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bichlordstories · 4 years ago

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11: redirection

Mc: *hates Deku’s guts*

Readers: “that’s not very cash money of you*

All Might *reveals to be their biological father while acting as a father figure towards Midoriya but doesn’t tell Mc the truth*

Readers: “I never liked those bastards anyways✌️”

So anyways, this chap is pretty short... buuuut you get bonding time with blood daddy!

yay!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Control.”

You growled in response, wanting nothing more than to tear your teacher’s arms off.

“Control.” Sekijiro repeated.

You took a step closer, seeing nothing but a threat and a target.

“(L/n). Control.” Sekijiro stood his ground, feeling a slight wave of disappointment due to you obviously losing against your quirk and instinct but still held hope.

You were fighting against it. That meant you had potential to take complete control over your power.

You punched the side of a metal bar in anger, causing all of the monkey bars to collapse.

“Contro-“

You suddenly shot forward and tackled Sekijiro, who stood firm and held onto you tightly as you struggled in his grip.

Your teeth were found sinking into his bicep, causing the man to groan.

“Damn it... c’mon (L/n)!” He hissed before you grew limp in his arms.

“You’re going about this wrong, Sekijiro.”

The man laid you gently onto the ground and turned to glare at Aizawa.

“Oh? You think I don’t know that?” Sekijiro snapped before exhaling.

“Sorry, I lost a bit of my temper.”

The large man rubbed his forehead and instantly regretted it as he got his hands coated in your blood.

“The problem is, is that you’re telling them to force their anger down. This isn’t like your own anger issues, this is a quirk that makes its user high on adrenaline and raw anger.” Aizawa said while approaching the two.

“This is something rooted within their quirk and blood. Trying to tell them to control their anger is like trying to force a raging river to flow the opposite way.”

Sekijiro continued to stare down at your exhausted face as he processed this.

How could he be so stupid? Of course this wasn’t just something simple like the typical anger issues.

He sighed and proceeded to pick you up by the ankles and held you upside down.

Aizawa furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what his major malfunction was before blood left your mouth like a waterfall. Sekijiro could see the bewilderment on Aizawa’s face and almost laughed.

“Their lungs get filled with blood when they use their quirk for too long. It’s normal for them.” He said with a reassuring smile.

Aizawa’s face shifted to a disturbed look.

“This kid...” he muttered before sighing.

“Take them to recovery girl, and figure out a way for them to train without involving me using my quirk.” Aizawa said and walked back inside.

Sekijiro picked you up correctly and walked towards the building with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Something else, Huh... this is gonna be complicated...” he muttered to himself.

“I need you to do something different.” Sekijiro said.

“Huh?” You let out, genuinely confused.

You were back again for one on one training with your teacher. You thought you were improving a bit... but you guessed not.

“Isn’t this the only way to control my quirk? What else is there?” You asked.

“Instead of pushing this anger down, I want you to find a way to redirect your anger. I want you to prioritize defeating the enemy, hence the dummies.” Sekijiro said while gesturing to the figures with silly mad faces crudely dream on them.

You cocked your eyebrow at the ridiculous looking dummies and looked back at your teacher.

“...they’re dummies I use to train myself...” Sekijiro smiled in embarrassment.

“Let’s forget about that and focus on training, yes?” He suggested.

You shrugged this off, getting pumped (with adrenaline-) about training.

It took a bit, but you were slowly reaching your ‘rage stage’. You were growing more erratic and aggressive with your attacks on the dummies, even grabbing one by the arm and chucking it at another with ease.

“Repeat to yourself ‘they are the enemy’. Remember that I’m a civilian. No one else but the dummies are the enemy.” Sekijiro said.

He was slowly growing nervous just watching you tear the dummies apart without mercy.

‘We’re gonna need to work on that...’ he thought.

“(L/n).”

You snapped your head towards him. He gulped.

“You won. You took down all of the dummies- the villains.”

You slowly started approaching the tall man.

“(L/n). You won. You can stop now. You’re a hero.” Sekijiro said.

You stopped and stared at him for what felt like minutes when it was only seconds.

“...hero?”

Sekijiro was feeling excited at the thought that he was getting through to you and smiled.

“Yes, yes you are. Now you can deactivate your quirk.”

“I’m... a hero...” you said before a menacing smile grew on your face.

Sekijiro‘s smile faded as the feeling of unease replaced his short lived relief. Your mantra was something new and a little unnerving along with your malicious smile of yours, given the fact that you just murdered Sekijiro’s dummies.

It was as though you weren’t entirely there.

The blood seemed to slow it’s pace and your figure released the tension in your muscles.

“I’m a hero...” you repeated before collapsing to your knees.

Sekijiro stomped over to you and kneeled next to you. He placed his hand on your blood soaked back, making him grimace.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

You said nothing, letting the blood leak out of your mouth.

“...lungs...” you said weakly.

Sekijiro immediately hoisted you over his shoulder and allowed you to empty your lungs over his back.

“...couldn’t you just grab me by the legs and hang me over the ground?” You wheezed while looking down the man’s back.

“Yeah... Recovery girl scolded me for doing that, said that I should be doing this instead.” Sekijiro said with a forced smile, clearly not enjoying the blood running down his back.

“...am I improving?” You asked.

Sekijiro started walking towards the entrance to the school without answering your question, making you believe that he didn’t hear you.

That is, until he finally responded.

“It’s a start.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Surprise! Sekijiro has secret anger issues!

At least, in this fanfic, he does.

He’s better at controlling his anger issues than the Mc is, but unlike his anger, Mc’s is deeply rooted in their quirk, which can actually cause the Mc major stress, which they do not realize.

The stress seeps into Mc’s daily life, which doesn’t help them with their anger.

Since this isn’t normal anger issues, Sekijiro is having a tough time understanding and fixing the problem.

(Yes, that is more art from yours truly)

#bnha x gender neutral reader #bnha x y/n #bnha x reader #Blood sport

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skyking91-archive · 4 years ago

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london ‘10 || tommy & sky

Discord thread featuring: Sky & @byrnethomas

When: 2010

Mentions: -

Description: Tommy and Sky are living together in London and working as prostitutes

TW: mentions of prostitution and being damn poor

Sky.

“Roomie — I’m hooooome.” She sang, as she closed the door to their tiny London flat. It was 8am on a Sunday and Sky was exhausted. This escort thing was going to be harder than she originally thought. She was only 18, just hit the drinking age, and now she was prancing around London with rich, old men pretending to be something she wasn’t. She’d get the hang of it— eventually. Sky peaked into her roommate’s bedroom, and ya him a big smile. “Wakey wakey, mate.”

Tommy

Sometimes Tommy still couldn't believe he thought getting away from his dad meant getting away from escorting. Just because he was no longer living in Cork didn't mean that all of a sudden he was rich and could afford to pay the bills. He was still a school drop out without a penny in his name but at least now he had a friend by his side to help him get through the darkest times. Although he would feel much more grateful towards her if she didn't insist on waking him up at 8am in the morning after an almost sleepless night being dragged around different business events by an asshole who insisted on calling him a slut in front of all his business friends. "You know I only got two hours of sleep, right?" he groaned in his pillow. "Why do you insist on being so mean to me?"

Sky.

Sky knew that Tommy was a hard worker; he taught her the ropes after all. Even though she felt like she was still learning. No matter how poor she was, how down on her luck she was - she was glad to be in London, away from every bad town she'd lived in, school she'd attended, and foster family she'd ever been with. She tried her hardest to block out those awful memories; sometimes with drugs and alcohol. Could you blame the girl though? She'd been through enough, and she could have ended up a lot more fucked up than she was. Sky walked into the small room and sat on the corner of his bed. "It's just my way of showing my love for you." She gave him a cheeky smile. "But I wanted to show up something?" She pulled a huge wad of cash out of her boot and waved it at him. "I didn't sleep a wink all night and had to give head to a man with a shriveled up cock, but..." She paused for dramatic affect, "I think we've finally got enough for rent this month." She grinned.

Tommy

Tommy rolled his eyes but sat up, knowing that once he woke up there was no way of him going back to sleep. And he was a little curious over what Sky wanted to show him. He knew that she was out working just like him the previous night and was hoping she had a little more luck. He was paid well for his efforts but it was a very long night and one which he wasn't in a rush to repeat any time soon. There was a reason why he tended to stick to his regulars. He looked at the wad of cash that Sky was presenting him and grinned. "That's incredible! I guess the student has officially become the master now", he teased. "If we add that to the money I made last night we can pay this month's rent and get ourselves a nice dinner tonight."

Sky.

She kicked her boots off and threw them on his floor. She turned towards him and kicked her legs up on his bed to sit cross cross applesauce. “Oi Oi!!” She exclaimed, raising her hands over her head like she just won a football match. Sky brought her hands back down and tossed her dreads off of her shoulder. She beamed at the mention of a nice dinner. Since moving to London, it’s basically been Ramen noodles and sausage rolls from Greggs. A nice dinner that wasn’t paid for by someone she was going to fuck for money sounded amazing. Sky still had yet have the exclusive client list she managed to create while in New York. She was still so new to this, she had no idea what was coming. All she knew was that with sex work, she’d never made more money. She was sticking to this for sure. “Oooh, we can go to that nice place in Kensington I told you about!” She squealed, clapping her hands with excitement.

Tommy

“Male yourself at home”, he snarled, although it was clear he was only messing with her. This was sort of their little ritual for the morning after. Go to each other’s rooms, depending on who got home first, and spend some time talking about their previous nights to each other. It was a good way of making conversation but also of checking up on each other. They knew each other well enough by now to realise when their night was not the best and try to cheer the other up. It was a good system, and one which hadn’t failed so far. “That sounds really amazing, I’m in.” Tommy night have quite an impressive number of clients but rent in London wasn’t cheap. Life in general was expensive in London and they still struggled to make ends meet. He wasn’t a picky eater so getting to eat so much ramen noodles wasn’t too bad for him but he still craved a properly cooked dinner every once in a while. This was going to be their little treat and he couldn’t be more excited. “We deserve it after all we’ve been through.”

Sky.

The young escort laid face up across the bottom of his bed, her feet dangling over the edge a bit. There was nothing like a good morning cuddle puddle with your roommates. They needed to decompress after their exhausting nights. "God, you can say that again."Sky and Tommy were cut from the same stone - they were fucking survivors. They might as well have gone to hell and back. But they were here. Living. And trying to make the best of the world's shittiest cards that they were dealt. Sky turned to her side to face her friend; older brother rather. "That same guy keeps coming and telling me he'll give me 3,000 pounds to tie me up. I almost said yes last night, but I'm so afraid of being tied up, and actually getting hurt. Sad part is that I was really really close to saying fuck it and just doing it." She sighed. Sex workers have been beaten, bruised, and sometimes murdered in the past. Especially women who were sex workers. And most especially, black women who were sex workers. She was thankful for Tommy for not only showing her the ropes, but for understand her fears and the risks the job entailed.

Tommy

Tommy tensed up at her mention of the 3,000 pounds guy. This wasn’t the first time he was hearing of him as he’d approached Sky before but it was the first time he was hearing her say that she thought about accepting his offer. 3,000 pounds were good money and there was a lot they could do with it but it wasn’t worth putting Sky’s safety at risk. And he knew that’s exactly what would happen if she were to accept, especially since she was so scared about it. People like that would only take advantage of their fear. “Hey”, he said, moving around his bed so that he was closer to Sky. “I’m not going to say that’s not good money because we both know it is but it’s not worth putting your safety at risk. And I know you remember what I told you at the start of all this. Stay away from anything you’re uncomfortable doing. We’ll get by even without those 3,000.” But Tommy was scared. The temptation was always going to be there and what if it got to be too much to ignore? He would never forgive himself if Sky got hurt doing this. “I’ll pick up some more clients and we’ll be fine, I promise.”

Sky.

Damn, Sky needed a fucking security detail or something. That way she wouldn't be so afraid to do stuff like that. And she wanted to. She really fucking wanted to. Maybe she was willing to take the risk. But she couldn't do that to Tommy. She knew if something happened to her, he would be completely destroyed and blame himself for probably the rest of his life. Shy didn't love sex work, but it was good enough for now. She'd be on the streets if it weren't for her job. Sky just shook her head at the thought of him picking up more clients. Tommy already worked so hard; he didn't need to do anymore than he was already doing. "You're not doing that." She told him, her black eyes glaring at him. "You already don't get enough sleep. Have you even showered since you've been home? Eaten anything?" She asked, looking at his small frame.

Tommy

They were both protective of each other and that much was clear. They were each other’s everything, with both their family lives being less than ideal so if something happened to the other they would be crushed. And the risk was always there in their line of work. One of their clients getting carried away, getting themselves into dangerous situations...the possibilities were endless. Tommy was about to insist that it was fine and he could handle it but was silenced by her questions because she had a point. “You know I went right to bed as soon as I got home. Showering and eating wasn’t exactly priority.” He knew that didn’t sound great but could anyone blame him?

Sky.

Sky sighed because she understood, but also hated that they had to prioritize like that. Sky sat up in his bed and gave him a pat on the back. "Shower. I'll make us some food." She said, practically pushing him out of bed. "Then we'll get some more sleep." She told him. She hopped out of bed and kind of hobbled over into the kitchen. The woman put the kettle on. She opened the fridge and scanned it for something she could make them. They had a few eggs left, baked beans, some butter and bread. Half an English breakfast. Cool. Sky was determined to have the meal ready by the time Tommy was out of the shower. He had been like a big brother to her; taking her in the way he did. The least she could do was make a good breakfast for him and force him to eat.

Tommy

“Fine, I’m going pushy”, he said, although he was only teasing. It’s not like he didn’t know that he was in desperate need for a shower; he smelled like sex and drugs. The growling in his stomach only reminded him that he was quite hungry so he finally got out of bed and made his way to their tiny bathroom. Shower, food and more sleep. That sounded like the perfect plan right now. It was probably one of the quickest showers he ever took, drying up and putting on a clean pair of boxers once he dried up. “English breakfast?” he asked once he walked into the kitchen. “You’re spoiling me today.”

Sky.

Sky hummed along to some of her favorite broadway songs as she cooked. Specifically some songs from RENT. God, how she would love to be able to play Joanne. She looked up to her so much when she was younger because she was a black woman on stage — something that she didn’t get to see much. “I am.” She sang, when he walked in. She made a plate for the both of them and sat down across from him. It wasn’t until then when she realized she hoe hungry she was. “Fuck.” She said, digging into her food.

Tommy

Tommy took a seat at the table and dug in as soon as Sky places the plate in front of him. He was starving. This was a habit that he couldn’t break no matter how hard he tried. Sometimes he could go a whole day without eating anything only to annihilate everything in front of him the second he’s presented with food. Today was no different and his plate was completely empty in a matter of minutes. “Thanks for this, I really needed it. I’m in a much better mood now.”

Sky.

Sky smiled at Tommy. She cared about him like no one else did. The very least she could do was make him a good breakfast. She hoped that one day she would be able to help him the way that he helped her. He almost literally gripped her from perdition and literally saved her life. Without Tommy, Sky would probably still be in a ditch. And while they still didn't have much, at least she had someone to share it with. "Anything for you, Tom."

#discord #tommy

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sunriseskog · 7 years ago

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Steel- Auston Matthews

Request: this wasn’t requested I’m just sad lol

Warnings: ANGST, cussing, cheating, dangerous behavior ?

Word Count: 1680

Notes: all i have to say is im sorry and that this is bad lmao// REQUESTS ARE OPEN

It had been a rough day. It had been a rough day and a rough week and rough month and a rough season and the last fucking thing you needed right now was to have to drive 30 fucking minutes to pick up your fucking boyfriend from whatever fucking club he was at getting drunk off his ass with his fucking teammates. You had nothing against his teammates at all, honestly, they were probably one of the best things to happen to you the past few months. You did, however, have something against them interrupting the bubble bath, Netflix, and white wine filled night that you had planned for yourself because they wanted to get wasted.

After searching for a parking spot for nearly 10 minutes, you ended up giving in and parking in the overpriced lot 3 blocks down from the location William had shared with you 45 minutes prior. After just barely convincing the bouncer to let you in, with the promise of being out in under 5 minutes and the tactical unbuttoning of a couple extra buttons on your blouse, you walked through the door and were immediately bombarded by an overwhelming inner dialogue of ‘fuck this.’ The smell of sweaty bodies and overpowering drinks and suffocating smoke machines made your eyes water and your throat close up. Getting jostled by overzealous college douches and even rowdier businessmen, you finally made your way towards the VIP booths you knew the team had claimed by now. “Steph!” You called out, finally spotting a familiar face.

“Hey babes,” she laughed. “Aus said you weren’t gonna make it tonight. Everything okay?” She questioned, noticing the tired look on your face and the bags under your eyes.

“Ya hon, I’ve just been having the week from hell,” you sighed. “Where is Aus?” You questioned, noticing the distinct lack of the hard-to-miss love of your life as you glanced around the booth.

“I saw him head to the bathroom a couple minutes ago, want me to go grab him?” Mitch questioned, jumping into the conversation.

“Nah, I’ve got it. Thanks guys.” You left with a small wave and an appreciative smile, making sure to grab his jacket off the back of the chair.

You were starting to get overwhelmed again. The music was still too loud and the air was still too thick and the closer you got to the restrooms the more it began to smell like piss. You knew if you didn’t get out of here within the next couple minutes you were going to have an anxiety attack in the middle of the goddamn dance floor, so you moved quickly to push open the door to the only functional bathroom in the club. Upon opening the door you stopped being able to hear the music or taste the air or smell the stench— because that was your boyfriend. And that was your best friend. On her knees with his fucking cock in her mouth.

It had been a rough day. Most people in your situation most likely would have resorted to yelling or screaming or crying but at this point you were just…done. You backed out of the door, rolled your shoulders back, took a deep breath and walked back to the booths. The crowd parted much more easily this time around, in all honesty, it probably had something to do with the glare you felt overtaking your features. As you approached the table, you could feel Steph giving you a questioning look.

“You’re taking Auston for the night,” you stated, shoving the jacket into Mitch’s chest. “I don’t care what he does OR who he does for that matter— but I don’t want him anywhere near me. Tell him he can go back home in the morning. I’ll be out by then.” You could feel them both about to interrupt you, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, but you just shrugged off Steph’s hand and stormed out of the club.

“That was 7 minutes, bitch.” The bouncer called after you after you had thrown open the door. You threw both of your middle fingers up behind you as you made your way back to the parking lot. It may have only been 7 minutes, but it felt like a fucking lifetime. And in a way, it kind of was. Because there goes your fucking life. Upon reaching your car you felt yourself hiccup and just barely managed to grab onto the door handle before a sob wracked your body and you felt your legs wobble. After fumbling for your keys through your blurring vision, you climbed into the car and made sure to lock the door before letting your head fall to the steering wheel as you struggled to breathe through the tears running down your face. “Fuck. FUCK! FUCKFUCKFUCK!” You screamed through the mess of snot and tears running into your mouth, slamming your fists against the wheel, barely even flinching at the sound of the horn ringing out through the garage. “…fuck.” Your voice cracked as the weight of what you had just witnessed hit you. You didn’t… you didn’t know what you were feeling. It was like, you had so much to feel and so much to process that it just… wouldn’t.

You slowly gained your breath back, feeling your shoulders drop. A few moments ago it had felt like your heart was going to explode out of your chest, it was so heavy and so full of emotion and so so unbelievably hurt and now you just felt… nothing. It was like whatever connections your heart had had, whatever connections you had had to Auston were just…snapped. You had been heartbroken before, at least you thought, you had gone through the crying and the screaming and the weeks full of sweatpants and ice cream and intentionally sad movies so that you could say that you cried about something other than yourself, but this was new. You had grown here in Toronto with him, and all the growth that you had made was because of him. You had grown while in love with him, you had grown to be someone he could love. You had moved here for him and gotten this fucking job for him, the same one that had been ruining your life for months, you had left your friends for him, you had left your family for him, you had left everything. For him. And now all of it had gone completely and totally down the drain. ‘more like down a throat.’ You thought to yourself bitterly.

“Alright, (Y/N), get your shit together. You felt things before Auston and you’ll feel things after him but right now you’re not gonna feel fucking anything. You have shit to do. Fuck him.” You lectured yourself in the rearview mirror, swiping quickly under your eye to get rid of any evidence of the fact that you had been crying. You maintained eye contact with yourself as you took a breath, cracked your neck, and steeled yourself. It was a routine you had mastered long before you had met Auston. It had come in handy a multitude of times. Dad packs up and leaves on Christmas Eve? Steel yourself. Mom forgets your 12th birthday? Steel yourself. Prom date stands you up for the first, second, and third time? Steel yourself. The first man you had ever fully trusted takes the heart you gave him and ejaculates it down the back of the throat of a friend you had spent 6 years prioritizing over yourself? Steel yourself. It was the only thing you could do.

And it worked. You put your “Fuck you” playlist on shuffle and began the drive back to the house you and Auston had moved into together 9 months ago. You were taking the corners just a little too fast, and entering the intersection just a little too late, but it wasn’t exactly like it mattered. Everything was fucked anyways. After making it back to the house in one piece— miraculously— you stood in the middle of the living room and took a deep breath. Steel yourself.

Packing up wasn’t hard, Auston was the one who had lived nearby, and you had only brought half a cars worth of stuff to Toronto. A majority of it had long since been given away or moved into storage to accommodate Auston’s preferences and you hadn’t really noticed, or minded, until this moment. Grabbing one of the huge suitcases he normally reserved for long stretches on the road, it barely took half an hour to pack up all of the clothes you deemed worth taking. You cleared the bathroom of all your toiletries, placed the little jewelry he hadn’t gotten you in your purse, and grabbed the emergency cash you both had agreed to stash in the bedside table, just in case. The cash was primarily out of spite, you had plenty of money saved up, especially after Auston had refused to put your name on the mortgage, eager to spend the majority of his annual salary to finally own his own house. After placing your suitcase and duffel bag next to the front door, you removed the house key from your key ring and placed it on the kitchen counter next to the locket he had gifted you 2 Christmases ago.

Calling your brother to inform him that you’d be arriving in Pittsburg early the next morning had taken 10 minutes, and calling your boss to let him know that you were quitting had taken half that, especially given the fact that you had hung up immediately after breaking the news, it wasn’t like you were getting paid to hear him yell at you anymore. Dragging your shit to your car and keying in the directions had taken 10 more minutes. Pulling out of the driveway and coming to terms with the fact that your entire life was in the backseat of your car and you were about to drive away from everything you had come to know and love over the past 7 years had taken longest of all.

#auston matthews #toronto maple leafs #auston matthews imagine #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #angst #mitch marner #tml #leaf nation #william nylander #nhl playoffs #breakup imagine

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minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong · 7 years ago

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Arranged Chapter One

Description: Y/N is a struggling student in Seoul: working multiple jobs, living in a broom closet apartment, and often sacrificing her dignity for the sake of her livelihood. What happens when a handsome stranger presents her with an offer she cannot refuse at the moment she needs it most?

Pairing: Min Yoongi x (f) Reader

Word Count: 5,142

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Chaebol!Au, Company!Au, Arranged Marriage!Au

Warnings: Coarse language, although not frequently

A/N: Hey there! This has been sitting on my computer for ages and I’m just now finding the courage to post it. I’m already a few chapters in, so if you guys (whoever you are) enjoy it, then by all means let me know and I’ll post more! I really love writing, and I’m working on multiple things at once, but if this is something you guys want to see more of then I’ll prioritize it. Hope you enjoy!

--Mercury

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen (END)

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“He’s been here for two hours…”

“He’s been here longer than that.”

Hana sent Bongki a glance that told him to shut up, but the latter only chuckled and continued polishing the violin he’d been working on for an hour. The three of us stood in a huddle behind the counter, looking more like a group of gossips than a group of employees. I took a look at what the two were talking about, or rather who. He was a reasonably tall man with only his broad back on display as he took slow, thoughtful steps across the carpet, eyeing the guitar display on the south wall. He pivoted on his heel when the wall ended, only to be met wth the violin display right beside it, which he then began to peruse.

“I asked if he wanted help, like, an hour ago and he said no,” said Hana, pulling her lower lip between her teeth.

Bongki didn’t look up from his violin when he murmured, “Should’ve asked again.”

“I don’t wanna bother him!” she exclaimed, then quieted herself and pushed her dark hair behind her ear. “Besides, what if he doesn’t have money?”

I furrowed my brow as I clipped my name tag onto the too-loose shirt I’d been assigned upon starting this job. “He might be too shy to ask for help,” I said, mostly to myself as I tidied my collar and dusted off the front of my jeans.

“He didn’t seem like he needed help,” said Hana.

Bongki chuckled. “You seem pretty interested,” he said lowly with a wink her way.

Hana visibly flushed and stuttered out an unconvincing, “I’m not!”

“I’m gonna go. Since Y/N’s here now,” said Bongki, finally dragging his eyes from the warm brown of the violin, although unwillingly. He met my gaze and smiled gently. “Will you finish this? It’s the used rosewood that got donated yesterday.”

I took the instrument from his fingers and tried to grab the rag, but was too slow as he had already placed it atop my head. Disgusted, I shook it off and patted down my hair.

“Why are you such a dick?” asked Hana as she grabbed the rag from the floor and handed it gingerly to me with a soft smile.

“It’s a gift,” said Bongki before offering a grin that read as sadistic and bounding out the door after tossing his name tag over his shoulder onto the glass countertop.

Hana fumed after him. “He’s seriously the worst!” she exclaimed.

I chuckled. It seemed to be a pretty slow day at the shop if Bongki had really spent an hour polishing an old violin. I glanced down at it and picked up where he’d left off, only to groan when I noticed he hadn’t been careful around the F-holes and the polish had begun to gather in their narrower curves.

“Can you hold onto this? I gotta go to the back and grab a clean rag,” I said to Hana with a disgruntled sigh.

Her expression slackened and she raised an eyebrow. “He managed to mess up polishing a violin?” she asked in disbelief.

I nodded. “Seems so,” I said, laughing. “I need to clean it up. Think you can hold down the fort while I’m gone?”

She smiled at me and swept her gaze around the empty shop. Well, mostly empty. “Don’t worry. I think I’ll be okay,” she said, then sighed down at the violin. “Working with Bongki is like working alone anyway.”

I chuckled and stepped out from behind the counter, casting a brief look at our customer. To be fair, had he come in at any other time, or any other day of the week, we wouldn’t have noticed him at all. People browsed the store often, but he was here on a Wednesday afternoon, at 3:08 exactly. It was a slow time. In fact, the owner of the instrument store, Mr. Kim, had considered limiting the hours we were open during weekdays for that very reason.

But there he stood, studying the cellos now, occasionally running a finger across their spines or touching a string. I wondered what exactly he was doing. I stared at him for a long moment, stopped in my tracks as he ran his hand through his dark, smooth hair. Perhaps he felt me looking, because he turned to face me suddenly. I stiffened and thought about turning away, thought about going into the back room and continuing my task, but seeing his face rendered me immobile. His black locks framed his face is soft bangs, with an undercut so sharp I was sure he had weekly appointments at the barber shop. His skin was milky white, like sugar. His eyes were deep and dark, entrancing as they settled on my form. He had lips that I, briefly, wondered about kissing, and an uncharacteristically cute nose.

And then he cocked his head to the side.

And my heart rate doubled.

A flush kissed my cheeks and I wanted to splash my face with water. I wasn’t this sort of person. I didn’t get flustered like this. I was Y/N, I was a stark realist. But his gaze was disarming, weaving up and down my body, touching my blushing cheeks, brushing through my messy hair, tracing my parted lips. His eyes told me that he knew I’d been looking at him, and that he would take his time as he took me in. We locked eyes. It was almost like a dare, like he was challenging me to come closer.

And, even though I shouldn’t have, I took the challenge.

Slowly, I approached and cleared my throat as I neared. “Are you a cellist?” I asked. I’d almost asked if he wanted help, but I remembered Hana’s luck with that and decided to try something else.

He kept his eyes trained on me for a moment before looking back at the cellos. “No. Not at all.” His voice was deep and rumbled low in his chest, and the words came out almost connected. A heavy mumble.

I nodded. “Is there an instrument in particular that you do play?” I asked.

He pursed his lips and from below he looked awfully innocent for a moment. “Piano.”

He seemed contemplative, maybe a bit quiet. I tried to keep that in mind as I asked another question. “Would you like to look at them?”

His eyes widened and he looked down at me once again. “Can we?” he asked.

I couldn’t help the smile that tugged my lips and nodded. “Sure. We have one grand piano on the floor and a few uprights. But you saw those already, didn’t you?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been here for a while,” he said with a chuckle.

I found myself wanting to hear that sound more. “Mm,” I said, then nodded my head towards the door I was about to enter before he’d distracted me. “I don’t normally do this, but we have more in the back of the shop,” I said.

His face lit up at the idea and I felt, again, the overwhelming urge to please him. “Is that okay?”

I nodded. “Mhm,” I said. “My boss is usually the one who shows these pianos, since they’re too nice to be on the floor where kids could touch them. But he told me that if I needed to I could take a customer back there on my own.”

He nodded and I smiled as I turned and led the way. “So…,” he said. Perhaps an attempt at keeping the conversation from going stagnant?

I smiled to myself as I pushed open the large door to the expansive back of the store, more of a small warehouse. “We have a few nice pianos back here, but,” I started, then gestured towards the far south side of the open space where one particular piano was glistening, begging to be played. “The best one is back here,” I said.

He followed me quietly through the rows of stringed instruments but once we got to the far end of the windowless room, his breath escaped in a quiet, “Oh.”

“It’s a Steinway,” I said, lowering my voice in the impossibly silent space.

He looked down at me with wide eyes. “It’s really something,” he said.

I smiled. “It’s used, so its value has gone down quite a lot. But it seems like it was only used lightly. Maybe by a chaebol or something,” I joked with a laugh.

He returned it, but it was clear he was still in awe of the thing as he sat down at the bench. I rested my hip against the side of the piano, running the palm of my hand over its glossy surface.

“May I?” he asked, poising his fingers over the ivory keys.

I nodded. “Of course.”

Gently, tenderly, his hands moved across the keyboard, slowly at first and then with more enthusiasm. The sound was remarkably clear, and his playing was oddly warm for someone who seemed a bit reserved. The melody was soothing and I found myself shutting my eyes and swaying with the music as it wrapped around me like a blanket. I was sure I’d never heard the song before, which made me wonder if it was an original.

Silence settled around us as he finished. The song was beautiful and at times dissonant, leaving me waiting for the next dramatic rise or fall. But when it ended I felt its absence.

“That was really nice,” I said, and felt betrayed by my lackluster vocabulary. Of course, it had been more than just nice.

Lucky for me, the quiet man seemed gracious enough to understand what I’d meant as he offered me a small smile. “Thank you for showing me.”

I nodded. “Of course. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to hear how it sounded since we got it last week. But I didn’t feel confident enough to play it myself.”

“Nonsense,” he said. “If you like it then play it.”

I shook my head and chuckled. “No, really. I’m not that good.”

He smiled, and I caught a glimmer of mischief in the deep brown of his eyes. Quickly, he captured my wrist in his big hand and pulled me to sit beside him on the bench. Startled, I gasped as my bottom made contact with the cool wood and I turned to face him wide-eyed.

“Play me something,” he said.

I shook my head. It felt disrespectful to use my mediocre skills on such a pristine piano. But that wasn’t the only reason I had reservations. Truthfully, I would get in big trouble for playing that particular piano. Any of the other ones were pretty much free game, but the Steinway? Of course, an employee shouldn’t play it. Mr. Kim was a kind man, but he was economical above all else. If I were to put his goods in danger, I would be out a job. And I really couldn’t afford that…

But to explain all of that to this handsome stranger felt a little difficult. He was looking at me expectantly, he was smiling just a little, he was waiting. So I did the only thing I could think to do in that situation.

I began playing Liebestraum.

It was a lovely song that I’d liked since I was young. Quiet and full of longing, the notes always felt so rich with emotion, while my notes flitted through the air with uncertainty and worry. I never felt like I played it well enough. Even when I took lessons, my teacher had recommended that I didn’t try to play Liebestraum until I’d mastered easier, less emotional pieces. But I was lucky that day, since my concerto was cut short.

I was unlucky that day too, since my concerto was cut short by my boss.

I leapt from the bench and stood to my feet as Mr. Kim and his son Namjoon entered the back room, side by side. Upon seeing me at the piano with this stranger, Mr. Kim’s eyes went wide and he crossed his arms.

“Y/N,” said Namjoon, clearly concerned for me.

Of course, why wouldn’t he be? I was breaking a rule.

I shook my head and gestured towards the man on the bench who, following my lead, had stood to his feet. “I was just showing this customer our Steinway,” I said, but the excuse came out flat.

Mr. Kim’s eyes flared just a little and so did his nostrils as he kept his anger at bay. He was a kind man, but his instruments were his livelihood. If I’d put them in jeopardy…

“You are strictly prohibited from playing that piano,” he said.

I nodded. “I know, Sir,” I said, unable to even so much as defend myself.

But the man beside me seemed to have more to say than I did. “Excuse me, but I asked her to play,” said the man.

Mr. Kim gave him a glance before his expression cooled slightly and he took a steadying breath. Namjoon approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder, looking me closely in the eye. If my expression revealed even a fraction of my fear, then he would certainly have seen it. “It’s fine,” he whispered.

I nodded, but I couldn’t let myself believe it. I was already writing my farewell to the instrument store. “I’m very sorry, but our employees are really not supposed to be playing the more…er…expensive instruments,” said Mr. Kim with a soft smile.

I bit the inside of my cheek and felt my brow furrow as I looked up at the stranger while he offered Mr. Kim a smile. “I see. Well, excuse me, but I really did force her. She was just showing me the piano.”

Mr. Kim nodded and glanced at me only to shoot me a loaded look. I stiffened. “Well, I apologize for my employee. She knows better,” he said, once again giving me a look that rooted me to the spot.

I felt my chest tighten with tears. I’d done something wrong, so of course I should be reprimanded. But I’d built myself up to be a capable person, a reliable person. I hated that I’d let him down. “Y/N, don’t you need to get out on the floor? Some customers came in behind us,” said Namjoon.

I raised my brows at him and nodded. He was giving me an out. I had to thank him for that later. “Ah, uh…yes. I’m very sorry, Mr. Kim,” I said, giving him a curt bow before exiting the backroom as quickly as I could, casting an apologetic glance at the stranger before scurrying out.

I didn’t miss the way his eyes looked…almost worried for me.

The stranger never emerged from the backroom, and I assumed he’d been let out through the back after having been given a discount on his next purchase, or some equivalent token of apology. Not only had I broken a rule, I was sure I was costing Mr. Kim money. He was indeed an economical man…

“Y/N!” called the very man I’d been fearing for fifteen minutes.

Hana had asked what had happened, but I couldn’t give her an answer. I’d been too nervous to even really speak. If I lost this job, I was well and truly cooked. My body snapped to attention and I turned to watch him as he and his tall son walked toward me, the younger with his brows knit in worry. That was certainly a bad sign. I braced myself for a swift firing. It had to be coming.

“You’re very lucky,” he said.

I flushed and looked at him from across the counter. “Excuse me, Sir?”

“That customer spoke very highly of you. It’s because of him that you have a job,” he said.

It’s because of him that I almost lost my job…, I thought to myself. But I only nodded and bowed my head while he rattled off his scoldings. For a few minutes I stayed that way, head low and eyes on my dirty sneakers, until abruptly Mr. Kim stopped talking altogether and his attention seemed to be seized.

“Thank you for your help today,” said a deep, rumbling voice.

I blushed and raised my gaze to meet his. That man. He was looking down at me with a mixture of kindness and pity. It made me equal parts happy and frustrated.

I nodded. “Of course,” I said softly.

He stared at me, standing there submissive to my boss, terrified of losing my job, and my pride was shaken. He looked at me the way someone would look at a cold dog on the street. I would have liked to have faced him as a person of stronger character, a person who could explain myself rather than just accept a punishment.

But I wasn’t just living for myself.

“Have a wonderful day,” he said gently before turning towards the exit.

Mr. Kim gave him a broad smile and waved after him. “You as well, Mr. Min!” he called.

The name sounded so familiar. Before I could think about it any longer, Mr. Kim was back to scolding me, all while Namjoon offered me quiet, sorry looks from over his shoulder. Mr. Min…?

My eyelids became heavy and drifted shut as I stood. The fluorescent lights above me did little to help ease me into sleep, but nonetheless I felt like I could nap right then and there.

“Excuse me?”

I snapped my eyes open and looked down at the customer that was waiting for me to scan their items. It was about midnight, and the interaction I’d had with Mr. Kim at my last job was still weighing on me. Perhaps I wasn’t as capable as I tried to be. The way this customer, a young girl with meticulous hair and nails, was looking at me seemed to prove that.

I scanned her items: a bowl of instant ramen, some triangle kimbap, and a hardboiled egg. I wondered what a clean girl like her would do with something like that, but then I remembered where this convenience store was located. Gangnam was not only wealthy and glitzy, but also brimming with young rich kids trying to escape. She gave me a smile and a thank you before exiting the corner store and bracing the warm evening, tying her plastic bag handles in a tidy bow before walking down the street alone.

I briefly worried for her, being out so late, then I remembered I was in Gangnam and settled down a little.

I watched the navy blue night outside the windows with my head in my hand and my elbow on the counter. I’d been working all day, but that wasn’t all that new. I supposed I was more exhausted than usual because I’d spent the last night at my Mom’s place in Sillim. I never slept well there.

But the night was deceptively calm, and from my vantage point in the convenience store it was deceptively beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to clock out and go home, maybe take my time walking to the bus station so I could stroll in the nighttime air. But I still had an hour of work before my coworker, another college student named Jungkook, came to take over the shift. Because we were both on summer break, we had been given the gift of extra free time which really meant extra work time.

A small yipping noise interrupted my melancholy thoughts and I stood up straighter, squinting my eyes to peer out into the night. The convenience store was located on the corner of a busy block, with cars rushing at all hours of the night and customers coming in no matter the weather. The city seemed never to sleep.

But the yipping made me nervous. It sounded like a dog.

I glanced around the convenience store and furrowed my brow. I was the only worker there, and I wasn’t supposed to leave the counter unless I was stocking or cleaning. Who would know, though, if I took a little peak out the window onto the busy street?

So I did, but even though I was alone I still crept like a bandit, like someone who knew they were doing something wrong. Stealthily I stepped forward, keeping to the balls of my feet so my footfalls didn’t make too much noise. After a moment, I realized this was silly and instead chose to walk normally, albeit cautiously, to the window.

I couldn’t see the source of the yipping, only the clamor of Gangnam at night. But as I neared the window, the sound got louder and louder. I was certain whatever creature was making that noise was nearby. I just couldn’t see it from the window.

If I wasn’t supposed to leave the counter, then I definitely wasn’t supposed to leave the store. But after my hellish day with Mr. Kim I figured I’d done enough rule-breaking for the day to warrant just one more.

And as I opened the door I was glad I did.

Sitting beneath the tall awning with a blue collar around its neck was a small dog, about to the middle of my calf, with curly brownish hair and perfectly shaved feet. I cocked my head to the side at the dog, trying to figure out its breed, when it suddenly turned its sweet face towards me and let out another yip. I crouched down beside it and read the name on its collar. We were now sitting just off the sidewalk together, this dog and me. Its name was, apparently, Holly. And as I examined it, I realized that it was a he. I pet his sides and gave him a good scratching, smiling down at the little guy. It seemed much too dangerous to leave him sitting out there near that busy street. Nobody drove well in Seoul, and between the delivery guys and their motorbikes and the business executives and their private drivers, it was unsafe for a small dog to be without a leash and without an owner.

“Holly,” I cooed gently, scratching behind his fluffy ear. “Let’s go inside, okay?” I asked.

He offered no response, but simply licked my hand which I took to be consent. I picked him up carefully and carried him into the convenience store. I placed him on the linoleum floor where he promptly peed. Sighing, I grabbed the mop from behind the counter and scrubbed away the mess while Holly explored the aisles.

“You had the whole outside world to pee in, and you choose my store?” I asked him.

I heard him pushing things off shelves and followed after him to place the items back in their proper spots. As I walked behind him in a crouch I snagged a can of dog food and, in one quick swoop, snatched the dog off its feet and carried him to the bar counter by the window. I set him atop the counter and sat down in front of him, blocking his escape route. He sat, surprisingly obedient, and I pried the can open, presenting it to him with a cocked eyebrow.

Not a picky one, Holly began to eat. He was a clean eater, and once again I found myself admiring his owner for training him so well.

“Hey!” called a frantic, panting voice from the doorway of the store.

Worried I’d get into more trouble, I launched to my feet and set Holly and his food onto the floor where he resumed his feast without complaint. I turned to the source of the call and made an effort to push the hair that had fallen from my hastily-made bun behind my ears. But as my eyes came upon the person who’d called out for me, I could only stare slack-jawed.

“You…,” I started, then shook my head. How could he be here?

The stranger from before, Mr. Min stared down at me with sweat beading along his exposed forehead and hairline, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. “You…,” he mimicked.

I stared at him as he stared at me, then we both stared at Holly. “Is he your-,” I began.

“Yeah,” said the man before I could finish.

I blinked down at the dog that had brought us back together and furrowed my brow. “I…he was outside crying so I…,” I said. I wasn’t sure where I was going with that thought, but I was sure it wasn’t important.

“Thank you,” he said, shutting the door and coming inside the store to crouch in front of Holly as he ate. “How much did the food cost?” he asked, peeking up at me.

I blushed. He looked different than before. His hair was pushed off his forehead and he was dressed smartly, a pretty watch decorating his slender wrist. He looked like a Gangnam man. And I looked like…well, I looked like someone working at a convenience store.

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s fine,” I said, walking to the register to put my own money inside, just the right amount for the cheap food. “He seems to like that,” I remarked as Holly polished the tin.

The man chuckled and nodded, patting his dog on the head. “Yeah. He’s not picky.”

I looked down at him as he examined his dog with such tender eyes. I wondered what he was thinking about, but mostly I wondered what he was doing here of all places.

“Were you out tonight?” I asked.

He looked at me, seemingly startled, before he glanced at his clothes and a chuckle escaped his lips. “Yes. A marriage meeting.”

“M-marriage?” I asked, my body tensing. “You’re so young!”

He smirked and stood to his full height, now towering over me. “Never too young, I suppose.”

“No, I’m pretty certain there is too young,” I mumbled, scratching my exposed forearm.

He laughed lightly and nodded. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, sitting down on one of the barstools so he could watch Holly eat his meal.

“Well…how did it go?” I asked, feeling bolder. Maybe it was because it was nighttime, or because this was our second time meeting, but I felt comfortable asking.

He shrugged, and a certain sadness overcame him, perhaps a little worry. “About as well as I figured it would,” he said.

I nodded and timidly joined him on the stools, sitting one stool away from him. “You don’t want to get married?” I asked gently.

He smiled at me, and there was something soft about it. “Not like this, no.”

“Hm,” I said, trying to think of a way to console him. “Ah! How did Holly get out?” I asked.

He glanced at me, smiling his gratitude at my changing the subject. “My assistant was supposed to take him on a walk while I had my meeting, but Holly doesn’t like him very much. So he got away. I left the meeting because I wanted to find him.”

I nodded. “That sounds troubling.”

“Yeah. The potential fiancé wasn’t too pleased that I left her to find my dog,” he said, breathing out a laugh.

He seemed now to be someone that was very far out of my reach. Marriage meetings and assistants and fancy watches…he wasn’t someone in my league. It made me feel slightly inadequate, and without realizing I covered part of my smock with my arms, embarrassed of the way it sat, dingy on my lap.

I’d never liked rich people, even when I was one.

“It’s good though, don’t you think?” I asked, musing out loud. “You should marry someone whose lifestyle is compatible with your own. If she couldn’t accept the part of your life that belongs to Holly, then maybe it’s for the best that things didn’t go well.”

He pondered this for a moment, then chuckled. “I suppose.”

“Ah!” I said as Holly began licking the jagged edges of the now empty can of food.

I jumped from my perch and grabbed the can before he could cut his tongue and, in the process nicked my own finger. Before the blood could drop from my new cut, I hurried and threw the can into the trash with a sigh. I rubbed my forehead with the back of my hand, swiping away the sweat that was budding there, and rifled around in the cabinets behind the counter for some bandaids.

“Did you hurt yourself?” he asked, suddenly on his feet and walking close.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Better me than Holly,” I said, snatching the first aid kit and pulling a bandaid from its depths.

“Let me help,” he said, reaching out across the counter to assist me.

I shook my head and smiled. “I can handle it myself,” I said, wrapping the bandaid around my cut and shutting the first aid kit.

He stared at me curiously for a long moment, his brow furrowed like he was deep in thought. “You know, you managed to appeal to the two things I care about most in the world today,” he said, still examining me with that perplexed expression.

I flushed. “Excuse me?”

“Music and Holly.”

I blinked a few times to think about what he’d said. He was definitely strange, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. Perhaps he was only caught up in his own thoughts and didn’t realize that what he was saying was odd.

“Ah,” I said, then smiled as Holly approached me, licking my pant leg. “Well, I think both of those things are very worthy things to care about,” I said, rubbing Holly’s head as the force his his tail wagging behind him caused his whole body to wiggle.

A moment of silence passed as the two of us stared at Holly behind the counter, now on his back and rolling around in an effort to get a belly rub, both of us examining him fondly. After a long minute, I began to feel the sensation of eyes on me and raised my own to look at the stranger across from me. Handsome as ever, he watched me curiously, dark eyes never leaving my face. I felt my skin grow hot and wanted nothing more than for him to either stop looking or start speaking. Whichever one made the situation less tense.

But when he did speak, I wished we could go back to silence.

“Wanna marry me?”

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #min yoongi #yoongi #suga #bts reactions #bangtan #bts au

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