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felinedetached · 3 years

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Fandom Ableism in the MCYT Community

[Edited 14 June 2021]

One thing I’ve noticed about the MCYT (Dream SMP, specifically) community on both Tumblr and Twitter is that when informed of things that are ableist, or harmful to ND people, a lot of people ignore the post/tweet, derail it or actively fight against it.

“I’m ND so I can’t be ableist” is a common statement, which is blatantly untrue. Even I’ve used ableist terms and phrases before, without realising they were harmful. So as a neurodivergent person, with autism, BPD, depression/anxiety, dyslexia, psychosis & brain damage*: here’s some common ableist things both CCs and fandom say almost constantly**.

*note that not every neurodivergent person will agree with me on these, but these are commonly ableist things people have previously talked about online, and/or have been discussed between me and other neurodivergent friends. No minority can ever speak for the entire group.

**note that a lot of these are common outside the MCYT community as well, and that some of these are just considered societally acceptable. This isn’t okay, but it explains why a lot of people don’t recognise jokes or comments like these are wrong, and it means that it’s not a direct moral failing of people that they don’t immediately or directly recognise these comments as wrong.

Now, let’s get into the things you might not have realised are potentially ableist:

1. Use of “Psychopath/Psycho/Sociopath/Schizo” and other demeaning terms for people with mental illnesses as insults, or to describe characters who are considered villainous. Psychopath/Psycho/Sociopath are already terms that people with ASPD dislike using, even not as an insult, but using these terms to describe people or characters who you disagree with or see as villainous only contributes to the villainisation of people with ASPD and other mental illnesses. Using c!Dream as an example: Dream as a character is not confirmed to have any of these mental illnesses. He is, however, commonly labeled as psychotic/psychopathic, incapable of any kind of compassion.

He is also a character that fandom largely insists that nobody is allowed to sympathise with. This is a huge issue, and has hurt a lot of people, especially people with low empathy, or mental illnesses that cause them to relate to some of c!Dream’s actions (e.g. pulling away from all his friends, desperately grasping at straws to gain control of situations etc). Insisting that these characters are characters it’s impossible to sympathise with, all while calling them psychotic/psychopathic/sociopathic, is extremely harmful, and I hope this post draws attention to that.

Here’s another post that talks about that.

2. Use of the term “freak”, in general. As an insult, “freak” has been typically used to insult neurodivergent people, people with visible physical disabilities (ex. “freakshow”, and the term was reportedly created with the intent of insulting people with physical disabilities), or people who display any kind of abnormal/atypical social behaviour/physical aspects — people who are usually ND people who lack a diagnosis or people with physical disabilities. Recent usage has come to mean “people who do things that hurt other people”, but this is harmful as well; using words like “freak” or “weirdo” which mean “socially atypical behaviour” to refer to people who are actually doing things that hurt other people conflates the two, and often has a side effect of hurting disabled people who see it.

3. Calling ND ccs like Technoblade monotone/emotionless. While the term “monotone” isn’t ableist in and of itself, the fact that it’s being used against a neurodivergent man who emotes in a different way to neurotypical people rubs a lot of ND people the wrong way. I’ve partially discussed this here, in a tweet responding to a person who said that c!Technoblade, quote, “has no human capabilities like emotion for example”. This, however, is not something contained to c!Technoblade — one of the most common jokes in this fandom is how rare it is to hear emotion in Technoblade’s voice.

The issue with that is that neurodivergent people almost universally agree that Technoblade emotes perfectly fine, and, in fact, emotes more freely and clearly than a lot of others do. Hence, calling him monotone perpetuates the idea of ND people as emotionless/less able to be hurt/less expressive, which often hurts us. It also contributes to the dehumanisation of ND people — related to how ND symptoms are most often seen in robots or monsters in shows — and is generally extremely harmful, on top of being untrue.

4. Related to point 3: the infantilisation of ND ccs like Tubbo and Dream, usually paired with assigning “caretakers” of their friends, like Tommy and George. This is about the posts that spread like “omg, Tommy helps Tubbo with his dyslexia, that’s so cute” or “omg George is so patient with Dream, I could never sit through that” on videos of Dream vocally stimming because of his ADHD. This is another post that talks about this, but I wanted to talk more about why this is harmful here.

4a) With Tubbo’s dyslexia, from someone with dyslexia, it isn’t harmful to correct his spelling and move on. Personally, I think this is helpful — others will think it’s condescending, because not all ND people are the same — but as the above linked post mentions, this is not what Tubbo’s twitch chat does. This is not what the comments say. It’s all things about how it’s “so cute” that Tubbo can’t spell, how Tommy/Ranboo are “so patient” with correcting him. This is rooted in the need to constantly watch over ND people while acting like we can't live our lives without someone having us under constant vigilance. It feels like savior-complex ableism, like people are trying so hard to not be ableist that they spin back around to hurting us instead. And it feels like we are being treated like children. Like we are lesser than, and need to be monitored/watched over.

4b) Similarly to what people do with Tubbo, the comments on posts about Dream’s vocal stimming are often full of people calling George “patient” for “dealing with it”, or claiming they “wouldn’t be able to handle it”. This is inherently ableist. They’re praising George for basic human decency towards ND people, and claiming in the same breath that they wouldn’t be able to do that themselves. And then there’s these.

These comments infantilise Dream — claiming he “wouldn’t be able to stop/calm down” without George’s help, implying he’d “spiral out of control” or claiming “everyone is now my child”. It’s all related to the infantilisation of ND people, and the belief that without help/a caretaker we cannot take care of ourselves.

5. The way people treat ccs who likely have undiagnosed neurodivergencies, like Wilbur. Wilbur has openly admitted on stream before that his parents considered getting him an autism diagnosis. He also openly admits on stream that he has habits he doesn’t understand why he does, and hyperfixates on things for months at a time and doesn’t know why. Posts like this have gone around Tumblr, in which Wilbur displays blatantly ND traits.

And fandom generally calls him weird for expressing those traits. This video where he talks about eating sand because he likes the texture? That’s an ND trait. This video where he talks about his irrational hatred for anteaters? While mostly a joke, irrational hatred of something when you can’t explain/understand/articulate why is also a common ND trait. He spends 20 minutes during a Philza stream info-dumping about self-sustaining ecosystems (sharing the photo, because I think it’s really cool) and fandom begins calling them “Wilbur’s weird jars”. It’s demeaning to people who infodump, and as a ND person who hyperfixates and infodumps it’s really upsetting to see. It’s also upsetting to see other ND traits being called “weird” or “freaky” & made out to be soley some funny joke for NT people to laugh at us about.

Additionally: It’s strange to me that people think it’s okay to make fun of ND traits just because they know that or perceive that the person they’re making fun of is NT. It’s still making fun of ND traits. It’s still insulting ND people. It’s still ableist as hell. Why is it okay just because the person is NT?

6. Implying that c!Ranboo’s enderwalking is inherently violent. Ranboo has shown us time and time again that the enderwalk state isn’t a violent state. That the enderwalk state isn’t a seperate version of c!Ranboo that does horrific things. Why, then, is it so common to imply that Ranboo would be violent and hurt people why he’s enderwalking?

It comes back to the perception of c!Ranboo as a character with “two halves”, or as a character with DID. Ranboo has made it clear that his character does not have DID, but this headcanon about his character persists, and it persists in a way that is directly harmful to people with DID — and to people who dissociate or sleepwalk. We do not commit horrific acts while we dissociate, while we’re sleepwalking, because the majority of the time we’re just checked out, our body is on autopilot. Insinuating that we do is harmful. Insinuating that Ranboo has “another half” that’s inherently violent or evil is harmful to people with DID. I’m not going to ask you to stop writing these headcanons etc, but please consider the effect you have on people before you do.

7. Related to point 6: the perception of c!Ranboo as “soft” and “cute” and/or perfectly moral because of his canonical anxiety. This is really harmful, and comes once again from the infantilisation of disorders like anxiety and depression. Ranboo has made clear time and time again that his character isn’t moral, and in fact is extremely inconsistent. He’s portrayed his character as inconsistent, as someone who hurts his friends unintentionally and often due to his want to please everyone, and yet he’s constantly seen as “soft/pure/the only moral one” because of his anxiety causing to have repeated and consistent spirals on-screen. These spirals are not healthy. They don’t indicate his “perfect morals” or make him more moral than anyone else on the SMP. Please stop infantilising people with anxiety, it’s really hurtful.

8. Implying that c!Technoblade is inherently a violent person because of his voices. I’ll admit here: my hallucinations are visual. I do not get auditory hallucinations, and I cannot speak for people who do. But many people have spoken out about this, and discussed how talking about Technoblade as an inherently violent character because of his voices is harmful, and a stereotype of people with schizophrenia.

Technoblade’s character is, in and of itself, inherently a stereotype (despite the fact that his chat are more likely to be a supernatural entity than a symptom of a disorder such as schizophrenia) in that the idea of “hearing voices that encourage violence” is a stereotype of people with schizophrenia. As an actual symptom, is a very uncommon one. More common auditory hallucinations for people with schizophrenia or psychosis are, reportedly, whispers or unrelated conversation. One of my friends hears screaming.

But the issue is with the implication that c!Technoblade is “driven to violence” by the voices. Canonically, he has dealt with the “bloodlust” of chat by grinding withers. He’s perfectly capable of being peaceful, even with “voices pushing for violence”, and he’s perfectly capable of being violent without the “voices” influence. It’s the connotations and the history that fandom has in demonising and villainising c!Technoblade for even having the “voices” in the first place, and acting having them makes him inherently violent and unstable. There’s precedent for that already in society, and it’s not okay to perpetuate it.

[Edit: as of 22/05/2021, I do experience auditory hallucinations, and I can confirm that I am not any more violent, and the voices I hear don’t push me to violence. The clearest one just said ‘click’ in my ear.]

9. Jokes about brain damage and the use of “brainrot” as a term. I made a post about how common jokes about brain damage are here, and I would like to reiterate bits of it.

Jokes like these are really really normalized in modern society. I’m sure a lot of you didn’t even register it as wrong, and that isn’t a moral failing! It’s a norm in society, and that means the majority of people arent going to register it as something hurtful, because it’s said so often. But it does still hurt. The idea of using a disability as an insult is really harmful and it feels dehumanizing, like our disability makes us lesser, something that should be laughed at.

“Brainrot” as a term originated in Skyrim, as a disease that literally rotted your brain. However, as a term, it has very similar connotations to “brain damaged” and has been used in similarly joking and insulting ways. It’s something that feels really off to me and other neurodivergent people to see used by neurotypical people. It even sometimes feels uncomfortable when used by neurodivergent people, even if it’s used in positive ways. I know quite a few people who have removed it from their vocab completely because of the connotations, and I have personally done the same. Once again, I am just asking you to please consider your words before you use them.

10. Calling c!Wilbur during his Pogtopia Arc “Vilbur”. Yes, he was a villain. Yes, he hurt people. But c!Wilbur during the Pogtopia Arc only has one major difference from c!Wilbur during the L’Manburg Arc: a visible depiction of mental illness, specifically paranoia and psychosis. Treating him as a seperate person and calling that seperate person “Vilbur” comes across as extremely hurtful, and contributes to the villainisation of mentally ill people. His mental illness does not excuse him from hurting people, but calling c!Wilbur “Vilbur” upsets a lot of us, because wether or not it’s intended, it feels reductive, hurtful, and insulting.

If you got to the end of this post, thank you so much for reading. I hope that this helped you recognise things that you might not have known were ableist, and that you consider what I’ve said here. I also know that I haven’t addressed everything ableist that’s spread through the MCYT fandom community, so if you’re ND and have something you’d like to add, please feel free.

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tinyyoungblood · 3 years

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hi!! adore your work love. could you maybe do smth where stark!reader has to get her wisdom teeth out but HATES the dentist so she brings her boyf peter and her dad w her?? and then when they get home the avengers are all waiting with like comical amounts of flowers and stuffed animals and then reader says some funny shiii and thor thinks she’s like dying lol. idk if that made sense but i’m getting my wisdom teeth out soon and i’m scared😭 thank u so so much love u babe

pairing: peter parker x stark!reader

a/n: tysm lovely :,) i rushed through this like my life depended on it, but i hope i’m not too late. either way, i hope you’re okay! it’s frightening but those bad boys gotta go because we don’t need that kind of energy in our lives. enjoy x

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

wisdom teeth? more like wisdoom

y/n has to get her wisdom teeth removed and it’s the singular most dreadful thing she’s ever had to do, which says a lot because her dad is tony richling stark

doing dreadful things she doesn’t want to do but still somehow end up doing just because she can is a personality trait at this point

no one really makes a big deal out of it since ~death~ is part of their job description, but y/n is terrified

and when a stark is terrified the only thing that will keep them one step from insanity is researching the hell out of it

that information will be info dumped into every conversation for the next few weeks leading up to the appointment

“y/n you need anything from the store?” "no thanks, did you know the side effects of getting your wisdom teeth out include ✨sudden death or blood clots✨ tho” “……..i have a coupon?”

the day of the appointment, peter comes along and literally doesn’t let go of y/n’s hand. he keeps touching her to let her know that he’s there and it’s so. adorable

he would rest his hand on her knee, gently stroke her back while holding her, or just play with her hair

happy drops them off and he’s too Cool™ for emotions but he knows y/n’s a wreck, so he just fist bumps her with a single nod and she almost breaks down bc it’s really affectionate

y/n is sitting in the dentist chair and genuinely nothing is happening yet, but she’s squeezing peter’s hand like it’s a sponge

peter might have a high pain tolerance but he’s in pain pain and he prays that his hand won’t just explode on him

the dentist notices how peter tries to keep it together and chuckles

“you okay there, son?” “yea it’s fine, had a better time when a building fell on me tho haha” “pardon?” “oh i mean i didn’t have a good time, i just had a better time”

because y/n is running Anxious Town™, the dentist gives her a sedative to help her relax

plus, an injection of local anaesthetic to numb the tooth and surrounding area

she doesn’t feel anything and it’s GREAT

the procedure is quicker than expected and now the real fun begins

she tries to walk but she falls down so peter scoops her up bridal style and happy stays glued at her side

y/n doesn’t mind although she literally doesn’t recognise them and they’re practically strangers to her

but girly sees an opportunity and tries to flirt with peter bc why wouldn’t she

“you’re pretty” *blushes* “why thanks” “you should let your girlfriend know” “i should let her know i’m pretty?” “so you do have a gf? :(” “yea it’s you” “:)”

they stop for gas and peter goes in to get some water for y/n, and in her infinite wisdom, she decides it’s burger time

her mouth is completely numb and she’s practically leaving a trail of drool behind her, but she’d kill for a burger right now

so she wobbles around aimlessly for an hour on some random parking lot as if the ground might just magically open up like a rabbit hole and lead her to five guys

she’s going places. not back to the car. definitely not five guys. they’re closed. but places

peter finally finds her and he’s drenched from head to toe in sweat. he doEsn’T wAnt tO tALk abOut iT tho so she lets him take her to subway instead

normally, she would know that peter’s usual subway order is bread-lettuce-jalapeño

but in her drugged-up state, it had simply slipped her mind so now she’s staring at him like he’d just murdered someone right in front of her

“that- that’s your order?? no meat or anything just bread, lettuce, and a little spice?”

meanwhile at the compound, sam and steve are ordering everyone around bc they want to decorate this place before y/n gets home to surprise her

they take it very seriously too. they’ve watched like one HGTV show and said it’s our time

they finally get home and tony gives y/n a big hug, asking her what took so long

happy tells him that she was keen on getting burgers bc apparently someone has taught her that stressful times call for ~cheeseburgers~

he proceeds to look at tony with a pointed look

tony just shrugs and goes “she was a problem child. we don’t mention her dark past”

she’s swaying on the spot and keeps grinning like a fool and thor just stares at her weirdly before elbowing bruce and whispering loudly,

“what’s wrong with her? is she dying? should i start collecting leaves, i know this remedy—"

no one can tell if y/n is just happy to see the newly decorated home or if she’s just delighted to see everyone but then she goes around hugging the entire team

she doesn’t even acknowledge the sky-high pile of teddy bears and flowers everywhere bc she’s just squeezing everybody

y/n is so high, she just starts to spill all of her feelings about everyone and they’re already so overwhelmed by the hug chain they can’t take this too

“wanda i just want you to know that you’re like my big sister and you’re always taking care of me and i know you and vision are just going to make such good parents one day”

“bucky you absolute PRICK, you FIEND, you’re the best chess player ever and that’ll never change and i wouldn’t be good without you, i hate to say it but you deserve happiness even after you made me lose five times in a row yesterday”

“dad, you’re so strong and smart, even though we’re like never on the same page, you’re always along for the ride, i want to be like you when i grow up, i swear i’m gonna try to be as good to the avengers as you were to us” “aww- wait makes you think i'll be the first to die“

“nat you’re such a bitch about your protein shakes but you’re my best friend and i wouldn’t have it any other way, you can try out as many make up looks on me as you want”

“bruce, brucey, i would live with you in your lab for the rest of my days if i had to, whenever you ask me to hand you stuff i feel useful and important”

“laura’s way out of your league clint i have no idea how the fuck you got her but don’t lose her and i want to be your next child’s godmother”

“steve…we’re your family now. we’re always gonna be your family now. okay?”

“loki you’re not fooling anyone with your attitude, we all know you’re part of the family, you were just misunderstood and messed up bc of your dad–FUCK him by the way–but i realised everyone deserves as many chances as they need because of you”

“sam i would genuinely kill anyone who wronged you, even if they cut you in line at the grocery store, i would knife them no hesitation”

“thor, you poor golden retriever have been through so much, on my way here i made a wish on an eyelash for you bc you deserve better, your postcards always make my day, love you”

she mumbles something to peter that no one else can hear but he blushes and chokes back a sob

y/n orders hot soup and bucky brings it to her but before he even has time to react peter drops everything and ZOOMS across the room in .3 seconds

he barrels into bucky so hard they both go flying, but peter just smoothly rolls out of it and onto his feet like some kind of super ninja

“DUDE WHAT THE HELL” “😠 y/n is not supposed to drink hot liquids 😠”

all of this happens in mere seconds but sam has filmed it all and now slow mo clips go viral online of some mysterious kid knocking over the winter soldier

y/n’s a little in and out after that, but when she fully regains consciousness, she’s on a pile of blankets, surrounded by the team on the floor <3

* * *

let me know if this is actually comforting lmao stay hydrated pals

hc masterlist

#peter parker x reader #peter parker x stark!reader #peter parker x you #peter parker headcanon #peter parker fluff #avengers x you #avenger x reader #avengers headcanon #tony stark headcanons #steve rogers headcanon #natasha romanoff headcanon #thor headcanon #loki headcanon #bucky barnes headcanon #sam wilson headcanon #avengers crack #peter parker concept #peter parker x y/n #avengers x y/n

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blamebrampton · 2 years

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A thing I wish I had started much younger was learning how to fix more things. I started with a decent base – clothes, tack, basic household stuff – and added bicycles fairly early on (and yes, I can change a car tyre and do some basic mechanics on old cars and tractors, even though I don’t drive, because those are basic farm skills), but a lot of my repair skills were only learned after I was 30, or even 40 and I still often find things I don’t have the skills to fix. Some I never will (my phone), but others I want to (the peeling veneer on my front door).

Sometimes mending is meditative, like the darning on this scarf where a neighbourhood dog accidentally tore it (excuse the cat hairs). Sometimes it is a gift, like being able to get my neighbour’s bike back on the road. Almost always, it is a better use of time and resources than getting rid of the broken thing and getting a new one.

When something breaks now, I will often try to fix it. Sometimes I already have the skills. Sometimes I can jury rig a fix with textile or leather skills. Others I’m still learning. I sat down and worked my way through a knot book a few years back, which was no end of help as I’d forgotten how much you can get done with string, plus I ended up learning how to make nets properly. The month after next I am doing a carpentry class, because it is embarrassing how few woodworking skills I have.

Some fixes are embarrassingly simple, but I only realise I can do them when I google ‘how to fix…’ Very often the ones in this set are done with glues: special glues for fixing the split seam on my Wellingtons, two-part epoxies for the table I had to take apart to move, which will fill the gaps rather than me needing to chisel and sand them smooth. Glue chemistry is amazing. Did you know you can use a bike tyre patch to fix a small hole in your wellies? I learned that on YouTube last Tuesday.

I don’t know that I’ve saved a lot of money — I tend to buy a few tools every time I learn a skill; really should have started with metalwork and carpentry and then I could have made a lot of them — but I’ve saved a lot of treasured things, and while on some the repairs are invisible, on others, I can see that I was there, that I added to the life and story of that object.

So if you have the confidence in your hands, the next time something breaks, see if you can fix it. Google, YouTube and online libraries make it easier than ever. And if you don’t have confidence in your hands, see if you have a local Repair Cafe, where there might be someone who can fix it for you and perhaps help you learn enough to do it yourself next time. Because if you start learning how to do this stuff when you’re young, you’re going to be unstoppable by the time you’re my age.

(One caveat: unless you love darning, only ever darn your favourite socks. It takes for flipping ever and most socks are cheap. Those hours weaving in toes or heels could be spent making something cool, shagging or reading.)

#mending #fixing

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redheadedpineapple · 3 years

Text

BNHA bois responding to getting gifts outta nowhere

Day 13: Gift/Present Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki, Shotou Todoroki GN!Reader

────── 〔Kirishima Eijirou〕──────

this precious boy literally expects you to exist and that’s enough for him

but nahnahnah, you go ahead and be THAT awesome and THAT kind

and THEN you buy him gifts? all for the sake of you seeing it and thinking of him?

his heart goes doki doki

will freak out and get all red in the face and thank you so many times

100% ends in lots of cuddles and "i love you"s and "what'd i do to deserve you"s

followed by immediately wanting to reciprocate

he’s not the most artsy guy, but when he had the idea, he couldn’t let it go

when you said you got him the gift just cause you thought he'd like it when you saw it at the store, he thought of what you liked

He needed a lot of help from Mina and Momo, and while Momo offered to simply, uh, pop the gift out of her skin, Kirishima knew it wouldn’t be the same. So, with the minor help of material gathering from Momo and the craftiness of Mina, he was finally done with the gift.

The stitchwork was a bit messy, but he was really proud of the creation. He still thought it was pretty cute, and he could only hope you felt the same.

He couldn’t wait to see your reaction, and barely contained all his excitement into a bright, confident grin as he offered you the gift box.

“You didn’t have to give me anything back!” you exclaimed, looking down at the box.

That only prompted his grin to widen. “I wanted to though! Open it, open it.”

“Okay, okay.” Carefully peeling away the ribbon and wrapping paper, your excitement only grew as you tried to keep the mess to a minimum despite your bubbling anticipation. The little teddy bear in a red hoodie made your heart melt, and as you picked it up out of the box and hugged it, it smelled just like Eijirou.

He stared at you, expectantly and a tad embarrassed how much you were hugging it and smiling.

“I made it myself! I know you really liked the red hoodie I wear, but since it had a bunch of tears and holes and burns in it, I thought I could put it to better use… Plus I can always get more hoodies.”

“I love it so, so much! It’s so cute, I--- Awh, baby…” You pushed yourself into his arms and hugged him tight. “You’re so sweet… I love you so much.”

He couldn’t contain how happy he was that you liked his gift, giggling and hugging you and resting his cheek on the top of your head. “I love you too!”

────── 〔Bakugou Katsuki〕──────

okok look,,, he struggles accepting and portraying love

but gifts? he can do gifts

at first, when you present it to him, he’s internally trying to figure out if he’s missed an important date

“aah? for me?”

“no, the other bakugou katsuki right behind you.”

and he’ll roll his eyes because oh shush, but he opens it and tries to hide a wide smile

“i got it just cause i thought of you when i saw it!”

“you’re such a dork”

will ruffle your hair, pretending like he’s not touched

you’ll poke his cheek and insist he loves you

and he’ll kiss your forehead and you’ll both move on with your days

he cherishes the gift, though, and will keep it in a special place at all times.

if it’s jewelry, he says fuck it and wears it every day.

if it’s a stuffed animal, you bet your ass he sleeps with it.

a keychain? added to his keys.

a random trinket? it’s now on his nightstand or in his car, where he sees it often.

and it’s his turn to show his love to you.

Bakugou understands the value of handmade stuff, but hell if he’s gonna figure out how to be all craftsy and do that shit. Nah, he’ll pick up extra hours to get the cash he needs to buy you something lavish.

He really isn’t good with showing how he loves you, he can be pretty stubborn and sometimes doesn’t really get how to cuddle you or randomly show you he’s there and loves you through little touches, but he comprehends stuff like this really well. It’s straightforward.

He puts a lot of thought into what he wants to get you, spending hours just browsing online shops. If anyone saw him, he probably looked like he was playing some video game, a focused, unintentional pout tracing his lips. But finally, after lots of research, he finally knows what he’s going to get you.

Honestly, you really don’t expect much in return from Bakugou; not because he’s an asshole or anything (although yes, he is at times), but more because he doesn’t exactly get reciprocating in gifts or anything. Some random classmate he hardly knows gets him a present? Hell if he’s buying shit back for them. Someone buys him lunch? Cool, he gets free lunch.

So when he presents you with a gift box weeks later, you’re pleasantly surprised, and a little lost for words.

“Well? Go on, open it.”

You don’t keep him waiting, tearing through the pretty poorly taped on wrapping paper. (He tried his best, it probably took him all he had not to explode the entire damn box out of annoyance to the sticky tape and crinkly wrapping paper that just didn’t do what he wanted it to.)

Opening the box, you couldn’t contain a gasp, even if you wanted to. Smiling, you unfolded the clothes and inspected the shoes. It was a couple outfits that matched the aesthetic you’d been on about loving, talking about how you never thought you could pull it off. Katsuki always told you that you could easily, and that you shouldn’t worry, but you always waved it off.

As you got to the bottom of the box, you found a smaller box, the type that snaps open with a dull and velvety ‘click.’ It did just as you expected when you opened it, and inside held a pair of promise rings, matching the aesthetic of the clothes.

“Oh, Katsu… I love it so much!” You gawked at everything he got you, pulling out one of the rings and trying it on. Perfect fit.

He chuckled. He already knew that---he knew you’d love it the moment he added it to his cart. He plucked the other ring and fit it on his ring finger.

“Sometimes, you do too much… You’re too good to me,” you shyly insist, smiling nonetheless.

He initiates a hug---something he rarely does---pulling your form into his. “Nah, baby. That’s what I should be saying to you,” he murmurs into your hair, threading his fingers through the strands. “I l-la-lu-ah fuck. I love you, ya dorkface.”

“Pfft…” You laugh at his words, as if he’s not the true dork between you two. “I love you too, more than anything.”

────── 〔Shoto Todoroki〕──────

this boy is so confused

you,,, got a gift??? for him?? just because you thought he might like it?

he hugs you because for one, he really does like it, and two, the fact that you’re thinking of him and will spend your hard earned money for him means a lot

he doesn’t try and stop the soft smile that takes over for the rest of the day

every time he sees the gift you got him, he smiles

it reminds him of you

he’s kinda like bakugou in that he doesn’t know how to do the cuddle-touchy-sweetheart part of a relationship that well and is better with gifts

but he doesn’t want to just use dear old dad’s money, it doesn’t feel right. it’s not as sentimental.

he thinks about getting you a bunch of things and giving you them periodically

but he doesn’t want to make you think you have to return the favour and run yourself dry

and he most certainly doesn’t want the relationship to turn materialistic

While it takes him a while to figure out what to get you, once he settles on the idea, he’s very happy with it. He picks up a couple one-time jobs for some cash. He considered babysitting before he realised he has no clue how to take care of another human being, let alone a tiny one with the brain capacity of Kaminari. So he goes around doing favours for local businesses and households, cleaning or organising or restocking ice for a local ice cream parlor.

When he’s certain he has more than enough money, he buys a few things for you. He carefully placed the items in a cute tote bag and headed off to your house for the movie date you’d planned.

At first, you thought he just brought snacks in his sister’s bag or something, but when he pushed the bag into your arms, looking away slightly with a pinkish tint to his cheeks, you realised what was up.

“Awh, Shoto! How sweet…” You peered into the bag and fell short of breath.

“Uhm… I know how passionate you are about your hobby, so I just wanted to get you some better materials and tools, and I thought maybe you could teach me a little so we could do it together…”

Your eyes lit up at the thought, and you jumped onto Shoto to give him a bear hug. “Yes! That sounds amazing, I’d love to! Thank you so much Sho, it means a lot.”

He plants a kiss on your neck and wraps his arms around you. “Of course, anything to see that pretty smile of yours.”

#mha #bnha #mha x reader #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #todoroki x reader #mha fluff #bakugou x reader #kirishima x reader #kirishima fluff #bakugou fluff #todoroki fluff #bnha x y/n

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jiminiesfavouritecolourisblue · 4 years

Text

Is there somewhere - BTS royal / bodyguard au Drabble part 4

So after this I was thinking of writing some prequels to the Drabble series before moving ahead with time and the challenges these lovely characters would face ongoing. Same with the CEO drabbles, as always let me know what you think {angst and fluff ahead}

Prev | Next

————————————————————————————————————————

You hadn’t seen them for a month. You told yourself you were glad, that it didn’t hurt you that they gave up. You asked them to leave, you would stick by that, and this proved you right.

These things happened for a reason, you tell yourself, and while life was still a dense cloud hanging over you, it didn’t rain. Since that night trouble stopped following you, no one approached you in the clubs, the paparazzi stopped following you, you felt safe again, by yourself without any bodyguards.

“I haven’t seen you in so long Y/n,” your childhood friend sat across from you at a little quaint cafe in the town closest to your castle. You would have invited her to your place but the mess increased tenfold, that being said, you think your father must be sending people to clean while you were out. He hadn’t said anything about it, you were grateful he hadn’t, you weren’t ready to have that conversation with the King. He was always too busy for you, so this gesture came as a shock.

“I’ve missed you Y/n,” Sana says taking your hand in hers and squeezing it earnestly. “I’ve been worried about you.”

“You don’t need to worry I’m okay,” you say reassuringly.

“Y/n it’s a cloudy day and you’re wearing sunglasses,” you take by her sarcasm she doesn’t sound convinced.

“I’ve got a headache that’s all,” you bury your head behind the brunch menu, pretending to look over the options as she hums in response. It had been years but she still knew you well, and this was nothing like you were.

“Who hurt my friend?” She asks reading through your behaviour like she read the newspaper articles about it online, hence the impromptu visit from half a world away despite her own busy schedule.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s in the past,” and yet it’s still so present. The wound might be healing but it was leaving a red swollen scar in its place.

She lets the subject drop noticing how your shield goes up.

“Your bodyguard is really hot, if you wanted to invite him in to join us I wouldn’t mind,” she wiggles her eyebrows playfully, trying to lighten the mood but her words have the opposite effect on you.

“My what?” You breathe, you don’t have bodyguards. You turn to face where her eyes are set behind you and sure enough, outside the glass windows trying to look conspicuous is a man in a suit you’d recognise anywhere. You hate how your heart starts to ache as it beats faster, how there’s a hum of electricity starting to burn under your skin.

“Is that not your bodyguard? You used to talk about them so much, that’s....” she squints her eyes at the male, who bows his head in panic realising he’s been caught. “Jin! Right?”

Every time you FaceTimed Sana one of the boys would be with you, not on the screen unless it was Jin or Jimin but professionally standing out of the cameras range staying with you trying not to smile as you gushed about them with her, begging one of them to say hello. Yoongi and Taehyung were the only ones to ever give in. They would say hello shyly before standing at their post, Jin and Jimin on the other hand would sit on the bed or sofa with you. Jimin would make you blush and tease you while talking to Sana, Jin would tell her all your bad habits and complain about you playfully. Namjoon and Hobi never gave in, you were close to breaking Jungkook’s resolve before he left.

“I’ll be right back,” you say to her, rising from your seat to walk to the guilty looking male who’s ears have turned red. He says something in his sleeve and you realise the others must be close by or at least contactable. It all suddenly makes sense, you hadn’t seen them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. The house, your father was far too busy to burden himself with your mess, the sudden calm around you where normally there’d be a bustle of cameras and people.

“Princess,” he greets you bashfully, embarrassed for getting caught and complicating things. “Funny seeing you here, I was just waiting for a friend...”

“Liar,” you whisper, but it’s loud enough to shut him up.

“I can explain,” his cheeks are going red like his ears, you don’t know what you feel. There’s an emptiness that presents its self in his presence, like your body is trying to protect itself by going numb, even though your heart is begging you not to.

“I don’t want to hear it right now,” you close your eyes at the wave of sadness that overwhelms you. “I think you need to leave.”

You repeat your words from a month ago and it still cuts through him the same as it did then.

“I can’t...” he shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot.

“Jin you’re not my bodyguard anymore, this is harassment,” your cold eyes pierce through him but he stands strong against your onslaught.

“Actually...” he tries to chuckle but it dies as soon as it leaves his mouth. “Well you see, w-we- no your father... the king,” there’s a pause as he clears his throat and his hesitation irritates you.

“We’ve been reinstated as your bodyguards by order of the King,” a new voice behind you saves the stuttering man in front. You can’t help the fists form at your side as your mouth sets itself in a line. You turn to face Namjoon with a stern expression.

“No.” He knew you’d be stubborn, he knew it was a little underhanded of them, but after that day they couldn’t leave you like this. They would give you space, hope they could redeem themselves slowly, but they also had to keep you safe. They didn’t care you were next in line for the throne, they didn’t care their feelings for you were inappropriate in their line of work, you meant the world to them, you were their friend, and they couldn’t leave you again.

“I’m really sorry Princess, but the decisions been made,” he answers you sincerely. “We won’t get in your way, you won’t know we’re here, bu-”

“I said no,” your lips are tight, eyes enraged as you clench your jaw. He sighs, but he knows it would take time to heal the rift between you and the seven men.

You were right when you thought the rest of them were close behind, Yoongi and Jimin walk into your field of vision behind Namjoon, blazers buttoned, Jimin’s hair jelled back, Yoongi’s hand in his pocket. The sight takes you back and it knocks your confidence a little.

“Well that’s treason Princess,” Yoongi reasons with a small smirk forming on his face. “I guess that would get rid of us for you, being beheaded by the King.”

You shake your head is disbelief, a big sigh leaving your lips as you close your eyes to gather strength.

“I can’t do this right now,” you walk away back to your friend who’s eyes haven’t left the interaction. “I’ll deal with this later.”

——————————————————————————

You wonder what happened to their promise to stay out of sight and out of mind the following Saturday.

Maybe you walked through the bad part of town on purpose, maybe you wanted to piss them off or put yourself in danger, maybe you just wanted some control. A man that looks like trouble wolf whistles as you walk in his direction, and you smile like he’s your salvation. You don’t make it another two steps as a hand grabs your arm forcefully. You turn to find an angry Hoseok glaring at the man now cat calling you before turning his glare to you, nostrils flared like a bull about to charge.

You physically have to stop yourself from gulping at his aura, you know if pushed Hobi would cause harm to anyone that disrespected you. His grip on your arm tightens as the man doesn’t stop yelling profanities at you, he’s obviously intoxicated not that it excused his behaviour. Hobi hadn’t spoken a word, you can see him trying to ground himself and his anger, starting to lose his control, trying to regain his cool.

The guilt washes over you at his gaze, your smirk long gone as you struggle to keep eye contact. He hasn’t seen your face soften like this in so long, a glimpse of the old you coming back with concern.

“Hobi I’m sorry,” you whisper. “Let’s just go.”

His eyes are shut and he’s shaking with fury, at the man, at you, at himself.

“Hobi please,” you cup his cheek with your palm, stroking your thumb against his skin, feeling panic rising in yourself. The man is in front of you both now and you feel shame for making such a stupid decision. You press your forehead against his jaw as he stares daggers at the man.

“Your boyfriend giving you problems sexy?” He wears a shit eating grin as he speaks. “You looking for a bit of fun?”

Your touch calms your bodyguard enough to clear the haze of anger that threatens to attack the man where he stands. He releases a big breath before taking your wrist and walking you both away, pace unforgiving.

He still doesn’t say a word as you both get to the car, he pulls open the backseat door aggressively, looking at you expectedly. You don’t argue, you don’t scoff, you don’t walk away. Your eyes are round, looking up at him, begging for forgiveness. How the tables turn.

You get in without complaint, flinching as he slams the door shut. He gets into the drivers seat, putting his seat belt on before staring at you through the rear view mirror, jaw still clenched. You look lost, he hasn’t started the car and he hasn’t stopped staring at you.

“The seatbelt Y/n,” it’s a low growl and you quickly move to lock yours in place at his tone. Your heart is beating so fast you think it’s trying to escape. You don’t blame it, your hands are curled on your knees like a child ready to be scolded and you can’t look ahead as he pulls off.

——————————————————————————

You didn’t say a word the whole journey, scared a single sound would set him off. His grip was unrelenting on the wheel, you don’t think he cooled down at all even though he made sure he wasn’t driving recklessly with you in the car.

He doesn’t take you back to the castle, he takes you to their place. They rarely used to be at home when they worked for you, the castle was large enough for them to stay and they had no reason not to. You hesitate to leave the vehicle when Hobi opens the door for you, he’s patient even through his fury. He holds a hand out for you to take like they used to.

You want to ask him what you’re doing here, why he’s brought you, but you decide to take his hand and let him lead you indoors.

“Princess?” It’s odd to see Jungkook in his normal clothes, to see any of them in their casual wear, it looks homely. They all stare between you and Hobi, looking confused as you both walked into the living room.

You were staring at the floor as he explained where you were when he was on duty, the others now looked at you in shock and disappointment. It was hard for you to hear too, like he was talking about someone else, another girl, you wished the ground would swallow you whole.

“Princess this really has to stop,” it’s Jimin that breaks the silence after Hobi’s speech. His usual sweet disposition was wiped away with worry. “I get it, we messed up, but you can’t keep doing this to yourself Y/n.”

You don’t raise your head to meet his words, you stay with your eyes down and feet cemented where you stood. There’s a finger under your chin but you move your head to the side to avoid it bringing your face up.

“We’re really sorry,” Taehyung whispers beside you.

They blamed themselves for everything you had been through since the moment they left, but how could they undo it, how could they make this okay? His words don’t comfort you, they hurt you, they bring up the night they left all over again. But you feel the sincerity in his words, how hoarse it sounds, filled with every desire to turn the clock back. It brings tears to your eyes, it makes you choke on the emotion rising in your throat. You want it to be okay too, but you couldn’t erase the abandonment they left you with.

There’s a hand rubbing your back soothingly as your bottom lip trembles and your shoulders shake trying to keep the sobs down.

“It’s okay,” the hand on your back moves to your hair, and Taehyung rests his lips on your temple as he speaks. “We hurt you Princess, shout at us, let it out, cry, just stop holding it in.”

If you did as he said it would make you vulnerable again, you’d be letting them in and you don’t know if you’re ready for that. But he wasn’t wrong, holding all the pain down without a healthy form of release was making that gaping hole in your chest erode the rest of you away.

“I’m-m s-so a-angry-” you struggle to get your words out, having to take a shallow breathe with each word as they came out in a sob and it physically hurt you to speak. “At all o-of you.”

Tae’s crying too, Jungkook’s behind you but you can hear him sniffle. You lean into the Taehyung, pushing your face into his neck as you close your eyes and break down, he doesn’t hesitate to bring his arms around you when you think you’re about to fall.

“You had each other,” you wail, not caring at how deranged you sounded. “I had no one, you left me when I was injured!” Your head drops to his chest as you bang your fist against Taehyung’s chest finally letting it all out, and he takes it without bracing himself for each hit. “I needed you and you guys broke me.

Who was I supposed to talk to? Do you know how ridiculous it sounds to the people of my world. My bodyguards abandoned me, so fucking what? Get new ones.”

You grip his top that’s stained with your tears, you’re so angry, so heartbroken and the only people that would listen and help where the ones to cause you this pain.

“But you weren’t just my guards, you were my friends and I thought you all felt the same.”

There’s a whisper of “we do” but you ignore it.

They’ve never seen you like this, not when Taeyeon revealed her true colours, not when Sana moved away, you had said goodbye to people before, it was a part of life but nothing compared to when they left you, and you knew why, you just didn’t want to admit to it out loud. You didn’t want their pity, the pathetic Princess who had no friends who fell in love with her knights in shining armour, the people who were employed to ensure your safety. Misplaced feelings because you had no one else, you could hear Namjoon’s lecture already. They had never see you that way, if they had they wouldn’t have left.

If only you knew the thoughts running through the rest of their brains, how could they tell you they were compromised, that they broke your trust by falling for you, that every protocol dictated to them in their training stated they couldn’t keep a charge safe if they had feelings for them, they had to resign. Looking back it was the worst decision they ever made, but at the time it seemed like the most appropriate.

You scoff through your tears, “if you felt the same you would’ve at least come to see me, but you didn’t, you would’ve at least called or texted but you blocked my number, I tried to contact you everyday for the first two weeks and it was like you all didn’t exist anymore.”

There’s a grasp softly pulling you out of Taehyung’s hold and he whines as you’re taken away. Namjoon’s eyes are red, he looks like he’s on the brink of tears himself, but he holds it together.

“We’re so sorry Y/n,” he could never stop saying it, even if he did earn your forgiveness it could never assuage the guilt that weighed on them. “We honestly thought it was the right thing to do, if we kne-”

“On what planet was that ever the right thing to do Joon?” You cut him off, you didn’t want excuses.

“We made a mistake, leaving you was a mistake but we made one before that,” you frown at his words, what mistake? He contemplates his words but there’s no way mince them, no way to make what he’s about to say any easier. He’s not trying to make excuses, he’s not trying to justify his behaviour he just wanted to be honest. “We fell in love with our charge, the biggest offence we could commit, the biggest threat to your safety was us.”

He watches your eyes go wide as tears streamed down your face, he waited for your disgust, your displeasure.

“We are so in love with you Princess, it killed us to leave you but you have to believe me when I say we thought it was for the best.”

You can’t breathe. He wants you to say something, he needs you to say something, anything. You just stare at him in disbelief until you find the words to speak.

“Are you so stupid?” You gasp, gaze flickering to all their faces, theyre holding their breaths. “Are you all so blind that you couldn’t see that I was in love with you too?”

It was Namjoon’s turn to stare at you in disbelief, their jaws dropped.

“How stupid could you be Namjoon! Did you even think for a seco-” your voice is muffled by his chest as he pulls you into him, and he finally lets himself cry. You were right he was so stupid, he always prided himself on his intellect but look at the mess he made. He holds you like he’d never let you go, tight like you’d disappear in his arms.

“I’m so sorry Y/n, I’m so sorry,” he whimpers and it breaks your heart, you’ve never heard the leader sound like this. You sigh deeply in his arms, warmth finally starting to fill the hole.

“It’ll be alright Joonie,” you hug him back and he’s so grateful for you in that moment. “We’ll work through it.”

You have to believe that you will. More arms wrap around you both, tears of relief, tears of hope mixed with apologetic whispers, words of comfort. You feel the warmest you have in months.

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a-simple-imagine · 3 years

Text

An Afterthought pt.2

Synopsis: Maeve shows up on your doorstep one night all sad and what not then leaves. Now it’s your turn to try and make amends.

Pairing: Queen Maeve x fem!reader

Words: 4.1+

A/N - Did someone call for an angsty part 2 to a story i put out almost a year ago?? I got a fair few requests for this so here it is. I hope you enjoy it sorry if you don’t. request are open btw.

Warning - Swearing, violence and a very brief mention of zombies.

Part 1

Thoughts about Maeve are more frequent as of late. What was once just a passing thought as you spotted her face on magazine covers or painted on walls now became bothersome. What exactly had brought her to your doorstep that night? It had just been so unexpected. It left you so painfully curious for answers. There had to be more to the story. Not to mention, you also found yourself missing here once again: more so than before. A deep ache that came from an old forgotten wound that had begun to heal through time. A week had passed before you decided to do something stupid. It's amazing what you can find out online these days.

A bright sun sat high in the sky which left the air dry and you feeling warm. The hustle and bustle of city life was always your least favourite thing about living here and it was even worse today. Crowds of people stand behind a barrier that was maned by a few security guards. Did these people not having anything better to do than gawk at supes all day? You had basically scrubbed the internet to find out where she would be today which lead to a Twitter thread between someone called @MAEVESWIFE and @maelander who were talking about a vought commercial being shot outside the tower today. Queen Maeve and Homelander would both be there. But at least you personally knew here unlike these guys. It was kind of cool how many people idolised them. Working your way through the crowd, you earned some very dirty looks for trying to get to the front. Homelander and Maeve were in fact stood before a crew of people and a few cameras, smiling brightly and saying something you couldn't quite hear. Maeve seemingly spots you among the crowd so you wave a little. It was hard to figure out if she was happy or furious but she signals for a break and charged towards you. The crowd erupts with excitement as the Queen herself graces them with her presence and Homelander trails behind her. The woman offers nothing but polite smiles to the adoring fans as she takes your hand leading you along the length of the barrier and over to the threshold. It was safe to say that just about everyone who was still standing behind the security guards was very pissed off that you were getting special treatment.

"What are you doing here?" She growls through gritted teeth and a plastered on smile that disappears once you're out of view from prying eyes.

"I wanted to see you after-"

"Who's this?" You both turn to him and then back to each other.

"Oh my god, it's Homelander," You express, plastering on your brightest smile. Tall, Muscular with an award-winning smile. Bright blue eyes and silky blonde hair. The one and only Homelander walks up beside the two of you. It was almost humbling to be standing before the leader of the seven. He was so powerful- they both were and you were nothing short of ordinary.

"This is a closed set,"

Maeve didn't seem to know what to say exactly so you take it upon yourself to introduce yourself to him as her friend. Although you weren't even sure you could call yourself that at this point. It was a complicated relationship and considering you had broken up, it was the most appropriate label.

"Oh, She has never mentioned you,"

You're about to answer when Maeve takes your arm abruptly and pulls you away from the man. "Will you give us a second,"

A little confused, you give him a little wave goodbye paired with an awkward little smile. His eyes seem to trail after you but you think nothing of it.

"He's taller than expected," You muse aloud as attention falls back to your ex-girlfriend. Arms crossed over her chest and with a less than favourable expression on her face, it's pretty clear she isn't happy. Now she knows what it's like to have an ex show up unannounced.

"What do you want?" Maeve whisper yells at you. "I'm a little busy."

"I know just..." A quick glance to Homelander who had returned to his adoring fans. He had superhearing so you were pretty sure he could still hear you anyway. "after the other night I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"If everything was fine you wouldn't show up on my doorstep." A casual shrug of your shoulders. Maeve may be able to fake a smile for the cameras but it was always pretty obvious to you when she was lying to you.

"I said I'm fine. You need to leave."

"Maeve," A soft sigh leaves your lips and you take her hand in yours; brushing your thumb over the back of her hand. "You can talk to me."

"Leave," She growls, pulling her hand away. "Please."

"We need to talk about the other night- you at least owe me that."

With a deep breath, Maeve turns on her heel and begins to walk away. "I'm busy,"

For a moment you just watched her walk away then jogged after her. "Then we can talk later- you could come by tonight? I'll even make dinner."

"Fine. Now leave."

This time you let her walk away and continue making her little advertisement. You wouldn't admit to her that you stuck around a little longer. Even got a chance to talk to Homelander a little before heading home. Chill dude, if not a little intimidating. Maybe it had been a stupid idea to invite your ex-girlfriend over for dinner but you wanted to get to the bottom of all this. You were actually a little nervous for her to arrive. Cooking had never been your specialty but you wanted everything to be perfect. A quick stop on the way home to buy groceries, you worked on dinner since getting home. pacing around as you waited for her to arrive. And waited. And waited. and waited. Lucky for the uneasy feeling that had settled in your stomach, Maeve didn't show up. It probably should have been expected. She had never been the most reliable person unless she was saving the world apparently.

A loud bang has you stirring awake before the sun. It was probably just the neighbours; a loud groan as you bury your face into the covers to go back to sleep. But the banging doesn't stop and you soon realise it's your door. Rolling over, you check your phone to see it's four in the morning. What could anyone want at this time in the morning? Dragging yourself from under the protection of the duvet, you cautiously head to the door. Peaking through the peephole to see... Queen Maeve. "Just give me a chance."

A chance? You weren't sure she deserved any more of those but you still unlock the door and pull it open. Glancing over her as she offers up a smile. Does she ever wear anything other than her armour? "Chances comes after nine am." You protest putting what little strength you had into trying to close the door. It was effortless on her end to keep it open.

"You invited me over, remember?"

"I invited you over for dinner, Maeve. No sane person has dinner at four in the morning."

"I forgot I had a team-up with Black Noir- Just let me in."

With a defeated sigh, you step aside and retire to the couch. Slumped down against the cushions, your head falls back as your eyes flutter closed. The click of your door infers she follows you inside.

"Tired?"

"Mhmm." You hum, nodding nonchalantly.

"Do you want me to make you some coffee?" Maeve suggests and again, you nod. She was familiar with the apartment so she knew where everything was but it still felt a little odd to have her wandering around with such familiarity. Who just shows up this early for a serious talk? A silence comes between the two of you. She may have attempted to keep the conversation going in between asking if you wanted coffee and delivering it to you but you didn't notice. Sitting up as a hand is gently placed against your shoulder, she hands over a large mug.

Blowing gently over the top before you take a tentative sip; warmth radiated from the liquid as it slips down your throat. Maeve joins you, perching on the edge of the couch as if she was ready to leave again. Maybe she was now regretting her decision to visit. You were kind of regretting opening the door instead of just going back to sleep instead. Since you were up anyway, might as well make the most of it.

"I can- I can make you breakfast or something if you want? Since you... missed dinner."

"Oh great, yeah," Maeve responds.

"What would you like? Cereal, toast, pancakes maybe?"

"Pancakes would be great." Of course, they would. She had to pick the option that required the most effort. You didn't mind making her something as much as you just didn't want to get up.

"Alright just... give me a moment to wake up."

"You won't wake up if you keep trying to go back to sleep," A snarky remark that earned her a small smile, your middle finger shoots up in response. The two of you just sit in silence together and every few seconds or so you'd take a sip of the coffee she made. It was all feeling a little awkward. Placing the mug down on the coffee table, you rise and get started on making breakfast. Maeve moves from the couch to the kitchen table, fiddling with the little salt and pepper shakers that always resided there. You don't know what to say and clearly, neither does she.

"So... how are things?" You question as you whisk the mixture together.

"I'm fine, I guess" She shrugs a little. You can't help but sigh a little. "What?"

"Nothing," you insist, grabbing the frying pan and place it over a medium heat; Adding a blob of butter and some oil. "If you don't want to talk Maeve then why did you bother to come over?"

Placing down the salt and pepper shaker with a clink, her attention falls to you. "because you asked."

"Yeah, I asked to talk about the other night. You were clearly messed up."

"Why is it so hard to believe I was just looking to fuck?" It was really hard to believe but rather that you just knew it wasn't true. You were pretty sure Maeve had her choice of partners should she require one. So why come to your door?

"Because I'm not stupid" You pour the mixture into the pan with a satisfying sizzle. "I know you well enough to know that's bull."

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought."

Flipping the pancake over, you're taken back by her comment. Did you know Maeve as well as you thought? You had never expected her to just up and leave you one day and she did? She lived an entire superhero life that you knew nothing about. Maeve had always been pretty private when it came to that side of herself. You make another couple of pancakes before serving her up a plate.

"You aren't eating?"

"Too early," you return, taking up the seat opposite her. You watch as her fork pierce the surface of the pancake, cutting off a small piece and pop it into her mouth.

"Taste okay?"

"They're good," Mouth hidden behind the palm of her hand as she mumbled through her food. It lowered a moment later. "I came over because my job is hard. I was the in the area, I was having a tough day."

"A tough day?" Getting any sort of details out of her was like pulling teeth. Why was she so reluctant to speak to you? If she didn't want to have this conversation she should have just no turned up like she hadn't for dinner. Would have saved the effort and you could be sleeping right now.

"Yeah,"

"That's that then." Hands slap against the table as you rise from the seat. No point in sticking around if this wasn't going anywhere. "Case closed. When you're finished just leave the plate in the sink, I'm going back to bed."

"Seriously?"

"You woke me up at four am just to tell me you had a bad day. Shit, I have plenty of bad days, I don't show up at Vought tower." You start walking back towards your bedroom although your slow, hesitant even like you were just waiting for an excuse to turn back.

"I really was having a bad day," she repeats. "Really bad. And all I could think about was seeing you." And getting drunk, guess she just conveniently forgot about that part. There were many moments although brief where you were having a hard time and you thought about going to see Maeve. She used to be such a big part of your life it was almost an instinct to return to her for comfort. You never actually did obviously. As pathetic as her explanation was, it brought you back to the dining table. "Can I ask you something?"

"Depends."

"What's the worst thing you could ever imagine?"

"Huh?" What kind of question was that?

"Just answer it,"

Your mouth opens but no answer comes to mind at all. You were more curious about the reason behind it. It's too early for philosophical debates and it had nothing to do with anything you had been talking about. "uh, I don't know... post-apocalyptic zombie invasion, maybe?"

"Can you take this seriously?"

"I am," you huff. It was a stupid question anyway. "Zombies-"

"really freak you out, I remember." Strange thing to remember. It couldn't have come up in conversation often. It was a little funny the small things people remembered about each other. "I meant something that could actually happen though. I've seen some pretty fucked up shit."

"Like what?" She turns to you like she's about to say something but quickly stops herself. Continuing the eat the breakfast you so lovingly prepared. With the way she had been playing with her food, you suspected she no longer wanted it despite having hardly eaten any.

"Being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sometimes I wish I could just live a normal life or whatever"

"Nothing glamorous about a normal life," You stifle a yawn. "I think I'd rather be adored by millions and save the day but we aren't all lucky enough to have powers."

"Lucky," A bitter laugh. "I wouldn't call myself lucky."

"You're being so weird." You comment, a quirked brow.

"I would rather be adored by one person who truly means it."

"Guess that's all anyone wants. Supe or not."

Her eyes meet yours for a few seconds before dropping. Did she mean you? There was no doubt you had feelings for the woman and very much still did. But you can't imagine it's anything compared to the weirdos who worship the ground she walks on. They obviously didn't really know her and vice versa but still. There was an element of pureness that came with being so dedicated to someone. "You never answered my question."

"I don't know Maeve it's too early..." You grumble. "Do you want me to say something like war or famine or something?"

"Not unless it's the truth."

Everyone wished for world peace. Everyone wanted to feed the hungry. House the homeless. Basic answers that any decent person would come up with. It lacked originality. It lacked feeling. Everyone would probably have a more personal reason."What's yours?"

"Something happening to you... because of me."

"Really? That's the worst thing you can think of?" Didn't she just say she had seen a lot of messed up stuff and yet her concern resided with you? What did she think would happen? And didn't a broken heart technically count as something happening because of her? Shifting in your seat, you lean down onto the table before you. Thinking of your own answer. The worst thing you could imagine?

"I answered," she shrugs but doesn't elaborate. "Now you go."

"I guess... finding out you died," Should you admit something like that? "You're the strongest person I know. I still... care for you. I'm not sure I would handle it well- Is that a better answer?"

"It's sufficient."

"Sufficient? I really don't know what you want from me Maeve? I don't know what the worst thing is, okay? I'm too tired for this shit."

She places her cutlery carefully on the plate, pushing out her seat. "I should go."

"Maeve?"

"I'll go, you can go back to bed. I don't even know why I came here."

"No. Stay. I wanna talk."

" Let's just forget this ever happened." Brushing herself off, Maeve heads back towards the door. This whole back and forth was growing awfully tiresome. Every time you thought you scratched the surface of her mask, there was a new layer underneath more impenetrable than the last. Maybe you should just let her go? It'd be easier. It was probably for the best too but when she had shown up at your door the other night, you realised just how much you still wanted this. Still wanted her. She may have left you one day without any explanation but seeing her for the first time in a long time had brushed all rational thought aside. You were in love with her even now. Tears brimmed your eyes whether it was due to tiredness or a flush of emotions, it was unclear.

"If you walk out that door I'm done," You declare as confidently as you can. Hoping your sadness was hidden amongst the dim light that filled the entire room. "Don't bother showing up on my doorstep when you have a shitty day." Maeve pauses with her hand on the doorknob but only for a second before twisting the handle and pulling open the door. "Maeve... just tell me what's going on with you, please."

"Everything I have done to you was to protect you." Final words as she leaves. The door clicking behind her. To protect you? From what? What was she even talking about anymore. Anger bubbles deep inside you and you find yourself charging after her. Bursting out into the chilly hallway, you catch her in the corner of your eye. She was leaning against the wall just outside your apartment basking in the flicker of the corridor light.

"Protect me from what?" You wonder quietly, taking a wary step closer. "I don't understand."

"...Homelander." Voice but a whisper mumbled into the darkness. Homelander? The Homelander? Why would you need protection from him, you didn't even know him? Plus he was like a beloved superhero and the last time you checked, superheroes were the good guys.

"You're scared of... the world's greatest superhero?"

"Never meet your heroes."

"Aren't you two like friends? You even dated him. Why are you scared of him?" Another step closer, you lay your hand tenderly on her shoulder. An attempt to support her even if you didn't understand the situation. "He didn't seem so bad when I met him yesterday. I actually spoke with him after."

"You spoke after? Why?" Maeve snarled swiftly making you back away a little only for her hand to snap around your wrist. Cold fingertips apply a deep pressure to your skin as if it's taking everything in her not to press harder. You swallow hard, confused by her anger. "I told you to leave"

"It- it's not a big deal. He just wanted to know more about us," Even you can hear the panic in your voice as you struggle to get the words out. It was a little embarrassing, to say the least, but you'd never really experienced this side of Maeve before. Her anger had never really been directed towards you.

"And you told him?"

"Yeah. He took it pretty well actually, I was surprised. "

"How can you be so fucking stupid?" Her grasp begins to stiffen around your wrist. Maeve was strong, inhumanly so. If she wanted to she could break every one of your bones like it was nothing. That never used to bother you so much but in this instance, your own weakness had never been more apparent.

"Maeve," You struggle against her grip, a pleading look as you meet the brown of her eyes. "...You're scaring me,"

Those magic words seemed to break the spell that had come over her and Maeve released you in an instant. Regret washing off her face in record time. "I'm sorry, okay- I'm sorry," You take a step back; the other hand rubbing at the wrist she just let go off. "I didn't mean to- I wouldn't hurt you."

"I... let's just go back inside." It's hard to pretend that didn't just happen. That Maeve didn't almost crush your wrist for doing the wrong thing. But it wasn't her fault, right? She just isn't herself at the moment. Her emotions got the best of her when she found out you told Homelander about your relationship. Warily, you hold out your hand in offering. It's a little shakey but you just hope she doesn't notice as she takes your hand and you lead the way back into your apartment. Shutting the door behind the two of you, you return to the couch. Sat on either ends so you're as far away as possible without being on the floor, things are feeling a little awkward now. You can't help but focus on your wrist, the feeling of her hand still lingers in a ghostly embrace. "I'm sorry I told Homelander about us."

"You didn't know..."Maeve lets out a heavy sigh as she turns to face you. "Homelander is a monster. He's hurt people just for looking at me funny- "

"Oh." A little surprising to hear. You had always kind of suspected Homelander was a bit of an arsehole but not that he was inherently a bad person. He saves people after all. You've seen him save people. He was basically on the news every other day or in the newspaper or trending on Twitter. There was no evidence to supporting Maeve's theory but you also had no reason not to trust her. She had no reason to lie to you.

"He's done atrocious things. He's made me do atrocious things. I was trying to protect you from him- and from myself,"

"...Why are you telling me this now?" Couldn't she have just told you all this from the beginning? It still didn't explain why she had just shown up the other day either? Clearly, something had happened between her and Homelander at least that's what you gathered from the context.

"To keep you safe," Maeve returns. "So you'll stop hating me."

"I could never hate you," An offer of a faint smile that may or may not betray you. When she had first left you, you were so filled with hatred but it was so hard to stay angry at her. You didn't hate her anymore but you couldn't say you were simply over it now. "It's not your fault."

"It is though- I put you in this situation. I let those people die,"

"What are you talking about? What people?" Every time Maeve opened her mouth you grew slightly more confused and you didn't know how to help. Watching her with an inquisitive eye, you notice as a tear or two begins to glide down her rose-tinted cheeks. It was enough to bring your walls crashing down. Whatever she was talking about must be really affecting her for her to start crying. A hand reaches out only to pull back as you remember what happened last time. You take a deep breath, sitting up a little straighter.

"I should have stood up to him but I was scared."

"Scared of Homelander," You repeat. Still trying to process the information.

"I don't want to be a monster like him." Against your better judgement, this time you shuffle closer and entice her into a soothing hug. Holding onto her tightly like you never wanted to let go because frankly, you didn't. Maeve was warm, she was safe. You wanted to offer her that same sense of comfort even if it was impossible. You wanted to drown in her affection.

"You're not a monster, Maeve" The other woman melts into your caring touch, burying her face in the crook of your neck. You were so used to confident, super-strong Maeve that it was a little weird to have her be so vulnerable. Especially sober. But even your words weren't enough to trick your brain into quelling that twinge of fear that now resides in you. "Whatever's going on, I'm gonna help you get through it. I promise."

#the boys #Queen Maeve #queen maeve x reader #queen maeve imagine #dominique mcelligott

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amaya-chwan · 3 years

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Takeaways from Therapy Game: Restart Chapter 13 (and some Therapy Game news!)

Hello everyone! I hope you've all been well these past two months and taken care of yourselves! 💜

Before we get into our takeaways for chapter 13, I saw some news from Hinohara-sensei's Official Twitter that I would like to share with you all!

First piece of news: Therapy Game re:start volume 2 will be released on 1st June 2021! 🎉

Second: in conjunction with the release of the second volume, Sensei will have an in-person fan signing event at the Ikebukuro Animate store (animate honten) AND will have a special limited time shop featuring goods of our favourite dorks! This shop will be opened 6th-20th June! 🎉🎉

Image from Sensei's Official Twitter post! ❤️💛💜❤️

Now, what does the second piece of news mean for us not living in Japan (such as myself)? 🤔 Well, one of two things could happen:

We could see the merch on Sensei's Twitter and wish we could buy them one day 😭 OR

Animate could "potentially" release this merch for online order!

I'm not trying to get anyone's hopes up, but when I saw Animate open a special Yuri!!! on Ice shop last year, I didn't think they'd release merch online. But they did, for a very, very short period of time only! So my only hope is that they do that again for Hinohara-sensei! 🤞

Here's the special website from Sensei's twitter that has information about the fan signing event and limited time shop! It seems they'll show what merch will be available in the shop when it's all been finalised.

If I spot anymore updates about that, I'll try to post about it here! ❤️💛

Alright, down to business as usual! Let's get into our takeaways~ Thank you for being so patient with me! Life has been a little busy this year with juggling work and social life! So I really appreciate your patience! 💜

Here are our takeaways for this chapter:

Loving the brotherly love we see in this chapter! Warms my heart to no end! ❤️💛💜❤️

Minato, bb, you are growing up a lot! I am proud of you! 😭

Did I ever tell you guys that I really love Mito-san too? No? Well now I have ahah! He is just amazing and I love the energy he has--cool and lovable, yet smooth and sexy! Loving the domestic vibes I'm getting! 😍😍

AHHH SHIZUMA! Your smile is too pure, it's blinding! 🥰

Just couple goals from Shizuma and Minato, AND from Mito-san and Shouhei! (Why I don't call Mito-san Itsuki, I'll never know ahah I blame Shouhei! XDDD) ❤️💛💜❤️

The younger sibling moments in this chapter are so relatable! (I am that younger sibling ahahah!) 🤣🤣🤣

I honestly don't know what to think of Onodera at this point in time? 🤔

The (supposed) date time with Shizuma and Minato went from adorable anticipation to steamy relations in a split second, but not NSFW! 😲

And that’s it for this chapter’s takeaways! For a more detailed breakdown/summary of this chapter, please continue after the cut! Since it's been a while since the last chapter, I threw in some extra surprises in this summary, so keep reading if you want to see~ 😉✨

Our chapter begins with an image of Mito-san and Minato, with Minato's cheek leaning on Mito-san's shoulder. The dialogue reads: When it seems like my overflowing emotions are about to burst from the seams, I really do yearn for this back (i.e. something familiar he can always lean on).

We see Minato spaced out on a sofa, being called by Itsuki. Itsuki tells Minato to go home if he's just going to sit there like that since he is very busy cleaning his entire home for when Shouhei moves in with him! Minato gets up, understands the situation, and helps Itsuki out.

Itsuki, knowing something has happened between Shizuma and Minato, asks Minato directly since he only goes to Itsuki's place when he is troubled, and he must be troubled by something related to Shizuma. He also says that Shizuma is worried about Minato, especially since Itsuki lied to him about Minato's whereabouts.

Minato brushes it off, saying that it's nothing big. He talks about the time when they had to drop by Shizuma's workplace, he saw a woman/Onodera (not knowing she's Shizuma's director) and that Shizuma made an very adorable face while talking to her.

Minato stops talking, so Itsuki asks if that is all to the story. Minato then says yes, so Itsuki deduces that Minato is ignoring Shizuma because he happily spoke with that woman (Onodera) and confirms with Minato, who then agrees. Itsuki blames himself for raising Minato like this and apologises to Shizuma in his inner monologue.

Minato defensively says he's told Shizuma not to do that, yet he still does. Minato's monologue says that this Shizuma--who is talking to someone unknown to him, about a story he doesn't know, in a place he doesn't know about--seems like a distant person to him.

He realises that even though he and Shizuma are together, he cannot monopolise him, and that it annoys him. So rather than tell him not to speak with others, he has chosen not to see Shizuma until he calms down. Suddenly, a handyman appears at Itsuki's home to beginning furniture installations.

Image translated from Sensei’s Twitter post here!

Minato is surprised Itsuki replaced a lot of his furniture, to which Itsuki replies: "I wonder if Shouhei-kun prefers the new ones too." Minato says Shouhei would freeze from this "surprise" and imagines Shouhei asking how much it cost!

Itsuki, still in his happy bubble, says he wants Shouhei to also select some household furniture and accessories, so they'll go shopping together next time. Minato is happy for them since their house-moving plans are going well. Itsuki goes back to their previous topic of conversation, and says how Shizuma and Shouhei both are very charming. He recounts how Shouhei would handle different kinds of customers, from the difficult to the sad ones, how his charms and personable skills would change their mood completely, and calls him a genius who has a knack for calming customers.

Minato asks if Itsuki dislikes that, since he himself doesn't know what to think of Shizuma showing his charm and friendliness to others and that some misunderstandings would arise eventually.

Itsuki then reminds Minato that out of all the people in the world, Shizuma asked Minato to live with him, and that thought alone must've made him happy.

Minato does agree, yet it doesn't change the fact that he is unaware of what Shizuma does outside of the home. Itsuki is then suspicious that Minato and Shizuma are going to move in together too.

Minato panics, and says he just meant that from Itsuki's point of view since he's moving in with Shouhei. Just as Minato thinks he's almost let the secret slip, he gets a phone call. Itsuki tells Minato that it's Shizuma, but Minato refuses to pick it up as he is "still cleaning"--the real reason is that Minato told Shizuma he wouldn't forgive him if they speak before Minato gave the OK to talk again.

Itsuki, being the older brother, answers the phone and slides it on the desk near Minato and leaves him to talk with Shizuma, even putting it on loud speaker since Minato is preoccupied.

Shizuma is frantically trying to get a response from Minato, to which Minato responds with a simple: “What... I can hear you.” The first thing Shizuma asks is where Minato is at this present moment, fearing that he might be at a suspicious place. Minato says he isn't and is in fact in the neighbourhood doing some errands. Shizuma breathes a sigh of relief and is thankful his call finally reached Minato as no one he asked knew where Minato was, and because Shizuma was overthinking things, he was just about to go searching for him.

Minato tells him that he doesn't need to go to such lengths and make such a big fuss about it, but Shizuma tells him that he will always make a big fuss about it since it's about Minato. To avoid such a thing happening again, Shizuma tells Minato not to make him worry. Then these pages happen:

Just as their talk of their brothers' moving into together comes to an end, Shizuma gets all excited to go apartment hunting with Minato again and reminds him, not knowing that Itsuki is also listening. The Mito brothers freeze in surprise, with Itsuki soon confirming his earlier suspicions with Minato--his eyes and aura going all kira kira (i.e. sparkly). Minato tries to reprimand him for bringing it up now, but Shizuma continues on, saying he's found a few places he likes and they should start inspecting prospective apartments soon before they're overwhelmed by it all.

Minato hastily agrees to it all, and Shizuma smirks on the other end of the phone, asking Minato when they can see each other. Shizuma suggests Friday if he is too busy at the present moment, and just as Minato gives work as an excuse not to see him on that day, Itsuki jumps in and says he can go see Shizuma.

Shizuma, very surprised by the fact Itsuki overheard their conversation, says his name aloud, and Shouhei overhears him. Itsuki thanks Shizuma for letting him overhear such an adorable story featuring Shouhei. And then this happens:

Still very flustered, Minato quickly agrees to seeing Shizuma on Friday and promptly ends the call before Shizuma can even finish saying "Wait!" Itsuki happily approaches Minato and asks to hear more of their apartment hunting adventures, to which Minato replies that nothing is final yet!

We change locations, and Minato is now on the balcony scrubbing the floor. Minato recalls how he wanted to tell Itsuki about his and Shizuma's plans to move in together further down the track. He then is overjoyed at the thought that Shizuma missed him and wanted to see him. While he awaits Friday, he remembers and is embarrassed by how furious he was the last time they saw each other. He plans to start a skin routine to care for his face and to get his hair done.

Just as he thinks this, he is called out by none other than Shizuma, who is on the ground floor outside. Minato, visibly surprised, asks Shizuma why he’s here. Shizuma tells him that the shop is close to his home. Minato knows this, but is more curious as to why he is here since they just agreed to see each other on Friday. Shizuma is taken aback for a moment, before saying:

While Minato hides away from Shizuma and quickly tries to style his hair, Itsuki overhears a ruckus on his balcony and goes to investigate. We then find out that Shouhei accompanied Shizuma. Shouhei calls out to Itsuki and asks why he didn't tell him that he was cleaning the whole house. The Ikushima brothers offer to help out with the cleaning, with Shizuma joining in because his younger brother will be under Itsuki's care soon. Itsuki happily agrees, saying that he wouldn't be able to fully clean the place if only Minato were there.

As the Ikushima brothers are getting ready to go upstairs to help, Itsuki says the brothers are indeed good, endearing people, and their charming personalities would probably make Minato and Itsuki anxious at times. Minato agrees. Itsuki then continues to say that while Shizuma and Shouhei charm those around them, the only ones who can make them smile the way they do are themselves. Minato is concerned about a possible intruder in their relationship, and Itsuki provides some brotherly advice.

We change scenes to Onodera, smoking on the clinic rooftop and thinking about Shizuma's smiling face.

We change scenes again to Minato, waiting for Shizuma at a predetermined location since it is now Friday. Happy with his new hairdo, Minato reminds himself not to get angry, to sort out the current situation they're in (i.e. Minato's one-sided anger at Shizuma), and to be calm and collected.

Shizuma then gets out of a car across the road, and looks around for Minato. Minato, who can see him very clearly, smiles happily and decides to let Shizuma look for him a little longer. A few more moments pass by, and Shizuma spots Minato and then waves happily to him. However, there is a slight problem.

Minato sees “the woman from last time” (Onodera) driving the car who then passes Shizuma his phone, with him smiling awkwardly at her. He recalls Itsuki's brotherly advice. Minato had actually asked Itsuki a follow-up question: "You say ‘just don't lose,’ but what should I actually do?" Itsuki tells him that it's something he has to figure out for himself.

Shizuma runs to Minato, apologising for making Minato wait. He explains that he was running late due to various issues, and he seemed to have dropped his phone in the car of the person who dropped him off. Before he could even tell Minato that it's his director who dropped him off, Minato says he doesn't need to say anything else and to just go out with him.

We see that Shizuma and Minato are now at a hotel, with Minato quickly pushing Shizuma onto the bed. Shizuma is annoyed at himself for letting Minato see such a scene that would cause a misunderstanding. Before heading over to the bed, Minato closes the door, turns to face Shizuma, and grins. He crawls onto the bed and immediately kisses Shizuma. He calls out Shizuma's name before asking him:

He softly pleads with Shizuma, asking for a quick response. Shizuma wonders if Minato's jealously is making him want to be held right now. He thinks Minato is really, really adorable, but also realises this isn't the right time to be thinking this. So Shizuma does tell Minato he loves him, that it's obvious he loves him very much. He apologises for causing him to worry and that he never once intended to do so. Minato cuts him off, saying that he understands and that it's okay.

Despite saying so, Shizuma notices the atmosphere is a little different than usual. Minato then tells Shizuma that he's been thinking of a way to ensure he doesn't lose Shizuma to anyone or lets anyone take him. The final page shows us this:

Again, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR! 💜 📢 As always, please support Hinohara-sensei by purchasing her books and CDs! 📢

And that’s it for this chapter! 😲 Another cliffhanger here, and ngl that was a little (SFW-ish) steamy? I honestly do not know what to expect in the next chapter!! Dominant Minato????? But I hope you enjoyed the few extra panels in this summary! 💜 My laptop struggled to keep up, so I will go back to only showing a handful of panels in future summaries. Please also refrain from resharing these translations and images outside of this post! Thank you for understanding! ❤️💛

The next chapter will be in next month's Dear+, so the wait isn't too much longer! So I shall see you all next month for our next set of takeaways to find out what happens next!

As always, stay safe during these turbulent times and look out for each other and for your loved ones! 💜❤️💛

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alex-writes-things · 3 years

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How to Write An Aromantic Or Asexual Character

Right, so, I already made a post on this last summer. However, I’ve realised that it wasn’t very accurate, and since there were so many suggestions in the comments I’ve decided to make a new, improved version. I hope you find this helpful and enjoy including some excellent representation!

This is using my own experience, notes from others, and my research on the topic. I’ve spent many nights twisting and turning and researching different orientations and labels that could fit me, and although now I’ve decided on queer (though I’m openly acespec) that research has come in handy!

What does ‘aromantic’ mean?

Someone who is aromantic feels little to no romantic attraction or desire. They may be romance repulsed, but not always.

What does ‘asexual’ mean?

Someone who is asexual feels little to no sexual attraction or desire. They may be sex repulsed, but not always.

Is that it?

No! There’s a whole massive spectrum of identities that fall under the aspectrum, including demisexual, demiromantic, greyromantic and greyromantic (but there are many more than this). Definitions for these can be found online, and on social media accounts dedicated to aro/ace experiences, such as @justaroacethings or you can ask me!

Struggles related to asexuality and aromanticism

I think my asexuality was and is the hardest thing to come to terms with about my sexuality and identity. Most days, it’s something I’m proud of, and though I don’t shout about it, and I haven’t told my family, it actually makes me quite happy.

If you’re not aromantic or asexual or somewhere on the spectrum yourself, while I urge you to have aro and ace characters in your stories, please avoid writing a story about these experiences. However, it’s important to know what can be hard for us! Amatanormativity and allonormativity make us victims, and teach society that we are inhuman, and teach us that we aren’t acceptable. This is wrong, but it is something many of us struggle with and it doesn’t hurt to mention in the story!

HOWEVER: WE ARE NOT INHERENTLY SAD OR ASHAMED. BEING ARO/ACE IS COOL AND A LOT OF US ARE PROUD, SO PLEASE, HAVE A PROUD CHARACTER, BECAUSE WE NEED MORE OF THOSE!

Don’t aspec people get lonely?

Well, firstly, romantic and sexual relationships aren’t the only kinds of love and aren’t the only sources of happiness! We can have friends, family, pets, and date (yes, even aromantics, because attraction doesn’t equate to action) and there are also things called QPRs (queerplatonic relationships) which are really cool and might be good to look into!

Do’s for writing aromantic characters

- let them have friends and family and people around them that they love or that love them

- state that they’re aro, if they know and the world is one in which aromanticism is known of. if not, let them describe their feelings! even if there’s no word to describe it, it’s not too difficult to communicate!

- consider whether they feel awkward in romantic situations, and whether they’ve had a relationship in the past, whether it failed, made them realise they were aro/arospec, or even if it worked!

- you don’t need to include the hardships they face, but if you think you can do that well and it will add to the story ask me or an aro/ace friend to have a look over it!

- remember that they can still experience sexual attraction!!

Don’ts for writing aromantic characters

- don’t make them sad and lonely. this enforces amatanormativity and the idea that you need romance to live a happy life!

- they don’t need to be afraid of affection and physical contact. i’ve met aros who only felt repulsed by these things when clearly they were romantic gestures.

- don’t make being aromantic their only personality trait

- please don’t enforce the stereotype that they are rude and unloving- this isn’t true.

- don’t make them hate themself for being aro. this is harmful and although is sadly sometimes the case, it’s not something we need to see in fiction

Dos for writing asexual characters

- give them a romantic partner if that’s something they want

- remember that while some aces are sex repulsed, not all are, and we aren’t necessarily scared of sex!

- once again, give them friends and family too if they want that!

- state that they’re ace, if they know and the world is one in which asexuality is known of. if not, let them describe their feelings! even if there’s no word to describe it, it’s not too difficult to communicate!

- consider how they may feel in intimate situations

Don’ts for writing asexual characters

- don’t make them afraid of physical contact

- don’t make them sad and lonely because of their asexuality

- don’t make being ace their only personality trait

- don’t sexualise or fetishize them (or anyone!!)

- don’t focus on how ‘abnormal’ they are, because it’s not true!

What is repulsion like?

Repulsion can be nausea, anxiety, feeling uncomfortable, feeling irritated or frustrated, or an urge to run away etc. There’s not only one way to experience this.

Conclusion

Everyone experiences being on the aspectrum so differently- these are just some tips to help you better understand these identities and hopefully better your representation and make a deep, inoffensive aro/ace character!

#aromantic #asexual #aro #ace #aromantic asexual #aroace #writing aromantic characters #writing asexual characters #writing #writing tips #writers #writeblr #aromantic characters #asexual characters

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arvinsescape · 4 years

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Minnie

A/N: Been a couple weeks since i’ve had time to write. Hope you enjoy, this got kinda long.

Summary: The story of how you and Tom ended up owning a cat.

W/C: 1.8K

You and Tom had been walking Tess around the park as normal when you noticed Tess stop at a nearby bush. Assuming she’d spotted a stick to bring along on the walk, you continued on when you noticed that she wasn’t following. You turned around and watched as she continued to stare at the bush, seemingly at nothing. Wondering what she was so interested in, you made your way in her direction when she suddenly barked and ran towards the two of you. Deciding she was just being odd, you went to carry on your walk when she barked again and ran back to the same bush she’d come from as if asking you to follow her, you gave Tom a look as if to ask what on Earth was going on, he just shrugged and followed Tess, you just behind.

“What’ve you found Tess?” Tom asked as he neared the bush she was still barking at.

On closer inspection, your heart melted as you saw what it was she was so interested in. It was an incredibly small little kitten. It was shivering and whimpering as if it had been there a while. You looked around for any sign of more kittens and a mother cat, but you couldn’t see anything. You looked at Tom who had been incredibly quiet, it was no secret that he wasn’t the biggest fan of cats but even he would have to admit the small animal was incredibly cute and in need of help, he might have hated cats but he wasn’t heartless.

Tess tentatively moved towards the kitten and sniffed it before licking it, she really was an angel, not an aggressive bone in her body. “What should we do? I don’t think it belongs to anyone and it doesn’t appear to have a mum.”

“Well it’s a Sunday and it’s 6 o clock, the vets aren’t open, and the nearest shelter is quite a drive away.” He concluded, you knew what he was getting at, he just didn’t want to say it.

“Should we take it home? Look after it until tomorrow when we can get it a vet’s appointment and they can make sure it gets to a good home or shelter?” You knew he wasn’t going to say no, the poor thing needed help and he wasn’t a monster, he wouldn’t just leave it.

“Well if we don’t I doubt it’ll make it through the night.” He replied as you were already picking it up and wrapping it into your coat and enveloping the small animal into your warmth. You grinned at him as you leaned up on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He might not have liked cats, but you certainly did, and you decided that this was probably the closest you’d ever to get to having a cat whilst you were with Tom.

“Don’t get too attached though Y/N, we can’t keep it. I’m not cruel enough to let it die but I still don’t like cats.” He teased as he grinned back at you. You wondered in your giddy little fantasy if by the end of this you’d change his mind and he’d let you keep it, but he was incredibly stubborn so you’d let it be a giddy fantasy.

Once you’d made it home you’d decided that whilst you were trying to warm the small animal up properly, Tom would go to the shops and get it anything it may need. Tess watched your every move as you nursed the kitten back to some sort of warmth, she was wagging her tail as she watched.

“Maybe we can convince your dad to keep it.” You teased as you grinned at Tess before stroking her. She barked excitedly, almost as if she was agreeing to your words. You smiled to yourself as you continued to attend to the kitten. Deciding it was incredibly soft and she surely wouldn’t mind you placed the kitten in Tess’s bed, your heart melting instantly at the sight, it looked so small in such a big bed. Tom came through the door not a minute later, all the items you’d read you would need in his arms.

“Okay, we should probably- aww.” He cut himself short as he looked at the kitten on the bed. “It really is small isn’t it?” he cooed, you grinned as you looked at him, when he looked back his face somewhat hardened as he pointed a finger teasingly at you “this doesn’t mean anything.”

“I didn’t think it did.” You grinned back, knowing full well what was going on in his head. He just didn’t want to admit that small animal was quickly taking a place in his heart.

“Right we really should start making sure it eats something.” He said as he helped you tend to the animal.

****

It was 3am when you made your way to bed, having spent hours tending to the kitten, you surmised that there really was nothing more you could do, you’d fed it and warmed it up. It still hadn’t moved much but it was breathing.

“Okay baby, I can’t stay awake any longer, I’m going to have to head to bed.” You said as you got up from the couch.

“Okay darling, I love you.” he said as he got up to give you a kiss and a cuddle, you pulled back in confusion. “You’re not coming with?” you asked.

“Nah, I’ll stay up another couple hours and feed it again.” He said as he sat back down and looked at the kitten that was now curled up in the bed with Tess, the sight had made both your hearts melt.

“Okay, I love you.” You said as you made your way to bed, huge grin on your face. Maybe your fantasy wasn’t going to be a fantasy after all.

****

You woke up around 11pm, you felt strangely cold even though the temperature in the room was far from cold. You turned over and noticed Tom wasn’t in bed with you and judging by the coolness of his side of the bed, you guessed he’d been out of bed a while, if he’d even been in it at all. You made your way downstairs and into the living room. You stopped as you took in the sight before you. Tom was asleep on the couch, Tess next to him and you didn’t miss the tiny little kitten laying on his chest as it slept soundly.

Tess was the first to realise you’d entered the room as she bounced from the couch and made her way over to you, you petted her and let her into the garden for a little while. As you made your way back into the living room you noticed Tom was awake now, you grinned at him.

“Don’t say a word.” He said as he looked at your smiling face.

“It climb up there when you were sleeping?” you teased.

“Something like that, yeah.”

****

After booking an emergency vets appointment you were sat in the waiting room as you waited for your name to be called.

“Tess seemed sad to see it go, don’t you think.” You asked.

“She did actually.” He said. No witty comeback? You thought he’d have something jokey to say back. You sat in a comfortable silence as you held the kitten wrapped up in your blanket. Your name was called as you made your way into the vet’s room.

“So, who have we got here?” The vet asked as she took the kitten from you.

“It doesn’t have a name, we found it yesterday when we were out walking.” You explained.

“I see. So, I’m going to have a look at it for you now.” She smiled as she weighed the kitten, it had seemingly gained a little more life, managing to stand on it’s legs and move around a little. “It’s quite underweight” she said as she started examining it further.

“Yeah, we guessed it might be, we fed it what we could, but we read online that you don’t wanna over feed them. I hope we did the right thing.” Tom said as he seemingly grew concerned for the little kitten. The vet looked at him and smiled.

“You absolutely did, I don’t think it would have survived the night if you hadn’t taken it in.” She answered as she continued to check over the animal. After a few minutes she looked back up at you. “Well it’s a girl and by looks of things only about 4 months old. She will need quite a few vaccinations and flea treatment, I think it may have been wild.”

“4 months? But it’s absolutely tiny.” You said, genuinely shocked at the age of the kitten.

“I can only assume she was the runt and unfortunately most wild animals leave the runt, survival of the fittest and all that.” She said as she gave the kitten everything that it needed. You sighed as you heard the news, the poor thing. After another few minutes the vet was done.

“Okay, I have given her all the treatment that I can for now. She needs to put a lot of weight on, I suppose the question now is what to do with her. We have quite a few shelters that are brilliant and will look after her and find her a home as quick as they can.”

Unbeknownst to you Tom had been eyeing you carefully throughout the exchange and he’d surprised himself at the decision he’d come to. You just looked so sad at the thought of the little thing leaving, how could he not? And anyway it was cute and he reasoned in his mind that this kitten owed him one so it wouldn’t turn out evil and he’d be able to trust it. He’d made up his mind as he spoke.

“What if we want to keep her?”

“What?” You asked as you turned to him shocked expression and tears gathering in your eyes.

“What if we keep her.” He said again as he took in your expression. Yeah, keeping this kitten was definitely worth it, if only for the look on your face right now.

“You’re serious?” You asked as you cried happily.

“Deadly, darling” he grinned. You engulfed him in a tight hug as you thanked him and kissed his face all over. The vet grinned at the exchange.

“So what are we going to call her?” The vet asked as she handed Tom the registration forms.

“I don’t know, what do you think darling?” he asked as he looked at you.

“Minnie. You know like the mouse and also how small she is.” You said as you grinned at him. You didn’t think you could fall more in love with the brown eyed, brown haired man, but here he was proving you wrong. He started to write her name as he continued to fill out the forms.

“Minnie. Perfect.”

#tom holland x reader #tom holland one shot #tom holland imagine #tom holland #tom holland fluff

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theasstour · 4 years

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𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 | 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 𝟏𝟎.𝟒𝐊 𝐍𝐁: 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞

A/N: IT’S FINALLY HERE 🐚🌊✨ Lightkeeper!Harry is here and I’m BEYOND excited to show you lot this concept I’ve been thinking about quite literally everyday for MONTHS now! I love this story with my entire heart, and I really hope it resonates with some of you and that you fall completely in love with lightkeeper!harry and ST like I have 🥺 Love you! Enjoy! x

Thursday, 11 June

The universe would always balance itself out, Y/N McKay was aware of this. She was aware that if she had faith and believed everything happens for a reason, it would make the tough times of her life easier to mentally handle. If she did good, the universe would work to give it back to her in some other form. However, that didn’t mean that when something dreadful did happen it wouldn’t affect her, and she wouldn’t feel hopeless. Because she did. Very much so.

Most of her life she had lived in a constant state of harmony. She was neither displeased nor satisfied with the life she was leading because it kept her out of trouble; it kept her safe. Her entire life she had lived in peace in Winchester, a fairly prissy town in the middle of Hampshire county in England. Her father owned a business of sorts, Y/N had never gotten the details of it or how he’d gotten where he was, but all she knew was he inherited it from his father and it was expected to be handed down generation after generation in the McKay family. However, Y/N was an only child and neither her mum nor her dad thought she’d be fit to run the business when the time came.

“Nothing personal, darling,” her mother had said when it was brought up during a dinner when Y/N was still in sixth form. “You just don’t have the brains for it.”

“What your mother means to say,” Y/N’s father went on. “You’re so intelligent in your own way, running the business won’t make you happy.”

They always called it that. The business. They never told her what it was about or explained when she asked questions about it. Not that she expected her dad to be a drug lord, but it would’ve been nice to be let in on something. It would’ve been nice to be given the opportunity to feel of enough importance to someone to know special things.

Y/N looked out the window of the train, the Cornish coast stretching out as far as the eye could see, the sun not yet hanging high enough on the sky to make it dreadful to walk outside in her black oversized smock dress. The book in her lap was still open, though she’d read the same page over and over and over again, not being able to concentrate for long enough to remember what happened at the top of the piece of paper. Everything was fuzzy and she had too much to think about; too much to consider.

The last 24 hours had been the worst of her life. Yesterday had turned everything upside down and she hated it. However, thinking the universe would balance itself out and work in her favour, she was also aware that the reason her life needed help to be smoothed out by higher powers in the first place, was because it was in imbalance. Something was off. Something had thrown it off. But she forced herself to stay hopeful, knowing that if she lost that little flicker of hope in what seemed like an endless night, it’d be next to impossible to find her way back to peacefulness.

She glanced down at the book in her lap and was about to start reading again, not liking it when she had to put the book away in the middle of a chapter. She wasn’t given the opportunity as the overhead speakers sounded their soft alarm, and next second, a woman was speaking.

“Next stop is St Ives. Doors will open on the right-hand side.”

The nerves Y/N had felt in the pit of her stomach came back again, this time with more intensity than the last few. Though she realised what she was doing that morning when she boarded her train for Reading, and then again when she stepped on the train for St Erth, and yet again when she sat down on the train towards St Ives, this time it felt worse than all those times before. This was it. She was here.

She had no idea why she chose St Ives out of all places in Cornwall – in the world even –, why here of all places? Even years later, she could never seem to remember the exact moment when she chose that coastal town, or why it had appealed to her at all. Maybe it was the fact that it had a beach, or that it wasn’t particularly populated, or that there was no way anyone she had ever known would be there. The most important part however, and maybe the only reason why she chose St Ives, was because it was far away from Winchester. It was far away from her family, from her ex, and everything she associated with that town and everyone living in it.

She put The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall away in her purse, slinging her purse over her head to rest across her chest before she reached up and took her old leather bag down from the overhead compartment. This was the only one she would risk bringing as it used to be her father’s back in the day, but he never used it anymore and wouldn’t suspect it being gone. Placing the strap on her shoulder, she walked off to the closest door, apologising when she jabbed someone with her bag on the way out.

Stepping off, Y/N instantly regretted wearing a long-sleeved dress. Though she was under the protection of the roof above the platform, the heat was still almost insufferable. It got her wondering if this was just a normal day in the very South of England or if it was an exceptionally hot one. She prayed for the latter.

She walked out of the station, staying in the cool shade for a few minutes longer as she typed in the address of the inn she was staying at. Not really knowing how public transit worked here yet, she didn’t want to risk taking the wrong bus or asking a tourist for directions to a place they’d never heard of. Instead, she put her EarPods in and went on her merry way. The second she stepped out into the sun, she was once again reminded of why she’d never wear that black dress again that summer.

The Roaming Crab Inn was on The Terrace, the road along the coast of St Ives, holding dozens of hotels and other places to stay during a visit. Y/N didn’t know why she’d chosen this exact inn, or how she’d even happened upon it. It might’ve had something to do with the picture of the old lady grinning from ear to ear on the inn’s website. A picture that was so lovely and so warm that, in the midst of everything Y/N was going through right then, it made her tear up.

She stepped into the inn, placing her sunglasses on the top of her head, and made sure her hair looked alright before walking a bit further inside. Cherry wooden panels lined the floors, walls, and ceiling, a reception desk in the same style attached to the wall to the right. Pictures of all kinds of people hung on the walls. Y/N suspected it might be locals as well as dear guests who had come and gone over the years. No lights were on as the sharp afternoon sun was sufficient in keeping the lobby just bright enough o that electricity wasn’t needed. Fake green vines hung along the ceiling and walls, as well as from different pots on the fireplace to the right that didn’t seem to be in use. Still, two old recliners stood beside it, tempting to sit down and drown in, to escape a turbulent life.

To the left was a staircase leading up to the other landings, and though Y/N hadn’t stepped foot on it yet, she already knew it creaked. This entire house seemed more like a cottage you’d find in the middle of the country, not on the coast of South England. She slowly started making her way over to the reception, and that was when she noticed the back door. Behind the desk was an old, white windowed door, a little smaller in height but a little wider in breadth than normal doors – like the entrance. It was open, leading the way out into a back garden that seemed to be both small and surrounded by the neighbouring houses on all sides. The wooden fence was covered in vines, flowers of all kinds poking out amongst them and on the ground around. The stone paved patio seemed to be old and uneven, there was a set of bistro metal chairs in all the colours of the rainbow along with a white table to match them.

A gang of old ladies sat around the table, chattering amongst themselves and occasionally laughing, all holding a different knitting project each. Y/N hated the thought of disturbing them, but she also just wanted to check in and go up to her room; maybe even go for a walk to take a look around the place she’d be in for the next few weeks.

She reached for the bell, hitting it lightly as to not make it sound urgent and intrusive. A small yelp was heard from the back garden and then the sound of the metal chair scraping against the stone patio. As she heard the footsteps get closer, Y/N glanced around, taking in the interior of the inn undisturbed one more. As someone appeared in the doorway and their eyes met, the old lady who stood there gave Y/N that warm smile of hers she’d seen online the night before.

“Hello, dear!” she chirped, placing her glasses on the bridge of her nose and walking over to the computer on her side of the desk. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you. And yourself?”

The old lady smiled, her eyes almost disappearing behind her high cheekbones. Her long white hair was fastened in a bun at the back of her head, the rest of her dressed in a pair of white trousers and a tunic with some bird print on it.

“I’m wonderful. What’s your name then, lovely?”

“Y/N McKay.”

“Ahh,” she said. “You’re the one who booked your stay last night.”

“That’s me, yeah,” Y/N chuckled, brushing some hair behind her ear.

“Till August 10th.”

“Yes.”

“Right then, Y/N,” the lady said, taking a key hanging from the wall beside her and taking her glasses off, smiling the entire time. “Let me show you to your room.”

The two walked up to the second floor, taking a right as they arrived and the inn-keeper unlocked the door. The innkeeper kept the door open for Y/N, letting her walk in first. Though the floor and ceiling were similar to the wooden panels of the lobby, the walls were white. Against the same wall that the door came to rest against stood an old blue dresser, and a fake flower in an elegant vase that seemed to be just one of the many flowers in the room. The double bed stood to the far left wall, white sheets covering it and looking so lush that it took everything in Y/N not to sprint over and throw herself onto it. There was a desk as well as a recliner, and a window on the opposite wall overlooking the ocean that was just about a minute’s walk from here.

“The bathroom is over there,” the innkeeper said, pointing at a door beside the staircase. “You share it with the other guests on the same floor as you, alright?”

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Y/N admitted, genuinely meaning it as well. She didn’t see the problem with that in the least.

“I’m mostly downstairs or in the next house over, which is mine,” she continued. “So if there’s ever anything you think I could help you with, do pop by.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, my goodness,” she suddenly exclaimed, walking over to Y/N. “I’ve completely forgotten to introduce myself. I’m Bessie.” Bessie smiled at Y/N again, making the latter almost want to cry for the umpteenth time that day. “And I really hope you enjoy your stay here in St Ives.”

With that, the innkeeper left Y/N to herself. Y/N let her bag and purse fall to the floor before she dragged the chair by the desk over to the window. She opened it and just stared out across the beach and sea outside. Seagulls were howling overhead, waves were crashing against shore, and the familiar salty scent of the presence of the ocean lingered in the air constantly. It was like one of those trips she’d taken with her parents every summer, a new place every year, always by the coast. Her favourite might’ve been their vacation in Bali. It was gorgeous beyond comprehension, in a way no other place she’d ever been could come close to. But she was aware she’d never go on another trip with her parents again. Not after everything that happened the night before.

Now she couldn’t rely on them any longer. She was on her own. She had no idea what she was going to do, no idea what lay ahead of her. As she at on the chair looking out over St Ives, the town she’d spend her summer in, she realised she’d never felt more forlorn.

St Ives is a coastal town located in the very south-west of the southernmost county in England, Cornwall. It is known for its surf beaches – most well-known being Porthmeor – and its many art galleries and restaurants. Tate St Ives is a gallery at the seafront and has rotating modern art exhibitions, focusing primarily on British artists. The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden is located in the modernist artist’s former studio, displaying her bronzes and other works.Y/N, having grown up in a fairly posh family with exquisite and particular taste, knew a thing or two about art.

She always had her purse on her, and in it she’d keep all the essentials for going out and about. Hand sanitiser, Kleenex, band-aids, pads, keys, a portable charger, and the book she was currently reading. The Well of Loneliness lay in her purse as she strolled around, a St Ives guide book in her hand that she’d bought at one of the local stores on what must’ve been their high street.

First and foremost, she wanted to do some sightseeing. She’d be here for a long time, so she might as well get acquainted with the town she’d stay in and learn its ins and outs. There is this part of St Ives called The Island, that isn’t at all an island, but it is just called that. The Island is the imposing headland that juts out into the seat from the spit of land that separates the harbour and Porthmeor beach – the most popular and most central beach in the town. In ancient times it was a promontory fort, but these days it’s probably better known as a location of the tiny chapel of St Nicholas. Walking to The Island, Y/N took in the incredible views of the ocean surrounding her, and the beach – The Townas - beside her that was cramped between The Island and Godrevy Point on the other side.

To her left was what looked to be Hellesveor Cliff, and at the very point of it, on the top of what must’ve been the most haunting cliff Y/N had ever seen, stood a lighthouse. Looking in her guide book, it didn’t say much about the lighthouse except the care of it had been passed down generation after generation by the family currently living there. It was at the very edge of St Ives, farther out than Godrevy Point. It made it so Porthmeor, St Ives, and The Townas were all guarded by these two points, the St Ives Lighthouse watching over its town and the far coast around.

Continuing on her walk, she strolled down the Down-a-long, which is the old, lower part of St Ives built on the narrow ridge of land that separated The Island to the rest of the town. This part of town is the archetypal image of St Ives with its jumble of cobble streets lined with whitewashed, old cottages, some seeming to fall apart and others in better condition. Y/N thought the street names were equally evocative and unique, some of her favourites being Salubrious Place, Teetotal Street, and The Digney. Though it said in her catalogue that fishermen used to live in the Down-a-long before, next to none lived there now as most of it was occupied by galleries, cafes, and little shows that one can shake a stick at. As she strolled through Fore Street, the main shopping street in St Ives, she walked by a vintage shop – Vintage Divine – and jotted it down on her phone.

All her life, Y/N had always loved everything vintage. She liked the thought of owning something that had once been part of someone else’s life, that had made them happy enough they wanted to hand it on and give someone else that same happiness they’d experienced. Though neither her mum, her dad, or her ex-boyfriend liked her obsession with vintage and stuff owned by others before her, their disinterest had never stopped her from going to markets or stores. However, she never bought anything unless she knew she could hide it. Now, she thought, that didn’t have to be a problem.

A few years back when she started to realise her obsession with old stuff, furniture, clothing, and books owned by others before her, she read an article online. The article had suggested that people are attracted to vintage pieces because they offer an escape. Wearing these garments, holding these ornaments, touching furniture from another time is a way to experience a different life. A life that isn’t your own and that was lived before hers or parallel to hers. Shopping vintage then created an exciting search for something special and creative, something a normal shopping trip could never give her. It was weird how much she was looking forward to going through that shop, Y/N realised, but she couldn’t wait to explore and take items home with her. Not that she expected she’d be welcomed home to Winchester anytime soon, but she chose not to think about that too much.

Fore Street was a narrow and cobblestone-clad street with people milling about trying to find a decent place for lunch. Stone cottages lined both sides of the street, either a neutral colour like white, a dull yellow, beige, light blue, or just plain, grey stone. Y/N enjoyed walking among these houses. It was a quiet town, peace seemed to be permanently settled between the cramped streets and tiny houses. Though Winchester wasn’t London with its tall buildings and never-ending bustle, St Ives was even smaller than her hometown, which made it that much more appealing to her. There was a sense of relaxation in the mere atmosphere around her that massaged the tension out of her shoulders and straightened her hunched back.

The door to the Seafood Café she was about to walk by burst open. A couple of people standing around jumped at the commotion, as did Y/N. Dressed in high-waisted loose fitted denim jeans, a white tee shirt tucked into them, a pair of orange worn down Vans, and brown curls in a dishevelled mess, the man who caused the ruckus didn’t seem to notice everyone’s attention being on him. He halted a bit as he came outside before he walked left. Y/N stopped moving, the sudden interruption in her peaceful stroll taking her off guard. The man suddenly started straight for Y/N, his head bent, eyes on the cobblestone before him. He didn’t seem to notice where he was going, not looking up in the direction he was heading. So, when he saw Y/N’s shadow, that’s when he glanced up. Their eyes met just a second before he managed to stop, preventing them from crashing into one another.

“Oh!” he erupted, voice crescendoing. He blinked twice, eyes settling on her for a few seconds before he said a quick, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, I should’ve moved out of the way,” Y/N assured him, about to step to the side when she noticed his lips moving again. No words came out, though. She stood there for a few seconds, just watching his jaw and lips work, not seeming to find his words.

“Have a good day,” she went on, trying to step out of the way when the man blurted out, “Please, miss.”

She looked at him again, about to narrow her eyes when she saw a troubled expression on his face. His eyes were a little wide and he glanced over his shoulder before meeting her eyes again. The door to Seafood Café opened again, a woman and a younger girl stepping out.

“Please,” he repeated, voice low. “Go along.”

Y/N frowned. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll owe you my entire life if you just play along for a minute or two, yeah?”

She cocked her head some to the side. “I don’t know what you mean, sir. I should-“

“-I don’t usually do this- I mean, I never do, I’ve never done this before – ever -, but-but they think I have a girlfriend and I don’t. Please-“

“-Harry!”

The man – who Y/N could only assume to be Harry - turned around to face a tiny Filipina woman and an even smaller girl beside her, who looked to be no older than ten. The two looked Y/N over, eyes scanning her from head to toe. Y/N felt like she was under a magnifying glass.

But while they took her in, Y/N’s thoughts wandered to the words the man beside her had said only a few seconds earlier. “They think I have a girlfriend and I don’t.” Was he… was he saying what Y/N thought he was saying? She glanced at him, seeing him draw a shaky breath and meet her eyes, waiting for her to make the next move it seemed. Everything that had happened in the last minute confused her. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know what he’d told these two women or why. She was also well aware that by just walking away she wouldn’t need to worry about him any longer; his problems weren’t hers. This seemed messy, confusing, and a little risky.

Usually, she wouldn’t want any part of it. The Y/N she was yesterday wouldn’t have considered this. She would’ve looked at the man apologetically before excusing herself and walking off, leaving him to figure out whatever lie he’d told these two on his own. But Y/N had changed. Or… at least that’s what she wanted to believe… Fine, she wanted to change, and maybe this was a place to start.

Harry sighed, turning around to face the two he had tried to get away from, shoulders sinking as he met their eyes. The defeat was evident in his body language; he was about to give up and just tell them that he didn’t have a girlfriend. That’s what finally did it, seeing how it took absolutely everything out of him to tell them the following. “Jasmine, I’m sorry, I need to tell you-“

“-It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Y/N interrupted him, smiling as she stepped out from behind Harry. Though she had seriously considered helping him, it still surprised her when she actually heard the words coming out of her mouth. Her heart was beating about as fast as it had that morning when she’d left Hampshire.

Harry looked at her, mouth falling open, obviously shocked by her willingness to help him. It took him a few seconds to gather himself, but once he did, he looked back at the two they were trying to convince with a bright smile on his face.

“What did you have to tell me, Harry?” the older woman asked.

“That, uhh…” He looked at Y/N again before glancing at who she could only assume to be Jasmine. “Jessa, this is my girlfriend.”

Jasmine raised her eyebrows, eyes lighting up suddenly. The girl beside her stood there fidgeting with the hem of her top, looking Y/N up and down still.

“Hi,” Y/N said, stepping forward and reaching her hand out for Jasmine. “I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N,” Jasmine said, a smile coming to rest on her round face as they let go of the others’ hand. “Harry, you said her name was unusual.”

“That… I-“ Harry stopped himself.

Y/N’s lips parted, unsure how to react to that.

“That’s why you didn’t want to tell us her name, since it was so unusual. Y/N isn’t unusual.”

Y/N chuckled a little, looking at Harry whose whole face was a shade of red she’d never seen before. He glanced around him, meeting her gaze before quickly looking to the ground, scratching at his neck.

“You thought my name was weird?” She was well aware Harry hadn’t known her name until that point, let alone had any time to form an opinion on it. But regardless, she found it funny how he’d refused to give them his pretend girlfriend’s name by telling them it was an unusual one, as if they’d laugh at it.

“I didn’t-“ Harry sighed. “It wasn’t like I was embarrassed I just…” He trailed off, motioning with his hands, but Y/N had no idea what that meant. She didn’t take it to heart, though, knowing it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with his cover-up story.

“He has such a way with words,” Jasmine said, clicking her tongue at him. “Anyway, I’m Jasmine, but just call me Jessa. Harry’s stepmother.”

“And I’m Grace.” The little one stepped forward, grinning from ear to ear. The small one had the same roundness to her face as the woman beside her, as well as the same flat nose and almond shaped eyes like Jessa’s. “Harry’s kept you a secret.”

“Gracie, I haven’t kept her a secret as much as I’ve kept her away,” Harry said. “You’re gonna scare her.”

“We won’t scare her!” Jessa exclaimed. “It’s your girlfriend, Harry! We will be nice.”

“Somehow doubt that.” Harry turned to Y/N, turning his back to his step mum and what must be his half-sister. “They like to interrogate, especially Jasmine.”

“You villainise us,” Jessa said, walking closer to them and taking Y/N’s hand between hers. It took her off guard and she almost pulled her hand away, the feel of someone’s skin voluntarily touching hers felt weird.

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Harry continued, ignoring Jessa. There was an apology in his eyes that he didn’t voice. Or at least that’s what Y/N thought she saw anyway. “They’ll make it hard to enjoy yourself.”

Jessa reached over and pinched Harry’s exposed forearm. He flinched away from her, glaring as he stepped back a few paces.

“Now you’re being rude.”

“I don’t want you lot to make her uncomfortable with all your questions,” Harry said, a frown etched in his forehead. He hadn’t met Y/N’s eyes directly ever since they almost walked into one another. “Besides, she’s…” Harry’s eyes fell to the guide in Y/N’s hand. “She’s sightseeing.”

Y/N smiled at Jessa and Grace, showing them the small book she was carrying with her. “I’ve just been to the Island. The view from there is fantastic.”

“Harry, the view from the Island is nothing. Have you shown her yet?”

“Jessa, it’s… she’s just…”

Finally, he looked at her, not knowing what to say that would make his stepmother give it a rest. Y/N could understand why she asked so many questions, she was just eager to get to know someone who she thought was Harry’s new partner.

“I arrived this morning,” Y/N answered, smiling at Jasmine. “We haven’t had the time to meet up properly, so in the meantime I’ve just been walking around.”

“Where’s your luggage?”

“At the Inn. The Roaming Crab.”

Jessa’s eyes went wide, looking at Harry disapprovingly again. “She’s not even staying with you? What kind of boyfriend are you?”

“She could stay at our house,” Grace said, eyes on the space that separated Y/N and Harry before she met Y/N’s eyes.

“It’s not that… It’s not like that, I-“ Harry stopped himself, dragging his hand over his face that had been bright red ever since this whole spectacle started. “You’re blowing this out of proportion.”

“Am I?” Jessa crossed her arms.

“Yes… I-“ Harry stuttered and though Y/N hadn’t known this man for very long, she could tell he found it hard to find his words in stressful situations.

“We didn’t want to overwhelm each other. We haven’t stayed together for a long period of time before, this would be the first, so I’m staying at the Inn so we won’t get tired of each other too quickly.” Y/N hoped she sounded confident and truthful; she wouldn’t want to blow this for Harry already. After all, she had no idea how long he’d need this pretend girlfriend lie for.

A frown appeared between Jasmine’s brows and it dawned on Y/N that she must’ve said something wrong just now. Panic rose to her chest, but Harry cleared his throat.

“Except for that trip to Exeter last month, but that was only a single weekend. Now she’s here for…” He narrowed his eyes, as if the answer was at the tip of his tongue but Y/N knew she was the only one with an answer to that.

“August 12th,” she said, Jessa letting go of a small squeal at the sound of it. “Dunno how many weeks that’ll be, but I’m-“

“-That’s fantastic! You need to come to Gracie’s birthday next weekend.”

Harry stuttered a little, Jessa’s enthusiasm making him nervous, Y/N thought. “Nanay-“

“-She’s going to love that, won’t you, Gracie?”

Grace nodded her head, grinning up at Y/N. “You can put pretty stuff on my eyelids.”

Y/N raised her eyebrows some and Jessa laughed. “Eyeshadow.”

“Oh! Well, I don’t have loads of that since I’m no good with make-up, but I do have nice jewellery.” Y/N picked at the one she was wearing just then, a gold necklace she’d gotten for her birthday the year before.

Grace’s smile didn’t fade one bit at that. In fact, it only seemed to get a little bigger at the sight of Y/N’s pretty necklace. The girl didn’t say anything, but she swayed from side to side, looking excitedly up at her brother’s supposed new girlfriend.

“You’re coming then?” Jessa asked, looking so happy she might burst, and it hurt Y/N that she probably wouldn’t.

“Jessa, we have barely had time to catch up, let her breathe,” Harry pleaded and Jessa waved her hands at them.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you, Y/N. It’s just…” Jasmine’s eyes fell on Harry standing beside Y/N, her eyes glistening. “It’s just so nice to know Harry’s not alone anymore.”

“I’ve never been alone, nanay.”

Jessa shook her head, sighing heavily. “Alright, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. You’ll probably want some time to yourselves to just walk around. Has she been to the lighthouse, Harry? Take her there.”

Harry sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. “Nay-“

“-Fine, we’ll leave. It was so nice to finally meet you, Y/N.”

“You too, Jessa. And you, Grace.”

Grace gave a wave before Jessa took her hand and the two walked away, probably on their way home or whatever other plans they had. Y/N watched them for a few before turning to Harry. His blush had calmed down a little, but a bead of sweat had appeared at his cupid’s bow. If it was because of nerves or the weather, she did not know, but she was not about to ask him that.

Upon closer inspection and now that they didn’t have Harry’s stepmum and sister watching over them, Y/N could finally study the man she rescued for a total of five minutes. Green eyes that reminded her of the moors she’d spend time running through each summer, a slight stubble along his soft jawline, nose a little too big for his face, and a slight dimple in each cheek even though he wasn’t smiling fully yet. She wondered what they’d look like if he actually grinned.

“Hi,” she said, reaching her hand out. “Y/N.”

Harry chuckled softly, taking her hand, eyes staying on the place they were touching each other. “Harry.”

“I’m glad I could be of some help, Harry.”

A crooked smile reached his lips as his eyes fell to the ground and he stepped away, letting his hand fall to hit his thigh. He glanced up at her. “Thank you for that. They say they’re worried, but they’re really just nosey.”

Y/N grimaced a little, making a breathy laugh escape Harry’s lips. “Is your life more interesting than theirs?”

“Not in the least. I lead the most boring existence in the most boring town in the United Kingdom.”

She chuckled, reaching for her necklace. “Not sure you can claim that title, my life’s pretty up there as well.”

Harry tried to shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans, but the arms of his denim jacket wrapped around his waist were in the way. “Oh?”

“Blimey, I won’t keep you if you’ve got things to do. You look like a busy man.”

Harry stared at the watch on his wrist and bit his bottom lip, looking up at her through his thick set of dark eyelashes. “Yeah, I gotta be on my way actually.”

She gave him a smile, getting one in return.

“Listen, thank you so much for that. I just needed to get them off my back. You don’t actually have to come to Gracie’s birthday party, Jessa just loves when she gets to interrogate people. Her favourite sport is discussing gossip.”

Y/N laughed. “You burn a lot of calories doing that.”

Harry chuckled, scratching at his neck as his eyes fell to her neck and then shoulder. “Anyway, I don’t know how to repay you. If you’re here till August, I guess I’ll see you around.”

For some reason, Harry not really knowing what to say was funny to Y/N. It wasn’t like he owed her anything or the other way around. She’d just helped him out and now they could part ways. Easy as that.

“You don’t have to repay me, I’m glad I could help,” she smiled. “I’ll try and stay out of your way if I see you out and about. You know, to avoid the awkward conversation of telling them we’re not actually together.”

Harry’s lips tipped upward. “Right, thanks.”

“Now, since I’m talking to you,” she said, opening the catalogue again. “Where’s the Tate Gallery?”

Harry turned around, pointing up Fore Street from where they stood. “When you reach Bunkers Hill, you follow that all the way up to Back Road, then you just walk along The Digney and it’ll be on your right-hand side.”

“Thank you so much.”

“No, thank you. I… It was too much-“

“-I’m serious when I say I’m glad I could help, don’t worry about it.” She shot him one last smile before giving him a wave. “Bye, Harry.”

“Bye,” he said, giving her a short nod before she focused her attention back on her surroundings. She needed to catch the street names and get her walk to the Tate on the first try because she could really not be asked to walk back and whip her phone out. After all, Harry just helped her so it was going to be easy to just follow his navigation and get there.

As she strolled along the gallery and the rest of St Ives that day, she couldn’t help but think about that little encounter earlier. She wondered what happened after that, if Jessa and Grace demanded more information from Harry or if he told them how it was all a lie. Putting it all aside, she focused on her trip instead. She’d never meet that family again, but she really hoped everything worked out for them regardless. The last thing she needed was for this summer to be about anything but her and what she really wanted in life. She didn’t need distractions. Her whole life up until now had been a distraction.

Friday, 12 June

Being in south England and not taking advantage of the amazing beaches this part of the country offered, was maybe on the same wrongdoing scale as committing a serious crime. Y/N had gotten dressed that morning and headed straight downstairs to eat breakfast in the tiny dining hall of the Inn. It was positioned in what must’ve originally been the living room in the house, four tables placed in there with two chairs placed by each of them. The dining room had the same layout as the entrance to the Inn; wooden panels all over, flowers and plants everywhere along with pictures and candles to top it off.

When she walked downstairs, Bessie was quick to jump up from where she was sitting in her small back garden, meeting Y/N with a warm beam on her face. When Bessie asked Y/N if she’d like a meat, vegetarian, or vegan full English, Y/N startled herself by replying vegetarian. She hadn’t grown up vegetarian, but in all her life, she’d never had a purely vegetarian meal. So, instead of correcting herself, she let Bessie make her that vegetarian breakfast. The thought of eating something she hadn’t before didn’t make her anxious as she thought it would’ve, but she was rather excited about the whole thing.

Bessie came out with the tray, setting it down before Y/N and asked her if she would mind Bessie’s company. With a quick reply encouraging the old lady to sit down, Bessie ran – or walked as fast as her short legs could take her – outside and returned with her knitting. Y/N had been alone pretty much all day the day before nd she had anticipated being alone all day today as well, so she rather enjoyed Bessie’s company. She had never really envisioned this to be part of her trip to Cornwall – an old lady with her grey hair put neatly in a bun with two knitting needles holding it up, wearing a long bohemian dress and glasses perched on the end of her nose, talking her ear off and Y/N having an immense amount of fun in the process.

The sea and seagulls sounded from inside the Inn, but as Y/N put her bathing suit and summer dress on, on her way down towards the beach, the costal sounds only intensified. The salt in the air clung to her skin and the smell of seaweed got more prominent the closer she got to the ocean. She put her stuff down and brought The Well of Loneliness out again, wanting to finish the book that day because she really wanted to know how it all ended. She wasn’t sure how much time went by as she laid there, completely captivated by the world Radclyffe Hall had created within the book.

It wasn’t that Y/N particularly enjoyed the book. No, it wasn’t that. It was endlessly long and detailed, for absolutely no purpose. The writing wasn’t particularly memorable; one wouldn’t remember it for its evocative and imaginative characteristics, nor for Hall’s ability to tell instead of show. Over the years she’d studied English in college, Y/N knew that a writer should be able to balance those two out; show some, tell some. But that concept was lost on Hall. No, Y/N didn’t like The Well of Loneliness for its writing, not even the plot.

She liked the book because of the plea embedded in it. The plea for LGBT people to be treated as human; that they were normal and not a disease. Why did they have to be other? They didn’t choose this life so why were they to be punished for it by being treated differently? By being illegal? The Well of Loneliness was published around the same time Orlando by Virginia Woolf, who was one of Y/N’s favourite authors ever. Though these two books touched on similar themes of identity, where Orlando shrouded the issue of mysticism, The Well dared to discuss sexual identity openly. Y/N commended Radclyffe Hall for that.

However much Y/N sympathised with Hall and the main character, Stephen, she couldn’t help but laugh at the hypocrisy in the book. While it attempted to strive for acceptance of one minority, it also emanated an underlying attitude of snobbishness and chauvinism towards other minorities at the same time, which made no sense to Y/N. Then again, it was the 1920s, so she guessed she couldn’t really ask for anything else from a rich white person at the time.

Having finally finished the book, Y/N asked someone nearby if they could watch her things while she took a dip. There was a blonde bloke around her age and another bloke with blue hair, sitting not too far off, and when she asked if they could keep an eye on her stuff, they promised they would.

Y/N took her time swimming, trying to remember the last time she’d been on a beach where the public were allowed. It was odd seeing so many around her, but she liked it. She liked the sound of others around her. Silence was good, but in the disturbance of human noise was the reassurance of rescue. The promise that you might be lonely, but you are never alone.

Walking back up to her picnic blanket, Y/N thanked the two men before lying back down, soaking up the sun. She hadn’t been aware she’d already been at the beach for a few hours until she realised her stomach was rumbling. So, packing her stuff together and making sure her hair was somewhat dry, she walked around to see if there were any places she could sit down. The only place on Porthminster Beach was the café with the same name, and by the looks of it, it was completely full. Since Bessie had served Y/N some breakfast, she must have something for lunch as well.

Walking back the 5 minute to the hotel, Bessie jumped up from her place in the back garden, sitting back there with two other ladies and knitting like they’d done the day before.

“Hello, dear, you had a good trip to the beach?”

Y/N couldn’t help but feel completely at ease in this old woman’s company. “Yes, I did. A bit hungry, though, do you have something I could eat, possibly?”

“Of course! What do you fancy?”

“Oh, a toastie’s fine.”

“Vegetarian?”

For some reason, the fact Bessie remembered Y/N’s preference from this morning made her smile. “Yes,” she said without thinking.

“Right, just sit down and I’ll come by with your lunch, my lovely.”

“Thank you so much, Bessie.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Y/N sat down, bringing her phone out as she hadn’t checked it properly in a few hours. She wasn’t sure what she expected, to be fair. There was no one from home who would want to contact her, and if they were to, they would rather look around Winchester than call. In their minds, she couldn’t have run far. Regardless, the mere fact they hadn’t even called her made something inside her sink a little. It felt awful knowing how little she meant to them all along. So little that they wouldn’t even pick up the phone and save her a call or a text.

“Here, my dear,” Bessie said, putting down a tray before Y/N. “I’m gonna pop outside to my little knitting club, if that’s fine by you. Just come on out if you don’t have anything else to do after this, yeah?”

“Thank you so much,” Y/N said and Bessie smiled at her before she disappeared outside again.

Turning her attention to her food, Y/N started thinking about what she could do the rest of the day. She could walk some more around town, she’d seen bigger parts of it yesterday, but there were always corners of a town that needed discovering. Once she was about halfway through her toastie, hasty footsteps sounded from the lobby and a somewhat familiar figure appeared. He stopped a bit on his way towards the reception desk, as if he didn’t want to be a bother to Bessie of some kind by asking for assistance. Bessie appeared a few seconds later, grinning from ear to ear as usual.

“Hello, Harry love.”

“Hi, Bess. I…” he stopped himself, running his hands up and down the sides of his white and grey striped cotton-blend trousers, a navy blue tee shirt tucked into it and a pair of white Vans on his feet. “I just wanted to come check again.”

“For the third time.”

“Yeah, well…” He did a quick shrug. “I just wanted to check.”

“She’s here.” Bessie gestured to Harry’s right and when he looked that way, his eyes immediately found Y/N’s. She didn’t think she’d ever see him again. However, a summer in a small coastal town would make that very hard. She’d try her hardest to stay out of Harry’s way, as well as his family’s, so she wouldn’t make things awkward. She would have escaped to a town a little further south or on the other side of Cornwall, but she was settled in now and she’d already paid for her whole stay.

Though she’d promised to keep away from him to prevent any unpleasant situations, Harry hadn’t made her the same promise. And here he was. For some reason. He seemed both taken off guard to see her sitting there as well as relieved he’d finally caught her. A sigh left him, slumping his tense shoulders a little before he thanked Bessie quickly and walked to Y/N.

“Is it,” he started as he made his way over. “Is it okay if I sit down?”

Y/N nodded her head while swallowing, gesturing with her hand at the chair opposite hers. “Yes, go ahead,” she said when her mouth was free to.

“Cheers.” Harry sat down, slid a little closer to the table and rested his hands between his legs as he leaned back against the back of the chair.

The two fell into silence for a little while, Y/N watching as Harry’s eyes fixed on the small bouquet of flowers in the tiny vase placed in the middle of the round table. Yes, she loved company, but Harry’s had taken her a little by surprise and she was eager to know why he’d come looking for her. She didn’t want to try and draw a conclusion herself without hearing his reasoning first, knowing that whatever she came up with wouldn’t be correct anyway. Instead, she put her toastie back on her plate and focused her attention on Harry, who had yet to say anything. From the way he was biting the inside of his lip, she assumed he was mulling over the right thing to say. It didn’t seem to ever come when finally, he opened his mouth.

“First, I just want to say sorry for yesterday,” he said, meeting her eyes, but quickly looking to her shoulder. “It was proper daft. I was desperate and I panicked, and you were right there.” He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for putting you in that position.”

Y/N just gave him a smile. “You don’t have to apologise, I’m glad I could help.”

“And I appreciate you helping me out, I really do, but… here’s the thing…” He cleared his throat. “Jessa and Gracie are right about losing their minds of this.”

Y/N chuckled. “Oh?”

“Yeah, they called and texted all last night and this morning, saying how nice it was to meet you, that I need to bring you to Grace’s birthday next Saturday,” Harry said. “And it makes me wonder if it was even worth it yesterday. I still appreciate what you did, and this is all my fault, but I think…” He trailed off again, scratching at the back of his neck. “Look, I’m doing a naff job of explaining this.”

Sipping her juice, Y/N just smiled at him till she put her glass down. “Take your time.”

He took a deep breath. “Think I might tell them it’s all fake. I don’t have a partner and that’s fine.”

Y/N nodded. “Yeah, being single is fine.”

“Only thing that’s stopping me is the fact that Jasmine will be crushed. Ever since my dad died, she’s been so worried about me living alone in the lighthouse.”

There was so much to unpack in that sentence that Y/N felt herself retract a little, scanning his face for what the appropriate reaction to that would be. Harry must’ve noticed her silence so he glanced at her face, eyes going wide.

“Oh! Don’t feel like you-“

“-I’m sorry about your dad.”

“No, that’s okay, he hasn’t been with us for two years now,” Harry went on. “That was a real mood killer. Bringing up my dead father with someone I barely know.”

Y/N smiled. “Think you fake breaking up with me was a great mood killer before that was even brought up.”

Harry smiled a little at that, those deep dimples just barely gracing his cheeks. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” She wiped at her mouth with the napkin, brows slowly coming into a frown. “You said something about a lighthouse… do you live there?”

“In the lighthouse?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, I’m the lighthouse keeper.”

Her frown deepened a little.

“What?”

“I didn’t think those existed anymore.”

“What, lighthouses?” Harry’s smile widened, amusement tracing his pink lips.

“No, lighthouse keepers.”

He shrugged. “Here’s a living, breathing example of one.”

She couldn’t help her laughter. “Fine, I take it back. I don’t really think about lighthouses enough to give their keepers much of a thought either.”

“Too bad.”

Y/N just shook her head some, noticing a slight redness to Harry’s cheeks that hadn’t been there a few seconds earlier. “You were saying about Jessa.”

“She’s worried about me living alone in the lighthouse. Says I’ll be lonely and that she thinks about me sitting up there crying my eyes out or summat.”

“Do you? Cry your eyes out?”

“No, I like having my own space. I like living there alone. She’s just being a protective stepmum, looking out for me and all that. Like, yes, I’m still sad Dad is dead, but it wasn’t like he lived with me in the lighthouse anyway. He lived with Jasmine and Grace.”

Y/N nodded slowly. “She doesn’t want you to be alone ‘cause she thinks you don’t want to be.”

“Exactly,” Harry said, pausing a bit before mumbling something that sounded like, “That’s why I’ve told them for a few months now that I have a girlfriend.”

She narrowed her eyes some.

“To get them off my back, innit? I don’t want them to think I’m miserable, ‘cause I’m not. But when I told them I had a girlfriend, they got so happy, yeah? I just tried to be as vague as possible, didn’t give them a name and they didn’t ask, assuming I wanted to keep her secret. Jessa hasn’t bugged me about this in weeks… Until yesterday.”

Y/N started piecing everything together. “That’s why you stormed out of the restaurant.”

He nodded. “And ran into you.”

Y/N couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “The idea of just telling them I was your fake girlfriend just fell into your head once you saw me?”

Harry chuckled and shifted his gaze away from her, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah. I never do stuff like that. I hate uncertainty, so trusting you yesterday when I didn’t know if you’d play along… well, it took five years of my life.”

She laughed. “If I hadn’t then the whole lie would’ve been obvious to Jessa and Grace.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help then,” Y/N said, really meaning it as well.

“Yeah, and thank you so much for doing so. It really helped me out… if you look away from Jasmine texting me five times today alone to organise a dinner with you and all of us.”

They both laughed a little at that and when Y/N glanced at Harry again, he was looking down at his hands in his lap. After a brief pause, he met her eyes again.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this, and thank you for helping me. I’ll tell them everything now, I don’t want you to have to hide while you’re here for two months.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

For the next few seconds, they looked at one another in silence. Y/N thought back to the moment she’d seen Harry, how it might’ve taken her a few seconds to catch on, but her main instinct had been to help him. She thought of the gratitude on Harry’s face when she played along, how she hoped he one day would find an actual girlfriend that would have just as big of an impact on Jessa and Grace as it seemed she herself had. She was about to tell Harry this when the sound of footsteps sounded from the lobby again.

A woman Bessie’s age walked in, a bag slung over her shoulder and sunglasses in her short black hair. As she stepped inside, she spotted Harry and Y/N sitting together and her mouth fell open, a grin coming to rest on her wrinkling face.

“Bessie, you didn’t tell me these two were going to be here,” the old woman said, walking into the dining area. Bessie stepped out from behind the wall that hid the reception desk from the dining hall. At that, Y/N’s stomach dropped. Bessie must’ve heard their entire conversation. By the look on Harry’s face, he was going through a similar near-death experience to the one Y/N was currently enduring.

“Hi, Mrs Rose,” Harry said, no one seemed to notice the slight tremor to his voice.

“Harry and his new girlfriend,” Mrs Rose said, looking between them. “You know, you lot are the talk of the town.”

“We are?” Harry asked, the surprise in his voice so evident it made the older women laugh.

“Yes, of course! Jasmine told everyone!” Mrs Rose continued, looking to Bessie who was already nodding her head.

“Not everyone, but she told her friends, and you know how people like to gossip around here, don’t you, Harry?” Bessie gave him a smile and Harry smiled back, though it did not reach his eyes. “Anyway, Florence, this is Y/N. Y/N, Florence.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Y/N said, grinning at Florence who stuck her hand out. The two shook hands as Florence beamed back at Y/N. “So, the whole town knows?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case,” Florence said, turning to Bessie who made a noise of agreement. “Jessa can talk about everything and anything for hours, but if her stepson gets a girlfriend? That’s the news of the century and she will not shut up.”

“How lovely,” Y/N said, not really knowing what else was appropriate in this setting as Harry hadn’t opened his mouth once to say anything.

“It’s a little less lonesome up in that lighthouse now, hm?”

“Oh, uhm…” Harry looked at Y/N and then back at Florence, his words having completely escaped him. Y/N was about to come to Harry’s rescue when Bessie took them both by surprise.

“They stayed here tonight,” Bessie explained and Florence looked at her with a furrow between her brows.

“Why on earth would they do that? Harry’s got a perfectly nice place by the lighthouse.”

“Who are we to question the decisions of our youth?” Bessie linked arms with Florence. “Let’s go outside, Flo dear. Leave the lovebirds to be by themselves.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs Rose,” Y/N called after them.

“And you, Y/N!”

The second the two ladies were out of sight, Harry and Y/N shared a wide-eyed look, both of their panic equal it seemed. Y/N took a sip of her juice, somehow thinking it would calm her down. It did not.

“Jasmine told everyone,” Harry said, voice a whisper so no one walking by or sitting in the back garden would hear them. “She told everyone.”

“She can’t have… right?”

“You underestimate Jessa. If she was kidnapped and put in a gag, she’d be able to talk through it and move her jaw and teeth in a way that would obliterate said gag.” Harry ran a hand over his face. “She’s very chatty.”

“You’ve painted a vivid picture.”

Harry sighed, leg bouncing and eyes distant as he seemed to be racking his brain for a solution to the situation they were finding themselves in. “I was gonna tell Jessa it was a lie. I was gonna tell-“

“-You still can.”

“But everyone knows now. It’ll be well embarrassing for us when we have to tell people on the street that ‘oh yeah, that ol’ thing, we only pretended to be a couple so people wouldn’t be all up in Harry’s business,’ I somehow don’t see that going down well.”

“Then there’s only one thing we can do?”

“What’s that?”

“We pretend to be a couple.”

He stared at her, his facial expression very neutral, and though Y/N didn’t know him well enough yet, she did think she could decipher when he was displeased and when he was not. He seemed to be mulling it over, wanting for her to elaborate before he made a final decision.

“Everyone knows, I’m leaving in August, we can just say we broke up when August comes around.”

Harry nodded, thinking for a moment before he asked, “What will people say when they see us separated on the street then? Like, we’re not seen together.”

“People need to spend some time apart; it’s exhausting to be around another person 24/7.”

Harry nodded again, contemplating their predicament. “There’s always a lot of parties around here during summer. You don’t have to tag along, but you might have to if Jessa’s gonna be there.”

“I don’t mind,” Y/N admitted, shrugging her shoulders some. “I don’t have anything to do all summer, anyway. Might as well be in a fake relationship with a bloke I barely know and help him all I can.”

This made a breathy chuckle leave Harry’s lips and he held her gaze some before having it fall to his folded hands. “Well…” he said, suddenly reaching his hand across the table. “I’m Harry Edward Styles.”

Y/N laughed but took Harry’s hand, shaking it lightly. “Pleased to meet you, Harry. I’m Y/N Bernadette Angelica McKay.”

Harry whistled under his breath. “Mouthful.”

“What happens when you’re brought up in a posh family.”

Harry smiled at that and sat back in his chair. “I guess… I-I guess we should talk about how we got together and all that.”

“Yeah, make a story so it sounds more believable.”

“It’ll help if we have the same story, yes.”

She couldn’t help her laughter again, but it was cut short as Harry’s phone in his pocket started ringing. He sighed, taking it out and looking at it before putting it back down.

“Look, I gotta go.”

“Oh.” Y/N, having thought they were going to plan their fake dating history, blinked in confusion when Harry stood from his chair and looked at her apologetically. “We’ll see each other at some point.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, walking off toward the back garden, calling Bessie’s name as he did. They exchanged some words Y/N couldn’t hear and Harry disappeared into the kitchen for a minute before resurfacing again. Standing in the lobby, he looked at Y/N through the doorway leading into the dining area, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with something to say.

She just gave him a smile, hoping he understood that she just wanted him to take his time. It took one more sigh and a little staring contest before Harry finally found his words.

“You know where to find me, my house is the very tall, pointy one on the outskirts of town.”

She chuckled, watching as he walked out of the front door and down the street. Y/N found her bag, putting it on her shoulder as she got her lunch tray and sat it in the kitchen as she’d done after her breakfast that morning. On her way upstairs, Y/N turned as she reached the front door that was left open to welcome guests. Stepping into the doorway, she looked out over St Ives.

Seagulls were still screaming overhead, the sound of people down by the beach hung in the air all throughout the day, it smelled of seafood and summer, and just beyond the small town, on a tiny hilltop and on the very tip of a cliff, stood a lighthouse. A white lighthouse that rose high above the whole coast around it, protecting everyone. Locals, foreigners, and sailors. And it was operated and taken care of by the bloke Y/N was going to spend her entire summer in a fake relationship with. It didn’t seem real, and yet, that was exactly what it was. She didn’t have Harry’s number and knew next to nothing about him, but – as he put it – he lived in the very tall, pointy house on the outskirts of town. It was impossible to miss it. She could find her way to him, even in the dark.

The lighthouse keeper, Y/N thought to herself as she took in the lighthouse again through the window of her room once she walked upstairs. I have to pretend to be in love with a lighthouse keeper. And somehow, Y/N realised when looking back on that particular summer, that wasn’t the weirdest thing that would happen to her in St Ives.

NEXT UPDATE: Sunday, 2 August, 9PM GMT!

Huge thanks to my AMAZING beta readers! 🌊 @aileenacoustic 🌊 @bopbopstyles 🌊 @fromyourstrulyh 🌊 @harrys-creature 🌊 @honeydearly 🌊 @juliassgem 🌊 @summerfeelng 🌊 @sunflower--styles 🌊 @withallthelove-a 🌊

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles fic #het fic #1dff #PLS DO COME CHAT WHEN YOU'RE DONE READING I LOVE YOU SO MUCH :DDDDDDD

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sandwichrin · 3 years

Text

A Little into You (Junkyu x Reader) (Ch. 25)

Chapter 25 - Bridge Burn

Word count: 6.4k words

Genre: Fanfiction, PG13, Comedy, Romance.

A/N: Hi! :’) Here’s the update! Also, this chapter’s a little longer than usual-- I hope you all don’t mind 😥 also! Hope you all enjoy this one, please look forward for the next one <3

“I just don’t get why he’d ask you to run errands for him like this,” Soomin nagged as she helped grab several napkins and paper straws from the side of the counter.

You were standing beside her, a receipt in your hand as your eyes scanned the items in the list, making sure that you’ve ordered every single one that Bomin had asked for.

“Aigoo, unnie. Just let it be. It’s the least I could do anyways,” you said with a sigh.

Soomin shook her head at this. “Erm no way. I’m not putting up with this. He was never like this, you know? He’s always been a gentleman, respectful to everyone,”

“Sure, unnie,” you replied, not paying full attention to what she was saying as your head kept glancing over at the order pickup counter, in case your order has completed.

“Did you see the glare I gave him when he called you to gather orders from everyone in the room? The nerve! Asking my staff to run around taking orders like a waitress!” she continued nagging, clearly dissatisfied as to how her very own best friend was treating her staff—well, you in particular.

You chuckled, “It’s fine, unnie. I don’t have much tasks to do anyways.”

Soomin frowned at you. “Don’t let people step on you like that, y/n.”

“I won’t.”

“But you’re complying to whatever he tells you to do,”

“We’re working with him, unnie. Doesn’t that make him sort of my boss too for the time being?”

“Yeah, but I’m your leader. I get the final say,”

You let out another sigh, aware that you’re not going to win this argument with your leader. You simply nodded and replied an ‘okay’ to her to make sure she drops the subject already.

You glanced over the watch on your wrist, noticing that it was almost lunchtime.

“Oh, right,” Soomin’s voice said, making you turn to her again.

“Hm?”

“Do you have something going on with that guy?” Soomin asked casually as she fixed her strand of wavy hair to the back of her ear.

You tilt your head in response, not knowing who she was referring to.

“Oh come on, y/n. Don’t give me that look.” She chuckled. “Everyone on the 5th floor has talked about it,”

“Talk about what?” you asked, clearly confused as to what was going around about you.

“Oh, you know. You and Chani.”

“Oh, that.” You laughed. “We’re just good friends. I mean, I’ve only known him when we started this workshop in this company,”

“I see. You both look kinda close to each other. Some of the staff said you both were dating,”

Your eyes widened when she said this. You shook your head, denying what you heard. “Pfft, no way! We’re just friends, really.”

Soomin chuckled at your response. “Alright, I trust you.”

YGE Building (Junkyu’s studio)

Junkyu stared blankly at the screen in front of him. He was supposed to be working on the lyrics of one of his own self-written songs, but instead he was letting himself get distracted.

He pulled off the headphones from his head and placed it onto the table.

Pushing his chair to the back, Junkyu leans into the chair and lets out a sigh.

He wasn’t in the mood to write the song at all today. He took out his phone from his pocket and unlocks the home screen.

He checks up on the text he’s sent you and noticed the ‘seen’ sign underneath the message he sent.

He squints his eyes and stared at the screen up close like as if he’s searching for a hidden message in the chat.

Junkyu shakes his head, realising that staring at the screen up close wouldn’t make you reply to him any sooner. But then again, when would you reply then?

He had sent the text to you that Saturday and he was expecting you to at least say something. An emoji? A mad text? A simple ‘no’ would’ve made him feel less guilty.

He sighs heavily and shakes his phone in frustration.

“Hyung?” A familiar voice said from his studio door.

Junkyu stopped shaking the phone in his hand and turns his chair around to see who it was.

Jeongwoo, who was standing at the doorframe of his studio, gave his hyung a strange look. “Are…you okay? Why did you shake your phone like that?”

Junkyu immediately stood up from his swivel chair and tucks his phone into his jacket’s pocket. “N-nothing. I was just…” he blinked a couple times, trying to think of a way to change the subject. “W-what brings you here?”

Jeongwoo pushed the door open wider and enters himself inside the studio fully now, “I’m taking a break from the online task my teacher gave earlier. I wanted to get something to drink from the cafeteria so I wondered if you wanna tag along,”

“Ahh, right. You had to skip school today because it’s your turn to film a T-log with Mashi, right?”

Jeongwoo nods his head.

“Well, I’m hardly progressing with my song anyways. I guess I could use a break,” Junkyu said as he turns around to grab his wallet from his small yellow treasure merch bag.

“Cool! Then maybe we can get some of those mashed crab sandwiches from the store downstairs too!” Jeongwoo said excitedly, making Junkyu shake his head in amusement at him.

YGE Building (Outside cafeteria)

Both you and Soomin were bringing bags consisting of takeaway-cup drinks in both of your hands and the both of you were somewhat arguing over who should carry less than the other.

“No, unnieeee. Just give me that extra bag! Who’s gonna help me open the door if your hands are full like that??”

“Ugh no way! You should give me your bag! You’re carrying 12 drinks in two hands, that’s ridiculous as it is!” she shot back at you.

You rolled your eyes at her and tried to snatch one of the drink bags from her hand with your fingers but then you ended up losing balance and almost falling down.

“I told you!” Soomin said as you tried to keep your balance in front of her.

“Shut up,” you said to her, your face turning red in embarrassment because of how you almost fell down in front of your leader.

Soomin lets out a small laugh, “You’re quite stubborn, aren’t you? Aigoo, just let me help you,”

“Fine,” you sighed. And just as you were struggling to hand over the bag consisting of 4 drinks to your leader, you heard a familiar voice calling out to you.

“Y/n, is that you?”

You lift your head up to see Jeongwoo and Junkyu heading towards your direction.

“Jeongwoo-aa…” you said in an unsure tone. You were distracted with the fact that your heart was suddenly beating fast from seeing Junkyu heading to where you were standing.

Soomin looked at you, wondering why you were suddenly acting all flustered after the younger boy had greeted you.

“Unnie, I think we should hurry,” you blurted out nervously.

“Hm? But I think your friend just called out to you?”

“N-no! It’s okay,” you gave her a small smile. “We need to head back before Bomin wonders why we’re taking so long, no?”

“Uhh, sure,”

And just as soon as Jeongwoo and Junkyu had arrived closely to where you were standing, you hurriedly walk past them and told Jeongwoo that you were in a rush so you couldn’t stay to chat with him.

Soomin followed closely behind you, wondering why you were acting all weirdly the moment you saw those two boys.

Jeongwoo turned around as he watches you pass by him and his hyung, your figure slowly disappearing from his sight.

“Huh…I guess she’s busy,”

Junkyu nods slowly at this. He noticed that you were avoiding to look at him earlier.

“She…was avoiding me,” Junkyu said softly, making Jeongwoo turn to look at him now.

“Hyung…”

Junkyu lets out a small chuckle, although he wasn’t smiling. “I guess it’s over now, isn’t it?”

“No hyung, don’t say that! She’s just busy that’s all. You saw how full her hands were, didn’t you? I bet she was in a hurry for a meeting or something,” Jeongwoo added, trying to assure his hyung that everything was indeed okay.

Junkyu sighs and shakes his head. “Come on, let’s head in,” he said as he steps forward towards the cafeteria entrance.

After bumping into Junkyu and Jeongwoo, you kept walking at a fast pace, forgetting that your leader was still behind you, trying to keep up with your pace.

“Y/n, you might want to slow down. You’re shaking those drinks around too much,” Soomin said, making you slow down as you realised how much the drinks had been shaken and that some have started spilling into the paper bag you were carrying.

“Oh gosh, sorry,” you said as you stopped walking.

Soomin stood beside you and watched as you busied yourself with checking the drinks in your bags.

“Hey, you good, y/n?” she asked.

“Hm, what?” you raised your head to look at her.

“You seem…kind of bothered,”

“What? No, no! I was just—I was just worried if we took too much time being away from the meeting room,” you said, giving her a sorry smile as you lied your way through her.

“Uhuh…” Soomin gave you a thoughtful look for a couple of seconds. “If you say so,” she shrugged in the end, deciding not to ask further since she didn’t want to invade your private life too much.

“Alright then, let’s just head back now.” Soomin added as she starts walking forward again, this time with her being in front of you.

You nod your head and followed behind her.

“Oh and y/n?” Soomin said, her head still staring straight ahead as she walked.

“Yes?”

“I’d like to discuss something with you later. I wanted to ask you this earlier but I almost forgot about it,” she chuckled. “We’ll discuss this when we reach the meeting room, okay?”

“Sure, Soomin-unnie,”

(The next day/Tuesday)

YGE Building – Main Meeting Room

“You WHAT?” Bomin’s voice boomed loudly throughout the empty meeting room.

“Shh, keep it down, will you?” Soomin said in a softer tone compared to him as she looks around, even though it was clearly just the both of them in the room.

Both Bomin and Soomin regularly meet up with each other at an early time before work begins, hence, them both being the only people in the room whilst waiting for the rest of Bomin’s staff’ and Soomin’s Comms Team members to arrive.

“Soomin, as much as I support you in everything you do—you know I always support your decisions, right?”

Soomin nods at this.

“Okay, good. Now listen to me jagi,” he said as he stands closer to her, “I care about you so much. But deciding this on your own is ridiculous,”

Soomin shakes her head. “First of all, I told you—” she paused as she took a step back to distance herself from him. “I told you that we shouldn’t make it too obvious that we’re together, Bomin.”

“And, what makes you think my decision this time is ridiculous?” she asked.

Bomin presses his fingers against the middle of his forehead, hissing in frustration. He lets out a sigh and looks at his girlfriend that was standing right in front of him right now. He loves her, he really does. And he’s always wanted the best for her, of course.

Bomin had always had feelings for Soomin, since they had been close ever since their high school days. But then he held himself back from confessing to her for couple of years because he believed that a wonderful person like Soomin deserves only the best—in which he proved he managed to achieve after he secured his post as one of the head staffs in the YGE Company.

The collaboration between Soomin’s team and his made him believe that it was fate that brought them to work closely together, and for him to finally confess his feelings towards his very own close friend, which led him to today—dating the beautiful and sophisticated Soomin, and being able to call her as his girlfriend finally.

Soomin, who had only recently began dating Bomin, was happy to accept his feelings, working with him has made her feelings for him resurfaced from when they were in school back then. But she was determined to keep things professional at work. She’s that type of person.

But judging from Bomin’s careless behaviour, she could tell that Bomin isn’t trying to keep things between them as professional as she was.

“Well?” Soomin said, pushing for an answer from him since all he did was just stare at her without saying anything for the past minute.

“Tsk. Soomin. You know why I’m against this specific idea of yours,”

“No, I don’t. All I know is that you’re being a judgemental person,” she replied, implying that she does indeed know why Bomin was against her idea this time.

Bomin looks up at the ceiling, taking in the insult his girlfriend just said to him.

“Bomin, look at me,”

Bomin looks back at Soomin’s face, her eyes wider this time as she waited for his answer to her question.

“Look, babe—I mean, Soomin. You know,” he paused. “Ugh, you know I don’t like how you’re giving her special treatment all the time,”

Soomin scoffs at him, bemused. “I’m not giving her special treatment. I believe she has what it takes to do this,”

“She’s only been in your team for what—a month?? One of the company’s shareholders is going to be here today, and you have the nerve to take this stupid risk?”

“Don’t talk to me with that tone,”

Bomin groaned in frustration, seeing that he had somehow ticked Soomin’s mood off as well. He’s probably in for a bad day.

“Look, I already briefed her yesterday. I even sent her the materials for her to rehearse too. She’ll do fine!” Soomin added.

“You don’t get it! The reason I wanted you to be the one handling the presentation is because I want you to be recognised for your hard work! Now look at you, blowing your chance away!”

“That’s not true. You and I both know that half of the paperwork and data gathered for our presentations were gathered and done by y/n.”

“Even so—”

“Even so, I’m not doing it, Bomin. Y/n deserves to present her hard work for my team, and if you’re going to argue further about this…” Soomin looks at the door behind Bomin. “then I have nothing else to talk about with you.” With that, Soomin grabbed her handbag and headed towards the door, exiting the meeting room.

“Damn,” Bomin muttered to himself as he hurriedly left the room to chase after his girlfriend.

You arrived at the meeting room to see some of your team members already in their seats, all making small talk with one another. At the front of the meeting room, you saw Soomin with another one of your team members who was always in charge of fixing technical stuff for your team’s meetings so you assume that he’s probably setting up the slides and all that for today’s meeting.

Of course, you didn’t know the drama your team leader had with her boyfriend earlier today that had indirectly involved you.

Soomin was happily setting up the needed materials for your presentation, her face beaming as she was happy that she had won in the argument with her boyfriend too, enabling her to proceed with her plan of having you present for your company’s team today. As soon as she saw you putting your bag under the table of your seat, she gestured you to approach her.

You nod and made your way towards her and as you were doing so, you realised that Bomin was somehow glaring at you. Which made you shudder. What is with him today?

“Y/n, I’m so glad you made it here early. Sam is putting up your slides and notes on the screen for your reference so you can check on them before we start later on, okay?” Soomin said as soon as you were near her.

You nod at her, understanding what she said.

“Oh, and, have you read up on the materials I attached last night? Sorry for the late info, by the way. I didn’t mean to drop everything on you in all of a sudden,”

“It’s alright. I read up on them last night…though I can’t promise that it’ll be perfect today—” you grinned at her.

Soomin rolled her eyes at you and snickered, “Please—you’ll do great. I have a good feeling about today.”

“I don’t,” you joked.

“Please,” she laughed. “Okay, I think you can swipe through the slides now. Thanks Sam,” she said to him as he bowed and left the both of you alone.

You took over Soomin’s spot in front of the monitor and checked on the slides as you pressed the arrow button on the keyboard.

“Oops, incoming,” Soomin said in all of a sudden, making you stop what you were doing.

“Hm? What is it?”

And instead of Soomin answering you, you heard another voice approaching you.

“Y/n! You look so pretty today!” Chani said happily as he popped out of nowhere. He wasn’t in the room when you first arrived and in all of a sudden, he’s standing in between you and Soomin, a silly grin on his face.

Soomin smirked at the both of you and excused herself, “Well, I should get back to my seat. Good luck for today!” she pats your back before leaving.

“Hm? Good luck for what?” Chani asked as he turns to look at you directly now.

“Soomin-unnie is letting me present the final progress report for this workshop,” you replied, a smile on your face.

“Hmm,”

You stopped scrolling through your slides and turned to him. “What? You think I can’t handle today’s big meeting?”

“Well…I’m not even gonna lie, one of our company’s shareholders is gonna be here today…”

You scowled at him and punched his arm, making him laugh at you.

“I’m just kidding! I mean, I’d be nervous but hey, I think you’ll do fine. Just…don’t smile too much,”

“Hm? Why not? The shareholder doesn’t like it when people smile??” you ask him, dumbfounded.

“No, that’s not it,” he laughed. He leaned close to you to whisper, “I just think you look super pretty today and I’m afraid if you smile too much, he might fall for you like I did,”

You punched his arm another time, making him distance himself from you, “Ow, hey!”

“Cut it out, Chani. Go back to your seat,” you grumbled at him.

“Aww are you blushing? You’re shy, aren’t you? You like it when I tell you you’re pretty,” he teased you.

He wasn’t lying though. You could feel your cheeks heating up from him being so close to you like that. Not that it meant anything to you though. You were just surprised by his daringness today.

Chani has always been caring and affectionate towards you, but him flirting?? That’s new.

You shook your head at him and was about to nag at him about him bothering you too much when your eyes fell upon the people in the room. You noticed that most of them were watching you and Chani.

Have they been watching over the both of you the whole time?

“Look at them, I told you they’re dating,”

“Gasp, really? The nerve. Who does she think she is? With Chani??”

“Eh?? They do look good together…”

Suddenly you could hear them all talking about the both of you.

You were so distracted by everyone else that you didn’t realise Chani was busy looking through your notes and talking to you about what he had for breakfast.

You turn to look at him, his head lowered down as he read your notes on the screen. It seems like Chani was oblivious as to what was going on in the room.

How does he do it? How is he not bothered by what other people are saying? Is he really okay with the rumours everyone was spewing about you two?

“…seem fine. I’m sure you’ll do good today, don’t worry too much,” Chani said as he places his hand on your head, patting it.

You were too busy listening to everyone else’s whispers that you had missed out on what Chani was saying.

You pulled his hand away from your head, and smiled awkwardly at him. “Yeah, sure. Thanks. I uh, I’m gonna look through the slides one more time. You should go back to your seat,”

Chani noticed your sudden stiff expression so he decided to just comply and return to his seat.

And just as he sat down in his chair, still feeling puzzled by your sudden switch of mood, he noticed Bomin eyeing him, a smirk on his face.

Chani frowned at him, annoyed that this man is watching over him as always. He looked away and cursed the man under his breath.

After a good 20 minutes of presenting your company’s findings on the progress of the YG staff your team have mentored and tutored for the past week along with the intended future merges and implications, you swallowed the last bit of air you needed to conclude the presentation and thanked all the people in the room for listening.

“And that is all from us, are there any questions?” you asked, your voice sounding slightly hoarse as you felt it dry up from non-stop talking for the past 20 minutes.

Everyone else in the room shook their heads, to which you felt grateful for since you were sure that the presentation was made clear for everyone to understand fully.

You released a breath of air you didn’t realise you had been holding in when suddenly, the YG shareholder that had attended the meeting today raised his hand.

“Y-yes, sir? You have a question?”

“Hmm…well, frankly I’m not directing this only to you, but to everyone in this room,” he said as he turns to look at everyone in the room.

“This isn’t a question, but just want to say that I think everyone here is satisfied with your team’s plans and efforts as compared to last year. You all simply have improved much,” he continued, a smile on his face.

“Uhh, thank you, sir,” you answered back.

“That was a very insightful presentation too. I liked how your company arranged the new system. I say, a big round for PEWA Groups!” he exclaimed proudly, to which he clapped his hands to, earning everyone else’s applause as well in the room.

You bowed and smiled happily, locking eyes with Soomin who was also grinning as she clapped her hands.

“Thank you so much for the high praise, sir. We couldn’t have done a great job without your great staff here too, so, we’re equally grateful to have such wonderful clients this time around,” you responded to the shareholder.

“Well, if that is all, I believe we can adjourn the meeting?” you asked everyone, excited to end the meeting already.

“Ah, wait. I didn’t quite catch your name. What was it again?” The shareholder asked you.

“Oh, it’s y/n,”

“You did well, y/n,”

“Oh, no, really, I owe it all to my team leader, Soomin-ssi right there,” you pointed towards your surprised team leader.

“Oh gosh, no, no. He was right, you did a great job y/n. You handled the presentation really well,” Soomin complimented you with her bright smile.

You were getting embarrassed so you simply nodded and smiled before shuffling back towards the monitor screen at the front of the room to take down the meeting slides from the screen.

“Alright then, this marks the closing of our workshop with PEWA then?” you heard Bomin’s voice asking the room, to which was responded with loud cheers by everyone.

Mr Ahn, the shareholder, thanked everyone another time and said his goodbye as he hurried out to leave for another one of his own appointments.

You smiled to yourself as you waited for the computer in front of you to shut down. How many days left were you to work here before going back to your own office? A week? A week plus? Oh, right. Your last day here would be next Friday.

When the computer finally shut down, you hurried back to your seat since Bomin was telling everyone to quiet down before he dismisses everyone for their lunch break.

As soon as you sat down, you felt Chani’s hand patting your head and you turned to smile at him briefly before returning your attention back to Bomin who was standing up by now.

“It has been great pleasure to work with you all,” Bomin said as he turns to look at Soomin. The both of them exchanged knowing smiles with one another.

“And of course, again, thank you, y/n, for delivering such a great presentation today!” he looked at you this time. You smiled and nodded at him.

“I mean, sure, I wasn’t expecting it to be this good considering that you’re just a high school graduate,” he added, still smiling at you.

You felt your smile freeze on your face.

Wha…t?

Suddenly, the whole room went quiet.

You licked your lips that was beginning to feel dry by now and your eyes searched the room for your team leader, who had an expression just as shocked as you were.

“Oh? Why is everyone so quiet? Didn’t you all know? Y/n is the only employee in the PEWA’s Comm’s Team who owns just a high school certificate,” Bomin asked, amused with everyone’s reaction.

You felt everyone’s eyes on you.

But how…? The only person who knew about this…was your company’s president—Mr Bae. Then how?

And in a quick second, you heard people’s voices talking all at once.

“What?? So we’re literally being educated by someone who has no skills in this field?”

“Wait, isn’t the Comms Team from PEWA the highest ranked team in their company? What??”

“Yah, are we being conned? We literally let that kid educate us throughout the workshop,”

“Bomin-ssi! How did you let an unqualified person like that have control over our staff??”

You lowered your head, unable to look at the people who have started talking about you.

Chani moved in his seat, unhappy with what was going on in the room.

“O-okay, everyone, quiet down. Meeting is over,” you heard Soomin’s voice say.

Though you could hear no one listening to her. They continued talking to one another, dissatisfaction spewing out of their mouths non-stop.

“Yahh what an embarrassment!”

“Omg and to think she’s been working with us for almost two years. Just how did she get into the company??”

“Soomin-ssi, did you know this? Is that why you favour her over us?? We’ve been working by your side for years and yet you never let us do any of your tasks for you! Yet, you’ve asked her plenty of times!” you heard one of your team members asking Soomin.

Great. Now your own team is turning on you. You grip the sides of your pants, your head feeling heavy from all the loud voices you’re hearing.

“Would everyone, please, just quiet down—” Soomin tried to calm the room but she was interrupted by Bomin’s voice,

“Aigoo. I didn’t know this would bring so much chaos. I’m so sorry, y/n.”

You could hear the smirk from his voice even when you’re not looking at him. This man…just what is he thinking?

The room wasn’t getting any quieter, yet, it seemed like everyone has started asking questions.

“Omo omo, how did you even get the job to be in PEWA?? Did you use a back door??”

“My gosh, imagine if half of the PEWA Group was actually made up of staff that are underqualified,”

“Hey, don’t start spouting nonsense!” you heard Soomin arguing back.

You couldn’t take this. How did this happen? Everything was going so well. How did it all turn so badly in a blink of an eye??

You stood up from your seat, making the loud noise in the room lessen, but then you could still hear some of them whispering to one another.

You lift your head to look at Bomin. “Thank you, for congratulating me on my efforts today.”

“And yes, what Bomin-ssi said was true. But I assure you all, none of the PEWA staff are underqualified.” You swallowed a breath before continuing, “I am the only staff that has…just a high school certificate.”

“Gasp! This is so funny! We literally let someone like her lead the workshop??”

“Tsk, Soomin-ssi, I’m so disappointed in you. I was wondering why a newbie like her was added into our team so suddenly. You must’ve felt sorry for her,”

You felt a pang of hurt in your chest. You didn’t like how Soomin was getting dragged into this. If anything at all, Soomin had been the nicest person to you in your company.

“I…I’m so sorry,” you apologised. You could feel your eyes tearing up. “I’m so sorry,” you bowed at everyone.

“What? No, y/n, no this isn’t your fault,” you heard Soomin say.

You grabbed your bag under the table and backed away from your seat. Your eyes fell upon Chani.

He had a surprised look on his face as well. He shook his head at you, noticing your tight grip on your bag. It seemed like he knew what was on your mind right now.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered before running out of the meeting room.

As soon as the door closed behind you, Chani heard the whole room talking all at once again. He was getting tired of the loud noise.

He got up and marched towards Bomin.

“Yes, intern? Is there something—” Bomin’s word was cut off as he felt Chani’s fist landing against his right cheek, causing him to fall to the floor.

“Get up.” Chani said. “I said, get up!”

Bomin huffed angrily as he got up on his feet. He swung his arm and punched Chani in his stomach.

Chani groaned loudly in pain. “You piece of shi—”

“What? You’re gonna curse? That’s the best you could do??” Bomin taunts him, a smirk on his lips.

Chani grabbed Bomin by his collar and gritted his teeth, “Yah, Bomin! You have really crossed the line this time!”

“Aw? Why? Did you feel bad because you couldn’t stand up for your friend like last time?” Bomin scoffs, “I wonder how she’d react though? Because as I recall, back then, it didn’t work out well with you and your old friend, no?”

“Why you—” Chani was about to punch him again when Soomin stepped in between them to stop them.

“Stop it you two! Everyone is watching!” she whispered loud enough for the both of them to hear.

Chani looked around the room and noticed that what she said was true. Everyone else had stopped talking now and were focused on the little fight going on between him and Bomin.

Chani pushes Bomin roughly aside and glared at him.

Bomin shook his head, his annoying smirk still visible on his face. He fixed his collar as he said, “Tsk. Violence doesn’t always work out, you know,”

“Shut up,”

“Okay that’s it, you both. Enough.” Soomin chimed. “And the rest of yous! Leave the meeting room! Quit staring already!”

Everyone else in the room slowly gathered their stuff, some of them still whispering to each other as they left the room.

All three of them stayed quiet as they watched the rest of the staff leave the room.

And as soon as the last person exited the room, Soomin quickly closed the door and turned back to look at the two men in front of her.

“Have you both no shame?? Fighting like that in front of everyone?? And you, Bomin, why did you have to say that about y/n?!”

Bomin kept quiet, not knowing what to say as he notices how angry his girlfriend was with him.

Chani clicked his tongue. “Pfft. Doesn’t feel nice, does it? Having your girlfriend being mad at you. Maybe you should’ve thought more clearly before creating a mess like this, idiot,”

“Wait—you know?” Soomin asked him.

“What don’t I know?” Chani answered smugly. “Look, I’d love to tell you everything I know about your boyfriend but right now, I can’t stand to be in here.”

Chani approached Bomin again to say, “You may think that you’ve won this again, but I’m telling you, I’m not letting you get away with this. I told you before, not to hurt y/n. You…I’ll deal with you when I get home, hyung.”

With that, Chani shot him a piercing glare before leaving him and Soomin alone in the room.

“…hyung?” Soomin looked at Bomin questioningly.

YGE Building (Treasure’s Practice Room)

“and 5,6,7,8—bam bam bam dda, dda da da da ddum!” Hyunsuk’s voice chanted as he guided his group’s movements according to his beat count.

“Okay, and then after this part here,” Hyunsuk stepped out of his spot in the formation and demonstrated another move to his friends, “After the right leg out part, step out your left leg further front and then we all turn clockwise before we enter the next formation, got it?”

“Okay hyung,” Jihoon answered.

“Okay let’s all try individually for a while, I’ll count,” Hyunsuk said. “ and 5,6,7,8— bam bam bam dda, dda da da da ddum, okay, right leg, left out, turn! Alright, NICE!” Hyunsuk cheered as he notices everyone’s movements sync with his count even when they’re all practicing on their own.

“Woooo yeah!” Mashiho cheered as well, his charming smile beaming. He wipes the sweat on his forehead with the towel he grabbed from his bag and complimented everyone on their hard work.

“Yayyyy! We’re good to go for the first part of this song! Great job everyone!” Jaehyuk said this time.

Hyunsuk showed a thumbs up at everyone. He walked towards the water dispenser and poured himself a cup of water to drink.

Jihoon approached him and pat his back before getting himself a cup of drink as well. “Great job today, hyung,”

“You too, Hoon-aa, good job.”

“Hyung, will we be leaving for lunch later then?” both the leaders heard Yedam ask, making both of them turn around.

“Yeah, sure. Text the kids too, and tell them that we’ll meet them at the cafeteria later on,” Hyunsuk answered, reminding Yedam to inform the maknaes whom were in school to meet them later when they get to the building.

Jihoon left his hyung’s side to approach Junkyu who was sitting on the floor, chatting with Haruto, Yoshi and Asahi.

“…and then before you proceed to the next level, make sure you collect the diamonds from the hidden bags in the rooms—” Haruto explained to Asahi, his fingers moving as he tapped on his phone.

Junkyu and Asahi nods at his explanation, trying to understand what he was showing them.

“What are you kids watching?” Jihoon asks as soon as he sits down beside Junkyu.

“Haruto’s just explaining how this game he’s been obsessed with works,” Junkyu answered, his eyes still plastered on Haruto’s phone screen.

“Tsk, it seems like a lot of work though,” Asahi said, making Yoshi giggle.

“Yahh hyung! Just—just watch how I do it first. It’s easy!” Haruto insisted as he pushed his screen closer to Asahi.

Junkyu turns to Jihoon who was amused by Haruto’s nagging, “No kidding, hyung. This is the second time he’s explained it to me. It’s still confusing to me,” he complained.

Jihoon nods, “Sure Junkyu. Oh right, what are you having for lunch later?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll see what choices they have on the menu today I guess,” Junkyu shrugs back at him.

Suddenly, they all heard a loud knock on their practice room’s door.

‘knock knock knock’

“Oh? Someone’s knocking on the door?” Hyunsuk asked.

‘KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK’ the knocking was louder this time.

“My gosh, who would knock like that??” Jihoon asked this time. “Who is it??” Jihoon yelled, asking the person outside the door.

The door opened to reveal a flustered-looking Chani.

“Chani?” Yedam asked, surprised.

Chani enters the room, looking around for something—or someone.

His eyes landed on Junkyu.

“Yah, Kim Junkyu. Where is she?”

Junkyu turns around to look behind him. He turns back to the front to look at Chani who was standing not too far from him. “Me?”

Chani rolls his eyes at Junkyu’s confused expression. “Yes, I’m talking to you obviously. Quit playing dumb. I know the both of you are kinda close to each other so just spill it. Where’s she?”

“Where’s who??” Junkyu asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Oh my god. Are you really gonna keep it at this??”

“Hey hey, chill it, Chani. That’s your hyung you’re talking to,” Jihoon reminded him.

“I don’t have time for this, hyung! Y/n! Where’s y/n?!” Chani responds rather impatiently.

Everyone in the room exchanged puzzled looks with one another. Is Chani drunk or something? Obviously they all hadn’t met you today—let alone hang out with you after the small dispute Junkyu had with you.

Chani noticed how clueless everyone looked, making his expression soften. “Wait…no way…none of you’ve seen her?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Agh, this is crazy!” Chani exclaims as he ruffles his own hair. “I’ve been trying to call her but she hadn’t been answering,”

Hyunsuk approaches the frustrated looking man who was standing in the middle of their practice room. “Why? Did y/n not come to work today?”

Chani lets out an exasperated sigh. “Hyung…you gotta help me find y/n. Bomin-hyung…he did it again…”

Hyunsuk’s eyes widened upon hearing this. “Wh-what?”

“He’s trying to drive y/n away from me, hyung! He said something during our meeting that made y/n ran off and now, now—” Chani swallowed his breath before continuing, “I can’t find her anywhere!”

“What…?” Junkyu’s voice said, earning the attention of everyone in the room.

Junkyu was already standing by now, his concern rising as he heard Chani’s story.

“I thought you’d know where she is, hyung!” Chani exclaimed.

Junkyu shook his head at the younger man. “Whatever. Thanks for telling us what happened, Chani,” He immediately walks away from everyone and heads for the door.

“Wait, Junkyu, where are you going??” Jihoon asked him.

“What’s it look like I’m doing?? I’m gonna go look for y/n!”

To be continued…

#ALIY #sandwichrin #treasure #treasure fanfic #TREASURE IMAGINE #ygtreasure #treasurefic #treasure members #all treasure members #alltreasuremembers #treasuremembers #kim junkyu #kimjunkyu #kim junkyu x reader #kimjunkyu x reader #junkyu x reader #junkyu scenarios #junkyu #junkyu fanfic

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