#i’m changing my name is moving to a different website bye

[deniigi]

So @petrichordiam and I are menaces and giggled over our ideal dinluke flower shop AU for like 4 hrs and then I wrote this.

Title: murderer next door

Summary: Din works as a florist and Luke works as a bookseller and they’re both assassins trying to keep the other off their turf.

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

Two times now, Luke had crashed past that flower shop, and two times now, the fucker inside had taken out his mark. Now all Luke had to say about the whole thing was that it was too bad that he was going to have to kill the guy.

Han told him not to turn back. The mark was dead; the mark was gone. They weren’t fast enough this time, but there would be others.

Luke just couldn’t let it go, though. He had rent to pay, and McFloristApron over there was smashing through all his targets and making that nigh impossible—regardless of how many marks there were in the area.

Luke waited until Han had closed up shop for the night and remained there in the dark with his arm slung over the back of the chair in the backroom, surrounded by books. He rolled his shot of whiskey in its tumbler. The sound against the old wood table offered no comfort.

He stood up and left the glass to get his laptop.

He wasn’t losing to some florist, Han, sorry. Only one family could take innocuous cover on this street, and it was them.

 ---

McFlorist’s name wasn’t listed on the florist’s staff page, but then again, none of the people on that page had names. In fact, the website’s whole vibe was all wedding-chic until you clicked on the ‘staff and contacts’ tab. Then, it may as well have been a line of mugshots.

Luke squinted along the row of increasingly involved headgear until he got to someone with a reasonably-sized neck with no tats. The ladies on either side of him appeared to have sapped all the ink out of McFloristApron. He wore a mask over the lower half of his face and gave a stoic thumbs up to the camera.

Under his picture was the number fifteen.

Damn.

Luke was only making eight per pop. Who the hell was this guy eating up all the feeder fish, huh? Them lower division folks had to eat too, you know.

Well.

‘Lower division’ in a sense of the word. Being two times undercover wasn’t super glamorous, Luke had to say. But when your dad fucked it up for the first family, sometimes you had to take what you could get.

Luke pointed at Fifteen on the screen.

“You and me, pal,” he said. “You and me.”

 --

 Step one was to get paid first.

Luke chased down three marks on the other side of town to pay the rent and the medical bills for now. His hand’s new sleeve felt like a dream. It didn’t overheat like the nylon black one did, and the hand was far less shiny now as a bonus. That had certainly reduced the number of people catching something move out of the corner of their eye.

Was it worth fifty grand?

No.

Was it worth the last nine that Luke had left to pay on it?

Yeah. It was definitely worth the nine.

 ------

 Step two was to go make it clear to Fifteen McFlorist that he and his folks needed to back down in the face of the established guard.

Luke put on his biggest sweater and the thickest glasses he could find. He stole Chewie’s messenger bag with all the pins on it. He slung it over his shoulder and rolled the hems of his jeans up just a smidge too much, then scurried over to the florist’s across the way.

Fifteen was off to the side of the register, fucking around with something in the refrigerator. Luke busily and noisily looked through the wall of foliage on the side of the shop nearest the window. He hummed. He hawed. He made anxious nerd-sounds until a voice asked, “Hi, can I help you?”

Luke glanced out of the corner of his eye and found that Fifteen was standing facing his way now. His mask was gray this time. His apron was orange. His boots were too heavy-looking for florist work.

“I’d love that,” Luke gushed breathlessly. “See, my mom just got engaged and I’m on the way to her house.”

Fifteen lifted his chin slightly.

“What’re her favorites?” he asked tonelessly.

Terrible customer service skills, dude.

“Roses,” Luke said.

“Ours are shit today,” Fifteen said. “How about dahlias?”

Luke didn’t know what those were but sure.

“That sounds great,” he said. “You have any in pink?”

 --------

 He watched Fifteen brutalize some pink, orange, and white flowers into a bouquet wrapped with a silver bow and was sure to smile every time the guy looked up.

“That’ll be $37.59.”

Sir, these are dead flowers. There is no need for that price.

“Can I put it on card?” Luke asked. “How long have you worked here, if you don’t mind me asking? I work just across the way is all.”

Fifteen’s dark gaze flicked up. His hair was covered by a gray beanie two shades darker than the mask.

“At the club?” he asked.

“The bookshop,” Luke corrected him with a shy, but widening smile.

Please be gay. Please be gay. Please be gay. Leia wasn’t going to want to cooperate. She thought it was beneath her to establish boundaries like this.

“Blue paint,” Fifteen said. “Yeah, that place. How long have you been there?”

“My brother-in-law’s place, actually,” Luke said. “I started there last year after I finished college.”

Or, you know, maybe even eight years ago when he’d finished college. No one had to know. Baby faces don’t kiss and tell after all.

“Huh. You must like it there,” Fifteen said.

“It’s fine,” Luke hummed. “You like it here?”

“The kid does.”

“Oh, you’re a father?” Luke asked. “How old?”

“He’s three,” Fifteen said. “Godson. His folks were in an accident; didn’t make it.”

“That’s terrible, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Luke said. “He’s lucky to have you.”

Fifteen handed him his card back. Luke’s hand didn’t close in time to catch it and it fell onto to the wooden counter.

“Sorry about that,” Luke said, reaching for it with the other hand. His knuckles bumped into Fifteen’s when he went for the card at the same time. They both paused and went for the card again with the same result. Luke laughed.

“Slippery, am I right?” he asked, flattening his fingers on top of the piece of plastic and snatching it away.

“Very,” Fifteen said. “I hope your mom likes them.”

“Me too,” Luke smiled. “I’ll see you around—What was your name?”

“You can call me Armando,” Fifteen said.

“Armando,” Luke sounded out. “It suits you.”

It was a falsie.

“And yours?”

“James.”

“It suits you.”

It didn’t.

“Bye now,” Luke said. “Thanks for your help.”

He let the door fall closed behind him with the tinkle of the bell.

 --------

 He informed Han that “Armando” had a toddler and received only a warning look and a scolding for all his effort. Han told him not to get jealous. If there was a kid in the balance, then Fifteen, for better or worse, was going to have to see each day after the next until there was no longer a kid in the balance.

Luke offered to call CPS and report “Armando” as an assassin.

“You do that and those folks across the street are gonna call the VA and tell them I’m an assassin,” Han said. “Lay low, Luke. Lay low.”

Never.

“Christ. At least until that thing’s yours then.”

Luke glared at his right hand.

“Gimme a double,” he told Han without looking away from it.

 ------------

 It was never easy to hunt in the daylight, but Luke wasn’t here to do easy things. He needed to get Mark No. 1 alone. The man took the train once a week to a gentleman’s club on his lunch break. Luke needed a change of clothes.

He had a rainbow windbreaker, white boots, and fishnets all ready to go.

He got on the same train as the mark and dropped his phone nearby. It clattered loudly and the case came off. Luke swore and squatted to drop it at the same time that two girls next to him decided to become good Samaritans. They crouched with him and one of them caught the phone first. They handed it back with a smile.

“I like your jacket,” she said.

Luke let his face struggle to find a smile at her kindness to him, a sweet little twink trying to find the pride parade that happened two weeks ago.

“Thanks,” he said. “I like your bracelet.”

He stood up. The girls were pleased with themselves. Luke glanced back to find Mark No. 1 turn his head abruptly away.

Come here, Markie.

Do you like what you see?

  Mark No. 1 didn’t make it out of his hotel room. A pity. Luke took the elevator down and huffed and puffed about a cheap date when he passed the front desk. He stopped abruptly and went back to ask the receptionist what the cross street was. She judged his go-go boots.

He told her she wasn’t his type. Her manager gave him the cross street.

Mark No. 2 had different parameters.

 ----------

 Mark No. 2’s parameters involved chasing him through a maze of boiler rooms and dumpsters. He was chump change towards a hand that Luke hadn’t wanted in the first place, but alas. The anger still roared.

Luke cornered him, still in go-go boots—no need to sacrifice style for speed—and watched those pale eyes look every which way as Mark No. 2 realized that there was no getting out of this.

“You got options, friend,” Luke said. “I can bring you in hot or I can bring you in—”

“—cold.”

His head snapped up and he lurched out of the way just as the crack of a bullet exploded in the alley. A car backfired around the corner in a sympathetic cough. Luke stared at the body then twisted around just in time for a thick glove to latch onto the back of his neck.

“Well, look who it is,” Fifteen drawled.

Luke glared out of the corner of his eye.

“Hands off, Armando,” he warned.

“I like your boots.”

“You’re gonna love ‘em when they’re on your dick,” Luke warned.

“Back off, Nayberry.”

Fucking hell, Han. This is why they should have set up boundaries weeks ago.

“I prefer ‘James,’” Luke said sweetly.

The glock levelled at his face didn’t care.

“You took my mark,” Fifteen said.

“Aw, poor baby,” Luke pouted. “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you took mine.”

Fifteen’s orange apron was gone. He’d swapped it for an old leather jacket—something he could more easily wipe clean. He should’ve gone for patent leather. The brown really wasn’t working with his grey mask-beanie situation.

“Stay in your lane,” Fifteen warned.

“Only if you stay in yours,” Luke beamed.

Fifteen huffed.

“Bookstore,” he scoffed. “Who’d you give the flowers to?”

Luke tsked.

“Myself, jackass,” he said.

“Do you even have a mom?”

“What the fuck business is that of yours? You even got a kid?”

Fifteen’s stare was deadly—the cooling body before them notwithstanding.

“Take one step near him and we won’t be talkin’ so friendly, yeah?”

Mm. Yeah.

“You owe me four grand,” Luke informed Fifteen as the glock went down and Fifteen left him to go take a pulse.

The man’s back stiffened.

“Four?” he asked. “You took this job for four?”

Luke rolled his eyes.

“I got bills, Armando,” he drawled.

“How do you keep that shed open? Have you sold even one book?”

Rude. Luke was a great sales associate. If he actually cared to put his mind to it, he’d be worthy of a promotion to manager.

He pulled the rising legs of his shorts down and adjusted the weapon in his windbreaker. He couldn’t leave the alley the way he’d gone into it. Someone might have seen. He was going to have to take a side street. Hmmm, which one? Choices, choices.

“I’ll give you a Dad’s discount. Gimme two grand, and you can have him,” Luke negotiated as he thought.

“Two.”

Hey, no need for that tone. This was a great deal.

“What’re you gonna do with two?” Fifteen asked, already knelling down to heft the body over his shoulder as proof for payment.

“Buy some more tights,” Luke deadpanned. “Two, final offer.”

Fifteen stood up all the way and gave him a weird look. A long look. His beanie was pulled down low, but Luke got the impression that he was frowning at him.

“Take the four,” he said out of nowhere. “I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

Luke recoiled a step at first, then recoiled another when the reality of the situation hit him full in the chest.

“Forget it,” he snapped.

He spun around and started to leave.

“Wh—hey. HEY. Where are you goin’?”

“I don’t need your fuckin’ pity,” Luke called ahead of him as he set to climbing the chainlink fence separating him from the adjacent dead-end alley.

“You what?”

“You heard me,” Luke said.

He jumped down. His left hand found his right wrist and squeezed as he walked.

 -------

 The phantom pains kept him up all night, and it was definitely that and not the humiliation that made him call in sick. Han told him to answer his therapist’s emails. Luke told him to go do something useful and hung up. He rolled onto his back on his bed and focused on letting his body relax, his jaw unclench, his joints go limp.

There was sunlight finally streaming through his apartment windows again. It had been months.

Spring was almost here. He just had to hold out a little longer.

 --------

 He came in to work the next day and found an envelope on his chair in the backroom. It was thick.

“McFlorist dropped it off,” he said between aggravated sounds at his spreadsheets.

“Is it tax season already?” Luke asked him as he tried to burn a whole in the center of the envelope with his mind.

“Sure fuckin’ is.”

He stepped forward and snatched up the envelope, then deposited it squarely in Han’s lap. He made an unattractive noise of confusion and alarm.

“For the taxes,” Luke called as he went out to grab his lanyard and name tag. “Gotta keep this place open for another six months at least.”

 ------------

 There were new books in. A new shipment to shelve. Two kids’ displays to set up. And Luke was actually good at this stuff, thanks; he started stacking.

He got peace until he nearly got to the end of the second display, and then what he had was a heart attack. Two liquid brown eyes surrounded by an ocean of ringlets stared up at him from between his knees. The child curled a hand in and out in hello.

Luke jerked himself up to locate the thing’s parents immediately, and promptly found himself in deadly eye-contact with Fifteen.

Armando.

“You were gone yesterday,” Fifteen said flatly.

Luke looked between him and the kid. He was pinned between two enemy parties. How to escape, how to escape.

“Are you sick?”

How to escape. How to escape. How to escape.

“Are you hurt?”

H—what?

“I’m fine, stalker,” Luke snapped with more heat than this present cover allowed. He caught himself and pulled it back. “I’m fine,” he repeated. “Thank you for asking. Is this…?”

Fifteen blinked once. The child blinked once as well. It was creepy.

“He’s mine,” Fifteen said. “And apparently the only thing that will get us through the next two hours is a book.”

Dude.

“Kids are kids,” Fifteen said. “You got any books?”

Luke stared at him, then checked the shelves to make sure he hadn’t teleported into another dimension.

You always had to check.

“We’re in a bookstore,” he said.

“He can’t read,” Fifteen said, pointing.

The kid grinned. His teeth were gapped in that toddler sort of way. He was kind of cute.

“You can’t read?” Luke asked him.

“Hi,” Baby said.

Oh no.

Luke loved him.

“How much?” he asked Fifteen.

“Touch him and you’ll be permanently comatose,” Fifteen said.

“Not if I died out of spite,” Luke said.

There was a long pause. Then Fifteen started laughing? Kind of hard?

“Oh my god, that was so unprofessional. I am so sorry,” Luke blurted out.

Fifteen collected himself and shook his head. His little one giggled and reached for Luke’s fingers.

“Boo,” he said.

Luke couldn’t feel the hand, but he could feel all the heart.

“Book?” he asked, crouching down. “Do you want a story?”

“Mmmm.”

“I have the perfect one,” Luke told him. “It’s about a caterpillar. Do you know what a caterpillar is?”

He got a slow, exaggerated head shake back and forth, back and forth. He stood up straight.

“I’m conducting a temporary kidnapping,” he informed Fifteen. “Do I have consent?”

Fifteen looked from him towards the front entrance and mulled over the merits of leaving his kid with his rival assassin. Then he shrugged.

“Consent granted,” he said. “Luke.”

Luke’s heart stopped.

“James,” he said.

“Your name tag says ‘Luke.’”

Well, fuck.

“Luke Nayberry. It suits you.”

Hhhhhhh. This was karma, wasn’t it.

“Thanks,” he gritted out. “And yourself, Armando?”

“Din.”

Woah, look out. Mr. One-Syllable-Cool-Man had entered the building.

“Din, what?” Luke asked as his arm registered tension. Din’s kid had latched onto his fingers and started pulling incessantly with a chubby hand gesturing in the direction of the wall of children’s books.

“Don’t you worry about it,” Din said.

“Fine, go trip then,” Luke said.

He swore that there was a smile under that mask.

 ----------

[anotheronechicagobog]

Rangers, Lead The Way - Chapter 2 - Jay and Hana

written by @anotheronechicagobog

warnings: swearing, cannon typical violence, jealousy, abandonment

When Jay had gotten a call from Kenny at three-thirty in the morning he didn't exactly know what to expect. Sure, he could have called because someone died, but he could've also called because he wanted to debate the pronunciation of 'avocado' (something he'd already done twice). So when Kenny's name flashed across his phone screen he just took a deep breath and went to the hallway, leaving a sleeping Hailey alone in bed. "Halstead."

"Hana got shot."

"What? Hana? Your Hana?"

"Yeah- it was a fugitive. She- she's fine. Shot in the foot. She was on leave for a bit, stayed with her parents, but now she's on desk duty. She was going to be with us, but apparently, she was helping the cyber division track some hackers, and they're connected to an organized crime group in Chicago. And she's going to be working with the unit that's been conducting the investigation into that organization. Your unit."

"Yeah, we were told that an FBI cyber analyst was coming down to work with us but they didn't tell us who. Okay, well, she'll be perfectly safe. Our tech room is in the basement with secure entrances, and I'll see if I can get either myself or Hailey assigned to work with her."

"Thanks man, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"Actually I do, remember?"

"Yeah, any advice on how to get through it?"

"I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be hell, but you'll just have to hang in there and trust me."

"Okay."

"... So I'll finally get to meet Hana..."

"Yeah, I'm hanging up now. Bye."

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

"Everyone, meet special agent Hana Gibson from the FBI. She's the tech specialist here to help us out with the Anderson family. Play nice." After his... Enthusiastic introduction, Voight walked back into his office and shut the door. "Hi, I'm detective Jay Halstead and this is my partner Detective Hailey Upton, it's nice to meet you. I can show you where you'll be working if you want?"

"That would be great." Jay moved to the desk by the stairs. "Okay, this desk is just like ours, older than our boss and with a PC on it. The tech room is downstairs, this is mostly for basic searches and so that the tech expert can be with the group when we debrief and work the board and the like. The stairs over here take you down to the garage which is where the tech room is. The stairs are old so they creak a lot but don't worry, they're perfectly safe."

"Sorry to interrupt, but is that a cage?"

"Yes, but don't worry, we don't use it. It's from the old guard, you know, when cops were assaulting people for no reason and no one would say anything. At least now people are talking about it."

"I sense a 'but'."

"But... I wish that cops who were still like that actually got arrested, or never made it out of the academy."

"You and me both."

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

"Okay, so the Anderson family has been selling legit products online but then stealing and selling the credit card info, they've been covering their tracks pretty well up until now. That means that something changed. What that is could be key to catching all, and I mean all, of them. Work your CI's, talk to victims, flip some people. Figure out what it is." The team nodded and turned to their partners to figure out their next move.

"Should we head out to Cook County? There's an inmate there connected to the Anderson's, right? Maybe they could give us something."

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I could head out there with Ruzek and you could stay with Gibson because you found their online pattern and figured out which products and websites were theirs. Maybe you two could find more together."

"Sure, that sounds okay but, we're good, right?"

"Of course we are, we'll always be good. I just think this will be best for the case, plus you have the most experience working with the FBI, and her being here has put Voight on edge which has put everyone else on edge."

"Good point, I'll see you later." His eyes followed her until he couldn't see her anymore and he let out a breath, it was different this time. Last time, when Hailey hadn't been here, OA had kept an eye on her but his partner wasn't there so that made it a bit easier, but Hailey was here and now so was Hana. It would take some finessing to have both of their backs but he figured if they were in the same place it would be a little easier. "Halstead? You ready to head out?"

"Yeah, let's go."

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

Cook County was as unpleasant as always. Angry convicts yelling at them through their cells that they wanted to slit his throat. Lovely. But that wasn't what got to him. Leonard Mitchell, the man they were there to see, wouldn't say anything helpful. He wasn't even threatening them or insulting them, he was just asking "where the smoking blonde from last time was". It was taking an enormous amount of restraint to keep him from jumping across the table and tackling the guy. "You're here for hacking the Chicago Municipal Courts website and unsealing confidential information. You're in the high-security ward and have more restricted access to places in the prison than most inmates. You don't have much going for you, maybe if you give us some information we can help you out."

"That's a joke, I'm not saying anything to either of you. Now that blonde, get her to show up for a conjugal visit, then maybe I'll consider it."

"Okay! So, we're done talking, we're going to search your cell and work station now, and you know what, because you have been so unpleasant to deal with today, we're also going to search the cells and workstations near you. Have fun explaining to your neighbours why their contraband got carted off by Chicago PD." Jay marched out of the interrogation room before he lost his cool even more than he already had. He gestured for the warden to get some guards together to start the search. He took a deep breath to try and calm down. "Hey Halstead, are you okay? I mean, what he said about Upton..."

"I'm fine. I don't like hearing anyone talk about my partner that way, but I'm fine."

"Really? Cause the stuff he said was pretty..."

"She's back at the station with Gibson in probably the most secure room there, far, far away from that perv. And if she's okay, I'm okay."

"You should ask her out. I mean, I know it might be weird considering I'm her ex, but you're so far gone on her it's ridiculous and I think that you'd make a cute couple. Think about it, man"

"Uh, yeah. I'll think about it, come on, let's go see if the warden's ready for the searches." Jay's heart was pounding and he felt like he'd just jumped out of the way of a moving train. Nobody knew about them yet, but they were all criminal investigators surely they'd picked up that at least something was different.

They searched Mitchell's room and found a burner phone... Behind his toilet. "Man, I am so glad I don't have to touch that thing. That's Upton and Gibson's job."

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

"So I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is, we found a cell phone. The bad news is, it was behind his toilet."

"How lovely."

"Well, you can thank Leonard Mitchell for that. Hey, how's it been working with Gibson?"

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem really interested in her, that's all. Do I need to be worried?"

"No, I just want to make sure that she feels welcome and won't give us a bad review to the FBI."

"I know what you look like when you're lying, Jay."

"Hailey..."

"Just... Go back upstairs, Jay."

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

"How's everything going?"

"Other than the fact that I'm in the doghouse, good."

"What'd you do?"

"I was a little too protective of Hana, I guess. Hailey picked up on it and I couldn't exactly explain without blowing our cover."

"That sucks, man. I'm sorry but honestly, it sounds like you were gonna end up sleeping on the couch either way."

"Yeah, how are you? You holding up alright with Hana gone?"

"No. You were right, this is hell. I keep looking around to make sure she's covered or to offer to get her that terrible coffee she likes and then she's not there and it feels like whiplash." Jay could practically feel himself sharing the weight on Kenny's shoulders. "It doesn't get any easier, it actually gets a lot harder, but she won't be here forever. She'll be home soon and you'll be able to breathe again."

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

Hailey was still giving him the cold shoulder when he went around to take lunch orders. She was curt "my usual" before turning back to her computer screen and completely ignoring him. He did what he could to not let the pang in his chest play out on his face but from the way Hana looked at him it was obvious, he'd failed. "What about you Gibson? Do you need a copy of their menu?"

"No, that's okay, I looked it up. I'll get the spicy shrimp pad thai."

"You got it." He was about to leave when Hana gestured for him to lean down close to her. "Just apologize for whatever you did, it'll go a long way. She's been off since you dropped off the cell phone." He wanted to say something, explain that he was just caught between a rock and a hard place, but the words were trapped in his throat. Hana sent him a I-know-what-I'm-talking-about-if-you-don't-listen-to-me-you're-probably-going-to-regret-it look and all he could do was allow his shoulders to slump and nod.

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

The intense silence of the bullpen was interrupted by Hailey entering behind Hana, who looked incredibly confident on her crutches. "We got something off of the phone." Hailey moved to the board with some papers as Hana plopped down into the office chair at her temporary desk. "It took a while to crack some of the files but I got it. They're transactions between an off-shore account and a shell company based out of Arkansas. While the account was set up there, it's been used mostly in New York, Washington DC, and Chicago. The most recent transaction was for 85K."

"Hana and I also found some emails with photos of military-grade weapons. Guns, missiles, and grenades. Mitchell isn't the buyer or the seller, it looks like he's mediating between the two. We don't have an ID on the buyer yet, but we have one on the seller. Lori Anderson, member of the Anderson crime family. Got no idea what they're planning, but the Anderson's were particularly interested in armour-piercing weapons and rocket launchers. And two days ago she asked Mitchell if he could put her in contact with an explosives supplier. We need to talk to organized crime, both from CPD and FBI, this looks bad. There are still files and emails that we have to go through, and his calendar makes no sense it's all in code. It's probably pretty important because he was in prison and couldn't actually go anywhere. We're also still combing through the contraband from the other cells just to make sure none of his neighbours were also involved."

"Alright. Upton, Gibson, good work. Keep at the phone. Atwater and Burgess you two talk to organized crime, see what you can dig up and alert them of our discoveries. Ruzek and Halstead, flip any CIs you've got. We need to get ahead of whatever they're planning."

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

They were supposed to be safe. They were supposed to be safe. They were in the precinct, they were surrounded by on-duty cops, there was another detective unit across from Intelligence, Platt was at the front desk, Hank-don't-you-even fucking-dare-Voight was in his office. They were supposed to be safe. But they weren't.

They'd just left one of Adam's CIs twitching in excitement down the street as he counted his money when they got the call over the radio.

"10-1! 10-1! Shots fired at police at 21st district! We're pinned down!" They had a moment of stunned silence together before they hauled ass to Jay's truck and high-tailed it back to the district, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Jay's body was moving on autopilot, which probably wasn't good considering he was speeding in a large vehicle down busy roads, the only thing that was going to calm him down, that would quell and panic and rage bubbling up in was seeing Hailey alive. He would move heaven and earth to make that a reality.

Pulling up at the district he vaguely remembered he had to look out for Hana too, but lord help him, and whoever stood in his way, if he didn't see blonde hair and blue eyes attached to the fiery woman who held his heart.

The lobby reminded Jay of Kandahar, there were bullet holes lining every vertical surface. Blood pooled under the bodies of the injured. He did a quick sweep of the room, finding nothing but injured cops and civilians, none of whom were Hailey or Hana, or the attackers. The door to intelligence hung open, barely attached at the hinges. "They went up to intelligence! Move your asses!" Platt didn't spare them a second glance as she went back to ordering the remaining able-bodied patrol officers around.

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

"Kim!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay."

"We're okay too, just so you know."

"Where did they go, Kev? What happened?"

"They went down to the garage-" Jay didn't have it in him to finish listening, he just ran, gun raised. "Hailey! Hana!" It was bad enough that he might lose Hailey, the woman he loved more than anything, but losing Hana too? He wouldn't be able to look Kenny in the eye ever again.

"We're over here!"

"We're okay!"

And then he could breathe again. Oh thank god, she's safe, Hailey's safe. She's mad at me but she's safe... Does my heart always pound this fast when I'm not with her and I'm just noticing now? No, it's probably adrenaline because... I almost lost her. But I didn't. They were tucked into separate corners of the tech office, Hailey, covered in blood that she immediately indicated wasn't hers, was armed with her Glock and Hana armed with her crutches. There were five men in black tactical gear with ski masks lying in various positions on the floor. Four had obvious non-lethal bullet wounds, a courtesy from Hailey, and the fifth was still moving and being hit repeatedly by Hana with one of her crutches. "Stop. Moving. Already. You. Ass!" Jay would've been more impressed if he wasn't still coming down from the adrenaline. "Thank god. You're both okay? Hailey?"

"We're fine."

"Hails-"

"We're fine, just help guide the ambos here, please?"

"...Okay." God, he could feel his heart start to splinter. Less than a minute ago he'd thought that his world had been savagely destroyed, but now... All he wanted was to hold her and it only made him ache more when she pushed him away. He just walked over to the garage door to allow the paramedics easier access, only his footsteps and groans of pain coming from the goons kept the room from being dismally silent.

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

"She's completely fine, so before you freak out just know that she's in the exact same shape she arrived here in."

"That is a terrible way to start a phone call Halstead! Was that supposed to calm me down or help in some way? What even happened?"

"The Genna's hired some local weapons enthusiasts the bust into our precinct and steal what we knew about them. They trashed our bulletin board and tried to get to the computers in the tech room but Hailey and Hana whooped their asses. When I got there Hana was actually beating one with one of her crutches. Hana's a badass."

"Damn right she is... But she's okay?"

"She's pissed off, but there's not a scratch on her."

"Good... That's really good."

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"Hailey?" Jay knocked again, using every last thread of hope he had that she'd answer. It didn't matter that she was still upset with him, he just wanted to see her face. She and Hana had been whisked away by the FBI and IA right after the ambulances picked up the hired help. He just wanted to see her for more than thirty seconds, reassure himself that she was okay and that she still loved him. That he could fix everything, that he would at least get to hold her one last time. "Hailey, please open the door." He was only met with soul-crushing silence. "Please."

The relief he felt when the lock turned and the door opened could not be described. "Hana is inside if you want to talk to her."

"I'm here for you, Hails. Please, just... Talk to me. I love you, I love you more than I ever thought possible to love someone and today I found you hunched over, covered in blood. It doesn't matter that the blood didn't end up being yours. I was- I still am- terrified. I could have lost you today and I don't know how to face that. Can I just have a hug, at least, please? I just- I can't-" And then she was wrapping her arms around his waist, her tired gravity pulling him to her. He honestly considered being able to wrap his arms around her in return, and burying his face into her hair a gift from the gods. "I was so glad that you weren't there, because it means you weren't getting shot at, I've had to deal with you getting shot more than enough times, I couldn't deal with it again, Jay. I... I love you too." Jay didn't know how much longer they stayed like that, enveloping each other, but he cherished every second of it. And when they finally parted it was like coming down from an adrenaline high. "Do you want to come in? We were about to order from Bartoli's."

"I would love that."

"Good, cause we've left Hana waiting for a while."

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"So, now I get to have the legendary deep-dish pizza, huh?"

"Yep. Best damn pizza in the world."

"Damn straight."

"You know, I think you two are a little biased."

"You sound like the partner I had while I was in the FBI, OA Zidan, he was always riding me about my opinion on pizza." Jay froze. He could feel himself freeze up. He could feel Hailey and Hana eyeing him in confusion. Shit. "What is it, Jay?"

"Sorry, I just don't like remembering that my partner was away from me for so long, and had another partner in that time period."

"Really, Halstead? You don't need to get all territorial, Hailey clearly doesn't want to be anywhere but with you. Seriously, you should have seen her when the FBI and IA showed up-"

"Hana!"

"What? He's the one who got all stiff when you brought up the FBI"

Phew, they didn't know, thank heavens.

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Everyone was back the next day, ready to keep moving, to catch the people who organized the break-in of their precinct which injured twenty-three and killed four. It was bad enough that they'd tried to bust into Intelligence in the first place, but to hurt innocent people in the process? That was just plain wicked.

Hailey and Hana were working side by side, delving into the cyber goings on of the Genna family, Kim and Kevin were working with the crime lab to analyse the precinct, and Jay and Adam were back to flipping CIs. Jay felt better about where things stood with Hailey, but he was still grumpy that he couldn't be in the temporary bullpen with her today. He knew that she was capable and that she didn't need him to hover, but that didn't make being away from her after she was almost killed any less difficult. They were supposed to be in the most secure place in the precinct, how were any of them supposed to feel safe working in a place that had been breached by mercenaries in only a few minutes? He tried to shake off the worry and fear, but he just couldn't. And it was made worse by the fact that it wasn't only Hailey who had been in danger- Hana was too. And Kenny had already lost so many people that he really didn't know how he would've handled that situation. Having to tell one of his best friends that the woman he was in love with was dead while dealing with the exact same senario.

The second last CI on their list had been dodging them all day, and Jay's sanity was already hanging on by a thread- he did not have the strength or patience to deal with this. So instead of trying to track him down again, he just put out a BOLO and waited until patrol brought him in, kicking and screaming. When he entered the interrogation room Marcus went on a tirade, "what the FUCK, man!", "we had a deal!", "are these handcuffs really necessary?". Jay just stared at him. He didn't have the energy to try and get the guy to shut the fuck up, so he just sat silently across from him, trying to make him as uncomfortable as possible. "... Are you okay, man?"

"No, not really, Marcus. See, I've been calling you all day. I've called up other CIs and they were all okay to meet. But not you. No, you ghosted me and I had to get patrol to drag your ass in here. You still have robbery charges I could lay on you. This is about to get a whole lot worse because I have exactly no patience to deal with any BS right now, but yours especially. So. The Genna family. Tell me everything you know."

And he did. He sang like a damn canary, which Jay attributed to luck, and Adam attributed to Jay looking like he was going to tear the poor bastard limb from limb. Seriously. Adam made a mental note not to piss off Jay, which he subconsciously realizes means that as long as he didn't hurt Hailey he'd be fine. But he didn't have time to dwell on that as Jay exited the interrogation room looking like the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. "I've gotta get this to the girls, you're not gonna believe what this bastard knew."

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

An apartment, down in Canaryville, was occupied by Daniel Anderson's mistress. And she wasn't just his mistress... She was his accountant. She didn't just file his taxes, she managed his money, she knew everything that it was used for and how they got it in the first place. Jay ran to the temporary tech room ready to drop a bomb, only for his fiery girlfriend to beat him to it. "We found out where they got the weapons and ammo! The navy didn't put out a report until they'd finished their investigation, but it's their stuff. It all came from Norfolk, but they were shipping it to Kandahar when they were robbed by a twelve-person team, well-skilled and heavily armed. But look at this surveillance video, where part of the leader's sleeve got torn off."

"That's... That's Daniel Anderson. He's got that tattoo. We can get a warrant with that, but what about this- Daniel has a mistress in an apartment in Canaryville. She's his accountant, she knows everything. And if we can get a warrant with what you found, we can search that apartment too because it's in his name." Hailey smiled that vindicated smile that just lit up her whole face and made her eyes shine with pride. Jay could feel himself mirroring her and he just couldn't look away, finally feeling like they got their groove back, their relationship back. "Hey guys? I'm glad you made up but can you either get to work or get a room? I don't need  a front seat to this."

"Oh, admit it Gibson, we're your OTP."

"I admit to nothing, Halstead."

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

Honestly, the raid of all of Daniel Anderson's properties, and consequently the collapse of the Anderson crime family, was dismally anti-climactic. They found boat-loads of evidence, Daniel's wife, mistress, and right-hand man all turned on him, and the FBI and NCIS were currently fighting over jurisdiction even though the case was already solved... By the CPD. Truthfully no one minded, because it meant that once they submitted their case notes and raid reports, they were done and might not even have to go to trial, the feds could handle that. While the majority of Intelligence decided to go to the regular watering hole, Hailey and Hana had made other plans and were dragging Jay along for the ride. And it was all going well, until they started talking about roommates. "I like Zadie, but she's gotten annoying now that she's dating my partner. So has he honestly. I mean, who thought that Kenny Crosby, an ex-army ranger would be acting like a thirteen-year-old that was in his first relationship? 'Is that text from Zadie? Is it about me? Were you guys talking about me while you were in the kitchen together this morning?' He was It's... A little exhausting. All he can talk about, is her. And whenever we hang out it always involves her somehow. He won't say it but I know he was a little disappointed when I came back and interrupted their 'love nest." All that Jay was able to gain from that other than the echo of sadness from behind her eyes, was that Crosby was dating someone who was not Hana. Which would be weird if he talked about her constantly on the phone, which he does, have an intimately trusting relationship with her, which he does, and ask one of his old army buddies to keep an eye on her while he can't because he cares about her so much and can't bear to lose her, which he did. So in conclusion; the fact that Kenny is dating someone who is not Hana is weird and will require further investigation.

"So he's constantly asking you about his girlfriend?"

"Well, she is too. But it's more annoying with him because he's my partner, we work together."

"But you live with her."

"It's... It's just different." Jay could see that she was mentally grasping at threads while trying to keep herself from falling into a black hole, this clearly meant much more to her than she was letting on so he decided to drop it. It was good timing too, because Hailey returned to the table with their food. Hair up, with a cute little Greece-themed apron on, ignoring her older brother's teasing from the kitchen. "Σκασε ηλιθιε!" (shut up idiot!)

"Μην μου πεις να σταματήσω, αυτό είναι το εστιατόριο μου!" (Don't tell me to shut up, this is my restaurant!) Jay found himself chucking at the Upton sibling banter. They interacted a lot less than he and Will did, though he supposed part of that was because he and his brother ran into each other through their work fairly often, and it was nice to see them... Happy with one another. Hailey usually looked like a constipated pigeon whenever she talked about her family so it was nice that she had reconciled with at least one sibling. After they were all able to move out, their relationships with each other got much more contentious. Theodore was the middle child and believed that they should quietly encourage their mother to leave their abusive father and just silently support her, Declan was the oldest and quite firmly just didn't care about their parents anymore and wanted nothing to with either of them because one was the abuser and the other was the enabler, while Hailey was the youngest and wanted to drag her father to prison by his ear herself. "Your brother seems like quite the joker."

"Oh, he is. He's always been the comedian in the family, a bit of a cross between SpongeBob and Chandler Bing. When I was seven, Theo put these gummy spiders in random places all over the house. It scared the crap out of my dad when he opened the- a top kitchen cupboard and about twelve of these spiders fell out, scared him even more when Theo grabbed one off the floor and bit into it, I think he ate three in total, one was completely whole, talking about how 'tasty' they were before my dad needed to sit down. It took him longer than he will ever admit to realize that they were just candy."

"Oh, that is good. I used to use some of those YouTube jump scare videos on my parents. I thought it was the funniest thing ever, especially because I used Elmo jump scares. So they'd be freaking out, and I'd just ask them why they were so afraid of a red puppet. My mom still doesn't trust me to show her videos."

"Well, it sounds like you and my brother would get along like fire, you should meet him later. He said he'd join us for dessert." Wait... What? Oh no... I know that look, she's trying to set Hana up with her brother! As much as I'd like Hana to be my sister-in-law, that would preferably be through a different brother.

."That sounds great, I really like Theo. What was that thing we had last time we ate with him and... Her name was Kate, right? Do you know how they're doing? I feel like I haven't heard about her in a long time." Hailey gave him a look. A I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that look. "No, they're not dating anymore. I thought I mentioned that."

"Oops, seriously though, what was that dessert we had with them?"

"That was revani, we can ask if that's what my brother has here today."

"Uh- what is revani, if I may ask, as the only non-Greek and non-Greek-dating person at this table?"

"Ha, of course you can ask Hana. It's a semolina cake, flavoured with lemon and orange zest. It's really good."

"That sounds great, but do you think I'd also be able to order some takeout for tomorrow? I just have a long day of travelling via bus tomorrow and I don't know when I'll get the chance to eat, so I figure having a big breakfast might help with that."

"That sounds like a cool idea. Hailey, why don't we all order some food to go and eat it tomorrow morning together?"

"You mean as like a big Greek breakfast?"

"Yeah."

"I wasn't thinking that initially but I'm glad Jay did, it sounds great."

"Alright, yeah, let's do it. I'll go talk to Theo and order somethings that reheat well." Hailey left them with a smile to go bother her brother in the kitchen, their discussion in Greek filling the restaurant with jokes and quips only a few present were able to understand, forging smiles on the faces of strangers as they listened to the voices in the kitchen. Hana looked apprehensive, and he doubted it was about the long bus inter-state bus ride. "Hana, I'm sure that your partner missed you, maybe he didn't say it, maybe he needed a distraction, but he missed you."

"How do you know? You don't even know him." If only you knew.

"Trust me on this."

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"You fucking idiot." Jay was trying to keep his voice down so that he didn't wake Hailey, who was asleep in her bed (where he wanted to be), or Hana who was asleep in the guest bedroom. As much as he loved her with his entire being, Jay had to admit that Hailey was a fucking demon if you woke her up without 'just cause'.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Crosby!"

"What the hell Halstead?!"

"You called me at three-thirty in the morning, worried out of your mind about Hana, asking me to keep an eye on her, to protect her, all while you're dating someone who isn't her!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm dating her roommate-"

"Zadie. I know. Why do you think I called you to yell at you at two in the morning?"

"Hey, back up man. I don't know what you think you're talking about, but just because I'm dating Zadie doesn't mean that I don't care about Hana. There is very little I wouldn't do to keep her safe... If I could even do it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I... I was right there. I should have been able to help her. So, so why couldn't I help her? Huh? She is so important to me, okay? I don't even know how to describe it."

"Try."

"She... My mom told me that to make a woman fall in love with me I had to make her laugh, but every time she laughs I'm the one who falls more and more in love. She is astonishingly intelligent and I have never been more glad to feel like a complete and utter fool just by standing in someone's presence. If I had to crawl to hell and be tortured by the devil himself to keep her safe, I'd do it. I have never felt as wholly accepted by anyone else in my life, she has found ways to motivate me to climb out of my own grave on my darkest days. Every time a look at her, I see a glowing, deliriously happy future that I know I don't deserve." Heavy silence bore on both sides of the phone, dragging Kenny deeper into the dark crack in his chest, and delivering Jay an epiphany.

"... Have you ever thought that maybe it's about what she deserves?"

"Hm?"

"Listen, man, not everything is about you. This is about her. You just said you would let the devil tear you apart to keep her safe, and yeah maybe you don't deserve her, but she deserves you. She deserves someone who would do whatever it takes to make her laugh and keep her safe at whatever the cost all in the same day, and it sounds like that's you."

"Jay..."

"Just think about it man. And while you're at it, stop neglecting Hana, okay?"

"What?"

"You constantly talk about Zadie, you always involve her somehow when you're hanging out with Hana, and Hana's been getting the vibe that you're upset she came home and disrupted the little bubble you had going on with Zadie."  

"She told you that?"

"Me and Hailey, when we were all out at dinner. Just listen, pay a bit more attention to her, stop treating her like the middle man between you and your girlfriend, and work on your self-worth, man. You're a good person and an even greater friend, don't sell yourself short."

"Thanks, Halstead."

"No problem, Crosby."

"So what exactly makes me a 'great friend', Jay?"

"Uggggghhhhhhh."

"Hey! You said it, can't take it back!"

"... This is why we can't have nice things Kenny, goodnight."

"Wait you didn't tell me-"

[dailyaudiobible]

10/04/2021 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18, Colossians 1:1-17, Psalm 76:1-12, Proverbs 24:21-22

Today is October 4th, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I am Brian, it is great to be here with you today, it’s great to be with you every day. But today is today and it's great to be here with you today. As we come around the Global Campfire and let it all go, whatever that thing is that snagging at us that are those things, these pressures, these obligations and responsibilities. These fears, these uncertainties, we are allowed to carry them around as much as we want. That's not necessarily a healthy thing to do and we are also given permission to not carry them around. But let's at least give ourselves permission to not carry them around right now, like we’re around the Global Campfire now, we’re safe right now. And, what’s gonna happen now is we’re just going to read the Scriptures and let them wash into our lives and so often something that we need is there and so often when we leave this place, the things that we have to pick up and carry, they don't have the same weight. Things shift and so let’s just let it all go as we move forward in our journey and take the next step forward. Which leads us back into the book of Jeremiah, which we just began yesterday. So, we’re just getting going in Jeremiah. When we get to the New Testament, we have new territory there as well. But first Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 31 through 4, verse 18.

Introduction to the Book of Colossians:

Okay, so we concluded the letter. Paul's letter to the Philippians yesterday. Which brings us to the 12th book in the New Testament, which is another letter from the apostle Paul, this one to the Colossians and the Colossians were people who lived in the city of Colossae which was not a place unfamiliar to Paul. It’s about 100 miles from where he spent a lot of his time in Ephesus and Colossae is, I don't know that it’s an archaeological ruins or site, at this point it’s been identified, but not really excavated. It sits in modern-day Turkey. But during Paul's life, Colossae wasn't an archaeological ruin at all. It was a bustling city and it had everything that you can imagine that bustling city in the Roman Empire would have, a lot of mingling of culture, a lot of mingling of philosophical ideas, a lot of mingling of spirituality and some of this mingling had made its way into the Colossian church. And so, Paul writes this letter as a response and similar to Ephesians and Philippians, Colossians is generally considered to be a prison epistle, so another letter that Paul wrote while he was awaiting trial before the emperor and the letter generally has two sections, to two themes. The first is a doctrinal issue. There had been people coming into the church and we’ve seen this before. This is a little different though, people would come into the church, they were fellowshipping in the church, but also teaching things like Angel worship, and some just other rituals that were not part of what Paul was teaching. And so, Paul addresses this in this letter by showing us once again this high, high Christology, this awareness that Christ is supreme over all creation, over all angelic beings, over everything. He writes in his letter that the universe, the very universe is created by and through Jesus and is…is sustained through the Lordship of Christ. And then Paul also addresses something we’ve seen before this, circumcised versus uncircumcised controversy that was dominant in the early church. We’ve seen it in other letters where people come in and I like no you got obey the Jewish customs, you’ve got to essentially become Jewish, then follow the Jewish Messiah, follow those customs, which Paul was very, very much against. We've had lots of conversations about that, in Colossians Paul is still against that teaching and so we’ll once again hear him make corrections and once again we have a letter that was sent to actual people in an actual congregation giving us insight into what was happening in their congregation. And since we have a collection of letters from Paul, we see the themes, the commonalities, the different things that the early churches were facing and for that matter, their distinctions and the different cities. But we get a really good glimpse at the struggles that were going on among our brothers and sisters that are our spiritual ancestors. And as we read these letters, we find that maybe context changes a little. The cities definitely change, the regions definitely change but the things that we find ourselves wrestling with, in dealing with, within ourselves and with…with in our fellowships, within our communities of faith, we still have this kind of stuff going on and so these letters, Colossians being the one that were about to read, serve as opportunities to be corrected, to find a path again, to get our NorthStar back and walk in a direction that is profitable for the kingdom of God. And so, we begin Colossians chapter 1 verses 1 through 17 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this new territory into this letter to the Colossians that we are entering into, we ask that You lead and guide our hearts and we might understand what we need to understand, plant the seeds of the Scriptures in our lives. And may they yield the fruit of the Spirit, that we may have a bountiful harvest not only for our own hearts, may it spill out into our marriages and our families, may it spill over into our faith communities, may it spill out into this world that we may be that city on a hill, that we may be a light in the darkness, that we may illuminate the narrow path that leads to life. Come, Holy Spirit into all of this we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that's the website, it’s where you can find out what's going on around here, how to get connected around here, how to pray for one another. I mean there's all kinds of resources in the Daily Audio Bible website. You can access all this using the Daily Audio Bible app as well. There is little drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. So, things like the Daily Audio Bible Shop where there are resources for the journey that we find ourselves on. Now that we’re moving into the final quarter of the year there are a number of resources there in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Also, the Community section, that is, that is how to get connected. The different social media channels that you can follow Daily Audio Bible on and that is that's, if you taking the journey, that's a good thing to do because that allows us to make announcements, etc. etc. and so check that out. The links are all in the Community section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com too. There is a link on the homepage or if you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, Daily Audio Bible family, this is God’s Life Speaker. I am calling on behalf of my son, Joshua, who you all have prayed for, for years now. He's 21 and at graduate school and he has been in a state if not well for quite a while and last night I was talking to him and it just broke out into prayer with him and we just need whatever is taking him down, fighting for his soul, to go, to be cast as far as the east is from the west. Family, please let’s stand together for these mental health issues these young people are having in the name of Jesus. We ask that Your mighty hand come over Joshua and anyone that is in need of being delivered from this spiritual realm that is of darkness and they feel they're in a pit and cannot come above. But You’re there and we love You Lord and you're allowing this to go through Your hands. In the name of Jesus, we ask that You would deliver these people, bring them up, may they long to love You. May they overcome these things, may they be refined and may they be magnifying Your name. I ask it in Your son's precious name. Amen.

Good morning DABer family this is the Burning Bush That Will Not Be Devoured for the Glory of our God and our King. I am calling for our sister Alyssa from Montana. Sister, I am praying for you. I prayed for you when I heard your prayer request and for those that didn’t hear, she is legally blind. She had COVID recently and lost her senses of taste and smell, and that is definitely hitting her a hard. My sister, I want you to know that I prayed for you and I believe that the same God who raised the dead can restore your senses. And so, Father God, I pray Oh Lord, that you restore her senses and…and give her just divine healing of her body that she will be whole, Father. And God, I thank You Oh Lord, because you love Alyssa and I pray that you just guide her as she awaits Your miracle. Thank You God for miracle after miracle in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. We love you, my sister. May God bless and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace and giver you your sense of smell and give you your sense of taste. God Bless, bye.

Hello there, DAB family. I love this community. Thank you so much. This is my first time. I just wanted to reach out to my Aussie friend there, in Canada. But my Aussie friend there that just requested prayer for his, I believe it’s his brother or friend. I know about mental illness. My mother had schizophrenia so, it is very difficult to have a loved one with this illness and just pray protection over him, bring him home Lord Jesus. Bring him to his place of peace, Lord and just comfort him right now, in his grief Oh Lord. The grief, can sometimes overwhelm but you have given us peace, so bring him to that place. Lord Jesus, and I also want to pray for the mom that reached out from Wyoming. I pray for wisdom and strength for your daughter to make the right decision. That she will just know from your wisdom as a mother, that she would listen to you and open her heart to take Godly advice. I pray Father that she will make the right decision. I also would love prayer for my…my daughter in Australia and my son, who are now not talking to me. They’re just going through, they’re adult children, they’re going through hard time with this pandemic. Just please pray that God would touch their hearts and they would come back to Him. Bless you all. I love you all.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Becky in Orlando and I would like for all of our Daily Audio Bible prayer warriors to come and circle around our new sister in the Daily Audio Bible family. Her name is Myra, she’s from New Jersey and I just met her in one of our hotels. Myra has been dealing with some horrible things that have happened to her where she just got attacked while she was in New Jersey. And she’s dealing now with PTSD. And if we could just pray for Myra. Anyway, I’ll start us off, Dear God, if you could please send the Blessed Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to tend to Myra, to give her comfort that only Jesus can give to her, to mend her wounds, both psychologically and spiritually. And, we know that this can be done because You are just the most amazing God and I pray that she listens to the Daily Audio Bible everyday and that it brings her comfort. And I pray that anybody else that’s listening to this would be able to get just the word that Jesus knows and God’s knows, the Holy Spirit knows all the plans that we have that He has for our lives. Sometimes the picture, we can’t see the big picture but He has such big plans and we don’t understand what His plans are for us at the time. So, please allow God’s plans to you know to unfold in her life and I pray that she just keeps on listening. So, Myra, from New Jersey, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible family and God Bless you, my sister. Alright, thanks Daily Audio Bible prayer warriors around the world. Alright, bye.

Hello, this is Nelly. I just want to let you all know that I’m praying for you all. And it’s such an encouragement to be part of this Community. I just pray that you also pray for me as I’m struggling with very dark and depressing thoughts. It’s been such a struggle. I haven’t been able to sleep. I’m just asking for prayer, thank you. I love you all.

[timextoxhajima]

NCT One Shot Collection

Member: Yuta

Genre: Fluff, a teaspoon of sed 

Word Count: 4k

Ding

A message popped up on your laptop screen. It was one of those messages from an online dating app you had been using the past week, and you couldn't wait to delete the stupid thing off your laptop. Why, you ask? You were on a deal with a friend who was trying to get you hooked up with someone, so she helped you install the app into your laptop and she guaranteed you that you would get picked up in no time. The only problem was that you didn't want to be picked up. You were perfectly fine living alone, the peace and tranquility of being alone had become your favourite thing to look forward to at home after work. But being friends with her for 10 years, you decided that it wouldn't hurt, and she wouldn't know anything if you didn't tell her. You roll over back to your desk on your roller chair and click a cross on the popup, before rolling back to your cabinet and sorting out some files for work. 

Ding

"Ugh," You groaned and shoved the files back into the cabinet, annoyed. You rolled to the desk, opening the app and looking at the notifications. Someone had left you 2 messages, the first one you had crossed away.

OS0162: Hello! I saw that you were reading a Japanese book in your profile photo. Are you Japanese, or learning?

You frown and process the information. Nobody had ever commented on your profile photo and the Japanese book.

You: I spent some years in Japan when I was younger so I can read Japanese, but I'm Korean by blood.

You hit send, muting your computer and closing the window. After clearing the cabinet, you roll back to your laptop and notice more notifications. 

OS0162: Oh, sweet! I'm Japanese, but I'm in Korea now. The book you're reading is really good, and I love the plot.

You frown again, pleasantly surprised. Nobody you knew was aware that the book even existed. But you weren't so quick to buy into his words.

You: Really? What's the plot about? Have you read it?

You hit send again, trying to test his sincerity.

OS0162: I have! More than once! Yakuno travels back to his father's castle through water portals and he freaks when he finds out that Miwanaki had been taken hostage by the government. I won't spoil the ending for you, if you haven't finished the book.

You have, and that was exactly how the book went. He wasn't lying. 

You: Cool, so what brings you to Korea?

Send.

OS0162: Parents' family business.

You blinked.

You: Training to become heir?

Send.

OS0162: You could say so, but I'm not the most keen on running around and making sure my henchmen do what they are supposed to do. I kind of have other plans I want to do instead of living my life because I was born into my family.

You paused to wonder and noticed his profile photo was of his back, and yours was of the crown of your head as you were reading the book. Neither of you knew how each other looked. 

This is ridiculous.

You shake your head and huffed, shutting off your personal laptop and using your work allocated one instead. 

The sun had set and your colleagues began trailing out of the office building one by one, sometimes in two. You were one of the youngest employees, but seated in a supervisor's office. You had a heavier load than your colleagues, and though sometimes it held you back in that boring four-walled room way longer than you colleagues, you didn't mind at all. You loved your work, and nothing could ever tear you away from it, not even that dating website. 

"Bye, y/n, don't go home too late," The last standing colleague of yours knocked on your opened office door, her bag in hand. 

"I'll see you tomorrow," You smiled at her and waved.

You pushed your hair backwards, leaning forward and saving your work on your work laptop. Closing it, you looked over to your own personal laptop and saw the sticker of Yakuno, the character from the Japanese book, pasted on the back of it. You had spent the first decade of your life in Japan, and your best friend had gifted you that book, the same physical book you were holding in your profile photo you used on the dating website. Your best friend had specially printed a whole sheet of stickers of characters and objects from the book to gift to you before you had left Japan. It was the most heartbreaking thing you could remember from your childhood, because you never saw that person again. The one and only person whom you had diligently remembered every likes and dislikes, even till this day, and yet contact was never kept. It had been more than 10 years, and it hurt you to realise that your best friend probably couldn't even remember how you looked like.

You pushed open the door to your penthouse, the built-in home system turned on jazz, lo-fi music.You pulled off your blazer and your hair tie, making your way into your bathroom and turning on the tap, filling up your bathtub. It had been a long week, and you needed this. You grabbed your phone and sealed it in a small waterproof bag, just in case you drop it in your own bathtub.

Ding. 7 unread messages from Kandlelite

You roll your eyes, annoyed that your laptop and phone were so perfectly in sync that whatever happened on your personal laptop happened on your phone too. 

OS0162: Hey, uh... I'm in Korea for two weeks

OS0162: Do you wna hang?

OS0162: I kinda need help with orienting myself around in Korea

OS0162: Especially in Seoul

OS0162: And Busan

OS0162: It's alright if you don't and you're busy though

OS0162: I understand

You couldn't believe it. That flitting thought sped past your mind, thinking of agreeing and actually meeting up with someone you've spent a day talking to. 

"Don't be an idiot, how good of a relationship can it be if it was started online?" You locked your phone and lifted your elbow onto the edge of the bathtub, rubbing your temples with your fingers. You were slowly slipping into some kind of peace and sleepiness, before the sound of your doorbell woke you up. 

"Jesus Christ, it's Friday night..." You groaned, leaning your head backwards and refusing to get out of the bathtub. The doorbell rang again. You growled and got out of the bathtub, wrapping a baby blue silk robe around yourself, pulling all of your hair to one side and making sure you look the most presentable you could be with wet hair and a robe. You looked at the intercom camera fitted onto the wall near the door, noticing that it was a male right outside, his body language looking confused and anxious. His face was covered and shadowed by his hoodie, so you couldn’t tell who it was. You frown to yourself, pressing the voice button and leaning towards the device. 

"Can I help you?" 

"Erm yeah... does anybody by the name of y/n live here?"

You frown more. "That's me, who am I speaking to?"

"Open the door and you'll find out," The man replied, almost like a child playing hide and seek. You pull away from the device and fold your arms. If today was the day you were supposed to die, you wouldn't be able to change it anyway. Who was to say that you were not going to be brutally murdered in your own home on a Friday night, right? You took in a deep breath and wrapped your slightly wrinkled fingers around the door handle, pulling it open with some force given the weight of the door. 

You would have never forgotten those eyes even if you had dementia, or a billion things on your mind. It was Nakamoto Yuta, your best friend from your childhood. 

"Hi y/n," He grinned. His teeth might've gotten larger and looked different, but the shape of his lips when he smiled hadn't changed. The way his eyes remained twinkling, some of his long fringe covering part of his eyes. 

"Yuta?" You whisper, like you were scared someone was going to catch you for saying something illegal. He smiled again and nodded, looking at you brightly, not bothering about how you were only in a robe and uncombed hair. He had seen you in a kiddy swimsuit more than 10 years ago anyway. You slowly and messily found a way to get your hands to unlock the gate, your eyes never leaving him for a second. He was dressed in a black hoodie, jeans and sneakers.

"I... how did you find me? Why are you here? How are you here? What--" You stopped yourself, watching him let himself in and close the door behind him. 

"It's been a long 13 years, y/n. I hope you're as happy to see me as I am," He said softly, watching your eyes shift in its eye sockets and observing his facial features. You warily stretched out your arms, like there were weights holding them down. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you tiptoed and hugged him.

"I'm sorry I never kept in touch. My parents always told me I'll see you again soon, until your parents decided not to come back to Osaka," Yuta had his arms around your lower back, careful not to touch anywhere inappropriate.

"No, oh my God," You pulled away, tears now in your eyes threatening to fall. "I never blamed you. There wasn't anybody I could blame even if I was really angry. I tried looking for you, but I just... I googled your name everyday in high school!" You laughed softly, sniffling and rubbing your eyes. 

"Well then," He was now holding your hands between the two of you. "About how I found you... you can thank yourself for that. I found you through your company's website. Your name was so high up on the rankings, that I was so happy for you. I wanted to look for you earlier, but my parents kept me under some security system to protect me from anything the outside world could offer,"

"What? What do you mean 'protect'? Are you in any kind of danger? Your family?" 

"No... I... did you ever find out why exactly you grew up in Japan then had to move back to Korea?"

"No, my parents told me it was a business trip," You turned and gently pulled him to the sofa.

"Yeah, but do you know what business trip it made them stay in Osaka for 15 years, had you born there, then came back to Korea and not return to Osaka?" Yuta was now sitting down next to you, his eyes still fixated on you. 

You shook your head. It never occurred to you that the business trip and why they chose not to return to Osaka was related.

"Your parents were working with mine, and it was apparently a very dangerous business. Your parents never went back because it was under the safety protocol. They needed us separated because we were children, too big and too easy of some few targets to threaten the business with.”

You listened intently, confused. You never knew your parents were handling such a dangerous business. After you came to Korea with them, they just let you grow up like any other kid. Study hard, go to university, get a job, work to the top. Whatever your parents' lives had been in the first 12 years of your life was unknown to you. They covered it up so well and so carefully, it never occurred to you that you could've been in any trouble.

"I only found about this a few years ago, when my father told me the business was now stable and fixed. He wanted me to start preparing to take over the business, but before I could do that at home, I needed to find the Korean half of it for a merger sequence. Your parents now live in--"

"Busan," You looked at him, ready to break out in laughter. "You're on Kandlelite. OS0162. OS for Osaka and the numbers... it’s your birthdate reversed," You laughed. Yuta was confused for a moment, before he realised what you were talking about. 

"No way, you're the one I've been talking to the entire day? Man, the odds..." 

"I know, right? Lord, I just... the last thing I expected on a Friday night in the middle of July is for you to show up on my doorstep after virtually talking to you the entire damn day," You sigh and lean back in the sofa, running your fingers through your damp and uncombed hair. He smiles.

"It's a really nice place you've got here,' He says after a minute of silence. 

"You say it like you don't have a nicer place to stay, given what your parents are doing," You joked, nudging him on the side. 

"You mean our parents. Your parents are as equally as well to do as mine, and no, I told my dad I didn't want a nice five star hotel."

"What? Then where are you staying? For two weeks, right?" You sat up straight again, giving him the same look you always gave him when he took something of yours and hid it somewhere when you were younger.

"I'm staying at a loft that's more traditional Korean," Yuta nodded. "Just about 20 minutes away from your place,"

"20 minutes? That's great. You can check out now and stay here! I'll bring you around Seoul and Busan for the next two weeks," You got off the sofa and stood up, excited. 

"You really didn't change much, y/n. Still the same girl I knew back in Osaka," Yuta blinked at her, then looked away and around. "Are you sure though? Don't you have work? I can't just suddenly crash your place like this,"

"Oh, come on! I can apply for leave until you're done with Korea. And yes, I have more than one bedroom, tons of space and even if I didn't, I would definitely make time for you. Besides, you hate staying at hotels and lofts," You raised a brow. Yuta rolled his eyes before breaking out into a large smile, nodding then agreeing to the arrangement. 

It became the best two weeks of your life. It was like those 13 years was never lost and you just picked your friendship up with Yuta where you left it off. You showed him around Seoul in the first week, letting him eat all kinds of street food, visiting random tourist stores for him to pick up gifts for his family. In the second week, the two of you packed for Busan to stay with your parents for a few days. The days were filled with home cooked food by your mother and old ginseng alcohol (Insam-Ju) from your father who were both as excited to see Yuta as you were at the start of the two weeks. Yuta's schedule included visiting schools, hospitals and the poorer areas of Busan, for him to research on how he could help improve the environments through the business and what he could do to help. The business that both you and his parents had started was only dangerous because there were rival companies who wanted the ideas for themselves, with many ideas much more practical and realistic than the rival company's. Your father gave Yuta a bottle of wine that he was supposed to have with Yuta's father, but never did because of the circumstances, the same circumstances where your family was forced back to Korea due to the threats in Osaka. The last three days were spent back in Seoul, where you took him to all your favourite spots in the city. Ramen in a convenience store, a picnic by Han River, late night barbeque sessions and early morning cycling, all in 3 days. While the two weeks spanned longer than a day, it felt like it was a day, but never enough to compensate for the 13 years you had lost with him. All the times that the both of you had tough times, first relationships, first heartbreak, academic stress followed by the obligation to handle the company on Yuta's part, all done without one another and you could only imagine how easier life would've been growing up, had Yuta been with you all this time. 

Your last favourite stop which was the stop you procrastinated till the end, due to how cliche it was, was the N Seoul tower. You always loved the romantic part about getting locks as a symbol of promise and eternity. While Yuta took his time admiring the view of the city at the tip of the tower, you got two locks, one for him and one for yourself, whatever promise the both of you wanted, you would write on a sticker and paste it on or write it on the lock itself with a marker. 

Yuta wrote his in Japanese, while yours in Korean. You eyed his features from his side profile, marveling for the last 2 weeks how well he grew up to be. He was such a handsome man, with such a bright future and with one of the kindest hearts you knew, not just because he was your best friend. You turned back to your lock, and thought carefully before printing it down in ink. 

To Yuta whom I came with, I wish you happiness and love in the years to come. In success and in health, our friendship will never be replaceable. Not even if I get married. I love you with all my heart, I always have.

"I'm done," Yuta smiled at you, capping on his marker and looking at his blue lock like it was a pet. You smile back, looking around the fence for a space to lock them.

That night, the two of you decided to stay in and watch the movie that bonded the both of you: Yakuno's Fairytale. At the end of it, the both of you took deep breaths in synchronization, exhaling at the same rate and feeling some kind of peace, but at the same time, loss, knowing that he was leaving the next morning. 

"You know, y/n, this was the best 2 weeks I've had in a long long time. Seeing your parents again after so long made me realise how close I was to your family before, I really wish you could see mine," Yuta looked at you, then looked at his fingers, peeling small bits of skin off the edges. 

"You know I'd love to, but I have to stay and work unless it's during some official office break. I was lucky enough they let me off these two weeks," You sighed, leaning back on the pillows and watching him. 

"I know, y/n, I know... I just wish the last 13 years I spent alone could have been with you. When my dad told me about the company when I was 21, I freaked, you know. I was... angry and upset because their choice, and your parents' choice, had caused us to be separated. If our parents hadn't chosen to stay in that business, we would have never been separated so... abruptly. It sucked to have realised that they told us we'll be seeing each other again soon just to get us to leave one another... only to wait 13 years,"

"Yeah, but if they didn't take it up, both of us wouldn't have been so well off," You rested your head in your palm, your elbow perched on the top of the sofa.

"I just... 13 years lost, when it could have been with you," He looked at you, his eyes glistening and his eyebrows slightly furrowed near the center of his forehead. 

You watched him watch you, almost able to see your reflection in his. You chuckled to break the silence, shifting a little and pulling your legs in to yourself.

"What are you going on about now, Nakamoto?" You mumbled under your breath, your heart racing and suddenly unable to look at him in the eye. 

You thought you were the only one. 

"Remember when we were 10, we got lost at the Tenjin festival in Osaka together? When we were both scared, but for some God forsaken reason, I was more of a wuss than you were... and you took care of me, though I'm older than you?"

"Yeah, but you were like 2 inches shorter than me, it was easy to feel like you were the one needing protection," You snickered, eyeing him from the corner of your eyes.

"But now you're like 6 inches shorter than me," Yuta laughed widely. "Anyway, point is, y/n, 13 years was hard to get through, because as hard as I tried to forget about you, to move onto someone else, romantically, you were always at the back of my head, telling me that I was going to meet you soon, and that we were never meant to be separated." 

You went quiet again, ecstatic, yet afraid of what he was going to say next.

"y/n? Hey," Yuta shifted closer and looked at you intently. You didn't even realise that tears had formed in your eyes and your nose turned sour, your line of vision blur and Yuta's face was soft around the edges, instead of his defined features. "Hey, don't cry, please don't cry," Yuta wrapped his arms around you, quietly hushing you and you buried your face in his neck.

"I missed you, so much. When I was in college, I thought I'd never see you again. I couldn't blame anybody, not my parents or yours because they did what they had to do for our sake, and it hurt, not being able to blame anybody," You croaked, the back of your throat tasting bitter. Yuta hummed in response, gently stroking the crown of your head.

"But it's alright now, isn't it? We've found each other again and..." He pulled away and cupped your face. "I believe we both never lost our feelings for one another."

He said it. The truth that you had buried deep down in your heart for a long time, for more than 13 years, had finally been put out there. 

"I thought... I thought I was on my own... I thought you didn't know," You whispered. Yuta pressed his forehead against yours, reaching down to hold your hands.

"No, it wasn't just you. But I thought I was on my own too." 

You laugh. Fate was such a dumb idea. Separating you two when you were the best of friends, and more than a decade later, reunite the both of you, only to reveal the truth that both of you had kept to yourselves over the years. 

-

"I wish you could stay," You hugged Yuta's waist, feeling a kiss on the top of your head.

"I wish you could come," You heard him say into your ear. 

"I promise I'll visit Osaka soon," You reply. He hummed, stepping back and grabbing his luggage.

"I will see you soon, I promise," Yuta says, moving away with his luggage. You nodded, waving to him. 

Yuta walked into the departure hall, remembering every single moment he had with you in the last 14 days. He had wished you were there the last 13 years, and he could never tell you all the hard times he had been through. Just as he caught the last glimpse of you, he remembered what he wrote on the lock, and promised himself never to break it.

To y/n who taught me what love and friendship was, you are irreplaceable and nothing in the world could keep me away from you. When I'm done with the important things I have to do in Osaka, I will return for you, and for you only. I loved you for as long as I can remember, and it will stay like this. I promise.

[fullyellowsun]

Subtle | 7

Choreography:

I do not own the picture, credit to the owner. AHHHH, both Baekhyun's will kill me!!!!! The duality of Byun Baekhyun...

This is my first series so please cut me some slack but also I welcome constructive criticisms! This is in Korean so for those of you who can read Korean and English, go ahead! I will post a full English version link to the Wattpad story in the masterlist!

Pairing: baekhyun x reader

Genre: kpop group collaboration!AU

Word Count: 1653 words

Description: After a long day of dancing, the others start to question the title of Baekhyun and Dayeon's relationship...

Disclaimer: I have no idea how any of this works. I’m just going off of the little info I DO know so please bear with me as I try to fill the chapters with what I think (or what I just make up) on how to make an album and the other kpop things.

Masterlist

"Please be with me~~~ this Christ-mas."

"1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and...  oh, 다연아 잘하네!" Choreographer hyung says. He was right. Although Dayeon wasn't the main dancer, she still danced like a queen. (A/N Periodt😂) Her body moved gracefully and her vibe matched perfectly with the dance moves with a sexy and cute vibe.

"감사함니다 선배님." She says as she continues to move with grace. She was always so clumsy and innocent in real life but the stage really brought her into a different life. She didn't even realize that everyone stopped to watch her until she finished and everyone clapped for her.

"How come nobody claps like that for me when I dance?" Yoona asks.

"It's because she's actually good! She can sing, she can dance, what can she not do?" Kai said. He obviously still likes Dayeon but I feel kind of bad for Yoona since everyone can tell she likes Kai. She always wants his attention but he ignores her and has both eyes on Dayeon.

"I can't rap..." Dayeon says out of breath.

"Come on 다연아, we all know you can. I mean when Sunny was sick in that performance and you had to do her rap, everyone, including 리수만 선생님, said you were amazing." Suah says.

"맞아... you could be the main rapper if you really put your mind to it." Sunny says.

"See? What can she not do?" Kai says still clapping for her. I felt kind of mad when he clapped for her and she blushed. Does Dayeon like Kai? 아니야... 설마... no it's fine if she likes him... but it's not. I think I might like Dayeon. I mentally slap myself. 정신차려! We are in a fake 'marriage' thing with a contract, you got this far, you can't make it awkward now. Just push it down. Even if I wanted to date her, she wouldn't possibly like me back. Her perfection is better for someone perfect or someone who actually needs the love.

"현아? What are you thinking about?" I get waken up by Dayeon's nickname for me.

"Huh? What?" I say.

"What were you thinking so deeply about? We're about to practice one more time." I get up and get in my position. The dance was made so that we dance in our 'couples' but also in our own groups. Kai, Sehun, and Yoona did well. After practicing for a while, I want to go home but I can't take off my pants so just lay on the floor in the way of everyone. Dayeon joins me. "I'm tireddd..." she groans.

"나도!" I say loudly.

"What were you thinking about so deeply before?" She says.

"Huh? Oh... um." I can't tell her. It would be awkward, she won't even reciprocate the feelings. So I made something up.

"Umm... new... laundry detergent! (A/N I'm watching True Beauty and so if you know the reference, yay! If not, go watch it, it's good.)"

"Huh? Why do you need to think so deeply about laundry detergent?" She says slightly tilting her head. She does that when she's confused and it's genuinely the cutest thing ever.

"Uhh well... my nose is sensitive so I was wondering which scent I should get."

"Just choose your favorite one. Why is it so hard? Wait, but our dorm doesn't even have a washing machine." Oops. I forgot. The managers forgot to get a dorm with washing machines so we dry clean everything or go to a laundromat.

"Oh, did I say laundry detergent? I meant cologne." I scratch the back of my head and laugh nervously.

"Oh, makes sense." She says and doesn't pay attention to me anymore. "CAN WE GO HOME PLEASSSEEEE." She yells loudly still on the floor.

"YESSSSS.... PLLLLEEEAAASSSEEEEEEEE." The members pay no attention to our pleas and continue to practice.

"You know, people are not always as perfect as you. We actually need to practice." Suah says.

"We do too but isn't this a bit much? I mean it's already 12! Let's go home and sleeeeppppp..." She says and rolls ariund in exasperation. Because the others wouldn't listen to us, I decided, they can do what the want but I'm sleeping.

"다연아, 나랑 집에 같이 갈래?" I turn to Dayeon and ask.

"Yes please. Everyone, 우리는 먼저 갈게." Dayeon stands up and announces.

"You two in the dorm by yourselves? Just because we aren't there doesn't mean you could do whatever you want, keep it PG please, I do NOT want to walk into something gross." Sehun says.

"야! Worry about yourself! Bye!" We leave and jam out to music in the car on our way to the dorm. We get home and I immediately shower. Dayeon started making dinner and because she was like the only one who cooks, she knew where everything was and that kitchen was like a kitchen in her own house. I come out of the shower and Dayeon was still cooking. "Shouldn't you shower?"

"Oh yeah, Hyun-ah, can you take over?" She hands me the apron she was wearing and a spatula. She was frying kimchi and tofu. "I'm gonna shower so just make sure it doesn't burn."

"Okay, I got it, go shower."

"Thanks." She goes inside and I hear the water running. I started thinking about the nickname Dayeon gave me... Hyun-ah. It sounds like a girl's name but I don't care... it's a special name that no one else has- *beep beep* *beep beep* is that the fire alarm? "Hyun-ah... is that the fire alarm?" I hear Dayeon shout from the shower. I had one job... and I failed. ONE JOB! I frantically open the windows and turn off the heat. Dayeon rushes out the room with her clothes inside out and backwards and her hair dripping wet. "Ahh, you burned it. Didn't I tell you not to do that? Are you still thinking about your cologne? If it's that hard, let's just get one now." She throws away the tofu from the pan, washes it quickly and grabs her keys to go to the mall.

"Wait, isn't it closed? And maybe change and dry your hair at least?"

"Oh... yeah, online shopping it is." She grabs her laptop and gives it to me. "Choose something, look for something you like. I'm gonna REmake the food you burned."

"Sorry... I got distracted."

"With what?!" Umm... I can't say her nickname for me... what do I say?

"Uhhh, my cologne scent?" She shakes her head and chuckles.

"You are so weird." She puts on her apron and starts frying again. She finishes and leaves the food on the table to join me. "Did you find one yet? What? Why are you still on the Google page? Were you not looking at them?"

"It's uhh... it's too hard to choose scents from a screen."

"At least look!" She leans over me to look for a website. She just searched in "cologne scents that men like". I laugh. She looked at articles and asked me about each scent on the list.

"Okay, I'll buy it myself, you don't need to choose one for me!" She turns to me. Her face was really close to me face.

"I said PG!" Sehun says. She turns around.

"PG? Why is this not PG? I was helping him choose a cologne scent."

"Were you guys not like, making out?"

"No, what makes you think that?"

"I don't know, it just looked like it."

"Okay? I make fried kimchi and tofu. It's on the dining room table so if you're hungry, you can eat it."

"Oh, yay, thanks 언니!" Suah runs over to the table. Dayeon turns to me.

"If you don't want my help, sure, do it yourself but later." She walks away to the table to join the others. What just happened?! I join them too. I sit next to Chanyeol.

"Are you sure you guys aren't a thing or something?" He whispers to me.

"No! We're just close."

"This fast? You have known each other for like 2 weeks and you're already this close?"

"Isn't it the same with you and Sunny?"

"Yeah but we're not THAT close."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys watched a movie on your own, you go home together by yourselves, you have matching clothes and you hug each other in your sleep." Chanyeol lists off.

"Well that's because I didn't want to watch horror and we were tired so we went home. Our matching clothes is because it's cute or by accident and you already know that I hug my pillow in my sleep, it's just convenient that she's there in the pillow's place." I said almost screaming. I realized that I was screaming and everyone was staring at me. Chanyeol laughs at me.

"What are you talking about?" Suho asks.

"Uhhh... nothin-" I start.

"Why he's so close to Dayeon." Chanyeol says trying not to laugh. I give him a death glare.

"Wait I'm confused, how close are we?" Dayeon asks.

"Too close to be just friends." Chanyeol says.

"Why are we too close to be friends?"

"Well, you watched your own movie instead of watching with us." Sehun chimes in.

"You went home by yourselves together." Chen says.

"We were tired okay?!" Baekhyun says.

"You hug each other in your sleep!" Sehun says. Dayeon puts her fingers to her lips and mouths 'that was a secret'.

"You do?!" Xiumin asks.

"Maybe..." Dayeon says sheepishly.

"What is happening? Do we have another couple?" Suho asks.

"No! It's just because we're close. Is that not allowed?" Dayeon asks.

"Well no, it's not NOT allowed but you know, you guys are a little too close to the point where people would assume those actions as things couples would do." Suah says.

Masterlist

[nev3rfound]

mr shy guy : p.p

brief summary: being tony’s daughter means that the avengers love you. how could they not? but out of everyone, peter is rather shy to admit it literally. 

word count: 2.5k requested: yes by the sweetest person! thank you @iconicbabesss for the request! warnings: pure fluff, as I need it tonight

(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website know it isn’t me. all rights reserved. - thank you to everyone who helped regarding the wattpad situation, you’re all amazing)

* masterlistin’

* commissions

** permanent taglist **

Everyone loved you, how could they not? You were Tony’s daughter, the Junior Stark that had the same amount of wit and charm that your father has. Yet, amongst everyone who did love you, there was one person who was nervous to admit so. 

Ever since Tony had introduced Peter to you, he had been a mumbling mess around you. What made it worse is that a lot of the Avengers witnessed it first hand and those who didn’t refuse to let Peter live the event down. 

It wasn’t just your beauty that enticed Peter, but your manner as a whole. You were caring towards others, but quick to retort if provoked. You were funny, and sometimes you weren’t even aware you were telling a joke until laughter followed shortly after. 

Somedays, you were just working in the lab unaware of company. During those moments, Peter felt rude to disturb you whilst you had some time alone. But then he’d regret walking away as the sound of Sam interrupting you filled you with joy as you conversed with him, not Peter. 

Other times, you would be figuring out the pieces of technology required to fix your Dad’s suit or help Bucky with his arm. You took the time to help those who needed it, and you even sat Peter down to go through the upgrades you and Tony installed. 

Peter listened as you explained with such knowledge and excitement about the improvements made to his suit. He could see you were eager for him to test it out, ensure he approved. And when Peter put it to the test, he was amazed at how such small differences truly made a difference. 

*

“Bye May!” Peter yells through the apartment as he stuffs his suit into his backpack, knowing he was running late for the meeting that Tony told him repeatedly not to be late for. 

May turns her head from her newspaper, only to hear the front door slam before she had the opportunity to say bye. “See you later then, Peter.” She mumbles, returning her attention back to the latest headline about a kidnapper in the upper west side of the city.

Making it into the building, Peter was panting heavily. He tried to swallow the needed breaths he was taking as he checked his watch to see he had minutes to spare. 

He made it to the lift and as it was rising, it stopped on the third floor. The doors opened and Peter had a smile on his face until the doors opened and you entered, letting out a sigh of relief. 

“Hey, Peter.” You say with a soft smile as you lean against the glass wall, flipping through your notes. “Glad to see you’re on time.” You chuckle softly, but all Peter can focus on is how fast his heart is beating in his chest. 

“Yeah, I, I got lucky.” He manages to form a sentence to you and you lower your head, smiling to yourself before you tuck your hair back behind your ear. “How’s your, your day been?” 

You look over, pleasantly surprised to see him still talking. Tilting your body, you face him fully now, and Peter mirrors your actions as you have ten more floors to go. “Busy,” You admit with a small huff. “Dad’s been having me sort a few things out for the next mission, deciding who is the best fit and all.” You explain, and Peter nods as he remains fully immersed with you as you continue to talk. 

“Am I a possible contender?” He raises an eyebrow, deep down surprised about the sudden confidence boost. 

A small laugh leaves your lips as you shake your head. “You’re funny, Peter.” You tell him. “I don’t think this is your mission I’m afraid. But maybe next time?” You suggest as the doors open and you both file out in silence as Peter keeps his head held low.

*

The meeting concludes after shy of two hours, and Peter can barely keep himself awake. 

When Tony announces it is over, you’re the first to your feet and depart with your Dad, going over what needs to be done whilst everyone else turns to face Peter with smug smiles on their faces.

Peter lifts his head up, looking around in shock. “What? Do I have something on my face?” He questions, wiping his face before Natasha shakes her head. “Did I do something?”

Sam shuffles in his seat, glancing over to Bucky who wears a small smile, forgetting how truly difficult it is to flirt in the modern-day. 

“You know, the clever thing about Stark’s tech is that he can install cameras literally anywhere,” Sam speaks up. “including the elevators.” 

Peter’s eyes widen as realisation hits. Everyone in the room heard him talking to you, including his failed attempt at flirting. 

Slowly but surely, his cheeks begin to heat up. “We get it kid, you like Y/n.” Steve states, feeling a Fatherly instinct towards the kid from Queens. “And you’re shy about tellin’ her, but the truth is she is easier to talk to than you’re making it out to be in your head.” 

“She just, she’s so good and I’m just a kid from Queens who got lucky.” Peter says with a shrug of his shoulder as silence falls over the room. 

Bucky rises to his feet and heads turn. “Kid, follow me.” Bucky says as he motions for Peter to follow which he does, leaving the room in a stunned silence that of everyone, Bucky is the one to give the kid a pep talk.

“I’ll be damned,” Sam says with a whistle. “Buckaroo’s still got it in him.” 

Following behind Bucky, Peter remains nervous as to where he’ll be led. Yet, as Bucky pushes open a door it leads to a balcony. “Stark’s not installed camera’s on this side of the tower yet, so don’t worry ‘bout listeners.” Bucky states as his hands rest in his pockets. 

“Why’d you bring me up here Mr Barnes, I, I mean Bucky.” Peter stumbles and Bucky rolls his eyes, wondering if he should’ve bothered in the first place now. 

Moving closer to the ledge, Bucky looks out at the grounds. “You see, Peter. Y/n is more complex than you might think, but she does have a routine.” Bucky explains as Peter steps forward, looking over to see you sitting on a Motorbike. “She’ll drive out to a cafe, some old place that’s hidden away. But she likes privacy there.” As Bucky explains, you drive off toward the exit and turn out of sight. 

“Why’re you telling me this?” Peter asks, looking up as Bucky sighs.

“Because everyone deserves a chance, kid.” Bucky tells him. “And we can all see you’re hopeless, so we gotta intervene if we can help it.” Leaning on the balcony, Bucky looks out as he hears the faint sounds of cars driving by, remembering when everything was once so much quieter. “A lot has changed since my day, still learning to adapt you know?” 

Peter nods to Bucky, silently thanking him before he heads toward the door. 

“Hey, Peter?” Bucky calls out and Peter pauses, turning on his heels. “Learn to not stumble over your words. Focus on her eyes and smile, it’ll help.” Bucky says with a nod before Peter departs, knowing he’s got a cafe to head to. 

*

Surprisingly, it didn’t take Peter long to find the cafe. As Bucky had explained, it definitely was hidden away with the name being kept a secret as vines grow over the wooden block. 

“Come on, Pete.” Peter mumbles to himself as he peers through the large windows, seeing you curled up in a large dusky pink armchair with a book and a tea in front of you. 

He couldn’t help but let the smile on his face grow at the sight of how peaceful you were. He understood why you’d come here, it’s away from the rest of your life, there are no distractions, no obstacles or jobs to be completed. 

An old lady opens the door, leaning against it as she raises an eyebrow to Peter. “You comin’ in from the cold or just staring at the place?” She questions and Peter stutters before following her in, knowing you would’ve witnessed that. 

Trying to keep his cool, Peter orders himself a coffee and two slices of cake, having learnt which is your favourite from your birthday last month. 

As he turns around, your book is resting on your lap and you focus on him with a small smile. “Let me guess,” You speak up as Peter holds the tray in his hands, trying to avoid spilling the content across the wooden floor. “Bucky told you ‘bout this place?” 

Peter nods as you sit upright. “I got you a slice of cake, sorry I, I probably shouldn’t have come it’s your private spot and I am intruding,” Peter rambles as he places the tray down, looking over at the door as his best bet but you reach out, taking a hold of his hand.

“Pete, it’s okay.” You tell him genuinely. “Please, take a seat. I, I don’t mind the company.” You admit as your body warms up but soon cools down as his hand slips from yours. “So, what brings you ‘round here?” 

“Felt like a change of scenery,” He states and you lean forward, already intrigued. 

“Do tell me more, Spidey.” You say with a smile, and as Peter continues to talk the conversation flows with ease. 

The longer you both sit together, the more Peter realises why everyone does love you as much as they do. Conversations are effortless, you want everyone to be engaged in the conversation they’re having. Peter can feel your focus on him, and that smile, his heart melts with it widens as you laugh.

Before you are both aware, the old lady who owns the shop is closing up for the evening. “Come on kids, I gotta close at some point.” She says and you both clean up and leave.

“I had no idea it got that late.” You say with a laugh. “You heading anywhere now?” You question, watching as Peter shakes his head. “I know a good spot, you good on bikes?”

“I’m great on bikes.” Peter lies as you give him your helmet before you take a seat and Peter nudges closely behind. 

He faces a choice of either his hands around your waist or behind him, but before he can decide you start the bike and his hands instinctively rest around your waist. Unbeknownst to Peter, you can’t stop smiling at the thought.

As you reach the destination, Peter is clinging to you tightly. “Hey, Pete? You can let go.” You say softly and Peter clears his throat before standing up and looking around. 

“Wow.” He states as he takes a step closer to the gates. “How’d you find this place?”

You rest your helmet in one hand before unlocking the gates, pushing them open as they creak with rust. “Dad used to bring Mom here.” You explain as you walk in together, looking around as the pond remains well kept. “I used to sit on these rocks over here, lie on them for hours reading in the summer. It’s a spot away from the city, it’s where I can fully unwind.” You tell Peter and he nods along, truly fascinated.

The pair of you settle on the rocks, sitting closely as the sky is filled with stars. “Have you ever been to space?” Peter speaks up, looking over as you shake your head. 

Lying down on the rocks, you stare at the stars, but Peter can’t help but stare at you. “What’s it like?” You ask him, turning your head catching him. 

Peter shuffles to lie beside you as he exhales deeply. “It’s a whole other world up there. Aliens, beautiful galaxies but like Earth, it’s filled with secrets and dangers.” 

You chuckle at the thought. “Would you ever go back?” You turn your body to face him, and Peter mirrors your actions.

“Not unless I had to. I like it down here.” He says as you smile to him, focusing on his eyes. “Why’d you bring me here, Y/n?” Peter questions, watching as you remain almost too still for comfort.

“I wanted to get to know you better, Peter. Without everyone else watching or listening in.” You say quietly. “And, it’s nice having someone my age around, you’re easy to talk to and that’s what I like about you.” You tell him, unaware those words left your lips until you see his eyes widen.

“You like me?” He raises an eyebrow, watching as like your Dad, you hold your ground.

“Yeah,” You respond, shuffling closer. “that alright with you?”

Peter closes the distance between you, kissing you softly before pulling away. “Perfectly fine by me.”

t a g l i s t (thank you for the support!)

@biss-stuff   @psychicforest  @lourightm @mywinterwolf   @justsomedreaming @stanlux17@supermoonchildbroski @xrosegoldwolfx @courtneychicken@marvelsangels @supraveng @tommy-lee-81

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Endeavor

Chapter Update! FFN and AO3

Next chapter goes up on August 8th! =)

Chapter 2

Ted walked into the office the next morning and went right to the sign that Vic had made the day before. He had scoured the internet to find out what these old machines sounded like and did his best to imitate the noises he'd heard on different obscure YouTube videos as he mimicked stamping his time card. Vic laughed at her desk while he did so.

"Good morning," He grinned at her as he sat in his desk chair. "Did you clock in?"

"Oh yes," Vic nodded seriously, "I want to make sure I keep this job. It's helping to support my family until they find me a good husband."

Ted pushed down the question of whether or not Sean was in the running for her husband and the question of if Sean was worried about helping her keep her job.

"What a noble thing to do, so selfless of you." He grinned when she laughed. He really liked the sound of her laugh.

"So how was running around with Uncle Ron all day yesterday?"

Ted smirked, "Brutal, the hazing here is intense. I don't know how you put up with it."

Vic shook her head, "How else will we know if you're up to working here?"

Ted laughed, "See this is how I know that working here is the right move. I like a group that doesn't mess around, no-nonsense, nose to the grindstone, that's how I like it."

Vic laughed, "I can tell. I don't think there's a bone in your body that knows how to joke around."

"Not a one," Ted shrugged, "some people think it's a waste, but I think they're just jealous."

Vic laughed before her phone rang and she composed herself to answer it.

Ted took advantage of the moment to get his laptop turned on and start unloading the few things he brought for his desk. He'd just started to look through the new potential clients that Ron had been wanting to reach out to when Vic's voice spoke up.

"A wolf figurine?" She picked up the wolf his mum had given him when he finished A-Levels.

Ted gave a nervous laugh, "Er, do you know my last name?"

She bit her lip, "No, does that make me a bad coworker?"

Ted shook his head but he couldn't keep from smiling. "You know if I answer that honestly, I'm only going to make you feel bad."

"Do you even know my last name?" Vic crossed her arms over her chest, still holding the wolf.

Ted smirked, "Why yes, Weasley, I do."

Vic blushed and then laughed, "Fine, I'm an awful person, now what's your last name?"

"You think I'll let you off the hook that easily, Weasley?" Ted grinned. "You underestimate me."

"Oh, come on, I admitted to being awful." She kicked his foot.

"And I admire your honesty." Ted held out his hand for his wolf figurine.

Vic smirked. "I think I'll hold on to this, at least until I guess your last name."

Teddy briefly considered fighting her for it, but he smiled when she rubbed her hand over it like it was a puppy she was petting.

"Sure, hold on to it."

She blinked and bit her lip before smiling, "Thanks, I'll give it back once I figure out your last name."

Ted shrugged and grabbed his phone to call the first company on Ron's list. "I won't hold my breath."

Vic went to argue with him, but Teddy held up his hand and responded to the receptionist that had answered his call.

Her playful glare put a smile on his face for the rest of the calls he had to make.

"Did you bring lunch?" Vic asked as she moved to the fridge.

Ted looked up at the clock and raised his eyebrows. Was it really already one o'clock?

"Er, yeah, I did," Ted pulled his backpack to him.

Vic moved to the card table as Ted sat at his desk and pulled out his sandwich.

"You're going to eat at your desk?"

Ted looked up at her, "Yep."

"Well, this will be an awkward lunch hour. I'm practically shouting at you from over here."

Ted smirked, "Yeah, really awkward."

Vic pulled her drink to her lips and Teddy felt his smirk morphing into a smile. She had something about her, something that kept pulling him in even when his brain kept telling him to back off. Honestly, he needed to stop, she was snogging a guy in the office when he wasn't there. But try as he might, Ted couldn't stop himself. Vic was pulling him in and he couldn't, or maybe he wouldn't stop her.

"Well, what shall we shout about?"

"Do you normally shout with the men in your life?"

"Only when they insist on sitting fifty feet away from me."

"Fifty feet? This office is barely twenty feet across." Ted laughed.

Vic ignored him, "No one likes a cleverclogs, Ted."

He laughed loudly at that one, "Fine, I don't normally care for shouting at the women in my life, but if you insist on eating all the way over there, I can make a special exception for you."

"You're ridiculous," Vic laughed and went to say more when her cell phone rang.

She looked torn as she looked at the screen before mouthing sorry to him and swiping to answer.

"Hi, Sean."

Ted turned to look out the window and tried to push away the annoyance he felt. It would make sense her boyfriend would call over her lunch hour. He tried to tune her out and focus on the cars driving past the office building, but the catch in her voice as she spoke again completely threw that idea out the window.

"Oh, are you sure you can't do that another night?"

Ted focused on chewing his food to keep from turning to look at her.

"No, I understand, just, we planned this out last month."

It was involuntary. Ted glanced her way and saw one of the most dejected looks he'd ever seen, including when Lily was two-years-old and didn't get a second scoop of ice cream.

"Alright, but I'll see you tonight?"

Ted looked back out the window and took a long drink from his water bottle.

"Oh, right, well, text me then."

It wasn't his business, but Ted couldn't help but feel like taking it to blows with Sean. How dare he treat this amazing woman like someone he could blow off?

"Right. Bye."

Ted finally allowed himself to turn his office chair back to face Vic and found her gripping her phone tightly between her hands.

"Everything alright?"

Vic took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, just, just plans changing and I've always been a little frustrated when that happens."

"Must be something big to cancel plans that have been set out for a month."

Vic swallowed hard and took a bite of her sandwich. Ted took the hint and moved the conversation forward.

"Well, while you were rudely interrupting our shouting match, I thought we might start shouting about how insane it is that Ron couldn't find space for two more desks at the main office."

Vic grinned. "You're more observant than most. I have two theories on that one."

"Wait!" Ted held up his hand as he set down his sandwich. "We have to make sure that he hasn't bugged the office to spy on us."

He started inspecting the ceiling and the floors, Vic's laughter echoing in the small space. Ted opened the supply closet and the bathroom and the fridge and the microwave before deciding he'd played the part well enough and went back to his desk.

"Alright, I think the coast is clear. Now, what are your theories?"

Vic grinned, "Well, my first theory is that he's protective of me, and doesn't want me involved with all the politicking that happens at the main office. But my second theory is that he doesn't want this to keep being a part of Bread & Butter. I think he's prepping this so that it could become its own operation. And that transition goes much smoother if the people who work here haven't been involved with Bread & Butter at all. I mean, aside from meeting everyone at the main office, did you get contact information? Sure, we could find them over the company system, but we don't do anything that involves them at all. Uncle Ron even hires a different company to deliver for our department than the rest of the company."

Teddy felt his eyes go huge. "Vic you're brilliant!"

Vic blushed, "Well, that's just my speculation…"

"No!" Teddy shook his head, "You're a genius, really, and that's going to completely change the game!"

Ted snagged his notebook and pen and started jotting down notes.

"What are you on about?" Vic moved back to her desk chair and rolled it to his desk.

"Vic, my degree is in marketing, not sales, but your uncle hired me basically on the spot. He's got you running a website and coordinating deliveries. But he's completely cut us off from the rest of Bread & Butter. He told me that he wanted to see me pioneer this division. Vic, we're building a company! And I know how to market that! My job title says Salesman, but I'm sitting on the precipice of being the Chief Marketing Officer. If I can show Ron what I can do to increase my sales, if you and I can grow this into something big, Vic we could be the C-staff of this gig!"

Vic stared at him for a long moment before rolling back to her desk and grabbing a notepad and pen.

"So, what do we do?"

"Why did Ron hire you?" Ted pushed back in his chair.

Vic looked down, "Because I needed a job."

"No," Teddy shook his head, "I will put a thousand pounds down that he did not pity hire you. Did you go to university or any sort of training after A-levels?"

Vic shrugged, "I went to uni, but my degree is in communications, how does that help here?"

Ted looked out the window and thought about it, trying to connect the dots. What did Ron have in store for Vic? Then it hit him.

"You're pretty close with Ron?"

Vic smiled, "I'm his and Aunt Hermione's go-to sitter for Rose and Hugo. And growing up they were always my favorite to play with at family gatherings."

"You're Ron's pick for Chief Operating Officer," Ted scribbled down in his notebook again. "He knows he can trust you to handle anything he throws at you. Did you know anything about managing a website before this?"

Vic shrugged, "No, but it wasn't hard to learn. I watched a load of online courses and I've been able to keep it going pretty well after that."

Ted grinned, "We're building this company up Vic, and we didn't even have to do the hard part, we get to jump into the fun and make this happen!"

"Ted," Vic bit her lip, "I was just speculating. I have no idea if I'm right."

Ted shook his head. "But it doesn't matter if you're right or not. Don't you see Vic? Even if this isn't Ron's intention, we can make this his intention. We can make this big enough to be its own company."

Vic shook her head. "Ted, I don't know the first thing about running a company or even what a chief operating officer is."

Ted looked at the clock, it was nearly two and he had a phone meeting scheduled with a client. "What are you doing after work? We can plan this out, I can teach you what we're working towards, give you the vision of where we're heading."

Vic looked at her cell phone for a moment and licked her lips.

Ted guessed she was thinking about Sean. "This would just be work, Vic, we'll even stay here at the office."

"Right," she kept looking at her black phone screen. "Right, ok, I'm free tonight."

"Perfect," Ted tried to ignore the way his heart beat faster. "We'll order some dinner and then we can start mapping this out, make ourselves a plan."

She smiled and looked back at him, "Sounds great."

Ted would have sworn that all of their clients were talking in slow motion as he had his phone meetings throughout the rest of the day. But finally, five rolled around and Teddy felt like he'd won the lottery.

This wasn't a date; he reprimanded his stupid heart. This was a business planning meeting with dinner involved. This wasn't a date.

"What are you in the mood for?" Vic scrolled through the options on her computer.

"I'm not picky, my family has always been pretty adventurous when it comes to food."

"Oh, there's an Indian place the next street over, how does that sound?"

Ted grinned, "Sounds good, but I doubt they'll do as well as my Uncle James."

"Uncle Harry's dad?"

Ted nodded. "Hands down he could out cook the majority of the Indian restaurants in London."

"I'll have to try that sometime then. But what do you want from here?"

They placed their orders and when it came time to enter the payment, Ted pushed her chair so it rolled across the room and quickly typed in his card info and paid.

"I have cash, I can pay you my share." Vic shoved her chair at him.

"How are you going to get me to take your cash? You don't even know my last name." Ted sat back down in his chair and grinned.

"I could stick it in your shirt pocket." She grabbed her purse out of her desk and started counting out the correct number of bills.

"I'll throw it back at you. I'm not the sort of bloke to throw money at women, but when it's her own money I'll make a special exception." Ted put his hands behind his head and leant back in his chair and smirked.

"Here," she stood and slipped the small wad of bills into his shirt pocket.

Ted almost shivered at her touch, but just as soon as she pulled her hand away, he grabbed the money and threw it back at her.

"You're not paying me back."

Vic picked up the money from the floor. "Come on, aren't we supposed to be coworkers?"

"I don't use bills," Ted shrugged, "I'd probably just lose them. It's a waste of your money to pay me back."

"Really, Ted, you can't just go buying me dinner."

"Of course, I can, you don't know my last name, I can get away with almost anything right now," Ted smirked at her.

"You know, all I have to do is find you on the company roster and I'd know your last name."

"Do you know my first name?" Ted kicked his feet out in front of him.

"No, I'm just calling you Ted because it felt right."

Teddy ignored the way his heart beat harder at her wording.

"Ted is a shortened version of my name, and there happens to be more than one name that shortens to Ted." He smirked at her. "The company roster has my full proper name, Weasley."

Vic narrowed her eyes at him. "I could always call Aunt Ginny."

Ted shrugged, "You could, I don't think you will, but you could. She is my godmother, after all, she would definitely want to know why you want to know my full name."

Vic bit her lip. "If I knew your full name would you take the money?"

"Nope," Teddy grinned at the groan Vic let out.

"You are absolutely impossible!"

"Infuriating isn't it? You should meet the men who taught me how to do this."

"You mean there are men out there who teach you to be awful?" Vic kicked half-heartedly at his feet still stretched out near her chair.

"Oh yes, they taught me all of the awful things, like paying for dinner and holding doors open and being kind and saying please and thank you and asking for consent and all the other things that turn you into a right scoundrel."

Vic chuckled, "Sound like a group of tossers."

Ted smiled; the Marauders had their moments.

"They're the best men I know."

"I'd like to meet them someday."

Her voice had a softer quality to it and Ted felt his heart caving into the sound of it combined with the little smile that touched her lips.

"So, keep your money," Ted tried to bring the joking back as he cleared his throat. "Because those same men will kick my arse if you don't."

"That I might pay to see." Vic laughed and put her foot out to tap his.

"So cruel," Ted shook his head.

Then their dinner arrived and Ted was grateful for the interruption. He was quickly finding himself falling fast with Vic and he didn't want to stop himself. This woman was everything he'd ever looked for and he just felt in sync with her. It was easy, too easy. So easy that he was already having to stop himself from reaching out to touch her. She wasn't his. She had a boyfriend. He needed to back off. He needed to stop.

But he didn't. He justified it by telling himself that this opportunity to grow their division into its own operation was too good to pass up. And Vic deserved this. She deserved to see how far she could go. To see that Ron trusted her more than she probably understood. And if he could give her that, well, it would be worth holding himself back, mostly.

"Alright, I'm going to have to roll myself out of here." Vic moved what was left of her food to the fridge. "Let's get started and you can teach me all those things I need to know to help run a start-up."

Ted grinned and put the rest of his food in the fridge with hers.

"Good idea, the sooner we start the better, you don't want to be driving home in the dark." Ted teased.

Vic blushed, "Well, I go home to my parents' so I'd prefer it after dark. Then most everyone is asleep."

"Alright then, I'll make sure to go into great depth and detail to make sure you aren't leaving here until well after sunset. Then you can pretend you bought your childhood home and live alone with your cat."

Vic scoffed, "Do I look like a woman who would own a cat?"

Ted nodded, "Oh yes, you have the crazy cat lady vibe going for you."

Vic threw a napkin at him, "I hate you."

"How can you hate me? You've known me for less than 72 hours." Ted threw the napkin back at her.

"You just called me a crazy cat lady!"

"No, I said you had the vibe for it," Ted kicked her foot from under the card table. "I'm sure you'll not end up alone without anyone to fill the companionship void but a cat."

"You don't like cats?" Vic kicked his foot back.

"Cats are alright, but I'm not much of a pet person. I like Uncle Sirius' dog well enough, but pets seem like a lot of work for a lot of feedback that doesn't appeal to me. I don't find joy in sitting with a dog or a cat. And I don't really like watching anything you'd keep in an atrium."

"Do you want kids then? Or are they like pets?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ted laughed. "Having kids is completely different than having pets. Kids are little humans that you get to help grow and here's the best part, kids ultimately can handle their bowel movements without any help from me."

Vic's laughter came bursting out of her and Ted couldn't help but admire the way she looked so happy.

"But, yeah, I'm looking forward to being a dad." He rubbed the back of his neck to keep his hand from reaching across the table for her.

Vic's smile went just a touch sad and Ted frowned.

"Hey, you alright?"

She sighed, "Yeah, just wish more blokes were like you."

Ted's heart flipped in his chest.

"But that's neither here nor there," Vic pulled her notepad to her. "Let's get down to business."

Ted blinked, "Er, right."

Ted moved to retrieve his notebook and felt a small smile tug at his lips. Because Vic said she wished more guys were like him, and Ted hoped the underlying message was she wished Sean were like him. Or maybe that he was in Sean's place.

He was so screwed.

[maliby]

Aperture (M) | kth

↬ Pairing: fan/photographer!Taehyung x idol!Reader ↬ Story Genre:smut, slowburn ↬ Warnings in this chapter: explicit language, explicit sex scene, spanking, hair pulling, biting. ↬ Word count: 9.6K ↬ Summary: You met Taehyung at a fansign and you knew right away that he was trouble, are you willing to risk it all for a fan?

It has been 3 years since you debuted in a 4 member girl group along with Bo, Serena and Nari. The group is called Aperture, the name being taken from the ‘aperture’ - the part of a camera where the light passes through to capture the picture. That particular name was chosen because you wished to act like an ‘aperture’ to your fans and capture all the moments in life in your songs, letting your fans relate to you through their experiences.

You were the lead rapper, lead dancer and the oldest of the group. Bo was the leader, main vocal and visual of the group due to her big puppy eyes and pouty lips, Serena was the lead vocal and main dancer, and Nari was the maknae and main rapper.

Your group had had a rough beginning (due to not having that much success) but that all changed with the last album you had released - ‘Light and Dark’. The album had darker and more seductive tones than your previous girly concepts, your group and your company feeling like you should change up all your concepts to try and catch the eye of the public.

The title track for this album was called ‘Boudoir’, which is a lady’s bedroom but can also be a type of photography to value feminine beauty, usually done in said bedroom. The song basically talks about how women should value their beauty and shouldn’t be scared of being sexy.

The MV was one of the most daring ever made in the kpop world. It had 6 different scenes: 1 individual scene for each member, and 2 choreo shots. Serena was in a bathtub with pink water, Nari was laying on a black fluffy rug, Bo was sitting on a red couch and you were on a bed with red silk sheets and wearing black lacy lingerie. The choreo shots were filmed in 2 different sets: one where fake rain would pour on you guys, and the other with lots of fire surrounding you.

You liked the change of direction your group took, but you were a little scared that people would find your whole new concept too much, however to your surprise your popularity skyrocketed. You even managed to get your first win on music show programs, along with 2 other wins.

The demand for your group started to get bigger and bigger, with variety shows, fan signs and events and even your very first big concert in Seoul. You and your members were so excited that day that you even cried during the concert, making your makeup artist very angry.

After having that first concert in a big venue your fan signs also moved to bigger venues, due to bigger demand. It was at one of those fansigns that you first saw him - Taehyung. You were the last member in the line and you were busy signing the album of a very sweet girl when Nari, who was right next to you, whispered in your ear: “look at the hottie that’s about to come in.” You looked at the line of fans and saw him standing there, waiting for his turn to meet you guys. When your eyes met his you felt like he had stolen all the air in the room from you. His dark chocolate eyes connected with yours, pulling you in, his light brown fluffy hair making you want to run your fingers through it, the chest peeking through his white unbuttoned shirt making you want to commit the sweetest sin of them all. You had a personal rule of not dating fans but he was so mouthwatering that he seriously made you want to break every rule in existence.

“Eonnie I love you so much, you’re my bias! Can you please sign my album?” The voice of one of your fans said, waking you up from whatever trance state he had put you in.

“Of course sweetie, what’s your name?” You tried to give her your whole attention, but you couldn’t help but glance at him as he made his way to your bandmate Bo, the first in the line.

“Minji.”

As you signed your photocard and all of your photos from the photo album for Minji, you couldn’t help but feel an extra pair of eyes staring at you. Fans came and went yet the only thing you could focus on was the growing tension as he got closer to you.

He was now in front of Nari (who was right next to you), you knew because not only were you taking a peek every once in a while but also because Nari made sure to warn you by insistently tapping your leg under the table.

You couldn’t help but feel bad for the fan you were currently with because you couldn’t pay attention to her once so ever. It was like you were acting on auto-pilot: your exterior was smiling and talking to her, but your brain just kept reminding you of how close to you he was, making you look even more forward to talk to him.

“Bye sweetie, good luck on your exams!” You said your goodbyes to your fan and drank a little water to refresh your body as you waited for Nari to finish signing his album. When she said her goodbyes to him and he made his way to you you felt your heart beating a little faster, the moment you had been waiting for for the past 10 minutes finally arriving.

“Hi.” His deep voice made you curse at the heavens for making this much more harder for you. How was it fair for him to look like that and, on top of that, have that panty-melter voice?

“Hi! What’s your name?” You were smiling so much your cheeks were starting to hurt.

“I’m Taehyung,” he said smoothly as he gave you his album for you to sign.

“Hi Taehyung! I’m Y/N,” as soon as you realised what you had just said it was already too late, he was already laughing and your cheeks were already burning in embarrassment.

“I know, you’re my bias.”

If your cheeks were red before then now they must be like a tomato. You hadn’t even thought of who his bias was, but now that he made sure to tell you you were his favourite you couldn’t contain your excitement.

“Thank you so much for choosing me as your bias Taehyung,” you said as you signed his album.

“Well, if I’m being honest I didn’t choose you. You were the one who stole my attention and I had no chance but to give it to you.” His tone now was different, a touch of darkness lacing his words.

You didn’t know how to respond to him, so you simply chuckled and looked back to his album, making sure you were signing the right place.

“If you don’t mind I wanted you to sign two more things,” he added.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well, one is your photocard and the other is a photo I took of you at your concert,” he said as he reached for his back pocket for the photos.

“You took a photo of me? Oh, let me see!” You didn’t know what you were expecting, but when he showed you the photo and you saw its level of quality you were completely shook. Not only was it obvious that he had used a very high-quality camera, but the pose he had captured you in, was a very intimate one. You knew that your choreo was very erotic, and truth be told, when you were on stage and the music was on you just felt so sexy that you’d completely let go, but seeing one of those moments where you were crouching on the floor with your legs open, hands running up your body and head tilt backwards captured by him made you feel like he had seen you naked - not that you would’ve minded.

“It’s one of my favourite photos of you, you look so free, empowered and sexy like there’s no one else on that stage.” When you were finally able to take your eyes away from the photo and look at him you swore you could feel your panties getting wet; he had this dominating stare like he wished for nothing more than to take you right there and then despite the sea of people present.

“T-this is a great photo Taehyung, are you a professional photographer?” You tried to distract yourself from his presence by continuing to sign his stuff, but you feared there was no going back now.

“Well, I’m a freelance photographer and I have my own website, but I also like to take photos of things that captivate me during my free time, and that’s how I started a fan page of you.”

“You have a fan page of me? What’s it called?” You had thought he was just a casual fan, but the fact that he had a fan page of you where he posted all the photos he took of you told you that there was a very high chance that you would see him again.

“y/nmymuse.”

Your heart beat faster once more as the words ‘my muse’ ringed in your head. All you could do was look at that stupid handsome smirk he had on his face while you sat there speechless.

“Y/N, I know he is super hot but you need to hurry up, you’re holding up the line,” Nari said in a hushed tone so only you could hear.

“Sorry Taehyung, but we need to move along because the line is getting big,” you picked up his signed belongings and handed them to him, “thanks for liking me so much and taking wonderful pictures of me.”

“You deserve all the attention in the world.” When you thought he couldn’t make you blush any further, he took your right hand and pressed his soft lips to it. “Until we meet again,” and that’s when he turned around and left, leaving you completely dumbfounded.

“What was that?” Nari whispered in your ear. “We’ll talk after the fan sign, now it’s best if you get back to signing or the manager is gonna be pissed at you eonnie.”

It had been a month since you’d seen Taehyung in person. You felt like he was plaguing your mind, every time you had a schedule with fans you hoped he would be there, but much to your disappointment he never showed.

After that fansign, you went searching for his fan page and weren’t that surprised to see that he had thousands of followers. The photos he shared on his page though weren’t as provocative as the one he had asked you to sign which, may you add, you couldn’t find anywhere, making you wonder if he had grown to dislike the photo.

You found that his page was like a dark hole that you couldn’t really get out of; you found yourself scrolling for hours watching his photos and reading his descriptions: ‘she looked like an angel in that white dress’, ‘the way she is smiling brightens up my day’, ‘the most beautiful girl in the world’, and so on. It got to the point where your members had to take away your phone and send you to sleep.

You wondered several times if you should send him a private message but the thought that someone might read it or that he might spread it around and start a rumour scared you to no end. The truth of the matter was that you didn’t know him and you couldn’t risk your career and your member’s careers like that, it was too dangerous.

Aperture was getting ready to have your first Asia Tour with 4 big concerts: Seoul, Bangkok, Manila and Tokyo. You were so excited about your first big tour but also a bit scared; would people come to your concerts? Would people from other countries also love you? These were the kind of thoughts that kept plaguing your mind, but there was another that kept popping up every once in a while. Was Taehyung gonna come? Would you be able to spot him in a crowd? To be honest, you didn’t expect him to follow you around for the whole tour, you just wished he would come to the Seoul concert.

Thankfully for you, you didn’t have a lot of time to let those thoughts consume you, not with the amount of time you’ve been spending on practising and getting everything as perfect as you can.

“Girls are you all ready?”, one of the staff said as you were all fixing up your mics to go on stage and kick off your tour.

“Yes,” your leader Bo said as she turned to all of you and put her arms around yours and Nari’s shoulders, signalling all of you to form a circle. “Okay girls, this is our first stop in the tour and I just want to say how proud I am of us for getting here. I know you are going to do great because I saw how hard you all practised and how bad you want to give a good performance for our fans, but remember that if you end up failing it’s okay, mistakes happen to the best of the best; just remember to get back on your feet and keep the show going, and remember that I love all of you. Ready? 1,2,3, Aperture!” You all joined her on your chant and group hugged before you went on stage to the roaring crowd.

The concert went by in a flash. When you noticed it, you were already on your last song (which was a party song to get everyone moving) and you were walking around the stage to greet as many fans as possible.

You had already searched the crowd to see if you could find Taehyung but had failed to do so. Thinking he had missed this concert you stopped your searches and fully focused on your performances. Since you had given up on the idea of seeing him tonight the feeling of surprise that came over you when you spotted him in the crowd with a smile on his face and his camera pointed at you was immense.

You had just finished giving a concert to thousands of people, yet you suddenly felt shy just by noticing his presence. You smiled at him, you couldn’t help it, he was just so damn...ugh, you couldn’t even explain it, he just brought all these feelings to the surface.

You noticed you had probably been staring at him for a long time now so, wanting to avoid the suspicion of fans and the rise of rumours, you quickly waved in his general direction and moved along waving to other fans before you and your group said your goodbyes, thanked the fans and left the stage.

After the concert, you had a hi-touch event with the fans which you were so excited for because you wanted to see him again, even if it was for just a few seconds. For you, it felt like the roles were reversed like he was the idol and you were the fan wanting to have a chance to be close to him and touch him.

You stood in line with your members, plastered a smile on your face and stuck your hand out to greet the fans passing by. You were the first one in line this time, eager to be the first one to greet him.

Faces started to blur together as time went by, fan after fan after fan but there was no sign of him. As soon as you thought he wasn’t going to show up your eyes met with his and time seemed to stop.

“Hello,” his voice was as deep as you had remembered.

When his hand touched yours you felt a tingling sensation that dissipated up your arm and made your heart beat faster.

“Hi,” you managed to respond before he was being pushed by the fan behind him.

You tried your best to give all of your attention to your other fans, but you just couldn’t help but exchange glances with him until he eventually was out of the room.

The faces of the fans passing by you started once more blending all together. You became so lost in thought that if one of the fans was naked you probably wouldn’t even notice it.

When the event was over and you got home you went to take a shower and went to bed; as you snuggled in the comfort of your blankets you took your phone and went to check if he had already uploaded any new photos to his fansite. The website had no new updates, so you kept on refreshing it until, eventually, the photos started to appear. His usual comments had you already smiling like a fool, but there was one photo that caught your attention: it was a photo of the moment you noticed him and were looking straight at him with a smile on your face. When you looked at his comment though, that’s when your heart completely stopped: ‘All the stars in the sky are nothing compared to the ones in your eyes.’

You read that sentence over and over and it never felt like you’ve had enough, your heart feeling warm with the joy. Were you crossing into dangerous territory? Was this crush you were developing good for you or your career? Yes, he was hot as fuck but you knew nothing about him. What if he was a sasaeng? What if he was going to hurt you or take advantage of you in some way? The truth was you had no way of knowing without going closer to him and finding out, the question was: were you willing to take the risk?

The second stop on your tour was Bangkok, in Thailand. This was your first time in Thailand (in fact it was your first time anywhere besides South Korea) and you were so happy to be able to share the experience with your members and fans but one part of you kept thinking about Taehyung. You wished you could see him at the concert but you were conscious that he probably couldn’t afford it.

You spent your entire concert looking out for him but to no avail. You even thought that maybe, just maybe, he’d be at the hi-touch event but it seemed like luck wasn’t on your side.

“Eonnie are you alright? You didn’t seem well during the concert today,” your leader and roommate Bo asked as you both went to your shared hotel room.

“I’m sorry Bo…” the first thing you did as you entered the room was to sit on the bed and check his fansite to see if, by any chance, he had really come but couldn’t afford the hi-touch, but the lack of new updates confirmed his absence.

“You know you can talk to me,” she sat next to you and rubbed your back in a comforting manner. You knew she wasn’t just talking as the leader that is worried about how your disposition may affect your performance and, consequently, the group’s performance but also as your friend and ‘mom of the group’ that is concerned about your well being.

“You remember that guy from the fansign before the tour that kissed my hand?” You locked your phone and threw it to the fluffy pillows that decorated your bed.

“That extremely attractive one? Yeah, how could I forget?” She had a dreamy expression on her face as she remembered his very attractive features before realization dawned on her, “wait, you’re not messing around with him, are you? Did he hurt you?”

“No,” you chuckled at the way she had rolled up her sleeves like she was ready to kick some ass. “It’s complicated...at the fansign he told me that he had a fansite dedicated to me where he posted pictures of me, so I started stalking him and reading everything he wrote about me and I kind of developed a crush on him.

I saw him at the concert in Seoul and then at the Hi-Touch, and then I kept thinking that maybe he would be here today, even though I know it would be highly unlikely, but still…” you looked down at your hands, a little scared of looking at her reaction. You knew she would always support you, but you also knew that this situation was dangerous.

“Eonnie, I know this is complicated for you and I totally trust your judgement and know that you would never do anything to put our carriers on the line, but you need to be careful.” Her voice was soft like she was talking to you with all the care in the world.

“I know Bo...I know the risk...but he doesn’t seem like the type.”

“Well, he wasn’t here tonight so I guess he’s clear of the sasaeng title,” she joked, trying to cheer you up.

“Fuuuuuck, why does he have to be so freaking hot? Like, he could be a fucking idol with those looks. I bet he could sing like a goat and people would still buy his albums,” you sighed loudly and let your upper body fall on the bed.

“Oh sis, you got it bad,” she rubbed your knee noticing the level of despair you were in.

“You have no idea.”

“Well we have 2 options here: either he makes you go crazy or you can make him go crazy, if you know what I mean,” the way she was wiggling her eyebrows let you know exactly what she had meant.

“That’s great and all, but how do you suggest I do that? I can’t give him my phone number nor can I DM him ‘cause it might somehow go public.”

“Hmm...maybe you could share one of his photos on our Twitter and thank him. That would show him that you are paying attention to him and maybe things will unfold from there.”

“That is a great idea actually! Thanks, Bo!” You got up and pressed your lips on her chubby cheeks.

“You’re welcome. Now go and take a shower, you stink!” She pinched her nose and frowned her face in disgust.

“Alright my leader,” you saluted her as if you were a mere soldier taking her orders.

You thought long hard about the photo situation, should you just log on to your group Twitter account right now and share his photo? Or should you wait for a time where he comes to the concert again? On one hand, if you waited for him to post new photos of the concert it would look less suspicious because you would be sharing new photos, but on the other hand, you didn’t know when he was going to go to a concert again and you might lose the moment.

“Fuck it,” a sudden wave of courage passed through your body and made you just grab the phone and take action. You went to his page and saved the picture where you were looking straight at him and smiling, then went to your group’s Twitter page and posted it.

Aperture @aperture_official I’m in love with this photo from our concert in Seoul! Thank you so much @y/nmymuse <3 #Y/N #Iloveitsomuch #Ihavethebestfans

Bo was already sleeping in the bed next to yours, but you just couldn’t fall asleep. Your mind kept spinning around wondering if he had seen the post or replied to it, and you knew that you wouldn’t be able to sleep until you checked your phone again, so you took your phone from the charger and logged on to Twitter, went to his page and checked if he had responded. When you spotted his username right at the top of the responses you felt a wave of happiness washing over you.

Y/N is my muse @y/nmymuse @aperture_official thank you for being my inspiration, I wish I could take pictures of you all day.

Your heart was beating frantically while your mind ran wild with thoughts of him photographing you; it all started with simple and innocent photographs he would take of you at concerts and then suddenly you were both alone in a hotel room and he was photographing you in lingerie doing inappropriate poses.

The scenario created by your mind was making you hot all over and soon enough your hand was travelling south and slipping under your underwear. You looked to the side and called for your roommate to check if she was still sleeping, when you got nothing but snoring as an answer you started rubbing your clit.

The pleasure emanating from between your legs only served to fuel your fantasy further: you both were now completely nude and he was on top of you leaving kisses all over. You were starting to pant now, a soft ‘Taehyung’ leaving your lips, so you turned on your belly and muffled your mouth with your pillow so to not wake up Bo.

Your imagination grew wilder and wilder having Taehyung do all kinds of dirty things to you, but it wasn’t until he bottomed out inside of you completely raw that you dipped your fingers inside of you, a pool of arousal leaking out.

Your fingers were nothing compared to the real deal, you could only imagine, but this was all you had right now. You wanted to feel his lips, you wanted to feel his touch, you wanted to feel his hard cock inside you, you wanted to hear him say your name, fuck you wanted all of that and so much.

The pleasure was building up, and soon enough you were cumming so hard that you had to bite down your pillow so Bo wouldn’t wake up.

As soon as your heart calmed down you got up and went to the bathroom to clean yourself up. You looked in the mirror and saw how much of a mess you were in: your hair was all over the place, your nipples were poking through your shirt and your panties were completely soaked. If Taehyung hadn’t even laid a finger on you and you looked like this, how the hell would you look if he had? All you knew was that you just had to have a taste of him and you weren’t going to give up until you did.

The third stop of your tour was in Manilla, in the Philippines. You weren’t expecting him to be here, since he hadn’t gone to your concert in Bangkok, but you had decided that you weren’t gonna let that bring you down - you were gonna go on that stage and give the best you could to your fans.

For the tour, all the four members had created a solo stage (yours was dancing to a choreo you made for the song ‘Partition’ from Beyoncé) which allowed the other members to rest a bit in between and get ready for other performances.

As Serena was on stage doing her cover of ‘Love On The Brain’ by Rihanna you and your members got your makeup touched up, Bo and Nari for your group performance later on and you for your solo stage, which was the last of the four solos.

“Eonnie you won’t guess who I saw in the crowd during my stage,” Nari grabbed your arm to get your attention.

“Who?” You were genuinely curious, as you were in a foreign country and didn’t know anyone there and neither did she.

“That hot guy from the fansign. What was his name?”

“Taehyung,” Bo responded, a smirk splattered all over her face.

“Oh my god, are you sure that was him? How do you even remember his face?” Your makeup artist had finished working on you, so you got near the maknae as if pressuring her to answer faster.

“Eonnie, you think I’d forget a face like that? Absolutely no way.”

“Where was he? I didn’t see him during our group performances.” You were going to perform as soon as Serena was done, so you wanted to know his exact location so you could give him the best show possible.

“You know that bald security guy? He’s right next to him, in the first rows. He’s wearing a black shirt.” Her makeup artist had also finished working on her, so she went to sit on the couch next to Bo who was also all ready.

“Oooooh I know that look on your face eonnie, you’re going to give him a special show?” Bo said in a teasing tone, her eyebrows wiggling.

“I’m offended that you think I’d have favourite fans. I love all my fans the same and I give my best performance every time for all of them,” you placed your hand on your chest to give a dramatic effect to your statement.

“Mhmm,” Nari and Bo hummed in unison. “I’ll just pretend like you don’t want to give him a lap dance,” Bo added, as she flipped through a magazine.

“Y/N-ssi, you’re up in 1 minute,” a member from the staff who came in a rush to get you said.

“Girls, keep your eyes on the screen and watch how eonnie does it,” you flipped your hair and turned to leave for the stage.

“Make him drool eonnie!” Bo yelled just before you left the room.

“Make who drool?” Serena asked when she joined you all backstage, the staff immediately running to her to change her clothes and fix her hair and makeup.

“Nothing baby, see you later girls!” You blew a kiss to your members and made your way to the stage.

The choreo started with you sitting on a chair with your back to the crowd and the stage in total darkness. When the lights came back on you got off from the chair and turned to the audience, you couldn’t spot him at first but when your choreo required you to move a little bit forward to the edge of the stage you almost instantly locked eyes with him.

The choreo had become like second nature to you at this point and you were glad for it because if you had to rely on memory with him looking at you like that you’d completely embarrass yourself on stage.

You were moving your body with precision, throwing the sexiest expressions you could make and exaggerating the already sexy moves. You wanted to impress him; you knew that he was your fan, and therefore liked you, but you wanted to go that extra mile, you wanted to make him go absolutely crazy.

Right now it was like there was no one else at the venue, it was just you and him. He was down there admiring you and capturing your movements and you were up on the stage casting your spell of seduction.

You were so involved in the moment that you even decided to end the choreo a little different from the usual: you turned your back to him and did a middle split, looking back to look at him while biting your lip. He went completely crazy - you knew this because not only were his hands clutching his camera harder but he was also biting his lower lip so strongly that you thought he might start bleeding.

You couldn’t wait to see the pictures he had taken just now but more importantly, you couldn’t wait to read what he had to say about them. You could only imagine the type of thirsty ass comments he’d have to give you, and they were already making you hot and bothered.

Needless to say, you were on fire for the rest of the concert, his presence alone was giving you so much energy that you were making all of your fans scream loudly.

“Y/N what the hell has gotten into you today? Whatever it is, keep it up, you completely brought the house down tonight!” Your manager joined you backstage as you were getting ready for the hi-touch.

“Nothing has gotten into her...yet,” Bo said low enough so only you and she could hear it. Her teasing statement earning her a smack on the arm by you.

“Shut up Bo!” You whispered back to her as your manager turned around to get a bottle of water.

“Well girls, it’s time for the hi-touch. Come on, come on, I want big smiles on those faces!” Your manager was now gathering you all on a line and pushing you to go meet your fans.

When you got there you saw that the line was already formed, and after taking a better look you saw him standing like 10 people in. Suddenly you were nervous as all these crazy scenarios that would never happen crossed your mind.

“There’s your boyfriend eonnie,” Nari whispered as you all stuck out your hands to start greeting your fans.

“Yeah, I see him.” This time you were the last in line so you would have to wait a tiny bit more to touch him.

Since he was fairly in front of the line it wasn’t long until he was passing by your members and making his way to you. Anticipation was building and your heart only beat faster as the distance between you shortened.

The soft touch of his hands was a big contrast to the hard and intense look he had on his face. You wanted to talk to him but you couldn’t even say that simple ‘hello’ you were so used to saying to your fans at these events. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife; you could actually feel electricity being conducted from his body to yours, it was all so intense that you wondered if anyone else could feel it.

“See you in Tokyo,” he said right before he turned around and left, giving you no time to process his words.

You were left stunned, your brain spinning around with possibilities. He was going to go to Tokyo, there was no question about that, but the way he said it, with his deep and lustful voice, made you think that something else was going to happen. You didn’t know exactly what, but you knew that it was going to be fucking amazing.

As soon as you entered your shared hotel room with Bo you dropped your bag on the floor and sat at the edge of the bed, instantly pulling out your phone from the pocket of your jacket to go check out Taehyung’s page.

“Did he upload anything yet?” Bo said as she sat right next to you. She was so excited that she spent the whole car ride to the hotel telling you all about how he kept looking at you during your final performances and even when he was high-fiving all the other members in the hi-touch.

“Wait…” you opened up Twitter and clicked the search bar but you didn’t even need to type because Twitter immediately suggested his page due to you searching him so much. When you opened his page the pictures were already there, but the ones from your special improv from your solo stage were nowhere to be seen. “Huh, he didn’t post them…”

“Post what eonnie?”

“That improv move I did during my solo, I was sure he was taking pictures but he didn’t post them. Maybe they were crap?” You were feeling a bit down because you were so fucking excited to read his thoughts on the view you had provided him (and all the other people) but he didn’t publish the photos.

“Sweetie, I can guarantee you that even the lowest quality photo of that pose you did is high quality for anyone, especially him,” she started rubbing soothing circles on your back to make you feel better.

“Then why didn’t he post them?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself in Tokyo?” Bo winked at you as if her question wasn’t on the nose enough.

“What?”

“Listen, this guy has been after you since he brought his sexy ass to that fan sign. He came all the way to Manilla after you posted his picture of you and now he made sure to tell you that he was also going to be in Tokyo. Now, you, him and I all know that after Tokyo it’s going to be a while before you’ll be able to see him like this so you’re gonna have to do something if you want him.”

She was right, you had to do something. You knew it was a difficult situation but you just had to try, you just had to have him. “You’re right. But what should I do? It’s not like I can stand on that stage and say ‘Taehyung if you wanna tap this come backstage’.”

“Don’t worry eonnie, I have a plan.”

You had always dreamed of going to Tokyo since you were a little girl; you wanted to go eat sushi, see the cherry blossoms and watch the view from the Tokyo Tower but now you had another thing to add to your list: be with Taehyung.

Bo refused to tell you what her plan for you and Taehyung was, a fact that scared the hell out of you because who knew what the hell she was cooking? The only thing she told you was to do your thing normally and she would take care of the rest. So you did as she said and performed as usual, always paying attention to Taehyun in the crowd.

Now, you were standing in the line for the hi-touch and you were feeling nervous. This was probably the last chance you were going to have to get to him, so whatever plan Bo had come up with she’d have to do it now.

You turned to your left to look at Bo and see if she’d tell you anything that would ease your mind. She saw your worried face and grabbed your arm to calm you down, “don’t worry eonnie, everything is in motion. Just stand there looking pretty and don’t let him leave right away.”

“What?” Before she could explain what she meant the line of fans started moving forward and you all stuck your hands out for them to greet.

This time Taehyung only showed up about halfway through the event, making you a bit nervous and wondering if he’d show up or not. Once again you were the last one in line, the order being Nari, Serena, Bo and you, so when he greeted Nari Bo turned to you and winked.

When he got to you he fully stopped, a smile grew on his lips and a look a full adoration was shown as he stared right at you. Before he could say anything you heard screaming from your left and noticed that Serena had fallen to the floor.

“Oh my god, Serena are you okay?”

A crowd of people was starting to form around her, all of them wanting to know if she was alright but as soon as you got closer to her you felt Bo grab your arm.

“Give this to him,” she said in a hushed voice so only you and she could hear. When you looked down you noticed that there was a piece of folded paper in her hand.

“What? But Serena-”

“Serena is fine, she’s faking it so you have an opportunity to bang him.”

“Oh, okay...What is this then?” You opened up the paper and saw an address written down.

“It’s the hotel room where you’re gonna meet in, now give that to him before I kick your ass.”

Bo might be a sweet person, but if she threatened to kick your ass she’d most definitely do it, so you got near Taehyung (who was also checking to see if Serena was okay) and discreetly handed him the piece of paper.

“What’s this?” He did as you had previously and unfolded the piece of paper, reading what was on it.

“Meet me there at 11 PM.” The smirk on his lips made you want to just grab his hand and run away with him to the hotel room. “Oh, and bring your camera,” you suddenly remembered the fantasy you had the other night and you just couldn’t let the opportunity pass.

“See you there then.” Everything about him right now was full of sinful promises: his smile, his voice, his eyes, his scent - everything.

“See ya.” You were completely spellbound by him, even as you stood there watching him leave. You just kept imagining everything you wanted to do to him and everything you wanted him to do to you.

Your schedules were over at 9 PM, so that gave you enough time to take a shower and go buy some condoms and some fancy lingerie (because you had to show him the best).

You arrived at the suite Bo had booked for you about half an hour before the time you had told Taehyung to set everything up; this could very well just be a one-time thing, but damn it did you want it to be fucking perfect.

The suite was breathtaking: it was located on the 48th floor so it had a beautiful panoramic view of the city, including the Tokyo Tower, which you could easily see due to the big ass windows that went from the roof to the floor; it had a white king size bed that was on top of a black platform; it had a big living room right next to the bedroom, separated by traditional white Shoji doors and a bathroom that had a big ass bathtub. Bo must have spent a fortune just so you could get laid in style and you made a mental note to give her a nice thank you gift.

You were feeling nervous. You thought of a hundred possibilities of how everything would go down but all the thinking was just making you more stressed, so you decided to open up the bottle of wine you had brought in your bag and watch some TV in the living room to distract yourself until he arrived.

It wasn’t long until you heard the knock on the door - your heart beating hard with excitement. You turned off the TV, checked yourself up on the big mirror behind the sofa, adjusting the cleavage on your tight black dress, and made your way to the door.

When you opened the door and looked at him you felt like there was no more air left in the room for you to breathe. His soft hair was a bit messy like he had been running his fingers through it in nervousness but he looked so confident and assured like he was coming to get what he wanted and no one could stop him.

“Hi,” he said first, making the usual butterflies his voice made you feel appear in your stomach.

“Hi,” it was hard for you to respond since you were so distracted admiring the bit of skin he had exposed by unbuttoning 3 buttons off of his white dress shirt.

“I brought wine, but I see you’re already served,” he lifted the hand that was carrying the bottle showing you said bottle.

“I see we both thought of the same thing.” You noticed he was checking your body out and that made you 10 times more confident.

“Yeah, we did.” Silence filled the air as tension grew and you looked at each other.

“Come on in Taehyung,” you finally said.

You locked the door, just to be sure, and went to meet him in the living room where he was putting the bottle of wine and a black bag that, incredibly enough, you only noticed he was wearing until now.

“What’s that?” You asked while pointing at the bag.

“It’s the camera you asked me to bring.” He started to unzip the bag and remove his Canon that you were so used to seeing him with. For a moment you had totally forgotten you had requested him that so when he mentioned it the plans you had made for tonight immediately surfaced in your head.

“And what’s that?” You pointed inside the bag, noticing another camera inside.

“Oh, it’s a Polaroid camera I brought just in case, girls always like those ones.” He took it out and handed it to you. You waited a bit and as soon as he got distracted checking his other camera you took a picture of him, the paper immediately coming out from the machine.

“Hey, that’s not fair. I wasn’t ready!”

“How is that not fair? You take pictures of me all the time and I can’t have a picture of you?” You shook the paper so the photo would reveal faster, and when the image appeared you couldn’t help but stare in adoration.

“Fine, you can have the picture. But only because it’s you.”

Time stopped. Everything stopped. It scared you how much power he was starting to have over you, like one look and he could have you on your knees. One sentence and he’d have you weak. You wanted to kiss him, you wanted to feel his lips pressed against yours and his hands running up your body. You wanted to go all the way, and you wanted to do it now, but you knew that if you gave in to the sweet brown-haired temptation in front of you that you wouldn’t be able to stop and you wouldn’t be able to fulfil your fantasy and give him the surprise you had prepared, so you decided to just get it out of the way.

“Taehyung, the reason why I asked you to bring your camera was because I wanted to give you a little surprise.”

“A surprise?” He was intrigued by your statement, the frowning of his eyebrows making him look extra cute.

“On Twitter, you said you wished you could take pictures of me all day, so…” you placed the Polaroid on top of the table and started to take off your dress so you’d be just in your recently bought lingerie. You kept your eyes on him as he watched you undress - he was totally awestruck admiring your body. “I want you to photograph me, like this.”

Your dress fell to the floor and you stood there in your sexy lingerie like a mannequin on display for him. His eyes were running along every inch of your body and the way he was biting his bottom lip was making you weak, an urgent need to jump on him and claim that lip as your own was emerging from within.

“Are you sure about this?”

The fact that he even asked made you feel much more at ease and erased all the little doubts you had before about pursuing one of your fans.

“Yes.”

“Get on that bed then.”

He didn’t even have to ask you twice, he could command you to go rob a bank with that tone of voice and you would do it - that’s the power he had over you and your body.

At first, he maintained a little distance from you and the poses you were making came off a little shy, but as you looked at him through the lens and started to connect to him you started to get even more daring with your poses.

At some point, you felt like moving things along so you took off your bra and threw it to his feet. His whole body tensed up, his jaw was locked and his eyes burned with an intensity of a thousand suns.

He came closer and closer until he was on top of you with the camera pointing straight down at you. The intimate shots he was taking reminded you of the ones he had taken of you during your solo and never published and you just couldn’t help but ask about them.

“Why did you never publish them?”

“Publish what?”

“The photos you took of my improv during my solo. I did that move just for you and I wanted to see the pictures but you never posted them,” he slowly lowered the camera, allowing you to see him smiling at your confession.

“I didn’t want to post them.”

“Why? Were they bad? Did I not look good?” All the worries you had about those photos suddenly came flooding in.

“What? No.” Seeing your insecurities and doubts taking over he put the camera down on the bed and placed his hand on your cheek in a tender gesture. “You looked absolutely perfect, as you always do.” His face was getting closer to yours and you couldn’t help but admire that face constructed by the Gods up close. “The reason why I didn’t publish those photos was because I didn’t want to share them with anybody else; I wanted to be the only one seeing you like that, I wanted to have you all to myself.”

His words were making all your blood rush down south, wetness starting to ruin the only piece of clothing you had on. “Well...here I am.”

In 2 seconds his lips were on yours and you knew right then and there that you instantly got hooked. It all went so smooth, it seemed like his lips knew every little way yours moved, like you had kissed a thousand times before - only you hadn’t.

Soon enough his boner started pressing down on your abdomen, a sign of his desire for you. His lips started moving lower until they were marking your exposed breasts.

“Taehyung…” you moaned as he sucked on your right nipple while pinching your left one.

“Fuck, my name sounds even better coming out of those lips then I could ever have imagined,” his hand slipped between your bodies and under your panties to tease you even more. “You’re so fucking wet baby, moan my name one more time,” he inserted one of his long fingers inside of you, giving you no choice but to abide to his request.

“Taehyung...”

“You’re so fucking tight, look at that pussy just swallowing my whole finger. You have no idea how many times I beat my cock to your photos,” he added another finger and started pumping harder and harder. “I would imagine how tight you were in real life, how well you would take me,” when you were about to cum he removed his fingers and shoved them in his mouth so he could suck your juices, “hmmm, how sweet you would taste.”

“Taehyung…” you moaned once more, his words acting as gas to your fire.

“What is it baby?” His lips attached once more to your skin, this time taking their sweet sweet time on your neck.

“I want you,” you whined.

“I know baby, I want you too, more than anything, believe me, but first,” he started to strip down naked, freeing his cock from the cotton prison that was his underwear, “I need your pretty lips around my cock. Can you do that for me?”

His hand was on your chin, bringing you closer and closer to his lips.

“Yes,” you kissed him slowly and passionately as you reached for his boner, the contact making him groan.

You turned him around so he was laying down on the bed at your complete mercy. You lowered your head and started giving little kitty licks on tip of his dick, the teasing act making him protest. “Fuck baby, don’t tease.”

You complied and practically swallowed his dick whole, his hands instinctively grabbing you by your hair and pushing you as further down as possible. You were choking and had spit running down your chin, but you were in pure bliss due to the sounds of pleasure he was making.

“Fuck yeah baby, you’re doing so well. Look at you taking all my dick in your mouth like that.”

When you started to feel your lungs burning from the lack of air you emerged back up from between his legs to recuperate your breath and then dived back in, this time to properly suck the shit out of him.

You were so into it, bobbing your head up and down and fondling his balls that you felt like you couldn’t stop. It wasn’t until he grabbed your head to make you stop that you came into your own.

“I’d love to cum in your beautiful mouth, but tonight I really wanna fuck you as soon as possible, and I can’t do that if you keep on sucking me like that.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t control myself,” you said as you wiped the extra spit off of your chin with your hand.

“You make me go crazy on a daily basis, but when you say stuff like that...I just can’t control myself.” He was back to kissing you, but this time it was all more raw and needy.

He turned you around so you were now the one laying on the bed and he was the one on top of you. All of your body was burning with anticipation and you really couldn’t wait any second longer for him to just pound you into the mattress.

“Grab the condoms,” you said in a breathy tone.

He moved to reach the bedside table, where you had placed the condoms previously to his arrival, took out one and placed it on his swollen cock.

He got back on top of you and started rubbing his tip up and down your folds before entering you completely. He looked at you in the eyes as he felt your walls clenching around him, both of you taking in the pleasure caused by each other's bodies.

“Fuck…you feel so good baby,” he started leaving a trail of kisses from your ear to your neck as he slowly moved inside of you.

“Tae-” he didn’t even let you finish moaning his name before he was picking up his speed and almost drilling into you.

“This cunt is mine now, do you understand?” His voice was almost animalistic, like he was truly marking his territory.

“Yes,” you moaned.

“You are mine,” he grabbed your right boob and bit you on your neck.

“Fuck, yes.”

Your answer fueled him even more, his hand immediately reaching for your clit and making you scream.

“Cum,” and like you were obeying his commands you instantly came hard, his name spilling out of your mouth like a mantra.

“You look so beautiful like this, coming undone on my cock,” Taehyung slowed down and helped you ride out your orgasm.

“Now get on your knees and let me see that sexy ass baby,” he said as he removed himself from inside you.

“Yes sir,” you joked as you obeyed, yet again, to one of his commands.

You turned around and got on your knees, sticking your ass up in the air for him (quickly earning yourself a hard spank on the ass).

“I swear you were carved by the gods, look at that ass,” you felt another spank, this time on your other ass cheek, which turned you on so much that you were able to feel your arousal sliding down your pussy. “How much wetter can you become? You’re like a fucking faucet, just spilling those delicious juices for me,” it was then that you felt him spread your ass cheeks and give you a big ass lick from the bottom to the top, making you shiver from the sensitivity of your recent orgasm.

“Ohh fuck…that feels so good.”

He then stuck his fingers back inside of you, pumping them in and out until you were screaming in pleasure once again in your second orgasm of the night.

“Fuck, I think I’m addicted to making you cum.” He stuck his dick back inside of you and, without giving you time to recover, started fucking you at full speed.

You couldn’t even think straight anymore, you were so completely lost in pleasure that the only thing that mattered to you was the good dicking you were getting. “Taehyung I’m not gonna last long.”

Taehyung pulls you by your hair so your bodies could meet and latches his mouth to your neck once more. “You can cum baby, I got you.”

You didn’t last much longer, spiralling down on your third and last orgasm of the night that also triggered Taehyung’s orgasm, the both of you cumming almost in unison.

Both of you fell on the bed panting from the mind-blowing sex you just had. When you opened up your eyes you noticed Taehyung was staring at you with a fond look on his face, “you’re so fucking beautiful,” he said.

“Tae…” you were completely blushing, as if you hadn’t just shared the most intimate moment two people can share.

“It’s true,” he gave you a sweet kiss on the lips and then got up to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up.

You almost instantly fell asleep (the concert you had had and the sex taking a toll on your body) only to be woken up moments later by the sound of a camera taking a picture.

“What are you doing?” You turned around and saw Taehyung with the Polaroid camera in one hand and the photo he had just taken in the other.

“Getting inspired by my muse,” he said with a proud smile on his face.

“Let me see that,” you got up from the bed and took the picture away from him to properly inspect it. You had never seen your ass like this, but you had to admit that it did look pretty good.

“So?”  He asked.

“It’s amazing, maybe we should schedule again to take more,” you said with a teasing tone.

“I’d love that,” he got closer to you and kissed you, his soft lips making your heart race once more, but definitely not for the last time.

[bazypitchandsimonsnow]

Being Simon

Chapter 2: The Present

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff/Angst

Word Count: 9856

Chapter 2/2 (All chapters)

Summary: Simon is back in his own time, but all he can think about is the man from his past.

Read on AO3

AN: Time for some pining!

———————————————

I wake up on Sunday feeling just as shitty as I did Friday night. No amount of comfort food, hitting my punching bag, or mindless TV have helped. And sleeping it off has done jack shit, because all I could dream was Ty’s soft looking black hair and pretty eyes.

I barely know who he is. I don’t even know his bloody last name. Yet I desperately want to see him again. How that’s going to happen is...well, that’s something I haven’t figured out yet. Every time I’ve opened a door, I’ve hoped I would walk into Dr. Margaret’s office. She can time travel and teleport, surely she’ll know something about one guy I talked to. Right? Right...

I throw off my blankets, sitting up and staring out at the London skyline, lit up in violet and gold by the rising sun. I wonder if he’s out there, looking at the same horizon I am. I wonder if he’s working at his mother’s law firm, or if he’s reading forever like he truly wants. I hope it’s the latter. I want him to be happy. Fuck, I can’t stop thinking about him. The urge to see him again is burning in my chest and gut and everywhere. I’ve never felt like this before; so intensely focused on one person. If only I had looked at his bloody number!

“God,” I groan, “I want waffles. At least I can have that.” I get up and stomp to my door. The second I walk through, I stumble onto a cold stone floor, bright lights flooding my vision.

“Nice pants,” Dr. Margaret says. I pull the hem of my shirt over my Monty Python boxers.

“Seriously, why do you always get me at literally the worst times?”

“Not my fault you never have a good time.”

“Oh, fuck off.” I sit heavily on her couch with my arms crossed. “So what happened? You usually do the post-regret session earlier than this.”

“Time is an illusion. Stop stalling. What did you learn?”

I sigh, sinking further into the cushions. “Well, I learned that Agatha and I didn’t just fall apart, I let it fall apart. I put myself and my own stuff before her time and time again. And I’ve done the same with everyone else after Agatha because I refused to see my part in our relationship ending, so I never tried to fix it. I need to actually be present in and put the work into my relationships. That’s the lesson, right?”

Dr. Margaret scoffs and laces her fingers together, elbows on her desk. “What the hell am I here for?”

I shrug with a little smirk. My ego feels way too inflated right now. “Dunno. You got something else to add?”

“Hm.” She leans forward and pins me with her intense eyes. She’s really good at that. “You’re too scared of being alone to end things when they’re not going well. Why you get dumped every time. See that?”

And pop goes my pride. My face heats up, most likely turning an impressive shade of scarlet. I sink into my seat. “Okay, yeah, you’ve got a point there...”

“Simon.” She moves even closer with a kind smile. “Don’t feel bad. Not a bad person. Were alone most of your childhood, don’t want to be alone again. But can’t keep making choices from fear. Have to make them for the right reasons.”

“What are the right reasons, then?”

“Happiness, growth, all that good shite on greeting cards.”

I let out a small laugh. “Okay, I’ll go pick some up at the corner store.”

“Get some ice cream too. Deserve it after such a long regret.” She leans back in her chair, strong arms crossed behind her head. “Maybe give Agatha a call on the way there. Might know something about a raven haired bloke.”

My pulse goes into double time. I lean forward with eyes wide. “Wait, you mean-”

“Have fun.” 

Dr. Margaret nods, and the world spins into a blur of colour around me. Then I'm stumbling through my bedroom door like I haven’t been anywhere at all. Fuck, I hate when she does that. I have to stay against the wall for a few seconds, just until I don’t feel like I’ve been on a bloody tea cup ride for a million years. Part of that might be caused by Dr. Margaret said. My heart is still beating like mad. It’s bruising my fucking rib cage, I swear. Holy shit. Holy shit.

I scramble to grab my phone, half charged on my bedside table. Fourth in my contacts is one Agatha Wellbelove. It’s relieving to see for so many reasons. The phone rings three times, each one making my anxiety ratchet up, until it finally cuts off.

“Hello?” Agatha answers.

“Aggie!” I say a bit too loudly.

“Simon? What are you doing? It’s four in the morning here.”

My stomach sinks. Right. Major events don’t usually change after a regret. “Oh my god, you’re in California. I completely forgot about the time difference, I’m so sorry. I’ll go-”

“It’s alright, I’m already awake now. What’s up?”

“Um...this is going to sound random, but do you remember Ty? Your friend from third year uni?”

“Wow,” she chuckles, “that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

Fuck, that’s not a good sign. “Have you, uh, seen him since uni?”

“A little, but not in awhile. We only had a couple more classes together before exams started. We had drinks a few times after, then I went to California right after graduation and he went to Oxford. Both of us were too busy to keep in touch, I guess.”

“Oh. Okay...” I lay down on my bed, Part of me just wants to curl up under my blankets forever. Another part wants to stuff my face with pastries. (Maybe both.) (Both is good.)

“What’s up with asking about Ty?”

“I dunno. I was just thinking about that time we talked. It just, uh, popped into my head” Because I literally just lived it a couple days ago while in time travel therapy, but I can’t say that. I learned a long time ago that no matter how rationally I explain it, no one will believe me.

“Right, you talked to him after our breakup.”

“Yeah. He helped me a lot. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t still be friends without him. He was nice. In his own weird way.

She laughs quietly. “Yup, sounds like Ty. He acted all haughty but he was such a sweetheart. Wish I had kept more in touch with him more.”

“Me too.” I hug myself, and it helps a little. “Me too.”

“Oh, I think I might still be Facebook friends with him.”

Almost all my despair washes away in an instance and I bolt upright. “Really?!”

“Lemme check.” She makes little contemplative noises through the phone. “Okay, yeah, there he is, Ty Black.”

“Black? That’s his last name?”

“No, he told me he had a crush on Sirius Black and wanted to pretend they were married.”

“Oh...okay.” I start to deflate again. I feel like a leaking balloon. “Does it say anything?”

“Looks like he hasn’t used it in awhile. His last post was a couple of years ago. Says he made partner at a law firm.”

“Does it say which one?”

“No, just that it’s in London. Not surprised, he always wanted to be in the big city.”

I’m grinning ear to ear. He’s in London, my city. He’s here with me. I can find him. “Cool, cool, good to know. Um, anything else you can tell me, Ags? Like his full name?”

“No idea, Si. I actually didn’t know much about him. We spent most of our time gossiping about our classmates or getting shit faced. If I asked him something about his family or past, he’d always change the subject. So I just don’t know.”

I’m not sure how to feel about that. Ty told me things about his family, about his past. But was that because he trusted me instinctively, or because I was just some random bloke who probably wouldn’t remember? Was I convenient? Well, he gave me his number, so he must’ve seen...something in me. Not sure what though. I've never seen much in myself.

“Okay,” I sigh, “makes sense, yeah. Thanks, Agatha.”

“Welcome, and good luck. From what I remember, he was really cute.”

My face turns a bright shade of scarlet. Luckily Agatha can’t tell over the phone. (I think.) “Um, I’m not sure-”

“Please, give me more credit, Simon. I’ve known you for most of your life, I can absolutely tell when you're smitten. Not sure why you’re thinking about him over ten years later, but I support you. I hope it goes well.”

I smile, and I kind of hope she can hear that. “Thanks, Ags.”

“Welcome. Now I’m going to go back to bed. Love you.”

It’s impossible to describe the utter joy and relief I feel at those words. I’ve got Agatha back in my life. Hell, as far as she knows, we never lost touch to begin with. I’m so, so happy.

“Love you too, Ags. Night.”

“Night,” she yawns. The phone clicks off, but I keep grinning. Well, even if I can’t find Ty, this is absolutely a victory. But I’m going to damn well try.

My stomach growls louder than a lion. Waffles first, though. Definitely waffles.

———————————————

“You don’t remember anything about him?” I ask through my mouthful of sweet, delicious fried batter and syrup.

“No, Simon,” Penny sighs. “I don’t remember the guy you mentioned, like, once in the few weeks before our third year exams.”

I grumble. Stupid past me, not saying more. It’s not his fault though. Past versions of me only remember bits and pieces of a regret, just enough so they don’t seem like total weirdos who blacked out and can’t remember a big chunk of time. So it's more like stupid time travel shenanigans.

“Damn, okay. I’ll just keep looking.”

“Are you really going to scour all of London looking for one bloke you met over ten years ago?”

“When you say it like that it sounds stupid.”

“Yeah, it really does.”

“Bye, Penny, got more work to do.”

“Simon-”

I hang up before Penny can talk me out of this. She absolutely will, and I don’t want that right now. I want to find him, no matter how impossible it seems.

First stop is the alumni website, obviously. We went to the same uni, he has to be somewhere in the system. My fingers fly like lightning across the keyboard. No one in the political science or English departments that looks close to him, just a lot of uptight white dudes or hippie looking magazine writers who probably smoke too much weed. None of them have his gorgeous skin or dreamy grey eyes. (God, I want to see those eyes again.)

Next, I try the Oxford law school site. It’s even more impossible to navigate than most uni websites. There aren’t even any pictures of their alumni, just a list of stupidly posh names. Lewison, Pemberly, Grimm, Fairchild, Abbot, Harrington, none of which have a first name resembling Ty. That’s another issue. His name could be a nickname for so many other names. Tyler, Tyson, Tyrell, Tyrone are all possible. (Hope it’s not Tyrone, bloody hell.) Or maybe his name is just Ty, for some reason.

That’s why London 411 is absolutely no help. Apparently there are literally thousands of Ty's living in my city. I narrow it down to people my age, plus or minus a few years and there are still hundreds of Ty’s and Ty adjacents. I groan and rake my fingers through my hair, nails digging into my scalp. Why the fuck didn’t I get his last name? I want to scream at myself but all that would achieve is getting noise complaints from my neighbours.

Eventually, I resort to just straight up Googling. I try everything I can think of. “ty university of manchester,” “ty university of manchester english,” “ty university of manchester politics,” “ty university of manchester english politics,” “ty oxford law,” “ty london lawyer,” “ty london,” “ty sexy hot university of manchester student ashwerhuertjwerh.”

I faceplant my keyboard for longer than I would like to admit. “This is hopeless,” I groan into my table. I lift my head up to the ceiling. “What’s the point of this, Dr. Margaret? Is this some sort of test? Are you trying to give me a bloody ulcer?! Cause the last one is absolutely happening!”

Of course, there’s no answer. I’m not even sure where Dr. Margaret’s office exists relative to myself, or to our reality period. Trying to figure that out makes my brain hurt. I look at the clock, and it’s already seven. Christ, have I really been at this for that long? I should be grading homework like a good teacher. I need to stop. I’m a thirty three year old person, dammit, not a love struck teenager. (Okay maybe I’m both.) I slam my laptop shut and go on a hunt for food.

I heat up some frozen macaroni and take out my munchkins’ worksheets. Okay, these are easy. Math tests are universally understandable and simple most of the time, unlike stupid time travel therapy tests. I shovel bad pasta in my mouth as I fly through grading. 

“Good job, Matt,” I mumble through my shitty food. “Got the formula right.”

This is easy. I can do this. And I’m not thinking about Ty. Not at all. Maybe if I keep telling myself that, it will come true.

———————————————

“Nice job there, Roy,” I say. “You summarized the text wonderfully.”

“Thank you, Mr. Snow.” He beams at me with his gap toothed grin.

“You’re very welcome, bud.” I turn to Sufia, who seems to be stuck on the second question. I get down on her level, making my knees ache in the process. It’s worth it. “Need any help, Sufi?”

She holds up her worksheet to me a little too close. “What’s this word mean?”

I gently push the paper back so I can actually read it. (My vision isn't bad enough for that yet.) “‘Ascend,’ it means going up. For example you can ‘ascend the stairs.’”

Her eyebrows knit together. “Why doesn’t it just say go up then?”

“Well, that involves a longer discussion about poeticism that we’re going to have next week, alright?”

“Okay.” She goes back to the worksheet, sticking her tongue out in concentration. I chuckle under my breath. The strange and hilarious things kids do, gets to me every time.

I wander around the room, helping any kid who needs it and giving suggestions when asked. Teaching is less about telling and more about guiding children. It makes me wish a certain someone would guide me instead of leaving me to suffer for the last week.

I’ve still got nothing on Ty, no matter where and how I search. Everyday my hope gets whittled down bit by bit. I’m this close to giving up. There’s only so many hits one person can take, really.

“Yes, that’s a good point, Maeve, I like where you’re going with that,” I say. “How do you think that fits with our earlier readings?”

Maeve scratches her head with the top of her head with her pencil eraser. “Um...I don’t know...”

I crouch down near her. “Well, is there a way for you to remember? Do you have the books on you?”

“No, but I have something better!” She reaches into her absolutely massive backpack (I’m surprised she doesn’t tip over wearing that thing) and pulls out three notebooks. They’re all labeled with divider tabs. It’s insanely organized for a nine year old. “I keep a lot of notes.”

“Wow, I can see that. You like doing that?”

“Yeah! I keep all my notebooks, I like to read them.”

“Smart plan. Wish I kept-”

My mouth snaps shut. The gears are turning in my head. Creaking and slow, but still turning. I’m flung back to a vague memory of being 24, moving into my current flat from my old uni one, and Penny sorting through my random crap. She stood over a mess of all my uni papers next to my desk. Literal years of collected worksheets and notes that I never got around to throwing away.

“Why the hell do you have all these?” Penny asked.

“I wasn’t sure what I’d need for later classes,” I’d said, “then it all just piled up...”

She shook her head at me. “Well, you can’t keep all of it. Pick some stuff you want to keep and we’ll donate or throw out the rest.”

I nodded, then sat cross legged in front of the anxious student hoard. I tossed all the random papers profs handed out but I never read, along with most of my notebooks. But I remember one moment, a single instance that might change everything, when I decided to keep the notebooks that looked nice. Like the green one with vines on it I used in third year. I always kept it in my book bag. I liked the pocket just inside the front cover.

Holy shit.

“Mr. Snow?”  I’m snapped out of my weird memory trance back to my reality as a teacher who needs to, y’know, teach. I smile down at Maeve.

“Sorry, mate, spaced out a bit there. Anything else you need help with?”

Maeve points to a new question. “What does this mean?”

I explain the question to her as calmly as I can, not showing how I’m simultaneously panicking and ecstatic inside. Like a fireworks display in every lobe of my brain. Holy fucking shit.

———————————————

The second all the munchkins are out the door, so am I. Luckily I’ve been distracting myself from the Ty search by furiously doing all my lesson planning. I’m set for the next week. But all I’m really thinking about is where I put my bloody notebooks.

I slam my door shut, only vaguely wondering what my neighbours would think. My office (really a repurposed storage room) is a huge mess of textbooks and lesson ideas, like a tornado tore through a Michael’s and a college book store. I make it even worse by throwing object around, searching for one stupid thing. I have to have it, I need to have it. It’s my last chance, honestly. Please, universe, let this go right.

Under my Teaching Theory 5th Edition textbook is a pile of old notebooks, including a green one with vines on the cover. I scramble to open it. My heart skips a beat when I feel a piece of paper. Slowly, I pull it out, and gasp under my breath.

023-345-9876 Give me a call sometime, Snow - Ty

I’ve never typed a number so quickly in my life, though I have to keep hitting backspace because my fingers are shaking so much. And I’m even more nervous as I bring the phone to my ear. Fuck, this is so stupid, but I’m not turning back now. The phone rings three times before it finally gets picked up.

“Basilton Pitch,” a smooth, strong, most likely male voice replies. Well, that sort of sounds like him, but wrong name. My stomach sinks a little.

“H-Hi,” I squeak. I clear my throat so I don’t sound like I’m going through fucking puberty again. “Um...”

“Hello? May I help you?”

“Uh, possibly.” I rub the back of my sweaty neck. “I don’t know if you can help me, but I’m looking for someone who gave me this number a long time ago. Do you know a man named Ty?”

There’s a long, extremely awkward pause on the other side. My face gets more and more red each passing millisecond. I’ve really fucked up, haven’t I? I should just hang up-

“No one has called me that in ages,” he says. “Who are you?”

I gasp very audibly. Holy mother of all fuck. It’s him. I’ve found him! “It’s me!” I shout far too loudly. “I-It’s Simon. We met once in uni, after your friend Agatha broke up with me. I’m not sure if you remember-”

“You’re...you’re Simon Snow.”

“Yeah! That’s me! And you’re Ty, the really nice posh gay bloke who was getting his degree in politics and English then went to law school, right?” I’m grinning, I can’t stop grinning.

“Holy shit, it really is you.”

“Yeah, and you’re you!”

He chuckles, and his voice sounds even brighter than it did all those years ago. “Yes, I am. Though I’ll admit, I’m a bit...confused. Not that I’m ungrateful, but I gave you my number over ten years ago, and you’re only calling me now?”

“Um, yeah...” I scratch my blushing face, quickly concocting up a reasonable story that lacks time travel. “I got caught up in exams, then I, uh...kind of lost the notebook where I put your number. I was so pissed at myself for awhile but what could I do, y’know? Then I was, um, going through my old uni stuff today and take a wild guess at what I found.”

“A notebook with an ancient piece of scrap paper.”

“Still pretty smart, huh?”

“Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, but I’ll take the compliment.”

My cheeks are starting to ache from smiling. I don’t mind at all. “Happy to give it, and that you haven’t changed your number in over a decade.”

“Thank God for being loyal to a mobile carrier.”

I’m about to say something else, anything to keep talking to him. But then there’s commotion on the other end of the line, and Ty (Basilton?) moves away from the speaker.

“What?” he says. “Yes, I can take a look at your notes, Vadoma, give me a moment.” His voice becomes louder again. “I’m very sorry, I wish I could keep talking, but I have end of the week work to do.”

My shoulders slump. “Oh, okay.”

“From your area code, I’m guessing you’re in London too, so how about we have coffee tomorrow and catch up? Around noon good?”

“Yes!” My voice squeaks again, fuck. Calm down, Simon. “Yeah, that sounds great. Any suggestions?”

“I know a nice little place in Camden if that’s alright.”

“Yeah! I actually live in Camden.” 

“What a lovely coincidence. I’ll text you the address?”

“That would be amazing.”

“Great, I’ll see you then, Simon.”

“See you.”

The phone clicks off, but it stays by my ear for another long moment. My brain is still playing catch up.

I found him. I actually found him. My stomach is filled to the brim with a thousand butterflies. I’ve never been this excited about...anything, really. How is it that one guy can make me feel like this? I have no clue, but I don’t care. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow so much.

———————————————

My leg won’t stop bouncing. No matter how deeply I breathe or push down, it just keeps jerking around like a hyperactive toddler. I’m somewhere between excited and completely, utterly terrified. What if he doesn’t show up? Worse, what if he does show up and he doesn’t like me anymore? It’s been over ten years, I definitely don’t look like I did when I was 21 anymore. He could be horribly disappointed with 33 year old me, with my dark circles and crow’s feet and only marginally better fashion sense. I would be.

Fuck, he’s going to laugh in my face isn’t he? My leg bounces even more. I stuff the last of my scone in my mouth then wash it down with strong coffee. Unfortunately that does nothing for my anxiety. I’m stewing in so much worry and fear that I don’t notice a shadow over my table until it decides to speak.

“Hello,” the same smooth, strong voice from the phone and from ten years ago says. I look up, and my heart skips more than one beat.

He’s just as beautiful as he was back then, but in a very different way. Same reddish-gold skin, same deep sea grey eyes, same raven black hair. But instead of looking like some preppy statue, he looks, well, human. He’s dressed in a tucked in white button down with a soft floral pattern. His collar is open, the sleeves are rolled up to the elbow, and it’s even wrinkled in some places, but none of that seems to bother him. More astounding, he’s wearing distressed black denim that hugs his legs in all the right places, a thumb casually hooked in one pocket. Never would I have imagined the uptight bloke I met in jeans. His hair reaches all the way to his shoulders now, falling in a lazy wave that softens the sharp lines of his face. His kind smile absolutely helps too. 

This isn’t the same Ty from twelve years ago. This guy is a lot more grown up, and looks so much happier.

“Hello?” he says again. “You there, Snow?”

I shake off the second Ty induced pan-panic of my lifetime. “Uh, yeah. H-Hi, Ty. Oh, wait, you go by Basilton now, right? Or do you like something else?”

He chuckles as he takes his seat across from me. It’s a simple movement yet surprisingly graceful. “Just Baz is fine. It’s less of a mouthful than Basilton.”

“Okay. Hi, Baz.”

“Hello again, Simon. How have you been?”

“Good, good. How about you?”

“Alright. Honestly, I’m still in shock that I’m seeing you again.”

I chuckle and rub my neck nervously. “Yeah, me too. But, uh, you look good. Twelve years later and you’re still stupidly attractive.” My face immediately heats up. “Sorry, that’s weird-”

“I don’t mind. Not at all.” He leans back, arm casually slung over the back of his chair. “You’re still cute as ever, though I am glad your fashion sense has improved.

I must look so ridiculous right now, a thirty three year old man blushing like a smitten schoolboy. How can I help it when he talks like that? “T-Thanks. Your clothes have definitely changed too. What happened to the tweed jacket?”

Baz groans and hangs his head over the back of his chair. I like the way his hair falls. It’s pretty as hell. “Please don’t remind me. God, I don’t even know what I was trying to do back then.”

“Be some posh and professional prat while also being gay as hell?”

His head moves back up and he snaps his long finger and points at me. (I still want to know if he plays piano or not.) “Yes, that sounds right. Conformity and rebellion all at once. I had such insane cognitive dissonance back then, god.” He leans his cheek into his palm, pretty eyes fixed on me. “So what do you do now? Still attacking random men then stealing their cigarettes?”

I chuckle to try to hide my utter embarrassment. “No, but if I remember correctly, you offered me the cigarette.”

“Touche. You still haven’t answered though. What’s your life like?”

I shrug and sigh. “It’s pretty normal. I live in a tiny flat and I alternate between box food and take out, but I’ve got a pretty great job. I teach little kids.”

“So you did end up going into teaching like you wanted?”

“Eventually, yeah. I got sidetracked for...well, until a year ago. But I’ve finally been getting my life together lately. I do my laundry once a week now instead of once a month.”

He laughs, head bending back over the back. It’s so free and open, I’m amazed. “Yes, truly a sign of adulthood, I agree.” Baz sighs and runs his hand through his hair. I like how the black strands fall over his fingers. “I understand being derailed all too well. You should’ve seen me six months ago, I was a train wreck.”

“Really?” It’s hard to imagine Baz as a train wreck. He was so pristine in uni, and even now he still looks absolutely perfect.

“Oh absolutely. I’m humble enough nowadays to admit that you were right, Snow.”

“About what?” I don’t mind being right, but I’m not really used to it.

“About me.” He leans forward, arms crossed and elbows on the table, offering more but still a bit closed off. “All those years ago, you asked why I couldn’t just do what makes me happy. And I said that what I wanted didn’t matter. I had many reasons back then, but in the end they were all bollocks. I learned that the hard way. So, you were right.”

Is it strange that I’m both happy and sad that I was right? It’s absolutely a bittersweet taste on my tongue, like figuring out a lesson about myself from a therapy session. “Well, uh, thanks, I guess. But that sucks. Was the hard way, y’know...really hard? I hope it wasn’t.”

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair again. Honestly, he looks like some romantic hero when he does that. And I didn’t think he could get more attractive. “Well, it wasn’t fun, I can certainly say that. I did what I was supposed to do. Went to Oxford, became a lawyer at the family firm, fought all the cases the way I was supposed to. I kept waiting to not feel like shit every single day, but that never came. Nothing ever got better, and bit by bit small things piled up, completely crushing me. Then, well...” He winces, like someone has kicked them in the shins. “I did something pretty ridiculous.”

My head fills with a flurry of probably insane ideas. I only now realise that I’m leaning a lot closer, entranced and nervous for what Baz has to say. “How ridiculous are we talking?”

“Well,” he bites the corner of his lips (it looks way sexier than it should), “one morning over six months ago, I was looking over my case for the day. Checking notes and arguments, drinking too much coffee alone, smoothing out my suit, the usual. And for some reason, in that moment, a realization hit me; This was going to be the rest of my life. Reading cases, arguing for clients I hated, feeling completely numb all the time. I had been doing all this bollocks for almost ten years, and realistically I would be doing for decades to come. The thought sent me into a terrifying meltdown thanks to years of untreated mental health issues. I didn’t know what to do so I sort of ran away.”

“Ran away?” I chuckle. “In your thirties, I think they usually just call that a vacation.”

“It would have been, if I had told anyone I was leaving and hadn’t stopped answering my phone for weeks.”

My eyes go very, very wide. “Wait, what?!”

“Yeah...” It’s hard to tell in this lighting, but I think Baz’s cheeks turn red. Embarrassment looks cute on him. “After pacing around my flat for hours, I decided to simply leave. Packed a small bag, grabbed my car keys, and just started driving north with no destination in mind. Of course my colleagues started blowing up my mobile, then later my family and friends joined them. I couldn’t bear to answer because I didn’t even fully understand what was going on. I just needed to get far, far away from everything I knew and hated.”

“Where did you go then?”

“To a lot of places,” he sighs. “Mostly bad bars though. I basically drank and danced my way up the British Isle. I think. Honestly, I barely remember that time. It was an alcohol laden haze with brief moments of sober lucidity when I drove. And when I was lucid, I got depressed about my life again so I would drink more that night and pass out.”

“And you did that for how long?” My heart is beating a bit too fast. I know he’s fine, yeah, but still, the worry is eating away at me.

“Only a month,” he says, like that’s in any way a relief. “At the end of September, I stayed at a shitty inn in Scotland. I remember walking down the hall, and the next thing I knew I was in a hospital with my aunt by my side. She equal parts screamed at me and was relieved I was okay. Turned out I had fallen down the stairs while severely hungover like a bad Monty Python skit.”

He laughs, but there’s sadness behind it. Just like his smile over ten years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess.

“Obviously I was fine.” He waves dismissively. “I spent two weeks recovering in the hospital. Which gave me a lot of time to think about myself and my future. By the end, I had decided to take an actual leave of absence from my work to focus on my mental health. And I did. Started therapy, stopped drinking, bought some clothes that weren’t bloody lawyer suits.” I can’t help but giggle. Baz’s smile has no sadness behind it this time.

“So I guess you’re not a lawyer anymore?”

He shakes his head. “Absolutely not. I quit a week after I got back to London, then started applying for book editor jobs.”

I grin wide. I can’t stop grinning. “Reading books forever.”

There’s a lovely glint in his eye. Like someone ripped Polaris from the heavens and put it in the deep sea grey of his eyes. (God the poetry unit is getting to me.) It’s a kind of playful happiness that I really, really like.

“You remember,” he says amused.

“Of course!” He smiles wider, eyebrows raising up. Now it’s my turn to blush like a teenager. I sheepishly rub the back of my neck, thinking of a reason that doesn’t include time travel. Or obsessing over our one conversation for a week. “Well, I-I’ve remembered some stuff. You just kind of, uh, y’know, stuck in my head.”

“Hence why you still called me ten years later.”

“Yeah.” I tilt my head down a bit, uselessly trying to hide how ridiculous I look. “I mean, I’m not really sure why. You were just...really different from anyone I’ve met. You were so, pretty and posh and smart, and at first I found it annoying. But the more we talked I realised you were nice, in your own strange way. And without your help I would have lost Agatha in my life forever. I dunno. You made an impression. You’ve come up in my head from time to time.”

Technically that’s not a lie. By time to time I just mean all the time for days. Though I have a vague feeling, a whisper of a half memory, that past me may have thought about Baz too. Some things always stick post-time travel no matter how much past me is supposed to forget. Usually it’s only the super important, impactful things. Looking at Baz’s incandescent smile, framed by wavy black hair, I think he might count.

“Honestly,” he says, his voice low in a very private way that I like, “you’ve come up in my head too. Especially during my crisis. I thought about how right you were back then, how I should have listened to you and maybe wouldn’t have wasted so much of my life if I had. But I was too stubborn and blind back then to” 

“Hey, stop that.” I somehow lean even closer. I’m this close to actually getting out of my chair. “Don’t beat yourself up so much. Remember that you had good reasons back then, and yeah it really sucked to go through all that, but you learned stuff right?”

“I suppose...”

“Then it wasn’t a waste.” Baz’s eyes narrow. A softer version of a glare, but he's still not totally happy. “Yeah, I know that’s easy to say, but I do kinda get it. Working in jobs I hated, never dating, never really doing anything for years, that all felt like a total waste. Sometimes it feels like my life is only just starting now at bloody 33. But I think struggling also gave me the drive to work harder now, live better. So did being a lawyer give you anything good?”

Baz looks really cute when he’s thinking. I like the way everything in his face pinches up, from the furrowed manicured brow to the slight pout of his bottom lip. (Don’t think about kissing that pout, do not think about it.) (Fuck I’m thinking about it.) Slowly, his expression softens.

“I learned,” he starts, “that I can’t force myself to love something. I thought if I was a lawyer long enough, I would at least learn to tolerate doing it, but I still hated every moment. I can’t keep living for other people’s expectations. At least that’s how my therapist puts it. Maybe I’ll fully listen to her one day.”

I let out a laughing snort and immediately cover my mouth in embarrassment. I hate when I do that. But Baz grins at me. The amused, affectionate glint in his eyes makes me want to blush even harder. My stomach feels like it’s full of rocks and butterflies all at once. It’s so overwhelming and wonderful.

“Took me a while to listen to my therapist too,” I say. “Actually fixing yourself is hard.”

“Tell me about it,” Baz groans, hanging his head for a moment, hair like a wavy curtain around his face. “It took ages for me to realise that I didn’t know everything that was wrong with me. Instead I had to actually listen to someone else’s assessment of me and not interject my own thoughts every time. Do you know how frustrating that is for a know it all like me?!”

“I can only imagine,” I giggle. My thoughts immediately go to Penny and the first time she got drunk. My ears rang for hours from all her yelling about not actually being drunk. She and Baz might get along. (Maybe a little too well. God, could I deal with two of them together?) (Hopefully, because I want Baz to stick around for awhile.)

“I live in absolute agony.” He puts the back of his hand against his forehead like a dramatic Victorian maiden. I’m about to call him that when my stomach decides to rumble louder than a bloody earthquake. The corner of Baz’s mouth quirks up. “You hungry there, Snow? I can get us something.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m always hungry. But I can buy it, don’t worry.”

“Nonsense. I was the one who asked you out and picked the place, I’ll happily pay.”

“Out like a date?” The words spill out before I have a chance to stop them. 

I’m pretty sure even the tips of my ears have turned bright pink at this point. Shit, why did I say that? Calm down, Simon. This is (technically) the first time we’ve seen each other in twelve years. No need to make this something it may not be. I expect Baz to be shocked, or confused, or annoyed at worst. But once again today, Baz surprises me. All he does is smile, looking at me with such kindness, far more open than I remember he was back at uni.

“Would you like this to be a date?” There's no pretense or implication in his words, he’s legitimately asking me. I don’t feel pressured, but luckily I already know.

“Yes, yeah, I-I would. I’d like that a lot.” I reach my hand forward across the table and just barely brush our fingers together. The tips of his are rough. Maybe he plays guitar or something, not piano. Doesn’t matter. I like the way he feels anyway.

Baz grins pointy ear to pointy ear. He flips his hand over, long callused fingers pressing into the much softer skin of my inner wrist. He can probably feel the way my pulse jumps. Luckily, I can feel the way his own is hammering. “Me too, Simon.”

We spend a bit too long just staring at each other before my stomach grumbles again. Baz chuckles and flags down the very nice waiter. I get another cherry scone and hot chocolate (yes I am 12 on the inside), and Baz gets something called a pumpkin mocha breve.

“What on Earth is that?” I ask when Baz gets his drink. It’s pale orange with a mountain of whipped cream on top.

“Try it.” He offers the cup to me and I take a sip. My tongue is immediately assaulted with more sugar that I’ve ever tasted at once. I blink rapidly from the shock.

“It tastes like a candy bar.”

“What can I say, I have a sweet tooth.” He licks the whipped cream off the top like a toddler with ice cream. A dollop gets on the tip of his nose.

“You’ve uh, got something right...” I flick the cream off with my thumb, “there.”

He laughs quietly. “Thank you. Allow me to return the favour.” Baz brushes some scone crumbs from my cheek. My skin feels like it’s on fire.

“T-Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome.”

We eat and drink and talk in between. Baz tells me about his work at the publishing house. It’s a small place that does mainly e-books and a few print ones, focusing on indie LGBT+ writers. He’s currently working on a book he describes as “gay polyamorous steampunk pirates,” which honestly gets me way too excited. I plan on pestering him for more details in the future. He looks animated the whole time, so passionate about what he’s doing. It makes him more beautiful.

He asks about my teaching. I tell him about my students, how incredible they are no matter how much they drive me crazy. I describe my lesson plans and all the new things I’m trying. Structured word inquiry, collaborative maths work, mixing subjects together to get kids engaged with stuff they don’t like. Luckily my principal is in favour of more out there ways of teaching too. Baz pays attention, asks questions and listens raptly. I can’t tell if he’s faking it. Most people do. I can’t blame them, it’s not very interesting. But as I go on and on, Baz never tries to change the subject or stares off into space. It’s not like he’s an angel for paying attention to me. It’s just nice that he’s making the effort. He’s really, really nice.

We eventually move off the topic of work. I tell him about my fencing class, something I haven’t done since I went to Watford. Baz calls me a bronze haired knight. I’m not too proud admit that made me blush. In turn, Baz tells me about getting back into playing the violin since he quit being a lawyer. (So that’s what the calluses are from).

“Cold I hear you play sometime?” I ask.

“My skills are still rusty,” he says over his near empty mug.

“Is that a no then?”

He sighs, but it’s with a small smile. “More like a ‘listen at your own risk.’”

“I can live with that.”

“Alright, another time then.”

I grin. Another time, I really like the sound of that.

Eventually, we somehow get onto the harder topics. I tell him about being in group homes, not having friends until Penny and Agatha, still feeling out of place and worthless sometimes. Baz talks about growing up without his mother, trying to live for her instead of himself until recently. Turns out we’ve both had a lot of hardship. We understand each other. We sort of match, I guess.

“I did like being with my younger siblings,” Baz sighs. “No matter how much I pretended I didn’t. Part of me felt like I was betraying my mother if I loved her husband’s children with another woman. But they were still my siblings and good kids, though I’m glad they’re all mostly tolerable ages now.”

I chuckle, leaning my cheek on my fist. “Mm, understandable. I always wanted siblings. Other kids to play with, y’know?”

“Group home kids didn’t play with you?”

“Nah, I was the weirdo who preferred punches over talking. No one liked being around me.”

Baz reaches out and brushes against my forearm. How can someone make me feel like I’m going to melt with just a touch? “If it’s any consolation, I certainly like being around you.”

I grin and touch his arm in turn. “I’ll certainly take that.”

We get away from all the dark shit, turning back to happier things. Baz describes the techniques and difficulties of the violin with dramatic gusto. I relay some of my worst customer service work experiences. I’ve never been good at talking, never liked it much. But I like it with Baz. He feels easy to talk to. I barely feel scared or awkward. We talk so much that we don’t even notice the sun setting on the horizon.

“Holy shit what time is it?” I say.

Baz looks down at his fancy leather watch. (A leftover from his prep days.) “Much later than I think either of us realised.”

I laugh and run a nervous hand through my hair. “Damn, sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize, Snow, unless you regret being here?”

“What?!” I gasp. “Of course not!”

He grins cheekily. I grumble and glare at him. Teasing bastard. Baz grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. Any bad will immediately vanishes. “You said you lived in Camden. How close are we?”

“Uh, not that far. I walked here.”

“Wonderful. How about I pay then walk you home like a gentleman?”

I hope my face doesn’t look as hot as it feels. I squeeze his hand. “I’d like that a lot.”

He squeezes back. “Good.”

Baz does just as he says, and soon enough we’re strolling down the streets under the dimming London sky. We chat some more, but also occasionally just walk in comfortable silence. I don’t mind either, because Baz doesn’t let go of my hand the whole time. I’ve never felt so excited just from someone holding my hand. I don’t know why. I don’t care, really. I just want to bask in it forever.

Unfortunately though, we do reach my building. Never have I hated my own home more. I consider not telling Baz so we can keep walking, but then I remember all the homework I was supposed to grade yesterday while I was too excited about Baz to focus. I’ll need a good night’s sleep to survive. Life is too cruel sometimes.

“This is me,” I say.

“Nice place,” Baz replies.

“You don’t need to lie.”

“I’m not, I promise.” His head tilts to the side, a smirk on his lips. “Maybe I could see if your flat matches up sometime.”

I swear to god, my face is going to melt off from how much I’m blushing today. Baz laughs at my obviously flabbergasted expression. I playfully smack his shoulder. “Haha, very funny. Buy me dinner first, arsehole.”

He tugs me a bit closer by our joined hands. My nose is almost touching his. The smell of his post coffee peppermint gum hits me so hard I’m afraid I’ll stumble from the wonderful shock. “Are you free next Friday?”

I gulp, then nod slowly. I can’t look away from his mouth, fuck “Y-Yeah.”

“Good for you.” He takes a large step back, snapping me out of my daze. He’s got a cheeky little half smile on his lips. “I’m not, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy the free time.”

I gape at the absolute bastard. I shove his shoulder a bit harder this time. “Arsehole!”

Baz throws his head back laughing. It’s the most beautiful sound in the noisy London night. He takes my other hand and runs his thumb over the back of it. “Unfortunately, I am actually tied up for the next week, but I’m free the week after. Any ideas, Snow?”

I grin at him. “How about a scenic walk in Hyde Park?”

One of his eyebrows goes up in playful confusion. “Not dinner?”

“We’ll get to dinner eventually. I expect to be romanced a bit more first, Basilton.”

He smirks again and pulls me closer again “That doesn’t sound bad at all. Hyde Park will be lovely this time of year.”

“Agreed.”

Even though by all rational logic we should let go, our hands stay linked. Neither of us make a move to get away. I can smell the peppermint again, every time his hot breath brushes against my face. It’s somewhat shaky. But I imagine mine is about the same. I’m not sure. I’m too focused on his sharp cheekbones and blown pupils and pouty mouth. Mostly his mouth. Before I know it, we’re nose to nose. I’m getting whiffs of something other than his gum. Cedar, maybe, and bergamot. It’s perfect for Baz. He moves his face slightly, and our mouths almost touch. A spark still runs through my veins.

“Simon,” he sighs, and the sound of his voice hits me in so many places. Baz’s head moves again, brushing our noses together. I watch his eyes flutter like a pair of butterflies until they fully close. Mine follow suit. I’m overwhelmed by the smell of cedar and bergamot as I press my mouth to Baz’s.

He’s colder than I thought they would be, colder than anyone I’ve kissed before. Yet I like it so much more. Baz’s tepid mouth sends a calming wave through my constantly overheated body. He’s soft too, like how I imagine a cloud could feel if I was ever able to touch one. Our lips slot together so easily. His hands clutch mine tighter, nails even digging into my skin. Not good enough. Not close enough. I let go of Baz, but only so I can slide my arms up to hold his shoulders, pressing our bodies together. Baz immediately winds his arms around my waist, getting us even closer. He’s all lovely lean muscle pressed against me. And I fit into his arm so well. My lips fall open and Baz quickly follows. His tongue slowly over my back teeth, making stars explode behind my eyes and in my brain. I kiss him more fervently. Baz groans into my mouth. 

Part of me can’t believe that we’re doing this. Two thirty three year old men, snogging like stupid teenagers on the steps of my apartment building. Sounds so embarrassing. The other part of me really doesn’t care. I’ve never felt like this just from a kiss. Like I’ve left my body and entered another dimension where all there is happiness and pleasure and Baz. Is this how all kisses are supposed to feel? Or is it because of Baz? I don’t know, and I don’t care. I just weave my fingers through his silky smooth black hair and keep kissing this wonderful, wonderful man.

Baz pulls away, and I nearly whine. Luckily I still have a bit of dignity. (Just a bit.) He doesn’t let go of me, thank god. He keeps his lovely hands on my waist, eyes still half closed, bright red lips pulled into a grin.

“Do you always kiss on the first date, Snow?” he whispers playfully.

“No, you’re the first.” I twirl a bit of his wavy hair around my index finger. “Feel special?”

“Extremely.”

I lean forward and kiss him again for a moment. Just a quick, hard press against him. Baz leans forward slightly when I pull away. My heart flutters happily in my chest. “As much as I’d like to keep doing this, it’s late, and I’ve got grading to do.”

He makes an over dramatic groan, leaning against my hands. “How dare you be a responsible teacher who is truly committed to educating the next generation?”

God, he’s making me want to kiss him again. He does it so easily. “I know, terribly inconvenient. We’ll figure something out, yeah?”

“Yes, give me a call. And don’t wait twelve years this time.”

I sigh while Baz smirks at me. I’m about to retort when he leans down and kisses me. My head is spinning like a tumble dryer. I don’t want this day to ever end. Unfortunately, reality is a thing that exists. And because of it, Baz has to pull back, leaving me wanting more.

“I’ll text you when I get home,” he says, “alright?”

“Alright. Have a good night, Baz.”

“You too, Simon.”

He pecks my forehead, and I nearly melt into the pavement. We then slowly disentangle ourselves. My fingers trail on Baz’s as he lets go. He waves one more time. I smile back. And I keep smiling as I watch him walk down my street, only going for my keys when I lose sight of him as he turns the corner. I literally skip up my steps to my door. I’m so dazed with happiness that I barely notice that I walk into Dr. Margaret’s office instead of my dingy lobby.

“Snogging in public?” she says. “How very adolescent.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “That’s what you say after abandoning me for a week?”

She snorts, leaning back in her chair. “Didn’t abandon you. Just let you figure things out on your own. Point of therapy, remember?”

“Well, yeah, I know that. A little heads up would be nice though.”

“Not my style.”

It’s my turn to snort. I plant myself on her couch. “I know, you’re more of the ‘toss in the deep end and yell swim’ kind of therapist.”

“Mhm. And look how it turned out. Found your Baz.”

My eyes narrow even more. “How do you know his name?” Dr. Margaret just keeps smiling at me like a cat who’s caught a canary. The realisation slaps me in the face. My jaw drops open. “You knew exactly who and where he was the entire time, didn’t you?” No change, still smiling. “How?!”

“Though about him. Saw his whole life in my mind’s eye.”

My jaw falls further. Holy shit, how powerful is she? “Really?!”

“No.” She pulls a plastic card out of her pocket, holding it between her index and middle finger like a throwing star or something. “Swiped his uni ID and Googled him here. Much faster than powers.”

I can’t help but burst out laughing. Godlike abilities have nothing on a good search engine, it seems. “Of course you did.”

She shakes her head sarcastically. “Can’t believe you. Send you back in time, and you wonder how I know about one bloke?”

“Uh, yeah. Knowing everything is a bit different from time travel.” I lean forward with elbows on my knees. “Why didn’t you tell me about him then? Why make me suffer for a week?”

“Suffering now?”

“Well, no, now that I’ve found him-”

“And what made you want to find him?”

I rub the back of my neck, trying to coax the words out from my brain. “Uh, I dunno. I know we met only once, but he just stuck in my head. He was interesting, smart, funny and nice in his own way. And I wanted to talk to him again, learn more about him. It was overwhelming, really. How much I wanted to be around Baz again. I-I’ve never felt something like that so strongly before.”

“Exactly.” Dr. Margaret picks up a pen just to point it at me. “Felt strongly for the first time ever. Made you determined even to find him when it was hard. And never felt this strongly because you always settled for okay. Felt okay with Agatha, with Todd, with everyone. Need better than okay. Need to want someone more so you can build more. Make a relationship that’ll actually go somewhere.”

My eyebrows furrow. “I thought I needed to focus on the present more.”

“You do. In the present, desire Baz right?”

I think about Baz’s pretty eyes and his pretty laugh and the way he made my head do somersaults when he kissed me. My flushed face splits into a grin. “Yeah, I really do.”

“Good.” She leans back again with her hands linked behind her head. “Build from there. Put the effort in like you did searching for him. Will want to put the effort in, because you actually want him, not just because he’s nice and you should like him.”

The puzzle pieces start to slide into place finally. It was all one big, weird life lesson, of course, like everything Dr. Margaret gets me to do. Looking back, I cared about Agatha, and I did love her as a friend. But I never desired her. I never desired Todd or any of my other exes either. They just seemed like the kind of people you should date. They weren’t even bad, they just weren’t for me, weren’t who I wanted.

But dear lord, do I want Baz.

“You couldn’t just tell me I was dating people I wasn’t actually attracted to?” I ask. “That I was actually supposed to feel more but I was settling for nice people I didn’t really like instead?”

Dr. Margaret shakes her head. “Not how therapy works. Supposed to guide you to find the answers, not tell you outright. Where’s the fun in that?”

I cross my arms and smirk at her. “Since when is therapy fun?”

She glares at me hard. “Brat. Lucky that I like you.”

“Aw. I’m touched.” My voice is sarcastic, but my bright smile is genuine. I’m glad she likes me. I’m glad she’s here to help me finally live my life. I hate to think where I’d be without her help. From her returning grin, I think she knows that.

“Go do your grading. Be a responsible teacher. See you next time.”

“See you later, Dr. Margaret.”

She waves her hand, gold rings flashing in the light, and the world spins like a cyclone. I yelp as I fall flat on my arse on my apartment floor. Well, at least she didn’t put me back in the lobby so I had to climb all those stairs. Small blessings, take 'em where I can get ‘em. And Dr. Margaret herself is already a huge one.

After getting out of my day clothes and into trackies, I set about to my teacher's work. It’s not the most fun part of the job but it’s certainly the most important. I’m lost in a haze of spelling tests and math activities when I feel my phone buzz. There’s one text on the screen, and it makes me smile instantly.

Baz Hey, made it home safe. I had a lovely time today and can’t wait to see you again. Call me tomorrow at lunch?

Is it possible to die from such pure happiness and excitement? I hope not, because I’ve still got so much more of my life I want to live. And I want to see if Baz will be a big part of it.

Simon  me too. call you at noon <3

———————————————

AN: Mushy ending, as usual for me haha. I really hope you all liked that! Even if you don't know the original show, I hope it was good. I really liked the idea of Simon in time travel therapy, it would be good for him. Tbh I thought about making Ebb his therapist because she was such a mentor for him, but I wanted to try out Margaret and she ended up being a lot of fun. I may write more in this universe. There are other Being Erica plotlines that could be fun. And exploring Baz and Simon's relationship in this AU further could be great. We'll see. I'm taking writing day by day due to my health. Anywho, thanks for reading!

[ngame989]

“Brew” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 6

Writing: @ngame989​

Art: @toxicpsychox​

Editing: @toxicpsychox​, @seddm​, an IRL friend

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: After close to a year on Earthni, Tom's been dragged back into the princely life, and it's a lot less exciting than he'd expected. With Star and Marco away on urgent business, can Janna help him turn a boring errand into a fun adventure?

Comic Page

Masterpost

This one’s a nice change of pace from the last two chapters, I think. TGG’s still a Starco-focused work, expect these to be the exception not the norm, but I think it’s important to strike a balance. See below for the text, hope you enjoy!

“No results.” Huh? Three eyes narrowed at the screen in frustration. Maybe a different search term? “No results.” Alright Tom, no big deal, man. Maybe you just spelled something wrong. Annnnnd… there. “No results.” How could there be nothing?

Tom leaned back in the chair and sighed, exercising restraint over the little anger demons inside him as he’d trained himself to do. In the past he’d needed a physical bunny to pet if he wanted even a hope of keeping his cool, but at this point suppressing the urge was such reflex that most would think he just had a regular Mewman quick temper and nothing more in all but the most extreme of conditions, but he was getting pretty close to that point now. Grandpa Relicor’s study had everything, or so he thought, but this was the first time he could ever remember being here where it come up short. He’d checked every shelf, everything he could think in the computer, had even fireblasted a few of the shelves just to see if there were any hidden switches or anything. Even Relicor had been at a loss and had been screeching in distress on the floor for long enough that Tom’s brain had graciously tuned it out. What could be so important about this book his mom needed? He hadn’t even had time to change his casual graphic tee from a cartoon he liked, simply tossing his maroon jacket over it before heading out at his mother’s behest. He wasn’t one to say no to her, but it had been hours since he’d shown up here and he was no closer to figuring this out than he had been this morning.

Suddenly his phone buzzed, displaying the familiar beaming face of his ex-girlfriend close up to the camera. A toothy grin erupted as he picked it up, holding the phone up for a video feed. “Heya, Starship.”

“Hey, Tom!” Star beamed into the camera. “How’s it hanging? Long time no see. So,” she rambled out in one breath, “I may have a teensie weensie wittle problem.” She backed up to reveal her hair in complete disarray, sans horns, and black marks all over her light blue dress. Before Tom could even ask the question, her other hand held up charred fragments of her headband. “Someone still hasn’t learned how to use an Earth oven properly!” she forced out through gritted teeth.

“Look, gurl, I said I was like, so sorry! All the Cloud Kingdom kitchens are powered by glitter and horn blasts, like that’s just how ovens are supposed to be, that is all I am saying here,” Ponyhead’s indignant voice chimed in from behind, punctuated by a snort.

“Anyway, we just finished putting out the fires and I need a new headband and their website says they’re almost out of stock and I’ve wanted to show Marco around the Underworld for a while and- wait, is that screeching in the background? Where are you?”

Tom shuffled away from the elder demon still writhing on the floor and cleared his throat. “Just in Grandpa’s study trying to find something for my mom, she really wants it today. I don’t know if I can go- but I can still send the carriage for you guys, if you want.”

“Do you need help with that?” Marco inquired as he peeked his head into the frame, casually wrapping an arm around Star.

“Naaaah, no big deal,” Tom shrugged. “You two should go, though! I can just fly over whenever I finish this.”

Star and Marco looked at each other hesitantly. “Alright,” she said. “Carriage to our house in maybe five minutes?” A fire alarm went off behind her followed by a scream from Ponyhead and an even girlier one from Marco. “Maybe ten,” Star sighed, burying her face in her free hand.

“You got it,” Tom chuckled.

“OK, bye!” Star said with relief before hanging up. He rolled his shoulders from inside his jacket and ran his hands through his hair before stepping into the main foyer, taking advantage of the space to summon the carriage and its horses, the incantations coming effortlessly to him. Demons had been fortunate enough to retain their powers on Earthni, but the location underground and the relative lack of portaling methods available left them even more isolated than previously. While most of the other kingdoms had dissolved or integrated into a loose coalition of government covering all of the Echo Creek area, the Underworld had been content to stay completely under the banner of Lord and Lady Lucitor, and Tom found himself pitching in more and more in his role as Prince. In truth, he would have appreciated the company his friends were offering, but he knew how much it had meant to Star to be able to give this life up, and he didn’t want to drag her - either of them, really, considering Marco had earned an official title on Mewni himself - back into the boring thick of regal errands. Was Prince Thomas Draconius Lucitor really going to let some stuffy old book collection get the best of him? Hah, as if.

With a flick of his wrist, the half-demon shuttled the carriage to the surface in a pillar of flame, barely looking and instead pulling out his new phone. He was still getting the hang of the new and improved Reflectacorp’s Earth tech integration, but he’d at least learned how to open yesterday’s text conversation thread from its new message notification.

Janna: anti-gravity potion attempt 4 failed. affected bottle glass itself and launched into sky. note to self: work under roof. star and marco’s suggestions didnt work either. not all bad though, it went towards cloud kingdom lol

Tom: careful, don’t hit pony’s ego and make it fly even higher ·;) btw pony + starco are going shopping in underworld soon. im stuck working for mom though.

Janna: stores r lame. even in underworld. and srsly dude u gotta stop using starfans dumb name for them. otoh it bugs them so actually nvm go 4 it

Tom: it was mine first >·:( it saves letters when they’re together!

Janna: which is always

Tom: exactly. speaking of which, they’re here ttyl

Star stepped out of the carriage in a nice white polka dotted green dress, quickly followed by Marco, the pair’s fingers remaining intertwined until they gave him a hello hug, and Tom honestly wasn’t sure they’d stopped holding hands even then. Ponyhead burst out a moment later with her phone floating in front of her pointed at herself, and she was in the middle of a monologue to no one in particular.

“-so yeah anyway as you all can see we have now arrived in the Underwoooorld. So yeah this is, like, basically the best place on all of Earthni to go shopping as I’ll be showing you today. Oh yeah, I guess some demon boys live here too. Oh my goodness, say hello you guuuys,” she rolled her eyes as she butted in between Star and Tom, side-eyeing him for a split second before grinning back into the camera. After all this time Pony still hadn’t dropped the passive aggression over his and Star’s messy history; Tom had to admit it was a bit understandable, but did she really have to keep it up in such an annoying way? He rolled his eyes - it was Ponyhead he was thinking about here. “OK, the Ponyhead Experience will be taking a short break. Tune back in soon! Love y’all, buhbye!” She snapped the phone shut and caught it with her tongue. “Ugh, why do all of my vlogs with you dorks get like ten times as many viewers? Tom, you were in the shot for like three seconds and do you know what happened? 2000 more people tuned in! What the heck! It’s like, just because I have one less horn and one less eye I’m not exciting to you? But I can’t stay mad at my adooooring fans.”

“Must be the Lucitor charm.” He flashed a toothy smile and a pair of finger guns at her, accidentally flinging his phone across the room in the process. “Totally planned,” he blurted out with a much less authentic grin. Marco chuckled and picked it up, handing it back and patting him mock-sympathetically on the shoulder while holding back a smirk.

Star giggled but tapped her foot impatiently, looking around the room nervously. “OK, great catching up, but on the way here I checked the website and the headband shop is almost out of stock! We have to go, now! Let’s move it, people! Tom, can we borrow the carriage for the day?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine by me.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou, you’re the best!”

“You sure you don’t need anything?” Marco inquired again.

“You heard the girl, Marco, my audience wants to see us get our shop on!”

Tom blew a raspberry, pushing them towards the carriage. “Relax, it’s nothing. I’m practically done already! Tooootally almost done!”

Marco finally relented, nodding his assent. Star was bouncing up and down so much that she looked ready to launch around the room. He giggled as she wrapped both her arms around his middle and kissed his cheek before hauling him the rest of the way into the carriage. “C’mon boo, mama needs a new pair of horns. Plus we can get whatever you need, too! I saw a few things in the catalog that would look preeeetty good on you,” she sing-songed, walking two fingers up his chest to boop his nose after they plopped down onto the seat together. Ponyhead mimed vomiting at Tom, who silently laughed in response; they were so engrossed with each other that Tom was fairly certain they wouldn’t have noticed even if he’d shouted his laughter, though. He blankly stared at the spot the carriage had been for a few seconds after it exited in a blaze.

“Pretty gross, right?” Tom started and launched a fireball in the direction of the voice, hovering away from the intruder. A split second after, his vision caught up with his instincts and saw Janna in her usual green shirt and beanie and yellow skirt, sans jacket, nonchalantly sidestep the flame. “You do the same thing every time, you really need to work on that,” she chided with her arms crossed and a devious smirk on her face.

He rubbed his temple and gestured at her in sullen disbelief. “How did you-”

“Roof of the carriage.”

“Huh.” An eyebrow up in surprise, studying her expression. “You never usually, you know, answer that.”

She shrugged, kicking a boot into the hard stone floor. “Whatever, guess I’m just bored. Besides, half the reason I do that is to get a rise out of Marco,” she slyly snickered, and Tom couldn’t help but join in. “Alright, demon boy, what adventure are we going on today?”

Tom crossed his arms apprehensively. “Just trying to find a book for my mom, not really much of an adventure.”

“Like I said, dude, I’m bored and shopping is dumb. I don’t mind hanging out here for a study session or whatever, your family’s got great taste in decor.” She picked a skull off the ground and tossed it back and forth between her hands. He grinned back at her, grateful for the company. “So what kind of creepy curses are in this book?”

The pair started walking back into the study as their conversation continued. “Don’t think there are any. It’s called ‘Historia Homewnum’, according to my mom, so it’s probably a history book but that’s all I know.”

“Darn. Demon history’s bound to be pretty cool, though.”

“You’d be surprised how little actually happens down here, it’s just a lot of maintenance. Last month the most important thing I did was a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new boba cornshake shop, it’s really caught on here since the Cleaving. But man is it good! Marco was right, the little pearls are just so tasty, I like the creamed corn version best.”

“What is it with you and corn, seriously...” Janna shuddered.

“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it.” He knew he’d gotten distracted thinking about the delicious creamy beverage, but that didn’t seem like an adequate reason to look so horrified, especially coming from Janna. Not able to figure out any other reason she might be disgusted by his comments, he got his thoughts back on track. “Really don’t know why she wants this thing so much. Anyway, I already checked the entire study for it, and the search archives don’t have anything either. Oh well, what can you do, might as well just give up and-”

“Found something,” Janna piped up, somehow already in the computer chair with her feet on the desk.

“Really? How?” he asked incredulously, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

“OK, I didn’t actually find the book, but maybe we should check this place out.” He leaned into the screen to see a Mewgle search for ‘how to find weird book in underworld’ on the screen.

“I already tried that, Janna!”

“Yeah, but your antivirus was blocking this link to some place called the ‘Librarinth’.”

Tom slammed his palm into his forehead. “Of course, the Librarinth! How could I not think to look there, that’s where all the oldest books are. Why was it getting blocked?”

She clicked on the link and both recoiled at the sight: an abhorrent patterned background with almost unreadable randomly colored text and low quality cartoon images scattered all around the page. “Yeah, it’s awful,” she said in response to his obvious horror. “Seriously, whoever must made this website must be, like, a thousand years old.”

“Probably , yeah, but why does that have anything to do with-” His eyes widened in realization as he clapped his hands together in contemplation. “Right, humans and their lifespans. Go on.”

“Look.”

She scrolled past the despondent, blurry faces of demons of all shapes and sizes in the staff section until she arrived at the catalog, folding her arms triumphantly. Tom excitedly butted in, typing into the search box and being greeted with a loading wheel. “Uh, Janna? It’s not working.”

“Pfft, yeah, I might actually be dead by the time the search finishes. But that doesn’t matter because they have our book. It’s the header image for the whole catalog.” He squinted and brought his face closer to the monitor, and to his surprise the title was clear as day on the cover of the book, although all the other information was too difficult to make out. “Alright, let’s go. Main page says the Librarinth is on Floor 216.”

With a snap of his fingers, the demon elevator was summoned into a bookshelf much as it had been the day they had dealt with the Blood Moon. Relicor’s shrieking, which had slowed to a whimper since they’d left, resumed in full; fortunately they began descending, which quickly put them out of earshot. Tom awkwardly stretched his arms, unsure what exactly to say. She was his friend, yes, but he was never the best at small talk, and Janna being Janna didn’t make that any easier. After long, messy years of broken hearts and misguided feelings, he finally felt comfortable forging friendships, but even though they got along quite well there was something about Janna that made that vibe a lot less effortless than with Marco or even Star. Thoughts of his other friends reminded him of something. “Uh, by the way… how did you even know about the carriage earlier?”

“A girl’s gotta keep some secrets.”

“Pony was posting about it every 15 seconds,” he guessed, calling Janna’s bluff.

“Touché. Every 10, though,” she coolly responded. “Ha, now she’s just flipping out because Star and Marco have way more likes than her selfies.”

“Figured you’d have him bugged or something,” Tom chuckled as he scooted over to get a look at Janna’s screen, and sure enough there was a picture collage of Star sitting in Marco’s lap with tens of thousands of likes and comments already. They were laughing their butts off at themselves in a mirror in front of them with novelty sunglasses, fake mustaches, goofy props, and even a few absurd full-body costumes; Ponyhead joined the fun for a few but just as often butt in trying to take over the mirror by herself.

“Ew, no, I disabled it all months ago. Boyfriend Tom was already too cutesy for me, and you two just had a little flirty fling. Do you think I’d really want to see or hear whatever Star and Marco have going on? They’re, like, deeply in love, or whatever, and it’s gotten even worse in the last few weeks.”

He murmured in tacit agreement. Now that he thought about it, they had seemed even more affectionate than usual, but he wasn’t too keen on uncovering why that might be. The ding of the elevator saved him from any further speculation, and he and Janna stepped out of the elevator into the lobby, which was empty with cobwebs coating most of the weathered stone walls. Janna looked at him with a quizzical expression. “Anyway, so the Librarinth is basically a combination of a library and a labyrinth-”

“Right, I got that,” she curtly retorted.

“The legends say that some ancient librarian demons wanted to challenge any who sought knowledge, so they hid all the books in a giant maze that only the worthy could navigate. But everyone who made it still decided to organize it thoroughly for some reason, and you still had to check out the books and bring them back and all that.”

She ran a finger over the dust on the front counter, and the surface of the desk sizzled in response, causing her to pull her hand back before poking the bubbles that formed with a curious smile. “So why is it completely empty?”

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “Weeeeeeell, after a few people went missing or insane, everyone realized it really wasn’t a great way to, you know, run a library. Grandpa actually started collecting books to try and get them away from this place. No one really knows what goes on in there, but as far as I know it’s still maintained even though no one uses it. The kingdom stopped staffing the lobby but they could never just shut it down because anyone who tried, well-”

“Went missing or insane. Sounds cool, I’m in.”

“You sure?”

“Dude, you brought me to a wicked hell maze filled with psychotic demon nerds. Maybe there’ll be bottomless pits or a wicked dungeon boss. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re flirting with me, Mr. Lucitor,” she purred, running a finger up his chest and flicking his nose.

“Haha, very funny. And it’s Prince Lucitor,” he sarcastically chided, poking her arm in response before crossing the room with her following, but he couldn’t help but hide that he was flustered. Seeing Star and Marco’s relationship in the past year had reinforced his already-firm convictions about romance: he wanted someone with whom he could be life partners in all ways, not just handholding and rooftop picnics. Otherwise, what would be the point? He’d made that mistake enough times, and even just a light jab at the notion of him casually flirting struck made him feel self-conscious about that past. Finally his reflection was halted when he found what he sought: a large wrought iron door furnished with ornate demonic symbols and various carvings of mythological creatures dwarfed them both. With a soft, steady flame for light, he brought his hand up and ran it over the rusty engravings. He jumped back with a gasp as the fire spread into the lines of the door, lighting up the patterns on it and causing it to creak as it slowly opened.

“Nice,” Janna muttered in awe before strolling inside, with Tom hesitantly following. She was the most eager of their little group to dive headfirst into the unknown, even more than Star most of the time, but he trusted her gut.

They started walking down the long, cramped hallways, hearing only the sound of their own footsteps on the cold floor. Janna peeked her head into a small doorway that appeared to their left, earning herself an explosive blast to the face and getting knocked onto her butt. Tom slammed the door shut and leaned in to read an inscription next to it. “Incinerator for any books too damaged or damaging for further use. Probably not the right place.”

Janna huffed, brushing herself off and finding scraps of paper among the char. “I can see that. Seriously, what kind of labyrinth labels its doors?”

“Maybe one run by book nerds,” Tom offered, gripping her hand to help her up.

“So it’s just as bad at being a labyrinth as it is a library. Neat. Great adventure.”

Tom pressed on, keeping his focus ahead of them. “Hey, I’m just here to help my mom. You’re the one that said you were fine with anything.”

“Fine, fine. Just saying, I could be working on my potions or something.” She pulled a glass bottle full of purple liquid from her skirt pocket and casually tossed it at a wall. Janna snickered at Tom’s yelp when it shattered, but found herself joining him in backing away when a chunk of stone quickly deteriorated and slammed into the ground at incredible speed. She went over and carefully kicked a pebble, finding it impossible to even budge. “See, this was just a stupid pro-gravity potion. Worthless.”

He leaned against the stable wall opposite the hole, sighing. “I’m sure there has to be something interesting here. What if we, I dunno, make it a competition or something?” His frustration with both the situation and Janna were there, yes, but he still wanted to try and get something fun out of the day.

“Go on,” Janna said, eyes flickering up from the bottle that she was tossing between her hands nonchalantly.

OK, maybe he should have thought further ahead. His arms flailed as he scrambled to come up with an idea. “OK, so, uh, whoever finds the weirdest thing in this place in the next hour wins. Just call them out if you think you found something. Or whoever finds the book, whichever comes first, yeah. Mom still needs it.”

“Momma’s boy. I respect that. You’re on, Tom.” Janna cocked an eyebrow, staring at him for a second before pushing off the wall into a sprint, opening the first door she could find. “Empty. Another empty. Three empties, dammit.”

Tom used his flight to travel more smoothly from door to door on his side of the corridor, but still found himself losing ground as he took the time to read the sign posted by each threshold. The ‘Demonic Studies’ room had a very ornately ghoulish aesthetic, with macabre skeletal models throughout. Definitely something to show Janna on the way out just for the aesthetic, and it’d have been weird for most humans, but it wasn’t any more abnormal than what the two of them were used to as a daily routine. Another room for astronomy had an exquisite planetarium dome, but it turned out to be rather useless as the Underworld did not, in fact, contain any stars since it was underground. There was, however, a plentiful selection of guides to stalactites stocked on the shelves. The next four whole sections were devoted to anger management self-help books, which only made him waste precious seconds cringing at old memories.

His pace picked up as he kept going from door to door finding nothing but normal library fare, although he had to admit it was certainly well-maintained. On any other day he might actually enjoy some of the things here, but today he was on a mission to get out of here so they could actually have fun elsewhere.

‘Bookworms’... now that had potential. What sorts of hybrid creatures could lurk behind the inches of wood? “I think I might have found something!” he shouted, throwing open the door only to receive a harsh shushing. Within were only elderly demons in cozy sweaters reading by candlelight, all now glaring at him with an intensity that reminded him of his mom’s own rare reprimands. “Never mind,” he loud-whispered back out into the hall as he gently closed the door and found Janna in a nearby corridor. “Ugh, why is there nothing interesting here?” Sparks trailed behind him from his mounting anger as he paced.

“Tell me about it, even ‘Wormbooks’ was just a bunch of regular novels, somehow,” she sighed. “I was hoping for a big long chain of open books slithering around on the ground, now there’s a party.” She slumped down against the wall next to the streak of flame he’d left on the ground, idly stamping it out with her boot until Tom sat down beside her.

“Wouldn’t a wormbook be the opposite? A big fat worm in the shape of a book?”

“Nah, it’d totally be a book made of a bunch of little flatworms all working together, duh. Still pretty lame.”

OK, now he knew something was up with her. “Janna, is- is something wrong?”

Her body slouched further down until she was almost horizontal on the cold floor, staring ahead of her like a zombie. “Being weird has just felt so pointless lately. Everything’s weird now, all the time! I’m wasting all my time trying to brew potions when there’s a shop that sells them on every corner. I got so bored that I even passed that same dumb test Marco did and now I’m done with high school, like, for real this time.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, that’s pretty impressive.”

“It’s easy if you know who to blackmail.” Tom blinked a few times, not sure why he’d expected anything different. “Everyone else is moving on with their lives, but I’m still feeding the same old possums and picking up the same old tennis balls. The whole point of my routine is that it’s different, it’s me, it’s my Jannanigans or whatever Star calls it, but it’s just not the same. I’m still into all that stuff, and Earthni’s actually really cool, but… ugh.” With that, her head fully sunk to the ground.

Tom brought his palms together over her head, opening and shutting his hands while wiggling his fingers around. “It’s a wormbook,” he said hesitantly, not really sure what he was doing. It was silly amusement, but perhaps that was just what she needed right now. Janna frowned and rolled her eyes, so he snapped at her arm with his hand puppet wormbook a few times.

“Alright, I get it,” she barked out, but her sullen demeanor slowly cracked under the onslaught of frivolity as she sat back up with an unusually ponderous look at him.

“Remember that time you took me bootsledding?” She nodded. “You told me that I needed to find a life outside of Star, and- and it was really great advice. Didn’t mean I still couldn’t like spending time with Star or anything, heck, I still do! But I just needed to get out of that rut of depending on it. Maybe you just need to do that, too. If doing your weirdness by yourself is normal, then adding something normal might be kinda weird.”

“That’s it.” Janna leapt to her feet, looking very suddenly invigorated. “That’s it!”

“Well, uh, glad you liked it. It was nothing, really, just trying to be a good pal-”

“Yeah, yeah, that too,” she waved dismissively, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit scorned. “If weird is normal then normal is weird. We were looking for the craziest things we could find here, but everything that should have been weird was normal, so we should be looking for the most painfully boring room here!” All three of Tom’s eyes blinked a few times as her words sunk in. Could it be…? “Tom, over here!” He hustled over to a particularly plain wooden door. Janna pointed at the plaque on the wall, which was far more faded than the others had been. “Look. ‘Government Records’.”

A burst of energy coursed through Tom’s blood, sparking life in him once more, and he could see the same reflected in Janna’s determined brown eyes. “And the book Mom wanted has something to do with history. Maybe it’s political history! Janna, you might be a genius!”

“Pfft, ‘might’. Now we just gotta…” She grabbed his arm, aiming it at the door, and he looked at her incredulously. “C’mon, dude, who knows what’s behind there. We’re gonna bust in with a demon blast, duh. Pew-pew!”

He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lip turning up in a begrudging smile gave away his agreement. The pair aimed at the door and blew it off its hinges before charging in through the smoke.

“I see you two have finally solved the grand riddle of the Librarinth!” A deep, booming voice greeted them from the smoke. “Janna Ordonia, Thomas Lucitor, you certainly took your time. I expected you to book it here much more quickly. No matter, for this room shall be your tome!”

“How do you know my-” Janna stammered.

“Uh, don’t you mean tomb-” Tom started at the same time before realizing the wordplay and groaning in misery. Wait a second… Epic threats, an obvious personality quirk…

“Dungeon boss!” the teens cheered together, glancing back and forth between each other and the remainder of the room in front of them obscured by shadow.

“It is I, the bookkeeper of this place. I guard the most sacred treasure of all… knowledge!” Paper rustled loudly, echoed throughout the cavernous space, far taller and wider than Tom had noticed when they first entered with a massive array of bookshelves many times taller than him in a single row near the back wall. The ground beneath them began to shake and Tom tossed a puff of light in front of him, exposing the wide chasm that had just opened up in the ground, swallowing all the shelving in the room. Neither were prepared for the sight that greeted them: a coiled mass unfurled from the abyss and slithering with purpose along the ground, finally raising itself up to stand at fifteen feet tall, swaying back and forth with enough force to create an artificial wind within the space. A closer look showed that the body was made of some peculiar segments of… books, of all shapes and sizes. The volume at the top of the chain was much larger and far more ornately embossed than the others, and on the blood red surface of the cover Tom could make out a set of eyes. As the picture became more and more clear, he could finally see what they were up against. Now THIS is a bookworm.

“Aren’t libraries supposed to be, like, public and free?” Janna blithely inquired.

“You are correct, child, but perhaps try reporting that to your friend there! The Lucitor family is the sworn enemy of this great Librarinth! That fiend Relicor pilfered our collection for his own use for millennia, and the rest tried to shut this place down for good. But worst of all, in the most egregious display of contempt I have witnessed since the dawn of writing itself… Prince Lucitor and his ilk have amassed twenty-six dollars in unpaid fees!”

The tension in the room nearly evaporated in a heartbeat as Tom and Janna paused momentarily before bursting out into raucous laughter.

“Seriously, dude? I could just, like, repay it.” He fumbled in his pockets for his wallet for a moment before being interrupted once more.

“Do not condescend to me, children! It is far too late to make up for these sins with mere currency. Revenge is my fee most overdue, now prepare to meet… Overdoom! I shall harness the power of the written word to spell your demise!”

Books were hurled from the depths of the crevice en masse. Tom stepped in front of Janna to blast them away, but they had taken on a life of their own and homed in on him, covers flapping in the air like wings. Behind Tom, Janna snatched one out of the air to thwart a flank attack. She grabbed his left arm and pointed it up, tapping his elbow frantically. He spared a glance and saw the paper tornado coalescing, and understood her intention. Demon flames surged out of both hands with Janna calling the shots for the left side and Tom focusing on his right. They used the opportunity to back up to a wall, letting them cover every attack vector but creating a stalemate they were sure to lose in time as the seemingly endless offense droned on. Overdoom for the time being simply floated out of the abyss, glaring harshly at them as more and more papers kept emerging.

“Wait, Tom, look…” Still using his hand, she pointed to a shelf that had fallen at an odd angle and hadn’t collapsed into the abyss. There was a large, torn-up poster on which he could barely make out the word “Historia”.

“That might be it,” he breathed out, starting to feel the burn from minutes of nonstop vigilant defensive demon blasts. Oddly, none of the books in that corner were joining the assault. Almost as if...

“It’s making them magical in the chasm.” Tom’s heart leapt up in his chest at the revelation, hope and adrenaline mixing in his veins to keep him fully alert. But charging in was a suicide mission and they clearly couldn’t win on raw firepower.

“Have you had enough? Are you children yet ready to come scrawling on your hands and knees to a-tome for the sins of your forefathers?” the imposing figure growled, bristling impatiently.

“Did it seriously just use the tome pun again?” Janna griped, running her hands past her eyes and down her cheeks in disgust. “For a word nerd, that’s just awful.”

“Yeah…” Tom absent-mindedly responded. He knew she was right, though. Book, tome, scrawl… even if the creature’s summoning powers were off the charts, and it wielded them with calculated ease, its cocky wordplay taunts left something to be desired. It struck him then: what if they’d been approaching this all wrong? If the battle couldn’t be won by blows, then they had to find another option, and Tom was ready to put his plan into action.

He quickly shook off Janna’s rather tight grip on his arm and stepped forward, mustering up a confident expression masking any fears he still had left. “Nice try, Overdoom. Your words aren’t scaring us. Learn to read the room!”

Its “body” immediately began wiggling violently in the air as it crawled a bit forward towards them. Tom paid careful attention to its back end, which had climbed a few feet out of the ground in the move. “How dare you! Petulant brats!” Literary fire and brimstone rained down upon them with more fury than ever, and the two backed up into a corner which was the best they could do in a room largely devoid of any cover.

“What the hell-” Janna whispered through gritted teeth. Tom wriggled his tail out and waved it in front of Janna’s face momentarily. “Now is not the time to-” She was cut off when a barrage of index cards launched at them with enough force to somehow chip the stone behind them on impact. Tom forcefully nodded his head towards the worm’s tail, waggling his own once again. Her eyes lit up much like his had and she nodded in understanding.

“Come on, is that the best you got? I’ve heard them all before, at least give us something novel!”

Janna stood beside him, and her grimace even managed to spook Tom a bit. “I’d alphabet you couldn’t do better even if you tried!” Not what he would’ve gone with, but hey, if it helped tick Overdoom off then who was he to say no?

“You can talk up a storm all you want, but no matter what volume of air you blow, all I feel is a not-so-rough draft!”

“ENOUGH!” Overdoom’s tail launched out of the chasm faster than either could follow, crossing the room in a heartbeat. Tom shoved Janna out of the way before it wrapped itself around him, dragging him much more slowly towards the abyss. His jacket and jeans mercifully protected the paper edges pressing into him, but it was still a painfully tight squeeze that left him gasping for air. His arms were uselessly pinned inside the embrace as he was dragged headfirst, but their hypothesis had been proven correct as all the books around them had dropped to the ground lifeless.

“Tom!” Janna called out. He strained his head to see she’d removed her beanie and had something purple in her hand that she lobbed at that moment. Through the haze of pain he recognized it as another of her potions. The arc was due to miss until he summoned his energy reserves and redirected it with a weak burst of flame from his boot. Though the glass was durable enough to not melt or shatter, the demonic heat changed the potion into a bubbling olive green milliseconds before it contacted a random segment of the behemoth they were fighting. All at once, its hold on Tom and the rest of its body went limp as it began floating lazily into the air before bouncing off the ceiling a few times like a balloon. Janna ran over and helped Tom up as Overdoom screamed inarticulately from many feet above. They traversed the chaotic mess towards the pile they’d spotted previous. After some digging around, he found ‘Historia Homewnum’ miraculously unscathed and protected by a large, sturdy slab of mahogany that had fallen flat on top of it. “I got it!”

“Cool, potion is wearing off. We need to go.” Janna calmly stated. Twin jets of fire erupted from his feet as he swiftly passed the book to Janna and scooped her up in his arms, carrying them across the room towards the door. After setting Janna down, he hesitated for a moment as she stood in the doorway.

“Do you think I should still pay the late fee? I feel kinda bad and-”

“TODAY MAY HAVE BEEN YOUR VICTORY, BUT TOME-ORROW WILL-”

Tom sighed in resignation with a very unimpressed expression. “OK, yeah, never mind.” And with a quick slam of the door, they were both out scot-free. They didn’t stop running until they arrived back at the elevator. Once inside, they slumped down onto the ground as they began the journey back up to the main surface of the Underworld.

“Woo!” Tom was caught off guard by Janna expressing visible joy, and it was immediately infectious. “Now that’s an adventure. Of course, demon fire is what makes the potions work. Makes a lot more sense. Stupid ink smudge, I burned all those lemons for nothing.” He belly laughed, falling over to the floor and clutching his gut as Janna kicked him in the arm.

“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help it.”

Her foot backed off after one last good hit. “So now you just have to give that book to your mom?”

“Yeah, should only take a minute. Want to come with?”

“Dude, she’s half a story tall and cries lava. I’d be honored. Oh crud, Pony’s current stream title is ‘WHY Y’ALL CARE MORE ABOUT EARTH TURD AND B-FLY THAN ME?!?!’” Janna showed him the notification on her phone. “That can’t be good.”

Tom pulled out his phone and called to see what was up. Pony picked up after only one ring and didn’t even bother with a greeting as she screamed so loudly that he lost hearing for a moment in his right ear. Her voice carried through the elevator car even without being put on speakerphone. “Yo Tom, why do all my Pony Pals just want to watch those two idiots kiss and cuddle? What is up with that? I even gave my fanbase a stupid nickname, they eat that stuff up, so why won’t they looooove meeeeee?” Business as usual with Pony, it seemed. “An-y-way, this whole shopping spree was amaaaazing, I am all kinds of extra fabulous now. B-Fly and Earth Turd took over the stream cuz the viewers, like, wanted a Q&A sesh but I’m only giving them twenty minutes! Hmph!”

“Might as well just make a whole show about them,” Janna chimed in, rolling her eyes a few times for good measure.

“Wait, demon boy, is Janna there? What the heck have you two been getting up to? Don’t tell me you too are getting your freak on too, I could not handle that T.M.I.-”

Yeah, there was nothing more to gain from that conversation. Tom flipped his compact shut, disconnecting the call. Wait, ‘too’? Did she mean- he shuddered involuntarily. You know what, nope, just not going to think about that one.

“So glad I turned off the cameras,” Janna mumbled, curling up into a ball on the floor, clearly not wanting to touch that whole situation either.

He opted to make contact with the other group via Marco instead - why he hadn’t just done that in the first place, he’d never know - and sent a quick text. “Marco wants to get dinner at the Waterfolk Kingdom in, like, an hour and a half. Apparently Star found some earrings she wanted at the last minute, and Pony got arrested for shoplifting three seconds after I hung up.”

Janna cackled in response. “Let’s just meet them there. My jacket got ripped to shreds by the possums last week, might as well get a new one while I’m down here. Been thinking about changing it up. I kinda like that style.” She lifted up his arm and poked at a button on the sleeve of his own.

“Uh, yeah, sure, I can show you where I got it.” He stumbled over his words, still caught off guard by this new normal-person-Janna. The elevator dinged and the teens began their trek through the Lucitor castle in search of the queen. “So, the Librarinth... we’re definitely going back there at some point, right?”

“Totally, bet’s still not over. We should do this more often, you’re not so bad a friend.”

“You too, and yeah, we should.” Looking back on the day, it had honestly been one some of the most fun he’d had in a while, despite almost dying at least once. Tom still wasn’t sure what to make of this friendship brewing between them, but if it meant more days like this to look forward to? Maybe he could get used to that.

[gamerwoo]

Yixing: Side Job

Characters: Yixing x female reader

Genre/warnings: camboy au, sorta barista au, smut (masturbation, sorta dirty talk, daddy kink)

Word count: 1,878

Summary: Your go-to to get off is your favorite camboy who goes by the name of Lay. Physically, he’s perfect, and everything he says leaves you breathless and wanting him to keep talking until you’re coming undone in front of your laptop. However, you notice that the new barista hired at the cafe down the street has a voice that sounds familiar...

a/n: this wasn’t looked over so if it’s really bad or has mistakes (or it just is one big mistake lmao) I deeply apologize dhfsdk

Part 2 | Part 3

Sighing as you kicked off your shoes, you closed the door and put your keys on the hook by the door. You weren’t sure if it was just you or if work really was getting more stressful but you were completely beat after your shift, letting your feet drag as they carried you to the kitchen of your small apartment. All you wanted was to make a quick cup of ramen before going to your room, and that’s exactly what you planned on doing.

After your not-so-healthy dinner, you made sure everything was shut off in the kitchen before you made your way to your bedroom. You changed out of your work clothes into a plain old t-shirt, deciding to just wear underwear to bed before you crawled over your duvet and got yourself settled against the headboard. 

You weren’t going to sleep just yet. Your favorite way to unwind after a long day was watching your favorite camboy. Something about getting off while watching Lay was perfect, at least compared to anybody else you’d found on that website. Not only was he inclusive to everybody, but he left you feeling relaxed enough for you to easily drift off to sleep without worries in your head keeping you occupied. It wasn’t a nightly thing you did but it was something you did on days like these where you were just stressed and overworked.

Going onto the website after you’d retrieved and opened your laptop, you planned on just watching an old stream you might’ve missed or maybe one of your favorite videos if he didn’t have anything that piqued your interest. But you found that Lay was actually live, so you smiled a little to yourself as you clicked the link.

Lay already had his shirt unbuttoned. He was wearing a plain black suit with a white button-up underneath. Both his shirt and his jacket were undone, his tie untied and left hanging around his neck. His muscular torso was on full display and all you could think about was how amazing it would feel to run your fingers over it or how pretty it would look with red lines scratched down it. His black pants were undone, revealing his matching boxers because Lay always had to go all out on playing whatever part he decided to do. Apparently tonight’s theme was from a big donor who requested he have a Daddy theme.

You definitely weren’t complaining.

The chat was flying by, begging him to do more. From the angle of his camera, you could see from mid thigh, up to his chin, but he leaned toward the camera to read the comments so could see his mouth which was formed into a smirk, showing off his dimples. God, you thought his smile was gorgeous.

“You want more, huh?” he asked in a sultry voice that had your hand snaking down under your panties. “I don’t know if you deserve my cock just yet. Beg for it.”

Lay leaned back again, one arm resting against the counter behind him as he read the comments that poured in while lazily palming himself through his boxers. You couldn’t see his expression but you could see his smirk from the way he leaned back. Even though you’d never seen his face before, you could just picture him with a quirked brow, watching in amusement as his viewers begged for him to do more. He was just so beautiful, and the aura he gave off even through your screen made you want to please him.

You removed your hand from your underwear and pulled your laptop closer. You made a donation with a quick comment, shoving your pride and embarrassment down.

“’Please, Daddy? I’ve had such a hard day and I need Daddy’s cock’,” he read, frowning a bit as he clicked his tongue. “Aw, baby, I’m sorry. Only because you asked so nicely and because my angel had such a hard day.”

He pushed his pants and boxers down just enough to let his erection spring free, letting it bounce against his abdomen. Your mouth watered seeing his red tip already leaking a drop of precum, and your hand wandered back down between your thighs. Arousal had already pooled between them, and it was only getting worse seeing Lay like this.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling so nice tonight,” he mused, spreading the pearl of precum with his thumb down his shaft before he languidly stroked himself. “I won’t always be so easy-going, but tonight, I want to make my baby feel better.”

You didn’t know why you felt heat rushing to your cheeks. Maybe because it was your comment he was referring to, so you felt like he was speaking directly to you when he said ‘baby’. You knew he was speaking to the general audience, but still.

“Are you touching yourself?” he asked with a soft hum at the end of the question. “Don’t go to fast -- you want to make this last, don’t you? Just tease yourself a little for Daddy, yeah?”

You found yourself doing as you were told, spreading your wetness around your folds before lightly rubbing over your clit. Your eyes didn’t leave the screen as your thighs spread apart wider.

“Add a finger now,” he instructed, letting his teeth graze over his bottom lip. “Move it slowly, though. Don’t go too fast or you’ll make Daddy mad. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

You almost sighed out a reply as your middle finger dipped into your heat, letting your head loll back as you kept your eyes on the screen. Lay was picking up the pace of his hand, occasionally rubbing his thumb over his tip. His wrist moved back and forth as he jerked himself off, his face always facing the camera.

You wanted so badly to know what his face looked like, knowing it would add to the little fantasy your imagination had come up with of him a bunch of times. Almost any time you masturbated, you always pictured Lay above you, but you never had a face to put on the body. All you had was his perfect smile to go off of, but just judging from that, you were sure he was beautiful.

“Fuck,” he whispered, squeezing his cock as he continued to move his hand. He inhaled deeply before breathing out, “Add another finger. Go faster...”

You did just that, biting on your lip to hold in your moans -- you didn’t need your neighbors hearing you. You watched as Lay continued to stroke himself, his stomach muscles contracting to make his abs even more prominent. His body looked like it was sculpted by God himself -- and you had seen even more of him than just this. He was working himself up and it was so amazing to watch, your eyes completely glued to him on your screen.

Your fingers were moving faster and faster as the stream went on, adding a third finger, too. You were hitting your g-spot, curling your toes as your lungs felt tighter with your impending orgasm. You could tell Lay was getting close, too, from how he was hissing and how his moans were getting breathier.

“Are you close?” he asked, his voice still so velvety despite how close he was. “Are you gonna cum for Daddy like a good little angel? Fuck-- Don’t cum just yet. Daddy w-wants you to cum with him, okay?”

You were holding on as well as you could. Even though you knew there were obviously no consequences if you came before he said so, you still felt like you had to wait. Not only because it would be more enjoyable for you, but because in your imagination, Lay was masturbating with you specifically, and you wanted to please him.

“Shit, cum for me baby,” he groaned. “Cum for Daddy.”

You couldn’t help but whimper out his name as you came on your fingers, pumping them through your orgasm. You could barely keep your eyes open through your high, but you managed just so you could see ropes of white spurt out from Lay’s tip, landing somewhere off screen while a few lines fell onto his black pants.

You could hear him panting as you relaxed back into your bed, your hand sliding out from your underwear.

“God,” he sighed, reaching one hand up to run through his hair. “You were so good for Daddy. I should do themed nights like this more often, huh?”

You could see the smile on his face as he leaned closer to the camera so he could end the stream.

“It’s night for me, but I know some of you are in different time zones, so have a good day or have a good night. I’ll see you lovelies later. Bye!”

With a wave to the camera and one last dimpled smile, it was ended. You sighed to yourself and shut your laptop, already feeling tired enough to go to sleep. Still, you went to the bathroom to pee and wash your hands before you went back to your room and climbed into bed, your eyes closing as soon as your head hit the pillow.

-

You couldn’t stop thinking about Lay all morning, and that didn’t change even as you walked to the cafe down the street. You didn’t normally go to the cafe in the morning because you were usually working or sleeping in, but you were supposed to be meeting a friend because they needed to shop for a dress for a family member’s wedding, and they wanted your opinion. So you decided to stop for coffee before meeting them at the mall.

You tore yourself from your thoughts as you opened the door to the small building, the smell of fresh coffee hitting your nose. You walked up to the counter and greeted the cashier, ordering what you wanted before paying. You went over to the pick-up counter to wait, keeping your head down with your eyes on your phone as you texted a quick reply to your friend that you’d be at the mall in fifteen minutes.

“_____?” a voice that sounded a little familiar but you were unable to place called your name for your order.

You looked up, staring into the brown eyes of one of the baristas who was holding your drink. His kind eyes crinkled as he smiled, showing off a dimpled smile that made your heart race.

And then you placed the voice.

“Th-that’s me,” you stammered out, remembering you had to reply.

“Here you go,” the familiar voice said in a cheery yet polite tone you’d never heard that voice talk in before. “Enjoy!”

As he held your coffee out, your eyes looked down to his nametag. Yixing.

“Thank you,” you replied, taking the coffee from his hand, trying not to look too shaky.

“Have a good day!” he chirped.

You could hear his voice in your head, except it was something similar he’d said last night when you watched the same barista get himself off on camera.

‘--so have a good day or have a good night.’

“Y-you too,” you said quickly before you turned and left the cafe so quickly that you forgot to grab a straw.

[mlovesstories]

Shake It Off Part 8

Tag List

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Masterlist of Masterlists

Words: 1909

@spngenrebingo​ square: secret admirer

Summary: YN decides to change careers, and she also finds trouble at her new job.

Warnings: stalker, danger, cussing, angst

Jensen, Danneel, YN, Jared, Gen, Gino, the kids.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart.” Jensen engulfed his oldest daughter in a hug.

“Thanks, Jensen,” she put her arm over his in appreciation.

“How’s it feel to be 40?” Jensen snickered. YN pushed him off of her with a laugh.

“Shut up, ass.”

“I love you.” 

“And I love me too. Now can we move on? I have a question,” YN turned to face him.

“Okay…” Jensen slowly said.

“Can I work at the brewery?”

“Umm. What?” Jensen froze, shocked by what he thought was a random question.

“I’m tired of sitting in front of a damn computer. Please?”

“What brought this on?”

“It’s the family business, I guess. I want to interact with people, and I want to be a part of something bigger than me.” YN shrugged. “If it’s stupid, you can forget it.”

“No, I don’t think it’s stupid. I am honored that you would even ask. I’m not sure what positions are open, honestly. You’ll have to ask Dee, Gino or one of the managers.”

“But you’re okay with the idea?”

“You’re hard-working and my daughter, so yeah. Duh,” he grinned. “Please ask them. I would love to see you there.”

—————-

“Thanks for the picture, Jensen!” A fan waved and walked toward the parking lot of the brewery.  

“No problem, sweetheart,” he smiled.

“Wow, you deal with that all the time?” YN walked up to him with her official brewery logo shirt on.  

Jensen laughed.

“Eh.  Sometimes.  They are always sweet.  I don’t mind.  How’s work?” Jensen side-hugged her as not to drop her computer out of her hand.

“Good.  I’m updating the website a little bit.”

“You’re already messing up what we set up?” He squeezed her tightly.  

“It’s not bad!  I’m just making it easier for the users, that’s all.”

“YN!” Gino called.

“Yeah?” She turned away from Jensen.  

“I need you to fix something.  Let your kid work, Jay,” the younger man smirked.

“Right, sorry.  Have a good day, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Jensen.”

________

“Sissy!” JJ ran up to YN at the end of the day.  “You work with Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Gino?”

“Yeah, see?  That’s my name!” YN squatted down in the brewery storage room.  She pulled the lanyard around her neck so that JJ could read it.  

“Cool!”

“You ready to go home?  Mommy and Daddy left already.  You get to ride with me today!”

“Really?  Yeah!”

“Okay, come on.”

On the ride home, JJ sang to the Frozen soundtrack.  YN laughed and joined in all the way back to the Ackles’ house.  As the two pulled into the driveway, JJ nodded off to sleep.  YN parked and unbuckled her little sister. Her body limp, JJ reached for YN.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.  You’re too big for me to carry you,” YN grunted as she picked up the little girl.  After locking her car doors, YN carefully entered the house.  

“Oh, I’ll take her,” Jensen walked over to YN quietly.  

“I got her.  If you could through this stuff over there, I’d appreciate it,” YN maneuvered her shoulders so that her purse and laptop bag slid down her arm.  Jensen took the items and leaned them against the wall.  YN slowly carried JJ up the stairs.  “Let’s get you changed for bed.”

“No,” JJ whined. She resisted in her groggy state,

“Fine,” YN laughed.  “Get under your covers.  Good night, JJ.” YN kissed the little girl’s forehead.  

“Nigh-nigh, sissy.”

YN turned off JJ’s light and walked down the stairs.  

“Hey, YN!”  Jared stood up from the couch and walked toward her with a beer in his hand.  “How are you?” He wrapped his arms around her.

“Good, you?” She returned his hug with a squeeze around his waist. “I need one of those,” YN laughed.

“Here,” Jared walked to the fridge.

“No, I’m good.  I was being facetious. I don’t drink on work nights.”

“Oh.  Never mind then.” He shut the refrigerator.

“How you doing?” YN walked back with Jared to the couch.  

“Fine.  I’m finally through increasing my meds for the gazillionth time,” he huffed.  “The side-effects have been hard.”

“But you’re feeling better? More stable with the symptoms and all that?”

“Yeah. It’s good.”

“There you are!” Jensen and Danneel walked into the living room after changing into their pajamas.

Danneel hugged her and sat down next to YN.

“Good day?”

“Yeah. Everything's just new. But it’s good. I’m just tired.”

“Are you putting yourself first?” Jared asked sincerely.

“Yeah. I think so. Been working out. Just trying to balance the new schedule. Speaking of which, I need some sleep.” YN stood.

“It’s 9pm!” Jared laughed.

“I have to be up at 5! That’s eight hours. I need my beauty sleep. I don’t have makeup artists to make me look good.” She stuck her tongue out at them. “See you all tomorrow. Love you.”

————-

“What are you doing up so early?” YN trudged into the house to get some food. She saw Jensen sitting on a stool at the island.

“Couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d make you breakfast.” He rubbed his eyes.

“That’s sweet. Thanks.” He stood to grab some eggs from eggs from the fridge.  

The two talked about the brewery and how YN liked her job.  She explained that it was all still new and different,  but she enjoyed it overall.  

“Why are you going in so early? Gino doesn’t get there til midmorning.

“He said if I come in early, I can go home early.  So, if I go in at seven, I can leave at three unless something comes up.”

“No nine-to-five for you?” Jensen smirked.

“Nah.  Early bird.”

YN heard her phone ring.  She looked quizzically at Jensen.  When YN pulled out it out of her pocket, she saw Gen’s picture on the screen.

“What the hell?” She showed Jensen.  “Hey Gen, it’s early.  Is something wrong?”

“I’m in New York, but Jared is having a panic attack at home, and I can’t calm him down.  Are you home?”

“Oh, no.  Okay.  Yeah, I am.  Where are the kids?”

“In bed.  I called the nanny and asked her to get them to school.  She’s on her way.  I think Jared is still in our room, can you go check on him?”

“Absolutely.  Call you later.” YN hung up quickly.  “You wanna come?  Do you have a key to their house?” She asked Jensen.  

“Yeah. Dee’s here.  Let’s go.”

When they entered the master bedroom, Jared’s eyes were wide, and his body was frozen.  

“Hey, Jared,” YN said slowly and calmly.  “What happened?”

“Bad dream that I had a seizure,” Jared breathed shallowly.  “I think I’m okay though.”

“That’s good.  You need anything?” Jensen walked closer to his friend.  

“The kids…”

“Nanny’s coming.  Don’t worry about it.  Would you like for us to stay with you?” YN asked.

“Until the nanny comes,” he sighed.

“Okay.  No problem,” YN sat down in a chair near the bed.  Jensen did the same.  

“I think I’ll be okay though.”

“You’re doing great, buddy,” Jensen supported his friend.  

_________

“He’s fine. Jensen is with him. I had to go to work. He’s calm now.”

“”Good. Thank you,” Gen said through the car radio system.

“No problem. I’m at work, I gotta go,” YN said goodbye.

YN walked through the back of the brewery quickly after an urgent phone call to come in.

“What happened?”

Gino carried his laptop.

“We got hacked.”

“I just updated the security!”

“I know. I can’t tell you what happened,” Gino places his computer on the bar. “See?”  He turned his computer toward her as she dropped her personal belongings on the ground.

“Damn.” She brought his laptop closer to her. “What- the-”

“What?” Gino stood behind her to see what YN was looking at.

“The code.  The hack.  It was meant for me.”

“Again… what?” Gino grew frustrated.

“It’s a note for me.  It says I need to stay out of the way.”

“Of what?  That’s complicated and targeted. What did we get involved with?”

“I’m not sure, boss.  I’m not sure.”

________

“You aren’t serious?  What did you do?  You said you were going to upgrade it!” Jensen screamed over the phone.  

“It’s not my fault!  Someone is coming after me!  The code has my name in it!”

“Come home then.  You’ll be safe here.”

“I’m calling the cops,” Gino yelled across the dining room.  

“Gino is calling the police.  I can’t leave right now.”

“Fine.  Dee ran out to the store, so I’m the only one with the kids.”

“Gino’s here.  I’m sure he can handle it.”

“Promise me you’ll have Gino lock the gates to the property once the cops come. And you stay inside no matter what.”

“Jensen…”

“Do it!” Her dad yelled.  

“I’ll do it, promise.  I gotta go.  I can hear the sirens.  Thanks, Jensen.  I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

She hung up.  

______

“I’m home!” YN ran into the Ackles’ home.  She saw Danneel with tears in her eyes and Jensen solemnly standing next to her.  Danneel ran into YN’s arms and squeezed her tightly.  

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Danneel looked her over and watched the younger one’s face.

“I’m okay.  I promise.  Are you okay?”

“I’m angry someone threatened you.  I’m so sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have let you work at the brewery.  This is my fault,” Jensen growled, protective of his daughter.  

“Don’t pull that shit.  You don’t get to blame yourself. Not now.  For whatever reason this happened, and I-” YN froze and her eyes went wide.  She started falling to the ground, but Danneel was able to catch her and guide her to the floor.  

“YN!” Jensen ran to stand over her.

“I think it’s the anxiety kicking in,” YN slowly whispered.  “I was doing okay, but-”

“Shh.  Can I lift you up and guide you to the couch?” Jensen asked his daughter.  

“Yes, please.”  Once Jensen got her comfortable, she said, “I’m okay.  I didn’t mean to scare you guys.  I’m sorry.”

“You are not going anywhere without somebody with you, you understand?” Danneel ordered.

“What?”

“Your life was basically threatened and now you’re anxious.  It’s just precautionary,” Danneel soothed.  

“I don’t need a babysitter,” YN groaned.  

“Yes.  Now you’re planted here until further notice,” Jensen demanded.  

“Whatever,” YN rolled her eyes.  She stood up and tried to exit the back door when Jensen slid between her and the door.  

“In OUR house.  Not the guest house.  You’re not going to be alone until we figure this out.”

“Seriously?” YN’s shoulders sagged.  “Can I go get some clothes, at least?”

“I’m coming with you,” he opened the door to exit the house.

“Ugh,” she dramatically groaned.

________

“You can take your old room if you want.  Just- please don’t go rogue.” Danneel smiled.  

“I won’t, promise.”

“What the hell happened?”

The ladies turned to see Jared stomping toward them.  

“Jared?”

“Somebody wants to hurt you.  Are you okay?” He put a hand on her arm.

“Yes, I’m fine.  I’m always fine.  Leave me alone.” YN pushed his hand off of her.  “I need a nap.  I’m exhausted.  I know you have to get the kids soon.  Please don’t tell them.  I don’t want them to be scared.”

“Yeah, go rest.  Don’t worry about the little ones,” Danneel assured her.  “Jared and I can go get the kids while Jensen stays here with you.”

“I’m fine- please.  I’ll stay in the house.”

“Get. Your Ass. Upstairs,” Jensen said lowly.  

“Whatever.  Warden.” 

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[dailyaudiobible]

08/03/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33, Romans 16:10-27, Psalm 26:1-12, Proverbs 20:19

Today is the 3rd day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian, it is always great to be here with you today as we do what we do and take another step forward together through the Scriptures. So, let's dive into that, we’re in the book of 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament, which we will finish up soon. And today, in the New Testament, we will conclude the letter to the Romans. We’re reading from the God's Word Translation this week, 2 Chronicles 33 verse 14 through 34 verse 33.

Commentary:

Okay, so we are definitely reaching the conclusion of 2 Chronicles and we did conclude the letter to the Romans today. One of, if not the crowning jewel from the pen of Paul anyway, where the claims of sin in our life are explained and the fact that Jesus opens up salvation to anyone and everyone who will believe and live into it, whether Jew or Gentile, is unpacked. The fact that we are all reborn into something new that God is doing in this world, in which Jesus was the firstborn, is unpacked. And this puts us all on level, like a level playing field. We are all lucky. We are all fortunate to have this rebirth and we are all equals in Christ, one in Christ. No one’s better than anybody else and no gifting is better than anyone else's, we’re all here with a purpose. These things have been explained and unpacked before our very eyes, as we've read through the book of Romans. And it’s really impossible not to at least look at what Proverbs is telling us today because it's talking about gossip and gossip is such an insidious thing, like it seems like it's not. But people are talking about each other behind each other's backs, like continually as even a part of our cultural norms and yet when have you ever found out that there was gossip going on about you and that ever produced something good in you? When, for that matter, have you ever perpetrate…like have you ever passed around gossip? Get together with some friends have some coffee and then sort of just eat one of your other friends behind their back for lunch just having conversation; what you think this, what you think their thinking what…oh well, I heard this and you just keep going and going. Do you leave a conversation like that is feeling the joy of the Lord in full inside? And even if you could say “yeah, I feel pretty good,” how would the person that you have been gossiping about feel, were they to hear the conversation that just happened. Gossip is…it's just in the dark behind the scenes and it divides, it brings division, it's divisive. The counsel of the Proverb is “do not associate with a person whose mouth is always open, that person goes around telling secrets,” according to the Proverb. And this is pretty straight up right? It's not like it's…we got a sit here and ponder what's really being said, we've all experienced gossiping, we’ve probably all participated in gossip. What kind of time and energy would it free up if we just didn't participate? Even if we took a week off just to test, just see what kind of difference that would make, especially if we’re kind of habitual and that's what we do is gossip. We’ll be incredibly hard pressed to find any mention of gossip in the Scriptures in which it's a good thing and that anything good comes of it. But we see from the council of the Scriptures is that our words matter. They have the power of life and death. And if we’re gonna use them in some sort of dark way, than some sort of dark thing is going to happen. And at minimum, it's worth considering.

Prayer:

And so, Holy Spirit come, come into that. Come into the things that we let fly out of our mouths. The things that have been born in our hearts before they ever were formed into words and communicated. The things that have been swirling around in our minds before we ever send them. We need You in those places before these things are ever forming, before he ever…well, before we ever go around as a gossip and tell secrets, so that we are a person that shouldn't be associated with because our mouth is always open. That’s the council from the Scriptures from the Proverbs today. May that sink into us, may it change us we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's the website. It’s where we find out what's happening around here and all…all of us be familiar with the Community section of the website or app for that matter, because well, in the Community section, that's where the Prayer Wall is and that is where it lives, and it is always happening. People are praying for one another. People are asking for prayer. And there's always a place to reach out and so definitely check that out in the Community section, the Prayer Wall. There are also links to different social media channels where we’re we are participating in. So, that is also a good thing to know, so check out the Community section on the app or on the website.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, as we move through this year, as of said many, many times, we wouldn’t be moving through the year, or around any Global Campfire if we weren't in this together. So, thank you, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com or if you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app which is the little red button up at the top. Or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayers and Encouragements:

Hi DAB family this is Tammy from the Outerondex. I want to thank everybody for your prayers. I'm smiling again, I still have tears here and there but I’m smiling again and I just want to thank you all for your prayers and your continued prayers. I’m still in remission, praise God. I’m calling because I’m asking for prayers for a special friend. She’s 50 years old and she’s got a lot of mental health issues and she’s a cutter. And she just recently had…my husband and…she lives in across the country and my husband and I have offered for her to move in. She lives, she lives alone, her daughter is grown up, her parents live this side of the country, the East coast. But she just feels very alone. She says that she believes in God but I don’t know if she really knows the relationship you have with God when you become saved. And, she says that she has her, she prays to God and she asks God to forgive her but she just recently, her daughter told her she didn’t want to talk to her anymore and her relationship with her father is strained. I’m running out of time here. She’s a cutter and she cut herself and ended up having to get 19 stiches and, on the outside and two on the inside. And I want to help her and I believe God spoke to me tonight and told me to reach out to all of you. And maybe with all of us praying we could help her and maybe you can help me to help her. So, I love you all I pray for you all and God bless you all and please keep Christie in your prayers. Thank you, bye.

Hi DAB family. This is Praying Momma from SOCAL. And I really need your prayers. I just read my daughters journal and it said that she was suicidal and that she didn’t fear death and she is just going through a lot so I’m just crying out to you all because I know you pray and I believe that God hears my prayers right now. But He’s also hearing us together. I’ve appreciated all of you that have called in and everyone that prays for each other. Very thankful for you all and I’m thankful for you praying with me for my daughter Lauren. Lord, I just lift up Lauren to you right now, it’s 2o’clock in the morning and my heart has just been woken up to pray over her and her mind and her thoughts. In Jesus name, by the power of invested in us in the blood of Jesus, You’ve given us that power to come against any spirit that is just coming against my daughter. And I’m thankful for all of those that are praying with me over her mind, her heart, her spirit, her purpose and that her ability to know you Lord. Open up her mind to you Jesus. And come in and show her how much you love her. Thank you DAB family for praying. Thank you for praying over Lauren. I love her so much Lord and I know that You love her. Thank you.

Just wanted to take this time to, you know reach out to that Lady in regards to her daughter dealing with anorexia. And I just want her to know that you know that I called in the other day to Alberta from Tampa in regards to me, dealing with you know, depression and just had to call in again and you know just let her know that the mind you know, tries to take control of us and I’m learning that you know that the devils a liar and to just keeping having faith. And everyday is a new step and just have faith that you know, mentally your daughters gonna you know get better. Just want to thank you guys for just giving me hope every morning, you know, I feel like, I live double lives right. I work 9-5 very professional, successful individual. But when I get home it’s just like that’s when you know, I just deal with this. And just trying new different things and just having you guys every morning just gives me hope. And you know, I just, I’m a man of God and I just want to thank you guys for giving me hope every morning and Brian just being there and we all doing together as a community as a family. And you know, that individual that called in, the way he prays, the way he was talking in regards to the other day about the individual being charged and just the way how you guys teach me how to pray different and how to just open to God and just have faith. Let’s all just have faith. Hopefully, everything been changed. And I love you guys and I look forward to, just hopefully one day meeting everyone.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. I have a prayer request this morning. My daughter-in-law has a niece from a broken family who’s given up on life and tried to commit suicide unsuccessfully. When they revived her she was angry and started screaming that she just wanted to die. It just breaks my heart. My son and his wife have agreed to take her into their home and try to help her. They have a six-year-old little girl and a four-year-old little boy of their own as well. I'm just asking for prayer for them. I know this is a big thing, they're taking on and I just ask God to give them wisdom and guidance and protection. Please pray that their niece thrives in this new environment and accepts them into her life and that everything goes smoothly. Pray for protection over their own children as well. As they open their home to help their niece. I know it will be a rough road ahead. They’re Christians and they attend a church that offers a lot of support. Their niece is coming from a northern Pacific densely populated area to an entirely different rural Midwest dry climate. She's leaving behind a mom and stepdad who have had past drug abuse and a little sister and half-brother, a dad and a stepmom, a boyfriend, grandma, an aunt and an uncle. She's a beautiful young girl who has totally lost the will to live. She needs Jesus and to be surrounded by people who care more about her than themselves to help her find meaning and value in herself. Thank you. Your prayers are coveted.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is Dr. John in Illinois. I had just heard Susie from Colorado. She has a mission in Haiti and I guess I would move most specifically because she is a missionary somebody that has served, and I don't recall how many years that she said 29 years maybe, but she's weary, she's exhausted. And sometimes it is hard. It's easy to say don't grow weary in well doing, sometimes is hard to limit so I just want to lift up Susie right now and Jesus name Father would You just provide cover for her, provide restoration for her heart. For her spirit, for her flesh, and Lord bless her because of her service and again doing what she is, she's caring and loving and providing for orphans, those that have no others. So, Father I would ask in Jesus name that You would meet that need. Father, because I know that You can. I know that You are able and Father, I lift up this loving heart from St. Louis and she's desperately crying out for her children Lord and all of us that have kids and grandkids know the fear and the desperation when your kids are sick or there are other issues. We do all we can in our power to try to help, but more importantly Lord, we have to depend on You and I guess we should seek You first in all that we do. So, I'm again I'm asking that we pray we seek God for this mother and his father, for this child, and there's a lot like them. So, I ask you Lord, would you do that, would you step in, would you make a way? And Lord we thank you.

[flavoracle]

Why do you think the website stories Formant is not really being used? I have no idea personally.

I don't have any inside information that allows me to say FOR SURE what is behind the format change, but I can make some educated guesses.

I think the main thing that it comes down to is corporate politics. Specifically, Hasbro executives don't really "get" Magic: the Gathering on the whole, and that's a problem for the people at @wizardsmagic who make the game.

Like, I think Hasbro execs recognize that MtG makes them money. They like that. They certainly want to see more of that. But they don't really understand what it is and why people like it. So for years, they've been content to just quietly ignore it and let it do its own thing, and that's worked out pretty well for everybody involved.

So what changed this? I'm guessing two things, mainly. One is a change in leadership when Wizards of the Coast got a new CEO. (But honestly, changes like that aren't that uncommon, and I haven't heard any stories that Chris Cox has brought all that many changes to the company.) I think the bigger factor is most people's least likely suspect: The Magic: the Gathering Movie.

*crickets*

OK, let me explain. In January 2014, it was announced that Hasbro and Fox Studios had reached a deal for Fox to produce a Magic: the Gathering major motion picture. This got a LOT of hype, and then it got NO hype, because it seemed like nothing was really happening for a long time.

No big deal, movies take a long time to go from concept to screen, right? Sure. So everybody is just kind of quietly waiting for any updates, and REALLY hoping it doesn't end up as crappy as the Dungeons & Dragons movie.

But as the years roll on, there are ZERO updates. And for a movie deal that got so much hype early on, this is... odd. Like something is stuck in the pipes behind a wall that we can't see.

On the bright side, Magic's story team is absolutely NAILING IT for fans during this time. They've switched from kind of cluncky novels that only a handful of people ever read, and switched to short stories published online called "Unchated Realms." These short stories keep getting better and better, and get more and more interconnected so they become more episodic than standalone.

They become so popular that they drop the name "Uncharted Realms," and just call it "Magic Story."

Now let's take a moment and turn our attention back to that theoretical clogged pipe behind the wall. Maybe it's not so much "clogged" as much as it lacks any water pressure.

You know what movies require a lot of to make? Money. You know what the annual operating costs for Magic: the Gathering are? I certainly don't, but I'm betting it's nowhere near cinematic financing levels. You know who does probably have that kind of budget? Big Papa Hasbro.

So now we come back to that old "We ignore you, you ignore us" arrangement that seems to have worked between Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro for so long. If this movie is going to happen, WotC probably needs Hasbro to use its money (or at least its corporate clout) to move things along. But Papa Hasbro isn't just going to hand over the keys to the NICE car to Quirky Teenager WotC without supervision. (Most of the time they don't understand half the things the kid is saying!)

And thus begins the process of proving to Papa Hasbro that they CAN be trusted with this, and they CAN speak the same language, and gosh golly look at THIS dad are you proud of me yet?

Because here's the thing. Transformers movies are crappy, but Hasbro keeps greenlighting them. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is NOT crappy, and Hasbro is happy to keep greenlighting new content for them too. Know why? Because they're considered "mainstream" and "popular culture" intellectual properties.

In contrast Magic: the Gathering is considered "counterculture." And that's not too bad. Hasbro owns LOTS of counterculture IPs. And they love them too, in their own special way. They just don't get the keys to the nice car and other privileges like the mainstream kids get.

So now Wizards of the Coast REALLY needs to shift it's gears to make Magic: the Gathering "mainstream" if it ever wants to get this movie made.

So now let's pump the brakes for just a minute and ask WHY people at WotC really want this movie to be made so badly. Why? Well first off, I don't think all of them do. I think plenty of people at WotC would be perfectly content to just keep designing the game and writing stories and making other MtG products to sell.

But who do they sell them to? Well, existing Magic players for starters. That's their most stable customer base. But it's also a very finite pool of consumers. And people get out of that pool all the time. So how do they get more people IN that pool?

Traditionally, new players have been introduced to the game either through friends who already play, or through events at local game stores and other venues. But that kind of growth is gradual. WotC has certainly tried various marketing campaigns in the past to accelerate that growth, but few of them have seemed to be all that effective in the long-run.

But a MOVIE on the other hand... Even a movie that doesn't do great at the box office can still do a great job of increasing marketing exposure and media attention. THAT could be the marketing bomb that finally causes a sudden BOOM in customers and sales!

(Not to mention the fact that if the movie IS a hit at the box office, that further solidifies Magic's status as "mainstream.")

OK, let's un-pump the breaks now and see if we can start wrapping this up.

So in order for WotC to get Papa Hasbro's respect (and money) they need to show how "legitimate" they are as a mainstream pop-culture product. So they need to show them evidence Hasbro execs can actually recognize.

They need NAME RECOGNITION. But how? Invite famous game designers to design a few cards in a core set? (No, Papa Hasbro thinks "famous game designers" is an oxymoron, and looked at us funny because they think we said "corset.") They can't use famous actors, because THAT would require a MOVIE which is what they're trying to make happen already!

So WHO will Hasbro execs recognize as legitimately famous, who has some reason to work with us? Famous authors? "I mean, we DO have stories that need to be written, right? Of course we already have a story team who writes those, but we could just fire them or move them to different teams. Yeah, that could work..."

But again, there's a problem. "Famous authors" may not be interested in writing web fiction instead of books. Also, it's not really cost-effective. Also, Papa Hasbro still doesn't understand what "web fiction" even is, and asks us if it's anything like those forums with Optimus Prime and Rainbow Dash getting pregnant all the time.

OK then, books it is!

Now how much of this is accurate? In all honesty, I have no idea. Like I said, it's all just a series of educated guesses.

Having said that... I think they are at least PLAUSIBLE educated guesses.

P.S. Oh, and apparently Disney recently announced that they're cancelling a ton of Fox movie projects, including the Magic: the Gathering movie. So if my speculation above was correct then all of that ended up being for nothing anyway, except maybe convincing the Russo Brothers to direct the MtG Nexflix series. (And also Netflix is probably dying soon and the rainforests are being burned by a nationalist government and America's president is seriously unhinged and the ice caps are melting and OH LOOK I NEED TO GO READ THE WILDERED QUEST AGAIN BYE!!!!)

[melikeylikeyjimin]

Noir || Eight

(I don’t own this gif)

Word Count: 1.2k

Genre: Mafia AU! Sugar Daddy AU! Jungkook X Reader, fluff, angst.

Warnings: none

A/N: Here is the eight chapter of Noir! We have finally introduced Jungkook after the longest of times! I hope you guys enjoy the story now that a good chunk of background has built up! If you’d like to be tagged whenever I post a new chapter of Noir, please DM me, leave a comment on this post, or send an ask and I’ll add you to the list!

Tag List: @yeontanie21 @moniebuns @writemywaytoyourheart @flamingorosette @trueelee-dj @melonkooky @kawaiimusiccollection

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

I opened my mailbox and pulled out all the letters that were most likely bills, and sighed at the thought of my bank account. I wasn’t sure how much I had left over from last month, but I could only hope that I had enough to pull through.

I walked back to my apartment and climbed the stairs. I opened the door and threw the mail on the counter, closing the door behind me. I grabbed the mail again and began reading the names of the senders so I knew what they were for. A lot of them were advertisements for the latest credit card or for random shows in my area. So, basically things I didn’t care about. I threw those away and saw one from the landlord.

I opened it and looked at the columns of words and numbers. I scanned the total at the bottom and gasped. The rent had gone up a couple hundred and I almost felt my soul leave my body. I quickly grabbed my phone to open my banking app to check the amount I had. The rent was due by the end of the week as stated on the paper.

I almost screamed seeing the amount of money in my bank account. I was already behind on money with the regular rent price, but with the extra couple hundred added to it, I was way behind. I was already working full time and doing college, how could I not have enough money this month?

I needed someone to talk to. I would have called Jisoo over, but she was out of the country in Japan for an advertisement. Seeing Nicci as the next best option as Dylan would only freak out with me, I called her.

“Y/n?”

“Can you come over? I need someone to talk to.”

“Okay okay, I’ll be there soon, okay?” I nodded despite knowing she couldn’t see me. She hung up with a quick bye and I slumped onto the couch. Bringing my fingers up to my hair I pushed it back and ran my fingers through it in concentration. How could I let it get this bad? Was I even able to afford living here anymore?

I was so worried about trying to make this work, moving would be rough. Not many places near the college and where I worked were cheaper than this without risking my safety. I couldn’t believe the landlord would raise the rent without saying anything. Then again, I had never gotten along with him, to begin with, so what was I expecting?

I heard the doorbell ring and I ran to the door and opened it. Nicci stepped in and sat down on the couch. “Alright, what’s wrong? Do I need to chop someone’s dick off? Ooo even better do I get to-”

“You don’t have to cut anyone’s dick off or anything, Nicci.”

She groaned, “That’s no fun, what’s wrong then?”

“I’m kind of behind on rent and I don’t know what to do…”

“What?! How? You’ve been working your ass off!”

“The landlord raised the rent again.”

“That crusty old man, I always knew he was just salty because his wife left him.”

“How do you even know that?”

“I don’t know, I’m just upset so I’m throwing anything out there.”

I sighed, “Nicci, I don’t know what to do. I’ve worked so much and saved money where I could but it’s still not enough…What if I have to move?”

“You are not moving! Anywhere cheaper than this is considered ghetto!”

“You don’t have to call it ghetto, but yeah...definitely not in the safest part of town…”

“Give me a second while I try to come up with a solution.” She sat in silence while staring at my wall. I held my hands together as I waited for her to come up with some crazy idea like she usually did.

“I have an idea, not one that you’ll probably like, but just think about it, please?”

“Shoot.”

“Well, I have some friends that have tried this one website called SecretBenefits.”

“What the hell is that?”

Nicci bit her lip, “It’s a website where you can find a sugar daddy. Now before you scream no at me, just think about it You’d be making a lot of money and-”

“I don’t want to sell my body off for money! That’s no better than a prostitute!”

“You don’t necessarily have to have sex with the guys...sometimes you can just have dinners with them and spend time for them.”

“Nicci, I have a lot of self-respect for myself. I won’t sell my time or body to a random guy for money…”

“Please just think about it! It would help you out a lot!”

“Nicci.”

“Okay, okay, but then I have nothing else for you.”

“I’ll find another way.”

“Okay, I’ll text you the link just in case you change your mind though.” I stayed silent, she wouldn’t listen to me either way if I told her not to. She got up and left me with a small goodbye as I stared off into the distance.

There had to be a different way for me to get money, but then again, I didn’t have much time… I let out a loud groan at the idea of money. My phone went off and I stared at the text with the link to the website.

I was tempted to just look at it even. I bit my lip as I continued to stare at my lit up phone screen. A look wouldn’t hurt, would it? I gave in to the temptation and clicked on the link and watched it load on my phone. The site was clean looking and looked very simple. There were customer reviews from both parties. They seemed good from what I had read.

I couldn’t believe I was going to do this, but I hit the register button and began filling the information out. Once I looked everything over I took a deep breath, hovering over the sign-up button. I finally hit it and it lead me to my profile page with a congratulations sign. I see the notification from my email about signing up as well and I go ahead and enter the verification code.

All that was left was for me to create my profile. I looked over the subjects and began filling them in carefully. I put in a few of my hobbies, that I was a student and worked part-time. I put my age in and uploaded a picture from my camera roll that I liked. I hit done and looked at my profile. I wasn’t sure how this all really worked. Did I have to make the first move and find a guy or did the guys find the girls and messaged the ones they liked.

Within a few minutes, I heard a ding from my phone. “ONE NEW MESSAGE” I furrowed my brows as I hit the notification. I opened it and saw someone wanted to message me on the website.

I looked at the name and read it aloud, “Jeon Jungkook..?”

NEXT PROJECTED UPDATE: 06/06/19

[sick-raven]

Ghosts of the Past - Chapter 6

Chapter 1 + warnings

AO3

Previous chapter

Chapter 6

Banshee had enough of everyone’s shit. It was a week since the wild night. She’s seen Jonathan two times since. They talked about what happened thoroughly. They were adults and as adults they faced the new relationship. First time they met in his office for an appointment. So, they talked hard on the table. The other day he visited her in the shop. So, they also talked through and through in the backroom.

Always so weird. He didn’t want her to touch him and he never took any piece of clothing off. He had issues.

And then there were these motherfuckers. It was clear the hunt wasn’t over, but now they came hard as if the bounty doubled. She fended of three just this week.

“Tell me who sent you,” she demanded dangling a man of the roof. She held him by his shirt over the edge. One wrong move and they will both fly down and pancake on the pavement.

He whimpered but didn’t say anything.

“Talk, or you are flying off here!”

“I don’t know! They never told us who they are!”

“Bye then.”

“No, please!!”

“Banshee, stop.”

And now this jerk tried to ruin her day too! Why did she ever thought she liked Gotham? This was a hellhole that painted a target on her back and sent the Bat to stop her from scratching it off.

“This is self-defence,” she said and looked at Batman. “You can’t blame me for that.”

“Let him go.”

“Not until I know who made bounty on me!”

“I don’t know, please, it’s online!” cried the man. His face was red and wet. Only thing missing was him calling for his mommy.

“Where?”

“The Gotham bounty.”

“Are you serious? You have a page for that?” Banshee turned to Batman.

“Not that I know of,” he said.

“Now you do,” she snapped. “One has to be a hacker in this fucking town.” She tucked the man in and let him go. He stumbled on his legs and ran as fast as he could. Two shadow figures let him pass through them and disappeared in puff of smoke.

Oh, yeah, the shadow figures were prominent now. She felt them breathing on her neck. That also pissed her off.

“Leave me alone. I didn’t kill anyone,” she hushed the Bat.

“I know. I wanted to talk to you about your contact with Jonathan Crane.”

“You are a voyeur now, great.”

“He’s a dangerous man, Miranda. You shouldn’t get close to him.”

“So am I. Next?”

“I’ve seen this before. I don’t want you to fall in the trap of wanting to change him.”

“Oh, for fucks sake!” she shouted throwing her arms in the air. Metropolis sounded great. Calm city, no targets, no Batshrinks to assume what she thinks or does. No crazy guys and no… who is she kidding, the shadows will follow. “I am not stupid, B. He is not fixable. Just like me. Or you. None of us gets better, that’s why we do what we do!”

He went silent and changed the subject. “About the ritual…”

“It went nowhere.”

“I think it cleared many things.”

“Magic doesn’t exist. I am just schizo or something.”

“Magic is real, Miranda. In this world it shouldn’t surprise you.”

“Are you finished? I have forums to find.”

“I’m trying to help.”

“Everyone tries to help, and nobody asks if I want it. I don’t. Get off my back.”

She stomped away like a small angry child. She wanted to blame her mood on a moon, or the period, or the fact she didn’t sleep two nights. She couldn’t. She was angry at her incompetence to find the fucker trying to kill her.

And maybe also Jonathan.

Fuck it all.

She just wanted to sleep.

***

That’s how Jonathan found her. Bend over her laptop, hell in her eyes, typing furiously a step away from punching the keyboard.

“Is this how you scare off customers?” he asked.

She nearly killed him with her stare. “Get out. Now.”

“That’s no way to greet guests.”

“I sweat to god, Jonathan, leave now. I have no control,” she snapped at him.

“Yes, I noticed. I will leave the talk for later.”

She turned her attention back to the laptop, hitting enter so hard it was a miracle it didn’t jump out.

“What are you searching?”

“Will you just shut up?”

Jonathan was not phased. He came here with semi-good intentions. Now she ruined it. She was confrontational before, but this was another level. He didn’t know what stressed her that much, but he hated this. Raw anger was disgusting and made his skin crawl. He despised the lack of self-control. Grandma used to be angry a lot, but never for the reason she claimed. And it was Jonathan who got hit by the fury.

That’s why he didn’t bother listening to Miranda. Her fury hurt, but not as deep as grandma’s.

He walked around the counter and looked over her shoulder. She stiffened. Jonathan would take a punch if necessary.

“What do you need bounty for?”

“None of your business.”

“This is not how you look for it,” he commented. “Let me.”

She watched his fingers run on the keyboard. He knew the site very well. He got paid many times through this and he also found many henchmen there. People in Gotham were willing to take money for anything.

“What are you looking for?”

She stared at him enraged.

“I am trying to help, Miranda.”

She scoffed and folded her arms on her chest.

“I wanna know who’s trying to kill me.”

So that’s what’s been eating her out. For a minute he thought he had something to do with this. Shame, he didn’t left much impact on her. “Let me see.”

He ran through the website. “You cannot find names here, just information. But I know a guy who knows a gal… you know how it is. Hm, the bounty on you is solid. I would be interested if I didn’t know better.”

“Do you ever get tired of listening to yourself?”

“Sometimes. I will get the name for you.”

“I can do it myself.”

“I don’t doubt that.” He closed the laptop and turned to her. “You need sleep.”

“I am…”

“Doctor’s order.”

“That bad, huh?”

Yeah, she really looked exhausted. Black circles under her eyes and tremble in one hand. She broke herself to avoid breaking herself. He wondered whether the bounty was only thing that bothered her, but he didn’t ask. She will spill the beans eventually, she had talent for going straight to the point.

“Yes,” he answered.

“I cannot sleep, they…”

“Nobody will hurt you, I’ll take care of it.”

“Unless you do it.”

He sighed. He was a fiend. Fucked up in the head. But he wasn’t this. Using visible weakness was tempting but breaking them strong had more appeal. He wanted to help. He liked her fighting spirit, not this.

“You don’t need to trust me. But you do need sleep.”

Miranda shook uncomfortably and surrendered. “Fine. I will go home and have a rest. Your out of character care convinced me.”

“Let me take you there.”

She looked at him resignation in her eyes. “You mean it?”

“Yes.”

That’s how he ended up sitting on her couch, reading her disturbing collection of slushy romance and watching her over as she collapsed on her bed with silent ding.

***

This was embarrassing. Miranda got up early in the morning feeling much better just to find Jonathan sleeping in her living room. Good way to get them both killed, but also very awkward because she didn’t really believe he will stay there.

He looked almost innocent.

Why is everything in her life an almost?

Silently she moved to the kitchen to prepare quick breakfast for both. She tried to be as silent as possible but when she entered living room Jonathan was already up. Miranda didn’t know what to say so she just put the plate down.

“Do you feel better?” he asked after a minute has passed without a word.

“Yes,” she warmed her hands on a cup of tea. “Thank you, Jonathan. I snapped.”

“Do you do that often?”

“Yeah, I do. Some small shit goes wrong, I get angry and I start to make mistakes. That’s why I move places so often.”

He nodded. “Have you taken the pills I gave you?”

“No.” He left that without comment, but Miranda felt need to defend her decision. Did it really matter what he thinks? “I don’t trust you.”

“I don’t trust you either,” he agreed, “and we shouldn’t.”

This mutual agreement calmed her a little. They understood each other. “I owe you one.”

“You shouldn’t say that, or I will take you seriously.”

“You are right. I will owe you one if you get me the name.”

Jonathan smiled amused. “Miss Bradbury, we just talked about trust.”

“Business works differently.”

“You do not have sex with your business partners.”

“Says who?” she laughed, and he raised his eyebrows. “I’m just kidding. Maybe.”

“Anyways,” he continued with coldness in his voice – just a bit, she would almost miss it. “I will see what I can do. You take care of yourself, Miranda. And take your meds.”

“Sure, doc.”

***

Terry Borrows entered their shitty apartment with even shittier mood. Another day, another failed job hunt.

“I’m sorry, your crime record speaks against you.”

“Here you write you can’t stand loud noises. This work position is not for you.”

“Sorry, mate, not enough experience.”

“Are you Mexican?”

“We don’t hire killers.”

Terry collapsed in the armchair and sighed in frustration. You witness one fucking murder and you are fucked! You have to lower yourself to work for crime lords. Terry didn’t want to. They wanted some normal work without heavy machinery.

But no, the police still suspected them, so now they were unemployed, in debt and with eviction note on the table.

“Fuck this,” Terry said to the room. “Fuck it all!”

“You won’t suffer for long,” said a voice.

Terry jumped on their feet and turned around. Nobody was there. What? They searched the room with their eyes. Empty.

“Who said that?!”

Feeling of being watched crawled on their back. The room was lit and nobody else was there. Terry shook scared. They had to be hearing things. Nothing happened. Everything is fine.

They finally calmed down a bit although the tight chest, bound by nervousness, stayed. They’ll make coffee, and all will be fine.

Ding.

Terry froze.

Knife appeared on their neck and Terry screamed. Hand held their mouth.

“You do not fuck with death ghost, haven’t you heard, Terry?” whispered Banshee behind them. Terry whimpered ready for a pain and the end. “When you hear her come, you die.”

Tears ran on their face.

“I am a curious ghost, you know? I will let you talk. But you scream once and you die, Terry, understand?”

They nodded carefully not to cut their neck. Tight grip disappeared and a shove sent them on the ground. Terry turned. Over them stood a woman with scarf. The same one they’ve seen weeks back.

“Please, I…”

“Terry Borrows,” she said their name as if she was tasting it. “Who are you? You are not the League, or you’d find me right away. I don’t know you. Why do you want me dead?”

Terry felt their body tremble to the bone, but they felt like they are not there. The body wasn’t theirs. They focused only on her. She found them. She will kill them. Like she did to that guy before. No mercy. Their damn shitty life will be over.

“Speak!” she commanded.

Terry yelped and then unsure of what to say, tears started to pour from their eyes. The woman stood there, waiting, her stare ready to give them heart attack. Terry opened mouth several times, but shock wouldn’t let them speak so they looked like a fish out of water gasping for air.

Banshee put the knife to other hand and took out a gun.

“Please!” Terry finally managed. “I… I…” They couldn’t say it. She will kill them. “You…”

“Yes?”

“You ruined my life. Everyone… Everyone think I killed that guy! I got fired! The bill are crazy!”

“So you have money to pay for bounty and not for life, hm?”

Terry fell silent. How could they explain they got drunk and in revenge fit put out the bounty? And when they sobered up, they decided to leave it there and decided to run away or die trying without paying it?

“Sob story,” commented Banshee. “Your life turned bad, so you want to blame someone. I don’t do those. You fucked with wrong person.”

Terry closed their eyes.

“Oh no, not so easy. You take down the bounty first.”

“I can’t…”

“Excuse me?”

“I can’t do it from here. I can’t…”

Banshee frowned. Then she hid her gun and knife.

“You might have bought a day. Pull down the bounty. Don’t try to run. I will find you. I will…” just for a second she turned her gaze to corner and shook her head. “I will hunt you down. You better do what I say, and I might feel generous.”

Terry nodded fast.

“I will find you later.”

Terry sobbed a bit and their vision blurred. When they cleared the tears from their eyes, Banshee was gone.

***

Visiting Jonathan now was a lottery. Before she didn’t know what to expect but the options were limited. Now they grew and Miranda never knew what to prepare for. But what he started today, she wouldn’t foretold at all.

“We need to talk.”

She nearly choked on her drink. Talk? Now? Really? She took him for the type that will do things and when they stop being to his liking, he will just stop. No need to talk there.

“About what?” she cleared her throat.

“There are more things. Let me start with the simplest one. Did you find them?”

“Terry? Yes,” she nodded. “I have yet to kill them, but the bounty is off. For now.”

“I took you for hit first, ask question later kind of woman.”

“It depends. I needed to cancel the bounty. Terry doesn’t really bother me. Plus, I am sucker for helping poor. Kill, earn money, donate to charity sort of thing. Terry is in bad place. I might reconsider. I will see.”

“Interesting.”

“You are starting to scare me now with these comments.”

“Nervous, are you?”

“I didn’t expect any serious talks. What’s next?”

Jonathan smiled a little. “What are we doing?”

“You tell me. I don’t mind continuing with this. But I feel there is more in the air. I just don’t know what.”

“Can you even feel attachment, Miranda? Affection?”

“I don’t know. Can you?”

“I try not to.”

The words were said. They left her a lot to think about. Could she like him? Could she replace the common feeling she lacked with something? Loyalty maybe? Damn him and his stupid mind games. She liked him more when he fucked her in the backroom. No questions, no talks.

“Let’s not push anything, Jonathan. It’s not worth it.”

“I agree.”

Relief. Yes, it’s better not to overthink. Just let it flow, it will sort itself out eventually.

“Last thing.” He didn’t even stop to think. “You should take the pills.”

Miranda never opened the bottle. Reason stopped her. Possible consequences too. Jonathan could have lied. He wouldn’t poison her, just mess her up. Miranda, you wanted that, remember? But right now, that was low on her list. Shadows occupied the first five positions and she worried drugs would only worsen them.

“I don’t know what they will do,” she avoided saying the truth.

“I told you. They can awake your emotions.” He poured another drink just to put his hands to work. “Don’t you want that?”

Again, that weird idea she had – he also avoided something. Didn’t they just agree to let it flow? Damn him. “Maybe. But are you telling the truth? Remember the trust?”

“I do. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a suggestion.”

“Your suggestions always end up either in a fight or sex.”

“I would like to avoid both tonight.”

“Now I am curious,” she laughed.

“I’ll take it first.”

She fell silent. That was… unexpected. She never heard of psychiatrist just suggesting that. Then again, she never fucked her shrinks. This was also the first time she has became a pet project. Somehow she felt she needs to accept just to make him happy. And to bring herself to trust him. Enforce the bound.

She would rather go for that fuck now.

Aaaagh, think, Miranda! Is this a game again? What will be the consequences? Can you even afford consequences when the ghosts are following?

“Are you okay taking your own medicine?” she asked.

“I test it on myself sometimes when I am sure there are no side effects. If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have suggested it. I want you to trust the meds. Not just my word.”

“Okay. I think I would like that.”

“I just have to warn you. I talk way too much when drugged,” he joked.

“All you say will be used against you hundred percent. Just so you know the risk.”

“It’s worth it.”

“Enough of this sentiment,” she grinned with arms folded. It made her think, she hated that. She felt she could get attached, if the ghosts just left her alone. “I still have them, if you want to do it now.”

“Are you just carrying them around?”

“Have you never heard of woman’s purse?”

“And its never-ending space?”

“Yes!”

Jonathan laughed a little. “Yes, I am willing.”

Miranda was still unsure, but she fetched the medication. Questions ran through her head. Manipulation was one of them. Be wary of the good doctor. The good doctor is a freak. Shadows hoovered at the back of the room and silently agreed.

She needs them gone!

Jonathan accepted the bottle and just took one pill. So simple. Hard evidence that he didn’t give her anything bad. He handed her the bottle back.

“Did you test this one before?” Miranda asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you keep composure?”

“Partially. It doesn’t change your thinking, it just mixes your emotions. Often positively but not always.”

“Okay.”

They didn’t talk for a while. Miranda was waiting for anything to happen. Jonathan just rested in his chair. At one point he frowned and clenched his fists, but that was it.

“You make it look easy,” said Miranda.

“It’s just uncomfortable since you are watching.”

“I noticed. You don’t like people, do you?”

“Are you using the talking against me, Miranda?”

“Yes,” she grinned. “Spill the beans, Jonathan.”

He scoffed. “No, I don’t like people. They always turn on you, always hate you. There is no good. All is just façade helping them to get something from you.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“I never met anyone who wouldn’t use me. Did you?”

“I am a tool.”

“See,” he said victoriously.

“Is that…” she waved her hand a bit. Jonathan gave her weird stare, but the ghost disappeared. “Why you don’t like being touched?”

Jonathan rested his head on his hand. “No, you misunderstood. I like getting touched just like any other man.”

“So, what’s the deal?”

He really tried to hold himself together but little tick here and there and foot tapping gave away his rising emotions. Annoyance? Excitement? She couldn’t tell.

“My grandma was a fanatic. Religious zealot. She…” he reached for a glass and drank away the sore throat. “When she didn’t like something, she decided to shun the devil away.”

Jonathan fell silent, nervous ticks more often. He avoided eye contact. That was a first. He always held it over her like a weapon and now he was looking anywhere but at her.

“She’d close me in the old church. And the crows there would attack me. She trained them like dogs. Pecked meat of the body.”

Now it was her who shivered.

“So,” she said, “lanky and scarred.”

He raised his eyes with spark of anger.

“That’s what you don’t like. Being seen,” she concluded. “I just thought you were kinky. You are not really into unconscious ladies.”

“No.”

“You could just turn off the light.”

“The feel is still there. You can recognize the scars by touching them.”

Miranda scratched her head awkwardly. “You go to great lengths just to hide that. Just… it’s all fucked up, sorry.”

He shrugged but looked out of windows. Miranda felt like shit. She opened the can of worms and now they were crawling everywhere, and she tried to pick them one by one. Say something, girl. Can’t you see this is your only chance to pry?

“Are you okay, Jonathan?”

“No,” he answered.

“I will leave you alone.”

She was ready to leave. “No, please, stay,” he stopped her and reached his hand to her. She hesitated for a second. They cannot be saved. They cannot be changed. Nothing in this world will fix whatever they became and why they became it didn’t matter.

She just sat next to him, held his hand and let him suffer in silence

Next chapter