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kaisooficpodcast · 2 months ago

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Pride by and with yeolimerent

I am Alexio Sospranio and you’re listening to the kaisoo fic podcast!

For new listeners, the kaisoo fic podcast is a space where we discuss literature found in the kaisoosphere. Where we have authors on the show to give them a platform to talk about their writings and journey as an author in the fandom.

This month we are looking at one fic for two episodes. First part was on the 12th, and today the second episode for the same fic is on the 14th. Special kaisoo dates!

If you, dear listener, have been up to date with the podcast episodes, you will find that there will be similar questions to other author’s sessions. Each author brings in their own different perspectives and experiences. By asking similar questions, we get to see how diverse yet united kaisoo fic writers are.

The sequence in which we will be having this episode is as such:

Firstly we have yeolimerent introducing the fic of the day, followed by some plot based questions, next some questions on their journey as a writer. Then we end with the 3is: lesson learnt; source of inspiration and impact to the kaisoo fic community.

I also got about four questions from an anon on curious cat, so I will be weaving the questions into the appropriate segments of the episode.

Cover Art

Now, prior to me giving the author of the day these questions, I asked yeolimerent what is their favorite scene from Pride. And when they responded, luckily Lyn was still doing commissions… so i asked her. One more, just one more!

Thank you Lyn for opening up commissions and being accommodating to my requests!

In the podcast cover art… we have kaisoo on a beach. This scene is not a reimagined scene, it is from one of the last few moments of Pride where kaisoo reconcile.

Context from the fic for this particular position kaisoo is in takes almost directly from the fic itself.

Intro to author

With permission of the author, I have reader Jie with me today, who will be taking the persona of yeolimerent.

Introducing a bit on yeolimerent:

yeolimerent has been in this fandom since (2013), that’s about (11 years). The pull factor that got her into this fandom was always Chanyeol and EXO showtime in general, when she was in high school and everyone was getting into EXO. Journey with kaisoo started ever since she could remember and had always been inspired by their chemistry. yeolimerent is currently focused on EXO right now. She’s also into a lot of queer artists and media.

Welcome, yeolimerent, thank you for your time in answering the questions for today’s session.

Thanks for having me!

Yeolimeret. yes? Shall we dive into the episode! We shall! We start with the fic.

Pride

Pride by yeolimerent has 33 chapters with about 300 thousand words. Set in a universe where Kyungsoo is a chaebol and gets entangled with his driver. Lust, bitterness and heartache develops over the course of several chapters. Content warnings include smut (bottomsoo), I think one scene of dubious consent, and minor character deaths.

Now, yeolimerent, would you maybe like to start us off for those who are not familiar, what is Pride about?

The initial plan was always to make a Seven Deadly Sins series starring major EXO ships and KaiSoo would be Pride. I just had this big interest in rich-poor au when it came to kaisoo and this felt like the perfect opportunity to do it. Another factor was the idea of a younger Jongin falling for an older Kyungsoo and looking up to him in a way.

Pride is heavily Kyungsoo’s side of the story and how his world turned upside down in a span of a decade— from being one of the richest people in the country to owing millions of debts and then his poor first love who broke his heart turning into one of the most powerful men in the country who now has the upper hand on him. Here, we see him build and ruin relationships with other people in his life. We see how drastically things can change in a span of eight years, and how a lot of them also stay the same.

It’s basically his very complex journey of self-discovery and well… pride.

Pride literally starts with a bang. And I love it. The first chapter titled Prologue, readers are met with a very high tension chapter where Kyungsoo is angry and Jongin exudes danger. It is a very gripping scene. I am curious as to why you began the fic with a scene from the climax of the plot?

To be honest, this was the very FIRST scene that i came up with for Pride. It was my starting point. So what happened here would be the basis for the majority of what I wrote so it was very vital to the story. I guess I wanted the readers to read it first and think “Oh, what could’ve happened between them?” and “where do we go from here?” so it is the perfect prologue for the story.

The prologue scene is indeed very… you can get overwhelmed. And you did warn the readers to say that this is an intense and complicated fic, but I am super thankful that I continued to read and that i stuck through the whole thing.

Walk us through the chronology of you piecing up the plot. How did the pieces come to play after setting the prologue? Was it a bit overarching idea first or specific scenes coming in slowly piecing it all up?

For the chapter, I wasn’t much of a planner when I was writing Pride compared to how I am now as a writer. So every chapter came to me randomly, no outline and all. I just had this vague idea of what I would want to happen in that chapter and how I wanted to wrap it up, and then things just unfold from there depending on my inspiration. That’s probably a factor why the fic was so long because I couldn’t control it haha!

Wow, chapter coming up randomly with no outline…

Wait, what about that tiny detail in the chapters before the 8 years apart happened, before the presentation? The tiniest bit of information, the carelessness of Kyungsoo leaving his blueprint in the room without much thought… was that also not fully planned? Because only at almost the very end was it revealed that his carelessness plus Soojung’s sly personality cost him a lot of things. That tiny detail became one of the most important points of the story that pushed Kyungsoo to be off the grid.

As a reader, we also did not give it much thought because that moment was also brief. I guess my question now becomes… how intentional was your choice to have Kyungsoo not give too much thought to his work?

Yes. I wanted to convey that everyone had some sort of fault for what happened. Kyungsoo as a kid was meant to be careless and impulsive, and thats what got him in trouble. I intentionally made him spoiled and imposing to raise a bit of intrigue because he was, after all, still a chaebol kid. I wanted people to see how he treated people like Soojung unprovoked and think “did he deserve it?”

A question from my curious cat reads: if Jongin and Kyungsoo had met on Kyungsoo birthday in the bar, what would have happened? I was like omg Jongin turn and face Kyungsoo!!! Jongin turn around damn itttt :(

Ohh. I dont think that would be that productive as well because Kyungsoo would do what he did best, which was of course— to run. LMAO.

Surprising moments

Previous episode I asked the readers about the element in the plot that surprised them.

There were generally two main points on how Pride really grabs the reader’s attention. First shocking point for Pride was how readers were shocked at your choice yeolimerent, the writer’s choice. Of having Seonho be Kyungsoo’s buddy as they travel to New York and become the best of friends.

One of my most favorite things about Pride was Kyungsoo and Seonho’s very unconventional relationship. It was always the part that caught people off guard hahaha. I like the fact that when you read the first few chapters, Seonho would be the last person in the universe you’d expect to be Kyungsoo’s rock during the hardest days of his life but it happened anyway. It was also vital to his relationship with Jongin because a lot of jealousy stemmed from his past relationship with Seonho and it was very fun to watch unfold because Jongin was busting a vein while everything between them was platonic.

Seonho and Kyungsoo’s relationship is definitely unconventional. Related is another question from my curious cat for your fic. The question is: did Seonho really get his closure with Kyungsoo? Even though they both moved on with their lives, whenever I read Seonho and Kyungsoo’s part in New York I always had this weird anxiety about what if they cross the line of friendship. But they never did. They kept it cute, I loved it and Seonho’s character development was crazy! I wish I had a Seonho in my life too… So again the question is, did Seonho really get his closure with Kyungsoo?

I didnt really want to be so explicit about it. To me, they didnt have to sit down and have a lengthy talk about their relationship before running away together. I think that scene in the bar where their simple conversation about running away from their families became their closure in some sort because it was definite that no romance was left. Simple a trauma bond and the desperation to live their similarly miserable lives at home.

It also put emphasis on the concept of forgiveness because while Kyungsoo hated Seonho’s guts during college, it showed that he was SOOO heartbroken from Jongin to find solace on his ex and their shared trauma with their dads. It was enough to rebuild their relationship into a different, but stronger one.

Thank you for touching on the point of forgiveness. We see a lot of that here in the many relationships we explore in the fic. I think almost every pair baeksoo, chanbaek, kaibaek, has an element of forgiveness because of how much the characters have each hurt each other.

A pairing brought up in the previous episode was Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Right before Kyungsoo leaves, you can tell that Baekhyun felt a void in his heart after their conversation. Then a while after Kyungsoo goes back to Korea, we witness that scene where Kyungsoo talks to Baekhyun and when, i quote: his words tugged in his most fragile spot, chapter 26 titled Make It Up To You, is a sincere Kyungsoo who wants to help Baekhyun. This scene was a nice change of pacing and it feels very honest as well.

Yes. I think one of the lines I liked there was “we could stop being friends and I’d still know you more than anyone.” because that’s the gist of their relationship. Baekhyun, when he was unapologetically weird and had no other friends in college, was still the realest version of himself and only Kyungsoo really accepted that before Chanyeol came.

Another point of surprise made was how intense Jongin’s love was for Kyungsoo. Seeing as we are reading the fic in Kyungsoo’s POV, it was quite an eye opener to have read Jongin’s. As readers we do get a hint of Jongin having feelings for Kyungsoo. And upon the Jongin’s POV chapters, our impressions are validated, but to such a shocking extent. The previous episode as mentioned by one of the readers was that: they were convinced that Jongin had feelings for Kyungsoo the first time they met, but felt skeptical with their hunch since it always seemed like Jongin was siding with Soojung and setting Kyungsoo aside. But as the Jongin’s POV chapters were revealed, I think collectively, for readers, it becomes very clear that it is without a doubt Jongin loves Kyungsoo.

You do a wonderful job and I really appreciate you giving us Jongin’s POV. Reading the fic again from Jongin’s POV, it becomes very thought provoking because there is a wider perspective which makes the story more complex.

The part of the plot that changes to Jongin’s POV is after Kyungsoo is honest to Seonho that he loves Jongin. And with that, i pause for a question to yeolimerent: at what point of writing from Kyungsoo’s POV did you feel like you needed to share Jongin’s?

The part where he stopped tugging the other side of the rope and felt this intense fear of losing Kyungsoo completely when he saw him with Seonho at the parking lot. At present time, of course readers could tell Jongin wanted Kyungsoo back but him as a person didnt really know that or knew where to start. That scene with Seonho was some sort of his wake up call and from then on, he stopped letting his fears hold him back and was definite about winning the love of his life back so it was the perfect opportunity to reveal his side.

Writers Journey

The next segment is on the writer’s journey, your journey of writing Pride amongst other things.

The nature of Pride is that it is very long and dramatic and with that it has a very high intense emotional plot. As a reader, it feels overwhelming at times and i think a point that was brought up in the previous episode was how even upon rereading it the second time, the emotional rollercoaster was as intense as the first reading. And for some, already knowing the twist and surprising parts of the fic, it allows us to analyze every interaction they have before leading to that point. So that is us as readers. But how did you keep your emotions in check while writing?

It is crazy because a lot of people had complained about it being heavy throughout the years and I totally get it, but writing it was so therapeutic to me. I guess projecting a lot on Kyungsoo’s character played a lot of factor in that. He did a lot of stupid things in that fic but a lot of them were something I’d do or a choice I’d make so it felt nice to let it out.

Oh, wow. I see, so what kind of work is Pride to you?

Therapy! That was the time of my life where I had a lot going on and was in the middle of my med school applications so writing was a solace to me.

I did not know what to expect of your answer to my question, but I am definitely quite in awe.

It sounds like the whole process was very cathartic especially when you say you project on Kyungsoo and it feels nice to let it out. I am in awe mainly because I see it is something to channel your creative energy and in turn, because it is something so unique, very yeolimerent style, readers can really immerse themselves in your words and see the plot developing through your eyes.

With that i am curious, how long have you been writing? Is the reference on ao3 correct to say that you have been writing since 2019 or did you start way earlier on another site?

I have been writing the first Deadly Sins fics in wattpad since 2017 and only moved to AO3 in 2018 for my first BAE fic. I wrote Pride in AO3 but it was also posted in both wattpad and AFF. I’ve also been writing creatively since high school, which was over 10 years ago.

How seasoned a writer were you in writing when you came up with this? What point of your writer’s journey was Pride published?

I definitely had a much better experience writing it compared to the first two because I got better at expressing the character’s emotions. I would say I still got a bit better in fics I wrote after Pride but that was one of my works where I was able to express the characters’ emotions the way I wanted to deliver them.

Somehow that is comforting to know. This really long work has not only had therapeutic aspects for you, but you were able to articulate yourself. And it’s a win for everyone. We get a wonderful story filled with deep human flaws, heartache of first loves, redemption arc and a hope for love to persist. And hopefully you also get to benefit from it by navigating through life with more grit and faith with whatever life hits you with.

Lesson Learnt

Lesson learnt. The points we made the previous episode was that this fic teaches us so many things - importance of honest communication to resolve issues and insecurities. Teaching us about how moving on and forgiveness is important.

There is so much to unpack, so if there was one or more points you would like readers to take away from this story, what would it be?

Like you said, definitely communication and how important it is in a relationship. A lot of the problems in Pride came from their lack of talking which could be solved if the two of them were locked in a room together. Yes, the long tension was sexy but a lot of time could have been saved if they were well-functioning adults lol. I think forgiveness was also a big concept in this fic, not for the sake of those who wronged you but more on your peace of mind.

So now knowing the lessons you want readers to takeaway and us understanding the kind of work Pride was to you, what was the most challenging part of writing this particular au?

I did say it was therapeutic but writing it also had me confronting a lot of emotions buried deep when I was writing it. So many aspects in Kyungsoo’s character’s life were heavily based on mine so it definitely was difficult to acknowledge it. I was also in a phase where I aimed to please people so I was rarely satisfied with the chapters I wrote no matter how good the feedback I’d receive.

I see. I suppose it is natural for when things are therapeutic, it forces you to be honest. As a reader, we can see your sincerity. Thank you for writing.

Examples

Of course we cannot talk about hardship and forget about good things. So yeolimerent, what is your favorite scene? A scene that so beautifully captures the essence of the fic, a scene that you think about when you think back into this fic?

The ending on a beach was very heavy, both in good and bad ways. Years of unsaid words had to come out and it was messy, so I definitely remember it first. The scene where they were both sitting on the sand, both tired and hopeless, reimagining what could have been if things were different and accepting there was no way of changing things, so they either leave for good or move forward together.

Probably just me, but I also love the double chapter with Jongin’s POV on everything because it sheds light on a lot of questions.

I recently reread the scene again and it is easy to feel emotional at that moment.

I have another question from my curious cat that reads: In the FAQ, you mentioned the emotional scene but I wanna know what was your favorite scene like you read the scene and went “ damn girl you kinda ate”. Would it be the same beach scene or do you have another in mind?

Jongin’s POV was definitely one of my favorite because I had to navigate a completely different character and speak from his view. I also liked the scenes where Kyungsoo was trying to find himself in New Zealand because the parallelisms with his life and something as simple as volcanos was appealing to me.

Yeolimernet, listeners would be so honored to have you read an extract from the scene in the beautiful New Zealand beach, your favorite scene.

The designer looks at the distance where the sun has slowly risen. He bites his lip hard to prevent both a smile and his sobs.

“How could you confess and build all our dreams… in a car, parked on the side of the street?” his laugh mixes perfectly with a hiccup. Soo lets his head fall on his chest when Jongin reaches for his nape.

Inspiration

Thank you for reading your favorite scene. Having you read an extract aloud like this, it just makes me wonder, what inspired you to have this au?

When I started writing it, I just wanted to see where it would take me. The moment their conflict started as college students, I found myself, even as the writer, asking for more too. I just always had this thrill in me whenever I got to start a new chapter or publish them. I looked forward to seeing what people thought. I guess that was my biggest drive to go on. EXO as a group was also very active when I was writing this story so there were still a lot of ship crumbs that helped me.

I find your trust in the process very fascinating. It becomes a journey of self discovery both for Kyungsoo and yourself.

And from this inspiration of yours, was this the original idea you had in mind when you first drafted the fic? How much has the story grown or changed while writing?

Nothing particularly different from the final product. It definitely was supposed to be shorter than 300k like the 2 sinners trilogy before it, but I really had fun writing it and felt like the scenes I came up with, no matter how tedious and uneventful they seemed, were vital for the story and the characters’ arcs.

It certainly seems that way, very purposeful and intentional scenes.

Impact

We are nearing the end of the episode, this next and last segment is on the author’s impact on the kaisoo fic community.

But before that, the last question from my CC reads: my pride yaps are never ending pls don’t mind me but anyway thank you so much for writing the fic really..even though its angst its one of my go to comfort fics. I need to get this off my chest, I felt like Wrath and Pride happened simultaneously in two parallel worlds..there is a thin line as there were lots of similarities but two fics were completely different. The emotions you conveyed, idk how to put it hope you get what I am trynna say..so how did you do srsly?

Ohh yes, they were completely different worlds. Thanks for being kind! I think my sinners trilogy are similar in a way because the sins are somehow still intertwined in other stories. You can still apply wrath on Pride, and you can very much see pride on Wrath’s characters. Idk if that makes sense but i think that’s what made them feel similar.

I hope that answers your question, anon!

Yeolimerent, what kind of writer do you consider yourself as? For example, what is the one thing you hold dear to when writing? Or what is something you would never write?

Hmm I definitely am the type to write details as vivid and palpable as possible. I’m very visual as a person so I like writing the scene where I can be as clear as I possibly can for the imagery. I also try to write realistic lines or something I wouldn’t cringe at if I hear real Kaisoo say it in real life (key word: try hahaha). I like writing characters that are deeply flawed, and then I like having them reflect on said flaws.

In terms of tropes, I’m very welcoming to a lot of them as a reader. But as a writer, being realistic like I said, I’m not particularly into farfetched or over the top tropes like Mpreg or A/B/O. But depending on the world-building, I have fun reading them and am not closing any doors about writing them in the future.

And upon identifying the things you would like to continue to do, and the things you will never do as a writer, what’s the biggest thing you learnt while writing fics? Anything surprising or impactful or moving? Be it about the storytelling, the language used or the life lessons?

Heck, number 1: it is a thousand times harder to write fics when English is not your first language! TT I’ve had a lot of writing experience outside of the ficdom but it is still a struggle to express certain thoughts in another language.

Plot-wise, I realized I also like it when my characters admit that they did certain things because they just fucked up and not everything has to have deep reasons. It’s a trend I’ve seen in my recent works and it’s always refreshing to write about people who screw up once in a while.

Thank you for writing despite it being difficult.

With all the things you have learnt yeolimerent, and with your experience, all 7 years of it, what do you think makes a great story?

Write what you want to read! I’ve scrapped a lot of stories because I found that I tried writing them to please a certain crowd but it didn’t really feel right on my part. Writing what you would like to read gives you more ideas and creative juices you didn’t know were there. Allow your characters to have flaws and give them space to grow too. I have a huge preference for slowburn stories, both as a reader and writer, because seeing the characters go through a satisfying arc is what makes a great story for me.

Ending Ment

Before we end things, dear yeolimerent, do you have any other comments you want to share with us listeners? Any teasers for ongoing AUs or a hint of upcoming AUs you have in your work in progress stage?

Nothing in progress for me sadly as I am busy with hospital work :( I might have some things in the drafts but I don’t know if they’d ever see the light of day lol. I am definitely reading comments and messages once in a while though, whether I reply or not, and it really gives me strength. I would definitely like to write more kaisoo fics in the future especially once they start interacting again, canon!

I’m happy to have the opportunity to talk about Pride like this after so many years so thank you for doing this and for appreciating the fic! I’m very grateful.

Thank you yeolimerent for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us in spirit of the episode and my dear Jie voicing over as yeolimerent, thank you for doing this with me on a weekday.

Dear listener, the link to the author’s ao3 and twitter profile will be given below in the notes section. And with that we have come to the end of today’s episode.

Do keep a lookout for next month’s episode because we will be going through Chasing Summer Skies by rainepaige08.

New episodes either every 13th of the month or 12th and 14th, special kaisoo dates, of course.

To reach me, i am kaisooficdrunk on twitter and if you want you can drop me questions on my curious cat you can do so with the same username. There will also be another link that brings you to my tumblr blog with the transcription for today’s episode. There you can also find the other scripts for other episodes as well.

Thank you for listening, have a good day, dear kaisooist, and we look forward to next month’s episode. Stay tuned.

#kaisooficpodcast #kaisoo

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supernovaslut · 2 years ago

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Chapter 2: No Longer Strangers

Din Djarin x OC

Word Count: 8.6k

Warnings: MDNI, canon typical violence, cursing, angst, hurt/comfort, minor character death, injuries, protective!Mando, protective!Astra, Toro Calican is a creep

Previous Chapter ~ Masterlist ~ Next Chapter

The Razor Crest zoomed through space, weaving away from the blaster fire from a bounty hunter trying to get the Child. Astra sat next to Mando, strapped in and looking back every once in a while to make sure the kid was okay.

It had been a few weeks since Astra and Mando decided to work together. They’d left Sorgan a few days ago to Mando’s chagrin and Astra’s delight. They had gone to hide, but when they helped some people reclaim their village, a bounty hunter found them. Astra killed him when she’d found him lurking in the woods aiming to shoot Mando and they decided to leave.

As peaceful as it was, Astra knew they wouldn’t be able to stay there. She knew how resilient the Empire was, like kriffing cockroaches. If they wanted her or the kid, they wouldn’t stop until they had them.

Luckily for her, they’d only run into bounty hunters looking for the Child. Honestly, Astra felt guilty about it. The Child was innocent. Astra was not. Not that Mando knew that, which added to Astra’s guilt.

They’d been prickly with each other for the most part, but they had their moments. Just the other night, Astra had offered him the food she had made for herself and the kid. He accepted, hiding away in his room to eat. It was a step in the right direction, she thought, but then he was cold to her the next morning, passing her without a word and sitting silently in the cockpit for so long that Astra would’ve thought he’d fallen asleep if he wasn’t flipping a switch or checking a reading every once in a while.

The ship swerved, narrowly avoiding another blast as a voice came over the comms, “Hand over the child, Mando.” BAM! A blast hit the ship, knocking Astra to the side. She put an arm out to stop herself from fully flying out of her seat.

“I might let you live,” the bounty hunter added.

“Yeah, right,” Astra muttered as Grogu whimpered. She turned around to make sure he was okay.

“Ya know,” Astra started, turning to Mando, “Not to be a backseat driver, but I don’t think this is going well for us.”

“You think?” Mando asked sarcastically, spinning the ship in evasive maneuvers until one of the engines was hit.

“Hold on,” Mando suddenly said, and Astra didn’t take those words lightly, bracing for whatever the hell he was about to do. The ship spun around and around, making Astra dizzy as the ship was bombarded with shots, taking out the other engine.

“Come on,” Mando said to himself. “We’re gonna die,” Astra muttered, white knuckling the arms of her seat.

“I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold,” the hunter said.

Astra whipped her head to Mando, recognizing that as something Mando had said to her when she was his bounty. Mando ignored the man, pulling back the controls and letting him fly over the Crest, right in Mando’s line of fire. “That’s my line,” Mando said before shooting the hunter’s ship. The last thing Astra heard was the hunter’s scream as his ship blew up.

The ship was silent as it sputtered through space, one engine fully dead while the other barely functioned.

“Well,” Astra said after a moment, “That was exciting. What’d you think, kid?” The Child cheerfully babbled in response.

She turned to Mando, watching him flip switches frantically.

“Losing fuel,” Mando said just as the ship powered down.

“Need any help?” Astra asked, watching him stand.

“No,” he said curtly.

“Well, alright then.”

Mando did something behind her and the backup generator came on, the red lights of the cockpit illuminating Astra’s face. Mando sat back down and flipped a few more switches until the ship came back to life and they shot off towards the nearest planet.

“Where are we headed?” Astra asked. Mando flipped the radio switch and it crackled to life as a man’s voice came over the comms, “This is Mos Eisley Tower. We are tracking you. Head for bay three-five, over.”

“Copy that. Locked in for three-five,” Mando replied.

“Oh, so you’ll reply to him, but not me. I see how it is,” Astra huffed, crossing her arms.

“We’re gonna need to get the ship fixed up. I’ll take a job while we’re there to pay for it. You stay with the kid,” Mando said.

“I’m sorry? You’re prickly with me all day and now you want me to play babysitter?” Astra asked, incredulously, “No, not again. I’m going with you this time. You’re not leaving me with the kid like you did on Sorgan.”

“Someone’s gotta watch him,” Mando rebuked.

“Then you stay,” Astra smiled, cocking her head to the side.

Mando was silent.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Astra nodded, “We can leave him in your room or whatever else you did before I got here.”

Mando sighed as he landed the ship. He stood and walked off, taking the kid, who’d somehow fallen asleep, and closed him inside a hidden panel in the wall.

“You sure he’s safe there?” Astra asked.

“If you’re coming, keep quiet and do what I say,” was all Mando replied, opening the ship’s door.

Astra followed Mando as he stepped down the ramp, shooting at the droids that started to scurry towards his ship.

“Hey!” Peli Motto yelled, coming towards the pair, “You damage one of my droids, you pay for it!”

“Just keep them away from my ship,” Mando ordered. Astra rolled her eyes. She was annoyed at how bossy he could be. She was far more capable than he could ever know.

“Yeah, you think that’s a good idea, do ya?” Peli asked, stepping up close to Mando and eyeing him up and down before looking behind him to Astra, giving her a once over as well.

“Let’s look at your ship,” she said, walking up to the side of the Crest and banging on it in a few different spots. She then listed all the many things wrong with the ship.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were in a shootout,” she said, looking back at the pair, saying nothing yet everything.

“Special tool for that one. I am gonna have to rotate that. You got a fuel leak. Look at that, this is a mess. How did you even land? That's gonna set you back,” Peli continued, approaching them again.

“I’ve got 500 Imperial credits,” Mando said. Astra couldn’t contribute since Mando had kidnapped her with nothing but her satchel.

“That’s all you got? Well, what do you guys think?” Peli asked, turning to the droids. They chattered a bit, some nodding and some shaking their heads.

“I’ll get you your money,” Mando promised.

“Hmm. I’ve heard that before,” she said doubtfully, taking the 500 credits.

“Just remember,” Mando started.

“Yeah, no droids. I heard ya. You don’t have to say it twice,” Peli said, waving them off.

Astra followed Mando out, her hand protectively reaching for her satchel as they left the hangar and made it out into the town. Mando seemed to know exactly where he was headed, and all Astra could do was try to keep up.

“So, what’s the thing with the droids?” Astra asked, trying to spark conversation. Mando ignored her. She was coming to realize there were a lot of things Mando didn’t want to discuss. He looked her way, which excited her for a moment, until she realized what he was looking at.

Rows of bloodied Stormtrooper helmets. Astra shuddered, visions of cold hallways, marching feet, a breath, deep and modulated, surrounding her.

“Hey,” Mando called. Astra looked ahead to where he’d stopped to wait for her. She hadn’t even realized she’d stopped walking. “Coming, Shiny,” she called, catching up to him. Mando watched her, her arms stiff and eyes slightly dazed. He had so many questions floating around about her, as she did him.

He didn’t know what to think of her. He’d thought she’d become a nuisance or maybe bolt at the first chance, but she’d chosen to stay. She could have been dropped off on any planet to hide, but she chose to join him, and he had accepted! That was what confused him the most. He wasn’t sure if he trusted her, but then she’d saved him on Sorgan, shooting that bounty hunter aimed for him.

There was something off about her, though. The blaster shot looked wider, cleaner than normal, even for close range. Mando knew he had to keep his guard up, but something about her kept whittling it down.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

Mando and Astra arrived at the Cantina, stepping into the dimly lit bar full of a variety of species chatting and drinking away.

“Stay here,” Mando said to Astra, walking up the bar. Astra followed him anyway.

“Hey, droid, I'm a hunter. I'm lookin’ for some work,” Mando said to the bartender droid.

“Unfortunately, the Bounty Guild no longer operates from Tatooine,” it replied.

“I'm not looking for Guild work,” Mando said, leaning closer and lowering his voice a touch.

“I am afraid that does not improve your situation, at least by my calculation,” the droid responded loudly.

Think again, tin can,” a voice said from behind them.

Mando and Astra turned around to see a man sitting at a booth.

“If you're looking for work, have a seat, my friends. Name's Toro, Toro Calican,” Toro said. Astra noticed an air of narcissism about him.

“Come on, relax,” Toro continued, gesturing to the booth for them to sit. Mando and Astra looked at each other. She couldn’t see his reaction, but she hoped her wary look said enough. They sat, Mando ensuring Astra went in first as he stood halfway off the chair, like he was ready to go at a moment’s notice. Toro looked between them, his eyes lingering on Astra longer than she felt comfortable with.

“Picked up this Bounty Puck before I left the Mid Rim,” Toro said, turning on the fob which showed a woman with braided black hair.

“Fennec Shand, an Assassin,” he explained, “Heard she's been on the run ever since the New Republic put all her employers in lockdown.”

“I know the name,” Mando said. Astra thought it was familiar, too. Perhaps something she’d overheard from before. She did a lot more listening than talking back then.

“I followed this tracking fob here,” Toro continued, a map appearing on the hologram, “Now the positional data suggests she's headed out beyond the Dune Sea. Should be an easy job.” Toro looked between the two with a confident smile.

“Well, good luck with that,” Mando said, standing. Astra slid out of the booth, grateful that Mando had turned the man down.

They made it to the door when Toro called out, “Wait, wait, wait, hey. I thought you needed work?”

Mando stopped, to Astra’s chagrin.

“How long you been with the Guild?” he asked Toro.

“Long enough,” Toro said suspiciously. The more the man talked, the less Astra trusted him.

“Clearly not,” Mando refuted, “Fennec Shand is an elite mercenary. She made her name killing for all the top crime syndicates, including the Hutts. If you go after her, you won't make it past sunrise.”

There, Astra thought, now that was the end of it.

“This is my first job,” Toro pleaded, “You can keep the money, all of it. I just need this job to get into the Guild. I can't do it alone.”

Astra and Mando looked at each other again. Astra shook her head, not liking the way Toro stared at her.

Mando turned back to Toro, saying, “Meet me at Hangar three-five in half an hour. Bring three speeder bikes and give me the tracking fob.”

Toro smashed the fob against the wall. Yet another red flag, Astra thought.

“Don't worry, got it all memorized,” Toro said, smiling.

“Half an hour,” Mando repeated and left, Astra already halfway out the door.

“Looks like you're stuck with me now, partners,” she heard Toro call from inside.

Mando walked past her, heading back to the hangar.

“Hey!” Astra called, catching up with him, “I don’t trust that guy.”

“Neither do I,” Mando agreed.

“Then why the hell are we working with him?” Astra asked, baffled.

“Because we need the credits to fix the ship,” Mando said simply.

“Ok, but him? There’s something off about him,” Astra said, trying to get through to Mando.

“You’re welcome to stay on the ship with the kid,” Mando offered.

Astra scoffed, shaking her head, “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Well, tragically for you, I’m not going anywhere. You’ll need someone to cover your ass again, anyway.” Astra smiled mockingly.

“Should’ve dropped you off at the nearest planet,” Mando muttered.

Astra gasped sarcastically, “Rude. Admit it, you need me!”

“I need you?!” Mando asked incredulously, stopping outside the hangar door, “If I hadn’t found you, another bounty hunter would have already turned you in. You weren’t very hard to catch.”

Astra gaped at him, offended. She shook her head and took a deep breath, saying, “Look. We need to work together and to do that we have to trust each other. I have no problem putting my faith in you since I am literally here right now instead of anywhere else, but you’ve been a brick wall since we got here! What’s your problem?” Mando crossed his arms, tilting his head as he looked at her for a long moment.

“How’d you kill the bounty hunter on Sorgan?” Mando asked.

Astra froze, an anxious look in her eyes, “I told you. Shot them with my blaster.”

“Astra,” Mando warned.

“You should check on the kid,” Astra said quickly, avoiding his gaze, “I’ll wait here for Toro.” Mando stared at her for a long moment before entering the hangar, leaving her alone.

Astra didn’t have to wait long before Toro walked over, guiding two speeders with him.

“Hey there,” Toro said, approaching Astra, “Didn’t get your name back at the cantina.” He smiled at her, stepping close.

“No, you didn’t,” Astra said, tilting her head and giving a curt smile, “We said three speeders.”

Toro looked back like he’d only just realized he brought two as Mando and Peli walked out, the latter carrying the Child.

“You know, it’s costing me a lot of money to keep these droids even powered up,” Astra heard Peli say, catching the back end of their conversation.

Mando noticed Astra and Toro, who gestured to the speeders and said, “Hey, Mando, what do you think? Not too shabby, huh?”

“I said three,” Mando said, looking between Toro and an uncomfortable Astra.

“Oh, I could only get two. Don’t worry,” he said, turning to Astra, “We can share.” He tapped the speeder seat, eyeing her.

“I’d rather die,” Astra scoffed, walking to the other speeder. She looked back at Mando expectantly. Mando didn’t know why that made him feel relieved.

He walked up the speeder, checking it out and noticing it wasn’t exactly in peak condition.

“What’d you expect?” Toro shrugged, “This ain’t Corellia.”

Mando sat on the speeder, leaving space behind him for Astra to sit. She settled herself in, unsure where to put her arms, but settled for placing them at his waist, gripping the edges of Mando’s Beskar chest plate.

“You good back there?” Mando said in a low tone, looking back at her.

Astra nodded, “Yeah. Is this okay?”

Mando hesitated, “You may want to hold on a bit more than that.”

Astra’s eyes widened, but Mando didn’t turn away from her until she wrapped her arms fully around him, leaning further into his back.

Just to keep from falling off, she told herself as they sped off, though she couldn’t deny the feeling that ran through her hands and down her body. It was hot and buzzing and wholly unfamiliar to Astra, igniting every part of her that touched Mando.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

The trio zoomed through the dunes for a while, Toro and Mando fighting to be ahead of the other, making the trip faster which Astra wasn’t going to complain about. Unlike Mando, she didn’t have a helmet to protect her face from the sand whipping at her cheeks. She pressed her face into Mando’s back, using him as a shield.

Mando could hardly concentrate on his driving. Everywhere that Astra touched sent a jolt through him. He wasn’t used to contact, and he knew it didn’t usually have him reacting this way. Yet another question about Astra added to the ever growing list. Mando held up a fist, signaling for Toro to stop.

The speeders slowed to a stop, Toro removing his bandana from his mouth to ask, “What’s going on?”

Mando pointed ahead, “Look. Up ahead.”

Astra stood on the bike a bit, looking over Mando’s shoulder to faintly see the two Banthas wandering the dunes. Toro got off his speeder and used his binocs to get a better look.

“Tusken Raiders,” he said, “I heard the locals talking about this filth.”

Astra scoffed to which only Mando heard. Makes sense, Astra thought, that Toro would see the Tuskens as the filth instead of the colonizers that stole their home.

“Tuskens think they’re the locals,” Mando replied, “Everyone else is just trespassing.”

“Whatever they call themselves,” Toro said, too engrossed in talking shit to notice the Tuskens that approached, “They better keep their distance.”

“Oh, really? Why don’t you tell them yourself?” Astra asked, sarcastically, following Mando off of the speeder.

Toro turned around, jumping when he noticed the two Tuskens.

His hand went to his blaster, but Mando held a hand up, saying, “Relax,” before signing to the Tuskens. What he was saying, Astra had know idea, but she knew it would be in their benefit.

“What are you doing?” Toro asked.

“Negotiating,” Mando said simply. Astra stood beside him, watching the interaction.

“What’s going on?” Toro asked after one of the Tuskens made a cutting motion at his neck which worried Astra as well.

“We need passage across their land,” Mando answered.

The Tuskens signed again.

“Let me see the binocs,” Mando said, holding a hand out to Toro.

“Why?” Toro asked. Mando just gave him a look and Toro handed them to Mando who handed them to the Tuskens.

“Hey! What?!” Toro protested, making Astra smile. She enjoyed Toro being upset. She truly did not like the man and would rather be anywhere else, but she wasn’t going to leave Mando alone with him.

Mando walked back to the speeder, Astra hopping in behind him as Toro complained, “Those were brand new!” “Tragic. Let’s go,” Astra said, holding onto Mando just in time before he sped off, leaving Toro to catch up.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

Mando stopped them again, the two speeders slowing. Mando hopped off before it’d even stopped, ducking behind a dune and looking over.

“Get down,” Mando ordered. Astra listened, following Mando’s lead. Toro fumbled before following suit.

“Alright, tell me what you see,” Mando said, asking Astra.

“Dewback. Looks like the rider’s still attached,” Toro said, turning to them, oblivious to Astra’s look of annoyance and the equivalent to one from Mando.

“Is that her? Is that the target?” Toro finished.

“I don’t know,” Mando said, turning back to the Dewback, “I’ll go. Astra, stay with Toro and cover me.”

He turned to Astra directly, making sure she was paying attention, “Stay down.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Astra said, giving him a mock salute as he ran down the hill.

She opened her satchel, pulling out her blaster. Toro watched from beside her, catching a peek of something cylindrical and metallic. Astra turned back to see Mando, keeping an eye on the surrounding area.

“So, how does a girl like you end up with a Mandalorian?” Toro asked Astra.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

“How’s it going, Shiny?” Astra called down to Mando as he approached the body.

“It’s a bounty hunter,” Mando called back, crouching.

“You don’t look like a bounty hunter. So, what is it?” Toro pressed.

“Do you ever shut up?” Astra groaned, watching Mando examine the body.

“I’ll shut up if you tell me why you’re traveling with him?” Toro asked, a dangerous look in his eye.

Astra sat up, glaring at him. Why does he want to know so bad? Astra thought.

Before she could speak, Mando yelled, “Get down!”

Astra turned, watching a blaster shot hit Mando, knocking him to the ground.

“Mando!” Astra yelled, standing and then ducking when another shot whizzed past her.

“Mando!” she yelled again, shooting haphazardly in the direction of the shot.

Mando crested over the hill, getting another shot to the shoulder which sent him tumbling down again. Astra yelped, reaching out as Mando righted himself and laid beside Astra.

“Are you okay?” Astra asked, her eyes frantically scanning him for injuries. Mando froze as she put a hand on his gloved one. Toro noticed, an eyebrow quirking as he watched the pair.

“Fine. It was a sniper bolt. Only an MK-modified rifle could make that shot,” Mando answered, turning to look out across the sands.

“How’d you not die?” Toro asked dumbly.

“Hit me in the Beskar,” Mando said, “and at that range, Beskar held up.”

“Wait, I don’t wear any Beskar,” Toro said.

“Nope,” Mando said, a hint of petty amusement in his tone which made Astra smirk.

“Well, so what do we do?” Toro asked.

“You see where that shot came from?” Mando asked Astra.

“Yeah, it came from that ridge,” Astra said, pointing.

“Okay, we’re gonna wait until dark,” Mando said

“Well, what if she escapes?” Toro asked him.

“She’s got the high ground,” Astra spoke up, “She’s gonna wait for us to make the first move. That’s what I would do.” Mando gave her a look, “Yeah. I’m gonna rest. Toro, you take first watch.” He slid down the dune, setting up by the speeders.

“Gonna keep me company?” Toro asked, winking at Astra.

“You’d like that, huh?” Astra said, sweetly. Toro nodded which prompted Astra to drop her smile and slide down the dune to join Mando.

“Maybe later?” Toro called.

Astra ignored him, sitting by Mando.

“This guy gives me the creeps,” Astra said lowly so only Toro couldn’t hear.

“Only have to deal with him a bit longer,” Mando replied, his tone equally low.

“There’s something … weird about him,” Astra said, “He kept asking about me and why I’m traveling with you.”

Mando cocked his head to the side, “You think he knows about your bounty, too?”

Astra shook her head, “He’s been annoying all day, trying to get me to talk to him. But, he seemed oddly interested in why I was even here. I don’t think he knows about the target on my back, because then he’d probably know about yours and the kid’s, too. I just think he’s trying to pull one over us … in some way.”

“We could shoot him and finish this ourselves,” Mando offered.

Astra laughed, “Stars, I’d love that, but he’ll be useful as bait later and I don’t want that to go to waste.”

Mando chuckled, watching Astra try to keep her laugh quiet.

“Ya know, I’m starting to think I made the right choice in letting you catch me,” Astra said.

“You let me catch you?” Mando asked in a mocking tone.

“Yeah,” Astra laughed again, “I did, and I think it was a great decision.”

“And why’s that?” Mando asked, looking into Astra’s eyes. She couldn’t see them, but she could feel his eyes on her, looking her over.

She bit her lip, staring at where she suspected his eyes were, “There was … a feeling about you. So far I haven’t been wrong about it.”

“You seem to have a lot of feelings about people,” Mando said, referring to her suspicion about Toro.

“Call it intuition, I guess,” Astra said, avoiding his gaze. She wasn’t lying, really, but how could she ever really explain it to him? What would he say? Astra would rather not find out. She liked not being alone anymore, and she knew the second he knew what she was, he’d leave her … or worse.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

It was dark out now and Astra had fallen asleep, her head resting on Mando’s shoulder.

“All right, suns are down,” Toro said, standing and walking over to Mando and Astra’s peacefully sleeping forms.

“Time to ride, guys. Come on, wake up,” Toro said, to no response. Not even a twitch from either one. Mando was wide awake, watching him from the secrecy of his helmet. Astra was wary of the man, but all Mando saw was an idiot. Mando didn’t think about how idiots could still be dangerous.

“Look at you. Asleep on the job, old man,” Toro smirked, pulling out his gun and aiming at Mando a few times like he was in a standoff.

“You done?” Mando asked, alerting Toro that he was awake.

“Yeah. I was just, uh, waking you guys up. Come on,” Toro said, feigning innocence. Mando turned his head carefully to Astra who was somehow still asleep. “Astra,” Mando said, gently nudging her side, “Wake up.”

“Hmm. Yes, sir,” Astra muttered in her sleep before waking suddenly, shaking her head as she sat up, “I wasn’t asleep.”

Mando chuckled, “Come on,” and reached out a hand to help Astra stand. She gladly took it and followed him to the bikes.

“Get on your bike,” he said to Toro,” Ride as fast as you can towards those rocks.”

“That’s your plan?” Toro scoffed, “She’ll snipe us right off the bikes.”

“Then be faster,” Astra snidely remarked. Toro narrowed his eyes at her.

Mando tossed something at Toro, “It’s a flash charge. We alternate shots, it'll blind any scope temporarily. Combine that with our speed and we got a chance.”

“A chance?” Toro and Astra both asked in shock.

“Hey, you wanted this. Get ready,” Mando said to Toro.

“Mando-” Astra started.

“It’ll work. Take this and shoot it when I tell you to,” Mando said, handing Astra a flash charge and peeling off.

The two bikes flew over the hill, slamming onto the sand before zooming through the dunes.

“Astra, now!” Mando called over the wind.

Astra sat up and reached over Mando’s shoulder, shooting a bright light towards where Fennec was hiding. Fennec shot back and Mando swerved out of the way. Astra kept steady by holding onto Mando’s shoulders, finding a better grip under the Beskar plate to his shoulder, nothing between them except Mando’s flight suit.

“Now!” Mando yelled louder to Toro. Toro shot the flash charge as Mando swerved from another shot. Astra wobbled, gasping as she held onto Mando tighter.

“You okay?” Mando asked, keeping his body rigid so Astra wouldn’t knock them both off of the speeder.

“I’m good,” Astra said.

Toro shot again, the light bouncing down the path. Before Astra or Mando could do anything about it, Fennec shot again, hitting their speeder dead on. They flew off the speeder, Mando thudding face first into the sand as Astra rolled across the dune, arms protecting her head until she slowed to a stop a ways away from Mando.

“Astra!” Mando called out to her, scrambling on the sand to reach her.

She groaned, barely picking her head up as she reached an arm out and shot another flash of light, letting Toro slip through. Before Mando could reach her, Fennec shot him square in the chest, knocking him back.

“Mando!” Astra screamed, crawling towards him. He laid motionless in the sand.

Astra reached him, examining the black blaster mark on his armor, noticing the shot didn’t go through. She gasped when Mando shot up suddenly, feeling his chest plate to come to the same conclusion Astra had only a moment before.

“Guess Beskar holds up at close range, too,” Astra joked.

“Guess so,” Mando said, looking at her, “Are you alright?”

Astra laughed, “You just got shot in the chest by a sniper bolt and you’re asking me if I’m alright?”

“You did fly off an exploding fast-moving speeder,” Mando added. “So did you,” Astra pointed out, smiling, “Are you alright?”

Mando paused, staring for a long moment at Astra’s mouth, quirked up in an amused smile. He followed her lips to their points, finding two dimples hidden in her smile, like a treasure map. Her smile betrayed her eyes, which showed concern as she raked them over Mando’s body, searching for any injury. They were each so engrossed in each other that they didn’t realize that the other was doing the same thing.

“I’m okay,” Mando finally said.

“Great. Let’s go keep Toro from kriffing this up,” Astra said, standing. She held a hand out for Mando who took it, though Astra wasn’t much help in lifting the heavily-armored man.

“Maker, that Beskar weighs a ton. I don’t know how you run around in that,” Astra huffed as they made their way to where Fennec and Toro were.

“You get used to it. Feels weird when it’s off,” Mando replied, shrugging.

“Well, since you never take it off, I’m sure you feel weightless without it. Like you could just fly, untethered to gravity as you float up into the stars,” Astra said, her hand trailing up into the sky imitating her imaginary flying Mando.

Mando shook his head and said in a humorous tone, “Yeah, something like that.”

Mando and Astra made it up the ridge, their movements hidden under the sounds of Fennec and Toro fighting. They came up behind them as Fennec caught Toro in an armbar hold.

“Nice distraction,” Mando said, aiming his gun for Fennec’s head.

Fennec sighed, letting go and holding her hands up in surrender. Toro got to his knees, moaning in pain as he held onto the arm Fennec had overextended.

“Yeah. Good work, partners,” Toro groaned from the ground.

“Cuff yourself,” Mando ordered, dropping the cuffs at Fennec’s feet.

“Why don’t you go find your blaster?” Mando suggested to Toro who nodded and walked off.

“A Mandalorian. It's been a long time since I've seen one of your kind. Ever been to Nevarro?” Fennec asked, trying to rile Mando up, “ I hear things didn't go so well there, but it looks like you got off easy.” Astra looked to Mando. She remembers him mentioning a fight in Nevarro to save the Child.

“You don't have to worry about gettin’ to Nevarro, or anywhere else, once we turn you in,” Toro said when he found his blaster, shaking the sand off of it, “You know, I really should thank you. You're my ticket into the Guild.”

“You're welcome,” Fennec deadpanned, being led down to the speeders by Mando.

“Uh-oh. Looks like two of us have to walk,” Fennec joked mockingly.

Mando pushed her down to sit on a rock, “Or we could drag you.”

“All right, so what is the plan?” Toro asked Mando as they and Astra stepped away from Fennec to talk out a plan.

“I need you to go find that Dewback we saw,” Mando said to him.

“And leave you here with my bounty and my ride? Yeah, I don't think so, Mando,” Toro scoffed, ignoring the fact that three of them still wouldn’t fit on one speeder.

Mando scanned the dunes, finding the Dewback’s heat signature with his helmet.

“Okay, Astra and I will go. Watch her, and don't let her get near the bike. She's no good to us dead,” Mando ordered, walking off.

“Wait?! You’re gonna leave him with the speeder and the bounty?” Astra asked, incredulously.

“Oh, you wanna spend time with me that badly?” Toro asked, winking at Astra.

She scoffed, turning and catching up with Mando. “Mando, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

He kept walking, ignoring her protests. Astra looked back at Toro and Fennec and huffed in annoyance before following Mando.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

“What’s up with you?” Astra asked after about 20 minutes of walking. They’d already made it out of Toro and Fennec’s sight, yet who knew how much longer it’d take to reach the Dewback.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Mando deflected.

Astra scoffed, “Yeah, right! You don’t trust me! I saved your ass on Sorgan and this is how you treat me. You go from being mostly bearable to colder than a Chistori. What is it?!”

Mando stopped, stepping close to Astra, “You want me to trust you. Fine. How did you kill the hunter on Sorgan?”

Astra swallowed, eyes narrowed in anger while her heart beat wildly in her chest from fear.

She shook her head, “Why does it matter?”

Mando came close enough to Astra’s face that she could see her reflection in the black slats, saying, “Because you’re hiding something, and until I find out what it is, I can’t really trust you, can I?”

“Oh, and like you’ve given me so much to trust, yeah?” Astra asked, sarcastically, getting equally in Mando’s face as he had to her, “I get there’s a lot of secrecy about you because of your Creed, but I know nothing about you. Maybe that’s why you’ve really been alone all this time. You push away anyone who wants to try to get to know you.”

“And what if I don’t want you to know me? Don’t forget that you asked to join me, not the other way around,” Mando said harshly.

Astra narrowed her eyebrows, taken aback by his tone.

She nodded, looking down, “Alright, Mando. Then, I guess you can figure this out yourself. I’m leaving.” She turned and started walking back to the village.

He went to follow her, but then looked back to the Dewback walking off. Mando looked between the retreating Dewback and Astra walking in the opposite direction.

“Dank Farrik,” Mando muttered, chasing after the Dewback. He planned to pick Astra up on the way back to town after he’d gotten Toro and Fennec. She wouldn’t be able to walk the whole way back.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

“Kriffing nerfherder. That’s it. I’m going back to Coruscant. Actually, they’ll probably find me there. I’ll have to hide somewhere else. Outer Rim? Well, wherever it is, it wouldn’t be far away enough from you, Mando!” Astra yelled, turning around to yell out into the empty sands, the suns coming up in the distance. She’d walked all night and frankly was starting to feel delirious. She didn’t realize how far they’d traveled.

As Astra debated with herself on whether to head back and hopefully meet them halfway or keep going, she heard the sound of a speeder. She turned, watching the speeder get closer and closer until it came to a stop a few feet away from her. Toro got off the bike, walking towards Astra.

“Toro? Where’s Mando and Fennec?” Astra asked, confused.

Toro looked back the way he came, “Oh, uh, his ride is a bit slower. Told me to go ahead and pick you up.”

Astra hesitated. That was unlike Mando. Despite their fight, she knew Mando wouldn’t have trusted Toro alone with her. That’s why he’d told Astra to go with him to get the Dewback. Astra took a step back as Toro took one closer.

“Toro, what did you do?” Astra asked, a hand on her satchel.

Toro cocked his head to the side, smiling, “I’m gonna be a legend.”

He jumped, launching himself on her before she could reach her weapons. They slammed to the ground, Toro on top of Astra as he tried to pin down her limbs. Astra screamed at him, banging on any part of his body she could land a hit while her other hand reached in her satchel and pulled out her lightsaber.

Before she could ignite it, Toro grabbed it, holding it out so she couldn’t use it on him. He pushed his arm into her neck, choking her as he reached for the saber, ripping it from her grasp.

She cried out in protest and, without even realizing what it was, Toro smacked the saber across Astra’s head, knocking her out. He stood over Astra and looked at the object he took from her. He smirked as he examined it.

“Oh, now that’s interesting,” he chuckled darkly.

He picked her up and put her on the speeder, zooming off back to the village.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

Mando had just gotten back to where he expected Toro and Fennec to be waiting for him. Instead, all he found was Fennec’s lifeless body crumpled on the sand, a blaster shot to the chest. He sighed and then froze. If Toro left with the speeder, he thought, he would’ve run into Astra. Mando booked it, jumping on the Dewback and making it go as fast as he could get it to go, which wasn’t very fast, but still better than walking. At this rate, he wouldn’t make it till sunsdown, but he had no choice.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

Astra groaned, her eyes slowly peeling open to see that she was back at Peli’s hangar, the suns high in the sky. She looked up, seeing her hands cuffed to one of the hydraulic poles of Mando’s ship door.

“Oh, look. She’s waking up,” Astra heard, turning her head to see Toro holding the kid with a blaster pointed at Peli.

“Toro. What the hell are you doing?” Astra asked, trying to shake the pounding out of her head. When she creased her eyebrows, she felt something stiff and flaky on her face. Blood from when he knocked her out with- Astra’s eyes widened in realization just as Toro raised the saber in the air.

“Looking for this?” he asked, smirking. Astra only looked on in horror.

“I know there was something weird about you,” Toro smiled, handing the kid to Peli, “Hold … this. And don’t try anything or I’ll have to kill you.”

He walked up to Astra, keeping Peli in front of his blaster just in case. He waved the lightsaber in front of Astra’s face.

“Ya know,” he started, “I thought your kind were all wiped out. Both by the Empire and the Jedis’ own foolishness.”

“I’m not a Jedi,” Astra said simply, her eyes following the saber.

“No, I didn’t think you were. You’re worse than that. Sith, they called ’em, yeah?” Toro smiled as Astra gulped.

“I’m not that either,” Astra said again, narrowing her eyes in anger at Toro.

“Oh, really? Then explain this.” Toro turned on the lightsaber, red plasma shooting out to its full length, humming with energy.

“I don’t have to explain anything to the likes of you,” Astra said defiantly. She looked over to the Child and Peli, who looked worriedly at Astra, not giving a Bantha’s ass about the implications of her owning a red lightsaber.

Toro held the saber out, the tip just inches from Astra’s neck as she raised her chin to avoid it. “Then we’ll just see how your Mandalorian feels about it, won’t we?”

Astra clenched her teeth, her face twitching in a mix of fear and anger. If Mando found out, Astra thought, she’d be doomed.

• •┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ⋆★⋆ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈• •

Mando finally arrived at the edge of the village as the suns disappeared over the horizon. He found Toro’s speeder parked outside of Peli’s hangar. He pulled out his blaster, carefully walking into the hangar, ready for anything.

As he stepped in, one of the droids zoomed past to hide with its friends in the control booth, startling him.

“Took you long enough, Mando,” Mando heard Toro’s voice.

He rounded a stack of crates to see Astra cuffed to his ship, a towel tied to her head as a gag. Mando thought the red hot anger coursing through him at the sight of the dried blood down the side of her face couldn’t be topped. Then Toro appeared, pushing Peli out with the gun as he held the Child in his arms.

Toro smiled, “Looks like I'm calling the shots now. Huh, partner?”

Mando didn’t answer, his calm stance betraying his pounding heart.

“Drop your blaster and raise ’em,” Toro ordered. Mando slowly followed his commands.

“Cuff him,” Toro said, pushing Peli with the gun. She grunted and walked over to Mando.

“You're a Guild traitor, Mando. And I'm willing to bet that this here is the target you helped escape and pretty little Astra is the runaway Imp they also wanted,” Toro smiled.

Mando cocked his head, looking at Astra. He never got any info when he’d gotten her tracking fob and he never asked because then he’d be expected to reveal things about himself in return.

“Oh? You didn’t know?” Toro asked, feigning surprise, “Astra here is full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Astra cursed him out, but it became unintelligible through the gag. She turned to Mando, eyebrows pulled together as she shook her head as if to say, don’t listen to him!

“And the best part is right here,” Toro said, lowering the gun to get the lightsaber out of Astra’s satchel that he’d stolen.

Mando took the chance to press the flash charge he had in his hand, stunning Toro who shot blindly in Mando’s direction. Mando snuck up from the side of the ship and Astra ducked as he shot at Toro, hitting him square in the chest. He spun and fell off to the other side of the ramp.

Mando and Peli ran over with Mando warning Peli to stay back just in case Toro was faking it. Peli pushed on anyway, finding the kid coming out from behind a crate.

“Is he okay?” Astra asked through her gag, unable to see. Peli picked him up as Mando turned to Astra.

“He’s shaken up, I’m sure, but he’s fine,” Peli called out to Astra before focusing on cheering the kid up. Mando walked to Astra when he was satisfied with the Child’s safety. He kneeled in front of her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking out the gag before moving to undo the cuffs.

“I’m fine. He- He found me walking back, knocked me out, and I woke up tied here,” Astra said, looking down. Astra’s arm dropped when Mando hit the release. He reached up to her temple. Astra winced when he rubbed his finger along it. He pulled his hand back, the will to kill Toro again rising through him.

“Shiny, really, I’m good,” Astra comforted, standing before Mando could reply. She walked down the ramp, towards Toro’s body.

Mando was watching her until Peli spoke up, walking up the ramp and handing him the Child.

“So … I take it you didn’t get paid?” she asked.

Mando pulled out a small satchel and dumped a bunch of thin gold bars into Peli’s outstretched hands.

“That cover me?”

“Yeah. Yes, this is gonna cover you,” Peli nodded gratefully.

Mando turned and walked up the ramp. Peli looked at Astra who gave her a wink and a short nod as if to say, your secret’s safe with me. Astra smiled gratefully and turned, following Mando into the ship, her satchel tucked safely to her side, all of its contents within.

Astra held onto the wall as they took off and then shot into hyperspace. Mando walked into the cargo hold from the cockpit, having set them on their path on autopilot.

“Let’s get that cleaned up,” he sighed, motioning her to follow him. They walked into his room. Astra hesitated at the door. She hadn’t been allowed in here. It was one of his rules. She entered, feeling oddly giddy about the fact that he’d invited her in, like another layer had been pulled back, further exposing the strange man to her.

Mando had her sit on the bed as he went to grab the medkit from the fresher. She wanted to tell him she could do it herself, but she didn’t want to risk him shutting himself off again.

Mando walked back into the room, setting the medkit down beside Astra. He opened the kit and took out bacta spray and a small towelette. Astra looked up at him as he grabbed the side of her face, angling it so he could see the cut at her hairline. He cleaned it with the towelette, silent as ever.

Astra didn’t know what to say. Mando didn’t know where to start. Astra knew they would need to talk. Toro told Mando she used to work for the Empire, there was no way Mando wouldn’t bring it up. She was just scared as to why he was being so caring and kind when he should be kicking her out of the airlock.

Mando grabbed the bacta spray, pushing Astra’s hair out of the way and spraying the cut. Astra’s face twitched in discomfort. She knew her head would be throbbing in the morning and there’d be a bruise for a while at the very least.

“There,” Mando said, putting the spray away and closing the medkit, “How’s that?”

Astra nodded, “Better … thank you.”

Mando nodded, “Good,” and then stepped in between her legs, reaching his hand out. He held her by the chin, pulling her face up to look him in the eye. He didn’t know how she always managed to find them, like she could see right through the helmet.

“I’m going to ask you a question … and you are going to tell me the truth. Understand?” Mando asked, his tone even, which only frightened Astra more.

She nodded. “Say it,” he ordered, tightening his grip.

“I understand,” Astra whispered shakily. She felt hot, but from fear or … something else, she didn’t know.

“How did you kill the bounty hunter on Sorgan?”

Astra screwed her eyes shut. She’d hoped he’d ask why Toro called her an ex-Imp. She could’ve dodged the truth a bit longer, but fate wouldn’t have it. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

“I used this.” She moved slowly, pulling her satchel to her lap and opening it, her eyes never leaving Mando’s. She pulled out the lightsaber, holding it out in the small space between them. He looked at it, then at her, then back at it, and at that moment he was grateful for the helmet. His mind raced through all of the millions of possibilities of what this meant: who she was and could possibly still be.

He took the lightsaber out of her hand, letting her chin go. He took a step back and Astra stood, hoping she could get him to understand.

Mando pulled out his blaster, aiming it at her, “Explain. Quick.”

Astra put her hands up in defense, her eyebrows knit together in disappointment.

“I,” she started, but couldn’t get the words out, “I … am not that person anymore.”

“What person?” Mando asked, cocking his head, “Why is there a bounty on you?”

“I’m like the kid … in a way,” she started, “I was taken by the Empire when I was a child because of it. They … raised me to be what they needed.”

“What did they need?” Mando asked slowly, fearing the answer.

Astra took a shaky breath, looking at the ground, “A murderer.” She looked back up, wishing she could see Mando’s face, understand what he’s feeling. All she had was the cold metal of his helmet, watching her dead on.

“They were a few of us, trained from the moment we were taken to be their hunters. They thought controlling us from a young age would make us more loyal, less … ourselves,” Astra explained, eyes hazy and far away.

“I’ve done horrible things, Mando,” she said, her eyes glued to the saber in his hands, “Things they made me do because if I didn’t, they—” She met his gaze and froze, the words freezing on her tongue.

Astra shook her head, willing the memories away, “But I left. First chance I got, I ran and ran and I haven’t stopped running for three years. The people who want the kid, who want me, they want to use us. They want to tear us apart until the only thing left inside is dark and twisted, just like them.”

Astra stood straighter, looking Mando dead on, “But I’m not the monster they made me anymore. I haven’t willfully used the force. I couldn’t if I tried. I killed the bounty hunter with that lightsaber because he was going to kill you and I couldn’t let that happen. But, if you want to get rid of me, I understand. I just ask that you don’t turn me in.”

Mando could only stare. He’d felt like the floor had glued his feet in place and the air had been sucked out of the room. In all honesty, he had no idea what he wanted to do. He was having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that the girl who’d saved his life and protected the Child had once been an Imperial bounty hunter.

“Why did you keep it?” he forced out. This question mattered. Why, if she wanted to leave that life behind, would she keep the weapon she killed with?

“I don’t know,” she frowned, “I tell myself it’s because I need it for protection or because I want to remember what I was so I wouldn’t be that again, but I don’t think I’m that righteous.”

She shook her head, “I can’t get rid of it. No matter how much I try, something is telling me to hold onto it. I think it’s because, deep down, I liked feeling powerful, and I don’t know if that’s just a part of me or if the Empire stuck their fingers down my throat and put the idea there themselves. Wouldn’t be the first time. But, I know I need it. For what, I don’t know, but I feel it. I just hope it’s for a good reason.”

Astra looked at Mando in anticipation. She didn’t know why she wanted to stay with him so badly. She’d managed running for this long on her own, but after a few weeks with Mando and the kid, she couldn’t imagine bartending on an Outer Rim planet, looking over her shoulder, and fending off drunk patrons.

With Mando, she could see the galaxy in a way she never had. Before, people would cower in fear at her arrival. Now, she could explore and learn other cultures, and she’d have Mando and the kid and suddenly, she had no idea how she’d spent all those years alone.

But that was all over now that Mando knew what Astra was. That’s why he was putting his blaster down … and handing her the lightsaber. Astra furrowed her brows at him.

“I was taken in by the Mandalorians after my parents were killed during the Clone Wars,” Mando said, taking Astra’s hand and placing the lightsaber in it, “I know what it is to be a child of war.” They stared at each other for a long moment, his hands still holding one of hers.

“We’ll be landing on Orillia for supplies. Get some rest.” Mando pulled away, leaving the room. He sat in the pilot seat, watching space zoom by.

He heard a shuffle behind him and then Astra appeared, sitting in the passenger seat. She crossed her legs on the chair, getting comfy.

“What?” she asked, noticing Mando’s look, “I’m not tired. Spent enough of the day asleep against my will. Thought I’d keep you company since the kid’s asleep. Is that alright?”

Mando nodded, Astra smiled, and they sat in comfortable silence, no longer strangers.

Taglist: @elinedjarin

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daxwritesstories · 2 years ago

Text

Dire: Chapter 8 - The Kill

Word Count: ~3.4K

Warnings: Cannibalism(mention), drug use, attempted rape, violence, murder, cults

Cyra couldn’t remember much of what happened after her talk with Ace. His question overtook her thoughts until she was meeting Phoenix outside the airport. The organization had provided a car and driver to bring both of them to the secret location of the party. The windows of the vehicle were all blacked out, ensuring that no one would see Cyra and Phoenix together.

She greeted the alpha as he got into the car. He seemed excited to be there, probably because of Cyra’s intriguing description of what the night would entail. Cyra tried her best to match his enthusiasm, as if one of their lives wasn’t about to end.

She was well aware of it now. It was either Phoenix or her, one of them wouldn’t come out of this night alive.

They chatted casually, as casual as it could get with Phoenix, until they arrived at the warehouse. Cyra had been to the building before for other parties she had attended. It was unassuming and was owned by a large company (which was owned by one of the organization’s members). It was also far away from any residential areas and as such would not raise suspicion. It appeared to just be a storage space for the company, nothing more.

It was the dead of night when they pulled up, not a soul was there, quite literally. Phoenix and Cyra exited the vehicle, quickly following the driver inside the building.

“You got my text about the codenames, right?” Cyra whispered as they approached the inner security door.

Phoenix nodded in response. Good. They didn’t need him questioning why no one was using their real names.

The driver knocked on the steel door and spoke into the microphone beside it. “Dragon and the Bad Apple have arrived.”

A beep sounded, announcing that the door was unlocked. The driver slid the door open and gestured to the pair to go inside. Once they were in, the door was quickly shut behind them.

An omega who was controlling the door greeted them, immediately recognizing Cyra. He asked if they had any coats or bags that they wanted to leave with security but they both refused. Cyra didn’t bring anything with her, not even a coat. The only thing she needed for that night was tucked away in the side of her dress.

Knowing the building well, Cyra offered to show Phoenix around the place. She showed him where to get drugs, where to get food, where the washrooms were, and the VIP section, which was blocked off, of course.

“Why aren’t you VIP?” Phoenix asked.

“I’m still new around here. And I’m not that rich,” Cyra explained.

“Must feel weird to not be the top dog for once,” Phoenix said with a laugh.

“I’m used to that, actually,” Cyra replied, unable to hide her annoyed tone.

The two of them walked around the party more and Cyra introduced Phoenix to some of the people she knew. They were all very friendly, raising absolutely no suspicion as to what the party was really for.

At one point they decided to go try one of the drugs that was available. Phoenix started going pretty hard right away but Cyra limited herself. She wanted to still be conscious enough to complete her end of the deal and be able to escape if things went south.

While Cyra was sitting on one of the couches, enjoying her high, someone approached her. They said that Bullhead wanted to speak with her alone in the VIP lounge. Figuring it was important, Cyra told Phoenix that she would be right back and left him to go find the Bullhead.

She was let into the VIP section and approached him with caution. She knew that in this section there were rules about where betas and omegas were allowed to sit and stand. Luckily, Bullhead told her to sit down next to him and his wife.

“Blank has everything prepared. Have you made your decision?” he asked.

“Yes,” Cyra lied. “How should I carry it out?”

“Many of our VIP guests here tonight are anthropophagists. They will deal with the remains. They will also do the killing if you’d like.” Bullhead explained.

“I’d rather not do it myself,” Cyra admitted.

“Do you not seek any personal revenge?” Bullhead asked.

Cyra breathed a heavy sigh, reconsidering it one final time. She felt like she wasn’t the one who deserved to have revenge. Phoenix had hurt so many other people far worse than he had hurt Cyra, especially Axel. It didn’t feel right for her to take it all for herself. Plus, she didn’t even think she had it in her to kill someone. Even if it was someone she hated.

“No, I don’t,” Cyra answered.

Bullhead nodded. “Very well. Bring him to us when you are ready. You may stay and watch if you desire.”

Cyra nodded, sick to her stomach at the thought. She turned around and exited the VIP lounge. She decided it was best to just get it over with, before she had any more time to think about it.

She made a b-line back to where she’d left her companion. She ran into him on the way there though, he’d obviously gone off without her. He really had no idea how dangerous this place was.

Phoenix was standing in front of a service omega who was crawling around on the floor. He had his fingers resting under her chin, probably about to use her.

“Cyra! Why don’t you join her on the floor? We’ll have some fun,” he said.

“No thanks.”

Phoenix tilted his head in confusion. “Excuse me? I thought I was acting as your alpha tonight.”

Cyra didn’t respond but still held eye contact with him.

“How dare you say no to me,” Phoenix said, stepping away from the service omega. She crawled away from them without a word, she was probably being paid to mind her own business.

Phoenix took a step closer to Cyra, looking almost enraged.

“I’m not a service omega. I’m a guest here too,” Cyra calmly explained.

“Since when do you get to decide what you are? Should I remind you that I’m above you? You listen to me like a good beta.”

Cyra rolled her eyes. He was so out of touch. Things weren’t like that anymore. She was surprised that he hadn’t adapted to the new age mindset yet, considering how desperately he clung to his youth.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” Phoenix demanded.

“I’m not trying to have an argument right now.”

“Then just do what I say.”

“We’ve been invited into the VIP section,” Cyra announced. She was doing her best to keep the conversation from escalating.

“We can go when I’m done with you,” Phoenix said.

“Phoenix, please.”

He didn’t listen to her. Instead, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in the direction of the washrooms.

Knowing she couldn’t fight him, Cyra looked around desperately for help. There was no one she knew within hearing range and the music was too loud to cause a scene.

Phoenix moved too fast for her to think of another plan and they were soon in the washroom. The deranged alpha locked the door behind them and pinned Cyra against the sink counter.

“You’re the one who needed me to come here with you. You at least owe me a good time while we’re here,” Phoenix said. There was a dark undertone to his voice now, the kind that signaled that whatever he was about to do was going to hurt.

“I already paid my debt at your house,” Cyra protested. She couldn’t do this again and she knew it’d be far worse than last time.

She wondered where Ace was. She hadn’t seen him since they’d arrived at the party. He did say that he’d be avoiding them, but Cyra thought she’d at least get a glance at him. Had he really been keeping such a far distance that he couldn’t watch over her? If he’d seen Phoenix dragging her around, he would have shown up to help by then. Right?

It dawned on Cyra that she was completely alone. Ace either didn’t know or didn’t care where she was. He was supposed to protect her. He should have been there by then. To save her.

There wasn’t even a knock at the door. They were invisible to the rest of the party. Cyra began to wonder if Ace would even notice that she was missing.

Phoenix lifted her dress and Cyra immediately grabbed his hands to stop him.

“You know what happens when you fight me, Cyra,” Phoenix threatened.

“Let’s just go back to the party,” Cyra pleaded.

Phoenix wrapped both his hands around her throat and squeezed. It was light enough that she could still breathe, but just barely. He leaned onto Cyra, causing her to lie completely back onto the counter. It was uncomfortable to bend her hips that way and Cyra squirmed to get away. Phoenix held her in place though, resting his forehead against hers.

“We’ll go back when I say we can.”

Cyra knew that her fear was showing in her eyes. It had to be the reason Phoenix was smiling. She couldn’t speak, not wanting to risk moving her airway.

“You’re going to give me what I want first.”

Just then, Cyra remembered her backup plan. Trying not to make any sudden movements, she slowly reached for the side of her dress and pulled down the zipper. Hearing this, Phoenix spoke again.

“That’s more like it,” he said.

When the zipper was far enough down, Cyra pulled the knife slightly upward. She carefully wrapped her fingers around the handle.

Phoenix loosened his grip on her throat and moved one of his hands to her mouth. His thumb guided her lips apart and he pulled her jaw down.

Knowing she only had one shot at this, Cyra willed herself to focus. She pushed any unnecessary thoughts out of her mind and visualized the movement she needed to make. Then, without even taking a breath, she pulled the knife out of her dress and drove it straight into the side of Phoenix’s stomach.

The alpha made a pained noise but only wavered slightly. He was still mostly holding her down with his weight.

“You little bitch,” he spat.

“Get off of me,” Cyra demanded before twisting the knife.

That seemed to do it. Phoenix yelled and stumbled backward. Cyra kept a tight grip on the knife and quickly pulled it out of his body. The alpha collapsed to the floor in pain, desperately holding his wound.

“How could you? After everything I’ve done for you!” Phoenix shouted.

Cyra felt every emotion at once. Anger, guilt, disgust, sorrow, fear. It all culminated on her face and she could only imagine what her expression looked like.

“I gave you everything when everyone else abandoned you! This is how you thank me for being there when no one else was? You’re such a selfish cunt!”

Phoenix’s screaming only made Cyra feel worse. What had she done? And to someone she used to call a friend. He was right. How could she?

“I’m sorry,” was all she could say.

“You can’t just apologize after fucking stabbing me!” Phoenix sounded panicked and almost scared. Cyra had never seen him like that before, in all the years she’d known him.

She just stared down at him in horror, not knowing what to do.

“Do you want me to fucking die? Help me! Now!”

Cyra looked at the door. She considered just leaving him there for someone else to find. She thought about bringing him to safety. Ace’s words echoed in her mind. If she saved Phoenix, she would die. But if she didn’t, he would die because of her. Because of something she did directly.

Knowing that she had to make a decision fast, Cyra looked back down at the bleeding man in front of her. She knelt down and slid the knife across the floor so it was in a locked stall, out of reach. Then she held out her hand to Phoenix.

“Come with me. I’ll take you to someone who can help you,” she said.

Phoenix grabbed her hand and she led him out of the washroom. They weaved through the crowd of guests, none of whom seemed at all surprised or worried.

Cyra led the stumbling man all the way to the back of the building until they reached the VIP section. The person at the gate let them in immediately and Cyra saw a few people’s faces light up when they saw Phoenix.

Knowing what she had to do, Cyra gently placed her hand on Phoenix's back. “I’m sorry, I had to,” she whispered before pushing him as hard as she could to the floor. She ran before he even had the chance to look back.

She knew those sick people would be on him right away, but she didn’t dare glance behind her. Maybe she was just as sick as them now. She couldn’t see how she was any different from them.

Her breathing became frantic as she pushed her way through the hoard of people filling the building. She looked around everywhere, trying to find the only person she wanted to see at that moment.

Ace was in the middle of a conversation with a couple people when Cyra suddenly ran up to him out of nowhere and grabbed his arm.

“This is bad. This is bad. This is so fucking bad!” Cyra rambled.

Ace gave the people he was talking to a look and they walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

“What happened, Cyra?”

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t have a choice! I didn’t want to!”

Ace grabbed Cyra’s shoulders and bent down to look her in the eye. “What happened, Cyra?” he repeated.

“I fucking stabbed him and now he’s gonna die because of me! He’s gonna be eaten alive by those people over there!” Cyra pointed towards the VIP section.

After glancing in the direction she was pointing, Ace sighed, almost in relief, and grabbed Cyra’s hand.

“We’re leaving,” he announced. “There’s a driver waiting for us outside.”

Ace led Cyra outside to where the driver that Bullhead had arranged for them was waiting. The driver was instructed to wait in an alley behind the warehouse for the duration of the party until the pair were ready to leave.

After telling the driver to close the partition Ace pushed Cyra into the backseat and climbed in after her.

The starlet sat there hyperventilating and squeezing her head between her hands. It was a pathetic sight. One would think Cyra would be able to handle something like this. Maybe she wasn’t so tough after all.

Ace just stared at her for a while, feeling a lot of different emotions. Disappointment, relief, disgust, excitement, worry. That last one was the worst. Ace had never been one to worry too much about other people but ever since he mated with Cyra he found himself worrying about her more and more.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw you have a panic attack,” he said.

Cyra took a sharp breath in and dipped her head between her knees.

“I try not to have them around you.” Her words were muffled by the cushioned seat. She made a pained noise and shook her head. Then, Ace heard the soft sounds of crying.

Not this stupid bitch crying, Ace thought. She’s such a worthless, helpless… she… she needs help. Ace was glad Cyra had her head down, otherwise she would have seen the shock on his face when his thoughts shifted beyond his control. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to help her but he knew that she needed his help.

Feeling somewhat responsible for what happened tonight, Ace gently placed his hand on Cyra’s head, petting her hair.

Cyra immediately stopped crying. She slowly tilted her head to look at Ace. When they made eye-contact, the worst possible thing happened.

Ace was filled with a sudden sense of dread and panic. Knowing that Cyra was causing it, Ace focused on keeping himself collected while he thought of how to fix it. He was not getting a second hand panic attack from this bitch.

He knew what the solution was. He had to make her feel better.

“You did so good tonight,” Ace said.

Cyra gasped and stopped crying for a moment. “I did?” She broke down again as soon as the question left her mouth.

“Yes, you did exactly what I asked you to,” Ace replied. “You made the correct decision.”

Cyra, the crazy bitch, started laughing hysterically between sobs. It seemed she couldn’t decide if she was overjoyed or horrified. Since Ace could already feel her emotions a bit, he understood how conflicted she felt. It was like a pendulum of emotions, switching rapidly between the best and worst feelings one could experience. It felt awful.

Knowing that things could get bad fast, Ace rolled down the partition and told the driver to speed up. He seemed unphased by Cyra’s obnoxiously loud panic attack. Lucky.

Ace tried praising Cyra a few more times during the drive but it only seemed to make things worse.

He was thankful when they finally arrived back at the hotel, but he soon realized that being there wasn’t much better. Cyra’s panic attack didn’t cease. She kept hyperventilating and began muttering incomprehensible things to herself.

What was worse, the more Ace had to listen to her, the more he could feel her panic creeping into his own body. It set his nerves on fire and caused him to become restless. He knew there was no way either of them would be able to sleep when they were this close together. They had to get back to his home in LA.

In an attempt to get a moment of clarity, Ace locked himself in the bathroom and called for a private jet to pick them up.

Soon they were being flown back to LA. When the pilot asked why Cyra was screaming, Ace told him to mind his own business. Thankfully Cyra had panic attacks fairly often, or so he’d been told, so it wasn’t out of her character to be freaking out for no reason. They didn’t want to raise any suspicion.

Ace arranged for a driver to already be at the airport when they landed, so they got home quickly. By then it had only been about two hours since they left the party. Cyra was still panicking when they got inside the mansion and Ace began to wonder how long this would last.

“You should try to sleep,” Ace said.

“Can I sleep with you?” Cyra pleaded.

“No. You’re stressing me out.”

“But I can’t be alone!”

“You have to be until you calm down,” Ace told her. “Just watch TV or something.” Suddenly, Ace remembered that Cyra still had her phone on her. Knowing that could be bad news, he grabbed her arm and yanked her closer to him. He searched her pockets until he located her phone, then took it from her.

“Wha–”

“No internet for a few days, okay?”

“But I need to call Prince,” Cyra argued, wriggling out of Ace’s grip. She started hyperventilating again and reached out to take her phone back.

Ace held the phone out of her reach and rolled his eyes at her stupidity. As if he was going to let her contact anyone when she was in such an unpredictable state.

“Why are you doing this to me? I just fucking killed someone at least let me have my phone! I thought I did good!”

“You did but you need to calm down before I can let you talk to anyone,” Ace explained, although he knew Cyra couldn’t be reasoned with at the moment. He calmly put her phone in his pocket, trying to keep his composure as the other beta’s thoughts attempted to poison his brain.

Cyra opened her mouth to argue again but Ace grabbed her arm again and harshly pulled her to one of the guest bedrooms, one that had a washroom. He threw her into the room, kicking and screaming, and locked the door.

Ace sighed in relief. He could finally get away from her for a while. He didn’t give a fuck what she did in there, he just wanted to get some sleep. Feeling Cyra’s negative emotions was so draining, he didn’t know how the starlet did it all the time.

[A/N]: "Been a while since you dressed for the kill, the kill that sent me tumbling"

Well there are only two chapters left and they're both gonna be pretty long. This chapter was the hardest to write because of reasons. I wanted to make it more dramatic but I don't think that Phoenix deserves a cool death scene.......

#dire #omegaverse #non fandom #creative writing #original characters #Cyra's world #alpha beta omega

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friendsofabracadaver · 2 years ago

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A friendly reminder to all able-bodied individuals: Please do not park in a handicapped space. Even if it's for "Just a minute". In that minute someone who actually needs the spot could come along. Today, I got some petty revenge on someone who decided their time and/or energy was worth more than a disabled persons'.

What's massively frustrating for me is that I won't always need a mobility aide, and that there are people out there who live their whole lives dealing with people like that. So please, don't be a dick.

#disability #PSA #i had surgery #and am using a walker full time until I'm recovered #I don't mean to speak for those with full time disabilities #but i'm so fucking frustrated #every time an able bodied person #acts like they're MORE #on any other day i might've let it go #but nope #gal parked right in the only handicapped spot in front of the pizza place i needed to get to #luckily there was a space right next to her drivers' side #problem is #i need A LOT of room to get out of my car #i almost have to open my door all the way #to get my walker out #so I parked as close as humanly possible to ehr #i'm talking inches between our cars #she's outside her car putting her pizza in or whatever #i get out #slam my walker on the ground #(may regret that decision later)#stand up (that ain't easy either)#turn around #look her right in the eye #and say #I'm sorry did I get a little CLOSE?#I thought she was going to have to wait for me tbh #i hope she thinks twice before parking in a handicapped spot again #maybe she'll think of me?

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kpop-hive · 3 years ago

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A Scene From the 80s

BFF!Mark x BFF!Haechan x BFF!Reader

Warnings ⚠️: Sexual Tension, Heavy Makeouts, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism?, Oral (Male Receiving), Fingering, Car Sex, Drunk Sex, Body Worship, Dirty Talk

“Come on, drive faster Mark, I don’t wanna miss the movie!” You exclaimed from behind him. “Calm down, I’m going the speed limit, besides, it was your fault that we are running late.” Mark shot back. “How is it my fucking fault!?” “Well, we would’ve already been there if you weren’t all like ‘Wait, Mark pull over I need a slushee to put my liquor in.’” Haechan mocked. “I didn’t know there was gonna be a line, and besides alcohol taste better when it’s in a frozen slurpee.” You defended. “Why can’t you just drink it straight like a normal person instead of being so prissy?” Mark questioned. “I like what I like, nothing prissy about it.” You commented. “Just like how you liked when you sucked off Jaemin last week after class?” Haechan teased.

You then shoved Haechan in the back seat before a playfight began to erupt between the two of you. Mark took a sharp right turn, and it caused you and Haechan to break up the fight when Haechan fell to the backseat floor and your head hit the side of the car. “Now both of you shut the fuck up and put your seatbelts on!” Mark yelled while looking at the both of you in the rear view mirror. “Yes daddy.” Haechan joked before taking a sip of his beer making you laugh.

“A seatbelt is pointless we’ll be there in like two minutes.” Haechan spoke. “But, say in those two minutes someone comes speeding down crashing into us, and Mark and I are secure, and you die from head trauma?” You stated. “Yeah, but what if we were like that car in Monster House were the house picks us up with her tree arm, and tries to eat us, it would best for us to not have them on so we could escape.” He replied. “Haechan, none of the shit you say is possible or valid, just put the seatbelt on.” Mark said. “Fine, but only because I wouldn’t want you guys to cry over my death.” He joked. “Trust me it’ll be tears of joy.” Mark said sarcastically, causing Haechan to slap his arm. As Haechan finally put his seatbelt You realized that we were already at the theater.

“We’re here!” You exclaimed. “Fucking assholes.” Haechan muttered as he undid his seatbelt. Mark pulled into the drive in theater looking for a spot to park, luckily, there was one right in the back corner where it was hard to see and no one to disturb you. Mark paid the guy for the three tickets and took the parking spot.

“Awesome we made it, I’m gonna go get some popcorn.” You stated before opening the car door. “No need. I’ve got everything right here.” Mark said before opening the glove compartment and pulling out two bags of pre-popped popcorn, three boxes of movie theater candy, a six pack of sprite, and the rest of the of the beer and vodka from the floor.

“Oh, so that’s why you said that you could pay for all of us this time? Cheapskate.” You giggled. “Honestly, Markie, I’m proud that you finally did something illegal, but this is just corny.” Haechan stated. “Okay, well do you two want to pay me back for paying for the tickets this time?” Mark questioned making you and Haechan shake your heads frantically. “Didn’t think so.” Mark smirked before grabbing a bottle of sprite and a bottle of vodka before mixing the two in his travel cup.

“So what movie is this?” Haechan asked you. “It’s called ‘The Outsiders’ it was a really popular movie from the 80s.” You replied. The opening scene began to play, and you quickly pulled out your blanket to wrap yourself up in. “Mark, come back here, don’t be up front alone.” Haechan spoke. “I’m good, you guys can have some space.” Mark replied. “Mark, please, we need our third musketeer together with us.” You whined. “Alright, Alright, (Y/n) scoot over.” Mark said, before you moved to the middle, closer to Haechan. Mark retracted himself from the driver’s side to the right backseat to sit next to you. He grabbed the rest of the snacks and drinks and sat comfortably in the seat. It felt nice to feel both of your best friends next to you, their warmth was soothing.

The movie began to start and everyone was in their own world. Haechan began to drink away, you knew he would probably be wasted within the next twenty minutes, and Mark began to focus on the movie with you, only drinking his Sprite and vodka mix occasionally like a normal person. You however were only focused on the movie, your popcorn, and your slurpee.

“I’m cold!” Haechan yelled, making Mark shush him automatically. You sighed before maneuvering your blanket and distributing it amongst the two boys, finally allowing some warmth between them. You thought that would make Haechan leave you alone and focus on the movie, but then he wrapped his cold hands against your waist which made you shiver. Mark’s eyes slowly shifted to you and Haechan’s position and moved closer to you. Due to the subtle fact that you had put alcohol in your slurpee, you were definitely feeling a little tipsy as well. Your eyes became heavy as you were feeling your drunken state take over you.

“This movie is actually pretty good, awesome pick (Y/n).” Mark commented. “Thanks Mark.” You giggled. “Hey, they’re in a drive in just like us!” Haechan pointed out. “Yep, this movie was based in the 50s and made in the 80s, drive ins were very popular in those times.” You replied. “So I guess that makes us vintage.” Haechan joked. “Yeah, it does.” Mark stated. “(Y/n), your really warm, like the perfect temperature.” Haechan stated. “Really? How so?” You asked. “I don’t know, it’s like a comfort warm, like you just feel really, really good.” Haechan’s voice dropped down into a slow monotone when he said that last word. As soon as you heard him, you instantly knew what that meant, he was drunk and when he gets drunk, he gets needy. You realized this pattern when you all went to a college party for the first time together, you all took turns every weekend to watch out for each other and observe how everyone’s drunk states were. With Haechan, you realized he was a horny drunk, someone who had become sexual in the state of drunkenness. In fact when this happened, you and Mark had to stop the girl he was making out with’s boyfriend from beating up Haechan, you knew you always had to watch him when drunk but now, you’re his chosen victim for the horny boy of the night.

“Haechan chill, we’re at the drive in.” Mark stated. “So what? It’s not like anyone can hear, besides, I’ve always wanted to get some action at the drive in.” Haechan smirked. “Yes they can, the windows are rolled down for us to hear the movie.” Mark explained. “Well we can roll them up because I still want some action in the drive in.” On sober nights that comment would make your eyes widen, but since you were one step away from being drunk, you knew that this wasn’t something that surprised you. In fact, you were starting to fantasize the same thing that Haechan was feeling, some risk would be a nice way to make the night memorable, so you decided to play along.

“Haechannie, your hands feel really good.” You whined. “Oh really?” He questioned as you nodded. His cold hands did in fact feel good against your warm skin. “Yeah, I just wish that I could feel them somewhere else.” You replied biting your lip. “Are you guys really gonna do this right here, right now?” Mark scoffed. “Are you jealous Mark?” Haechan teased. “No, I just don’t think it’s appropriate.” Mark replied. “Okay, well you can sit there and sulk, and Haechan and I are gonna have some fun, you’re welcome to join if you want.” You smirked before leaning in to kiss Haechan’s lips.

His lips tasted like alcohol and candy, an intense combination. You whined at his taste, his hands began to feel you up, roaming your body in the ultimate way. You pulled away and groaned when Haechan’s cold hands groped your sensitive breasts, kneading them expertly. Mark looked to where his hands where and immediately bit his lip, he loved boobs, they were such a turn on to him, as soon as he saw Haechan’s hands he instantly thought about wanting to see them, you looked at his expression and smirked. “Come on Markie, you always are monitoring us all the time, you can’t even drink because you have to drive us home after the movie, don’t you want to have a little fun?” You teased. Mark was enticed, he always was the one that had to watch over you and Haechan, he could never fully express himself with the mess the both of you got into because he was always watching, never doing. Mark got up and crawled over the console to roll all the windows up, and without warning, Mark cupped your face and instantly kissed you.

You smiled into the kiss that he placed upon you, it felt sweet but also needy. You quickly pulled away when you felt Haechan pinch your nipple causing you to gasp. Mark stared you dead in the eye, and you knew what he wanted. You removed Haechan from your breasts, and pulled the crop top up over your exposing your breasts. Both boys groaned as they saw your chest and you could feel both of the bulges on both sides of your thighs. Mark licked his lips then looked at Haechan sparingly. “Go ahead Markie, I know you love tits, she’s yours.” Haechan said making you blush.

Mark cupped both of your breasts in his hands before leaning down to suck on your nipple. You whined as his mouth closed in on the nipple, your hands instantly reaching for his hair. He alternated between each breast and sucked hard on the buds, tugging them with his teeth. It was apparent that Mark loved boobs with how much he moaned into them, Haechan was right. You looked over your shoulder finding Haechan occupied with licking his fingers before he pushed them into your shorts and panties, rubbing your clit slowly.

“Oh god.” You moaned. The pleasure was taking a toll on you and you were ready to risk it all if it wasn’t for the string of cars lined around Mark’s, your humble instinct kicked and you were felt the need to stop. “Mark, Haechan, mmm what about the other cars?” You moaned. Mark tugged on your nipple and made you moan before looking up at you. “(Y/n), we’re in the far back of the theater in a corner, I promise no one can see us.” Mark smirked. “Yeah, and besides, I bet some people would rather watch our little movie over the one on the screen.” Haechan joked.

“God, these tits are perfect.” Mark groaned before kissing down the middle of your chest before sucking a hickey onto your left breast. “And she super wet too Mark.” Haechan replied. “Guys, it feels so good, please can we keep going?” You asked. “Fuck yeah.” Haechan muttered before removing his shirt. “Haechan, take off my shorts and panties please.” You whimpered. Haechan felt like he was in heaven and instantly removed your shorts and panties before you quickly shifted your legs to show your glistening core. Mark removed his mouth from your chest to see your body and he immediately shared the same expression as his friend across from you.

“(Y/n), you look so fucking hot.” Mark stated. You would be lying if you didn’t say that his tone didn’t turn you on, his Canadian accent made your arousal pour out even more, making you instantly close your legs. Mark and Haechan saw this action and locked eyes with each other before smirking. “Does Mark’s voice turn you on (Y/n)?” Haechan asked. You nodded instantly. Mark smirked before leaning into your ear, to whisper some not so appropriate words.

“Fuck, you look so good baby, you look so good for Haechan and I, even when you were dressed. I saw how you walked to the gas station earlier, making sure your hips sway so we could pay attention to your ass as you walked. Is that why you dressed like you did tonight? Was this your plan, to fuck us in the backseat? Is that why you’ve been wanting to hang out with us so much this week? We’re you that horny?” You didn’t know what to say, so you just moaned. The way Mark could read you was absolutely insane. You did do all of this because you wanted to entice them, hanging out with them just to get them to fuck you, in your mind you were just on another one of your college whore adventures. Meanwhile as Mark whispered into one ear, Haechan whispered into the other, but his words were way more provocative.

“Such a pretty girl, you look so good, all naked in a car with two of your closest friends. Tell me, how bad did you want to fuck me (Y/n)? I know I fucked some of your friends, and I know they talk, did they tell you how good I was in bed, or were you just curious enough to want to find out yourself? Do want Mark and I’s cocks baby?” “Y-yes, please fuck me!” You whined. Haechan automatically plunged a finger into your tight hole, causing you to mewl. Your lewdness attracted the boys attention even more. Haechan added a second finger into you causing you to whimper out his name.

“Haechan!” You whined. Mark couldn’t just sit back and watch what Haechan did to you he needed some action as well. Mark quickly undid his pants and pulled out his cock. You moaned at the sight of it and automatically looked up at him. “Be good to Mark baby, suck his cock.” Haechan groaned, his fingers speeding up. You instantly moved your head down to Mark’s length before spitting on his head and using your hand to moisten his member, you quickly rubbed his length up and down before wrapping your mouth around his shaft.

“Fuck.” Mark swore. Your warm mouth felt good on his member as you bobbed your head up and down trying to catch up with Haechan’s pace of his fingers. “How’s her mouth Mark?” Haechan asked. “Better than I had imagined.” Mark threw his head back as his hands instantly reached for your hair. Haechan’s fingers never stopped thrusting into you as you sucked off Mark, you clenched down on his fingers as you heard Mark’s moan as you continued. His voice gave you an eargasm and made you way more enthusiastic to getting him off.

Your tongue explored Mark’s entire length, making sure your mouth explored every inch of him, his hand gripped your hair a little harder when you began to suck on his tip, keeping your hand on his length as it rubbed his shaft up and down. Mark was on the verge of releasing and you and him both knew it, without warning, Mark used his available hand to reach down and rub your clit automatically making you gasp and attach your mouth back on his shaft going up and down again.

“Fuck, she’s clenching hard Mark, I think she’s close.” Haechan groaned. Much to your dismay, Haechan also couldn’t wait hand and foot on you and Mark to finish. The entire thing was sending him a painful boner that he couldn’t keep in his pants. With Haechan’s other hand, he took out his painfully hard cock and began to stroke it slowly, not wanting to waste his orgasm on his hand, but rather inside you instead.

Mark slowly began to thrust up into your mouth, the same way you began to ride Haechan and Mark’s fingers. It took one harsh poke to you g-spot that finally sent you over the edge. “Fuck, I’m cumming!” You moaned as you removed your mouth from Mark’s length. You continued to pump him a few more times as Haechan and Mark rode out your high, you brought your head down to his tip one final time and the vibrations of your moans, as well as the swipe of your tongue sent Mark over the edge as well. “God, (Y/n).” Mark moaned. You instantly removed your mouth and eagerly let his cum spill onto your chest, coating your boobs artistically as he came down from his high. Once he finished, he automatically saw the cum stains on your boobs and his began to become rock hard again.

“Look, I know that’s Mark’s cum, but I just wanna say that you look stunning in it.” Haechan spoke, making Mark chuckle and shove him. Haechan removed his fingers from your hole and automatically moved them to his mouth, tasting your essence. “And you taste amazing too!? That’s it, I have to be inside you.” Haechan said before sliding his pants down. He instantly grabbed you by the waist and sat you on his thighs, your back was slightly uncomfortable as it laid on the back of the driver’s seat, but what could you do, you’re in a car in the backseat with two people. He positioned you above his shaft, and before you could sink down, Mark stopped the both of you.

“Wait!” Mark reached over into the console and pulled out two condoms before passing one to Haechan. “Protection is important.” He said. “There’s the parent Mark we know and love.” You joked. Haechan quickly opened the foil and rolled the condom on his shaft before picking up where he left off. You sat on his thighs before he lifted you up and finally sunk you down on his shaft.

“Fuck!” Your eyes rolled back due to the stretch that you were enduring. You instantly put your hands on Haechan’s shoulders while his remained on your waist, after you finally adjusted, you and Haechan got to work. You began to grind down on him slowly before lifting your body up and down riding him properly. Part of you wished you guys were on a bed or a couch because with the lack of space, you really didn’t want to bump your head or feel the driver’s seat material scraping lightly against your back, but nonetheless, you were getting dicked down.

“You’re so tight (Y/n).” Haechan groaned as you began to pick up the pace. Haechan’s eyes never looked anywhere else but to you, he stared at the way your bodies connected and your cum stained tits and he was mesmerized. His moans and groans he let out were also pleasing to the ears as you continued to fuck him. He loved the way his dick slid in and out of you and was happy that he got to explore this side of you. Mark on the other hand was completely mesmerized with you as well, his hands pumping his shaft and he watched your tits bounce up and down with his cum covering them. You felt both eyes on you and to admit it, it was a little intimidating, but all those thoughts were moved as soon as Haechan’s dick found your g-spot.

“Fuck, right there!” You moaned out. “That feel good?” Haechan groaned, making you nod. He pulled you down to him, kissing your lips as he slowly began to thrust into you. The windows were fogging up due to the amount of heat your bodies kept projecting. Your pussy began to clench down on Haechan’s cock as you could already feel your orgasm soon. Haechan noticed this, and wiped a line of Mark’s cum from your breasts and began to suck on one of your nipples since from the previous actions, he realized they were sensitive. His tongue lightly sucked on the bud coating it with his saliva before biting down on it roughly. This action was just enough to send you over the edge, your body shaking at the intense orgasm you were enduring. Haechan groaned against your breast as he finally came just moments after you. “Fuck that’s it.” He moaned. His cum shot up in the condom finally releasing before halting your movements to a complete stop, removing you off his lap, and taking off the condom, tying it up, and putting it in an empty sprite bottle.

“That was amazing.” You muttered. Haechan smiled before kissing you again, and slouching back in his seat. “Got room for one more?” Mark asked you. You turned your head to the side and saw him with a condom already on and instantly smiled before kissing his lips. “Of course, especially if it’s you.” Mark’s cock instantly twitched at those words, and set you into position. “Haechan, do you have room for another orgasm? I think (Y/n) should show you some of her insane mouth skills.” Mark said. “Fuck yeah.” Haechan replied. Mark put you on all fours with your arms resting on Haechan. He put one leg on the car floor, and the other on the seat.

“(Y/n), your ass is amazing.” Mark groaned before giving it a harsh smack before pushing his length in. Due to the stretch from Haechan it didn’t take long for you to adjust and Mark automatically started to thrust inside you. You looked up at Haechan before grabbing his shaft and started to suck on his tip as you moaned from the intense fucking Mark was giving you. “Ah, your mouth feels so good!” Haechan whined. You looked up at him with innocent eyes before giving him a wink causing him to throw his head back as his hands flew to your hair.

Mark continued to thrust into you making your eyes roll to the back of your head. His thrusts were on the more precise side than Haechan’s making sure that he can be strategic with both of your orgasms where as Haechan’s were chaotic trying to get you off as fast as possible. “Fuck, (Y/n) you’re so tight.” Mark moaned from behind. You moaned against Haechan who let out a slightly loud moan from the vibration. You continued to bob your head to the same pattern as Mark’s thrust which seemed to increase as time went on. The sounds of Mark’s moans made you clench down on him which made him proceed in fucking you harder. Soon enough he found your g-spot which made your body shiver.

Mark began to knead your ass in his hands as he felt his orgasm creeping up on him slowly. You noticed this action and began to fuck yourself back on him causing him to throw his head back at the action. Haechan was close as well since you could feel his cock twitching inside your mouth. You quickly removed your mouth from him and began to pump his cock in his hands as you stared up at him with pleading eyes. “Cum for me Haechannie.” You whined before placing your mouth on his tip, ready to accept whatever he has to offer.

“Fuck, (Y/n)!” Haechan moaned as he came in your mouth. Hot spurts of cum hit the back of your throat as you moaned at the taste. Mark was so into the sight in front of him, he began to start releasing into the condom. Loud groans and swear words erupted from his mouth as he rode out his orgasm, but he didn’t stop, he wanted to feel you release on him at least once. You took your mouth off of Haechan and placed your head on his thighs as Mark continued to thrust into you, slightly sending him into overstimulation, eager to make you cum one last time for the night. Your moans were enough to encouraging him even more.

“Come on baby, give Mark and I one more for the night.” Haechan teased as he toyed with your hair, and of course on cue, you released around Mark, making him moan as you clenched down on him, your liquids coating his dick. Once you finished, Mark removed himself from you, and properly disposed of the condom in the same empty bottle Haechan put his in. Once settled, Mark’s hand automatically rubbed your back, Mark and Haechan knew you were exhausted from the three orgasms that you had. Haechan repeated the same affection to you by placing a kiss to the top of your head.

“(Y/n), you were amazing.” Haechan complimented, making you smile. “Thanks, you were too, you as well Mark.” You replied. All of you began to giggle and the sudden realization hit you that you guys were still at the drive in. You all quickly put on your clothes, before hurrying up to sit in your normal positions like nothing happened. “Do you think anyone saw us?” You asked the boys, but they both shrugged. Soon enough, a worker from the theater knocked on the car door, making all three of you jump. “Oh shit.” Haechan muttered, making you blush. Let’s just say all three of you had a temporary ban from the theater due to “extreme horseplay.”

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btsmosphere · 3 years ago

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Breathe Again | KTH

~summary: everything in your world has changed. everything, that is, except the boy who still believes there are spirits in the forest. ~pairing: taehyung x reader ~word count: 16.6k ~my neighbour totoro au, artist!taehyung, fashion designer!reader, childhood friends to lovers, comfort, fluff, slight angst, slow burn, totoro just wants them to be together ~rating: pg13 ~warnings: mentions of burnout, mentions of a toxic work environment, a skipped meal, a tiny bit of blood, being outside in bad weather, heights?

~a/n: hi everyone, long time no see! welcome to my first fic since my hiatus!! this is for the ghibli collab which is being run by @birbdae💞 this one is for anyone who likes ghibli films, wants some comforting boyfriend vibes from tae or just vaguely chaotic totoro content💜this one turned kinda long, but I hope I’ve captured the ghibli vibes well! I would love to hear if you read this and what you think! come chat with me💖

Taking you over familiar roads, the bus bumped gently against uneven ground. But you didn’t so much as blink, cheek resting against the glass which rattled slightly in its pane.

You knew this place.

Something about returning down these roads stirred memories within you, though they tugged more at your body than your mind. The haze of smiles and childish laughter these streets made you recall felt alien to you.

But you knew that if you were to set your feet down in the earth here, they would be able to take you home even with your eyes closed. Your hands have memorised the shapes of the leaves in the forest and the wind would push your hair back like an old friend.

You knew this place, and it knew you.

That’s what you were afraid of.

It was as if a tape was being rewound: taking you whizzing back through the exact route you had ridden out of your hometown when you left so many years ago.

Who would remember you? More importantly, who would remember your goals, the way you had rushed away to the city at the first chance to pursue your goals as a fashion designer.

You hoped they wouldn’t ask. After all, you didn’t know the answers yourself.

Of course, there was the possibility that the town you were coming back to would have changed. There were always new buildings going up in the city, roads closed and the crowds still crawling around like ants. Always moving, never slowing.

But the moment you turned away from thanking the bus driver and settled your feet on the soil, you knew there was no question of this place being unrecognisable. Grass still tufted through at the edges of the road; there was the stream that had always run here, still bubbling merrily and bouncing the odd fleck of light through the grasses it nestled between.

Rumbling into life again behind you, the bus trundled on its way.

First stopping to take a deep breath, you turned after it, feet falling in the shallow furrows made by the tyre marks. As predicted, you gave barely a thought for the direction, your legs easily remembering their way down the short road to reach the market square.

As you moved past the first houses, you parted ways with the stream. It wasn’t long after that the road opened into the square and you finally saw another living being.

Though it wasn’t a big town by any stretch, there were always people around during the day. Luckily it wasn’t market day today, which you were thankful for because the whole town would have been out, and you may well have been caught up for hours by all the people wanting to talk to you.

As it was, three ladies cried out at you from a front doorstep where they were chatting. Hurriedly shooting them a smile, you waved, hoping that would deter them. In the end, you were only waylaid by a couple of questions – how long would you be staying? how’s the big city? – that you could brush off with noncommittal answers.

In that time, you had attracted the gazes of an older couple strolling hand in hand nearby. Gripping the strap of your backpack tighter, you bobbed your head in greeting and scurried past.

Grabbing your phone from your pocket, you picked up the pace. Shooting a quick message to let your aunt know you had arrived kept you occupied with an excuse to avoid a few more staring faces. Perhaps they would think you rude, antisocial, to be walking with your head down and staring at your device instead, but it was comforting in a way. A remnant of your city life, where everyone was wrapped up in technology.

Having braved the main square, you lowered your phone again. Forcing a steady exhale from your mouth, you pressed further through the mercifully empty streets leading away.

The squeak of a bicycle wheel was all the warning you received for the next person you would pass on your journey. Preparing a smile in a hurry, you found yourself staring across at a man you recognised coming around the corner.

Kim Taehyung hadn’t changed much, face lighting up in his trademark rectangular grin as he saw you. He had grown into his handsome features in the time you had been away, and you found your smile wasn’t entirely fake as he slowed on the other side of the street.

Simple white t shirt hanging from his frame, he was wheeling a bike beside him, dusty bags slung over the top. He fit right in with this place.

He was just opening his mouth when you gulped back your faltering smile, ducking your head again and continuing on your way.

With your feet carrying you slightly faster now, you garbled greetings and smalltalk to the other villagers you crossed paths with. The path sloped downhill as you approached the edge of the town, where houses fell away to make space for the rice fields and farmland. From your road, you could look across the flat terraces that stretched, glittering, to the horizon.

Approaching your own place at last, you had to admit you were glad to see Mei lean out of her window to greet you. The old woman had lived there as long as you could remember, and always had a kind word to say.

But though you returned her wave with genuine care, you didn’t stay to talk, instead pressing the keys into the disused lock of your front door. Reluctant from its neglect, it resisted, grating around slowly until finally caving, releasing the door with a groan.

The last time you had seen the inside of this house was many years ago now. Your aunt had raised you here, but had now moved in with her new partner; rather than selling, she had kept the place for you, ‘in case you ever want to come back or visit’.

Sliding the door aside with only a few snags, you stood in the doorway, unmoving.

For a brief moment, a familiar yet long-forgotten feeling had fallen over you. With a blink, the notion that a flurry of movement had greeted you from the shadows slipped away easily.

Dust bunnies, Mei always used to say.

Tugging vigorously at dust sheets that covered the windows, you let light stream into the room, at last allowing you to pull the door closed. Despite all that still required attention, you slumped against it.

Sniffing, you swiped a hand across your cheek. Surely it was just the dust irritating you.

While something inside you felt… different, relieved, to be back here, a larger part of you resisted that. This was only a temporary waystation. There was no use getting settled here again. This was no longer where you belonged…

If only you had found that in the city. That was supposed to be where you would thrive, forge your life amongst the unforgiving glare of neon billboards and buzzing traffic.

You resented the feeling of ease that crept over you now you were back. Resented the people that were content here, fitting fluidly with the meandering of village life. Like Kim Taehyung: he had grown up here with you, but unlike you he had remained right at home, never erring.

You had tried so hard, forever persistent that the world would bend to your will. That you were destined for greater things than this unremarkable town.

Yet now you even found yourself envious of those who stayed here.

They seemed happy.

A low buzz shot through your thoughts, drawing your attention to your illuminated phone screen.

With a dispassioned sigh, you pushed yourself to your feet. You ought to shift some dust from this place in time for your aunt to come for dinner.

Luckily, the house was empty, the few furnishings shoved away in cupboards. After fishing a broom from somewhere, you swept, and had just pulled the last cushion from the cupboard when you heard the familiar call of your name.

Hurrying forwards and plastering a smile on your face, you tugged the door open to help her; her arms were bursting with food. Still, you were surprised by the urge you got to hug her. After depositing all the ingredients in the small kitchen, you gladly returned her tight embrace.

“My darling,” she squeezed you tight, “it’s been so long.”

“I missed you, auntie,” you admitted.

Perhaps you had sounded a little too forlorn because she quickly drew you back to study your face.

“How have you been? Feeding yourself well enough?”

You let out a sound halfway between a giggle and a shriek as she grabbed at your cheek, a gesture that seemed far too familiar.

Brushing her off, you didn’t have time to dwell on the sensation her affections had stirred in you, as more voices drifted from the front room.

Of course, she had invited some friends.

By the time you had greeted each woman, dodged questions and laughed at your aunt and her girlfriend bickering from the kitchen, a steaming bowl was pressed into your hands and everyone gathered to eat. This was a scene you were so familiar with, a sight so common in your childhood, but now…

You shifted, eyes trained on your bowl as Mei told a story of your five-year-old self.

Why was everyone still the same? So nice to you, so comfortable with each other just like always? Your life, your career was seemingly spiralling off course and that guilt still sat heavy on your bones.

How could you retreat back here, accept all this? You should still be working. Not giving up. But you couldn’t bring yourself to do that either.

The same feeling lingered even through the clinking of dishes as your guests chipped in to help clear away, and remained in the following silence and dark as you flattened out your futon, curling up in isolation.

You wouldn’t allow this to feel right.

Even as sleep finally ensnared you in its claws just to spit you out the next morning, you continued to tell yourself what you should want. You should be missing your job, you should be missing the city. And though your heart wasn’t in it, you wouldn’t allow yourself to think otherwise.

The sun was high in the sky the next day when you found yourself staring at the blank page of your sketchbook.

I still want to design. Right?

Okay, so, let’s make a design. Design something. Just one thing. Just one idea, so I know I can still do it. I want to know that this is still the right thing.

I can do it.

Your eyes ran down your watercolour palette, each colour stained with others and hollowed in the middle with use. The small pot of water you had prepared sat too, remaining clear as your pen hovered over the paper.

Some time later, it clattered onto the tabletop.

That blank page stared at you for the rest of the day. Your contest continued even as you slurped at the instant noodles you had made. Every time your thoughts strayed outside, they would be tethered right back again.

There was no point running from your struggle. You would go out as soon as you had managed something productive. For now, the packets of food you had brought in your bag from the city would tide you over.

But as certain as you were that you would achieve something, the next day stretched out in exactly the same way.

It was on the third day that a knock at your door broke through your otherwise deserted world inside this room.

Without a second thought to the depressing dinner you were halfway through, you stood up. Only for a moment you hesitated, before conceding that this wasn’t the city, and it was more usual to have visitors here.

Padding across the floor, you pushed the door aside.

“Y/N! Hi!”

You blinked in the beaming face of Kim Taehyung that greeted you.

“Taehyung!” you returned in genuine surprise, “um, come in…”

Stepping back as you remembered your manners, you cast a look around the room. Unfortunately you hadn’t yet disposed of the slowly growing pile of torn ramen packets on the table, but it was too late.

“Thank you, you don’t have to-“

Nonetheless, Taehyung stepped inside to let you close the door on the cloudy day outside. If he noticed the sad state of your abode, he made no comment.

“I-I just thought I’d come by and visit you,” he smiled hopefully, “I haven’t seen you out since you came back…”

Gulping in the face of his innocent curiosity, you glanced at the floor.

“I’m sorry, I just haven’t… had the chance.”

Your excuse was weak and you knew it. Either way, Taehyung was quick to brush aside your worry.

“It’s nothing to apologise for! I thought I had just missed you and- well, I wanted to come to see you anyway. It’s been a while.”

A soft chuckle passed your lips, which curled into a sad smile. With a nod, you looked up at him.

“Yeah. It has.”

Though his face was smiling as always, it had softened as he studied you.

“Do you want to go on a walk?” he offered, “it must have been hard, being away from the countryside.”

The thought of your abandoned ramen cooling on the table behind you dissipated in an instant.

The outside was a refreshing thought, and it was as if Taehyung had opened the door to the possibility. Once there was a time you would have headed out for no reason, just for fun. That was something you had left behind, but with the welcoming boy to encourage you, you were nodding eagerly before you could form a reply.

Although the village was no longer bathed in sun, cool air rushing to meet you instead, the breeze seemed to carry some weight away from your shoulders. The route Taehyung began to tread beside you was well ingrained in your feet, but your mind was still waking up to the familiar sights.

“I always loved the view from here,” you smiled, muttering almost to yourself.

Taehyung heard you, though. There was no noise for your voice to lose itself in, except the wind that took your words on a winding path through the air.

Slowing his steps, you eased beside him as well. You had barely left your road, but being so near to the edge of the village, the swathes of rippling fields were never far from view; now they stretched out like a carpet below the higher ground your village occupied.

“What’s it like, living in the city?” Taehyung recaptured your attention.

Startled, your eyes turned to him as he remained gazing across the lush greenery, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his loose trousers. His shirt, too, billowed slightly in the playful breeze as you strolled together.

It was those words which brought you crashing back to your senses. The city had been far from your mind, chased away the moment you were reminded of nature’s sprawling cloak across the land. It had been so easy to forget…

“Busy,” was all you offered in way of reply at first. A slight sigh was whipped away by the wind before you found the words to continue. “There’s always people doing things, just like here. Only… bigger. More. They don’t have time to stop and speak to you. It’s so much brighter too…

“I like the neon signs,” you admitted, “but with them, you can barely see the stars.”

While you spoke, Taehyung’s eyes drifted back to you, listening intently. After you stopped, he left silence to settle for a moment.

“It sounds different,” he replied.

You simply hummed an affirmative, but a large smile was sliding back onto his face.

“But I bet they love you!” he grinned, face lifting in such eager happiness that it made your heart ache. Wanting so badly to return his joy, you knew you could never fake happiness that genuine.

“Not really…” you scuffed your toes against the ground, suddenly particularly interested in the way the dirt cracked around your shoes.

As such, you missed the deepening furrow of Tae’s brows, but he stayed quiet, sensing your inhale as you prepared to elaborate.

“Maybe it’s because I had always dreamed of moving there, but nothing was as easy as I imagined,” you spoke quietly, “I was so stupid thinking everything would be simple once I got a place as an intern. The company took me on, but I haven’t got any further.”

A short glance back to Tae showed his brows set in a serious line, mulling your words seriously.

“I’m sure if you keep working hard, they’ll see you,” he smiled, “you always wanted to be a designer. I know you can be.”

For a moment, his words stunned all breath in your throat. Swallowing harshly, you tore your eyes from his, roughly shaking your head.

“It’s just not going right,” you lamented, “all I’ve done since I moved there is work, I take the overtime and travel for shows at weekends, shadow where I can… I feel like I can’t do anymore. And still, nothing. Not even a commission, let alone a promotion. I haven’t headed a project team once. It’s like…” panting softly from the speed your frustrated words spilled out, you paused for a moment, shoulders slumping. “It’s like everyone else knows something I don’t.”

“That’s why you came back?”

His low tone was still light and looking back to him brought you face to face with wide, earnest eyes. Of course, he had guessed accurately. You hadn’t quite intended to spill in so much detail what was troubling you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to resent it.

Confirming his assumption with a nod, you watched Taehyung cock his head to the side before returning his gaze back across the forest.

By now you were drawing closer to where the trees huddled together at the borders of the farmland. The track was a little less well-trodden here, your feet falling between scattered grasses that pushed upwards.

“I don’t think it’s you that’s the problem,” he twisted his body around to face you, still walking towards the forest.

All you could do was blink, slightly startled at his assertion. Thankfully, he continued, pulling his hands from his pockets and spreading them to indicate the surrounding trees which you were entering.

“You’re doing everything you can, and that should be more than enough. There’s no secret to learn… well, maybe…”

“Hey!” you elbowed him as he trailed off, “do you know a secret?”

Mirroring your grin, Taehyung sighed, shaking his head at the ground. You kept your eyes trained on him, as if he might really hold some clue that would solve everything for you. Then he raised his head, fluffy strands of hair falling across his smile-brightened eyes.

“Maybe patience,” he shrugged, “I’m sure you’d get somewhere eventually… but also- maybe you should try to value your time more. There isn’t just one path you can take, and you can always change.”

“I-I guess that’s true,” you stammered.

It was something that had crossed your mind, but you had always shoved the idea away the moment you considered it. You knew what you wanted to do, and you shouldn’t give up on it. Hearing another say it, out loud, was… strangely affirming. But your eyes still fled Taehyung’s gaze, skittering about the trees stretching their hands to the sky.

“Either way,” a gentle nudge at your side brought your begrudging gaze back to your friend, “it’s good to have you back for a bit. I’ve missed you. I’m sure your aunt has, too,” he quickly added.

Grateful for his offer of turning away from the previous conversation, you relaxed a little.

“I’ve missed it here too,” you admitted, “thanks for coming over, it’s good to be out.”

For some reason, as you continued ambling through the forest, you felt no guilt creeping in about time you should be spending working. Instead, you barely felt the minutes passing as you laughed with Taehyung about various scenes from your childhoods. If anything, the small amount of guilt tugging at you was guilt for losing touch.

Eventually, you found yourself reclining in the grass at his side.

“Do you remember when you told me there were spirits in this forest?” you laughed softly.

“Hey!” he grinned back, “they are real!”

Though you giggled along with him, you sensed some defiance in the glittering of his eyes, which made you tail off. Your mouth quirked up at the corner.

“You really still believe in them?”

You didn’t miss the way his eyes strayed from your own, glancing to the grass and across the leafy landscape. But still, he responded.

“I saw them,” he murmured, bringing a fond smile to your face.

“Maybe people out in the countryside really are crazy,” you joked, flopping back to lie on the floor.

“Maybe,” came the chuckled reply.

Taehyung’s shoulder brushed against your own as he joined you on the floor.

Warmth blooming in your chest, you continued to stare across the treetops as they were brushed with the glow of the encroaching sunlight. Something within you longed to capture this moment, grab the warm-tinted clouds streaming across the sky and bring them to earth to rest beside you.

And later, you would realise that was why you had turned to design.

You picked up your paintbrush and brought colour to the white sheet at last.

Too caught up in your seeming breakthrough, with a design almost finished on your page, you were easily busy enough to ignore the way Taehyung’s face crept into your mind. Trying to summon images of the breathtaking evening you had spent, the boy was inextricable from the memory.

The relief and liberation that had flooded you the moment you allowed yourself some respite had come from having him beside you.

Though you were a fashion designer, not a portrait artist, the flipside of the page was steadily filling with sketches of Taehyung. You hadn’t been able to capture him the exact way you wanted, his striking features escaping you, but you couldn’t hold back from trying at least.

But though you had made some progress on your creative block, you still clung to the shelter of your empty house. The hush of the village provided you with a peace of mind you hadn’t even noticed was missing while you were away.

Before you could dig yourself any more holes wondering about the fate of your career, however, exactly the person you had been hoping to see came back around.

Taehyung beamed widely from his perch on your doorstep. That wonderful smile never failed to produce a brighter grin on your own face too.

However, this time he didn’t step into your house when you made room for him. Disappointment sunk to your stomach, realising you had expected him to stay.

But his next words killed off any sadness before it could even take root within you.

“Put your shoes on,” he flashed a playful grin, “you’re coming to mine for dinner.”

“I am?” you snorted, though you were already reaching for your boots.

“Yep,” he smirked.

Folding his arms, he leaned against your doorframe while you hurriedly got ready.

“Unless you have plans?” he chuckled, “another extravagant microwave meal for one?”

Gaping, your head shot up to meet his twinkling gaze.

“You may be right,” you scoffed, finally closing the door behind you as you joined him on the street, “but that doesn’t make it nice. What would your grandma think of your manners?”

“And what would your aunt think of the way you’re eating?” he retorted.

Lips rising into a begrudging smile, you sort of fell against him in a playful nudge. The next moment, though, your eyes grew wider as he slung an arm around you, giving it a squeeze as his fingers nipped at your cheek.

“I’m joking,” he cooed, “I just want you to eat well.”

At least the sentiment was there. About an hour later you found yourself sat giggling in front of a bowl of charred remains that once were food.

“I tried,” Tae was pouting, poking around in his own bowl.

“You didn’t have to try something so fancy,” you hid more laughter behind your hand, “there’s more room for error.”

“But grandma told me exactly how to make it,” he frowned down at his dish as if it had wronged him, “I don’t know what I even did to mess it up!”

Unable to help it, a fond smile broke onto your face.

“Thank you, Taehyung.”

Your words seemed to startle him, as he immediately started spluttering about how you could thank him after he destroyed your dinner. It only served to pull more laughter from you.

“I appreciate it,” you assured him, “now how about we make something simple?”

His kitchen was stocked with fresh vegetables from the farmlands, making it easy for you to pick some and get to work. Closer to the rice fields than your house, Taehyung’s place bordered with the forest, every window giving generous views on the surrounding greenery.

“Done!”

Turning away from the trees outside the window, which you had somewhat lost yourself in, you found Taehyung stood proudly behind you. In his hands sat a bowl stacked with the vegetables he had chopped.

A look back at your own board showed you had made much less progress.

“Let me finish those,” he placed his bowl down and came to stand next to you. “I think you would be better off doing the cooking.”

Laughing, you agreed and let him take the knife from your fingers. Next, you began to fry your ingredients with the rice that hadn’t been a victim of Taehyung’s previous attempts.

Once he was done, Taehyung approached you, sliding the remaining vegetables into the pan. But even as they fell, sizzling, into the dish, he didn’t move away from you.

“Smells good,” he complimented.

Muttering a brief thank you, you kept your eyes on the food as you stirred it. You could almost pretend the heat in your cheeks was from the warmth of the stove and not the way he leaned closer as he smelled your cooking, such that his chest pressed up against your back, face hovering above your shoulder.

But before your resolve could wear thin enough for you to look around at him while he was in such painfully close proximity, a rumble interrupted your thoughts.

Taehyung instantly pulled away, apologies spilling from his lips. You, on the other hand, burst into laughter.

“Was that your stomach?” you cried.

“Maybe,” he mumbled, rubbing a hand across his middle.

Chuckling, you shut off the stove.

“Luckily, dinner is ready,” you grinned.

Taehyung eagerly dashed to grab plates, letting you pile them up with food.

Together, you brought your steaming meals to the front room where Tae pushed open the front door, inviting you to sit on the step.

“I guess it is kind of late,” you said after your first bite, “no wonder you were hungry.”

Proving your point, the boy beside you was already wolfing down his meal. Smiling to yourself, you dove back into your own food as you stared across the darkening valley, stars now painted in the mirror-smooth surfaces of the rice fields.

Sweet as always, Taehyung thrust a basket of the vegetables into your arms before you left – though, of course, he was walking back with you. Still, you were embarrassed to note the hint of resentment at his wonderful actions, as it meant you had one less excuse to see him again. In truth, you didn’t want to leave at all.

But you still thanked him profusely, and you meant it. His kindness warmed your heart, and guilt twisted inside you at the thought of taking his actions to mean anything further.

He probably felt sorry for you, lost as you were. Meanwhile he had found a place in the world, and he was happy here. Almost certainly he only wanted to do some good for an old friend.

But for tonight, you couldn’t help but indulge in the flutters Taehyung set off in your heart, a few more sketches joining the others before you fell into bed.

Since you arrived, you hadn’t been very productive. You knew this, but bringing yourself to care was becoming difficult. No, you were too busy enjoying finally getting some peace and time away from the job that had been tiring you out.

But even in your time off, it seemed too much to ask of them to let you rest.

“-so I need your assessment of the project before we can move forwards…”

Your boss’ voice crackled over the line as you held your phone passively at your ear. Gulping as she rambled on about the practicality of your colleague’s design – when she was the one who had given the project to him when you really wanted it – you stared blankly at your notebook. Only one page remained filled. The simple design you had been thrilled with a couple of days ago now crumbled in your estimation.

Tell her you can’t do it. This is your time off. At least ask to be paid for it-

“Of course. I can do that,” you replied automatically.

Instant alarm bells started ringing in your head. You had to stick up for yourself before too much was loaded onto you-

“Wonderful, I’m sending them over now. Thanks a lot,” your boss spoke, line cutting off before you could so much as open your mouth.

Huffing, you flopped back onto your bed, where you had been sleeping peacefully before your ringing phone rudely awoke you. But you didn’t rest there for more than a few seconds before you were rolling yourself off and staggering over to dig out the laptop you hadn’t touched since leaving the city.

Opening up your emails, you saw the most recent one from your boss, but unfortunately your inbox was also rammed with several others you hadn’t bothered to check. You supposed you could never have expected to be completely away from work.

Resolving to check them later, you clicked on the first of the files from your boss. Already, you groaned, seeing that the plans were more extensive than you had believed over the phone.

You couldn’t deny that you accepted this too easily.

But then again, you never wanted to be seen slacking. Maybe if you did this, it would finally be noticed and you would be in line for the next promotion…

That was what you told yourself the last time too. And the time before that, and before that.

At this point, even the thought of actually being promoted didn’t fill you with the excitement it should. It was all you had worked for, and yet all you could think of was how much more work it would mean.

Attempting to shove away your heavy pile of thoughts, you focussed back on the task at hand.

Wrangling your brain into action, however, proved difficult. You realised too late that it should have been lunchtime, hurriedly trying to make yourself something while it was already halfway through the evening, sky darkening beyond your window. But even though it was getting later and you had been working all day, you had got next to nothing done.

Even the pattering of rain on your roof which began early on did little to ease the stress creeping back into its familiar residence in your brain.

Your head was spinning as you sliced up a pepper, not able to focus on the simple movement of your hands. You knew you should be looking at your work, but even as your mind hovered around the matter, you were unable to think straight as everything proved a dead end.

A sharp pinch shook you from your haze.

Hands stilling, you looked down to find a sliver of red already growing of your fingertip. Cursing, you threw down your cooking, turning to the sink.

The blood was swept away with the stream of water from your tap, showing only a miniscule cut, but your finger shook anyway. Staring down at the small line, even though it was clean now, your breath hitched in the back of your throat.

The rain, relentless on your roof, was the only sound muffling the sobs which left you as you hunched over the basin.

Letting your hand drop, you clutched onto the edge of the surface. You felt like a child; your computer was filled with demands, your head occupied with work, but you just didn’t want to.

Why couldn’t they just leave you be?

Some instinct within you had set your feet moving before your mind could catch up. Abandoning your laptop where its screen still passively illuminated a square of your desk, you were slipping shoes on, practically throwing your door aside with your sudden desperation to reach the outdoors.

The rain which immediately hit your skin hardly occurred to you. All you could manage was to breathe deeply in the saturated air.

You had succeeded in rediscovering some of the inspiration that led you to your current path; it had always been the beauty of your hometown, the countryside with its vast fields and open skies, the peace and the fury of the elements.

And maybe you had forgotten it, but now you knew it again you wanted to seize it with both hands. The pull of work only made you resent it more.

You had to escape.

And so your feet were taking you down your road, slipping on the track which had already begun turning to mud under the onslaught from the heavens.

You had barely left the glow of the last house on your street before water was running in streams down your cheeks, mingling with the salty tears that had been falling before. Hiccupping, you wrapped your arms around yourself.

Though you sniffed, you didn’t bother to wipe at your face.

But already the ruthless pelting of raindrops began to batter away the frustration that had been stirred in you. Still breathing heavily, you pressed unflinchingly on, your mind only able to focus on stepping forward through the storm.

Despite your lack of destination, your pace was rapid and soon you were stumbling between trees as you reached the forest. Here, the hammer of rain was lighter, plucking at leaves harmlessly and filling the air with the hollow chorus.

The oppressive feeling from sitting caged by your computer was fading. But now you weren’t sure whether your shaking was from your outburst or from the cold. Only, you couldn’t exactly bring yourself to care.

It wasn’t until now that your pace slowed in the least. Finally you were away from the pressing weight that had begun to crush you, even if it still remained waiting for you at home.

Weaving between trunks, your speed waned at last, allowing your fingers to trace along the wisened and cracked bark of each one. Even when you needed to blink repeatedly to gain clear sight from unshed tears and raindrops collecting on your lashes – even when your frame shook from head to toe, hair plastered against your skin – you finally felt free.

Having nature roar around you cast the demands of work, something that once loomed over you, far out of your sight.

Feet still tripping forwards, all it took was a toe catching on a root before your knees were meeting the earth.

Down here, the raindrops jostled the smaller plants that coated the forest floor. Looking up, you tried to wipe your hands, though it was fruitless against your sodden trousers.

But you paused in your motion as you caught sight of something.

Ahead of you, some tree roots twisted upwards, sculpted into a small arch. Although beyond that, you could see little, you rose slowly and stepped closer to it.

A few leftover tears leaked from your eyes, but they were indetectable as they slipped among the rainwater. Taking no notice, your eyes remained ahead as you reached the strange opening.

Ducking, you padded inside, not hurrying at all. It inspired a stiller pace for some reason.

The first thing you were aware of was the lack of rain falling on your back. Instead, the air was perfectly calm, only the distant pattering of water on leaves a reminder of the storm you had previously been in.

A few more steps and you found yourself in the centre of what appeared to be a large tree. Bark walls encircled the generous space, though it was obscured by the abundant greenery coating them decadently.

Tiredness was rapidly seeping into your bones now, and all you could think of the moss was how soft it looked, so tempting to your drooping eyes.

Exhaustion masked any shock you would otherwise have felt, then, when your eyes fell on a larger shape lying near the far wall. But this was not part of the tree, nor its foliage. Drawing nearer, you found it appeared to be furry. Enormous ears lay flat on the leafy ground where its head lay. Its round belly rose taller than you did from the ground, even though it was horizontal.

Staring through your bleary eyes, you merely chuckled at the unusual sight.

The creature inflated with each deep breath. It was sleeping.

You were sure you must be too, given what a funny dream you were having right now. But you were still so tired.

Without further thought, you let yourself tumble to the ground so you could rest, propped up against the forest creature. Indeed it was as soft as you had imagined looking at it.

Everything was peaceful as sleep embraced you at last.

Taehyung jerked awake, the whole house seemingly clamouring in his ears.

Eyes wide, he threw off his covers, though he wasn’t sure what he expected to do. The wind was hurtling through the air outside, hitting his house like a freight train. Windows shaking in their panes, bullets of rain still spattered against the glass.

Pulling his blanket with him, Taehyung retreated towards the main room. Although he stayed back from the windows, he still looked out, watching the vague shapes of dark trees as they attempted to uproot themselves in the blustering air.

He couldn’t deny being a little unnerved by the sudden ferocity of the weather. With a calming breath, however, he reminded himself of the true form of the wind. The image of the grinning cat brought a smile stretching across his own lips as well. It had been years since he had seen it, or the spirit Totoro and their friends.

But even if he was a child then, he clutched onto those memories, trying to keep them vivid as possible.

He was about to settle down on the sofa to wait out the noise when a different shape made itself known in the window.

Doing a double take hard enough to give him whiplash, Taehyung managed to keep himself from staggering backwards in shock. Blinking determinedly, he kept his eyes fixed on the familiar form as it drew closer into the light from his porch.

Although he knew they were real, he still found himself struggling to comprehend it.

This wasn’t another dream, another memory or image on his canvas. Pushed against all the walls in his study, and his bedroom too when they overflowed the space, images of the forest spirit were strewn about his living quarters. He could never forget it but…

Why would it come back?

A moment elapsed, Totoro’s huge frame blocking out much of the view behind them as they stared blankly down at Taehyung the way they always did. The pandemonium of the wind died away.

And then Tae’s senses kicked back in, and he was sprinting to the door, hurrying into the night because there was something else.

Totoro was carrying something-

No.

Someone.

Breathless, he stood on the step, taking in the figure cradled in Totoro’s arms. It was you.

He remained still, so Totoro moved forwards, towering above him. But Taehyung could never be intimidated, knowing this gentle giant well enough. Instead, his eyes remained on you as Totoro lowered you towards him.

You were clearly asleep, eyes shut and chest rising and falling evenly. But it was how on earth you came to be so, in Totoro’s arms, and now in front Tae’s house, that had his brow furrowing deeply.

Though water no longer sat on your skin, the dampness of your hair and clothes remained. You must be freezing.

However, as Tae hurried forward a couple more steps to reach out for you, a warmth engulfed him. Recognising the forest spirit’s familiar magic, a hint of a smile returned to his face.

Though Totoro now relinquished their grip, the magic remained cocooning you, making Taehyung able to hold you in his arms as you had been rendered weightless.

Straightening to their full colossal height, Totoro backed away. Still feeling that comforting magic wrap around the two of you, Taehyung smiled as he bowed, as deeply as he could with you in his arms. Totoro gave a little bob of their own before turning away.

For a short moment, Taehyung watched the spirit amble away. But you were the priority. Unsure how long the magic would last, he backed into the door to push it open and get you both inside. Looking around in mild panic, he settled on the first place he thought of and moved through to the bedroom.

Setting you down on the futon, he pushed your wet hair away from your forehead with his palm.

Next, he hovered for a moment.

Eventually he stood back, swallowing nervously as he watched you. It was still the middle of the night, and raindrops were splattering the window again, though less harsh than before.

Of course, his concern was still unsatisfied. If Totoro had found you, that could only mean you had been in the forest. But… why? At this time of night, you should be safely tucked away inside.

Well, at least you were now.

Sighing, he turned away to retrieve the blanket he had dragged to the living room. Collecting a few more cushions for good measure, he placed them down on the closer edge of the futon. It was big enough for him to sleep here too, while still leaving some distance between you.

After depositing his bedding, Tae made one more trip to the cupboard, bringing out a duvet. Though thick, it was very light. He liked to think of it as his ‘cloud duvet’.

Seating himself, he leaned across to you to cover you with his favourite duvet, but stopped short.

The hair lying on his pillows was already drying. So too were your pyjamas.

Sighing, he shook his head lightly and continued to throw the covers across your sleeping form.

He would get his answers in the morning. Settling down himself, Taehyung turned onto his side so his back faced you. For now you were okay, Totoro had made sure of that.

But aside from what had happened to you, one thing plagued his mind the most even as he closed his eyes.

Why had Totoro brought you to him?

Beams of light hung lazily in the air, only warded off by the thin fabric of Taehyung’s curtains. Blinking in the hazy morning, the usual hushed whisper of the forest greeted him, no trace of the furore of last night.

Except for the weight on the bed beside him.

Rubbing one hand across his face, he looked down at you. You remained nestled against the pillows, hair fanning out as the light cast it into rich colour. When his arm fell, it was perilously close to you, but he didn’t move it away.

Taehyung knew there was breakfast to be made and explanations to be had once he left the comfort of the bed.

Still, he lay unmoving, content to simply let his gaze roam your resting features. Warm light glowing against your skin showed it invitingly soft. His dark eyes traced your eyelashes where they rested, the gentle slope of your lips…

His breath hitched, a slight gasp lost in the fabric of his pillow.

At the first inclination of your lashes shifting, bringing you closer to wakefulness, he retreated, sliding out from his blanket and away to the kitchen. A puff of air left his lips as he willed his feet to fall noiselessly, leaving you to slumber.

He could easily blame the moment on his hazy awakening from sleep. He could pretend he only stayed next to you for want of staying warm in bed for a while longer.

Except he knew it would never be the truth.

You were truly breathtaking to him, painted perfectly in the dreamy morning light. All he could do was steer his thoughts away and turn them to preparing some breakfast.

And that was what roused you: the vague scent of steaming rice in the air and the odd clang of kitchenware from the other room. Rolling over as your eyelids cracked apart, you registered the indulgently soft duvet you were under, the scent of rain on the pillow.

It was already light, so you eased yourself to sit, stretching out your back with a quiet groan.

Vaguely, you remembered the sound of raindrops in the air, earth biting at your knees and a giant tree. It had certainly been a strange dream, you thought as you opened your eyes.

And paused, blinking.

This wasn’t your room. Hell, it wasn’t even your house.

From among the fluffy mountains of bedding, you slowly took in the place. Somehow, you weren’t exactly panicked by the position you found yourself, oddly comforted by the domestic sounds of cooking. You could guess where you were, and became more certain when your eyes fell on a row of assorted paintings propped against the wall.

When Taehyung poked his head into the bedroom, he found you awake and sat up. You had moved to the side of the bed, and were sitting cross legged as a hand delicately skimmed the surface of the nearest painting.

For a moment, he didn’t announce himself. Breathing deeply, his eyes rested fondly on the back of your head, ignoring the painting. He could see the artwork anytime, and he knew it well.

A vibrant green landscape of the forest, he had put Totoro and the other spirits dotted about the trees. Some were barely there, signifying how they protected the woods even though almost no one believed in them at all.

You must have sensed him, however, for you were snatching your hand back from the image and whirling around to face him.

“You alright there?” he smirked gently at your surprise.

“Yeah…” you murmured.

Noticing you chewing your lip, looking between him and the painting, Taehyung’s small smile faded a little. The confused tone you spoke with placed a light frown in its place.

“Yeah?” his low voice echoed.

Pushing himself away from the doorframe, he drew closer, hands dug into his pockets.

“That… that thing, in your drawing,” you frowned, staring right at it. “I dreamt about it.”

“Ah,” understanding dawned on Taehyung and he sat down beside you. Neither of you complained at the closeness as his leg pressed flush to your own. “That’s the forest spirit I told you about. Well, all of them are. But that’s Totoro.”

His tone had been anything but ridiculing, but still you looked around to find his expression genuine, eyes slightly creased at the corners in a vague smile.

“I-I don’t understand,” you breathed.

“You didn’t dream about them,” he leaned closer for emphasis, shifting to face you better, “it was real. Do you remember coming here?”

For a moment, you frowned, eyes escaping his as they seemed to look far away while you tried to recall. You came up empty.

“No…”

“That’s because Totoro brought you to me,” Taehyung went on, patient as before, “last night, they brought you in from the storm.”

He paused for a moment, wetting his lips as he gauged your reaction before carrying on:

“Do you remember why you were out? Did you fall asleep in the forest?”

Again, that look took over your face. Your gaze fell to your hands as they played with the hem of the duvet, untangling the mass of memories from the night before.

“I think… I must have done…” you frowned, then suddenly started. “Oh crap! I remember why I left! My boss is gonna kill me-“

Panicked, Taehyung placed his hands on your knees as you carried on rambling, starting to push the blankets away in your sudden rush.

“Hey, hey, Y/N slow down, what’s going on?”

“I-I got a call from work,” you hastily explained, “they need me to approve a set of designs and I said it was fine even though-“

“I thought you took the time off work?”

“I did, I did but I said yes anyway but then I just felt so… so- argh! I was so stressed all over again and I just wanted to get out…” the clarity you lacked the night before made you cringe as you pictured yourself walking down the muddy track in just pyjamas, heading into the trees in the middle of the night. You chuckled drily, “maybe not my wisest idea.”

“No,” Taehyung had to agree, inclining his head, “but you’re here right now. Work doesn’t need you this instant.”

Pulling your lower lip between your teeth, you weren’t quite sure if he spoke the truth. Either way, you decided you didn’t much care when the boy broke into a shy grin and offered a hopeful ‘stay for breakfast?’.

He had managed to cook without mishap this time, resulting in a self-satisfied grin which you could easily tell translated into an I-told-you-so.

Happily full after his meal, Taehyung told you that he was going to do some painting, but that you were welcome to stay. From someone else, you might not be sure if they meant it or were just saying it out of politeness, but Taehyung had already offered you a set of clothes and a hot drink.

You certainly didn’t want to go yet, and you dared to hope he wanted you to stay as well.

So you accepted his offer and settled on the sofa with a steaming mug of tea and a book you had plucked at random from the shelves. Meanwhile, Taehyung turned on an old fashioned radio, which crackled softly into life in the corner before filling the atmosphere with calm music.

You knew for a fact Tae had a study in his house, but he brought his materials out into the main room anyway. Neither of you needed to say much as he set to work and you sipped your tea, going about your tasks in the mutual comfort of shared space.

He was facing the window as he worked, allowing you a view of his progress.

In the end, you became far too distracted to make it far through the book at all, too busy watching colour fill up the blank spaces. The work had already been started, with just a wash of colour occupying the canvas.

Now, you got to watch as from the blur of colours and shapes came the form of a forest. But this one was not bathed in the glory of day, the colours dark and muted instead.

Smooth brushstrokes left in their wake a body of water, glittering stars scattered within it. The limited palette of the night-time scene was fascinating to you. At last, Tae’s brush was picking out the form of the spirit again, peering from behind the trees. Your mouth curved up into a smile.

As Taehyung stood back, brush clamped in his mouth as he assessed his work so far, you scrambled to flip over a chunk of pages in your book. Burying your face in it, your cheeks burned as you realised you had been staring this whole time.

“What do you think?”

Making an effort to look as surprised as possible, you turned back to find Tae beaming at you.

“I think it’s wonderful,” you assured him, “the colours, the water… everything.”

His eyes lit up, smile only growing wider.

“Thank you! You really think so?”

At your indulgent nod, he turned back with renewed enthusiasm to complete the side of the forest which had yet to emerge from the melange of colour.

“Shall I get us lunch?” you offered not long after, noticing that you had now been there for a few hours.

Though Tae was engrossed in his painting, nose almost pressed to the canvas as he detailed some leaves in the moonlight, he graced you with an appreciative smile and a nod.

Slipping away to the kitchen, you soon reacquainted yourself with where everything lived and got to work. It wasn’t long before your limited cooking skills had done their job. A brief call to Taehyung had him emerging in the doorway with a smile on his face, taking the bowl gratefully.

Once again you settled happily on the front step, taking in the tranquil forest. It had calmed to a mere breeze since the night before, the leaves rustling, bright green in the midday sun.

“I can see why you like it here,” you commented between mouthfuls, “it must be a great place to work.”

Taehyung hummed around his mouth of food, but soon swallowed and replied, head tilted as his eyes scanned the forest.

“It inspires me.”

“So does Totoro,” you smiled. However, it couldn’t be denied that you were digging for more information after your strange encounter.

An understanding smile curved Tae’s lips and he set his chopsticks down briefly.

“You’re right,” he nodded, “for me, they’re tied together with the forest. I haven’t seen them since I was younger, but this place keeps them alive in my imagination, I suppose.”

“Wow,” you breathed, “no wonder your work is so good, hmm? You really love this place.”

As you dug back into your food, Taehyung turned his smiling eyes to you. Though you didn’t meet his gaze, he held his breath. Chewing his lip, he wondered why he couldn’t shake that feeling that had overcome him that morning.

Eventually, he forced himself back to his food, shuffling an inch or so away from you for good measure.

“I think it’s important to have a good place,” he stated, still staring at his dish when you looked around, “a place that works for you, when you need to be creative. I’m sure you can understand that.”

“Yeah,” you nodded vaguely.

But though you never disagreed, you weren’t sure you did understand. And it struck you that perhaps you should. Previously, you had only cared about what your job title could be. Never had you focussed on where you were, convinced you could continue to force out designs the way you always had…

But right now, you thought you might share Tae’s view, the motion of the leaves and the gentle sun caressing them stirring up your long lost desire to create.

And the presence of a warm figure beside you, full of support, had you wishing perhaps a little too much that you could stay.

You couldn’t delude yourself for much longer, unfortunately. Inside, Taehyung was happy to leave your dishes on the side and his brushes out as he offered to walk you home.

However, when he proposed taking you ‘the scenic way’, you dared entertain the thought that perhaps he might like having you around, too.

Though you hadn’t been here for some time and thus your sense of direction was shaky at best, you could tell that Taehyung was leading you around to the other side of town, albeit through the forest. Neither of you were in any hurry to get there, instead enjoying the dappled shade of the woodland path, reams of laughter drifting through the tree trunks as you joked together.

A subtle ache had begun in your cheeks from the constant smiling. But as Tae broke from the path, insisting on building an ‘installation art piece’, you couldn’t bring yourself to stop.

Instead, you eagerly joined Taehyung as he ran giggling through the trees, scouring the floor for twigs and stones. If anyone else had seen you, it would certainly appear childish. Especially when Taehyung encouraged you to give him a leg up so he could reach a particularly beautiful fallen leaf that was lodged in the crook of a tree branch.

It was when he leapt down again with a subtle huff that you both burst into laughter again. Through the slits your eyes became as you creased with mirth, you caught a glimpse of a broad, boxy smile that robbed you of breath in an instant.

In front of you, Taehyung was chuckling, that beautiful smile still stretching at his lips. And once again, the urge to capture this moment swelled in you. You couldn’t take your eyes from him, simply trying to commit the image to memory with the unattainable hope that it would never fade away.

As he wiped one last tear, you hurriedly turned away, cursing the intense speed your heart had reached.

“What’s your plan, Van Gogh?” you joked, hoping he couldn’t see your sudden nerves.

“Not sure,” he replied happily. Fingers catching your wrist, he tugged you further on. Striding away towards the path ahead of you, he would never see the heat blooming in your face at the contact.

Flustered, you hurried after him, only to run into his back as he stopped without warning.

“Tae? Is-?”

Poking your head from your spot behind his shoulder, you too rapidly quieted.

Though it was not long since you last saw Totoro, the memory was a haze of rain and tears. Now, though, you gulped at the sight. The spirit was waddling along the pathway, each step somehow regal with its commanding size.

With wide eyes you turned to Taehyung. His side profile showed an awed smile, a shallow breath escaping him.

When the creature turned around, you stiffened. But beside you, Taehyung simply stepped forwards, leaving you staring between him and Totoro. Bowing briefly, Tae moved even closer while you hurried to observe the same manners.

Unaffected, Totoro simply turned, continuing their ambling journey through the woods.

Frown taking over your face and unsure what to do, you looked to Tae at your side. However, his expression had split into a joyful grin that obscured his eyes within creases, and before you could even open your mouth, he was dashing to follow the spirit.

Taken by surprise, you could do nothing but follow, tripping through the undergrowth until you spilled back out onto the path.

Laughter was bubbling from your lips before you could control it. Taehyung’s giggled soon mingled with yours in the air.

On reaching the spirit’s side, you slowed somewhat. Totoro accepted your presence with barely a look your way as they kept plodding onwards. What were small steps for the creature, however, took you at a surprising pace that had a sweat breaking from your forehead after a while.

“Tada!”

A flourish of Taehyung’s arms accompanied the first breaking of the companionable silence you had journeyed in.

Following where he gestured, your eyes lit up at the sight of glittering water.

“This was where we were going?”

“Yes! Do you remember it?”

A bounce had already entered Tae’s step, and he spun to talk to you while skipping backwards.

“Of course I do!” you nodded.

Just outside this village, the stream grew broader, creating a wide, flat brook. Countless afternoons of your childhood had been spent here, hopping over the stepping stones that lay above the water’s surface, or splashing in the shallow depths at the edges.

Despite the fuzzy heat of the evening, you found a little extra energy to race after Taehyung to the bank.

Within moments, he was kicking his shoes off and hopping into the glistening water. It only just came up to his ankles, close to the side where blades of grass drooped over, their tips disturbing the surface.

Sitting down for a breather, you also slipped off your shoes and dipped your feet in. Soothingly cool, the water brought relief against the heat you had worked up on the walk.

However, you never got much chance to rest as Taehyung stuck a hand directly under your nose. Scoffing, you took it anyway. In some small retribution, you aimed a kick in his direction once he had dragged you up, sending droplets of water showering over his legs.

Of course, you were instantly shrieking as he sent a playful, but much more powerful, wave of water back your way.

Though you were still aware of the large form of Totoro standing nearby, you were inexplicably more comfortable with their presence now. In fact, they faded to the back of your mind as you let yourself become preoccupied with the impromptu water fight that had your breathless laughs carrying over the rippling stream.

Eventually, you collapsed back onto the grassy bank, head thrown back as you breathed, heavy and exhilarated. For a moment, you simply let a gentle breeze soothe your skin.

When you looked back up, Taehyung snapped his eyes away from you so fast you were hardly sure you had caught them in the first place. Just as he turned away, a shadow fell over you.

Tipping your head back, you saw Totoro looking back down at you.

Before you could speak, let alone turn to face them, a bundle of sticks had fallen at your side, a couple rolling right up to your fingers where they rested. Picking the rough objects up, you looked back to the spirit quizzically. They were the sticks Taehyung had collected earlier, eventually carried here with him and left on the ground.

Then Totoro moved away, downstream a little.

Approaching you, Taehyung bent down to retrieve a few for himself.

“I think they want to play,” he smiled.

Totoro was watching you, almost expectantly. A smile quirked over your lips.

“I know this game!”

Side by side, you and Taehyung padded upstream a few paces, selecting a stick each.

“Three! Two! One!” he counted loudly, although you swore he dropped his stick a little before the last was called.

“Hey!” you shoved him playfully, but he was already taking off jogging towards Totoro.

You had lost sight of the slim shapes moving through the water, so you walked after him, groaning as Totoro held up the gnarled stick Taehyung had chosen.

“That’s not fair!” you tried to sound indignant, even going so far as to fold your arms, but laughter betrayed you.

Several rematches later, the sun was beginning to dip in earnest, and you had to admit it was time to get home. You were still closer to Tae’s house than yours, given the roundabout route you had taken.

As the light painted the sky darker, a few wisps of grey swirling below amber, the laughter died down at the prospect of going back home. Either way, there wasn’t much you could use as an excuse to stay here longer, so you slipped your shoes back on and began making your way over the stepping stones.

Taehyung went first, more steady on his feet while you slipped, taking a moment to get your footing on each one.

Totoro, on the other hand, simply watched you go.

Once, you turned back to give them a shy wave, but they didn’t move. Despite the muteness of the spirit, you thought it looked a little affronted at your leaving.

I’ll come back you promised silently with a smile.

Staring at the wonderful creature, you understood the fond firmness of belief Tae had described feeling about the forest spirits.

But with your eyes averted, your next step was not calculated. Suddenly there was no rock beneath your foot, leg slipping straight down the side as you whipped your attention to the front too late.

“Woah!”

A gasp left you as Taehyung’s exclamation faded from the air, his hands steadfast around your waist. Gulping at the sudden contact, you dared to look up. Dark eyes bore right back into your own and they weren’t breaking away.

“You okay?”

When the words left his lips, you felt them as breath drifting across your own more than you heard them.

You tried to nod, afraid that your noses would touch, close as you were. Somehow, though, you couldn’t look away. The hypnotising softness within his irises had you unsteady all over again as you placed your foot carefully back on stone.

Still, his hands stayed in place. And you didn’t want them to move away.

Tentatively, you breathed in, unable to help your gaze dipping to Taehyung’s temptingly plump lips.

He can’t have missed it. But you realised too late, returning your gaze to the safer, yet still perilous, territory of his eyes. Only to find him slightly further away, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as his eyebrows raised slightly.

Snapping your mouth closed, you stiffened as horror set in. Was he uncomfortable? Had you revealed yourself?

But still he didn’t back away-

A yelp punctuated the air, startled from your own lungs with the impact of your body against Tae’s chest. In a split second, you were landing against something firm with a large splash in the relative quiet of the evening.

Gasping as cold water covered your back, you jerked only to find a strong arm circling you in its grip. Below you, a low rumble of laughter vibrated through your body.

Eyes widening, you realised you were lying pressed flush against Taehyung.

As the grip around you loosened, taking some warmth with it, you looked into Tae’s eyes which were once again creasing with mirth. He struggled to sit it the shallow stream, eventually ending up with you straddled on his lap as his arm remained looped casually around you. Despite the water, icier now in the deepening evening, heat was flaming in your cheeks.

Eager to twist around, you laid eyes on what had caused your unfortunate impact. Totoro stood in the water, unmoving as ever although they were quite clearly the only culprit in sight.

“What-?” you spluttered.

Still laughing, Taehyung helped ease you off him, keeping your hand clasped in his own as you both clambered to your feet. Water dripped from your hair, your legs and shoes sending miniature downfalls over the stepping stones as you returned to them.

“Have we angered the spirit?” you stage whispered to Taehyung, who laughed loudly.

“Sorry Totoro, we have to go home,” Tae sent a bow towards the creature. They blinked back.

Giggling slightly, you took a tentative step onto the next boulder. No sooner had you moved than the wind suddenly picked up around you, the waves in the brook growing more prominent as chill air ensnared your damp skin.

Taehyung cursed under his breath.

“It’s freezing,” he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Subconsciously, you huddled closer to him as he looked around – first at the path ahead and over the stream, then back towards the forest. Both of you seemed to gravitate to the latter, where leaves rioted in the air above the treetops.

As you stood in the wind, Taehyung’s arm had lifted to absently hold your waist. You felt him tug lightly.

“Maybe we should go back to mine. It’s still too far to your place, we might both freeze.”

“Are you sure?” you breathed, though you wanted to agree there and then, run back to his warm bed and not move for several hours. The way your voice came shakily with the shivers that began only confirmed Tae’s plan, and he was already setting off towards the riverbank.

“Very sure. Let’s get inside.”

Not needing to be told twice, you followed hastily, only connected to Tae by your fingertips that clutched each other as he led the way.

A particularly violent gust had your shoulders hunching. You were nearly at the side of the stream, and so you kept your focus for a moment longer on the rocks in front of you, before at last your feet met the grassy floor.

But on looking up, the sight that greeted you on the bank had your mouth hanging open.

What looked like a bus was standing in front of you. Or what would have looked like a bus, if not for the fact that it was smiling.

But after the day you had had, you made no protest as Tae told you it was okay to get in, merely accepting your fate with an incredulous sigh.

Tae’s hand on the small of your back as you stepped inside didn’t go unnoticed by you, but you let it slide. It was nice to be out of the cold, so you busied yourself with getting cosy on the seats that ran down the sides of the interior.

A jolt announced your departure. Looking around, you found Totoro hadn’t joined you, but watched you leave from the bank instead.

Turning back to the scene in front of you, you were surprised to note that no wind touched your frozen skin any more, despite the fact the windows on this bus seemed to be… well, non-existent. Beside you, Tae was leaning out slightly with a giddy grin lighting up his face, hand splayed in the air.

With a smile creeping onto your own face, you resigned yourself to the unexpected journey. Folding your arms against the side, you too stared out across the sky.

The treetops were far beneath you now, your whole village visible though it looked toy-sized from here. Wisps of clouds flew close overhead while your vantage point showed the glaring sun peeking above the horizon, illuminating your face with the last of the day’s warmth.

A glance to Taehyung showed his face bathed in the glow as well, painting his skin with molten gold that danced in his eyes and streaked through his hair like brushstrokes.

You couldn’t tear your eyes away.

Mindless to the risk of him catching you, you allowed your gaze to trail along his features, cast into striking light and shade. You longed to reach out, touch his hair. It looked indulgently soft, waving in a light breeze as you travelled.

All too soon, shadows were once again flitting over his cheeks as you were brought closer to the ground.

Awed smile remaining on his parted lips, he turned his face to you. Though you swallowed, you didn’t bother to look away, simply returning a smile. If possible, his seemed to soften even more at this.

Landing was softer than leaving the ground, barely a bump letting you know you were back on the earth. Since you sat down, lethargy had crept up on you, revealing how spent you were after the day outside.

Taehyung stood while you were still blinking groggily from your position laying on your arms.

“Come on,” a low chuckled accompanied the sliding of arms around you.

You complied, finding your feet and stepping out of the bus with a yawn. Without a moment to spare, the vehicle? creature? had leapt from the ground, soon whizzing out of sight.

Until you climbed the steps to Taehyung’s house, the cool air waking you sufficiently to slip off your shoes, you hadn’t noticed that your clothes had dried.

“They never stop with the surprises,” Taehyung’s low voice chuckled, making you look up.

You had been standing just inside the doorway, ogling your sleeves as if you might blink and find them soaking wet again in an instant. Meanwhile, Tae stood in the living room, one hand dug into a pocket as his other fingers slipped open the top button of his shirt with practised ease.

Gulping at the sight, you fixed your eyes back on his.

He simply smiled. Under one arm he gathered a blanket that had been strewn on the couch, but it was his free hand he held out to you, fingers outstretched, inviting.

Grateful, you stepped closer, inhaling the comforting scent of his home. You hadn’t noticed it before, but though your clothes were dry they still gave off the odour of river water, making the aroma of paints mingled with herbs and spices more prominent by contrast as you closed the space between you.

Hand closing around the offered blanket, you broke eye contact for the first time.

“This feels like a dream,” you murmured, head shaking lightly.

A beat of silence as Tae released his grip on the soft fabric, transferring it to your fingers.

“It does,” he whispered.

Had you looked up, you would have found his eyes still trained intently on you. So close, he bit his tongue, not trusting his voice further given the way his throat closed up, lending his deep voice more gravel than usual.

Stifling a yawn, you looked around, already pulling the blanket over your shoulders. Despite the quick journey and drying off, the chill of the outside lingered a little.

“Where do you want me?” you yawned.

Tae cleared his throat before he spoke, stepping away though he left his fingers tangled loosely with your own.

“The bedroom is fine, i-if you want to, that is,” he hastened to add, “we’re both tired. Let’s get some sleep.”

While normally your manners would have you protest at least a little, you had to admit how sleepy you were becoming. It was impossible to deny that Tae had just proposed exactly what you wanted, and so you let him lead you to the bedroom, where you sunk onto the futon as he gathered some clothes from his wardrobe.

Folded beside you, you handled them with reverent fingers, slipping out of your clothes once Tae had excused himself for the bathroom.

You reversed your tasks once more before you found yourself bundled in comforting blankets, the weight next to you a steadying influence in the darkness. Though you longed to reach out for him, trace your fingertips over his skin, hold him close-

you really were just too tired.

And maybe it was testament to the security of his presence that you were unable to act on your desires, sleep claiming you strongly instead, taking you quicker than you had managed in months.

Waking up, however, was a different story.

While the exhaustion of yesterday had muffled any thoughts beyond wanting to sleep, today your mind was overflowing even as you first blinked at the pale light.

Beside you, Taehyung still lay sleeping. You were simultaneously aware of his peaceful beauty, and the panic with which you found yourself revelling in it. It seemed you had become a little too attached to him. Maybe this had all been a mistake…

Also in the back of your mind, though rapidly elbowing its way to the forefront, was the fact you hadn’t been home for an entire day. Your phone was still there; who knew how many work calls you might have missed?

Though you couldn’t quite find it in yourself to regret turning away from it, you couldn’t shake the itching responsibility to get back and see what mess awaited.

But at the same time, that terrified you beyond belief.

Most of all, however, your mind was swimming with colours. Shapes, snippets of designs floated in your brain. You weren’t sure when the last time that had happened was. You used to dream up your designs, when you were still beginning your career, desperate to create.

And though there were many scary things waiting for you, this revelation, this newfound desire to design again, lent your limbs new strength as you rolled from the bed.

Reclaiming your clothes from last night was first up; Tae had draped them over kitchen chairs to air out, but the smell lingered a little. It didn’t bother you too much, so you dressed quickly.

It was then that the soft creaking of floorboards caught your attention. You turned just in time to see Tae emerge from the bedroom, eyes barely cracked open while his lips were puffed out in an adorable pout, clearly only half-awake.

Stopping with an arm on the doorframe, hair flopping haphazardly around his face, he squinted across at you.

“Where are you going?” his low voice still rumbled in his throat, dry with disuse this morning.

Silently moving, you quickly padded across the floor towards him. None of the curtains were open yet, the watery morning light permeating the air tentatively.

In this dim space, you had the courage to lift your palms to press against his cheeks. On meeting his big eyes that stared across at you, you swallowed.

“There’s something I have to do,” you breathed, gaze skimming down his face as he watched you. Despite his bewildered state this early in the day, he was beginning to become more alert at your words.

Slowly, his fingers lifted to wrap gently around your wrist.

“Okay,” his voice remained husky, “but… you’ll come back?”

You tore your eyes from where they had focussed, without your consent, on his lips, to return his intent stare.

“Of course I will,” you whispered, mouth turning up at the corners.

For a moment, your breathing hitched. Such close distance between you two was becoming frequent, but you were far from used to it. Your cheeks still heated up, breath shallow as you savoured the softness of his skin under your hand.

Your eyes slid closed. In the relative darkness that encapsulated you, it was easy to think wishfully, imagine leaning closer in this timeless space where no one would see…

But then the moment passed, your hand slipping inconsequentially from his lingering grip.

Bringing your hand back to your side, you squeezed a smile his way and took a step backwards.

Then another.

He remained standing there as your pace sped up, and soon you were out of the door. As it closed behind you, you swore you could have seen a large pair of eyes blinking from between the trees.

Knowing what you did now, you couldn’t write it off, but neither did you pay any more attention, feeling a strange weightlessness as you trod the path to your house.

Going the short way this time, it didn’t take you long as you walked the tracks beside the glistening rice fields and farmland. Workers were already out, having risen with the sun which had fully emerged from the trees by now. As you passed, you exchanged nods and waves, smiling and giving good greetings to all you looked up at you.

Quiet fell again once you reached your road.

A nervous chill ran through you, but there was a thrill to it.

Approaching your house, you found two figures standing outside. With a frown, you drew closer.

“Auntie?” you called, making the women turn to you, “Mei?”

Mei’s warm face formed a friendly smile while your aunt beside her gawked. Recovering from her shook, she hurried to you, grasping your hands as your received her with confusion.

“Mei told me you were at Kim Taehyung’s? Is that true?”

With a glance to the old lady, you confirmed.

“That’s a relief,” your aunt laughed, “I came around yesterday to find you gone! You even left your phone!”

She was holding it out to you. Smiling weakly, you suddenly felt the weight of her watching you. Thankfully, Mei began to walk back towards her house, lessening your audience.

Sure enough, when you powered your phone on, it was instantly lighting up, ping after ping flooding your screen with notifications, calls and messages.

A frown made your aunt’s concern clear, but even you surprised yourself with your confidence as you simply grinned back.

“I have it under control,” you assured her, and walked up your steps to the door.

Inside, you took a breath, but could put it off no more. Beyond the fear of what you were about to do, lay the images of your home, the expansive fields and forests that had always been your source of inspiration. And now, a giant, friendly forest spirit-

And a hand, resting in yours.

The dial tone filled your ears, and you took a seat. Your notebook was still atop your desk, thrown aside to make way for your laptop, sat open with its screen dead. Nor had you disposed of your instant food wrappers-

“Y/N,” a stern voice crackled through the line. Your boss. “Where are those plans I asked you for?”

Though she couldn’t see you, you brought a smile to your face, summoned to lend you confidence.

“I’m sorry,” you quickly apologised, already hearing the reprimand on her lips, “but something came up. And I… I have something to tell you.”

A sigh.

“Go on.”

“Well… I’ve been thinking. I appreciate all the opportunities I’ve had with this company, but I don’t think it’s taking me where I would like to go-“

“Y/N!” you weren’t sure you had ever heard so much emotion in your boss’ voice. Her voice rang with pure shock, “Do you mean to say-?”

“This is me, handing in my notice,” you spoke clearly, “thank you.”

Silence stretched out for longer than you could comfortably take. But, should you need to, you were ready to repeat yourself. Somewhere on the other line, you heard a muffled voice trying to get your boss’ attention, but it was soon gone again. You knew well the dismissive wave that person will have received.

“Very well,” she spoke at last.

And with that acceptance, you felt like you were floating.

There was a spring in your step even as you cleaned up the mess you had left behind, the whole time itching to get your hands on your pens and brushes.

You had quit. You had quit!

For so long, the notion would never have crossed your mind, the prospect of giving up too terrifying to consider. But you weren’t giving up, not at all. Maybe you were giving up on what you thought you wanted. Or what you had wanted, once upon a time, but now no longer fit you.

Instead of guilt or fear, you were filled with excitement. You knew what you wanted.

And you were halfway there.

This, however, was the easy part. No matter how hard it may be to rebuild your career, starting afresh, none of those obstacles scared you quite as much as the next thought to enter your mind.

Taehyung.

But you had promised him you would come back.

And perhaps one upheaval was enough for one day, you thought as you gathered your sketchbook, your paints. You could afford to hide from your feelings for a little longer, right?

You certainly couldn’t deny them, but you were afraid to admit them. Who knew what could happen then? You dared not hope for them being returned, and concluded to let yourself enjoy time with Tae for now.

After all, you were so excited to create, an almost alien passion that you were thrilled to welcome back.

And you could think of no one better to share this joy with. Taehyung was an artist too; he would understand.

Not far from Tae’s house, back past the open farmland, a familiar shape dominated the path in front of you. The sight of Totoro brought a smile to your face, reminding you of all the magic you had discovered in this place since you returned.

What you hadn’t quite expected was for them to be waiting for you. Unsure what to do, you settled for a quick bow and a quiet ‘hello’ as you continued.

Walking past the spirit, it just watched you for an extended moment before following along behind.

Taehyung was at the kitchen window when you arrived, and saw you coming. A boxy smile lit up his face before it disappeared from the window, emerging only seconds later in the doorway, a pair of paintbrushes clutched in his hand and dripping onto the porch. The day had bloomed into gorgeous full sun, and he held his hand up to shield his eyes from it as he watched you arrive.

A glance behind you confirmed Totoro was still following.

“They were standing around outside all morning,” Tae began talking, coming down the steps to meet you, “thought they wanted me to come into the forest, but when I tried, they walked even further down that way. What do you think’s got into them?”

“Beats me,” you shrugged, “but they seem happy enough now.”

Sure enough, Totoro had retreated a little further towards the treeline, still watching you both. For a moment, you and Tae both twisted around, looking back at the creature.

“Anyway…” you laughed.

Joining in, Tae led the way back inside, wiping his brushes against his trousers.

“Did you do what you needed to?” he asked, back facing you. The art supplies in your arms hadn’t gone unnoticed, and he was pulling out a chair to place next to his own setup.

“Yeah,” you hummed, setting your things down, “I, er- I quit my job.”

Brows lifting, Tae straightened up to face you. But his mouth soon slid into a bright smirk.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” you breathed. You couldn’t keep your own beaming smile away from your face.

His eyes lingered on you for a moment longer.

“So you’re going to be around here for a while, then?”

“Yeah,” you smiled warmly, “I think I am.”

Over the next few hours, the image you had hoped for came to life. Sitting side by side, you and Tae both went about your works in pleasureable silence. Him, hidden behind an easel and periodically popping his head around it to survey they scenery, and you, meagre sketchbook propped on a cluttered desk.

It was perfect.

And finally, your creative energy was allowed to burst forth. For the first time since you were a student, you drew. And drew. And drew.

Pages seemed to fill themselves up, and if some thoughts were still unpolished, at least they were here, proof that you had never lost your spark, the spark which the fruitless toil of your old workplace had stamped out. Maybe you had just lost your way, temporarily.

And for that short afternoon, you were able to push all other thoughts from your mind. Especially those pertaining to a certain fluffy-haired artist with a boxy smile.

But even having half your worries settled was a relief.

That night, you returned home. Though you slept easier than the last time you were in this bed, you were ashamed of how much you longed for Tae’s presence next to you. Even when you had slept silently, barely touching save for the odd brush of an arm or leg when you rolled over, it was a grounding relief to have him there.

Luckily, you hadn’t even had to ask him yesterday if you could drop by again; he had leapt on the chance to invite you himself.

So you didn’t dwell on the way you reached out when you woke up, expecting to find a warm presence under the blankets with you. Instead, you happily climbed out of bed, ready to repeat your routine from yesterday.

This time, you at least brought some snacks along from your kitchen.

Today brought a large dose of d ja-vu along with it. Totoro was once again waiting for you, expectant. It took you off guard, but slipped your mind once you were back at Tae’s side, happily working for the remainder of the morning.

But Totoro didn’t give up. Those large eyes blinked through the window when the two of you went to prepare food.

“Do you want attention?” you chuckled, knowing you wouldn’t receive an answer.

“What do you say?” Tae’s low voice grew closer, “fancy a break outside?”

You were prevented from replying when his breath fell across your neck, causing you to stiffen. But he simply leaned over, hooking his chin lazily on your shoulder as he dropped another spoon into the sink where you were washing up.

“Y/N?” he frowned when met with your silence, small pout forming as he drew back to look at you.

You shook yourself.

“What? Oh, yes,” you tripped over your tongue, “that sounds great. Looks like Totoro would appreciate that too.”

With a laugh, Tae wiped his hands on a cloth.

“I’ll go get changed.”

Not long later, you were surrounded by trees, bathed now in deep shade that shielded you from the midday sun. Totoro had seemingly been satisfied by your attention, as they had followed you on your walk without protest.

Not that you were sure how they would protest if they wanted to, but your point stands.

It was strange how accustomed you were to the spirit by now, no longer staring over your shoulder at the creature. Instead, you were preoccupied by Tae as he ran, giggling, towards a tree with the perfect low-hanging branches for climbing.

By the time you had reached him, he was dangling, sloth-style, so that he was level with your head. His grin was just as goofy upside-down, and you swatted at his soft hair as it hung off his reddening face.

“Budge up,” you grinned, trying to hoist yourself up as well.

You had succeeded in getting onto the first branch when Totoro appeared by the base of the tree. Smiling down at them, you waited for Tae to clamber up to the next bough.

The moment you looked back to him, however, you felt a strange tug, shrieking when you found no branch below your feet. Looking about wildly, your feet flailed, scrabbling for any kind of purchase.

From where he hung onto a branch, Taehyung looked down sharply in a panic, but instead found you level with him.

Wide eyes stared at one another until the same feeling clutched at Tae, stomach dropping as he was miraculously lifted from his perch.

A look behind you showed Totoro still right there, also floating. One arm was holding you, Tae’s hand clutching the other. As you blinked in mute shock at the spirit, they opened their mouth, stretching into a wide grin. Laughter floated past your lips at the sight.

Somehow, you dodged the branches crossing your path as you ascended, though they grew sparser as you carried on upwards. Unlike your journey in the bus, you could feel a breeze coursing past you now.

Gaping in disbelief, you found Tae again, reaching out to him. Your expression was mirrored on his, and he eagerly entwined your free hands, smile softening as you were brought closer in the air.

And as you floated high above the ground, you somehow felt little difference than the way you always did when Tae was beside you, hand resting in your own.

You laughed again, a sound of pure joy, forgetting the spirit carrying you as you simply watched his eyes. Among the cool breeze, you felt a slight tickle of warmth from his breath.

As you watched, his smile slowly melted from his lips, captivated instead by your stare, though he looked no less peaceful.

But just as distant hills could be revealed beyond the thinning leaves, you felt a warm hold loosening around you. You hadn’t even noticed it, but now it was retracting, you could feel the spirit’s magic clearly and panicked. In an instant, you had grabbed the nearest branch, which was surprisingly sturdy.

In your rush, your hand had slipped from Tae’s, but a shudder of the branch told you he had also caught hold of it.

The calming magic slipped away completely.

Now clutching the tree for dear life, you looked down, but Totoro was nowhere to be seen. Squeezing your eyes shut, you sucked in a deep breath. Then, with a surge of energy, you swung further onto the branch, ignoring the way it lurched, to give you a steadier sitting place.

“You alright?” you panted.

Only a grunt answered you as Tae copied your action.

As he righted himself, you caught an uneasy wobble in his expression, instinctively holding out a hand.

“Come here.”

Gladly taking it, Taehyung’s shoulders lowered, easing a bit once you were connected. Waiting for him, you shimmied a short distance to rest where the branch met the trunk. On reaching you, Tae pressed closer, shoulder up against your own.

Smiling fondly, you twisted so you could reach your arms around him loosely.

“It’s okay,” you whispered, though you had no idea what had just happened.

“Not a fan of heights,” he murmured, but his deep voice did not seem panicked.

“At least it’s pretty,” you pointed out, nudging him the smallest amount to avoid toppling.

You were right. Between picture frames formed by intertwining branches, the land stretched out in the brilliant light. The same land that had always inspired you. How could you bring yourself to be irritated at Totoro for bringing you here?

“You seem remarkably calm,” a chuckle rumbled through Tae’s chest.

“I’m not sure anything else can surprise me now.”

He smiled, turning towards you. In this position, though, you were intimately close, his nose barely an inch from your own once he had twisted to look into your eyes. Inhaling sharply, you gripped the tree trunk harder.

“Why do you think they brought us here?”

“I don’t know,” you whispered, not trusting your voice, “but they wouldn’t hurt us.”

“I know that,” Taehyung nodded, gaze dropping enough for you to deflate again.

Still holding onto each other like it was the most natural thing, you eyed the landscape for a little while longer, allowing quiet to elapse.

But this proximity wasn’t doing you any favours. Though you were sure Tae was oblivious, your heart was beating erratically, unable to forget his presence. All the thoughts that had occupied you lately were flooding in, except this time there was no escape.

Literally.

You were stuck in this tree next to the man who drove you crazy any time he looked your way. The man you were dying to spend time with the moment you woke up each day. The man who accepted you, supported you, reminded you where your true passion lay.

No, you couldn’t take this.

“Hey,” a low voice brushed your earlobe, just moments before a gentle finger found your chin, bringing it up.

You had barely noticed your gaze falling from the view in front of you while you lost yourself in useless circles of thought. Now, you couldn’t look away as shining dark eyes captivated your own.

“What are you thinking about?” Taehyung asked, lips curving upwards.

Licking your lips, you tore your eyes away. This was too much for your poor heart.

“Y/N?” he ducked to catch your eyes, brow creasing.

You were too weak for this boy. As soon as you saw the slight displeasure on his face, you longed to chase it away.

You sighed.

“You…”

Nearly as quiet as the breeze, you half hoped your admission would be carried away. But as you bit your tongue, daring to look up, you knew Tae had heard. His smile grew, though he tilted his head questioningly.

“What about me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” you grinned, looking away again. This was too risky. Maybe he would buy the joke and drop it before you made a fool of yourself-

“I was thinking about you too.”

You blinked.

“You were?”

He hummed, not a trace of insincerity in his large eyes as he nodded.

“Well…” you picked subconsciously at your sleeve, “what were you thinking about?”

“Nosy,” he griped, taking a light swipe at your nose with his forefinger.

Succeeding in bringing a smile to your face as you jerked your head away with a laugh, he sighed, shuffling closer indetectably.

“I was wondering… maybe Totoro did this because of you-“ just as you gaped indignantly, he hurried on “-because of us. They put us up here… together.”

“Oh. Yeah,” you nodded, brow furrowing.

“But even if- if that’s not the case…”

Taehyung trailed off, bringing your attention back to him. He wet his lips, sucking his lower one between worrying teeth before meeting your eyes again.

“We’re alone and, well… I was wondering what it would be like to kiss you.”

That knocked all the air out of your lungs. You sucked a shaky breath, then out.

“What it would be like?” you echoed.

He nodded, gulping.

And then something snapped. Unable to stand it anymore, you slid your hand to his jaw, the next moment surging forwards, lips colliding desperately.

His arms tugged you closer instantly, pulling you against him, fingers grasping at your waist hungrily as he titled his head to meet you. And heaven, it felt amazing. His lips were as soft as they looked, leaving you lapping at them with desire as his caressed yours just as dreamily, simultaneously intense with longing pressure and gentle with reverence.

Caving to him completely, you let yourself mould to his embrace. The flowing wind around you, the rustling of the leaves were utterly driven from your mind by the maddening nudge of his tongue, prompting you to deepen the kiss.

But though your fingers still clutched his jaw desperately, you were forced to break the kiss, falling away giddy and breathless.

Tae lifted a hand to your hair as well, stroking it soothingly as he pulled you close again, foreheads touching.

“Well…” you were the first to recover your voice, “I think it would feel something like that.”

A smile burst onto his face, dominating your vision, no doubt a copy of your own ecstatic grin.

Almost immediately, a strong wind ripped through the treetops. Wiping the smile from your face, you gripped tighter to both the tree and to Taehyung.

He looked around.

Following his gaze, sure enough, you were met with two large eyes staring innocently back at you.

A beat consisted of you blinking at one another in silence, before a gasping laugh burst from your mouth. Clapping a hand over it, you met Tae’s eyes, also finding him dissolve into laughter that creased his eyes.

“Looks like you were right,” you chuckled as the warm magic began to lift you once again.

“You were just waiting for us to confess!” Tae cried.

But the wide smile on his face as he pulled you closer mid-flight showed he was far from outraged.

That night saw you tumbling at last into the same bed as Tae again. You didn’t want to leave, and you never had to.

Over time, you moved in, your own things settling among the paintings, brushes and pots that filled Tae’s house. Your house.

Every day you would see the trees, feel the wind through your hair and the sun glowing between the forest branches – the very place where you had finally given into the love binding you.

And you drew. You drew and drew, and designed until you were making a name in your own right. People would ask you about the distinctive round creatures that commonly featured in your designs. Of course, you would always laugh, a familiar sound that you shared with your boyfriend, keeping the unofficial secret between yourselves.

The two of you knew, not only the forest spirits, but the dust bunnies and flurries of wind that snaked through the roof timbers on the coldest nights. And then, you could always be assured of a warm presence beside you, to hold you through the night.

But above all, you got to see that glorious smile every day, never fading from your life.

You could breathe again.

Thank you for reading! If you want more, there is a follow up drabble here. Come chat with me if you enjoyed it!

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drakenology · 4 years ago

Text

Yeah, My Boyfriend’s In A Band

guitarist!todoroki x fem!reader

summary: something straight outta wattpad! you go to a rock band’s concert and stand front row of the stage. The band’s vocalist /guitarist catches your eye and.. well, the rest is history! this is the story of how you first met.

author’s note: soooo.. how yall been? i kinda said fuck it to the schedule i made. why force myself to make content when I just can’t ya know? I’d much rather upload content when it’s at it’s best. so enjoy! I used some lyrics from some of my favorite rock songs for this, can you guess em? Also the art work above isn’t mine!

warnings: smut (duh.), drug use (weed), size kink, pinch of daddy kink, spitting, degradation

It was a hot Saturday night. You were all dressed up and excited to see your favorite heavy metal band the Diaspora play in your city. You were a huge fan, their posters adorned your bedroom walls. You’ve been a fan since they first came out as a cover band.

The members were all pretty fuckin cute, especially the band’s front man. Todoroki Shoto.

He was so handsome; black and red half and half hair, grey sullen eyes, the sexy scar on the left side of his face only adding to the edginess of his visage. His tattoos coated his left arm in a sleeve, his eyebrow pierced as well as his lower lip. He was fucking hot. Obviously not the kind of guy who would pay any attention to you right?

You threw on the Diaspora t-shirt you bought just weeks before the show and tied it in the back so it could be a little cropped and called your uber, frantically spraying perfume in a panic that you were going to be late to the concert. You ran outside, saying goodnight to your roommate as you rush out the door and jump into the car.

“Hey. I’m Shoto Todoroki and I’m the lead singer and guitarist for the band The Diaspora. Hope to see you guys at the show tonight at 8.” You hear as smoothe and sultry voice play over the radio.

You swoon and text some buddies who were also going to the show in excitement, the rush going straight to your brain in a haze as you blast some of their music in your headphones.

When you arrive to the stadium, you spot your best friend from highschool Nejire Hado. You two actually grew up together and even graduated together. It was like you two were sisters, inseparable since birth. Nejire saw you and waved excitedly, squealing with glee and motioned you to come to her spot in line.

“Y/N!!!! Over here!!” She yelled, causing you to run over and jump up and down with her.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here!” You say.

“Me either! Hey, did you hear? There’s rumor’s going around that their having an after party after the show! We have to go, Y/N please say yes.” Nejire rambled, clapping her hands with an inability to contain her excitement.

You look down at your shoes, unsure at first. What if you aren’t even allowed inside? It could be VIP only.

“Fuck it. Let’s go!” You say, causing Nejire to scream and laugh with joy.

Suddenly, the band’s security comes outside to greet the fans waiting to come inside for the show.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please enter in a single fil-“ the poor guy couldn’t even finish his sentence before hundreds of eager fans rush past him and squeeze into the stadium doors, running as fast as the could to get to their seats.

Luckily for you and Nejire, you had front row tickets. Those days of refreshing the page for them as they sold out every second really paid off. You grab Nejire’s hand and run inside, elbowing and clawing your way through to your spot with your best friend by your side. The lights suddenly go dim and the crowd goes insane.

The show’s about to start. You heart seemed to float up into your throat as you stood sweating and nervous, Nejire screaming her head off and jumping up and down when the band came rising up from the bottom of the stage. Smoke covers them for a while until it clears and all you see is Todoroki standing above you, the real him finally being exposed to you as you gaze from the crowd.

He was even more handsome in person. Tonight he wore black jeans and a white band tank top ,showing off his muscular and tattooed arms. Chains hung on his hip and his boots as he propped his foot up on the amplifier in front of him.

“YOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” He screamed into the mic, causing the crowd to scream impossibly louder. He smirked, causing you to feel woozy just seeing him look so smug, as if he knew the effects he had on his fans.

You could’ve died right there a happy woman as the band started to play their hit single, the gritty sound of the electric guitar sending chills up your spine as you and Nejire headbang and dance to the music. You sing along to the top of your lungs, watching as Todoroki owned the stage. You gaze up at him again to see something completely and utterly unbelievable.

He was looking right at you.

You gasp, your eyes widening as you lock eyes with him. Shoto kneeled down towards you and reached his hand out to you. You almost scream and grab his tattooed hand with both of your own and smile at him, keeping your eyes focused on his. Shoto took your hand and kissed it as he sang a pretty racy part of his song to you,

“I wanna take you home.” (sleeping with sirens fans?? your nickle aint worth my dime???? NO?)

Oh. My. God

“OH MY FUCKING GOD! Y/N, HE-“ Nejire screamed, just as excited as you. You stood there shocked and flustered, staring into space. Todoroki fucking Shoto just kissed your hand. Shoto smirked and let your hand go, continuing the rest of his show in hopes you got the message. He wanted you. It was common sense that you go to the afterparty now.

The show continued for another 2 hours, Todoroki now dripping in sweat from the hot lights shining upon him and his band.

“Thank you all so much for coming out. For those invited, I’ll see you all at the afterparty! Goodnight everyone!” Todoroki bellowed to the crowd, causing them to cheer him and the band off the stage.

You stand there, high off of every guitar riff and belt from the performance feeling sad that the concert was over. But a rush of hope filled your heart in knowing that you were going to see Shoto again soon. You and Nejire walk out of the stadium hand in hand as you discussed the plan to get to the party.

“So the party is not too far from here, exactly 15 minutes away. We could totally call an uber.” Nejire explains, saying that it’s going to be held in Todoroki’s mansion.

When you both arrive at Todoroki’s Mansion your jaws drop. A huge fountain greeted your uber driver’s car, cobblestone driveways leading you towards his front door. There were hedge sculptures all over the front yard and expensive cars adorned the driveway as you and Nejire step out of the car to see the line to get into the party. Damn. More lines.

You approach the security guard; the same one from earlier that night with a nervous wave.

“U-Um excuse me sir, we’re on the list..” You said unconfidently. Nejire nervous laughed and nudged you for sounding so unsure after giving you a long confidence pep-talk in the car.

“Sorry, kiddo. I’m not seein’ an ‘Y/N’ or a ‘Nejire’. Back o’ the line, ladies.” The security guard huffed, hardly even looking at his list.

“Nah it’s cool, Ben. Let them in.” You hear a familiar voice utter before you get the chance to turn around and walk to the back of the line. Sure enough it was Todoroki standing there, joint lit and eyes hazy. Clearly stoned.

It was like he got more gorgeous as you got closer to him, your cheeks heating up as you realize you’re literally standing in front of your fucking celebrity crush. Nejire squeals and runs inside to go find the drummer and get his number, she says drummers do it harder.

Shoto took you by the hand and led you inside the rager in his foyer. The smell of beer and weed absorbs your nostrils as you walk inside with Shoto in hand, watching as Nejire talks up the drummer with ease as if she already knew him from way back when.

Todoroki sat down on the most comfortable couch you have ever sat in with you next to him, taking a big drag of his joint and motioning it towards you.

“Wanna hit? It’s not laced. Promise.” He said cooly, slowly blowing out the smoke. You take it and take a hit, coughing a little as you puff out the smoke.

Damn this must be what rich people smoke.

“Good huh? Grew it myself. Heh.” Todoroki laughed a little as he watched you take another hit.

“Shit. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you, finally.” You say, nervousness coating your tongue. Shoto gave you a warm smile, his hazy eyes gleaming in the dim lights of the room.

“Gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl.” Shoto said, kissing the same hand he did at the concert.

You heat up, your panties becoming slightly wet at him touching and kissing you. He smirked and grabbed you by your chin to make sure you look him directly into his grey orbs.

“When I saw you in the crowd, I almost couldn’t keep my eyes off you.” He said into your ear, causing your mind to block out any outside sound that wasn’t his voice. You gulp, blinking dumbly as you try to find the words to say something.

“I-I, um. Th-thank you.” You say, looking down into his lap. Shoto pulled away to smoke his joint a little more. You two talked all night, everyone around you both becoming irrelevant as you seemingly grow closer together.

Strangely, none of the rumors about Todoroki were true. He wasn’t this stuck up asshole the media made him out to be. He was calm and gentle, the sweetest guy you’ve ever had the pleasure of having a conversation with. You learned so much about him that night. He was so misunderstood.

You’re high now and completely hazy as you and Todoroki make out on the couch. You’re not sure how you two even got to this point but you loved it. One thing led to another and now you were straddling him on the couch, his hands in your back pockets as he groped and squeezed your ass.

Your lips mingled as you moan into the kiss, Todoroki’s tongue slipping into your mouth to make home of it. The kiss got so hot your pussy was sopping wet underneath your jeans as you mindlessly grind against him for some kind friction.

Todoroki pulled away and started kissing your neck, damn near ripping your clothes off in front of the entire party. You’re gasping and grabbing at his clothes, forgetting where you are as you become desperate for him. You wanted him so bad and you knew he wanted you too.

“Wanna get out of here? Go upstairs I mean.” Shoto asked, huffing into the skin of your neck as his hard dick poked at your thigh.

“God yes.” You say breathily. As soon as he got your consent he carried you upstairs, the party raising their glasses and their blunts in celebration for Todoroki getting some.

“YES! Y/N tell me everything okay!?” Nejire yelled drunkenly, pulling away from her makeout session with the band’s drummer. You giggle and wave down at her, Todoroki laughing softly as he watched the interaction between you and your best friend.

“Just so you know, princess. I’m not going to go easy on you.” Shoto said, pinning you against the hallway wall.

“I don’t want you to.” You mewl, leaning into his neck to nip at it. Shoto let out a low chuckle and nearly kicked down his bedroom door, tossing you onto his luxurious california king bed.

You take a quick look around his darkly colored room, black walls with coordinating grey funiture. Posters of his inspiration adorned his walls, almost similar to your room just $100,000 richer. He had a mirror above his bed as you look up at your reflection you see Todoroki crawl on top of you, unbuttoning and pulling your jeans off in one fell swoop.

You’re immediately embarrassed, forgetting it was laundry day at home so you threw a thong on because you didn’t have anything else to wear. It was black and lacy and oh so skimpy you quickly move your hands to cover up in shame, Shoto grabbing your wrists and pinning your hands above your head.

“Heh. How’d you know I love lace?” Shoto teased, practically salivating at the sight of your smooth legs beneath him. “You’re so beautiful, you know that?” Shoto said, running his hands along your sides as if he was a lion playing with his prey before he ate it.

You bit your lip, dripping and hungry for some kind of touch in the places you needed him most, your nipples prodding at the thin fabric of your band tee. Yeah, you forgot to wear a bra. Shoto pulled your shirt above your head, tossing it somewhere and hissing at the sight of your bare breasts.

“No bra either? Man.. it must be my birthday. I’m gonna have fun with you, princess.” Todoroki says taking a nipple into his mouth, not breaking eye contact with you as he suckled gently following with short lick causing your entire body to catch flame.

You start moaning miserably, your whole body begging him to take you. Shoto pulls away from your nipple with a light pull of his lips and slips his hand down to your slit, caressing it agonizingly slow to tease you. He takes his other hand and presses his thumb to your lips.

“Open your mouth.” He rasped. And you did, sucking on his thumb as he rested it on your tongue making Shoto moan at the sight, humming a ‘good girl’ under his breath. Shoto held your mouth open and spit, pulling you into a sloppy kiss as he plunged his thick digits into your needy hole.

You arch your back off the bed, biting down onto Shoto’s lip as he finger fucked you without mercy. Your moans filled the air, Shoto watching you intently as he took your breast into his mouth once more.

“Sho- ah! I-I’m gonna-“ You bellow, trying to hold onto something for dear life as he brought you closer and closer to your peak.

“That’s daddy to you, princess. Try again and maybe I’ll let you cum around my fingers.” Shoto hissed, slowing his pumping fingers a bit to ensure you got the point.

He was in control. You pant, your chest heaving as you try to catch your breath only for it to get caught in your throat again. Desperate moans fall out of your mouth as you beg him to let you cum.

“D-Daddy!~” You gasp, Shoto leaning into your neck, his ear right next your mouth as you scream for him. You collapse into his arms, fucked out and stupid off Todoroki’s strong fingers. All those years of guitar weren’t for nothing.

“That’s it baby.. fuck, you made a mess.” Shoto cooed, slowly dragging his fingers out of you as he watched your slick stick to him sloppily. At this point, he’s so hard you can clearly see the veins in his dick jumping out of his pants, his size making you wince in pain before he even entered you.

“Think you can take all of me, princess?” Shoto asked, throwing his contricting pants and boxers somewhere across the room, releasing his impressive size for you to see. You gulp but nod, licking your lips at the sight of him.

Shoto smirked at your reaction and pumped himself a few times before teasingly tapping the head of his dick against your clit, causing you to yelp from the sensitivity of your abused core.

“Pleaseee.” You whine, Shoto grabbing you by the neck and choking you almost to tell you to shut up and be patient. He wastes no time in plunging into you, the thickness of his dick stretching your walls with a delicious sting.

You claw at his back as he bottomed out, gasping sharply as he filled you completely.

“Am I hurting you?” Todoroki asked with what little sympathy he had left in his body. You shook your head no, moaning as he stayed still inside you.

“P-P-Please move..” you mewl, chewing your bottom lip. Shoto smirked and began rutting his hips into yours at a rough pace, not really caring if you adjusted to him or not. Hard slaps and the sound of your whiny moans filled the room as the headboard of his bed slammed against the wall, probably alerting the entire party downstairs.

You’re screaming now, a moaning mess beneath him as he split you wide open. As your eyes rolled to the back of your head, Shoto throws your legs over his shoulder and starts pounding into you.

He’s going to make sure you’re unable to walk straight for the rest of the week, marking you as his.

“Fuckkk, daddy. S-Slow down.” You pleaded only for Shoto to ignore you and continue his pace, laughing at the shocked and fucked out face you were pulling.

“Told you I wasn’t taking it easy on you. Did you forget already, princess?” Shoto breathed, moving his hands to rub shallow circles into your clit.

Your toes curled up tightly as your orgasm ripped through your body, your moans reaching a cresendo as your scream Shoto’s name.

He hissed as your walls fluttered around him, your pussy gripping him tightly as he fucked into you continuosly.

“I hope you didn’t think I was through with you just because I made you cum. I’m not done yet, doll.” Shoto muttered through your pathetic whines for him to slow down.

He cooed praises at you, a “good girl” here and a “you take my dick so well” there until his thrusts got rusty and sloppy; a sign he was close to cumming.

“Shittt, where do you want me to-“

“I-Inside m-mee! Fuck, cum inside me!” You shriek. And so he did, fucking his hot stickiness into you for a while as you both moan and pant. Shoto rode out your climaxes for a while before slowly pulling himself out as he watched his cum ooze out of your abused pussy.

As Shoto flopped on the bed next to you, you both stare up at the mirror on his ceiling. You’re both sweaty and your hair was a fucking mess from being tossed around the bed for what seemed like hours.

“Shit. Probably late as fuck by now. You wanna stay the night?” Shoto asked, taking your hand and famously kissing it once more. You smile and nod, unable to form coherent sentences as you feel yourself doze off.

Todoroki jumps from his bed and opened the door, screaming from the top of the stairs, “Oi! All you motherfuckers can fuck off home!Party’s over!” You laugh and throw a pillow at him.

“Don’t be so mean, Sho. Uh.. C-Can I call you Sho?” You ask embarrassed.

“You keep fucking me like that you can call me whatever you want, angel.” Shoto groans, grabbing you by your face and kissing you sweetly.

“Honestly, I wanna go again. You down?”

#bnha smut #bnha fanfiction #bnha x reader #bnha bakugo x reader #bnha imagines #bnha midoriya x reader #bnha todoroki x reader #bnha #bnha bakugo katsuki #bnha bakugou #bnha todoroki #bnha todoroki shoto #punk rock au!

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quillsandtypos · 4 years ago

Text

Ski Trip

Summary: when the reader agrees to go on the annual ski trip up to the mountains with her boyfriend, Luke, and her friends she expected to go looking at mountains. But what she ends up doing doesn't require much hiking

Pairings: alive!Luke Patterson x reader

Words: 2.4k

Warnings: THIS IS NSFW FOREPLAY SMUT PEOPLE

If any of you have ever had a conversation with me and you read this fic, no you didn't

...........................................

"What are you two doing tomorrow?" Julie asked you.

You rolled into your stomach and propped your head up in your hands. “I’m not sure, but I know what we're doing next weekend, unfortunately.”

That peaked Julie’s interest, you weren’t usually much of a complainer. “Why unfortunately?” she questioned.

“Because I'm going on the Ski trip with him,” you whined. You wanted to spend time with Luke, you just didn't wanna go on the trip.

“Oh my god, you get to go?” she excitedly asked.

“Not helping,” you commented.

Julie smirked. “Sorry not sorry, I’ve been trying to get you to go for the past two years. And the first year, I couldn’t even go,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, so why would I have gone if you and Flynn weren’t even gonna be there?” you asked. As if on cue, Flynn walked down the stairs.

“Heard you guys were talking about me, all good things I hope?” she spoke as she walked down the stairs.

“Always,” you said, somewhat sarcastically.

She motioned for you to scoot over so she could have some space on the couch.

“So, if we’re done talking about me, did I hear someone say something about the ski trip?” Flynn questioned.

Before you could open your mouth Julie was already telling Flynn about how you were coming on the trip.

“You are?” Flynn squealed.

You tried to not get excited from their joy, but it was impossible; they were contagious.

You shyly smiled. “Yes, I’m going.”

“Yayyy!” Flynn yelled. The girl was practically jumping up and down.

“Oh who are you sharing a room with?” Flynn asked.

“Luke and I are,” you answered.

The girls exchanged a look you knew all too well.

“Shut up!” You covered your face with a pillow.

“We didn’t say anything!” they protested in almost complete unison.

You could feel your cheeks burning up. “Yeah, but you thought it,” you argued.

“Well whether we thought it or said it, you’re sharing a room with your boyyyyyyyfriend,” Flynn sang.

“If you guys start sing teasing me, I will leave,” you threatened.

“Don’t you need us to pick out your outfits?” Julie remembered.

“Oh, shit, yeah.”

“So in other words you have no leverage?” Flynn realized.

“I’m your ride home,” you reminded her.

“Outfits it is, but do not think we will be forgetting about this!” Flynn cried as she walked up to your bedroom.

“Whatever Flynn!” you yelled back.

“She’s right you know,” Julie slyly commented.

You just huffed in response.

The two of them did a very good job at helping maximize your california wardrobe for the mountains. Granted you had to go buy a couple things in advance, but overall, you felt confident that you could bear the cold of the mountains.

“Alright, I think you’ll survive,” Flynn proclaimed.

You closed your suitcase, and surprisingly you didn’t even have to sit on it.

“Thank you guys, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, it was our pleasure, especially since you’re actually coming this year,” Julie said.

You dropped them both back off their houses and they were nice enough to spare you from embarrassing you in the car ride.

...........

You heard someone creeping up behind you as you grabbed your stuff to head to your second class, and as you felt arms wrap around your waist you knew it was Luke.

You turned to face him. “So I was thinking if we get one of the window rooms then we can see the snow when it falls,” he proposed.

Your face lit up. “Wait, it’s gonna snow when we’re up there?” you excitedly asked.

He happily watched your beaming face “I mean that’s what the weather said.”

“Oh my god! I haven’t seen snow since-” you paused, “actually I don’t remember, but it’s been awhile.”

“Well there’s a good chance that’s gonna happen,” he said.

“You know you’re actually required to show up to school for them to allow you to come right?” you teased. Though originally it had been a legitimate concern.

He licked his lips. “I’ve been coming everyday so I could come on this trip,” he defended himself.

“Coming to school and staying in school are two very different things Patterson,” you playfully reminded him.

He leaned in closer and his voice got quieter. “And what’s that?”

You resisted the urge to swallow and pulled away from him. “One is what I’m doing right now, because I need to go to class.”

He pulled his lips tightly before sighing. “You got me there,” he admitted.

“I always do,” you said, as you started walking off. You turned around to see him still standing there, you would be lying if you said it didn’t bring you joy.

“Go to class Luke!” you yelled back at him.

“You got it!” he saluted you and walked the other way.

You playfully rolled your eyes. That boy would be the death of you, but you supposed there were worse ways to go.

That Friday you didn’t have any school since the school board figured it was pointless to send a bunch of kids to school the day before they went on a ski trip. There wasn’t going to be any actual learning anyway. You usually would’ve spent some of the day at Julie’s; which you did, but today it wasn’t in the studio for practice. You figured since she had helped you pack, you could at least keep her company as she packed.

“So who are you sharing a room with?” you asked her, as she sorted through her jeans.

“Me and Flynn just figured we’d share one,” Julie said offhandedly.

You chose to not comment on how she was obviously forcing herself to be casual.

“Ah I see, do you know if Alex and Reg are coming?”

“Yeah, and get this Alex and Willie are sharing a room,” she gossiped.

“I’m calling it right now, they're gonna start dating by the end of the weekend,” you hypothesized.

“I 100% agree.”

The two of you spent the next hour or so just discussing what sort of things you wanted to do while you were there over the weekend, and of course how much Flynn was running around her house frantically changing outfits. You actually were excited about going, not necessarily about the actual trip, and about dealing with certain classmates, but you were looking forward to being with Luke and hanging out with your friends.

For some reason when you woke up the next morning you were a little nervous, you supposed it was because you had never been skiing or snowboarding for that matter.

You got ready pretty minimally considering you were soon to be on a five hour bus ride. None of your family was up yet so when Luke pulled into your driveway you slipped out the door.

“You got everything?” Luke asked.

“Everything except my chill,” you responded with a smile.

“You’re gonna be alright, and you don’t have to do anything there you don’t wanna do, so if you don’t wanna risk a broken leg, then don’t.”

Despite your anxieties, you knew he was still right.

“Thanks Luke.”

“Anything for you.”

When the two of you got to the bus everyone else in your group had already gotten there. You, the rest of the band, Flynn, and Willie had made a plan for the bus.

“We have arrived,” you announced to your friends as you and Luke took your spots.

“And just in time too, people kept trying to take your seats,” Willie reported.

“Thanks for saving them,” Luke responded.

The two of you continued chatting with the rest of your friends until the bus driver instructed everyone to take their seats. The majority of everyone slept on the way up there but you were too anxious to get there to sleep. Instead you watched youtube as Luke napped on your shoulder.

“Luke, Luuuuuuuuuuuke, Luooooooooooooooke,” you spoke. You were trying to wake him up quietly but you were starting to realize that wasn’t going to work.

Luckily Reggie was awake. “Oh he’s a heavy sleeper, that’s not gonna work.”

Reggie basically got himself so he was dangling off both sides of his chair before yelling in his ear.

Luke awakened with a jolt, looking fairly startled.

You weren’t entirely sure whether you should laugh, throw Reggie under the bus, or maybe both.

“What happened?” Luke asked.

“I woke you up,” Reggie answered innocently.

“By yelling in my ear?” Luke groggily questioned.

Reggie quickly tried to backpedal himself out of this situation. “I mean I don’t think the method is relevant, the important thing is that you’re up.”

Luke wasn’t awake enough to deal with the situation at hand. He just chose to lay his head back on your shoulder.

By the time you had made it to the hotel you were ready to collapse. Luke laughed when you flung yourself onto one the beds.

“Should I be worried?” he asked, mostly as a joke.

“No,” you smiled and rubbed your face, “I’m just really tired.”

“You couldn’t sleep on the bus?” he guessed.

“Yeah,” you groaned.

“You know what would help?” he asked.

“Do tell,” you inquired, from your face down position.

“This,” he said, before he jumped on the bed beside you. He curled his warm body around you and pulled you in.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes,” you responded. You attempted to melt further into him. You laid there in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

“Luke we should probably go do things,” you suggested. You attempted to get up but he pulled you back down.

You stayed with him but you turned around so you were facing him. “Luke?”

“Yes, y/n?”

You bit your lip, you had to admit, it was pretty cute. “Are you going to let me get up?” you asked.

He looked into your eyes lovingly. “Well if you’re trying to leave then no.”

“So that would be a no.”

“Well if you look at it that way then yeah,” he admitted with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Luke come o-” the rest of your sentence didn’t quite make it out. Your smart boyfriend decided to use your weak spot on your back against you.

“You wanna go now?” he teased.

“Not necessarily,” you lazily responded.

You could feel your willpower fading as the light stokes up and down your back sent a calm wave of chills through your body. But you knew if you didn’t use your chance now there was a good chance you weren’t getting out of that bed today.

“Luke come on we gotta go,” you whined. It’s not like you weren’t enjoying yourself, you most definitely were, but your friends had to be wondering where the two of you were.

“Alright, alright, fine,” he gave in.

“Can I have a kiss though?” he sweetly pleaded.

You gladly agreed, but you realized his plan of not leaving the room hadn’t quite ended when the kiss started leading down to your jaw.

“Luke you’re not sly,” you laughed.

“Oh is that so?” he asked, as he moved down to your jawline.

You nodded your head.

“Then why aren’t you moving?” he purred.

Okay, so he maybe had a point.

“You can tell me to stop,” he reminded you. He looked into your eyes for any sign of you wanting him to stop and waited.

“Unless of course, you don’t want me to stop?” he asked, with the biggest smirk you had ever seen on his face.

“Not necessarily,” you said, completely avoiding his eye contact.

He crawled over top of you, “What was that princess?” he asked.

You forced yourself to look into those beautiful blue eyes, and that devilish smile. “No, I don’t want you to stop Luke.”

“That’s what I needed to hear.” He bent his head down at your jawline, this time starting on the side of your jaw bone. He sucked at the skin and you bit your cheek down on a moan. He moved down from your neck pressing harder and making it harder for you to control yourself.

“Luke,” you moaned.

“Yes?”

“No marks.”

He smirked. “It’s a little late for that one.”

You rolled your eyes at his antics. “You suck.”

“I don’t think you're exactly in the position to be saying those sort of things,” he warned.

You raised your eyebrows. As if he thought you would back down that easily. “Really?”

He licked his lips and shrugged.

“Make me,” you insisted.

“Bad choice of words,” he threatened. In a second his shirt was off and one of his arms held your’s down and above you.

This time he noticed when you swallowed. “Nervous?” he asked, his lips quirked up.

He might’ve been starting to get to you, but you weren’t going to admit to it. “You wish Patterson,” you tested.

His head dipped down towards your collarbone. He lightly sucked on it and gradually increased his intensity until your body unwillingly gave you away and you gutturally moaned.

He jutted his chin out, the fire in his eyes on stage was nothing in comparison to this. “What about now?”

“Yes, Luke,” you groaned out.

He somehow managed to pull your shirt off with you laying down, and managed to unhook your bra with minimal difficulties.

His mouth softly sucked on the very top of your nipple.

“Fuck,” you moaned.

As he continued sucking at a rapid rate you felt the knot in your stomach twisting further, just as you thought it was going to release Luke stopped.

“How much do you want it?” he asked as he slowly pulled your pants down.

You were not going to give him the satisfaction of begging.

You felt a finger glide across your clit ever so slightly and back and forth he kept going, ever so slowly.

A whimper escaped your lips.

“Beg for me, that’s all you have to do,” he promised. He was most definitely enjoying himself.

He moved back up to your nipples but instead he moved as slow as he could, he was trying to break you.

“Come on princess, you know you want it,” he taunted.

A sole finger swiped down your pussy and your breath hitched.

“Luke please,” you moaned.

“What please? I think it has something to do with fucking you silly,” he hinted. He once again crawled over top of you to be able to see your face. Like a predator stalking prey.

“Please rail the shit out of me Luke,” you whined.

“That was all you had to say princess.”

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1plus1kiyoomi · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 12: Lost

[prev] [next]

[masterlist] [kia’s slambook]

warnings: mentions of sex

You and Kia prepare for your trip, waiting for Akaashi. He mentioned about picking you up since Bokuto lent him his car. You remember about the card Sakusa told you about.

You go to his room, making sure you don’t touch anything, and see that there are two bedside tables. You checked the one on the left first. You open the drawers and see boxes of condoms, some opened, some still new. You close it and go to the other table to get the card.

Something in you says to go check the other drawer again, but it would make you feel guilty. You hear Akaashi’s car honk so you go out instead. You take Kia from the couch and leave the house.

‘Did he date someone in the last 3 years?’ The thought is bothering you and Akaashi notices. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you reply, smiling. He carries Kia and puts Kia in the safety seat of the car. He returns to the driver’s seat while you sit on the shotgun seat.

You continue to think about what you saw. You broke up. So what if he had a girlfriend? You have no right to dig in your nose into his business. Why are you so upset about him having sex with other women? He’s a grown man. He has his needs.

“You’re spacing out,” Akaashi points out. You shake the thoughts off your mind and stare out of the window. You groan, the thoughts coming back in again. “Spill it.” So you do. You tell him about what you saw. “Why are you so upset? So what if he had sex with someone? You broke up with him, remember?”

“Exactly why I’m bothered!” You cover your face with your hands in frustration.

“If you’re so bothered, why don’t you ask him about it later?” Akaashi suggests, his eyes on the road. You sigh, nodding.

You three arrive at the theme park and suddenly you feel at ease to be outside again. Kia starts running, but luckily, Akaashi has long legs. He easily keeps up with her. You make your way to the booth, while Akaashi carries Kia around to look at some figurines by the entrance.

After you successfully retrieve your reservation tickets, you enter the theme park. Despite being a weekday, it’s still packed with tourists. There are also students in uniforms, probably in a school trip.

“Mama! Look! Robot!” Kia points to the Bumblee Bee statue. Akaashi puts her down and she runs to the statue. The figure starts speaking and Kia’s mouth hangs wide open in amazement. “It talks! Mama! Keikei! It talks!”

You continue to walk around the theme park, stopping on shops and stalls from time to time. While Akaashi excuses himself to go the toilet, you see an ice cream food stall and Kia immediately asks you to buy some for her. You take her to the stall and carry her so she can choose a flavor.

“That would be 600 yen,” the shopkeeper tells you. You put Kia down to take money out of your wallet. You pay for the ice cream. The employee gives you the treat and when you look down, Kia isn’t by your side anymore. “Kia?”

You go around the stall, in hopes that Kia just took a look somewhere near. You search and search but you don’t see any sign of your daughter. Akaashi comes back and sees you getting antsy.

“Where’s Kia?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Take a good rest, boys. We’ll be back to practice next week. Enjoy your free time because we won’t be having any left after this. Cool down and you may leave,” the MSBY Black Jackals coach announces. The players thank him and say their good byes.

“Training ended earlier than I thought,” Atsumu sighs in relief. “I’m so excited to go home and be in the comfort of my bed.”

“Wanna go to the gym together this Saturday, Bokuto-san?” Hinata asks the older player as they start stretching.

“If I don’t have anything to do,” Bokuto replies.

“Isn’t Akaashi in town?” Sakusa speaks, stretching his wrists. Bokuto’s attention gets stuck on the other spiker’s wrists and he forgets to respond. “Hey.”

“Oh, yeah. Akaashi is in town. How’d you know?” Bokuto eyes the curly haired man in suspicion.

“(Y/N) told me. They’re in Universal today,” Sakusa explains.

“Omi, you’re okay with Kia going to crowded places that is surely full of other people’s germs?” The blonde questions, stretching his legs.

“Do you really think I expect her to grow up like me?” Sakusa rolls his eyes, stretching his back this time. “Germs can be washed away. They can get disinfected. It’s nothing compared to Kia’s upbringing. I don’t have plans to raise her to be clean, I want her to grow up to be someone who she wants to be.”

Atsumu smiles because of his teammate’s response. Not long ago, he would think of Kia as some sort of hindrance, but now he seems happy that she’s around. The blonde also noticed how Sakusa is gradually becoming more soft with his words and actions.

They finish stretching and go back to their dorms. Sakusa is packing his things when he suddenly feels anxious. He can’t think straight. He feels something bad is about to come. He opens his door and check the hallway. “Miya’s not here. If it’s not him, what could it be?”

Sakusa goes back into his room, hearing his phone ring. He sees Kia’s contact name and answers quickly.

“What is it Kia?”

“Kyo... I lost mama,” Kia cries on the other line.

That tone. That way she said it. The feel. It’s too similar with your words 3 years ago.

“Omi... Let’s break up.”

“What? Where are you right now?” Kiyoomi runs out of the dorms. Adrenaline kicking in as he hears Kia’s sobs.

“Why? Let’s talk about it. I’m coming over.”

“I see a dinosaur,” Kia responds, worry and panic in her voice.

“I just don’t see a future for us, Omi.”

“Don’t end the call, okay?” Kiyoomi says softly despite his worries. He hears Kia crying again. He starts his car and connects his phone to the bluetooth of his car. “Hey, stop crying. I’m on my way. Just stay wherever you are.” He doesn’t get respond so he speeds up his driving. “Kia? Baby?”

“Is it something I did? Tell me! Don’t just ignore me, (Y/N).”

“Okay. I’ll wait for you.”

“I’m sorry, Sakusa. But I can’t do this anymore.”

Kiyoomi’s sports car has never been put into good use until now. He arrives in the theme park in top speed record. Luckily, there isn’t a queue on the booths so he gets a ticket promptly.

“Kia?” He puts his phone close to his ear, looking at the theme’s park map. “Are you still near the dinosaurs?”

“You’re joking, right? Tell me this is a prank.”

“Yes. Kia stayed here like you told me,” Kia responds, already calmed down. Kiyoomi rushes to the Jurassic Park area and looks for her in every corner. But Kia couldn’t explain her exact location well. He spots a kid and calls him.

“No. This isn’t a joke.”

“Have you seen this child?” He shows the back of his phone to the boy. The boy nods.

“Yes. She’s sitting near the entrance of the restaurant,” the boy answers. Before Kiyoomi could thank him, the boy recognizes him. “Aren’t you Sakusa Kiyoomi? I’m a big fan of your team!”

“Ah, thanks. Come to my next game, okay? I’ll give you a jersey.” Kiyoomi leaves him and goes to where the kid directed.

Kiyoomi spots her and his steps become bigger and his pace becomes faster. Kia sees him so she climbs down of the bench she is sitting on and runs to meet Kiyoomi halfway. He takes her into his arms, tightly hugging her. He feels her wrap her arms around him, and his heart starts breaking into pieces.

“(Y/N), I know you’re still in there. Whatever it is, let’s work it out,” Kiyoomi shouted from outside of your apartment’s door. He’s been sitting there for hours now. He leaned his back on your door, his knees close to his chest.

Did you really leave?

Were you not coming back?

There are a lot of words he had yet to tell you. He wanted to see you two accomplish your dreams together. He wanted to wake up and the first thing he sees is your face. He wanted to come home and receive your hugs as soon as he steps into the door. He wanted to see you walk down the aisle. He wanted to grow old with you. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. You were all he wanted.

He regretted not hugging you tighter. He regretted not kissing you more. He regretted not spending a lot with you. If only he could do all those things one more time.

“I love you...” He cried. You always said those three words first. Why weren’t you responding?

He’s too late.

He had already lost you.

"Kyo, why are you crying?” Kia asks him, her small hands on his cheeks. She starts tearing up, sad that he’s crying. He doesn’t even know he’s crying. His thoughts is too full of fear and anxiety.

There are still a lot of lessons about life he wants to teach Kia. He wants to see her accomplish her dreams. He wants to drop her off to school. He wants to receive her hugs as he comes home from practice. He wants to see her fall in love with someone who loves her just as much as she does. He wants to see Kia grow. He wants her to see him as her father for the rest of her life.

He regrets not hugging her tight enough. He regrets not kissing her good morning and good night. He regrets not spending time with her. He regrets not being there from the start.

What if he was too late?

What if he didn’t answer her call?

What if he lost her?

“Kyo? Are you mad?” Kia’s lower lip is quivering, tears already coming out of her eyes.

“Kia..” he calls her. She pulls away from his hand and looks at him.

“Yes?” Kia’s voice is shaky. She’s afraid he’ll scold her. She promised to be a good girl. What if he hates her?

Kiyoomi takes a look at her face. He caresses her cheek with his thumb, then plants a kiss on her forehead. ‘But I’m not too late this time. So I’ll make sure I won’t regret anything. I will never lose the two of you again.’

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Facts:

Most dinosaurs were vegetarian

Many dinosaurs had feathers

The longest dinosaur name is Micropachycephalosaurus

Small carnivore dinosaurs are most likely to be the smartest type of dinosaurs

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watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

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VALERIE - Part V. (Harry Styles)

happy sunday loves!! part 5 is here, buckle up bc we are getting down to business here!! thank you so much for the nice feedbacks, it’s always so moving and inspiring to read your thoughts, so please keep them coming! even if it’s just some gibberish rambling, those are the best haha! now let’s jump right into part 5, we are heading into the christmas mood and im so excited for yall to read this part!! enjoy!

word count: 6.1k

SERIES MASTERPOST

masterlist

By the time November nears its end you officially become a couple with Marcus. It happens gradually, two more dates follow your first one, and then on the third one you agree to test the waters of the possibilities between the two of you exclusively.

Marcus is a great guy. He is funny, caring and smart, always listens to you and cares for even the smallest details about you when you’re talking. He is great company and never fails to make you feel appreciated and wanted. Exactly what you’ve been looking for in a guy, Rosa really hit the nail on the head this time.

You easily fall into a habit with him. Fridays are for date nights, sometimes you go for little trips outside the city on Sundays and he never misses a chance to send you flowers throughout the week. He is just the type of guy that’s always there to cheer you up with something whenever the days start to weigh down on your shoulders.

You even have dinner together with Rosa and Steven one Saturday evening, Rosa keeps giving you those ‘I told you so’ eyes whenever Marcus kisses you shortly or places his hand to your waist. You mostly just roll your eyes at her, not wanting to make a big deal out of the two of you, but Rosa knows how long you’ve been trying to find someone.

What’s a surprising turn is that you start seeing Harry more. Intentionally. You have no idea how it happens, but it does and you’re not mad about it. Some days you grab lunch together whenever he is in the neighborhood, some days you go shopping with him when his sister doesn’t have the time. Harry is a problematic shopper, he takes a long time to decide on clothes so usually you are the one that forces him to choose and finish before all shops close.

When he has had a rough week and you happened to call him for whatever reason, the two of you agree to meet up for drinks at his place, then end up playing UNO for hours, slowly emptying out two bottles of wine.

It’s starting to get harder to imagine what it was like when things weren’t like this with him. When you were getting anxiety from just the thought of seeing him or having to talk to him. It’s like the both of you are showing a different version of yourselves to each other and you have to admit you enjoy being friends with him.

He keeps his habit of teasing you and making jokes about you though, but you don’t mind it. He is not doing it in a mean way with the attempt to piss you off, but to make you laugh and start a playful war where you both throw insults at each other until one of you runs out of it and just starts laughing. You feel a kind of dynamic building between you and him that has a way better effect on you than the continuous killing you were doing before.

You can tell Rosa is thankful for the change as well. Whenever she sees you interact with Harry without making a grimace or have that face that screams how badly you want to hit him, she is relieved that she has one less thing to worry about and Valerie will have two amazing godparents who even like each other.

Christmas is always a big parade in your family. Your mom and your aunts always want to celebrate together so in the past few years it has become a tradition to rent a place out that has enough space for the whole extended family and spend three days there from the 23rd to the 25th. This year your dad found a huge cabin in the woods with ten bedrooms and seven bathrooms, just the perfect size for you all. It’s gonna be your parents, Rosa and Steven with Valerie, Aunt Monica, Aunt Teresa with Uncle Andrew, your cousin Etta, her husband Joe and their two kids, your other cousin Lily with her husband Jeremy and their daughter, and lastly you and Harry. Though your mom urged you to invite Marcus along as well, he could join you for longer than a dinner, since he was already set to fly home to his family.

“You sure he can’t stay for at least the first night?” you mom asks on the phone one evening. You’re stirring the sauce in the pan. holding the phone to your ear with your shoulder so you have both of your hands free.

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s fine, he can come for dinner and then leave later.”

“I get it, but it would have been fun if he stayed,” she sighs, clearly disappointed that she couldn’t change what’s already set. If you’re being honest you don’t mind that Marcus is not staying for the night. You haven’t been dating for that long, you feel like it would be a little uncomfortable to have him there the whole time. A dinner is perfectly fine as a starter, since he hasn’t met anyone else from your family other than Rosa and Steven.

“Anyway,” she sighs moving on, “Have you figured it out how you’re gonna get there?”

“I don’t know, I guess I’ll tag along with someone.”

“Well, I think you should ask Harry. Everyone else is pretty packed already. Rosa and Steven won’t have any extra space with Valerie this year.”

You nod, even though she can’t see you. These past years Rosa always offered you a ride for the holidays, but even when they brought her over for just one night their car was jam-packed. No way you’re gonna fit in there so you are left with Harry since Marcus can only come in the afternoon.

“Sure, I’ll ask him.”

You shoot him a text that day and he replies right away that you’re welcomed in his car, though he won’t be able to take you back since he is leaving early in the morning on the 25th since he is flying back to the UK to his family. It’s fine, you think, you’ll just probably just tag along with aunt Monica back to the city, she always gets her a car for these occasions. Though it’s not your ideal option, she is not the best partner for rides, because she is a fan of smoking in the car, but you don’t have much of a choice.

“I’ll call you when I leave, okay?” Marcus tells you on the morning of the 23rd. It��s early, barely seven, but he is up because he needs to work a little today and you are finishing up packing since Harry will be here in an hour to pick you up.

“Sure. Drive safe,” you huff sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at your suitcase that’s still not closed, clothes are sticking out on the side and you’re sure you’ll have to sit on it to pull the zipper.

“See you later,” Marcus says before you end the call.

It’s rather comical how you try to close the suitcase but you only care about the fact that you eventually succeed. Only minutes before eight you are packed and ready so when you get Harry’s text that he is outside you can leave right away.

Seeing you with your big suitcase he hops out of the car and rushes to help you.

“How long are you planning to stay, Y/N?” he chuckles lifting the bag up and you just shrug your shoulders with a smirk. You’ve alway been a heavy packer, no need to try to cover it up.

Harry throws your stuff into the back of the car as you take the passenger seat. His phone is hooked to the car, a playlist of his own playing gently through the speakers and you’re surprised to catch on the Christmas feeling in the songs.

“Are you in the spirit?” you ask when he gets into the car.

“Like to set the mood ahead,” he chuckles starting the car and off you go.

Ridiculous to think about it, but it’s actually the first time you sit in the same car with Harry or see him drive even. The way you two used to be was not quite ideal to have you locked up in such a small place as a car. But now you have nothing against spending the almost hour long drive with him.

“Can you pull out the navigation when I leave the highway? I’m not sure where exactly I need to head,” he asks you, eyes fixed on the road ahead of him and nodding you open the app on your phone so his can keep on playing the music without the voice of the navigation interrupting it.

“Excited to spend your first Christmas with us?” you ask. Though Harry was there at several family events, it’s his first Christmas since becoming Valerie’s godfather.

“I am,” he chuckles, nodding, hands gripping the wheel gently. He is a natural driver, easily working the car, the kind you feel completely safe next to. As Baby It’s Cold Outside comes on a smile stretches across your lips as you start gently bop your head to the song. “I’ve heard crazy stuff about Christmases at your family,” he adds glancing in your way for a second.

“Like what?”

“I remember when Steven told me about his first Christmas with your family. You remember that?”

Searching in your memories you tried to remember when was the first time Rosa brought Steven along. They dated for two years before they got married so it’s been about five years since then, but as you think hard the memory of that specific year pops into your head making you laugh as you nod.

“Oh, yes. The year Aunt Monica almost burned the Airbnb down,” you sigh grinning at the memory. She brought some special kind of cigars that year that were told to be curiosities from somewhere fancy, but they ended up the literal worst quality, flaming bits were falling out them all the time when she would smoke one, almost making the rug catch on fire wherever she went. Best thing is that she was already drunk on the liquor so she didn’t even notice, there was always a person on Aunt Monica duty, following her around, making sure nothing burnt down.

“Steven said he had a moment when he thought about bailing,” Harry tells you and you gasp, because that’s new information.

“Really?”

“Yeah, but like only for a split second after your dad walked in on him naked in the bathroom. That was kind of the last straw. Luckily Rosa could convince him to stay. Guess it all worked out at the end.” Harry smiles as he stares ahead of him.

You can’t imagine a version where Rosa and Steven don’t end up together. They met through a mutual friend not long after Rosa had a nasty breakup with her scumbag ex. Steven was there to put her back together and be her partner as she found herself again. The change and positive impact he had on her could be seen every day and you were so thankful to him for helping your sister find her way out of such a dark place in her life. It didn’t take them too long to start dating and he proposed a little more than a year later. You still remember how Rosa was screaming in the phone when she called you that evening telling you that Steven proposed. They are quite literally a match made in heaven. It’s been your goal in life to find this person in your life though you haven’t had much luck with men so far. Ironically, if you were in a room with every man you were ever involved with in any kind of way, Harry would be the only one you’d want to talk with. If you had to make this exact same choice just months ago you would have chosen to run out screaming.

“Maybe this year it’s your turn to get horrified from us,” you laugh, sinking down a little in your seat as you adjust the seat belt. You’re still quite far away from the cabin, you might as well make yourself comfortable.

“I think there’s not much that I haven’t witnessed yet. I was walked in on at the bathroom once too, but it was your cousin, Etta.”

“When did that happen?” you ask with a heartfelt laugh.

“I think it was last summer at one of your nieces’ birthday party. Luckily everything was already tucked away when she basically barged in.”

“She didn’t miss much,” you tease him with a smirk and your witty comment catches him by surprise.

“Are you saying my dick is not imposing enough to be worthy of peeking?” he asks with raised eyebrows and you’re happy he is driving. His intimidating look would already burn right into your skin by now, but he is forced to watch the road instead.

“I mean, if you want to put it that way…” you continue, but a laugh escapes your lips.

“Take that back, Y/N,” he orders, sneaking a hard look at you before turning back ahead, but you can see the small smile hiding on his lips.

“Or what?”

“Or you might find yourself in a war you don’t want to be involved in,” he warns you, but his words don’t quite have the effect on you he wanted. Because in a heartbeat you find yourself feeling… excited? Thrilled? Even curious about his means behind his words.

“Wouldn’t want to lie, so…” Pretending like you’re sorry you shrug your shoulders as Harry gives you a look that makes your stomach churn. Now either you are gonna have some fun teasing each other or… you just threw yourself into the arms of the Devil himself. Either way, you’re certain Harry won’t leave it in that.

Turning your head to your window you can’t keep your smile contained as you think of the fact that how big of a lie it was. Harry is surely not a guy who should ever worry about any aspect of his manhood. You’re talking from experience.

***

The cabin is absolutely gorgeous, just the perfect place for a cozy family holiday. Hidden from the busy roads with a secure gate and tall trees on both sides, the back of it is facing a majestic view of the valley and the evergreen covered hill in the distance. With an interior straight from the pages of a magazine, you need just a few moments to adjust to your surroundings upon arriving.

“I saved a nice room for you, Harry!” your mother gushes the moment she sees the two of you walk through the front door. You huff in annoyance.

“And what about me?”

Harry chuckles giving you a smug grin. “Guess you’re just second after me.”

“It’s his first Christmas with us, he deserves the better room,” your mom shushes at you, making your eyes roll instantly. It’s still hard to believe Harry has this kind of charm over most people.

After greeting everyone who is already there, your dad, Aunt Teresa and Etta with her family, your mom walks the two of you down one of the hallways that leads to several bedrooms. She stops at the last door with an excited grin on her face as she opens it revealing the bedroom behind it.

You instantly understand why she thought this is the best one. The view is absolutely breathtaking, the gentle noon light is flowing into the room through the floor to ceiling windows, the king sized bed facing them so when you wake up in the morning the first thing you see is the endless sea of evergreens on the side of the hill. Not to mention the room has its own bathroom, not many of the other rooms are blessed with that. There’s a spacious shower that has enough space for at least three people in there and it’s one of those fancy ones that can make you feel like you’re having a shower in the middle of a jungle, mood lights and bluetooth speakers attached to it.

“No fucking way Harry is getting this room!” you gasp as you look around, taking in the luxure your mother is willing to hand over to him.

“Jealous, much?” he smirks, throwing his sports bag to the bed already ruining the neatly made sheets. He does not deserve this.

“Mom!” you huff turning to her, but she has made her mind up already.

“Your room is nice too, don’t worry Honey. Let Harry have this one!”

“I really can’t believe you are taking his side,” you grumble under your breath, folding your arms on your chest as you take one last look at the stunning view.

“Come on, Y/N. He is a guest!”

“He is not! You said it yourself he is family now!” you retort and Harry just laughs behind you, so you shoot him a murderous look over your shoulder, that just fuels his entertainment.

“Don’t be silly. Your room is the second one on the right from here,” she smiles at you. “We are gonna take a walk around once everyone arrives, so get settled by then!” she informs you before walking out.

“Hey,” Harry’s soft voice makes you turn around. “You can have the room if you want.”

Your eyebrows rise at the kind gesture, it’s very not like him, even now in your friendly state, so it’s quite odd that he is willing to switch rooms with you.

“No need,” you shake your head grabbing the handle of your suitcase that you abandoned at the door.

“You sure? It doesn’t matter where I’m sleeping, really.”

“I’m not gonna deal with my mother’s scolding if she finds out I took your room, so you can totally stay.”

Harry chuckles as you head out, but stop at the door to have one last word with him. “Though I might occupy your bathroom, that shower looks nice.”

“All yours,” he grins before you walk out.

***

By 11 am everyone arrives and the once quiet cabin is now buzzing from life, children running around, Valerie’s babbling shoots through the spacious living area where Rosa set her crib up, your mother is already making preparations for dinner while most of the men are circled around the pool table having a beer since no one has to drive for the rest of the day.

“When is Marcus arriving?” Rosa asks, eyes on Valerie who is absolutely destroying something that once were an elephant maybe, but she’s been ruthless with the poor animal, chewing and throwing it around all the time, so it’s not just a grey, fuzzy mess.

“Sometime before dinner. He has some work to finish,” you tell her pulling your legs under yourself on the comfy couch.

“And explain again, why isn’t he staying for the night?” she turns to you with a puzzled look.

“Because he is going home to his family early in the morning tomorrow.”

“Okay, but he could have just left from here, didn’t he?”

“It’s… complicated. It’s better if he just goes back home tonight and then leaves from there in the morning.”

What you leave out of the whole explanation is that you didn’t really invite him to stay the night as well. Sounds horrible and ridiculous but you didn’t think you’d have felt comfortable with him staying. You’ve been dating for only barely more than a month and though things are going well, you felt like starting with just a dinner would be a better idea. Marcus didn’t question why you didn’t offer him to stay, it seemed like he was fine with just coming and then going after dinner.

Does this make you a bad girlfriend? Maybe, but you value your comfort and feelings more than to ruin your favorite holiday with your family.

Just as you mom said, once everyone is settled in their rooms for the upcoming three days, the whole gang dresses up to have a walk around taking the welcoming little path that runs around the cabin and is smooth enough for Valerie’s carriage as well. Your nieces and nephew are quick to surround Harry and nag him to join them at the front, exploring the woods surrounding the path. It seems like he doesn’t mind it and gladly takes part in the adventure, also secretly looking after them so their parents can have a break and enjoy the stroll in hopes the walk tires the kids out enough that they’ll willingly go to bed in the evening instead of whining to stay up late.

You’re walking with Etta next to you as she tells you about Hannah’s latest dance competition when you spot that Harry and Oliver, your nephew, Etta’s other kid are suspiciously whispering around pointing in your direction. At last Olly nods and runs up to you showing a quite thick piece of wood into your hand. You look down at him confused.

“Thank you?” you tell him a little unsure what it’s all about.

“I found it in a bush, I want to take it home. Harry said you’ll keep it for me because you have a good hand for thick and hard sticks.”

You almost choke on your own breath, as Olly just carelessly runs back ahead to join his sister. You immediately look over to Etta in fear that she heard what Harry told Oliver, but luckily she was talking with Joe turning back, not really paying attention to the conversation you just had with her son. If she did, Harry probably wouldn’t live by now.

Speaking of the devil, you look in his way and that annoying, smug grin is right there as he nods in your way saluting before he shows his hands into his pockets and turns back around to catch up with the kids.

That disgusting piece of shit really went into the depth of teaching something secretly dirty to your nephew as a way of payback for your comment in the car earlier. He surely wasn't just joking when he said you’d pay for what you said. And you have a feeling he is just getting started.

***

Aunt Monica is like a legend in your family. She is the oldest between your mom and her sisters, already in her sixties, but in the heart she still feels like she has just turned twenty. She never married, but had several men in her life, love affairs, short flings, but none of them lasted for more than a year.

“Why would I settle when there’s so many fish in the sea?” she once told you, her iconic Chanel sunglasses sat on her nose as she sipped on her martini.

She has worked many jobs throughout her life, she was once a dancer, she waited tables and even worked as a TV host at one point in the ‘80s. She was the true free spirit of the family, her sisters often questioned her sanity, but you think there’s nothing wrong with how she lived her life, enjoying it to the last bit. In the early ‘90s she was seeing a millionaire, probably the only man she would have given her lifestyle up for. Unfortunately, they never married, the man passed away due to his heart problems, however, since he had little to zero family he left basically everything to Aunt Monica. Money, house, cars, business, everything. Being the smart woman that she is, she handed over the business into professional hands but she is still the owner, so the money is still flowing even though she could have lived happily on the money she inherited without ever having to work a day.

She seems a little odd in your family, but she has always been a loving aunt to you, a caring sister and she never fails to take care of her loved ones. She is the one to pay for all these Christmas getaways, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to stay in places this nice.

“What’s all the money for if I don’t spend it on my family?” she always says when someone questions if she is fine with paying for everything. Your mom and Teresa have tried to convince her to let them at least pay for part of it but she wouldn’t even listen to them.

She likes to have her own, sometimes odd ways in life. She definitely has a drinking problem, but not in a dangerous way. You have never seen her completely wasted, she just likes to keep things buzzing and always have a drink on her whenever she needs the extra fun. Because of her past she has the greatest stories about meeting famous people back in the days or how soldiers used to try to win her over when she was just a teenager.

“Oh, those things happened,” your mom told you when one day you questioned if you could believe all the crazy stories Aunt Monica tells you. “She was like… the star of the show. Used to hate living in her shadow, but I can’t blame her for enjoying life and doing the things I was too afraid to do myself.”

Now you’re sitting in the sunroom that faces the amazing view behind the cabin, the Christmas tree is standing tall in the corner, beautifully decorated in white and beige. Valerie is snuggled up to your chest as you gently rub her back and you listen to Aunt Monica tell you about how a literal captain once proposed to her after just three days of knowing each other.

“He was a gentleman, but a beast in the bed, Y/N. I’m telling you, men in uniform are just a different level of satisfaction.”

She sighs deep, taking a sip from her margarita that’s definitely not her first drink, and you just laugh nodding.

“He was begging for me to go to Italy with him.”

“And why didn’t you?”

“Who said I didn’t?” she asks with a pretentious hurt look turning to you and you just laugh. You should have known the story would go this way. “I accepted the offer, only turned down his proposal when we sailed off and then we parted as soon as I stepped onto the land of Italy. Broke his heart into pieces, but I was too busy enjoying the Italian summer.”

Harry comes in and hands you a bottle filled with juice that probably Rosa sent for Valerie.

“Thank you,” you smile at him shortly as you adjust the little girl in your arms and hand her the bottle.

“Young boy, have you ever proposed to someone?” Aunt Monica asks Harry who stops in his way as he was already about to head out, but now he walks back to the sofa where she is sitting.

“No, not yet,” he shakes his head.

“And how do you think you would if the time came?”

You watch Harry think to himself at the odd and quite random question. It’s not really something you would have ever asked him, but now that there’s the chance to hear his answer you are listening curiously.

“Depends on the woman I’m proposing to,” he replies after a few seconds.

“How would you propose to Y/N?”

Your eyes widen as you turn to your aunt with shock all over your face. You definitely didn’t want yourself dragged into this.

“Aunt Monica, that’s--”

“Shush! I’m just asking theoretically. Wanna hear his answer.”

Harry’s eyes wander over to your sitting figure on the sofa as he leans onto the back of the one in front of him. You can feel the heat crawling up on your neck to your cheeks under his burning look and you just know he enjoys how nervous you got from this simple question that wasn’t even asked from you.

Licking his lips he moves his eyes from you over to Aunt Monica who is still waiting for his answer.

“Something romantic, but not too grandiose, I know she doesn’t like being in the center of the attention that much. Maybe…” Tapping on his chin you listen to his words and without even realizing you hold your breath. “Maybe on a hike with a nice view. She would be admiring the view when I get down on one knee and as she turns around I pop the lid on the box.”

What bugs you is that it’s an awfully accurate description of how you’d imagined your proposal. He was right about many aspects, like how you don’t like being in the center of attention. No idea how he nailed so easily, but he did.

Glancing down you pretend to be busy with Valerie who is still peacefully drinking her juice, eyes wandering around the room relentlessly.

“So you really look to satisfy her deepest fantasies, careful about even the smallest details. Women appreciate it,” Aunt Monica nods, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable she just made you feel.

“Thank you, I do like to satisfy women,” Harry cheekily answers with a smirk, eyes locking with yours for a moment as Aunt Monica lets out a laugh at the dirty comment. Before you could bite your tongue a retort slips out of your mouth.

“What a shame you don’t always succeed.”

Harry’s eyes turn from playful to dark pretty quickly and you enjoy the victory over him. Your comment in the car earlier already wounded his manhood, now it’s another stab right into his… crotch. It’s the least he deserves after what he taught poor Olly.

“That I don’t believe. He seems like an absolute pleaser.” Aunt Monica winks in Harry’s way who just smiles at her shyly, but you can tell your comment is still bugging him.

“I think Y/N knows that too herself, am I right?” He tilts his head to the side and you stand your ground with holding his gaze and not looking away.

“Don’t be so sure about that,” you simply say, just when you hear your mom calling out for you. “Would you take her please?” you innocently ask walking up to Harry, holding Valerie out for him. You can tell he is looking for a witty comeback, but he has nothing just yet, so he is stuck with keeping his mouth shut as he takes baby Valerie from you. You gift him with a sweet, but definitely spikey smile before leaving him there with Aunt Monica.

***

Dinner is already almost ready, you’re helping your mom and Aunt Teresa in the kitchen with the finishing touches, Joe and Harry packing out the wine bottles from the rack Jeremy brought them in, the two of them examining the bottles with such professionalism you almost believe they have the slightest idea about what to look for in a good wine.

“Should we open some red or white ones for tonight’s dinner?” Joe asks your mom who is the master chef when it comes to the dinner.

“Red would suit better,” she answers. “Are they sweet?”

“Some, yeah,” Harry nods holding up a bottle and checking the label.

“Great. Monica loves that too,” Teresa chuckles as she adds some salt to the mashed potato.

“And Y/N too,” Harry adds, not even looking up, but he successfully attracts your mom’s attention with his comment.

“She does?” Harry looks up and sees your boiling anger plastered all over your face, so of course he chooses to take it further.

“Oh, yeah. She can drink like a gallon. Wine drunk Y/N is like a whole different person.”

“I told you so many times not to get drunk, Y/N. It’s not too ladylike. When was the last time you saw her drunk?”

“There were plenty of occasions,” Harry exaggerates and you could kill him right there. “Though last time it was the tequila that got her wildin’.”

That damned smirk of his is making your hands curl into fists and for a moment you tell yourself it’s okay to punch him in front of your mother even if she’ll probably disown you for such behavior.

“Y/N! I have told you a million times that you need to know where your limits lie!” she huffs shaking her head at you while you clench your jaw. Back at it with the lessons about getting drunk. She’ll never get over it, not even when you’ll be forty. Why does it matter to her so much? Sometimes she is the one to get you started, but then she gives you the dirtiest looks when you have one too many. She should just get used to it now.

“She surely likes to have fun when she has had a few drinks,” Harry continues smugly. “Remember how much fun you had at Rosa and Steven’s wedding?”

“Oh, God! I remember how drunk you were that evening, I could have killed you!” your mother growls and you roll your eyes at her.

“It wasn’t that bad. There were a lot more people who got way more wasted than me,” you try to defend yourself folding your arms on your chest.

“That doesn’t change that you were too,” she says with a hard look. Great, now she is mad at you for something that happened literally years ago. Kudos to Harry for ruining her mood.

“She wasn’t that bad,” Harry adds and you look in his way with suspicion. “She was a delight when it was time to get her to bed.”

Your mouth almost hangs open, but it seems like you’re the only one understanding what he really meant by that. Luckily, beside you and him, Rosa and Steven are the only people who knows what happened between you and Harry that night, so it’s no surprise no one else catches on the hint.

“You were the one who took her up to her room? Sorry if she was a burden,” your mother sighs and right at that moment you wish the floor would just open up and you could disappear forever. Harry’s satisfied grin is the evidence that he just won another round of this nasty war.

Just as you open your mouth to try and move the conversation to another field you see a pair of headlights pull up to the driveway. Everyone turns to the window as Marcus’ car parks down last in the line. As you step away from the counter you see the confusion in Harry’s eyes about the new guest.

“Oh, amazing! He is here!” your mom cheers, seemingly instantly forgetting about how she was dragging you just a minute ago.

“Who’s here?” you hear Harry ask, but you’re already out of there, heading to the front door to greet Marcus.

Just as you walk out into the cold evening air you see him get out with a warm smile on his lips. You wait for him at the door, arms wrapped around yourself and as he reaches you he places a soft kiss to your lips.

“Hey, how was the drive?” you ask him.

“It was fine. I didn’t arrive too late, right?”

“No, we were just about to set the table. Come on in, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

He takes your hand in his as the two of you walk inside, all eyes immediately turning your way at the arrival of your boyfriend.

“Everyone, I want you all to meet my boyfriend, Marcus. He is staying for dinner.”

Your family members walk up to the two of you, shaking hands and introducing themselves to Marcus who smiles at everyone politely, trying his best to remember all the names and information that’s thrown at him all of a sudden. Everyone seems delighted to have him for dinner, the kids instantly make him promise he’ll play a card game with them after dinner and he happily says yes to the invitation.

You can tell your mom is proud that finally both of her daughters are spending Christmas with a man by their side and you’re almost certain your dad took a liking to Marcus the moment he mentioned he is into fishing.

Everyone seems excited and happy for Marcus, there’s just one face that doesn’t fit in the line of joyful smiles. Harry stands quite far from the two of you and only gets closer when he shakes hands with Marcus. His cocky grin is long gone from his face as he keeps his hard look on your boyfriend who is chatting with everyone. Standing next to Marcus, your hand still holding his, your eyes lock with Harry’s and there’s an unknown, burning feeling in your gut when his hard gaze holds yours. The sudden change and cold act gets you wondering what’s really going on in his mind. He is the first one to look away and you watch him walk into the kitchen and disappear from your sight before you force a smile on your lips and turn back to Marcus.

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TAGLIST

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#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles series #harry styles imagine #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles valerie #harry styles valerie series #valerie series

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parkers-gal · 4 years ago

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Part 2 of Harry thought she was cheating on with tom" uhm you should do it if you want or not.

Harry wants know the expalantion. Why did y/n and tom are soo soo close??

its okay if you dont want do it :))

hiii sorry it took so long ! :( that piece is called “what’s his.” here’s pt two !! <3

requests are temporarily closed

—

With two days gone, you feel it’s probably time for you to stop ignoring Tom. After your fight with Harry, you thought it best to not interact with any of the Hollands until things settled, but right now you’re in desperate need of some comfort, and Tom doesn’t deserve to lose a friend because you’re in a rough patch with his brother.

He’d called you an extraordinary amount of times, checking on you and asking questions and offering his help whenever it was needed. You hadn’t answered until today, and he’d replied within seconds.

You were going over to their flat. Tom promised Harry would be out with Sam and Harrison, so you wouldn’t have to deal with awkward encounters or situations. You’re grateful, at least, that your fight with Harry hasn’t splintered your friendship with Tom — at least, not as much as you thought it might.

The beep of your car brings you out of your head — you realize you’re at Tom’s house a lot faster than you thought. You’re on time, though, but you’re not as mentally prepared as you’d like to be. You’re a bit distressed, and noticeably so. Fighting with Harry wasn’t fun.

“Hey, Y/N/N.” Tom greets you as he opens the door, stepping aside to allow you inside. You smile nervously, awkwardly, and you manage to remove your shoes and settle on the couch. Tom has movies and ice cream pulled up, your favorite blanket splayed out on one end of the couch.

As you settle, he sits beside you, hands in his lap while he smiles gently.

“Do you… wanna watch a movie? Or… maybe talk about what happened?” He swallows thickly. “I’m here if you need to vent or- rant or whatever they say nowadays.”

You chuckle, almost dryly, but nod nonetheless at his offer. Ten minutes go by with you talking, and somehow you’ve shifted closer to him. Another ten minutes pass and you’re crying into his shoulder about the entire ordeal, hugging his side, leaning into him as another tear falls.

He takes his time with you, calming you down before talking quietly. He’s rationalizing the issue with you, telling you the things Harry said. He knows he shouldn’t, because this really isn’t his business, but he can’t help it. He wants things to work out between you and his brother.

The front door opens, though neither of you hear it through your talking. Harry comes through the hallway, and when he catches sight of you cuddled into his brother’s side, he scoffs, rolling his eyes.

Tom notices him first, and when you follow his eyeline, you quickly separate from Tom, standing as you attempt to go over to him.

“Harry- Harry it’s not what you think-!” You don’t get to say anything you want to, because as he runs up the stairs, his bedroom door slams loudly, leaving you a puzzled puddle at the bottom of the staircase.

When you turn slowly on your heel, you’re close to crying again, and when Tom makes a move to hug you, you step back.

You’re muttering words as you grab your bag and make for the door. “Tom, I’m sorry. This was a bad idea, I- I shouldn’t have come.”

You leave him in the doorway, quickly situating yourself in the driver’s seat of your old car. Tom is sighing to himself, hands rubbing his forehead while he slams the door with a “shit.”

When he turns around, Harry is on the staircase, making his way down. He’s furious, angrily making his way towards Tom. Only, he doesn’t stop. Instead, he walks right past his older brother and straight into the kitchen. Tom finds nothing holding him back as he runs after him.

“Harry- Harry please, wait.”

“No.” He harshly closes the fridge after getting a cup of yogurt out from the pack on the top shelf. “I don’t care for whatever you have to say.” “No, but I want you to know there’s nothing going on between us-”

“Does it look like I give a fuck?” He sets his spoon down on the counter, fingers gripping the edge of the marble in anger. “You’ve already stolen her from me, it doesn’t matter anymore.” As Harry leaves the kitchen, Tom’s anger bubbles into the air, and he can’t stop himself from yelling at his younger brother.

“I didn’t ‘steal’ anyone! It’s your fault that you were too insecure to talk to her instead of accusing her of cheating on you.” Harry turns around slowly, nostrils flaring, jaw clenching and eyes darkening. He drops the cup of strawberry yogurt, the spoon clinking on the hardwood. In a matter of seconds, Harry is lunging at his older brother, about to swing a fist, but luckily, Harrison is by his side in the nick of time. He’d arrived just on time, noticing Harry’s stance and recognizing the signs of when Harry is about to swing a throw.

“Stop, stop.” Harrison’s voice is a loud and stark contrast to the tense silence between the Holland boys.

“Fuck off.” Harry shoves Harrison hands off of his arms, storming out of the room, leaving a breathless Tom and a panting Harrison.

“What the fuck was that about?” Harrison gestures to the entire room, to the direction in which the boy had walked out. Tom doesn’t reply, too caught up in the events that were just portrayed in front of him. “Care to explain?” Harrison gets louder as more time passes, and Tom nods, gesturing for him to stop yelling.

“I just… Harry walked in on me and Y/N.”

“Oh god, Tom.” Harrison cuts his explanation short, and Tom is quick to clear up the image.

“Not like that. We were just- we were just talking. She started crying so I hugged her and then Harry found us like that.” “So Harry walked in on his brother hugging his girlfriend.” Harrison stated bluntly, clearly.

“Pretty much. But then he got angry so she left so I tried to clear things up but then he got angry and we yelled at each other and-” “And what did you say to him?” Harrison gives Tom a side eye, and Tom winces at himself.

“I… blamed him for everything.” “Jesus, Tom.”

“How was I supposed to know he was gonna throw a punch?!”

“You weren’t, but you should’ve known you were gonna piss him off even more!”

Tom scoffs, head tilting backwards while he looks at the ceiling in thought. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“You need to stay out of their relationship.” Harrison doesn’t sugarcoat what he thinks needs to happen. There’s no happy ending for you and Harry if Tom doesn’t stay out of the waters until it clears up.

“But-”

“No, Tom.” Harrison’s shoulders sag slightly. “Look, I know she’s your friend too, but that’s Harry’s girlfriend. You’ve… I don’t know… caused tension? You’ve gotten in between them. They need to bond again.”

“No, yeah, I know. You’re right.” He sighs. “I just… I don’t know if this is all my fault? It’s not my fault Harry said those things to her.”

“Yeah,” Harrison sips a glass of water. “But you should give them space until they make up.” Tom hums, nodding as he crosses his thick arms. “You know, you could start by explaining why the hell you and Y/N are so close.” Tom eyes him while biting his bottom lip.

“She’s…. Taking online courses so she can get into screenwriting. I’m trying to get her an intern for an upcoming film I’m working on.” He confesses as if it’s the most taboo thing in the world. “She wanted to surprise Harry by saying she’s coming with us for filming. We just- we don’t know if it’s final yet, so we didn’t want to tell him anything.” Harrison rolls his eyes, almost unsurprised at the predicament. “Well, stop making work seem so unprofessional. Harry can handle time away from his girlfriend if it comes to that.”

“Right. I suppose I should talk to her.”

“And then get her to talk to him, yeah.”

“Kay,” Tom grabs his car keys and a jacket before waving goodbye to Harrison, the door clicking on his way out.

You’re not sure how Tom convinced you to go to Paddy’s rugby game, but you’re here nonetheless. You have a jersey on under your cardigan, jeans fitted nicely while you stand with your arms crossed. It’s cold and dark out, so the field lights are on and they’re brighter than light mode on your cell phone.

Tom said he’d meet you here, at the bottom of the bleachers. The game has already started, and while you’re mediocrely cheering with the rest of the crowd, you’re still hyper aware of the fact that you’re alone. When you feel a presence next to you, you realize Tom has taken a stance on your left side, Harry on your right.

With a thick swallow of your dignity and courage, you step closer to Harry. “Do you… wanna talk?”

He chews on his lower lip but nods almost confidently. You shiver as the two of you walk towards a popcorn stand. It’s quiet for a good few moments, beats passing with just the rustling of grass under your shoes.

“I’m… sorry about everything I said. I know you’d never cheat on me.” He’s first to break the silence, rough deep voice cutting the tension and breaking the ice. “I just- I get so insecure whenever you’re with Tom. I don’t feel like a good boyfriend when you’re always with him.”

You can tell he’s sucked in his breath, a sure sign that if he doesn’t compose himself, he’s going to start crying. You take the opportunity to reply.

“I know,” You breathe out. “I was… maybe a little too close to Tom. I just- I didn’t realize, y’know? It seemed like you were fine with it but the dynamic got weird and- I’m just… I’m sorry too. I should’ve tried to… help you with your insecurities instead of doing… what I did.”

He nods, watching his feet take each step. “I missed you.” He confesses it just as the two of you come to a stop in front of the popcorn stand. You lick your lips, breathing out a helpless chuckle.

“I really missed you, too.”

When he takes a step closer, you realize what he’s initiating, and you embrace him strongly, holding him tightly, squeezing him. He inhales your scent, sighing to himself and exhaling in relief to have you back in his arms. You smile against his shoulder, bringing him closer, if possible.

“‘M sorry.” He’s grumbling into you, voice rasping. You can tell he’s a bit emotional, so you squeeze him again, pulling apart to look at him.

“‘S okay.” You smile, bringing his face closer to yours. “We’re okay.” Your fingers are under his chin while he nods, and suddenly, your lips are embracing, kissing sensually just as they have so many times before. He can taste your coconut chapstick, and he smiles into the kiss, hands on your waist gently.

“We’re okay.”

#harry holland #harry holland x reader #harry holland fic #harry holland angst #harry holland fluff #harry holland imagine #harry holland blurb #harry holland fanfic #harry holland twoshot #harry holland oneshot #harry holland miniseries #tom holland x reader #tom holland angst #tom holland fic

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discolipton · 3 years ago

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Oooh I have a BoB drabble request! Baberoe “I’m locked out of my car and it’s cold and pouring rain and this is the last straw of a very shitty day” au? Bonus points if it’s the first time they meet 😘

*takes your hands ever so gently* I’m a fool and a half and never posted this because it wasn’t perfect by my own standards. Luckily/unluckily for you, it is five in the morning and I have not slept in an ungdly amount of time, so I have no sense of judgement. Here it is, thank you for your theoretical patience. (Since you really had no choice.)

——————

Bessie was a good car.

Okay. She wasn’t. But she was doing her best. Roe had taken her all the way up to Philadelphia that summer, and she’d only overheated once. She’d gotten him to and from part time jobs, classes, family get togethers, and hospital shifts as best she could, squeaky brake be damned. The mildew smell from when Roe had accidentally left her windows down before a rain storm wasn’t her fault. She was a good car. Roe was reminding himself of this as he stared at the car keys on his driver’s seat, protected by a very locked door. Bessie was a good car, and she did not deserve to get a trash can lid to her driver’s side window.

“S’what I get for learning my lesson,” Roe told the glass.

Roe didn’t have his phone. That was in the car, too, notifying him of text messages and emails from its spot next to the car keys. So now, he had to go back into the ACME and beg whatever sweaty teenager was playing assistant manager to let him use their phone so he could call AAA, please for the love of G-d.

“Hey, man. You okay?”

There was a guy standing at the trunk of his car. He had his own grocery bags in one hand, and an umbrella in the other. He looked between Roe and Bessie for a second, and Roe realized what he looked like; a strange guy with a mean bruise on his cheek trying to break into a locked car.

“Yeah. No, I-” Roe stepped back a little and gestured into the car. The guy came over, holding the umbrella out a little bit so Roe wouldn’t get rained on. “I was in a hurry and I left my keys in the car.”

“Oh, that sucks. Did you call-”

“Phone’s right next to the keys.” Roe tapped the window. “Say hi, phone.”

“Aw, shit, man. I- hang on-” The guy looked down the street. “Hey, let me run to my car real quick.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just gonna go back inside and ask for their phone.”

“No, really man, I can help. Here, just-” He pushed his umbrella into Roe’s hand, curling his fingers around the handle before letting go. He put an arm over his eyes. “Hang tight, I’ll be back.”

He was running off before Roe could tell him, again, that it really was okay. Roe looked down at Bessie.

Do you think he’s going to murder me? He asked her. The Honda Civic was quiet. Because that wouldn’t be too surprising, given the day we’re having.

The guy came back, sans groceries, but with a wire hanger that he was twisting into shape.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done this before. Just keep a lookout.”

“For what?” Roe blanched. “Oh my Gd.”

“It’s okay, I’ve done this before! Any cops coming?”

“No, there are no cops. And I think I should just call Triple A- what do you mean you’ve done this before?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just tell me if you see anyone.”

Before Roe could stop him, the guy had stuck the hooked end of the hanger into the space between the door and the glass. Part of Roe felt like he needed to tell him to stop before he broke his car and had him taking the bus back to his run down apartment that couldn’t even keep the kitchen cabinets from falling on the floor with all his dishes inside. The other part of him, however, was too tired, too cold, and too broke (and, frankly, too curious) to do anything other than look out for cops.

With a pop and another quick jiggle of the handle, Roe’s car door popped open. The guy smiled and pulled the hanger out before holding the door open. Roe genuinely had to hold back a little cry of a relief.

“Your chariot awaits.”

“Oh my Gd.” He looked back at him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” He put his hand out towards Roe. “You can call me Babe.”

“Babe.” The name rolled behind his lips a little before coming out. He took Babe’s hand in his. “I’m Gene. I can drive you over to your car.”

“That’d be nice, actually, thank you.” Babe pointed down the street, his hand still neatly tucked into Roe’s. “I’m way back there.”

“Well. Get in.”

Roe picked up the bag of plastic plates at his feet and got into the car, picking up his keys and phone to drop them into his lap. He shook out the umbrella and closed it up while Babe crawled into the passenger seat, a tangle of limbs and denim. Gene let him pull his Philadelphia Flyers beanie off, revealing a shock of red, rain soaked hair.

“Sorry for the smell,” Roe said as he gave Babe his umbrella back. He stretched into the back seat, depositing the plates onto the seat behind his own. “I left her windows down during a rainstorm about two years ago, and now I gotta live with it.”

“I’ve smelled worse,” Babe said. The car was kind of small for two grown men, and it didn’t give either one of them very much room. That’s why Roe wasn’t weirded out when he felt Babe’s breath puffing hot on his neck. “It’s not that bad.”

When Roe sat back down, Babe was tapping the Saints air freshener hanging off of Bessie’s rearview mirror.

“You’re a football guy?”

“As much as you can be without knowing very much about football.”

“Are you from New Orleans? You’ve got a Louisiana license plate.”

“Morgan City. Closer to Baton Rouge.” Roe began his very precarious three point turn. “But I’ve been to New Orleans a few times, yeah. Are you from Philadelphia?”

“Born and raised.” Babe started to worry his finger between his teeth, only to quickly pull it out. “So. Minus the whole getting locked out of your car thing, how’s your day been?”

“Uh.” Gene looked back at the paper plates in his backseat. “A lot of this.”

“A lot of getting locked out of your car?”

“A lot of, like-“ Gene rolled his wrist a few times. “Kitchen cabinet falling apart as soon as I open it and breaking all my dishes, getting punched in the face by a patient, y’know.”

“Just an ass kicking of a day?” Babe offers, looking a little wide eyed.

“Pretty much.” Gene looked over at Babe. “Which car is yours?”

“You see the little red prius that looks like it just lost a fight?”

This was a frighteningly apt description; Gene saw it immediately.

“You gonna get home okay?” Babe asked.

“Yeah. Probably gonna go get some coffee first.”

“Need that second cup?” Babe asked, glancing at the empty cup between them.

“More like ‘need a cup in general.’” Gene pulled his jacket aside so that Babe could see the coffee stain across his shirt front. “That one didn’t make it.”

“Oh, my Gd.” Babe leaned back into his seat a little. “You’ve had a shitty day, have you?”

“Kind of, yeah.” Gene shrugged. “But you helped. So. Thank you… Babe? Really? Babe?”

“It’s a nickname.”

“Well I figured.”

“Hey. You’ve had a pretty shitty day.”

“Thanks for reminding me.”

“But I’ve had a pretty good one.”

“Good for you?”

“I actually got a scratch off this morning and won ten bucks. ‘S enough for two coffees.”

Babe glanced back at Gene, looking hopeful. Gene was starting to wonder if maybe he’d been right about Babe wanting to kill him. But this guy seemed nice enough. And he had helped Gene with his car. And Gene did need coffee before he tried to suck the caffeine off the side of the empty Coke bottle at Babe’s feet.

Also, Babe had the kind of eyes you wanted to swim in, and Gene was made of blood and tissue, not stone.

“Yeah. That’d be nice. Thank you. What about your gro-“

“Nothing that can’t wait.” Babe buckled his seatbelt again. “Pick a place and I’ll tell you if it sucks or not.”

#band of brothers #baberoe #my fic #what tags do i even use #this is not my best work by any means but i wanted to at least post it #my best friend informed me that you can just write and post stuff without it being Absolutely Perfect

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abbysfrenchbraid · 3 years ago

Text

Daring - Chapter 3

This is the last chapter for Daring! If you haven't, read part one and two first 💛 This is just a very fluffy chapter with vanilla smut at the end (with love for all of you who got whiplash from my last fic).

CW for alcohol consumption, language, talk of loss/trauma, sex and SPOILER WARNING for Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water. I will spoil the ending for the movie here so if you want to watch it first and haven't yet, now's the time! Honestly, it's an amazing movie and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, so lmk if you have ~thoughts~

Chapter 3 - Home

The days until Thursday went just as excruciatingly slow as the days before your first date had. The only difference was that now you knew what to expect. Or did you? You knew she liked you, too. Wanted you, too. She had told you every night on the phone. Every day after you finished at work you waited patiently for Abby to get off her shift, too. She was on day shifts at the moment, usually from 6 am to 4 pm, but more often than not it took a few hours longer.

Abby was very kind with her patients, often taking people back home from the hospital or helping them get accommodated in their hospital rooms. It cost her a lot of time, but when she told you how grateful they all were you could hear how much she cared.

“I’m telling you Y/N, she actually cried in my arms. This poor old lady, I think she must have been over 80. She could barely raise her arms to put on the gown, the fall had stunned her pretty bad.”

You and Abby were cooking on FaceTime, or rather you were pouring yourself some cereal and Abby was making pasta with fresh tomatoes and herbs. You wished you were there.

“I hope she recovers fast,” you said, pouring in the milk. “It must be awful, being away from home in that state.”

“Yeah,” Abby sighed, “but she luckily didn’t break anything. It’s horrible though, the way elderly people bruise. She is going to have every single step of those stairs visible on her torso for at least a week.”

You took your phone and bowl, using your elbow to open the door to your room. Leah winked at you from the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth and water dripping from her hair. She was going out with Nora and Jordan, seeing some action movie.

“You’re incredible for taking the time to help her. Did she really have no one else?”

Abby sprinkled some basil into her pasta sauce.

“I don’t think so. She was pretty confused, but she said her daughter lives in New York and she didn’t want me to call her. I’m gonna check on her tomorrow when I have a minute between calls.”

“Oh speaking of…” You leaned back against your headboard and propped up your phone against your thigh, staring into your bowl. “Are we still on tomorrow?”

Abby laughed quietly.

“Baby, I’ve been counting the hours. I can’t wait.” You felt a pull in your stomach at the name. She had never called you baby before. Looking at her, you could see she was trying to hide her nervousness. You smiled at her.

“When can I come over?”

“I hope I get off at 5 and they don’t rope me into an emergency in the last minute of my shift. I’ll just call you as soon as I head out and you can come over straight away. I’ll buy all the groceries we need tonight.”

“Hey, I can -” you protested, but Abby cut you off.

“No, you just grace me with your presence, that’s enough. You don’t know the exact ingredients anyway.”

You smiled and finished your cereal. You couldn’t wait.

Abby called you at 6 pm, still sitting in the passenger seat of the ambulance.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t call sooner.” Little strands of hair had fallen out of her braid and framed her face, some of them looking damp with sweat. There was a flush on her face and dark circles loomed under her eyes. You felt just a little bit guilty, having stayed up with her on facetime until after midnight the night before.

“Don’t worry, I’m not the one working extra hours. How was your shift?”

“Honestly? Terrible.” You knew Abby was not one to complain, so that really had to mean something. You saw her sway in the seat as the ambulance pulled into the garage and finally came to a halt. “I’ll tell you about it later, okay? I’ll be home in half an hour, so just come over whenever you want. I’ll leave the front door unlocked in case I’m still in the shower.”

A prickle went over your skin at the thought, but you quickly pushed it away. Abby was obviously exhausted, this was not the time to imagine her and you in a shower.

“Are you sure you really want to cook? We could just order takeout and call it a night.”

Abby considered it for a moment. It had to have been the worst day. She quickly spoke to the person next to her in the driver’s seat, then you heard the car door being shut. Abby looked back at you.

“Abby. Let me take care of you.” Your voice was soft. You wished you could brush the loose strands of hair behind her ear. The blonde sighed and unfastened her seatbelt.

“Just come over, okay? We can decide then. I just want you with me.”

You jumped up and grabbed the bag you had already prepared for sleeping over, a bottle of Merlot on top of your clothes.

“I’m on my way. I can’t wait to see you,” you said as you struggled to put on your shoes with one hand.

“See you soon,” Abby smiled and ended the call.

You called out a goodbye to Leah and she yelled back “Go get her!” Smiling to yourself, you closed the door behind you and rushed to the train station.

Sitting in the uncomfortable plastic seat of the train, you couldn’t help but grow more and more nervous, just like the last time. But this time was different, you reminded yourself. This time you could make your way straight into Abby’s arms, straight to her lips. You secretly checked your breath in your hand. The train arrived both too quickly and not fast enough.

After knocking at the front door twice without any answer, you made your way inside the house. Abby had told you to just come in, but you felt like an intruder nonetheless. Where could you wait without taking up space that wasn’t hers? You didn’t want to be sitting there like a movie villain when she came down. You called out but there was no answer, only the bass of a rock song playing upstairs and the sound of water rushing through pipes in the wall.

Deciding to make your presence as visible as possible, you dropped your bag on the stairs and took the bottle of the wine to the kitchen. Abby’s heavy paramedic jacket was thrown over a chair and her keys were on the table. An empty glass was standing next to them, water droplets running down on the outside and leaving a wet ring on the wooden surface. You picked it up and placed it in the sink, drying the spot with a tea towel. Then you took out two wine glasses from the cupboard you had put them into after cleaning up the last time and put them on the counter. You leaned against it, wondering what you should do now.

Thankfully, you heard the water shut off upstairs and a few seconds later there was the soft thump of naked heels on tile floor. You decided just to wait until Abby came down. It only took two minutes, then you heard her on the stairs. She slowed when she reached the bottom, probably noticing your bag.

“Y/N?” Her voice was light, but there was excitement in it, carefully restrained.

“I’m in the kitchen!” You suddenly didn’t know what to do with your hands and reached for the bottle, then realized you didn’t have an opener and you probably wouldn’t be able to use one either. You let your arms drop to your side and Abby entered the kitchen, stopping a few steps from you.

She looked beautiful. She was wearing a light grey cutoff shirt and dark navy sweatpants. Her hair was still wet and hung loosely over her shoulders, darkening the cotton where it touched the fabric. Her face was still tired and her shoulders slumped slightly, but her eyes had lit up at the sight of you.

“You’re here!” She held out her hands, still not moving from her spot.

You closed the distance and threw your arms around her, burying your face in her neck.

“I’m here,” you mumbled and Abby’s arms closed around you, encasing you completely. She smelled wonderful, moisture still evaporating from her skin and warmth spreading from her body to yours where you touched. Your excitement didn’t falter, but your nervousness did. A wave of calm came over you. You were here.

“I’m sorry your day was so terrible,” you murmured, lips brushing the skin of Abby’s throat just above the neckline of her shirt. “Wanna spend the rest of it on the couch?”

Her upper body fell forward into you and her forehead came to rest on your shoulder. She nodded and you gave her waist a gentle squeeze before drawing back, resting your foreheads together and cradling her cheek with your hand.

“Come on, then. Let’s order you some food. I brought wine as well if you want some.”

Abby sighed.

“I’d love some.”

You wanted to step aside and take the glasses to the living room but Abby’s arms around you tightened and the corner of her mouth lifted.

“You’re an angel,” she whispered. And then she kissed you.

It was sweet, gentle, and tired, her lips soft and warm. You melted into her, both of you clinging to each other for a moment until Abby pulled away smiling. She took the bottle of wine and rummaged through a drawer for the opener. You held the glasses and watched her open the bottle, brows knit together and her tongue peeking out between her lips. It was both adorable and incredibly hot. You sat down on the large sofa together and Abby poured both of you a generous amount, then you clinked glasses and the blonde stole another kiss.

“Alright,” you unlocked your phone, “what are you craving?”

Abby gave you an amused look before she let her head fall back on the sofa cushion and thought for a second.

“Do you like Mexican food? Burritos?”

“Love it,” you said, searching for the closest restaurant and checking their website for delivery service. Abby just hummed in approval when she saw which one you had picked out. You placed the order together, Abby’s right hand never releasing yours as she clumsily used her left to pick her food. When the order was sent, you threw your phone to the foot of the sofa.

“So,” you said, turning to your side in order to get a better look at the blonde. “Wanna tell me about work?”

Abby sighed and opened her arm for you to crawl into. You gladly scooted closer, resting your head on her shoulder and throwing an arm over her stomach. When she spoke, you could feel the thrum of her voice in her chest.

“I went in early to check on the old lady who fell yesterday and found out she’d fallen again last night. She hadn’t told anyone because she was embarrassed, but I could tell something was wrong. Turns out her arm was broken in three places. I had them call her daughter even though she begged me not to bother her. I don’t know what her daughter is like, but I hope she takes care of her.”

You hummed and pushed yourself even closer to Abby’s side.

“After that, we had a call because of a domestic violence case. The police were there already, it was horrible.”

She rubbed a hand over her face and you pressed a kiss to her collarbone.

“After that, we had to go straight to another family dispute that ended in someone being stabbed with a steak knife. We got them to the hospital fast enough and it all went well in the end but I just hate cases that revolve around psychological trauma as well. All those family issues… I hate it.”

You could only imagine how horrible this must be for her after what had happened to her dad. Though you still didn’t know the whole story and you could probably find out easily by googling her name, you didn’t want to feel like an intruder in her past. She would tell you when she was ready.

“I’m glad you’re telling me about it,” you said, trying to sound firm and gentle at the same time.

Abby let out a little huff that sounded slightly surprised.

“Yeah, I don’t usually do that. Normally I would have just shoved all that into the back of my mind and tried to make this evening go perfect. Not that I don’t want to put in the effort with you-”

“I know,” you interrupted her, raising your head to smile at her, noses brushing against each other. “I think this is perfect. You are.”

You moved in for a kiss and Abby placed a hand on the back of your head, holding you gently as your lips touched. She deepened the kiss soon, breath going a little faster as her arms pulled you even closer. You threw your leg over her thigh, half on top of her now. Her tongue was smooth and hot against yours and when her teeth scraped over your bottom lip, you let out a whimper that she caught in another kiss. Feeling bold, you finally moved on top of Abby, straddling her thigh and placing your hands left and right of her flushed face. You rolled your hips forward and she made a guttural sound, low and hungry.

Her hands were all over you, pressing between your shoulder blades, wrapping around your waist, grabbing your hips to make you grind forward again, then finally cupping your ass and digging her fingers into the muscle. You stopped trying to keep yourself from panting and leaned forward to kiss Abby’s jaw, then the soft spot beneath her earlobe. She drew up her leg behind you, pressing her thigh between your legs, and you whimpered into her ear.

“Abby,” you whispered, “what are you doing to me?”

“Anything you want,” she murmured against your cheek, “anything, baby.”

You could hear your pulse drumming in your ears as you kissed the blonde fiercely, then moved your lips over that chiseled jaw again before biting the delicate skin of her throat. You dragged your tongue over her pulse point, actually feeling the beat of her heart fluttering against your sensitive nerve endings. She smelled intoxicating, warm, and earthy, and it made you want to take her in completely, to drown in her and never come to the surface again.

Her hands were on your hips again, guiding them against hers as she let out another low moan, lips parted and pupils blown as she looked at you with a mixture of amazement and pure, burning desire. You let your hands wander down her torso, trailing your fingers along the hem of her shirt and slipping them underneath. Abby’s skin was radiating heat, her stomach flexing beneath your touch.

“May I?” You asked, your voice breathless. Abby just nodded, lifting her arms over her head and arching her back so you could push the fabric up, revealing her broad frame, toned abs, and a black sports bra. You threw the shirt to the side and fell back onto her, your chests pressing together as you enveloped her in another heated kiss. You ground down against her thigh, the seam of your jeans pressing against all the right places. Abby’s hands were on your back again, broad and warm and reassuring.

You stayed like that for a while, melting into each other, catching the other’s breath, and trying to move in ways that would get the other to moan even though you were both still shy and careful about making noise. Abby twisted her pelvis ever so slightly so you could keep riding her thigh and hit her hipbone at the front of every movement. You responded by pulling her damp hair and making her hiss before she pulled you in and kissed you fiercely.

“God, Abby…” Heat was pooling at the bottom of your stomach and there was a sudden, almost painful sensitivity to your core. Pleasure had sneaked up on you without you noticing, completely surprising you with its intensity as Abby rolled her hips upward and you had no choice but to cry out. There was a hunger in her eyes, a triumphant glint and she held your face gently with one hand while the other was tight around your hip, guiding your movements against her and pressing into your flesh.

“Fuck, Abby, fuck, I’m so -” She swallowed your whimpers with another searing kiss, her tongue pressing into your mouth and her thumb stroking your cheek.

“Come on, baby, you’re so good, so beautiful, baby,” Abby mumbled against your lips, followed by more sweet compliments and hot kisses, her eyes always on yours. You found the perfect angle at last and dug your fingers into her shoulder, your moans going high and fast as you pressed your forehead to hers. She placed a last gentle kiss on your lips and you came undone on top of her. Her hands caught you easily, stroking you through your high, her lips caressing every inch of your face. Her skin was warm beneath you and slightly sweaty. You licked a small stripe up the side of her throat and kissed her jaw.

Abby pulled back just an inch to get a better look at your face, running her hands through your hair and over your cheeks, then down your shoulders and coming to rest around your waist.

“You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever known,” she said quietly and with a blissful smile. “An angel.”

Her gaze was so piercing, so raw and knowing that you suddenly had the urge to bury your face in your hands, to hide from this infinite feeling inside of you that you could see in Abby’s eyes as well. You forced yourself to hold her gaze and reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face.

“I’ve never… this has never happened to me before,” you confessed softly. “You are doing things to me I never even dreamed of.”

Abby chuckled at that and caught your hand, kissing every knuckle and then the inside of your palm.

“We fit well, don’t we?” It was cautious, a step forward with no weight on it yet, a hand on a door handle.

“We do.” You grinned at her, and maybe it was the rush of the high that still hadn’t faded or a rare wave of courage, but you decided to rip open that door from the other side. You sat up and placed a hand on her sternum, feeling her heart thrum beneath your palm.

“Abby, I want to be with you. I’ve wanted to for a long time. You don’t have to have an answer right now, but just know that I’m already yours, no matter what.”

For a moment, Abby didn’t seem to fully comprehend. Then she frowned, the smile not fully leaving her lips but turning bittersweet. You felt your stomach drop. Had you spoken too soon?

“Y/N.” Abby’s hand covered yours on her chest. “I’d love nothing more.” A weight fell off your shoulders. Abby wasn’t done talking yet.

“I’m a difficult person to… be with. I’ve really put in all I had with you so far, but there are times when I will be cold and closed off and I won’t be able to let you in, to let anyone in. I don’t know if I could hurt you like that.” She squeezed your hand now, her eyes glossy. “I’m not saying this because I’m scared or unsure, I’m saying this to give you an out. Or at least some more time to really get to know what it’s like with me in your life. I can be exhausting. At least that’s what I’m told.”

You felt something hot flare up in your throat. That was not fair.

“Who told you that?”

“Owen. I mean, he’s the only person who knows what it’s like being with me and he certainly didn’t like it very much.” Even with her broad shoulders, her set jaw, all her muscles, she looked strangely small now. You felt like you were going to burst with rage.

“Abby, do you honestly think an ex’s opinion of you counts? To me? I don’t give a shit what Owen thinks because I’m not him and this is not the same thing. I get to decide what it’s like and so far it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” You placed both your hands on her cheeks and leaned forward. “Babe, stop trying to deny yourself happiness. You deserve to be happy. And if I make you happy, if you’ll have me, I’m yours.”

Abby sat up straight, her face now directly in front of yours, and wrapped her arms around you tightly. She blinked the tears away, a smile beginning to tug on her lips.

“You’re mine?”

“Only yours.”

She kissed you and you could feel her grin against your mouth, smooth teeth softly clicking against yours.

“Mine,” she mumbled and began trailing kisses down your throat, hands now wandering down your back and under your t-shirt where they immediately provoked goosebumps to spread over your entire body. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Both of you pulled back with surprised faces.

“The food!” you realized and you had to laugh as you scrambled to get up from the couch. You had almost forgotten how hungry you were. Abby quickly pulled on her shirt, grabbed her wallet, and opened the door, hair wild and her lips still red and swollen. You hovered in the background, probably looking just as disheveled, and tried not to giggle like an idiot.

The delivery guy took one look at you and just gave Abby an amused smirk as he handed her the food. She tipped him generously and thanked him before closing the door and turning to you, both of you frozen in your spots for a second. Then you both burst out in laughter. Abby was next to you in three strides and pressed a kiss to the top of your head before you let yourself flop down on the sofa together. Abby had ordered two large burritos, you had chosen a vegetarian taco bowl and a big bag of tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. While you unpacked all the food and laid it out on the coffee table, Abby turned on the TV and scrolled through the movie options.

After some looking around, you decided to watch The Shape of Water, which you hadn’t seen yet despite being a big Guillermo del Toro fan. You ate in silence, letting the film pull you into a cold war era story of a mute woman, her gay best friend, and a strange fish-human being in the facility she was a cleaner at. You generally avoided watching more artistic, less Hollywood-typical movies with other people in fear of them constantly ridiculing the story to hide their own discomfort with monsters, but Abby was just as immersed in the story as you were. Sally Hawkins was a fantastic actress and the amphibian man was beautifully designed and a fascinating character. Del Toro’s handwriting was all over the film - beautiful colors and cinematography, fairytale monsters next to very human, real-life ones, the fear of the Other and the idea that maybe if one just dares to look beyond, the Other may have a story to tell and love to give.

When you had finished your food, you snuggled up to Abby, occasionally feeding her chips with guacamole and kissing the salt from her lips. During the final scenes when the shooting happened, Abby tensed up next to you. You hadn’t even thought about movies possibly triggering her or making her uncomfortable. Fuck, you should have looked it up beforehand. Now all you could do was press your temple to her collarbone and wrap your arms around her as tightly as possible.

“Do you want to turn it off?” You mumbled, your thumb drawing circles on her ribcage. You could feel Abby shake her head.

“It’s okay, I’m used to it by now. The movie is almost over anyway.” She pressed a kiss to your forehead and pulled you close. The ending was beautiful and heart-wrenching and you shed a few tears, staining Abby’s shirt. She just smiled and kissed the tears from your cheeks.

“Did you like it?” You asked tentatively, not sure if the shooting may have ruined it for Abby.

“I loved it.” Her expression was warm. “That scene in which she talks about the way he sees her without any of her flaws, just her, and how her fight for his life is what makes her human was beautiful.”

“And then in the end she wasn’t human after all,” you added, “I’ve never really seen it that way around. Usually, the beast turns into a prince at the end. I always hate that. Why can’t the monster stay a monster after having proven their love and their honor and whatever else is needed to redeem them, you know?”

Abby thought about that for a moment, her eyes going unfocused.

“That’s true. In so many stories, all the things that make the monster monstrous are stripped away as soon as they have proven their worth and found true love. It doesn’t work like that in real life. We all have things inside that could deem us monsters and it’s only when we hope to have found love that we can dare to reveal them and hope the other person loves us anyway.”

Something warm spread inside you, reaching out to every corner of your body, every toe and every fingertip. You leaned in and kissed her gently.

“The silver plate.”

Abby looked confused for a second, then she remembered the things she had said during your last date.

“Yeah, my own monstrous silver plate.” She smiled. “Scared?”

“Not at all,” you grinned and climbed on top of her. “I’ll devour you.”

You pressed your lips to hers her and it quickly turned into another heated makeout session. Your limbs were tangled together and her hands roamed your body as you kissed her neck and when she finally asked: “can I?” you almost knocked your head against her jaw trying to sit up so she could take off your shirt.

Sitting up on her hips, you dragged your nail from her ear to the hem of her shirt, scratching the skin and making her hiss, eyes burning.

“Want to show me your bedroom?” you asked, trying not to lose your focus at the feeling of her hands wandering up your thighs. You yelped as Abby sat and stood up in one swift motion, arms secure around your waist and thighs so you’d stay pressed to her chest. You wrapped your legs around her and laughed into her mouth before she kissed you again.

The tall blonde carried you up the stairs like it was nothing, making soft noises when you bit into the soft skin just below her jaw.

“Y/N…” She kicked open a door and didn’t give you any time to look around, crawling on the bed and trapping you under her large body, attacking you with kisses, all teeth and tongue. It was glorious.

You pulled on Abby’s shirt until she grunted and took it off herself, then her hands were trailing the skin above the waistband of your jeans. More, more, more.

“Can I take those off?” Abby asked, sitting back on her knees between your legs.

“Please,” you whimpered, lifting your hips for better access, but Abby had other plans. She let her hands wander over your upper body, her fingers teasing your nipples over the thin fabric of your bralette, then softly tickling your stomach on their way down. Finally, she opened the button of your jeans and slowly opened the zipper, her eyes flickering up to your face and back down to her hands.

“Come ooon,” you begged, “please, Abby.”

There was the hint of a smirk on her lips, but she complied and pulled off your jeans, both of you laughing as they caught around your ankles and Abby had to wrestle them off. Then Abby’s hand was on your foot and she held it in place on her shoulder, slowly kissing her way up your leg. Your breath got faster with every inch she came closer to your heated center, that place that had gotten a taste of what was to come and wanted more. She dragged her lips over your clothed core and your legs trembled, a gasp escaping you.

Abby took her time with you, kissing your stomach and chest before taking off your bralette and teasing your nipples with a gentle tongue and fluttering fingers. You were squirming beneath her, a mess of pleasure and want for more, begging her to touch you. Finally, she sat back up and hooked her fingers under the waistband of your panties, keeping eye contact and pulling them down slowly. Her gaze was burning, pupils wide, lips hanging open and breath going in shallow pants.

Her tongue was heaven, it was heat and silk and everything at once, enveloping you in waves of ecstasy and making you moan and bury your hands in her hair. She was gentle, cleaning up the mess you had made earlier and the one just now, broad tongue and small circles sending your hips up to meet her, her fingers around your thighs too far away.

“Abby, please…” you gasped and she looked up to meet your gaze. You melted inside.

“What do you want, baby?” Her voice was deep and husked, lips shining with your juices.

“Your fingers.” You gave her hand a light push downward and with a smile, she complied.

If you had thought you had already reached the pinnacle of pleasure, the best there was, you had been oh so wrong. Abby’s fingers were magical, teasing you and filling you up, stroking against that tender spot inside you, then slowing down as her tongue made you see stars, complying when you begged her for more, faster, harder. Your legs hadn’t stopped shaking in what felt like forever, your fingers were cramped into Abby’s beautiful blonde mane and you were crying out her name over and over again as she brought you to your peak, guiding you through it and moaning along with you as your juices covered her fingers and her tongue.

When she finally crawled back up to meet you, her arms were shaking slightly and her face was flushed. You still felt like you were somewhere far away, but her smile pulled you back to the present. She kissed you, letting you taste yourself on her tongue. Slowly, you let your hand wander down and play with the seam of her sweatpants and the hem of her boxers peeking out underneath.

“Wanna take these off?” you mumbled in her ear and you could see she was trying to keep her composure as she tried to get out of her pants as fast as possible before coming back to you. She stopped and looked unsure suddenly.

“Is it okay if I keep these on for now?” She gestured to her sports bra and underwear.

“Of course, baby. Can I touch you?” You whispered, one hand on the back of her neck as the other wandered lower. Abby nodded and kissed you again.

“Yes, please,” she whispered back. You slid your hand into her boxers and were greeted by wet heat, desire practically pooling in your palm. Both of you gasped at the same time, eyes flying open to meet each other’s, bodies grinding together.

“Fuck baby, you’re so wet,” you cooed and watched Abby dissolve in front of you, blood shooting into her cheeks before she buried her face in your neck and began leaving lovebites on your throat. You dragged your fingers between her folds, relishing in the tiny noises she made whenever you touched her clit or came near her entrance.

You put all your strength into throwing Abby to the side and rolling on top of her, hand never leaving her center. She laughed in surprise and grabbed the back of your neck to pull you in, and at that moment you slid a finger inside her. Her eyes went wide and the noise she made would visit your dreams for the rest of your days. You kept your lips wandering over her throat and back to her lips, pulling moan after moan from her with your fingers, gently pushing inside her and curling upward, your thumb drawing circles on her clit. After a while, you could see her abs flexing as her core convulsed rhythmically, her moans getting higher and breathless, her fingers digging into your waist.

“Will you come for me, Abby?” you whispered and kissed her again. Her hips bucked up into your hand and she made a strangled noise, then her legs clamped together around your fingers and she sighed, tongue darting out to brush against yours as you slowly pulled your hand from her sensitive core.

You threw your thigh over her hips and pressed your face into the crook of her neck, giving her time to breathe as you drew patterns on her bare stomach with your fingers.

“Baby…” she mumbled above you, voice vibrating through her chest. “That was… I don’t even have words.”

You grinned up at her and she brushed your hair behind your ear. Her gaze was full of love and adoration, like sunlight warming your skin, soft fingertips caressing your cheeks.

“I’ve never felt so safe,” you said, resting your head on her shoulder so you could look at her. “You’re so careful.”

Abby smiled and followed the path of your fingers with her eyes.

“I’ve had other experiences in the past that made me realize how important it is to always check on your partner.” She looked down at her clothed hips. “Thank you for… not making this weird. I’m just… one step at a time.”

“Of course, baby.” You moved your lips closer to her ear. “I think it’s really fucking hot, you between my legs in those boxers, all muscles and freckles. But then when I touch you, you’re so needy, just a wet mess, coming on my fingers in your underwear.”

Abby let out a shaky breath, chest trembling at your words. She laced her fingers between yours and pressed them to her sternum.

“You leave me speechless every time,” she said, voice quiet and content.

“I love it.” You pulled the blanket up with your foot and covered both of your bodies up to your hips, yawning into her shoulder. Abby chuckled quietly.

“Do you need to set an alarm for tomorrow?” She reached over to the bedside table, then let her arm drop. “Our phones are still downstairs.”

You groaned and rolled onto your back before blinking up at Abby innocently, hoping she would go and get them. She just laughed and got up, stretching her arms and making the muscles on her back dance beautifully.

“You need to go pee,” she said with raised eyebrows. You sighed and lazily rolled out of bed, pulling the blanket up around you.

Abby showed you the bathroom across the hall and made her way down the stairs, a bounce in her step. You could hear her clean up the takeout containers and throw away the trash in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a noise outside, a deep voice and the jingle of keys at the door. You froze with the towel in your hands. The front door opened and Manny tried to stay quiet in that completely ineffective way most men do, dropping his shoes with loud thumps and whispering into his phone so loudly you could hear every word.

“Hi, Manny,” Abby said in the hallway. Keys dropped to the floor with a clunk.

“Dios mio! What the hell are you doing sneaking around here, Abby? You just get back from the gym?” You could hear her laugh quietly as he tried to catch his breath.

“I could ask you the same. Weren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow?”

You snuck back into her bedroom on tiptoes, wrapping the blanket around you tightly and staying near the door to hear the conversation downstairs.

“Had to go early, my dad had a hot date tonight.” You could actually hear his grin.

“Yeah, well, me too.” Abby’s voice was dry, but you could tell she wasn’t actually annoyed.

“Really? Y/N? How'd it go?” A pause, then another loud whisper - “holy shit, she still here?

“Y/N, Manny’s home!” Abby’s raised voice rang through the house. You grinned. She knew you were listening.

“Hi, Manny!” You looked around for any clothes you could throw on quickly but came up empty. Sighing, you checked your blanket placement and went to the top of the stairs, looking down at Manny and Abby in the entrance hall.

Abby was still just in her sports bra and boxer shorts but didn’t seem to mind at all. Manny wore sweatpants and a green sweater, along with a hat that said women want me, fish fear me. Behind him were two large bags, one of them clearly full of fishing equipment. His smile lit the room.

“Hi Y/N, nice seeing you here. You two have a good night?”

You nodded and he made a knowing ah-ha sound. Abby elbowed him and red spots formed on her neck.

“Well, I’m gonna eat something and pass out. Breakfast tomorrow?” He threw a hopeful look in Abby’s direction. “When does your shift start?”

“Noon, I get late shift for the next two weeks. Y/N, what about you?” Both of them looked up at you and you shifted your weight, very aware of the way you looked right now.

“I just need to study, I can sleep in for once.”

Abby nodded and patted Manny’s shoulder.

“Breakfast at 10.”

She came up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and grinning from ear to ear. Manny vanished into the kitchen, continuing to scream-whisper into his phone. You made out the words “finally… girl is here” before Abby simply picked you up and carried you back to bed, kicking the door closed behind her.

You snuggled up together and Abby stroked your hair while she told you about her friendship with Manny and how glad she was to have him. He had been there for her through everything and he had wanted her to make a move and ask you out for weeks. You felt yourself drift away slowly.

“I’m so glad I’m here,” you mumbled, hand stroking Abby’s chest.

“Me too, baby. I still can’t believe I get to call you mine.” The bliss in her voice was the same you felt in your heart.

“Finally.” You craned your neck for a last kiss and melted beneath Abby’s soft lips and warm hands.

She held you wrapped tightly in her arms, almost as if she was scared you could vanish in the night. As if you'd ever leave her now. The last thing you thought before falling asleep was that you were finally home.

Author's note: Have you seen The Shape of Water? Did you like it? Let me know here 💌 If you'd like to support me, you can buy me a coffee here 🤎

#abby anderson #abby tlou2 #abby tlou #abby the last of us #the last us 2 #tlou abby #leah #leah tlou #abby anderson fanfiction #smut #fluff

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mrsalwayswrite · 4 years ago

Text

To Call Forth Love - Chapter 5

Here it is! Ivar and Kari’s “date”....between friends of course.

Norwegian translations are via google, apologies if incorrect.

Warnings: swearing, Ivar being Ivar, sexual tension, fluff

Words: 8000

Series Masterlist

Tag List: @youbloodymadgenius

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Kari repeated to herself as she fixed her chocolate brown hair in the bathroom mirror. She hated how Ivar had manipulated her into going out with him, coming to her work and turning her class into participants in his scheme. Why couldn't he just let this go? Why did he have to keep injecting himself into her life?

She vehemently ignored the small part of her that enjoyed his attention. Sure, she found him attractive, he was gorgeous, there was no denying that. It did not help how her mind liked to vividly recall how intoxicating his kisses felt, how passionate his embrace was. Never had she had a man pursue her so intently; well really, any man pursue her in general. The conflicting emotions were warring within her mind. It was best if they did not interact, if he forgot about her and moved on…. for both of their sakes. The traitorous part of her heart that yearned for more, whispered beguilingly for her to just try.

She still hated his manipulation.

A loud banging on the front door jolted her from her thoughts. She raced back to her room to see a luxury Mercedes car parked in front of the driveway. This was it. Her breath hitched in her throat. Was she really doing this? A second pounding on the door forced her to move. Snatching her purse off her bed, she made her way down the stairs and opened the front door.

Only for her jaw to drop.

There stood Ivar dressed in a designer black suit and white shirt, that complimented his body in all the right ways. His dark hair was braided back impeccably. One hand tapped on a dark metal cane by his side. He looked so deliciously suave and sophisticated; it was unfair. A runway or photoshoot seemed a more appropriate place for him instead of waiting for her at her front door. His blue eyes, even more striking in contrast to the dark colors of his suit, traced over her body with a severe scrutiny.

"You're not wearing that."

And that harsh statement was enough to rip her attention back from her ogling. She glanced down at her clothing, a nice pair of jeans and one of her favorite flowy blouses.

"What? You said dress nice."

He tapped his cane on the ground once, as he scoffed. "Yeah, not dress like you're going to a fucking outdoor festival."

"Well you didn't give me much information to work with." She retorted, already fed up with his attitude. It was his fault she was unaware to dress like they were going to some black-tie event. Since agreeing to this ill-conceived date, she had been on edge; and now him throwing this in her face, even more solidified this was a bad idea.

"Right, let's go." He started past her, heading towards the stairs.

"Wait, what?"

He looked at her over his shoulder and stated-as if it explained everything in the world, "I told you, you're not wearing that." Turning back, he began ascending the staircase.

She groaned, shutting the front door, and pressed her forehead against it. What had she done in a past life to deserve this? If she walked out of her front door and disappeared, how long would it take for him to notice? The idea was tempting.

The thumping of his footsteps and cane up the stairs preceded his voice yelling down, "left or right?"

"Right!" She called back, then realized he was heading to her bedroom alone. She scurried towards the stairs and up them to enter her room just as Ivar stood in front of her closet.

"Do you own anything that isn't fucking athletic clothing?" He waved a hand at her wardrobe like it personally offended him.

She gestured to the clothing on her body.

"Right. We're going to fix that." He said as if to himself before diving into her closet.

Unsure what to do, she sat on the edge of her bed watching the scene unfold before her. Any other time this might have been amusing to witness. Ivar pushed around the clothing on the hangers, opening a couple of the drawers before returning back to the hanging clothes. The whole time she noticed, even as he muttered to himself, he was never rough with her stuff, nor was he delicate either but he seemed to take care of how he handled her things.

"This." He pulled out a dress after a couple of minutes, holding it up on the hanger. The dress was something she had bought spur of the moment when she first moved here as a treat to herself but never actually had a reason to wear it. It was a rich purple, off-the-shoulder, high-low skater dress that she loved. On more than one occasion she pulled it out just to admire it and hope one day to have a reason to wear it. It was most likely the only thing she owned that could pretend to be black-tie appropriate, even if it fell woefully short.

"Come on, we don't have all day." He shook the hanger, holding it out towards her.

She pursed her lips in annoyance but snatched the dress from him. Wordlessly, she went to the bathroom attached to her room, making sure to lock the door behind her. Changing into the dress, she reminded herself she just had to make it through tonight. He would realize how boring and uninteresting she was and then she would never hear from him again.

Once changed, she tried to touch up her make-up better. Adding some eyeliner and darker eyeshadow, she only added a gloss to her lips to finish it off. Make-up and fashion had never been something she excelled at but she could hold her own. Luckily, she had painted her nails a shimmery silver so they matched her attire.

With one last look in the mirror, she gave herself an approving nod. Her blue-green eyes popped with the enhancement around them, the bit of blush and bronzer made her cheekbones sharpen and her lips looked fuller and shiny due to the gloss. The dress itself flattered her nicely, emphasizing her small waist and toned legs. She ran her hands over her sides, loving the soft feel of the material. At least she had the chance to finally wear the dress.

"Here goes nothing."

Opening the bathroom door, she was surprised to see him seated on the end of her bed, typing away on his phone. "Shoes and jewelry are on your table." He said without looking up.

A small table sat shoved into the corner of her room, her bed taking up most of the space. On it was the small jewelry box she owned, along with her aloe vera plant and a couple of small succulents. Laying out on the table was one of her few expensive necklaces she had brought with her when she moved, and it was one of the most sentimental. Reverently, she put it on, running her hand over the small diamond pendant hanging on the dainty, silver chain. It matched the small diamond earrings she always wore. A gift set from her grandmother.

"Who taught you fashion? Most guys are hopeless." She jabbed, as she slipped on the slender, black heels that he set out for her. She had forgotten she owned them. He must have dug into the recesses of her closet, a terrifying thought.

Either he ignored her tone or was not paying attention, as he was still focused on his phone. "You spend enough time with my mother, you begin to pick up useless information."

That answer she did not expect. She peered over at him, still staring down, and smoothed down her dress once more. Nerves fluttered in her belly. Which was ridiculous since she did not really care what he thought of her appearance. Right?

"Alright." She announced. "Does this earn the highly esteemed Ivar's seal of approval?"

He rolled his head to the side, a sharp comment obviously on the tip of his tongue, but when his eyes locked on her…. he froze. A myriad of emotions flickered through his eyes before he blinked and swallowed thickly. "Come here." He commanded, holding a hand out to her.

There was a tenderness in his gaze that beckoned to her, even more than his words. In three strides she found herself taking his hand and standing in front of him, before she could rationalize her actions. It felt almost instinctual, like she was drawn to him without conscious effort. Plus the way he gaped at her now, it was like he was admiring the rarest gem or most breathtaking natural phenomenon. The vulnerability in his admiring gaze caused her to look away, unnerved just by the sheer awe in his eyes; yet at the same time she had never felt so beautiful or safe.

"Vakker, kattungen min." He murmured, almost inaudibly.

"I don't know what that means." She whispered back, the air feeling heavy with something unnamed.

"I know."

"So…" She glanced at their hands, his thumb running lightly over her knuckles. "This alright?"

His gaze greedily trailed over her, taking in every curve and dip of her body. Then once his eyes met hers, he winked salaciously. "It's adequate."

Her jaw dropped for a second before she shook her head and laughed. "Well you dressed me. So, if it's only adequate, it's your fault."

"I didn't have any good material to work with." He let go of her hand, rising to his feet.

"You sound like a diva."

His heated gaze instantly transformed from sensual to threatening in an instant. "The fuck does that mean?" He sneered, looming over her.

"Not...nothing...I'm just teasing you."

Tension surrounded them, Kari had to physically restrain herself from squirming under the feel of it. It was terrifying how his demeanor could switch so drastically. How he could go from sweet to dangerous in the blink of an eye. Finally after a long moment, he huffed and turned away.

"Come on, we're going be late already."

Silently, she followed behind him, unsure of what to expect next. They headed out and into his vehicle, the driver taking off as soon as they were both seated.

The residual anger rolled off of him like encroaching mist, not sure if it would eventually dissipate or grow into a storm. So she watched the city pass by out the window, a place still both unknown and becoming familiar. After ten minutes, suddenly thick, calloused fingers hesitantly entwined with her slim ones. Peeking over, Ivar was also looking out of his window but his hand reached across the seat between them, his fingers gently holding hers. She wondered if this was his silent way of apologizing. Instead of pulling away like would have been the intelligent thing to do, they rode the rest of the way with their fingers entangled and a comfortable silence between them.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, she now understood why they were dressed so formal. She had heard about this place but never in her wildest dreams thought she would actually be eating here. Casa mia, Maggiore ranked in the top five most popular and most expensive restaurants in the city. To even get a table, it had to be booked months in advance. The Italian restaurant was legendary, catering an old-world theme while boasting the best chefs in the country. From what Kari overheard, all the praise was well-deserved.

She could only gape as she scooted out of her seat and took Ivar's hand to help guide her out, too distracted by the magnificent building and the shock they were eating here. Her head swiveled about, like a child in a candy store, trying to see everything. What appeared to be stone columns lined the short walk to the entrance. Once inside, the tantalizing aroma of garlic bread sticks, wine and savory meat blended together with underlying hints of seasonings to immediately make her mouth start watering. A small fountain bubbled in the front entrance, a peaceful sound amongst the dim noise of conversations. Ivy hung strategically around from more columns or baskets on the walls. Marble-esque statues decorated corners. The rich colors of the restaurant tied in beautifully with the stone and wood making the place feel like you stepped through a portal straight into Italy.

The two walked up to the host standing behind a podium.

"Two for Ivar Lothbrok."

The sharply-dressed man barely glanced down before he responded. "Ah, yes, thank you, sir. Follow me."

"Ivar, how did you get us in here on such short notice?" She quietly asked as she walked beside Ivar, not even realizing they were still holding hands, too caught up in staring at everything.

"I know the owner."

"Of course." She muttered, earning a playful wink from him.

They were led to a partially secluded table, which had a perfect view of the restaurant and the live instrumental band on a small stage.

She started towards the opposite side of the table, to sit across from Ivar but stopped when he said her name.

"Sit by me."

Tilting her head in confusion, she just shrugged it off and moved to sit next to him instead of across the table. Soon as she sat down, she was grateful. Now she faced the direction of the live band and the captivating mosaic on the far wall. Every time she turned around this place continued to astound her.

"Anything I start off for you, sir?" The host asked as Kari and Ivar settled into their plush seats.

"Yes," Ivar answered immediately, "we'll start with a bottle of the Fontodi 2017 Chianti Classico."

"Excellent choice, sir. I'll send your waitress with it in a moment."

As the host walked away, Kari turned to him. "This is…. this is too much, Ivar. Why did you bring me here?"

He shrugged, leaning back casually. "It's my favorite restaurant." Like that explained why he was prepared to spend a couple hundred dollars on their dinner.

"This feels like a date-date. I told you I was only going out as friends."

"Yeah, well I have expensive taste. So shut up about it and enjoy. I swear you'll be thanking me after you taste the food here."

Silence descended once again. As he scanned over the restaurant, she took the moment to stealthily appreciate how handsome he looked. His chiseled jawline, beguiling eyes and plump lower lip was enough to entice anyone; but his broad shoulders, strong upper body and toned stomach could make anyone swoon. Her mind drifted into wondering what he looked like bare chested, what his apparent muscles would feel like under her hands. Heat flooded her face and belly as she realized where her mind went. Friends, just friends, she tried to remind herself.

He must have caught onto her blatant ogling because he spoke to her without turning his head away from the band. "See something you like?"

Her face further inflamed, fiddling with the necklace as she tried to compose herself. To change the subject, she blurted out the first question that came to mind. "You said earlier, spending so much time with your mother, you picked up some fashion sense from her….is she….um…." Her question trailed off, not quite sure what she was trying to get at.

He studied her for a moment then returned to watching the band. "My grandmother, my mother's mother, was a fashion icon who wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Instead my mother married my father. She still has connections in the fashion world but she focuses more on the hotel chain she and my father started."

"Aesir, right? Aesir Luxury Hotels?"

He nodded.

The cost for one night in those hotels was more than a down-payment on most houses. Only the wealthy and elite ever stayed in them because of their outrageous costs.

"Are you…. close….to your mother?"

He hesitated for a moment but she could visibly see his gaze and demeanor soften. "Yeah, I guess. She spent most of my childhood at my bedside or in a damn hospital. And when I wasn't bedridden from surgeries, she forced me to travel with her or be at her side because she didn't trust many people to "properly" take care of me. Floki and Helga were the only ones she truly felt confident in. Even father or my brothers, she would call almost every other hour to check in on me."

"I met Floki, didn't I? He has the head tattoos."

Ivar paused as the waitress returned with their bottle of wine. He waved her off when she went to pour it and quickly gave her their order, sending her away with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I didn't get a chance to look at the menu." The brunette protested.

"Kitten, trust me. I know you'll like this." He said as he poured them both a glass of wine. "And yes, Floki has the head tattoos. He's been a friend of my father's since they were children, he's even more of an uncle to us than my actual Uncle Rollo."

"Oh, he seemed…. ah, nice?"

Ivar laughed loudly, startling an older couple at a nearby table. "He's a mad bastard, smoked too many herbs when he was younger but he's solid. I'd trust him with my life. I have on occasion. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you close to your family?"

"Not really. My father died in a car accident when I was five so I don't remember him much. My mother is…. she’s a complicated woman. We don't talk much. My grandmother was the one who really raised me. She was my safe to go to when I was a child." That was as close to the truth as she could get, every word honest but certainly missing a few important details.

He hummed, swirling his wine seeming deep in thought. After taking a sip, his eyes landed on her with an intensity that threatened to split her soul. "Is that why you moved out here from England?"

She froze, the glass just touching her lips.

"What?" He asked, eyes wide in innocence.

"What do you know?" She breathed out, mind frantically racing.

He answered her with a sly smirk, looking pleased with himself like the cat that caught the canary. "You moved here almost two years ago from a small village in England where you lived with your mother. You had top grades in school, played football for a few years while in school, tried to go to university but dropped out. Not too much later you moved here. Also, you have the worst fucking taste in music. Ed Sheeran? Adele? Could you be any more stereotypical?"

"How...how do you know that?"

"The security on your phone is pathetic. Even an amateur could hack it. Don't worry, I already ordered a new iPhone for you when it comes out in two weeks. The Playlists on your phone are fucking boring. And your Netflix account...remind me to introduce you to good movies and TV shows instead of that shit you've been watching."

"You…." Her words tumbled out as her mind refused to fully comprehend what he was admitting. "...you are unbelievable. You hacked my phone? You looked up information on me?"

He shrugged. "I always do that with anyone I meet."

"Ivar…. that’s…. that’s not ok."

"Why?"

"Because…. people deserve their privacy. I mean, if you wanted to know that information about me you could have asked, LIKE A NORMAL PERSON." She tugged on her earring as she looked away. Thankfully the information he got on her was only her cover. She made a mental note to thank Albus when they talked on the phone next. Still, if he could find all this out about her in a week…and he acted like there was nothing wrong with his behavior. She could tolerate many things but this, having her privacy invaded like this. She pushed her chair back and started to rise. "I think, I think I need to go."

"What are you talking about?" His voice dropped to a low, menacing tone, a sudden fire blazing in his eyes.

"Ivar, I like you for some reason, you're fun to talk to and you're interesting but this…. I don't know if I can be alright with it. You crossed a line and I think it's best if we stop talking now. I'm sorry. I'll get an Uber to take me home."

He seized her wrist in a firm grip just as she took a single step away. "Is this because I hacked your phone?" He sneered, only tightening his grip on her as she tried to tug her wrist away.

"Yes….and looked into my background." She sighed, holding his burning gaze. "That's just not…. that’s not normal behavior."

"It is in my family. We have to be careful who we get close to…. who we let in."

It was in his hushed tone, the way he made his answer sound like a confession that held her in place even more than his physical grip on her. Sincerity danced in his eyes, but also something more. Something far stronger and darker. Staring at him, the only word that came to mind was fear. Was he truly that terrified by the idea of her leaving? Although he tried to hide it behind the anger, it lurked just within view. That vulnerability she caught glimpses of, that drew her to him. How much of his instant rage was only a mask?

Then she thought about his response. Even if the answer did not completely pacify her, it kind of made sense. Was his family even able to fully trust people or did they constantly second guess their motives?

His eyes dropped to their hands, his grip loosening marginally. "If I promise not to do it again, will you sit back down?"

When she did not respond, he looked back at her. She was never one for direct confrontation, but passive-aggressive, the silent treatment, she was a professional at. So she waited, pressing her lips together intentionally. He was the one continuously forcing himself into her life, manipulating her. If he did not want her to walk away right now, he was going to have to learn her boundaries. And abide by them. She was done fully playing by his rules only.

A voice in the back of her mind that sounded eerily like her roommate screamed at her, reminding her of the darker side of the Lothbrok reputation, particularly Ivar.

His words struggled to come out through his clenched teeth. "I promise not to hack into your phone or run anymore backgrounds on you unless I think it's absolutely necessary."

"Your definition of necessary is probably different than mine."

"Fuck. Fine. Unless I think you or someone else is in danger, that kind of necessary…. fucking happy now?" He released her, running his hand over his braids, and glaring in the direction of the live band as if plotting their murders.

"Thank you." She slowly settled back into her seat.

Ivar grabbed his wine glass and drank the whole thing in two gulps before reaching for more. Luckily the waitress returned with their food, setting a plate in front of each of them and a basket of breadsticks in the middle of the table.

"Oh gods. This looks delicious. What did you order?" She eyed the plate set before her, her senses overwhelmed with how utterly mouth-watering it smelled.

"You have Pansotti Alla Genovese."

Without another word she took a bite of her pasta and practically moaned. She closed her eyes as she let the flavors settle on her tongue. There was no doubt, whatever was in this pasta was pure magic. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Ivar staring at her with a hungry look in his eyes, and she did not think food would satisfy that appetite. It made a warmth curl in her belly and a flush rise to her skin.

"What?"

He blinked. "Nothing." He abruptly dropped his gaze down and started to cut the meat on his plate.

"What did you order?"

"Osso buco alla Milanese."

"It looks good." She lightly commented, taking another bite of her pasta. Maybe the chefs were all wizards here, that's how the food tasted so good. Forget the train platform, the kitchen here was the secret entrance to Hogwarts.

"Want to try?"

She almost choked on her food. Chewing quickly, she took a sip of her rich wine before speaking. "Excuse me?"

"Open your mouth."

She just stared at him.

"Come on, kattungen." He cut a small piece of the meat and speared his fork with it. A mischievous smile on his face, he held it close to her lips. "Trust me."

It smelled divine whatever it was, so she opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her. Soon as it touched her tongue, her eyes involuntarily closed again.

"Mmm…. that’s amazing."

"I told you to trust me." He winked, putting a bite into his own mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. So, you know all about my favorite artists and movies. Are you going to tell me about yours?"

"You know, you asking me all these questions is really starting to sound like a first date. You sure we aren't on a real date and you're just saying…."

She reached over and swatted his arm. "Unbelievable. Now answer my question."

It took a tense minute before he really started talking but before she knew it, she was regaled with a comparison of heavy metal bands, the ones he liked and disliked plus some rock bands he listened to. Several jabs were made at his brothers and some of their choices of music. Next they easily slid into comparing movies, him continuously making fun of her love of animated movies. The rest of the dinner flew by as they talked effortlessly, never a dull or awkward moment in their conversation. It was completely different from how tense everything started, it almost felt like two separate dates…. between friends.

All too soon they were walking out of the restaurant. The air was still warm from the late summer, even as the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon. People still wandered along the stretch of businesses. The loud thumping from a nearby club intermingled with the sounds of cars and pedestrians.

Before they left the table, Ivar had called his driver. Now the luxury car waited for them just off the main sidewalk. As they approached, her gait began to slow down.

"Do we, um, never mind." She started then changed her mind last minute, hurrying the extra steps to catch up with him.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing really, let's go."

"Kari," he stopped her with a hand on her arm, uncaring of the people that had to swerve around them as the two stood in the middle of the sidewalk. "Just tell me."

"Do you have to take me home now? I mean, I get it if you need to leave so you can sleep and be ready for work or whatever you do."

"No, no, I don't have to drop you off yet. What do you want to do? I mean if you want to go back to my place and take advantage of me, I did drink more than you so…."

"Stop it. I take it back. I want to go home now!"

As she tried to step away, he dropped his cane to grab both of her wrists, pulling her closer and placing them on his chest. "Tell me." He commanded gently, looking down at her with those bright eyes that pierced her soul.

"It's stupid." She mumbled, fiddling with the lapels of his suit jacket.

"For fuck's sake, just tell me."

"Alright." Although she hesitated a moment longer, the words slipped out hesitantly, like she expected him to laugh at her when finished. "There's this ice cream place around the corner I've always wanted to go to. All the flavors are named after famous art pieces."

"Masterpiece. That's the place?" He clarified, head cocked to the side.

"Yes…"

"You want to go out for ice cream?"

"Yes?"

He was quiet long enough for Kari to start to fidget out of nervousness, then a bark of laughter erupted from him with a broad grin on his face. "Fuck it. Why not? I don't think I've been out for ice cream since I was four."

"Well all the more reason to go. See I'm doing you a favor."

"Shut up. Stay right here." He snarked without malice, then picked up his cane and headed over to tell their driver about the change of plans. After quick instructions, he walked back over to where he left Kari on the sidewalk. "He'll meet us there. Come on."

She did not complain when he wrapped an arm around her waist as they started in the direction of the ice cream parlor. Instead she slipped her arm around him, too happy to be going somewhere she had only dreamed about. Of course the place was expensive, just based on its location that was evident, but she would have felt weird going alone. Plus, she did not have anyone she felt comfortable asking. Alana might have been willing but she was busy lately with her work and school. Gyda was the only other person Kari could think of that might go with her. The thought reminded Kari of how few friends she had here.

The parlor was everything she had hoped for. The interior looked like a high-class art studio. Various sized canvases hung along the exposed brick walls, the entire wall facing the street was a window. None of the chairs or tables fully matched giving an eclectic vibe. Classical music played in the background, only competing with the handful of other patrons in the parlor.

Not caring how childish she looked, she practically sprinted to the counter and pressed her face against the glass to see all the different flavors offered.

"Gods, how old are you, Kari?"

"This is ice cream! Age doesn't matter!"

They both scoured the many flavors, laughing at some of them and debating the merits of others. A couple comments were made about what they should try next time, which sent Kari's heart fluttering, even if she tried to not let it get to her head. Eventually after much deliberation, Kari ordered a cup of Girl With A Pearl Earring while Ivar chose The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Ivar paid, ignoring her insistence that she pay for herself this time. She thanked him, grabbing her cup and looking towards the tables. Only two tables were occupied, both pressed against the large window so there were plenty of spots to choose from. Ivar was finishing up the transaction when the patron standing in line behind them whispered loudly.

"Fucking move already. Your crippled ass is holding up the goddamn line."

Ivar whipped around without hesitation, his icy blue eyes overflowing with rage. "You want to fucking say that to my face?"

The man dressed in a light gray business suit glared at Ivar. He could not have been much older than Ivar or Kari but the way he sneered down at them gave the impression he thought he was more mature. "Are you done yet? Just move, if you're able to."

Without a word, Ivar took a menacing step forward, twisting the top of his cane with his hand. Immediately, Kari crowded Ivar's side, grabbing his face with both of her hands, forcing him to look at her. The snarl on his face and the wrath in his eyes terrified her, promising blood to be spilled.

"He's not worth it." She cooed, trying to put out the raging fire in him. "We're having fun, ok? Just ignore him."

He took several deep breaths, the tremble in his body dissipating with each second as his eyes bored into hers, before giving a faint nod. That fury lingered under the surface, just waiting for a spark to set it off. Kari slowly moved her hands away but not before caressing his cheeks, hoping to instill some sort of calm. His eyes fluttered shut for the briefest of moments under her touch, tipping his head to lay his head in her hand for a second.

After Ivar straightened, he looked back at the man. "You're fucking lucky, if she hadn't said something you'd be in for the ass-whooping of your life."

"I'm so scared." The man mocked, rolling his eyes. "Are you fucking done yet?"

Kari turned back to the man, having grabbed her ice cream cup quickly off the counter. "We'll be out of your way, I'm so sorry…. oops." She "accidentally" tossed the ice cream cup onto the front of the man's suit. The cream-colored ice cream slid down his gray suit, to start dripping on his shiny leather shoes.

"You bitch! Do you know what you've done?!" He screamed, hands frantically waving.

"I'm so sorry. Would you like me to grab some napkins?" She asked with a sickly-sweet tone.

Before the man could say another word, Ivar raised his cane to press the end against the man's chest. "You better take care of that before it stains."

If looks could kill, Kari and Ivar would have dropped dead. The man glared and muttered curses under his breath as he stormed out of the parlor.

Kari looked over to the lady behind the counter. "Do you have a wash cloth and bucket? I can clean up the mess."

"Oh, don't worry about it. He's always an asshole. Honestly, this just made my night. Let me get you a new cup on the house."

Kari convinced Ivar to go choose a table for them as she waited for her new ice cream cup. While making small talk with the lady, and learning about a new seasonal flavor coming out soon, she noticed Ivar had picked a booth across from the large windows. After thanking the lady once more and grabbing her cup, Kari walked over to him, ice cream in one hand and purse in another.

"Thank you again for…." She started as she slid into the booth seat across from him but her voice trailed off as Ivar slid out from across and onto her bench. "Wha…"

Without warning, he wrapped an arm around her, clutching the back of her neck while the other hand cupped the side of her face. His lips descended on hers with a bruising kiss. She gasped at the unexpected action, which allowed him to deepen the kiss. It felt feverish and not appropriate for their surroundings. Her hands clung to the lapels of his suit, to keep herself upright under the onslaught of his delicious mouth.

"That was so fucking sexy." He mumbled as he switched to placing soft pecks against her lips.

"Ivar, stop…." She tried to lean away from him, to be able to think and breathe fully, but the grip he had on the back of her neck prevented it.

He pressed his forehead to hers, his erratic breathing matching her own. "Gods, you don't know what you just did. Fuck, kjære…. only family ever stands up for me, never...never anyone else."

Her heart broke at hearing that. She did not know what to say, so she cupped his face, stroking his sideburns as they both just breathed. This felt even more intimate than the kissing their swollen lips were evidence of. It was sweet and raw. No facades, no boundaries, just a moment of understanding and connection.

Eventually he stole another quick peck before leaning back. She knew she would have to address all the kisses but with what he just confessed, now did not seem the time.

Kari took a bite of her ice cream, both to distract herself and try to erase the feeling of his lips. "Wow, this is delicious." She gushed, eyes wide.

"What is yours?"

"Mmmm…. it’s praline, I think." She peeked at his cup. "What’s going on with yours? It looks like it's got a little bit of everything possible."

"Garden of Heavenly Delights. Just like me." He winked flirtatiously, scooping some onto his spoon.

She snorted, covering her mouth quickly.

He narrowed his eyes, "what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…. just something caught in my throat."

"Yeah, and I was going to share with you. Changed my fucking mind now."

"Ivar, you are the best and are truly a delight! Anyone who says differently clearly has never met you! " She squealed, placing both hands over her heart and fluttered her lashes at him.

"That sounds much better. Open your mouth."

"No, I can…"

"The only way you are trying this is if I feed it to you. Your choice."

His ice cream looked amazing. She was not sure what exactly was in it, looking more like a conglomerate of all the best ice cream toppings mixed into the frozen ambrosia….and she really wanted to try it. He fed her back at the restaurant and nothing bad happened. This was just sharing food between friends, nothing special. At least, that's what she told herself.

"Fine." She opened her mouth and wearing a self-satisfied smirk, he gently stuck the spoon in. First the chocolate hit her tongue followed quickly by the caramel and the little bits of candy mixed in. "Oh, that is divine!" This time she did not even try to suppress the moan. Ice cream was a gift from the gods and no one could convince her otherwise.

"Told you, just like me." He winked and licked his lips.

Signing in mock annoyance, the way her lips curved upward teased of her amusement. "Alright, your turn." She stated, scooping up some of her ice cream and holding her spoon at his mouth.

He opened his mouth, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time as his lips and tongue worked the ice cream off the spoon. She bit her lower lip at the suggestive look he gave her, unable to tear her eyes away. It was a miracle their ice cream did not immediately melt from its close proximity to his blatantly heated look. Slowly she pulled her spoon back, only to scoop up some for herself to try and distract from the ache pooling between her legs. His gaze lingered on her; she could feel it even as she stared down at her cup.

"Tell me about your brothers." She said, not so subtly, trying to diffuse the growing heat between them and the way her mind kept creating images of tasting the ice cream off his tongue. The kisses he kept stealing were not helping her resolve and her stance as just friends.

"Why?" He asked with an incredulous look.

"Well, I already know Gyda. And I'm an only child, so call me curious."

"Nothing interesting to tell. They're all idiots."

She giggled. "They can't be that bad…. please?" She tried batting her lashes at him again, knowing she looked ridiculous but did not care.

He groaned, running a hand over his mouth, before speaking. "You met Bjorn. Him and Gyda are from my father's first marriage to Lagertha. Then there is Ubbe, the oldest, Hvitserk, and Sigurd."

"Do they all work with your family?"

"Why do you care?"

His sharp tone caught her off guard for a moment, but she kept her voice light. "It's interesting." She answered honestly.

Taking another bite of his ice cream, he surveyed around the parlor. There was no one sitting close by them. Only one other table was occupied now and it was almost across the dining area. Finally, he leaned back with a grimace, throwing his arm on the back of the booth, toying with the loose strands of her hair. "My father started Ragnarssons Trading but over the past few years he's slowly handing it out over to Bjorn. Fucking imbecile. If it wasn't for Torstein, Torvi, Hvitserk and Lagertha, Bjorn would drive the company to the ground."

"Why?" She desperately tried to ignore the way his thick fingers felt twirling her hair and just brushing through it. All of her muscles fought with the desire to relax into his touch, but she kept her back straight.

"He's better at social connections, traveling, meeting new vendors and creating trade agreements. The day-to-day running of the company, he sucks at."

"Wait…. Lagertha?" Her mind jumped back to the name previously mentioned. "She works for your father's company?"

"She heads the second office in Istanbul, though she focuses more on trade around the Mediterranean."

"Isn't that awkward? I mean, I guess they must still be friends, right?"

He shrugged but by the way his jaw tensed, she decided to drop the subject. There was a story there and it sounded full of drama. None of it was her business anyway.

"Ok, um, Hvitserk." She tried to get back on the subject. "I met him the other day too, right? What does he do?"

"He advises, but he helps head the finances also. Making sure father and Bjorn don't spend all the company money on huge parties."

"Ok, Sigurd?"

"Nothing useful…. wastes his days on music and women." Contempt laced his every word, shocking her but she pressed on.

"And the oldest?"

"Ubbe." He nodded. "He helps advise but mostly helps my mother run the hotels."

"And you? What do you do?"

"I'm hoping to do you."

"Oh gods! That was terrible." She laughed loudly, swatting at his chest. A genuine smile teased his lips and his eyes lit up, erasing the intensity he wore like a mantle. Seeing that, all she could do was stare. She had seen him angry, cocky, smug, charming and furious, but this look, an almost boyish sweetness peeking through made her heart swell. Silently, she decided it was her favorite look of his. It was like the dark clouds rolled back to reveal a sunny day. It was breath-taking.

If he noticed her gaping at him, he thankfully ignored it. "Security mostly." He replied indifferently, scooping up some ice cream with his left hand.

"I feel like there is a whole lot there you aren't telling me."

"Anyone tell you, you're damn nosey."

"I am not!" She gasped dramatically, but a smile quickly settled on her lips. "I just want to learn more about you."

He stared at her for a moment as if lost in thought, then rubbed a hand over his mouth before speaking. "I sometimes help my mother out but I do mostly contract stuff so I can make my own schedule."

"Do you like it?"

"I guess, I'm good at it." He tugged on her hair lightly, that sweet smile still on his face. "What about you? Why yoga?"

She thought about her answer, how best to articulate her feelings. "It was something that I did for me, you know? Back in England. When I moved out here…. if I had to work, I wanted to do something I enjoyed."

He hummed in understanding. "Your family did not approve?"

"My mother thought it was stupid. My grandmother was the only one who encouraged it. She was the one who would drive me to the yoga studio whenever I could go, even though it was an hour away."

"Sounds like she cared about you."

Kari felt her breath hitched for a second, emotions swirling in her chest at the memory of her grandmother. "She did." She softly said, dropping her gaze to the table.

"Done?" He asked after a quiet minute, both having finished their ice cream and now just sitting there talking.

"Yeah."

They disposed of their trash and walked out onto the sidewalk together. Ivar's car was parked just off to the side, the driver leaning against the car and smoking. The late summer's warmth still permeated in the air. Without a word, they slid into the Mercedes. With the ice cream settling in her stomach, Kari shivered once she got into it. The temperature difference was just enough to cause goose bumps to break out on her skin.

"Here." Ivar slipped off his jacket and laid it across her lap. Then, in an almost practiced move, he slung an arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side.

"I'm fine." She grumbled, even as she made no indication to scoot away from him.

He chuckled, but made no sarcastic comment. They rode in silence for several minutes, cuddled together in the back seat and watched the city pass by under the starlit sky, before he spoke up.

"Are you glad you agreed to come out with me?"

Unable to help the slight jab at him, she muttered. "I didn't have much of a choice."

"You have more of a choice than you think." He whispered, barely audible even with her sitting next to him.

"What?"

"Nothing." He snapped, sounding suddenly defensive. "So?"

"I had fun. You aren't so bad to hang out with, I guess."

"Shut up."

She giggled at his mock annoyance, the smirk he was trying to suppress gave him away. Wordlessly, he tugged her closer, if that was even possible, and laid his head on top of hers. After they both drifted back into a comfortable silence.

The line of friendship she was trying so hard to maintain was blurring and she found herself struggling to try and fix it. Never had a man held her like this and she found herself unconsciously melting into his embrace. In his arms, she felt safe and warm. A fact that concerned her. This was Ivar Lothbrok, someone with a dark reputation for anger and violence, if you believed all the rumors. Cuddled up with him right now, she was not sure what she believed.

When they arrived at her place, she winced when she noticed Alana's car in the driveway. Hopefully her roommate was asleep or watching a movie in her room. Somewhere where Kari did not have to explain why she was dressed up fancy. There was no simple explanation she could conjure that would be believable.

Sitting up, she slipped Ivar's jacket off her lap and turned to say thank you but stopped when he cupped her cheek.

"I want to kiss you." He breathed out, staring at her like he was unsure if he wanted to worship or ravish her.

She tried to shift subtly, the blooming ache between her legs distracting. Teasing him, she purposefully kept her voice light. "Do you always kiss your friends?"

His lips twitched but he remained focused on her.

"Ivar…. we’re just friends. I told you. I can't be anything more."

"Samme det. Jeg har ikke tenkt å gi opp når som helst snart, kattungen min." The foreign language rolled off his tongue gracefully, as he rubbed his thumb along her cheek.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, lingering a moment too long for it to be considered chaste. "I'll text you."

"Ok. Good night, Ivar."

She slid out of the car and walked to the front door, her skin tingling from the warmth of his body against hers. She waved at the dark vehicle before letting herself in.

Once she was finally in bed after taking a hot shower, she laid there for a long time, her time with Ivar replaying in her mind. Did she hate how Ivar manipulated her into going out with him? Yes. Did she actually enjoy her time with him? Yes. It was all so confusing. She repeatedly told herself she needed to stay away from him, it was better for their lives to diverge…. but he was making it hard to follow through with that conviction. The more she learned about him and spent time with him, the more she found herself not wanting to walk away. Even if it was the best thing to do.

She rolled over onto her stomach and pressed her face into the pillow. She had meant to get away from drama, to live simply and just enjoy life. That was why she had moved away in the first place. Now having Ivar inserting himself into her life, he was turning her life upside down. And she could not decide if she was truly upset about that or not.

#vikings #vikings fandom #vikings fanfic #vikings fanfiction #modern ivar #ivar x ofc #ivars heathen army #ivar romance #ivar the boneless #ivar imagine #modern!ivar #modern!ivar x oc #to call forth love #mzwrites

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talesofsonicasura · 3 years ago

Text

Stone Novas

Chapter 5: Battle to Prove

The time has come for Sun Wukong to face against Astra. Stakes are however raised when Team Monkie Kid sees a side to their new friend and that this challenge is more than it seems. CH4 CH6

Docks, Secret Base

Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal To Heaven and the Monkey King, was a bit nervous to say the least. He thought his retirement plan would go perfectly. Find a successor to take his place, train that successor and then enjoy a lifetime of eating peach chips in peace. Not so hard right?

That was until he ran into Astra Valorous who took his idea then threw it into a wood chipper before igniting said chipper on fire. A woman who wasn't going to take his sweet-talk *bullshit* without a fight. Yank his successor from his hands then tell him straight to his face that the, SUN WUKONG, wasn't worthy of being a teacher.

He never turned down a challenge, especially one as interesting and rude as this. This was how the Monkey King found himself travelling down a cramped secret elevator with: a crazy Monkey King fanatic, grumpy noodle chef who hates his guts, a big burly sweetheart of an aquatic demon, his successor and his successor's hyperactive female best friend.

"Can't believe we are actually going to another world?! Luckily I was able to make an awesome jet that could withstand travel through Ultra Space as our Shooting Star called it! Finding stuff for the brand new Ultra Nova Jet was surprisingly easy with enough scrap!" Mei exclaimed, probably would have jumped around in excitement if the elevator wasn't stuffed.

"I will admit that I am super curious to see what Astra's home dimension is really like too. What kind of knowledge we can learn could be even equal to the Celestial Realm itself." Tang added, holding a notebook in his hand that read: Pokemon, Analysis of the Unknown.

Pigsy didn't seem so enthusiastic like the rest of the group. "The only reason I'm here is because the kid asked me to come. Plus, the stove needs to be repaired so I had to close up shop for the day." For a second, the Monkey King thought the pig demon came to see him clash with Bao Chang.

Sun Wukong and Pigsy really didn't see eye to eye, the restaurant owner looked ready to clobber the immortal monkey with a frying pan at any chance he got. He probably didn't since MK would want everyone to get along. The Monkey King eyed his successor at the thought.

The brunette was currently chatting with Sandy about what they could do upon arrival. "I wondered if Astra would let us meet some of her other Pokemon. Honestly, I wonder if there's any Cat Pokemon that live at her observatory./ She just might Sandy. I really want to meet Mukasa though."

Wukong softly smiled at his successor, he was happy that the young man could get some enjoyment from this trip. The elevator soon came to a stop. Sun Wukong took a deep breath, his face hardened into one of composure. It looks like the time of judgment had come as the elevator's doors opened.

Standing with her back to them was Astra Valorous, the Frontier Brain stood at the large jet that would take the group through Ultra Space. It looked like one of those jets that astronauts used for travel except it was painted red with gold accents and clouds, the wings were jagged that they imitates claws or feathers and the Monkey King's logo could be seen on the right of the ship with the Nova Badge logo on the left.

Next to the redhead was Aniani, the Necrozma body had darkened a bit but still held some semblance of a golden hue. Astra turned around to greet them with a small grin. "Glad that all of you could come. I just finished looking over the ship so it was travel worthy for Ultra Space which it did pass with flying colors."

Mei excitedly fist pumped with a quiet 'Yes', clearly proud of her latest achievement. "I'm usually the designated driver of the group, so is there anything I need to know before we leave?" Sandy questioned, much to the Frontier Brain's pleasure. "Correct. You need to stick close to Aniani. My precious starlight knows the safest route we can take since Ultra Space can be quite unpredictable without proper measures."

Unnoticeable to all except for Astra, a certain purple moth had flown into the more secluded part of the ship. 'You better be on your best behavior, Macaque. I'll send ya skyward if your dumb fuzz butt tries anything.' The redhead thought watching everyone else board the aircraft.

Once the door to the jet closed, Aniani picked up the redhead in a strong but careful grip as kaleidoscope eyes began to glow. "NECROZMA!" The Prism Pokemon's howl overlaps the sound of the Ultra Nova Jet's engines, a large rip tearing through reality upon the Psychic Type's command.

Astra and her Pokemon were the first ones to dive into the much larger rift with the jet following from behind. The redhead could see the curious gazes of her companions looking out the side windows inside their ship. She silently chuckled when Mei mouthed something to her.

'If you ever go on another expedition, take me with you!' Is what the Frontier Brain guessed the energetic girl was saying. Aniani had to take a silently longer route since the other path would lead the ship into her poor ill-suited lab. So Astra decided to take the path that led to the near edge of the grassland by Life's Cradle.

Her reason was to see the group's face once they finally reached the other side of the portal. Everyone within the ship, even Sun Wukong, were in awe when the blueish void was replaced by an entire utopia of various biomes and their residents. MK pointed down at a large herd of Wooloo grazing near different sheep Pokemon and horse Pokemon that even had manes made of fire.

Mei was recording various Pokemon that flew past the ship, even squealing at those who resembled different kinds of dragons. Sandy just watched the sight shedding a small tear as Mo wagged his tail in excitement. Even Tang and Pigsy's composure broke upon a few airborne Pokemon waving at them, one being a golden cicada that had a white halo over its head.

Sun Wukong couldn't help thinking about his mountain from this spectacular view. Life's Cradle was almost like an alternate version of his kingdom. "... and that would make Astra Valorous this place's queen." The Monkey King softly whispered, golden eyes drifting to the redhead in Aniani's arms. She flashed the group a big smile before the Prism Pokemon began to descend.

Everyone on board watched the duo head to a cliff at the side of the grasslands. On top of that very landform sat Mukasa, the Rogue Monkey waving over for the group to land. Sandy carefully landed the plane while Astra got out of her Necrozma's hold.

"Brace yourself Mukasa." Once the door of the ship opened MK and Mei ran outside towards them. Both young adults bouncing around with a million questions per second that only made Astra wonder if they were breathing. Her Zarude companion merely raised an eyebrow before holding up one finger.

Mei and MK immediately went silent at the gesture much to the surprise of Pigsy who just stepped out of the shuttle. "Mukasa here handles the more rambunctious Pokemon so he knows how to deal with hyperactive people too." Astra answered, satisfying the pig demon's curiosity.

A certain shadow moth stealthy slipped into the Frontier Brain's sleeve before Wukong finally stepped off the ship. She nearly whacked the moth as he went up her jacket and made himself comfy in her fluffy white collar. Astra didn't have to look to know Macaque's beady little eyes glinting in amusement, the tiny prick. Anyway...

"I humbly welcome you all to my facility: The Battle Observatory! As I said before, I am Astra Valorous, the Frontier Brain in charge of this observatory alongside Life Cradle and its Pokemon inhabitants. Before beginning the tour, there's a few things I need to get out of the way." Mukasa took out something from the redhead's bag.

The group noticed they were small pocket sized tablets, each with a different color and symbol representing a member of the group. There was a magenta one with Pigsy's Noodles logo, jade that held a chinese dragon, light golden bearing the emblem of a cicada over a black book, sea blue that had an icon that resembled Sandy and Mo, an orange gold with MK's jacket logo, and a dark gold bearing the emblem of a monkey that held a staff while they stood on top of a cloud.

"These are your Pokedexs. You can use these to scan any Pokemon you come across or look through in your free time. All of them have a communicator so you'll be able to talk to me or each other, built-in camera for both picture and video alongside an audio recorder, an emergency signal that will activate if any of you are in serious trouble and is customizable. They're also solar powered and store whatever energy that isn't used for further usage in the future."

Mukasa immediately raised his hand up at the slight twitches from Sandy, Tang, Mei and MK knowing what they were about to tackle Astra in a grateful hug. Once it seemed she wasn't going to get tackled, the redhead continued.

"Next thing to address is the certain monkey in the room. I considered the Monkey King's ability to train MK is very inadequate and said I will be taking over. To agree and disagree, we settled on a battle to test if Sun Wukong can truly take on a successor. I just left out a tiny detail."

The Monkey King immediately froze hearing that. She said he was going to battle Bao Chang so what exactly did the redhead leave out??? "The battle isn't a single battle. It shall be a Double Battle! Sun Wukong and MK vs Bao Chang and one of my Pokemon in training."

Sun Wukong felt like he was crushed under a mountain again, everyone else crying out in shock behind him. The Monkey King and Monkie Kid looked at each other, a single thought in their head. 'I'm fighting alongside my apprentice/ the Monkey King.' Astra quieted the group before speaking up again.

"It isn't going to be a serious battle. I want to measure MK's capabilities at the moment to see what to work on and how to improve. Any possible injuries will be tended to be Mukasa here with his move Jungle Healing. If things get out of hand, the battle will immediately stop. Are there any objections?" The Frontier Brain looked at every member of the group.

None of them seemed to be against the idea, good to know how much they trusted her and their companions' capabilities. "After the tour and the battle, we will have a field day around Life's Cradle. Do any of you guys have food allergies or are on certain diets? I would like to know so I can properly make lunch and dinner without any trouble."

After getting everyone's food preferences, the tour began for the group. Like before, Wukong noticed that the workers were respecting everyone's personal space. There were a few stops on the trip. Mei wanted to film some Pokemon training, Sandy saw a few researchers with Cat Pokemon and asked to pet them, Tang and MK asked questions upon seeing something interesting.

Pigsy did ask where the kitchen was which Astra was happy to oblige. The Monkey King did wonder where they were going to host the battle at. He had a feeling the private battlefield was out of commission after his spat with Macaque. All that would be left was…

"Since my personal battlefield is out of order, we'll be using my observatory's battlefield." Astra proudly opened a set of double doors for the group. Neither Sun Wukong and his companions could comprehend the sight before their eyes.

The battlefield was stinking HUGE. It was the size of a grand football stadium, the field itself had thin lines marking the trainers stood and where the Pokemon will fight, a large flat screen tv on the wall, the clear screens protecting the viewer's stand looked a lot more sturdy than the personal battlefield's, and even a collapsible roof seen on certain sports stadiums.

Sun Wukong and the hidden Macaque felt a strange unknown energy flow underneath the ground. Almost like a well of untold raw power dwelled beneath their feet. Whatever it was, it must come from this dimension.

"Pretty big, right? It's for a specific type of battle that I'll explain later. May my observers please enter the stands? These blast proof screens should be able to protect you in case of a stray attack. Unlike the practice field, these are made from an invention of mine: Elemental Gel. Mars, can you please referee?" MK's companions seated themselves in the stands while Mars flew out to the middle of the field from Astra's bag.

The Frontier Brain walked over to the trainer's base on the opposite side of the field. Suddenly the large screen came to life bearing a display of sorts. It was a status board that had Astra's picture on the left with six slots resembling Pokeballs under her picture. Meanwhile the right displayed Wukong and MK's pictures with a yellow bar under their names.

"I, Mars, shall be the referee. This is a Double Battle between Astra Valorous and her opponents MK and Sun Wukong! The Frontier Brain is allowed to substitute or trade out any Pokemon except for Bao Chang upon agreement for this battle. If an attack lands, the target's respective bar will drop! The battle shall end once one of the bars on either side fully goes out." Mars explained, looking at the two sides.

The Monkey King let out a soft hum at the explanation. It was a pretty sound idea and layout, plus it limited any serious injuries too. "Challengers get ready! Frontier Brain Astra, bring out your Pokemon!" MK immediately took out the Monkey King's Staff and got into a battle stance alongside his mentor.

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A calm sensation washed over Astra as the woman closed her eyes. "This may be a practice battle but I will not go easy on any challenger." The redhead gripped the side of her coat causing the hidden Macaque to hide in her hair. "Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal To Heaven and the Monkey King. MK, Monkie Kid and Successor to the Monkey King…"

Astra tossed her coat skywards, revealing to everyone could see her heavily scarred arms. All across those firm muscles were large gouges from claws or blades and punctures made by sharp teeth. Something that made the manic feral smile on the woman's face even more terrifying. The kind Astra Valorous they knew was gone and in her place…

'So this is a Frontier Brain.' Macaque couldn't help shivering a bit. It was bafflingly how a nice yet sassy woman could change like this. A manic gladiator with a taste for adrenaline that came only from the harshest of battles. Made sense why Astra was called the Battle Frontier's Shooting Star. She's the fire of nova standing between challengers and victory.

"...show me what you're capable of!! BAO CHANG AND ATLAS, GET READY FOR BATTLE!!!" In seconds, Astra pulled out two Pokeballs from her pant's pocket and brought out her allies. From the two bursts of light, the Playful Pokemon emerged alongside his partner in battle.

"WE'RE FIGHTING THAT?!" MK ludicrously pointed at his supposed opponent, praying it was a joke. Standing around a scary 11'9 inches was a large bipedal dinosaur, black ancient carvings blanketed thick crimson armor plates covering the entirety of its backside leaving a smooth gray underbelly exposed, large white spikes that came the sides of its head and plated back, four fingered paws bearing sharp claws, sharp three toed feet, a long lobster like tail ending with four dozer like blades similar to the ridges on top of its head, razor sharp teeth and bright yellow eyes that stared through the darkness of the head plates.

"GROUDON!!!" Atlas' roar held so much raw power that the ground shook followed by a rise in heat and brightness. It felt like someone brought a small sun from how hot it became. Two slots on Astra's page were filled with a picture of Bao Chang and this new Pokemon. Mei pointed her Pokedex to Atlas for answers.

"'Groudon, the Continent Pokemon. A Ground Type. Special Ability is Drought which brings harsh sunlight upon being summoned to the battlefield. Groudon is said to be the living personification of the land itself. By using intense heat, it expanded land masses through evaporating water. It's titanic battles with its opposite Kyogre for the power of nature usually causes Groudon to go into a deep slumber underneath molten earth to regain its strength. When this Pokemon awakens from its deep slumber, volcanoes above shall erupt. It is seen as a savior to people suffering from harsh floods. This Pokemon is classified as Legendary.'"

The explanation from Mei's Pokedex shook everyone in the group, mostly Wukong and the hidden Macaque. Power like that was often in the hands of dragons, elementals and even gods. Magic spells controlling the weather were much rarer too. Living forces of nature with one under the command of a single mortal woman.

"Atlas, this is your first Double Battle so do your best. I want you guys to work together with everything you have." Spoke Astra, a sincere faithful smile on her face. The Playful Pokemon gave a thumbs up in response while the Continent Pokemon did a short but enthusiastic nod.

"Very interesting. Astra clearly has a strong bond with her Pokemon and sees them as equals which is reciprocated by the other side. Her team appears to be quite diverse from the various types of each respective member." Tang wrote it down while he silently muttered his analysis.

"If Atlas is anything like Sandy here, then they know how to handle their strength. Otherwise, Astra wouldn't bring out a Pokemon like that." Pigsy did have a point. She wouldn't bring out something equal to a land god without properly knowing their strength.

Hearing that from his boss helped ease MK's nerves knowing everything would be alright. Sure he never saw Sandy fight but believed that the river demon must be really powerful. "Are both sides ready?" Mars looked at Sun Wukong's team for confirmation. The Monkey King nodded his head while his apprentice gave him an okay.

"Let the battle begin!" Sun Wukong was above Atlas in mere seconds, fist already outstretched for a punch. The Monkey King dove towards the Groudon only for his hand to be blocked by a layer of thick shadow. Bao Chang had intercepted him! Using his free hand, the smaller Monferno tauntingly wagged his finger at the demon while grabbing him tightly with his shadow claw.

"Bao Chang is your opponent, Sun Wukong. Punish this naughty monkey with Focus Blast!" His eyes barely caught the growing blue light from the shadowy claw before the Monkey King's world went up in blinding pain. The monkey demon crashed into the ground in seconds barely catching himself. Some of his gauge however dropped by the direct hit.

"Monkey King!" MK cried out seeing his injured mentor. "Pay attention to your opponent! Thunderbolt!" Electricity crackled around the Continent Pokemon, a sight the brunette didn't like. And the Monkie Kid was right from the huge lightning coming towards him out of Atlas.

MK quickly swung the Monkey King's Staff at the bolt of lightning. It's magically nature thankfully reflected the Thunderbolt straight back at Atlas causing a medium explosion. "Alright M... Wait, look at the board!" Hearing Mei's shout and picking himself up, the Monkey King saw what was wrong.

Atlas' bar didn't drop as the smoke cleared to reveal the large Pokemon completely fine. "Nice idea to reflect the Thunderbolt. Sadly Electric Type moves have no effect against a Ground Type like Groudon." Astra flashed the duo a feral grin.

"Let's try this on for size! Mud Shot, Atlas!" MK barely had any time to dodge when a giant mudball nearly blindsided him from the rear. His hazel eyes watching the Groudon shoot large glowing balls of mud everywhere as if they were spitballs!

MK had gone to a full-on sprint while the Monkey King went airborne to avoid the large splotches of rapid fire mud. Sun Wukong pulled out a few strands of his hair then blew on them. Those strands suddenly exploded into an army of clones diving for Bao Chang like bullets.

"Climb up with Flame Wheel." Wait what? The Monferno engulfed himself in a large spiral of flames before bouncing right towards the closest clone. Inside the fire, Bao grabbed the incoming fist from the duplicate and launched himself forward with a downward throw.

This action not made the clone explode into hair upon hitting the ground but boosted the Monferno's momentum. And the Playful Pokemon brought down clone after clone as he continued to the top. In seconds, Bao Chang was above Sun Wukong and headed straight towards the Monkey King.

The Great Sage quickly held his hands to block the fiery monkey. However Bao Chang had collected enough speed and momentum to send his larger opponent straight into the ground upon impact.

Wukong's student wasn't doing better as he kept trying to outrun the barrage of mudballs. Being on the move made it impossible for a well aimed counter and he had a feeling the same trick won't work twice. Suddenly the brunnette found himself airborne, a dragged chunk of mud catching his eyes before a large mudball came down on him. MK's meter dropped a bit just like his master.

From the stands, the rest of Team Monkie Kid could only shake their heads at the already disastrous start. "Ooh! That looked like it hurt. Don't know what's worse: getting blasted in the face or sloshed by mud." Mei cringed slightly from her two associates looking a bit worse for wear.

Tang merely adjusted his glasses with a soft hum. "Astra easily calculated everything before the battle even begun. Sun Wukong would try to end the battle as quickly as possible and she turned it against him. Those Mud Shots weren't random either. Every strike had the purpose of driving MK into an already established mud puddle." Now that they looked, everyone could see a collection of mud puddles had decorated the battlefield.

"This may be a practice battle but she surely isn't playing around. Those two are going to need to get their heads in the game if they don't want to get steamrolled." Pigsy watched his young employee and the monkey demon pick themselves off the ground.

MK wiped the mud covering his face and Sun Wukong dusted himself glaring at their opponents as they did so. Bao Chang had an impish smirk and Atlas looked unimpressed. "Come on boys! Shape up now or get left in the mud!" Astra had yet to see anything convincing from the Monkey King.

It was time to give them a little push. "If this is what the rest of the battle is going to be then you might as well leave. When it comes to teaching, you must put everything you have into helping your student grow. So far, I see a monkey with an overgrown ego dragging an innocent young man to an early grave."

The Frontier Brain stared at the duo in utter disappointment. "MK can't thrive if you don't get off your high horse and actually help. You tell him to 'Believe in himself' but you have yet to show that you believe in him or his capabilities. He didn't begin as a warrior like you Sun Wukong. He's a young man working at an earnest noodle shop and trying to find his path in life before you came in." Astra then looked at MK's friends in the stands.

"These people believe in MK and always have his back. I may not have known them for long but I bet they would put down their lives to help him. It is the same with me and my Pokemon as well. If we don't work together, then none of us are going to grow properly not just in strength but as individuals." The Frontier Brain then bore her apple greens into the Monkey King's stunned amber.

Despite the difference in age, her eyes held a type of wisdom that even he couldn't compare to: the ability to unite others. "Are you going to start acting like a proper teacher and work alongside your pupil? Or are you ready to be responsible when he falls to an enemy he was unprepared to face because of your ignorance?"

Sun Wukong for once truly looked at his successor. He could now see how scared and worried the young man was, the weight of his position weighing down on MK. And in those brown eyes were a silent plea for help. Astra Valorous was right, he needed to clean up his act.

The Monkey King flashed his pupil a confident smile. "Hey bud. We can't let these guys stay in the lead. I think it's time we put our game faces on and truly act like teammates. What do you say?" He outstretched his paw to the young man.

Disbelief flooded MK before it slowly ignited into confidence and determination while taking the monkey's paw. "Yeah! Let's go get them, Monkey King!" A feral smile grew on the Frontier Brain's face at the sight before her.

"Finally got your confidence, eh? Then show us the strength of your newfound spirit! Atlas, use Dragon Claw and follow it up with your Thunder Punch, Bao Chang!" Jade green light in the form of dragon scales swallowed the Continent Pokemon's right arm while electricity engulfed the Playful Pokemon's left arm, both lunging at their respective opponents.

Wukong leapt off the ground after his respective opponent but MK did something else. Looking at the mud puddles all over the ground, an idea popped up in the young man's head. The Monkey King turned his head to look at his successor only for a blur to pass by.

MK was sliding through the mud as he used Riyu Jingu Bang to push himself across the ground for extra speed. A smile overtook the Monkey King while using his cape to block Bao Chang's Thunder Punch. Atlas brought his arm down to swat the Monkie Kid away but missed the young man as he slipped underneath the Continent Pokemon to come out from behind.

"Here comes the Monkie Kid!!" MK then swung his cudgel as it's magic made the staff extend forward. "Don't forget the Monkey King either!" Wukong's tail wrapped around Bao Chang's waist much to the Playful Pokemon's surprise. "Brace yourselves, Atlas and Bao Chang!" Astra's only warning before the cudgel crashed onto the Groudon's back while her trusty Monferno was tossed into the ground at supersonic speed.

Bao Chang managed to curl himself in time to minimize the damage from impact, Atlas skidded across the mud but stopped themselves by stabbing their claws into the ground. Both of their gauges went down as they were now tied up with the opposing team via critical hit.

"Quite crafty using the field to your advantage MK and nice thinking with the cape too, Sun Wukong. This is what I really want to see!" The Frontier Brain couldn't help grinning wildly. A sympathy shared by Bao and Atlas, both Pokemon were raring to continue the fight.

"I wonder if you guys can handle this! Bao Chang and Atlas, show them a taste of your teamwork!" A warning for MK and Sun Wukong to be on guard as Astra was up to something big. "Brace yourself bud!" Warned the Monkey King when his Monferno opponent leapt high into the air.

"Bao Chang, Flame Wheel full power!" The Playful Pokemon spun in place creating much larger and intense flames that swirled around the Fire/Fighting Type. "Now for step two! Atlas, use Flamethrower on Bao!"

"WHAT?!" MK and his companions watched in utter shock from Astra's Groudon exhaling a large stream of fire at their partner. Instead of breaking through the fiery wheel, Atlas' fire made it bigger and even more powerful to the point that spiralling streams of white flames descended onto the battlefield!

MK tried to use the mud on the battlefield to avoid the fiery ribbons but all of it had dried up from the intense heat. Wukong was fairing a bit better than his younger teammate, the monkey demon was a blur across the battlefield heading straight for Bao Chang.

"Atlas, leap into the air and spike Bao Chang with Dragon Claw!" The ground intensely shook when the 11 ft behemoth used their powerful legs to jump into the ground. Pure green energy circulated around the Groudon's right arm that once again hardened into large emerald claws.

"GROUDON!/ Team Attack: Draconic Inferno!" Howled Astra and Atlas, the Continent Pokemon brought down his energy claw straight onto Bao Chang with all the power they had. Something that turned the large wheel of spewing flames into a high speed meteor.

Bits of the dragon energy intertwined with the fire and its ribbons transforming it into a green tinted 12 tailed comet. Sun Wukong immediately braced himself for the blow only to see Bao Chang fly past him. His golden eyes barely caught the smug look on the Playful Pokemon's face.

It immediately hit the Monkey King that he wasn't the target… The target was…! "Hit the deck!!" Yelled the Great Sage at his young apprentice. Neither of them had a chance to react when Bao Chang crashed onto the battlefield itself, a massive explosion that made a fiery tornado on impact.

Both MK and Sun Wukong were immediately pulled into the vortex of greenish flames, their bars depleting to zero from the continuous strikes. Soon the storm cleared with both members of Team Monkie Kid were on their backs dizzy and a bit motion sick but not badly hurt.

There were some burns ranging from first to second alongside a few mild bruises. However it hurt mentally to both members, more so for Sun Wukong as his eyes saw their empty bars on the screen. The Handsome Monkey King, Great Sage Equal To Heaven, Sun Wukong…

...had suffered his first defeat in a very long time.

And that is it! I had to come up with a way to write this battle properly. Sun Wukong has faced gods before that's something people need to take into account despite his 500 year disappearance in the series.

As for sicking a Groudon on MK, I actually asked some of the people in my Discord about it before writing this. Atlas is a reserved Pokemon and I'll getting into that reason next chapter. Just know he's a little bit stronger than our Monkie Kid but not near the Monkey King's current level.

Until next time folks, see you back at Megapolis.

New Pokemon added! Atlas the Groudon

Astra's Current Team: Bao Chang(Monferno), Mukasa (Zarude), AniAni(Necrozma), Atlas(Groudon)

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