#mat x min

[usernamesuggestionsarefunny]

Unpopular likely but I kinda ship (Show only ofc) Mat and Min as a sort of slow burn wild-disaster-friends to lovers sort of thing. Hey, other than Rand, Aviendha and Elayne will also have each other in the show (Probably), so why can't Min have someone else too? Lol

Plus if Mat is going to (Potentially) be in the Polycule as Rand's boyfriend it doesn't hurt if he also has something going on with Min.

Probs will never happen but one likes to tinker with show characters.

[maarigolds]

Ok so what I'm getting is masc bi girl and fem bi guy.... perhaps i do ship them after all

[hikarielizabethbloom]

Egwene/Rand is the toll I must pay to get Rand/Lanfear, right?

[markantonys]

i don't know if i'll ever be over the greek tragedy shit of mat hearing that he's fated to stab rand, avoiding rand to protect him and in so doing making rand think that mat has abandoned him, then rolling up at a battle to save rand's life only to accidentally stab him just like the prophecy foretold. sophocles is shaking.

[asha-mage]

WoT Meta: Prophecies, Fated Lovers, and Robert Jordan's knack for finding the nuance underneath the myth

One complaint I've never understood about the way Jordan writes romances is the persistent claim that he over uses the 'prophesied love' trope.

In part for me, I think it's a little bit folks not seeing the forest for the trees. WoT is fundamentally about the relationship between myth and reality: the place where the fallen angel meets the disgruntled academic, the bitter accountant, and the man who never got over being too short. It's a story where the messiah is real and dealing with chronic pain and PTSD from his stigmata. Where a legendary High Queen has to deal with both marching armies to the apocalypse, and the irritating banal realities of being pregnant at the same time. Of course Jordan digs into the idea of prophesied love- it's a huge theme in folklore and mythologies the world over. Jordan wants to dig into what it really means for there to be a person out there that you are destined to be with: that is a match for you, decreed so by the universe itself....and that you get absolutely no agency and choice in choosing. If anything Tumblr, which adores the 'red string of fate'/'soulmark'/'soulmates share pain'/'world is black until you look into your soulmates eyes' (to name a few of the more prevalent ones- some of which Tumblr practically invented), should be super on board for the parade of fated lovers to be found in WoT. It's nothing short of baffling to me that their not more fondly viewed.

And I think that is tied to the follow up complaint: the criticism that Jordan 'uses prophecy love as a replacement for a romance arc'. But that is something that is just. Patently untrue.

Cause the thing is that is how soulmates are often used...in the majority of soulmate au fanfics you find here and on AO3- an excuse to get the really hard part (two characters realizing they are right for each other and love each other, then having the communication skills to articulate that so they can start a relationship) out of the way, so the author can focus on the fluff or angst or other part they and the audience want to get to. And that's fine! But that's not at all what Jordan does. Just like he does with the Prophecies of the Dragon, or Elaida's fortellings, or even just most of Min's viewings- Jordan takes the idea of the prophecy soulmate, this person decreed by some higher power to be Perfect For You and being right about it, and digs deeper, shining it in different lights and attacking it from different angles. Jordan gives the concept of the soulmate teeth, explores the spines and the sharp points of it: is it real love if it's fated and not your choice? Can you trust your own feelings, or are they fate's design working against you as surely as Aphrodite worked against Helen or Eros against Apollo? What is it like, to see someone one day, and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that you would love this stranger? This question mark? This wildcard?

Rand's relationships with Min and Aviendha, as well as Mat and Tuon's courtship are great examples of this conundrum. Min and Aviendha have completely opposite reactions to the same information that demonstrates their unique strengths and weaknesses as characters and people, while Tuon and Mat's courtship is all about two people who know they will marry trying to figure out what that means, without ever confronting the reality of those prophecies directly.

Min, as befits a Seer who has learned time and time again that her viewings can not be changed, has resigned herself in an almost fatalistic fashion to all of them, and to loving Rand no less. Min knows that she, and two others, will love him, and she accepts its inevitability the same way she accepts Colavere's death, or Logain's glory, or the shattering of the White Tower. What is, is, and there is no sense or point in struggling against it. What concerns her a great deal more is what she doesn't know- she doesn't know if Rand will love her in return, she doesn't know the identity of the other two women who will love him, and she doesn't know if he will fall in love with one or both of the others but not her. Add to that Min's own insecurities about how she stands out and doesn't fit what her society deems 'proper', between her crossdressing, and her offputting manners, and it makes perfect sense that she's worried about making Rand love her. She doesn't mind sharing him- she hates the idea of being in love with a man who doesn't love her in return, of being stuck like 'Elmindreda' of the stories, sighing and pining endlessly for a man instead of being able to act, to take control of her own fate. 

So she takes control: she learns to flirt from Leane, works hard at making herself desirable, and also indispensable: with her visions, her advice, even just her emotional support to Rand when he otherwise has no one else. The irony is that whenever Rand thinks of Min prior to her return to his side in LoC, it's about how much he liked her earthy honesty and lack of wiles: how she was earnest and made him feel at ease, and didn't 'spin his head like a top'- and that's still what he loves about her after they get together: the fact that she isn't fooled by his front, that she sees him clearly and refuses to be driven away the way so many others are so easily. The point is that Min never had to change, and in the ways that matter she didn't- she only thought she did because of her own fatalism.

Contrast that with Aviendha, who, after learning about being destined to fall in love with Rand, does everything in her power to prevent that outcome- because she is a warrior, a soldier, who has never yet met a problem that could not be killed, endured, or retreated from. Aviendha values nothing so much as her honor and her word- she has promised to keep Rand safe for Elayne and what greater act of dishonor could there be in that situation then not just failing in that promise, but despoiling (and she does view it that way) said man herself? So she is awful to him in the hopes of poisoning the well of affection or at least keeping him far enough away that she is never tempted. Aviendha hurls contempt and anger at him, berates him, does everything short of trying to stab him in an effort to make him hate her, and it doesn't work. Despite all her efforts to keep her thorny wall up, they are literally made for each other and can not help but be drawn together time and again. Despite all her efforts to insist, to him and herself, that she hates him, she can not hide entirely that the opposite is true: that she likes him, sees his strength and courage and resilience, and is a little in awe of his generous kindness. 

This is why she vacillates wildly between wanting desperately to get away from him in The Fires of Heaven, to not wanting to leave his side: they are two planets caught in each other's gravity, with about as much chance of escaping each other. When she resorts to the last recourse of a soldier- retreat- and runs headlong into a blizzard that would surely kill her, Rand follows to try and save her life and she can deny the truth that she loves him no longer, nor can she resist taking him, even knowing that to redress that balance, she will one day have to offer her life to Elayne (as she attempts to do in LoC)- though fate still has other plans in store.

But in many ways the apex of this, the relationship that really shows Jordan's deconstruction of this trope, is Mat and Tuon. Before they ever lay eyes on each other, each is given a prophecy that they will marry the other: not that they'll love each other, not that they will be able to trust each other, not even that that will like each other: just that they will marry. And their strange courtship is a result of this knowledge, as each attempts to suss out the other, to try and understand them without ever overplaying their own hand. Each believes that the moment they admit their prophecy they will destroy any chance of real connection or understanding.

To Tuon, if Mat learns he is destined to wed her he gains something she can not abide: power over her, leverage that could be used to subvert her own plans and visions- because nothing matters more to Tuon than control, especially over herself. So she keeps her 'fortune' secret and tries to figure out: What will it mean to be married to Mat? Will he be a pretty trophy? A liability? A threat to her Empire? Will she have to kill him once she gets her heirs?

To Mat, if Tuon learns of his prophecy, she gains the power to take away his freedom, to snare and collar him and bind him to her, because that's how Mat deep down views marriage: as a binding cord, a loss of freedom, and nothing matters to Mat more than freedom. So he keeps his *Finn gained knowledge secret and tries to figure out: What will it mean to be collared by Tuon? Will she she treat him as a pretty and plaything the way Tylin did? Will she try to use him against Rand and the Westlands? Will she make him a slave and sent him to be beaten anytime he disobeys her? Will he have no choice but to fight her one day, this woman he is going to swear to spend his life with? Will he have to kill her the way he did Melindhra, and carry that guilt of mariticide on top of all else?

So the two stay in their strange limbo, because as long as they don't admit it out loud to the other, they can pretend they are still two people forced together by happenstance, and (each thinks) they can continue to try and understand and figure out the other, to find out where this inevitability of their marriage will really leave them, and if there can be even the faintest possibility of love in such circumstances. And that limbo- that protracted refusal to act as if they are under fate's direction- is what allows them to build a genuine bond of trust and respect for each other, and to start seeing the other person with the clarity that love requires. All this, so that when Tuon finally does play her hand, and reveal the truth....it's obvious they've long since fallen in love with each other (even though Tuon won't admit that to herself), and come to trust each other (even though Mat won't admit that to himself).

And the thing is- all of Jordan’s prophecy romances are written like this: from Egwene seeing that loving Gawyn might be both their downfalls in LoC and seeking him out anyways, to Perrin misinterpreting the 'falcon and hawk' viewing and thinking Faile is a danger to him when she's the love of his life, to Galad and Berelain not even being AWARE they’re fated to fall in love and just....do, at wild first sight (Another classic folklore/mythology trope). They also never find out:  always remaining unaware that the Pattern had long since decreed that they would be together and being incredibly funny/annoying about it. The prophesied love is an example of classic Jordan: taking a common, maybe even ubiquitous premise, and asking those complicating questions that allow him to write it as something much more nuanced and interesting and fascinating. And he gets no credit for it, send tumble.

[kisses4themissus]

3's Obsessive || Hwang In-ho X Reader

wc: 2.9k

a/n: it's my birthday!!

!! warnings : mentions/flashback of assult, unaware of drugging !!

previous | masterlist

You sat quietly watching as your group talked back and fourth, mostly it was thanos and nam-gyu who filled the silence.

“Look at that asshole!” Thanos scoffed at another player, who peacefully ate with his group. You rolled your eyes at them, crumpling up the packaging from your food. “I’m looking right at him.” You smirked at your own joke. Se-mi let out a chuckle, min-su hid his smile while nam-gyu and thanos looked at you with upset expressions. 

“That dickhead right there made me lose thousands to his scam.” Thanos pointed to player 333. You all followed thanos’ direction and watched the player absentmindedly talk and go about his day with his group members. “My therapist was scamming me..” You announced, making the others turn to face you.

“He tried to brainwash all his female clients into sleeping with him; said it was the only way their trauma would be gone…” You finished, swishing around the empty milk container.

Se-mi cursed under her breath as she looked away from you, “she has a shrink?” nam-gyu questioned before getting smacked by thanos.

“I had one, court ordered.” You nodded in confirmation, the others exchanged glances before scooting further from you.

- - - - - - - -

In-ho watched from the other side of the dorm as you talked with your team; he had hoped splitting you away from gi-hun would sent you into your creepy love spiral for him but was proven wrong as you stuck by the rapper’s side.

“Young-il, is everything alright?” Jun-hee asked, noticing his gaze stuck on the other side of the dorm. “I’m alright, is everything ok with you and the baby?” He smiled, the young girl nodded before moving her gaze towards you.

In-ho glanced over and watched as your team began to fix their bed together, sending you away to leave them alone for the night. 

“Dae-ho said she’s sick?” Jun-hee questioned, her voiced lowering as you passed by, not looking over as you walked to your bunk in the middle of players. “Mentally sick.” In-ho clarified, jun-hee nodded before biting her lip. “How can you tell?” She asked, sitting on the steps beside him. 

“The way she interacts with other players, you saw how quick gi-hun pissed her off, the night before she was his new limb.” He explained, watching as you got into your bunk and laid down, waiting for lights out.

“Now it’s just matter of time before she finds a new limb.” In-ho smirked as you pulled his note out of your pocket and read it over.

“Jun-hee, young-il, we need help putting the mats on the floor.” Jung-bae chimed in as he and dae-ho panted from moving the mats off one of the beds.

- - - - - - - -

The classic music filled the dorm as players began to wake up. You sighed, sitting up in your bunk. As you rubbed the sleep away you stopped as a voice came from beside your bed.

“Sleep well?” In-ho smiled at you, quickly you sat up and faced him.

“Another morning, stuck in these dorms and not with my love…” You scoffed, getting out of your bed and past in-ho who followed.

“He’s happy with how you're progressing in the games.” In-ho told you as you walked towards thanos and the others who were lined up by the side door. You stopped for a second before continuing to walk. 

“That old man yapping again?” Thanos questioned as you joined the in line, pushing a player out of line to behind your group. “Talking about things he doesn’t know of.” You scoffed, before facing forward as you all began to be led up the stairs.

As you climbed the stairs, nam-gyu tapped your shoulder, making you whip around to glare. He held out a murky water bottle to you. “Take it, it’ll help during the game.” He motioned it to you, with a sigh you quickly drank the rest of the murky water and continued walking up the stairs.

- - - - - - - -

As you entered the colorful room, you shielded your eyes, your head had been dizzy. You had barely managed to get on the platform without falling, luckily another player had helped you step on.

“Did you drug me?” You questioned nam-gyu as he and thanos bounced around together, “why do you hear the voices louder?” Thanos snickered, making you scoff before holding your head as the platform began to spin and the lights flashed.

“I’m going to vomit!” You muttered, falling down as the platform stopped. 

“Ten!” 

As the words played in your head, you were quickly swept up by thanos and se-mi as you all ran with another group of five to a room. Once inside the timer ran out causing the door to lock. You all panted, the other players watched you with caution.

“Is she alright?” One of them asked, you placed your forehead on the colorful wall. “She has her period.” Thanos lied.

Thankful you were all let out soon after the round ended, you all walked to the platform once more. You held onto se-mi for support as the platform spun around once more. You groggily looked over and rolled your eyes as am-gyu and thanos danced as the children’s song played over the speaker before stopping.

“Four!” You all stared at each other, thanos quickly looked between you and min-su. You quirked a brow, thanos sighed, “I’ll split.” You told them before being grabbed by two players. “We need one more!” 

As the timer went low, you began to panic. In-ho quickly rushed over. “Blue door, 24!” He called out as you all ran and made it in time. You panted and rested your forehead against the colorful wall. In-ho watched as you shakily raised your hand to feel your temperature. 

“Are you alright miss?” A player asked, noticing your sleepiness, in-ho knew something was wrong, you had slept soundly through the night, He knelt down beside you and took your head in his hands and examined over you.

“You took meds?” He questioned, noticing your pupils. You shook your head and scoffed softly. “Nam-gyu gave me a roofied drink…” You realized, laying your head back on the wall. In-ho glanced up at the camera and gave a signal to keep watch on you.

Once the doors unlocked, you managed to walk to your group, se-mi catching you as you both bumped each other. “Are you ok?” She questioned, looking over you.

Without responding you tried to shake off the sleep and tried focusing on the game ahead. The players had loaded on and the platform spun once more. “Three!” the cheery voiced announced.

You all stared at each other, nam-gyu and thanos panicked, commanding you and the others to fight for a spot. You watched as min-su betrayed se-mi and took off with thanos and nam-gyu. 

“I’ll be with you!” You suggested, making her nod. As you both watched players run past you groaned, the dizziness getting worse. Se-mi looked at you with sympathy; As you both went to stick together, a pair grabbed se-mi leaving you dazed and alone on the floor.

You sighed, maybe this was your fate, to die. Maybe frontman would keep your corpse. As you stood alone on the floor two hands wrapped around your arms and dragged you to a room.

You glanced up once in a room and sighed. Gi-hun and in-ho had saved you. You sighed and laid peacefully on the ground. “Is she ok?” Gi-hun asked, kneeling down next you. In-ho sighed and nodded. “Her teammates roofied her just before the game, probably to get rid of her.” He explained, taking off his jacket and propped up your head. 

“Think the workers would help her?” Gi-hun asked, looking over to the peek in the door. “I don’t see why not.” In-ho shrugged, you quickly shook your head and sat up. 

“I want to finished the game, then tell those pink workers I got fucked over!” You sighed, keeping your eyes closed before opening them to stare at the two men. They both sighed, helping you up as the doors unlocked. Stepping out you looked around and walked away from in-ho and gi-hun; you watched over the crowds of player and stopped as se-mi walked up to you.

“How are you feeling now?” She questioned, wrapping your arm around her neck to help hold your weight. “Like i took all the pills in the world!” You sighed, you both walked back to the platform. “Once the game is over we’ll get help, go it? I don’t need a player who’s dead weight.” She scolded, making you nod. 

In-ho watched as your teammate kept you up right as the platform went around. You both stumbled a bit and ran to a room as the number was announced. “Six!”

You looked to your left and stopped as thanos and the others rushed over with an extra player. Se-mi tugged your hand to get your attention. You looked over to see gi-hun and his team rushing over to the same room. “Ladies first.” Thanos grinned and held out his hand. 

You quickly noticed the small distance from gi-hun’s team to where you stood. You looked at thanos and scoffed. “Drugging me to sleep with you is lame!” You sneered before kicking thanos in his thigh, making him fall back into nam-gyu.

With quick movements you grabbed in-ho’s jacket as he entered the room and pulled yourself and se-mi into the room, quickly holding the door shut as the timer went down. With a sigh you let go of the door as the lock clicked in place. 

“My lungs are burning!” You chuckled to se-mi, throwing your head back. 

Se-mi turned to the others and bowed her head, “thank you for joining us in time.” she thanked, making you scoff lightly. “Oh please, number one has been practical up my ass the whole game!” You muttered, earning a sharp look from in-ho. 

“She’s drugged up, she doesn’t mean it…” She tried to excuse you but gi-hun raised his hand and shook his head. “It’s alright, just glad you both made it through.” He sighed, making his way over to peek through the small crack and watched as players dropped.

Jung-bae and se-mi joined him, the three taking turns to look.

You stared down in-ho as the others paid no mind to you both. You noticed the glint of glee in his eyes, while in-ho pushed down his contentment as you slowly pieced everything together. As you both analyzed one another, se-mi quickly walked over with jung-bae the pair helped you up.

“I think i’m fine to walk on my own now..” You tore your eyes away from in-ho and walked behind gi-hun. He stopped in front of the platform and began looking around for his other teammates. 

Once they all gathered with another group, you all loaded onto the platform. You all waited as the platform began to move, jung-bae leaned over to gi-hun asking what he thought the next number would be since it was the last round, in-ho had answered blankly.

“Two.”

“Why do you say that?” Jung-bae asked, a worried look on his face. You sighed and pointed to the sign above the entry where you all had entered, “There’s only fifty doors, and 126 players left, it’s gonna be a bloodbath.” You pointed out, everyone shared worried looks. Before anything could be said the platform stopped. “Two!” 

You turned to find se-mi but was pulled away, by in-ho who dragged you to a room, leaving the others to fend for themselves. As you both approached the room you were pulled back by a player, in-ho quickly turned back when he felt your hand slip from his.

As you pulled away, in-ho had landed a punch on the man’s jaw, sending man to the ground in pain. You quickly grabbed in-ho’s hand and ran to the nearest door. As you went to open it, a smaller man tried to pulled the door shut, you quickly rammed yourself and in-ho in the room, letting the door shut behind you.

“Out!” You snapped at the man, who shook his head at you and in-ho.

“We were here first!” He tried to protest, your eyes glanced up at the timer, you circled the man, a terrifying look in your eyes.

In-ho watched, interested as you quickly got behind the man and wrapped your arm around his neck tightly, ignoring as he tried to scratch your arm with his jagged nails. The door opened slightly, in-ho quickly threw his weight against the door and watched as you pulled the man to the floor.

The man hit the walls and floor in a panic as his vision got dark. You leaned over in his ear “Shhh, night night.” You whispered to the man, who looked at you with panic as you smirked at him before twisting his neck hard.

A loud crack filled the room as the timer went off and gunshots went off outside.

In-ho watched with awe as you stared at him with a murderous glint. 

You quickly got up from the floor, releasing the man’s body. A sigh left your lips as you sat on the wall opposite of in-ho and looked down at your blood splattered shoes.

“How do you know of my letters to him?” You questioned, making in-ho quirk a brow at you. “Who?” He played innocent, making you chuckle. “Frontman.” You motioned to the small camera in the corner of the room. He nodded and sighed, fixing his jacket.

“It’s not everyday you receive letters from a mental ward patient.” He chuckled, pacing the wall.

“He saved you many years ago, from college kids taking advantage of you.” He sighed, you looked at him with an unreadable expression. “You begged those kids not to beat you to a pulp, you were so lost, shaking on the ground as those gunshots killed those students.” 

You poked your cheek with your tongue as the memories had rushed back, your freshmen year of Uni.

You had cruelly been invited to a bar to hangout with your classmates, you went excited to be included in their group, the all had lead you behind the dingy bar for a smoke break.

It all happened so fast, one moment you had been flirting with one of the older boys the next you were crying with a bloody lip as he laughed above you. “Stop it! I’ll give you all my money! I’ll drop out! Anything!” You begged as one of the boys took out his cigarette and knelt down beside your head. 

As he brought the cigar closer to burn it out on your face a gruff voice made them all jump. “What are you all doing?” A man dressed in a black coat and a mask over his face spoke up. “Nothing sir, nothing at all! Just joking around with our friend!” One of the “golden” boys tried to reassure the older man and stepped closer trying to appear innocent.

Without hesitant the masked man slammed the boy into the bar’s dingy brick wall. You had laid on the ground sobbing, not caring as your classmates were picked off, gunshots made you raised your hands to cover your ears. As you cried, a hand on your shoulder made you flinch.

“No, please no!” You sobbed, the man sighed and jerked you to face him. His gloved hands peeled your shaky ones away from your face, you nervously looked at the masked man.

“Don’t hurt me..” You begged.

He didn’t respond, you watched tearfully as he ran a finger on your busted lip and tsked. “You need to see a doctor before it’s infected.” He spoke softly to you.

As you took his words in, you looked around the alleyway and felt your chest tighten up as the bodies on your classmates were scattered around you both. “I’m sorry.” He whispered in your ear. Before you could question what happened your vision darkened.

The next day you had woken up in your apartment, your lip bandaged up appropriately. You quickly looked over your apartment for signs of the masked man, only finding a memorial site card. You had gone to the police and tried explaining everything but the only claim you as crazy. 

At school you had grown weary; once your school had found out the students were claimed missing you were pinned the suspect; your parents hired the best lawyer they could with their wages.

The stupid lawyer deemed it fit to convince your family, you had been assaulted and went insane, making you plead insanity; the judge had ordered you to be in a mental ward for a minimum of four years and once released you were to see a therapist for years to come. 

Luckily while away you had figured out more about the man, the memorial card must’ve fallen out of his pocket. After months of searching each site you had found one, the lady’s flowers wilted, a cut picture of her and her husband, you had recognized the coat. While in the ward you had researched for a coat like it and found nothing, meaning it was a one of a kind; like the owner.

His face had been torn out, since that day you’d leave his wife flowers on her birthday, her death date. Thankfully it lead to finding the space he had rented above a shop. You could never visit due to the grouchy landlord. You always stood outside of his office, hoping to catch a glimpse but never did. You knew he had been there all the letters you had sent were never in the mailbox. Everyone thought you had gone insane; imaging a hero who saved you when you had “killed” your innocent classmates.

“You’re him.” You realized as you stared up at in-ho, who stopped pacing, his back to you.

“I’d never hurt you.” He confessed; sending flutters to your heart at his words.

obsessive taglist: @eminems4ev3rgirl @lanyia @lucinda-reads @skull-centric @watasinekoru @kyxmlii @carolinevoight @enhasrii @axionn @colorwastaken @syraxnyra @starkeyszn @strawberrychita @illuzold @itosh1teru @l4venderia @leechaniie @tashiagalinda @wisedinosaurwasteland @kiwiikato @aphoenixnamed-angel @captaincarmel416 @lover-girl009 @player279achlys @fallout-girl219 @thesehandsarerated-e @bluechaoslizzy

general in-ho taglist: @menabuser16 @snowtargaryen @azusdump @jspidey5 @annasnape7 @macnbriee @ookybatt @sasha-swftie @moonxnite @ninglovr

[rileyslibrary]

Penny for your thoughts

Synopsis: You’ve recently been transferred to a UK base and struggle with British currency. Your lieutenant is mortified—and rightfully so.

Relationship: Simon “Ghost” Riley x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1,286 (approx. 5-6 mins reading time)

Notes:

I thought it was funny when I wrote it, okay? It’s a crackfic. There’s some teasing and playful banter in there, but I can’t label it as fluff.

Warnings: Profanity. Lots of it.

More A/N at the end.

———————————————————————

You’ve been trying to escape the lieutenant’s grip for the past two hours.

The upcoming mission requires close combat skills, he said. You’ll need to infiltrate a facility with minimum weapons and immobilise—but not kill—the targets for interrogation.

You admitted to him that you hadn’t practised in a long time and your combat skills were a little rusty. But Ghost assured you this wouldn’t be a problem and offered a refresher course in ground fighting and submission techniques.

You never imagined this would be an issue when you agreed to it. On the contrary, your lieutenant was an expert in combat, and training with him could be considered a masterclass.

Looking at it now, with your cheek pressed against the floor and your body twisted like a nautical knot, you wish you could take it back.

The mats have become your second skin. Ghost relentlessly pins you to the ground and immobilises your limbs while explaining the mechanics behind each hold. Sometimes you wonder why he gets into so much detail since you can’t hear shit and are practically knocked out.

Yet, he doesn’t give up on you. He advises you to feel the weight shift, urging you to exploit the slightest openings, encouraging you to break free. Whenever he sees you’re struggling or senses you’re uncertain, he taps your hand or leg, giving you clues to help you.

He immobilises you once more, but he pats your back this time.

“Alright,” he says, standing up, “that’s enough for today.”

He walks to the bench, picks up his towel, and pats his neck. You roll on your back and spread your arms.

“I feel like a pretzel.” You whisper.

“Yup,” he confirms, “that’s Jiu-Jitsu for ya.”

Drenched in sweat, you push yourself off the ground and slowly walk to your bag. You extract your towel and begin rummaging through your wallet to find spare coins for a water bottle. You manage to find one pound, but unfortunately, you fall short.

“Lt.?” You call out.

He turns halfway to give you his attention while tugging the velcro straps from his gloves.

“Do you have fifty pennises?”

He stops midway and lets go of the velcro strap. It can wait. His eyes have formed two thin lines, and his eyebrows almost touch each other.

“Do I have fifty what, soldier?”

“I need fifty pennises.” You reply, this time louder, “Do you have fifty pennises?”

His eyes have changed. They’re not squinting anymore. They are bulging. He frantically looks left and right, bringing his index finger to his mouth.

“Shhhh!” He whispers and runs towards you, waving his other hand in front of your face. “Shut your mouth!”

He closes the distance between you and looks behind him.

“What is wrong with you?” He whispers.

You raise your eyebrows and blink rapidly.

“No,” you reply, “what is wrong with you?”

He lets out a sigh and looks at his surroundings once again. He scratches the side of his chin and clasps his hands in prayer.

“Tell me exactly what you want,” he requests more calmly this time, almost begging you, “Make a sentence out of it.”

“I’m thirsty.” You explain.

“Obviously.”

He’s starting to get on your nerves. You open your palm and raise it to his eye level.

“Look,” you order and point at the coin, “I have one pound.”

“I can see that.” He replies and puts his hand on yours, pushing it down so he can look at you.

“The vending machine needs one pound and a half.”

“Say it.” He commands and swallows hard, “The vending machine needs one pound and fifty...”

You clench your jaw and look at him dead in the eyes.

“Pennises.”

He lets out a snort and clasps his hand at the bridge of his nose. He turns his back to you and takes a few steps away. His shoulders move up and down.

“Ah, soldier,” he replies, still looking the other way. “that’s a lot of pennises.”

You run a hand through your hair and sigh.

“I know my pronunciation is probably wrong,” you state and shut your eyes, “but I need them.”

“Don’t say that,” he says between gasps, “you don’t need that many.”

With your eyes still closed, you start babbling about how wrong he is and how you wish you had a million of them so you could escape this hellhole and retire on an island. He squats to the ground and covers his masked face with his hands.

He sounds like he’s whimpering. You might have assumed he was sobbing if you hadn’t known the cause of his stance. But you knew why he was half crying, half laughing. It sounded hideous. It was hideous. You just can’t remember the word.

What’s it called, what’s it called...

You open your eyes. Ghost is walking towards you, wiping away tears from his eyes. He retrieves a fist of coins from his pocket and, muttering something under his breath, chooses two. He pinches a silver hexagonal-shaped coin with his fingers and shows it to you.

“This,” he says, “is fifty pence, or 50p.”

“Pence or p.” You repeat.

“That’s right.” He confirms and pinches a smaller coin with his other hand. “Now, this little one is a penny. Fifty of these are called fifty pennies.”

“Pennies,” you echo and slap your thighs, “See? Was it that hard to explain?”

“Oh yes,” he replies and nods slowly, “yes, it was that fucking hard.”

You lift your palm. “Can I have the big one?” You ask.

“Say it first.” He commands you.

You roll your eyes. “Can I have the 50p, Lt.?”

“Of course, you may have the 50p.” He says and places the coin in your hand, “What you absolutely may not have is fifty….” He stops and lets a repressed chuckle out.

You press your lips together and bite your cheek to not respond to his teasing. But you can’t.

“…pennises, I presume?” You sneer.

“Yeah, no.” He says and vigorously shakes his head, “You don’t want that.”

You wince and rub the back of your neck. Ghost tries to comfort you, telling you it’s ok and you shouldn’t feel bad, but he doesn’t believe it himself. He’s smiling beneath that mask; you can tell by how the grimace alters his voice. You thank him for the coin and walk to the vending machine.

“Soldier,” he calls out, “how many times have you said that word since you came to the UK?”

You tilt your head and try to recall.

“I can’t remember.” You conclude.

“You can’t remember if you ever said it, or there were so many occasions that you can’t count them?” He asks with a trembling voice.

“No, Lt.,” you reply, defeated, “I don’t remember asking another person for that.”

He looks relieved. He lets out a long exhale and rubs his masked face with his palms.

“I never thought I’d ever say this,” he says, “but I’m glad I was the first one.”

———————————————————————

A/N: I wrote this in March, along with this story (yes, they’re very similar). Although I liked the idea and thought it was funny, I initially discarded it because it felt stupid, and chose to post the other one (not like the other one is pure genius). It remains as such, but as I said, it’s a crackfic. I’m not researching how to improve human welfare.

[peterparkersnose]

Lovers and Love.

pairing: Joel Miller x reader

word count: 2.4k

warnings: pregnancy (if you don't like don't read), descriptions of morning sickness, anxiety, angst, illusions to sex

a/n back to your regularly scheduled program i dont wanna hear it i don’t write pregnancy stories often (i say this with a modern day au pregnancy joel fic in my drafts). literally my third in a year (back during my wattpad days I would solely write pregnancy stories. ew). i really like how this turned out though, the length is good

summary Y/N tries to hide that she is pregnant and Joel finds out

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read time: 8 mins 47 seconds

“What’s filling that pretty head of yours lately?” Joel asked between each chop of the wood.

“Oh, nothing.” you lied.

“You looked mighty focused on that rock just a minute ago.”

“Better than looking at you chopping wood,” you scoffed sarcastically, getting Joel’s scent off your trail.

What you were really thinking about? The last time you got your period.

Each swing of the axe made you cringe. You begged to think of something different, but the thought had filled your mind for the past few days when your expected period didn’t arrive.

You and Ellie had swept out an old convenience store about a month ago. Ellie found some period products and gave some to you and it made you think.

When was the last time you got your period?

Ever since you were a child you dreamed of being a mother. Raising a family with someone you loved. But when the world fell to cordyceps, that idea was quickly left in the past with every other hope and dream you ever had.

This was no environment for an adult, let alone a child. A baby was an absolute no. The constant crying would attract any creature in a mile radius. It wouldn’t get the proper nutrition babies needed to grow. And giving birth in this world was a borderline death sentence.

And your baby’s daddy? The man you had been hooking up with on the low.

He was meant to move the cargo. You assisted the cargo and made sure it behaved.

It wasn’t your fault when Ellie was captured by David and you and Joel had to hide out in a shed one night alone.

Or maybe that time Ellie went out hunting.

Or the time Joel had to cover your mouth and tell you to shut up because she was asleep in the next room.

You knew Ellie wasn’t a dumb kid, but you were just praying she wasn’t that smart.

But pregnancy tests were nonexistent. Most of them you assumed would be expired. Can pregnancy tests even expire? And condoms, come on. It would honestly be funny if Joel pulled one out as a joke. There was no way any of those were still in use at least five years after the breakout.

“Y/N!” Joel yelled, catching your attention. The volume of his voice caught you off guard. “What’s wrong with you, seriously?” he scoffed, flipping his axe in his hand.

Brushing him off, you helped him carry wood into the small abandoned cabin you had found for the night.

Ellie was sitting on the matted couch with her leg resting on top of the coffee table in what was left of the living room. If you squinted, it looked almost normal. No clickers, no cannibals, just a normal world, a normal Ellie sitting in a normal house.

You needed to quickly get the idea of a normal world out of your head. It wasn’t here anymore. You couldn’t hope and dream like you used to. It wasn’t the time for fantasy land anymore. This was serious shit.

“Thank god, I am fucking freezing!” Ellie announced, rubbing her hands together.

Joel dropped his few planks of wood on the ground. “I’m gonna go look for some blankets and supplies upstairs. Ellie, help Y/N with the fire.”

Ellie groaned and slammed her feet on the floor one by one from the coffee table dramatically. You could already imagine the eye roll she had just given him.

You began arranging the logs into a nice stack. Joel had cut enough to easily last you through the night and maybe into the morning.

“You doin’ okay?” Ellie asked, searching through her backpack for the matches. “Mhm,” you lied, watching her scratch the match and throw it in the dry fireplace.

“Joel said something about-” “It doesn’t matter what Joel said.” you cut her off. Ellie rested back on her legs. She was very obviously disappointed you wouldn’t tell her what was wrong.

Was it really that obvious?

“What did I say now?” Joel asked from the banister. He was carrying blankets in his hands he found in the bedrooms. He had a big smile plastered on his face that only widened when your eyes met his.

Just imagine how he would be. Carrying down blankets for you and your child to make a fort together. Making popcorn and watching a movie as the sky became dark. The child would fall asleep in your arms and the two of you would stare at each other and appreciate the world, the life you made together.

You broke eye contact with him and shook your head.

How could you let yourself think like that?

“That I was the best clicker killer in the group.” Ellie made up, lightening the mood. “Oh really now?” Joel chuckled, throwing all of the sheets down on Ellie.

“Oh thank god, warmth.” she sighed, wrapping herself in as many blankets as she could hold.

You snatched a blanket from Ellie with a smirk and moved in front of the fire. You saw the sun setting from one of the still intact windows. Joel made the bold move of laying directly next to you. Normally you would have been so touched by this little bit of public affection (even though the definition of public, for now, was just Ellie), but you were so exhausted by your mind games from the day that you couldn’t care less.

Ellie curled up next to you. She moved into your chest, wrapping her arms around one of yours. Poor Joel, Ellie got all your affection tonight after all.

After a few minutes, she was asleep.

“You wanna meet upstairs in a bit? Tell her your takin’ a piss or something.” Joel whispered in your ear. His wide hand touched your back, making you tense. He was craving your touch you could tell. It had been a few weeks since your last hookup. “No. Not tonight,” you whispered back, pulling Ellie closer.

“Hey,” he said in a low tone. You turned your head to look at him. “What’s really goin’ on?”

“Nothing,” you lied. “I know when your lying.” he sighed. “Joel, drop it.” you hissed.

Ellie’s head looked up at yours. You felt the movement and immediately reacted.

“I’m sorry, baby girl. Go back to sleep now,” you said sweetly to her, brushing her hair to the side of her face. You could tell Joel noticed how you called her baby girl. That’s what he called her.

“What’s happening?” she asked groggily. “Nothing important. Now back to sleep. We need our energy for tomorrow.” You gave her a reassuring kiss on the top of her head.

Ellie nodded and resumed back to her sleeping spot in your arms.

Joel now sat against the couch, watching the two of you interact.

After a moment of silence to make sure Ellie was asleep again, he spoke.

“You would make a great mother one day.”

Your head whipped around and the look on your face said it all.

“With Ellie ‘n stuff. Sorry,” Joel muttered, rubbing his hands down the front of his jeans nervously. The man never usually let his guard down and say vulnerable things like that and you could tell he was disappointed by your reaction.

“Good night Joel,” you said sincerely. He was right. Ellie was like a little sister to you.

On the brink of sleep, you heard him throw another log on the fire. Blankets shuffled and there was a defining silence. Then the thought hit you.

There was no way he knew, right?

-

The faces matched so perfectly but yet were so different. Joel stood in a kitchen, the kitchen in the house you grew up in. You followed the scent of some sort of food and wandered into the kitchen. Your balance seemed off to you. Looking down, you were met by a large bump. No toes could be seen.

“Mama!” you heard. Your head whipped around to the kitchen table. It was the same oak as you remembered it. A baby sat in a high chair. It had curly (your color hair) and Joel’s eyes. It scared you how fast you recognized his features. Unremarkably, they were copied onto the baby's face. “Come on now, eat your breakfast,” Ellie said, encouraging the child. She appeared next to them with a spoon in her hand, making airplane noises as the child laughed.

“Ellie! Did you finish your homework?” Joel asked her. The oh-so-familiar groan escaped from her lips.

“Yes… maybe…” she began to say as the dream began to fade.

You shot upright, breathing heavily. Then the feeling arose from your stomach.

“Y/N?” Joel asked, shielding his face from the sun rays displaying over his eyes. He watched you run to the kitchen that was left of the living room.

The kitchen sink was the victim of your vomit.

Joel quickly stood up and went to your side. His hand returned to its spot from the previous night.

“It’s okay,” he said. You could tell he was trying to calm you, but it also sounded like he was trying to calm himself.

Tears began to roll down your cheeks as the vomiting came to an end.

“I’m sorry,” you whimpered, wiping your mouth on your sleeve. “No, no. Stop, you have nothing to be sorry about.”

“Joel… please,” you stuttered. You embraced him. His surprisingly warm figure held yours tightly. “It’s okay,” he said again.

“You want to try to go back to sleep?” he asked you. Hesitantly, you shook your head yes.

Thank god Ellie was a deep sleeper when she had been asleep for a while. You could just imagine her putting the puzzle pieces together and announcing it without a second thought. She is a smart girl.

Joel held you on the wood floor. The two of you didn’t care if Ellie woke up to find your embrace. Sleep didn’t return to you, but a sense of peace did. You forgot about the world, the pregnancy, the cold, and the anger for just a moment. It was just you and Joel. The way it should be.

-

“Good morning Mom and Dad,” Ellie said, poking her foot into your shoulder.

Your eyes fluttered open from their relaxed state. “Go find some breakfast and shut it.” you hissed at her. Joel adjusted his hold on you, sighing in your ear.

“Some kid, huh?” he whispered.

“Tell me about-”

“Eugh! What the hell happened here?” Ellie yelled from the kitchen.

“I got food poisoning. Leave it,” you yelled to the kitchen, coming up with your best lie.

“Before we leave you should look upstairs. I thought I saw some clothes you might like. Warmer for the winter too,” Joel grunted, sitting up straight and stretching his arms behind his back.

Using the coffee table to help you up, you trotted across the cold floor and made your way upstairs.

The first bedroom was empty. The second had a few long sleeve tee shirts and a pair of jeans that would fit you. At least for now. You picked up a sweatshirt for Ellie and a book she might like.

The third bedroom seemed to be a children’s room. You were going to look for something smaller for Ellie, but when you opened the first drawer you were met with rows of baby clothes.

Your hands ran over the patterns on the onesies. A baby girl had lived here. Your heart ached as you tried not to think about what her fate had possibly been.

You opened another drawer and it was filled with baby shoes. The memories of swooning over the baby shoes at the store when you were younger filled your mind. The memory of little Y/N mentally picking out which shoes her baby would wear one day warmed your heart.

Opening the top drawer again, you looked through the clothes. You let yourself choose four, one for each season. Easy enough to keep hidden in your backpack. You were too busy looking at the clothes to notice Joel leaning against the doorframe.

You only noticed him when you turned to put the clothes into your backpack.

Audibly gasping, you dropped your bag on the ground along with the onesies.

“I… I-”

“Don’t,” Joel sighed. He bent down and grabbed your bag along with the baby clothes.

“You really thought I didn’t know?” he chuckled, slowly opening the zipper to your backpack.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, face burning red. It’s all you could manage to say. Your brain felt numb.

“No, Y/N. It takes two, remember?” he smiled, holding up a onesie in front of him.

“Been a while since I’ve done this,” he chuckled, beginning to fold the clothes. You stared at him astonished.

He was taking this news surprisingly well. You expected him to leave you somewhere, or even worse. The fact that he was smiling and folding clothes for a baby in this world was shocking.

“How did you know?” you asked him. He gave you the side eye and smirked. “I know your body like the back of my hand. I just have to close my eyes and…”

Joel closed his eyes and the stupidest grin grew on his face.

“Stop it!” you blushed, giving him a playful slap on the arm. “I notice things, darling,” he said, assuring you everything was right.

“How long have you known?” you asked him. You nervously dragged your finger across the dresser’s carved pattern. “Week maybe. Figured it was either that or you were hidin’ a bite. I prayed you were pregnant instead of bitten.”

“You also were avoiding me as much as you could,”

You looked at your shoes. “I really just didn’t want to think about… you. This.” you admitted.

“I’m not mad, sweetheart. Pick a few more, I have room in my bag.”

You opened the drawer again and went for your second pics.

“Your not mad?” you asked him. “I’m not thrilled. When I figured it out it wasn’t fun. But now…”

“What about now?” you asked him. Joel sighed.

“If I heard right…” he began.

“My shithead little brother has started a settlement up in Jackson.”

“Tommy?” you asked, folding a pair of baby shorts. “Get ‘sum them shoes too,” Joel muttered, pulling at the handle of the drawer.

“Jackson’s about a few day ride from here. I can't guarantee he’ll be happy to see me but it’s our best hope.” he assured you, placing his hand back on your back. This time you accepted his touch and pushed back on it.

You both agreed that would be the next step in your journey.

“Any name suggestions?” he asked you, handing you back your backpack.

“Jesus Joel, I haven’t even thought about that.” you said, swinging it on your back.

“What about Ellie Junior?” you heard her ask from the hall.

You and Joel made quick eye contact and then looked back at Ellie. Your mouth fell slightly open. The fear expressed over your face, you were basically a deer in headlights.

She walked into the bedroom with a shameful look on her face. “I wasn’t trying to listen I promise. This house seems to echo.”

The t

tag list: @dani5216 @uwiuwi @alohastyles-x @mandoloriancookie @maddieinnit0 @alexxavicry @scoliobean @avengersfan25 @nyotamalfoy @milly-louise  @undeniableadrenaline @evyiione @qualitypudding @jmillerswife @mxtokko ​

[monnn]

When you know, you know.

staring: Idol! Mingyu x Non-idol!, GN! s/o

wc: 1.4k-ish

genre: slice of life(?), FLUFF. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LOVE MINGOO, comfort-ish(?)

warnings: mentions of food, reader being sick(in love), tooth-rotting fluff.

a/n: hi omg hello, i am alive and finally out of my writer's block(ig?). i'm terribly unwell atm and i've never craved the comfort of a person as much as i do with gyu, so here's a highly self-indulgent fic! i hope you are doing okay and i just wanna say, i'm so glad to be writing again. have a great day/night and hope this fic reaches the person in need of a cutie mingoo atm! ♡

the song rec for this fic would be Margaret by LDR ft. Bleachers!!!

Mingyu's on his way back, with your favourite meal and boba. Was there a reason to get take-out? Definitely not, he really just felt like it. If you had made food, Min could convince you to have it next day. That's how it usually went and he was mostly successful. With his manager dropping him off, he heads inside the elevator and straight to your floor. Since he already knew the code to your apartment, he quietly let himself in, eyes immediately searching for you.

What he doesn't expect to find, is you sitting in the dark on a chair, curled up in one of your fav blankets with a flask coddled in your arms. Your head's supported by a chair on the dining table, mouth slightly open as you doze further away. Min quietly trots through the living room to you, slowly putting the bags down, careful not to wake you up. He adores you for a good minute, slowly lifting you up to rest in your bed. Their neck must hurt, but they keep doing this >:( he wonders to himself while carrying you.

He lets you rest while he does all the chores that you weren't able to do cause of your sickness. A few hours pass by, you wake up with Mingyu sitting by your side, barely touching you in the process of waking you up. He knew how extra sensitive you were to touch when sick, hence he decided to call out for you than kissing you to consciousness. You wake up slowly while he adjusts pillows behind for you to sit straight, he really is a nagging Asian mum in disguise. Handing you warm water to hydrate, he looks at you with all the love in him to see if you need anything from him. You catch him looking and reach for his hand, realising the love you have for him is unbelievable.

"You know love, I can't ever thank you for being so kind to me. I feel like there isn't enough of me to be so damn grateful for you." you say, lovingly gazing at the love of your life. A faint pink's spread all over his face as he nuzzles his face to your hand.

"And I'm ever so happy to be the receiver of your gratefulness, regardless of the amount. It takes two to tango I guess." he says, ever so lightly pressing his lips to your hand. After basking in each other's presence for a while, he mentions about the food he's got, which gets you outta bed in no time.

You head to the kitchen to unpack the boba, while he joins you in heating the food up. It's then you think how freeing it is, to be doing the most mundane things with Mingyu. He just seems to make the littlest of things much more better and you love that about him. A bump against your shoulder gets you back, where the food to your side is all ready to be devoured. Quickly removing the covers around drinks, you move to place them on the dining table. One where you're sitting and the other next to you. That's the thing about you guys, Mingyu never likes it when he's not next to you. He hates how all the fancy restaurants have seats across and not next to each other. But now, he gets to have a meal with you next to him and he thinks about how this is his highlight of the day. Min loves being around you and having a meal, so it's like two of his favourite things put together. You spread out the mat for the hot pan to be put on while settling down in your seat, waiting for the food to arrive. Looking at this, Mingyu hurries to place the pan down while grabbing two spoons before sitting down. Both of you look at each other, nodding in agreement to start eating. It's absolute delight running through your body and eyes for Mingyu. He loves it when you enjoy things he does for you. Raising your boba drinks to cheer, both of you devour in silence, enjoying the food and each other's presence. By end of the meal, you're much more comfortable to let Min under your skin and he's never been so much happier to be as affectionate as his heart needs. Taking the last bite, you stand up to call dibs on cleaning up since he literally did all the leftover chores. And right when you're about to get the pan, Min's grabbing you by the hand, turning you to face him. You're glad to be seeing eye-to-eye since he's on his butt and you're standing.

"What's up?"

"Can you please let me do the dishes? You're literally sick, doing more work would just worsen it."

"But Min, you did all of the chores! It's really unfair if you don't let me, you know." you say as he scoffs.

"I don't care, I love you but please let me do the cleaning."

"I love you so so sooo much too my Min, but I cannot let you do the cleaning up."

"Okay, how about we rock-paper-scissors this?"

"Alright. On the count of three, two, one!"

And to his luck, you throw a rock while he throws a paper. The council has decided and you accept your fate, slowly moving away from the pan.

Right at the moment, Mingyu pulls you in a hug, nuzzling further to your middle while almost sounding like a puppy adjusting to fall asleep. You wrap your arms around him, leaning down to lay your head on his. But, you're suddenly pushed away just to be pulled back onto his lap, while he holds you dearly and continues to be adorable. Again, you have no choice but to stay limp for him to recharge himself. It's hard not to admit how secure and loved you feel in Mingyu's big beefy arms, you kiss him on the side of his head impulsively to convey the same. That loosens his hold on you, him whining on how you always catch him off-guard with your actions. Now, there's nothing but giggles filled in your living room, both of you so knee-deep in love and into each other cause when you know, you know.

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

a/n: comments and feedback are highly appreciated! hope you enjoyed reading this work of mine, thank you! x

[citrustan]

slipping through my fingers [prologue] (myg)

pairing: min yoongi x reader genre: dilf!yoongi, exes and co-parents au, angst, fluff, smut summary: you've always thought you had it way too easy. all of a sudden, your life seems to be taking a few unexpected turns. it's time your luck ran out. word count: 1.4k warnings: none, you're all good > : ) here's the masterlist to the series

The soft whirring sound of the radiator echoed through your cozy apartment.

It’s homey and comforting to hear the constant hum in the background. Sometimes, you’d leave the window open for the cold air to enter your space just so you had an excuse to use your radiator.

Still, you ought to get that fixed up before your ex-boyfriend lectures you about getting a new one already.

It was one of those days when time seemed to have slowed down. As you folded your daughter’s fresh laundry, you went over your tasks for the day.

You were in no hurry because for once, you had everything together.

The living room bathed in the sun’s golden hue.

Your daughter sat on her favourite spongy floor mat, completely absorbed in creating her new art piece. Her fingers were covered in pink, purple and white paint.

Momentarily pausing, you take note of what type of paint she used.

Acrylic.

You sigh. That would be a pain to clean off.

After putting away the laundered clothes, you remind your daughter to get into the bath.  

You stood in front of her with your hand on your hips, “Nao, do you want mommy to run you a warm bath or would you rather shower?”

She simply hums.

“Mommy needs to shower too. You better get in there…” You walk away after adding, “Before I do.”

At that, Naomi instantaneously stops and rushes into the bath.

Naomi was a lot like you. She hated using wet bathrooms, as do you. But motherhood had changed you. Now, you’d do just about anything for your daughter.

As if you just remembered, you yelp, “Hold on! Let me clean the paint off of you first.”

You didn’t want your pristine white bathroom tiles to stain.

After bathing and dressing your daughter in a sage green cotton dress that you stitched yourself, you decide to let her watch TV even though it isn’t time for that just yet.

“Is daddy coming to get me today?” Naomi’s enthusiastic voice stopped you. It’s a bittersweet moment for you. On one hand, you’re happy that your daughter’s happy, on the other, you’re reminded that Yoongi and you aren’t together anymore.

“Of course, he is. It’s Friday!” You match her tone. She perks up and resumes watching the Barbie movie you put on for her.

Naomi would be distracted for a good thirty minutes now.

That does not leave you a lot of time for your ‘everything’ shower, but you were aiming high either way.

While in the shower, you let your thoughts wander to Yoongi.

He suggested you have dinner together because he had a few things to discuss with you.

You don’t think too much of it. It’s probably something about his upcoming business trip. You’ve got everything covered either way.

Your breakup was… inevitable. It wasn’t mutual at first, but you knew it’s where you were headed to.

After five years of dating, while simultaneously parenting Naomi, you wanted to get married. Yoongi didn’t.

You yearned for the validation and commitment of marriage, while Yoongi held steadfast to his belief against it. He refused to confine himself to a traditional marriage.

When you opened up to him about your insecurities about him leaving you for someone else, he grappled to reassure and console you. It worked for about a month.

Your differences, once manageable, had now grown into impossible divides, creating a rift that stretched beyond mere disagreement.

Self-doubt and a lack of validation destroyed your relationship.

The water had almost run cold by the time you finished your shower routine.

You pick out a sage green dress for yourself, similar to Naomi’s, just longer.

In no hurry, you moisturize and blow-dry your hair.

Even though you’re broken up, you still try to dress up for him. You don’t know why.

Apart from some lingering stares, there hasn’t been any sign of a reconciliation since you broke up. Yet, you always try to look good for him.

Although, that’s just who you are. You’d dress up for anyone. But, it’s still different with Yoongi. You especially enjoy his compliments.

The doorbell rang, forcing you to hurry and spritz on the first perfume bottle you touch.

“Don’t open the door! You don’t know who it is!” You warn Naomi, but to no avail.

He’s early today.

Naomi races you to the door, “It’s daddy!” You let her win. You rush to tidy up the living room as you walk to the door.

“You’re so early!” Your daughter clings to his leg. Yoongi laughs and drags his foot in.

“How are my girls feeling?” He smirks at you. “A little troubled now that you’re here.” You bicker.

Yoongi vocalizes a groan, “Why’s mommy so mean to daddy?” He directs it to Naomi.

You smile and wait by the coat hanger stand to receive his jacket.

The apartment feels a little livelier every time he stops by.

“Why are you here so soon? I haven’t even begun cooking yet.” You walk into your kitchen to quickly gather ingredients to prepare a fresh pasta dough.

“No reason.” Yoongi cleared his throat, “Let me help you cook.” You gladly accept his help.

You assign both Nao and Yoongi to make the sauce and the salad.

Soon, your kitchen was filled with the clatter of pots and pans and laughter.

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

After dinner, Naomi spends time watching TV and working on her masterpiece.

In the serene quiet of your kitchen, the clinking of dishes echoed softly as you and Yoongi worked in unison, a familiar rhythm of cleaning up after a shared meal.

The warmth of the evening meal lingered; the comforting ambiance contrasted with the weight of the impending conversation.

Yoongi sighed for the fifth time that evening before you finally asked him, “What is it you wanted to talk about? Is everything okay?”

As you wiped a bowl dry, you stole a glance at Yoongi, noticing the hint of unease in his demeanour. Your heart fluttered with a sense of foreboding, sensing something amiss.

Yoongi paused for a moment; his hands still submerged in soapy water. "I... I have something I need to tell you."

You laughed uneasily, “I know. Spit it out already. You’re worrying me.”

The air around you felt heavier.

You set down the dishcloth, turning to face him, a sense of apprehension settling in.

Yoongi stared back into your eyes.

"I... I'm getting engaged," Yoongi finally uttered, his words hanging heavily in the air.

WHAT?

The world seemed to pause for a moment as you tried to process his words.

Your chest tightened, emotions swirling within you—a mix of surprise, disbelief, and an (un)expected pang of sorrow.

You searched his eyes for reassurance, for any sign of hesitation or doubt.

"Engaged?" Your voice was barely a whisper.

You’re hoping he misspoke. Maybe he’s getting engraved or encased or embraced.

Yoongi nodded, his expression a blend of remorse and an unspoken plea for understanding. "It's been on my mind for a while."

“Has it, now?” You scoffed.

WOW, really?

You didn’t even know he was seeing someone like that.

Even though you’re broken up, you feel cheated on in some way.

“I don’t know what to say.” You deadpan.

Your conversation was interrupted by the distant sound of Naomi's laughter, a stark reminder of the delicate balance you maintained for your daughter's sake.

"I wanted you to know first," Yoongi added softly, his eyes a mosaic of regret and an unspoken apology. One that you don’t want to acknowledge or accept.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you look down at your floral dishcloth.

You have a lot of questions but you don’t really want answers to all of them.

Yoongi feels ashamed of himself. But he knew he’d have to have this conversation with you someday. The sooner the better. He thoroughly beat himself up for this too.

You excused yourself promptly, “I’ll check on Nao.” Yoongi simply nodded.

Alone in the quiet of the short hallway that connects the kitchen to your living room, you leaned against the wall. A mix of emotions threatened to overwhelm you. You took a deep breath, bracing yourself against the ache in your chest.

₊˚.🎧 ✩�� in my dreams by red velvet ₊˚.🎧 ✩｡

note: this is a self-indulgent drabble series i'm writing, nothing is planned and i'll just write as i go

i hope u guys enjoy it!

find the series masterlist here.

[itstheghostofmypast]

15.07

Choi San x (f)Reader

Summary: At this point, he didn't know who she loved more, him or Byeol, either way, he was happy. What else could Choi San ask for other than his two favourite girls in the world getting along?

Genre: PURE FLUFF

Warnings: NONE

Word Count: 2.1K

Est. Read Time: 10 min

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels

A/N: No- see @edenesth 💗 did this to me. This timestamp is for my saviour, the one and only @edenesth 💗 , like we should totally blame San for posting such domestic core pics- no wonder we get all delulu- PS THIS COLLAB HAS ME DYING

@edenesth version: [12.58]PM

"San?" she called out, walking down the hallway as she paused in front of the wall-length mirror, fixing her hair once more and checking out her outfit, simple, crisp and a dash of purple. Very different from her usual office attire, very colourful too- after all the first time he had seen her she was in a plain suit, a white dress shirt and slacks, running around collecting printouts for the upcoming spring magazine. That also being the first time he had realised how much he loved the word 'simple'. Okay, fine, perhaps she was dressed on the softer side, but was it so bad to play cute for once? Especially, if she was doing so to please her man. Call it her way of simping.

Truth be told, she wasn't even sure if he was going to show up, after their extensive tour, when he had mentioned the upcoming off days he was to get, she had suggested going to his home town to relax, leaving the city life for a while and although it pained her to know that she would be too busy with her own work at the office, also known as the company he too worked in, she wanted him to rest and relax away from the hustle bustle of his idol life, what she did not expect that after a week of his departure to Namhae, the very next weekend her fluff of a man would be ringing her doorbell in the late hours of the weekend.

"Byeol wanted to see you and so did I, I spent a week there and I'll spend a week here."

Was all he the dimpled man had made his way inside to the living room, opening the carrier to let Byeol out, the living room already a place of her liking. She had been here with San a couple of times; she had also been a very important part of their relationship. Especially on their third date where he had delicately brought up the topic, "Are you allergic to cats?"

"No, why?"

"Do you like cats?"

"Yeah, why?"

He never really answered her question that night, only smiled at her, leaning over the table to add more meat to her plate considering the late hours of the night, her hunger had distracted her from asking more questions, already too emotional at the thought of this angel of a man sacrificing his portion of protein for her - especially after grilling it so well. The only thing that did change was that the next morning she received around 400+ pictures of San's first love, Byeol.

The first time he had brought Byeol over, he was cautious and attentive, making sure both his girls were happy. He asked her cute questions all day- maybe she just found them cute because it was him, or perhaps it was because he was letting her in, into his domain, which is the little kitty roaming around the house.

"Can I put the litter here?"

"All your windows are locked right?"

"Do you mind if I keep the food bowl next to where we eat? She feels lonely otherwise."

"Can she sleep on your bed? I brought her cat mat just in case."

"Can we leave the bedroom door open a bit, so she can come and go without waking us up?"

He stopped when he realised, she wasn't even responding, panicking he looked up from the cat supplies. Maybe she felt like he was intruding or invading her privacy but was too afraid to tell him. Maybe bringing in Byeol was a big step he shouldn't have taken so quickly. What if she meant like she liked cats, at a normal level, like 'oh a cat.'  Not like cuddling them or baby-talking to them. Turning around his eyes scanned the room to spot her holding onto Byeol, carrying her like a baby and cooing at her. It was only then he realised how loud his cat was purring loud enough for it to echo in the silent room.

"Hmmm? You say something, Sannie?" she looked up from Byeol to him, eyes as curious as a cat's, hand resting on the cat's tummy, letting Byeol grab her hand with her soft paws. His heart felt as if it were about to burst out of his ribcage, running to her and landing on her palm, beating in it with an intensity that would borderline scare her. Licking his chapped lips the feline-eyed man shook his head, a genuine dimpled smile forming, one that would send thousands flipping with joy- or in her case have her gushing over it in solitude.

Thus, giving birth to a ritual, often he would spend his free days at his own home, sometimes calling her over, and gratefully his family welcomed her with open arms. On other occasions, he’d drop by to her apartment, bringing their 'daughter' with him.

She remembers the time Byeol had gotten sick. Unfortunately, San was busy that evening, and his parents were out of town so Byeol was to stay with her. Not an issue, at least it wasn't until the third night when San checked his phone after hours of practice late at night. He had decided to stay at the dorm, travelling would be more tiring she understood, but as the man checked his phone his heart almost stopped.

"Byeol is sick, she's vomiting. "

"I'm taking her to the vet."

"She's shivering."

"Okay, my car isn't working!"

'"I ran here, dw, made it in time, they're checking her."

"They say she has a fever, some bug?"

"They want to keep her overnight, idk I mean I can't just leave her here. She looked scared."

"I'm not leaving, but she's sedated. They say she'll be fine."

"San plz reply soon."

"San I'm scared."

Choi San had never run faster in his life he was sure of it, because the moment he burst into the 24/7 pet clinic his lungs were burning worse than a forest fire, his eyes red and blurry, the world around him extremely out of focus as he stumbled to the reception, about to take the patient's name but someone called him instead.

"San!"

His head snapped in her direction, running to her, enveloping her in a tight embrace, trying to calm her down as she began to shiver in his embrace, her words coming out with choked sobs. Hand pressed against her head, he rubbed her back up and down with the other one, looking through the glass window at his cat, sprawled on the table with an IV tube attached.

"It's gonna be okay, it'll be okay."

It took almost an hour to calm her down, he had tried to convince her to go home, she had work the next day but she refused, instead blaming herself for Byeol's health. Though the doctor had assured him it was not because of her incompetency, but the cat food, the cat food Sanhad insisted on changing. Once she found that out, Choi San had to get an earful the remainder of the night, “How can you- I told you not to do that!”

“Babe I- “Don’t babe me! She doesn’t even like salmon! She prefers tuna.”

After the wonderful argument, that through the eyes of an elderly couple waiting for their dog looked like a cute domestic quarrel, came to an end. San remembered sitting next to her sulking as she gave him the silent treatment, though a few moments later her head had landed against his shoulder with a thump, followed by her snores. That night Choi San had realised two things, firstly that he was in love with her and secondly, she probably loved Byeol more than she loved him.

Hence, today they were supposed to go to a cute cafe she had been eying for a month. They had planned on taking Byeol out but since the cat had decided to stay up all night, running around the apartment she was tired today. San had just mocked her, claiming that Byeol knew it was Valentine's Day so she wanted her parents to spend the day together. However, he later countered himself with a, "Though each day is like Valentine's Day with you, love."

Clearing her throat, she dusted off the invisible dust, adjusting her cardigan before making her way to the living room once more, calling out to her significant other, "San! I'm ready to let's go." though his lack of response was confusing her, so she called out again, "Sannie where are you-" her word stopped as soon as she turned the corner, into her living room, spotting a giant starfish sprawled out on the wooden floor. Next to him was Byeol, staring down at him, San's hand pressed against his cat's back in a soothing manner, but she knew what he was doing, making sure his cat didn't move because Byeol was not only pretty but smart too, she knew what her dad was doing.

Sighing she walked closer to him, standing next to Byeol who looked up at her, blinking slowly, before turning back to stare at San. She stared down at him, arms crossed before slowly poking his side with her foot, watching him pretend and stretch, groaning as he cracked an eye open, "Oh~ you're finally done?"  

"Mhmmm." Raising a questioning brow she nodded, "And?"

"Oh, I mean" Sitting up he stretched his legs, much similar to how Byeol would do so, "Byeol said her mommy was taking so long in the shower that we fell asleep, waiting for you…" his words trailed off when he turned to look at her, his breath hitching at the sight of the soft pastels, the pretty purple, purple really was her colour. Clearing his throat he quickly got up, standing to talk in front of her, merely a few inches away from her as he stretched his arms over his head before casually bringing them down, not so discreetly wrapping them around her and slamming her into him, smirking when she whined.

"The dress will wrinkle Sannie." she tried to push him away but he pulled her closer, leaning down to peck the tip of her nose, "You can't look like a pretty pixie and not expect me to hold onto you like Captain Hook kidnapped Tinkerbell."

"What an analogy."  she mumbled, letting him squeeze her into his warm chest, feeling the vibrations as he chuckled, "You look very pretty…I like your cardigan."

"Thanks, your mom gave it to me last birthday. " Her arms wrapped around his waist, letting him gently sway them from side to side.

“Who do you think chose it?” he smiled down at her, finally meeting her with a gentle kiss, one she savoured greatly, hands fisting his shirt as his palm pressed against her back before slowly trailing down, though their little moment came to halt sudden when a high-pitched squeak caught their ears. Pulling back, she looked down at Byeol, frowning before turning to look at San, “Why isn’t she wearing her leash?” “What do you mean?”

Tutting at her gorgeous idiot of a man, she pulled away completely before crouching to grab the cat and walking towards the door where they hung coats and her leash. “I said we’re going to the café.”

“I know,” he mumbled scratching his head, a bit confused as to what she meant, “I got a booking for it, no? Why are you – we can’t take her there and it's almost time for our reservation.”

“Aww~ don’t listen to daddy, Byeol” San watched her talk to his cat instead of him, watching her put on Byeol’s harness and leash, somewhat impressed because Byeol never let him do that this easily, though the next statement had him blushing mad. “He’s a bit slow, handsome, but slow, he forgot we’re going to a cat café, you’ll have fun there~ Won’t you baby~”

Letting out a hearty chuckle he closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief, of course she’d come up with this idea on her own. She had mentioned earlier how leaving Byeol home wasn’t fun especially when the cat was their ‘child’ and leaving their child unattended was cruel. He watched the cat jump off the table and onto the floor, meowing up at his lover who sent Byeol a flying kiss, San didn’t know what heaven was, but if anyone were to ask him to describe what it looked like, the view was right in front of him.

“Any kisses for me?” He asked walking up to his two girls, who were almost out the door, pausing when she winked at him, “depends big boy. Might need to send our baby back home for a while if that’s what you want.” And that had the man shivering with excitement running after her as the two made it to the elevator, already planning on asking someone or one of the guys to watch his little baby for the night, so he could have a night with his kitten.

“Don’t worry, I think that can be arranged, kitten.”

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @spooo00oky @cereal-simp @yessa-vie

[f1daydreamers]

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 [𝐓𝐀𝟔𝟔] 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏

gif credits: @trenty

Pairing: Trent Alexander-Arnold x Fem!Reader

Summary: Arne, in hopes to focus on his team’s mental health as much as their physical, recruits a younger but just as educated psychologist to work one-to-one with the more reserved players. Trent is one of them.

A/N: This is me writing in hopes to distract myself from that abysmal final! Just to preface that Lee Richardson is the performance psychology consultant at LFC :) Also, I feel like Trent’s quite shy so I don’t think he’d be as rude as he is in this fanfic but for this to be a kinda enemies to lovers, I upped his rude boi energy by like 100% lol

There's no age gap btw! In the UK, it's doable to become a licensed sports psychologist in 6-10 years. If it took Reader 7/8, that would place her around 25 or 26 years of age. So, both Trent and Reader are of similar ages!

Warnings: psychology but nothing too in-depth, Trent’s rude in this :D, angst, very tense energy

Word Count: 1.9k words (6 mins reading time avg)

…

You checked your watch once, twice, then three times within a mere five minutes.

The sterile office, with its minimalist decor and muted lighting, seemed to magnify your impatience. Your eyes wandered to the vacant chair opposite you, and you sighed deeply.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was now fifteen minutes late for his first appointment.

“Not the best start,” you muttered under your breath.

Jotting a quick note on a pink Post-it to purchase a digital clock for your desk, you flipped the pen and clicked it shut, placing it down with a resigned finality. The email that landed in your inbox felt almost comically timed. It was from Lee, wishing you luck on your first official day.

You’d been in and out of the training center for the past week, organising your office, which had previously served as a spare room, often only used for the odd meetings.

Boxy and unfamiliar, it was a space you intended to transform into something warmer and more inviting with time. But any attempt to distract yourself proved futile; even the mental image of your office becoming a cozy haven couldn’t quell the unrest you felt inside.

Trent’s absence was more than a minor inconvenience; it felt like a deliberate message. After what Lee had disclosed about his rather aloof attitude, you couldn’t say you were entirely surprised.

Locking your office behind you, you ventured into the heart of the training facility. As you passed by groups of players and staff, your shoulders tensed imperceptibly. You adjusted your pace, trying to find a balance between caution and confidence.

Every corner turned, every nod exchanged with passing colleagues, felt like a small test of acceptance. Your mind raced with thoughts of proving yourself here. While a flicker of self-doubt danced across your features, you masked it beneath a veneer of professional composure.

You eventually found Trent tucked away in the far corner of a sparsely populated gym. A few exchanged ‘good mornings’ and ‘hellos’ momentarily eased your stress, but your tension returned as your gaze settled again on the man who had been purposefully late.

With a deep breath, you started heading towards him, weaving your way through the labyrinth of gym equipment.

You skirted around the treadmills, their rhythmic thudding echoing your own anxious heartbeat. Passing by the clanking weights, you dodged a few stray dumbbells left on the floor. The aroma of rubber mats and iron filled the air.

Finally, you rounded the weightlifting machines and found Trent on a mat, engrossed in his exercises. His headphones were still firmly in place, and his expression remained inscrutably focused, as though he was blocking out the world around him.

When you finally reached him, you hesitated, wanting to wait until he finished his set so as not to disturb his workout.

However, Trent spotted your reflection in the mirror in front of him as he came up. He stopped mid-crunch, the beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He looked down, knowing exactly what this would be in regard of. He’d seen you around the training grounds enough to be familiar.

His elbows rested on his knees as his arms folded inward. He exhaled deeply, trying to regulate his breathing.

He wiped the tip of his nose with the pad of his thumb, then pulled his headphones off and let them rest around his neck.

“What?” He looked at you with mild irritation, craning his neck to see you standing just a few steps behind him.

Your lips pressed together in a courteous and tight-lipped smile.

“Hi, Trent. I’m Y/N, the new psychologist. We had an appointment scheduled for twenty minutes ago.”

Turning back to face the mirror, he stretched his arms out in front of him before reaching for a hand towel to wipe the sweat from his brow and neck.

Then he shrugged, his indifference palpable.

“Yeah, I know.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his response as you studied his expression in the mirror. His face shifted subtly, but the changes were too fleeting to decipher.

“Then why didn’t you show up?” you asked, your tone calm but firm.

"I don't see the point," he responded flatly.

In one fluid motion, he planted one palm firmly on the ground before twisting his torso and hoisting himself up with a push, turning to face you as he rose gracefully to his feet.

Your eyes locked inevitably, the proximity of his body left you no choice but to gaze up at his face, your chin tilting ever so slightly upward.

Beads of sweat glistened from his forehead, and his mouth was slightly parted as he scrutinised you from head to toe. A scoff escaped him before he turned away, sliding off some weight plates and placing them methodically beside his mat.

"I don’t need some shrink telling me how to play football," he asserted dismissively, the hints of his accent colouring his defiant tone.

You took a moment to consider your response, your gaze tracing the broad shape of his shoulders. Despite the urge to react defensively, you couldn’t shake the awareness that someone might be listening in from behind you.

You cautiously approached him, aware of the tension hanging in the air, his eyes flicking to your reflection in the mirror.

"I'm not here to tell you how to play football," you began calmly, letting the weight of your words settle between you. "I'm here to help you navigate everything off the pitch that might impact your performance on it."

"Well, thanks, but no thanks," Trent said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've managed fine so far."

“Have you?” you questioned, quickly scanning the room for any prying ears, relieved to find everyone engrossed in their own routines.

Trent rose up, clutching a 15-pound weight plate between his hands.

"Because from where I stand, the club thinks you could use some support. And honestly, there's no shame in that." That was a saying your professors had instilled in you from day one.

Trent's jaw tightened, and for a moment, you thought he might ignore you. Instead, he pivoted to face you once more, his presence suddenly palpable.

"Look, I get that you're just doing your job, yeah? But don't expect me to pour my heart out to some stranger. Especially on someone else's schedule." He emphasised.

You blinked, but maintained eye contact, refusing to back down. "Fair enough. But I'm not going anywhere, Trent. Whether you like it or not, I'll keep trying to reach you."

He studied you for a moment, then shook his head slightly, leaning in just a bit closer.

"Good luck with that, psychologist."

…

"I think that's our time wrapped up, thank you so much, Conor." You hoisted yourself up with the armrests of your chair and gave a warm smile to the man opposite you.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll see you around." Conor said as he turned, rounding the chair he was just sitting on, giving you a final nod and smile before leaving and closing the door behind him.

You waited until it clicked shut before you sinked into your chair again. Your work was deeply important to you, one of few things in life you were immensely passionate about, but man, it took its toll on longer days.

You rubbed your temples in a poor attempt to alleviate the dull ache that had formed from hours of conversation. As you tried to gather your thoughts, the interruption in the form of a new email snapped you back to reality.

It was from Lee, asking you to come and see him when you were free.

Your head rolled back for a brief moment of respite. Trent had been on your mind ever since your confrontation earlier, lingering in the back of your thoughts throughout the day, despite the overall improvement as the hours ticked by.

Resigning yourself to more work, you pushed yourself up with a temporary surge of motivation. Straightening your blouse and combing your hair with your fingers, you headed towards Lee's office across the hall.

The door stood ajar, a silver name plaque bearing his name neatly affixed. Lee's office exuded an air of scholarly authority, with shelves lined with books, framed certificates adorning the walls, and strategically placed pieces of Liverpool memorabilia.

He glanced up from his desk as you knocked on the doorframe.

"You asked to see me?" you inquired, your head tilting slightly as he closed the folder he was reading, sliding it into the filing cabinet behind him.

"Yes, come in," Lee replied, gesturing toward the chair positioned across from him.

You smoothed down your skirt as you settled into the chair, intertwining your hands on your lap.

His demeanor exuded encouragement, warmth evident in the gentle lines of his smile. As he gathered his thoughts, your eyes fell upon a framed picture on his desk. Lee stood on the far left, flanked by several players including Trent and Curtis, their bright smiles frozen in time.

Your own smile deepened at the sight, noting how much younger they all appeared in the photograph. But as today's events replayed in your mind, your gaze momentarily lowered before returning to meet Lee's.

"A few years ago, that one," he pointed briskly at the photo, though he didn't give you time to respond before changing the topic - a relief, in your opinion.

"So," Lee clasped his hands together, "first official day? How'd it go?"

Pushing back thoughts of Trent deliberately, today had gone rather well.

"Good, honestly. Wataru and Conor were a little shy at first, but I think I was able to break through by the end of our sessions. Curtis was quite bubbly and a joy to talk to. We had some positive discussions too." You truthfully answered, giving a polite smile to round off your answer.

He nodded, impressed. Without a word, he turned to squint at his computer screen, his glasses perched atop his head. "And Trent?"

You cleared your throat, your tongue swiping over your bottom lip nervously. After a moment's hesitation, you shook your head once before answering.

"Trent didn't show up." You admitted with a wry smile. "I found him in the gym and brought it up but I wouldn't say that was a positive discussion."

Lee chuckled softly, his voice carrying a gentleness that belied his words. "Trent’s a tough nut. He’s got a lot on his shoulders and doesn't easily trust new people. But that's why you're here."

You nodded resolutely. "Absolutely. I don't intend on letting up."

"If you want me to step in-" He began but you shook your head again, halting him in the middle of his sentence.

"I respectfully don't think that's going to help. He's not exactly trusting of me right now, and I'm worried about the impression you stepping in might leave. I'm fortunate he's at least talking to me and sharing his feelings." You said with a measured tone, your words careful and tinged with a hint of apprehension.

"Well, you're the pro," you smiled at his joke, exhaling a sigh.

"I'm relying on your guidance, Lee. I can only hope he'll start working with me."

Lee nodded thoughtfully. "Trent respects effort and authenticity. He's introverted, sure, but once he's comfortable, he's a lovely lad."

"I'm sure," you blinked, fiddling nervously with your fingers.

Once he's comfortable.

That shouldn't take too long, you lied to yourself.

...

Part 2

Masterlist

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[butterflydm]

WoT 3x01 Deep Dive (book spoilers)

Any additional thoughts I have that delve into more spoilery territory will go here! Spoilers through A Memory of Light (final book!). Most of my thoughts are in the show-spoilers post; this is just for additional thoughts that needed more of a spoiler warning.

Okay, Sitter & Black Ajah update - of the three Red Sitters, one is definitely Black Ajah (Galina Casban), one is definitely not (Tsutama Rath), and one we don't get the name of (not in the x-ray either). 3x03 tells us that Tsutama is currently the Highest of the Red Ajah and that it used to be Elaida (I'm assuming she stepped down after she had her Foretelling because she decided going to Andor was more important but we may find out otherwise later). Other named Black Ajah Sitters in scene: Ispan (blue), Joiya (Grey), Amico (Yellow), and Alvairin (White, does not reveal herself). There is a second White/Black Ajah Sitter who is killed by Leane, so two White Sitters who were also Black Ajah.

Also Alviarin has a damn good poker face.

We get confirmation of the Heart structure of the Black Ajah in 3x03, so I think Nyomi is just one of the BA that Verin hadn't discovered yet, which is heartbreaking.

So Maksim felt the loss of Ihvon through the bond. Is this a "Green Ajah" thing or is this a special thing that Alanna has done? It feels like foreshadowing for the bond that Rand shares with Elayne, Aviendha, & Min in the books, but even more shared than theirs, even. It makes sense for the show to simply fold Avilayne's first-sister bonding into the big Rand bonding, since Avilyane don't need to go through that same emotional journey together in the show because we've established attraction between them already. So I think we'll get Alanna's forced bonding of Rand and then in a later season get the polycule bond which will tie all of them together the way that Alanna, Maksim, & Ihvon are all tied together (if we get that renewal, fingers crossed!)

I feel like the show is signaling pretty hard that Tear will be our s4 opening plot. And if s4 is also when we kick off Avirandlayne, then we can potentially do some fun romance things with them in Tear, with Elayne giving him political advice and Aviendha teaching him about the Aiel. And if Rand doesn't get a teacher this season at all, then maybe we can still get the feathers that he tries to turn into flowers, and s4 will be our Rand Learns Channeling Properly season.

Okay, so I feel like Verin is who led Lanfear to know where Moiraine and Lan would be (since I also feel like it was Tomas who knocked out Mat at the end of s2 and brought him to Lanfear). And the question of "how did the Gray Man find the kids?" might be "Mat loudly boasting about blowing the Horn of Valere" (which would make him feel even more shitty about himself in this moment).

Moggy creates a Gray Man at the end of 3x01 and sends him to find Nynaeve, which we get the payoff for in 3x03 -- targeting Nynaeve makes sense because the Forsaken already know her location due to their Black Ajah spies, and she's likely seen as more vulnerable due to her block, plus she's the group's main healer, per the information that the Black Ajah would be able to relay to the Forsaken.

We see both Elayne & Mat drinking a lot during this episode and the next - I wonder if Elayne is going to absorb a bit of Birgitte's "drinking buddies with Mat" energy from the books. I guess we will find out in the upcoming Tanchico episodes! Something that we saw in Rand during s1 was him wishing that Egwene & Mat were better friends, so I am very curious to see if we get Mat & Elayne bonding in the second half of the season.

Alviarin has been able to get quite a bit of information that she can use to help bring Siuan down -- she was present in the Hall when the attack happened (so that's not something Galina can help Elaida with) and she's here when she sees that Siuan is not able to exert any control over Egwene, who gets the Accepted ring and then immediately leaves the Tower. And because she was one of the Sitters in the Hall when the four members of the Black Ajah unmasked, Siuan also now has a level of trust with her that Siuan doesn't have towards any of the non-Sitter Sisters.

Elayne being the person who negotiates the relationship between Aviendha and Rand here feels like another nod to their future relationship -- we see her use similar tactics with both Aviendha and Rand in their respective scenes together. She tries to get them to see each other's point of view and uses physical touch to get them to really focus in on her and her point.

I will also go more in depth into the relationships here because it is pretty spoilery to talk about it too much in the show-only part of the post. They do a lot to put into place the building blocks for Rand and Elayne's future relationship, and for how Elayne will work as a balance between Rand and Aviendha (I think we also get some setup when Alanna talks in 3x02 about how Ihvon was the one who balanced herself and Maksim as the calm one to their more impulsive & heated parts of the throuple). Elayne can see Aviendha and Rand's similarities and see how that's making them bounce off each other and make their misunderstanding worse, and she actively works to try to get both of them more willing to bridge that gap.

We also have Rand blatantly wanting more of Elayne's company, even if there's no direct romance in it yet. He asks her if he's sure that he can't talk her into coming along with them and gives her a pretty wide and sincere smile, and, of course, he takes her advice!

And we see at the end of the episode that Aviendha is beginning her own slow process of re-thinking Rand when she sees him push back against Moiraine and instead decide to follow the path to what the Aiel want from him. Both Aviendha and Rand respond really well to Elayne's advice and suggestions, and she delivers that advice in way that is much better calculated to actually reach them (especially Rand) than either Moiraine or Lanfear do. The show made a very clear point of making it be Elayne who helps influence Rand's future path, not Moiraine or Lanfear.

"There is no homecoming for you. Not now, not ever."

I notice that the show is maintaining that Rand's true desire is home (which was really emphasized in the s1 finale as well). If we do get a chance to get all the way to the end, I don't think Rafe is gonna end on deadbeat!dad Rand. I think they'll show that Rand intends to go be an active father to his kids and an active partner to his lovers, because they've shown over and over that a quiet life with the ones that he loves is his heart's deepest desire (contrary to what Lanfear believes about him).

Elayne drinking it up with the boys here before she heads up to flirt and hook up with Aviendha... yeah, I am feeling a bit of Birgitte in the house tonight. Will we get more drinking buddies Matlayne in the back half of the season, I ask again? I do like that the show is layering in Elayne spending a bit of time bonding with Mat & Perrin as friends before she goes up to hang out with Aviendha. Very Spice Girls - "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends."

I do still feel like Elayne's "finally" is way more directed towards Avilayne book fans than it is towards Aviendha herself, lol.

Elayne being the person who healed Rand's dagger wound is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to narrative implications -- Elayne was able to heal Rand enough that he could fight against Ishamael, while Egwene's touch is hurting Rand, despite neither of them wanting it to hurt (which is an echo of Rand and Egwene both worrying that the time will come when Rand hurts her unintentionally).

I am really curious how the show is going to take Egwene from being so incredibly determined to stick things out with Rand and protect him no matter what to breaking up with him. The indicators in the show imply that Avirandlayne is definitely in the cards, at the very least (indicators are weaker on Min at this point), which means that Randgwene do need to actually break up at some point. My own hopes are currently for a breakup in 3x05 so that they have some time to move on from their relationship on screen rather than it being relegated to a time-skip between seasons, but we'll see.

The creation of Jaichaim the Gray Man continues our trend of slowly whittling away at all things Ebou Dar, which I have been watching in fascination and not some small measure of hope. Let's count down the Ebou Dari things that have been taken away:

Renna: killed by Egwene

Seta: killed by a stray arrow

Suroth: blew up by Moiraine

Aviendha teaches Elayne about Aiel culture: learned it on the boat trip

Jaichaim the Darkfriend Whitecloak: turned into a Gray Man and killed

Intriguing! I will keep my eye on further developments.

[darling-keoko]

First meeting

MinShin x Male reader

Oc x male reader

Warnings: Fluff... Just fluff..

先生—teacher

„I've love you ever since I laid my eyes on you”

You were a pre school teacher in Japan. You lived a pretty humble and normal life. Of course you had a few girlfriends here and there but... You've never felt attracted to any of them which led to you breaking up with them.

8:09am

"先生, do you like my drawing." You snapped back into reality once heard one of the little one call out to you.

"Of course, darling. It's beautiful." You gave the child a warm smile before they walked over to they're group of friends, showing them the photo they drew.

You sighed as you laid down onto the mat, looking up at the ceiling. The classroom door creeked open.

"Uh... Hello?" Someone who sounded like a man called out.

You sat up looking at the man who was standing by the door holding a small child.

"Ah! Hello, sorry about that." You stood up, greeting the man at the door with a small bow.

"Hello." He simply said, setting his daughter down on the floor.

"Awe, she's so cute. You must be her brother, right?" You asked with your usual small warm smile on your face.

"Ah, no." He flailed his hands, trying to correct you.

"She's my daughter. My name is Min-Shin and hers is Eunae." He awkwardly smiled at you with a small blush on his face.

"I'm very flattered that you thought I was her brother though... Thanks... You made my week."

Min-Shin crouched down to his daughter level and hugged her.

"Be good, Eunae. Daddy will be right back when daycare is over, okay?" He kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"Mhm... I will be the best!" Eunae kissed him on the cheek. His daughter ran off to go play with her other classmates.

Min-Shin got up from his crouching position. "Uhm.. So...."

You stared at him... Admiring his complexion... How nice he looked in that suit...

"I'll pick her up at 3:40pm...I'll try not to be late." He scratched the nape of his neck.

"O-oh!... Ah... Sorry... I was just thinking about something." You tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"Before you go sir I need to get your number incase there's an incident."

"Huh?... Oh... Yea I almost forgot." He grabbed his phone from his pocket, calling out his number. You put his number into your phone and saving it.

"Sensei! Haoyui is being mean again." A child comes up to you, crying and hugging your leg tight.

"Ah...well... Bye MinShin-san..." You waved to him before tending to the child that was holding on tightly to your leg.

MinShin exited the classroom... His heart was beating fast and his face was flushed... He didn't understand why he's reacting this way... He only just met you... He was getting weak for you.

4:56pm

All the kids were already gone bit one... Eunae.. Her father said she was coming for her at 3:40 but it was now about 4:50 by now...

"Eunae." You sat down by her... You both were outside of the school, waiting for MinShin to come.

"You want to go play on the slides with teacher?" You placed a hand on her back making her look at you... She was crying...

"N-no... Did daddy abandon me sensei..." Tears was flowing down her face endlessly.

"No sweetheart..." Your heart pang at her words... Your phone buzzes and lights up in your pocket. You grabbed it to see MinShin had texted you that he's going to be more late..

"You know how those fairies are." You said, leaning back onto the bench.

"Fairies?..." She repeats, confused on what your implying.

"Yea! Fairies." You rolled your eyes, checking your nails.

"They lovvveeee to talk and be friendly to daddies."

You gasped before speaking again.

"Maybe those fairies are distracting your daddy by talking to him... Gosh... Those fairies are trouble makers."

Eunae chuckled at your over exaggerations, wiping her tears away with her shirt sleeve.

"Fairies? Why would my daddy be talking to fairies?" She laughed out.

"Because it's very rude to ignore a fairy or person when they're talking to you Eunae." You poked her nose, warning a small laugh from her.

"Is he talking to the tooth fairy or, or the... Uh... Love fairy!" She exclaimed, excitedly.

"Huh... Hm... Probably the smile fairy since they love to talks and make people's day." You smiled warmly at her, glad that she isn't crying no more.

"Sorry... Hah... Sorry for coming late..." There he was... Eunae's father... He looked like he ran all the way here.

"It's alrig—"

Eunae got up from off the bench and ran over to her father, hugging him tightly.

"Daddy!"

MinShin scooped up his daughter, hugging her tightly.

"Sorry for taking so long... Thanks for looking after Eunae." He smiled at you.

You stood up from the bench, grabbing Eunae's bag and giving it to him.

"No worries... It's my job afterall." You smiled back at him.

You both kinda smiled at each other like a couple in love before Eunae broke the silence.

"Was the smile fairy talking to you daddy? Are you two friends."

MinShin furrowed his eye brows a bit confused on what's she's talking about... 'Smile fairy?'

He looked over at you with an inquisitive look on his face... You simply rest a finger on your lip, winking at him. His face flushed up a bright red colour for a brief moment before sighing.

"Yep... You know those smile fairies love to talk." He played along with the little white lie that you told Eunae.

"Thank you... Again... I swear to goodness that those fairies was going to keep me there for days." He chuckled again before walking away..

"Huh?... Don't you have a car MinShin-san? If you don't I could give you a ride home."

MinShin looked back behind him, shocked by your offer... The only person who has offered him a ride home in Japan was Sooyoung and that's it.

"Ah... I don't want to trouble you... I could just walk ho—"

"Not with a small child you wont." You said, not allowing to decline your request.

"Hah... Fine..."

5:04pm

You, Eunae and MinShin was driving to their house... There was calming music playing and Eunae was asleep on her fathers

"Hey... "

MinShin said, pulling you back into reality, Gaining your attention.

"Yes? You need something?... Did I pass your house?"

He waved his hand dismissively.

"No... It's just that I was wondering if I could treat you to something this weekend... I mean... It's not like a date or anything." He scratched the nape of his neck anxiously.

You would've almost swerve off the road if it you didn't have people in the car with you. That caught you off guard..

"Uhm... I'm sorry, I should've asked if you were straight before asking that... Shit..." He squeezed his kneecap tightly with the hand that wasn't resting on his neck.

"No—no... It's fine really, MinShin-san... I would love to if I'm actually being honest." You glanced at him for a seconded before looking back onto the road.

MinShin face was red like an juicy ripe tomato...

"Let's call it a date then...I-I MEAN."

"Shh... I know what you mean... Now be quiet, you might wake up Eunae."

MinShin smiled at you, looking at you, studying every detail on your body.

7:34pm

You finally reached outside of his apartment... The sun was already down by now. You parked your car in the parking lot.

"I didn't know you lived this far in Japan. This is a nice area though." You leaned back in the car seat.

"You should stay over... I mean it is a pretty far drive from where you live I think."

He asked you with a small smile on his face.

"I mean... It is a two hour drive... " you thought about it for an moment before responding.

"Sure... I mean.. It's better than spending more money on gas."

A/n: I'm gonna end it right here but I'll post part 2 soon enough. And yes I know that this isn't Tokki and it isn't the 15th yet but the Tokki story is way longer than this one so... Yea...

[iliiuan]

You guys forgot Aviendha. She doesn't understand what's going on, but she doesn't understand Wetlanders anyway, and she enjoys drinking with Mat. He's like a spear-sister, which is weird, but again, Wetlanders, eh?

it's always wild to me when pro-matlayne arguments are that it would be better than BOTH their canon romances because i'm like. oh you think matlayne would be.........REPLACING randlayne? you think this would be a monogamous relationship? you think rand would just be off doing his own thing rather than being the filling of a tasty matlayne sandwich? if so, you are entirely missing the true appeal of matlayne

[angstysebfan]

Was It A Mistake - Part 1

Pairing: Bucky x Fem Reader Chapter Summary: You and Bucky broke up but still remained friends. When you go on a shopping trip with your best friend, you learn a devastating thing. Warnings: Angst (duh its me lol), Arguments

Series Masterlist

You punch the punching bag in a series of combinations. Sweat dripping from your head and y/h/c hair. You’re the only one in the gym right now, but you knew that would change. You had a standing sparing appointment with your favorite super soldier.

Everyone in the tower thought it was weird that you and Bucky remained such good friends. You both dated for 3 years, and were hot and heavy. You realized the last six months, of your relationship, Bucky was pulling away from you. It broke your heart; so you decided distance yourself also, in preparation of him breaking up with you. You couldn't take the stress of waiting for him to break it off, so you begrudgingly did it. It completely killed you, but he didn't seem ultimately ruined, and you both decided to continue just being friends.

You were nervous that it would be awkward, but it wasn’t. You were just happy he was still in your life. You know you still loved him, but sometimes that's not enough. You were obviously not enough. That thought runs through your mind as you punch. You shake your thoughts from your head as you heard the gym doors close behind you.

“Tiring yourself out before I even get a chance to beat you fairly, doll?”

You turned around and see Bucky walking over the the bench to place his water and towel down. He's wearing navy blue basketball shorts that hung perfectly low on his hips, and as usual, no shirt. You couldn’t help admire the beautiful specimen in front of you.

“Ha, just warming up Buck. Don’t worry, I still have enough energy to kick your ass!” You yell, while pulling the tape off your hands.

You grab your towel and water and walk over to him, drinking and wiping your sweat.

He laughed, “Whatever you say. Shall we?” He asked walking toward the sparring mats.

After 30 minutes, and Bucky taking you out for the 5th time, you gave up. He offered his hand to help you get up. “One day… I’ll get you down… mark my words.” You say through your panted breath.

Bucky laughed. “Can’t wait.”

You both walk over the bench to grab a drink. You wipe your face with your towel when you hear the doors to the gym. Nat walks over to you both. “Hey guys!” She says smiling. 

“Hey Nat, you still up for shopping later?” you ask.

“Absolutely! Meet me in the common room at 1?” She asks.

You nod as you take a drink. You start walking out of the gym when you notice Nat and Bucky give each other knowing smirk and whispering to each other. It makes you feel uneasy, but ignore it as you head out to shower.

–

Later that day, you and Nat are shopping at the local mall. You sit outside the changing room as Nat tries on a new red dress. She comes out and looks in the mirror, turning at different angles to admire herself. You can’t help but notice how gorgeous she is. The dress fits her curves perfectly.

“Oh Nat, you definitely need to get that!” You say with a smile.

“Yeah, I think I will. It will be absolutely perfect.” She said as she turns and looks over the shoulder to see how it looks.

“Perfect for what?” You ask.

Nat looks at you through the mirror. You can see she looks… nervous? She turns toward you and gives you a small smile. “Bucky asked me out on a date. We've been hanging out a lot lately, and we wanted to finally give dating a try.”

Your jaw and stomach dropped. You can already feel the tears forming, but you internally yell at yourself to keep it together. You knew you weren't good enough. You would never be enough! You take a deep breath and close your eyes for a moment, willing the tears to disappear. When you open you see Nat still looking at you, waiting for your reaction.

“U-uh, wow! I, um, I-I didn’t know you guys… were…were talking.”

You cringe at your shaking voice. Nat looks at you with minimal sympathy in her eyes, which pisses you off. You didn't understand how this happened. Nat knew what happened between you and Bucky, as she was your best friend. You confided in her about everything, including that you are still in love with him. And now you learn she has been moving in on him and they are going on a date?!

“It wasn’t a planned thing. I swear, and I'm sorry I didn’t tell you. I know should've, but I’m…” She trails off, looking down at her hands. You have never seen her look so nervous. 

“You’re what, Natalia?” You say slowly standing, getting angrier.

She looks at you. “I’m falling for him, hard. And he told me that he's falling for me too.”

She might as well had slapped you in the face. You grab your bags without saying another word and left. You ignore her calls for you. You finally let the tears come down your face as you head out to grab a cab to head back to the tower. 

-

You try to control yourself as you ride the elevator up to the residential floors of the tower. As soon as you walk out, you see him with a concerned look on his face. You figured Nat called him and told him what happened, but you couldn’t deal with him right now. Just looking at him caused the tears to come down. You quickly turn and head to your room.

“Y/N, please. Don’t run away from me,” You hear him call.

You try and outrun him, but he was so much faster. Before you even got a chance to close the door, he pushed his way into your room.

“Get out!” You scream.

He looks devastated. You've never yelled at him, even when you guys fought when you were together. “Y/N, please. Talk to me,” he begs.

He was so confused by your reaction. You're the one who broke his heart. He was ready to marry you and then was told that you wanted to end things with him. It crushed him, so he distanced himself, hoping to ease the pain. You eventually did end it, and asked to be friends. He didn’t fight it because he was hoping you would change your mind. He has been miserable for months, pretending to be friends with you, when all he wanted is to be with you.

Nat helped him by being there and listening to him whine about how much he missed you. He opened up to her about feeling like he wasn't enough, and she showed him that he was enough for her. He couldn’t help but start developing feelings. Nat was the only one who knew how he felt about you, but is still willing to try with him. Willing to help him move on from you.

“Please….” he whispered, on the verge of tears.

A sob escapes your lips. “Buck… why? Why Nat? Why my best friend?”

You knew it didn’t matter who he was dating, but you needed to know why her. He shook his head, sniffing. 

“When you broke up with me, I-I was miserable. I didn’t know what to do. Nat was there, and she let me confide my feelings to her. As time went on, I started to develop feelings. I…. I didn’t think you would care! You didn’t want to be with me! You were the one who wanted to be friends! I’m sorry, but I didn't think you'd care," he said the last part in a whisper as he silently cried.

You were confused as you took in what he said. He was miserable? I broke his heart? He didn't want to break up? He confided in Nat, while you also confided in Nat? You look at him in shock. He was confused by your reaction. 

“I… I don’t understand. You became distant, which is why I broke up with you. I thought you didn’t want me anymore; that I wasn't enough for you. I thought us being friends was better than losing you all together.” You said. Bucky stares at you confused. “Nat… Nat talked to you about us?” You asked, and Bucky silently nodded. 

Betrayed. That was the word that went through your mind. Your so-called best friend knew that both you and Bucky still loved each other, but kept it quiet so she could take him. You couldn’t believe it! Bucky obviously didn’t realize what was happening either.

“I…. I need to think.” Bucky said, leaving you alone in your room.

You couldn’t move. All you kept thinking was that there was miscommunication somewhere between you and Bucky, and neither of you actually wanted to break up. Nat knew this, but kept it quiet and made a move on Bucky. But why did Bucky become distant in the first place? There are so many questions in your head that you can barely think straight. You had to get to the bottom of this, somehow.

One thing you already know is, Nat back stabbed you. You will never forgive her for this.

--

Part 2

What do we think? No matter what it's messed up to go after your besties ex. Feedback is appreciated.

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