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her-power · 2 months

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beg (joseph quinn x fem! reader)18+

warnings: language, strong sexual content, lots and lots of making out, bathroom fool around. It’s not that explicit (edit: it’s horny, whoops lol, there’s an unexpected belt restraining 😵‍💫) it’s playful, funny, but minors, stay the eff away.

summary: you run into JQ at a karaoke bar (I know, there’s a theme with these 😂) and drunkenly tell him that you wrote smut about him. he begs you to show him and he’s very…interested.

word count: idk, lots of words 🫠

You were drunk.

You didn’t mean to get this drunk, but there was something about the energy of a karaoke bar that made you want to get loaded. You had just finished singing Bohemian Rhapsody, and had received a roar from the crowd of people who sang along with you, and lots of clapping. Your friends wanted you to sing more, but you needed a break. And some water. You saunter over to the bar, asking for a glass of water which you chug down. Probably not the best idea, but you were thirsty, and it felt like it was thousands of degrees in the building. You took three ice cubes out of the glass and pop them in your mouth, cooling yourself down.

“Your Freddie Mercury dance moves was quite impressive.” A soft, English accented voice reaches your ears and you glance up at the man standing next to you. You gasp, an ice cube sliding down your throat causing you to choke a little. His eyes are wide and he’s almost laughing. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to make you choke.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You manage to breathe out.

Joseph fucking Quinn was standing next to you.

“I’m sorry, that was rude, hi…you are…wow. I must be really drunk cause there is no way you’re standing next to me.” You suppress a giggle and he chuckles.

“Nope, I am a real.” He leans against the bar, twirling his beer bottle. “You good? No more choking?”

“Uh…” you laugh, blindly searching for the bar stool which he scoots behind you and you sit. “Need to sit down for this, why are you in the most rural part of town at a hole in the wall karaoke bar?”

He laughs. “Been filming a movie the next town over, got some nice beaches down this way. This seemed like a good place to be unrecognizable.”

He meets your eyes.

Gods, he was beautiful.

You blush and look away. “Came to the right spot, it’s dim, dreary, smells like piss and shame. I don’t think my friends know where I went.” You glance around the bar, spotting your friends sitting at the table in the corner, drunkenly crying. Yeah, sitting right here feels much better than that, you think.

“My favorite kind of place.” He giggles. “What are you drinking?”

“You…NOPE…wow. Intrusive thoughts won, I’m so sorry.” You put your palms over your face and he laughs loudly. “Ughhhh, this is not happening. I’m making a fool out of myself in front of such a beautiful man. I used to be so good at this.”

“I think you’re being pretty adorable.” He says close to your ear and you almost yelp. He giggles at your behavior and you tell him you’ve been drinking bourbon all night. He orders you a drink and your hand shakes as you bring the rim to your lips.

“Easy, love. You don’t need to be nervous around me.” He nudges you with his shoulder and you relax a little.

“How do I know you’re not like Ted Bundy? Hmm?” You smile at him, taking a sip of his drink.

“Do I look like a serial killer?”

“Ted Bundy didn’t.” You counter and he smiles.

“Touché, but no, I’m not here to kill you.”

“Oh yeah? What are you here to do to me?”

Foot. In. Mouth. You’re gonna make him leave, you’re gonna make him go away by just being a fucking creep.

“What do you want me to do to you?” His voice is low, and your heart beats rapidly as you stare at him with your mouth hanging open. He smirks at you, gently taking his finger and lifting your chin to close your mouth, and winks.

“Oooookay…we’re flirting. This is…okay. Why do I feel like I’m in a setting of one of my stories?”

“Stories?”

Fuck me.

You groan. You need to learn to stop talking to yourself in public, because shit like this happens and you spill secrets you’re not supposed to spill. “Huh? What? No…I mean…nothing, it’s nothing.”

“Friends don’t lie.”

“Oh we’re friends? You don’t even know my name.”

“So tell me.” He turns towards you, your elbows are touching and his eyes are staring deep into yours, they subtly glance down your form and then meet your eyes again. You bite your bottom lip, smiling and tell him your name. “Okay, now we’re friends.”

“I’m not telling you what I said.” You laugh, sipping your drink. He looks at you shocked and the way he moved his head back was comical, you choke on your drink again.

“That is very rude and not fair.”

You roll your eyes. “Fine, I wrote a story about you awhile back.”

He points to himself and smiles. “What kind of story?”

“You don’t wanna know.”

“Oh but I do.” He slides your bar stool closer to him. “Whisper it.”

He’s so close to you, you can smell his cologne and the subtle aroma of beer on his breath. You just stare at him, not answering him. “It’s naughty isn’t it?”

You look away from him, and blush. He gasps excitedly. “Show me!”

Your eyes widen. “What?! No way! It’s embarrassing and it’s horny.”

“Even better.”

“No.” You lean into him and smile. He groans, draping his arm over the back of your chair.

“What do I have to do to get you to show me?” His mouth is so close to yours. You wondered what his lips felt like. You had imagined it, clearly.

“Beg for it.” You smile and he laughs.

“Is that what I do in your story? Beg?”

A tingle forms in your belly at the way he said that and you blush. “I’m just kidding.”

“What if I’m not?”

“Okay, you need to settle down.” You laugh, playfully pushing him away and he giggles. “Can’t believe I’m flirting with you right now, this is insane. I have to pee…watch my drink.”

He smirks, sliding your drink next to his and placing his jacket over the back of your seat. Your legs immediately start shaking as you make your way to the bathroom, your friend Stacey is coming out of the bathroom as you open the door.

“Hey! We’re going, do you need a ride?” She asks you.

You glance back at the bar. “No, I’m okay. I can take an Uber home.”

“By yourself? I don’t know if I feel right about that.”

You gently pat her face. “I’ll be fine. I don’t really wanna share a ride with you all crying about what happened on Love Island.”

She laughs. “Shut up, I know. I hate myself too. Okay, please text me when you get home. Don’t go home with any strangers.” She kisses your cheek.

“Yes, mom.”

Ha, if only she knew.

Although, was he a stranger?

Yes, dumbass.

But, a highly known stranger.

Not in the middle of nowhere USA.

You push open the stall door, quickly do your business and wash your hands. There was no one else in there with you, and you took a minute to look over yourself in the mirror. Your cheeks were flushed from the embarrassment of telling him you wrote a sex story about him, and also the fact that he was so…flirtatious and sexy. You adjust your high waisted jeans and pull your black cropped tank down. As of lately; you have grown to love your body and its shape, but you were suddenly feeling self conscious sitting next to a celebrity.

The door to the bathroom opens and you glance up in the mirror.

There he was. Smiling. Comedically tip toeing into the bathroom, locking the door while you stand there stunned.

“What are you-“ His hands are on your waist in a flash, and his soft lips press against yours, sweetly, gently. His hands go into your hair and a sigh escapes you, you almost fall backwards but he wraps his arms around your waist tighter, holding you to him. Your hands go to his chest, and you gently push him back, your lips falling away from each other with a smack. Your eyes dart back and forth from his eyes to his lips and he’s grinning at you.

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t wait any longer.” He tells you and you still cannot find words.

He was a good kisser.

Maybe you could show him your story, but that could wait. You wanted to kiss him again, so you did. His tongue glides into your mouth and you groan, pushing your body against his, bumping into the wall, almost falling over the trash can. His hands find your thigh and squeeze gently, lifting you up delicately and your head slams against the automatic paper towel dispenser.

“Ow!” You laugh loudly as the paper towels come out behind you, vroooooom.

“Oh shit I’m sorry!” He pulls away from your lips quickly and holds your head. You laugh, holding his face and kissing him again. He smiles against your lips, his hand grips your waist and you sigh, moving your hands over his back, down past his ass and you pull his waist flush against you. He groans against your mouth, and lifts you on the bathroom counter. You didn’t care how gross this counter probably was, you just wanted to be close to him. He pushes himself between your legs and you could feel his hardness through his jeans. His lips find your throat and you gasp when he gently bites on your sensitive skin. His hand glides up your soft skin, over your bra and your nipple hardens as his palm grazes over your breast.

“Mmm…we should…stop…” You whisper against his neck.

“Do you want me to stop?” He whispers, his tongue flicks out over the vein at your throat and you moan, clawing at his back.

“No…but…not here…somewhere else.” You gasp.

He pulls away from you and smiles sweetly, kissing you again and helps you down from the counter. You unlock the door, surprised to see that no one was waiting to kick you guys out and as you exit the bathroom he takes your arm and pulls you to him, kissing you deeply. Your back hits the wall and you smile against his lips, his hands fisting through your hair.

“Yeah, get it girl!” A woman says as she makes her way to the bathroom and the two of you pull away laughing. You take his hand and take him to the outside patio, you patted yourself down to make sure your phone and wallet was still in your jeans. You find a vacant picnic table and sit on top of it, shaking the nerves out of your hands as you stare up at him. He smiles, his dimples showing and you blush.

His hand cups your face and you lean into it, he kisses your lips softly and sits down on the bench beneath you. You smile, opening your phone and go to your word document app. He lights up a cigarette and you cringe, holding the phone towards him.

His eyes light up. “Is this it?” And you nod. He giggles, his eyes scanning the first few paragraphs. “Wow, you’re a really good writer…oh…” he meets your eyes, his wide and playful. You blush looking away from him and he laughs, his hand gently squeezes your knee. “This is…horny.” His hand squeezes your thigh and you have to suppress a moan that is about to escape.

“He puts his mouth on your…whoa…whoaaaaa…” he meets your eyes again, his face is flushed. “It’s hot, is it hot? I’m sweating. If I read anymore I’m gonna take you on this table.” He hands the phone back to you and you giggle, covering your face with his hands. He stands over you, the cigarette dangling from his lips. You take it from him, inhale on it, and pull his face towards yours.

“Breathe in.” You tell him, as you exhale and the smoke comes out, your lips barely graze and he inhales, stepping back a little letting the smoke glide out of his lungs.

He blushes and smirks at you. “That was in there wasn’t it?”

You nod, biting your lip, handing him the cigarette. He smiles large, snuffing the cigarette out in the ashtray. He moves towards you, curling a piece of hair behind your ear. “You wanna get out of here?”

You stare into his eyes and nod. He grins, and as you’re about to open your Uber app he puts his hand over yours. “No need, I have a driver.” He nods to the back parking lot and you see a black livery car with a driver in the front seat. “Just tell me where to go.”

So, you tell him the direction to your house. You had snuggled up against his chest on the car ride, his hand softly rubs your shoulder and you pull up in front of your apartment building. He tells the driver to head back to the hotel and will call when he needs to get picked up. He follows you up the stairs to the second floor and you turn on your lights. You shut and lock the door, blushing again.

“Why do you keep blushing?” He teases, gently cupping your cheek.

“Because you’re in my apartment and have been kissing me all night.” You sigh. “And I’m confused on why out of all the beautiful women in the bar, you sought me out.”

“Well, none of those other beautiful women could sing Bohemian Rhapsody like you did.”

You roll your eyes. “If you were ten minutes earlier you would’ve seen my rendition of You Oughta Know.”

He laughs. “Now that would’ve made me beg for you.”

You’re not even all the way into your apartment before he’s kissing you. He practically drags you blindly into the living room and into the wall. He pushes his body against yours, kissing you deeply, his hands going over your belly and up your shirt. You gasp, gripping onto his forearms as he kisses down your chest, pulling your shirt over your head. His lips glide down your stomach until his on his knees, licking just above the button of your jeans and he pops the button. He gazes up at you, and your head falls back against the wall as he pulls your jeans down, and you step out of them. He grips your thighs, kissing them softly and his hands caress your backside. He pulls down your underwear and your entire body trembles, and you groan as his mouth goes on you like he was starving. You grip at his hair as he feasts on you, still pinching yourself because there was no way this was real and that he was doing this to you in your apartment.

His fingers glide inside you as he continues his feast, and you moan loudly, your body almost sliding down the wall but he holds you up with his free hand. He tells you to come in his mouth and your entire body reacts to his voice and how he curls his fingers deeper inside you. You tense up and you scream in pleasure loudly, holding onto the wall for support as you clench around his fingers and he moans against you. He pulls his fingers out of you and glides back up your body, kissing you passionately. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and he lifts you, you direct him to your bedroom and pushes open the door with his foot and he falls backwards on the bed, taking you with him. His hands move up your back as he kisses you and unhooks your bra, it falls down your arms and you toss it to the ground, straddling him and he bites back a moan as you scoot yourself back, pulling off his jeans. He sits up quickly, pulling his shirt over his head and you run your hand over his slightly toned tummy, crashing your lips against his. You couldn’t wait any longer for this, you end up pulling him out of the hole from his boxer briefs and you immediately lower yourself down on him.

A broken moan escapes you as he fills you up and his head falls back against the pillows. You rock your hips against him, your body trembles as his lips catch your nipple in his mouth and he gently bites down, you gasp loudly.

“Do you want me to beg?” He groans and you whimper as you rock your hips faster. You moan, a soft laugh escaping you and you nod. You move off of him, moving up his body like a snake and you kiss him deeply. You take his hands, holding both of them above his head, reaching down to take the belt you had on your jeans. His eyes light up and he giggles.

“Oh, we’re doing this.” He says with a chuckle, biting his lower lip.

“You’re an actor.” You smirk, wrapping the belt around his wrists and attached it to the bars on your headboard. “Act.”

“What if I’m not acting?” He clasps his hands together in the restraint.

You smirk, gazing down at him. “Even better.” You meet his soft lips, straddling him, and you could already tell he was getting frustrated because he couldn’t touch you. Your hand glides down his abdomen, over his hips and over his length. His lips buck and his eyes flutter close, a soft sigh escaping him.

You kiss his chest gently, running your tongue over his nipple and he groans. You meet his lips again, grinding your hips against his and reach down to touch him, you grip him hard and then stop.

“Please.” He whispers, almost whining.

“Please what?” You ask, smiling against his cheek, taking his jaw in your hand, turning his head to look at you and a seductive laugh comes out of his mouth with your forcefulness.

“Keep touching me.” He says, moving his face to kiss your lips. “I’m begging you.”

You grin, wrapping your hand around his length and fist him slowly. You lean down to kiss his neck and he moans as your hand picks up speed and his body is arching. “Let me fuck you.” He groans, struggling again. You meet his eyes, gently kissing him as your other hand reaches up to untie the belt from the headboard. His hands come down so fast, the belt goes flying and he’s taking your face in his hands, his tongue sliding into your mouth as he forces himself on top of you. He hooks your leg around his waist and pushing himself inside you hard. You moan loudly as he rolls his hips, the sensation of his speed and his pelvis grinding against you was causing you to feel so many different things at once. His noises were loud and so were yours, beautiful harmonies of two feral beings just needing to feel something.

Your orgasm was approaching fast and he could feel it too, so he slows down. Rocking into you slowly, gently, his lips soft against yours. His hands gently go through your hair and you didn’t know what was hotter: him taking his time with you or how animalistic he was moments ago. A whimper escapes you as you feel your orgasm approach, his breath was hot against your lips as your head falls back, and you’re holding onto his back as you come, this orgasm so much more powerful than the last one and he comes soon after you. His sounds deep, raspy, beautiful.

He lays with his head on your chest, catching his breath and you run your fingers over his hair. He looks up at you, cheekily grinning. “Now, that was a smut story.” He laughs loudly as you giggle, pushing him off of you and he falls to the floor with a thud. His head pops up as he looks at you, a mischievous smirk on his face.

“Now it’s your turn to beg.”

the end

#joseph quinn x you #joseph quinn smut #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn #Eddie Munson

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jaylver · 1 year

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YOU ARE IN LOVE — S.JY

SYNOPSIS: one summer. two idiots. what could possibly go wrong? you swore this was finally going to be a memorable summer, one where it'll be filled with adventures just like coming of age movies. but then jake sim just had to ruin it. how so? by taking over your head.

PAIRINGS: childhood bestfriend!jake x afab!reader

GENRE: childhood bestfriends to lovers, angst, romance, pining

WARNING(S): miscommunications, parties, alcohol, profanities

WC: 4.7k

A/N: this has been rotting in my docs for AGES before i even created this account 😭 i wanted to free it so here we are 👹 apologies in advance if it's tacky/lacky writing since this short fic was written when i was starting to get out of my burn out >.< lmk your feedbacks as always! <3

Summer is the best thing to ever happen to mankind.

Trips to the beach, ice cream dates, late night drives, house parties, the list goes on and on. And who else to spend it with? Of course, your one and only best friend and neighbour since you were four years old, Jake Sim.

Every summer was practically filled with him and him only. Ever since you were kids, you did everything together. Writing up lists and going on adventures, spending nights watching movies et cetera. But this summer, it seemed … different.

Maybe it was the problem of being seventeen. Seventeen is an awkward age. Period. But other than that, you couldn't understand the way he was acting.

Summer always started and ended with him. Always. But this summer, he wasn't anywhere near you. Occasionally popping by and disappearing after nightfall, declining late night movies together or beach trips. Rude!

It just felt weird without him. So, you found yourself turning up in front of his house one day, tapping your foot against the hard floor as you knocked impatiently on the door.

"Y/N?" Jake appeared in front of you, his eyebrows scrunched with confusion.

“Jake,” you smiled innocently at him, which only made him look at you with more confusion.

“Y/N it’s 10 pm?”

“I just wanted to see you,” you admitted, to which you cursed at yourself for letting those words escape your lips so shamelessly because it was something you couldn’t deny.

You could see the way his gaze softened, then proceeded to let out a sigh. “Is it … because I barely hang out with you these days?”

“So, you’re self aware this whole time?” you couldn’t help shooting back, wrapping your arms around yourself as the cold wind brushed past. But even without the wind, you felt your body freezing up from the sudden burst of nerves.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy,” Jake frowned, guilt evident on his face. “Wanna come in, we can hang?”

Just as he finished his sentence, his phone buzzed, a notification popped up. Your eyes averted to the screen of his phone, catching a slight glimpse. “1 new message from Grace”

Your heart dropped. You knew Grace. Hell, everyone knew her, she was the cheerleader of your school after all. Miss Popular, Miss Crowned Queen. And Jake was texting her? Your Jake?

“So, Grace, huh?” Was this what he was caught up with all along? You mentally scolded yourself, wondering why you were even thinking about this when it wasn’t even your business to care about in the first place. This unreadable feeling was brewing in your stomach and you didn’t like it at all.

“It’s nothing, really. She texted me lately, that’s all,” he shoved his phone into his back pocket, giving you a reassuring smile. “Still up to hang?”

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s getting late anyway. Tomorrow?” You didn’t know why you said this. It was never too late when it came to Jake.

“Sure. I–uhm–heard there’s a party hosted by this guy called Ethan? Wanna come along?”

You considered for a moment, then nodded. “I’m down.”

“Sweet,” he flashed you that goddamned smile, the one that charmed you until you felt light headed. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow,”

“Cool,” you smiled a little, feeling the air turning still for a second once you locked eyes with him. Your heartbeat quickened, it was as though air was sucked out from your lungs and all you wanted was him.

“W-Wanna come over watch a movie with me tomorrow before the party? I’m home alone all day and we haven’t hung out properly for a while now,” Jake offered, stumbling over his words as he fidgeted his fingers, ears turning slightly pink.

You grinned. “How about the new Spiderman movie?”

He let out a small laugh, returning a big grin back. “You know me too well, huh? Deal.”

“See you tomorrow then, Jakey,” you reached over to ruffle his hair, but before you could fully pull away, he took hold of your wrist.

“I’ve missed you, can’t you stay a little longer?” he whined, swinging your arm gently.

You cursed at him, at his words and the amount of butterflies they’ve caused. “You can’t just say things like that,” you murmured under your breath.

“Hm?” he hummed and you looked up at him.

You dismissed your previous words, hoping he didn’t catch on to them. “Tomorrow we’re hanging out the whole day anyway. By then you wouldn’t be missing me anymore,”

“I miss you every day, though. Stick to my side like the old days?”

“How could I say no, Jakey?” you sighed, your heart thumping louder and louder as seconds passed. “Now, go sleep dumbass, we need to wake up early.”

“Alright, alright,” he threw his hands up in defeat. “Goodnight, Y/N. Don’t stay up too late too, or else you’ll get premature wrinkles.”

“I’ll beat you up.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

It felt natural.

You were resting on Jake's chest, his arms around you, a bowl balanced on your stomach, a movie blaring in the background, the lights dimmed. It was natural.

"Peter's pretty dumb sometimes, isn't he?" You spoke up, hand reaching into the bowl of popcorn, feeling Jake's hand brush against yours to get some as well.

You tried to excuse the fact that you were about to choke at the slight contact, playing it cool as you chewed on your popcorn.

"Totally. Why would he even do that?" Jake huffed.

You looked up at him from his chest, admiring his face slightly, not even caring about what misdemeanours Peter Parker was committing.

Jake could feel you staring, and he decided to look down at you, your gazes meeting. This was what you two always do whenever you're watching movies, it should be normal by now, but why in hell were you suddenly nervous?

"Mum wants you to come over for dinner," you whispered to him, reaching up to brush a strand of hair away from his eyes.

"I'm more than glad to do so," Jake pursed his lips, watching your movements closely.

The tension seemed to grow thicker and the movie started to fade into the background as the two of you stayed in this close proximity. You unconsciously glanced at his lips, swallowing thickly once you noticed him reciprocating the same action.

"Y/N-"

"Jake!"

You almost let out a groan, but instead you looked away, clearing your throat and removing yourself from Jake's body. You were absolutely flushed, thinking of the endless possibilities that could've happened. But in the end, nothing did anyway. And that was why you were about to strangle Park Jong Seong for interrupting.

"Jay?" Jake fumbled to sit up, his eyes turning to you before refocusing on Jay. "Is it time to leave already?"

"Duh," Jay rolled his eyes, casually dropping onto the couch beside you. "How are you, Y/N? Been enjoying summer?"

"Quite," you simply shrugged. "Someone over here left me alone after he promised a summer full of adventures," you nudged Jake and he smiled apologetically.

"I got caught up with some things!" He defended but Jay raised an eyebrow at his words.

"Some things or some one?"

"What?" You turned to Jake, trying to mask your disappointment with sheer interest. "Is it Grace?"

"So … you knew?" Jay's eyebrows only raised higher.

"I only found out yesterday, indirectly as well." you said, clearly unimpressed.

Jake rolled his eyes, sighing deeply. "Come on, guys. She only texted me once or twice. I was busy cramming my work, okay?"

"That's true too," Jay nodded in understanding. "You practically procrastinated everything and now it's a pile,"

"Must you remind me of it?" Jake groaned, his attention to you, taking notice of your sudden silence. "You alright there?"

You blinked at him, humming in response. How could you tell him that your stomach churned with jealousy whenever Grace was mentioned? How could you even admit that you're currently harbouring some god forbidding liking towards him? Your childhood best friend? The one who once spilled chocolate milk all over his shirt? The one who cried when he was forced to go back home after a whole day together with you? Jake Sim?

You were fucked. You liked Sim Jaeyun. And you had zero idea what to do about it.

The house party was basically like every other one you've been to. Passed out drunks here and there, the dance floor crammed to the max, the music booming loudly in your ears. Overall, you felt regretful coming here.

What made things worse was Jake abandoning you to talk to Grace. Yup, Grace. Even after all the denial he fed to you and Jay, he's still laughing and talking merrily to her, leaving you stuck in the middle of an unfamiliar house.

What a great Friday night!

It was almost midnight, so you decided to storm out of the house for some fresh air before declaring your leave, but Jake somehow caught you sneaking out.

"Leaving so soon?" He was leaning against the wall, watching your tired figure semi-passed out on the chair.

"God, Jake, you reek of alcohol," you pointed out, scrunching your nose at the stench. "Also, I'm not that inconsiderate. I won't leave you behind … unlike someone over here," you grumbled.

"Look, Grace dragged me away the moment I entered. Plus, I think I got to start avoiding her now," Jake groaned, sitting down next to you.

"Broke her heart?" You assumed. It wasn't uncommon to see Jake reject girls and break their heart growing up. Well, look at him, it was a fact that he got girls lining up for him. But you found it weird how he's never had a long term relationship before, which only made you more wary about your feelings for him.

"I wasn't being a douche about it!" He threw up his hands in defence. "I kindly rejected her, that's all. She seemed cool about it though," he shrugged and you felt his shoulder brush against your arm, his thigh making contact with yours.

"Look at you, all grown up and no longer breaking girls' hearts!" You smiled sarcastically at him.

"Hey! I literally rejected all of them in a nice way. I'm a kind man, you know?" Jake huffed, stretching his body, then proceeded to slyly place his arms around you.

You were genuinely trying your hardest to remain the best poker face you could even manage. Yet, you knew the facade would eventually fade. "Sure, sure, Jakey boy."

He turned his body to face yours, a challenging expression written all over his face. "Do you remember the time when we were five and I gave you my legos? I still remember how many hugs you gave me every day after that. So yes, I am kind." Jake insisted.

"You remembered?" You grinned at him, feeling your heart rate increasing once you saw the fondness in his eyes.

"Of course I remembered," he said softly. "You give good hugs anyway."

"Want a hug?" You chuckled, not expecting Jake to actually dive into your arms and hold onto you tightly.

"You smell like strawberries," he murmured against your skin.

You swallowed thickly and started breathing heavily. "A–are you drunk?"

"Just a bit," he pulled away from your body, his brown eyes meeting yours, his hands slowly travelling up to your face.

"Have I ever told you how pretty you are?" He whispered.

"Don't do this," you mumbled, your hand reaching for his wrist.

"What?" He breathed, his warm breath fanning your cheeks.

"Don't make me fall in love with you completely," you stared into his eyes, slight hurt and regret painted your expressions.

"Fuck, why did I say that?" you laughed pitifully at yourself, removing yourself from his arms and stood up. "It's getting late, let's go," you said, ignoring Jake's lingering gaze.

"Y/N," he held onto your wrist and you stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what you could even say or do. You felt like an idiot. "W–what did you mean by that?"

"It's nothing," you dismissed his question, feeling yourself sinking into a deeper hole. Jake furrowed his eyebrows, clearly frustrated. The moment he got up, he stumbled slightly and his words slurred. The alcohol has finally seeped in.

"Y/N, come on," he urged, desperation in his eyes. All you could do was sigh.

"I'm sorry, Jake."

So you did what you always do every summer. You ran from your problems and hid from the fact you had lingering feelings for your "best friend".

You found yourself avoiding Jake after that night.

It was ironic how you complained about him disappearing in and out of your life during the start of summer, but here you were, doing the same.

He came over to your house a couple of times, but you chose the cowardly choice of hiding away. All of his texts and calls were half answered.

You hated doing this, you knew it was hurting both you and him. But what could you do? Confess? Well, it was the most obvious way to solve the problem, but you were unwilling to risk a life long friendship with him. Pathetic you were indeed.

The weekend rolled around the corner and you just had to face one demise after another. Jake and his family were coming over for dinner and there's zero chances for you to dodge him this time. Thank you, Universe, you thought sarcastically.

Your palms felt clammy and sweaty as you set up the table. Before this, your mother had specifically requested you to present yourself more formally instead of wearing your typical sweats, so now you were stuck in a black skin tight dress, just appropriate enough to not be deemed as slutty.

"They're here!" your mother announced, clapping her hands in excitement. You, on the other hand, were only filled with nothing but dread.

The door flew open and hugs were exchanged. Your mother squealed happily when she saw Jake and for a moment, you were about to do the same.

His hair was slicked back, only a strand was left hanging in front of his face. He was wearing a formal black suit paired alongside a simple black tie. He was about to be the death of you.

"Y/N." He nodded at you, lips pressed in a straight line.

"Jake." You replied back, hands kept behind your back, trying to conceal the fact that you were actually fidgeting.

"You kids are matching!" Mrs Sim pointed out, laughing delightfully.

You felt Jake's eyes on your body for a tense moment, sensing them scanning you from top to bottom. You met his gaze once he finished checking you out so blatantly, and all he did was smile at you innocently. Jerk. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Why don't you kids go hang out yourselves?" Your mother patted your arm.

"Sure," Jake shrugged, smoothing out the fronts of his blazer.

"Great!" Your mother beamed, then leaned down to whisper to you. "Don't do anything weird, okay?"

You grimaced. "Ew." Must your own mother put the mental image of you doing something 'weird' with Jake into your mind?

You turned around, practically dashing up the stairs towards your room. And as always, Jake followed you like a lost puppy. Once he shut the door to your room, he faced you with a blank expression, devoid of any signs of what he's about to say.

"So? Are you going to explain why you were ignoring me?" Jake leaned against the door, his hands in his pockets as he stared at you, unimpressed.

"What if I don't?" you replied, sitting on the edge of your bed.

"I'll force it out of you somehow, you know I always get my way," he replied nonchalantly and you only rolled your eyes at him, knowing how he wasn't completely wrong.

Jake seemed to have noticed your silence and decided to break the ice first. "I remembered that night, Y/N. You can't hide away from me forever just because of what you said."

You groaned, burying your face into your hands, completely flushed with embarrassment. "Must you remind me?"

"How can I forget about it when my best friend literally told me she loves me?" He kneeled in front of you, taking your hands in his. "Can't you just tell me how you feel? It's been days and nights since I felt at peace after what you'd said to me. What's worse is that I couldn't even remember it precisely. So please, just make it clear."

"Fine. Jake, I–"

"Y/N!"

You wished you could blow up right this instance. Out of every second, every minute, your mother just had to call you when you were about to come clean about your feelings. If you could, you would've liked to reach for the nearest pillow and scream into it.

"Well … next time, Jakey boy. Dinner calls!"

Before Jake could respond, you exited your room quickly, ignoring your thumping heart as you replayed everything in your mind.

Dinner was awkward.

Parents asking about each other's kids' situations and having deep conversations about life while Jake and you, on the other hand, were avoiding each other's gazes. Not ready to face whatever that had just happened.

You thought your torment was finally over when dinner ended and you found yourself dipping your legs by the pool when Jake silently joined your side, following your actions.

"You okay?"

You turned to look at him, kicking your legs slightly, you felt your shoulder brushing against his, thighs touching. "I'm fine. Just a little tired. Why?"

"Nothing. It was just that you were barely speaking all dinner and I got concerned," Jake pointed out and you shrugged nonchalantly.

"Everything's … complicated these days," you said.

At your words, Jake shifted a little. He knew what your "complicated" meant, it was about you and him.

"What even are we?" Jake spluttered out and you froze beside him, the water temperature suddenly dropping to 0 degrees.

"You really want to talk about that now?" You mumbled, frowning.

"Then when can we even face it? I'm tired of you running away and me being in the dark," Jake argued, turning his body to face you.

"Jake …" you were rendered speechless, your body still, guilt clawing its way into your system. "I just don't think I'm ready yet, okay?"

Jake seemed frustrated at your comment. "Y/N–"

"JAKE!"

It was his mother calling out for him and you heard him swearing under his breath. "Next time, Y/N. I'll wait for you."

With that, he left, leaving you completely dazed. He'll wait?

"Can you please come? They literally have a pool!"

Thursday night you found yourself at peace knowing nothing will ruin your weekend, until Jay's phone call. Being the party goer he was, he's now trying to convince you to tag along to some guy's party.

"What if I said no?"

"I don't take 'no' as an answer,"

"Tough luck, champ,"

"Come on, Y/N," Jay whined. "Everyone is going. I mean, Jake is, and that cute guy you mentioned from school — Heeseung — was it? He's there too. You can shoot your shot!"

You thought about it for a moment as you cursed Jay for being way too convincing. "Fine. Since you asked so nicely."

"I know I could always count on you."

Safe to say the party was going considerably well and you weren't about to leave just after arriving for only a solid 15 minutes. Jay remained by yourself for the whole time, conversing with his own circle of friends while your eyes searched for a specific somebody among the sea of people.

“I’ll go for a dance,” you nudged Jay, trying to get his attention.

“Be safe.” he simply said, but his words were filled with genuinity.

A couple cups of drinks definitely boosted your confidence as you shamelessly swayed your hips to the music playing in the background. The blinking lights blinded your sight, alcohol clouded your thoughts, unknowing to someone sliding close to you. Thankfully, your sixth sense never failed and you turned to meet the gaze of Lee Heeseung.

“Hey,” he casually greeted.

“Hi,” you breathed out, sudden shyness taking over.

“Wanna dance?” he offered and you nodded meekly. “Follow my lead,” he held onto your arms, circling them over his shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Heeseung whispered and you nodded once more.

You couldn’t believe this was happening. The cute guy from school was in fact dancing with you. You let yourself let go as you closed your eyes and swayed along to the beat of the music. This was heaven.

No matter how you tried to shake off that weird feeling, it never went away. You knew someone was staring at you, burning little holes into the back of your head intensely. You opened your eyes, letting them adjust to the startling lights and almost immediately, you locked gazes with him.

Lo and behold, Jake Sim, sitting across the room, his jaw clenched, eyebrows furrowed. He was clearly unhappy about whatever you were doing, and you loved the effect you had on him.

You smiled innocently, leaning close to Heeseung's ear. "I'm going to take a break. See you at school?"

Heeseung grinned at you. "Sure thing. I had fun dancing with you."

"Likewise."

Thankfully, you managed to waddle your way through the crowd alive and made your way out of the house for some fresh air. The atmosphere inside of the house was too heavy and the smell of sweat and cheap alcohol stuck in the air.

"Running away from me again?"

A voice came from behind you and you knew who it was immediately.

"Not everything is about you, okay?" You grumbled, hugging your arms around your body for warmth as you sat down on the front steps.

Jake joined your side, placing his hands on his knees, glancing at you from time to time. “Care to explain why you’re actively avoiding me?”

“I’m not,”

“Liar.”

You remained silent, not knowing what to say next.

“You were dancing real close to Heeseung tonight,” he pointed out.

“Great observation, Sherlock,” you finally dared to turn to look at him. “Can we head back in? I’m craving for a drink,”

Jake only nodded soundlessly, following your movements as you stood up to head back in. You felt bad, guilty even, at the way you’re acting towards your lifelong best friend, but you couldn’t help it, your emotions were basically choking you hard. You tugged on Jake’s shirt, ready to say something.

“Jake—” Just when you two entered, Jake was pulled away, not even sparing a second for you to process, so now you were alone.

“Great,” you mumbled unhappily under your breath, making your way to the drinks in the kitchen. Maybe they’ll console you instead. You genuinely wondered who’d cursed you countlessly whenever you were trying to confront Jake.

To your dismay, the kitchen was filled with drunk teenagers who were all busy mixing their new anecdote for the night. Plan B, not the kitchen.

You left for the living room instead, grumbling in annoyance since you couldn't get a drink. As you were about to turn a corner, you heard voices, very familiar ones and immediately halted your steps.

“You ditched Grace?” Park Sunghoon, the notorious figure skater who everyone was pining for, hissed.

Jake hummed.

“Is it because of Y/N?” Sunghoon asked, an undertone of suspicion laced in his voice.

"I don't like her like that," Jake murmured under his breath.

You froze. This couldn't be happening now, right? Out of any day, any place, it just had to be in a house, in the middle of an ongoing party. To be frank, you've already prepared yourself to face rejection every time you imagined confessing to Jake. But overhearing Jake's negative confession was surely not in your list.

"You're serious?" Sunghoon poked on.

"I don't know, man." Jake sighed in defeat. "Can we not talk about this now?"

You blinked away the confusing feelings you were currently having. Was it anger? Was it sadness? Was it hope? You couldn't tell. All you wanted was to be home, in your cosy bed.

There were many things you were afraid to do in life, such as talking to boys your age, socialising, confronting your crush and so on, but today, right now, you had zero regrets as you continued your steps, walking past Jake.

It was all white noises in your ears and blissful ignorance. Jake was calling after you, trying to reach you, but the crowd only ended up swallowing him whole.

Once you were out of the house, you found yourself finally breathing again, suddenly thankful for the fresh air. But there's a rather unfortunate problem for you, Jake caught up with you.

"Y/N," he breathed.

"Fuck off," you snapped, an overwhelming wave of emotions clawing in your body.

"Listen to me, I didn't mean that," Jake's voice rose unintentionally.

"Yeah? So you're expecting me to be totally fine as if nothing happened?" You frowned. "Well, hi Jake, how was the party? Not good? Why-"

"Stop! Why are you even acting like this?" Jake grabbed ahold of your shoulders, making you stare directly at him as he could tell you were about to flee at any minute.

"Because–" You shrugged his hold away. "I like you, Jake! Ever since we were fifteen. But you were always so clueless to tell. And this summer, you were basically too hung up over Grace to spend time with me, then that night when you said those things to me, do you expect me to act oblivious after that? And today, you said those words … how am I supposed to know how you feel?"

You couldn't tell what Jake was thinking. He practically had a poker face on, seemingly trying to take in everything you've just said. "Y/N …"

"What do you want from me, Jake?"

Jake took a deep breath, his features ridden with frustration as he burst out.

"I want you. Okay? Happy now?"

To say you were stunned was clearly an understatement. You didn't know what to say or act, staring at him with your mouth ajar.

"I–I have liked you since we were kids and I don't think I realised until this summer," Jake went on, clearly rambling in distress. "That's why I avoided you, Y/N. I was scared. I didn't know why I felt like that or what I should do. In the end, I figured it was you. It was always you, no matter what."

"Then have me, Jake."

"What?"

It was one of those moments where it felt entirely out of a movie. Jake could only stare at you wordlessly while you breathed heavily, a million thoughts running through your head and you’ve finally accepted it.

Oh no, you’ve fallen in love.

“Just shut up and kiss me,” you grumbled under your breath, taking his face into your hands and pulling him in for a kiss.

When your lips touched, it felt as if countless emotions and unspoken words from over the years passed through like a connection. It felt right. Jake slid his hand around your neck, pulling you deeper into the kiss. This was absolute bliss.

You put your hand on his wrist, pulling away gently, eyes not leaving one another for even a second. The two of you pant softly, trying to catch a breath from the kiss and you started to shy away, in disbelief that this actually happened. Jake noticed, smiling a little, leaning down to press a gentle peck against the side of your mouth.

“Wanna stay over at mine tonight? I can drive,”

“You already know the answer to that.”

Laying in his bed with the lights off accompanied by the whirring of the A/C played in the background, his arms wrapped around you, the beating of his heart against your back, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, it was something familiar yet so new.

You turned around to face him, watching as he rubbed his eyes, stirring awake slightly. It was still dark outside, but Jake couldn’t fall asleep, finding himself treasuring your presence instead. You were brushing loose strands of hair away from his face when a strange look appeared and he spoke, voice sluggish.

"You're my best friend."

Somehow, you understood what he meant and you knew what it was. He is in love.

—

1K notes · View notes

sw33tsuccubus · 9 months

Text

when reader is a child of Poseidon

Being a child:

people at camp are either afraid of you or love you. there’s no in between.

percy was avoided like the plague and then slowly became popular sooo

there are multiple aspects to Poseidon’s domain. “Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Sea God.” there are different powers you could inherit from him.

you could be in control of water, like percy. you could make toilets explode and bend a river to do your bidding. you could make yourself swim extra fast and you could talk to sea creatures.

you could control storms. you could control the wind during a storm, you could create hurricanes, you could create thunderstorms. Zeus would hate you, but who cares?

you could control the earth, causing earthquakes with sheer willpower. when you stomp, the earth rumbles a bit. you could crack the surface of the earth if you focused.

no matter what powers you inherit, you’re always able to breathe underwater and talk to horses. those are the main traits of your fathers children.

you have a smell of sea that just clings to you. you also heal when in water. your father is quite powerful.

Relations:

your father does his best to keep a decent relationship with you. he answers as many prayers as he needs to. he wouldn’t choose favorites between you and percy.

speaking of percy

you two bully each other about your habits. you make fun of his blue food, he’ll find something to poke fun at.

you two have an ongoing prank war. you once dyed his hair pink. he once put shaving cream in your shoes. it’s awful. sometimes you team up together to prank the Stoll brothers.

when you two team up during games, everyone’s scared. first off, you two are some of the strongest demigods at camp. second, you work so well together, almost like you speak telepathically.

tyson loves you. he finds out he not only has percy, but now you too!

he crafts you something, like he made percy his shield. it’ll be engraved with something related to you. maybe one of your favorite greek heroes, or what you look like during training. it looks neat.

the three of you all hang out with Mrs. O’Leary and it’s so fun. percy plays fetch with her and you chat with tyson while watching everything with a smile. the three of you team up against the hellhound to play tug of war and you always end up bruised and scraped. but it’s so fun!

Annabeth comes up with a name, like she has seaweed brain for percy. maybe kelp head or rain cloud or something related to your abilities.

Grover will hang out with you whenever. he’s usually busy with counsel duties, but he’ll make time for you. he likes walking through the woods with you and chatting about nature.

percy shows up wherever you live for your birthday if it isn’t during the summer. Sally is often behind him, bringing in a gift and giving you a nice hug. percy will pick you up and say something along the lines of ‘My baby sibling is growing up!’

the gift is normally blue candies or a pretty seashell. it’s very sweet.

Sally and your parent will talk about whatever while you and percy talk about what’s been going on at school while playing a video game on the television or playing some random board game.

if your birthday is during the summer, percy insists you hang out at the beach and have a picnic with Annabeth and Grover and any of your friends.

percy gets a blue cake from the pavilion and carries it to the lake where they all sing you happy birthday. some Hermes kid got their hands on candles so you could make a wish.

as new eras begin, percy grows more protective over you. he can’t lose anyone else.

you become friends with will while you’re left at camp while your brother takes off all the time. #1 best friends. some may call it a bromance

he makes sure you don’t do stupid stuff while also having fun with you. you go walking in the woods and he’s making sure you don’t scramble up a tree while also chasing you around.

you watch sunsets together and have little makeovers. you style each others hair (it’s really funny sometimes) and paint each others nails. you go to the archery range together, no matter how bad you are at it. you comfort him after a shift at the infirmary, and he’s there for you after you’re strained from your abilities.

you become a popular person at camp, but this time it’s not because you’re scary. it’s because you’re older and people realize you’re gonna look out for them all.

and also you’re the half sibling of Percy freaking Jackson, but whatever.

#pjo x reader #hoo x reader #percy jackson x reader #poseidon x reader

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louloulemons-posts · 11 months

Text

Old Bear Diner

Cook!Eddie Munson XFem!Waitress!Reader

Summary : Reader becomes a waitress at a diner where a cook named Eddie works.

Word Count : 5.8k

Warnings : Not proofread, rambly, swears, use of Y/N, original characters, petnames, cuteness, reader gets hurt, douchebag customer, parent loss, grumpy eddie, sunshine reader, fluff, idiots in love, i haven’t wrote a fic this long in a while.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Mom I’m home,” you spoke, as you locked the door behind you. Sliding your feet out of your shoes and hanging your jacket up, you found her.

Face lay on the table, pen in hand and eyes closed. Letters, notices, bills. Just a whole bunch of paperwork lay on the table, it’d been like this for a while. Since your dad got sick. Then he was gone.

“Mom,” you whispered, shaking her lightly. She groaned, body wriggling as she woke up, “Mom go to bed.”

“I’m awake.”

“I know, but go and rest now. I’ll put this away.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. “Yeah.”

“How was work?”

“It was fine, the kids were golden.”

“Good I’m glad. You’ve got dinner in the microwave.”

“Thank you. Now go get some rest,” you said, kissing her cheek. “You’re such a good girl. Goodnight honey.”

“Night mom.”

And that’s how life had been for the last 18 months of your life. Just you and your mom. You sighed, walking over to the table. Stacking up the papers and putting them away.

There wasn’t much mess, your mom had been working all day and you’d been out most of the night. She was a nurse, and you had about any job you could get.

After quickly eating your dinner you picked up a few pieces of washing, swilled your plate and went up to bed. You babysat for a couple people in the neighbourhood, and sure they were fine, but one of the little ones came down with something and was near inconsolable.

Your bed was like heaven, after taking off your jeans you didn’t even bother to swap into pyjamas, falling to sleep as soon as your head hit the pillow.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Morning mom,” you said, kissing her head as you walked passed. There was a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, along with a cup of coffee waiting for her. “Morning, where are you off too?”

“Oh I’m just about to go clean Mrs Harris’, her daughters out of town and she said she’d pay me good. Plus she’s a sweet woman so.” You mom sighed, taking a drink of her coffee.

“What did we say about taking more jobs?”

“Mom come on, it’s not a big deal. It’s just one time.”

“You said that about the babysitting and the store and the tutoring.”

“Mom-“

“You need to take care of yourself.”

“So do you. Do you have a shift today?”

“No.”

“Great, I’ll pick up some movies from Robbies work and then we can have a day together.”

“Honey,” she sighed.

“I gotta go mom, love you.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“You are an Angel,” Mrs Harris smiled as you placed a mug in front of her, taking one of your own in your hands. “Thank you for doing this for me, Anna had this holiday booked for months.”

You hummed taking a sip of the drink, “I bet the kids were excited.”

“You have no idea! Bouncing off the walls telling me all about it yesterday.”

“Well the beach is exciting.”

“It is, now how about you? How’s your mom?”

“We’re good, you know,” you shrugged.

“Hm, I do know. You remind me of myself and Anna when we lost Paul,” she smiled fondly at the thought of her husband.

“We’re just trying to learn how to do this all without him.”

“Of course. I found something for you actually,” she smiled, walking to her fridge. Pulling a piece of paper from under a magnet she passed it over.

“I saw it in the grocery store, thought it’d be better than you doing 20 different jobs a week. You could just stick to 2,” she joked. It was a slip for wanted workers at a diner. Waitressing staff.

“Thank you.”

“Of course Honey, now you get going. Enjoy your day with your mom,” she smiled, nodding you took the flyer with you. “Let me know if you need me to come and clean again.”

The woman chuckled, shaking her head waving goodbye as you headed to your car. You knew the diner, you drove past it going to and from jobs, you’d just never stopped by.

You’d have to pass it on the way to Family Video anyway, so there was no harm in asking.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It wasn’t too busy in the diner, there were people dotted around, some groups, some alone. Some eating, some not. It seemed like a great place to people watch, to see so many people from different places, with different lives.

Walking up to the counter you smiled at an older woman, crows feet by her eyes, flecks of grey through her dark hair, but her eyes shone, young and playful. “Hiya Honey what can I get for you?”

“Hi, I actually came to ask about the waitressing position, is it still available?”

“It certainly is, have you got any experience?”

“I’ve had a couple different jobs, I worked at a cafe during summer break. I’ve worked cleaning jobs, with kids, in retail.” The woman hummed, nodding, “Well the shifts would change, you’d have to do 4 or 5 a week.”

“I can do that.”

“You’d serve customers, do waitressing, help in the kitchen if needed, cleaning.”

“Of course.”

“Okay, if you leave your name and number we can call and talk about you having a test day and we’ll see how we go.”

“Thank sounds great.” She slid a writing pad and a pen across the counter to you, disappearing to refill someone’s coffee.

“Liz, order up,” you heard a male voice speak from the back.

Two plates of delicious looking food was placed on the window out to the front, but the chef themself wasn’t visible. The woman moved quickly, weaving around stools and booths, taking the plates to a couple at the far end of the diner.

You’d imagine that they’d all know each other forever, the way they spoke like old friends. The woman, Liz, made her way back over to you, taking the pen and pad back.

“We’ll give you a call,” she smiled.

“Thank you.” She nodded giving you a wink and you were on your way.

You could only hope you’d get this job, 4 or 5 shifts a week would be great, then you could have room for a couple of odd babysitting jobs and still keep the house clean for your mom. All you had to do was actually get it.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You dried your hands with a towel, leaving the dirty dishes to air dry before you put them away. Dinner was cooking on the stove, and your mom would soon be home.

The music of your radio hummed with static, the station hiding the silence of the house. That was until the loud sound of the phone ringing overpowered it.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Hi, is this Y/N Y/L/N?”

“Speaking.”

“Hi there honey, this is Liz from the Old Bear Diner. I’m just calling about the waitressing job.”

“Right I see.”

“Well the position is yours if you want it, we’ll get you trained up.”

“What about the test day?”

“Well Mr Miller, the owner of the cafe you worked at, came here and when I mentioned you he couldn’t stop telling me how great of a worker you are.”

“That’s very kind. When would I start?”

“Wednesday if that’s possible, you’d start at 9am and finish at 5pm.” Quickly looking at the calendar you didn’t have any babysitting gigs, so it’d be perfect.

“Of course.”

“Great, I’ll be seeing you Wednesday Honey.”

“See you then.”

You couldn’t help grinning as you hung the phone back on the hook, taking dinner off the stove. Your mom found you dancing to the music on the radio, plating up your food.

“Good day?” she smiled, as you began to eat. “Mhm, definitely. How was work?”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Liz had shown you all the basics, how to use the till, where everything was stored, along with giving you a dark apron that sat around you waist.

“So when we have food orders, you hang them up here. Eddie will call when they’re ready, write the table numbers on the ticket if that’s easier for you,” she smiled.

“Right, is Eddie the chef?”

“Mhm, the one and only. You can also have anything off the menu for lunch, so just let him know and he’ll make it. I’ll introduce you now.”

Following her into the kitchen it was a lot of stainless steel counters, ovens, grills and deep sinks. “Eddie, got someone for you to meet,” Liz spoke, catching the taller man attention.

Turning to face you, you took him in. Dark curls, pulled back to sit in a bun at base of his neck, he was tall, lean but muscular, with tattoos dotted around his arms. His own apron sat around his waist, freckles and beauty marks decorated his face like his own personal constellation.

And his eyes, they were beautiful, like melted chocolate, you could very easily get lost in them. “Eddie this is Y/N our new waitress.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said softly, trying not to stair at the gorgeous man in front of you.

“You too. You shown her the basics?” he asked Liz. “Course I have, so be nice,” she warned, wagging her finger at him. “Always am.”

The older woman snorted, “You take that back, your uncle didn’t raise a liar.” This made Eddie smirk, smile lines and faint dimples appearing.

“Well we’ve got customers to serve, come on Honey.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Working at the diner was strangely something you looked forward to, something you enjoyed. Your mom wasn’t over the moon about it, worrying that you’d work yourself to sickness.

You were okay, you’d do your shifts go home, help around the house, spend time with your mom and still had time to do your babysitting gig. It worked out quite well.

“Morning Honey,” Liz smiled as you pushed through the door, “Morning.” You headed to the back, hanging up your jacket and your bag, tying your apron around your waist.

You walked past the kitchen, “Morning Eddie,” you called as you went, receiving a grunt of acknowledgment in return. He seemed nice enough, grumpy, but nice and beautiful - but you wouldn’t tell him that.

The diner was a 24 hour one so customers were already dotted around, it was a weekday so it was a lot of people travelling through, especially truckers.

“These are for table 4,” Liz smiled, handing you 2 warm drinks, nodding you went on your way. “Morning, I’ve got two hot chocolate.”

“Thank you,” an older man said, the younger one with him smiling slightly.

“Can I get you anything else?” you asked.

“Could we order some hot food?”

“Sure, let me just get a pad. I’ll be right back.”

Walking around the diner had become like a dance now, bouncing around the tables and chairs, back and fourth to the counter. “Eddie order for table 4,” you said, sticking the paper under a magnet.

Another grunt in acknowledgment, as the ticket was pulled down and into the kitchen.

“Morning Y/N,” a familiar voice spoke.

“Mr Connors, good morning. What can I get for you?”

“A tea for Cynthia,” he said, smiling over at his wife, “And a coffee for me.”

“I’ll bring them over.” The older man nodded, making his way to sit across the booth from his wife.

“25 years they’ve been coming here, and every time it’s like their first date all over again,” Liz said, sighing dreamily.

“Are you married?”

“Mhm, coming up to 15 years. Got a couple kids too, they mean the world to me. How about you Honey you got someone?”

You shook your head, “Now that does surprise me.”

“Why’s that?”

“I mean, look at you. You’re pretty girl.”

“Thank you,” you said shyly, “Honestly I’m just too busy.”

She nodded, filling up a mug with warm coffee and another with tea you heard an order called. “Order up.”

“I’ll take the drinks, you take the orders,”Liz said, sliding the mugs from the counters.

“Is this all of it?” you called over to Eddie, he turned half way so you could see the side of his face. He nodded and you moved quickly, feeling your face flush. Hoping that chatting with customers would take your mind off the beautiful man through the other room.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“I’ll see you later Liz,” you waved to the older woman, “Oh hang on Honey, I’ve got something to ask you.” You stopped in your tracks, car keys in hand.

“Do you think you could do the night shift on Friday?”

“I’ll have to check my calendar when I get home, I’ll call and let you know.”

“Okay, thanks Hun, you have a good night.”

You hadn’t done a night shift yet, Liz did a couple a week and Eddie seemed to live there, often taking doubles. Speaking of Eddie you raised your hand to wave goodbye, as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Nodding your way he let out a breath of smoke, sitting himself down on an old crate at the door. You climbed into your car and we’re on your way.

“Mom,” you called out when you entered the house. It was strangely quiet, her car was on the drive so she must be here. Hanging up your bag and jacket, you slid your shoes off.

Your feet padded across the floor, finding your mom on the couch. Her eyes closed, her chest moving up and down gently. “Mom?” you said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She was burning up, “Mom, come on let’s get you to bed.” She groaned as you helped her up, eyes barely opening as you took her to her room. “I’ll be back I’m just getting you some water.”

Taking a glass from the side of her bed you went to the bathroom, filling it with water and grabbing her some medication from the cupboard. “Here you go mom,” you said, helping her sit up.

Closing the curtains, the room was almost in darkness. “Was work okay?” she croaked out. “Yeah it was fine, they’ve asked me to do a night shift on Friday, gotta check the calendar.”

“You go do that honey, I’ll be okay.”

“Okay. You rest up, I’ll come and check on you later.” The woman hummed softly, snuggling down under her blanket and resting her head on the pillow.

Luckily Friday was free and you could take the shift, and your mom was off so she could rest and and get rid of whatever sickness this was. Dialling the number for the diner you waited for a few rings, a voice finally appearing.

“Old Bear Diner, how can I help?”

“Hi Eddie, it’s Y/N.”

“Oh hello, you alright?”

“Yeah was just calling to tell Liz I can do the Friday night shift.”

“Right, I’ll let her know.”

“Thank you.”

“Hm. See you Friday.”

“See you.” After hanging up you pressed your hand to your chest, how could a 20 second conversation do this to you.

You couldn’t even see him, it was just his voice. Dear god his voice. Get it together. He’s just a hot guy at work, would you find him hot outside of work? Probably not.

Okay that’s a total lie - grumpy metal head. Yes please.

You groaned placing your forehead on the cold wall, suddenly feeling the need for a hot shower.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Honey go to work, it’s just a cold.”

“Fine, but you’ll call if you need me?”

“Of course I will now shift it, you’re going to be late,” your mom said, pulling you to the door.

“Drive safe, I love you.”

“Love you mom.”

Arriving at the diner it was already busy, but that made sense for a Friday night. You parked your car up and went in through the back, not wanting to squeeze your way past the customers.

Eddie was there, standing on a cigarette he was clearly finished with. “Hey,” you said.

“Hello.” He held the door open for you, letting you duck under his arm. You held your breath as you did so. How did he smell so nice?

“Is Liz here?” you asked.

“It’s her anniversary, so night off. So it’s us, May and Chris.” You hummed, May was older than you and Eddie, but Chris was around the same age.

“Okay well I’m gonna go and get sorted.” He hummed, heading back to the kitchen, but watching you go first. Soon enough you were out on the counter saying a quick hello to May and Chris.

“Evening,” the man smiled, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. “How’s it going?”

“You know,” you shrugged. He looked like he was going to continue, but a group of teens sat down at a booth.

“I’ll go and sort them,” you smiled, grabbing a pad and pen from the counter. “Hiya guys what can I get for you?” And so the shift began.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It was busy, manic even. When one table was dealt with another three seemed to need your attention. By 11pm your feet were burning. “Y/N, you can have your break now honey,” May spoke.

“You sure?”

“Mhm, grab something to eat, have a drink.”

Your shift would end at 5am, so keeping your energy was important. Nodding you headed to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water as you went.

Eddie turned slightly to see who was coming in, “Order?”

“Just mine.”

“What can I get for you?”

“Just some fries please.”

The man raised a brow at you,”That’s all you want?”

“Mhm.” He nodded, turning back to the grill, there were no tickets so it shouldn’t take too long. You opened your bottle of water, taking a swig.

“Go sit, I’ll bring it over.”

“You sure?”

“Do you know you ask that question about 50 times in a shift. I’m sure, go rest.”

You chuckled, pushing back into the main area, taking a seat on the furthest table. You head rested on your folded arms on the table, closing your eyes.

There was the faint sound of music playing from a jukebox, chatter, the sizzling of pans in the kitchen. It had become a soothing sound, a sound you were used too.

A few minutes passed, lightly dozing as you sat there. A hand pressed on your shoulder, “Hey.” Eddie.

“I’m awake.”

“I can see that. Eat up.” You rubbed your eyes, looking at the food on the table.

There was fries and a burger, “I only asked for-“

“I know. But you’re also falling asleep, so you need the energy. Eat up,” he said, offering you a tight lipped smile.

“Thank you.”

“Mhm. Eat.” You nodded, taking one of the fries, Eddie left you to it. Turning you head to watch him, you saw his eyes already on you.

Both of you looked away quickly, faces flushing. You tried to focus on your food, your shift would soon be over, then you wouldn’t see Eddie for a few days.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It was finally the end of your shift and you were dead on your feet, you had no idea how the others did it. You threw your apron into your bag, sliding on your jacket and getting your car keys.

“See you later,” you waved to Liz who’d just arrived. “You get some rest Honey.” Heading out the back, you were met by Eddie, he stood by the wall smoking a cigarette.

“You heading out?” he asked.

“Mhm, I’ll see you Monday,” you replied, heading towards your car, feet heavy and eyes sore. “Y/N hang on.”

You turned to see Eddie, he threw the cigarette butt to the ground, “You’re dead on your feet, let me give you a ride.”

“It’s fine Eddie.”

“No it’s not, you look like you’re gonna fall asleep at the wheel. Come on we can even take your car, if you trust me.”

“Sure, but are you-“ he cut you off.

“Honestly, I’m sure. I don’t want you getting hurt. Now key,” he said, holding out his hand. You dropped them into his large palm without another word, heading to the passenger side.

“So where are we headed?” Eddie asked, you mumbled out your address, “Not too far then.”

“No not really. You really don’t have to do this.”

“Sweetheart, honestly it’s not a big deal.”

Holy fuck. Sweetheart. Oh my god. Your half asleep brain couldn’t deal with this.

“W-what about your van?”

“I’ll just walk back and pick it up, no big deal.”

“Eddie-“

“Shush.”

You sighed, knowing you weren’t going to win this fight. You sat quietly, it wasn’t awkward it was nice. It was a comfortable silence. Resting your head against the window, you heard Eddie pull out from the diner.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Hey, Sweetheart, wake up.” Eddies soft tone brought you back. “I’m awake.” A light chuckle came out, “I know you are. You’re home.”

Looking up you were parked outside your house, “Thank you,” you said.

“Anytime.” The pair of you climbed out of your car, Eddie placing the keys back in your hand.

“You get some rest okay?”

“Okay,” you mumbled, looking at your feet. “Sweetheart, seriously,” he lifted your face softly with his fingers, holding it so you’d meet his eye.

“How many jobs have you done this week?”

“Well … I did a couple shifts at the diner, then I babysat Holly Wheeler, then I helped out at the green grocers. That’s about it.”

“And then you’ve been coming home and cleaning? Making dinner?”

“My mom can’t do it all alone.”

“You don’t have to do it all either, you’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“I’m fine.”

“Seriously you need to rest. I’m gonna tell Liz to swap your Monday shift okay?”

“No! Eddie please I’m fine.”

“But you’re not.”

“I need the money, I need to help my mom.”

“Your mom is the parent this can’t all be on you.” You felt anger bubbling up in your stomach, an emotion you’ve never felt towards Eddie.

“Well hospital bills don’t pay themselves, my dads care won’t pay itself off. I need to help her or we loose everything and I won’t do that. So think what you want, but if I don’t work at the diner on Monday I’ll find somewhere else,” you said, pulling your face away from his hand.

“Thanks for the ride,” you slinked passed him, unlocking the front door, not even looking behind you as you went in.

“Shit,” the curly haired boy said to himself.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You were back in the diner for your Monday shift, and maybe Eddie was right, maybe you were making yourself sick. On Saturday night you babysat some kids down the street. Then on Sunday you helped clean Mrs Harris’ house again, then came home to do your own.

“Order up,” Eddie called from the kitchen, you walked over taking the plates. “It’s for table 7.” You hummed in acknowledgement, heading over to the group.

It was 4 men, older than your mother, but younger than Liz. They seemed to be businessmen, you didn’t have a lot of those passing through here.

“I’ve got the waffles and bacon,” you spoke, sliding the plate in front of one of them. “Blueberry pancakes.” Another man raised his hand, “I’ll be back with yours in a second.”

“Take all the time you need Sweetcheeks,” one of the man said, his voice was sickly and you could feel his eyes on your behind as you walked back to the counter. You skin crawled at the feeling.

“Is this the last of it for 7?” You asked Eddie.

“Yeah, that’s all. You okay?” He questioned, you could see his furrowed brows through the window. “Yeah, fine.”

Turning you headed back to the men, “I’ve got scrambled eggs, bacon and hashbrowns.” You placed the plate down as quickly as you could without throwing it at the man. “And here’s the Old Bear special,” you said, to the creepy man.

“Thanks Sweetcheeks.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“How about a top up?” he said, shaking his empty coffee cup. “Sure.”

Grabbing the jug of freshly brewed coffee you, took the mans mug, along with the others at the table, filling them up. “Can I get you anything else?” Please say no.

“Actually, I’d love a piece of you,” the man smirked, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you to him. This caused you to panic dropping the coffee jug, the glass exploded everywhere and the hot liquid splashed your skin.

“You stupid girl!” The man exclaimed, throwing himself from the booth, his lap covered in the scalding liquid. “I-I’m so sorry!” you exclaimed.

“How stupid can you be! You burnt me! You absolute fool!”

“What’s going on over here?” Liz asked.

“This stupid waitress spilt hot coffee all over me and my breakfast, I demand that she’s fired!”

“I only dropped the coffee because you grabbed me!” you shouted.

“You stupid bitch! I’ll grab you alright,” the man launched for your throat, but was stopped by a hand around the back of his shirt.

“Get out,” Eddie said in his ear, his tone deadly, his eyes unblinking. “Me? She’s the one who-“

“You come in, you assault my staff and she panics, that’s your fault. You want to press charges go for it, but I doubt your wife will be happy when she finds out you’re trying to get with other women.”

“You asshole.”

“Get out of my diner, all of you. Before I show you how much you’ve pissed me off.”

The four men scrambled out, falling over each other as they went.

“Are you alright Honey?” Liz asked, wrapping her arm around your shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’ll uh, go and get a broom and the mop.”

“Oh no Honey I’ll do it.”

“It’s fine, it’s my fault.”

“No. Don’t even think that,” Eddie spoke up, walking over to you, “It was that assholes fault. You’re going home.”

“W-what no!”

“Yes, well actually you’re going to the hospital to get your arm checked.”

You looked down, not even realising the burning sensation on your right arm. It was covered in hot coffee. “I have a shift to finish.”

“Fine, I’ll drive you there now. Liz, you and James will be okay right?” he asked.

“Sure and if not, I’ll call Chris or May or Connie.”

“Great, come on get your stuff, let’s go.” Eddie led you out the back, holding your things in his hand, another on the small of your back.

“We’ll take my van okay, we can pick up your car later,” Eddie spoke. You just nodded, not really having any words to say. Climbing up, you took your bag and jacket from him, placing it by your feet.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” Minus the humiliation, the burning on your arm, being assaulted by a man, and you know probably losing the best job you’ve ever had - yeah you were great.

“Sweetheart, hey. It’s okay, you’re alright.” Eddies hands touched your cheeks, wiping away at tears you didn’t even know had been falling. “I’m so sorry,” you sniffled.

“What on earth for? None of that was your fault!” he stated.

“But I could’ve just-“

“Sweetheart he was a slime ball who hasn’t got any in years cause his wife thinks he’s gross. It’s not your fault that he doesn’t know how to behave when a pretty girl is around.”

Pretty.

“I’m just sorry. I really liked working here.”

“Liked? You leaving or something?” he asked. “I thought that after that I’d - well you wouldn’t want me to work there anymore.”

“You’re like my favourite person at this place, if I had it my way you’d go nowhere.”

“I don’t want to leave.” He leaned over and squeezed your good hand, “Then don’t, except right now because you need a doctor.”

You huffed a laugh, and Eddie pulled away, started up the truck and you were on the way.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Walking into the ER, it wasn’t overly busy, and Eddie led you to a seat. “Stay here I’ll get us some help,” he said. You nodded as he went to the desk, speaking to the nurse sat behind it.

The nurse.

Oh man.

Your mom.

“What’s the name?”

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

“What?”

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Eddie repeated. Your mom stood up walking around the desk, eyes meeting yours.

“Baby! What happened,” she said, rushing to your side. “I’m okay mom, just an accident at work.”

“Well thank goodness you came here. Let’s get you fixed up.”

It would probably get her in trouble, but she didn’t care, pulling you through to an examination room. Eddie followed you through, standing at the door.

“So I’m gonna clean it up and wrap it, we’ve got some creams at home to help.”

“I’m okay mom.”

“Thank you for bringing her in,” she spoke to Eddie. “Oh yeah of course.”

“So you work together?” she asked.

“Mhm, yeah Eddies the cook and uh the owner.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Eddie.”

“You too ma’am.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“I can finish early, take you home,” Your mom said. “It’s fine I’m okay.”

“I’ll drive her, can bring your car by later.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“What a sweet boy. Now go, my shift ends at 4.”

“Okay.”

Your mom pressed a kiss to your head, saying goodbye to the pair of you. Sat in the van, Eddie spoke, “Your mom seems nice.”

“Mhm, she is.”

“I can see why you want to look after her.”

“I’m sorry I snapped at you the other day.”

“I deserved it.”

“You didn’t, how were you supposed to know.”

“I should have backed off, I am sorry about your dad though.”

“Yeah me too, but you know we’re getting by.” He nodded, and sighed before talking, “Sweetheart, I know you’ll hate me for this, but I can’t let you come back to work until that arm heals up a bit okay?”

“Okay,” you whispered.

“But as soon as you’re good to come back, you can.”

“Thank you Eddie.”

“Of course.”

The drive to your house wasn’t a long one, and your arm wasn’t tingling anymore. “Thank you for today,” you said to Eddie.

“It’s okay, uh feel free to say no, but do you want some company?”

“Don’t you have to get back to the diner?”

“I’m the boss, I can go back whenever. So company?” You smiled, nodding, allowing him to follow you into the house.

“Your house is lovely,” he smiled.

“Thank you, uh get comfy, I’m just going to change.” You motioned to the lounge, as you headed to your room, wanting to get out of your work attire.

Changing into sweats and a short sleeve tee, you returned to find Eddie looking at photos dotted around the place. “That was the first vacation we ever went on,” you smiled.

You were stood between your parents, all of you had snowboards, thick coats and pants along with huge boots. You grinned a cheesy smile, a few teeth missing due to your age. Your parents were smiling too, laughing at your enthusiasm.

“You were cute,” Eddie nodded.

“Were?” you joked, but Eddies ears went pink. “I’m not saying you’re not cute now! You’re beautiful! I just mean that-“ You laughed, “Eds I’m teasing.”

The man smiled, face flushed, “You, Sweetheart, are a pain.”

“Hm, sure. Want to watch a movie?” you asked. “Yeah that sounds great.”

“I’ll go make some popcorn.”

I’ve got it, just tell me where it is.”

“I can do it.”

“Seriously, we don’t need another trip to the ER, what would your mother think of me?”

You rolled your eyes at him, making the man chuckle and leave to go to the kitchen. “It’s in the cupboard above the microwave,” you called to him.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

The boy looked down, feeling a soft weight on his shoulder. They were half way through Return of the Jedi when he felt it. Looking down his stomach fluttered.

She looked so peaceful, her eyelashes kissing her skin, her chest rising and falling softly. Her hand didn’t look so red and sore now, her mom had done a great job. Soft breaths left the girl as she fell into a deeper sleep.

The curly haired man couldn’t help but smile, resting his own head on hers, letting his eyes fall shut.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You felt a comforting warmth beneath your cheek, rising and falling. A hand on your waist and a chin on your head. Shit. You’d fallen asleep.

Looking up slightly, you saw Eddie dozing away. He looked so cute. So calm. “Eddie,” you whispered. “Hm?” he mumbled.

“Eddie.”

“What’s wrong?” he said, voice deep and grumbly from sleep.

It was the sexiest thing you’d ever heard.

“We fell to sleep.”

“So?” You laughed at the sleepy boy, letting your head stay on his chest. “See, isn’t that bad is it?” he said.

“No, apart from the fact my mom is definitely home and has seen us.”

“I should probably go then,” he mumbled into your hair. “You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I need to check on the diner.”

You nodded, pushing up off of him, leading him to the front door. “Thank you for today.”

“Of course, I hope you don’t mind if I call to check how you’re doing.”

“Not at all, I mean you could drop by if you want.”

“Well I have to bring your car back so, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I’ll see you,” you smiled softly. The man raised a hand, walking to his van.

Shit, you couldn’t let him go.

“Eddie!” you called, jogging over, feet cold on the concrete beneath. “What is it?” he asked, concern in his eyes.

“Um, I just,” you began, but stood on your tiptoes, pressing your lips to his plush ones. They were warm and soft and made your stomach burst. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” you whispered.

“I’ll see you,” he smiled.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Thank you so much for reading!

Please leave any requests 🤍

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erwinsvow · 5 months

Text

there’s an outdoor shower at the chateau—a tiny thing, really, just three planks of wood and the wall of john b’s home where the showerhead is attached. the water pressure depends on the day, depends on if anyone is using the bathroom inside the house or if jj accidentally left the faucet in the kitchen running.

there’s a rusty hook where clothes can be hung if the other shower was occupied, and the towel is always thrown just over the door opposite the water so it doesn’t get too wet.

you are well accustomed to this shower. you know exactly how to hang your towel to avoid the waterfall, where to avoid stepping because the rocks get slippery. sometimes the door opens up by itself, the result of old hinges and worn out screws, but you don’t pay it much mind, because after all, it’s nothing the boys haven’t seen before.

you’d consider yourself still decent, even showering like this. your bikini was filled with grains of sand, the result of being pushed around at the beach by jj and pope for the last hour. there’s a huge sandy hand print on your shoulder from where john b had helped you up, and you let the water wash it away with a smile.

you’re sandy everywhere, but that’ll have to wait until you’re back home. you wash your hair with the cheap shampoo sitting on the ground, the three-in-one you and kiara beg the boys to dispose of.

but at the very least you feel clean, rinsing the suds from your scalp and watching them run down your body and then onto the ground, draining into the grass. you’ve been spending too much time with kie—your first thought is that you hope this stuff doesn’t leach chemicals into the soil.

lost in the warmth since you’re the first to shower and the boys haven’t used up all the hot water yet, you close your eyes and forget the door’s opened by itself. you think it doesn’t matter since everyone’s at pope’s already. you were the only one who insisted on showering before joining them, promising you’ll bike over after ten minutes, though pope reassures the others it’ll be at least twenty-five.

there’s a voice coming from the backyard, rafe thinks, stalking further and further into the shoddy little house. the land wasn’t terrible, right on the lake, but the place was anything but well kept, a mess of missing shingles and splintered wood. he stops thinking about the house as soon as the voice becomes clearer, the further he steps into the back. he was here to convey a message to the pogues that call this place home, but no one that he wanted to find was around.

stepping in mud and grass, he walks to the backyard, a pretty voice filling the humid air. you’re singing something he doesn’t know, something that sounds vaguely familiar. maybe something ward used to play on the record player in the study, back when rafe used to spend time with him.

you, whoever you are, sound nice, even muffled by the sound of the running water. when rafe gets closer, he sees there’s no door blocking his view to a pretty girl washing her hair and singing softly. you’re in nothing but a yellow bikini, showing him all too much but at the same time not entirely enough.

he’s not sure how long he stood there. it must have been some time, because when you twist the shower knob and stop the water, turning to grab your towel, you see rafe and curse loudly, shoulders raising in fear by themselves.

you stand like that for a moment before realizing rafe is staring, probably because you’re in a tiny, wet bikini. you yank the towel and cover yourself.

“can i help you?” you demand, the sweet voice all gone. even if you didn’t recognize rafe, the clothes he wore and his expensive shoes covered in the dirt of the chateau’s grounds were a dead giveaway.

“yeah. m’lookin’ for the idiots that live here. seen them around?”

“no. goodbye.” he laughs at that. eyes raking over your body again. you’re covered now but still feel exposed, like he can see through your towel.

“funny, kid. when you see ‘em give them a message from me, will ya?”

“leave a voicemail like a normal person. i’m not your messen-”

“yeah, yeah. tell your boys we know what they did.” you stare back at him, confused by what he means but angry at the intrusion and the way he talks to you, the way he looks at you. “sure. whatever that means. are you all done being a stalker now?” he laughs again.

“we’ll see. bye kid.”

#this has been in my drafts for ages but i only had the first line #idt anyone else is gonna like this but i do #<3 #rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #singing pogue reader #i guess....

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bbina · 7 months

Text

there was only a day left til the staycation at anton’s villa comes to an end. everyone was tired from the past few days of activities (the hike, the campfire, and the beach day) everyone all collectively decide they’d spend the last two days just indoors. right now everyone was just in their respective rooms, starting to pack to return back to seoul in the next following days

you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, reflecting on everything that has happened in your life for the past week. first, sungchan gets a girlfriend, that of which he didn’t even tell you. second, wonbin, out of all people is your ”fake” boyfriend that you accidentally dragged into your own mess out of spite. you wondered if everything would be different if you didn’t slip up. maybe, just maybe you didn’t feel the need to drag wonbin into this mess. maybe if you just accepted–

your little train of thought gets interrupted when you hear soft knocks at your door.

“come in” you say, sitting up from your bed. it was probably wonbin

wonbin comes in with a small smile on his face. “brought my guitar like you said” he smiles, letting himself in your room and closing the door

wonbin starts to sit on the ground when you stop him

“sit here instead” you say, patting on the empty space next to you on the bed

wonbin’s eyes widens. before he can say anything you insist on letting him sit next to you.

“you’re acting like we didn’t just act like a couple the whole day” you tease, tugging on the sleeve of his hoodie, pulling him on the bed. all day you've done nothing but hang out with wonbin in front of the guys. being all clingy with him and all that funky shit couples do

“oh shut up” wonbin rolls his eyes, plopping down right next to you.

you give him a small smile, watching him strum his guitar to some songs. unintentionally setting the mood in the room

you can hear wonbin softly humming along to the songs he’s playing. it makes your heart skip a beat. you rapidly shake your head, mentally slapping yourself for even thinking of wonbin in such way.

“so..?” wonbin starts, breaking the silence, putting away his guitar as he couldn’t handle the quietness in the room anymore. not especially when it’s from you. the girl that usually bothers him and yaps all day. wonbin did not like the fact that for once you were quiet

“what’s on your mind?” he asks, placing his arms behind his head as he stares directly at your eyes

“why do you always assume i got a lot in my mind?”

“because most of the time when no one’s looking it looks like you’re going through a lot of things” wonbin points out in a joking matter. “unless you’re just all no thoughts head empty”

you let out a little gasp and grab your stuffed animal that you brought to the trip and threw it at him.

“rude!”

“i’m kidding!”

you start contemplating if it was even worth mentioning that you finally feel sorry for yourself when all you could’ve done was to move on. now that he’s here and the trip is seemingly coming to an end, might as well

“i’m really am sorry for dragging you into this, bin” you murmur, turning away from wonbin. wonbin simply raises his brows, surprised by your apology

“i shouldn’t have dragged you into my own mess. now everything is all weird since i think eunseok doesn’t trust me anymore, everyone is acting weird to us and i just.. i’m sorry” you shakily say, putting your hands all over your face to hide it from his gaze.

wonbin sighs and reaches out for your hand. he carefully removes them from your face.

“how many times do i have to tell you, it’s okay. i really don’t mind it at all” wonbin reassures, he starts wondering if this is why you wanted to hang out.

“is this why you wanted to hangout?” he asks

you shake your head no. that’s not exactly the reason. at first you wanted to just chill and have some company but when you were left alone with your thoughts, it just took a whole different turn

“not really. i feel like this whole thing finally caught up with me and.. yeah” you say

wonbin hums, you probably had a lot in mind right now.

“let’s play 21 questions” wonbin suddenly sits up, looking at you with a bright look. this way you can talk things out

“that’s so random?” you quip, 21 questions?

wonbin shrugs, “you seem to have a lot in mind so might as well just ask you a bunch of random shit to get them off your mind”

he’s not wrong. you do have some stuff in mind but whatever. fuck it you ball.

the questions starts easy like what’s your favorite color, favorite childhood memory with eunseok, bucket lists and more. as you both delve deeper into your late-night conversation, you find yourselves exploring intriguing topics that spark laughter, introspection, and even a touch of sarcasm.

“what’s your love language?” wonbin suddenly asks

you gave him a weird look. love language? seriously? that’s his next question after what your embarrassing moment at school was?

“what kind of question is that” you stifle in your laughter. in retrospect, you don’t really know what’s your preferred love language. not that you even have any experiences that would leave you with an answer

“like how do you like receiving love or something.. mine is physical touch and probably words of affirmation” wonbin trails off, trying to think of other things he likes

now that you think about it, wonbin is a little touchy. he always had to be near you or touching you in one way or another. he also communicates a lot with you. always calming down your nerves or when you keep apologizing for the smallest things

“then i like quality time? i don’t know i just like hanging out with people” you shrug, giving up on the question

wonbin nods and continues asking more questions like what’s your favorite animal, your favorite fashion item, luxury brand and more

“okay i just thought about this but don’t get mad okay?” wonbin starts, “in some alternate universe or something, if you and sungchan were to be a couple, do you think you’d be happier?”

that question caught you off guard. you gave wonbin a weird look, “what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

wonbin holds out his hands in defense, “that’s why i said don’t get mad! but don’t get the wrong idea, i’m just curious”

you start to think about the endless scenarios imaginable if you and sungchan were to date. sure, it’s gonna be a dream but now that you think about it, if you and sungchan were a couple, you don’t think you’d be the person you are now.

“if me and sungchan were to date, i don’t think i’d be here right now” you start laughing, “i mean it would probably be real sweet and all but i’ll never experience shit like this, like being in a fake relationship to get over him” you nudge wonbin

wonbin laughs, “am i supposed to feel flattered?”

“i guess? i mean it’s not all the time you invite yourself to a fake relationship”

“okay next question, if i wasn’t beside you that night at the campfire, who would you have asked to be your fake boyfriend?” wonbin’s full attention was on you at this point. you didn’t expect him to be so curious and talkative about your life

“next question” you dismiss. not because you didn’t want to answer but you didn’t have anyone in mind. hell, you didn’t even know you were gonna bet that desperate to even ask someone in the group to be your fake boyfriend

“oh come on! i know you probably had someone in mind” wonbin boos at your lame answer

you roll your eyes, “that’s because i don’t! i didn’t even think i’d get into a fake relationship that same night!” you defend yourself, “guess you were unlucky enough to sit next to me back there” you poke your tongue at wonbin who laughs at your answer

��you were lucky it was me! i mean, you couldn’t fool everyone if you chose someone else to be your fake boyfriend” wonbin says smugly. if you were to choose between sohee and seunghan, everyone would’ve probably thought you were joking

“and you take pride in that because?” you raise an eyebrow at wonbin who simply shrugs

“because i’m good at playing boyfriend” he winks. you burst out laughing at his response. he wasn’t wrong though. he was good at this whole act. maybe a little too good that it got you rethinking the whole situation

you won’t lie to yourself, wonbin is a good looking guy. he knows how to play the guitar, he knows how to cook, he’s surprisingly good with words, he’s basically the whole package.

wonbin was the perfect candidate for your whole dilemma. he never overstepped the boundaries you placed between the two of you. he never tried taking it to the next level in front of the guys. he respected your wishes and you couldn’t have asked for more

“anyway!” you break the silence, “what question are we on?”

wonbin yawns, “to be honest i don’t know anymore but i have one more question..” wonbin pauses for a moment

“have you ever had your first kiss yet?” wonbin asks. curious of your love life.

“i dont think so..?” you say slowly that it almost came out as a question

wonbin chortles, you let out a small gasp at his reaction. was he making fun of you for not having any action

“what’s with the laugh?! so what if i never had my first kiss yet?” you pout

wonbin wipes a tear from his eyes. finding this whole conversation funny. cute, wonbin thinks to himself as he stares at you longingly.

“laugh all you want but just remember it’s not like i have any guy i could kiss at any moment!” you rambled, feeling embarrassed at the lack of romantic action in your life. damn you eunseok and your tight watch!

“i can teach you if you want” wonbin suddenly blurts out, even surprising himself. you widened your eyes at his sudden offer. wonbin kissing you? what the fuck

you don’t know what came over you but you scooted closer to wonbin. your nose barely touching his cheek. you suddenly jerk your head towards him, startling him in the process. your face was dangerously close to his

“would you really?” you ask, considering his outrageous offer. there was no harm in this right? it’s just a little offer by your fake boyfriend who you’re not supposed to be kissing. fake couples don’t kiss. of course they don’t, but..

wonbin shrugs and you take that as a yes

“this will just be a one time thing and we’ll never EVER talk about this ever again. got it?” you gave wonbin a look as you mentally prepare and brace yourself for what’s about to come.

“fine by me” wonbin nods, also gettng nervous on where this was going. he didn’t expect you’d actually say yes. he was just simply messing around but if you’re okay with it then..

“should i close my eyes?” you ask, already rethinking your choices in life. there was no backing out of this now. what have you gotten yourself into?

“if you’d like..” wonbin trails off. his hands are shaking with the anticipation. why the fuck did he even say he’d teach you if he was nervous himself? wonbin will never know

with a deep breath, your close your eyes.

“alright.. i’m leaning in now” wonbin warns you, just so you know he wasn’t being invasive to your personal bubble. you two did have a rule about keeping an inch of space between you if the guys weren’t around.

your two bodies are now dangerously close to each other. you can feel his breath fanning your face as he hovers over you. wonbin mentally calms himself down by repeatedly thinking that this was just nothing but a friendly kiss. just a friend teaching you, who never had a first kiss

and so your lips touch.

wonbin’s lips lingers for a while, all caught up in the moment. he could be imagining it but it feels like fireworks just went off. this feels so right but so wrong at the same time. you two shouldn’t be doing this. friends don’t normally kiss each other

even if he didn’t want to pull away yet, wonbin had to

“congrats! you just had your first kiss” wonbin claps his hands together awkwardly. feeling shy to face you all of a sudden. you sit there stunned by the whole thing. you just had your first kiss right there. with wonbin at that

his lips were so soft. something you’ll never forget. something you know you’ll be yearning for

wonbin couldn’t sit still with your stunned silence. was it bad? was it a bad idea? did you regret it? did he make the right choice by even offering you how to kiss?

all his questions were out the window when you suddenly crash your lips against his again.

you threw your arms around his neck as you pull him closer, as if he was going anywhere. wonbin is undeniably shocked by your actions. his hands fly to your waist as you two make out in bed

a heated make out session later, you and wonbin lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to process what the fuck just happened

“we don’t talk about this.. ever” you breathe out, looking up at the ceiling in complete awe. you just had your very first kiss– a make out session at that with your fake boyfriend, wonbin. that one rule about no kssing was now crossed out on your list

“indeed” wonbin agrees, also in complete disbelief at what just happened. his lips swollen and hair all disheveled. the way you were kissing him like no tomorrow made wonbin think that your whole rant about not having a first kiss yet was all a lie because what the fuck

you two lay in bed in silence after that. it was silent but just enough for it not to be uncomfortable. wonbin maneuvers his arm under your head, fixing your position with your head now on top of his chest.

the realization hits you with the way you are positioned right now. in bed, in wonbin’s arms, lips swollen, his hoodie on you, in a house where your brother and best friends are present where they can barge in at any given point in time

you widened your eyes as you try to pull yourself away from wonbin.

“wonbin—“

“shh.. relax, just this once” he mumbles, eyes closed as he leans his head on top of yours

you freeze in your spot but ultimately melt into his arms

“hmm.. this is what i like” wonbin continues to mumble, his satoori accent beginning to show

not even a moment later you feel him go heavy and you start to hear light snores.

oh god. this can’t be happening right now

“wonbin” you call, giving him a little nudge but to no avail, he is out cold.

with his body heat and the way he feels like a weighted blanket, you feel yourself start to get drowsy as well.

you look up at the sleeping boy next to you and you start to trace his face with your finger. delicately sliding them across his cheeks, to the bridge of your nose, up to his pouty lips.

you fear that you are starting to fall for park wonbin.

the last thing you remember was wonbin pulling you closer than ever and you were out like a light.

between the lines ★ pillow talk ⤷ from what started as a simple arrangement to hide your feelings for a certain someone by getting into in a fake relationship soon turns into a tangled mess. in which some things are hard to tell when you can’t read between the lines

˗ˏˋ prev | next ˎˊ˗

★ notes .ᐟ IM SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I WAS BUSY WITH WORK LMFAO but hope this can suffice <3 damn where are we going w ynbin ??

★ taglist .ᐟ @callanton @annswwa @renjuneoo @pinkraindropsfell @lecheugo @ilovejungwonandhaechan @ahnneyong @haechansbbg @snowyseungs @sseastar-main @odxrilove @leeknowarchives @onlywonb @wonychu @leehanascent @jaeyunsb @au-ghosttype @revehosh @keilovr @kyusqult @pinkskiesdream @ether-yeol @yangasm @qwonbani @starwonb1n @ffixtionista @daegale @scrumptiousloser @artstaeh

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ayyy-pee · 5 months

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𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 3: 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝑶𝒏

Discord 18+ - Twitter - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - Series Masterlist

Pairing: Choso x f! Reader

Summary: Things take a turn.

Chapter Warnings: Angst...

WC: 6.6k

Choso Art By:NC9__

**While not all chapters contain adult content, the themes of this story are targeted towards adults, so minors DNI please.

No one warned you just how difficult university would be.

Your first semester of college has been kicking your ass in all honesty. Between your art projects, extracurriculars and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life, you’re completely burnt out. It was quite the adjustment from high school where teachers stayed on you about your school work and assignments. You'd learned very quickly that now, one was responsible for you but you.

At 19, it was a true test of your maturity. And you were failing that test quite miserably.

“I have one last project due and then I’ll finally be able to breathe. This professor has been up my ass all semester. I can’t wait for winter break and to be done with his class.” You set your bags down on your desk before you adjust your cell phone between your cheek and shoulder. “Sorry to rant. How are you all doing?”

A deep voice rumbles on the other end of the line with a laugh that makes your cheeks warm every time you hear it.

“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m just happy to hear from you. At least you’re letting me know what to realistically expect when I start school next year.” You hear shifting on the other side and you know he’s getting comfortable, probably in bed. “Yuji’s good. He’s also getting ready for winter break so he’ll be home most of the time. Eso’s been struggling with algebra, but Kechizu is surprisingly good at it. He’s been helping him study and–”

You listen closely, hanging on every word falling from your friend’s lips as he catches you up on his brother’s lives. It’s been a few months since you’ve spoken to Choso over the phone. While you’d keep in touch after the summer months until you were back on the beach, you’ve both been busy with your new normal. You haven’t seen Choso either, your first year of college being surprisingly more difficult than you’d expected so you opted for summer classes in hopes to maintain your GPA instead of taking your annual trip with your parents.

It was the first time since you were 9 that you hadn’t gone back to the beach. Your parents reluctantly returned without you your first summer in university, only after you had pushed them to enjoy a romantic vacation together for once. You remember the pictures you’d received from your mother the night they got into town. She was quick to spam you with pictures of your little pink haired friend who had grown even taller since the last time you’d seen him. She’d also sent a photo of all four of the brothers sitting at your dinner table, just as they always did on your first night in town since you were all kids.

It was reminiscent of all the summers you’d spent together growing up, except there was a noticeable gap where you’d usually be sitting, right between Choso and Yuji. As your eyes roamed over every detail, every way the boys had grown and changed, you couldn’t help the pang of disappointment you felt from missing out on this. You wanted to see them, hug them, be with them and enjoy your summer together. But you couldn’t. And it hurt more than you wanted to admit.

It hurt that you wouldn’t spend days and nights at the beach. You wouldn’t be taking Yuji all over the town with you and spoiling him rotten like you always have. You wouldn’t be climbing out of your bedroom window to sneak out to parties. You wouldn’t be working the summer at Panda’s, closing shop and sitting at the shoreline to watch the sunsets with Choso.

Choso…

Your eyes were locked on the tall figure in the photo and you found yourself pinching your thumb and index finger together, pressing them to your phone screen before expanding and zooming in on the picture. He was wearing his signature tiny smile that he reserved only for you and your family. Those same pigtails that have sat atop his head since he was 10 years old were still there, but that baby face was long gone. He was all chiseled jawline and sharp cheekbones now, even more handsome than when you saw him last summer, if possible, and your heart fluttered at the thought.

You stared at those dark eyes that had peered into yours that cool summer night last year as he leaned closer, those soft lips that pressed against your mouth as you exchanged your first kisses with each other. Those lips…they consumed your thoughts. Those lips that uttered those three words that still kept you up at night as they echoed through your mind:

“Just one more.”

Heat rushed to your cheeks, to the tips of your ears and you could hear the blood rushing through your body as the memories played clearly through your mind.

The slight tilt of Choso’s head as he deepened the kiss just barely. The way you gasped when his tongue gently ran along the seam of your lip. How he sighed, low and deep when he heard the little sounds you were making and all because of him.

Neither you nor Choso have spoken about your first kiss since it happened. He’d walked you home from the beach that night, hugged you tight one last time and then you spent the remainder of the night clutching at your chest, desperately willing your heart to calm down.

“You still there?” Choso’s voice pulls you from your trip down memory lane and you clear your throat to buy yourself time to gather your thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just…I’m sad. I’m glad everyone’s doing well, but I almost feel like I missed a part of that because I didn’t go back to the beach for the summer.” You fall back onto your bed with a groan. “I miss you.”

The words fall from your lips easily, though your eyes widen when you realize what you’ve said. While you had never been one to sugarcoat your words with Choso, you couldn’t help but feel as though those simple words held more weight since the kiss.

Choso doesn’t seem to be having the same thoughts, because he quickly replies with an, “I miss you, too.”

And just like that, the conversation picks right back up.

It’s easy with Choso. It’s always easy. You sometimes forget just how easy it is.

- - - - - - - -

That breather you thought you’d be getting for winter break? Yeah, that didn’t happen.

Could it be because your first year of college hadn’t gone according to plan which resulted in you ending the year with a lower than desired grade point average? Who could say? That wasn’t important anyway. The important thing was that you’d opted to take Winter classes as well. Because your life wasn’t already hell Monday through Friday during the spring and fall semesters. Not to mention the summer classes you’d taken earlier in the year that had kept you from being able to tag along on your annual beach trip.

College was turning out to be more of a drag than anything. Luckily, you had made plenty of friends here that made the fact you were missing out on these things a lot more bearable.

It was during the Winter semester that you’d met Iori Utahime, a beautiful young woman with a curious scar across her face that somehow only added to her stunning looks. The two of you had quickly hit it off, both wanting to take your studies seriously and needing someone to hold the other accountable for reaching their goal. Utahime wanted to pursue a career in music and while your majors differed, you were still artists just the same.

Your similarities didn’t end there either. You shared core classes and unfortunately also shared struggling GPAs, which only brought you closer to each other. So when you found yourselves paired up for a project for one of your Winter courses, you soon found yourselves together more often than not.

And she’d introduced you to more friends as time went on.

There was Satoru. Satoru was goofy. That was the best way to describe him. He never took anything seriously, because everything was easy for him. Seriously. He was a genius who never needed to study because he just knew he’d ace his exams. Because of this, he was all about enjoying the college experience.

You could catch Satoru at every party, the center of attention everywhere he went. He was Mr. Popular. There was no one on campus who did not know who Satoru Gojo was. Almost every student on campus either wanted him or wanted to be him. And although you didn't share the same desires as them, you could see the appeal.

Satoru was tall. Way too tall. And had the strangest hair color you’d ever seen– stark white and so messy. He claimed it was natural, though you had your doubts. In a way, his hair reminded you oddly of Choso, if only because you could only think about how it was the total opposite of your friends. And his eyes…they also reminded you of Choso. Because they were as blue as the ocean you’d sat in front of many times with him. As blue as the waters that had brought you to Choso in the first place.

But that was where the similarities ended. Satoru was carefree, going with the flow whenever he could. He never planned for anything, he just let things happen. And he bugged Utahime in a way you couldn’t understand. It’s not really like he had to do much in the first place to get under her skin. All he needed to do was breathe within the same vicinity as Utahime and she was going ballistic. And Satoru seemed to love that.

There was Suguru, Satoru’s best friend. Or more? You could never quite tell with those two. He also reminded you of Choso in a way. Not physically, but general demeanor. Suguru was quieter, more observant than Satoru. He was thoughtful and kind, not abrasive at all; soft spoken in a way that made you feel as though he truly cared for you. And you liked that about him.

When out, you’d often find yourself next to Suguru. His presence was warm and comforting, almost familiar. You felt safe and protected with him and you knew that if Suguru was with you, you could just count on him to look out for you. You’d grown close fairly quickly and had established a friendship outside of your immediate friend group. You spent a lot of time together, but there was never any connection between you two aside from friendship.

And then there was the last of your group – Shoko. Clearly there was something going on between her and Utahime. But if you asked either of them, they'd quickly deny it. None of you were dumb, even with your low GPAs. The stolen glances, the touches they thought you all didn’t notice, the way one always ended up leaving exactly three minutes before the other decided to call it a night.

You found it very amusing, the way they thought none of you knew what was going on.

Their situation made you think more about Choso and how he –

Wait.

Why were you thinking about Choso so much? Why did everything suddenly remind you of him? You couldn’t think about any of your new friends without comparing them to Choso. Even after all this time.

After your last summer vacation, Choso had spent a good amount of time on your mind. But it’s been almost two years now. A second summer vacation was coming up and you were once again abandoning plans to go to the beach with your family and opting to take more summer courses to boost your GPA.

And it wasn’t as though you’d spoken to Choso much, either. Between your studies and his own life happenings, there wasn’t much time to chat. You carve out time when you can and appreciate the usual nightcap you both share every so often. But you're busy with your studies and Choso…well…

When your second year of college began, that was also when Choso had broken the sad news to you that college would be put on hold for him indefinitely.

“It’s my dad,” he’d told you. “Fucker just up and left and we haven’t heard from him since. Not that I should be surprised. I guess I'm only shocked it took him so long.”

You could hear the words come through gritted teeth, how he’d tried to hide the venom that dripped from each syllable. He was beyond pissed. You knew Choso better than you knew any other friend. There was no better way to get on his bad side than to mess with his beloved siblings.

But you knew more than anything that Choso was disappointed, crestfallen even.

For Choso, getting out of that small beach town and getting an education was his path to a better life for himself and for his brothers. His father taking that from him felt like the ultimate betrayal. What could you even say to lift his spirits at that point?

“I'm so sorry, Cho. Fuck, I'm sorry.”

It didn't feel like enough.

You checked in with him when you could. And he checked in with you when he could, but he was busy working. He’d accepted a full time position as a manager at Panda’s and had even told you a spot would be there for when you returned the next summer.

But it looked like someone else would have to fill the position this year.

You missed your vacations back to your second home. You missed the warmth of the sand beneath your feet and the smell of the salty ocean air as you all spent your days at the beach. You missed scooping ice cream at Panda’s and doodling the horizon in your sketchbook from your spot behind the counter when work was slow. You missed sneaking out to bonfires and having Choso toss you his sweater the moment you landed in his arms in nothing but the shorts and bikini tops he so hated.

You missed Choso.

That last night at the beach revealed to you for the first time that you may have feelings for your best friend that are more than just friendship. Freshly 18 year old you with almost no prior dating history hardly knew what those feelings meant. But almost 20 year old you, well it's been loud and clear for some time that this has slowly become more than some childish crush.

You like Choso.

The whispered call of your name pulls you from your spiraling thoughts and you look up to find Satoru’s bright eyes staring questioningly at you from across the table. You’d all met up in the library to study for your exam coming up at the end of the week. Of course he was checking in because you’d zoned out in the middle of your cram session to daydream about your long distance crush.

Except, that wasn’t why Satoru was checking in at all.

It’s only when Satoru waves his hand next to him that you see another tall figure standing beside the table. Your eyes roam up his form until they land on his face. And it surprises you when you feel your heart kickstart and begin racing.

Because you thought only Choso could get that reaction from you.

“This is Kaito,” Satoru introduces him and Kaito smiles, eyes locked on yours and you think you can hear your heart pounding in your chest.

Kaito is tall, slender, but not in the way Satoru is. If anything, you’d say he has the same body type as Suguru. He’s lean. You can tell from the way his clothes accentuate his form that he’s fit. And he’s got the most beautiful smile, teeth so brilliantly white that you’re nervous to see how brightly they shine in the sun. Gorgeous emerald green eyes sit beneath long black lashes and wow, he is really fucking good looking.

He politely introduces himself, running his hand through a messy black wolfcut as he takes the seat right beside you after Suguru heads to his next class.

You all resume studying shortly after Satoru’s friend’s arrival. Kaito seems to fit right in, quickly becoming friendly with the rest of the group and you. But you soon notice that Kaito has taken quite a liking to you.

Again, 20 year old you is not as clueless as you used to be and the attention he focuses on you is giving you an insane amount of butterflies.

You catch his little glimpses at you from the corner of your eye, the way he’s quick to lean over and help you resolve an equation you were stuck on, the way he never breaks eye contact with you when you’re speaking with him. Like every word that leaves your mouth is the most important thing he’s ever heard.

“So yeah, that’s why hot cheetos are like the best chip there are.” You finish your rant, beaming because you finally got to tell someone your true feelings about this.

“Absolutely…fascinating…” Utahime comments sarcastically. She’d stopped listening to your rambling ages ago, nose buried in her textbook.

Shoko and Satoru had left to get refreshments so unfortunately for them, they'd missed the entire thing.

But Kaito, you’ve got his full attention. “No, really. It’s truly fascinating. I’d love to hear more.”

His grin has your tummy squeezing, that sweet tickle returning and you find yourself smiling right back despite your little epiphany about your feelings regarding your childhood friend just moments before Kaito showed up.

“Yeah?”

“Definitely.”

A loud slurping can be heard from across the table, effectively popping the little bubble that you and Kaito had suddenly found yourselves in. On the other side of the table sits Satoru, back from his trip to the cafe, guzzling a sweet juice while he watches you and Kaito talk over the rim of his glasses. Next to him, Utahime’s face is twisted into a look of pure hatred and disgust. Satoru ignores it.

“Y’all should go out,” Satoru suggests casually, like he’s talking about something as unimportant as the weather. “Talk about animal crackers or whatever the hell.”

Shoko snorts as she discreetly slides a snack over to Utahime while no one is looking. Except everyone sees it anyway because these two are so fucking obvious.

“Yeah, go out,” Shoko also chimes in. “Think you two would make a great couple.”

Your face ignites with heat, the sudden idea making you want to kick Satoru and Shoko under the table.

But Kaito smirks, eyes holding your gaze like they have been this entire time and he says, “I’d like that. Can I?”

You glance at Utahime who stares at you in surprise.

“Um…can you what?” You question, trying to buy yourself time to think.

“Can I take you out? Like, on a date.” His response is quick. It’s so easy for him. He just spits it out and says what he wants. And you’re sitting here still freaking out just over Satoru’s suggestion.

“I…”

“If I bring hot cheetos with me, would that make it more tempting?” He’s so charming, and cute, and sweet and–

Ugh, what reason do you have to say no to him?

The sudden vision of pigtails flashes through your mind. And suddenly, the excitement you were feeling seems to fall away. And Kaito seems to sense it, because his grin falters a little, becoming just a small smile on his lips and he simply nods and gives you a “sure” when you ask him, “Can I get back to you?”

- - - - - - - -

“I met someone today,” you speak quietly into the phone, lying in bed after leaving your study date with your friends. You’re nervous. Probably because you’re testing the waters here. Probably because your walk back to your dorm after Kaito had asked you out was eye opening.

Can you really open yourself to date someone else seriously when your thoughts are plagued by another man? Can you open yourself to the possibility of being with someone else when the person you want to be with is hundreds of miles away, in some little beach town?

Because that's what you've come to realize. You want to be with Choso.

You just need to know if he feels the same way you do. You have an idea of how Choso feels about you based on the last time you’d seen each other. But that doesn’t make you feel any less like digging a hole in the ground and burying yourself in embarrassment thinking about bringing any of this up.

“Oh yeah? Another new friend?” Choso asks distantly. He’s currently at Panda’s closing shop, so he’s got you on speaker while he completes his nightly tasks. You were happy (maybe too happy) when he'd answered your call tonight.

“Sort of a friend, sure…He’s nice…”

You’re hoping he’ll take the hint quickly here.

But when Choso just gives you an absentminded “that’s cool”, you know you’ve only got half of his attention. And you want all of it.

“Yeah. His name is Kaito. Really nice guy.” And it’s true. You think Kaito is nice, but you think Choso is nicer. That's not to say you're not into Kaito either. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t interested in him. But you’d also be lying if you said you weren’t interested in Choso as well. Maybe more than you are Kaito. Because for you, you’re pretty sure it will always be Choso. Even though you've never had anyone else, you know you don't need to. It's Choso for you.

That is why your thoughts have been consumed with him. This revelation has been so freeing.

You just need to know if he feels the same.

“Glad you’re meeting new people.”

He’s still distracted, the sounds of him pushing the chairs around the store’s lobby echoing through the phone. You didn’t want to have to show your hand so quickly, but you’re tired from a long day of studying and tired from years of beating around the bush. It’s been over a decade of your feelings slowly building for Choso and now your heart is ready to burst. You have no choice but to push this conversation along a little faster.

“Yeah, his name is Kaito. He asked me out on a date actually.”

And finally, you get an actual reaction from Choso. Not a grunt, not a hum in reply or some offhand comment. Instead, you hear him shuffling around, then the sound of tapping on his phone, likely taking you off of the speaker. His voice comes through, crisp and clear now.

“Sorry,” he apologizes through quick breaths. “What was that?”

“I said Kaito asked me out on a date…this weekend.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep,” you reply cheerily, hopefully driving the knife a little deeper. Immature, sure, but at this point you’d do anything to get Choso a little closer to saying whether or not he has any feelings for you, if he wants you in the same way you want him. “Probably dinner at his place. Maybe a movie. Not sure yet.”

Choso hums quietly. “And you like this guy…that you just met…today…Kaito…” He says his name like he’s testing it on his tongue.

“He’s really nice.”

“As you’ve said.”

You’re about taken aback by the sudden bite in Choso’s tone, but you ignore his snarkiness. “I don't know how I feel about him yet.”

“Clearly you like him enough to be telling me about him.”

More bite behind his words. Still, you push forward. “I mean, is that bad?” You adjust the phone, moving it to your other ear as you get comfortable beneath your blankets. “You’re my friend, right?”

“Sure, but we don’t talk about stuff like this.”

And he had a point. Even during your summers entertaining Mahito, Choso never wanted to hear about any conversations you had with him. And it’s not like you had that many interactions with him anyway since Choso seemed to always be there whenever the silver haired boy was near you. And you had friends back home to talk about your school girl crushes that never resulted in anything with.

Aside from your first encounter with Mahito, Choso had also never discussed whether or not you were ever interested in anyone romantically and you had never thought to ask him either. Granted, you only saw each other over the summers and during the year, school kept you both so busy, you couldn’t worry about dating. Your parents were never against it and you'd gone to a movie or two with people who had asked you out, but it was never serious. You didn't care enough to commit to anyone, too focused on trying to get into a good school.

In the summers, the last thing on your mind was asking Choso if he had feelings for anyone else. Most of the time he was with you, anyway. And when he wasn't, he was with his brothers.

You'd never given thought to Choso…desiring anyone.

Suddenly, the thought of Choso with someone else makes your stomach churn, has your head spinning. Choso in someone else’s arms, hugging someone else, kissing someone else’s lips.

Oh, it has your blood boiling in a way you’ve never experienced before and you try not to sound too petulant when you finally mutter, “Yeah, but I want to talk to you about it now.”

“But why?” He sounds thoroughly confused. You try not to sigh into the receiver.

“Choso…we’ve literally kissed before, but talking about crushes is where you draw the line?”

It’s the first time either of you have ever mentioned the kiss, now a memory that continues to plague your thoughts and your dreams.

“Even weirder reason to talk to me about this,” you hear him mumble on the other end.

“How? We’re adults! We can talk about things like that. Besides…” you fiddle with your blanket, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth nervously. “It’s really not weird at all…unless the kiss meant something…more to you?”

You’re met with silence. A long stretch of silence that has you fidgeting anxiously. You almost want to laugh, say “I’m just kidding!” and hang up. But then Choso surprises you. He speaks so quietly, you almost don’t hear it over the thundering of your own heart.

“Did it mean something to you?”

Of course it did. What a stupid question. That silly little first kiss and those lips of Choso’s have been eating away at your brain for almost two years. Saying it meant something to you felt like the understatement of the century. You want to scream out loud that that kiss meant everything to you and you’re sorry it took you so long to stop being an idiot and realize that yes, the kiss was more than that. It opened the door for you to realize exactly how you felt about Choso.

But even so, you still answer with a very quiet “yes”.

And because it’s Choso, who has never lied to you a day in his life, he responds without hesitation. “Me too.”

Finally! The confirmation you were waiting for! The kiss meant something to Choso, too. You weren’t crazy!

“I’ve been thinking about it since it happened. A lot,” Choso confesses.

“Me too. Probably way too much.”

Choso chuckles, which makes you laugh in turn. It’s the answer you wanted to hear from him, but now that that’s out there and your heart is calming down just a bit, it gives your brain enough time to catch up. And now, you’re a little confused.

“Wait. Why’d you tell me I should go out with Kaito?” You laugh again; half from nerves, half from feeling so silly that you used the guy as bait instead of just outright asking Choso how he felt.

The silence has suddenly returned and any semblance of humor seconds ago has now vanished. Now, you feel nervous again. Like your gut is telling you to end this call immediately. This is the calm before the storm and that knife you were twisting into Choso’s back to try and urge an honest response from him soon finds its way into yours when Choso says, “Because you should.”

The knife twists.

“You like him, don’t you? Go on a date with him.”

“Ha ha.” It’s all you can think to say, because it’s keeping the pain at bay for just a second longer. Only a second longer.

“I’m being serious.”

Another twist. And the sting begins to settle in.

“Choso…”

He says your name back to you. “Do you like him?”

“I like you.” It’s the first time you’ve openly admitted it to him. A few seconds pass by with no response, so you keep talking, if only to fill the silence. “Obviously you feel the same way or that kiss wouldn’t be on your mind two years later, right?”

Choso sighs softly. How can he be so calm and collected when you’re sitting here just now realizing that you’re shaking, nearly vibrating out of your skin.

“I like you, too,” he finally admits. “Have for a long time. Couldn’t tell you when it started, but it’s been for as long as I can remember. So yeah, I feel the same.”

“Okay…” You should feel calmer now, confident in the fact that your feelings for each other are out in the open. But that sharp sting of rejection is slowly starting to build, the knife in your back ready to bury itself deeper. “But?”

“Hmm?”

“I know you. There’s a but coming…isn’t there?”

Another bout of silence and you’re starting to lose your mind having to sit through it. This is not how you expected this conversation to go. And you blame yourself for the way it feels like your heart is going to beat straight through your ribcage and fall flat to the floor.

“But I can’t do anything about these…feelings.” He spits the last word out like it’s bitter. “There’s no future where we could ever be together.”

The knife sinks in.

“Why not?”

“Because–”

“And don’t give me some bullshit reason, either.” You cut him off. Because you don’t want excuses. You want honesty, like Choso has always given you.

“What’s a bullshit reason to you?” His tone is snippy again.

What is a bullshit reason? You don’t know. All you know is that you have feelings for this man who once pulled you from certain death over a decade ago. And he has feelings for you, too! He just told you so! You want to be with him, but he doesn’t seem to want to be with you even if he hasn’t said so yet.

Ironically, all this makes you feel like you’re drowning all over again, struggling to pull your head above the water but going nowhere. It's Choso holding you under instead of pulling you out this time.

“...I don’t know,” you finally answer.

“I do,” Choso responds tersely. “I can give you a reason. Hell, I can give you two, three, maybe even four reasons why we can’t be together.”

“Cho–”

“But I don’t need all of those reasons. I only need one – I’m no good for you.”

You roll your eyes. “Choso, you’ve been my best friend practically my whole life. I cannot think of a single person better for me than you.”

He sighs your name, calling for your attention, but you keep going. “And you know me better than anyone else. I know you better than anyone else–”

Choso says your name again, a little harsher this time. You keep on.

“Besides, you said yourself how that kiss stays on your mind. It’s always on my mind too and we can–”

“Stop!” Choso’s harsh voice cuts through your droning. This time, you can’t ignore the snippiness. Never, in all the time that you’ve known Choso, has he raised his voice at you. At least, not in anger or annoyance. Maybe when you were kids, because kids yell. Kids are loud and bossy and Choso was both of those things as a kid. He was always yelling. But he had never yelled at you the way he just had.

You’re so shocked, your mind so suddenly frazzled, that you can’t bring yourself to respond.

“Why are you insisting on this?” Choso sighs, trying to calm himself, but his voice is still coming out a lot rougher than it ever has in your direction. And it’s hurting you in ways you hadn’t known possible, your little heart beginning to crack within your chest.

“I...I just thought –”

“Thought what, exactly?” Choso asks, a dry chuckle following. “Thought that we’d confess that we have feelings for each other and then we-we’d talk about our futures, make plans to be together forever and ever and then sail off into the sunset?”

“I mean–”

“No.”

That’s all he says.

“No?” You’ll need more than that.

“No. There will be no talking about futures together, making plans, sailing off into the sunset…none of it.”

Those little cracks in your heart start to spread, slowly chipping away. That sharp knife you were twisting into Choso’s back is now lodged deep into your own and it’s fucking killing you slowly.

“I don’t–” Your voice is quivering now and you have to take a deep inhale to steady yourself. “I don’t understand. If I have feelings for you, and you have feelings for me…you said the kiss meant more to you!”

“And I meant that.”

“Then why?! Why are you doing this? Is this because of Kaito?”

“Yes!”

“ I–I barely know him! I only brought him up being childish. I was hoping you would realize you had feelings for me. That’s it! I want to be with you!”

“But you should be with someone like him.” Choso’s voice is quiet now, the harshness of it finally gone. “It wouldn't have mattered if it was Kaito or Utahime or whats the other guy? Suguru? I can’t give you what he– what anyone who isn’t me can.”

Now you’re lost. “What?”

“I can’t be what you need me to be. I can’t be the boyfriend you need, the support you’d need if I were to become your boyfriend…”

It’s embarrassing how quickly you feel the tears brimming along your waterline. How your heart shatters into pieces as he lists off the reasons he isn’t good enough for you.

“Look at my fucked up life. No mother, a deadbeat piece of shit for a father, three brothers that I’m solely responsible for and have been for practically my entire life…” He says your name, like a plea, begging for you to listen to him. Like you should take his word for it and simply accept it.

But you won’t accept it.

“I know all of that, Choso. I know you and what you’ve been through – what you’re going through – better than anyone else. And I still want you.”

Now you say his name like a plea, begging for him to hear you and your words. You don’t care about his struggles, about how he’s had to keep his family together his entire life, forced to grow up too quickly and become the glue that holds everything together. You were there for all of that up until recently. And even through it all, you always found your way back to Choso. That won’t change now.

The quiet drags on, just dead air hanging between you two and when he finally speaks, he surprises you. “And I want you, too.” He tells you, lifting your spirits ever so slightly.

Then just as quickly, he breaks you. Again.

“But I’m doing you a favor, so please. Just go date whoever you want, whoever’s good to you.”

“Choso–” Your voice breaks, your lip trembling as you try to fight the sob threatening to crawl up your throat.

“Please.” You hear the way Choso’s voice cracks in a similar manner. Like he has a sob to match your own trying to escape as well. “You…God, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t waste it on someone like me. You have everything going for you. I have nothing going for me. Just some loser working a deadend job in the same deadend town I’ve always been in and will probably always be in. And I refuse to drag you down with me. I’m looking out for you…Like I’ve always tried to do.”

Your protector.

Even when you don’t want him to be. Even when you wish he wouldn’t be. Even when it hurts you.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be with you,” Choso tells you. “I do. Fuck, believe me when I say that. I would love nothing more than that because I've wanted it for so long…but you deserve so much more than this.”

“You are not a loser, Choso. Just…stop. I think we can–”

“I have to go,” He interrupts. “Need to finish this stuff up and head home. Yuuji has a project due tomorrow that I need to help with.” He’s quiet again, but you can just make out the sound of him sniffling, choking down that same sob before he says, “I’ll talk to you later.”

Choso ends the call abruptly, before you can even say goodbye, and the shakiness of his voice stays with you for the rest of the night. Even as you shower, numb to the excruciating heat of the water. As you brush your teeth and crawl beneath your sheets where you finally allow your heart to fully crumple. Even then, you hear the clear tremble of Choso’s words.

It hurts. This is a pain you don’t have any experience with. You don't know what to do with it. This is a pain you’d hoped you would never have to feel. And you never expected your best friend to be the one to cause it.

But you’re hopeful that you two will be able to patch things up. That you two will be able to go back to normal, even if things are awkward for a bit. Because you don’t want to lose Choso. He’s your very best friend, long distance or not. He means way too much to you for your crush to get in the way. You just hope you haven’t ruined things between you two.

Besides, he did say he would talk to you later. You take solace in that, finally letting sleep take over even as your tears still fall.

If only you’d have known that when you opened your eyes the next morning and opened your phone to send an apology text to Choso, that your text would fail to go through.

If only you’d known that you would go to check Choso’s social media pages only to see blank screens because he’d apparently blocked you. You'd search through every account he has on every social media platform and find yourself no longer able to see any of his information.

“I refuse to drag you down with me.” Those words play on a loop in your mind.

He really meant it.

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aonungstsahik · 2 years

Text

Beauty | Ao’nung x Fem!Reader

you were a sully kid, neteyams twin sister. after you and your family got accepted you each got assigned teachers, yours was ao’nung. during lessons you easily got distracted but ao’nung likes that about you. (idk what to write)…

a/n- i skipped some parts of the movie…don’t be mad😞. also this is my first ever ff for anything! so if anyone has suggestions on to fix/work on please let me know! also request something and i might work on it!

warnings- ao’nung being himself, cussing, spellings mistakes and grammar

WC; 1,382!!

‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

second person pov

ever since you and your family moved to the Metkayina clan, you and your siblings have been constantly harassed by ao’nung and his friends during your teaching sessions.

whenever during your lessons you been so distracted by the natural beauty of wildlife under water. almost drowning 3 times. ao’nung noticed this after your lesson where you nearly drowned, and where you two started to become friends

‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

flashback to the first lesson

ao’nung noticed the first time when you weren’t there. you would always complain how tiring it was and you need a break. so you weren’t there, he panicked because you were far from any land. he was not about to have your death on his hands.

there he saw you giggling as fishes were swiming by you, tickling you. a small smile coming to his face when he saw you.

it went away as soon as you started to grab your throat. you were starting to drown. ao’nung swam to you as fast as he could. grabbing you by your arms helping you reach the surface.

“what were thinking!,” he shouted at you as you coughing. you still were in his arms.

“i wasn’t thinking…i was distracted by the beauty of this place…” you looked at him. waiting for another scolding, instead he just laughed at you. you started to smile, “it’s not that funny! it’s a really bad habit of mine,” you said while slightly giggling while you splashed water at him.

“oh, you wanna start that?,” he said while laughing. he as you splashed you with water as hard as he could. ao’nung started to laugh at your state, jaw opening and dripping in water.

“ao’nung!!,” you shouted at him “you’re going to fucking pay for that,” you said as you punched him in the arm. his eyes grew muttering ‘oh shit’ under his breath. he dove underwater trying to run away from you as you couldn’t swim like him.

𓆝.°

recap before present day

over the next few days and weeks, you and ao’nung would get closer and closer. he started to bully you a lot less and he even was being nicer to you siblings, aka not pulling anymore pranks or saying rude things to them.

you and him would even hang out outside lessons, just by yourself. you felt your felt yourself starting to like him but you didn’t want to be reject by ao’nung. even though your whole family was teasing you and your ‘boyfriend’.

whenever there was no one around at the beach or underwater, he would be touchy with you. rubbing his hand against yours or even putting his tail on yours while you guys sat on the beach and talked about how different each of your homes were. and every time he would touch even sightly you get all nervous and blushly, you tired hiding it every time too.

he always saw you blush and thought you were adorable. ever since the first lesson ao’nung thought you were different from everyone he has every saw. and he loved that about you. he knew he liked you and ao’nung knew from his sister, Tsireya, that you liked him too. he just waiting for the perfect day to tell you…

‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

present day, almost two months since you came

you were swimming with ao’nung for your ‘lesson’. ao’nung started to make up lessons just to spend with you since your siblings or someone were always with you. and he just wanted you to himself.

˚𓆛your pov

i was swimming behind ao’nung as i kept getting distracted by the wildlife. whenever a fish would swim right by me i had to stop and play with it. ao’nung could always tell when i wasn’t by him and i could see him whip his head around and smile when he saw me, i would smile back giggling. he swam up to me signaling up to the surface and i nodded to him.

“i want to show you somewhere, so no more distractions okay?,” he said to me while sightly turning his head to the side rising one brow.

i nodded and wrapped two fingers, “i promise ao’nung,”

he scoffed, “thank you tìlor,” as soon as i heard that word i started to blush. i tried hiding it by diving in the water. I signaled to him to hurry up. ao’nung smiled before he dove down where i was, motioning me to follow him.

we swam for what felt like forever, it was 5 minutes. he took an area underwater that had a cave, with a place where we could breathe.

“sooo, what makes this place so special

…?,” i asked, staring up at him as sitting on ground kicking his feet in water. i was right next to him but in the water, resting my head on my arms softly kicking my feet.

he looked down at me meeting my eyes. “i come here to calm down or even be by myself. i never brought anyone else here,” i lifted my head and smiled at him. “i need you to sit up here please, i want to you right in front of me please,” ao’nung asked me. i nodded and i was trying to pull myself up, he grabbed me by my arms lifting me up.

“thank you” i whispered, i started to get nervous. wondering all the things he could have said to me. maybe today was the day i was going to let it spilt.

“y/n?” ao’nung asked bringing me out of my thoughts, i nodded. he looked down, reaching for my both of my hands to take in his. he was holding my hands so gentle almost like i was going to break because of him. “i need to tell you something really important,” he looked at my eyes. my smile started to grow almost like i knew what he was going to say.

“y/n. i..um” he started stuttering and turning red. i giggled at his state making him look up and squint his eyes at me. “y/n, i..i like you…,”

my smile grew so big showing my more of my teeth now, “ao’nung,” i said “i like you too,” i took one of my hands and put it on his face rubbing his cheek. i scooted closer to him, “can i kiss you?,” i asked.

“that’s not fair i’m meant to ask tìlor,” he pouted, “but yes,”. his little smirk was one of the things you liked about him. you leaned in kiss him but as soon as you barely touched his lips he scooted away.

“ao’nung!?,” i questioned him, tilting my head and pushing my eyebrows together.

“cmon y/n you know you gotta work harder than that,” he laughed at me, he leaned in to my ear whispering “catch me for it,” and with that he was gone in the water before i could react.

i jumped in the water after him, i saw him swimming away looking behind him to see me chasing him. the chasing probably went on for a minutes before i couldn’t hold my breathe anymore. i swam to the top, looking down trying to see him but i couldn’t. as soon as i was about to go down again i felt something wrapped their arms around my waist. i screamed and turned around ready to punch someone. but it was him, ao’nung, all smiles and giggles.

“hey,” he said looking down at me, “you know you look so cute when you pout after you don’t get your way,” he moved his hand to cup my face, i slapped his arm and he yelped.

“i think you owe me a kiss,” is all i said as my eyebrows were raised. he chuckled at me and muttered a quick ‘yeah yeah’. he pulled me into a kiss that lasted for ten seconds. after the kiss i rested my forehead against his chest trying to hide me blushing so much.

“y/n,” i looked at ao’nung, who was already looking down at me, i looked up at him and nodded. he pushed some hair out of my face and smiled. “i see you tìlor,” he said and he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

END

translation;

tìlor-beauty

#avatar2 #avatar way of water #avatar2009 #aonung #aonung x reader #avatar #x reader #first ever ff #avatar twow #avatar ao'nung #ao’nung #avatarff #fluff

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wenigstenshabeichesversucht · 6 months

Text

Nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Poseidon!Reader

Summary: You loved him, and you left him, years later you met again, now hunter and pray.

Warnings: hurt, self-fulfilling prophecies, Lovers to Enemies, english is not my native language

Word Count: 1k

(i. You’re in the wind, I’m in the water)

Prophecies had a funny way to become true. The more you did to prevent them, the more you helped to fulfill them. Asked Laius, King of Thebes. He gave away his son Oedipus because it was prophesied that his son would kill him. At the end Oedipus killed Laius because he didn’t know that the King was his father. Not to mention that Oedipus, after killing Laius, married his own mother, hence it’s called Oedipus complex, if someone is interested in one of his parents. All of this could have been prevented if Laius had not tried to stop the prophecy. You had thought that would be enough for everyone to learn the lesson about self-fulfilling prophecies and trying to meddle with fate.

But that was before you learned about the Great Prophecy given by the Oracle over seventy years ago. A prophecy which was hanging over you like a sword of Damocles since you had arrived at camp and your father had claimed you.

The prophecy in question said, that a kid of one of the big three, had to save or damn the Olympus at the sweet age of sixteen. Right now, you were the only known child of one of the big three. A few years back, there had been another child, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, but she died on the border of Camp Half-Blood. Now the responsibility felt solely on your shoulders, and you hated it. Some days you would love nothing more than to scream at your father, Poseidon. But you were already cursed enough, you didn’t want to draw his wrath onto yourself. You just wanted peace. You just wanted to turn sixteen without having to save Olympus. Was that too much to ask for? It seemed so.

“Sometimes I hate everything about being a half blood”, you told your boyfriend Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, as you two were sitting at the beach, watching the waves hitting the shore. The sun was slowly setting, painting the clouds about your heads in a mix of orange and pink. He was sitting behind you with his arms around you and his chin was resting on your shoulder. He was the golden boy of the camp, and you were glad, that he had found interest in you. You, who had been cursed with this prophecy. The fate of the world was resting on your shoulders and that didn’t make you easier to love. But he loved you and was possibly the only reason you hadn't freaked out from sheer fear yet. Fear about what was to come, fear about messing it all up.

“It's not fair what everyone expects from you, but you are handling it so well, love”, he whispered in your ears and feeling his hot breath on your skin, you closed your eyes. If you could, you would stay at this moment forever. The soft rushing of the waves in the air, his warm hands on your body, the peace of your mind.

“I love you”, turning in his embrace, you gazed into his beautiful brown eyes. You loved him more than you could ever put into words. You loved to watch him comfort the younger kids, flying through air with his winged shoes or sword fighting in the area.

“I love you more, and I will always stay by your side”, he promised, before connecting his lips with yours.

Later, you would realize, that this promise was meant to be broken, like all promises.

Luke broke his promise, that he would always stay by your side, in the cruelest way possible. Your sixteen’s birthday was less than two weeks away, when he got a quest from his father. He could have taken you with him, but in the end he didn't. He left you back at camp, according to him, for your own protection. He left you when you needed him the most.

Your dreadful birthday came closer and closer, and you couldn’t take it. In the end your angst was stronger than your love for him, and you did the only thing you could think of to prevent the prophecy. You left camp and Luke behind and joined the Hunters of Artemis to stop aging.

(ii. Nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter)

Years later you met again. Everything had changed except your appearance. You looked frozen in time, still like the girl that he left behind at camp all those years ago. But everything else had changed.

He was older, a gruesome scar adored his face and, in his eyes, laid no more kindness. He was no longer Hermes son; he was a traitor. You were no longer Poseidon’s daughter; you were a huntress. You were no longer lovers; you were the hunter, and he was your prey.

Putting an arrow in your bow, you took aim. But something was holding you back, you couldn’t shoot.

“Y/N!”, finally he took notice of you. Years ago, there was love in his voice, when he addressed you, now there was only pain. He had hurt you, and you had hurt him, that was the way things went. And now you would kill him for his treason.

Letting go of the arrow, it pierced through the air, the feathers were caressing his face, before the arrow embedded itself in the trunk next to Luke's head. Both of you knew, that if you really had wanted to kill him, he would have been dead. But in the pit of your stomach was something that felt like regret. Something that stopped you from piercing his forehead with your arrow.

He left you first, but he returned. You never returned. He returned from a failed quest to find out his girlfriend left him, to join the maiden hunt. That wasn’t an excuse to swear an oath to Kronos, but by wanting to prevent the prophecy you pushed Luke in the wrong direction. Now it was the job of your younger half brother to safe Olympus, he was the kid of the prophecy, thanks to you.

“The next time I see you, I will kill you”, your stern voice left no room for doubt. You wouldn’t miss your next shot.

“Run!”, you didn't have to tell Luke twice. Like a hare fleeing from a wolf, he ran away. It hurt to see him running away instead towards you. Maybe that would help to finally learn your lesson about self-fulfilling prophecies.

#luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan pjo #luke pjo #luke castellan oneshot #luke castellan angst #luke castellan x fem!reader #luke castellan x you #luke castellan x poseidon!reader #percy jackson #pjo tv show #pjo series #percy jackon and the olympians #rick riordan #pjo fandom #pjo #artemis

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effy-writes · 3 months

Note

Hey! Can I request a Verosika x touch starved male! reader one shot? (not as a smut fic).

Plot based around her getting in trouble after a show of hers in the human world where the reader is able to help her out (legal or physical trouble). She begins to fall for them whilst flirting and tries to convince them to join her in hell, also showing her true form. (reader would like it).

ofc! this was a little hard for me to write BUT i really hope you enjoy!! <3

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

Verosika x touch starved! M! Reader: That Girl Is Like A Dream

Verosika was like a girl you met in a dream. A very, vivid, dream. The way she talked, the way she performs, how she carries herself, her personality was like something from a movie, and you loved that about her.

You first met her at one of her performances and saw that she got in trouble for public nudity. Before she could got taken by the cops you quickly told her the name of a lawyer, your dad.

Having a dad as a lawyer has its pros and cons. The pro, hella rich, the con, he never had time to parent you as a kid. You were always alone and had to keep yourself company. Your mom was completely out of the picture so you couldn’t even hang out with her. That’s one of the reasons why you were very fond of Verosika.

The second time you met her was when she was in your dad’s office that was located in the house. You overheard the two bickering about her case and how there’s a chance he can’t get her off scott free. You quickly peaked your head in, “You could say she’s from a country that doesn’t care about nudity on the beach…like Spain?”

Her eyes lit up, “¡Sí! ¡Soy de España!”

Your dad was eh at first, but finally agreed because that’s kinda what his job is, lie.

Whenever Verosika left your dad’s office she did a “come here” motion with her finger and had a devious smirk on her face.

“Yeah?” You answered.

“Thanks for getting me out of legal trouble.” She put her hand on her hip.

“Not exactly, you still have to-”

She put her hand up to make you stop talking, “I know, but still, I feel like I should repay you.” She walked closer to you where your bodies touched.

“Uh..you don’t have to do that.” You slowly backed up, “I’m flattered though.”

“That’s the first, usually guys are all over me.” She looked at her nails, “How about we go out together? Like at a bar or something.”

“Uh..sure. I’m Y/n.”

“Verosika. You ready now?”

“To go to a bar? It’s 2 pm.”

“Oh right I forgot, Earth is different than Hell.” She mumbled.

“Huh?”

“It’s a Spaniard thing.” She joked, “Come on.” She grabbed your hand and exited the house door. “Which one is your car?”

“That one.” You pointed as you lead her the way over to it.

The two of you got inside and you turned the car on, “You’re not from Spain, are you?” You couldn’t help but to smile.

“No, Soy de España.”

“Is that the only words you know?” You laughed, pulling the car out of the driveway and drove to the nearest bar.

“Sí.”

“You’re different, you know that? Never met a girl this bold AND be nice at the same time.”

“Awe you think I’m nice?” She smirked as she placed her hand on your thigh.

You stiffened up because of her touch, but you wanted more of it. “Yeah, something like that.”

Verosika did not hesitate to get plastered. You kept reminding her that she needs to try to stay out of trouble since she’s on thin ice with the legal system. She also gets very touchy when she’s drunk. Her hands were all over your chest, arms, and thighs. Sure, you had partners in the past, but you didn’t feel the same way as you do now with Verosika. Her touch was different, it was like she was from another planet.

You didn’t know where she lived so you drove her back to your place and let her sleep in a separate room. You did stay by her side to make sure she won’t throw up and choke on her vomit. You wasn’t planning on sleeping in this spare bedroom with her but you assumed you did since you woke up in that bedroom, but when you fully woken up you realized she was gone, other than a letter. You titled your head out of curiosity and read the letter.

Thanks for letting me spend the night. Visit me at the pier around 7 pm <3

The moment it struck 7 you made your way to the pier and saw her hair flow due to the sea breeze. She waved at you as you walked on over.

“Hey! Why did you leave my place so early?”

She shrugged, “I had better things to do. Which by the way, I was thinking, after this whole legal trouble bullshit, how about to come back to my place.”

“How come I can’t go to your place now?”

She sighed and combed through her hair with her fingers, “I’m from Hell.”

“What?” You laughed.

“Like actual Hell. It exists.”

“Are you like…schizophrenic or something? It’s okay if you are! It’s just..what do you mean?”

“Human men are so predictable.” She laughed as she pulled out a yellow crystal, and within moments her skin turned from peach to pink, tilted horns grew, and her hair looked longer and poofy. “See? I’m from Hell.”

“Holy shit.” You mumbled, “I’m so fucking confused.”

“How the hell are you confused? I literally told you i’m from Hell and showed you my true form.”

“It does explain a lot. Why are you on earth then?”

“I’m a succubus and my job is to fuck men until they cum so hard that they die.” She smirked.

“Really?”

“I wish, but I am a succubus.”

“Jesus. I have no idea what to say. Don’t get me wrong, you’re attractive human or succubus but wow. This is a lot to take in.”

“Awe, you find me attractive?” She swayed her hips as she walked closer to you.

You gulped, “I can definitely tell you’re a succubus.”

“I knew the moment I met you, you were touch starved.” She smirked, “Which is why I think you should come live with me in Hell.”

“Are humans allowed to go in there?”

“I broke so many laws down there and at this point I don’t think they care.” She snickered, “So is that a yes?”

You didn’t know if she was leaving some sort of scent for you to follow, but either way you were intrigued. “Yeah. How come you don’t just go to Hell instead of dealing with the legal trouble up here?”

“Because I wouldn’t be able to do this,” She proceeded to pull you closer to her with her tail, her hands traveled up your chest and her mouth latched onto your neck. After turning that spot into a bruise she let go. “Plus I find you attractive whenever you’re begging for my touch. I can sense it you know.” That smirk will be the death of you.

“When are we gonna go to Hell then? Now?”

“You look eager,” She teased. “Do you want to go now?”

“Sure, why not?”

She opened the portal and before you could step in you felt her breath on your neck, “Once we get down there I can show you allll the things that succubi’s knows that even human women doesn’t know how to do.”

#helluva boss #helluva boss x reader #verosika mayday #helluva boss verosika #verosika helluva boss #verosika x reader #verosika mayday x reader #verosika #male reader #human reader

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supernatural-dreamer · 1 year

Text

The Unnatural and Unexpected (Embry Call x Black! Reader)

A/N: Hey you guys! Guess who’s back..back again! I had a few ideas in my head and want to put it out there..I thought about turning this into a series and expanding it further. Leave a comment if I should … as always like, comment and follow… let me know what you think!

This is set during Eclipse around newborn battle. This is tailored for a African American/Black female reader specifically, however all are welcome to read..

~Lauren

—

Part 2

Masterlist

—

Imagine being Embry’s imprint and tagging along with the wolves to their newborn training session. However, you’re always in for an unexpected surprise when you’re around Bella..

People had a lot of different opinions when it came to you. There was one trait, everyone seemed to agree that you possessed:

You were a skeptic.

Hell, you didn’t even really believe in the Easter bunny or Santa Claus when you were a kid. Magic? Please. Vampires and wolves, no such thing.

You should’ve known when your family moved to a sleepy ass town straight out of a mystery novel you would be wrong. Dead ass wrong. When the new girl, Bella, befriended you, normal flew out of the window the same time she did last year.

She dragged you to La Push after the Cullen’s had left the prior year. It was there you were introduced to Jacob, Quil and Embry. You instantly took a liking to La Push, the boys -and particularly Embry. Unexpectedly, they took a liking to you too.

From then on, you found yourself gravitating more towards the reservation; the tranquil beaches reminding you of your previous Floridan home. You just felt a connection there that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

She also dragged you to Jacob’s house after HE stopped talking to her.

It was at this point you honestly had to question what this girl was doing to cause people to run away from her like the plague. I mean it wasn’t just a few, but groups of people seemed to just up and cut off ties with her, seemingly overnight

However, after quickly realizing her propensity for sticking her nose in places she probably shouldn’t, it started to make a little more sense. Though, you would be lying if you said that you weren't a tiny bit curious as to what exactly she stumbled upon.

A group of people that could secretly shift into giant wolves was not at all on that list of possibilities.

You being an imprint to one of those shifters? Never even dreamed about it.

Although, you weren't too upset at the unexpected revelation this time.

She dragged you to the Cullen’s when they returned a few months ago. Outside of Bella’s tales of her interactions with them, you didn’t really hang around or know much about them. You had a few of the members in your class and one of them as a science lab partner a few months back. They were slightly off and distant at first but after you got to a place of polite conversation, you chalked it up to just shyness. When you found out they were vampires, naturally, you didn’t believe her– until you found out about the wolves.

Suddenly, their isolation and behavior made sense. After that, you never really looked at them the same.

Knowing both vampires and shifters even existed in itself was a shock. Learning about their sheer abilities was slightly terrifying. You’d be lying if you said being around them didn’t make you feel a little more..vulnerable. Although Bella felt differently, you didn’t like that if things went left for whatever reason, you could be snapped into two with zero hesitation. The only way you could gain any control over this is by immersing yourself into the world of the supernatural at your pace.

It is why when Embry told you you were his imprint, as much as you liked him, you still kept a little distance. Him and the pack understood- never pushing you past your comfort level. Although Emily, and the other imprints at times, playing referee before things ever got out of control, have a major hand in that you suspect.

Since you lived in Forks, Embry and the pack were away during the day, unless you came to the reservation. You were the only outsider, aside from Bella, that knew both of their secrets. So when she fucked around and found out with Victoria and a newborn broke into your house–you found yourself spending more time at the Cullen's house. Or more accurately, dragged there.

The first few times, it was a little awkward. But after a few visits, they actually started warming up to you and vice versa. Alice gossiped with you from day one–asking you questions about your hair and even complimenting your appearance. You shot the breeze with Emmett about sports. Hell, even Rosalie had warmed up to you a little, much to yours and Bella’s shock. By your third visit, they cooked you dinner.

You had to admit a three hundred-something year old vampire making a pasta dinner from an old ass cookbook was a pretty amusing site. They were actually pretty damn good cooks too.

Embry and the pack were not happy about this, but he knew better than to try and tell you what to do. With all of the newborn activity, there was only so much he could do. He took some solace with the fact others were looking out for you when he was not around. It would be a cold day in hell before he let his pride keep you from being safe--even if it meant dealing with his sworn enemies. Besides, the more comfortable you had gotten around the Cullen's, the closer you got to him and the pack: A bonus in his eyes.

Regardless of your apprehensions, nothing could be solved if you buried your head in the sand and pretended none of this existed. Whether you liked it or not, yours and Bella’s fates were intertwined. At the very least, you figured you could keep an eye on her to make sure she didn’t get herself, others or you into deeper trouble --or worse.

When she asked you to go with her to the field and watch them train, you obliged. Hopping from the backseat of Edward’s volvo, you slammed the door shut behind you. Bella emerged from the passenger side shortly after and fell into step next to you. You parked yourself on the sidelines of the clearing, far enough away from the action, but close enough to see and hear what was going on.

Not too long after, the shifters, in all their glory, emerged from the trees. Two of them split off from the group and headed toward you and Bella. The slightly smaller, slender one sniffed and circled around you.

“I’m fine, Embry.” You affirmed, chuckling softly. He nuzzled his snout into your palm, and let you scratch behind his ears before running off to join the others, Jacob in tow behind him. All you could do was hold your breath and hope they could play nice for a few hours, as Carlisle stepped up and took his place in front of the pack, Edward slightly behind him.

To your amazement, it actually went way better than anticipated. You actually chuckled a few times when Emmett pummeled Edward several times and Alice had gotten the upper hand on Rosalie. Even Carlisle had a few tricks up his sleeve. For a centuries old vampire, he had some moves.

Everything was just about to wrap up, when you saw a few of the wolves perking their heads up in alert. When the Cullen’s stopped mid-stride, turning their heads into the clearing, you started to grow concerned. Embry was next to you in an instant, staring at the clearing, slightly growling.. You were about to ask what was going on when Edward finally spoke.

“The pack has heard something in the woods and Sam is asking if we could assist them. I let them know that we will and will be right behind them. In the meantime, we need to get Bella and YN out of here.” He translates, heading toward Bella. As if on cue, the pack disappears into the woods, Embry the last one behind. Edward looks at him.

“Esme, Jasper and myself will take Bella and YN back to the house. You are more than welcome to stop by there after the coast is clear. She will be safe.” You can hear him snarl slightly beside you, until you console him.

“I will be okay. I’ll see you after,” you assure him, patting his head for good measure. Somewhat satisfied at your response, he starts off toward the trees.. Embry turns around, takes one last look at you and the Cullen’s now beside you, then disappears into the clearing. It was as if he was saying, “Take care of her or, I’m coming after you next..”

You didn’t have to be Edward to know that.

Once the rest of the coven had taken off with Embry, Esme wasted no time directing her sons.

“We need to split them up in case someone decides to tail us. Edward and I are going to take Bella the long way back to the house. You take YN back as fast as you can. We will trail you until about halfway, then diverge into a different direction.” Before you could protest, Edward was already shutting the door to his passenger seat, Bella already inside.

“You’ll be back before you know it. We’ll be right behind you.” She squeezes your hand in reassurance.

Jasper then looks at you for a second, and your rising anxiety dampers for a bit. You chalked it up to his abilities, before he instructed you.

“It will be easier and faster if I can carry you. Keep your eyes closed, count backwards from 100, and hold onto me as tight as you can. Don’t worry about hurting me. Trust me on this one.” He gently touched your arm in comfort, goosebumps left behind in the wake of his touch.

Japer Whitlock was a man of few words, but when he spoke it was hard not to listen. For whatever reason, you actually believed him.

As soon as you were in his arms, Jasper was off. Esme, Bella and Edward were right on your tail before they approached a fork in the road, just as Esme said, and veered off into another direction.

Bella might have been oblivious to many things but this was not one of them. As soon as Edward got into the car, she questioned him. The green trees surrounding them turning into blurs as they whizzed passed them.

“What was that all about?” Her significant other remains silent as he speeds up slightly, trying to keep Esme’s pace.

“He looked at her, the way you did with me when we first met..” She trails off in realization.

“You don’t think..”

“As unorthodox as it sounds, yes. That’s exactly what it is. Alice didn’t even see this coming.” He sighs, stunning her into silence.

Edward knew exactly how you felt about the life of the supernatural. If he’s being honest, he wants the same type of normalcy for Bella, despite her desires otherwise. He has seen many things in his afterlife that he did not want her to have to go through, if he could help that. It was very rare that he did not know something due to his mind reading abilities or general knowledge.

Yet, the reasoning as to how a shifter’s imprint could also be a blood singer eluded him entirely.

For the second time these past few years, Edward was at a loss. He did not think it was possible. Even Carlisle has never seen something like this in his extensive afterlife.

He is even more at a loss as to how Jasper will break this to you. The one thing that is clear is the more he keeps it a secret, the more danger he’ll put you in. Although he loved his brother, you became his good friend. He hated too see anyone he cared about in unnecessary danger. So, he gave Jasper an ultimatum: he tells you or someone else will.

This was unexpected and unnatural even, but it was the truth nonetheless.

For a human that wanted little to do with the supernatural, you were now going to be at the center of it.

The bitter irony, he thought as he continued dashing through the trees in the seemingly endless forest.

—

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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 6 months

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Let me breathe for you (part 1)

Merman!Shanks x reader. This is part one of two.

*****

Walks along the waterfront have always had the power to soothe you, distract your thoughts from any worry or reason for sadness, and put you in a better frame of mind; it is, fortunately, an activity you can indulge in every time you want, since you were born in a coastal town, and your house is just a few minutes away from a quiet, secluded beach you visit regularly.

Today is one of those occasions. You don’t feel particularly sad or preoccupied, but you have just finished sewing a dress -an important project that had kept you busy for weeks, and that the client who had commissioned it had paid quite a sum for- and you decided that a nice walk was in order, to stretch your legs and enjoy some time outside rather than in your tiny workshop at home.

A gentle wind plays with your hair as you fill your lungs with the salty air -a smell that you have always found comforting, for some reason you cannot explain- and walk leisurely along the shoreline, the orderly line of your footsteps on the moist sand following you. The laces of your sandals hang from your fingers; for years you had left your shoes next to a large rock, since it is more pleasant to feel the warm sand under your feet, but after a pair were stolen, no doubt by some kids who had nothing better to do than to play stupid planks, you decided it was safer to carry them with you. Today the sun is shining for the first time after a week of almost constant rain; you lift your eyes to the reassuringly cloud-free sky above your head and smile, aware that soon the coming of winter will force you to cut your walks short and for this reason determined to enjoy your outing today.

The beach is almost a mile away from the busiest part of the town, and the roar of the waves crashing on the shore is the only sound reaching your ears; the beach is empty around you, as you imagined it would be since you have very seldom encountered other people during your walks over the years, and while you’re usually a pretty social person, and enjoy spending time with your older sister and your friends, you equally appreciate moments like this… when, excused from having to make small talk or listen to the discourses of whoever is next to you, you are free to focus on your thoughts, reflect, mentally prepare for the tasks for the day… and dream, even. Dream things you almost feel guilty for, and that you often quickly chide yourself for…

Today is one of those days. You stop in your tracks to pick up a seashell to add to your collection -it is of a pretty red colour. One day, you reflect, you should use shells as decorations for a dress, in the place of beads or frills; you could start a new trend, and gather supplies to use in your workshop during your walks- and then look in the direction the small creature that once inhabited it must have come from. The blue immensity in front of you is breath-taking as usual, even now that only gentle waves break its still surface; you are a more than able swimmer, who fortunately never risked drowning or other accidents, and you know that the sea is a source of food and livelihood for many of the town’s citizens, but no matter how much you enjoy the quiet, private hours you spend on the beach, there are moments you can’t help hating, even resenting it, like you would do with a man who had disrespected you or a friend who had broken your trust. It is absurd -the sea is after all not a person, it doesn’t have thoughts and emotions and cannot be held responsible for its actions the way all men and women of age are- and you have often reprimanded yourself for that useless bitterness, but you can’t help it. The sea has stolen someone you once loved away from you, and you’ll never forget it -or him- for that.

So many years have passed, and you still remember the pain breaking your heart as you observed his ship disappearing over the horizon, pushed along by deceptively gentle waves, as one of your hands held your sister’s and the other waved, even though you knew he couldn’t see you anymore. You don’t remember whether you hugged him before he left, kissed him, told him how much you loved and would miss him; you probably did, because you always did, every time he left, and you sincerely hope you hadn’t forgotten that time, the last you ever could…

It is a good thing the beach is empty, because you have always hated to be seen as you cry, even though it is just a few tears you can -and do- quickly dry with your fingers. You sigh, reminding yourself this walk was supposed to be a reward for your hard work, and that today is in any case too nice a day to waste it with regret and sad memories; you will find a few more shells, you decide trying to distract yourself, for your little nephews at home to play with, and as you return home you will stop at the tea room and treat yourself to a warm drink. Yes, that would be an excellent way to conclude your day…

You are already feeling a bit better as you start on the way back, when suddenly something in the distance catches your eye, something peculiar and unexpected enough it compels you to quicken your pace to reach it. At first you could think it is a piece of wood, pushed on the beach by the tide and covered by algae and other aquatic waste, or the body of an unfortunate animal, victim of an accident or the cruelty of men; but there are no bright red algae, as far as you know, and dogs and cats don’t have long, glabrous limbs, stretched forward as if in a desperate request for help…

It is a man, you realise, the scene in front of your wide open eyes unexpected but too clear to be misunderstood, a soaking wet, completely still man, lying on his belly with the lower half of his body still immersed in water, as if his strength failed before he could fully pull himself ashore. He is naked, for what you can see, probably the victim of a shipwreck, even though more than a month must have passed since the last serious storm, or another accident at sea, who has been able to reach the island’s shores swimming desperately to save himself… or perhaps it is the tide that has pushed his body there, after stealing his breath and life?

There is only one way to know, and you waste no time in covering the short distance that separates you from the man as quickly as you can, before falling to your knees by his side. You observe him for a moment as you leave your bag and sandals on the sand next to you, your eyes lingering on the bright red of his water-soaked hair before noticing that the man is missing an arm - not because of whatever misfortune led him to your shores, you decide, since he is not bleeding and even your untrained eye can see his is an old wound. This poor man must be unable to swim; he must have drowned, you realise, after having fallen, or been pushed, from whatever vessel he was sailing on…

Realising you should check whether he is actually dead or you can still do something to help him, before wasting time speculating, you hurry to shake him by the shoulder, gently at first and then more forcefully. “Sir, are you alright? Can you hear me?” you ask; you can’t be fully sure he speaks your language, but he will answer in any case, won’t he? “Please… please don’t be dead…”

No answer whatsoever, not even a movement or a grimace of pain; you feel your heart in your throat as you pass his arm around your shoulders and gently push him on his back to check his heartbeat, which allows you to give a good look at who you still consider the victim of a tragic, but relatively normal, shipwreck. The man doesn’t look much older than you, andis almost certainly not a native of the island; he has hair of a beautiful, flame-bright red, the agile but strong body of a man used to physical effort… and a large, nasty wound on his left side, a span under his armpit.

You observe it carefully, deeply shaken but able to keep the horror at bay as you try to figure out if there is still something you can do to help this man. You have never seen anything like this wound; it looks like he was bitten, by something very large, which is not particularly surprising given the fact the man was in the water; but even if he were attacked by a shark or another predator, how could he survive, since his impairment makes it impossible for him to swim? Was he attacked before he fell, or jumped, in the water?

You don’t need any knowledge of medicine (which you completely lack, unless being the sister in law of a capable nurse counts for something) to decide whether a person is alive or dead, so you quickly press your ear against the man’s torso, and sigh relieved in hearing his heartbeat, just a little fainter than it would be normal. He is just unconscious, and, you decide, you will try once more to revive him before going to ask for help in any case; you will find someone strong enough to carry him, and soon the man will be well-cared for at the town’s clinic. “Sir, can you hear me? Please, wake up…”

Finally, he does answer - even if not properly in words. “Aahh…” he moans, clearly in pain; with an evident effort, the man finally opens his eyes, brown irises meeting yours.

“Hello.” you greet him, but judging from his reaction you may as well have threatened his life, because the man, startled, suddenly panics; he cries something unintelligible and waves his arm, clearly trying to keep you away. Instinctively you grab his wrist, trying to hold him still to avoid worsening his wound. “Calm down!”

“No, no…! Let me go…”

He does speak your language, you are relieved to learn. “It’s alright, sir. I am a friend; I don’t want to hurt you, but please, you need to calm down, you are wounded…”

And then something appears, moves, in your peripheral vision, and you, in turn, freeze.

You had paid no mind to the man’s lower half, still submerged, focused as you were on his wound and on making sure he could still be helped, but now, as he struggled, you have seen something pop out of the water for a moment… something that looked nothing like a leg, or a foot.

Incredulous -you must be mistaken, that’s the only logical explanation, and after all you barely saw it, for half a second and not very clearly- you force yourself to look back at the man, tense and worried, who clearly wishes he could escape and put an end to your acquaintance. “You are safe.” you try to reassure him, letting his arm go and opening your own hands to prove you are unarmed “I don’t want to hurt you, but you are wounded…”

The man lowers his gaze to the nasty gash at his side and blinks, as if he hadn’t realised he had been wounded until now - or surprised he’s still alive. He looks back at you, still tense as he tries to ascertain whether you are worthy of trust or pose a danger to him, and suddenly stumbles, too weak even to prop himself up on one elbow. “You need to leave.” he tells you, more desperate than forceful… a plea, not an order “And tell no one you have seen me. Please, I am fine…”

“You couldn’t be less fine if you tried!” you exclaim, exasperated; why is he refusing your help, given the clear state of distress he is in? Doesn’t he realise that if left to his own devices he could die before the end of the day? “You are wounded, I can’t leave you…”

And then the man faints again, his head hitting the sand. Frustrated, you sigh and decide that the first thing to do, before leaving to look for help, is pulling him out of the water, hoping he’s not too heavy for you; this unfortunate, stubborn man is already soaking wet, the last thing you want is for him to catch pneumonia. So you lift yourself up and, circling his shoulders with your arm once more, you prepare to drag him towards the beach… and a moment later you are forced to stop, but not out of tiredness.

You were right.

The stranger who stumbled on your favourite beach, God only knows how, is a normal man from the waist up, but further down… he isn’t, at all.

He is a fish. He has a tail - a long, strong tail covered in blue-green scales, shiny under the late afternoon sun, a single limb roughly as wide as the legs of a man of his size pressed together; his caudal fin, split in the middle, is of a paler blue, the same colour as the gentle waves in front of you, semi-transparent.

You know what he is, of course; you had never seen one, you had never imagined you ever would, given those like him are supposed to be the stuff of the legends sailors tell and artists reproduce on maritime paintings, but you still remember the stories your mother told you and your sister when you were younger, and that you still believed in your innocence to be true; stories of a mysterious, dangerous and still playful kin, whose songs could unleash storms and who lived in great cities in the depth of the sea…

“A mermaid.” you whisper, breathless; you don’t even notice you are speaking out loud, so stunned you are “He is a mermaid.”

You feel the urge to touch him - which would be improper, probably, but would confirm what part of you still can’t come to terms with, even though he is right there, unconscious but clearly alive and real, and suddenly you have so many questions. Where does he come from? Who, or what, attacked him? Is he the last of his kind or, more likely, he is part of a more or less numerous species, whose existence is unknown to yours? How come he speaks your language?

What you know for sure, for some difficult to explain reason, is that you need to hide him; this man needs help, and you are the only one who can protect him, taking care of his wound and making sure no one learns of his presence. You have no reason to feel protective of him, but you do, and while you can’t very well carry him home and ask your sister and brother in law to keep him there hidden, you don’t want the town’s sailors to sell him to the highest bidder, or to cut him in pieces to create some miraculous potions, since according to some legends an elixir made with a mermaid’s blood or flesh can cure any illness or even make a person immortal.

(Children’s tales, of course. Or are they?)

Fortunately you are just a few steps away from a small grotto, at the very end of the beach, its entrance covered by bushes; it is hard to find it unless one knows where to look, which makes it the perfect hiding spot for your new friend. Aware that the quicker you get him away from the beach, the safer he will be, you pass his arm around your shoulders and begin dragging him towards the grotto, the short distance nonetheless requiring several minutes of intense work, the mermaid’s body way too heavy for you. In the end, breathless and aching for the effort, you help him lie down on the ground, the domed ceiling above your heads, and observe your new ward, still unbelieving but suddenly preoccupied for his future. Everybody knows most sea creatures cannot survive long on land; what if your desire to keep him hidden ends up further weakening this already debilitated man, or even killing him? Perhaps, besides taking care of his wound, you should keep his body wet, or at least his tail…

Moan.

You cup his face with your hand. “Can you hear me?” you ask, spontaneously dropping the sir and assuming a more informal tone, as if the two of you had known each other for years; as if you were friends “You’re wounded, but now you’re safe, it’s going to be alright.”

“Hmm…”

“Can you open your eyes?”

He struggles for a while, and in the end brown irises meet yours once more. “What… what happened to me?” he murmurs, still clearly dazed; he speaks your language fluently, even though his accent is different from any you have ever heard.

“I found you on the beach, unconscious; you have been bitten… by something.” you explain, and the mermaid again spends a few seconds contemplating the wound on his side, that must hurt terribly; judging by his expression, he understands the gravity of his situation all too well, as well as the fact he’s lucky to be alive “It’s going to be alright. I’ll go find someone…”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? You are wounded. If we don’t take care of it, you could die.”

Your new friend shakes his head stubbornly. As he looks at you he seems… not exactly afraid, but somehow reticent; he doesn’t know whether he can trust you, even though he has realised he does need your help and he will probably not survive on his own “No one… no human can see me. No one can know I’m here.”

“But I know. I have seen you.”

“And you’re already one person too many. Please, you need to go; I’ll… manage.”

You softly point out that, wounded and clearly debilitated as he is, he simply can’t manage, especially if someone from the nearby town sees him or whatever bit him is still waiting in the water to finish the job. His wound could get infected, but if you go call your brother in law, a capable nurse who will surely understand the need to keep the identity of his patient secret…

And then, as you are still trying to convince him, you both hear the voices of men arguing, and then a dog barking; they’re still far away, perhaps midway along the beach, but quickly approaching. The mermaid’s sun-kissed skin seems to pale all at once; you hear him swear under his breath. “They found me…”

“Who?” you inquire.

“Fishermen; from your town, perhaps, I don’t know. They saw me swim towards the shore, and they followed me. I thought I had lost them, but I was wrong…”

The men’s voices grow clearer by the moment; you hear one of them ask his friends where has that blasted creature gone. They might not notice the grotto, but if they do they’ll find the mermaid in less than a minute, and you doubt you’ll be able to defend him.

You have only a moment to reflect on what to do; fortunately, it is more than enough. “I’ll take care of them.” you announce as you stand, your skirt and legs covered in sand.

“... what?”

“You just stay here and don’t make a sound.” you order, and your new friend, still uncertain -and how could he feel otherwise, poor soul? Completely alone, his life in danger, forced to rely on the help of a person he has no reason to trust- has the good sense to obey.

You quickly leave the grotto, retrieve the bag and shoes you had abandoned on the sand and put as good a distance as you can from the hiding spot of your new friend; you can feel your heart pounding, but at the same time you are perfectly calm, clear-headed and ready to do whatever you can to help him. A few seconds later, a group of five men, armed with knives and nets, runs into you; one of them is holding a large dog, barking madly, by his collar.

“Hello, gentlemen.” you greet them in your most innocent tone; you have quickly picked up a few shells, in case you are asked what you are doing on the beach, but the men don’t seem to care about your favourite past-times.

“You’ve seen a fish-man?” the one at the head of the small group brusquely asks you.

“Excuse me?”

“A man with a fish-tail! Have you seen him, girl?”

You decide to risk it. “Oh, yes!” you exclaim, trying to remember everything you learnt during the acting classes you attended when you were eleven - all three of them “I think I did, actually! Near the promontory.”

The place you have mentioned to make the men leave is quite far from the beach - so far, in fact, that they pause, unsure if their prey could have actually swum all the way over there in the short time since they last saw him. “Are you really sure?” the dog’s handler asks, raising his voice to make himself heard over the excited barking; you wonder whether the animal, a tracker dog, can smell your new friend’s scent.

“I am, sir. His tail was green and blue, and I saw him swimming just under the promontory as I walked here. I think he was wounded.”

Confirming the existence of the mermaid, when the men had perhaps only barely seen him and could therefore be convinced they had made a blunder and to abandon their search, is perhaps risky, but the details you added convince them of the veracity of your story.

“Let’s go get him, boys!” the group leader exclaims “I bet we can sell him for a million berries and even more!”

They depart in a run, the dog still barking, without even looking at you. You wait for them to have disappeared, shove the seashells in your bag, and return to the grotto, where the mermaid is waiting for you. “Everything is fine; they left.” you inform him as you kneel by his side once more.

“Are you sure?”

“I told them I saw you, but now they are looking for you in a place a mile away. I hope I did the right thing.”

For the first time, the mermaid seems to relax -marginally, given he’s still in danger, but that’s already something; he smiles at you, openly grateful. “That was good thinking. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

You can’t stop looking at him, by now aware you are not dreaming and he actually is a mermaid, but still unable to fully come to terms with the simple truth of his existence. The creature in front of you is the stuff of legends, or of children's stories, but you can see him, and touch him, and talk to him. He is real, and that changes the meaning of the world as you know it…

“Maybe I should… pour some water on you?” you ask in the end, realising you have been openly staring for a while, something that being in his place you would find discourteous.

“Whatever for?”

“Maybe… I don’t know. Fish die if left out of the water for too long, I thought… since you’re half-fish… it could be the same for you mermaids.”

The man’s eyebrow arches, even though he seems more amused than offended; the bright red of his hair has lost no shine, even in the relative darkness of the grotto, where the sun rays don’t reach. “You think I am a mermaid?”

You look down to his fish-tail. “... yes? I mean, at least this is how I was taught mermaids look, human from the waist up and…”

“Yes, yes. But I am a male, don’t you see?”

“Of course I do. You’re a… male mermaid.”

Your new friend grins. “We prefer merman.” he explains “Or merpeople, when you want to talk about our whole kin. And it’s very kind of you, but we can remain on dry land for a while before it starts sapping our strength. On the other hand… I should probably get back in the water. It’s not safe for me to be here.”

“But you are wounded.” you point out again, feeling more than a little foolish because of course he knows that already; you wish you could ask him what exactly bit him, because if his kind exists then maybe marine monsters do as well, but you feel it’s more important to keep him safe “And you didn’t even have the strength to open your eyes when I found you. You are still too weak to return to the open sea.”

He looks at you; as you expected, your brief conversation seems to have exhausted him already, but the gaze of his brown eyes is lucid, and intense; eyes you can’t help feeling captivated by. “You’re a doctor?”

“No.” you admit “But anyone could see your wound needs to be taken care of. I… I could do it, if you want, and if you don’t want me to call for someone else. I have seen my brother in law sew up many wounds, and I am a seamstress, I’m quite good with a needle and thread.”

The aforementioned tools of the trade are in your bag, since you often visit your clients at home and it’s easier to carry them with you wherever you go; the mermaid - the merman looks at you, as if testing your resolve, and sighs as he lays down on the ground once more, too weak to even keep himself leaning on his elbow. “I guess the fault is mine; I should have been more careful.” he admits “Are you sure you can do it?”

“It will hurt.” you warn him; you’re avoiding his question and you both know it “But if I don’t suture the wound it’ll get infected, and for all I know your people could be ten times more resistant to illness and injury than mine, but…”

“... it would be dangerous in any case; I know. Very well.” the merman decides, his hand raised in a gesture of impotence; but then he smiles at you, and that is reassurance enough “I’m in your hands.”

The merman tells you that, unlike what usually happens with humans, you can use salt water to clean his wound, which you do, quickly pacing back and forth between the grotto and the shore, since you don’t have a bottle or a basin you can use and you are forced to carry as much water as you can in your cupped hands. Then, it is finally time for you to get to work; fortunately your sewing kit has just what you need, a needle of the right size, that you clean carefully, and more than enough black thread to suture any wound. The merman lies on his good side in front of you, as he observes you preparing for an undertaking you are suddenly unsure you can measure up to. You are an excellent seamstress, and while there is clearly a large difference between sewing fabric, no matter how costly, and a person’s skin, you had witnessed your brother in law at work, with his and the patient’s permission, often enough to know what to do. If only your hands would stop shaking…

“It’s alright.” the merman promises softly; he must have perceived how tense you are, but he looks as calm and relaxed as if the one preparing to tend to him were the best surgeon of the four seas “You’ll do great, I’m sure.”

You smile weakly, kneeling in front of him; your sister must be wondering where you are, perhaps even whether something has happened to you, but even though you would never want to worry her, at the moment you are too focused on him to care about anything else. “I just… don’t want to hurt you more than you already are.”

“Those like me are hardier than we look; I’ll be fine. Just imagine I am a frill you are sewing on a dress.”

The thought makes you laugh; you should probably wonder how a creature who has no legs, and therefore has no way to learn about human society and customs, knows what a frill is, but again, the determination to help him has eclipsed any other consideration. A deep breath, a quick prayer… and you get to work. Your patient remains perfectly still as you sew the two halves of the wound together, betraying no trace of pain or discomfort; you can feel his brown eyes on you, his skin cool but tender under your hands.

A whole day passes in ten minutes; in the end you breathe out, and observing the results of your efforts you must admit you did a good job. Will it be enough? Unless there is a well-equipped hospital at the bottom of the sea, and since your new friend refuses to have a professional see him, you can’t help being still worried for him. What if your stitches don’t hold, and his wound bleeds again, becoming infected? What if whatever is responsible for that wound attacks him again…?

“You did a great job.” your patient says, cautiously examining the stitches with his fingers “Really, I think any nurse or doctor would approve. You should be proud of yourself.”

His genuine gratitude makes a smile bloom on your lips. “I’m just glad I could help.”

“And help you did. Thank you…?”

He looks at you questioningly as he slowly turns on his back, his long tail folded on one side, and it takes you a minute to catch his meaning. “Oh! I’m (name), (full name).”

“That’s a lovely name. I wish I could tell you mine, since you probably saved my life, but I can’t, and I’d rather not lie to you.”

You would be curious to know the reason for his reticence, not to mention what kind of names merpeople give their children, but you decide not to ask. “Do you need to eat?” you inquire instead.

“I’m sorry?”

“Well… you must feel very weak, given what happened and the blood you must have lost, so I thought… I have no food with me, or water, but I can go home and take some, if you want. It wouldn’t take long.”

He looks at you, amusement and a touch of disbelief dancing in his eyes; he has a lovely smile, you can’t help noticing. “You are a wonder, you know?” he asks, shaking his head “You didn’t know my kin existed, right?”

“I had no idea! I might have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.”

“As I expected. You must have… a hundred questions to ask me, and instead you’re worrying I might be hungry.”

“Well, I worked so hard to make sure you don’t die of your wound, the last thing I want is for you to starve.” you point out “Also, since you apparently can’t even tell me your name, I doubt you could tell me… I don’t know, how many of your people exist in the world, how you reproduce or if it’s true that the song of a mermaid can enchant sailors and cause storms.”

Your new friend smiles, admitting that he’d rather not talk too much about his people. “I know it’s unfair; you saved my life, you would deserve to ask as many questions as you want, but we have all sworn to keep our existence secret from humans, I guess you can understand why.”

You think about the bear you have seen exhibited at the fair last year, kept in a cage so small it could barely move, starved to keep him compliant, and in the end killed after the owner had offered a modest sum to any man brave enough to fight him barehanded, and the old wives’ tales, who some people still rely on today, that swear that just a few drops of mermaid’s blood can make a person immortal.

“Of course; no one must know you actually exist, otherwise you’d be hunted.” you admit; unfortunately your new friend has been seen by the fishermen you diverted to the promontory, but you are confident no one will believe their stories, ascribing them to the traditional tall tales told by sea-men or the sight of a normal, large fish “I… I won’t tell anyone I have met you; not even my dearest friends or my family. You have my word.”

“Thank you, (name); I think… no, I know I can trust you.”

An unexpected warmth fills you at those words; you know he has no choice in the matter, since all he can do is hope you won’t share his secret with anyone, but knowing he has faith in you actually… makes you happy; proud, even, that you have earned his respect.

For a minute you both remain silent, simply staring at each other, the merman apparently as curious about you as you are about him, since he’s the one who starts asking questions, even though he’s clearly tired. “Do you visit this beach often?”

“I do; it’s my special place, especially when I want to be alone to think.”

“Well, you’re not alone today.”

“I am not.” you agree, and for a moment you’re about to ask him to return, because the beach, quiet and isolated, could become your meeting place, once in a while, and while you had never asked anyone to accompany you there, not even your sister, you wouldn’t mind sharing it with him: a man coming from the sea and a woman born on land, meeting on a place that is a threshold between their worlds. It would be nice; it would be splendid, but of course, you realise with a sigh, you can’t ask your new friend to risk being captured again.

“What happened to your arm?” you ask back, and his eyebrow arches once more, even though the merman is still smiling.

“I thought we had just agreed that I can't answer your questions.”

“But this concerns you, not your kin; and I couldn’t use this information to hunt you down or prove the fact merpeople exist, even if I wanted to.”

“True.” your new friend admits; he grins, as if genuinely pleased he does have something to share with you. “I lost my arm a few months back; it was bitten off by… well, an animal.”

“A shark?”

“They are larger and more dangerous than any shark, and of anything you could imagine; but they live in the depth of the oceans, which means they pose no danger to humans. That day a child I know had ventured in their territory, and I went after him. You can imagine the rest.”

“Oh, God… that’s horrible.” you murmur, not knowing what else to say “That was… incredibly brave of you.”

“Well, I couldn’t let Luf… the child be eaten, could I? And I don’t need both arms to swim like you do, so it wasn’t much of a sacrifice in the end.”

He smiles, as if losing a limb actually wasn’t something to regret, since it was to save an innocent. “Do you have a family of your own?”

“Do you?”

“I asked you first.”

“And I asked you second.” you answer; you’re having fun, and you know it’s the same for him “The answer is no. I live with my sister’s family, her husband and children.”

“And you never think about leaving?” he asks again, and you tense for a moment, because that is the sort of question your sister often asks you, even though in a slightly different sense from the one you know the merman intends.

And the answer is no; you’ll never leave, because you have been the one left behind, and you don’t care if your sister would be fine with it and even happy for you, you won’t make the same choice he made…

“Find a house of my own, you mean? I could, one day, but until my nephews are a little older I want to remain where I am and help my sister and brother in law with them, since they both work out of the house, unlike me.” you explain. Another possibility would be for you to get married and go live with your spouse, but since no one has ever asked for your hand, or even just attracted your attention enough to make you consider taking the plunge, for the moment at least you’re happy as you are “What about you?”

Your new friend tries to convince you he has seven wives and thirteen husbands before admitting he is unmarried and has no children, even though he loves the child he sacrificed his arm for like a son.

By the time he has shared this information, the merman is fighting to keep his eyes open, the exhaustion clear on his face and in his voice. “You should rest for a while.” you suggest; the ground inside the grotto is not the most comfortable of beddings and you have nothing to fashion a pillow for him, but he does need to regain his strength “I can find some wood and light a fire if you want; and I’ll stay watch outside, of course.”

This time he arches both eyebrows. “You have nothing better to do?”

“Than to make sure no one sees you, and warn you in case those fishermen return? No, I don’t think so.” you retort, and then, as he prepares to protest: “It’s alright; I have no urgent work matters to attend to, and my sister won’t need me until dinnertime. Please, be reasonable; the beach is little frequented, but we can’t exclude the possibility someone sees you.”

You said we, without really thinking about it; it came to you spontaneously, as if it were normal - as if you and the merman were used to acting as an united front, sticking together in times of danger. You don’t notice; he does, and doesn’t complain, but smiles gratefully at you and two minutes later he’s already sleeping heavily, his arm bent under his bright red hair, the green-blue scales of his tail catching the faint light of the sun.

The beach remains completely empty for the next two hours, as the warm afternoon gently declines towards the evening. You wonder whether the fishermen are still searching for their prey at the promontory, or if they plan to return to the area they saw the merman in tomorrow; in that case you should come back as well, you reason as you sit on a large rock not far from the grotto, eyes and ears ready to perceive any sign of an intrusion, and make sure your new friend is safe. You don’t even care about the many appointments you have programmed for the day, not to mention you’ll have to tell your sister you cannot take care of your nephews while she’s at work; this is more important. Protecting him… this is more important than anything you could imagine.

You still can’t believe it. A merman, a creature you considered the stuff of legends and children stories, and he’s there, living and breathing, all things considered much more human than you would have imagined him to be, with his easy smile and open gratitude. If his wound heals as it should, he should be fine; strictly speaking his well-being doesn’t concern you, and trying to defend him from anyone who could find and try and take him away could put you in danger as well, but you don’t care: you want to see him return to the sea, safe and sound, and from then on, even though you doubt you’ll ever see him again, any time you visit the beach you’ll look at the blue expanse of the sea and think back to today, and hope he hasn’t forgotten you…

Two hours after the beginning of your patrol shift, you hear him call your name softly from the grotto; the merman is awake, and smiles at you as he rubs his eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realise I was going to fall asleep.”

“Well, you did need to rest.” you point out as you sit on the ground “And fortunately you have chosen the least visited beach of the region, because no one came. Listen, I could… go home to take some food, and tell my sister I’ll sleep at a friend’s place, and then come back…”

“Out of the question.”

“The decision is mine, not yours. I can also take an ointment out of my brother in law’s cabinet, something to make sure your wound doesn’t get infected…”

“(name)…”

A moment later, a large, callous but gentle hand has taken yours to bring it to the merman’s face; he kisses the back, something that for your people has gone out of fashion at least a century ago and that has the power to make you blush furiously, and lose the power of speech. There is nothing lascivious, or even just romantic, in that gesture, but the gratitude it expresses is intense enough to move you.

“I hope your friends and family know how kind and generous you are.” your new friend murmurs; he’s still smiling, his messy red hair brushing against your hand “Thank you, (name); I really don’t know what would have become of me if you hadn’t found me. I will never forget you.”

“And I will never forget meeting you, that’s for sure. But I need to stay…”

“No, you don’t; do you really think those fishermen would return at night? I’ll be fine, and you have to go home to your family. There’s no need for you to spend a night in the open.”

You negotiate for a while, and in the end you accept to leave, promising you will be back tomorrow morning as early as you can, bringing the ointment and something to eat for him. “Err… what do you eat, exactly?” you ask, wondering which one of his two halves determine the sort of food he can ingest. On the other hand, a merman can’t very well hunt for game in the woods or farm cattle to produce milk and cheese…

“I’d really like a whale steak, thank you.”

“Sorry, market day is on tuesday.” you answer, feigning regret, and a moment later you are both giggling.

“Some bread and water will be more than fine. Now go, (name), I don’t want your family to worry.” he urges you, and you prepare to leave, retrieving your things and making sure to leave no trace of your passage in the grotto.

“Please, take care of yourself.” you tell him; there is probably no more obvious thing you could say, but you can’t help it “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

He simply winks in return, looking at you until you disappear out of his shelter, and you have to force yourself to walk, every step more difficult than the last, your determination to go on rather than turning back and spend the night at the grotto, whatever your new friend may think about it, quickly dissipating.

Leaving him is hard. Painful, even, as if you were letting go of something precious; and despite the relative security of the place you have left him at, part of you fears that is exactly what you are doing.

If your sister notices there is something weird in you that night -specifically, that she and her husband need to repeat every single word they tell you because you are clearly not paying attention, and you’re so distracted you have put sugar instead of salt in the soup, ruining the dinner for the entire family- she apparently decides not to mention it. But on the next morning, when she sees you head towards the house door at the crack of dawn -you have tried to be as quiet as you could, but having two young children seems to have somehow sharpened her hearing- she takes your hand in hers and asks where you are going.

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you.” you answer, holding your bag protectively against you, heavy with food for your friend you have taken from the pantry: a water bottle, a whole loaf of still soft bread and two apples. You also hope your brother in law won’t check his supplies cabinet soon, because he would find his stash of bandages and ointment have drastically decreased “You don’t need to worry, I’m not in danger or anything; but there is something I need to do.”

“Can you at least tell me how long you will be gone?”

“I don’t know.” you admit; if the merman’s wound hasn’t gotten infected there is not much more you can do for him, and the sooner he returns to the sea the safer he will be, but you still hope you can… spend some time together, talk, like you did yesterday. You won’t ask about his people, if there is an even slight chance that could put him in danger, but at the same time there is so much you want to know… about him “Please, don’t ask; I’ll be safe, I promise.”

She looks at you, trusting but still worried for your sake, wrapped in a shawl she inherited from your mother; this is why, perhaps, you are suddenly reminded of her as your sister looks at you. Then, suddenly, she smiles, and “(name), are you going to meet a man?” she asks.

“... what?”

“You are! I should have known. You were clearly distracted last night, and I heard you sing to yourself as you washed the dishes, which is something you only do when you are happy. Have you met recently? Or is it someone you already knew?”

“No, I… it’s not what you think.” you try to explain, suddenly embarrassed for some unfathomable reason; the truth is you are going to meet a man, strictly speaking, but no matter how much you trust your sister, you can’t tell her about him “It’s not… that sort of situation.”

She gently reassures you she doesn’t mean to judge you or to pry, and then mentions that in the afternoon she will accompany the children to visit a family friend, and her husband will be at work. “You can… invite your friend over, if you want. I’m so sorry you don’t have more time for yourself, since you help us so much with the children, perhaps it’s our fault if there is no one important in your life…

“There is someone important in my life; you, and your family.” you quickly point out, not wanting her to feel guilty for a situation you have embraced willingly. Mostly. “You know I love taking care of the children, and I like my life as it is now. Listen… I have to go now; you really don’t need to worry, so please don’t try and stop me.”

Still unsure, your sister nonetheless respects your wishes, and a moment later you are meeting the rising sun as you run down the still empty streets of the town, your heart heavy with dread and excitement both.

When you finally reach your destination your heart is ready to burst, even though the long, hard run is only partially responsible; as you expected -and hoped- the place seems deserted as usual, but you still walk from one side of the beach to the other, making sure the men you were able to mislead yesterday did not return to ambush your new friend.

Your fears assuaged, you finally approach the grotto, from where no sound can be heard. “Hi… it’s me, (name).” you call softly as you reach the entrance; you feel… trepidation, a feeling you have had very few occasions to experiment before and that you can’t explain; it reminds you of the emotion you saw on your sister’s face on the day her husband came to the house to officially ask for her hand “I have the food, and something for your wound. How do you…?”

The words die in your throat; and a part of you dies as well, when you find yourself staring at the inside of the grotto, completely empty. For half a moment your heart is seized by terror as you imagined the fishermen, or whoever could have stumbled upon him and realised the large sum of money he could be sold for, who kidnapped your friend taking advantage of the fact he has no way to run - literally; and then you see something on the ground among the rocks, in the exact spot you sat on yesterday to sew up his wound.

A flower - a small but pretty little thing, picked from one of the bushes covering the entrance of the grotto and left there as a tiny, heartfelt gift, and next to it, the briefest of messages left in the dirt, using the writer’s finger as a pen.

Thank you

It doesn’t say good-bye, but the intention is evident. The sea’s roar fills the air, but perhaps you’re the one who is screaming, in your heart at least, the disappointment so intense, unexpected and painful that you are sure you can feel your heart break in a thousand pieces, a figure of speech that has never felt so real. A moment later you run out of the grotto towards the shore, hoping against hope he lingered, despite the danger, that he waited for you to come as he had promised, to say farewell. Despite the sunny sky above it the sea is rough today, high waves rising from the blue expanse and crashing down on the beach. But there is no bright red head peeking through the foam, no hand raised to wave good-bye.

He left. He left without waiting for you, and that is what pains you the most. In all fairness, he never actually said he would wait (and how could you not think about it? Why didn’t you make him promise he would, to be sure you could see him once more at least?) but you can’t help feeling disappointed, even betrayed, like a bride abandoned at the altar. He did ask you for food, and approved when you said you would bring an ointment for his wound; and it’s not like you arrived late, since you had promised to come at dawn and the sun has barely appeared above the horizon behind the sea - a breathtaking scene you still can’t appreciate. Did he simply wake up this morning and decided he felt strong enough to swim, the longing for home making him overlook the fact you would arrive soon expecting to find him there? Or he had decided your first meeting would be the last as well from the start, and left deliberately before you would come?

Whatever the reason behind it, the truth is you have lost him - you’ll never see the merman again, and that grieves you more than you could explain in words, even though you only spent a few hours together and you had always known he would have to return to the sea soon. You had nothing to gain from that unexpected acquaintance, berries least of all, and still you feel as if you had lost something precious, something special that would have made your life richer nonetheless, that you can’t help grieving.

Your legs hurt after the long run from home, so you let yourself fall on a large rock, from where you contemplate the vast blue expanse, under which your new -and lost- friend is now swimming happily, having left the dry world, and you, behind him.

Why did you leave? I wanted to say good-bye at least. If you were actually grateful, if you actually cared, you would have waited for me…

That is what pains you the most, even though you could never admit it, and it makes you feel more foolish than any love-stricken young girl; the fact that judging by his actions at least, and despite the message he left, he didn’t care for you. You spent a sleepless night, thrilled about the prospect of seeing and talking to him again, and he left, for all you know without a care for you and your efforts. You can’t blame him for being anxious to return home, and you’re happy he had recovered from his wound enough to crawl to the shore and swim, but still… he could at least have said good-bye.

But after all, why am I surprised? In the end, everybody leaves. In the end, no one ever stays for me.

You can feel tears filling your eyes, but you angrily order yourself not to shed them and to stop being foolish, because he owed you nothing and you have no objective reason to feel the merman has abandoned you, no matter how your heart says otherwise.

You remain on the beach until you’re sure you’re in control of yourself once more, then you return home, just in time to help your sister prepare breakfast and send the children to school. When she sees you return, disappointment and heartbreak having taken the place of the excitement she had seen on your face an hour before, she assumes the worst.

“What happened?! (name), did… did someone hurt you? Were you…?”

“No, no; I’m fine, just…” you sigh, both unable and unwilling to explain the reason for your distress; unable and unwilling to explain you feel just like when he left, and you had forgotten how terrible a sensation it is “Don’t ask, please; but I’d really like a hug, if you can.”

She can, and you let yourself feel comforted by her solid presence and quiet, tacit acceptance; reassured nothing terrible has happened to you, and having known her share of heartbreak before meeting her husband, your sister holds you in her arms and murmurs she’s sorry and everything will be alright, and obviously she’s right, but it hurts, and you know already no matter how happy and rich a life you will have, you’ll never forget this disappointment.

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