands and tore it open. Inside was a considerable wad of one-hundred-dollar bills. She counted each of them. All his late rent, every last cent.

Lizzy looked up at him.

“Okay,” she said. She slid the wad back into the envelope and stuffed it under her arm. “You’re off the hook.”

Julian grinned.

“Pleasure doing business,” he said.

“But you better not be late next time. Now that you’re getting paid better, I don’t want to see any more late payments.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lizzy stepped back into her apartment and started to close the door. But then she was stopped by a strong hand clasping the top. Julian stood in the gap in the door.

“Not so fast,” Julian said. “You mind if we talk for a second?”

In truth, Lizzy did mind. But she found that letting people speak usually made them leave faster, so she decided to hear him out. She leaned against the door frame.

“Okay?” she said. “Talk about what?”

Julian shoved his hands in his pockets. He was definitely dressed for an evening out. A nice dark suit and tie. But the first thing Lizzy noticed was a bright spot of red on his neck. The undeniable smear of red lipstick.

Julian leaned forward to glance into her apartment.

“Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing in here?” he asked.

Lizzy paused. Why would he care?”

“Watching TV,” she said.

“What’cha watching?”

“Haven’t decided yet.” Lizzy gave him a look. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? You want to watch TV with me?”

Julian shook his head.

“No,” he said. “The opposite, actually. I wanted to know if you had any plans for the evening.” Something crossed his eyes. “Since you don’t even know what to watch on Netflix, I’m assuming you’re not exactly busy.”

He was right there. Lizzy shrugged.

“I like my me time,” she said.

“Yeah, I get that,” Julian said. He leaned forward on his feet. “But I was wondering if instead, you’d like to get a drink with me.”

Lizzy looked at him for a moment.

“You mean…like a date?”

Julian chuckled and dipped his hands into his pockets.

“Doesn’t have to be,” he said. “But…I’d definitely prefer it that way.”

Lizzy narrowed her eyes and gave him a look. This man was fresh from a rent-paying job, still smeared with lipstick and smelling of a woman’s perfume. Was this his attempt to apologize for the late rent?

“You’ve already paid your debt, Julian,” she said. “You don’t need to do anything else for me.”

Julian’s face dropped.

“It’s not about the rent,” he said. “It’s about how it’s Los Angeles on a Friday and it would be sinful for someone like yourself to stay in.”

Lizzy looked at Julian for a long second.

“Have you been drinking tonight?” she asked.

Julian barked out a laugh and shook his head.

“No, I haven’t,” he said. “I had one glass of champagne at the lady’s hotel room, but that’s it. I like being as close to sober as I can on the job.” There was a slight gleam in his eye. “Helps me focus on the task at hand.”

Lizzy felt a strange heat rush to her face. She rolled his offer around in her head. She was still suspicious if this wasn’t just a build-up to another job for him. Maybe he thought if he could lower her defenses, he could get some cash out of her.

Then again, the idea of spending another Friday night bored at home didn’t appeal to her much either. Plus, who turns down a free drink?

“Give me a minute to get dressed,” she said. She glanced down at her baggy t-shirt and long pajama bottoms. “I’ll be ready in thirty minutes or so.”

Julian smiled.

“I’ll be ready when you are,” he said.

Julian turned and started making his way toward the stairs.

“Julian,” Lizzy said.

He immediately paused and turned.

“Yeah?” he said.

Lizzy tapped her neck with one finger.

“Wash that before we leave,” she said.

Julian gave her a confused look then turned to look at his reflection in the window glass. He pressed his fingers over the lipstick stain.

“Oh,” he said. He looked at her, a gleam in his eye. “My bad.”

Lizzy watched Julian disappear down the stairs before returning inside, a strange warmth sitting in her stomach.

Chapter 3: Drinks For Two

Once she was dressed, Lizzy stood in front of the mirror. She didn’t go out very much. Not as much as she used to. The only evening wear she had left was a small black dress and some matching heels. The last time she wore them was at the gallery visit. The one she neglected to show up to because of, ironically enough, Julian.

She spun around and looked at her reflection. It had been a long time since she went on a date with anyone. Not since her ex and, well, that didn’t exactly work out. It felt like she had to retrain herself on how to dress and act for these kinds of things.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Julian was perfectly punctual. Lizzy felt nervous all of sudden. She and Julain had become decent friends since he arrived. They’d gone out to lunch, walked along the beach, hung out like friends did. But this was a date, and for some reason that left Lizzy with a titter in her stomach.

She approached the door and found Julian waiting for her when she opened it. He’d changed into a new suit. Black blazer, red shirt, black tie. Notably, the red lipstick stain was gone and Lizzy could smell the woman’s perfume replaced with an oaky musk.

“You clean up nice,” Lizzy said.

Julian chuckled, his eyes draping her up and down.

“Not as well as you,” he said. He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

Lizzy grinned and took his arm. In minutes they were breezing down the highway towards a bar that, according to Julian, ha adjust opened the week before. A jazzy-looking place that called itself The Golden Hearth. Julian parked the car up front and sauntered around to the other side to hold open the door for her.

“After you, my lady,” Julian said with a dramatic sweep of his arm.

Lizzy chuckled and rolled her eyes.

“None of that,” she said. “You sound like Batman’s butler.”

“Alfred Pennyworth?”

“That his name?”

“Yep. Read a lot of comics as a kid.”

Lizzy took Julian’s arm and he guided her inside. He got a seat for both of them at the bar and a bartender in a waistcoat greeted them.

“Welcome to The Golden Hearth,” he said. “What can I get you two?”

Julian turned to Lizzy for her answer.

“I’ll just have a jack and coke,” she said.

Julain turned to the bartender.

“Two jack and cokes, please,” he said.

The bartender nodded and went off to prepare their drink. A few minutes later he returned with their glasses. Julian took his and held it up.

“To Liz,” he said. “The world’s most patient and generous landlady.”

Lizzy smirked and lifted her glass.

“To Julian,” she said. “Lord have mercy on his soul, because I won’t.”

Julian chuckled and they clinked their glasses together. Lizzy took a long sip from her drink. It tasted as expensive as the rest of this place looked.

Julian, apparently having mind-reading powers, set his drink down.

“I’m paying tonight,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

Lizzy nodded and took a longer sip of her drink. The whiskey started to take its effect quickly, enough for her to ask her next question.

“How much do you get paid?” she asked.

Julian looked at her and set his drink down.

“Man, Lizzy,” he said. “Ever heard the saying, ‘never ask a man his salary or a woman her—'” He stopped when he saw her face. “It depends on the client. I charge differently depending on time, location, whether or not I’m spending the night.” He shrugged. “I’m nothing if not negotiable.” He gave her a grin. “Why do you ask?”

Lizzy shrugged.

“No reason, really,” she said.

The two of them were quiet for a moment.

“Be honest with me, Lizzy,” Julian said. “Does what I do…bother you?”

Lizzy sipped her drink and then set it down.

“Does what bother me?”

“What I do to pay my rent.”

She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.

“Not really,” she said. “I’ve met people who’ve done worse things to pay rent.” She leaned in closer to me. “I once had an old tenet who got arrested for cooking crystal meth in his room. The police showed up. Whole commotion.”

“Damn,” Julian said.

“As long as you don’t bring the cops around to my building, I won’t complain.”

“I can promise you that will not happen. I’m done with seeing the police for quite a while now.”

Julian took another look sip from his whiskey. All around them, people were drinking and chattering without a care. And yet, Lizzy and Julian’s little corner of the bar felt snug and private.

“Lizzy,” Julian said. “I have a confession to make.”

Lizzy lifted her eyes to his.

“Hm?” she said.

Julian pursed his lips.

“I lied,” he said. “About rent. Kind of.”

Lizzy raised an eyebrow.

“What do you you ‘kind of lied’ about rent?” she asked.

“Well, maybe not outright lied, but…I miscommunicated the situation.” He straightened in his seat. “I’ve had the rent money ready for a while. Pretty much since the investigation ended.”

“So…you could’ve paid me this whole time,” Lizzy said. “And you didn’t because…”

Then, uncharacteristically, Julian blushed. It was such a strange thing to see on the face of a man who normally had such shameless bravado that it nearly threw Lizzy off.

“I…” Julian started. “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while. But I’ve been chickening out. I needed a reason for you to come knocking on my door. Give myself a reason to…treat you to something.”

“And you thought making me come after your late rent was the best way to do that?”

Julian bit his lip.

“I’ve had better thought-out plans,” he said. “I haven’t asked a girl out since high school. And most clients come to me first. I’m…actually kind of a novice at this normal dating thing.”

Julian’s face was red as cherries. It was cute. But there was a question sitting on Lizzy’s tongue.

Lizzy pursed her lips and nodded. There was a question sitting on her tongue, one who hesitated to ask.

“And what about that blonde Stratton woman?” she asked. “Her name was…Michelle, I think?”

Julian didn’t answer for a second. He pursed his lips and released a small, sad sigh.

“Michelle and I…didn’t exactly work out,” he said. He took a long sip from his glass. “I spoke with her after…everything started to sizzle down.”

Somewhere on the other side of the bar, a lounge singer’s voice breezed over the crowd. Along with the smoky, jazz tune from a saxophone and piano.

“I realized that Michelle and I were just weight holding each other back,” Julian continued. “We both concluded that whatever was between us fizzled out. And having a kid together didn’t exactly change that.” He shrugged. “She’s staying with her husband. And they’re going to raise Colin together.”

Julian twirled his wine glasses absentmindedly. Lizzy could tell his mind was playing memories that hurt to watch and something sunk in her chest.

“I’m sorry, Julian,” Lizzy said.

“Don’t be,” he said. He sighed and lifted his eyes back to hers. “Honestly, it feels like a relief. Like I’ve had weights tied to my ankles and now I can walk free without them. I’m sure Michelle feels the same way about me.” He took a sip of his wine. “It’s sad, but…a part of me always knew it would end eventually. I’m just happy to get some closure. Put a nice, solid period at the end of that sentence.”

Lizzy crossed her arms and gazed down at her empty plate.

“So, now what?” she asked.

She looked at Julian, who was drumming his knuckles on the table. Lizzy never noticed what lovely hands he had.

“Well, that’s kind of why I’m here,” Julian said. “Michelle is in the past now. And lately, I’ve been thinking about what’s next.”

He pushed his glass aside, crossed his arms, and leaned forward.

“I’m starting over,” he said. “And for the last few days, I’ve been thinking about what to do next. Been thinking about who I’ve got left.” He pursed his lips. “And I realized, now that the storm has passed…I’ve just been thinking about you a lot.”

“Me?” Lizzy said.

He looked at her like it was a strange question.

“Well…yeah,” he said. “You’ve been my friend since I came into town. You didn’t judge me when you…learned what I do.” He shrugged and took another sip of his drink. The glass was empty now except for chunks of half-melted ice. “I like talking to you. I like hanging out with you. Whenever I think back on the last few months, all the chaos that’s been going on…the only happy moments I can really think of are the ones between us two.”

Lizzy’s mind flickered over all the time that had passed since Julian Kaye moved into her building. Smoking on the front porch. Getting ice cream by the beach. Taking long walks through town talking about whatever weighed on their minds.

“I told you at the precinct that you may be the best friend I have,” Julian said. “And I think I mean that even more now. A lot has happened. I don’t have many people left in my circle.” He gave her a look. “I hope I can still include you.”

Lizzy pursed her lips and swirled the ice around in her glass.

“Of course, I am, Julian,” she said.

Julian cocked his head. “But…?”

“I consider you a friend,” Lizzy said. She brought her eyes to his again. “But I’m not really the type to go on dates with friends. And I suspect you may be the same.”

A strange pink flush crossed Julian’s face and he dropped his eyes.

“You got me there,” he said with a grin.

Lizzy took a long sip of her drink. The coke sparkled on her tongue and the bittersweet taste of whiskey filled her mouth. She could feel it already taking its effect. She felt lighter, like a feather on the breeze, the kind of dangerous lightness that made you start talking without meaning to.

“Julian,” Lizzy said. “If it means anything, I think you may be my best friend too.” She shrugged. “I don’t exactly get out much. Most of my friends…they’ve got their own lives. I’ll admit, I like having you around.”

Julian smiled, but there was something in his eyes.

“But…?” he repeated.

Lizzy sighed. She lifted her glass to her lips to take another sip but realized hers was out too. No more whiskey to make this easier.

“I’m not easy to love,” she said. She set her glass down. “I told you, I’ve been married twice, divorced twice. I told you my ex-husband owned the building before me, right?”

“Yeah, you did,” Julian said. “And I know both those guys must have been pretty dense to walk away from a woman like you.”

Julian leaned forward and moved his hand across the bar counter to her. He gently laced his fingers with hers. Lizzy was suddenly met with strange ease, and not the kind coming from the alcohol.

“I’m not afraid of baggage, Lizzy,” he told her. “I’m the king of baggage. I’m not afraid of anyone else’s.”

Lizzy smirked.

“You do have experience with trouble.”

“And trust me, you’re the least troublesome person I’ve met.”

Lizzy looked down at their hands together. Julian had lovely hands. Long, slender fingers and warm flesh. She met his eyes.

“You really think I’m the kind of woman someone ‘starts over’ with?” he asked.

Julian held her gaze, his eyes intense in a way that shook her a little.

“Yeah,” he said. “I do.”

Lizzy looked at him for a moment. She chuckled and dropped her eyes.

“You’re good at flattery, Julian,” she said.

“I’m not flattering you,” he said.

“So then what are you buttering me up for?”

“I’m doing no such thing.”

“Then what’s all this for?”

Julian shrugged. “Maybe I just like seeing you smile.”

Lizzy stared at him as he turned to the bartender.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Can we order from the dessert menu at the bar?”

“Sure thing, sir,” the bartender said. “What do you want?”

“Two strawberry sundaes, please.”

The bartender nodded and went off to get their orders. Lizzy turned and looked at Julian.

“What’s this for?” she asked.

Julian gave her a small, naughty grin.

“Strawberry is favorite, right?” he said. “You told me after you picked me up from the precinct. When you and I got ice cream cones at the beach.”

It took Lizzy a second to remember, but slowly she recalled sitting at a picnic table in the sane scooping ice cream with a plastic spoon. Julian had told her all the mayhem that had been happening to him. She told him he shouldn’t trust anyone in this town.

And then he said, “I trust you, Lizzy.”

The memory made her feel oddly warm. She’d almost forgotten about that part of the conversation entirely. But not Julian.

The waiter brought them two small sundaes in glass cups. Scoops of pink strawberry ice cream with a nice chocolate drizzle and cherries on top.

“Looks delicious,” Lizzy said.

“Tastes better,” Julian said.

He plucked the cherry from atop his sundae and dropped it on his tongue. Lizzy watched his lips curl around the cherry and snap it from its stem. He chewed with his mouth closed, his lips and tongue moving slowly to savor the taste. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

His eyes flickered to her.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

Lizzy snapped from her thoughts.

“No,” she said. “Nothing’s wrong. Why?”

“You haven’t touched your sundae. And you’re staring at me.”

Lizzy looked at her ice cream, which was already starting to melt a little. She picked up her spoon and scooped herself a bite. She released a moan before she could stop herself.

“That’s some damn good ice cream,” she said.

“I’m glad you like it,” Julian said. He moved his hand closer. “Mind if I steal your cherry?”

He held her eyes for a second.

“Sure,” Lizzy said. “Go ahead.”

Julian plucked the cherry from her bowl and she watched him chew and swallow it.

Chapter 4: Come A Little Closer

The two made it back to the complex sometime around ten. They were both undeniably exhausted from the day, but Julian didn’t seem ready to part ways just yet.

“It’s not that late,” Julian said. “My door’s open if you want to hang out a little longer.”

Lizzy smirked. She’d dated enough to know what he was doing. It was a guy’s polite way of inviting you to sex back at his place. And there was still a buzz of whiskey sparkling through her, enough that she might accept the indulgence.

“Only because I’m too tired to go upstairs to my room,” she said.

Julian held open the door for her and Lizzy stepped inside. He must have been expecting, or at least hoping, she’d come by because Julian’s apartment was meticulously clean in a way she wasn’t used to seeing in single men’s homes.

Julian shut the door behind them.

“Want something to drink?” he asked. “Doesn’t have to be alcohol, just like…some water or something? Actually, I just restocked some soda in the fridge—”

“Julian,” Lizzy said.

He paused and looked at her.

“Yeah?” he said.

Lizzy crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

“What was tonight about?” she asked.

Julian looked confused.

“What do you mean?”

“Is this to make up for the late payments? Is this an I-owe-you for later if you’re late again?”

“Lizzy, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Why did you ask me out tonight?”

“Because I like you, Lizzy. I wanted to spend time with you.”

“Julian, this kind of sweet talk might work for your clients, it’s not gonna work with me.”

“Sweet talk?” Julian crossed his arms. “What the hell are you talking about? I already told you, Lizzy, this has nothing to do with rent or money or anything.” His gaze softened. “You think I’m trying to get something out of you?”

Lizzy shrugged.

“You’re a gigolo,” she said. “Isn’t that what you do?”

Julian looked at her for a long while. He dropped his face into his hands and sound coughed from his throat. Lizzy saw a hint of a smile on his face.

“Are you…” she said. She put her hands on her hips. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Yeah, I am actually,” Julian said. He looked her right in the eye. “I’m laughing because it’s so sad.”

“What’s so sad?”

“It’s sad that you really think the only reason I’d want to go out with you is that I’m trying to get money or favors or anything from you other than your company.” He stepped closer to her. “It’s offensive. You think so lowly of me. But even worse, you think so lowly of yourself. Smart, funny, beautiful woman like yourself thinks a guy needs an ulterior motive.”

He stood so close to her that Lizzy could feel his breath on her lips, feel his body heat just under that tailored suit. It sent something skittering in her chest and down in her stomach.

Julian gently placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. He lifted his hand to push a stray strand of hair from her face.

“Lizzy,” he said to her. “I make love to women for a living. If I want to have a nice time with a beautiful woman, I can at any time. And make some pretty good money doing it too.”

He leaned in closer to her, whispering to her like he was telling her a secret. This close, Lizzy could notice all the smaller details about him. The dark prickle of his shaven face. The crisp scent of his cologne. His minty breath warmed the space between their lips.

“Are you bringing me here just to brag?” Lizzy asked.

Julian shook his head.

“No,” he said. “I’m telling you this to say that I do this all the time as my job.” He lifted his hands to cup her face. “So when I tell you that I’m here because I want to be when I tell you I want nothing in return, I want you to know that I mean it.”

There was something in his face and voice that stirred something in Lizzy. His usual bravado, his humor, his cocky air, they were gone. Now she was looking into the face of a man here to convince her of something true.

“You asked me if I’d ever been in a real relationship,” Julian said. His thumb absently stroked her cheek. “The truth is, I have twice before. One with a girl who killed herself. Another with a woman who was never meant to be mine. All of it had only brought me trouble.”

He rubbed his hands along her arms. His hands were coarse and rough but warm, like well-used leather.

“I want to try something real, Lizzy,” he said. “No more transactions. No more sparks that die out. No more tragic endings. I want to love someone properly for once. And I’d like to do it with you. If you’ll have me.”

For a brief moment, Lizzy wondered if this was all in her head. It was a dream. Or the alcohol. But neither of them was asleep and neither of them had that much to drink. Her eyes wandered over Julian, his ruggedly handsome face that now looked more painfully sincere than she’d ever seen it before. She remember the first day she met him, how strange yet oddly lonely she seemed. Kind of like her.

“I know this is quick and sudden,” Julian kept talking. “And I don’t want you to feel any pressure—“

He was interrupted when Lizzy pressed her lips to his. Julian immediately sunk into her touch and lifted his hand to cradle the back of her head. Lizzy could still taste the whisky on his lips and she groaned.

Julian reached down and lifted Lizzy from the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her towards the bed. He lowered her gently onto her back and pressed his lips deeper into hers.

“There’s…” Lizzy tried to collect her words through the heated haze. “Do you have any…”

Julian gave her a grin.

“I’ve got some protection in the drawer,” he said. A gleam crossed his eyes. “But…I don’t think we’ll need it.”

Lizzy snapped to focus and lifted her head.

“Are you…?”

Julian lifted a hand.

“I don’t mean like that,” he said

He reached a hand under her skirt and slowly peeled down her underwear.

“I told you, Lizzy,” he said. “I wanna prove to you how serious I am about you. “ He tossed her underwear on the floor. “And to prove it, I want to show you the full treatment.” He trailed his tongue along his lips. “I wanna treat you the way a woman like you should be treated.”

The realization came to Lizzy slowly and all the heat rushed down her body. Julian stripped off his blazer and then unfurled his knot from its tie. He reached for his throat and unplucked the top button of his shirt. Lizzy watched his hands work down, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a perfectly toned torso and an assortment of tattoos. He let his shirt fall from his shoulders onto the floor and Lizzy’s hands tingled to touch him.

He pressed his lips to hers, and then slowly started kissing down. Her cheek, her neck, her collar, down between her heaving breasts until he was at her lap.

Julian moved down the bed until his knees were on the floor at the end. He spread Lizzy's thighs apart, her skirt sliding down so her pussy was exposed. Julian looked down between her legs and Lizzy swore she saw a hint of drool on his lips.

He ran his fingers along her thighs. His eyes met hers.

“Let me do this for you, Lizzy,” he said. He leaned down and planted a kiss right below her knee. He lifted his eyes to hers. “Let me do for you what I do best.”

Lizzy looked at him for a long moment. Even now, a part of her wanted to believe this was all another act. A show he put on for clients to milk money or favors from them. But she also recalled all the times she and Julian smoked on the front porch, or walked along the beach. If he wanted a favor for her, he would have by now.

And a deeper part of herself simply wanted to believe he meant it.

She dropped her head back on the pillow.

“Then do what you do best,” she said.

Julian nodded, then put his lip right below her knee again. He slowly kissed down her inner thighs, licking and caressing her flesh with his mouth. It turned Lizzy on so much that he let out a shuddering moan.

Julian chuckled into her skin.

“You like that?” he mumbled. “Does that feel good?”

It did feel good. It sent a hot shiver across Lizzy’s body as Julian’s mouth moved further down her leg. If that’s how just his kiss felt, she could only imagine—

She sucked in a breath as Julian plunged his tongue inside her.

“Fuck,” she moaned.

She reached a hand down and gripped his hair in her fingers. Julian gripped her thighs in each of his hands to hold her in place. His tongue was long and velvety and caressed right over her sweet spot with expert precision.

“Fuck,” Lizzy moaned, gripping his hair tighter. “Fuck, Julian…”

The painful tug in his hair did little to dissuade him. If anything, it only seemed to spur Julian on further as he buried his head between her legs. He wasn’t just tasting her. He was savoring her. There was a low moan in his throat as she filled up his mouth.

“Baby…” Lizzy mumbled. “Baby, I…”

Her hips bucked against his mouth. Damn, he was good at this. She couldn’t remember the last time a man did this for her. Either because it had been a long time, or because whoever did it last was nowhere near Julian Kaye’s skill level. His tongue knew exactly where to go, pleasuring her like a well-oiled fuck machine.

Several minutes passed and he didn’t waver. He never slowed down, never came up for air. He just kept going, and going and going…

“Julian,” Lizzy moaned. She could feel it. It was rising, swelling inside her. Julian must have sensed it, because he plunged his tongue deeper, licking more ferociously and moaning deep in his husky throat.

Lizzy’s hands fisted the bedsheets as pleasure ripped through her. At this point, she didn’t care if the neighbors heard them anymore. She moaned louder and louder as her body surrendered to a meltingly hot climax.

Once the heat drained out of her, Julian straightened up. His lips were shiny wet and he wiped them dry with the back of his hand. He gave her an impish smile.

“You taste fantastic,” he said.

Lizzy parted her lips to speak but her brain still felt like soup. Her eyes fluttered shut as Julian crawled back into bed with her and pulled her close to his chest.

The room was dark and warm as Lizzy drifted asleep in Julian’s arms.

Chapter 5: Morning After

A streak of sunlight spilled through the window blinds and Lizzy’s eyes fluttered open. The warmth from the sun draped across her, leaving her feeling soft and light as a feather.

Then, the quiet was interrupted by a hot, sizzling sound. The smell of something greasy filled her nose.

Lizzy sat up in bed and looked towards the kitchen area. The sight almost made her burst out laughing. Julian was standing by the stove, his back to her, wearing nothing but his black boxers and a blue chef’s apron. He heard her stir and glanced over his shoulder at her.

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” he said. “You like bacon and eggs?”

Lizzy stared at him for a moment then rubbed her eyes. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

“How long have you been up?” she asked.

“Long enough to get started on breakfast,” he said.

Lizzy found her dress and underwear on the floor next to the bed. She stepped back into them before sauntering over and watched Julian use a spatula to move the sizzling bacon onto a plate next to some scrambled eggs.

“Insert, ‘how do you like your eggs in the morning’ joke here,” Julian said with a smirk.

Lizzy gave him a look but she could feel a small smile sprouting on her face.

“I like mine with coffee,” she said.

Julian pushed the plate of bacon and eggs towards her then opened the upper cabinet to grab a mug. Lizzy sat t the table and ate her eggs and bacon. All the while she watched Julian prepare her a cup of joe.

“Cream and sugar?” he asked.

“Yes, cream, and two sugars.”

Lizzy watched Julian grab two Splendas and a bottle of creamer. She found herself staring at his fingers, tearing open the packets and stirring the coffee with a spoon. He brought the steaming mug over to her.

“Thanks,” Lizzy said.

She took the mug and sipped it. Damn, that was a good cup of coffee.

“Are you eating?” she asked him.

“Already had a bite or two while you were asleep,” he said.

When she was finished, Julian grabbed her plate, fork, and mug for her and set the dishes in the sink. Lizzy stood up and before she could move Julian was behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing kisses into her neck.

“Last night was fun,” he whispered into her skin.

Lizzy’s body suddenly felt lighter, warmer.

“Yeah,” she said. “It was.”

Lizzy’s eyes fluttered close and she leaned her back against Julian’s chest. The sun streaked through the windows and the whole room felt warm. Julian moved his mouth to the other side of her neck and kissed her there.

“I can still taste you from last night,” he whispered. “I’ve had eggs and coffee, and I still can’t wash the taste of you out.” His hand smoothed down her stomach. “I don’t think I want to get it out.”

The tip of his finger met the seam of her dress. Lizzy’s body was already starting to alight and flushing heat between her legs. Julian, ever the expert on female anatomy, must have sensed it in her.

“You mind if I…” he said, curling his fingers on her dress seam.

Lizzy felt like her mind and body were slowly melting.

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “Go ahead.”

Julian slowly lifted the short skirt of her dress. Lizzy felt a shiver when his hands trailed over her underwear until he found the seam. Wasting no time, he slid his fingers down under the fabric and inside her.

Lizzy sucked in a breath. She lifted an arm and reached back to grip Julian’s hair.

“Julian,” she breathed.

Julian used his free arm to clasp Lizzy’s waist. Her pressed his fingers deeper inside her and massaged her clit. The sensations sent waves of sharp pleasure rushing up Lizzy’s body. Julian kissed and licked along her neck.

“You’re so tense, Lizzy,” Julian mumbled. “Relax…let me take care of you..”

His voice was so sweet, a contrast to the rough pound of his fingers inside her pussy. Lizzy’s weight shifted onto him, her legs buckling beneath her, but Julian kept her upright. Lizzy tipped her head back onto his shoulder and moaned with each delicious curl of his fingers.

“I love the sounds you make,” Julian murmured in her ear. “I want to see how many ways I can make you come.”

He pushed deeper inside her and Lizzy felt it rising inside her. She moaned louder and she gripped Julian’s hair tighter. Julian could sense her body bracing and he gently pressed his teeth to her neck.

“Julian,” Lizzy moaned.

“Come on, baby, don’t resist it,” he whispered. “Let it come to you.”

The pleasure raced through Lizzy with the force of a drug. It rose inside her until nothing else in the world existed but Julain Kaye’s fingers pleasuring her pussy. By the time it slowly drained out of her, her brain and body felt like soup.

Then, just as Lizzy thought she could stand on her own two feet again, Julian suddenly dipped down and picked her up. Lizzy yelped as lifted her bridal style into his arms. She giggled as he carried her over to the bed and gently set her down.

“I’m declaring this a day off,” Julian said. “Neither of us are working today.”

Lizzy grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” she said.

Julian nodded and then snuggled on top of her.

“I’m not letting you leave this bed,” he mumbled into her neck. “You’re going to stay here and let me take care of you for the next twenty-four hours.”

Lizzy wrapped her arms around Julian’s neck and pulled him close. They were quiet for several minutes as Julian mindlessly kissed her along her neck.

“You still owe me an apology,” Lizzy said. “For lying about the rent thing.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Julian said. “I’m sorry. I just…needed to find a way to avoid chickening out.”

He kissed the top of her breast, then slowly worked down until his head was on her lap.

“I just thought you were trying to use sex to pay your late rent,” Lizzy said.

Julian paused and looked up at her.

“Am I using sex to pay my rent?” he said. He nuzzled his head on top of her thighs. “Or am I using late rent as an excuse to get close to you?”

Lizzy lifted her head and looked down at him.

“I’d never try to maliciously deceive you, Lizzy,” Julian continued. “But…when an opportunity comes knocking…”

He gave her an impish smile. Lizzy almost wanted to slap that smile off his face, but given Julian’s proclivities, he’d probably be into that.

She gave him a sharp grin and trailed her nails along the back of his head.

“You’re a naughty little thing, Julian Kaye,” she said.

Julian grinned and gently ran his fingers along her tender flesh.

“Yeah, I am,” he sighed into her skin. “But I can be good for you.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “If you’ll have me.”

Julian was looking at her with those brown, golden retriever eyes. Lizzy grinned and pet her hands through his hair.

“You might have yourself a deal,” she said.

Read it on my AO3 at @afterhourscafe:

#american gigolo #julian kaye #lizzy #Julian x Lizzy #jon bernthal #yolonda ross #showtime #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3fic #ao3

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bts-teaspoonff · 4 years ago

Text

Fangirl pt. 3

Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Idol A/U

Pairing: BTS OT7 x reader

Rating: PG

Summary: Y/N, being a huge fangirl, finally got her chance to work alongside her favorite idol group as a backup dancer. She gets to know each member personally and realizes that her feelings may be more than fangirl-idol attraction.

Word Count: 5.6K

Taglist: @nochujeonjk @i-like-puppy-mg @miyochan @satotakeru14

PARTS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | .... masterlist

So far, your week of waiting for the company’s response was uneventful to say the least. You exchanged contacts with some of the dancers and they have all been very friendly with everyone. You were busy with work at the gym and at the dance studio so that made you take off your mind from the backup dancer job at least for a while.

During those days that you were waiting, you took double shifts in the gym and twice the amount of classes in the dance studio. You wanted to push yourself just to ease your nerves. Also, you need to pay this month’s rent alone since your roommate and best friend is out on vacation.

Lisa, your bestfriend. She’s been with you ever since college. Both of you only started living together when your brother moved out but she used to always live near you. When she moved in with you, she would always leave to travel somewhere for at least a month then come back to you. That was now your routine with Lisa. She loves travelling so much that she promised to fulfill her bucketlist as soon as both of you graduated. Her family is pretty well-off and she manages this online clothing shop to finance her trips. You and Lisa constantly video call each other almost every day. Sometimes, you would even answer each other’s call even when you’re in the shower. Of course, you already informed her about your pending job in Big Hit. She almost exploded from happiness when she got the news. She was hiking that time and it almost gave you a heart attack when you saw her jumping from happiness near the ledge. You could say that she’s your #1 fan and you are hers too.

The day came when you received the email. You were eating your breakfast at that time, taking a big bite of your omelet sandwich. You choked on your glass of water as you read the email saying “Congratulations. You are now formally a part of Big Hit’s Dance Team.” You read the other contents of the email as you generously drink water once more. You are soon to be expected to start two days from now. You can’t contain your excitement as you feel your face beaming with happiness. You could just dance your ass off right now from joy. You walked to your room with a sandwich still in your mouth as you reach for your speakers. You blasted Anpanman by BTS on full volume and pranced around the room. You also took your RJ and Koya plushies, hugged it and twirled around. You buried yourself under big Chimmy, Tata, Cooky, Mang and Shooky plushies on your couch.

You nervously entered the Big Hit building once more and went straight to the practice room. You made sure not to order a big glass of coffee this time, even though it’s very tempting. You just made a small cup of coffee at home, a routine that greatly relaxed you. You enter the room with one hand tightly gripping the strap of your cross body bag. You saw familiar faces and was grinning from ear to ear. It turns out that everyone was accepted and no one was left behind. A few of them ran to you, hugged you and then pushed you to join some of them sitting on the floor.

The dance directors and choreographers gathered all of you to discuss the plans for the dance team. Everyone was then assigned to different artists to solely focus on their performances. They started calling out the names of the dancers and the artists who they will be working with. Our main dance director started with TXT and you were not on the dancer’s list. You silently chant each of the boys’ names one by one, as if you were having a ritual on your own, until the dance director mentioned BTS. Your ears were on full concentration mode as he calls the names of the dancers one by one. As if on cue as you were continuing to chant the boys’ name and imagining your name being called, you heard your name slip from the dance director’s lips. You really tried your best to not shout and celebrate. You feel like you won the lottery at this point from your chain of good luck lately.

Each dance team then went on to different practice rooms. You, along with other male and female backup dancers, were present in another practice room as your dance choreographer started informing everyone that BTS is planning an online concert months from now. Everyone will be performing a lot of new numbers, including new dance breaks that will be mainly composed of you with the other female backup dancers.

For the first week, everyone started the dance practices without the boys yet. Everyone would spend hours being taught group performances by different choreographers. Two of which are old songs from their old albums and two were from their latest album. At first, you struggled to keep up with the other dancers but all of them were nice in helping one another when one has a hard time with performing the steps. You also made friends with the male backup dancers especially those who were close to your age. All of you were quick to get acquainted with each other and that made work very fun. You would always be light on your feet when coming to work since you’re glad you could make new friends who share the same passion. Everyone was so nice to you too since you’re the youngest out of the female backup dancers but there are also two male dancers younger than you.

You were also excited for your new work since you would get to see Jiyong almost every day. When one of you are free, you would always eat together. Your heart is filled with happiness right now. Your mind is now at a place where you’re just sitting on cloud 9.

Your body couldn’t really handle three jobs at the same time so you chose to quit teaching dance classes at the dance studio. You informed the dance studio owner about your new job to which she congratulated you non-stop. She knows how much of a big fangirl you are to BTS so she couldn’t be more proud of you. She then proceeded to convince you that no one better than you should handle the BTS dance classes. She made good points that convinced you to stay but only if you handle selected classes that works around your schedule. Luckily, she agreed and gave you at least one class a month. You couldn’t really argue with her since she pays you generously per class that you teach.

You retained your work in the gym since your shifts works around your work in Big Hit. You could handle your new work schedule and you really need to earn money for the apartment fees and your BTS merchandises. You also informed the gym owner about your new day job and he congratulated you non-stop as well. He nicely let you adjust your shift to better work around your new schedule.

So far, everything is going into place. Your new job, new acquaintances at work, quality time with your brother, and Lisa will be returning soon from her trip. You could just sit down and inhale all the good air that’s surrounding you lately. You’re scared that given this amount of good luck around you will be soon replaced by strings of bad luck, but of course you’re highly hoping that will not happen.

You went home late one night from a hectic shift at the gym. One of your clients arrived late for her schedule but still came, coinciding with the timeslot for your other client. You still accommodated the two of them and went back and forth for them during their sessions. You had to be the one to close the gym that night also. You ate like there’s no tomorrow that night since you were so tired from dance practices and the sessions at the gym. You just went to sleep right after dinner, slamming yourself into the bed and into the sheets.

You didn’t wake up from your alarm the next morning. Good thing that you had already wash your hair last night so you just fashioned a bucket hat and hurriedly fix yourself before you went out in a rush to try to arrive on time for your dance practices. You arrived at the lobby entrance just in the nick of time with a few minutes to spare, rushed to the elevator and tried to catch your breath while you wait for the lift to arrive on the right floor. You hurriedly ran out the elevator and to the hallway when you heard your phone ping. You took out your phone in your pocket while rushing in the hallway. You saw Lisa’s name at the top of your notification screen but chose to read it later and kept your phone in your hands.

You were approaching a corner in the hallway so you decreased your pace but was still slightly running. As you were about to take a turn, your head bumped into something soft but obviously firm that was moving towards your direction. You were slightly pushed back but somebody’s hand caught your arms as you were about to fall backwards. You soon realized that your head bumped into someone’s chest, somebody who’s very tall. You look up and saw Namjoon. I really got to stop meeting the boys by bumping into them like this. Your mouth fall to the floor in shock and embarrassment.

His hands were big and his arms were tan and toned. He still excludes this gentle giant aura, the same way you pictured him every time you see him on social media and on the pictures in your phone. He still has his hands around your arms as you try to help yourself back up from almost falling to the ground. As if you could feel fire on your arms around his touch and time stood still. Both of you apologized to each other at the same time. You both chuckled as you withdraw your hands from each other. As you were about to introduce yourself, you noticed that your phone was on the floor and under his foot. He also soon notices this as you try to bend down to reach for your phone.

You took the phone under his foot and checked it. You stared at your phone screen and was shocked to see the screen cracked. You saw Namjoon looking at your phone as you check but quickly hid it realizing that your wallpaper was all of the members of BTS. You wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself more by letting him know that your lock screen and home screen are photos of them. Unfortunately, Namjoon has already noticed the crack on your phone screen even before you hid the phone away from his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I stepped on your phone.” Namjoon panicked at the sight of the cracked phone screen.

“No, it’s okay. It’s my fault also for not being careful.” You assure him but he clearly looks worried about the cracked phone. “Nice to meet you. I’m y/n. One of the new backup dancers assigned to BTS. I’m looking forward to working with you.” I bowed.

“Nice to meet you and looking forward to working with you as well.” He bowed as well. “I’m really sorry about your phone. Can I do something about it?”

“Honestly, it’s okay. It’s just a small crack.” No it’s not entirely okay because the crack almost encompasses the whole screen. It’s my fault anyways so he doesn’t have to feel bad about it. You don’t want to burden him about your phone. “Also, I’m sorry but I’m really in a rush for practice. See you around. Nice to meet you again.” You bowed and rushed towards the practice room.

“Wait.” Namjoon raises his hands while looking at you, rushing away from him. Although he was truly worried about your phone, he actually caught a glimpse of your lock screen. It amuses him to remember you trying to hide the phone from him. Of course he knows that their fans would have the members as their wallpapers but usually their staff wouldn’t really have the boys’ face plastered on their belongings.

You are still in disbelief that you met Namjoon. Your heart is still in disarray as you try to replay the scene in your mind. His hands are big and he’s so tall. His chest is so toned that even though your head bumped into him for a split second, you could almost remember the ridges of his chest.

…..

“Shit.” Namjoon exclaims as he slumps back on the couch of Hoseok’s studio with four other members in the room. Jimin, Taehyung, Hoseok and Jungkook all turn their heads as their leader enters the studio.

“What got you in a dump, hyung?” Jungkook asks in concern.

“I stepped on a phone and destroyed the screen.” Namjoon puts his hands on his face. He’s wondering how he can mend the cracked screen situation with you. Your face suddenly appeared at the back of his mind and honestly, a part of him find you adorable and beautiful. The way how your fringe falls perfectly on your forehead and on your long lashes. You were a little pale but still, he got a long look at your face and still finds you attractive. He never got interested with female staff members but there was something about you that piqued the leader’s attention.

“Whose phone?” Hoseok, seated in his chair in front of his equipments, turns his chair to face all the other members.

“One of our female backup dancers.” Namjoon groans out loud in frustration, breaking him from his daydream.

“How did you even step on her phone?” Jimin asks his leader, seated on the far corner of the couch beside Taehyung.

“I saved her from falling then I didn’t realize her phone was under my foot.” Namjoon sits straight up, shaking his head.

“You never disappoint, hyung.” Jimin laughs while reaching for Namjoon’s shoulder to pat it. Taehyung sits back to give access to Jimin’s hand to reach Namjoon.

“Give her one of our extra Samsung phones. I think we still have some of those. Go ask the staff.” Taehyung suggests.

“You really are the God of Destruction.” Hoseok chuckles at his good friend.

“I’m so embarrassed. I just want to bury my face right there and then.” Namjoon pouts in frustration.

“I think I can help you ease your frustration.” Hoseok turns his chair around back to his monitor. He pressed a few buttons and music started playing through the speakers. “How is it?” Hoseok plays the song that Namjoon, Taehyung and himself are working hard on. He glanced behind to look at Namjoon’s face. Namjoon stood up and walked to Hoseok’s chair.

…..

I am so tired. I think I’m pushing myself too far this time. You still have a few weeks before Lisa returns so you doubled your shift in the gym. You could really use the extra pay since you spent your extra savings on a few BTS merchandise and on repair fees for the air conditioner at home. The double shifts will only last until this week so you have no problem with it.

You came into the practice room, still groggy from lack of sleep. You glanced at the huge mirror across the room and saw your pale face and poor complexion. Gosh, you have never looked this bad since finals week in college. You tend to forget to take care of yourself when overworking or fatigued. You took a sip from the cup of iced Americano on your hands and sat on the floor with the other dancers.

A few minutes after, the choreographer came in and soon follows the 7 ethereal beautiful boys. They bowed one by one as they enter the room and thanked us for our hard work. You try to fix any unruly strands of hair on your sweaty forehead and straightened your back.

Namjoon entered the room first, greeting all the dancers with a smile. The leader exuding off a charismatic aura as he leads the group in the room. Jimin and Hoseok soon followed, both of them hand in hand giggling and skipping but released their hold on each other and laughed out loud after a few steps inside. The two main dancers eager to meet the dance team. Taehyung and Jungkook silently followed their hyungs, strutting like models with their hands in their pockets. I saw the maknae sporting a man bun that compliments his face and almost making him look like a Greek God, especially with how his tight black long sleeve shirt faintly gives a silhouette of his sculptured chest and back. Taehyung’s disheveled curly do accentuates his bear-like cuteness but still gives off a masculine appeal. Lastly, the two oldest entered the room greeting the dancers. Yoongi entered first with Jin’s hands on his other member’s back. The two of them silently entered the room, ensuring that they greet all of us first before joining the other members at the side.

Your eyes scanned the members one by one as the choreographer informs everyone about the dance practice for today. As you were admiring the amazing view in front of you that was gracing you this morning, your gaze met with Yoongi’s. He then slightly put his head down while looking at you. You couldn’t really paint his expression right now but you dare to say that he looks bothered. Like a puppy that chewed his toy and is being scolded by his owner. He then turns his head away to talk to the other boys when he saw you openly reading his face.

You were so confused at Yoongi’s bothered expression when you caught him looking at you. You don’t remember bumping into him or meeting him today. Yet, his aura today is a lot softer than the day you met. For your first and second (may I say terrible) encounters, he would always look so irritated or pissed at you specifically. I mean who wouldn’t, you’re crazy clumsy ass kept on bumping into him.

Everybody’s in their respective blocking and is set to practice once more. The moment the music started, your heart kept doing somersaults. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. You are now dancing with the 7 boys. The pinnacle of your fangirl chronicles. You could never imagine that someday you will share the same stage as them. You truly respect them for their art and passion so you give your all even on their first full dance practice with the dance team. Of course, Jimin and Hoseok doesn’t disappoint. The two energetic boys that came skipping inside the room just moments ago became two dancing machines. You couldn’t stop smiling that you could feel your face could tear off. Your fatigue went away as you savor this moment. Nothing matters right now, only this moment.

The music stopped. All took a minute before polishing the dance moves on a specific part of the song. One female backup dancer nudged you on the waist, giggling. “You happy?” She was one of your good friend on the dance team. She knows that you’re a big fangirl of BTS and how ecstatic you are about your new occupation.

“Dream come true but I’m still so far off from being perfect. I need to be at my best to be deserving of sharing the same stage with them.” You whispered to her while giggling. She pats my head in adoration and you looked at her.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing a good job.” You smiled back at her. Soon you heard the choreographer call out everyone to gather to start practicing again.

Two hours were spent in the practice room, dancing nonstop. Slowly, you could feel your fatigue catching up to you but you refuse to take a break. You could see everyone’s passion and hard work so you don’t think you deserve to take a breather. Everyone was giving their all from the boys and girls on the dance team, the 7 BTS members and even with the choreographers. A longer break was given after the two hour mark. All of the other dancers walked straight to their bags to get their water bottles. The 7 boys also went to the water dispenser at the corner of the room near the door to take a sip of water as they catch their breath. You walked towards the door, excusing yourself out to use the restroom. You saw Namjoon and Yoongi noticing you as their eyes follow you before I opened the door.

You took a few steps away from the dance practice room and was stopped in your tracks when you heard a familiar voice calling your name. “Hey!” you turned around and saw Jiyong walking through the hallway in the same direction as you.

“Hey. What’s up?” Jiyong walks up to you with a smile on his face.

“I’m on my way to the recording studio.” He turns his head and caught his eyes on the dance practice room. “Are you guys practicing right now?”

“We are on a break as of the moment.” You wiped your sweat off your forehead. “Who knew that even dance practices was this intense?” You saw Jiyong examining your face and he lifts up his hand to land on your cheek.

“Your complexion’s not good. Are you eating well?” You froze in place. Is my complexion really that bad? Actually, if I remember correctly, I only ate crackers this morning and haven’t got a chance to drink water since I was rushing to go to work.

“Oh. Jiyong-nim.” You and Jiyong quickly looked towards the practice room door when you saw Namjoon, Yoongi, Jimin, and Jungkook about to go out of the room. They saw Jiyong caress your cheek and their faces are painted with bashful expressions. They immediately thought that you might be in a relationship with Jiyong. “You guys know each other?” Namjoon asks your brother.

Jiyong quickly placed his arms on your shoulder and around your neck. He laughed as he rubbed your head. “What do you think?” He placed his hand under your chin to lift up your head straight to present to the boys. The four of them puzzled by your brother’s question and took them a few seconds before it registered to them that you and Jiyong are twins. You totally forgot that Jiyong mentioned that he was good friends with the boys. I want to hide right now.

“No wonder why she looks familiar. She reminds me of you, hyung.” Jimin exclaimed.

“You’re twins?” Yoongi asks Jiyong. Your brother nods his head while giving his boxy smile.

“Identical, in fact.” Jiyong proudly stated as he further rubbed my head, making a mess out of my hair.

“That’s amazing, Hyung. I didn’t know you had a twin.” Jungkook exclaims as well, in fascination. You were just quiet in your brother’s arm. He released his hands around you and you stood up straight. Taehyung and Jin noticed the commotion of the four boys and also peeked out the door. Jimin informs the two boys and you saw Jin opening his mouth in astonishment, releasing a loud gasp in his tiny comedic voice.

“Take care of my sister. If one of you mistreats her, I’ll give you a hard time in the studio booth.” Jiyong jokingly teases the boys.

“You know I’m older than you right?” You quickly hit him on the shoulder as the boys laugh.

“By two minutes.” He looks at you and laughed. He glanced back to the other boys. “Anyways, she’s a big fa…” You pinch his waist to stop him from talking. He cries out in pain but at least that stopped his mouth from rambling.

“Excuse my brother. He likes to tease me a lot.”

“Well, I have to go to the studio booth as well. If you’ll excuse me.” Jiyong finally excuses himself out. He walks away and left you out in the hallway with the 7 boys just standing outside the practice room. A short silence from all of you filled the hallway before they resumed from walking out of the practice room.

“I have to excuse myself too.” You bowed, turned around and continued walking away.

“Wait.” You heard Yoongi call out as his footsteps catch up to you. Not long, he caught up and stopped in front of you. He scratched the back of his head with his head down. “I owe you an apology.”

Yoongi was uneasy at the thought that he disrespected you twice at the expense of his mood that day. The last thing he wants is to never get the chance to apologize to you. He couldn’t really concentrate on the dance practice today as he could see you avoiding him. Whenever he would try to take the chance to apologize to you during breaks, you would always be around the other dancers.

“Apology? For what?” you froze in place out of shock and wonder from yoongi’s statement. You stare at the man in front of you with his head slightly down. The air between the two of you was so still.

“The day we met… I am aware that I was not at my best self and it turned out I was rude to you. Even if I was having a bad day, there’s no excuse for my lack of respect.” He lifts his head up and looked straight in your eyes. As much as you appreciate his apology, you couldn’t really respond to him as you realized that one of your idols is just an arm’s reach away. Never have you imagined that someone you just watch over and over again from the small screen of your phone would be humbling himself before you to apologize. You don’t really know how to handle the situation.

“It’s okay. It’s my fault as well. I guess I have to learn not to be as clumsy anymore.” You laughed as you placed your hands on your nape. His face slowly lit up and the air between both of you started getting lighter. “Here I thought you’re actually disliking the idea of working with me. You were wearing this irritated expression whenever our eyes would meet during practice.”

Yoongi got beet-red thinking that’s how he comes off to you when he was actually irritated by the fact that he can’t get a chance to talk to you alone. “No. I was just…. trying to find a chance to apologize to you.” You smiled so sweetly at the thought of occupying yoongi’s mind during practice and even made him worry on how we would approach you. Yoongi notices the change in your expression and his heart skipped a beat. There’s something so adorable with the way you smiled that caught Yoongi’s attention. He took a good look at you and realized that you were actually good looking despite being so sweaty from practice.

“I would like to begin again.” You held out your hand to Yoongi. He looks at your hand and back to you. “I’m y/n. It’s an honor to work with you. Let’s do our best to show everyone the best performances we could give.” You flashed a smile so big that made Yoongi pleased as well. Your passion to give your best performance fascinated him.

He shook your hand and his heart skipped another beat. A smile like that fits you so well. You almost remind him of Hoseok. Someone who embodies sunshine. Also, he admits that you really look beautiful. Not that he wants to compare you to the other female dancers but he can admit that you’re the most attractive out of all of them. He had his eyes on you the whole morning and was amazed by how you transform into a dancing machine when music starts.

…..

You just concluded your last session with a client at the gym. Despite having a chance to go home early, you kindly offered to the gym owner that you would stay until closing time. You asked permission to use the small studio in the gym. He gladly allowed you and you were ecstatic to finally have a space where you could freely practice. Back at home, the apartment that you share with Lisa is just the adequate space for living, but not so much to consider it as a space to practice. You own a floor length mirror but it’s beside your bed. Your arms and legs have bumped your bed so many times that you could almost file a physical abuse case against the innocent piece of furniture. The small studio in the gym may not be as big as the practice room in Big Hit but it has enough space for you to fly and dance around. Plus, there’s a huge mirror on the entire wall. You’re actually fortunate to have the studio by yourself.

As you start practicing the dance numbers inside the small studio, the gym owner quietly manned the reception area in your place. Only a handful of customers are now currently using the gym and usually at this time of night, influx of customers is at bare minimum. Suddenly, someone enters the gym and walks to the reception area. The gym owner turns his head towards the door.

“Hyung!” The gym owner was surprised by the sudden visit of his friend. He shoots up from his seat to welcome the person who just came through the door.

“Jungkook! What are you doing here?” Jungkook appeared in front of the gym owner wearing his huge black hoodie and a black cap to hide his face. The gym owner walks around the reception table and hugs Jungkook.

“I just tried a new route to run and I remembered your gym was along the way so I thought to pop in and say hello.” Jungkook hugged his friend tightly. They continued to chat as Jungkook quickly noticed the music that was coming from inside the gym. The gym owner also noticed Jungkook looking towards the direction of the sound.

“That’s coming from the studio… which reminds me, one of my employee just got in as your backup dancer. She’s so dedicated and diligent that she spends her extra time to practice here after her shift.” The gym owner offered to usher Jungkook towards the small studio. Jungkook was intrigued and fascinated that one of their backup dancer works at the same place as his close friend. The music gets loud as they get near the studio and he gets a glimpse of somebody dancing eagerly to one of the songs that they were just practicing to this morning. They look just outside the door and Jungkook’s eyes were glued to you as you dance.

He recognizes you immediately and was captivated by how you were working so hard this late at night. He noticed that you weren’t wearing the usual baggy cargo pants that you love to wear for dance practices. You were wearing tight gym leggings and a dri-fit shirt. Nevertheless, you still exude charm and power when you dance to their songs. Jungkook admits to himself that the sight of you in tights dancing to their powerful songs charmed him.

He opened the door and you were late to notice the sound of the creaking door. You were surprised to see Jungkook’s reflection behind you as you strut to the music. Jungkook jumps in surprise when you gasped out loud at his presence and you ran for the speakers.

“Noona, I didn’t mean to surprise you.” You bent down to stop the music. Quickly, you stood up and turned to face him. Jungkook was still walking towards you. He removed his cap and ran his hand through his hair. He was sweating a bit but still, the sight of him sweating makes him look like he’s sparkling. You wondered why in the world is he inside the same studio as you are now. “Hyung’s my friend and I happened to be in the same area so I dropped by. I didn’t expect Noona was working here.”

You peeked towards the door and the gym owner was smiling and waving his hand. He must’ve been the one who informed Jungkook that you were practicing here, you thought. Your attention came back to Jungkook. You admired how handsome Jungkook looks right now despite being barefaced. “May I help you with something?”

“Do you want to practice together? I mean if only you’re comfortable with it.” He offered. Suddenly, you felt like everything slowed down and the two of you remained. You want to slap your face in disbelief that Jungkook actually offered to practice with you. Jungkook slowly walk towards you and you react by stepping backwards.

“I’m having a hard time learning a specific part in the choreo so I may not be the ideal practice partner… for you right now.” You feel as though the space between the two of you has shrunk. Jungkook smirks at the sight of you slightly panicking as he steps closer. Jungkook has been eyeing you ever since the first practice session with them this morning. He saw how his hyungs, Namjoon and Suga, kept on looking at your direction. He discovered that you were the same girl that they were talking about. You were the one whose phone was destroyed by Namjoon, who caught the attention of Jimin and Jhope during the evaluation, and who constantly occupies Suga’s mind about when to apologize to you. You piqued his attention with the way you had these encounters with his hyungs. He also noticed your charm whenever you execute the intricate choreograph during practice, just as Jhope and Jimin describes. He’s determined to have this chance to dance with you.

“I’m sure I want to practice with you.”

Next part: 4

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pagesoflauren · 5 years ago

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The Highest Bidder Ch. 1 (Ransom Drysdale x reader; sugar daddy!AU)

Summary: A graduate-level education is a costly pursuit. When you move out of state to study in Boston, expenses pile up, leading you to auction off what is apparently your most valuable asset: your virginity. It goes to the highest bidder…who happens to be Ransom Drysdale.

There are no major spoilers for Knives Out. Consider this as an alternate timeline. There will be references to the movie/its characters and family dynamics revealed in the movie.

Warnings: loss of virginity, explicit sexual content/smut, angst, sugar daddy/baby arrangement, dark elements, dubcon, cliffhangers, minor spoilers for Knives Out, unprotected sex, irresponsible driving (don’t drink and drive!), swearing, Ransom is an asshole (more to add and if you spot any that I’ve missed, please kindly let me know!)

A/N: Huge disclaimer...I really didn’t want to end this chapter the way I did, but it was getting a little too long...but there’s more coming! Don’t worry, please don’t send an angry mob after me 😱 Big love to @threeminutesoflife and @caffiend-queen for beta-ing this for me! ❤️ One last thing about the text messages: Italics are sent messages and bold italics are received messages :)

This chapter is written under the assumption that the reader drinks alcohol.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

With his bedroom illuminated by the flashing images of his television, Ransom lounged lazily in his bed. One hand was occupied with his phone as his thumb slowly scrolled over the screen, the other idly wrapped around his cock as he took in the images on the device.

Various girls, all a few years younger than him, staring with false wide-eyed innocence or sprawled out provocatively across recliners on sandy beaches or by turquoise-watered pools. Their names or aliases were listed under the respective photos, with a number in green text next to it.

Deciding there were too many options, Ransom scrolled back up, the hand on his cock pausing as he started setting filters through the search. He changed them to specific hair colors, skin tones and a more concentrated age range. The only filter he didn’t change was the prices--there was no limit there. The page refreshed and showed him more favorable faces.

His mind started to numb and the faces started looking too similar. As he was ready to pack it in for the night and tuck himself back into his boxers, a strange listing catches his attention.

He sees you, kneeling in the sand at an apparent topical destination in a barely-there bikini. Unlike the other girls, though, your face is candid, caught in a laugh, eyes crinkled and lips spread in joy. There’s no price. Just the letters “HB” in red text.

He clicks on your photo and the webpage changes to your profile. There’s a few more photos of you: one with a cat, more vacation photos. Your location is convenient: Boston. Not too far from where he is.

But all of that fails to answer the question at the forefront of Ransom’s mind: Why don’t you have a price next to your name?

He scrolls through a couple more meaningless pieces of information: a little blurb about who you are, your measurements, your race and your conditions.

One time only.

“What?” he wonders aloud, face scrunching in curiosity. Sugar babies don’t just have sex once and then walk away with a fortune. From what he’s heard, they bitch and moan but shut up when there’s a cock in their mouth (or pussy, for that matter). They need to be looked after either because they can’t afford it or can’t be bothered to do things on their own. Then, once he reaches the end of your profile, he understands.

Virginity Auction. Current Bid: $8,250.

Ransom smirks at the prospect. He wasn’t looking for a virgin, but he likes the idea of taking one now.

The number changes in real time, going up in five dollar increments before someone brings it up to $8,500. A pop-up window appears, warning him that if he’s interested, the auction ends at midnight. Ransom’s eyes flick to the top of his phone. It’s 11:57.

He thinks for a few ticks. If he pays you enough, he’ll have the convenience of entertaining himself between your legs and taking your virginity with no strings attached. Once that’s done, you’ll be out of his hair. He wouldn’t have to put you up, send you money or deal with your whining or complaining.

Sounds like a good deal.

Pressing his thumb into the blue button that says “Bid,” Ransom looks at the clock again. 11:58.

Initially, he types in $10,000. But with two minutes to go and your price still ticking up, he doesn’t want to chance getting outbid by someone at the last second. He has to blow the other bidders out of the water.

Sat up in your bed and wringing your hands nervously, you look at your cracked phone screen. Midnight has just passed and you’re waiting for a notification about the final bid in your auction. It started at $5,000 and in the week that the listing was posted, you had gotten notifications whenever it went to the next thousand.

This isn’t how you wanted to lose your virginity. Ideally, you would have genuinely made love to somebody, someone your parents would have approved of and who truly cared for you. Even more ideally, it would have been the man who eventually became your husband...though you wouldn’t have waited until marriage to lose your V-card. You were about to take the next step in life and--you had to face it--you weren’t getting younger.

What was the least ideal of it all was the fact that you were doing this out of pure desperation. Your graduate program was starting in a month and your savings were mostly gobbled up by application and testing fees. Living out of state didn’t help either; most of your money went to paying rent and commuting around the city. If someone paid you enough to tide your finances over, you could live off that money until the end of the semester, after adjusting to the program and your schedule, before taking on a job off campus.

Your phone buzzed with an email from the website and you tapped the banner. Your email app launched and opened directly to the message.

Your auction has ended.

Reading further, you can’t believe what you see.

Winning bid: $50,000 by Ransom Drysdale.

Fifty thousand dollars? Surely there must be a mistake. Why would someone pay ten times the starting bid?

And Drysdale...where had you seen that name?

Closing your eyes, you searched your recollection to place the name. It’s so familiar.

Deciding your memory is unreliable, you resolve to a Google search of your highest bidder’s last name.

The first result that pops up is a real estate company and a picture of famed author Harlan Thrombey, who apparently is the father of the woman who owns the business.

You feel faint...these names are not insignificant in Massachusetts, let alone the world. Harlan was a best-selling mystery writer--you had some of his books in your library back home.

Then concern floods your brain: if this Linda Drysdale is Harlan Thrombey’s daughter, that makes Thrombey her maiden name. She must’ve married a Drysdale.

Are you a pawn in some horrible cheating scandal? You must be, nobody has the name Ransom. It has to be an alias. Her husband must be looking for some young thing to get his rocks off.

Stress causes your scalp to prickle as your phone buzzes again with a text message from the semi-mysterious Ransom, checking if it’s you, that he has the right number.

Yes, you reply.

The three dotted message bubble pops up before turning into another message.

Good. I’ve made a reservation at The Boxer in the city for Saturday. I told them you’ll check in. I told them not to charge you anything, but if you need to pay any fees, I’ll send you the money back. I’ll be there after 9.

A chill runs down your spine at how direct he is. But, you suppose you can’t expect anything more from him.

Okay, you acknowledge.

More dots, then another message.

Dress appropriately.

Despite your lack of experience in the bedroom, you know for a fact that he’s not referring to office attire.

Settling back onto your pillow, you pull the covers over yourself and breathe slowly. You’ve got some preparation to do.

What do you bring with you when you’re planning to lose your virginity to a complete stranger in exchange for tuition money?

Fuck all if you have a clue.

You spent the days leading up to Saturday getting yourself ready. You bought a tight dress and pair of strappy heels from the sale racks. You cluelessly browsed for lingerie before an associate took pity on you (or just desperately wanted you out of her store, jury’s still out on that) and helped you select a lacy set complete with a garter and stockings. The associate absolutely gushed at how the color of the material complemented your skin tone, though you could care less. You forked over $120 for the damn thing and scampered out. Learning from your friends’ mistakes, you purchased a set of condoms using the self-checkout kiosk (and prayed you picked the right size). You weren’t instructed to buy condoms, but you figured you wouldn’t risk the chance of not having any. You endured a Brazilian wax, stifling profanities as the woman did her work. You also had trouble getting over your embarrassment; a stranger was going to see you bared all for him in a few days so if you can’t handle the wax lady seeing you, how could you handle “Ransom”?

Ransom.

Thinking about him did nothing for your nerves. You were certain you were going to lose your virginity to a man in his late 50s, who was married to Massachusetts’ biggest real estate mogul and the daughter of a renowned author.

Dear God, what if she found out? Her father wrote murder mysteries, she had plenty of ways to kill you and get away with it. What if you weren’t even meeting “Ransom” and you were meeting Linda and she was going to kill you at the hotel?

You shake your head and look back down at the contents of your duffel bag: toiletries, a change of clothes for tomorrow, the condoms and your phone charger. You had created a playlist on your phone...if you weren’t going to lose your virginity to someone you loved, then maybe you could fake it with music.

Who are you kidding? you chide yourself.

You sigh and resolve to getting ready. After eating dinner, you strip off your old band t-shirt and sweatpants, remove your simple cotton underwear and novelty pineapple-patterned socks before discarding them into your laundry hamper.

You shimmy into the lacy knickers, the material feeling quite uncomfortable against your skin. You clip the bra on next, followed by the garter around your waist. Then you finish off with the stockings over your legs, stopping at mid-thigh. After fastening the clips on the suspenders to the lace trim at the top of the hosiery, you sit at your vanity to apply some makeup and fix your hair.

“‘Dress appropriately’,” you mutter as you pull your dress from your tiny closet, “Hopefully this is appropriate enough.”

You maneuver yourself into your dress, struggling with the zipper for a moment then smoothing the material over yourself. You slide your feet into your heels and teeter a bit as you stand up.

You’re not planning to really impress too much, so you pull on a downy, puffy jacket to combat the sea breeze the city gets in the evenings.

Pulling the strap of your bag onto your shoulder, you look in the mirror one last time. You catch the reflection of the clock: it’s almost seven thirty. Taking into account how long it’ll take for your rideshare to arrive at your house and the traffic in the city on a Saturday night, you’ll arrive at the hotel a little after eight. You suppose now’s a good a time as any to leave.

Requesting a car for pickup, you realize there’s no going back.

Stepping into the hotel lobby, you know you don’t belong here.

With modern touches and old architectural charm, the men wearing luxury tailored suits and women wearing unaffordable dresses, you felt you stood out like a sore thumb. The most luxurious hotel you had stayed at was a Holiday Inn Express near Disneyland. And it barely had functioning lighting.

You timidly approach the front desk. Though the receptionist gives you a warm smile, you’re not comforted.

“Hi, I’m here to check in for Drysdale?”

The man’s eyebrows raise in what you assume is recognition.

Maybe this “Ransom” meets other escorts here often, then.

“While we would normally ask you to cover the fees upon checking in, Mr. Drysdale is a very good friend of the hotel so we’ve accommodated his request to make an exception,” the man informs you as he types away. He grabs a keycard and hands it to you.

“You’ll be in room 6-F. Have a pleasant stay.”

“Thank you,” you say meekly, taking the card before turning to take an elevator up.

Once on the sixth floor, you locate and unlock the room. The lights turn on automatically and you’re met with a cool gray toned room, which gives the room a darker atmosphere already.

The entrance is narrow and you assume the bathroom is on the other side of the wall on your right. With wobbly steps, you move forward and see the room open up.

The first thing you notice is the king-sized bed. Beyond it, the windows show illuminated facades of buildings outside. On the wall opposite the bed is a desk with a speaker and aux cord on top of the marble workspace and a fridge underneath. A TV is mounted on the wall above the desk. Next to it is an open wardrobe with a bathrobe hanging, cubbies and drawers, as well as a tray of refreshments.

You set your bag on the bottom shelf of the wardrobe and retrieve the remote to turn on the TV to create some white noise and maybe kill some time (and nerves) as you wait for nine o’clock to come around.

You wander into the bathroom and look yourself over in the mirror. You shake out your hands and pace, deciding to take off your heels for now as you pad around the room.

Ransom was bored of dinner and his host knew it. Everyone else kept a level of decorum, but all the guests knew this get together was extending much longer than necessary.

Checking his watch, it was quarter to nine. He threw back the rest of his drink before nodding to his friend and exchanging brief glances as he got up. Haphazard goodbyes were thrown his way as he pulled on his jacket and Ransom gave a nod of acknowledgement. He exits the restaurant, whistling to get the valet’s attention and handing the man his ticket as he pulls out his phone.

Where are you? he messages you.

At the hotel, sir. Room 6-F.

“‘Sir’,” he muses to himself, smirking at the title you’d given him. He didn’t even need to tell you to address him that way.

Have them bring up my usual from the bar.

Yes, sir.

Wondering how far he can take this, he asks you to send him a picture.

He’s surprised with how quickly you comply. You’re sat on top of the sheets at the edge of the bed, leaned forward so your elbow can rest on your knee and the camera can get a view of the plunging neckline of your dress. Your hair falls nicely over your face and your palm cradles your chin.

He can’t lie, he loves the way you look. You may as well be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

Taking a few deep breaths, he wills himself to calm down; he can’t get hard yet.

He puts his phone into one pocket and reaches into the other as the valet returns with his car. When the valet approaches, Ransom hands over a few sad, crumpled bills as a tip before walking around to the driver’s side of his car and climbing in. Sending one last message to you, he pulls away from the curb and heads to the hotel.

I’m on my way. Make sure my drink is there before me.

You let out a spastic sound of nervousness and shook out your hands again before getting up to pace around the room again.

The drink was on the way, you placed the order as soon as he told you to. You didn’t want to give him any excuse to not pay or complain you were unsatisfactory. Though, not having any experience in bed might prove that mission to be difficult regardless of whether or not his drink came in time.

There’s a knock on the door and you jog over, pulling the door open to find a waiter holding a tray with a glass of what you assume is Scotch perched on top, covered with one of those signature little hats hotels always place on top of glasses.

“Thank you,” you smile, carefully receiving the glass from him. He bows silently and turns to leave.

You shut the door and place the glass on a coaster you find on the desk. You bother yourself with where the glass should rest (next to the speaker? on the far end, closest to the wardrobe?). Deciding it should be on the bedside table, you move the glass and coaster there then return to the desk to plug your phone in and play some music. You cringe at your choice to include Ed Sheeran in this playlist, but there’s no going back now.

Suddenly, you hear the clicking sound of the door unlocking and you scramble over to sit on the bed to put your heels on.

When you look up, you’re shocked to not find a man in his late 50s, nor the severe looking woman you’ve seen plastered on real estate posters.

You find a man who can’t be that much older than you, dark hair and blue eyes that stand out in the dim light of the entry hallway. His cheeks are pale and rosy, framed by a strong jawline. He’s tall, crown of his head so high towards the ceiling. His broad shoulders nearly touch either side of the walls as he approaches you.

He’s dressed rather casually, as if he was out to dinner with friends. The color palette of his outfit matches the hotel room: cool gray henley shirt, black blazer and jeans, finished off with a pair of brown boots and belt to match. If you’re honest, he looks like a model. He looks like he could have any woman he wanted.

Why the hell does he want a virgin?

When he comes to stand in the room, hands tucked into his pockets, he looks you up and down from where you’re seated. His lips pucker thoughtfully and you see how perfectly pink and full they are and you wonder what it would be like to kiss them...

Nope. We’re not doing that. It’s a one time thing and that’s that. You remind yourself.

His eyes catch the glass on the bedside table and he plucks it up, removing the paper covering before bringing it to his lips to drink.

When the glass is halfway to his mouth, he hooks a finger at you. “Stand up.”

As he drinks, you obey, rising from your place on the mattress and smoothing down your dress before folding your hands together.

He pauses his sipping, “Turn.”

Hands falling out of each other’s grip, they land at your sides rather limply and you begin turning, giving him a three-sixty view of your body. You feel heat creeping up your neck and settling into your cheeks.

When you come back to face him, he throws his head back to finish his drink and places the glass back on the bedside table, but he misses the coaster. You cringe inwardly at the ring that will surely form on the surface later.

Your breath catches in your throat when your eyes meet his. You feel like a deer in headlights, unmoving as his gaze continues to flit over your figure. You wonder if he knows you’re holding your breath. You wonder if he can hear how quickly your heart is pounding.

When he goes to take off his jacket, things start feeling real. You don’t know how to describe the sound that leaves your throat, maybe something a frightened toad would make. Ransom halts and throws you a perplexed look and you cover your mouth in embarrassment.

He rolls his eyes. “You nervous?”

The words blend together, but his voice is so honeyed and silken and you can’t help but sigh inwardly at the sound of it.

Your jaw is slack and can’t make any sounds rise from your larynx. You snap your mouth shut and manage to nod stiffly.

Rolling his eyes again, he crosses the room to the mini fridge under the desk and pulls the door open. Crouching down, he shuffles through the various little bottles inside before turning and tossing one to you.

Your balance teeters as you fumble to catch it, the glass slipping out of your grip a few times before you fully grasp it.

The cap makes a cracking sound as it separates from the tamper evident band when you twist it open. You don’t bother to look at the label or pay any mind to the color of the liquid. Once the bottle’s open, you tilt your head back and drink, feeling the burn travel down your throat. When you stop, you notice you’ve had almost all of it.

Your eyes meet Ransom’s again and he raises his brows as if to ask, Better?

You finish the remaining contents of the bottle and feel the liquid settle in your belly as you twist the cap back on.

“Thank you,” you muster your voice to say.

His eyebrows raise again, showing his disinterest, and he holds his hand out. You’re certain you resemble a child when you use both hands to carefully place the bottle in his hands. There’s a flicker of confusion that crosses his face and you think you were meant to place your hand in his, but he turns and places the bottle on the desk.

There’s a sense of dread that settles in your stomach when you realize there really is no going back and no more stalling. You can’t read the expression on his face, but you’re certain he’s not pleased with how slowly this is going.

Summoning your courage, you reach your hands up behind you and begin to pull the zipper down...

Permatag: @caffiend-queen @fckdeusername @lou-la-lou

Chris tag: @onetwo3000 @patzammit

Ransom tag: @jeremyrennermakesmesmile

Highest Bidder Taglist: @sapphirescrolls @just-another-wretched-egg @ladynightshade30 @angstsfordays @icanfeelastormbrewing @buckysteveloki-me @what-is-your-plan-today @iloganjade @twittytelly @xoxabs88xox @an-awkward-human-1 @fanfiction-trashpile @jtargaryen18 @donutloverxo @meaganottiz02 @princess-evans-addict @kianifan @asiaaisa77 @kelbabyblue @my-emotional-self @saiyanprincessswanie @random-things-i-love @captainchrisstan @daughterofthenight117 @buchanansebba @sweater-daddiesdumbdork @andiebell2023 @avengerraven1023 @dahkness @thatonefangirl111 @sllooney @sheerfreesia007 @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @suzieqsez @farremoved @edge-ofparadise @bellaireland1981

A note about tags: If your name is crossed out, I couldn’t tag you for some reason. While comments asking for me to tag you are okay, it is much easier for me to keep track of my tag lists if you send an ask. That’s the sure fire way to guarantee I’ll tag you.

Additionally, if I forgot to tag you, please gently remind me via my ask box.

#ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale fic #ransom drysdale fanfiction #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale x you #knives out fanfic #knives out fic #The Highest Bidder #pagesoflauren

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djadins · 4 years ago

Text

jate’kara | the mandalorian x f!reader — part one

After your ship had been damaged beyond even your abilities, you find yourself stuck on Nevarro doing menial repair work. That is, until a shiny man and his little green child interrupt your day to day.

warnings: canon-typical violence

rating: T

word count: 2k

a/n: this popped into my head and I had to get it out. I have definitely taken some creative liberties with the razor crest so bear w it and I know nothing about fixing things or mechanics so I did my best :) set sometime after season 1

You carefully wiped your brow with the back of your forearm. Your hands were covered in filth, your face too, but you weren’t willing to add to the mix already caked atop your head.

One leg flung over the side of the speeder, you brought the engine you had been working on for the past hour to life. It purred beautifully underneath you and you quickly shut it off. Easy work, you thought to yourself. If only it paid better.

You were so lost in your own thoughts that at first you didn’t feel the tugging on your right pant leg. It wasn’t until you tried to move away from the speeder that you felt a tiny anchor holding you back.

A sharp inhale filled your breast as you looked down at the little green creature who was peering back up at you. He had your pant leg firmly grasped in his little hands. His head cocked to the side, a small whimper escaping his mouth. He let go of your jumpsuit and reached up with grabby hands.

You grabbed the wet rag you had kept on the back of the speeder and quickly wiped your hands off. You reached down and grasped the curious little creature. He seemed to coo at your touch.

A green palm went up towards your cheek. His hand was a lot warmer than you had anticipated. “Well hello to you too, little guy,” you chuckled. He cooed in response.

“Where are your parents? Are you hungry?” you spun around, grabbing a cracker out of the supply you had in your bag. The little green thing was quick to reach out and take it, but after the first bite he dropped it on the ground and stuck his tongue out. You laughed, your chest shaking the both of you.

“How about this?” this time you handed him a piece of jerky. He quickly gobbled it down, causing you to giggle again. You fed him more and more, until your entire stash was almost out.

“You’re gonna bleed my dry, buddy!”

The barrel of a blaster pressed up against your lower back stopped your laugh dead in its tracks. You stiffened, biting your lower lip. The little gremlin cooed in your arms.

“Drop the kid,” came a modulated voice from behind.

“O.. okay..” you stuttered, slowly reaching down to put the kid on the ground. He went running to the person behind you, almost tripping on his long taupe cloak. You straightened back out, keeping your arms up on the way.

“Who are you, how’d you get into the Crest?”

You gave the stranger your name. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” you answered honestly.

“Turn around.”

Hands still up towards your head, you slowly did a 180. In front of you was a tall Mandalorian in a polished beskar suit. He held the kid in one arm and a blaster pointed at you in the other.

“My ship,” he emphasized. He pointed his blaster at your tools spread out around the speeder. “You break in?”

“What?! No!” At your enthusiastic defense of yourself, your arms dropped back down. You pointed at him. “Look here buddy,” you turned around and waved your arm at the speeder. “I have been fixing this hunk of junk for one of the locals. I just finished up when your kid came over to me. He seemed hungry so I gave him a snack, that’s it.” Your arms were waving furiously as you spoke.

The Mandalorian cocked his head to the side as he studied you. “You’re gonna bleed me dry buddy,” he repeated your words under his breath. The Mandalorian reholstered his weapon and nodded at you. “My... apologies.”

You shook your head and muttered to yourself, starting to pack your tools up. You didn’t know the Mandalorian was still watching you from behind, which caused you to jump when he started to speak.

“You repair things,” he stated, his modulated voice ringing out.

You turned around, sure that a dumbfounded look was plastered on your face. Your first thought was how has this idiot survived this long, but you quickly brushed it aside.

“Uh... ya,” was your intelligent response.

“My ship could use a looking at. I’ll pay double your fee, considering the kid ate your food.”

As your brows scrunched together, your mouth dropped open. You swallowed hard. Part of you wanted to yell at him for what had just transpired. The other part, the more rational one, remembered that you were marooned here until you had some serious credits in hand.

“...Okay,” you finally agreed. He only nodded in acknowledgement and begun making his way out of town with the kid. You grabbed your bags and followed behind him. His ship wasn’t far outside of town, only a 5 minute walk past the main gate.

“Ahh, a Razor Crest,” you put the pieces together. “Surprised it’s survived this long,” you said mostly to yourself.

You busied yourself for the rest of the afternoon with the small things that the Mandalorian pointed out needed fixing. You almost felt guilty, you could do these repairs in your sleep and they definitely weren’t worth double your rate. The little green one followed you around for most of the work, sometimes taking a tool or two in his little grabby hands. The Mandalorian busied himself with supplies and other odds and ends inside the ship.

Nevarro’s lone sun was just touching the ground when you finished up. You made your way up the ramp into the Crest, where you found the Mandalorian sitting with the child on a supply crate. He nodded at you as you entered and you returned it.

He motioned to a crate next to him. There was a plate of food sitting on it. “Please, eat,” he offered.

You hesitated. Opening your mouth to say something, your stomach instead took its place with a low rumble. You smiled as you bit your bottom lip. “I guess I could eat,” you conceded.

Cross-legged, you sat at the floor in front of the crate. The Mandalorian offered a wet rag for your hands and you shot him a silent thank you. You watched him out of the corner of your eye as you ate, feeding the small green alien in his lap.

“Does he have a name?” you finally spoke up.

The Mandalorian hesitated. “No.”

You wanted to ask but you didn’t pry. You continued to eat your food in silence until the plate was emptied. When you stood up from your seat you cleared your throat.

He did the same, setting the child down atop the crate with the rest of the food. The child continued to feed himself behind his caretaker’s back while the Mandalorian reached for a small velvet black pouch. He offered it to you.

You took the pouch in your hands, fingering the credits inside. It felt heavier than you expected.

“I think you may have overpaid,” you admitted, guilt creeping in.

The Mandalorian shook his head. “I have a proposition for you,” he admitted. His voice was unwavering, monotone through the modulator. Your stomach tightened up and you straightened your posture.

“I would like to hire your... services.”

Your brow furrowed. “My services?”

The Mandalorian nodded once. “With my line of work, my ship can sometimes take... a beating.”

“Like the scorch marks on the hull plating?” you questioned, a little too bold.

The Mandalorian nodded again. “And the kid. He likes you. Need someone to watch over him when I’m gone.”

You chewed on your bottom lip as you looked behind him at the kid. You shifted your gaze back at Mando. “How much?”

The Mandalorian shifted his weight from his right leg to his left. “Twenty percent plus room and board.”

“You only have one bed,” you shot back, mouth working faster than your brain. Your cheeks heated up to a bright red.

The Mandalorian hummed. “Consider it yours, if you’ll take the job.”

You started chewing your bottom lip again, the taste of iron seeping through your mouth. “I could probably... rig up another bed along there,” you pointed along the wall where some crates were stacked.

He looked over to where you were pointing and nodded. “Does that mean you accept?” he questioned, his voice low and almost crackling through the modulator.

You took a deep breath it and shakily let it out. “Yes.”

A cooing sound came from the crates beside you. The kid was making grabby motions towards you again. You rubbed him gently on the head, pulling lightly at one of his ears.

“Feel free to use the shower, the kid will want to sleep with you in the cot,” the Mandalorian looked down at his green friend. “We leave tomorrow at midday.”

“Thanks, Mando,” you responded after a moment of silence had passed.

He nodded without another word and made his way silently up to the cockpit. You were surprised a man in that much armor could be so quiet. The only sounds he made was the soft clunk of his boots when the bottoms connected with the ladder rungs.

You grabbed the kid and punched the button to open the door to the sleeping quarters. “Get settled, I got a day’s worth of grease to scrub off me.”

*****

When you woke, you were surprised that the little gremlin’s snores didn’t wake you up in the middle of the night. My goodness, how can something so little be so loud? You stretched your body out as quietly as possible as not to wake him. He was sleeping sound in the hammock Mando must have built for him above your head. Thank god he didn’t roll off it in sometime in the night.

You crept out of the cot and stood up on your tippy toes, this time stretching out as full as possible. You had a tendency to curl up in your sleep from your old ship’s sleeping situation but it seemed as if you weren’t going to have that problem on the Crest. There was plenty of room in the cot, you and the kid could have slept in the bed together with a few feet still in between you. Guess you were just used to sleeping in a ball.

You grabbed the last of your food from your bag and started eating as you made your way around the ships cargo hold. When you found a piece of fabric that would do nicely you began to get to work.

It took you under an hour, and you hoped you got the measurements right but nonetheless you started to put the fabric sling around your body. You put both hands in at the opening at your stomach and pushed out as much as you could. Sturdy. Should do the trick.

You crept back over to the cot and carefully grabbed the kid from his cradle. You slowly set him in the opening of the sling. Perfect.

His snores were quieted and you attributed it to his upright positioning, you hoped. You wanted him to sleep a little longer while you grabbed a few things you needed before the journey.

“Clever.”

You inhaled sharply and bit your lip. It took everything in your power not to yelp. “Mando, you scared the bantha fodder out of me!” you whispered harshly.

You could have swore you heard a chuckle coming out of the silver helmet now standing in front of you. He nodded his head towards you. “The carrier. It’s clever.”

Your cheeks turned a bright red as you looked down at the kid, luckily still asleep against your chest. “Thanks.”

He walked over to you. “Going into town?”

You nodded up at him. “Just need to grab a few things before we leave.”

“I’ll join you.”

You said nothing in response, simply grabbing your bag that had previously carried all of your belongings. You had dumped it and sorted it out in an empty crate before going to bed last night.

Mando lowered the ramp and you walked down with him trailing not far behind you.

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vampiresuns · 4 years ago

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Something Wicked This Way Comes | Prologue, Part 1

✴︎ SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES ✴︎

As Asra gets ready to leave again, Anatole handles two unexpected guests: one will alter his future plans, and the other will give him a headache. 2.7k words. For Anatole’s apprentice timeline, compliant with all the routes.

You can read the rest of Anatole’s apprentice timeline series here.

Asra was leaving. Again.

Anatole wasn’t thrilled about it, but him and Asra had had this conversation several times and Anatole trusted his friend and teacher enough to not enquire any further — or to enquire behind his back. He said he had his reasons, and Anatole would respect that. Besides, it’s not as if he minded being alone. Maybe he had at the beginning of his recovery, when the City was still too unknown and disorienting, too much happening in it at all times, Anatole himself barely there.

He had read somewhere that all traumatic injuries which resulted in memory loss were different. Annoying as they were, he was better at handling the by-products of whatever the hell it was that had happened to him. Somewhat. He wanted to think he was, that even though the migraines still lingered, he could handle the shop, himself, his magic (magic that had begun advancing towards places and forms Asra could only guide him towards, not teach him). He just wanted to be good enough at it all, and he supposed he’d have no one he’d felt comfortable asking for help to if Asra wasn’t around.

He sighed. it didn’t matter, well, it did, but he’d be able to handle it. He was sure Antu would gladly help.

“I’ll miss you.”

“You better miss me, Asra Alnazar. Though, must you really leave tonight?

“In the dead of a moonless night. The right time for the beginning of a journey.”

Anatole frowned; Asra was full of shit. “Is that a ritual thing? Or is it a poetic licence thing?”

The magician didn’t reply, changing the topic instead like he always did when Anatole guessed too close to the truth about things Asra did not have the means to explain to his pupil. Instead he gave him his tarot deck.

Anatole can’t remember a time Asra’s separated from it. Normally, when Asra’s gone and Anatole had to a do a reading he used his own deck. It used to belong to his aunt, his connection to it jumping to his tongue before Asra could ask him if he knew, or remembered, whom it had previously belonged to. His cards were different from Asra’s — they were quiet, they gave him analytical and interpretational leeway. Asra’s were... too alive.

He took the Deck as Asra handed it to him, looking at the cards. “You trust me with your deck?”

“I do, Nana, I’d trust you with anything.”

Anatole decided to ignore the charged nature of his words. He had discovered within the last six months he was often able to call for the intention behind people’s words, how they were feeling in the moment, or if they were being dishonest. While most of the time it was useful, sometimes it was wildly disconcerting, others exhausting, or inconvenient. Like right now.

He was witness to the in-between-the-lines of communication whether he wanted or not, being too much information to handle at times. When it was too much, it could feel from invading someone's privacy to being overstimulated.

Instead of asking Asra if he had done that on purpose, he said: “You think I’m ready to use it?”

“You know I can’t answer that for you.”

“I did it again, didn’t I?”

“It’s okay to need validation, Nana.”

Anatole knew that, in theory. Though he couldn’t deny Asra was right: he knew he still needed confirmation that he was doing things correctly, that he was doing a good job, that his efforts were meriting. Even when he had something completely figured out. Out of all the things Asra had thought Anatole would carry back from the dead, his tendency to overcompensate wasn’t one he’d accounted for.

Alright, that was a lie, he hadn’t accounted for Anatole’s entire personality to barrel through death to assert itself over the blank canvas of whom he had come back as. He should’ve foreseen Anatole to manage the impossible, twice.

“Do you think you’re ready?” Now it wasn’t the time to allow his anxieties to govern over his capacities. Breathing steadily twice, he managed to give Asra the debonair smile with an inquiring, raised eyebrow the magician adored to see on his face. He hated not knowing, and the only way of knowing was to ask.

Asra found himself smiling too. “Why don’t we ask the cards?”

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

As Asra said his last goodbyes, a knock on the door interrupting them both, Anatole thought he ought to ask where had he gotten his feathered hat. Another time.

Anatole wasn’t surprised Asra had already left when he went to the front of the shop to get the door, having slipped he High Priestess and her foreboding messages back into the deck. She’d have to wait for whomever had decided ‘after-hours’ wasn’t a real shop-keeping concept. Customers, Anatole swore. He really couldn’t blame Asra for leaving now. He himself hated being delayed or interrupted when he was focusing on something, and while Asra wasn’t quite the same (or didn’t have the same reasons) it was the same outcome.

After-hours was the time he spent on himself and tonight he wanted to tackle his Zadithi. He had only just began picking it up again.

Again? That couldn’t be right.

A second, more impatient knock pulled him out of his thoughts. Anatole lunged forward to open the door, only to be met with Countess Satrinava, out of all people. He didn’t even know their shop had reached the Palace’s radar. For some reason he couldn’t pinpoint right then, he didn’t know if he liked it.

“Countess. Welcome to Moonstone & Jasmine how may I help—”

“Please,” she said, paying him little mind, “you must read the cards for me.”

Like he had said before, customers.

However, Anatole didn’t need to pick up on her words to notice the Countess was genuinely troubled by something, her comment on sleepless nights confirming his suspicion. So he decided to give her the benefit of doubt, instead of pinpointing the hour she decided to come at as a display of nobility’s entitlement.

The talk about his reputation was what shocked him the most, however. The temptation to dismiss her words as hyperbole was strong, but she sounded too honest — a by-product of her state of necessity, Anatole thought, people tended to be worse at lying under pressure (How did he know that?).

When the Countess mentioned Anatole looked different in a dream she had, he speaks as if something had possessed him, having no idea he would speak until he did. “Do you possess any sort of clairvoyance, your Highness? I have a cousin who—”

He stopped as a throb made its way through the back of his head. As far as he knew, he didn’t have any family, he didn’t have anyone but Asra and a dead Aunt, but saying he had a cousin felt right in a way he couldn’t ignore. He had never been very good at lying to himself. Once he knew something was true, it cemented itself in his head, unshakable. He preferred it that way: falsehoods, even if lasting, crumbled. When you built with what was true, you built steady.

This felt like the truth, but was it? Was it a wish, or was it a lost piece of whomever he had been before? In the before he couldn’t remember?

Pushing his thoughts away, he said: “Excuse me, Countess. I forgot myself.”

“No matter. I come with a proposal.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Come to the Palace, and be my guest for a short while. You will be afforded every luxury, of course. I ask only that you bring your skill… and the Arcana.”

His first thought was ‘no’. His second, ‘absolutely not’. He had things! Plans! The only luxury he wanted right now was to be allowed to fill his after work hours as he saw fit. But this was a customer. They could use the money for supplies, and something told him — something he couldn’t pay any attention to right now, something inside of him he could only trust — the Countess was indeed in trouble. The kind of toruble where if he refused to help right now, he’d end up in the Palace anyway.

Sometimes it is better to cooperate with the universe; he had heard that somewhere, or perhaps from someone he couldn’t remember. Perhaps he read it. One way or another, now was not the time to mourn his plans.

“It’ll be an honour.”

“I will alert the guards to expect you tomorrow, but before that...”

Of course, she had come with a tarot inquiry, so Anatole redirected her to the backroom where readings and private consultations were held, finding himself face to face with Asra’s cards again.

He’d have to get used to their liveliness, sooner or latter. Unlike his own card, these spoke to you completely at random, compelling you to deliver their message, so you never knew if you were doing the reading or if the cards themselves were. Anatole didn’t love it, if he was honest. Nothing to do with the cards, though. It had everything to do with having asked Asra why do his cards work like they do, and Asra not giving him an answer which had fully made sense to him.

He didn’t know what to make of the Countess as she talked to him about other times she had had her fortune read. His headache had moved from the back of his head to his temples. Familiar wasn’t the word for it, but she felt trustworthy, in an inconsequential sense. Like a coworker with good intentions but not enough turn out for his liking. He saw her out, opening the door for her, after her reading was done, still having not the faintest idea where on earth did he get such an impression from the Countess. He must’ve been reading too much, that was certainly it — too much politics before bed made Anatole a very imaginative man.

As Countess Satrinava left, Anatole wondered if he should’ve told her anything about fees, at least as a joke. He wasn’t sure she’d appreciate the joke.

He decided to brew something for his headache, worrying it might grow too big to sleep. Potions and brews had never been his strongest fort. He always needed to spend extra attention on them and their instructions, coming less organically than other forms of magic. Like languages. Languages were easy, even if messy sometimes. He still remembered one day, years ago, when he could speak nothing but a gibberish mess of Balkovian, Vesuvian and a very distant variation of Nopali.

Still, it would keep his mind away from all the reputation talk the Countess had brought with her. He wanted to be convinced she must’ve been thinking about his aunt — Paris, that’s all Asra had told him — but Paris had been dead for even before his accident, so maybe... He took a breath, he was overthinking his way into a migraine again so he went back to his brew.

He was missing enough of one ingredient, which meant he had to go to the Shop’s storage quarter, accessible only from outside and through the backdoor. As if anticipating his need, Antupillán, his familiar, fetched the keys for him and climbed onto his shoulder as Anatole made his way outside, looking for the sweet relief of willow tree bark. A victory which came at the price of getting his storage key stuck, fumbling for five minutes to unstuck it so he could go back inside.

With all ingredients in front of him he could finally make himself a headache remedy.

“Strange hours for a shop to keep,” said a muffled voice coming from somewhere, interrupting him.

If he got mugged, in his own house, he swore to everything he thought mattered in this world he’d spend the rest of his life finding whomever had come into his shop and making their lives miserable. He was sure no one had been around when he went retrieve the willow bark, Antu would’ve told him if there was someone. He was sure he had locked that door the moment he came in.

The thought that someone could’ve been staying in his own house, waiting for the right moment to strike made him sick, but mostly, angry. He knew he had a dagger somewhere in one of the drawers, if magic was not enough.

“Whomever it is, come out of where you are, and tell me what you want.”

“Behind you.” Anatole jumped back, giving himself more distance between this person, levelling a look to the red glasses the mask had for eye-sockets.

“So this is the witch’s lair… and who might you be?”

“Who’s asking?” He tried to sound as surefooted as possible, but the eye sockets of the mask were so vividly red, like a halo of auburn hair under the noon sun. His headache threatened to get stronger.

“I’m asking. I’d rather not do it again.”

The person lifted their hand, Anatole’s brain springing into action as it remembered the dagger was in the third drawer to the left. He lunged forward, he was quick with his feet he could just grab the dagger and protect himself with a shield if he—

Instead of grabbing him, the stranger threw the mask to the floor.

The flash of pain between his eyes, right where his nose begins was so intense it burned, making him wince. He patted the front table of the shop to hold onto something, fearing he will lose his balance and fall. He’s— he’s— he swears there’s a name on the tip of his tongue.

“As I suspected, shock, horror—”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s etched on your face! The gruesome reaction of facing the murderer himself. Fear not, I do not care about you, I only want information, so if you stop fooling around and tell me where is the witch.”

“The whomst?”

The man blinked, confused for a flash before he scowled again.

“Where is the witch?”

Something inside Anatole clicked. He was too tired to deal with any of this. If the intruder wanted to attack him, he would’ve done so already.

“Listen,” he said, barking back at this person who had interrupted his evening. “I have a migraine right now, so I will need you to be a little more specific. Secondly, you come into my shop, demanding things without exaplanation, manifesting behind me, and I do have to tell you, even with a migraine, I’m probably better with sharp things than you are so stand back and give me a bloody fucking second, alright?”

It wasn’t a lie. Anatole had always been good with blades. It worried Asra, for a reason he had never explained, but Anatole didn’t think it was a problem.

“You know, if you’re really feeling ill, I’m a medically trained professional—”

“Did you seriously just offer me medical help after you tried to intimidate me for information.”

“I—I, look you don’t look well… wait, did it work? Are you telling me where he is?”

“What? No, no it didn’t. There’s a lot of people who go by ‘he’ this City.”

“Not even the murderer part worked?”

Anatole shot him a death glare that made his uninvited guest look away. After finally retrieving that damn dagger, which he did just in case, he set himself to prepare his migraine remedy.

“You’re the guy who’s wanted for murdering the former Count, right?” He asked as he worked.

“Yes?”

“Wasn’t the guy a bit of an incompetent despot? Created a sanitary emergency and ran the city’s coffers dry? I’m neither of those things, nor I plan to rat you out before you try that line of intimidation, because I’m not a snitch. So please, if you could be specific.”

The intruder did not reply, instead he looked at Anatole like he was the weirdest person he had ever met. He shook himself from it. “The witch, I’m looking for him and I know he lives here...”

“Since you have no clue who I am, I will reckon you’re talking about Asra. He left. Don’t know when he’s coming back, don’t know where he went.”

“But if you don’t know, and I don’t know… why don’t you ask your magic cards?”

God, this man didn’t give up. Normally, Anatole would appreciate that, give him at least some credit as an interesting enemy to run into in the night, but right now? Right now he wanted him to go away. “Because the shop is closed.”

“That’s what the backroom there is for, right? Look, I’m already inside.”

Despite himself, Anatole couldn’t find it in himself to say no, so with a hesitant nod, he left his conoction on the counter and showed his night-time guest to the backroom, but he insisted on Anatole going first. He did, as he didn’t have time for plesantries, though he had to admit, for someone who just broke into his home, he was being very polite.

As he dropped himself into the reading chair, Antu climbed onto Anatole’s lap, sitting there, a comforting presence amid his very annoying evening. He had been his constant companion for almost two years. Antu came in one day unannounced and hadn’t left Anatole’s side since.

“Is that a Raccoon?” The stranger asked, with eyes wide open as he tried to pet him. Antu bit the air in front of him before he could come too close.

Not forgiven yet, Antu said at the stranger, though only Anatole could listen.

Anatole smiled to himself, making a mental note to give him extra grapes later. “His name is Antupillán.”

To Anatole’s surprise, the stranger pronounced the name perfectly. “What does it mean?”

“Not many people pronounce that correctly, look at you. People accent it wrong,” he paused, in all honesty Anatole didn’t know what it meant. Yet, once more, he found himself speaking without knowing what he was about to say. “A ‘pillán’ is a spirit, an embodiment. Antu means sun in Mapudungún, so Antupillán is the spirit of the sun.”

Anatole felt his stomach drop as he awaited for the migraine that would inevitably blotch his vision with black spots. However, it never came, the misplaced information settling into him like a homecoming he was not yet able to process.

As Anatole shuffled the deck, the stranger looked friendly, almost awkward in an endearing way.

“Go on. No need to be shy.”

“Says the man who refuses to give out his name. I need to know it for the ‘magic card reading’, you know?”

“Julian, you can call me Julian,” he said after some stammering and a scarlet blush on his cheeks. His eyes followed his movements as closely as they could, a nervous anticipation to them.

Anatole pulled Death. It was, in Asra’s deck, a particularly quiet card. The horse skull was quiet like someone who opened their mouth to speak, but couldn’t articulate any sound. He wondered if the card in his own Deck — Anatole’s Death major arcana was a moth person holding a mask and a scythe — could hold any answers, other than white noise. It was cheating, technically, but Julian called them ‘magic cards’, Anatole didn’t think he’d mind.

Before he could do anything, Julian laughed. “Death? That means nothing to me. Death cast her gaze upon this wretch and turned away! She has no interest in an abomination like me.”

"What? Julian this isn’t how—”

He stood up abruptly, his mouth seeming to run on automatic pilotwith fatalistic statements and Julian’s hunch that Asra would come back. Which he would, Anatole knew he would. Asra always came back.

Instead of Julian’s advice about seeking him out when Asra did come back, for ‘Anatole’s own good’, whatever that could mean from a fucking stranger, he thought he ought to have accepted the medical help. Perhaps that way, Julian would’ve left earlier and his headache would’ve been dealt with.

Later, as he laid in bed drifting to sleep, he thought Asra left that day not because it was best for a journey, but because he somehowknew all of this would happen and he didn’t want to deal with any of it.

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cheri-translates · 5 years ago

Text

[CN] Idle Chat with Victor

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a feature which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

The CN server was recently graced with a new feature called 随便聊聊 (“Idle Chat”), where you can select a mood and talk to the love interests about work, life, and studies :>

Idle Chat with: Gavin / Kiro / Lucien / Shaw

[ WORK - Topic 1: Overtime ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: Overtime is finally over!! I’m going home to lie down~ I miss my bed and pillow so much

Victor: You’re working overtime again?

Victor: The timing for tomorrow's report will be changed to the afternoon

Victor: You can get more sleep in the morning.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: I’m completely not in the mood to work today, and think I’ll have to work overtime again. I wonder if I’ll be able to finish by 10pm... I’m a little tired, and really miss my bed.

Victor: Instead of letting your mind wander, why not complete the work on hand quickly.

Victor: You were in the mood to play on your phone and send messages in the afternoon though.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: I have to work overtime today! I feel as though I’m basically living in the office recently! I wonder when such days will come to an end...

Victor: Do you want me to award you with a “Most Hardworking Employee” certificate?

Victor: There’s no need for unnecessary overtime

Victor: Tonight, go home and have a good rest.

[ WORK - Topic 2: Income ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: It’s the happy day of payday! Even though I have to pay for various expenses, I’ll live in the moment. So tonight, I’ve decided to have a big feast in Souvenir

Victor: Souvenir isn’t open tonight.

Victor: But if you want to come, I can make an exception.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: In just the blink of an eye, payday is arriving. Come to think of it, the term “income” doesn’t seem to be related to you at all. Doesn’t this mean you’re short of one form of happiness?

Victor: Your definition of “happiness” is overly simplistic.

Victor: I don’t need to consider such things.

Victor: Also, when do you intend to submit the financial statements from the previous quarter?

3. Mood: Angry

MC: Why is there never enough income? I didn’t do much this month, but ended up spending so much. I’m troubled.

Victor: Are you hinting that I should increase your pay?

Victor: It isn’t an impossibility.

Victor: As long as you give me a convincing reason.

[ WORK - Topic 3: Program Progress ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: That collaboration I mentioned the last time was successful! Phew - it’s really been full of twists and turns, and I almost thought it’d fail. It’s a good thing we didn’t give up!

Victor: Since it’s successful, bring the proposal over along with your report next week.

Victor: I’ve asked Goldman to schedule a meeting.

Victor: Also, you did well this time.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: I really have no idea what to do for the new program. I’ve thought of a few perspectives, but everyone thinks they aren’t that great. It feels like all my inspiration has dried up...

Victor: In that case, work on something else to divert your train of thought.

Victor: There are many methods, and you can pick one yourself.

Victor: If you can’t think of anything, come to Souvenir after work.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: The new proposal hasn’t been going smoothly... I was full of vigour at first, but I feel slightly discouraged now. Sigh, I’m starting to doubt life.

Victor: Didn’t you boast shamelessly before that you’d definitely do it?

Victor: Why don’t you take out that vigour you showed me?

Victor: I can spare some time later to help you take a look.

[ WORK - Topic 4: Program Results ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I didn’t expect the program to be approved so smoothly. I even thought it’d get stuck for a long time like the previous case. Looks like praying to you before the meeting was effective!

Victor: Dummy. Praying to me isn’t effective.

Victor: The proposal you did this time wasn’t bad

Victor: Continue making persistent efforts.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: The program on hand is stuck mid-way again. Recently, it feels as though everything isn’t going smoothly. Do you have time to take a look at my proposal?

Victor: Come to my house this weekend

Victor: I can spare two hours.

Victor: If you’re asking for my guidance, have you thought about how to pay the tutoring fee?

3. Mood: Angry

MC: The collaborative program with Loveland TV didn’t get approved again!! I’ve already made five amendments!! Life is really difficult!

Victor: While burying your head in amendments, did you find the reason why it wasn’t approved?

Victor: If you didn’t, let Goldman help.

Victor: As for the rest, I believe you can handle them.

🌹

[ LIFE - Topic 1: Losing Weight ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: When I measured myself today, I realised that I’ve actually lost weight! Truly, “shut your mouth, move your legs”.

Victor: Since you have the determination to persevere

Victor: Looks like the pudding you wanted as a reward can be called off.

[Note] 管住嘴迈开腿 (“Shut your mouth, move your legs”) is a motto for losing weight in Chinese.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: It’s strange... Why isn’t there the slightest change in my weight even after exercising persistently for several days?! This has greatly swayed my determination to continue exercising.

Victor: Is this another one of your reasons to be lazy?

Victor: Continue with your morning run tomorrow.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: During the company’s physical examination, I received a bit of a blow. I actually put on so much weight!! From tomorrow onwards, I’m going to lose weight!

Victor: You do have to control yourself and have fewer suppers and snacks.

Victor: Instead of tormenting yourself alone

Victor: From tomorrow onwards, you’ll join me in my morning run.

[ LIFE - Topic 2: Meals ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I followed a recipe and whipped up coffee chicken perfectly! Even though it looks slightly flawed, the taste deserves 80 marks. Want to give it a try?

Victor: I’m suspicious of what you call “perfect”.

Victor: I’m not at home now. Come to LFG to look for me.

Victor: I hope your skills won’t disappoint me.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: How can I control the thickness of congee? I accidentally poured too much water, and now it has become a pot of rice soup. I even wanted to show you once I succeeded...

Victor: Looks like everything related to “appropriateness” is difficult for you to comprehend.

Victor: What congee are you trying to cook?

Victor: I’ll get someone to prepare the ingredients. Come over and I’ll teach you personally.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: I tried following the recipe you gave me, but failed... I’m not asking for it to be delicious and perfect, but it ended up looking like dark cuisine. I followed every single thing you wrote though!

Victor: This has nothing to do with the recipe.

Victor: As long as you are half as serious about cooking as you are eating it

Victor: It wouldn’t become like this.

[ LIFE - Topic 3: Reading ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I’ve finally finished reading that book you recommended. It’s very interesting!

Victor: What else did you plan to understand?

Victor: I don’t often read such books.

Victor: But after reading it, I realised that there are some merits.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: Today, I purchased a few books on management but didn’t have time to read them. Come to think of it, I haven’t finished reading the books I bought the last time either. But the internet says that buying books but not reading them is also a form of charity~

Victor: So the reason why you buy books is for “charity” reasons?

Victor: Next time, don’t just buy any book you see

Victor: If you don’t know what to buy, ask me.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: I just finished reading a very long book... In the end, everyone died aside from the protagonist! Why is there such a tragic ending!

Victor: So do you want to change the ending?

Victor: Have a night’s rest, and you’ll forget about it tomorrow.

Victor: Don’t complain about dark eye circles the next time.

[ LIFE - Topic 4: Games ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I’m at home since it’s a vacation today, and successfully finished all stages of a game! I said that I have a natural talent when it comes to games, didn’t I? The next time we play together, I won’t be in a flurry like the last time.

Victor: When did I agree to play games with you again?

Victor: If the new program you proposed can rank first in the ratings

Victor: I wouldn’t mind seeing the results of your practice.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: I’ve entered a game wasteland. Even though I usually don’t spend much time playing games... But when I want to play, there’s nothing worth playing, and I end up feeling very bored.

Victor: Apart from playing games, don’t you have other things to do?

Victor: If you really feel bored

Victor: There’s a dinner party tonight. You can come with me.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: When I was discussing a collaborative project today, I tried playing two rounds of Texas hold ’em. It ended in a tragic defeat... These games which require skill and thinking are not suitable for me.

Victor: Actually, it’s rules are very simple.

Victor: Playing such games requires sufficient patience and ambition.

Victor: I’ll teach you next time.

🌹

[ SCHOOL - Topic 1: Progress ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I’ve read through all the materials beforehand. I initially thought these were hieroglyphics, but now I realise they aren’t that difficult~

Victor: Since you could persevere, it looks like it wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

Victor: If you pass the exam, I’ll consider giving you a reward.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: It has been two hours since I started studying, and my progress is 10%. Ahhh I have to make full use of my time!! Why does time disappear the moment my mind wanders...

Victor: If you want to make full use of your time, you should be keeping your phone.

Victor: Next time, lock your phone away before you start studying

Victor: It can prevent 80% of your loss of focus.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: I understand every word, but I can’t comprehend the sentence. I doubt I can finish learning all the materials before the examination. It’s really difficult!

Victor: You chose the hardest difficulty for yourself, so it’s too late to give up.

Victor: But the fact that you could persevere till now

Victor: It already makes one see you in a different light.

[ SCHOOL - Topic 2: Homework ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I just did two sets of examination questions, and the options I picked were all correct! I’m truly an ordinary small genius~ My confidence has shot up!

Victor: Before the final results, blind confidence isn’t much help.

Victor: But I’m looking forward to the final examination script you submit.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: It just dawned on me... why do I still have homework?! I thought the word “homework” was long gone. I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t be able to escape from its shadow.

Victor: If your procrastination didn't show up, all these could have been completed very quickly.

Victor: Aside from homework, don’t forget the report for this quarter.

Victor: I don’t accept unexplained delays.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: I plan to apply for leave from the meeting tomorrow afternoon. Tonight, I’m going to spend the entire night completing the heap of homework... I don’t believe I can’t finish them!!

Victor: With such vigor, why didn’t you complete some earlier?

Victor: Your goal is simply to pass the exam, so you can do some selection

Victor: There’s no need to foolishly set unnecessary requirements for yourself.

[ SCHOOL - Topic 3: Pre-exam Revision ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: I’m done with revision, and have a feeling that I’ll pass successfully this time! If I manage to pass, I’ll invite you out to celebrate. I’ve already thought of the location!

Victor: I accompanied you in studying for such a long time. If you can’t pass, I’ll be skeptical of your brain.

Victor: Right now, the most important thing is to conserve your strength and energy.

Victor: Switch off your phone, and go to sleep.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: Although I’m all prepared, my heart still feels very nervous... If I had known earlier, I would have prayed for a “Pass Every Exam” sign!!

Victor: Since you’re all prepared, why are you still nervous?

Victor: Forget it, I shouldn’t have had expectations for your psychological state...

Victor: Give me a call before you sleep.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: Why do people need to go through exams... Why do people need to do revision... Why do people need to live...

Victor: Weren’t you brimming with confidence when you signed up?

Victor: There’s still time

Victor: I can accompany you in looking through the questions one more time.

[ SCHOOL - Topic 4: Post-exam celebration ]

1. Mood: Happy

MC: The exam is over! I plan to celebrate with a feast! I feel as though the gigantic stone in my heart has finally been lifted. I’m back to being a brave heroine~

Victor: The results aren’t out and you’re already so confident?

Victor: Forget it, I won’t deal any blows

Victor: What do you want to eat? Let me know once you’ve decided.

2. Mood: Upset

MC: I wonder when the examination results would be released... Not being able to see the marks always makes my heart feel uneasy. Although I said I was going to celebrate, I don’t have much of a mood now.

Victor: Your mentality has room for improvement.

Victor: No matter how much you think about it, you can’t change the marks.

Victor: Come to Souvenir tonight - treat it as a celebration for completing your exam.

3. Mood: Angry

MC: The results of today’s exam are out! I obtained 30 marks more than the passing mark! I originally wanted to celebrate, but I heard a grievous piece of news - It turns out that the written examination only constitutes 60% of the marks! The rest are constituted by attendance!

Victor: This score is much higher than your previous test

Victor: As for the remaining marks, I recall that your attendance should be sufficient

Victor: There’s no need to worry.

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc victor

91 notes · View notes

closer-stars · 5 years ago

Text

Good Thing - Mingi (2)

Member: Mingi

Genre: a lil angst, a lil comfort, a lil fluff

Requested: Yes

Word count: 8k

Content: both of them are in better terms now. y/n’s competition. still slowburn. a lot goes on here i think. food mention. mingi protective.

Note: so it’s here lmao. still not over. we still gotta go to the lovers stage right? but before that, they gotta bond. anyways, hope you guys like it aaa

Part 1 here

A small part of Mingi was expecting to hear your team’s mix for the nth time over the past few months. He hears nothing. Though he managed to focus a little better, it still felt a little empty to hear nothing but basketballs, sneakers, and his team on the court. Training goes by a lot slower for him since then. His eyes often wander to the large digital clock, telling him of the remaining minutes that painstakingly pass by with each bounce and fake passes he does.

It goes on like this for him for the past few weeks, while his focus is sharper than ever as his own competition just looms around the corner. His ears still strain to hear the synchronized steps along with the faint music. He hears nothing but rubber against the court and he takes this as a sign to get back in the zone. While the team finds nothing out of the ordinary, Yunho notices the slight dull in Mingi’s energy. He worries for his best friend who pretends that there’s nothing bothering him.

[ Yunho ] Hey did anything happen with Mingi?

It was a risky choice on Yunho’s part but he does remember Mingi mentioning how he had to bring you home after that near fainting incident. He couldn’t wait for a reply from you as their coach calls him in to do a practice game against the other members of the team. To have them practice their speed, his coach explains, so he tosses his phone back into his bag as he jogs back to the court.

On the other hand, here you are, lying on the cool wooden floor as everyone tries to catch their breath. 8PM. You needed something in your system to last for the last two hours. With a dry groan, you push yourself to stand up and stumble to your bag. The world spins a little from how fast you pull yourself up. It’s a good thing you managed to catch yourself before anything bad happens. You dig through for something to eat and your hand brushes across a wrapper. Once you pull it out, you recognize it at the protein bar San and Wooyoung had given to you the other day. Was it the other day or yesterday? You weren’t sure at this point. The days were just a blur until the competition. Your free hand then looks for your phone, wondering if you had anything to catch up on.

You stare at Yunho’s message. Since the last review session, you haven’t asked for an update from them. It came in an hour ago too. So you take a big bite out of the bar as you manage to type in a response

[ You ] What’s wrong? Did something happen?

“Let’s go guys!”

You press send and put your phone away, ready to push through the last two hours. But why were you concerned for Mingi?

Training was finally finished for you. Thankfully, the other members have paid their debts to you and for the training fee so you weren’t as broke as you used to be. Your coach gives the team reminders for the following training tomorrow, along with constructive criticisms to make sure all of you were on top of your game.

“San, what time are we here tomorrow?”

“Same time!”

“Good. Get some rest tonight guys.”

With that, everyone goes their own way, going back to being students. Wooyoung and you were managing the money, making sure that when you pay the rental fee it wouldn’t be a bunch of loose change. San approaches the two of you, helping the two of you count the bills. “Do you guys want to get a burrito or something after?” He asks as you finally pay the rental fee.

“Sure.”

That’s what got the three of you in a burger burrito joint. San and Wooyoung manage to devour their burritos and iced tea with ease. You on the other hand didn’t have much of an appetite and opted for their quesadilla. Maybe it was from the stress.

[ Yunho ] Mingi’s just been a little down lately. Thought he might have shared something with you.

That wasn’t good.

[ You ] Can you give me his number?

“Something wrong?” Wooyoung asks carefully as you had stopped eating to reply to Yunho.

So you tell them the entire story, starting from when they had to rush back to finish a paper which left you alone with your coach, you nearly losing consciousness, Mingi helping you, up until the part where the two of you came to an unspoken truce. San had to occasionally remind you to eat your food as Wooyoung continued to react like the wild card he is.

“So now, Mingi’s apparently down? And Yunho decided to ask if you know anything about it?” At least he pays attention to ask these questions.

You nod, as you take a small sip of your iced tea. Your two best friends look at each other then at you. Where they onto something?

“So is there any update then?”

Your phone slides into their view as they look at your sparse conversation with Yunho. They say nothing but just let it be. “Just make sure you eat, you need all the energy since the competition is only eight days now.” San gently reminds you. He doesn’t say anything about your sunken cheeks and pronounced collarbones. You were generally a fit person but when you’re stressed, you lose more weight than needed.

“I will.” It didn’t sound that convincing as you exchange a few more messages with Yunho on how to talk to Mingi. Right now, you need to finish your food and a long shower.

As you wait for your teammates, you could be found dozing off by the terrace of your cafeteria. A hand hitting your table jolts you awake and you take off your earphones to look at the source of your disrupted sleep.

“Where have you been?” Mingi asks. He sounded as if he was frustrated that he hasn’t seen you as often as he used to.

That catches you off guard as you gradually straight up in your seat. “The studio… we’ve been training there the past few weeks..” you explain while rubbing the sleep away from your eyes. As you do so, Mingi takes this chance to properly look at you. You’ve been losing weight and your stress is clear with how tense your shoulders look. He takes a seat next to you and reaches into his bag for something.

“What are you doi--” Your question is cut off when you see a few protein bars on the table. Questioning eyes take a good look at them then at the male. An unspoken question of what these are all for.

“Is this the same studio across the university?”

You nod, an eyebrow raised at him as he still hasn’t answered your question.

He looks over his shoulder and he sees your teammates coming over to you so he takes his cue. “Message me when you’re done tonight. Dinner’s on me.”

What?

He doesn’t give you a chance to ask for an explanation as he leaves you alone with the protein bars, greeting some of your members that he’s familiar with. Since when did he pat Wooyoung’s ass like it’s a high five? Your eyes return to the handful of bars on your table. ‘I guess I have to keep this for later.’ You think to yourself as you drop them into your bag.

“Since when did you and Mingi become friends?” Yeosang asks as he calls dibs on one of the seats. He takes the chance to breathe a sigh of relief from the momentary comfort the wooden chair gives him. The look of confusion on your face makes one of the younger members explain how his lab class had him on his feet for two hours.

“You’re literally on your feet hours longer than that in training though.”

“On your feet while having to make sure all the chemicals and measurements are right? Please, I'll take drills for three hours instead of two hour lab work.”

A series of chuckles and understanding words were exchanged. You counted the members before you rose from your seat. “I know you’re tired Yeosang but let’s get moving. The earlier we’re in the studio, the sooner you can lie down.” That gets you a whine from him and you chuckle.

Training was going to end in ten minutes. Yeosang leads the cool down this time. As the team continues to stretch their muscles carefully after the strenuous session, you’re watching your phone that lights up with a few messages from Mingi. You couldn’t read it from a distance but you could clearly tell it was from him. Why were you so nervous about seeing him? You’ve seen his face and been in his presence in the past, what makes this any different? Deep in your thoughts, Wooyoung leans his entire weight on your back, causing you to dip your upper torso lower to the ground. “Wooyoung!” You groan out as you try to keep yourself up against his weight. He says nothing but laugh that Elmo laugh, he does get off of you and helps you up.

“Captain! Someone’s waiting for you!” One of the younger members informs you, poking her head into the studio as you try to pick up your bags. You look at her then at your two best friends, wondering who could it be. San peeks out and he grins.

“Wooyoung and I will take care of the payments tonight. Just give us the money and we’ll deal with it after the coach does his last words for the night.”

Was that a good thing?

You pull out your wallet and hand him the wad of cash. “If you lose that, it’s going to be on you.” You warn. At least they could be trusted with money. You walk out of the studio where the team has gathered as they catch their breath. You look around, wondering who your junior was talking about. Your coach talks of focus and being a little stricter as hell week is just next week, reminding everyone of their performance outfits before bidding everyone goodbye and to get some rest.

Just as you were about to approach your co-captains, San stops you. “Nuh-uh. Go. Someone’s waiting for you downstairs!” Wooyoung looks up to see you glance at him then at San, unsure if you should trust his words. He just smirks and shoos you off. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll send you a photo of the receipt too!”

That probably wasn’t a good thing. You purse your lips and give in. With a wave, you head downstairs as you wondered who could be waiting for you. It couldn’t be an alumni member now could it? Once you head out of the building, you spot a familiar fitted shirt. “What are you doing here?”

His surprised jump was adorable to see. When did you think like that? “Didn’t I tell you I was going to meet you after your training?” He asks as if he was talking to a child with a short attention span. Somehow his comment irks you a little.

“I didn’t ask you to come here either, Mingi. If you just wanted to cause me some trouble, that can wait on campus.” Did your talk in the fast food chain mean nothing? Were you just stupid enough to hope that the conversation would lead to a quieter life on your end?

Just as you were about to walk past him, he sighs. His arm stretching forward to stop you from walking any further. “I’m sorry. I’m just really concerned for you after what had happened and how you’re losing weight fast.”

You look at him with the same annoyed expression you always had at the start at the male who can’t seem to look at you in the eye anymore. Without another thought, you try to feel for your collarbones, it was usually a giveaway of your weight loss. They were definitely more pronounced now. With a roll of your eyes, you relent. “Fine, but if we’re back to square one, I’m not paying for anything.” His lips press into a thin line and he nods.

“I already told you, regardless of us fighting or not, I’m paying for the food.” He drops his arms and leads the way for a moment until he knows you’re following him. He slows to walk right next to you. The silence between the two of you was awkward now. He tugs you gently towards the pizza restaurant. “We’re eating here.”

You look at the restaurant and you know this is one of the more pricey restaurants around the area. Not a lot of people were here either, maybe that’s why he chose this place? A small part of you prays that both of you would fight just cause you weren’t sure if you could afford the food here. A quick scan of the menu and you decide to go for something a little cheaper than his order of all meat pizza.

“Vegetarian pasta? Really?” His eyebrows are raised, not having expected that you would order something that light.

Sore shoulders raise in nonchalance at his comment. Your hand comes up to your shoulder as you try to massage the knots. “I don’t really eat when I’m stressed…” you admit while casually massaging your own muscles. “I mean, I do but not as much as I usually would.” You explain. It’s not a good habit, you admit. You’ve been the type of person who gives their everything they do even if it puts your health on the line. How else did you get all these gigs that helps you pay for the team? Your phone startles the both of you as it rings with a notification. “I’m so sorry.” You apologize as you scramble for your phone, hoping your two best friends didn’t mess up the payment.

[ Mountain ] told you, we did it well~

[ Mountain ] receipt.jpg

You smile a little at the message and shoot a heart emoji as thanks. Another notification comes through and you realize that one of the bigger clients you worked with a few months back has finally paid your talent fee along with compensation for the late payment. “What happened?” Mingi asks, while his features were a little stoic, his eyes widened slightly in alert.

“Huh?” Did you deflate in your seat? You push yourself to sit properly again. “Oh! Nothing bad. One of the clients that tapped me for a gig finally paid me just now.” Your smile loosens up your body and lowers his guard. Even if he tries his best to avoid you throughout the years, it wasn’t hard to know things about you through word of mouth. He knows that you’re a good dancer, despite being a pain in the neck, and being that good means that there were brands out there that want you to promote their things.

“What gig was this?” When was he so interested in your life? He notices how your cheeks flush at his question. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s alright! I just don’t really talk about my gigs that often, uh, you know what..” You look through your social media for the brand. Once you find it, you show your phone to Mingi and it takes awhile for him to realize he was wearing the same cap that you were paid to model and dance with.

He nearly yells out in surprise over this discovery and you have to scramble over to him to shut him up. “Shush! I don’t even share these things on my social media. I just want my social media as private as possible. I have a business account for gig offers and partnerships but besides that…” you trail off while shaking your head. He leans against his seat, somehow respecting you more than he believed he could. He could learn a thing or two from you that hopefully just wasn’t academics. “Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you get brand partnerships too?”

“I do but they only last as long as my basketball career.” The both of you thank the staff for serving your orders and you get started eating.

“You don’t plan to do basketball in the long run?”

“Nope, I only see myself doing this until I graduate. I just want to work away from the sports industry.” You tilt your head at his statement.

“What do you plan to do then?”

“Music.” He admits as if it’s a matter of fact. It’s your turn to look at him with raised eyebrows.

“I didn’t know you had a thing for music.” You admit as you take a bite out of your pasta.

“Now you do, I’ve been learning how to compose and write music in my spare time. I have to admit, your team’s mix is really good too. Interesting use of risers also.” He compliments with a cheeky smirk while he eats his pizza. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him to understand music better. “I don’t mind working as a producer somewhere. Produced by Fix On.” He says with a wishful grin.

If he just smiles like that more instead of looking like he’s had enough of people, maybe the two of you would’ve been friends. Hell, maybe you would’ve caught feelings for him too.

He notices the confused expression on your features and it causes him to snort. “Say Fix on several times. You’ll hear my last name eventually.” Since when did he have a knack for word play?

The rest of the night goes just like so. You had managed to finish your pasta without much of a hitch, Mingi not any different from you. As you wait for the bill, you speak up again. “Thank you for this. I think I needed this.”

He grins at you and you feel your heart skip a little.

“My pleasure.”

When you leave the restaurant, you expected to split ways from here but he walks in the same direction as you. “You really think I’m letting you go home alone? It’s dangerous to be alone at this hour.”

You don’t try to turn down his offer.

By the time you arrive outside your dorm, you’re ready to bid him goodbye. Doubtful that the same night will repeat for the next few days. “Thank you for tonight.” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. You chuckle at his shy gesture but wave him goodbye.

“Wait!”

You already had one foot in your dorm when you looked at him.

“I just wanted to say thanks also for helping Yunho and I on our exam. We got B+ on our respective exams.”

Even in your exhausted state, you somehow manage to smile brightly at such news. Mingi hopes you don’t catch how bright the tip of his ears become.

“Once our competitions are over, remind me to get both of you something as a reward. Good night, Mingi.” You slip inside quickly, and the last thing he hears from you is the chime of your locks.

He walks back home and he starts to wonder what he’s feeling. Admiration? It sounds like it. Respect? Definitely. Attraction? Who knows.

The competition is already at the end of the week. If you weren’t with San and Wooyoung, you were on your own somewhere on campus catching up on your studies or sleep. While your body didn’t feel as stressed as it was in the past, you’re still mentally stressing over everything. You find yourself in the same place where you used to tutor Mingi and Yunho. Something about the place made you feel a little bit of peace.

“I had a feeling I’d see you here.”

You look up, greeted by Mingi’s presence with a cup of coffee in his hand. He sits across you, as he notices the notes splayed out next to you. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have class?”

“You have my schedule memorized?” It takes a bit of his self-control to not break out into a goofy grin at your expression.

That question stops you in your tracks and you shift your gaze back to your laptop screen. As you continue to type down all the notes in preparation for another test the following week, you try to stifle a yawn. Your knuckles come up to try and rub the exhaustion of your eyes, that’s when Mingi extends the coffee to you. Confused eyes are cast at his direction, staring at the coffee then at him.

“Why?”

“I didn’t buy this coffee for me.”

“What?”

“I said-”

“I know what you said, Mingi. I’m asking why did you buy coffee for me?”

“Cause you always drink it before training?.”

Fair point. You always did have a bottle of instant coffee in hand during training breaks. You look at the cup, taking a tentative sip then look at him.

“How did you know I like latte coffee?”

It’s his turn to avoid your question, looking at his phone as if he had received a message. This makes you chuckle and you decide to drop the topic and go back to reviewing.

It’s competition week for you. Mingi’s competition is the following week aka your turn to give back and take care of him. He keeps you company for the rest of the time, not disturbing your flow. Occasionally, he would make sure you were drinking water instead of the coffee but knowing you, you always reached for the coffee. He catches himself smiling softly at the sight of you so focused on your work. He snaps out of his daydreams when you close your laptop, rolling your neck around to ease the stiffness. “Training time?”

You nod, breathing out a sigh of exhaustion. He worries but he knows that you’ve been doing this since day 1. If there’s anyone who knows how to handle hell week madness, it’s you. “So tired, but..” you trail off as you pack up your things. “..it’s worth it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” You admit, a flash of a smile on your features and his heart does a little flip.

“Can I walk you to the studio?” He doesn’t understand why it was a struggle to ask those words to you. Your eyes always bright and curious manage to pierce through his sudden shy mannerisms.

“You need to talk to me about something, Mingi?” Nevertheless, you let him accompany you to the studio.

It wasn’t a long walk really but Mingi had to let out a few worries that had been troubling him since he had helped you out that night near the basketball court. “I never apologized properly for everything. I mean I know we’re in better terms now but you know how post-training can be. Everyone’s a lot more relaxed. I just wanted to say sorry really, for making your life hell since freshman year.” He rambles.

It warms your heart a little to have him like this. Not the guy who was so cocky back in first year, not the cold guy who throws sharp criticisms unprompted. At the end of the day, he was still a regular guy with his own set of dreams, even if it was against the norm. “I’m sorry too, really. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did when we first met. Should’ve been a little more understanding of you too.” Whether you want to admit or not, both sides did have their faults in the rough relationship. It was a little relieving to have this done right before training as well. Maybe that’s why you’ve been dancing a little better lately.

You reach the studio and Mingi’s a few steps behind you. “I’ll see you later?” He asks before he heads back.

“Ah! About that, hell week training is usually until midnight or 1 AM. You don’t have to wait for me.”

“I want to though.”

Before you could even shoot back a reply, one of your juniors has caught sight of you and swings the door open, excitedly telling you about how San had fallen for Yeosang’s prank and is still recuperating from it. You could actually hear Yeosang’s laughter. You couldn’t say anything as she drags you in, all you could do was wave Mingi goodbye.

It’s already past midnight when you’re finally out of the studio, oddly finding the night air cooling against your body.

[ Mingi ] I’m at the usual coffee shop.

You stare at the message and immediately make your way there. The usual five minute walk turns into a three minute walk to the coffee shop. Eyes scan for the familiar messy brown mop of hair buried in marketing notes. Without a second thought, you drop yourself on to the chair across him. The sudden impact of your bag against the chair next to you had him jumping in his seat.

“Told you I’d wait for you.” A small cup of iced latte with a sandwich was pushed to you.

You stare at the meal then at him. “Why are you doing this? You’ve been busy with basketball practice aren’t you? Along with your studies? You really don’t have to do all this.”

His headphones slide down to rest on his shoulders as he gazes at you. You could actually hear the music coming from his headphones. He has that stoic face he usually wears back when the two of you couldn’t stand each other, this one carried more weight. “I know you’re a strong person but letting your own health be on the backburner isn’t a good idea right? Competition’s in three days. I’d rather you’re in your best shape.” In short, he’s worried and just wants the best for you.

You don’t question the sincerity, so you eat your meal quietly as you get started in your own work as much as you could. Half an hour passed by and you knew you were too tired to think properly. You put your things back and instead put your full attention on your food. Once you finish your meal, you spend some time on your phone before deciding to catch a few zzz’s as you wait for Mingi to finish his studies.

He lowers his laptop’s screen, his eyes on his almost illegible notes. “Hey, I need your opin--” His words were cut short at the sight of you dozing off in front of him. The thought of how endearing you looked as you dozed off passes through his mind. It takes him a few seconds to snap out of it. He carefully packs up his things. “Wake up.. Let’s get you home yeah?” He says softly as he gently shakes you awake. You scramble for a quick moment, disoriented at the bright lighting and the murmurs of various topics around you. “What- where- how long did was I out?” He shrugs his shoulders as he extends his hand out to pull you up to which you accept as you carry your things.

Outside your dorm, Mingi waits until you unlock your door. Once successful, he pats your head gently. “Get some rest tonight.” Just as he makes his way back, you call out.

“Same thing tomorrow?” A tinge of hope in your tone.

You don’t see the smile on his features at your question. He raises an ‘okay’ sign and waves at you as he walks off.

So the same thing happens throughout the week: sleep, study, dance, eat, repeat. The night before your competition, your coach only lets the team do the runs a few times, all of which were not at everyone’s maximum in order to save as much strength for tomorrow. It was only the last run that he asks everyone to go all out. “I want you guys to dance this run as if you were on stage already okay?” A chorus of yes’s and cheers could be heard in reply. While you were off to the side, watching your team cheer each other on. Your thoughts were slowly becoming a little sentimental as your eyes become a little glassy. Your two constants, Wooyoung and San, immediately hook their arms over your shoulders, cheering just as loud as they get, if not louder. The music starts and everyone’s game mode has switched on.

The run ends with everyone’s faces shining with sweat. Everyone holds the final pose for a few moments until the music loops. Your coach claps, proud to see the months of hard work produce an amazing team and an amazing piece.

“Pack up guys, let’s continue our talk outside. We’re getting that gold, tomorrow.”

Everyone asks what time it was, a little surprised to have ended early.

11 PM.

Less than twenty four hours until show time.

[ You ] Where are you?

[ Mingi ] On my way there.

You switch off your phone as you deal with your usual duties as your coach continues to give everyone a supportive talk, thanking everyone for the months of hard work. One of the younger ones breaks the heavy air of tension by asking the graduating batch to give a speech. “I’ll save it for tomorrow after the competition. Don’t forget your costumes, props, and make up.” You tease as you pay the rental fee. Wooyoung reminds everyone to eat well tonight and tomorrow, followed by San reminding everyone to pour their hearts out tomorrow.

You head down the building with San and Wooyoung wondering what to eat for dinner. They bounce back and forth on whether they should go for sushi or burritos. “Oh, Song Mingi! What’s up?!” San hollers causing you to flinch from how loud he gets. You watch him give Mingi a high five,along with a pat on the butt. Completely normal.

“Was waiting for your captain.” He replies simply with a lopsided grin at the sight of your friends.

“Oh? The two captains of their teams are now friends?” Wooyoung chimes in cheekily, causing you to kick his shin.

“And what about it?” You whine, earning a chorus of laughter from the three loudest people in your life.

“Do you guys want to come with us for dinner?” Mingi offers to the two. They look at you then at Mingi. You know that look in their eyes, they were definitely planning something.

“Where are you guys going to eat dinner?” San asks, raising an eyebrow at the offer.

“Usual place, coffee and pasta.”

“Are you sure we aren’t going to intrude on your date?” He continues. This earns him a slap on his back with you making noises of defense.

Mingi and you look at him with wide eyes. “It’s not a date!” The both of you spit out immediately.

“If you say so then I’m down.”

So that’s how you spend the two hours with your best friends and Mingi. San and Wooyoung tell stories of how training has been going, with the occasional defensive yelp from you as you eat your pasta.

“Excuse me! I did not say that!”

“Then who asked what comes after five? ‘Coach! Is six after five?’” There were times where you were impressed with San’s impersonations, now you just felt like you wanted to tickle him until he surrenders.

This somehow makes Mingi crack up, imagining the situation. He could somehow picture your tired expression and thought process to have asked such and he didn’t want to admit how endearing it was to him. Your ears heat up from embarrassment though lighthearted but at least Mingi was relaxing as well with your friends. It’s a rare sight as well to have Mingi not be so on guard with where he is: compared to the first meeting, he didn’t mind the people around him. The same could go for those in this coffee shop. Everyone’s in their own little world with their friends or classmates.

Wooyoung steals a look at his watch. “Guys we gotta head home. It’s already 1AM. Our competition’s at 7PM.” You immediately finish what’s left of your pasta and down your coffee.

“Slow down..” Mingi chides gently at the sight of you inhaling your food in a rush.

“We’ll go ahead. See you guys tomorrow!” With that, San and Wooyoung rush out, needing to get as much rest as possible. That leaves you along with Mingi as you try to catch your breath after eating so quickly.

Once you know you are okay, you stand up slowly, stretching your arms. “Let’s go?” You ask the male who was seated next to you. It takes him a few seconds to snap back into reality as he stands up.

He walks you home as usual, but there’s an air of sentimental feelings. Maybe it was because this was going to be the last time he gets to walk you home after training. Will he still see you after this?

“Penny for your thoughts, sir?” You ask before you enter the complex. Even if you only spent a limited time with Mingi, you’ve grown accustomed to his habits: being in his thoughts more often than he’d like to admit, joining Yunho and the others in their antics, smiling so wide his gums show, his tendency to fiddle with the wire of his headphones when he spaces out.

He looks over at you as he hums. “Just thinking if this is the last time I’ll be walking you home since your competition’s tomorrow. Gonna miss it I guess.” He was also a man who couldn’t admit his feelings that easily unless it was to Yunho or you.

Before you could stop yourself, your hand finds itself squishing his cheeks together. “I’ll walk you home after your trainings, then.” It makes him chuckle. His hand wraps around your wrist as he gently rubs his thumb across the side of your wrist. There was something in his eyes that you couldn’t read but it made you have a hard time breathing. “Thanks, get some rest now. You got a big day ahead of you. Good luck okay?”

You let go of his cheeks and nod. “Thank you. Stay safe on the way back okay?” You wave him goodbye before heading into your dorm.

Once your last class is over, you immediately sprint out with your things. As you walk to the venue, you were already applying some of your makeup.

[ You ] Where’s everyone?

[ Welsh Corgi ] oldtree.jpg

You immediately knew where they are.

On the way there, you spot a line already forming outside the venue. They did switch up the competition this year. You weren’t sure who was going to be the special guest that was performing but it seemed to be a big factor to the crowd that was slowly morphing into a line. You immediately spot your team, some of them having their hair styled by fellow members, while others had their make up applied by friends and other members. “Where’s the rest?” You ask as you note that some of them are still missing. Yeosang tells you that they’re coming from classes as they had an exam to deal with. You nod then continue with your makeup until you realize that Yeosang’s face was still untouched. “Come here. I’ll do your makeup.”

As you do his makeup, you realize just how good his features are. You could already imagine the noise he can make on social media once people see him dance out there. “Smile.” You tell him and he does awkwardly at first. “Like, a genuine smile, Yeosang. The smile you do when San falls for your tricks.” Then it appears and you’re able to apply the highlighter on his cheekbones. “Huh, your bone structure’s really nice.” You point out, a mix of jealousy and amazement in your voice. You lean back a little to look at your handiwork, pleased you shoo him off. “Wooyoung! Does Yeosang need to have his hair done?” Wooyoung looks up from tying a younger member’s hair into a neat ponytail.

“I’ll give him a manbun.”

You let Yeosang bond with the other members as you finish putting on make up on yourself. Before you could move, San has already appeared behind you, styling your hair properly. “Thanks,” you mumble, as you look at your reflection on the mirror.

“Nervous?” San asks softly as he gathers all your hair up, occasionally putting gel on any stubborn tufts of hair.

“Kind of, it’s my last performance with you guys. I’m pretty sure I’m going to cry after.” You admit, laughing.

“We’ll do well there.”

“I know, San. We’ll kill it.”

Once everyone was counted for, you were allowed backstage into the waiting rooms. Time doesn’t move the way you were accustomed to. The time you were waiting with your team was spent warming up and listening to your dance mix, nervous and quite emotional. You knew your parents were going to be there to watch your last performance but you wondered and maybe hoped, that Mingi would be in the crowd as well.

Yunho couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Mingi being restless. “Bro, it’s okay. You’ve seen them practice. They’ll definitely do well tonight.” Yunho says, trying to reassure his best friend who was nervous beyond belief.

“I know, it’s just.. They put their health on the line for this. If they finish empty handed..” He mumbles, not knowing that Yunho was recording a short clip of him shaking his leg in his seat. He readjusts his beanie as he tries to lay low, the crowd here is a lot more diverse than those in his games. Fortunately, not a lot seemed to mind him or Yunho. The both of them found a few familiar faces in the audience, some of them their classmates, some of them on TV to which they assume were the judges as they sat in front of everyone. “What time is it?”

“Any minute now.” Just like that, the lights close and the spotlight shines on stage as the MC greets the audience. The show has begun and none of them know when your team will perform.

One by one, the teams leave the waiting room, re-enter the room to grab their things and wish the teams left, good luck. The teams who were waiting still congratulate the teams who leave. One more team and your team was next. Your team does a quick huddle as your coach says his last words. A quick cheer and all of you are ushered to the sides of the stage. You watch the first team finish their piece until it was your cue to go out to the stage. The MC then reads the spiel for your team and you immediately reach out for San and Wooyoung, squeezing their hands as thanks. The lights go off and immediately everyone goes into position.

‘Pour your heart out for the team.’ is the only thought in your head as you wait for the music to start.

The months of training condenses into three minutes on stage. Truth be told, you couldn’t see anything from how blinding the lights were but you dance your heart out, your expressions aiding into the performance. The energy from your team could be felt in constant waves to each other and to the crowd. For a quick second, you could hear your name being cheered from somewhere in the audience. While your eyes snap at the general direction of the voices, you put your focus back in the piece and the team. At one point, you couldn’t hear the music over the crowd’s cheering. As the team dances, you could hear your members cheer each other on as they go through complicated segments. The piece ends with everyone sweating bullets and everyone roars with delight. Everyone holds their pose until the lights switch off, then everyone rushes back to the waiting room.

The production team then guides your team to seats reserved to your team. On the way there, your members have already received the video of your performance from friends, already monitoring how they did. It was only when you settled in your seat that you let a few tears fall. That was it. That was your last stage with this team. You rest your head against Wooyoung’s shoulder as you hold onto San’s hand. You were going to miss this team no matter how infuriating they can get.

One the lights dimmed, Mingi and Yunho have leaned back into their seats. “Holy shit. Were they always like that?” Mingi asks his best friend, pulling off his beanie as he fixes his now tousled hair. Breathless but nonetheless immensely proud of your team for having done amazing.

“You missed out on a lot, Mingi. At least, you managed to see their last stage though.” The now blond male responds as he looks at his slightly blurry shots of the team, that had the accompaniment of their hoarse voices cheering wildly. Yunho, who was more open on social media as compared to him, took a few shots of the performance and uploads them to his Instagram. He manages to take a quick selfie with Mingi-- though he covers a bit of his face, as they wait for the next team to go up on stage.

His friend’s words make him think to himself. Last stage? Were you going to stop dancing after university?

The next competitors go by like a breeze. Up next was the special guest, probably to buy time for the judges as they deliberate. You weren’t even up to date with the latest music and artists anymore but based on the screams, they were a well known group. How they sing and dance with ease was beyond you and you respected for being able to do what they do. Once they finish, your coach tells everyone to gather by the side aisle with him. “Whatever happens tonight, I’m proud of you. That was one of your best runs this season. All we can do now is hope for the best and expect the worst.” The MC thanks everyone for having waited this long for the results. Your hold on the members that you could reach was firm, nervous for the results. You heard that the other teams were strong contenders too. You hope your team stands a chance. The MC starts off with the special awards and that gives you a bit of air to breath.

“Next up are the bronze, silver and gold!” Everyone then huddles, holding onto each other as if for dear life. The MC starts with the bronze. It’s not your team. Silver’s next, it’s not your team. It makes you hold onto someone’s shoulder tightly. Gold’s left. The MC prolongs the first syllable and it makes your heart race. There were only two teams that had the same first syllable, yours and your rival team. The MC proclaims your team as this season’s champion and you feel your knees buckle in relief. Everyone around you starts jumping, screaming and crying. Everyone’s going up on stage to receive the award and have their picture taken. Your members push you forward to receive the trophy and prize money. Once all that was finished, the top three teams celebrated on stage dancing and jumping with each other. Some of them taking their photos with the trophy on stage.

When your team was announced as winners, Mingi and Yunho were jumping out of their seats, hollering and cheering. Never underestimate athletes and their ability to be loud. As other teams and audience members streamed out of the venue, the two of them immediately dash towards the stage to congratulate your team. Once they arrive at the stage, they attack their friends in bear hugs, congratulating all of them and taking pictures with them and of them. Yunho was the first one to spot you, surrounded by your team as you cry in happiness. “Mingi!” He calls out as he gestures at the direction of your team. The two of them approach the team as they listen to your last speech earnestly.

“To everyone, thank you for working so hard for this competition. No matter how tiring and frustrating it got, not one of you gave up. Even if you thought about it, you went against it and continued to dance. To Coach, thank you for being patient and strict with everyone, if not for you this team would be nowhere. To San and Wooyoung, two of my biggest sources of strength, thank you for taking care of the team when I couldn't. I wouldn’t be where I am if not for the both of you. Tonight, we’re celebrating!” You raise the trophy once more and everyone piles their hands around yours and the trophy, cheering once more for the team. With that, you hand the trophy first to the other members who wanted to take a photo with it. You weave through the crowd until you catch sight of two Great Danes watching you with pride. When you exclaim their names, Wooyoung and San whip around to be greeted by the two of them just as ecstatic as you are.

You end up throwing yourself into Mingi’s arms, too overwhelmed to say anything. Out of shock, he freezes up, his eyes darting to Yunho then to Wooyoung then to San. The other two are smiling like little demons. He regains his composure and wraps his arms around you just as tightly. “Told you, you’d do well.” He murmurs into your ear as you continue to sniffle against his neck. Neither of you realize that Wooyoung has taken a photo or two of the two of you in each other’s arms. You pull away and try to wipe away your teams without ruining your makeup. As you settle back onto the ground, Mingi surprises you with a bouquet of flowers as congratulations for working so hard.

“Hey and you didn’t get one for us?” Wooyoung complains with a whine. You chuckle at the outburst before smiling at the male. You do the same to Yunho, who surprisingly manages to spin you around causing you to flail around in surprise as you try to get down. Mingi couldn’t help but readjust his beanie, feeling awfully shy under the gaze of your two best friends. Yunho’s wink doesn’t help him either.

“Thank you for coming… Are you going to eat with the team?” You ask, hopeful to have them with your team on this good night.

They look at San and Wooyoung then nod. “Why not?”

The three of you then take a few photos with the trophy before handing it back to you. “Pizza night!!” You holler to your team.

The rest of the night was spent in the pizza restaurant. Nothing but good vibes were shared with each other. Some of you had gotten a hold of the performances of the other teams. “When are we getting our scores?” Your coach asks. You look at the date.

“Two days from now. I heard the silver place was only point zero something difference with ours.”

He shrugs. “We still won and that’s more important.”

You laugh before excusing yourself as your parents try to catch your attention. You should’ve expected that they’d ask you questions about the two new faces. “Are they the new members?” Your mom asks as she eyes the two tall men who were joking around with some of the members. You look at the direction she was gesturing at and you chuckle.

“Yunho! Mingi!” You call out, as you gesture at them to come over. They note the two aged couple near you and immediately walk over.

“Mom, dad. This is uh, Jung Yunho and Song Mingi,” you gesture to each of them respectively. “They’re my friends but they’re in the basketball team..” That was when your father’s features perk up at the recognition of their names.

“Right!! I’ve watched you boys on TV during your competitions!” To see your dad fanboy was a little amusing, much to the mild embarrassment of the boys to have people his age be fans of them. You watch your parents have a bit of small talk with the two, mostly being questions of their majors, how long they’ve been playing basketball and plans after graduation. It doesn’t take long until your parents bid them goodbye. Your mother gives you a tight hug and subtly whispers “The boy in the beanie looks handsome don’t you think?” You pull away immediately, flustered at such question.

“Mom!”

She laughs behind her hand as she watches you hide your face, clearly amused by how bashful you’ve become. “Anyways, we paid for your team’s food. If they still plan to order anything, cover it and I’ll pay you tomorrow okay?”

First place in the competition, flowers from Mingi and your parents covering the food expenses? It was a good night. You nod in agreement, waving your parents goodbye as they head home.

As you turn around, Mingi’s the only one waiting for you. Yunho had returned to the table once your parents left. “What did your mom say that got you so shy?” He asks, tilting his head.

“You know how parents are.” was your only answer as you try to dismiss the topic immediately.

For the rest of the night, the only things the team ordered after the meal were ice cream. Some had left earlier, wanting to go for some alcohol, others to catch up on sleep for the next day. As the people start to trickle away, you’re left alone with Mingi as you wait for the bill.

“Something on your mind?” You ask, as you keep an eye on the counter.

“That obvious?”

“You’re brushing through your hair again, Mingi. The last time you did that was when you were frustrated during review.” You point out, the corner of your mouth quirking upwards before facing him. Were you concerned? Slightly. You still don’t know a lot about the man in front of you but you’ve been able to read his habits like a children’s book.

“I never asked what you plan to do after university.” Mingi starts out, his gaze fully on his worn beanie that hangs over his hands. You stay quiet as you wait for him to expound on his thoughts. “After your performance, Yunho was telling me how I missed out on amazing stages from you and how lucky I was to watch your last stage. It got me wondering, if you planned to stop dancing after graduating?” Guilt was clear in his features and you didn’t have any heart to drive the nail into the coffin. The past you would’ve loved to give him a taste of his own medicine but now? You couldn’t.

“Mingi, look at me.” You tilt his chin to have him look at you, even if he couldn’t. “Dancing has helped me in too many ways. The only time I’ll stop is when this body gives up on me or if some freak accident or injury stops me but that’s besides the point. You managed to be there for me when I couldn’t open myself to be vulnerable fully. I don’t mind if you watched the last stage with the team, the past stages are online and there’s still more in the future. The fact you watched one is good enough, Mingi. I’ve already forgiven you for our rough relationship. What matters now is that we’re on good terms.” You keep his face facing you properly as you speak. It hurt to see him have this much insecurities and thoughts wrack his brain but you were willing to put up with it the same way he put up with you.

Right on time, the staff give you the bill and you pay for it quickly. “Let’s go home. It’s been a long day and you still have a game next week.” You say gently, standing from your seat with Mingi following you this time around.

It’s your words that give him relief. Your forgiveness was unexpected but needed. As you pay for the bill, he couldn’t help but wonder how he got so lucky with your patience. Maybe he had to thank Professor Hwang soon. Your words replay itself over and over his head as his eyes never leave you. He doesn’t understand what’s going on in him. He does know it’s not a bad thing.

The sun’s slowly rising at this point. The sky turns a pale shade of purples and pinks. You guess it was already around three to four AM by now. Something in you pulls you closer to the male, hooking your arm with his. You glance at him, his beanie back on his messy brown mop with the hood of his hoodie over him. The basketball star really just was a soft hearted business student with a passion for music.

Maybe this is a new chapter to your friendship with him.

Part 3

#ateez scenarios #ateez fluff #mingi scenarios #mingi fluff #my writings #anyways lovers chapter left #and maybe an epilogue? o3ov #ateez writings #ateez x reader #ateez fanfiction #mingi #ateez mingi

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