#my parents said maybe he’s just clueless and to give him another chance
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I need your help guys.
So last night I went to see Hozier for the first time in concert and it was literally the most amazing thing ever. I went with this guy I’ve been talking to and went out with once before and he’s nice and paid for everything but he also kept bringing up his ex randomly in conversation several times. He also forgot where he parked and we were walking around for at least 10 minutes, lost because he couldn’t remember where his car was.
#idk I’m just so annoyed#my parents said maybe he’s just clueless and to give him another chance#but idk even know if I’m that interested in him#im just scared of having to confront him and end things off#that’s the worst part tbh#venus speaks#he also said he couldn’t kill a cockroach and had to get his future wife to do it#GET OUTTTTT
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“Is she pretty?” “Yeah… He’s quite the looker… pretty like the sun”
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In which Steve comes to Darry to talk about his new crush. And maybe to ask for a few pointers…
Steve being slightly clueless at soda’s infatuation with him
Mutual pining (since they were like 7 but it doesn’t really say in the story)
Slightly implied parental/maybe older sibling figure Darry :P
Stevepop <<33
Moon + sun <3
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“What’d you need Steve? I mean.. why’d you need to talk to me all private like without the gang knowing”
“Because if the gang knew they’d try and snoop, you know how they are. A bunch of nosey pricks”
Steve said lightheartedly, then turning serious and looking up at Darry as Darry sat on his bed in front of him. Steve pulled the chair from the desk next to him and sat in front of Darry.
“So… uhm…. I….”
Steve pov:
I didn’t know why I was stuttering so much all of a sudden, I already knew what I was gon’ say and I already knew that I had to switch out every ‘He’ with a ‘she’… so I didn’t know why I was so nervous. Maybe it was that fact I was talking to my best friend’s older brother about my crush on my best friend but I dunno. I had gotten myself all lost in my thoughts when I was interrupted by him saying—
“Well you gon’ spit it out or not kid?”
“R-right- yeah- uhm… so… I just wanted to talk… yknow?… t-there’s uhm… this person… that I like… And to uhm… ask some advice about like…. Gift givin’ n stuff….”
Darry gave a smile to me, it was real sweet. I always liked it when Darry smiled at me, reminded me a bit of my ma… golly do I miss her.. I can’t remember much about her other than her smile and that I really miss her. Whenever I try to ask about her to my old man he either just takes another drink of beer and ignores me entirely or starts yelling at me till he gets himself mad enough to start wailing on me.
“What do you wanna say about her, kid?”
He said as he put a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me, he then leaned back onto the mattress and stared at me with a smile as he waited for me to speak. I sat for a moment trying to wrangle my scattered thoughts in my head
“W-well shoot I don’t even know where to start… I-i mean she’s just so— amazing!!”
“Alright, alright, slow it down, kid.”
“Ok… uhm… what do you wanna know?”
“Well firstly is she a soc or a grease? Or is she like some kind of hippie or somethin’?”
“She’s a grease, but she ain’t like all the other greaser girls… she’s got that… certain charm… yknow?…. I just can’t explain it…. Yknow? She’s just… magical…”
“Is she pretty?”
“Yeah… He’s quite the looker… pretty like the sun… Yknow those sunsets that pony never shuts his trap about…? I looked at it a few days ago and it reminded me of him…”
Darry pov:
I went silent as he looked at Steve slightly wide eyed, Steve’s mind must’ve wandered to think of his little crush since he was just staring into space with this dopey look on his face, he hadn’t realized what he had said aparantly.
“Him….?”
“….uhm….”
“Well- uh- I- I slipped up, I-i said the wrong word yknow….?”
“Is he in the gang? By any chance?”
“….”
“I’ll take that as a yes”
I said with a smile, I never did see Steve so nervous in my whole life.
3rd person:
Steve silently fiddled with his hands, ready for a lecture or a hit or anything. He had told his dad about this once when he was younger, he had a crush on soda since he was 7. When he told his dad he said he liked a boy and his dad beat him so hard his nose bled and he had bruises all over. He was so used to being beaten that the thought that Darry wasn’t gonna hit him didn’t even cross his mind. Steve was surprised when Darry just put a hand on his shoulder
“Just talk to him, be yourself… That’s all you can really do. Maybe ask ‘im what he likes or just see what he likes and give him something relating to that”
Darry said with a gentle smile, another smile that reminded him of his mom. Darry stood up and hugged Steve gentle before leaving. Steve just watched him silently, he had to sit for a second to compute what Darry was saying. Be himself?? When did broads ever like it when he was just being himself? I mean whenever he was out with a broad and he’d start prattling about cars they always just watched uninterested. That’s all he really talked about. Steve loved cars, he always did. Fixing up a pretty soc car or reading books about cars… he loved them so much. But nobody ever wanted to hear about them so he was honestly starting to like them less and less. But at the same time… He wasn’t a broad. He was his best friend. His best friend who also loved cars, albeit not as much as him but he still loved to hear Steve talking about it. He’d just sit there and rest his cheek in his hand and watch Steve as he talked and talked about cars. Giggling randomly and blushing a bit at Steve. Now that Steve thought about it that’s how broads would look at him and giggle when they were really feeling him.. He thought that was a little suspicious but it was whatever. This guy wouldn’t realize soda was in love with him if it was a metal pole and hit him in the face 27 times.
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It had been a week since Darry and Steve’s interaction, he slowly noticed that Steve and Soda had been going places together a lot more than usual, and that’s saying something since they were practically attached to the hip 24/7. Darry watched from afar as the two started basically going on dates disguised as hang outs. And eventually, a month later, he caught them kissing on the couch when they thought nobody was home. He never told anyone tho, he just assured them that their secret was safe with him and just to go to soda’s room cause he didn’t wanna watch his kid brother swap spit with one of their mutual friends. It was pretty embarrassing for both of the love birds but whenever pony would stay over at curly’s you bet Steve was over there with Sodapop filling the empty space in his bed.
@heart-shqped-box @mr-freaky-certifed @heartsforjohnnycake
@theoutsiderscomfort said they wanted to see this in the comments of the poll so here you go!!! :3
#the outsiders#sodapop the outsiders#the outsiders sodapop#steve the outsiders#the outsiders steve#the outsiders darry#the outsiders darrel curtis#the outsiders darrel#sodapop#sodapop curtis#sodapop patrick curtis#the outsider steve#steve randle#steve lucas randle#darrel curtis#Darrel shayne Curtis Jr#stevepop#steve x sodapop#steve x soda#mutual pining#gay mlm#mlm#gay love#sodapop my gorgeous blue eyed king#fluff#fan fiction
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A Day in the Life (Lost Ones)
Summary: A day with the new parents and how some of their friends reaction to their new bit of joy.
Pairings: Platonic! Parental! Tommy, Wilbur, Philza, Technoblade, Eret, and Dream x F! Child! Reader
Previous | Next
Warnings : (In Phil’s Specifically) Death, Violence. (Generally) Swearing
A/N: Just so you know (F/L) means First Letter of your first name. Hope you guys enjoy! ♥
Tommy
Tommy didn’t know what the fuck he was doing.
Tubbo was even more clueless.
When Tommy first came onto Tubbo’s doorstep frantically talking about being a father with a crying baby, Tubbo was in a state of great concern for his best friend. Tubbo knew Tommy as a scammer and a very…bold individual, to put it nicely. He did not think his friend had what it took to be any sort of fatherly figure. He was just too young and he was too…outgoing.
The first day, the pair worked hard to figure out how to make the infant stop crying. They found out she just needed food and a diaper change. Tommy had groaned in relief, sitting on Tubbo’s floor as he held the baby feeding her the milk. From there, Tubbo questioned where he even found a child.
“She was abandoned in a basket, in a tree. I decided to be a big man about it and take her in.”
“Are you crazy? Tommy, you didn’t even know her gender until two minutes ago.”
“Shut up.” Tommy huffed looking at his friend as he stopped giving (Y/N) milk for the moment. “I can figure it out, I’m still new to this Tubbo.”
“I think maybe we should give her to one of the other guys. We don’t know what to do, we just ran around my house for five minutes trying to make her stop crying for god’s sake.”
“I’ll figure it out! Even without your help.” Tommy looked back down at the infant, continuing to feed her.
So, Tubbo went along with it. Tommy was stubborn and to make sure the baby didn’t get hurt, Tubbo said he’d help his friend. To be fair, they didn’t have to do much, it was just a lot of work to do the few things and barely any time to do the same adventures they use to do.
Tommy was determined to do most of it on his own, only going to Tubbo when he was desperate for help. Which were a few times a week. He got better and better though, learning what (Y/N) needed and when.
Tommy had managed to make a crib all on his own (with a couple of tries) and he discovered, (Y/N) liked her crib at the end of his bed. She just liked being close to Tommy often and he actually didn’t mind. He was proud to show off his baby.
When he had shown her off to the others, they had all been in various bits of shock. Of course, when he first introduced her, the first thing he shouted was always;
“I’m a father now bitch! Meet (Y/N)!”
As he would, (Y/N) would giggle and babble, his excited energy rubbing off on her. After their various bits of shock (and Bad telling him to watch his language even more now that there was a baby), they would indeed think (Y/N) was cute but give him the same advice as Tubbo. Give her to an adult.
“None of them! None of them think I can take care of you.” Tommy huffed as (Y/N) finished her milk for the hour. “Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Tommy did struggle often. He didn’t get as much sleep as he once did, he stayed inside with (Y/N) more. It was a big change, but he was taking it seriously despite all his jokes. Just, no one could see it because they only saw Tommy as a child.
“Well, they’re all idiots. I know I have this.” Tommy told the infant as he sat back in bed, holding her. “Right Little (F/L)?”
(Y/N) squirmed slightly, babbling and Tommy smiled.
“Right! It’s that time.” He grinned as he stood up, going into his chests next to his jukebox.
As he pulled out one of his discs, Tubbo knocked on the door as he came in.
“Hey, am I interrupting?” He asked.
“No, you’re actually in time Big T!” Tommy said as he put the red labeled disc on.
“For what?” Tubbo questioned confused as Tommy sat down.
The music started to play and (Y/N) relaxed in Tommy’s arms. Tommy smiled softly, gently rocking her in his arms as he hummed along to the music. Tubbo was staring in amazement from behind Tommy’s seat.
“Do you…do you do this often?”
“Of course.” Tommy grinned at his best friend. “She’s got to learn great music. And look, she loves it so much she falls asleep.”
He was correct as when Tubbo looked, (Y/N) was giving a tiny yawn as she nuzzled into Tommy.
“Every day after lunch, I play the disc I got when I found her and she takes a nap.” Tommy quieted down; startling Tubbo as Tommy never quieted down. “I want to find more to let her hear more.”
Tommy put her down in her crib once she was fully asleep, motioning to the door. They both left as the music kept playing.
“We should go get more discs tomorrow.” Tommy declared, keeping his voice level as he went through his chests. “(Y/N) needs to hear them all and I want to have them all.”
“You…do that every day?” Tubbo said, still caught up on Tommy’s gentleness.
Tommy rolled his eyes. “Of course, I do. (Y/N) likes it and I like it so that’s our routine Tubbo. Sometimes it takes a while though and I have to move around the room.”
He didn’t mention that he danced to the music with her though, laughing with her as she would giggle, slightly embarrassed about the cute routine.
“So, are we going to go out tomorrow and get some discs or not?” Tommy grinned at his friend.
Tubbo stood there, thinking over what he had just seen. He thought about how he was actually wrong about Tommy. His best friend really cared about the girl; his own little girl. Tommy had acted drastically different than what he usually did to make sure she was well and happy. The taller boy was actually taking this very seriously and Tubbo couldn’t help but be proud of his friend.
“Tubbo.” Tommy snapped his fingers, looking at him disapprovingly.
“Oh, yeah. Let’s get some discs tomorrow. It’s been forever since we’ve gone on an adventure.” Tubbo smiled.
He thought Tommy could do this whole dad thing right.
…
Then he slightly regretted his words in the morning when Tommy showed up with the little girl and his adventuring gear.
“We are not taking (Y/N). It’s dangerous Tommy!” Tubbo protested.
“Nothing will happen to her; I wouldn’t let it. Neither would you. And try and say no to this face.” Tommy showed her off, grinning. “Come on now Uncle Tubbo.”
Tubbo paused, getting slightly giddy. “Uncle Tubbo?”
“Of course! Now! Let’s go get some discs!” Tommy took lead.
“…Wait! You distracted me!” Tubbo called exasperated as he followed his best friend.
(Y/N) giggled as Tommy grinned wider. Tommy was stubborn but in the case of being a father, it was a good thing as it meant his baby would grow up healthy and happy and he could care less about what others would say.
Wilbur
L’Manberg didn’t have many secrets but it had one well-guarded one. That would be the simple fact that (Y/N) existed.
After the first night with the new baby, Wilbur had gathered all the men inside the van.
“Time to greet the people little one.” He smiled as he heard the commotion of Tommy trying to command the others.
Coming out, he put on a serious face as everyone went quiet. Of course, Eret and Fundy already knew. The teenager had his arms crossed, looking away from his father and new sister, as Eret gave a small smile. The other two of L’Manberg…
“Did you fuck another fish?!” Tommy shouted in exasperation to his brother.
Fundy gave Tommy an offended glare as (Y/N) squirmed at the sudden loud noise.
“Tommy, quiet down now,” Wilbur told him as he gently rocked the little girl, Tubbo awing at how adorable she was. “Eret found her left outside the walls last night. I’m taking her in as she was obviously abandoned. So, meet the first woman of L’Manberg, (Y/N).”
“(Y/N) is a wonderful name.” Eret smiled a bit wider.
“She’s so cute and small,” Tubbo said, taking a step closer to get a better look at her.
Tommy huffed, already bored as Fundy simply stayed quiet.
“That being said, we are in the middle of a war.”
The weight of everything came back to rest on their shoulders as everyone with a smile stopped holding one. It was a dangerous time for all of them, no one able to leave the walls without a friend. Walls that were supposed to mean their freedom.
“That’s why no one must know (Y/N) exists. She must be a secret from all of the Dream SMP. They’ve shown how ruthless they can be and I don’t want to think about what they’d do if they knew about her. So, beyond these walls, (Y/N) doesn’t exist.”
Everyone gave a nod at the same time as (Y/N) had started to play with the ruffles on Wilbur’s uniform. He smiled gently as her as he took her hand, letting her play with his finger instead before looking dead serious at his men again.
“I can’t have just a nod. I need you to be verbal. This will not be taken lightly.”
Tommy spoke first as he gave a salute. “You have my word, Wilbur!”
Wilbur cracked a small smile; he could always rely on his little brother. “Good, now quiet down a bit.”
From there, it was a chorus of promises and she was their biggest secret that united them. Not even a traitor would dare breath word of her place in their walls.
The men could see a difference in their leader every day since then.
He left the van more often, actually going to his own home in the walls. Daily, everyone would see him carrying (Y/N) with him in her own little uniform he made on a walk within the walls. He sang more often like he used to before the declaration of war was made in order to soothe the little girl or simply to make her smile. There was a reason for him to relax and be soft and everyone was rather glad after all the weight he had been forced to hold.
Wilbur also saw the change in his men as the days went on.
Tubbo found joy with such an adorable new addition. He would sometimes join Wilbur on his daily walks within the walls to have a chance to hold the small girl. The young boy loved to also give her little gifts, usually toys he thought she’d like. He was very excited when Wilbur told him that she slept with a bee plushie he had gotten her.
Tommy was curious about her. Such a small thing, he was certain he was way bigger than her when he was that young. Wilbur let him hold her on the occasion if Tommy asked, but wouldn’t wonder if Tommy was holding her. He had faith in his little brother, but his eccentric energy just put Wilbur a little on edge. Often, Tommy would brag to the little girl that he’d be the coolest uncle and teach her many swear words when she got older, much to Wilbur’s dismay.
Eret did like the little girl, he really did as she was such a precious little thing, but he tried not to put too much attachment to her. He had begun…he had begun a different path and he didn’t want to also betray the little girl. And, the more separation he felt from her, the easier it was to lie about her existence. Though, there was the occasion he would do the same as Tubbo and gave her a toy or two, unable to help it as it put a smile on his face.
Fundy was different. He had been an only child for most of his life and now he had a little sister? It was only natural that he was jealous and sulked at all the attention she got from their father. Their father did try to include Fundy though; inviting every day on their walks, offering to let her feed instead, asking to play his piano while Wilbur sang. Unfortunately, Fundy wanted nothing to do with his little sister, often saying he hated her, which repeatedly broke Wilbur’s heart but he had faith; he’d change his son’s mind.
“I’m trying to have a peace talk with Dream today,” Wilbur told Fundy as he shrugged on his jacket while Fundy was sitting in the front seat of the van.
“Ok, and?” Fundy looked up at him.
“I’m taking Tubbo and Eret, Tommy’s staying guard and you.” Wilbur handed him a piece of paper. “And you are taking care of your sister.”
“What?! What the hell?” Fundy exclaimed, jumping up.
Wilbur put the paper in Fundy’s hand. “I have to go and try and make peace. I have faith in you son. (Y/N) would love to spend time with you anyways. Take good care of her alright? I don’t trust Tommy to watch her for so long but if you really need help, get him.”
“What…Why do I have to watch the brat?”
Wilbur gave him a stern look. “Fundy, she is your little sister. She is a part of our family. And family takes care of each other. Now, I want you to be nice to her and take care of her. Understood?”
Fundy clenched his jaw, shoving his hands in pockets. “Yeah, yeah.”
“Good.” Wilbur smiled at him now. “She’s still sleeping in my room. That paper is what she needs and when. You can do anything with her in-between. I’ll see you in a few hours my son.”
Wilbur left; his heart heavy as this was the first time he’d leave (Y/N) alone but hope helping it float as he hoped Fundy could love his sister as Wilbur loved her.
Fundy went into his father’s bedroom and saw the little girl already waking up slightly. He gave a heavy sigh as he picked her up carefully, holding her close.
“I hate you.” He muttered as she looked up at him.
The little girl giggled and he lowered his head. She gave pet to his face to feel the soft fur.
“I hate you’re too fucking adorable to hate.” He huffed. “Just don’t tell dad. Now, come on dipshit, time to eat.”
Fundy was jealous, yes. But he could never actually hate his adorable little sister. He’d keep her safe and make her happy too.
Wilbur got back later than he expected as Dream and his goons had chased their peaceful band like sport but they managed out relatively unscathed. The moon was already up and Wilbur was worried as he hadn’t written instructions for this long in the night for Fundy. After Tommy reported no incidents along the walls, Wilbur rushed home but froze, his heart-melting. In the living room, there was a long finished playing record on the jukebox and on the couch, Fundy laid with his arm over (Y/N) securely as she laid on his chest, both of them asleep.
“Thank you, my little champion,” Wilbur muttered with a smile, gently picking (Y/N) up before putting a blanket over Fundy. “I’m proud of you.”
Wilbur held (Y/N) close to him as he walked to his bedroom.
“And you, my little star, a day won’t go by where you won’t be loved. You’re our little star of hope in L’Manberg. You remind everyone what we fight for and you bring everyone smiles. We will bring peace, just so you can see how bright you shine my little star.” He kissed her forehead before putting her in her crib. “Sleep well love.”
Philza
Walking took longer than flying but it was definitely safer for his new little angel. He had tried to find her parents, asking around with the survivors but they weren’t there. So, Phil took her with him to meet his sons. When he started this journey, of the list of things he’d thought would happen, he didn’t think he’d gain a new child. Yet, there she slept peacefully in the sash Phil had made to carry her and keep her warm rather than carrying her in his arms the entire walk.
She most certainly quieter than most of his other children had been when they were this small, which Phil did not mind one bit. When she was awake, he would talk to her to fill her world though. He’d tell her about her new brothers and how he was sure they’d all love her in their own way.
“Techno will take a little convincing, he has a thing about orphans.” Phil scrunched up his nose. “But he’ll learn to you like you (Y/N).”
He hadn’t been able to find a name either for the new baby so he gave her one on his own.
Finally, after days of travel, Phil reached a crest of a hill and was able to see a beautiful town laid before him. From the looks of some decorations, they had some sort of festival recently. The worrying part was the people in armor down below, but, a large portion of them were celebrating. Phil scanned them over then he grew a large smile. Wilbur was patting Tommy’s shoulder as the younger boy was screaming with one of those celebrating, Techno to the side smirking.
His sons had managed to figure it all out.
“Looks like we were a little late angel. Your brothers can be smart when they choose to be.” He chuckled. “We’ll wait here and let them have their moment of victory.”
He sat on the edge of the hill, giving (Y/N) her afternoon milk as he watched the crowd below and listened to the start of celebratory speeches. As he quickly burped the infant, he frowned as Wilbur left his seat in the crowd, walking away as Tubbo was getting on stage.
“Let’s go see what he’s up to.” He muttered to the little girl, putting her in his sash securely before carefully flying over.
He landed as Wilbur walked into a room in a hill behind the stage. His eyes went wide as he remembered one of Tommy’s letters.
Will keeps saying if he can’t have L’Manberg, no one can. He made a room rigged to TNT under our nation. I’m hoping to talk him down but I don’t know if I can.
“Shit.” Phil sprinted over, walking into the room after his son.
Inside were mad scribblings as Wilbur stood with his hand on the wall next to a button.
“What are you doing?” Phil asked him.
Wilbur jumped, whirling around to see his father standing there, wearing a sash, unable to see the child it was holding.
“Phil…?”
“What are you doing?” Phil repeated.
Wilbur ran his hands through his hair as he looked back at the button then his father.
“How’d you…do you know what this is?” He motioned to the room around him.
“I do.” Phil nodded, stepping carefully forward.
“Have heard the songs on the walls?” Wilbur asked in turn as he ran his hand over a few of the words. “I was just saying to myself, there was a special place where men can go, but there’s not anymore! It’s not…” Wilbur sighed as he looked back at the button.
“It is there,” Phil told him as he put a hand on the side of the child to calm her down as she squirmed. “You just, you’ve just won it back.”
“Phil! I’m always so close to pressing this button, Phil! I’ve been—I’ve been here like seven or eight times I’ve been here.” Wilbur threw up his arms as Phil stood his ground when he saw the crazed look in his son’s eyes.
The little girl tried to give an uncomfortable babble at the loud shouting but Wilbur talked over her, having yet to notice the extra body in the room. In comfort, Phil put a hand over one of her ears as he pressed her close to him.
“Phil I-I’ve been here so many times.” Outside of the room, they all could hear the sound of fireworks going off. “They’re fighting. They’re fighting.”
“And you want to just blow it all up?” Phil questioned.
“I do I think I—”
“You fought so hard to get this land back.” Phil tried to discourage one of his older sons. “So hard.”
“I don’t even, I don’t even know if works anymore Phil,” Wilbur said, his hand hovering over the button, making Phil take a step forward. “I don’t even know if the button works I could, I could press it and might not…”
Wilbur looked back, grinning like a mad man and Phil squeezed the young girl lightly.
“Do you really want to take that risk? Wilbur…” He went to continue to say, hoping to bring up his new little sister to discourage the man but Wilbur looked away, staring at the button.
“There was a saying Phil, by a traitor. It was never meant to be.” Wilbur pressed the button, grinning at Phil as the hiss went off.
“No!” Phil shouted, quickly pulling his son close as he covered the three of them his wings as the blast went off.
He winced as the blast and the heat singed and damaged his feathers but he didn’t move as he held his two children close. He wouldn’t let them get harmed.
The sound of white noise rang in their ears as the explosions slowly stopped. Phil raised his wings slightly to look in horror at the destruction before them. Outside their half-destroyed room, Phil slowly started to hear the voices crying with terror at what they just witnessed as Wilbur stood before the hole holding his arms out as he grinned.
“My L’Manberg Phil! My unfinished symphony forever unfinished! If I can’t have this no one can Phil!”
“Oh my god.” Phil breathed, the ringing dying down enough for him to be startled at the cries closest to him.
(Y/N) screamed out cries in the aftermath of the loud explosions and shouting, her own ears ringing. Phil held her close, trying to calm her down despite his horror and disappointment. Wilbur finally heard the cries himself and looked over to finally notice the little girl. For a moment, he could see through his madness.
“Who’s…who’s this?” Wilbur muttered.
“She’s (Y/N),” Phil told him as he put his forehead on the little girl’s. “I came to help you and found her. I brought her to show her what her new brothers made. What great work you’ve done.”
“What great…” Wilbur looked over at what he had done.
Behind him, he could hear the cries of his new tiny sister he hadn’t been aware he had. Phil had brought her to show her a place of peace and beauty, but instead, Wilbur showed her terror and destruction. Across the explosion, he could see Tommy’s horror-struck face at the sight of their once great nation gone. This was his fault…
He pulled his sword, holding the handle to Will. “Kill me, Phil.”
“What?!” Phil looked at his son shocked, still clutching onto the crying girl.
“Stab me with the sword. Murder me now. Kill me!” Will demanded as he motioned to the crowd. “Look, they all want you to!”
Phil was stood in shock as he held a crying child in one arm while looking over at the crowd of terrified and horror-filled faces.
“Kill me, Phil!” Wilbur shouted.
“I—You’re my son!” Phil yelled. “No matter what you do—I can’t—”
“Phil!” Wilbur shouted, shoving the sword handle into his hand. “This isn’t—! Look! Look! How much work went into this and it’s gone! Do it.”
Phil looked from his son to the crowd, to the child in his arms. He couldn’t…why’d…(Y/N) should get a chance to meet her own brother! L’Manberg had ruined his son. He had gone mad…
“I’m sorry.” He whispered under his breath before plunging the sword.
Tears filled Phil’s eyes as he let go of the sword and held his son. (Y/N)’s wails only got louder and Phil cried with her.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry both of you.” He muttered
He wished everything could be different…
…
Phil sat by the fire with the L’Manberg citizens, one of his hands shaking slightly as the other gently rocked the no longer crying child.
Tommy had been speechless since the betrayal he received from both of his brothers, but looking up at his father across from him, he stood and spoke.
“Who’s she?” He asked.
Phil looked at him as the others looked over as well.
“This is your new little sister (Y/N). I found her when the village I was staying at was raided and I saved her. Would you like to hold her?”
Tommy came over and sat in front of his father. Phil helped him before letting his now second youngest hold her on his own. Tommy’s face had held no emotion after everything today but now it softened as the little girl met his eyes. He hugged her lightly as Phil held onto his shaking hand with his other to stop it.
“I wish you could have seen what L’Manberg looked like (Y/N),” Tommy mumbled to her. “Wilbur and Techno betrayed me but I promise. I won’t betray you. I never will do that to you.”
Phil looked at his son sadly as Tommy put his forehead on hers softly. At least Phil knew that she’d be well-loved by the brother she got to meet properly.
From there, the next few days were made for rebuilding. Phil helped the group as best he could but he had to rest to let his wings heal and he also had to take care of his little angel. Tommy made sure the others built Phil one of the first houses so his sister could be in a proper bed.
It warmed Phil’s heart that Tommy cared so much about his new little sister. Tommy would visit the pair occasionally just to see her, Phil giving him a little bit of trust to take care of her. Of course, Tommy used that trust to be his usual self and brag about how cute his little sister was to anyone that would listen to the boy’s antics. Though many couldn’t deny the boy, she was a very cute little girl and often brought smiles to other’s faces.
Phil was glad that his quiet little girl could bring joy to people that had been through so much. He just wished that she had had a chance to bring smiles to those that didn’t walk beside them any more…
Technoblade
“Phil,” Techno called on his walkie, trying to quiet down the girl crying in his arms.
“Yes?” Phil answered.
“She won’t stop crying,” Techno told him, Phil, able to hear the girl, chuckling quietly to himself. “Don’t laugh at this!”
“Sorry, sorry. Alright, you feed and changed her right?” The older man listed.
“Yes.” He had done it a few minutes ago, on his usual schedule to do so.
“Did you burp her after she ate?”
Techno paused and huffed before burping the child, the cries dying down after she released the gas that had built up.
“I forgot, she stopped.”
“Good. Just relax now, alright Techno?”
“Yeah.” Techno sighed as he put his walkie away, looking down at the little girl. “What now brat?”
It was often that Techno called his father to ask what to do. To put it simply, he was worried he’d fuck this all up. He had never exactly taken care of a child before; it had been all anarchy and blood before he decided on retirement. Hell, he barely ever took care of Tommy when he was a child, that was usually Wilbur’s thing.
He didn’t know the first thing he was doing nor did the voices. They always threw out different ideas contradicting each other. So, Techno always did his best and when it didn’t seem like enough, he went immediately to Phil.
When he did have things under control though, it was just any other day. Brew some potions out of habit, take care of the animals before collecting food for himself and milk for (Y/N), and trade with some of the villagers close by. The only difference was that he brought (Y/N) with him while he did anything.
To his relief, she was a quiet child and didn’t mind his quiet nature. She didn’t need pointless noise to be happy so he could just simply work. Techno did get Phil to make her a warmer outfit and Phil took it seriously but also made it a joke. He made her a pink outfit from wool and leather and with a bit extra, put fake pig ears on the hood of the outfit, which Techno would never admit looked adorable on her out loud.
He most certainly didn’t put it on her even if they weren’t going out that day, why would anyone think that?
Phil most certainly did spoil her though when he would come over. He’d always have something new for the little girl, clothes, and toys. His father also often tried to discourage Techno from using some of his nicknames for his child when the older man was over, such as brat.
(Y/N) yawned quietly and Techno chuckled, a small smile cracking on his face.
“Tired early huh? Yeah, ok, I can use a nap.” He nodded as he went up to his bedroom.
He sat on his bed, leaning back on the headboard as he racked his brain for their daily ritual.
“I got a good one today.” He laughed quietly. “Let me tell you about the story of Theseus.”
Every nap and bedtime, there was always a story for Techno to tell. Sometimes he’d tell her about his adventures around the world, about the places he conquered. There were other days when he’d tell her about myths he had memorized. It was when he’d talk the most to the little girl and he rather enjoyed these moments in his day.
It was their special little thing and he wouldn’t ever want to miss them.
Close to the end of the story, he stopped as he noticed (Y/N) was asleep. He nodded as he laid back, resting her carefully on his chest.
A crib was one thing Techno had not invested his time in. He didn’t move in his sleep and it was rare for the little girl to move in hers. So, he slept with her on his chest, giving him and the voices a better piece of mind. No one knew where he was, but he was still paranoid. This was the safest place for her.
“Sleep well little goddess,” Techno muttered, a hand on her back.
Despite the trials, he didn’t mind being a father.
Eret
Eret put a small flower crown on the infant’s head that matched the one he was wearing, smiling as she giggled, before picking her up, continuing on their daily walk through the SMP.
It was a lot of trial and error with the pair but Eret was a quick learner and adapted to the needs of his new child. He didn’t do as much as he once did with his friends, fewer prank wars with Fundy, and less involvement with Tommy’s antics, but he didn’t mind. He spent those hours with his little princess now; taking walks with her, playing with her along the way and in the castle, and making clothes that made her the adorable princess that she.
Of course, he did still sometimes get involved.
“Eret!” Tommy yelled on the walkie.
Eret chuckled as he took it from his pocket. “It seems Tommy is having troubles again princess.” She gave a babble and Eret nodded. “You’re very right. Let’s see what he needs. Yes, Tommy?”
“I need your help at my base ASAP!” Tommy demanded.
“It’s nothing dangerous right?” He asked.
“Of course not, now if you could hurry.”
He shook his head chuckling. “Alright, I’m on my way.”
Putting the walkie away, he hugged his little girl lightly as he changed direction.
“Sorry princess, we need to go check on Tommy. I know you won’t mind though.”
There were other times that had happened similarly and Eret would take (Y/N) with him to meet the younger boy. The younger boy’s energy would rub off on the infant and she would get excited as well, babbling and giggling constantly. As long as nothing dangerous was going on, Eret was glad to bring (Y/N) over as it always brought a smile to his face at how adorable she’d get.
Walking onto Tommy's property, he saw the young boy waiting impatiently outside his dirt home.
“There you are! You brought the brat?” He huffed.
“Come now, Tommy. (Y/N) loves being around you, at least be kind to her.” Eret smiled, knowing the boy meant no ill will.
“Right, now!” Tommy said dramatically as he opened the door to his base. “I need to make a plan!”
Following him in, he saw Tubbo was also there looking over a paper with Tommy’s handwriting on it. Tubbo looked up as they came in and grinned seeing the little girl in Eret’s arms.
“You brought (Y/N)!” Tubbo exclaimed excitedly as he came over. “Can I hold her?”
Eret laughed as he nodded, helping the other boy hold her. Tubbo enjoyed seeing the little girl, loving to play with her and spend time with her. There were times when Eret would let Tubbo babysit his princess so he could do a few more dangerous tasks.
“You got a little crown, you’re really a princess now.” Tubbo grinned as the girl babbled at him.
“We’re not here for (Y/N), we’re here to plan!” Tommy protested now.
Tommy didn’t mind the small child, he just got annoyed when the focus would come off him.
Focus went back on Tommy but Eret left after a little while to give (Y/N) her lunch for the day. She had gotten energetic after seeing the two boys, babbling and giggling as Eret played with her on the walk back. As they got back to his castle, he saw a wrapped package and note at the main door. Picking it up, he saw it was Fundy’s handwriting.
You stand no chance, it’s for (Y/N)
He raised an eyebrow, opening the package then laughed.
“It seems Fundy wishes to make you love him more than me.” Eret showed her the fox plushy, making her eyes sparkle as he gave it to her. “But I know that you’ll always love me, princess.” He booped her nose, (Y/N) looking at his sunglasses, babbling. “That’s right. I think this prank was an automatic failure. I love you princess.”
Dream
“Come on (Y/N), you just got to hold out your hands to me,” Sapnap told the infant in the crib at the community house.
“No, she’s going to me,” George argued.
The little girl looked between the two as they went between bickering and encouraging her to hold her hands out to them. Then she looked directly between them and held her arms out giggling.
“What?” George looked behind them and yelped seeing Dream.
“What are you idiots doing?” Dream laughed as he picked up his daughter.
“We were trying to get (Y/N) to choose her favorite uncle, but then you ruined it.” Sapnap huffed, crossing his arms.
“Well, I am her favorite person.” Dream bragged as he pulled his mask up while looking at the little girl. “Peek-a-boo.”
The girl gave a little squeal of laughter and Dream chuckled rubbing his nose against hers.
“She loves both of you idiots.” Dream told them, put his mask back on. “You’re her uncles.”
“Yeah, but I got to prove Uncle Sapnap is the best.” Sapnap pointed to himself.
“No! I’m better than you of course.”
The two bickered and Dream shook his head at his friends before leaving the community house.
“Your uncles are stupid.” Dream whispered to the little girl, tickling her stomach making her giggle. “Why don’t we go look at what the new people have built today, sound good sweetheart?”
After Dream had taken in the little girl, his life had most certainly brightened more as their world around them grew. She was a constant ball of happiness that always made Dream and his friends smile. Of course, they had to power through learning how to take care of a baby, a lot of screaming coming from all parties the first night they had the child. But they were starting to get the hang of it.
One thing Dream loved to do that always seemed to please the little girl was taking her around to see the new buildings that were slowly starting to appear as more people joined their land of the SMP. She seemed to like taking in the new sights so Dream took her whenever someone new came or a new build appeared.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with your uncles when you get older. They’re going to be falling over each other to get your attention.” Dream told her as he walked. “I think they think I’ll like whoever wins. You’re my special little girl after all. But what they don’t know, is I don’t care as long as you’re happy.”
It was very true that Dream’s two best friends were always falling each other to get the attention of the infant already. They got her many things to win her over, having similar competitions when Dream wasn’t looking. Right now, the score was even.
To try and balance the two-out, Dream would alternate on who he took out for dangerous adventures and who would stay with his little girl. He couldn’t send the both of them on their own, unfortunately, least one of them “trips” into a lava pool.
Dream stopped on the edge of the new property, (Y/N) looking at the colorful flowers decorating it.
He was a bit hesitant to show her off to others as he wasn’t the most trusting but if they were going to be part of his land, he would introduce her out principle. He did say she was going to be the princess of his land.
“No new faces today doesn’t seem Tommy is around.” Dream said to her. “We’ll see him later I’m sure. How about we go visit Punz for a bit?”
He walked away from the property. There were so many people on his land now, he was sure it would become a bright place where his little princess could always be happy.
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A/N: If you want to be in this taglist I have a post on my page you can reply on or just send me an ask :)
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psh - love affair
park sunghoon [f. 8516 words] love affair
so when i’m gonna know what to feel inside, baby?
maybe it’s just all in my head, so
don’t overthink, this is love
maybe it’s just a crush
baby, is this your love affair, your love affair?
synopsis: what happens when two childhood best friends make a deal to help each other’s reputations? an unforeseen circumstance prompts sunghoon to approach you, intriguing not just you but practically every other student at your college. you believe your reunion with him can only end in one of two ways: you resort back to being friends and go on with your lives, or you use each other and once you’re both done, you fall out and never talk again. how will you two navigate your companionship? is it just the nostalgia coming up? a revival of feelings? a new crush? could it possibly be actual love?
genre + tropes : fluff. comedy. the slightest angst. childhoodbestfriends!au. enemiestolovers!au. college!au. fakedating!au.
warnings: fem reader. a little swearing. slightly suggestive themes, sorta. a few cliches. mentions of underage drinking. the american collegiate school calendar. does them geeking out over fantasy/sci-fi sagas need a warning? unknown mutual pining. they’re so helplessly clueless of their feelings. also appearances of the rest of enha plus txt.
i. prologue
if someone told you that you would reconnect with your childhood best friend���let alone date him, you would’ve laughed in their face and told them to fuck off. park sunghoon is bad news. well, at least to you he is. one of the infamous campus playboys, you can spot him around the quad flirting with a different girl practically every day.
but to you, he couldn’t have been anymore unlike the sunghoon you grew up with. you grew up with the sunghoon who couldn’t stand being around others, mind always focused on his own interests. you knew him as the little shy boy who would hide behind his mom whenever new people came around. the first person he opened up to was you. you can blame your mom for that. you can vaguely remember her words, something along the lines of mrs. park and i have been friends for longer than you have been alive. when we found out we were both expecting, we knew you two were destined to be besties.
she was right. everyone thought you were two peas in a pod. wherever one of you went, the other followed. always stuck together, like true partners in crime. your close bond stuck for years. if anyone needed you, you’d most likely be found in the seats of sunghoon’s ice skating practices and competitions, cheering him on and being obnoxiously loud. likewise, he always attended your showcases, spending hours complimenting your artwork.
but then the villain of everyone’s lifetime eventually appeared. puberty.
alas, your friendship did what anyone could predict of a couple of preteens entering high school. the usual “no matter what we’re gonna stick together!” leading to “sorry for blowing you off, got really busy,” to the imminent “what happened to us? we used to be so close,” and eventually the end of it all. senior year, the two of you attempted to leave on a good note. by that, you mean your parents made both of you apply to the same colleges to have a chance at sticking together. well, it worked, you got into the same university. funny how the universe does things.
back to present day, you’re now in your second year at hybe university. let’s just say, sunghoon isn’t the only one who went through a personality change. sunghoon traded his late night practices on the ice to one-night stands at frat parties. you, on the other hand, traded your once outgoing and fun-loving persona for a more… cold grunge meets artsy introvert. overall, let’s just say you both have reputations for not being the most approachable people. well at least you still have one thing in common.
ii. the cafe
the busy campus cafe was roaring with study groups filling every table. the aroma of fresh coffee and tea being brewed filling the air, creating a warm atmosphere—contrast to the cold winter weather just outside the walls. the college students scattered around, just like their minds scattered as they prepare for finals. not immune to the dreaded time of year, a group of four boys enter, immediately grabbing the attention of those already nestled inside.
a quick roll call of the four known by the student body as en-4, a combination of the dance crew name enhypen and the notorious f4. lee heeseung—the campus heartthrob, captain of the dance crew, center of the basketball team, and an unknown hopeless romantic. park jongseong, although everyone calls him jay—the resident bad boy and party animal, but those close to him know that he’s actually the responsible one. sim jaeyun, otherwise referred to as jake—the friendly and flirty frat boy who you can catch playing soccer in the quad almost every day. finally, park sunghoon—the handsome heartbreaker. he doesn’t need more of an introduction.
the four of them make their way to the counter, placing their orders. of course jake doesn’t miss his chance to sound extra sweet and send a quick wink to the barista, getting elbowed by heeseung in the process. after getting their drinks, they look around to see almost no where to sit. not a single table to fit all of them was available.
in one of the tucked away areas, sunghoon spots an empty seat at a smaller table. the only catch was there was someone sitting across from it, hunched forward over her laptop. he can’t see much of her figure but he immediately recognizes her features. it’s you. well, a more mature and grown up you, but he couldn’t forget that face for the life of him.
sunghoon’s feet drag himself across the crowded room, catching the attention from the neighboring groups he passed but sneaking away quiet enough to not alarm his own friends. the three are too caught up arguing about what to do. sunghoon can hear the faint voice of jay suggesting going somewhere else while the other two shoot him down as he walks further away. he makes his way all the way up to your side. you look up, scanning him, confused but unamused. “this seat taken?” the first words he said in a year and half to you. still not not giving him any emotion, you hesitantly shake your head once, immediately bringing your focus back to your essay.
ignoring him only works for so long, his gaze not leaving the top of your head. you can feel his stare piercing into you, finally meeting his eyes. “what’s your deal?” the irritation and bluntness in your tone is all too evident.
he shrugs and answers nonchalantly, “nothing, just go along with it.” his answer is hushed, almost as if he’s a bit embarrassed.
“what are you trying to pull here, park?”
“can i not just sit here and peacefully drink my latte? am i that disturbing to you?”
“considering that the second you started walking in this direction, everyone had their eyes on us, then yes, you are that disturbing.”
“they’re not looking at us.” he pauses before continuing with his rant, “they’re looking at you.”
“and why the hell do you think that is?”
“they’re all trying to figure out what could possibly be so interesting about you that i would choose this seat.” he says it like it’s the most obvious answer.
you scoff and turn to see the lingering stares of the others in the cafe. “well, if it isn’t the god park sunghoon being as humble as ever, gracing me with his presence and having mercy on a peasant like me.” the sarcasm dripping off your tongue like venom.
he smiles warmly at your animosity and chuckles. “i’ve always loved your sense of humor.”
“funny cause i’ve always despised yours. i’m gonna ask one more time. what do you want, park?”
he only shrugs. hesitating before responding again, “i like it here. i like talking to you. it’s familiar… comfortable.” he sees your expression change subtly. it’s only for a second before you regain the prior look. he tries to read you. he caught you off guard and his pride brings a smirk to his face.
by now, he finally tunes back into the situation around him and can feel his phone going off in his jean pocket. he pulls out the phone to see dozens of notifications, quickly stealing a glance back up at you to see that you’re already back to typing away on the previously forgotten assignment. he laughs as he sees the boys blowing up their group chat asking what he was doing. he looks up, finding the three sitting at a cramped booth with shock and confusion written all over them.
“enjoying the attention?” your turn to break the silence. when he turns back to you, you continue, “you’re no stranger to it but you’ve always loved it.” he gives you a slow nod, turning the question back to you. you answer him, “you know that it’s not my forte.”
“and why is that? scared people will get to know the real you?”
“oh please, like you aren’t afraid of me exposing all the dirt i have on you. imagine the buzz i could create with all of your old baby pics.”
he jolts up from his relaxed position, eyebrows raised, and completely on edge, “you wouldn’t dare.”
you lean forward in your seat, elbow resting on the table, cheek resting in your palm, and chuckle, “try me.” the words leaving your mouth quickly and a smile immediately replacing it.
“you’re finally smiling at me. good to know you still have emotions.” he gets you to laugh again. you spend the next 20 minutes catching up. looks like you two kept more in common than you thought. things run smoothly between the two of you, some of your old memories and inside jokes being brought up. “why didn’t this happen sooner?”
“what, us talking? i mean, you and i stopped running in the same crowd and school got the best of us. i will admit, though, freshman year sucked without you.”
he sighs when he hears your admission. “how about this? a proposition. i’m sure you’re aware that i don’t have the best reputation.”
you cut him off, “you can say that again.”
“haha, very funny,” he throws in another sarcastic comment. “you know you’re not exactly the most approachable either. hate to be the one to break it to you but you’re pretty intimidating.” he notices the expression on your face turned into one of annoyance at his last statement, “don’t look at me like that, you know it’s true.”
you dismiss the slight jab, telling him to continue. what you don’t expect is the next four words to come out of his mouth. “go out with me.” he sees your face drop, “oh come on, stop looking at me like that.”
“so i see, a little bit of time without me and you go insane.”
“look, i don’t mean actually date me, i mean… pretend to.”
again, you stare at him like he grew another head. “you want me to fake-date you? what are we, in a k-drama now? sorry hoon, you’re attractive but i would’ve preferred hwang in-youp or song kang.”
now he’s a bit annoyed, answering cockily, “i am so much better looking than them.”
“you wish.”
his jaw drops for a few seconds and then he chuckles. “i’m serious, think about it. we go out and spend time with each other like old times. i don’t look like i’m so incapable of being in a committed relationship and you don’t look like such a loner. no offense.”
“offense taken… but i see your point.”
“see, look at you using that smart brain of yours. this would be no strings attached. just two friends helping each other out while simultaneously deceiving everyone else. i know how much you love tricking others.”
you sit quietly, weighing the pros and cons in your head. “deal.”
iii. bro code
a few days later, sunghoon sits in his shared apartment with the boys, slumped on the couch as they eat dinner. “why are you guys so against it? i thought you wanted to see me in a relationship and now that i’m in one, you guys don’t approve. make it make sense. i should be free to date whoever i want.”
“yeah dude,” pausing to take a bite of his burger, “we get that.” jay answers, seeing how defensive his friend is getting.
jake interejects, “we respect your choices, but like… her? of all the girls that are falling at your feet, you chose her? the one that has no interest in you at all? i know you’re powerful but i don’t get how you managed to pull that off.”
“i feel like you could’ve consulted us about it first. bro code, man.” heeseung says as he shrugs his shoulders and sips on his soda.
“that’s kinda why i like her, because she isn’t all over me like the others. she’s cute and fun to hang out with. just give her a chance. honestly, what’s the worst that could happen? we go out and it doesn’t work. no harm in trying….”
that seems to do the trick as the boys lay off from the topic, going back to their own dinners and watching the latest episode of the penthouse.
later that night, sunghoon leaves their dorm to meet up with you. you agreed earlier that if you needed to meet up and talk that you’d go to the art department. perks of being an art major allows you a studio to spend your time in, secluded from the outside world. in this case, you and sunghoon don’t have to worry about nosy roommates.
when he arrives, he makes sure to take the back entrance like you mentioned. he makes his way through the deserted halls, glancing at each room he passes, and taking note of the various pieces framed along the corridor walls. he gets to the end of the building, finding a studio decorated with your name on the door. he silently enters. you don’t notice him at first with your back against the entrance and the music playing too loud through your airpods, focused on molding the clay on the pottery wheel. he grabs an empty stool, propping it beside you and taking a seat. he takes off one of your airpods, putting it in his own ear.
you finally turn your head towards him, “how long ago did you get here?”
“just now. how long were you waiting?”
you sit up, facing his direction. “i had a couple of classes today and came here to finish some stuff, been here for… what time is it?”
“um… almost 11.”
“then like four hours.”
“you’ve been working on that for four hours? what even is it, and when did you start doing pottery?” he points at the unfinished ceramic.
“not just that. i had some paintings that i needed to finish for my portfolio and those are in a separate room to dry. this,” you refer to the clay, “is just something i’m working on for fun. i got into it cause one of my profs suggested i try another medium.”
he nods along while you explain. “you can keep working on it while we talk.”
you hum in confirmation and turn back to the wheel, rewetting your wands. “so how do we make this believable? seems like people already know. word spreads quick when it comes to you.”
“we just need to act like a couple. so hanging out, going on dates, posting each other here and there, and being affectionate.”
“wow you finally found an excuse to kiss me,” you laugh as you joke with him, him following suit. “sounds reasonable, not much different from how we were as kids, just now we have to call them dates.”
“shouldn’t cause too many problems. just don’t fall in love with me, babe.”
you smile at the new nickname, “likewise, hoon.” you continue throwing the clay, molding it to your desired shape. you hyperfocus on the sculpture, tuning out the boy sitting next to you as he watches—he catches on that you still have the habit of pouting whenever you work on your art. you hunch forward, letting some of your hair fall in front of your face. too caught up, you don’t notice that sunghoon left his seat to stand behind you. he takes your locks and ties it into a messy ponytail. you snap out of your tunnel vision to ask, “why do you just have a hair tie handy?”
“i always had to carry some around for you because you always lost them. i never grew out of it, i guess.” he grins warmly, “do you remember how many times you had complained when you would get paint in your hair and i would have to clean it up for you?”
“how could i forget?” the night ends with more laughs and reminiscing on your childhood. time really does fly faster than you think.
iv. rated pg
the bell rings as you and sunghoon enter the convenience store. you two are discussing the movie you two just watched as you walk through the aisles.
you split up agreeing to meet back at the register. you make your way to the drinks in the back while sunghoon goes to get snacks. you grab an iced jasmine tea for yourself and an iced vanilla latte for hoon. sunghoon yells over the stands as he browses, “hey, what should i caption for my insta post?”
you respond loudly, “i don’t know, something related to movies.”
sunghoon looks at the picture on his phone: a photo of you two snuggled up in the theater, most of your face hidden in his hoodie. he types in quickly “rated pg for park’s girl <3”, hits post, and goes back to browsing. he goes to grab bento boxes, honey butter chips, candy jellies, and practically everything his eyes landed on.
when you make it to the cashier, you see sunghoon with his arms full. “you good there, park?”
a muffled “yup” is heard behind all the food.
you look around, walking away when you find what you needed. going closer to him, “why didn’t you just grab a basket?” you start to take some things from his arms, lightening his load.
“i… uh… didn’t think of it.” he pauses in between, an embarrassed expression adorning his face. you giggle as you take everything to be rung up, missing how his ears turned red. you catch the worker’s name on his tag, jungwon. before you can take out your wallet to pay, sunghoon’s already entering his card into the machine. you whip your head around, ready to tell him off. “nope, do not look at me like that.” you roll your eyes at him as you grab the bag with what you just bought.
“oh come on… you can’t seriously be mad at me.” no response from you. “really? the silent treatment?” he scoffs jokingly when you cross your arms against your chest. he comes closer to bend down and wrap his arms around your waist. “it’s snacks. it’s not that big of a deal.”
you release yourself from his grasp and walk out of the store, still faking being mad. you mumble, “whatever,” under your beath but still loud enough for him to hear.
he bids jungwon a quick “have a nice night”, not missing him calling the two of you a cute couple. sunghoon meets up with you outside, already sitting on the curb of the parking lot.
v. pretty boy
the start of a new semester. en-4 are sitting out on the grass of the quad. surrounding them are various groups of students, typical for the buzzing campus on a crisp spring day.
“you need to cook the noodles first. end of discussion.” jake says sternly. he and heeseung are in a heated argument over the proper order of cooking ramen.
heeseung defends himself, “you are so wrong. you make the broth first to build the flavor.”
jay brings his attention up from his phone, “neither of you should be allowed anywhere near a kitchen.”
out of nowhere, a loud car horn is heard, drawing the attention of every student in the area. sunghoon looks up to find you leaning against the passenger door of your car and yelling, “hey, pretty boy! get in.” he chuckles at both the label and how bossy you sound, turning to his friends to grab his things. the three of them are stunned at him.
jake breaks first, “wait, what?”
heeseung lets go of his argument with the australian, “dude, are you seriously leaving?”
sunghoon only nods as he walks away, not letting them ask any more questions. he notices all the watching eyes and decides why not put on a show? he shouts out to you, “thought i was picking you up later, babe.” he makes sure to emphasize the nickname as his infamous smirk tells you exactly what his intentions are.
“lecture ended early, love. prof had some emergency. thought why not surprise you…” you wrap your arms around his shoulders as he reaches you and let him lay a quick peck on your cheek. “now come on, i’m taking you out on a date so either hop in or lose your chance. your choice but i don’t have that much patience so hurry up.”
“yes, ma’am,” he leans in closer and guides his hands lower from your waist. “but i’m driving,” he says as he sneakily takes your keys from your back pocket,
“you sly fox.” he laughs at the new nickname as he opens the door, letting you sit down before closing it. he makes his way around the hood, noting that all attention is still on you two. he meets eyes with his friends again, the three looking much like the faces he saw in the cafe almost six weeks ago. as he buckles in and starts the car, you rest your hand on top of his on the gear shift. he raises his eyebrows and gives you a charming smile. “by the way, why’s your friend looking at me like that?”
he looks back up to face the boys, “which one?”
“jay. since we started doing this, he keeps looking at me weird—like weirder than the others.”
he tilts his head to the side when he realizes that jay is indeed looking in your direction, but his eyes are focused solely on you. “jay is… how should i put this? you know what i’ll tell you later. for now, tell me where to?”
vi. jukebox
the hazy red glow of the neon lights and checkered tiled floors welcomed you as you led sunghoon into the local diner. this place was a staple in your childhood, your go-to hangout spot with the aforementioned boy when you were still in your youth.
“i will say, this is a nice surprise.”
you look up to sunghoon as he sits across from you in the vinyl booth seat, “i knew you would love it.” you laugh with each other as you get situated, seeing a young but tall—why is he so tall? he looks like he’s only a teenager—server coming towards your table.
“hey, i’m niki and i’ll be taking care of you guys today,” the giant says cheerfully. “anything i can start you guys with?”
sunghoon looks up at the boy to take your order swiftly, “two strawberry milkshakes, please.” you watch as niki nods and walks back to the counter.
“well, well, well, park… you remembered?” you question teasingly with a cocked eyebrow.
“you’ve always had a sweet tooth. no wonder you loved me so much,” his turn to turn up the typical park sunghoon charm.
you scrunch your face in annoyance, “you should become a comedian.”
“i will never get tired of your sarcasm. it really just… keeps me going.” his way of joking back. “stay here. i’ll be right back,” he says quickly as he looks behind you and gets out of his seat.
you wait patiently for him, assuming he’s just going to the restroom. unbeknownst to you, sunghoon is making his way to the jukebox on the other side of the restaurant. he flips through the song list, finally finding the one he wants. he quickly puts in the coins and sets it in the queue. as he turns to go back to you, he sees an engraving on the side. he runs his fingers along it as he inspects the writing. property of sunghoon and y/n. he thinks back to your last day of eighth grade when you two etched the label onto the wood. he joyfully walks back to your table, ready to let you know about the memory. he sits next to you now, resting his arm behind you and around your back,
“what took you so long, park?”
right as he’s about to explain, niki comes to your table, “two strawberry milkshakes. anything else i can get you two?”
you turn your head quickly to the boy sitting next to you, seeing his eyes are already focused on yours. “um… no, i, uh, think we’re good.” you stumble and stutter a bit. you watch him as he nods his head and walks away. regaining your composure, you ask sunghoon again, “so what did take you so long?”
once again, he gets interrupted. the sound of “purpose” by justin bieber playing over the speakers makes him stop. he gives you a second to register the song, “that’s why.”
you tilt your head down and look at him quizzically, “really? this is why?” you reach to your drink, sipping on the straw as you wait for his answer.
he mirrors your movement, nodding his head in confirmation. he too drinks from the tall glass, contrary to your use of a straw, he opts to drink straight from the rim. he pulls the milkshake away, leaving some on his upper lip.
you burst into quiet laughter, turning your gaze away to not spit out your own shake.
sunghoon furrows his eyebrows in confusion, “what’s so funny?”
you turn back to him, “you got a little something there, park.” you wipe away the liquid from his face with your thumb, popping into your own mouth to clean it up.”there, all good now.”
sunghoon freezes in his spot, trying to comprehend what just happened. it’s quick but he feels something. trying to shake off the foreign feeling, he turns to face forward again. he feels you lean into him, head resting on his chest. a small grin appears on his face, humming along to the justin bieber tune still playing.
“i missed hearing you sing.”
sunghoon looks down at the crown of your head, “really? you used to always tease me about it, though.”
you shake your head with a light laugh, “i never meant it. whenever you sang, it always calmed me. i used to think… if you didn’t pursue skating, you could’ve been a singer.”
“and then what? i would bring you around on tour everywhere and sneak you in backstage?”
“that could’ve been fun.” you now laugh louder than before, him along with you.
there it is again. sunghoon’s not sure what it is, trying to suppress the odd emotion. he sits there, cuddling up to you in the booth, finishing the strawberry milkshakes, just hoping you can’t hear the way his heart starts to beat faster.
sitting at the bar, snacking on fries, and trying to not be seen by you two are heeseung, jay, and jake. they ask themselves would they really be considered sunghoon’s friends if they didn’t follow them and stake out their date.
vii. nerds
sunghoon picked you up from the art department today. he showed up about ten minutes too early, and he got permission from your instructor to monitor your class from the back. he waited outside the door while you cleaned up, earning a few prying looks from your peers as they exited. as you drove back to his place, you agreed to have a movie marathon.
opening the door to his dorm, you say “we are watching star wars. luke, leia, and han solo are a way better trio than three child magicians.”
sunghoon defends his choice, “first of all, they’re wizards. second, i’m offended. harry, ron, and hermione use magic with their wands. all star wars has is weird weapons and robots.”
“they’re literally in space and excuse you, but does something called—oh, i don’t know—the force ring any bells? they’re jedis, duh.” you rolls your eyes, making your annoyance clear.
sunghoon stops in the hall, “harry potter has spells and potions.”
“star wars has chewbacca.” you stand next to him with your arms crossed.
definitively and matter-of-factly, sunghoon says, “quidditch.”
“you can’t seriously believe quidditch is praiseworthy?” you look at him crazily.
“you two are such nerds.”
you both freeze, turning to see the rest of en-4 sitting in the living room. in the midst of your argument, you both failed to notice the others were home. you realize that jay was the one to stop you two. you also realize it’s the dreaded time for the best friends to finally meet the “girlfriend”. sunghoon seems to realize it as well, reaching to intertwine your hands to both sell the act to his roomates and to calm you down.
he leads you into the living room, meeting eyes with the boys. “so… guys, this is y/n, my girlfriend.”
“it’s so nice to finally meet you! i’m jake. sunghoon here has been holding out on us. i mean, come on, it’s been like two months and he still hasn’t introduced you to us.” the australian continues on with his energetic and positive ramble, asking you questions about your relationship.
heeseung butts in to tell jake to slow down. “i’m heeseung. jake’s right though, you two started dating before winter break and we’re barely meeting you now. sunghoon is always hanging out with you and telling us everything about it. honestly, all i can tell you is to run while you still can.” the others all laugh at his antics.
sunghoon scoffs, “hey, i’m not that bad.”
you excuse yourself to get a drink from the kitchen. you can hear jake spitting out more questions like rapid fire to sunghoon as you walk away. you reach into the fridge, fishing out a water bottle.
behind you, jay enters quietly. “you two are cute together.”
you flinch at his voice, “geez, dude. almost gave me a heart attack.”
he chuckles under his breath and leans against the counter, “sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. i met sunghoon at freshman orientation and we immediately became friends, but i’ve never seen him like this.”
“really hoping you mean that in a good way.”
“don’t worry, it is. you know… he only has a soft spot for you. the three of us are his best friends but he only ever smiles like that with you.” he sways his head back and forth as he rambles, taking a pause between his words. “stay with him. it’ll be good for everyone.”
you smile at his approval, “you wanna know something? he actually said you would be the hardest to win over. he said something about you being super protective over your friends… yet, at the same time you trust their judgement. he told me that when he and i got together, he wasn’t scared to tell you but more worried as to if you would like me.”
he smiles with you now, “that all he said about me?” he asks while raising his eyebrows in curiosity.
“he also mentioned that you’re a good cook.”
viii. proud
a professor of yours is holding their annual spring showcase for contemporary art. every year, a handful of students are chosen to join and display their art amongst other renowned artists. you happen to be one of the few, a top contender chosen for your abilities.
you’ve invited your friends, including en-4 to come by the studio and see your work—albeit a bit nervous for their reactions. you stand on watch by your section, greeting the patrons and waiting for the boys to arrive.
thankfully, they show up within the first hour of the gallery opening. they each show up looking professional and chic, sporting all-black fits—most likely at the hands of jay. sunghoon immediately finding you and leading the way for the rest. you welcome them in, explaining your collection, the concentration being “vulnerability.” the works are a mix of several mediums, majority being oil paint, each displaying a closeup of various people. the paintings show their bare faces, imperfections and blemishes with nothing to hide.
the night continues with more and more passing by, complimenting your collection. by the time the exhibition ends, you and sunghoon are the only ones left in the studio. he’s stayed in the same spot, eyeing one piece incredibly closely. throughout the entire showcase, he had kept going back to the one canvas. you join his side, linking your arm with his. “this one is my favorite,” you hear him say.
you look up to meet his eyes, “why this one?”
“because… it’s you.” you takes your arm out and moves to stand behind you, now wrapping himself around you and resting his chin in the crook of your neck. he holds your hands in his, “i am so proud of you. times like this, i am proud to call you my best friend.” he turns his head, kissing you once on your jaw, and then pulling slightly back to kiss you again on the cheek.
you turn around, hugging him closer with your arms around his shoulders, “thank you.” you hold each other for a few minutes. when you pull away, you lock eyes. you feel your heart beating against your chest and your breathing getting faster. you snap back to reality when you feel sunghoon’s lips on yours. you’re not sure why you tangle your fingers in his hair and kiss him back or why he grabs onto your waist while backing you into the wall. he continues placing pecks on the corner of you lips, creating a trail down to your neck. when you let out a sigh and say his name, he stops. there he stands, a few feet in front of you, awkward and unsure of what to do next.
he breaks the silence, “it’s late. i should drive you back home.” he watches as you slowly nod your head. the drive back to your apartment was dead silent. you tried to occupy yourself by looking out the window.
when he drops you off, he bids you a quick goodnight. “um… text me when you get back home.” sunghoon just looks forward, muttering “ok” before leaving.
in the elevator, you look at your reflection on the metal doors. you make your way inside your place and take a seat on your bed. your mind is too busy reliving the moments with sunghoon before. you try to comprehend what you should do but find yourself too tired, instead falling asleep and missing his text.
ix. spring break
it’s currently the middle of april and the boys have made you an honorary member of en-4. you and sunghoon have been pretending to be a couple and successfully tricking everyone for the last four months.
everyone has the week off for spring break. jay, being the generous guy he is, rented out a cabin in the mountains for the now five members of your friend group. you all rode in one car on the way up, and you totally didn’t fall asleep in the middle seat while cuddling into sunghoon’s side.
you all decide to settle into your rooms once you arrive. “so there are four rooms, two downstairs and two upstairs.” jay pauses, looking towards you and sunghoon, “i assume that you’ll be fine sharing one.”
you immediately answer, “yeah, for sure.” you look to see sunghoon avoiding your gaze, sensing knowing looks from the others. sunghoon and you already guessed that they would make the two of you share a room and truthfully, neither of you minded. growing up together meant a lot of sleepovers and sharing beds so this was no problem.
he continues on, “great, you guys can take the master bedroom on the second floor cause it has the most space. i’ll take the room next to you, heeseung and jake can take the two down here.”
everyone agrees and sets off to their assigned rooms. you and sunghoon drop your bags onto the mattress, starting to unpack. the interior is spacious, the tall glass sliding doors allow lots of natural light to come in. the room itself is cozy, king size bed with matching bedside tables, and a big fluffy area rug. you’re too distracted to notice that sunghoon has gone outside to the balcony. he leans against the railing, taking in the scenic views and the breeze, basking in the setting rust-colored sun. when you finally realize that he’s not next to you anymore, you silently make you way onto the balcony, wrapping your arms around sunghoon from behind.
he tenses up at the sudden contact, relaxing when he realizes it’s you. there it is again, his heart is acting up like at the diner. he’s noticed it more often—the way that whenever he sees you, his heart beats differently. this weird feeling in his chest, this warmth that only shows up around you. he gets lost in his thoughts, envisioning what could become of your situation.
“what’s got you so lost?”
your voice snaps him back to reality. he turns around to face you, “uh… nothing, just thinking.”
just when you want to question him further and talk about what happened at the showcase, a knock is heard on the door. sunghoon walks away, going to open the door. both of you can feel the awkward tension when he leaves his spot.
“hey, we’re kinda hungry so we’re gonna order some food and watch a movie downstairs,” jake informs you two when the door opens. “feel free to come down and join whenever.”
“yeah, we’ll be down in a bit,” sunghoon tells him as heeseung nods before leaving you two alone again. you both finish getting settled before heading downstairs. you gather around the couch as ponyo plays on the tv and you reach for a tray of sushi.
the night continues, the moon sitting high amongst the stars. after the movie, dinner, and some drinking games, everyone retires to their respective rooms. you plop yourself onto the bed, tired after the day’s activities. you hear sunghoon getting something from his bag along with the rustling of some plastic. you crane your head up to see him approaching you. he sits on the edge of the bed, now with fluffy headbands and face masks in hand.
you scoot back a bit, “nope. no way you are getting me to do that.”
he laughs lightly at your antics, “oh come on… let me take care of you, at least just for tonight. please.” he gives you a pleading look with pursed lips, dragging out the “please” to show how desperate he is.
that was the deciding point that led to a spa night. you both changed into comfier clothes, you borrowed one of his hoodies and sweatpants. sunghoon got settled in closer to you and you reached for his wrist to grab one of the elastic bands. you adjusted your position to sit on your knees, reaching up to tie his hair back. he, on the other hand, took one of the headbands to bring your hair back and away from your face.
by the time midnight rolled around, you two were snuggled under the comforter with face masks, surrounded by junk food, and on the fourth episode of some random netflix show. as the night continues, a wave of sleep starts to overtake both of you. you help each other take off the masks and clean up, getting distracted every few minutes because one of you would start messing around. the boys had stopped by to say goodnight, catching you two in the middle of a mild pillow fight. after sending them off, you fall asleep in each other’s arms, basking in the warmth of your shared embrace. heeseung had snuck in at one point and stole a few quick pictures to tease you two with.
the dawn breaking through the sheer curtains causes you to stir in bed. you turn to see the alarm clock on the nightstand say 6:02. untangling yourself from sunghoon’s grasp, you sneak outside. you climb up to sit on the rooftop, feeling the cool chill of the dewy morning. the time alone gives you a sense of serenity.
meanwhile, sunghoon moves under the covers, confused why he can’t feel you. his eyes open and he doesn’t find a trace of you in the room. worried, he gets up and quietly searches the house, making sure to not wake the others. he goes into the backyard, seeing a shadow on the ground with an unusual shape. he looks up to find you perched on the roof, facing the opposite direction. he eventually climbs up to sit next to you. he hesitates before getting closer and putting his arm around you. you sigh as you lean into him. there you both stay, watching the sun come over the horizon in a comfortable silence.
x. disaster averted
the following week, you all return to campus. needless to say, the break was well used—the days at the cabin mostly being spent at the lake or around the campfire. another day spent hanging out at en-4’s dorm after classes. sunghoon went out to pick up food for everyone. you are in his room, trying to cram for an upcoming test and failing miserably because the other three are all playing fifa way too loud.
while the boys are playing, the doorbell rings. jay gets up to check who it is, seeing a young girl and immediately recognizing her. he lets in yeji, sunghoon’s little sister. she casually joins the boys around the tv, catching up on whatever has been happening in their lives. sunghoon arrives back home within twenty minutes.
“i’m back with the food,” he shouts out loud enough for everyone to hear including you behind his closed bedroom door. he places the plastic bags on the table, looking up to see another face. “yeji? what are you doing here?”
she gets up to greet her brother, giving him a hug, “it’s my spring break and i wanted to stop by.” sunghoon then realizes that his family doesn’t know about him becoming friends with you again or about your current situation. he drags her into the kitchen hurriedly, “ok so here’s the thing… you remember y/n?”
“of course! she’s like my big sister.”
his breath gets caught in his throat for a second, “yeah, don’t call her that. anyways, her and i are friends again,” he sees yeji’s eyes widen with excitement and continues with his explanation before she can cut him off, “and she’s my girlfriend.”
“what?!”
sunghoon panics and covers her mouth with his palm, “fake girlfriend!” he rushes out the whisper. “the guys don’t know that our relationship isn’t real and i’d like to keep it that way. they don’t even know that we were friends beforehand. yeji, i’m begging you to go along with it. please do this for me.” he clasps his hands together in front of him with a pleading expression.
the young girl crosses her arms in front of her and pretends to think about it, “hmm… fine.”
sunghoon blurts out a chant of “thank you’s” not knowing that his sister only agreed cause she always thought that you and sunghoon would’ve been a good couple. he tells her to help the others set the table while he goes to you. he quickly explains what’s happening and you’re just excited that you get to see yeji again. you both leave his room and you make your own way to the living room, spotting the other girl and exchanging glances.
yeji stops what she’s doing to turn and face you, “who’s this?”
you answer back casually, “y/n. i’m a friend of the boys, and you are?”
“yeji, sunghoon’s younger sister.” she says it proudly, bringing a grin to the aforementioned boy.
“oh, you’re yeji? hoon was right… you are pretty.”
she tilts her head and cocks an eyebrow, questioning you “why would he tell you about me?”
jake chimes in like it’s second nature, “i mean, why wouldn’t he tell his girlfriend about his sister?” he states like it’s so obvious. “they’ve been together since december.”
“girlfriend?” she takes a step back in false shock, “since december? why didn’t i know about this?”
“what? i don’t seem like your brother’s type?”
“it’s not that. i’m just surprised he managed to get and keep a girlfriend. you’re like, way out of his league and he’s a loser.” one thing to know about yeji is that as much as she loves him, she will never miss a chance to tease her brother.
with a scoff, you finally hear sunghoon join in beside you, “not gonna lie, that one hurt a little.”
“i’m so telling mom,” she says with a mischievous smirk.
you laugh at sunghoon’s shocked face and smile at the younger park, “i like you, i think we’ll get along just fine.”
���i like you, too.” she looks at sunghoon, “keep her.”
everyone laughs at the interaction as they settle in to eat. sunghoon sits to your right while yeji sits on your left, wondering how his two favorite girls learned to be such good actresses.
xi. returning the favor
fast forward another month, the end of the semester means the dreaded finals week again. sunghoon has been, for lack of a better word, slacking on some of his classes and is now juggling to prepare for exams and revisions. couple that with yeji telling his mom about your “relationship” and her nonstop questions, all of this stress has been piled on. this all amounting to him getting sick.
now, sunghoon being sunghoon means that he pushed everyone away and hasn’t told you about his condition. luckily for him, you’ve been cooped up in your studio trying to finish your portfolio and also prepare for your exams. unluckily for him, the boys have gotten worried and heeseung called you.
which brings us to the present, sunghoon stuck in bed with a fever, congestion, and neglected notes. a knock on his door does nothing to help his headache but seeing your face meekly peek in makes him relax. “what are you doing here?” he asks hoarsely.
“did you really think i wouldn’t find out?”
he avoids your glare, “i didn’t want you to worry.”
“honestly i’m not upset that you’re sick, but that i had to hear it from your roommates.” you come closer to him, clearing out the scattered papers and textbooks from atop his bed. you sit on the edge, taking out some medicine and cooling packs that you picked up from the convenience store.
“you really don’t have to do this,” he twiddles his fingers in embarrassment.
you tie back his hair and place one of the packs on his forehead, “you’ve always been the one taking care of me, so i might as well return the favor.”
you busy yourself with getting the cough medicine ready and sunghoon takes an actual look at you. he notices that you’re wearing his old skating jacket, the same one he gave you at your high school graduation. he makes more room under the covers, allowing you to come closer and lay next to him. he drapes one arm over you and holds onto the end of the jacket sleeve, “i can’t believe you kept this.”
“we stopped hanging out and we weren’t in each other’s lives for a year and a half after being together basically since birth,” you pause, a little saddened thinking back. “this was the last thing i ever got from you. it’s all i had left.”
he brings you closer, neither of you caring if you got sick. “well… now you have me again. for good.”
xii. the party
the end of the school year has finally arrived. some seniors from the txt frat are hosting a big party to celebrate. of course, en-4 was invited—mostly thanks to heeseung being close with them. although you have made more friends and now have a more active social life, parties are still not your thing.
yet, much to your dismay, being friends with designated party people means that you’re getting bombarded with pleas to go regardless. sunghoon took the lead on convincing you, “please, i promise that it’ll be fun.” the boys join in, their voices overlapping. sunghoon practically tackles you onto your couch while pouting and furrowing his eyebrows in desperation.
“stop looking at me like that. i can’t think properly when you do that.”
right on cue, the boys start to tease you. jay clears his throat and jake makes kissing noises, meanwhile heeseung starts singing y/n and sunghoon sitting in a tree… while you just glare at them.
“if i say i’ll go, will you all leave me alone?”
they all shout “yes” in unison. which is how you ended up at the crowded frat house. although they had begged you to come, they practically abandon you and sunghoon when you get there. jake had yelled back to you that his friend sunoo from his econ class called them over for beer pong.
you and sunghoon find a big bean bag in the corner and stay there for a bit. he offers to get you both some drinks and leaves to the kitchen. you’re not sure how long he’s gone but you eventually get uncomfortable. you start wandering the house for some space to get some air. you find an empty room and make your way into the connected bathroom to wash your face. you take some deep breaths, then realizing that you didn’t tell sunghoon. as you’re about to step out, he enters the room.
“i figured you would want some space.”
“how’d you know where i was?”
he comes up closer to you, “in the sea of people, in this mess, in this frenzy… i will always find you. no matter what happens or who comes into my life, i always find my way back to you.”
“what the hell is that even supposed to mean, park?”
“i mean…” he stops to compose himself, “oh for fucks sake, i’m tired of this being pretend. i’m tired of being allowed to call you my girlfriend in public but not treat you like it in private. when i kissed you at the showcase, i had wanted to do that for so long, and i’ve been wanting to do even more.”
“sunghoon, look-”
“wait, i’m not done. what i’m trying to say is that i want you to be my girlfriend, for real this time—not as a joke, not as a trick. i want us to be together as an actual couple because i like you, a lot more than you could believe-”
you cut him off this time, kissing him like he did all those weeks ago. you kissed him in the way that you weren’t sure what words to say other than, “i would love to be your girlfriend.”
sunghoon shines with the biggest smile, picking you up and spinning around. when he lets you down, he incessantly leaves pecks all over your face. he holds you close, “now, how about we go enjoy the party?”
you nod and lead him hand in hand towards the door. you turn the nob, only to have the three remaining members of your friend group fall at your feet. heeseung landing on top, shouting out, “i fucking knew it!”
#sunghoon#park sunghoon#sunghoon fluff#park sunghoon fluff#sunghoon imagine#sunghoon imagines#sunghoon fic#sunghoon fics#enhypen#enhypen sunghoon#enhypen imagine#enhypen imagines#enhypen fic#enhypen fics#enhypen fluff#enhypen sunghoon imagines#enhypen sunghoon fics#enhypen sunghoon fluff
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celebrating mother’s day with you
tsukishima kei ; sugawara kōshi ; oikawa torū ; kita shinsuke
headcanon ; fluff ; age up ; snippets of cuteness ; parenthood ; special edition — mother’s day
note: i’m not sure if i portrayed each characterization well but i just thought it’ll be fun to write one. after all, i was blessed to be born with loving parents and i just wanted to share the love i’m grateful for.
tagging: @forgetou @amjustagirl @yacoka @haikyuutothetop @luvnami ;; thank you for dropping these characters as i couldn’t decide who to write for. (of course it was more exciting without context)
ps. it’s longer than expected i’m sorry :’)
tsukishima kei
tsukishima isn’t one who would remember special occasions unless someone had schedule a plan in advance with him. when he wondered if he should do anything for you after hearing his colleagues whispering during break, his work got busier than usual so he had forgotten about it.
that was, until he realized he had ten missed calls from his son; which was odd because he weren’t one to call him so often.
“i was in a meeting, what hap—” before tsukishima could finish his sentence, his son interrupted him, “i bought mom’s favorite cake since you’re slow. hurry home or there’s none left for you,” the line was cut right after; which of course left poor tsukishima’s partner to deal with the aftermath. “tsukishima-san, about the report—”
“it must be so urgent that it needs my immediate attention even when i’m packing up right?” his words dripped of pure sarcasm despite the polite smile hanging from his lips. everyone could literally see the panic swirling in his partner’s pupil.
“i’m sorry!! good work today and see you tomorrow!!” it’s the weekend tomorrow, but tsukishima was too hung up on his son’s attitude to shoot another of his sarcastic reply.
you, on the other hand, were neither someone who would celebrate such occasion unless it was for birthdays or holidays. therefore, you didn’t really had anything in mind nor were you expecting anything as well.
when you finally reached home from a tiring day at work, you were definitely not expecting to see your favorite cake on the table while your son popped a party popper with a party horn in his mouth right beside you.
“happy mother’s day!” he tried to mumble out with the horn still in his mouth. you couldn’t help but chuckle at the unexpected surprise, dropping your bag on the counter just so you could hug him—one that he wholeheartedly hugged you back because tsukishima wasn’t around.
it took an hour for tsukishima to be home, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand when he walked over to where you and the cheeky lad was sitting. “oh! you didn’t have to though,” you smiled in surprise.
“dad’s just guilty he forgot about our promise and didn’t want to come home empty handed.” you chuckled at that, perhaps it wasn’t entirely wrong either but you still appreciate the sentiment. it was rare for him after all.
“those who break promises don’t get desserts.” he continued to press his dad’s buttons, only to see tsukishima loosened his tie with an expression he could not understand.
“oh, but that’s on your mom to decide if i’ll get one tonight or not.” you could feel your face heating up at your husband’s words, the tone and smile that dawned on his face was a look you knew oh so well.
“tch...i thought i hid it well.” of course, your clueless son didn’t know the true meaning of those words and thought the strawberry shortcake he bought for his dad was found out.
sugawara kōshi
sugawara would definitely plan in advance with the children. especially when they were the ones who excitedly wanted to do something for you.
“mama like animals! lets go to the zoo!” the middle child exclaimed with so much enthusiasm, sugawara could only chuckle at her adorable smile.
“you only said that because you wanted to go to the zoo, dummy.” the eldest one huffed, feeling proud that he saw through her obvious tactic.
it didn’t take long for the two to start crawling over each other in a fight while the youngest one giggled amusingly as if she was watching a performance. that was, until an insult was thrown at her so she joined in the fight to prove her worth.
“if you don’t stop now, we’ll be celebrating at home like how we did the past two years.” that immediately ceased all action, since they haven’t had the chance to go out together as a whole family thanks to your busy schedule.
“how about the park? the cherry blossoms have bloomed and mama likes going to the park!” of course, sugawara was fond of this idea. it’s been a while since there was a family picnic session.
and so on that very day in which you finally managed to take a day off, you weren’t expecting to be blind folded while having your children guide you to wherever you were supposed to be.
knowing how clumsy the trio could be, he wanted to accompany them as well but was outright rejected when they said they could do it themselves with so much confidence, he wasn’t sure who they got it from.
with their tiny hands, it took a while for them to tie the piece of cloth around your eyes, and even when they did, it wasn’t tied well enough so you could actually still see your footing (which saved you immensely from all the accidental knocks along the way)
after what felt like forever, you finally reached the park where they shouted ‘happy mother’s day’ in unison. you kind of already knew it’ll be a picnic from the soft grass beneath your feet and those fallen pink petals, but you were still moved to tears when you saw your children squeezed together into your husband’s arms while cute decoration and plates of food were spread between you and them.
“mama, try the cookie first! i made them myself!” the middle one was the first to break the silence.
“no! try my sandwich first, i’m the eldest!”
“so what if you’re the eldest? mama must be thirsty from walking so have my ultimate happy berry juice!” the youngest chirped with pride, as if her logic was a straight pass to winning.
you laughed at their competitive nature, which was oh so endearing at the same time. and it was obvious if you don’t decide soon, an all out food war was going to happen.
“before that, shouldn’t mama receive papa’s present first?” sugawara’s cheerful voice interrupted their little argument, and just before the youngest could ask what it was, her eyes was covered by the eldest son along with the middle one.
you couldn’t help but hit his arm in embarrassment when his lips met yours longer than it should’ve been.
“hey! that’s not fair, i didn’t get to see papa’s present,” your middle one sulked, only to be carried into sugawara’s arms as he peck her little cheek with a wink. “why don’t you ask mama what it was, baby?”
oikawa torū
it was supposed to be a big surprise where he came home earlier than the date he had told you. he even told the kids about it and they promised to make it a success (money was definitely involved to be honest)
“make sure you delay mummy at the grocery store long enough for me to set everything up in time.” he reminded his daughter time and time again, only to have her sigh at his impatience.
“i think i’m old enough to not forget something so simple dad. and please stop addressing mom like that, it’s creepy.” she cringed, wondering how you even deal with oikawa every day.
“dad, have you even baked a cake before? do you think you can get it done within an hour or maybe two?” his son asked the third time that day, which did irk oikawa with that tone of his.
“of course i can! are you looking down on me? it’s just a simple vanilla cake and some fruits on top. how hard can it be?”
of course, with every rhetorical question that pose a challenge, there would always be an answer exactly of what’s to be expected.
you, with no idea that your husband was making a mess of your kitchen, took your own sweet time at the grocery store since your daughter was there to help and it’s been a while since you had a mother and daughter bonding time.
“do you think your dad would like to have curry tomorrow? or should we just have hamburger steak?” you asked, still unsure of the menu for a celebratory dinner.
“i think he would like anything you cook, so don’t worry about it. dad’s always so happy to eat your homemade meals.” she answered with shrug, but you could tell she was happy to rely the same sentiment.
everything went smoothly and she did managed to stall your time with her longer than the agreed duration. that was, until she received a text from her brother saying dad’s cake was a failure and they should just get one outside; you two were already at the apartment lift when she read it.
“dad, i think you should just give up. they are already walking over from the—” oikawa having enough of his son’s constant nagging about how he should’ve just bought a cake instead, threw a whiff of flour to his son’s face without thinking.
and of course, which kid would not retaliate from that. the kitchen, which originally wasn’t as messy, turned into chaos of white fluff and sticky childish banter between the two.
you, not expecting to see your husband, was clearly surprise when you heard his voice by the door. the only excitement that came from that vanished the moment your eyes fell onto the state of your kitchen.
“happy mother’s day?” oikawa managed to choke out when he felt your growing presence with each step towards him.
“i’m sorry mom, it was my fault please don’t kill dad—” your son pleaded softly by the side, only to fell speechless when you threw yourself into oikawa’s arms instead.
“welcome home,” you greeted with so much warmth, oikawa couldn’t help but embraced you tightly as he replied, “i’m home.”
“mom? you’re not mad?” your daughter asked in disbelief when she brought the groceries – including the ones you dropped – over to the kitchen.
“mad? why would i be when you dad’s sleeping in the kitchen tonight.” you were so serious and certain, the two broke into fits of laughter as they ran from their father (which was fertile because they got caught immediately and was tickled to tears)
“why are you laughing when you two are having a sleepover with daddy tonight.”
“please dad, just stop.”
kita shinsuke
there was no surprises because kita’s way of celebrating was just regular activities but doing it together. which was honestly, what you love to do most since you don’t always get the chance of spending weekdays with your family often.
from preparing meals to visiting town, usually it would be done by kita himself. however, this time because of the special occasion, you took time off to accompany your husband while bringing your little ones along with you.
“mama here’s the carrot,” your little girl placed the orange vegetable on the chopping board before humming a tune while the other twin helped kita with picking the ends of the beansprouts.
“papa are we going to town later?” she beamed excitedly, hands still working on the tiny vegetable while her legs swung to the rhythm of her twin sister’s melody.
“yes, we are. do you have a place you want to visit?” he was done with his side so he continued onto the pile his daughter was removing.
“yes! we want to go to onigiri miya!” they both said at the same time, giggling right after when their father looked surprise.
“all right, let’s go after our lunch.” and everything went along smoothly with the little twins setting the table together while you and kita took turns to cook up the dishes. lunch was pleasant despite minimal words being exchanged since the twins were taught to not talk with their mouth full (and their mouth are always stuffed full)
while you and kita held hands with the twins walking hand in hand by themselves in front, the feeling of nostalgia seemed to tickle your bones at the memory of how you used to take long strolls with kita during your younger days.
“what’s wrong?” kita tugged your hand gently which snapped you back to reality when you realized you all have reached the store.
“nothing...i’m just grateful to be your wife and mother of two beautiful angels.” your smile had him press a fluttering kiss to your temple as he softly replied, “me too.”
“i see yer two are still as lovey-dovey as ever captain.” atsumu popped his head out from the entrance, both twins sitting comfortably on his arms as he carried them as if they were feathers.
“i’m not your captain anymore atsumu, but i see they both seemed to like you.” kita smiled at his two lovely dolls, one that atsumu have never seen much of because of his busy schedule.
“of course, who do you think i am? the better—” but before atsumu could even finish his flex, the two snapped their head over at the appearance of osamu in his apron. their hands immediately reaching out for the man to hug.
“uncle osamu!!” they squealed happily, trying their best to squirm out of atsumu’s grip.
“i guess not huh ‘tsumu,” osamu smirked at the annoyed twin, patting his hands dry before prying the little twins from his brother’s vice grip. of course, they both would fight over the kid’s affection. who wouldn’t right?
you watched the pair of twins in amusement with your head against kita’s shoulder as he wrapped an arm around your delicate frame. this too will be yet another moment kita would not forget, for he felt blissful to be their father and your husband.
#haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu headcanons#hq x reader#hq headcanons#tsukishima kei#sugawara koshi#oikawa toru#kita shinsuke#tsukishima x reader#sugawara x reader#oikawa x reader#kita x reader#haikyuu fluff#hq fluff#tsukishima hcs#sugawara hcs#oikawa hcs#kita hcs
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yeah, kenny repressing his emotions makes a lot of sense to me... he and his siblings get neglected a lot by their parents, and one of the biggest elements of his life (his curse) is something that none of his friends ever believe him about or remember. he probably eventually took it to heart that there's no point in communicating his needs or feelings to anyone... do you have any thoughts about how the way he was raised affected him?
Well sweet anon that's a broad question I dont feel very qualified for, but here's my thoughts anyways lolol...
Yeah I agree! I definitely agree that Kenny would basically be somewhat of a parentified child sometimes due to his situation. Being forced to be independent. Feels like he has to step up and take care of things, obviously especially because of Karen. Can't break down because he needs to be stable and try to be responsible so maybe he could get out of there and maybe help Karen have a good chance.
But like I said I feel that as friendly and chill as he is, and as cute and giggly as he may seem, he has a tight hold on those feelings because he's just so used to being selfless or putting others like his sister before himself, especially even more so, if I'm feeling extra angsty, if he uses his immortality to also protect his friends when he can, because that's how he could be useful and be there for them.
I like to usually imagine that it ends with him struggling to let someone else take care of him, struggling to be helped or be a little selfish (expressing what he wants, pursuing his crush even), and that adds to why I feel like he really holds back on his anger, because so much of it is pent up inside. Angry with his parents, angry and hurt about no one remembering his deaths or believing him, angry he couldn't do more because he was young and there wasn't money to make things better.
His friendly, quiet demeanor could at times be a mask. He's just trying to keep it together, and most of all he really doesn't want to be like his parents -- he doesn't want to lash out and yell or hurt someone he loves. Maybe he's used to hanging back to stay out of the fights and crap at home. Escapism maybe, coping strategies maybe. And with his immortality, there's just no point, he'd end up disappointed again. So he's also at high risk of ending up doing risky behaviors with poor coping, which I always imagine leads to him overworking himself to death in some capacity (we even saw that in the specials so I feel very justified in that lol).
With Kyle I think it could really become a point of contention and strain between them because Kyle can also be quite compassionate, and has a younger sibling too, so he feels for Kenny and feels angry that Kenny can't just let that wall down for a minute you know? Even more so if Kyle recognizes how much Kenny gives and cares. I sometimes think Kyle can be a bit clueless to that though, but that's another tangent.
So that's why I love the idea of him holding back so much and then having something that makes him snap, and it shows just how intensely he really feels. He's not truly that passive, or nonchalant. He would die for his friends and loved ones. He wants what's fair and right too. He cares too. And maybe he needs to breakdown so he can finally be comforted the way he really needed growing up.
So he ends up too self sacrificing, overworked, and holding back on his anger and being quiet because he didn't grow up in a loving environment where feelings could be safely shared, where he had to take care of others, because at the least, that gave him some control.
Cool. Gonna cry now!
#really sat and thought about this one for a min#like total silence in thought man...#so gave it my most contemplative thoughts#ask ambs#anon#kenny mccormick#my headcanons#I sincerely hope this answers the question and makes sense#i love finally being able to fully ramble my thoughts cries
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Daminette - How to Fail Being a Parent 101
(3rd Person POV)
Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The girl that went from having everything to nothing. At least, that’s what it felt like right now. She still had Jagged and Penny, supporting her. But her parents threw her out of the house after the believed Lila’s lies. The shiny new thing over their daughter! Her friends also thought of her as a bully. At the age of 17, Marinette had no friends and no family. But little did she know that everything was soon going to change for her.
(Edna Mode’s POV)
Enda Mode was a great designer. But, she wanted, no needed an apprentice to carry her legacy. When Jagged Stone, along with his assistant Penny and Clara, told her of their designer MDC, she was ecstatic. And her designs were beautiful. Yes, MDC had the right amount of talent to be Edna’s apprentice. All she had to was find her.
She was walking to the bakery in Paris, where Jagged said his niece would most likely be. She arrived at the bakery and opened the door walking inside. There were two people inside. She asked them, “Hello, darlings. Do you, by any chance, know where Marinette is?”
She watched as both of the people stiffened, and then the female replied, “No, we used to be her parents, but we no longer consider her a daughter!”
Edna was confused by that. As far as Jagged said, Marinette’s parents had a good relationship with her. So what changed? She then once more asked, “Do you where I might be able to find her, darlings?”
Marinette’s supposed mother grew angry, “Who cares where she is! And if you’re trying to find her. You must be one of the bad influences that Lila was talking about, so get out of our bakery!”
Edna huffed and turned on her heel, walking out of the bakery door. Once she was outside, she pulled out her phone and called Jagged. “Jagged, I tried to go to the bakery, but her parents said that they kicked her out. Or at least they implied it by saying that she was no longer their daughter.”
“What?! That’s so not rock-and-roll! Hmm, well, Marinette did buy a safe house. If I remember correctly, the address is nineteen dauphin bleu. Good luck, and let me know when you find her.”
“Sure sure, darling,” Edna replied before ending the phone call. She quickly went to the address in hopes of finding her.
(Marinette’s POV)
Marinette was not sulking! She swears she isn’t! She’s just sad that her parents didn’t believe her. And hadn’t been doing anything for the past two days other than eating and watching shitty rom-coms… Okay, maybe she was sulking. But could you blame her! Her parents believed a liar over her, plus she had shitty coping skills with Hawkmoth still around. Before Hawkmoth, she would have cried for hours on end while eating strawberry ice cream. Now, she couldn’t do that at risk of an akumatization, and she was Ladybug. Fuck Hawkmoth, fuck Lila, fuck her stupid hormones.
The doorbell then rang. Marinette dragged herself to the door, not stopping to look through the peek hole. She regretted that because once she opened the door, on the other side, she found THE EDNA MODE. Marinette jumped in surprise and started to try and fix her appearance while rambling, “Oh my god, you’re Edna Mode. I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was going to be you at the door! Otherwise, I would have made myself more presentable! Oh my god, it’s you!!! Most consider you better than Audrey Bourgeois, Style Queen herself. It is such an honor.”
Edna cut off Marinette’s rambling with a hand to her shoulder, “Please, darling, the pleasure all mine. I’m so happy to meet the famous MDC that Jagged, Clara, and Penny have been telling me so much about.” At hearing those words, Marinette looked seconds from passing out.
Edna followed Marinette to the couch and told her, “Now, I went to your parent’s bakery, but they said that they were no longer your parents. So, I want you to tell Auntie Edna everything! Okay?”
Marinette nodded, still in shock. She quickly shook her head to clear her head and then went on to explain about Lila. “There was this girl that came to my school three years ago. She claimed that she had an amazing life. And it would have been believable if all the things that she mentioned weren’t false. For example, she said that Jagged Stone wrote a song for her when she saved his cat from an airport runway. Jagged never had a cat. Civilians aren’t allowed on airport runways. And she’s making Jagged look like a pedophile, she’s underage, and he’s an adult. If she continues claiming this, Jagged could go to jail. There are a lot more unbelievable claims that she makes. Anyways, I knew she was lying, so I tried to disprove her lies. But, she covered it up. I went to the bathroom to cool down. Lila then came inside and confronted me, saying that she would take all my friends away. I didn’t think she would do it, I mean, I had faith in my friends.” Marinette’s voice cracked, and she started sobbing.
Edna waited for Marinette to continue talking. Marinette inhaled sharply and then continued, “My friends believed her over me. They knew me so much longer. But they picked the shinier thing. They bullied me every day, and Lila told them that I was bullying her. She made them beat me up, steal, and destroy my stuff. I thought that my parents would at least support me, but no, the wish of them supporting me was too much to ask. My parents also believed Lila over their daughter. THEIR DAUGHTER!!! They raised me, loved me, and then they believe someone else over me. At first, they started neglecting me, but then Lila came over one day and told them that I had given her death threat. After that, they kicked me out. I didn’t tell anyone not to feel weak. Now, here I am.”
Marinette finished talking and cried, letting loose all of the tears she had been holding in, but she then stopped. Enda looked at Marinette and told her something that shocked the daylights out of her, “Just because your Ladybug, that doesn’t mean you can’t let loose your emotions. If you bag all of it up, you will be at a larger risk of an akumitization. But, if you let your emotions out little by little, you won’t be as subjected to an akumitization.”
Marinette started stammering out excuses, shocked that Edna had figured it out, “O-oh I’m not Ladybug, I-i’m too clumsy to be her. L-ladybug has to be someone a-amazing to do what she d-does.”
Before she could continue, Edna held up her hand, effectively shutting Marinette up. “Marinette, darling, you don’t have to lie to me. Only an idiot would not be able to figure out your Ladybug. You look so much like her. (I did watch the NY special. And they did say that the magic of the miraculous is interfering with finding the identity of the heroes. But let’s pretend that the magic isn’t interfering, and everyone is just clueless. Well, they are clueless, but more clueless if possible.) Anyways, the reason that I was seeking you out in the first place was that I wanted you to be my apprentice. Would you like that?”
Marinette nodded, unable to speak. It was like a dream come true to her. When she rejected Audrey’s offer for an internship, she still had a reason to stay in Paris. Now that she had nothing left, this was the perfect way for her to get a new start, to leave her old life behind. Plus, who in their right mind would turn down being the apprentice of Edna Mode. Not an intern, an apprentice.
Edna clapped her hands together after Marinette gave her consent for being an apprentice. “That’s great, darling. Go pack everything you need. We’re leaving tomorrow at 6:00 AM.”
Marinette nodded, “Where will we be living?”
“Gotham City, New Jersey.”
(Time skip of a year)
(Edna’s POV)
It had been a year since Edna had gone to France to seek out Marinette or MDC. Since then, they moved to Gotham City, and Marinette made a name for herself there. She was an incredibly talented and a hard worker. She worked well under pressure and took criticism well. A lot of times, Marinette’s designs would bypass even her own. It would surprise Edna, but she was proud of her little coccinelle. She wanted to adopt Marinette, but she first wanted Marinette’s approval. For all Edna knew, Marinette wouldn’t want to have a parent figure again after what happened with her parents. Even if Edna didn’t adopt Marinette, she wanted Marinette to be the heir to Mode companies.
Today, Edna was meeting up with Bruce Wayne. He wanted him and his sons to get some suits, so today was the fitting. Marinette was with another client today so, she wouldn’t be meeting them. She heard the doorbell rang. That must be them, she thought. She opened the gates for them to enter the premises. A minute later, they were knocking on the front door. She let them in. When Edna saw them, she huffed at the height of all of the Wayne boys.
She went up to Bruce and beckoned him to bend down. Once he did saw, she greeted him with a kiss to each cheek and exclaimed “, Darling, I’m so glad that could make it. It’s so nice to see you and the rest of your boys.”
Bruce cleared his throat, “It’s nice to see you too, Edna. So, are we just doing measurements today, or are you also going to give us a design for the suits?”
“Ah, Bruce dear,” Edna started, “Art takes time. Plus, my amazing new apprentice will be designing your suits.”
Dick and Jason started laughing. “Look Bruce,” Dick guffawed, “She’s pulling a Bruce.” Tim laughed along with the other two, while Damian looked to be seconds away from smiling.
Bruce sighed, rubbing his forehead, “I’m sorry about them, Edna. You would think that a grown 30-year-old man would have some respect. I swear he has the maturity of a five-year-old.”
Edna waved him off, “Ah, it’s no harm done, Bruce. Dick is also right. I fully plan to adopt my apprentice. I only need her approval before I do so. I mean, she did turn eighteen only recently.”
Bruce looked shocked at this revelation, as did his sons, who were joking, not thinking in the slightest that it could be true. The great Edna Mode had never taken in an apprentice in her life, nor would she ever think of adopting someone. It was so out of character for her. “What happened to the girl that you feel this way,” Bruce asked.
Edna sighed, “Other than being a brilliant designer, who designs could rival my own, my little coccinelle has had a hard life. There was a girl who lied about her. This girl made all of her friends bully and isolate her. The worst part was when my coccinelle’s parents believed the liar over their daughter. They threw her out. When I heard about her designing from Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale, I went to Paris to seek her out. When I went to her bakery, her parents were rude. I called and asked Jagged where she could be. He gave me her address. When I went there, she was a mess. I offered her the apprenticeship, she accepted. And a year later, here we are.”
The Wayne’s looked shocked at this. They then snapped out of it and, Edna then took their measurement and took note of any extra preferences they might have. She also asked what color they wanted for the suit jacket, shirt, and pants. Edna then asked whether they preferred a bow tie or a necktie. Finally, she asked what color they wanted the lining of their suits to be.
On their way out, Bruce asked Edna, “Would you and your apprentice like to come to the Wayne gala in return for making the suits in such short notice. Oh, and it is in two weeks.” Edna agreed and saw them out. Once they left, she sighed deeply. She then smiled to herself, thinking about Marinette’s reaction to the gala and having to design Wayne’s suits.
(Marinette’s POV)
Marinette was having a mental breakdown. WHY? Because Edna decided that having Marinette design Wayne’s suits was a good idea, as was going to Wayne Gala. So right now, Marinette was having a meltdown. And what was Edna doing? She was watching Marinette become a stuttering mess and trying to figure out how she was going to do something like this.
“Marinette, calm down! Just do your best and, you’ll figure the rest out,” Edna told her.
Marinette nodded and went to her room to start planning the designs and creating them. For almost two weeks, she worked tirelessly on end to complete the designs, and make a dress for herself. And by the day before the gala, Marinette had completed the suits. Alfred came to Edna’s manor to get them for the Waynes.
Once Alfred picked them up, Edna went to Marinette’s room and knocked. Once Marinette said to come in, Edna opened the door and walked in. Marinette looked at Edna, wondering why she was here. But, she then asked a question that Marinette so happy, “My little coccinelle, would you like it if I adopted you?”
Marinette couldn’t answer from happiness. Instead, she jumped on Edna with tears in her eyes and kept on chanting, “Yes, yes, yes!” They both sat like that until Marinette fell asleep, happy that they were now legally going to be family.
On the day of the Wayne gala, Marinette wore a burgundy dress with silver details on the upper part of the dress. She wore silver shoes that had a glass flower on the toes and a silver handbag. Marinette, also matching silver earrings and a necklace. She decided to let her hair loose into beautiful waves.
Edna wore a simple black dress with some white pearl details along with a black handbag with silver and black shoes.
They then left for the Wayne gala. Once they arrived at the Wayne gala, they spotted the Wayne’s wearing Marinette’s amazing designs.
Once the Waynes spotted Edna, they walked over in hopes of meeting her apprentice. Edna saw them coming and Marinette to them. “Boys, this is my apprentice Marinette Mode. Marinette, this is Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian.”
“Wait, so you legally adopted her?” Tim asked.
“Yes, I did, yesterday,” Edna replied.
Marinette smiled brightly at the Waynes and said, “It’s nice to meet you all. I hope that you like the suits that I made.” The Wayne’s gave their gratitude for the suits. They then all dispersed, except for Damian. He was still staring at Marinette, as Marinette was staring at him. They both started talking at the same time,
“Hi, it’s nice-”
“Hey, I rea-”
They both laughed, and Marinette said, “You go first.”
“I was going to tell you how fond I am of this suit. You did an acceptable job.”
“Thank you,” Marinette muttered, “I was going to say that it’s nice to meet you. So tell me about yourself.”
And the pair went on to talking about anything and everything together. Marinette couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. How his beautiful tan skin glistened in the light. How soft his dark, silky hair looked, and his eyes. Oh, his eyes were the best part, a perfect balance between jade and emerald green, giving it a shine, but not making it look toxic. He was so handsome. As she continues talking with him, she realized, she liked him, she wanted him to kiss her, hold her. But they had just met. Little did she know that Damian had similar thoughts running through his head.
(3rd person POV)
Damian thought that Marinette was absolutely beautiful with her silky raven hair. Her pink pouty lips along with her glistening bluebell eyes. Her fair skin was showered with little freckles that made her even prettier. Words could not describe how beautiful she was.
From an outside view, Marinette and Damian were looking like lovesick fools. Laughing, talking, never leaving each other’s side. By the end of the night, they separated with each other’s phone number, and a promise to meet again for a date.
(Time Skip of three months)
(Marinette POV)
It had been three months since the gala. The day after the gala, Damian took her to Gotham park for a nice picnic. On their second date, they went to the rooftop of one of Bruce’s buildings and watched the sunset from there. Their third date was the date where Damian asked Marinette if she would like to be his girlfriend. He took her to an expensive restaurant and after they walked on the pier. There he took out a necklace with a silver chain and “I love you for always and forever” written on it. The pendant was in the shape of a heart. He gave it to her as he asked her to be his girlfriend. She jumped on him kissing him with so much force and passion and then pulled away, breathing out a, “Yes!”
Since then, they had been inseparable. Damian and Marinette told each other everything. Well, almost everything, she still hadn’t told Damian about being Ladybug. And Marinette knew he was also hiding something the way he would get bruises for no reason. She didn’t know what he was hiding until she stumbled across something when she was at the Manor one day.
She had gotten lost again. The Wayne Manor was huge. Marinette knew she was going to get lost, but she always had someone to help her. Marinette then heard some noises. She stumbled towards the noise. The sight that she was met with made her head throb. There in front of her were the occupants of the house. But not as the Wayes. No, they were there as the Bat-Family. The Waynes were the BAT FAMILY! Of course, she would end up falling in love with a vigilante.
Once they caught sight of her, all noises ceased. They didn’t do anything until Damian let out a feeble, “Beloved?”
Marinette turned her attention to Damian, “When were you going to tell me about this? And no, I am not mad. But you should have TOLD me. I shouldn’t have had to find out by myself.”
Damian sighed and told her, “I didn’t want to endanger your life.”
She snorted, “Yeah, like I don’t do that daily.”
“What?!” Everyone screamed at the implications that she was giving.
“Yup, I’m a hero from Paris. Tikki, Spots on!” She then transformed into Ladybug. Once Marinette transformed, she looked at the opened mouth vigilantes. “In Paris, my old partner and I protect the citizens from a guy named Hawkmoth, who preys off of people’s emotions to turn them into his minions, I’ve been fighting him for about four years now. I did send a message to the Justice League, but Green Lantern told me to stop prank calling. I’ve been fighting him by myself for two years because my old partner was harassing me.” She then went on to explain different akumitizations and went more in-depth about her powers.
“Spot off”, she said. She held her hand out and let Tikki sit in it, “This is my kwami Tikki, she is the one who lets me turn into Ladybug.” Everyone, surprisingly, took her reservations well.
By the end, Batman told her, “We would like to help you defeat Hawkmoth. We can start by uncovering who he is. We can do that by taking his voice and running it through some voice scanners until we find a match.” Marinette nodded, happy that they were getting somewhere.
She pulled up a video of Hawkmoth speaking while telling Batman, “By the way, Mom’s going to be here in ten minutes.”
They looked at her, bewildered, “What do you mean?”
She rolled her eyes and handed them her phone with the recording, “What I mean is that she knows that you are the Bat-Family. She figured it out like she figured out my identity.” They all nodded, dumbfounded that someone knew their identity.
Tim or Red Robin ran the voice through the scanners before they found a match. “Gabriel Agreste”, Marinette breathed, “I suspected him before, but he got akumatized. He must have akumatized himself to throw off suspicion.”
That’s when Edna arrived, “Did you figure out Hawkmoth’s identity”, Edna asked. Marinette nodded and pointed to the screen. Edna looked at it and scoffed, “Of course it’s Gabriel. I always knew he was a psychopath!” Marinette started laughing at Edna’s reaction and hugged her. Edna’s face softened, and she stroked Marinette’s hair lightly.
The bat family watched the scene with growing bewilderment. Damian cleared his throat, bringing the attention to him. “As much as I love to see how much my angel’s and Mode’s relationship is growing, we have more pressing matters. How are we going to catch Hawkmoth.”
Marinette thought about it before saying, “A distraction.” She turned to Edna, “Mom, you are going to set up a meeting with Gabriel and distract him. While you’re doing that, we’ll break into the house and go to his hideout. Actually”, she turned to Tim,“ Tim, could you look into the security cameras and see if there is any footage of him disappearing in some way. Or could you get a layout of the house?”
“Done and done,” Tim answered. They watched Gabriel push three specific buttons on Emile’s portrait, which Marinette took note of. They then saw him disappear underneath the ground. Tim pulled the layout of the house up. “This is the layout, based on it, we can conclude that he was going to the room beneath the house.”
Marinette nodded her head, “Okay, this is perfect. Once we sneak in there, we’ll look around, gather some evidence, and then sneak up on Gabriel and take the brooch from him.”
Everyone cheered and then left to do their own thing. Damian stopped Marinette from leaving. He pulled her to him and said in a sexy, gruff voice, “I’m glad that I know every part of you now.” He then dove for her lips, prompting a squeak from Marinette. After a few seconds, she relaxed in the kiss, pulling Damian closer by wrapping her arms around his neck. He put one hand around her waist, and the other one was in her sweet-smelling raven hair. The kiss felt amazing. His warm, soft lips against her luscious, sweet ones. Her lips tasted sweet like sugar, making Damian want to kiss her longer and harder. But, humans need to breathe. They pulled away panting heavily, faces flushed in passion. They stared into each other’s eyes for a little bit before kissing each other once more, this one being chaste rather than hot and heavy. They then let each other go and went to prepare for the demise of Hawkmoth.
The next day, they followed through with the plan. Edna first entered the house and talked loudly to Gabriel, demanding that he bring his son and Natalie to the meeting so that they can all catch up. Once the occupants of the Agreste household were out of the way, Ladybug and the Bats made their way to the picture of Emile. There they pressed the exact buttons and went underneath the house. There they found hundreds of white butterflies along with a horrifying sight. Emilie Agreste being preserved in a coffin and in what looked like to be a coma. Marinette was convinced that she could heal Emilie, went up to the coffin, and set to work. She closed her eyes and put her hands to the outside of the coffin. She then let her power flow through her body until they were at her hands. She then kept her glowing hands to the coffin until she heard a cough. She opened her eyes to find Emilie sitting up, looking around in shock, “Where’s my husband?” she asked, “Where’s Adrien?”
Marinette put her hand to Emile’s shoulder, “We’ll explain everything to you after ma'am. But, we first need to do something.” She walked over to the platform and rose herself to the upper floor, along with everyone else. She then saw Edna, Gabriel, Adrien, and Natalie already there. Everyone positioned themselves and got ready to attack. At the count of three, everyone moved. Marinette grabbed the brooch from Gabriel, Bruce grabbed the peacock brooch from Natalie, and Damian grabbed the ring from Adrien. The Agreste’s and Natalie turned to the heroes in anger, but then froze when they caught sight of Emilie.
Emilie, now understanding that her family must have done something bad, for these people to take away their miraculous, started sobbing. Marinette went up to her and comforted her while telling her everything that she missed. Edna called the police, while the Bat-Family made sure that not of the Agreste’s nor Natalie escaped.
(3rd person POV)
When the police arrived, they were surprised to find that designer Gabriel Agreste, his son, and his assistant were guilty of the terrorism in Paris. They were going to jail. Then, reporters arrived, broadcasting the defeat of Hawkmoth to the world, but then Gabriel said something that made some happy, while it froze the blood in many others, “Lila Rossi was also part of this! She was an accomplice to my schemes! Lila was trying to push Marinette Dupain-Cheng to an akumitization because I realized how powerful of an Akuma Marinette would become. So Lila went to great length to make her suffer, but then she left Paris, and I wasn’t able to akumatize her. If you should be arresting anyone else, it should be Lila Rossi!”
In her house, a liar was growing pale as the authorities banged on her door. When she didn’t open up, they kicked down the door and arrested her. Lila then let out a scream that the whole world would have heard.
When the government saw that two accomplices for Hawkmoth were in the same class from Francios Dupont Highschool, they had to school investigated. They investigated both the principal and Madame Bustier. They found out that both would take bribes and were enablers. They then investigated the students in Madame Bustier’s class. They found that the students were being sued which wasn’t that bad. But, they were being sued for slander, defamation, and more, by not only Edna Mode but also Bruce Wayne. The government looked at security cameras and found many forms of breaking and entering, abuse, bullying, and found many forms of slander online. All of the students along with the teacher and principal were going to have to serve jail time. But, it would be nowhere as long as Lila’s, Adrien’s, Natalie’s, or Gabriel’s jail time.
(Marinette POV)
Marinette was staying in the Grand Hotel when her ex-parents came knocking at her door. They were all smiles, “Marinette, now that we know that we actually raised you right, you can come home with us!”
Marinette just scowled back at them, “As much as I appreciate the offer, you aren’t my guardians anymore. Edna Mode adopted me and I am legally Marinette Mode. Have a good day!” She then slammed the door shut in their faces. She leaned her head against the door and sighed deeply.
She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and kiss her neck gently, “You going to be okay?”
Marinette turned around and smiled at him, “Yeah, I am.”
Five hours later, when Marinette turned on the news, it showed Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng going to jail. They were charged for child neglecting and abuse. Marinette shook her head, chuckling, knowing that it was Damian who did this. She inhaled deeply, oh well, all’s well that ends well.
(Time Skip of 15 years)
A thirty-three-year-old Marinette put the baby in her hands down in the crib. After everything that happened in Paris, Damian and Marinette had continued dating. Damian proposed on their one-year anniversary and the got married a year later. They now had an 11-year-old daughter named Amira Beth Wayne, a 6-year-old boy Grayson Abbas Wayne, and 1-year-old Sadiya Cathy Wayne. Marinette was now the CEO of Mode Companies, while Damian ran Wayne Enterprises along with Tim as Co-CEOs. As Marinette looked at her children she couldn’t believe that she managed to have such a good life. She felt Damian behind her so she leaned back into him. He kissed the back her head and whispered huskily in her ear, “I love you and I promise that I and the kids will be by your side. Forever and always.”
Marinette snuggled into Damian and squeezed his hand whispering, “Forever and always.”
#mlb x dc#maribat#miraculous ladybug#batman#damianette#daminette#damian x marinette#marinette x damian#damian wayne#marinette dupain cheng#edna mode#the incredibles#batfamily#sabine and tom salt#salt#lila salt#alya salt#adrien salt#marinette deserves better#marinette gets adopted
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Obstinacy
Writer’s note: I posted this last year to start a writing blog but deleted it because of school. It’s summer and now I wanna try again so here is this angsty bit, until I write something new.
Pairing: Jumin Han / Reader
Word Count: 2523
“You kept my clothes?”
It had been years since you stepped into this house. His house. You’d thought three years was long enough to get over someone, expecting him to have moved on. Hoping his desire for you had tired out after the long empty wait.
Here you sat, in his bathroom, a towel covering you as you inwardly worked toward sobriety. Shared memories with him kept bombarding through, some were of the space you had once called your own.
Jumin was pleased in his own way when your contact had popped up on his screen. For a moment he felt a tinge hopeful before answering on the fourth vibration.
“Hello?”
You were drunk when he arrived and he was disappointed, to say the least. Being so vulnerable in such an establishment did not settle well with him. Of course, you would never indulge in such menacing situations unplanned. You had called him sober, with the intent of being intoxicated upon his arrival.
You were almost at your goal before he walked in, too distracted by your conversation to notice him walking toward you. The bar had been fairly crowded, as he disregarded your “little friend”, as he had referred to it, and gently grabbed your arm. Jumin whispered harshly into your ear after helping you up, then made way to the exit.
You had giggled when he led you out, his face remained stoic as he was clueless about what was so amusing.
“Hi Mr. K-kim” you waved at the familiar awaiting driver who held the door open. He smiled whilst shutting the door, and you fixed yourself comfortably next to Jumin, who still would not budge. The ride back had been silent and short, time had lost you until the door opened again with him ready to help you out.
Now you sat in the same bed you shared years ago, facing him in silence as he stared at you testingly. The loud ticking of the clock served as a nuisance as you still tried to get your thoughts straight. Deciding you had waited long enough you gathered yourself onto the bed, preparing for sleep.
“If you’re not going to say anything then goodnight”
Jumin remained seated with his eyes still directed at you, he watched you throw the sheets over yourself and adjust yourself comfortably. It did not take long to hear your light breathing and occasional soft snores. After minutes passed of stillness, he sighed and made his way towards the bathroom, calling it a night.
He had emailed Jaehee about cancelling his meetings for the day as he would not be available. She would eventually give him a hard time for the short notice and inconvenience but that didn't seem to matter at the moment.
He joined you in bed, laying down behind you, hesitant to touch you as if you were so fragile and would break. Building the confidence, he wrapped an arm around you, fixing himself closer to embrace your scent and welcoming warmth.
Varying thoughts clouded his mind, making it difficult for him to fall asleep. Why had you just now appeared after disappearing all those years? Had you been in the city all this time? Were you still as curious of him as he was of you?
You moved and turned to him unconsciously, your eyes still closed. He smiled when he noticed you getting comfortable in his arms, wanting to be closer. He had missed your restless sleep habits, he had missed you so much and hoped you felt the same. He caved into a cuddle not wanting to let you go again, deciding his thoughts could wait another day. All that mattered at the moment was you in his arms.
***
It was sunny when you woke up to the subtle sweet smell of pancakes, his favourite. Although you preferred waffles to the latter the delicious gesture was always appreciated. You felt the gentle brush of Elizabeth the third, who was laid comfortably on your legs when you attempted to stretch.
Your face turned towards the nightstand instinctively for your phone, an eye roll seemed called for when you noticed it was not there. You had an idea as to where it was so decided to pay it no mind.
The walk to the kitchen was slow as your body kept to its morning sluggish movements. You stood at the door, abstractedly admiring the man of the hour’s take at domesticity. He was so focused on preparations, you thought he didn't hear you come in.
“Good morning love”
You hummed airily in response as you sat at the table. The guilt ate at you, it was selfish to call last night after leaving him for so long. You didn't know if you planned to stay either, but you knew he had decided otherwise.
He was so decisive, always knowing what he wanted. You envied it. The uncertainty endured over the years left you hollow. It didn't help that he was always so ready to love when you couldn't decide if you wanted to love. Maybe it was unfair of you to lead him on, or maybe he had been naive to think of you more than a friend. To fall for you.
You had been happy. No, content. The long-lived friendship had mutually developed into this unspoken intimacy you both allowed to remain unacknowledged. Maybe that's why leaving had been somewhat easy for you.
Your disappearance had been a spontaneous decision, Jumin who never expected it was left underwhelmed. He had also been happy alongside you, content as well. The trust he had built throughout your shared childhood always kept him going, so he had been pained when you just upped and left. He played it cool over the years after your vanishing, forcing a numbness that only you could reveal.
“Here you go” he placed a neatly plated stack in front of you along with the kettle of black tea. He sat across from you with his own scrumptious plate and passed you the milk and maple syrup.
You gave him a cheery grateful smile as you helped yourself to some breakfast. It’d been three years since you last shared a meal with him, the pleasure from the first bite in your mouth was gratifying. The moment was pleasant, but you knew it could only last for so long with the look he gave you.
Attempting to divert from his obvious curiosity, you asked about his father.
“Father is well, and so is yours. We all shared dinner the other night.”
“Mmhh” You nodded as you helped yourself to another bite.
“What, no work today?” You followed up, playing innocent after a few more aimless questions
“I see you are still stubborn” Jumin’s sudden harsh response was of no surprise, but you wished the distraction had lasted a bit longer.
“I can say the same for you” You challenged.
“Why do you insist on escaping this?”
You calmly sighed, taking a sip of your milk tea. “We are too much alike and you know that”
“What's so wrong with that?”
Your sigh was louder this time and you murmured to yourself, regretting not going against the phone call.
“Where did you go? Where have you been?”
“Far”
It was his turn to roll his eyes at your vague response. Jumin’s instant reactions were anticipated and he failed to not disappoint as he bombarded you with questions.
“Why did you come back then?” He chose to conclude with his assault.
“I don't know you tell me.” You knew he could answer most of his questions with a simple scan through your mobile device, which you knew he had already done.
The last time he left you home alone, had been the last time he saw you in three years, as you had made sure to leave no traces for him. You had your own resources but chose against using them as you wished to dissipate from existence.
You were successful, given the new chance to start over somewhere else. You never understood why you felt that way or why you still did, yet somehow you did know?
Jumin placed your phone on the table, sliding it over towards you in return. He had the serious look in his eye that he always wore, his semi-empty plate pushed to the side.
“My first and last question still stands”
You never did like confrontations or anything that you considered to be mentally or emotionally strenuous. Neither did he, yet here he was justly contributing to your headache.
Before any more words were exchanged, or any chance at a proper conversation the elevator dinged and a woman stepped out with one of the guards attempting to hold her back.
The scene before you served as a great diversion, you coyly smiled as your attention went towards the unexpected magenta haired guest.
***
Jumin’s palm took to his forehead, his annoyance evidently loud. The uninvited guest walked in forcefully, greeting the man she seemed so desperate to see.
“It's rude to keep me waiting at the gates, that's no way to treat your fiance.”
Her eagerness faltered when her eyes turned to you, a frown now played on her face.
“And who is this?” She asked, seemingly disgusted by your presence.
“Oh, I’ve heard so much about you! The supposed future Mrs. Han!” You jumped to reply lightheartedly, moving your hand in for a handshake.
Jumin could not decide what exactly he sensed from your act but he knew it was something different. Were you joking? Or were you serious? He could no longer tell, with you.
“I'm sorry sir, she wouldn’t wait at the gate” the nervous yet vexed bodyguard apologised.
Jumin waved him away and turned towards the nuisance that stood in his presence. He had hoped the day together would be progressive as emotional issues were being sorted out, but apparently, life had its own ideas.
“Sarah, was it? Chairman has said so much about you”
“And when exactly did you talk to my father?” Jumin asked you curiously.
Was he not the first person you contacted on your return? He would never admit it but the idea of not being first to hear from you was rather upsetting.
Three nights ago you had arrived home at an ungodly hour, your parents were not aware until that morning when the help had prepared breakfast for three. They had questioned the extra seat until you walked in still in your pajamas. It was an interesting morning nevertheless.
“Oh, may I see the ring? I just want to see if it's as lovely as the one he gave me.” You coyly smiled.
Sarah looked up at you confused, the silence did not help soothe the awkward tension. Jumin did not understand how he missed the ring on your finger, the one he had picked to ask your hand. You had agreed at the time, then disappeared without a trace. Now you stood in front of him playing with the item as though customary.
You always wore the ring so blithely before but had been wary. You were unsure of what to expect with your departure, whether he had been heartbroken or if he would ever move on. Each day you were reminded about the life you could have had with him, a life you may have wanted.
It was not that you were jealous but rather self-assured. Jumin had waited as you selfishly expected, by exploiting his fondness you got something you might have wanted. You never did find whatever it was that you set out to look for, nonetheless here you both stood next to each other.
Jumin’s possessiveness never sat well with you, but slowly you learned that maybe you were just as proprietorial as he was. It was so subtly instilled that you denied it for so long. Reality had come crashing when he asked for your hand in marriage, and even though you expected the gesture you somehow were still unprepared.
The gradual passing comments from either parent had made prospects seemingly clear. Perhaps it was your distaste for the arranged marriage that called for fleeing. Years of grooming and preparations done for the both of you were beneficial towards your legacies. Despite that your planned union was the foundation towards a future empire, you both cared for each other and showed it in your own pernicious ways.
“What is this Jumin? A joke?” Sarah had finally found words to share her annoyance.
Jumin’s eyes were focused on you, his initial indifference had faltered and he was now very amused. Sarah’s fuming had left her face a bit red, neither of them had entertained her remark.
“I had lunch with your father two days ago, he seemed very pleased to see me back”
“So you’re staying then,” Jumin asserted. There was silence at that, you were unsure of a decision and had withheld from giving it any thought.
“You met with my father before contacting me.” He was bitter, and that much was evident in his statement, when you did not respond he turned to his unwanted guest.
“Fortunately, I cannot see you off. I will call for someone to escort you out.”
“You can’t do that to your future wife! It's not right!” she snapped.
You had heard about the alleged engagement when you returned home, your parents inevitably brought it to your attention that morning.
“As you can see I already have a fiance.” Jumin moved towards you and wrapped an arm around you. “It is strange how delusional you are. I don’t even know you”
The elevator dinged again, Sarah screamed obscenities as the guard from before led her out forcefully.
When the doors closed, you let out a breath you unconsciously held in, Jumin tilted his head to look at your face as he hugged you from behind. You embraced the hug, silently battling your overwhelming thoughts. You both did not know what would happen from that second going on but decided to simply revel at the moment.
“You still wear my initials,” You noticed the customised watch you had gifted him at some point in your arguably deploring relationship. He chuckled and rested his chin on your head.
“And you kept the ring”
You released his arms around you and turned to face him, you had dragged out your stubbornness long enough and after the interaction with Sarah, you were exhausted. Meeting his eyes, you rested your arms around his neck and prepared your thoughts to speak, something you had been avoiding for so long.
“Look, you have every right to hate me. I know It was very selfish of me to call you last night, and as much as it was, I just didn't know how to properly address this”
“I know love. V tells me I can be very overwhelming” Jumin attempted to console as he chuckled.
Elizabeth the Third’s purring interrupted the very short-lived moment, however, it relieved the long felt tension. You both had a lot to discuss and figure out, but until then it seemed that things would be okay in your own baffling ways.
Thank you for reading! :)
#jumin han x reader#jumin x reader#jumin imagine#mysme jumin#jumin x mc#angst#mystic messenger#mysme
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Hit on the groom and what became of it - chapter 1/I will keep missing you (if you don’t stop running)
Disclaimer: I don’t own DC or Miraculous. I’m just playing with some crazy concept.
Chapter 1 (here) -|- Next
-------------
Ladybug landed on top of the Eiffel tower with practiced grace. An agitated worry roiling in her chest about the message Chat Noir left her. The urgency was one thing, but he sounded… pained. Like the weight of the world dragged him down type pain.
Marinette knew Chat’s home life wasn’t perfect. Skilled at hiding it, maybe, but details leaked through the cracks. An offhand comment here, a muttered accusation there, a sour face yet again here. He lived in pain and tried so hard to work through it.
She tried to help him whenever she could, both as Ladybug and Marinette. She may not return his feelings, but she always listened. For months during their third year as heroes, she left food on the rooftop when Chat’s suit revealed too many ribs. She wasn’t sure the reason and didn’t dare to ask, lest she learned too much, but she did try to help. There were times she thought she imagined the pained looks, and thin frame, and thinly veiled comments; maybe overexaggerating the situation in her mind, as she often did. After all, he always acted so cheerfully.
Then, Lila happened.
The first strike landed swift, almost deadly, but she survived. It was what followed that made her reconsider. A prolonged fight, where Marinette chose to retain a cheerful mask to hide the pain. Along the line, she considered confiding in her parents. But what could they do? Maybe take her from school, but that would mean Lila already won; the Liar would rule unopposed.
Which left Adrien, her last bastion of friendship.
She still harbored a bit of a crush on him, but it was justified! Like a knight in shining armor, he stood, always ready to defend her. He always ensured her inclusion in class activities and saved her from several catastrophes.
She still stumbled over her words with him, but when it’s minor stuttering or not talking to anyone, she forced herself to adapt. It was nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
With the ability to spend more time with Adrien without acting like a spaz, Kagami also appeared more often, and proved to be a good friend. Marinette found a home with the two awkward rich kids ridiculously clueless and unaware of how the real world functioned. In the end, she even grew to accept Adrien might not be destined to be hers but chose to support him nonetheless.
“My lady?” She was broken out of her musing by a familiar voice.
“Hello, Kitty-cat. I got your message… what’s wrong?” She turned to see Cat Noir slumped over the railing, with his ears tweaking nervously. She didn’t even know he could do it.
“I… I’m sorry my Lady, but I can’t… I can’t continue to be your partner,” he declared.
“What?!” she squeaked. “What happened? What’s the matter?”
“I’m… I’m getting married,” he announced, his ears drooping and tail tucked between his legs.
Oh, that’s… not what she expected to hear. “Married? Congrat…” she drifted off, noticing his sour face. “Chat? What are you not telling me?”
“It’s… I… My…” He struggled to figure out how to say it, but ultimately remained silent for a moment. “There is nothing to be happy about. It’s a… business marriage,” he spat, his eyes narrowing.
“But… those are illegal!” Ladybug protested.
“Not when you make it look like a love match. Especially if you insinuate at a scandal.” He sneered, jumping off the railing and pacing along the empty rooftop. “My father holds all the cards and I… I’m in no position to oppose him.”
“I’m sure we can…”
He sighed, walking over to her. “Please… M’lady. Don’t try to give me hope. I accepted what I must do.” With that, he reached for the ring, but she stopped him.
“Chat. We can try… You’re my friend. You can’t… We will figure it out. Together.” In all they’d endured, suffered, and triumphed - Marinette had never seen him this despondent… this broken.
He sighed, his eyes flat and dull. “There is nothing to figure out,” he said, forcing the ring off his finger.
The transformation fell, leaving Adrien Agreste materialized in place of her long-time partner. Plagg’s sharp cry cut off, as he’s sucked into the ring the second he popped out of it. She stood there, too stunned to notice the blond boy pushed the ring into her palm and closed it.
Marinette wasn’t sure what thoughts decided to rampantly rage through her head, but the train of thoughts probably broke the collective speed limit everywhere in the world at the same time.
“M’lady?” Adrien’s soft voice brought her to earth when she was one step from panic.
“A-Adrien?” She choked on the word.
“You heard about me?” He looked dumbfounded. Ladybug, too shocked to say a word, gestured over to the building line. Even from so high and far away, his most recent billboard advertisement stood visible. “Ah… right.”
“Who… who’s the lucky girl?” Inside her mind, she wondered if Kagami right now faced a similar problem. It was the most logical…
“Lila Rossi,” Adrien admitted, his shoulders hunching.
Marinette.exe stopped working.
A moment passed.
Another.
“Um… M’Lady?” The boy tried to prod his ex-partner to respond by waving his hand in front of her face.
“That… that lying…” Ladybug saw red. This could not be happening.
Adrien nodded, the despondent look on his face growing worse every second.“My father deemed her a suitable heiress to the Gabriel brand… I tried to warn him she was a liar, but he… I think he actually admires her skill…” Tears built in his eyes, and Adrien covertly tried to wipe them away.
“Maybe… maybe you could… I don’t know!” she screamed in frustration. Marinette had several ideas about what Adrien could do, but none of them would help.
Running away would be a problem. Leaking the story to the press would lead to his home life growing even worse. After dealing with Gabriel Agreste’s parenting, she held no illusion Adrien could win a court battle. The rich too often got away with whatever they desired. She could try to sicc Uncle Jagged on the case… or maybe Clara Nightingale… Nadia Chamack would probably love the news-breaking story, but it would all put Adrien in danger. Who knows what would happen before they could obtain results or protection against Gabriel’s extensive reach.
Adrien sighed as if knowing exactly where her thoughts took her. Chat was no dummy, he probably scoured over his options more times than he could count. His resignation, the last resort in a long line of failed plans. “I appreciate you trying, but I already told you I accepted it. Just… take me down, please. I… I didn’t really plan the location well…” He let out a weak chuckle.
“Fine… I’m sorry kitty...” She grabbed hold of him and swung to the ground. Despondently she watched her best friend, her partner, walk away into the night; resigned to a life of suffering and isolation.
There must be something she could do, she thought. She closed a gloved fist around the ring. She was Ladybug, and if she put her mind to it, there was nothing she couldn't do.
-----------
A week later the press learned about the upcoming wedding. Adrien and Lila both left school for home-school. The press and the general public ate up the news story about star-crossed lovers that met in school and became inseparable. It didn’t help that the class kept commenting about how good they were for each other.
Marinette resisted an urge to gag whenever she caught the sound of the vicious lies and propaganda. She was asked for comment only once but chose to refuse. It didn’t earn her any popularity in class. Luckily, she convinced Nadia to stop a nasty side-story about her jealousy from being published.
No closer to a plan, she despondently continued to push through her life without her friend. She, unsurprisingly, hadn’t received a single text or call. Marinette didn’t blame Adrien; his position couldn’t be easy. A month after Adrien departed from her class, Marinette convinced her parents to also home-school her. Without a single friend, the school became a burden. Of course, her reasoning to her parents leaned into her focus on her fashion business. Which wasn’t untrue. It was starting to pick up.
The only upside to this whole debacle was near-lack of akuma attacks. It seemed Hawkmoth found a hobby. Maybe he wrote poems?
Nah. Not his style...
Two months after the announcement Marinette woke to surprise guests: Adrien, his father, and Lila knocked on the bakery’s doors. The bride-to-be in an especially sour mood, as much as she tried to hide it. Gabriel appeared to be devoid of any emotions, as usual.
She seated them on the couch and asked if they would like a drink. She didn’t bother to offer food, not wanting to waste good cake on the likes of Lila and Gabriel. Although, Adrien’s thin cheeks and haunted eyes made her regret the decision.
All of them declined the drink.
“Madame Marinette, I assume you have heard of the Wedding?” The capitalization clearly discernible in his voice.
“Yes… Yes sir!” she corrected herself. Trying desperately to mask her disgust behind a layer of nervousness. She couldn’t risk a glance at Adrien, even if this was the first time she’d seen him since that night on the roof. Making it through the meeting would be hard enough without watching him suffer.
“While initially, I planned to prepare the dress and suit myself, my son convinced me to give a chance to someone else to shine.” Clearly, whatever it was Adrien said, it didn’t include a polite request. “I have seen the dress you made for Rock Star Jagged Stone’s wedding, as well as the suit worn by Nadia Chamack.”
“They are designs I’m particularly proud of, sir.”
Play the part. Play the part. Don’t send him to the hospital. Papa and Maman would be disappointed. Well, Maman would probably join me…
Her homicidal train of thought ended as she forced a smile to appear on her face. Contrary to Lila’s stretched thin lips; Marinette’s smile shines bright and could’ve been mistaken for genuine.
“Indeed… I’ve come to commission you to design and make the gown and the suit for the sweet couple.” He announced like it was the highest honor, but there was an amount of bile in his words Marinette used to think was reserved only for Nino.
“I… I’m… I’m honored, sir!” She beamed. The excitement only half-forced. Her moral compass told her even entertaining the proposal was wrong, but at the same time, her brain furiously flitted crafting possibilities.
Gabriel nodded imperiously as if her acceptance merely added to a foregone conclusion. “Good. My assistant, Nathalie, will sort out the details. Lex Luthor agreed to pay for the pieces as his wedding gift, so do not be afraid to ask for full price.” He informed her t as if he believed she would give him a discount.
For a moment, a singular reckless moment, Marinette entertained the temptation to voice her thoughts about Gabriel being cheap.
She sighed, no, there would be another day for career suicide. The group rose to leave, and Marinette finally glanced at Adrien; his model-trained smile paper-thin. He caught her eyes, and if he radiated sadness two months ago, it didn’t hold a candle to the devastation swimming in his eyes. The exchange broke when Lila gripped a hand tight around his arm and dragged him to the door.
Gabriel handed her a card, and the group departed. Marinette collapsed onto the couch, the makings of a headache building in her skull.
This would be awful.
------------
A week later Marinette held a separate meeting, consisting of Nathalie, Lila, Lila’s mother, and Adrien’s aunt. And her, obviously.
She first asked what kind of dress Lila wanted.
Lila’s eyes lit up in an unholy glee; and she started talking.
And talking.
And talking.
And talking.
After the long and painstakingly thorough description, Marinette felt faint. Several reasons contributed to that, although the most prominent were the materials, the design, and the way she spoke. Obviously Lila had feelings, the kind likely to trigger an oncoming Auma attack if Hawkmoth hadn’t pranced off to who knows where, about Marinette designing her dress.
Marinette was happy Adrien’s aunt pointed out the request’s complete madness, but Lila’s mother waved it off, quick to declare only minor adjustments to the request would be needed.
In the end, Marinette presented several dozen designs, both hers and foreign to have a basis on which she could work. Lila, of course, chose the one that would be hardest to make.
“I’m sorry none of your designs were good, Marinette…” The liar cooed with faked sorrow. She hid a smirk the designer could clearly see.
The notion was born because it was a picture and not a sketch.
Marinette smirked, and rose from the couch, ignoring Lila’s irritated scowl at her non-reaction.
She liked it even less when the girl brought in the ready-made dress.
“I made it as the first design for Penny Rolling’s wedding, based on Uncle Jagged’s suggestions. I should’ve known Penny didn’t approve of his idea, but…” she waved it off.
Lila, now actively glaring at her, sat back on the couch. All of which was mistaken for amazement by the adults.
Marinette ignored the girl’s dramatics, it was the only way she’d survive this meeting intact. “Of course, there still needs to be several adjustments and personalizations. I will also need to order the amber you requested. And the platinum thread. And the white gold. And probably an industrial-grade 3-D printer… Is that covered by the expenses?” She looked at Nathalie, who nodded. “Great! I will need just a moment.”
The women watched as Marinette practically leaped at her notebook and added in adjustments to the sketch. Fifteen minutes later, when she presented a new design, impressing them all (sans Lila, obviously) with the flowing lines and intricate details. They praised her talent (even Natalie), and Marinette played the bashful young designer role to a tee. The liar kept glaring though. She couldn’t back away easily, since she already made a scene about wanting that specific dress. Marinette informed them beforehand she would need to know about her specific wishes before she made any adjustments.
The final design looked pretty much exactly what Lila wanted though, but she didn’t want to give her nemesis the satisfaction. Her entourage did enough of this.
Under the cover of being too emotional, they ended the meeting. Nathalie remained to finish the deal and sign the contract.
After all of them left, Marinette collapsed onto her chair. An hour later a notification from her bank came. She received the first half of the payment. When finished, the dress would officially be the most expensive wedding dress to date. Blessed be Lex Luthor and his deep pocket. She chuckled, remembering how much the billionaire got kidnapped because of his money.
Then, an idea shined in her head.
Oh.
Oh...
She took off her earrings and dismissed Tikki, promising she needed a quick chat with Plagg about a new potential holder. When Marinette put on the ring, the Kwami of destruction popped back into existence.
“So… figured out how to help my chosen?” he asked.
What Tikki didn’t know was when Marinette said she intended to discuss potential holders for Plagg, they really worked on a way to save Adrien. It was their secret since Tikki would most likely disapprove. They didn’t want to risk her disappointment in them. Not until they crafted a fleshed out full-proof plan.
She nodded. “I have an idea. Let’s hire someone to kidnap him!”
Plagg rolled his eyes. “Did they hit you on the head, pigtails?”
“No. But look, the problem is whatever we come up with, Adrien ends up blamed or we land ourselves in jail, right?” The Kwami nodded. “So… if we make sure it’s a very public kidnapping and he disappears, we can stash him away until the heat dies down. After we dye his hair and apply fast-tan, he will look different enough no one will connect the two. I’m pretty sure I could get my hands on fake documents if I tried hard enough…” she trailed off thinking of all the minutiae to coordinate to pull this off.
It would be hard.
But it would be worth it.
Plagg slowly nods. “Okay… Somehow, that both makes no sense and seems perfectly legitimate. It’s also your most chaotic plan to date, Pigtails. Let’s do it!” The Kwami cheered, happy to be soon reunited with his chosen kitten. “But what about the costs!”
Marinette already had an answer in mind for that question. “Even after I subtract the costs of materials and other supplies, the payment for the dress, together with my savings, will be more than enough. Now… let’s go wake Tikki up.”
That… ended with the Kwami of Creation vomiting a pile of handcuffs and other police gear at Marinette.
“Um… Why?”
The little red Kwammi placed her paws on her hips. “Because you should familiarize yourself with those if you plan on going to prison for that plan. It’s no longer just a phone theft, Marinette! You’re talking about breaking more laws than I can count!” She dropped to the pillow below, bemoaning about where she went wrong.
Marinette scooped up her wayward friend and tried to reassure her. “I just need to be careful. I’m pretty sure I can do it without detection. Maman taught me how to not be seen on the internet. Or in general. Come on. I need to order a secure laptop.”
“I will help!” Plagg offered. “I can cataclysm the internet after you do your thing.”
“What?! No! Think of the cute cat pictures!” Marinette protested. “And video games.”
“Relax! It’ll just remove any trace of you doing anything online in the several hours or so…” He calmed her.
Tikki trailed after them, a bundle of nerves and worry. “Plagg! It’s irresponsible! You can’t possibly…”
“Pigtails and I have it all under control. What’s the worst that could happen?”
---------
Turns out, a lot.
Before Marinette put out the hit (kidnapping, she made sure that it was plain as day), she needed to set a price. That one was harder. It wasn’t like you could Google how much you needed to charge to kidnap a celebrity. At least, not without attracting a lot of unwanted attention.
She asked her mother, under the guise of pure curiosity. It was a normal question any teenage girl asked her mother. How much does it cost to have someone killed, how much cheaper/more expensive a kidnapping is, how to acquire fake documents, that kind of stuff. Not suspicious at all.
So absorbed in her rant, she missed a merry glint in Sabine’s eyes. She also didn’t question how her Maman knew those prices.
Finally, she needed to fill the form.
Assignment: Acquisition and Delivery
Asset(s): Adrien Athanase Agreste
Value:
Here, Marinette paused.
Her mom gave her a lengthy lecture about pricing and all. According to her, a professional would take up to fifty thousand dollars for kidnapping and bringing the target to her. Marinette decided, since Adrien was a celebrity, she should double the price. More risks involved, more reward, right?
But, she also wanted to ensure she hired the best of the best. Compare her work to Gabriel Agreste’s, she came to the conclusion ten times the price was reasonable to ensure only the best in the field would take the job.
Then, there was the matter of safety and so on and so on. By the end, she settled on two million dollars, as her asking price for one Adrien Agreste. Plagg sagely nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Tikki didn’t comment, as she wasn’t speaking to the two, but also seemed more accepting after spying on Adrien and Lila’s home life. Not that she revealed that tidbit to either of them, lest they drop the plan and directly go at Gabe and the Liar.
After a few more details and boxes in the form Marinette filled until she came to the end. Only one more detail remained:
Sponsor:
Marinette stared at the word for a moment. After a quick race of thoughts, she typed slowly.
Sponsor: The Seamstress
Perfect. Nothing about this could go wrong.
Of course, how could she predict just how big of a mess she would make?
----------
#maribat#marinette dupain cheng#BAMF Marinette#adrien agreste#miraculous#miraculous ladybug#mlb#mlb x dc#dc#DC comics
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She Will Learn (Rio x Reader)
Look I will let y’all in on a little secret, the way this account is going to work is by me seeing your requests, making a mental note to finish them and then getting an idea for another imagine that wasn’t requested but can’t move on until I write it so.... Enjoy!
P.S I chose Greece cause I am from there and I never see us anywhere
(Y/n) had met Rio when she was about to graduate college, a business major that was striving for being the first millionaire in her family. She came from a lower middle class first generation immigrant from Greece, her parents were troopers for successfully raising her and her siblings, they never had things to spare yet they had enough to be respectful.
He saw her at a restaurant, completely overdressed and accessorized like she was dining in France, however she somehow made it look like she didn’t think about what she was going to wear, like this was her natural way of dressing, her nails were done and he noticed how... soft her hands looked.
What intrigued him was that she was extremely kind to everyone, she smiled brightly at the waiters and she would often reach over to her friends for a touch of encouragement of just a simple caress, she exuded confidence that made you feel like you would never dare to touch her, still she carried herself with elegance and in a graceful manner.
“Excuse me, can you tell me who are the girls at the table over there?”
“Oh they haven’t been here before but I can tell you they are here to celebrate for the girl in the red dress, it’s her birthday”
“Oh is it? Send them a bottle of champagne please”
“Right away Sir”
He was never the flashy type of guy, he never cared for stuff that showed his status or economic achievements, people that had money knew to never flaunt it carelessly. When it came to her, he felt the need to show off, to woo her and catch her eye, she had this sense of luxury, she looked like she took care of herself way too much to let men not treat her anything less than that.
He watched her face switch into surprise when the waiter came with the bottle of champagne, a few seconds after that her gaze went to him, as the waiter pointed towards him and then proceeded to open the bottle of bubbly.
She had noticed him when she entered for a few moments, although she decided that since it was her big night she wouldn’t waste time gawking at good looking men, she had saved money for months to be able to afford the finest for her big day, every year she wanted her birthday to be like the life she wanted. She send him a smile as her hand went to her heart to show gratitude for the gift.
Except that didn’t feel like enough, she felt like she could push it a bit more, try her luck just a bit, she looked too good to worry about a man turning her down, he would have to be mad or blind to do so.
She walked to him with the glass of champagne in her hand, giving him the chance to take her in. Her legs were exposed as the dress went to the middle of her thigs, they shined and looked so smooth making him wonder how good would it feel to touch them. She had a figure of a dream, as her hips swayed with every step, her posture was proud and she walked like a supermodel, if he didn’t know the owner he would have thought she was the one that had not just the restaurant, the entire block.
“I don’t think we’ve met, I’m (y/n), I wanted to thank you for the champagne, you really didn’t have to”
“I wanted to darling, I’m Christopher but people call me Rio, how wonderful to meet you”
He said, taking her delicate hand in his and pressing a light kiss on soft skin. He could smell the lotion of vanilla she had chosen to moisturize her skin, settle yet unforgettable. His raspy voice made her flustered, trying to mask it with a smirk and confidence, he was intriguing to her, the cool, calm and collected exterior that suited him so much.
“I wish I could stay and talk but I don’t like leaving my friends by themselves”
“I understand darling, we’ll be in touch”
-
It had been years since then, he had managed to not only stay in touch with you but make her the queen of his life. She was an asset that he so desperately needed, he trusted her with his life and knew she had the best intentions for him, her loyalty was iron made, her degree came in handy when he needed to handle business in a discreet manner, she was the master mind behind a lot of his negotiations, her brilliance on playing the trophy wife that didn’t know anything in front of others was the secret behind his success.
She is his secret weapon, so secret that no one knew she even existed, the few that did didn’t even know her name and the people that knew were the most trusted ones that worked with Rio for years, she liked to be under wraps, walking in and out of the building with the men Rio had hire to protect her and the rookies wondered who was she, he only called her with pet names when others were around but they could only address her as “Miss”, she was the miss of the mister and his most trusted soldier.
Despite that, (y/n) was no fool. She had broken up with Rio and called of the engagement several times, making Rio go wild every time. She wasn’t unreasonable, Rio was out of line a lot of the times, especially when Beth came in the picture, his men feared her just as much as him, maybe even more, so when she found out they had done such major damage multiple times but still took them back in, she would pack her stuff and leave without warning, leaving her ring and a note that wrote “goodbye” behind. That’s when he would hook up with Beth, make up for the loss of his queen, yet when he had manage to convince her to come back and buy her a new ring every time, he felt like he was on top of the world.
“Be honest with me Mick, who did this to him?”
“Everything points in one target, Beth”
“Of course. Thank you Mick, I got him”
She stood by him throughout his healing process, waited patiently until he was back on her feet, took care of his bullet wounds and had many sleepless nights to make sure he was alright. She was his wife to be after all, even kept in contact with Rhea and Marcus, made sure they were alright and taken care of in any way, shape or form.
“Are you ready mama?”
“Almost, can you help me with the necklace”
They were there when Rhea got the call from Beth, acting like there friends even though she caused Rios life and invited her for drinks. Rio knew (y/n) was boiling, wanted to take revenge for what Beth had caused and this time he understood, so they got dressed up to meet her instead of Rhea.
As Rio approached and took the necklace in his hands he saw it was the necklace he bought her for their one year anniversary, her birth stone surrounded with diamonds. When (y/n) let her hair down he got a whiff of her scent, still making him feel weak in the knees, he got closer to her and wrapped his one arm around her, his lips found the nape of her neck and left light kisses. She closed her eyes for a second to enjoy the feeling of warmth and lust he brought her.
“You look beautiful princess”
“It’s my first time meeting her isn’t it?”
“What have you planned gorgeous?”
“That’s for me to know and for her to find out, let’s go daddy”
She knew exactly who she was. Seeing the back of her head made her want to pull out her gun and blast her right then and there, that wouldn’t be classy now wouldn’t it? She approached the clueless woman and sat on her left side, leaving the right seat empty for Rio to join later.
“Can I get dirty martini please? Thank you dear”
She instructed the bartender before taking off the faux black fur coat to reveal a Split Floor-Length Sleeveless Spaghetti Strap Pullover black dress. The first thing Beth noticed about the young woman that sat next to her was the big diamond ring that she wore on her ring finger, mentally thinking of what that girl had done to earn it
‘she probably hasn’t worked a day in her life’ she thought, making herself feel a little bit better, she had to admit that she looked really pretty, the jewelry she had on complimented her skin tone and the dress looked like it was custom made. (Y/n) waited for her drink to arrive before she looked at Beth and got ready to reveal her identity.
“You must be Beth, I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m (y/n)”
Beth looked at her puzzled. How did the young woman that looked like she was some old mans pretty young thing to show off knew her. (Y/n) was smiling as she took a sip of her cocktail, knowing damn well that Beth had already made up her mind about what type of woman (y/n) was and completely missing the purpose of this meeting.
“How do you know my name”
“Oh I know everything about you, where you live, the names of your children, your sister Annie and your friend Ruby. Rio has told me all about you”
“Rio? How-”
“I know he doesn’t talk about it, I like to be invisible to the public eye... his secret weapon as some would say. I also know you are waiting for Rhea”
“She ain’t comin”
Beth heard Rio’s voice and her eyes went wide with fear. (Y/n) let out a soft giggle and took one more sip of her drink as Beth turned to look at him like she had seen a ghost, judging by how pale she had gotten she was more of that vibe than he was.
“Excuse me, can we get a glass of neat whiskey for the gentleman? Thank you so much”
(Y/n) ordered once more before hoping off her chair and joining Rio. He snaked his arm around her and brought her as close to him as he could before placing a kiss on her cheek.
“How you feeling mama?”
“Oh I was just having a chat with Beth”
“A-are y-you”
“His fiancé? Yes, we are planning on getting married on my homeland during the summer, aren’t we daddy?”
(Y/n) started rubbing Rios back as she smiled at him, she was super excited for her wedding, he had given her complete control to do whatever she wanted, it was her big day and he knew better than to object to anything.
“Oh we have to show her something”
Rio reached for his pocket and (Y/n) looked over at Beth who was in the verge of a mental breakdown. Rio pulled out his three bullets that the doctor had pulled out from his body, (y/n) wanted to throw them away but he insisted in keeping them, reminding him how he cheated death.
“Lung, spline, shoulder”
He put each one down in front of her. Beth had terrible aim and for once (y/n) was thankful that one of their rookies missed the shots. Beth stayed silent, taking in all the information, not only was he alive he also had a woman he was planning to marry, calling him “daddy” right in her face, she looked like she was straight out of a magazine and even thought she was kind to her that terrified her more, her entire life was crumbling in front of her.
“Now I think you understand that you are in a bit of a jam, Christopher has agreed that I should decide your punishment since he wanted to kill you-”
“Don’t, do that. I’m sorry babydoll, she will learn”
Beth had tried to leave in the middle of (y/n)’s sentence, making Rio grab Beth by the arm and restrain her from doing so. (Y/n) stayed stoic and just watched the scene unravel, she knew Rio would never allow anyone to disrespect her. As Beth sat back down Rio smiled (y/n) before taking her hand once more and placing a kiss on her knuckles. (Y/n) reached for his face and caressed his cheek with her free hand making Beth sick to her stomach, he had never looked at her like that, with such admiration and love.
“It’s alright, I will let it pass this one time”
“Go on mama”
“I feel like it would be too easy to kill you, such an easy way out. So now you will work for me”
“What?”
Beth felt her stomach twist at the statement. Working with (y/n), having to do daily tasks for her, a woman she had no idea even existed an hour ago, now she had work under her and take orders from her directly, for a second she thought that death would be better. (Y/n) left Rio’s side for a second and took Beth by the shoulders, standing right behind her, Beth’s eyes fell on her shinny ring, that only felt like someone was rubbing salt over her wound, he had probably spend a fortune for it. (Y/n) leaned closer to Beth getting next to her ear and causing goosebumps on Beth’s body.
“Think of it as an assistant or maybe help Rio with anything he needs but mostly you will be on call for anything I need. Since you wanted to outsmart Rio and spit where you eat, I need some help to plan the wedding and also take care of our business. What do you think darling?”
“I think it’s an excellent idea”
Rio was pleasantly surprised. (Y/n) was one of the most intelligent people he knew, bring Beth so close to her and making her work for their wedding even though she knew she had slept with him was a very cruel and mentally humiliating way to punish her.
She truly was one of the greatest choices he had ever done, no one could compete with her, she held such power that made Rio feel like he could not only trust her but also submit to her, let her take the wheel and not having to worry about anything going wrong. As he watched her look over at Beth there was no comparison, (y/n) had such way of carrying herself, that je ne sais quoi as some would say, she was the embodiment of female divine energy.
Rio knew that her leaving him all these times was a game of push and pull, making him work for her and a mental slap in the face, yet every time he ran to her like an obedient dog and begged for her to come back and take her spot as his queen in the palace, promised her and gave her everything she wished for, every ring was bigger and better than the one before. It wasn’t like he did it because she wanted it, he was the one that wanted to spoil her, give her everything under the sun, she deserved everything and he was for sure not going to hold back for his sweet little princess.
“And then when all of that is done... Rio can take care of you, I feel like it would bring bad luck to our household if we killed someone before the wedding”
#rio x reader#rio imagine#rio headcanon#rio one shot#rio x y/n#rio x you#rio x oc#good girls rio#good girls nbc#rio good girls imagine#good girls imagine#good girls x reader#manny montana x you#manny montana x reader#manny montana x y/n#manny montana imagine#manny montana one shot#nbc rio good girls#rio good girls#nbc good girls
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Meeting and Dating Draco Malfoy
(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)
(Since it came up in the meeting situation: if you request crush headcanons, they’ll include the boys reactions to falling for all the different houses<3)
- You and Draco first meet when you both begin attending Hogwarts.
- When it comes down to it, the platinum blond has a rivalry with just about everyone his age; besides his somewhat mindless goons, so there’s going to be a rivalry involved in your “relationship” regardless of who you are. The question is: how does said rivalry play out? Which is where your house comes into play.
- If you’re in any other house besides Slytherin then you’re in for a bumpy ride, though don’t get your hopes up Slytherin, it isn’t smooth sailing for you either.
- Either way, Draco is very much a “pull your pigtails” type of boy. He’s constantly teasing you, being rude, making insults, etc. If you’re a Slytherin then he’s recruiting you as one of his “followers”, acting childishly possessive over you, demanding that you come with him or scolding you when you hang out with people outside of your house. The older you get and the stronger his feelings, the worse it’ll get.
- Even though he acts cruel to you, he’s always eager to hear what you think about him; what you’d said to your friends about him and so on. Of course, deep down it bothers him when you express your contempt but he pretends it doesn’t, being particularly rude to you the next day to try and make himself feel better.
- On the same note as Draco’s eagerness to bully people: while I don’t think it’s impossible for Draco to fall in love with a half blood/other type of witch, I do think that he wouldn’t allow himself to be with one purely because of what he’s been taught and the fear of his fathers wrath.
- So, when does the snake boy stop seriously screwing with you? Around second year; if we’re referencing the other houses relationship with him. The two of you were paired up for a class around that time and slowly but slowly found yourselves on alright terms with each other.
- Because of this, it became far less shocking for people to see the two of you together and during that time, he was able to realize that he may or may not have liked you, and that he could be around you if he wished to.
- Finally, it all comes to a head around third year when he first see’s you stepping out of your carriage looking more radiant than ever and positively glowing as you laughed with your friends.
- Maybe it was the fact that he went the whole summer with the realization that he liked you and with no chance of seeing you. Maybe it was because you’d matured a bit and lost more of your babyface. Either way, he was in trouble.
- He approaches you with his usual last name greeting and you roll your eyes as per usual but as your relationship last year would suggest, he’s not nearly as rude to you as he once was.
- In fact, he’s uncharacteristically kind to you, well, as uncharacteristically kind as Draco can be while trying to remain unsuspicious. He starts making up any excuse to talk to you, goes to you for details when something happens within the school; even though you’re probably far more clueless than he is, sits/stands next to you in class, and most surprisingly, he actually acts sort of sweet to you when you’re all alone.
- If you’re a Slytherin then forget it, he’s constantly around you no matter where you are. He even openly flirts with and acts like he’s interested in you; though he tones it down so that he can keep up his reputation.
- It’s for all these reasons that you actually find yourself agreeing to go to Hogsmeade with him when he approaches and borderline tells you that that's what you’re doing. The two of you narrow your eyes at each other for a moment before you decide that you just can’t decline, as much as you want to because of his tone of voice and way of asking.
- So he takes you to Hogsmeade and you find yourself genuinely having a fun time, especially after the two of you end up in a snowball fight with each other. The two of you got progressively more elaborate with your snowy attacks until you’d wound up on the ground together with you just about ready to dump a big pile of snow on his head.
- In that moment, he’d linked his arm around the back of your neck and pulled you down to kiss him as you kneeled in front of him. The snow dropped from your hands, mostly missing his head but he didn’t stop. His playful, somewhat rough kiss softened and before you knew it, you were melting into him.
- You’re his girl now whether you like it or not. He wanted you and he always gets what he wants, doesn’t he?
- Draco has a reputation to keep up so he isn’t gonna be all cutesy and lovey dovey with you in public, though he does show you quite a bit of pda. He gives you that “I’m tough and she’s mine. Look I can touch her, see.” type of affection.
- Having his arm around you constantly; especially when he’s glaring down and trying to intimidate someone who’s looking at you too much for his liking.
- Temple kisses.
- Hand kisses. It’s a habit he picked up from his father.
- Sweet, soft kisses. You certainly didn’t anticipate him being so loving with you when you first started dating; due to his usual behavior, but you were, at times, pleasantly surprised.
- Dominating, somewhat rough kisses; especially when he’s in a bad mood for whatever reason.
- Him lounging dramatically in or across your lap.
- He’s quite a big fan of cuddling but he’d die before he let you or anyone else know that. The two of you usually cuddle hugging each other, your legs tangled together and his lips pressed to your forehead.
- If you’re not constantly by your boyfriends side, are you even dating? Why would you need to be anywhere else? You’re his girlfriend, you should be jumping to be seen with and spend time with him; especially since he’s a Malfoy!
- Him forcing people out of his and/or your way, and making Crabbe or Goyle do things for the two of you. The two boys really don’t mind helping you since you’re usually so much nicer about it than your boyfriend is.
- Sneaking around after curfew together.
- Wandering the grounds together. He’s got a few particular places that he likes bringing you to.
- Him pretending not to enjoy the things you do with him or the places that you take him to, even though you know damn well that’s he’s lying and just won’t admit that he’s having fun.
- Getting tickled or at least prodded in the side when you’ve said something teasing towards him, or just when you’re distracted. He finds it funny when you jolt and swat his hand away.
- Being lovingly referred to as your last name. When the two of you are alone together, he’ll let a “darling” slip here and there, usually without even meaning to. It’s another habit he picked up from high society life.
- Affectionate bullying. He makes fun of you in a much fonder tone now that you’re together.
- Sending notes to each other in class.
- Always being escorted to class.
- Stopping him from doing something stupid, even if it may or may not cause a fight between the two of you.
- Being forced to cheer him on at Quidditch games, even if you’re in a different house. He takes great offense if you don’t.
- He’s constantly trying to impress you and get your validation. He’s always bragging to you about his accomplishments, usually sprinkling in little white lies to make them sound even better.
- Him exaggerating how hurt or sick he is for more attention, especially when you’re completely focused on him; he wants to keep it that way for as long as he can.
- Either gaining favoritism from certain people; people like Snape, or being relatively disliked by association. Although, once people see that you’re sort of like a buffer between them and his wrath, they usually warm up to you more.
- Getting him to be nicer to people.
- You’re practically the only one he really listens to, even if it’s usually done so begrudgingly. He’ll later say that it’s just because he didn’t actually feel like doing it or tell you that you’re lucky “you’re cute” in a grumble to save face.
- Gossiping and peoplewatching together. He likes seeing you be a little mean, he finds it entertaining and gives you praise whenever you make some snide remark.
- Snowball fights.
- Going to Hogsmeade together. He treats you to a butterbeer or candy from Honeydukes whenever you go.
- Being spoiled. His father can afford the best and Draco wants to ensure that you’ll put up with his insecure ass even though he’s sometimes sorta mean to you. He also just likes the feeling he gets when he knows that he’s the one who’s made you happy.
- He probably gets you a silver necklace/bracelet either in the shape of his name or with it engraved on it, or with green jewels on it; especially if you’re not in Slytherin.
- Getting your stuff stolen. He’s a bit of a kleptomaniac so expect to find your some of your stuff in his room.
- Try not to mention it when he clings onto you at a sudden movement/sound or when something otherwise scares him. He’s sort of a coward; especially before the whole deatheater thing, and he’ll get angrily embarrassed if you do say something, denying it adamantly before avoiding you for the rest of the day out of spite.
- Occasionally dealing with his mood swings. One moment he’ll be all over you, the next he’ll be a foot away and acting cold. It’s nothing that you did, he just suddenly becomes very aware of how vulnerable or soft he’s being and get’s kind of insecure, not wanting to look too weak.
- His father will hear about you!
- Watching how his personality changes when he’s around other people, particularly his father. He isn’t a total git when the man isn’t around but he certainly acts like more of a gentleman and less like himself when he’s being observed; mainly because his father will audibly warn him to play nice.
- His parents probably have fancy parties that he may or may not be allowed to bring you to. If you’re from a well respected, pureblood family then his parents will accept you with open arms and happily welcome your appearances at said events.
- Listening to him complain about how boring or stupid things are, whether during or after they happen.
- He’ll try to keep his pride and insist that nothing is wrong; or that he isn’t as upset as he actually is, but you’ll be able to tell that somethings bothering him; usually his father. When he’s upset, you’ll merely be extra sweet to him and stick by his side for the rest of the day. It’s in those moments that he realizes just how much he loves you.
- Though you’ll have to find out about them soon enough, he definitely keeps some big secrets from you. You’ll be able to tell that there’s something wrong, that something is weighing him down, but he refuses to let you know until he’s finally forced to.
- Possessive boy. You’re his girlfriend and no one else should even look at you unless it’s to feel envious of him.
- He has nasty little habit of getting jealous over just about anyone who’s capable of taking you away from him; regardless of how irrational it may seem, or is otherwise making you happier than he can. He gets incredibly annoyed when he sees you with other guys and tends to either scare them off or glare at the two of you until you join his side.
- After that, he’ll make a few passive aggressive comments until you kiss his cheek and fluster/reassure him enough that he forgets about it.
- He’s incredibly protective of you; especially in the later years of your relationship/school life. In the beginning, he’ll pretend like he doesn’t care as much as he does but will always act in your favor and/or stick up for you on his own cruel way. When you’re older, he’s more willing to blatantly show that he cares and keep you away from danger.
- He’s a bit sensitive so the two of you have quite a few fights. He might insult you or cause problems for one reason or another but you just ignore him and give him the silent treatment when he’s acting like an ass.
- He watches you intently when you’re ignoring him, usually with a glare and especially if you’re around other guys. He keeps waiting for you to approach him but when he realizes you won’t, he’s forced to do it himself.
- At some point, he’ll force you to come with him so that the two of you can talk, trying to just “forget about” the issue before finally admitting that he was wrong. Depending on the issue, he might not give a full apology, telling you not to push your luck when you mention it.
- He doesn’t give you a ton of “I love you’s” but he does force himself out of his comfort zone to say a few. He’ll only ever say it when you’re alone and won’t look at you as he does so, usually trying to breeze past it like it didn’t happen as he blushes. The longer you’re together, the more willing he is to say it.
-He’s going to marry you is what he’s going to do! Why wouldn’t you want to marry him? He’s a pureblood, a Malfoy, and alright, he might just so happen to be really in love with you.
#draco malfoy imagine#draco malfoy headcanons#draco malfoy headcanon#draco malfoy imagines#harry potter imagines#harry potter headcanons#hp imagines#hp imagine#hp headcanons#hp headcanon
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For a prompt, maybe Bobby having a job in high school where he teaches guitar to kids and Emily and Mitch mistakenly sign Luke up for lessons? (Bobby just doesn't sound like a teenager on the phone) Belated congratulations on the 500 milestone, btw ✨
Here you go, friend! I hope you like it! My first jatp AU fic lol :)
Read on ao3 here:
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Here’s the thing: Luke already knows how to play the guitar.
Has he ever taken a lesson? Officially? No, of course not, because he’s not a nerd. But he’s been learning from YouTube tutorials for almost six years now, been writing his own stuff for four, been the lead singer and guitarist of an epic, legendary rock band for two. He’d say he’s pretty well covered in the “knowing how to play the guitar” department, without some crusty old guy showing him the chords to songs no one’s listened to since the 60s in the grimy basement of a church two hours a week.
And yet, here he stands, on the sidewalk outside said church, guitar case in hand and a truly menacing grimace on his face, staring up at the hand-painted sign on the door detailing “Guitar lessons for kids! Room B38” in big block letters.
“Well?” Alex, who drove Luke here because Luke is currently not on speaking terms with his mother and father out of pure unadulterated spite, claps a hand on his shoulder, already stifling giggles. “You ready for your lesson, kiddo?”
“I will kick you out of the band,” Luke threatens.
“Then you can walk home.” Alex jingles his keys teasingly, then tugs Luke into a quick hug. “Come on, man, I think it was a nice gesture. Try to make the most of it, at least your parents are trying.”
Right, because the whole reason Luke’s here is because his mom thought the lessons would be a good reward for Luke passing all his classes this semester. Because she heard him complaining that Sunset Curve needed a rhythm guitarist to fill out their sound and decided that meant he needed to learn how to do it himself, even though Luke tried to explain to her that he couldn’t play rhythm guitar and face-melting solos at the same time.
Of course, she didn’t listen, and then his dad found a flyer for this guy Robert giving lessons out of the local church, and before Luke could say no, the first month’s worth were already paid for and he didn’t have a choice.
And he supposes Alex is sort of right. At least his parents know what a guitar is. At least they’re trying to be somewhat, relatively supportive of his music, instead of pushing him to apply to college or get a job over the summer like they did constantly until he ran away for six months after Christmas and almost died (he’s fine now, but that near-death experience really changed his parents’ tune).
At least they actually acknowledge that he’s in a band at all, unlike Alex’s folks, whose friends think Alex volunteers at homeless shelters in his free time, or Reggie’s, who just don’t care.
Luke knows he’s got it good, compared to his friends, compared to himself a year ago. But that doesn’t mean he’s gotta be happy about it.
“All right, I’ll pick you up in an hour,” Alex says, giving Luke’s shoulder another friendly squeeze. “Try not to pout so much, it’s unbecoming.”
Luke gives him the finger, and Alex’s laughter echoes behind him as he heads back toward his car.
And then Luke sighs, grips his guitar a little tighter, and heads inside. He’s already here, he might as well get it over with.
Room B38 is a tiny classroom deep in the bowels of the church, reserved for Sunday School or daycare or some other such activity. The door’s closed, so Luke knocks, and a voice from inside calls, “Come in!”
A voice that does not sound like it belongs to the crusty old man Luke had been picturing.
He frowns, wondering if maybe he’s in the wrong place, but tugs the door open anyway and maneuvers himself and his guitar inside.
There’s no crusty old man waiting for him. There is, however, a handsome (Luke can’t help noticing and then feels stupid for noticing), young man, no more than a year or two older than Luke at most, sitting in a comically small plastic chair and tuning an acoustic guitar.
“Hey,” Luke greets him, raising an awkward hand. “You’re… Robert?”
“Please—Bobby,” the guy corrects, laying his guitar down on the carpeted floor next to him so he can stand and shake Luke’s hand. There’s a gleam of confusion in his eyes, and he glances over Luke’s shoulder like he’s looking for something as he says, “You must be Luke’s… older brother?”
Oh, Luke is going to kill his parents. “Uh, no,” he says, clears his throat awkwardly. “No, um… I’m Luke.”
Bobby lets out an undignified snort, and then claps his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, sorry,” he says, still sort of giggling. “I shouldn’t laugh, it’s just—most of my students are in the four to twelve age range? I thought you’d be, like, eight.”
Luke rolls his eyes. “Well, I thought you’d be, like, sixty, so I guess we’re both disappointed.”
“Not disappointed,” Bobby corrects, and his smile makes Luke’s stomach flip in a way he’d really rather not analyze too closely right now. Bobby nods down at the guitar case in Luke’s hand. “Should we get started?”
Luke’s tongue feels dumb and thick in his mouth, but he manages to stammer something vaguely affirmative, and Bobby grins at him.
They settle into the kiddy chairs across from each other, and Bobby picks his guitar back up while Luke pulls his own out of its case.
He briefly considers pretending to actually need guitar lessons so that Bobby will have a chance to show off, because Bobby’s cute and funny and clearly cares about music, and Luke doesn’t know how to flirt.
But Luke also doesn’t know how to play guitar badly. So they only get about twenty minutes into the lesson before Bobby stops and says, “You don’t need me, do you?”
“I really don’t,” Luke apologizes. “I play lead guitar in a band, I’ve been teaching myself since I was twelve, my parents are just—” he starts to say stupid, then remembers Alex’s words and amends—“a little clueless about this kind of thing.”
Bobby puts his guitar aside and leans forward in his chair. “What, have they never heard you play before?”
Luke resists the urge to roll his eyes. “No, they have, they just. We’re looking for someone—my band and me—to play rhythm guitar for us? My parents asked why I couldn’t do it, and when I explained it to them, they thought ‘I can’t play lead and rhythm at the same time’ meant I couldn’t play rhythm at all. I don’t know.” He shrugs a little, busies himself with putting his guitar back in its case.
“I could.”
Luke looks up, frowning. “You could what?”
Bobby raises his eyebrows pointedly, nods at the guitar lying at his feet. “Play with you guys. If you’re still looking for someone, I mean.”
Luke’s heart skips a beat, and a warm smile spreads across his face without his permission. “Seriously, man? That’d be amazing! Here, let me give you my number and you can come over sometime and meet the band.”
They exchange information, and Luke spends a little too long staring stupidly at the contact in his phone that Bobby has named “Guitar Teacher <3”.
“Plus,” Bobby says, and Luke looks back up to see him smirking as he returns his own phone to his pocket. “Now I get an excuse to see you again. Since you obviously don’t need the lessons.”
“Yeah,” Luke agrees. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”
“But, uh, maybe don’t tell your parents that. Cause I can’t give them a refund.”
--
Taglist: @whenweremarried @sunsethimb0s @pink-flame @penguin0613 @fighttoshine @sunsetcurvecuddles @apples-bees @reggiescrookedteeth @brightattheorpheum @queenmolina @jandthephantoms @lexilucacia @sapphossidechick @acnhaddict @shrimp-colours @sunset-bobby @lenacarstairspotterstewart @conversationaltreestump @burntchromas @shellydominique @julieandthequeers @joyandthephantoms @it-tastes-like-lizard
#prompt fill#500 followers aaah!!#my fics#jatp#julie and the phantoms#fanfiction#jatp fandom#modern day/everybody lives au#bobby wilson#luke patterson#alex mercer#lukebobby#lobby
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Head in Her Heart (Kuroo Tetsuro x Reader)
Warning : Mentions of Suicide, Violence and Major Character Death. Read at Your Own Risk. Don't tell I Didn't Warn You. If You Are Sensitive About These Topics, Please Refrain From Reading.
"'Cause it's easier to keep holdin' on to something sweet In her mind the more he lies, she justifies But why?"
Song: Head In Her Heart - Nico Collins
Tetsuro Kuroo had come a long way in his life. His love for volleyball has made him the man he was. He patted against his wristwatch a few times, he had an hour before he had to attend the meeting. He didn’t want to arrive early and sit by himself in that gloomy meeting room and not be ready to drink the stale coffee they serve in those places. Kuroo decided to cross the road and head to the nearest café. He missed breakfast and it felt like a good chance for him to grab some food. Ordering his food, he walked to the nearest table just beside the front window of the place. One of the workers brought his food and he was certainly surprised by their speed. Not every day you get to meet good workers and fast service. He smiled at her, turning back to his food when a movement caught from the nook of his eye. He turned and registered the familiarity. A young woman, possibly around his age sat by herself in the far corner of the café. Her hair draped against her shoulder as her eyes darted along with the menu in her hands.
It didn’t take Kuroo much longer to recognize her. She hasn’t changed much since High School. “Y/n?” He talked, waving his hand a bit to take her attention. She looked up from the menu and turned to him. Her eyes frowning for a second before the recognition flooded in. She smiled. The same smile he had grown to love through his high school years. She stood up and walked over to his table without hesitance. The raven-haired male gestured to the seat in front of him. “It’s been so long,” She said, her smile still painted on her lips. It was only then he realized, maybe she did have changed a bit.
“It has” Kuroo replied, tapping against his lukewarm coffee. “I thought you moved to America. That’s what the rumours said anyway.”
She paused for a minute to smile at the waitress who brought her order and thanked her. “I did move to America but I came back a few months after.”
“Oh” Kuroo wondered about the reasons. He still remembered how she was excited to start a new life back in America. In their post-graduate ceremony at high school, she looked at him right in the eyes when she confessed her dream to be a fashion designer. Kuroo wished her luck and let go of her, wishing her best. She had always been the kind of girl to follow her dreams. The kind of girl who wanted to live her dream, not just thinks of it. “America didn’t sit right with you?” He asked, his tone light. He didn’t want to build up any tension between them.
“Kind of.” She was staring at her drink, he noticed. She had been avoiding eye contact since she came to speak with him. That was peculiar. As he remembered, she always used to look anyone in the eye. There was never malice in them, but the positive energy that could light up anyone’s day. Gosh, he was being sappy again. Their light-hearted conversation continued until a man walked into their table. He looked at her and frowned.
“Y/n?”
She stood up with a smile. “Right! Kuroo this is my fiancé, Fujino Toru, and Toru this a high school friend of mine, Kuroo Tetsuro.”
He extended his hand for Kuroo to take. But the only thought going inside his mind was that: she was going to get married. “Nice to meet you,” He said in a stiff voice.
Toru merely nodded, his dark eyes giving him a judging glare. Kuroo stood his ground as he stared back at him with the same stoic look. Y/n seem to be clueless about the tense situation. “Were you two close friends?” Toru asked with a smile, aiming the question at her.
She just ducked her head that her bangs bounced over her forehead, “We were more like acquaintances. He was a good volleyball player. He was always inside the gym”
“Oh,” Toru said, raising his brow.
Kuroo simply shrugged as his response. Toru wrapped one of his arms around her leading her towards the café door. Kuroo watched them leave and turned back to his seat, only to see her untouched food and the coffee mug still filled to the brim, not a sip taken.
Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours and hours passed. Kuroo focused on his job, recruiting members and finding the fresh raw talent in the country. That was something that didn’t change all through all these years. His love for volleyball. He still adored the sport. It had been raining two days straight. He knew it should be past ten in the night when he walked to the car park in the diner. Kuroo worked late and decided to stop by the diner because he knew he’d be too tired to make his inner. The car park was almost empty except for his own SUV and some other black car. He didn’t pay any attention until he heard the voices. It was the aggressive note of a man. Curiously, he turned to them.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who they were. Especially for Kuroo who had watched her staring out at the window during the English period. Who glanced during the breaks to catch her sweet smile. He frowned, the man was Toru. Did something happen? He thought torn between two worlds. He wondered whether he should ignore them and just leave, Y/n was going to get married and this should be some minor problem. But on the other hand, seeing the rude gestures and the loud voice of Toru, a part of his mind hesitated to go on. Only this time, he promised himself and approached the two. Carefully wearing a smile just to make sure he wasn’t intruding on them. Just spotted them by coincidence. Toru stopped to look at him, “What are you doing here?”
Kuroo put his hands up in surrendering motion. “Just saw you two while passing by, I thought I’d say hello”
He squinted at him and turned to her one last time. “I’m leaving”
Y/n smiled, “Sure and I’m sorry, again”
That’s when Kuroo noticed her swollen cheek. She was holding her hand over it as if to subside the pain. Kuroo immediately turned to Toru who was walking to his car about to call him back when she tugged on his elbow and shook her head. She was still smiling at him, and Kuroo realized what was different about her.
That smile didn’t quite reach her eyes like it used to.
“Y/n” His voice was soft as he talked, “Did he-”
“It’s okay. I did something stupid.” She blinked, slowly running her smooth fingers on her skin. “It’s my fault”
“Huh?”
She shook her head, “Just some business problems, don’t mind it” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the numbers.
“I can drop you at your house if you want to” He offered, trying to keep his eyes away from her reddened cheeks and tired eyes.
She blinked, “Ah, no, it’s okay. I’ll find a taxi.”
“It’s too late and too dangerous for you to ride alone in a taxi” That idiot should’ve thought about it before leaving you alone here. He didn’t speak the words out loud. “Let’s go”
She reluctantly nodded, following him to his car. As they sat inside, an awkward silence settled between them. Kuro turned on the radio, trying to break the suffocating silence. He wanted to ask her about him. Why did she look so sad? Why did she look so hopeless? “Y/n, should I stop by a pharmacy and get an ice pack for that?”
She shook his head, “It’s fine. I have some at home”
Kuroo nodded, stopping the car by the red light. “Did he-” Kuroo stopped, trying to compose himself. “Does he always do that?”
She didn’t answer right away. There was it, the smile again. “It’s not a big deal”
It is, Kuroo thought.
“It’s my fault. I’m a clumsy person” She laughed a strangled sound.
You were never clumsy, Kuroo thought.
“When did you meet him?” He took a turn as she pointed out the directions.
“It was a proposal by my parents. They wanted to find me the best husband.” There was no cynical tone. She was honest, she always had been.
“Oh,” Kuroo simply said, “You always loved your parents and never complained.”
“You remembered?” She asked, certainly surprised.
I remember everything, “Yeah,” Kuroo said, awkwardly smiling. “You were pretty popular back then”
“Says you” She rolled her eyes, “Girls flocked around you. You were a star in high school, captain”
But I only had my eyes for you.
“Anyway, enough about me. How’s your life? Any girlfriend?” Her voice held the hint of excitement as she asked.
“Already married to Volleyball at this point”
She laughed, “Weren’t you always?”
“Good point,” Kuroo said, chuckling. The conversation continued until they reached her apartment building. They laughed at their past, beautiful high school memories. There will never be a time like that in your life. Life was not too complicated back then. Kuroo waved at her as she walked in. She looked just like the past Y/n at the moment. Her smile reached her eyes.
After that day, both of them kept in touch with each other. Even met in some cafes with several of their other friends back in high school. Everyone was in different places, working with different people but when they got together again, it was the same madness they had in high school.
Kuroo didn’t know when Toru arrived at the shop until he saw him storming to their table. They had organized another get together of high school friends and two of them arrived earlier than expected. Y/n immediately stood, her fact neutral and passive but her eyes glistening with fear. “Toru” Her voice was remarkably calm.
“What are you doing here?” His eyes rested on Kuroo, “With this man?”
She smiled, “We organized a high school get together. We’re waiting for the others.”
“You lying bitch” His voice was quiet but strong. The impact on his words made several of them turn.
“I’m sorry” She murmured.
“It’s not your fault” Kuroo blurted out, “This is a misunderstanding. What are you going to do to her?”
Y/n gave him a surprised glance. Almost as if it was the first time someone had talked for her. She smiled at him, “It’s okay” She muttered, “Let’s go, Toru”
“Yes, we’re leaving” He yelled, taking her wrist as he dragged her out of the door. Kuroo wanted to run after them. He didn’t know what that man was capable of doing to her but he was frozen to the ground as he watched. The girl he once loved, still had feelings for, getting dragged by her fiancé. If this was love, it was a love made in hell. He’s destroying her.
You knew your life wasn’t meant to be smooth. The bruises on your arms were easily covered by long sleeves. In summer, you always gave the same excuse, I get cold easily. When in reality, you were a summer child. You loved the sense of sunlight on your skin. He robbed you of your simple pleasures but you kept holding onto that man. Because you had faith that he will change. Any man could, you’re giving him chances. One after another. Just till you break. Kuroo stumbled again into your life by pure coincidence. He was the one who reminded her of the beautiful past. Those high school years you could never take back.
Toru didn’t favour Kuroo from the start. Sometimes, you sympathized with him. He was insecure about himself, about his abilities to love her. You sighed, pressed one of your hands against the bruises on your wrists. He wondered whether he would ever change. Maybe you’re meant to be with someone like this. You should’ve known before. People like Kuroo was never meant to be with you. He was just so kind and out of your league. He had been like that, always. You smiled at your crush on him back then. You weren’t the only one. Many girls in the class asked him out. You were quite jealous for some time until you learned to let go. Kuroo would never like you. You weren’t meant to spend a beautiful life.
Toru came and went and you stayed back at home for few weeks. He was growing out of his jealousy towards Toru. Jealousy is something toxic. Something that could devour a man out of his positive qualities until their vision tunnels into a murky green smoke. Toru could be a good person, sometimes. He would cuddle with you after work when he was in a good mood, if it was bad, you knew you should stay away. But several blows were inevitable. Sometimes, you wondered whether it was all worth it. Maybe you should fade away. You didn’t know when the feelings started but they seemed like they were here to stay.
When Kuroo called that afternoon, checking up on you. You realized how much you wanted to talk with someone. You have grown sick of your loneliness. You just wanted an outlet. So, you invited him into your apartment out of pure desperation. Trying to find a way to chase the demons growing stronger by each toxic word, each desperate feeling. The bell rang. You walked to the door and opened it to see Kuroo’s face, concerned and caring. You hated yourself for feeling secure in his hold. You weren’t supposed to have feelings for him. Toru was your fiancé. Nevertheless, you invited him in and saw the paper bags in his arms. “Why did you bother?” Your lips painted to a smile but he looked at you as if you are transparent. Almost as if he could see you for the girl you are.
“It’s your favourite sushi. I passed a sushi shop and it reminded me of that ridiculous party we had after graduating”
A smile instantly touched your lips as memories flooded in. It would be amazing to live in past but the sad part of life is you have to move on from those beautiful memories. “Y/n?” He called again, “You’re spacing out”
“Sorry,” You said, inviting him in. “I was thinking about the party”
“Right” Kuro placed the bags on the table. “Wanna have some?”
You didn’t have any appetite. The past few days, you haven’t had any appetite either. You ate just to survive and wondered what it felt like for everything to stop. To stop hurting. To stop loving. To stop thinking. To stop breathing. But his dark eyes made you falter, “Sure” you answered.
You both sat by the dinner table and started to eat. You nibbled at your food, pushing them against your plate. “You have changed” Kuroo observed, showing a piece of fish into his mouth.
“Everyone changes with time.” You said, smiling at him. “But you’re still the same kind guy acting like an old geezer”
“Hey” He objected, “That’s offensive. Aside from all that, Y/n, what’s wrong?”
You stiffened on your seat. Of course, he would notice. They had known each other for so long to point out the differences among them. Maybe, you didn’t ask him to come over because you wanted to talk to him. Maybe, it was because you wanted to see his face one last time. You’ve already given up. “Nothing. I’m fine. Just getting on with life”
Kuroo didn’t look like he believed it and you knew that was a lame excuse. “How’s it going with Toru?”
“It’s okay. He’s trying.”
Kuroo sighed, setting down his chopsticks. “From what I’m seeing, he’s destroying you, Y/n”
You froze, your gaze lingering on your plate. Your heart was racing. It was the raw truth. The truth you wanted to hear. A little hope bubbled inside your chest. Maybe, he’ll save him. “It’s easier though. To hold onto him rather than letting go. Everyone will be there, talking about things, talking about me. It’s a hard life”
Kuroo shook his head, “It’s your life, Y/n. You choose what you want. I think-” He was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Both of you turned in surprised to see Toru, walking up to you two. Kuroo immediately stood up. You just waited, looking at his furious face and raging eyes and wondered, does it matter anymore?
“What’s going on here!?” He let out a ragged cry, grabbing Kuroo by the collars. You sprang onto your feet.
“He was just talking with me. Toru, stop this!” Toru released Kuroo and grabbed you by your hair slamming your face against the side of the table.
“What the fuck-” You heard Kuroo yelling before pushing Toru back and punching him right on the face. “Stop hurting her!” Toru wiped the blood off his nose, switching his glances with you and Kuroo.
“Get out of my house” He yelled at Kuroo.
“No, if I’m leaving, Y/n is coming with me. I don’t trust you anymore” Kuroo was determined. You watched his eyes filling with something unknown. The same look he had when he always stared at you. The look that you weren’t able to understand.
“Leave,” You said, your voice shaking. “I’m okay, I’m sorry”
Kuroo looked at you with reluctance. “But Y/n-” he started when you finally snapped.
“Leave!” You screamed, your throat was dry. Your soul was dry. Your heart was dry. There was nothing to think about anymore. Your life had collapsed right in front of your eyes. You didn’t want Kuroo to be a part of your destruction. He deserved a better life with someone better than you. Hence, you did all that you could, to send him away. For the first time in your life, you yelled at him to leave. Not giving him any other choice than to meet your commands. You watched his hesitant eyes and reluctant steps. Toru couldn’t do anything to you rather than hurting you because he was a man acknowledged by society, murder will ruin his reputation.
Kuroo didn’t want to leave. Even after leaving the apartment, he hung around the door deciding his next move. There was no noise coming inside and he didn’t have any other choice rather than to back down and leave it. Y/n was right, no matter how violent Toru can be he cannot cross the limits. He valued his reputation. But he didn’t want to see Y/n hurt. He walked out of the apartment building and waited for a while, patting against his pockets to find his cellphone. He should call someone and ask about his next move. He hasn’t been insecure about his decisions before but regarding this sensitive topic, it would be better if he called Akaashi or Sugawara. “Did I left it back there?” He wondered, looking over his shoulder to see the apartment block again. He shook his head running back to the building, half glad about the excuse and the opportunity. Half wondering what her reactions would be. He exited the elevator, thinking of walking to her apartment when the elevator beside him pinged close, giving him only enough time to see the disappearing figure of Y/n behind the two metal doors. Out of sheer surprise, Kuroo froze to the ground. She didn’t see him. An unknown feeling of anxiety filled his stomach as he smashed his fingers on the elevator buttons. He tried the staircase but soon find out it had been close due to construction, he raced his way to the elevators back again as the doors pinged open. He raced inside, wishing she would be okay. Wishing he would be able to save her.
His ride to the rooftop seems to take forever. He paced around waiting until the door opened. He stepped out. The cold night wind welcomed him, brushing away his raven hair out of his face. Kuroo froze: there she was, still alive, standing at the edge. Her head tipped back to stare at the eerily beautiful stars in the night sky. “Y/n?” Kuroo talked.
She turned, surprised. Her eyes filling with thousands of emotions. “Kuroo? What are you doing here?”
“Get down from there. It’s dangerous” Kuroo didn’t answer her question. He didn’t have the time to answer her question. The only thought running inside his mind was: get her out from there!
She turned back to the sky, “This world is a terrifying place, Kuroo. I don’t think I can endure it anymore.” She looked over her shoulder at him, smiling. “You’re a kind person, you know? It’s rare to see people like you. Wish I would’ve-” She stopped, shaking her head. “My life, it doesn’t have to go on anymore.”
“You still have the chance, Y/n. Come down and we’ll sort it out, please.” Kuroo knew his voice was shaking. He was surprised he had the strength to talk at all at the moment.
She suddenly turned and opened her arms, “I wish it was different for me, different for us. You can call me selfish for thinking like this. But” She smiled, and Kuroo’s heart stopped for a moment. It was the same smile. The one that reached to her eyes and wrinkled the edges of her face. The one that lighted up her face like a star. Her smile. The smile that only belonged to her.
(The smile that she gave only to him.)
"I love you"
Kuroo’s heart was racing as she grinned, “Tetsuro, keep that beautiful heart forever. You can make someone’s life better. I know it”
I want to make your life better, he wanted to say but just watched her. His whole body was frozen to the ground as she waved slightly. The hope in her eyes was nowhere to see. Her eyes were empty again. He took a step, ready to take her down from there. Ready to save her life. But, she jumped.
Kuroo would’ve screamed, he would’ve run to the edge of the rooftop to see her. But he just stood there. His arm still hanging midair, trying to reach the girl that was already gone from his life. He fell to his knees, clutching his shirt as he punched the ground repeatedly. The girl he failed to confess. The girl he loved but never was his. Sitting there, he regretted all the words he didn’t say. He should’ve tried harder. Should’ve confessed to her. Should’ve made her life beautiful but he failed.
Then again, no one could blame him. We’re all living lives filled with regret. Just one after another problems crowd inside our minds but, we’re humans. We make mistakes but our pure existence can make someone smile. Make someone happy. We can be the reason that someone’s alive.
Kuroo stood up and collected his courage. Streams of tears flowed down his tears and he didn’t attempt to wipe them away. An ambulance blared breaking the silence of the night. Her words echoed through the air around him. Her last confession. Kuroo finally screamed, letting out the agony and the pain inside his heart as he sobbed openly. Tears streaming without mercy.
It was just three words: I love you. But it can make the deepest mark inside someone’s heart. Either a pleasant beauty or an everlasting regret.
"She has her head in her heart and a broken body Never wrong but she always says sorry Takes the pain, and throws away her pride"
Word Count : 3954
#Haikyuu#tw: mental health#tw: sui mention#tw: suicide#warning depression#read at your own risk#Kuroo Tetsuro x reader#Not exactly#but yeah it's there#SUICIDE#BRUH#KURO TETSURO#Kuro tetsuro i mean#idk what else to put here#oneshots#xreaders#anime#sensitive topic#dont read if you are not comfortable#major character death#please#hq#Haikyuu x reader#Kuroo Tetsuro angst#Kuroo x reader
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Growing Together - Chapter Twenty-Seven - Footsteps
Before you start:
This work is unbeta'd and English is not my first language. I apologize in advance for any mistakes you may find.
Victor sighed in relief as he placed his keys on the plate in the hallway, finally finding himself at home after a terrible day at work. It had been meeting after meeting, barely having time for lunch, his phone ringing off the hook, numerous emails waiting for him when he dared to look at his inbox.
To add insult to injury, his day wasn't exactly over. Victor couldn't wait to lie on his sofa and simply enjoy the evening nursing a glass of brandy with his wife in his arms, but he would have to spend it on his study instead, all alone, to attend a conference call with the team in Paris, who was in a different timezone.
His bad mood was somewhat eased with the aroma of delicious food being cooked, his heart taking solace in the sound of his wife and son's voices bantering in the kitchen. At least he was finally home, he comforted himself. For the time being, he would indulge in a hot relaxing shower and a nice dinner with his family.
Owen was always the first to notice when Victor or Andrea arrived, and as usual, he was the first to greet him, running to his arms. Although Victor had been feeling back pain pretty much all day, a customary symptom when he was overly stressed, such was immediately forgotten the moment he had his son in his arms. With heartfelt laughter, Victor threw the boy in the air, having him land safely in his arms with a very tight hug. And just like magic, Victor immediately felt better. His family was all he needed to recover from that awful day and get back on his feet to face another battle.
"What is your mother up to?" Victor asked, playfully disheveling the boy's red curls.
"She's in the kitchen, making dinner. I helped." He beamed at his father. "It's Mom's special fish and shrimp stew."
Bouillabaise, one of his favorites. Comfort food was exactly what he needed. Putting the boy down, Victor moved to the kitchen to find his wife minding the large pot on the stove. He hugged her from behind, his chin leaning on the top of her head.
"Hello, handsome." She turned her head to look at him.
"Hmm." He groaned, burying his face in the nape of her neck, taking comfort in her scent and the softness of her skin.
"Long day?" She reached back to run her fingers through his hair, slightly scratching his scalp, making Victor almost purr in delight.
"Hmmmm." He moaned, too entertained with how she was making him feel to form a proper answer.
"You’re tense." She declared as she reached back to feel his shoulders.
"Just a little tired." His arms circled her waist, as she turned to him.
"Dinner will be ready in 10." She spoke while she continued to work on the knots of his shoulders. "Get yourself out of that suit and have a shower. We got it covered here."
She playfully hit him in the chest, pushing him away from her. As revenge, Victor stole a kiss, a soft sweet kiss that made her sigh when he broke it. Feeling smug with her reaction, he left Andrea to her own devices, heading for the bedroom. A steamy shower definitely sounded very good. Despite Andy's massage, his shoulders still felt sore.
"Owen has some news for us today." His wife declared at the dinner table, winking at their son.
"Let's hear it." Victor lifted his eyes to his son, giving him his undivided attention.
"Next week it will be Career Day at my school." Owen said, excited. "They want us to bring one of our parents to class for Show and Tell, to explain to our classmates what they do for a job."
"What an excellent initiative." Victor nodded in approval, reaching for his glass of wine. "You could ask your mother, she will have a lot to talk about, between her study and LCG."
Owen didn't reply, looking down instead.
"I'm not the only option on the table here." His wife intervened. "You could go."
"Nonsense, you are clearly the best option." Victor retorted. "You could bring the GESA award to show the kids, talk about the study, your work at LCG, how your ideas may change the economy as we know it. Besides, you are practically their size. I bet they will find that both amusing and inspiring." He teased.
His wife was glaring at him, probably not happy with his witty remark.
"I think your mother should go, Owen." Victor concluded, trying to diffuse the tension his joke caused. "I'm sure she will do an excellent job."
"Would you mind coming, Mom?" Owen mumbled, looking down.
"Of course I wouldn't, Bug. It will be my pleasure." She caressed the boy's hair lovingly, a hint of sadness in her smile.
Victor watched both of them, somewhat intrigued. Why were both so morose? Weren't they happy with his suggestion?
"May I be excused?" Owen placed his napkin on the table. "I need to feed my ants."
"You may." Victor smiled. "By the way, how is the colony going?"
"Well." Owen left the kitchen without any other word.
Victor furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. When it came to his ant colony, Owen was usually a lot more talkative.
"What's the matter with him?" He almost whispered to his wife. "Did something else happen at school?"
"You are a clueless idiot." Andrea threw at him, irritated.
"What!? Why? What did I do?"
"Don't you think that if he wanted me to go, he would have asked me already?" She scolded him. "He wanted to invite you, and you shot him down before he had a chance."
"Me? You are obviously the best choice, why would he want me?"
"Because you are his father, you big moron!" She almost yelled, carefully adjusting her tone after. "Look, you are his father figure, his male example, the one that he looks up to. He never really had anything like that before. This is important for him, he finally has a father he can be proud of. Basically, he wants to show you off to his friends. God only knows why, you’re an idiot in a suit."
For a brief moment, Victor recalled the moment he sought out for his father's attention and approval, only to be met with closed doors and reprimands on how children shouldn’t waste an adult's time with trivialities. He remembered how much it hurt him to be ignored, to not be important, to be treated like a nuisance. Victor refused to let his son go through the same thing, but most importantly, he refused to be the one making Owen feel like that.
"I see."
"Finally. Now go fix it." She urged.
He found the boy sitting with his legs crossed on the floor, staring absentmindedly at his ant farm. He could see himself at that very same age, and almost guess what was going through his son's mind. Owen was probably blaming himself for not being interesting enough, trying to find a way to make his father notice him.
Victor sat silently on the bed, waiting for Owen to acknowledge his presence. The boy looked at him with sad brown eyes, deep and dark, making the freckles on his nose stand out.
"Is it bedtime yet?" Owen asked, getting up from the floor.
"No, I just wanted to have a word with you."
"Am I in trouble?"
"Do we only talk when you're in trouble?" Victor couldn't help but feel slightly offended. "Sit beside me."
Owen obeyed, sitting next to his father, an expectant look on his face. Victor took a moment to think about how he would approach the subject. He couldn't tell the boy about the conversation he just had with his mother.
"Maybe we made a hasty decision regarding who is coming to Career Day."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I did say your mother was the best choice. However, after careful consideration, I think I may be a very interesting choice as well. I mean, I know most of your friends from playing soccer in the park, I'm fairly popular already. One could even say I'm... cool."
"You want to go?"
"That is for you to decide. But I would be honored if you’d take me."
"I was going to ask you." Owen confessed. "I even asked Mom if that would hurt her feelings, and she said she would be happy if I chose you."
"Why didn't you say so, then?"
"Because I know you are very busy, especially now that you are opening that new business in France. I overheard Mom scolding you the other day for not getting enough sleep. I thought you were saying Mom could go because you were too tired. And if you are too tired, it's selfish of me to ask."
Victor smiled at the little boy as he pulled him into his lap. He was barely five, and he could be so considerate. He playfully poked his little freckled nose.
"Even if that was the case, even if I was too tired, I would still go. You know why?"
The boy shook his head.
"Because I love you." Victor replied in a soft voice. "You are my son, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for you."
Small arms wrapped around Victor's neck in a tight hug. And the sweetest voice spoke the sweetest words.
"I love you too, Dad. Thank you for doing this, it will be so cool!” He jumped excitedly. “I can already imagine what my classmates will say about the cool things you do at work! Do you know what you will bring to your presentation? Megan's father is a trainer at the zoo, she says he may bring a parrot!"
Victor's stomach turned cold. Only at that moment did he realize what he truly agreed on.
The task sounded fairly simple: to explain his job to a room full of five-year-olds. It turned out, it was a lot harder than he expected.
His job entailed many complicated concepts, like risk assessment and profit analysis, and had big words like enterprise value, equity, and horizontal integration. Those things were already hard enough to explain to a child, but worse than that, they were boring. He had to make his job look interesting, and although it would be fairly easy to seduce an adult by showing profit, children didn't respond to money. He had to make it entertaining, and simple. Yet, he had no idea how. Nothing about his job would seem entertaining to a child.
But then one day, while running, he recalled his Economics teacher’s words from one of his lectures: Economy has existed since primitive times, where things were much simpler, and an economic transaction meant trading meat for animal skin or a cutting tool. The act of trading baseball cards during recess could be considered an economic transaction. To explain it, he would just have to trade the fancy terms for things children could relate to.
Finally, he had a plan. A good one. That didn't mean he wasn't nervous.
“Do you want to call Mom and tell her to come instead?” The boy asked from the backseat as they were driving to school.
“What? No, I’m fine.” Victor gripped the wheel tighter, trying to steady himself.
“Are you sure?” Victor saw his boy frown from the rearview mirror. “You look like you have a tummy ache.”
Did he? He immediately relaxed his face, trying to remain expressionless.
“Mom told me you would be like this.” Owen smiled with a knowing look. “She told me to tell you that you just need to use the charm you used on her.”
Yes, Victor could do that, he had some good moments with Andrea. Well, apart from the interview, and when her car broke down, with the heavy rain and... nipples. And being so embarrassed he could barely speak. The memory only made him more nervous.
He marched bravely into school with a box full of containers with cherries and a bag full of lollipops. Owen was exhilarated to have his father with him, jumping happily in the halls, showing him every piece of art he had made that was on display. Victor, on the other hand, was sweating from nervousness, hoping the AC in Owen's classroom was freezing cold. The teacher jumped on the spot when she saw him.
“Mr. Lee?” She came to him hurriedly, looking puzzled when she saw Victor place the containers in one of the empty desks. “The Principal didn’t tell me you were visiting. By the way, where is he? Are you here unattended? Is this about a fund or something? How can I help you?”
“I’m here for Career Day. We still haven’t had the pleasure to meet.” Victor extended his hand to the teacher. “I’m Victor Lee, Owen’s father.”
“Owen, you didn’t tell me your father was Victor Lee!” She looked down on the boy, flushed.
“I told you my father was a CEO.” Owen quipped, frowning slightly.
“Well, still, how would I know it was Victor Lee?”
“My name is Owen Lee.”
The teacher fanned herself, eyeing Victor with a weird smile.
“Mr. Lee, I know that our installations aren’t quite what you are used to, but I hope you do feel welcome.”
“I’m sure they will do perfectly, thank you.”
Victor was wrong. The chairs were too small for an adult, especially one of his stature. However, standing up was also not an option, as he would be beside Owen and he would block the view, so he had no choice but to sit on the tiny chair, with his legs awkwardly crossed, looking like an idiot.
Megan's father was the first, and he did bring the parrot, making him do all kinds of tricks. The children and the teacher laughed at the animal's shenanigans, and Victor couldn't help but feel disheartened, knowing this presentation would be very hard to top.
Then came Caleb's mother, who was a physician. She taught the kids the many functions of the main organs in the human body, bringing with her a kidney in a jar. The class was rowdy as they passed the jar around, amazed to be able to see a real kidney, like the ones they had in their very small bodies.
"Next we have Owen's father, Mr. Lee, a very successful entrepreneur in Loveland. He will talk about his job as a CEO of an investment company." The teacher announced.
Victor faced the twenty children in front of him, who were looking at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to start. In almost 15 years of being a CEO, he had attended important meetings with notorious businessmen, oil tycoons, rulers and politicians. He had dinner meetings with the mafia and other shady characters, people that held incredible power and precious information, but could also kill him without a second thought.
He could conclude, without a shadow of a doubt, that children were scarier.
For a second he wished he could be like Andrea. She would know what to do. She would probably greet the children with a goofy gesture, making them all laugh. She was fun and witty, she knew what children liked. Victor paused, remembering his wife’s words through his son’s mouth. He could be funny too, he always made her laugh, it had become one of his favorite hobbies. Maybe she was right. Maybe he could do this. With a new sense of confidence, and with a side note to thank his wife for her encouraging words, Victor approached his audience.
“Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.” He started, ceremoniously. “First of all, I would like to thank you for your time and attention, and the honor of your invitation. My name is Victor Lee, and I’m the CEO of Loveland Financial Group.”
Encouraged by their teacher, all the children applauded.
“Before I begin to explain exactly what I do, let me start with a question. Who knows what an investor does?”
All the children were quiet until a little girl spoke.
“Is it someone who goes to the market and screams ‘Buy! Buy!’ and ‘Sell! Sell!’?
“You mean the stock market?” Victor chuckled. “Yes, it can be, although there are many kinds of investments. At LFG, what we do is help companies grow by lending them money, which they pay us, but with interest. Does anyone know what interest is?”
Many kids raised their hands.
“Is it when things aren’t boring? Like, they are interesting?”
“Ha. No.” Victor forgot that the words would have a different meaning to five-year-olds. “For example, someone asks LFG for ten dollars. The company lends it but asks in return for eleven dollars. That extra dollar is the interest.”
“That’s not very nice.” A freckled boy raised his hand. “Sharing is caring.”
Victor felt himself blush slightly. The boy had made a perfectly logical remark that unfortunately didn’t fit in the financial world. And he didn’t have the faintest clue on how he could explain it better.
“It is nice, because my dad doesn’t just give the money. My mom and dad work with the companies to help them grow, and they get to keep the tools she gives them forever. My dad gives them the money and asks for more because he also helps them get better.” Owen chimed in, basically saving him. Although it wasn’t exactly accurate, it wasn’t wrong either. Victor couldn’t be more proud.
“That is correct and beautifully worded, Owen, thank you.” He smiled at his boy. “Now, to fully understand the kind of work that a CEO of an investment company does, I would like to invite you all to be, for ten minutes, CEOs.” He ceremoniously declared. “Owen, could you help distribute the boxes and the candy to your friends?”
Owen quickly obliged, and in a moment, all the kids had with them a box of cherries and a lollipop.
“Ok, imagine you are the CEO of an investment company-”
“What is the company called?” The freckled boy asked again. Victor suppressed a sigh of exasperation.
“Whatever you want to call it. It’s your company.”
“Can I call it Unicorn?” A little girl raised her hand.
“Yes, you can. Now…”
“Can I call it Wayne Enterprises? Do you think I could be Batman?”
Victor’s memory took another trip down memory lane, to the day his wife blackmailed him into making that ridiculous Batman recording. He felt his cheeks getting slightly warmer. Luckily, the teacher intervened.
“Alright class, it’s nice to see you this excited but we need to let Mr. Lee speak, alright?”
“Thank you. So, as I was saying, imagine you are in a meeting, as CEOs, and two different companies are asking for investment: a lollipop factory and an orchard that grows cherries. You can pick only one. Which one would you pick? Place your hand on your choice.”
Every single child, except for one, held their lollipops. He turned to the girl that picked the cherries.
“Interesting choice. Why would you invest in the cherry producer?”
“Because I want to invest in a company that makes a lot of money. Cherries are more expensive than lollipops.”
Victor smiled at her insightfulness. She was probably a CEO in the making.
“True, but cherries only grow in the spring, that’s why they are more expensive. The candy factory can make lollipops all year.” He retorted. “You still think the orchard makes more money than the candy factory?”
“Yes, because my mom will let me have cherries but won’t buy me candy.” A boy chimed in, and other children agreed.
“Demand, very good, we need to see what sells best. What else would you use to make a decision?” Victor was excited, watching the proverbial wheels turn in their little heads. “What does it take to produce each of the products?”
“You need a factory to make lollipops. In an orchard, you just need to water the trees.”
“Very well, and you need sugar, and flavors and other ingredients, while in the cherries’ case, is given for free by nature. So, have we decided on the orchard?”
“Yes!” They screamed in unison.
“Seems like we have a unanimous decision. And for the record, what we just did here is a very simplistic version of a risk assessment, a study every investor needs to make to know if the investment is worthwhile. Of course, there are other things I do as a CEO, but I can’t possibly describe them in such a short time.” He paused for a moment, all the children’s eyes on him. “Does anyone have any questions before we finish?”
“Are all CEOs men?” A girl asked from the back.
“Of course not. Women can be CEOs too, my wife is a CEO from a different company. And if you ask me, she’s more successful than I am.” He made a silly face, and all the children laughed.
He couldn’t believe it was going so well.
“Anything else?”
“My father says businessmen are dicks in a suit.” A boy declared, while his father looked like he was close to infarction.
“Timothy!” The teacher chastised.
“Well, I can tell you that can definitely be true in some cases.” Victor spoke wholeheartedly. “In any area, you can find good and bad professionals. But let me tell you all about the three qualities I feel a good CEO should have.” Victor raised his hand, lifting his fingers as he spoke. “Intelligence, resilience, and responsibility. Intelligence because we need to know where we stand at all times and make quick decisions, and they better be the right ones, or else we can lose our business. Resilience because the financial world is a fluctuating one, and everything may change in a blink of an eye. We must be resilient enough to embrace the change, and make it work in our favor. And lastly, responsibility, because as we invest, we are not only dealing with our money or a faceless company. We can change the world with our choices, allowing technology, health, and education to evolve so there is improvement in everyone’s lives. I personally invest only in companies where employees are treated with fairness, and environmental rules are respected. We need to put the power we hold to good use and make this world a better place. If we all understand the smallest of our actions can impact the world tremendously, I’m sure miracles will happen.”
“Well, that was brilliantly said.” The teacher cleared her throat, starting to clap. “A big applause to Mr. Lee, thank you for being with us today.”
Victor returned to the car with a smug smile on his face, and a sense of accomplishment he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He had done well, he had honored his son and made him happy. However, as he started the car to leave, he saw his son through the rearview mirror, lost in thought.
“Everything ok back there?” He frowned at the mirror. “Is there something upsetting you?”
“No, I’m ok.” The boy looked up.
“You’re happy?”
“Yes.” The boy smiled.
“I think the presentation went well.” Victor started the car. “Your friends seemed to like it.”
“Yes, it was fun! And we had candy and cherries as a snack, none of the other parents brought snacks.”
Victor smirked, adding that point to his mental scoreboard.
“So why the long face?”
Owen seemed to momentaneously return to his thoughts before he answered Victor’s question.
“I don’t think I want to be an entomologist anymore.”
Victor gave his son a knowing smile.
“I knew the parrot would interest you.”
“No, parrots are dumb!” Owen seemed slightly offended. “I want to be a CEO, just like you.”
Victor could remember himself, at the same age, saying the same thing to his father, to get his approval.
“Owen, you can be whatever you want to be. I will still support you, no matter what you decide.”
“Then you’ll teach me?”
Victor smiled widely, his heart filled with pride.
“I will teach you everything I know.” He was about to offer the keys to his kingdom, but then remembered how he refused the same from his father, wanting to make his own path.
The epiphany came suddenly, clearing his vision and the fear he couldn’t shake from his heart: he had traveled a different road from his father in so many ways. He was a present and loving husband, with a healthy relationship with Andrea. And he was a present and loving partner, caring and supporting his son in every step of his life.
And that meant so much more than being a powerful CEO. Those were the footsteps he wanted his son to follow. The ones that led to happiness.
Author's Note: This project has been going for a year now (it started in February 2020) and it won't be over any time soon, so I would like to ask you, as much as possible, for your support, because we still have a very long way to go. So, if you enjoy the work, don't forget to comment and reblog. It gives it traction and enables other people to learn about it, and for me to get more excited about what I do.
#victor mldd#mlqc victor#love and producer fanfic#li zeyan#Growing Pains - Series#growingtogether#victor x oc#dad victor
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Chapter 3
Synopsis:
You don’t know what it’s like to be free, to make your own choices, and live your own life. For your whole life, your parents have been treating you like a puppet on strings, controlling your life to every single detail, as well as ignoring the fact that you have feelings. Other times, when you disobey their wishes, or speak up about your own opinions, they bash you down with words, in other words, psychological abuse, has led you down the long winded road of depression and anxiety. What happens when you meet a man who’s willing to be your guide out of this terrible downpour? Would you give a shot at happily ever after?
Warnings:
big age gap (kinda?)
issues on anxiety
issues on depression (mild)
issues on parental abuse
smut (maybe)
Tag List: @etherealtyjaem , @caratzennie , @johnnysuhnflower , @euphoricchannie , @yeollieseo , @jjhmk , @sherzess , @wonderfulkoreanpop
(lmk if you wanna be on the list)
You’ve been seeing Mr Suh, correction, Johnny, his first name, as per requested by Johnny himself.
“Mr Suh makes me feel older than I already am, you make me feel like a teenager all over again, so you have to call me Johnny. Let me relive my days when I was still a college kid.”
You didn’t mind, things aren’t as awkward between the two of you anymore, Johnny’s been spending time with you, although the two of you never established any sort of labelling towards what this relationship is. You and Johnny only hung out and had meals together, trying out different cuisines, watching movies, even going as far as skipping a day at work to go to the amusement park. He even bought you to an arcade when you told him you haven’t had the chance to venture to one since you were in grade school.
“Why haven’t you ever been to one for so long?” Johnny asked when he finished a round of pinball.
“They said it was a waste of time and that I should spend more time studying,” you said, wondering why Johnny would ask that, isn’t it the same for all the kids?
Whenever you mention your confining life to Johnny, he’d have a faraway look in his eyes, jaw locked in silent rebuke, he doesn’t say anything, he pulls you close, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. He would be quite for almost half an hour before he goes back to regular cheerful Johnny, telling you lame jokes that you would surprisingly find funny.
You didn’t have a phone, since your parents forbid you to have one, the only means of communicating is through your email account on your laptop, and even that you must always bear in mind to delete his mails right after, and take further precaution, you didn’t allow him to initiate the sending.
Johnny wanted to buy you one, but you rejected him promptly, you didn’t want him to spend so much money on you, he already spends lots on taking you out to eat. You gave him the excuse that it was too dangerous, and the consequences of getting caught are severe.
You often questioned your relationship with Johnny, you aren’t dumb, you’ve googled him and saw gossip news portals uploading photos of him and some model going out and about in hotels, but those headlines were months ago, the latest news about him was from his interview with Times magazine.
You never had the guts to ask him, you don’t know what you mean to him. What right do you have to question his whereabouts and what he does? He’ll probably be bored of you after he’s known all of you.
You know you shouldn’t think of Johnny that way, it is mean to assume what he’s thinking, especially how well he’s treating you, but seeing those headlines gives you a sense of insecurity, you keep telling yourself that this won’t last, but the thought of not seeing him again made your hair stand. He’s making you happy, a distraction towards the negativity you face in that house you live in, but for how long?
House. You never called it a home, unless you were telling your boss you were leaving, to prevent anyone from questioning your odd way of describing it. It was never a home to you. To you, a home is a place where you feel happy, safe, and most importantly, loved. The closest you’ve ever felt to having these feelings were your grandma and Joh... No, you don’t love him, and he doesn’t love you. What were you thinking?
You pushed those thoughts away as you opened your laptop to double check the files that you’ve typed out for your parent’s next important meeting that was supposed to be taking place first thing tomorrow. But when you went through your folders, the files were nowhere to be seen. It’s then you realised that the notification that keeps urging you to update the laptop was gone, it wasn’t the first time you updated the laptop and found out some files were missing, so you would never update the laptop at such a crucial time.
You took the laptop out to your father who was watching some news on his phone in the dining area to ask him if he had updated the software without alerting you.
“Yes, I did. What about it?” he asked, annoyance on his face due to the sudden disturbance.
“The files are missing because of the update,” you informed him.
“What files?”
“The files for tomorrow’s meeting, they’re missing,” you told him as you mentally prepared yourself for what’s to come.
“What do you mean missing?! I bet it was because you saved it wrongly again! Your retarded brain never works does it?! Do you know how important those files are?! You always work on them late at night blurry eyed, of course you didn’t save them properly! You could’ve worked on them in the morning before work. but no... You want to ‘exercise’! What a waste of time!” You’re not pretty anyways, what are you doing them for huh?!” Your father shouted, his eyes blazing in rage, his fist slamming onto the glass.
While your father was shouting, your mother was checking the laptop as she complains about how clueless you are. It was like your brain couldn’t take the amount of hurtful words piercing into your mind like daggers, you let out a high pitched scream as tears threatened to fall, your hands covering your ears as your eyes were a blur.
When you could see properly again, you could make up words which sounded like ‘how dare you’ from your father, next thing you registered were the fury in his eyes as he advances on you, hand above his head, ready to hit you. You didn’t know what came over you, but the first thing you did was kicking him away. That’s when a full on fight broke out.
You were filled with rage, your mind wasn’t registering what you were doing. You went into a flight or fight stance and started thrashing and kicking as his hands were holding painfully tight on your wrists after you tried punching him.
Your mom urges the both of you not to fight, her voice barely registering in your head as she sits still on the high chair by the kitchen island, not bothered to even try to cease the fight.
When you finally pushed him away, you ran into your room and locked it. Your chest was heaving from the panic attack that just started, you tried your best to calm yourself down, reminding yourself to breathe, it was suffocating, controlling your breathing as more tears made its way out of your eyes.
When it all stopped, your body succumbed into mental exhaustion, passing out on your bed as the tears finally ceased.
You only woke up for dinner last night, and proceeded to sleep again. Yesterday’s events made you feel numb, other than the pain from the bruises on your arms.
There was a big ugly one on your left upper arm, its colour an ugly shade of green and purple. A few other less serious ones scattered around your lower arms. In other words, you look like a wreck.
You wore a jacket to run even though you were sweating from your previous cardio work outs, feeling a little better after the endorphins in your body kicked in. When you got back, you quickly showered and ate a toast. When you asked for your mother’s phone to remind your boss you were going to take the day off, she told you that weren’t needed at the meeting anymore and that she finished everything last night.
“Just call to say that you’ll be going to work,” she said, not even looking in your direction when she handed you her phone.
But when you called to inform your boss, he told you that he had another part time coming in, and that it was too short of a notice. You said thank you and hung up, but said that you’ll be at work on time today before handing it back to your mother.
You really needed to escape for the day.
You opened the laptop and sent an email to Johnny.
I’m free today. Wanna go out?
You sat on your bed staring at the ceiling as you were sure it was going to be a bit before he replied, but just as you closed your eyes, you heard a distant chime from your laptop.
I’m rushing some stuff at the office today. I’m so sorry, Y/N.
Can I stay in your office? I really wanna get out of the house.
You sounded like a spoiled kid begging for attention, but you really wanted to see him today.
Sure. But you might get bored :) .
I’m leaving the house now :) .
For a 26 year old businessman, he sure loves to use emoticons.
You got changed into jeans and a jacket, you don’t usually wear one if you were going to a secluded area with Johnny, but you had to hide all the marks from last night. You just noticed that they hurt after you accidentally knocked your wrist against something.
You took the bus to the address Johnny wrote down on your diary, it was after one of your dinners together, and he jokingly said that you could always swing by if you wanted, you didn’t know you were going to actually do that.
The bus station wasn’t too far of a walk from his office, since it was just downtown Seoul where the Korea’s financial hub was located.
As you were nearing the office buildings, you stood out like a sore thumb, given the way you were dressed and your age. The people kept giving you stink eyes and sideway glances.
Suh Capital Partners. That was it.
You walked in the rotating doors, only to be greeted by masses of people walking around with smart pads, files, talking on the phone while the assistants take notes. Johnny didn’t mention his company being this big.
You admired the facade of the lobby, it displayed the latest news on a large monitor while futuristic lights hung from the high ceiling, the walls were a perfect balance of steel and wood with a wall of plants filled the wall behind the reception area.
You realised that the people stopped what they were doing before and started looking at you curiously when one of the nicely dressed women from the reception walked up to you.
“Excuse me, miss. May I ask who are you looking for?” the woman asked, her eyes scanning you from top to toe.
You froze at your spot from how cold she sounded, like she didn’t want you around to ruin the aesthetic of the company. You reminded yourself that you weren’t going to see her anytime soon after this and that if you did make a fool of yourself then so be it.
“I’m looking for Mr Suh,” you told her.
She looked taken aback from your answer, but gave you the ugliest sneer when she recovered.
“Miss, this isn’t a school, you can’t just walk in here and demand to see someone without an appointment. Mr Suh is the head of this company, not someone you can just meet without an agreement from him. Please leave this instance,” she said, her tone high pitched enough to gather everyone’s attention, you swore you heard someone laughing a few feet away.
“But...
“That’s my guest, Ms Park.”
You whipped your head back to see Johnny standing behind you. But instead of his usual warm honey eyes, his eyes were a cold and staring daggers into the woman in front of you.
“I’m so sorry, Mr Suh. I’ll get back to my work now,” the woman bowed apologetically, going as far as doing it numerous times.
“I’m going to need a key card for her, Ms Park. Send it up to me when you’re done,” Johnny said, but his eyes were scanning the crowd, his employees immediately went back to what they were doing, the large lobby void of any sound other than people rushing to the lift lobby to escape the scene.
Johnny placed a hand behind your back and guided you to the lift lobby after most of the people have taken the ride up to their respective floors.
“I’m sorry,” you said after the coast was clear.
Johnny’s intimidating stance broke as confusion takes over his face.
“What are you sorry for?” Johnny asked, he should be the one saying sorry.
“I’m such an embarrassment, coming here in my jeans and jacket with a canvas bag, looking like a kid,” you said, fingers nervously tugging the straps of your old bag.
“Hey, hey, hey. Nothing’s wrong with being young and dressing your age. They’re just grumpy from all the work. Don’t take their words into account, and you look great. Perfection as always,” Johnny said reassuringly, hands placed on your shoulder, the warmth of his palms calming you slightly.
“No....
You buried your face into your hands as he patted your head, you sneakily glanced up to see him smiling at you with a toothy grin. But you quickly regained posture as you saw an elevator door open with many pairs of legs.
Johnny wasn’t going in even though the lift was going up, that’s when people in the lift realised it was him, and quickly came out of the lift, saying sorry and greeting Johnny.
Johnny guided you in after the lift was cleared empty. His staff looking at you curiously, you weren’t used to having so many pairs of eyes on you, their curious eyes burning holes into you.
Johnny could sense your anxiousness from the way you were hiding behind his tall figure as the two of you walked into his office, there weren’t many people at that time, given the fact that only direct reports of his business partners came up to hand in documents.
You only felt yourself loosen up a bit after you took a seat on Johnny’s armchair in his huge office, overlooking Seoul’s skyline and the cars that were buzzing about on the roads. The view made you calm down a bit from the journey coming up here.
You felt the chair dip as Johnny took a seat on its armrest, his hands coming up to give your shoulders a nice massage. Johnny smiled at the way your eyes lit up from his comforting touch as you looked back to smile at him, he felt a warm feeling deep in his belly as he takes in your beautiful features and the warmth of your shoulders on his fingertips. But as he puts more pressure onto your shoulders, you wince slightly, which didn’t go unnoticed by him.
“Did your boss at work make you lift heavy stuff again?” Johnny asked, his hands ceased all movements, fearing that he would hurt you again.
You automatically thought of your fight with your father last night, it might be because of the force exerted from when he had pushed you.
“N-no, I just didn’t sleep well last night. I watched a horror movie and had a nightmare,” you lied, not knowing how he would react if you told him the truth.
“Be careful when watching these movies, Y/N. If you went to work and your boss really made you move heavy things today, then you would’ve strain your muscles,” Johnny said, going back to massaging your shoulders, but this time gently applying pressure on that spot, rubbing it in clockwise circles to ease the pain.
“I’m fine, Johnny. Didn’t you have work to rush? I don’t want to keep you away from important matters. And my shoulders feel much better now,” you said, moving away from his hands even though you could’ve let him do that forever, it felt so comforting, borderline addictive.
“Okay, I’ll tend to your shoulders again later.” Johnny said as he lays his head on top of yours, a gesture that he had came up with whenever he wanted to show affection to you without crossing uncharted territories, your heart sped up whenever he does that.
You were just sitting on the couch reading one of your old books when you looked up and saw Johnny frowning at his laptop, you placed your book down and made your way to Johnny.
“Don’t frown like that, you’ll get frown lines when you’ll get older, it’ll spoil your handsome face,” you joked.
Your hands reach out to smooth the creases on his forehead, a smile coming back to Johnny’s face.
“Thank you,” he said, taking your busy hand into his, lightly tracing the area between your thumb and your index finger.
“What’s bothering you?” you asked, unbeknownst to you, your lips were unconsciously set in a pout.
“There’s some documents that are supposed to be sent to my office in Chicago, but the English that’s written here isn’t up to standards, I’m worried the staff there won’t understand what the document is stating. I don’t mind correcting it, but I have other things to tend to as well,” Johnny explained to you.
“Can I take a look at it? I had Cambridge classes for 8 years. Guess it’s finally coming in handy. I mean only if you think I’m capable, I don’t want you to think I’m boasting or anything, I just really wanna help...
“Y/N, sweet, I trust you. Just let me get you a laptop,” he said before dialling to his secretary.
Once Johnny sent the files to that laptop, you started correcting some grammatical errors and replaced some terms that weren’t as professional, when Johnny was done with his meeting, you were done with the documents as well.
“Here, take a look. There might be mistakes,” you said after sending him the files back.
“You were reading ‘me before you’, I think you’re fine, Y/N,” Johnny deadpanned.
“Just take a look, just in case,” you pleaded, doe eyes capturing his heart. Nodding, Johnny smiles, doing as you said.
Johnny scanned through the documents, his eyes lighting up brighter after each sentence, a proud smile making way on his face. When he was done, he pulled you close by the waist, and gave you a warm hug, his head nuzzling into your sweater.
“Thank you so much, sweetheart. I thought I needed to work overtime because of this,” he said, his voice was slightly muffled by the cotton.
“You’re welcome. You can always send me these files when I’m not here, I don’t want you to overwork yourself,” you offered.
“I’m fine, don’t worry. Wanna grab lunch? I can hear your stomach rumbling,” Johnny asked after pulling away, a cheeky glint in his eyes.
You could feel your cheeks heating up in embarrassment, as you hit Johnny’s shoulders lightly for his teasing, a smile creeping up your face.
“No, I’m not...
“Come on, I know this really nice French restaurant around the corner...
“Johnny I have the file you were...
Doyoung stops in his tracks as he sees you and Johnny being so close to each other.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had a guest,” Doyoung apologises, but his eyes were still wide in disbelief.
“Doyoung. This is Y/N. Y/N, Doyoung is one of my business partners, his dad was my dad’s business partner so now it’s his turn,” Johnny introduces his friend to you, telling you a bit of his background.
You gave Doyoung a tiny bow and soft hello, nerves wrecking up at meeting someone you often see on telly whenever their company has a press conference. You could sense an air of discomfort as Doyoung gives you a questioning look.
“You can just put the files on my desk Doyoung. I’ll take a look at them after my lunch break.”
When the evening rolled in, Johnny had to drive you home before your mom questioned your whereabouts.
“I really enjoyed having you by my side today, Y/N,” Johnny said sincerely after pulling up outside the gated area.
“I should be the one thanking you, I can’t believe those snails cost so much, yet you won’t let me pay you back whenever we have meals together,” you retorted, recalling how your eyes almost flew out of their sockets when you stole a glance at the bill.
“Money is not an issue, Y/N. I told you that many times before,” Johnny reminded you.
“I’ll see you on Saturday?” you asked, changing the subject before he offers to buy you a house or something.
“Yeah,” Johnny said, chuckling at how you diverted his attention.
Johnny unlocked the doors of his car, but right before you pulled onto the handle, Johnny pulled your arm, the place where one of the bigger bruises were located at, making you wince at the unexpected pain.
“Y/N I wanted to ask, wait. Are you in pain? Are you hurt? Did I accidentally hurt you?” Johnny asked his eyes wide in worry.
Before you could protest, Johnny pushed up the sleeves of your sweater, revealing the big ugly bruise on your upper arm, and several others that went downwards until your wrist.
You looked up at Johnny, scanning his face that was frozen in shock, eyes not believing what he’s seeing. His fingers gently tracing every bruise, his other hand rotating your arm gently, to see if there’s more.
“Y/N... Who did this to you?” Johnny questioned, but deep down in his gut, he’s sure it’s who he thinks it is.
“No one, Johnny. I just fell down when I woke up,” you said, lying through your teeth, you didn’t want to, but that was your survival instinct whenever someone asks about your parents.
“Don’t lie to me Y/N, it’s them isn’t it? They hit you. Why didn’t you tell me?” Johnny demanded, he questions why you don’t trust him, was he not worthy in your eyes?
“It’s nothing, Johnny. Goodnight,” you said in a breath before turning away.
You quickly got out of his car and ran to your lift lobby, Johnny was following behind you. But before he could step into the premise, you shut the glass door which could only be opened with a security card on him, mouthing the words sorry before you made your way into a lift.
Johnny banged at the door, shouting for you to come back, before the security guards asked him to leave. He could feel a prickle in his heart as he sees the bruises in his head, the image fresh. He felt red hot anger boiling in his heart, he was going to get you out of that horrible place, no matter what it takes.
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Todoroki Family - My Opinion
MANGA SPOILERS FOR BNHA/MHA ahead!
CW: parental neglect and abuse, anxiety, therapy, Touya Todoroki/Dabi, Enji Todoroki/Endeavor, spoilers, swearing (please remind me if I forgot anything).
Disclaimer: All of the information on the Todoroki family dynamics is based on my interpretation of what’s been (so far) revealed through the anime and manga. These are all just opinions, you are free to agree or disagree respectfully. I do not wish to invalidate anyone’s opinion. Family dynamics have always been a very sensitive and triggering subject to me, so I hope that you respect that if you wish to discuss this with me.I would like to give my own two cents on the Todoroki family situation. As someone that has dealt with abuse and neglect in a (slightly) similar way my whole life, this story hits very close to home. I will try to be as thorough and objective as possible. But, feel free to call me out (respectfully) if there is anything ambiguous or if problematic. Thank you.
I am going to focus on Touya/Dabi and Enji’s story. I do not know enough to talk about Rei’s role in all of this, so I will not mention her. But, I might update this as new chapters come out.
I will talk about Dabi’s early years by referring to him as Touya since that was his identity at the time. Any comments about him as an adult will be referring to him as Dabi.
I was a psychology student for about two years, and when we learned about child development, here is what I gathered:
When you are a child, all you want is to be loved, to be safe. This is essential to a child, as it is what develops them into a healthy and independent adult. And, this is especially important concerning parents or guardians. Effective parenting practices ensure that the child will have a better chance at developing according to their age and needs. This will grant the kids skills that they will use and perfect as they grow up. In other words, children that are well-taken care of have a higher chance of being strong, healthy, and emotionally developed adults.
When a parent or guardian is ignorant of how they can impact their child’s growth, it has many negative effects. In Touya’s case, Enji Todoroki was clueless. This does not mean Enji should not be held responsible just because he was ignorant. Enji knew he was not being the best parent, but he did not know how exactly. And, at the time he was blinded by his greed and ambition, so he would not have been paying attention to that. Even so, (personally) I do not think parents are afforded the luxury of ignoring their bad parenting if they are made aware of it. They are responsible for another human’s life and growth. They should be held accountable if the child develops issues and hurts themselves or even others.
With that being said, Enji Todoroki was a horrible but clueless parent. From what I have understood from the manga and the anime, at first, he had no idea why Shoto was so "rebellious" (in his opinion). He also seemed to not understand Natsuo and Fuyumi. So I am led to believe that he was, at the time, oblivious to how much he negatively impacted Touya.
Touya just wanted his father’s affection. If that meant grueling training and preparing to become a hero to defeat All Might, then so be it. It was the attention and affection he knew. He was not led to believe otherwise. Touya's sole positive interactions came from him showing he could fulfill his father’s sick dream. In a child’s mind, that was the only way to secure parental love and approval: To train as hard as possible and become what his father so desperately wished for.
Then his hair started turning white. He started getting injured because of his quirk. His only source of positive attention, his only hope for affection, was killing him. And it had to be stopped. I am sure in Touya’s mind, this meant he would not be loved anymore.
And then Enji stopped training him. Natsuo was born. Shoto was born. And Touya felt that his source of love was directed to that baby. The baby that Enji saw as a success. Enji made Touya feel like a failure, a broken toy. And he was being replaced by a newer, shinier one: His brother.
When he tries to attack Shoto, he is trying to take back his place. Touya was trying to gain back his father’s love and attention.
Enji wanted to prevent Touya from hurting himself more. But he failed to communicate that. Instead, his words made it seem like his plan was foiled. Touya wasn’t enough, so Enji’s chance of using him to end All Might vanished. Touya wasn’t what Enji needed anymore.
Touya’s world didn’t collapse all at once. It didn’t even crack all at once. From what I understood, it was a collection of hairline fractures that never healed. It was a dislocated shoulder that was never put back in its place and was left to hang. It was a pounding headache that only grew more and more painful over time.
When Dabi was born, Touya had been buried in bruises, paper cuts, minor broken bones, chronic illnesses. Touya was killed by exhaustion and pain. He didn’t die at one point, he was dying all along.
As someone who suffers from chronic issues, I know that the somatization of symptoms and other sources of pain can turn a simple illness into something much more serious. Think of it as a butterfly effect, but all inside one person: Every single negative experience, from both outer and inner sources, all summed and turned into one massive festering wound.
Touya’s mind was a living open wound, it seems.
So Dabi was born. To seal the wound shut. Clean it? No. Protect it? Maybe.
But this particular type of wound (the psychological, emotional one) if left untreated can become infected. And infected wounds are harder and more painful to clean and treat.
Dabi’s mind is a bandaid over an infected wound. It seems objectively okay, maybe even sane. But he’s clearly in pain. He’s not in his right mind. His decisions all stem from the pure rage and anger of a child that was abandoned.
What chapter 300 brought was the perspective of a child that just wanted to be loved. That's all he wanted. And the only love he knew was when Enji Todoroki trained with him, no matter how gruesome and painful it must've been.
I'm gonna briefly and superficially compare his situation to mine. Of course, I didn’t suffer half of the pain he did, and I won't go into any detail as to not trigger myself. But, I only got attention when I was either extremely sick or I was needed as a trophy child of some sort. Even then, if I was ill, the attention I got was so I could get well soon and go back to being "useful". I was an extension of them, at best. But I still craved their attention. I still do in a way to this very day. It's not something that just goes away once you realize how toxic and abusive it is.
No matter how much pain I’m in, no matter how love-starved I am, I still want their approval. Inside me, there’s still a scared child, crying out for her parents to love her. That child is now my responsibility. I have to give her love, nurture her so she can grow with me.
Does that make sense?
I have no idea how Dabi is feeling. And I don’t think we’ll ever truly know. He is fictional, after all, and there’s no telling if Horikoshi will be delving into that.
But maybe Touya is still inside Dabi, crying, screaming to be loved. And Dabi is trying his best to tend to that child, but he never truly grew up to know how to take care of another being. Dabi doesn’t know how to take care of himself emotionally.
I’m learning because I, thankfully, have access to therapy. But it hurts. It hurts to realize the ones that were meant to take care of you, didn’t. It hurts to look into yourself and see a shaking, teary-eyed child begging for crumbs of love.
Now, with the whole "redemption" thing being debated, here's my own personal opinion. You don't have to agree, and I'm not asking you to. Again, this is just how I view it. As a survivor, I'd be relieved to see my parents try. The damage is done, true. I'll never regain my childhood. I'll never have what people with different, better, parents have. The past can't be reversed. And I'm seeing it repeat itself with my little brother. But, if there's a minimal chance that my parents can own up to what they did, that they open themselves up to changing their behavior and learning, then maybe we can build something new.
Build. Not rebuild. The foundation of our past relationship was rotten from the beginning. A new one must be built. A new foundation must be developed if we ever hope to make something of our relationship.
If the Todorokis, really want to reconcile, reconnect, rebuild, then they must start from scratch. If Enji Todoroki wants that, he’s gonna have to start from zero, from nothing. And I'm not entirely sure if Endeavor is doing that, but he is trying, somehow. We don't know for sure if he even has the emotional skills to do so. We can't say for sure that he's got what it takes to man up, own up and learn. But, he seems to be trying.
And that's something I've accepted I'll never have.
So if there's at least a 1% chance that he is truly trying, that Enji wants to redeem himself, then let him. Let their family try and heal together if that's what they want.
I'm not sure about the Japanese culture when it comes to family. But where I come from, a family is an important base of our personal and social development, to the point that reconciliation more often than not is the best route.
Still, I know it's not for everyone. So I respect you if you believe he doesn't deserve a chance. I understand if you say Enji Todoroki should be kept far away from his family. You're right, and you're valid.
But, please, please, if the author decides that he redeems himself and does try his best to start a new relationship with his family, let him. Let them heal. Together. Let them try and make up for the lost time in the best way in the present. Let them rebuild.
I know I'd give anything to rebuild my family.
Let Touya be healed and put Dabi to rest. Touya needs to be loved, he needs to be taken care of like he never was as a child. Dabi needs to be told he tried. He needs to be told he did what he could.
But Dabi is also an adult now. He’s got legal responsibilities. The pain and devastation he’s caused and helped cause can’t be overlooked. He needs help, but he also had to be held accountable.
Touya/Dabi needs to face himself and start over. He needs to face the man he’s become and at the same time take care of the child he wasn’t able to be.
If the Todoroki family is reconciled, I dearly hope he gets to be a part of this new book. Not a new chapter, they need to throw that whole book away and start a new one. And, if possible, I’d love to see someone like me get the ending I won’t be getting.
I hope this made some sense at least. Again, if anything is unclear, ambiguous, or problematic, let me know and I’ll do my best to correct or remove the bad parts. If you’ve read this far, thank you. If you share a similar experience, I’m sorry, and I’m here for you.
#bnha#mha#bnha 300#bnha 301#bnha spoilers#bnha discussion#touya todoroki#dabi#enji todoroki#shoto todoroki#todoroki family#fuyumi todoroki#natsuo todoroki#rei todoroki#touya#shoto#endeavor#endeavour
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