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lifewithsyfe · 3 years ago

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PLAYING WITH FIRE

Not quite sure how to put this into words, but someone else needs to know what I know. This story can save so many people and I won’t feel right until it’s consumed by as many as possible. I can’t express how many times I’ve tried to get this out. I almost even gave up on it, but God wouldn’t let me. So, let me make another attempt at it - this is how I escaped the devil:

It was a Friday night, April 5th, 2019.

I’m at El Rey on U street, having a few cold ones by myself. Just got off work, taking it easy...

Then, I end up running into and old “friend” I used to hangout with. Known him for about 7 years at the time: (Dave) - tall, black, dreads, above average build.

After a couple of drinks, he asks if I want to hangout at one of his friends house. Said we can smoke there and that she has a lot of drugs.

So I accepted cuz I was originally going to let the night unravel on it’s own and it didn’t sound like such a bad idea at the time.

It was a habitual routine I developed during my heartache…

I’d go out alone, run into a group of people I knew, bar hop ‘til we ended up at an after hours spot (or someone’s place) and shamelessly sleep my next day away.

So we get to the front of his friend’s building and it’s like a 60sumn-year-old lady:

(Robin) - fat, white, short, blue hair, top row gold grill and “ride or die bitch” tattooed on the back of her neck (amongst a couple others, but that one stood out most cuz it was in my face, while she was unlocking her apartment door).

At first, I thought it was a descriptive-type of tattoo. Like, she was saying that that’s what she was.

But in retrospect, it was almost like it was something she was saying to me - you’ll see what I mean later, if you don’t get it now.

Oblivious to what was about to happen next, I continued to walk through that door...

Something felt off, but I just figured it would be something low-level weird.

I’m always seeing signs that show somebody dabbles in magic or the dark arts, but I figured “if I’m not actively practicing divinity or doing weird rituals, it won’t personally affect me…if I don’t create a ceremonial invitation, then I’ll be okay.”

Now, I’ve already had a good amount of spiritual experiences at this point (good and bad), but for some reason I just didn’t think anything like this would happen…at least not to me.

I thought I had it all figured out, cuz I thought I’d seen it all - or at least enough.

I should’ve known though…I was just so emotionally numb at the time, I was doing anything to feel anything.

I mean aesthetically, she looked like she’d have a few good stories or something. Needless to say by now, but I ignored the red flags.

So, moving forward...

We walk in, sit on the couch, watch skate videos and start breaking down.

After a few minutes of small talk, they offer me some acid from a vile. Emphasizing how it was very high grade stuff - but I didn’t need much convincing anyway.

I was very into psychedelics and considered myself extremely experienced in that realm.

But just because I did it a lot, didn’t mean I was. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t though.

It was usually my go-to for when I needed that unrivaled escape from reality.

So yeah, I took the witch’s brew thinking it was something I considered fun.

Once it starts to kick in, I can feel her beginning to stare at me from the end of the room - with a big grin on her face.

She then suggested that I take my jacket off cuz I’m going to end up getting really hot, and cackled like it was the funniest thing the world to say.

It was something she said a couple of times too. At first I didn’t know exactly what she meant, I just thought she was a basket case - but she was implying that I was going to end up in Hell…you’ll see what I mean.

A few moments go by and they suggest we move the party to the rooftop cuz her place was limiting and we could see more from up there.

Plus, she wanted to blow bubbles…and I figured “tripping indoors is boring anyway, why not?”

Now because I took my jacket off and left it in her apartment, I began shivering after a while.

I didn’t expect for it to be that windy, I wanted a nice little breeze.

So she says she’ll get me one, cuz she had to go in for more soap anyway - comes back and asks to put this fur coat on me.

It was a nice coat, so I let her.

So I’m cozy now and she gives me a tour, showing me the cool visible parts of the city.

Telling me not to be afraid of my true potential and that I can obtain everything I want.

I was feeling pretty good about those words, until I thought “that sounds familiar…what if she isn’t speaking in general?” - but I just chalked it up to her being an old hippy.

She then grabs my arm and tells me to look at this red wall, as we walk to the other side of the building. I figured it’d be something visually enticing she was trying to share, but this was going to be her first attempt at hypnosis.

She asked if it felt like my soul was being massaged - encouraging me to ride it out. Essentially, trying to get me to put my guard down, saying “this is where dreams become reality.”

Then, I began seeing holographic outlines of people in the wall. The traces reminded me of a glowing snail trail.

Right after, I saw myself turn into a block of flesh and almost being slid into the wall if I stared any longer.

But like I woke up in one of those falling dreams, I snapped out of it.

With a laugh attached, she says “damn, almost!”

And that’s when I stopped letting myself be completely naive. The veil was clearly being lifted before me and I needed to be alert. It’s just, I had this slight muffle surrounding my common sense.

Now I knew hallucinogens were considered sorcery in the Bible, but I figured - one more time won’t hurt. It’s not like I wasn’t still smoking and drinking.

It’s just crazy, cuz it was after learning about what the fallen angels taught us, is when I decide trip again.

I blatantly chose to play with fire and defy God that night.

See, these hypnotic spells are telepathic contracts. Once the manipulator is installing a vision, it’s at the last second where it becomes your choice to see what happens next.

It nudges at your curiosity, feeling like it’s a part of the trip you’re supposed to let ride out.

But every time I almost did, my heart wasn’t having it and I’d snap out of it again.

Every time she would cast a spell, I could feel my soul almost getting pulled out - with a malicious presence surrounding me.

The goosebumps I got from this thing, felt like it was ready to defile me in every way possible.

In disbelief that what I thought might be happening, wasn’t - I tell myself “let me not cause a ruckus for no reason, I am trippin’ after all. Think of something positive.”

But now my eyes are shifting everywhere, cuz I keep getting a glimpse of whatever’s approaching.

Even with that many peculiarities, something kept me in denial.

Still though, she tries another set-up and tells me to look at how high up we are, as she gestured for me to look down from the rail. As if I didn’t already know, but I go cuz I also didn’t want to be rude.

So I grab the rail and lean over…

(Dave) says “don’t let go,” giving me this wide-eyed look with a smile and said “you feel it, don’t you?”

Then just like that, my heart jumped and my mind began getting flashes of demonic symbols and images like subliminal messages.

My vision was about to go black, like the circle closing at the end of a cartoon…until I snapped out of it and backed up with my head on a swivel, angrily questioning them.

That’s when I caught (Dave) behind me, quickly hiding his hands.

Now I’m on survival mode and it feels like I can’t even make a step without risking my soul. I can feel that I’m being made a fool out of, but of course they gaslight me and try to calm me down…

I still didn’t want to believe I was in this kind of mess, but I’d be naive to let all that slide so easily.

So with caution, I’m trying to plan my escape - playing it as cool as I can, but my body is getting heavier by the second.

She then lifts her speaker and says “listen to these different frequencies, it can change your mood.”

I really wasn’t trying to listen, because I needed to leave and I didn’t trust her at all now. Especially not with anything sound related.

But then out of nowhere, I hear a distorted garble come out of the speaker and hit my ear.

I said “huh!?”

Then (Dave) was like “oh, you heard that...?”

I looked away and acted oblivious, cuz I felt that if they knew I could hear that, they’d bring out the big guns.

(Dave) laughed, saying to Robin “wait, he still don’t know what this is yet?”

Unintentionally, or intentionally letting me know.

So I tried to leave and they started laughing. Trying so hard to keep me there…

(Dave) said “you already ‘bouta do it, it’s better this way anyway.”

Then he was like “look at my hands, this shit trippy, right?”

Followed by him creating an infinity symbol with his waving hands.

Now this infinity symbol was made of light and floating in mid-air in front of him after he did it.

Right after that, he did the hermaphrodite/goat-headed deity’s pose, flipping his hands and head perfectly in a stiff dance.

Which then caused me to see it’s true form in my minds eye. I snap out of it once again, trying to get a hold of my reality.

Once I can see them again, it’s like time stood still and only I could move.

I’d look around and they’d be frozen.

At this time, I can hear them having two conversations, simultaneously.

All I caught was (Dave) say “he can’t hear us in this plane.”

Then as he slowly got up - like I was tuning through a radio, I hear a screeching static clear up. The sound then becomes like an electronic bleating and bellowing from a goat, in-sync, surrounding him.

At this moment, I’m a part of their their collective conscious conversation - essentially telepathy.

Then they began letting me know who they were.

Saying that they were angels, that they were around before us and that I can be like them.

The whole time they were talking to me, they were trying to weaken and hypnotize me with hand signs - trying to convince me. Thing is, when they did try to convince me, they’d always talk around the subject at hand - but once you know what the subject is, the situation becomes clear.

A lot of people might think they’d get physical and get out of there. I just don’t think they’d understand how it is fighting sleep paralysis, awake.

I also knew that one false move would take me to the ‘sunken place.’

I knew I couldn’t just stand there though, but right before I grab the door to get to the elevator, (Dave) says “okay, you gon’ be waiting on that elevator forever; this is a REAL trip…c’mon, I thought you liked this shit.”

Mockingly he asked “yeah, I guess you gon’ think twice about taking LSD again huh?”

I was thinking in my head “fuck, did I really just lose my soul? Is this how it happens? Is this where it all ends?”

I thought that was it, so I was about to give in and accept the offer - see what benefits I could get, if any.

Then from there, every time we almost sealed the deal, I would feel a hungry fire approach me from behind.

The one time I decided to look for where it was coming from, I got a vision with an orange blur in it - slowly materializing, until I could make something out of it. With the bit that I saw, I knew it was me being swallowed by fire and not dying.

Immediately after, almost as if I had touched the flames themselves, I yelled in confusion “wait, what? No! Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!”

To which (Dave) nonchalantly responds “okay, you do that...that [N-word] died a long time ago.”

I look at him with disgust and continued to pray.

Telling God that He would never abandon His children if they encountered evil and that if there was a way for Him to save me to do it.

(Dave) says that I’m blowing his trip and leaves to the gas station.

At this time I could’ve left, but I still didn’t want to be alone in an elevator with him.

So as I’m praying, I begin to feel the dark grip they had on my heart loosen up. It was like my heart was pumping electricity throughout my body, then all around it. I could feel the forcefield - Christ had arrived and I could move my body freely. No more fear in taking the wrong step.

So on (Dave’s) way back, (Robin) announces it and says let’s go downstairs and get him. That’s when I hear (Dave) say - not yell, “open up” from all the way downstairs and I was amazed...I was like “wait, can he still hear me?”

With him responding “DUH! Damn, you some shit!” and continued on his way.

So if I was to leave, this was going to be my chance.

In the elevator she tries enchanting me again, but I rebuked every attempt.

I’m trying to maintain focus the best that I can, so I don’t slip - which made this elevator ride unnecessarily more intense than it needed to be.

Once the elevator door finally opens, I see (Dave’s) silhouette behind a thick glass rail, carrying an ominous slouch.

Walking towards me, he notices that I’ve calmed down. So when he sees my face, he smiles and asks “oh, you’re good now?”

I replied “I am and I’m not with the goofy shit y’all up to - I’m gettin’ the fuck outta here.”

So as I’m walking towards the exit, he yells “that’s not the way out!”

To where I respond “fuck y’all!”

You would’ve thought I opened the door before touching it, the way I left out so fast.

As that door closed, I did a little jog to get across the street.

But a few seconds later, I feel this tingle in the back of my brain, as though it had neck hairs that stood up.

I look over my shoulder and noticed he decided to follow me…of course. Shortly after I noticed him - with that bull-like slouch, he started running.

Now I was a little ahead of him, so I didn’t start running yet. I had to make sure I knew where I was going before exerting my energy.

Every time I moved my head, I could feel the tingle coming from his direction.

So there was no losing him - but I am fast.

I couldn’t call a ride because my phone was dead and I couldn’t go to anyone’s house at the time, cuz it was around 5am now.

As (Dave) got closer, I felt my vision going black and my body getting heavy again. A lot stronger this time…time to kick it into high gear.

Once it clicks into my head that the easiest place to catch a taxi in such a heated moment would be in Adams Morgan, an opportunity presented itself.

Ahead of me was a crosswalk and the orange hand was counting down it’s last seconds. Everything I ever learned told me I wasn’t going to make it, but I wasn’t going to stop running either.

So when my foot lands off the sidewalk, is when the cars to my left and right begin to move.

That’s when everything moved in-slow-motion…and a burst of energy launched me across the street.

I’ll remember that moment as my own Air Jordan.

That moment bought me time, but he kept going too. This is when I start hearing echoed garbles crawl off buildings and jump into my ear “you acting like a bitch - come back!”

Perfectly as if he was next to me…I look behind me and it’s like he hasn’t broke a sweat. Completely focused.

From the gas station diagonal to the 9:30 Club, to the McDonald’s in Adam’s Morgan.

My body wanted to give out most of the way, but soul wouldn’t allow it.

I just had to keep running until I found a taxi - which I did.

That’s when (Dave) caught up, yelling “you look like an unk right now!” cuz 4 taxis stopped for me in that intersection.

To where I respond “I don’t give a fuck, I made it out alive!”

I get in the car and tell the taxi driver to drive towards Maryland, that I’ll give him the address on the highway.

Finally, after surviving a living nightmare, I made it home.

I went to my room, played some worship music, got on my knees and wrung myself out of tears to Christ.

Afraid to sleep because I knew they could contact me in my dreams.

So I didn’t until the drug wore off in the afternoon the next day…

I even felt that burn on my back as if it was sunburn for the next couple of weeks.

I’m so grateful to still be alive, because I’m 100% positive I’d be in Hell (with something else in my vessel) if I didn’t call on God that night.

It was like I was tiptoeing on a needlepoint to keep my soul.

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serendipitee · 4 years ago

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Hello Bea 💛 Happy birthday! 🎉 Hope it’s a good one! #27 - Juke for the meet cute prompts?

Thank you and oh my god, this is so late! But it has puppies and ice cream and ‘wicked beauty’ references thrown in there, so I really hope you like it!! 💛🐾

27. You help catch their dog when the leash slips from their hand.

Luke doesn’t even know how he ended up like this.

Well, it might’ve to do with him being a sucker and unable to say ‘no’ to Reggie. There is also the fact, that his best friend’s two dogs have him wrapped around their little finger (paw? whatever!) and he loves spending time with them.

So, Luke is the best friend of best friends and agreed to take them out, while Reggie goes on a date he’d been gushing about for days.

He regrets that now. Because he is basically hugging a tree at this point, the two puppies barking excitedly, straining the leashes in two very different directions and Luke hates his life!

In his head, they were gonna go to the park, play around a little, enjoy the sunshine. He’d get some pictures to send to Alex, make him jealous because he decided to go on tour with his skater boyfriend while Luke gets to hang out with to adorable dogs. He definitely got the better end of that deal if you ask him.

But well, things happened, leashes crossed each other, Finn wanted to go to the lake while Jake most certainly didn’t and Luke got caught in the middle of it.

And now, Jake’s leash is slipping and Luke is praying, calling out for the pup but it’s for naught. A moment later, the leather connecting them is gone and he starts cursing colorfully.

Of course, that is the second Finn chooses to calm down again and with an exasperated heave, Luke untangles himself from the tree.

“Really?” He asks the puppy which is staring up at him with big, dark eyes, cocking his head and letting out a cheeky bark. “Hilarious,” he grumbles, before looking around.

Jake isn’t the quickest, still learning to use his legs properly but Luke can’t spot him anywhere. Suddenly dread pools in his stomach because he did not just lose his best friend’s new puppy, did he? Reggie is gonna never trust him again. It’ll ruin their friendship.

Freaking out in earnest now, he starts making his way into the direction Jake originally wanted to go. He just hopes, the pup stuck with it which is a stretch. It’s a puppy. Do they even think?

“Jake!” Luke calls the name again and again, already dreading the next recording session because, he’ll ruin his voice with the panic interlacing it, but he really doesn’t care right now. “Jake! C’mon here, boy!”

Finn is following him, tongue lolling out and Luke would stop, take a picture because it is ridiculously cute, but there’s an iron fist around his heart and he really needs to find Jake.

“Excuse me, have you seen a puppy?” He starts asking random people. “Looks kind of like this one” – queue pointing at the dog by his feet – “but a little darker.”

All he gets are head shakes until he reaches a young boy with curly dark hair. “Yeah, I saw him over by the food stands.”

Of course. Jake loves pizza almost as much as Reggie does. He should’ve guessed. Not that he gets it that often. At least, Luke doesn’t think so. Pizza isn’t on a dog’s diet, right?

“Do you want me to show you?” The kid asks eagerly and Luke is about to nod, when the boy flinches as somebody calls his name.

“Carlos! ¿Dónde has estado?” A girl storms down the path towards them and Luke’s brain screeches to a halt.

Even with the crease between her brows and the frown on her lips, she’s beautiful. Wild curls framing her face, a soft orange blouse tucked into a pair of fitting black jeans. She must’ve doodled on them, because he can spot stars and words on the thighs and he knows he’s gaping, there’s just nothing he can do about it.

“Sorry,” Carlos says quickly, “but he lost his dog and I’m gonna help him find it.”

“The dog’s right there,” comments the girl drily, raising an eyebrow and eyes flitting between the two of them as if contemplating the possibility of them pulling her leg.

“The other dog,” Carlos clarifies and Luke nods dumbly.

He still hasn’t managed to connect his mouth with his brain. Honestly, he’s a little afraid to do so because every thought that’s running rampant in there is some variation of ‘she’s beautiful’.

‘Wicked beauty’ screams the part responsible for making his songs sound award-worthy and isn’t that the truth?

She turns to him, leveling him with stare, crossing her arms in front of her chest. About to say something, she gets interrupted by the boy again. “Can we help him look? Julie, please?”

A sigh is followed by a look of softness at the boy and then she nods, all while Luke is internally freaking out about finding out her name.

“Yeah, sure, Dad’s not picking us up for another half hour.” Julie shrugs and looks at Luke expectantly.

Oh, right, he’s supposed to say something now, isn’t he? “Uh, thanks- thanks, that’s, uh, your- Carlos said, he saw him by the food stands?”

Very smooth, Luke, chastens a voice that sounds too much like Alex for his liking.

They do find Jake right next to the ice cream truck. He doesn’t go down without a fight, though. It takes all three of them to finally grab the leash because apparently, the little guy finally figured out how to use his legs.

Twice they almost had him, him and Julie reaching for the leash at the same time but every time their fingers touched, they’d both drawn back, the leather slipping away and Jake letting out a triumphant bark.

It’s Carlos who finally grabs it, pumping his fist in victory and Julie laughs, while Finn jumps up and down, the excitement of hunting after his brother obviously still thrumming through his little body.

“That was,” Julie starts, “not how I expected to spend my Saturday afternoon.”

Luke feels bad immediately. They’re both breathing a little heavy, looking a little worse for wear, sweat glistening on their foreheads but Julie still is radiant and he feels the need to apologize. “I’m sorry, that’s- uh, really... sorry.”

She waves him off, watching Carlos play with the two puppies at their feet. “It’s fine. We could use the laugh.”

He notices the weight suddenly appearing on her shoulders and it takes everything in him not to overstep and ask outright. Instead, he ducks his head. “Can I repay you somehow?”

Alex would’ve been proud. That was smooth.

There’s a small smile on her lips when she looks at him. Luke is sure, that he’ll sit down and write a verse about those damn lips as soon as he gets home. Maybe one about her eyes as well. The thought of ‘wicked beauty’ comes back almost forcefully, knocking a breath from his lungs.

“Well, we already are at the ice cream truck, so…”

“Yeah, okay, I can do that.” He stumbles over Finn’s leash, catching himself at the last second and Julie’s chuckling softly. Rubbing the back of his neck, he bites his lips. “I’m Luke, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Luke.” Julie says, eyes sparkling and yeah, yep, definitely gonna write about those, too.

#juke fic #jatp fic #juke #julie x luke #jukebox #this is so very late and I am really sorry!!!#but I feel like I am back #so I'm gonna sit down and finish the other prompts on my list!#THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PROMPT AND THE WELL WISHES!!!!#my writing #meet cutes

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yoddream · 5 years ago

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recluse | n.jm

pairing: jaemin x fem!reader

summary: being a teenager was difficult. being a teenager in new york city living the life as a superhero was next to impossible.

word count: LMAO I ACTUALLY HAVE ONE THIS TIME 14.6k i’m sorry

warnings: swearing, secret keeping(???), violence, a lot of talk about stitches, choking, chenle being mad cute

notes: y’all i’m not gonna lie, i don’t know how i feel about the writing of this. it was really difficult, and i feel like there are things that could’ve been left out, but i also feel like they show development. idk, lemme know what you think. also, is this beta-read? of course not

It started out with a simple spider bite. All you wanted to do was go on a field trip with your science class to a genetics lab, maybe get some pictures in, but it couldn’t be that easy. That was your life. The tour guide had shown you spiders that they were testing on. You looked in one of the cases and noticed it was empty. Before you could say anything, something stung your neck.

You couldn’t really remember what happened after that. The rest of that day was hazy. You’d woken up the next day with perfect vision, muscles, and webs shooting from your wrists. You’d decided to use your new “powers” (because Renjun refused to call them anything else) to fight crime. Of course, it hadn’t been your idea. Your best friend, Huang Renjun, convinced you to use it for good because “what was the point of having webs shoot from your wrists and being able to climb walls if you weren’t going to use them for anything?” The point is that you would be safe, but he never listened to that reasoning. Thus, Recluse was born.

You were grateful for whoever named you “Recluse.” It was definitely better than when the mayor had tried calling you “Spider-Girl.” It hadn’t sat right with anyone, so some journalist came up with your name. You stopped criminals before they could get away from the police, and every once in a while, there was a villain who’d somehow developed superpowers that you had to fight to protect the city. It was amazing how your attendance wasn’t atrocious with the amount of times you had to go out and fight crime. Then again, whenever you went out to fight the schools of New York City would be dismissed early.

Of course, you couldn’t take all the credit for the work you did. Renjun and his cousin, Chenle, were the ones that helped track the crime. You could feel the danger, but it was still hard to find it. Chenle was also your nurse. Whatever injury you had, he tended to it. Luckily, there hadn’t been any critical wounds yet, but you feared the day he couldn’t do anything but bring you to the hospital.

You walked to your biology class with Renjun and Chenle on either side of you, talking about how to improve the system that detected crime. They weren’t being quiet at all, and you were scared someone was going to find out your secret, so you elbowed them in their sides. They complained to you about how cruel you were, but you stopped them.

“If you want people to find out the truth, keep fucking talking, but I personally don’t want anyone to know who I am,” you hissed.

They hung their heads and apologized as you stopped outside your class. Rolling your eyes, you pushed them in the direction of their classes before heading inside. You took your seat at the lab table, already regretting taking the course. It was an AP class, so it wasn’t required, but you figured it would look good on college applications. Now, though, you just wished you had study hall instead so you could nap. You’d been up late the night before stopping an art thief, and you hadn’t gotten home until three in the morning.

The stool next to you screeched as your lab partner sat down. You glanced over at Na Jaemin and grabbed a napkin from your bag before handing it to him. He looked at you in confusion, so you motioned to your own mouth.

“You’ve got some lipstick,” you mumbled.

He let out a surprised, “oh!” and wiped his face, grimacing at how much red was stained on the napkin in his hand. “Thanks. I asked Alli if she’d left anything, but she apparently lied to me.”

You didn’t know how to respond, so you busied yourself with getting your binder and book out. The feeling of someone watching you was making your skin itch, so you looked towards the doorway. Jaemin’s girlfriend, Alli, was glaring at you from the hallway before she stomped away. Your blood ran cold as you feared what she would do to you. Alli wasn’t scared to hit somebody, and she picked on you more than others because you were Jaemin’s lab partner.

You maybe also had a slight crush on him. How couldn’t you, though? He was handsome, he was nice, and he was smart. He never treated you poorly, unlike the people who actually knew you existed. Whenever you two had to work on a lab, he listened to every word you said, even though biology was probably boring to him. It was east to develop a crush on Jaemin.

Class dragged on as your teacher showed some documentary. There were definitely some snores from a couple kids around the room. You could feel your own eyes start to slide shut, but if you fell asleep you were sure to get a detention. Sometimes, you really regretted becoming Recluse. You didn’t sleep as much anymore, and it was taking a toll on your classwork. You couldn’t just disappear, though. Crime would increase tenfold once word got around that Recluse had left.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. You gathered your things and stepped into the hallway, ready to head to your next class. You could see Chenle and Renjun heading towards you, but before you could take another step, your hair was yanked as you were thrown into a row of lockers. A silence fell upon the crowd as Alli hovered over you, your body curled up on the ground.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, flirting with my boyfriend?” she asked before kicking you in the stomach.

“I wasn’t flirting with him,” you gasped out as you tried to stand up.

She growled and yelled, “Liar!” before punching you in the face. “You gave him a napkin to wipe his face!”

“He n-needed—” You were cut off by another punch to the face.

“Alli, what the hell?” you heard Jaemin shout, tearing the girl off you, but not before her fist connected with your cheek one more time.

Renjun and Chenle rushed over and helped you down the hallway as Jaemin and Alli got into an argument. You were led into a classroom that was used for storage and sat on a desk. Chenle pulled a first-aid kit from his backpack and put on some gloves before he started dabbing at the cuts on your face while Renjun stood nearby.

“Ow, ow, ow!” you whined.

“I know, I know. It’ll be over soon,” Chenle said apologetically.

“God, that girl is insane,” Renjun commented as the bell rang for the next class.

“Maybe he’ll actually break up with her this time,” the younger boy replied.

“I did.”

The three of you turned to the doorway where Jaemin was standing, seemingly out of breath. He took a small step forward, as if he was scared of getting too close. Chenle turned back to you and put a couple bandages on your face before throwing everything away.

“So much for the teachers stepping in,” he mumbled. “Do you feel dizzy at all? Are the lights too bright?”

“I’m fine, Chenle. No concussion,” you assured him.

“Can I talk to Y/N for a second?” Jaemin asked.

Your friends looked to you. You nodded to them that it was okay, so they packed everything up and headed out, but not before Chenle pressed a kiss to your forehead. He was very protective of you since he was the one that tended to your wounds every time you were Recluse.

“Does this happen often?” Jaemin questioned as he eyed your bandages.

“I’m really clumsy,” you lied.

“Alli also hates that Y/N’s your lab partner!” Renjun called from the hallway.

“It’s mostly because I’m clumsy.” You looked around the classroom before returning your attention to him. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

He rose an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you?”

You waved your hand. “Nobody notices that I’m missing.”

He frowned but nodded. “Okay. See you ‘round, Y/N.”

As soon as he was gone, Renjun and Chenle appeared in the doorway. You rolled your eyes, grabbed your bag, and jumped off the desk, but you doubled over from the pain that blossomed from your stomach. They rushed over and helped you stand, the three of you silently hoping the city wouldn’t need Recluse until you were healed. Of course, the world was cruel and never listened to your silent pleas.

You were fighting Silver Slash. He was a new villain, one that looked like an Edward-Scissorhands wannabe. You had no idea what he’d been using the blades for, but it definitely wasn’t for good. He cackled as you chased him through the streets, easily slicing through whatever web you shot. You were swinging when he lashed out, cutting your stomach. You immediately fell and skid across the asphalt.

“Y/N!” Renjun and Chenle shouted in the earpiece.

“I’m fine,” you grunted as you held your middle.

Silver Slash swiped out again, nicking your arm. You cried out and attempted to shoot a web at him, but he dodged it with ease and tripped you up. You fell hard on the ground and groaned when his foot landed on your stomach. One of the blades rested on your neck, and you froze. Any wrong movement could end your life.

“No,” Renjun mumbled.

“Give it up, Recluse. You’ve got nowhere to go,” Silver Slash said with a cackle.

With quick thinking, you shot web at his face. He yelped and stumbled back, barely missing your face with his blade. You then pinned the entirety of his arms to a building, leaving him defenseless. The police arrived as you clutched at your wounds. An EMT started to approach you, but you panicked and attempted to swing away. When you tried to use the arm that was cut, you couldn’t help but yelp in pain, and you let go of the web. You managed to shoot out before you hit the ground.

A lot of excruciating pain later, you were lying on Chenle’s desk as he stitched you up, apologizing profusely whenever you whimpered. Renjun was sitting on the bed, his face twisted with worry. This wasn’t the first time you were seriously hurt, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the blade that had rested along your throat. Your fights were usually broadcasted on TV or some social media website, so it was easy for your friends to watch.

“Okay, all set,” Chenle said before helping you sit up.

You pulled your shirt down and looked at Renjun. He stood up and walked over, pulling you into a tight hug. You could feel Chenle join from behind, being careful of your new stitches. Tears pricked at your eyes, but you managed to hold them in.

“Don’t scare us like that again,” Renjun mumbled into your neck.

“You know I can’t promise that,” you said.

“Pretend you can. Just for tonight,” Chenle begged.

Sighing, you told them, “I promise.”

///

You walked into school slowly, worried you would break the sutures Chenle had so meticulously sewn into your stomach a few days ago. This was your first day back since the fight with Silver Slash; normally you would be worried of somebody linking the two, but you were in so much pain that you hadn’t cared. Your Aunt May was furious that you’d been badly hurt, but she’d let you stay home to recover a little.

“What the hell are you doing carrying your backpack?” Renjun hissed as he started to slide it from your shoulder.

“Trying not to cause any suspicion, asshole. I’d rather be in pain than have somebody find out who I am,” you snapped quietly.

“Fine, but if your stitches somehow manage to rip open, good luck. Chenle doesn’t have that shit in his first-aid kit.”

Rolling your eyes, you opened your locker and started switching books out. “I’ll be fine, Renjun.”

He and Chenle walked you around the whole school, refusing to leave your sides until they saw you sit down for the period. When they dropped you off at biology, Jaemin was already there, which was surprising. Then again, he no longer had a girlfriend to hold him up.

“Hey, you’re back,” your lab partner commented.

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“You said that nobody notices when you’re missing, but I did,” he explained.

“O-Oh. Well, congratulations. You’re the only one besides Chenle and Renjun.” You could feel your cheeks heating up, so you turned to your backpack, but you winced in pain as your stitches pulled when you reached for your bag.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you lied.

You tried to focus on the lecture, but your whole body still hurt. Out of all the things you’d developed when being bitten by that stupid spider, you didn’t get healing. It was infuriating, having to sit out and be careful of whatever wounds you were given. Thankfully, the city understood when you couldn’t show up, especially when they always watched the beating you were given. The stitches were definitely a setback, but you didn’t have much choice but to wait for it to completely heal.

At the end of class, Jaemin picked up your backpack and walked out the room, ignoring your protests. When you exited the room, he was waiting by the door. Renjun and Chenle were a few feet away, confused at the scene that was before them.

“Give me my backpack,” you demanded.

“You’re clearly still in pain from the fight,” Jaemin argued.

You froze as your friends gasped quietly. “What?”

Did he know you were Recluse? You’d tried for so long to keep it a secret, so how’d he figure it out?

“When Alli beat you up? Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” he asked.

Oh, thank god. “Sorry. Yeah, I’m still in a little pain, but my friends can help me.”

“No way. She was pissed at you because of me, so I’ll carry your things. It’s the least I could do after what she did.”

You knew you would lose this argument, so you sighed and started walking to your next class. Chenle and Renjun caught up with the two of you, Chenle throwing an arm over your shoulders. You winced when his hand brushed against the stitches in your triceps. Hiding your injuries was going to be a lot harder than you thought, especially when everyone thought your injuries weren’t as bad as they truly were.

When you reached the lunchroom, you walked over to your usual table and sat down, Renjun and Chenle taking their usual spots across from you. Instead of dropping your bag and leaving, Jaemin took one of the seats by your side and started pulling out a lunch box from his backpack.

“Uh,” you stuttered.

“Don’t you usually sit with the Lees and that Park kid?” Renjun questioned.

“Yeah, but Jisung is Alli’s cousin, and Jeno and Haechan are friends with her,” Jaemin explained. “I’ve been hiding from them the past few days.”

Two trays landed on the table harshly, making the four of you jump. Haechan and Jeno were glaring at the boy next to you, making him cower under their gaze. You could see Jisung standing nearby, looking more upset than angry.

“Dude, where the hell have you been?” Jeno demanded. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I-I—”

“You broke up with Alli and fucking disappeared,” Haechan added.

“Aren’t you guys friends with her?” Renjun asked.

Jeno shook his head. “We’re friends with Jisung. When Jaemin and Alli started dating, he invited Jisung to sit with them. We joined, like, a day later.”

“I hate my cousin,” Jisung piped up. “Sitting with them was like sitting alone, so I brought them with me.”

“Well, feel free to join us,” Chenle said with a grin.

The three boys didn’t hesitate to join your little group. Jisung sat next to Chenle, while Jeno sat next to you and Haechan next to Jaemin. You gingerly pulled your lunch out of your bag, your stitches stretching with every move. You managed to get it without drawing attention to yourself, which was good. They boys that had invaded your table hadn’t noticed you at all, so you were able to eat without worrying about them staring at the bruises on your face.

Halfway through lunch, the hairs on the back of your neck rose. It wasn’t from danger, but rather somebody watching you. You slowly turned around and found Alli’s eyes on you. If looks could kill, you’d have been murdered. You whipped back around, wincing at the stitches in your stomach pulling. Renjun sent a questioning look your way, but you shook your head. You didn’t want your friends to worry about you.

When the bell rang, Jeno turned to you and asked, “Ready for math?”

You were shocked. “You know who I am?”

He chuckled and nodded. “You and Chenle sit in the back, and you were in my English class a couple years ago.”

“Not to mention you got the shit kicked out of you a few days ago,” Haechan added, which earned him a slap to the back of the head from Jaemin.

“Ignore him. He’s just pissed he didn’t know who you were until after that.”

“It’s not fair!” Haechan whined. “I wanna know who finally made Jaemin break up with that bitch!”

Stares were definitely directed towards you when people saw Jeno not only walking with you, but also carrying your backpack. Who was this girl that was suddenly in the company of first Na Jaemin, and then Lee Jeno? You didn’t like the attention on you; it was invasive, having everyone stare at you as you simply walked to your next class. You hoped it wouldn’t last long.

At the end of the day, you managed to escape that horrid building without running into any of the boys. You needed some time to yourself to breathe and not worry about being Recluse or having your classmates stare as you were accompanied by a group that was more popular than you. It felt weird to walk home by yourself, though. Usually Chenle and Renjun would accompany you on their way to Koreatown.

Their parents grew up along the border of Korea and China, and even though Chenle’s parents moved to Shanghai once they were married, he learned Korean from them. Renjun learned both languages from living where he did. Renjun moved to New York first, his parents unable to find a place in Chinatown so they found a place in Koreatown. When Chenle’s family moved to New York a few years later, his parents wanted to be close to Renjun’s family, so they moved into the same neighborhood. You knew the other guys also lived there, their parents either being from Korea or first-generation Korean-American.

“Hey Aunt May,” you said when you entered the apartment.

“Hey! Where are Renjun and Chenle?” she asked as she exited the kitchen.

You shrugged. “I left school before them.”

“Everything okay?”

“Fine.”

You headed to your room without another thing to say. You so badly wanted to collapse onto your bed, but you couldn’t with the stitches. Frustrated, you threw your backpack to the ground and laid down. Your hands grabbed at a blanket and pulled it over your body and face. You couldn’t move your body however you wanted, you couldn’t carry your own fucking backpack, and you couldn’t swing through the city to clear your thoughts. You felt trapped.

There was a sudden knock on your window. You jumped at the sound that tore through your quiet room. Your curtains were opened, so it wasn’t like you could just ignore it. Annoyed, you removed the blanket from your head to find Renjun and Chenle on the other side of the glass, the younger boy holding up his first-aid kit. You opened your window to let them in.

“Did you forget your appointment with Nurse Zhong?” Chenle joked. “Lie back on your bed.”

You did as you were told and pulled your shirt up enough to reveal the stiches. Chenle pulled some gloves on and started poking and prodding, cleaning around the wound. Renjun stood nearby, his arms crossed as he watched.

“What happened to you earlier? Haechan said he saw you rushing down the street when school ended,” Renjun said.

“I just needed some time to myself,” you stated.

Chenle frowned with a nod. “Yeah, today was odd. I felt really overwhelmed by the time the last bell rang. The wound seems a little irritated, but that could be from moving around so much. Nothing seems to be infected, though, so that’s good. Let me check out your arm, and then you should be all set.”

He helped you sit up and lifted your sleeve to check the other cut. Once he determined that it was okay, he put new bandages over the sutures and packed everything up. Then, he and Renjun sat on the bed with you in silence, knowing you didn’t want to speak but needed them to stay. You eventually took your homework out and worked on it together. When Aunt May knocked on your door, she told the three of you that dinner was ready. Even though she didn’t have the super senses you did, she always knew whenever your friends were in your room, whether they came through the door or the fire escape.

After the boys were gone, you crawled onto the fire escape wearing a large sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants; you were pretty sure neither of them belonged to you, but that was what Chenle and Renjun got for leaving them at your place. You watched the cars drive by below, their headlights and brake lights mesmerizing. Aunt May joined you not too long after, two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands.

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?” she asked.

You let out a sigh. “I think my friend group is about to grow to six people, and I don’t want it to.”

“How come?”

“Because I either have to keep my secret from four people, or I have to tell them all. I don’t know which one is worse.” You took a sip of your hot chocolate and looked at the city that you’d dedicated your life to protect. “One could put them all in danger, and one could ruin everything when they eventually find out.”

“You think they’d find out?” she questioned.

“Chenle wasn’t supposed to find out, but I showed up in Renjun’s room with my suit torn from Dr. Octopus,” you pointed out. “Do you remember how upset he was that he didn’t know?”

Your aunt let out a loud laugh. “Oh, I remember. He wouldn’t talk to either of you for almost two weeks. What changed his mind, again?”

Your mood dropped. “I showed up at Renjun’s again with that gash in my side. Their families were having dinner, and I fell to the floor in Renjun’s room. He knew that it was me, so he came by to check on me. He almost screamed when he saw all the blood, but I’d managed to stop him in time. By the time their dinner was over and Chenle came by to check on Renjun and me, I’d already lost so much blood that I almost passed out.”

Aunt May wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “That’s right. He had a first-aid kit in his backpack with sutures stolen from the vet’s office he works at, right?”

Nodding, you said, “He was so calm when stitching me up, but then he started crying once everything was away and I was bandaged. He begged me to go to him whenever I needed help, and our friend group was suddenly okay again. We had to throw away so many towels, though. Mrs. Huang was so pissed that half of them were missing, so the three of us saved up money to replace them.

“God, Aunt May. I can’t do that to four more people. Renjun and Chenle go through so much when dealing with me. I won’t make the others do the same.” You placed your head in your hands and shook your head. “What the hell am I gonna do?”

Your Aunt took a deep breath as she thought. She wanted you to have more friends, but your life wasn’t normal enough to just make them left and right. You had to really choose who you could trust just in case your secret was revealed to them. “I think that you should trust your gut. It sounds like you want to be friends with them, and your secret shouldn’t stop you from doing so. Your secret can’t be hidden forever, and that’s something you have to accept. You just have to hope that when they do eventually find out, they’ll still be your friend. If not, then good riddance.”

You smiled and hugged Aunt May. She was all you had after your parents died in a plane crash. You were just a baby when it had happened, and she was barely twenty-three when she adopted you, but you had nowhere else to go. There were no other relatives, and nobody liked to see a family split up. She always knew how to solve your problems, and you were forever grateful for that.

///

The day your stitches were taken out, you immediately put on your new suit (thanks to the anonymous donor that always made you one; you had your suspicions that it was Tony Stark, but there was no way to prove it) and swung through the city, finally landing on a skyscraper to look at city you called your home. You could hear the people below notice you and start gossiping. It didn’t take long for all of New York to know that Recluse was back.

There was a sudden alarm going off a few streets away. It was from a car, and you could hear glass shatter as someone broke into it. Shooting a web to a nearby building, you made your way to where the crook was. You landed on the car as it sped off, almost losing your balance. Kneeling down, you poked your head through the broken window.

“You know, motor vehicle theft can send you to prison for up to four years,” you announced.

You shot a web at the brake pedal, and the car came to a screeching halt. The thief tried to punch you, but you dodged it with ease. Flipping off the car, you opened the door and wrapped the thief up before dragging him out the car. He tried to rip the webbing, but everyone in New York knew that it was difficult to do with your bare hands.

What you didn’t expect was for the thief to have a knife. He cut through his restraint and lunged at you. You managed to escape the blade, crying out, “Hey! I just got my stitches taken out!”

You punched him in the face and then kneed him in the stomach. He dropped the knife, so you kicked him in the side and restrained him as the police arrived. Before they could say anything to you, you shot a line to the closest building and flew through the streets.

“Welcome back, Recluse,” Renjun said in your ear.

“It’s good to be back.”

You were heading home when you heard a scream. Changing direction, you landed upon Jaemin being held over the edge of a bridge by a couple random gang members. Your heart raced at the sight; seeing someone you knew in danger was completely different than the regular civilian.

“Now, what should we do since we have him?” one of the guys asked with a smirk.

“Please, let me go!” Jaemin begged.

“Let you go? Okay,” the other man said.

Everything was suddenly in slow motion. You flew forward as they let Jaemin drop. Webs shooting out, you trapped the gang members to a tree as you went over the bridge as well. One arm wrapped around Jaemin as another shot a string out to swing you over to a hill nearby. Jaemin fell to the ground, so you crouched down. His eyes were wide with fear that still coursed through his veins, despite him being safe.

“Are you okay?” you asked.

He looked at you before lunging forward to pull you into a hug. “Thank you, Recluse.”

His voice was so weak, and his whole body was shaking. You hugged him back, carding your gloved fingers through his hair. “No problem. It’s what I’m here for.”

Somebody must’ve called the police, because you could hear them arrive to the tree the gang members were stuck to. You stepped away from Jaemin and tried to leave, but he stopped you. One look at him told you he was afraid to walk the rest of the way home.

“I’ll follow you from up high, okay?” you promised.

He nodded and watched you swing to the apartment building that was nearby. He started his walk back home, and you followed him like you promised. He flinched every time someone walked near him, but then his shoulders relaxed a little once they were gone. As he reached the steps to his building, he looked up. He raised a hand to wave at you before heading inside. You listened until you heard his parents greet him, and then you headed back home.

“Was that Na Jaemin?” Renjun asked.

You jumped, forgetting that Renjun and Chenle could hear everything. “Yeah. He needed some help.”

The next morning, you could hear Jeno telling Haechan and Chenle about Recluse stopping the car thief. You approached the group with a grin and threw an arm around Chenle’s shoulders, despite him being taller than you. It didn’t take long for the others to join you, and Jeno repeated the story for them, since he’d watched the stream of the fight.

“God, Recluse is amazing,” Jeno said with a happy sigh.

“And she’s hot,” Haechan commented.

“How do you know? She wears a mask,” Renjun pointed out.

“Her body, duh! Her suit fits her really well.”

“She saved me last night.”

Everyone turned to Jaemin, completely shocked at what he told them. Jisung was brave enough to ask, “What happened?”

“Some, uh, some gang members hung me over a bridge and dropped me. She caught me in time.”

You could feel Renjun and Chenle’s eyes on you. So maybe you forgot to tell them what had happened. It was traumatizing for both you and Jaemin. One wrong move, and he would’ve been dead. You were so glad you hadn’t messed up, but you’d also barely got that string of web to hit the bridge before your bodies slammed to the ground.

“Holy shit, dude. Are you okay?” you asked.

“I am now. I would be dead if it wasn’t for her,” he said, a small smile on his face as he talked to you.

It was Friday, so everybody was on edge, ready for the weekend to start. Jisung and Chenle apparently had plans to go to the arcade that had opened last week in Koreatown. Jeno and Haechan were going to Boston for the weekend. Jaemin had relatives visiting, so he was stuck home. You and Renjun lied about having your own plans when you were invited to Boston, but the truth was that you had to stay in case Recluse was needed, and Renjun refused to let you work alone, even if it was for a couple days.

That night, you couldn’t help but put on your suit and travel to Jaemin’s place. What he’d gone through wasn’t something anyone could get over quickly. You made sure your earpiece was off so Renjun didn’t know you were out. What you were doing was completely reckless, but you needed to know that he was okay, especially after your talk with Aunt May.

You landed on the fire escape and peeked into his room. He was sitting at his desk, doing his homework. Tapping on the glass, you watched him whip around and smile before coming over to open the window. He leaned against the windowsill and propped his chin on his fist, staring at you.

“On patrol?” he asked.

“You could say that,” you replied, pitching your voice a little deeper to disguise it. “How are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Good, I guess. Didn’t sleep very well last night, but my friends luckily live in the same neighborhood with me, so I didn’t have to walk home alone after school. Why, are you worried about me?”

“I worry about everyone I save,” you stated. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. See you around.”

He told you to wait, but you ignored him to head back home.

///

You crawled through Chenle’s window and fell to the ground, announcing your arrival. You knew he was home, so you hoped he was the one that found you and not his parents. Your side still hurt like hell from the electrocution of Dr. Octopus’ tentacles. He’d broken out of prison and managed to get his machine back, and the fight was brutal.

The door flew open, slamming into the wall. You looked over and found not only Chenle, but Jisung as well. Your eyes widened at the sight of one of your new friends, and you started to panic. Chenle, however, sprang into action and pulled out his first-aid kit.

“Damn it, why didn’t you call me?” he asked.

“Didn’t realize you had a friend over,” you replied.

“We ran home when we heard about Dr. Octopus. Jisung, go to the fridge and grab an ice pack. Wrap it in a towel from the linen closet and bring it back here,” he ordered. When Jisung didn’t move right away, he snapped, “Jisung, now!”

The younger boy rushed out the room, and Chenle ripped your mask off. Your hand reached out to grab it, but he stopped you. “I need to make sure there’s nothing broken in your face. He hit you pretty hard out there.”

“But Jisung—”

“Do you really think I care right now?” he hissed.

“I do!” You grabbed your mask and pulled it back on. “It’s dangerous enough that you two know. Adding Jisung will just make it worse. I can’t risk it.”

He sighed but didn’t push it. He knew you were right, but he couldn’t help but worry. Broken bones were really bad, especially when not treated properly.

“Does Renjun know you’re here?” he asked quietly as you could hear Jisung’s footsteps get closer.

You nodded and said, “He also knows to stay quiet because of Jisung.”

“You better not have told the others she’s here,” Chenle stated as Jisung entered the room again.

The other boy handed over the ice pack with a frown. “That would be stupid and dangerous for the two of you.”

“We just have to make sure,” you told him.

Chenle pulled on some gloves and looked at the burn on your side. It was blistering, and he could tell you were trying not to cry. He had you place the ice pack on your head as he dabbed at the blood that was dripping down your ribs. He then applied some burn cream and wrapped it up. When you stood up, you started to walk towards the window, but he stopped you.

“I really need to check that nothing’s broken in your face,” he said.

“I’m fine, Chenle. It was nice meeting you, Jisung.”

You could hear Jisung shout a, “You too!” before bombarding Chenle with questions. You felt bad, but you needed the help, and calling him before you arrived wasn’t the first thing on your mind when you escaped as the police were arresting Dr. Octopus.

“That was too close,” Renjun said.

“No shit.”

The rest of your weekend was, luckily, uneventful. Aunt May made you ice your face while she yelled at you for not being more careful like you’d promised. She also asked Chenle how to check for broken bones in the face before deciding that you managed to stay in one piece this time.

On Monday, you thought you covered the bruises on your face pretty well with makeup, but by the reactions of the others, you were dead wrong. Jaemin, Jeno, and Haechan crowded around you, talking over each other as they asked question after question. You looked at your other friends and froze when you saw Jisung staring at you, his eyes narrowed.

“Jesus Christ, Renjun and I went biking and I fell down a hill in Central Park,” you snapped, shoving Haechan’s hand away. “And that hurts, Haechan.”

“Sorry,” the boy mumbled.

“Man, you weren’t lying when you said you’re clumsy,” Jaemin commented.

“Never doubt me.”

During your free period, you escaped to the library. Word on the street was that there was a new villain named Siren, and you needed to research as much of them as you could so you were prepared when you would eventually face off against them. You found a table in the back corner of the library and pulled out your laptop. As you logged onto it, the chair in front of you was pulled out. Jisung sat down, throwing his bag onto the ground.

“What’s up, bud?” you asked.

“I won’t tell anyone,” was his response.

You cocked an eyebrow. “Little lost here.”

“You think I didn’t notice you grab your side earlier when Jeno bumped into you? Or that the bruises on your face are definitely worse than if you fell off a bike?” He leaned back in his chair.

“Okay, what is it you want?” you questioned.

He shrugged. “Nothing. Like I said, I won’t tell anyone. Friends don’t tell each other’s secrets.”

You were frozen in place. Did he really want nothing in return? The only reason why you’d trusted Renjun and Chenle was because they were your best friends. Was Jisung the same?

“Why?”

“Telling people puts us all in danger. I would feel horrible if something happened to you or anyone else because I decided to tell someone,” he replied.

You sighed. “Okay. Can you help me research then?”

He smiled and scrambled to take a seat next to you. You made sure no one was around before telling him about what you knew, which wasn’t a lot. He pulled out his own laptop and started looking at online chats and fan sites, hoping to find something on Siren. You looked at articles that were written about them. From what you could tell, Siren was a girl, and she could control water. She could also sing a song to lure anyone in. It would be extremely risky to fight her, knowing she could control you or anyone who could hear her voice.

During lunch, it hit you that someone else knew. Someone else knew, which meant another life was forever in danger. Your stomach twisted at the thought, and you could feel the food you just ate start to rise in your throat again. Your chair scraped against the tile as you pushed it back, ignoring the calls of your name as you ran out the cafeteria. You ran to the closest bathroom and threw the door open, falling to your knees in the nearest stall and vomiting everything that was in your stomach. The bathroom door squeaked open, and somebody was holding your hair back. You could hear Renjun’s soothing words in your ear, assuring you it was going to be okay, but it wasn’t. A poor sixteen-year-old was in danger, and it was all your fault.

You grabbed some toilet paper and wiped your mouth before turning around. Renjun and Chenle were luckily the only ones in the room with you, which made it easier for you to say, “Jisung knows.”

“How?” Renjun asked.

“The bruises on my face were a big tell, and then Jeno bumped into my side earlier. He put it together,” you explained.

“Shit. Did he threaten you at all?” Chenle questioned.

You shook your head. “He doesn’t want anything. All he said was that ‘friends don’t tell each other’s secrets.’”

“Well, at least I can check your face whenever he’s over,” the younger boy pointed out.

“God, I should’ve called that day. It would’ve been enough time for you to either get him out or distract him or something. From now on, nobody else can find out unless I say so,” you stated.

They nodded in agreement and left the bathroom to let you clean up. You rinsed your mouth out and stared in the mirror, your hands clutching the sink. The makeup was barely covering the bruising, so you took a makeup wipe from your bag and cleaned it all off. There was no point in covering it, anyway. Your hair was a frizzy mess, and there were dark circles under your eyes from being up almost all night in pain.

You exited the bathroom and almost ran into your whole friend group. Haechan handed you your backpack, which you took while thanking him. Jaemin asked if you were okay, so you nodded, but you could tell he didn’t believe you. Thankfully, he didn’t question it, so you were able to walk to your next class in peace.

///

Jaemin was in trouble again. He was hanging from the fire escape of an abandoned building, the rusted bolts having broken under his weight. The police were on the street, waiting for the fire department, but they were held up a couple streets away in traffic. He could feel his hands slipping from the sweat produced by his palms.

“I don’t wanna die,” he whispered.

The metal creaked as he held on. The whole thing shifted, causing his hand to slip. He screamed as his body cut through the air, but then someone grabbed him, and he was standing on the roof of a café. He looked over to you, and a big sigh left his body.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I just needed to get away and think.”

“Don’t be. We all need those moments,” you assured him. “Pick somewhere safe next time, okay?”

He nodded. “This building has never been a problem, but I guess I can’t say that anymore.”

“You’ll find another one. Ready to head home?”

He nodded, so you told him to wrap his arms tightly around you before you launched yourself in the air. You made sure your legs were wrapped tightly around his waist so he wouldn’t slip. When you made it to his apartment building, you landed on the roof so you wouldn’t be seen. He looked at the door leading to the stairs before turning to you again.

“Thank you. For everything you’ve done,” he said.

“That’s what I’m here for,” you stated.

“Stay safe, please.” And with that, he was disappearing into his building.

You woke up the next morning feeling jittery. You were going to breakfast with all the guys, and you were filled with anxiety. It was the first time you weren’t hanging out with just Renjun and Chenle, and you didn’t know how to act. Do you act yourself, or do you put on a mask? Did you even dress the same? Should you dress nicer? You looked at your phone and opened the text that was waiting in the new group chat with them.

Haechan: I don’t know about you guys, but I’m showing up in sweats

You threw on some sneakers and headed out, yelling out to Aunt May that you’d be back soon. When you exited your apartment building, Renjun and Chenle were waiting for you. They hadn’t heard you, so you sneaked up and jumped on Chenle’s back, shooting a small web at Renjun’s hood before pulling it to choke him jokingly. Chenle yelped while Renjun scrambled to get the string off his sweatshirt.

“You’re evil,” the older boy complained.

Chenle’s arms hooked under your knees as he added, “I don’t know how the city thinks you’re a hero.”

You pulled a lock of his hair. “Say it louder, why don’t you.”

“Sorry.”

You were carried the few blocks to the diner when you complained about having to hold onto Jaemin the night before. Jaemin and Haechan looked amused at the sight of you on Chenle’s back. Your trusty steed gently dropped you into the booth before sliding next to you, throwing an arm along the back of the seat. Renjun sat across and tangled his feet with you.

“What’s with the royal treatment?” Jeno asked.

“She decided she wanted to go jogging last night, and now her legs hurt,” Renjun lied.

“And I treat her like the queen she is,” Chenle joked.

You rolled your eyes and laid your head on his shoulder as the waitress approached the table. You recognized her as somebody from Chenle and Jisung’s grade. A glare was sent your way as she took in the position you two were in. Once she was gone with your drink orders on her notepad, your eyelids fell closed from the body heat that radiated from Chenle and Jaemin.

“Looks like our waitress is jealous of Y/N,” Haechan commented. “She was practically glaring daggers at Chenle’s arm around you.”

“Well, when Chenle finally gets a girlfriend she’ll have to fight me for his love,” you joked.

A silence fell over the group. You opened your eyes to see what was wrong, only to find everyone but your best friends staring at you in shock. “What?”

“You two aren’t dating?” Jeno asked.

“No. Did you all think that?” Chenle wondered.

“Have you seen how the two of you act?” Jisung gestured to you. “You’re always touching!”

“Yeah, it’s easy to mistake it,” Renjun commented. “Chenle’s just really protective of Y/N, and she enjoys the attention. But I’m still her best friend.”

You laughed at that last part. “Of course, Renjun. You’re my number one.”

You were in the middle of eating breakfast when there was an explosion outside. The seven of you ducked under the table as glass shattered and went flying. You could hear maniacal laughter ring through the streets. It sounded familiar, but you didn’t know who it was.

“Oh, Recluse! Come out, come out, wherever you are!” the female voice shouted.

“We need to get out of here,” you said as you started to move, but Jaemin grabbed your arm.

“Are you kidding me? It’s not safe out there!” he scolded.

“We can’t just stay in one spot! That’s the easiest way to be found,” you argued. “Come on, we can slip through the back and use the alleys to get away.”

You and the guys stayed low as you sneaked into the kitchen to use the back door. Once you were in the alley, you took off running, ignoring Jaemin yelling your name. You had to get home fast to change into your suit. Luckily, you lived close, so you ran up the stairs instead of using the elevator. When you threw yourself through the door of the apartment, Aunt May had your suit in hand. You changed quickly, not caring that you were standing in front of her, and then you were jumping out the window and flying through the streets. Your earpiece was nothing but static, but that was to be expected. As far as you knew, Renjun and Chenle were still with the others.

“Ah, there you are! I was wondering when you would show up.”

You looked over from your perch on a building’s ledge to face a girl in an all-white suit. A mask was covering the upper half of her head. She was standing on a wave of water that she produced from a broken fire hydrant nearby. This must be Siren, you thought to yourself.

“What do you want?” you asked.

A grin spread across her face. It sent a chill down your spine. “I just want men to listen to me for once.”

She opened her mouth and started singing. You covered your ears and looked to the street. Your friends were standing on the sidewalk, staring at the scene unfolding before them. Jisung had covered his ears, but the others were walking towards where Siren was hovering. Jisung looked at you, a look of fear on his face.

“Get them out of here!” you shouted as you commanded your suit to play the loudest music it could find.

When he didn’t do anything, you swung down and found a tech store nearby. When you ran in, nobody was around, so you used your web to grab six sets of headphones. You then ran out and plugged a set into Jisung’s phone, turning the music up loudly before placing the set over his ears. He looked around and grabbed the other pairs from you before running after your friends. You turned your attention back to Siren and swung up. You kicked her in the jaw, which stopped her singing. Her eyes landed on you as she seethed before opening her mouth and screeching. You could feel the vibrations from her scream, and you watched as the buildings around you shook. There was debris falling everywhere, and you yelled when you saw some flying towards your friends. They managed to dodge it in time, but you motioned for them to leave. Your music turned off as Siren started yelling at you.

“This isn’t over, Recluse! I will get my revenge!” She threw a large wave of water at you, and your body smacked into the wall of the diner. You fell onto the awning that hung over one of the windows, bouncing a little against the fabric.

“Recluse! Are you okay?” you heard somebody ask.

Groaning, you sat up and looked at your friends. Their heads were swiveling, as if searching for something. Renjun looked at you and mouthed, “Go,” right as Haechan asked where you’d gone.

Luckily, your suit was waterproof, so by the time you reached home, there wasn’t a single drop on it from swinging through the streets. You changed quickly and ran back downstairs to find your friends. Chenle spotted you first and threw his arms around you.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked in your ear.

“I’m good, I’m good,” you assured him.

“Y/N! Where the hell did you go?” Jeno asked.

“I just started running. I thought you guys were behind me, but when I noticed you weren’t, I tried to go back. The police had blocked the street off, so I couldn’t get through,” you lied. “I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to abandon you.”

“I’m just glad we’re all okay,” Jisung said. “That was close.”

“Jisung, how’d you know to block our ears?” Haechan questioned.

The youngest shrugged. “Recluse put a pair of headphones on my head and told me to do the same to you guys.”

After the morning’s events, you all decided to head to Chenle’s place. He lived in a penthouse, so it was easy to decide where to go with the amount of people in your friend group. You collapsed onto the couch as soon as you walked into the Zhong’s home, exhausted from your fight. Renjun lied on top of you, making you groan at the sudden weight.

“Thanks for saving us,” he said quietly.

“Dog pile!” Jaemin shouted before lying atop Renjun.

It didn’t take long for all of them to try to add to the pile. You could barely breathe, but you were surprisingly okay with that. Maybe it was because you could hear the others giggling. Maybe it was because you knew it was all fun and games. Maybe it was because of the grin on Jaemin’s face when you locked eyes.

Chenle brought you all to the theatre room. You had to go to the bathroom first, so when you arrived, you didn’t know who to sit with. Everyone was paired up, curled together with blankets. Jaemin noticed your hesitance and patted the spot that wasn’t occupied by Jeno on the couch they were sitting on. You crawled into the spot and thanked him when he covered you with the blanket.

You didn’t know what movie you were watching, but it didn’t matter. Jaemin had an arm around you, and you were so warm. It was nice compared to the quickly-chilling city as the seasons were getting ready to change. Your head fell onto his chest as your eyes closed, the sounds around you fading away.

Jaemin looked down at your sleeping form. It was the first time that day that you’d looked completely relaxed. When you two were just lab partners, he worried about the dark circles that seemed to be tattooed under your eyes and the black-and-blue clouds that seemed to constantly paint your skin. Now that you two were friends, that worry was almost tripled. He didn’t like to see any of his friends hurt, but with you it was different. There wasn’t a single day you weren’t covered in some kind of injury.

You shifted in your sleep, snuggling closer to him. He couldn’t help but smile. It was clear you had issues trusting people, so seeing you lie with him so easily made his heart swell. He silently vowed to himself that he would never break that trust.

///

You threw punch after punch, your opponent dodging every one that came his way. He sent a couple back, barely missing your face. Lunging forward, you were shocked when he grabbed you and threw your body onto the mat, pinning you. You struggled, but there was no way you could get out of it without revealing your super strength.

“That’s enough, Jeno,” Jaemin announced.

The weight on you suddenly lifted, and a hand was held out. You took it and let Jeno help you up before grabbing your water bottle that was next to the mat.

You’d had another encounter with Alli. Jeno and Jaemin broke it up before it got too bad, but you were still bleeding and bruised. Jaemin had told Jeno to call Chenle before yelling at her. The rest of your friends had shown up in the hallway, apparently together when Chenle got the call. They had all watched as he expertly patched you up before Jeno offered to teach you to defend yourself. You were hesitant to agree, but Renjun and Chenle convinced you to take him up on his offer. Jaemin came along to make sure Jeno didn’t go too far. The only problem was that he wasn’t giving you a chance to figure out how to control your strength while also getting out of whatever hold Jeno had you in.

“Wanna go again?” Jeno asked.

You nodded, so the two of you got into position, waiting for Jaemin’s call. Once he shouted out, you lunged forward and tried to knock Jeno off his feet. He easily wrapped an arm around your neck and fell backwards, your back to his chest. His legs wrapped around your hips to keep a good hold on you. Before you could even think about how to get out, Jaemin called it off again. Huffing, you stood up and faced away from the boy.

“Jaemin, give her a chance to get out,” Jeno said. “She can do it. She just needs time to think.”

There was a hesitant, “Fine,” so you faced Jeno on the mat again and waited. At the call, you circled each other for a few seconds before Jeno took a step forward. You dodged it and tried to jump on his back, but he turned around and caught you. He threw you off and got you into the same chokehold from before. You could see Jaemin wanted to stop the fight, but you needed to figure out how to get out of it. Jeno wasn’t hurting you much, making sure he kept his promise to go easy.

However, when his hold became a little tighter, something took over you. You threw your body to the side to roll the two of you over, and then you jabbed your elbow into his side. He fell off and started to praise you, but you didn’t hear it as you straddled his waist and punched him in the face a couple times. He cried out in pain, which snapped you out of it. He was cradling his face, and you could see some blood and a few tears. Your hands started to shake as you got off him. You could hear Jaemin call out your name, but it sounded distant. Panicking, you grabbed your bag and sneakers and ran out of the gym as fast as you could.

What the hell had you just done? Jeno was just trying to help you, and you hurt him. You couldn’t even remember if you’d used your full strength or held back. Either way, you were too scared to face both him and Jaemin.

Chenle opened the door not too long after you had knocked. He ushered you in when he saw the tears that stained your face. Renjun and Jisung were hanging out in the family room, but they jumped up once they saw you. He waved them off and led you to his room, pushing you towards the bathroom. He grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from his closet, handing them to you before closing the bathroom door, leaving you alone. You undressed and started the shower up, letting the steam fill the room before stepping through the glass door. The hot water pelted your skin, creating a harsh flush on the sensitive surface. You quickly washed your body, trying to muffle the sobs that threatened to escape your lips.

Once you were done showering, you changed into the clothes Chenle had provided and stepped back into his room. It was empty, and his bed looked so inviting, so you crawled under the sheets and felt the exhaustion hit you like a truck. You ignored your phone that was vibrating, instead falling asleep fairly quickly.

The creak of the door woke you up. You looked over, expecting it to be Chenle or Renjun, but froze when your eyes landed on Jeno standing in the doorway. You threw the covers over your head in hopes of him leaving, but the footsteps that grew closer told you otherwise. The bed dipped under his weight as sat down, and he slowly pulled your shield down. You looked at him with tear-filled eyes, taking in the bruises that had blossomed on his face from where you’d hit him.

“I’ve been trying to call you for the last two hours,” he stated. When you didn’t say anything, he let out a sigh. “I’m not mad.”

“You’re not?” you asked in a small voice as you sat up.

“Of course not. You proved that you can defend yourself, and that’s all I wanted,” he explained. “You scared us when you ran away, though, especially when you weren’t picking up your phone.”

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

“It’s okay.”

“Did I break anything?”

He chuckled. “Chenle checked me out. Everything’s still in place. Is it okay if I hug you?”

You nodded, so he wrapped his arms around you, rubbing your back soothingly. You could feel tears prick at your eyes again, but you held them back. When he pulled away, you wiped at your face and smiled at him.

“Come on. Jaemin’s been freaking out since you ran away. I think he was more worried than me,” he said, helping you get out of bed.

You shuffled down the hallway, sticking close to Jeno’s back. When the two of you appeared in the family room, the rest of the group looked towards you. You weren’t surprised Haechan had shown up at some point. Jaemin leaped off the couch and rushed over, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Don’t scare me like that,” he whispered in your ear. “I thought something bad had happened to you.”

You apologized and pulled away. “How’d you guys even find me?”

Renjun said, “I went to check on you and saw the notifications on your phone. Jaemin had called you, like, fifty times, so I told them you were here.”

“You messed up Jeno’s pretty face,” Haechan joked.

The others snapped his name, but you laughed at the comment. Jeno’s face was pretty swollen, and there was a cut on his lip from his teeth when you’d punched his jaw. You couldn’t help but admit that he was still pretty handsome, even with the injuries. When they laughed, you realized you’d said it out loud.

When Aunt May called you home, Jaemin accompanied you on your walk back. You moved slowly down the sidewalk, enjoying his company as he told you stories about him and Jeno when they were kids. Your heart fluttered when you saw the fond smile on his face.

You knew what was happening, and there was no way to stop it. You were developing deeper feelings for the Na boy. It was no longer just a crush. The feeling in your gut told you what you already knew; falling for him was dangerous. You wouldn’t be able to act on it. If he ever asked you out, you would have to turn him down. Being a superhero meant giving up the right to a love life.

///

It was in the middle of the night when you decided to visit Jaemin as Recluse. You could tell he still had issues with being alone at night. When he’d walked you home the other night, you changed into your suit quickly and followed him. You could hear his heart racing as he rushed to his apartment building. He’d put on a brave face to make sure you got home okay.

You hung upside down and lowered yourself enough to see through his window. It was dark in his room, but his face was lit up by his phone screen. Three taps on the glass, though. He looked over and waited for his eyes to adjust before smiling when his eyes landed on a familiar superhero mask.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I mean, I’m flattered that you’re visiting me, but it seems a little stalkerish, doesn’t it?”

“Would you rather it be someone like Green Goblin or Screwball?” you questioned.

He hummed. “Green Goblin is dead, and Screwball is in prison.”

“Guess I’ll go,” you said.

“Wait!” He grabbed your arm gently. “Why are you here?”

You hesitated. “The other night, I was in the neighborhood—”

“Fitting.”

“—shut up, I was in the neighborhood when I saw you walking a girl home. You’re quite a good actor if she thought you were okay,” you finished. “Still worried about getting jumped?”

He shrugged. “Little bit, but it’s nice to know that there’s a superhero who will be there to save me.”

“How do you know I’ll be there?” you questioned.

“I was talking about Captain America. Geez, not everything is about you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “You got me there.”

He stared at you with a smile on his face before slowly reaching out. When his fingers grazed your neck, you pulled back a little. You asked softly, “What are you doing?”

“Do you trust me?”

When you didn’t answer, he tried again. He paused to see your reaction before continuing when you didn’t pull away. His fingers inched under your mask, pulling it down enough you reveal your mouth before leaning in and kissing you.

Despite the weird position, the kiss was wonderful. He was gentle, cupping your face as lips moved against yours. Your heart was soaring; Jaemin was kissing you. Jaemin was kissing you!

And then it all came crashing down. Jaemin wasn’t kissing you.

Jaemin was kissing Recluse.

You pulled away and yanked your mask back on. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I—I’m sorry,” he stuttered.

You rushed home, not hearing whatever he was yelling to you. You could feel your eyes start to water from the heartbreak that made your chest feel like it was torn open. Jaemin kissed you because of the mask you wear, not because of who was under said mask. He didn’t feel anything towards Y/N, and that was something you’d have to accept right away.

It didn’t make it hurt any less.

The next morning, you almost skipped school before remembering you had a test in biology. You got ready for school quickly and walked alone, not bothering to wait for Chenle, Renjun, and Jisung. There was a decision that had to be made, and you needed all the time to think about it that you could get.

There was luckily no one waiting for you at your locker, so you started to grab your books. Somebody leaned against the locker next to you, but you tried to ignore him. When he inched closer, you rolled your eyes and turned your attention to him.

“What?” you asked.

“You ready for the test?” Jaemin asked with a smile.

“Hope so. I studied all week,” you replied.

“I can tell. You’ve got serious bags under your eyes.”

The hairs on the back of your neck suddenly stood up. Body stiffening, you looked around to see if anything stood out, but there was nothing. Your senses were never wrong, so seeing nothing out of the ordinary had you on edge. What was nearby that was considered dangerous?

“Hey, you okay?” he questioned as he placed a hand on your shoulder.

You flinched at the touch, so he pulled away quickly, mumbling an apology. Guard up, you slammed your locker closed and stormed down the hallway, determined to find the source that was making your senses go haywire. Your head swiveled left and right as you looked at the other students and teachers. Everything seemed fine.

“Y/N, are you sure you’re—”

“God, Jaemin, will you just leave me alone?!” you shouted.

The hallway was suddenly quiet. Jaemin stared at you with wide eyes, his knuckles turning white as the grasp on his backpack strap tightened. You could see his Adam’s apple bob before he gave you a jerky nod, turned around, and walked away. You heart sank in your chest at the sight, but you ignored it. There was a threat, and some boy that didn’t even like you as much as you did him could not get in the way.

Everything seemed to calm down for a couple hours. You were able to concentrate on taking notes, and then you took your test in biology. You could feel Jaemin’s eyes on you a couple times, but you did your best to ignore it. It was only when you left that class were your senses on edge again. You looked around the hallway, but again there was nothing. Jaemin was standing behind you, shifting on his feet as if he was uncomfortable. Then again, with how you had reacted earlier, you would feel the same way.

“Y/N, Jaemin!”

Before Jaemin could say anything to Renjun and Chenle, you grabbed the two and dragged them down the hallway, ignoring their squawks of protests until you were in the classroom that Chenle had patched you up in after the fight. You made sure no one had followed and closed the door for safe measure.

“What the hell?” Renjun exclaimed. “First, you didn’t wait for us this morning to walk to school, then you ignored our texts, and now you want to talk to us?”

“Yeah, what gives? You can’t just expect us to act like it didn’t hurt us,” Chenle added.

“Something in this school is making my senses go crazy,” you stated.

The anger on their faces dropped as they processed that information. Finally, Renjun asked, “What happened?”

You explained to them what you had felt before homeroom. How the hairs stood up, and you were looking for the source when you’d yelled at Jaemin. Then it went away for a couple hours, but it came back when you’d left biology, but there was still no sign of any actual danger.

“Do you think maybe it was a mistake?” Chenle questioned as the bell rang.

“I don’t know how my senses could do that,” you replied. “It’s never been wrong.”

“But you’re not finding anything,” Renjun pointed out.

“I know, which is why I’m freaking out. What the hell could it be picking up?”

“We’ve gotta get to class, but if it happens again let us know,” Renjun said.

The three of you split up, and you headed to your next class. You kept an ear and eye out, but nothing was popping up. You couldn’t help but feel like you were going crazy; nothing was standing out, but your senses could clearly feel a threat.

When it was time for your free period, you headed to the library. You took your usual table in the back and sat facing the rest of the room, hoping you’ll see whatever the danger was if your body acted up again. What you didn’t expect was for Haechan to sit across from you.

“Why’d you yell at Jaemin this morning?” he asked.

“How’d you find out about that?”

“You did it in the middle of a high school hallway. How you do think I found out?”

You sighed. “I can’t explain it.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Narrowing your eyes at him, you said, “Can’t, but even if I just didn’t want to, it’s none of your business.”

“It is when it involves one of my best friends.”

You slammed your hands down on the table, making everyone in the library jump. You stood up to tower over Haechan. His jaw was clenched, but you could tell he was a little scared. “If you really think that’s going to change my mind, guess again. My life is absolute shit right now, and there’s not much I can do about it, so the last thing on my mind is how badly Jaemin’s feelings are hurt because I yelled at him this morning because he wouldn’t leave me alone when I clearly did not want to talk to him. If you have a problem with that, oh well. I don’t fucking care right now.”

You grabbed your backpack and stormed out, ignoring the librarian’s calls to you. Deciding quickly, you walked out a side door and started to head home. There was no way you would be able to pay attention in the rest of your classes, and you didn’t want to face your friends during lunch. Aunt May would be pissed, but like you had told Haechan, you didn’t care.

It didn’t take long for your phone to blow up with texts from the others, wondering where you were. You told them the truth, that you’d left during free period. Chenle immediately tried calling you, knowing something was up, but you declined. Texting was the only thing you were okay with at the moment, knowing you could stop yourself from saying something you’d regret.

You were putting your suit on to start your patrol when Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung showed up to the apartment. You let them in and headed back to your room to grab your mask.

“What the hell is going on?” Renjun questioned. “You yelled at both Jaemin and Haechan? I know it’s not just about what happened earlier.”

You sighed, playing with the cloth in your hand. “I think I’m gonna quit being Recluse.”

“What?” the three of them asked.

“Why would you do that?” Chenle pressed.

“I’m losing even more sleep with all these villains around, and—” You stopped yourself. Did you really want to reveal what had happened the night before?

“And what?” Jisung asked quietly.

“And Jaemin kissed Recluse last night.” There were quiet gasps as you felt the tears start to well. “I’ve been wanting him to kiss me for so long, and he kissed her. Doing what I do, I can’t date anyone. I can’t go out with my friends spontaneously, I can’t go on a vacation, I can’t do anything somebody my age should be doing.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Chenle said. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

You let out a humorless laugh. “Because it feels ridiculous to complain about when I protect the city.”

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up again. You rushed to the window just in time to see a blur of white grab a very familiar figure from the sidewalk. Pulling your mask on, you launched yourself out the window and starting swinging, trying to keep up. Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung rushed to the window to watch, and Renjun noticed a bouquet lying on the sidewalk. He pulled his laptop from his bag and typed a few things before his scanner and the call to your earpiece popped up.

“What just happened?” he asked.

You grunted as you tried to move faster. “Jaemin was just snatched by Siren.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Because I saw him on the sidewalk, and I’d recognize that horrid suit anywhere.”

“Why would she take him, though?” Chenle wondered.

Your mind tried to rack through your memories of earlier that day. The first time you felt something was wrong, you looked around the hallway, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was when you’d yelled at Jaemin. The second time he was right behind you, and the hallway seemed normal.

Wait. Who was that glaring at you?

“Oh my god. It’s Alli,” you said.

“What?”

“Alli. Alli is Siren. She was there both times earlier, glaring at Jaemin and me the whole time. I didn’t think anything of it because of how she acts,” you explained. “Renjun, have you found her on the scanner yet?”

“No, not yet. She moves faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how—oh! There she is! Alli’s located—” He stopped suddenly, and you could hear his throat click as he gulped in fear.

“What? Where is she?” you asked.

“She’s on the roof of SM’s building.”

SM Entertainment, the New York branch. Anyone who lived in Koreatown or Chinatown that wanted to get into the music industry knew of the company. It was tall, towering over the Korean neighborhood. Shiny, with all its clean windows and metal beams, it was hard to miss. You knew Renjun and Chenle had visited it a couple times before giving up once they’d realized that the work would make what they loved doing become a nightmare. Knowing how high that building was, you were afraid of fighting on the roof with Jaemin there as well. Any one of you could fall over the edge, and there was a 33% chance that it would be the only person who didn’t have any powers to save himself.

You landed on the building halfway up and crawled the rest of the way, hoping to use the time to hatch a plan. You didn’t know if he was tied up, if she would use her singing to control him to fight you, or something else. There was nothing that you could use to block his ears, either. You were going to be completely blindsided, no matter what she did.

Peeking over the ledge, you found Jaemin tied to some kind of pole. His glare was focused on Siren as she stood in front of him, a flirty smile on her face. There were a couple bruises on his face, probably from her attacking him before kidnapping him.

“Let me go,” he cried out. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“No. You men need to realize that you can’t just go around, breaking people’s hearts for no reason,” she argued. “All men do is date around, break hearts, and then act like it’s no big deal. Are you going to do that to Recluse, too?”

Shit. She must’ve seen him kiss me yesterday. “I would never do that to her.”

“And how am I supposed to believe you?” Yeah, Jaemin. How am I supposed to believe you?

“You don’t have to. I know the truth,” he stated. “Now let me go.”

You decided it was a good time to reveal yourself, so you shot a web out to grab her ankle before yanking. She dropped to the ground with a groan as you climbed over the edge. “Give it up, Siren.”

The girl stood up and turned to you, seething. “No! You two deserve whatever comes to you!”

“Why are you doing this?” Jaemin asked.

“You broke up with me for no fucking reason, and then you went and kissed her last night! What does she have that I don’t?” It was clear Alli was having a psychotic breakdown, which made the risks even higher. Whatever she decided to do she wouldn’t regret.

“Alli? What the fuck? I broke up with you because you beat Y/N up when she’d done nothing wrong!” Jaemin shouted.

“She constantly flirted with you!”

“So what if she did?! I never flirted back! All she had done was give me a fucking napkin to wipe your lipstick off my face. I don’t get how that made it okay to punch and kick her.”

“Can we not do this? I really don’t want to be in the middle of a lover’s quarrel when one of them is tied to a pole at the top of a skyscraper,” you said.

Alli turned back to you, and suddenly you were hit with a wall of water. Stumbling back, you shot a string out to stop yourself from tumbling over the edge of the roof. You then used a full web to trap Siren, but she screeched, the sound tearing it to shreds.

“Don’t think you can stop me that easily, Recluse. I’m far more powerful than you,” she hissed as she stepped forward.

Swinging a leg out, you swept her off her feet and pinned her to the ground. “I have more experience.”

You were thrown to the side before she stood up. She walked over to Jaemin, singing as she untied his restraints. You covered your ears to make sure she didn’t get control of you. She whispered something to him, and he turned to you, his face emotionless. Then, he lunged.

You squeaked and dodged him, trying to plan your next move. He suddenly tackled you to the ground, taking your hands off your ears. “Listen to her. Listen to the song.”

You struggled against his grip, despite have superhuman strength. You could hear Renjun yelling in your ear to try and block out the song, but it was no use. However, nothing felt different as the notes floated into your ear.

Of course. Even though no one could see your face, you smirked. “Neither of you know your mythology, do you?” you asked before rolling over to pin Jaemin. “You see, a siren’s song only attracts men. There’s no way to take control of me.”

You and Jaemin rolled around, trying to stop the other from winning the fight. Siren’s singing grew louder, as if it would cause Jaemin to grow stronger and faster. When he was finally on top of you, his hands encircled your neck, squeezing tight. You struggled against his grip, legs flailing as you tried to buck him off. The look in his eyes was still empty, and it scared you. You knew that once he was out of this trance, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if you were dead by his own two hands. You punched him in the face and tied him up with your webbing. When you turned around, Siren was right there. She screeched and threw her fist into your cheek. You stumbled back and tried to stay on your feet, but she jumped on you and continued bashing your face in. You could feel yourself losing consciousness as Jaemin screamed your name. Not Recluse, but your name. Before you completely blacked out, you saw a red glint in the sky.

///

It was too bright and too loud when you came to. There was hushed conversation, but it might as well have been yelling with how sensitive your ears were. A machine was beeping, keeping track of your heart rate. You tried not to move or make a noise, but your whole body hurt. You couldn’t help but whimper in pain.

“Y/N!” There was some shuffling, and then you felt Aunt May’s hand on your forehead, smoothing your hair back. “Y/N, can you hear me?”

“It hurts. It hurts so bad,” you whined.

“What hurts?”

“Everything.”

It was a couple minutes before the pain slowly died down. It obviously wouldn’t go away from the medication alone, but it was enough to make it bearable. You slowly opened your eyes, it dawning on you that you couldn’t see well due to swelling. You looked around, your eyes landing on Aunt May. Her eyes were shining with tears that had yet to fall. Looking around, you noticed that you were in a room with the walls made entirely of glass. The sleek look outside your room told you one thing: you were in the Avengers tower.

“W-what happened?” you asked.

“Mr. Stark saved you. Siren’s actions were too chaotic for you to track, so he had to step in,” she explained.

“Where are the others? Where’s Jaemin?”

“Right here.”

You turned your head to find your six friends standing on the other side of the room. Your eyes widened at the sight of them. There was no way Haechan, Jeno, and Jaemin didn’t know your secret. Your heart sank at the possibilities of them knowing.

“You asshole,” Renjun hissed. He stepped forward and pulled you into a hug. “I thought we told you to stop scaring us like that.”

“You know I can’t promise that,” you mumbled into his neck.

When he pulled away, Chenle was suddenly holding you tightly. “You’re grounded. I’m never allowing you to leave your apartment again.”

“Okay, Mom,” you joked.

The room was awkwardly silent as the others stared at you. You were uncertain as to what you should say; they were suddenly strangers, none of them knowing who you truly were until now.

“Shoot a web,” Haechan suddenly demanded.

You froze, so he repeated himself. Hesitantly, you shot one at his mouth. He jumped as it attached to his face, making the others laugh. Clawing at the web, he rolled his eyes and laughed sarcastically. “Very funny, Y/N.”

“Hey, you’re the one that asked me to shoot a web. I was just doing the rest of us a favor,” you joked.

There was a sudden pause, and then Jeno asked, “So, you’re really Recluse?”

You nodded before groaning in pain, your hand flying to your neck. You didn’t miss the look of guilt on Jaemin’s face. Even though he knew it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help but feel horrible whenever his eyes landed on the dark bruises on your neck that were in the shape of his fingers.

“I’m sorry for not telling you,” you said quietly.

“Your aunt explained why you didn’t,” he assured you. “We get it.”

“I’m still pissed that Jisung knew this whole time,” Haechan mumbled.

“Hey, I only found out because she fell through Chenle’s window,” Jisung argued.

As you listened to them bicker, you couldn’t help but think about the fight. You were trying to figure out what it was that you heard before you’d blacked out. When you remembered, your eyes widened. You pushed yourself to sit up, everyone’s eyes falling to you at the sudden movement.

“I need to speak to Jaemin,” you stated.

The boys looked at each other before slowly stepping out of the room, sending curious glances your way. Jaemin stayed in his chair, leaning forward with his fingers folded together over his mouth. The two of you stared at each other for who knows how long before you said, “You knew.”

He paused before nodding, saying in a raspy voice, “I did.”

“How long?”

“Ever since the first time you saved me.”

Your jaw dropped. “When you were hanging over that bridge?”

Shaking his head, he said, “There was a time before that.”

You wracked through your memories, trying to find the first time you’d saved him. Your moments were usually one-on-one, but there was one time on the Brooklyn Bridge that would never forget.

It was before Green Goblin had died. He and Dr. Octopus had teamed up to wreak havoc on New York. They were tearing up the bridge, blowing up vehicles and hurt people left and right. A school bus had gone over the edge of the bridge with one guy inside, everyone else from the field trip running down the street. The emergency door on the back was opened, facing towards you, but he was at the other end, lying next to the steering wheel. You’d taken a big risk by letting go of both webs, one holding the bus and the other connected to the bridge, before jumping inside. You’d grabbed him and shot a string to the bridge, swinging yourselves to the edge of the river. You’d asked him if he was okay, and it was only when he nodded had you returned to the fight with the two villains.

“Your English class was on the way to a play,” you stated. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I forgot that. How’d you know it was me, though?”

He smiled and moved his chair so it was by your bedside before gently grabbing your hand. “You sat next to me in math that year. You didn’t talk much, but I could never forget a voice like yours.”

Heat rushed to your cheeks at the comment. “S-so when you kissed Recluse—”

“I knew I was kissing you,” he finished. “I’d been wanting to do it for years, but I always thought you were dating Chenle.”

Your mind was reeling. He’d known this whole time? He knew it was you when he kissed you the other night? Oh my god, he knew it was you when he kissed you.

“I’ve had the biggest crush on you for I don’t know how long,” you admitted quietly. “I never thought you knew I existed until this year.”

Smiling again, he leaned forward slowly. “You’re unforgettable, Y/N.”

His lips pressed gently against yours, just like it had the other night. A deep breath rushed through your nose at the contact, your hand coming up to card through his hair as he cupped your cheeks. When he finally pulled away, it was only to rest your foreheads together.

“I know what we’re doing is dangerous,” he started, “but I don’t want to give this up. I don’t want to give you up.”

You paused to think. “It’s going to be really difficult, and I’ll probably want to give up a lot, but we can work on this. I’m able to live as a superhero while also keeping my grades up. After what happened with Alli, I don’t want to miss out on anything else.”

As he leaned in for another kiss, the doors burst open with your friends cheering. You couldn’t help but hide your face in his chest in embarrassment. He laughed and rubbed your back, pressing a kiss to your hair. You couldn’t tell yourself that everything was going to be okay, but it was definitely going to be better than before.

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let-me-write-shit · 4 years ago

Text

Somebody To You: 6

Friendly reminder to please Like and/or Reblog. It helps more than you think! :)

This chapter is more of a filler, but it’s got some really important details in it.

Word Count: 2,857

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

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

CHAPTER SIX

It’s been a long two weeks. Between work and friends, Zoey didn’t feel like she had any days off to relax. Ever since their double date, Brett and Zoey have been hanging out a lot more. It seemed like he was over practically every day to hang out with her and her roommates. He’d occasionally come over before his shift started, but more often than not it was late at night after she got off to have a game night, and Nancy and Rory would wait up for them to join. The girls quickly became fond of him and formed a friendship much like hers with Harry.

They were all constantly making plans to hang out, and although she had so much fun with them, Zoey felt like she rarely had a moment to herself anymore. The only time she felt like she had a minute to breathe or think was her morning phone calls with Harry. Sure, they texted occasionally throughout the day, but that phone call was the time when both of them could sit down, talk, and reflect on what was going on in their lives.

Harry seemed to be going through a rough patch. She missed him before he left the last time he came out as he had to be up super early the following morning so he didn’t miss his flight, but he did call Zoey when he landed to fill her in on the details of the conversation she caught him and Rory having.

Rory was honest with him and told him how she felt. She liked him, but she didn’t want to be with someone who wasn’t sure if they wanted to be with her. She understood his hesitation because of his past experiences with relationships while on tour, but she didn’t appreciate being grouped in the same category with his exes. She told Harry that she had no problem waiting if that’s what he wanted, but only if he was sure he wanted her. Otherwise, he’s just wasting her time.

“I’m not giving you an ultimatum or making you choose right this second because that’s not fair,” Rory said to him, “I’ll give you some space and time to figure it out. We can still talk and be friendly in the meantime, but I’m not going to wait forever.”

No one could fault her, and Zoey respected the hell out of her for standing her ground and noticing her own self-worth, but Harry was really struggling to decide what he wanted to do. To him, it wasn’t as simple as it was for most people. He has eyes on him at all times. Not only does he have to navigate the ups and downs of a relationship, but he has to do so in the public eye. He had to find a way to protect the sanctity of his relationship from the press and people with malicious intent and he had to somehow find a way to shield his partner from negative media and online attention because the hate is inevitable. To him, relationships were terrifying.

Zoey helped by listening to his rants and concerns, offering bits of advice, but always remaining neutral. No matter how many times Harry asked her what he should do, Zoey refused, telling him it was his decision to make while always reminding him to stop overthinking everything and to live the life he wanted without worrying about what might go wrong. Easy for her to say. She’s not famous.

Luckily, Rory kept her word in not putting any pressure on him to make a decision. They still spoke and flirted every now and then, though it wasn’t as often as before. Most of their conversations these days consisted of work-related things or Rory filling him in on all of the fun she was having with the girls, Andy, and Brett. She was spending a lot more time with Zoey’s new friends, and from what Rory said, it sounded like Zoey was having a lot of sleepless nights with Brett.

Zoey’s sex life was never really a topic of discussion when they spoke. She never really went into detail or stayed on the subject no matter how much Harry tried to pry. Of course, he knew they saw each other, but the only reason he knew when Brett spent the night was because Nancy or Rory mentioned hanging out with him and how he stayed over. During their text conversations, Zoey always seemed so nonchalant and never alluded to the fact that Brett was even there. She didn’t care to talk about their ‘relationship’ much, and he couldn’t tell if it was because she was trying to hide the fact that she was actually falling for him, or because she really didn’t care and it was just as casual as she intended it to be. The only thing Harry managed to get out of her was that she wasn’t a fan of his kissing. Either way, she was great at keeping her private life private, which was something he respected, all things considered.

Finally, it was Friday, and the last week of May, so Andy, Brett, and Zoey decided to go to the beach early in the morning so they had enough time before work tonight. Nancy and Rory tagged along, for once not having any work they needed to do. The sun beamed brightly, not a cloud in sight. It was only 80 degrees. Not too hot, not too cold. It was the perfect beach day. Andy helped Zoey apply suntan lotion to her back as Nancy and Rory sprayed each other down and Brett didn’t bother, laying out everyone’s towels on the hot, golden sand beside their beach bags.

At first, the group stayed on their towels, letting the sun warm up their skin and adjust to the temperatures. Eventually, Nancy, Zoey, and Andy made their way to the water, leaving Brett and Rory to tan. They eased their way into the ocean until waist level, waves whipping at their hips. An hour in and they had gotten more comfortable, diving underwater, laughing as they pretended to be mermaids, screeching whenever seaweed brushed against their legs and sputtering as the salty water had gotten into their mouths. Rory and Brett had finally joined them, but it didn’t take long before they all headed back to their setup, letting the sun dry them off.

The beach had always been Zoey’s happy place. She had always been the happiest in the water. It’s why she was on the swim team in school and why she frequently slept at Jess’s house to enjoy her pool. Her parents used to call her their little fish when she was a kid because she could be in the water all day. Jess was the first to get her license, and every day off in the summer since Jess turned sixteen, she’d drive the two of them to the beach just for Zoey. It was nearly a three-hour drive just to get there. They’d be up and out the door by 6 AM just so they could be there by 9, and wouldn’t leave until long after the sun had set just to do it all over again the next day. Every now and then they’d get lucky enough to rent a hotel, but they never complained about the drive. It was worth it to Jess if it made Zoey happy. It became their tradition to see how many times they could make it down to the beach in one summer and if they could top it. It’s been a year since she’s been to the beach. And it’s just as amazing as she remembers it being.

Brett had brought a football and they all were tossing it around to each other in an unofficial game of football. Zoey screamed as he ran up, scooping her into his arms and tackling her into the sand, laughing as sand shot up into their face from the impact on the ground and covered their bodies.

“Absolutely not! I saved that!” Zoey exclaimed, lightly smacking Brett’s sweaty, back as he pushed himself off of her.

“Tell that to the ball on the ground,” Brett shot back, panting and scooping a heaping pile of sand onto her stomach in retaliation causing Andy and Rory to laugh.

A ringtone was heard in the distance by their towels and Nancy called back, “Someone’s phone is ringing!” as she jogged towards their stuff, rummaging through the bags. She pulled out Zoey’s phone, looked at the screen and held it up, calling, “It’s Harry!”

“Answer it!” Zoey called back, standing up and dusting the sand off of herself.

Nancy plopped down on the towels as everyone slowly caught their breath, making their way over towards her. She answered the phone on speaker and put on her best stern voice, “How come you never call me?”

“Who’s this?” she heard Harry’s muffled voice from a few feet away, “Nancy?”

“I’m clearly Susan Sarandon. You can’t tell by my voice?” she joked as Andy, Brett, and Rory had sat around her, the rumble of voices and children laughing surrounding them.

Harry laughed, ignoring her, “That’s a lie. I just called you yesterday!”

“That’s true. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, going to be heading to soundcheck soon. Where’s Zoey?”

“Here!” Zoey called, finally reaching the edge of the towels, hovering over everyone.

“Where are you? It sounds loud?” Harry asked.

“We’re at the beach,” Nancy spoke, “Everyone’s here except you. Me, Zoey, Rory, Andy, and Brett.”

“Am I on speaker?”

“Yeah, say hi!”

The group sang a chorus of greetings while Harry responded an almost shy “hello” back. Zoey smiled, extending her hand out and grabbing her phone as Nancy passed it over to her. She placed it to her chest and turned to Brett, softly saying, “Hey, I’m getting hungry. Can you grab us some lunch? I’ll pay you back.”

“Yeah, no worries. I can pay. Anyone want to come with?”

“I’ll go!” Nancy offered, standing up.

“Yeah, I’ll help,” added Rory.

Andy scoffed, “My ass is staying right here. But I will take a slice of pepperoni pizza, please,” he slid his sunglasses back onto the bridge of his nose and slid back onto his beach chair.

As soon as the three were off, Zoey took her phone off speaker and brought it to her ear, walking towards the dunes where there were fewer people and it was slightly quieter.

“Sorry, I’m here,” she spoke, “they’re gone.”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to interrupt. You can get back to them.”

“Shut up,” Zoey laughed, dragging her feet in the sand as she spoke, “What’s up?”

“We were going over the next few cities we’ll be in, and guess where I’ll be next weekend,” Harry said excitedly.

“New York?” Zoey guessed.

“Well, yeah. But I’ll also be in Philadelphia next Saturday.”

“Philly?” Zoey gasped, halting in her tracks, “You’ll be maybe twenty minutes from my family.”

“It’s that close? Where did you live?”

Zoey sat in the sand, knees to her chest, and told Harry about her hometown and where she grew up. She scooped sand in her free hand and watched as it fell to the ground like a sand shower as she recalled memories of her and Jess running around their town as teenagers and all of the trouble they got into. And Harry listened, interested in every detail.

Somehow they got onto the subject of Zoey’s past childhood boyfriends, where she had her first kiss and her first heartbreak. This eventually led to a conversation about Brett. It’s not that she avoided talking about Brett, but there was nothing to really say about him. They hung out. They screwed. That was it for the most part. Except there was a little news about him this time.

“He asked me on another date,” Zoey informed him.

“What, a double date again?”

“No, one on one.”

Harry paused in thought before speaking, “I’m confused. I don’t get what’s going on between you two.”

Zoey laughed, “I don’t either.”

He continued, “I mean, you say it’s just a casual thing. Hanging out and fucking around. So what’s the point in going on a date if that’s all it is? Or is it more than that?”

Zoey pursed her lips and blew hard, making a horse snorting sound before groaning and resting her head on her forearm that was resting on her knees, “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s more than that, but it seems like it’s getting more serious. I mean he stays over so often we should start charging him rent. I feel like I see him more than Nancy and Rory between work and home.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Harry asked, curiously.

“I don’t know,” she whined, sitting back up, “The girls love him and he’s a lot of fun. And he’s getting better at the kissing thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s still work to do, but he gets the job done if you know what I mean. Oh my god, speaking of,” Zoey started cackling to herself, “we got caught yesterday.”

“What do you mean ‘you got caught’?” Harry chuckled at the vagueness.

“At work.”

“At work?!” Harry repeated, the sound of shuffling could be heard from his end as if he had quickly sprung up from a seat.

She nodded to herself, wiping away a tear that teetered at the corner of her eye, which was probably a mistake because she now felt sand on her cheek, remembering the incident last night.

“Oh shit! My bad!” Andy apologized to her, shoving the beer bottles he carried into the crook of her arm and wiping at the wet spot he had left on Zoey’s black shirt when he collided into her after she suddenly appeared from the storage closet. “I was looking for you. You alright? You look like you’ve been crying.” He asked, noticing her flushed face and loose strands of hair dangling from her messy bun.

The storage closet door suddenly opened beside them and Brett stepped out, forehead beaded with sweat, hair tousled, lips red raw, straightening out his shirt. Brett paused when he saw the two standing there, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Andy’s eyes shot between the two as realization sunk in and he groaned.

“Jesus Christ!” Andy whispered, “Y'all are nasty!”

Brett chuckled and winks as he scooted past them, returning to the busy bar to finish off his shift.

“Sorry, Andy!” Zoey sheepishly smiled, biting her lip.

Andy shook his head, laughing in amusement, “At least one of us has a good sex life. Fix your hair. You look crazy,” he walked away.

Zoey shook her head, snapping back to the present and she chortled, trying to stifle her laughter as she looked over to see all of her friends back on the towels and enjoying their lunch together.

“It was just a quickie in the storage closet, but we ran into Andy on the way out and it was super embarrassing. I mean, at least it was just Andy and not our manager, but still,” she explained.

“You couldn’t wait a few hours?” Harry laughed.

Zoey giggled, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

The two finished catching up and Zoey wished him good luck before ending the phone call and heading back to her friends. There was a slight burning feeling on her shoulder blade as the suntan lotion began to wear off and knew she’d have a sunburn tonight. She tossed her phone back in the beach bag and took a spot between Nancy and Rory while the group had laughed about something Andy had said.

Andy looked over at Zoey and smiled at her grin, “You and Harry talk a lot,” he noted.

“Yeah,” Zoey nodded, picking up her slice of pizza that had now cooled down, though had a little dusting of sand on the top, “We’ve been through a lot of similar situations, so it’s easy to talk to him about it.”

Andy nodded, understandingly, being the only one that knew of Jess. Aurora nodded in agreement, “I like how quickly our little friend group formed and how well we all get along.”

Nancy laughed, “Could you imagine we all hated each other?”

“Imagine them thinking I don’t hate them,” Andy joked, turning towards Zoey and scoffing which caused Nancy to pounce on him.

This caused an all-out war and Zoey laughed as Nancy chased Andy towards the water and Brett had practically dragged Rory behind them, letting Zoey finish her lunch, happy to be with friends. But she couldn’t help to feel that pang of sadness as she thought about how much Jess would have loved to be apart of this, too.

The realization hit, nearly knocking the wind out of her. In just over a week it would be Jess’s birthday. The one year anniversary of her best friend’s death. And the happiness she felt just moments before was replaced with gloom. How was she going to manage this?

KEEP READING

#Harry Styles #Harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fan fic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fan fiction #one direction #one direction smut #one direction imagine #one direction fanfic

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yourdeepestfathoms · 4 years ago

Text

Mary, You’re Going To Burn For What You’ve Done To Me

[Tour; Wing AU]

Wing Reference Kid’s Reference

Title is a The Paper Chase song, just with the name switched to Mary instead of Abby.

Word count: 2045

TW: Violence, blood, broken bones

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

Everyone knew there was something wrong with Mary Tudor, nobody just wanted to say anything about it. Whether that be because they feared her or her mother was debatable, as both of them were terrifying in their own right, however everyone agreed there was one main reason why everyone kept their mouth shut over the ex-princess’ return to the world.

Her reign.

If her burning hundreds of people alive wasn’t bad enough, she had a particular hatred for hybrids, Vespertilios, and the Flightless. She took after her step-mother, Jane Seymour, and ordered for a mass production of jaw traps to put on anyone of these three races, usually for no reason other than the fact that she believed they deserved it for how they looked. And nobody could do anything about it. And it remains to be that way because she and her siblings were back and nobody has attempted to scold her for what she had not. Not even her own mother.

Perhaps Aragon is scared of her, too. Or perhaps she just doesn’t care.

Whatever it may be, this did not bode well for the hybrid in the production.

Joan hated the way Mary looked at her- like she was some form of art that she wanted to hang on her wall for people to see. It wasn’t hate or pity or disgust like people usually had in their eyes when they had to see her, but something entirely different.

Lust would not be the right word, per say. But something along those lines in a very scary, bloodthirsty manner.

One day, as she was packing up to leave, one of the three Vespers in the crew, a pallid bat named Summer, came up to Joan. Her ears were folded back and her wings were drawn in close to her as if she were afraid of them being grabbed from behind. She seemed to be in obvious distress.

“I don’t feel safe here, Joan,” Summer had told her. “Not since Mary has come back.”

Joan had nodded, then folded her own wings in. Her ears were up and swiveling around like a radar, and Summer copied her, hoping to catch some sign that Mary wasn’t nearby.

“I love this job,” Summer had gone on. “I really do. But everywhere I go, I feel her eyes on me. Watching me. Even when she isn’t there, it’s like she’s right behind me.” Her ears folded back, then fanned out again. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ll think about it tonight.” She looked up at Joan. “Watch yourself, Joan. I’m afraid somebody might do something.”

And then, she left in a hurry.

Summer never went back to work.

Looking back on it, Joan wondered if it would have been better if she followed in her footsteps.

Too late now, though.

------

Mary had approached her on Wednesday. She had a smile on her face and something gripped in her hand. Joan backed against the wall, short claws brandished, and waited for the pain.

But it never did.

Instead, something wiped against her jawline.

“You had some chocolate on your face,” Mary chuckled, stroking a napkin against her chin. “Silly bird.”

Her touch lingered on her jaw for far too long.

“Uhh-- Th-thanks.” Joan stammered out.

She didn’t eat chocolate that day.

------

The second Vesper in the crew, an Eastern red bat named Randal, grabbed Joan by the arm and whispered in her ear on Friday, “Stop biting your claws. You never know when you may need them.”

He stopped going to work two days later.

Joan doesn’t know what happened to him.

------

There was clunking from inside one of the unused dressing rooms today. It sounded like metal grinding against metal. Mary could be heard muttering to herself over it.

------

Joan stopped biting her claws. They’re growing back in rather well,

------

There was a dead owl on Joan’s windowsill when she woke up that morning. It’s inner wings were stripped of feathers, as if to be bare like a bat’s. The lower beak was ripped off.

She never told anyone her apartment number before.

------

“I know where you sleep” Was written on Joan’s work notebook when she arrived at the theater. When she showed it to Aragon in a panic, claiming Mary was stalking her, Aragon got mad at her. Tucked under one of her wings, Mary looked genuinely wounded. Joan felt foolish.

She didn’t bring up any incidents again.

------

Morice, the spotted bat in the crew and only full-blooded Vesper left in SIX, sent Joan a voicemail at 3:26 in the morning while crying:

“Hi, um, I-I-I-I don’t have a whole lot of--of time. Um, and, and… Oh man, I don’t know where to start. She’ll-she’ll-she’ll, uh, she’ll- she’ll, um, she’ll probably be coming here really really soon, um. Okay, um, um, okay, she--she is not what she claims to be. Uh, she-she-she wants to eliminate us all, uh, a-a-and she’s--she’s coming. She’s coming. She’s, uh, she’s, uh-- I’m sorry…”

------

Morice wasn’t at work the next day. Nor was Mary. Aragon said she was home sick. Joan just thinks she is sick.

-------

Joan’s horns are starting to grow out more. They’re a bit too long for her taste, but she fears cutting them. She deals with them getting caught on her clothes when she gets dressed everyday. Mary complimenting them was slightly harder to deal with.

------

Joan felt watched when she was walking home late one night. She isn’t sure if she’s paranoid or actually being stalked. Still, she makes sure to be extra careful.

------

“Don’t move. Or I will set this thing off.”

That’s what Joan heard when she woke up. It was dark, but by making a few muffled noises, she was able to activate her echolocation and find out she was still in her bedroom. There was something draped over her nose that vaguely smelled like sweet disinfectant and made her head fuzzy when she breathed in too deeply. The rustling of thick feathers filled her ears, which felt like they were stuffed with cotton. An uncomfortable pressure was bound around her head and the taste of metal made her feel--

Wait.

Joan’s eyes popped open wide when her tongue slid over the iron plate in her mouth. She whimpered, but the jaw trap heavily muffled the noise.

“Don’t bother,” Mary said. “Nobody will hear you. There isn’t anyone for you to call for, anyway. The downsides of living alone, I suppose. More privacy, less safety.”

Tears were coming to Joan’s eyes rapidly. The abrasive metal of the jaw trap was uncomfortable and all too familiar. The bear trap-like maws were as heavy as she remembered on her mouth, feeling like they would rip her lips right off if it slid down just the slightest bit. The hinges and gears dug into the back of her skull like they were trying to attach to her brain.

It was too real.

“Oh… Don’t cry, little one.” Mary murmured. A sharp black claw wiped away Joan’s tear, sliding dangerously close to her eye. “It’s going to be okay.”

But it wasn’t.

Nothing was ever okay when the jaw trap was on.

Joan sobbed, screwing her eyes shut like she was hoping it would send her back to a plain dreamscape. But when she opened them again, she now saw the full silhouette of Mary on the side of her bed, dimly illuminated by the glow of her nightlight. She sobbed again.

“Shh, shh, shh,” Mary stroked her head. Her claws scratched behind one ear, but much too roughly for it to be comforting. Warmth spread throughout her scalp; she was bleeding. “Don’t cry, don’t cry… I promise, it’ll all be fine soon, little creature. Just don’t move.” Now, Joan has never been a violent person. When it came to fight or flight, she always chose flight. But adrenaline truly was a fickle thing. And, in that moment, she knew right then that she would not be flying away from this problem. Mary would just find a way to get her again. Unless she was eliminated.

Joan reared her stiff legs back and kicked Mary in the stomach.

The white vulture went sprawling. She fell backwards off of the bed, landing on the hardwood floor with a loud THUMP. That gave Joan enough time to shake feeling back into the rest of her body after being chloroformed and run out of the room.

The front door was unlocked when she exited it. Mary must have picked it. Joan ran faster.

She took to the air once she was outside, beating her malformed wings furiously to get as far away as possible. Mary was fast, though, and her wings had all the feathers they needed to fly, as well as being much bigger. Plus, she was fueled by insanity, and that gave her an unfair speed boost.

A heavy body crashed into Joan’s side and caused her to spiral out of the air like a plummeting helicopter. Mary met her on the way down, jetting into her and taking her to the ground. They tumbled against the asphalt of an empty parking lot, Mary using Joan to blunt the fall, so it was Joan who got to feel the oppressive pavement scrape across her wings and skin.

“You beast,” Mary spat, holding her down. “You fucking demon.”

Joan growled lowly in response, though it was muffled by the jaw trap. Mary laughed harshly up above her and reached down for the triggering slot to set the trap off.

Panic instantly flushed through Joan’s system. She flared her wings out and flapped them wildly. The movement jarred Mary and made her miss the trigger. She braced her hands against the ground for balance, so Joan lifted her head and smashed the lower jaws of the trap onto Mary’s fingers.

Mary screeched in pain, but the sound of her crunching bones was music to Joan’s ears. Even when the jaw trap shuddered treacherously around her head and creaked like it was getting ready to spring on its own, Joan continued to grind the lower jaws onto Mary’s fingers until she was sure the bones were turned to dust.

Mary’s wings opened up and she began to beat Joan over the head with them. Joan’s skull rebounded against the asphalt, rattling the jaw trap and causing it to clang loudly. Even with two broken fingers, she came after Joan with vicious claws. Perhaps she enjoyed the pain. Masochism wouldn’t be too far fetched for her.

Joan struggled underneath Mary. She squirmed and flapped her wings desperately, letting out muffled yells from behind the jaw trap. She brandished her own claws, waved them uselessly for a moment, then settled for headbutting Mary as hard as she could.

“I’m--” Mary’s roar of fury died rather quickly on her lips, which were rapidly turning redder and redder by the second. She opened her mouth and blood came dripping out. “You… You…”

Joan’s brittle deer horns snapped off when she tried to pull away. Mary collapsed backwards, a steady pool of blood growing around her. Red stained her white-grey wings, which were flopped out beside her.

“Why couldn’t you have just let me kill you?” Mary rasped as Joan staggered up onto her knees and stood before her. “I was doing you a favor, you know. Avians like you--they’re suffering. We aren’t meant to live in mutated bodies like the one you have. I’m reliving them of that pain by getting rid of them. The same goes for the no-wings.”

Joan narrowed her eyes into a fierce glare. Her ears folded back in obvious anger, patchy feathers standing on end.

“The bats--they’re just demons. They spread diseases, you know. And drink blood! I’m saving people!”

Joan just continued to glare, muted by the jaw trap. Mary coughed.

“Mother is never going to forgive you if you kill me,” Mary said. A smirk came to her bloody lips. “She never loved you, you know? You were just a standby replacement until I came back. She loves me more. And if you kill me then, well, you’ve blown any chances you may have in the future.”

“I know,” Joan said in her head, then raised her claws and slashed out Mary’s throat.

#wing au #six the musical #six the musical au #six the musical fanfic #six the musical fanfiction #uk tour six #six the kids #mary i of england #tour catherine of aragon #catherine of aragon #tour joan on the keys #tw: blood #tw: violence #tw: broken bones

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blizzardfluffykpop · 5 years ago

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Move Along

Summary: It’s okay to move on from someone who hurts you or you’re no longer in love with.

Jaehyun X Reader

Warnings: This deals with cheating and divorce.

(Jaehyun is TOXIC and realizes it)

[It ends on a light hearted note]

There’s a lot of song lyrics here if I missed a few just tell me, but here are the ones I can remember. (It was originally based off of Be My Mistake by The 1975).

Be My Mistake and It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You by The 1975, Fvck Somebody by The Wrecks, (Probably Used: Don’t Take The Money by The Bleachers), Peach Scone by Hobo Johnson and The LoveMakers, Therapy and Some Kind of Disaster by All Time Low, and (Partial quote: With a Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles) Title from Move Along by The All-American Rejects

Whether you are in a friendship, a relationship, or a marriage, everyone needs a break. Sometimes even when you’re all by yourself you need a break. When it gets tough, the tough get tougher and the weak get weaker. It seemed like my marriage to Jaehyun was perfect,... Yeah, he still had his duties as a Kpop idol, and I still have my duties at my shop. But we always knew we had each other’s backs through thick and thin. He always comes home around midnight and leaves at noon. Then, he started coming home late, or not coming home at all, and not telling me where he has been the whole time. Not even leaving a text, and when he left for tour later that week. He didn’t say a word to me and left without a word.

In our twelve years of being together, he’s never pulled something like this. We had been best friends for five years, and he would always have me there when he goes off on tour. When we started dating, we would kiss, hug, and cry together before he left for tour. Five years after we started dating, he asked me to marry him. I said yes, of course, and for the first time since then, he hasn’t spoken a word. If he texts me at all it’s in terse sentences, no emojis, no ‘I love yous’, no nothing. If I was being real, it is breaking me into pieces, but I won’t say anything. Because it seems if I bring it up, he will ignore me.

He’s been on tour for three weeks, and I have yet to hear a word from him. I text him good mornings, are you okay, I hope you have a good day, it’s lonely without you, goodnight. It wasn’t until this afternoon that I figured that something was up. When he asked me if we can take a break, that he can’t take this marriage right now with everything going on. I broke down after I texted him back, ‘sure, that’s fine, I hope whatever is going on goes away soon’. He said ‘thanks’ shortly after, and I couldn’t feel anymore.

Everything was going well, but it seems what they say about life is true. I never wanted to believe in it, as I kept an optimistic outlook on everything. They say nothing in life is fair, but what if it was? I refuse to let things like that get to me, well, it seems I did. As I lay on my bed suffering, my best friend, my lover, my everything… has given up. All I can say is, it’s fine, don’t worry about it, and not pry at the problems. The only one who seemed to get me since I moved here, maybe I should have stayed in my home country.

I call my old best friend which I haven’t talked to in years. I was always wondering how they were but, fearful that they would forget about me. But the minute it lets out a ring, it’s a voice I haven’t heard in forever asking, “(Y/n)? Why are you calling me, are you alright?” I muffle my sob into my sleeve, “Not really, but I was wondering if I could come visit you?” They let out a little hum, and tell me to give them a second. “Yeah, when will you be here? Do you need me to come pick you up?” I nod, but I realize they can’t see me. I reply, “Yeah, if you don’t mind, I’ll text you after I order the plane ticket, thanks, Jamie.”

After saying our farewells, I couldn’t care less how much the ticket was, all I knew was I wanted out of this place. The greens in the room make me nauseous as I continue to look at them while packing my stuff. Barely being able to touch Jaehyun’s clothes without shaking. I stare at the picture of us laughing, standing on the dresser, and put it down on the dresser. By the time he gets back from tour, I’ll still be at my friend’s house. I rip our pictures off the walls as I walk through the house collecting little things to take with me.The last thing I pack is my computer, and put it into its pouch, in a separate bag. I could take my car to the airport, or I could store it in my storage unit, which I decide is a better idea. I don’t want him to know where I am, he doesn’t deserve to know if he wants a break,... I’ll give him a break. I’ll take a break from him too, why does he get to be the only one who gets to have fun, and figure things out. I take a shower, before telling my employees I won’t be here for a few weeks. I tell Jeonghan to run the store like I would, “So into the ground?” He cheekily replied, making me laugh, before I said, “I’ll see you later, Jeonghan.”

With a deep sigh and some of my frustrations out, I take my car to the storage unit. I kiss the steering wheel, telling little Louie goodbye before calling an Uber. My Uber pulls up, he has four scented trees hanging from his rear view mirror. Along with two beaded necklaces, and a little flower sitting on the dash. He asks me how my day was going, a little white lie couldn’t hurt anyone sometimes. I tell him it’s going okay, and I ask him about his. He tells me a little about himself, and I tell him little tidbits about me. He drops me off at the airport and tells me to have a safe trip. I tell him to have a good day at work he grins as I pay him the fare.

I forgot how bustling this place can be, the atmosphere feels nice. I get my bag checked, go through the scanner and wait for my flight. I look at my phone, and scrolling through twitter, and seeing propaganda from Dispatch. That Jaehyun has a hickey on his neck, he couldn’t have one if I haven’t been with him in a few weeks. They know he’s married to me, so why would they even broadcast that. Maybe I should have realized that is why he wanted a break. But alas, I didn’t put two and two together,... As I sit on the plane, that thought never crossed my mind as I fell asleep.

Next thing I know, I’m in my home country, waiting for my old best friend to pick me up. I see them, looking around for me with a little sign that says, “Welcome back home, (Y/n)!” I rush over, hugging them as they excitedly tell me, “I can’t wait for you to meet everyone!” My eyes widened a bit, I mean I expected them to eventually get a family, but I didn’t think it was eventually yet. “Oh man, I can’t wait to meet them” The radio bopping out the tunes as we sing along, laughing at each other and reminisce. They unlock their front door, and yell, “I’m home and I brought a guest!” Three screeching kids come running attaching themselves to Jamie. When I look up after I am introduced to Pat, Dani, and Nova. Their three little ones, I notice Mingyu a face I haven’t seen in years. I tell Jamie softly, “You guys married?” they both nod at me. Mingyu had liked Jamie throughout our senior year, made it official on our graduation day. Mingyu comes over and welcomes me with a hug and kisses Jamie’s forehead. “There are children present!” Mingyu cracks back, “Yeah, like you?” I laugh, “You got me there.” The two of them laugh, before introducing me to their dogs, Shelly and Bailey, and their two cats Marco and Polo.

They show me to the guest room where I’d be staying for a little while. I tell them I’m overly grateful for them letting me stay here, and Jaime pats my head as they tell me it’s no problem. I look around at the rusty orange painted room. The closet filled to the brim with storage, a cute little lamp on a nightstand. A small plant on the windowsill in a frog planter along with crystals arranged on the windowsill. The plush carpet riddled with coffee stains, making it more a brown carpet than a white carpet. Mingyu calls us down for dinner. The kids rushing ahead of me, I laugh as Pat trips both his siblings, I help them up and carry them in as Pat rushes in front of me. I ruffle his hair, “Little troublemaker, they’re going to get you back, you know that, right?”

Jamie sighs, “He tripped the other two-” “Because Dani and Nova pulled my hair!!” Jamie sighs, “I wonder why” we exchange a laugh, as Mingyu lays the plates down. Jamie kisses Mingyu thanking him for the meal, as the kids yell their thanks. “Don’t expect a kiss from me, but thank you very much” The both of them laugh, Mingyu asks, “How’s Jaehyun?” I wince when they bring him up and Jamie grabs my hand rubbing their thumb over my hand, “Oh honey, what happened?” I look towards the kids, “Can we wait?” They nod, understanding what I meant, we finish eating in peace. Nova sneaking her vegetables to Shelly. I shake my head, before showing her the trick of mashing her peas under her plate, then wiping them up with a napkin. Acting like I was wiping my face off on the dirty napkin. Nova giggles and following suit as Mingyu and Jamie chat with themselves. Pat and Dani, surprisingly enjoying their vegetables. After Nova finishes I sneakily throw her napkin away and wash her plate. I grab the rest of their plates, Jamie raises her eyebrows at me, “But you’re our guest-” “It’s the least I can do though, Jamie.” They roll their eyes at me, “Thank you” When no one is looking Nova and I high five, Jamie and Mingyu sending the kids off to bed. Jamie reads them a fairy tale, almost putting me to sleep, man they have a way with words. When Jamie closes the door behind me, I softly declare that Nova is my favorite. Mingyu disagrees saying Pat is the best, while Jamie rolls their eyes, telling us Dani is the best. “So you two do have favorites, I thought parents weren’t supposed to pick favorites.” They shake their heads, "You know we're kidding." I laugh, "Yeah, you did choose to adopt them and all." Before they both exchange a look at each other, “Nova listens to no one,...” Before, they look at me, “No wonder you get two get along,… Don’t teach her any sly moves now.” If only they knew, that I already did. “Wouldn’t dream of it” as we sit down on the couch and I cross my fingers. “You already have, haven’t you?” I shrug, “Maybe, maybe not”

They shake their heads, “Anyway, so what happened?” “Jaehyun asked me for a break, I should understand but, I don’t. Before he asked, he was never home if he was. It was early in the morning and then leave without a word, or not come home at all. Then for the first time in twelve years, he didn’t let me see him off at the airport. It was kind of a tradition--” Mingyu interrupts me, “How has he been texting you?” I pull out my phone, “Here, take a look” handing my phone over to both of them.

I put my hand over my face, not knowing what to feel. Shame? Sadness? Anger? None of the emotions seemed fitting, as they scroll through my texts. Jamie wraps their arms around me, cooing me, and telling me, “Oh honey,...” while Mingyu reads the rest of the texts. “Well, you’re allowed to stay here for as long as you need.” I nod, and thank them, “I’ll probably just stay for a week or two at most, and visit some of my relatives.”

A week later, and when the two of them leave for work. I’m babysitting the kids at the park telling them stories of their parents and me. They seem to like them, they get quiet and listen to me, and then we play little games together. I start to wonder why I never took time to at least adopt a kid, because these three are bundles of joy. I don’t understand parents who don’t see how children are full of life. Sure, when you have a headache, it's bad, but you have to fight through that to enjoy life anyway. Going to the park with them is always fun, which is where we are right now, well, we’re walking back home. Since their parents are home told me I comeback with the kids. I carry the three of them down the street to their house. Pat on my shoulders, Nova and Dani on either side of my hips.

I arrive home in a wonderful mood, we played hide and go seek and tag all day. Until finally resting on the swings. It was a fun-filled day when we arrive inside, they both run to Jamie and Mingyu. Mingyu picks up Dani and Pat into his arms while Nova clings to Jamie’s legs. Jamie laughs, ruffling Nova’s hair before bending down and kissing Nova’s forehead. And I say, “What am I chopped liver?” Mingyu and Jamie look over at me and laugh as the kids switch parents. I go over to the living room, when I hear Mingyu whisper, “Do not let them turn the channel to news, Jamie-.” Before the next thing I know, Jamie comes over to entertain me, and asks if I could do laundry. I raise my eyebrow, before heading over to the laundry room and with a shrug I do the laundry. I wonder why they don’t want me to watch the news? That’s a lot to unpack, and I’m not up for unpacking any more stuff this week. I finish just as dinner is served until I realize that my phone is not on me. I search for it before I see Pat playing games on it. I should have never told them my passwords because they drain my battery. Pat eats food as he plays with it, that kid is something else. Although I cannot say I’m any different because I do the same. The whole tv whisper slips my mind as I think about Jaehyun, and how much he would love to meet Nova, Pat, Dani. The last time we were here was before they adopted them. I shudder at the thought, it seems no matter where I go he invades my thoughts. I wonder if he thinks the same, or at least I hope he does.

Pat tugs on my sleeve to tell me my phone died, I sigh, as I finish my food, and put it into my pocket. Mingyu says he has the dishes tonight and Jamie puts on a movie on the TV. I throw my phone on my charger in my room. Pat sits on my lap as we all get comfy on the big couch. All of them are my favorite not just Nova, and Mingyu and Jamie feel the same way about their kids, they just like to joke. I can’t believe I’m a godparent to all three of them, and this is the first time I’ve met them. I feel so bad, I should have been here to see them grow up. I know Jamie and Mingyu got them when they were babies. Although they were originally planning on getting teenagers. The facility they went to had no teenagers, and all the kids were adopted, but the three new arrivals were babies. The two of them signed up for these three and went through the process. I didn’t get to see them as they grow up as much as I should have, as a godparent should. Have I just been ignoring everything but my life, have I become so selfish? Or am I just putting myself down because of Jaehyun?

Pat falls asleep on me, becoming dead weight, causing my legs to fall asleep, I start to feel tired as well. I get up with Pat and gesture I’m going to tuck both of us into our beds and sleep. Pat’s a sound sleeper luckily, as I tuck him in and wish him sweet dreams before tucking myself into my bed. I wake up in the middle of the night to check my phone. I see an article about Jaehyun and decide to read it tomorrow morning, I’m scoff and roll over falling back to sleep.

When I wake up again, it’s to the bright sunshine, because I forgot to close my curtains. I grumble about it, before opening my phone and looking at the news article. “Is Jaehyun Cheating on (Y/n)?” Just because we take a break doesn’t mean you have to go nut Dispatch. But go off I guess... I decided to read it nonetheless, and I can’t look away as it reveals more and more evidence. The stupidest one being we haven’t seen them together in months, well no really? He’s on tour what do you expect, not that we’re on a break or anything. After reading that first evidence, I just trash the article. Before I go to Korea Times if there is a real scandal they would have an article on it. My heart breaks as I read “What’s Up with Jung Jaehyun?”

It reads, “It seems that the world tour is not the only thing Jaehyun is busy with.” I continue to read; “Usually you can find his lover in the second row three seats in, for the second concert. We also see them exchange a hug and kiss before he takes off before the concert. Could they be taking a break? Or is it more than that?” It’s a picture of him with a woman, who I can’t seem to place. It’s probably a new manager,... until I scroll to the next picture and my heart shatters. It seems like they were trying to hide from the public eye as they kiss behind a tree.

That’s not-That can’t be-This isn’t happening-No, not to me. Please tell me my eyes deceive me and this is just a person faking to be Jaehyun for some publicity. Like that photo of Justin Bieber eating a burrito on a bench,... right? Wondering if that is Jaehyun kissing that woman. It is... as I keep scrolling seeing more and more pictures of the two. I chucked my phone into a stuffed animal, not being able to bear it anymore. I change into some running clothes, to burn off these frustrations and inner turmoils. I go downstairs to tell Jamie since it’s their day off that I’m going for a run and I’ll see them in an hour. They tell me to be safe and I promise I will, but at that moment it feels like a big fat lie.

The jeans he was wearing I put cute little heart patches on the knees. I used to tease him about how his knees always get cold. I made him a solution, that settled that it was Jaehyun in those pictures. I sprint faster, my tears flying off my face at this point. The audacity that man has, I look down at my left hand to still see our wedding ring still on my hand. I take it off and put it into my pocket, it seems he still owns my heart enough for me to not get rid of him completely. Maybe someday soon, I guess we’re history, and I can’t help but collapse to my knees in the forest I grew up wandering in.

I hum a tune to a song I used to know, “Distract my brain from the terrible news.” I say as I find an old pedestal covered in moss to sit on.

Jaehyun's POV

Staring at the patches that (Y/n) put into my blue jeans, makes me want to cry. I should have never started seeing her. Soo-hye looks over at me and tells me she likes my jeans. What I think is a mumble, “She patched these jeans that you like” she looks at me shrugging and cuddles into my side. It seems like none of the guys can look me in the eyes anymore because of this woman curled up next to me. I don’t blame them, I can barely look at myself in the mirror anymore without gagging in disgust. I push Soo-hye away from me, “I don’t wanna hug, I just want to sleep, okay?” She whines about it, and we go at it again and makes me want to just throw myself out the window afterward.

I curl up to her, my jeans lying somewhere near the door. What made me go this far? Why didn’t I stop? I have (Y/n) at home, I’ve loved them for 12 years is that not enough for me,... I guess it isn’t.

When I wake up, the morning light it blinds me, reminding me of (Y/n), I should just come clean to (Y/n). It would be better than running around their back right? Soo-hye’s head is tucked into my chest, this could be my real lover. I could be with (Y/n) right now, what is wrong with me. I shake my head smelling Soo-hye’s hair, it smells just like (Y/n)’s feet. It’s kind of weird to say that, but it’s so true. While (Y/n) always smells like buttercream sunsets, sometimes like a rainforest if they went out for a run. The worst smell (Y/n) ever had was on their feet, and I miss it so much. Everything about Soo-hye is just for the physical aspect, I don’t want her emotionally,... I’m using her and I feel bad for it, but it’s not as bad as how I’ve used (Y/n). They’re my everything, and here I am laying with someone I’m not emotionally attached to and having sex with them.

Johnny, my closest friend, can’t look me in the eyes. It hurts me to my very core, I’ve got to end this. I sigh before my resolve to end it would soon be broken again as she wakes up. Her eyes look beautiful in the morning, but the stars in her eyes are dull compared to the moon’s that shine in (Y/n)’s eyes.

I know why I started having an affair. (Y/n) was busy running their shop, it was the holiday season and I wanted to do was hold them in my arms at night. My heartfelt incredibly lonely, I had no one to satisfy my urges. Even if (Y/n) was home it was only for a few misley hours. They would be gone the next, I went on tour and they hugged and kissed me farewell. When I came back home it was Valentine’s day. Their shop was busy all week again, it’s good for business but not for our relationship. It was completely selfish for me to take up a relationship with Soo-hye. I should have never done it, I know it was wrong, but I’m so self-absorbed. I know for a fact if I looked at what was right in front of me. Was (Y/n) supporting me every step of my career and as much as I supported theirs, I just started to fall short,...

They’re probably better off without me anyway, I can’t believe this is the man I’ve become. I never thought I would cheat on them. But here I am, my arms wrapped around Soo-hye, she didn’t care that I was married. She told me I was cute and made me feel attractive again when I was beginning to think I was unlovable. Because (Y/n) certainly didn’t love me if they weren’t with me every minute, how fucking toxic I was,... I am. God, (Y/n) should divorce me, I’m not worth the heartache. I gotta figure this out because I’m not the man I used to be, and not the man I ever wanted to be.

---

That night, my thoughts lead to an argument with Soo-hye, my biggest mistake. I’ve had enough when I blurt out my true feelings, “You know what, fuck you, you do make me hard but (Y/n) makes my knees weak!” Full of anger, I’m so tired of this situation. She raises her chin, “It seemed earlier that I made your knees weak, but whatever you say, Jaehyun. I’ll see you next week and you know it.”

I fall to my knees as she gathers her clothes and shuts the door. I know she’s right, I know all of my members heard. The hotel rooms have thin walls, it can barely cover up the sounds of my crying into my couch cushion. I want to get better,...

I call my manager up to book me for group therapy when we get off of tour. I never thought I would be the kind of man, I grew up to hate as a kid. My mother raised me so much better... but here I am cheating on my best friend, my lover, my heart, my everything with a girl who doesn’t even matter to me. All that girl does is fuel my physical desires when I’m lonely when I’m tired of feeling. I want to get better, I can’t lead a life I never wanted to live. My fans must be disappointed in me, I can’t imagine how (Y/n) feels. They must be torn, I know the news is everywhere. I had my dream life and I became toxic and let it slip right through my fingers. I ruined my life, (Y/n)’s life and everyone in between. I’m not the man they married, I’m not Jung Jaehyun, I look in the mirror and see the shell of who I once was. I got to get better so I don’t hurt someone else, and I got to end this right. I know they’re anywhere but home. Especially after I told them I wanted a break. I should have just told them the truth. I cheated on perfection, and I’m left in this endless cycle of crying and cursing myself. Why did I have to do that? I could have just said no to Soo-hye’s validation and waited for my lover to come back home. Gotten over myself and lived the life I was living.

I hope once we divorce they can heal. They deserve someone who can treat them like royalty and nothing less than that. I wanna be anything but who I am, moss on a decaying pedestal would be better than who I am.

Sitting on the moss-covered pedestal, how am I going to face my friends, my godchildren, my parents, anyone. That’s why I was told not to look at the news, everyone knew and now knows. How did my life get to this point, I thought everything in my life was perfect. I guess when you glaze your eyes over the imperfections, you never notice the flaws. That there were signs our relationship was going downhill. We’ve had our ups and downs but it could not have been that bad,...

I sigh reminiscing about the forest instead of my dark thoughts. I remember when this pedestal was placed in this forest. Forcing myself into a better mood as I think about this pedestal. I was with my friend Minghao and were walking through the forest to go home when we saw it. Yes, we did take aesthetic photos together that I still have Polaroids of in a photo album. We stood on the pedestal posing and laughing at each other. I can’t believe it’s been that many years for it to be like this.

I guess over time things that you don’t take care of something it ends up in shambles. Whether it be with moss or unexplainable feelings. If I would have just taken care of the relationship with Jaehyun so it would be as strong as it was when we first married. I can’t claim him as my husband, he’s not the man I married. I’m probably not the same person I was when we married. But we matured a lot, sometimes you gotta hurt before you learn to heal. I still would like to talk to him about it, and finalize it. I’m not going to waste my breath on someone who no longer loves me. If he no longer loves me then I’ll move on. I’ll start over again, and maybe live my forever with someone who I care about.

Therapy is hell, it’s not my friend, but definitely my confinement. Jaehyun and I go to separate group therapy, sometimes I go to one-on-one’s depending on how I feel. It’s been a few months since we’ve divorced. Mingyu and Jamie were behind me every step of the way, my family joining in and helping me deal with the pain. I might miss him sometimes but does not mean I need him to function.

We talk occasionally, but more as people that know everything about you, but nothing at the same time. They know things about you wish you could erase, but they no longer know who you are now. Time heals all wounds, and therapy definitely helps, I’m better now, it tore me up for months. I didn’t dare talk to Jaehyun. It was about six months after the scandal, the reality, the truth came out. Before I was ready to deal with Jung Jaehyun, I moved into a new apartment. Rebuilding myself up from the bottom up, with a little help, a lot of help from my friends. I was me again, or the me I needed to be.

When I face Jaehyun it was on mutual terms, we agreed to end it after talking everything out. It was a long process of divorce, even though no longer happy with each other. We helped each other through every step of the way, crying on each other’s shoulders for hours. Because we never wanted to be like this. But here we were, and I know we’re happier now that we are no longer together.

It’s been a few years now, Jaehyun and I are still friends but that’s as far as it goes. I’ve found someone who I love with my whole heart, and they love me too. I spend hours on the phone with them, they have kids, and we care for them together. It’s the family I always wanted, Jaehyun has just recently entered the dating world again. I’m very proud of him, we’ve both come such a long way after everything. It’s never too late to start again, and we’ve become the kind of people our 4th grader selves would be proud of.

My shop is flourishing and Jeonghan runs the building. He is hopelessly in love with a guy who comes into the shop every day. The triplets are 1st graders now, Mingyu and Jamie are still in love, and going strong. Minghao is having kids and Johnny has started his solo career in Chicago and is making bank. We’re all happy, and that’s all of ever wanted to be, yeah it’s taken a long time to get there. I’m happy to be happy again, so if you get to the point where you find someone who loves you like how you love them. Keep them in your life, cherish them, don’t let them slip through your fingers.

Just because you have been with someone for a long time, whether you lost your virginity with them. Were high school sweethearts, or were just there for each other in the tough times. It does not mean you have to be with them forever. Not all relationships are meant to last, it’s okay to leave someone who you devoted a portion of your life too. Even if what your partner has done is not horribly wrong, you are allowed to walk away. It happens, no matter how long you are with them, you are allowed to leave them. Even if you’re married, you can divorce and move onto someone better. That treats you right, like the royal you are, never accept anything less. This goes for you too, you better treat your significant other like royalty unless they screw you over. Remember three strikes they’re out, and if they mess up royally once, it’s over.

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whittakerjodie · 5 years ago

Text

Fortunate Accident? ( 13th Doctor X Reader )

Prompt: \” the reader gets into trouble and somehow gets powers (like what happens to Captain Marvel). Doctor is Worried ™️ but reader is really happy bc they’ve always wanted superpowers, and is a massive superhero nerd 😂 I love your blog btw 😄💛” - requested by @by-the-primes

A/N thanks for this cute, fun request! I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you enjoy!

Words: 1.3k

Warnings: needle mentions, experimentation mentions, evil dudes, etc.

You had to stop trusting random aliens you ran into on adventures. You thought that after years and years of traveling in the TARDIS you would learn how to better weed out the bad ones, but more often than not one would slip past your judgment.

Plus, this one had been so nice. He'd shown you and the Fam around the laboratory with an almost contagious enthusiasm. When the tour ended and the trouble started, he'd just as enthusiastically helped you escape death yet again when the two of you found yourselves separated from the rest of the fam. What were you meant to think?

You began to suspect trouble when you easily walked around the endless laboratory halls. You wandered without any interference from the monsters that had escaped the testing chambers and caused all the ruckus- something you found suspiciously lucky, considering they were large and feral enough to send the entire group scattering for their lives.

All of your discussion seemed to point back to one thing: your species, which you also felt weird about. You tried to write it off as an alien scientist doing simple research, but some of his questions were borderline invasive. After his 12th question, you tried to ask him some questions. He didn't answer them.

After several more minutes walking (in which the only noise was your footsteps and the distant sounds of screeching) the Scientist stopped. You were in front of a doorway, and he was holding the door open for you.

"Here, you go in first. I know the pass code to lock it from the outside, so we'll be safe from the monsters."

Another screech sounded in the corridor, sounding much closer. Your heart rate spiked and you didn't wait to consider the faults in what he'd said. You stepped into the room, taking it in. It seemed like a.. surgical room? Before you could turn to ask the Scientist how this could possibly be the safest room in the laboratory, his hand forcefully grabbed your neck and shoved you into the wall.

The collision sent your thoughts into a whirlwind and you tried to duck out of his grip. (You’d picked up quite a few evasive tricks during your time as a time traveler) Unfortunately, before you could a sharp pain shot through you. Your hand felt much too heavy as you reached up in an attempt to pull the needle out.

“What the hell?" You groaned, panicking. Why was he doing this? what was happening?

"Did you know that I've never experimented on a human before?" The Scientist whispered. You felt sick at his enthusiastic tone. Although he'd had it the entire time, it was different now; it was sinister, corrupt.

You couldn't struggle anymore- The sedative was slowly shutting down any movement as it pulled you into unconsciousness. Stay awake!! you yelled. It fell on deaf ears, however, and you couldn't stop him from dragging your limp body over to the operating table. The last thing you heard before your consciousness gave in was:

"This will make for very good research"

____________

Waking up was quite the moment. Your first thought was wow, its nice and comfy right now. You could make the educated guess that someone was holding you, which would normally make you very panicked if they weren't so comfortable. You stirred, trying to revive the limbs that had been shut down. It worked, but the pain started to creep in to replace the numbness resulting in an end to your comfort. You hissed, trying to stretch.

"Y/N! You're awake!" Yaz. Was she holding you? No; her voice was far away. The Doctors voice was the one nearly right next to your ear.

"Hey you" She softly whispered. You opened your eyes, all pain briefly pushed aside. She looked so scared. Why does she look like that? You thought. Who gave her that face? Do I need to fight somebody? As your panic grew, your body became hotter and hotter until-

The Doctor yelped and dropped you. You yelled in pain, anger coursing through you. When you sat up, you could see what was wrong. You jumped back, trying to get away from the sparks that were rapidly firing out of your hands. Only when your back was against the TARDIS interior walls did you realize you couldn't escape them. The Doctor and the rest of the Fam ran towards you, trying to get you to calm down.

The Doctor closed your eyes, kneeling at your side. "Breath, Y/N, breathe"

You did as she directed, each breath helping cool your body down. You tried not to focus on what the others were discussing and counted your breaths. It took several minutes, but you could calmly relax into the arms of your friends without the sparks igniting again.

When you opened your eyes, you glanced at the Doctor first.

"What the HELL was that?"

She walked you to the library, telling you it was best if you sat down in private. You sat on one of the sofas across from her, nervously twitching as the sparks threatened to leap from your fingertips again. Why was it happening every time your emotions spiked?

The Doctor filled you in on every last detail: How the monsters were actually failed experiments and how the Scientist had been working for the planet's military to enhance their warriors. How she'd found him experimenting on you. (when she spoke of that particular event, her voice hitched and it was your turn to calm her down) Finally, she told you she'd have to keep a close eye on you because of what he'd done.

"But what exactly did he do, Doctor?" You asked. "What was that, with the sparks coming out of me?"

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"Truthfully, I don't know... the purpose of the experiments was to enhance soldiers, so it's clearly some power-"

"Wait, like a superpower?!?!" You couldn't help the excitement taking over, causing you to yell. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing? You didn’t notice the sparks burning holes into the couch.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say-" You felt the heat rise in you along with the excitement and experimentally flicked your hand towards the library's fireplace. The small sparks merged into one large blue spark. The flames erupted, making you jump back. Your heart rate shot through the roof as you laughed. (out of fear or excitement? you didn't know at this point)

"That's totally a superpower" You squealed. "well, it could be if I work on it,"

"Y/N, you do understand what's happened, right? This could go very badly." She said, flabbergasted at how quickly you’d shifted from scared to ecstatic.

"Yes, but it could also go very goodly" You countered. When the timelord raised a brow you corrected yourself. "Well. this could go very well"

She still didn't seem convinced.

"I've always loved superheroes, Doctor. I thought you were about to tell me i’d turn into one of those monsters or something." You grabbed her hands excitedly. "I'm sure we can fix this, or at least make the best of it. Help me out?"

She let you lift her from her seat, dragging her towards a room where you could exercise this new ability. It didn't come from a good place, but you were determined to make it your own, and you had a hell of a helper.

#13th doctor x reader #13th doctor #doctor who #doctor who imagines #13th doctor imagine #doctor who imagine

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calums--penguin · 5 years ago

Note

hey could you write a luke imagine that’s kinda angst with a fluffy ending??

word count: 1.8k

warnings: cheating, swearing, angry luke & angst i guess

summary: you’re so sick of being in love with luke so you find a new boyfriend to distact yourself, but feelings don’t disappear overnight.

a/n: v cliche angst but i just wanted to write something so ;) and i haven’t done any 5sos writing in forever so this may suck so pls leave comments to tell me how i did thank u

Luke had never said he liked you, nor had he even given any indication that he had any feelings of attraction towards you. It didn’t take you long to realise that you had to move on despite your irrefutable feelings for the curly-haired man.

You were close friends, you always had been, you would hang out together and go to the movies but that’s all you would ever be. Friends.

Calum had told you countless times to make a move, that your feelings for each other were obvious but you refused to admit it. You were sure Luke had no romantic feelings towards you, the countless girls he flirted with in front of you was a clear notion of his feelings.

So you decided that the best way to move on was to find someone new, someone else who would capture your heart in the same way that he had. Unfortunately, you were unsuccessful in your venture.

You had found someone, his name was Chris, he was tall and muscular and would normally be everything you would look for. Apart from the fact that he wasn’t Luke.

Regardless of your confusing feelings, you decided to give it a shot. You knew your feelings wouldn’t go away as soon as you found someone new and so you decided to give yourself some time to move on, using your new boyfriend as help.

It wasn’t fair to date someone knowing you were still completely in love with somebody else but you did it anyway, no longer caring about the repercussions.

Michael had decided to throw a party when they got back from tour. As much as you enjoyed spending time with the band and everyone else, the thought of introducing your new boyfriend to Luke was something you weren’t looking forward to at all.

Calum was the first to greet you when you got to the party, his voice strained as he shouted over the booming music but he was happy to see you. He was shocked to see your new boyfriend, his plans of getting you and Luke together suddenly came screeching to a halt.

“So, when did you two meet?” Calum asked, his bushy eyebrows making his confusion apparent.

“Just after you guys left for tour, I was getting lonely when you four were gone.” you laughed, smiling up at the man who had his arm loosely hung around your arm but was clearly paying no attention to the conversation.

“I’m gonna go get us some drinks,” Chris stated, stalking off into the crowd without another word.

Calum dragged you to a quieter part of the house, the music now muffled and the voices began to drown into a quiet murmur.

“What about Luke?” Calum asked, his voice almost sad.

“I came to realise that it was never gonna happen. I can’t sit around for the rest of my life hoping he’ll like me one day.” you sighed, your voice shaky and you hoped Calum wouldn’t notice.

“Y/N, I promise you that your feelings were mutual, he was just too stupid to realise it.”

Half of you wanted to believe him, believe that Luke did love you the way you loved him and that you two could live happily ever after. But the other half knew that if Luke really felt that way he would’ve told you instead of sleeping around with countless girls without giving you a second thought.

“I should go back, Chris is probably looking for me,” you said, not knowing if you could pursue this conversation any further.

Calum let out a defeated sigh, stepping aside and letting you leave. Your breathing was shaky and you wanted to go home before you bumped into anybody else who could question you about your feelings.

The vibrant party took over your senses once again when you found your way back to the main room. Your eyes scanned around, looking for Chris until you found him, sitting next to Luke and three girls you’d never seen before.

The girls were practically drooling over Luke and one was almost sitting on Chris’ lap. You’d told Chris about Luke, not about your feelings but just your friendship to not arouse any suspicion.

Luke spotted you from across the room, his eyes widening and he quickly excused himself, leaving Chris alone with the three girls. He made his way over to you, a warm smile on his face that never faltered.

“Hey,” he grinned, enveloping you in a hug which you graciously returned. The smell of his cologne filled your senses and your heart instantly began racing.

“Hi,” you smiled, your heart wrenching when you saw his soft blue eyes that you’d missed so much.

“Um, I met your friend,” he said, his smile faltering for a moment but you didn’t notice, you were too busy on bringing your breathing back to a normal pace.

“Yeah, he’s great,” you claimed, knowing he would never be able to make your heart race like Luke does.

“Did you bring him here to find him a girlfriend or?” he chuckled, not noticing the way your smile dropped or how your eyebrows furrowed.

“What?”

It was then that Luke noticed the change in behaviour, not realising what he’d said to make you so confused.

“Well, he came over and introduced himself as your friend and then almost instantly started chatting up almost every girl that walked past,” he said, his face now mirroring yours.

“Chris is my boyfriend.” you said plainly, a look of hurt masked your face and you could tell Luke was taken aback.

“Your boyfriend?” Luke spat, quickly spinning around to see Chris with girls falling off his arms. It was only then that you’d seen what Chris was doing when he thought you weren’t around, you’d been unable to see because Luke was blocking your view and you wished he still was.

You let out a shaky breath at the sight, Chris was evidently flirting with every girl that came his way and it was obvious he had no care about you anymore.

It wasn’t until Luke started walking towards Chris that you snapped back into reality. You called out to him but he paid no attention to you, his chest heaving with anger.

“You’ve been trying to fuck other girls when you have a girlfriend?” Luke growled, his jaw clenched and his hands were in a tight fist.

Chris looked up at Luke, visibly confused before he spotted you behind him. You were clearly upset but you refused to look at him, instead opting to grab onto Luke’s arm to pull him away from the situation.

Chris blabbered out excuses, none directed at you but rather at Luke who was growing increasingly angry. All of the girls had scattered when Luke came over, a couple giving you sympathetic looks before moving away to not get caught in the crossfire.

“Luke, please.” you whimpered, desperate to get him out of the situation before it escalated. The sound of your voice caught his attention and you could see his anger begin to dissipate.

“Fucking asshole,” he grunted, before grabbing onto your hand and pulling you out of the house. His long strides were hard to keep up with and you found your self jogging in order to keep up but he slowed down once you got outside into the cold, winter air.

You walked to the end of the road before you said anything, giving Luke enough time to calm down and you to pull yourself together.

“You didn’t need to do that,” you whispered, your voice low and soft in case Luke wasn’t fully calm yet. He completely disregarded your question, sitting down on a bench which you joined him on.

“Why did you get a boyfriend?” Luke asked, his voice seemingly calm but you could hear the bite in the question. He hadn’t looked at you since you’d pulled him away from Chris and it worried you to no extent.

“I wanted one,” you mumbled, unable to come up with a good excuse as to why you’d gone out of your way to get a boyfriend. You didn’t have the guts to tell him you’d gotten a boyfriend as a distraction from your feelings for him, you couldn’t take two heartbreaks in one night.

“Why him?” he murmured, his eyes finally meeting yours. His blue eyes were dark and he looked almost as hurt as you but you couldn’t figure out why. Before you could even get the chance to reply, he spoke up again. “You couldn’t have picked anyone better? Someone who actually loves you and would do anything for you. Someone who wouldn’t treat you like shit.”

“Like who?” you mumbled, expecting a friendly answer. You completely expected him to tell you about someone he’d met that he thought would be perfect for you, or recommend somebody like Calum or Ashton with a lame excuse about how you always got along so well with them. You would have never expected what he actually said.

“Like me. I would love you and cherish you but you had to go off and find some asshole who treats you like shit.” he growled, his anger not directed at you. He didn’t know who he was angry, whether it was himself for never making a move or the asshole who had taken the love of his life from him.

“You don’t love me,” you whispered, your eyes glazing with tears.

“Don’t say that.”

You were so completely and utterly confused, in your head you couldn’t come to believe that he would ever love you, not in the way you loved him. The only rational explanation you could think was that Calum had made him say this, that he was only saying it because Calum had guilted him into it.

“You don’t love me, not like that. You love me as a friend and that’s okay, you don’t have to lie to me to make me feel better.” you sighed, tears slipping down your face and onto the rough material of your jeans.

“I do love you. In the way that I want to be with you, in the way that seeing you with another guy makes my blood boil and in the way that I would kill to be the person you come home to everyday.”

His eyes pierced into you, tears slipping down his face in the same way as you. Your lip quivered and all you could do was study to him to see if he was genuine, that despite the fact he’d just professed his love you, you were still unsure.

“I’m in love with you, Luke.” you almost cried, your voice breaking and your breathing shaky.

“I’m in love with you too.” he murmured.

His hand cupped your cheek softly, pulling you in slowly and his lips met yours in a slow kiss. It was was soft and comforting, everything you’d ever dreamed of. Your hand tugged lightly on his curls and you had never been happier.

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prisonrose · 5 years ago

Text

{ Post Tenebras Lux }

Panicked footsteps echoed through the lonely mine as the boy dashed about in aimless circles. His heart was nearly thundering out of his chest as he stopped for a moment, panting. “Hello?” he cried as loudly as he could. “IS ANYONE THERE?!”

Nothing. “Mum? Dad?!”

The echoes of his frightened voice almost sounded as if it was taunting him. Blinking back his tears, he dashed off in the direction he hoped would get him out of here and once again wracked his brain for answers to his current predicament.

All he had to do was retrace his steps, right? That’s what mom had always told him! Let’s see… He’d been with his mom and dad, taking a tour through the Macro Cosmos factory on the outskirts of Motostoke. The Chairman himself was there to greet them, and that had been so exciting! He started showing them all the different machines and explaining what they did, though, which wasn’t quite as exciting, so the boy’s mind began to wander. And then…

The boy stopped dead in his tracks, clutching at his hair in frustration as he looked around. He couldn’t even remember how he had gotten split off from the group. Something had caught his attention momentarily, though he couldn’t remember what it was. He didn’t really think he’d gone that far, but when he turned around to go back to the factory, he didn’t even know which way he had come from.

He’d gone into this mine, hoping it was the way back to Motostoke, where at least there would be other people he could ask for help. Instead, he’d ended up wandering around aimlessly in this dark, Pokemon infested hole without a Pokemon of his own to defend him, and he was lost, and he wanted his mom and his dad and to be back at Postwick and safe!

He slumped to the ground covering his face with his hands and sobbing noisily, then pressed his small body into a secluded corner as he shivered with fear. What if no one found him this time? What if he was going to be lost forever?

“MUM! DAD!” he screamed in desperation. “SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!!!”

“... Leon?” a distant voice called.

He froze, holding his breath with shock. “... Hello?” he called again, shakily climbing to his feet. “Is… Is someone there?!”

“Leon! Oh, thank the heavens that I found you!” The voice sounded relieved. “Stay put! Help is on the way!”

The boy spotted a shadow moving out of the corner of his eye. “No, wait! I-I think I see you! I’m on my way there!”

“Leon?! No, no, stay where you are! Don’t move!”

Too late. He’d taken off after the shadowy figure, sniffling and trying to wipe his face free of tears. In just a few minutes, he’d back home and this would all just be a memory! He’d be safe and warm and happy, and--

And that was not not a person.

He screeched to a halt so quickly that he nearly fell over, eyes wide with fear and panic. The Pokemon in front of him made a quick hairpin turn to face him, growling softly. Leon froze in place, feeling as if he couldn’t even breathe. Even when he saw its mouth glow as it prepared to attack him, he felt like his feet were rooted in place. Why… Why couldn’t he move? Why couldn’t he run? It was as if his body had been turned to stone! It wouldn’t listen to him!

As the blistering heat built up in the Carkoal’s body, Leon slowly looked down so that his brim blocked out the sight of it and he wouldn’t have to see his gruesome demise coming. He sniffled, feeling another tear roll down his face as he waited patiently for the enraged Pokemon to end it. But then he heard frantic footsteps coming from behind him.

The Chairman yanked one of his Ultra Balls off of his belt, and tossed it out in front of him, rushing in front of the boy. “Cerys! Defend us!” he cried throwing out his hand to shield the boy from any incoming damage.

Just as the Carkoal shot a powerful volley of flame at the two of them, the Chairman’s Copperajah burst out of its ball. Rose briefly had to shield his eyes from all of the dust his Pokemon had kicked up, but thankfully his Copperajah had managed to soak up all of the damage from the attack, leaving them both unharmed. Leon blinked, his cap plopping quietly on the ground. He looked up at the massive Pokemon standing in front of him with awe. Then he turned his eyes to the Chairman standing resolutely in front of him.

Rose just ran his fingers through his hair, thankful that no one had gotten hurt other than the small amount of damage Cerys had taken from a Pokemon much weaker than her. He could have ended the battle with an Iron Head or a High Horsepower then and there, but it seemed a little excessive. The poor thing had just been startled, after all.

“Here,” he called out to the wild Pokemon, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a toy with a bell attached to the end that Olga enjoyed playing with every now and then. He’d have to get her a new one sometime soon. “Go fetch.”

The Carkoal’s eyes went wide as Rose flung the jingling toy further down the long corridor. It let out a soft noise in delight, chasing after it as quickly as its wheels could take it. Rose sighed, stroking his Copperajah’s haunches. “How are you, girl?” he asked softly, looking over where the move struck her.

She rumbled quietly, turning so that she could gently wrap her powerful trunk around his waist and pull him in for a cuddle.

Rose laughed softly, patting her trunk reassuringly. “It’s alright, darling, we’re both unharmed. There, there…” She really was quite protective and motherly towards him. He patted her one last time and went to address the young boy still looking up at him, completely awestruck. His face was a mess, smudged with dirt and awash with tears, so Rose took out his handkerchief and got down on one knee to wipe all the grime away.

“You had us all very worried,” he hummed quietly. “I’m so glad to know that you’re alright…”

“I… I’m sorry…” Leon sniffled. “I didn’t mean to be a bother… I didn’t mean to wander off! Mum says there’s… something wrong with me. I get lost really easily, and it drives her mad. ”

“I’m sure that’s very frustrating,” Rose murmured, tucking his handkerchief back into his pocket once most of the muck was wiped away. “And very scary, too. But just because you’re made differently, it doesn’t mean that you have to let your disability define you. I happen to think you show quite a bit of promise as a potential trainer.”

Leon’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “M-Me?!” he cried incredulously. “You have to be joking! I don’t even know how I got here, and if you hadn’t saved me from that monster, I would have been burned to a crisp!”

“I promise I’m being quite sincere,” Rose replied, rising back to his feet and brushing the dirt from his fancy trousers. “Look where you are, Leon. You came here all by yourself. Through the tall grass of Route 3, and down into the very depths of this place. No adults… Not even a companion Pokemon by your side. The only time you landed yourself in any trouble is when you ran into that Carkoal in a rush, seeking me out. That suggests that you have very shrewd judgement, a natural affinity for befriending Pokemon, and a knack for getting yourself out of sticky situations. I happen to think those are all very admirable qualities.”

Leon looked up at him with wide eyes. “You… You really think so? Most of the kids call me dense, and most adults just think I’m just pretending to get lost, but… But I’m really not! I really try!”

Rose fondly ruffled the kid’s short, purple hair. “I’m certain that you do. You just need some help compensating for the qualities that you lack, but the same can be said for everyone else. Why, I bet that with the right partner by your side, the possibilities for you could be endless.”

The Copperajah lumbered over and nuzzled Leon gently with her trunk, almost cooing softly. Rose laughed, patting her. “See? Even Cerys agrees! You’ve got a bright future ahead of you, Mr. Leon.”

Leon blushed slightly, reaching down to pick up his cap off of the ground and pulling the brim of it down over his eyes with embarrassment. “Th… Thank you, sir. That’s very kind of you to say.”

Rose smiled at him, and patted his shoulder. “You’re welcome… Now! How would you feel about getting to ride old Cerys out of here?”

“REALLY?!” Leon shouted with excitement. “You really mean it?!”

“Of course I do,” Rose laughed, helping the boy step onto her trunk so that she could lift him onto her back. “Let’s go put your poor mother and father’s hearts at ease. Come, Cerys, this way!”

-- A few days later --

“Lee!” his mother shouted from downstairs.

Leon blinked, pausing his game of Tetris, and looking up from his screen. “Yeah, Mum? What is it?” he called.

“Did you order something off the telly without telling us about it?”

“No???” he called back.

“Well, there’s a package here from Macro Cosmos here with your name on it!”

His eyes widened as he tossed his controller aside and raced downstairs as fast as his legs could take him. “Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see!!!” he squealed.

“Hold on,” she chastised, using a kitchen knife to open it. “... What on earth?”

Inside, there was a portable incubator with detailed instructions and in egg inside. It also came with an ultra ball housed inside of the incubator and a trainer starter kit of Pokeballs, potions, various status healing tonics, and a blank League Card for Leon to one day print his photo on. There was also a letter on it, autographed by Chairman Rose himself.

Leon,

Sorry it took me so long to reach out to you. When your mother told me your favorite Pokemon, I knew I had quite a project on my hands! So I got in contact with some breeder friends, and we managed to get you your very own Charmander egg! Congratulations! We even managed to imbue it with a prototype technology that we’re coming out with in the next few years.

This particular breed comes from a long, proud line that has rescued people in mountainous areas during blizzards and avalanches for centuries. Its excellent sense of direction will ensure that no matter where you are, as long as you have your partner by your side, you’ll be able to find your way back. I’m sure it will be a very loyal and helpful friend.

I know that you still have a few more years before you’re eligible to begin your Gym Challenge proper, but it’s never too early to begin your journey as a Pokemon Trainer. The other sheet of paper that’s attached is my official endorsement for you once you have your tenth birthday. Good luck, and I’m rooting for you.

Chairman Dhimani Rose Macro Cosmos Corp. CEO

#{ drabble }#{ headcanons }#{ metas }#unless someone comes up with a better idea this is how i hc them meeting lmao #when u just say fuck it and make your own food #long post

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shawnsorangeglasses · 5 years ago

Text

Better Conversations - Part 7

3.3k words

very special thank you to @rulerofnocountry and @sauveteen for their input and comments on my google doc. they played a very big part in how this came out so they get writing credit. check out their blogs.

Synopsis: Another assistant AU, you’ve known Shawn since the beginning but you don’t really become friends until a label party in New York. Then he offers you a job as his assistant.

It’s sightseeing day and (Y/N) gets an unexpected visitor in the middle of all the fun.

warnings: none, mostly cute

...

It’s still dark when (Y/N) wakes up, surrounded by warmth. Shawn has sort of rolled onto her in the middle of the night. His heavy arm drapes over her body. She carefully craned her neck over to see his leg crossed over her ankles as well. Her nose is dangerously close to his collarbone. Must be hard sleeping alone all the time, she thinks to herself. She knows the feeling well enough, as many times as she’s fallen asleep by herself in her lofty New York apartment.

As nice as it feels to be wrapped up in another person, (Y/N) knows she has to move before he wakes up. She starts with the ankles, slipping out easily. Shawn doesn’t seem to notice. She takes a deep breath and prepares to move his arm. A sudden and sharp inhale from his nose makes her recoil. He says something incoherent and mumbly in his sleep. (Y/N) eases out of his grasp and onto the floor with a soft thud.

She starts moving things around that don’t need to be moved. Nothing about this looks good. Should someone walk in, they’d be a great deal of trouble.

Just her luck, somebody knocks on the door.

“Housekeeping,” says the other side of the door.

(Y/N) closes her robe and cinches her waist. She tiptoes over to the door and opens it. A tiny and very friendly cleaning lady greets her. (Y/N) knows the woman isn’t there to judge her, but it still feels that way.

“Hi, uhm. Could you come back in, like, an hour?”

“Sure, darling,” says the cleaning lady and she pushes her cart further down the hall to the next room. (Y/N) breathes a sigh of relief and shuts the door as quietly as she can.

“Who was that?”

(Y/N) jumps a few inches into the air and slams her body into the door. Shawn takes a cautious step back. “Fuck, Shawn.”

“Sorry,” he says, covering up his laugh. “I didn’t think I’d scare you.”

Shawn turns back around into the room. (Y/N) doesn’t bother trying to stop herself from staring. No one should look so perfect in the morning. He only had on his shorts, and while she’s seen him shirtless many times before now, it feels different now that he’s the only other person in her hotel room. Anything could happen if they both wanted. Not that it will. Or should. But it could. And that's the problem.

“It was housekeeping,” she says, walking past him. “We have to go. I only asked for an hour.”

"Hey, do you remember if I brought my phone in here last night? I can't find it."

"No," she says, tense and on edge. "Why would I remember that? I don't remember anything."

Shawn pauses to look at her. "Are you good?"

"Yeah, great," (Y/N) squeaks. "Never better."

"Okay," he nods. "If you say so."

And then he gives her a smile. The everything-will-be-alright smile. That smile that almost everybody falls in love with. (Y/N) scurries past him into the bathroom, locking it behind her. Her heart races a mile a minute. She doesn't come back out until she hears his door open and close.

…

"Look, (Y/N)," Shawn holds up a zany frog toy and his phone camera, aiming for her on the other side of the room. "It's you."

He was poking fun for her jumpiness earlier today. (Y/N) looks around the old shop they wandered into. She spots a dopey-looking deer plushie among other cute woodland creature toys in a basket. "And this is you."

After an audible laugh, Shawn uploads the video to his story. Seconds later, (Y/N) gets the notification on her phone. Another side of her for the internet to see. Not that she minded. He has a way of catching her off guard and making it look good.

It's been a few hours out and about in Surrey, and Shawn still hasn't said a word about last night. Even in this lovely little trinket shop on the bustling streets of this small English town, (Y/N) couldn't bring herself to think about anything else. It’s become a mental chore rationalizing her feelings each time they grow stronger, wanting so badly to be better than her heart. For a while, she was good at it, and can easily bring herself back down to earth. Other times she just has to sit in the emotions until they fade.

Shawn, of course was asleep when (Y/N) woke up entangled in him. So, he thinks nothing of it and continues to do cute things, like pointing at random objects and saying dumb things like "it's you." He's not thinking that hard about it. He just knows he enjoys being near her.

Fans linger at a safe distance in small, huddled in groups outside just about every establishment they visit. Shawn already stopped to take pictures with the first wave of young girls and women. (Y/N) realizes that this new group is all fresh faces and lets him know. They all screech and wave when she points them out through a window.

"Can you come with me? Sometimes they have gifts."

(Y/N) follows him out to the sidewalk and the excitement grows. A lot of them are recording. Cameras don't bother (Y/N) anymore. Shawn's supporters are more often than not very respectful to her in public. Every time she attempts to stay in the background, they graciously call her name and want to shake her hand and thank her for helping Shawn remember things.

This is a lively bunch today, but they're more than willing to take direction. Roughly three gifts were exchanged, thankfully all small sturdy things in boxes that (Y/N) could store in her tote for the rest of the day. A few hugs and happy tears later, Shawn opts to take a group photo with everyone. He hands (Y/N) a fluffy, blue phone to take the picture.

"Okay guys, say cheese."

The shutter clicks and Shawn stands up. "Everybody say thank you (Y/N)!"

They sound like a preschool class when they say it all together. (Y/N) gives Shawn a stern, but playful look. He bumps his shoulder into hers, grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re all very welcome.”

Jake steps in and politely asks everyone for some space. Shawn is still of course signing things and making light conversation. (Y/N) steps aside to check her phone again for any updates from Andrew or Cez. It’s then that a very small hand taps her on the forearm. She looks down and the smallest little boy that she’s seen so far this tour is standing there, waving at her. Several of his front teeth are missing. Another young girl, probably a teenager rushes to his side.

“I’m sorry, this is my little brother,” she says in a thick English accent. “He just wants a picture.”

“With me?”

The little boy nods eagerly. (Y/N) looks over at Shawn, who is also nodding.

“O-Okay, yeah that’s fine.” (Y/N) kneels down to him, as he’s only about three feet tall. “What’s your name?”

“Georgie,” he says quietly.

“It’s very nice to meet you Georgie, I’m (Y/N). Can I shake your hand?”

Georgie extends his miniature hand and rests it in hers. (Y/N) can see out of the corner of her eye Shawn logging the entire moment onto his phone. Georgie’s big sister takes the picture and she walks him back into the crowd. Just as quickly as he ran up to her, they were gone. (Y/N) stands there, heart swelled and in awe of what just happened. Shawn jogs to her side, still looking back and waving to everyone.

“That was fucking adorable,” he says into her ear.

“I know,” she whispers back. “You got video of it?”

Shawn replays the twenty-two seconds on his screen for her. Georgie is even cuter the second time. And the third.

"I'm going to melt. He's so cute."

The touring party has moved ahead to the end of the street, right at the crosswalk. The band, Brian, Andrew, and Cez were all waiting behind for them to catch up. (Y/N) reaches into her bag for a water bottle just as Shawn starts to ask for one. He gingerly takes it from her hand. She pats him on the back.

“Let’s not keep everybody waiting.”

A few more blocks and they reach 2nd street. There’s less young people around, which allows the adrenaline to wear off. (Y/N) opens the map on her phone to find the next stop.

“We’re coming up on the next place,” she tells Shawn. “I think you’ll like this one.”

“Is it food?”

“Uh, I think it’s close to food— hang on a second, we just ate like and hour ago.”

Shawn shrugs. “I walked it off?”

(Y/N) sighs. “Alright, well there’s a fish and chips place right across the street from it, so you’re in luck.”

Shawn does a mini celebration dance mid-step. (Y/N)'s phone makes a sad little chirp to let her know it’s dying. She closes every app she’s opened since the start of the walk. Before she can press the power button, a call comes in. The number is unknown, but she accepts it anyways. It could be someone important.

“Hello?”

“Hey, beautiful.”

(Y/N) stops walking and her blood gets hot. "Jason?"

Shawn stops too, once he hears the name. (Y/N) eyes meet his eyes briefly, then go back to the sidewalk. She doesn't need him worrying.

"Why are you calling me?"

"I got a surprise for you. Turn around."

She does, but sees no one and nothing out of the ordinary. "What the fuck am I supposed to be seeing, Jason?"

A figure halfway down the street waves at her. His ball cap obscures his face, but she knows those high end slacks anywhere.

"Okay, hang on," she says and hangs up abruptly. She slides the tote off her shoulder. "Shawn take this, I'll be right back."

"You don't have to go talk to him," he assures her. "Let's just keep walking."

"No, I have to. He doesn't know when to quit. I only need a few minutes, maybe five."

"Do you want me to come with you? Or Jake?"

"No. If Jason tries to start something, you'll get in the middle of it and someone will take a picture or video and that's the last thing we need."

Shawn looks for Jason past the sea of tourists. He's actually standing there like he doesn't have all day to wait around. If only (Y/N) would let him join her, he'd feel a lot better about her having to talk to this asshole. The longer he glares, the more motivated his feet are to walk down there himself. But her small hands on his chest pull him back into reality.

"Just go to the record store— surprise it's a record store— then take everyone to the fish and chips spot. I'll be back."

Shawn's face twists into a worried expression. "I really think it's best if Jake goes with you at least."

"Then who’s going to protect you?"

"I've got Brian and we can run if we need to."

(Y/N) looks over at Brian, who kindly salutes her. Jake comes up to take her tote and his place by her side. These men were not about to let her face anyone alone if it can be helped and she is all the more grateful to have them.

"Five minutes," she tells Shawn. "Then call me. If I don't answer, call the cops. I think it's 999 here."

“It’s not gonna come to that.” Shawn squeezes her hand, then looks at Jake, “Don’t let it come to that please.”

“I got her, don’t worry,” says Jake.

Shawn’s hesitant to let go, but he does eventually pry his hands from hers. She starts off in the opposite direction they came, Jake tailing close behind.

(Y/N) checks her emotions, but they seem to be on autopilot. The whole point of quitting the firm was to be as far away from her old life as possible. Jason showing up out of nowhere, unannounced and uninvited ignites a fire in her chest. Every cell in her body trembles so much so that she has to clench her fists just to focus on walking.

Jason’s sat at an outside a small cafe’s dining table when she approaches. “A bodyguard? Seriously?”

“His name is Jake. He’s friendly as long as you are.”

“What took you so long,” he sneers. “New boyfriend wouldn’t let you go so easy?”

“There is nothing between Shawn and me but a professional, working relationship. Wish I could’ve said the same for us.”

“Are you really blaming me for your having to quit?”

“No, Jason.” She sits across from him. “In fact, not everything revolves around you. Other opportunities came and I needed a change of pace. Now I’ve got friends like Jake who have my back and I have theirs.”

“(Y/N) I didn’t come here to make trouble. I simply want to make an offer.”

She folds her arms across her chest. “Give it your best shot.”

“I know this job can’t be paying you that much and you must be homesick. So I pulled some strings and got a position open for you. You’d be making twice as much as you did as my assistant.”

"This position requires that I still work under you though, doesn’t it,” she asks.

“Y-Yes, but it comes with several perks. Perks you didn’t get before.”

(Y/N) rolls her eyes, “Tantalizing.”

Jason sits back in his chair. “Alright, what’s it going to take for you to come back?” There’s an air of desperation in his words.

A wry smile plays on (Y/N)’s lips. “You’re falling apart back there, aren’t you?”

Jason finally shuts up. She glances at his hands, stiff in his lap. He’s nervous, and for the first time in all the hours they spent together, he is truly the one at her mercy. (Y/N) examines him carefully. The severe bags under his eyes. The bitter frown pushing on his laugh lines. The wrinkles in his clothes. He came here on impulse to try and get her back. A less informed person might think it's vulnerable, but anyone who knows Jason is well aware of how few and far between he does for others out of the kindness of his heart. He has an angle, and (Y/N) can't be bothered to figure out what it is.

“Jason, I’m happy where I’m at. No, it’s not six figures, but it’s about more than money for me. I’m done with fighting for my life.”

“Just consider what you’re doing here, (Y/N).”

“I’ve had two months to consider. My mind was made up when I left. You have to know that.”

(Y/N) rises from her seat and turns to leave with Jake. Jason rushes out of his seat and steps in front of her. Jake instantly moves a dense arm between them, glaring at Jason.

“I have to get back to work, Jason,” (Y/N) heaves. “I only asked for five minutes and we have a bit of a walk now.”

“I’m just telling you, you’re making a mistake. You will regret this.”

It's probably the most blatant threat to ever fall out of his mouth and it makes her stomach churn. Still, she doesn’t give him another word or second of her time. Jake leads them away from the cafe. There's no need for her to look back to know that Jason’s fuming. She can feel the heat of his stare burning the back of her neck.

She’s leading Jake after a while, until they find the record store. Shawn’s still milling around in the rock section with Brian and Andrew. (Y/N) taps the window with her fingernails prompting Shawn to look up. His face brightens like a Christmas tree and he bounds to the exit in two large strides. He catches (Y/N) in a bear hug on the steps of the shop, just barely lifting her off the ground.

“Holy shit, you’re okay.”

“You sent Jake with me,” she giggled. “Nothing was going to happen.”

“I was still losing it. Brian had to talk me down a couple times.”

“He turned us around twice,” Brian says over his shoulder.

"That explains why you guys didn't get too far."

Shawn takes her over to the window. It’s probably the coziest corner of the room, leaving very little space between their bodies. He’s practically hunching over to look her in the eye. Passersby on the other side of the windowpane don’t pay them any mind, but (Y/N)’s body is still so hot all over.

“What did he want,” he asks, hushed and mindful of the space they occupied.

“He had a new job offer for me. More money, stuff like that.”

“Oh...”

“I said no, Shawn.” She bites her lip. “You can relax.”

“Oh! I knew that.”

"Yeah, sure you did."

"Hey you two," Andrew says. "Are we eating today or tomorrow?"

(Y/N) makes unnecessary adjustments to her clothes, tucking her shirt further into her shorts. Shawn pushes back his already tidy hair. They each exchange an awkward smile.

"Shall we," she says to him. He files behind her and the party and out of the record store.

The eatery is near full when they happen upon it. It’s a quaint little shop with specific memorabilia all over the walls and a washed out blue color scheme for the old decor. Surrey natives of all kinds are inside. The staff, though a little hard on the outside, are more than amiable. They even help push a couple of tables and chairs over to a booth to seat everybody.

"You know they're being extra nice because you walked in," (Y/N) nudges Shawn. He looks over at the two female cashiers, sending them into a giggling fit.

"You think?"

"Don't play dumb. We've already established how cute you are."

"I know. Just love hearing you say it."

(Y/N) doesn’t fire back with one of her usual quips and slumps back into the booth. Usually, she sat up straight and attentive to everyone else. All the glow and spirit she started the day with seemed to be sucked out of her. Shawn scoots in next to her, hoping to transfer some of his positive energy with mere proximity. If it were up to him, they would have kept walking when Jason showed up, but it wasn't his decision to make for her. Everybody else is preoccupied with much louder conversations at the crowded table. He moves in close, not necessarily facing in her direction, and taps her forearm.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?

She simply bites her lip and nods silently. Jason must have done something wrong or said something wrong. Shawn knows it isn’t any of his business and she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. On the seat of her chair is her very fidgety hand, picking away at it’s weathered paint job.

He moves his hand down onto his thigh, daring to get so close in the middle of this much company. No one else can see their side of the table as far as he knows. Furthering himself into the gap that separates them, he stops when his pinky finger can link with hers. He gives it a tight squeeze and she returns the pressure. Her face remains expressionless, as if all the emotion has been redirected to her hand. She's okay is what this tells him, but he holds on for the rest of lunch anyway.

...

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