#no more chinese food for at least two weeks please

[taikoturtle]

Totally forgot today was 4th of July. As the plane was making its descent, I was thinking “why are there so many fireworks everywhere” 😂

[bedsyandco]

⭑ …   ❝ 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒 ❞ ; quinn hughes

𝓹airing , quinn hughes x fem!reader

5 times Quinn wanted to kiss you + 1 time he finally did

꒰ 𝓷ote , just some quinny content for your dash <3 as always please let me know what you think. . . ꒱

✮1

You make your way through the crowd to get to the table at the back of the bar, where a few familiar faces already spotted you.

"Look who's here! Nice of you to finally join us," Brock says as you hop onto a barstool next to Quinn.

"Hey, stranger," Quinn says softly and knocks his shoulder into yours.

"Guys, I saw you like two weeks ago. Sorry, I have a life," you say teasingly.

"Watching friends, eating Chinese food, and going to bed by 10 PM is not having a life." Brock says, and Quinn laughs at your offended expression.

"It does when you work the hours I do, thank you very much. I'm getting a drink. Do you guys want anything?" You ask and make your way to the bar.

When you get back, Elias is sitting in your seat. Noticing there's no more chairs open, Quinn goes to offer you his, but you stop him.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," you say, and Quinn pulls you to stand in between his legs. Your back leaning against his chest. His arms wrap around your waist, and he hooks two thumbs in your front belt loops, keeping you close.

Throughout the night, you can feel Quinn's breathing on your neck or his head on your shoulder while he talks or listens to one of the guys.

When Brock went to the bar to get a refill on your drinks and Elias went to the bathroom, you and Quinn were left alone at the table.

You turn around in his arms, looking up at him.

"Now is your chance to steal your seat back," Quinn jokes.

"I'm pretty comfy right here, actually," you say, and Quinn smiles softly.

In that moment...

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮2

You jump in surprise as someone knocks on your door. You weren't expecting anybody...least of all the man you found standing at your door.

"Quinn...what are you doing here?" You ask, opening the door wider to let him in.

"I haven't seen you in a few days, and I know you work late tomorrow, and we're leaving on another roadie...I didn't wanna go another week without seeing you," he says and you smile.

"Wanna watch a movie with me?" You ask and he nods, both of you making your way to the couch.

Halfway through the movie, you're cuddled into Quinns side, both of your eyes on the screen.

Quinn feels your eyes on him and looks down to meet them.

"What?" he asks softly

"You played really well tonight..." you say

"You watched?" Quinn asks surpirsed

"Yeah... I always watch. How do you think I know when to tell you congratulations..." You respond.

"I thought you just looked the score up after the game, to be honest," Quinn says

"I like watching you play," you say and Quinn smiles down at you...

In that moment...

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮3

"This is not a good idea," You say shakily as Quinn ties your skates.

"You're gonna be fine... don't be so dramatic. I'll be there the whole time," Quinn says and holds his hand out to lead you onto the ice.

You wobble a bit and grab onto Quinn, looking at him with nothing but fear in your eyes and he bursts out laughing.

"You should see your face right now," Quinn says amused.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," you snap.

"You've lived in Vancouver your whole life. How can you not skate?" he asks

"Contrary to popular belief not all Canadians come out of the womb knowing how to skate. Besides the one time I tried, I fell and broke my wrist and had no intention of ever trying again."

"Just keep your hips straight and push out with one foot and then the other," Quinn says.

You concentrate so much on doing what he says you don't realize he's let your hands go and you're skating on your own.

The moment you do realize, instant panic takes over, and your legs start to go separate ways.

Quinn tries to pull you up, but he's laughing so much, he isn't much help.

"Quinn, help me up." you say, standing in a half split and clinging to Quinn's waist, voice filled with laughter, and Quinn just laughs more.

With him laughing and you clinging to him, neither of you is very stable, and both of you end up on the floor, you on top of Quinn, who was still laughing.

"You did it though, for a second" he says and you scoff

"Can you buy me ice cream now?" you ask pouting

"Yeah, you deserve it." he says and looks up at you. Cheeks flushed because of the cold, a cute little beanie on your head.

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮4

You take another deep breath, and another practice swing, before finally pulling back and hitting the ball.

It goes really far, just not in the right direction...

"Quinn! Did you see that?!" you ask excitedly, and Jack has to turn around to hide his laugh, and Luke rubs a hand over his face to hide his smirk.

"I did see...it was...very far," he says, and you swing your stick, making Jack duck and head for the golf cart.

"Man... she's so smart, but she can not play golf to save her life," Jack says, and Quinn swats at him.

"It's her first time asshole. She's doing great," Quinn says and walks towards you.

"Love really does make you blind." Jack says, and him and Luke laugh all the way to the golf cart.

"You know as much fun as this has been, I don't think I'll be doing this again any time soon," you say and Quinn frowns...

"What? Why?" he asks

"The first couple were fun, you know, but then it just gets really boring and really hot. I was really hoping one of you would've told me to stay in the cart by now," you say and Jack's mouth drops open.

"Were you bad on purpose?" Jack asks

"I'm not good by any standard but those last couple was just to fuck with you a little bit. Props for trying to hide your reactions, but you're a horrible actor Jacky, you're gonna have to do better than that when I give you your Christmas present."

Jack and Luke laugh, and Quinn smiles as you hand them the sunscreen and tell them to put some on.

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮5

You and Quinn were swaying to the music, smiles on your faces, observing Emma and Brady.

"They look so happy," you say

"They really do. You look beautiful," he says, and you blush.

"Thanks, so do you."

"You ever think about it... getting married?" Quinn suddenly asks. "Just in general...someday."

"If the right person asks... yeah," you say.

"Wanna marry me if we're still 30 and single?" Quinn jokes

"There's no way you'll still be single at 30 Quinn, but if that's the case, then yes. I would be honored." You say, and Quinn smiles as the song comes to an end.

Suddenly, Taryn is there dragging you to the side of the room where the bouquet toss was happening, and you smile apologetically at Quinn.

You stood at the back, trying to stay out of people's way. You weren't really trying to catch it. But three seconds later, you stood with the bouquet in your hands, awkwardly looking around the room until your eyes met Quinn's. He smiled as you thrust the bouquet into Taryn's hands and scurried your way over to him, hiding in his chest.

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮+1

You and Quinn were snuggled up at the end of the boat... watching Jack wake board with the sunset behind him.

"I love having you here," Quinn says rubbing patterns on your legs softly

"I love being here..." you reply.

"Think you wanna come back next summer?" Quinn asks, and you turn to look at him.

"I don't know... think I need some convincing," you whisper and move your face closer to his.

Quinn gently cups your face and presses his lips to yours. You soak up the moment for a while before it's interrupted by Jack and Luke's yelling, which results in Jack being horribly distracted and falling into the water.

"I've been wanting to do that a long time..." Quinn admits

"So have I," you say and kiss him again.

he finally kissed you.

[spookyserenades]

Trouvaille - Chapter Eighteen (M)

Pairing(s); BTS OT7 x Reader

Genre/Themes; Hybrid!AU, themes of the supernatural and the occult, religious themes, violence, hurt/comfort, horror, romance

Rated; 18+ for swearing, violence/gore, future sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Word Count; 17.4.k

Trouvaille Masterlist

Trouvaille playlist

Updates on the 7th of each month

Hi everyone!!! Happy summer and OMG SEOKJIN IS COMING HOME SOON. I got another update for you all! Got your typical angst, the ghostbusting trio, some fluffyyyy toothrotting romance, and of course, the return of Sexy Yoongi ;) AH! Thank you for waiting patiently for this update, loves, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this update 💜

As an additional warning/reminder, for the smut: the scene is explicit, and is only intended to be read by those over the age of 18. Please practice safe sex, and readers please have discretion!

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

“I suppose I did this to myself,” Y/N miserably stuck her head under the inferno-hot water pelting from her showerhead, wondering if she tried hard enough, she could drown herself. “Stupid.”

Scrubbing at her eyes furiously, she attempted to focus on bathing, watching her body wash swirl down the drain. It was useless, however, to prevent her mind from replaying the events that had unfolded immediately after Taehyung’s arrival back home. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she leaned her forehead against the cool tiles of the shower wall, picturing it all again. 

“Hey Tae! You’re home!” Y/N called, the Kodiak hybrid flinching an inch into the air, her voice surprising him. He spun around, looking alarmed and like he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be. 

Y/N waved him over, only able to see his head over the SUV, and Taehyung pushed a hand through his hair, squaring his shoulders. Lifting an eyebrow, about to ask what was wrong, she felt she was plunged into an icy lake when he stepped towards her. 

Taehyung, his camera bag in his hand and eyes laser-sharp, had his clothes in disarray, and purple, splotchy love bites all over his neck. Y/N couldn’t find a single word in her brain that made sense to describe how she was feeling as he stood before her, one of his hands tucked into the pocket of his jeans, which were wrinkled and pulled over his hips haphazardly. 

“What are you doing out here?” Taehyung cleared his throat nonchalantly, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary with him. Y/N simply stared, realizing her palm was still mid-air from when she waved at him, and with a jolt, she limply dropped her arm. “You should go in. It’ll be dark soon.”

“I’m… van. Materials for tomorrow, loading them up,” Y/N answered, all choppy and like a rusty robot. “Where… were you? Did you go to the park, or…?”

Taehyung lazily assessed her, his thick eyelashes brushing the tops of his cheekbones as he glanced down at her insecure form. Clicking his tongue, he lifted his camera bag in the air, as if the answer was obvious. 

“Yeah. Then I stopped at the rec center. Why?” 

Y/N was proud, at the very least, that she didn’t break down after his answer, flat and distant. Deciding, out of spite and feral jealousy, that two could play at that game, and Y/N composed herself into dismissal, shrugging. If he wanted to pretend his neck didn’t look like a rabid hyena attacked it, so would she. 

“No reason, just wondering. Can’t wait to see what you’ve been working so hard on these past few weeks,” Y/N chirped, and though it was cheap, she relished in the minute flinch Taehyung offered in response to her words. “I’m gonna head in now. I have a few more things to do before I go back to the Sanders’ tomorrow. Yoongi ordered Chinese food for dinner, it’s in the fridge.”

With that, Y/N flashed Taehyung a tiny smile, Taehyung’s bitten lips parting a couple of centimeters, but not saying another word as he watched her stroll towards the house, her bruised heart thundering painfully in her chest with every step. 

“Stupid!” Y/N repeated, banging her forehead against the tile. “Childish bullshit.”

Y/N had icky guilt swimming around in her gut along with the greasy egg rolls she had choked down on her way to the bathroom, ignoring Yoongi’s requests for her to sit down for dinner. Taehyung really didn’t deserve her treating him so coldly just because the Kodiak hybrid had gone out on some kind of date, even if he was lying about it to her face. But when it came to him, someone who was just as allergic to confrontation and sticky conversations as she was, Y/N found that slipping into a tug-of-war of passive aggression was all too easy with Taehyung.

The water in the shower was becoming cold, Y/N cursing, switching the tap off and wrapping herself in a towel. Gut too sour to stay up any longer, she simply slid into her pajamas, promptly collapsing into bed. Distantly, she could hear Hoseok’s loud voice in the parlor, the dim murmurs of the TV, and Jeongguk stomping around his bedroom above her. The sounds were familiar and comforting, but didn’t stop her thoughts from lingering on her Kodiak hybrid. Y/N thought it was high time for her to swallow the bitter pill and perhaps confess her true feelings to Taehyung, even if he was falling for someone else. That way, at the very least, she could begin to mend one of the shattered sections of her heart. 

“You look like shit. Did you get any sleep?” Jeongguk accused the next morning, Y/N bristling and not even bothering to flick him off. 

After all, she hadn’t, between tangled thoughts of Taehyung and the reminder that she would have to clear the evil spirits from the Sanders’ home the following morning, she was tossing and turning all night. 

“We can’t all look like rockstars 24/7,” Y/N replied sarcastically, gesturing to his typical black jeans/black graphic tee combination. That day, he was wearing a Megadeth concert tee, which Y/N found darkly fitting for the scenario they were about to find themselves in. “How are your scratches?”

“Already healed. Not even a scar. What, do you want me to take my shirt off again?”

“Don’t be a smartass today, it’ll push me right over the edge,” Y/N threatened, jabbing a finger into his solid chest, Jeongguk smirking around the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “Hurry up and smoke that. Joon doesn’t like waiting.”

With that, Y/N hauled herself into the van, scowling once more at a highly amused Jeongguk, shutting the door so the smoke wouldn’t choke the life out of her and her wolf hybrid. Massaging her sore under eyes, she tripped her way to the passenger seat, smiling weakly at the fuzzy throw blanket that was already placed there for her. Namjoon, fiddling with the radio, assessed her out of the corner of his eye, his lips tugging downwards. 

“Heard you didn’t sleep well,” Namjoon commented, Y/N sighing, both buckling into her seat and bundling up with the blanket. “Are you sure you’ll have enough energy to do the ritual? We can always reschedule it for Wednesday.”

“No, no, I’ll be alright. I want to get it over and done with, the family has been in that hotel room for far too long,” Y/N straightened in the seat from her original slouch, so her words seemed more convincing to her perceptive hybrid. “I told Jeongguk not to be a smartass today. The last thing we need is provoking the spirits while we try to banish them.”

“I already spoke to him about that, too. He’s going to do his own ritual, apparently, while you and I focus more on the cleansing. Is that okay with you?”

Y/N had a feeling that the plan the two of them cooked up was an attempt to get Y/N as far away from anything too dangerous as possible. With Jeongguk doing whatever it was he was planning, likely some kind of exorcism tactic he was familiar with, he’d be the one in the line of fire. Additionally, with Namjoon teaming up with her, she’d have him beside her if things started to go sideways. 

“Yeah, that’s okay. I hope no one gets hurt this time,” Y/N shivered, sticking her hands close to the vents to heat the digits up. “You’re still gonna let me do some things of my own, right? To help close the portal?”

“Of course, we’re a team,” Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows, reading the vulnerability in her expression. 

The van teetered back and forth when Jeongguk yanked the side door open, taking up his usual spot in the back in the booth, scrolling on his phone distractedly. Y/N watched, over her shoulder, him prod along the base of his antlers, one of his eyes twitching as he caught on a tender spot, teeth biting down on his lip ring. She was going to ask if something was wrong, but decided against it when he recovered smoothly, digging through the gear back he packed. 

The first fifteen minutes of the drive were peaceful, Y/N humming along to the radio. However, a fleeting thought had her squeaking loudly, startling Namjoon beside her and making him sharply step on the brakes. 

“What?!” His eyes were wide, silver ears pressed to his skull, Y/N fumbling for her tote bag. 

“I forgot to give you guys your first paycheck! Judy says you two can be official employees at the shop, if you want, and you’ll get paid for all of our consultations, investigations, and cleansings,” Y/N stuck Namjoon’s check in the visor above his head, twisting her torso so she could send Jeongguk’s sailing his way, the elk hybrid catching it with a stunned look on his face. 

“Next time, wait until we’re parked, kiddo. The wolf almost drove off the road,” Jeongguk scolded, though he hastily tore open his envelope to check out how much he had been paid for his labor. 

“Sorry. I’m just excited! Do you two want to start coming to work with me regularly? I can try and move my hours around to accommodate your book club hours on Mondays, Joon,” Y/N felt more bright than she had in hours, a faint dimple appearing in Namjoon’s cheek as he tried to squash down his excitement. “I could do Tuesday through Thursday, and then whenever we’re needed for consults.”

“Are you sure you can change your work days? I could just come in with you on Wednesdays and Thursdays,” Namjoon appeared sheepish, eyes glued to the road and his tail swishing over the side of his seat. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Judy really likes you two, I’m sure if it meant you being there three times a week, she wouldn’t have a problem coming in on Mondays to cover my previous shift.”

Namjoon quieted down after that, his cheeks coloring all the way to the hoops threaded through his earlobes, Y/N grinning at him and noting Jeongguk’s silence as well. 

“Jeongguk, you can just do the consults if you want. You don’t have to stock shelves with us if you’d prefer not to.”

“No, I’ll come. Got nothing better to do,” Jeongguk quickly replied, caught off guard as he set his first paycheck– a pretty generous one, at that– aside. Humming in satisfaction, Y/N squirmed in her seat, getting comfortable so she could center herself for the remainder of the ride to the Sanders’. 

Y/N’s eyes snapped open as soon as she sensed Namjoon pulling into the driveway. Y/N wasn’t surprised that she knew, without a doubt, that they had arrived; her ability to feel and distinguish energies had been becoming stronger by the day. Mercifully, it was fairly sunny that day, so even if the house was surrounded by a subtle darkness, at least the sky wasn’t filled with oppressive clouds. 

“Ready?” Y/N fixed her gaze on the front door, determination flooding through her when she remembered Tommy’s terrified and exhausted expression, the shadows curling around Namjoon, and the three bleeding scratches tearing into Jeongguk’s back. 

“Remember. Don’t use names, don’t address any of the entities specifically,” Namjoon recapped seriously, catching the Zippo lighter Jeongguk tossed him mid-air, likely for the plethora of candles located in the bag the wolf hybrid was holding in his free hand. “Got the stuff from the church?”

“Church?” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows, looking from him to Jeongguk with great curiosity. 

“Yeah, the one in the town square, the Catholic church. We went there for some items the day we went out to replace the camera,” Jeongguk shook his gear bag in front of Y/N’s face, a playful look in his eyes. “Holy water, blessed salt, medallions and whatnot. We’re marrying the Christians to the Pagans today.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Think of it this way,” Jeongguk cut her off, surprising her by placing a tattooed hand on her shoulder heavily. “Whatever I can’t get rid of with the stuff from the church will probably respond to your practice. Right?”

“Right,” was all Y/N could say, trying to savor the elk hybrid soothing her, his fingers squeezing over her shoulder once before letting her go and pulling the van’s side door open. “Be safe, okay, sweets?”

“Mm-hmm. You too,” he smirked confidently, leaping out of the vehicle and heading straight for the front door of the house. 

“We’re gonna start outside,” Y/N blinked once Jeongguk disappeared into the house, turning her attention to Namjoon. “Then when we’re inside, we’ll start at the top floor, go to the basement, and end with the ground floor– it confuses the spirits, gets them out faster.”

“Lead the way,” Namjoon inelegantly stumbled out of the van, the clumsiness of the action making Y/N giggle, breaking up the tension that she was feeling. “Ouch.”

“Uh-oh, are you okay?” Y/N sobered up a tad, Namjoon’s ears drooped as he used his free hand to massage his elbow. “Break a bone?”

“I’m sturdier than you give me credit for,” Namjoon muttered, a cute pout tugging at his lower lip. “Want me to place these candles somewhere?”

“No, they’re for inside,” Y/N shook her head, feeling Namjoon follow her to the window where ‘The Watcher’ usually lingered, frowning at the cloudy glass. “All I wanna do out here is bury the spell jars I made in the four corners of the yard and make a boundary with the incense and herb bundles.”

“I can bury the jars,” Namjoon volunteered helpfully, stopping Y/N mid-stride by grabbing her wrist, diving his fingers into her tote bag for the glass bottles. “But stay close to me while you burn the herbs. Promise?”

“Okay, Bug,” Y/N held out her pinky finger, the wolf hybrid staring at the digit quizzically. Snorting, she reached for Namjoon’s hand, linking her pinky with his, loving that she was the first person to show him how to pinky promise. “I promise!”

True to her word, Y/N stuck closely to Namjoon– not just because she wasn’t a promise-breaker, but because Namjoon’s intimidating height and mass made her feel safer the closer she was to him. Focusing, she used Jeongguk’s lighter to spark up the bundle of herbs, inhaling the scent of burning rosemary, sage, and cedar. The two of them worked silently and with purpose, making a slow counterclockwise circle around the property, Y/N shivering as she felt energy push past her and outside of the boundary her and Namjoon were creating. 

She knew Namjoon could feel what she did as well, with his ears twitching and an occasional sideways glance to her while she fanned smoke around the yard. In stark contrast to the last time she was at the Sanders’ home, Y/N felt confident and sure of herself. 

Though almost all of her focus was on the cleansing, she couldn’t help but think of how Jeongguk was faring inside. Her and Namjoon completed their circle around the yard, ending up back at the window, and Y/N felt a significant change in the energy– she could no longer sense the ickiness of something ancient watching her, but she spent a few more moments waving smoke around the glass pane anyways, Namjoon waiting patiently beside her.

 “Let’s go inside. We’re done out here,” Y/N murmured quietly, in the zone. The wolf hybrid, once again, held her hand while she climbed up the slick, wet concrete porch, though Y/N wondered if the reason he tended to do that was because he himself was quite clumsy and needed the reassurance of stability. Either way, it was endearing.

As she pushed open the door, the first thing Y/N noticed was the line of salt sprinkled along the threshold. Because it was still early morning, the house was full of blue light, and didn’t seem as scary as it had when they conducted the night time investigations. Namjoon knew exactly what to do already; so he started straight for the staircase, Y/N swallowing and shadowing him, ears picking up the sound of Jeongguk’s heavy combat boots stomping around up there. 

Y/N didn’t have to tell Namjoon how to set up the candles, as they had gone over that part of the ritual at length previously. She simply lit another bundle of herbs in Ms. Sanders’ room, making sure she got every square inch of the bedroom. It appeared that Jeongguk had already tackled that room; salt on the windowsills, medallions placed in various locations, and the odd wet patch on the floor that Y/N suspected was sprinkled holy water. 

“Feels good in here,” Y/N commented to Namjoon, though admittedly, she was already getting worried about the two children’s rooms. “Time to move on?”

Namjoon nodded, letting the candle he set on Ms. Sanders’ dresser melt down completely. Glued to him, they met Jeongguk in Tommy’s room, where he was chucking holy water into the open closet, his ruby rosary clutched in his other fist. Softly, he was mumbling something in Latin, Y/N relieved that he seemed to be just fine. As directed, Namjoon placed a candle within the closet, crouching on the floor and watching Y/N thoroughly fill the area with herbal smoke, the heaviness of the room easing up second by second. 

Between her silent prayers and Jeongguk’s audible ones, the trio was in Tommy’s room for about twenty minutes before Y/N could breathe easy for the first time in the space, the sun shining more brightly through the windows, and Jeongguk’s constant prayer paused, chewing on his lip ring contemplatively. 

“Is it…?”

“Closed,” Jeongguk answered Namjoon resolutely, wiping sweat from his brow. Y/N agreed with him, the closet felt perfectly normal after their combined efforts, so she shut the cracked window in the room to seal the boundaries in place. “The portal’s dormant. All that’s left is making sure we push the rest of the entities out and I think the family can come back safely.”

Without thinking about it, Y/N had a fistful of the back of Jeongguk’s tee-shirt when they finally entered Julie’s room, just in case the entity in there decided to harm him again. The elk hybrid didn’t seem to notice, simply resuming his Latin monologue and chucking holy water at the walls. Gently, Namjoon took the herb bundle from Y/N, taking up the task of filling the room with the cleansing smoke while she clung to Jeongguk. 

She had practiced over the past few days extending her protective shield to others, in a way that wouldn’t completely zap her of her energy and cause her nose to bleed, so Y/N took a deep breath, Jeongguk keeping her tethered to earth as she imagined the shield around the three of them. With her eyes closed, she could hear the tiny intake of breath Namjoon made from across the room– Y/N wondering if he could sense what she was doing– but Jeongguk didn’t even flinch, dutifully focusing on making a line of blessed salt along each windowsill while Y/N held onto him. 

To the great surprise of all three of them, there wasn’t an aggressive, angry demon that came flying through the room to try and stop their efforts, so as the minutes ticked by and all that could be heard was Jeongguk’s prayer, Y/N let go of his shirt carefully. Y/N didn’t want to entertain the thought that things seemed too easy, so she pushed the thought out of her mind, and instead, she helped Namjoon wrap things up with the smoke cleansing and candle lighting on the ground floor. 

“These candles can be lit while no one’s here, right?” Jeongguk leaned against the wall in the kitchen, where she and Namjoon were finishing their tasks. 

“They’ll be out before we leave. They’re just tealights,” Y/N stubbed out the herb bundle she was holding onto, taking in a lungful of sweet-perfumed air. The Sanders’ house felt like an entirely different home; airy, bright, and Y/N could hear early spring birds chirping under the window that a malevolent energy used to haunt. “I just want to make sure all the windows are shut before we leave, do one last walk-through… but your plan seemed to work really well. Who would have thought that Pagan and Christian practices mesh so well?” “You’ll soon realize I’m almost always right about these sorts of things, kiddo,” Jeongguk smacked a fresh pack of Marlboros against his wrist bone, pulling a cigarette out of the carton with a smirk. 

“Okay, don’t get cocky,” Y/N grouched, shouldering by him and rolling her eyes at his smoky chuckles, breezing through the house for her final walk-through. “Don’t smoke in here, please.”

“No shit,” Jeongguk called after her, watching her figure disappear up the stairs. “Nothing went wrong?”

The second half of his statement was directed at Namjoon, who was packing away spare materials into Y/N’s tote bag on the kitchen counter, the wolf hybrid’s bitten ear flickering with annoyance. 

“You’d know if something did,” Namjoon replied simply, slinging her bag over his shoulder, trying to keep the snarl out of his voice. “Start the van while you’re outside.”

Jeongguk distractedly shook the keys to the vehicle in his free hand, already striding towards the front door, Namjoon shaking his head at the elk hybrid’s nonchalance. He himself, however, couldn’t believe how successful the three of them had been, and a strange emotion Namjoon couldn’t tag a name to welled up inside of him when he looked around the house. 

Namjoon might have not had the same kind of ability to sense energies in the way Y/N could, but there was a marked difference to how he was able to move around the house, breathe a little more freely, and the primal– still very new– instinct to protect Y/N from some kind of unseen threat eased up the on the chokehold it had on him. Even then, when he was more than confident that they had banished all of the negativity, he found himself hanging back in the living room, listening to Y/N’s light footsteps from above, waiting for her to come back down and join him outside. 

“Joonie?” Y/N’s voice floated down from the stairs as she hopped down them, surprised to see him waiting before her eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Do you think it’s okay I said your name?”

Namjoon blinked, watching her chew her lips and glance at Jeongguk outside, in the distance smoking his cigarette by the van. Namjoon didn’t know when he had gotten so used to the handful of nicknames that Y/N had for him, and was shocked that after only two hours of her not uttering one of them, he realized how much he liked that quirk of hers. 

“I think it’s alright, now,” Namjoon recovered, shaking away the bizarre emotions he was feeling. While he was interested in the unexplained, that didn’t necessarily mean he enjoyed unexplainable things happening to himself. Y/N’s mouth opened, but it was her growling stomach that interrupted her words, heat flooding her cheeks. “Want to stop for some lunch before we go home? There was a ‘hot pot’ place on the way here I saw you eyeing.”

“I’m either deeply unsubtle, or your perception is on another level. Weren’t you driving?” Y/N accused, making her way to him with a shy grin. 

“It’s a mixture of both,” Namjoon confessed, refusing to hand over her tote bag while she opened up the front door and locked it for the final time. “What is hot pot, though?”

“Oh! You get to pick out a broth, and then all of the noodles, vegetables, and meats you want, then you cook it right at your table! I think you’ll like it, you really wanna go?”

Namjoon nodded, waving smoke out of his face from Jeongguk’s still-burning cigarette. 

“Yeah, we need to eat,” Jeongguk pried into the conversation, his fingers dancing around the base of his antlers again. “That shit will suck the life out of you.”

Once in the van, Y/N felt loopy satisfaction, sending a text to Ms. Sanders while Namjoon drove to the hot pot restaurant. 

Y/N: We just finished the cleansing, with great success! You and the kids should be able to move back in now, and please contact me anytime you need, we’ll be there for you. 

Sighing, Y/N glanced at Namjoon, a faint dimple in his cheek that told her he was quite pleased with how things turned out, her heart squeezing in her chest as she poked his sweater-clad bicep– his bushy tail wagging in consequence. 

“I’m proud of you two. I’m happy we’re a team,” Y/N admitted seriously, Namjoon clearing his throat nervously at the praise. And when Y/N peeked at Jeongguk, he wasn’t rolling his eyes, he was actually smiling at her, teeth and all, even if there was a glint of teasing mischief across his features. 

“I hope you can handle spicy food. I’m getting the Sichuan broth,” Jeongguk announced, neither of the hybrids acknowledging her praise, but Y/N knew that they appreciated it based on their facial expressions. “And I’m not going to share my order of pork belly.”

“As long as you don’t hog the dipping sauces, we won’t have a problem,” Y/N snorted, relaxing back into her seat, looking forward to sharing a triumphant meal with the two of them.

“Ugh, I’m bored,” Y/N complained to the ceiling, slouching on the stool at work with absolutely nothing to do, and nobody to talk to. 

Namjoon and Jeongguk were unable to join her at work until the following week, when their paperwork allowing them to be legally employed went through, so she was alone in the dead metaphysical shop. Additionally, she pouted about going home after her shift– all of her hybrids were so busy lately, it was rare that she had quality time with all seven of them at once.

In the two days that followed the cleansing, a whirlwind of events happened all at once. Hoseok had indeed taken up employment at the rec center coaching the junior track team, and spent several hours there organizing things for the spring season and getting acclimated with his upcoming responsibilities. Besides him, Yoongi actually decided to take up coaching part-time as well, even after all of his insistence that he didn’t necessarily want to, so he was gone just as frequently as Hoseok. 

Jimin was often occupied outside preparing the garden beds for fast-approaching spring, exercising horses, or tending to the grounds, and while Y/N helped as often as she could, there were only so many hours she could take digging in the frigid dirt and dodging chickens nipping at her heels after a day at work. As for Namjoon and Jeongguk; the two of them were predictably busy with their own hobbies, the wolf hybrid catching up on the book club assignments he was behind on, and Jeongguk obsessively watching videos about paranormal equipment. That left her with Seokjin, who she spent most of her time with, and Taehyung, who was either hardly at home or avoiding her like a poisonous spider.

Sighing, Y/N twirled a pen between her finger tips. With the house cleansing out of the way, she had no more excuses to try and avoid patching things up with Taehyung, or at the very least, attempt to have some kind of productive conversation with him. It broke her heart that it seemed that the home Taehyung had grown to truly love wasn’t something he found comfort in at the moment, so it was her main priority to swallow her pride and restore things to normalcy.

She thought back to the early winter, prior to Christmas, when Taehyung was his happiest. Getting into his photography, sharing his work with her and the others at the expos, hanging out with her and Yoongi in the music room on Fridays while they had their piano lessons and he would listen to records on the floor. Frowning, she reached for the Kodiak Hybrids for Dummies she brought along with her for the post-lunch lull she was enduring, which she had been using the past few weeks to try and glean anything enlightening about his behavior. 

Y/N tried to read a chapter of each guidebook simultaneously, so she was finishing up the last few pages of the eighth chapter– one on dietary preferences– for Kodiak hybrids before she’d move onto the next for not just that one, but the six others, as well. The chapters on various diets were entertaining, for sure, but Y/N realized that her boys pretty much ate whatever was in front of them, regardless of the ‘preferences’ listed in the guide books. For instance, elk hybrids allegedly favored fresh, light, vegetable based foods; but Jeongguk was one of the biggest meat eaters in the house. She hadn’t noticed Taehyung having a particular, all-consuming craving for salmon, either, so if anything, the chapter was plainly  useless. 

Yawning while turning the page, she choked on her own spit when she read what the next chapter was so boldly titled: Mating, Heats, Ruts. Immediately beginning to sweat, much like how she did when she found out what scenting was, she scanned the front windows of the shop, making sure no one was strolling towards the entrance to browse for spell candles. 

“What on god’s green planet are heats and ruts?” Y/N panicked, though truthfully, thanks to her past as a vet, she knew exactly what they were in the animal kingdom. She had a nervous feeling that they weren’t so different in the hybrid world, either. “Oh Jesus…”

Hastily, she blew past the chapter title page, hesitantly beginning to read and forgetting all about ‘balanced diets for your hybrid’. For the thousandth time, and likely not the last, she was faced with new information about hybrids she probably should have already known by then. 

Mating: Some hybrids will find what they will consider to be their ‘mate’ within their lifetimes. Depending on species, these hybrids will mate ‘for life’ more often than not. The instinct to mate is triggered by the hybrid seeing another as their ideal counterpart. Like their fully animal counterparts, the purpose of ‘mateship’ is for reproduction, but because hybrids are human as well, love and romance is another consideration that the hybrid will factor in when selecting their mate. It is debated whether or not hybrids have control over choosing a mate, some experts claim that is entirely instinct-based, others believe that the hybrid will select a mate once they deem their selection worthy. 

For Kodiak hybrids, specifically: the species is known to be serially monogamous, meaning that unless they chose a mate that they intend to stay with for life, they will select a different partner to spend their heats/ruts with each cycle. For those who have mated, jealousy can be a very big issue when it comes to their mate. 

Heats/Ruts: Hybrids, when they reach sexual maturity around the age of eighteen, will develop seasonal heats/ruts; the season during the year at which the cycle will happen depends on the species. Typically, heats/ruts can be handled alone by ‘unmated’ hybrids by the hybrid themselves, and will often seclude themselves from their adoptive guardians. Other hybrids seek out a partner to help them through this cycle to ease discomfort, but it is species dependent, as well as dependent on the hybrid’s personality and temperament. 

There have often been many cases where a hybrid will not experience an intense heat/rut until they feel comfortable in their environment, but this behavior is seen in exotic hybrids or ones with skittish/distrustful personalities. 

As for hybrids that have selected a mate, their heats/ruts will be unbearably uncomfortable and cannot be handled by the hybrid alone. The mated hybrid will feel excruciating pain and discomfort if unable to complete their heat/rut without their mate, and can be threatening to the hybrid’s health and wellbeing. It is important for adoptive guardians who may have a mated pair of hybrids to give them the space to work through the cycle. 

Heats/ruts typically last 2-3 days at their height, but days leading up to and after the cycle can leave the hybrid sensitive as well. For more information on how to make your hybrid comfortable during their cycles, refer to page 809. 

Kodiak hybrids typically experience their heats/ruts during May-June.

Y/N’s mouth was dropped open and rather dry, reading the pages frantically three times over. Warmth flushed her from head to toe, not exactly surprised none of the boys brought up that aspect of their natures– and it wasn’t like she ever asked. Although she was surprised, and just a touch annoyed, Yoongi at the very least never said anything to her. Fanning herself, she pulled up multiple tabs on her phone, scribbling a messy note on an old receipt. 

Seokjin/Yoongi: Ruts any time of year. Lasts between 4-5 days

Hoseok: December-early spring. Usually monogamous. 3-4 days

Namjoon: Mid spring- early summer, but also for two weeks in the second half of winter. Monogamous, mate for life. 4-5 days (excluding the winter rut)

Jimin: Winter. Strictly monogamous. 3-4 days

Taehyung: May-June, serially monogamous. Rut can last anywhere from two days to two weeks

Jeongguk: August-early winter. “Courtship” is important. Rut can last days on and off, sometimes for up to several weeks depending on hybrid. 

Y/N was boiling hot all over once she finished jotting down her notes, overwhelmed and embarrassed. Before she could get ahead of herself, or even ashamed that she didn’t know about these specific things about the boys, she crumpled up the sticky note and shoved it deep into her tote bag. She had stressed early on to each of them to tell her if they were ever uncomfortable or needed something, so she concluded (shakily) that since none of them brought up their ruts, maybe they hadn’t experienced them full-force yet. Greedily chugging water from the bottle Yoongi packed her, she narrowed her eyes at the picture of him she stuck to her work computer monitor, swearing to back him into a corner and get him to spill. 

Trying to think about literally anything else than her hybrids and their ruts, she pushed the Kodiak Hybrids for Dummies aside and returned to what she was working on for Yoongi’s birthday. The hand-written symbols on the page, ones that were once unfamiliar to her, became a form of artistic expression thanks to her leopard hybrid, and had been erased and rewritten dozens of times by then. Y/N knew she was a perfectionist, but her dissatisfaction with herself had never been so frustrating. Both envying and admiring Yoongi’s raw natural talent, she scanned the page of sheet music, filled with notes she was trying to arrange into a pretty composition of her own.

There was, of course, the struggle of picking a suitable name for the piece as well. There was a list of titles she was playing with, but none fit the vision she had for the composition exactly. Humming, she erased a section of the very last measure, deciding to end the song more gently than she originally planned. Minutes ticked away at lightning-speed while she wrote and rewrote notes, and before she knew it, her shift was up and not a soul came into the shop to disrupt her process. 

By then, she supposed she had to be satisfied with the piece; Yoongi’s birthday was the next day. There would be time for her to practice during the day, as she had taken it off from work to celebrate, Yoongi would be spending half of his birthday at the rec center setting up things for the junior basketball team’s spring season. Hastily scooping up all of her books, she locked up the shop, wondering who would be waiting for her at home.

“Hello?” Y/N fumbled for her phone buzzing away in her pocket, simultaneously stumbling into her car. 

“Y/N! Christ, what are you, in a tunnel or something?” Ben responded immediately, making Y/N snort. 

“No, I’m getting in my car. Just locked up the shop. Can you hear me now?” Adjusting her grip on her phone, she realized she was covering the microphone with her scarf. “How are things?”

“Good, it’s getting warmer finally, huh?” 

“Not warm enough. Hoseok is killing me complaining about the cold all the time. Seokjin might hate it more, but he doesn’t complain nearly as much!”

“That fox is a character. Everyone’s doing well, though? How about the new jobs you told me some of them are getting?” 

“It’s only day two, but I think the three that picked up work at the rec center are enjoying it. I miss them though…” Y/N pouted, Ben chuckling through the receiver. “Namjoon and Jeongguk are going to start coming to Judy’s with me next week. And Yoongi’s birthday is tomorrow, so I’m excited for that!”

“Big plans?”

“Mmm… maybe not by your standards. Something that suits him, though. I’m taking him out on a date.”

“Romantic. He’ll love it, I’m sure,” Ben agreed with her. “Then again, you could get him a frying pan and he’d treat it like a diamond.”

“Stop,” Y/N groaned, embarrassed. “So, I read something interesting today about hybrids.”

“This ought to be good. What did you find out this time that was obvious to all but you?” Ben teased, Y/N sticking her tongue out at him even though he couldn’t see. 

“Okay, Mr. Wonderful. I learned about mating and ruts. I didn’t realize that was a thing for them,” Y/N snapped, Ben dissolving into thick laughter, which irked her further. “What?!”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. I can just picture the fucking look on your face reading that in one of those guidebooks you are hoarding,” Ben took a breath, Y/N similarly imagining how red in the face he was getting from laughing at her. “Any comments?”

“Well, yeah. Why the fuck haven’t any of them brought it up?”

“Do you discuss your menstruation or ovulation with them? Why would they, Y/N? It’s kind of a personal thing.”

Y/N flinched, once again struck by Ben’s ability to cut to the chase when she was being a little ridiculous. 

“Fair, I suppose,” Y/N squeaked. “I mean, I thought the scenting was a tricky subject to breach.”

“Well, if you’re curious about it, you could always just ask Yoongi or Seokjin, if you’re feeling especially bold,” Ben said, with a teasing lilt. Y/N was a touch mortified. “They love you, they’re not going to shy away from that conversation. I’d avoid bringing it up to that elk hybrid of yours, I think he’d make fun of you more than I am.”

“Another valid point,” Y/N muttered, not wanting to give Jeongguk another round of ammunition to amuse himself with at her expense. “Whatever. Whatever! Maybe I’ll ask Yoongi or Seokjin, or maybe I’ll just wait until they bring it up. I feel like I’ve got bigger fish to fry at the present.”

“I’m sure. You got hybrids, ghosts, and romantic feelings for all of your housemates. You’d make millions on reality TV.”

“Thanks, Ben. Remind me to drop your call next time.”

“See you at brunch on Sunday!” Ben signed off cheerfully, Y/N rolling her eyes and throwing her car in drive.

A slightly-cloudy sky peeked through the windows of the house the day of Yoongi’s birthday. Y/N had shown him, as well as Hoseok, off that morning, the two of them bound for the rec center. The fox hybrid was trying to get Yoongi to wear a pointy birthday hat that was leftover from his birthday, but Yoongi scrambled towards the car before Hoseok could slap it on his head. 

Y/N had only a few hours to practice her new composition before Yoongi would be back and they’d head out for the dinner reservation she made, so after downing some coffee while staring at Jimin cutting down some dead saplings in the backyard, she made her way to the music room. Feeling somewhat stealthy with the sheet music tucked under her arm, she passed by Seokjin’s room, the pipes in the wall clanging together telling her he was probably bathing. 

The feeling of sitting at the piano bench without Yoongi beside her had Y/N frowning. She had grown ever so attached to his warmth and presence, his gentle, reassuring guidance while she’d play. Huffing, she placed her sheet music on the stand, rolling her wrists like Yoongi would, and began to practice. 

For her first composition, it wasn’t half bad. It was nowhere on the level of what Yoongi could come up with, but he had years of composing on her, so Y/N tried not to compare herself to him too harshly. Once again, she changed the ending of the song with her lip tucked between her teeth, worried that she might not ever get it right– on top of that, she still hadn’t picked a name for the piece and she was running out of time. 

She was in the middle of playing through the song a sixth time when she was interrupted by the jiggling of the music room’s handle. Before sitting down at the piano, Y/N hadn’t locked the door just in case someone wanted to come and find her, so with minor embarrassment, she halted her playing, glancing at the door expectantly. When the door swung open, she held her breath, recognizing the curly head of black hair right away, a shard of ice piercing through her heart. 

Taehyung’s steps into the room faltered, headphones askew on top of his head, as soon as he caught scent of her and realized he wasn’t alone. Beautiful eyes going round, his rounded ears flattened while a feral rumble of shock rolled through his chest, going quite still. Gawking at each other, Taehyung’s mouth dropped open, eyes shifting from her to the collection of CD’s on the shelf. Fingers frozen over the ivory keys of the piano, she watched the Kodiak hybrid inch towards the shelf with urgency, probably trying to get the hell out of dodge. Y/N’s body moved before her mind did, launching her off the bench and across the room. 

“Tae, hi,” she blurted, knowing that he could hear her with his Kodiak set of ears, the rounded brown appendages fluttering with the sound of her voice, a Nirvana CD clumsily slipping out of his grasp and clattering to the floor. “Whatcha up to? I didn’t know you were home.”

Taehyung, moving like he was stuck in molasses, slid the headphones off of his ears to hang loosely around his neck, facing Y/N fully. Quickly, she ducked down, scooping the CD off the floor and offering it to him with a friendly expression. Her heart was pounding, ready to bite the bullet and have a real conversation with him no matter what it took. Taehyung’s shoulders relaxed downwards a few inches, his sweater slipping over his wrist as he took the CD, switching off the device he had clipped to his jeans. 

“They didn’t need me at the rec center today,” was his response, swallowing. “I just decided to stay here… I thought you had work on Thursdays.”

“I usually do, but I took today off!” Y/N watched Taehyung nod, his tongue prodding the inside of his cheek. With the direction of the conversation already, Y/N was feeling queasy; and with the way that he kept glancing at her chest, she could tell he could hear her heart threatening to burst into pieces. “Uh… come here, look! I wanted to show you some pictures I took this week around the shop. The town square looks so pretty right now, the grass is just starting to get green!”

Y/N thought on her feet, grasping for Taehyung’s wrist, which he let her take as well as tow him to the leather loveseat, apparently too stunned to protest. There was electricity zapping through the hand wrapped around his sweater-clad wrist, and considering she hadn’t touched Taehyung in so long, it had her emotions kicking into overdrive. 

“Y/N…”

“Sit here, please? I’ve wanted to show you for a little while. It won’t take long!” Y/N hoped her tone wasn’t dripping with utter desperation, but something flickered in Taehyung’s carmine eyes, softening them, so he heeded her request and sat beside her stiffly. 

Squirming in satisfaction– the small victory boosting her confidence somewhat– she flicked through her phone, still holding onto Taehyung all the while. Finding the folder of amateurish shots of around her workplace, she placed her phone in Taehyung’s limp, open palm, the Kodiak hybrid’s sharp canines biting down on his lower lip. 

“Do you want me to do a shoot here?” Taehyung asked with confusion, his deep voice making her shiver imperceptibly. 

Y/N peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, chest squeezing painfully at the sight of his gorgeous face, entirely focused on the pictures he was scrolling through. Dropping her gaze, she briefly glanced at his neck, the bruises she saw there days ago long since faded. However, the memory in her mind’s eye remained, drying up her mouth. 

“Would you want to? I can take you there soon, the cherry blossoms in the courtyard will bloom in the next few weeks,” Y/N prayed they were moving a step forward, Taehyung humming lowly, continuing to scroll through her camera roll. Y/N had nothing to hide, so she let him, hoping to continue chit-chatting. 

“Yeah, maybe when the flowers bloom, then. For the spring expo.”

“Sounds like a plan, Tae,” Y/N hesitantly leaned her shoulder into his, her hip colliding with the CD player strapped to his belt. “Ooh, any music recommendations for me lately?”

Taehyung’s chest rumbled again, the sound animalistic and raw, and Y/N wasn’t used to hearing it so often those days. Resisting the desire to tuck some of his curls behind his ear, Y/N waited for a reply, Taehyung avoiding eye-contact by examining the pictures on her screen. 

“I’ve just been listening to grunge, like always. Someone showed me an artist named Mac Demarco recently, which you might like.”

“Oh! I’ve heard of him. An indie artist, right?” Y/N wondered who exactly showed him new music, itchy jealousy crawling all over her skin.

Taehyung didn’t answer, his thumb stilling over the touchscreen of her phone, intensely staring at the picture he paused on. Curious, Y/N peered over his shoulder to see what captured his attention so thoroughly, a tiny squeak leaving her mouth at what she saw. Taehyung had scrolled so far through her camera roll that he reached the mirror selfies she had taken the night of Hoseok’s birthday, after she finished her makeup and shimmied into her dress. 

Originally, she sent the pictures to the Santos twins, but she never intended for other eyes to see her so scandalously posing in front of her bathroom mirror, so she was definitely mortified that Taehyung was gawking at them, Y/N clearing her throat sharply. Taehyung wasn’t broken out of his trance until she repeated his name several times, her phone clattering to his lap as his eyes focused on her again, his irises dark and predatory. 

“Taehyung, um. I wanted to talk to you. Last weekend, when you came home from the rec center… I was short with you. I’m sorry,” Y/N’s palms were sweating, Taehyung’s expression surprisingly not wiping blank like she expected it to. “I hope I didn’t imply that you need to tell me where you are at all times, or felt like I was coming down on you or upset with you.”

“I– um, I didn’t think that,” Taehyung’s voice was rough, the corners of his mouth turning down as he angled his body towards her. 

“Oh, okay. Again, I just wanna stress, you don’t have to ask me for permission to go where you want, alright? I miss you, though, Tae.”

Taehyung’s mouth dropped open, his eyes darting around the room like he was trying to find a response written on the wallpaper, bouncing his thigh up and down. 

“Miss you too,” Taehyung admitted quietly, winding the hem of his sweater around his finger tips. “A lot.”

Y/N’s eyes began to sting, the raw vulnerability coming off of him in that moment tangible and heavy. His words were profound to her, and if anything, it gave her courage. Not knowing if she’d ever be brave enough again to hurtle off the edge of no return, she reached for Taehyung’s hand, tracing a thumb over the vintage silver ring on his index finger; this time, Taehyung was the one to shiver. 

“Uh, so Tae. Hm. You know…”

Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.

Taehyung’s phone was ringing in his pocket, but he promptly ignored it, so Y/N scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment, attempting to continue when the buzzing stopped. 

“Right. So, you know I really care about you–”

Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. 

Grimacing, Taehyung dove his free hand into his pocket when it began to go off again, sending the call to voicemail blindly, Y/N losing confidence by the second. 

“Y/N?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just wanted to tell you I really care for you, and we haven’t spent a lot of time together lately, but I need you to know–” Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. “Why don’t you get that? It seems like it might be important.” Y/N swallowed down the last of her declaration: I need you to know I love you. 

Ticked, Taehyung dug his phone out of his pocket, Y/N catching the caller ID before he picked up. Someone named ‘Diana’ was eagerly trying to reach him, ice water being dumped over Y/N’s flame, her heart stopping dead in her chest when Taehyung let go of her hand and answered the phone. 

“Di, what’s up?” Taehyung held a finger up to Y/N, jaw tense, Y/N flinching at the sound of a raspy female voice coming through the phone pressed to the side of his face. 

It was like she had become a balloon rapidly deflating, like the string tying it together was pulled free. Palm tingling now that Taehyung’s hand wasn’t resting in hers, she sat there completely flabbergasted.

“No, I’m not coming by the rec center today, Di. I’m developing the photos we took in the darkroom at my house, they’ll be ready next week. I don’t know if I’ll see you this weekend…”

Y/N had heard enough. Knees knocking together, she stood from the couch, Taehyung’s eyebrows pulling together in confusion, ignoring Diana’s whines on the other line. Speedily collecting her sheet music from the piano, she gave Taehyung a wave and a half smile. 

“You finish your call, I gotta get ready for Yoongi’s birthday dinner tonight. Talk later?” Y/N was proud that her voice wasn’t shaky or full of pain, Taehyung blinking at her and his expression finally wiping blank again. He gave her a thumbs up, looking out the window as she left. 

“Yeah, I know Di. I saw you last weekend, though.” Taehyung’s tone was beyond agitated as she shut the soundproof door, not wanting to spend one more second listening in on the conversation. 

She was there, right there. About to tell Taehyung how she truly felt about him, to push past all of the angst between her and him, all for her hopes to crash around her with an interruptive phone call. Any confidence she had to confess her feelings to him was dashed and divided as soon as she heard the Kodiak hybrid call the woman on the phone Di. Taehyung had never given Y/N a nickname before, and that realization had her thinking that perhaps she had overestimated how he felt about her. Perhaps, to him, she was his guardian, someone off-limits romantically, someone that he would deem inconceivable to have those sort of feelings for. Y/N was the type to race, barrel, and fly into conclusions, so she had no trouble believing these spiraling thoughts as she locked herself in her bedroom.

Running her fingers through her hair, yanking the roots, she tried to take deep, centering breaths, like the ones Namjoon taught her how to do. Thankfully, after a few rounds of clutching her bedpost and breathing like a yoga instructor, it seemed to do the trick. Staring at herself in her vanity mirror, she came to one more, positive, at least, conclusion: at least Taehyung wasn’t upset with her, and perhaps he wouldn’t be so avoidant anymore. 

Sighing raggedly, she checked her watch, swearing colorfully. Yoongi would be home shortly, so she’d have to move her ass like it was on fire to get ready for the dinner reservation she planned. Putting Taehyung out of her mind, as difficult as it was, she changed gears when she glanced at the silvery dress she picked up for the occasion, which happened to be one of Yoongi’s favorite colors. While she was turning on the shower tap, her phone chimed in her pocket, Y/N forgetting that she managed to swipe it out of Taehyung’s lap when he answered Diana’s phone call. 

Yoongi 👼🏻: On my way home. 

Y/N: Okay, birthday boy ❤️

Yoongi 👼🏻: 🙄❤️

Surprisingly, there was about half an hour to spare by the time Y/N had finished getting ready. Throwing a light sweater over the satiny dress she pulled on– mostly to prevent Seokjin from having a stroke that she was scantily dressed in early spring weather again– she made sure her hair and makeup was how she wanted it and set out to find her leopard hybrid. 

In the hallway, the scent of greasy pizza hit her square in the face. Suspecting that Hoseok probably had Yoongi stop by Sal’s for some dinner before she and the leopard hybrid left for the night, the sounds of an action movie blaring in the parlor had her snickering. For beings with superior hearing, her boys loved to jack up the surround sound. Pausing by the staircase, she could hear Yoongi playing piano upstairs, probably waiting for her. Giddy, she skipped up the stairs, holding onto the old carved banister with reverence. Yoongi seemed to be playing the song he composed for Y/N, making her blush and nearly swoon into the music room. 

Yoongi was seated on the bench where she was perched just hours ago. Dressed sharply in black dress pants and a matching dress shirt, the monochrome outfit highlighted the glimmer of his accessories– rings, bracelets, earrings, and of course, the sparkly chain clasped around his throat. His triangular ears immediately twitched towards her direction even if his face didn’t, his tempo never faltering even when she started heading right for him, a tender smile on her face when she ended up behind him. Ducking, she pressed a soft kiss to the crown of his head, in between his spotted ears, giggling when his tail tickled the bare skin of her thighs. 

“You look nice,” Y/N purred into his hair, breathing in his shampoo. It was then when Yoongi stopped playing, craning his chin upwards to nuzzle his nose into her neck, making a similar purr to hers. “Happy birthday, Yoongi!”

“Ugh. I’m old,” Yoongi complained, his eyelashes tickling the skin of her throat. 

“No you’re not. You’re just 30, the same age as Seokjin,” Y/N poked his shoulder, sliding her palm along his back as she rounded the bench, sitting on his free side. 

“Silly girl, furthering my point. He’s old, too,” Yoongi grouched, ears turning back when Y/N swat at his forearm reproachfully. “Don’t whack me, it’s my birthday.”

“You’re sending some mixed signals about that, angel,” Y/N snorted, feeling his hand curl around her hip, fingers sliding along the satin material sensually. “Excited for dinner?”

“You keep hyping it up, are they going to bring out a cake and sing to me?” Yoongi asked, trepidation coloring his gravelly tone. 

“Oh shit, do you want me to call and ask if they can do that?” Y/N joked, pretending to pick up her phone and dial the restaurant. Promptly, Yoongi snatched her phone away, stuffing it into the pocket of his dress pants. “Kidding. I just hope you like the food.”

“I’ll eat anything,” Yoongi shrugged, pink blush dusting his cheeks as shy purrs filled the room. 

“Wanna play ‘Moonlight Lovers’ before we go? I practiced for you,” Y/N changed the subject, cozy tucked into his side. 

“Did you?”

“Mm-hmm. I promised, didn’t I?” Y/N teased, humming when Yoongi planted a kiss on her jaw bone. To his dismay, she got up from the bench, making haste to the opposite end of the room. “You’re gonna sing while I play?”

“Sure, but? What are you doing, silly?”

“Look forward, angel!” Y/N pointed straight ahead, encouraging her leopard hybrid to tear his scrutiny from her fumbling with a telescope-like device in the corner. Slowly, he did. 

The lights were low, so Y/N was pleased that the projection lamp displayed the image of the pearly white moon perfectly onto the wall beyond the grand piano. For a small fee on the internet, she was able to give Yoongi the full moon whenever he wanted, and he was a stunned, a still figure on the piano bench when she returned to his side, snuggling back into him. 

Y/N didn’t wait for a response to the surprise, instead launching straight into the jazzy first bars of the song with practiced ease, grinning when Yoongi’s sock-clad food pressed over hers on the sustain pedal. Clingy as ever and seemingly recovering, Yoongi rested his chin on Y/N’s shoulder while she worked her way through the first few measures, nuzzling closer to her when she shivered at the ticklish sensation of his ears against her skin. 

The world existed and it was just her and Yoongi, his voice quiet when he began singing the first verse, Y/N following along in her head since she had memorized the lyrics by then. Not knowing where his body began and hers ended, it was a miracle she was able to concentrate playing on tempo. The pace picked up at the refrain just before the chorus, and Y/N pushed past her nerves to join Yoongi in singing. 

And we met under the moonlit sky

It was you, of all, who caught my eye

When you’re gone, I’m incomplete

No one but you

Has been this sweet

And under the moonlit sky

Across seas, you and I 

Never again, will say goodbye

Y/N didn’t consider herself to be a world-class singer by any means, but with the way Yoongi’s arm tightened around her back, she could tell that he liked the sound of it, his own voice cutting off momentarily when she first began to harmonize with him. She played the rest of the song like that, Yoongi still tucked into the crook of her neck, his eyes closed.

Soaking in the moment, something in his chest unfurling and threatening to burst free, he clung to Y/N, spellbound as she perfectly played the last few measures of the song, gentle silence ringing out in the room when she finished. Unable to move, speak, or breathe, Yoongi went limp when Y/N kissed his forehead, letting him process. 

“Perfect,” Yoongi managed, squeezing Y/N around her middle, filled with both nostalgia and joy, the artificial moonlight projected in the room somehow feeling so real. “You really must have practiced hard.”

“What can I say? I had the best teacher ever,” Y/N replied, bashfully, happy to hold Yoongi as long as he wanted; even risking missing their dinner reservations. 

“I’m proud of my student. She’s come a long way,” Yoongi murmured, straightening up but still maintaining his possessive hold on her. Melting at the pure adoration on her face, Yoongi couldn’t help but cup the side of her face. “My mom would have loved you.”

Y/N’s face grew hot, Yoongi felt it under his palm, her lower lip wobbling. 

“Really?”

“Maybe not as much as I love you, but yeah, she would have. You two have the same heart,” Yoongi smiled, not feeling an ounce of sadness like he usually did on his birthday the previous three years. “Wanna know a little bit more about her before we go? We still have time.”

“Please?” Y/N’s expression grew eager, Yoongi finding it adorable, pinching her nose playfully. 

“Her and I lived in a tiny apartment above The Black Lodge, courtesy of the owner– Barry was his name– I suspect that Barry might have been in love with my mom. Barry was old-school, though, and never acted on anything considering a lot of guys his age thought human and hybrid relationships were taboo,” Y/N pouted, but Yoongi shook his head and rubbed circles on her waist with his thumb. 

“Anyways, yeah, we lived in a one-bedroom above the bar courtesy of Barry. My mom always insisted I take the bedroom, and she’d fall asleep on a loveseat in the living room watching old Marilyn Monroe movies. She wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, ever, just like you. She smoked those long, skinny cigarettes and her favorite drink was a Manhattan. My mom could write a song in twenty minutes, I don’t know how she did it. She would sing like her voice came up from the Earth’s crust and flowed through her mouth. And her perfume… she’d always wear something floral to remind her of the spring, when I was born.”

“Your mom sounds glamorous, like a movie star. I bet she was beautiful, too,” Y/N’s voice was dreamy, thick with emotion. She pictured a woman just as striking as her Yoongi, with the same spotty ears and tail, the same lithe, graceful figure. 

“Mm, she was,” Yoongi agreed, distantly wishing he had a picture of her to show Y/N. “Alright, we should head out. You can ask me more questions on the way there, if you want.”

Y/N nodded enthusiastically, thrilled that Yoongi had opened up to her so much over time. There was something so wonderful about knowing someone on their deeper levels, especially a loved one, so Y/N cherished every tidbit of information Yoongi would offer her. Blissfully, knowing truly nothing could ruin her mood, she let Yoongi wait outside and order the taxi while she bid goodbye to the others in the parlor. 

“Y/N, pretty, one of these days you’re gonna catch a cold,” Seokjin accused from his spot on the floor, wrapped in a throw blanket himself, staring pointedly at her bare legs. Y/N simply shook her head, bending low, and kissed his cheek softly, a feline chirp of pleasure leaving his lips and his orange eyes glowing in the dim light of the living room. 

“We’ll be back in a little while. Please don’t eat the birthday cake until then,” Y/N drove that specific point home by looking directly at Namjoon, who was sheepishly gnawing on his fingernails on the couch, his book forgotten in his lap. 

“Pick me up some?” Jeongguk lifted an empty carton of Marlboro reds in the air, tapping it hollowly, Y/N scowling. 

“What’s the magic word, sweets?”

“For fu-” Jeongguk coughed when Namjoon sharply thwacked the back of his head with his book. “Please.”

“I have half a mind to buy you some nicotine patches,” Y/N muttered, accepting a jolty, goofy hug from Hoseok on the leather recliner. “Not to stir the pot, but once again, Jimin. You’re in charge.”

A series of exasperated groans filled the room as Jimin preened at the responsibility, nodding once at Y/N importantly. Taehyung, all the way at the back of the room by the window overlooking the backyard, was busy fussing over his camera, even if his ears were angled to the sound of her voice. 

“I’m the eldest, shouldn’t I be in charge?” Seokjin sulked, his dark ears downturned just like the full corners of his mouth. Y/N simply snorted, knowing he was just pouting on purpose, giving him one last hair ruffle before starting to the foyer. 

“I’ll be back soon, my sweet boys, alright?” Y/N blew the six hybrids a kiss, the various reactions of amusement and embarrassment making her feel warm and fuzzy as she made her way to the leopard hybrid waiting for her on the porch. 

“I used to walk by this place on my way to the barber,” Yoongi remarked when the cab dropped them off at the restaurant, Y/N lacing their fingers together and admiring the way the city lights reflected off of his hazel eyes.

“Oh yeah? The one who gave you crazy haircuts?” Y/N mussed Yoongi’s long locks, smiling at him widely. “Speaking of. Never cut your hair short, please.”

“Why not, you like it like this?” Yoongi smirked devilishly, letting Y/N tug him into the restaurant.

“Yeah, it suits you! Don’t touch it, I’ll be really mad,” Y/N threatened, approaching the hostess’ booth. “Hi, we have an 8:00 reservation under the name Y/L/N.”

The restaurant Y/N found for Yoongi’s birthday was a jazzy hole-in-the-wall, the dining room filled with dim candle light. The place almost looked like a 20’s speakeasy, decked out with cushy red velvet booths, black tables, and old lamps scattered about. Y/N knew where Yoongi’s sight immediately went: the glossy grand piano beside the bar, where a gentleman in a suit was playing something slow and seductive. Still holding his hand, Y/N pulled Yoongi after the hostess, delighted with the intimate booth they ended up in, with a perfect view of the piano. 

“This is a lot nicer than The Black Lodge,” Yoongi said dryly, still glancing around curiously, his nose twitching. “What kind of food do they have?”

“Italian, baby. We’re in the North End,” Y/N giggled, nudging his shin under the table and passing him a menu. Yoongi pouted at her teasing, immediately flipping the menu over to check the drink list. “After we eat, we can get some pastries to bring home!”

“You better hide them from the wolf, he’ll eat them all,” Yoongi warned, though Y/N had to admit, he was right. 

“I’ll just get extra,” Y/N shrugged, the waitress promptly coming by to take their drink orders. Yoongi picked out a red wine, so Y/N went ahead and ordered the bottle, which had him squirming in his seat uncomfortably. “You don’t like being spoiled, angel?”

“Just not used to it,” Yoongi shook his head, his ears flattening to his head in embarrassment. “But… this is nice. You’re pretty good at planning birthdays, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

“I should turn the talent into a business,” Y/N smirked around the lip of her wine glass, the Pinot Noir coating her throat like velvet. “What are you thinking about getting to eat?”

“Hmm… I feel like you can’t go wrong with steak,” Yoongi fiddled with his earrings, scanning the menu thoughtfully. 

“I think I’m gonna get the ravioli,” Y/N announced, stomach already growling, Yoongi’s acute hearing picking it up and making him snort. “Stop laughing!”

When the waiter returned, he mercifully brought bread and oil, which Y/N happily snacked on with her wine, enjoying both the music and alone time with Yoongi. 

“How’s the coaching gig?”

“I don’t know yet. The season doesn’t start until next week, all I’ve been doing is trying to figure out how to make practice plans. I’m not even sure I’m coach material.”

“Of course you are. You’re the best player on your own team, and kids love you. Besides, you taught me how to play piano in just a few months, you’re a natural born teacher, Yoongi,” Y/N shot down his doubts immediately, Yoongi looking away from her, shy. “I mean it! You’re patient, encouraging, and you keep me motivated. You’ll do really well.”

“You trying to butter me up?” Yoongi scoffed, tracking his index finger around the rim of his wine glass, eyes narrowed playfully. 

“Is it working?” Y/N shot back, leaning slightly across the table, getting a few inches closer to his face. “Besides. It’s rewarding to make you proud.”

“Is that right?” Yoongi cocked his head, eyes dropping to Y/N’s hand, where she was tracing the bracelet around his wrist delicately. “Careful, Y/N.”

“I’m not doing anything!” Y/N exclaimed innocently, withdrawing her touch and sitting back with a wink, sipping her wine again. 

“So, everything went well during your thing with the wolf and elk?” Yoongi changed the subject, a wicked gleam still in his eyes. 

“Surprisingly, yes. I wish I could have filmed Jeongguk speaking in Latin for you. It was like watching an exorcism movie,” Y/N joked, Yoongi shaking his head in amusement. “The family moved back in yesterday. Next week we’re going to meet with them and make sure the cleansing and banishment did its job.”

“Well, I think a ‘congratulations’ is due,” Yoongi refilled both of their wine glasses, Y/N giggling when they clinked them together. 

The man who was playing the piano finished his song, the intimate restaurant breaking out in polite applause. Y/N specifically looked for a restaurant like that one, one where diners could get up and play if they desired. It seemed Yoongi was realizing what was going on, an elderly woman getting up from her booth and ambling towards the piano with her martini. Her and Yoongi snickered when the woman began to play ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, vocalizing into the microphone a tad off-key. 

Before Y/N could make a comment, their food arrived, which was a good thing since the wine was starting to make her feel flushed and ready to tackle her handsome date. The liquid courage was something she needed, though, as she began to anticipate the surprise she planned for Yoongi, sneaking a look at him while he was mid-bite of his steak. The meal passed by amicably, Yoongi letting her feed him a sliver of ravioli across the table, Y/N happy that she was able to treat Yoongi to a nice birthday dinner after three years of him likely not celebrating the day at all. 

“Espresso?” The waiter returned to collect the plates once they were done, Y/N nodding, hoping to draw out the dinner just a little longer. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the old woman at the piano begin to get up from the bench, Y/N digging through her purse and standing, causing Yoongi to lift an eyebrow at her. 

“Be right back,” Y/N breathed, setting off in the direction of the piano before her nerves could get the better of her, sheet music in one of her hands. 

She could feel eyes on her as she approached the bench, clearing her throat and setting the music on the stand, thankful that the piano was similar to the one she had back at home. Clearing her throat, she scanned the restaurant once, finding Yoongi across the room, staring at her with utter confusion and anticipation. Smiling at him, she leaned towards the microphone. 

“I hope you’re all having a nice evening,” Y/N began, trying not to cringe at the sound of her own voice. “I wanted to play a song I wrote tonight for someone special to me, on his birthday. This song is called ‘Soul Recognition’.”

With that, Y/N took a deep breath, easing into the first few measures. While at first, she expected to feel nervous and shaky, the mere reminder that Yoongi was watching her play had her relaxing and getting into the flow. Even though she was focused on the sheet music in front of her, she could feel Yoongi’s eyes on her from the other side of the room– that unspoken connection she had with him the very inspiration for the song’s title she had finally decided on. 

Yoongi didn’t even register the waiter returning with two small cups of espresso, completely spellbound watching Y/N play a song she composed for him. Completely taken off guard, unaware that his mouth was wide open, all other noise in the restaurant dimmed completely while he drowned in her melody. The song was sweet, yearning, gentle, Y/N’s hands gliding over the keys smoothly, and the lights of the restaurant reflecting off of her shimmery dress and making her look like a star. Overcome with an intense feeling in his chest, not unlike the one he experienced earlier in the music room, Yoongi stopped breathing and the Earth stilled on its axis. Something clicked into place as he watched her, something both primal and cosmic, and all he could think about was making her his completely. 

Yoongi didn’t even hear the applause all around him when Y/N finished her piece, the ending joyful and full, all he could do was stumble out of the booth, smacking cash onto the table and urgently crossing the restaurant. Y/N’s eyes went wide, bashful for some reason, meeting Yoongi in the middle. Before she could say anything, her face was in Yoongi’s hands, his lips crashing down on hers desperately, making her whimper in surprise. Y/N could taste something in his kiss, something different, important, and she was floating from it. Not caring about the people watching or the increase in applause at their spectacle, Y/N’s eyes fluttered shut, kissing him back just as passionately. 

Yoongi pulled away all too soon, his eyes glassy, and pulled Y/N into his side, happy purrs vibrating through his chest. 

“Did you like it?” Y/N asked meekly, a little dazed from the kiss, letting him guide her out of the restaurant with haste. Stopping outside, next to a bakery with the smell of chocolate flooding out into the street, Y/N offered Yoongi the hand-written sheet music shyly. 

“It was beautiful,” Yoongi’s voice was thick, overwhelmed. “I loved it. You’re perfect, baby.”

Yoongi cupped her face again, kissing her cheeks with reverence. Her insides igniting, she hummed with satisfaction, his approval and proud tone of voice making the weeks of striking out composition wise worth it. 

“Let’s get those pastries before we go home. You’re not leaving my sight tonight, though,” Yoongi warned her, grabbing a hold of her hand, dragging her to the entrance of the bakery. The way he warned her was full of dark promise, almost feral, Y/N deciding she couldn’t care less about the pastries. 

Y/N hardly had time to place the ginormous box of pastries on the kitchen island before Yoongi was hauling her away, making her squeal as he slung her over his shoulder. The house was mostly dark, but it sounded like a few of the hybrids were still watching movies, so the way the leopard hybrid was so brazenly carrying her up the stairs had her cheeks on fire. 

“Yoongi!” Y/N whisper-shouted, the hybrid grunting and pushing the door to his bedroom open, setting her down as soon as they were inside. “W-what are you– the others!” 

Y/N watched Yoongi close and lock his door, distractedly pushing a towel under the threshold, as if that would do anything. A low, bone-chilling growl ripped through his throat at her mention of ‘the others’ Y/N’s gut tightening at the sound. 

“It’s still my birthday, you’re still going to spend the rest of it with me, right?” Yoongi’s voice dropped an octave, stalking towards her slowly, Y/N backing up until her knees hit the foot of his bed, staring up at him nervously. “Won’t you?”

“Yes, Yoongi,” Y/N whispered, entranced. With the sound of his name coming from her lips, Yoongi had that feeling again, one that was taking over him completely. 

Cocking his head, his gaze dropped to the cardigan slipping over her shoulders, reaching up to push the material off of her, the garment falling to the floor. Shivering at the temperature of the room on her bare shoulders, Y/N swallowed thickly, waiting for him to make the first move. There hadn’t been an instance where she had been intimate with Seokjin or Yoongi while the others were in earshot, and the idea of being listened to had adrenaline pulsing through her veins, shamefully. 

“Yoongi,” Y/N squirmed under his scrutiny, taking in every inch of her in the cocktail dress that left little to the imagination. 

“You’re gonna have to be quiet,” Yoongi sighed, as if the thought somewhat disappointed him, a fingertip sliding slowly up the side of her neck, feeling her pulse race beneath her skin. “Think you can do that?”

“Anything for you,” Y/N admitted without hesitation, watching his expression soften. Deciding to act on her own, Y/N leaned forward up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around Yoongi’s neck, giving a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Love you.”

Yoongi shuddered, cupping her hips, letting her kiss him gently, Y/N pouring all the love she had for him into the gesture. He returned it in kind, pulling her impossibly close, swiping his tongue along her lower lip heavily. Y/N was already failing at his request for her to be quiet, tiny mewls falling into Yoongi’s mouth, making him smirk against her. Winding her fingers in his hair, Y/N pressed her body even closer to him, feeling his chest rumble beneath her. 

“Lay down, baby,” Yoongi mumbled against her lips, lightly pushing on her hips, causing her knees to buckle and her to collapse backwards on his bed. 

She watched, heat flashing over her skin, as Yoongi stared down at her, methodically unbuttoning his black dress shirt, the sight of his chest being revealed bit by bit drying up her mouth. Planting her feet on the bed, she brought her knees together, attempting to rub her thighs together for friction, Yoongi’s pupils dilated at the sight. 

“Eager?” Yoongi teased, pushing his dress shirt off his shoulders, licking his lips. He couldn’t deny that he, himself, was nearly bursting at the seams. 

“Always,” Y/N looked up at him through her eyelashes, ready for him to pounce on her. “Come here.”

Grunting, unable to hold himself back, Yoongi was on top of her in a heartbeat, his lips crushing hers, Y/N arching upwards into his chest, tracing her hands all over his silky, feverish skin. Flicking her tongue against the roof of his mouth, Yoongi made a choked noise of pleasure, pressing his hips into hers. 

“I love you, baby,” Yoongi murmured, tucking his face into her neck and sponging the sensitive flesh with kisses, Y/N writing beneath him. “Let’s get you out of this pretty dress, hmm?”

Yoongi sat back on his heels, Y/N sitting up slightly and putting her arms in the air, waiting for Yoongi to strip the fabric from her body. Mouth watering at the sight of the swollen petals of her lips and the glazed look in her eyes, her pounding heartbeat was music to Yoongi’s ears. Sliding his hands up her thighs, Yoongi got a hold of the hem of her dress, pulling it up and over her head, Y/N’s face on fire when she remembered she didn’t wear a bra with her outfit. Yoongi, however, groaned thickly, pushing on her hips again, making her fall back against the pillows with a squeak. 

Immediately, his mouth was on her chest, Y/N biting down on her fist when his lips wrapped around a nipple, whimpering as his sharpened canines scraped over the sensitive bud. Yoongi was usually a talker in the bedroom, but the mood was different that night, like he was trying to taste every inch of her. Gliding her free hand through his hair, Y/N made pathetic, small noises as he had his way with her chest. 

“Y-yoongi,” Y/N felt her lace underwear sticking to her center already, though truthfully, they had grown damp the moment he kissed her in the restaurant. Tongue passing over one of the ridges of her ribs, Yoongi hummed in response, enjoying being completely tangled up in her. 

Gasping sharply, she felt Yoongi cup her through her panties, lips returning to her mouth, his tongue rolling against hers sensually. Swallowing the noises she was making, Yoongi growled at the wetness seeping through her panties, tracing a circle around her clothed clit. Y/N cried out, her embarrassment clear as day on her face when she realized the sound was anything but quiet, Yoongi lowly chuckling against her throat.

“Quiet, baby,” Yoongi reminded her, though he did absolutely nothing to encourage her to actually be quiet when he pushed the gusset of her panties to the side and dipped his fingers between her soaked folds. Hips bucking into his hand, Y/N looked at her leopard hybrid imploringly, eyebrows pulled together as he touched her. 

“Fuck,” Yoongi groaned, easily sliding a finger into her sopping cunt, Y/N clawing at his chest and leaving red scratches in her wake. “Missed this pussy…”

Y/N couldn’t hold back the mewls she was making, especially when he added a second digit to join the first, thumb pressing down sharply on her clit. Tears pricking the corners of her eyes, frustrated she couldn’t be as vocal as she wanted to be, she bit down on Yoongi’s shoulder when he curled his fingers into her G-spot. 

He worked her up slowly, the lewd sounds of her wetness slipping into his palm driving him absolutely crazy. Biting down on Yoongi’s shoulder didn’t work for long as the coil in her abdomen began to tighten, a shuddering moan filling the bedroom, Yoongi hissing and withdrawing his fingers from her cunt, a dismayed whine falling from Y/N’s lips. Before she could complain, Yoongi was pulling her panties off of her body, balling them up, and while her mouth was still open, Yoongi pushed the fabric into her mouth. Eyes bugging out of her head, Y/N was trembling beneath the leopard hybrid, who appeared quite smug that he managed to gag her. 

“There we go, huh?” Yoongi cooed, stroking through her folds again, Y/N yanking at the belt loops of his dress pants and unintelligibly groaning something. “What’s that? Wanna cum?”

Y/N nodded eagerly, Yoongi’s dark, condescending chuckle making her ears burn. Contrary to his question, he didn’t slip his fingers back into her weeping cunt, instead he teasingly traced her entrance, Y/N throwing her head back in frustration. Yoongi was close to losing his own patience, hastily ridding himself of his pants, tossing them somewhere behind him. 

Saliva soaking the fabric of her ruined panties, Y/N ached to take the gag out of her mouth, but Yoongi shot her a warning look, so she simply squirmed on the bed and nearly choked on the panties when he settled his hips against hers, rolling them. Yoongi nearly collapsed at the friction, and Y/N keened at the sensation of his bulge colliding against her tacky core, desperate for him to be inside her already. 

“That’s a good girl, behaving,” Yoongi mumbled into her ear, kissing just below it while a free hand squeezed at her breast. “Don’t worry, I’ll take the gag out soon. Wanna hear you when you cum for me, baby.”

Feeling wetness gushing out of her in response to his filthy words, she tried to implore him to get on with it with her eyes. Rolling his hips against her again, the two of them writing together like desperate teenagers, Y/N ran her hands down Yoongi’s toned back, the leopard hybrid sharply biting down on her clavicle when her fingertips brushed the base of his tail, his hips stuttering. 

“F-fuck, Y/N,” Yoongi whined, Y/N never hearing him sound so needy. Using her fingernails, she lightly scraped through the silky fur, Yoongi finally snapping. 

Shucking his boxers off, Y/N’s mouth filled with saliva as she watched his erection spring up from the material. Distractedly, Yoongi peeled her panties out of her mouth, Y/N gasping for air when he hooked one of her legs around his waist. Again, Yoongi kissed her, a flurry of tongue and teeth, needing to taste her, to consume her. Y/N could hardly keep up, holding him tightly around the neck, the coolness of his silver chain hitting her in the face as he lined himself up. Breath catching, she moaned into Yoongi’s plush lips as he pushed in, his teeth gritting at the tight fit. 

“Fuck, baby,” Yoongi panted, planting one of his palms beside her face for leverage, the walls of her cunt spasming around him as she got used to his size. “So good–”

“Please, please,” Y/N whimpered, trying to keep her tone in check so he wouldn’t gag her again. Yoongi’s ears fluttered at her sweet, ruined voice, the grip he had on her thigh hooked around his waist bruising. “Baby…”

Biting on the inside of his cheek, Yoongi knew what she wanted without her having to vocalize it. Slowly, he rolled his hips, the drag of her walls around his cock intoxicating, both of them breathing heavily into each other’s mouths. It was the look on her face that had Yoongi control dissolving into nothing, the look of complete and utter love, and with a snarl, he tucked his nose into her neck, snapping his hips more harshly into hers. 

“Baby, my baby,” Yoongi moaned into her throat, tasting sweat on her skin. Wild, being driven crazy by the muffled cries she was trying to keep in check with a hand pressed over her lips, Yoongi found himself babbling and unleashing the emotions he was feeling the entire night. “I love you so much. My mate.”

Y/N gasped, and it had nothing to do with how his cock was hitting every sweet spot inside of her, it was his words. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, Y/N kissed him, relishing in the feline purrs of elation he was making. 

“M-mate?” Y/N managed breathlessly, arching into him when his pelvis brushed against her clit with each stroke, his lips in her hair. 

“Mm-hmm. Mate, you’re mine,” Yoongi mumbled deliriously, the pitch of her moans telling him she wasn’t going to last much longer. “Forever, baby.”

With a hand around her throat, Yoongi pinned her to the mattress, the speed of his thrusts picking up, a feral sort of possession beginning to take over him darkly. By then, he didn’t care if the whole neighborhood heard what they were doing, focused solely on pleasuring his mate. With the weight of his palm on her throat and the way he angled the tip of his cock directly into her G-spot, Y/N was clenching around him unexpectedly, the strength of her orgasm taking the wind out of her. 

“That’s it, baby, cum for me, my sweet mate,” Yoongi lightly squeezed the sides of her throat, not far behind her, truthfully. “Shit. I’m–”

“Yoongi,” Y/N’s voice was broken, her skin covered in a thin coat of sweat, and when she leaned up to kiss him again, Yoongi was gone. Hips stilling, he came with a ruined moan, Y/N shivering at the sensation of his hot cum filling her, pressing shaky kisses to the side of his face as pleasure tore through him violently. 

Collapsed on top of her and not entirely sure he could move, Yoongi tried to catch his breath as Y/N tenderly ran her fingers through his hair, her own chest heaving beneath him. The feeling he had earlier in the day, the unfurling of something from inside, he realized what it was the second she finished playing the song she wrote from her. Y/N was his mate, and he admittedly should have figured that out sooner, but the realization had all the stars in his sky lining up. There had never been a time where Yoongi felt closer to his animalistic side rather than human, which he used to be afraid of showing to Y/N. But there she was, accepting of him with wide open arms and unconditional acceptance. His mate could be no one but her. 

“Am I really… your mate?” Y/N asked hesitantly, after several minutes of enjoying post-coital bliss. She didn’t really care that Yoongi’s heavy body was crushing her, simply letting him hide away from the world in the crook of her neck, here he was still mouthing away at the skin. Pausing, Yoongi pulled away slightly, worry creasing his brow. 

“Does that bother you?” Yoongi asked carefully, Y/N blanching and immediately shaking her head. 

“Absolutely not, why would it? I adore you, Yoongi,” Y/N insisted, brushing sweaty hair out of his face. Relaxing again, Yoongi purred, nudging the tip of her nose with his. 

“‘M tired,” Yoongi mumbled, Y/N wincing when he pulled out of her, blindly reaching for a towel on the floor to mop up the mess between her legs. “You’re gonna stay with me, right?”

“Is that another birthday wish, angel?” Y/N teased, Yoongi grumbling and rolling off of her, gathered the crumpled quilt at the foot of his bed and pulled it up over the two of them, effectively keeping Y/N there. “Too tired to quip back?”

“Smart mouth,” Yoongi offered, opening up his arms and looking at her through lidded eyes. “Lemme hold you.”

Snickering, Y/N wiggled closer to her leopard hybrid, resting her cheek on his chest, pouting at the red lines she left on his skin. Tracing them softly, she pressed a kiss to one of the marks, Yoongi’s arms snaking around her middle. 

“Thank you for writing me a song,” Yoongi broke the silence, holding her tight. 

“Thank you for writing me one. It’s about time you had one too,” Y/N replied, Yoongi’s chest shaking with quiet laughter at the response. Yawning, she felt sated, lax in his arms, and while she was in for an interesting morning encountering the others, it was one of the furthest things from her mind. “Love you.”

Yoongi didn’t respond with words, instead, he kissed the top of her head, drawing patterns over her waist until her breathing evened out, making sure she was asleep before he allowed himself to drift off into a dreamless sleep. 

Sunday was the day of the week Y/N had laundry duty, and she was knee-deep in dirty socks. Thankfully, she had a helper with her, even if the rest of her housemates accused him of somehow helping Y/N ‘cheat’ at laundry duty. Grimacing at a particularly dirty pair of socks, she tossed them into the wash, Seokjin helpfully tossing scented laundry beads into the machine with a smile. 

“Did you finish your book for tomorrow’s meeting, honey?” Y/N asked him, Seokjin wrinkling his nose at one of Jimin’s muddy socks. 

“Yeah, it was a pretty quick read this week,” Seokjin replied, a cute grin on his face when Y/N shut the washer’s lid, leaning against it leisurely. “This week isn’t going to be as busy for you, is it?”

“No, thankfully. Last week was nuts,” Y/N sighed, placing the detergent back on the shelf. “I told you I switched around my work days, right? I’m going to do Tuesdays-Thursdays, not including the odd consultation here and there.”

“I remember you telling me, yes,” Seokjin tickled her sides, wanting to see her smile. “Four day weekends, that’ll be nice!”

Squeaking, she felt Seokjin unexpectedly pick her up by her hips, spinning her around and setting her on top of the dryer. Now eye-level with him, Y/N blushed, straightening out the collar of his loose tee-shirt. 

“It will be. More time to spend with you,” Y/N agreed. More time for her to spend with all of them. Seokjin handed her a pair of jeans to fold– Yoongi’s, by the look of them, making Y/N pause and think about her leopard hybrid again. 

Ever since Yoongi called her his mate, there was little else she thought about. Not only that, but it had her thinking about ruts again; when Yoongi would have his, she would be the one he would spend it with. Going stiff, she halted her folding, Seokjin raising an eyebrow at her while he placed a folded graphic tee of Jeongguk’s on the shelf. 

“Something on your mind, pretty girl?” Seokjin’s tail wound around his leg curiously, Y/N jolted out of her thoughts. Seokjin, out of all of her hybrids, was one of the easiest to confide in. Recalling her phone conversation with Ben, she decided to ask her burning questions after all. 

“Yeah, actually. Can I ask you a couple of things? About hybrids,” Y/N twitched on top of the dryer, all of Seokjin’s attention on her at once. He nodded straight away, predictably. 

“Um, how do I put this…” Y/N started, embarrassed. “You know what? Screw it. I wanted to ask about ruts. Is there a specific, um, I don’t know. Procedure to go through? Like if one of you wants a partner to help you through it, who do I contact?”

Seokjin’s neck colored bright red, apparently not expecting questions like that. An array of reactions played across his handsome face: bashfulness, disbelief, and pure shock. 

“I– I don’t know about the others, pretty, but when mine happens, I,” he swallowed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, I’d hope that you would be the one to help me through it. I wouldn’t want anybody else.”

Taking a second to process that, Y/N grew hot, Seokjin uttering the last part of his response as if the idea of spending his rut with anyone else was completely repulsive. 

“You wouldn’t?” Y/N clarified stupidly, Seokjin making a feline noise of annoyance. 

“Of course not. You’re the only one for me, pretty,” Seokjin drove home, squeezing her knee. “As for the others… Well, when their times come, I’m sure if they need something, they’ll tell you. Mmm?”

“So… how do you know when it will happen?” 

“Honestly, the instinct, or ruts in general I should say, usually don’t  kick in full-force for us until we meet someone we feel strongly about romantically. Prior to that, it’s usually just a week or so of secluded ‘downtime’, if you will. Mine has never been strong enough to need a partner, but I suspect that will change now that I’m with you…” Seokjin explained, Y/N hanging off every word.

“Because of me?”

“Well, yes,” Seokjin pinched her cheek. “Of course.”

“Okay. That answers my questions at the moment,” Y/N mumbled, skin still on fire. 

Seokjin snorted, recovering smoothly from the bombshell she dropped on him, stepping forward to kiss the tip of her nose. Eyes fluttering shut, she soaked in his clean scent, appreciating the way he never teased her about matters surrounding her lack of knowledge on hybrids.

“Alright, let’s finish up in here. I’m gonna teach you how to make sourdough today, remember, pretty girl?” Seokjin pushed another pair of jeans into her lap, winking. 

The woman standing in front of her, Namjoon, and Jeongguk seemed like an entirely different one from the one in their memories. Ms. Sanders– Erika– no longer had purplish circles under her eyes, her posture wasn’t shrunken, and she flung the front door to her house open with confidence. Stunned, her and her two hybrids lingered on the concrete porch, the woman eagerly gesturing them inside. 

“Oh my goodness. I don’t know what to say. The house is like a completely different home,” Erika rushed out, Y/N breathing in the crisp, fresh air in the living room with deep satisfaction. “I cannot thank you three enough. Whatever you did worked completely.”

“So, everything has been going well since last Wednesday when you moved back in?” Y/N sought to confirm, sitting beside Jeongguk on the couch and accepting a mug of tea from the young mother gratefully. 

“Tommy’s nightmares stopped. Julie’s coming out of her shell again. I haven’t seen a single shadow, or heard any knocking on the walls. I can’t believe it,” Erika gushed, glancing at the three of them like they were her saviors. Jeongguk, beside her, fidgeted in his seat in reaction to the attention, while Namjoon stood off to the side, sipping his mug of tea with pink ears. 

“I’m so happy to hear that. I brought you a few things, just to give you an added layer of protection. I made these amulets for you and the children to wear when leaving the house, and Jeongguk has added some incense from the church to this bag for you to burn as well,” Y/N handed the mother a gift bag, which she accepted gratefully. 

Jeongguk explained how and when to use the incense, and Namjoon answered a few questions about the investigation, but after the tea was finished, Y/N and her hybrids took that as their cue to leave. Erika was in the middle of giving Y/N a very tight hug when the sound of footsteps came bounding down the stairs, making the three of them pause by the door. Tommy appeared in front of them, looking well-rested and healthy, holding onto his toy robot and staring up at Namjoon with complete awe. Y/N watched, stunned, as Tommy threw his arms around Namjoon, pressing his cheek into the wolf hybrid’s stomach, Jeongguk’s smoky chuckle filling the room as Namjoon went statue-still, hesitantly patting the young boy’s back. 

“Oh, I mentioned he loves wolves, didn’t I?” Erika clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes misty but expression joyful. 

Y/N’s eye caught the top of the stairs, where Julie was leaning against the banister. The teenager nodded, just once, at her and Jeongguk, her subtle thank-you to them. Once Tommy managed to peel himself from Namjoon, the three of them were leaving the Sanders’ home for the final time, the small family waving at them from the living room window as they pulled away in the van. 

“Ow. Shit,” Jeongguk hissed from the backseat, Y/N flinching at the sound of his strained voice and promptly flying from her seat beside Namjoon to see what was wrong with the elk hybrid. 

To her horror, there was blood leaking from his hairline into his face, and he was poking around the base of his antlers again. Or antler, she realized, as one of them had fallen from his head and clattered to the floor, blood staining the van’s carpet.

“Oh my god! What happened?!” Y/N rushed over to him, cupping his face frantically. “Did you bump into something? What am I gonna do?”

Jeongguk grabbed her wrist, grimacing. 

“I’m fine, kiddo. Remember when I shed my velvet? I shed the antlers in the spring. They’ll grow back. It just hurts like a bitch when they fall out,” Patting her wrist, Jeongguk winced when the second antler fell to the floor, more blood spilling onto his forehead. “You can let go, I’m not dying.”

Reeling, the spots where his antlers once were gory and painful looking. As per his request, she released his face, staring at the antlers on the ground. Bending, she picked them up, Jeongguk clicking his tongue at her while he dabbed his face with a tissue. 

“Just chuck those out the window,” he muttered indifferently, Y/N scowling at him. 

“Absolutely not. What if I wanna keep them? They’re pretty!” Jeongguk stared at her like she grew a second head. 

“What, are you gonna make a lamp out of them or something?”

“No, you jerk. I don’t know, maybe I’ll put them on my altar,” Y/N held the antlers away from him, worried he’d try to take them out of her grasp. “You don’t look nearly as threatening without them, by the way.”

Indeed, now the only thing on the top of Jeongguk’s head were his tapered chestnut-colored ears, which were twitching cutely at the sound of her voice. She wondered when his antlers grew back, if he’d look like Bambi, his doe eyes and all. 

“Fine. Do whatever you want with them,” Jeongguk held his hands up, but there was faint color on his high cheekbones. 

“I will,” Y/N stuck her tongue out at him, marching back to the passenger seat. Namjoon glanced at the antlers in her lap with minor interest, amusement clear as day on his face. “Wanna get hot pot again before we go home?” Namjoon ended up really liking the restaurant, and she felt like having a celebratory lunch. 

“With me looking like this? Are you serious?” Jeongguk was incredulous, gesturing to the blood caked in his hair through the rearview mirror.

“Why not? Fits your goth agenda,” Y/N teased, Namjoon absolutely losing it beside her, eyes scrunching up into crescent moons. 

“Goth agenda? Are you trying to push your luck today?”

“Yes,” Y/N sang, noting that Namjoon was already driving in the direction of the restaurant. “And I’ll continue to.”

Yoongi wiped the sleep from his eyes, blindly stumbling towards the music room before he went downstairs for his coffee. He was in the middle of composing something new to teach Y/N, and wanted to retrieve his book of blank sheet music to work on over breakfast. Truly still waking up, he didn’t notice that Taehyung was in the room until he caught a whiff of the Kodiak hybrid’s scent. Pausing at the threshold of the door, Yoongi was surprised Taehyung didn’t flee the room as soon as Yoongi walked in. The Kodiak hybrid appeared deep in thought, the record he was playing on the turntable scratching uselessly on the label, like he had already listened through that side already. 

“Uh… hey,” Yoongi greeted him, noticing the tired look on the other hybrid’s face. Not expecting a response, since Taehyung pretty much avoided him since finding out about him and Y/N, Yoongi shrugged, heading to the piano to scoop up what he needed. 

“How’s Y/N lately?” Taehyung startled Yoongi by speaking gruffly, the leopard hybrid not understanding where he was going with that question. 

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? You live under the same roof,” Yoongi raised his eyebrows, Taehyung snorting sardonically. 

“I don’t think she wants to talk to me,” Taehyung pushed a hand through his dark curls, Yoongi rolling his eyes. Yoongi was fed up with the Kodiak hybrid’s behavior, how it was affecting Y/N, and how oblivious the kid was in general.

“And why do you think that is? You avoid her like the plague. She’s just giving you the space you’re practically begging for,” Yoongi crossed his arms across his chest, tail curling around him agitatedly. 

“I just– I don’t know. I’ve been trying to keep myself busy, I met someone, but she’s…” Yoongi let the wheels begin to turn in Taehyung’s head, trying not to be impatient. “She’s–”

“She’s not Y/N,” Yoongi finished bluntly, not sufficiently caffeinated enough for that conversation. Taehyung flinched like he was electrocuted, looking at Yoongi with alarm. 

“What do you mean?” Taehyung accused, heart racing. 

“What do you mean, Taehyung?” Yoongi threw his hands up, exasperated. “Avoiding her, trying to distract yourself with someone else. You need to just admit it to yourself, or you’re gonna develop an ulcer.”

“Admit what?” Taehyung spat, aggravated, standing and sizing up the leopard hybrid. 

“That you’re in love with her, dumbass.”

Taglist; @blancflms @grazysf @sbromp @jaxavance @sunderlight @ot7nem @mageprincess7 @wittyreader @drenix004 @mayla548 @skyys-universe @ddaeng-angmoh @trtlthts @exfolitae @kalala22 @xiusmarshmallow @bangtans-momma @zae007live @paigetj @singukieee @serendididy @lilacdreams-00 @dreamerwasfound @ninjacups @osakis-gf @itwillbealways-d @xthefuckerysquaredx @momowantscats @molshole @goooooomz @uarmyhore @lopprhe @oopscoop @xicanacorpse @i-like-anime13 @hemziii @demarie04 @im-sinking-in-mud @talkyoongitome @bangtxnbxunch @primrose2507 @kihyunniesmonbebe @7evensin @lilmxchis @00ihatesnaku @neverthefirstchoice @missyoueverysingleday @cathy-1997 @prybts @doublebunv @milopenne @steadycreationangel @rinkud @breadcheeksseokjin @nikkiordonez12

Please do not repost or translate my work. Thank you!

[pablitogavii]

Heyy can u do something about gavi's ear because of the match ? like the reader takes care of him something like that please 💗

Quiet times together

When you saw the video of Pablo's bleeding ear on the overhead TV, you really freaked out getting off the chair in the box and peeking through the window to see the doctor cleaning up hi wound.

"I can't believe that wasn't a red card!" your friend said but you could really care less about any of that praying that Pablo isn't seriously hurt.

When the game was over, you couldn't wait to see him very nervous to look at his new injury. When he finished his interviews, he came to the family room and you rushed to give him a quick hug.

"No..no..don't cry princesa! We won and I'm gonna be okay!" he said holding your face and drying your tears but your eyes were glued on his stapled ear and dried blood around it.

"I got really scared Pablo!" you say and he smiled pulling you closer and kissing the top of your head lovingly.

When you pulled away and he took you to grab his clothes together, team doctor called you to say about possible sensitivity Pablo might feel for a couple of days after the pain medication he took stops working.

"Avoid any loud places for at least a week. You might feel a little dizzy if you push against your sensitivity" man explained and you took in every word promising yourself that Pablo will take it easy no matter what he says.

"Thanks doc! Ready for our date princesa??" Pablo said after grabbing his bag and you remembered the restaurant date you planned before the game this morning.

"There will be live music there Pablo, and I don't think we should do it..we can have takeout at home instead?" you suggest which of course made him whine and say how he wanted to treat you.

"And you will treat me..we are going to get comfortable and order our favorite Chinese food and watch some goofy movie together?" you say placing your hand on his face careful not to touch his wound and he smiled nodding his head while kissing your lips lovingly.

"And cuddles???" he asks adorably which made his friends tease him as they passed us but he didn't care at all. I pointed kissing his lips once more time while nodding my head.

"All the cuddles you can take mi valiente ganador!" you say and he giggled nodding his head while taking your hand walking towards the cars where you left with your friend and he took the bus with his teammates.

"Please make sure he wears these on silent mode while at the bus if it gets loud?" you said to Balde who promised on his life to take care of your boy all the way back home to Barcelona.

"There is nothing to worry about princesita mia" Pablo kissed your lips one more time before you two went separate ways but no matter what you will always worry about his health.

When you arrived home, the pain medication definitely stopped working since even your little louder greeting made his face cringe in pain. You puled him closer whispering a soft apology while kissing the side of his temple.

"I ordered the food amor. And made sure TV is on the lowest volume for the move..you want to shower?" you say and he nods clearly in a lot of pain and your heart hurt to see him like that.

When he got comfortable sitting on the sofa with your, the loud ring-bell made you both jump and him cover both of his ears in pain.

"Mierda! I got it amor! I'm so sorry!" you say but he whispers that it's alright as you went and grabbed the food from the delivery guy.

"I'm sorry we didn't go on our date amor.." Pablo was whispering while eating some rice and chicken and you smiled moving closer and kissing his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it..I would much rather be here with you anyway and I love taking care of you" you say and he blushed a little yawning and even a slight pull on the stitches made his wound sour.

"Could I lay on your chest tonight?" he asks and you smile widely nodding your head before taking his hand and walking to the bedroom seeing that he was done with his food anyways.

You both laid down and he laid his head on your chest while you placed your hand on his face caressing it gently while kissing the side of his sour temple. He smiled closing his eyes feeling so good that he didn't care about the pain coming from his ear. He nuzzled his head into your neck and completely relaxed. (gif).

"It's buzzing amooor.." Pablo whined and you told him to focus on the sound of your heartbeat instead and to try to get some well deserved rest tonight.

"Talk to me...I like listening to your voice princesa" he says and you blush a little thinking of things to say to the sleepy boy.

"I was so proud of you today Pablito..you wouldn't give up no matter what..you went back into the game and you played till the end. You're the strongest man I've ever met..my strongest man" you whisper and he listened carefully blushing at the compliment and holding onto your tightly while slowly becoming more sleepy.

"And I love you..su much cariño. Whenever I see you get hurt my heart hurts..and I just want to hold you in my arms and protect you from everything..because..you..are..my..life" you say feeling yourself getting emotional and Pablo looked up kissing your lips softly before laying back down on your chest.

"I love you too preciosa..more than I've ever loved anybody..mi vida" he spoke sleepily before finally slipping into unconsciousness and you smiled kissing the top of his head continuing to play with his hair until you also grew tired and fell asleep holding him in your arms.

y.n.bebe

Barcelona, Spain

I'm not letting anybody hurt you mi bebé ❤️ tagged: pablogavi

comentarios:

pablogavi: gracias por todo amore mio ❤️❤️

y.n.bebe: siempre amorcito❤️❤️

gaviraafanzz: omg! she's so cute! take good care of him girl!!

barcafanclubs: clown for not giving that guy a red card!

fcbarcelona: our warrior.❤️

pablogavi: ❤️

pedri: come back stronger hermanito mio!

pablogavi: si hermano!

mikkykiemeney: so cute! 🥰

y.n.bebe: 😊

aurorapaezg: ❤️

y.n.bebe:❤️❤️

He is a true warrior! What STRENGHT, LOVE and DEDICATION for the club! That's our GAVI! ❤️❤️❤️

[galacticspaceguy]

can i have a miguel o’hara platonic reader?? maybe younger sibling and he’s overly protective of them. they want to fight alongside miguel and help him restore the multiverse but miguel wont allow them. they get into a mini argument which ends with them hugging n stuff and finally miguel allows his younger sibling to fight w him IDK IF THIS IS A LOT BUT I NEED MORE PLATONIC X READERS 😭😭

Miguel O’Hara x gn! Reader (platonic)

You were Spider-Man.

Ok, You were all Spider-Man.

But you were different. At least, Miguel would say so. Not in a bad way. Miguel just liked you more than everyone else.

You were younger, and he felt responsible for you.

You both come from different worlds, except his was gone. You were the only good thing he had left, you were like the little sibling he never asked for but always wanted.

How did you two meet? Well, it’s a long story.

It actually isn’t that long.

Almost a year ago, you were fighting Green Goblin, and then Miguel showed up, and kicked his ass.

-and then you got recruited.

You don’t really know why though, you never did anything.

You mostly stayed in the lobby. Correction, you only ever stayed in the lobby. Yeah, you had your own earth and everything, but Miguel had a bunch of stuff figured out so all the dangerous criminals in your world would be taken care of.

Now all that was left was small crimes, like break-ins or petty theft. You spent most of your days getting cats out of trees.

It was nice not getting the shit- crap beaten out of you every few weeks, but this was just boring.

But you guess with Miguel to keep you company, it wasn’t too bad.

It was obvious to the rest of the spider lobby that Miguel was protective of you- perhaps too much. They even started calling you “Y/N O’Hara” or “mini O’hara”, much to your own amusement.

“Hey, Miguel!” You called out, strolling into Miguel’s totally not evil void office. “You done brooding, I got us empanadas from Earth- something-something,I forgot.”

You held two white styrofoam containers in your hands. You clicked the web shooter in your palm. A web stuck into a base and you swung yourself up to Miguel’s upper platform.

“At first I was gonna get Chinese takeout, but it turns out some guy exploded the place, so this shall suffice!” You lightly tossed him one of the containers.

You took a seat on top of a table, crossed your legs and started digging in.

“So-“ you said through bites. “What did you do today despite standing here all menacingly?”

Miguel had taken a seat, picking at little bits of his food.

Miguel looked at you with a look you could only describe as a silent “really?”.

“I’m kidding!” You threw your hands up innocently. “But no, seriously what have you been doing in here?”

He placed his food down, and pulled up a screen, showing off a picture of the Spiderverse- or the ultimately confusing Humanoid-Arachnia, poly multiverse- or whatever Miguel calls it.

“More worlds are becoming infected. It’s like the whole multiverse is about to collapse in on itself.” His tone of voice was already serious, but you knew behind that stoicism, he was scared.

You ate your food down, and walked towards him. You leaned over his shoulder, looking at all the red little dots on the screen, the names of different spider universes popping up like crazy.

“What am I even looking at right now?” You said this as more of a joke. Miguel rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Please, take this seriously.”

“I will once you give me my first job.” You crossed your arms. You’ve been begging to be out in the field for months, to no avail.

Miguel got up and turned to face you. “Y/N, we’ve talked about this-“

There was a loud beeping sound coming from the screen.

“Lyla, what’s going on!?”

“Another dimension, another anomaly, you know the drill.” The mini holographic woman said.

Miguel sighed, his face a blank slate of unknown emotions. He started walking away. You trailed behind him.

“Great, let’s get going!”

He froze in his tracks. “Who said you were going.”

“Uh, me.” You stopped and turned to look at him, placing a confident hand on your hip.

“No.” He brushed past you.

“Wait, what!?” You quickly caught up with him, but he continued walking. “But I’ve been waiting for this for months!”

“You’re not going.” He didn’t even look at you. He started tampering with his watch.

“But that’s not fair!?” You yelled. You stopped, and stood there. He heard your steps come to a stop, and he slowly came to a halt.

“It’s too dangerous.” He still wasn’t looking at you, and it was starting to drive you insane.

“You can’t be serious.” You almost laughed. “You call up Jess for backup, and she’s with child!” You scoffed.

“You’re not ready.” He said, a bit louder this time, clearer.

“Yes, I am. I’m spiderman! I’ve been ready, why won’t you let me do this!?” You walked up to him. He finally turned to face you.

“You’re not going. That’s final.” He shook his head. The look in his eyes told you everything you needed to know.

He didn’t think you were strong enough.

You weren’t enough.

“You don’t think I can do it!?” You yelled.

“Y/N, that’s not what I meant-“

“Oh, sure!” You’d scoffed, throwing your hands up in defeat. “That’s why you won’t let me tag along- or won’t even let me fight my own battles, why not, huh? Am I not strong enough for you?”

You were jolted forward when he grabbed your shoulders. He shook you. You froze in his grasp.

“I can’t lose anyone else!”

He screamed. The emotional walls he held up fell. He panted, seemingly out of breath from a single sentence. He let go of you, letting his hands fall to his sides.

Everything is so eerily quiet, nothing but the sounds of shaky breaths and the sounds of machinery in the background.

“I can’t…” Miguel said in nothing higher than a whisper. If he spoke another word, he would break.

You wrapped your arms around him. It catches him off guard at first, but quickly he holds you, like if he lets go, you would disappear.

“I’m not going anywhere.” You whisper, and you can feel his arms tighten around you.

After what felt like an eternity of it just being you two, you let go. Miguel looks away to hide his tear stained face.

“You get one mission. If it goes well, you can come on more.” His voice was hoarse, but it was beginning to return to its normal tone.

“Yes!” You shouted, and hugged him again, this time it was short and outlived. He smiles down at you.

“What are we waiting for?” You asked, pulling him along. “Let’s go save the multiverse!”

[lovejosephquinn]

The pictures got nothing to do with the actual story I just think he looks extra soft here 🥺

Just friends.

Two words you loathed so terribly from the English dictionary more than you cared to admit.

It was a wet and rainy Friday night, nothing to do but spend time with your best friend; the one you’d loved ever since you could remember. You’d always watched from the sidelines, praying that someday the girl whose hand he held, took every single second out of his free time and cared for so deeply would be you.

When those close to you who knew of such a feeling was to say to you just tell him the truth or you don’t know until you try. Well it was easier said than done. Do you risk your whole friendship or do you just sit back and watch your feelings and yourself deteriorate rapidly from his lack of knowledge or do you leap into something that would either go well or to shit.

Well this night you thought differently, he’d brought you flowers just because you’d had a bad week, you were plowing through a bottle of wine that he’d also took the liberty of purchasing for your night in. You’d just finished devouring the Chinese take out in which you’d requested, plate piled high of the salty yet delicious food, stomach almost ready to explode from the whole eyes bigger than your belly situation.

Legs up on the coffee table, Joe’s arm firmly placed around your shoulder, your head leaning against him, it almost felt like love, a complete and utter fantasy which you focussed so much on so often. His eyes were firmly fixated toward the television screen at the crappy comedy you had committed to. You body moved before your brain could catch up and before you knew it your hand rested on top of his, paying no mind resting against his lap. It made him avert his attention straight to you.

“Everything ok love?” His voice sounded oh so sweet, so quaint and attentive, it made your heart go crazy.

“Always as long as you’re around.” Why are you like this? Your eyes looked up to meet Joe’s, his nose scrunched up, the chocolatey gaze making the entirety of your body tingle, goose bumps arise and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“Are you sure, you got everything you need?”

You sat yourself back, sitting up straight, legs moving to sit to the side of you on the sofa.

“What would you do if you loved someone you were so sure didn’t love you the same way back?” A simple question, sure. An innocent question, maybe to you. A hard answer for him, it seemed that way when his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Then I’d tell them, or at least make a move and then at least I’d know right?”

Why was it so easy for him to say that yet so difficult for you to act upon his advice? Oh yeah probably because the reason was sat so close to you.

“Can I practice telling you?”

Joe sighed practically leaving you side tracked to his bizarre reaction.

“Or I could show you, that way you’ll know what to do if you were me.” You nodded as his whole posture moved frantically, his legs now reflective of your own stance. His face came impossibly close towards you. His hand came up to stroke over your cheek, down your jaw and thumb clambered over your lips, a small nervous smile appearing on his features, quivering and anxious for his next move, you closed your eyes, your heart beat irrational.

“Do you know what I’d do, it’ll give you a straight answer for sure.” He whispered.

“What’s that?” Your voice came out in a squeak, you’d never felt this nervous around someone before, never-mind the person you usually feel most comfortable around…

Joe moved in, closing the space between you with a single peck to your lips, slowly moving away dragging his softness with him. You felt fireworks explode.

“Do it again please?” You felt like the manners would make him refuse, but he did and this time for longer.

Your lips collided together in a perfect rhythm, slowly ridding of any tension that you felt, your arms now wrapped around the back of his neck, heads tilting either side for full effect. His tongue made its way past the entrance of your mouth, sliding with yours in unison, it was hot and beautiful. Something your dreams only held dearly to your heart, but now this was reality. He was giving you what you’d craved for so long. Moving back, you felt the last of the smile he’d left lingering whilst you passionately made out with one another, this time you joined him said smile.

“He’s one lucky man.”

“He’s also one oblivious man.” You muttered under your breath, the problem was he heard you loud and clear.

“And what do you mean by that?” Joe smirked.

“Let me show you.” You threw all the confidence you had into this one move, almost throwing yourself to straddle his lap. He furrowed his brow at you, proving your point on full obliviousness.

You moved your arms back around him, this time pushing him toward you from the back of his head and crashing your lips down to his. He was taken back as his breath hitched and eventually hummed at the memorable taste of before.

“You’re a quick learner, darling.”

“What’s your answer?” You bit down on your lip in anticipation, the cogs clearly turning in his brain. You could’ve almost spotted the moment in which the lightbulb pinged above his head.

“If you don’t know then you’re pretty oblivious yourself.” Joe mocked your voice during the keyword. You could’ve cried tears of happiness, if this wasn’t him admitting his feelings back.

“Prove it.” You whispered.

“Why do you think I kissed you? It’s not the road I’d normally go down but I had a sneaky feeling, not so insensible now am I?”

You scoffed, your tongue poking at your cheek as you shook your head in disbelief.

“Should we continue or are you going to look like a rabbit in headlights for the rest of the night?”

You made impact on your mouths together once again, Joe initiated the first and second kiss because he loved you, you initiated the third because you loved him. Now the feeling was mutual it was a pretty easy fact to confirm that you took action together.

The movie was a mere sound in the background now, your full focus was on the man you’d wanted and longed for silently for years and years, it just goes to show the wait can be worth the risk.

Just friends? Just lovers.

[arda-ancalima]

Fowl Language

Rating: G Characters: Kazuma Asogi, Gina Lestrade, Barok van Zieks Words: 1,293

For @tgaa-gen-week Day 7 - Free Day (just a little something silly to finish off the week!)

-

When the work day had come to an end at last, Kazuma tried to shake off his irritations. Van Zieks had been especially petty lately, at least it seemed to him, and his patience with the man was wearing thin.

Kazuma paid for the fish and chips and sat down next to Gina on a bench where she was winding her watch.

“Ta,” she mumbled, slipping the watch in her pocket and taking the cone he handed her.

Taking a bite of his piping hot chips, Kazuma watched her through the corner of his eye. She was idly munching on her food while watching people pass with a wistful look in her eye. It didn’t take a great detective to guess she was thinking about the watch’s previous owner.

“Lestrade,” Kazuma said, deciding to cheer her up. “I want you to help me with something.”

“Wot,” she said disinterestedly.

“I want to know how to swear in English.”

Gina glanced at him sidelong. “Come on. You must know. Ya learned English in that fancy university o’ yours, didn’t ya?”

“They don’t teach crude language in the classroom,” Kazuma said, crossing his arms.

“Sure, but weren’t you a sailor and all? You must’ve ‘eard ‘em all then.”

Technically deck hand, a much less impressive job, but he wasn’t about to correct her. “The crew communicated in English, but no one spoke it as their native language. I learned to swear in Russian, Chinese, and Dutch, but not English.”

“Then wot ‘bout while you’ve been livin’ ‘ere? Just go down t’ the pub or somethin’.”

Maybe if he had someone to go with, or had any energy left after a day of keeping up with his mentor’s unrelenting pace. “Look, I know a few words, but you have the most colorful language of anyone I know. I just want a handful of expressions I can use when Lord van Zieks is being a pain. Rattle him a little.”

“Oh. Oh, I get it. It’ll be a prank, then?” Gina got a little gleam in her eye. “I’ll help ya, ‘Sogi.”

Kazuma was pleased to see her perk up. “Great. So what’s a decent insult I could use?”

Humming, Gina considered a moment, then said something in his ear.

“Why are you whispering?” Kazuma said, drawing back.

“It’s impolite t’ say these in public, ya know,” Gina said. “There’s kiddies around.”

There weren’t any within earshot of their bench, but then again she understood British culture better than he did. “I guess so. But that doesn’t sound very rude.”

“Oi, you’re askin’ my advice. I’m the expert ‘ere.”

“Right, right.” Kazuma put up his hands. “How about an exclamation of surprise?”

“Surprise, eh? Ooh, I got one for ya!” She whispered something else to him.

“Hm. I suppose that does sound a bit off-color. Any others I should know?”

“One ya say when you’re proper angry. The worst o’ the lot.” Gina lowered her voice. “The F word.”

Kazuma was intrigued. “What is it?”

Gina glanced around, then pulled him close and whispered a word in his ear.

“Is it really that bad?” Kazuma pulled back with a raised eyebrow. “That sounds like two ordinary words.”

Nodding seriously, Gina said, “Oh yeah. That’ll scandalize ‘im for sure.”

“Good. Well, thanks. He’s going to be shocked when I throw these at him.”

“Oh, ‘e’ll be surprised, all right.”

“I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”

“Ha! I’d like to see that.” Gina went back to her food, munching with more vigor, and Kazuma was satisfied that he had accomplished his mission. At least the first part.

He didn’t have to wait long for the second part, as van Zieks was in a mood again the next day.

“Mr. Asogi, go pick up the autopsy report.”

“Yes, I’ll do that as soon as I’ve—”

“No, do it now.”

Every word of his since he arrived had felt short and prickly, and his instructions were more like demands. Kazuma had enough.

“Fine,” he said. Then just loud enough for van Zieks to hear, he added, “Son of a motherless goat.”

Van Zieks glanced up from his desk with a brief look of bafflement, but his ever present scowl slid back into place. “Why are you still standing there?”

Kazuma sighed and grabbed his coat. It wasn’t as satisfying a reaction as he hoped for, but it was a start.

On another occasion, they were at a crime scene where they learned of evidence that changed their entire understanding of the case.

Kazuma shook his head. “Gee willikers.”

Van Zieks narrowed his eyes as he took in the scene. “That’s certainly one way of putting it.”

Kazuma was a bit surprised van Zieks didn’t chide him for his rude language. It seemed like the sort of thing he would take issue with in his apprentice. But maybe he was so distracted by rethinking the case that he didn’t fully take in what Kazuma said.

Another day, Kazuma had spent hours working out an approach to their prosecution, writing a lengthy report explaining it and double checking his work. When he finished, he explained his theory to van Zieks, going point by point through his argument. Van Zieks listened without interruption, sitting back in his chair with his face as impassive as usual.

“Mr. Asogi,” he said at last. “The argument you have laid out is impressive, and you’ve improved in your presentation.”

Kazuma would have been pleased by the praise, had he not been able to hear the “but” coming from a mile away. He sighed. “What is it?”

“I wonder if you’ve forgotten the first witness we spoke to.”

It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. He had completely forgotten. It dismantled his entire case, and he would have to start over from the beginning.

He was so upset with himself that without thinking he swore terribly.

“Fiddlesticks.”

Van Zieks’ eyes were on him immediately and Kazuma realized what he said. He had been hoping to save that one for when van Zieks really deserved it, and this had been Kazuma’s fault entirely. He would just have to make the most of it.

But van Zieks’ expression changed from neutrality to mirth, and to Kazuma’s great astonishment, he laughed.

It was brief and quickly hidden behind the grim set of his mouth, but Kazuma knew he didn’t imagine it.

Once he had recovered from the shock, he remembered what had made him laugh in the first place and grew indignant.

“W-What’s so funny about all this? I spent all day on that report!”

“It’s not that, it’s—” Van Zieks’ lip quirked upward again. “Where did you learn that word?”

Trying to reign in his embarrassment, Kazuma said, “Wh— does that matter? It’s an expletive, everyone knows that. I might have picked it up in a pub or something.”

Van Zieks shook his head. “Someone has been pulling your chain. I had wondered where the sudden use of innocent exclamations came from.”

“Innocent?!” Kazuma tightened his fists. “You mean fiddlesticks isn’t a dirty word?!”

“I can’t say I know the meaning, but it is regarded as harmless.”

“You teach me something, then. Tell me the worst word you know!”

“No. Now I believe, Mr. Asogi, that you have a great deal of work to catch up on. You better get started.”

“Argh…” I have a certain Inspector I need to pay a visit.

When Kazuma stormed up to Gina’s desk at Scotland Yard, she took one look at his furious face and lit up in glee.

“Did you say ‘em?”

“Darn you, Gina Lestrade,” Kazuma growled, slamming her desk. “Darn you to hell!”

She laughed her face off.

-

Bonus incorrect quote:

Kazuma: Oh, spare me the sanctimonious lecture. You never cared about me. In the words of one of my actual friends: ya basic. It's a cockney insult. It's devastating. You're devastated right now.

Van Zieks: …?

[hanquokkasgirl]

Will we last?

Chapter 1

Moving day, there's nothing more... *sigh* STRESSFUL THAN THIS. Jesus fucking christ why do I have to be such a procrastinator on everything? Good thing my roommate is not, and has helped me a bit... okay, more than a bit. Okay okay, a lot.

Standing in my room looking at the pile of clothes that I'm supposed to fit into one suitcase, it just seems impossible. Absolutely impossible.

"Clarissa, can you come over and help me? Please?" I know I will owe big time... like big big time.

"Okay y/n but you know I'm packing the last of your mugs that you need to send through the mail. You remembered that right? You have a place to live once you get to Seoul?" Clarissa knew me really well. We've been friends since kindergarten, and haven't separated until now. She was like the sister I never had.

"Of course I do! I'm not that stupid" I scuffed and she gave me the look. "Okay, yes, I am but I do have a place because the company set it up" Clarissa just kept grabbing the clothes I handed her, folding them and putting them in a bag. "What's that bag for?"

She just stood up once the bag was full, grabbed the vaccuum, and started vaccuuming the bag. I just let out an oooh and kept going with packing.

"Well, you have 5 hours before you have to be at the airport, and you're all packed up. Lunch?" She said grabbing her keys.

"OOH, I could really eat some chinese right now" I screamed on the other side of the apartment as I jumped on top of the suitcase to close it. Then I heard the key jingle and the door close. "Ahh, that'll do it." I said once I closed my suitcase.

Moving to South Korea was not my first option but the job offer of working as a stylist AND make up artist, my major and minor in college, straight out of college was too incredible to pass. The company was paying for my housing and transportation, I already knew some of the language because my mother is Korean, and she always wanted me to have at least two languages. But I am so going to miss this place, my friends, family, this city. So many memories, but Clarissa was the one that told me to move on, I am going to miss her the most. I left all my crap by the door for whenever the guy from FedEx is supposed to pick it up. My room looks so empty... and I hear a meow right next to me, where MooMoo was sitting next to me. I crouched down to get to his level and pet him.

"I know little bud, I'm going to miss you too. I promise I'll visit you though" He intertwined with my legs and purred against me. We adopted him when we moved to this place, 3 years ago.

After 20 minutes, Clarissa came back with the food. "I just got your usual. Fried rice with Orange and Honey Sesame chicken and some veggie egg rolls."

"You're the best, you know that"

"Oh, I know" We chuckled and sat down in the living room to eat. MooMoo joined too, of course eating his own food.

"Okay, time to go!" Clarissa made sure to go through the checklist in the car, after the FedEx guys picked up my boxes and sent them to Seoul. I got in the passenger seat and put on the seatbelt. I insisted on driving but well... she's more stuborn than I am.

"Are you sure you're okay driving? I mean, we are in New York City and you just got your license two weeks ago." I said looking at her trying to push the key into the ignition button. I am doomed. This is it. This is my death.

"Of course I'm sure! This is easy peasy" I pushed the button while she motioned with her hands. She got a bit startled and then chuckled. I fasten my seatbelt yet again... if that was possible, grabbed the handle, and prayed to whatever god was listening that we made it safely.

Because we live in New York we never drive really, but her parents insisted in buying her a car to visit them in Atlanta. Although, with a hectic schedule from college and chasing two majors, I know show off, we almost never visited. They were the ones that came here more often. Since she was a year older than me *she got held back in preschool* she already had a stable job in the city. And I was the one moving away for a better future.

"We're all gonna die" I whispered so she couldn't hear me and get nervous to drive us. She put the car on Drive and we got going... AT 10 MILES AN HOUR. I let go of the handle and relax a little bit.

"Hey, honey...uhm, y'know I love ya right?" She nods. "Well, you are the best and everything but... CAN YOU DRIVE FASTER SINCE I HAVE TO BE AT THE AIRPORT IN AN HOUR?!" I said and she jumped and pressed the gas. Uh-oh, did I go to far? Maybe I did.

"We're here! Huh? and with 15 extra minutes... you're welcome." I was white-knuckles grabbing my seatbelt. It was a miracle that the cops didnt stop us. I got off and my legs crumbled. "Pfft... baby... that was nothing."

"You went from one extreme to another... while I'm gone find your medium... please I'm begging you." I said composing myselg and grabbing my bookbag.

"I'll try. Ok then... Passport?"

"Check!"

"Boarding Pass?"

I take out my phone. "Check!"

"Chargers?"

"Check!"

"Medicines?"

"Uhmm..." I touched the small pocket of my bookbag. "Check!"

"Don't scare me here kid. Papers?"

"Issa, I have everything. Thanks to you. It's time to go. Give lots of kisses to MooMoo from me okay?" I said hugging her even though I know she hates it. She only allows it on special occassions.

"Ugh I don't want to say goodbye" She said... but not tearing up, she never cries. Never cries in front of people because between us she can be waterworks.

"You know I'll come visit. It's just a see ya... okay, love ya" I said grabbing my bags and entering the airports.

We decided to not be cheesy and say goodbye inside the airport so she just dropped me off and goes her way. As I line up for security check up, she calls me. "Yeah?"

"I'mgonnamissyousomuchwhydoyouhavetoleavemecomebackalready!!" See? Waterworks.

"I'll miss you too honey. I'll see ya in 3 months okay?" I said trying to console her.

"Mhmm... kay. MooMoo wont stop crying for you though."

"I know. It's my turn now. I love ya. I'll text ya my new number as soon as I land" I hang up so she concentrates on driving.

Once I cross that metal detector and find my gate, they were boarding already. I check my ticket. I never thought of checking where I was sitting before but oh well... there's a first for everything. I take my phone out of my pocket and... FIRST CLASS? Wow this company must be rich. I go up since first class is boarding... and I do get a couple of looks but they never bother me. They scan my ticket. "Welcome aboard Ms. Hart." The flight attendant smiled at me.

I walk to my seat and see how beautiful everything is. Another flight attendant comes up to me. "Welcome aboard, would you like a complimentary glass of champagne? And see our dinner options?"

"Sure! Thanks" I smile and she walks off. What a service. I can get used to this... maybe. They bring over a glass of champange and I look out the window from my solo seat.

New me... here I come.

[alj4890]

I got this from this incorrect quote generator. I need you to do something with this! lol

😂 I'm still dying with all those you shared. I'm adding that other you sent me with this one

I'm setting this at the time these two were keeping their relationship a secret from everyone except his two closest friends. And I have no idea how this ended up the way it did. Nothing at all like I had planned 😂

Masterlist

Admittance

(Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart One Shot

It felt like a never ending work week. Chris couldn't remember the last time she slept for longer than a couple of hours at a stretch. With the mad rush of flu patients coming in and out of the E.R., she'd begun to daydream of spending her entire time off in her bedroom, curtains closed, and having the best sleep of her life.

She collapsed upon her soft bed after a particularly grueling shift, only moving when she heard the ringtone she'd chosen for her favorite doctor.

"Lo?" She managed to get out.

"I don't even rate a full hello?" Tobias teased.

"You're lucky to get that." She mumbled. "I think I barely acknowledged Jackie when I walked past her earlier."

She didn't have the energy to muffle her yawn.

"I don't think I've ever been this tired."

"I take it our date tonight is off?" He asked, already disappointed at the fact he wouldn't get to see her.

Chris sat up with a groan. "It can't already be Thursday!"

"It is.

"Damnit." She slumped back against her headboard. "I was looking forward to tonight."

"I was too." Tobias sighed. "Want me to sneak over and at least bring you dinner?"

Chris perked up at that offer. "You don't have to sneak. Aurora is already in bed and the others are working the night shift."

"Then I'll see you soon." He promised.

Chris looked down at her tank top and pajama bottoms. The thought of taking them off seemed too horrible to contemplate.

"Do you mind if I don't dress up? I just got out of the shower and put on some pajamas. I think it might kill me to change clothes."

"You know I don't care." He reminded her.

Her smile grew bigger when she heard the flirty lilt to his deep voice.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you in pajamas before. I think it's about time I got a peek at your bedroom too."

"I suppose it is only fair." Chris teased. "After all, you are a very gracious host whenever I want to see your bedroom."

"I aim to please." He responded. "And you know if you feel the need to relax without those pj's, I certainly won't complain."

She burst out laughing. "Nice try, Dr. Carrick. Right now, you'll be lucky if I have enough energy to answer the door when you knock."

"Take a nap." Tobias ordered. "I'll call when I'm at the door."

***************

A little over an hour later, Chris roused herself from her bed and padded down the hallway.

"Hey." Tobias whispered, once she opened the door.

She smiled sleepily into his kiss and leaned a little more against him when he wrapped his arms around her.

"You know, you could have told me to wait until tomorrow to see you." He reminded her.

"But I didn't want to wait." She snuggled within his arms. "This is what kept me going this week."

Her eyes flew open when he picked her up bridal style.

"Tobias!" She hissed. "Put me down!"

"Shut the door." He whispered, cuddling her close.

Dropping her head back with a groan, she quietly shut the door.

"Now?" He pressed his lips to her neck. "Where's your room?"

"Last door on the left." She bit back a moan when he kissed a path up to her ear.

She looped her arms around his neck as he carried her down the hall.

Once inside, he set her down on her bed, pressed another deep kiss to her lips, then shut her bedroom door.

"Now." He held up a bag of Chinese takeout. "Let's eat."

Chris smoothed her blankets and retrieved a towel to set the food on.

"Not bad." Tobias looked around her room. "Now I know the setting to put you in when I fantasize about you."

"You still fantasize about me?" She couldn't stop smiling over that tidbit.

He took his shoes and jacket off before sliding under the covers with her.

His eyes raked over her, taking in how her tank top hugged her curves.

"You bet I do."

"Hi." He winked at her.

"Hi." She kissed him.

Tobias wrapped one of her curls around his fingers, pulling her closer for a longer kiss.

"We don't have to eat, if you'd rather properly christen my first time here in your bedroom."

Chris playfully pushed him then reached for one of the takeout containers.

"If I'm going to do anything remotely sexy, I need food."

"Heaven help me if you get any sexier."

"Oof. You're not giving me much of a chance to resist you."

"I never do." He reached for one of the boxes of Kung Pao chicken. "I hate to admit it, but I've always been irresistible."

Chris hummed her agreement as she ate.

"When I was young," he continued, "I left a trail of broken hearts like a rockstar. I'm not proud of it."

Rolling her eyes, she reached for her drink.

"Chris?" Tobias eyed her. "Are you jealous?"

"You're kinda proud of it." She took a sip. "You work it into a lot of conversations."

Her tone caught him off guard.

"No." She grumbled. "What do I have to be jealous about?"

"Nothing." He scooted closer to her. "You know you don't have anything to be jealous of when it comes to my past."

"It isn't jealousy!" She snapped. "I could care less about all your women."

"Former women." He emphasized.

She rolled her eyes again with a huff.

"Honestly it isn't them or the number of," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "former women."

"Then why do you sound upset?" He persisted.

"For one thing, I'm exhausted." She folded her arms across her chest.

Tobias got up, and began to pace the small confines of her room. He knew by her waspish tone and that arm folding maneuver that she was precariously close to losing that temper of hers.

"Look," he began in an attempt to avoid a fight, "I would have understood if you wanted to cancel our date so that you could sleep. I think I'm pretty good at that boyfriend type behavior."

"Awwwww." Chris sarcastically responded. "Aren't you so bloody precious?"

Tobias glared at her.

"What's this really about?" He demanded.

"The fact that you always say, trail of broken hearts!" She griped. "As if, not only are you proud of it, but also that..."

She trailed off when tears began to fill her eyes at the thought of what he might really mean.

"But also what?" He prodded in a gentler tone when he noticed she was about to cry.

"But also like it's a warning," she bit down on her bottom lip, "to me."

She looked away when he sat down beside her once more.

"It's not a warning." He tried to pull her into his arms. "Especially not to you."

Chris refused to budge.

"Right." She bit out. "Because I'm so special."

"You are." He insisted. "To me you are."

He gave up when she turned away from him. He flopped back on her pillows and tried to think of a way to salvage their evening. Rubbing his hands over his face he released an aggravated groan.

"Did I or did I not admit to being in love with you?" He bit out.

"You did."

"Then there you go!" He threw his hands up as if that solved everything.

"What are you talking about?" Chris turned towards him.

"You are the only woman I've admitted that to. The only one I felt like saying that to. The only one I've ever fallen in love with." He explained. "So me joking about all my one night stands doesn't matter."

He rolled on his side to face her.

"Because you, Christy Valentine, won't be broken hearted. I'm the one who would be devastated if I manage to screw us up."

"There you go again!" She growled.

Before he had a chance to respond, her lips crashed down on his.

He moaned as she pushed him on his back and straddled him without breaking the kiss.

"Shame on you." She slowly shook her head. "Won't even let me eat before seducing me."

He didn't bother to hide his smug smile.

"I'm sorry." His hands drifted over her body. "Any chance I can make it up to you?"

"I don't know." She reached over and set the food containers on one of her nightstands then slid back down on top of him. "I suppose you could try."

His lips curved even more as he slipped her shirt off.

"I'll give it my all." He promised.

*****************

The next afternoon...

"About time you two showed up." Dean greeted. "I was about to call and see what the holdup was."

"And I was about to ignore all good manners and eat without you." Will hugged Chris.

"Sorry we're late. I was doing things." Tobias responded.

"Hi. I'm things." Chris hugged Dean next.

Dean and Will snickered as Tobias covered his face. He couldn't hold back his own laughter over Chris's boldness.

"Good to know you two weren't doing something boring and holding up lunch." Will teased.

"I can forgive and commend doing those types of things." Dean winked at Chris. "A simple text of I can't get out of bed, go on without me would have sufficed."

"Not that we're opposed to details." Will added.

"I'll try and remember that." Tobias reached for his glass of water.

His hand settled over the one Chris had set on his leg.

She smiled at him, squeezing his thigh gently.

Unable to resist how adorably unrepentant she looked for outing their activities to his friends, he leaned over and kissed her.

"I said, details." Will teased. "Not demonstrations."

Dean threw his napkin at them when the kiss continued.

"Enough!" He couldn't stop chuckling at the two entwined. "Remember there's those of us who are still painfully single sitting here."

The couple broke apart and shared a tender smile.

"I'm starving." Chris admitted while picking up her menu.

Will and Dean noticed Tobias looking awfully proud at that statement as he settled his arm along the back of her chair to pull her closer to his side.

Deciding to let that one go by without comment, the friends discussed what appetizers to share with the couple.

[arthurhonda]

Beginnings for Day 1 of Amechu Week

A high school/Human AU where Yao just moved from China to the United States.

@amechuweek

Yao hated this. It was his senior year of high school, and of course his father got an overseas job in America’s Pacific Northwest, so now he’s spending his senior year in a foreign land with weird customs and habits.

It helped a little that he moved into an area that was highly populated with other Asian people, especially other Chinese people, but a lot of them were second or third generation, so he didn’t feel like he fit in too much. At least they spoke Mandarin fluently and he could practice his English with them.

So, Yao went to school and tried to figure out how American school’s work. It was nothing like what school was like in China. For starters, it was a much shorter day, the students were much more distant than Chinese students, and on top of that the food (if you could call it that) that was fed to the students smelled funny and tasted about as good as it looked…it didn’t.

Still, food was food, and Yao was hungry. Sitting away from everyone in a corner, he munched on…something…he assumed it was supposed to be pizza, but it tasted soggy, not that he’s eaten a lot of pizza before, but the pizza he did have tasted a whole lot better than whatever this soggy bread was supposed to be.

Looking up at the lunch tables he noticed that a lot of people were laughing together and suddenly he felt very lonely. He missed his friends back home. He missed the food back home. He missed his home so badly he wanted to cry, but his pride would not let him cry in front of all these people.

Suddenly, there was a shadow that overcame him, and he looked up to see a honey-blonde boy standing over him. The most noticeable thing about him was that he had a tuft of hair sticking straight up from his forehead.

Yao opened his mouth to ask what the boy wanted but was greeted by the most god-awful mandarin he’d ever heard. It was clear that it was supposed to be Mandarin, but the grammar was terrible, and the boy’s American accent was very strong.

“Stop. Please. I speak English.” Yao replied to the boy in English, hoping that he’d stop butchering his native language.

“Oh, didn’t know that! I’m Alfred by the way.”

“You didn’t ask. I’m Yao.”

“Was my Chinese really that bad?” The blonde asked genuinely, sitting himself next to Yao.

“It was.” Yao replied bluntly “Where’d you learn it, Duolingo?”

“Sagwa mostly. My mom had it on VHS when I was a kid.”

“What’s Sagwa?” Yao asked completely confused.

“Oh, it’s an old tv show about a Chinese cat. Yeah, not many people here know it either.”

“You learned Chinese…from a cat?”

“Yeah! Anyhow, why’re you eating over in the corner here?”

“What’s wrong with eating in the corner.”

“Well for starters you’re all alone and you look miserable dude.”

“You came all the way over here to tell me this did you?” Yao replied annoyed.

“Nah, came over here to invite you to our table. Come on!” Alfred replied, grabbing Yao by his arm before dragging him over to a group of people.

“Hey y’all this is Yao.” The annoying blonde introduced him.

“So, you got picked up by this git too?” A blonde British boy asked from across the table. “He likes picking up us foreign exchange students.”

“Dude gross, that sounds like I’m trying to hook up with y’all.” The honey blonde says as he sticks his tongue out at the other blonde.

“Please don’t fight you two.” A short black-haired boy sighed beside the British boy before turning to Yao. “I’m Kiku. Where are you from?”

“Wuhan.” Yao replied, looking at Kiku’s bento box, which looked a lot more appetizing than what he currently had.

“I thought you were Chinese?” Alfred replied, rudely stealing a fry off of Yao’s tray.

“Wuhan is a city in China, you idiot.” A tall boy with a strong Russian accent replied from behind Alfred, holding a paper bag. “Also, you are in my seat.”

The tall boy put his bag on Alfred’s head, presumably to annoy him into moving somewhere else. Alfred just looked up at the platinum blonde and gave a cheesy smile.

“My seat now Ivan. Anywho, only one we’re missing now is Francis.”

“Right here.  Who’s this?” A boy with a heavy French accent asked as he draped himself on Yao’s shoulders, who stiffly froze at the sudden contact. Alfred frowned and peeled the long haired blonde off of Yao protectively.

“His name’s Yao. Be nice to him dude!”

“Question: Did he do the terrible google translate thing with you as well?” The tall Russian boy asked Yao as he sat down besides Francis across the table, pulling out his own lunch.

“I never want to hear him try to speak French again. It was the worst thing I’ve ever heard in my life, and I wanted to cry hearing him speaking … whatever it was that he was speaking” Francis complained dramatically.

“Dude, I’m literally right here. I can hear you.” Alfred complained throwing a fry at the French boy playfully.

“Good. Then stop doing that shit.” The British boy responded.

“I’m trying to be friendly Arthur!”

“You introduced yourself to me by asking if I watch Doctor Who.”

“You do watch Dr. Who.” Kiku said with a soft smile towards Arthur.

“Whose side are you on?” Arthur complained weakly.

Yao couldn’t help but watch as everyone conversed freely with each other, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. He suddenly felt a heavy hand clap on his shoulder, and he turned to look at Alfred, who had a very serious look on his face.

“Listen man, anyone makes fun of you for any reason or hurts you in any way, you come to me, and I’ll take care of it.”

Yao gave the honey blonde a look of disbelief.

“Why would you do that for a random kid you just met?”

A bright wide smile broke out onto Alfred’s face, making everything seem alright with the world.

“Because I’m the hero, and that’s what hero’s do.”

“You literally stole fries off of my tray mister hero.” Yao laughed as Alfred tries to come up with an excuse.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here. These people didn’t seem so bad, and everyone accepted him instantly. The only thing he’d change right now is the food. Maybe he could make some food to share with everyone tomorrow.

He’s glad Alfred came over to say hi to him.

[hellcatinnc]

Fluffruary Day 16 - Under The Stars

(Movie/play)

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Warning This includes: SFW (Read Tags Before Continuing)

Tags: sfw, fluff, movie night, movie date, chinese food, date, home date, dancing, singing, snuggles, snacks, little moments, cuddles in bed, romantic fluff, romance, romantic, romcom, kisses, forehead kisses

Word Count: 1,632

Feature: Ichthys x Fem! Reader

Theme: Alt. Movie/Play

@fluffruaryprompts

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You and Ichthys had been dating for nearly a year however you couldn't always be with him and he couldn't always be with you since he was a god after all. You two had a door connected though so whenever he would get a moment he would stop in and see you which made you so happy. It may be 5 minutes with him or a hour either way he was making so many efforts to make sure not only did you not forget him but that you were on his mind all the time, you were very much loved. One night he came knocking at your door, you opened it as he smothered you in kisses. He missed you so much and it had been at least a week since you had seen him, you had been missing him just as much. You followed through with his kiss that had turned so passionate you never wanted to let go. After a bit he eventually broke from your lips.

"I'm off all this evening, lets go a to a movie or go to a play tonight...anything!" He sounded so energetic and playful when he said it. You couldn't help but see him as a sweet little puppy bouncing around your apartment trying to make plans without knowing where to start. You take out your smartphone and scan the movie and plays listings in your town. You find a few good choices now to find him and let him know. You walk through the apartment and find him on the balcony, you walk up beside him but he must have been lost in thought since you startled him. He turned around looking pleased to see you before wrapping his arms around you and picking you up. Now that he was acting more like himself you went on to tell him about what you had found. "So there is a movie theater not far from here its playing the movie at 8pm called Lov......" He shut your mouth as he pressed his lips to yours. At first you wanted him to stop so you could finish what you were saying, but you never could push him away for long those long kisses captivated you.

"We are going to watch a movie here alone snuggled up that sounds more fun, to be able to hold my girl." As you heard his words you smiled because you could agree, neither of you were the most extroverted anyways so this would work better and since you two hadn't seen each other lately being wrapped up with covers and a movie on the couch sounded perfect. After you both made this decision you went to the store to get snacks and something for supper on the way home. His job was to find a movie to watch and make their movie room comfy and dark. You weren't really gone too long and you had a few bags of snacks not sure if he was in a sweet or salty mood so you got both. You stopped by and got Chinese food for supper, which was two doors down from your apartment. Soon as you got back you fumbled holding things and putting the key in the lock, but he heard you and ran to the door. As the door opened your eyes met and you felt like you were in a dream.

Literally the whole apartment radiated a starfield. You had shooting stars shooting across your apartment, trickling stars that fall down like snow, and rose petals all over the floors in every room. He went all out to make this not only a sweet and comfy evening but he made it romantic which caught you off guard. It had been so long since he made you feel so special, with all his godly duties makes it harder than ever. You refuse to give up on him though he has your heart and no mortal will come close to making you feel the way he does inside. He takes the stuff out of your arms and sits it down then takes your hand and walks you through the apartment. In every room it feels like they have their own story to tell with the look of the beauty in the skies.

It may not be real to most but you know that with his powers he could give you everything or anything your heart desires. He even tried to in the beginning then he realized moments like this with him was way more of a treasure. The memories you build with him you would give everything up in the world for just one of them. You wrapped your arms around his neck as a shooting star trails across the ceiling you softly kiss his lips so tender and with passion. He wraps his arms around you pulling you into him kissing all your needs and wants away. You felt like you were just falling in love with him again, it never fails he does moments like this that make you love him even more. As you break from the beautiful kiss he snaps his finger and slow music starts to play starting with your favorite song. "May I have this dance?" You giggle as he says that when your already in his arms but you smile and let him lead.

As he held you so close he softly sang the song in your ear, although he isn't the best singer right in this moment he could sing off tune and you wouldn't care because to your heart he sings at just the right melody. You leaned your head into him eyes closed hanging on every word he sings as you sway in his arms as he leads you across the floor. It was the most sweetest moment yet one that is so sincere and you hold close to your heart. You softly coo and smile as you get lost in this moment. You both dance for a little bit before he walks you to the living room which he has already set up like a movie theater under the stars. He goes and gets the supper together and some plates and comes back with the food and snacks in hand. Yes he could have snapped his fingers for all this but he wanted to also make it feel like a normal date minus the stars he wanted to wow you with.

He sat down beside you with a food tray he set it all up for you with supper and snacks just for you. He knows how you like m & m's and gummy bears however you have certain flavors you don't like and he takes the extra time to take out all the ones you dont like by shoving them in his own mouth. He is the best boyfriend you could ask for. After you two eat and are stuffed while watching the movie he picked out which surprisingly enough was a romantic movie. In this moment to cherish as he wraps his arm around you pulling you into his arms, he kisses your forehead. He makes you feel like your the only woman in the world that could make a god fall in love with them. You were so comfy with movie night with him, it may have been a simple date even with a god but he has learned better than to be too outlandish you want this instead. You felt so comfy in his arms that you were thankful you had seen the movie before because you ended up falling asleep in his arms.

He let you just lay in his arms as he watched the movie he made a note where you had fell asleep in so you could see it later. He softly ran his fingers through your hair as he rubbed your head. He knew with work you were so tired and busy all the time but he has learned since being with you these moments meant more to him now. He loves making you smile and would give up everything just to make you happy. He squeezes you a little tighter as he leans down kissing your forehead and whispers softly "I love you more than you will ever know, you are my everything." You softly hear his words even though your sleeping your in and out a bit enough to hear his words as you feel a smile now showing across your face. Your heart heard every word even if you didn't hear it all and thats what matters.

This movie date night was one of your favorite times together. He ends up picking you up and moving you to the bed after a bit as he pulls the covers up on you and tucks you in. As he goes to leave you reach out grabbing on the end of his shirt as he had turned to walk out. Although he wasn't leaving he was just going to go clean up the moment you tugged on his shirt, his attention was all yours. As you reached out for him he climbed in bed beside you. He pulled you close letting you get comfy back in his arms, he knew there was no need in fighting it but he was staying with you all night and planned to watch over you as he is there. As you lay your head on his chest, half asleep as he hears your words before your back into a deep sleep. "I love you just as much...." He smiled knowing apart of you had heard his declaration of his love earlier at that moment. He laid his head against you as he closed his eyes for such a wonderful end to a movie date.

[enchantedflameandflower]

Glimmer 18/? Billy Butcher fic!

NOTES! - The seeds of doubt that always spur change start to grow in Addison. This chapter was written before Season 3. Please reblog or comment if you like ♥

Tag List: @2dead2function @secretdreamlandmentality

Billy Butcher Master list

The alarm on Addison's phone went off at 7am. As sunlight filled the little room, she rolled over groggily to turn and snuggle into Billy, but was a little surprised when she realized he wasn't there. She stilled to listen. The water was running in the bathroom, so he must've woken even earlier. Addison stretched sleepily and let her mind wander to the image of Billy in the shower.

He came in the bedroom a few minutes later, a white towel wrapped around his waist, his hair damp and disheveled, looking better than even her imagination could conjure. Addison's mouth went dry at the sight and she made a soft, approving sound that made him chuckle.

"Mornin', sunshine. What do ya have planned today?"

"Meetings starting early," she answered, curling up again on her side to watch him. "And therapy…" she sighed. "Then...surveillance with you?"

He walked over to his closet, picking out one of the many loud shirts and pulling it on, leaving the front unbuttoned. "Suppose so, since it seems I have no choice in the matter."

"Perfect," she smiled and he smirked at her. "Mind if I take a turn in the shower?"

Billy grunted a reply from across the room as he was sorting through the middle drawer of his dresser.

Addison tossed the blankets aside and stood from the bed without bothering to grab any of her clothes. She smiled to herself as she felt his warm gaze follow her all the way to the bathroom.

It was later than she had planned when she was finally able to meet Billy in the van he was using for surveillance. She stopped to grab dinner on the way, a random assortment of cartons of Chinese food from her favorite nearby place.

MM had helped him plant a bug early, but audio only and by the time Addison arrived, Billy was alone.

"How's it going?" she asked after making sure no one was around to see her go into the van and locking the door behind her.

"A whole fuck lot of nothin'," he grumbled.

"I brought food," she held up the two bags in her hands, hoping that might at least improve his mood a little.

He grunted and she supposed that would have to do for now, but then he pulled up a chair close to him for her and she smiled - at the back of his head but still - and started laying out the food on the little table they had. They shared the cartons between them, taking turns eating from each of them as they wanted and Addison was grateful MM wasn't there; he might have a coronary.

Their target lived alone and they listened to him shuffle around his apartment and watch tv, but nothing much more happened for hours.

"He's at the top of me list but I can't get nothin' concrete on him yet. He had a dodgy phone call two nights ago but it was damn short he didn't say enough. There's got to be something else soon."

Addison pulled the files and the notes Billy had made over to read while they listened and had to agree with his conclusion. Any other likely candidate had good alibis and marks in their favor of innocence, and this guy had none. She looked at his picture trying to place him but it wasn't anyone she knew.

"What else did they tell you about the leak?" Addison asked, looking up at Billy from the files on the table.

"Seems like they had hints of it for a couple weeks, abnormalities in the logs, but nothing solid and nothing indicating what servers were even being accessed. The attempt on your life pointed them in the right direction. A number of files were compromised, but you're the only one that's been hit." Billy lifted his hand to rub at his jaw, deep in thought. "I think it were a diversion...hackin' different files, to hide who they were after until they got the chance to get to you. Time'll tell I 'spose."

Addison nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Why her though? She couldn't help thinking about all the enemies her father had likely made while he was alive, but she didn't say it out loud. Not yet. It was more likely someone was knocking off supes, especially ones in important positions, but she didn't really want to talk to Billy about that yet either.

After awhile the folding chair got uncomfortable and Addison stood to stretch. Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing came through their audio and Billy and Addison both froze.

"Yeah," their target answered in a tight voice and they exchanged looks. Not a friendly call, then.

"They locked it all up; I'm trying my best but it's going to take time." His tone was strained, he didn't sound particularly confident or strong and it was immediately clear to Addison why Billy didn't think he was the one at the top.

Billy motioned for Addison to come closer, and she sat next to him again, rapt.

"I -"

The audio cut out and there was static as some kind of interference messed with their tech.

"C'mon," Billy growled at their receiver, pounding his hand on the table, but the sound was still garbled.

"Fuck," Billy scowled. "Can you listen, Addi? Can you hear anything?" he barked, turning toward her.

Addison blinked, startled. The apartment building was huge and she had no idea in which part of it this guy even lived. There were probably thousands of people.

"I -" she started, but Billy was looking at her so fiercely, and he reached to turn the receiver off.

"I can try," she whispered.

She closed her eyes but she could feel Billy staring at her. All different sounds flooded her brain all at once as she opened her senses to the building and she winced, flinching at the sudden sharp pain in her head.

"Addi?" Billy said with concern and reached out to touch her arm but she shook him off, pushing his voice from her mind.

She focused in on the building again, sifting through each noise, looking for their target, searching for his voice, but she'd only heard two sentences of him speaking.

The combination of thousands of different sounds in the building all at once was intense and the strain in her mind increased. She held on as long as she could, but then her concentration broke, and she gasped as it felt like a firework went off inside her brain.

Addison dropped her head in her hand as her forehead throbbed, and cursed herself. Billy's hand slid over her shoulder, his strong fingers coming to rest on the base of her neck.

"I shouldna asked you to do that, love. You okay?" His voice was heavy with concern.

Addison took a breath and forced herself to sit up and shake it off, feeling bad for making him worry, and angry with herself for not being able to help. "Yeah." She swallowed. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just too many people, and I don't know enough about what I'm looking for. If I knew him -"

"It's fine. We got enough, we don't need it. I'm sure it's him now. We'll plant better tech tomorrow when he goes out."

Addison sighed to herself. More danger, for MM and Frenchie, and Billy... If only she had any real power they could literally sit in this van without having to plant anything at all, without having to take any risk. Why couldn't it be a tiny house in the middle of nowhere? Why couldn't she do something useful?

Addison's head throbbed again and she must've made some sound because Billy's fingers started rubbing her neck. It felt incredible and some of the worst of the sharp pain started to soften.

"Thank you," she murmured, without looking up.

"Let's call it a night, sunshine. It's late; the twat's probably goin' to bed anyway."

Addison nodded her head, glancing at her watch. It was already after midnight and suddenly she felt exhausted. They moved the van and Billy drove them back to his apartment. She dozed off in his car on the way there but woke as soon as he parked. To her dismay, her head was pounding again as she shucked off her clothes to climb into bed but Billy slid in next to her, pulling her into his arms and against his warm chest. He rubbed her back, long sweeps up and down and slow circles while she tried to calm her mind and somehow she was able to fall into a deep sleep.

***

Please reblog or comment if you like!!! ♥ Love you all!

Chapter 19

[lisatelramor]

Crossing Borders Ch1

Earlier in the year I gave the hypothetical question of "If I were to write something, what would you want me to write?" and someone mentioned a crossover of Untamed(or MDZS) and Detective Conan, and my brain went "HMMMM." Months and months later, I finally have something to show for it haha. I could have put this out a month earlier if only I'd sit down and edit >_>;; Anyway, whoever requested this, I hope you like it! It's complete and I'll be posting one chapter a week til it's done. Thanks to Meridiangrimm for bouncing ideas with me in the early planning of this story!

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If there was an ideal way to visit China for the first time, Conan was absolutely sure that this was not it. For one, they’d only come because of a sketchy prize trip Kogoro got for some mountain getaway. A trip for three, so lucky him, he’d been dragged along. Which was a problem considering ‘Conan’ didn’t have a passport. Plane shenanigans and a new extra-short-term antidote had been the answer there, so Conan—or Shinichi, rather—got into China in one piece, but it turned out that this mountain getaway was in the middle of nowhere.

And their rental car was… kind of terrible.

It had broken down two kilometers from the parking lot for this place, only for them to find that the only way to reach it was to literally walk up the mountain with hundreds of stairs and gravel pathways like it had been designed by some person who thought cardio was the only way to live life. It had taken a phone call to get the car replaced, an hour of exhausting climbing, and Kogoro swearing under his breath as they dragged their suitcases to reach the gates. Gates that looked like they’d be more fitting in a monastic setting than a resort.

Honestly, at this point Conan had started to wonder if the resort existed at all, except there had been several cars in the parking lot, and there were people wandering around that weren’t in old-fashioned robes with cellphones and cameras in hand, so clearly this place was famous for something. Definitely not for its logistics as a tourist place though.

That was about the point where a …monk?... of some sort came up and greeted them, triple checked the tickets, and led them to the plainest looking guest rooms he’d ever seen.

Honestly, there were no electric outlets, a basic overhead light, a working bathroom, and beds with mattresses so thin that they barely qualified as such.

“What the hell?” Mouri fumed after their guide had left them with a time for dinner in stilted Japanese and a handful of English pamphlets. “What is this, a hotel or a monastery? There’d better at least be good food and booze up here.”

“Actually,” Conan said, picking up one of the pamphlets that seemed to be made up of things guests were not allowed to do, “it looks like alcohol is forbidden here. As is smoking and other recreational drugs.”

“You’re shitting me.” The pamphlet was ripped from his hands as Kogoro squinted at the English and Mandarin printed on the page. “What kind of shitty resort is this?!”

“It’s not a resort,” Ran said, looking at a brochure with pictures of the mountain and the compound’s buildings. “It’s a place for people to retreat from the modern world and reconnect with their inner selves—or something. My English isn’t that great.” Ran looked at her father. “What kind of contest did you enter?”

“One of those ball lotto thingies. There’s a little old Chinese lady by the racetracks with a food shop and she had a drawing going…”

Sketchy. Very very sketchy, Conan thought, side-eying Mouri. What small shop would have a prize be an over-seas trip? “Please tell me there are return tickets,” Conan said.

“Oi, of course there are, brat!” Mouri growled, swiping at him. Conan ducked away with the remaining brochure in hand. “Ugh. Should have known this was too good to be true.”

“Well,” Ran said, always trying to put a bright side to things, “At least we get a few days to see China. And it’s really nice up here. Maybe this is still a good chance to relax. The brochure says they have tea ceremonies and meditation and music that you can take part in.”

“Let me guess, flirting with guests is also forbidden,” Mouri grumbled. “Please tell me there’s at least a hot spring here.”

“Nope, but there’s a cold spring,” Conan said, eying the map. A cold spring, flower and rock gardens, a dozen or so buildings, and, weirdly, an area just labeled ‘animals.’ Was it a petting zoo? Farm animals? Dogs?

“Who the hell would want to swim in cold water?” Mouri asked. He heaved a sigh and sat on one of the dubious-looking beds. “Ugh. Maybe I’ll just hole up here and catch up on my sleep.”

“But… We should take the opportunity,” Ran said. “You like music.”

“I like Pop music. With a place like this, it’s probably all traditional stuff. Maybe I’ll just hike down to the nearest town and stay there while you two enjoy the monastic life.”

“Otou-san,” Ran complained.

Honestly, Conan wouldn’t mind not having Mouri around for a while. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to endure his snoring. There had to be something here that would catch his interest, so it wasn’t like he’d get bored. If nothing else, there were probably some trails with a great view considering they were on a mountain. Maybe he’d go find some pretty sights and take photos for souvenirs. The Detective Boys would probably like that.

“Well, whatever we do, we should probably eat dinner here,” Conan said. “The timing seems pretty strict according to the notes.” The map had a bullet list of different numbers with descriptions. Each meal wasn’t more than an hour long, and breakfast was held at six in the morning. Conan hoped there would be coffee or having to get up that early was going to be hell.

Mouri huffed a sigh. “Fine, but if it’s miserable after a day, we’re leaving.”

Ran smiled and started unpacking their bags into the provided clothing chest. Conan took another look at the map. The trails looked like a nice enough way to pass some time. Although after all that climbing, he would prefer someplace to relax.

Well, there was a library listed. Even if they didn’t have a large selection of books in other languages, he could probably find something interesting there until it was time to eat.

“Ran-neesan, I’m going to go to the library for a bit.”

“On your own?” Ran asked, looking up from arranging socks to one side of the chest.

“It should be fine. If I get lost, I can ask for help. There’s a lot of people here.”

“Be careful then!” Ran said, letting him go like he knew she would. “It’s only an hour until dinner so don’t stay too long!” Mouri didn’t even look up from where he was flopped on one of the beds, an arm thrown over his eyes.

Conan smiled as he shut the door behind him. Now he could explore.

*o*o*

Wei Ying couldn’t say that the Cloud Recesses were his favorite place in the world. There were hundreds of nit-picky rules, it was literally in the middle of nowhere up a mountain, and the cell reception and internet speed both sucked. But it was also where his boyfriend lived, and between that and the fact that he’d brokered a deal to use their library for research even after his controversial theories on cultivation got him more or less excommunicated from the rest of the cultivating world went a long way toward making up for the drawbacks. The Lan had the biggest collection of cultivation texts, probably even bigger than Qishan Wen, not that they ever shared their knowledge with other sects. Wei Ying was willing to put up with rules, and working with tourists or clients so that he could keep working on his theories.

Did those theories have to get looked over by a council to determine if he could move on to practical testing? Yes. But most of them actually got approved, and the talismans alone were earning him a permanent place in the Lan’s stuffy academic hierarchy.

Talisman research was why Wei Ying was in the back corner of the library today, crowded in by tall shelves of stupidly old books and scrolls. The sort of books that were old enough that most of them were hand-written and bound in traditional styles. Only cultivators bothered to go back this far. Visitors, when they chose to go in the library at all, tended to stick with the more modern, mass-printed sections of the library.

Which was why it was noticeable when soft footsteps lingered near his aisle.

Wei Ying looked up from a text on the evolution of warding talismans in the last three hundred years to spy a child frowning up at the labels on the shelves. Probably wondering why there were so many shelves dedicated to occult and religious things. Or maybe not, Wei Ying thought, as the child muttered something that definitely wasn’t Mandarin or any other dialect that Wei Ying knew. So, foreign guest maybe?

“Are you lost?” Wei Ying asked in English, figuring that was the safest bet with a foreigner.

The child twitched in a way that would have been a jump-scare if he hadn’t clearly stopped the motion before it could fully start. Wide eyes framed with thick-rimmed glasses looked his direction. “Oh, excuse me. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. Accented English, but not Chinese accented, and not completely American either. Wei Ying had watched enough English television to hear that much, but like heck if he could place where in the world the rest of the accent came from. Being Asian didn’t necessarily have to mean he was from Asia.

Wei Ying shoved the musings of linguistics aside to size the kid up. Kinda scrawny, in shorts and a button-up that would fit in with the preppie civilian clothes some of the Lan wore. Definitely needed new glasses because those were so big they didn’t look like they were made for his face. “Just looking around?” Wei Ying asked since his first question hadn’t been answered.

“Uh…” The kid sized him up right back, lingering on Wei Ying’s long, messy hair, and the black ripped jeans he kept because they were so comfortable. “Yes. I was hoping to find something to read.”

“English?” Wei Ying asked. He pushed his research aside; nothing that wouldn’t keep for a bit.

“Mm, or Japanese.”

Ah, Japanese. That solved the linguistic mystery. “There is an English section, but I don’t know how much of it is children’s books.” If anything, the section was full of self-help books, meditation and spirituality guides, and a rag-tag collection of fiction books left by guests over the decades. The Mandarin language books had a whole section for kids in comparison.

The child wrinkled his nose a bit, like Wei Ying had given him an insult. “I can read adult books.”

“Uh. Okay.” In English? Wei Ying eyed the kid. Maybe he was just…a bilingual prodigy or something because most kids that little weren’t reading proper chapter books yet. Well, he could roll with that. “Follow me then, I guess.”

There was something unnerving about this child that Wei Ying couldn’t put his finger on. Not the requesting adult books; kids wanted to act older than they were all the time. It was more the way he moved, like someone aware of his body in the way kids weren’t, and how he looked around. There were a lot of children who’d visited—or lived at—the Cloud Recesses, and while the Lan kids were mostly polite and quiet, even they got easily distracted and fidgeted and all those other things kids did before adults trained it out of them. This kid looked more like someone who’d been on a few too many night hunts gone wrong, which wasn’t exactly the sort of thing that indicated a safe childhood.

Maybe that was why he was here though. Maybe someone had sent him along for the Lan’s special brand of ‘therapy.’

The little corner of foreign books was probably the most comfortable area in the library, in part due to it being the area that tourists used most often. There were chairs with actual cushions and Western style desks in contrast to the traditional seating in the deeper parts of the library. The lighting was brighter and it looked like a place someone could relax in instead of someplace only fit for hours of private study.

Wei Ying waved a hand at the shelves. “There isn’t many, but this is it.”

“Thanks,” the boy said, zeroing in on the nearest shelf like Wei Ying’s troublesome donkey would go for an apple. He skipped straight past the self-help, meditation guides, and art books, straight to the sad collection of fiction.

This kid was definitely looking at those books and judging them.

“…is this really it?” He wrinkled his nose at the spine of a paperback novel that Wei Ying had found very… evocative. Provocative? Hell, his English wasn’t good enough for the kind of prose in there. There was only so many times someone said the word ‘cock’ before he figured out that a chicken wasn’t involved.

“That’s really it,” Wei Ying said.

The boy sighed and picked out a well-read novel that looked like some kind of cheesy, themed mystery.

“You know, there are other things to do.”

“But only an hour until dinner,” the kid said, pulling himself and the book onto one of the chairs.

Oh yeah. Food. Hmm. Wei Ying could go to the dining hall tonight. Or he could skip and Lan Zhan would probably sneak food to him later. Eh, he was pretty sure he was getting to the interesting part in the book, where people truly started innovating with talismans. “Happy reading then,” Wei Ying said, waving as he turned back toward his study nook. The boy hummed distractedly, apparently already engaged with the novel. Good on him then.

Wei Ying went back to taking notes.

*o*o*

The library was huge, and it wasn’t what Conan had hoped. Between not knowing Chinese beyond a few words and phrases, the different meanings of similar characters, and not knowing how the classification system worked to even begin sorting out how things were organized, he was left with only a shelf’s worth of books to leaf through. Well, no, two shelves. But the other shelf was non-fiction, and even if Conan’s English was good enough to read novels, it wasn’t good enough for the sort of technical terms he’d be finding in most of those books.

For such a big library, it was honestly surprising how few people were in it. Conan had passed a few people near the entrance, and a few more tucked away in the stacks, but they had all been dead silent as they worked, making the library feel like a cartoonish stereotype where if he so much as spoke, someone would appear to shush him.

Thankfully, one person looked a bit more approachable in the back of the stacks.

The books there were older, some hand-bound and clearly showing signs of years of use. Not that Conan could tell what they were about. The man in the corner was young, with ripped jeans and dark clothing and paper strewn around him, standing out like a sore thumb in the pale neutrality of their surroundings. Not wearing the robes that some of the people were, or the modest dress of many of the guests, but clearly comfortable here from the way he sprawled in the chair and the number of books piled on his desk.

He'd looked up and met Conan’s eyes, spoken English first, and that was the only reason he felt he could interrupt. It felt wrong to interrupt the silent studiers, but not if he was being addressed first.

Conan was lucky that he spoke English—actually pretty good English, though maybe it wasn’t surprising considering that there were tourists here, and enough of them spoke English for there to even be a collection of English books.

No Japanese though. A few in French, or Russian, a fantasy novel in Spanish, and a couple that Conan didn’t immediately recognize the language, but no Japanese. At least he was proficient enough in English to enjoy a mystery novel, even if it looked predictable and had a tacky pun in its title.

Conan almost lost track of the time reading. The hush of the library was surprisingly peaceful, and the actual contents of the novel weren’t terrible. If the story was going where he thought it was, it might be a nice twist to the usual tropes. But the clock was ticking, and meals were only available for an hour. Resolving to finish the book later, Conan returned it to its place and stretched.

It was kind of nice to have a minute to just read. No cases, no homework, no small children at his heels or being self-conscious of how he acted for a bit.

Back to being a grade schooler, then. Ugh.

It was a few minutes past time to eat already, and Ran was probably starting to wonder where he was. Conan paused before he left, though, because the man that showed him the books hadn’t left yet either, and if he’d immersed himself in books again, he might not remember to eat. Not that it was Conan’s business whether people took care of themselves or not, but this person had been kind enough to spare a moment. Conan could spare one back.

The man was back to being hunched over the desk, frowning down at what looked like an arcane diagram in the book closest to him. The notes on the table had similar scrawlings with little offshoots of characters around it like they were commentary or something. What on earth was he studying?

Conan cleared his throat. The man twitched, leaving a streak of ink on his notes. Why write with a brush when there were perfectly useful pens or pencils? “Excuse me,” Conan said. “It’s dinner time. If you wanted to eat, you should probably go soon.”

“Mm?” The man messed his hair up even more as he ran a hand through it, strands pulling free of a messy bun. He blinked at Conan with a distracted frown. “What about dinner?”

“It’s the time the brochure says they’re serving it.”

The man looked at a backwards wrist watch. “Oh. Huh. Time flies.” He stretched, back popping like popcorn, and offered Conan a grin. “Thanks, kid, but I was going to skip it and have my boyfriend sneak me illicit food later.” He winked, like this was a secret, but considering Conan had just met him, he probably just told this sort of thing to anyone. “You should go though, since guests don’t have that option.” Ah, not a guest confirmed. “I recommend heavy use of any condiments on the table; the food here is bland as hell.”

With that, he gave a friendly wave and Conan was left pausing for a moment before leaving. Well then. Not a guest, allowed to access anything in the library from the look of it, and dating someone who had access to the kitchens, or at least a kitchen. If that person was a native to this place, it had to have been interesting circumstances that led to him dating a man that looked like the opposite of this place’s aesthetics.

*o*o*

The food was just as bland as he was warned. Conan picked at vegetarian fare with little enthusiasm as Mouri glowered down at his food like it personally insulted him. Besides the clack of bowls and chopsticks, it’s dead quiet too, because everyone was discouraged from speaking. Ran, at the start of the meal, had tried a positive “It looks very nutritious,” but even she looked like she was wishing for some kind of spices. The food would be perfect for a monk or someone recovering from starvation. Not so much for people tired and hungry after a long day getting there.

“Is this a prison or a monastery?” Mouri grumbled under his breath, pushing tofu and cooked greens around the thin-broth soup.

Ran gave him a warning look. One of the guests had already been stared into silence for breaking that particular rule and she clearly didn’t want the negative attention directed their way.

Conan gave up on the bitter greens and focused on his rice. That, at least, was cooked to perfection even if it hadn’t been cooked with anything to add a bit of flavor. The silence was boring, and with nothing to hold his attention—the food certainly wasn’t managing that—Conan turned to people watching.

The guests looked to be from varied walks of life, and from around the world. Surprisingly, only about half appeared to be Asian. How people from Europe, Africa, or the Americas had even heard of this place was beyond his understanding; Mouri hadn’t even found a web page for it. And yet there almost thirty visitors from the looks of it, not including Conan’s group. There didn’t seem to be anything obvious about why they were here, but Conan could guess that it involved a need for some kind of retreat from the modern world, or maybe some form of therapy considering some of the books in the library.

Which only raised questions for why Mouri had ended up with tickets to this place. This wasn’t exactly the sort of thing anyone pictured when they won a ‘getaway’ in a foreign country.

The guests closest to him were around college age, toeing the line of no conversation at meals by elbow nudges and exaggerated facial expressions that had each other biting lips to hold in giggles.

All except for one of them.

Conan forgot about his food entirely, focused on a girl at the edge of the group that kept glancing toward the door like she was waiting for someone to enter. One of her friends nudged her and she gave a grimace-like smile before going back to door-watching. She’d barely touched her food.

Conan narrowed his eyes as the girl’s neighbor whispered something to her, a response back, shared frowns and a glance at the door before a shrug and the soft hum of a dismissal. The cold stare of the permanent residents turned their direction. The girl didn’t even seem to notice, her worry now joined with frustration.

Something was wrong.

Of course something was wrong. When had he last been able to enjoy a trip without something going wrong? Conan sighed and started paying closer attention to the group and anyone looking at them. Statistically speaking, if someone was dead—it was practically a foregone conclusion with how his luck seemed to run these days—then they probably were done in by someone in the friend group. Barring the odd habits of serial killers, most murders were done by people who knew the victim. Sure, there was the odd random shooting or stabbing from a mugging gone wrong, an occasional hit and run car accident, or other accidental murders, but premeditated murder tended to be personal.

Conan really hoped that their friend was just running late.

*o*o*

Wei Ying finally had a breakthrough about a half hour later, finally finding a source that actually brushed on his research without condemning it wholesale. He was furiously scrawling notes and theories and ping-ponging ideas as fast as they came to him when the dull clang of a bell started somewhere on the premises. Not, he realized, the same bell for meal call or wakeup and curfew. This, resonating and repetitive, was some sort of alarm.

In the year or so that Wei Ying had been at the Cloud Recesses, he had never heard this particular bell. There had been incidents with visitors, an escaped ghost, and a bunch of cattle somehow getting all the way up the mountain, but none of them had ever triggered that bell.

Wei Ying put down his writing and left the deep stacks for the nearest window.

Outside, the distinctive white robes of Lan cultivators moved with impressive speed—considering running was forbidden—in pairs in all directions. Patrols. And coming up the path was a cultivator with a body, red staining white. Shit.

From this distance, it wasn’t clear if the body belonged to a resident or a guest, but the fact that they were being carried in someone’s arms instead of a stretcher probably meant that whoever it was had died. …He really hoped it wasn’t a resident. No offense to the guests, but he’d grown a bit attached to some of the people here.

This was probably way outside his allowed duties, but really, who could sit back when someone was dead? Wei Ying abandoned his work and headed toward the body. He could help. Surely someone was going to play Inquiry to figure out what had killed the person, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t find out more at the site. No one here might like the fact that Wei Ying wasn’t squeamish about sensing and interpreting resentful energy, but no one could argue that he wasn’t good at it.

He could feel threads of resentment as he got closer. They were taking the body to the clinic, probably to examine it for injuries and cause of death. However this person died, it wasn’t a good death.

“Hey,” he said to one of the power-walking cultivators moving his direction. “What happened?”

The man—Wei Ying really should know people’s names by now and yet—grimaced. “A guest fell off a cliff. One of the junior disciples spotted him while on patrol.”

“On one of the walking trails?”

“No.” The man gave a quick shake of his head. “A good ways off them, closer to the ward boundaries. Guests aren’t even allowed in that area.”

“An accident?” Wei Ying asked, already knowing it wasn’t with that kind of resentment lingering already.

“Yet to be seen. I think they’re planning to play Inquiry after everyone is escorted to their lodgings.” The cultivator shifted, eyes darting in the direction he was headed. “We’re doing a sweep on the off chance something got through the wards. Lan Qiren will direct you where you’d be useful.”

Without a goodbye, the man hurried away. Wei Ying frowned after him. Well, he wouldn’t be reporting to Lan Qiren. That would only get him stuck doing something boring and tedious like babysitting the rest of the guests when he could be actually useful investigating. Wei Ying cast a look at the path toward the clinic. Look at the body first, or the cliff? Hmm. The body wasn’t going anywhere unless it woke up as a fierce corpse and fought its way out. The cliff, on the other hand, was outdoors and subject to the whims of nature—or tampering.

Wei Ying wasn’t the least bit surprised when he found Lan Zhan heading the same direction. Alone, but who would order around the current Lan heir if he didn’t want to take a partner? Naturally, Wei Ying could fill that role just fine. They’d done night hunts together enough that it’s easy to fall into step.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said.

“Mm.” Lan Zhan tilted his head toward an area of the mountain that Wei Ying had never explored—it was a large mountain, and for all he liked to slip in and out of the wards sometimes on his own, it wasn’t like he’d explored everywhere.

“Inquiry?” Wei Ying asked as they stepped off the path.

“I will perform it on site. My brother will play to the body.”

“Ah, because the spirit could be either place.” Some souls stuck with their corpse. Others, especially people with violent deaths, frequently haunted the place they’d died in. Rarely, there were lingering traces in both places, resentful energy talking whatever path it could as it leeched into the environment.

Whoever retrieved the body left a marker charged with spiritual energy, and the closer they get, the more Wei Ying could feel the tingling pulse of it. The marker, he would admit with no little pride, was one of the talismans he’d made in recent years to aid night hunts. Yeah, there was always flare talismans, and modern tech was great for communication, but sometimes a hunt got interrupted or there were details that needed double checked at a later time. Having a marker made things so much easier to find.

There was the chill of resentful energy underneath the hum of the marker, subtle enough that most cultivators probably wouldn’t notice. Something so fresh, the spirit often hadn’t fully regrouped yet, hadn’t even had a chance to fully feel the impact of their unjust death. It made it less of a haunting here, and more of an echo, the malicious energy of whoever did the act twining in with the growing resentment of a spirit piecing itself toward consciousness. Wei Ying came to a stop by the marker talisman with Lan Zhan at his side.

“Bet you a bottle of Emperor’s Smile that it was murder,” Wei Ying said, looking at the sharp drop ahead. In spring, it might be a small waterfall, but without snowmelt, it was nothing more than a patch of rocky ground with a nice view—unless someone were to fall off the ledge and onto the jagged rocks below. The body had to have been flown out; this wasn’t a spot to easily climb from any direction.

“No bet,” Lan Zhan said. He pulled out his guqin and settled on a nearby boulder.

“But it would be such an easy win,” Wei Ying said wistfully even as he crouched down to examine the ground. Footprints, but it was hard to tell if they belonged to more than one person; they were all approximately the same size.

“I will buy you some later, no bet needed.”

“Ah, breaking the rules for me. It’s no wonder your uncle thinks I’ve thoroughly corrupted you.” Wei Ying snorted as Lan Zhan kept a perfectly unimpressed look on his face. “You love me.”

“I do.”

Wei Ying almost tripped over his feet as he stood up, sputtering. “You can’t just say things like that! There’s a maybe murder scene right there!”

“Hm.” The tiniest smile flickered at the corners of Lan Zhan’s mouth before his fingers touched his instrument’s strings. Then it was pushed away, Lan Zhan’s whole bearing shifting to his task.

Wei Ying only knew a few phrases of the musical language, but he could appreciate its eerie beauty, the call and answer along the strings.

At any rate, something was answering. Time to do his job. Wei Ying took a breath, centering himself and his energies. People, things, could leave impressions. Resentful energy could gather in a touch, or an object. Here the energy seemed to slip in close to the footprints at the edge, almost like there hadn’t been ill intent until last moment. And yet the energy didn’t retreat with the footsteps away from the cliff either, like it appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as quickly.

Wei Ying frowned at the scruff in dirt and gravel right at the edge. The slip of a foot. A bit of blood on a sharp rock jutting up near the lip of the cliff—maybe an attempt to catch himself? He’d have to see the body to know for sure. And below—

There was a lot of blood down there. A broken bone through the skin or a head wound. Maybe both. The rubble at the bottom was jagged enough that it could have been a quick death if the victim had fallen at a bad angle. Or maybe a good angle because the other option was a slow, agonizing death as he bled out.

There was resentment down there though, gathered in the blood, so it probably hadn’t been instantaneous. A quick death wouldn’t be this strong this fast. The victim must have had time to think of regrets or anger or the pain.

He pulled his sword out of the qiankun pocket sewn into his pants, stepping on it without bothering to unsheathe it. Suiban carried him down, its blade patient and level as they balanced a handful of centimeters above the blood. Ah. There, the impression of fingers scraped in the patch of sandy pebbles tucked between larger rocks. An attempt to move, maybe, but injuries prevented it.

Wei Ying glanced up at Lan Zhan, the sounds of Inquiry still plucking to life above him. …Technically Wei Ying wasn’t supposed to do what he was about to do. But technically no one explicitly said he couldn’t do it, just implied. Lan Zhan wouldn’t care so long as he was careful though.

It was a bit like Empathy, but not quite. There wasn’t any spirit before him to connect with or to direct the memories he was seeking, but there was blood and resentful energy, and that was imprint enough if someone knew how to access it. Wei Ying was very good at accessing resentful energy.

He touched a finger into the congealing puddle before him. It was already cool, sticky in the way blood could be, and not at all appealing to touch. Maybe five years ago that would have bothered him more. He’d seen worse than a puddle of blood—touched worse than a bit of blood—by this point in his life.

The resentful energy sparked when he reached for it, curling and clinging like an oil-slick mess, coating his finger and up his palm in black wisps of power. It pushed at him and Wei Ying did what good, righteous cultivators were not supposed to do and let it in.

[hhughes]

♯ 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒 ◞ 𝑸𝑯⁴³

✰ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⤫ fem!reader x quinn hughes

✰ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ⤫ 5 times Quinn wanted to kiss you + 1 time he finally did

✰ 𝐜𝐰 ⤫ none!

✰ 𝐚/𝐧 ⤫ just some quinny content for your dash <3 as always please let me know what you think. . .

✮1

You make your way through the crowd to get to the table at the back of the bar, where a few familiar faces already spotted you.

"Look who's here! Nice of you to finally join us," Brock says as you hop onto a barstool next to Quinn.

"Hey, stranger," Quinn says softly and knocks his shoulder into yours.

"Guys, I saw you like two weeks ago. Sorry, I have a life," you say teasingly.

"Watching friends, eating Chinese food, and going to bed by 10 PM is not having a life." Brock says, and Quinn laughs at your offended expression.

"It does when you work the hours I do, thank you very much. I'm getting a drink. Do you guys want anything?" You ask and make your way to the bar.

When you get back, Elias is sitting in your seat. Noticing there's no more chairs open, Quinn goes to offer you his, but you stop him.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," you say, and Quinn pulls you to stand in between his legs. Your back leaning against his chest. His arms wrap around your waist, and he hooks two thumbs in your front belt loops, keeping you close.

Throughout the night, you can feel Quinn's breathing on your neck or his head on your shoulder while he talks or listens to one of the guys.

When Brock went to the bar to get a refill on your drinks and Elias went to the bathroom, you and Quinn were left alone at the table.

You turn around in his arms, looking up at him.

"Now is your chance to steal your seat back," Quinn jokes.

"I'm pretty comfy right here, actually," you say, and Quinn smiles softly.

In that moment...

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮2

You jump in surprise as someone knocks on your door. You weren't expecting anybody...least of all the man you found standing at your door.

"Quinn...what are you doing here?" You ask, opening the door wider to let him in.

"I haven't seen you in a few days, and I know you work late tomorrow, and we're leaving on another roadie...I didn't wanna go another week without seeing you," he says and you smile.

"Wanna watch a movie with me?" You ask and he nods, both of you making your way to the couch.

Halfway through the movie, you're cuddled into Quinns side, both of your eyes on the screen.

Quinn feels your eyes on him and looks down to meet them.

"What?" he asks softly

"You played really well tonight..." you say

"You watched?" Quinn asks surpirsed

"Yeah... I always watch. How do you think I know when to tell you congratulations..." You respond.

"I thought you just looked the score up after the game, to be honest," Quinn says

"I like watching you play," you say and Quinn smiles down at you...

In that moment...

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮3

"This is not a good idea," You say shakily as Quinn ties your skates.

"You're gonna be fine... don't be so dramatic. I'll be there the whole time," Quinn says and holds his hand out to lead you onto the ice.

You wobble a bit and grab onto Quinn, looking at him with nothing but fear in your eyes and he bursts out laughing.

"You should see your face right now," Quinn says amused.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," you snap.

"You've lived in Vancouver your whole life. How can you not skate?" he asks

"Contrary to popular belief not all Canadians come out of the womb knowing how to skate. Besides the one time I tried, I fell and broke my wrist and had no intention of ever trying again."

"Just keep your hips straight and push out with one foot and then the other," Quinn says.

You concentrate so much on doing what he says you don't realize he's let your hands go and you're skating on your own.

The moment you do realize, instant panic takes over, and your legs start to go separate ways.

Quinn tries to pull you up, but he's laughing so much, he isn't much help.

"Quinn, help me up." you say, standing in a half split and clinging to Quinn's waist, voice filled with laughter, and Quinn just laughs more.

With him laughing and you clinging to him, neither of you is very stable, and both of you end up on the floor, you on top of Quinn, who was still laughing.

"You did it though, for a second" he says and you scoff

"Can you buy me ice cream now?" you ask pouting

"Yeah, you deserve it." he says and looks up at you. Cheeks flushed because of the cold, a cute little beanie on your head.

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮4

You take another deep breath, and another practice swing, before finally pulling back and hitting the ball.

It goes really far, just not in the right direction...

"Quinn! Did you see that?!" you ask excitedly, and Jack has to turn around to hide his laugh, and Luke rubs a hand over his face to hide his smirk.

"I did see...it was...very far," he says, and you swing your stick, making Jack duck and head for the golf cart.

"Man... she's so smart, but she can not play golf to save her life," Jack says, and Quinn swats at him.

"It's her first time asshole. She's doing great," Quinn says and walks towards you.

"Love really does make you blind." Jack says, and him and Luke laugh all the way to the golf cart.

"You know as much fun as this has been, I don't think I'll be doing this again any time soon," you say and Quinn frowns...

"What? Why?" he asks

"The first couple were fun, you know, but then it just gets really boring and really hot. I was really hoping one of you would've told me to stay in the cart by now," you say and Jack's mouth drops open.

"Were you bad on purpose?" Jack asks

"I'm not good by any standard but those last couple was just to fuck with you a little bit. Props for trying to hide your reactions, but you're a horrible actor Jacky, you're gonna have to do better than that when I give you your Christmas present."

Jack and Luke laugh, and Quinn smiles as you hand them the sunscreen and tell them to put some on.

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮5

You and Quinn were swaying to the music, smiles on your faces, observing Emma and Brady.

"They look so happy," you say

"They really do. You look beautiful," he says, and you blush.

"Thanks, so do you."

"You ever think about it... getting married?" Quinn suddenly asks. "Just in general...someday."

"If the right person asks... yeah," you say.

"Wanna marry me if we're still 30 and single?" Quinn jokes

"There's no way you'll still be single at 30 Quinn, but if that's the case, then yes. I would be honored." You say, and Quinn smiles as the song comes to an end.

Suddenly, Taryn is there dragging you to the side of the room where the bouquet toss was happening, and you smile apologetically at Quinn.

You stood at the back, trying to stay out of people's way. You weren't really trying to catch it. But three seconds later, you stood with the bouquet in your hands, awkwardly looking around the room until your eyes met Quinn's. He smiled as you thrust the bouquet into Taryn's hands and scurried your way over to him, hiding in his chest.

he really wanted to kiss you.

✮+1

You and Quinn were snuggled up at the end of the boat... watching Jack wake board with the sunset behind him.

"I love having you here," Quinn says rubbing patterns on your legs softly

"I love being here..." you reply.

"Think you wanna come back next summer?" Quinn asks, and you turn to look at him.

"I don't know... think I need some convincing," you whisper and move your face closer to his.

Quinn gently cups your face and presses his lips to yours. You soak up the moment for a while before it's interrupted by Jack and Luke's yelling, which results in Jack being horribly distracted and falling into the water.

"I've been wanting to do that a long time..." Quinn admits

"So have I," you say and kiss him again.

he finally kissed you.

[thenomadinside]

Goodbye New York and Hello Taiwan!

And just like that, as quickly as it had arrived, we are already bidding farewell to summer of 2020. It felt like only yesterday when I was in New Jersey brainstorming ideas in my sketchbook on ways I can milk this summer for all that it was worth. Despite it being a bit different compared to a quintessential New York summer where days are lined up with glorious summer block parties, hipster Brooklyn concerts and late night food excursions, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, in more ways than one I almost feel as if it was better.

A few memorable highlights that commemorate this truly one-of-a-kind summer include:

Collaboratively filming a lip dub to one of Janet’s classics, “Together Again” with friends quarantined from all around the world

Tidying, redecorating and improving my room to be more functional and still aesthetically pleasing (with help from Muji, Wayfair and TJ Maxx)

Weekly recurring day drinking in Central Park… details a little blurry

Attending a dino-nugg party with all sorts of fun dinosaur shapes from T-Rex, stegosaurus to pterodactyls. Uh, who says eating food can’t be fun?

Dying from an outdoor HIIT workout at McCarren Park in Williamsburg. It took a week for my legs to recover… no joke!

Deep late night conversations fueled by $2.50 pie slices at Martha’s Country Bakery (a place of high sentiment to me – ask me why)

Getting that ‘glazed doughnut sheen’ with coworkers through an intensive Peloton class over Zoom

Venturing far into Murray Hills, Queens for a haircut and eating affordable freshly made kimbap in Kissena Park afterwards

Learning and performing “The Cup Song” featuring Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect at a virtual talent show amongst friends

Making delicious dumplings from scratch with other dumpling-minded individuals at my friend’s online cooking workshop

Attempting to embrace my youth by learning a TikTok dance to ‘Yummy’

Day trip to Edison for a low-key day of Topgolfing, ping pong, pool, and 蛋挞 hunting at Kam Man Chinese Supermarket

Finally getting around to editing two separate vlogs of my trips to Spain and India from a few years ago

Spending an extended July 4th weekend in Killington, Vermont for a summer getaway with old and new friends. Not going to lie, still a tad bitter about not being able to get my Belgian waffle from Waffle Cabin.

Rediscovering my balance in this next leg of my journey

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be leaving this Saturday for Taiwan until at least the end of the year. The idea to go back to Taiwan emerged from a casual conversation I had with a friend a few months ago who told me that she decided to go back to spend the summer. I remember feeling an alien feeling of excitement creep up and knew that it was the right move for me.

This will be a great opportunity for me to spend quality time with extended family but also recollect the balance (平衡) that I have lost over the past few months. The tolls of this imbalance has indefinitely stifled my creativity and it has been challenging to say the least to maintain productivity or feel any sort of inward motivation. Maintaining this so-called balance is a crucial part of who I am and I’m hoping to reclaim at least a part of it during my stay over there.

So, what are my plans while I’m there? This trip is unlike any of the other trips I’ve made back it marks the longest period of time I’ve stayed in Taiwan. Aside from still maintaining a work schedule, I hope to finish the second part of a project that I worked on years ago. In the year 2015, I spent an entire month living in Taiwan after graduation taking care of my grandmother and during that time I worked on a personal project called “Taipei: A Reservoir.” This project was a site-specific publication that documented the “remnants” of my mnemonic associations to the country as a child. It was intended to be a two-part project but that second part never came to fruition due to my sudden move to New York. This time around, I hope to revisit and finish what I’ve started!

In addition to what’s mentioned above, I am making a conscious effort to continue my summer goals for this trip. I’ve mostly ever done annual trips that have longest been two weeks at a time, most of which was preoccupied with spending time with extended family. So if anybody out there has friends that are open to grabbing a drink and meeting up, would greatly appreciate the introduction! Also, I can’t wait to practice and finally improve my Mandarin! Excited to share with you all my stories in the motherland 🙂

[boomtee]

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It’s called the Lunar New Year because it marks the first new moon of the Ghost Band Ugly Christmas Sweater calendars traditional to many east Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Vietnam, which are regulated by the cycles of the moon and sun. As the New York Times explains, “A solar year the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun lasts around 365 days, while a lunar year, or 12 full cycles of the Moon, is roughly 354 days.” As with the Jewish lunisolar calendar, “a month is still defined by the moon, but an extra month is added periodically to stay close to the solar year.” This is why the new year falls on a different day within that month-long window each year. In China, the 15-day celebration kicks off on New Year’s Eve with a family feast called a reunion dinner full of traditional Lunar New Year foods, and typically ends with the Lantern Festival. “It’s really a time for new beginnings and family gatherings,” says Nancy Yao Maasbach, president of New York City’s Museum of Chinese in America. Three overarching themes, she says, are “fortune, happiness, and health.

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I want to emphasize again how much skill it typically takes. Look at some of the most influential musicians we have had. A lot of Motorcycle On For Summer Aloha Hawaii Shirt could play at least one or two instruments, a lot of them knew how to write their own music, a lot of them had skills that gave them other talents that they could showcase. Bing Crosby cannot only sing, the man could tap dance. Lindsey Stirling isn’t a singer, but it wasn’t enough for her to play the violin. She had to be able to write her own songs, she had to have a understanding to make the music unique, and she had to learn how to dance while she played.

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Gearbloom is your one-stop online shop for printed t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, stickers, posters, mugs, and more…High quality original T-shirts. Digital printing in the USA.

Worldwide shipping. No Minimums. 1000s of Unique Designs. Worldwide shipping. Fast Delivery. 100% Quality Guarantee. to cover all your needs.

By contacting directly with suppliers, we are dedicated to provide you with the latest fashion with fair price.We redefine trends, design excellence and bring exceptional quality to satisfy the needs of every aspiring fashionista.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

Gearbloom is established with a clear vision: to provide the very latest products with compelling designs, exceptional value and superb customer service for everyone.

We offer a select choice of millions of Unique Designs for T-shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Posters and more to cover all your needs.

WHY SHOP WITH US?

Why do customers come to

Well we think there are a few reasons:

BEST PRICING

Fashion field involves the best minds to carefully craft the design. The t-shirt industry is a very competitive field and involves many risks. The cost per t-shirt varies proportionally to the total quantity of t-shirts. We are manufacturing exceptional-quality t-shirts at a very competitive price.

PRINT QUALITY DIFFERENCE

We use only the best DTG printers available to produce the finest-quality images possible that won’t wash out of the shirts.

DELIVERY IS VERY FAST

Estimated shipping times:

United States : 1-5 business days

Canada : 3-7 business days

International : from 1-2 weeks depending on proximity to Detroit, MI.

CUSTOM AND PERSONALIZED ORDERS

Custom orders are always welcome. We can customize all of our designs to your needs! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

PAYMENT DO WE ACCEPT?

We currently accept the following forms of payment:

Credit Or Debit Cards: We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, Union Pay and Apple Pay from customers worldwide.

PayPal: PayPal allows members to have a personal account linked to any bank account or credit card for easy payment at checkout.