#my current partner is amazing and I do not regret anything that brought me to him | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bvidzsoo · 4 years ago

Text

Playing with fire

Author: bvidzsoo

Warnings: mentions of sexual situations, light violence, sexual assault mentions

Pairing: Wen Junhui x female reader

Word count: 14, 360

Summary: You are on your own in a man-ruled world. Whatever you do, whatever you say, just make sure it doesn’t piss them off. And you feel alone, you never experienced any parental love let alone a partner. But things change for the better when five mysterious men show up in town, but maybe they aren’t who everyone thinks they are? After all, five bandits are on the loose for robbing numerous places.

A/N: Hello, hello lovelies! Welcome back to a wild-west themed oneshot! This story was totally inspired by Baekhyun’s Bambi MV and well, I couldn’t help myself! There’s nothing very graphic in the story, just wanted to point that out. There might be a few things that couldn’t have happened in that era, but this is fiction, so please turn a blind eye to it. I hope the jump between the timelines won’t be confusing as I tried out something new! Hope you like it and your feedback is always appreciated! Enjoy now.

Present time

My teeth clattered against each other involuntarily. Mainly it was due to the chill air that surrounded me, but fear also played along. I’ve never been inside a prison cell before, but I guess the time comes for everything. My robes were covered in dirt and torn in various places due to the events that took place not even an hour ago. Many people would regret getting involved into something like this, but I wasn’t. I knew my inevitable death was approaching, but I couldn’t feel sorry for finally having chosen to live a bit. Do something that I wanted to do without being forced into doing it. My eyes got used to the darkness surrounding this underground place, but I couldn’t help squint when footsteps echoed around in the far end. The silhouette was tall and wore dark clothes as his feet dragged along the cold tiles, menacingly approaching me.

Two weeks ago

My fingers were covered in wrinkles from the excessive scrubbing I had to do with a wet rug. Mornings were always a little bit rough, having to clean up the mess the customers left at night was bothersome at first, but then it became bearable. It brought money; I couldn’t complain too much. I worked at an Inn, because quite frankly, this was the best I could do. We lived in a man ruled world, where the woman was created to please him left and right, with no right to an opinion. You just bow your head and go on with your life, acting like a house rat. Squeak once too loudly and tomorrow you won’t be breathing anymore. It was unfair, how little respect women were offered, after all, these dirty bastards wouldn’t be here if we didn’t give birth to them. But as a woman, you weren’t supposed to think about such things…actually, you weren’t really supposed to think at all. Just entertain blindly, do the house chores, feed the hungry, make dozens of children and please your husband…or any man, really. I learned it the hard way, after multiple beatings when I dared to speak back to a man, I learned my place.

My family was poorer than the already poor ones, no one really raised me, I just grew up and learned by myself how things worked in this world. When I turned fifteen, I realized if I wanted to live a longer life, I would have to earn my own money as my parents provided none for me. I ran away from my hometown, which was two hours away in the middle of the hot desert from the current town I was living in, and settled down here. This town was bigger and paid better, after all, the second headquarter of the National Bank was here. All types of people came and went, yet the locals knew everyone and paid close attention to the newcomers. They were wary, especially ever since a gang of five bandits started robbing banks all around the South. No one knew what they looked like; however, they were able to find out their leader’s name could be Kwan. All sheriffs were looking for this bandit group, so far, they weren’t very successful.

The door opened and the bell chimed atrociously loudly, ringing through the quiet Inn. It was nine in the morning, no one bothered to come in, unless they stayed at the lodge upstairs or forgot to go home last night. I was at the bar, wiping the glasses dry with a yellow towel, when the customer approached me. I glanced up to see a very handsome, young, man standing and looking around. His lips were full and his hair fell neatly onto his forehead. He wore clean clothes, even smelt good, and I straightened my posture, totally forgetting about the rags I was wearing.

“Well…why don’t you sit down, young sir?” I let my voice take a soft tone, dare I say, seductive as the man turned his gaze onto me. He hummed and took a seat on the stool, leaning his hands against the bar.

“Good morning.” His voice was warm and my lips pulled into a big smile. Handsome and well mannered? Was this my lucky day?

“Good morning,” I bat my eyelashes at him timidly, hoping he’d find it attractive, “Would you like to have anything specific?”

“Well…” His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes fell on the shelves behind me, “Do you have something that’s not alcohol?”

I chuckled, leaning against the bar, “Sir, with all due respect, does it look like you walked into a Caffe? This is an Inn…”

“Ah,” He muttered, smiling at me embarrassed, “I must have missed the street…”

“It happens to new people in town.” I muttered, placing a clean glass in front of the stranger.

“You know I’m new in town?” The man’s eyebrows rose and I laughed, head falling a bit backwards. I grabbed the chamomile tea I prepared an hour ago for myself and poured half of it into the glass.

“Sweetheart,” I licked my lips, taking a gulp of the tea that remained in the tall bottle I was holding, “Only two types of people dressed like that come in here. The rich boys looking for a fun night from the north side of the town or the tourists who happen to be passing through the town.”

The man eyed the content of the glass I just poured tea into and then looked back at me, “The name’s Joshua. What did you pour for me?”

“Chamomile tea,” I said with a sigh, finding his name unusual, “You are lucky I woke up a little stressed today. Chamomile tea has the ability to calm your nerves a bit, you know?”

“I did not know.” Joshua muttered and raised his glass to take a sip of the tea, “And it’s not even bad.”

“Of course, it’s not bad!” I exclaimed with a laugh, “I made it.”

“And you must have a name?” Joshua’s eyebrows rose and I glanced around, making sure no one was listening to our conversation. I didn’t use my real name at the Inn.

“It’s Y/N.” I muttered lowly and Joshua hummed, looking around.

“It seems to be deserted here…”

“Sweetheart,” I laughed again, truly amazed by how naïve this man seemed to be, “Inn’s are only full at night, people don’t come here at day, only if they are drunk already.”

“That’s a pity,” Joshua’s lips pulled into a grin, and I returned it as it was contagious, “They are missing out on some luscious chamomile tea.”

I laughed loudly as the bell chimed again, signaling a new client. It wasn’t a client this time, it was Little James, the boy who delivered the newspaper.

“Newspaper!” He hollered loudly as if the place was noisy, throwing down a stack of newspaper at the entrance.

“Bring one here, Little James!” I beckoned the boy, “And stop shouting, everyone can hear you crystal clear if you speak at a normal volume.”

Little James ran up to me with a pout, holding a newspaper to his chest, “But Big James told me to shout while I distribute these.”

“Big James probably forgot to tell you that you only need to shout at the market.” I ruffled the boy’s blonde hair, taking the newspaper from him. I glanced at Joshua, he was staring down at his tea, so I swiftly grabbed a little sack of cookies from the counter and gave it to Little James. He stuffed it into his pocket and offered me a wide grin.

“Miss Katie, you are the best!” He exclaimed as he ran off, leaving the door of the Inn open behind him. I didn’t mind, the fresh air of the morning was welcome.

“Miss Katie?” Joshua’s eyebrows rose as I sat in the chair by the sink, a few steps away from where I was just standing.

“That would be me.” I hummed as I unfolded the newspaper, checking the first page as the hot news were there.

“I thought your name—”

“People know me as Katie here, I don’t use my real name.” I explained absentmindedly as my eyes ran over the words. A big WANTED sign and underneath five black figures with question marks on their faces, coated most part of the first page. There was a new robbery, but at a pawnshop this time, just two hours away from this town. My hometown. Jewelry and money were taken, quite at a high value, and sheriffs were desperately asking people to keep their eyes and ears open, to help capture these bandits. They also made an estimated map of where these five men were headed, and this town was next. I huffed as I browsed through the other news, eyes falling on Joshua when I heard rustling of paper. He was also reading a newspaper, left leg crossed over the right as a subtle, smug, smile slipped onto his lips. I narrowed my eyes at him as I folded my newspaper, leaning forward to rest my elbows onto my knees.

“Found anything you like?” I spoke up, making Joshua jump. He peeked at me through his eyelashes as he cleared his throat, then evened his expression.

“Not really…just the usual news about these five bandits stealing some more.” I couldn’t help but notice the smug tone of his voice as he spoke, controlling his expressions this time.

“Yeah…they’ve been causing quite the chaos for these past three months, haven’t they?” Joshua hummed in agreement as he flipped through the newspaper elegantly, as if he was afraid, he’d rip the paper.

“Well…word says they are headed here.” I raised my eyebrows at Joshua and he mirrored my actions, “You should be careful when you speak to a stranger again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time your friends come around.” I winked at Joshua as he stood from his seat.

His eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as he searched his pockets, “Who said I’m traveling with friends?”

“A man like you wouldn’t be traveling alone.” I just shrugged and dryly gulped when I saw the amount of money, he threw on the table. He folded the newspaper and tucked it underneath his armpit; I stood to grab some change to hand back.

“I’ll take this with myself.” He referred to the newspaper as he bowed his head a little and I nodded, crouching down to count the money I needed to hand back.

“Sweetheart, here’s your—” I stood alone in the Inn, behind the bar, as Joshua disappeared, door closed now. I stared down at the change in my hands, then at the money on the table. Without a second thought, I grabbed it before my greasy boss could see it, and tucked it carefully into the top of my corset. This money will last me for a week at least.

The next day, another two strangers walked in. It wasn’t in the morning this time, but almost lunch time. I was actually getting ready to place out my cold rice onto the counter to eat, when the doorbell chimed. With a heavy sigh, I ignored the churning of my belly, and tried to smile. Unlike Joshua yesterday, who blatantly approached me, these two men sat at a table close by the exit. One was shorter and his eyes seemed to be narrowed as he glanced at the few people already inside the Inn, and the other one was a little bit taller as he stood with his hip jutting to the right a little bit. The shorter one must have felt my eyes on them because he turned around and glared at me. He was intimidating and as I was about to look away, but he raised his arm and called me over. I dusted my hands off on some rug from the counter as I walked around it to approach their table. They both took a seat and watched me as I stopped a few feet away.

“Welcome to our Inn,” I greeted politely, using the same tone I used on Joshua yesterday, “Anything you’d like?”

“What’s your best drink?” The taller one asked and I glanced back at the bar, to see if we still had Bourbon.

“It would be the Bourbon, young sir.” My answer made the man laugh, as the other one smirked amused.

“That’s a horrible way to call me, don’t you think?” He raised his eyebrows and I shrugged my shoulder; I called everyone like that.

“It’s Seungkwan,” He grinned, extending his hand, “I’ll take that Bourbon…”

“Katie,” I shook the man’s extended hand with a small smile, “I’ll bring it over just in a second, and for you…”

The shorter man, who was actually about my height, looked at the bar, “What are you drinking?”

I stared at him surprised before clearing my throat, “Chamomile tea, young—”

“That’s really awkward, my name’s Woozi.” He cut me off before I could finish my sentence, “I’ll drink Chamomile tea.”

I nodded my head and walked to the bar, stopping by a table when they waved me down. The man didn’t have anything to ask for, he just called me over for a snide remark. I remained emotionless as I walked to the bar, ignoring the laughter that followed the table after the man’s words. They were the worst customers, always pissing me off. They were from the north side of the town and only came here to make fun of others and bully them. The man who called me over for nothing, his name was Sehun, and he loved to torment me. I grabbed two glasses and poured Bourbon into one and Chamomile into the other after I placed them on a tray. I held the tray with both hands and walked to the table of the strangers, making sure to avoid walking by Sehun’s table as it wouldn’t be the first time, he’d try tripping me while I was carrying something.

“Here,” I whispered as I placed the glass of Bourbon in front of Seungkwan, and the glass of Chamomile tea in front of Woozi. I held the tray to my chest and went to walk away when Woozi pointed at the newspaper on the table.

“Didn’t this make the first page yesterday too?” He asked, eyes watching me. I craned my neck to see the same news as yesterday, the one both Joshua and I read together.

“I suppose,” I said with a shrug, standing back straight, “People must be panicking since the sheriffs said the group is headed this town.”

Woozi and Seungkwan chuckled at the same time, sharing a knowing glance, and my eyebrows furrowed. First Joshua, now these two. They weren’t dressed as fancy as Joshua, or Sehun’s group for that matter, but their clothes were clean and their cologne smelt nice. Even if they weren’t from the north side of the town, they definitely had enough money to take care of themselves. There wasn’t a middle class in this town, you were either poor or rich, so they too weren’t from around here.

“Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t possibly stop these boys.” Seungkwan chuckled at Woozi’s words and I raised my eyebrows intrigued.

“Why not?”

“Woozi likes investigating crimes, Katie,” Seungkwan explained, his lips forming into a pout, “He has a lot of knowledge and evidence point out that these bandits are well prepared and hard to catch, they leave no traces.”

“You said Woozi likes to investigate, but seems like you know a lot too, sweetheart.” I smirked at the two men, their lips pulling into amused smiles.

“Well, Woozi is my brother, we share the same interests.” Seungkwan explained and I hummed, widening my eyes. Did they really expect me to believe that lie?

“You don’t look very much alike.”

Woozi hummed then pushed the newspaper away, “We get that a lot.”

I narrowed my eyes at them, but when they looked away, I knew it was my cue to leave. I nodded to myself, turned to leave, but a thought made me halt, “You don’t happen to know Joshua, do you?”

Seungkwan laughed as Woozi glared at me, staying silent as he took a gulp of the tea, “Who is Joshua?”

I shook my head as I started to walk away, “Just a tourist, like you two.”

And these tourists seemed to have a lot of money as they tipped me even better than Joshua did yesterday. It made up for the few dollars Sehun, accidentally as he said, forgot to pay.

The third time more strangers showed up, it was the afternoon and more people populated the Inn this time. When the first man entered, he seemed lost and confused, it almost made me laugh. You could hear the bell chime, but the loud chatter of men and women slowly would grow louder and louder. This stranger seemed like he didn’t know if he wanted to stay or not, so I approached him.

“Good evening, would you like a seat at the table or at the bar?” I asked with a smile, raising my eyebrows when the man remained silent for a few minutes.

“I’m with someone…” He trailed off and I hummed, looking around for an empty table. I found one next to a bigger group of people that were the loudest in the Inn so far, and I led the stranger to it. He thanked me quietly and looked around awkwardly.

“Anything you’d like to have?” I raised my eyebrows and he looked back at me with a grimace.

“Bourbon, and do you have anything to eat?”

“Smashed potatoes and stew, as of now, if you wait longer the cook will return to prepare more dishes.” The stranger hummed and seemed to be thinking for a second.

“No, it’s fine, bring me two portions…please.” I smiled at him and nodded my head, walking to the bar. I prepared the glass of Bourbon and asked Aleksi to prepare two plates of smashed potatoes and stew. When I got back to the table, I placed the two glasses on top of it, and smiled at the man sitting there awkwardly.

“My name is Katie, if you need anything, just call out my name!” The stranger nodded and I left to gather the empty beer bottles from the loud table nearby. I placed them on my tray, there were at least six, and turned to walk back to the bar when my shoe got stuck in a misplaced floorboard and I was sent flying forward. I yelped and got ready to feel the hard floor, but instead I was hauled backwards, bottles clinking together, but none fell. A few eyes fell on us as I let out a deep breath, gaze connecting with Aleksi’s, who was shaking his head with a grimace. I let myself lean into the body that was holding me for a second, glad that I didn’t cause a bigger scene. The frame was taller and leaner than mine, the top of my head reached their shoulders. Big, calloused hands held my waist firmly and I jumped when the man chuckled from behind. I quickly stepped out of their hold and turned to thank them for their help. But when my eyes fell on his face, I was awestruck. I haven’t seen a man as handsome as him before. His nose was long and well defined, his lips plump. His dark eyebrows complimented his face nicely and his sharp eyes felt like they were staring into my soul. He stood there too, watching me, looking just as amazed. It was a weird feeling and I walked away giggling when Aleksi shouted my name. Their food was prepared and I cleared my throat before walking back over, subconsciously pushing the few stray strands that fell out of my braid behind my ear. The first stranger to enter stopped looking so awkward and he was actually smiling now as he conversed with the handsome stranger. When I got close enough to hear what they were saying, I couldn’t understand anything, they were talking in a different language I haven’t heard before.

“Dinner’s ready.” I cursed myself quietly for the breathy voice, but I couldn’t help it when the stranger looked at me so intently.

“I hope you like smashed potatoes and stew.” I said with an innocent smile as I placed the plate in front of the man that caught me from falling. He glanced at the food before looking back at me.

“Anything that you bring I will like.” His voice was light, but it had a deep ring to it, as he spoke. I chuckled, blinking rapidly before biting my lower lip. I knew the charm was working when a smirk crossed his lips and he stared at my lips.

“If you see anything else you’d like to have…” His eyes lit up with mischief, “Call for Katie.”

“I need a few tissues…” The other man muttered with a grimace, very displeased by the exchange happening between his friend and I.

“Anything, you say?” He sharp eyed man raised his eyebrows, ignoring his friend’s remark.

“As long as it’s on the menu…” I said with a chuckle, playing with the tray in my hands.

“Do you not have special treats here?”

“Only on Friday’s.” The stranger bit his lower lip and I smirked, feeling heated all of the sudden.

“If you have a list…put me on it as first,” I giggled and nodded my head, “The name’s Junhui.”

“Junhui.” I repeated after him, the two of us sharing a small smile, “Consider it already done.”

“Great.” He winked before grabbing his fork to eat his dinner, “Oh, and…I think Minghao asked for tissues?”

“Yeah, I did.” Minghao threw Junhui a glance before he offered me a small, uncomfortable, smile.

“Of course, one second!” I grinned at the two foreigners and went to the bar to grab a few tissues for them. I didn’t know who these two were, but I sure hoped they’d stay for a little longer. Were they with Joshua, Woozi, and Seungkwan? It could be possible, but they could be just tourists passing by. It’s not so rare. However, people stopped traveling so often out of fear of getting robbed. We haven’t had tourists in over a month. These five strangers felt…fishy. But what do I know? I’m just a waitress at an Inn.

Present time

I didn’t look up when the figure stopped in front of my prison cell. I knew it was an officer; a very familiar one; and that he would mock me. They couldn’t wait for someone to commit a crime so that they can torture them for it.

“Well, look at that!” The officer’s voice was mocking, like I expected it, “If it isn’t Katie…”

I didn’t react as I continued staring at my feet, trying to hide the shake of my body. It was from the cold, but the officer standing in front of me, made me realize just how real everything that happened was. How my death was closer each second.

“Won’t you look at me?” I didn’t want the officer to enter the cell, so I shook my head. He scoffed and hit something hard against the metal bars, the loud clank made me jump. The officer laughed loudly and I could feel his burning gaze on me.

“I told them all not to trust the little whore you are, now you’ll finally go where you belong to.” I bit my lower lip, palms clenching into fists as I tried to remain silent. If I spoke back, I’d die in a beating and not by getting hung. And quite frankly, I prefer getting hung in the town square. Maybe I’ll make headlines and my parents will see their only child is now dead.

There was a scoff before the officer started walking, his hard footsteps echoing around the place, “See you in hell, officer.”

Two weeks ago, Friday

The Inn was full of people. A local lousy band was playing some music, but the chatter and laughter of men and women was louder. There were no empty tables, some customers even sat on the front porch and enjoyed the party there. The staircase leading up to the lodge was also occupied by drunk men who didn’t find a table. Aleksi and Andrei worked at the bar, while Joy, Maria, Luna, and I rushed around the place, trying to please everyone. Fridays were the most hectic days besides Saturdays, when you couldn’t take even a second long break. It was hard to maneuver around drunk people, especially the dancing women, but thankfully I always found the safest route to the table I had to rush to. That table excluded the one where Sehun and his boys were sitting at, playing some card games and throwing money on the table. They even managed to charm into their gambling game a few men from the table next to theirs, men who were already poor and had nothing to offer. And they wouldn’t win as Sehun and his boys cheated at any given chance. He made a comment about how tonight I wore clean clothes instead of the rugs I’m usually in, when I was delivering their fifth round of expensive beer. I only glared at him and walked away before he could comment anything. Yes, it was true, I wore my most expensive dress tonight. It was white and no one in their right mind would wear it to a place like this one, where you can stain it easily, but I was expecting someone. Junhui. He said he would be here tonight…well, he didn’t explicitly say it, but it’s what he meant. And I glanced at the clock to see it hit midnight with him nowhere around. I was disappointed, but I couldn’t focus on what I was feeling as an old man gripped onto me. It was Mr. Lee, the biggest drunk of the town.

“Oh,” His eyebrows were furrowed and I grimaced at the foul scent, “Katie?”

I nodded and his eyes were barely open as he raised a hand, “Walk me to the exit!”

His slurred words were barely audible over the loudness inside the Inn, but he was a regular here, I already knew what he wanted. I called out for Joy, to ask her to take over the order from the table I just served, and placed one of Mr. Lee’s arms around my shoulders.

“Let’s get you out, old man.” I shouted and he grinned, his yellow teeth showing. We stumbled around the tables, hitting a few people on our way out, and I groaned when his stumbling made us run into the corner of the entrance. The old man laughed loudly and I threw him a glare, that I knew he couldn’t see, as we finally made it outside.

“Katie!” It was an officer, leaning against the railing, “Did you forget to bring me my beer?!”

“Of course, not!” I exclaimed as we walked around a half-asleep woman, “I asked Joy to deliver it to you.”

The officer grimaced and looked at Mr. Lee, leaving me the impression that he’d offer to help, but when he started laughing, I realized he wouldn’t help. He was here to have fun and suddenly what I was doing was entertaining him. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from throwing him a menacing glare and held Mr. Lee’s side as firmly as I could as we had to walk down the few stairs of the porch.

“Now, Mr. Lee—” I turned my head towards him, trying to gain his attention, “I need you to focus and keep your balance, alright? The stairs aren’t easy to conquer!”

“Conquer it all!” Mr. Lee exclaimed, making the people laugh who heard him, as he stumbled forward. I shrieked, unable to untangle myself from him, as he pulled me after him. We were supposed to tumble down the stairs, maybe twist an ankle or something, but I never made it down the stairs, unlike Mr. Lee. His feet became a tangled mess and he was rolling down the stairs, people hollering in laughter around us. My eyes widened as I watched the old man sprawl out on his back, mouth in a wide grin. He seemed amused by what happened but I feared his old bones weren’t strong enough for even a small fall like that one. No one seemed to want to help him up and as I went to step down the first stair, I realized someone was holding onto my waist tightly. My shoulders tensed and I turned my head, eyebrows furrowed. However, it wasn’t the person I was expecting to be, it was even better. Junhui. My eyes must have lit up because the man started smirking, squeezing my waist.

“Well, if it isn’t Katie…” He muttered smugly and I bit my lower lip, gazing into his eyes, “Do you stumble on purpose when I’m around? You want me to catch you?”

I giggled and did nothing to move out of his hold, “It’s not on purpose, but it certainly is more fun.”

“Just admit it—” I raised my eyebrows as Jun leaned his head a little down, “You want me to hold you.”

I raised my chin, to be closer to his face, and returned his little smirk, “Why would I want that when you could do other better things to me?”

Junhui’s eyes narrowed and I blinked up at him, my smirk turning innocent as he chuckled. His hold loosened on my waist as he opened his mouth to speak, but someone interrupted him.

“Is this how you treat your customers?” The officer’s voice rang out as I turned my head, “You leave an old man lying on the cold ground?”

I couldn’t help but throw him a glare as a second ago he wasn’t even willing to help.

“No need to cause a scene, now,” The soft voice alerted a few people as they turned towards the stranger standing next to Mr. Lee. It was Joshua, and he was helping the old man up, “You can’t expect a woman to carry around a drunk, heavy man, officer. Maybe if you helped before they stumbled this wouldn’t have happened.”

A few people started muttering as they threw Joshua various glances, making the officer’s jaw clench. Mr. Lee was on his feet and Joshua dusted his pants a little as the old man tried to stand straight.

“Will you find your way home?” Joshua asked politely, gripping Mr. Lee’s shoulder.

“Yes, sir, yes!” Mr. Lee did a slopy salute and everyone laughed, making Joshua smile. He returned the salute and Mr. Lee turned his body as he started singing loudly. He slowly started walking away and I moved out of Junhui’s hold.

“When did you arrive?” I asked as I faced him, ignoring the glares of the officer.

“A good hour ago.” Jun answered as Joshua approached us.

“Good evening.” He greeted politely and I giggled, letting him place a kiss against my knuckles. When Jun and Joshua shared a look, I realized they knew each other. And suddenly, standing a few feet away, were Seungkwan, Woozi, and Minghao. When my eyes connected with Woozi’s, I realized my suspicions were all along right. The five strangers knew each other, in fact, they traveled here together.

“Well,” I placed my hands on my hips, “Why did you stay outside?”

“There’s nowhere to sit.” Minghao answered with a pout and I rolled my eyes.

“Maybe if you would have tried looking for me, you would have found a table.” Woozi rolled his eyes as I threw them a displeased glare.

“Lead the way, lady, then.” He gestured inside the Inn and I grinned, gripping Joshua and Junhui’s arms to drag them after me. Once inside, the loudness of the Inn was almost deafening after having stood outside for so long. My eyes scanned the space, of course there were no empty tables, but I spotted some empty space at a table. I grinned to myself and lead the way, losing my grip on Junhui a few times as he seemed unable to keep up with my long strides. When we got to the table, it quieted down as Sehun threw his card on top of the stack with a grin.

“I win—”

“Excuse me, you’ll have to share your table!” I informed Sehun and his boys and didn’t wait for an answer as I pushed Joshua down into the empty seat, “You took the biggest table when you don’t even have enough people for it…now, you share it!”

I could hear Woozi cackle behind me as he passed by and patted a glaring Sehun on the back, plopping down next to Joshua. Minghao seemed reluctant to sit at the table but when I released my grip on Jun, he pulled his friend with him and sat them across from Woozi and Joshua.

“Seungkwan, is the name.” He extended his hand towards Sehun, who took it quickly and shook it, Seungkwan’s face all serious and cold. It was different from when him and Woozi came by, it seemed like he knew Sehun was the leader of the band of baboons and wanted to show him he wouldn’t put up with bullshit coming from them tonight. My eyes landed on Jun and he threw me a flirty wink, I blushed.

“Bring over your finest beer, Katie!” He cheered loudly and I chuckled, turning around to bring the beers for him and the rest.

The Inn was just as full as hours ago, however, it had quieted down a notch as the somewhat sober people headed home and the drunk ones remained. The lousy band departed a long time ago after we gave them free drinks, and finally all workers of the Inn could take a little break. My feet were killing me and the corset of this dress was a lot tighter than I initially thought it would be, my lungs were screaming to be released. But we still had two more hours of work, it had to wait. My eyes scanned over the empty tables, Joy and Luna have cleaned them up already, as they stopped on the biggest table. They were making a mess, three were standing on the table and singing loudly some old song, while the others continued playing cards between each other. Somehow, they got Jun and his friends involved into the game too, however, Sehun lost each round. Which made him angry and therefore it made him drink even more. He disappeared a while ago and I assumed he just went somewhere with a woman, like he does every time he’s here, and would return the next day. My eyes were drawn back at Junhui, who watched me closely the whole night, and I smiled at him. His sharp eyes narrowed before he looked down at his single card in his hand, then threw it on the table. Seungkwan and Woozi started cheering loudly as Junhui smirked and looked at me. He won again and Sehun’s friend pushed a smaller pouch of money onto the table, Woozi grabbed it greedily. I chuckled as Jun winked at me, then turned to look at his sleeping friend. Minghao’s head was resting on the table, he was sitting a bit further from them, as he slept. Joshua was walking around the Inn, which was surprising, and making conversation with people. He even had two men trailing after him as he conversed with various people, sometimes even offered to bring them drinks. Aleksi didn’t like it much, but when Joshua brought the money, they paid, over Aleksi stopped complaining.

“My break is up, go take a breather.” Luna’s voice caught my attention as she walked up to me, tying her small apron around her hips. I hummed and undid my own apron, throwing it at Andrei. He caught it with a hiss, throwing me a small glare. I just shrugged and walked around the counter, downing the glass of water he placed there for me. Andrei and I had a complicated relationship, we weren’t on good terms but we looked out for each other. He helped me get this job when I moved into town but after we started working together, we realized how annoying the other was. I downed another glass of water in one good, humming in appreciation as the water finally washed over the dryness of my throat. My dress had a small pocket, I sew it there, and I tapped it to see if it still contained what I have placed there at the beginning of my shift. When I felt the thick object, I headed to the backdoor and pushed it open, the chilly air of morning greeting me. It was refreshing to be outside after a night of running around and pleasing everyone, I would have to wash up before going to sleep as I had sweat more than usual this time. I fished the match and tobacco out of my little pocket, leaning against the wooden planks of the Inn. I lit the match and placed the tobacco in my mouth, sucking on it hard to make it light up. Tobacco was expensive, I would smoke it from time to time if the girls had it, but Junhui and his friends left so much money during their visits that I could finally afford to buy one for myself. The taste burned the back of my neck and I coughed quietly as I let it settle, blowing out the smoke. Finally, I had time to think and rest. I was expecting Junhui to approach me at some point of the night, but all he did was constantly order drinks and he’d refuse to take them unless it was me serving them. I could feel the tension between him and Sehun, as both were immersed in playing cards, and both were cheating. Sehun finally found his match. I chuckled when I remembered how pissed Sehun looked after the third round was won by Jun once again, and looked at my half-finished tobacco. I quickly put it out, not wanting to smoke it in one go. I could save it for later when I was chilling in my room. I placed it back into my pocket and leaned my head against the wooden planks, staring up at the starry sky. It was turning a lighter shade as the sun would soon rise. My quiet peace of moment came to an end when someone’s body heat invaded mine. I straightened up as I looked the person in the eyes, grimacing.

“Finally got you alone…” Sehun’s raspy voice was low, his eyes were narrowed as he still wasn’t sober enough.

“Did you want to get me alone?” I raised my eyebrows, off-thrown by his statement.

“Well…what do you think?” He asked with a chuckle, leaning one hand against the Inn, trapping me between him and the wall.

“I think…” I bit my lower lip, glancing away, “That you’re really annoying and a douchebag.”

Sehun started laughing as I looked back at him with a glare, crossing my arms in front of my chest, “Come on…stop playing so hard to get now. I know you dressed up just for me—”

“What?!” I snapped outraged, scoffing, “You wish, rich filth, I don’t give a damn about you!”

“You’re always so rude!” Sehun suddenly exclaimed, and I jumped before I quickly pushed him back. His tallness was intimidating and he used it to his advantage as he stepped back and gripped onto my hair.

“Let go!” I screamed, clawing at his arm, trying to free myself.

“I’m going to teach you a lesson.” He hissed out and my eyes widened when I felt his other hand trying to undo the front of my dress. I yelped and gripped his hand, pushing him again. His grip on my hair was painful as I struggled against him but I didn’t care, I wanted to free myself.

“Sehun!” I yelped when he gripped my jaw tightly and slammed me against the wooden planks, my head colliding with them. I groaned and fisted his shirt, trying to still push him away. This wasn’t anything new, men did this often, but I didn’t want his filthy hands on me. Especially since it was Sehun. I knew he’d be bragging about it to everyone, I didn’t want this. Suddenly, there was a new voice that exclaimed in a different language and I struggled more against Sehun, knowing who it was.

“Piece of shit!” This time I understood what he said, and the next second Sehun was pushed off me. Junhui and Sehun stared up each other and in a swift motion, Junhui landed a punch to his jaw. Sehun stumbled backwards, clutching the area, as he turned to look at me.

“Whore.” Was all he said before he turned around and ran off. I scoffed and spat on the ground, angered by his words.

“You throw yourself at me but I’m the whore?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hopeful that everyone would hear it, as I took deep breaths to calm myself.

“Katie,” Junhui’s voice was soft and I looked at him taken aback, “Did he hurt you?”

“Nothing I’m not used to…” I muttered and undid the ribbon that kept my braid together. Junhui followed my hands with his eyes as I ran my fingers through my wavy hair, massaging the back of my head where I hit it.

“Does he bother you often?” Junhui continued asking and I shook my head with a sigh.

“Not like this.” I answered and attempted to smooth down my, now wrinkled, dress. Why did I even wear it? Junhui is just a tourist, he will be soon gone, and for all I know, he might just be a little bit overly flirty. Why do I always assume people find me attractive?

“Tell me where he lives and I’ll make sure he won’t set foot inside this place ever again.” Junhui’s sharp eyes were narrowed and I laughed as I leaned back against the wooden planks.

“You’re funny!”

“I’m being serios.” I chuckled embarrassed and looked away from Jun, gazing at my feet. He sighed and approached me, taking Sehun’s previous place. This time, I wasn’t bothered. I went stiff when his hands ran up my arms and hovered over my chest. I looked up into his eyes and he gulped as he averted his gaze.

“He undid it…” He muttered, voice weak, and I smiled, “It’s a—pretty dress.”

I giggled and looked down to see his fingers delicately tying the dress back together, “Thank you, I wore it because I hoped you’d come tonight.”

Junhui paused and I smiled at him innocently, “You did ask me to sign you up as first customer on the ‘special treats’ list, didn’t you?”

Junhui opened his mouth to say something but he couldn’t as he gulped again, it made me giggle once again. I took his hands away from the top of my dress and placed them around my hips, pulling Jun into me.

“It seems like you really like holding me.” I teased him with a grin and he rolled his eyes, sneaking his arms around my hips tightly. His eyes dropped onto my lips and I quickly licked them, pressing up onto my tip toes to connect our lips. My eyes fluttered closed as Junhui’s lips pressed back against mine eagerly. His lips were cold and rough, he tasted like all the alcohol he’s been drinking all night, but I wasn’t bothered. My arms sneaked around his shoulders as I urged him to lean lower down so that I wouldn’t have to stand on my toes and made a surprised noise when he tried to push his tongue into my mouth. His scent was mixed with sweat and aloe vera, a very weird scent indeed. I opened my mouth to grant him access and he moaned as he sucked on my tongue, making me suck in a harsh breath. He pushed me up against the wooden planks, trapping me further between himself and the Inn, my body curving up into his. I moaned and pulled on the ends of his hair when he groped my breast through my dress, squeezing it appreciatively. Perhaps I wasn’t so wrong this time, this handsome stranger might have found me pretty attractive as he still hasn’t pushed me away.

One week ago, Monday

The Inn was closed for today, Aleksi wanted to do a thorough clean as Saturday’s little party left a big mess. Besides, he now had enough money to repair the bathroom for the workers and rebuild the back of the barn, where the wooden planks had rotten over time. Andrei and him were busy, they probably wouldn’t finish by dusk but with the money, he could afford to call over a few men tomorrow to finish the construction instead of them. Only Luna and I worked today, as they other girls asked for a free day and well…I live upstairs, so I really had no excuse but to come and work. And Luna…she hates her husband nowadays so she spends most of her time at the Inn with me. Which kind of brought us closer, I didn’t really have friends in this town. I didn’t have the time nor the energy to invest it into making connections.

I let a sigh fall from my lips as I finally finished scrubbing the floor clean, it was practically shinning now. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it this clean…what a pity it’ll be ruined by tomorrow. Luna was singing along to the soft tunes of the radio, cleaning off the storage room as she had finished with the bar already.

“You’re in a good mood.” I commented as I raised to my feet, approaching the woman. She glanced back at me with a cheeky smile before giggling.

“Indeed, I am.”

“Well…won’t you tell me why?” I pressed on, my curious nature pushing through. Luna sighed before she turned to face me, leaning against the shelf.

“Yunho was called to work in the mines that are five hours from here.” She answered with a grin, sighing dreamily, “I finally get to be on my own—for two months!”

I chuckled and raised my eyebrows, feeling a little confused, “Isn’t that bad though? Working in mines is dangerous nowadays…”

“Oh, please!” She exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the shelf to continue scrubbing it, “I don’t even care if he never comes back. He’s a sick bastard! I’m done bending to his wishes, everything is about him all the time!”

I hummed and rubbed my hands together, trying to warm them after they froze from having to rub the floor with cold water, “Didn’t you marry him because you loved him?”

“That was five years ago!” Luna laughed, shaking her head, “Nothing lasts forever, you know, Y/N…”

I hummed and bit my lower lip, thoughts flying to Junhui. Indeed, nothing lasts forever. I’m not even sure he’s still in town. After we kissed, he left without a word and by the time I went inside, everyone who came with him were also gone. It was really disappointing, I thought I’d get to spend more time with him. Maybe, get to know him better, maybe, we’d end up sending letters to each other. It was nice to dream.

“Y/N?” I looked at Luna questioningly, not having heard what she said, “I asked…how are things going with lover boy?”

“Lover boy?” I asked confused, thoughts instantly swerving to Sehun. Maybe she heard me scream after him or maybe Sehun already started spreading lies about what happened.

“The handsome foreigner!” Luna exclaimed, coming to stand in front of me, and gripped my hands into hers, “Please! I saw the looks you exchanged and—”

“And…what?” I urged her on to speak as I watched a mischievous smirk spread on the woman’s lips.

“And…I saw you two having that very fiery make-out behind the Inn on Friday.” My cheeks suddenly felt hot and I averted my eyes from Luna’s, looking anywhere but at her.

“Look who’s shy now!” Luna teased and I rolled my eyes, snatching my hands out of hers.

“Shut up…” I muttered embarrassed, taking a few steps away from her.

“Honey, I’m glad you’re finally enjoying yourself. All you do is work and run away from people—”

“That’s not true!” I opposed with a scowl but Luna just chuckled.

“Sure, honey…besides, he seemed like a genuine man.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, hearing the front doorbell ring, “He’s also probably gone by now and I’m—”

“Anyone there?” My throat closed up and my eyes went wide as Luna smirked, retreating back inside the storage room.

“Go!” She whisper-shouted, quietly closing the door. I scoffed but walked to the front quickly, eyes falling on the tall young man. He wore clean clothes, his hair was a bit tousled, and he held his hat in his hands in front of his torso.

“Hello,” I offered him a shy smile, “We’re currently closed, maybe tomorrow—”

“I’m not here to drink.” Junhui’s words cut me off and I gulped, hope filling my thoughts. Was he here to see me? Maybe he’ll ask me to go with him on his journey? Will I finally be free?!

“I heard there’s a lodge attached to this Inn; I’d like to rent a room for a few days.” Oh. I cleared my throat and tried to mask how disappointed I felt hearing his words.

“Yeah, you heard right, Junhui, we have a lodge…” I muttered and went to the bar, “What kind of room do you want?”

“Fitting for a person.” He answered quickly as he came closer, leaning against the counter as I crouched down to search for the keys.

“One person?” I asked as I grabbed one key, “Aren’t you traveling in five?”

Jun looked away before clearing his throat, “The others are staying somewhere else, I—didn’t find a room there—”

“Right.” I gave him a look as I straightened up. He was lying, I knew it by the way he avoided eye contact and played with his fingers. But who was I to ask anything? He was acting like the kiss didn’t even happen, so, I didn’t know how else to act but oblivious.

“Follow me.” I called as I walked around the counter and headed for the stairs leading upstairs. Junhui was hot on my tail and I glanced back to see him raise an eyebrow at me.

“Anything wrong?” He asked wonderingly and I shook my head, biting my lower lip.

“No, nothing in particular,” I lied as we went up to the third floor, “Just—aren’t you afraid to travel during these times?”

“Why? Should I be?” Junhui asked with a chuckle and I shrugged again as we came into the long hallway, on both sides, numerous doors stood to our service.

“The sheriffs have estimated the group of five bandits was headed this town…and…well, no one has been really traveling ever since they started robbing out of fear of getting robbed as well.” I spoke as I lead Junhui down the long hallway.

“Are you trying to assume something here?” Jun asked with a chuckle, but his voice held an accusatory undertone to it, and I shrugged again. We stopped in front of room nr. 888 and I pushed the key into the hole to unlock the door.

“I don’t know…does it sound like I’m assuming something?” I muttered, more to myself, as Jun walked in after me, “I don’t know, honestly…It’s just weird the five of you show up here, you are strangers to this town, and one of you is called Seungkwan. Don’t you think? I’m not trying to accuse you of anything, I’ve just been thinking—”

The door was suddenly slammed closed behind me and Junhui was standing in front of me in a second, his hand gripping my neck tightly as I was walked backwards and into the door. The collision wasn’t as harsh as with Sehun, Junhui’s eyes have darkened and his expression was fierce, but I didn’t feel threatened right now.

“Thinking is dangerous, Y/N…” My eyes widened a bit at the hearing of my real name, Jun’s lips pulled into a cocky smirk.

“How do you know?” I whispered, feeling a bit lightheaded by the hold he had on my neck but also by his closeness. He still carried the scent of aloe verra and it was so foreign that it felt intoxicating.

“From Joshua, of course,” Junhui chuckled and I gripped his wrist, trying to loosen his grip, “Now…this can go two ways, sweetheart. You either shut up and keep this revelation to yourself or—I will have to get rid of you…”

“What?!” I exclaimed quietly, eyes growing wider than ever before, the air leaving my lungs from shock, “You’re—the—bandits—”

“Why are you acting so surprised?” Junhui chuckled as his finger started stroking the skin of my neck, “Didn’t you just accuse me of—”

Junhui stopped talking, realizing his mistake, and I remained gaping.

“I didn’t accuse you of anything! I was just…assuming?” Junhui hissed and closed his eyes, letting go of my neck. I rubbed the skin with my own hand and took two deep breaths, watching a distressed Junhui.

“Fuck!” He hissed to himself, opening his eyes to look at me. He didn’t step back, and I didn’t move away either. I wanted to be close to him.

“Listen, I—”

“If you tell anyone, Y/N, I swear I will kill you.” His voice dropped octaves and became dangerous, finally, I felt like a prey and a shiver ran down my spine, “I don’t care how pretty and nice you are—I will kill you.”

Realization dawned on me, that in fact, the man standing in front of me wasn’t any kind of tourist. He really is part of the bandit group. He is a bandit, himself. I gulped and licked my lips, trying to mask how nervous I felt.

“I won’t tell anyone—”

“How can I know that?” He snapped, but it felt like he was more frustrated with himself than me.

“I—” I huffed, running a hand through my hair, “You can’t. You will have to trust me, I guess.”

“But can I trust you?” Junhui’s gaze latched onto mine and I felt hypnotized.

“Maybe.” I muttered and my eyes fell on his lips when he sighed out. I knew he saw it when he took a tiny step, to be even closer to me.

“What if…” A smirk came onto his lips and my heart started racing as he looked me up and down, “I offer you something in exchange of keeping our secret?”

My skin felt on fire when Junhui’s fingers trailed over my exposed collarbones, coming to rest on the front of my dress, “I don’t need anything to keep your—”

My words got muffled by Junhui’s lips pressing on mine and I reacted instantly, fingers curling into his hair. The next thing I knew, I was naked, and then, Junhui’s naked body was laying on top of mine, moving in sink with mine. I tried to keep quiet, but no one’s ever made me feel what Junhui did. My heart was beating furiously the whole time and Junhui’s skin felt on fire as he kissed my lips hungrily. And then, I realized, maybe I liked this man a little bit too much. This bandit…how was I going to let go of him now?

One week ago, Wednesday

It was lunch time but the Inn was unnaturally buzzing with people. Most people only came in to get their shot of vodka for the day, but some came to have lunch. Most were working men from the market as this was all they could afford; the Inn wasn’t expensive and they loved it here. I wiped a few glasses clean as Andrei poured some liquor into three tall glasses, calling out my name.

“What?” I muttered as I walked over, looking at him tiredly. I haven’t slept much ever since Junhui’s last visit. My heart raced every time I thought of him and what we had done, and I couldn’t help it but feel sad. Now I knew he was one of the bandits, I never even considered telling anyone, but I knew once they made their robbery they would leave and I’d have no one once again. I longed to have someone who would comfort me and love me, but I accepted that I just wasn’t meant to experience these things. Junhui’s room was right above mine and him walking around and dragging something heavy against the floor for the past two nights made it also hard to sleep.

“Our little new friends ordered these.” Andrei’s finger was pointing at a table of five people. Seungkwan, Woozi, Joshua, Minghao, Jun. I hummed and took the glasses placed on a tray and walked over to their table. Their previous conversation ceased as all eyes fell on me and I gulped nervously as I placed the glasses on their table.

“A bit early to be drinking liquor, isn’t it?” I tried to joke, ease the tension, but it didn’t do anything. Seungkwan and Woozi were glaring daggers at me and it actually scared me, even Joshua had a cold expression as he reached for a glass. Minghao wasn’t paying attention to me as he was muttering something to himself, he was also scribbling something on a paper. And Junhui sighed quietly and placed a hand on my waist to squeeze it swiftly, before grabbing a glass to drink the liquor from it.

“Well…” I cleared my throat and turned to walk away, “Raise your hands if you need anything else.”

“What I need is you keeping your damn mouth shut.” Woozi’s voice was low as he snapped and I bit my lower lip, trying to hold back the tremor of my hands. He was scary, too scary, as he stared me dead in the eyes with the most vicious glare I have ever seen.

“Seriously!” Junhui snapped, slamming a fist onto the table, “I told you I took care of her!”

“How?” Woozi chuckled and Minghao glanced at Junhui then at me, and then proceeded to ignore what was happening.

“I have my ways—”

“Pushing your dick down someone’s throat is not a very convincing way, Junhui.” This time it was Seungkwan who snapped and I gulped, averting my eyes at the accusation. That didn’t happen, even if we had sex. It wasn’t their business what Junhui and I do behind closed doors.

“Shut up.” Junhui snapped, his eyes glaring at both Woozi and Seungkwan threateningly, “Don’t mind them, go do your work.”

I nodded my head slightly and then bolted back to the counter, coming to stand next to Andrei. He was preparing a few drinks and I placed the tray down for him to take when he was done. I went to wash my hands and took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart and push back the tears that threatened to escape my eyes. I wasn’t expecting their personalities to take such a turn, but I guess I was a threat to them now. I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I guess they couldn’t just blindly trust me like that. Maybe they are planning my death and that’s why they are here, to observe my every move. I groaned at my thoughts and ran my fingers through my wavy hair, deciding to braid it really quick. I was fed up with always getting disrespected by men and I hated how they could always make comments freely without anyone telling them they were inappropriate. If I wasn’t afraid of Woozi and Seungkwan, I would’ve told them a piece of my mind, but once again, that’s never a good idea.

The bell chimed and I looked up to see two officers walking in. One was the same officer who was here on Friday night and didn’t help with Mr. Lee. His eyes swept over the place as the other officer walked around the tables which were occupied. The familiar officer, however, was headed straight our way. Andrei groaned and gave me a side glance.

“Did you do something?” He hissed lowly and I shook my head quickly, straightening my back when the officer stopped across from us.

“Hello.” Andrei greeted with a half-hearted smile and I bowed my head a little bit, eyes falling on the other officer for a split second. He was talking to everyone who was sitting at the tables and I suddenly felt hotter, like I was inside an oven.

“Yeah, yeah…” The officer muttered rudely and then placed a crumbled piece of paper on the counter for us to see. It was the newspaper from last week, the one that was talking about the five bandits headed our town.

“I’m sure you all know by now the bandits are headed this way, have you seen any suspicious movements? Heard anything?” The officer continued and I was itching to look towards the table Junhui was sitting at, but I was afraid it would trigger something in the officer that would make him realize it was them.

“Not really,” Andrei shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “People say a lot of crazy things, but nothing about the bandits.”

“And you?” The officer’s eyes landed on me and I gulped nervously, hiding my trembling hands behind my back as I corrected my posture and opened my mouth to speak.

“There’s five strangers here,” The other officer approached us, cutting me off before I could even say something, “They say they arrived last week and will be leaving this Friday. Apparently, they are some travelers looking for some old artifacts or something like that.”

“Yes,” I spoke up before anyone could say anything else, I cringed at how loud my voice sounded suddenly, “They told me the same thing. I heard they found some old vases in one of their researches! They’ve been renting a room here, even attended the parties last week.”

I made sure to maintain eye contact with the officers as best as I could, to keep my voice leveled and my expression clear and soft. My heart was beating like crazy and my hands were shaking a lot more now, but I tried to ignore those. If I said anything wrong their cover would be screwed up and then I for sure would be dead by tomorrow. Andrei gave me a confused glance but when the officers looked at him questioningly, to confirm what I said, he just shrugged.

“I was on a leave for the past month, only returned recently, so what she says must be true.” I almost sighed out in relief but managed to catch myself before doing it.

“Very well then,” One of the officer’s said as his eyes ran over the place again, my eyes followed his and I smiled a little when I saw Junhui’s table laughing about something, clanking their glasses together, no doubt pretending like they were having fun.

“We’ll be going.” The same officer spoke and turned around to leave. The familiar officer gave me a look, as if he sensed I was lying, but turned and walked out with his partner. I finally relaxed and let a breath out, I felt Andrei’s confused gaze on me.

“Did you lie to them?” He asked skeptically, going back to doing what he was before the officers interrupted us.

“What? Why would I?” I scoffed and wiped my brows, unaware of the sweat that has accumulated there. Andrei just shrugged in response and my eyes inevitably fell on Junhui’s table. Joshua and Minghao were gone but I made eye contact with Woozi. He raised his glass, an amused smirk on his lips, as he tilted it in my direction. Seungkwan also looked smug and when I made eye contact with Junhui I felt a sense of calmness wash over me, as if I just passed an important evaluation. I guess Woozi and Seungkwan were pleased that I didn’t rat them out. When the doorbell chimed again, Joshua and Minghao were holding some big bags in both of their hands as they walked inside. Junhui rose from the table and he played with the keys to his room as he approached the two men, leading the way upstairs. He gave me one last look, and a tiny smile, before all three men disappeared upstairs. I let out a small sigh and took the tray with the drinks when Andrei complained about me being as slow as a snail. They were planning something, and suddenly I was feeling uneasy about knowing who they really were. Was I putting myself in danger indirectly?

Present time

My head snapped up at the sudden sounds echoing through the cold hallway. It sounded like two people struggling and the echo that carried their words here made no sense. My heart started beating quickly and my fingers latched onto the cold bars of the prison cell. I didn’t know what was happening and when keys startled rattling, I knew the end has come for me. This was it; I was going to die at the age of twenty-five for being the accomplice of a robbery. I shut my eyes closed tightly and took deep breaths as heavy footsteps neared me, the sound almost maddening as it felt like forever. I didn’t dare look nor breathe when I felt eyes on me, I didn’t even know how to react. I didn’t want to show fear, but when the cell was unlocked, my whole body started trembling. And then I couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Please!” My voice broke, but I still tried to speak, “I didn’t know! I swear I wasn’t helping them—”

I yelped when a strong grip on my forearm yanked me forward, and I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I was afraid I was going to fall and proceed to look even worse.

“Calm down.” My heart somersaulted at the calming voice and my eyes snapped open. Before I could control myself, I jumped into Junhui’s arms, gripping his shirt like my life depended on him. Quite ironically, it did depend on him right now.

“What are you doing here?!” I gasped, unable to let go of him, I was afraid I’d collapse to the ground.

“To get you out, of course.” Jun’s voice was hurried as I felt him move around before pushing me slightly off him, “I know you’re scared, but we have to go now, if we want to get away. Can you gather yourself and do as I say?”

I was still shaking but I took a deep breath and tried to reassure myself that I was capable of doing this. If I didn’t, I would die. And I wasn’t ready to die, not yet, not when I had Junhui in front of me.

“Yes.” We made eye contact and Jun’s lips pulled into a small smile, he patted my head affectionately. I stepped away from him and Jun’s eyes ran over my body quickly, stopping on the end of my skirt. I looked down confused and got even more confused when he kneeled down and gripped the fabric.

“You can’t run in this.” He muttered and suddenly, my dress was getting torn apart. I gasped but didn’t try to stop him, he was right, the long skirt didn’t offer much mobility for my legs. Jun ripped the fabric up until my knees, the feeling was weird, I supposed the dress now looked really ugly. It wasn’t just dirty, but torn too. Junhui stood up and remained still for a second, but then he pressed a quick kiss against my lips and my heart started racing. Did this mean I was going with them?

“Let’s go.” An excited grin appeared on his lips and I took his extended hand, but couldn’t share his enthusiasm. I was supposed to die a few minutes ago, I was still supposed to be dead, if they catch us for the second time. My heart raced as Junhui ran us through the hallways, towards the door through which light flooded the dark and cold dungeon. We were breaking free.

Earlier today, around 9 a.m.

My attention was drawn towards the ruckus coming from the stairs that led upstairs. Aleksi was in the storage room so I allowed myself to abandon washing the dishes and walk to the stairs to see what was happening. My lips formed into a pout as I watched Woozi pull a heavy looking bag after him on the floor, which was the one causing the ruckus. My eyebrows furrowed as I watched him confused while he descended the stairs.

“What are you doing?” I asked, curiosity lacing my tone. Woozi’s head snapped up and he looked at me, his eyes narrowed into intimidating slits. I gulped and pushed myself away from the railing, not wanting to piss him off so early in the morning.

“None of your business.” He snapped with authority in his voice and I nodded once, stepping away.

“Right, sorry…” I muttered and went back to washing the dishes, ignoring the second pair of boots that loudly descended the stairs. The front door opened and Woozi was outside, leaving me alone in the Inn with Junhui. I didn’t turn around when I felt his eyes on me, if Aleksi was to come back now and see that I wasn’t doing my duties, he’d be really angry.

“Y/N,” Junhui quietly called out, knowing it was just the two of us inside for now, “I have something to ask of you.”

I sighed but didn’t turn around to face him, “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to anyone. Even after you disappear…I’ll bring this secret with myself to my grave, I suppose.”

Junhui hummed and remained silent for a few seconds before I heard him sighing, “That’s not what I wanted to ask of you…today…just stay around the Inn, alright? If you want to walk around town, just stay here instead, it’s safer.”

“Whatever you say.” I muttered, drying my hands as I finished washing the dishes.

“And…I wish we had more time to spend together…” I turned to face Junhui, and was surprised when he actually looked sad, “Your company is really pleasant, I think…I think we could have been something more…”

I chuckled and crossed my arms in front of my chest, ignoring the pang in my chest, “Well, yeah…our lifestyles don’t match, I guess. Don’ worry, this happens all the time. I’m sure you’ll find a pretty woman in the next town and forget about me…I’m better off alone, after all.”

Junhui didn’t comment anything further, he just gulped and nodded his head in agreement. The words I said didn’t fit well with me, but after all, I was just saying the truth. I haven’t known this man for long, but he was the first one to respect my boundaries and the first one who didn’t look down on me. It was a nice feeling, but nothing lasts forever.

“Goodbye.” He whispered and I offered him a last smile, disappointed we were parting ways this way.

“Goodbye, Junhui.” His lips pulled into a tight line at the hear of his name and he walked away with a sigh, not looking back. I pursed my lips and looked around the empty place, what if I went with him? Would the others allow me to join him? Would I want to become a bandit myself? But before I could dwell more on these thoughts, Aleksi was standing right next to me.

“Why are you standing there and doing nothing?” He raised his eyebrows and I cleared my throat, evening my expression.

“The guy who occupied room nr.888 just left, I’ll go clean up.” I muttered to Aleksi and walked around the counter, headed for the stairs.

“Good, and after that, go to the market,” He extended his hand and pushed a piece of paper into my hand, “We are running low on a few supplies.”

“Sure…” I muttered and placed the piece of paper into my small pocket, heading up the stairs.

Earlier today, around 1 p.m.

It was a sunny day and the hot sun shone down on us. I was covered in sweat already and I have barely left the Inn five minutes ago. The market was just around the corner so I didn’t have to walk much, which was to my benefit as I wouldn’t have to carry the heavy things for a long time. The market was buzzing with people, sellers and buyers, and the cacophony was worse than most nights at the Inn. I avoided bumping into a woman and her three children as I side stepped them and my eyes fell on the National Bank from across the street. People were coming and going casually, everyone minding their own business. I sighed and stopped at the first stand to buy the vegetables Aleksi had written on the list. My eyes fell on the blonde-haired boy sitting to the back, in the shadow, and I smiled at him.

“Miss Katie!” He exclaimed with a smile, offering me a small wave.

“Enjoying your day off, Little James?” I asked with a chuckle and the young boy nodded with a grin.

“The kid runs so fast he delivers the newspaper way faster than I ever could,” Big James spoke up as he filled my bag with potatoes, “Figured he deserved a day off.”

“That’s nice of you,” I said politely, handing him the money, “He’s a hard-working kid!”

“Like you, Katie!” Big James winked at me and I walked away with a small laugh, eyes falling on the flower stand. It was standing on the side of the Bank and I couldn’t help it but walk there. I always loved flowers, sometimes I would buy some and sneak them inside my room. Aleksi didn’t know about them because I bought them from the money, he gave me to purchase the items he needed. If he were to find out, I’d probably be kicked out, something I didn’t wish for.

“Hello!” The lady offered me a warm smile and I bowed my head in greeting as I touched the petals of the lilies. They were beautiful and I let out a small sigh, glancing down at the money in my other hand. Should I buy some for myself? Would Aleksi notice this time? He didn’t give me much money, maybe I shouldn’t—suddenly screams erupted and as I looked towards the noise, a loud BANG went off and next thing I knew I was thrown to the ground. My side was throbbing as I lay on the sandy ground and my ears were ringing like never before. I was shocked to see people laying on the ground around me, even some of the flowers littered around me. I was confused as I pushed myself up to all fours, trying to gain a sense of the situation. What has happened? Why does everyone look so scared and disoriented and why can’t I hear anything expect the ringing in my ears? I tried to get up to my feet, but I felt a little light headed so I took deep breaths, closing my eyes. But next thing I knew, someone crashed into my body and I cried out, my side throbbing even more. The person said something, I couldn’t understand from the ringing still going on, and then I was roughly hauled up and I froze when I felt something cold pressing against my temple. Suddenly, I became aware of the sirens in the distance and I became even more scared when I saw various vendors pointing their shotguns in my direction. I didn’t understand what was happening, why was I being held at gunpoint? The voices started coming back, my hearing clearing, and then I understood everything.

“If anyone dares to move even one inch, I will shoot this woman to death!” My capturer screamed at the top of his lungs, squeezing my side, making me cry out in pain. The body holding me was solid and firm, I wanted to look who was holding me, but I was afraid if I moved, I’d be dead.

“Leave Katie alone and we can talk this through!” It was Big James, his eyes were narrowed, he was the only one not pointing his shotgun at me directly.

My capturer laughed crazily behind me and I shivered, “You think I’ll fall for that?!”

I whimpered and turned my head slightly when he pressed his chin, which was covered with something, against my cheek, “If you don’t come with me, I will kill you.”

My lips were trembling and I raised my hands in surrender, showing everyone, I was unarmed, “He—he said he’ll—let me go, if—if you don’t shoot—”

The man holding me made an appreciative sound and pulled his head away from me, “Move and you’ll never see Katie again!”

I whimpered again, biting my lower lip when his hand left my side to grip my forearm. The grip was strong and I felt fragile as the man started running, pulling me after him. The shotguns went off and I cried out in fear of getting hit by a bullet, but the man holding me swerved around and made us run behind the bank. As we were running, my eyes fell on the side of the building, and I was shocked to see a huge hole in it. They blew up the bank! These were the bandits! Eyes falling on the man that finally slowed down as we came to a stop next to a black car, I realized it was Woozi. I jumped when he opened the backdoor and pushed me inside harshly, making me hit my face in the cushion. Suddenly, he was sitting inside and the engine of the car was ignited to life and put into movement. I sat up straight in the seat, I’ve never sat inside a car before, my whole-body trembling in fear as I bit my lower rip, trying to stop myself from crying. It was quiet inside the car and I realized five men were sitting inside. Three in the front, the seats were connected, and two on the backseat with me. I knew immediately who they were and it made me more fearful.

“Will—will you kill me?” I choked out and one whipped his head around, his eyes being the only thing I could see through the rag that he wore as a mask to protect his identity.

“I don’t know, should we?” I shook my head furiously ‘no’ and someone hissed.

“Stop fucking around with her! She’s already scared shitless!” Junhui snapped from the driver’s seat and my heart started thumping furiously.

“Why did you even take her?” Joshua’s soft voice was cold and I looked down at my lap.

“She was good distraction, I only got away because the town people didn’t want to shoot her.” Woozi said and suddenly Seungkwan started cackling loudly, throwing his head back. I didn’t understand what was so funny but I didn’t want to find out.

“What are we going to do with her?” Minghao muttered, glancing at me from beside me. I looked away and prayed to myself no one would say ‘kill her’.

“We’ll think about that later!” Junhui snapped before the others could say anything else. And then suddenly, loud sirens could be heard coming from behind us and I turned my head to see the sheriff’s car chasing after ours. Then gunshots rang through, the boys screamed at each other inside the car, and then all I could remember was a loud screeching noise, and the car in the air flipping over. Then, I woke up in a prison cell all alone, hurt and scared.

Present time

Junhui and I had to be silent as we ran through the corridors of the station, having successfully escaped from the dungeon. Jun was guiding me from behind and as we rounded the corner, I ran into a solid body. My cry was silent as my face was pressed into the chest of the man, but before I could start further panicking and making a scene, Junhui pulled me away and I saw it was Joshua. He gave me a glare before exchanging a glance with Junhui and disappearing around the corner.

“What are we doing?” I whispered confused to Jun, raising my eyebrows at him as I pressed myself up against the wall.

“Breaking out.” Junhui answered with a chuckle, looking around the corner. Then he gripped my hand into his and we were running down the long hallway once again, coming to a stop in front of the closed door.

“Listen, once we get out…nothing is guaranteed. Are you ready to make this commitment?” Junhui’s voice was low, warning but reassuring at the same time. I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes as I let the breath out slowly.

“Do you promise not to abandon me then? Will you let me become one of you?” I whispered at Jun, squeezing his hand.

“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” A smirk pulled onto his lips and I mirrored him, suddenly feeling excited about the promise of a new life.

The door got cracked open suddenly and I jumped scared, looking at Jun, “If you’re done being disgusting, take this.”

It was Woozi and he pushed a handgun into my hand, then another one. I looked at Junhui confused as he took one but left the other for me.

“Don’t shoot any of us—the rest we don’t care about.” My mouth fell open as Woozi opened the door and pulled me outside, shielding my body as he looked around.

“Coast is clear.” He muttered almost so quietly I didn’t hear him, “We only have to get to that car.”

It was the sheriff’s car and it was a good one-hundred-fifteen meters away from where we were standing. I readied myself to run, when suddenly a bullet wheezed past our heads. I screamed and ducked down, Junhui and Woozi forming a barrier around me.

“Fuck, they noticed too quickly!” Junhui hissed as we were ducking behind some old wood kept for heating in the winter.

“Whatever, we have to go!” Woozi shook his head and turned his head to look at me, “You start running first and we’ll make sure you don’t get shot, yeah?”

“What?!” I exclaimed but before what he said could settle in, I was pushed forward and even almost faceplanted into the dirt. Gunshots almost immediately went off and I screamed as I scurried off the ground and started running. I couldn’t help but scream the whole time, gun waving around in my hand, until I got to the car. I rammed into the side of it, chest rising and falling as I tried to shield myself from any further danger, but the shooting didn’t stop even for a second. The driver’s door got thrown open and suddenly I could see Jun and Woozi running our way. They were running in zig-zag as they sprinted towards the car and my eyes widened when one officer, the one I was familiar with, started running after them with his shotgun raised high. My heart thumped wildly and all I could think of was, what if he shoots Junhui? With trembling hands, I raised my arms, gripping the handgun with both tightly, and stepped away from the little safety the car offered. And then I started firing as well, on the verge of screaming once again. But as Junhui jumped inside the car, I pulled the trigger for the last time, and got dragged inside the car by Woozi. My eyes widened when I saw the officer falling to the ground with a loud cry, holding onto his leg. The car door got slammed shut and almost immediately we took off, kicking up dirt behind us. I remained looking ahead shocked, unphased by the dangerous maneuvers Junhui was making. I just shot a man. And then suddenly, everyone in the car was cheering loudly. I yelped when my back was patted roughly by Seungkwan, who was sitting in the back, a wide grin on his lips.

“Welcome to your new life, Y/N.” Seungkwan said with a smirk and a breathy chuckle left my lips as I looked at the five men sitting inside the car.

“I just shot a man!”

“Won’t be your last time.” Joshua said with a proud smirk and I couldn’t say anything.

I never thought my life would turn into this, but oh boy, this was the best choice I made after leaving my hometown.

90 notes · View notes

babyyweebbitch · 4 years ago

Text

Please stay with me...

A/N: Hey Resident evil fans 😀 im sorry I’m gonna make another part to this btw

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Death, Blood and funeral

Summary: Chris and his wife went on a mission a few months after Piers’ death but his was shot and killed by the enemy trying to protect Chris and the team

*bonus* Funeral (it does get kinda triggering so if you get triggered by funeral talk, skip that)

Chris, His wife and new men from the BSAA were on a mission again but this time in America, everything was going smoothly

All they had to do was take out the enemy, get the three hostages to safety and deactivate the bomb placed in the building they were in

“Boys listen” Y/N said, for someone who was 5’0, 147lb and currently the youngest on that team at 28 she was very intimidating to the men on that team, even Chris was intimidated by her — She’s his wife!

She was also the new captain of the team since Chris decided it wasn’t for him anymore — So he chose his replacement to be his wife

Not just because they were married. She had talent, she was tough and was hard on everyone and anyone when she had to be

“We will split into teams of three, one team is in charge of getting the hostages; the other are in charge of deactivating the bomb and my team will take care of the enemies. Corey, John and Andrew, you’re in charge of finding the bomb and deactivating it”

“Yes ma’am!” The three men said in unison before leaving to find out the bomb

“Phil, Jean and Mark, you’re In charge of finding and taking the hostages to safety”

“Ma’am!” The three said before doing their job

“Chris and Eric you’re with me” Y/N said as she turned to walk out the door, Chris watched her and was amazed by how amazing she was doing

“Is she always like this, Chris?”

“Only when she has to be” he smirked as he followed behind his wife and he was thinking about a lot of different things at once, his time as captain, his former men, Piers

He hadn’t realised he was already at the door of the room the enemies were in until he was tapped on the shoulder by a smaller hand

“You okay?” Y/N asked as she looked at Chris, an obvious worried expression on her face since he was zoning out

“What? Oh yeah. I’m fine... Sorry” Chris said as he looked at the door and let a sigh escape his lips as he backed up and kicked open the door, gun fire already heading towards them

Luckily the three hid in time before firing back, for about what felt like forever the three came from wherever they were hiding from and let out a sigh thinking they had got everyone

“Good job b— Chris!” Y/N called out as she had saw one remaining enemy stand up from behind a counter pointing a gun towards Chris

Out of instinct she ran towards Chris and pushing him out the way not even thinking about herself and that was the moment she was hit in the sternum, shockingly they had a powerful gun that can puncture anything

“Gah!”

Everything was still processing in Chris’ head right now, trying to catch his kind up, Eric used his last bullet to shoot the last enemy before running over to catch Y/N

“Captain!”

*flash back*

“I don’t want you joining the BSAA, Y/N! You’ll die!”

“I’m perfectly okay with that... If I die I know that I at least tried to help the world somehow. I hate sitting at home all day and doing nothing while I worry while you’re on your missions”

Chris knew exactly where she was coming from she she said that, he wanted to protect the world too but it was one thing if he was the one to die doing it, but his wife? He’d hate to see her die or get injured on the job

“Plus... ever since my parents died in Raccoon city I promised them I’d do something to help the world and stop all of this from happening again when I got older. Well I’m older”

Honestly, when she brought up her parents he couldn’t argue with her anymore... He knows what it’s like to lose both parents

“I get it... I’m not going to stop you.. I hate thinking about you getting hurt but your parents would want that for you..”

*currently*

Chris ran to his wife and he felt his eyes water, the tears flooding his eyes as he stared at her

“No... Please stay with me! Don’t leave me goddamnit!” Chris refused to believe she was dying, he didn’t want to believe it

“Chris... Please” She reached inside of her pocket to grab her wedding ring, she never wore it on missions so she didn’t lose it, grabbing his hand she placed the ring inside

“I’m gonna see my parents again, Chris... Isn’t that good?”

“No no no no, Y/N please!! Don’t you die on me!”

“I love you, Chris...” His heart went numb the moment he felt her hand go heavy and almost fell out his but he held onto it

“Please don’t go! This isn’t funny anymore, fucking please don’t leave me alone!!” He knew she was dead... He knew he just didn’t wanna believe it, he wanted to believe she was pulling a fucked up prank on him and got up like nothing happened, he wanted her to sit up and say ‘sike motherfucker’. He wanted that more than anything right now

When she didn’t do that he hugged her body, not caring about the blood getting all over them and he just cried as he held her, he felt responsible for her death, if only he was paying attention he wouldn’t have lost the love of his life...

*bonus*

The day of the funeral, Chris looked horrible. He couldn’t sleep since that day and the house was a mess, Claire stayed with him to make sure he didn’t start drinking again to get rid of the pain

“Chris? You getting ready?” Claire asked as she was already dressed, opening the door to what used to be shared by two people

He sat on the bed looking at a picture of his wife on his phone, he had put her ring on a necklace he always wore

“Yeah... I’m ready” he said as he stood up to walk out with his sister, his hair was slicked back and he had a nice black suit on, Claire had on a black dress

After about a 30 minute drive they arrived and Chris didn’t wanna leave the car but Claire dragged him out

First his partner now his wife... He regrets even letting her join the BSAA and if he could change the roles and take the bullet for her, he would in a fucking heart beat

After about two hours, the ceremony happened, everyone close to her gave their speeches and the viewing it they lowered the casket and everyone had went inside to eat and talk

“Hey Chris, how are you holding up” Leon said as he went to sit with him and Claire

“I’ll be fine...” was all Chris said as he picked at his food, he was so depressed he barely ate anymore, basically all he did was sleep, workout and do paperwork.

He couldn’t bare handling a gun since in all honesty... he didn’t trust himself around one anymore

“Look... Chris I know you feel like shit and don’t wanna do anything anymore but, she wouldn’t want you picking at your food and not eating.. She’d want you to continue being yourself. She wouldn’t want this.” Leon commented

“....I know... But, I just miss her ya’know... she was my everything and I just feel so empty without her now. We were gonna start a family. I only wanted a family with her and only her”

Leon and Claire didn’t have any words since they didn’t want to say the wrong thing around Chris, the three ate and after eating they headed home

The car ride was silent — The silence was deafening you can hear a pin drop

Leon was right, Y/N wouldn’t wanna see him like this. He didn’t want to disappoint her so the first thing he did when he got home was cleaned up the way she liked it and how she liked cleaning

It was difficult but it was the process to healing...

#chris redfield #resident evil #re6 #re5 #resident evil x reader #biohazard #biohazard x reader #Chris redfield x reader #Chris redfield x fem!reader #angst

90 notes · View notes

ageofevermore · 4 years ago

Text

Unsaid Emily

SUMMARY — and maybe it was the midnight ink on her wrist that tied her to him

WORD COUNT — 1.7k

───── ･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ: *. ☽ .* : ☆ﾟ. ─────

They had said goodbye to a child eight years before welcoming the second with shocked and scared hearts. They had promised to do things differently -- to like whatever she liked, watch whatever she watched, and love whatever she loved. They drew no boundary at personal belief when it came to this second child that shadowed the life of Luke, but they made no attempts to forgive and mend the empty spaces in their hearts where they had already done this. They had already gone through first steps, words, and heartbreaks. They had captured Luke’s seventeen years of life in their memory so perfectly watching hers felt faulty. They tried with everything they had to love her as they never loved Luke, but somehow that caused even more of a divide as everything was reminiscent of the deceased first born brunette.

She had been away at school when his birthday rolled around; for the first time in her seventeen years of pitiful existence she didn’t blow out the candles on a stale chocolate cake. She spent the day away from stories of her brother, and instead spent it knowing somewhere in the universe he wasn’t being smothered by Mitch and Emily’s persistent opinions. She couldn’t outrun home forever though. An amazing music program in Santa Monica pulled her away from LA for most weeks out of the year, but her mother was persistent that she abandon the dorms and visit home every so often. It was that fear of Luke again. He had instilled so many traumas that even trust with her was unruly and weak.

She heard the doorbell ring as she was unpacking her pile of homework, the weekend away from school meaning nothing for the multiple classes she was taking weekly. Though the private boarding school was diverse in the makeup of their structured courses, she was still on a tightly wound schedule with instrumental practice and vocals along with mandatory academics like calculus. She hates calculus. She had only started around the corner because she heard the sound of her brother's name roll off of a stranger's tongue. The defined L sound was unmistakable, and partnered with the topic of music, the correlation was undeniable.

“Yeah. That’s Luke, when he was two.” Mitch explained the picture between the girls grasp, eyes growing damp at the topic of his greatest failure as a parent. Luke was his perfect gift.

“Do you have any other children?” The girl asked, gently setting the picture frame down and bringing her chocolate eyes up to Mitch’s. The gentleness of her expressions were weighing heavy on the hearts of a family that lived with the memory of Luke on their mind daily. Even with the retelling of his story the only fragment of his existence that she knew, hearing these words hurt.

“A daughter. Lily.” Mitch looked just behind the guest, eyes trailing over his daughter that shared the same midnight toned hair and hard blue eyes as his Luke once had. She stepped past the threshold connecting the foyer to the living room, ignoring the butterflies that spread through her stomach at a certain point across the hardwood.

“I’m Lily.” She smiled tightly at the girl, hand extended in a polite greeting that was in no way authentic. Her heart was beating her ears, palms collecting sweat at the idea of knowing Luke from somebody else's perspective.

“Julie.” The two smiled at each other, both looking equally displaced despite this being Lily’s house, and having been Julie’s personal decision to come. Luke just had that effect on people. His memory made you hurt so deeply that anything other than crying felt wrong.

“Did I hear the doorbell?” Emily asked, hand softly brushing against Lily’s back. Emily hadn’t even flinched when her child pulled away from the embrace, just accepted what had become routine since implementing the memory and the love of Luke. In remembering one child Mitch and Emily had completely pushed away the other.

“Mom, this is Julie.” Lily introduced the two, her eyes wandering around the space that suddenly felt so full. She had stood in this same living room for seventeen years prior to the current evening and never had she got the sense of being complete.

“Hello, Julie.” Emily smiled, looking over the girl standing in their living room with nothing more than a name to her purpose. “Oh, that’s a beautiful sweater.”

She had never heard her mother speak so freely kindly towards others' clothing. She had woken the same morning, expecting the looks of judgement and unwarranted warnings that band-tees and vans had been the very wardrobe to have taken Luke’s life.

When she had gotten Sunset Curve tattooed to the flesh of her wrist, binding her life to her brother's memory, they had gone mental. It had been tears of disappointment and pain at the foundation of an argument. They had come around eventually, but only off of the premise that they didn’t want to drive Lily away and watch her face death like Luke did.

“Thanks. It’s my moms.” Julie looked down at her sweater, fingers softly brushing along the knitted material. By the solemn expression in her eyes, Lily knew that death had been upon her. Nobody bore such a heavy gleam without the persuading of trauma and grief.

“Julie lives in the house where Luke and the band rehearsed. She was just telling me she found a song that Luke wrote.” Mitch looked down at Julie, all while Lily couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes on her. Looking around the room again, her heart jumped painfully in her chest at the orb of afterlife reflecting from the sun just behind Julie. As she stared into the rainbow colors of the orb, she couldn’t help but feel as though a set of eyes was sharing the encounter with her.

Blinking away the delusion, Lily’s thumb traced the tattoo on her wrist, her eyes welling with tears. She might have rivaled a ghost all of her childhood, but she missed the soft and tender memories of her brother she didn’t have the heart to relearn. She could love him with everything she had, but never would see ask her parents about his short lived life.

“It’s a song about a girl named Emily?”

A tear fell from Lily’s eyes, while warm pools of grief framed the waterline of her blue optics, threatening to spill over at any second. She traced the spot where the orb of afterlife had once floated above the air with streaks of rainbow, but the sun had moved away and stopped casting a spotlight on the space.

“Emily…” Mitch whispered into the open air of the space, eyes glazing over as he looked down to his wife that had beared two children and loved the first more than anything worldly. “I’m Emily.” She pleaded, although neither she nor Julie knew what she was asking for with her desperation soaked tone.

“Then I think your son may have written a song for you.” Julie handed over the old and tattered piece of notebook paper that bore the same handwriting as all of Luke’s journals still stashed away in the attic. The same handwriting that lived permanently on her wrist, taking the shape of what his dream had once been.

“First things first, we start the scene in reverse.” Lily had to shake the thought of music out of her focus, her body so heavily convinced that somewhere in the depths of her home a song was playing softly. The dimension of the vocals she heard was unlike any streaming platform ability, making her wonder if her mother had broken into the vinyls again.

“All of the lines rehearsed disappeared from my mind when things got loud. One of us running out, I should've turned around, but I had too much pride. No time for goodbyes, didn't get to apologize, pieces of a clock that lies broken. If I could take us back, if I could just do that and write in every empty space the words ‘I love you’ in replace. Then maybe time would not erase me, if you could only know I never let you go, and the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave. Unsaid Emily. Silent days, mysteries and mistakes. Who'd be the first to break? I guess we're alike that way. He said, she said, conversations in my head, and that's just where they're gonna stay forever.”

It was a ringing between her ears that brought the delusion to a standstill. As her fingers curl around her wrist as if to physically grab the midnight ink, the whisper of a voice in her focus becomes too prominent to ignore.

“If I could take us back, if I could just do that, and write in every empty space the words ‘I love you’ in replace. Then maybe time would not erase me, if you could only know I never let you go, and the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave. Unsaid Emily. If I could take us back, if I could just do that, and write in every empty space the words ‘I love you’ in replace, then maybe time would not erase me. If you could only know I never let you go.” She hears the words through herself so clearly, she’s certain the words she can practically feel are the same as what’s written on the page between her mother's fingertips. She doesn’t understand it, but somehow she knows.

It’s him. Luke. Her big brother.

Her wrist flashes hot for a second, startling her enough to abandon the tight locked gaze she has on the empty space behind Julie and look down at her reddening skin. “And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave. Unsaid Emily.”

A cold shock ran through her body in contrast to the searing hot pain circulating her wrist. She sniffled when the last sung Emily sounded through her body, the vibrato sounding so close to her it was paralyzing. When she found her bearings and the jelly like feeling in her legs dispersed to her heart, she looked back up at Julie.

With one last fleeting glance towards the empty space behind Julie, the sight of a blue-eyed boy looking tearfully beyond herself, calmed the burn in her wrist. She made eye contact with the boy, a name fitting comfortably on her tongue despite the impossibility of it all.

“Luke…”

#unsaid emily #julie and the phantoms #jatp #julie and the phantoms luke #julie molina #jatp luke #luke jatp #charlie gillespie #netflix #netflix julie and the phantoms

234 notes · View notes

spicymayo1983 · 4 years ago

Text

Hiya. More Poe Dameron smut and fluff for everyone to enjoy. You and Poe both live on the rebellion base on D'qar.

I've always imagined that Poe would be excited about becoming a father, regardless of the circumstances, and be a loving and supportive partner.

For some reason the idea of fertile Poe is sexy to me. Lol. Having a bunch of cute, curly haired space babies.

You are a member of the black squadron and a respected X wing pilot in your own right. You've made some stupid decisions in your lifetime but never any like this one.

After a few too many drinks you ended up enjoying a steamy, completely unprotected one night stand with Poe Dameron.

And now you're pregnant with his child. How will you cope raising a baby with a man you barely know?

Warnings, unprotected sex, some angst, breeding kink, not for anyone under 18.

You're not afraid to admit it. You are a different woman altogether when you've been drinking.

But even for you, the mess you're in is something even you couldn't have predicted.

Now all you have are memories, regret, and a positive pregnancy test. You stare at that little stick with the two lines on it and the memories flood back, you can't help but smile a little.

Six weeks earlier.....

It's your best friend Yasmela's birthday. You and the rest of the black squadron are celebrating with adult beverages abound in a cantina located on the rebellion base D'qar.

The leader of the black squadron, Poe Dameron, who's also a bit tipsy, has been eyeing you all night.

Okay, the two of you have been exchanging mutual flirty glances. You haven't been entirely innocent, it's hard to ignore anyone, but especially someone as gorgeous as him, when it's obvious that he's checking you out.

"Well do you like what you see?" Poe asks, laughing a little, attempting to break the ice.

"What would make you think that?" You reply, giggling a little.

Poe notices the flushing of your cheeks, brought on by a combination of drinking too much and the situation currently at hand.

"Ohhhhh I'm making you nervous". Poe continues, slurring his words a little. "You're normally such a quiet girl, y/n, I barely know you because you won't talk to hardly anyone".

"I'm a simple woman devoted to defeating the first order". You reply, smiling a little.

"So am I, but I believe in letting loose every once in awhile". Poe teases as he brushes back his dark, curly hair from his face.

"So you're also a simple woman?" You reply, bursting into laughter.

Soon both of you are laughing uncontrollably. So much so that you have tears in your eyes.

"No, I wasn't the last time I checked". Poe continued, his laughter calming a little. "What I meant was that I'm also devoted to bringing down the first order but I like to have fun from time to time".

"Come on, dance with me". Poe asks, a devilish smile appearing on his face. "Let's have some fun".

You soon find yourself stumbling along to a latin cha cha cha dance that he's way better at, even intoxicated, than you.

You fall down laughing at one point and he scoops you up immediately. Even when you are sober you have two left feet and your dance moves are less than elegant.

The room is spinning, you feel like you're going to puke, but you're having a blast with your handsome companion.

"I think I need to sit down". You tell him, struggling to stop yourself from throwing up.

Poe helps you get safely to a nearby chair and table, once you are seated he fetches you a glass of water.

"Thank you". You reply, smiling gratefully and slowly sipping the cool water. "I know it's still a little early but I think I need to get home and sleep this off".

"That's okay, but let me walk you home". Poe tells you, helping you stand up again.

On the way back to your quarters the two of you realize that he lives much closer so it would be in your best interest to crash on his couch for the night.

Once at his place Poe gets you another glass of water, you are sobering up and no longer feel sick.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" You ask, quickly downing the refreshing beverage.

"I might not know you that well, on a personal level".

He explains, removing his boots. "But you're a brave pilot, you were there when the starkiller was destroyed, I take care of people I respect".

His words of praise shock you a little. They mean so much, especially coming from someone like him. Your face immediately turns bright red, Poe leans over, kisses you on the lips and says,

"And one of the most beautiful women I've seen".

Without another word exchanged you continue kissing, you gaze into his beautiful dark eyes and silently beg him to continue, to go beyond those delicious kisses.

Poe picks up on your silent cues and hungrily unbuttons your shirt. He manages to quickly unsnap your bra, revealing your breasts and erect nipples.

You can see an impressive looking bulge forming in his pants as he buries his face between them, you sigh in delight as you lose yourself to pleasure and take in the scent of his soft, curly hair.

Your panties are practically drenched by the time Poe starts to tenderly kiss and nibble on your neck, his hands wander between your legs and you gasp in anticipation.

He unzips your pants and helps you out of them, you are indeed soaking wet, his hand slides between your legs again and teasingly strokes you over your underwear.

You haven't trimmed in quite awhile so you have a decent bush growing. He doesn't seem to mind, though, Poe actually seems to enjoy the look and feel of it.

"Take your clothes off now". You demand, laughing a little. "I feel weird being the only naked one".

Poe obliges and strips down for you. Revealing a tan, trim and athletic body. Strong without being over the top. He's hung, and thick, with a nice patch of dark hair.

The two of you decide to move things into the bedroom. He immediately spreads your legs wide and starts to massage your clit as he inserts two fingers inside of you.

As Poe keeps his fingers inside of you he begins to suck and gently nibble on your throbbing clit, with a low whimper you cum for him, squirting in the process.

With your legs still spread Poe enters you, you easily accommodate him because you are still extremely wet.

"Oh creator you are so wet, and so tight". Poe moans as he penetrates you. "You feel amazing".

Both of you were still tipsy and had neglected to ask about birth control. Even though you weren't on anything you assumed he was.

He's a gentle lover, he teases you by sliding his entire length in, and then all the way out again.

As you are impaled on his body you squirm and cum with Poe deep inside of you. Your own orgasms trigger his own release, but you are gripped onto him too tight and he can't pull out in time.

He cums inside of you, the warm sensation is unfamiliar because you have never let anyone inside of your body unprotected.

"That felt amazing". Poe confesses as he passionately kisses you and pulls his soft cock out of your body. "I'm sorry about the mess, I really tried to pull out".

"Don't worry about it". You tell him with a nervous laugh.

He gets you a towel and helps you clean up, soon after he rolls over and falls asleep.

Well, you thought he was asleep.....

"Can I put my arm around you?" Poe whispers softly.

"Sure, go ahead". You reply, smiling a little.

The two of you fall asleep spooning, he's the little spoon with his arm wrapped around you, with his face resting on your back.

The entire experience feels very warm, intimate and tender. You're a little surprised by how soft and affectionate Poe is.

The next morning both of you wake up with horrible hangovers. Poe gets up and cooks a simple breakfast of waffles and toast, not only is he the best pilot in the resistance but he's also an excellent cook.

You are enjoying your meal despite the awkward silence that has suddenly developed between the two of you.

You've crawled back into that shell that adult beverages had liberated you from temporarily.

Despite the fact that you enjoyed yourself the previous night you still feel ashamed and somewhat dirty from the encounter.

You've never done anything like that before with anyone, let alone the leader of the squadron.

What was everyone else going to say if they found out?

"Your secret is safe with me". Poe assures you, leaning over and kissing you on the forehead. "I won't kiss and tell".

"I've just never done anything like that before". You tell him, smiling weakly. "When I'm drunk I'm a different woman".

"If you feel like I took advantage of you I'm truly sorry". Poe continues, his smile fading. "I just got carried away in the moment".

"Oh no, I wanted it to happen". You reply quickly, your weak smile coming back. "And it was magical, you were very respectful and it felt great".

With those parting words you get dressed and walk home. You bump into your friend, birthday girl Yasmela, in the hangar later that afternoon when you are doing routine maintenance on your X wing.

"Everyone saw you leave the party with Poe". Yasmela teases, a bright smile appearing on her face. "Tell me every raunchy detail".

"Poe walked me home, I passed out on my sofa, the end". You lie, your face getting slightly flushed from anger.

"Salemm saw you doing the walk of shame this morning". Yasmela continues, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes.

"Just fucking stop it! Okay!" You snap, displaying a rare flash of anger. "Absolutely nothing happened between us! End of story".

Yasmela looks slightly taken aback by your outburst. But she soon smiles and says,

"Okaaaay, y/n, I get it, I'll be leaving now".

Your friend slinks off into the crowded, noisy hangar. You know for a fact that she doesn't believe you, and that she will do her best to find out what truly happened.

Flash forward back to six weeks after your encounter with Poe. After experiencing sore breasts, morning sickness and terrible mood swings you reluctantly take a home pregnancy test and discover that it's indeed positive.

You're terrified, and you have no idea how your secret can be kept now.

End of part 1

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron smut #star wars #star wars smut #poe dameron x you #poe dameron imagine

36 notes · View notes

alitaimagines · 4 years ago

Text

“I will leave you satisfied, forever past time, you don't have to hide your free to fly. I know after tonight you don’t have to look up at the stars.”

bakugou katsuki - MY HERO ACADEMIA

note: still looking for more MHA character imagine suggestions.

you plus a few of the girls in the class were lounging around the common room on a very lazy Saturday afternoon. you and Momo were cuddling, your back was against her chest as the two of you watched some random make up tutorials on your phone.

ya know, just girly tingz~

“oh, we know where this is going!” you heard Mineta’s disgusting comment as him and a few other people walked in, “yeah, it’s going to be me getting up and kicking your ass so hard you’ll regret even making that comment.”

“it’s not unusual for friends to cuddle each other Mineta, you’re just a pervert,” Kirishima inquired as you shouted a very loud ‘thank you’, “do we have any plans for dinner? it’s getting late and we need to go shopping for whatever it is that we eat,” you said trying to get off the current subject.

this was the dreaded conversation every weekend at the dorms. everyone liked to make home made food on the weekends but none of you were able to agree on just one dish and tended to make three different meals to give some options.

you shifted yourself against Momo and looked to see all of your roommates in deep thought, “okay, what if two of us just go to the store and see what we find? I’ll go since I haven’t left the dorms all day,” you told them as you looked for a partner to accompany you.

you were pleasantly surprised to see that it was Bakugou who offered to come with you. the two of you ran in the same friend group but the two of you hardly ever talked each other one on one.

Bakugou was cute, you couldn’t deny that. you knew his anger was an issue but when you sat down to think about it, he hardly ever got loud with you. yeah, he might’ve gotten annoyed with you but he never treated you the way he treated the rest of his classmates.

once you grabbed your bag and ran back downstairs, you noticed Bakugou’s red face while Kirishima and Kaminari tried to hold back their laughter.

“did I miss something?” you asked the three of them, “no, you idiot!” Bakugou screamed making you flinch, “didn’t mean to yell, I’m sorry,” he muttered as he stalked towards the entrance.

your eyebrows fluttered in confusion before waving off the class and walking towards Bakugou. he opened the door for you and the two of you started the tread to the grocery store.

“did you need something the store, Bakugou?” you asked him, “you never come on these trips,” you added on.

he shrugged, “just felt like it,” he simply said as you shrugged, “oh, okay! were you in the mood for something in particular? since we’re the ones going to the store, it’s ultimately up to us,” you pondered.

Bakugou thought for a moment, “ramen?” he mentioned as he watched your eyes light up, “ramen! that sounds amazing Bakugou!” you exclaimed as he tried to shrug off your excitement.

the store near the U.A. dorms wasn’t too far away so it didn’t take long for the both of you to arrive. you noticed a few stands on the side of the store and although you wanted to check out what they were, you knew you weren’t getting money from your parents for another few days and you didn’t want to come across something you liked and couldn’t buy.

“let me grab a cart so we can get everything for the ramen,” you told Bakugou as he nodded. he was eerily quiet and maybe the only reason why he offered to come along was because he wanted fresh air, “aww, if I had enough money, I would totally offer to make dessert for everyone but I don’t think I have enough,” you told yourself.

Bakugou heard what you said and although he wasn’t going to feed the rest of his idiotic classmates dessert, he found something the two of you could share after dinner.

now he just had to figure out how to actually ask you.

he grabbed a small red velvet cake and stuffed it into the cart, hidden among the other grocery items and walked until you got everything you needed. after the cashier checked everything out, between you and Bakugou, you were carrying three bags each.

“young children!” you heard an elderly voice say. you turned around to see that it was an old woman at one of the stands. you pointed at yourself and Bakugou as she nodded, “yes you two! come here!” she exclaimed as you sighed.

the two of you approached the woman who looked like she was straight out of the 70s, “would you like to test your love? this machine has never hit 100 and you guys could possibly be the first!” she teased as you tried to deny, “it’s completely free and if you guys hit 100, I’ll gift both of you a matching necklace and bracelet,” she offered.

you gave Bakugou a look of annoyance, “we aren’t even together, old lady,” Bakugou yelled as she gave him a dumbfounded expression, “didn’t ask that, you juvenile,” you couldn’t help but laugh at her comeback.

“fine, we’ll try it, just so we can hurry this up and get back to the rest of the class,” you told him as Bakugou annoyingly agreed.

the two of you placed your hands on this small controller thing and squeezed the red handle of the controller. it took a few minutes but you were immediately startled by the ringing noise coming from the machine.

“oh my,” she whispered as she looked at the machine, “what?” you could tell Bakugou was becoming increasingly more annoyed as the lady was silent, “not only did the two of you reach 100, the two of you read for marriage,” your eyes widened at her epiphany.

you couldn’t dare to look at Bakugou as he scoffed, “wow, I’ve been doing this for ten years and you two have been the only ones to reach 100,” she continued as you tried to usher Bakugou to finally leave.

“as promised, here are your gifts,” she whispered digging out the matching pair of necklace and bracelet, “are these real gold?” you hesitated on taking the items as she nodded, “as real as they get. it’s truly an honor,” she exclaimed as she shoved the jewelry into your hands.

Bakugou and you stared at each other as a red hue crossed Bakugou’s face. your hand gripped the jewelry but you couldn’t muster to say anything to break the awkward silence.

“crazy old lady,” Bakugou muttered making you laugh, “right? you would think her family would stop her from doing such things,” you replied as he nodded.

the semi-awkward conversation continued until the two of you finally reached the dorms again. you had texted one of the girls to prepare the few things that were already in the dorms so you could immediately start on dinner.

“hey, how was everything?” Midoriya asked as you fell silent to question, “fine, why? did you think there would be a problem?” Bakugou asked as the two of them started arguing.

you rolled your eyes and went to the kitchen to start dinner. your mind had drifted from the interaction from earlier but as you were about to set out the bowls for everyone to pour themselves, you reached into your back pocket and felt the jewelry making your face turn warm.

“dinner is ready! come pour yourselves!” you yelled to your classmates as you grabbed your already full plate and made your way to the two chaired table.

everyone grabbed their plates and scouted for chairs and tables to eat. what you didn’t expect again was to see Bakugou sit across from you. you gave him a warm smile making his stomach do a flip.

he had never felt this way before and frankly, he would have found the idea of liking someone disgusting but being that it was you, Bakugou wasn’t exactly opposed to it.

even though dinner between the two of you was decently quiet, it wasn’t until almost everyone was going back into their rooms when Bakugou finally tried to keep up a conversation.

“here, I bought this for us to share,” he grunted as he went to the freezer and took out the cake, “I didn’t see you buy it,” you told him as he ignored your statement and brought it to the table.

while Bakugou would have been embarrassed at such an action, the only ones in the common area were Momo and Kota and he knew that neither one of them would open their mouth to say anything.

you opened the cake when you snapped your fingers in realization, “the night is quite nice, wanna sit on the table that’s on the patio and eat it?” you asked, a bit shyly.

he nodded taking the two forks as you grabbed the cake and made your way to the patio table. the good thing about the patio was that there was a small screen like cover on top of the building to not let in any flies or bugs.

“god, I felt like this is the first time we’ve gotten to relax,” you told Bakugou as he hummed, “with training, school work, and homework, it’s like we only get Saturday to actually relax or catch up on homework,” you added on.

Bakugou wanted reply but the nervousness, something he hardly felt, was too much to handle.

“but I’m sure you’re caught up on your work, right?” you asked as he nodded, “everything is fairly easy,” he responded as you shrugged, “ah, I’m struggling a bit in All Might’s class,” you admitted as you tried to hide your embarrassed face.

Bakugou’s eyes lit up, “I can help you, if you need it,” he managed to say as you agreed excitedly, “sure! are you free tomorrow? after lunch?” you asked as he nodded yes.

“awesome!” you exclaimed as Bakugou tried his hardest to hide his very flustered expression, “hey, so I still have this shit in my back pocket. if what the lady said was true, I just don’t want to throw it away,” you told Bakugou as you put the necklace and bracelet on table.

he grabbed the more masculine looking one, the bracelet, and slapped it over his wrist, “we can get this shit tested,” he inquired as you nodded, “right! I mean, I think the necklace is really pretty,” you said as you wrapped it around your neck.

Bakugou watched as you struggled to clip the two pieces together and finally got up to do it for you. he snapped the two pieces together and you turned your head to fix your hair, you noticed just how close your faces were.

taking a deep breath, you gave him a small peck on the lips before quickly retracting. Bakugou sighed in content as he reciprocated the kiss but this time, he lasted a lot longer than you did.

“we can continue this tomorrow,” he muttered giving you one final peck, “but I’ll text you after I get out of the shower,” he said a bit smugly.

you rolled your eyes jokingly as the two of you made your way back inside of the dorms. a part of you was glad that you made the first move because god knew how long it would’ve taken Bakugou to make his first move.

ALITA

#bnha #bnha imagine #bnha x reader #boku no hero academia imagine #boku no hero academia #boku no hero imagine #mha imagine #mha x reader #mha #my hero academia #my hero academia x reader #my hero academia imagine #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki smut #bakugou katsuki x reader #anime imagine #anime x reader #anime x you #anime

191 notes · View notes

440mxs-wife · 4 years ago

Text

Lost and Found

"You want me to work this case with who?" Arthur Ketch asked.

"Relax, Ketch, she's had field experience before, she just hasn't been in the field much lately. Trust me, she'll be perfect for this," Dean assured him.

"This is not a training op, a learn-as-you-go thing, this is a serious case, Dean. I need an experienced hunter to carry off the cover story and perform her duty. I don't think she fits the part, and she's not my type anyway," Ketch complained.

As if on cue, you walked through the War Room on your way to the main living area. You had a book in one hand, which you were reading as you walked. A cup of cocoa occupied your other hand. You reached the living room and settled into a corner of the couch with your favorite quilt.

Dean cleared his throat behind you. Without looking up from your book, you asked, "What do you need, Dean?"

"So, we have a case right now that requires your unique....talents," he started.

You closed your book in annoyance and narrowly gazed at Dean. "To what 'unique talents' are you referring? What exactly do you want me to do?" you asked.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, something he tended to do when he was nervous or about to do something he didn't want to do. "This is Arthur Ketch, former British Man of Letters. There's a case involving a vampire, named Simon Foster. He's hosting a formal party by invitation only. Your cover would involve you posing as a couple with Ketch," he explained.

You knew this wasn't the whole story, so you waited for Dean to finish. "And....you have to dress up, like evening-gown type dressing up," he added.

You took a few moments to assess your potential hunting partner's attributes. You knew that in the past, he had been a ruthless killer for the British Men of Letters. However, you also remembered how he rescued Gabriel from Asmodeus, at great risk to his own safety. He was working with the Winchesters from time to time as a free-lance operative.

Aside from the professional evaluation, you had to admire his broad chest and tall, confident stature. He had sparkling blue-green eyes that you knew had to hold a certain amount of mischief every now and then. He had just enough of a beard to be considered ruggedly handsome and sexy. And that accent made you a little weak in the knees, if you were being truly honest with yourself.

Ketch interpreted your silence to mean that you were refusing to work with him on the case. "As I told you, Dean, she's not right for this mission," he retorted.

"Mr. Ketch, you don't know me very well. And I only know of you what I've heard in the tales of your exploits from Sam and Dean. Maybe it's time we got our assumptions about each other out of the way, and work this case? Hmm?" you replied as you rose from the couch.

Ketch walked over to where you were standing and said, "Well, my dear, since you have dropped the gauntlet, I accept your challenge. Oh, by the way, I do hope you have something appropriate to wear. Flannel and jeans won't fly in this instance, darling," he smirked.

You took one step towards Ketch, close enough so that you could detect the scent of his aftershave. With more calm in your voice than you currently felt, you looked deep into his eyes. "There's more to me than flannel and jeans. Buckle up, Mr. Ketch. It's going to be a fun ride," you replied, making a show of adjusting his tie before walking out of the room.

Ketch looked over at Dean, who was alternating between shock at your actions and outright laughter at Ketch's expense. He turned on his heel and went to his room, which was fortunately in the opposite direction of yours.

You spent the next week and a half preparing for the upcoming hunt with Ketch. Most of the time was occupied doing research, looking through books and poking around on the internet. Otherwise, you could easily be found at the firing range. You felt you were a little rusty, and the extra range time would help increase your accuracy. You also didn't want to give Ketch one single reason to regret partnering with you.

"Research days" were long ones. You made sure to take plenty of breaks to stretch your legs. If you made yourself a snack, you brought one back for Ketch also. Where you had hot cocoa or coffee, you made tea for Ketch. He never asked you for anything, but for you, it was almost automatic to share in your hospitality. It was in these little ways that you were trying to show Mr. Ketch that his assumptions about you may not be accurate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ketch stared at the glass of milk you brought to him, along with three chocolate chip cookies you had baked the day before. Today, it was muffins at breakfast, cookies in the afternoon and pie with dinner. The woman certainly has her talents, he thought. Maybe she can pull this off after all.

As you nibbled on your cookie, Ketch took a moment to study you. You had greenish-hazel eyes, one of which had a small dark mark in the iris. Your medium length chestnut locks couldn't keep themselves from falling in your face. On more than one occasion, Ketch found himself wanting to reach over and tuck the wayward curls behind your ear. As you searched through the reference books, he could see the look of deep concentration on your face. He had to admit, you may just have the determination to get the job done.

He had followed you one day to the shooting range to see how you handled a firearm. He watched as you carefully loaded the rounds into the clip for your .380 pistol, and inserted the clip. When the weapon was ready, you raised it into position, took aim and systematically emptied the clip. You left the target hanging on the range, so as soon as you left, Ketch went over to check your results. He was amazed to find that all rounds except one hit center mass, just like they were supposed to do. The only one that didn't hit center mass was a head shot.

From what he'd seen, you were more than capable of performing your part in this case. You had already demonstrated to him that you could handle a firearm. This skill likely translated to other weapons as well, so Ketch wasn't worried about that.

You'd also shown him your sensitive side. It was in the way you took care of everyone in the bunker, including him, despite his initial dismissive attitude towards you. It occurred to him that it was partially because of you that the Winchesters' hunting operation was so successful. You made sure everyone was fed well, had clean clothes and injuries were patched. Not just the physical injuries either, but the emotional ones as well that can take their toll on a hunter.

One night, he had a nightmare that left him calling out in his sleep. In his nightmare, he was put on trial by the British Men of Letters. All of the people he had killed were brought in as witnesses against him, and of course, he was found guilty. His punishment was that each victim got a chance to kill him, causing him to experience his own death several times over.

He jerked awake to find you had crept into his room and were sitting on the edge of his bed. You gently laid a hand on his arm to assure him that he was safe and that it was only a nightmare, not real. He tried to be the tough guy, rather than let you see how upset the nightmare had made him. He didn't want you to think he was soft or didn't have the guts to carry out the mission.

You never asked what his nightmare was about, probably figuring that he wouldn't want to tell you. You simply stated that all hunters had nightmares from what they've seen and done, so he was no different, that even you had them. In fact, you'd had one that night as well, and were having trouble getting back to sleep from it.

Ketch couldn't believe that someone so kind and compassionate as you would have anything to fear or regret about what you'd done in the course of hunting. You told him that some of your nightmares were about loved ones being tortured or killed while you were forced to watch. Most of them, though, were about the people you couldn't save, in addition to all of the guilt and helplessness you felt about the outcomes.

When it appeared to you that Ketch was uninterested in the comfort you came to offer, you awkwardly stood up from the bed. You mumbled that if he needed anything, you were down at the end of the hall, then you made your way to the door. As your hand was on the doorknob, ready to leave, he asked you to stay so that he could comfort you. He assured you he meant no funny business, that he was only offering a way for you both to get back to sleep. You looked at him, a little skeptical at first, then relented with a shy smile.

Ketch held up the blanket for you to slip into bed beside him. You started out at the far edge of the bed, your back to him as you laid your head on the pillow. He reached over to drape an arm around your midsection and pulled you closer to him. He accidentally nuzzled your neck with his stubbly chin and breathed in the scent of strawberries from your shampoo. When he exhaled, his breath was warm against your skin, but you seemed to shiver a bit in response. In a shaky voice, you whispered, "Goodnight, Arthur," took his hand in yours and closed your eyes. He whispered "goodnight" and also closed his eyes, a smile etched on his face.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ketch was putting the last minute touches on his tux while he waited for you to get ready. He made sure he had the invitation listing both of your names. He also made sure he had his sharpest machete ready, along with some dead man's blood. He was about ready to call out to you to see how much longer you'd be, when he heard the unmistakable sound of high-heeled shoes on the tile floor.

You were dressed in a midnight blue, floor-length gown, with a slit halfway up your left thigh. The A-line gown had a criss-cross bodice that hugged your curves, and featured wide straps that crossed in the back. Embedded in the fabric were tiny crystals that sparkled as they hit the light, reminding Ketch of the stars in the night sky. You wore your silver sparkly pumps to finish your wardrobe.

You chose to sweep your hair up in a French twist. You kept your makeup simple, mostly earth tones, with pink lipstick. You chose white crystal stud earrings and a velvet cameo choker to complete your jewelry selection.

When he saw you, his mouth ran dry, and for a moment, he had lost the ability to form a coherent thought. You noticed that his bow tie needed a little work, so you set your small handbag on the table and proceeded to fix his tie. "There," you said. "Now it's perfect. You look very dashing this evening, Mr. Ketch," you remarked.

"I must say, you look absolutely stunning, my dear," Ketch finally said. "This dress certainly suits you and definitely brings out your eyes," he murmured, so softly that only you could hear him.

"Thank you," you said quietly, a blush rising on your cheeks. At that moment, Dean walked in on the two of you and whistled. "Whoa! Lookin' good, you two!" he declared. "'Specially you in the dress," he said as he winked at you. You looked at Ketch, rolled your eyes and jerked your head in Dean's direction. He chuckled softly at your dismissal of Dean's compliment.

You looked at the delicate watch on your wrist and noticed the time. "We should get to the party, so that we don't miss our chance to take out the host," you remarked.

"Agreed. Shall we, my dear?" Ketch asked as he held out his arm to you. You slipped your hand through his arm, and he tucked it close to his side as you ascended the spiral staircase together. As you left, Dean sent up a silent plea for a successful hunt, with everything going according to plan.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You and Ketch walked into the party, hand in hand. Ketch let go of your hand long enough to retrieve your invitation and hand it to the bouncer at the door. You felt Ketch's hand on the small of your back, guiding you through the room. When you reached the dance floor, Ketch skillfully turned you around so that you were in his arms, ready to dance.

"We don't have time for this," you hissed.

"We have to blend in, Love. If we don't, we'll be in some deep trouble before we've had a chance to ID our objective," Ketch firmly but softly stated. "Now, let's dance," he commanded.

You settled into the waltz, allowing Ketch to lead you all around the dance floor. He was an amazing dancer, probably part of his training with the British Men of Letters. Fortunately for him, you had also taken dancing lessons, so you weren't completely clumsy. As you moved across the floor, you kept trying to find your host, the vampire.

"Relax, darling, I've already spotted him," Ketch assured you. "When this song is over, you are going to slap me as if we've just had an argument. After that, go to the bar for a drink. Don't worry, our host the vampire will seek you out. He'll see a beautiful but heartbroken woman. Let him convince you to go somewhere private where he can 'console' you. I'll keep my eye on you both and wait for the opportunity to take him out."

"You want me to slap you, then walk away as if we've had a fight about something? Okay," you shrugged, doing as you were ordered. "JERK!!" you spat out as you turned on your heel and went towards the bar. Ketch stood there, staring after you and holding his cheek. He was left wondering if maybe you enjoyed your part a little too much.

You perched yourself on a barstool and ordered a drink. As you sipped it, you felt a powerful presence approach you on your left side. It's him, you thought. Where the hell is Ketch? you wondered as a slight panic set in. You didn't dare turn around, though, as that may blow your cover story.

"A little trouble in love, hmm?" a deep voice rumbled.

You turned towards the source. "Pardon me?" you asked.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Simon Foster, and I'm the host of this soirée. But I'm sure you already knew that, didn't you?" he purred, his hand lightly brushing your arm.

You fought the instinct to pull your arm away in disgust. "Of course I know you. Simon Foster: CEO of Foster Industries, head of the second largest shipping company in the world. Desperately clawing his way to being the first largest shipping company in the world. Offices spread out all over the globe, such as in New York, Liverpool, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Marseille," you finished.

"Well, I'm impressed. You've certainly done your homework, my dear. But enough business talk. Let's get a little more personal," he suggested.

"I really should be getting back to---" Simon put a finger to your lips. "Let him suffer a bit first. Besides, my sister Cynthia seems to be occupying him," he snickered.

You turned your attention towards where you'd left Ketch. You were shocked to see him with his arms around a gorgeous, leggy blonde woman in a red sequined dress. Simon turned your face back to him, so that you were looking into his eyes. "Come, my darling, let's go somewhere a little more private, and get to know each other better," he coaxed.

You gave him a quick smile and slid down from the barstool. You had only had the one drink and sipped it at that. However, you felt a bit unsteady on your feet, as if you'd had more like four drinks. Simon offered you his arm to support you as he led you away from the bar area to one of the private rooms. Ketch, you silently pleaded. Don't leave me, please.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

No sooner had you left to go to the bar, that a blonde-haired woman in a red sequined dress came up to Ketch and asked him to dance. Ever the gentleman, he obliged, but did not lose sight of you. The blonde woman introduced herself as Cynthia Foster, sister of your host, Simon Foster. He engaged Cynthia in conversation, maintaining his cover, while trying to learn anything he could about her brother. The next time he turned his attention towards the bar, you were gone and so was Simon.

You and Simon stumbled into his private study area, where he closed the door and locked it behind him. In one swift move, he backed you up against his desk and started kissing you. As you stuck out your hand behind you to keep from falling over, you cut your finger on a letter opener.

When you examined the cut and the blood dripping from it, you could see the pupils in Simon's eyes grow wide. He took your finger in his mouth and tasted the blood. "Oh, darling. You taste so sweet, just like I knew you would," he growled as his fangs came into view. He pushed your head to the side and sank his fangs into your neck.

You knew you had to do something before you fell unconscious from losing too much blood. You carefully slid your hand down your thigh under your dress to release one of the syringes of dead man's blood you had hidden. Unfortunately, Simon caught on to what you were doing and wrenched it from your hand. "YOU!! You're a hunter!!" he screeched, throwing you to the floor and causing you to hit your head on a table in the process.

From the blood loss and possible concussion, you were finding it hard to remain conscious, let alone fight back. Fortunately, Ketch had burst through the door, wielding his machete. He took two long strides towards the vampire and skillfully sliced off Simon's head. With the mission objective met, Ketch turned his attention towards you. He noticed the bite marks on your neck and placed his handkerchief over it. He told you to hold it there to try and stop the blood loss.

"Ketch....Ketch....Arthur...." you whispered. He turned to look into your eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've....should....should've paid better attention," you remarked softly.

"Shh, try not to talk now, Love. Let's get you back to the bunker and patched up, good as new. I just hope to bloody hell Dean doesn't kill me for this," Ketch muttered. He placed you in the front seat of the car, buckled you in and then he ran around to the driver's side. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Ketch threw the car into gear and sped off into the night, headed back to the bunker.

"I'm so tired, Arthur," you replied as you drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Hold on, Love, hold on. We'll be there soon, just stay with me. Keep holding that kerchief up to your neck, darling," he soothed. When he didn't hear you respond, he looked over to see that you had fallen unconscious. He mashed down the accelerator in response, and soon the bunker was in his sights.

Once in the garage, he parked the car and ran around to the passenger side to get you. He scooped you up into his arms and pounded on the bunker door. Sam answered and quickly ushered you both in, then called out for Dean to help.

"What the hell happened, Ketch?!? You were supposed to look out for her. Is that what this looks like??" Dean thundered.

Ketch didn't say anything as he carried you to the infirmary to care for your wounds. You had bite marks on your neck from Simon, and a gash on your forehead where you'd hit the table. He placed you gently on the bed and went to the cabinet for what he would need to clean you up. Dean snatched the suture kit out of Ketch's hands and pushed him aside.

"Now see here, mate--" Ketch started angrily. "No, you see here. I'll take care of her. Been patching her up long before you came along, and I'll be doing it long after you leave," Dean retorted.

"Dean," you mumbled, opening your eyes. "Knock it off. It wasn't his fault," you muttered, sitting up a little. "He took out the vamp and his sister, mission accomplished," you said as you fell back onto the bed. "Arthur?" you called softly.

"Right here, Love," he said as he sat beside the bed and took your hand in his.

"Can you please stitch this up?" you asked, pointing at your neck and forehead.

Dean reluctantly handed him the suture kit and then stepped aside. "As you wish, darling," said Ketch. "Can someone please bring me a basin of warm water and a washcloth? I'll need to clean up some of this blood to see where I need to stitch," he explained. Sam left to go get the basin and washcloth.

Ketch looked at you with guilt in his eyes. You could tell that he felt responsible for what happened to you after having lost sight of you at the party. "Arthur, stop it. This wasn't your fault. I know how to take care of myself. It's just that this damn dress is so confining, which is why I'm a jeans-and-flannel kind of girl," you joked. He chuckled and you could see the relief in his eyes to know you would be all right.

"Well then, once we clean you up, we'll let you slip into something, shall we say, less confining and more comfortable?" he teased. By this time, Sam had returned with the basin and washcloth, as requested.

Ketch gently cleaned and dried your wounds. Turns out, the one on your forehead just needed those sterile tape strips to hold it closed, no stitches needed. Your neck was another story, though. Ketch took great care in making the stitches small to minimize the scar you were inevitably going to have. Dean brought back your pajamas so you would have something comfortable to change into. The guys then left the infirmary to give you some privacy as you changed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Weeks went by with no new cases or missions, which gave you time for your wounds to heal. You also felt yourself getting a little closer to Ketch, but you weren't sure if he felt the same way. He would always call you "Love" or "Darling". While not necessarily meant in a romantic way, it made you feel special each time he said it.

One afternoon, you were reading your book when you heard an argument in the hallway between Dean and Ketch. You heard sharp tones in the voices of both men, so you went to investigate.

"So you're just going to leave? Without even saying 'goodbye' to anyone, especially her?" Dean snapped. "After everything that's happened?"

"Dean, you know as well as I do, relationships and hunting don't pair well together. As far as any relationship I may have with her, it would be foolish to entertain such an idea. So you see--" he stopped.

"What's going on here? Arthur, what are you talking about?" you asked.

"He says he's found a case and after he's finished, he won't be coming back to live here," Dean retorted.

You felt the blood drain from your face. "Arthur, is this true? I thought....never mind what I thought," you muttered.

"Oh, let me guess. You thought that there were 'special feelings' between us? Darling, trust me, you don't want to get mixed up with someone like me. Not after the things that I've done," he finished.

"You still don't get it, do you?" you snapped in a rare flash of anger. "I don't care what you've done in the past! That isn't the man you are today, and he's the man that I....I love. There, I've said it. I love you, Arthur Ketch. And if you can't see that love is a gift and that it's worth fighting for....then maybe you should go," you choked out.

Ketch picked up his bag. "Well, I guess that's it then. Nothing more to say, I suppose, except goodbye," he said.

Tears in your eyes, you watched him walk up the spiral staircase and out to the garage. You jumped when the bunker door slammed shut, then you ran to your room and closed the door.

"Damn you, Ketch," Dean muttered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Soon after Ketch left, Sam and Dean started finding some new cases to work. You mostly stayed behind to do much-needed research for them. You were still heartbroken that Ketch decided to leave even after you declared your love for him. However, you tried to keep up a brave face for Sam and Dean. You smiled even when you didn't feel like it, just to keep them from asking if you were okay.

One night after a particularly dicey werewolf hunt, you were relieved when the boys finally came through the bunker door. Only this time, they weren't alone, they had someone with them. The man was injured and seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. You told them to bring him to the infirmary while you went to get the water basin and a washcloth.

"Okay, fellas, tell me what happened," you said. As you started to assess your patient, you gasped to see that it was none other than Arthur Ketch. The man to whom you had given your heart, but who didn't seem to want it.

"We found him locked in battle with that werewolf. He was holding his own until the werewolf slashed him across his stomach with its claws," Sam explained.

"A-all right. Let's get him cleaned up then I can see where he needs stitches. Dean, hand me a few suture kits, Sam help me get his jacket and shirt off," you ordered.

"Are you going to be okay with this? I mean, after what happened the last time he was here?" Dean asked.

"Dean, I'll be fine. Strictly professional, just the way he likes things. The sooner he gets well, the sooner he'll be free to leave me again," you said, your vision a little blurry from unshed tears. Dean squeezed your shoulder in support, and you gave him a small smile. Then you dipped the washcloth in warm water and started to clean Ketch's wounds.

After you had stitched him up, you dressed him in a clean T-shirt you had found in his bag. You left briefly to get your book so that you had something to do while you kept an eye on him.

Little did you know, Ketch was aware of what was going on the entire time. He heard the pain in your voice when you mentioned how he'd be free to leave you again once he was healed. Right then, he made up his mind that he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He just had to figure out how to show you that.

As you kept watch over your patient, you noticed that he had started mumbling in his sleep again. You drew your chair next to his bed and took his hand in yours. "I must be out of my damn mind, going down this path again," you muttered to yourself.

All of a sudden, you heard him say your name, and how he was sorry he'd hurt you. Then he said the words you longed to hear, "I love you, and I'm not leaving you again". He's asleep, he doesn't know what he's saying, you told yourself. You looked down and saw that he had opened his blue-green eyes and was searching your face for some sign of your feelings for him.

"Arthur? How are you feeling?" you asked gently.

He reached up with his free hand and cupped your cheek. "I've been better. The werewolf tore up my stomach, but I'm also hurting in my heart. You see, there was this wonderful woman I got to work with a while back.

“She's kind, considerate of others and is the most beautiful creature I've ever met. She sort of wiggled her way into my heart, and well, she never really left. But I left. Like a coward, I left her, which I never should've done," he confessed.

"What are you saying, Arthur?" you whispered.

"I'm saying that I was a fool to ever have left you, my love. I'm hoping that someday you can forgive me. You've helped me to see that love is a gift and it's definitely worth fighting for. I love you," he replied, pulling your face down to mesh his lips with yours. They were as soft as you'd imagined they would be, but firm, as he took charge of the kiss like he did with everything else in his life.

"I'm so glad you came back. I love you, Arthur Ketch," you said softly.

#ketch #arthur ketch #arthur ketch x reader #ketch x reader #spn imagine #spn fluff #supernatural

105 notes · View notes

myfavbau · 4 years ago

Text

twisted fate. (finale)

a/n: i got a little emotional writing this one.

without further ado, i present to you, the final part of twisted fate

The BAU jet was greeted by the dark of midnight as the team finally arrived upon their destination. One by one, each of the profilers grabbed their bags and said their goodbyes to one another, congratulating each other on a job well done.

Rossi noticed as Aaron lagged behind the group. He put a careful hand on his shoulder, apparently startling the young man from his thoughts.

“Everything alright there? Someone’s a little in their head today,” he joked.

“I’m fine, David. Just… trying to figure some things out.”

Rossi followed his friend’s gaze to see Y/N, who was waving her goodbyes to JJ and Emily.

“I know that there are amends to be made, but I just need to figure out how, you know?” Hotch worried.

David gave him a knowing look.

“Sleep on it. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

At this point, the pair had reached Hotch’s car, thus signaling that it was time for them to part ways.

“Well, this is me,” he said, thanking Rossi for his company as he loaded his things into his car. Hotch threw a tired smile his way, to which his friend gave him a sympathetic look.

“Good luck, my friend,” Rossi waved, a knowing smile on his face.

----------

Dammit.

This was the fifth time Hotch rolled over in his bed. He couldn’t stop tossing and turning ever since he first went to bed. First, it was because he was hungry, then it was too hot, then it was too cold. He kept coming up with excuses for why he was still unable to sleep. Deep down he knew exactly why, but he didn’t want to admit it just yet.

He missed her. He missed having his partner, both on and off the field. He missed having someone who laughed at the jokes he made under his breath and who remembered his coffee order exactly. He missed her sarcasm and her compassion and her awkwardness. He just missed her.

For Hotch, Y/N was something more than a teammate. He couldn’t quite put a name to it, but they were something closer than friends but still short of lovers. Of course, Aaron wouldn’t mind changing that, but that was a matter for another time, especially with his current predicament.

Ever since his return, Hotch was quick to notice how distant she had become. The free laugh and beautiful smile that he so fondly remembered seemed to have vanished, leaving a tired, more closed-off version of Y/N instead.

For Hotch, that was what he had clung to, he realized. The months spent on that long and grueling mission were made eased only by the colorful and sweet memories he carried with him - memories of him and Y/N. His favorite happened to be from one the duo’s traditional movie nights- in this one, he and y/n were sprawled across the couch in Hotch’s living, sharing a bowl of apple slices with Nutella.

“Ooh! Let’s watch The Umbrella Academy!” Y/N squealed.

“C’mon, I touch we were watching Greyhound this week?” Hotch huffed, a playful smiling resting on his lips regardless.

“But Five is like my spirit person!”

“Your spirit person? The kid is full of black coffee, sarcasm, and happens to be an assassin. And you, you’re like the least scary person I know. What could you guys possibly have in common?”

“Hey! I can be scary if I want to!” she scoffed.

“Nope. Simply can’t happen.” Hotch said, a smug look on his face.

“You take that back right now, mister,” she said, the throw pillow in her hands acting as a mock threat. But while she was trying her best to look intimidating, all Hotch could think about was how amazing it felt to be able to have this moment, here, with her. His heartfelt full as he gazed at the beauty that was right in front of him- the beauty that was the girl in the plaid pajamas.

Lying in his bed, Hotch gazed at his ceiling fan with a soft smile as the money played in his mind. It was at this moment that the realization hit him like the weight of a thousand bricks. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

With this newfound realizing thrumming inside of him, Hotch rolled out of bed with a mission on his mind.

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

It was raining outside, the quiet pitter-patter acting as background noise in Y/N’s apartment. The helped Y/N think, and it felt calming. She may not have been able to sleep, but this would have to be good enough.

Y/N moved about her living room, picking up scattered papers and old mugs from the various surfaces. Her quiet humming was interrupted by a knock on the door. Who the hell was knocking at her door at 1 in the morning?

Carefully, Y/N walked over to her coffee table beside the couch. She silenced her footfalls as she reached underneath, clicking one of her guns out of its hidden compartment.

“Hello?” she called out, now walking cautiously toward her front door.

She looked through the peephole before swinging the door open.

“Aaron? Jesus, Aaron, get inside.” She ushered him out of the relentless rain outside and into her living room, Hotch now grateful to be inside.

He was drying off his hair at the front mat, as Y/N made her way to the kitchen.

“You know, that’s the first time you’ve called me Aaron in over a month,” Hotch called out, now wiping his shoes and making his way over to where Y/N was by the sink.

Y/N started loading the dishes into her dishwasher, her back turned towards Hotch.

“And?”

Hotch looked at the familiar decor spread out across the room before turning his attention back towards Y/N. “Y/N, look, I know you’re upset with me, and you have full right to be, but I can’t stand you being angry with me like this. Please, give me a chance to fix this,” Hotch pleaded.

Y/N continued loading the dishes, slamming the dishwasher closed before responding.

“Sure,” she said, her voice monotone and her answer short. Her response lacked the emotion Hotch had expected, or any emotion at all, for that matter.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I did what I had to do do, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt me to do it, alright? And I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“Okay,” she said, her tone still emotionless as she turned around to face him. She leaned against the countertop with a blank expression on her face as Hotch looked at her intently.

The gears in Hotch’s mind began to turn. He took in the look on Y/N’s face, her unbothered attitude, and her lack of reaction to what he was saying. Something seemed… off.

But suddenly, it clicked.

“That’s it. You’re not looking for an apology. You’re hurt because we lied to you. You’re hurt because I lied to you.”

He was met with silence. ‘Yeah, I deserved that,’ he thought to himself.

“Come on, Y/N/N. Say something, anything, please.” Hotch to her with pleading eyes. Y/n seemed to think for a moment, before finally breaking the silence.

“Fine. Do you know what hurts, Aaron? Not being able to sleep at night. Waking up to that sound of screaming, only to realize the screaming is you. That hurts. But you know what? I learned to be okay with that.”

As she was talking, Y/N gradually walked closer and closer to Hotch. Her voice was low, but it was her words that held the impact. Every word out of her mouth filled his chest with regret, knowing that he’d hurt the person he cared about the most.

“But here’s the thing, Hotch. Every time I close my eyes, I see my best friend, lying there, bleeding to death, as I was helpless to save him!”

She was standing right in front of him now, her index finger poking his chest. She was a whole head shorter than him, and it this angle he could see the exhaustion on her face and the hurt in her eyes. If he could take all back, he would, he thought. In a heartbeat.

Her voice shook this time, in an effort to stop a flood of hurt from drowning out her words. As she spoke, her clenched fists punched against Hotch’s chest weakly, her anger only a facade for the pain in her heart.

“I watched you die, Aaron! That’s what hurt!” she sobbed, as Aaron stood there, letting the fists flail against his body.

As the tears finally streamed down from her face, Aaron brought his arms around Y/N, closing her into his embrace and allowing her to sob into his chest. She stopped fighting him, giving him permission to hold her as they stood there.

“It hurts, Aaron. It hurt so bad,” she cried into his chest. Hotch rubbed his thumb in circles over her shoulder, trying his best to soothe her.

“I know, Y/N. I know.”

If it weren’t for him paying attention, Hotch would’ve almost missed her next words.

“I loved you and you left me,“ she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Above her, Hotch’s face held an expression of shock. On some level, he must’ve known, he thought. But the confession still surprised him nonetheless.

“You love me?” he said, finally looking down in hopes of looking her in the eyes.

The girl in his arms looked up at him, her eyes wet and her soul bare before him.

“Yeah,” she breathed, her voice shaking slightly. “Yeah, I love you.”

Hotch stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity.

“I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve the love of the amazing woman before me,” he started.

He made sure to look her in the eyes as he said his next statement.

“And I’d be an idiot not to love her back.”

His gaze was soft as he held her, admiring her eyes and all that they held within them. They held sadness and pain, but above all, they held the most magnificent sort of love. Looking into them, Hotch almost couldn’t believe that he had never seen it there before.

“How do I know this isn’t just a dream? How do I know that I won’t wake up, just to lose you all over again?” she asked him, her eyes searching his for an answer.

Aaron looked at her with a look of love and admiration. Here he was, just an ordinary man, standing with the most amazing and strong woman in the world.

He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “ I’m right here, baby. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

The promise in his voice was enough to start the healing of the hurt in Y/N’s heart. There was still a long way to go, but today, the promise was enough for her. With him, it always would be.

Slowly, Aaron brought one of his hands under her chin, gently raising her face so that she was even closer to him now. She could feel his breath lightly fanning against her face, as his eyes searched hers for permission. With the slightest nod, Y/N gave it to him.

Aaron lent down, his nose grazing against hers, his lips meeting hers in a ghost of a kiss. She pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, allowing them to revel in a moment long overdue.

Then, standing in her kitchen in their pajamas, they knew everything was gonna be okay. The pain would heal over time, and happiness would take its place. With Aaron by her side, Y/N would be able to overcome this twisted fate.

#omg #its finally done #i cant believe it #cm #david rossi #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner fic #aaron hotchner x reader #hotch #Aaron Hotch Hotchner #y/n #Twisted Fate

107 notes · View notes

surveys-at-your-service · 3 years ago

Text

Survey #426

“insatiable furnace, burning up our surplus / watching all essential life become another servant”

Are you a brunette? Yep. It is way past due time that I get it dyed... What is your favorite channel on TV? I don't really watch TV, but if I did, I'm pretty sure it'd probably be Discovery. Have you ever been to Chicago, IL? Yes!! It's my only experience with a truly BIG city, and though I'm not a city person, the experience was pretty magical. It was something I wasn't even remotely used to. Just so much life and business and energy to feel there. Who was your first friend? Brianna. She was the sister of my older sister's best friend. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas. :') Do you regret your last kiss? Nope. Have you ever taken a karate class? No. Who was the last person to tell you ‘I love you’? My mom. Have you ever been to the Statue of Liberty? No. Do you live on your own? Noooo. I don't think I ever could. I would have to stay VERY busy, or else the loneliness would kill me. Hell, even if I was very active in stuff, I still don't know if I could. With how bad my depression is capable of being, it doesn't sound smart at all for me to move out unless it was with somebody. Are your the oldest child? No, I'm the middle kid. How many X-rays have you had in the last 2 years? Two, maybe? One for my legs and the other for my teeth. Are you on good terms with your last ex? Yeah, we're best friends. Do you have scars you don’t like to talk about? Nah. Do you freak out if a bee/wasp flies near you? ... yes lol. What subjects in history interest you most? The Holocaust. It's just so... shocking and extreme that it's oddly fascinating, but of course horribly sad. Are you superstitious in any way? Nah. How do you get rid of anxiety? Do what? Are there any items of jewelry you never/rarely take off? Yeah, my two rings, my lip piercing, and tragus piercing. Has a song ever made you cry before? There are many. ^If so, what about it brought you to tears? Again, I said "many," so this would be a horribly long list. There are four though - "Eternally Yours" and "Another Life" by Motionless in White, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, and "The Mortician's Daughter" by Black Veil Brides - that I really, really try to avoid, because I WILL cry. They're all associated with Jason for one reason or another. "Stairway to Heaven," especially, is absolutely forbidden for me to listen to. Would you consider yourself open-minded? Very, honestly. Have you ever met someone online that you wanted to meet in real life? I've met Sara! :') There are a handful of others I'd love to meet, too. Tell me about the last thing that made you laugh until it hurt. Wow, I have no idea. I don't remember the last time I laughed THAT hard. When you graduate, what color will your gown be? Ugh, it was this insufferable red. We got to vote on it, and I really wanted navy instead, as it looks more formal and not as obnoxious to me, but red won. Do you own a gun? No. My household legally can't because of my suicidal history. What color of shirt are you wearing? It's a black tank top. Do you use any acne medication? Nah, I don't really get acne anymore. Are you emotional or very stoic? I'm emotional as shit. Have you ever watched an anime series, start to finish? A few. There's Fullmetal Alchemist (as well as the Brotherhood expansion), Deadman Wonderland, and Ginga Densetsu Weed. I've seen bits of others. Which baby animal is your favorite? MEERKATS!!!!!! :') Once they reach three/four weeks, they're fucking precious. I also really like kittens. Do you like jam on your toast and biscuits? Sometimes. Have you ever reread a book? It is very, VERY rare I do this. The only cases I remember are for Because of Winn-Dixie and Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari. Do you have any religious symbols in your home? I think Mom has some religious quotes on the walls? What religion do you identify with, if any? None. What is you favorite flavor of pudding and/or yogurt? I love chocolate pudding, but I'm not very big on yogurt because of the sourness. I can sometimes eat a cookies 'n cream one, but occasionally I'm like "ew." We’re going to the best amusement park ever, first ride you choose is? One of those water rides where you go down a big slope. Did you have intense night terrors as a child? No. Know anybody who works in a tattoo parlor? No. That'd be dope. Have you ever had a piercing get infected? Ugh, yes. Worst was the first time I got my tongue pierced. It was early into infection though, thank God; I ended up having to take it out and get it re-pierced later. Have you ever shoplifted? No. Do you hate when people say, "Everything’s going to be fine,“ when it’s not? Sometimes. It can feel kinda dismissive of your extreme situation, and sometimes, things simply won't be okay. Like, you can't tell that to someone on their death bed. Do you check your fire alarms when you’re supposed to? No, oops. Are you a shorts-wearing kind of person? Absolutely not. Nobody wants to see my legs, not even me. Is your grandparents’ house obsessively tidy? My grandma's sure as hell was. She was very old-fashioned and "proper" and took cleanliness and manners very seriously. Do you know how to jumpstart a car? Nope. Would you date someone 8 years older than you? Probably. What did you do today? I WENT TO THE GYM AND DID A FULL HOUR OF EXERCISE!!!!! :') For once I am SO fucking proud of myself. I left drenched in sweat, but I also left with a feeling of great accomplishment. I'm going to be going twice a week now with a personal trainer. (: Who was the last person you fell asleep with? Sara. Have you ever punched a hole in the wall? No. People doing that shit terrifies me. Have you ever felt replaced? Sure have. Have you ever kissed someone who was high? No. If you caught your significant other cheating on you what would you do? I don't have a partner, but hypothetically, leave their ass in a blink. I don't fuck with those kind of people. Do you know who Jeffree Star is? Well, yes. I watch him on YT sometimes and (astonishingly) love his music, and I find his work ethic extremely inspiring. That man knows how to hustle. What’s your favourite alcoholic beverage? Probably sangrias. When was the last time you saw a photo of your ex? "The" ex, it's been years. I've removed all pictures I have of him, irl and digitally, because it's triggering for me. How many push-ups can you do? Probably zero. Do you play any games on your phone? There's Pokemon GO, DragonVale, and Dragons of Atlantis that I play semi-regularly. Have you ever received a compliment from a stranger? Yes. Have you ever shaved your face? Just my upper lip to avoid the lady stache, ha ha. What colour is your front door? It’s white. Do you take the stairs or the elevator? If an elevator is available, I will ALWAYS use that. I have an extreeeemely hard time getting up stairs because of having just about no leg muscle. Do you get motion sickness? No. When was the last time you went to your favourite restaurant? Oh man, it's been forever. :/ Olive Garden sounds soooo good right now. Do either of your parents have any tattoos or piercings? No. Well, Mom has her earlobes pierced once, but that's it. Are you desperate for anyone’s approval, in particular? It's funny, even though he hasn't been a part of my life for years, I still desperately crave what I think would make Jason proud. There have been many times where my mind has wondered to what he would think of me now... and I know it's not good. Are there any activities you enjoy doing, but can only do for a short amount of time before you get bored or tired of them? Reading. When was the last time you felt hopeful, and why? Today, after finishing my workout at the gym. I think, finally, that I may be taking another stride forward in life. Do you find yourself asking for the same things for your birthdays and for holidays? Ha, yup: a new tattoo, 100%. What is something someone recommended to you that you disliked/hated? Girt's recommended some music to me before. He loves sharing songs he likes with me. Of course I didn't tell him it sucked, ha ha. What’s a fact about the last person you kissed? She is very passionate about animals, reptiles in particular, and is simply amazing with them. If you had a child, would you rather have a girl or a boy? A girl for sure. Has anybody ever accused you of doing drugs? No. Have you ever fallen asleep with the last person you kissed? Yeah. Honestly, do you think that you will wanna settle down in the same town you’re currently residing in? HELL no. I hate this place. Does anyone call you darling? If so who? Sara does sometimes. Are you close to any of your cousins? No. Are you a romantic person? I think I am. What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen out the window of an airplane? Mountains. Have you ever been in the mountains when the moon and stars were up? NO BUT FUCK I WANT THAT. Just lay in a grassy spot with some s'mores or something and just ~vibe~. Do people like your hair? I get complimented on it a bit. Have you ever held birdseed and a bird came and ate out of your hand? Yeah, at a bird sanctuary. Could you ever live in Alaska? Hell yeah, I'd enjoy that. On the main page on YouTube, what’re the three recommended videos? There's one by a WoW gold maker, a song by 3TEETH, and a video of bullsnakes hatching. Do you really care how many friends you or anyone else has on Myspace/Facebook? Couldn't care less. I only "friend" people I know and care about. Does your significant other have any piercings? I'm single. Do you ever get bored of yourself? Oh, all the time. I feel like I'm extremely dull and plain and, well, boring. How many band shirts do you own? Which? Oh goodness, I have no idea. I own a lot. Do you go to shows mostly for the music, the moshing, or the merchandise? I go for the music. It's nice to buy merch, but it's SO expensive that it's dumb. Moshing, I think is just stupid. Have you ever had anything pierced that you don’t have now? Many places, actually. So many holes closed because piercings had to be taken out when I was in the psych hospital. I was so annoyed. Who were you with the first time you watched the last movie you watched? I was alone. Do you have any twins/multiples in your family? Are they identical or fraternal? No. What is the highest number of jobs you’ve had at one time? One. Is your mom a good mom? She is the actual best. Last thing you threw in the garbage? The crust of some leftover pizza I had this morning. I generally eat the crust, but this time it was WAY too hard.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''altaer" by 3teeth

5 notes · View notes

raendown · 4 years ago

Link

I was bribed in to this by @rookie-d and @sleepysenseis and I regret nothing. Show some love to Rookie’s art for this au as well!

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 1893 Rated: G Summary: Owning and running a bakery with his husband isn't exactly where he thought life would take him but Tobirama wouldn't trade this for the world.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Patissier-pation Award

The familiar chime of a bell greeted him first as he walked through the front door, eyes down to inspect the mail he had gathered on his way in. Mostly junk, a couple of bills, and a letter that he would bet his entire bank account had come from Hashirama. He would know those graceless spiky letters anywhere. Off on some nature retreat for the past month, there was little doubt this letter would be filled with the same rambling nonsense as the last one had been, lengthy descriptions of the woman he had apparently fallen in love with at first sight.

Under the hum of halogen lights and the ever present smell of baked goods Tobirama could hear a slight groaning sound that made him smile. Instead of going to look for the source right away he continued to flip through the mail until he had sorted junk from bills, slipping behind the till counter to put everything in its right place. Running their own shop was hard work some days but always worth it in the end. While he was there he tidied a few receipts from the day before and used a nearby rag to wipe off a bit of icing probably smeared around by a customer’s child. Only when he was satisfied that everything was in order did he finally turn to look at the plush couch set just a little ways apart from the rest of the seating area. During peak hours the various armchairs and stools were usually filled with people taking a few minutes to enjoy the treats they had just purchased.

Since right now was not peak hours the only person to be found was Madara, stretched out across the couch that Tobirama had quietly purchased just for moments like these. A fond smile touched his lips as he watched his favorite idiot rub at a full belly with furrowed brows.

“How many of those tarts actually made it on to the shelves?” Tobirama called out to him with a lightly scolding tone.

“Most of them!” Madara shot back. Then he groaned again while both hands paused to delicately cup his stomach. “I could have sworn I only ate a few. Just to taste test. Quality checking is important!”

“I see.”

The argument might have been a bit more believable if Madara didn’t use the same one every time he overindulged in his own products. He was the one who initially came up with the idea for the two of them to open their own bakery and Tobirama supposed he should have known then that doing so would lead to regular episodes like this one. His husband was an amazing patissier but he was also his own biggest fan. Or his stomach was, at least, and Madara had never been known for denying whatever his stomach wanted.

“Did you by any chance happen to find time to finish the Sarutobi order before you took your little snack break?”

“Of course I did,”’ Madara huffed. Generously sacrificing one hand for a moment, he pointed imperiously towards the order counter where there indeed were three boxes with the shop logo printed on the front stacked neatly together and tied with ribbon. Inside there would be a dozen cupcakes each with, if Tobirama was remembering currently, blue icing and rainbow sprinkles arranged to spell out the recipient’s name. A fairly simple order. He wasn’t surprised Madara had finished the whole thing while he was gone, though he was surprised there had been enough time left over to gorge on the tarts he’d put in the oven before he left.

Since he trusted his partner Tobirama didn’t offer the insult of going to check the order. Instead he mentally checked it off his list of things to do before heading in to the back to go wash his hands. There was still another order he needed to get a start on, although most of it would have to be finished tomorrow. He was fairly sure they wouldn’t have enough icing until their shipment arrived the next morning.

A quick peek in to the fridge on his way by confirmed his suspicions. Although they still had a tub each of pink and white, yellow was running low and the red was all but entirely gone. If he tried to decorate anything he might have enough to use red for a couple of accents but certainly not enough to cover several dozen cookies in the pattern the order called for. It was a good thing all this wasn’t due to be picked up until late tomorrow.

Hands clean, Tobirama tied an apron around his middle and began pulling out the ingredients necessary for making his specialty gingerbread, one of the quickest selling items on their menu every winter. When he was younger he never would have believed that life would take him here. As a child he’d mostly been obsessed with science and little else. Most of his career dreams had centered around NASA or biochemical research, plans for changing the world with his magnificent discoveries. Now he co-owned a bakery with his husband and spent most of his days rolling dough or decorating cakes, all in between manning the till and watching children’s faces light up as they picked out which treat they wanted to take home. It was hardly the auspicious career he’d always imagined but it was a good life, full and happy, one that he wouldn’t trade for anything. Not even for the trips to outer space he used to dream about.

So lost in his own musings was he that it felt as though he’d only just begun mixing the dough when he looked down and found row upon row of perfectly shaped cookies all laid out before him. Some were made to look like people, some like trees, and others still were laid out in thick flat sheets with which he would later build a house. Gingerbread was always quite fun to work with. A quick count told him that he already had everything he needed as well as a couple of spares in case one or two of them burnt in the oven yet there was still just a bit of dough left over.

With a whimsical smile he reached for his tools again and began to shape a new pair of cookies.

Baking gingerbread didn’t take all that long, almost as much time as it took for them to cool once they were back out of the oven, and as he packaged everything to keep it safe for tomorrow he set his final two creations aside. It may have been a whim but he’d never sent anything out of this kitchen that hadn’t received his full effort and he wasn’t about to now. There was, after all, just enough red icing left - not to mention plenty of black.

Madara was still draped across the couch in the front shop when Tobirama came out to check on him, one of their fancier order boxes in hand. The bellyache appeared to have passed and instead pulled the man down in to a light food coma. Long dark lashes fluttered against pale cheeks when Tobirama bent to stroke one of them, rousing his husband from what looked to a very peaceful if possibly undeserved nap.

“Mnng? I wasn’t asleep.”

“Your snoring tells another story.”

“T-that wasn’t snoring! I was just humming a song under my breath!”

Lifting one eyebrow, Tobirama shook his head. “Mhm, very convincing.”

“Shut up! What’s that? I didn’t think we had anything else going out today. Did I forget something?” Madara frowned and his eyes grew distant as he went over their orders for the week in his head.

Rather than let him suffer Tobirama simply placed the box in his lap.

“You forgot to greet me properly when I came back from running errands but I’ll forgive you for that just this once. These are for you, if you’ve still got room in your belly.”

“Oh?”

Always intrigued by the promise of more sweets, Madara plucked at the edge of the box to pull the tab keeping it closed out of its slot. He lifted the lid with an almost childish expression of anticipation that morphed in to a graceless full-mouthed gawk when he spotted the gift inside. Much to Tobirama’s horror, he caught sight of what looked to be tears gathering in his husband’s eye.

“Is that...us?”

“Yes it is.”

“We’re holding hands. And you gave yourself a little fur collar just like your favorite jacket!”

Tobirama rubbed sheepishly at the back of his neck. He really liked that jacket. “A little extra detail never hurt anyone,” he murmured as though in protest.

He was mortified to see Madara cradle the cookies in one palm so he could use his other hand to gently stroke the little red icing lines marking where Tobirama had tattooed his own face during a rebellious youth. The number of times Madara had given those marks the same gentle attention were uncountable and it never failed to draw a little color in to his cheeks, embarrassed that his heart could be so softened by such a simple gesture.

“Just eat them and go back to moaning about your belly,” he grumbled even as he leaned in to the touch. Madara huffed at him in amusement.

“What brought this on, hm? I feel like I’m being rewarded for something.”

“It was a whim and nothing more.”

Something about that seemed the right thing to say as Madara puffed up like he’d been complimented, as though being gifted cookies made out of leftover dough were the greatest gesture of love.

“Thinking about me, were you?” his husband asked with a sly undertone.

“I am always thinking of you,” Tobirama admitted. It was true so he saw no reason to deny it.

Madara blinked once. “Oh. Well...I’m always thinking of you too. So there!”

Both of them blushing and flustered, two silly little gingerbread men still held ever so carefully in one of Madara’s palms, Tobirama was eternally grateful there were no customers in the shop to witness the disgustingly sweet scene they were surely making. With a rough clearing of his throat he pulled away and cast his eyes anywhere else in the room.

“Right,” he said gruffly, “eat your cookies. I’m going to go take inventory so we can call in another supply order tomorrow.” Spinning on his heel relieved him of the sight of his beloved husband cradling such precious if silly gifts but it did not spare him the sound of a quiet voice trailing after his rapid footsteps.

“I love you.”

Tobirama wrinkled his nose against the wave of mushy feelings in his chest until the urge to turn around and throw himself down on the couch with his partner had faded. He stepped out with purpose, with dignity, with every intention of going to make himself useful for the rest of the afternoon. But he did pause in the doorway to the kitchen long enough to turn his head to one side.

“Love you too,” he murmured.

It felt like capitulation but, then, Madara had already won his heart many years before and the life they’d built together would always be sweeter than any treat he could bake for himself.

#rae writes #madatobi #madara #tobirama #modern au #bakery au #fanfiction #yes the title is a pun #would you expect anything less???#i considered two other puns as well xD

26 notes · View notes

mrs-i-have-too-many-biases · 5 years ago

Text

Stray Kids’ reaction to the members hitting on their S/O

Scenario: Stray kids reaction to the other members ‘hitting on’ their significant other.

Genre: Fluff/Angst

Pairing: Stray Kids members X Reader

Word count: 2,8K

Requested: Yes

A/n: I hope you like it and that this is what you meant when you send in your request.

Chan:

You were at the dorm of the boys, hanging out with them. Chan was in his room, currently busy with a new track he just produced. In the meantime you were busy with Jeongin who was cutely asking you for help as he didn’t know how to bake cookies. The youngster was really craving something sweet and instead of running to the store, he wanted to earn them, so you helped him bake.

It was also late at night, which meant that Jeongin was getting a little sleepy and when he was sleepy, he would get quite clingy.

So as you were baking the cookies after a while, Jeongin was clinging onto you like a baby Koala clung onto his mother. You didn’t mind, the two of you would be having a nice conversation when your boyfriend walked into the kitchen. He love his members, there is absolutely no doubt in that, but he didn’t like the way the youngster talked and touched his partner.

He heard them talk and it sounded a little like Jeongin was flirting, Chan knew Jeongin would never do that to someone, so he didn’t think too much of it as he walked closer to the two and planted a kiss on your cheek.

“Whatcha making love?” Chan asked as he stood next to you.

“Cookies, Jeongin was craving them.”

“Couldn’t he just run to the store?” Chan asked once again, but confused this time.

“He wanted to ‘earn’ them.” You giggled.

A few minutes later Chan would take Jeongin to the side and talk to him. He explained the youngest member honestly that he felt jealous and a little uncomfortable how touchy Jeongin was with his partner. Chan is very mature and he wanted to solve this immediately, especially since he didn’t want to hold any grudges against one of his members.

Jeongin would apologise, obviously not expecting from his leader to feel this way since the whole group knew how much he loves you. They made up quickly before returning to you and devouring your delicious fresh baked cookies.

Woojin:

You were at the JYPE building when Chan was enthusiastically showing you the works he had produced proudly. You were of course very impressed by the talent that Chan holds and how well he produces music and lyrics. Besides being the talented man that Chan is, he was also known as affectionate.

When you were praising him for his works, he unconsciously became very touchy as he had gotten flustered. He had tackled you in a hug as you were sitting on the couch in the studio. You were giggling and laughing with each other as you laid back, trapped in his arms.

Woojin, who was standing outside the studio doors, faintly heard your giggles and he felt a wave of jealousy rushing over him. He knew his friend and member would never try anything on one of the members’ girlfriends, but he couldn’t control his feelings.

Woojin would burst through the door, scaring Chan and you by his sudden appearance. You smiled brightly at your boyfriend, Woojin sighed a little to himself. Your beaming smile had him all soft and he couldn’t help but return a smile to you. He also notices that Chan had his arms wrapped around you, practically laying on top of you, causing Woojin to take his friend outside the studio, leaving you by yourself in confusion.

“Listen, you’re my friend and I love you like a brother, but I really feel uncomfortable if you’re so touchy with my partner. I know you wouldn’t try anything, because that’s just not you. But I’d appreciate it if you weren’t too affectionate with y/n. Just so you don’t send off mixed signals.” Chan nodded, apologising immediately, not wanting his friend to be uncomfortable around him.

They hugged each other before returning to the studio, ready to show you more of the amazing work they had made.

Minho:

Alright, Mr Petty #1. You had been hanging out with Felix a lot lately, since he had been teaching you a new dance routine that he needed a partner with. Your boyfriend didn’t think too much of it at first, but as time went by, he felt weird and bothered by the thought of you dancing with somebody who wasn’t him.

Minho had always wanted to teach you one of his dance routines, but you never let him. And Minho just couldn’t help but feel jealous when he found out that Felix, his own friend and member was able to teach you something. Your boyfriend had been giving you the silent treatment the past few days and you just couldn’t figure out why he was acting like that.

You even shared your worries with Felix who you had been spending with, since Minho had distanced himself from you. One day after your practice you had spotted Minho in the hallways of the JYPE building and you ran after him.

“Minho! Minho, hold up!” when you finally had him stop his tracks he didn’t even look into your eyes. You almost begged him to tell you what the hell was wrong. And when Minho noticed the tears in your eyes that had been formed because of frustration, he knew that he had handled this the wrong way. He pulled you into a crashing hug and apologised softly for his foolish action.

“I’m sorry baby, I-I just hated how Felix was touching you. I was jealous and I was being petty. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

Little did Minho know, that you were preparing a performance for him. He felt like an even bigger fool and he promised to make it up to you.

Changbin:

Changbin knew he was handsome, but your beauty was out of this world and he knew it. He had always questioned why you would date him on days where he got insecure about himself. He would never think that somebody who seems almost made up would love somebody like him. He knew he wasn’t the tallest or everybody’s favourite person to look at, but that usually never bothered him. Until you met his members. Hyunjin was known as a beautiful man, everybody knew. He was tall, had great hair, a good body posture and besides the good looks he was kind and sentimental as well.

It made Changbin scared that you’d leave him for Hyunjin. He had seen the two of you together and he just couldn’t help but think how great how well the two of you would work and look together.

Changbin sighed when Hyunjin was trying to put makeup on you for fun.

Hyunjin would be very close to you, his face leaning in closer and closer. You would laugh at the dumb jokes Hyunjin would make as he applied eyeshadow on you. It looked like flirting to Changbin, even though he knows that Hyunjin would never do that to somebody, especially somebody he could call his brother. Changbin stood up and walked away from the scene, not wanting to see them enjoying themselves on their own.

He felt his heart ache, jealousy taking over as he laid on his bed. Thirty minutes later there would be a faint knock on the door, revealing your face that you stuck out to check what he was doing. “Baby, what’s wrong?” You asked softly as you removed the makeup from your face before you laid down with your boyfriend. He cuddled closer, burying his face into your neck before spilling all his worries to you.

You giggled, before kissing his forehead softly. “Don’t worry my love, I wouldn’t leave you for him. I love you with all my heart. Besides, I like shorter boys like you-“

“HEY!”

Hyunjin:

Cue Mr petty #2. Hyunjin had taken you to the studio with him and he was starting to regret it. As soon as you were joyfully greeted by Changbin, he had been ignored by the both of you. He had to look how Changbin’s flirty comments were flustering you and how he was bragging about his rap skills to you.

We all known that Hyunjin in the past had some insecurities about his skills and this was bringing the feeling back. Hyunjin didn’t like it. Eventually he would stand up and storm out of the studio, leaving you and Changbin bamboozled. The two of you decided to follow him, receiving a snappy comment that left Hyunjin’s lips.

“Hyunjin what’s wrong?”

“Shouldn’t you be with your new boyfriend?” He mumbled.

“What-“

“Dude, you’re being unreasonable-“

“Don’t tell me that I’m being unreasonable when you’re literally hitting on my girlfriend when I’m sitting next to you!” Hyunjin snarled back, cutting Changbin off.

“I wasn’t and I can’t help it that you’re being jealous-“

“Alright stop!” You yelled, shutting the both of them up.

Hyunjin dragged you to the exit of the building, wanting to be alone with you for a second. He had brought you to a park nearby. You would stand there for a while, waiting for Hyunjin to explain his burst out, but he would just hold you in his arms.

He would explain how he felt like you would leave him for someone better and more talented than him, which made you laugh honestly, because it was ridiculous.

“You’re one of the most talented people I’ve ever met and I love you so much. I wouldn’t leave you for the world.”

Jisung:

Ever since you started to date Jisung, you had been a little scared to meet his friends/ members. They were people that were very important to your boyfriend and you didn’t want to leave a bad impression of yourself. You had befriended them though time, except Minho, who Jisung also seemed very close with.

You had decided to confront Minho about your insecurity and asked if the two of you could hang out a little more, so you could get to know each other better and become friends as well, to make Jisung happy.

This was something Jisung didn’t know about, since you wanted it to be a surprise. Jisung had found it suspicious why you had been hanging out with Minho that much and why Minho had been giving you small gifts every time you came over to the dorm.

“I saw this little bracelet and it reminded me of you.”

“You said you liked bears so I bought you a small teddy bear.”

“I thought you would be craving cookies, since you should be on your period soon.”

And so on.

It made Jisung feel like Minho was your boyfriend instead of himself. Jisung would get whiney at some point, craving more of your attention as he also started to feel insecure of the chance you might liked Minho better than him. You would explain to your whiney boyfriend your plan of befriending his friends to make him happy.

“I never wanted to make you feel sad. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, just promise me to look at me more, because I have been craving for your attention!” He giggles, before kissing every little centimetre of your face.

Felix:

Felix is a strong young man, and he liked to prove it by carrying things like the groceries or your bags when you go shopping. He liked doing these kinds of things for you to show how much of a gentleman he was, whilst showing off his strength.

Sometimes you would go and work out with your boyfriend, today was one of those days. You two walked into the gym and were greeted by Woojin who ware mindlessly running on a treadmill. He jumped a little when he finally noticed the two of you, since he had music blasting through his headphones.

The three of you would be working out together, until Felix offered to get drinks. As he was gone Woojin was playing around with you. He asked you to sit on his back as he did push-ups. He wanted to see how much resistant he could take. When Felix was back, he would stand from a distant as he looked at you. You were giggling and smiling when Woojin picked her up and twirled her around playfully.

Felix would barge back, dropping the bottles of water before he grabbed the older guy by the collar of his shirt. You and Woojin were both taken back by Felix’s actions, both frozen in your spots.

“Don’t you touch my girlfriend like that!” Felix growled, feeling angry and jealous.

“F-Felix what-“

“I don’t know what’s gotten into your head, but don’t you fucking touch her like that! You might me my friend, but I will not hesitate punching out your teeth-“

“Felix, stop it!” You yelled, pushing your boyfriend away from Woojin.

Before you knew it, Felix had dragged you out of the gym and you were back in the car. Felix didn’t say anything to you as he was shaking in anger. You weren’t looking at him as well, you were also quite angry for Felix unnecessary outburst.

“I’m sorry love. I know I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I just- nobody but me should touch you like that. I’m going to apologise to him later, I’m sorry baby. Please forgive me. I just couldn’t take it, I don’t want to lose you for someone who is stronger and broader than me.” He muttered whilst looking at you with sad eyes.

“It’s just, you were so mad at something so small and you took the both of us by surprise. I- we were both caught up in anger. But there is nothing to be scared of Lix. I love you. You’re the strongest most handsome, most talented man in my life. I. love. You.” You said in between kisses, making him smile.

Seungmin:

It was one of those days where the boys would be busy, rehearsing, vocal training, dancing and recording. You were being the sweet girlfriend you are and went to the boys’ dorm to clean it, so they would come home and relax after such a busy day. You would be blasting music through the apartment as you cleaned, not noticing that they had come home already.

You were in leggings and in one of Seungmin’s oversized shirts as you were cleaning. You were scared out of your mind when your boyfriend sneaked up behind you and kissed your temple. The boys all thanked you as you kept cleaning, also ordering them to just relax and sit down as you kept going.

You were now kneeled down as you cleaned behind the couch. Your butt was stuck out and your leggings were hugging your curves in the best and the worst ways possible, since Jisung was sitting on the couch. And he couldn’t help it, but his eyes kept wandering towards a certain body part of yours.

Seungmin walked into the living room and caught Jisung red-handed. He was playful and didn’t see Jisung as a threat.

“Jisung, are you hitting on my girlfriend with your eyes? Those are only mine to see.”

“Minnie!”

Jeongin:

Jeongin and you had been dating for two months now, but you hadn’t exposed your relationship yet, except to JYP of course. You decided to wait to tell the boys, because you wanted to see how and where this relationship was going. And after these two months you were ready to announce your relationship to everybody.

The boys knew you, you were no stranger to them. They knew you were one of Jeongin’s best friends, you met at school and that’s what they knew about you. You were intimidated at first when you met them, since Jeongin is the youngest and they were the most protective of him for sure, but they were very welcoming to you.

Right now you were at the park with the boys and you were sitting on the side with Seungmin whilst the rest were playing football together. Seungmin was trying to get your attention by acting cute, and you thinking he was doing it with only friendly intentions, didn’t mind it and acted along.

It seemed like Seungmin was actually interested in you and this was his attempt in flirting. Jeongin had noticed and he stumbled your way whilst whining.

“Y/n! Why are you letting Seungmin flirt with you! You know you’re my girlfriend!” He whines, making everybody look his way in shock. You hid you face in your hands, feeling shy by Jeongin’s sudden exposure of your relationship.

“YOU’RE DATING?”

“OUR BABY IS DATING?”

“SINCE WHEN DID HE GROW UP?”

“DID YOU ASK PERMISSION FOR THIS YOUNG MAN-“

“I’M SORRY I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE DATING, IF I KNEW I OBVIOUSLY WOULDN’T HAVE DONE IT-“

“This is why we should’ve told them earlier.” You giggled, whilst hiding yourself in Jeongin’s embrace, who was holding you protectively as the others kept bombarding the two of you with questions.

Gifs aren’t mine

I hope you liked it to whoever requested this!

1K notes · View notes

bangtan-dreamland · 5 years ago

Text

The Set-Up Date

Pairing: jhs x reader

Word Count: 10.4K

Warnings: none!! :DD

Genre: fluff, some angst (but it ends happy!), office!au, friends to lovers!au, mutual pining idiots (a.k.a. my two favorite aus)

Summary: With the annual company anniversary party coming (which just so happens to coincide so closely with Valentine's Day, a day you despise), you find yourself unable to get a date, until the very person you’d been hoping would ask you, Hoseok, sets you up for a date with someone else instead. But it’s fine, everything’s fine…

A/N: This was supposed to only be a short one-shot wtf happened @me. Still, I can’t find myself regretting writing so much (even when I wasn’t supposed to lol) aiudjjasdnkasd I hope it makes whoever decides to read this smile uwu (also finally, finally I finished writing this I have something for Hobi!!!! *happy noises*)

This is in part dedicated to 191026 Hoseok, he will never be forgotten in my heart XDDD

Masterlist

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

"The anniversary is just a week away, isn't it? [Name], who are you coming with to the event?"

Seokjin's voice brings you out of your daze, and you stare blankly at him as his question sinks into your mind.

"Huh?"

"The company anniversary dinner, [Name]. Aren't you going?"

Ah. The anniversary dinner. The CEO of the company you worked in had a love for parties that was shared by her husband, so they never failed to go all out with celebrations, and the anniversary dinner was no exception. It was an event where the whole company organized a fancy party in some upscale venue, complete with a buffet, dancing, and- in a complete insistence of their daughters, games. Complete with prizes. All of which you normally adored, to be honest. You’d won a pair of Chanel shoes last year that you were shaken, but ecstatic to realize were genuine goods.

This wouldn’t be your first time coming to the event, really. However, it would be the first time you’d be going alone. You chew on your food slowly, going over how to relay your answer in your head so that Seokjin asks the least amount of questions on the topic.

"Probably not," you eventually admit when the silence stretches too long. "I don't really have anyone to go with."

Seokjin frowns and you prepare yourself. "You? No one's asking you? But I thought Sungmin-"

“Yeah, well, I guess he changed his mind. He asked Mikyong yesterday, not that I care.”

The last words come out sharp, memories from yesterday filtering into your mind. Sungmin is a fellow co-worker of the two of you who had been flirting with you for the past few weeks- or, you think he did. Now you’re not so sure. If he is, he wouldn’t have been asking someone else to be his date, now would he? It’s not like you would have turned him down if he asked you, even if you already like someone else.

Someone I’m trying to get over, you gloomily remind yourself. With that, your bruised ego backs down for your hurt to come through.

Seokjin it seems notices the sharp downfall of your mood, because he stops asking about Sungmin. “So... you're not going,” he says, more an affirmation than a question.

“No, I'm not.”

He scoops another mouthful of food into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully for a while before he speaks again. “You know it doesn't have to be about just dates right? There's still the food and the dancing, not to mention the games.”

There’s a pause, before he starts to speak again. “Besides, Hoseok is the one organizing this year's anniversary dinner slash party, so you know it's going to be amazing.“

You shrug and make a face at him. “Maybe, but you know it's going to be filled with couples and I'm just not about that- not to mention the games will probably be mostly by partners since it's so close to Valentine’s day.”

The sulk in your voice does not miss him and Seokjin raises an eyebrow at you again, a teasing smirk slowly alighting his face. “Is the real reason you don't want to go-“

You start at the expression on his voice, and interrupt him hurriedly, unwilling to go down that line of discussion. The trash gets quickly swept into the bin as you stand up and quickly walk away. “Oh look at that, it's time to get back to work! I'll see you later!”

Seokjin’s voice calls out after you, laughter evident in his tone and you curse him out in your head. “We're not done talking about this missy!”

You turn around, look him in the eye and (discreetly) flip him off.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

When you get back to your cubicle that day, you find yourself with an unopened email. It’s not exactly uncommon- it’s much easier to send a message than it is to leave your cubicle if you want to talk to anyone not near you. That said, you scrunch your nose at the email you receive.

Seokjin: since you won't do anything about it I've decided you need an intervention

[Name]: WHY ARE YOU EVEN SO INVESTED IN MY LOVE LIFE YOU WEIRDO

Seokjin: well what are friends for

You scowl at the message, preparing yourself to type out a rebuttal.

[Name]: not meddling in their friends-

But then Jin’s next message makes you stop short, a heavy sigh of exasperation leaving you.

Seokjin: and since you clearly won't help yourself, I've brought in reinforcements too

Seokjin: you’re welcome

“You've got to be kidding me,” you murmur to yourself, groaning afterwards. “All because I don't have a date?! I'm going to kill him, I swear…”

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

Hours later finds you stare at the dim setting of the club, idly wondering how long you are supposed to ‘go clubbing’ before you’re allowed to go home. While clubbing was never your favorite activity (too noisy, too chaotic, too many people, just too much), today you aren’t in the mood for it…. at all.

Still, a part of you is happy for your friends, who seem to be making a headway in making the most of the night. Jungkook, in particular, who’s soaking up the crowd’s attention on the dance floor. One of them though breaks away from the crowd and (you assume) challenges him. Really. If there’s anything your time with him has taught you though, it’s that Jungkook is one of the most competitive people you know, a fact of which this person challenging him doesn’t know. They will soon though. Too bad you can’t see their face- as you’re facing Jungkook instead, who smirks and then leans closer.

You look away, disinterested and wonder if you should get another drink. Or sleep. If that was possible in a club.

“Noona.”

You idly look up, eyebrows raised and you meet Jimin’s eyes, his cherubic face completely and yet at the same time perfectly complementing his sinfully hot attire. You sip your drink, eyebrows still raised in a silent question and he grins at you.

“So you need a date for the anniversary party?”

You choke on your drink, some of the liquid going down the wrong pipe and you hack and cough. For a moment your throat burns and you consider throwing your glass at Jimin, but then someone hands you some water, while another begins rubbing your back soothingly and the sting eases up. You glare at Jimin, who, while wearing an apologetic smile on his face has amusement all but visible in his eyes. Then you look at Taehyung, who’s wearing a similar expression.

“Jin told you, didn’t he?” You grumble, your leisurely mood gone. Taehyung chuckles as he sits down beside you, and Jimin on the other.

“Yeah, but we volunteered to help on our own, noona, don’t worry,” Jimin says, smiling softly at you.

“That’s what friends do,” Taehyung adds. You sigh at their words, though you feel the tension on your shoulders lighten up.

“What did Jin tell you anyway?”

Jimin and Taehyung share a look over your head that you decidedly ignore at the moment, before a new voice speaks up. “Not much! Really, I just told them basic facts. For one, that Sungmin’s a jerkwad-”

You instantly reach out behind you to pinch whoever it is (though you’re pretty sure you know who it is), to be rewarded by a familiar yelp. You sink into the sofa and grin.

Seokjin’s wounded pout is prominent on his face- yet again another member of the ‘angelic faces and devilish looks’ club. He plops down on the couch, directly opposite to yours and continues his sentence. “... and that you don’t have a date to the party anymore.”

“Aren’t there other people in your department without a date?” You soon hear Namjoon’s voice pipe up, only for the man to appear a second later and sit on Seokjin’s side.

“There is.” At this point, you wonder if they’ve premeditated your current situation- you wouldn’t put it past them, really. Yoongi’s ever present smirk makes itself visible as he sinks down on the other side of Seokjin, a drink in his hand as well. “But she’s not exactly close to them.”

“You think you guys are so smooth,” you deadpan at them. “Were you able to successfully deliver your lines? Who’s left? Jungkook?”

“Oh no,” Seokjin says, delight evident in his tone and you consider, for the second time the pros and cons of throwing your drink at Seokjin. Pros, it’d get him to shut up. Cons, he’d come up with a more embarrassing way to, well, embarrass you. “We tasked Jungkook with bringing Hobi here.”

You choke, for the second time, on your drink. “You what.”

“Well,” Seokjin innocently smiles. “It can’t be a group discussion without all eight of us, right?”

“Kim Seokjin, one of these days I’m going to string you up by your entrails,” you hiss at him, Seokjin only giving you a beam as if instead of cursing, you’ve burst into applause for his brand of mischief. You turn to the others, a pout on your lips. “And you guys! I thought you’d be on my side for this,” you whine.

“We are, [Name],” Taehyung grins. “You’ll see, you’ll be thanking us after this,” he promises, winking at you and you send him a withering look.

“What Taehyung means to say is,” Namjoon intervenes. “I know you’re nervous right now, but trust us. We wouldn’t do this just to make fun of you.”

You sigh and lean back on the couch. “Even so, I don’t know how having a-” you pause to make quotation marks in the air, “‘group discussion’ is going to solve my problem. I think, at this point… it’s better not to go to the anniversary party at all.”

“You aren’t attending, [Name]? Why not?” The surprised tone isn’t what sets off your nerves- it’s the owner of that voice that has you suddenly fumbling with your drink as your hands tremble.

“Hobi!”

“Hey there [Name]! Sorry it took me a while- I got you some of that drink you like from the bar on the way though.”

And there he is- your bestfriend… and, dare you admit, your crush, in the flesh. Heart-shaped lips set into a familiar, sunny smile that has your pulse racing a little too fast- Hoseok leans in to hand over your order, and you tilt up to thank him, when without a thought he brushes off a few strands of hair stuck on your forehead from sweat, tucking them behind your ear and you hold his hand in yours.

“Your hands are cold,” you mutter, nose scrunched up. “Did you forget to bring gloves or something? It’s still February, you know,” you chidingly tell him. Hoseok smiles sheepishly.

“Sorry, I was trying to get here as fast as I could and I forgot.”

You frown at that, before relenting- and then opening up your purse to get out another pair of gloves. “I had a feeling you would. Seriously, how many times does this make now?”

“Sorry! But you always carry a pair for me anyway.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s okay to just forget them,” you mutter.

You hear someone clear their throat- the two of you jerk away from each other, red instantly blooming across both of your features. You whip around with a glare on your face- Seokjin only snickers at you.

“Did you two forget about us again?” Yoongi drawls. Jimin and Taehyung are giggling- Namjoon looking away a little, though you still see the small smile he’s trying to hide. Seokjin and Yoongi both smirking. A rush of embarrassment floods you when you realize that almost everyone has seen your little moment.

Which, if by the way that Hoseok himself jerks away too, a blush on his face, is something that just occurred to him as well. You clear your throat and straighten in your seat.

“Um. Hey Hobi,” you nod at him, before internally yelling at yourself because you already greeted him why do it again you dumbass. “We were just- talking? Uh… why don’t you take a seat first? You’re the only standing, you know.”

Inwardly, you can’t help but groan at how affected Hoseok seems to be by the guys’ teasing.

Three years of being bestfriends, and while you were content with that, the others just had to start making things awkward by pointing out and teasing you two (you ignore the voice in your head that says it’s always been hard for you, because you’ve always been attracted to Hoseok, they just made it awkward for him and you hate that because you miss being casually intimate with him… even if it’s just as friends).

“Um- yeah, I should.” Hoseok nods back, seemingly almost as nervous as you- you take a sip of your drink (it never fails to make your heart warm, how Hoseok remembers your alcohol just the way you like it, even when it involves five steps with very specific methods and measurements- sue you, you liked your drinks a very certain way) before setting it down. You’re aware that with Hoseok here, the guys will be… well, you don’t know what exactly they’re planning yet, but you know they have something going on. Still, you can’t help but stiffen at Hoseok, who… sits down right next to you, where Jimin was sitting.

Your eyes widen and you look at Jimin- who’s apparently relocated, sending him a betrayed look. He giggles at you, eyes forming a crescent moon with the way he smiles.

“So,” Seokjin starts as the silence stretches a little too long, a wide, mischievous smile on his lips. “We were just talking about [Name] and her problem.”

“About the party?” Hoseok furrows his eyebrows in puzzlement. “But I thought you already had a date. I mean… you’re you, [Name].”

Your hands shoot up to cover your face instantly as you feel yourself redden from his words.

“Sungmin asked Mikyong,” Taehyung nonchalantly says, no grin on his face, but you can still see the amusement in his eyes anyway. It was annoying how good your friend was at acting, on more than one occasion you’d jokingly told him he should have been an actor instead, especially when he uses it against you. “It was for the greater good anyway. He wouldn’t have been a good partner for [Name].”

“And what, pray tell, is a ‘good partner’ for me?” You grumble, finally lowering your hand.

“Someone who can make you laugh anytime,” Seokjin instantly states. Unbidden, a memory of Hoseok and his resounding laughter never failing to draw you in appears in your mind, but you will it away.

“Someone who takes notes and remembers even the littles details about you!” Jimin says with a grin. Your eyes flicker over to the drink on the table, your complicated drinks and how Hoseok never fails to remember every part of it, the very fact that he bothered to get you a drink at all.

“Someone who comforts you even when you’re trying not to let it show.” Taehyung gives you two his boxy smile. The moment from before flits into your mind- the casual way Hoseok gingerly brushed your hair away, and even before that, how he somehow always manages to be there to lend you a hand.

“Someone who makes you grow as a person,” Namjoon adds. Your eyes land on your friends- and you remember how Hoseok had been the one to introduce you to your now close friends.

Truthfully speaking, Hoseok is your first friend at the office- and your most important one, too. When you had just moved to the city, and into the office as well, Hoseok was the one who helped draw you out of your shell, just by being himself. It didn’t matter that he was another department away, or that there really wasn’t any reason to approach you, he did anyway, because he wanted to help. You hadn’t expected to find a close friend in him, but his smile and the way Hoseok always seems to be, well, so happy and loud complemented your quiet and shy nature. He’s the one who you go to first, no matter what, if you have a problem or if you just want to share good news with. Two years later finds you nicely settled into the office hive.

You avert your eyes from everyone’s gazes and stare at the table instead.

“And finally, someone who will put you as their top priority, no matter what,” a sudden voice finishes- you turn around to see Jungkook behind you, bunny smile in place.

Someone who puts you as their top priority- that, you wish you could say for certain that Hoseok does, but does he really? You want to believe it- there is so much evidence, but at the same time, you’re not confident enough. You don’t think you ever will be, to be honest.

“You guys have really high standards for my future partner, huh,” you dryly say. Yoongi merely offers you two a smirk, as Jungkook sits on Taehyung’s side- the round couch becoming quite cramped with eight people sitting on it. You squirm a little, feeling the lack of space keenly before someone tugs you closer to him- you look up, startled. For a moment, you’ve forgotten that Hoseok is right beside you, and when you turn to him, you find him sporting a worried frown, but it’s as if he doesn’t even register what he’s done.

“Only the best for our [Name],” Yoongi says, before tilting his head. “Though seriously there’s already a candidate that fits all the criteria, so it’s only right that we don’t lower them.”

“There is?”

“Who?” You, who else? You stare determinedly at the table and pretend that you don’t know what the guys are talking about.

“Who indeed,” Seokjin smirks. You kick him under the table- and are rewarded with a yelp. Nope. You can’t do this. You can’t let them go through with their plan at all, good god.

“Unless you’re talking about my idols then I don’t think you’re talking about anyone,” you scoff, before reaching over and squeezing Hoseok’s hand. “Don’t listen to them Hobi, they’re just teasing me. Honestly, all this talk about getting a date is making me feel tired.”

You shoot the other boys a glare- one that says there will be severe consequences if they don’t follow your lead. Seokjin sighs- but then he nods slightly, and the other boys either pout or shrug.

“Don’t worry [Name],” Hoseok smiles at you. “You’re a great person. Someone will ask you to be their date for the party, I’m sure of it.”

You scrunch up your nose, even as you huff. Inwardly you sigh in relief as the topic leads back into something lighter, easier to banter with. “Easy for you guys to say, I've never seen you have trouble getting dates.”

“Oh, remember last year?” Jungkook swoops in to help you, leading on from your words with a mischievous grin. Seokjin begins cackling.

“You mean that client that was obsessed with Taehyung? How could I not forget? That was-”

“-traumatizing as hell,” Taehyung cuts in with a grimace.

“On some level for you, definitely,” Yoongi snickers. “Not for us, though.”

“Still, you have to admit it was a little hilarious, she really thought she could get his attention by acting like a child who couldn't take no for an answer…”

You lean back into your seat, feeling ten times more tired and stressed than you had been when the night first started- the only reprieve being the feel of Hoseok’s hands in yours.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

The next day, you wake up with a massive headache- one alleviated by Seokjin’s special ‘hangover cure’ that even to this day, you still don’t know the contents of. Still, it works wonders, and by the time lunch rolls by, your headache is gone, and by the end of your shift, you feel the effects of the previous night fully dissipate.

Only one final trip before you can go home. You cheer yourself up with that thought and determinedly move along, when-

“[Name]!”

You startle, whirling around in surprise as someone takes a desperate hold of your arm- the other you raise to whack the offender, but then the voice sinks into your mind as familiar and-

“Hobi?” You stare at him in surprise, lowering the hand you were about to hit him with- that you just now notice is still holding the last few paperwork you’re to deliver to another department. “Um- hi, what brings you here?” You internally wince at the way you word your sentence. ‘What brings you here’? That just sounded really old, you scold yourself. “Not that I’m not happy to see you!”

“Oh, well-” Hoseok starts before he clears his throat and fidgets a little in place, though his hold on you remains. You furrow your brows. The nervous energy radiating from Hoseok makes you, well, nervous too, and you wonder just what he’s going to ask you. Finally it seems as if he gathers his thoughts again and he speaks.

“I was just thinking, about the party tomorrow night, last night you said-”

The papers in your hand crease instantly from the sudden tight hold you have on them. When your voice comes out, you’re completely aware of how it is a few decibels higher, as embarrassment floods your veins.

“Oh, that- yeah, um, please don't tell me you're here to tell me it's okay to go-”

“I could set you up with a date,” he blurts out- then winces. Still, he holds his ground.

You pause. “You- you could?”

“... Um, yeah. I could- I'd love to. Besides, I'm your best friend, remember? I want you to have a great time… and, well, if that’s not enough, I’m the organizer too. I'm putting in a lot of hard work to make the party great, so- I'd love it if you could come.” He smiles at you hopefully, and you deflate. Of course. Of course he’d be setting up a date for you, not asking you to go with him. Of course. It’s not like he’s interested in you that way, in any way really, other than a friend. Of course.

It’s hard being reminded of how painfully one-sided your crush is, but you need it sometimes, you tell yourself. Otherwise your imagination would only get worse.

Your eyes flicker back up to him, from the papers you’d unknowingly been staring at, and slowly give what you hope is a relieved smile.

You pause deliberately, trying to think of a good response that doesn’t give away the current state of your heart.

“Hmmm… I don’t know, they better not be anything like Myungdae,” you finally tease him, memories of a previous group date suggested by Jungkook with you and your co-workers, encouraged by Hoseok turning into a disaster coming up.

“That was just a one time thing!” He protests. “And I got you out of there fast, didn’t I?”

Your heart clenches a little. “I guess you did. Points to you for that, then.”

You take a deep breath- there isn’t a way to get out of your current situation, is there?

“Alright then,” you sigh. “Only if it’s okay with you. And, um, whoever you're setting me up with.”

Hoseok beams, the smile radiant and dare you say, victorious and that only sends your mood spiraling even further. Though you’re struggling not to let it show. “He’s definitely okay with it- I mean, if he knew!” He corrects himself with a sheepish grin, before continuing. “He'd definitely be okay with it when I tell him, so don't worry about that. And I wouldn’t set you up with anyone who wouldn’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”

And as much as his words make your heart warm, you can’t look at the person you’ve liked for so long personally trying to set you up with someone else right now. You just can’t. You avert your eyes, trying to think of how to leave immediately, when the ticking of the clock reminds you- you’re only a trip away to freedom. “Right, okay- I’ll trust your judgement then. Um- thank you, and, um, sorry, Hobi, I need to pass these papers, the other department will get on my-”

Hoseok instantly releases you with an apologetic look on his face, and you inwardly sigh in relief even as you already miss his touch. “No, no, it's okay. Sorry for holding you back-”

You wince. “No, it's okay! I like talking with you, it's just-”

“-I mean, I should get back to prepping the party myself-”

“-I really have to go-” You pause at his words. “Wait, isn't the party in a week?”

Hoseok shrugs a little, a tight smile on his face. “Yeah, but there was an accident with the venue... we had to reschedule and start all over again yesterday. I've been working with the party organizers about the schedule and how we're setting up the venue, checklisting which supplies we already have and don't have yet, and, uh, stuff like that.”

Your mouth drops open in surprise. “All that by yourself?”

Hoseok’s smile turns a touch more genuine at the worry and concern in your eyes. “Well, yeah. But don’t worry! I know it sounds a lot, but I can handle it.”

You bite your lip, unsure what to say. The anniversary party has always been a huge deal in the company, and messing it up, no matter whose fault it really was, would reflect poorly on everyone involved, the planner getting the worst of it.

“Still,” you eventually say, your voice small, and Hoseok looks at you in surprise.You continue on regardless of the blush on your face. “If you want- I could, um, I could help? Just- you sound really stressed, and I thought, the company always lets up easy on us this time of the year since anniversary, so.”

“That's not-” Hoseok hesitates, a hesitant type of hope appearing on his face. “I mean, are you sure?”

You clear your throat, finally smiling a little. “Yeah, I'm sure.”

Hoseok’s eyes crinkle in relief, and he scoops you up in a hug, complete with celebratory noises. “Wah, thank you, [Name]! I won’t overwork you, I promise!”

You burst into soft laughter, your arms instantly coming to grip him just as tight. Your head is spinning a little, not just because he’s definitely spinning you around just now, but maybe also because Jung Hoseok is embracing you completely and oh god, you could definitely smell his cologne- just a tilt of your head and you could bury your head in the crook of his neck. This isn’t the first time he’s hugged you like this, but every time feels like the first anyway with how fast your heart is beating.

The two of you are breathless when he stops, close enough in each other’s space that you wonder if he can hear how fast your heart is beating. You tilt your head to the side as you stare at him, and he at you, and-

“Hobi. The supervisor's asking for you.”

Min Yoongi’s voice rings through the hallway, and the silence is instantly broken.

The two of you both jump back, and if this was any other time you’d laugh at the startled, embarrassed (for Hoseok, Yoongi just looks like he’s one step away from cackling) look both Hoseok and Yoongi is wearing, though for different reasons. As it is, you’re wearing one yourself and you don’t feel like making fun of yourself too.

A silence of another kind descends on the three of you, before Hoseok clears his throat.

“Ah, right. See you, [Name].”

You will away the lingering blush on your face as you say goodbye to him .”Mhm... see you too, Hobi.”

You let the tension seep out of your body as you hear Hoseok’s footsteps fade away, a sigh leaving your lips. Yoongi strolls over to you, with amusement on his face now that the situation is over- you send him a sharp glare.

“Not a word, Yoongi. Not a word,” you warn him. Yoongi only gives you a smirk.

“If you really like him, you should make a move,” he advises you, ignoring your earlier words.. “The girls on my side of the office are already drawing sticks on who gets to ask him first.”

“And you’re involved in this how?” You snipe back, unwilling to touch on the implications of his words. “You’ve never liked going to the anniversary dinner. I even doubt if you’ll be going this year.

He shrugs. “Maybe, maybe not. But if I was, I'd rather go there and see you with Hobi rather than Hobi and some random girl.”

You sigh at his advice. “Thanks Yoongi.” If there is sarcasm in your voice as you speak, well, who’s there to hear it?

“Anytime!” He calls out cheerfully as he leaves, and you (again, discreetly) flip him the finger too.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

When you get home that evening, you throw yourself on the couch and contemplate breaking out your tub of ice cream. You’d been planning to limit yourself to eat only at most a scoop a day since pay day was still two weeks away and there was only one container left, but…

You groan and text Seokjin instead.

‘Cancel the intervention’

Seokjin’s reply is instant. ‘???’

‘Hobi told me he'd set me up with a date…’

‘wait what’

You scowl. And as if that wasn’t enough, he adds another line.

‘are you sure he didn't just ask you?’

‘YES I’M SURE and no he didn't’ you angrily text back, before sulking again.

‘why would he even though’

‘uhhh because he's had the biggest crush on you since you started working here?’

You roll your eyes. ‘not this again istg Jin’

‘yeah, yeah, it's not that way, he's just being friendly, you’re just best friends etc.’

You stop typing at his reply and the frustration you can sense in it, long enough that Jin sends you another text before you finish your reply. ‘but just to be clear, I think you're both idiots if you can't see how much the two of you blush and stutter and basically act like two stereotypical idiots in love pining after each other’

You grumble, erase what you had been typing and send a short rebuttal his way to end the conversation. ‘whatever you say Jin’

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

The only thing worse than agreeing to have Hoseok set you up on a date, you think to yourself, is how you volunteered to help him with his work.

Which, you guess, you would’ve done anyway even if time was re-winded. You would’ve signed up for this- late afternoons and early evenings spent together, only the two of you in the room because everyone else had left to go home. The absence of silence between the two of you because even while working, you’ve always found it easy to talk to Hoseok and the same goes for him too. Though you try not to let it affect your workload too much (you offered to help cut down his work, not add more to it after all), you rationalize it to yourself- really, you’re only helping keep the stress down! A little bit of chatting and having fun is allowed, right?

During the years you’ve been friends with him, you’ve never spent as much one-on-one time with Hoseok like this- as at work, you were in different departments. And with a different time schedule (his started halfway into your own shift), the two of you rarely had time to spend time with each other outside of texting and messages and lunch and dinner breaks.

So this- hours spent just between the two of you, even if it’s only for a week, until the party, it makes you feel- well.

If there are moments when Hoseok smiles a little too warmly at you (when you’ve made him laugh, or the two of you resolve a particularly troubling part of the party), moments when your hands brush each other (because, how can you hear each other if you’re working far away from each other? Clearly the only way to work through the party together is to sit close to each other too), or moments when he looks at you with- dare you hope- something more in his eyes (that you don’t dare look too deeply into, lest you make a fool of yourself, if not more than you have already), well.

You still would have chosen the same in the end.

Because he’s your best friend, and unfortunately, you like him (you ignore the little voice in your head- which sounds a lot like Jin- that scoffs and says that you wouldn’t go this far if this was only for a friend, or just a crush. No, you won’t entertain listening to it at all).

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

“Namjoon?”

You cautiously call out, the stack of papers on your hand heavy enough that you shift its weight every few seconds or so, just to alleviate the strain on your arms, though there still remains a small smile on your face, remnant of when Hoseok drew you close into another hug as the two of you successfully took off another part of the checklist. With only three days left until the party itself, you’re relieved and happy to see that there’s only a little bit left to work on.

Namjoon looks up from the paperwork he’s been reading- his famous dimpled smile coming to his lips as he sees you.

“Ah, [Name]. Thanks, can you just place them here on my desk?” He begins stacking several folders over another to make space- you wince and hope that they don’t fall and scatter around into a mess- until there’s barely enough clear room for the papers. You nod in reply and place the papers down, making your way out of the room when Namjoon looks back up at you with a confused look on his face.

“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be off the clock now?”

You shuffle in place, a nervous tic you have, before you bite your lip and speak. “Oh, no. I was, but, um, I’m currently helping Hoseok with the, um, event.”

“Oh... I see.” You can all but see him raise his eyebrow in intrigue, and you make a face. It’s not exactly a secret between you and your friends- your crush on Hoseok. However, while most of them are insistent that your feelings for each other are mutual (complete with explanations and pointed out moments), you point out, just as insistent, that if he really liked you, Hoseok would have made a move long ago. However he hasn’t and so you don’t dare hope.

“Please don't make that face, I'm just helping him and that's it,” you clarify in a- what you hope- is a firm voice.

“Sure,” he says, the skepticism barely hidden and you pout.

“That said, you're not going with Hoseok to the anniversary this year?” He adds, and your mood falls even more. You sigh.

“I'm not, besides, it's Hoseok himself who's setting me up with a date to the event, so…”

Namjoon startles, eyes widening in surprise. “Wait, he is?”

Instead of giving a verbal response, you nod glumly.

Namjoon pauses, and when he speaks again, the layered tone in his voice makes you frown. “That, uh, hm. I see.”

“What do you mean, I see?” You parrot back, narrowing your eyes at him. “That sounded suspicious.”

Namjoon fake-coughs immediately, waving a hand in the air, his words falling out fast. “It's nothing! You should probably go to Hoseok now. You were going to help him, right? He probably hasn't had anything to eat since lunch- you could get him food.”

“Right…” At the mention of Hoseok, you relent, giving him a stink-eye instead. Namjoon busies himself in his paperwork, but not before you catch a glimpse of the smile on his face, the ‘I-know-a-secret-that-you-don’t-but-I-won’t-say-anything’ smile.

You huff and let it be. Whatever it is, you’ll find out soon anyway, right?

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

‘what's the color of your dress going to be?’

You pause, staring at the message on your phone for a few seconds. Right. You’d almost forgotten.

For a moment, you debate telling Hoseok that you’ve changed your mind, you’re not going to the party since you’re sick, your cousin visited, you need to visit someone in the hospital-

Hoseok wouldn’t fault you, you know. He’d understand your situation, tell you that he’d tell the other side, so you wouldn’t have to worry about rejecting them- but you also know he’s going to be disappointed since he’s put in so much effort in matching you up with this ‘mystery’ person.

You sigh. And in the short time that you’ve mulled over your thoughts, you find that he’s sent another text.

‘so you're matching with each other’

What color would you pick, anyway? You start to text him with your favorite color, when you pause.

Hoseok had always looked amazing in that red suit you once saw him wear to one of the company’s formal events, and if he planned to wear that...

‘red, probably’ you find yourself texting instead, before you add. ‘definitely red’

‘I'll let them know them’

Your fingers move on their own accord to type out another message, but in the end, you send the message into the draft box. Nothing good would come out of sending that message.

‘You're the one I want to match with, though’

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

Your life has been recently going pretty well, so it stands to reason that it was only a matter of time before your next minor breakdown.

At this point, you had accepted it. You were going to the party in a few days with a complete stranger recommended to you by Jung Hoseok, your best friend and your crush. But, you reasoned with yourself, at least you got to spend time with him, just the two of you working together alone. Not just that, you became closer too. And also, Hoseok was going alone, and therefore it didn’t matter if he set you up with someone because it would only be a one time thing and you could gently let the other person down after the party and go back to, well, getting over Hoseok.

“... probably the first time I've seen Hobi-hyung so determined to get just the perfect suit, he asked me for advice too. I told him to just wear that one suit she really liked- the all-red one…”

Or not. You stop in your tracks, a strand of paper falling from your arms that you hastily pick up even as you backstep into a room to avoid detection. From outside, you can hear Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung speaking, the contents of which you are very much interested in, no matter if it’s hard to hear over how hard your heart is beating.

“Hyung really bought a corsage too?” Jimin’s laughter echoes through the hallway. A corsage…? You stiffen in disappointment as their words hit, and yet you stay in your hiding spot.

“Yeah… they were insistent about him buying it since he wants to ‘impress his lady’.” You can almost hear Jungkook’s amused smirk in his voice, followed by Taehyung and Jimin’s resounding laughter- you release a shaky breath and drop to your knees.

The papers fall from your hands as the pieces of your heart do so too.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

When you come up to him to officially finish all the preparations for the event scheduled in 24 hours, you’re silent, and you won’t meet his gaze- Hoseok frowns, worry in his eyes. You resolutely stay quiet anyway, interrupting every moment he starts to speak with a shuffle of the papers in your hand, or suddenly frowning.

You don’t see him nervously fidgeting too, your tense mood affecting him in turn.

It’s only when the two of you pack up and leave, all the work done- and hadn’t that been an awkward moment, when the checklist had been fully completed, that his first instinct was to draw you into a hug and you almost delved into it? Of course, you didn’t in the end anyway, aware of the still broken pieces of your heart- that he timidly speaks up.

“[Name],” he mumbles your name with an unsure tone in his voice. “Are you- is there something wrong?”

Your grip on your skirt tightens and you don’t mean to reply, really, you don’t, much less in a bitter tone of voice, but when you look up at him and see the confused but concerned look on his face you do anyway. “I thought you said you were going alone to the event?”

His eyes widen in surprise, all but confirming your words. “I, uh, I asked someone- pretty recently.” You feel yourself wilt at his words. How did you miss something like that? How could the boys not tell you about that?

More than that, it hurts to think that Hoseok would have kept this mystery girl from you, even going so far as to ask her to be his date without a mention of it to you, his best friend.

Though when the silence goes too long, you take in a deep breath and decide to be mature about it. Okay, fine, Hoseok has got a date, whatever. Whatever, you repeat to yourself. You will not be a sore loser and be bitter about the fact that some person you don’t know about has gotten Hoseok’s attention enough for him to ask them to be his date. You will not. “I see.”

“[Name]-” Hoseok reaches out for you- something that, had it happened a week ago you would have been stammering about, and, if only a few days ago you would have happily, if not shyly been happy about, but now not anymore- and you shrug him off, forcing a smile on your face.

“It's nothing- I'm happy for you, Hoseok! Your date must be lucky to have you. I hope they appreciate all the work we put into the event. That said, we should probably get home quick so we can rest earlier for the event, huh?” You say with as much fake cheer as you can, struggling to keep a normal facade, though the way his face falls at how you call him by his name now instead of his nickname doesn’t escape you. “I should go home too. I can’t-” your smile tightens but you continue,” wait to meet this mystery person you set me up with, Hoseok. So much, I’m just going to go, okay?” And if there is a moment in your mini-speech slash rant that is tinged with bitterness, if your eyes are starting to water and well up with tears, well. You walk away too fast for Hoseok to catch up and ask you about it.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

“Noona?” You startle at the sound of Jungkook’s voice near you, having been mindlessly staring off into the distance. When you turn your head to the side- you find him standing near you, a worried look on his face, a frown on his lips. “What are you doing here?”

For a moment you consider telling him that’s everything’s fine, but then you remember just why you are sitting on a swing at eight in the evening, crying to yourself, and when you speak your tone is sharp. “What? Am I not allowed to be here?”

Jungkook’s eyes, if it’s possible, gets even wider and he immediately takes a step closer. “No, it's just- wait, are you crying?”

You look down at your feet and, even though it’s painfully obvious just from your voice, say otherwise. “‘'m not… just, just a sore throat.”

You hear him shuffle in place, and if you look at him you know you’ll see him chew on his lips nervously, bunny tooth visible. “Um- okay.”

A moment passes- the playground is silent, and you wonder if Jungkook has left, when you hear another voice.

“Jungkook! Get back here, you impet!”

You let out a silent groan at Seokjin’s voice, loud and clear and annoyed. For a moment you consider just ignoring the two of them, or leaving, but then Seokjin runs over to the two of you and your second choice is lost.

You can see the moment Seokjin notices your less-than-stellar state as he quiets down. The only sound you hear is his footsteps, and whispering from the two- you close your eyes and pretend you’re alone.

A few minutes pass before you hear the other swing suddenly move, the indication that someone is now sitting on it. “If you want us to go, we can leave,” he quietly says.

You open your eyes and shoot him a bland look, knowing just as much as he did that the words were only for courtesy. They wouldn’t leave you alone now that they’ve seen you cry.

“You can stay,” you finally tell him with a grumble. On your other side, Jungkook sits down on the other swing too. Seokjin swings a little- Jungkook, turning everything into a competition and not wanting to lose does the same, only a little higher- you hear them urge you to join and you let out a bark of laughter as the two try to out-swing each other.

When the two are done- Jungkook beating Seokjin, as the latter almost catapulted out of his seat with a shriek and a yield, making you laugh, but then again, what did you expect?- the three of you are silent. For a while, no one speaks, you basking in the comfort of their presence with a small smile on your face at their attempts to cheer you up.

“I was content with going on that date he set me up with, because I thought he’d be going alone... but then I find out he's going with a date…”

“Finally, I thought he’d never-” you barely hear Jungkook mutter, the latter of his sentence you fail to hear, as Seokjin looks at you, confused.

“Isn't he talking about you?”

“No, he's not!” You explode, lips twisting into a harsh grimace. “How would he be if he's the one suggesting I go with someone I don't-”

You cut yourself off and angrily huff, unwilling to delve into a rant. A beat passes and Seokjin raises an eyebrow at you, a curious look in his eyes.

“Well, but do you know who he's going with?”

You deflate. “No, I don't.” You pause. “Why?”

“Because it sounds really suspicious. [Name], if you see it from any of our point of views, there isn't any other girl close with hyung, or we'd have heard about them,” Seokjin explains.

“So it's either she isn't that close with him yet, or she's only friends with him, or... he's a really good actor. You still have a chance, [Name]. What do you have to lose if you confess?”

“If it helps,” Jungkook adds, a mysterious, cheeky smile on his face. “You’re the only one I’ve seen Hobi-hyung be so happy with, noona. I don’t see hyung smiling so much with anybody else.”

“Still,” you mumble in a low voice.

“We’ll help you every way,” Seokjin reassures you. “Besides, this isn’t just about you. It’s for Hobi too. We just want the two of you to be happy.”

You stay silent at his response, thinking over his words, before you make a decision.

“When you say it like that... I guess there’s not to much to lose, is there?” You wryly say, making Seokjin and Jungkook yell triumphantly.

“Go for it, [Name]-noona! We'll cheer you on,” Jungkook cheerfully tells you. Jin, on your other side, pulls up his phone- though you fail to see what he’s typing.

You bury your head in your knees when you realize you’re going to do the cliche- confessing to your best friend, on a day so near to Valentine’s��day too.

You can do this, you tell yourself. You can do this.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

Twenty hours later, and four hours before the event, and you find yourself staring at your dresses with a frown on your face.

You hadn’t meant to put it off, really. But after your crying slash comfort session last night, you were admittedly a bit absent minded, and then you forgot to set your alarm clock… which then led to you oversleeping into late noon. You had to rush to get your dress, and even then, when you tried calling around for walk-in appointments at salons near you, all you’d gotten was that they were all booked.

Which meant you would probably have to do your hair and makeup yourself.

… You weren’t a total beginner, but you wanted to look your best… and you doing your own makeup was not you looking your best.

Too lost in your thoughts, you fail to notice your front door slamming open, as well as your bedroom door.

“[Name]!”

You whirl around in surprise, eyes wide. “Jimin? Tae? What are you- Jin? Yoongi... even Jungkook?”

“Hi, noona.”

The man in question offers you a bunny grin, though all of them are smiling at you, even Yoongi. You let your eyes trail downward- all of them already ready for the party, too.

You scrunch your eyebrows in confusion at Jungkook’s greeting. “What do you mean, ‘hi’, what are you all even doing here? The only people missing are-”

“Namjoon will be here soon, he just got held up back at the company. And Hobi's doing last minute preparations with the party. We're here for you, though,” Seokjin interrupts you neatly, a hand on his chin as he assesses your chosen outfits for the night.

“Me?” You parrot, still surprised.

Jimin tugs you closer and you let him, though you’re unsure of what he wants. He only tugs you into sitting down near your vanity though, instantly looking over your makeu collection. “Yep! Jin-hyung told us you'd need help getting ready,” he says with an angelic smile.

“We're all done ourselves anyway,” Taehyung casually tells you, as you see him come closer and, taking a comb, start rearranging your hair. “So the least we could do is help you get ready too.”

Your eyes flit over to Yoongi, who seems to be the only one left not doing anything. “They dragged me here, there's still a few hours left so I'm going to take a nap in a bit,” he declares instead, though you see him look over your jewelry box (that you’ve only told him about since he’s the one who’s bought you more than a few of your rings and earrings as gifts), coordinating with Seokjin.

“I'll get everyone drinks!” You hear Jungkook exclaim, before the sound of his footsteps echo from the hallway.

You stay in your seat, stunned.

“[Name].” Slowly, you look at Seokjin through the mirror, who looks at you with a soft smile on his face.

“You said it last night. You wanted to confess. We aren't letting you back away from your words, and especially from a chance for happiness just because you were scared,” he gently tells you.

“Yeah, [Name]. Let us help you, okay?”

“We'll make you look and feel great,” Taehyung reassures you, and you feel your eyes well up with tears- this time, out of appreciation for the friends that you have.

“Sheesh... you guys…”

“Ahhh, hey, don’t move- I just finished tying up parts of your hair!”

“Well, good thing you didn’t cry before I started putting on your makeup.”

… It’s going to be a long four hours, you think.

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

Half an hour before the event, and you find yourself twirling around in your dress- still amazed by what the boys have done for you- looking back at the mirror then, you almost found it hard to believe that that woman was you.

‘6 P.M. at the entrance’

You bite your lip at Hoseok’s message, a twinge of guilt inside to both him and whoever he set you up with. You had already planned to turn the other party down.

“Hey [Name], do you have a plan for how you’re going to confess to Hobi later?”

You stiffen from where you’d been sitting, a surprised look on your face.

“Don’t tell me you were just planning on going there and telling him straight,” Seokjin says, a frown slowly forming on his face.

“No!” You exclaim, stammering a little. “I do have a plan.”

“Huh, so let’s hear it,” Yoongi drawls out, an amused smile on his face. You shoot him a glare, but wince a little when you meet Seokjin’s gaze.

“I, um. I was planning to first tell the guy he set me up with that, um, I can’t go with him to the event?” Even as you say it, you sound unsure- you clear your throat and say in a much more (you hope) confident voice. “Although I know that there’s a chance they might be disappointed- but, I don’t want to lead them on with anything, not when I’m planning to confess to Hobi.”

The boys share a look- you fidget in place, though you know better than to move too much and mess up Jimin and Taehyung’s work.

“Alright then, we’ll be behind you if you need backup,” Seokjin declares, Jungkook flexing his muscle for you to see in the mirror comedically. The moment falls away as you laugh.

You bite your lip, feeling, not for the first time, jittery.

‘He's wearing a red suit with a bow at the side, you'll know who he is at first glance ^^’

For a moment you wonder if you should tell him right now, listen, I can't go with whoever you set me up with-

But that wouldn’t be fair. You have to tell them face to face- so instead, you sigh and text him otherwise.

‘I'll be there on time’

✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼

Five minutes before the appointed time finds you on the block after the venue, the place just the next corner away. You grip your dress a little tightly- then force yourself to let go. Creasing your dress needlessly is not something you should do if you want to look your best at least for when Hoseok first sees you.

“Are you sure you want us to go ahead?” Seokjin’s voice is reassuring as he stands beside you. Taehyung and the others have gone ahead to park the car- you asked them to drop you off at your current position, and Seokjin came with you to talk you down in case you have second thoughts.

“Yeah, I'll be fine. I won't run away.” Seokjin must hear the determination in your voice for real this time, because he relents and, after squeezing your hand, lets go and walks ahead.

“We'll be nearby just in case you need help,” he repeats, and you laugh a little, feeling some of your nervousness ease.

You check your phone. 3 minutes until showtime. You can do this, you tell yourself, forcing your feet to walk forward even though a part of you wants to just stop and go home. You turn the corner- feeling a little shaky, and your hands starting to sweat a little- seeing someone in, as Hoseok told you, a red suit, standing by the door. The dim light prevents you from seeing much about them other than their brightly colored suit that stands out, but considering that there’s only one person dressed in red standing by the venue, you’re pretty sure that’s him.

You take another deep breath- rehearse your lines, and determinedly take a step forward.

‘Um- are you my date for the night? Listen, I'm sorry to tell you this, but... I can't go to the event with you. I'm sure you're a lovely person, but... my heart, there's someone else I want to ask. Hoseok only had the best intentions, but he's the one I wanted to ask-’

You stop in your tracks as the other person turns around.

“Hobi?”

You look at him, stunned.

In front of you, Jung Hoseok is smiling- excitement, worry, a multitude of emotions on his face, a corsage of your favorite flowers in his hands, in that red suit you love so much- you can’t help but just stare at him.

“[Name]!” He stares back at you for a moment, looking awestruck, before a soft smile appears on his face. “You look gorgeous. I mean amazing, you look amazing. Pretty. Not that you don’t always!” The way he almost trips over his words at the latter part of his sentence brings a rush of heat to your cheeks, even as you can’t help but smile. Still, though, you find yourself confused.

“... You're my date? But I thought-”

“That- um.” Hoseok pauses, looking anxious himself- it makes a part of you laugh because really, that’s what you had been- are still- feeling. Finally, it seems as if he grounds himself enough to speak. “[Name], I know we’ve always been just friends- but, I really, really like you. When I heard about you being without a date I was going to ask you the other day, but... I lost the nerve to go through with it. But I brought it up already, and I wanted to ask you, but I couldn't gather up the courage to say I wanted to ask you, so…”

Here he trails off, looking more and more sheepish by the moment that it makes you bite your lip just to suppress your grin.

“So you told me you were setting me up with someone?”

He huffs, a relieved sigh leaving him at the amusement on your face, rather than the anger or disgust he’d been dreading. “Yeah.”

“So when you texted me about my dress and everything…”

Hoseok finishes your sentence. “... that was for me.” He glances away from you, cheeks reddening again. “Sorry. I really do want to go with you though.”

“Jung Hoseok,” you start, your cheeks starting to hurt with how wide your smile is, “are you telling me, you approached me that day with the intent to ask me out, only to somehow promise to set me up, with me unknowing that it was you I was going with? When you could have just told me in the first place?”

‘When you say it like that... I lost my chance, didn’t I?” He furrows his eyebrows, shoulders drooping down- you take a step forward and cup his face in your hands, forcing him to see the smile on your face.

“No, I was actually going to confess to you tonight,” you tell him, even as you feel your own cheeks redden. He looks at you in surprise.

“... You were?”

You giggle at him, at the way his eyes are shining and the grin you love so so much appearing on his face at your words. “I was! … I am,” you correct yourself, before you let your hands fall away to hold his own. “Do you-”

Hoseok’s eyes widen at your words, and he quickly interrupts you. “Wait! Wait, I want to confess to you, let me, please?”

This is it. You’re really going to just- for a moment, you don’t understand how you can still be standing, seemingly so calm, when every part of you is just- screaming, and you’re so, so happy right now? Your breath is admittedly a little shaky, but now it’s from joy- excitement, the feel of pure elation running through your veins instead. “Okay,” you mumble.

Hoseok clears his throat- there’s a giddy smile on his face that you don’t doubt matches your own. He intertwines your hands with his, looking at you with hopeful, warm eyes that are filled with you, only you-

“Will you be my date to the anniversary party? And, after… I mean… I really like you, so-”

“Really like me?” You interrupt with a breathy chuckle. Hoseok pouts, a stammer in his voice when he next speaks.

“Well- I mean, I can’t just outright tell you I’m in love with you already, can I?” The admission- even if he doesn’t realize it himself makes you feel like soaring.

“I love you,” you tell him straightforwardly, to be rewarded by the sight of Hoseok seemingly getting shocked, just staring at you, reddening even more with every second passing by.

“What? That- that’s not- fair-”

“Just kiss already!”

Oh my god. The two of you still at the familiar voice, and at the accompanying yell of pain afterwards-

Then Hoseok bursts into laughter, so loud and happy and you can’t help but join in too. When the two of you stop laughing, giggling- you lean in close and smile at him, wholeheartedly baring your emotions to him.

“Yes, I accept your invitation. Both for the date, and for- after, if you want me,” you softly say, before smirking. “I can hear the music starting… should we head on in now?”

Hoseok snickers at your mischievous expression, catching on to the implications behind your words. “Sounds like a great idea. I can dance with you- something I’ve always wanted to do- and show everyone we’re together. But before that...”

He presses a quick, intimate kiss to your lips that feels as if it last forever, yet ending all too soon, leaving you aching to have a longer, proper taste of his lips- you gasp and stare at him after, blush coming back to your cheeks as he grins at you.

You cover your face with one hand. “Unfair,” you grumble. “I’ll get you back for that.”

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that,” he admits. “But I can wait until we’re really alone for the real thing.”

You pout. “You think you’ve been waiting a long time, I assure you- I’ve been waiting even longer.”

Hoseok giggles at your words- you feel your heart melt, even as you hear the sound of hooting and triumphant yelling behind you two.

“Well then, shall we?” Hoseok tugs you, fingers still laced with yours, and you smile.

The night has just begun, after all, and while a week ago you dreaded it, tonight… you are determined to make the most out of it.

“Okay,” you agree.

#bangtanscenery #jung hoseok x reader #hoseok x reader #bts x reader

98 notes · View notes