#mainly cause I couldn’t afford to get much

[rosicheeks]

November 23rd, 2021.

[unoislazy]

Changes

Vi x Reader

Vi has attachement issues and needs a hug.

A/N: get ready for me to write a whole bunch about attachment issues Vi. She just needs a BREEEAAKKK

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You sat quietly on your makeshift bed in your dust filled room as you looked up at the ceiling. Finding a house in such a place as Zaun was no easy feat, so of course it wasn’t glimmering with a pristine shine. It was all you had and that was enough for you.

Well, it wasn’t ALL you had. There was another room attached to the apartment that you happened to find that you shared with someone else.

Your friend Vi.

It had been left unused for a while, but once you found out she had been let out of jail and had nowhere else to go, you offered your place without a second thought. Vi, hellbent on insisting she doesn’t need help, declined at first. However, upon realizing that a lot had changed since she had been arrested she soon came back and took you up on your offer.

You two had been great friends when you were younger but now there was a sort of shift between you. Nothing too unexpected though, she had been away for god knows how long, of course things wouldn’t immediately go back to the way they were. But part of you wished it would.

Despite the fact that you two lived together, you rarely ever talked. Not because of any one particular reason, but mainly because it just felt awkward too. You didn’t want to ask about what had happened to her when she left, you heard what you needed to about the incident through general gossip and word of mouth. Vi, on the other hand, seemed like she had things she wanted to ask you as well, but she always pushed it off for some reason.

You continued to stare at the ceiling above before pushing off the bed and leaning on your arms. You hadn’t done anything productive by this point so you decided to change that. With one swift push, you were standing on your feet in front of a cracked wall that seemed stained with smoke and water damage. A staple of the lives of those who couldn’t afford much else.

Life like this always made you wonder what it was like for the Pilties.

You sighed, putting a hand up to your head as you rubbed your face, mentally preparing yourself for whatever task you’d give yourself for the sake of pretending like you actually did something useful with your day. As you walked out of your room, you were met with a very familiar face sitting in the little common lounge area the two of you had set up.

“Hey.” Vi greeted, looking up towards you for only a moment before looking back down at something she held in her hands. You noticed she wasn’t wearing her usual red jacket which wasn’t totally out of the ordinary, but it caught you a bit by surprise to see her arms just on display. You shook your head ever so slightly before quickly responding with your own gentle,

“Hey.”

Silence then returned between the two of you as you walked past her to try and find something to occupy yourself with. Unfortunately for you, the deathly still air around you began to weigh on you, urging you to say something to the girl who now sat behind you.

“So… what’s it like being back?” You asked, not looking back at her as you moved to a box of your things that was just sitting on the floor. What better time to sort this than now, you guessed.

Vi sighed a little before answering,

“Disorienting.” She said simply before pausing for a moment or two. “It's as if I landed on another planet or universe or something.” She continued, still fiddling with whatever was in her hand. You hummed in response.

“A lot changed when you left.” You added which earned a dry chuckle from Vi.

“Tell me about it.” She said, now leaning back on her chair as she looked up at the ceiling. The freak of the chair caused you to look back at her for a moment. It seemed you both had that habit in common, just looking up at the ceiling whenever you needed to think. You wondered if she was always like that or if it’s something she gathered while in prison.

Another silence fell over the two of you before you spoke up.

“Jerichos is still there though.” You said, still looking at her for a moment before turning back to rummage through your box of belongings. You heard her shift in her seat as she sat back up.

“Really?” She questioned with a more egear air about her. You looked at her over your shoulder with a slight smile as you nodded.

“Yeah. We could go check it out now if you want.” You offered, now taking your hands out of the box as you fully faced her. “For old times sake?” You added on.

You watched as her eyes softened even the slightest bit at your words, a smile making its way onto her lips as she nodded.

“For old times sake.”

It didn’t take long for Vi to get ready as she grabbed her usual jacket and waited for you by the door. Once you were both ready to head out, you noticed that the awkward tension that riddled the entirety of your apartment seemed to have dwindled even the slightest bit.

“So what have you been up to?” The pink haired woman asked as she walked casually at your side. Her hands were tucked into her pockets as she looked over to you.

“Eh, stealing stuff, making money where I can. Really anything to get by.” You answered with a shrug. Vi nodded before a smile graced her face once again, her eyes scrunching ever so slightly, naturally indicating that the smile was genuine. The first one you’d seen from her in a while.

“Remember that time we tried to steal food from that one stall that was on this street?” She asked, looking in the direction that the stall once resided years ago. This thought slowly but surely brought you joy as you remembered what had unfolded.

You snickered a bit to yourself before saying,

“Yeah, and I remember how you fell and practically ate concrete. Wasn’t funny then but you know, I think it’s been long enough to say it’s funny now.” You taunted a bit as you looked over to her to which she rolled her eyes.

“Hey, it’s not like you haven’t had your fair share of slip ups Sunshine.” She teased with a smirk before turning her head to look at the other side of the street. She extended her arm and pointed at the remnants of a poor attempt at graffiti.

“Remember when you tried to prove to Mylo you could be daring so you tried to vandalize the shop we used to go to, and you ended up spelling half of it wrong?” She laughed, realizing she was still able to read most of what you had painted on the wall many years ago.

“Live life wiht no regerts, how poetic of you.” She teased to which you lightly shoved her shoulder with a smile.

“Shut up, I was more focused on trying not to get caught than whatever I was writing.” You laughed. You both continued reminiscing on things you had done, or failed to do, together when you were younger. Finally it felt as if that wall between you had fully gone down.

You two were so busy having fun and laughing with each other you almost ended up passing by Jericho’s stall. You quickly corrected that course of action as you both sat down at the counter, ordering the same orders you used to order when you were younger.

“His stuff is still just as good as you remember, I can promise you that.” You smiled, turning back to look towards Jericho who was busy slicing and dicing his dishes, preparing them just how you liked them. When you turned back to face Vi however, you noticed she had a much more nostalgic look on her face as she stared at you. You raised your eyebrow as you looked back at her,

“What, is there something on my face?” You asked, confused as to why she was staring. Upon hearing you speak She simply looked away from you, acting as if she hadn’t been staring to begin with.

“No, no there’s nothing on your face.” She answered quickly. Before you could question her further, Jericho placed your dishes out in front of you, just as cheerful as ever. You both said your thank yous before digging in, Vi much more eagerly than you. She tactically inhaled her food, clearly having not been satisfied with whatever prison slop they had been giving her.

“I missed this.” She said gleefully, practically drowning in the bliss she felt from her meal. As she finished up her meal, she placed the bowl back down before looking back at you for a moment or two. Inc wagon you were going to ask her what was wrong but she beat you too it as she spoke,

“I missed you.”

This caught you by surprise. You simply stared at her for a moment before moving to answer,

“I missed you too.” You replied, earning a small smile for Vi before she continued,

“It feels good to know that at least some things haven’t changed.”

Her words, although coming from a place of warmth, held a melancholic weight to them as well. You hadn’t changed, you were one of the only things in Zaun that stayed the same, and you didn’t know it but Vi took immense comfort in that. Everything else was out of her control, she wasn’t there to see it change, and there was no way for her to stop It either. So knowing you, someone she cared for oh so deeply, was still alive and well, it helped her sleep even the slightest bit better at night.

She wanted to tell you. She wanted to tell you all the things she felt about you. In fact, before everything had gone south with the enforcers, she had planned to tell you. She planned to get everything off her chest and let you know just how much she cared about you.

But she never got the chance.

Until now. Here you were, sitting two feet in front of her, laughing and smiling the same way you always had, the same way she always adored.

And she was hesitating.

What if you never felt the same? What if you had but it’s been so long that those feelings have dwindled? What if she makes it awkward again? She didn’t want that, she didn’t want any of that. You both had finally reached a point of comfort again, everything felt right again with you, she didn’t want to mess that up.

Little did she know, you were feeling the same. You always had feelings for Vi that remained over the years. Sure they dwindled in strength after not seeing her for so long, but the moment you set your eyes on her that first day you knew she was back, the feelings came rushing back like a dam had broken into a river.

It almost made it impossible to focus at times, she looked so different and yet so similar. You couldn’t help but stare at her features from time to time.

As your mind wandered, you couldn’t help but muttering,

“I like your hair.”

You hadn’t realized you said it outloud until Vi looked back at you once again from her bowl. Quickly, you went to remedy the situation before it had the chance to be once awkward.

“It looks good, well you look good, but specifically your hair. It’s nice.” You stumbled over your words a bit in the process of getting that one simple sentence out.

Good Job.

Luckily, this only made Vi smile more as she laughed a bit at what she thought was adorable stumbling.

“Thanks Sunshine.” She replied, in almost a cheeky manner as she smirked at you.

After a bit more talking, and what neither of you would admit was just straight up flirting, you both decided you had spent enough time out and wanted to head back. As you walked back, you two continued to reminisce on old stories with the group, but mainly focusing on the memories you two shared on your own.

You both laughed at another memory as you walked back through the door of your apartment and plopped down on one of the few chairs in the main room. Vi followed after you, sitting just across from you as She slouched on the seat, stretching her legs out as far as she could. There was a smile on her face, but it was clear she was keeping something hidden.

“Vi?” You spoke up, looking directly at her. “What’s up?” You asked, not giving an explanation to your question but just by her facial expressions you knew she knew what you meant.

“What do you mean?” She tried to play it off, but that only made you double down.

“Vi. You’re making that face, you know the one where you’re struggling to keep your thoughts to yourself. I’ve been around you long enough to know when you have something to say.” You explained, crossing your arms in front of your chest as you looked towards her with a very unfazed expression.

Her smile didn’t drop, but it changed to less of a joyful one and more of the disappointment of someone who had just been caught.

“Nothing ever gets past you does it, Sunshine?” She asked in a slightly teasing manner as if to draw away the attention from herself. This was a tactic she often used when you’d start getting on her case about opening up to you. It never worked and yet she tried it every time. You raised a brow at her before she let out a slight sigh.

“Fine, you got me. I was just… thinking.” She answered vaguely, no longer making eye contact as she stared at the wall behind you.

“About what?” You asked. Leaning a bit forward, showing your clear interest in how she was feeling. It seemed as if she gave in as she began to speak,

“About… Everything.” She spoke quietly, she was always so ready to keep her thoughts hidden if it meant keeping others safe from worrying, but she didn’t need to do that here. She didn’t have to worry about that with you.

You could see she was deep in thought as she leaned forward a bit now leaning against the small table that was between the two of you. Clearly she was thinking about what to say and what not to say, so to ease her nerves, you moved your hand to cover hers.

Vi always seemed to calm down at your touch, and now was no exception to that. She seemed to visibly relax as she felt the warmth of your touch cover her own hand. Her eyes softened before she let out a sigh. You always knew how to get your way.

“I was thinking about how I don’t want this to change. I know this whole time we’ve been focusing on how things used to be and how everything has changed since then but, now that I’m with you again everything else doesn’t really matter as much to me.” She began. You sat silently as you listened to her continue,

“Don’t get me wrong, it's upsetting to see how much has changed over the years I’ve been gone, but I know that you haven’t changed. I don’t know where my sister is, Silco is in charge of everything, so just knowing that you’re still here, it’s like a quiet peace in all the other chaos I have to deal with.” She explained with a slight chuckle, now looking back at you.

“You’re the only thing that makes sense to me right now.”

You couldn’t help but feel loved by her words. She clearly valued your presence more than you realized, just as you valued hers.

Before you even knew it, you had stood up from your chair and walked towards Vi. In a mere few seconds you were standing in front of her, and without a second thought you engulfed her in a warm hug. The warmest you could ever muster as you rested your chin on her shoulder.

She hesitated for a moment before eventually grabbing back, her arms wrapped around your torso as she stood up to properly hold you. The force in which she stood up caused the chair behind her to knock back and fall over as she desperately clung to your warmth.

“I've missed you…” She whispered to you, her entire body feeling as if it was powering down against you. For the first time in a long time she felt truly safe. She felt as if she could put her guard down and leave down when she was with you.

“Vi?” You lightly called as you eventually pulled away from the hug and looked back towards Vi’s eyes. She had the look of that of a wounded puppy. Her usual tough looking scowl that was used to keep unwanted attention off her back was replaced by a soft, hopeful and almost loving eyes. It was a look you had seen many times before but you never truly realized what it was. You could finally put it into words. It made your heart flutter whether she did it intentionally or not.

Maybe this wasn’t the time to share your feelings. Maybe it was better to keep them hidden. But you had already called her name so… you at least needed to come up with something.

Screws it, whatever happened to honesty. You took in a deep inhale before closing your eyes. If you can’t see it, the possible rejection isn’t there.

Before you could even fully make a decision about whether or not to say what you wanted, you felt as Vi’s hand lightly went up to your face, the feeling was unexpected but not unwanted as you leaned into her rough touch slightly.

“I love you.” She said, finishing your thought whether she realized it or not. Her words caused you to freeze as you finally reopened your eyes. When you did, you were met by the same blue eyes still staring at you. The warmth had never vanished from her gaze as she kept her eyes trained on you.

“I’ve been wanting to say that for so long.” She chuckled slightly, you could feel her hands beginning to shake a bit as you stayed silent. Her hands then left your face as she continued,

“You’ve been my best friend for so many years and I know we didn’t really interact for a little while but honestly I was scared. I was scared to come to terms with the fact that you might’ve changed just like everything else. Sure you’ve changed physically and maybe your personality has changed in some aspects but, you’re still the same person I was in love with you even when we were kids.” She was clearly rambling at this point as her hands continued to shake. You didn’t know Vi was capable of feeling fears over such a trivial thing, but there it was, staring you right in the face.

As she continued to speak, you could hardly focus on anything, you let your body act on its own as your brain took a moment to catch up. Your hands slowly made their way up to Vi’s face, silencing her as you leaned in slightly before hesitating.

“Can I?” You asked quietly but without even answering, Vi leaned forward and embraced you in a long awaited kiss. It was everything either of you could have dreamed of. Your hands began to leave her face as your arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her closer to you. Her hands lightly traveled down to your waist to keep you in place as she leaned into you more.

After a little while, you both broke the kiss, looking at each other as you both slightly panted before breaking out into laughter. You didn’t know why, you just… felt like laughing. Vi eventually leaned back into you, resting her chin on your shoulder as whispered,

“Can we just… stay like this? Please?” She asked, pulling back a bit so you could see her hard blue eyes softening as she looked towards you, her hand slithering into yours, holding it with care as if you might shatter with even the slightest squeeze. You, the ever loving being you are, smiled softly at your now partner.

“Of course. I guess the question is though, your room or mine?” You asked, to which Vi quickly responded

“Yours.”

So without any argument, you both made your way to your room and laid down together in a tangled mess on the bed. Your arms were wrapped around her neck once again as she held a tight grip on your torso. It was clear she needed an embrace of any sort.

It was no secret that she had been through so much and while you couldn’t go back and change the past, you could do what you could to help her heal.

“Thank you.” She whispered quietly, moving closer to you.

[caffeinemachine]

Life Jacket - Chapter 1

Conrad Fisher x Eldest Conklin Sibling Reader

I just wrote this so quickly cause it was sitting in my head and it had to get out. Go read this post for an idea of what this series will be! I'm very excited about it!

Here's Part One!!!

Word Count; 1.2K

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Cousins. Lots of mixed emotions came with going to Cousins. I loved it I really did, but I wasn’t blessed with the privilege of experiencing the blissful, worry-free love like my sister. Things still followed me to Cousins, responsibilities. And I always was stuck wishing they didn’t.

My siblings got to go swimming whenever they wanted, I had to swim once a day to “keep up with it” in my parents' words, mainly my Dad. I know they don't mean it. That in their hearts they do it out of love. Cause I do love swimming, I really do, but sometimes I wish reality could go on pause so I could live freely for a little while. With no concerns, or right way or wrong way, just me doing as I please. Without my Dad here the past two summers it helped. He’s harder on me than Mom. I grew up to realize it was just cause he didn’t really know how to be a parent. Does anyone really?  But his way of showing me love as a parent was by promising my success and ensuring my future. Well, I got recruited to Harvard's swim program with a scholarship so I guess his way of love kind of worked.

Despite everything, Cousins meant I got to see them. Susannah, Jeremiah, and him. Conrad. He was what stirred my emotions about Cousins the most. I’d had a crush on him for as long as I could remember. But I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t jeopardize our families like that.  I didn’t have time for boys. I had tried to date here and there, but everyone got bored, or mad that I “didn’t have enough time for them”. I couldn’t even get upset because they were right. I didn’t have time for them like normal high school girls did. I couldn’t hang out after school, I had swim practice and very few high school boys wanted to hang out just to do homework together once I got home if you know what I mean. I couldn't afford to be distracted, so I let them all go. I couldn’t do that to Conrad, put him in that situation. I also think I couldn’t do it to myself. The other boys didn’t matter, but him? Losing him would crush me so hard that I don’t think I would recover.

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

I drove to Cousins with Steven in my car.  I had saved up all summer and bought my trusty Volkswagen Passat last Fall. That was another pro about Cousins, the money. I've worked as a lifeguard at the club since I was 15, and I also did swim lessons there as well as private lessons. Those people will pay real well to have an all-star swimmer teach their three-year-old how to float I’ll tell ya.

“So you excited to work this summer?” I asked Steven. He got a job at the pool snack stand at the club and I had helped Jeremiah get a position as a lifeguard.

“Yeah, I guess, I’m excited to make big bucks like you have been all these summers.” He smiled at me making me instantly light up. Steven just had a natural energy to him that brightened people's moods. 

We jammed out to music for the rest of the drive and before I knew it we were pulling in the driveway. I noticed my mom's car wasn’t here yet. Knowing her and Belly, they probably stopped for snacks. Man, this house. I dreamed about this house. It was absolutely beautiful. I honked, our signal to them we had arrived. 

Jeremiah was the first one to run out to see us, but Susannah was not far behind. Conrad was nowhere to be seen, odd. I didn't have time to think about it though as Jere scooped me up in a big hug and spun me around. I noticed then how much he had grown since last summer. He probably started working out and he definitely grew a couple of inches. As we said hello he had a huge smile on his face, he usually did Jere was always a golden retriever in human form. 

Then Susannah came up to me. when Susannah hugged me it was like life went on pause, the way I always wanted it to. In her arms I was safe, in her arms I was still just her baby, the first born girl. 

“ Wow Y/N look at you, my precious girl, you've bloomed," Susannah said to me as she held the sides of my face. I never doubted a word Susannah said, the way she said things made me believe them. Susannah never said it and neither did I, but we were each other's favorites. She always spoiled me, she always was my number one fan. Susannah had a level of enthusiasm to her that most people didn't have. It probably wasn't fair for me to call her my favorite. She got to love me like a mother and spoil me like the fun aunt, and she never had to give me any of the negatives. So yes it probably wasn't fair for her to be my favorite, which is why I only ever told her private.

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We all walked back inside, Susannah and Jere helping Steven and me carry in our bags. Still no Conrad. I dropped my bags on the floor as I scanned my eyes around my room. Nothing out of place, everything was as I left it. I really do love this room. It was bigger than my one back home, it even had a small walk-in closet.  Conrad and I had the biggest rooms, we were the oldest so we got the first pick of rooms. 

I'm mindlessly unpacked for a while before hearing the same signal I had done myself just a bit earlier, Mom and Belly were here. I didn't rush down after all, I had seen them just a few hours ago. I thought it was okay to let them have their own proper reunion with the Fishers. So I finished putting the rest of my clothes in my drawers before I went downstairs. However, when I open my bedroom door, I open it to find Conrad with his hand in mid-air as if he were about to knock. 

“Whoa- oh, hi,” I said somewhat skeptically, he had just appeared out of nowhere, where had he been when I would got here? He cleared his throat, shuffling his feet somewhat awkwardly as he put his arm down from its spot in the air and clasped his hands behind his back.

“Hey, um I was uh coming to say hello!  I was down at the beach surfing all morning, I didn't even realize you were here until your mom pulled up and you weren't with her.” He seemed nervous for some reason, I wasn't sure why.

“Don't worry about it, was the surf any good?” 

He smiled at me then, “ Yeah it was so good, I lost track of time.” I smile back at him, I had missed him. 

“Glad to know you missed my entrance for something worthwhile.” He laughed, me along with him before his face went back to being relaxed. He stared at me in silence for a few moments before suddenly, before I could even realize what was happening, Conrad had his arms around me. Conrad was hugging me. It was nice, but odd. Conrad wasn't the most affectionate person and this was very out of the blue.

“I'm happy you're here Y/N.” He whispered, slightly muffled by my hair. We backed away as I said,

“Me too.”  The silence stretched a moment too long for my level of comfort. He was too intoxicating, his gaze on me was all consuming, I had to get out of there. “I'm going to go say hi to my mom and my sister.” I rushed out, going past him down the stairs before he even replied.

This summer was already off to an interesting start.

[themattress]

Untitled Kairi Post II

Kingdom Hearts II is Kairi's other good game. It's (sadly enough) where she peaked.

However, many fans were and still are disappointed in KH2 Kairi. Is that reasonable?

…..Yes and no.

I feel that Kairi’s role in Nomura’s base story for KH2 is really good, barring one factor. She starts remembering Sora and even makes contact with his heart via Roxas which causes her to send her poem out to sea, she befriends Pluto and goes through a Dark Corridor to Twilight Town where she befriends Hayner, Pence and Olette, she gets kidnapped by Organization XIII and held captive in the Castle That Never Was, is rescued by Namine (the other half of herself) and reunites with Riku and in turn reunites him with Sora, is given a weapon and is able to fight as part of the heroic party, she saves Namine from fading through reassimilating her into her heart, and ultimately her poem inspiring pure feelings in Sora allows him to open the Door to Light and bring himself and Riku home after all hope seemed to be lost; he even is finally able to return her good luck charm to her as promised in KH1.

The one factor that needed to be altered was the kidnapping part. It still had to happen, but it preferably should have happened a good while after showcasing her stay in Twilight Town and fleshing out her character. The scene where she goes to Twilight Town should have happened much earlier, and we could constantly cut back to her after completing each world (maybe even have a playable moment or two with her). Do that and everything’s perfect.

However, not only was this factor not altered, but three glaring problems also transpired.

First of all, notice a pattern in all of Kairi’s major scenes?

WE GET IT. Kairi really, really likes Sora; she’s his love interest. That was a huge part of her character in KH1, but there (as I just got done analyzing) Kairi still had a backstory and feelings on matters that were unrelated to Sora and an inner life and an actual character arc that progressed from beginning to end…all of this despite Sora being the one whom she primarily interacted with! And it’s terrible that KH2 isn’t affording her the same treatment when at the same time it gives her so many other characters to interact with like Selphie, Pluto, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Namine, King Mickey, Axel and Saix. The best she gets is with Riku:

Secondly, she gets a weapon. Did it have to be a Keyblade, and did that Keyblade have to be so flowery? No, but whatever. It’s a weapon, and she can fight with it. She says so herself!

She does so against a horde of Heartless - in a cutscene. Where we only see her take out two enemies and then the remainder of the fight largely happens offscreen. Afterwards, we never see the goddamn thing again! Not even when it clearly is supposed to be there:

Come ON! We needed way more than that! And hey, game developers, couldn’t you have given Kairi a non-party battle AI? You gave one for Axel who wasn’t even supposed to make it that far into the story; so why not Kairi? It makes this whole pay-off underwhelming to many.

Third and finally, what is she doing when not fighting or having a scene centered around how much she cares for Sora? Mainly just idly standing in the back row of the party and saying “Sora!”, “Riku!”, or both. Now, this point isn’t quite as bad as the others since this is shared with Donald and Goofy rather than be exclusive to her, and the game also has several screens where you can talk to Kairi and she has text boxes with dialogue that actually showcases more of her personality beyond just being Sora’s love interest. She reminds you of her knowledge of nautical superstitions, is perceptive enough to recognize the Proof of Existence chamber as a graveyard, says she doesn’t like being left out of adventuring, says that she wants to get more skilled as Sora and Riku in combat so that they get hurt less, and outright puts her foot down and tells Sora in non-negotiable terms that from now on where he goes she goes too (please ignore Nomura totally ruining this in the games past KH2, ‘kay?)

So, that’s why people are often hard on KH2 Kairi. BUT I still say that she still deserves credit for the things done right with her, namely the important plot-relevant actions she undertakes, the fact that she gets to forge connections with so many other characters at all, the fact that she even has a weapon and gets to fight competently with it, those aforementioned text boxes, and her still getting some measure of character development through learning that “waiting isn’t good enough” (again, ignore Nomura’s post-KH2 fuckery!) Plus - her attitude!

And this leads me to my final point, which is….

Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts II manga doesn’t get kidnapped until after quite a while spent in Twilight Town and even receives a focus chapter while being held captive, her relationships with other characters are fleshed out beyond her just talking about Sora with them, she has much more impressive showcasing of her combat skills and is even outright acknowledged as possibly a fiercer fighter than Sora and Riku, she displays her character the whole way through and not just in optionally viewable text boxes, and on top of all this her facial expression are always on point, which isn’t even something that can be said of other characters in the manga! She’s got all of the game upsides, and none of the downsides.

[plutoswrath]

𝕆𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 12𝕥𝕙 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣…

I find reflection to be a good way to not only understand, heal and grow, but personal experience of those who understand how the planets and stars work is a very valuable tool of learning and research for anyone who wants to study and grow in any practice. And what time would be best to fully immerse in the act of retrospection than the 12th house profection year?

All things 12th house have been happening to me so far, and will continue to do so till June next year.

: ̗̀➛ Isolation:

passive isolation (aka outer circumstances):

Isolation is one of the main themes of the 12th house. This year all the last of my former roommates moved out which left me with two total strangers alone in a big city. Alone, writing my bachelor thesis, alone starting a new job, alone going through first steps of therapy/counseling. I don’t mind being alone, I actually like and need it just as much as I need to see and be with my friends to feel alive and get back in touch with myself, but this year was different. This year was kinda the pinnacle of realizing the severity of my mental health issues and noticing how drastically they impacted me. It’s not just that I was separated by my loved ones by distance but this year it was almost impossible to make time for others, or make time for me when I needed to. I remember how I was forced to write my bachelor thesis in a month basically due to administration problems that were caused by my professors and being totally secluded from everyone for over a whole month. I remember this period like the fever dream it felt like and was; starting to work at morning and falling into bed tired at 2 am just to repeat that shit for the next 30 days, only allowing myself two meals a day, not being bale to answer people for days or weeks, and basically missing the whole summer too. A tragedy, really :(.

Active isolation (aka retreat and boundaries)

This year I willingly cut ties with some people if it didn’t feel right anymore. This year was so far - and still is - incredibly exhausting, I couldn’t afford to pour life into people and situations that didn’t give me anything back or were inherently toxic. Also, this might not be healthy on my end but due to self esteem issues I decided to wear my mask even more than usual, adding to the feeling of isolation by a feeling of invisibility. I felt and still feel extremely faceless/without identity this year, but this feeling somehow grew into the comfort of being somehow a bit more free of judgment and the perception of others.

: ̗̀➛ Love, making time and hidden enemies:

This section will also talk about the connection this 12th house year has to my Venus and North Node in the 12th! Using whole signs, I have my Venus-NN conjunction in the 12th and even tho I’m not that much into dating, I found myself actively pursuing potential relationships and dabbing into the dating pool since I left my ex almost 2 years ago. It’s strange, because I made a beautiful friendship through this, but I also felt strangely ostracized trying to date, mainly because there's a lot of people with evil intentions out there (there's more to critique about dating/hook up culture, but that's not for an astrology post lol). But it’s not inherently bad, as I’ve mentioned before it only made me realize more what I want in others and also what I want from me. I also learned setting boundaries through this. Also; having my NN in the 12th, the topic of making time and spending it on myself in order to heal (no matter if it’s by actively working through therapeutic material or just simply by indulging in hobbies, studying or self reflecting) I figured this is a huge issue in my life; everything and everyone tears at me and it’s hard to make time. Prioritizing myself in order to get back in touch with myself, to tap into my inherent wisdom by channeling my 12th house and working with it is what I should do and this year really helped me realize this so far. Even my close ones talked with me about it and told me that it would be crucial to make time for me and get back in touch with my creative side. I believe a lot of the mysteries and fears of my own natal 12th house placements were exposed during this year so far. A lot of it also boils down to my own mental health, and the idea of what can be if I were to have the time and resources in order to indulge in my own passions and heal myself through them, as well as go after what I want fearlessly and without shame.

: ̗̀➛ Drugs and mental health:

The 12th house represents our mental health and subconscious. It’s often known as the house for drugs since drugs either get us in a state in which we find it easier to access that subconsciousness (e.g using drugs as medicine, or for rituals/spiritual practices) OR use it as a coping mechanism. I quit smoking two years ago, and haven’t thought about picking up the habit since then, but as the administration problem of my professors happened, which basically could've caused me to fail it and made all the hard work I put into my studies be for nothing (leading to me wiring my bachelor thesis in only a month R I P) I picked up smoking for two weeks and dropped it after I felt I got my nerves under control again. I do not feel bad at all, because I knew even back the that it was a last resort solution and that it's only temporary.

Funny thing is, as I suffer immensely from ctpsd and ocd and my body is constantly tense, under high stress, etc. I will try out cbd oil in order to ease my mind and body. I think it's also a good way to help me additionally with managing my daily life and making it bearable, as long a s I don't have a therapy place.

: ̗̀➛ Therapy:

This ties together with the subconscious. (funnily enough the 12th house also represents medical institutions), this is the year I finally was able to have my first contacts with therapy and am now actively searching for a therapist. Since I'm only at the beginning of the mental health journey there's not a lot to say, but eventually next year when I'm nearing my 1st house profection year I can reflect more on it.

: ̗̀➛ Opportunities that lead to self realization:

The 12th house is often known as an 'evil' house since it’s shows us the end of a cycle. I realized that many things I wanted actually came true in some sort of offer when I went after it(this is me channeling my Aries Jupiter too lol) but instead of finally getting what I want by acting out on desire, I realized that many things I wanted were still unattainable. Part of it was, that I still needed to fix myself, part of it was acknowledging that evil in the world is just there; it's created and caused by others and it's not your fault, nor do you have to understand why. I was forced to be very conscious over my intentions and own actions. This year I was on autopilot and yet I wasn't; better said, the minute I caught myself on autopilot something inside of me snapped and brought me back into reflection mode. I was challenging myself, trying to wrap my head around my subconscious behavior and trying to change it by being ore active and intentional with my desires and actions.

: ̗̀➛ Endings:

I indeed finished a few things this year. University, a few friendships, some ideas and believes about myself, some negative patterns, lifted the veil of unspoken feelings and truths of friendships, you name it. There is a strange feeling of hope and hopelessness - it feels like walking through thick mud. It’s so tiring but you know it just takes effort to get through, so you grit your teeth and do it because there’s no other option instead of giving up and getting stuck, eventually being swallowed by this mud.

In some moments I realized things ended and it was for the better: I could breath again. But it also reminded me of the next task ahead; now, that one truth has been uncovered it opens the path for new movement, a new opportunity. And the question is, do I act on it? If so, when? If not, will it forever be closed, wasted time and space? It's definitely a question for the 1st house profection year that is slowly but surely approaching, but it's also my Virgo Ascendant and SN in the 6th house conjunct my Uranus reminding me that I'm never safe, movement and changes are all around us and chaos keeps me on my toes and ready to act, and potentially prevent the next crisis that is about to succumb me and others. Life is strange, but I'm growing and as much as I feel helpless and small, I also feel proud and grown. I am excited to see how this year of the 12th house (the house of endings) will end, and what mysteries it will reveal. I'm excited about what I am yet to discover.

I know the profection year looks different depending on the individual birth chart, life themes and patterns in there but I’d be really happy to read the experience of others who went through their 12th house profection year!

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆ .　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

[acespoliticalwaffles]

Finally got a call back from the autism assessment people. And what do you know? They said that insurance wouldn’t cover it so if we want to actually get me in to get tested it’ll be 4,000 US$ out of pocket. My parents said we can’t afford that right now.

This is what we mean when we say diagnosis is a privilege. Because in the US, it literally costs thousands of dollars for them to even look at you. And even if you can afford that, or your insurance will pay for it (most probably won’t), you still have to deal with doctors who have a very narrow view of what autism looks like, both in how it presents itself symptom-wise, and in how the people who have it look physically. If you do not fit the stereotype of Smart, but Socially Awkward White Boy, there is a chance they will reject you outright.

“Diagnosis is a privilege” doesn’t mean that only privileged people get diagnosed, or that your life must have been easy and perfect if you yourself were able to get one. It means that not everyone with certain conditions/disorders/neurodivergencies is able to get diagnosed with them for a variety of reasons that don’t include “they’re faking it”. And that is literally just a fact.

Like, seriously, what do people who think diagnosis isn’t a privilege think getting diagnosed is like? Like, with some disorders it’s much easier. I was diagnosed with depression the first day I saw my first psychiatrist. But most of the disorders they always claim people are faking (autism, adhd, did) are actually very difficult to get diagnosed with just because it takes so long and can often be very expensive. Like, I’ve literally been waiting to get diagnosed for almost half a year. And now they say they won’t even try unless we fork over $4,000. People who are against self-diagnosis are so fucking dense. Like, what do you want me to do? Say I don’t have autism because I couldn’t pay them to check??? Cause only rich people can have autism I guess./s

Knowing that I’m autistic has helped me understand a lot about myself that I didn’t before. It has helped me realize that some of my weak points (not being able to work with vague instructions, being very sensitive to criticism, etc.) have a reason behind them and other people experience them in similar ways. I am autistic. I do not have any doubts about being autistic. And I do not have to prove to strangers on the internet that I am autistic before I get to talk about my experiences with it without being relentlessly scrutinized.

Edit: Been seeing some ppl talk about this phrase in a way I hadn’t before and I want to clarify: getting diagnosed is not always actually good, especially when you’re very young and you don’t get to decide whether you want it or not. What I meant in this post is that access to diagnosis is a privilege. Hope that clears things up if you had questions. This was mainly meant to demonstrate that ppl who are against self-dx need to get their facts straight. I’m not actually here to talk about the privilege aspect very much either (I didn’t realize there was discourse there), but in short: it’s complicated, but it is often a result of some privilege that ppl are able to get diagnosed, especially later in life. I also want to make it clear that it’s very valid to not want a dx. I actually went back and forth on it myself bc of all the fucked up laws and discrimination and stuff. (Which is yet another reason self-dx is valid and sometimes the best option) So yeah. Idk, just wanted to make it clear what I’m trying to say.

[destinyc1020]

I’m curious with your take on “Stans”. I joined the tomdaya fandom last January and I think the most shocking behavior and discovery I found were Stans. I’m in my late 20s and never really followed a celeb or couple before, so I never really crossed them on social. I found it almost strange and alarming at some of their behavior- or I just couldn’t relate to people creating fan accounts? Idk. I stopped following all fan accounts of TZ on Twitter, TikTok, and IG because of how uncomfortable they made me and only stick with tumblr as the community is very different and (IMO) healthier…

I’ve been following you since I joined tumblr and like that you also have interests outside of TZ and are exposed to different fans from different celebs. Do you have any opinions on the different variety of Stans (Harry Styles/Chris Evans level to TZ level)? Opinions on these “Stan wars”? Have you seen a difference in behavior from pre pandemic to post? Their overall behavior and psychology just fascinates and alarms me at the same time.

Ooo....I LOVE new/different types of questions and asks!

Anon, are you SURE you want my opinion on this?😅 Cuz I’m about to write you an essay, and it’s gonna be

REAL TALK lol.

You asked for it!

RE: Stans and Stan Behavior...

Whew, this is a tough question to answer tbh. Mainly because I have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with being a stan of your favorite celebrity(ies), or anything wrong with having a blog or a fan account dedicated to your fave(s). I don’t see anything wrong with that at all?

I think the problem however comes when some stans go a little TOO far, get way too intrusive, engage in stan wars (when those actors/celebrities don’t even hate each other lol), or just become toxic overall in general in the fandom.

I always feel like there should be a clear balance when stanning celebrities. Like, it’s okay to be a massive fan, but also know your place, and realize that these “celebrities” are really just human beings just like the rest of us at the end of the day. They just have higher pay checks lol, and have to live life in the public eye. But at the end of the day, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us.

Another thing that I think gets fans in trouble is putting their fave on a pedestal. Yea, it’s nice to think highly of your fave, but imo NOBODY should be put on a pedestal. Imo, nobody is perfect (number one), and number two, think about how hard it would be for you to live up to some measure of perfection that others have put upon you?

I think it’s best to wish the best for your faves, but at the same time, don’t expect PERFECTION.

Otherwise, you might be sorely disappointed one day lol. 🥴 Recognize that people are human, they make mistakes (just like the rest of us), sometimes we have “off” days, sometimes stress/anxiety can cause us to react to things in ways that aren’t the most “ideal”. It happens! Just like we afford ourselves some grace, we should also afford others (including celebrities imo) some grace as well. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I think we should leave room for growth and mistake-making. So many people are so ready to “cancel” someone out here these days if they don’t live up to some measure of perfection or ideal in their mind that they had smh lol. That is so exhausting... I can’t even imagine how it must feel for people living under a microscope in the public eye.

Tom & Zendaya, for example, get so much pressure from fans (imo) to behave a certain way, be a certain way, VACATION a certain way, DATE each other a certain way, have a career a certain way, be friends with co-stars a certain way, etc.

I’m like, can’t y’all just let them BE?? Geez! #REALTALK Let people just be, my gosh. 🙄

RE: Harry Styles, Chris Evans, TZ

Wow....Those are all 3 (or 4?) different fandoms girl... Each have their own pros and cons lol.

With Harry, oh boy.... I just feel like SOME in the fandom can be a bit..... unhinged. I’m sure it’s due to him being in 1D back in the day. Sometimes idk what’s worse...the fandoms of music artists or actors lol. Don’t even get me started on the Larries lol.

With Chris Evans and his fandom... I feel like a lot have a certain image of him that they want to uphold, but if he ever does something contrary to that, they turn on him like a pack of wolves lol. I swear...that tweet I posted on here when it was revealed that he was in fact dating Alba looked like something out of a stalker’s notebook lol. Some fans (of ALL fandoms imo) seriously need to really remember to separate themselves from the celebrity they love/stan over.

You have to realize that this person isn’t in your life, they don’t know you, they aren’t your “friends”, they don’t care what you think about their relationship lol, and they’re gonna keep doing whatever the hayell they want, whether you like it or NOT! 😤

I’ve already touched a bit on the TZ/Tomdaya fandom on my blog several times before, but I’ll also add that I feel like this fandom can be a bit more complicated because we have the stans of Zendaya only, the stans of Tom only, the stans of BOTH Tom and Zendaya equally, and then the stans of just them and their relationship lol. It’s almost like some weird Venn diagram of various fandoms that sometimes operate separately, and then sometimes mix in together. It can be crazy lol. 🤣

The ONE thing I would love to see from 2023 in the TZ fandom (for both together and separately) is just fans allowing them to both GROW, and evolve as adults, and to NOT expect perfection from them, or to infantilize them. I feel like SOME (not all) fans are unnecessarily harsh on TZ. That is so much pressure.

I also feel like some infantilize Tom so much, and he’s a grown man? Then, there are the fans who feel like Zendaya can do no wrong, and will cut you with a knife if you ever say anything that has ANY hint of negativity or just room for improvement lol. I can understand it...most of us have followed her from her young Disney days...so I get it lol. She’s like our sister in our heads, and a LOT of woc get a lot of unfair hate unnecessarily, so we want to protect her from all of that. But we have to also be HONEST about our faves too. There’s nothing wrong with saying that you thought a project sucked lol... 😂

But you can STILL LOVE your fave and continue to stan them regardless. I haven’t liked EVERY single project the actors I like have put out, but it’s not a big deal! Art is subjective anyway. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Idk where fans got this "it's gotta be either/or" or, "you're either on board with everything or you're against us", limited type of black and white thinking from, but it's not healthy imo. 🥴

I think one of the most toxic things in some fandoms is not allowing people to have a voice, a difference of opinion, and also thinking that if you like your fave, you can’t possibly like any OTHER actors or interests, like we’re in some kind of CULT lol. 😂

Honestly? Imo it’s OKAY to like a variety of actors. Variety is great! I think expanding your interests also helps to prevent silly stupid “Stan Wars” btwn fandoms. To me, fan wars are so dumb, especially when there isn’t any real beef btwn the two individuals in the first place. 🥴

I’ll admit that I was “Team Jacob” in the Twilight fandom back in the day lol, but I didn’t HATE “Team Edward” or Robert Pattinson. I just preferred Jacob (Taylor) more? These days, I feel like fans feel like you HAVE to “pick a side”, and to me that’s not even fair...or even healthy tbh.

Imo, VARIETY is the spice of life! 😁👏🏾

Sorry for this long dissertation and rant lol. I’m going to just stop rambling here. If you’ve even made it down this far Anon lol, I hope I answered your question. I’m very interested in the psychology of this as well.

[choco-cherry-chunk]

I for some reason see Philip and Benoit having all girls (maybe cause of how Benoit helps Marta and Helen) and I’ve been mainly picturing Benoit being the carrying parent cause that scene of him with his shirt on in the pool is very trans man vibes and those are my personal favourite kind of mpreg headcanons haha. Picturing them with a bunch of little girls running around the apartment is very fun to me especially if they had multiples (twins, triplets) that would be very chaotic 😆.

Aghhh, I adore this too! The two of them also read as such girl dads. I also love that vibe (I love any iteration of mpreg and can easily see Benoit as trans). Them having girls and even multiples makes such sense. I’m imagining them having two singleton girls and then ending up with twins. They end up “deciding” that that’ll be the end of that, as they’re happy with four, only for Benoit to unexpectedly get pregnant again. They don’t mind this too much - they can afford the girls and another won’t be too much of a mess (I imagine Benoit’s position pays quite well and Philip’s job is probably nothing to sneeze at), only for it to turn out to be triplets and both damn near faint at the news, resulting in them being the fathers to seven girls, all of whom they adore so deeply and couldn’t imagine their family any other way. 💕

[lukohan]

So I was having a bad day. and if I have a bad day so will someone else.

Warriors got chosen for this little fic.

Now suffer! (or not)

Ao3 has some more notes.

Summary: A Legend of Zelda AU set in Warriors era, where Wild is Warriors younger brother.

Let’s just say Warriors gets some horrible news while he is on the battlefield.

Warning: Angst (but with happy end)

Words: 3000

Warriors has been a captain for almost one year now. He was actually called Link, but so was also his, by seven years, younger brother. For some reason his parents decided to give them the same name, a heroic one, apparently. But they were long since gone, long before he had joined the army.

 Now they were stuck in the middle of a war and he was not only stuck with a lot of responsibilities but also stuck with a little brother trying to prove himself.

Wild, he had decided on the name himself, was a capable fighter albeit young, only 17.

And Warriors would rather have him somewhere safe than on the frontlines or on the battlefield at all. But they had few soldiers to begin with and he couldn’t afford it. His brother was reckless, smart and strong, but wild, as his name implies. Besides he once tried to keep him away from the fighting, only to discover him, acting on his own, fighting alongside the soldiers anyway. He used his status as the captain’s younger brother to wriggle his way into the camp and just continued helping. No one bothered to inform the captain for three weeks, because everyone though he knew! And everyone appreciated the help, so even after he was discovered there was little he could do to get Wild to back out.

Warriors sighted. He had seen his brother fighting many times ever since and knew he was good at it, more capable than any officer and even a match for Impa. Especially archery, there was probably no one better at it than him. Hell, just in the past month he improved in leaps and bounds. He bet he would have to struggle to win against him now.

But Wild wasn’t at his side now, he was on a mission to deal with some ambush unites. Impa and Sheik had accompanied him, but returned just a one hour ago to help with his own mission. They reported how the enemy had been dealt with and Wild stayed behind to deal with the last stragglers. He was glad he wasn’t here for the next mission, it was way too dangerous, however not knowing how he was, was so much worse than seeing him fighting at his side.

Not to mention…

A bit more than two months ago, Wild suddenly went missing in the midst of a battle. For two entire weeks, they couldn’t find him. He hadn’t been among the fallen, but that had done little to calm him down. They didn’t know what had happened to him. Had the enemy captured him? Was he too injured to return to them? What. Had. Happened?

After two weeks Wild had shown up in their camp. He was cowered in so many new scars. His personality was still the same, but something had happened, had changed. Warriors saw it instantly, in the stance, the mannerism, the eyes. But Wild always avoided talking about those two weeks. Even after careful probing, he couldn’t get an answer out of him. All he knew was that those weeks caused horrible nightmares.

Warriors felt the guilt coming back again. Wild had insisted he was fine, had insisted he returned to fighting, had insisted he knew what he was doing and knew he was capable of helping.

He reluctantly agreed to let him go back to fighting, mainly because Wild would have gone off by himself otherwise. He didn’t know what to do and could only imagine what caused such change in Wild. He hoped the truth would reveal itself, hoped it wasn’t any atrocity the war had put him through, but even a month later he had zero information.

 Warriors stared at the map in front of him and then at the fortress just a short distance away. He forced his worries aside, he had a fortress to take down.

Impa and Sheik were waiting for him. There was a thick tension in the air and Warriors felt unease crawl up his spine. Some tension was normal before a battle, but this, this was something else, even Impa and Sheik were affected. Something was up. Warriors could tell, but he didn’t have time to inquire about it. The fortress needed to fall.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle went smoothly, they made it inside the fortress without many difficulties. The had gathered in the open courtyard and Warriors disposed of another group of enemies, when a loud rumble went through the building. With a deafening crash the walls and gates on two sides collapsed and trapped Warriors and Sheik between enemy and rocks.

“Of course, things have been going too well.” Warriors was more annoyed than worried. This wasn’t the first time he had been trapped after all and the enemy was quite weak right now. They were probably desperate.

“Stay on guard.”

A sharp reminder from Sheik had him snap out of any overconfidence he had felt just now. He knew Impa was around somewhere and should be close by. They just had to hold out until they joined up and then break out of the encirclement.

 A shadow loomed over them menacingly and an ugly giggling sound was heard.

“The commander graces us with his presence.” Warriors tried to mask his unease with a smile. The commander appearing wasn’t good news, not now.

“Nice to meet you hero. And farewell, for you will die here.”

“Ha! As if I couldn’t deal with you.” Warrior pointed his sword at the enemy.

Another giggle echoed over the battlefield. “We’ll kill you, like we killed your brother. With pleasure.”

What, my brother? Fear slammed into Warriors, hot and cold waves washed through his veins at the same time.

“Poor boy, weren’t you told? Didn’t you wonder where he was.” A gleeful smirk appeared.

Warriors was frozen in place. His brother? His brother was supposed wrap up a simple mission. Impa never said anything. They killed him? When? How? They must be bluffing. Yes, yes to catch him of guard.

His thoughts were spinning like crazy, when a bundle was thrown in front of him.

The world seemed to have disappeared around him. The bundle consisted of Wilds Sword, his broken bow and his blue tunic, all stained with blood, to the point where the shredded blue tunic was more red than blue. His mind went blank.

They killed him? They. Killed. Him.

Warriors heard nothing but his own heart racing and the echoing laughter. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bundle in front of him and he distinctly felt himself starting to tremble.

This couldn’t be real! This couldn’t be happening!

“I’m so sorry captain.” Sheik stood next to him, his voice was quiet, pained.

“You knew.” Warriors figured immediately from the tone, Sheik wasn’t surprised, Sheik knew, Impa must have known too. “YOU KNEW!”

A sob escaped his lips and his body began shaking. The picture of Wild waving goodbye as they left for the mission sprung into his mind, followed by an image of a bloody, battered, broken body lying on the ground.

Dead… dead… the killed him.

He grabbed Sheik and brought their faces closer. He was seething with anger and pain.

“Why didn’t you tell me.” His voice was surprisingly cold as he spit out those words, only to start shaking along with the rest of his body. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why him?”

He felt Impa approaching and turned his head to stare at her. She stopped in her tracks and didn’t get any closer.

She froze in place. She had been on the battlefield long enough to know what such eyes meant. Blue eyes with a piercing glare, wide open from anger and shock, ready to lash out on the slightest provocation. Those eyes were dangerous, do not go closer until the tension lessened. And Link was not someone she would be able to restrain without getting hurt. She needed him to calm down first.

“Captain please.” Sheik put a hand on Warriors arm. But his eyes remained cold, yet a fire was raging inside them. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

“Sir.”

“Captain, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how to tell you.” Sheik tried to use a comforting tone and looked to the ground.

“Sir!”

“I know how much you love your brother. Look at you now. This is the other reason I couldn’t tell you. This mission could decide the entire war. We needed the captain.”

Impa watched the exchange silently and filled with guilt. Of course, she had known of Wilds fate. She had seen his last moments, had seen everything. And had agreed to remain silent until this mission was over, to only tell him after the battle. Too much would be lost if this mission failed, and without Link, it definitely would be almost impossible to succeed. She hadn’t thought the enemy would take Wilds belongings, the battlefield had been too chaotic. She should probably help Sheik but…

Something else drew her attention and she shouted her orders.

 The floor shook with a lout stomp close to Warriors. That broke them out of the situation, but it only shook the captain halfway out of his trance. A gigantic enemy had appeared. His eyes darted to the soldier closest to him.

“Sir. I tried to warn you.” The soldier went quiet and took a few steps back when Warriors glared at him.

Warriors couldn’t think properly.  He felt like he was breathing too fast, but he didn’t care.

Wild was dead, they had killed him, and he didn’t even know. His younger brother was gone and no one bothered to bring the news. Dead, he was dead! And he wasn’t there to prevent it. Wasn’t there to help. Wasn’t there…

For a moment he didn’t know who the enemy was, couldn’t distinguish Sheiks red eye from all the red he saw.

They are going to pay. They will all pay for this!

Fire burned in him, it hurt so much. His eyes had trouble focusing on the enemy. For some reason his sword hand trembled, Warriors led out shaking breaths.

Why? WHY? Why had it to be my brother?

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Sheik said something but he couldn’t hear.

Sheik was there, why didn’t he help? Wasn’t he an ally, his friend?

Warriors thoughts seemed to be unbearably slow, his body was slow to react too, everything was slow.

Sheik yanked him backwards. A giant club struck the ground where he had just stood and barely missed them.

Time reassumed working normally. Warriors was panting and stared up at the enemy. How did he miss this thing?

But now wasn’t the time for to wonder and feel guilty, to feel anything.  He needed to quickly rally the soldiers and to engage the enemy. He needed to come up with a plan before they were smashed to death. He took in the state of the battlefield and didn’t like what he saw. The allied soldiers were scattered everywhere and Impa fought the enormous enemy by herself.

“Captain, we need to fall back!” Sheiks alarmed voice reached him.

Right, right, they needed to retreat. His sword arm still shook and he knew he was in no state to fight like this.

He would deal with the enemy once his soldiers were safe. As soon as he could swing his sword properly, he would make sure to send every single enemy straight to hell.

 The situation looked dire. The enemy still had them trapped and their numbers were growing, while the enormous enemy caused a lot of damage.

They unsuccessfully tried to push the enemy back. The huge enemy was like an unmovable mountain. Warriors avoided another hit from the club and his thoughts raced around, but he had no chance of formulating a plan in his current state of mind.

A bomb exploded in the giants’ face. And another one, and a third. Several arrows followed and ladled the enemy and caused it to stumble back.

Warriors heard laughter, laughter he knew so well, laughter he was surprised and unbelievably glad to hear. The laughter of his younger brother.

Another tear made its way down his cheek as relieve allowed him to breathe again and he looked up and saw his brother glide down with … a kite? Long hair fluttered in the wind behind him and a reckless grin span across his face, one Warriors knew too well.

Wild let go of the glider and fired another round of arrows straight into the enemy’s face, faster than Warriors could follow. Wild landed on the monster shoulder and out of nowhere had a great sword in his hands. The enemy’s throat was slit open and the monster fell backward. The corpse crushed some of the smaller enemies, which were now running heedlessly around.

Wild jumped down before the body hit the ground and came running towards Warriors with a huge smile on his face.

Warriors let out a faint laugh. He didn’t know what to make of this anymore. They had just told him he was dead, killed, and even provided proof, and now here he was, defeating an abnormally strong enemy singlehandedly. With abilities he had never seen before.

He looked to Sheik, who stood there frozen, eye wide and clearly bewildered.

“Hey brother. I thought you could use some backup.” Wild cheerfully greeted him and froze in place when he saw Warriors tearstained face. The smile disappeared instantly. “What happened?”

Warriors lunged forward and wrapped his brother in a tight hug.

He was alive. He was here and warm and still the same reckless idiot. Warriors’ breath hitched as he let the tears stream down and buried his face in his brother’s shoulder.

Wild brought his arms around Warriors and hugged him back. He shot a questioning look to Sheik, who only stared back.

The noise of the fight had died down, the enemy dead or retreated, and Impa ran towards them. She looked at Wild suspiciously as if she wasn’t sure what she saw.

“They said you were dead.” Warriors managed to bring himself to say after another sob. They lied, lied to rile him up, to shake him up. But why had Sheik acted that way, as if what the enemy said was true? Something wasn’t right, but he didn’t care. Wild was here and alive.

“He was dead.” Sheik looked directly into Wilds eyes. “You died in front of us, struck from behind, impaled by a sword. I was next to you; I felt your last breath.”

“Ah, yeah … that” Wild had brought up a hand to scratch the back of his head and averted his eyes.

“I’m fine.” He exclaimed and pushed Warriors so he could see his face. “Brother, I’m alright.”

Warriors’ breath steadied as the sobbing slowly stilled. “Yeah, I can see that”

“But how?” Impa kept her eyes on Wild, disbelief written in her face. “I witnessed your death as well, people don’t just come back to life.”

“Wild, please we need to know what’s going on.” Sheik carefully approached them.

Wild didn’t look at them, instead looked everywhere else. “Well…” but that was all they got.

Warriors heard him mumbling something more, something about a Mipha and some sort of power. But he didn’t really care about how his brother cheated death, he was here and alive, that was enough.

 After a few more moments, Warriors calmed down at last, a faint smile appeared. “When did you get so skilled? And what was that thing you used?”

He finally took notice of the strange device on Wilds hip, “And what’s this?” Things didn’t add up. Since when did he have this? He said something about a power. Wait, he had that after the two weeks missing. But eh? But Warriors mind was too exhausted to piece anything together.

“So… remember when I disappeared a while back?”

“Of course, I remember! You were gone for two weeks. No one knew where you were. I thought the enemy captured you, or worse. And you said nothing about it when you got back.” The uncertainty had gnawed at him all the time, he felt like he was walking on burning coal and could barely get any of his duties done. He was desperate to get any info on his brother.

“Yeah, you were pretty angry.”

“Wild!” He was only angry because he didn’t know what had happened, what had happened to him. Because Wild clearly didn’t want to talk about it, it had his imagination run wild with all possible scenarios, as bloody and gruesome as they could get, for every scar.

“You see, back then I got thrown through a portal.”

“Shit, you spent two weeks inside a portal? In another world?”

“About that, for me it was two years, you know. I was surprised to learn that only two weeks had passed here, when I managed to come back. My body just readjusted, which felt quite strange, but the scars remained. I guess that just happens when you mess with space and time.”

Warriors groaned. So many things suddenly made so much more sense. The scars, the change in Wilds mannerism, how he had improved in leaps and bounds. Back then he didn’t dare question it too much, because he was just so glad to have his brother return to him and didn’t want to pry open any trauma Wild wasn’t willing to share just yet.

He looked at Wild. At this point he was too exhausted to feel anything but relief, it was enough to know he was alive. Anything else could wait until later.

“I believe this is quite a tale to tell” Sheik stepped next to them “But let’s get back to camp for that one”

[lucitumb1r]

“It’s genius, really.” You insist, they cock a hip and raise an eyebrow.

“To me that just comes off as egotistical.” They reply.

Deep down, this is exactly what you feared. You open up to them, trust them with the real reason why you’re late so often, hope that this friend, who you’ve known for shorter than your heroic career, and they shoot you down.

Still, you mask the pain, and try again.

“Look, the gig is good, I can claim to try to be as alike to the hero as possible-“ “You mean as alike to yourself as possible.” “Yeah yeah sheesh, the point is, I can wear the costume pretty much the whole day long, and this thing was not only designed for comfort and practicality, it’s also made out of better quality stuff than most of my clothes.”

“If anything, that’s kind of pathetic, isn’t it?” You sigh.

“Just because I have superpowers that help me with stopping bad guys, that doesn’t mean that I can afford proper living.”

They open and close their mouth a bunch, you’re not sure if you want to hear what they have to say.

“It’s just..” They stop themselves again, you’re less nervous and more annoyed now. Just spit it out already!

“Why?” They settle on. Bit big of a question, isn’t it?

“Because..” Bit big of an answer, isn’t it?

“No, *why* do you choose to use your powers for good? You could just as easily live a life of comfort with what you can do.”

Ah, the eternal question of why humans feel the need to be good to one another.

And the eternal nagging to just be selfish.

“Well, mainly because, all super powered folk who were evil or using their advantage, seem to go missing after getting visited by some folk in suits.”

That shuts them up.

It was an unsettling pattern to address, but one that ultimately saved your life. Without your dad going missing at such an early age, you would’ve used your own powers for selfish gain as well. But you saw him get dragged away. His expression etched into your mind, haunting you when you sleep. Telling you that that’s your destiny as well. One day you’ll be old, frail and useless, they will come for you then. His pleas for help and mercy for him and his family, that eventually dwindle to just them sparing his wife and child, are sounds that taunt your ears, no matter how much you try to tune it out.

“You’re lying.”

Did they really just say that?

“What reason would I have to lie here?” They don’t reply. Instead they look about ready to walk away.

“You, really think, that I’m just a self centered egotistical brat, don’t you?”

They look down, and really, that’s answer enough.

“Identities stay hidden for a reason, in this line of work, what I just did is dangerous.” You tell them, sure they’re not the best, but they’re a friend. One you hope to keep.

“Well, surely you remember all the talks we’ve had, where I’d insist those powers are faked right? So why would I want to stay with the very thing that proves me wrong?”

No. Way.

Really?? They’re gonna walk away because their pride can’t handle it?!

“This entire time, I’ve been trying my best to convince you to stay my friend. But I see now that you don’t want to leave me, it’s just that you can’t see past my abilities.”

They flinch. “That’s not-! true..”

“Then what is the reason? Cause I’m pretty sure you don’t intend to hang out with me again.”

“It’s just, look.” They hold up a hand, you look at it, it’s the hand you’ve thought about holding in the past.

Before your very eyes, it changes color, grows scales and the nails grow longer.

You look up at them, they’re straining with effort. You couldn’t have been more wrong.

“You use your powers to protect the innocent, I use mine to hide and save myself.”

Oh.

“You’re everything I’m not.”

Oh..

“Wait… so your superhero secret identity is as an entertainer dressed up as… yourself. With a cheap costume that you wear over your real costume”

[ellowynthenotking]

Apr 29

Dear Dad,

I can’t believe we were basically around the corner from somewhere. We found a town, but everything is super expensive here—expensive to the point that we really can’t afford to stay here for any length of time with the funds we have at the moment.

We won’t be able to stay long even if we do make money. I think this place would end up bleeding us dry in no time. We didn’t get here early in the day, which probably hindered our money-making attempts. Still, I think people here might keep a close grip on what little money they have, mainly cause it seems like everything here is like twice the price it was in the city. At least the city had the excuse of having high taxes to account for it, but this place really doesn’t have that. So we’re being charged an arm and a leg for a room that barely houses all of us. 

We didn’t buy food or get any money while we were here. We couldn’t afford it. It was too much for what it was and how much there was. And it wouldn’t have kept us fed for very long anyway. 

Zunair tried to make any money, but he couldn’t; none of us could. We all went around trying to find work, anything really that might make us able to actually afford food to take with us. But no one wanted anything to do with us. I was turned away at at least a couple of places myself. No one had any work to do that they were willing to impose on us.

We’re going to move on, but we don’t know where to go. People aren’t even really talking to us. It’s like they’re hoping that if they ignore us, we’ll just go away. 

This isn’t a good way to handle your problems, especially when your problems involve real people. 

What do we do next? That’s the question we’re struggling with. We know we need to keep moving on, but the people here aren’t helpful at all. They won’t even tell us if there’s another town nearby down the road. It’s a complete mess. We don’t even know what will happen if we go to the next town.

It’s really, really, really not good, Dad. We don’t have a plan, place to go, or even food. 

We’re going to keep going in this direction, though. Even if there’s no good answer for us this way, maybe we can lose the cultists and circle back around? The fake wizards couldn’t help us, but maybe there are some real spellcasters who can. If nothing else, most people in the last kingdom were really friendly, so there’s a chance that even if they can’t help us, we can at least have food and housing if need be. 

I feel like our best answer will be a city, though. There’s gotta be more people and more information in the city, so even if there are ancient dwarvish monsters, there might be information. And if we’re staying in the temples, it might make it harder for the cultists to track us down while we figure out how to lose them permanently. 

I'm not saying it’s a good answer, but it’s an answer. 

We’ll leave again tomorrow morning; we can’t afford to stay at the inn here another night; it was way too much just for one room and to board the horses for the night. With any luck, there’ll be another town around the bend that’ll be cheaper, and we’ll be able to stock up on food and the like there. 

We’ll still need to come up with a real plan, though. I think to do that, we need a map of the whole region, not just the kingdom we’re in, and enough time to actually sit down and figure some stuff out. That probably won’t happen any time soon, though.

I’ll write when I can, please take care of yourself, and I hope you’re not worrying about me too much. Despite everything that’s going on, we’re still managing okay. It’s just been more than a little rough.

Love, Jack

Read the rest of the series here: 

Or read more by this author here: 

[aphrostarot]

Astrology and The Sexes: Aries Woman

The Aries Woman:

Title: “The Original” 

For simplicity's sake, I will use the pronouns “he/him” for the male versions of the signs and “she/her” for the female versions of the signs. This is not to say that the people who identify with the male or female versions of each sign identify with those pronouns. This post is focusing on the different sexes (male vs female) not gender. Gender is fluid and I am in no way labeling people with these posts. Also, these posts are focusing solely on the Sun signs of each zodiac, other birth chart placements may cause someone to not fit into everything I have described.

Masterlist

Mind (how they think):

The Aries woman can be quite active, directive, and goal-oriented. She is often described as being anything universally recognized as “masculine” as opposed to anything “feminine” such as being, passive, subjective, etc. 

The Aries woman is the personification of masculinity in the feminine form. 

She takes herself the most seriously. She tends to be quite guarded and doesn’t impress easily. 

Her goddess archetypes are Lilith and Athena. 

She naturally poses a challenge to the world of men. 

She is hard-pressed to carve out and sustain her identity in a society that has only just recently, and, still, just barely, begun to allow a woman all the rights and privileges afforded to men. 

She believes that the only way for her to be successful is by distancing herself from others. 

She also refuses to be dominated by men so, she will often keep to her own counsel. 

She is extremely competitive and you will oftentimes find her showing someone up. And she will be incredibly cutthroat while doing so. 

She is incredibly independent and she does this on purpose. She would much rather work alone than with someone else. 

She appears as an aloof loner rather than a social outcast.

She will often be labeled as a “feminist” from a young age, but, such political purpose couldn’t be further from her mind. She has no agenda but her own. 

Without even trying she just seems so out of reach which makes people pursue her all the more vigorously. 

She gives off an air of superiority that makes people fall to their knees around her. 

She is not opposed to throwing a temper tantrum when she doesn’t get what she wants. Other than those tantrums though, she appears to be relatively unemotional. 

She doesn’t need, she demands. Mainly attention, and to be allowed to assert her will. 

She is usually the female version of her father. 

However, she often looks down on her mother with pity. This is because she views her mother as repressing her own needs and goals for those of her husband, which the Aries female is determined to never allow in her own life. 

The Aries girl may be the son her father never had. Regardless of whether he has sons or not. She is her dad's favorite child. 

Because of her parent's relationship, she will associate feminity with weakness and identifies strength in a masculine presence, which explains why she often is overly masculine. 

Body + Soul (what they look like inside and out):

An Aries woman has an indomitable spirit. She demonstrates what a woman can do on her own, against societal odds. She is a symbol of strength, self-reliance, and liberation. 

Almost anything she wears looks good on her. However, her main style is jeans and a T-shirt.

She can pull off a sexy dress if need be, but she prefers to be comfortable. 

She tends to be on the taller and leaner side. She can be pretty light-skinned when compared to her family members, regardless of her race.

Her face is very striking. She has a sculpted bone structure that makes her face look wide and flat.

She has round eyes and bushy brows. A small straight nose, and a small mouth. 

Her lips tend to be on the thinner side, with the bottom one being bigger than the top. It may seem as though she doesn’t have a top lip sometimes because it is so thin. 

She can also look like an owl because of her flat face and big round eyes. This makes sense though, because, Athena's sacred animal was an Owl.

Her skin will appear porcelain-like, it is almost perfect with rarely any beauty marks or acne. 

Her back and shoulders are strong and straight. It seems as though she has perfect posture. 

She tends to have smaller boobs that remain relatively muscular (they are not very soft and squishy to the touch).

She has quite long legs and big thighs that make her a great athlete. 

Her pelvis is pretty prominent and forward-projected with long thigh muscles that create a U-turn look at her crotch. 

She doesn’t tend to have a hairy body but when it comes to her pubes she tends to have quite the bush. 

She doesn’t lack any moisture in her vagina. Her clit can get enlarged quite quickly when she is aroused. 

There is a springiness to her walk that is almost childlike, and she never appears ungraceful. It's hard not to notice a sexy bit of boyish energy running right through her wispy feminine figure.

When you first meet her she can seem quite brusque, cliquey, or even outright confrontational. This is because it’s hard for her to trust people that she doesn’t know and she doesn’t care to be subtle about it. 

She is ruggedly feminine rather than ambiguously androgynous. She is a handsome beauty, both admirable and sexually appealing to everyone.   

Sex + Sexuality (what they are like in bed and what they look for in a mate):

Aries Woman Interested in Men:

Since she does not want to end up like her mother she tends to go for the strong silent type. 

She can be quite indifferent when it comes to a long-term relationship. 

Sex has to be a daily mainstay in her relationships. If she is not in a relationship she will masturbate almost every day. 

She can be like the stereotypical man who is only looking to “score” rather than entering a committed relationship. 

This is not to say that she can’t settle down or won’t settle down because she usually does it later in life. And once she is in a committed relationship her partner will need to try and keep her interested by doing things that excite her both in and out of the bedroom because she tends to get bored very easily. 

She also isn’t ever one to jump into a marriage.

She prefers older guys when she is younger but, as she ages, she may start to prefer younger guys. 

When she is sick of being single she will steer clear of commanding personalities and will prefer a nurturing guy that will allow her to assert herself whenever she pleases.  

It takes her a while to open up to her partner because she doesn’t trust easily. However, if you have been in her life for quite some time she will soon start to open up and show her more vulnerable sides which will make you fall even more in love with her.

There may be some Aries women who crave a traditional marriage with someone who is okay with her independent lifestyle. But, most of the time even when an Aries woman is madly in love she will still despise the idea of marriage and becoming legally beholden. 

Her ideal mate is a hardworking man who will keep up with her rough sex life. 

She naturally assumes superiority over her significant other, especially intellectually.

Men often label her as a “tease” and a “slut” because of their double standards. She is very unapologetic about her directness when it comes to sex which intimidates many men. 

Sexually she acts on impulse and responds to whatever physical attraction she feels.

She doesn’t take rejection very easily. This is because she doesn’t understand how someone could not be interested in her.

She craves instant gratification in sex. 

She is not one for foreplay, she would much rather get to the main event. 

She is in pursuit of her own orgasm and that will be her main focus during sex. It isn’t until she has finished that she will direct her focus on her partner. 

She is known to play with herself during sex. This is because she believes she truly is the only one who can get her off the proper way and she also doesn’t want her partner to be distracted.

 She likes oral but only when she is on the receiving end. She rarely will want to suck a guy off. 

She mainly likes it on top. 

She can drink many guys under the table and she can also outscrew men too. 

Sex can be quite competitive with her. 

She likes it rough but she will not accept someone taking advantage of that. 

She likes a submissive man. She wants to make him squirm. 

She, however, likes a struggle for domination and prefers a partner who is a switch. 

She gets off on the raw scent of a man.

She is not the stereotypical feminine sexuality (perfume, plucking, and powder puffs) and this is something she wants all men to know about her. She has an almost animalistic quality to her sexuality. 

She also dreams of pegging a man. This is another physical representation of her desire to dominate men. 

She gets off on being watched. Lights on, shades up, and sex in public are some of the things she likes. 

She likes to be cuckolded. She wants her partner to watch while she gets fucked by another guy. 

Aries Woman Interested in Women:

An Aries woman who is attracted to other women looks for a more domineering woman. She wants to be their sex object. 

She may be way more feminine than the straight Aries. 

She likes to dress up in lingerie and perform stripteases for her partner. 

On the outside, though she will still be wearing a T-shirt and jeans. However, underneath there may be some pretty sexy lingerie. 

She likes to share her alpha female status with her partner when she is in a relationship with a woman. 

She wants a woman to worship her in a dominating way. 

She may like an older lover. 

She wants her partner to take care of her, almost as if they are her mother. 

She wants to be the submissive one in the bedroom. She wants her partner to ravish her. 

If her partner is more masculine she will take the femme role to the next level. 

She is not opposed to the use of a strap-on in the bedroom and may even crave it. 

The gay Aries may completely withhold herself from male contact and only associate herself with women. 

She may also like to have a threesome with another woman or sometimes maybe a man if she is attracted to men. However, she will happily respect her partner’s wishes, and if they do not want a third party involved she is okay with that. 

Nothing should ever come in between her and her lover no matter her sexuality. An Aries woman is very territorial and possessive even jealous sometimes over her lover and will fight anyone who tries to break them apart. 

When she finds someone she actually loves, she will do anything and everything to protect and preserve that bond.

[late-to-the-party-81]

Behave

A/N: Hi all! Major apologies for the lateness of this, my last entry for Kinktober, and the prompt Gang Bang/Orgasm Control.

As usual - unbeta'd.

Find my masterlist here

Edit: This is now a series - find the series master list here

@clearwatersfalling, I hope I did justice to your vision, this sort of ran away with me....

Grouping: Soft!dark! Steve, Bucky and Sam x Reader

Word count: 3.8k

This is a dark fic! Not your thing? Move along.

Not suitable for minors!

CW: Attempted Rape; Actual non-con/Rape; Threats of violence to reader; canon typical violence (not to reader); cohersion; kidnap; drugging; oral sex (both m and f receiving); rough p in v sex; brief mention of suicidal thoughts; slight dacryphilia

Behave

Your lungs burned and your legs throbbed as one word repeated itself inside your mind.

Run.

RUN.

RUN!

In a world gone to shit you always tried to keep your head down. You didn’t want to attract the attention of the scavenging bands who roamed the outlands, looking for a quick feed, a quick buck or a quick fuck. And they wouldn’t ask.

When the collapse of society came the great and the good flocked to safe conclaves, afforded the protection of the remaining military and police. Those in New York were lucky enough to get the added protection of the Avengers. However, the normal folk were mainly left to fend for themselves. Some managed to barter entry to a conclave, giving up their personal freedoms for security and safety, but you were not one of them.

For the last two years you’d managed to keep yourself relatively safe and healthy. You knew you were underweight, but that wasn’t unusual for an outlander. You’d avoided any major injuries and lived in a warehouse with a handful of other women, and some children. Today it had been your turn to go and seek out some supplies, and despite your care and attention, your run of luck had finally run out.

You’d been spotted and now your only hope was to outrun them and hide until they gave up. If they caught you, the best you could hope for was a beating for the hell of it. But it was more than likely that you would be raped and killed for sport, and not necessarily in that order. The scavengers barely retained any semblance of humanity any more, taking what joy they could in unfailing sadism. And your friends would mourn you and move on. People disappeared all the time, it just couldn’t be helped.

So you kept running, alert to any escape route, trying to ignore the whoops and hollers from behind you as the ‘once-men’ chased you like an animal. But the problem with looking around in such a manner, is that you fail to look down. Fail to see the small things that could set you a-cropper.

An involuntary shriek left your mouth as you tumbled to the ground. You don’t know what you caught your foot on, it could have been anything, but that didn’t matter. You felt pain lance through your knee, the thin fabric of your trousers ripping, the gravel on the ground tearing through your flesh. That was followed by your palms hitting the ground, and you skidding along before you rolled through sheer force of momentum, only coming to a stop when your back hit something hard.

You tried to get up, scrabbling for a handhold of any description. What remained of your calm was now slipping away, desperation taking hold of you. A large, rough hand grasped hold of your wrist and pulled you upright, causing further pain to shoot through your battered body. You lashed out with your free hand, and received a backhanded slap to the cheek for your trouble.

“We’ve got a live one here! Seems to be in decent nick too….”

You were surrounded by gruff laughter and lewd imaginings. One man, not the one holding you, advanced, leering and rubbing at his groin. You kicked out with your feet and screamed, but your captor just shook you until your teeth rattled.

“Can someone gag her, or tie her or something. I like a bit of spunk as much as the next guy, but I don’t want to have to work too much for it.”

Tears ran down your face, and your hysteria was rising. You looked around for some kind of weapon. You wouldn’t be able to defend yourself against this many scavengers, but you might be able to speed your own death.

Another man stalked towards you, a rope in his hands and you instinctively tried to pull away, despite knowing it was futile. And then all at once things got really crazy. The man with the rope was suddenly bowled over and something metallic rebounded off the wall behind you with a clang. Then the man holding you just crumpled to the ground as red bloomed on the brickwork. The remaining men turned to face the incoming threat, with shouts and cries, throwing projectiles and swinging chains. It seemed, in your dazed and scared state, that a giant bird came down from the sky and started to attack.

You curled up on the floor, trying to make yourself as small as possible, and closed your eyes. Your hands came up to cover your ears as you tried to block out the sounds of men being beaten and shot. An eternity later, which was probably only a few minutes, the echos of violence fell away. The only sound remaining was that of boots crunching across the ground. But you curled up tighter, shaking in fear.

“Shhhhh, bunny. It’s alright now. Come on, open those eyes for me.” The voice was deep, and smooth. And commanding. Your eyes opened, almost without volition. You looked up and were caught in a gaze of brilliant blue.

“There we go. All safe.”

You saw movement in the corner of your eye, and turned your head. Two other men stood there, one dressed in black, with shaggy chestnut hair and slate blue eyes, the other wearing some kind of pack on his back, goggles pushed up on his forehead, over close cropped dark hair, taking you in with eyes like molten chocolate.

“Don’t worry about 'em bunny, they’re with me.”

You turned back to the first man. He had dark blonde hair, and a shaggy beard. He smiled at you, teeth shining brightly.

“We’re going to take care of you, sweet thing. Never let anyone hurt you again.”

You looked up at your guardian angels, still running on adrenaline. There was a slight scratch against your arm and you turned to look. The blonde man threw a syringe over his shoulder into the pile of rubble.

“What…..what did you do?”

Your head was spinning, but you tried to push yourself up anyway.

“Don’t panic. You’re gonna come back with us now, bunny, back to the conclave. Got a nice spot all ready for you.”

He scooped you up into his arms as the world in front of your eyes turned black.

--------------------------------

When you regained consciousness the first thing you realised was that you were warm. Warmer than you had been in a long time. And the second thing was that you were naked. Your eyes snapped open, and you found yourself in a soft bed. There was no-one in the immediate vicinity, but you could hear the mumble of deep voices from close-by. Sitting up, you tried to push away a wave of dizziness. Why to fuck had that man saved you, just to drug you? Who the fuck was he? Who the fuck were his fri……Oh shit.

He’d mentioned a conclave. He must have meant the New York conclave. And the only residents brave enough to leave it were the Avengers. Which meant…..

Your head whipped round as the three men walked into the room. The Captain, the Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You gripped the sheets to your chest, like completely ineffectual armour. They were out of their fighting gear now, wearing the nicest clothes you’d seen since the Downfall. They were also clean, their hair slightly damp. And you realised that you were clean as well, and you smelt…..nice. Like flowers you could barely remember. They must have washed you down and dressed your injuries whilst you were unconscious.

Sam Wilson approached you first, crouching down in front of you, so your eyes were level. His hand came up to stroke at your hair and you tried not to flinch.

“Hey pretty thing. Feeling better?”

You didn’t answer his question, instead choosing to ask one of your own.

“Why am I here?”

Your voice came out barely louder than a whisper.

“Why, to keep you safe of course. The outlands are no place for a sweet girl like you.”

His other hand slid up your leg over the thin sheet.

“You’re gonna be all safe and cosy here with me and Steve and Buck there. He don’t say much, but he’s looking forward to you staying with us.”

Your eyes darted backwards and forwards, dread pooling in your stomach. How had you thought them guardian angels? Guardian demons more like. Their words were polite and gentle, but you could feel the undercurrent of corruption.

Steve then stepped forwards, sitting himself down on the bed beside you. With a long, lean finger, he turned your head towards him and rubbed his nose against yours.

“Gonna treat you so good, bunny. You behave and you’ll get anything you want…”

A whimper left your throat and you shifted slightly, your fight or flight response threatening to overrule your head. Steve’s large hand cupped your jaw, his thumb swiping over your chapped dry lips.

The bed dipped behind you and soft plump lips started to trail their way across your shoulder blades and cold metallic fingers held onto your waist, and oh, now your body was reacting in a different, but still unwanted way.

“That’s it sweet girl,” Sam’s voice purred in your ear. “Let it all go. You belong to us now.”

“Стив, я чувствую ее запах. Так мило...”

The gravelly, underused voice of the Winter Soldier came from behind you, although you didn’t understand his words.

“I know, Buck, I can smell her arousal too.”

You could hear the amusement in Steve’s voice.

You weren’t sure what it was about the revelation of the extent of their enhancements that made something in you snap, but your eyes shot open and you tried to lurch off the bed, away from the three men.

You must have surprised them a bit, as you broke out of their holds. However, still being wrapped in the sheet you only made it a few steps before it tangled around your feet and for the second time that day, fell to the floor. Luckily for your already bruised body, there was carpet on this one. Unluckily, your actions seem to have shifted something in the three men’s mood.

Sam was closest and his hands took hold of your already sore wrists and pulled you up against his body.

“Oh, baby. Why did you do that? You weren’t listening to Steve were you? You only get what you want if you behave…..”

The purr of his voice was menacing and you couldn’t help but shiver, the sheet wrapped around you starting to bow down to gravity. His eyes, which under other circumstances would have entranced you, were hooded and cold.

“But that little stunt was not what any of us would call behaving. Which means you don’t get what you want. But I can assure you that we will.”

His lips crashed down on yours, hot and demanding. His passion was unrestrained, and you could feel his hardness pressed against your thigh. His lips forced yours apart and you squeaked into his mouth as his tongue pushed past your teeth. It crossed your mind to bite him, but as if you had broadcast the thought, Steve’s voice whispered in your ear.

“Don’t even think about it, bunny. You made us cross by trying to run. Just think how angry we will be if you try to hurt one of us……”

As his hands helped the sheet make its final journey to the floor, he nipped at your lobe both a warning and also a promise. Sam pulled his mouth from yours, lifting you up and tumbling you back onto the bed. You made to sit up, but the metal hand of the Winter Soldier spread across your stomach, easily pinning you down.

“Я хочу тебя попробовать”

His head dipped, dark hair falling across his face and his mouth latched onto one of your nipples, causing your body to arch and a cry to leave your throat. There was a chuckle, but whether it was from Steve or Sam, you couldn’t tell.

But it was Steve who captured you mouth this time, his tongue tangling with yours as he moaned into you. The stress of the day and the conflicting feelings and sensations running through your body were making you dizzy. You couldn’t stop your body responding, and part of your brain was telling you that you might as well enjoy it if you could. If they had merely wanted to slake their needs with your body, they would have done so, they had no need to make it pleasurable for you. However, your pondering was disrupted by the feeling of lips on your inner thighs, Sam’s by process of elimination. His hands pushed your thighs wide and he settled between them, before using his dexterous fingers the pry your folds apart.

“So pretty….,” he mumbled before licking a stripe up your core and diving into your pussy like a man starved. Bucky continued to worship your breasts, sucking and nipping the sensitive flesh in turn, and all the while Steve made out with you, one hand holding your chin still, the other pining your wrists above your head. You’d given yourself over to the pleasure now, Sam having to hold your hips down as he ate you, against your subconscious attempts to increase the friction. Your back was still arched under the Winter Soldier, and you mewled into Steve’s mouth. You could feel your orgasm closing in on you, the pressure growing in your abdomen. You were teetering on the edge when Steve pulled his mouth away from you.

“Stop!”

The command left his lips and immediately Bucky and Sam pulled back. You whined as you felt the pleasure slip away and you opened your eyes, searching Steve’s face. He smirked in return.

“We told you, bunny, you don’t get what you want unless you behave……”

The other two men were shifting on the bed, and when you looked you saw that Bucky had removed his clothes. Your eyes trailed down over his solid body, and cut abs, drawing in a breath when you saw his cock, hanging heavy between his thighs. He was beautiful, despite the scarring on his left side. The light in the room reflected off his metal arm. You didn’t want to think about the damage it could inflict on you. He crawled up your body, the expression on his face feral.

“Ты будешь кричать, когда я тебя испорчу.”

You were still none the wiser as to what he said, but it sounded like a promise. He began to push his way into your wet core and you cried out, desperate for something to hold on to, but Steve still had hold of your wrists.

“Fuuuuuuuckkk!!”

“That’s the idea sweetheart.”

Steve’s voice teased you but you were still distracted by the feeling of Bucky splitting you apart. He was rocking gently, but firmly, working his whole length into you. When he bottomed out he rested his head on your chest, but the reprieve only lasted a few moments. He raised his head again, took his lower lip between his teeth and pulled back, almost leaving your cunt, before slamming back in again. He set up a brutal pace, and he bit at the skin around your breasts. The pain and the pleasure mixed within you, making you delirious, breathy moans leaving your throat.

You felt a tap on your lips and turned your head to find Sam knelt on the bed beside you. He had shed his clothes as well and held his own thick dick in his hand. He traced the head over your mouth, painting you with his pre-cum.

“Come on sweetheart, be a good girl and open for me….”

You’d like to say that you obeyed through a sense of self preservation, but to be honest, with how aroused you now were, you just wanted to suck him, choke on him. You ran your tongue over your lips, tasting his essence, before opening to let him in. He filled your mouth with his cock, and you massaged the veins on the underside of him with your tongue. When Bucky thrust hard you moaned, which forced an answering one out of Sam. He took hold of the headboard for leverage and started to fuck into your mouth.

“Yeah, baby. Just like that. Taking it so well. Starting to behave now. Be good to us, we’ll be good to you….”

The coil inside you was tightening again, you were so close. Tears were leaking from your eyes as you gagged around Sam, and your hips moved to meet each of Bucky’s thrusts, your legs wrapped around his waist. And then Steve did it again.

“Stop!”

Both men stilled their movements and your eyes went wide as you looked at Steve. You tried to move your head, jerk your hips, but you were held immobile by all their hands and Steve smiled coldly at your desperation.

“Do you get it now sweetheart? Do you promise to behave?”

Sam pulled back from you, and you coughed before you answered.

“Yes.”

Your voice was hoarse, but your response clear.

“Good.”

At Steve’s nod his partners recommenced their pleasurable assault on your body. You let your eyes close, and when Steve let go of your wrists, one of your hands went to Sam’s hip and the other to Bucky’s shoulder, giving you the illusion of some kind of control over what was happening. Having been denied twice it didn’t take long for you to be on edge once again.

Bucky whispered unknown nothings in your ear, gruff and low, whilst Sam babbled his filthy thoughts almost non-stop. Steve remained silent, and you would have forgotten he was there if it weren’t for the fact that he was stroking your arm and hair as he watched you fall apart.

Sam was the first to come, spilling deep into your throat, praising you all the while. He continued with small thrusts into your mouth until he was sure you had taken every drop of his cum, before moving back, replacing his cock with his mouth and kissing you passionately. Then, because he now had more space, Bucky upped the ante. He pulled your legs up over his shoulders, and rose up onto his knees, thrusting into you even harder and at an angle that made you see stars. A litany of sounds left your throat and you gripped his biceps, your nails digging into the flesh of his right arm.

And then you were screaming, as your pleasure washed over you, shaking your whole body.

“Такой узкий, зайчик. Я сказал тебе, что заставлю тебя кричать.”

Bucky grunted in your ear and you felt him twitch and pulse inside you, flooding your pussy with his cum. He moved off you and you lay in a daze on the bed, panting as you tried to regain your breath. For a moment you forgot about Steve, but he certainly hadn’t forgotten about you. The hands that had been stroking your arm and hair moved down your body, running over your breasts, your abdomen, your hip.

“Open your eyes for me bunny, there you go.”

It took you a few moments to focus, but he was now naked, leaning over you. His body was captivating in its beauty, golden skin and ripped muscles. His hands ran back up to your upper arms, and in the blink of an eye he had flipped you both, so that he was lying on his back and you were straddling his hips. You could feel his cock resting against the crease of your ass.

“I want you to ride me, show me and the boys how well you can behave and do as asked. You behave and we’ll be sweet on you, treat you right. You’ll be our girl. But if you don’t behave, you deny us, then you will be punished. And you really don’t want that, sweetheart.”

One large hand came down and swatted you on the ass.

“So giddy up!”

You lifted yourself slightly, reaching behind you to take hold of him. Fuck, he felt big in your hand. You glanced down and gasped. He was so thick! Steve chuckled darkly at your reaction.

“I’ll fit, don’t you worry bunny. The boys got you all relaxed 'n wet for me. And in no time at all you’ll be able to take me first, get used to me stretching you out and filling you.”

He placed his hands on your hips and started to pull you down, impaling you on his cock. You were grateful now for Bucky’s release slicking up your channel and that they had allowed you to come. Despite the slow way in which he was pressing into you, you knew you would have had problems accommodating Steve if he had been first.

When your groin was flush with his you let out a whine. He allowed you the chance to adjust for a few moments, before he moved your arms so your hands were braced on his abs. He looked at you, an eyebrow raised in challenge. You responded by lifting your body, feeling his length rub against your insides, before you sank back down with a cry. He was pressed against every sweet spot inside you, pleasure darting along your nerves. You rose again, repeating the action, this time drawing a moan from the man beneath you. A flood of power washed over you, and the speed of your movements increased.

You were using him now, your eyes closed again as you just focused on how he felt inside you, how your clit brushed up against the trimmed thatch of his pubes every time you sank down. Part of you was aware that Sam and Bucky were knelt on either side of you, but it was brought home when you felt lips sealing around both your breasts. You had to move your arms, so your hands were resting between each man’s shoulder blades. Steve’s hands stroked your thighs, strong thumbs pressing into the delicate skin of the inner curves. One hand moved higher and you shuddered as he found your clit, rolling over it in smooth circles.

You ground down, clenching your walls and rotating your hips. You cared for nothing except your own pleasure now and you were suffused with it. Your second orgasm washed over you as if a dam had burst, wave after wave taking you away from the pain and fear you had been suffering, not just today, but over the last few years. Tears rolled down your face at the physical and emotional release.

“Good girl, bunny. That’s it, fuck…..so pretty, so good for us….”

Steve’s words cut off into a moan as he came, his hips bucking up into you as he rode out his pleasure.

“Everything’s better when you behave……”

---------------------

Bucky says;

- Steve, I can smell her. So sweet...

- I want to taste you.

- You will scream as I ruin you.

- So tight, little bunny. I told you I'd make you scream.

[chateautae]

maybe i do | kth. III

➵ summary :  maybe you love each other, maybe you don’t. when a deal between your fathers leaves you forcefully wedding kim taehyung, arguably seoul’s most powerful CEO, you’re prepared for a loveless marriage of eternal regret and unhappiness. but maybe, it doesn’t turn out that way after all.

↳  part of the high-class series!

➵ pairing : taehyung x reader

➵ genre :  arranged marriage!au, ceo!tae, s2l!au, eventual smut, fluff, angst

➵ rating : 18+

➵ word count : 17k (im sorry omg)

➵ warnings : oh boi we have aNgSt, serious familial issues, swearing, multiple fight scenes, mainly verbal but there is a slap in one, mentions of a wound, mentions of alcohol, (there’s honestly a lot that goes wrong in this chapter but at least tae and the reader have each other), sexual tension :o, bit of possessive!tae, (i mention a short reader a lot but i just wanted to say you’re beautiful even if you’re tall! tae is just very tall to me askldjs)  

➵ a/n: i’m back and hoLY is this chapter loaded (and a lil unedited forgive me!!) i’ve finally finished school and get a whole month off now! who knows what works i’ll release in that time 👀. as always, feedback is appreciated loves!

chapter three : “the window opened one time with you and me”

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“Mother?” You stood frozen, completely and utterly shocked as to how your mother was just opposite of you, smiling brightly as if she hadn’t done a single thing wrong in her life and loved you unconditionally.

How incredibly wrong that was. 

“Y/N! How are you? Oh dear, it’s been so long!” Your mother threw her arms around your neck, pulling you against her for a hug you just barely returned. 

“Good. You?” 

“Oh, I’m great!” She beamed.

“What are you doing here?” You inquired, shutting the door after her entry.

“Ah, I just couldn’t believe my daughter’s married now, I wanted to drop by and say congratulations!” Your mother cheered, grinning widely as she began scanning the grand interior of your house, leering as though you weren’t standing just before her.

“Drop by? You could’ve just came to the wedding, Mother...” You suggested despondently, plastering a pained smile onto your face. You attempted to meet her eyes, though they rather seemed to sparkle at anything that appeared expensive.

Anything but you. 

“Oh, I was in Ibiza. I couldn’t just leave while my resort pass still had benefits on it, you know me.” She flashed you a cheeky smile as she playfully hit you, propping her heels off.

You nodded half heartedly, trying extremely hard to not lose it on her because you were in your home; a place meant for peace and comfort and didn’t have room for negative.

Not to mention, Taehyung resided just upstairs in his study with most likely his door open, and you didn’t want to risk bothering him if you raised your voice. 

“Ibiza was more important than your own daughter’s wedding, huh?” You spoke to yourself, nodding in a manner that would somehow help you accept the sad fact, though instead called forth a feeling you should’ve grown accustomed to by now.

Disappointment.

She knew about the wedding, you knew your father informed her of the ceremony along with its date and time. Though as she audaciously ogled the embellishments of your front foyer and spoke to you carelessly, she practically screamed she gave 0 fucks about your wedding. That what really mattered to her was living out the full experience of an expensive vacation than attending a life-changing night for her daughter. 

Typical. 

“Oh, c’mon now. When you put it like that it makes me seem so bad.” Your mother pouted like a child. “It wasn’t a real marriage, anyway.” She waved off the conversation as she ventured further into the house, bold enough to strike another conversation . “My God, this is the house of the Kim Taehyung?” Your mother’s eyebrows shot up, drinking in the grand size and wealthy look of the home. “You got very lucky, Y/N.” 

You cocked an eyebrow, incredulous of what she was insinuating. “What do you mean, Mother?” 

“Y/N, you’re married to Kim Taehyung. Do you understand how fantastic that is? For you?” Your mother was on the verge of scoffing, smoothing over her dress as she looked elsewhere. “He’s an incredibly rich man, and considering that life of yours it’s a miracle he ever agreed to marry you.” Your mother relayed nonchalantly as she caught sight of an exquisite vase. 

And there it was, the belittling. You’d mentioned before you were often disparaged and received numerous insults when anything concerned your status as the runaway heiress. But what you failed to mention was the person who claimed the #1 position as your largest and most incessant hater. 

Your mother. 

“Mother, it doesn’t matter to me whether a man is rich or not.” You countered, trying to quell your snippy tone but it was as grand a fail your mother was at being a mother. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Unlike you, I’m not obsessed with my husband’s money.” You almost spat with crossed arms, only this comment causing her to turn towards you. 

“Excuse me? I’m your mother, watch your tone a little.” She scolded quite lightly, before returning to inspect a painting. 

You scoffed, “My mother...” you repeated under your breath, rolling your eyes. 

“No mumbling, Y/N. Speak up.”

“I said it’s funny you’re referring to yourself as my mother.” You voiced clearer.

“And why is that so funny?” You could visibly see your mother failing to control her temper with you, masking it all behind a fake smile she mastered ages ago. 

“Because you’ve been anything but a mother.” You retorted, knowing exactly what this conversation was leading into. 

An argument.

“And you’ve been daughter of the year?” Your mother countered, sarcastic tone cutting the air, and it only made you more irritated. 

“Here we go again, the bad daughter narrative.” You scoffed. “Find something new to argue, will you?” You narrowed your eyes.

“And you believe your bad mother narrative is any better?” She sneered back. “I’ve even come to visit you yet this it how you’re treating me. When will you ever learn to be grateful?”

“Please, you chose a vacation over your own daughter’s wedding.” You held a hand up, gesturing against her audacity. “And when have I ever been ungrateful? I don’t remember biting the hand that fed me.” 

“No, Y/N, you didn’t bite the hand that fed you, you completely neglected and abandoned it.” She claimed, drawing closer towards your direction. “You left this family to pursue your own selfish desires. You’re the very definition of ungrateful.” 

“Excuse me? Definition?” 

“Yes, definition. You threw everything your father worked so hard for away. All he ever wanted was to provide his family with a comfortable life, but you instead wasted his efforts and made everyone's lives so much harder. Do you really think I’ll forgive you for what you did to your older brother?” Your mother voiced in an accusatory tone, bringing up an age old argument you knew was going to ravage any peace between you two. 

“That was not my fault, he was already due for the same thing in Korea, it doesn’t matter if he’s in the U.S now.” You argued back. 

“It’s all your fault! You’re the reason Yoongi hasn’t been able to come home in years! You ruined his entire life by making him uproot and take over the U.S faction when it was your role. Your decision to leave forced him into it!” 

“So you’d rather have my life uprooted and ruined than your precious son’s?”

“Because my son isn’t like you! He isn’t selfish at all, Yoonie is a hard-working man who’s always listened to me and your father, always rightfully prioritized the company. But you? You’ve only ever made things worse. You’re completely useless, all you do is tear this family apart. Your father has to pick up your work, you keep your brother out of this country and give me years worth of stress!” Your mother shouted louder than she should’ve, angry as her eyes revealed searing frustration, contempt. 

You were trying to negate the hurt you felt by her words, having trained yourself to endure their sharp sting, though no matter how many times you heard them, it never made it any easier. 

“Oh please, your favouritism is showing, mother.” You remarked with near tears, her disregard for you so disturbingly apparent it left your eyes watering. 

“Yoongi has always loved his work and the company, but I never have. When will you understand that? If I’ve ruined our family so much why have I never heard these same words from Dad or Yoongi? They’ve always supported me, understood and loved me regardless of what life I chose. Why can’t you do the same? Why can’t you just try to understand me for once?” 

“Because there’s nothing to understand. You’re an heiress to this family, you are meant to live for this company and this company only. You owe your father and I your life, nothing has ever been yours. The least you could do to pay us back is by rightfully working at the company and not being as much of a disappointment as you are now.” You mother’s tone was strict and resolute, utterly fed up with you.

“Cry me a river, mother. I don't owe you a single thing. You’re one to talk about working alongside Dad and the company, all you’ve ever done is use his money without a single care for his work.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You heard me, Mother, all you do is use Dad for his money. You know next to nothing about business or the company and have the least amount of right to lecture me about it. At least I’m not a woman who mooches off somebody and lives recklessly!” You snapped back at her with tears just pooling your lash line, arms crossed tightly holding your chest where it felt your heart would collapse.  

“Do you understand who you’re talking to? Speak with respect, Y/N, I am your mother.” She tried to finalize, but you weren’t having any of it. 

“And I could care less. You’ve never once done anything to warrant that title. All you’ve ever done is travel the world and bathe in the luxuries your husband affords you without ever being there for me or Yoongi. It was always dad despite being so busy, it was never you. You weren't even there for my wedding, when I needed my mother the most. No, you’re someone who’d rather use your rich husband and forget he’s a person.” Your voice was shaking at this point, practically rattling. “You may not have been there for my wedding, but I would never do that to my husband.” You let everything out without a care at the point, flooding the tense air. 

Your mother seemed to completely lose it at this, her tone scarily still as she gritted through her teeth. “You wouldn’t do that to your husband, really? Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing right now?” 

You flashed her an incredulous look. “Pardon?”

“You’re married to one of the richest men in Seoul, and you think you’re not doing the same thing? Whose house do you live in? Whose food do you eat? Whose lavish lifestyle do you now get to relish in? It’s all your husband’s, not yours.” Your mother was practically spitting venom at this point, scoffing. “I must say, your quest for independence is interesting, having landed you in the exact same place you always berated me for. Look where you are now, mooching off your rich husband.” 

If words could dagger you in the heart and looks could kill, you’d surely be 6 ft. under by now.

Years, years you’ve been stuck in this constant loop of back and fourth with your mother, arguing the same 5 things you could never see eye-to-eye on. And no matter what she said, no matter the insults, the belittling, the verbal abuse she always spat your way; you’d grown used to it. Her words became normal, second nature to you and so you easily drowned them out. Her insults became useless weapons you simply dodged and avoided. 

But this, this was where your mother won. 

Her words dawned a laughable sense of irony on you, nearly physically reeling as though someone had punched you in the gut at the realization. It was raw agony, the very prospect you’d spent the entirety of this ordeal evading. 

To think the same independence you fought so gravely for, can so easily be erased and forgotten all due to marrying a rich CEO. It felt pathetic, unfair you had no choice but to marry Taehyung. It wasn’t his fault he was rich, neither was it yours. 

It was just coincidence, pure and utter coincidence. But to think this very coincidence would be the reason your stomach is churning and self-worth is collapsing; it was fucking unfortunate, miserable. 

“Leave my house, this instance.” There was no emotion in your voice, it was flat, vision clouded.

“What did you say to me?” 

“I said get out!” You yelled, the shrill in your voice evidence of tears. “I don’t ever want to see you again!” 

“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me! I’m your mother!” 

“You’re not my mother at all, you’re the worst excuse of one. Leave my house!” 

“It’s not your house, Y/N! It’s your husband’s, and you will end up living the same life as me, using your husband for his money!” Your mother had somehow made her way over to you, having the audacity to push you back by your arms, driving her point home by the act of aggression. 

You gritted through your teeth, eyes teary. “I’ll never be like you, I’ll never be a cheap woman who only stays with a man for his money. A woman who probably cheats on her husband with wealthy men in other countries!”

This was the moment your mother gasped scandalously, becoming so irate she didn’t hesitate to raise her hand and slap you across the face. 

You stood emotionless, not even having the capacity to feel shocked or in pain due to how normal this was. There wasn’t a single unfamiliar thing about the sting of her hand, the way her manicured nails scratched against your skin and worse, the way her wedding ring usually cut into your cheek to produce a small wound. 

It was all too familiar, making you scoff as if this was exactly what you expected from her, exactly what you've always known. 

“You still hit your grown daughter, huh? The last 10 years of it weren’t enough?” You endured the ache, swallowing back tears. You weren’t letting them spill, not at this. 

Not at something as undeserving as your mother. 

“You give reasons to, Y/N.” Your mother simply crossed her arms and looked away, showing the slightest hint of shame though never allowing it to leak into the proud and egotistical persona she assumed around you. 

A suffocating silence pierced the air, looming for some time until you spoke. 

“Leave this house, mother. I beg of you.” You pleaded, not out of desperation, though out of sheer tiredness. Tiredness of the same argument and the same insults you always directed each other, tired of the same outcomes that only ever lead to more bitterness tainting your relationship. “Don’t make this any worse, we’ve probably disturbed Taehyung upstairs.” 

Your mother looked at you with lightly raised eyebrows, inquiring. “He’s home?” 

You nodded faintly. “Yeah, so leave.” 

“Am I not allowed to meet him?” Your mother seemed offended. 

“No, you’re not.” You stated firmly, not caring about the sliver of respect you thought you had for her and instantly pushing her towards your front entrance, nabbing her shoes along the way. 

“What are you-” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before you swung the front door open, guiding her outside and shoving her shoes in her hands. 

She was about to retort until you shut the door on her, locking it. You leaned against the wood as you heard her protests, not minding her calls as you allowed your constrained tears to finally stream down your face. 

It was too much, she was too much. 

Why could your mother never see eye-to-eye with you? Why couldn’t she be a normal mother? Why couldn’t she be supportive? All she ever did was preach how useless you were, how selfish and ungrateful your very existence was.

Of course someone like her could never understand, never understand the value of autonomy and achieving something for yourself; she’s never once done anything along those lines in her entire life. 

Her words ran deeper today than they ever have, sending a stifling feeling to swarm your chest, your self-esteem and everything alike collapsing along with your pride.

It hurt, it really did. To hear those words from the very woman meant to love you so dearly, so unconditionally only exacerbated the pain. It made you jealous of every child you was gifted with a kind mother, not daring to curse anyone for it but simply feel it was unfair. Even Taehyung had such a warm and loving mother. 

Maybe that’s why Taehyung was so warm. 

Taehyung. 

You realized you were out in the open shedding tears where he could possibly see you, trying to silence the sobs that escaped your lips. You only failed, agony tightening your chest and growing more painful the more you held it all in. So you clutched your hand to your mouth and made straight for the kitchen sink, running the water loudly enough to drown out the sounds of you candidly crying. 

Your cheek still stung, your heart ached and your mind spun endlessly, all while trying to desperately rid yourself of the worthless feeling inside you. 

And it didn’t work. 

Taehyung had been working, scrolling through his laptop as he diligently reviewed status reports, only to have a notification brighten his phone screen. He flashed his occupied vision towards it and caught sight of his security system alerting him of his front door. 

He grew curious knowing the housekeepers were shopping for groceries at this hour, causing him to tap the notification and display the camera feed of his front porch. He was welcomed by a woman he’s never seen, peaking his curiosity. 

He almost rose from his seat until he saw the woman turn towards the door in accordance with you opening it, assuming you most likely knew her as she smiled brightly and ventured comfortably into the home. 

Taehyung shrugged it off and returned to his tedious reading, staring at the practically blurring lines of text until he eventually began hearing raised voices from downstairs, his ajar doors and grand home producing an echoing effect that reached his study. 

Taehyung cocked an eyebrow as he grew slightly worried, discerning it didn’t sound like a friendly conversation. He abandoned his work and made towards the doors of his study, peaking towards the direction of his stair railings that overlooked the first floor of his home. 

More of the conversation became apparent, and Taehyung instantly identified it sounded more like a negatively charged argument than a conversation. His eyebrows furrowed the more he listened, knowing it was bad manners to eavesdrop though finding himself doing so anyways. 

“You heard me, Mother, all you do is use Dad’s money. You know next to nothing about business or the company...” Taehyung’s eyebrows shot to the sky, realizing you were speaking to your mother; the same woman you explicitly expressed was to be avoided at all costs and even winced at the mention of. 

He couldn’t forget that from the first time he met you. 

“...Speak with respect, Y/N, I am your mother. ” The crudeness in your mother’s voice was already indicative of your ill relationship, the harshness sounding like second nature. 

Taehyung grimaced. 

“...All you’ve ever done is travel the world and bathe in the luxuries your husband affords you without ever being there for me or Yoongi...” Yoongi? As in your brother, Min Yoongi? Taehyung only loosely recalled Min Yoongi lived and worked in the States, where he headed your father’s lucrative faction there.

He’d only met the mellow, though diligent man a couple times before.

“...I would never do that to my husband.” Despite the intense situation, Taehyung felt the slightest tinge of pride hearing you refer to him as your husband.  

“You wouldn’t do that to your husband? Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing right now?” 

Oh fuck, Taehyung thought. This isn’t going anywhere good. 

“You’re married to one of the richest men in Seoul, and you think you’re not doing the same thing? Whose house do you live in? Whose food do you eat?...”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

Taehyung became alarmed, silently drawing his index finger and thumb over his lips in frustration. You didn’t need to hear this, it was complete bullshit. Your situation with him was different, it was forced and coerced. Taehyung could tell you were someone who truly didn't favour using someone else’s money, and knew you were trying your damn hardest to adjust to the idea itself having to spend your life with him. 

He rushed out into the hallway where he began pacing, trying his hardest to contain himself and hope that you wouldn’t take your mother’s words to heart. Was this why you were so adamant about the fucking card? Because you had to hear shit like this from your mother? 

This was only going to undo the work he’d successfully laid out, thinking it would erase any convincing he had done about his money and what’s his is yours. This was bad news, he didn’t want you thinking any of your mother’s words were true. 

They simply weren’t. 

“Leave my house, this instance.”

“What did you say to me?”

“I said get out! I don’t ever want to see you again!”

Taehyung was becoming anxious, the argument was clearly escalating and he felt uneasy, an incessant feeling bothering his chest. 

There it was again, that same sense of protection he felt when he saw you practically shaking talking to that Kisoo guy. He didn't understand why it manifested, or why he felt it so emphatically. All he knew was after hearing the way your voice nearly cracked, unstable and troubled as you grew more emotional, he felt the strong feeling to oddly.. rescue you? 

It’s like he wanted to bolt down the stairs, physically stand in between the argument and force your mother out of the house, all while trying to persuade you what she said wasn't true. 

Why did he feel this way? This was none of his damn business, had absolutely nothing to do with him yet if it weren't for half the mind he had, he could’ve found himself racing down the stairs to defend you.

Taehyung shivered at the thought, shaking it off.

“... you will end up living the same life as me, using your husband for his money!”

“I’ll never be like you, I’ll never be a cheap woman who only stays with a man for his money. A woman who probably cheats...”

And not long after he heard the slap, evidently hard and painful in just it’s sound. Taehyung immediately froze in his tracks, halting his pacing as worry blossomed in his chest. He prodded over to hide against the edge of the wall that connected to his staircase, able to peak at the sight of both you and your mother stood before the front foyer. 

Taehyung felt pissed within seconds, again unable to decipher why he felt the need to protect you. Though what he did know was that he felt bothered, never wanted anyone to hurt you and he hated the very thought of it. 

Maybe it was because of his considerate personality again, or maybe it really was because of you. 

What made Taehyung grow even angrier, though, was the way you reacted, listening to you dub this as something that happened often, and he was uber pissed now. 

You didn’t fucking deserve that at all. 

It took him no time to understand your apprehension and natural disliking for your mother, wanting himself to never have to converse with her. He would most likely be rude and curt, replaying the same vile words she really had the nerve to say to her own daughter. Scratch that, his wife. 

Yeah, Taehyung thought. My wife shouldn’t be treated like this. 

He knew it was wrong, impolite of him to assume and judge a person so openly based on their cover, though Taehyung could tell these were your mother’s true colours, and any other persona she assumed would only be a farce. 

Taehyung watched as you simply shoved your mother out of the house, shutting the door only to lean against it and allow the tears you’d hidden to fall down your cheeks. Taehyung turned his back and leaned against the wall, concealing himself to give you privacy. 

He knew it was already rude to have eavesdropped, even ruder to look on at such a vulnerable moment. It was rude because he wouldn’t even be able to comfort you, only watch as a dumb-founded bystander; rendered useless because it wasn’t his place to console you.

He knew nothing about you.

He really didn’t know your situation, the relationship you had with your mother. He couldn’t step on your toes and give you advice as if he knew you, nor supply you with words that would make you feel better; contemplating he’d possibly never be able to. 

He wasn’t your remedy, he wasn’t your muse, just a man you were forced to marry and now have to live with. A man who stripped you of your independence, ruined your life all just by his mere existence.

 And so Taehyung found even more reasons to not rush to you, simply leave you on your own knowing he was partly the reason for your pain, your suffering. That your mother only said such things because of him, that she only insulted you because of him. 

So he found himself retreating, walking carefully back to his study to mind his own business and continue his work, complete it as though nothing happened. 

But as each step seemed to grow longer, heavier, he found himself unable to retreat. Unable to function knowing you were probably hurting, unable to ignore you and so blatantly turn his back on you. 

So in a hasty, irrational decision, Taehyung found himself turning on his heel and rushing towards the staircase. 

You continued to sob quietly, thinking if you just let it all out now, cried just about hard enough all the sorrow would leave your body. So that’s what you did, bit your lips to contain the aching feeling in your chest as your throat seemed to constrict, swallowing all your feelings down in an attempt to poorly control them. 

You were in your own world, the sink’s water masking any noise behind you, and so when somebody’s hand reached out to rest against your shoulder, you were completely startled. You jumped, quickly shutting the water in a flash and refusing to look back at the culprit to save your pride. 

Whoever it was, they couldn’t see you like this. 

Though when you heard his dulcet, deep voice calling your name, you knew exactly who it was.

“Y/N?”

You straightened yourself up, breathing out the emotions ravaging your chest and stabilizing your voice to address him. “Hey, Taehyung. What um.. what are you doing here?” 

Taehyung could hear your solemn attempt to cover everything up, feeling your sense of embarrassment practically fill the air. 

“Nothing, just.. wanted to see you.” Taehyung said, unsure of how to approach this.

“You’re probably busy. You should go back to work.” You tried hard to sound okay while you practically swallowed back tears, clutching the counter of the sink.

“It’s alright, not important.” Taehyung waved it off, letting his hard remain on your shoulder seeing you didn’t reject him. A beat of silence lingered until he spoke again.

“Can you look at me, Y/N?” There was no pressure in his voice, just the same soft consideration you’d heard at the hotel suite a couple nights ago.

And you hated it, hated that it made you want to give in, want to so easily follow his request and bare to him whatever he wanted.

Until your last braincell kicked in. 

“I’m sorry, Taehyung. I’m really sorry if I interrupted your work. Please go back to your study.” You voiced just barely above a shaky tone, trying your absolute hardest to sound just fine, seem okay. But the more Taehyung spoke, the more you felt your defense mechanisms slowly coming undone.

And you knew he knew.

“I wasn't interrupted.” He stated normally, his voice natural and yet he sounded so.. comforting? He was simply responding to you and yet his voice and presence seemed to soothe the sharp ache in your chest. 

It was fucking poetic. 

“I’m sure I did, Taehyung. Just please, return to your work.” 

“I don’t need to, Y/N, I can stay here.” He was firm as he stood behind you, measly hand against your shoulder and his usually intimidating, towering figure reassuring.

It was odd.

“You shouldn’t. Just go back, Taehyung.” You attempted to voice with more strength, trying to blink tears away and it didn’t convince Taehyung in the slightest.

“I don’t want to. Look at me first.” His voice sounded calm, and it was really like honey. Thick yet sweet, so deep and yet it’s cadence harboured the ability to put anyone at ease.

You shut your eyes tightly, wiping at them hastily to rid any tears as you sniffled and turned around. You were met by his face that slightly softened at the sight of you, eyes seeming to melt as they swirled with consideration, different from his usually unreadable expression. 

“See, I’m fine. You can go back to work.” You plastered a smile on, trying to stand a little more confidently, though Taehyung didn’t budge. 

He only remained, gazing at the features of your face as he seemed to drape his own with a small sense of sadness, like he was upset, maybe even hurt? It was slight, though identifiable. It left you quite speechless, thinking it was all just part of your imagination.

It couldn’t be real.  

But it exactly was as Taehyung’s large hand came up to gently touch the cheek your mother slapped. You didn’t realize it hurt more than it should’ve when you felt a sharp sting at his touch, wincing.

You registered there was probably a visible mark and grew too vulnerable, downright embarrassed for your liking and so you deflected him, smacking his hand away from your face as you looked off to the side. 

“I’m fine, Taehyung.” You declared, and Taehyung didn’t know how to react as his hand came off you, feeling a bit disheartened. He simply wanted to help, and he didn’t want to leave without doing so.

So he still looked at you, eyes possibly growing sympathetic though it could’ve been a figment of your imagination again.

“You didn’t deserve that.” He voiced soft in sound, though resolute in nature.

Taehyung was having trouble choosing what he could say without overstepping, invading a part of you he probably shouldn’t. 

“I didn’t ask for a pity party, Taehyung. Go back to work.” You said with a more snippy tone than you planned, though found it befitting of your current emotions nonetheless. 

“I’m not pitying. I’m..” Taehyung struggled for a word until you answered. 

“What, caring?” You scoffed, “Please, Taehyung, you don’t have to care like my real husband, it’s only on paper-”

“But I am your real husband.” Taehyung emphasized, his serious eyes meeting yours. “It’s on paper and in real life, so I think I’m allowed to care.” Taehyung retorted with narrowed eyes finding he liked that sentence, liked what it had to convey because it was damn true. 

Taehyung decided on reaching for your arms to drive his point home, though watched as you again, naturally retracted from him. You still seemed to refuse him, didn’t see him in a good enough light to not cower away. 

And he still fucking hated it. 

Taehyung went for it anyway and gripped your arms when you began to draw away, catching you. The action nearly demanded you look into his eyes, and found yourself doing exactly so. 

“Y/N, first, don’t be scared of me, please?” His eyes grew soft. “I seriously-I really hate it. I would never..” Taehyung trailed as his vision fell to the side of your face, eyes seeming to reflect concern.

You were completely surprised, watching him unmask a plethora of emotion you didn't think he’d so candidly reveal.

Taehyung brought his hand to brush your slightly swollen cheek, continuing. “I would never do this, do anything to scare you. I just wouldn’t.” Taehyung was emphatic and genuine, gently touching the fresh wound on the apple of your cheek.

“I.. know that, Taehyung.” You again felt that same urge to touch his hand that touched you, but you decided against it. “Though I don’t need your pity. This doesn’t hurt, don’t break a sweat about it, please.” You were trying to turn away from his hold but Taehyung didn’t let go, maintaining you in his hands.

“It’s not pity, Y/N. It’s sympathy. This bothers me, okay?”

“I don’t need it. I’ve got myself-” 

“But you’re not alone.” Taehyung suddenly stated seriously, tone permeating the air and you just about froze. You only looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, trying to decipher what he was trying to say.

“You’re not.. alone, okay? You have me.” He spoke as though he was trying to convey a meaningful message, trying to mark his own words. “In whatever way... you have me.” It was a hesitant claim, but it felt just like when he’d made his promise to you at the altar. 

And suddenly you found yourself giving in, sighing as you registered this was all pretty much an elaborate reflection of the lesson you learned not so long ago.  You and Taehyung are married now, and no matter how that status manifested itself, you had to accept what came with it.

Especially if it meant him.

“Okay.” You replied simply, multiple emotions masked by the plain word. 

Taehyung looked at you a little surprised you’d actually accepted that, but broke into a genuine grin you hadn’t really seen before. 

And you really did like the way he smiled.

He made you want to smile too, though as your facial muscles worked for the grin your cheek stung, wincing as a result. Taehyung exclaimed within a matter of seconds. “Ah, don’t move.” He cautioned, smiling a little when you chuckled at his overreaction. “Don’t worry, Taehyung. It’s alright.” 

“Alright, my foot.” Taehyung joked, bending down to inspect your wound closer than you expected, and you hid the feeling that shot through you because of his proximity with a nervous laugh, causing you to wince again. 

“Hey, what did I say?” Taehyung chastised you lightly, lips in a straight line as he shook his head disapprovingly. “C’mon, let’s treat this.” 

You immediately whined, feeling too lazy to get something so small and insignificant treated. “Taehyung, it’s not even that bad, why?” You pouted. 

“Cause it’ll leave a mark on your pretty face.” Taehyung smiled innocently, not even caring about the effect it left on you as he found your hand and tugged you along to the second floor. Your eyes only remained widened, never letting up the surprise that took you. 

Did he just call you pretty? 

You let Taehyung lead you to your master bathroom, where he situated you by the counter and shuffled around for his first-aid kit. He finally retrieved the box, dabbing some alcohol onto a cotton swab and bringing it to your face. 

Taehyung just about performed the action until he began struggling bending to your height, wanting to carefully apply the alcohol. So he tried different angles and maneuvered himself around, all coming up useless. “God, why do you have to be so small?” Taehyung huffed under his breath as he stood to his full height, contemplating how he’d accomplish this. 

“I’m not small, you’re just really-” You were about to complete your sentence until Taehyung’s hands suddenly grabbed your waist, lifting you in a single breath and propping you up onto the bathroom counter. You would’ve exclaimed, maybe protest though believed it would’ve made the heat in your face so much more apparent.

“That’s better.” He grinned, biting back a chuckle at your flushed face and widened eyes.  

Those fucking eyes. 

Taehyung then found it easier to apply what he needed, cleaning up the wound precariously before dabbing on some ointment to avoid any scarring, only missing a bandage to place on your cheek. Taehyung searched for one in his kit and drawers, though came up empty-handed. He became puzzled as to where he put his bandages, placing his hands in his pockets to think until he felt the familiar scratch of a wrapper.

He furrowed his eyebrows at first until he figured exactly what it was. 

And he suppressed a stupid grin. 

Taehyung pulled out the wrapper and watched as you avoided eye contact with him, cheeks still clearly warm as you swung your legs on the counter in anticipation of him.

Cute, he thought.

He ripped the wrapper, chucking the garbage aside as he drew close to your face. His breath suddenly fanned you, mere inches from your face with his lips so proximal you were stupidly remembering your kiss from a couple days ago.

He was just so close. So close that you could actually discern he had this pretty little mole on his cheek, even one just underneath his eye, lining his lash line. You smiled realizing he had such unique details, even seeing he had a mono-lid and a double eyelid. Then came his obvious features, his plushy, pink lips, his chocolate eyes, his soft hair and sculpted face structure. It made you want to hide your own face out of near insecurity.

He was just so beautiful.

You watched him as he focused on you, trying to calm down your oddly racing heart, feeling the sensation of his closeness shoot through your body. He smoothed the bandage over your cheek and drew away far too earlier than you wanted.

“There. Apply something before putting a bandage on, right?” He cocked an eyebrow and looked at you knowingly, crossing his arms. 

You immediately smiled at the sentiment, realizing it’s the same line you said to him during your first exchange, and you felt your heart just slightly, slightly flutter at the thought he remembered.

“Right.”

It had been a week since that incident.

Taehyung and yourself had assumed your regular lives, having to drudge back to work after a few days off.

Your mother’s words still lingered around in your head, spoiling your mood here and there though assuming the ever-so healthy manner of simply pushing the mentally detrimental thoughts away, distracting yourself with work. 

You wish you could detail anymore interactions with Taehyung, though they were scarce with how rarely you saw each other. You both either just missed each other, were too busy to pay attention or simply came home too late. Even sleeping together was hit or miss, usually either of you crawling into bed earlier than the other with no real exchanges.

You could say it made you feel just a little sad, though not entirely considering you two were genuinely busy people, Taehyung an even busier person.

That all came to a full stop though one Friday morning, you were seated by the island and staring at your most recent design for a building, iPad pen twirling in hand. You were sipping on coffee when Taehyung pulled out a chair and suddenly startled you, coffee almost spilling.

“Jheez,” you huffed, “you scared me.” 

“Sorry, you were just really focused.” Taehyung apologized as he placed his own iPad down, reading away.

It’d been like this the whole week, you either designing and leading projects at your own job with Taehyung the ever-busy CEO at his own company, causing you both to often sit in each other’s presence though never take your eyes off your screens.

“Hey, I wanted to tell you something.” Taehyung suddenly perked up, stopping his scrolling. 

“Hm?” You looked up. 

“I should’ve told you this sooner, but we have to attend a gala tonight.” Taehyung grimaced at how sudden this seemed, arms crossed as he leaned on the counter.

Did the action really have to make his biceps pop?

Anyway, you were nearly spitting out your drink for the umpteenth time because of Taehyung, eyes blown out at his abrupt news. 

“Wh-what did you just say? Tonight?”

“Yeah, one of friends’ companies. 25th anniversary since establishment.” Taehyung went to bite a piece of his toast with strawberry jam.

You noticed he liked strawberries and didn’t like bread crust, making you want to smile sometimes at the child-like charm he hid underneath his intimidating persona. “They’re holding a huge gala and he’s one of my best friends, we’ll have to attend.”

You eventually came to understanding him, trying to wrap your head around having to suddenly attend such a high-end event. 

“This event is also going to be our first public appearance together. It’s important.” Taehyung stressed, back to scrolling through his iPad. 

“That’s alright. I don’t mind going, it’s just...I don’t think I even have a dress for a gala.” You mentally sifted through your own wardrobe, coming up short once you realized you haven’t been to an extravagant event like that since you were a teenager.

“I know, I bought one for you.”

You should really stop drinking beverages around Taehyung because you can never seem to keep them in your damn mouth. “You bought one? Taehyung..” You whined. “What did I say about giving me things?” 

“Hey, what did I say about giving you things?” He scolded you lightly. “I give you things simply because I want to.”  

You pouted. “Still, you don’t even know my size, when did you even have time?”

“That doesn’t matter. It’ll fit you, don’t worry.” Taehyung sent a smile as he deflected your question and returned to his iPad, not wanting to reveal that he’d secretly referred to your other dresses in your shared closet for your correct measurements.

“But it probably wasted your time. I should’ve gone out and bought it myself.” You felt guilty, realizing it probably made him compromise his work.

“It wasn’t a waste of time.” Taehyung countered, not really liking how you considered yourself not worthy of spending time on.

“I- thank you.” You blurted out before his statement could effect you. “When does the event begin?”

“7. You should try getting off work early to get ready.” Taehyung suggested, sipping his tea as he looked at you.

“Oh God, I’m gonna have to doll myself up. I haven’t done that in ages.” You held a hand to your mouth, trying to digest the fact you’d probably have to look like a trophy wife. 

“I could get you a makeup artist and hair stylist.” Taehyung offered. 

“No, it’s okay. I think I’ll be fine. I just haven’t been to a gala in a long time.” You felt surprised about the fact yourself. “I’m gonna have to meet so many people.” 

“You will, but I’ll be there.” Taehyung assured, glancing up at you.

“Of course, but you won’t be with me the entire night. I’ll have to brush up on my rich people skills.” You blew a raspberry, knowing you had great interpersonal skills but just didn’t like acting so fake all the time. 

“I won’t leave, just stick with me the whole night.” Taehyung stated as he absentmindedly held his index finger to his lips reading an email, quite goddamn illegally if you had to say so yourself. 

“I will.” You confirmed, erasing at a line on your iPad. “Will you come home early too?”

Taehyung clicked his tongue disappointingly. “I will but just barely on time. Friday’s mean meetings for me, so I can’t leave early. I’ll get ready at work, come back inside the house to get you.”

“Okay.” You’re not sure why you felt suddenly sad he wouldn’t be home earlier. Maybe it was just the usual feeling of not wanting to be alone, because God forbid you actually started getting used to Taehyung’s presence. 

Taehyung rose from his seat and cast his iPad to the side, sliding on his suit jacket as he glanced at his watch, checking the time. You noticed yourself and flashed your vision to your iPad, gawking at the time and realizing you could be late. 

“Oh shit, I have to go.” 

“Me too, I’ll see you tonight, okay?” Taehyung confirmed as he made his way to the front door, fixing his sleeve. You propped off your own seat and began walking towards the stairs, just about ascending until Taehyung suddenly called your name. 

“Y/N!” He peeked out from the front door, seconds from leaving. 

“Yes?” 

“I hope you like the colour, it’s one of my favourites.” Taehyung smiled sweetly, sending his last farewell before he dashed out of the house. 

Your eyebrows shot up and practically gawked, immediately running up the stairs thinking of where to find this dress. He had to have hidden it from you considering he’s been doing so ever since he mysteriously bought it. 

You instinctively rushed into your shared bedroom to grab a scrunchy for the day, all distracted until you caught sight of a white box adorned with a black bow sitting atop your bed. 

Your eyes went wide just reading the infamous label. 

Chanel. 

You had to physically keep from flooring yourself, in disbelief he’d purchased you a Chanel dress. You were even more fearful to uncover it, the information of him buying it himself raking your brain. 

It was even his favourite colour, nearly swooning at the fact he chose for you to wear his favourite colour. So you made your way over to the box hesitantly, untying the ribbon and casting the lid aside cautiously, only to audibly gasp. 

Your eyes fell to a ruby red dress with a delicate V neckline, completely blown away he chose such a bold colour for you to wear. 

You carefully grabbed the dress to take it out of its box, revealing more to discover it was a floor-length gown. It produced a small train though lifted in the front to reveal the shoes you’d wear, the skirt of plain, thick fabric until you saw the torso area; light beading expanding from the stomach area eventually leading into the skirt. 

Shock wasn’t even the correct word to use, you were stunned, completely taken by his choice. The dress was simply gorgeous, beautiful in its own right and you were almost too afraid to wear it. 

Nonetheless, this event was important to Taehyung, so you took a deep breath, tucked the dress back into its box and mentally prepared yourself for the day ahead. 

It was bordering 6:30 now. 

You’d successfully left work early, around the 2 o’clock mark to come home and indulge in a 4 hour self-care routine. It’d seriously been too long since you last attended an event similar to this, grand in size and visited by at least a hundred people. 

It reminded you of your engagement party, though not entirely since there would paparazzi and would be your first real appearance with Taehyung ever since your wedding. 

And quite frankly, you really wanted look better than you did then. You labelled it pretty much a disaster since you were a catatonic mess regretting all her life choices, probably looking unappealing in all your photos. 

Along with knowing the impact Taehyung has, not only in the business world but in general also left you wanting to up your game. You were his wife now, and that came with a high amount of scrutiny and criticism having nabbed one of the most eligible bachelor’s in Korea.

You’d already given up ever checking any articles and avoided social media, knowing that there would be inevitably nasty and judgmental comments. This night was important though, where you’d flank him as the women he’s so-called ‘in love with’ or the ‘love of his life’. 

It also dawned on you Taehyung in fact had a high-valued reputation to uphold, and so did you as his wife. 

So as you stood before the mirror in the walk-in closet, inspecting your dress, you contemplated how you’d survive this night, how you would act as the perfect, most suitable wife to Taehyung. 

You really wanted to hide your face out of how dolled up you looked; your makeup was on the elegant side, not heavy but brushed up to look soft, completed with red lipstick that matched your dress and hair set around your face in loose waves. 

The dress looked almost embarrassingly good on you, Taehyung somehow having chosen the right sized dress as it hugged your every curve right, accentuating the right parts of your body and even the V neckline not dipping too low, but showing quite the generous amount of skin. 

You couldn’t stop blushing at all. 

Taehyung had finally arrived at the house, rushing inside quickly registering he was cutting the time close. “Y/N! I’m home!” he called for you, quickly checking his appearance in a mirror as he smoothed pieces of his parted hair, curling just before his eyes and revealing some forehead.

“I’m in our room!” 

He approved his own look in the mirror and jogged up the stairs, mentally preparing himself before he’d have to see you in the dress he chose, almost excited about it. 

He’d simply loved it at first sight, and couldn’t stop pondering what the striking colour would look like on you. So as Taehyung entered your bedroom, he became confused finding it empty. He then ventured further inside, catching sight of the ajar closet door and light beaming through. 

He sauntered over carefully, peeking inside and Taehyung’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor, almost stupidly. 

His eyes fell to you standing in front of the mirror, fidgeting as you looked at yourself in the dress with the back of it undone. 

And Taehyung had never seen anything more pretty in his life. 

He was speechless for the umpteenth time because of you, not even knowing how to begin a sentence because he might sound like a second grader if he did. So all Taehyung could muster up the literacy to say was “Wow.” 

You turned around instantly, eyes looking as though you were a deer caught in headlights. Taehyung’s eyes widened even more peering at the elegant front, jaw almost slack as he scanned over your body.

“T-Taehyung.” You couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

Taehyung still seemed to be struggling a little, eyes glued to you until he cleared his throat and looked away. “Um, yeah?” 

“S-sorry, but.. could you actually..?” And you did it again, angling your back towards Taehyung to call to the zipper of your dress. You really couldn’t try zipping it yourself, which left it sitting comfortably just at your lower back, your skin exposed to Taehyung. 

You could visibly see Taehyung flash his eyes to your skin until he looked elsewhere, nodding as he licked his lips. “Sure.” 

You watched him near you, his face blank as he took a handful of your hair and softly placed in front of you. He then brought his hand against your side to hold you in place, his other working for the zipper. It was another case of his rather hot breath fanning your back, almost teasingly zipping up your dress by simple inches. 

He was close again, closer than he’s been in a week and you sincerely hated it always affected you in some way. It made your chest flutter, suck in a breath you didn’t even need to hold in. You relaxed when Taehyung finally finished, his hands gripping your arms from behind as he looked at you through the mirror.

And for some odd reason, he liked how your heights contrasted each other. 

He had the slightest hint of a smile, eyes seeming to gleam with something you couldn’t quite decipher. 

“You look pretty.” He said, gazing at you through the reflection and you had to physically stop from beaming like an idiot. Your chest fills with butterflies, face collecting with heat at his compliment. 

How could an Adonis like him call you pretty?

You bit your lip, gazing up at his taller, impeccably dressed reflection as you admired him, his every feature crafted to a degree of perfection that left you in awe. 

“You look really handsome.” You complimented, watching his lips just about curve into a smile that met his eyes, and you wish he didn’t have to look so handsome when he smiled too. 

“Thank you.” He voiced before turning you around by your arms to face him. “Make sure you wear a coat tonight, it’s cold.” He informed, you nodding until your quick eyes spotted his tie loosened by just a centimeter, throwing you off. 

“Oh, your tie.” You exclaimed quietly, reaching for it without a thought and pushing it upwards, angling it to perfection. Taehyung suddenly froze, unexpecting of you doing such a thing and so proximal his nose flooded with your perfume, liking the scent. 

Peonies. 

He tensed with an unknown feeling until your gazes locked on each other, simply looking to look while your hands remained on his tie. He realized more than a second passed and Taehyung scrambled for something to say, sputtering.

“I’ll uh.. I’ll be waiting out front.” He assured as he stepped away, exiting the room quickly and leaving you to your lonesome. 

This was gonna be one hell of a night, you thought.

“Remember, there’s going to be a lot of cameras and people here. We’ll really need to act like a couple.” Taehyung sat beside you in the back of an Escalade, manspreading in all his glory and you were sincerely glad he couldn’t read your mind.

“Got it, let’s give em’ a show.” You cheered with your little fists, determined as the car arrived at the lavish venue. 

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Taehyung mimicked your action. “Don’t worry about getting nervous, I’m there.” He assured for good measure, gauging your affirmation.  

You nodded as you took a deep breath, smoothing over your dress and fixing your hair. Taehyung unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned into you, speaking near your ear. “I’ll get out first and open the door for you, wait here.” You tensed at the action before nodding again, Taehyung making his way out the car. 

He then opened your door as promised within seconds, greeting you with a warm smile as he held out his hand for you. You grinned back at him affectionately as you took it, adjusting your dress to step onto the concrete. 

You were met by dozens of camera flashes and a yelling crowd, shouting various things you couldn’t quite make out. You were almost distracted by it and felt a small sense of anxiety creep up you, until Taehyung pulled you flush against his side, hand curving around your waist.

You smiled up at him in accordance, and he beamed back as he walked you two down the carpet leading into the venue, casually ignoring all the noise and people. 

Taehyung guided you inside safely to where you were welcomed by a beautiful looking hall, pristine and extremely elegant. It was surely fitting for a grand gala. Your eyes caught a small crowd of photographers in the foyer snapping photos at a certain wall with a backdrop, curiosity dawning on you as Taehyung led you towards the coat check. 

“What’s happening there?” You pointed towards the scene. 

“Oh, exclusive press.” He snuck a look, stripping off his coat. “They’re the ones I was talking about, they’re gonna take pictures of us.” Taehyung answered distracted as he retrieved your coat and gave both to the coat checker, smiling a thank you. 

You didn’t even have time to really respond as Taehyung dragged you to the very scene, the pair of you next to have photos taken. You tried to process the whole thing as he walked you over, mentally preparing to look your best until Taehyung suddenly whispered lowly in your ear again. 

And again, it sent shivers down your spine. 

“Just smile and hold me, okay?” Your chest fluttered for an odd reason, nodding back to him as he brought you in front of the line of photographers. 

You stayed true to your promise and tucked an arm around his torso as the other draped his chest, closest to him as you could. Taehyung almost settled next to you until he felt something at his feet, noticing he was nearly stepping on your gown. 

He broke away from you, unexpectedly bending down to catch the skirt of your dress and delicately fix it behind you. You heard the hushed exclamations of the photographers, most of them doting on his considerate act as you just about protested, though suddenly remembered Taehyung’s words from today. 

It was probably better to stay silent. 

So you simply smiled as you watched Taehyung adjust your dress, feeling a warm sensation spread across your chest when he returned even though it most likely was for show, his hands coming back on you. 

This time you didn’t try to suppress anything, allowing some of your feelings to manifest into a real smile, remembering you were to appear as a couple anyway. 

And whether or not there was some truth to your expressions, was anyone really keeping track?

You two began posing for the photographers, smiling in all directions and clutching onto each other closely. You occasionally tried different angles to look better, everything going smoothly until you heard someone shout out, eyes widening as a result.

“Kiss her!” 

It wasn’t long before the other photographers began agreeing, encouraging Taehyung to kiss you and you had no clue how he would react. You were slightly biting your lip as you were occupied avoiding eye contact, that was until Taehyung quietly called you.

“Y/N, look at me.” 

“Hm?” You instinctively responded and looked up at him, completely taken by surprise when Taehyung suddenly planted a soft kiss to your forehead. Your eyes visibly went wider, only his chest to stare at until he eventually disconnected.

He returned his eyes to you and grinned at your wide-eyed reaction, suddenly reminding you. “Smile,” he encouraged with the flash of his own boxy grin, wanting to see you smile. 

And it damn well worked. 

Taehyung was right about the size of this gala. 

Huge. 

It was grand, the entire hall seeming to be spat right out of a castle with about a hundred fancy-looking people inside. You thought it would’ve been uninteresting and difficult to communicate with others tonight and put on your best fake smile, though the night’s atmosphere amassed with champagne, good food and great conversationalists left you in a better mood than you expected. 

It was actually quite fun, finding yourself genuinely conversing with the people Taehyung dragged you to meet, keeping to your promise of staying right by his side the whole night, and he kept his, never having left you. 

You’d met various people, having gotten familiar to Taehyung’s high-status world of business and relations. Long story short, Taehyung knew a lot of people, and you were surprised at how extroverted he suddenly seemed.  

He was practically a social butterfly, not having forgotten a single name of who he spoke to along with somehow remembering personal details about their lives. It left you impressed, joining along with his light-hearted conversation with your own extrovert tendencies. 

Everyone you’d met had been nice so far, but by far the most amusing people you’d met had to have been Taehyung’s 5 best friends, the same ones you’d seen in his photographs. 

“Y/N, this is Kim Namjoon and Seokjin, they’re brothers.” 

Both tall and quite frankly broad men greeted you warmly, one of them having a nice dimply smile while the other was far too handsome to be looked at for free. 

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” They said after another, reaching out to shake your hand. “We’re co-CEOs of one of Korea’s largest private airline.” Namjoon of the two informed.   

“Likewise. And wow, that’s impressive.” You complimented. “Might I also say, you’re both.. tall.” You had to almost crane your neck to meet their eyes, thankful for the heels you were wearing as the group laughed at your remark. 

“Perhaps, though you’re quite short yourself, Y/N.” Seokijn commented light-heartedly, causing you to playfully pout and retort him. “Oh c’mon, I hear that from Taehyung already, not you too.” You giggled, absentmindedly leaning into Taehyung as he tensed, your body pressing into his. 

“It’s cause Taehyung likes short girls, teasing means he likes you.”  A built looking man with longer hair suddenly joked, nudging Taehyung with his elbow.

“Shut up, Jungkook. I was gonna give you a proper introduction, not anymore.” Taehyung scolded, though Jungkook persisted. 

“Well, you just said my name, that’s already half the intro.” Jungkook then gently took your hand, placing a chaste kiss against the back of it you didn’t expect at all. 

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. Jeon Jungkook, CEO of Korea’s largest game development company.” Jungkook sent you a kind smile and it was hard to not compare him to a bunny, his teeth reminding you of one. 

“Yah, don’t do that” Taehyung swatted Jungkook’s hand away, protesting disapprovingly. 

“Woah, did Taehyung just get jealous?” Namjoon inquired shocked.

“Somebody get their phone out, we’ll need evidence I didn’t hit him first.” Jungkook held up his hands in mock surrender. 

“Jungkook, the only thing we’re finding in our phones is videos of you nibbling on carrots.” Taehyung quipped and it made the group chortle, yourself speaking up at the mention of a rabbit. 

“Actually, I was thinking you resemble a bunny.” You simply wanted to voice an observation, though it sent the whole group into a frenzy. 

“See Jungkook! Other people notice it too!” A man you hadn’t been introduced to yet suddenly burst out, though you could automatically tell he gave off this radiant energy that was infectious. 

He almost felt like the sun. 

“Whatever, Hoseok, you’re like a squirrel.” Jungkook countered and you digested the man’s name for information. 

“And you’re a rabbit, you better buy me what we wagered.” Hoseok scolded from what you could assume, was the younger of the two. 

“Wagered? I don’t remember anything about that.” Jungkook feigned innocence as he looked off to the side.

“Jungkook, we were all there that day, you owe Hoseok a vending machine.” Namjoon spoke up, laughing through the remark. 

“Guys. Y/N is literally right here, we didn’t even introduce ourselves properly.” A man with a fairly sweet voice interjected. He had such soft visuals, almost similar to an angel if you wanted to be honest. 

He then looked to you with a sweet smile, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Y/N. Park Jimin, CEO of Park Hotels & Resorts”

“This is his event.” Taehyung informed.

“Ohh, nice to meet you!” You perked up, his aura making you feel all comfortable and giggly, there was just something about his bubbly energy. 

The man named Hoseok then extended his hand, “Nice to meet you, Y/N. Jung Hoseok. Sorry for the late introduction, but I basically own a bunch of famous clubs across Korea.” He laughed all dimply and warm, and he really did remind you of the sun. 

“Oh wow, hopefully we’ll get to visit sometime! Clubs are so fun.” You lit up, all excited about a good club scene until Taehyung ruined your fun. 

“Nuh uh, not after your little drunk scene at our engagement party.” Taehyung looked down at you and chastised. 

“Taehyung, it wasn’t even that much. Don’t be dramatic.” You scolded him back. 

“Alright Miss I’m-Not-A-Lightweight, I almost had to carry you.” 

“I was walking just fine last time I remembered.” You crossed your arms and feigned innocence, Taehyung growing scandalized. 

“Oh really, now?” He cocked an eyebrow, just about to continue until Namjoon interjected. “Looks like married life’s been treating you guys well.” 

“Of course, they look practically in love.” Hoseok beamed sarcastically, gesturing towards you both.

“C’mon, Taehyung, tell us what you love about her. Let’s see the simping.” Jungkook playfully taunted Taehyung, egging him on.  

“Shut up. You all already know our marriage isn’t real.” Taehyung rebutted the younger man, eyes narrowed. 

You were taken aback, eyes flashing to Taehyung. “They know?” 

“Of course they do, your best friend knows too, doesn’t she?” Taehyung was referring to Hana, and you acquiesced realizing he had a point. 

“You know, you guys say it’s a fake marriage but you look pretty close to me.” Jimin pointed towards Taehyung’s arm still hugging around your waist, causing you both to realize and promptly disconnect. 

“No, we aren’t.” You and Taehyung retorted at the same time, vision snapping to each other with shocked eyes. 

“Oh c’mon, Tae, you’re really gonna say about your wife?” Seokjin teased him, playful lilt to his tone. 

“Yeah, Taehyung, just look at her, how aren’t you whipped already?” Jungkook remarked as he gestured towards you, feeling shy as your feet shuffled. 

“I’m not answering that.” Taehyung bit back with an irritated tone, folding his arms as he broke eye contact with the group. 

You decided to lighten the mood. “Guys, please, the only thing Taehyung’s whipped for is his company.” You joked, and despite the small sense of hurt saying that sentence, you felt joy making the men suddenly laugh so loudly. 

Taehyung’s shy and embarrassed expression was even more priceless. 

“Oh my God, Y/N, you’re seriously the perfect match for him.” Hoseok added on as he laughed and you couldn’t help but bite back a smile, not knowing what he meant by that though taking it as a compliment.

“Alright guys, remember we had a mission: operation make-Taehyung-and-Y/N’s-marriage-seem-real-as-fuck.” Jungkook suddenly put on the theatrics and halted the group, changing the conversation. 

“Oh yeah, we had a whole plan, didn’t we?” Jimin remembered. 

“Yup. Gotta prepare them for nosey press and annoying relatives. We should start with questions they’d get asked. Make it like a fake interview or something.” Namjoon suggested, leading along the others as he pretended to hold a microphone. 

“You’re all some of the richest men in Seoul yet you’re acting like children. I don’t know you people.” Taehyung tried waving the men off while you couldn’t help but laugh, finding them the most fun people you’ve encountered. 

Childish or not, they were completely unexpected of what you thought a group of CEOs. They didn’t live up to the cliché uptight and uber sophisticated stereotype, rather open and acted however they chose. 

It was refreshing. 

“It’s cause we’re friends with you, Taehyung.” Hoseok shot back and it made everyone snicker. 

“I got it. Let’s ask them to spill some details about each other only they’d know. Someone’s bound to ask that.” Seokjin reasoned, gauging agreeance from the others. 

“Oh my God, you guys already know our marriage is fake. Why would you make this up?” You asked through a giggle, still finding the situation comical. 

“Sorry Mrs. Kim, but that’s precisely why, and I’m afraid we don’t know what you mean by ‘fake’. Now tell the good press something about Mr. Kim we don’t know.” Jungkook began the skit as he held his fake microphone towards you, the others joining in as though imitating paparazzi. 

“Alright, this is gonna be exclusive, pens ready?” You decided to join them, and they all nodded in confirmation as Taehyung flashed his eyes to you, unprepared for you to play along. 

“Mr. Kim is quite something.” You addressed him formally for effect. “He acts all mysterious and cool, but he’s actually just a cuddler who likes tea and cuts the crusts off his bread.” You relayed with a wide grin, all of them suddenly exclaiming and reacting like a high schooler has just confessed the name of their crush. 

“Oh my God, Tae, seriously? Bread crusts? What are you, like, 3?” Seokjin teased. 

“Hyung, your ears literally turn red when people give you attention. Are you 3?” Taehyung retorted and it only elicited more noise from the group, Seokjin exclaiming defensively and Taehyung bringing a hand up to his forehead, sighing. 

“Guys! Okay, let’s get some real answers here. We gotta know what Y/N would say if someone asked her.. maybe some things she likes about Taehyung. Let’s hear it.” Jimin got everyone back on track, attention on you. 

You smiled nervously and flashed a look towards Taehyung, who still had this arms folded and vision looking off to the side, ignoring the entire situation before him. 

You could tell he was pissed with the way his jaw locked, though the fact that he wasn’t paying attention made you a little more confident. 

Taehyung wasn’t exactly pissed, though if he could bonk all his friends on the head a few times he would. He knew teasing and jokes were all common within the group, he just didn’t expect to be the sole target tonight, and so he decided to smoothly neglect the conversation altogether. 

He was succeeding, not expecting you to answer their question seriously until Taehyung suddenly heard you speak up, surprised eyes flickering to you. 

“Hmm, if I had to say..” You were hesitant, Taehyung shocked you were even answering. 

What would you say? 

“He has nice, big hands.” You admitted softly, Taehyung’s brows raising with surprise. “He has a nice voice, too, and... his smile.” You added as you nodded to yourself, confirming your own list and Taehyung was left damn near speechless once again. 

He didn’t really know how to act, acknowledging his face as the most common thing people liked about him, rarely ever hearing those aspects of himself mentioned. 

And he oddly felt.. nice.

“Awh, now that’s cute, good job, Y/N.” Jungkook praised you, Hoseok then pointing his make-believe mic in Taehyung’s direction. 

“Your turn, Chairman Kim, what do you like most about your wife?” He mimicked an interviewer and everyone followed in accordance, mics shifting towards him. 

“Uhh..” Taehyung became slightly nervous under everyone’s scrutiny, not knowing if he should assume his usual unreadable nature or answer their request truthfully. 

“Tae, dude, if you don’t say anything then I will.” Jungkook declared, just about ready to speak again until you cut him off, snorting. 

“Don’t sweat it, guys. He won’t say anything.” You really knew Taehyung would have nothing to say, so you crossed your arms and became uninterested in the conversation.

Until Taehyung spoke. 

“She does this pouting thing.. with her lips. It’s cute.” Taehyung started, coming up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly and peer at anything but a pair of eyes. “Her height.. and her eyes. She has nice eyes.” 

The floor had to be tired of you by now, because Taehyung seemed to make you want to fall hard pretty often. You didn’t know what to do, eyes blown and nearly on the verge of choking, unable to believe a Godly being like Taehyung just admitted to liking something about you. 

Is this what it feels like to win at life?

His words kept ringing in your head, melting into a shy mess with your cheeks beyond hot, avoiding eye contact with everyone while Taehyung grew slightly embarrassed, similarly looking off to the side. 

“Holy shit, you guys are actually cute.” Jimin remarked through a chuckle as he  pointed at you both, you and Taehyung mirroring the same look of horror while protesting at the same time. “No we aren’t!” 

And it only made the men crack up even harder. 

It was laugh after laugh as that conversation went on, finding a quick and pleasant liking to Taehyung’s friends. They’d made it clear as day they liked you as well, to be precise they seemed to love you, making playful nudges at Taehyung for saying yes to someone just right for him; and you seriously pondered what that exactly meant. 

It was further into the night now, the gala having picked up in activity and passed the long social hour, now leading into more of a party scene as upbeat music filled the hall. 

You’d stuck with Taehyung the whole night as promised, having met more of the people he knew. The evening had been quite calm, both you and Taehyung having silently, though mutually ignored the conversation from before for sanity purposes, only focusing on the additional people you met. 

Taehyung and yourself had been talking up a storm with Jimin for the past half an hour, Taehyung introducing him as his best friend and getting the full run down of how that came about. It was highly entertaining, listening to mentions of alcohol, 4AM fighting and even an incident with dumplings. 

It had you three laughing merrily while music played, Taehyung’s arm draped around you like it had been for majority of the night, practically hugging you to him. He was elaborating on a story that had something to do with a dream-catcher, all smiles and giggles. 

That was until Taehyung suddenly froze next to you, sight seeming to set on a person behind Jimin and he immediately changed his aura. 

“Jimin, what the fuck? Did you invite him?” Taehyung cocked his head in the general direction, eyes set hard. 

Jimin’s eyebrows shot up and and casually looked behind him, registering the culprit himself and turning back to Taehyung. “Holy shit, no, I didn’t.” 

“Then why is he here?” 

“Fuck, I don’t know, Tae. My parents probably invited him, I’m sorry.” Jimin apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck, growing apprehensive.

“Don’t worry, Jimin. It’s just.. not him, not fucking him.” Taehyung’s voice grew a little darker, almost hateful as his hand gripped around you tighter.  

“Taehyung, what’s wrong?” You asked tentatively, though didn’t exactly get a response since Taehyung became distracted, talking more so to himself. 

“Why the fuck is he here of all people? Of all damn people..” Taehyung scoffed to himself humorlessly, clearly annoyed. 

“Taehyung, who?” 

“Nobody, we’re getting a drink. Jimin, please?” Taehyung and Jimin had a conversation with their eyes, Jimin immediately nodding and moving towards a certain man you barely caught sight off before Taehyung was pulling you away. You tried protesting, but the tightened grip around you and Taehyung’s frustrated expression was enough to shut you up. 

Something was seriously wrong. 

You followed him along quietly until you heard a bit of a commotion behind you, able to distinguish Jimin’s voice protesting. You almost looked back until a stranger suddenly snuck up on Taehyung, draping an arm over him. 

“Kim Taehyung! Where you going? Damn, it’s been long.” The man spoke as he lowered his hand to Taehyung’s back, nearly smacking it as though they were old time buddies. 

Though the expression that painted Taehyung’s face said completely otherwise; he looked extremely irritated, and not the playful type. 

“Hisung, yeah, it has.” Taehyung bleakly acknowledged him, said man with an arm still draped over Taehyung’s shoulders until he shrugged him off harshly, pulling you closer to him protectively.

It made the man direct his attention to you. “Oh, this is your wife, right? Nice to meet you, Han Hisung.” The man smiled and extended his hand, not knowing if you should extend yours until Taehyung blatantly cut the man off, physically blocking his hand. 

“Skip the pleasantries, Hisung, what do you want?” You were shocked to see this emotion on Taehyung; rarely having seen him frustrated, trying to manage his annoyance as he gave Hisung a dead stare, intimidating as ever. 

Though Hisung didn’t cower like everyone else did, seeming to rather thrive.

“I don’t want anything. I can’t just meet your wife?” He coated his tone condescendingly, gesturing towards you. 

“No, you can’t. We’re getting a drink.” Taehyung seriously seemed bothered as he began walking you away with him, the harder squeeze of his hand around you indicating he was either growing more irritated, didn’t want to let you go, or a mix of both. 

“Oh, c’mon.” Hisung pulled Taehyung back by the shoulder but Taehyung becomes irritated, shoving his arm away harshly. 

“Not now, Hisung. Not at Jimin’s event.” Taehyung warned him as though he was crossing a fine line, and you grew afraid of what would occur if that were compromised.  

“What, I’m not doing anything.” Hisung held out his arms, feigning innocence. “I gotta say though, if I wanted one thing it’d be to say your wife’s hot as fuck.” He cocked an eyebrow and began eyeing you in your dress, growing uncomfortable and sending him a dirty look, though you naturally leaned closer towards Taehyung and he took notice. 

“Say that again I’ll make you regret it, Hisung.” Taehyung’s jaw was locked, a protective feeling overwhelming him. 

“You’re seriously gonna introduce her to everyone but me?” Hisung looked offended. “She should know who I am, especially to you.” He tried making a point, eluding to something between them. 

“Nah, I don’t think so.” Taehyung flat out rejected him, his expression blunt as he seemed to radiate unbothered energy. 

“I think you should. She should know the kind of man her husband is, and what he’s done.” He said knowingly, in a daunting way that accused Taehyung of something that seemed deeper than it looked.  

“There’s nothing to know, and I never did anything.” Taehyung simply denied, as though he’s said this multiple times.

“Really? You don’t wanna tell her about how you sabotage people? Use your money to buy success?” 

Taehyung had to pinch the bridge of his nose, sighing out frustrated. “For fuck’s sake, how many times do I have to tell you? I’ve never done shit like that. Leave.” Taehyung finalized, attempting to control his anger.

You were trying to remain calm and look on objectively, though felt a sense of worry for where this was going, only Taehyung’s seemingly instinctive guard on you keeping you from anxiety. 

Hisung scoffed, “You know, your wife should know how much of a fucking liar you are.” He spat, his vision suddenly growing narrowed as he eyed you both suspiciously. “Come to think of it, wife kinda sounds like a stretch.” 

This time it wasn’t even Taehyung responding, you beating him to the punch. “Excuse me? The fuck does that mean?” 

“Oh, so she talks.” 

You were just about stepping forward to give this asshole a piece of your mind until Taehyung suddenly gripped onto your arms from behind, pulling you to him protectively.

“Hisung, what the fuck do you want?” Taehyung’s tone was leveled with a sense of controlled rage, clear effort to contain himself and you were completely understanding of that. 

“Not much. I just find your marriage suspicious, and if I do then others do too. Wouldn’t want to taint the precious Kim reputation with that, now would we?” The remark was sly, causing Taehyung’s hold around you to tense.  

“What the fuck are you implying, exactly? Try making some sense.” 

“Your marriage isn’t convincing, jackass. There’s no way you two are really married, don’t think I don’t know there’s something behind it.” He stared squarely back at Taehyung, determined. “And when I get my hands on that information, don't think you're the only one who can sabotage someone.” Hisung was resolute as he declared his threat, only making Taehyung more resentful, more rash. 

“Your opinion doesn’t matter to me, jackass. Nothing you do does” Taehyung was confident in the argument and it oddly made you proud, now understanding why he was so successful and well-acclaimed. It’s like he truly didn't care what others thought and only lived for the purpose of what he found important to him, contributing to his confidence and composed approach towards life. He carried himself with an affirmed sense of self-worth that never bordered egotistical, and you were lying if you said it wasn’t hot sometimes. 

Because scratch that, it was incredibly hot. 

Hisung laughed humourlessly, hissing. “I don’t think we can say the same about Mrs. Kim, though, her opinion should matter to you, right?” He then suddenly turned his vision to you and drew closer, speaking in a superficially saccharine tone. “Jagiya, you should really look into who your husband is. He’s not half the man he says he is.” Hisung suddenly came too close and Taehyung immediately tugged you behind him, shielding your smaller frame as his tone dangerously darkened. 

“Don’t call her that, and never fucking come near her.” Taehyung was seething now, clutching one of your hands so tightly you became worried of his heightened emotions.

“Nah, I don’t think so.” Hisung mimicked him. “She should know I’d treat her better than her asshole of a husband, make sure she’s nice and satisfied with how much of a man I am compared to you.” Hisung remarked without a single care, and you nearly felt the blooding searing in Taehyung’s veins. 

But you could tell that was exactly Hisung’s goal; to rile Taehyung up and it unfortunately worked. No longer was the calm, cool and collected Taehyung you knew, instead feeling him suddenly rush towards Hisung with a fist until you gripped onto his jacket from behind, calling his name. 

“Tae.” Your voice was soft, immediately stopping him as you clutched urgently. Taehyung could hear the frailty of your worried voice, could feel your little hold on his jacket as he came to his senses.

Taehyung grinded his teeth hard as his fist tightened for a mere second before steadily loosening, calming himself down before he made his last remark. “Go fuck yourself, Hisung.” Taehyung spat with pure disdain as he turned around and swept up your hand, leading you away from the situation as far as possible. 

He pulled you along hastily, walking with a sense of speed that almost had you tripping on your dress. You were seconds from telling him to slow down until he stopped you both in a hallway.

“Taehyung, wh-” You almost got out until Taehyung suddenly pushed you up against the nearest wall, breath hot and heavy as he huffed frustratedly, raw anger written all over him. 

Taehyung’s entire towering body was unexpectedly inches from you, his forearms laid against the marble tiling above your head as he hung his own low, almost trying to conceal his face into your shoulder. It’s like he was blocking you off from any other person, defensively caging you as his chest rose and fell shallowly with white hot anger, your face tucked into his shoulder. His heated breath was continuously tickling the exposed skin of your neck, so close your heart was beating faster than it should’ve. 

You were only left shocked, hands fallen slack by your sides and unable to move. 

“I’m sorry.” He huffed out suddenly. “Fuck, I’m so sorry I’m just.. really angry right now and I can’t calm down.” Taehyung seemed infuriated though worried, his hands clutching into fists above you as he leaned in even closer, mere centimeters between you two as he remained pressed into your personal space.

“Shit, don’t be scared I just-fuck, I hate him. He’s the only person who makes me so angry.” Taehyung breathed out frustratedly, eyes shut as he tried to control himself. “And fuck, I didn’t want him near you. I don’t want him to talk to you. I don’t want anyone to fucking come near you.” 

Taehyung’s confessions kept coming and you were simply taken aback, another show of his emotions on full display and you wondered how he always so neatly composed himself.

“Tae-”

“Just stay in front of me, please.” He begged. “Where I can see you, just stay here.” He stressed, trying his best to breathe properly but only failed. “I don’t.. think I like when other guys are around you.” He confessed out of nowhere, trying to work through the claim hesitantly at first until he eventually nodded, affirming it. 

“Yeah, I don’t like it.” He declared as he continued to lean in, his proximity allowing for you to constantly smell his intoxicating, Invictus cologne; its sexy scent paired with his perfectly tailored suit hugging the curves of his large, broad body only arousing your nerves. 

“God, fuck.” He huffed out. “No matter what, stay away from Hisung. Never talk to him. He ruins everything he touches, every fucking thing.” Taehyung was dead serious, still hiding his face from you as he spoke angrily near your ear. “He’s been trying to ruin me for years. He’s already tried with everything else and he’ll come for you. He can’t ruin our marriage, and I swear to God if he fucking does anything to you-”

“Taehyung, hey, shh.” You brought your hands up to his chest to try calming him down, able to discern Taehyung ever rarely grew angry and when he did, just needed someone to quell his troubles. “Breathe, Taehyung, breathe, okay?” You spoke with a soft tone, trying to contrast the white hot anger you could sense in him by rubbing his chest pacifyingly. 

Taehyung immediately tensed at the action, almost in shock until he ultimately tried to breathe, slow and steady. 

“There you go, that’s better.” You encouraged into his shoulder, hands resting and lightly massaging as you inquired. “Talk to me, Taehyung, what’s wrong? Who’s Hisung?” 

“Fuck, I’ll get angry again.” He warned, breath still hot and heavy as you smoothed over his dress shirt, trying to soothe him.  

“It’s okay. I’m here, Tae, you have me. Tell me anything.” You assured and attempted to mirror his own words from a week ago, worried about his open show of emotions and thinking you should be helpful, make sure you're supplying all the support he needs because he may never be this open again. 

Taehyung’s temper was still high, more of his hot breath on your shoulder as he spoke, lips still by your ear and the bass in his voice sending currents through you. 

“It goes back 3 years, rival companies.” He began. “His father was dismissed as CEO and they held a shareholders meeting to decide a new one. Long story short, he won the vote, but only by a 49-51 percent margin. He barely scrapped by, and after he was appointed CEO he found out his major shareholders voted against him. What made things worse was that right after, they pulled all their shares from his company and invested in mine, and he fucking-” Taehyung was growing frustrated again recounting the story, his body rising and falling faster until your hands snaked up to his jaw, fingers splaying across his cheeks as you held his face pacifyingly. 

“Taehyung, breathe again. You’re fine.” You felt him listen to you, breathing deeply as he became more composed again, continuing.

“He thinks I sabotaged him, that I colluded with his shareholders and used my money when I never did. I only had acquainted relationships with them at the time and never convinced them of anything. They told me they chose to invest because they saw me as the better company, the more competent CEO.” Taehyung was venting, and you let him exactly do so by attentively listening, holding him. 

“It wasn’t my fault, but he thinks it is. And now he’s made it his life’s mission to ruin mine, ruin anything he can get his hands on because he’s convinced I ruined his.” Taehyung sounded upset, clearly fed up with having to deal with such an incessant pain in the ass. 

“Just not you,” He sounded like he was pleading, a whisper. “Not fucking you, he can’t ruin us, or our marriage.”  

“He won’t, Taehyung. We won’t let him.” The pads of your thumbs smoothed over Taehyung’s skin, trying to ease him as he moved back slightly, vision meeting yours.

“Y/N, I don’t lie. I wouldn’t sabotage anybody, I don’t play dirty like that. Even if the business world is riddled with people like that, I would never do it. I’m not like that at all.” A hint of desperation leaked into his tone, eyes gentle as he so emphatically tried to convince you he was nothing like Hisung said. 

And you found your heart softening thinking about the fact that it affected him so much. That while he didn’t care what others thought of him, he somehow valued what you thought. 

“Taehyung, don’t worry, I know, okay? You’re completely fine. He just tries to rile you up because he knows you’re better, more competent.” You slid your hands back down over his neck, letting them rest over his strong chest again. It made your breaths uneven, registering how close he was to you, just inches from your face. 

“He probably knows those shareholders chose you because you’re the better CEO. He knows it, he just tries to deny the truth by looking for ways to ruin your life, so he doesn’t have to accept he’s inferior.” You offered earnestly, rhythmically smoothing him over. Taehyung’s eyes suddenly swirled with a sense of ease, his tense body now seeming to relax. “You think so?” 

“Of course, Tae. You’re nothing like that, I know you’re not.” You said determinedly, gripping his shirt lightly to drive your point forward, eyes conveying warmth. 

Though the response that met you was Taehyung gazing into your eyes boldly as he heard you address him so casually by a nickname already, his look containing something you couldn’t decipher, and it left butterflies swarming your chest. 

You didn’t realize how intoxicatingly close you both were in this position; Taehyung’s arms caging you against the wall, body pressing into you as he looked at you, not breathing hard anymore but hotly, like he was feeling something he was attempting to manage. Your hands funnily contrasted the size of his chest as he glanced at them, then up at him, clutching him a little tighter the more the tension seemed to build.  

It was obvious now, both of you were merely staring at each other, Taehyung’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed and your eyes followed the movement, something unknown alighting inside you at the image. It called necessary attention to his sculpted neck and you found yourself wondering if you’d ever get to lay kisses on it, possibly even mark it

You bit your lip at the thought, hating that such an idea dawned on you, igniting with something unholy the more you breathed in his sexy scent, his large body enclosing you. It sent chills down your spine, trying to contain yourself by shifting and clamping down on your lip harder.

Taehyung’s eyes flickered to the very action, his undivided attention now on your mouth. He could feel every harder squeeze of your hands on his chest as the heat rose, fisting his own hands against the wall with the need to draw himself closer to you, especially with the way you looked right now. 

Taehyung already couldn’t keep his hands off you when you resembled the hottest, and yet most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen in that dress. Either a sweet angel descended from heaven or the right kind of demon he craved. It was even more difficult knowing it’s a dress he chose, adoring the way you were wrapped up in his favourite colour, and thought red has never looked better on anyone else.

It also made him think of some things he shouldn’t speak aloud. Though Taehyung knew you, and knew you weren't ready for anything of that sort, so he remained collected and only stuck to having an arm around you tonight, mindful of boundaries. 

But when you were under his scrutiny, smaller self tucked against a wall because of him and clearly hot and bothered yourself, your exposed skin raking his brain, he couldn’t keep from nearing your lips. 

He’s once felt how soft they were before, seeing on multiple occasions how plushy they truly are and desiring to feel that same soft sensation again. So he disregarded all thought, coming forward inch by inch as he gauged your response, and when he viewed you fluttering your eyes shut and lifting your head towards him, he fought back cracking a smirk. 

Taehyung was milliseconds from connecting your mouths, feeling the skin of his lips blissfully brush yours as his sweet breath invaded your mouth, only for a frantic voice suddenly calling out his name to interrupt, the very culprit tumbling into the hallway. 

“Taehyung! Y/N- oh shit.” Taehyung immediately ducked his face away from you and you hastily let him go, Taehyung puffing out frustrated air as he met his friends’ eyes. “Jimin.. what?” 

“I-uh. I’m sorry, but I got Hisung kicked out and we’re gonna start the last toast. You guys should um...be there.” Jimin cleared his throat and began shuffling, avoiding eye contact with the both of you. 

“Okay, we’re coming.” 

“Sorry, again.” Jimin bowed lightly and nearly made a break for it. 

Taehyung sighed heavily, pushing himself off the wall and straightening up as he freed you, finally able to breathe peacefully. 

“We should um.. go.” He voiced awkwardly.

“Yeah.. just give me a second. I’ll be back from the restroom.” You dared to make eye contact with him to seem unaffected, though panicked the instant your gazes locked.

“Okay.” He nodded, seeming unbothered.

You grasped the skirt of your dress and your heels clacked against the tiled flooring as you scurried off, needing to find the bathroom to see whether or not you appeared as much of a mess as you felt. 

You bolted inside and ran towards the sink, spotting two women possibly your age by the mirror though ultimately ignored them, patting over your cheeks to feel how warm they were. 

Were you really just seconds away from kissing Taehyung? Kissing him? What would’ve happened if Jimin never walked in? Would you have kissed him for however long, would you have stopped it? 

Even better question, why didn’t you stop it? Why were you so ready to kiss him, maybe even excited by the very idea? It sent a chill down your spine, even recalling that Taehyung stated earlier he liked your lips. 

Kim Taehyung liked your lips, the same ridiculously high-status, wealthy man people were on their knees for, practically Seoul’s most powerful CEO and Korea’s seemingly unattainable bachelor; that same Taehyung was the one who liked not only your lips, but your height, even your eyes. 

He said they were nice. 

You didn’t even want to unbox the entire Hisung situation. He so naturally defended you, even held you back out of consideration for your safety it seemed, and it frightened you how much you liked it, liked that he was so protective and made all those confessions about disliking other men around you.

It may have been possessive, but you fucking liked it. 

And you already felt doomed. 

You were simply imploding on yourself, having your own personal meltdown when one of the two women audaciously addressed you, tone light and airy. 

“Oh my God, are you Min Y/N?” She inquired. 

You flashed your eyes to her, answering with furrowed eyebrows. “Uh, Kim Y/N now, but yes.” 

“Wow, so you’re the woman Kim Taehyung married?” The other one perked up. 

“..Yes.” You answered confused.  

The other woman really scoffed here, scoffed, “Song-i, it’s the other way around. She married him.” The rather rude looking woman clarified, and you found out right after just how rude she was. “The Kim Taehyung would never willingly marry someone like her.” 

Your expression immediately contorted, unbelieving of her audacity. “Excuse me?” 

“Don’t think we’re stupid, everyone knows you seduced him into it.” She nearly spat, tone snobby as ever. 

You guffawed humourlessly, truly having it up to here with today because it seemed never-ending with bullshit. “Think what you want, but I didn’t seduce him.” 

“We know you’re lying, he wouldn’t marry some runaway like you. You came out of nowhere, you clearly got into his bed before you got him to the altar.” The other one added on, painting their twisted narrative together. 

“It wasn’t like that all, but if you want to think so because you’re not the one he takes home at night, then be my fucking guest.” You countered them, look sharp enough you were sure you could cut a diamond. 

They both took immediate offence, having the audacity to near you and invade your personal space. “You’re not the only woman he’s taken home, do you really think you’re special?” She insinuated something you weren’t dumb enough to not catch, heart sinking at the thought. 

“What exactly are you trying to get at?” 

“The fact that he married you as a favour, you runaway, and everyone knows your marriage isn’t love at all.” She relayed with a snippy tone. “Don’t you get you’re just charity to him? Everyone knows it, sweetie.” 

You were trying hard to think of a way to counter, though your stinging heart took the jab like it was white hot lightning. You felt crushed within seconds at the comment hitting home, sinking lower until you spoke up. 

“Our marriage isn’t your business. Maybe try getting a life before you revolve it around mine.” You spat as you sent them a petty look, making your way out and almost exiting until you felt a splash of water hitting the back of your hair, mouth falling agape at the sheer audacity of what just fucking happened. 

“Your life is fucking miserable. You’ll stay by his side but he’ll never love you. Keep acting like your his real wife and see what’ll happen. Everyone hates you and how you made him marry you out of pity. Watch your back, runaway, you never know when he might end it all and break your little heart.” You almost, almost turned around to land a right hook across the girl’s face until you decided against it, composing yourself with a breathing mantra and instead choosing your favourite way of leaving a bad situation. 

With a snarky last word. 

“Seems he’s already broken yours with this ring, huh? Stay mad at the ring bitches, stay mad at the ring.” You smiled condescendingly as you flaunted Taehyung’s twelve thousand dollar ring, walking out of the bathroom despite their exclamations and practically marching towards the hall, seething. 

You arrived inside and plopped down on your seat next to Taehyung bitterly, utterly vexed as you crossed your arms and grinded your teeth. 

“Hey, where were you?” Taehyung asked. “You missed the toast.” 

“Could’ve done it without me anyway.” You replied curtly, all the information you received in just 2 minutes ruling your thoughts and sending you into a storm of anger, spoiling your mood. 

Taehyung became confused. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Nothing.” You huffed and reached for your glass of water, taking a large swig and nearly slamming it back onto the table. 

Taehyung reacted surprised. “Seriously, what’s wrong?” He became apprehensive of your mood, grabbing your hand on the table gently as he searched for your eyes. 

Though he instead found your eyes flashing towards something else, someone else before you snatched your hand away, eyes set cold.  

“I said nothing.” 

Taehyung followed your previous line of sight and landed on two women finding their seats a few tables away, their own eyes immediately deflecting from him once he made eye contact.

And it really only took two seconds for Taehyung to connect the dots, recognizing their faces. 

Taehyung sighed heavily, feeling guilty and suddenly apologetic about the possible situation, knowing something must have been said to you. 

He turned back around, “Y/N, what happened?” He tried inquiring again, though you responded with absolutely nothing, completely crossed and avoiding him. 

He exhaled tiredly, this day having been the epitome of a joke. Taehyung was scanning over you again when he suddenly noticed the ends of your hair, distinguishing they were wet and he found it strange. “Y/N, why the fuck is your hair wet?” He was moving to touch the damp parts until you evaded him, tone rigid. 

“Nothing, Taehyung.” 

Taehyung sighed again, frustrated as he once again put two-and-two together, remembering you’d all come from the restroom and addressed you. “What did they say, Y/N? Tell me right now, is that why your hair’s wet?” 

“No, Taehyung, nothing happened,” You stressed, turning your body even further away from him and crossing your arms tighter. 

Taehyung determined he’s truly had enough of today and rose from his seat, you noticing though choosing to ignore him. Taehyung quickly resolved he was going to fix this, beyond agitated this entire day had been damned to hell. He was having a good time too, especially keeping in mind whatever in God’s name was happening between you two, and only knowing that it made him inexplicably happy for some reason. 

Though that mood was ruined now, Taehyung shaking away his thoughts as he began plotting his approach towards your situation, entirely pissed off as he made his way towards the bar, concocting his plan. 

It took Taehyung only a good 10 minutes to get what he needed, snatching the nicest bottle of champagne and trying to remember where he’d observed the two women sitting, strolling his way over to the table with his fakest grin.  

“Good evening, ladies.” He greeted with a saccharine tone as he neared them. 

“Oh my God, Taehyung!” One of the girls beamed. “We haven’t seen you so long, what are you doing here?” 

“Yeah, too long!” 

“It has.” Taehyung smiled. “I actually wanted to offer this.” Taehyung then revealed the bottle of champagne from behind his back, holding it out towards them. 

The two women became elated, practically cheering as they clearly admired Taehyung more than he liked. “Oh wow! Thank you so much!” One of them thanked, receiving the bottle bashfully. 

“You’re too kind, Taehyung, did you really get this for us?” The other inquired, a bright smile on her face. 

“Actually, I didn’t.” 

Both women looked at each other confused, eyebrows furrowed. “You.. didn’t?” 

“No,” Taehyung responded with a bleak expression in near offence they’d assume that, smile wiped from his face. “You both did.”

“Wh-what?” They both questioned, incredulous. 

“I put it on your tabs, geniuses. There’s 6 more bottles, by the way.” 

Both women’s eyes went wide, immediately protesting. “T-this is the most expensive bottle of champagne here!” They looked annoyed, and Taehyung was all about it.  

“I know.” Taehyung smiled condescendingly, drawing closer to the women and dropping his tone to a scarily low, threatening octave. 

“Say anything to my wife again and I’ll make sure you pay more.” Taehyung finalized and rubbed his tongue along the inside of his cheek as he walked away, smirking. He ignored their protests as he passed by the bartender, winking for the 6 other bottles of champagne to be delivered to them. 

Taehyung then made his way to you, now in a hurry to leave this awful night behind as he gently gripped your arm, speaking into your ear to not alert anyone else at the table. “Y/N, we’re leaving.” 

Taehyung didn’t really have to wait, you responding rapidly, “Don’t have to tell me twice.” You were already rising from your seat, done with this entire Godforsaken night yourself. 

You both stepped away together, just about reaching the hall doors until Taehyung stopped you in front, holding you by your arms. “Stay here, I’ll get your coat.” 

You nodded at him and Taehyung bolted off, wanting to nab your coat as fast as possible so he could drape it around you and practically flaunt your relationship in front of everyone. He didn’t care if it was fake anymore, didn’t care for the legitimacy of his actions; he simply wanted the world to know you’re his wife, purposely wanted those two girls and everyone to see him treating you affectionately.

And he most certainly wanted to squash any of the doubt Hisung called attention to earlier that kept bugging him, entailing your marriage already seeming fake to him, and could to multiple other people.  

So he retrieved the coats and came rushing back to you, having worn his as he approached you. You almost reached out for your coat until Taehyung halted you. 

“Don’t, I’m putting it on you.” He rounded the coat around your body, helping your arms into the sleeves. He pulled it snug around you and held onto the ends where it should’ve been buttoned, taking a moment to think. 

Taehyung simply gazed at you, licking his lips contemplating what more he could do in this moment that would be convincing enough, knowing there had to be people watching you two right now. 

He realized he was staring without having said anything. “Sorry, I’m trying to think of something to do for everyone watching but I don’t know what.” Taehyung flashed to your lips and his mind explored the idea, though ultimately fought against it. 

“People are watching?” You inquired.

“Yeah,” Taehyung clutched onto your jacket, trying to think as he looked at your little bundled up self. 

“But I’m not sure what to do-” Taehyung was cut off by you suddenly grabbing his tie and crashing your lips onto his in a single second. 

Taehyung’s eyes blew out, taken by surprise until he found himself quickly melting into your kiss, hands gripping your jacket tighter. He couldn’t help himself from opening up his mouth to catch more of yours, lips sensually kissing yours in a slow, unhurried pace. 

You instantly loved the way he kissed, Taehyung somehow having taken control when you were the one who initiated everything, completely taken by his pillowy, delicate lips. 

Taehyung didn’t care if your lipstick smudged onto him or how brash the public display of affection seemed; all he cared about was the soft feeling of your lips against his own, and the sexy way you wre tugging him by his tie.

He knew it would stay on his mind for weeks. 

You were getting lost until he disconnected your mouths, only looking at each other with undecipherable feelings, shimmering eyes that had no clue what just happened. 

Taehyung smiled before sweeping up your hand in an instant, pulling you out of the hall and eventually outside to quickly sent a text to his driver, guiding you to the curb of the venue. 

He held you against him to keep you warm while walking, suddenly speaking up when something occurred to him. 

“You called me Tae, you know.” 

“What?” 

“My nickname, you called me by it earlier.” Taehyung repeated. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just heard your friends say it and it slipped out, I didn’t mean to-”

“Say it all you want.” Taehyung was grinning to himself like an idiot, thinking you weren’t looking at him but that’s exactly what you were doing, admiring the curve of his perfect cupid’s bow with hints of your lipstick smeared on him. “It’s better when you say it.” 

And now it was your turn to smile like an idiot. 

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tags : @thedarkwinterrose​ @ayujaded​ @couldbeyourlast​ @ladyarmanto​ @anpanman-sonyeondan​ @apollukee​ @blueevelvt​ @taesluttt​ @scalubera​ @laurynne5​ @dreamsindreamss​ @thequeen-kat​ @awsome-small-k​ @wrecklesssly​ @kweenhu​ @jalexad​ @staerify​ @bangforever​ @dyriddle​ @aianloveseven​ @waves-and-woods​ @hoefortaeshands​ @veronawrites​ @nightapple4jk​ @wataemelonz​ @aomi-nabi​ @katbonv​ @hantaev​ @jinpuddin​ @usamizuki​ @wooya1224​ @bambuzlee​ @jenotation​ @tangledsparkles​ @pcyxljh​ @forbts-only​ @dumplingley​ @ccmemoirs​ @kleritata​ @thelilbutifulthings​ @maygem2780​ @lachimolala95​ @betysotelo18​ @prettycoolting​ @opaljm​ @jeonlovers​ @honeyboocal​ @preciouschimine​ 

[honeyquinns]

CLUB HELLFIRE

( prequel )

warnings // death, sickness, alcohol abuse, abuse, cussing, drugs, murder, s1 steve but younger

a/n: hey guys!! so i decided to post every Sunday for this series. i’m not sure how many chapters i want yet. this may become an ongoing series like “seasons” of a show where i’ll do a certain amount of chapters as ‘season 1’ and so on. depending on how much you guys enjoy it, that’s when i can decide. i will also be posting this on wattpad for those that don’t use tumblr. my username there is honeyxquinns and i will be posting there on Sundays as well. i hope you guys enjoy the series and i will continue to post little blurbs in between chapters just for funzies <3 *****for character descriptions of who will mainly be in the series, go to my wattpad*****

—————————————————————————

1978

Stacie was laying in her bedroom doing her algebra homework for Mr. Stevie’s class, blasting Judas Priests new album ‘Stained Class’. she was never a huge metalhead but her best friend Eddie introduced her to it. She were always more of a fleetwood mac, Tina Turner type of girl. Her mom used to blast plenty of Prince and Michael Jackson that she also liked to listen to sometimes. Her dad would play bands like black sabbath and mötorhead but it wasn’t until she met Eddie that she got more into metal. it was almost freeing in a way. Just head banging to the beat, jumping around to the rips of the guitar and the heaviness on the drums. it always was a good distraction for her when things would turn bad.

1968, Stacie had just turned 3 two weeks before her mom has given birth to her little brother Charlie, when she died from complications. it was just her, her father Don and her little brother Charlie. Don never took it well but did what he could for his children. Everything went further down hill from there when 2 years later, Charlie has been diagnosed with leukemia. he had been really sick for months and managed to get better but 2 weeks later died. it tore Stacie and Don apart and ruined their relationship. They had to move into hawkins, a quiet small town and couldn’t afford much so moved into a trailer park. Don would drink and become verbally abusive toward Stacie by saying everything was her fault and that he wished it had been her to die instead of her mom and brother. he would get physical by throwing things at her and pushing her into walls. Although Stacie was only 11, she felt as if she could handle anything and was super strong. Eddie always made her feel that way. They met in elementary school during recess. Eddie had been getting picked on my his bully Steve, calling Eddie a ‘freak’ and that he has no mommy or daddy, pushing him around. it really hurt her feelings knowing she knew what that felt like so she went ran over to Steve, pushed him back and punched him right in the eye leaving a bruise. he yelled screaming and running toward a teacher but she didn’t care. “Hi, i’m Stacie” she says helping up the little skinny boy who was slightly taller than her and had short, almost buzzcut like curly hair. “Hey, i’m Eddie” he says smiling but quickly frowns when we realizes his lip stings from a cut caused by Steve. “hey it’s not so bad.” she says pointing at his lip. “nothing a little baby wipe can’t help” they both laugh. “thank you for helping me but you really didn’t have to. Steve always pushes me around, he’s just an ass and only does it because of his friends” Eddie says shrugging “did you just move here or something? i’ve never seen you around before” she looked up at him, his big brown eyes being curious “yeah, i used to live in the town 30 miles from here but me and my dad recently came here” she looks down, a little sad but not wanting Eddie to know why they had to move there. “oh! well cool because i don’t really have any friends and considering you beat the shit out of Steve for me, i think this is the start of a very good friendship” they both smile at each other and laugh. “i would love to be your friend..hey! do you like lord of the rings?” she said happily, “what!? of course i love lord of the rings. i’ve read the book 5 times!” his eyes widen with excitement. “i’ve never met any girl who’s into fantasy! do you like dungeons and dragons too?” he starts getting even more happy that he’s finally found someone who’s interested in the same things he is “well no-“ Stacie says “i’ve heard of it but i don’t really know how to play. it seems hard” Eddie stands up straight, like a knight and puts his hand on his chest “no worries Princess Stacie, i can teach you all ways of the game! i’ve always wanted to create my own club. maybe you can be part of it..” he trails off a bit “although, it’s meant to be played with more people but i think we can manage. just use our imagination” she smiles at that, she never thought she could make a friend so easily let alone have them willing to hang out with her so quick.

“i would love that!” she says. “sick! you can come over to my house! my uncle wouldn’t mind and he makes the best roast beef sandwiches” Stacie’s smile drops. she’s never been to anyones house before and lately her dad has been very mean so she wasn’t sure if he’d let her. “well i don’t know. my dad hasn’t really been in a good mood lately and i’m kind of scared to ask.” Eddie looks at you sadly but perks up “well what if i come over? where do you live?” “umm i think it’s like san street, san something” she says like a question. “sandustin street?! that’s where i live!” he says excitedly. “i didn’t see you on the bus this morning” he says “my dad drove me, sometimes he does at least” Eddie still being excited says “well how about this? we can take the bus home and meet up later and i’ll teach you the basics about D&D. there’s a small park further down the street and we can just hang there. that way if your dad is looking for you, he can just look out the door” Stacie was hesitant but she couldn’t pass up on a friend, not a friend like Eddie anyhow. for an 8 year old, Stacie didn’t mind ignoring her fathers wishes. she knew it was just because he was an asshole and always drunk so even if he said no, she knew she could sneak away while he slept with a beer in his hand. she thought for a second if she should actually do it but smiled “yeah! i’m sure he wouldn’t mind. okay, i’ll do it!” they both smile at each other “cool!” Eddie says. after that the bell rings and they head back to class. Apparently Eddie really doesn’t pay attention because he had no clue Stacie was even in the same class as him. it could’ve also been because she was pretty quiet and would only talk to the other little girl next to her, Nancy but Eddie was never really the one to pay attention to school things.

back to present ‘78, as Stacie was still finishing up her algebra she heard a knock on her window. She looks up and sees Eddie smiling, walks over to the window and lets him in. “What are you doing here? My dad is not in the mood at all so don’t be loud or he’s gonna kick your dumb ass out again!” he trips coming into the window but catches himself on you bed. “He’s not gonna hear me! i saw him through the kitchen window before i came here, he’s slumped over with 3 beers in his lap. he’ll be out for hours.�� Eddie knew about everything. the drinking, the abuse, everything in Stacie’s past and he understood it completely. Eddie lost his mom when he was 4 and his dad went to prison then later died after being shanked and left for dead in his cell. His Uncle Wayne ended up taking him in and while it was hard, Eddie was grateful that he had such an amazing uncle who he actually referred to as his dad. Wayne also in fact knew of Stacie’s situation and would always make sure she’d eat, had clothes, school supplies and more. Wayne didn’t have much but he always did what he could for Eddie and Stacie. A lot of times Stacie wishes that Wayne was her dad and that the nightmare she lived in would just go away. “what are you even doing here anyway? copy my algebra homework yet again?” she said smartly. She knew Eddie was incredibly smart, he just lacked a lot in the homework/test department “no i didn’t come here to copy your algebra homework” Eddie said mocking her tone “i planned on doing that tomorrow morning on the bus. i CAME here because that new movie Halloween releases tonight” he says with eyes super wide. Every month Stacie and Eddie would go to the movies to watch a new release. Last year they went to see The Hobbit and a month ago they went to see The Lord of the Rings. They tried sneaking in to see The House of the Dead but got caught and kicked out. “no way! we tried sneaking in last time and Wayne yelled so much at us, i thought i was gonna lose my hearing” Stacie said. “if we get caught again, you can kiss your freedoms goodbye Munson!“ Eddie rolled his eyes and smacked his lips “no way my dad is gonna find out this time. I have a plan” she looks at his smirking knowing exactly what he’s gonna do and squints her eyes at him “you’re gonna go through my dads stash aren’t you?” he smiles hugely “of course. he’s never noticed before plus i heard this guy Rick is a huge pothead, i’m sure i could bribe him with acres” she rolled her eyes at him “grams dumbass and fine but ONLY a tiny piece. he almost got my head with a remote last time” Eddie frowned, he never liked that she’d make jokes about her abuse but he knew that was just the way to cope with it sometimes so he let it be. “well let’s go! the first showing is at 9!” he goes through her closet, grabbing one of her jackets and throwing it at her. “go out through your window, i’ll meet you there” he quickly but quietly walked out of her room, heading to the living room. He sneakily walks past Don’s snoring body trying not to wake him, grabbing a small box that had nuggets of weed inside, he grabbed 2 nuggets and stuffed him into his pocket. Don moved a bit and Eddie stopped dead in his tracks. He held his breath and closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t wake the beast. Once Don adjusted into a new position, Eddie breathed out after nearly turning blue and sped walked quietly into Stacie’s room and crawling out her window.

the two hopped on Eddie’s bike and rode to the local theater, The Hawk. they both walked inside getting their usual snacks, Stacie grabbing fun dip, Eddie grabbing twizzlers and both sharing a very, unnecessary large bowl of popcorn. they both went walking around to find Rick. “where do you think he is?” Stacie says as she fills her cup up with a fountain coke. “probably somewhere getting high” Eddie says trailing off to find another employee “hey, you know where Rick is?” he asks a tall, red headed boy with braces and glasses. “who’s asking?” the boy said. Eddie looked at him enthusiastically “Tell him Eddie Munson has a present for him” he flashes the teen movie clerk a smile and looks back at Stacie, her giving him a blank face knowing they could possibly still get kicked out. “be right back.” the red head boy walked to the back where all the food was and out came Rick. “who’s asking for me?” he looks down and to see a small Eddie. “Who are you?” he looks at the kids up and down confused. “We heard you could get us into some rated R movies for a price” Stacie says as if she wanted to negotiate a deal and Eddie looks at her slightly surprised but matches her energy toward Rick. Usually Eddie makes all the dumb decisions while Stacie was more reasonable so to see her all in with it was surprising to say the least. “You two look like you just finished the 2nd grade, i don’t think you have the payment i’m looking for. How about i get you two some tickets to see ‘The Cats from Outer Space’ that seems more your thing” they both look at him unamused. “first of all, we’re in middle school” Stacie says, her voice monotone. Eddie leans over the counter and points his finger for Rick to come closer and he does “I have 2 big chicken nuggets with your name on it and i’ll trade it for 2 tickets to see Halloween” Rick leans back, contemplating if he should really make a deal with a 12 year old kid. after thinking for what felt like forever, Rick makes a decision “alright fine, i can’t pass up a good deal.” the kids smile happily, giving each other a high five and walk over to the register with Rick. “that’ll be $2.34” eddie pulls out the 2 nuggets wrapped in tissue paper and slides it over to Rick “really kid??-“ he smacks his lips and rolls his eyes “that’s not the way to do. when you get older, find me and i’ll teach you the ways” Eddie rolled his eyes “yeah sure, 2 tickets to see Halloween please” Rick hands them the tickets and they squeal with excitement running quickly into the theater and finding some seats “where should we sit?” they both scan the sections, not many people there but enough to fill a room “let’s go all the way to the back” Stacie says and they make their way toward the back. “i can’t believe he actually let us in. i heard he’s never made a deal with kids before” Eddie said as they sat down getting comfortable. “well that’s definitely a lie. he’s a creep, i’m sure he’s made lots of deals with kids. plus it seems like he wants you to work for him some day” Stacie said laughing at him “oh no way i will and even if i tried, you’d kill me or tell my dad. i won’t even chance it.” The lights turning off and the theater screen getting louder, the kids stopped their conversation and watched the movie. Eddie jumping constantly and hiding behind Stacie and Stacie pushing him to the side or constantly telling him to shut up every time he whispered “he’s behind you!” “don’t go in there!”

after the movie was over, they rode back to their neighborhood and quickly walked down toward their trailers. funny enough, their trailers faced each other from the back so they could communicate through their bedroom windows. “well kid, it was fun while it lasted but i have to get in there and finish the homework you interrupted me doing” Stacie said climbing up her window and opening it up “i saved you from that! Mr Stevie was messed up for the amount of lines and triangles he added on that paper!” Eddie said tossing it bike to the side and climbing up his window as well. they’re both sitting on their beds, leaning over the window seals. “they’re linear equations and it’s not that hard. maybe if you did less on writing song lyrics and practicing guitar rifts and more listening to me when i tutor you, you wouldn’t be flunking with a D minus” Stacie said as she walked away to take off her jacket and get more comfortable in her bed. “someday i’m gonna tour with my band and be a rockstar! selling out all the shows on a world tour and YOU my friend will be right next to me all ‘omg my best friends sooo famous’ ‘back away people! i’m Eddie’s body guard’” he says mocking her voice which causes both of them to laugh “bodyguard!?” she says laughing hysterically “you know better than anyone else i’d be playing the guitar right next to you, if not singing!” Eddie lifts his eyebrow slightly “singing? ok fine but you still have a mean hook on you so i still need your protection. the ladies will be all over me and the guys will be jealous” he said smirking. “whatever Munson. i’m going to sleep! goodnight frodo! love ya!” she said with a big dramatic wave “and a love you, goodnight to you my sam the wise!” he says doing the same dramatic wave. they both shut their window, closing their curtains and falling asleep.

[ credit to munsonfefe on ig. will delete if not allowed to be reposted ]

a/n : hey guys!! i hope you liked it. i loved being able to write Eddie being younger and adding his relationship with Wayne. i thought it was just so cute for him to just refer to Wayne as his dad 🥹 and having Wayne also take in Stacie <3 also reblogs helps a lot so reblog it to your followers 🖤 thank youuuu

reminder // #clubhellfire is where you will find all the chapters

[fernweh-writes]

What would the slashers do if their s/o came home with bees following them, and not attacking them, no no no no, just chilling on/around them. I may or may not have done this as a child and scared the ever loving shit out of my parents :)

Apparently my tanning lotion attracts bees cause they kept harassing me when I used it and I had a terrible time, 0 stars. They kept landing on the bottle and I didn’t know what to do.

-Fern🌿

S/O Hanging out with Bees

Michael Myers

Michael isn’t scared of bugs, but he isn’t exactly a fan of them either. So he’s not exactly thrilled when he finds you sitting on the porch with bees constantly landing around you and buzzing around the place.

At first, he thinks that maybe they have made a nest somewhere on the house and that’s why there’s so many of them. After a quick walk around he finds out that nope, no nest anywhere to be found.

He worries that they’ll sting you but he’s also not going to do anything about it. Maybe staring at you through the window will get you to come inside so he decides to kind of hover from inside the house.

If the bees try to follow you into the house he’s going to lock you out. You’re not bringing the bees inside, he won’t allow it. Have fun on the porch.

Bo Sinclair

Bo is scared of bugs. He puts up a tough guy front like he does with everything else of course, but he is scared of them. Bees, wasps, and hornets are all the same to him. If it flies and can sting you then it’s a bee, plain and simple.

His fear comes from stepping on a yellow jacket nest when he was younger and getting stung repeatedly by them. Any southerner knows that yellow jackets are even worse than wasps when it comes to being aggressive and stinging people, so he definitely didn’t get away safely.

When Bo sees you walking down to the shop with a trail of bees behind you he panics a little bit. The best he can think of on the spot is to hide.

He locks the shop up, turns the radio up loud, and heads down to the basement. You can’t bring the bees in if you can’t get in. Then if you ask questions he can simply say he was busy down stairs and couldn’t hear you over the radio. Boom, problem solved no bees and no angry y/n. He’s a genius.

Vincent Sinclair

Vincent spends the majority of his time down in his workshop so it’s most likely a handful of bees followed you down there in an attempt to find an escape from the heat. Not the best idea seeing the workshop is far from being a nice cool place.

He’s not afraid of bugs but that doesn’t mean he has to like them either. As long as they don’t bother him he’s good. But, if they start interfering with his work then he has a problem.

Once they start bothering him, he will usher you out of his workshop. Doing his best to communicate that the bees are a distraction and he needs you to get rid of them.

Don’t look so sad, keeping the bees from bothering him is a very important job and he’s very thankful for it. You can stop by and pay him a visit once you get rid of the bees!

Brahms Heelshire

If you had just listened to him and followed the rules then this wouldn’t have happened! He tells you to stay inside of the manor for a good reason. See what happens when you don’t follow the rules!

Congratulations, now you have to face the consequences of your actions. Brahms doesn’t like bees and isn’t going to let you inside with any of them following you or on you. What if they get inside and make a nest within his walls!

Gets upset because now he can’t be near you. A tantrum is most likely to ensue because you should have just listened to him instead of breaking the rules! Now you can’t take care of him and it’s all your fault!

Thomas Hewitt

He’s mainly just worried that they’re going to sting you! What if you’re allergic to them? Have you ever been stung by one to even know? Thomas can’t have you being killed by a bee!

Doesn’t know how to help you even if he wanted to so hopefully you have the situation under control.

He first notices when he watches you being followed by bees while you work in the garden and he’s taking care of other outside chores. Perhaps it was the flowers and other plants that attracted them, but they were landing on you and you weren’t even freaking out about it or trying to get them away from you. Safe to say, he’s a little freaked out and a lot worried.

Billy Loomis

Pretty boy here absolutely hates bugs. So when you walk towards the house with bees flying around you and a couple on you he’s not exactly thrilled.

At first, he makes you sit outside so that the bees can’t follow you into the house. This leaves you sitting on the porch with your bee buddies who just don’t want to leave. Maybe it was your perfume/cologne that attracted them, but they just would not disappear.

Eventually, Billy gets impatient. He’s wasting precious time he could be spending with you to some bees. You’re his not theirs! Expect to be snatched up and drug into the house whether you like it or not.

Stu Macher

He’s just…very confused. There’s just so many bees hovering around you…And you’re just so calm about them buzzing around your head and landing on you…Why?

Once he gets over the initial shock of it he embraces it. Expect many jokes and horrible puns about being the Queen Bee. Lots of jokes involving you being called honey as well.

When it takes forever for the bees to leave you alone be begins to get annoyed. Swatting at them just stirs them up however and he most likely gets stung. Now you have angry bees and a pouty Stu. Good luck with that one.

Jesse Cromeans

He’s worried about you being stung by bees. Just because he can afford for you to be taken care of doesn’t mean he wants you to get injured in the first place.

Just look at how nice inside is y/n. It’s such a great and relaxing place to be. Much better than the hot and humid outdoors of Florida. Wouldn’t it be great to go into the nice inside without any bees? Jesse sure thinks so!

He will be finding out what perfume you had on that might have attracted the bees and gets rid of it. Jesse doesn’t care of it was expensive, it’s attracting bees so therefore it has got to go.

Asa Emory

This nerd, this absolute dork, gets excited. Why? Because he has an opportunity to easily study some bees that’s why! Sure spiders are his favorite but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like bees. They are still bugs.

Asa is also the most likely to know the exact reason why you’re being followed by bees. So if having a buzzing entourage isn’t exactly your style he know what to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Or you can make it happen again if you’re a bee fan.

I like to believe a nickname Asa would use for his s/o is honey/honeybee. This incident would be the perfect source for a cute little nickname slash inside joke for the two of you to laugh about.