#it's been easier since my mom's been doing the same; she's trying her best to do better. and i can tell that she's trying. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cuntycheol · 2 years ago

Text

To You (C.SC)

Summary: Silence has always been a long-term paying guest between you and your husband. It took a cohabitation and more, to turn things around for Seungcheol and you, to figure out your true feelings.

Themes: romance, fluff, smutty, old money Seungcheol cuz he's your rich, cold but tender husband and you're his smart wifey, scenes of a firebreakout(please skip if you're triggered), some nice scenes of Singapore, and the first smut happens already (virgin!couple, slight inexperiences, orals, vanilla!) Cheol's very warm please I love him so much we'll save the real Cheol monstercock for the future ;3

WC: 7.7K

Playlist: Seventeen's (To You, All My Love, Falling for You SDSMSN, Darling), By My Side by Junny, Better Siopaolo , Alina Baraz (Floating, Alone with you, if you let me) I.M Flower-ed, Bibi Step

feel free to arrange them sowwy they're a lil mis arranged

A/N: helloo carats!! Had to make my first post about my man Cheol(thank u to my man) with the good ol' husband!au. It's evident im in my "oh husband cheol feelings" where we loving him real good! I've been impatient so I posted it a bit earlier than expected :D my comfort loving carats, this is based off All My Love and To You lyrics <3 I hope you enjoy this piece of writing as much as I enjoyed writing this! Happy Cheol Day you living legend coupranghae btches :")

Updated: mini sequel here <3

Life was divided into four distinct categories, after one whole month of your brand new status as Mrs. Choi, or Mr. Choi Seungcheol's wife:

Breakfasts with and for Seungcheol because he confessed he anticipates what you offer in the am

Touring the exquisite royalty of the mansion built by his great grandparents(specially the crimson paints)

Spending time with Seungcheol's Mom since she adores you more than her son!

Dinner n Slumber, where you sleep with a wall that separates you from your husband.

You don't exactly think it'd change; however you do expect it to. Everyday, you wake up in your own room, without the warmth of your husband because neither of you are exactly ready to sleep on the same bed together, and neither of you can sacrifice your comfort on the couch. Therefore a shared decision convinces your elders to grant your marriage the gift of time, a chance to understand one another before embracing a shared room and shared life. All credit to Seungcheol's mom, who chose you to be her son's perfect match, a decade ago. She envisioned you as the one to be her son's beacon of illumination in his life, and the way your personality coincides with his. Who knew you'd be repaid for your kindness of tagging along with your grandfather to meet his ailing friend, (Seungcheol's grandfather) with a coerced, arranged marriage to their youngest grandson. It was on you to navigate this relationship towards love and the more easier it sounds, the harder it gets.

Your husband's honesty shines through, expressing that his family holds the utmost importance in his heart, and he could never deny his mother's wishes. Although he initially declined the marriage proposal, the elders' persuasion led him to reluctantly agree. Absolute zero differences in both of your situations. Despite the arranged marriage, he promises to ensure your comfort and well-being. Polite knocks on your door in the morning signify his presence, seeking breakfast if you're up for the task, and he would either leave a note saying "ThankYou" or he would leave a fresh flower on the dining table as a small gesture of appreciation for your efforts in preparing breakfast, letting your pride swell with all this generosity, although you'd wish he says it with his own mouth, overcoming those barriers. Considerate compliments follow whether you're dressed in your best, try some new hairstyles, or ofcourse, after enjoying your delightful meals, was one thing that made you hopeful about this relationship.

It's evident he lacks communication, since he only speaks to you at mornings and occasionally on texts, whenever he's late. He possesses no punctuality but you're quick to realize he has a pattern in timings of when he wakes up, when he returns, when he sleeps. Throughout the day, you don't exactly see him. At nights you barely sit with him. He's either in his room or on his laptop. Nothing, among you two, seems like you're in a bond with the youngest heir of this luxurious business.

"Don't forget, the dinner's scheduled tonight" you chime, while he was leaving. He nods and drives his way out for another busy day.

Marrying a business tycoon of "old money" and serving him great breakfasts, were the last thing you expected in your simple life, where you were focused on academic and personal glowups, and rarely had any serious past relationships, or have slept with anyone.

You just believed better things await for you, and if those better things were in the shape of a young handsome husband, who were you to complain.

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"So! Have you decided a honeymoon destination?" Seungcheol's sister-in-law questions, at a calm family dinner. Seungcheol takes a sip from the drink, "I'm positively considering Greece or Bali, or maybe Fiji. We haven't played rock papers scissors yet to choose one destination" earning a small chuckle from everyone, Seungcheol continues to feast on the delicious dinner you had prepared. A variety of topics continue to be discussed and that was the only response Seungcheol ever said throughout dinner.

While the family members took their departure, after another hour of dessert sessions, you thought about his remark, if there's any depth to it. The honeymoon idea and what he has said so far, made you a bit ecstatic.

Seungcheol's seated on the couch, of the lounge upstairs, sipping his usual coffee. you lean towards the railings of the top floor, where yours and Seungcheol's bedrooms neighbored. He looks at you, with tender eyes, yet a cold expression. "So, about the whole honeymoon thing, are you-"

"Oh "don't worry about it," Seungcheol's dismissively remarks, taking another sip of his coffee. "Family dinners are meant for prying into things we wouldn't discuss on a typical morning," he explains. "And Honestly, I don't see the need for a honeymoon." Your heart sinks at his response, disappointment clouding your expression. "But I thought we could at least look at brochures together? Atleast discuss this thoroughly" you respond, trying to mask your disappointment with a glimmer of hope that he might consider it.

Seungcheol lets out a weary sigh, his tone becoming more serious. "You don't have to give in to everything my family demands. They can be nosy, but they'll eventually drop the topic after a few days." He glances down at his laptop, signaling that the matter is closed.

You can't help but feel a pang of hurt as Seungcheol's words crush your hopeful expectations. The thought of a romantic getaway had brought some solace, but now it seems like a distant dream.

"But Seungcheol," you protest softly, trying to keep your emotions without losing your temper, "it's just that a honeymoon could be a chance for us to spend some quality time together, away from only meeting on breakfasts, away from the hustle of daily life, away from being silent everyday, and both of us make an effort, to get to know each other better" He glances up from his laptop, his expression stoic, but you can sense a hint of frustration in his eyes. "I understand your perspective," he replies calmly, "but I'm not sure a honeymoon is the right way to achieve that. We can spend time together here, without the pressure of a fancy trip. We're not close enough nor we're a match to be doing this in the first place"

at this moment, you find yourself getting defensive...

"It's not about a fancy trip, Seungcheol. It's about creating memories, experiencing new things together, and building a connection outside of this huge mansion... where we live in distant bedrooms" you gesture around you, emphasizing the splendor of the place that seems to distance you both from the real world.

His eyes widen momentarily at your words, and you see a flash of emotion that he quickly hides. "It's not that," he retorts yet defensively, "I just think this honeymoon is an unnecessary pressure, and we should be honest about our feelings and not pretend."

You take a step back, hurt and anger welling up inside you. "So, all this time, we were just a pretense? You're quite audacious to say we're incompatible, considering the amount of time you spend with me. Count the days we ever went out? That's right. Zero" you scoff, "you know what, let's just forget this. Forget I ever asked you anything. Thankyou, for lightening my evening, Good Night" Before he could utter a response or rephrase everything, you stomp your way into your bedroom, hiding your face in your palms, feeling a bit guilty of losing your cool already when it hadn't been a while.

Seungcheol stood there, a mix of regret and realization washing over him. He knew he had made a mistake, once again, with his poorly chosen words to convey his thoughts. The truth was, he had never really learned how to express himself properly; heck he couldn't even say a proper "you're so pretty, I think I have started to find some meaning into this relationship?" to the woman he's been living with, in the same house. Unfortunately words often tumbled out of his mouth without a second thought, and he rarely considered how they might sound or how they could impact the other person. As a result, he found himself remaining silent at critical moments, fearing that his words might only cause more harm than good.

The argument with you had brought this flaw to the forefront of his mind. He recognized that his lack of effective communication had hurt you, leaving you disappointed and disheartened. He raises his fist to knock at your door, wishing he could take back his words and find a way to bridge the growing distance between the two of you, yet again, he retreats.

The same gesture was for you standing in front of your door, trying to atleast add a subtle apology, but an instant realization made you stomp your foot dramatically and jump into the warm bed.

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The next day, you refuse to make any breakfast, or contribute to the daily household activities like you usually do. You sulk in your room, either pacing back and forth, ordering your meal,coffee and everything upstairs.

It angered you how much you like Seungcheol. How deep of an infatuation you've developed towards him, in such a short time, finding glimpses of someone beneath the surface that you want to know better. Yet, the argument hangs heavy in the air, making you doubt whether your budding emotions stand a chance. You journal everything; how much of an asshole he is to not communicate properly, how many layers are there to him, and the only time you two talk, is for an arguement? Everything frustrated you. You hear Seungcheol in the distant, and as much as you were cross with him, you want to look at him, and admire his presence. Although its the first ever arguement you two share, the typical wife in you, expects flowers and apologies first from your husband.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, would often glance upstairs, or at your door. He would expect to see your charming face, he silently admires. Only to slump his shoulders and leave for work everyday.

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Two days pass by, and midnights strike, as you sit alone in your room, the argument with Seungcheol still fresh in your mind, you try to calm your emotions, occassionally collecting your thoughts in process of reading. Lost in your contemplation, you fail to notice the faint smell of burning wires in the air. The faulty switch connected to the lamp had been giving you trouble for a while, but you hadn't paid much attention to it, thinking it was a minor inconvenience, and indeed the most minor issues ignite major disasters.

Suddenly, a small spark ignites near the switch, and within seconds, the flames start to spread rapidly. Second situation of the night escalating this quick. Panic sets in as you realize the danger you're in.

Your heart races as you rush to the door, only to find that it's jammed, likely due to the fire's heat warping the frame. Fear grips you, knowing you're trapped. With no time to waste, you quickly grab your phone and dial the emergency number. Your voice trembles as you explain the situation and your exact location in the house. You yell out Seungcheol's name, as loud as possible, but unable to do so with the smoke rising.

Soon it starts to fill the room, making it hard to breathe. You look around for something to cover your mouth and nose, finding a nearby cloth to protect yourself as you wait for help to arrive. With all your remaining strength, you fan the rising smoke outside the door, to trigger the smoke alarms.

Seungcheol, who was now downstairs fetching a glass of wine trying to prompt an apology for the day he gathers his courage to, smells the smoke and hears the faint crackling of flames; soon he's shaken by the fire alarms sensing smoke. Panic overtakes him as he realizes this leads to your room. As he rushes upstairs, he hears faint bangings from your room, which stops. He calls out your name, but there's no response. Fear for your safety drives him to take action.

Seungcheol approaches the door, with all his force, he breaks it open. only to find the room engulfed in flames. Your figure is barely visible through the dense smoke. He rushes towards your feeble helpless frame, ignoring the scorching heat and billowing smoke. He finds you near window, trying to escape the inferno. With tears in his eyes, he wraps you in his arms and guides you towards the window, with the flames slowly engulfing the entrance door of your room.

In a span of a few minutes, sirens grows louder, and moments later, paramedics and fire brigades arrive, rushing to extinguish the flames and rescue both of you. They break through the main gates, helping you and Seungcheol escape to safety.

"Please check on her! She was unconcious and barely breathing I'm -I Plea-" Seungcheol fails to form a proper sentence.

"Please calm down sir, we're checking on her, and we'll assisst you. You are...?"

"Her husband! Please hurry and check on her god damnit!!" He yells in frustration hoping you're safe.

Soon, you were able to breathe on your own, and slowly you flutter your eyes open, chest heaving from the sudden attack of the horrific accident. Before it could escalate any further, you were given appropriate medications to trigger your drowsiness.

In the aftermath tranquility of this burning situation, Seungcheol stand outside, watching as firefighters work tirelessly to put out the remaining flames. Grateful to have survived the terrifying ordeal, he holds onto your numb hands, finaly letting his tears slip his eyes. He was so grateful to stop a major tragedy, and you're safe, with him.

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The morning sunlight gently seeps through the curtains as you feel it, only to be met with haunting flashbacks of the previous night's terrifying fire, your hopeless voice calling your husband's name, beneath your vision. You shot your eyes open and sit up, heart pounding in your chest as the vivid memories replay in your mind, leaving you trembling with fear. Tears stream down your cheeks as the trauma overwhelms you, and you find it hard to catch your breath.

Seungcheol's immediately awaken by your distress, pulling you into his arms. " I'm here y/n calm down shush..." he whispers tenderly, stroking your head, trying to comfort your trembling body as best as he can. He embraces you tightly in his arms, allowing you to cry and release the floodgates of emotions open from the harrowing experience.

He listens to your trembling sobs, his heartbeats a steady rhythm against your ear, and he continues to stroke your arms and back, comforting you through the turmoil. As you find consolation in his warmth, your clenched fists loosen their grip on the fabric of his shirt, his touch brings a sense of safety and reassurance that you desperately need in this moment. You look at him through your red eyes, as he smiles at you endearingly.

"Seungcheol- I...I'm so sorry" you sniff, gripping his hand, "I never knew that faulty switch would bring this huge mess upon us. You must be the one affected the most. I'm so sorry you had to go through this because of me. I should've let you known" you sob.

He gently wipes your tears, resting your head back on his shoulders "as long as you're safe, I'm at peace. It is my fault that I'm so...uh..quite unapproachable? But I went through hell when I saw you. I was sick worried. I'm sorry I should've protected you better. I should've run a new repair scheme as soon as you moved in. It was my insensitivity to let the most minor things slide" he slowly lies down, with you close to him. He smelled nothing like how the entire house did. He smelled sweet and strong. Everything indeed happens for a reason, as you sense how you're into the man, who rarely touches you, holding you dear.

Throughout the day, your husband Seungcheol stayed by your side, enveloping you in comforting embraces. He ordered breakfast to be delivered to his room, encouraging you to take small steps towards regaining your strength and energy to get on your feet. He offered the support you needed to gather the courage to move on your own and freshen up with a soothing shower.

While you were in the shower, he quietly left the room, allowing you some privacy to release the pent-up emotions that had been bottled up inside you. As the water washed away your tears, the conversations from two nights ago still loomed heavily, unresolved between you both. Yet, amidst the silence and uncertainty, there were his tender gazes - soft and caring. They were like ice on a sunburn, cooling your worries and offering a glimpse of hope. Though words may not have been spoken, his presence spoke volumes, showing that he was there for you in this trying time. You peer outside the window, to see the iron gates glistening with the fog, pitch black sky and the time's almost 11.

Once again, your husband returns into his room, after confirming you've changed, and he smiles at you, approaching with a plate of fruits and berries of all kinds. He was unsure of what your favorite fruit was. He felt unfortunate, of how unaware he is of your preferences. He hands you a bowl of strawberries, and elegantly peels an orange, handing the fruit to you.

"I'm sorry about the previous night" he begins. It catches you off-guard, yet you figure out you're the listener now. "I'm not the best with words, and I do realize I've hurt you-or even worse, left you disheartened. Yet again, I'm at a loss of what should I say, except that let's go on with the honeymoon plans. It may not be the best time right now, but whenever you're sure of doing this, tell me every detail about it; everything you desire for. We'll discuss it." he lifts his eyes towards you, with a subtle smile.

"I thought about everything, and upon contemplation, I realize I do want to give us a chance" you couldn't contain the bubbling happiness, and immediately hug him "thankyou so so so much Seungcheol. I'm glad you get my point" he was frozen at this sudden gesture, yet didn't fail to chuckle. Although he smiled discreetly knowing how wife-coded you are. "Let's begin as friends? Married friends? We'll know each other little by little" you suggest. "Sure, whatever you suggest" he smiles, shaking your hand.

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Amidst the haunting shadows of the accident's aftermath, and quite some insomnias later, time became your ally, gently coaxing you out of the horrors that had shaken your world. However you found an unexpected haven of love and affection with your husband. In your head, this friendship has escalated rapidly. A realization dawned upon you - the past may have shaped your paths, but the present had the power to rewrite destinies. Over time you had found solace in cohabitation with your husband, late-night conversations about life's intricacies, you delved into shared preferences, whispered dreams, cherished birthdays, and bittersweet memories of childhood. And everyday you discover new sides of him. Soon, you call him "husband" essentially finding pride and power in doing so. He was surprised at first, yet now he loves being called nicknames like "Cheol" or "Cheollie".

In Seungcheol, you found everything you admired in a man - daring, possessive, with a stunning face and a strong physique. He loved to be in shape, and encouraged you to stay fit, though romance wasn't his forte, he never faltered in taking care of necessities. While you weren't sure if you brightened his world, he became your epiphany. His struggles with eye contact and occasional mindless words unveiled the emotions he guarded, making you grateful for the accident that brought you together; without it, you might have given up on him. Now, you cherished the connection that had grown, exploring the depths of both your hearts.

Seungcheol realized soon that the collision of your worlds had a purpose, unveiling the potential for love and connection he hadn't dared to imagine. He slowly felt a major change in himself. Slowly, a transformation took place within him. Moments that were once filled with hesitation and distance, now became opportunities for seeking your attention, for his eyes to meet yours. He longed to be closer to you, finding comfort in watching you sleep peacefully at night and waking up to your smile each morning.

However, amidst this newfound affection, he couldn't decipher where his heart truly lay. Your mother's loving gestures and his sister-in-law's respectful fondness were easy to understand, but when it came to your feelings, he was left uncertain. Did you like him back? Would you ever be able to reciprocate his love? The questions lingered, leaving him vulnerable to the unknown, anxiously awaiting the day he could unravel the mysteries of your heart. It's an endless marathon in his mind.

It took him 4 days to gather his courage and ask you for coffee. You laugh and obviously agreed to accompany him to the city's famous coffee spot. Like the man he was, he memorizes your order and pulls into a drive thru.

Seungcheol drives to a spot he usually stops by, to ease his frustrations; Parks. Laughter of children, romantic couples sharing pda, and a bridge that separates cherry blossoms from the playground, you're immediately in love with this scenario. Both of you share some laughter, and enjoy your coffees and croissants, while the petals of the blossoms shed upon you. The look of love you two exchanged was long; to leave your coffees cold and croissants dry. Both of your worlds revolved around each other, only for Kkuma's barks to bring you back in reality, being greeted by Seungcheol's brother and his wife. Your delightful evening ends with a comfortable dinner and living your best chances of being Kkuma's mother, something your two month marriage with Seungcheol lacked.

Soon enough, you persuaded Seungcheol to shift houses permanently. Despite your old room being perfectly repaired, the trauma of sleeping alone had left a lasting impact. Bonus was Kkuma finally moving in with you and Seungcheol. Understanding your perspective, Seungcheol readily accepted to have you in his room in this house, and the new one seeking, welcoming the idea without hesitation.

Within a mere three days, you both found yourselves settling into your new furnished apartment, which, wasn't expansive, it rather held the essence of a cozy aesthetic. With only one guest room upstairs and a spacious bedroom, you had insisted on sharing the same space, declining any notions of personal separation. He made sure to double check every single thing, to disapprove any mishaps.

"Cheol, this is beautiful! I-I love it!! Thankyou so much, husband!" To him it's no new information, but his cheeks flushed shades of cherries. You were too busy exploring your new house, and he couldn't help but adore every inch of your ecstacy.

"Any time, wife" he replies after clearing his throat, and containing his ecstacy.

You poured your gratitudes to Seungcheol the entire day and actively joined hands with you, playfully engaging in household tasks, cherishing every moment as you transformed the apartment into your shared abode, a place that signified the start of your new world together. Nothing changed in terms of routine, however, you two communicate often,and now there were sparks of mischief from Seungcheol, indicating that silence was no more a welcoming guest. And now Kkuma being an addition, you enjoyed being indoors and outdoors with her. It wasn't often both of you enjoy going out often unless its something such as icecream dates or coffee, or some relaxing walks, because neither of you go anywhere out of your comfort zone; except for a business trip or grocery shopping, however the joy of turning down people who ask for your status, was thrilling. You felt a sense of superiority.

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The next evening he returns home a little earlier than expected, searching for an important flash drive in his drawer. It seemed you were in shower, considering how loud you were singing. He smiles, hearing your soft voice echoing in the room, and suddenly the door knob twisting open. Seungcheol quickly slides open the closet door and gets inside.

It was foolish of him to hide instead of leave, but he thought maybe his presence would freak you out. He slowly opens a little to take notes of the surrounding and was taken aback, seeing you in a towel, and your hair wrapped. He gulps, seeing your glistening body smell like lavender, spreading in the room.

Seeing you in this new light, he couldn't help but feel a surge of desire mixed with love. He had never viewed you with such intense admiration before. Tempted to touch and hold you, he controlled his impulses, knowing it was too soon for his hands to explore your curves yet this is the most skin he's seen of you.

You lie down on the bed, laughing and smiling to everything that went in your beautiful mind. Soon you dial your best friend and start off a conversation. Seungcheol senses this was a grave mistake, because phonecalls are obviously long. He had no choice but to stay inside until you're distracted. He facepalms himself, and slowly leans towards the side. You put the phone on speaker while you do your post shower rituals, moisturizing yourself in view of the full length mirror.

"Is Seungcheol home right now? Or should I say your husband" your friend teases you

"Good lord, no he's not. Infact a business trip awaits his presence"

"Tch that's sad. No wonder why you're calling me and not him"

"My man's busy. Sometimes I just hope come early one day and catch me like this? My mind goes places whenever I get out of shower and think of him coming in without notice" you smile coyly "darling you're on my to-do list tonight" you chuckle. Seungcheol could only smirk, after hearing your fantasies.

"Honey you're too inexperienced for this" she retorts

"Inexperienced my foot, I miss my husband already.... and safe to say I actually love him" you sigh.

"Have you told him about your feelings? Have you told him you've never been laid and are deprived" Seungcheol closely listens to everything, occasionally holding his laughter.

"No" you pout again, falling on your back, unaware of seungcheol who was shamelessly hearing you, while admiring your raised chest, that was swollen out off the unknown feelings of you, from him.

"I want to. Everytime I look at him, I want to tell him 'oh Cheollie I love you' " you laugh with your friend, "I'm seriously in love with him and it scares me how quick and sudden it all was. And now its- he's giving me mixed signals. Sometimes he's distant, and sometimes he makes me the most lucky woman ever. I want to tell him I love him, I just don't know when or how" you continue

"Dont say anything. Just go on your honeymoon, and sit on his face, the 2nd hour. Afterall actions speak louder than words" both of you laugh heartily. Seungcheol breathes out a laugh yet onto it, knowing it's over if he's caught.

"Tell me about it" you sigh.

"Seriously! Talk with him and confess! Since when did you become such a big pussy"

"Honey I'm the one with the pussy"

"Goddamn, you- seriously- talk to him. What if he s involved in someone else the time you say the words"

You went silent, the thought just made you sit back up, nd think about it. Could he really have someone else?

"I...highly doubt that. My mother-in-law said he's never really had a serious relationship, since he was focused on training back then"

"Honey its not written on your face that you've never had a man, it aint written on his face that he may have a potential girlfriend before you. What you'll be doing then?" Your friend continues "I hope he's not doing this out of sympathy, considering that whole incident"

Again you felt numb all over, it would've killed you inside out if the signs of Seungcheol's empathy and love was all out of sympathy. However you shake your thoughts, and put a heavy heart on your words, "Then what I'm the one who married him, and I get to choose if I stay or take the other way"

Seungcheol gulped, knowing time is definitely ticking and if he still don't do anything, he'll surely regret.

"Atta girl!"

Suddenly Kkuma runs out from underneath your bed and into the bathroom, and you chase her. "Ahhhhh kkuma stop you frenzy lil- I'll call back later" you chase your daughter, and Seungcheol seeks this as a perfect opportunity to escape.

"Kkuma!!!! That's your dad's favorite shampooo aaa!" You exclaim. Seungcheol takes this opportunity to sprint out of the room, laughing a little at your banter. The smile plastered on his face was priceless. His chest heaved with happiness, ego swollen with pride, heart relieved and thrilled with all the revelations. If he knew anything as a businessman, it was to have a plan. He needs to be prepared for everything beforehand and time was a precious investment. And it was finally time he need to make his first move.

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"Are you interested in accompanying me to this business trip?" Seungcheol asks, out of the blue during breakfast.

"Well, I don't see exactly why wouldn't I" you raise your brows "thought I'd say no"

"Hey hey, it's not that! I just wondered if you'd be up for some adventure, that's all."

"Adventure, huh?" you reply, pretending to ponder dramatically. "Hmm, only if you promise to bring some fun into this 'business' trip."

He smirks, tapping his fingers on the table. "Deal! I'll make sure it's the most adventurous business trip you've ever been on" you're aware of your husband's antics, and it's evident he's brewing something.

You laugh, finding his playful demeanor contagious. "Alright then, you've got yourself a travel buddy. But you better keep your promise, Mr. Businessman."

Seungcheol winks, flashing you a charismatic smile. "Oh, don't you worry, Mrs. Businesswoman. It'll be an unforgettable journey" Kkuma barks in excitement

"Exactly Kkuma" he cheers.

You couldn't help but smile, at how domestic life has turned ever since the coast is clear between you two. The idea of being overseas with Seungcheol sparked a new imagination for you.

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Whoever said travelling is easy, it never is.

After hours of a tiring flight, you found yourself in Singapore, the astonishing city of tourism. The sights were indeed beautiful, with city skyscrapers and landscapes that mesmerized you. The fresh air was a welcome change, adding a touch of excitement to this trip. Your husband, with his penchant for luxury, had chosen a hotel room at a height, providing a stunning view of the city and the rivers below."It must be even more beautiful at night," you thought, taking in the scenery.

Seungcheol's voice broke through your thoughts, and you turned to see him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, looking incredibly attractive in his white shirt.

"Like what you see?" he teased, clearly enjoying the attention he was receiving.

"Sure I do," you replied with a nervous smile, trying to contain your admiration for him.

"I'll shower first then! I'll be heading out soon, so please order lunch for me as well," he said, scrunching his nose playfully before disappearing into the bathroom.

Following his request, you ordered lunch and kept yourself busy taking pictures of the breathtaking views from your room. Lost in the beauty of the city, you were interrupted by the doorbell, and to your surprise, there stood Seungcheol, clad only in sweatpants, with the towel hanging around his shoulders. You tried your best to keep composure "Oop! Quite a timing, lunch is here" you tried to maintain eye contact but it was hard; both for your eyes to keep to his face, and for his nipples to remain soft in the chilly air of the A/C. It was thrilling and embarassing, considering you now know what he is inside that white shirt he always wears.

"Sure, Thanks. Heard my phone ring" he walks over to the side table for his phone "I'll be quick" he chuckles knowing the effect he had on you. You swore you felt tingles everywhere, and bury your face in your hands, hiding the flusters of your red face and feels. Unbeknownst to you, Seungcheol could see your flustered reactions through the reflection of the window; full enough to capture the city's highlights. He knew he has unlocked a new level.

"Sure this journey will be unforgettable"

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While Seungcheol's been busy attending meetings and chats with his clients, you took this opportunity to explore the city's famous landmarks, enjoying some street shows, and a visit to art galleries and ice cream parlors. The times he's available, he shines as usual; enjoying different flavors, mingling with the dancers, and spending like anything on ferris wheel rides, and to exquisite places you've either seen on searches, or never heard of it.

"So Mrs Businesswoman how are you enjoying your stay so far?" He inquires, leaning rowards the railings of the bridge.

"Amazing, you really know how to explore, Mr Dora" you smile. "How long is your business work though?"

"Why is it? Don't you like it here?" He frowns

"No no, it's that you must be tired commuting back and forth, just making sure you don't get sick"

"Don't worry, besides, weren't you the one to be enthusiastic about a honeymoon" he looks up at the starry sky. An instant realization came to you

"Ooh.... I-damn you sneaky lil I should've known why would you ask me to accompany you all of a sudden" you squint at him "I'm not complaining though. You have quite an elite taste" you smile

"Then lets go get dinner and we'll chill on some champagne later" the idea sounds wonderful already. Seungcheol holds your hand, and your heartbeat accelerated at this gesture

"You don't mind...this do you?" He asks, eyes glistening with innocence as if he doesn't tease you every morning.

"No, Honey" you smile. Despite Seungcheol's occasional flirty tactics, you realized that he had eyes only for you.

The next hour after a delicious dinner, you were in shower, and decided to make him suffer twice the time he does, so you come out in slippers, and a piece of towel barely covering your body, just enough to enhance your curves. Your husband who was pouring champagnes, turns around, to his absolute shock, he was foaming, eye-fucking you. You instantly knew you hit the bullseye.

"Forgot my toner here" you smile innocently, and unintentionally fulfilling your fantasies. Whatever was hard, was definitely not because of the temperature. Soon you return in just an oversized shirt and some shorts, that has been your usual night-fit. He hands you your glass, looking a bit horny. There was silence. Quite a sexually tempting one. Lights were dim, the view was spectacular.

It's when he realized he's had enough and pulls you on top of him, your lingerie-less body hitting his hard chest

"God..Seungcheol what is-"

"I'm I hav- Oh god I don't know how to say this" he contemplates, as you see his soft lips between his teeth

"What the hell you're the one to pull me on you" you roll your eyes

"Sorry I'm I-"

"Never mind" you hold his face and attach your lips with his. To be frank, you've had tolerated enough and it's time you do sit on his face.

The synchronization of your lips moving with his, was very perfect for a first time. You kept on kissing and kissing, exploring every inch of his mouth until he pushes you for a catch of breath. You flutter your eyes open and smile, slowly transcending to a laugh

"God you're so...menacing" he speaks "about time you finally do what you said to your frien-" he stops knowing he said a little too much. You look at him in shock "does that mean you-"

"Sorry" he nervously says. You squint your eyes at him again, very suspiciously "how much did you listen"

"Everything" he confessed "it was unintentional, you were busy on the call and I came for something then I forgot common sense. Sorry" he apologizes. You knew the cat had been out of the box, you were unable to notice it. You sigh, after a quick contemplation

"Well, it's no secret anymore. Here I'll say it fir-" he puts a finger on your lip, switching positions, where he is on top of you now. It earned a small squeak from you, yet you felt your core getting a bit wet by how attractive that was. His leg rested between yours.

"Let me" he stares in your soul. You gulped, kind of getting wet by how his built is hovering on you.

"Y/N, I'm foolishly, in fucking love with you" the sudden profanity made you grin a little harder, all while he strokes a loose strand off your face "honestly. I can't believe it took me this long to express my..sheer love for you, y/n. Back then, i would've died without you but now I...would die for you. I can't imagine a world without you, so if you please let me be yours forever?"

"I hated every inch of air I shared with you then, and how we were just bonded without sharing a hello" you smile, cupping his face "I never imagined I'd find every moment with you, so profound. Every minute with you was magical, and it only concludes how destined we are for each other"

"I love you Seungcheol"

"I love you too..."

With that, he took the "action speak louder than words" a little too serious. His lips wrestle for dominance with yours, and the thigh that was calm, started stirring up a storm between your legs, as he continuously grinds on you. You pull onto the hem of his shirt, and he immediately does, while his hands explore your body inside your shirt. He slowly makes his way from your lips to your neck. Everything felt so ecstatic; it was your new high. You clenched onto the soft pillows for dear life, when Seungcheol slides himself into your oversized shirt, his lips between the valley of your perky breasts, craving his attention. He admires every inch of your perfectly created body.

"Stop...teasing" you moan. He feigned ignorance, continuing to play with your sensations. He pulls you up by your back, and swiftly removes the shirt and throws it on the floor. "There's no stopping me tonight y/n," is the last thing he says before pinching your nipples, and making the best use of his mouth on them. He enjoys hearing the profanities escape your lips, and how your voice changes upon pleasure.

You push him by his shoulders and get down on him, sliding the waistband of his shorts down to his knees, his dick springing high on your face. You gaze at his length before mindlessly taking every inch in your hands. "You..you..do..nt hhhave to ddoo t-ohhh" he groans. "You don't tell me what to do...."

"Such a brat" he smirks, letting you rule his excitement. He felt his high, once you slowly took him in your mouth, taking in as much as you could without gagging (yet) it's a matter of time he shifts from a thread of "oh ffuckk" "you're doing it so good" to "I'm gonna cum" and it's when you stop. You hastily take your shorts off and slowly grind on him. Seungcheol was panting manic. He was a mess. The entire room reeked of lust and his musky scent overshadowing, with his sweat. It proved how much of an authority you held on him

"Slide all the way up to my face beautiful I don't bite"

That's all you needed for your dripping core to slide on his nose, to his mouth. His tongue did wonders. You were sure you wouldn't last long considering this is your first oral ever, and sure you didn't, his tongue toyed with your nerves, and used every "shits" "fucks" "oh cheol" as his drive to go deeper in your cunt. "I'll cum I'm cumming I-" you release on his lips, and like a man, he devours it all.

"Delicious"

"You...you sound like cand..candy crush for god's sake" you breathily chuckle, and he follows, slowly getting up, to position himself on you.

"Then allow me to...'smash' " he presses a tender kiss on your forehead, before entering your core. You squeezed his hand, asking him to be gentle and burying your face in his neck, fingers in his back. It felt so...weird the first few minutes, but as he slowly moves, the funky feeling, the pain, it all vanishes. It's all when you realize you're actually getting laid. The sounds you've never considered you'd make, were too loud, way too unholy. Seungcheol was holding your leg, and was going slow till you adjust to him. His low groans and breathy moans turned you on even further, where you move your head to face him and slap his arm

"Giv...give me e...every..thing, husband. Take me all the way up" you breathe out. It's when he increases his pace, once he received your green signal. The slow slaps, were now louder and faster. Your bed was also giving up on concealing it's squeaks. He holds you in his arms, and continues thrusting in you.

Nothing else in the world mattered but the pressure you felt in between your legs and your delicious heat wrapping around him, engulfing him in until he bottomed out. His head falling into the crock of your neck, whispering sweet nothings against it while he started to fuck you slowly.

“Y-You feel so good, so w-warm.” Seungcheol kissed you, feverishly, swallowing your moans. His soft lips whimpering against yours. “I want to be inside you forever.” His hips moving against yours slowly, making sure you could feel all of him inside you. His hands never leave from your back and pushed you against him, chests heaving against one another’s. You arched your back, gripping the blankets underneath you. "Oh Seungcheo...god....cheol..." you breathe. He continued tinting your neck with his masterwork, and swiftly positions you on all fours. The joy you felt by the way he dominated you, and messed with your fucked out state, was bringing you heaven. You go low, arms stretching towards the headboard, while he grabs them, locking them behind your back, and even going hard.

There was no stopping him, all while the whole city from your foggy windows witness you making love witb your husband.

"Look at yourself, love" he turns your head to the mirror on the right "look at us..mmm..." he moans in your ear his hand snaking in between your bodies searching for the little bud of pleasure. You scream in pure ecstscy.

He turns you around, so swiftly, with his thumb hovering over it, the suspense had you withering, begging for him to touch you the only way he knew how. You whimpered feeling the ghost of his touch, your fingers tweaking at your nipple, sending a rush of pleasure through your body. "C..ch..chheoll..., mmm, I-I need to cum.” You pressed your chest into his back, turning your head all the way up, watching as his face contorted into pure bliss, his thrusts getting sloppier, his connected thumb with your clit and rubbing slow figure eight, constrasting the speed of his thrusts. You gasped raising your hips rocking against his hips and hand, feeling the sweet coil start to build up "im..fucking serious oh....my..."

"Release all on me, love" he demands amidst moans "Cum with me. Savour every drop of it" and it's all you needed to finally finish on him. He groaned finding your free hand and interlocking your fingers with his. You clenched around him. He was pumping as well, and you felt all warmth being filled inside you. Every thing about this was so surreal, so new, so perfect. You breathe as if you had run a marathon; a marathon of lust. Seungcheol hugs you, and stays inside you, caressing your head, showering you with compliments that you were brave and did well for your first time. The sense of encouragement brought tears to your eyes as you bury your face in his chest. He caressed your back with tender touches, and slowly lays you on your back, plopping down next to you.

"You're officially all mine" he kisses your shoulder. You hold his hand tightly, "you're mine as well, babe"

For the first time, you felt real comfort, real love, and an unimaginable intimate experience with your husband. And a shower too.

Seungcheol's heart hadn’t stopped palpitating since. His stomach erupted into butterflies whenever he had held you close throughout the immoral escapades the two of you had engaged in all night. He never wanted to let you go and now as he looked down into your glittering eyes with the heat of the golden sun rays hitting your sensitive bodies.

"Wake up husband"

"I think I want to sleep all day tonight" he shuffles closer to you.

"Oh who knew it would hard to wake my husband up from his slumber"

"Blaming on your irresistable charm" he squeezes your butt under covers.

"Owh! I'll need my own room again if you do th.." his hands cup your clothed core

"Hmmm...you were saying?"

"You.." you fail to form sentences once he starts rubbing your core, slow dense circles.

"Hands to yoursel..f or I'll bite" you whisper

"Oh, my damsel in distress" his voice is contagiously attractive;waste no time as he goes down on you undercovers.

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"We're really leaving Singapore as lovers" he chimes, an ear-to-ear grin fixed on, enhancing his dimples.

"Yeah if it weren't you to have the same traits as you family, you nosy lil witch" you exhale, standing in front of the fountains, almost nearing the airport

"I'm always nosy about everything" he smirks

"Honesty is not always the best policy Mr Choi"

He pulls you dangerously close "You have no idea, Mrs Choi"

"You need a haircut"

"All I'll ever need is...you" he holds onto you like a sloth on a branch, as you two harmonize in a melodious laugh.

It is you, he wants to tell everything to. He'll express his love for you, while he holds your hands in his.

And if there's eternal love, Seungcheol is that person for you.

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Thenkyoui for reading!! Stay bias wrecked by him <3

2K notes · View notes

hoe4sports · 7 months ago

Text

It was always you

Jessie Fleming x reader

A/N: She’s long y’all

Warning: Divorce? None really

Summary: Post divorce, thinks have fallen into a rythm developing over the span of years. But one of you, falls out of that rythm and struggles keeping up.

Divorce. You couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it happened. Not the administrative part of the divorce with lawyers, documents, protocol and court; but the emotional part of the divorce. You had spent hours in the early stages of your divorce trying to figure out what went wrong, analysing every aspect of your relationship.

Sure, things had undoubly gotten tougher after adding a second child to the mix. But, the second child didn’t feel like the reason as to why the slipping apart had happened. Jessie had been the one to bring up the possibility of divorce; thinking it would solve all your problems. It was a civil divorce, you and your ex-wife only wanting the best for your children. Never talking bad about each other in front of the girls, never bringing new girlfriends into the family.

Your kids were happy, they felt loved and they were well taken care of. To you and Jessie, that was all that mattered. Your oldest, Lilly was a hopeless romantic. Even at 6 years old, she would beg her mom to buy flowers for you. It was one of the traits that she had gotten from Jessie. Your other daughter, Eden, had walked in her sister’s shoes, adapting her sister’s romantic trait into her own personality.

The agreement on the kids was easy, one week each, living in the same neighbourhood only 5 minutes apart for each other. It made the divorce easier on the kids, knowing that their other mom was right up the road. Every other holiday, and a few weeks each summer for travel was shared between the pair of you.

This particular day, you found yourself sitting outside on the front porch waiting for Jessie to drop the kids off. She had taken your 12 and 8 year old to Canada for some well needed family time. You didn’t mind, you had know Jessie’s family for years and they were the most welcoming group of people. They still invited you on vacations and Christmas, claiming that you were still family. It was funny, you and Jessie had both dated other girls in the span of time since the divorce. But, nothing had ever lasted.

When you saw Jessie’s car pulling up, you looked at your Golden retriever, Murphy and tapped his head. “Look Murph, the girls are home!” You cheered in your puppy voice. He was an old man now, 12 years old, but he was still young at heart.

When Eden hopped out, Murphy sprinted towards the driveway while wiggling his tail. “Murph! Mama!” Eden yelled while running towards you with only one shoe. She crashed into your legs and wrapped her arms around your frame. “I missed you mama” she whispered while squeezed your legs extra hard. “I missed you too doll” you comforted while rubbing her back before she slipped inside to find her Barbie dolls.

“Where is my teen?” You yelled out while your daughter very quietly walked towards you. She was moving into her “cool teenage” phase of her life, and she never wanted to do anything “uncool”.

“Hi mama” she said calmly once coming to greet you. You instantly wrapped her into a hug. “I missed you lots my little girl” you whispered into her hair before giving her kisses on her cheeks. “Okay, okay, I’m gonna go to my room and call Kennedy” she said while wiping off the kiss eager to talk to her bestfriend.

Jessie came up with the girls suitcases smiling with her cap on. “Hi, here’s their bags. Mom washed most of their clothes so it wouldn’t be too much on you” she stated while placing carrying the suitcases up the little stairs with Murphy in her heels. After she placed down the suitcases, she turned around to your puppy and gave him pets. He instantly got excited wiggling his butt like only golden’s can.

“Hi Jess, how was Canada?”

“Good, I love showing the girls off to the family. I’m so proud of them, it’s ridiculous”

“I’m glad, how is momma?”

“She’s good, healthy. Back doing her water aerobics twice a week. She told me to give you a hug from her” Jessie shrugged while looking at the tips of her shoes.

You wrapped her into a hug, just like the old days. It wasn’t unusual for you to hug, but this hug felt different. Perhaps it was because it was from her mom, you figured. The hug lasted longer than usual, a sense of uncertainty lingering in the air.

“She told me to convince you to come to Canada. Grandma misses you too” Jessie said while finally looking up at you blushing.

“Aaw, that’s so sweet! But, you know I can’t” you finished looking at Murphy who was shoving his head in your hand.

“Right, right, see you next week?” Jessie said, eager to wrap up the conversation. It wasn’t really like her. Normally, she had plenty of time to chat and hang around.

“Busy? Are you meeting up with someone? Someone special?” You teased poking her shoulder. She gave you a faint smile.

“Something like that” She replied with a smirk on her face. You smiled politely back at her feeling uneasy about her dating some new, but at this point in life; it had been years since the last date with another woman. The pair of you said your goodbyes before you entered your home with the girls suitcases. “Well”, you thought to yourself, “I have to get to working on this unpacking”.

Later that day, you found yourself stood in the kitchen in front of the stove cooking up some pancakes for the girls to eat before bedtime. This was a tradition you had since they were young; every Sunday you sat down as a family and ate pancakes before bedtime while taking about anything and everything.

“Mama, I made you a picture! Do you wanna see it?” Your youngest squealed, in love with art from a young age. “Yes love, I always want to see your art” you confirmed while flipping the last pancake. Eden ran upstairs to her room to get her binder. It held drawings from when she was just a baby back in kindergarten. You loved taking care of the art, knowing that watching the pictures was a glimpse into her head at that time.

Your oldest appeared from the living room at the smell of pancakes. “Are the pancakes ready soon? Do you want any help?” She asked leaning into your side wanting some affection. You wrapped your arm around her side holding her in your embrace. “If you want to, you could set the table?” You suggested in which she immediately nodded to and got to work. Even though she was becoming a teenager, she was still always wanting to be helpful and close to her mom.

Eden came tumbling down the stairs with her files bringing it into the kitchen flipping through the pages. “Here it is! I already put it in, but it’s me, nana, Lilly and mommy in Canada! And this, this is Elena’s dog.” She said while pointing to something that looked more like a sheep than a dog. You scrunched your nose when your daughter mentioned Elena, Jessie’s Canadian ex. You didn’t know that they had seen Elena in Canadian which was out of character for Jessie. “Wow, amazing! Did you see Elena in Canada?” You asked eagerly without wanting to snoop around. “Yes, she came for dinner. Nana made a roast” she said as she shrugged. The thought made you uncomfortable, and you immediately decided to change the topic.

“Alright girls, pancakes are ready” you announced flopping the last pancake onto the plate and turning towards the table. The three of you sat down at the dark oak table chatting lightly about school and football. The girls both played football, and both of them were excited for school to start.

“So, how was Canada girls?” You asked while looking at Lilly. Lilly shrugged her shoulders just like teenagers do. “We went to this market with lots of little stands were people sold lots of things. I even saw someone selling crochet frogs!” Eden said excitedly happily munching on her food. “Wow, did you buy it?” You followed up. “No, they only had green and I wanted pink, so I got a pink scrunchie instead!” She continued blabbering on about Canada.

After pancakes and washing up, the girls had both gotten ready for bed. You checked your youngest first, who was soundly asleep holding on to her stuffed sheep. You reached for the duvet and pulled it up wrapping her in like when she was little. Then, you headed to Lilly’s room. Her room was tidy, but that was one of her traits: she was very organised.

“Hi mama” she said while yawning in her bed, a book in her lap. “Hi baby, ready for bed?” You asked scooting into her bed wrapping your arms around her. “Yea..” she started before tearing up a bit, quickly swallowing her tears away. “I missed you mom, it’s not the same without you” your daughter pleaded leaning towards your chest. “I missed you too doll, and I wish things weren’t like this. I know that Eden dosent really remember when me and mommy used to live together, but I know you do. It’s very valid and I wish we could’ve worked it out.” You assured her feeling her relax in your arms. Hair long hair was hanging on her shoulders, and you immediately started humming while brushing through her locks with your hands.

After a few minutes, her breathing had slowed down and she showed signs of being asleep. You eased her out of your arms and into her bed before kissing her forehead, and moving towards the door. Your hands reached for the light switch, but before you could turn it off; you heard a voice. “You know that mom still is in love with you?” she whispered out her eyes being closed, just moments away from falling asleep. “Good night, princess. I love you forever” you hushed leaving her room quietly. Both the girls preferred to sleep with their door slightly open, just in case they need their mom. You loved it, making you feel like you are still the mom to two little girls instead of soon teenagers.

You hopped down the stairs to clean up the kitchen, the words of your daughter lingering in the back of your head. You had been warned about kids of divorce wanting their parents to get back together, but this felt different. She had previously begged you to go on a date with her teacher, convinced that you were a match.

As you cleared the table, plate by plate being moved into the dishwasher, you couldn’t help but think about what life could’ve been like. You and Jessie had met young, just after she had gone to Europe and you stayed together for over 10 years. It was weird how it all came to an end, you couldn’t really remember why you ended things. Maybe it was a silly argument? Or maybe Jessie’s busy lifestyle?

After clearing the table, you went to wipe off the surface noticing your daughter’s book of drawings. You sat down in front of it, opening it and watching picture by picture pass. Hours upon hours of work, all to be shown to her family. She took pride in her drawings, drawing her feelings.

One picture was two houses next to each other. One person infront of each door, two little girls moving between houses. It was cute, all of them looked happy. That was the confusing part for you; why would Lilly say that Jessie was still in love with you, when she seemed perfectly happy with the custody solution.

The next picture was with your daughter in bed, your puppy sleeping next to her. She had always loved the golden retriever. Even back when she was a little girl, she would occasionally fall asleep leaning onto the dog. It was a relationship like no other.

As you sat and admired the pictures, you heard the sound of your dogs paws shuffling downstairs. He immediately waked into the kitchen and looked at you while whining.

“Are you waiting for me to come night night?” You asked in your puppy voice. The dog immediately wagged his tail in excitement bonking his nose into your leg. You got up from the chair, and brought the book of drawings with you, following your dog to your bedroom door. After opening up your bedroom, he leaped into your bed taking his usual spot by the pillow. He ways slept with you, you hadn’t really slept next to anyone but Jessie. Expect from your girls, but that dosent count.

After finishing up your skincare, you stood by the sink brushing your teeth listening to the soft snores of your dog. It made you smile seeing him knocked out, the excitement of having the girls back bringing him joy.

As you brushed your teeth, you flipped through the book of drawings watching her arts. Fingers tracing the drawings, taking notice of each carefully placed line. One of the pictures, had stuck to you. It was a picture of you, Jessie and your two girls eating ice cream in the park. She naturally had included Murphy in the picture, adding an ice cream to the top of his head. You giggled looking at it, quickly finishing your brushing to take a picture of the drawing.

You

Look what Eden drew, she’s hilarious!

*photo attached*

Seen

You huffed in annoyance when Jessie left you on read, assuming she was busy doing some kind of football related stretch at home. The lights were then turned off, and you were quick to go to bed.

A few months later, the summer was over and school was back. Luckily for you, the girls loved school. Eden’s favourite subject was Math and Lilly’s favourite subject was science. You truly felt blessed by having kids that were this easy.

“Is mommy coming over later?” Eden asked nervously fumbling with her backpack. You looked into the rear view mirror. “Of course she is” you confirmed giving your Oscar winning smile. Truth was that Jessie had missed out on your weekly dinners for the last few weeks. It wasn’t just you who were bothered by it, so was your girls.

“Bye mommy!” Eden shouted jumping out of your car before skipping down to the school meeting up with her friends. The group of them walked in together. It was routine, they always waited for each other.

This morning after dropping the girls off, the annoyance you had felt regarding Jessie was rapidly growing. She had changed for the worse since the end of the summer: never answering your messages or your calls. Forgetting to come to family dinners. It annoyed you to a t when Lilly came beaming downstairs saying that she had talked to Jessie on the phone.

Your solution to this was having Eden ask Jessie over for dinner. Now, it wasn’t unusual for you to have dinner together. It was fairly normal on your household; but Jessie hadn’t answered your invitations. However, you knew that she would do anything for her daughters.

That was how you had ended up cooking favourite meal; your authentic pasta carbonara after work. If she wasn’t gonna talk to you, she was gonna be forced to eat your food in your presence.

“Mama, I think she’s coming!” Eden yells excitedly jumping up and down making Murphy bark while happily wagging his butt. Your oldest came skipping down the stairs when she heard your youngest announcement.

Eden opened the door up and full on launched at Jessie, wrapping her body around her like a koala. “Mommy, you came!” She giggled holding Jessie tight. “Of course, anything for my girls” Jessie said while hugging her back.

When she moved inside, she quickly petted Murphy before wrapping your oldest into a bear hug holding her tight. “How are you today, girls?” She asked looking at the pair of them. Eden looked like she was about to burst out information, but eagerly looked at her sister’s approval.

“Go ahead, Eds” Lilly giggled knowing what was about to happen.

“Okay, so today at maths this stupid boy, Jacob, threw a pencil at me! So I hid his calculator, and then after maths, I had lunch! It was chicken, I just love chicken! And then, Tilly told me about how she and her parents are going to France for Christmas and she promised me a postcard, and THEN, we had a pop quiz in English and I had no mistakes so I got a sticker AND THEN when I walked home, I saw a squirrel!” She said spewing out all her thoughts making you and her sister giggle while Jessie stood with wide eyes looking at her.

“Oh my, sounds like you had an eventful day” Jessie said scratching the back of her neck. “What about your day, Lils?”

“Hmm, it was okay. Kennedy and I played football with the boys during recess.” She shrugged in her typical teenage character.

“Wow,did they play rough?” Jessie wondered.

“Well, duuh! But it’s okay because I’m faster and I’m better, so they can’t catch me” Lilly brags proudly crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“You are so clever, I’m so proud of you both” Jessie said pulling both her girls into a hug.

At the dinner table, conversation was somewhat limited. Jessie didn’t really take initiative to talk to you, rather talking to you through the girls. The girls happily chatted along with her. It was weird, you thought, feeling like a stranger in your own home.

While munching on pasta Eden decided to drop a bomb.

“Mommy, do you miss living in our house?” Eden asked curiously looking Jessie dead in the eye. Jessie immediately chocked on a piece of pasta making her cough while having a terrified look in her face. Lilly shot you a look whispering “this is about to be good” making you smile of her sassy comment.

“Uh, I mean, I miss seeing you girls everyday, but I have my house now” Jessie tried hoping the answer was enough for Eden.

“But your house is small, I like this house better” Eden complained forcing you to turn around to not break out in laughter. She pouted her lips and crossed her arm. Your eyes shifted to your oldest who looked like she was about to collapse into a laughing fit, making you smiles

“Yea, i get that..” Jessie tried before looking towards you for help. “How is work?” You asked giving her a helping hand out of the awkwardness. Jessie shot you a look mixed of relief and gratitude before nodding. “It’s good, I’m going back to play with Canada soon. We have a game against Norway” Jessie finished.

“Where is Norway?” Eden asked curiously. “It’s at the top of Europe, close to the North Pole” Lilly lectured, making her sister’s eyes widen at the answer. “Wow, I wanna go to the North Pole! Mommy, can I come? And Lilly? And mama?” She begged giving Jessie her best puppy dog eyes .

Jessie looked sweaty for the millionth time during dinner, once again looking at your for help. “Norway is very far away, but maybe we can make it work? I’ll talk to mom about it after bedtime” you reassured your youngest carbon copy of Jessie. She seemed happy with the response and munched happily on her pasta again.

After the four of you had finished eating, the whole family was helping clearing the table. Jessie still hadn’t said much except typical polite talk, not normal to her considering she was quite the talker. Just as you finished cleaning, Jessie announced her departure.

“Mommy, can’t you stay until bedtime? Please mommy, you are never here at mama’s house anymore” Eden begged with her big brown eyes looking up at Jessie. She tugged on Jessie’s arm trying to launch onto her. Jessie’s cheeks flushed, and she rubbed her neck searching for the smallest bit of comfort. “Uh..I..Well, I have early practice tomorrow…” She stuttered seeing her daughter’s heart break in front of her. Eden’s shoulders lowered, and her face turned into a frown. “Okay, okay mom, thats fine. Mama always have time to read my bedtime story.. Bye” Eden turned around and walked upstairs, her sister giving Jessie an annoyed look.

“Doll, would you mind going after your sister? I’ll say bye to mama, and then I’ll be right there, pinkypromise” Lilly nodded her head, moving up the stairs to find her sister. But before she walked away from the stairs, she turned to look down at Jessie.

“Jessie, I think you really hurt sissy. She misses family dinners, and family nights, she talked about this all week. But it’s okay, because mama is always here to pick up the pieces, always making up excuses for you so that Eden dosent feel sad” she spat out leaving you feeling caught off guard while Jessie felt like the worst human in the world. Hearing her daughter call her out, and call her what was her government name instead of her most valued title.

Jessie felt uneasy, not sure how to handle the situation. All she wanted, was to get out of the house that she once had lived in. A part of her didn’t understand how you managed to live in the house with only the girls and your dog. How you were able to live in a house that was once filled with endless love. With to happy parents. Because recently, whenever she came over to pick up the girls or drop them off, she felt this heavy feeling in her gut having regrets about the divorce.

You heard your youngest sob upstairs before her bedroom door shut closed again. Jessie’s gaze met yours, and you gave her a sad look. “I’m gonna go deal with the girls, and I think you should leave.” You said moving towards the stairs. “You have the key, lock the door on the way out” you asked while moving upwards. Jessie stood still at the bottom of the stars on the verge of tears. “And for reference, I don’t know what’s going on with you lately; but you really hurt them, you know” and with that, you cleared the staircase moving in direction of your girls. At the drop of your last word, Jessie felt the tears press in her eyes. She looked at the staircase debating whenever to go after you, but she was too embarrassed of her own actions.

All Jessie wanted was for her family to feel prioritised, and important. But all she felt like she had done, was that she had failed you. She failed her duties as a wife, failed her marriage, she failed your agreements after the divorce and now she had failed her children. It hurt more than she could’ve ever imagined, and she quickly turned around to leave the house, locking the door on the way out.

You embraced your youngest who was sobbing in your arms, her older sister sitting across from you. “Eden, I’m sure she doesn’t mean it like that” you spoke trying to comfort the little girl. “But mama, she never used to be like this when I was a baby” Eden’s sob forced her to stop mid sentence, her clinging to you like back when she was a baby that didn’t want to go to kindergarten.

“I know love, and it’s not right of her to be like this to you, to both of you girls.” You said, trying to take notice of your oldest’s state of mind. “Mom..Do you think she doesn’t love us? Maybe she has found another family with another mom with other kids and other dogs and other houses..” your oldest spat out on the verge of tears. Their statements were bearing witness of the hormones about to change them from little girls to hormonal teenagers.

“Okay, girls. I know that we are feeling sad, and that’s okay. We are allowed to feel whatever we are feeling, it’s valid. But, I think your mom is going through something that makes her feel distant and spacey. She hasn’t been like this before. How about I try to talk to her?” You negotiated, trying to spare Jessie’s reputation. The girls nodded while sniffling in synch.

“How about we go to my bedroom, and we can watch tv until we fall asleep in mommy’s bed?” You suggested watching a spark light up in the girls eyes. They immediately eyed each other while nodding before getting up racing down the hallway, your dog bouncing after them. It made your heart swell: your daughter’s wholeheartedly giggles and your dog’s happy barks.

After the girls fell asleep, you got out of bed and sneaked yourself downstairs with your phone feeling determined to get an answer out of Jessie. You immediately dialed her number, waiting for her to pick up.

“Hi.. Is everything okay?”

“Hi, Jess. It’s me. What’s up?”

“What do you mean? I just got out of the shower, about to get ready for bed”

You rolled your eyes over her trying to play off cool.

“Stop being a comedian, it’s not working. What’s up with you recently?”

Jessie held a long silence terrified to say something wrong, that was if she could get something out.

“It’s nothing”

“Jess..”

“What? It’s nothing!”

You could hear Jessie getting annoyed, and for some reason: that annoyed you. She knew that you had figured out that she was going through something, and she hated that. You let out a groan in annoyance.

“For fucks sake, Jessie. We were married for many years, we had kids together; I know you better than this. Something is wrong, but you refuse to talk about it.”

Jessie felt like she was getting scolded, and perhaps that was what she needed; someone to talk sense into her. The truth was that everyone had noticed: her coaches had benched her, her teammates were confused and her mom was worried. Jessie hated carrying around this big bomb because it felt like it was about to explode at any second.

“Uh..It’s just..I should maybe talk to you about this in person”

A part of her felt like this might be good for her. To talk to someone about the problem. Someone who wouldn’t judge, and surely the woman she had kids with wouldn’t judge her for anything.

“Is it another woman?”

Jessie gasped in shock. How could you believe that?

“Sorry, but what?”

“Is there another woman? It’s fine if it is, I’m happy for you”

Jessie felt like throwing up by the thought of another woman. She didn’t want other women: she wanted her woman.

“Yea no, how about i stop by after work tomorrow?”

Jessie suggested, mentally kicking herself for forcing a conversation about the topic.

“After 21, then the girls will be asleep and we’ll have some privacy”

“O-okay, see you tomorrow then?”

“See you soon, Jess”

Jessie hung up feeling her heart beat rapidly, terrified of what was to come. She had lost you once, and she was terrified to lose you again. If you didn’t want to coparent with her anymore; that would be devastating for her. Possibly, career ending. She missed seeing you and the girls in the stands. She missed having the girls as her mascots. She missed having you come down to the pitch with the girls after games, Jessie chasing around Lilly while you carried Eden who was still a bay. Tears filled Jessie’s eyes as she sat on the edge of her bed. Tears of fear, frustration and anger for the divorce she had ended up in.

The following evening, you put the girls to bed waiting until they were asleep before texting Jessie to come over. You were happy to sort out whatever Jessie’s sudden problems was, just hoping that it wasn’t gonna be something related to your kids. A wave of nervousness dawned upon you, which lead to to quickly tidy up the house. Cups were moved to the dishwasher, the floor was hoovered and you made sure to fluff the pillows up. 10 minutes later, you heard knocking on your door.

Jessie stood nervously outside of the door waiting for you to open up the door. A part of her felt uneasy about opening up the door to let herself in; this wasn’t her home anymore, and she wanted to respect your boundaries.

You flung open the door looking at her with a smile, but you frowned when you saw her sad face.

“Damn, is this going to be one of those conversations?” You mumbled underneath your breath feeling Jessie’s sadness flare onto you. Jessie shot you a dirty look before mumbling something along the lines of “I heard that”.

“Feel free to sit”

You wanted her to take the lead on the situation, that way she could control the conversation. She slowly sat down on the couch looking like she was about to shit her own pants.

“Jessie? You seem like you are about to pass out. Relax! I’ve seen you naked” you teased hoping to make Jessie laugh, but your attempt at humor only got rewarded with a chuckle.

Jessie gulped trying to swallow the dry feeling in her throat without much success. She watched you sit down in the chair across from her, making her feel insecure.

You looked at her, waiting for her to talk.

“Jess? It’s okay, you can talk about whatever you want to, I won’t judge” you comforted her trying to meet her gaze. Jessie’s eye were glued to the floor, not bothering to give you as much as a glance.

“Could you maybe sit here?” Jessie spoke out, voice just above a whisper. Her hand patted the couch pillow next to her. You immediately got up and sat down next to her. Your feet sat down crisscross and you turned to face her.

“What’s going on, love?” You said looking into her eyes, her old nickname slipping out of your lips like air. Her heart fluttered over the use of her nickname, feeling an ache to have things back to what they once were.

Jessie looked up at you trying to find words, but she couldn’t spell out a single syllable. Her face ended up looking like a fish heaping for air rather than a person trying to speak.

“Here”, you said, “take me hand” you suggested offering your hand to her. She grabbed your hand back without thinking, making her feel dumb for looking so desperate.

She looked up at you trying to figure out how to drop the bomb on you. She couldn’t speak. She ended up just sighing again and again.

“Jessie?”

Her gaze met yours, eyes looking fragile and vulnerable.

“Talk to me, please”

You wiped away a tear from her cheek, scared of whatever was gonna come out from her mouth. Worried that someone might be sick, that she was going to transfer to another team or that she had done something dumb.

“Listen, the girls and I just want what’s best for you. I can see that you are suffering inside, please, talk to me. I want to help” you pleaded looking into her eyes, rubbing her thigh carefully.

Jessie sniffed before taking in a deep breath.

“The reason I have been so distant lately…” she started, but stopping as her word came to a loss.

“I talked to my mom when we were in Canada, and she made me realise a few things”

You nodded encouraging while offering her a smile. Her words came to a stop again, not sure how to handle the situation.

“Alright, keep going” you whispered giving her hand a squeeze. “It’s just me, love”, you said trying your best to support her.

“You see, that’s the problem. It is you. It was always you.” Jessie blurted out making you feel confused.

“Uh, I’m sorry?” You tried, not sure why you were offering your apologies when you couldn’t pinpoint what you had done wrong.

“No, no, god no! It’s not something to be sorry about..”

“Then what is it?” You responded, frustration lingering underneath your skin.

Jessie looked at you, at a loss for words once again. Her gaze felt intense, like she was staring into your soul. Her face moved towards yours.

“It was always you, y/n” Jessie whispered before closing the gap between you. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before you both pulled apart. You looked at Jessie, feeling confused.

“I miss you, I miss us. Leaving you, the kids, hell even Murphy was the biggest mistake of my life. The divorce was the biggest mistake of my life, and I know that you probably don’t feel the same anymore, and that’s okay. But I just, ugh, nobody will ever compare to you. I want you back, I want our life back, I want to wake up next to you again and know that I made the best decision when I married you.I don’t even know how to g-“

“Shut up, and kiss me Jess” you responded looking in her eyes feeling touched by the vulnerability of the moment. Jessie looked into your eyes before closing them and closing the gap between us, starting the process of rebuilding what once had been torn apart.

#woso imagine #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso community #jessie fleming x reader #jessie fleming #Jessie Fleming imagine #woso x r #woso

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just-dreaming-marvel · 3 months ago

Text

Love That Burns ~ Ending 2 ~ 57

LOVE THAT BURNS MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,835ish

Summary: Wade, Laura, and Logan take care of you despite you feeling like a burden.

Notes: Next update will not be until Jan. 19th at the earliest. Thanks for understanding. Please share reactions! Please remember to review the timeline posted here.

Reminder: I DO NOT do taglists. Please don’t ask. Please follow and interact! I appreciate any reblogs, likes, comments, and asks!

After your brief words to Logan, the pain overtook you again and you fell back unconscious. When it was Laura’s turn to take care of you, Logan made sure that the door was shut behind him. He knew that the two of you needed your privacy. Laura’s tears started as she sat next to your bed and took your hand.

“I can’t lose you, mom,” Laura sobbed. “I’ve lost everyone else… I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Always,” you rasped, still groggy but at least waking up. “You're my daughter… can’t stay mad at you for long…”

“Mom! I’ve been so worried… so scared.”

“I know, kiddo… but I’m here.” You gave her hand the best squeeze you could muster.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like hell,” your laugh fell flat.

Laura didn’t find it funny one bit, her face falling more. “There’s got to be something that we can do… Something that will make this easier.”

“Cassandra told me that Charles’ seizures affected my mutation… she said that there was something that she could do about it but refused to help… She’s dead now and I can’t go back to the mansion to get Charles’ help.”

“I can’t… I can’t lose you… I can’t stand by and watch your mutation kill you like dad’s did.”

“Laura… Listen to me. No matter what happens, you continue down the path that you are on. Do not become what they made you to be… Promise me.”

She nodded. “I promise, mom.”

“Good… Now… I really need some more pain meds.”

~~~

Logan had locked himself in the bathroom after leaving your room. His mind was swirling with memories of his version of you, of the events of the last day or so, and of the information that your Logan’s adamantium bones had poisoned him.

Would he be dealt the same fate?

Or would he be cursed to watch you deal with a similar fate?

And would he be strong enough to deal with any of what happened? He wasn’t strong enough the first time when things got hard. He only made things harder. Splashing his face with some water, Logan met his own gaze in the mirror. He could do this. Be this person. Be better than he had been for his you. Be better for Laura and Wade. Logan couldn’t let the people who trusted him down again. He sighed before heading out to the living room.

“Still writing?” Logan grumbled as he saw Wade lounging on the couch with his laptop.

“Nope,” Wade responded, “just trying to beat your ass in saving the day.”

“What?”

“I’m going to find someone who can help cure our Little Flame. The normal people are out of the question since she can’t go near the mansion, so I’m searching for someone else.”

Logan’s log strides took him quickly to sit beside Wade and look at his screen. “What have you found?”

“Nothing and no one. I’m thinking we may need to take a travel through the Multiverse to find a way to help her.”

“We can’t just go from universe to universe without knowing what we’re lookin’ for.”

“We’re looking for a telepath,” Laura stated, heading into the kitchen.

“How do you know?”

“My mom’s awake. She told me.”

Wade and Logan rushed down the hallway and burst into your room. You winced at how loud they were.

“Buttercup!” Wade exclaimed.

“Wade, Logan,” you greeted.

“How are you feeling?” Logan asked, stepping closer.

“Fine… Laura’s getting me meds and I’m afraid I’m going to need more burn cream than I have.”

“Oh! Nose goes!” Wade announced, placing a finger on his nose. “Ha! Looks like Peanut has to go!”

“What the fuck was that?” Logan wondered, completely confused. “You can’t just put your finger on your nose like a child and—“

“Why don’t both of you go?” You interrupted. “Laura can take care of me just fine. Besides, we all need some food.”

“Yeah! Just me and my Peanut, running errands!” Wade exclaimed, clapping excitedly.

You went to laugh, but it quickly turned into a whine at the pain. You noticed the shift in the men immediately, both ready to jump in and help you.

“I’m fine,” you told them. “Go. Laura’s got this.”

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Wade said before skipping down the hall. Logan lingered in the doorway. “Come on, Peanut!”

“Go, Logan. Your boyfriend’s waiting. I’ll be fine.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Logan grumbled, following after Wade.

Laura came into the room with a water bottle and a variety of meds. She came over and sat on the bed. She carefully helped you sit up against a bunch of pillows.

“I can do the rest,” you said, shakily reaching for the pills. You took them and threw them down your throat before Laura handed you the water bottle. “I hate this… Laura, I’m going to need your help to get to the bathroom.”

“Okay.”

Laura took the water bottle, setting it aside before carefully helping you to your feet. You leaned heavily on her as she guided you to the bathroom. She helped you inside and you gripped the counter.

“I can handle it from here,” you told her.

“Are you sure?” She asked. “I don’t mind—“

“I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Laura sighed before leaving the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. You took care of business before using the counter to get you up and wash your hands. You stared at yourself in the mirror. You could see the burns that littered the skin that you could see. Slowly, you pulled your shirt up and quietly gasped. Your torso was burnt badly. There was no stopping the tears.

You absolutely hated this. You hated how your powers were failing you and you didn’t know how to stop it. You hated how your skin was quickly becoming more scarred than ever before and how weak you were becoming. But what you hated most was that you were becoming a burden to Laura and your friends. You couldn’t hold back the sob that erupted from deep inside you. Your body gave out, proving how weak you still were, and you collapsed to the floor.

“Mom?” Laura sounded very concerned from the other side of the door. “Are you okay? Do you need any help?”

“No,” you quickly said, trying to calm yourself. “I’m fine!”

You knew that Laura didn’t believe you, but you were thankful that she didn’t push anymore. You grabbed a nearby towel and wadded it up before placing it against your mouth to try to drown the sobs.

Laura sat against the wall opposite of the bathroom as she listened to your sobs. Her own tears gathered. Leaning her head back against the wall, Laura closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel all the swirling emotions inside of her. She snapped to attention the moment she smelt smoke. Without a word, Laura barged into the bathroom to find you curled up on the floor, towel against your mouth, and small flames forming around your body.

“Mom! Please, you’ve got to calm down,” Laura begged as she knelt beside you. She pulled the towel from your grip before you could set it on fire before she grabbed your hands, ignoring the burning sensation that ran through her own. “Mom, breathe with me. In… Out…”

“I—I—I need… to… cool… down…” You stammered while trying to catch your breath.

“How do I do that?” Laura asked.

“The… tub…”

Laura moved quickly. She turned the cold water on and plugged the tub before helping you into it. Neither of you care that you were still wearing your clothes. Laura held tightly to your hand as the two of you waited for the cold water to help you.

“I’m sorry,” you cried quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, mom, don’t apologize,” Laura shook her head.

“You shouldn’t have to take care of me… you shouldn’t have to lose another parent like this…”

“You took care of me and you didn’t even have to. I’m not going anywhere.”

~~~

“So I’m thinking we head to the TVA and see what we can dig up there on a nearby telepath,” Wade planned as he and Logan carried the groceries up the stairs. “I don’t care what universe or time we need to go, we are finding a telepath.”

“Let’s just focus on getting Y/N feelin’ better before we plan another visit to the TVA,” Logan muttered, opening up the door of your apartment. He immediately could sense that something happened. He dropped the grocery bags and raced down the hall, only to find you in the tub with Laura sitting beside it. “What happened?”

“She broke down and over heated,” Laura explained. “She fell asleep and I couldn’t get myself to move her. The water is keeping her cool and helping soothe the burns.”

“I’ll move her to the bed. Grab her a new set of clothes and Wade—“

“I’ve already got the burn cream and bandages!” Wade shouted.

Laura nodded as she gave your hand a squeeze before going to get you a new set of clothes. Logan found a towel and crouched down next to the tub. He laid the towel over his lap then reached down and pulled you out of the tub. A whine slipped through your lips.

Logan quickly shushed you. “I’ve got you, Y/N,” he said softly. “Go back to sleep. We’ll take care of ya.”

He wrapped the towel around you and tried to dry you off the best he could. Laura came back with a new set of clothes for you and Logan gently set you on the ground, leaning against the wall.

“I’ll let you change her,” he said. “Let me know when you’re done and I’ll carry her back to bed.”

~~~

When you woke up to full consciousness, you were back in bed, changed, and bandaged up. Your door was open and no one was in your room, though you could hear them down the hall in the living area. Doing a quick check of your body, you still felt achy but it was better than before. You pushed yourself up and moved your legs over your bed. Unsteadily, you got to your feet and carefully headed out into the hall. Once you were there, you used the walls to help you get out to the living area where you found Blind Al sitting on the couch with Laura, the two quietly discussing something and Wade and Logan bickering in the kitchen. You noticed that your kitchen was a mess as the two of them worked to make something.

“What is going on out here?” You finally spoke up. Everyone’s head snapped in your direction.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Logan asked as he rushed over.

Laura was at your side in an instant, her arm around you to hold you up. “You should be resting,” Laura scolded.

“I’m feeling a bit better,” you insisted. “And I heard all this commotion out here. What is going on?”

“I’m making dinner and baking a cake!” Wade exclaimed, still working away in the kitchen.

“Sure doesn’t smell editable,” Althea retorted. “Smells like shit.”

You huffed out a laugh before wincing. Laura and Logan were immediately on alert.

“Okay, enough,” Logan said. “You’re going back to bed.”

“No,” you shook your head, “My healing factor is kicking in. I can sit on the couch.”

“Mom,” Laura whispered, giving you a pleading look. “Please go lay back down.”

“She doesn’t have a choice,” Logan stated, sweeping you off of your feet and carrying you down the hall.

“Logan!” You squealed, smiling and laughing.

It lifted everyone’s spirits to hear that sound. You felt at safe—almost home—in Logan’s arms as he carried you back to bed. You smiled up at Logan as he set you down, a brief moment you forgot about everything, including that the man touching you was not your husband. Suddenly, your face fell and you flinched away as your mind caught up with reality. Logan was not your Logan. He was not your husband. Logan noticed the quick shift.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing,” you shook your head, fighting back the tears. “I’m just tired.”

Logan didn��t believe that you were telling him the whole truth. “Well, Wade and I are almost done with dinner.”

“Okay.” Your eyes were focused on your hands as they messed with the blanket.

He dipped his head to try to catch your eye but you avoided it. “Are you sure there’s nothin’ wrong?”

“Let me know when you’re done with dinner.”

Logan let out a grunt, studying you for a few more seconds before leaving the room.

~~~

You were back to work a week later, despite Laura and Logan’s wishes. Wade was on your side, telling everyone that his favorite superhero was strong enough to handle anything. You were beginning to feel added pressure of Wade’s belief in you along with everything else you were still feeling. Despite it being summer, you wore long sleeves to constantly cover the scars that now littered your body more than you had ever had before.

Laura, Logan, and Wade could see that things were still weighing heavily on you. Each of them did what they could for you, though you often insisted that you were fine and could handle everything. You were pushing their help away, embarrassed that you need to rely on them so much.

One night, you came home late do to a closing shift. Logan could hear you from where he was waiting up in his apartment. He had made it a habit to listen for you on your late shifts. He quickly went to the door and peeked his head out to see you struggling to open the door due to your hands trembling and new burns on them.

“What happened?” Logan asked, taking quick strides over to you.

“Nothing,” you shook your head, focusing on getting the door open. “I’m fine.”

“Your hands are burnt.”

You pushed the door open, causing it to slam against the wall. You were thankful that Laura was sleeping over at a friends house so that you didn’t have to worry about her see you like this tonight. You marched inside, with Logan close behind. He gently closed the door and took note to take care of the hole that the doorknob had made in the morning.

“Y/N, we need to take care of your hands,” Logan said quietly.

“We don’t need to do anything,” you retorted, focusing on anger out of all your swirling emotions. “I can take care of myself just fine. I’ve been doing it for years.”

“Yes, but you don’t need to. I can—“

“I don’t even know you!” You spun around to face him. Your hands clenched as flames threatened to take over. “You look like my James— my husband, but you’re not him. You have a different life, a different set of memories. You have a different me!” Tears began to sizzling down your heated cheeks. “I don’t even know what fully happened between the two of you but you seem to know my whole life story. I don’t need your pity and I don’t need to be your replacement and you don’t deserve to be mine. We can be friends, that’s fine, but I don’t need you stepping in to take care of me all the time! You’re not my husband!”

“Y/N, I’m—“

“Leave me the fuck alone!”

Logan’s hands came up in surrender as flames engulfed your fists. “Okay, okay, just please take a deep breath. I— I’ll go, just please, stop. Stop the flames. Don’t hurt yourself anymore, please.”

“Then get out!”

Logan hesitated for a moment, but he could see the seriousness and heartbreak in your eyes. You wanted to be alone and him being here right now would only make things worse. With slow steps, he turned and left the apartment, but he couldn’t get himself to move away from the door.

You were right in some of your words. Logan wasn’t your husband, but he wasn’t trying to be. He was just trying to help you like friends do. You also had a point that he definitely knew more of your story than you knew of his. Logan just hated to talk about his past. It brought him to a place he couldn’t handle. But maybe you deserved to know that you weren’t a replacement to him.

Logan sighed as he heard your sobs through the door. There was no way he was going back to his apartment tonight, even with it just next door. He still didn’t know what happened to you before you got home and you were clearly not in a good place mentally. He leaned against the door and slid down to the ground. He couldn’t leave you alone. He would wait until either Laura returned or you decided to leave the apartment.

next chapter >

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peachhcs · 11 months ago

Text

going to worlds

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

with worlds coming up, tensions get high in the hughes’ household between luke and samy.

2k words

so this is actually more samy x luke more than samy x will but here’s the sibling angst i mentioned a few days ago! i feel like we don’t see a lot of samy’s relationship with her brothers so i wanna try and write that more but i will be writing more about worlds between will and samy as it plays out! :))

au masterlist

“no, absolutely not,” luke immediately shook his head as he walked out of the kitchen. samy was hot on his tail as she followed him into the living room, watching as he plopped himself onto the couch, remote in hand.

“why not? it’s not like i’m gonna be bothering you,” the younger hughes argued, hanging herself over the couch so she was right in her brother’s face.

the boy pushed her away, “but it will be a bother when i have to look after you the entire month there. i’m not doing that shit. i’m not gonna be some babysitter at my own hockey tournament,” luke was being harsh which samy sort of expected, but not this bad.

“i’m 19 years old. you don’t need to look after me,” the girl fired back.

“that’s not what mom and dad will say. plus, i kind of do because we’re in a fucking foreign country and i’m not that stupid to let you wander around czechia by yourself,” luke shot back even harder. a frustrated groan escaped samy’s lips. this brother was supposed to be easier than her other two.

“i won’t be by myself. plus, i went to sweden and mom and dad were fine,” samy mumbled sheepishly.

“what do you think you’re gonna do when we’re at practice almost the whole day? sit in the hotel? that’s gonna get boring real quick,” the curly-brunette shook his head, already very over the conversation and disregarding what his sister said.

“you’re being such a brat. i’m not 12 years old anymore, luke. i can take care of myself, you know. you’re not even 21 yet so right now it’s a one year age difference.”

“why do you even wanna go? don’t you have your own shit to do instead of follow me to czechia,” the middle hughes rolled his eyes. although, his words hit a nerve.

samy drew back off the couch, a frown settling onto her lips. sure, her and luke had their fair share of fights and arguments, but for some reason, his words hurt even more than any of those combined.

“jesus, when did you turn into such an asshole?” now her words hit luke’s nerve this time. the older boy whipped around so hard samy swore he gave himself whiplash. his lips were set in a straight line along with his eyebrows pinched together.

“who are you calling an asshole right now? you’re the one who needs to grow up right now,” the boy shot back quite harshly.

“so me going to every single one of your ntdp games, home games at umich mean nothing to you? you just think i’m following you around?” the girl frowned, her hurt showing more than she anticipated as her voice wavered.

“i- i..that’s not what i meant, sam. i just..it’s gonna be a bother and you just wanna go to make out with your boyfriend anyway,” luke defended himself, but his words didn’t sound any better than before.

those words hurt samy a lot more than a few minutes ago. luke never called her sam ever. the siblings stared at one another, the silence engulfing them while luke awaited a response. “so that’s what you think? you’ve just forgotten that will’s still my best friend and i’ve been supporting him since we were kids along with you? you just think i wanna go to be some bother to you and have sex with my boyfriend?” samy’s voice finally rose to the point where they both knew she was angry.

“i mean..am i wrong?” the wrong responses kept falling from the middle hughes’ mouth.

“yes! you are wrong, luke! haven’t you and will always wanted to play on the same team together since we were kids but never could because you weren’t ever in the same age group? and now that it’s finally happening, i can’t go and support my brother and best friend who are playing for the same team because all you think is that i’m going to have sex with him all the time and be some fucking bother. i only asked you because i knew mom and dad would only let me go if you said yes and i thought you would because you’d want your sister there cheering you on like i have been for your entire life. maybe this whole fame thing really did get to your head,” samy stormed off before luke could even respond. her heavy footsteps carried all the way up the stairs until the boy heard her bedroom door slam shut.

“woah, someone’s mad..” jack came out from the downstairs bedroom. his hair looked absolutely insane like he’d just woken up despite it being 2 in the afternoon.

“i don’t know what’s up with her,” luke rolled his eyes, settling back into the couch like nothing happened.

“she’s got a point, you know. you were kind of being an asshole,” jack shrugged as he wandered into the kitchen.

“oh come on, not you too. if she goes, i’m just gonna have to look after her!” luke exclaimed, head falling back onto the couch in frustration.

“she’s not some kid anymore, moosey. she’s 19. you’re not even 21. she can handle herself. she did in sweden,” jack stuck up for their little sister.

“that was different because everyone was there already. this isn’t the sam, jack. mom and dad will put me on babysitter duty because they aren’t there,” the younger brother continued his defense.

“i don’t think it would be babysitting. more like making sure she’s okay. checking in? plus, i doubt she’ll even be in the hotel room that much anyway. she’ll wanna hang with smitty and leno,” jack started making himself a sandwich with the little ingredients in the fridge. apparently, ellen and jim hardly grocery shopped when they didn’t have four kids in one house anymore.

“yeah and then that will lead to them having sex and then that becomes a whole thing,” luke rambled on.

“is this really about not wanting samy there or is it about you thinking she’s taking away your moment if she’s there?” the older hughes brother proposed a new idea. he always saw through to his siblings hidden emotions they were trying to conceal. a beat of silence passed between the brothers and jack took the silence as his answer. he stopped making his sandwich for a moment to find a seat on the couch beside his brother. luke’s gaze stuck to the ground.

“come on, rusty. talk to me,” jack nudged his brother’s knee.

“it just feels like i never get to hang out with will because samy’s always there. or..he chooses her instead of hanging with us nowadays. being able to play on team usa together has been our dream since we were kids. i love that samy’s happy and so is will..i just..i really hoped this could be a just us thing. i don’t know. sounds selfish, i know,” the younger boy mumbled almost ashamed.

“it’s not selfish, lukey. i get it. i’m still getting used to their whole dating thing too here and there. it is weird seeing one of your close friends date your sister,” jack sympathized. “i’m sure if you talked to samy she’ll understand. she’s always been your #1 supporter, luke. i know she’s not trying to come with you to wedge her way in between you guys. maybe set some boundaries?”

“maybe i just feel so disconnected because i went to college and then was hardly ever around. feels like i don’t even know her sometimes anymore or will, you know? he used to be attached to our hips as kids and now..it’s just..not the same,” the curly-haired boy’s voiced faded off. a frown appeared on jack’s lips, rubbing his brother’s arm in a soothing manner.

“talk to her, lukey. this can be your chance to reconnect with both of them the month you’re there,” the older boy encouraged.

luke finally took to his words, agreeing as he got up and shuffled upstairs to hopefully reconcile. samy’s room sounded quiet the closer he got, so he gently knocked on the door.

“go away,” he heard lowly.

“please? just wanna talk,” luke mumbled from outside.

a beat of silence passed until there was a small click and his sister’s gaze appeared through the crack, “about what?”

“me being an asshole,” the older boy admitted in defeat that she was right earlier. the door opened wider, an indication that he could go in.

luke’s gaze flicked around the room that he really hadn’t seen in..years almost. it was so similar, yet it felt so different in his eyes. so much time seemed to pass in samy’s room.

“you have five minutes to give me a good explanation,” the girl crossed her arms, snapping her brother back into reality.

the guilt crept across luke’s face as he struggled on where to start. he was never the one to admit his feeling outright like this. “first, i’m sorry. i was an asshole about the whole thing,” he began.

“yeah, you kind of were. that really hurt, luke,” samy said seriously and the boy sighed.

“i know..i don’t know why—i think i just…” he stumbled over his words and everything he just admitted to jack downstairs. “feels like i don’t really know you anymore just because i’ve been away and i hate that. we used to be so close and now it feels like we just don’t talk..same with will. i dunno. i guess i just didn’t want you there because i was being selfish and just wanted will and i there together. i realize now that you deserve to be there too to support us,” the boy continued in a long ramble that probably made no sense.

he watched samy’s expression soften up a little, “you think we aren’t close anymore?”

“i mean..not as close as we used to be. college and everything else seems to have made us drift..same with jack. same with quinn.”

yes, the hughes siblings were close, but not nearly as close when they all lived under one roof. one by one as each brother left, their bond slowly dissipated. texts became littler and littler. the time changes weren’t easy to work around sometimes.

in some ways, samy saw where luke came from because quinn and jack missed a lot of big milestones in samy’s life yet she was there for all of theirs.

“i-i’m sorry. i didn’t know you felt that way,” the girl frowned.

“no, no, it’s not your fault. i just..have been feeling weird lately. i think having you there will be really fun. maybe it can even make up for some of the time we’ve lost,” luke offered a smile.

“no, i don’t have to go. you’re right. it’s a you and will thing. something you’ve been waiting for since you were kids,” the girl shook her head.

“no, no, i want you there. i promise. plus, i think smitty would actually fight me if he knew i wasn’t letting you come. i’m serious. we can catch up. have fun in czechia together. i’m sure mom and dad would love our sibling bonding,” the two shared a laugh.

“are you sure?”

“positive. i’ve missed hanging around you,” luke opened his arms for a hug. the youngest hughes stepped into his arms and they shared a tight hug in what felt like forever.

“we’re gonna have so much fun there. i already have an intinerary planned for your off days,” the girl grinned widely when the two pulled away.

a laugh escaped luke’s lips, “of course you do. we’ll talk to mom and dad tonight, yeah?”

samy nodded and she let her brother squeeze her shoulders one last time before leaving her alone for now. she excitedly called will next to let him know the good news that they’d be able to spend the next few weeks together.

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silverhairsimp · 8 months ago

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The dad osamu brain rot has been unbelievably real.

AN: complete and utter fluff. Osamu and reader have a daughter. Minimal dialogue.

Also: how is this my first Osamu fic/drabble??? I love this man. thinking of doing an entire dad series... lemme know if you're interested. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated <3

Find: dad!Atsumu here

Banner from @cafekitsune

Your daughter is only four and osamu is convinced that these last four years have been some of the best of his life. Learning how to be a dad, watching you become a mom, coming up with ways to parent together, figuring out his daughter’s interests… there was such a sense of sentimental pride when his daughter begged to go to work with him on the weekends.

Which is where your husband can be found without fail. He’s got your daughter on the counter, lending a hand while she shapes her onigiri. She’s doing her best, which is why every time the two of them do this, Osamu asks his little girl “you sure you don’t wanna be like yer mama? Or find yer own thing you love?”

She might have his dark eye brows and those beautiful grey-blue eyes, but she looks like you, and it makes him love her even more. She just shakes her head and looks up at him with big eyes and a smile while she eats the sticky rice off her fingers. “I wanna be just like daddy!”

Her cheeks also have grains of rice sticking to them and osamu can’t help the way he wraps his arms around his little girl. Clinging to these moments for dear life because he knows how fast she’ll grow up. How distant these memories will seem one day...

She’ll probably change her mind about wanting to be just like him. Who knows, maybe she’ll start to look up to her uncle Atsumu and wanna be just like him. Or she really find her own interests and forget all about the times they spent in this kitchen together. He hopes that never happens and this will always be something the two can bond over, even when he starts to age and she goes off to start her own family. He knows that’s years and years away, but he can’t help the way his mind drifts to the future, then back to the past.

He thought he was getting his hopes up, but when you surprised him with that going home outfit: a dusty pink onesie decorated with tiny onigiri on it. He should’ve known then, that his baby would be a daddy’s girl through and through.

And it’s no surprise that when she could start talking and asking for things, that the first item she asked for was an apron to match her daddy. You and Atsumu had worked together to surprise them both with new ones, since your husband’s old one was more than a little worn out.

At just two and a half years old, your baby girl was jumping up and down with excitement, waving the apron in the air and running straight to her daddy so he could put it on for her. Osamu remembers looking at her with the softest smile and tears brimming his lash line while he held her close.

Her little voice pulls him out of thought once more, “daddy? Did I do good?” He puts a hand on her shoulder and nods his head, “you did great, sweetheart. Wanna try to wrap it now that you’ve got the shape?” She’s already reaching for the nori with a frustrated little pout when more than one piece sticks to her fingers. “Here,” he brings a wash cloth over, with a little dish of water, “let’s wipe your hands. It’ll make it easier.”

She follows his every instruction, folding the nori where Osamu pre-creased it. “Should we make mommy some for dinner? We can bring them home and surprise her?” The light in her eyes is one he remembers fondly. He and his brother used to get that same shimmer in their eyes when they’d land a perfect set in a volleyball match. And he’s caught himself even more often now that he has you, his beautiful wife, and his perfect daughter.

There’s so much in his life that he’s thankful for and it’s all started with you.

#osamu x reader #miya osamu #dad osamu #osamu miya #dad osamu miya #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #osamu fluff #miya twins #uncle atumu #silver hair simp writes #silver hair simp fics

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morganski-19 · 11 months ago

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Chills Right to the Marrow Part 8

part 1, prev part

The hallway is empty when Dustin leaves the room. Steve and Lucas nowhere to be seen, Mrs. Mayfield gone somewhere else. Leaving Dustin alone to wander.

He doesn’t quite know what he wants. Where he’s going. Just following the path he would normally travel each day. Bouncing between rooms, looking for something to do. Trying to find someone who would talk to him. Give him something to take his mind off the train tracks it’s bound to.

He grips the book in his hand, feeling the familiarity of wore out pages. Each one loved as he read and reread them over and over again. That’s what he does when he needs comfort. Goes back to the same story over and over again, to a world where he knows every outcome. Where there are no more mysteries. Dustin knows the answer to every question, every possibility.

It’s why he chose it to read to Eddie. It was a book the both of them loved, brought them joy in the darkness of life. He wanted Eddie to feel safe while his body was asleep. Knowing that some coma patients can hear what’s going around them. Even if it doesn’t register, it brings comfort on a subconscious level that there are people here supporting him.

At least that’s what Dustin hoped would happen, what he was striving to do. But he can’t do that today. There’s someone outside telling him that he can’t be in Eddie’s room right now. That something’s going on inside.

He goes right to thinking of the worst. That they are preparing him for some surgery that will probably delay the day he wakes up. Take more time from Dustin. Or maybe Eddie is dead behind those walls. Body finally succumbing to his wounds. His brain activity finally faded away. Leaving Dustin with the misplaced hope that it would all be ok.

He continues to wander into the waiting area. Seeing a familiar face getting a cup of shitty hospital coffee. Dustin must look confused, as Wayne’s face immediately looks concerned when he sees him.

“You alright kid,” he asks, stirring his coffee.

Dustin blinks. “They wouldn’t let me go into Eddie’s room.”

“Yeah, they’re working on him right now. Taking out his breathing tube.”

Panic fills Dustin, the only reaction he’s capable of right now. “Is he ok. That’s a good thing right?”

Wayne sets a steady hand on Dustin’s shoulder. “Yes, that’s a good thing. Why don’t you go sit down, you seem like somethin’s upsetting you.”

Dustin lets Wayne lead him to an empty chair, taking the one beside him. Quiet, letting Dustin be the one to start talking about it. He doesn’t really know how to. Wayne’s been through enough already, he doesn’t need to go through his things too.

Now that he has things to go through.

This was so much easier when things worked out for him. When Will was found and ok. When all his friends made it out of the tunnels underground. When it wasn’t him who lost people, but he could be there to help the ones who did.

He's seen so many people go through the hospital. They always got better in the end, that was good. Why is it so hard during the wait for them to get better? Why does the hope leave him more and more each day? He was the happy one, the one with all the jokes. Helping everyone else out, making sure they smiled.

Who’s going to cheer them up now that the smile can’t seem to return to his face?

“Do you remember Max Mayfield? she lived across from you and Eddie in the trailer park.” Dustin says when the words finally form in his mouth.

Wayne nods. “I do. She a good friend of yours?”

“Yeah,” Dustin plays with the bent cover of his book. “Yeah, she is, one of my best friends. We’ve known her ever since she moved to town back in middle school. She's in a room down the hall from Eddie.”

Wayne looks at Dustin like he understands where this is going. Maybe he does. Or maybe he’s just used to the hospital life after all this time. “Figured, saw her mom here a few times. She doin’ ok?”

Ok isn’t the right word, but Dustin can’t speak for how she feels. He can only speak for himself. And he is definitely not ok. “She’s blind.”

The words feel more crushing now that they’re said out loud.

A sob escapes from Dustin’s chest. The crushing feeling he’s had for weeks finally breaking free. Everything coming out at once in this hospital waiting room. His face falls into his hands, palms pressing into his eyes. Trying to keep the tears inside.

A hand pats his back, comforting him while he breaks. Helping him through this pain. Someone he barely knows but feels so safe around. Silently telling him that everything will be ok. That he will be ok.

Someone else comes and crouches in front of Dustin, placing a hand on his arm. “Hey, what happened?”

Dustin blinks the tears away enough to see Steve looking at him. “What do you think?”

He nods. “Why don’t I take you home, it’s already been a lot today.”

“What, no, I didn’t get to visit Eddie yet today. I have to read him the next chapter.” Dustin pulls himself to sit straighter, making himself look more put together. Tears still running down his cheeks.

“I think Eddie would understand if you missed a day. He would want you to take care of yourself.”

“He’s right,” Wayne agrees. Gently glaring at Steve, but still agreeing. “He wouldn’t want you to strain yourself for his sake.”

Why does everyone keep making decision for Dustin’s benefit? Do they even know what they’re talking about?

Still, Dustin lets Steve bring him home. His mind still stuck in that waiting room with the world falling down around him. Looking through the window doing nothing but add to his feeling. The peaceful outside now rampant with destruction.

The town was broken into pieces. People moved around between the shelters and the hospitals. Some even brought outside of the town to different hospitals in the area. It finally hits Dustin how much of this actually concerns him. How much it always concerned him.

How that kid he used to be kept smiling, he doesn’t quite know anymore. How he was still able to smile a week ago, he doesn’t know. With all that’s happened, with all his friends are going through, he thought he needed to bring levity to it all. Bring the hope that things could get better.

Hope is a dangerous thing. It makes people believe in something that might not happen. Makes him believe that the scars will fade, and the injuries will heal. That his friends will be exactly the same as he knew them last week. A year ago. Two years ago. When they first met.

He’s not even the same as he was a week, a year, two years ago. Somehow, foolishly he thought that life could move on from this. That the upside down would become nothing but a pin in the greater picture of his life. That down the line, when he’s married and maybe has a kid or two of his own, he wouldn’t have to think about it anymore.

Now, it’s become more real than he’s ever thought of before. Now, he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to sleep the same again. The nightmares won’t leave with age. His friends will never become less scarred. His mind won’t be as scarred. His childhood will never be just his childhood. A part of it will always be captured by these memories. Memories that he can hope to only repress.

Dustin will have the privilege to walk away after all of these years without as little of a scar. He has what, a sprained ankle, and that’s it. Max is blind, Will’s lungs are damaged from extended time in the upside down. Lucas, Erica, and Mike are completely traumatized by what they’ve seen. By what they’ve been through.

Dustin is traumatized by what he’s seen. By what he’s been through. He’s always said that his was so much better than everyone else’s. That he was the least effected, so it was ok to diminish it.

He’s now realizing how stupid it was to think like that.

next part

Note: Back to the Wayne POV in the next part. All of Dustin's POV will also be uploaded to ao3

tag list, let me know if you want to be added or removed: @the-they-who-nerded, @insteviewetrust, @croatoan-like-its-hot, @jettestar,

@tinyplanet95, @steddie-as-they-go, @slv-333, @littlecelestialmoth, @thatonebadideapanda,

@fandomsanddeath, @marismorar, @wonderland-girl143-blog, @glass-bottle03, @gutterflower77,

@here4thetrama, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @jaytriesstuff, @cryptid-system, @manda-panda-monium,

@resident-gay-bitch, @anaibis, @xxsutherlandxx, @forevermineliv, @mugloversonly,

@gregre369, @n0-1-important, @different-tale-student, @spectrum-spectre, @tartarusknight,

@devondepresso, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @cheertain, @anti-ozzie, @autumncrocusandladybug,

@greeniebean911, @cr0w-culture, @stillfullofshit, @connected-dots, @daisynotquake,

@morgannotlefay, @a-little-unsteddie, @dolphincliffs, @maskofmirrors, @me-and-my-sloth,

#chills right to the marrow fic #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #dustin pov #dustin henderson #wayne munson #steve harrington #mentioned max mayfield #mentioned eddie munson #hospitals #diagnosis #pre steddie #everyone lives/nobody dies

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yappaccinocookie · 3 months ago

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they kidnapped me!

Heya! I just want a story of cookies going into your world, shrunk you down into a size of a cookie but you still remain as human, and you were pretty scared that anything in earthbread could kill you but rather...they decide to take care of you! (Especially some cookies too)

this request was lovely oh my gosh, how come i never did this?! sorry for the delay I have been gone for a long time. there are not that much characters, since I wrote for the ancients like in the last post I decided to not write for them although this prompt is so fitting for them. also, nothing here is meant to be romantic it's strictly plotanic because dough x flesh isn't really my thing...

LOWERCASE INTENDED!!

you weren’t sure what was more terrifying: the fact that you had been shrunk down to the size of a cookie or that the cookies themselves were the ones who did it.

it all started when you stumbled upon a strange glowing object in your home. you didn’t even get a chance to touch it before a group of cookies appeared out of nowhere, looking at you with wide eyes and murmuring amongst themselves. one of them muttered something about “balancing the scales” and, before you could react, everything went blurry.

when you came to, you were no longer towering over the cookies. in fact, they were towering over you. your hands were still human, your body still the same—but you were their size now, and the world around you felt impossibly big and dangerous. "uh oh?" you heard one of them say.

"dude, what did you do to me!? im tiny!" you say, or maybe squeaked. your voice was embarrassingly high pitch now. the cookies melted in panic

"d—dont worry were gonna take good care of you! our world is full of candy." you weren’t sure if that was supposed to be comforting or terrifying.

Espresso —

"Well?..."

espresso clicked his tongue, crossing his arms as he looked down at you. “calm down,” he said, as if that were the easiest thing in the world. “you’re not the first anomaly i’ve dealt with.”

despite his sharp tone, he quickly set to work creating solutions for your new size. he built a small platform for you to stand on while he worked and even crafted a tiny cup for you to sit in. “this should keep you from getting underfoot,” he muttered, clearly more focused on solving the problem than comforting you.

while he wasn’t exactly warm, he did make sure you were safe at all times. “you’re fragile like this,” he said bluntly. “try not to get yourself killed while i figure this out.”

he's responsible, but very boring to be around. espresso is not the best care–taker, he's straight forward and doesn't sugar coat anything despite the sweet ingredients he's made with (other than espresso)

Latte —

"So much misfortune, are you alright?"

latte gasped when she saw you, immediately kneeling to your level. “oh no, you poor thing!” she said, her voice full of concern. “this must be so overwhelming for you.”

she wasted no time casting protection spells around you, ensuring nothing could harm you while you adjusted. she even used her magic to create a soft bubble-like barrier for you to rest in.

“i know this isn’t ideal,” she said gently, “but we’ll figure it out together. for now, just focus on staying safe, okay?” her warmth and patience made it easier to trust her, even in such a strange situation.

latte is like the mom friend who gives you a safety lecture and bakes you cookies afterward. unfortunately, she also has a tendency to overthink things, which means you’re probably stuck listening to her brainstorm solutions for hours while you sit in your little magic bubble.

Caramel Arrow —

caramel arrow cookie stared at you for a long moment, her expression unreadable. “this… is going to be a problem,” she said finally.

she didn’t waste time sugarcoating things, immediately taking charge of your safety. “you’re too small to fend for yourself,” she said matter-of-factly. “stick with me, and you’ll be fine.”

she fashioned a small carrier out of her cloak, tucking you inside so you could travel with her. while her demeanor was serious, you noticed how she always made sure to keep you in her line of sight, her sharp eyes scanning for any potential threats.

caramel arrow doesn’t mean to be intimidating, but she has the energy of someone who’s always ready for battle. she’s the type to keep you safe while also making you feel like you’re in a military training camp. “don’t touch that. don’t wander off. and definitely don’t make noise.” stricter than my mama, at this point don't do anything.

Crunchy Chip —

crunchy chip cookie frowned when he saw you, his wolf sniffing at your tiny form curiously. “you’re… smaller than i expected,” he muttered.

he wasn’t one for words, but his actions spoke volumes. he quickly ensured you were safe, his wolf often curling up around you protectively. “stay close to me,” he said gruffly. “the world’s dangerous at your size.”

though his tone was harsh, he went out of his way to make sure you were comfortable, even sharing his rations with you. “don’t make me regret this,” he muttered, though his actions showed he genuinely cared.

crunchy chip’s wolf is more affectionate than he is. you’ve caught the wolf trying to lick your face more than once, while crunchy chip just stands there, awkwardly pretending he doesn’t see it. compared to your wolves when u went outside normally, this wolf smelt very edible...

Moonlight —

moonlight cookie’s expression softened when she saw you, her glow casting a calming light over your tiny form. “oh, little one,” she said softly, her voice like a lullaby. “you must be so frightened.”

she used her magic to create a serene, dreamlike space for you to rest, ensuring nothing could harm you. “here, you are safe,” she said, her tone soothing.

she treated you with gentle kindness, often sitting with you and sharing stories of earthbread to help ease your fears. “you are far from home,” she said softly, “but you are not alone.”

moonlight cookie’s magic is so relaxing that you’ve accidentally fallen asleep mid-conversation more than once. she doesn’t mind, but you’re starting to wonder if she’s doing it on purpose to keep you from stressing out.

Clover —

clover cookie’s eyes widened when he saw you, his harp nearly slipping from his hands. “oh dear! you’ve been… reduced!” he exclaimed, kneeling to your level with genuine concern.

he immediately began to sing a soothing melody, hoping to calm your nerves. “there’s no need to fear,” he assured you, his voice gentle and reassuring. “we’ll find a way to fix this, but for now, let’s focus on keeping you safe.”

clover fashioned a small pouch from his satchel and carefully placed you inside, humming softly as he carried you around. “don’t worry,” he said with a smile. “i’ll make sure nothing harms you.”

clover’s idea of “keeping you safe” involves serenading you at every opportunity, even if it’s not entirely necessary. you’ve had to politely remind him that a song won’t stop a cakehound from chasing you, but he insists it’s for morale.

moral of the story: get espresso cookie...

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 11 months ago

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Blurred Lines 3

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, power imbalance, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your relationship with your boss takes an unpredictable turn.

Characters: Nick Fowler

Note: some more Nicky for the girlies.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

The next day, you arrive to an empty house. After Nick’s stormy mood, you’re grateful for the respite. Despite your efforts to forget his comments, to not let them seep too far into your head, you spent most of the night thinking of your marriage; of your widowhood. You’ve worked through most of those emotions but you’ll always miss your husband.

Around noon, you receive the crate of bottles you ordered the day before. The man who drives the large truck offers to bring them inside. You’ve noticed that as you get a few finer lines and a little more cushion, others tend to treat you as fragile. You don’t complain. Liquor is heavier than you would assume at a glance.

You thank the driver and send him off, returning to the den to sift through the box. You keep the glass cabinet open and pluck out the empty glass, or those with barely a sip left in them. Nick does the same with the milk; if there’s even a drop left, he’ll put the carton back. Not his problem, a new one always just appears.

You take the decanter and swish around the dregs of scotch. It wouldn’t be much of a waste to dump it, that amount will barely cover the bottom of a glass. You set it aside with the matching crystal glasses. You need to wash them.

As you line up the newer bottles on the shelf, you feel a buzz in your back pocket. You pause and wiggle your phone free, putting it to your ear as you work with one hand. Clunk, slide, clink.

“Hello,” you trill as you squint at another label. You’re supposed to wear glasses to read but you consistently leave them by your couch.

“Mom,” your daughter greets bluntly, “what are you doing?”

“Uh, Joey?” You lower the bottle in your hand, “everything okay?”

“Y-yeah, I just... I’m on my break and wanted to call you while I have the chance.”

“Break? You’re at your internship?” You ask brightly, “how is it? Amazing?”

“Erm, sure,” she utters.

She sounds disappointed. Concern trickle down your neck, she’s only ever been excited about school and her future. It’s what you admire in her. She’ll go so much further than sorting out liquor and dump spoiled almond milk for some rich guy.

“What’s going on?” You prompt again, facing the cabinet as you set down another bottle.

“I... I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. It’s a lot of work,” she mutters and you hear her biting her nails. An old habit she hadn’t had since middle school.

“Honey, your nails,” you gird, “it’s new. You’re learning. Give yourself a bit of patience. I’m not saying it isn’t hard, but don’t be so hard on yourself. You can do it but you know what, even if it isn’t for you, I’ll be proud. You know I only want the best for you.”

“Yeah, I know,” she grumbles, “I just don’t want to let you down.”

“Never,” you assure her. “Take a few breaths, have some water, and no more caffeine. It will only make your anxiety worse.”

“Yeah,” she sniffs, “yeah, I did have an extra shot in my latte.”

“Alright, well, you call me later. Take your break for yourself. You know I’m always here for you, honey.”

“Love ya,” she resigns with a sigh.

“Love you too. Hey, if you need a break, let me know. We can make it work.”

“No, no, I can do this,” she insists, “it's only week two. I'm just being a baby.”

“My baby,” you tease and she gives and ‘ech’ which makes you laugh, “alright, we'll talk later.”

“Yep, bye, mom.”

“Bye,” you tap the red button and look down at your phone.

For as much as got nostalgic about your youth, you don't miss the uncertainty. You slide your phone away and something scuffs. Nick clears his throat and draws your attention.

“Sir,” you greet, wondering if he'd heard any of that, “just in time, I'm sorting your cabinet.”

“Mm, so you are,” he struts over, a hand in his pocket. He wears dark slacks and a button-up without a tie. “Family emergency?”

“Nope, everything's under control,” you shrug and take out a bottle of cognac. You place it with the rest.

You hear glass clink and turn. Nick uncaps the crystal decanter and drains what's left of the scotch. He eyes the container and puts it back on the table.

“What's your poison? Wine? Cocktails? You seem the type,” he muses.

“I only drink on special occasions,” you say. “Whatever's on special.”

“Mm, and Saturday? You sounded like you had a few. Pretty early too.”

You wince and look at him. You hadn't thought you were that obvious, especially over the phone. Well, he did say he reads people. You suppose you're not that hard to decipher.

“Two dollar mimosas,” you slip the empties into box and close the flaps.

“Mm,” he scoffs, “bubbly.”

“Gives me heartburn,” you say dismissively as you pick up the box. “Did you need anything, sir? Should I make lunch?”

He squints as you and sucks in his cheeks, emphasizing the squareness of his jaw.

“I'm having people over,” he states.

“Right, I'll get the good porcelain out,” you say.

“Work,” he intones. “You can't be here.”

“Yes, sir. I'll have the food done and kept warm in my absence.”

He nods. You don't ask questions. It's part of your job. Just do what he tells you and be on your way.

“Sure,” he says dully and spins on his heel.

He walks off and you carry the box through to the backroom. There's nothing unusual and yet it feels abnormal. Those last few days just feel off.

Work. The word echoes with an edge in your head. Ah, well, that's the crux of most human stress. You suppose, much like your daughter, Nick must be feeling the pressure. He might be your boss but someone up the line is his. That's just the order of things.

🥃

A night to yourself is welcome. Joey messages to say she’s okay now and she won’t bother calling you. You know by her Insta that she’s found friends to keep her company. You hope they can also offer some reassurance.

You settle in with a book on the sofa, eager to retrace your way through the last chapter you can’t quite recall. You don’t get further than a few paragraphs before you pass out. You sink down into motley dreams that sway between reality and fiction; the villain of the novel resembles your boss a bit too closely in your mind.

You wake with a start at the steady rattle of your phone against the end table. You reach up blindly, feeling around to still its buzz. You check the display, expecting your daughter, but instead you’re met with ‘Private’. You already know.

You check the time. It’s close to two in the morning. You sit up and yawn as you let the call roll through to your voicemail. You bend forward and rub your eyes, groggily rubbing your forehead. You’re stiff as hell. You know better than to sleep on the couch.

The phone starts again, shaking your hand. You answer it. If he’s trying a second time, it means he must really need something.

“Hello,” you creak out through your dry throat.

There’s rustling on the other end and some murmurs, but nothing clear. You tilt your head and press the phone closer, hitting the volume button with your thumb as you try to discern the noise on the other end. What is going on?

“...baby...” Nick’s tone is silty and low and met with a fluttery moan. You gulp. It can’t be. Flesh claps and he growls, “you like that, huh?”

You hang up before you can hear anything else. Oh god. You throw the phone across the room and shake out your hands. Yikes. You’ve been the victim of a pocket dial but nothing ever like that. You wonder how it even happened.

Well, you try not to think about it too much. You get up and move your book onto the table. You don’t even dare to touch your phone, leaving it on the seat of the chair. You’re too tired for all this. Hopefully, sleeping in your own bed will wash it all away.

🥃

You talk in with Nick’s dry cleaning over your shoulder. You’re not shocked to find the house in disarray. Social nights are often met with grim mornings. It seems of late that both come more and more frequent.

You set down the garment bags on hangers and stop in the kitchen to put on a brew of coffee in anticipation of another of your boss’ hangovers. The aroma rises as you cross the tile floor and snatch up the suits and shirts. You hesitate at the bottom of the stairs. Like days before, you suspect he also has some lingering company. You wonder if it’s better to wait and put away his clothes once you are certain.

A long rumble distracts you from your dread. You turn and walk towards the broad archway that opens into the front room. Somehow you hadn’t noticed the body on the couch and now you regret that you have. Nick’s bare ass flashes you from across the room as he lays with his shoulders curled forward and his head under a pillow. He must’ve had quite the work dinner.

You tiptoe across the room and pick up the mussed throw from the floor. You drape it around his waist to cover the most intimate part of him. He groans and brings his arm up over the pillow.

“Baby,” he mutters and roles onto his back. You swiftly catch the blanket before it can expose him further and keep it over his middle, letting it fall across his pelvis. You can only do so much as his dick springs up beneath the waffle knit. “Why don’t you get on it?”

You nearly choke at the suggestion. He still has the pillow over his head as his hand crawls down his muscular torso, reaching for... that.

“Baby is gone,” you cross your arms, “coffee is on, sir. Would you like a cup?”

He grunts and retracts his hand, pulling the pillow from his head and hugging it to his stomach. He blinks, his brow furrowed in surprise and chagrin. He stares at you and lets his head loll.

“Mm, guess it’ll wake me up just the same,” he mutters as his eyes flick up and down. “Morning, honey.”

“Morning, sir,” you hike up your armful, “let me get these hung and I’ll get your coffee.”

You turn as he sighs and the couch creaks beneath him. You don’t look back, wary of seeing more than you already have. It’s not unlike him to have his little get-togethers and to indulge but it’s a bit much. If you thought he’d be honest, you might ask if something’s wrong. Then again, your his maid, not his therapist.

“And Advil,” he calls after you, “maybe put some whiskey in the coffee, too.”

You nod and march to the stairs. Minding your boss isn’t too much different than raising a child, though you think Joey was much easier to deal with. And not so demanding.

#nick fowler #dark nick fowler #dark!nick fowler #au #maid au #the 355 #nick fowler x reader #blurred lines #series #fic #dark!fic #dark fic

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twice-inamillion · 1 year ago

Text

Childhood Dream

Fluff, Story Building, Light Smut (Handjob, Facial)

Chapter 225

1740 Words

(Sana has been interested in making one of her early childhood dreams come true. As a reward she gives you a memorable moment.)

Ever since you and Sana went to the construction site and took a tour of the house, she’s been a bit more happier than usual. She goes to your office in the mornings when you call on the progress of the house and eagerly listens to them. You even asked her if she wanted a copy of the plot and house layout since she would constantly look at yours.

Obviously, she agreed, and you got her a set. She would often ask you questions whenever she had a hard time understanding something. You were more than happy to help her out and keep her busy. Surprisingly, she picked up what you taught her quickly and even asked if it was possible to build something else on the property.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Don’t laugh, okay?”

“I won’t, I promise.”

“I want to build a daycare.”

You see the seriousness in her eyes and ask, “Why do you want to build one?”

“Well… growing up, I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but after talking to Chaeyoung’s mom, she told me she used to work at a daycare after her children got a bit older. She told me about help experience, and it seems like having one would be great.”

You’re surprised by their conversation and didn’t know that Sana felt that way. It’s true that having daycare or kindergarten would be easier for members once the children get older. It’s even more important now after the experience that Sana went through; you can’t imagine what would occur if the public found out about the existence of your children.

“You’re right. Maybe having one is a good idea. How about we talk to the rest of the members?”

Sana giggles and says, “I already talked to them, and they said yes.”

“Haha, so it wasn’t much asking me but just telling me to build one.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, did you have anything in mind?”

The two of you spend most of the morning going over where the daycare would be and how big. You drew multiple sketches and drawings of what the building could have, such as a room for infants, two- to three-year-olds, four- to five-year-olds, and a kitchen. Sana mentioned that having a nice kitchen with homemade meals, a teacher's lounge, and a large playground would be nice for the kids. It took a while until the two of you could finalize the number of rooms and if having the infants separated from the rest was best or if having them in a detached building was better.

“What about the teachers?” you asked.

“Well, Chaeyoung’s mom said she would like to be one of the infant teachers, and Jihyo’s mom said they were more than willing to help. Mina mentioned it to her mom and said she would be willing to move and help with the twins. I wanted to ask my mom, but I don’t want to mention anything about kids until I’m better.”

You pull her in for a hug and hold her tight as she closes her eyes and relaxes. Once she’s a bit better, you both continue and decide where to place the build. “How about here? It’s away from the house, and we can have a nice playground.”

Sana looks around at the layout of the plot and agrees that having it away from the house would be best. “I remember my mom taking me to kindergarten on her bike. Maybe we can do the same,” she said, laughing as she tried to remember her childhood moments.

“That seems like fun. I’ll try to see if it's possible to build it. I’ll try to get it started as soon as possible if we can.”

Sana stands up from her chair and kisses you on the cheek, “Thank you!” she skips out of your office and goes off to see the children.

—————

A few days pass, and you come back from talking with the developers. Everything was approved, and I wanted to surprise Sana with the news. You walk to the living room and see her sleeping on the couch with Ari on her stomach.

“Sana, wake up.”

She rubs her eyes and turns towards you, “No, let me sleep.”

“Come on, you need to head upstairs.”

“I don’t want to, I’m…I’m going to sleep here” and turns over.

You slowly pick up Ari, holding her in your arms, and walk her upstairs to Chae’s mom. You knock and see Chae’s mom changing Hina. “Aww, she fell asleep. You can place her here,” she said as she pointed at the bed.

You kiss both Ari and Hina on the forehead before saying thanks and heading out to the living room. “Thank you.”

Now, in front of Sana, you nudge her arm, trying to wake her up, but it’s no use. “Alight, I guess it will be getting my workout for tonight.” You place your hand at each end and pick up Sana. Surprisingly, she doesn’t weigh much at all, and you can easily carry her to your room. You place her on the bed and ask, “Sana, did you wash your teeth?”

Still sleeping she mumbles, “Nee…” and tuck her in and give her a kiss.

You’re woken up to freezing cold hands rubbing against your thighs, “Good morning, Sana.” You turn around and see Sana with a smile, “Good morning, baby.” You chuckle when she goes up your inner thigh and into your shorts, “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Just wanted to say thanks.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sorry, but I heard your phone go off and saw that it was from a girl, so I am just a bit jealous. I read the text and saw that the permits and layout were approved. Said that you were going to have a meeting with the developers.” You see the light shine in her eyes by the news.

Suddenly, you feel the cold sensation in your private regions and say, “Wait, what are you doing?”

“I just want to say thanks. I know it’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

You feel her ice-cold fingers grab your limp cock and groan, “Ahh… fuck… it’s cold.” Still having the bedcovers, you can only imagine what is going on as you feel swaying your cock back and forth. Little by little, it slowly gets hard, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah…”

“Tell me if it feels good, okay.”

“Okay…”

With her thumb and index finger around the tip of your cock she slowly peels your foreskin back until your mushroom tip pops out. Now hardened, she pulls her hand back out and spits on her hand before going back down. She teases you by gently rubbing the tip of your cock with her wet fingers, making you moan from how sensitive it is.

“Do you like that, babe?”

“Yeah, I do.”

She then grabs your shaft and slowly begins to stroke your cock. Sana kisses your chest, causing your cock to twitch. She increases the pace of her stroking, squeezing, and tilting it up. This causes your cock to throb and Sana to simile by your moaning.

“Do you like that baby? Me stroking your big cock with my small fingers?”

“I do… I love it.”

She strokes it even faster and faster, as well as tightening the grip of her hand, “How bad do you want to cum?”

“I want to cum, I haven’t done it in a while.”

“Where do you want to cum?”

“Fuck… I don’t know, I just want to cum…”

“Want to paint my face white?”

Sana begins to giggle when she sees your cock react to her words of painting her face with cum. She flips the bedsheet over, revealing your throbbing cock, and crawls out of bed. She gets on her knees right in front of the bed. You get off the bed and stand right in front of her, stroking your cock with a firm grip.

She looks directly into your eyes as she sees that you’re about to reach your peak. “Cum for me, baby; cover my pretty face in your thick cum.”

You’re reaching your peak and can feel all your energy concentrating down in your core. “Fuck… I’m cumming! In one hard stroke, you watch as a rope of white hot cum flies and covers Sana’s. Her eyes are closed as it paints her eyebrows, nose, whole mouth, and small breasts.

“It’s so hot! You must have been so backed up, baby.”

“I was, but it was worth it,” you say as you look at the work of art you just made, using Sana’s body as your canvas.

She collects as much cum as she can with her tongue before showing you the amount of cum you shot in her mouth. She gargles you cum side to side and swallows it, then sticks out her tongue, showing you that it’s gone.

“Thank you for the breakfast, babe.”

She stands up, grabs her phone, and poses in front of her mirror, taking a photo of her upper body covered in your baby batter.

“How about joining me for a shower?”

“I’d love to.”

You smack her ass, making her giggle until you hear a pair of loud footsteps running across the hallway.

“Apa!! Apa!”

Both of your faces are horrified as the steps get louder. “I’m going to the shower; I don’t want the kids to see me like this!”

You quickly grab your bathrobe and the bathroom as Jisoo knocks on the door. Chaeyoung’s mom opened the door, and the two sisters yelled, “Apa??” They tilt their head and are surprised not to see you in your room but then hear the water running in the bathroom. “It seems like your daddy is taking a shower. How about we come back later and say good morning to him?” They both nodded their heads and ran out of the room.

Chaeyoung’s mom was about to close the door when she noticed small stains that led from the bed to the bathroom. She walks towards it, sees the clear substance, and smiles before heading back and closing the door, “What a time to be young.”

#twice smut #kpop smut #twice #twice fluff #kpop fluff #twice sana #sana fluff #sana minatozaki #sana smut #minatozaki sana #TM smut #kpop male reader #kpop idol smut #kpop x reader #idol x male reader #girl idol smut

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yoongleboonglepie · 1 month ago

Text

Pechsträhne Chapter 5

Chapter Playlist- Youtube Music

Chapter Playlist- Spotify

Word count: Approx 17.5k

Series Masterlist

_________________________________________

Both Yoongi and Y/n’s faces were blanketed in shock. Y/n’s own mouth hung open in the shape of the same words that had left Jungkook’s, but they were reined in and unspoken as a way to hold space for his own. Scared that if she spoke it would pull them from the alternate reality that they had been put into, that he had agreed to something so easily without his usual fight.

Yoongi made the first move.

“I really want to say something snarky, but I’ll save it for later in favor of the current circumstances.” Yoongi’s charcoal eyes wandered over to meet Y/n’s wide and sticky ones. “Y/n?”

She nodded slowly, her neck that was beginning to feel stiff only letting her move it so much before it protested. “I will too.”

Yoongi’s entire body seemed like it both simultaneously dropped, and straightened with poorly concealed eagerness. “Are you sure?”

“I don't have a choice. I can’t in good conscience leave this behind on you. Not after whatever the fuck that was.” She shuddered as the memory intruded on her mind again, doing her best to repress it further down.

Yoongi stood and began to pace with a restless vigor around his room. “Okay. That’s great. That’s-” He ran his hands once through his hair. Twice. Then stopped his ministrations and pulled his chair out from his desk to sit backwards on the seat in order to face them both.

“We need to start at square one. I’ll tell you what I know so far, and then we can go from there. I’ll let you take the lead, ask me whatever you want.” He gestured to Y/n with his chin, and if she wasn’t so emotionally exhausted she probably would've kissed him for finally saying the words she’d been dying to hear since she had arrived. But she settled for asking the first question instead.

“Why did my parents change their mind?”

She didn’t need to be psychic to know Jungkook was fighting the urge to run at the discomfort of her question, but he stayed in his spot with his fists clenched on top of his thighs. He did not protest.

“I can only have an idea, but I’m not completely sure. What I do know is that they are lying. The reason they gave you was bullshit, and they refuse to tell anyone the real reason why. I tried to confront your mom about it a few months after you had left, and she shut me down immediately. But I could sense it, she was hiding something. I think she has something to do with the spiritual unrest, but I can’t be certain. And then there’s your dad.”

The end of his sentence hung in the air like a fishing cast, waiting for her to grapple herself onto it. And she did.

“What about him? I know something’s…off.” Her eyes glanced at his closed door and settled there, thinking of the sounds of his wandering feet.

“Something’s got its claws in him, and they both know it. They keep him shut away in his private office or their room. She stopped bringing him out to dinner the moment I caught on. It’s easier to hide from things than face them.” Yoongi wasn’t good at hiding his disdain for her mother in his tone, and she was right there with him.

“Is he like… possessed?” The word felt foreign on her tongue, having never thought she’d have to think of her father that way.

Yoongi exhaled slowly, clicking his tongue in thought. “Kind of. You had dinner with him, did he seem off to you at all?”

She thought back to her first night, recounting his overly positive energy and extremely welcoming demeanor. “I guess he was a bit more…happy than I had expected. I thought for sure he’d be stern with me, or pull me aside to his office to try and talk things out or scold me for running. But he didn’t.”

“Up until the past year, he has been pretty down and even angry at times. He hasn’t been the same since you left, it really tore him up.” Yoongi paused, inspecting the way he must’ve seen her mind fill with guilt at the thought of her father falling into a depression over her. But she needed to know, and Yoongi shouldn’t have to censor the truth to spare her the consequences of her choices.

“Don’t worry about how I feel, it’s important that we stay as transparent as possible.” What she said was honest, but it didn’t stop her from pulling her socked feet to rest on his bed so she could hug her knees as a shield for whatever was to come.

Yoongi continued on, her response seemingly enough reassurance to him that she wouldn’t have another mental breakdown that night. “Out of nowhere, sometime last spring he perked up almost too much, and way too quickly- I’m talking the night before he was hiding away, and by breakfast he was up and practically dancing through the kitchen while he helped the cooking staff prepare the food. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have assumed he was going through a psychotic break.”

A new bed of unease layered itself in her stomach, and made itself comfortable. Last spring was when she had dropped out of her college program, but surely that was just a coincidence. Right? But then her thoughts meshed together- the way Hoseok had almost seemed to accept that she was back already. Jimin’s prodding into why she came back. The way everyone was so quick to welcome her.

He shifted in his chair, and rolled his neck to the side to stretch it out. “Then he started saying weird things.”

“Like what?” Her words were whispered, her gut telling her she already knew.

He tilted his head the opposite direction, his eyes closing. “That you would be home soon. Once that started, so did his night time adventures. Your mom was pretty quick to start caging him up and away from us entirely. She wants to look like she’s in control of whatever she’s gotten herself into, but she isn’t. And she knows that I know that.”

Y/n’s heart dropped to her feet. There’s no way he would have been able to know she had dropped out. This clearly wasn’t a coincidence.

“Did something I said mean something to you?” He cracked open his eyes to observe her reaction from beneath his lashes.

“I dropped out of my college program last May. That was the first time since the first Christmas I had spent alone that I had ever contemplated coming back. There’s absolutely no way he could’ve known that because I have never even said that out loud to anyone before.” Her eyes were wide as she looked into Yoongi’s that had now fully opened, thinking about what she had said deeply. Jungkook shifted next to her, reminding her of his silent presence.

“Why did you decide to drop out?” Yoongi asked his second question so far, his foot beginning to tap itself slowly while he thought.

She blew out a puff of air. “That’s a loaded question, but the simplest answer is that nothing felt right. I kept just thinking about coming back here and trying to confront them again, or even taking the hit to my pride and settling for a different job here. I had even started to-” She gasped, something she had never put much thought to other than it being a reaction to the stress from finals popped into her mind with bright neon lights. “I had started to dream about being here again. It happened nearly every night for almost a full week before I broke. I dropped out the following week.”

“Shit.” Yoogi spoke through his teeth, and rolled his tongue across the inside of his cheek.

“What does that mean?” she let one leg drop to the floor, beginning to feel secure enough to have only one to hold onto.

He exhaled through his nose before breathing out a quiet “Not sure. But it means you were definitely still being monitored by something while you weren’t here.”

She physically shook her arms out of the chills that descended them in waves. “I hate that so much.” She shook her hands one more time for good measure. “Do you know who is messing with my dad?”

Yoongi shook his head solemnly. “Unfortunately no. Like I said, I can’t always get that many specific details from spirits unless I really know them. And she tried to keep me away from him as soon as it was too hard to cover it up for me to snoop around.”

“Is that why she didn’t want me around you? Because you could tell something was going on?” She tried to cover the germinating feelings of rage she felt towards her mother by taking a few deep breaths.

“Partially. I think she knows I’m still trying to meddle in places she doesn’t want me to, and that if we worked together I could get further than before- which wouldn’t be good for her image.” He shrugged, her question seemingly an obvious answer to him.

“That’s not what she told me.” Jungkook spoke up for the first time since his agreement.

They both turned their heads at his intrusion. He glanced from one of them to the other, they both silently waited for him to continue.

“She told me that I’d-” Jungkook clenched his fists even tighter than before, his knuckles white and his face scrunched into a real emotion, not his usual mask of vacancy. He looked tormented by his own thoughts. “She told me that I would hurt you if I spent time around you, and so would Yoongi. That it would be in your best interest if we stayed away to prevent any…accidents.”

“That bitch…” Yoongi shook his head with a sardonic scoff, and chose to turn his head to look out his window in order to keep any other expletives from spilling from his lips.

“Why would you guys hurt me? I would have never in my life thought that way about either of you if she and others hadn’t started filling my mind with secretive nonsense.” Y/n inched to the end of her seat in provoked disbelief.

A moment of pregnant silence blanketed the three of them, Y/n's eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them while Yoongi locked his on Jungkook. Jungkook shifted in his seat, but chose not to speak any further.

“It’s because…” Yoongi started, giving Jungkook a moment to intervene if he wanted to, but he didn’t interject, so he continued. “Jungkook has similar abilities to mine, but his have… different strengths. I won’t go into the details because that’s his story to tell. Your mom however, has known about both us for quite some time. She only started getting weird about them over the past couple of years when she started seeing them as a threat to whatever the fuck she is trying to cover up.” He stood up abruptly, and strided over to his window to pace quickly in front of it. His entire body was tense, and rippled with agitation. “Fuck- no offense to you, but your mom is pissing me off. She’s just loaded with low blows lately, huh?” He choked a laugh that was void of any humor and he leant his hands on the window sill and tried to compose himself. . “She knows that’s a sensitive spot for Jungkook, and she stuck her fingers right on it and pressed as hard as she could.”

“You do not have to apologize to me. I’m in the same boat.” Y/n held her hands up in a show of submission, both feet now brushing the floor as she shifted herself on the comforter to look at Jungkook. He was still avoiding both of their presences, but he still looked visibly upset and it disturbed her. What he was fighting with within his mind she didn’t know, but she still wanted to comfort him somehow. She raised the hand closest to him and inched it closer to his own stiff fists still weighing heavily on his lap. She let her hand hang in the air above his own, giving him the chance to pull away from her if he wanted to, but he just looked at it with a distant look in his eyes. Y/n brushed her fingers across his knuckles with as much tenderness as her still slightly shaky hands could muster, and when he didn’t retract himself she grabbed his hand with more confidence. Worming her fingers into the middle of the fist and spreading it open in an effort to try and ease the tension from within it. His fingers twitched to close around hers, but stopped themselves each time they made the move to try. She let the gesture speak for itself for a minute, before lifting both of their hands and giving them a gentle shake.

“See? I’m okay. Nothing to be worried about. If you don’t want to tell me anymore right now you don’t have to.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a small reassuring smile, leading their conjoined hands to rest on her lap where she sandwiched his hand with her free hand to guide his fingers closed around her own. She wasn’t sure if it helped, but he wasn’t running away and his shoulders slumped down ever so slightly -so it had to be doing something.

Yoongi turned back around, taking in the sight of the two of them with a sigh before coming to plop down on her other side. “What else do you want to know?”

She thought for a moment, before deciding to change the subject for a moment in order to spare Jungkook a moment to relax further. “The spirits that-” She broke off as the hand on top of their intertwined ones instinctually lifted up to brush across her neck, Yoongi’s eyes following the movement closely. “-that were in my room. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but the man I couldn’t recognize.” She tried to picture them again in an attempt to find anything she could latch onto, but it made her heart race much too quickly everytime she would get to the man’s face- even with trying to use Jungkook's warm hand gently squeezing her own as a tether to reality. “Have you seen them before?”

Yoongi didn’t look away from the hand resting on her neck as he spoke. “I would hope at least one of them would look familiar- they’re your ancestors. I’ve only seen them in their full apparition a handful of times, but I often sense their imprints around the house. They have a pretty recognizable story, so it's easier for me to be certain of their identity. Do you know about what happened to Hadwin’s wife, Annelise?” He finally looked up at her eyes as he asked his question.

She hummed in acknowledgement, the face of the woman suddenly aligning with an old, fuzzy black and white picture she had seen a few times in one of their family photo books as a child. “She was the one that passed away during premature labor, right?” She tried to pull anything else about them from her memory, but her parents had always tended to avoid the more upsetting parts of their family history when they would tell it to them as children.

Yoongi nodded. “ Premature labor or a miscarriage it's not certain. Healthcare wasn’t as great back then as it is now. Either reason, they’ve always been one of the more…depressed couples around the property for obvious reasons. The past couple of years though, their feelings have been amplified tenfold. She used to show up all the time in my bathroom and where she goes, Hadwin follows. He’s overly protective of her, used to always yell at me when he saw me get too close. He only came at me once, but I thought it was just him trying to scare me away. I put up warding in my room since then- but I still hear her crying sometimes. That’s how I can tell she is trying to show herself. I could hear her through your wall and sensed that something was very wrong. I just didn’t know how wrong, so I went to get back up.” His eyes flickered to the side of Jungkook’s head, then back to hers, where they shined with remorse. “I should’ve gone to get you first. I’m sorry-”

She held her hand up to cut him off. “It’s fine. You didn’t know -not fully anyway. What’s important now is figuring out how to prevent it from happening again, or trying to.” Which brings me to my next question.” She felt a rush of determination in her soul, her residual fear temporarily pushed aside by the revival of anger at her mother. “How do we stop them?”

He laughed lightly and gave her a small crooked smile. “You were attacked by a ghost not more than 15 minutes ago, and you already want to get started?” His shoulder bumped hers playfully, dominoing her to bump Jungkook’s, who’s head lifted to look at them both with scrunched brows in response.

“Yeah. I’m not just gonna let that motherfucker make me catch a glimpse of heaven’s gate and just sit by and let him get away with it.” She tried to crack a joke at her own misery, but Yoongi’s face was wiped of anything casual by the end of her sentence.

“Holy shit- Was it that bad?” His wide and worried eyes scanned her face and neck again, and the playfulness that was previously present was gone.

“I thought you could tell?” She tilted her head in confusion, and finally let her hand drop from her neck and land lamely in her lap.

“I could tell you were scared shitless and I saw that your neck was red, but I didn’t think-” Y/n got a sudden feeling of Deja Vu when Yoongi’s large hands pushed her jaw up to inspect her neck. He let out a quick grumble before leaning over to turn on his bedside lamp, his hands finding her jaw again and tilting it side to side. “Fuck. You’re starting to bruise.”

That made Jungkook finally seem to come back to life from his inner turmoil, and release a displeased grunt. “What?” His voice was wobbly and from the direction her head was tilted she could faintly catch him also turning to look again.

She jumped up from her spot, untangling herself from the two of them and rushing into his bathroom to look. The second she smacked the light on, she had to hold in the urge to cry again. Faint purple and red splotches were already starting to rise to the surface of her skin in a line where the man -no, Hadwin, one of her own great uncles- had tried to strangle her. She saw the tears building as she began to feel her chest restrict, her ribs felt like they were crushing her lungs in on themselves. This threatened to tip her over the edge into another panic attack but she held her ground. Before she could pass the point of no return Yoongi stepped in to lean against the door with a grave air about him.

“We need to take you somewhere. We don’t know if there’s something more seriously injured that we can’t see.”

She shook her head frantically. “ And tell them what? ‘Hey doctor, I know this looks really fucking suspicious but it was a ghost, I swear! Totally not the two men whom her mom hates right now that brought her in!’ They will for sure buy that and not try to question anything.” She couldn’t keep her hands still, they came to perch their palms on her forehead in distress. Yoongi seemed to not know what to say as Jungkook squeezed into the doorway to stand next to him, his arms crossed over his chest and a defiant look on his face.

“Oh god…” She tried to will the tears away by focusing on stress more than sadness, leaving her eyes with just a nervous sheen over them. “I’m supposed to be up at five in the morning tomorrow to start down to D.C with Jimin and Taehyung. How am I going to cover this? How am I going to be around anyone until this decides to clear up? I’m not even going to be able to go to sleep after this-” She tugged at her collar in a futile effort to stretch it up higher, but it just slipped right back down to rest at the base of her neck. “Can we go to a convenience store or something? Is anything even open? I need a color corrector and a very expensive setting spray to even think about trying to cover it up.” He placed her hands on the edge of his sink in exasperation before adding on a “And the biggest scarf known to mankind.”

“We can try but it’s nearly ten.” Yoongi rubbed his forehead with a tired sigh.

“Go check the green room. They have a bunch of makeup stuff in there that gets left behind all of the time. Cleaning staff takes stuff like that home, extra goes into a lost and found box.” Jungkook seemed to disapprove of her not going to a doctor, but gave up the information with little fight.

“Would one of you mind sneaking down there? I don’t want to run into anyone like this.” She gestured to the still darkening bruise, looking at them with pleading eyes.

Jungkook huffed and nodded. “You stay here, I’ll be back.” He pointed at the both of them, leaving a longer emphasis on Yoongi than Y/n thought necessary, before slipping from the room quickly.

“I guess I can keep asking you questions while we wait?” Y/n looked back at him through the mirror, and he gave a half hearted shrug in response.

“We can, but if Jungkook is going to be joining our little demon hunting partnership I should probably wait until he comes back to go over any plans of action.” The way he kept staring at her neck made her feel a bit insecure, even though she knew she shouldn’t be. A beat of silence passed, and they just looked at each other until he broke it again.

“Y/n, I’m really fucking sorry I didn’t go to you first. We could’ve gone to get Jungkook together. If I had been any slower you could’ve-”

“But I didn’t.” She turned to face the real him instead of his reflection. “That’s what I have to keep reminding myself of- Is that I didn’t die. I’m here and we will have to figure something out- and quickly. There’s no way I’m sleeping in there until we do, I’d rather sleep in the greenhouse.”

He didn’t seem to fully accept the circumstances, but something she said took his mind off of his guilt enough for him to think of something else. The quick glimpse of his tongue peaking out to wet his bottom lip gave away that he was cooking something up in that brain of his.

“I can take your room tonight and you can stay here if you’d like. While you’re gone tomorrow, I’ll bring Namjoon up during lunch and we can ward your room off as best as we can.” Before he even finished his sentence he had already made up his own mind, disappearing into his room and opening his closet. He wrenched out a small bag to stuff his workman’s suit in it, and moved to hunch over his desk and dressers to scoop his things messibly into the opening.

She followed back into his room after him, a protest already poised on the tip of her tongue. “I can’t possibly in good conscience make you sleep in there- not after what happened to me.” He scoffed in response and pulled the string of his bag closed.

“Y/n, you almost died because of a poor decision on my part. I can handle a couple spooks for tonight if it means they can’t try to do it again. And anyways, I can sense them and have experience telling them to fuck off. This isn’t my first rodeo.” His words were slightly muffled as he rummaged through his shoes, trying to find his work boots. He stood up with a quiet ‘ah’, a pair of black steel toe boots dangling by the laces from his right hand.

“Well, I’ll need clothes for tomorrow then at least. I don’t want to have to wake you up at four-thirty just so I can grab some pants.” She felt guilty for not putting up a bigger fight, but she couldn’t deny the small part of her that rejoiced at not having to sleep in that room tonight. And she guessed by the way he was giving her a teasing smile, that he could sense it.

“Do you want to tell me what to grab? Or do you want to come with me and grab stuff?”

She settled for going with him, not wanting him to have to carry a bunch of her stuff back and forth for her. When they left his room and turned into hers, it took her a moment to collect the confidence to round the corner. She kept expecting Hadwin’s rotten face to be staring back at her, or for the woman to be crying in a heap on her bathroom floor still. Just waiting for her to walk right back into their awaiting arms. But neither were there. Her room was silent and empty as if nothing had ever happened, but the air hung heavy with the unseen, and she hated it. Yoongi set his things at the foot of her bed, and insisted on helping her grab what she needed- she didn’t need to have his psychic senses to know that they were on the same page- she shouldn’t linger in here for very long. While she grabbed her clothes and folded them into a pile to make them easier to carry over, he took charge of gathering her basic toiletries for her. She was palming through a couple turtlenecks and trying her best to focus on weighing the coverage options, but her mind kept wandering to the line of black salt at the base of her door and up to the wooden box tucked away above her head. Pausing for a moment to inspect it with her eyes, her mind waded to the shore of a new question to ask.

“Yoongi,” She called over her shoulder, and he wasted no time poking his head around to check on her with an affirmative hum. “What were you doing at the lake?”

His body followed his head out of the bathroom, his hands juggling her toothbrush, make up bag and the travel bag she had shoved underneath the sink the day she had arrived. He was zipping it closed as he spoke. “I was trying to get a read on her.”

Her. He didn’t have to clarify any further.

“And did you?” Y/n’s hands hooked loosely on a brown turtleneck and gave it a gentle tug off of its hanger. “Get anything from her, I mean.”

He sighed and shook his head dejectedly. “No. I rarely ever do.” He scratched a brow and placed the bags next to her leaning stack of poorly folded clothes. “Actually…” He picked up the long white sweater placed on top and shook it out, tucking the sleeves in neatly and folding it forward- much nicer than she had originally done.

“I was hoping you would be able to help with that. You were able to draw her out within 24 hours of being here, yet I try multiple times a week and get nowhere. I think she’s an important piece of the puzzle as to what’s going on. And whenever I try to scope around it’s like she’s…” He trailed off as he folded her jeans for her, a low rumble emitting from his throat as he thought on what to say next. “Covered. Hidden away. She’s there, but it’s like something doesn’t want me to reach her.”

“Oh.” It should’ve filled her with fear, thinking of her sister’s dark eyes and shrieking voice. Or picturing how she looked standing in her room, her small voice calling for her to wake up. But it didn’t. It filled her with irrepressible fury at the thought of something using her sister the way it had, especially if that something had to do with her mother. She couldn't stop her fists from clenching around the shirt in her hands, as she felt the unmistakable urge to protect her. Whatever she had seen in her dream wasn’t her sister, and she knew that.

They didn’t speak any further, working in silence as they folded and then carried everything around her doorway and into Yoongi’s. It was when she emerged from Yoongi’s bathroom in her sleep clothes, and padded her way over to his bed to sit on its surface again while they waited for Jungkook that her eyes began to feel heavy. Yoongi sat on his desk chair facing in the direction of the door, a book nestled in his hand and his ankle crossed over his knee while he read from its pages. The sound of the pages turning every few minutes was the only thing stopping her head from lolling forward onto her shoulder as she struggled to stay up straight. She was staring intently at his very enticingly fluffy pillows just beckoning her to sink herself into their soft embrace when Jungkook clunked his way through the door with a large cardboard box in his hands, startling them both from their tranquil state.

“I wasn’t sure which one you would want me to grab. I just brought the box.” His sneakers thumped across the rug much to Yoongi’s protests to take off his shoes as Jungkook plopped it next to her on the bed, and waited impatiently for her to sift through it- which she did. Her eyes widening at the sheer amount of product to sift through. His perceptive eyes locked onto the stack of her things neatly placed behind Yoongi on his desk, and he shifted with obvious discomfort. “Are you staying here?”

“I suggested that we swap rooms for the night until Namjoon and I can get into there tomorrow to put some stronger protection up. Is that alright with you, Mr. Guard Dog?” Yoongi gave him a teasing smile as he shut his book, uncrossing his legs in preparation to stand.

Jungkook gave an almost inaudible scoff. “‘S fine.” But the angle his eyes were set at told them otherwise. Yoongi gave him a tired chuckle and pat his shoulder on the way to the door, which Jungkook tried to dodge, but was too slow. A low sound of disapproval escaping from his mouth at the contact.

“We can meet up here tomorrow night after dinner. We should all get some sleep and get back to our rooms before your dad begins his night march.” He paused with his hand on the door knob giving them each a miniscule nod. “Goodnight, Yn. Jungkook.” Then he was gone.

Jungkook stayed, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room while she managed to find a few products that would work. She placed them on the desk to her left and moved to slide the box off of the cream colored comforter, Jungkook’s hands flying out to help her in moving it to the floor near the door.

“You can keep all of it, if you want.” His shrug was nonchalant, but his eyes held a kind of sweet harmlesses that had her heart lurching. Images of his younger self, always offering her small gifts or being sure to share any snacks he was given with her came alight with comparison. He had always been -for a lack of a better word- more catlike than the other boys. Choosing to show his care in acts of service than with words, and enjoying quality time over being pressured to talk. She thinks that’s how they had worked so well as children. Her never stopping the needless flow of nonsense she would word vomit onto him, and him just listening- helping her collect whatever rocks she had wanted no matter how far, or spending hours while she lined her stuffed animals just right. It wasn’t until they were five when he started being more comfortable using his own voice, and that’s when he let his shyness melt away to let his more playful and outspoken behavior really shine. Sides of him she’s now only gotten to see glimpses of during their times playing games with the others, not being able to contain himself at the face of a challenge. The anger she felt towards her mother rose even higher than it was. Whatever buttons she had pushed, sent him spiraling back in on himself- and she could see it plain as day.

“I’ll look through it more closely in the morning, thank you Jungkook.” She smiled up at him from her spot on the bed. He merely nodded, but the corners of his mouth twitched in an almost perceivable smile. And that was progress that she welcomed. As she watched him turn to leave, she couldn’t stop herself from calling out to him getting to her feet to meet him at the door.

“I really don’t care what my mom said. Whatever she was getting at, she was lying. Please don’t let her get under your skin, I really have missed you- I hope you know that.” She let her words hang between them and she stepped closer. His expression was masked again, forcefully pulling itself to remain neutral and pulling his lip up by the metal ring for him to nibble on with his teeth. She could see it though- much like riding a bike, relearning his subtle changes was coming back to her the more she hung around him; his eyes churning with something akin to uncertainty to say the least. So instead of overthinking it, she did what she would have done when they were children. She hugged him. And much like he would when they were small, he stood still as her arms wound themselves around his middle tightly. She didn’t stay there too long as to not push him too far too quickly, but him not pushing her away was a good sign. She released him to find him staring at her, his mask falling briefly to reveal shining eyes clouded with despondency.

“Goodnight Jungkook.” She whispered. He didn’t respond, opening the door and shutting it behind him.

She waited a moment to be sure he had left, before locking the door and checking it twice, and shuffling with heavy feet over to Yoongi’s bed. Wasting little time curling herself under the plush comforter with a hefty sigh. She kept the light on until the last second, waiting until her eyes were practically stuck closed as she stretched her fingers over to tug on the lamp’s string, enveloping the room in darkness. For the first time since she had arrived, she didn’t feel like she had to force herself to will the spiraling thoughts from her mind. They simply dissipated naturally, letting her enter sleep with not even an ounce of fight.

_______________________________________

She had woken up an extra half hour earlier than she had intended, in hopes to give herself as much time as she needed to blend the now fully formed bruises, creating an ugly necklace of reddish purple and yellow into an invisible memory. After spraying it with an ungodly amount of setting spray that she was sure was probably a cancer risk at that point, she only had fifteen minutes to pull her clothes over her head with extra care not to rub the sticky sheen keeping her secrets in place.

She tiptoed out of her room and down the steps, where Jimin and Taehyung were waiting with sleep tinged eyes at the dining room table. Three mugs of coffee were placed in a triangle in front of them. Her feet only just hit the threshold of the dining room when Jimin’s tired eyes found hers, instead of his usual warm smile he seemed disturbed, and for a moment she was worried that she had actually wiped off all of her hard work but he quickly and unknowingly soothed those thoughts.

“It’s so early, this is torture~” He fake cried into his mug, and Taehyung agreed with a zombie-like grunt.

“I didn’t force you to say yes, you guys insisted that you would help.” She felt her nerves eb away, and the sweet tingle of relief flowed over her limbs at having not already been caught as she covered her nerves with a sip of the coffee Jimin held up for her to take.

“What- and look inconsiderate after you had asked so nicely? What kind of person do you take me for?” Jimin shook his head in fake offense, downing the rest of his drink with an exaggerated gulp and slamming the mug down. “ Let’s get on the road before Taehyung bails on us.”

Taehyung sputtered around his drink with indignant disbelief. “Don’t make me look bad!”

Y/n and Jimin could only laugh at him as he stumbled to follow them, his coffee still in his hands and his jacket only thrown on one shoulder- tripping over his own feet to slip on his shoes that he hadn’t even bothered to fully put on.

“Not as smooth as you make yourself out to be, are you?” Jimin jested, taking initiative to open the door and start down the steps with Y/n trailing after him, nearly missing Taehyung's voice echoing out from inside the house with a disgruntled “Oh shut up.”

Once they had wrangled Taehyung into the car, th ride was mostly filled with just the voices of Y/n and Jimin as they talked quietly while he drove. Trying to keep their voices low as to not disturb Taehyung who had only made it 20 minutes into the drive before falling asleep with his forehead pressed against the window. The entire drive Jimin was his usual friendly self, but there was something she couldn’t put her finger on about his demeanor. There wasn’t anything in particular that she could pin down as to what was off. She couldn't tell if she was imagining the way his eyes would linger on her for only a half second longer than usual, or if he was actually licking at his lips more than usual or if she was just looking into things too much with her heightened anxiety and her own constant checking of her neck in the passenger side window.

Taehyung had only risen once they stopped outside of a fast food restaurant for breakfast 30 minutes outside of the city to slur his order over Jimin’s shoulder. Once the bag was placed in her lap with her as the designated distributer, Taehyung finally began to participate in the conversation.

“So how much are we expecting?” He took a very large bite into one of his breakfast burritos and a sip of his second coffee, staring up at them from between the front seats.

Y/n pensively took a sip of her own drink. “Just the stuff from my room and a couple boxes from the shared space.” She giggled and tossed a hashbrown into her mouth from where they kept them in the bag in her lap. “I can’t decide if I want them to be up and gone out of my hair by the time we get there, or if I want to have the pleasure of waking them up to the sound of me taking the nice cooking pot they like to use and my store of toilet paper that they decided was theirs.”

Jimin chuckled at her devious tone, his eyes unmoving from the road as he reached his hand into the bag on her lap for one of the crispy potato rounds. “ Sounds like you really want them to see you take that pot.”

“Oh you don’t know the half of it. They burnt all the others so I bought myself a small set, and they must have concluded that I had done it out of the goodness of my heart and were up for grabs. “ She felt her blood boiling at the memory of her coming home to find them scraping the bottom with a metal spoon while they stirred.

“I’m glad I never had to deal with any of that.” Taehyung shook his head and held his hand out to pass him a few hashbrowns, and she turned her body to place them in his hand, wiping the grease off on her pants.

“You never went to college or anything?” She kept her body turned at an angle in her seat to look at the both of them.

“No, never felt the need to. I did take a lot of private lessons though -few kinds of dance and cycled through different vocal lessons.” He coughed as one of the hash browns went down the wrong pipe, patting his own chest and taking a sip of his drink to qualm it.

“What kinds of lessons? Just jazz and the likes or anything interesting?” She watched him then choose to shove the rest of his burrito into his mouth, his eyes catching hers and his full cheeks resisting a shy smile. He pointed to his mouth and held up a finger, signaling her to wait.

“Maybe you wouldn’t choke so much if you didn’t try to eat everything in two bites.” Jimin glanced back at him incredulously through the rearview mirror with a disdainful shake of his head. He took his hand off the wheel again to reach blindly for his drink, which Y/n picked it up for him to make it easier as she watched him pat around for it twice. He gave her a kind smile as a thank you, choosing instead to take a sip from it straight out of her hand instead of grabbing it from her. She lowered it back into the cup holder when Taehyung spoke up from the backseat again, ignoring Jimin’s scolding.

“For dance I did jazz, swing and ballroom. Vocal was just done with an emphasis on classical jazz.” He wiped his face off with a napkin and peeled the wrapper away from his next burrito.

“He’s leaving out the best one on purpose~” Jimin’s teasing tone rang out from the front, a sly smile slinking onto his face. Taehyung groaned out reluctantly around his first bite.

“Oh?” Y/n matched Jimin’s sly smile and they shared a mischievous look. “ You must tell me what this is.”

“His mom made him take opera lessons.” Jimin gave a coy nod of his head, relishing in Taehyung’s embarrassment from the back seat, where his large bite stopped him from cutting them off much to his dismay.

“Opera?” Y/n grinned wildly back at the man who’s ears turned pink at the wake of their teasing.

He forcefully swallowed and rose up to defend himself. “Listen, my mom loved that stuff- it was her only condition for me to not go to college. If you guys tell anyone else I’ll tell Alonzo not to let either of you backstage anymore.” He used one of the hashbrowns he reached up to point at them as a threat before popping it into his mouth.

“Your secret is safe with me.” Y/n slid her fingers across her lips and mimicked locking them with a key.

“Not with me though.” Jimin cackled and gestured to his cup, which Y/n held up again for him to take a sip of.

Taehyung rolled his eyes and went to take another large bite but he paused, and with a hesitant look up at the back of Jimin’s head, he seemed to reconsider his teasing and took a smaller one. He washed it down with another sip of his drink. Y/n took note of the dwindling dark circles under his eyes, and the slight puff in his cheeks that were turned to watch the trees pass by at high speeds.

“Thank you both for doing this again- Especially since I know you’re not a morning person.” She made sure to direct a look in Taehyung’s direction, which he returned with a small smile and a tip of his drink.

Jimin scoffed lightly “He wouldn’t have such a hard time waking up if he didn’t stay up so late and drink abhorrent amounts of caffeine during the day.” He snapped the turn signal up and looked back over his shoulder to make sure they were in the clear to merge back onto the highway.

“It’s not my fault I sleep like shit every night. That’s why I started drinking all the caffeine in the first place.” Taehyung shook his head, and tossed the crumpled up wrapper up to bounce off the top of Jimin’s head.

Y/n laughed at the way Jimin had to restrain himself from pulling the car over and strangle him, picking up his cup and offering him another sip as a distraction that he took begrudgingly. His eyes flat in irritation.

“What? Do the ghosts of the estate keep you up~” Y/n’s tone was teasing, but she also couldn’t deny she was curious if they would shy away from the topic even two hours away from the property.

Taehyung gave such a large eye roll that she was sure would’ve made his eyes fall out if his head if he hadn’t had tilted it back with it. “Ugh, do you really believe all that stuff they say?”

That had her doing a double take in his direction. “And you don’t?” She was so busy looking back at him that she missed the sideways glance Jimin shot her way.

“No. It’s just a bunch of superstitions, and people predisposing themselves to look into everything too much just because the place is old.” He shrugged.

“No way you have been around as long as you have and don’t have a single doubt.” Y/n laughed in disbelief and turned herself forward to watch the road run beneath them from the front window.

“Not even a little bit.” He stood firm, and Y/n was genuinely at a loss for words. She turned to share a dubious look with Jimin, but found his gaze steady out the front of the windshield, a subtle way to avoid her eyes and make it look like he wasn’t.

“We are almost there, if you want to start making a game plan for when we get there?” Was the only thing Jimin’s soft voice said, and she wrinkled her nose in displeasure but submitted for the time being.

When they finally got into the city and slid into the spot behind her shared living situation, she was only slightly disappointed to see that none of her roommates were home- but as she turned the key and swung the door open to see the state of things- she was sure it was god taking pity on them. It was trashed. Her pots were filthy and stacked on top of a tower of dirty cereal bowls, and paper cups and plates were strewn about the apartment on any surface flat enough to hold them. The smell of stale air and dirty dish water made her blood boil, and she stomped over to unlock her bedroom door that she was thankful she had enough semblance to lock when she had made her speedy exit. Thankfully it was in the same condition she had left it, and she heaved a sigh of relief. She spun on her heels and wheeled back out into the shared space, taking it all in with a twitching brow and her hands planted on her hips. Turning her attention back to where Jimin and Taehyung were propping up the flattened cardboard boxes near the door that they had stuffed in the trunk.

“Alright. I’ll take to cleaning up what’s mine from out here- you guys can take my room and I’ll meet you there.” She began to roll up her sleeves but Taehyung stopped her by blocking her blazing path to the counter with a large hand on her exposed elbow.

“I got the kitchen stuff. Just send me the list you made- I’m used to being on dish duty anyways.” He pushed himself passed her and took off his hoodie to leave him in just a plain white t-shirt and tied it up around his hips, his hands already placing themselves under the running water to check its temperature.

She tried to protest but Jimin spun her by her shoulders and pushed her gently down the hall towards her room, leaving her in there by herself momentarily to grab half of the boxes left propped at the door. In the meantime to settle her rage, Y/n wandered over to her shelf and plucked her bluetooth speaker from it, smashing the power button on with more force than she needed. Seeing the blue light pop up, she connected her phone to turn on some background noise. She had to turn the volume up in order to hear it over Jimin’s loud clambering symphony of juggling as many cardboard boxes as he could through her small doorway.

They didn’t waste time getting to work, falling into a natural rhythm of Jimin unfolding and taping the boxes up and her filling them up in disorderly manner, shoveling things in and holding it down while he taped them shut. Once all the boxes propped open, she set him on stacking all of the totes from beneath her bed and closet by the front door, and she stuffed her clothes carelessly into trash bags. She didn’t need to make it nice, she would just be unpacking it again later, she told herself in order to excuse it. Everything else she was going to leave out for free for any other struggling college student to grab, she decided. She no longer needed her comforter set, or the cheap dorm furniture she had barely managed to scrounge the money for -but someone else might. Everything except the pots. Even if she didn’t need those, she’d be damned if she let them use those any longer. She’d either take them back to the estate's kitchen, or donate them. With the three of them, it only took a few hours to get her stuff packed away. Now they stood outside, the fresh chill of the early spring feeling good against the light sweat they had all worked up from lugging the boxes and furniture up and down the stairs. She was tasked with supervising, and Taehyung took up handing Jimin boxes, where the latter expertly packed them away in the open trunk-somehow making more space with each tote. The sound of a car honking behind her made her jump out of her skin, and Jimin nearly dropped the box of miscellaneous bedroom items in surprise. She couldn’t hold the fire that ignited in her gut as she watched her now ex-roommate pull into the spot next to them. Her hair pulled up into a sleek ponytail, donned in designer athleisure as she stepped from her expensive car and shot her a blinding smile that was practically dripping with joy. Not at seeing Y/n- no, she knew better than that- at seeing her leaving.

“I didn’t know you were coming today, I would’ve tried to be here.” Her perfume and overly preppy tone nearly suffocated Y/n as she was pulled into a lousy side hug. Her sights already set on her two friends loading the car. “You didn’t mention how hot your childhood friends were. If you had I would have definitely pressured you to take me back to visit the old place.” She whispered into Yn/s ear, a smirk evident in her tone.

Y/n blanched, and shoved her back with a stuttered out “Leave them be, Brit. We will be out of your hair shortly.” But Her ex-roommate didn’t seem to hear her, or she just didn’t care. Probably both Y/n thought as she watched her introduce herself to a very disinterested Jimin. Taehyung merely gave her a tight lipped smile as he lifted one of the large trash bags of her clothes on top of the stack of boxes. Y/n watched her roommates' obvious attempts at flirting with them with poorly disguised disgust; her relentless attempts only stopping briefly when Jimin turned to slam the trunk shut over her belongings. He didn’t spare her a glance as he stepped around her to the driver's side door, opening it up and grabbing his watered down drink and raising to his lips to take a sip. Popping his head up, he rested his elbows on the hood of the car and locked eyes with Y/n, completely ignoring her roommate attempting to block his line of sight.

“You ready to go back home?” His agitation was layered between a thin veil of politeness, his people pleasing nature the only thing stopping him from being outwardly mean.

Brit glanced back and forth between the two of them, taking a step towards Taehyung only to be cut off as he jumped into the backseat and slammed the door in her face, his own looking up at her from behind the tinted window with a boxy smile and a cheeky wave of his hand. Y/n reveled in her ex-roommates floundering expression having not been used to rejection, let alone from two people at once.

“Gladly.” Y/n couldn’t help the petty grin spreading over her features, her face deviously bright with delight at one of her tormentors getting her just desserts. She pushed past Brit and casually slipped into the passenger side seat, not bothering to give her any more attention.

“Wait!” She clomped up to the driver’s side where Jimin was still lowering himself into his seat, him pausing to regard her with a sickly sweet smile. “Would I be able to get your number before you go? Maybe I can show you around D.C the next time you come to visit.” She bit her lip in a seductive manner, her eyes half lidded as she encroached on his personal space.

His smile never left his face, but his tone was icy. “No thank you, I think I’ve seen enough.” Promptly shutting his door and bending over to buckle his seat belt. Y/n heard Taehyung’s window release pressured air as it rolled down a couple inches, just enough for him to call up at her.

“Don’t take offense to him- it’s just after seeing the state of the apartment, we just can't be sure how important cleanliness is to you.” He didn't give her time to respond by rolling his window back up quickly to shield his shit eating grin. Y/n couldn’t stop the surprised bark of laughter that wrenched from her chest as Jimin quickly backed out of the spot and turned back into the side alley. Taehyung joined in with his own maniacal giggles, the two of their faces red as they slumped into their seats to face each other- Their hands grabbing at each other aimlessly in an effort to high five through their struggling breaths.

“Now that was a bit impolite…” Jimin’s words said one thing, but his poorly concealed grin said another.

“No- I’m a number one feminist and will always be. But sometimes when someone chooses to only sit as low to the ground as possible, the only blows you can throw at them are from their own level.” Y/n finally managed to contain herself, her breathing labored as she used the sites filtering from her window to plant her feet back on the ground.

“Agreed.” Taehyung's voice was muffled by his knees, having bent forward in an attempt to calm himself down from their shared laughing fit. Jimin had to bite his lip to stop his grin from spreading any further, and reached with his hand to turn the radio up to tune out Taehyung's residual snickers from the back.

_______________________________________

The car was suffocating with the smell of garlic and oregano, a stack of pizzas precariously balanced on Y/n’s lap. Hoseok had called halfway through their trip home with an awfully coincidental craving for Italian food from a restaurant that just so happened to be on their route home. They had bribed him into agreeing to help unpack the car by saying they’d pay for it, which worked in their favor: because like their hero he had himself, Jungkook, and two luggage carts lined up at the edge of the driveway to load all of her belongings on. Jungkook didn’t look at her, nor move to greet her when she got out of the car, but she just took it as him still being nervous to be super social with her around everyone else. While Jimin took it upon himself to organize the stuff neatly on the carts, Taehyung and Jungkook had been assigned to carry each item from the car to his side with Y/n and Hoseok to hold the carts in place to keep them from rolling.

“How was the drive?” Hoseok chirped over his full cart to her half full one.

“It was fine! I realized halfway home that it probably would’ve been faster for you to just get me from my apartment rather than the Philly station last week- but oh well. Now I know for next time.” Y/n’s eyes followed Jungkook and Taehyung, as the latter playfully pushed the former out of the way in an unspoken race to the cart, triggering Jungkook’s competitive nature to leave him in the dust each time he tried. They must all be on lunch break, because Jungkook was still in a set of red jogger scrub pants and a red Wörner Hotel and Estate workman's shirt.

Hoseok playfully whined. “You don’t mean you’re going to go back to D.C again, do you?” He had one foot propped on his cart to idly push it back and forth.

She hesitated to answer, distracted by Jimin scolding the two younger men who nearly pushed him into the growing stack on his cart in their efforts to beat each other to his side first. A smile finding itself at home on her face at the spectacle. “Actually, I guess I’m not sure. I’ll see what kind of fun events are planned for the anniversary year and then I’ll decide.” She directed her grin at him, and his grew even brighter than she thought possible in return.

“I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop for all of them then. I don’t want to have to drive you back to D.C ever again.” He winked back at her, but his words held more weight than his face and tone gave away.

The sound of the trunk slamming shut shook her attention from their conversation, watching as Jungkook and Taehyng each fought the other to see who could open the passenger side door where the pizzas were left first.

She gestured with her arm to the two of them “Are they always like this with each other?” As she asked, Taehyung managed to wrench the door open with a victorious shout. His preemptive celebration proved to be his downfall. Because in the split second he raised his hand up, Jungkook swiped his underneath them and grabbed the pizzas, taking off in a sprint back up the side path to the estate. The first real smile she had seen on him in nearly five years rounding his cheeks as he ran, and and equally giddy Taehyung hot on heels. It made her heart warm with nostalgia at the sight, even if she was slightly bummed at his insistence to not look at her that way.

“Unfortunately, yes. Tae is the only one resilient enough to physically challenge him, and Jungkook relishes that challenge since all of us have given up trying.” Jimin rolled his eyes, tossing the last trash bag of clothes onto her cart. “I’ll push this, you just guide us where to go” Jimin gestured her to take the front, and Hoseok gave her a friendly salute as she took the lead. The two carts trailing after her steps.

Jungkook and Taehyung had met them at the front with the doors open, both winded and no pizza boxes in sight. With the five of them, they had her stuff piled in the hall outside her door in no time. Her excuse for not putting it in yet was that she wanted to bring it as she unpacked, but in reality the thought of going into her room yet had her skin crawling and her hand itching to go up and poke the tender bruises hidden on her neck. They all stumbled into the dining room to enjoy the cooling food, tired and drained.

Jungkook sat in the seat furthest away from her, and purposefully kept his eyes either on Taehyung or his plate. Y/n tried not to be offended, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty. Maybe she had pushed his boundaries too far too soon with the hug last night, but she tried not to let her thoughts linger on it by turning her attention to the slice of pizza hanging from her hands. As soon as Jungkook had scarfed down almost half of a pizza, he took off back to the hotel without so much as a wave to anyone. But maybe that was a normal occurrence, because no one seemed to bat an eye at his behavior.

Taehyung stretched with a deafening yawn. “I’m going to take a nap- gotta make sure I’m not falling asleep during rehearsals tonight.” Rising from his chair he clicked his tongue and waved at everyone, disappearing with the sound of his footsteps bounding up the stairs.

The three of them that were left behind seemed content sitting in silence for a moment. Jimin’s eyes were clouded with fatigue, and if his slow bites were anything to go by, he would probably be stealing Taehyung’s ideas for an afternoon nap himself. She decided she would break the silence, finding it odd that Hoseok hadn’t jumped to do so himself.

“Did you work today?” she dropped her piece of crust next to the already nibbled on on her plate and dusted her hands off.

Hoseok grunted around his slice, pulling away from it with a thin string of cheese connecting his mouth and the slice. “No not yet- I work tonight at the hotel convenience center from 6-10.” He blotted at the grease left on his chin from the bite with a paper napkin.

Y/n nodded passively, noting that he seemed a bit more quiet than usual. She eyed him from over her glass of water, watching as he kept shifting in his seat: his back straightening and slouching back down, or shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

“Are you feeling okay?” She tilted her head at him as he shifted again to the left of his seat.

He immediately halted his movements and nodded quickly- almost too quickly. “Oh yeah. Just get antsy sometimes when I sit. Especially from having a job that forces me to sit for long periods of time.” His response was nonchalant, and so was his posture. But the way in which his head sharply twitched to the side -a tick he has had since childhood- told her he was leaving something else out of his response. She didn’t pry, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. So she dropped it with a shrug.

Once they had finished eating and the leftovers were wrapped, Jimin excused himself immediately. Her suspicions were correct about Jimin, had not more than a second after the fridge door had been closed did he bid goodbye to go lay down with eyes so heavy they were practically closed. Before Hoseok could slip away from her, she stopped him on his way out of the dining room.

“Sorry I haven’t gotten to spend as much time with you lately. I’ve just had a lot on my mind with coming back, that’s all.” She shrugged apologetically, and looked into his eyes to try and get a read on his response.

“Gah what are you talking about? We see each other every day now. Does our time playing games together not mean anything to you?” His tone was coated in mock offense.

“No, I mean just us. I feel like I’ve gotten to spend time one on one with almost everyone except you.” She brought her fingertips up to fiddle with the pendant of a necklace hanging around her neck.

‘Oohh, you want to spend alone time with your ex-husband. I see how it is. How scandalous~” His grin was teasing as he wiggled his eyebrows at her with a laugh.

“Oh shut up. You know what I mean.” She shoved his shoulder back as he attempted to bring her into a hug.

“Well then what do you have in mind?” His smile was warm as he looked at her with gleaming eyes.

Y/n wracked her brain for an idea, thinking through the pamphlets she had stacked in her bedside drawer when her eyes caught the upright phonograph in the corner. She turned to give him a simpering look.

“Care to join me for a dance? You said you don't go in for another three hours- I’m sure you can spare me five minutes of your time.” She skipped over to one of the smaller record holders that housed a stack of rotating favorites in it before he could respond. Plucking up a Glenn Miller Vinyl, she propped open the heavy top and carefully slid the old worn disc out of the package and placed it on the table. She took a hold of the small crank, and began to slowly push it in small circles. The steady ticking was the only sound in the room as she waited to feel the resistance kick in. Once it did she turned to face him, finding him still standing where she had left him looking almost lost.

His usually upbeat gaze flickered momentarily, and for a second she thought he might turn her down- something that would have never crossed her mind as he was never known to turn down a dance growing up. But he shook his shoulders out, a reserved smile plastered onto his lips as Moonlight Serenade’s first note wobbled from the phonograph next to her.

His voice was low. “Of course.”

He came around the table to her side, taking her hand softly in his own and placing it to perch on his shoulder before settling his hand on the dip of her waist. Grabbing her other hand, he led them in a gentle sway in time with the music. After she seemed to gain enough footing of the motions he deemed her ready to move in slow circles. Guiding her around the room as they rocked, she found the motions coming back to her with practised ease- having danced with him more times than she could count as children. If she looked hard enough, she could almost see his youthful face tugging her onto the dancefloor of the ballroom during one of the many parties hosted, or just during the day for fun to teach her what he had learned from his mother that day.

“Do you think you remember enough for me to spin you, or should we stay like this?” His voice was right next to her ear with how close he was holding her, he had to pull his chin back to look at her face.

“I think I’m confident enough to give it a go.”

He lifted the hand he was holding and spun her twice in a large turn, letting her hang there for a second before giving a firm tug on her arm to twirl back into him.

He clicked his tongue in approval. “Not too bad.”

“I haven't had much opportunity to practice since I’ve been gone.” She wrinkled her nose in shame.

“Well we will have to change that. Jimin and Taehyung would love to take you dancing down at the Adelaide I’m sure.” Hoseok easily pulled them back into a slow graceful step, moving them in wider circles around the room.

“Not you?” She looked at him hopefully.

He breathed out a sigh through his nose. “I don’t dance as much as I used to. I’m probably too rusty to be down there competing with them.”

“Well then, we will have to change that. You and I can get ‘unrusty’ together.” She gripped his hand a bit tighter as he swayed them backwards.

He gave her a rueful smile and dropped her hand. The song coming to an end much faster than she had wanted it to. “We’ll see.” The next song started to pick up, but he was already making his way out of the dining room and towards the foyer.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/n. Thanks for the dance.” He nodded over his shoulder, before following in Taehyung and Jimin’s footsteps up the stairs. Leaving her by herself with only Glenn Miller’s ‘String of Pearls’ to fill the void where Hoseok once stood.

She wasn’t by herself for very long however, because a very frantic looking Namjoon stumbled through the doorway before the song could end. His eyes found her still standing where Hoseok had left her, probably looking a bit lost by herself in the dining room.

“You. Greenhouse. Now.” He pointed at her with his finger with an authoritative glare. His eyes were stern, clearly he wasn’t going to be taking no for an answer. He barely gave her the time to fumble the record back in its sleeve, watching every step she made through the dining room and out the door he had left open. He shut the door swiftly behind them and took the steps two at a time to get to where she was already making her way down the path. His shoulders were tense, and his steps quick as he led the way to the door, yanking it open without much thought. She kept her head down as she entered the threshold, feeling like a scolded child as she planted her feet next to each other awaiting his next command.

“Let me see it.” His tone was not to be argued with and she immediately snuck a shy glance up at him. He was sucking his cheeks in, and he had both hands on his hips with one brow raised in a silent challenge.

“I need soap. I covered it up.” Her voice felt small coming from herself.

He huffed, and slid past her into the storage room.

“He’s not mad. He just doesn’t beat around the bush when he’s serious. Probably where Jungkook gets it from.”

Yoongi’s voice made her head snap up to find the source. She hadn’t even noticed him hunched on one of the back stools, black twine and an array of dried plants in front of him that he was fiddling with.

“I didn’t get to take my lunch yet- it's been too busy. But I was able to just leave a bit early entirely in its place. Once we get everything in order we will head up there.” He didn’t look up from the small bundle he was stacking. He seemed to also be nursing the wounds of a scathing Namjoon if the way his ears were twinged pink and his head lowered was anything to go by.

Namjoon rounded back around the corner, a bottle of hand soap and a clean rag in his hands held up for her to see. “Will this work?”

She nodded meekly, and he didn’t wait for anything else as he stalked into the nursery room. She took that as her cue to follow.

“Yoongi, grab some solomon's seal off of the shelf. The fresher the specimen the better. If it’s dry, get some hot water and pour just enough on it to rehydrate it and give it a mash with something heavy.” Namjoon called out from the back of the large room, his voice echoing off of the walls and making its way back to Yoongi in the other room. She had already left the entryway too early to see if he complied, but she could hear the distant clinking of some jars and assumed he had.

Namjoon was leaning over a large sink, his hands turning the spigot until the water billowed off a gentle steam by the time her timid steps made it to his side. He turned, grabbing a stool in each hand and scraping them across the floor to sit in front of the sink. He didn’t ask her to sit, just gave her an expectant look until she lowered herself down onto its surface. He saturated the rag with hot water and lathered it with the soap until it foamed, only sitting when he was satisfied with how it looked.

“Let me know if I’m pressing too hard, or if you want to take over.” He folded her turtle neck as far down as he could, and took the warm rag over her neck in circular motions. She winced at the abrasive rag running across the sensitive surface, something she should have really thought about before she did the second layer of setting spray. She didn’t speak up however, knowing very well that any pressure would probably hurt. She could tell the moment that the make up started to wash away, his breath hitching and a sudden long exhale following the pause. He didn’t stop his movements, just making them a hair lighter.

She swallowed nervously. The quiet getting under her skin and making her self conscious.

“How bad has it gotten? It was pretty bad this morning when I woke up.”

He still withheld any answers, giving her an austere glance instead.

“I’m sorry. I tried to run…” She felt like she didn’t know what else to say but to apologize.

“Don’t. I’m not mad at you.” He halted his scrubbing in favor of rinsing the now discolored rag off to try and wash some of the product from its fibers. “I’m mad at the guy who’s unharmed, sitting at my table right now.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong.” Y/n immediately jumped to his defense, not willing to sit here and have anyone else blame him for something he couldn’t control.

“Like hell he didn’t.” Namjoon scoffed, lathering more soap onto the rag and holding it up. She raised her chin defiantly while he resumed his cleaning.

“He didn’t. Stop blaming him for something he didn’t do, he’s trying his best to fix everything.” Her voice wobbled as Namjoon passed the cloth along the front of her throat near the front of her throat.

“That’s exactly what I mean.” His tone came out harsher than he had intended, and his cheeks dusted pink. “Look- I know he has good intentions, but when you poke the bear, you’re poking the fucking bear. It doesn’t matter if the bear is doing something wrong, it’s still going to lash out at you for poking it.”

“We hadn’t even done anything yet. Jungkook and I didn’t accept his offer until after.” Y/n tilted her head to the opposite side for him to have easier access to it.

Namjoon made a noise of surprise from the back of his throat. “Jungkook? No way.”

“Yes way, he even agreed before I did.” She folded her arms across her chest defiantly.

This seemed to make Namjoon think for a moment, the stroking of the rag slowing down with his thoughts. When it didn’t look like he’d comment further, Y/n pushed.

“Namjoon?” Her voice was warbly again as he went over a particularly stubborn patch of setting spray.

He hummed in acknowledgment, but didn’t meet her curious eyes.

“Jungkook had seemed pretty torn about something my mom had told him. And I think I may have made it worse because he won’t even look at me today.” She followed his movements as he turned to wring the cloth out again under running water, repeating the same motions he had previously.

“What was it?”

“My mom had told him he wasn’t allowed near me because something about his abilities could accidentally hurt me. But I don’t see how he ever could, or why that would bother him so much.” Whatever she said struck him from his cycle, and he lowered the rag to rest on his lap. He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching briefly before he held his mouth open in search of his words.

“What did you do to upset him?” He opened his eyes, scanning them over his clean up work. He didn’t comment on what her mother had said, but he didn’t look pleased.

“I hugged him. We used to do it all the time, so I didn’t think anything of it. I should have asked him first with how long it's been…” She trailed off, feeling suddenly embarrassed at the confession.

A small smile perked on his lips and he brought the rag up to wipe away any leftover soap suds. “I doubt that’s the reason- not when what your mom said to him has been resurfaced for him to grapple with.”

“What does it mean though?” Y/n was prying, and she knew it. But she wasn’t sure if Jungkook would ever open up enough to tell her on his own.

Namjoon dropped the soiled rag into the sink and turned the faucet off. “It really is his story to tell Y/n.”

She visibly deflated, her hopes dashed.

He rose from his seat, pushing it back where he had found it. “But like I said- he’s probably just processing what your mom said and facing some of those insecurities that come along with it. Let's go back to the front. The solomon’s seal should be good to use by now if he followed my instructions.”

Yoongi was where they had left him,still fiddling with the twine with pink ears. The only difference was now a ceramic bowl of what she assumed had been the solomon’s seal, now an earthy mush. His dark eyes flitted up to watch them enter, and widened marginally at the sight of her fully formed blemishes.

“Jesus. Y/n, are you sure you don’t need to go anywhere?” He wasn’t hiding his concern at all, the twine dropping onto the table and long forgotten.

She shook her head. “No, I will just keep covering it during the day the best I can and hope for the best. I don’t want any law enforcement getting involved when my mother already has a vendetta against you.”

“And you will put this on every day until they are gone.” Namjoon cut off Yoongi’s response, holding up the small ceramic bowl for her to inspect. “Soloman’s seal has been used as a topical agent for bruising for a long time. It’s not a replacement for medical care, but it's better than nothing.” He dipped two fingers in grabbing a large amount of the salve, and smeared the slimy mixture all over her throat in a ring. “You might experience a bit of swelling over the next day or so, and your voice might be hoarse. Try and avoid others for the next two days- we can say you caught a cold or have allergies or something.” Once he finished pushing the tincture around to where he wanted it to go, he went back into the nursery room where she heard the sink turn on.

Y/n moved to sit across from Yoongi, scooting the stool in and folding her hands on the table in front of her. “So…what’s the plan?”

“Well step one, we need to prepare the ingredients into different charms. I know my way around it a tiny bit, but Namjoon knows more about all of the properties and what to and what not to use.” He ran a finger thoughtfully over his lip. “It would actually be beneficial for you to help in some capacity- with it being your space and all. Do you want to help assemble, or do you want to finish them?” He laid his hands flat on the surface of the table and leaned over the small accumulation of items in front of him.

She looked at the twine, and small mesh tea satchels stacked on the table and she thought. The wrapping part looked the easiest- and would give her the ability to learn from watching what they did- so that’s what she chose with her finger pointed at the pile. “That part.”

He chuckled at her short response, and slid the stack over to her side of the table right as Namjoon swung back around the corner and blew past her to his shelves with freshly cleaned hands. He rushed around the room snatching up different glass jars as he went, only stopping to place some on the table when his arms got too full. He disappeared one more time around the storage room door to clammer around in there, emerging with multiple bundles of dried branches and sprigs of different kinds and placing them gingerly on the table in front of him.

“Alright, are we ready?” Namjoon propped one knee on his stool while he addressed them, looking more like a college professor than her childhood friend. They both nodded in response, Y/n chirping out a childish “Yes, Sir!” that earned her a non serious glare from Namjoon and a muffled laugh from Yoongi.

Choosing to ignore her he started on dividing the plants in front of him into categories. “We are probably going to want to cleanse the space first, so we will start with what we need for that then move onto the wards. Rule number one of cleansing is to keep it simple: Too many over complicated things muddy your intentions and make your goal less succinct. Each person has their preferred method. Some people do best with smoke cleansing through either hand made bundles, or incense. Others like to do sound cleansing, grids, sigils or some combination of all of the above.”

Namjoon lifted up two large piles of stalks for her to see. “This is lavender, and common garden sage that I grew last summer. If you want, you can also add other herbs to it like rosemary, eucalyptus or cedar- but I like to stay with only one or two things in our bundles. You can always make two different kinds, or supplement with incense. Whatever makes you feel the best.”

He placed them back on the table and began to pull pieces out carefully so as to not damage them. “Incase you ever want to do this on your own, it’s important to note that you do not buy or use any bundles with anything labeled white sage. Not only is that a closed practice so it wont work, but it’s also an endangered plant -so it’s best to stay away from it entirely. From what I’ve read, blue sage and home grown garden sage is fine. I’m also just an advocate for growing it yourself when possible obviously, then you can always be one-hundred percent sure where it comes from without question.”

Y/n nodded obediently as Namjoon spoke, soaking in as much information as she could from his words. She picked up one of the mesh tea bags and began to mess with the ties while he expounded further. Feeling oddly similar to how she felt in the few in person college lectures she had attended.

“What’s important is both acknowledging historical prevalence in spiritual association, while also giving things their own meaning to yourself. For example: Violets are usually used for heightening spirituality- but I personally find them comforting and love using them in some of my own protective work. Individuality is just as important as tradition.” He finished trimming the sage and lavender to the height he deemed acceptable. “Maybe this upcoming week that’s something we can work on together, finding what plants trip your trigger and make you feel safe, comforted, powerful, and all of the above.

Namjoon finally sat completely in his stool, shimmying himself forward and holding up a handful of each and passing it to Yoongi, who took it and began to stack them neatly in front of him. “I will pick out what we use today, and then I’ll throw out a couple options for the two of you to add as you please. When we get to the warding you can be a bit more personal with it.” He cleared his throat and began a demonstration for Y/n on how to tie them. Taking the small bundle gingerly in his hand, and winding it tightly to make sure no loose leaves fall, explaining that anything falling loose can be a safety hazard.

They fell into a quiet rhythm after that. Namjoon explaining the properties of each plant he brought onto the table and handing them off to Yoongi to sort into neat woven stacks before Y/n would take them and wind the twine carefully around each bundle. When it came to the tea bags, he instructed her to make one for each doorway and window in her room as well as for her bed from the plant selection in front of them. He then brought out small candles and pieces of parchment, drawing designs on them in pen. Smearing oils and dripping different colored wax on them.

“What are those?” Y/n asked, wanting to know as much as she could in order to protect herself.

Namjoon twitched his nose and kept his eyes down, following the drip of black wax onto the paper. “A sigil. In my personal opinion, I think when putting up wards you do it with someone you trust enough to keep certain parts secret from each other.That way if one of us were to end up…compromised or scared, there’s the safeguard of something being there that we don’t know what the exact intentions are and how to counter them. You should each make something that The other doesn’t know about. Whether that’s today, or later next week. We can trade off- Jungkook too.” He snuffed out the candle with his fingers, and folded the paper closed so the wax stuck it together like glue.

“We?” Yoongi’s voice was gruff. The side eye he tossed Namjoon held a thousand -seemingly irritated- unsaid words behind it.

“Yes. We. You dragged me too far into this, and I can’t in good conscience let you two keep going without offering my expertise to prevent whatever the hell last night was from happening again.” Namjoons face held a condescending air as he gave Yoongi a pointed look.

“Fucking hell. Years I’ve been trying…” Yoongi shook his head and looked aimlessly upwards with a disbelieving scoff.

Y/n finished tying up the final pouch and slouched with a tired sigh. Her hand came up to pick at the dried paste on her neck, in the middle of peeling off an entire section when Yoongi’s and Namjoon’s chiding simultaneously rained down on her in a chorus of “Don’t pick at it.” and “Leave it.”

She shot her hand down to her lap, her lips puffing out in hidden giggles at how similar they were behaving. Just as she was beginning to mockingly mimic the two of them, someone knocked on the green house door. The intrusion catching all of them off guard- Jungkook would just usually walk in. Her eyes ran themselves over to the foggy surface. The outline is tall and wide, and unmistakably masculine. The man whistled jovially before knocking again.

Y/n’s hair rose on the back of her neck as she recognized the whistle, having heard it countless times as a child. She almost snapped her neck to look at the two men in front of her in full blown panic. She needed to hide, and quickly. Their wide eyes sharing the same sentiment as they bounced all over the room in search of where to shove her..

Her father knocked on the door again, calling out for Namjoon as he did so.

_________________________________________

“One moment- Be right there!” Namjoon’s voice was breathless as he wrenched Yoongi from his seat by his shoulder and around to her side of the table, pulling her stumbling along with him as he passed her and into the nursery room.

His voice was hushed and urgent. “Take her out the back. Now. Don’t let anyone else see her-”

“I know. I got it. You go.” Yoongi grabbed her hand and tugged her to the back corner of the nursery in a run. Before he was able to open the door, she could hear her father boisterously greet Namjoon with almost too much enthusiasm.

“Hey kid! I came to talk about those plans you sent over.” His voice trailed off just as Yoongi managed to unlatch the heavy slightly rusted lock. “Huh that’s weird. I could’ve sworn I heard Y/n in here. Is that her in the back?”

She heard his loud steps start towards the room, but Yoongi wasted no time shoving her out first, closing the door until he was just peeking at her through a sliver. “Run. I can sense Jungkook, he’s probably back from the gym.”

She was still frozen for a moment as she heard her father’s voice get louder, greeting Yoongi from the entrance.

“Go. Now.” Yoongi hissed once more, slamming the door closed and locking it. His response to her father muffled behind the thick frosty panes. She jerked into motion, her feet carrying her as fast as she could from behind the greenhouse and up towards the front of the estate, avoiding the path in case her father happened to look for her there.

The dewy damp grass crunched beneath her feet as she ran, and for a moment she could have sworn she saw a pair of black boots running alongside her from her peripheral, mimicking the same sounds. But when she glanced back she saw nothing- just her own footsteps indenting the grass from where they had landed. She didn’t care to stop and investigate, running all the way up to the front steps, and pulling open the door with more force than necessary to tumble inside. Her feet carried her up the steps two at a time, and down the hall to Jungkook’s room where she knocked in quick succession. He barely had time to open the door more than an inch before she flew in through the gap.

“Close it! Please.” She managed to get out in between her labored breaths. Jungkook didn’t take time to ask questions, shutting the door immediately and locking both locks. He spun back around to look at her with unveiled concern.

“Are you hurt?” His tone wavered, too caught off guard to mask his emotions quick enough and letting them bleed through.

She shook her head. “May I sit?” She must’ve been more out of shape then she remembered, still struggling to catch her breath from her sprint.

Relief mellowed out his features, and he gave a curt nod. She didn’t hesitate to round the edge of his metal bed frame and plop herself onto the edge of his neutral toned comforter. He hovered up to her, scanning her with his blackened eyes. “What happened?”

“I was at the greenhouse helping Yoongi and Namjoon make wards and stuff for my room, when my dad showed up. I ran from the back and up to you before he could see me- Yoongi said you were home and to find you.” Her breaths were slowing down as she calmed both her mind and her heart.

He merely hummed in response, standing over her still, but his eyes were melting back into their brown counterparts.

“Can I stay here for now? I don’t know how long they’ll be and I have no interest in unpacking in my room by myself or risk running into him.” She leaned back onto her hands, a weathered chuckle escaping her lips.

He nodded. “I just need to shower. I’ll be right back.”

He grabbed a fallen stack of clothes he must’ve thrown on the shelf near his door when he had rushed to open it, and slipped into his bathroom with rushed grace. She took the time to make herself comfortable, laying her back onto his bed and leaving her legs dangling off to kick around aimlessly. To try and keep herself occupied, she practiced recalling all the information she had learned from Namjoon that day, busing her mind with organizing the facts in her brain as best as she could to keep her anxiety at bay over how her friends were holding up -especially Namjoon and his inability to lie. She held up one hand as the nerves tried to creep up on her, and began to tick off her fingers repeatedly. Rosemary: Protects one from negative spirits. Clove: Protection and luck. Thyme: Protects from, and removes negative attachments. She wracked her brain for the next one getting further lost in thought, her dread for having to unpack bleeding into her productive thoughts and making her feel a childish reluctance to move forward with her day for the sake of not having to. The only thing keeping her from begging Jimin to help her with his expert organizational skills was the recollection that Yoongi had said they would meet up tonight to make a plan of action. She didn’t have to distract herself for very long, as within 5 minutes she heard Jungkook’s shower turn off, with him emerging moments later in a pair of sweats and a clean hoodie.

He shook his wet hair out, and tossed his towel and laundry into the hamper placed by the bathroom entrance. His eyes looked for her the instant he entered, and locked onto her scowling features with a questioning eyebrow raise.

“What’s on your neck?” He stood in front of her now, looking down at her with a scrutinizing glare.

She shot up from her reclined position, in her haste to recollect herself she had forgotten she had sticky leaves on her skin that could get on his comforter. “Sorry! It’s Soloman’s Seal.” She took extra care to recall its name, the syllables leaving her mouth clumsily. “Namjoon said it should help with the bruising.”

He sighed, his eyebrows furrowing in thought making him look angry for a moment before shaking his head. “No doctor, huh?”

“Nope.” She gave him an impish grin. “Stubborn and reckless, remember?”

This made the ghost of a smile grace his features, and he sat next to her on the bed. The same way they had sat the day prior.

“Right. How could I forget?” His tone was the most playful she had heard it be directed at her since she had arrived a week ago, and it made her heart soar at the baby steps they were making with each other again.

“I’ll be too busy unpacking and fighting demons tonight for one anyways- remember?” She nudged his elbow with hers in an attempt to keep the tone light, but he didn’t seem to appreciate jokes about it as much as Yoongi did. She remembered the way he had closed himself off last night about what her mom had said to him and immediately felt guilty- backtracking her joke before he could get upset again. “Sorry- I know you’re not as comfortable with it yet.”

He looked off towards his door, his eyes distant as he let out a quiet “ s’okay”.

Her cheeks felt warm with shame for ruining the inch of himself he had shown before she clumsily made him close off again. She hastily tried to change the subject,reaching for the first thing her mind could cling to.

“I learned about some cool new plants today- well not new per say, just new properties- Do you want to hear about them?” She knew it wasn’t a strong conversation starter, but she was trying her best with her limited social skills.

He remained silent for a moment, thinking. For a second she thought he might’ve closed off again, his fists clenching and unclenching next to him. But then to her surprise, he reverted their discussion down a new path.

“Y/n if I tell you something, will you make me a promise in return?” His eyes, when he turned them on her were molton brown with emotion, and so incredibly vulnerable.

The unexpected sight made her throat close, her voice escaping her. The only thing she could do was nod robotically. He turned his gaze forward again, his breath quickening slightly and his tattooed hand coming up to mess with a piece of his curled wet hair.

“Do you remember anything about my mom?”

If she was taken aback before, she was practically sent to the moon with how unpredictable the quiet question had been. Noticing her silence, he turned to look at her, patiently waiting for a response. Gazing into his eyes, she thought back as far as she could reach into her memories. She hadn’t gotten to spend much time with her before she died, having succumbed to stage 4 breast cancer by the time she was four.

“Just that she was very sick. I don’t remember much from before that.” She gave him a sorrowful shake of her head.

He sighed again. “That’s what I expected. My memories of her are hazy as is, so I can’t really expect you to remember her that well.” He brought a nervous hand up to fiddle with his lip ring.

“My mom was like me and Yoongi. Special.” He cleared his throat, his voice already sounding strained around the last word. “I don’t know how much you know about South Korean spiritualism, but it’s a pretty divisive thing. Most people look down on it, with I guess the closest equivalent to what we call psychics here being called shamans there- one of the most controversial aspects. The disdain towards it had a lot to do with confucian and later christian influence, but either way it’s not exactly something you talk about super openly. Especially not when my mom was a kid.”

He avoided her eyes as he spoke, choosing to let them roam about his room. “Anyways- She had started to show signs of her abilities at a young age, and her parents were not spiritual whatsoever. They had been certain that she must have had schizophrenia or some other kind of mental health issue, and dragged her to as many psychiatrists as they could. It made her really struggle to accept herself, and eventually did make her struggle mentally as a result. That was until she met my dad.” He coughed, visibly uncomfortable to be speaking so much. Y/n didn’t pressure him, instead letting him take his time by sitting reserved by his side.

“When I came along, she was elated. I found her journal in highschool, and all she wrote about was how happy she was to be here with my dad, and to be around so many people that loved her. Your grandmother being a notable person she wrote about often.” He spared her a quick glance, and her face must’ve read with obvious befuddlement because he clarified further. “Your grandmother was also spiritual, but the German American folk and christian hybrid kind. My mom wrote about how my dad would sit and translate their conversations for hours when he would come home from work, my mom and your grandmother trading ways they dealt with spirits and their own experiences. She and all the other parents here treated my mom with such kindness that it helped her really accept herself and her abilities.” His voice trailed off, cracking so minutely she almost missed it.

“Then when I was born she really struggled to breastfeed. They tried all they could naturally, but relented, eventually going to a consultant that referred them to oncology. Then there were many other doctors after that. Turns out it was breast cancer affecting her supply.” His voice fully broke this time, and his eyes glossed over. “She always said I was the reason that she was able to find out as soon as she did, and that without me they probably wouldn’t have been able to even try treatment at all without me.” His chin wobbled slightly, and Y/n felt her own eyes begin to water. Reaching out with her hand, and hesitantly placing it on his arm. She didn’t want to force anything more, but wanted to let him know she was there.

He took in a shuddering breath. “The day she died, I was there. We knew she didn’t have that much longer, so I would spend any afternoon I wasn’t out with you sitting in her room. Practicing both the English and Korean alphabets together and coloring. That afternoon, I had been telling her all about the flowers they had planted that year for the spring, and trying to recreate them for her with crayons. Then she suddenly sat up all excited, and asked me to take her to see them.” He let out a wet chuckle, his brown eyes nearly shielded with the thick well of tears that hung on their edges. “I was a kid, and was just so excited to see her get up I didn’t think anything of it. I took her hand and led her out front, my drawings forgotten on the floor. I took her down the front steps, and around the side to look at the flower garden. I was making sure to take the time to show her all of my favorites. And without thinking I let go of her hand to pick a few for her.”

Without warning Jungkook grabbed her hand securely in his like she had held his yesterday, and let their intertwined hands sit between them. Y/n squeezed back reassuringly.

“When I turned around to hand them to her, she was gone. Like she had never been there in the first place. I ran back into the house, calling for her everywhere. But it didn’t matter. Her body was still in her bed where she had left it to follow me out the front door.” The tears freely fell from his eyes, no longer being able to keep them in. Y/n’s own fell not long after, and she quickly brought her free hand up to wipe them away.

“I blamed myself- sometimes I still do. Maybe If I hadn’t let go of her hand I could’ve kept her with me. Brought her back inside and gotten more time with her. A part of me knows that’s not how it works- but I can’t help it. Ever since then, my abilities have kicked in full force: just like hers had when she was younger. I started seeing everything. I can see where spirits are, I can get a really good reading on people…and I can tell when people are going to die. My mom called it the gift of an angel- to guide those with a friendly smile during their last moments. But I always felt like it was a curse. Watching people leave but not being able to do anything to stop them. Sometimes I couldn’t even tell they were dead, like my mom.”

Y/n couldn’t stop the sniffles that bubbled out from her nose, and the tightness in her throat made it difficult to swallow. This time he turned to her, his face wet and his nose pink. But his eyes were an open book: Scared, worried, and distraught- yet more determined than she had ever seen- not even the looks he would give her when they were kids compared.

“Y/n I know what Yoongi wants to do. He wants to talk to the spirits, and even traverse the spiritual realm to do so. I know this because he's been asking me to for years. I need you to promise me that when we do - that if he ever sends you in there- you won’t let go of my hand.” As if to emphasize his point, he lifted their hands and squeezed hers as tight as he could without hurting her.

“Jungkook-”

“Promise me Y/n.” His eyes were unyielding, and his face was crumpled in on itself in desperate anguish.

Her breath left her mouth in quivering waves, another tear tracking down her cheek.

“I promise, Jungkook.”

_________________________________________

A/N I'm so sorry y'all. I cried so much writing this chapter lololol. Tried to balance the sad with fluff. No spooky times...for now

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