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jaeminscoffee · 4 years

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The midnight man | l.ty

Pairing- Lee Taeyong x reader

Mentions- Lee Donghyuck, Na Jaemin, Liu YangYang, Nakamoto Yuta, Seo Johnny, Kim Doyoung, Ten Lee, Lee Dong Wook.

Genre- Horror!au, angst, crack, part fluff.

Warning(s)- Evil entity!Taeyong, Manipulation, Major character death (lmao you'll actually punch yourself towards the end), sexual themes suggested, impulsive decision making, talks with religion.

Word count- 11.83k

Synopsis- 'Lust though pleasurable, innocent and vice, thee shall stay loyal to thy partner regardless of wants. To betray thy partner is to deceive thy people and hence the kingdom. Thou shall pay for thy soul shall remain wandering, driven by the desires but, shall not be able to feel the human love thou took for a grain of salt. And all who shall follow thy steps shall face the same wrath.'

@kpopscape

This story is pure work of fiction and therefore doesn't speak about the mentioned members' personality in real life. I, in no manner, am trying to encourage hate speech towards the members so please don't come at me. This story was written using a mix of a bunch of urban legends and few made up by myself and therefore it isn't going to be spoken about the same way as it is in google. I also worked really hard on this piece and it's by far, the longest story I've written so feedbacks would mean a lot!, also it could get a little boring since i took time to focus on the side characters too. Make sure not to repost my works and sign it off as your own because that's a little disheartening and mockful towards the writer. So all credits reversed to @jaeminscoffee 2020©®

If anyone here doesn't know the story behind the midnight game, then read on! Because I've described it throughout the story! Happy reading!

29/10, Thursday, 10:57PM

"We need to do something this halloween man, Y/n come on!"

Your friends all collectively whined as you constantly kept rejecting their proposal.

Halloween is bullshit. It's overhyped and in all honesty, childish. You'd rather prefer staying home than go house to house and make a fool out of your existence. Not to mention you were all past the age of trick or treating. And to add on top of that came all the sugar rush you'd all go through at the end of the day. "For the last time, Hyuck we're not dressing up like crewmates and going trick or treating. I've got other things to do for the love of god" you grunt, rubbing the scrunched up skin to soothe the pain at the temples. University has been acting up again and so has life. "If your 'other things to do' is binge watch high school musical then no, you have no other better things to do" Yangyang bites back.

"It's just, I don't feel like it anymore, alright? It feels too weird going out asking for candies when we're all literally 19 and above. It's time to up the notch." you say, plopping down.

When Haechan called for an emergency meeting in pure 'among us' style back at the guys' dorm, you'd expected it to be about something along the lines of having to console Jaemin or someone for having been stood up on a date. What you didn't expect was to have the boys prepare an entire presentation on who'd dress up as what character from among us and who'd be the impostor, do a little play and then say 'red is sus' and then ask for candies. What made it worse was that you thought they were just pulling a prank on you when in all reality, they were dead serious which made you go, 'oh, oh they aren't pretending to be stupid, they're just in their original form.'

"It won't be that bad, doll. It's a genius plan if you ask me" Jaemim chirped in on the conversation finally after looking back and forth between you, Donghyuck and Yangyang caught up in a meaningless fight. "I don't see how any of this is genius, Jaem. If this plan's anything, it's stupid." You pull out your phone after making your way all the way to the headboard of Jaemin's bed. "How about we try out one of these creepy pasta games?" Yuta finally spoke up. Jaemin's brother, an early graduate, senior and of course a dear friend of yours. Yuta, despite the age difference between your classmates and you, had little to no trouble blending in with the tiny group of yours. Probably the only one who didn't behave like a toddler and the most sane one according to you. Yuta's been an amazing planner since junior year where you first met Jaemin, Yangyang and Donghyuck who then proceeded to introduce you to their senior friend group that consists of Yuta, Johnny, Doyoung; Donghyuck's cousin and Ten. You guys had a friendship the entire campus was envious of. But two year after you getting into the university, the seniors had to graduate. But that didn't stop all your bonds from staying as strong as ever. Not even after Ten got his posting in a town a little far away from the one you guys lived in. The distance didn't change anything between you guys and you were as close as you could ever get.

"Creepypasta?" Donghyuck inquired, looking straight at the guy who aimlessly scrolled down the screen of his device as Yuta didn't even bother looking up while passing the confused boy a nod. Sitting up cross legged from his previous side sitting posture, Yuta showed his phone screen to Donghyuck, who immediately got surrounded by the other two while you stare at the oldest in the room, slightly intrigued by the idea. "Creepypasta's like these horror-related legends that have been copied and pasted around the Internet by people who're too bored for their own sake." you explain as Haechan took the phone out of Yuta's hand who agreed to your explanation. "I read some sick games that I kinda wanna try out and see for myself," he said, looking at you with expectations and then the rest who seemed too immersed in surfing the website.

"Yuta, you of all people should know better than to think all these made up crap's real" you say nonchalantly.

Yuta's a huge skeptic, and so were you. Which is why you got along really well despite the mentioned age gap. The night gatherings back at the boy's dormitory or the girls (in this case, girl, yours) would always end up in narration of on spot made up stories of all genre, mostly horror because apparently according to Jaemin 'Rom-com's overhyped, sci-fi won't be fun when you narrate it out loud, mystery can easily turn boring, comedy, meh i guess, but a good horror story narrated properly, -yes, like you, Haechan- while adding jumpscares here and there could actually result in y'all being too scared to use the bathroom on your own'. And yeah, you'd startle here and there but the stories weren't believable enough for you to actually be scared. On the other hand, Haechan and Jaemin were scaredy cats. Literal toddler's who're so gullible, you could literally tell them there was an alien invasion news flash two minutes ago and they'd be hiding under their bed. And then there's Yangyang, he just doesn't care. He goes along with the plans solely for the fun of it and for the other's' (Haechan and Jaemin) reaction. "That's the point. I don't" he shuffled around to shift closer to you,

"Which is exactly why i want to try them out"

Maybe it's the feline that crossed over his body, maybe it was the fact that his spirit just wasn't ready to leave the human realm yet. Maybe it's the mourning of his family or maybe it's him himself knowing full too well his potential was truly wasted due to the fast departure. Whatever it was, his spirit was definitely made restless.

The world is a cruel place where harsh actions are always sugar coated by honey like words. It's how he knew the doings of his people were wrong that made him disappointed. The practices of the people, his people, were stupid, meaningless and only harmful to the human kind. They fend off the satisfaction of their almighty even if that means that there needs to be sacrification of their loved ones, their nemesis, or them themselves. And it was his ancestors fault for starting all these practices.

Passed down generations from generations was the curse put on the first of their bloodline by the princess he'd defied to go out and be ruthless by disregarding his duties as a husband, a father, a member of the royal courts and as a human being.

Lee Dong Wook. The root of all evil, the main reason the males of the family line faced the same wrath as him, all cursing at him but one namely enjoying his role. The pagans, dating back to the roman times era had a very, let's say, interesting method of punishing. The said lords they'd worship, the people following the religions had a strong belief that nature is sacred and that the natural cycles of birth, growth and death observed in the world around us carry profoundly spiritual meanings. Gods and goddesses of life, or say, death or anything else that exists beyond life and death, they believed in all.

The doings of his ancestors started off innocent. Sacrifices to the lords of goodness and tranquility, a peaceful life by the towns and outskirts, forgiveness for wrong doings and of course, happiness. It's how any religious rituals would go about and all were happy until the said betrayer of the group came in with that curse of his. 'The doings of his shall be repented for all the men following shall be the one paying it,'

At first glance when the man returned back to his royals, there were little to no suspicions of a curse being casted on him. He seemed normal to his family, his people except for the occasional forcing people to do something they despised. And it wasn't just the men of the family instead, it was all. But mostly the men, unless the same sin were to be committed by the females. Obscure behaviors have been asked to follow starting exactly at midnight to the witch's hour be it hurting your loved one, your enemy, doing sinful things, allowing self to get manipulated and mostly, shortening their own life time in the human realm. It was all unexplainable. Why was he asking people to do things like this but most of all, why are they even listening to him?

It wasn't until they discovered that Dong Wook, for one, was never the one who returned home. On a second note, he, 'Dong Wook' mainly only targeted the men whose doings were similar to his that was fueled by the same sin that had him going. Which only remained undiscovered. The curse was unbeknownst to all still, Dong Wook himself remained undiscovered. Or proposed by the elders of the community, his body remained undiscovered while his spirit roamed restless among the people.

The pagan romanticists are, in most cases, ignorant of the “paganism” they praise—the redeemed paganism of Christianity depicted in the transfigured water of the True Well of Life. Wrestling with the Greek gods, however, leads us to see the hyper-anthropomorphization of the gods with one intention in mind—justification of sexual lusts and displays of power over the weak.

The oldest written account of the Greek deities is from Hesiod. His Theogony, literally “birth of the gods,” charts out the genealogies of the major and minor deities in two branches. The first set of gods come into existence without sex. The second set of gods come into existence with sex; often very graphic and violent sex and they continue to have violent sex after their birth.

As Hesiod continues to describe the birth and death of the gods and great monsters of antiquity, the chaining of Prometheus to his eternal torment is described. So too is Hades’ rape of Persephone. Battle is depicted left and right, and “a terrible din arose from their dreadful wrath, and the work of power was revealed”. Lust, sex, and war reign supreme in Hesiod’s telling of the birth of the gods. Moreover, it is from this brutality and carnality that Hesiod gives them praise—only those with enough cunning and ambition are worthy of having the praise of the muses.

That the gods birthed through sexual lust are themselves lustful was not missed by Christians of the pagan community. Though St. Augustine received the Romanized version of the Greek myths, he goes to great lengths and laborious pains—using the pagans’ own prophecies —to highlight the moral depravity of the gods in Confessions and City of God.

His sin, after all the years, was lust and the want to dominate.

'Lust though pleasurable, innocent and vice, thee shall stay loyal to thy partner regardless of wants. To betray thy partner is to deceive thy people and hence the kingdom. Thou shall pay for thy soul shall remain wandering, driven by the desires but, shall not be able to feel the human love thou took for a grain of salt. And all who shall follow thy steps shall face the same wrath.'

Oh, how lust was a dangerous feeling.

29/10 continued. 11:28PM

It's how you all circled around in the living room like any other day that was comical to you. Instead of reading out your own made up story, it so happened to be the Creepypastas Yuta screenshotted for what he wanted to try out and see for himself. It wasn't even his idea to read them out. Haechan and Jaemin's 'too curious for their own sake' selves were the ones who wanted to read it out loud. "How about we sit in the order of who's gonna read out what and when?" Yangyang suggested, standing up from his seat. "Yuta read out the topics and we'll pick randomly."

"No fun! Hold up," Haechan did some pretty exaggerated hand actions before getting up and heading to his room, well, Jaemin's room to do who knows what. "Okay? I'll get the candles!" Yangyang said, him getting out of his seat too, "And I'll go get the bible, jesus christ" and Jaemin was out of his seat too. You look at Jaemin in a funny manner, as though questioning him with your eyes if he's actually going to get a bible or not, "What? I don't want to die young, I'm too hot for that" he said, before following Haechan's steps to his bedroom, "Yikes, you aren't going to die dude"

"Okayy, I'm back, make way bitches" Haechan dictated to which he earned a few groans and a smack on the ankle from Yuta, "Jaemin! I can't find the candles!" "It's beside the Reese's cups! Second rack inside of the refrigerator!" Jaemin says while walking back up to your tiny circle with an empyre comic in his hand and a cross pendant dangling off of his neck, "That's a bible?" you question. "Shush, do not question the power of avengers and fantastic four." Jaemin replies, holding the comic up close to his chest. You all collectively dismiss it with a concerned look directed towards the male, "Are we not going to question the fact that Jaemin keeps his candles inside the fridge?"

"So here's what we're going to do, I've got these tiny papers which have numbers from 1 to 5,because we're five people and I've folded the paper into chits, once i toss it, we pick random sheets and the number you get is when your turn to read is, any objections?" Haechan explained, "Even if you have any, keep it to yourself because I don't care" he bites in again while juggling the folded sheets in a closed palm while the other supports his body by it being planted behind him. "Okay I'm back with the candles" Yangyang finally joins in on the circle, completing it, "You took that long to find one candle?" Yuta asks, "No i was eating the reese's cups" he replied, wiping his hand on your jean clad thighs earning him a loud whine of 'Eww that's disgusting man' and a little too far from soft smacks on his shoulder, "You piece of sh-" Jaemin starts, "Okay all, Focus!" Haechan cuts him off, ready to throw the bits onto the space between the five of you in front of the now lit candle (Thank you, Yuta), and so he tossed it a little high up from the ground, letting the paper fall of his palms and onto the floor while being cautious of not throwing it anywhere near the flame.

"Now let's arrange ourselves according to the numbers, who's number one?" Haechan asks, Yuta raises his hands while pointing at where he's sitting, "I'm not getting up, y'all arrange yourself so that the person going second is to my right and the last person would be to my left", you all look at him nonchalantly, "What?" with a shake of your head, you proceed calling out numbers, "Number two?" Haechan shoves Yangyang back to take his place beside Yuta, "bitch." Yangyang seats himself beside Haechan, followed by Jaemin and lastly, you.

"First, Yuta!" Jaemin slurs the elders name, receiving a death glare from his cousin. Nevertheless, Yuta cleared up his throat and switched his attention to his phone screen, "The first urban legend is from Japan, ironically." He states as a matter of fact, "It's called Aka Manto."

"Aka manto is an urban legend related to toilets—particularly those in elementary schools.-"

"Is that why you take a relatively long time inside of the bathroom? Are you, you know? Tickling pickles with Aka Mant-ow! Sorry!" Yangyang was wasted as he was tackled onto the floor by Yuta, while the rest of you cracked up, "Now let's get a little serious, come onnn!" Haechan whines.

"This phenomenon is known all over Japan, with countless variations on the same theme. It usually takes place in a specific stall in a specific bathroom in the school. Usually it is an older or seldom used bathroom, often in a stall with an older style squat toilet. Often the fourth stall is the cursed one, as the number four is associated with death." "I'm so glad our university has only two stalls," Jaemin chimes in, suddenly grasping the cross pendant.

"Most stories follow this general pattern: while at school late in the evening, a student suddenly finds him or herself in desperate need of a toilet. The closest restroom available is one that is normally avoided by the students; it is older and less well-kept, separated from the rest of the school, and is rumored to be haunted. But with no time to search for a different restroom, the student enters. He or she does their business, and when they have finished, they reach for the toilet paper only to find that there is none. Then they hear a strange voice" Yuta looks up from the phone screen, "“Do you want red paper? Or blue paper?”"

"None bitch, give me the classic white,"

With a roll of his eyes, Yuta continues, "If the student answers, Red paper, moments later, they're stabbed and sliced up violently that blood seeps out of them, painting the walls of the stall red and it soaks up into their body, making them appear red", "And if the student responds blue paper, then their blood is going to be sucked up dry, leaving them dead and blue-faced on the floor."

"But! If you try to outsmart Aka Manto, by replying to question with, i don't know, "Yellow paper" then too, dead is inevitable, you will be shoved onto the floor where the spirit is said hold your head down in the dirty toilet water until you drown and well, die" Yuta ends with a shrug of his shoulder, "Seems pretty bullshit to me" and you agree alongside, though, it could be a little creepy if the existing legend did turn out to be true. "Okay next!"

Yuta leans back a little more, pressing onto your side which you took as an invitation to lean on his shoulder. When you did so, all Yuta did was beam at you and wrap his arms around you to keep you close after handing the phone over to Haechan, "If you want me to start reading you have to give it up for me. Give me the grand welcome that i deserve" the lad said in a childish voice which again only earned him a few smacks and half hearted applauds. "So this one is apparently called, the one man hide and seek" though all narrations were being taken on a lighter note, the mood set in the room gave you enough space to picture the stories, added to that came the factor that Donghyuck knows exactly how to narrate what.

"The "One-Man Hide and Seek", also known as the "One-Man Tag," is a ritual for contacting the dead. The spirits, which are wandering restless on the Earth, are always looking for bodies to possess. In this ritual, you will summon such a spirit, by offering it a doll instead of a human body." He lowers his voice while focusing solely on the screen.

"The warnings say that if you have any psychic abilities, you may feel unwell or be prone to accidents during the ritual." He raises his eyebrows, looking at all four of you in a curious manner. The things you need for this game seems lowkey sketch"

"One stuffed doll. It must have limbs, Rice, enough to stuff the doll full. One needle, and one crimson thread. One pair of nail clippers. One sharp-edged tool, such as a knife, glass shard, or scissors. One cup of salt water. Natural salt would be best. A bathroom, with a bathtub and some form of counter. A hiding place, preferably a room purified by incense and ofuda. There must be a TV in there." Haechan's face contorts with each requirement for the game. Letting out a defeated sigh, he hands the phone over to Yangyang, "Of all the stories i could've narrated, i got chosen for this and for what? Just to contact stupid poltergeists. Just play a ouija board and go"

Giving Haechan a sympathetic pat on the back, he takes the device. Looking through the screen he cracks up a smile, "Alright, listen up closely. This is an Urban legend classic"

"The Slender Man-" a bunch of 'aahhs' of realization resonate through the room

"-is a supernatural creature that is described as appearing as a normal human being but he is described as being 8 feet tall and he has vectors or extra appendages that are described to be as sharp as swords. The creature is known to stalk humans and cause many disappearances. He is described as a shadow creature that has a missing face. The creature fits into many mythologies in legends from nations such as germany and celts which brings up the possibility that he could be real." Yangyang pauses to add in a little more life to his reading while all of your paid full concentration to him

"A man named victor Surge found this legend and made his own version of it which he called slender man. The slender man is not exactly evil according to mythology but victor Surge’s version shows him as an evil creature that stalks humans to kill. In mythology he was actually trying to save you from a painful death by taking you to the underworld early." he ends, placing the phone down in front of him, screen down. "Kills you to save you from a death and collectively shortens your lifespan? Seems legit to me" Jaemin chimes in while the rest of you chuckle whereas Haechan pouted at the device in front of his friend, "I should've gotten that story"

"My turn!"

"So, ahem-" Once the focus is all on him,Jaemin looks down onto the device containing his part of narration. "- This is an urban legend about a girl named Daruma who was a young Japanese woman that died in the bathroom, which upon entering to take a bath, it stumbled and her forehead ended up against the edge of the tube, destroying it the brain, at the same time that her eye embedded in the tube , leaving it in consequence, one-eyed key and later , dead by bleed out." "Oh god ouch" You hiss as though your forehead was the one that hit the edge, " Her appearance as described is apparently; black hair that is entangled, her clothes rotting and made shreds. She only has one eye. Her left eye is completely open and injected with blood." "That's gruesome," Yangyang adds, earning a nod from Jaemin who's eyes were still fixated on the screen. "And apparently there's a ritual that you can follow to summon her into your house for twenty four hours straight" At the silence, he continues. "I'll shorten it, so you have to begin it right before your bedtime, shed all your clothing and enter your bathroom, turn off all the lights and fill in your bathtub, climb into it while being seated facing faucet, close your eyes and start washing your hair while chanting "Daruma-san fell down" and keep chanting that until you're done washing your hair, and yeah don't open your eyes."

"If you did it right then you'll get this image of a japanese who'll slip and fall in front of you. Even if you hear a noise behind you, do not open your eyes, no matter what it takes, Ask out loud, 'why did you fall in the bathtub' and let that hang in the air. With your eyes still closed, get up and out of the tub and be careful not to slip and do not drain the tub. Go to your room, don't turn the lights on, shut the bathroom door closed and sleep. Wake up the next day and carry on with your day and you'll apparently feel her presence alongside you all day. She'll constantly try getting close to you, when she does, scream 'Tomare!',"

"That means stop," Yuta adds to which you all hum in understanding.

"To end the game, capture her gaze from over your shoulder and say 'Kitta' which means 'I cut you loose' while swinging your arm in a chopping motion. If you followed the procedures then you'll be rewarded but if not then, run. That's all it says here" He stops, looking a little shaken at how he created an image of it all in his mind. "They didn't say how to get rid of her if you fail following the procedure?" you ask

"No." Jaemin shrugs it off

"Alright boys, my turn"

30th October, Friday, 10:53PM

It's probably how you read out your part of story telling, or it was how he felt the game was a little too unrealistic that had Yuta hooked onto the urban legend.

Yuta found himself at his dorm doing a little more research on the midnight ritual. A backpack already consisting of all the elements required for the game, 'could it really be played just by one person?'. Whatever it was, he really wanted to do the game. He wanted someone to accompany him, of course. But knowing his friend group, not many would be ready to play it alongside. Doyoung was probably busy preparing his resumes for his job interviews. Johnny's all the way back in Chicago for a little family time. Ten was a little too far from your town so he'd feel bad calling him all the way over just to perform a probably demonic ritual. Donghyuck and Jaemin are out of the question, they'd obviously say no. Yangyang has a company party to attend as the heir. And you had to study for your test on Monday so he didn't really feel like disturbing you though, he did inform you that he was going out to have some fun and that you could join him anytime. Closing his laptop with a sigh, he gets up and walks over to where his bag was sprawled across the floor, picks it up and makes his way out of the studio apartment like dormitory after grabbing his car keys.

Not like he believed it was real, it's incase if the legend turns out to be even the slightest of reality, he wasn't going to get his dormitory haunted, instead opting to perform it at the house he grew up in, his childhood house. That was left abandoned ever since they moved out months before his younger brother was born after his father had an episode still unknown to him inside the place. It was convenient enough to perform the ritual in and no one lives there anymore, and it was just a few minutes from where his house was anyways.

Reaching the place and swinging the backpack over his shoulder, he makes his way into the surprisingly still intact house. Not much time to waste, looking around, Yuta slowly made his way up the wooden stairs, the wood creaking with each step he took to prove the existence of this house dated long back. The guest room shut lock from lack of human souls even when they used to live there. The paintings still hung off of a single screw, nostalgia hitting him straight as he recalled the one time he was playing catch with a neighbor's kid and ended up breaking the glass frame. The wallpaper's adhesive seemingly had gotten weaker from how they had started coming out from nooks and crannies of the walls. The place, without doubt, looked a little creepy but nonetheless felt homely.

Switching on all switches from the main controller that was in the control room right by the end of the hallway, the entire darkness was replaced with light as the bulbs shockingly still seemed to function. The warm white colour of the lights took Yuta all the way back to his growing up years, missing all the fun he'd had there and all the memories he'd created. He, though grew up mostly by himself from how busy his parents were on the weekdays and sometimes the weekends, missed them more now that they live far off in Japan with his mother's family. Especially now that he was in the place they spent the most time together in. Shaking his head, he had no trouble navigating his way to his childhood room. Where he set the bag down.

He reached out to his back pocket to get out his phone, switching it on as the screen illuminated, 11:28PM, the screen read. To kill the time, Yuta set up all the items required in place to proceed the ritual smoothly. He pulled his laptop out of the backpack once he was all set to maybe watch something on the internet. It being other peoples attempt at the ritual he was about to perform.

11:55PM.

Yuta inhaled, having only a few more minutes until he had to proceed. He recalled your words,

"Alright boys, my turn" You snatch the phone out of Jaemin's hand who seemed really immersed in finding out more about the legend he just read out about, earning a pout from him. "I was reading" he let out in a whiny tone immediately going stoic after receiving a 'do i care' look from your end. "Okay, so the story I'm going to read out is called the midnight man, or the midnight game" You scroll back and forth through the pages the oldest of the group screenshotted. "From what he's gathered, there's not much backstory, but apparently it's a ritual or mostly a punishment that the pagan's use to punish the betrayer of the group who failed to stay loyal to their lords or the group. One of the people of the religion will summon the midnight man to an abandoned house where they lock up the said betrayer who'll then be put through god knows what by the midnight stranger," You stop to look up from the screen to look at each of your friends before letting out a sigh.

"My take on this though is that it's highly impossible since the rules here state that once you start the ritual you aren't allowed the leave the place until the game is completely done unless you want the midnight man to follow you around for as long as you live, so unless the midnight man actually favored the pagans, there's no way they could punish the betrayer without one of the loyal ones passing away along with the one being punished" you state, "But what if, it's the midnight man that they preach? You know, like, they could be praying the midnight man" Haechan adds in a point which seemed to make sense, "That's possible too"

"Why would someone preach an evil entity? That's so sketch" Jaemin asks perplexed. "They did a lot of sketchy things back in the days, Jaem. I wouldn't question it," Yuta chirps. "Is there any other backstory given about the midnight man?" Yangyang finally speaks up, "Well not really, but when i was taking screenshots of this it apparently started with a curse on someone whose identity is unknown to most. There was no such thing as the midnight game or ritual until the said bewitched man came back into town. I only know up to there, but there are high chances that he's probably the origin of the ritual." Yuta explains. "Why does Y/n get the best always, that's so unfair" Haechan's dramatic self whines while leaning onto Yangyang who rolled his eyes but nonetheless threw his hands around the latter's shoulder, "Anyways, the procedure for the ritual is given here."

"You need one candle, a lighter or a match box or anything that ignites fire, a piece of paper, something to write with, a sharp object, it could be a pin, it just needs to be something sharp enough to draw blood, a wooden door, and salt for protection-" You read out, "Now why the fuck would they need blood," Jaemin asks, shaken up. "That's for them to know and us to find out"

"Here's how the invitation for the midnight man goes. Begin prior to midnight,"

Yuta stood up from his bed, and walked up to the backpack on the floor, picking out the papers he'd brought along and took out a blunt pencil.

"Write your full name- first, middle, and last- on the piece of paper with your writing implement." He wrote syllable by syllable, Nakamoto Yuta. "Prick your finger with the pin and squeeze until a drop of blood appears. Dot the blood on the paper and allow it to soak in. Turn off every light in your home." He took out the small safety pin he brought along from his jean pocket, pressing his fingers hard and pricked into the skin as hard as he could, keeping in mind to not draw too much blood. Yuta let the droplet fall right in the space between his last name and first.

"Place the paper with your name and blood on it in front of the closed wooden door. Light the candle using the matches or lighter and place it on top of the paper. If you are using a taper, make sure it is placed in a candle holder." He walks up to the door and places down the paper with his name and blood on it, with the half melted scented candle he brought along. Yuta took out his phone once again, 11:59. "Knock on the door 22 times. The final knock must occur precisely when the clock chimes 12am. Open the door; then blow out the candle and close the door. Relight your candle immediately." He starts to knock on the door, drumming on the dusty wood, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.

He checks the time once again, 12:00AM.

He leans down to pick the glass jar containing the candle, relighting it,

"I welcome you."

Taeyong loved the tiny creatures in the human realm. They were so naive and so, stupid but weirdly smart at the same time that made playing with them ten times more interesting. The callings from them, or the way they say it in the human realm, summoning the spirit was the only way he could gain access to enter the place. Summoning wasn't even necessary. Saying his name out was more than enough for him to go up to you. Midnight man, midnight stranger, midnight visitor, pagan's god, What not had the human's named him.

The only one besides his ancestor of said curse that enjoyed the power of punishing people was Taeyong himself. The youngest of the bloodline and the freshest of pagan's spirit, he loved the power he had. Sure he had no access to love, instead besides lust and range he felt nothing, maybe amusement too, but none other than that and he seemed perfectly fine with that. Human's always seeked lust more than love either way so he found no problem in being void of feeling a vulnerable emotion. Instead, he found love pathetic. Watching human's from where he lived, he'd seen all from men and women seeking love by going to heights of trouble only to waste away your remaining life with one partner. Leeching off of pleasure at times when you had a significant other. He always got a hearty laugh from all of that. According to him, if you want someone, get them. Instead of tailing them and trying to be a goody two shoes, just make them yours in a way that's inevitable for them to fall for you. Control how they feel. Easier said than done since he was the only one with the ability to do so, 'how fucking pitiful'.

So when he saw you and your small group of friends discussing about him, laughing at all the assumptions you made along the way, he wanted each of you to himself. "My take on this though is that it's highly impossible since the rules here state that once you start the ritual you aren't allowed to the leave the place until the game is completely done unless you want the midnight man to follow you around for as long as you live, so unless the midnight man actually favored the pagans, there's no way they could punish the betrayer without one of the loyal ones passing away along with the one being punished" you're smart and that was intriguing to him. He liked the way you thought of things and the male beside you too, you both seemed to take tales of him as a grain of salt and that, besides angering him, made him feel the want to prove himself to you. Taeyong found the other three cute, seemingly scared of him just the way he liked it.

His ancestor's who held the same power as him, the curse actually, came to be known as said lord because of their power of manipulation and to inject in their worst nightmare into their minds that had the people divide themselves into groups. One that believed the power they had was for the good and considered them to be their god, their savior. And the other being the one's scared of their power and the fear that the same faith would bestow upon them that had them pray for forgiveness for sins they never committed. So your friend had the point a little, but it was inaccurate. They believed him. Believed Taeyong and feared his power. He loved people bowing down in front of him, eyes trembling and body shivering. It gave him a sense of dictatorship. And he had set his mind to have both of you non-believers fear him.

Having been brought up with little to no love, Taeyong followed down the same path as his great grandfather. Not having enough time to feel the vulnerable emotion, he chose to go down the path of pleasure and power play. His powers though, seemingly stronger than the past generations, probably due to the fact that he was young, ruthless and free of care. He could make himself appear physically in the human realm in any shape and form, though he always preferred to go in his original, but less scarier form. His visuals were out of the world. He didn't have to scare people to make them obey, instead all he had to do was pretend to be there and just be himself and that only made humans seem even pathetic to him.

"Relight your candle immediately"

12:01PM, The main event.

"Keeping your candle in hand and your salt and matches or lighter close by, begin to move about your home. Should your candle go out, you must relight it within the next ten seconds. If you are successful, continue moving about your home. Do not stop moving until 3:33 am. If you are unsuccessful in relighting the candle, immediately surround yourself with a circle of salt. Remain inside the circle until 3:33 am. At 3:33 am, it is safe to stop moving or to step outside your circle of salt. You may also turn on the lights. The game Is Over."* You conclude. Hissing slightly at the sudden pain by your shoulder that was exposed from the minimalistic clothing you'd adorned, the stranger looking over it all smirked to himself. 'Got it'

Yuta opened the door again, mindful to keep his phone back in his jean pocket along with the lighter and of course, the salt be brought along. Starting from the end of the hallway, nothing seemed to change except now, the eerie silence was starting to bother him, 'Just 3 hours to go,'. He didn't miss a single corner, walking room to room, corner to corner, mindful to stay inside all the way. The temperature of certain rooms seemingly lesser than others. A cold pocket.

"There are few warnings too," you swipe the image to go to the next one, "At 3:33 am, the Midnight Man will leave your home. After he has left, you may safely end the game. Do NOT turn on any lights during the game. Do NOT use a flashlight during the game. Do NOT go to sleep during the game. Do NOT use a lighter instead of a candle during the game." Check. He had a lighter on him just to relight the candle anyways.

Taeyong, following the guy seemed to be quite impressed by his bravery. Not even the slightest of shaken up as he proceeded to walk about the villa. That's good, no slip ups and he seemed too good to mess anything up either ways, and that bored the entity. Where's the fun if he just succeeded?

To avoid the candle from going off at the sudden flickering, Yuta covered it up the best he could with his hands and checked around whether any windows were left open. Darkness engulfed the surrounding all of a sudden, the lad being taken aback, 10 seconds. He rushed to take out his lighter, 9, pressing the button repeatedly to ignite the flame only to get a small blue flame instead, huh? 8, running back full speed happy that he was in the premises of where his backpack is, he pulled the spare lighter, a brand new one out of the side pocket, 7, repeating the same process of flicking the button over and over, 6 until a bright orange flame engulfed the dark room, 5, he immediately grabbed his candle from besides the bag, 4 reaching in close by the wick, burning himself slightly in 3-, the process. Yuta heaves out a sigh of relief, while the spirit laughs at the frantic boy. 'He's cute.'

For a breaker, he took out his phone, looking at the time that seemed to pass by quickly throughout the ritual, 2:47 AM. A little more while to go until he'd finally get it over with. "Do not attempt to provoke the Midnight Man during the game." You ended for the nth time that night, "Which idiot would-" Yangyang asks "Haechan-" Jaemin pretends to cough while blurting out his best friends name, the mentioned feigning offence while tilting his head to the side, tongue poking at the insides of his cheek. "Seems like that's pretty much it." you shrug while the older guy beside you leaning back on both of his hands, "I kinda wanna try that out" Yuta raised his eyebrows at you. "Halloween night? We all go together" you chirp in, both of you whipping your heads to look at the three perplexed boys. "Uh, I have to water my fish on halloween? She'd get pretty thirsty". Jaemin's eyes wandered about, coming up with an excuse, "And I gotta walk my rock yo, physical fitness." Haechan adds, "Can I bring my fish along? She could use some exercising".

"Come on guys, it won't be that bad, we'll stick in a group?" You pleaded, trying your best to muster up the cutest puppy eyes. "I'm down" Yangyang shrugs. You do a tiny seal clap, looking expectedly at the other two, Yangyang and Yuta doing the same. "We stick together?" Haechan asks, to which the three of you nod your head,

"Alright then we're down too"

[3:04AM 30th, October. ]

A few more minutes left until he'd succeed, Yuta was starting to grow tired of constantly roaming. He'd usually not the one to wear out that quickly, but for a reason unknown to him, he felt utterly sleepy, tired, hungry and just wanted to lie down. He decided to take a small break, the candle still light, dangerously flickering but yet still intact. Yuta sat by the foot of the stairs as Taeyong looked at him with the same cocky smirk on his face, contemplating whether to pop out or not. 'Maybe let's make it subtle? '

Taking up the form of a black humanoid figure, Taeyong makes his way towards Yuta whose eyes seem to be dropping low with each passing second. Upon hearing the sounds of footsteps Yuta looks up, a hand on his forehead from the sudden throbbing headache. Letting out a loud yell at the figure in front of him that disappeared almost immediately, he rushed to grab his lighter again. The sudden temperature drop made him shudder. Taking out the new lighter, he pressed the button again and again as the time limit started to exhaust, 6, at a successful fire, he reached for his candle, only for the flame to go off when it neared the candle wick. "what the fuck.." 5, "come on.." he stated in a rushed voice, sure that he just saw whatever he saw once again. Finally flicking the button one last time, he succeeded in lighting the candle.

Contrary to popular belief, the midnight man didn't always radiate death. Sometimes he just messes around with the humans because the underworld could get a little boring. And as the curse states death and wrath is only to be faced by those who sinned and the boy playing right now seemed to be of no threat. All Taeyong wanted to do was get the guy to believe in his existence. Skeptics were like an insult to him. So if he had to prove himself and his existence on his own, then so be it. He gets some pretty good experience out of it anyways.

Yuta stood up immediately, remembering the warning's you'd stated, "Do not stop moving until 3:33am", walking back up the stairs, he took out his phone to check the time, 3:29am. Almost.

The same sounds of footsteps resonated from behind him, Yuta took an immediate U-turn. Going back down the stairs and roaming the empty, dark hallways, making sure to enter each and every room, keeping a mental note to thank his parents for having a slightly confusing infrastructure. The wax was almost completely out in the glass jar, but he had to hang in there for a little longer than 2 more minutes when he felt something brush his shoulder, much similar to how a friend would drape their hands over his/her friends' shoulder. He could've brushed it off as anything if it weren't for the sharp pain he felt right after the feeling of someone touching him. He's getting the proof he wants. Almost as if someone pulled his hoodie, Yuta stumbled back, letting out a shaky scream, tripping on his own foot, landing butt down onto the floor, catching a glimpse of the same humanoid figure he'd been seeing. He needs to get out of there.

Stumbling back onto his feet, Yuta bolted it upstairs, grabbing his phone once again to check the time, 3:32am. Reaching his room, he set the candle down right beside him, vary of the windows and doors, starting to back his backpack, the sounds of rushed footsteps running start to where he is ringing through his ears, hands shakingly packing his bag. Keeping the candle closeby, contemplating whether to draw a salt circle or not since there was only less than half a minute left when the same humanoid figure neared him with fast footsteps, reaching by the door frame with a loud agonizing scream only to disappear immediately.

Not realising the stress of tears flowing and the tresses sticking to his forehead, Yuta looked at the door frame in a perplexed yet confused manner. What the fuck was that.

Taking out his phone once again while grabbing his backpack, laptop and the car keys in the other hand, 3:34 am. He'd made it through. After reaching the front door, not even bothering to close it, he rushed to his car, starting it before pulling up your contacts, seeing the messages he'd never sent you.

Yuta san 1:39am: The boys said they won't make it tomorrow, it's gonna be just you and i

Y/nleE 1:43am: Why not?

Yuta san 1:45am: Dk, they said they aren't interested. So come near xxxx tomorrow at 11:30. I'll meet you there.

Y/nleE 1:48am: Coolsies.

Yuta san 3:38am: Y/n don't come here, gather the boys and meet me by Haechan's dorm tomorrow. The game's no fucking joke.

And with that he started driving away quickly to his dormitory, not once looking back at the house to see a human. Or a human like figure standing there, A bright red hair standing out due to his blood drained looking pale skin. A smirk on his face

Message not delivered.

31st October, 22:37PM, 2020.

Today was a weird day,

Having all plan's set two days before, you'd make sure to keep yourself ready for whatever you and your friend group were supposed to do today. You finished up all your assignments earlier that day to keep yourself free from afternoon and on.

The weird part was that, no matter how much you kept your phone for charge, each time you tried calling one of the guys to ask for the sudden bailing out on plan, which is a shocker because they've never done that, your phone kept switching off. You could've gone all the way to their apartment, well, dorm, but you decided to wait until later to do so. Maybe a few minutes before leaving to the place Yuta texted you so that they'd have no choice but to come along. Since your last time texting with Yuta, you hadn't heard from him. Granted, he did text you quite late at night saying he's going to do god knows what and to tell you of the sudden plan change, but you hadn't heard from him after, that being weird since he literally lives a floor below yours, he could've come any moment but nope. You kept a mental note to tell him off later.

You took out your phone once again to check if they'd sent any messages or missed calls only to have an empty chat box, other than that of your other friends that is. Added on top of that came the constant pricking feeling on your shoulder blades from the last day you hung out with the boys. The pain would appear randomly and it would be hurtful enough to draw blood, which is weird considering the fact that you kept yourself away from all sharp objects and had a full sleeve covering the area.

One stone, two birds. Taeyong's motto.

After having interfered with your phone, your friends, trying to keep you away from them until you'd go through the same as your other skeptic partner, Taeyong made sure that Yuta would be sick enough after returning home to keep him from even getting up from his bed. Temporary paralysis. Your other friends, of course they tried reaching out to you, only for him to cut the service to keep you away from them for a while. They got easily distracted from you ignoring their texts as they were focused on reaching out to Yuta.

Unknown: Hey Y/n, I'm Yuta's friend. He told me you aren't replying to his texts so asked me to do so.

Y/n: Who's this?

Unknown: Oh! I'm Taeyong! A close friend of well, your friend XD.

Y/n: Nice to meet you, Taeyong. I'm Y/n but it seems like you already know that.

Unknown: Yeah :). Yuta's on his way here and told me that you'd be joining us? Are you nearby?

Y/n: He left? No, actually, I'm just leaving my place. I guess I'll meet you there?

Taeyong: Meet ya :)

[23:22PM, 31st October, 2020 continued. ]

Hailing a cab to the address Yuta had sent you with his friends, Taeyong's number saved on your phone in case the later won't pick up, you left your place. Still feeling a little eerie from how Yuta just decided to leave you behind when he could've just offered to go together, which is pure Yuta style. He probably wasn't in the best of moods but he could've at least texted you letting you know of his departure from the apartment building.

The journey to the given address didn't take that long surprisingly. A little towards the outskirts of the town in a much aloof part but nonetheless, doable. It's not like you'd be alone there any ways. Paying for your fare, you took your purse, brushed your fingers through your hair to tame it a little from the ride, and turned towards the building, jumping slightly at the bright haired guy sitting by the front porch. Adorning the simplest of fit, a black knee slit jeans, with a graphic tee and a black leather jacket with a chain or two. He, in no doubts, was ethereal. His pale skin stood out the most in the street light if you could call it that and his lips seemed a little drained of blood, eyes hollow yet captivating when he looked up from the dirt below him to you who still stood yards away. Smiling, he got up, making his way towards after brushing off the invisible lint from his jeans, "Hey" he offered you his hands for you to shake upon reaching you. "Hey..? Taeyong, right?"

Wanting so badly to smirk, he only looked down with a silent snicker, looking up immediately to not look suspicious, "Yeah, Y/n..?" you nod in response, shuddering from the coldness of his skin, "Have you been out for too long? You're freezing," you exclaim, looking at him with a guilty expression and taking a mental note to hit Yuta for not arriving earlier. "Oh no, i just reached a minute or two prior to your arrival." you nod in understanding, withdrawing your hands from his hold, "By the way, Yuta called me a few minutes ago, telling me that he wouldn't make it and to just carry on" Taeyong said, looking at you with his eyebrows raised at your confused, innocent expression, his humane form threatening to change into his original form. "What? Why? It's like,-" you look down at your wrist watch, "11:50! And he's bailing out now?", smiling at you in fake sympathy, he replied, "he said he had other things to take care of," "But you said he'd left the place and was on his way here?" you ask, hands on either sides of your hip, "Last minute plan changes" Taeyong shrugs, "Anyways, let's get inside?"

He pointed towards the front door with both his hands, gesturing you to go forward first. And so you do. You offer him a smile before turning your back towards him and making your way towards the old house, the door seemingly open. Climbing up the stairs with caution, humming at the sound of dried leaves crunching up below your feet with each footstep. Taeyong stood behind where you two had introduced yourselves for a few minutes, a few more minutes. "Taeyong? Are you not coming?" you turn around slightly, looking over your shoulder at lad standing still, "Yeah, I'm coming" he replied soullessly, still standing his group until he saw you open the door ajar and then took his first step forward. Not bothering to go too quick.

The insides were simple, very very simple yet magnificent. The flooring seemed to be that of wooden finishing that creaked with each step you took, implying that of how old the infrastructure must be. You look around in awe, clutching at the sling bag that you carried along. You go corner to corner, not bothering to look behind to see if the friendly stranger was hot on your trail, instead seemingly being captivated by the olden time-ish wallpapers and paintings and antique pieces that the wall adorned. Taeyong on the other hand was just growing restless, 4 more minutes until he could play his next victim, he was growing frantic. He did follow you inside, instead opting to walk the opposite direction as you, towards where he'd hidden the paper with your crimson blood and name written on it, contemplating whether to just tear it and carry on proving his existence to the female in the room. 3 more minutes, he bit into his lips, "Taeyong? Look, i found something!" He heard you scream.

Puffing out a breath of frustration, Taeyong replied "Coming!" and he walked out of the room, hands in his pocket towards where you stood by the bottom of the stairs, looking at the lighter in your hand that seemed relatively unused. "I found lighter down here" you look at him with a tiny pout evident on your lips, looking back and forth between the candle and the guy, puzzled. "It must be some thugs who came here to smoke or something" He shrugged it off, taking the lighter out of your hand. It must be you over analyzing things but without a single light turned on in the villa with only your flashlight acting as a source of light, but Taeyong looked even more lifeless than before. Eyes dark ebony and dangerous, somehow intimidating, lips adorning a bright shade of red in contrast to how you saw it the first time, and his aura had seemingly darkened. 2 more minutes. You shake your head and walk up the stairs and towards a room which has it's door wide open. Choosing to lay out your things there, you stretch out a few stiff limbs, "So, me and the boys were planning on doing the midnight game, you know. One of those stupid creepy pastas? I can't believe all of them bailed out on me last minute," you speak particularly to no one in the room, assuming that Taeyong was listening to you, whose ears only perked up at the words midnight and stupid. Midnight. 00:00Am. The devil smirked to himself. Midnight, at last.

"I mean, Yangyang, Jaemin and Haechan came off as no shock to me- they're the other friend's by the way, but Yuta, it's weird for him to at least not let me know." You keep going, scrolling through your phone screen, only for it to load suddenly, No internet access. Sighing, you pull out offline downloads, "Did he tell you anything else? Like if he's feeling unwell or something?" you ask, letting the question float in the air, waiting for a reply. Getting known even after the passing of a few seconds, a minute too maybe, "Taeyong?" you stand up from the bed, well, the bed frame and make your way outside, "Tae?" you look left and right, searching for any moving soul when you feel your phone vibrate in your hands, and the sound of notification resonates through the eerie silence. You look down at the device in your hand, one new message from Yuta san and an immediate black out of the screen. Impossible.

You remembered full well charging your phone to a hundred percent before leaving your dorm. Hell, you even kept it on airplane mode your whole cab ride. Shrugging it off, you keep your phone beside your bag and then proceed to go out to look for your new friend? acquaintance? You didn't even know how to classify him as yet. "Tae, if you're trying to scare me, I'll give you heads up, it doesn't work on me." you chuckle, walking to the room beside the one you were previously lounging in. "It's past midnight and we both seem too uninterested to try out whatever we were supposed to anyways, how about we just head out?" you start, looking down at your wrist watch which displayed 00:09 on the screen in neon green. "I mean, it was stupid enough that my friends and i even decided to try it out knowing it's some made up shit to scare some seven olds, probably" you continue, feeling as though you're talking to the walls at the lack of response. "Taeyong, come on. I'm growing bored."

"Tae-" "You know, the way you logicised made it seem like you're smart enough. It was impressive," you hear his voice, a little too hoarse and plain for your liking, he continued before you could muster up a reply, "But seems like you aren't all that smart after all, seeing how you believed a total stranger and are even ready to spend time with him." you look around the place, only hearing his voice but his figure to be nowhere near you, "Taeyong, what are you talking about?" you head out of the room you currently stood in, jogging to catch his voice.

"It was a little angering you know? The way you spoke about me and my followers, it was disrespectful. And I could've taken you then and there, but what to do. You seemed too cute to take your soul without a small game? Is that what you humans call it?" You feel breathing fanning the nape of your neck and a cold air following it right after, making you turn back, "Your friend got his share of play" you whip your head forward, finally seeing the male in front of you, standing by the door frame of a connective hallway, you swore you felt his presence behind you though. His infamous smirk still adorning his features. Figure a little more towering and intimidating. If you thought he couldn't have seemed more lifeless a few minutes ago, then his appearance now only seemed to prove you wrong. "So it's only fair if you got your part of the play too, right?"

"Taeyong, you're only making your existence weird for me, let's go if you're done." He only tilted his head in amusement, "Oh it's only about to get weirder, darling" You turn back to face a blood red shot eyed male, well, Taeyong, eliciting a gasp from you, you look over your shoulder to see the place where Taeyong stood a blink of eye ago. "How..did-" His chest visibly vibrated from the hearty laugh he let out, "How did I do that?," you step back as his voice dropped even lower, only for you to bump your back into something rigid, something cold, making you let out a yelp as Taeyong seemed to stand still in front of you, "I can do a whole lot of things," you feared turning back, the insides of your stomach hurdling around as whatever was behind you reached their arms up and held you still in a vice grip. "Y/n!" you hear a voice scream from downstairs, "Y/n! Come out! We need to get out of here!" you recognize the voice as that of your friends, Yuta's.

You squirm hard to loosen the person's grip on your shoulder. Once succeeding, you bolt down the stairs, skipping a few steps, tripping now and then but nevertheless making it down without landing face first as you hear Taeyong's laugh thunder throughout the place. You take a turn to reach the front door, where Yuta stood in all his glory. You immediately run into his embrace, ignoring how his body seemed just as cold as the one you felt from whatever Taeyong was, "Y-yuta, he's sick, let's go, we need to go!" you try pulling Yuta's body a little closer to the exit, only for him to stand his ground, wrapping his hands around you even tighter as he caressed your hair, "Oh, Y/n.." your body goes stiff as your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, that sounded nothing like your best friend, "Yuta..?"

You try pulling your head away from the nape of his neck to look at him, "No darling, it's 'stupid made up shit''," his body vibrated once again from the laughing against yours, as you feel yourself growing scared each passing second. You try mustering up all your strength to bring it to his sides and push him away when you feel a plush yet cold muscle press against your neck, only for it to go futile. "Still made up for you?" you feel a sharp pang of pain flow through your nerves, result of him biting the skin in a manner far too away from soft, "Taeyon-g- lord--midnight man, whatever you are.. I'm --sorry" you say in a hushed voice, scared that if you voiced out a little louder, he'd pounce at you. You feel him nibble at the soft skin, making you whimper, "Oh no, darling, do not apologize. Your doings really intoxicated me. Kept me entertained for a while."

"But now, it's angering me to know a feeble creature as you kept poking fun at my people. At me. And I want no more than to turn you into something belonging to me. Who'd worship me the way 'my people' do." He whispered against the area, lifting his head up and leaning down, making sure not to let go of his grip on you, "oh no, pretty girls aren't supposed to cry. Tsk tsk, what is this, Y/n" His eyes bore holes onto the crown of your head. "Look at me." he acted on making you look at him faster than you could, "Could you beg for forgiveness? Give me a piece of yourself?" he inched closer to your face, a small snarl escaping his throat at your scared and trembling figure, "Or you could just be my queen and come below with me, and you'd not have to cut down your lifespan"

"Are you turned on by all of this, Y/n? Or is it out of fear?" you let out a shaky breath as the tip of his nose touched yours, "Because i can smell you from here and oh," he let out what sounded like an animalistic growl, "Is it delicious.". "Taeyong, please let me go.. I'm sorry. I really am, just please don't hurt me,-" you let out a whine of pain when you feel his other hand knot his fingers in your locks and pull it back with much aggression, immediately planting his lips onto your trembling once, bearing his fang like teeth into plush flesh to draw out blood, earning a loud high pitched scream from your end as you try your best to push him away, futile once again. His hands tighten their grip at the waist while his other hand pulled your head further back, latching onto the firm skin of your neck, treating it with the same aggression, puncturing through the skin with his teeth as your hands go limp beside your body, nevertheless, letting out a whimper from the harsh treatment, which, in all your defense couldn't be help since you still are a human with all emotion any human would feel, that including lust. You feel his cold lips curve into a smirk against where blood flowed out, lapping it up with his tongue as you feel your vision blacken the more as time went by.

"Oh darling you're no different than me.."

4th November, 19:48Pm, 2020.

"She's awake!!" you blink multiple times to get accustomed to the blaring lights in the room, a comfortable white filling your eyesight. You move your head towards the side to find all your friends sprawled out on each side. A drip connected to your hands making you squint in confusion, "Can you hear us, Y/n?" you feel your shoulders being shaken as jolt, "Hey? Yeah i can hear you, why won't i be able to?" you ask, confusion still laced in your voice, "Because you hadn't responded to us the last time we called you. And because you've been laying dead the past few days" Jaemin spoke up first, earning a smack from his elder brother

"Why didn't you stop when we screamed your name the other day, Y/n? You literally weren't breathing the day we found you" Yangyang inquired and stated, "And why did you leave us all on seen??" Haechan added, "Most of all, where were you even??" Yuta spoke. You hiss at all the questions being thrown at you as you try sitting up by the inclined hospital bed, "Screamed? Didn't respond? I left you on seen? That's highly impossible and where was i??" you stare blankly at the plain wall in front of you, trying to remember any such episode. The more you strained your head, the more clueless you grew. Your throat starts to grow dry so you turn your neck to check if there are any water bottles nearby, only for a sharp pain to flow through your nerves at a particular spot in your throat. You yelp at the sudden pain, "I'll get the doctor," Haechan rushed outside, when you reached out to touch your neck, feeling it with the tips of your finger, feeling in the swollen skin, the dried up blood when it all hit you. Your eyes grow wide as you start shaking, for it to be first noticed by Yuta, "Yuta, that house! The game, it's all real! I saw hi-him, his name! I swear he's real!" growing concerned at your sudden frenzy behavior, Yuta kneeled down beside your bed, holding your non-injected hand giving it a comforting behavior.

"Calm down, angel. Tell me point by point," he encouraged you to take in a long breath, as Haechan rushed in along with the doctor whose face was half covered with a doctor's mask, "Doctor, he-he's probably out for me, you need to get me far away from here! Please" you beg with your eyes stinging with all the tears, "No one's going to get you from here, Ms. Y/n, you're safe here" You pause your frantic actions for a while. That voice sounded a little too familiar for your liking, making you think you're over analyzing everything again. The doctor gestured to your friends to leave you up to him to have a doctor to patient talk. All of your friends nodded in understanding, giving you one last reassuring smile before collectively leaving the room.

The doctor, once after making sure that everyone left, removed his mask to reveal the oh so familiar smirk and the hair protector, rustling the same, familiar bright red hair with the same familiar pale fingers of his. Your eyes widen, mouth falls wide ajar

"Oh wait, there's one last warning, Do not assume that the Midnight Man has left your home for good at the conclusion of the game. I'm for real done now" You laugh at your friend who snatched the phone away from you,

"Pleasure to meet you again, darling"

244 notes · View notes

whump-town · 4 years

Text

Tough Love

I’d like to thank my sociology professor for basing today’s lecture off of my favorite sociological phenomenon (anomie) and A Little Life for, once again, making me cry :) this one’s for you baby

The hospital waiting room had chattered away. Mother’s impatiently fighting with sick babies, men crumpled in their seats waiting in misery for their name to be called, and three teenagers occupying a corner to just themselves. There, off to their own side, a bruised and battered man, a shadow, wedged between his old mentor and the only person brave enough to challenge the prognosis deeming Hotch concussion free.

Despite what Morgan thinks, he doesn’t have a concussion. There’s just only so much one person can take before they break. It’s just that Derek Morgan would rather a blow to the head be the reason his boss can’t even look him in the eye rather than the blood staining his swollen hands. One will heal with what can only be hoped is minimal damage. While the other might result in early retirement and a battle with depression or anxiety or something dark and murky. And Morgan is so fucking tired of the twisted way things keep panning out.

The car stops, auto-pilot bringing the necessary life to their limbs. Stepping out of the car, Morgan can’t consider himself surprised but he’s still taken aback by how quickly the other’s fill out the lawn. All of them standing and watching from differing levels of distance. Emily has planted herself right outside Hotch’s door and just as Morgan’s walking around she opens it.

If the darkness in Hotch had not concerned Morgan previously, the similar depth of Emily Prentiss’ eyes might startle him even more. But they’ve all found themselves lost to those thoughts and Morgan is already well aware of the complexity of the relationship between Emily and Hotch. Evermore, the similarities that damn them.

“Come on.” The moment that the curt order leaves her mouth several heads snap her way. Of all the comfort, the gentle hands, and soft tones, Emily has been the kindest. Quick to forgive Hotch’s temper flares and the first person to ease him into a hug. If there’s a partnership that will drag itself into the ground, it's the two of them. Defending one another even when they don’t deserve it.

It just seems… a strange turn of events that she’s the cold one. The angry one now.

Hotch just blinks at her from the back seat. He’s doped up and aching. Not that he’d been rather chatty on the way to the hospital or there, but he hasn’t said a word since they found him. Even sobbing in the hospital had been with his back turned to them and muffled by his hands, trying for some hopeless reason to preserve some part of his dignity. He had hardly managed to shake or nod his head to the questions the nurse was asking.

His ears are ringing and all he sees are her tight lips, pulled down into a stubborn but not unfamiliar scowl, forming words but he can’t make out a sound. “S-Sorry?” he winces when Reid moves and stops blocking the sun with his body. The rays came in to hit him in the eyes. He raises a bandaged fist to cower from the light.

Emily opens the door more, offering no sympathy. “Get out of the car, Aaron.”

Dave frowns at her.

They’ve just had an awful day.

Every single one of them on the phone call as Haley was killed. Forced to listen to Hotch’s pained cries following it. She’d seen him. The way he’d cradled Haley’s body to his chest. Hell, she had been the one to shush his sobs and help him rise to his feet. She’d cradled his head when he’d sobbed into her shoulder, hardly able to stand.

Where is this hard edge coming from?

Biting down a whimper, Hotch sits up. A pained grunt leaving his mouth as he eases his body from Dave’s car. His feet touch the ground and he tries but it hurts and he sinks back against the car to help hold him up. Derek moves mindlessly but Emily stops him with a simple shake of her head. “He can do it,” she affirms.

Morgan looks over his shoulder, shooting Dave a look. No one else can step in here, there is no authority that Emily or Hotch hold themselves to aside from one another. They pull each other from the ledge but Dave holds seniority and they know that he is the only person who can do anything. They both look to him for guidance. Now, as Morgan waits for something, anything Dave just watches.

Emily stands close but doesn’t crowd Hotch. He knows that if he really needs the help, she’s right there, and she’s watching for when his body decides it’s fighting a futile battle. If she’d allowed Morgan to step in, he would have panicked and fought back. Forcing him even further away from them.

Turning from him, she looks out at them. If she can feel them watching, there’s no way that he can miss it. “Go inside,” she instructs. “We’re right behind you.”

Again, Morgan looks to Dave but the older man simply does as instructed. Going as far as to tap Reid’s elbow and motion for the genius to follow along. The others move, JJ and Garcia talking softly to one another as they allow themselves back into Dave’s house without a fight. Morgan… he’s frustrated with what he perceives to be giving up. He wants to fight but, in reality, there is no threat to beat. There is only Hotch and Morgan is not angry with him.

The decision to return to Dave’s house was an easy one to make.

Knowing the ghosts haunting Hotch’s apartment, no one in good conscience could say they thought his own home is the safest place for him to be. Never mind that there is no way they were letting Jack stay in that apartment. To see him walk over the section Hotch had laid out on, bleeding for hours as Foyet tortured him.

So, JJ and Garcia had taken what they could think of from Hotch's apartment. Guided by Dave and Emily’s suggestions: a worn copy of Anna Karenina, sweatpants to change out of his suit, a few flannels, and (the crucial detail not to be missed) his heated blanket. He covets that thing and there will be not even the hope for rest if they forget it.

They’re both familiar with Dave’s house. The general floor layout is not complicated but the days they have both spent here-- camped out on his sofa or sleeping in his guest room-- are numerous. This is a place of comfort for them both and Dave doesn’t even have to say it because they know they’re always welcome here. Beaten dogs returning home.

He sits down on the corner of the guestroom’s bed, holding his side as he watches her pull out a duffle bag. She lays down the things she knows he needs, doesn’t bother with the rest. Things like his toothbrush, the Advil, or boxers are just not a priority. “Here,” she places the sweatpants in his lap. Unwinding his heated blanket cord and plugging it into the outlet by the bed. “I’ll be right back.”

Though she’s seen him naked before-- in the mix of changing his shirt or in his boxers for a variety of reasons all not worth explaining now, she knows that he will not change in front of her. She’s seen the scars, changed his bandages when he was still weak enough to be unable to do it himself, but now she has to act like she hasn’t. Pretend to be unaware of the landmines carved into his flesh.

Closing the door behind herself, she takes a breath. She doesn’t want to be with any of them, not even Hotch. Which pains her. She loves them and she needs them for support but she can’t face them. She’s not strong enough for Hotch or broken enough to seek the other’s comfort. But she can not sit outside this door because she knows that if she hears his pained noises as he contorts himself into clean clothes that she will regret it.

“How is he?” She keeps moving, ignoring JJ’s softly asked question. How the hell would she know? But she has a better chance of understanding than any of them. He doesn’t tell them things. For months he’s pushed them all away. Keep them as far from him as possible but she’s allowed to remain close. To see the cracks where Foyet got in.

“Where’d Derek go?”

Rossi is making food. Pasta, she assumes, because that’s always what he makes them for comfort food. He looks up from the pot of water he’s heavily salting but doesn’t comment on his general surprise to see her so soon. He expected her to lock herself in that room with Hotch. “They called him back to the scene. Duty rang.”

She does not envy him.

“How’s he holding up?”

She shrugs, going to the fridge and pulls out a water bottle. Sipping the liquid she itches to go back to the room already, to get away from their whispers and glances. “He’s alive,” she answers. In her distinct dark way surmises, “but who knows how I’ll find him when I go back.” It’s not like they haven’t all thought about it. They know the signs and they’ve watched him pull away.

It’s not even the first time it’s occurred to her what he’ll do the moment he’s left alone.

No one comments, she’s not surprised.

“Emily--”

She puts the water bottle on the counter, knowing someone will probably finish it off. Someone says something, it might be directed to her, but she keeps walking. Headed back for the guest room.

She finds him wrapped around himself. Knees drawn up, arms curled to his chest. His face is turned, hiding the pained furrow and curls of his expression from anyone who might enter. Even the blankets drawn up to his chin are an effective measure to hide himself, to burrow deep and loose himself. She knows that he isn’t aware of the fact that she’s entered the room. Normally, she might find this fact more worrisome but the sensitivity, the vulnerability of this is more alarming than his ability to perceive his surroundings.

She knows that he won’t let her help, not in the ways that will actually produce effect. His pain is manageable. In the duffle bag, hidden deeply underneath gauze, antibiotics, and a plethora of drugs he is now required to take daily to live, is the prescription of opioid painkillers. The seal is unbroken. He will not touch them. She commends the effort, there’s something to be said there about his self-restraint but she knows it’s not some moral things. He’s punishing himself.

Without invitation, not that she would ask for it, she sits down on the corner of the bed. Despite this sudden invasion, he doesn’t move or even look over his shoulder. He already knows she’s the only person brave enough to break the vow the other’s have taken to leave him to his misery. Not out of insensitivity, it’s just better to leave some things to settle themselves. You’re not going to nuke a hurricane, you’re just going to wait for it to die down.

Drawing her legs up underneath her, she gets comfortable. Crossing her legs and settling herself right beside him. Her thighs touching his back, he continues to lay on his side ignoring her. “Dave’s making everyone some food,” she informs him. The heat of his blanket is nice and, despite this, she can feel him trembling and shaking as if chilled. “I assume your vow of silence has extended to testing just how long you can go without eating as well?”

She doesn’t really need to wait for a response, or lack thereof, because she knows the answer. She knows him. Humming, she rolls her eyes. “Noted,” she replies to his silence. Leaning against his hips she peaks over his back, frowning. “Have I told you that I hate you recently? I don’t want to say it too frequently but I can feel one building itself up.”

Again, she’s met with silence. “I know you’re not sleeping,” she informs him. “You snore.”

Just as she’s starting to give up, he cracks an eye open. It’s red rimmed, bloodshot from his crying and general lack of sleep. “Do not.” His voice is whispery, faint. It sounds entirely unfamiliar and it strikes her, makes her grit her teeth down against it, as she realizes there is still a very real, very broken part of him that she will never understand. Born from desperation and acts he committed today. That there is a damaged broken boy that he keeps so safely guarded that not even she will ever be able to comfort him.

It makes her feel strangely isolated.

Gently, he maneuvers himself. Wraps an arm around his ribs-- afraid that without the support he’ll simply come undone-- and uses the other to slowly push himself up. The low light of the room safely guards his features from someone who might be standing at the door but Emily is right beside him, now moving so they are hip to hip and he knows that she can see every micro-expression he can’t contain.

“Easy,” she breathes, her hand falling between his shoulders as he bucks against the way his entire body tries to pull him back down into the covers.

Humiliated, cheeks flush with sweat, he turns to her and softly admits, “I’m gonna be sick.” He knows he can’t get to the bathroom fast enough. That his legs will not bear his weight and even if they do, his chest cannot stand the weight of him sitting up. He will fall and he’s not sure he’ll get back up. The last thing he needs, atop the general failing of today, is to pleat to the ground with limp weight.

Emily effortlessly leans down and produces the trash can that Dave keeps at the bedside. It brings to him a memory from the hospital, of the fuzz and haze of his first hours of consciousness after the attack. Her coldness, her distance, but mostly of the way she spoke to him. As if he were a victim, the kind that he finds himself sending her to talk with. The kind that are one intimidating male away from coming undone. The kind that needs empathy and warmth and her impeccable ability to talk anyone off the ledge.

And as he chokes up vomit, crying as his muscles contract around his ribs, he realizes that he really is no different from the victims they see everyday. He is… He is a victim. Not even for the first time in his life.

He doesn’t fight the hand she presses to his face, gently guiding him back down into his blankets. She pulls his blankets back up to his chin, discontentedly scowling when she sees that he’s still shaking. “I’ll get you another blanket,” she offers, despite the heated blanket and comforter he’s got tucked up around him.

He swallows thickly, wishing that he had the strength to stand and get this taste out of his mouth. His throat burns but not nearly enough to distract him from the phantom pains in his chest-- but can they really be phantom if the scars are still lined with red anger? If he can feel the knife slipping in and Foyet’s weight settled across his hips?

“No,” he whispers and is silent for a moment. “Nothing will--” he looks away from her. “Nothing will help.”

“What can I do?”

“Stay.”

She lays herself down beside him, scooting under the covers, and pressing their sides together. It takes her a moment but she finds his hand and clenches her jaw when her eyes water as he grips her hand tightly. He turns his head and she welcomes it, reaching up to guide him closer. Her fingers pushing up the hair on the back of his head and they tangle together. “If you ruin our reputation as badasses because of this cuddle,” she admonishes, “I’m never going to forgive you.”

He manages to crack the faintest smile. The soft scabs forming on his lips peeling back and bleeding again but she won’t mind the blood. “I hate you,” he whispers so softly that she only knows he’s spoken because of the ghost of hot air that ghosts over her neck.

“I love you too.”

#criminal minds #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #not hotchniss #but like lowkey it is #and you know it #hotchniss #hotch whump

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1010ll · 4 years

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do you have any new recipes that you've learned recently? i remember you wrote something a while ago about carbonara and i tried it out for myself it was really fun!!

i love this 😭 im gonna write way too much idec! something that has changed since that post: my kitchen is worse. i have a horrible combi oven which has resulted in me accidentally eating raw chicken, because it had been in there for more than 2 hours at supposedly 230 °C and i was really hungry and thought it HAD to be done by then. also i have less time and less money lol. it has made me a bit sad, and less motivated to cook nice things but i also love food! which means these tips/recipes are gonna reflect that and might seem a bit dull but probably also relatable for a lot of people. i’ve definitely made spaghetti carbonara a bit too much because it’s simple and require few ingredients! will still vouch for that one tip about substituting the bacon with roasted veggies and other types of meat.

last week i made risotto for the very first time, i think? which means i might be assuming a bit too much, but i think it’s a great dish that you can almost make with whatever you have in your fridge. i made it with roasted beetroot(needs A LOT of time to soften, lesson learned), carrots and parsley root or parsnip(idk the difference), dried rosemary and thyme, garlic and onion. i had some leftover sushi rice, which is great for risotto apparently(love versatile ingredients), roasted them in some oil and then added white wine and chicken stock and actually added a leftover parmesan rind i had in the fridge to give the ‘stock’ some flavour, a bit of nutmeg and then in the end some shredded gouda lol… it was surprisingly delicious and i didn’t even really care to cook the rice perfectly. it also tasted delicious 3 days later, which was a nice surprise. i bet there are tons of risotto recipes online, but as long as you have rice, some kind of flavoured water, i guess you could kind of add whatever you want of veggies and top with whatever herb you have around.

another type of porridge i consume a lot these days is hot oat porridge, which i’ve eaten since i was little and it was the first ‘dish’ i learnt to make myself and it’s cheap. some people really dislike the consistency and look but i don’t. it’s also very easy to customise. i put in whatever nuts and seeds(which are often cheaper than nuts) i have around: flaxseed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds and sometimes a dollop of peanut butter. i let them simmer along with the oats. i like adding those elements because it gives it some texture and it keeps me more full throughout the day. it’s very important to me because i hate spending money i don’t have on fast-food when i’m not home and i hate being hungry. dried raisins, cranberries for a bit of sweetness and if i’m treating myself i’ll add some fresh apples cut into small pieces or some homemade berry compote(i use frozen) or brown sugar. if i had more money i’d use maple syrup but i don’t at the moment. i also add a bit of cinnamon and cardamom, dried ginger etc, whatever you feel like. some people also add milk afterwards but i’d rather spend my milk on my coffee.

a small tip: making chili flake / garlic oil. it’s really delicious, you could put it straight on pasta with some parmesan and pepper and it would be a filling meal. either chop the garlic really fine, grate it, microplane it, smash it to pieces. heat some olive oil until it’s quite hot, then remove from heat and add the chili flakes and garlic. if the oil isn’t hot enough you can just put the pan or pot back on the heat but be careful you don’t burn the chili flakes or garlic, as it will make it bitter. the longer it will toast, the less pronounced the raw garlic flavour will be, so when it smells toasted enough for your taste, take it off. i store it in a tiny glass jar and add it in stews, sauces, toasts, pizza, sandwiches etc. the flavour is very strong imo and everything it touches will smell like it. something to drink: i like strong foods and i like sour foods, which is why i like lemon/ginger based drinks. to make it even more winter friendly and easy to make, i like to grate unpeeled ginger(i hate slices of ginger, they do nothing for me and seems like a waste of ginger), lemon zest, lemon juice and mix it or blend it with some water/apple juice and honey and strain it afterwards. if you have a really nice blender you can just add all of it together with some ice. i’m basically making a large amount of ginger shot mixture. then when i feel like it, i can take some of the mixture and either drink it as it is, add more apple juice if i need a refreshing beverage or add hot water and more honey for when im cold. you could also add turmeric, chili, use less sweetener and other sorts of healthy stuff but i honestly do it for the taste so i don’t care about that that much.

something sweet: i posted earlier about cakes and someone mentioned swedish kladdkaka, which is a super delicious, cheap, brownie-like chocolate cake that is easily customized and hard to fuck up which is why i’ve made it since i was very young and is a go-to and i didn’t even know it was a swedish thing. if you like airy, light cakes this is not for your. this is sticky, sweet and almost like confection. you can add nuts, swirls of peanutbutter, tahini, actual pieces of chocolate, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, the butter with oil(you can be fancy and use a bit of olive oil) or use a mixture, brown the butter, you name it. the recipe i use is this: melt 100 g butter and let cool. mix 2 eggs + 3 dl sugar in a bowl until fluffy in one bowl. mix 1.5 dl flour, 4 tbs cocoa, 1 pinch of salt in another. mix the dry with the wet mixture and add the cooled, melted butter. this is the point where you’d add chopped nuts, chocolate etc. pour the batter into a cake tin lined with parchment (i use one that is 16 cm in diameters i think). bake the cake for around 30 mins at 150°C - 175°C degrees. check on the cake using a cake tester or a a knife. if the knife is clean after … stabbing it, it’s done! the cake will change it’s texture after cooling. this is a cheap cake, and if you like cake dough you might want to give it less time in the oven for a more fudgey texture. make it your own! there are no rules. last time i made this, i left it in for too long in my opinion but it was still delicious. also i literally have a shit oven with a round oven rack that goes in circles no matter what due to the microwave function, and the only ‘mixing’ equipment i have is a whisk and a spatula. no need for kitchen aids or even electrical hand mixers.

something else i’ve been eating a lot for lunch is simple open faced sandwiches, and something that can really elevate those is: making your own mayonnaise(and toasting the bread). it can be challenging, but it’s really worth it imo and i can’t remember the last time i bought it in a store. i have a small plastic bowl, whisk and 1 egg yolk. something i can really recommend is buying pour snouts for bottles. i transfer my oils from their plastic bottles to smaller, old soda bottles because im cheesy like that and it’s really handy especially when making mayo. constantly whisking the egg yolk by hand and then adding the NEUTRAL oil ever so slowly. don’t be fancy and use cold pressed stuff or extra virgin olive oil because it will taste weird. i only ever fail when i try to use immersion blenders for some weird reason but i find it rewarding to do by hand anyways and i think it might be easier to make smaller portions that way. mayo needs acid and you can get it by adding regular vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, pickle juice, citric acid dissolved in water etc. it’s really easy to customise! when im making banh mi, i add some sesame oil, soy sauce for saltiness and use lime as the acidic element. for more regular use i add a bit of mustard(also helps with the emulsion), for fries, i like adding some fresh garlic. something as simple as mayo, tomatoes, flaky salt and pepper topped with chives is really nice. i also really like using slices of boiled potatoes or boiled eggs(idk if that’s only a thing where i’m from), mayo and the chili garlic oil. it’s also great for making tuna salad. yesterday i made a really simple sandwich with a very simple tuna salad(tuna, mayo, yoghurt, lemon and pepper), arugula, basil, the garlic/chili oil, cream cheese, pickled jalapeños and onions, green peber, cucumber and tomatoes. you could leave out everything but the tuna salad and it would still be a great little meal.

another nice condiment that beats the supermarket stuff by far is homemade ‘pesto’. when i buy parsley from my local grocery store, it’s a gigantic amount that i in no way can consume in a week. first of all when buying fresh herbs i really recommend washing them, wrapping them in a damp towel and keeping them in a closed container. it will prolong their lifetime from lasting a day to a week(change the towel if it seems too wet). i once had some cilantro in my fridge for several weeks and still be fresh. anyways, when i buy that much parsley, i like to remove the tougher parts of the stem(which i use in stews/sauces! chop it up and sautee it along with garlic and onion), add literally just olive oil, water, pepper, garlic, and a bit of acid and then blend away! it keeps for a long time in the fridge and is also delicious beneath tomatoes/potatoes/cheese on open-faced sandwiches. if you want to be fancy you can of course add some type of hard cheese, nuts, seeds, dried tomatoes, whatever.

i know this is the longest text post ever, but as a last reminder, i really recommend watching pasta grannies on youtube. really simple recipes with focus on few, good ingredients that just takes some time and love.

#sorry about the spelling mistakes and everything #it's not my first language but it probably wouldn't be much better if it were #food

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anepiphany · 4 years

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okay wait everyone is doing these cute posts about their moots and so i’d like to write out what havoc a team of one of my mutuals and i would wreck if we were in the bau:

(this is me being dumb at 2 am and i’m definitely going to make some cute sort of post too but i felt like doing this)

((also this took me forever to do lmao so if there’s anyone i forgot i swear it is nothing against you i just did moots i felt like i knew well enough to explain this for))

@ellegreenawy : y’all celie and i would be an iconic team because we come up with so many good ideas but our best ideas are always in the middle of the night. so you best know if reid ain’t solving the case, celie and i crack it at 2 am. also, celie is definitely rossi’s favorite. she’s the only person he lets cook with him regularly, and i’m the one who definitely got distracted and forgot to put water in the pasta pot so i ended up setting the pasta on fire so i am banned from the kitchen most of the time (it’s not that i can’t cook, it’s that i got distracted that one time and rossi refuses to believe me). oh and her and i would definitely write a book together the way rossi did. and we’d guest lecture together too.

@babyblockcolorcat : fabs and i would def be in seasons 8-9 of cm together and we would get nothing done because this girl would not be able to function around alex blake. but also faby would rock a blazer. her and em definitely share a closet. faby around alex is like reid around practically any girl in the early seasons, and it’s kind of adorable but also the rest of us (me and the team) are standing around like “why the fuck is alex so oblivious” (of course this is an au where alex isn’t married). i mean the whole “good morning, faby!” from alex and then faby accidentally walks into a pole and spills her coffee

@reidsemily : bro bekah and i would be an elite partnership. we definitely spend our free time with penny and morgan because i feel like the four of us would be iconic together. also if we’re called in for a case in the middle of the night her and i are definitely the ones that show up and chug five cups of coffee before we can even say a word. and then someone (probably jj) is going to point out that my blazer is inside out and that bekah is wear two different shoes and we’re just going to drink another cup of coffee

@linguinereid : i would love to hear conversations between bee and reid because i’d probably learn more from them than my entire school life. bee is definitely a major part as to why we can solve all these cases, and i feel like her and i interrogating a suspect together would be interesting. i’d probably talk enough to bore the unsub to death, and then bee would just say things and psychoanalyze the suspect until they broke

@ssaemilyprentits : okay so i feel like steph and morgan have been in a prank war since she started working at the bau and somehow i got involved in it and now we’re just this chaotic mess of “ok ani wait you distract morgan and i’ll go mix salt into his coffee” and “steph keep derek busy so i can go and stick this sign that has his phone number and ‘call me for foot massages’ written on it on the back of his car”

@whiskey-fluent and @jenniferxprentiss : i wholeheartedly believe that h and ash would be the most sarcastic and upfront agents. like straight up would make the suspects tremble during interrogation. and they’d always be sent to do stuff together; they’d be the dream team. i know technically i don’t fit into this equation but like their energy together as fbi agents would be immaculate so i needed to talk about it. like that one episode where the unsub is morgan’s cousin’s husband who forced her to marry him and jj and emily walk into the interrogation room and are conversing about will and henry? yeah, that’s h and ash. i’d probably be penny in the trio.

@heat-waveee : ok i think lb and i would honestly be a very productive duo during work. like she’d def keep my procrastination in check on paperwork days and we’d be good at finding info together during cases. and lb would be great at talking to eyewitnesses and friends/family of the victim(s). but when the case is over? we’d be insane. like at dinner parties with the team, nights out at the bar- we’d be going crazy. oh also we’d be crushing on em so much

@apologetically-apologetic : so abbie and i would be great at coming up with theories because in the short amount of time i’ve talked to her we’ve had so many genius ideas. i think we’d observe crime scenes and just piggyback theories onto each other until we figure out a fairly solid one and then use evidence we find later and adjust or expand our theory and then we’d solve cases really well. also, i think if we ever got like trapped with an unsub or like taken together by an unsub we’d definitely come up with a good plan and there’s like an 85% chance that we’d be fine

@reidemandweep : roo and i would just be an organized mess tbh. our desks are for sure next to each other, and whoever comes in first makes coffee for themselves and the other person as well. we’d probably hold off on paperwork till the very last minute but turn it in right on time. i also think roo and i would make a great team when interrogating a suspect. like that one episode where jj and morgan pretend to be a couple and talk to that white supremacist guy? yeah roo and i would be the gay poc couple to annoy the unsub if they were bugged by that. also, we’d definitely be caught trash talking strauss. like “ugh she’s so annoying and messes stuff up for us a lot” and then everyone’s quiet and we’re like “she’s right behind us isn’t she”. we’d also tease rossi about dating her but in the end i don’t think we’d hate her completely because we’re nice enough to understand she’s doing her job but also we’d be like “no <3″ to most of the stuff she says

@eusuntgroot : hj and i would honestly be very nice people together i think. well, hj would be my better half. she’d be really good at talking to families of the victims, because she’s great at being empathetic and she’s so caring. the two of us would probably be sent to speak with victims and eyewitnesses because we’d be good together at calming them down and being there for them and trying to get information. also, hj and i would be great at talking an unsub down together if necessary

@agenthotchner : honestly i feel like snow and i would be really badass undercover. like i get very “entropy” vibes from the two of us. like tara and morgan vibes in that episode. snow and i would most definitely find an unsub while undercover at a bar, lure him outside, and then threaten to hit him in the face with a pair of heels as we handcuff him and lead him to the cop car

@davidrossi-ismydad : sammy and i would have such chaotic energy during paperwork days- hanging out with penelope, locking jj and emily in a room until they got their sexual tension out of the way, sammy hanging out in hotch’s office doing god knows what. sammy and i would definitely make everyone laugh whenever they needed to but sammy would also come up with some of the most genius ideas that the others wouldn’t think of. he’d would definitely be the character that at the 30 minute mark of the episode is like “maybe we’re thinking this part of the profile wrong” and coming up with the correct profile and we’d be like “yes you’re onto something”

@cinnamon-rroll : okay jemma and i would be great at stakeouts. like we’d have the snacks ready and would have the most interesting conversations while watching our surroundings from the car with binoculars. i also think we’d be good undercover, too

@spideyspencer : listen avery would also be so good at interrogating suspects. like so amazing. she’d just be so good at intimidating them and not taking their shit whatsoever. and when we’d be chasing an unsub i’d definitely chase after them and she’d find an easier route and be standing there waiting for us. she’d be putting handcuffs on the unsub and i’d be wheezing and half out of breath like “how *wheeze* did you *wheeze* get here *wheeze* so *wheeze* fast?”

@prentiss-dinozzo : i feel like noelle and i would probably be like tara together: badass but also good critical thinkers and smart. and i think we’d do similar things to what reid did: go through case files, make geographic profiles, that sort of thing. and i also think we’d be good at guest lecturing together

(not me being dumb and forgetting caitlin because i did this at literally 2 am ugh!!)

@themetaphorgirl : okay caitlin gives me very much garcia vibes and i for sure think her and i in the bau would be best friends with penny. we’d be hosting parties/dinners and coming up with fun ways for all of us to hang out and we’d just have elite energy. we definitely convinced the bau to have a family bowling night and family game night and things like that. i think we’d also be good at talking unsubs down and definitely would be the ones talking to the friends/family of the victims. also, i have a feeling that caitlin would be good at making negotiations too!

#ani rambles #my beautiful beautiful moots #i love you guys

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thesurprisinglyqueertoast · 4 years

Text

ADHD Tips!

I have amassed these over the past few years through both personal experience and from others online. If you don't have ADHD, still feel free to share and use these if you need! Many of the issues we struggle with are experienced by people without ADHD, and ADHD is often comorbid with many mental illnesses. Feel free to add on to this post or take and share these wherever you like.

Catagories are: General, Meds, Teeth, Laundry, Shower/Getting Dressed, Food, Water, Sleep, and Homework

General Tips:

Use alarms for everything you struggle with doing on time. Everything.

Most things with ADHD wre much easier to find a workaround for than to force yourself into doing.

If you have trouble with procrastinating, there is usually something specific stopping you. If you can't figure it out or can't stop it, just do your best to procrastinate by doing other things you need to do.

If you're able to, find other people to rely on to either help you or just be there for you.

Meds:

Use a pill organizer, even if you only take one pill. Being able to look at today's day and see if you've taken it is much easier if they're split into days.

If you have a hard time remembering to take them set yourself an alarm for every single day and keep your meds where you are most likely to take them.

If your meds taste bad, give yourself a treat after like some juice or a candy. If you can't eat after them then drink a good amount of water.

If you have a hard time taking meds at a certain time of day, ask your doctor if it would be alright if they were taken at another time. Some of my meds are normally instructed to be taken in the morning as they often cause sleeplessness, but I take them at night because I know for certain I can take them every day at night. Some meds really need to be taken at a specific time of day and if you take one like that, try to incorporate taking it into some sort of routine.

Teeth:

If you have a hard time brushing your teeth daily try to figure out why. If it's the toothpaste, buy a different toothpaste (kid's ones will taste more fun). If it's the toothbrush buy one with softer or firmer bristles. Kid's toothpastes will often lack the fluoride that helps protect your teeth, so be wary of that.

If you take meds, keep a toothbrush near them to try to associate brushing them after or before taking the meds. Dry brushing them is always better than not brushing them at all. Some people find that brushing their teeth in the shower works best. If you have several toothbrushes around the house and just brush your teeth when you see one, it will be much better for your teeth than brushing them with toothpaste only sometimes.

If you can't floss with normal floss, there are floss holders that work pretty well, or even water flossers. It's best to do it daily but I guarantee that flossing every so often is much better than not at all. If your gums bleed, be more gentle and do your best to be more regular so they bleed less. If they still bleed with regular gentle flossing be sure to talk to your dentist to try to figure out what's wrong.

Mouthwash is a good addition to your routine. Find one that you can tolerate. It's recommended and best to use it after brushing and not to dilute it, but if you can only use it by deluting it, something is still better than nothing.

Laundry:

I use pillow cases for my dirty laundry. For me it's the exact size of one load of laundry, and having several smaller bags if dirty laundry means that you can keep them in several places instead of just one designated basket. If there is one in reach wherever you remove your clothes you are more likely to put it in the dirty laundry than leave it out.

If you're the one buying the laundry soap and doing your own laundry, be sure to pick one that you like the smell of. I personally buy scentless laundry soap because the strong smells hurt my head.

Using a bag or basket that is the size of your washer and dryer means there is less commitment than hauling several loads of laundry.

If the worst part of doing laundry is folding clothes, don't fold them the way you're used to. Turn it into a game or hang them or stack them all up and fit them in your drawers that way. If you're home most of the time or wrinkles just don't matter to you, leave them in the bag or just shove them in your drawers. It takes up more space than doing it neatly and putting them away but sometimes it's just not worth it.

Shower/Getting Dressed:

If you have trouble picking clothes in the morning, do that at night. You can change your mind in the morning if you really want.

If you have trouble getting up and getting dressed, just put your clothes on the night before. If you sweat a lot in your sleep this might not be the best plan.

If you have a hard time showering regularly, try to figure out why. If it's the smells, find unscented or better smelling soaps. If it's what you use to wash your skin with, use a different thing or just use your hands. If it's the getting dry part, use one towel and switch it out to a new one when it gets damp.

Turn on the fan if it gets too hot or stuffy, or even crack the door when you're done showering so it cools down even quicker.

If you have a hard time showering because you don't do well with seeing your body, shower in the dark. There are night lights that plug directly into outlets that can provide some light without making it bright, or you can use candles.

If you have a hard time with standing that long, invest in a shower chair or try to find one at a thrift store.

Food:

Snacks are fantastic to keep in your room if you can. If you have any sort of pest problem or have pets, keep them in a sealed container. Juice boxes and pouches are also fantastic to be able to grab while you're In The Zone without having to think about it.

It's good to keep easy foods on hand for when you're just exhuasted or can't think of what to make. In our pantry, I have ravioli, oatmeal, microwave rice sides, stovetop rice sides, ramen (some made on the stove and some cup ramen), cereal, canned chili and soup, canned tuna, mac and cheese, instant potatoes and pasta with bottled sauce. In the freezer, the foods we always have are pizza, pizza rolls, fries, broccoli, waffles, sliced strawberries, and burritos. Be sure to pick foods you like and can make in a pinch.

Eggs are quick and easy, and you can even crack one in a mug and add salt and pepper, mix it and microwave it for a very fast snack. Potatoes and rice are filling and take more time but are a great base to other foods like eggs or sauce or cheese. Both can be made in the microwave if you don't have an oven or stove, it's too hot to use them, or you're worried about burning yourself. Make sure to wash the potato skin well if you're keeping it on.

You don't need to stick to the normal breakfast foods for breakfast, lunch foods for lunch, and dinner foods for dinner. If you love breakfast foods, make those for dinner. If you hate breakfast foods, make dinner foods for breakfast.

Try to incorporate fruits and veggies into your daily foods, but don't feel bad if you can't. There's no shame in not liking or being unable to eat some foods, just do your best to give your body the nutrients it needs. If your fresh fruits and veggies always go bad before you can use them, just buy frozen ones. Frozen fruits and veggies are usually frozen at peak ripeness and will last way longer than fresh. Some frozen veggies even come in microwavable bags for quick and easy cooking.

If you're stuck when making food, just eat the ingredients by themselves. This could be fruits, veggies, cheese, meats (unless it needs to be cooked first), and bread. I find that if I have a snack in the kitchen before making myself food, that's often enough to trick my brain into food mode and let's me make a meal.

When you're making yourself food, be sure to make leftovers! Don't make a huge amount unless you're willing to eat it for most meals so it doesn't go bad, but making just double or triple the food and storing it in the fridge is a very easy way to make less work for future you with only slightly more work for current you.

If you have trouble actually remembering to eat, set alarms or reminders for yourself, or even see if a friend can remind you to eat whenever they're eating. If there are meds you need to take with food, keep them near food so you remember to eat with them. If you feed a pet, eat before or after feeding them.

If you live with someone else, see if making food for more than just yourself makes it easier. If I need food and ask my partner if they also want food, it's always easier for me to make food when they also are hungry and need food.

Water:

Use several water bottles so you don't have to keep getting up to refill them. If it helps, you can have a morning water bottle, an afternoon water bottle, and an evening water bottle and try to have the water gone by the time you go to switch to the next one.

If you struggle to drink enough because you don't like water, try tea or adding fruit to your water or another water flavoring. Liquids that aren't water do also contain water! Soda will often make you thirstier, so try to make sure you're drinking things that aren't just that though.

Sleep:

Ignore what neurotypicals will tell you about sleep. They will tell you to only use your bed for sleep, but if you go to bed sooner if you read or scroll on your phone in bed than if you do it out of bed, do it in bed. Many sleep hygiene tips are the opposite of what is best for those of us with ADHD.

If you can't sleep with silence, try listening to music or a podcast as background noise. If you have a hard time sleeping in bed, move your blankets and pillow to the floor or a comfy chair. When I lived alone I would vary between sleeping on the bed and the couch.

If you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, eat closer to when you sleep. Common sleep advice is to not eat before sleeping but it's what works best for me. Alternatively, keep snacks by the bed. If you're worried about needing to brush your teeth after, keep a toothbrush by the snacks.

Melatonin and other sleep aides are often at least slightly helpful for people, and if you take them make sure you're following the instructions for how to make them most effective.

If you have trouble keeping a bed time, use alarms.

If all else fails, and you're able to, find a job or school that you can work around your sleep schedule. When I was able to work, I worked a swing shift job and got up at noon.

Homework:

I have not been in school in two years so these are from memory or what I've picked up from others since

Make a space to do homework that is free from distractions that will distract you fully. Use the background noise that helps you work best. The key to distraction and ADHD is learning what distractions are helpful and what distractions will get you off track. Neurotypicals will tell you that your space needs to be quiet and bare of anything interesting. Ignore them. If you have a hyperfixation at the moment, it is vital that you do not let it anywhere near your homework space. It will win over your attention with no effort. Use headphones if you are working in a public space. If you do need silence, headphones with no music playing can help, or use a pair of earmuffs or earplugs.

Take breaks when you feel you need them. Your math will not get done if you are having a meltdown from stress. Time how long you've spent on homework and then spend a fifth of that time as a break if you have time. Alternatively work for a half hour and take a short five minute break, or spend an hour and take a ten minute break. If you have a hard time refocusing after a break, don't do anything interesting during the break but instead do some stretches, have a snack, and get more water.

Don't try to do homework hungry. Have a snack before starting if you need to, and be sure to have water readily available.

If you have a lot of homework or several different subjects, take 5-10 minutes at the begining to organize what you are going to do. If possible, work on the thing that has the soonest due date, the most important to your grade, or the subject you have the lowest grade in. If you have a lot, do your best to alternate hard material and quick easy material to give your brain a bit of a break. If it helps, don't be afraid to pause your hard stuff to work on easy stuff for a bit if you have time.

If you need help, try to find someone that will actually help you in the way you need. If that's not possible, there are often YouTube videos on the subject you need help in. If you choose to find a video, I have found that it is best to find one in incognito mode (or a designated school google account) so YouTube does not suggest you videos you are interested in. This also helps to keep your school stuff from your fun stuff.

Finishing something partway is often better than not turning it in at all. This is something that is even more true in the "real world" than they lead you to believe in school.

#actuallyadhd #adhd tips #please share #ramblings #long post

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theasstour · 5 years

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𝓢𝓵𝓮𝓮𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓥𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓼 𝓫𝔂 𝓖𝓲𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓮

𝓯𝓲𝓬 𝓹𝓪𝓰𝓮 | 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽: 11.7k 𝓝𝓑: 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓽 𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓾𝓪𝓰𝓮

A/N: biggest thanks to @shepherald for being bb’s italian auntie! ilysm!

Friday, 19 July 2019

It had become a tradition for Y/N to walk to the bakery every single morning. The same one, walking the same way, and getting the same thing. She’d get her croissant, say hi to Marco behind the counter, and try to order in Italian, though she never got it right. However, she loved trying each time. This morning was no different from all the rest. Y/N was humming a song under her breath, smiling at someone she recognised as her neighbours downstairs, and they smiled right back. She walked into the bakery, seeing the old man behind the counter again. He gave her a grin, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

“Buongiorno, Marco.”

“Buongiorno, Y/N.” He put the handkerchief in his pocket, leaning his hands against the surface before him. “What would you like today?”

“Hmm,” she mused, pretending to be thinking it over as she made her way toward him. “Think I’ll just have my croissant, please.”

Marco got to work, picking up a paper bag and getting her a croissant. “You need to try some Italian food one day.”

Y/N sighed, nodding her head ever so slightly. He was very right. She had been to a few restaurants, but she hadn’t eaten anything but pizza. Though Italy was known for pizza and pasta, she knew there was tons of other foods to try as well. She just hadn’t gotten to it yet. And she needed to. What was the point of being in Italy and not doing anything about it? She needed to broaden her horizons.

“What do you suggest?” She asked, watching as he placed the bag carefully on the counter between them.

“Schiacciata first.”

She furrowed her brows. “What’s that?”

“A type of Tuscan bread. You sprinkle olive oil and salt on top and mix the dough with herbs. It is fantastic.” Marco’s eyes sparkled a bit, talking about baked goods really made him show a brighter sort of happiness.

“Like focaccia?”

His face fell. “You don’t compare food.”

Y/N blinked, nodding her head twice. “Would you serve me that then? Or would I have to go to someone else?”

“I’ll make you.” Marco smiled, all forgotten about Y/N’s comment only seconds earlier. He handed her the croissant as she gave him the euros for it.

“You’re too kind.”

“I don’t wanna lose a customer. I’ll make.”

Y/N laughed at that, shaking her head as she started turning around to leave. “I’ll see you around, Marco.” As she reached the door however, Marco’s voice sounded from behind her again.

“My son is getting married next month.”

She glanced over her shoulder, a bit taken aback by the sudden comment. “How wonderful. In Fosdinovo?”

“Yes, it’s the biggest event in town. Everyone is coming.” He seemed so happy talking about this wedding that his otherwise big eyes looked small behind his tall cheekbones. “He and Carina would like you to come, too.”

This more than anything made Y/N halt a little more. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your son, Mar-“

“-I’m going to be making the cake. You need to come for the cake, Y/N.”

She couldn’t help her laughter. His eagerness for her to come was adorable, and she knew he wanted her to taste his cake so she could give him her opinion – even though she knew next to nothing about food - the gesture in itself was very sweet. If not for anyone else, she would attend the wedding for Marco. On the other hand, it wasn’t everyday you got to go to an Italian wedding. Y/N knew it would probably take her breath away, something she was very ready for already. Her eyes fell to the baker again, and she felt herself sigh heavily.

“Invite Mr Styles, too. He needs to come out of his house.” Marco started busying himself with something behind the counter.

Y/N frowned. “You want Harry to come?”

“Yes,” Marco said, rearranging some baked goods. “Once Mr Styles eats my cake he will be singing around the streets of Fosdinovo till he collapses.”

She laughed again, feeling her stomach grumble as the smell of something sweet and delicious wafted towards her again. “Oh, he won’t be able to resist.”

“Fantastico,” he clapped his hands together, taking the time to stop and look at her for a few seconds. “I will give you an invitation soon.”

Y/N’s hand rested against her stomach, feeling it rumble with another plea for food. “Thank you so much, Marco.”

“Addio.” He waved her off, and she waved back before walking outside into the scorching Italian summer afternoon, ready to walk around the small village once again. She got the croissant out, holding it with the paper bag, and took a bite, savouring it slowly as she just looked around her. The old buildings around her and the feeling of Southern European sun rays on her skin, Y/N knew she was taking it for granted. At the end of next month, she wouldn’t be here anymore. She would be on her way back home to dreary Britain, leaving the cheapest and most relaxed summer vacation she’d ever had.

She got her phone out, snapping a few pictures of the village so she could send them to her mother and Portia. Though her updates of living in Italy had gotten less frequent, she still remembered to send a few pictures every now and again, knowing how much Elaine appreciated it and that Portia was basically living through her right now.

Walking past Ottone Primo, where Gioele’s brother Leonardo worked, Y/N remembered. She saw him taking a fag outside with some of the other employees, giving him a little wave and he gave one back, saying something to her that she didn’t know how to translate. She gave him a smile, he smiled back, and she went on her way. Further on she walked onto the city square, someone playing an accordion somewhere and the smell of something amazing from one of the nearby restaurants. She realised as she stopped, looking at the square she had seen a couple of times in her time living here now, she was really starting to feel at home in this rural Italian village. It was the strangest thing.

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

Wearing the baby blue dress, her grey cardigan wrapped around her waist, her usual light layer of make-up, along with red lipstick, Y/N strolled down towards Harry's house with her croissant in hand. As usual, it was almost too hot out to function properly, and it was even worse now. It seemed that with every painting session, Harry wanted to start a bit later in the day. Y/N tried to understand, try to think of a reason why or what this collection he was painting even was. He hadn't told her anything about it and somehow she doubted he ever would. It wasn't that she needed to know, she didn't want to intrude – no matter the fact that she was the nosiest person alive. She didn't want to cross that line between something professional and personal, a line Harry obviously didn't want to blur. She'd gotten a taste of that already.

Taking a bite of her croissant, she walked up the steep stairs to Harry's house, giving the door three hard knocks. She didn't think he would open right away, as it always seemed to be a problem of his. It was like he was constantly choosing to get to the door late to piss her off. Chewing big to digest the bite best as possible, she jumped a little when the door flew open.

Harry stood there, and as usual, there was a certain kind of... nakedness to him. Now he was wearing a pair of blue dungarees, some yellow paint splotches on his right thigh, and one of the straps undone. Did he always have to walk around almost naked? Wasn't he scared of what his neighbours would see through the windows?

Something in his eyes changed as he saw her today, though. They fell straight to her covered up calves. She looked at him, stopping mid-chew. For a few seconds, she was unable to move. Their eyes met again.

"You're wearing knee socks."

She was. She found them hidden away in her suitcase and thought they would be cute with the blue dress, so she put them on. A defined white line at the very top, slightly transparent all the way down to her white Dr Martens, where the sight of them stopped. If it was a huge problem, she would take them off. It wasn't like she was going to keep them on if it would ruin his painting or whatever. All she wanted was to look somewhat cute. Even though the heat was killing her and she was regretting putting Dr Martens on.

"And?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

Neither wanted to be the first one to look away. So, just staring at one another, they silently challenged the other to give in. Looking at Harry like this however, Y/N noticed the slight trace of gentle freckles over his nose, something she'd never paid attention to before. If you didn't look thoroughly, if you weren't staring at him like this, you probably would have missed it. But just then it was like they were all she saw.

Harry broke eye contact first.

"Seventh rule, don't arrive early."

She remembered the rules he had listed off to her days previous and felt herself roll her eyes involuntarily. "I'm right on time, twat. But," she held a finger up, taking another step down the stairs and away from him. "Don't worry, I'll wait outside till you've had your wank or whatever you're so pressed about me interrupting."

She turned her back on him, sitting down on one of the stairs, glancing out over the landscape that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

"I wasn't wanking."

"It's okay if you were."

"I wasn't bloody wanking."

"Fine."

Y/N ignored him as he closed the door again, obviously going back inside to get himself properly ready. She bit into her croissant again, taking her time and enjoying her delicious breakfast. Italian baked goods hit different when you sat outside in the heat, sunblock smeared on your exposed skin, and a slight layer of sweat gracing your forehead. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment to the fullest. Until the door behind her opened again, Harry carrying all his stuff out. The sound of him closing his door a little too hard was harsh, carrying his stuff by her on his way down the stairs. He put his easel and canvas down, keeping the rucksack on his back as he stared down the road, clearly looking for Gioele who hadn't shown up yet. It wasn't like the driver to ever be late. Y/N looked in the same direction as Harry, though the sound of an engine roaring wasn't heard.

Instead, she glanced over at the painter, taking another bite of her breakfast. Both the straps of his dungaree were done now, the bare skin that had been underneath them was covered up with a tight white tank top. She realised it hugged him just right, showing off his defined muscles so nicely it took her three tries to swallow her bite. Stop that! she shouted at herself inside her head, he's a fucking knobhead! Don't look at him! But she could not help but to notice his pink Converse. The whole outfit seemed almost innocent, so unlike him in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. On the other hand, this was exactly the kind of thing the painter could show up in, so she didn't know why she was taking her time checking him out today.

Just as he turned his head, glancing directly at her, she looked away.

"I wasn't having a wank."

"You know," she swallowed her bite. "The more you keep denying it the more I believe you did."

He sighed, looking down at the brown leather watch on his wrist.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I wasn't having a wank!"

Y/N shrugged her shoulders, looking away from him as she took another bite of her breakfast, trying not to snicker into her croissant. Nagging at him like this, pushing every button till he reacted like that, she found it very amusing for some reason. It wasn't nice, not in the slightest, but if they were going to be waiting outside like this, she might as well entertain herself. Swallowing the last of her breakfast, she glanced down the road, looking for a sign of Gioele. However, the red Volvo was nowhere in sight. Harry sighed again, crossing his muscular arms over his chest.

"He might just have overslept." Y/N reasoned, picking at some food she'd stuck between her teeth.

Harry's eyes didn't waver from the street which Gioele should be driving up, like if he looked hard enough, the Italian would show up.

She continued to watch him. "Worst case scenario, we have to drive ourselves."

"You have a licence?"

"You don't?"

Harry looked at her and said, "No."

For some reason, that stopped Y/N from answering. She didn't know why it had taken her off guard or what she had expected when she asked that question, but it had certainly not been that.

"What?" He said, turning his body some in her direction. "Is it bad that I don't have my licence?"

"No, not that," Y/N shook her head slightly. "Guess I just... assumed you did."

"Why?"

"'Cause you normally think everyone above 18's got their licence, don't you?"

"Well," Harry looked at his wristwatch again before glancing down the road. "I don't."

She huffed. "Fine."

Reaching for her little purse, she opened it and got some hand sanitiser out, smearing some on her hands. She closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

"It's not like I don't have a licence."

She opened her eyes again, blinking once. "You just said you didn't have one."

"I can drive a moped."

"Then you have a licence."

"Not the licence."

She sighed, raising her eyebrows. "What's the licence?"

"Car one, innit?"

Turning her attention back to her purse, she closed it. "You can drive something, so I'd say you've got a licence."

Before Harry could retort any sort of answer, his phone buzzed. Quickly, he reached into the pocket of his dungaree, reading the text he had just received. By the way his face fell - slightly parted lips setting into a tight line and brows furrowing slightly – Y/N could tell he hadn't received good news. With a click, he turned his phone on before hastily typing out a reply.

"What?" She asked, wanting to know what was having him in such a mood.

"Gioele is gonna be here in 30. I don't have the time for that." Harry answered, turning his phone off and putting it back in his pocket.

"Then what are we going to do?"

Though Y/N knew by this point that it was rarely like Harry to give a short response when he had been struck by an idea. Taking a grip of his equipment, Harry ran back into his house, sprinting up the stairs two at a time. He flew by Y/N at such a speed that she felt her hair fly everywhere. Plucking some off her lips, she turned around, watching as Harry came out again, now with a pair of keys in one hand and a bigger bag in the other. She felt herself lean against the railing as Harry came jogging down again after closing the door.

"Put this on." He demanded, laying the bag on the cobblestoned road before he ran off again.

Y/N followed him with her gaze, seeing him disappear down a tiny alleyway beside his house. Completely dumbfounded and not entirely sure what the right thing to do was, she got up from where she was seated on the stairs and walked down to the bag, hoisting it onto her back. It wasn't heavy, but she could feel the canvas along with a smaller bag with everything else he might need. As Y/N heard the familiar sound of water moving around in a bottle, she felt herself sigh. She had been stupid enough to leave her water bottle at the flat. Before she could mourn any longer, she heard something that sounded like tyres against cobblestones. And when she glanced over her shoulder, sure enough, there was Harry with a very yellow moped. The Magnolia Vespa shone so brightly in the sunlight that it almost made Y/N squint a little looking at it. Despite it being shiny, she could tell it was old. It was clear, she thought, that Harry rarely got around unless he made Gioele drive him.

He slid up next to her, handing her the black helmet that came with the moped, and then positioned himself on it. Y/N just stared at him for a few seconds, not really sure what she was making of the situation. Harry used a few tries getting the ignition to finally roar to life, and when that was done, he looked at Y/N who hadn't moved since he'd given her the helmet.

"We're going to be driving that?"

"Yes, now get the fuck on."

She rolled her eyes, taking a minute to get the helmet on properly. Carefully, she threw one of her legs over the moped, trying to position herself comfortably as she knew they had quite the journey ahead of them.

"You need to hold on."

"Was thinking I'd just not."

"Don't take the piss. If you fall off you're gonna get hurt."

This made her look up at him. She could see his slightly tilted head, glancing at her in the corner of his eye, but quickly looking at his house instead when he saw her looking back. She didn't know why the comment had made her halt, but it had. There was something about it that made her cock her head a little, as if Harry hadn't meant for it to come out like that. Hadn't meant for it to come out like... what, exactly? she asked herself, not knowing what she thought she'd heard in his voice for a split second. Worry?

He looked ahead, taking a firmer grip of the handles. "If you want to fall off, don't hold on."

She rolled her eyes, but it was when she leaned forward to get a grip that it dawned on her that what he was referring her holding onto was himself. Hesitating for a second or two, Y/N grimaced a little, feeling weird about touching the painter as she'd never done that before. Did he think it was weird as well? Or was she just overthinking everything? Why was she overthinking this? She usually never overthought anything.

Slowly she leaned forward, her front flush against his back, feeling the very defined muscles there that was hard against her softness. She wrapped her arms around his waist, knowing that with her terrible balance, she'd never be able to hold on unless she held on tightly. A light sort of spicy smell took over everything, she felt one of his curls against her nose. Yeah, she thought to herself, definitely weird being this close to him.

Harry cleared his throat, clearly thinking the same. "Good."

Turning the handle of the moped, the two of them shot forward, and Y/N yelped a little as she felt her body jerk with the motion. She clung tighter to Harry, feeling herself sink further into him. His hair tickling her nose, strong muscles against her arms, tiny waist between her legs. It was hard not to notice absolutely everything about Harry when she was this close to him. She saw the faint freckles on his shoulders, and how they lead all the way down to his knuckles, tender dots of a slightly tanner colour than the one gracing his skin currently. He seemed soft, like he took care of himself. Something Y/N knew most didn't bother doing, but it felt and looked like Harry put in the effort, though, judging by his personality, he didn't seem like the person who bothered.

Harry just... didn't seem to care. It didn't seem to be something he prioritised. Caring for himself and the people around him. But... his skin was so soft...

She bet he didn't even notice how close they were sitting. How her knees, clad in the white of the tall socks, were pressed against his thighs since she was afraid to scrape them against the stone wall of one of the buildings they were driving by. Bet he didn't notice her moving closer to him as she was a little scared they'd fall off. Bet he couldn't smell her like she could smell him.

The loud roar of a trailer driving by them woke her from her reverie. Instead of thinking about bloody Harry, she kept her eyes focused ahead and tried her best not to think about him.

The drive wasn't long, maybe around 15 minutes tops. They drove along the countryside for a while, like they had done some days earlier when they went to the opening in the woods. The vineyards stretched out on either side of them, the occasional house the colour of the gravel around it. Though the sun was beating down on them like it usually did, Y/N barely felt it. The wind kept her cool. She hadn't felt this comfortable outside in the Italian summer heat... ever. Y/N suddenly started smelling the saltiness of the ocean hanging in the air around them. At first she was a bit taken aback, as the thought of them driving towards the ocean hadn't entered her mind once. But suddenly the blue ocean stretched out before them; majestic and endless and glittering in the sunlight. She let out a small huff, the sight too magnificent not to evoke an immediate grin. Harry moved his head a little as her breath met his jaw. She repositioned herself, trying not to trigger him in any way.

A sign showing they were entering Lerici stood on the side of the road, and suddenly they were driving through another town. This one was a little bigger than Fosdinovo, Y/N enjoyed seeing a bigger horde of people around than the few living in the little mountain village. It was nice, this tiny change. She enjoyed just watching as the town zoomed by, taking in the stone buildings, the locals wearing their swimwear, and kids feeding a cat some gelato. It was an endearing sight of Italian culture she knew she'd never get, had she travelled here with the intent to be a proper tourist.

They suddenly started driving up a hill again, and though the moped struggled carrying them both, it managed in the end. The trees weren't as thickly laid, allowing for a stunning view of the ocean beyond them. And it was here Harry finally stopped the moped. He sat put, glancing over his shoulder ever so slightly, waiting for her to get off first before he did. Removing her hands from around him, she carefully placed them on each of his shoulders before getting off the moped. She took the helmet off before finally stretching her knees, arms and back. It felt good to have a straight back again instead of sitting hunched behind a mountain of muscles, holding onto his waist for dear life.

Harry got off as well, looking out over the view as she placed the helmet on the moped for their trip back. She whistled a little under her breath, not able to stop smiling. This was really not a sight one got to see a lot, and she intended to savour every single little moment of it.

"The bag." Harry said, making her blink as she was once again brought out of her own train of thought.

She sighed, handing him the bag she had on her back the entire way there, and watched as Harry walked closer to the edge of the cliff they had stopped at. Following him, she treaded carefully. Though she had never really been scared of heights, the thought of falling into the ocean from high altitude terrified her. Taking small steps, she got closer and closer to the edge, wanting to get a better look of the ocean. She felt tiny butterflies swarm her entire body once he finally did. It was so beautiful.

"Do you see those three stones?" Harry asked, having sat down on a bigger rock a normal distance away. "The blue ribbon under them?"

"Yeah."

"Sit beside those."

"Which side?"

Harry just pointed while rummaging through the bag for everything he needed. Assuming he meant the side closest to him, she sat down, unsure how he wanted her to be positioned. It took awhile for him to get the canvas out, running a hand over it to make sure it was as smooth as he needed it to be, bushing some lint off, before perching it on his knee while getting all his paint ready. He glanced up at her.

He studied her for a second. "Want your side profile-"

"-Yikes."

"Can your feet point that way," he gestured to his left. "And your back that way?"

She did as he said, making sure she had some of the dress under her bum still. She didn't want to be sitting in the grass and have any kind of insect crawl up her bare thigh. It wasn't that she hated insects, she didn't mind them in fact, it was just that she liked having control of what touched her and chose to take a hike along her body.

"Look at me." Harry said, voice almost a little hushed. She looked at him. "Now at the blue ribbon on the tree behind me."

How many blue ribbons did he have? Did he leave them hanging around like this for long? Had someone ever encountered them and wondered what the fuck they were there for? Y/N tried not to chuckle, the sight of someone finding the blue ribbons and looking confused amusing her. In the quietness of the new few moments, the only sound accompanying them was the waves hitting the shore and cliff. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, surprisingly enough feeling very tired. It wasn't that late in the day and she didn't usually nap till at least 7pm. Giving herself a little shake, she urged herself to not yawn or else she would be fucked.

Instead, her eyes fell on the painter who seemed to be done mixing a few colours. His gaze slowly moved to her, caressing her from her Martens, up her knee socks, bare thighs, the way the dress rested against her body, and finally, he reached her eyes. He held them for a few, as if memorising the colour, before glancing down at the palette in his hand. Slowly, silence settled over them. They never had any awkward silences, just ones that didn't need to be filled. It was like neither of them felt the need to really talk, like they had mutually agreed on it at some point that it was fine for them not to share a single word over a longer period of time. It had never been awkward, Y/N realised, which was good. Despite everything, they had this.

"The view is beautiful." Y/N said after a little while.

"You're facing me." Harry reported under his breath, and Y/N huffed.

"Wouldn't it be more authentic if I looked out over the ocean instead?"

Harry didn't answer, just stroked his brush across the canvas resting on his knee, cocking his head a little to the side.

"Fine then." Y/N started moving as it she was going to turn around.

"Don't fucking-"

She started laughing, shaking her head as her eyes met his again. Getting back into the position he had initially wanted her to be sitting in, she gave him a slight raise of her eyebrows, still smiling, before looking at the blue ribbon on the branch behind him.

"You did that on purpose." He said.

"Did what on purpose?"

"You knew I'd be annoyed with you if you moved."

Y/N let out a single chuckle. "You're never annoyed about anything."

Harry only raised his eyebrows as he kept painting, making Y/N laugh even more. She didn't know why, but the fact that Harry himself knew he was easily annoyed and didn't say anything to defend himself on the matter when he so clearly cared what everyone thought of him, it made her laugh. At least on that front, they agreed. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back between her shoulder blades before she glanced up again. Harry was looking at her, but as soon as their eyes met, he stared back down at the canvas.

Y/N wetted her lips. "Have you seen When Harry Met Sally?"

"Long time ago."

"Well," Y/N started, looking up at a few clouds flying by. "The main characters spark off one another until they finally realise they could actually be very good friends."

Harry didn't respond, tilting his head as he stopped painting, taking a look at what he'd done so far.

"I love films." Y/N went on. "Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, Top Gun, Cocktail, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Footloose-"

"-Are you just naming all the 80s films ever?"

Y/N looked at him, narrowing her eyes a little. "So what if I did? They're all amazing, my favourite kinds of films."

"Not really into movies." He admitted, dipping his brush in more paint before glancing up to study her some more.

"Dirty Dancing will change your mind."

Harry started painting again.

Y/N smiled, clearly having entered a subject he didn't know much about. "What're you into then?"

"Art."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I know that already. You've got to have other things that entertain you. What do you do when you're not painting?"

She could tell he was giving this thought by the way he poked his tongue out ever so slightly, as if racking his brain for something to say. It wasn't easy to come up with something like this on the spot, she knew, so she didn't blame him for taking his time figuring his thoughts out. In the meantime, she watched him paint, the way his arm moved, how his biceps flexed sometimes, the elegance of his wrists. She quickly blinked a few times, catching herself in what she was doing. She looked away.

"I like documentaries."

"There you go!"

"Especially those that tell you how fucked the world is."

Y/N nodded. "They're amazing."

He glanced up at her, studying her jawline for a few seconds.

"What kind of fucked up documentaries then?" She asked, looking down at him.

Harry started painting again. "Climate change mostly, but I love the crazy serial killer ones as well."

"Oh!" Y/N grinned all of a sudden. "Have you watched Death on the Staircase? It's on Netflix."

"The one where the wife fell down the stairs and they blamed it on the husband's mental health 'cause he was bisexual?"

"Yes!"

"That one was brill."

Y/N bit her lips together as she watched him. "If it's an interesting topic, consider me intrigued. I'll watch anything."

Harry didn't respond again, but Y/N had gone long past caring about Harry responding. She talked either way.

"What else do you like?" She asked.

Harry cocked his head, taking in his painting. "Weird sports in the Olympics."

She couldn't help her outburst of laughter. "Like...?"

"Have you never just turned on the telly to watch the Olympics and some weird spots on? Winter sports you have curling for example, and summer you have modern pentathlon."

She giggled, closing her eyes. "Don't even know what those are."

Harry shook his head. "Few do."

"Do you play any sports then?"

Quiet. But not the same kind that rested between them normally. She opened her eyes, Harry was already looking at her.

"You're going to take the piss." He said.

Y/N furrowed her brows, pursing her lips. "I promise I won't."

Harry just looked at her.

"I promise! Swear!"

He still said nothing, only inhaled sharply.

"Fine, be a bellend."

"I do gymnastics." Harry said along with a sigh, sounding defeated.

Y/N raised her eyebrows, blinking as she tried to digest what he'd just said. They held eye contact for some reason, letting the quiet stretch on. She suddenly noticed how green his eyes looked with nature surrounding him like this.

He started painting again, clicking his tongue. "Knew you'd think I was weird."

She furrowed her brows. "I don't!"

He cocked his head "Then why are you all quiet? You're never quiet."

"Because I was processing!"

He huffed. "'Cause you were taken off guard and you don't see me as someone doing gymnastics."

"That's not it, twat!"

Then the strangest thing happened. The right side of Harry's lips turned upward, revealing the hint of a deep dimple. As he ran his brush along the canvas, painting her as detailed as he could, he sat there smiling to himself. Y/N had never seen him smile. Never seen him happy, she realised. And the ghost of a grin that had taken up temporary residency on his face took her off guard. She just stared at him, feeling her own lips twitch into a smile. Her back straightened up a little and she almost found herself leaning forward to get a better look. The little smile made him so beautiful. No, no, no, she bit the inside of her cheek, don't go there. Don't you fucking go there. For some reason, his grin didn't waver. It stayed on his lips as he dipped his brush in more paint, cocking his head to the side as his eyes followed the brush's trail on the canvas. If he kept on being bloody adorable, she would stare at him in awe for an hour, so she cleared her throat.

"Is that a smile I see?" She teased. "You got a rise out of me, and now you're pleased with yourself?"

He bit his bottom lip, shaking his head without looking away from the painting before him.

"Right then." Y/N said, eager to get the conversation going again. "What're you best at? There's a lot of stuff you can do with gymnastics, innit?"

Harry wasted no time. "Swing bar."

Y/N's eyebrows immediately shot upward. Trying to the subtle, she let her eyes fall to his muscular arms, his broad shoulders and the curve of his slight biceps. The tan he'd gotten did wonders to the outline of his muscles. Stop, stop, stop-

"Explains the arms."

Oh. My. God. Immediately she felt her cheeks heat up. And her blushing got worse when Harry looked up at her. He huffed.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been checking me out."

She rolled her eyes. "I have not."

He bit his lips together, studying her legs for a few seconds, taking his time to get the shape of them right, before he started painting again. Y/N let out a long breath.

"You wish I checked you out. That's what it is."

He raised his eyebrows before mumbling, "You were the one who brought up my arms."

"Jesus bloody Christ." She averted her eyes from him, staring at the blue ribbon instead. She couldn't even look at him now, he'd pissed her off. For some reason, he knew all the right things to say to get a rise out of her and it was so annoying. So, instead of concentrating on him for another second, she focused her attention on something else. The silence really did settle between them this time. Harry busied himself with the painting and Y/N glanced at the ribbon, and when that got boring, she let her eyes wander the landscape around them. Listening to the ocean behind her, smelling the salt in the air, feeling the sun on her skin. Yes, she was most definitely very glad she'd put sunblock on today.

Slowly but surely, the lack of conversation and action, the quietness lulled Y/N into a light slumber. Her head fell to the side, resting slightly on her own shoulder as she closed her eyes, intending on just relaxing for a few minutes. Hopefully Harry wouldn't notice her drifting off. And if he did, all he had to do was wake her up again. So, thinking that she was in the clear, she focused in on the relaxing sound of the waves below and the slight breeze cooling her down. Her breathing got heavier and heavier, she felt herself slowly drift off.

For some reason, she blinked her eyes open ever so slightly, hearing Harry shift in his seat on the rock. She didn't really register what was going on; halfway conscious, halfway to dreamland. For some reason, one thing stuck out to her. Harry sat completely still. And when she lifted her eyelids slightly, she saw him looking at her. This wasn't the painter looking her, this was Harry. But before she could think more of it, her eyes fell shut and she was taken off into dreamy unconsciousness.

A small whimper.

She woke with a start. She didn't know how long she'd been sleeping for, didn't know what day it was, didn't know why she was there. But then she looked over at Harry who stared at her frowning, obviously asking her what she just jumped for. Quickly, Y/N looked around her, as it was clearly not Harry she'd heard in pain. He looked about as confused as she felt. She didn't know how she'd heard it or why it had woken her up from her nap, but it must've been a sound to disturb the peace around them. How Harry hadn't heard it, she didn't know, but she chose not to ask. She sat up a bit straighter, intent on finding whatever had made that sound.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, sounding defeated.

"I heard something." Y/N answered, craning her neck.

"What?"

"I don't bloody know, so shh." She held a finger to her lips, though her back was now to Harry so he couldn't see her. But he did as she said, surprisingly enough. When she told him to shut up, he did. Both listened intently, wanting to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. It was quiet for a few more seconds as they listened out for whatever, but Y/N knew Harry didn't have any patience at all, and though she didn't either, this was just one of the times when she did. She heard him moving about behind her, getting into position to finish the outline.

Another whimper.

Y/N stood from the ground now, looking around them. Now, Y/N noticed, Harry had completely stopped what he was doing, looking in the direction of some of the woods surrounding them. She glanced in the same direction. A cat. Not quite a small kitten, not quite a grown adult. The grey striped creature looked at the two of them, meowing ever so slightly, and Y/N instantly recognised the sound. And she instantly knew something was wrong when the cat started limping toward them.

Hunching down, Y/N reached her hand out for the cat, not making a single sound or sudden movements in fear of scaring it away. Slowly, the little thing got closer to Y/N, wary of the creatures before them they didn't recognise. As the cat neared her, Y/N immediately started thinking about what could be wrong with the front right leg. Maybe the little one had something stuck in their paw pad, or maybe a slight muscle strain. Or maybe it was lameness. Or if it was an ingrown claw or a broken bone, Y/N knew she couldn't possibly help the cat out here. She'd have to get them both to a vet where she'd be able to properly help.

"Hi, love," Y/N cooed. "You okay?"

The cat sniffed Y/N's hand, and while letting it stroke itself against her, letting it get comfortable with her, Y/N noticed how the little one refused to lay any sort of pressure on its foot. Something was definitely very wrong. Gently, Y/N started petting the cat she soon found out to be a her. Noticing her inability to walk fast and the obvious small calls of pain, Y/N made a mental list of the different things that could possibly be wrong. Carefully, Y/N tried to pick the cat up. However, the cat yelped, jumping away from Y/N who made small 'shh' sounds to calm her down.

"It's fine, baby, it's fine." Y/N mumbled, reaching her hand out so the cat could approach if she wanted to again. "What's happened to you, huh?" The cat stroked itself against her again.

"Y/N, stop bloody petting a stray cat."

"Harry, she's hurt."

Y/N caressed the creature, smiling a little as the cat started purring, closing her eyes as Y/N scratched her lightly. Discreetly, she looked over her shoulder at Harry. He was already watching her, a slight furrow to his brows.

"Do you have a blanket or something in your bag?" Y/N asked.

"Why?"

"Do you?"

Harry inhaled, sitting up straighter. "Yes."

"Can you get it while you call Gioele? He needs to come here and pick us up ASAP."

Harry's eyes fell to the cat before he dared meet Y/N's eyes again. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why are you ordering me around-"

"-Oh, for fuck's sake, Harry." Y/N hissed, knowing that if the cat hadn't been there, she would've probably screamed her lungs out at him. "Why do you question everything everyone's doing? I'm just trying to help a bloody cat!"

The two of them stared at each other. A sinking sensation appeared in her belly, her heart dropping a little. This got him to shut up, mouth falling open a bit as if he couldn't quite believe she'd just said that. And to be honest, Y/N couldn't either. Though she had talked back to Harry, she had never interrupted him or properly cursed him out. However, she had not been able to stop herself now. She wasn't doing this for her personal gain, - to be fair, she rarely did anything for her own sake, she always went out of her way for everyone else – this was for the cat. Their eyes hadn't wavered. Y/N didn't know why they hadn't looked away; why Harry hadn't said something stupid back to her.

But he suddenly placed the canvas on the ground, leaning it against the side of the rock, before he started rummaging through his rucksack. Y/N glanced down at the cat again, running her fingers through her soft fur.

"You're gonna be okay soon, babe." Y/N whispered, sure that if Harry heard her, he'd let out one of those huffs he always did when he found something weird. But he did no such thing. Instead he walked over to her, handing her a towel, and didn't say a single thing. Y/N took the towel and gently put one of her hands under the cat's chin and the other behind her hindlegs, lifting her carefully off the ground and into the towel. Y/N wrapped it around her slowly, making sure to give her small pets of encouragement along the way so she wouldn't grow frightened. Straightening into a standing position, she made sure the cat was okay before looking over at Harry again.

He was watching the cat. His eyes were hooded, a sort of shadow in them she'd never seen before. Y/N didn't know what was going through his head. She so wanted to know what he was thinking. Suddenly, their eyes met, and Harry's lips parted. Was he about to say something? The clouded expression he'd worn seconds earlier disappeared. His green irises seemed to have grown a shade lighter now that he was up close.

He abruptly turned around, bringing his phone out to call Gioele. The phone conversation wasn't long, only a few Italian words spoken back and forth before Harry hung up. Instead of sitting back down on the rock to paint, Harry remained standing. He looked at the cat, fiddling with his fingers.

"She's gonna be okay. I just need to check up on her somewhere with proper equipment." Y/N explained, scratching under the cat's chin.

Harry merely nodded, still not able to look away. For some reason, Harry being this worried about the cat did something weird to Y/N's heartbeat. She tried to ignore it.

"So you know Marco? The baker?" Y/N started.

Harry met her eyes.

"He invited us to a wedding."

He frowned. "What?"

"I'm supposed to get the invitation tomorrow, I think."

Harry inhaled, keeping his mouth open for a few seconds as he contemplated this. "He... invited both of us?"

"Yeah," Y/N nodded her head. "Said I should bring you, that you needed to taste Marco's cake."

Seemingly seriously considering what Y/N had just said, Harry put his hands in his pockets. "Marco said that?"

"Yes, sir." Y/N answered. "You don't believe me?"

"Not that, it's just..." Harry trailed off, biting his lips together as his eyes screwed up into an even deeper frown.

Before she got the chance to ask him what was wrong, the cat started moving restlessly in Y/N's arms. Instead of holding her tighter, Y/N let her squirm a little. Once she'd settled down, Y/N started scratching her again, making sure everything was okay. They stayed like that, calming each other down, and though Y/N wanted to stretch, as sitting on the ground had really done her back dirty, she had to stand as still as possible for the sake of the little kitten. And like that, silence settled over them once again, Harry's unfinished sentence settling like weed in the air around them, its roots choking them both.

It wasn't that Y/N expected Harry to open up to her. She wasn't expecting him to tell her every little thing going on in his life, or to trust her with his heaviest secrets. She simply just wanted him to not think she wasn't curious. When he said stuff like that, or when he talked about Salvatore the way he did last time, or his encounter with that man in the alleyway, it made her think. And when she was thinking, she started overthinking. He made it easy for her to think the worst, and by this point she'd just about thought of every possible outcome to Harry's past. Why was he acting like Marco, or anyone for that matter, wanted him at a wedding? A huge town happening? He didn't even know who was getting married.

Gioele pulled up no long after, shouting something in Italian and waving at both of them. The loud motor made the cat restless again, eager to jump out of Y/N's hands and limp back into the woods.

"We're going somewhere I can do a check up on you, baby," Y/N said, scratching the cat lightly. "It's fine, don't worry."

The cat didn't stop squirming. Cooing and petting her best she could, Y/N did not manage to calm her down.

"Hey, hey," Y/N said, feeling the cat's claws through the cloth. She'd have to sterilise those small wounds later. "Don't worry, mate."

And out of nowhere, as if sliding straight out of a dream, a hand came into view. It ran its fingers through the cat's fur, immediately soothing her. Y/N knew who it was, but she was somehow scared to look up and make it all very real. She watched his tattooed hand scratch the cat behind the ear, the cat's eyes closed, and she quickly started purring again. The tenderness of his fingers, the effortless elegance of his movements, it made it seem like he was making the act of petting cats in discomfort into a new artform. It was soothing to watch.

She wasn't herself when she looked up at Harry. He was standing so close to her; she could smell his cologne again. The sun hit his brown curls just right, looking like locks of pure gold, a bright halo shining around him. Every single one of his features lit up, all small imperfections melting together to make something perfect. The mole on his cheek, the small scar just underneath his left eye, how his right nostril was a little bigger than the other. Close like this, she noticed absolutely everything about him. The rest of the colours of the world seemed dull in comparison to Harry right now. And as quickly as she thought that, Y/N mentally stomped on her own face.

Harry took a step away, letting Y/N walk forward toward Gioele's car. As he stepped away, she got the sun in her eyes again, the familiar stinging so not welcome. At the sight of the cat in Y/N's arms, the driver quickly got out, opening the door to the backseat for her. Y/N was about to get into the car when the cat starts squirming again, meowing and clawing at the towel. Gently, Y/N started cooing again, trying to calm her down once again. However, with both her hands occupied, it was hard to pet her, to let her know it was all going to be alright. The cat just had to be still for a few seconds more and she'd be in the car where she could scratch her and make her comfortable again. Just a few seconds more and the two of them would be on their way to the nearest vet so Y/N could help her. But it didn't seem the cat wanted to get into the car. Y/N tried to reposition her, but that only made the cat let out a squeak that made Y/N flinch.

Suddenly, the hand was there again, petting the poor cat once again. It worked like magic, because she relaxed instantly, Y/N feeling the claws that had been dug into her skin disappear. She let out a breath.

"Get in the car." Harry said, voice low. At first Y/N thought he was talking to Gioele, but when she looked up at him, he was looking right back at her.

Y/N blinked. "But she's just gonna start squirming."

"It's alright."

And so she did as Harry told her to, bending her head down as she sat down in the car, getting comfortable in the seat. Repositioning the cat again, she watched as Harry removed his hand again. But the cat didn't seem to have any of that, immediately trying to get out of the towel now that she wasn't being calmed down.

"Move over."

Though it was a command, the words were soft, as if he could've whispered them into her ear in a completely different scenario. What the fuck are you doing right now, Y/N thought to herself, hating that she'd started thinking of Harry this way. He's a twat, he's a twat, he's a twat-

"-Y/N."

She scooched over to the other side of the car, feeling her mouth fall open as Harry followed her, joining her in the backseat. She felt his leg flush against her own, the dungaree against her bare surface. Their entire upper arms touching, sweaty skin against sweaty skin. The entire position made Y/N a tad dizzy. And it really did not help the fact that Harry was leaning over, scratching the injured cat to keep her relaxed. Y/N felt the exact opposite of that cat. She felt everything and was very much not relaxed. The car was so small, and she'd have to stay this close to him till they were at the vet. Who knew how long that could take.

Suddenly her eyes fell on the situation beyond Harry, at everything he was leaving behind. But Gioele stepped on the gas, driving as fast as he could. They left absolutely every single thing behind. Quickly, she looked over her shoulder out the back window, suddenly feeling very panicky.

"What?" His voice was a whisper, the small word leaving his lips like a simple puff of air that hit her jaw, sending a storm of goosebumps up and down her back.

"Your..." she started, swallowing thickly before looking down at the cat in her arms. "Your moped."

"I'll get it later."

She hated that he sounded like he wasn't faced by the close proximity at all.

"What if someone steals your painting?"

Looking up at him, she realised once again how close they were. They might have been close earlier when he helped calm the cat down outside, but this... this was close. She felt his hot breath against her lips, in her nose; felt his eyes on her like there was nowhere else to look in the car; felt everything too much. He was... so handsome. So incredibly good looking. There was undoubtedly sweat along her hairline and cupid bow, but she literally could not reach up to remove it right now. She was unable to move, not only because of the cat, but because of Harry.

"Don't worry about it." He said.

She tore her eyes away from him, feeling her heart pick up to an abnormal speed. Clearing her throat a bit, she bit her bottom lip before saying, "Sorry for getting mad earlier. About you always questioning everything." She knew she shouldn't have snapped at him, but she had been so pissed off in the moment. The cat's life was on the line, and Harry not choosing to listen to her had really gotten to her in the worst way possible. If she could've taken it back, she would've. But she couldn't. All she had to do now was beg for forgiveness and hope Harry wasn't fuming about it all.

Harry inhaled slowly, "Don't apologise."

This made her look straight up at him again. His eyes hadn't wavered from before. Once again, she felt like she couldn't move. Had he really just... had he really... just told her not to apologise?

"I shouldn't question everything. You're right."

Had he always had freckles strewn elegantly over the bridge of his nose? Had he had that slight shadow of a beard along his jawline earlier today? Had his voice always been this silky smooth? She was realising this all so quickly, it felt like the car was driving double the speed limit and in constant circles. He was agreeing with her. He realised she was right. He gave in.

"You're..." he paused, as if he was realising what Y/N was. Slowly, he blinked, mouth opening a little wider, eyes on her still. "Right."

The words hung in the air between them for a long while, neither sure what to do next. But Y/N felt the cat move around in her arms, so she quickly looked down, only to notice Harry wasn't scratching her anymore. As soon the cat started complaining, Harry petted her again, receiving a soft meow and satisfied purring.

They stayed quiet till they reached the vet. Y/N was only too aware she was touching Harry the entire way, feeling him beside her. Every bulk of his body, the hairs of his arm against hers; so close that their breathing started synching up. For a short period of time, Y/N tried to stop breathing for a second so she could stop them from synchronising. However, they fell straight back into it, so in the end, she just gave up.

Harry was the first one out once they were at the vet, opening the door for Y/N so she could get out without difficulty. She said a quick thanks before making her way inside, walking straight up to the desk. There she told them she was a veterinary student from England and she had to check up on the cat she'd brought in, she was scared she'd a broken bone. The veterinarians talked amongst themselves in low Italian voices, glancing over in Y/N's direction every once in a while. She knew they were discussing if they should let Y/N do this or not, as they didn't know for sure if she actually was a veterinary student. But she continued to cling to the kitten, stroking her fur, and cooing that everything would be alright soon.

"Dice la veritá." Harry suddenly said, making Y/N, veterinarians, and the cat all jump. "É una veterinaria.Deve aiutare questo gatto; lo ha già controllato e sa cosa fare adesso. Lasciatela aiutare."

Y/N frowned, mouth opening to say something to him, but she stopped herself when one of the veterinarians walked forward. In a quiet, very accented voice, she said, "Come this way, Signora."

Y/N gave her a smile, throwing a quick thank you in the direction of the rest of them before following the one down a corridor. She could hear Harry saying something to the veterinarians, his voice faint as she walked further and further away from him. The walls were white, the whole building looking very clean, just like you would imagine a hospital to be like. Sounds of animals and other chatter came from all sorts of angles, and suddenly, even though she’d never been there before, Y/N felt at home. She hadn’t realised just how much she’d missed working with and helping animals till now.

For some reason, Y/N heard a third set of footsteps, not just her own and the other nurse’s. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Harry following close behind, taking a quick look over his own shoulder before staring ahead again. Y/N looked away, rather focusing her attention on the vet who was showing them to a room. But she couldn’t stop trying to conjure up a reason as to why Harry would follow them. He obviously had to get back to his painting and everything they’d left behind, why was he coming with? Y/N could truly never fully wrap her had around Harry. No matter how hard she tried. All Y/N was able to compare him to was corn-starch goo. Upon impact, he would harden up and not let you in, but if you treated him with care, he would eventually be easier to handle. She wrinkled her nose a little, the memory of getting corn-starch goo stuck in her hair as a kid creeping into her mind.

“It’s most likely a bone fracture.” Y/N said. “We need to do an X-ray.”

The other veterinarian nodded, leading them down another corridor before opening a door. They sedated the cat and when she was asleep, they proceeded to do a quick X-ray. There Y/N saw what she already kind of knew: a broken bone. However, it wasn’t as bad as she initially thought, which made her let out a sigh of relief. They let the X-ray and walked on to another room where Y/N could place a cast on her foot.

The vet opened another door, giving Y/N a little smile before they both entered. Harry went in with them, closing the door firmly as Y/N placed the small cat on the table. She went straight to work, not wasting any time. It didn’t take long to apply a cast, and since she’d already been taught this and done it about a million times, she knew perfectly well what she was doing. She gave the sleeping cat a little pet, hating to think that she might’ve been in pain for a day or two without anyone noticing. Y/N hadn’t even thought about the cat maybe being a stray, or if she had an owner. And if she did have an owner, how did Y/N reach them? The cat didn’t have a collar with any sort of information on. After this, she’d have to make sure the cat was taken care of for the next six weeks. It needed change in bandages, food, care… This was a whole mess.

The veterinarian said she had to leave as she had an appointment coming up, and Y/N told her it was fine, she could do this fine on her own. Then it was just the three of them again; Y/N, the cat, and Harry. Y/N’s attention was on her little patient though, so she quickly forgot Harry was even in the room. It was only when he’d move closer or move in the slightest bit that she’d remember he was still in the room with them. That he’d come all this way and wouldn’t let the cat out of sight till he knew she was alright. Y/N straightened, stretching her back as bending over like she was doing right now was a pain over a longer period of time. She looked in Harry’s direction, only to find him already staring at her.

He held eye contact, eyebrows twitching slightly as he took her in. She didn’t know what he was doing, but the intensity of his glance made her cheeks heat up. Just anyone watching her work, seeing how serious she was about the wellbeing of little helpless animals, made her feel both uncomfortable and weirdly proud of herself. She liked showing off, but there was a thing called showing off too much, meant in the worst way possible.

She looked away, focusing on the little foot again. However, she was unable to get Harry’s powerful stare out of her mind. He was right there, watching each of her tiniest movements, and she was all too aware of it.

She tried to make herself think about the cat. What was she going to do about the cat? She’d have to bring it back to Fosdinovo and care for it, but she didn’t have any cat essentials, had never had a pet in her entire life. The thought of taking care of her and then having to most likely give her away when she was leaving in August, broke Y/N’s heart. She knew she was going to get attached to this cat now. Spending money on food for her, toys, maybe a leash so Y/N knew she wouldn’t run away to Lerici where they’d found her. She was either keeping the cat with her till she was leaving or finding the owners herself. Or both. She was most definitely going to do both. That was if she had an owner at all.

Suddenly, Harry’s phone went off, making both of them jump.

“Sorry.” He mumbled under his breath before swiping his thumb across the bottom of his phone, pressing it to his ear.

He started talking in Italian, so Y/N zoned out, instead focusing her attention on the bandage that she was finished perfect soon. The European shorthair was still fast asleep, blissfully unaware of what she was going to wake up to later. Y/N gave her a gentle pet again, knowing that though she would have a hard time disciplining and taking care of a cat this summer, she’d grow to love the little bugger an immense amount.

Harry suddenly hung up, inhaling sharply. “Gotta leave.”

Y/N looked up at him. “Oh?”

“My painting and the stuff I left behind on that cliff.” Harry said, gesturing behind him with a slow nod. “Need to get it before someone else does.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Something in his eyes shifted as he held her stare, a delicate blink doing something to his features that Y/N thought softened his expression a bit. Inhaling slowly, she continued to hold his gaze, waiting for him to leave. And when he finally broke eye contact, turning around and walking out the door, Y/N felt stupid she’d waited for that moment to happen, as if she’d wanted it to. Slowly, she turned her attention back to the cat, finishing the bandage.

Wednesday, 24 July 2019

Y/N had decided to call the little one Viola. Getting home to Fosdinovo the following day, Y/N had gone out to get everything she needed to make the little one comfortable in her temporary home. Viola had a hard time getting used to her cast, meowing a whole lot and taking some time settling before going to sleep. But once Y/N and Viola found a comfortable position to cuddle in, they stayed that way till morning.

To let Viola get used to walking around outside with the cast, Y/N put her on a leash. The leash was attached to the cat’s pastel pink collar, fitting perfectly around her little neck. Putting on some comfortable clothes, Y/N and Viola went on their first ever walk through Fosdinovo. Viola struggled at first, meowing and stopping to get a break, refusing to stand on her leg still. Y/N would bend down and give Viola a little encouragement, and then the two were on their merry way again.

As always, the sun was shining, though that day brought on a few clouds, leaving the little mountain village in shadow from time to time. Y/N would appreciate the small breaks from the sun she was able to get. It wasn’t that she hated the sun, she just hated the sweating that came with it. And how it was hard to breathe if it was too hot. And the way she always had to squint in sunlight because everything was so bright it hurt her eyes.

Turning the corner to walk up to her usual bakery, Y/N stopped dead when she almost bumped into someone. She gasped a little, holding a hand to her heart while giggling at her own reaction. As she looked up at the person she had almost knocked over, she locked eyes with a set of very familiar ones.

“Salvatore.”

He gave her that charming smile of his, the black stubble along the lower part of his face was much more prominent now, his matching hair a perfect mess. God, Y/N inhaled sharply, he’s so bloody fit.

“Y/N,” he retorted. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“You’re never at the bakery.” She reasoned, making him chuckle. Her heart let out a very dreamy sigh at the sound.

“No, I have had…” he sighed. “Had a lot on my plate recently.”

She tried not to frown. “Sorry to hear that.”

“No, no, don’t be.” He shook his head. “Anyway, what are you up to?”

She smiled, gesturing down at the little cat beside her, meowing up at them. With her pink collar and leash to match, she looked so cute Y/N could squeal. Having spent as much time with Viola as she had over the last 24 hours, the idea of being stuck with this little cuddle ball the rest of the summer delighted her a whole bloody lot.

“Ahh!” Salvatore’s lips broke out into a huge grin, he crunched down so he could pet her. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Viola. Found her injured on a hill yesterday, so I put a bandage on her leg, and now I’m taking care of her ‘cause I don’t think she’s got an owner.

Salvatore looked up at her. “That’s kind of you.”

Y/N’s cheeks heated up again, she broke eye contact. “Couldn’t just leave her to fend for herself. Plus, the cast needs changing, she won’t remember her vet appointment on her own.”

Again, Salvatore laughed, looking down at Viola who sat beside Y/N, clearly not in the mood to be petted right then. Salvatore stood again, meeting Y/N’s eyes. She couldn’t stop thinking about how handsome he was. He was so ridiculously handsome. She was blushing just looking at him.

“Do you and Viola have any plans today?”

Y/N shook her head. “Not really, just walking around.”

“Do you think Viola would mind me walking around with you?”

Yeah, she could most definitely not fight her blush now. Why was it so hot in Italy? She needed a fan. Something cold to drink. Maybe throw herself into a freezer. Regaining consciousness, Y/N nodded her head at Salvatore.

“Think she’d like that very much.”

Salvatore grinned, stepping aside so they could walk on. “Amazing.”

Y/N bit her lip, looking down at Viola when she started walking, the cat following suit instantly. She meowed, looking up at Y/N, clearly uncomfortable with the cast still even though she knew how to work it now. Giving her a little scratch behind the ear, Y/N picked her up, holding her so that the cast wouldn’t be at an awkward angle. Viola meowed again, clinging to Y/N’s tank top.

“You two okay?” Salvatore asked, eyes on Viola who had just settled down.

“Yeah, think she’s just tired.”

“Ahh,” he reached over, ruffling Viola’s fur a little. “Hope she can get some rest while we do the walking.

Y/N smiled, looking at Salvatore’s hand among Viola’s stripes. Made her think of another, much more tattooed up hand, doing the exact same thing the day before. She blinked, willing the image out of her head. And the second she locked eyes with Salvatore again, it did. Why did he have the dreamiest eyes in the world?

Salvatore continued to pet Viola as he spoke softly, “Have you heard of Biagi?”

“No.”

“It’s an ice cream place not too far away from here,” he said, smile widening. “Could I take you there?”

He wanted to take her for ice cream. Salvatore had just asked if she wanted to have ice cream with her. Oh my God oh my God oh my God. Y/N’s smile broadened with Salvatore’s. “Yes, you can.”

Salvatore bent down as if he was about to talk to Viola. “You want ice cream, Viola?”

Viola shrunk away, taken off guard by Salvatore’s closeness. Y/N laughed, biting her lip as she looked at Salvatore again, way closer now than he had been before.

“Think she wants ice cream as well.” He said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Good thing we’re getting ice cream then.”

Salvatore gave her a quick wink before he started walking backwards. “Good thing.”

NEXT UPDATE: Sunday, 22nd December 2019, 9PM GMT

big thanks to my lovely beta readers!

💙 @aileenacoustic 💙 @emotionally-imbruised 💙 @fromyourstrulyh 💙 @harryisadogperson 💙 @harrysthighles 💙 @mellowstyles94 💙 @toolazymyguy 💙

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles fic #het fic #1dff #:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

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fleckcmscott · 4 years

Text

To Have and To Hold

Summary: Y/N makes an oversight at work. The resulting extra hours with Arthur delight them both.

Warnings: Swearing, Smut

Words: 4,272

A/N: This story had been kicking around in my head for about two months, but I hadn’t been sure if I was going to write it. Then I read @sweet-nothings04‘s amazing Hand-in-Hand (which you all need to check out, if you haven’t), and knew I had to put it on paper. Thanks to her for the inspiration to finally develop this, and for the title, too!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask. Requests for Arthur and WWH are open!

Perhaps it was the sunshine that stirred her. Or the horns of traffic on congested streets. The hammering of a distant construction site. The chatter and occasional yelling of passersby. The hum of Gotham awakening.

Y/N blinked in confusion - how could it be so bright this early? - and squinted at the clock at Arthur's side of the bed. No numbers greeted her, just its blank, plastic display. Stretching, she reached to her left for her watch, in its spot by the beige rotary phone on the nightstand.

"Shit!"

Nearly knocking over her glass of water, she clambered off the mattress. Arthur had warned her the lights could go off in his apartment. Not often and not for long. But enough to annoy. Naturally, his building's shoddy electricity had to mess with the alarm today. When she'd stayed up too late. When he'd had to leave ahead of her to commute to the other end of the city for a rare winter gig. When her body had chosen to oversleep in the coziness of his blankets.

Her nylons had never been yanked on with such haste. Arthur had made coffee but she skipped it in favor of brushing her teeth. Pausing on her way out, she took a calcium supplement and grabbed a note from the counter. She read it while riding the wood-paneled, graffiti covered elevator: "Your presentashin will be great. You snored a lot. Good thing your cute. - Arthur." He always signed his name. As though she wouldn't recognize his scrawl. As if anyone else wrote her sweet, sassy missives. She grinned until she hopped on the for-once punctual subway.

The presentation he'd referred to was set for that afternoon. She was expected to discuss the evidence and court file for this week's contested hearing. Last night, she'd sat at Arthur's breakfast bar to compile the case's final details and finish prep sheets. Gently, she'd rebuffed his subtle advances. His attempts to draw her attention from work to him.

Excitement had been palpable as he'd hovered near her. She was fairly certain she knew the cause because it enthused her as well. In three and a half short weeks, he'd be moving in with her. They'd officially begin traversing whatever the future held for them together. Hesitation had been clear in his posture, his drawn shoulders when (after plenty of convincing on her part that yes, she really, really, wanted him) he'd finally accepted the key to her place. But since he'd added it to his own keyring, he'd brightened. Strode a little taller. Walked a little prouder. Touched a little bolder. As though the weight he carried had lessened, at least by a couple cinder blocks' worth.

At his slight pout, she'd decided to find a way to involve him. He'd perched on the stool next to her, rested his cigarette in the pink ashtray to the left, and taken the proffered exhibit stickers with a quirked brow. Y/N had handed him papers, which he'd added labels to for her to write on. Then she'd stacked them in four different piles according to type. It had taken longer than usual - she was faster alone. But the intimacy of sharing the professional elements of her life with Arthur (besides the office wear he liked, claiming it showed how "smart" and "pretty" she was) had tightened her chest. And the curved-up corner of his thin lips had reflected how pleased he was, too.

They hadn't been able to collaborate on everything, however. It was past midnight by the time she'd joined Arthur, who had retreated to the bedroom an hour or so earlier. He'd been sitting against the headboard, half under the cover. The harsh blue light emanating from the old black and white TV at the foot of the bed had sharpened his features. Deepened the set of his eyes. He'd stubbed out his smoke as she closed the door. "I taped The Honeymoon Game. We can watch it when you're here again." A beat. "If you're not busy."

"This is supposed to be my last big project for a month or so." Sighing, she'd gotten her nightgown from her overnight bag. "I didn't mean for it to take all evening." She climbed in next to him and threw her arm across his lap. "I'm sorry."

He'd been stiff. Unyielding. The telltale signs he was miffed or upset. But he'd twined her hair around his finger, let his touch fall to her brow bone. "It's okay," he'd said lowly, adjusting to lie alongside her. "I don't want to be... I'm not being fair."

"You don't have to pretend with me, Arthur. It's all right to be annoyed." Tiredness had pulled at her as she'd fought to watch the rest of Gotham Tomorrow Tonight. The contact of his socked toes to her bare ones had made her smile, though, and she'd nuzzled his bicep. "I missed you," she'd mumbled, then promptly passed out.

The squeal of wheels on metal tracks prompted her to sling her canvas tote onto her shoulder. Shaw & Associates was a short sprint from the nearest station. She was certain she looked ridiculous, running down the street in her high heels. But she managed to slip into the office with two minutes to spare. Once she poured herself a cup of joe and straightened her blazer, she settled in her cushioned chair to get started.

It was only when Matt told her he wanted to meet before lunch that she'd rummaged in her bag. And realized she'd neglected to bring the file. Recalled it was sitting on Arthur's kitchen counter.

Fuck.

Her nails tapped the wood surface of her desk. Excusing herself to the bathroom so she could go retrieve it wouldn't fly. Matt would send a search party. She could try to discuss everything from memory, tell him documents were still being gathered. But he wasn't that oblivious. She settled on owning her error. "It's at home." Her delivery was nonchalant.

He waited until she'd loaded her typewriter with paper, then responded wryly. "You're not supposed to take files home anymore. Remember what happened last time?"

She leaned back as he stepped in front of her. "There was the slew of family cases that came in. With Patricia on leave, I'm handling all our calls and mail. Not to mention paperwork on her filings. It wouldn't have gotten finished if I hadn't taken it." Snorting, she shook her head at herself. Heat bloomed in her neck. "Not that it matters when I don't have it."

Expression softening, Matt stuck his hands in his pockets and jutted his chin at her. "How long did you work on it?"

It was hard to discern if he actually cared about the hours she put in. Or if he merely wanted to gauge the possibility of her doing investigations off the books again, something he'd explicitly prohibited. "I don't know." She waved dismissively. "Three or four hours?"

He let out a huff. "You put in enough time already. Go home at noon. We'll get to it first thing tomorrow."

"I have a lot to do." Her eyes widened at the myriad piles of folders laying around. "And I can't imagine you playing operator."

"I've managed when you've both been in court or at appointments. Besides," he continued as he headed back to his office. "You never take days off."

Straightening, she wheeled her chair to watch him plop down on his leather seat. "I'm taking three days next month," she countered.

His glare contained an unequal mix of mirth and consternation. "Y/N?"

The phone started ringing. She succeeded in making one ear ignore it. "Yes?"

"I know you haven't forgiven me for that whole Renew Corp. thing." She flinched at the casual mention of the company she loathed. Of her failure. But she forced herself to listen. Matt picked up a pen and started writing. “Rather than being stubborn, try saying, 'You're right.'"

~~~~~

Y/N stood in front of the narrow, white stove, stirring the soup she'd thrown together using bouillon, carrots, onions, and pasta. Ingredients she'd found in Arthur's kitchen. Music poured, at a respectable volume, from the radio on the windowsill. Swaying out-of-time, she added a sprinkling of black pepper, one of the only three spices he had (along with powdered garlic and salt). Wearing a content smirk, she sampled the steaming broth.

When she'd left the office, she'd been frustrated at herself. Yes, she was human. Everyone made mistakes. But she wasn't the forgetful type. Particularly if someone was depending on her. However, as she'd stopped in Burnley for another change of clothes, hopped on the train to Otisburg, and pictured Arthur's reaction to finding her in his home instead of having to call to wish her sweet dreams, her disposition had improved. Not only would he have her for an extra night. He'd get a late lunch, too.

The click of the deadbolt and clank of his keys on the entrance table came the second she turned off the stove. She listened to his heavy exhale as his bag dropped to the floor and shut the door. In her peripheral vision he froze, then approached tentatively. She reveled in his delicate hold on the dip of her waist, the peck he planted on her cheek. The smell of greasepaint wafted to her nose. "I hoped I hadn't made this up," he sighed with what sounded like relief. "But your meeting."

She angled herself towards him, gaze roving over his red and blue plaid blazer. The painted-on smile. His irresistible brown curls, mostly flattened by the wig he'd worn. Fidgeting with the petals of the squirting flower on his lapel, she scrunched up her face. "This morning went to shit." She explained the power outage, the clock, her own stupidity at leaving the file in his apartment. "I've packed it. Don't worry."

His posture grew pensive. "Sorry. Maybe- Maybe we should have stayed at your place. Your building's better."

Him thinking her error was somehow his fault had to be nipped in the bud. "No," she said. "You asked to make more memories here before we move in together. I'm happy to do that."

He paused, long enough she could have sworn she'd heard the gears in his head grinding. "Are you in trouble?"

Not unexpectedly, he had put together her mistake and her early dismissal from work and assumed the worst. "If I wasn't fired for trying to stop the Waynes, it's going to take more than an oversight to get me thrown out on my ass." Her brow furrowed. She sneaked a hand under his jacket and placed her palm on his chest. "I just hate that I wasted last night for nothing."

Soft lips, slightly sticky with red paint, grazed her temple. "It's okay," he said. "You're here now. And I got to help you."

The balm of his kindness loosened her rigid stance. His zeal to assist her, to ask questions, to learn about every aspect of her branded her heart completely. She leaned into him, kissed the squishy fold of skin under his chin, and nudged his ribs. "Food's ready. Go change. I want to hear all about your day."

Arthur emerged from the bathroom within minutes, clad in his worn, blue house pants and toweling his hair. Dimples were on constant display while they ate. The glint in his eyes was the one he usually had if his act or a job had gone particularly well, if he was pleased with himself. Was the one starting to be an almost weekly occurrence. Was the one that made his green eyes sparkle and caused her stomach to flip. He inched closer to her with every sentence.

The kids at the new children’s medical center had liked Carnival, he said. They hadn’t minded that he’d "filled in" for Gary. The magic tricks had all gone without a hitch, and the clinic had provided the balloons, which was a savings. The nurses and doctors had been nice; they’d even asked for his card. He’d had to provide a slip of paper with his address and telephone number instead. But he was sure he’d be invited to perform again. And he asked Y/N for help writing Gary a thank you note for the referral, claiming, “You’re better at that than me.”

“You’re the one who journals every day.” Her bowl and spoon clattered in the sink. “And your letter to me was beautiful. Just let me proofread it.”

Soon they were reclined on the sofa, sharing the flat pillow he’d used when he’d had no choice but to sleep there. The tape he’d recorded yesterday was playing. The Honeymoon Game had been a casual watch before, he’d explained. Not a nightly ritual like Murray. Given that he had a girlfriend and was a boyfriend himself, it had become fun to view.

She was only half-focused on the TV’s talking heads. Her mind was drifting to moving day, which filled her with gladness. She examined the plaid walls, the white cream color ceiling, the knick-knacks strewn about in the glow of the setting sun. The lantern with an owl hanging in the corner; the green, plastic drawers by the television; the curio cabinet... They were all a part of 8J, but assuredly not a part of him. How much would he be bringing with him, she wondered. And what would he be leaving behind?

“With one sugar and a shot of milk.” Arthur’s lively voice broke through her contemplation. Ah. He was reacting to the questions posed to the contestants, and making the answers about her, as he was wont to do.

She nestled back into the pleasant warmth of his firm frame. “Three sugars,” she replied, confirming she knew how he took his coffee. They continued to play along, with him showing off everything he’d memorized about her, and her replying with what she’d gathered about him.

Eventually, he shifted behind her. Raised himself on his elbow. “How did you know you loved me?”

Her hum was soft. Short. Possible responses were multitude. She’d suspected she could fall for him early on. When he’d wanted to repay her for doing what anyone should have done on the subway. And the first time he’d had the courage to call her after they’d split a slice of pie, his slight stammer revealing his nervousness. Maybe she’d say it was how slowly he’d drunken his wine during dinner, initially squinting as he sipped, his inexperience with alcohol obvious.

But she chose to go with what she believed was truest. What she assumed he’d hear most keenly. “Before we slept together, I hadn’t been with anyone for four years. And even then, it was different.” His hand splayed on her abdomen, thumb dragging along the waistband of her green leggings. A delightful ache flared in her center. “When I woke up, I felt perfect.”

“You felt like you were perfect?”

“No, silly,” she laughed, batting his forearm. “I knew I hadn't made a mistake. I reached out to your side, first thing - I’d thought of it that way, even then.” At the sensation of his hardening shaft against her rear, she giggled. “You’d made me so happy. You always do. I wanted to you to bed me again.”

The round tip of his nose skimmed her cheek, and she shivered at the dip of his fingers into her panties. “I want to again,” he rasped, paraphrasing her. The grind of his length was making her light-headed, and she twisted her torso to look at him. “I’ve been thinking about it.” Cheekbones glowing, he averted his eyes. “Ever since I woke up.”

“My monthly started,” she said regretfully. His descent halted, and a groan of frustration left him as he lowered his forehead to her shoulder. She mused. While he was becoming more apt to say what he desired, it happened rarely. But she loved it and didn’t want to discourage him from letting himself be assertive. Would he be offended by her suggestion? “I freshened up before we laid down. I have a tampon in. There are other things we can do.” She pressed her lips together, hoping she didn’t sound presumptuous. “If you’re comforta-“

“I’m comfortable.” His mouth quickly claimed hers, opening on a sigh. The tip of his tongue laved at the seam of her lips, and his messy enthusiasm made her whimper. Leaving a scorching trail in its wake, his hand traversed to her upper leg, gliding over the crease where her thigh and vulva met.

Shallow breaths caressed the nape of her neck, stoking the heat threatening to consume her. But the studio audience blaring from the television’s mono-speaker kept wresting her out of her haze. She snatched the VCR remote from the coffee table and hit the pause button.

The tease of his fingertips at her dark curls caused the peaks of her breasts to stiffen. She gasped as the rough fabric of her sweater dragged along them. His fore- and ring fingers spread her outer lips and she shuddered. The leisureliness of his fondling didn’t detract from its intoxicating effect.

Though it was a tad rough. “You’re kinda dry. Hold on.” Swiftly, he brought his hand to his mouth and wet his fingertips. Y/N blinked at him. It was clear he thought nothing of it, which shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering he’d confided he liked going down on her. Still. Seeing this normally reserved man improvise so he could pleasure her made her center throb with need.

Y/N was doing her damnedest to get her leggings and underwear down. Arthur snorted at her spirited, failed attempt at kicking them away. “It’s okay,” he chuckled, pushing them off her ankles with his foot. Then his touch fluttered at her swollen folds. She arched into him, already feeling as though she would burst. Bent at the knee, her leg lifted until her foot was flat on the couch cushion, allowing him easier access. He took advantage, sweeping forward and back along the rigid line of her engorged clitoral hood. She rolled towards him subtly, her moans getting louder with each tap to her sensitive nub.

Still holding himself up, he cradled her head. "Your sounds make me crazy," he said lowly. Once his hips started following hers, faintly rutting against the flesh of her backside, she closed her eyes. Hurriedly, she reached behind her to yank at his pajamas. "What?" he asked.

"I want to feel you," she whispered. There was a huff and some fumbling. And moments later his cock was settled at the cleft of her bottom. She bit her lip, savoring the weight of him. God, he felt wonderful.

His fingertips whispered over her clit, daring to follow the edge of her inner labia. She heard him gulp. "How does it feel when we're together? When- When I'm in you?"

"Warm. Full. Like you belong there," she replied with a smile. That last part of her response must have been unexpected, given that his grazes ceased and he trembled. "Don't stop," she whined, placing her hand on his. "Please, Arthur. You know just how to touch me."

Groaning, he started anew, deftly swiping quicker and quicker. The undulations of her pelvis hastened unevenly, begging both for release and for their coupling to last forever. She ran her palm up her torso, kneading her breast and plucking at her nipple. He nuzzled at her ear, grunting low in the back of his throat. Winding her fingers into his loose waves, she tugged lightly. Her belly twitched. Her whole frame tingled.

His skillful touch. The love they had for one another. The noises he was making in the crook of her shoulder. They all combined to throw her over the edge, and a wave of pleasure crashed through her. She cried his name brokenly, feeling empty without him inside her. But he kept holding her, guiding her through the crests of her climax. She was gasping, struggling to suck in air. Surely, she thought, he could detect the thundering of her heart against her ribs.

Gradually, the quivering grip she had on his locks eased. The kisses he planted on her neck were open-mouthed, desperate. And he hadn't halted the ardent movements of his hips. Y/N turned onto her other side. Gazing at him, she raked his curls out of his face, caressed his cheekbone with her knuckles. His look was hungry, darkened with need. The creases between his brows deepened as her hand trailed through the sparse dusting of hair on his chest.

There was a youthful charm to this situation, she considered. To them craving each other but not completely joining. It reminded her of being a teenager. When she'd been curious and horny, but nervous and not quite ready to go "all the way" with her ex. Being with Arthur allowed her to do all that again. To relive those experiences, to explore and make discoveries with him. To fall further in love with him daily.

She tenderly pecked the freckles at the top of his sternum, nestled against the notch above his clavicle. "I'm lucky to have you."

He didn't miss a beat, even as she trailed past the ticklish spots on his flank. "I'm luckier."

"I disagree." She outlined the slender muscles of his stomach, the v-lines leading to his cock. Played with the springy, brown curls at the base of him. "Without you, I'd only have my work. Which was enough before. But not now." After a moment, she concluded she was being sappy. She had to change it up. "And I wouldn't be having the best sex of my life."

Clearly flustered, he muffled his laugh. "Really?" His blush was prominent, his grin ecstatic.

"Really." Groans short and sudden, he rocked into her touch when she encircled his ample girth. Her fingers danced along his shaft, marveling at the contrast of his velvety skin with how hard he was. Pumping up and down, she tugged at him, trying to match the speed of his thrusts. He nudged his nose to hers, gazing at her before his hooded eyes flitted to watch what she was doing. Then she looked, too.

The sight of him fucking into her hand made her dizzy with want, even though he'd just gotten her off. The crimson, swollen head glistened, slick beading generously at the tip. Y/N licked her lips and spread it around him with the pad of her thumb. Moaning sharply, he bucked harder. Her motions quickened, flicking repeatedly at the notch on the underside.

Demand was implicit in the grasp he had on her upper arm. And it strengthened as his hips' stuttered, becoming unpredictable. Ragged pants hit her face. "I'm- I'm gonna make a mess.”

"It's all right," she soothed. Keeping ahold of him, she lay on her back. He followed and settled on top of her. Whimpering her name, he rubbed himself against her labia. But she gently pushed him onto his knees and continued palming him, her fingers teasing the ridge on his erection. It wouldn't take long to make him come. She could see it in the clench of his jaw, the tightening cords in his neck, his abrupt, needy cries...

Plunging forward, he held himself in place, grunting, clutching her urgently. His release hit her abdomen, warm and wet, and she gasped, her body curving up towards him. The feel of him spilling onto her couldn't completely distract her, though. Not from the beauty of his parted lips. Not from the relief that gradually spread across his features. Not from the slackening of his muscles as tension ebbed.

Sweat had gathered on his forehead. A droplet ran from the end of a dark brow to his jawline. Then he kissed her, his mouth groping at hers. "I love you," he said. He gave her one last peck and sat up on his knees. Holding onto the arm of the sofa, he retrieved her underwear from the floor and wiped her belly off. "That was fun." He tucked his chin bashfully.

"I concur." She entwined their hands and sat, then stretched as she pushed herself to stand and walk to the bathroom. The washcloth he'd designated as hers hung on the hook by the towels. She cleaned herself, listening as Arthur started the show again.

A new round of questions was just beginning. "When you and your spouse first met," the host started, "what was your first impression?"

Arthur's answer was instant. "Nice."

Y/N said the first thing that came to mind. "Handsome."

She popped her head out of the room to find him leaning on the entrance of the short corridor, beaming at her with hitched giggles. He was probably waiting for his turn to clean up. Like he normally did. But she couldn't stop herself from staring at him. Loving eyes met hers and his brows lifted expectantly. "Yes?"

Smiling, she wrung out the washcloth and put it back in its place. She stepped to him with a smile and smoothed his hair back. The rush of happiness in her soul, one she wasn't even sure she had, enamored her. Not only at what they'd shared on his old, scratchy sofa. But at Arthur being Arthur. At knowing soon she'd get to sleep next to him every night. Build a life with him, one she hadn't dreamed of even six months ago. Nothing she could say seemed adequate. So she went with a kind gesture, one she knew he'd appreciate. "I'll make us some decaf. And I love you, too."

~~~~~

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