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glindaupland · 1 year ago

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The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 잶팬텀 x 송크리 Review 6/6

October 14, 2023 - Evening

The Phantom of the Opera | 최재림 Choi Jae-rim

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 송원근 Song Won-geun

Carlotta Giudicelli | 한보라 Han Bo-ra

Ah, the perfect Phantom to finish my journey and relieve me from my tears after the painful two show Kim Ju-taek/Jo Seung-woo slam the day before! Yes, please erase the poor meow meow thoughts from my mind!

My 6th and final round of POTO and 1st round of 'Choi Jae-rim is a Traumatized French Man Double Marathon'. His only scheduled POTO show during my stay was the day before Les Mis opening night in Busan. So I did not have a spare day like I thought would and I had to hop cities the next morning to see him as Valjean. I originally had a seat up high, but I just had to move myself close on the floor again for my grand finale. Seeing a seat open up during cancellations near my favorite side of the stage, the side with the most action, pretty much sealed the deal. I've always wanted to see a ~scary~ Phantom so let's go out with a bang!

If you're looking for some Erik x Christine, wrong Phantom for you! There wasn't much sugar-coating here. CJR Phantom is the opposite of JSW and JDS Phantoms to me; he's the most like a dark fallen angel. He's dangerous, unnerving, and has a lot more confidence with his actions than the others.

Hannibal Rehearsal / Think of Me

The audience seemed especially hyped today lol. Park Hoe-rim always holds Piangi’s note in Hannibal for a very long time and people applaud him for it. The cheers were loud today though even though audiences usually didn’t make much noise to avoid being disruptive! At the end of Song Eun-hye’s ‘Think of Me’ there was also a very excited reaction from the audience. Love this cast showing off where they can heh

First Lair | MOTN/STYDI

He's the only Phantom to sing "넌 이곳에 오직 나만을 위하여 / You are here for me alone" as "넌 이곳에 오직 한가지 이유로 / You are here for only one reason" at the organ because he's just different and not like other girls okay During MOTN, he was was confidently luring and hypnotizing her with no hesitation or uncertainty. The way he moved his entire body, especially his arms and hands (huge hands goddamn dude), was very flashy and dramatic. He's "overdoing it", but in a way that's very fitting for his Phantom's eccentric personality. I think you can already tell something is off about his Phantom as a person here. You can hear it in his voice a bit too. It had a sort of unearthly mesmerizing quality to it. This is the closest to a mysterious dark angel out of the Phantoms. He's especially possessive, but it's more in the way you might expect and different from KJT Phantom. The way he draws her to him with his hands, the way he touches his lips when he comes around the organ towards her 👀 He even tugged her along a bit when he led her to the bride in the mirror and urged her to look at the gift. With SEH Christine it was interesting to see her slowly unwind throughout the song since she's the more hesitant of the two. A Christine like SJS is definitely easier "prey" for him

Here's a little taste of his Music of the Night. Some of his more dramatic movements are actually a little bit similar to how he moved as the Phantom in this song, but he has a specific strange aura when actually in character.

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I Remember / Stranger Than You Dream It

...SEH Christine is a little too curious and innocent maybe. Because wow if I saw a big weird masked man looking like that while working I simply? Would not want to mess with him at all, not getting anywhere near him. While the music box played, he was breathing (almost grunting) very audibly and heavily in frustration. He was very tense and focused. She was very playful and even mischievous-looking as she tried to swipe at his mask. It was like a game to her. Right at the moment he seemed to find his flow, playing the music in the air with his eyes closed, she succeeded. He's the scariest one during the outburst! His voice sounded venomous at the start and his eyes were wild as he covered the side of his face with both hands. The way he tilted his head watching her was very off-putting. Actually rather than becoming sadder, he almost seemed even creepier as he got closer. My seat was very close on that end of the stage and as I saw him approaching I wanted to back away myself! But at the end, I did start to feel sorry for him. It was really pitiful seeing this magnificent and seemingly magical genius be reduced to...this. The other Phantoms appear more human here, but he truly did look like some dark being trying desperately to be like a regular human, trying to be a part of this world. The angel of music is not, in fact, an angel, but....well who knows what he is. When she returned the mask, he looked like he couldn't make sense of what was happening. I could see his eyes glistening a little like tears were threatening to fall. I think he felt especially uncomfortable looking so weak in front of her. His Phantom felt like he had everything completely under control, but he managed to be disarmed so suddenly. His face was now revealed as well as the hidden dark part of himself

AIAOY Reprise

Kinda upset that my angle made it difficult to see him because the angel wing was obstructing him the times he wasn't leaning forward enough. But also how does he even fit on there. And also how did he manage to be the one who moved the least? He must be folded like an origami piece up there. Anyway oh boy. When saying Christine's name the first time, he sounded broken and small while looking down. But the second time he slowly lifted his head giving a cold dark stare ahead and spoke in a low and threatening voice that faded off. He had this rage building up and spreading through him and began his final lines in a harsh growling voice. He's extra intimidating because he kind of just fully gets up making himself as big as possible. I was laughing during intermission when I was heading to the lobby and two girls ran by me in the aisle going "EEEEE 무서워요!! / I'm scared!" So true, girlies, so true

Why So Silent?

JDS/KJT Phantoms lift up Christine's chin when they finally address her, but he pulled her a little roughly towards him. Not a big thing but definitely got a yikes from me when I saw it!

Wandering Child

Oh he is so weird and freaky somebody's gotta push him off that mausoleum I don't like it (no I love it as an acting choice though I just mean it's uncomfortable) 😭 The way he moves his entire body so much is so creepy? How do I even describe those movements. He would crouch or lean forward in a lunging position, but also made these big gestures with his arms again and looked like he was trying to use some power to pull Christine towards him He used an odd sarcastic tone mocking Raoul like he barely even viewed him as a threat.

The Point of No Return

The trap is set and waits for its prey! ...But also, Christine, Piangi just grew like 10 feet taller turning into a brick wall of a man and you don't find this.... suspicious maybe? No? Okay... He opens that curtain and it's like:

ANYWAY He had such an eerie way of singing to me. There was this hypnotic energy again like in MOTN. Once again the hands...when he tips her head side to side with his fingers under her chin in his last lines of his verse it's like he's putting her in a trance. She actually looked a bit disoriented for a moment, but her expression was slowly changing like she was suspecting something was wrong even before she turned to him. He was scarily calm looking throughout the song. You mostly just saw his shoulders moving from his slow steady breathing. Occasionally he would slowly take a look at her to see what she was doing, but it was more like he was preparing himself than getting stressed. She touched him and he only flinched very slightly before reaching up to her completely ready to join their hands. He was practically pulling her down actually to touch her more. I think he was sure that he was succeeding. When she had discovered him, he closed in like a beast about to pounce with his hands in position to grab her in case she tried to flee. But when she threw the hood off he was taken off guard During the AIAOY Reprise "언제나, 어디든, 영원히 / Always, anywhere, forever" -> "Anywhere you go let me go too" was a painful cry as well as the word "어둠에 / (into) darkness" in "또 다시 지옥 같은 어둠에 / Once again into darkness like hell" later for Down Once More and he delivered his next lines in a terrifying voice. It was similar to the AIAOY Reprise on the angel. I have to admit it partially concerned me (just because here and Les Mis he had a few slight rough moments, he cracked a tiny bit at the very end of 'Who Am I' after an otherwise very solid note). Overall though I think he has amazing ability and it's just wear from the rough schedule he has unfortunately. The choices did work either way!

Final Lair

He is so unhinged and unstable. Now he had this rough vicious villainous tone and sometimes he used that mocking voice again like he did in 'Bravo Monsieur'. He practically hissed out the line about the world never accepting him. His gestures with his arms were so theatrical and huge and the way he moved about was so heavy, jerky, and unsettling. When he threw the noose on Raoul he had the most terrifying laugh and jumped a little spitting out his taunts loudly He stood up fast and leaned in close to her face to whisper “날 시험하지말고 / Don't test me” so very quietly before he screamed for her to choose. He said it with spite in his voice, but he was actually holding back tears when he turned around. He had been so dangerous before, but Christine managed to disarm him once again with her words. Christine dropped lower from her position on her knees with a sob. It wasn't out of fear, seeing him like this just seemed to hurt her. This kiss was an interesting one to analyze. Some people thought this part tends to make him seem unmoved? But I disagree with the conclusion some people had made around that time that his Phantom didn't change or develop. He wasn't very openly reactive to the first one, he was completely frozen. The second time he clenched and unclenched his fists until he pulled her hand away quickly and rushed off staggering and holding his head. I saw reviews saying he would simply repeat his actions over again based on his reactions. I personally just think his change is different. I think CJR Phantom thinks he knows everything and that he can control everything that will happen so it scares him when he faces something unexpected. I think this is why he started to finally unravel at the very end. He cannot predict anything Christine will do, she always does the opposite of what he would think. Love and compassion were the last things he would ever expect. I don't even think he knew what kindness looks like. But he finally understood in that moment and he also understood that he couldn't force her to be there with him now. Something I noted during this performance in particular: HGH Raoul tried to urge Christine that they need to leave, but SWG would seem a bit confused in the moment and look at the Phantom like he was trying to understand what just happened. It just especially stood out to me across from CJR Phantom because of how much of a threat he had been. He was trying to process this because of the way the Phantom was just moments before and almost looked like he maybe even pitied him in a weird way. Christine came back pretty early this time to return the ring and watched the Phantom while covering her mouth in disbelief. It was as if this was the one moment he finally showed his real human side to her. She could really see him as a regular man now. When he realized she was there, he was really startled and practically jumped away like he was bracing himself for something (perhaps thinking the mob had arrived for him?). He went over to her wondering why she had returned, but once he realized he softly sang that he loved her. She nodded knowingly trying to hold back her tears. He looked so small suddenly when she left him alone there

Please when I tell you Jae-rim got the loudest screams out of every curtain call I experienced lol. He was goofing off, but at one point the shrieking was so loud he looked a little embarrassed about it heh. Even louder than that though was his Les Mis curtain call where everyone just about lost their goddamn minds seeing him pick up and spin little Cosette (I was one of those people, I'm weak)

Anyway it's promo time! Here's some bonus videos for you to enjoy

POTO Medley in English from 2013 (Wandering Child -> MOTN -> Think of Me -> All I Ask of You -> - he could easily be in English POTO honestly since he speaks English very well. He sings the actual show pretty differently and his vocals have improved, but it's still very nice and interesting to listen to after all this time.

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Ah next one is cursed I know I know...but he almost convinced me this show can be good like a very talented scammer. Please stick to only covers of this though... He's sung the English version before a few times, but here's the Korean one:

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And some non-POTO promo to show off his range because he's kind of crazy

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And that's it for all my Phantom reviews! 6 out of 6 shows yay! If you made it to this point thank you for reading and enduring. I hope my insanity brought you some kind of joy and entertainment. I just wanted to share everything I could so other people could have a taste in some way and so I could relive and document my memories. It was truly a dream experience for a longtime POTO fan to be able to see the show done in so many ways over just a few days.

#he makes me feel like the laziest person in the world #but guys his valjean...my heart...#as much as i enjoyed his phantom his valjean won the competition for me #anyway we love crazy bitches #오페라의 유령 #the phantom of the opera #poto korea #choi jae rim #song eun hye #song won geun #최재림 #송은혜 #송원근 #poto review

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nana-kom · 1 year ago

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Hi 💕 I’ve been thinking all week about doing the next part of Soulmate with Jisung and Minho and finally I have time to write it, im so so happy 🥰 + for the releasing a Minsung song it’s perfect !

This is a weight gain fic, this contain feederism. So if you don’t like don’t read.

Soulmate

Part 2

Minsung’s night

Jisung had been planning this for weeks and couldn't wait any longer. Since Minho had started putting on weight, their relationship had taken another turn for the better, and both men were enjoying it immensely. And since Hyunjin had talked to him about proposing Changbin, Jisung had also asked Minho to marry him, and a few months later they were now engaged. And for this Jisung had ordered a cake several weeks ago, but not just any cake, a three-tiered chocolate cake with vanilla icing, just for his fiancé. A surprise cake that he was finally ready to feed Minho tonight.

That's why he was looking forward to finishing his day, and lucky for him Hyunjin was apparently in a hurry too, so they closed the gallery early. Jisung hurried off to the patisserie and when he saw the cake he got stars in his eyes, it was even bigger in real life and even more beautiful, he knew this patisserie had a good reputation but this was even more impressive. He then thanked the pastry chef and left the store with the cake in his hands, which, in addition to being big, was also heavy, he thought as he headed home. Once through the door of his apartment, he put the cake down in the kitchen before joining his boyfriend in the living room. Minho was sitting on the sofa, accompanied by numerous snacks on the table that they had eaten throughout the day. Jisung admired him for a moment, remembering his boyfriend, who used to be slim and muscular, but now looked like a fat pig, sunken into his sofa. His belly protruded from his T-shirt and covered his legs, his face was buried in his double chin and his arms were so heavy that he kept them resting on his belly. As for his breasts, they were even bigger than a woman's and also fell on his belly. Minho was nothing like the man he'd once been and was just a little pig who liked to gorge himself on the food his boyfriend gave him.

Jisung had told him about his attractions a few years ago, and Minho had fallen under the spell of gorging himself and feeling full and stuffed. He loved food as much as he loved Jisung and he loved his body getting fatter and fatter, feeling himself getting heavier and heavier, finding it hard to walk and having to catch his breath as he walked. Minho was just a fatso who liked to do nothing but eat, and Jisung was simply in love with him. Jisung sat down next to him and rested his head against his shoulder, which was as soft as every other part of his body. And put a hand on his belly, which seemed to be swollen.

"Did you eat well today baby?"

"Enough to not have the courage to get up and put it all away." Minho replied, putting his arm around Jisung and Jisung came to stick to Minho's body feeling all the soft curves of his body against his slim body. "Did you have a good day?"

"Very good...I couldn't wait to get home to see you!" Jisung blushed then as she straightened up and looked at Minho. "Are you hungry?" Minho then smiled and Jisung found it adorable the way his eyes disappeared when he smiled because of his big cheeks.

"Is that a serious question? I've only eaten four meals today and there must be at least one or two snacks left in the cupboards!"

"Even though I went for the grocery yesterday? You really are a greedy pig, you know that don't you?"

"I especially know how much it turns you on pervert!" Jisung smiled and put his hand on Minho's belly,

"And believe me, tonight I'm going to fill you up!" he said as he stood up.

Jisung then went into the kitchen to get the cake he was so excited to show it. He then grabbed it before arriving in the living room and placing it on the table in front of Minho, who looked at the surprised cake wondering what was going on, especially as it looked to be really huge. Jisung then smiled, showing the cake with his hands.

"So!!! What do you think of my surprise?"

"Jisung...it's really beautiful...you...how long have you been planning this?"

"Several weeks! I ordered it from a famous patisserie, are you ready to devour it baby?"

"Do you think I can?" Said Minho as he slowly straightened up, sighing as he drew closer to the cake.

"Of course I can, and I'm here to help!" He then handed him a spoon and Minho smiled before moving towards the cake.

He then planted his spoon on the first layer and took a bite, the cake was delicious, it was both moist and soft, as well as tender and sweet exactly as it should be, it also seemed a little light but he knew that this was only the beginning and that in the end it would be much harder to finish. He took a second bite and a third, devouring his cake like he hadn't eaten all day, and Jisung, who was standing next to him, could only admire him. He loved the way he put food around his mouth, and the way he lose himself in the food as if nothing mattered. Jisung's gaze went to Minho's belly, which fell slightly between his fat thighs, and seemed to grow heavier and heavier, especially when he realized that he was already starting the second floor.

"You really are a good boy you know that right?"

"Mmmh..tr...trying...to...be," he said, catching his breath before beginning the second floor.

"How can you gorge yourself so much when you've spent all day eating? You really are just a pig who spends his days sitting on the couch too lazy to move all his fat aren't you?"

"Y...ou...made me this way..."

"Yet I'm not the one who's devouring a three-tier cake all by myself!"

Minho blushed as he realized that this was the truth, and that he enjoyed hearing Jisung talk to him like that. He then shrugged his shoulders before continuing to eat the cake, now the bites were getting harder and harder but he wanted to keep going, out of pride and because he liked to feel so full that he wouldn't be able to move. He wanted to feel fat and become more and more dependent on Jisung as well as on food. He was seriously starting to reach his limits and he put a hand on his belly, which was really swollen, letting out a sigh then he put the spoon down then leaned his back against the sofa and he loosened the elastic of his jogging bottoms to make more room for his belly, already that his t-shirt didn't cover much he was even more stretched than before. Jisung moved closer and gently caressed his boyfriend's belly.

"so soft...and so warm...and so swollen...are you enjoying this?"

"m...mso...full..."

"But there's still plenty left, thank goodness I'm here to help!"

Jisung then grabbed the rest of the cake and positioned herself on his fiancé's legs before placing the cake on his stomach, then taking the spoon and pushing it into his mouth. Minho enjoyed being fed by Jisung so much that he could continue to eat a little longer, even if his stomach's limits were coming to an end. And then he remembered that he'd been eating all day and now he was eating even more, not only out of gluttony, but also for the pleasure of getting fatter and fatter. Jisung was fascinated by Minho's abilities and wondered how much fatter his boyfriend would continue to get for him. He loved every shape of his body, and seeing his giggling body when he was walking or when he stood up and his belly fell in front of his legs while jiggling under any simple movement, yes Minho had become a real blob for his boyfriend and both of them couldn't be happier.

"J...sung...can't...mmfull..."

"It's only a little bit left, I'm sure you will do it!"

" But... " he let out a little burp, he's body was so sweating right now and his face looks even more fatter as his cheeks full of food. " Too...big... "

"Don't say stupid things, you know you will never be too big for me...and you don't what Changbin to be fatter than you?"

"wh...hhuf...what about...Changbin?"

"Hyunjin have a thing for feedism too...i mean maybe I am for sometimes but! Be a good boy and finish your cake for me!"

"Will you give me...belly rubs?"

" you’ll have more than that piggy "

Minho then smiled before opening his mouth again with trembling lips before Jisung started feeding him again, this time he'd really reached his limits and this cake was too big for him, but he never refused a challenge and he wanted to see himself succeed, especially under Jisung's praises who, as he fed him, caressed his swollen belly, who have creating such a big space between them that it excited him even more. The taste of cake wasn't even as good as before, but the pleasure of feeling himself getting heavier, all that accumulated, couldn't stop him. Finally, the last bite arrived and Jisung removed the cake from him before kissing his belly. As Minho eased his head back onto the sofa, he closed his eyes in an attempt to start digesting and regain his senses.

"You did a great job, who would have thought that one person could finish such a big cake, well…not really a person...I should rather say a pig...that's what you are isn't it?"

"I...im...not..."

"I'm not sure a normal human could have eaten all that, but you did!"

"For...you..."

"I know baby....you're perfect..." Jisung ran his hand over Minho's double chin with a napkin to remove all the chocolate from his face. "I love you so much..."

"I love you....more..."

"I know you do babe...because with you...it's always more..."

#weight gain fic #chubby skz #chubby kpop #weight gain skz #weight gain kpop #chubby changbin #chubbyleeknow #kpopfeedism

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atlasscrumpit · 3 years ago

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Yandere MarcSteven

Warnings: Yandere, kidnapping, sedating, captivity, insane Marc

Steven felt sick, he felt so weak and drowsy.

"Mmm." He muttered trying to get out any words, but he was far too tired and weak.

"Shhh, it's okay. I've got you." Came a familiar voice as he looked up through his hazy eyes to see Marc.

"I'm sorry buddy, I had to sedate you." Marc whispered as Steven tried to move his arms bit his arms were restrained to something.

His mind finally cleared a little and he saw white surrounding him and looked down to see he was restrained to a wheelchair.

"Marc." He whispered feeling tears in his eyes as Marc leant forward and kissed his forehead.

"I've got you now baby, you never have to worry about anything ever again." Marc whispered holding onto Steven's face.

"W-What...what did you..." Steven slurred out as Marc ran his finger over Steven's face.

"Shhh, shhh my love. I know you're confused, I'm sorry I had to hurt you baby." Marc whispered undoing the restraints on Steven's arms and legs.

"It's lunch time buddy, I made your favourite." Marc said as he stood up and wheeled Steven through the room.

He stopped him at a table and placed a bowl of soup in front of him.

"You need to eat." Marc said sitting beside Steven and grabbing the spoon in the soup and holding it up to Steven.

"Where are we?" Steven whispered as Marc put the spoon back down.

"Inside our mind, in the psych ward. You remember it don't you?" Marc asked as Steven looked around, it looked exactly the same but there were no people, just him and Marc.

"You're not Marc." Steven growled as Marc's face darkened.

"You're delusional Steven. You're unwell, you need to realise I'm the only one you need." Marc said as Steven shook his head. He pushed away from the table and tried to stand up but ended up falling to his knees.

"Marc would never hurt me." Steven whispered as Marc knelt beside him and turned his face towards him.

"I didn't hurt you Steven. I had to sedate you so you would be safe." Marc replied pressing a kiss to Steven's temple.

"You'll understand soon my love, I promise." Marc whispered lifting Steven back up off the floor and placing him into the wheelchair.

He restrained his arms and legs again.

"See? The more you disobey the more I have to treat you like this." Marc whispered running his hand through Steven's hair.

"Marc, I don't understand why you're doing this." Steven muttered finally feeling like the sedation was wearing off.

"I know, I know you don't understand. And I wish I didn't have to do this. It's not your fault Steven, it's everyone else's fault. Everyone that hurt you or thought they could have you. It's their fault isn't it baby?" Marc said, Steven noticed how insane Marc looked now. His red eyes his dark under eyes.

"Marc you're scaring me." Steven whispered feeling a tear run down his face.

"No no no don't cry baby, no crying okay?" Marc whispered wiping Steven's tear away and looking at him in panic.

"Will you have the soup for me? Please?" Marc said as Steven looked at him and nodded.

Marc smiled and sat beside Steven and began to feed him.

"If you finish it I'll get rid of these restraints okay love." Marc said as Steven nodded, he just wanted to do what Marc said for the moment. When Marc was distracted he could break free and hopefully find Jake to help him.

Steven was sat on the couch in front of the old TV as Tomb Buster played. Steven was rested against Marc and Marc's arm was securely around Steven in a possesive way.

The sedative had worn off completely by now and Steven's mind rushed with thoughts.

What had drawn Marc to this?

Did his mind finally snap?

Did Steven cause this?

Steven looked up to see Marc had fallen asleep on top of him. It was the perfect moment.

Steven slowly snuck out of Marc's arms and ran out the double swinging doors.

He tried to gain control of the body but it didn't work.

"Jake!" He called out running down the hallways. He heard a banging and opened a door to see a sarcophagus.

"Bingo." Steven muttered rushing in to the standing sarcophagus. With difficulty he pulled the lid off and it came crashing onto the floor, surely waking Marc up.

Jake rushed forward and wrapped Steven up in a hug.

"Mi amor." Jake whispered as Steven held onto him tightly.

"I don't know what's happening, I think Marc's gone mad. He hurt me and sedated me and h-he seems like he lost his mind." Steven stuttered out feeling tears in his eyes again.

"I know mi amor, he hit me and knocked me out. Then shoved me in there." Jake mumbled pulling away and looking over Steven with worry.

"We'll figure a way out of this." Jake said still holding onto Steven.

Suddenly the door opened and Jake grabbed Steven putting himself first and Steven behind him.

"I thought I could trust you Steven." Marc growled as Jake glared at him.

"Looks like my tactics aren't working."

#moon knight #steven grant #marc spector #marcsteven #jake lockley #marc x steven #jakesteven #fic #yandere #yandere moon knight

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straykidsworldwild · 4 years ago

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Duskwood

Phil Hawkins x MC

Part 1 : MC is having a horrible, horrible day and she goes to the Aurora to have a drink.

(⚠️Sad. Some swearing ⚠️)

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Heyy guys!! Here's a little Phil Hawkins one shot part 1 because there's not enough Duskwood imagines 🙈

(pictures aren't mines but I made the collage and the character aren't mines. All rights go to Duskwood creators and owners of the pics.)

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My day was total crap... I don't believe I've had such a horrible day before. Or at least, not for a long time... It feels like everything is falling apart little by little. Like nothing is meant to go normally. I woke up like any other day, and yet, it feels like I woke up in a chaotic world where everything is meant to go wrong... Since that call, everything is going downhill...

The night has fallen which means I have officially done my day. It felt like forever... Like I am in an endless loop... And since I was meant to do the closing, my day felt even longer than usual. I just finished cleaning the little restaurant I worked at and closed it. It's not a job I would want to do my whole life, even though it is nice to work in a restaurant, but I need money to pay for my college study. My mom is helping pay for them, but I'm trying to pay as much as I can on my own. Anyway... I am walking in the streets of Duskwood which are beamed by the streetlights. It is surprisingly emptier than usual. I guess it's due to the rain... Like my day wasn't cloudy enough already... I think I need a break... Yeah... I need a drink...

I walk toward a familiar building, some greenish-blueish light lightening the area. Aurora... The famous bar of Duskwood owned by my best friend's brother. I've rarely been there alone... Usually I go with the rest of the group. But I really need... Ugh... Maybe I should just go home? Isn't it too late to go there anyway? Ugh... I'm asking myself too many questions. I guess a drink really won't hurt. I reach the door before falling face to face with a sign. CLOSED. Great... I sigh disappointed as I am standing under the rain. Oh... But he is still here. Through the window, I can see a familiar figure cleaning the place. Oh well, I'm neither here nor there... I lift my hand and knock on the door of the bar. The man turned around as I got his attention. I cross my arms over my chest and notice that the rain has already soaked my hair and my vest. I must look awful... The man comes up to the door and opens it for me.

- Gorgeous! Come in before you catch a cold, tells me, the man, using that nickname he always does. I don't know why he does it... I never heard him calling other girls like this. Well, he does use pet names but not this specific one. I step in the bar and he closes the door behind me. You know I love you very much but I'm about to close so... He begins to tell me with his famous smirk despite the little fatigue I can see on his face. His hair is held up in a bun as he usually does when he works. He is wearing a white shirt, letting his huge tattoo on his neck appear, and a black trousers. By the sight of his eyes, I can tell he had a long day too...

- I just need one drink, Phil, I simply answer to my friend. My voice sounded so... Tired and flat. Phil looks at me with a slight surprise, losing slowly his smile. I guess the sound of my voice surprised him. Please... I plead to him with the same tone.

- I would never say "no" to my favorite customer, would I? He answers with a smirk. I faintly smile back at him, happy that finally something goes well. For now... He could have said "no". The two of us walk over to the bar and I sit on a stool while he goes behind the counter. We're alone in the bar since he was about to close so it's pretty quiet. The usual I guess, he tells me with his deep and calm voice.

- Actually... Whiskey. Pure, I reply, stopping him in his momentum. Phil looks back at me for a second, processing my words.

- Wow, I knew you had that wild part in you, Gorgeous, but I didn't think I would ever see it, he tells me with a surprised tone again. Yet, he doesn't seem to dislike it. Phil gets two glasses and he pours a little bit of the beverage in the glasses.

- A little more, please... I tell him with the same flat and tired voice. I stop myself from letting a long sigh out. Again, I feel his eyes burning me before he pours a little more alcohol. Thanks, I thank him.

- On the house, he tells me, leaning against the counter as he raises his glass. I was about to retort but he gave me a look, telling me he won't change his mind.

- Double thanks, I thank him again, clinking my glass with him before taking a sip. Argh... That tastes awful! I can feel the liquid burning my throat.

- So... I know I act like I am very happy to see you, which is the case, don't get me wrong, Gorgeous, he begins to tell me before rapidly correcting himself. But I also see that you're not fine, MC, Oh... I look down as I take a deep breath in. It must not be very hard to see I had a bad day then... Usually I can hide it pretty well... But right now. It's too deep, too much. I'm not even sure "bad" is a strong enough word to describe how crappy my day was. What's wrong? He asks me, sounding calm, gentle and interested, yet, with a point of concern.

- I'm okay, Phil, I softly respond to my friend while slowly shaking my head negatively.

- Mmh... This "I'm okay" sounded more like a "I'm-not-okay-but-I-am-putting-a-brave-face-on". Like a hidden call for help, he tells me gently, yet, seriously. His deep voice is just so... Irresistible, and always so calm. Who could resist it? Well... I guess at this moment I can. My mind is too bothered and busy right now. I crack a very faint smile before looking down at my glass again. I take a sip of it and lightly grimace to the taste of the drink. Who hurt you? He asks me seriously as he takes a cigarette and the lighter. Who… Why someone and not something?

- It's not about me, I respond in a whisper, lying to him. I hate talking about myself when I'm down. I don't want to bother people with my problems... I don't want to be the one to bring negative vibes. Oh no... I turn lightly my head to the side as I feel the tears coming up. I need a break... I need to break.

- Lie, he simply says. I don't look at him and I don't contradict him either. What happened? He asks again with seriousness, not letting this subject aside. I don't answer again. I can feel a lump in my throat. The tears are thick in my eyes and threatening to fall at any time now. MC, talk to me. I'm not here to judge you or... I hide my face even more as I can't stop myself from grimacing sadly. I can't take it... I let a sob out accidentally as if my body is talking for myself. I want to scream. But I can't... MC... He calls me with concern. Phil puts down his cigarette and walks around the counter to join my sides. I don't move and keep my back to him. I hate when people see me crying... Phil puts his hand on my shoulder so I could face him but I push it away, not too harshly, but not too gently either. I let another sob out as I closed my eyes. The tears are so thick and warm... There's so much emotion in them. They roll down my cheeks regularly, evacuating my pain. Without saying a word, I feel a pair of arms holding me. A chest lays against my back. My hair was all wet... His shirt must be wet too by now. It's okay, MC, I hear him whispering. I should push him away. I know how Phil is with girls... Isn't it too easy to cry in front of him and him then being too nice? I know he is my friend and my best friend's brother, but... God, I'm lost. Usually I go to Jessy or I call her. But I came here... Why? Ugh...

- I'm sorry... I whisper shakily through my sobs. I came for a drink and I ended up breaking in front of him...

- No, it's okay. Get it out, he says with a comforting and calm tone. It actually sounds weird coming from him... I know Phil for a few years and he was never like this. I mean, he is always calm but caring like this? That's rare... More than rare. Long minutes later, I slowly calm down. I am still breathing lightly shakily but I'm not sobbing anymore. Only a few tears here and there stream down my eyes. I take a deep breath in and out before wiping my cheeks. I don't remember when was the last time I cried this much... It hurts. It hurts so much. I accumulated too much. I didn't break when mom told me about my uncle's death… I guess I didn't realize what was real and happening at the moment… Or I didn't want to believe it… That built up on my nerves and… This is the result. Slowly, I pull myself away from Phil who didn't let go of me one second. I turn around to face him, but avoid his eyes. Like I thought, the top of his shirt is all wet, letting his tattoos appear a little more on his chest. I'm still confused about what just happened... That's not me to cry in front of people like this... And that's definitely not the Phil I know. Tell me what's wrong, Gorgeous, he says seriously, still wanting to know what got me in such a state. He never gives up...

- Everything, I answer back, my voice lightly breaking. I wipe my cheeks again as I clear my throat. To begin with, when I woke up this morning, I learned that my uncle had passed away during the night. He drove a truck from a country to another and... I explain to him, confessing the terrible news that started this awful day of mine. However, I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence. I bring my hand over my heart and press on it as if it would take the pain away. Since the call... Just saying those words hurts just as much as saying them in my head. If not more...

- I'm sorry to hear that, he apologizes sincerely.

- Me too... Thanks... But that's not it, I thank him with a sad tone before lightly sniffling. After receiving my mom's call to tell me this awful news, I went to work today because I couldn't stay home. I needed to get my mind busy and to... Not think about the incident, I confess as I feel a new tear rolling down my cheek. My uncle and I were close, you know? He kind of raised me with my mom since my dad left her when she told him about me, I admit to the boy. I watch Phil frowning as he discovers a part of my life that I don't usually bring up. Why am I telling him all of this? It's not like he cares anyway... Does he? Anyway, to continue this unpleasant day, I had the pleasure to meet very unpleasant and rude customers all day long. Like this one call wasn't enough already... One of the customers said that they didn't want me as their waitress because I've got curves, some others telling me I was too long when in reality I just walked away from their table, a couple literally told me I gave them the wrong command and threw their drinks at me, and another one insulted me because there wasn't anymore sandwich like he wanted, I tell him all of this in just one single breath. Yet, you could hear how tired and hurt I am right now. I guess the death of my uncle adding this unnecessary crap was just too much at once. And to add more, my boss is cutting half my pay off because I accidentally broke a cup... A damn cup! Can this day get any worse? I finish to say as I look away, letting a heavy and shaky sight out as another tear rolls down my face. My hand is still over my heart as if I am protecting it all while trying to reject all negative emotions. Suddenly, two fingers softly come grabbing my chin and force me to lift my head up.

- Your boss is a dick, MC. Always have been, always will be, he tells me, the sound of those words sounding familiar. How many times did he already say this to me? I stopped counting... But I should listen, he is right. And f**k those customers. They're not happy? Tell them to go to another restaurant, he responds seriously. His deep voice sounds so calm despite the upset look he has on his face. Am I upsetting him or is he upset because of what happened to me today?

- Right, I kind of need to keep my job despite everything. But you can go tell them that, I respond with a small scoff, yet, trying to use sarcasm.

- Sure, give me names and faces and I'll find them, he replies playfully, yet a point of seriousness heard in his voice. I smile to his answer, appreciating his concern and protectiveness. Though, I never thought it would ever happen one day. Phil is... Not the last person I'd go to to talk but definitely not the first one either... Usually. I look away again and lightly sniffle. Phil wipes some of my tears away. His hands are so soft... It's weird. I've never seen you cry before, he whispers. I look back up at him, watching him slightly frowning. That's true... Not sure a lot of people saw me crying before either... Not even Jessy. I weakly nod before shrugging.

- How does it feel to watch a girl crying in front of you? I reply slightly playfully. Jessy's brother grabs something on the other side of the counter before handing it to me. Tissues... I take them from his hand, thanking him.

- It's painful. When it's you... It's different... Painful, he responds, taking his cigarette again. Oh... I wasn't waiting for an answer like this one. I was waiting for him to say "Can you just stop thinking for a moment?" Or "Stop crying over so little"... But none of that. I watch Phil blowing some smoke, making sure it doesn't go in my face.

- Is the womanizer Phillip Hawkins starting to be an emotional guy? I question him with a playful tone, cracking a smile. I think it's the first time today that I cracked a smile. A real one, I mean.

- No, he's the same dick, he answers, shaking his head left to right while chuckling. Oh... Of course. That would have been too surreal. I'm not going to lie, Phil is a good looking guy. His long hair, his tattoos looking so cool, his piercing, the way he dresses, his voice,... Just the way he is is attractive. The sound of his chuckle runs through my body.

- He admits it, I reply as I feel myself smiling more and more as the tears are coming to a stop. Prove it, I tell him with a daring tone. Phil leans against the counter, smirking.

- Wanna stay with me, tonight? At my place. The bed is comfy and big enough for us two, he proposes seriously to me, a point of flirt in his voice. I know he is being serious. I can hear it in his voice. And that look of his... I know girls don't refuse him generally. But I'm not them. And I don't want to end up in his bed just for one night and then nothing. That's not me... That's not who I am. That's not what I want. He can be incredibly good looking and just be his amazing self, I'll still refuse.

- I don't do one night stands, Phil, I remind him seriously.

- I know... He replies, a slight hidden note of his tone telling me he is disappointed. It's no secret that Phil has been liking me for a while. He has tried to ask me a few times before but I declined them all for... Obvious reasons. Let's do two then, he suddenly says, half joking, half serious.

- Phil! I exclaim as I chuckle.

- It's okay. I'll accept even three nights. Or more. I won't mind, Gorgeous, he continues to say, but I can tell he is joking this time. I softly laugh while shaking my head. There's that smile I love, he states, sounding satisfied with himself for making me smile. Honestly, Gorgeous, don't mind those idiots. Don't let them get to you, he advises me seriously as he finishes his whiskey.

- I don't usually. But I thought going to work was going to help me forget that awful news for a moment. I went there hoping to clear my head. I guess it was just too much today and I needed to break. Sorry it had to be you watching me like this, I answer and apologize to the boy as I take a sip of my drink. Ugh... It's the last time I take Whiskey... I lightly grimace and put the glass down.

- I'm not. If you ever have a bad day again and feel the need to talk, don't hesitate knocking on my door. Even if it's closed. It's always open for you, he tells me seriously and sincerely. Honestly, I haven't met that guy before... Where's the Phil I know?

- Thanks, Phil, I thank him before stepping down the stool. I step up twice and take him in my arms. The man envelops me back in a warm embrace, running softly his hand on my back. I pull my head away and place a kiss on his cheek as a thank you. And before you think of anything spicy, that kiss on the cheek is the farthest you'll ever have, I rapidly tell him, a point of warning in my voice, yet, using a playful tone.

- You're definitely killing me with kindness, MC. My poor heart pays dearly, he tells me with a frustrated tone before I watch him taking my glass of Whiskey. Oh... He winks and takes a sip from it. Oh yeah, drink that thing... I don't like it anyway. And I think he noticed it...

- Moh, maybe one of those girls coming here could put a bandage on it to heal it, I say with some sarcasm, yet, with some dislike heard into it. I always hated that those girls could "help" him... I mean, what do they have? What does he see in them? Before anything said, no, I'm not jealous... I just don't like him with other girls...

- They could. But will it be worth it? He answers while nodding before taking his cigarette and blowing so smoke away.

- You tell me. You're the one who can't resist "beautiful women", I reply to the man, stating his own words. Phil smiles and chuckles lightly to my comment.

- They can definitely help at a low point, he answers, agreeing. Right... Wait, at a low point?

- At a low point? What do you mean? I ask him with a confused tone.

- I can sleep with every woman that wants me. But, in the end, it will never mean anything like... Like when you're with me, he suddenly tells me, lowering his head lightly. His smile disappeared, showing seriousness. Did I hear him right? Did he just say those words? I stare at the man, confused and speechless. Me? Why...? Since when...? Ugh... He had a few drinks today, didn't he? Phil looks back up at me, but his eyes give a quick look at my lips.

- I'm sorry. I'm trying but... Are those words really coming from you or... Did you have any drinks before? I demand him seriously, yet, with a playful tone to keep a cool atmosphere. Arguing with him is the last thing I want. Phil cracks a smile but it doesn't stay long.

- I know I play a lot around with different girls. I know what you think of me. I'm a f**k boy. And I know I tried several times to get a night with you. But... It's not just a night that I want and you don't seem to see that, he replies, not denying who he is but also kind of reproaching me to not open my eyes about him. Well… How could I? If he doesn't tell me, I only see things the way I see them... I nod positively before looking down. Why do I feel a little sorry suddenly? I shouldn't... There's something different with you, MC. You're different. From all the others. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to dirty you. I don't want to play with you. I don't want to break you, he tells me gently and seriously. I slowly look back up at him and notice how close he is to me. Was he that close to me before? I can feel my heart beating like crazy down my chest. It's wrong... It feels right, but it's wrong. I know it...

- Phil... I gently whisper his name as I a look down again.

- I love you, MC, he interrupts me with his calm and deep voice. What...? I stare at him with wide eyes, surprised by the words I just heard. I didn't even know he knew how to say them… Especially while sounding sincere. He meant those words. I love you like I have never loved a woman before. And I'm not talking about loving the "pretty woman" that you are. No, I mean... He sighs. You're pretty. You're more than pretty. You're prettier than all of those girls and I am not talking just about the way you look. I just... Again, I hear Phil sighing. Despite the fast that he stays calm, I can sense some nervousness coming from him which is unusual. Phil is never nervous, especially around a woman. He is the exact opposite actually. He is pretty confident about himself. He talks easily, flirts easily… You're not a price I want to win or a pride to have f**ked in bed. You have this thing that the others don't have. You're special, he says with the same calm and slight nervous tone. Phil looks straight before him as he blows some smoke. Special... He noticed this little thing in me, which I didn't know I had…

- You really noticed that small thing in me? Because, honestly, I'm everything but special. I can assure you, I demand and tell him with a point of shiness. Wow... I didn't think I would have sounded so shy all of a sudden...

- I told you. I love you. And you know those words don't come out of my mouth easily. Actually, I don't think I ever said them to someone before, he replies seriously and gently before taking a last blow and putting out his cigarette. I stare at him, not really knowing how to react. I mean, of course it does make me feel something. There's... There are those butterflies flying in my belly. My heart is racing and my cheeks feel a little warm... Maybe a little more than a little, actually. I know I feel something for him. I can't deny it… But there's still things in the way...

- Honestly, I'm discovering another man right now. Why don't you show this side of yours to people? Pride? Male ego? I demand him with a small confused tone, yet curious.

- I am who I am, he simply answers.

- Mmh... Well, I like this Phil better, I answer him as I crack a smile. Phil looks at me and his serious face turns into a smiling one again.

- So, would you go out one night? Or during a lunch break? He proposes to me, hope heard in his voice. Oh... Well... I know your days are long and I work at night too so it'll be short but... He tells me gently, reminding us of our busy lives. Right, there's not a lot of moments where we can meet… But do I want to meet him like this? I mean, yes, I want to but… Do I want to get in something like this? In an uncertain relationship where I'll fear he goes to see someone else to distract himself from me? Despite this side of him, he is still Phil in the end...

- If you do this to only get me in your bed... I whisper, interrupting him. I hope it's not a plan of his to get me in his bed... That'll be the worst thing he could do... Especially as being my friend first...

- I do this to win your heart. As cheesy as it sounded... Nothing more, he tells me seriously, staring into my eyes. Speechless, I stare at him as well. For once in my life, I just want to do right. Especially with you… For you… Because of you... But it's only if you want to, he responds sincerely to me, looking serious. It's actually a little disturbing. Phil has always had respect for everyone, including me. He always respected that I didn't want a one time thing… What changed?

- I don't know, I whisper, confused by the situation. It's not that I don't want to be with him nor that I don't like him. On the contrary. I love Phil. But... There's few things in the way...

- Because of my past with women? He asks me, sounding really confused that I won't accept. I'm certainly the only woman telling him "no". Especially after a few tries.

- Yes... And because of my insecure self. Look at you and look at me. You own an amazing bar, I work as a waitress with a crappy boss. You look cool and get well and easily along with people, I look like that discreet and shy girl who is nothing more than being awkward. And you're my best friend's brother. And there's the age gap, which is the least that bothers me, I tell him everything that I thought on why I don't say "yes" to him. I mean... I think he can understand where I'm coming from. I hope... I don't want to lose a friend, in a way, just because of that...

- You're perfect the way you are, MC. Nobody will take that thought out of my mind, he states seriously. I notice how his eyes are alternating from my own to my lips. They keep going up and down. He seems eager...

- Right... You said it, not me, I say with a disbelieving tone, yet a playful one while I giggle. A small smile comes on my face which keeps growing more and more. I'm not going to lie, but hearing him saying those words do something inside me.

- And I believe it, he says while nodding. He does... I stare at him for a moment, the two of us plunge into a deep silence. It's not awkward... It's intense, but not awkward. I'm just so not confident with myself. What if he is playing me? And what if he is not? Ugh… I should let go sometimes... Really... I could open doors I didn't even think I had the key of.

- Tomorrow. Meet me for lunch if you're free. We can start there to see how it goes, I propose to the man which, I notice, makes him smile instantly.

- Is it a date? He asks with a smirk. Well...

- I'm not sure... Maybe... We'll see, I reply unsure, yet, smirking back at him. Yes, I'm entering his game easily... Was it right? Though, we could hear this point of shyness in my voice.

- Will I get to finally kiss you? He then asks, slowly getting even more closer to me. Oh... I can feel my heart racing a little more, hearing it beat in my ears. He's making me so nervous… Kiss me… Is that all he wants?

- Phil... I whisper his name, annoyed, as I lightly title my head on the side.

- What? I showed you a part of me, doesn't mean the other one is gone, he answers with a not so innocent tone, still smirking at me. I keep staring at him a little annoyed despite the amused smile on my face. Alright, just lunch, he says, agreeing. I nod back positively. And a hug? He rapidly asks.

- A hug? I ask, surprised and confused. Phil winks at me. I can see he is waiting for an actual answer. Oh well... Sure. Whatever. I've got to go home. It's getting late, I agree before standing up from the stool. I didn't think but, when I stood up, my face got so close to his. At this moment, when my eyes met his, it was as if the time had stopped for a second. Slow motion. It was like I couldn't remember what reality looked like. I feel my cheeks starting to burn before I look down to hide my certainly blushing face from him. Why did I have to happen to have a crush on him? Why him? Why does he make me feel this way? I clear my throat quietly and start walking towards the door.

- Be careful on your way home. Tell me once you're there, he tells me as he follows me behind.

- I will, I reply. I was about to open the door when his hand grabbed the handle first. My fingers brushed his. I retrieve my hand and let him open the door for me. Still with my cheek lightly burning from previously, I manage to cross sight with his eyes and smile at him. Thanks for the night, the drink, holding me when I cried, and for listening to me, Phil, I thank him sincerely as I weakly nod to the man.

- You're very welcome, Gorgeous, he responds with his deep and calm voice while smiling back at him. That damn smile... Goodnight, MC, he wishes me softly.

- Goodnight, Phil, I wish him back. The two of us exchange one last look and smile before I walk out of his bar. I put my hands in my pockets and walk home.

I'm not sure what exactly happened there... I went to the bar to have a drink to relax and take my mind off and I ended up with Phil holding me when I broke down and accepting to have lunch together. Will it be a date? Will it actually go somewhere? Was he being serious? So many questions burning my mind... I will see how tomorrow goes. I'll have so much to do tomorrow, anyway... Mom is certainly going to call me for the funerals, my work is going to be tiring as always, and the lunch with Phil... I wonder what Jessy will say if she knew that her brother and I are going on a... Lunch? Date? Whatever it's called... Will she be okay with... What we're doing? Will she mind if I go out with her brother? Ugh, why do I already think of things like this? I'm not there yet... Anyway... I think I just need some sleep right now, nothing more. If I manage to actually fall asleep once I'll be home and in my bed… It promises to be a long night...

#duskwood #duskwood phil #duskwood jake #duskwood jessy #phil hawkins #duskwood richy #duskwood hannah #duskwood cleo #duskwood thomas #duskwood dan #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood app #iamjake #phil x mc #duskwood mc #multifandom #multifandomedit #edit #duskwood game

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katherinemallory · 3 years ago

Text

#13 Unofficial business

This story is getting longer and longer... not that I mind it: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12

Mallory's silhouette disappeared in the crowd when Amanda pulled my arm harder. We walked through the side door and stopped by a window in the corridor. The corridor was empty as everyone seemed to have fun inside the hall. I looked at the door once again to make sure we were alone.

"Katherine! I haven't see you in ages,” Amanda said when she turned to me. She was standing in front of the window, her back to the door.

"About that... you see, first of all I wanted to a-a-apologize,” I stammered. “I haven't been in touch since you've told me about you decision to retire... I know it wasn’t fair and... I feel terrible. I'm really sorry I left you alone with all of this..."

Amanda had an understanding expression on her face.

"Oh, it's nothing, believe me. You were there when I needed you the most. That day in your office. Then it all happened so fast and you had to leave for a mission. This is how life in the section looks like," she smiled and touched my arm. “Don’t worry about that.”

In that moment all the stress began to leave my body.

"Erm... Thank you, Amanda. What Bill says of you is really true."

"I’m sure it is," she replied and smiled broadly. "I’ll drink to that," she added, as she raised her glass.

"Alright," I said as I did the same, "but most of all to your retirement."

We clinked glasses.

"So," I said, licking my lips, "what are your plans now?"

Amanda raised her eyes to look at me.

"I'm about to become Bond's secretary."

When she finished the sentence, I felt my head really fuzzy and it wasn’t the champagne. My most (and only) trusted double-0 agent, will become a secretary of a man who is my... right... Is he my ex-boyfriend, my would-be lover or my unwanted admirer? Probably he’s all of the above. But in that case... is he really mine? And why do I even seem to care? I never wanted him to love me, but... knowing that another woman, such an attractive woman, is going to be around him all the time does not feel good, does it? How long will it take for Bond to forget about me? Wait... is this not *exactly* what I wanted? I didn’t know what to think about the new situation I’ve just found myself in, but one thing was for sure: I wasn’t prepared to hear something like that. My thoughts ran faster than my galloping heart. Does Bond already know a secretary has been assigned to him? Does he know who is she? Does Tanner rightly suspect Amanda to fancy Bond? And, most importantly, what does M think of this idea?

I felt my cheeks turning red as a result of an increased blood pressure. I must have looked unhealthy, cause Amanda observed me carefully.

"Kath, are you alright? You look shocked!"

"Cause I am," I said and casually took a sip of the glass, so I would not seem too bothered. "It's shocking... Positively shocking."

“And exciting, isn’t it? I remember when you told me about your first date with him. You had so many doubts... and I advised you to let him go... But then this turned into something more, didn't it?”

I kept listening with my lips pursed. Yeah... what did you say, exactly? “Don’t go for it now, you don’t love him“... I wonder why would you say that, I analyzed Amanda’s words and she continued:

“I've heard a lot of rumours even though I didn’t visit the place a lot in the recent weeks. It must have been wonderful to spend some time together in Monaco...”

“Who can resist those blue eyes?” I asked sarcastically, but Amanda didn’t get the message.

“Oh, I see your cheeks turning red again! Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with him!” she giggled.

Why is that? So you can have him...? Indeed, my cheeks have gone red, but at the exact moment I didn’t care.

“I haven’t”, I replied calmly. "I couldn't be with someone... like him. I do not approve of his womanising." And I don’t respect him enough to fall in love with him, I thought.

"I see..." Amanda replied, "... the way he treats women is disappointing, to say the least. Shame,” she scratched her cheek, “cause he’s a real catch.”

"Yeah..." I said, looking above her shoulder. I've heard a few footsteps and I saw Bill Tanner walking towards us. It didn't leave me much time.

"Erm, Amanda... I’m curious... Does Bond really need a secretary? Or was it your idea?"

"Partially. In fact, it was M who suggested it to me,” she said and thought about it for a moment. She looked up as she was trying to remember something. “He insisted that I stay in the service in another role and offered me this. I don’t know how it will work out, but I think he’s right in assuming...”

"May I cut in?" asked Tanner, who just approached us. "I would like to dance with the star of the night."

"With pleasure," said Amanda and gave Bill her hand. "I’m sorry, Kath. Have fun! See you soon!"

I was no longer in the mood to have fun. I’ve just had a frustrating conversation with Bond who had clearly drank too much. His words (despite being spoken in anger) somehow made me feel like a worthless and cold-blooded creature. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Suddenly I felt physically repulsed. Bond seemed disgusting to me and I couldn’t get rid of an impression that my affair with him had been one of the worst and most serious mistakes of my life. I was better off without him... yet I was not able to listen to the way Amanda described the man. Was it jealousy? Was I acting like a dog with a bone? I had no idea. But the thing that had me the most curious was: what's M's role in this?

I came back to the hall to look for Q and I saw him near one of the tables. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Quartermaster. Aren't you a bit tired already?"

"Oh, Kath? I must say this escalated quickly."

"Are you tired or not?"

"Okay, off the record, I am," he whispered. “Please wait for me downstairs. I just have to say goodbye and tell Eve we're leaving."

"Please tell Eve I will call her later..."

How fortunate to have a friend that doesn’t drink at every party he attends, I thought. At least I don’t have to get home alone.

...

My mind refused to think straight. I was in the back of Q’s car, saying nothing. I was just... resigned. He didn’t ask about anything and I felt grateful for that.

I went back to my apartment, took my double-breasted coat off, and sat on the couch. I looked for my phone in my purse and telephoned Eve, telling her about Bond and Mallory without any significant details, as I didn’t want to burden her too much.

I opened the music player and chose one of my favourite songs, even though it didn't quite match the situation I’ve found myself in (and usually this was the case of me listening to any kind of music). The first sounds started to fulfil my apartment, while I was getting ready to take a bath, taking off my shoes, stockings, and dress.

I feel so unsure

As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor

As the music dies, something in your eyes

Calls to mind a silver screen

And all its sad good-byes

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

Should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste the chance that I'd been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you

My subconsciousness did not remain indifferent to the lyrics. I started to think about Bond. Did I cheat on him in any sense? Did I waste a chance to have a challenging and fulfilling relationship?

I took my earrings off and went to the bathroom to prepare myself a hot bath. For a moment, I observed my naked body in my bathroom's long mirror. It did look quite attractive. Long legs were definitely the highlight, but I focused on a scar on my left breast that was not visible when I was wearing a bra. Rarely did I touch the scar as it reminded me of one of those nights when I thought I would be dead... it was a mark the last fight I got involved in before my promotion to the double-0 section left on my body.

A man wanted to stab me in the heart with a knife, but thanks to my training I managed to catch his hand at the right moment and all he could do to me was to cut my bra and inflict a shallow wound. Little did he know that the would end up as one of the kills that gained me the double-0 status.

Time can never mend

The careless whispers of a good friend

To the heart and mind

Ignorance is kind

There's no comfort in the truth

Pain is all you'll find

I never considered the scar to be disfiguring. Just the opposite, as it made my body more unique. Whenever I was looking at my left breast, I realized how much I love my life. It was never perfect, but I was lucky enough to still have the opportunity to enjoy it, unlike many of my ex-colleagues who had worked for the MI6 over the years. The scar made me want to be alive.

My thoughts kept coming back to Bond. I probably was a cheater. It’s high time to admit it, Kath. You’ve been daydreaming about someone else since the very first day you’ve met Bond, I thought. That’s a shame, cause you two had a chance.

For the first time I thought something like that and didn’t feel any regret. I haven’t felt that calm in months. I looked at the hot water fulfilling the bath, the body wash I poured into the bath started to form bubbles. I sat at the edge of the bath and put my right hand into the water to check its temperature. Would we really have been happy together? Maybe, but I don’t really need to find out what would have happened. A few months ago it was all about making a rational, reasonable decision between two men. But now? There's no dilemma anymore, I thought. My heart decided for me and I was dead sure about the choice it has made.

Tonight the music seems so loud

I wish that we could lose this crowd

Maybe it's better this way

We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say

We could have been so good together

We could have lived this dance forever

But now, who's gonna dance with me?

I looked at my hair reflected in the mirror once again before I took a dip in the water, destroying the hairstyle. I spend a few seconds under the water and I might have stayed there longer, but I noticed something was vibrating. I emerged from the water and reached for my phone I left on the washing machine (I always took my phone with me to the bathroom in case of an emergency, and besides, that night it was the source of the songs I wanted to listen to).

It was M. I wiped my hands with a towel and quickly turned the music off.

"Sir?" I answered the phone and quietly brought my knees up, so I could rest my head on them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," said a deep, stern voice. M sounded differently than just a few hours ago. It felt like he controlled himself, or worse, like he intended to create some kind of distance between us - the distance that I assumed was no longer present.

“Not remotely."

"Katherine, there's something I need to tell you and it won't be pleasant..."

I tensed, but I didn't say a word, letting him continue.

"It's about Bond. He couldn't behave properly and had to be escorted to his apartment in Chelsea... I do not approve of any of his actions tonight, but I genuinely begin to worry as this has never happened before," he said and cleared this throat. "Unfortunately, there's nothing to be found in his report that would explain the radical change in his behaviour since the mission in Monte Carlo. And there's *nothing* in yours either. This is where it gets messy..."

I felt uncomfortable listening to his words while I was sitting naked in my bath. It just didn’t feel right, even though he couldn’t see me. It was true that I often fantasised about getting intimate with him, but... that night was more about emotional nakedness. Mallory continued:

"Perhaps... you could provide me some useful, additional information."

"Sir, I'm not sure I know anything..."

"002, do not try to defend him,” Mallory interrupted. His voice was stern. “This is an official question. As a section chief, I have the very right to know."

I loved it when he was being that much commanding, even though it usually meant I was in trouble. He sounded so confident, I could barely gather my thoughts.

"Oh. That’s not what I meant. O... of course you do... sir."

"Under normal circumstances I would have asked you to revise your report, but this time... it seems we would have to skip the official way. For the good of the section, of course," he added. "The case has already started to arouse interest..."

"Of course it has... sir," I said, trying to catch my breath. My arms began to tremble when I felt cold.

"Since you're officially on leave... could we talk about it... unofficially?"

Unofficially? Is this really what I've heard? I answered without thinking much.

"With pleasure, M. With pleasure."

"Good,” he replied. “I'll send a cab for you tomorrow at 7 P.M. Will that be alright?”

"Yes... Uhm, but... sir, where will we meet?"

"I can't tell you that, 002. Officially there's no meeting," said Mallory dryly, but from the sound of his voice I could tell a light smile appeared on his face.

"I fully understand, sir. Goodbye," I replied and hung up.

I stretched my legs and stayed under the water for a few seconds.

An official question that leads to an unofficial meeting...? Me and Mallory... alone? Somewhere that is not the MI6 Headquarters...

It felt almost like some kind of a blind date.

***

To be continued

#fanfiction #james bond fanfiction #katherine mallory #gareth mallory #m #007 #002 #005 #q #eve moneypenny #goldfinger quote #spectre quote #james bond

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angst-fairygodmother · 5 years ago

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Omg I've been binge reading all your Klaus fics and can I just say you are an AMAZING writer and I'd straight up buy your novel in a heartbeat if you write one. The way you use words and make me feel things, I can't even! ❤️ I saw your requests are open so I wanna request a Klaus fic where the reader takes care of him after he comes home all messed up.. like runs him a bath, gives him a haircut, cooks him food and puts him to bed...You can make it NSFW too in the end, I surely won't complain ;)

A/N: Listen, I think like 25-50% of why I love Klaus is the mere concept of caring for him when he needs it, so this was an excellent prompt. Thank you so much! (I hope you enjoy it even though it didn’t end up getting NSFW) Word Count: 2197 Content Warning: T - withdrawal, references to drug use

You weren’t really paying attention to the familiar hallway of your apartment building, too busy juggling groceries in the struggle to find the right key. You had lived in this building for three and a half years now, it wasn’t like you needed to look where you were going, instinct guiding up the stairs and along to your own front door. Which is why when a figure lurched out of the shadows, stumbling toward you, you were completely unprepared. You screamed, dropping both your keyring and the bags of groceries on your arms as you threw your hands up in defense. The back of your mind registered the sound of something cracking, probably your eggs as they hit the tile floor. The rest of you was focused on the hundred and twenty or so pounds of human body crashing into you. You felt the fuzz of ragged fur and well-worn leather beneath your fingers as you tried to steady the both of you.

Finally you registered the sweaty, washed-out face.

“Klaus?” you asked, recognizing your neighbor.

He had only moved into your building a few months ago, but you two had quickly become friends, chatting – okay maybe you, at least, were flirting but it’s not like it was going to go anywhere, not really – in the mailroom or when you passed each other coming and going. A few times, you had invited him over for dinner or he had talked you into spending more hours than any human reasonably should watching movies, stretched out together on his couch. But you had never seen him like this.

“Oh hey, Y/N,” he trilled, trying to act normally even as he swayed again and you reached out to brace him. “Don’t mean to be a bother, but I’m…not doing so hot and I didn’t know where else to go.”

You frowned in concern and ushered him inside, only belatedly remembering your groceries and going back for them after you had guided him to a seat in your living room.

“What’s wrong?” you asked as you began to put things away and waited for him to settle. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like you just got dragged through hell and then spat back out the other side.”

He chuckled, more of a defeated escape of air than an actual laugh. “I feel like it too.”

You frowned at the eggs, completely ruined. The carton of orange juice was dented and wouldn’t sit right on the shelf but it was whole. Tomatoes: bruised, blueberries: free range in the grocery bag. Klaus didn’t seem inclined to say anything more, not that he had really said anything yet, anything of substance.

“You said you didn’t know where else to go?” you prompted, trying a different angle.

“I haven’t had anything in days,” he explained vaguely before doubling over to press his head between his knees. “Christ I feel like shit,” he groaned.

Something about the way he said it registered in your mind enough for you to figure out what was going on.

“Withdrawal?” you asked simply, moving to sit on the couch, turning your body into the arm of it so you could face him.

He nodded, looking up at you with red-rimmed eyes.

“So why come to me? I don’t…I mean I can’t help you get a fix.”

“I know. I didn’t think you could. I just didn’t want to be alone.”

“Okay. Do you need anything? Is there any way I can help?”

He shrugged, shivering despite the sheen of sweat on his brow. His tongue darted out to lick his chapped lips and you tried to resist the urge to trace its path with your eyes. He looked like he just might curl up in your chair and go to sleep, and if that was what he really wanted, you would let him. However, he was sick, and he had come to you, and if he couldn’t tell you what he needed, you would just have to try everything until something helped.

A moment later, you had put the kettle on for some tea and were handing him a drink of cool water.

“Here, drink this,” you said, pressing the thick green glass into his hand. “I’ll make you some tea, mint to help with any nausea, but that’s going to take a bit to be ready. Are you hungry? I was planning a bolognese but I can do something lighter instead. Maybe some soup?”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that, Y/N…”

“When is the last time you ate?”

He frowned, blinking heavily and turning his head to stare into the space beside him as if your end table held the answer to your question. “I can’t remember.” He paused. “No, we had waffles…was it really that long ago?”

“Right,” you said, a little concerned that he almost seemed to be having a conversation with someone who wasn’t there. “That settles it, I’m making dinner.”

Decision made, you stood once more and began bustling about your kitchen. He grimaced as you chopped the vegetables and herbs for the stock and you winced, apologizing quickly and trying your best to chop quietly.

“So why are you…I mean why haven’t you…used…in a few days? I’m not an expert but isn’t cold turkey super not the recommended method to break an addiction?”

“Hm?” he asked, startling as if you had woken him from dozing. “What was that?” He turned around in the chair to blink at you over the counter.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you had fallen asleep, you can go back to it if you want…”

“No, no, it’s fine. But I didn’t hear your question.”

“Oh, well I was just wondering why the cold turkey? Especially since it doesn’t exactly seem planned?”

“Dealer got picked up,” he said, stifling another yawn. “Most of the others around are too scared of the cops to take a new client.”

You nodded, surprised at how casual he was being about the whole thing.

“It’ll blow over in a few more days, and everything will be fine. I hope.” His voice dropped on the last remark and you weren’t sure you were supposed to hear it, so you decided not to comment.

Instead, you watched with a frown as he stifled another yawn.

“You know, the soup’s going to take a while, if you want to try and get some sleep while you wait?” you offered.

“Oh no, I couldn’t. Sleep is when they find me easiest. God so many grabbing hands. And the screaming. Always screaming.” He shivered, not from cold or the lack of chemicals or for the drama, but in obvious, genuine fright.

“Oh.” You frowned and bit your lip. “Is there anything I can…do?” you felt yourself flush with embarrassment as soon as the words left your lips, certain that they would sound far less innocent and well-meaning that you had intended them.

“Well,” he drawled, trailing off in thought. “Sometimes they’ll stay at bay for a bit if I’m not alone?”

“Okay. Well, there’s not really a lot of room for both of us on the couch, so we could take a nap in my…bed…but, and don’t take this the wrong way, you’re kind of gross…so would you mind maybe showering first?”

He laughed, high and light and it made you smile, sounding a bit more like his usual self. “No offense taken. Ooh, do you have a tub? I would love a bath…”

You raised your eyebrow curiously but nodded.

His hands clapped together giddily.

You padded to your room to dig out a spare towel and were about to give it to him when another thought occurred: he had nothing to put on after except the clothes he was currently sweating through and hadn’t been cleaned in who knew how long. Rooting through your drawers you eventually found a pair of fluffy pink and blue striped pajama pants and an old t-shirt from the Led Zeppelin concert you had gone to in high school which looked like they might fit him.

“Y/N, you are an absolute angel,” he said dramatically as you handed him the stack.

“Can you handle it on your own or…?” you trailed off, feeling awkward about your unspoken offer to help him bathe, but only a few moments before he had been practically falling asleep into his glass, and he had been unsteady on his feet in the hall.

“Oh I’ll be fine,” he said, waving a hand dismissively before he suddenly turned his puppy-dog green eyes on you. “Unless you wanted to. It really helps me relax to have someone wash my hair for me…”

You felt the hot blush creep across your face and down your neck again as you bit your lip.

“O…okay…” you stammered nervously.

“Perfect, now I’ll just go in there and slip under the suds and I’ll shout for you when I’m decent.”

“There’s nothing decent about you,” you muttered under your breath. “And I think you might be trying to give me a heart attack.”

He winked at you as he passed you and you knew he had heard you.

A few moments later, you had set the soup to simmer low on the stove and were kneeling on the uncomfortable tile of your bathroom floor behind Klaus. Your fingers were buried in his sopping hair, gently lathering the practically candy-scented shampoo into it. His eyes were closed, head tilted slightly back, exposing the column of his throat to you tantalizingly, and the sounds he made, practically purring at your touch, had you thinking all sorts of untoward thoughts. You had to keep reminding yourself that you were just trying to help him and that it probably meant nothing to him in his muddled state.

Finally, after maybe a little longer playing with scrubbing his hair than necessary, you scooped up some of the water to rinse away the soap. As you did, your fingertips brushed along his exposed neck and shoulders and he moaned.

“Do that again. Please,” he begged.

Heart hammering so loud you were sure he could hear it behind him, you did as he asked, dancing your fingertips along the planes and angles of his skin before digging them in just a little, gently, massaging him.

“Christ, Y/N, that feels so good,” he sighed.

‘The water’s getting cold,” you pointed out, a little breathless from the way he said your name. “And you’re going to turn into a prune if you spend any more time in there. You should probably get out.”

He turned his head, craning to look at you. “Would you like to stay and watch?”

Caught off-guard, you stared at him, gaping like a fish out of water, your mouth opening and closing. Then you stood, racing from the room, his lilting laughter following you. You practically threw yourself onto your mattress, hoping that the few minutes it would take for him to get out of the tub and dress would be enough for you to calm your frantic pulse before you actually exploded.

You also realized that you were in a now-damp pair of jeans and a button-down and that wouldn’t be very comfortable if you fell asleep in it, so you quickly changed into a baggy shirt and shorts, settling them on your hips just as the door creaked in and Klaus entered, bare-chested but fitting into your pants better than you ever had.

“Why are you doing all this for me, Y/N?” he asked, sitting beside you, still tousling his curls with the towel.

“Because you’re my friend and you asked me for help,” you said as if it were obvious.

“You could have turned me away and told me not to bother you with. Other people have.”

“No I couldn’t have,” you smiled softly. “I care about you too much to do that.”

Suddenly his lips were on yours, surging forward hot and hungry and desperate. You moaned as his tongue parted your lips somewhat forcefully and he pressed you backward onto the bed. You fingers tangled into his hair, tugging on it and causing him to inhale sharply. One of his hands, still chilled and shaking slightly, found its way beneath your waistband, sliding easily past the slightly worn elastic. You hissed as he moved your underwear out of the way and made contact with your skin.

“Klaus…wait…” you gasped out, pushing at his shoulders to move him away from you.

He pulled back immediately, looking at you with a mix of concern and fear.

“What is it? Did I…?” he murmured, apology already dancing on his tongue.

You reached up to cup his face between your hands, caressing softly and trying to brush the worried wrinkles from his brow.

“No, Klaus, you didn’t do anything wrong,” you whispered. “I just…I think we should take it slow tonight, okay?”

He nodded carefully, clearly unused to this kind of tenderness, and you leaned up to kiss his cheek before pulling him down beside you, curling around him and running your fingers soothingly through his shaggy hair. He sighed contentedly, snuggling closer and burying his face in your neck.

#fic request #the word document for this is title 'The Care and Feeding of Your Klaus'#like it's a pamphlet from the pet store #take that as you will #I forgot about the soup until the very end #and honestly that stresses me out almost as much as if I had forgotten actual soup on the actual stove #Klaus Hargreeves x reader #The Umbrella Academy fic #percentages created by plucking random numbers out of thin air and are therefore wildly inaccurate

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haikyuu-imagines-and-others · 7 years ago

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Hello lovelies! Hope life is going well for you. I've been having a rough few days and was hoping I could request a soulmate AU with Asahi or Tsukishima or Ushijima meeting reader for the first time on V-day. Reader is an ex-vball player and was going through physical therapy because they just want to play again. If not, no worries I completely understand. But if so you'd literally be my favorite person right now.

I love SoulMateAU!!!! I love all of them so very much! I’m sorry this is so late though haha its May and this was supposed to be posted around Valentines??? Please forgive me! And thank you for requesting! - Admin Satori

SoulMateAU Selected: @virgno Soulmate au where instead of having the first thing they say tattooed on each other, they instead have a random sentence tattooed that that person will say around them. And so you know it’s not just a coincidence when they say it, the tattoo stings and fades away.

Azumane Asahi:

How could something so insignificant be hurting you so much after years of being dormant? All you’d done is use your knees for receiving on your college Volleyball team! That’s all! And now you’re knees felt like they were about to pop out of their sockets!

You hadn’t thought anything of the pain, initially - mostly because you’d been dealing with pain your whole life. Sports life was rough on the body, after all.

But before you knew it, you were falling to the ground while walking to your next class. You managed to save yourself, gripping onto the bannister next to the stairs. But one of your knees still tapped against the hard floor…. You’d been hit in the face with a spiked volleyball almost too many times to count, and that didn’t come close to the pain you felt explode from your knee!

Thankfully, you’d been near some friends, and they helped you to your feet, scared to touch you in case it’d somehow affect you further! But you were a trooper, no amount of pain was going to keep you down! “I shouldn’t have fallen so many times…” You couldn’t help but regret your favorite move of falling to your knees right in front of the falling ball. While, hell yeah did it look cool, it was terrible for your body. So many shocking stops rocked through your body every time you pulled off that save. The crowds would go wild, you’d feel pride swelling in your chest, and the game would continue on.

The abuse of your body would keep taking its toll on it.

“I’m fine, I swear! Just go to class and I’ll see you later, okay?” Your friend frowned, not believing you’d be alright - not because you wouldn’t recover but because they knew you’d just go at the sport again. It wasn’t Volleyball season, so you had a break from the sport… but you’d be back. The game had you by the soul.

You don’t know how long you sat in the waiting room, feeling your knee twinge now and then, not knowing if it felt more ticklish or painful to react properly. If you were being honest with yourself, you were scared to touch it. Worried you’d somehow screw it up more. Which would’t be a surprise to you, since you were the reason you were sitting alone in the on campus physicians office anyway.

After a few minutes of staring at the clock on the wall across from you, being lulled into a sort of rhythmic trance, you pulled your attention away from it…. To instead stare down at your inner arm.

At the tattoo that’d plagued your body since the day you were born.

“T-Tsubaki-Sensei, I need your signature for this.”

What a dumb thing to have written on you. Did your soul mate have a speech impediment? Who was Tsubaki-Sensei? Why’d they need a signature?

Irritation had formed in the pit of your stomach as soon as you’d known what the tattoo meant. The first words your soul mate uttered. Either to you or not was really up to the fates. Your last name wasn’t Tsubaki. You didn’t know anyone by that last name, or first! There were so many places that needed the signature of a superior or advisor… You’d felt an irritation of hopelessness gnawing at your heart for the longest time. As far back as you could remember, really, there’d always been that feeling of ‘I’ll never find them’. Desperation or depression, you were torn between the two.

If anyone asked, you’d claim you’d given up. Didn’t care whether you’d find them or not - that it was their loss if neither of you found the other. Truly their loss since you were obviously so amazing, right? Your thoughts soured, taking your mind off the still twitching pain of your knee.

“I just want to go home.” Oh how you wanted to pull your legs to your chest and hide your face in your knees…. But you didn’t - that would hurt more than they were right now. And you were in public…. You could wait to get home to cry… Alone in your room and wondering where in the vast world was your ‘soul mate’.

The door to the physicians offices opened, revealing a sweet looking young woman, “_______-san? The Doctor will see you now.”

You wanted to be rude. You wanted to point out that the ‘doctor’ wasn’t really a doctor. He was nothing more than a student practicing on others to further his experience. If you’d really had the choice, you would have gone to see your family physician, someone you trusted to actually take care of you and not treat you like a guinea pig.

But you held your tongue and struggled to your feet, feeling your knees protest when you almost feel forward. Karma for wanting to be rude, you supposed. But you paid no mind to it and pushed forward, reaching the door a bit later after the announcement than you would have liked.

The nurse, much shorter than you, offered you her hand as a form of support. And you took it. “That looks pretty painful… We’ll probably be giving you crutches until we get your X-Rays back.” It was going to be a long day, you knew she wanted to say. Or at least a long recovery road.

“Well, as long as I heal quickly. I have plans for the Volleyball season coming up.”

The young lady didn’t say anything in response, internally shaking her head at your stubbornness. Physical Therapy was a timely thing, that you’d have to partake in, if you were ever going to get any better. But she remained silent, knowing you were in a foul mood from your sudden injury. Helping you onto the examination table, she took her report clipboard and took some information from you. Name, birthday, last four of social, student ID - even your blood type.

You weren’t in the mood to deal with so many pleasantries. You wanted nothing more than to go back to class. For a second you found amusement in your preference. School over a sick day? Imagine that.

Just as the young woman was about to ask you to stretch your leg out - to see the extent of your damaged knee, the examination room door opened to reveal an older man. If you had to guess, you’d say he was about 3 years older than you. A Senior. Getting his PhD. Practicing on students who had serious ailments or issues.

“My, My, Now what happened to you? Slip and fall?” You shook your head, “Jump down five stories and land rough?” Another shake of your head, “Past sports injury?” No movement from you had the doctor smiling before holding up a beige folder, “It’s in your file.” God, now you were really irritated. You just wanted to go home. Or class. Whichever got you furthest away from this supposedly funny doctor. “I’m Dr. Tsu-“

The door opened once more, and you felt a flash of anger rise from your chest - weren’t there enough people in the room making fun of your pain? You didn’t need any more!

A young man peeked around the door to see the doctor was waiting patiently for him to speak, “T-Tsubaki-Sensei, I need your signature for this.” He walked into to room, beelining straight for the doctor for what he needed so he could go.

New pain. Searing on your arm - as if someone took a flame and held it close to your skin. You inhaled sharply and pulled your arm to your chest, feeling your skin throb from the sudden irritation to it. Letting out a deep sigh, one that held the aftereffects of catching your breath, you looked down at your arm.

But you had to do a double take. Once at the young man who’d entered - scruffy looking almost, man bun, dark… deep, cute… brown eyes that kept looking around the room anxiously - then back at the tattoo… that HAD been on your arm. It was gone. Completely Gone.

The only thing that remained, to give an inkling to the presence of a tattoo to begin with…. Was a simple scar - very light, as if you’d gone to get the tattoo removed.

Then your eyes were back on the young man, and he noticed your staring almost immediately. He coughed uncomfortably, not seeing the current surprise and dilemma you felt in your heart. You’d SEEN this guy before. You’d known about him - about his high school records on his volleyball team. Azumane Asahi. The famed Ace of Karasuno’s Revival… And he was here in the physicians office? Nowhere near your current clique. So far from your possible reach.

How would you have ever found him? If not for this moment? If not for your injury.

“You? You’re supposed to be mine?” How could you not be incredulous? Years you’d wondered who he was talking to, why he had to answer to anyone, why he had a stutter to his voice - was he anxious? Scared? Worried? Come to find out, he was all three at once - a bundle of nerves just for you. Azumane Asahi was your soul mate.

Asahi suddenly hissed, his hand pressing against his ribcage - feeling a burning sensation wrack through his body. But his lightbulb went off faster than yours had - and then he was staring back at you with wide brown eyes, a soft blush coming to his cheeks when he realized just how…. Sudden this meeting was… he looked a mess and you… well, you looked beautiful. He’d heard about you, too. You were a legend from your own Volleyball team, the current volleyball team. “_-_-_______? It’s… It’s you?”

Despite the suddenness of the reconnection of two souls in all the cosmos, you couldn’t help the fond smile on your face, prompting his own to imitate you, “So… I’m assuming your my Physical Therapy Doctor?”

Tsukishima Kei:

“Are you dense?”

What kind of asshole would you end up with that would talk to you like that? All these years, you’d been self conscious - not only of your intellectual impact and skill, but of the words that marked your body. How negative and rude they’d seem on your worst of days.

To make up for your soulmates already predetermined foul mood, you’d tried so hard to be positive - to show the light in the darkness, to be able to lend a hand or a shoulder for friends who were drowning in their own sorrows…. Not that they truly had much to be sad about… You were the one with an asshole for eternity.

But thinking like that would only cause darkness to enter your heart, so you pushed those thoughts away… Because you wouldn’t let your rude soulmate predetermine your own attitude.

“I wonder if he’s actually really nice… Like a total sweetheart.”

You were shaking your head before they finished with their sentence, “I doubt it… What kind of ‘nice’ person belittles someone without even knowing them?” Your close friend, Yuki, was quite the optimist when the two of you were compared. You wondered if your soulmate would make a better pair with her rather than you, who had to try your hardest at being kind and nice. It was just so easy to be rude and sarcastic!

Yuki shrugged, “Well, who knows? You might be surprised- ______! Watch out!”

Before you could understand what she was warning you about, a large mass came crashing into your body, effectively knocking the air out of you. Their form was much larger than yours, and you stepped back in a barely recognizable sense to equalize their weight with your own. But your foot caught the wrong angle of the curb of the walkway, and you felt your ankle roll under your weight.

Thankfully, the body of the young man who’d crashed into you was removed, and apologies went flying when they realized you’d drop to take in the damage of your ankle. But you didn’t cry. You bit your lip harshly, tears springing in your eyes, and heavy breathing wracking your lungs. But not a single whimper escaped from your. Which the young man thought was odd, “I am so so sorry! Oh my God… Here, let me help you… “

You wanted to push him away, wanted to beg Yuki to tell him to leave - hell you wanted to curse your lungs out at the idiotic boy who throws his body around like a ragdoll! You had quite the extensive vocabulary for curses, so you knew it would hit home at one insult or the other.

But you only pressed your lips together tightly and nodded your head, feeling Yuki’s softer hands reach down to help you back to your one good foot, “______, it’s alright to cry, you’re hurt!” Your inhale was shaky and slow, and Yuki’s eyebrows shot up, “Uh.. Yeah we need to get her to the nurse as soon as possible…. She’s about to lose it.”

“Like her mind?”

“Like her patience.” The young man jumped into action and swooped you into his arms before trotting over to the nurses station inside the building. The journey was less than comfortable, and you felt every single of his footfalls shoot electric fire to your jarred ankle.

Thankfully, the scene of the accident wasn’t far from medical help, and you were sitting in an examination room before you could really come to terms with the pain currently ripping through your ankle. The young man stayed with you, his guilt pulling his senses from any other priority he’d had before crashing into you.

You supposed on a certain level you appreciated his taking responsibility for what he’d done. But more so than not you wanted to punch his damn lights out for possibly putting your volleyball career in jeopardy.

“________ was it? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention and I was just doing my afternoon jog around the school and I guess I got so into picking the music and - “

He shut his mouth as soon as you held up your hand, he was well trained and you briefly wondered by who but it ultimately didn’t matter, “Look, I just need you to shut up and let me mourn the loss of my foot, okay?” The door opened and in came in a tall, lanky, blond young man - not 2 years older than yourself you were sure. He was good looking, but you were currently giving the jarhead to your left the chewing out of his lifetime. “Thanks to you, I’ll never be able to play volleyball again, do you realize that? It’s all your fault, you blind idiot.”

You could have sworn you saw the doctor flinch.

Years of being nice and kind and sweet, crumbling before you in a split second - an accident that could cause your entire life to fall apart was all it took for your patience to completely snap. The young man looked downright ashamed, his shoulders low, his head hung, his eyebrows furrowed as he internally wracked his brain for anything to say to make up for what he’d probably done.

Cool fingers touched the heated, swelling of your ankle, and you jumped in surprise - restraining your knee jerk reaction to kick the perv in the face! But when you looked down at your ankle, you saw the top of the blond doctor’s head. He didn’t say a word, just allowed his fingertips to gently, with a ghostly stroke, poke and prod your ankle. He was a professional, it seemed, so you didn’t question him.

Shifting beside you had you glaring at the young sports boy, “I don’t think your career is ruined…. Maybe delayed… You know there are a lot of great athletes who’ve had to go through physical therapy to get their movement back.”

Your glare didn’t lessen, in fact you threw in an ‘unimpressed eyebrow’ to make it more severe. You felt eyes on your face, and when you glanced back down to the doctor, you could have sworn he’d turned his attention back to your ankle. Though there was a slight uplift to his cheek… As if he were smiling at you giving this jock the business.

“I know you don’t believe me, _____, but it’s going to work out! It’s going to be hard as hell, but it’ll be fine! Physical therapy is the end all to accidents!”

The fingers on your ankle stilled, and the blond doctor tilted his head a bit, his eyes squinted as if he were trying to see through what the jock had said to see the truth… Or at least the sense of his words. His lips pursed, then pressed together to keep what he had to say to himself.

But in the end, he couldn’t contain himself. “Are you dense? Physical therapy doesn’t fix everything, moron. You’re lucky it’s only a sprained ankle and not something worse. What kind of idiot thinks Physical Therapy can solve everything they screw up on?”

Stinging pulled your attention from the conversation in front of you, pulled it straight to your hip. Your hand rested over the tingling you felt under your waistband, but you needed to know. You needed to know now. So you leaned back on the examination table, resting on your hand as you pulled down the waistband of your pants just enough to see where your tattoo…. Had been.

All that remained was irritated skin… And the outline of what had once marked your body for so long.

“Jeez, Tsukishima, you don’t have to be an asshat about it just because you’re a fancy pre-med.” The jock held up his hands in mock defense, finding the doctors insults to be a bit much even for his track record.

Your eyebrows furrowed as you finally looked up from your hip, away from the red skin, from the faint hint of a tattoo…

And you met the eyes of the young man who’d uttered the rude words that had plagued your entire life. Hardened gold, sharp and observing…. You. The gulp that rushed down your throat was not your decision, but at the sight of it the doctor, Tsukishima, sent you a smirk.

“I thought… I thought you’d say that to me…” It was so soft, you weren’t even sure you’d call that a whisper, especially not coming from you.

Tsukishima stood up straight; You hadn’t noticed how tall he was when he’d entered the room. It was almost like he was ignoring you as he picked up your medical record and made his notes, indicating what actions he’d taken and what would be the next steps in your recovery. “Ryo… You can go now - I’ll issue her a pair of crutches and contact someone who can help her to her dorm.” The young man, Ryo, went to protest, but Tsukishima shooed him away without another word.

“Good luck, ______… Salty-shima.” A baby snide, but it had you snickering at your doctors expense.

Then silence enveloped the room, the air between you and Tsukishima seemed… charged.. Or maybe expecting… The two of you had been destined for the other, so you’d both known this moment was coming… That didn’t make either of you prepared for the moment you’d meet. And while the two of you tried to grasp at anything to say to the other, to their own soulmate, Tsukishima took his time in wrapping your very angrily swollen ankle in a tight but necessary gauze.

“Did you know who I was…? When you walked in?”

He hadn’t thought you’d notice his flinch, so he nodded, “The inside of my bicep felt on fire. But I had no idea it would be you before this. Aren’t you supposed to be the nice one?” A small teasing smirk, and you felt your heart soar into your throat, making a blush bloom across your cheeks at just the sight of something so snarky.

You couldn’t tell if you wanted to hit him or kiss him.

“Oh, nothing to say?” Another smirk, and you could feel his poking at your self control, “I figured you’d give me some sort of challenge.” You cleared your throat and he glanced up at you curiously, raising a fine blond eyebrow.

“My challenges seem to be more of the…. Physical … type….” You winked, and internally you were screaming. Did you really just come on to your own soulmate within the first hour of meeting each other?? What kind of horn-dog were you??

But an amused chuckle escaped his mouth as he rose back to full height, taking note in your record as he dug, “Not with that ankle they aren’t.”

You had never been so excited to be bullied.

Ushijima Wakatoshi:

For years you’d felt a harsh sense of jealousy… eating you alive every moment you were with your friends or family… With people who’d both met their soulmate and those who hadn’t yet - no matter where you were you felt raging envy ripping you to shreds.

Not because you were alone.

Not because your tattoo, the first thing your soulmate would say to you, was placed oddly on the pressure point of your neck.

Neither of those things had cause the green monster inside you to cause havoc of your life. Those two were manageable.

“You.”

That’s what your tattoo said. Simple. One word. You couldn’t remember the last time ‘you’ wasn’t used in talking to another human being, animal, plant - for fucks sake you were sure it was used when referring to companies and buildings! You wouldn’t doubt it at the very least!

So realizing how ultimately futile it would be for you to talk to every single person, and get your hopes up every single time their first word to you wasn’t you… it’d been the day you’d lost all hope. There wasn’t a point to searching for him anymore.

After the sense of despair of helplessness passed, though, you moved onto rejection. Did you really want a man who only said one word to his soulmate? One word to anyone in general? Why would you want someone so communicatively delayed?

Your course of action at that time was to avoid anyone of the opposite sex that you hadn’t talked to already. Purposely turning the other way and walking away without an explanation. You’d even done it to a few professors when they’d come to welcome you to their class. You’d be damned if you ever met this bastard who couldn’t talk to save his ass.

When you tripped over a fellow player during a Volleyball game, you thought you’d hit the jackpot! This meant being home, bedridden, the only people coming or going would be friends and family, people who knew you and could actually talk like normal adults!

But the stars in your eyes had immediately beens snuffed out when you came to conclusion… If you didn’t fix your busted knee… you’d never be able to play your favorite sport ever again.

That had been your motivator. That had pushed you to go to physical therapy and take their medications to help with the pain. Those doctor meetings were quiet. Almost cold whenever the doctor referred to you, or asked for your opinion on something. Not that they really noticed, you offered, they were too busy making money off your injury.

The very first day in the physical therapy building, in the exercise workshop, you felt…. Something close to dread fill your body.

So many young men. Each with their own physical issues. None of which… you’d ever met before.

With each eager young man coming to you, introducing themselves and offering their help in your recovery, you felt more at ease. None of them hit that magic word. None of them seemed to care for anything other than possibly touching your body. Which you immediately put a stop to, saying you were fine helping yourself.

Each day a new young man came in with an injury, sometimes a girl, and each day someone would get healthy enough to pass the physical therapy challenge and move on with their lives. Move on from this obstacle of getting better and exercising their injured body part.

But no matter how much exercise you did… Your knee only seemed to get worse. Only hurt a little more every day.

Your hand slipped from the railing that held your weight as you exercised your knee. And you felt like you were immediately going to perish now that you had no support under you. Unknowingly, you let out a yelp of surprise when you fell forward.

But you didn’t hit the ground. Your legs hand’t buckled under you. In fact they were stock straight as if you had just been about to fall face first against the floor. You’d closed your eyes tightly but when you felt yourself being pulled back up to a standing position, albeit crouching since you still needed the support of the hand rails, you opened your eyes and turned your head to face your savior!

Olive eyes met your gaze dead on, and you felt a sense of… not quite unease, but more concern. Had he been staring at you the entire time? You cleared your throat, still dedicated to not uttering a word to any male. Not while you were still an unclaimed soul. You didn’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of the possibility. Especially your soulmate who didn’t even know how to properly talk to someone!

You recognized your savior. He was the ace of his high school, and you thought you’d seen his teams promotional pictures all over the campus to bring in the crowds to his college games. Ushijima, you thought his name was. Or something close to it. Thankfully, you noticed he wasn’t much of a talker either, he nodded to you before turning and doing his healing lunges back to the other side of the room.

From that day forward, you couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes. His furrowed eyebrows. Had he been waiting for you to say something? Had he been thinking you would? You’d wanted to, you wanted to be polite to anyone who helped someone out… But how could you risk it?

Not that there was much to risk. Your disappointment? Your pride? Maybe just a few seconds of your time?

It hadn’t been two weeks since he’d helped you from falling on your face, and you couldn’t stop glancing over in his direction whenever you were able. You didn’t think you were obvious, but more than a few times you’d catch his gaze - and a warmth would bloom in your chest before spreading across your cheeks and making you look away.

But he wasn’t innocent. More than a few times, you’d catch him staring at you. An unrecognized expression on his face, as if he were lost deep in thought. You’d heard around that Ushijima was more of the strong and silent type, only speaking when absolutely necessary or whenever he saw fit. You respected that about him. You’d also heard he was more of the gentle giant, that he usually looked very scary and unapproachable or even like a monster… but he was nothing more than a giant teddy bear.

So it wasn’t scary for you to walk straight up to him, with your crutches pinching your underarms, “Why are you always staring at me? Haven’t you seen someone recovering from a messed up knee before? Don’t you think you could be a little more subtle?” You huffed in frustration, sending him a glare, wanting him to know you didn’t appreciate his blatant staring. “What are you staring at?” Rhetorical, you knew it was you, but you wanted to know why. What about you was causing his eyes to return to you with every chance he got.

The flinch of his was so minuscule, so minor, you weren’t sure it was what you’d seen. Maybe one of his muscles twitched? Maybe he’d taken issue with what you’d accused him of.

But Ushijima felt an explosion of fluttering erupt in his chest, and the following warmth had his olive eyes softening as he stared down at you. He wasn’t one to make the first move, and thankfully you’d done that for him. So he didn’t feel too worried when he reached out and pushed your hair behind your ear.

Revealing your tattoo.

“You.”

Just as you were going to slap his hand away, accuse him of being like all the others and saying your tattoo just to make it seem like he was your soulmate…. You felt pain shock over your pressure point. As if your tattoo had erupted into flames.

Your hand reached up and covered your tattoo, or at least where it had been, and your eyes twinged almost closed while you stared up at him. Ushijima’s expression was unreadable as he lifted his shirt with his other hand, showing off his impressive torso. SO many muscles, so much skin to touch, your fingers twitched against your jaw - you WANTED to touch him.

But that wasn’t the reason he was flashing you. Your eyes took their time appreciating his physique before landing on his pectoral muscle… His knuckles resting on his skin just before his collarbone, just above the irritated skin. You could barely make out what it had said before burning him - but the trace remains pointed to your accusatory question.

So this was your communicatively delayed soulmate.

#Admin Satori #haikyuu!!#haikyuu!! scenario #soulmate au #Azumane Asahi #Tsukishima Kei #Ushijima Wakatoshi #I really liked writing these! These were fun!!

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