#not even a metre before the end we got it x)

[eightmakesonebraincell]

ateez as pirates who fall for you (maknae line)

read hyung line here

genre: pirate!ateez x gn!reader (fem!reader for jongho), fluff, angst, continuation of the pirate trope brainrot (but i must say i went all out for the plots this time)

length: 14.4k

c/w: heavy and mature themes - mdni, explicit language (swearing), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, illegal acts (piracy, attempted murder), alcohol, near-drowning, angst bc i mean angst, specific c/w for mingi’s au: hurt/comfort, allusions to depression

a/n: i’m very sad i never got to use this joke somewhere so - why are pirates called pirates? because they just arrrr 🙈🙉🙊 also to those who like connecting dots and whatnot there are a few easter eggs related to hyung line 🥚 big thanks to yumi @sorryimananti-romantic for getting me through the last three months of trying to work and write bc it’s been a ship time ha ha 😬👍

taglist: at the end

san

pov: you run away with san and the cromer

through your waning breath, you reach a trembling hand up to cup san’s jaw

“s-san, don’t do it”

he lets out a racking sob as he shakes his head, expression marred with agony and torment that you can physically feel in his white-knuckled grasp that covers your own hand

the tears that drip off his jaw become lost to the ground, which is damp from moisture and your blood

you swallow the metallic taste in your mouth, “the cromer isn’t meant for changing fate.” it hurts to take a breath and you wince as you stutter. “it never goes th- the way you want it to…you know that by now”

san’s voice is broken and pained, “i don’t fucking care. it’s not going to stop me from trying”

he grips your hand even tighter when he starts to feel it fall away from his cheek

it’s becoming tiring to keep your eyes open

maybe you can rest…just for a little bit

san will forgive you, right?

you close your eyes

just for a little while

just until the pain stops

faintly, you think you can feel your body being jostled against something warm

but it’s far away

far away

far

san clutches your limp body as he lets out a primal wail of anguish

you cannot die

you will not die

he snatches the glowing hourglass and flips it with desperation screaming in every cell of his body

and then his world goes white.

you don’t notice when the footsteps behind you suddenly fall silent

you’re too busy reasoning with the captain, whose back you are facing as he walks ahead and leads your crew further into the dim tunnels of the cave

“it’s much safer if we go over the mountain. we’ll have the advantage of higher ground to ambush the horizon”

your captain, taesung, doesn’t look at you when he answers over his shoulder, “it’s much quicker through the tunnels. we don’t have the luxury of time if we want to attack their crew before they leave the island”

“and what if they attack - the horizon can easily ambush us as long as they’ve got the cave’s exit guarded”

you immediately turn around to look at san, knowing that he’ll support your argument

only to find that he’s not there

he’s several metres behind the back of the group and frozen to the spot

even in the shadowed darkness of the musty cave, you can clearly see the ashen and shaken features of his face

approaching him slowly, your fire torch held out in front of you, you gently call, “san?”

at the sound of your voice, his eyes lock onto yours

he looks terrified

san is lost in a distorted warp of visions

he can’t make sense of nor connect what he’s seeing

but there is blood

there’s so much blood

it’s everywhere

you’re there

it’s your blood

there’s someone screaming; raw with despair

he’s screaming

the ground digs into his knees and he feels wet and sticky from your blood but also his tears and there are so many tears and the walls are cold from moisture and it’s so dark and musty even with the smell of iron in the air and god you’re dying

you’re going to die

“san?” you repeat, now in front of him and tenderly cupping his jaw

and san has to stop you from dying

his pupils focus on you once again before he desperately tries to gain his bearings

he looks around with increasing franticness

he’s in a cave and the only light he can see comes from the torch you’re holding and the others shared amongst the crew

water drips from the ceiling and along the rugged walls towards the damp ground, filling the cave with a stale and mouldy smell

all his senses scream the same thing to him

it’s just like when you died

his own voice sounds foreign to him when he manages to choke out, “let’s listen to captain”

your eyebrows pinch together at san’s sudden compliance, especially more so when he lowers the volume of his next words so that you’re the only one who can hear his soft don’t argue with him

there’s something about the way he silently pleads with his eyes that makes you nod numbly

you slip the hand that isn’t holding the torch into his and prompt him to walk again with a light tug forward towards the rest of the crew, who are not too far ahead

when the both of you have nearly caught up, san readjusts his hand in your grasp so that his is atop of yours

and so you two walk, san leading you with a sturdy hand; a line of defence between you and the rest of the crew…and the depths of the cave

the thin sheet of cotton that you lay upon does little to soften the discomfort of the cave’s floor as you and the crew prepare for a few hours of sleep, but your pillow makes up for it

your head is cushioned by san’s thigh, who’s seated upright against the wall after offering to keep watch

he’s gazing down at you with a tender smile as he slowly runs his fingers through your hair like a soothing lullaby

your eyes scan his, still trying to catch any changes in his expression that could possibly explain his strange demeanour from earlier

you want to ask him what’s wrong but there’s only so much privacy you can get in a cave with the rest of your crew

instead, you give his hand a squeeze

san’s smile fades a little and you wonder whether it’s the illusion of the light and shadows from the torches that makes his face look so gaunt

his eyes flicker around guiltily and then he looks at you whilst reciprocating your squeeze

he’s mouthing something, you realise

do you trust me?

you tighten your fingers around his in reassurance

with my life

the dimpled caverns return to san’s cheeks, and then he’s whispering to you softly, “sleep”

you don’t recall dozing off, but you must not have been asleep for very long before you’re woken by a light shake to your shoulder

the groggy mumble that starts to leave your lips is hushed by a warm kiss on your forehead

you’re met with the sight of san holding a finger against his lips when you open your eyes and your brain struggles to comprehend what’s happening

there’s a faint glow coming from under his bulging shirt, which could only be one thing

the cromer

as your neurons start firing again, you come to the realisation that apart from you and san, nobody else is awake yet

quietly, he helps you up to your feet

the silent question he asked before you fell asleep replays in your head, and although it does nothing to clear up your confusion, it helps to ease your anxiety because you meant it when you mouthed your response

you trust san with your life

so you turn away from your crew members and start walking, each step deliberate and careful, your hand clutched safely within san’s while he retraces your steps from today

and when san deems you two far enough and out of immediate danger of being caught, he pulls the cromer out of his shirt to use as a makeshift torch

you both make a run for it

when you emerge out of the cave’s entrance hours later, thighs burning from the strain, you almost stumble to your hands and knees from the blinding brightness of the afternoon sun

san tightens his hold on you and urges, “this way, love”

together, you climb the outcrop on the left and disappear further into the mountains because you can’t afford to rest near the cave

few words are exchanged as san nimbly navigates the rickety ledges and overgrown roots, muscles flexing as he pushes forward and helps you with an extended hand

you realise soon after that whilst he leads you two away from the cave, he travels parallel to the edges of the mountain trees - a guideline that keeps the long port of the island just within sight

“san,” you finally break the silence to point towards an overhang you spot, “we should take a break”

he’s sweating from exertion and lack of sleep, so he nods with a grateful smile and leads you towards it

the rock provides a decent amount of shade and conceals you two well enough with the surrounding greenery

only when he sits with a sigh does he finally let go of your hand after hours of holding on

you know that he’s one for constant physical affection, but this…this feels different

it’s like he’s afraid that you will slip away the moment he lets go of you

you turn to look at him

“san, what exactly is going on?”

he’s quiet

he doesn’t know how to tell you - is there even a way to package his next words prettily?

letting out a stuttering breath, san puts it blankly on the table, “i saw you die in my arms”

you’re stunned into silence and your throat feels even drier than before

“was it…” you dare to ask, “was it going to happen in the cave?”

he nods, “i just suddenly saw it and it felt so real. it- it was dark and wet and the smell - the smell was just awful and-”

“hey, hey, san. it’s okay, we’re not in the cave anymore,” you soothe, pressing your forehead to his

you feel him relax under your touch before he tilts his head to kiss your lips

“yeah,” he sighs against you, “you’re right”

when you pull away, the faint glow under his shirt catches your eyes

“why did you bring the cromer?”

if it had only been you and san missing from the crew, taesung might not have bothered going after the two of you

but with the missing cromer too, the captain will spend the rest of his life tracking it down - tracking you two down - if that’s what it will take

taesung isn’t stupid enough to just let go of the cromer and the inexplicable power it holds to travel between dimensions

san shimmies the hourglass out of his shirt and holds it carefully in his hands, “i need a fail-proof safety net, just in case something goes wrong and…i still don’t end up saving you”

“a safety net?” an uneasy feeling settles in your stomach, “san? what are you not telling me?”

he runs his fingers along the metal casing over and over again as he avoids looking at you

“i…i’ve used it before,” san finally admits, “i used the cromer to bring you back to life”

without thinking, you blurt, “it’s only meant for travelling between dimensions. nobody knows what the repercussions are if you try to mess with fate!”

“well, i did it.” he snaps, “you’re here, alive, and i would do it again and again to save you”

at his words, you soften

because san didn’t just see you die

he lived through seeing you die

you can’t even begin to imagine if you had been the one to experience san die in your arms

“i’m sorry,” you apologise. “thank you for saving me, and for loving me”

san’s eyes are red when he looks at you, “i’m sorry, too, for snapping at you. i know this is a lot for you to process”

you shake your head with your own watery smile

“i’m alive, and i promise i’ll stay alive”

“and i promise i’ll keep you alive,” he nudges your cheek with a playful peck

you laugh, because san makes you happy even in the most uncertain of times, and you ask, “what’s the plan now?”

“find a ship that’s willing to get us the hell out of here”

he makes a move to stand and you place your hand on the ground to push yourself up to your feet too

except your hand shifts with your weight and you end up cutting your palm open on the sharp edge of the rocks

hissing, you draw your hand back towards your chest

“shit, let me have a look,” san drops to his knees and takes your hand in his

he gently blows away the soil and rubble around your wound as you wince

it’s nothing too serious, but it’s deep enough that blood immediately begins to pool in the broken skin and seep further out onto your palm

the glow of the cromer pulses

“san,” you start when you see the cogs moving in his head

he removes one hand to pull the cromer out and presents it to the both of you

“i’m not losing you to infection from a cut, not after everything that we’ve done so far to get to here,” he quips

there’s only time to let out an exasperated sigh before he’s taking your good hand to turn the cromer together

your world goes white

the next moment when you open your eyes after blinking, you’re still there resting under the overhang in the mountain forest

san’s sitting next to you, the only sign of the cromer a faint glow under his shirt

and your hand…

there’s no cut

your head whips towards san and his eyes widen when he sees the unbroken skin of your palm

san makes a move to stand, but this time, he gathers your hands and pulls you up with him

“it worked,” you breathe out once you’re on your feet

“it worked!” san repeats, engulfing you into a crushing hug

the amount of relief he feels is uncontainable, because the cut is reassurance that he can change fate with the cromer

in high spirits, san tucks it back into the safety of his shirt after wrapping it in a length of sash and then he secures it snugly under his belt

you two need to look the part of inconspicuous travellers, and a glowing hourglass would most definitely draw unwanted attention

you and san cut through the back streets and alleyways of the small village that separates the mountain and the coast, keeping an eye out for not only your crew members - or ex-crew, you suppose - but also the members of the horizon

“remember,” san whispers into your ear as you both approach port, “if anyone asks, i’m your husband and we’re travelling merchants”

you’re too nervous to answer but you nod anyway, letting san take the lead once again

with the confidence of somebody most definitely not lying, san strides up to a sailor who is yelling at his men to load the crates faster and spins a story right out of his ass

somehow, san manages to concoct a convincing recount of how your goods were stolen by thieves, leaving you both without any means of making money, so now you are left with no choice but to go back to your hometown which happens to be on the way to the ship’s destination, which you know because you overheard the sailors talking earlier

when the sailor glances in your direction, you try to nurse your expression into one of simultaneous distress and gratitude in hopes of selling the story even further

he simply stares at the both of you and you think that he’s going to turn down your request, but then the sailor gives a sweet smile and extends his hand out in greeting, “daeho. welcome aboard”

that’s how you and san find yourselves in the ship’s hold, legs crossed side by side on the wooden floor and surrounded by a multitude of crates and barrels

neither of you realise that you’re holding your breaths and it’s not due to the stale air in the poorly ventilated hold

only when the shout of “anchors aweigh” is heard and the ship slowly starts to pull away from the dock do you finally relax, the feeling of hope slowly seeping into your bodies

because all that’s left now is to wait for the ship to dock at the next port and then you and san can disappear and start a new life

at the notion of safety, your stomach finally calls for attention with a grumble

san teases, “sounds like someone needs a bit of food,” just as his stomach answers with a growl of its own

you break out into laughter and pull him up with you to snoop inside the crates for something edible

lifting the lid to one of the crates, you peer inside to find what looks like a layer of burlap

you reach down with a hand to remove the covering and dig deeper, only to jerk your arm back when you feel the burning pain of a cut

“oh fuck, what?” you hiss as you look into the crate again, “why the hell are there so many knives?”

san is beside you within a split second, already turning you around to cradle your hand in his

the cut extends across your palm and there’s something sickening yet eerily familiar about the way the blood rapidly starts to pool and seep past the broken skin

goosebumps spread across your body when it hits you

“san,” you look up at him with a trembling voice, hardly audible over the pounding of your heart, “it’s the same cut”

his eyes bore into yours with reflected horror when your words sink in

because if it really is the same cut, then that means-

san’s attention suddenly shifts to behind you and that’s the last thing you register before your head explodes with blinding pain

your world turns black.

there’s a ceaseless hammering in your skull when you regain some semblance of awareness and it takes all of your willpower not to let the throb drag you back into unconsciousness

you open your eyes with a groan, trying to clear your vision, only to find san still out cold on the floor beside you

you scrabble closer towards him and brush his fringe out of his eyes

“san,” you shake him a little, “san, wake up”

his mouth tightens into a grimace as he’s slowly brought back to consciousness at the sound of your voice

“fuck…they hit hard,” he props himself up with another curse before he asks you in a panic, “are you hurt?”

you start to shake your head but then think better of it, “my head hurts like a bitch, but i’m okay”

san pulls you into his chest and wraps his arms around you

you let yourself sink into the safety of his embrace, pretending that everything is okay even if just for a moment

“i’m sorry, i’m so sorry,” san repeats the apology into the crown of your head

you can’t do anything but return hushed whispers of comfort and hug him tighter

a sudden clang draws you out of his arms as you both turn in the direction of the sound

that’s when you realise you’re no longer in the hold

you’re in a cell

the brig of the ship is much darker and the air is suffocatingly musty from the lack of ventilation and the perpetually damp floors and walls

damp from what exactly, you really don’t want to know

you hear the heavy thud of boots amplifying as the person approaches your cell, your eyes straining to make out their face in the dark

they squat in front of your bars

the sweet smile on daeho’s face makes him look crazed now and you shrink back to put some distance between you two

“did you have a good rest?” he asks, sounding genuinely curious

at san’s seething growl of anger, daeho raises his hands up in faux surrender and states, “i just want the cromer”

“i don’t know what you’re talking about,” san glowers

the other man wriggles his fingers at san’s waist, “you’re not very good at hiding it in your shirt”

almost as if it knows it is being talked about, the cromer flashes from under the layers of cloth

“why didn’t you just take it from us earlier,” you bite out

daeho clicks his tongue with a disappointed smile, “but then where’s the fun in that?”

he stretches a hand out and waits with his palm upturned just outside of the cell bars

“now give it to me,” he demands

san stares in retaliation, not once looking away as he slowly reaches for the cromer

he takes it out of his shirt and unwraps the sash from around it, then starts to extend the hourglass out towards daeho’s hand

as you watch with bated breath, you notice the subtle tightening of san’s grip around the metal casing and you realise he intends to flip it

except you’re not the only one who comes to the same conclusion

you see the exact moment the facade drops from daeho’s face and is replaced by his true derangement

the hand by the pistol at his side starts to move

but so do you

this time, everything turns red as the scorching heat of pain paralyses your entire body

the cromer falls to the floor at the same time as you do

from outside the cell, daeho laughs viciously, but it’s drowned out by the agonising cry that comes out of san’s chest

san desperately gathers you in his arms, hands pressing against the bullet hole to stem the blood flow

but there is so much blood

it’s everywhere

the ground digs into his knees and he’s wet and sticky from your blood but also from his own tears and there are so many tears and even with the pungent smell of iron in the air he can still smell the mustiness of the cell and he can’t get enough oxygen into his lungs because god you’re dying

and he’s suddenly struck with the heart-wrenching thought

did he unwittingly condemn you to your own fate?

or is it like the cut on your palm - is he unable to change fate no matter what decisions he makes differently?

the sob that wrenches itself out of san hurts you more than anything

“i love you,” you say, because your words are numbered and you want them all to be san’s

he shakes his head furiously, “shut up, you’re going to be fine”

your words come out effortfully, “please, i want to hear you say it one last time”

“fuck,” san buries his face in your shoulder, “i love you so, so much. i can’t live without you”

he pulls back heartbroken, “i can still change this”

through your waning breath, you reach a trembling hand up to cup san’s jaw

“s-san, don’t do it”

he lets out a racking sob as he shakes his head again, expression marred with agony and torment that you can physically feel in his white-knuckled grasp that covers your own hand

the tears that drip off his jaw become lost to the damp ground

you swallow the metallic taste in your mouth, “the cromer isn’t meant for changing fate.” it hurts to take a breath and you wince as you stutter. “it never goes th- the way you want it to…you know that by now”

san’s voice is broken and pained, “i don’t fucking care. it’s not going to stop me from trying”

he grips your hand even tighter when he starts to feel it fall away from his cheek

it’s becoming tiring to keep your eyes open

maybe you can rest…just for a little bit

san will forgive you, right?

you close your eyes

just for a little while

just until the pain stops

faintly, you think you can feel your body being jostled against something warm

but it’s far away

far away

far

san clutches your limp body as he lets out a primal wail of anguish

you cannot die

you will not die

he snatches the glowing hourglass and flips it with desperation screaming in every cell of his body

and then his world goes white.

mingi

pov: you're the crew's surgeon

you have all the time in the world to yourself

the recent raid was successful - the other vessel had surrendered quickly without putting up a fight and your ship is now well stocked up from the loot of supplies

hongjoong has promised the crew shore leave, a vacation of sorts, and so you and the crew are travelling to port malthov, a haven island for pirates

it’ll take about a week to arrive

and without a foreseeable raid or run-in with enemy vessels, there is no need for your medical duties

which is a good thing, really

but it also means that you have a lot of time

and time is your worst enemy

time is time alone with your own thoughts, time alone with your internal demons, and right now, your mind is a sinkhole of them and you are the very thing being pulled into its depths

you’re sprawled out on the upper deck, arms and legs splayed like a physical manifestation of your efforts to reach the edges of the sinkhole and hold on

you think to yourself that it’s reassuring when you can see blood

because it’s visible, physical, and you can fix it

step one, rinse the area with clean water

step two, disinfect the wound

step three, remove any foreign objects or dead skin

step four, suture as required for nastier injuries

step five, wrap a clean cloth over, under, over, under, then fasten

there’s a procedure and it makes sense

but when it’s invisible, what do you do?

there are no medical diagrams, procedures or journals that teach you how to heal your own hurt

you may be the crew’s surgeon, but you wonder how qualified you truly are if you can’t even fix yourself

the skies are clear today and the sun shines down directly on your exposed skin

it’s uncomfortable but you don’t move, limbs feeling just a little too strung tight to cooperate

you don’t think you have the energy to do much more than to just lie there and exist

and the burn of the sunlight is kind of nice

it tells you that you’re still alive - even if the feeling of living is pain

that’s where mingi finds you twenty minutes later, his face upside down as he leans over to look at your face-

only to very nearly drop a block of wood right onto you

“oh, shit,” he fumbles as the multitude of items he is carrying to his chest falls and clatters onto the deck around your head

you jolt up to save yourself from a bruised forehead and eye him, curiosity well and truly piqued

with a huff, he piles everything in front of you, followed by himself as he sits cross-legged in front of you

he looks suspiciously hopeful and expectant

“can you carve me another dolphin?”

months ago, you had tried carving ornamental animals out of small scraps of wood left over from a hull repair

most of your carvings had turned out hideous and you had tossed them overboard, but mingi had not stopped following you and begging until you gave him one

you could barely even call it a dolphin, but for some reason, he has kept it since like it’s something valuable

“i already made you one,” you start

but he protests, “i lost him!”

you blink

nevermind. maybe not so valuable

“...you lost it?”

you’re not sure whether you’re disappointed or relieved that it’s forever gone to the void

“i lost him, yes. so can you please carve me a new one?”

you blink once more and he looks back at you with wide, pleading eyes

“fine, pass me the knife,” you finally relent

he grins, handing something that feels quite familiar into your outstretched hand

“are these my scalpels?!” you clutch them defensively to your chest. “mingi, i am not carving wood with these”

mingi breaks out into pleased laughter, crescent eyes and gaping mouth as he produces a pocket knife that you can actually use

“you’re ridiculous,” you tell him, setting your medical instruments safely to one side, but you don’t really mean it

you bring the blade of the pocket knife to the edge of the wood and start whittling away

you expect mingi to get up and leave you to your devices, except he doesn’t

he stays and asks you question after question about the carving

which part are you working on now?

how do you shape the tail?

what was the first thing you tried to carve?

if you could carve something else after this, what would it be?

and it goes on for hours - as the wood gradually takes shape of the animal, as the harsh sun lowers and is replaced by the cool breeze of evening

…as mingi fills up your sinkhole and you are no longer grasping at the edges to stay afloat

it happens without you even realising, but he lets you take refuge in him from your own thoughts

and later that night, when the crew are preparing to sleep for the night, mingi will place the newly-carved dolphin at the head of his hammock

he will itch to rummage through the small chest that holds his personal belongings and treasures

he will want to unwrap the small object he has hidden away at the very bottom of his chest and put it side by side with the dolphin

but he won’t, because otherwise you’ll see the two dolphins and realise that he was lying about having lost the first one, so he’ll opt to keep it hidden

mingi thinks that he might even ask you to carve him something else tomorrow

he’ll say that his dolphin needs somebody by its side

what he won’t say though, is that he knows you need somebody by your side

and if he can offer you a few hours of mindlessness while you carve with him beside you, then he’ll ask you to make him a whole aquarium of animals

but that’s tomorrow

for now, he lets you rest on him, and you find that it doesn’t seem quite as hard to exist anymore

because sometimes, even surgeons need their own healers

you don’t have another bad day that week

technically, they’re all still bad days, but they aren’t as bad

but as it is with your luck, it all comes back to drag you underwater when the arriba pulls into port malthov and lowers its anchor

of all days, your head feels foggy, your body feels empty and your lungs feel laboured

you’re not even sad

you’re just…hollow

and the worst part is that you have absolutely no reason to be feeling this way

being up in the crow’s nest for once has given you the perfect vantage point to watch as the majority of the crew precariously run off the gangplank with whoops and hollers, splitting off to explore the town

their excitement is infectious - to everybody but you

instead, you had offered to take over yeosang’s lookout duties so that he could go to the town’s tavern

you’ve already rotted the morning and most of the afternoon away and your stomach grumbles in protest at having skipped both meals

it knows that you probably won’t be eating dinner either

“y/n,” a voice calls out to you from the deck, “are you not going into town?”

you peer over the edge of the nest and find mingi’s small form, his head craned upwards in your direction

“lookout duties,” you simply say

but mingi calls your bluff

“the whole point of shore leave is that we all get time off. captain’s still on board to make sure our ship doesn’t catch on fire or some shit, don’t worry”

when you still don’t make a move, mingi starts to climb up the rigging and you startle to your feet

“heavens, okay, i’m coming down”

he’s banned from rigging duties for a reason

when you land on the upper deck, he looks awfully smug with himself

he asks, “can we go eat seafood? not fish, but like the good stuff”

“since when did you like seafood?”

“always?”

mingi did not always like seafood but you let it slide

he guides you across the gangplank and towards the bustling streets of the town, keeping you tucked closely into his side

almost like he knows you’re feeling more fragile than usual

you two come across a market and he tells you to find a table in the outdoor seating area

when he returns to you after a while, both his hands are stacked with platters of shrimp, some crabs and even a lobster

“mingi, what-?” you break out into an astounded laugh

you can’t even find it in yourself to finish your sentence because it looks like he’s bought enough food to feed half your crew

he sets the plates down in front of you, one by one, until you can barely see the table itself

and you watch, still incredulous, as he picks up a steamed shrimp, meticulously peeling off the shells that he discards onto his plate

…before placing the peeled shrimp onto the plate in front of you

“eat,” he encourages

mingi picks up another shrimp to peel, looking away from you so as not to pressure you

but he can’t help but look and smile widely when you do eventually bring the food up to your mouth and take a bite

it tastes good

shrimp has always been one of the things you miss the most when you’re sailing and as the salty taste of the ocean spreads across your tongue, you start to feel your appetite returning

by the time you’ve swallowed, there’s already another shrimp on your plate, peeled and ready for eating

mingi smiles knowingly when you groan around your next bite

the sun may have already started to disappear into the horizon, but right now with mingi’s plate piling up with discarded shells and yours with juicy shrimp meat, the hollow cavity in your chest slowly filling with warmth, the sun is only just starting to rise for you

and mingi will keep filling your plate until your sun has fully risen into the sky

because sometimes, healing needs the help of an extra pair of hands

the day before your crew is scheduled to leave port malthov, you find yourself sitting on the sandy shores of the coastline, far away from where the arriba is docked

the wind tugs at your hair and the hems of your clothing in the direction of the ocean

you wonder what it would be like to just let yourself go and float along with the wind

your thoughts are interrupted by the soft squeaks of bare feet in the sand approaching you and mingi lowers himself down to sit by your side

no matter where you hide, he somehow always finds you

you give him a small smile when he calls your name in greeting, but it’s all you can really manage to do

it’s hard for you to talk today

but he already knows that

“can i tell you a story?” mingi isn’t really asking you

without waiting for a response he knows you can’t give, he starts to talk

“i don’t think i’ve told you about the time when yunho and i went skinny-dipping at night. i swear we saw the kraken that night”

he has told you this story before

more times than you can count on your fingers and toes combined - to the point where you have some of his exact phrases and expressions memorised

mingi knows he’s told you this story before

but he drones on anyway, adding his usual touches of dramatic flair and exaggerated details - words that he hopes keep you grounded to the spot so that you don’t disappear with the wind

(“did you know that yunho’s chest goes red when he screams in fright?”)

you want to make silly little comments about his silly little story

you want to laugh in harmony with mingi’s own rumbling sounds

except you can’t

it’s like whatever you want to say goes through a paper shredder right before it comes out of your mouth

and mingi knows

but he is willing to take all the time in the world to tape your words back together, shredded piece by shredded piece, until he can make you feel heard and seen

and even if you don’t talk, he is there to do enough talking for the both of you

some things don’t need to be said - he understands either way

because sometimes, healing looks like walking backwards on any progress that’s been made and that’s okay

after all…mingi’s been there before, too

the arriba sets sail again and hongjoong allows the crew one last night of rest before your usual duties resume

the stock of fresh produce and meat won’t last for longer than a couple of days anyway, so you all feast your stomach’s fill of food and alcohol

someone brings out an accordion and you all gather together on the upper deck as jongho sings to the music, background filled with the lively rattling of shared plates and mugs being passed around

the air is chilly but it’s crisp and fresh whenever you take a breath of it into your lungs

where being with the multitude of your crew usually makes you feel lonely, tonight, it feels okay

and from beside you, mingi sings along quietly to the music

his voice is not like jongho’s, which is soulful, emotional and powerful

mingi’s voice is deep, honest and raw as he sings the lyrics to the song of a man who is drowning and yearning to be saved

he looks at you during the last bridge, when the key changes from sorrowful to hopeful and the words tell of a man who is saved by his lover

you smile back at him, genuinely content in this moment

and even if it is only briefly, even if you will still have bad days in the future, you think that today is a good day

because healing takes form in all different ways, and being loved is one of them

maybe one day, mingi will be able to confess that he loves you

when he’s confident that you’ll be able to accept his love

not in the way where he expects you to reciprocate the same feelings for him, no

but in the way where you are able to accept the fact that you are worthy of being loved

there are no medical diagrams, procedures or journals that teach you how to heal your own hurt

but you have mingi and he is making one for you

it’s written with the ink of love on the very pages of his own heart and he will not stop writing until the day you are well and truly happy

and even if it takes forever?

well

mingi’s got a huge fucking heart

and it’s all yours

wooyoung

pov: you find a stowaway on your ship

“we’re headed off course again”

“again?” you look at your helmsman with furrowed brows

yunho nods, sighing out his next words, “i can’t get a read on north. the needle keeps flickering”

you look at the compass that’s mounted at the helm and true to his words, the tip of the arrow seesaws back and forth over the cardinal point

a quick glance down tells you that the newer compass you’ve got in your pocket is also behaving in the same manner, needle twitching despite the practised steadiness of your hands

so you know for sure that it’s not a fault in the instrument at the helm itself

but even if it were to be faulty, you would never replace it

not when it’s one of the only things you have remaining of your parents after they perished at sea

“maybe we should ask him,” yunho suggests, beckoning his head towards the deck

although seonghwa hums thoughtfully, having joined you both at the helm mid-conversation, you look at him incredulously

“you trust that person?”

yunho shrugs, “it’s not like he’s given us a reason to not trust him”

well

considering said man had been found stowing away in the cargo five days after your ship had left alcarres, who then also tried to plead for mercy by reasoning that he was ‘valuable’, you think that there’s plenty of reasons to not trust him

yunho rectifies his argument once he sees the pinched expression on your face, “as in, since we’ve found him on board”

you close your eyes and exhale

admittedly, yunho has a point

and there’s been one too many times where the man has flippantly suggested navigational changes or casually observed shifts in the winds and waters - which all turned out to be accurate - for it to be sheer luck

you open your eyes and call out to the upper deck

“stowaway”

yunho winces as seonghwa chides you with a slight elbow to your side at your choice of name, or lack thereof

said man looks at you from where he’s helping san and yeosang swab the deck, mouth tightening with wariness

the last time you had spoken the same word, it was along with an order to throw him into the brig with his wrists bound behind his back

but considering that that was the extent of his punishment for stowing away on your ship and he is now mingling amongst your crew with minimal security measures on your orders too, really, he’s gotten off scot-free

the stowaway approaches the quarterdeck with hesitant steps

you jerk your head towards the helm, “help yunho navigate the rest of the way to vlasgar. just until we can dock and work out what’s wrong with the compasses''

despite the curtness of your order, his face scrunches up into an enthusiastic grin

“of course, captain!”

you’re taken aback by his demeanour because you’re trying to find a reason to distrust him

but he’s not giving it to you

you watch as the stowaway makes himself comfortable against the helm rails and easily slips into conversation and banter with yunho amidst intermittent pointers to adjust the rudder

seonghwa nudges you from behind, “give him a little credit”

you scratch your neck awkwardly before calling out to your helmsman

“keep me updated on the ship’s course”

yunho nods and then you clear your throat, quickly glancing at the stowaway

“and thanks…wooyoung.”

you turn and leave the quarterdeck before you can fully catch a glimpse of the delighted smile the man beams at you

because if he’s not giving you reasons to dislike him, then you’re going to ensure he doesn’t start giving you reasons to like him

except…wooyoung attacks when you least expect it

it’s the night before your crew reaches vlasgar, and true to his claims when he was first discovered onboard, wooyoung has proven his value by navigating your ship through the waters without the aid of the malfunctioning compass

his innate sense for shifts in the wind and waters, combined with his understanding of celestial navigation and use of dead reckoning has meant that he is extraordinarily precise with his route

honestly, he’s freakishly accurate to the point where it’s a little unsettling

at least that’s what you tell yourself

you and hongjoong have given the crew the night off from their usual duties in preparation for a few busy days of maintenance and intel-gathering once your ship docks at vlasgar

wooyoung offers to cook in the galley and whip up a meal as fancy as he can from the select ingredients on board

you don’t have a good reason to deny him, not when the rest of your crew looks at you with eager faces at the thought of a meal that isn’t just the usual salted meat, so you send mingi along to help him locate the ingredients

also to keep an eye on wooyoung to ensure he isn’t using this as an opportunity to poison your crew, but you’re not about to admit that aloud

and that’s exactly when wooyoung chooses to attack

he attacks your heart with his cooking

granted, the standards are rock bottom, but wooyoung utilises a deadly combination of rosemary, thyme and bay leaves to prepare a hearty broth with preserved beef

he serves hardtack on the side to be softened and eaten with the broth, and jongho even manages to catch a few fish that wooyoung then scores and grills with lemon slices over the fire

mingi must also be in good spirits because he takes out the reserve of dried fruits and nuts that he’s usually pedantic over and allows wooyoung to arrange them artfully in a wooden bowl as nibblers to go with the profusion of rum that will inevitably be downed tonight

the impressive spread of food is placed on the upper deck where the entire crew sit in a rough circle together

you take one bite into the beef and curse without realising

“fucking hell, what did he put in this?”

wooyoung freezes mid-spoonful across from you in the circle

realising your words sound petrifying without context, you awkwardly amend them with your eyes glued to your bowl, “i could eat this every day,” before shoving another spoon of broth into your mouth to shut yourself up

there’s a chorus of teasing oooh’s at your words and somebody sing-songs, “captain likes youuu-r cooking”

“i don’t,” you scoff, completely ready to bite the bait and engage in this childish argument

but it’s him who comes to your defence

“it’s not my cooking, it’s just the spices that make a difference,” wooyoung insists

then he’s gesturing to the grilled fish and telling everyone to try, diverting the attention away from you

you accidentally make eye contact with him and initially flicker your eyes away out of embarrassment, but when you chance a peek back at him he’s still looking at you, his expression uncharacteristically calm and gentle when usually all you can hear these days is his raucous laughter bouncing across the deck

…not that you can recognise his laughter or anything

you stare at each other for a few more seconds before you lift up your bowl of beef broth and give him a little smile

you leave it up to him to interpret it however he wants

and just before you look away, you see the apples of his cheeks rounding with elation

wooyoung’s potentially earned himself a few points with his cooking (and perhaps with his unfailing happiness too), but maybe you’re just looking for excuses as to why you’re allowed to like him now

when you decide to take a walk in town long after midnight, your quarters having felt stuffy ever since you’d docked at vlasgar, you’re surprised to find that you’re not the only one still awake

“i’m going out for some air and maybe a drink, did you want to come?”

hongjoong shakes his head, “hwa’s gone out too, i’ll stay behind”

you pause, wondering whether it’d be rude if you didn’t extend the invitation to wooyoung, considering he’s literally two feet away

“what about you?” you end up offering

wooyoung excitedly hops up to his feet, “yeah, i’ll come with”

to your own surprise, you find that you’re not particularly disappointed by his response

the streets of vlasgar are empty, considering the late hour, and your leather shoes clack in unison against the cobblestones as you walk together

you’re not really sure what to say to fill the silence but wooyoung easily talks about anything and everything and you’re content to just listen

your feet eventually take you towards a small alehouse and you both settle down at one of the tables further away from the live music playing

the oil lamps flicker dimly along the wall, casting small dancing shadows on the surface of your mugs of ale

“my father never liked the taste of ale,” wooyoung suddenly muses after a swallow

you note the use of past tense

“is he…still around?” you ask tentatively

he makes a noise of refutation, the quietest he’s been tonight, before he reveals, “he took his own life”

“oh, wooyoung,” you breathe out

he curls his hands around his mug, “it’s already been two years, but it still hurts”

in a moment of empathy, you gently place your hand over his

your tone is bitter when you reply, “time doesn’t mean that it hurts any less, it just gets easier to pretend that it doesn’t”

he looks up at you, surprised by the touch of your hand but also by the sorrow reflected in your eyes

“have you also lost somebody?”

you nod at his question

“my parents,” you hesitate before adding, “their ship got swept under a rogue wave, the same night it turned into a tidal wave that destroyed the city of light”

wooyoung looks at you with wide eyes, “the one along the north coast? six- no, seven years ago?”

there’s not a single person who doesn’t know about it; when an apocalyptic wave had wiped out an entire city overnight

he places his other hand over yours when you nod again, creating a sandwich of comforting hands in the shared experience of loss and grief

you smile wistfully and he returns it

“well now that we’ve exchanged childhood trauma, care to tell me the real reason why you were on my ship, stowaway?” you half-joke

wooyoung laughs, each breath a pronounced cackle of joy, and you find the corners of your lips pulling themselves upwards too

“i’m being chased by a lunatic who’s out for my blood,” he deadpans

“that would have been nice to know before i let you join my crew”

wooyoung grins wickedly, “i’m part of your crew?”

“i’m definitely rethinking it,” you banter before you add on seriously, “only if you want to be”

he pulls his hands back to salute you loudly, “it would be my honour to be your human compass! jung wooyoung at your crew’s service!”

“shut the fuck up!” you hiss in embarrassment, but there’s no bite to your words and you’re laughing into your own hands

you tip back the remains of your ale and then beckon to wooyoung, “let’s head back, shall we?”

“yeah,” he gives you a dazzling smile

he pushes his chair back to stand up and you head towards the doors together

just as you walk past one of the tables, a man abruptly stands up and knocks into wooyoung’s shoulder harshly

your hand flies out to steady him as the man stares at wooyoung, then turns to leave without another word

“what’s his problem,” you mutter angrily. “are you okay?”

wooyoung reassures you with a placating squeeze to your arm before leading you out of the alehouse

as you retrace your steps back to the ship, you pass by a rickety stall that makes you falter

the wood of the table is rotting and standing on its last legs and there’s a roughly thatched roof propped up above its goods

even though the stall is enshrouded by the shadows of the clouded moonlight, you still wonder how you missed it on your way to the alehouse, considering it’s the only stall along the empty street, and with a vendor, no less

there’s an old woman bearing the burdens of living across her skin and in her posture, sitting hunched on an equally as weathered crate beside the table

you’re drawn towards it - by its ambience, seller or the familiar instruments lain on the table, you don’t know

the woman’s head is covered by a dusty shawl but you don’t miss the way her eyes bore beadily into wooyoung as you both approach

you reach out and skim your fingertips across the cool brass of the compasses on the table

a frown adorns your face when you notice there’s something strange about all of them

like the compass in your own pocket and the one mounted on your ship’s helm, the needles all swing indecisively over the north point, as if some unknown force is meddling with the magnetic field of the earth itself

you let out a little scoff of disbelief, “they’re all useless”

with a final glance at the table, you and wooyoung start to walk off

but then a raspy voice beckons at your backs, a ghost of a hand that tickles the hair on the nape of your necks, “the only time a compass is useless is when you have something better nearby”

unable to ignore the sensation, you look over your shoulder, “what do you mean by something better?”

a toothless smile; one that appears to know a secret that it doesn’t want to let you in on

“true north”

her cryptic answer alone is enough to tell you that you’re wasting your time

she doesn’t say anything else when you walk off for good this time after bidding her a tight-smiled farewell, not that you would have stopped either way if she did

wooyoung hurries to catch up to you

as he falls into step with you, he asks, “do you believe what she’s saying?”

“of course not, it doesn’t make any sense,” you glance at the tavern you’re walking past, telling you that the port is close now. “how can you have true north?”

wooyoung’s brows knit together, “well, there’s that old legend that says true north isn’t actually a direction, but a-”

he’s cut off by an amused voice behind you both

“so it really is you…jung wooyoung”

when you turn around, you’re met with the sight of a man donning a long, velvet coat and buckled shoes - articles of clothing very obviously pirated from the wealthy

it’s evident that he and wooyoung are acquainted in one way or another, but from the way wooyoung’s face loses its colour, they’re acquainted in a bad way

immediately, your hackles are raised

the man’s tone is saccharine as he continues, “when one of my men said that they had spotted you, i didn’t believe him”

“what do you want?” you snarl at the same time wooyoung murmurs next to you, “it’s the lunatic. jang hyunsoo”

hyunsoo cocks his head as he stares you dead in the eye, “i want him. dead.”

your face darkens, unwilling to back down, “and why are you so intent on killing him?”

“oh?” he raises an eyebrow in delight at your answer. “you must not know who he truly is”

sick of his bullshit, you reach down towards your belt to unsheath a throwing dagger and hold it in front of your body, “i don’t care who the fuck he is. he’s my crew member and that’s all that ma-”

“he’s the man that the legends speak of. blessed by the sea gods, bearer of the oceans’ wisdom - jung wooyoung is true north”

those two words again

you don’t understand why everyone you come across today seems to be so fixated on the idea of…

suddenly, you remember.

legends tell a story of true north - not a direction pointing to the earth’s axis, but a person

a man blessed by the gods of the sea with the power to be all-knowing when it comes to the waters

he possesses the innate ability to navigate without use of any instruments or celestial bodies; the wisdom of which passageways and courses to sail; the subconscious understanding of mother nature and her elements

the powers are passed down through his bloodline for generations, but the blessing does not stay sacred for long

human greed and coveting eventually lead to the murder of the bearer of true north at the time, and the powers are transferred to the murderer, permanently staining the bloodline and commencing the paradoxical cycle of sinning for a blessing

however, this does not go unpunished

the gods of the sea are enraged and in their uncontainable wrath they cause-

your memory ends there no matter how hard you try to recall the rest of the legend

wooyoung interrupts

“if you kill me, there’s no guarantee you’ll survive the consequences,” he tries to reason with the other. “just have a look at how close we are to sea”

you’re lost but hyunsoo sneers, “it’s not your power that i’m hungry for. it’s only fair that i spill your blood, after your father spilled the blood of my family”

at the mention of his father, wooyoung growls, “what the fuck do you think you’re saying”

“how do you think your father became true north? or better yet, let me jog your memory,” hyunsoo’s expression becomes hauntingly blank, “what happened seven years ago that wiped out a whole city because the sea gods had been angered?”

your breath hitches as you involuntarily whisper, the remaining piece of the puzzle slotting into memory, “...a tidal wave”

“yes,” he acknowledges your words but keeps his eyes drilling into wooyoung, “because true north - my father - was killed”

as were your parents by extension of the consequences

“killed by my father,” wooyoung concludes, voice frail as everything rapidly starts to reveal itself

one more revelation makes him look at you with a face of horror and remorse, “y/n…your parents…”

without hesitation, you push aside your own anguish for him

“wooyoung,” you warn, “it’s not your fault”

because you see it

the very moment his eyes start clouding over as he willingly takes on the burden of guilt wrongfully left behind by his deceased father - the same guilt that eventually took the man’s own life

wooyoung, who, with a heart and soul too pure, would rather take the blame himself than to push it onto somebody else

you step in front of him, knife raised in protection

because despite your best efforts, wooyoung had not only secretly stowed himself away on your ship but has also secretly stowed himself away in your heart

“what are you doing?” he tries to tug you behind him

there’s a teasing lilt in your voice as you stand steadfast, “stowaway, you’ve ruined navigating for me now - made it too easy for me and the crew. so you better fuckin’ take responsibility and be my compass for as long as i sail”

“how touching,” hyunsoo coos patronisingly before he draws the cutlass from his sheath, “looks like i’ll just have to kill the both of you”

you don’t stop wooyoung this time from stepping up to stand by your side, his own hands armed with dual daggers and his demeanour now iron-willed to fight

because if you’re prepared to fight for him, then wooyoung is prepared to fight twice as hard for you

tonight, either hyunsoo dies, or you both go down trying

the tension in the air is punctuated only by the slight scrape of your soles as you and wooyoung lower your stances and shift further onto your front feet

you had never believed in the sea gods until now, but you pray that they’re watching over you both

and indeed they are

they answer your prayers in the form of a deafening gunshot in the nearby tavern

hyunsoo flinches at the sudden commotion - only slightly, but the distraction in attentiveness is more than enough

now.

as you and wooyoung leap forward together in unison, weapons raised, the needles in your hearts’ compasses waver for one final time before they settle and point resolutely in one direction

your needle at wooyoung; wooyoung’s needle at you

because compasses will always point at true north and that’s exactly what you are to him and him to you

each other’s true north

jongho

pov: you're a mermaid who saves him

you follow the shadow of the ship’s hull, gliding effortlessly through the waters

you know that you shouldn’t be following so closely but it’s hard to refuse the temptation that comes hand in hand with storms

there’s a chance that vessels will toss cargo overboard as a last-ditch effort to save their ship from sinking

and if you’re really lucky, the vessel might sink entirely and you’ll be able to spend the next few days rummaging its ruins, scavenging for shiny treasures and intriguing objects

besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

no sailor or pirate in their right mind would think to cast a fishing net in this weather

you only have your carelessness and recklessness to blame, but regret won’t change anything about your current situation

you feel the strange lurch in your stomach as the fishing net you’re trapped inside is pulled out of the water, up along the side of the ship’s hull, until it levels with the gunwale

there’s someone standing there waiting

his face is still rounded and limbs still gangly with the telltale signs of youth

the fish around you jerk around desperately, a physical manifestation of your terror, while you lock eyes with the young teenager and grip at the net with white-knuckled fists

you are at his complete mercy

he stares in shock at your form, until you beg a single word

“please”

immediately, he draws a small pocket knife and starts to frantically cut through the net

there’s another questioning voice from somewhere on the deck that you can’t make out the words to, but from the way the boy in front of you picks up speed, you’re seconds away from being discovered

“come on, come on, come on,” the boy mutters through gritted teeth

there’s a slight jerk as he cuts through the strands of flax and a few fish slither their way out, the hole starting to become bigger

he lets out a hiss of pain when he accidentally slices through his own hand in his haste

but even then, he does not stop or falter

and then you hear it

the ripping of the material when the weight of yourself and the other fish tear the remainder of the net

you plummet into the ocean

and the last thing you see before the world above becomes blurred by the waters is the boy’s wide eyes peering over the ship’s edge as he watches you fall

jongho struggles to adjust his centre of gravity as the ropes stutter underneath him

he chances letting go of the rigging briefly with one hand so that he can wipe the rain out of his eyes, which is pouring down incessantly and obscuring his vision

overhead, the top sail continues to billow and flap in an angry dance as the rapidly shifting winds tangle it further

he swallows thickly and grips the rigging once again

he needs to climb up and untangle the damned sail, fast

one hand extending outwards to grab the running rigging, jongho supports himself on shaky legs so that he can unfurl the twisted edges of the sail from around the ropes

it’s difficult enough having to chase the mocking flits of the canvas in the gale, but it’s fucking hellish with the added lurching and pitching of the ship as it’s battered by the swells of the sea

he finally manages to get a good grip on the sail and tugs hard, feeling it give way and flush full as it catches the wind properly now that it’s free

except the force of it sends the material swelling right in his face and he slips

by some saving grace, the combined movement of another colossal wave sends his body careening through the air in a wide arch

he does not land on the upper deck in a heap of broken bones

instead, he plummets into the ocean

and the last thing jongho sees before he loses consciousness is the shimmer and flick of a tail

your body reacts instantaneously to the sudden intrusion of something plunging into the waters in front of you, your tail swishing to increase your distance

for a brief second your heart seizes up in fright at the thought of a harpoon

but then you see it - see him

apart from the young teen who had freed you years ago, you have never seen a human up close before

and certainly not one in the ocean; in your home

there is something about the man before you that is beautiful yet haunting

it is as if time and gravity have warped his very existence

you see a weak flail of legs, a desperate hand reaching for the surface, floating tendrils of hair, but even in the face of approaching death, his movements appear slow and graceful in the water

as the pockets of air and bubbles of foam dissipate from around him and cruelly escape upwards without him, the man stills - grand and slow as his form steadily starts to make a descent towards the sandy bottom of the ocean

in folklore amongst your merpeople, humans are as swift, sure and savage on land as they are aboard their monstrous vessels

and yet, watching the ethereal existence of this man before you, you realise that once humans are underwater, they are at the complete mercy of mother nature and her beings

you gingerly swim closer

when you wrap your arm around the man’s limp body, his skin is warm under your fingertips

you’re reminded of the fact that he is at your complete mercy

and so you swim.

the moment jongho regains consciousness, his chest involuntarily contracts in an attempt to take a huge, stuttering breath

he curls onto his side instead, one hand scrabbling in the wet sand and his other arm crushed between the ground and his upper body as he hacks up his lungs with retching motions

the salt water burns even more coming back up than it did going down and his eyes sting with tears

when the convulsions cease, jongho closes his eyes and rests his forehead against the cool sand, trying to regain his breath-

and bearings

the jarring clarity has him sitting up abruptly as he tries to recall where he is and what he’s doing

there was the storm

the tangled sail

him climbing up the riggings

falling down, down, down

and then…

you

your eyes widen when the man’s unfocused gaze suddenly sweeps the waters and lands on the small part of your face that is exposed and peering at him

instinctively, you duck underwater, the notion of hiding your existence from humans ingrained into you

but even though he only sees a glimpse of you, jongho would recognise you from anywhere

it’s hard to forget when he’s kept his eyes peeled on the waters since that day, hoping to see you once again

he can’t believe that the mermaid he once saved would end up being his saviour

but he guesses that’s what people call fate - an alignment of miracles

he glances around at his surroundings to find himself in the safety of a small cove

you dare to emerge your curious eyes again when you see the form of the man stand up with his gaze on the sand, seemingly in search of something

he fumbles along the edge of the coast, reaching down several times to grasp things too small for you to discern

it seems that he becomes satisfied with what he has found, because he then sets them all down in the wet sand - right where the tide kisses the shore in a teasing game of chase - and takes several steps backwards so that he is no longer close to the waters

the man scratches the back of his head as he gestures vaguely to the pile, appearing to want to say something before thinking better of it and turning around to pick at the driftwood further inland

you wait, trying to gauge his actions

but when it becomes clear to you that he is not attempting to catch you off guard, you cautiously swim closer to shore

you are able to rest your forearms comfortably on the shoreline’s sand from how close you get

and then you see it

a small pile of glossy pebbles and patterned shells

a peace offering of pretty things he could find that he thought you might like

you duck under the water again, but this time to hide your shy smile as opposed to an act of instinctual self-preservation

jongho looks at the hefty pile of dried wood that he has gathered in the meantime, deeming it enough to keep a fire going for the inevitable night he will have to spend at the cove

he’s tried his hardest not to look out to the waters, wanting to gain your trust

but he can’t help it this time when his eyes are drawn to the little mound of his sincerity in the sand

…only to find it untouched, and you nowhere to be seen

he tries not to feel disappointed

after all, you have no reason to trust him

so he sets his mind on starting a fire before the sun sets completely instead, trying to ignore the growing dryness in his throat

when he finally nurses a spark into a flame an hour later, jongho almost misses it in his fatigued state

but it’s unmistakable when he walks closer

gone is his own pile of pebbles and shells

in its stead is a jumbled collection of broken combs, rusted locks and a glass bottle

a peace offering of peculiar things you had found that you thought he might need

jongho doesn’t know it, but as he bends down to carefully gather every gift and safekeep them closer to his fire, he is not the only one with a bashful smile on his face

you tell yourself it’s purely curiosity and displaced familiarity that makes you linger and return to the cove the very next morning

you’re well aware what the risks are if you fall in love with a human

how many stories have you heard of mermaids and mermen alike, falling for a human, only for their love to be unilateral or rejected?

their tails slowly lose their lustre as gradual paralysis takes over until they lose complete control

quite literally drowning within their own body, they eventually sink to the bottom of the ocean to perish with the decaying wreckages of sunken ships…

and the countless corpses of sailors, pirates and other unfortunate souls alike

it’s ironic

no matter how much folklore makes out humans and merpeople to be different, you all end up the same in the face of death; buried in the soil of the earth or buried in the sand of the ocean bottom

side by side

jongho stands in that very ocean right now, sleeves and pants rolled up to keep them as dry as possible as he crouches over with the water up to his thighs

he would try to fashion a fishing hook or harpoon of some sort, but with the possibility that you may be close by in the waters, he doesn’t want to risk using anything that could hurt you

so he resorts to using his bare hands

you’ve been watching from the safety of the water for well over half an hour now, curious and slightly endeared by his clumsy attempts to grab at something

you’re not sure what, but you can see the fish as they dart teasingly through his legs and from out of his reach

for beings that are supposedly apex predators, this human doesn’t seem intimidating at all

so, very cautiously, you swim up closer to him

jongho feels himself freezing at the sight of you approaching - not because he’s afraid of you, but because he’s afraid he’ll scare you away

he holds his breath as you hesitate and linger just out of his reach, then swim up and bump his leg playfully with your tail as you circle around him once

he’s reminded of a puppy wanting to sniff out somebody unfamiliar and his eyes follow your form with rounded fondness

“hi,” he breathes out softly, “i’m jongho”

your tail swishes with sudden movement, splashing him with water and he giggles

you can hear it clearly even from under water and your heart nearly stops

if this man - if jongho - was a siren, the sounds of his happiness would be his song of calling

you want to hear it again

jongho sucks in a breath when you dare to emerge from the water’s surface, presenting him with a fish held carefully between your lips and one more in each of your hands

he’s a little dumbfounded at how easily you managed to catch them as he gently takes the one from in between your teeth

the still-flailing fish in his hands is peppered with two tiny neat rows of puncture holes where you had carefully bitten into it

he finds it so fucking cute, especially when you continue to peer up at him with expectant eyes, wanting to know if it was the fish that he was trying to catch this whole time

he wants to thank you, and not just for the fish

so he fumbles through his words when he asks, “would you like to eat with me? unless…” he trails off, “unless you don’t eat fish because…”

are mermaids technically fish?

did he really just offer you the mermaid equivalent of human flesh to eat?

before jongho can panic and try to salvage the situation, you give him a shy smile and nod

jongho makes a fire as close to the shore as possible without the wood at risk of becoming wet

as he spears the fish onto sticks so that he can hold them over the flames, you gather the courage to slide out of the shallow waters so that you can lay on the damp sand closer to him

whilst you can for short periods, you rarely ever fully emerge out of the waters because you leave yourself vulnerable without the full mobility of your body

but jongho makes you feel safe enough to do so

and he must at least partially recognise the amount of trust you are placing in him because he looks at you in awe, the unveiled beauty of your tail now in full display

your scales are a kaleidoscope of cerulean, mauve and periwinkle, reflecting onto the sand below you in a magical dance with each of your slight movements

he notices that the gradient peters out into shades of salmon and coral the closer the scales are to your waist and he cannot tear his eyes away from you

jongho thinks to himself that you were created by the hands of the sea god, who then named the word beautiful after you

and even then, the word does not seem to do you justice

“why are you staring?”

your voice is simultaneously bashful and teasing, yet jongho is utterly mortified that your first words to him are ones exposing his smitten behaviour

his brain kickstarts in panic and he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind

“if your tail gets too close to fire, will you start smelling like grilled fish?”

for a split second, your expression contorts into one of pure horror, before the absurdity of his question breaks down the remainder of your reservations and you lose yourself in laughter

a pretty blush settles over the round of jongho’s cheeks and then he is also laughing with you

together, where the land and sea unite, the sounds of your shared happiness fill the air

his song of calling chimes melodiously in your heart even as you swim away for the night

but the dangerous thing about a siren’s song is that you don’t realise you’ve become captivated…

until it’s too late

you’re looking down at the object in your hands as you swim for the cove

it’s cream-coloured and smooth to touch, with several blunt tips extending from one side

you’ve always wondered what it is and so you decide to see if jongho will know

you don’t notice the large rock formation jutting out of the seabed until it’s almost right in front of you and at the last second, you flex your tail to manoeuvre yourself around it

except you must miscalculate your distance because you end up grazing yourself on the sharp edges of the rock

it doesn’t puncture your scales but it certainly catches you off guard - your organs and senses work in a way that ensures you never collide into anything so long as you are underwater

so then, why?

you look down and your heart drops

tentatively, you spin around once, eyes never leaving their focus

you realise it’s not a trick of the lighting or the water

your scales have started to lose their shimmer

jongho is beginning to think that you won’t show up today when you finally do, one of your treasures cradled in your hands and a smile on your face that doesn’t quite reach your eyes

(you weren’t going to show up, not after realising that you need to stop yourself from falling further in love with jongho if you want to live, but you decide to be selfish one last time and say goodbye, even if you’re the only one who knows it’s a goodbye)

“what’s that?” he gestures towards your hands with his chin as you slide your upper body out of the shallow waters, leaving your tail to be submerged when the waves come in

you uncurl your fingers with a shrug

“it’s a comb,” he answers his own question as he turns it over in his hand, “made out of animal bone, i think”

you look at him curiously as he sits down, unbothered about wetting his clothes, and you ask, “what’s a comb?”

jongho brings it up to his head and pretends to move it up and down

“you run it through your hair to untangle it”

he pauses as his eyes flicker to your hair then back to your face

“i can…show you how to use it…if you want?” he offers

just once, you’ll allow yourself to get close to him just this once

when you nod and sit up, jongho shifts himself so that he is behind you

you try not to shiver when you feel the heat of his chest enveloping your back as he reaches forward to gently gather the hair from around your face and neck

he steadies your head with one of his hands, the other bringing the teeth of the comb through the slight waves of your hair

his touch is soft and loving in the way he tries not to tug too hard when he encounters a knot

his fingertips skim against you intimately but with an innocence that betrays the fact that he has never brushed somebody’s hair before

you feel your shoulders relaxing into his touch and your eyes close, blissfully - and perhaps deliberately - ignorant to the fading radiance of your body

“are you feeling okay?” jongho’s voice sounds even more alluring when it’s right next to your ear and you can’t help but shudder this time. “you seem paler than usual”

he brings a hand down to your waist and turns you towards him so that he can see you better

you try to formulate an answer, “i…”

i think i’m in love with you

of course, you would never tell him that

but before you can tell him that you’re fine, you become distracted by the glimpse of something on his hand that’s still resting on your waist

a scar

“is that- how did you get this?”

you run your thumb lightly over the taut, white line that runs from his wrist to the knuckle of his index finger

as you’re suddenly reminded of the familiar memory of a teenager with rounded cheeks and gangly limbs, the man beside you with those very same eyes looks at you fondly

“i cut myself trying to free a mermaid from a fishing net”

your gaze is unfocused as you process the information

the effects of the shattering revelation are immediate and a terrifying numbness starts to creep up your tail

because what you didn’t know - what nobody in folklore knew - was that the effects of paralysis and onset of death are accelerated when you fall in love with someone again for the second time

years ago, your heart had been claimed by the young man who had freed you at his own expense

you had managed to survive the heartbreak due to the briefness of your encounter, your paralysis fading and tail regaining its beauty when you never saw him again

but the effects of your unilateral love have not vanished entirely as you and your merpeople have believed it to

they have simply lay dormant like a disease, waiting for the right time to resurface when your feelings are rekindled

and so now it snowballs and gains traction at a speed that cannot be stopped, racing to catch up on the numerous years that you have cheated death where you thought you did not love jongho

“why is your tail turning grey?” the voice of the man you love is pinched with muted panic

you never thought you would ever be afraid of your own tail; your own body

yet, when you look down to see the monochrome advancing up each layer of your scales, you are absolutely petrified

your tail is starting to look like a stone statue and you know it won’t be long until that’s exactly what you become - motionless and unmoving

“y/n! why is your tail grey?!” jongho repeats with a shout, in full blown panic due to your lack of response

you can’t- won’t die in front of him

your lower body is almost deadweight with immobility and you bite back tears as you’re forced to crawl pathetically towards the water with your arms

jongho scrabbles to his feet as he hovers next to you, hands wanting to help but not quite touching you because he’s not sure what’s happening and he doesn’t know what he can do for you and you look like you’re in pain but he doesn’t know why-

“don’t!” you bark out sharply

he freezes in shock

you’re frightened and angry and you want to yell at something, someone, but…

you could never yell at jongho

with a much softer, albeit shaky voice, you tell him, “don’t look for me”

and before you can hear the pained noise that escapes jongho’s lips, you drag yourself back into the water

except a few metres after you’ve submerge yourself, the unthinkable happens

you. cannot. breathe.

you’re drowning.

jongho doesn’t care if you’ll hate him forever, doesn’t care if this is the last time you’ll choose to see him, but he will not just stand and watch when it looks like you are leaving to die alone

his body moves with the decisions of his heart before his mind tells him otherwise

he dives into the water after you

the world distorts around him; a moment of weightlessness as the waters easily shift to accommodate his body; the bubbling sound of air pockets reverberating inside his very skull; the shock of cold that overrides every other bodily sense

jongho forces his eyes open with numerous blinks until he can see you

your form is eerily still, and yet, you remain bewitching

he kicks his legs desperately with one arm outstretched and as soon as you are within reach, he tugs you into his chest

you’re limp to touch, lips slack and parted as if the very essence of your soul is escaping through your mouth

jongho will not let you die

lungs starting to burn and heartbeat pounding in his ears, he presses his lips against yours

a kiss of life- 

he closes his eyes

-and love

but you don’t respond

jongho ignores his instincts even as his body screams to part from you and kick upwards for a breath

instead, he moves his jaws to kiss you even harder

and then he feels it

he almost sobs into you when your lips twitch weakly against his

with renewed vigour, you’re sealing your mouth around his bottom lip as you respond, capturing him in a real kiss

below your joined lips, your scales start to bloom with their full brilliance once again

your tail shimmers brighter than before, reflecting intricate patterns of fractals with each slight ripple of the water as you open your eyes to the sight of jongho’s face, beautifully swathed in the incandescence of the rainbow

you can move again

you flick your tail, jongho’s arms still firmly around your waist and you both burst upwards, breaking the water’s surface with spluttering breaths

he desperately treads you both backwards towards the shore even though you can easily hold your own now

“jongho, you-”

he takes one look at you before he cuts your words off and plunges himself back underwater, stunning you into stupor, until he re-emerges with another splutter

“your tail!” he yells with overwhelming relief, face still scrunched as he tries to sweep his fringe up and wipe the water from out of his eyes

“yeah…” voice muted as you process the fact that you’re still alive, “my tail…”

“fuck, you scared me”

jongho’s eyes are bloodshot as they stare into yours, and you know for a fact that they aren’t just red from the irritation of salt water

you bring up a hand to rest it on his chest, right where his heart still thumps rapidly under your touch, and you apologise with a small smile, “sorry…i scared me, too”

he huffs a little before looking at you earnestly

“don’t ever do that again”

the water is now shallow enough that jongho can stand, but it’s deep enough that you can still drift effortlessly

it’s the perfect harmony where land and sea unite; where a human and a mermaid interact

where you, the enchanter, and jongho, the enchanted, find a balance of love

“i won’t,” you promise

on land, humans tell a story of a mermaid who falls in love with a man

a mermaid who is ready to give up her voice in exchange for her happily ever after

but in the sea, merpeople tell a story of a man who falls in love with a mermaid

a man who is ready to give up his life in exchange for his happily ever after

taglist | unable to be tagged check your visibility settings ♡

@thecarnivaloflies @binchanluvrr @ppprimary @hwas-housewife @itza-meee

@lavishloving @okshu @alexwritesfics @ayytease @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad

@hongjoongsprincess @booyoungie @green-agent @darkmentalitystarfish-blog @taytayy178

@taechwitaaaa @babymbbatinygirl @oddracha @sourkimchi @sinemm

@kibs-and-bits @mlysalt @jjoongstar @aaa-sia @nollamuumialaaksossa

@skz1-4-3 @minkilicious @ddeonghwva @delulu18 @elaichi-chai

@dinossaurz @icarusignite

[missmarveledsblog]

Sir? ( Pete Mitchell x Reader )

summary : he never thought he would be in this situation but why did it surprise him he was pete maverick mitchell after all the impossible was always possible in his life ... only this time he didn't think he would fall for one of the dagger squad member sister .

warnings: age gap ( mid to late thirties for reader although i know the fic request said older sister i decided to make her jake twin sister ) , goofy , fluffy fun, traumatising hangman , mention and alludes to smut 18+ , not proofread i got the request and honestly had to it asap 🫡🤣

to the person that requested this thank you for the request and hope you liked it❤

This  cat and mouse cause was something he thought he was done with , he found he was too old , that somehow it was he was left to the pasture . then he met her  while grabbing a part for his motorcycle while she was grabbing a part for her car . he stood in awe at the beauty of the woman just metres away not realising he was staring for so long til she looked up and that smile that took his breath away ( see what i did there … ok back to the story )  . she was younger than him that much was obvious sigh for him to walk away and scold himself but yet it seemed his body had it’s mind of it own and his mouth was the same idea . 

“ hey sorry but i had to introduce myself … pete mitchell “ he held his hand out . 

“ y/n  nice to meet ya pete mitchell “ she giggled shaking his hand and bright smile on her face . 

He was surprised more at himself when he asked if she wanted to go for coffee sometime  even more surprised when she said yes and game him  her number  and told him to call her before walking out the store leaving him with a victorious grin and high five from the guy behind the counter.   Now he didn’t think he would actually do it but then he thought  of the what if’s and what he had to lose in the whole thing. Yes she was younger  , wasn’t like she was in her twenties , ok so she was thirty eight but still they were both adults . when they did have that coffee date well he was transfixed with the woman   how she was funny, beautiful and smart as hell  he knew  was a goner and by end of it they went back to his and well he knew he couldn’t stop now even if he wanted to pete mitchell found himself addicted in all things that where y/n . 

They were sure he was a clone person or whatever fanboy told them  because pete mitchell was showing up to work with pep in his step and smiling all the time .  a new lease on life as the man was flying with a new vigour even letting the push ups slide every now and again .it wasn’t like he was a cold bastard before but shit he was more and more cheery after the weekends , the dagger squad didn’t know whether to be happy , scared or happy for the captain . they all stood at the door looking in at the man smiling  brighter than the sun while talking to someone on the phone  the unmistakable  “ i miss you too” and “ i’ll see you later kay “ . 

“ you think the old man’s finally getting some “ jake asked . 

“ ew don’t say it like that , he’s practically my dad” rooster grimaced . 

“ hey its good to know the old man got it in him” the texan smirked patting rooster back as he walked into the hanger just as Maverick hung up .  “ so when we gonna meet her ?” jake asked shit eating grin on his face. 

“ your not hangman” pete chuckled shaking his head . 

“ so there is a her ?” rooster ran into the room . 

“ aw bradshaw getting a new mom “ jake snorted  only to earn a glare shot his way . 

“ why can’t we meet her … shit she not like a twenty year old or something ?” rooster grimaced . 

“ no  she not a twenty year old and your not meeting her because we’re still .. navigating things “ pete nodded . 

“ so she your age ?”. 

“ jesus leave the man alone  and enough with the interrogation bradshaw “ phoenix rolled her eyes although she couldn’t lie she was also just as curious .

“ she’s 38 ok  and thats all your getting “ pete shoot his head . 

“ she younger than me “ bradley gasped. 

“ same age as me … is she hot ?” hangman smirked clearly loving the situation seeing as it was getting a new found respect for his superior and riling rooster up in one glorious moment. 

“Ok enough about my personal life lets get up in the air ok “ pete called hoping it would be the end of the question but it was only the start. 

A couple of month before he found himself  wanting to spend every second with y/n  and with her brother staying with his friend  , he was sitting  there watching her move around the kitchen making them both dinner everything in it all felt so domestic it went from a hook up to something more something that neither of them talked about but yet  on the same page .  something he  took to this point of his life to want , the she was the man reason he wanted it . she even brought up casually of meeting her brother at some time so they didn’t have to wait for the man to stay out so they could hangout in her place. Another situation he never thought he would find himself in especially at his age and yet he couldn’t help but agree to it .  everything about this felt right  even after dinner when the two sat on the sofa watching a movie enjoying the company of the other , he definitely like when  she got that look in her eye  or the subtle movement or how each kiss started to linger and heat up . wasn’t long before the two were heated kissing before he brought ignoring the picture on his way up  or the one he knocked over when the two made it to her room .  the way he had her crying you his name as he devoured her hole or the way he made her cry out his name in pleasure.  The way she had him body and soul as their bodies intertwined between the sheets .  he didn’t want this with anyone else y/n had him and he for once didn’t want to let go .  the three little word on the tip of his tongue and yet thats where they stay for now at least he wanted to do it right . 

The sun was peaking into the room  , eyes blurring and focusing to the moring light stretching out to feel  her on his chest . eye lashes fanning her cheeks and pillow plump like honestly like an angel sleeping away bed head and all. It was almost a crime to wake her up as he began to get up  his plan failed as she began to stir . a tired smile on her lips as she looked up at the man eyes filled with adoration and something else  something to  the effect his own were giving her. 

“ morning beautiful “ he smiled leaning down to kiss her head. 

“ morning handsome “ she giggled nuzzling into his chest. “ you hungry ?” she asked sweetly making him melt completely.

“ i’ll make it you sleep more” he kissed her head before tilting her face up to kiss her lips . 

“ how about you make coffee while i go to the bathroom and i’ll make us breakfast” she countered. 

“Ok deal go i’ll have a cup ready for you “ he chuckled as she got up only for a groaned to fall from his lips at her naked form . 

“ well i’d get going then maybe we can come back up here after the fueling up” she winked as he threw his head back letting out a laugh .

Throwing on his  sweatpants on  he headed down the stair stilling when he heard movement  a slight panic when he realised her brother must of came back early ready to turn back but thought suck it up he was gonna meet the guy some way and it would be awkward either way so least rip the bandaid off as he didn’t plan on going anytime.  Confident as he walked in the kitchen but as soon as the confidence had come, it went just as quick as he felt the color drain from his face staring at the familiar back of a person he knew all too well . 

“ hey want some cerea…. Sir? “  the voice dropping as jake Seresin was looking at the topless captain standing in his sister's kitchen . 

“ hey handsome where’s my … jake what are you doing home so early “ her smile dropped quicker. 

“ please don’t say shes the …. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST MY SISTER MAV” jake yelled as she wince hiding behind the man giving she wasn’t wearing many clothes bar a tshirt and panties.  “ he’s old as hell and my boss what the hell y/n “ he groaned. 

“ hey he not that old plus i’m older than you “ she shot back weakly . 

“ by ten minutes … how long has … What are your intentions with my sister… can you please go put on some pants please “ the blonde whined . 

“ i honestly thought you knew “ she said softly looking between the both . 

“ how ? you said the guys name was peter “ jake scoffed.  

“ i said his name was pete dipshit “ she shot back . 

The two sat quietly neither speaking a word  , the silence was deafening although he knew her surname and the accent such of tipped him off but maybe it was his way of the whole  ‘love is blind’ sort of thing or so he told himself as hangman was currently staring daggers at him .

“This is so fucked” jake finally said breaking the silence. 

“ didn’t seem like it in the hanger” pete muttered . 

“ that cause  i didn’t think you were screwing my sister” . 

“ i’m not screwing your sister .. it’s not like that i care for her more than you think ok i know  it’s not ideal and she’s younger than me or the fact she could do hell of alot better but i love her “ pete spoke up not realising what he just said til the words slipped out of his mouth . 

“ you love her?”  jakes eyes almost softened a little bit . 

“ you love me?” her voice made him fresh before turning to see her standing with a smile on her face and yet he couldn’t in that moment care . 

“ very much so” Mav nodded noting her slowly making her way over. 

“ i love you very much so too “ she smirked peck his lips . 

“ oh shit my sister is Bradshaw's new mom “ Jake groaned as Mav laughed and her head tilted in confusion .

[missarchive]

Heyyy, I’m not sure if you’re taking requests atm but I LOVED your ‘bed chem’ book I feel like there are NOT enough elle x fem!readers out there and especially not enough dom reader ones so I loved it sm! I was wondering if you could do another one similarly maybe a soft top fem!reader and elle possibly set just after elle leaves the bau; reader says she still loves her and would never blame her for it and confessions ensue etc… the girls get their freaks onnn!! Our girl elle deserved all the love in the world I miss her! Ily thank you 🙏 (ps if u hate this idea honestly any top reader bottom elle fics would be so splendidly superb😭)

cw; 18+ MDNI!! slight angst, fluff, top fem!reader, bottom!elle, wingwoman emily makes an appearance, fingering, oral, resolved feelings, open ending

an; I wasn’t sure if you wanted a pre-established relationship or not so I just kinda ran with your idea a bit! I hope you enjoy reading <3 thank you for the request, I miss Elle so bad you guys.

wc; 2k

As the morning progressed, you couldn’t help but notice the stares you got from the surrounding agents. You chose to ignore them, knowing it would only lead to questioning about Elle. Besides, you knew you wouldn’t have the answers they were so desperately searching for, anyway.

Finally having had enough of the forlorn looks sent your way, you pushed your chair back with a shrill screech and excused yourself from your desk, dumping the files down on the nearest table and heading straight for the doors.

You make it no more than twenty metres before Emily is pulling you aside and into the empty breakroom. You tug your arm from her grip harshly and huff a little, “can I help you?” you raise an eyebrow.

She smirks and brushes you off, “how about you help yourself, first. I haven’t seen you stewing like this since… well, ever,” she laughs, straightening her lapels and leaning against the counter.

“And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean,” you shoot her a quick glare, having a feeling you already know where this conversation is headed.

Emily sighs, bowing her head briefly before her eyes soften, looking back up at you, “we’re only trying to help… none of us like seeing you this way.”

A scoff leaves your lips before you can stop it, the tiled pattern on the floor suddenly seeming far more interesting. You avert your eyes from her all-knowing gaze, picking at your nail beds, “I just wish she would’ve told me… that’s all,” you sigh, “you know, maybe… maybe I could’ve helped. I-I could’ve done something.”

Your bottom lip quivers, betraying the facade you’d worked so hard to keep up. “I thought maybe I-,” you shake your head, cutting yourself off as you raise a hand to frustratedly wipe at the tears pricking your eyes, “I thought I meant more to her than that…” you whisper, so quietly you're unsure if Emily even heard you.

“Don’t do that,” she frowns, her voice soft, kind. More than you deserve right now, you’re sure, “you know what you meant to her, what you mean to her…” she looks away briefly, choosing her next words carefully, “have you tried calling her?”

You let out a sad laugh, “and say what? ‘I miss you, I love you?’”

Emily looks at you as if you’d grown two heads, “uh, yeah. That’s exactly what you’re supposed to say, am I missing something here?”

“I wish it was that simple, Em,” you straighten your bag strap against your shoulder, “I’m not exactly sure this is the best time for me to spill my guts to her… she’s been through a lot.”

“That’s exactly why you should ‘spill your guts’, she needs to know that someone out there is in her corner,” Emily takes a cautious step forward, as if afraid to poke the bear. Once she’s sure you won't react, she places a hand on your shoulder and rubs her thumb in soothing circles.

You frown slightly, “but- she knows we support her, right?”

“It’s different coming from someone you love,” Emily smiles, patting your shoulder before moving past you and out the door, pausing under the frame, “I really think you should call her.”

You stand there, frozen. Emily’s words replay in your mind. “Someone you love.” She couldn’t have meant you… could she? Was she implying that Elle loved you? Your feet have never carried you to your car so fast, slamming the door behind you before rummaging around your purse for your cell.

Dialling Elle’s number, you wait in a painful silence. The call goes straight to voicemail, unusual. She’s usually very attentive to her phone. She must’ve been in a call already, you think to yourself. You’ll just call her again in a couple of minutes.

Voicemail, again. By the fourth attempt at calling her, you know something’s up. She would’ve answered by now, would’ve sent you a text detailing why she couldn’t pick up. She would’ve called you back, and rushed an apology.

You can't wait any longer, you follow the familiar route to her apartment. A drive you’d taken almost every night since you’d met her. Whether it be dropping her home from work, or getting drunk on the cheapest bottle of wine you could find, you were always in proximity to Elle.

The distance was unfamiliar, the silence was even worse.

Pulling up to her complex, you rush up the stairs. Your hand reaches out in hesitation, would she want to see you? It’s quickly overshadowed by your own need to see her.

You bang on her door rapidly. “Elle, I know you’re home,” you sigh, resting a closed fist against the door.

Waiting no more than a few moments at her front door step, the door swings open. There she was. A permanent frown etched into her once carefree face. Dark circles you know aren’t recent either. She moves aside, gesturing for you to come inside.

Once you set your coat down and take a seat next to her on the edge of her couch, it seems as if your own frown now mirrors hers. “What happened?”

She looks up at you, lips parted ever-so-slightly, chapped from dehydration. “I couldn't be there anymore… I’m losing so much of myself, I couldn’t… I couldn’t watch that happen to everyone else as well.”

You shake your head, pulling her hand into your lap, “I meant what happened with us. Why didn’t you tell me, Elle?”

Her eyes dart away from yours, hands growing clammy. “I knew you’d be upset.”

“Upset?” you chase her gaze, “Elle I’m only upset for you, not because of you.”

The silence seems to grow between you, each person scared to disrupt the quiet.

You shuffle slightly closer to her on the couch, reaching out to brush a stray curl away from her face. “I love you, Elle. You’ll always have me, even when you have nothing.”

Her expression softens, her eyes darting between your own as if trying to read you, unsure of what she heard, “you love me?” she repeats back to you, her throat going dry.

You nod, exhaling into a smile, “I love you, Elle. And I’d never blame you for what you did,” the curve of her cheek rests in your palm, a perfect fit, “I’m on your side. I understand you.”

Her bottom lip pulls in, quivering for just a moment while she looks over your face.

Then, she pulls you into a gentle kiss. Her lips soft against yours, her breathing coming out in quick heaves. You push yourself closer to her, wanting to be as close as possible. As soon as you sense her leg brush up against yours, you waste no time. Your hands go to her knees, slowly sliding up the soft material of her leggings and under the hem of her tank top.

Your fingertips trace over the curves of her ribs, gently pressing against her taut skin as she pushes herself into your touch. Your hands work their way down her body, resting on the swell of her hips. The fabric of her underwear tickles the pads of your fingers and you can't help but let out a small breath when you feel the slickness of her arousal already. You feel a blush cover your cheeks at the thought of her wet for you. Your eyes widen and you swallow hard, doing your best to hold in the groan that’s threatening to escape.

Moving your hand further, you push your fingers between her legs, slowly spreading her open with your thumb.

“Y/n,” she breathes your name. It feels like a prayer and your ego soars. “I need to feel you,” her voice begging.

You shift yourself so you’re hovering over Elle, your knees at either side of her hips as you pull her panties off of her and slide them into the pocket of your pants. You smirk a little to yourself, she’s not getting them back until you’re both fully sated. Your hands move up her body again and you pull her top over her head.

Elle reaches for your shirt but you pull back from her grasp as you pull it off of your own body.

“I want to worship your body,” you whisper as you bend your head to her breasts, pulling her nipple into your mouth and swirling your tongue around it slowly. Her breath comes out in a soft gasp and you can feel her hands fisting your hair. She pulls at the strands slightly, but she’s not pushing or pulling you away from her. You let her nipple pop out of your mouth as you trail kisses over her chest and across her shoulders.

“You taste so good,” you breathe the words against her lips. You kiss her jaw, her neck, her chest. Your lips move slowly over her, paying attention to all the spots that make her squirm beneath you.

You let your hand glide down over her torso and spread her legs wider, letting your fingers trail from her knee up to her inner things. You rub your hands up and down, feeling the heat coming from between her legs. Pushing yourself off her reluctantly, you position your body further down, allowing your head to rest between her thighs. You slowly open her up before dipping your head down to her core. You slowly lick your way up her center, flicking your tongue over her clit before pressing it flat against her and pushing the tip into her wet cunt.

She lets out a soft moan as she arches her back. You look up at her, watching as her chest rises and falls with each laboured breath.

“Fuck,” she breathes. Her hands fist the material of the couch beneath her. “Y/n, I’m close.” Her words come out in a gasp.

You pick up your pace, alternating between flicking and sucking on her clit. She gasps, “oh god, y/n,” and you can tell she’s close. You increase your pace as you add two fingers to her opening, pumping in and out of her slowly. She whimpers softly, her moans coming out in quick bursts as her legs tremble beneath her.

You look up to her face and she looks down at you, a haze of lust covering her eyes. You can tell she's right on the edge. You move your fingers inside her, finding that spot you know will make her cum the hardest. You curl your fingers and press them against it, rubbing softly as you flick your tongue against her clit.

“Fuck! Fuck, I love you… I love you,” Elle whimpers. Her body shakes as her orgasm overtakes her, her arms falling limply from the couch. She’s still cumming when you pull your fingers out of her, and she whimpers at the loss of contact.

You slowly make your way up her body, kissing her again as you move over her. You smile softly as her hand comes up to rest on your cheek, stroking the skin with her thumb.

“You’re so perfect,” you murmur softly, pressing your lips into her hand.

Letting your lips trail over her palm and up her wrist, you make a mental note of the blissed out look on her face. Lips curled up at the edges, her brows softened, the frown from before long gone.

“I meant what I said,” you rest your head on her chest, tilting your head to look up at her.

“Hm?” her fingers work their way into your hair, rubbing at the scalp gently.

“I’m not upset with you for leaving. I’m on your side, I always will be,” your eyes dart over her face, looking for any sign that could tell you what she’s thinking.

“And I meant what I said,” she breathes out.

“What’s that?”

“I love you.”

[amesvertes]

hi yami !! i hope you’re having a wonderful day my love! i wanted to request a ronal x black!human! fem!reader fic where reader awakens something in ronal and she’s like “i must’ve been cursed by eywa” and tonowari is like “babe, you think she’s hot 😭”

sjsjsjsjsj i hope this made sense. i’m clearly so down bad for her that i’m being incoherent. thank you for even reading this !! you’re so sweet!

BROWN SKIN GIRL. ronal & tonowari

warnings: minors dni!/swearing/black fem!reader/ronalxreaderxtonowari/allusions to smut in the end. summary: in which you, the pilot who flew norm and max to tend to kiri, end up catching the attention of both the tsahik & olo'eyktan, a/n: allllyyyyy!!!! i love you so much for this request!!! got me writing a part two as we speak.

ronal stepped back as soon as kiri woke up, allowing neytiri to rush to her daughter's side. the sully children gave thanks to her before following their mother's actions, making the tsahik's gaze soften, even if it was for a second.

she soon snapped out of her trance with the sound of tonowari clearing his throat in the entrance of the marui. the tsahik sighed, walking towards her mate with a tired expression. the couple then made their way out, walking side by side towards the beach.

"this family will be the death of me." she grumbled, carrying her basket of tools in one hand while the other held her mate's hand. tonowari chuckled at her words, shaking his head. "they are growing on you, i can tell." he replied, humming softly when ronal nudged him playfully. "they had already grown on you from the start." she teased with the hint of a smile.

"they have strong hearts, and they have learnt our ways quick, haven't they?" tonowari responded, looking down at his mate. ronal sighed, "fine, i'll give them that." her smile finally broke through, making a goofy grin form on tonowari's face, "there's my favourite smile…"

the tall na'vi's voice trailed off as he stopped dead in his tracks, staring straight ahead. ronal's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "what is it? what are you looking at…" the tsahik followed his train of sight.

and there you were, standing next to norm, deep in conversation. your hair was braided back in a similar hairstyle to neytiri's, your skin was a deep brown that glowed in the sun, your lips were glossy and brown before they turned into a shade of pink, your figure was lean and tall, well taller than the other human that had accompanied norm, and, mother of eywa, when you turned to the side the mated couple's eyes widened.

ronal's thoughts were interrupted by tonowari's tail hitting the back of her legs. she nudged him, "why is your tail wagging?" she questioned, accusingly. tonowari's eyes narrowed, "why is your tail wagging?" he countered, making the tsahik look back. and clear as day, her tail was swishing.

"eywa have mercy." she muttered, running a hand over her face. tonowari looked back at her, "you… you don't find her attractive? do you?" he questioned with a pointed expression. "do you find her attractive?" ronal questioned back. tonowari shrugged, "i mean, i don't kn- hey, i asked first." he frowned.

"so what if i do?" she answered quietly making tonowari's eyes widen. "but you do too," ronal added quickly, attempting to brush it off.

they stood in silence for a few seconds, "let's go talk to her."

meanwhile, you stood there, oblivious to the gawking taking place a few metres away from you.

you snickered, "well maybe, just maybe, eywa is real." you spoke, preparing yourself for the argument norm was about to present. "but-" you shushed him, "don't get your panties in a twist, we'll probably never know the answer. but if what that lady was doing worked, without medicine, there could be a possibility. but hey, what do i know? i'm just a pilot." you shrugged as norm shook his head.

"first of all, that lady was the tsahik. secondly, she's staring at us right now so if we're in trouble it's your fault." you turned at his words, confusion etched into your face.

and surely enough there were two na'vis, burning holes into the back of your head. you turned back to norm quickly, "oh no, you don't think she heard me, do you?" you questioned, shuddering. norm shrugged, "why don't you ask her?"

you turned once again, only to see them walking towards you. "shit." you cursed under your breath turning back immediately to norm.

"you," a deep voice spoke from behind you, making you jump in surprise before you turned around.

you looked up at the source of the voice, a tall, handsome na'vi with tied back curly hair. his eyes were an electric blue, staring down at you with an unreadable expression.

"what are you called?" the tsahik asked next, looking down at you with the same strange expression.

you were quiet for a few seconds, shocked to your core, but norm quickly kicked you in the shin. "i- er- y/n, y/n l/n." you coughed out, clearing your throat awkwardly afterwards.

"well, y/nl/n, you cannot leave." the male spoke once again. you choked on your saliva, "excuse me?" you rose one of your eyebrows and placed your hands on your hips.

"my mate means you cannot leave, tonight. there is a storm brewing in the direction you came that will last for a few days. it will be dangerous for flying in your- sky people contraption. we advise you to stay if you wish to live." the tsahik spoke, her voice was rich and melodic, very much like her husband's.

you gnawed on your lip before sighing in defeat, "is there any place for us to stay? and any change of clothes?" you asked.

ronal almost got light headed with the thought of you in metkayina clothing, skin exposed.

"there is an empty marui near jakesully's, and i'm sure my wife can heir a seamstress to make you something." the olo'eyktan smiled, a smile that sent goose bumps all over your skin. ronal nodded in agreement, shooting you the same chilling smile. you sighed, "okay."

now it was night time and you stood in front of a mirror, staring at yourself while the hired seamstress pulled at your new and improved clothing.

the loincloth made for you was, skimpy to say the least. it consisted of a thong a makeshift mini skirt made out of small shell chains that hardly hid the flesh of your ass. your top wasn't at all modest either, made out of shells once again, but it thankfully hid your now perky nipples.

the seamstress hummed in what sounded like approval, "nice body, but short." she poked at your ass making you yelp. you huffed, staring at yourself in the mirror once again. "no time for admiration, food is finishing." she reminded you, making sure you left her marui and walked towards the bonfire.

"here goes nothing…"

you walked into the clearing, trying to ignore the stares being given your way as you squeezed pass groups of metkayina people, careful not to step on anyone's tail.

the fish you were given was smaller compared to everyone else's, but you didn't mind, you wouldn't be able to finish anything of that amount. you sighed as you looked around the sea of people, wishing the sully's hadn't stayed in to tend to kiri.

so you decided to head down to the beach, sitting on a rock near your helicopter and eating with the eclipse being your only form of entertainment.

you had also been given a wine red drink that smelled like it would taste like grape fruits. you took a sip, humming softly at the taste, it did taste like grapefruits, but sweeter.

ronal watched you from a distance, sitting next from tonowari as they ate in silence. "wari?" she nudged him, "hmm?"

"did you see what she was wearing?" she asked, taking small sips from her drink. tonowari's ears perked up at the topic of you, "no, unfortunately. did you?" he replied. ronal shook her head, still looking at you.

"she's alone." she stood up, drowning her drink. tonowari looked up at here with a confused look, "so?" he asked. ronal rolled her eyes, "let's go talk to her." she didn't wait for a response as she made her way to you.

your plate was empty now as you sat, legs apart, drinking the remains of your beverage. from the warm fuzzy feeling you felt it was probably the na'vi version of alcohol, not that you were complaining though.

you were about to get when two people joined you, those people being tonowari and ronal, of course.

it took a while for your eyes to adjust in the faint light, but as soon as you made out their faces the feeling of sudden self awareness took over you. "oel ngati kameie, tsahik, olo'eyktan." you spoke, sliding off the rock and gathering your things.

"not so fast, little one. we came to see your clothes…" tonowari trailed off as he took your appearance in. ronal did the same, visibly tensing up.

you subconsciously crossed your arms over your chest, "yeah, um, thank you for getting them made, and for the accomo-" you were cut off by a pair of lips smashing onto yours and a pair of hands pulling you back onto the rock.

you pulled away, heart racing as you were met with ronal's face. and hey, maybe it was the alcohol but as soon as you caught your breath you pulled her in for another kiss, moaning into her mouth as she pushed you against the surface of the rock.

you had almost forgotten about tonowari until you felt a hand start to tug your loincloth down your face, exposing your heat to the cool breeze.

ronal pulled away, slightly panting as she looked down at you. "let's welcome you to metkayina, properly."

© amesvertes 2023

[waywardxrhea]

Part of Your World - George Weasley

Chapter 5

pairing: George Weasley x fem!Muggle!reader

installment list / previous chapter / next chapter

word count: 1,534

content: angst, dementor attack, mentions of death (non-main character), fluff.

dividers by: @firefly-graphics

One chilly November evening George was walking you home from the bus station after your classes and rehearsal at school. Things had started to get more dangerous on the warfront of the Wizarding side of things, so this was a habit he had gotten into for his own peace of mind as well as for your safety. As you two took a shortcut through the park, you pulled your scarf tighter around your neck and your coat closer to your body when the air around you suddenly got a lot colder than it had been moments before. “I can’t wait until the spring,” you commented with a shiver as the both of you quickened your pace. 

You only got about ten more metres at this pace before you slowed down to a stop. Your legs felt like they were cement and they refused to move as an overwhelming feeling of sadness and hopelessness washing over you suddenly. You placed a gloved hand over your mouth as tears began to run down your face and your mind flashed to the worst day of your life. 

One sunny June afternoon you and your parents were gathered around the hospital bed of Louise, better known as Gran - your dad’s mother. The room’s blinds were open and sun was streaming into the brightly decorated room. This would under normal circumstances be a very pretty room as it had been for the last few months, but today was not any ordinary day. Today was the day the family had been dreading for months, ever since Louise got diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. 

Louise’s condition had been deteriorating for weeks, but today seemed to be worse yet. A few minutes prior, the doctor had pulled your dad out into the hallway and informed him that she was showing signs of dying and that they would start giving her medicine to help make her departure comfortable. When he told you and your mum this, you finally broke down fully, grabbing Gran’s hand and holding on tightly. 

Gran squeezed your hand lightly and croaked out, “Remember what we decided?” 

“Yes, but, I- Gran, please, I just want to-” you tried.

“Please grant this old bag her dying wish,” she whispered with a quiet laugh. “This isn’t the last time you’ll see me, love. Just have a little faith and we’ll meet again.”

You nodded, taking the guitar that your dad was handing you that previously stood in the case that was propped against the wall. As your parents sat on the other side of the bed with your dad holding Gran’s right hand, you sat on her left side and Gran made sure to put a hand on your knee as you strummed the guitar to her favourite song: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. It was the song that her husband had played when he proposed to her and they had their first dance at their wedding to. She wanted it to be played as she went to see him again. 

You couldn’t bring your voice to work as tears ran down your cheeks, so your parents took over the vocals for the song, harmonising like only they could as bandmates and as husband and wife. The sound brought a smile to Gran’s face and death approached fast, taking her before the second chorus even ended. 

Meanwhile back out in the stinging cold in Regent’s Park, George turned to check on you when he no longer felt your presence beside him and saw a couple of Dementors circling around you! A sense of doom creeped into George’s mind and dread filled him at the sight. Before this feeling could overwhelm him though, George remembered his DA lessons with Harry. He pulled out his wand and summoned up a happy memory: the one of him and Fred leaving Hogwarts. He concentrated on the warm feeling in his chest and bellowed, “Expecto Patronum!” 

From the end of his wand flew his Patronus, a magpie, and it began to pelt away at the Dementors, making them fly away in haste, leaving you on your knees on the cold ground. George quickly made his way to your side and as he did, he heard you whispering, “Please don’t go, please!” into your gloved hands as they covered your face.

George joined you on the ground and wrapped you in an embrace as he whispered, “Hey, I’m here, it’s okay now.”

Upon hearing his voice, you seemed to snap out of the trance the Dementors had on you and you buried your face into George’s chest as you tried to control your breathing. After a few moments, you found your voice and whispered, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to freak out like that. I don’t know what got into me…”

“Don’t apologise, it wasn’t random. There were Dementors here. Muggles can’t see them. I had to cast the Patronus Charm to get them away,” George explained. “Those damn things get into your head and pull out your worst memories. I’m sorry you had to go through that, darling.”

George separated himself from you and got you both to your feet before looking around, seeing that you were near the shop where you had your first date at and said, “Here, let’s go to our usual spot. We’ll get you a hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant.” As you headed in that direction, George told you, “Harry swears by chocolate after a Dementor attack.”

You nodded and followed George into the shop, still numb from both the cold and the memories that resurfaced because of the wretched beings. It was only after a few sips of the warm drink that you said anything, telling George quietly, “Thank you for saving me back there.”

“Of course,” he replied warmly, worry still etched in his small smile. “You still seem pretty shaken, are you okay?” George asked, noticing the tremor in your hands and how you used both to hold the cup in order to not spill the drink. 

“I’ll be okay…” you said quietly. “I just…haven’t really thought about all that day since it happened…”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what memory did the Dementors bring out?” George asked tentatively. 

You took a long sip from your hot chocolate before responding, your voice filled with emotion as you did. “The day my gran died. She was in the hospital on hospice for about two months before her body finally gave up. Stage four lung cancer. The doctors said there wasn’t any way to treat it so we just had to let it happen…” You placed the cup roughly on the table before the shaking in your hands got too bad, adding, “She was my best friend and biggest supporter. Before she got sick she made sure to come watch every show I was in and brought me hydrangeas after every one of them. Mary was the first show she didn’t get to see.” Your voice broke at the last sentence and you wiped a tear that escaped your eye from your cheek.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, you added, “We would sing together when she watched me when I was younger and she taught me how to play the piano. The day she died, I was playing one of her favourite songs when it happened and Dad made me keep playing all of her favourites even after she was gone because they say hearing is the last sense to go and he wanted her to be happy when she passed on.” A smile finally made its way onto your face as you giggled quietly and said, “We played Sweet Caroline last and the whole nursing staff was in there with us singing, it was beautiful.”

George took your hands in his and squeezed as he told you, “I’m so sorry for your loss… I can tell she meant a lot to you.”

“She meant the world,” you agreed with a sad smile on your lips. “You know how I’m always saying to have a little faith?”

George nodded, saying, “Your optimism is one of my favourite things about you.”

You couldn’t help the bashful smile that made its way onto your lips before you said, “Well I got that mantra from her. That was how she lived her life and how she taught me how to live mine. Abbie thinks I’m too optimistic for my own good, but…”

“If we aren’t optimistic about what the future holds, there isn’t a future worth living,” George said thoughtfully.

“Well said, Weasley,” you said, impressed by the sudden philosophical turn of your boyfriend. 

“I try,” he said with a chuckle. 

Once you were finished with the warm drink and pastry, George walked you to your house and rather than going back to the shop, he stayed with you as long as you needed. And although you couldn't shake the memories pelting your mind of that day, with George's comforting words and hold, it became bearable as you finally began to come to terms with Gran's death and how it changed you as a person since.

a/n: I swear the next part is happier (mostly)!

anyways! likes and comments are always appreciated! xo, brooke <3

taglist: @reidmarieprentiss @v1ckycheesue @superduckmilkshake

[patrophthia]

just curious | theodore nott

pairing: theodore nott x reader

genre: angst, mutual pining (but they don’t get together boo 👎👎👎 me), theodore wears glasses (yes that’s it’s own genre), reader is called princess by everyone bc i didn’t want to use yn in this

wc: 2.2k

note: i wrote this in two hours while listening to super shy - new jeans (intended for it to be a cute fic) and ended up with this angsty little piece, it’s a wip i ended up abandoning but am putting it up for anyone who might like that sexy pining genre of not ending up tgt, also was gonna stay on my docs but got too emotionally attached to not post it (you better talk to me about this theo or i will cry)

Theodore is a friend of Draco. That's how you know him. Theodore Nott: the tall, cute, and quiet friend of Draco's who's eyes —when he smiles, like really smile, curves upwards in an adorable manner. Theodore who, whenever you were to hang out with Draco's friend group, keeps a closed off expression that is so hard to gauge and read that you gave up the second time you met the lad.

The door clicks open and you prepare yourself for what's to come next, taking in a deep breath as you try your hardest to play it cool. Theodore steps into Draco's living room, shopping bags in his hand as Pansy follows him from a few steps behind.

You try not to think too much of it, friends hold shopping bags for their friends all the time, it's only natural. Pansy smiles when she meets your eyes, her voice soft as she nags you on why she hasn't seen you in so long. "Draco ought to bring you around more, I know you're his friend before ours but there's no reason for him to keep you to himself like he does."

Draco scoffs at that, "it's not like I don't invite her, she just doesn't want to come to stuff."

That's not exactly true though. You do want to come to stuff —if anything you loved going to them, Draco's friends have always been very welcoming and accommodated to your every need; it's just that every time you were to spend time with them, it seems like you can't take your eyes off of one particular person (hint: it's not Draco himself).

And quite honestly, you doubted whether he even knows your name. "In my defence, work has been hectic," you deflect with a small laugh, your eyes betrays you and drift to where the real reason stood. Theodore meets your eyes straight on, and offers you a nod as if he's only noticing you now and was saying his greetings. Yeah, he definitely does not know your name. "But I'm here now so let's enjoy it."

Pansy pouts but let's up when Astoria calls for your group of friends from the kitchen, Blaise right behind her with an apron wrapped around his stature. "Well?" He cocks his head. "What are we waiting for?"

Dinner went by smoothly, mostly Blaise stuffing you with his cooking and Pansy catching up with; asking every question she could possibly think of. You didn't mind if for the most part, actually quite enjoying the attention as the group went on and on. "You're shy, aren't you?"

The question is weird, and not exactly directed at you so you turn back to your plate as you take a bite of Blaise's lasagna (Draco helped cook the noodles for this, he wants you to keep this in mind). You feel something kick mid-chew, looking up to the person sitting opposing you; only to see Theodore with his full focus on Pansy.

You turn to her as well and she laughs as she repeats her words. "You're shy, aren't you?"

"Not really?" You don't think you are, not really. You're just trying your hardest not to make it obvious that you're interested in someone at this very table who does not seem to be interested in you one bit. "At least I don't think I am."

Astoria laughs kindly, finding you cute as she says: "you've just been quiet today, you're never like this with Draco and I."

Yeah well Draco and Astoria weren't plaguing your every thought every time you were within one metres of them. "Oh." you murmur. "I guess I'm a bit tired today."

"Work?" Blaise suggests and you shake your head. "What is it then?"

"Just Boy problems," you say off-handedly, quickly regretting it when their faces turn to one of interest. "But it's nothing big, I promise."

"Are you seriously going to tell us that and not elaborate?" Draco looks offended, hell, he feels offended that you weren't elaborating. "What did that dickhead do?"

Your heart warms at the fact that your friend cares about you enough to immediately hate on whoever might be causing you boy problems but are quick to dismiss the situation. "Nothing, drop it."

From the look on their faces, it looks as if they weren't going to drop it anytime soon. Pansy opens her mouth, ready to say something when Theodore clears his throat, letting you hear his voice for the first time tonight. "Why don't you tell them about who you saw at the shops today, Pans."

Her eyes light up suddenly, going off on how she ran into her scumbag of an ex boyfriend as she was shopping for a new dress. Your eyes found Theodore's, sending him a small smile as you mentally note down on how you'd have to thank him for it later.

And when he offers you a small smile in return, his dark eyes softening —yet not enough for you to see those half moons you hold oh so dear to your heart, you try to remind yourself that he is nothing but a man doing the bare minimum.

"Stay the night," Astoria says softly, "it's late, Princess. I can't have you heading back on your own at this hour."

As much as it sounded pleasant, you can't help but feel like you might be intruding their night (even though you've spent countless night crashing at their place after a bad break up before, you guess that it's just different now that you weren't staying to cure a broken heart with a comforting shoulder —Astoria— and someone bad mouthing your ex —Draco—). "I can't," you tell them. "And trust me, I'll be fine."

Draco isn't chuffed by your answer, looking apprehensive as he thought everything over. Blaise and Pansy left for their shared apartment mere minutes ago so it wasn't like he could ensure your safety with them. But someone else was still here though, "Nott, can you take her home?"

Theodore startles from his spot by the coat rack, pausing with one arm in his coat as he looks at Draco like a deer caught in headlights. Cute. He then glances at you before hesitantly nodding.

This is bad. Oh god. Okay.

"Great," Astoria says with a smile. "Take care of our Princess, please." She then turns to look at you. "Call me when you get home safely, okay?"

At your nod, she hugs you goodbye and sends you out the door. Theodore walking slowly by your side. He's silent when he opens his car door for you and you try your best not to swoon. "Thank you."

He hums in acknowledgment as he walks over to the driver's side, Theodore does a double check to make sure you had your seatbelt on before he started the car. The ride is quiet, save from the song playing from the radio; a familiar tune you can't place a finger on.

He asks for your directions and you tell him, sneaking glances as you did so. His hair is longer than it was the last time you saw him —but to be fair, it has been months since you did; a few dark strands cover his eyes and you resist the urge to reach out and push them away. Maybe even taking out a hair clip from your purse to pin it back just so he wouldn't have to deal with it again.

It's calm and overwhelming at the same time, sitting so still and tranquil next to Theodore like this. You want to say something, you want him to say something; anything if meant you get to hear his voice again. If it meant you get a chance to memorise it and compartmentalise it in a folder that is ardently his.

"Oh thank you by the way." He looks at you for a split second before turning his focus back to the road. "For switching the topic back there."

Theodore only nods and you try not to cry. Why won't he speak? It's almost like he doesn't even want you to be interested in him.

"I really do appreciate it."

He hums this time around, a low note vibrating from his chest. It's either a nod or a hum, that's all you're ever going to get from Theodore, huh?

You bite the inside of your cheeks, looking straight at the road as you did so. Should you even attempt to make small talk? All your attempts have been futile so far so why even try. You didn't mean to huff, or at least not as loud as you did, your arms instinctively as you looked out the window absentmindedly.

This catches Theodore's attention though, prompting to finally say something. "Thinking about those boy problems again?"

You don't answer him, you don't let yourself feel the satisfaction of finally hearing him speak for the second time tonight. You don't say anything related to that topic whatsoever. "Do you have a girlfriend, Theodore?"

You can hear the hitch in his breath, see the surprise in his rapid blinks, feel the shift in the air. The car pulls to a stop at a red light, the tail lights of a car a few metres in front of you shines your faces the same shade.

He looks at you and you hope —no pray, that he doesn't notice the sparkle in your eyes as you look at him. Or maybe you do, you can't tell anymore. The only thing you can tell is that you are so incredibly into Theodore Nott, and him driving you home is not helping your case at all.

"No," he says earnestly. You don't let your eyes flicker to his lips, you don't let your eyes flicker to anything else but his eyes, trying to gauge him for something; anything, only to end up finding nothing.  "Why are you asking?"

A car honks from behind, breaking the two of you away from your trance. "Just curious."

You thank Theodore as he pulls to a stop outside your house, he —just like you would expect from Theodore Nott, only nods at your thanks. And when you bid him goodbye with one leg out of his car.

He tells you, "Goodnight, Princess."

Princess, that's what your friends called you. That's what Draco Malfoy called you at the ripe age of ten years old where the two of you would play royalty and would later be his favourite nickname for you, then further on your other friend's choice of name for you. That's what Theodore Nott calls you because he does not know your name.

"Goodnight, Theodore." You shut his car door behind you, and take a few steps to your front door before turning over your shoulder. Looking back at him at once, finding him reaching for his glasses within his glove compartment; ones with round wired frames that settle flatteringly on his high nose bridge. He shuts his glove compartment box and you turn back to your front door. And unbeknownst to you, with your back to him, Theodore turns to look at you once, and then, twice when you finally enter your house, before finally driving off and into the night.

Curiosity kills the cat, that’s what Theodore thinks as he unlocks his front door. Curiosity kills the cat, is what he reminds himself time and time again as he sheds off his jacket. Curiosity kills the cat, that’s what he knows from the start. But how could curiosity really kill the cat if it was already dying? 

If it had already yearned for something for long; a clenching thirst yet to be fulfilled, if it was already wailing to just be held, would curiosity really kill it then? 

It's weird. It's weird how —now that he thinks of it, he can't seem to recall you ever going on a date. Not a single one. While him on the other hand; yeah, he can't exactly count the amount of dates he’s gone on in the past month on one hand. 

It's not entirely his fault though, he’s trying to put himself out there; trying to find the one despite knowing that said one is constantly running around the back of his mind and was sitting in his passenger seat mere minutes ago. But he chooses to ignore it because one, it's wrong and there was no way you could ever reciprocate his feelings. And two, even if you were to reciprocate his feelings, he will never cross the line between platonic and romantic. 

He’d take the endless yearning over any potential heartbreak any day because the second he crosses the line, there's no turning back. And no amount of romantic feelings you might have for one another will make up for the years of friendship between him, you, and most importantly, Draco. The blond was your best friend before anything else, and he doubts you’d ever risk ruining your friendship for someone like him.

So, for now, he’d settled for the guilt he feels every time he sees you; he’ll hold back on his urges even though it’s clearer to him now, in this very night, than ever that you are as infatuated with him as he is with you. 

He’ll take off his glasses, he’ll place them by his bedside table, he’ll lay in his bed, cold and alone, he’ll try to fall asleep and not think of you, he’ll try and try to make it through tomorrow, make it through the date that Blaise had set up (yet again) for him that will inevitably be the worse hours of his life and think about what it be like had his date been you instead. 

— from bee: yeah i wrote this theodore with jeon wonwoo in mind so what about it?? theodore is so wonwoo coded idc idc

[petrichor-idyllic]

Hi Petri, so I was wondering (cause I know you have many aks) if you could do a Gally x fem! reader where she's with the rebels from death cure, and she's one of the people who find him almost dying in that room after the maze. She's super nice but can put up with his awful attitude, he hates being taken care of cause he feels remorse about what he did to his friends and she helps him overcome his self pity. And then in the end he sees the boys again and Frypan is excited cause Gally is with someone who can actually stand him and make him a "better" person. (Hope this was understandable, luv you)

This is the Gally content I was looking for.

Also, lu, I messaged you a while back when you sent me another request about TMR about a different Maze type. I don't think it was that important to the story but I just wanted to clear it up lmao and I don't think you saw it. So if you could get back to me that'd be great :))

DEAD MAN WALKING PT. 1

MASTERLIST | GALLY MASTERLIST

PART 1 | PART 2

SUMMARY: See above. Movie based fic.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, Gally nearly dying, Chuck's body, the aftermath of the Maze, Lawrence. WICKED being WCKD because movie.

You weren't always one of Lawrence's men.

For anyone that wasn't immune, working for WCKD or lucky enough to find themselves in the Last City- life was a shitshow.

If you were even lucky enough to live, chances are you lost your parents to the Flare before you hit double digits. That's if you didn't catch it yourself. And no one cares about your sob-story either. You're just another poor bastard who has dealt with the same shit as everyone else.

Tough.

You lost your parents when you were about twelve, and got swept into smuggling serum from place to place. Or as it's known on the streets- Bliss.

Which is how you met Lawrence.

He became one of your regular buyers, and by the time you hit fifteen, you'd been swept into his growing group of radicals.

Lawrence likes you. You're kind but capable, and not afraid to draw blood need be. Which is why you're one of his main men- and you get to boss other people around.

Somehow, Lawrence got wind of WCKD facilities out in the Scorch, which, unfortunately for you, means trekking out there to check them out.

Luckily, you'd managed to get ahold of some old ranger trucks that you blatantly stole off of WCKD.

"Let's go, boys!" You hollar as you lean out of the side of the open front vehicle, holding onto the windscreen pole.

It's quite an unpopular opinion, but you actually quite like the Scorch. It's barren and massive, and empty.

Not one really comes out here and it's one of the few places you and your men can actually mess around a bit.

I mean, it's not like you're going to actually find anything in the Scorch, right? You accepted a long time ago that Lawrence is chasing rainbows and they're never going to let him into the Last City.

It's not like you don't have ways into the City. But Lawrence wants the entire population to live there, and he wants to shut down the walls for good. So, for now, you're stuck trying to find ways to do that.

"Uh, Boss?" The driver says as you stare off into the sand. "You seein' this?"

"Huh?" You turn.

Perpendicular to the way you're driving, you can just see the top of a massive stone structure from over the top of some of the dunes. "The hell?"

"Should we check it out?"

"Yeah, let's go." You put your fingers to your lips, sending out a high-pitched whistle. "Let's go!" You signal the other cars behind you, waving in the direction of the structure.

You drive over the sand, bouncing over the soft surface.

"Holy shit," you mumble, the building coming into view properly as you come over the dune.

It's unfathomably big and round. Looming stone walls that covers hundreds of metres of the Scorch. It has to be miles long as you approach.

"There!" You point. "There's an entrance!"

You grind to a halt, sand flickering everywhere as you jump out. Your automatic rifle is pulled up from the strap on your shoulders as you hold it, walking through the doors. Your men aren't far behind you as you enter the the building.

"What the fuck?" Someone behind you mutters.

In front of you is a destroyed laboratory. High tech computers and shattered glass litters the place, along with the corpses of several people dressed in white coats.

"What happened here?" You look around, lowering your gun and freezing when you find a body.

It's a kid. He's chubby and has curly brown hair. Can't be any older than thirteen. Blood stains his chest and his vacant stare is just another line on the list of horrors you've seen.

You crouch next to him. "What happened to you, buddy?"

You touch his face. Cold.

You sigh, moving your hand and closing his eyes. "Poor sod."

"Uh, Boss, we got another," you look up. One of your guys stands over another body. He's fallen on his side, a spear sticking straight through his chest and out the other side.

"Jesus," you stand up again, walking over.

The boy has black spider veins all over his body and his eyes are completely dark. You've never seen anything like it.

Looking around the lab, you spot large syringes full of a strange blue liquid. Walking over to the table where they are, you pick one up.

But you partially jump out of your skin when there's a sharp gasp from behind you, accompanied with a string of swear words from your colleagues.

The boy on the floor is alive and squirming.

"He's alive?" You ask, in some form of shock. "How is that even possible?"

No one responds as the boy starts to thrash, letting out a blood-curdling scream. It's almost like something is moving under his skin as you look at what's in your hand and then back at him.

Storming over, you slam the syringe into his arm.

Almost immediately, he stills again, his eyes and skin quickly returning to normal.

"What the hell? What did you just do?" You ignore the confusion from your men.

Pressing your fingers to the boy's throat, you feel a pulse and he seems to be breathing- somehow. He's unconscious again, though.

"Contact Lawrence," you instruct, "someone else help me get him up."

"What?"

"He needs a doctor."

"So, what? We're taking him with us?"

"If we save him- he might have information on what was going on here. We can always come back. Come on!"

It's a bit of a rush against time to get him back to base and the outskirts of the City. But he's still alive, somehow.

You have one of the best top surgeons on your side. He used to work in the City, but he's infected, so he was thrown out. So, now he's using the little time he has left to help you guys.

"You really think this guy is worth it?" You pace the common area, a couple of your close allies watching.

"Lawrence seems to think so."

"This is dumb. We should've just raided the place and let the bastard rot."

"Oi," you snap, "watch it. We're meant to be for the people, remember? That means everyone."

It's been days since you brought him in, and you're starting to think it's a dead end. But you couldn't just leave him there.

"Miss," one of the surgeon's assistants pops his head around the corner, "he's awake."

You exchange glances with the others before slipping away. Going down the halls, you reach the "medical" room. Which is basically just a bed and some stolen IV drips.

The boy sits on the bed, his head in his hands and a bloodied bandage around his chest.

"You got a name?" You ask. He's noticed your presence, but hasn't said anything, so you decide to speak.

Nothing.

"Hey," you continue, "you alright, man?"

"Where am I?" He asks eventually, his hands flopping into his lap. "Why am I alive?"

"Looks like it wasn't your time," you shrug. "Sorry."

"I should be dead. I hurt... I killed Chuck." His hands come to his head again. "I killed him. I hurt that kid. It should've been Thomas... I would've never... I didn't..."

"You talkin' about that kid in there?" You ask, casually putting your hands in your baggy pant pockets.

He finally looks at you. His eyes are bloodshot and he's pale. "You saw him?"

You pull your lips into a thin line, nodding. "You killed him?"

His jaw tenses, tears welling in his eyes. "I didn't mean to- I really didn't mean to. I-I was stung, I lost control and I shot the wrong person."

"Lost control?"

"The Grievers! I tried to escape the Maze and I got stung and I shot Chuck and Minho speared me. I should be dead! I deserve it."

"If you weren't in control of yourself, then you can't really blame yourself."

Maybe you should be freaking out more. He's just confessed to killing a child. But WCKD is capable of things beyond human possibility, so controlling someone against their will isn't exactly groundbreaking nowadays.

You've seen people do terrible things to survive. You've done terrible things to survive. This is the last place he'll be judged. This place is full of blood and ghosts of corpses- that's just how the world is now.

The guilt never really goes away, so you sympathise.

He stares at you, blankly. He sniffs. "Who are you?"

You walk up to him, holding your arm out for him to shake. "(Y/N). I'll ask you again; you got a name?"

"Gally," he slowly takes your hand, giving you a weak shake.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Gally, I just wish it were under better circumstances. You reckon you're up to answering some of my questions, or do you need some more time to recover?"

"Can you answer my question first?"

You sigh. "You're safe here." You say bluntly. "I dragged your ass out of that WCKD facility. So, if you wanna blame someone for your mortality, you can shout at me for it later. We're a group of rebels outside the City - we try to help people that WCKD doesn't. The Right Arm has been MIA for years, so we're the best you've got, I'm afraid."

Gally has some of his memories back. He remembers the Flare, WCKD and rumors of the Right Arm. He's missing pieces, but has enough to understand what you're talking about.

"So, are you willing to talk? You'd much rather deal with me than my Boss- trust me."

He nods, clearing his throat. "What do you wanna know?"

Gally is surprisingly cooperative, probably because he's on a lot of painkillers and has a lot of fresh trauma. He tells you about the Maze, his memory loss, his friends and the monsters he faced.

Lawrence agreed to let you deal with this, but you know he's going to want to speak to him.

"Experimenting on kids?" Lawrence scoffs, throwing down your notes about what Gally said on the desk in front of him and sighing. "That's a new low, even for WCKD."

"You're telling me."

"What about the boy? You think he'll be useful?"

You shrug. "I don't know. He's well built and has a lot of potential. Used to be leader of the Builders or some shit- could be useful if we need to make this place bigger."

"Can he shoot?"

You hesitate. "Yep."

"Hm."

"We protect people that need it, Lawrence- he needs it more than most. He's also probably immune and we can get Bliss out of him."

Lawrence hesitates. "Okay, he can stay- but don't let your hero complex get the better of you. He's the same as everyone else here."

"You got it, Captain."

And with that word of warning, Gally kind of ends up under your wing. You show him around, give him a cluster of pillows and blankets to use as a bed if he's lucky enough to find an empty space on the floor, and actually teach him how to shoot (properly).

Gally is standoffish and rude- something you come to learn fairly quickly. He looks down on people who are sick or weak, and whilst he seems to care a lot about things, he's bitter and angry.

He also doesn't appreciate being cared for or looked after. He doesn't think he deserves it and he hates being pitied. But, he has little choice and it takes a while for him to accept that he doesn't have much choice.

And he's not used to the way the Flare affects people.

"Gally, stop staring."

"Gally, don't say that."

"Gally, they don't know what shank means- you're gonna get beat up."

"Gally put that down; it's Lawrence's."

He's definitely a problem child.

From the sounds of the Glade; Gally is completely out of his depth. The Glade was serene and peaceful, run under Alby, who was firm but understanding and everyone had a common goal and kept things smooth. Your den isn't like that.

It's bloodthirsty and cutthroat. Anyone with a reputation has it for reasons that you don't want to know, and Lawrence isn't scared to put a bullet in the head of anyone who pisses him off.

So, when Gally has a meeting with Lawrence after a month, your heart is in your throat.

"So, Gally, how are you finding it here?" Lawrence leans on his desk. His skeletal appearance and weak state means he rarely ventures out amongst the crowds, so Gally is visibly uncomfortable.

When he doesn't respond, you nudge him, nodding to answer his question.

"It's been... fine." You inwardly cringe as Lawrence stands up.

"Fine? We house you, let my best mentor you, and all you call our hospitality... fine?"

Gally looks to you for advice. "No, uh, it's good. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"That's more like it."

"Why did you want to see him, Bo-"

"I'm not talking to you, am I?" Lawrence cuts your off, immediately making you regress into yourself.

Something about it makes Gally's jaw tense. You're one of the few people that has consistently looked out for him- and you're the only girl he's ever actually befriended. So, that combined has led to him developing a small crush on you.

So, watching him demean you like that makes him furious.

"Why am I here?" Gally asks, and Lawrence snaps to look at him. "What? You wanted to talk to me about something."

Lawrence scoffs, offering a toothy smile. "I want you to join the patrols and search parties with (Y/N)." He tosses him a mask from his desk. It's a gas mask with a screen sheild- something everything one is expected to wear to keep roxins out of the system. Though, you suspect the tinted glass is to hide Gally's identity. He is a WCKD subject, after all. You, however, just tend to wear the bottom half of the mask on jobs.

You need to see more than the others.

"You're muscle and immune; we need both. Does that work for the both of you?"

You exchange glances before speaking in unison. "Yes, Boss."

And just like that, Gally has become an official member of your team.

He struggles with crowd work. Storming through the crowds of infected that often surround the City is dangerous work. More for you than him, since the Flare is an actual threat to you. But it's necessary work.

You have to give out food and Bliss; often using the time to trade information from the locals that reside there.

He can become aggressive and shoves a lot of people out of the way, but he mellows under your gaze. He wants to do what you think is right, and be better because you saved him.

He owes you.

He prefers the trips to the Scorch. He, however, does not like it when you actually find a Maze. He'd normally wait outside.

And had he been put on anyone else's team, he'd be forced to join. But you don't make him. You need him as mentally stable as possible- revisiting trauma is not the way to do that.

For the next five-ish months, that's how it is.

Until things get considerably worse.

They shut down the City. To everyone.

No one, not just the infected, can enter.

The outskirts of the City turned into full-blown riots. You and your men are up to their necks in discourse. More people are joining the edge of the City as the people realise they really are fucked.

Gally, who has become an actual decent soldier and person under your pressure, seems distracted on this particular day.

You're doing your usual rounds as best as you can, sitting armed on the top of trucks as one of Lawrence's men eggs on the rebellion through speakers.

"This is a shit show," you mumble as Gally stares off into the crowd. You can't see his expression, but his body is tense and he pays no mind to what you just said. "Gally?" You nudge him.

"What?"

"I said this is a shit show."

"Yeah," he sounds completely disinterested, "it is."

He's acting weird, but you're too deep into a riot, and there are WCKD drones circling.

"I know them," Gally says.

"What?"

He nods towards a group in the crowd as they're struggling to slip through the people. "I was in the Glade with them."

You blink at him. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's Thomas, Newt and Fry- I'd recognise them anywhere. We have to find them; they'll be dead out here." He turns, signalling some of the guys to follow him before he jumps off of the van.

"Wha- Gally!"

"Boss?" You turn to them, the men waiting your instructions.

You hesitate. "Do as he says- follow Gally's orders. I'll stay here."

They nod, also diving off the vehicle and vanishing into the crowd. You have to keep an eye on things here.

Which probably wasn't your best shout because a metallic groaning noise starts, and before you know it, missiles are being fired left and right at the crowds.

"Go! Go!" You scream, directing civilians, now also on the ground.

"Boss! We gotta go!"

"They're murdering innocent civilians!"

"We can't help them now! Come on!"

Running through the crowd, a sickening thought hits you. "Where's Gally? Hey, where's Gally?!"

"I don't know! We'll find him back at base!"

"Shit."

It's a mad rush back to camp, but you didn't expect to find what you do.

Gally is on the floor as you jump out of the van again, he's pinned to the floor by some dude you don't recognise as a blond boy tries to calm the situation.

"Oi!" You shout, jogging over and letting your mask fall around your face. "What the hell is going on here?!"

You men hold guns pointed at the boy. "Stand down! Now!" You grab the boy's jacket, yanking him up and away from Gally. "The fuck are you playing at? You tryna get shot?"

"It's fine," Gally groans as he sits up. "Kinda had that coming. Anyone else? Fry? Newt?"

"You know this guy?" An older gentleman asks, clearly lost.

"He was an old friend," (you're assuming) Frypan says.

"How?" Newt says. "How is this possible? We watched you die."

"No, you left me to die," Gally corrects. "And if we hadn't found you when we did, you'd be dead right now. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Minho," Newt simply says. "WCKD has him here. We're looking for a way in."

Gally looks at you, tilting his head slightly and pulling his lips into a thin line.

You sigh, knowing this means a lot to him. "We can help with that. Follow me."

"I'm not going anywhere with him," Thomas snaps.

"Suit yourself." Gally says.

"But we can get you through those walls," you add.

They all reluctantly start following as Gally briefly explains how he ended up here along with what your operation is.

He warns them about Lawrence, before taking them to talk to him.

"Hey," you grab his wrist, stopping him and he looks at you. "I'm gonna go check on our wounded, send a patrol car out to help those hurt at the scene."

"You're leaving?" His eyebrows furrow for a second. This'll be the first thing that Gally's done without you. He's never even spoken to Lawrence before without your reassuring presence.

Frypan looks at Newt, smirking slightly. They were close in the Glade, and it's obvious to Frypan that something has definitely changed in Gally. And he thinks that's to do with you.

"You seem to have things under control here; I have other men I need to worry about. I won't be long."

You turn to leave, but Gally stops you again. "Stay alive."

You grin at him. "I'll try my best. No promises, though."

You do what you say and return to the scene, helping everyone you can whilst Gally takes Thomas and Newt through the tunnels.

By the time you get back, you're exhausted and Gally is standing around a table with Brenda, Jorge and Frypan. Thomas and Newt have vanished.

You walk into the room, immediately gaining Gally's attention.

"Still kicking, then?"

"Told you I'd try my best," you put your hand on his shoulder as he looks over some scattered plans. "How've things been here? You got a plan?"

"Kinda. Thomas doesn't seem too happy with it, though."

"Bummer. Any other options?"

"Not really."

"He's gonna have to cope, then."

You slip away, moving into another room but shouting back. "I'm gonna get a drink, anyone want one?"

You get a couple of yes' and go on to provide.

"You never told us your girlfriend's name," Gally looks up at Frypan, who is sitting with his arms crossed, smirking.

Gally scoffs. "She's called (Y/N)- and she's not my girlfriend. She's my Boss."

"Ah, well, you always said you think you'd like powerful women." Gally glares at his friend, but struggles to repress the smile on his lips. "You've changed, shank."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Frypan smiles genuinely.

You come back in with a few glasses, immediately making them change the conversation. "Where are your friends?"

"They went outside to talk," Gally answers as you give him a glass. "Thanks."

"So," you casually put your hands in your pockets, "what's the plan then?"

You did not expect the plan to be kidnap.

It's awkward and stressful watching Teresa cut open the boys' necks and pulling out a thin bit of wire.

You're sticking with Lawrence in his attempt to breach the walls and Gally is going with the Gladers. You dislike this plan, but you think Gally is more than capable.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The group is splitting up and Brenda and Jorge are saying their goodbyes too.

"We need to do this," Gally sighs.

"For a guy that tried to kill you?"

"He had every right to try and kill me."

You sigh, leaning back on a pillar.

"You gonna tell me not to go? Give me the order to stay?"

He sounds almost hopeful. You don't know when you started prioritising Gally over the others. Maybe it was because he became your responsibility but over time your feelings of protection became romantic.

You don't want him to leave. You don't want to split up and let him go into the lion's den, but you need to do this. And so does he.

It's obvious this is a way of him repenting for what he's done.

You shake your head. "No, we gotta do this. You'll be fine, just stay in contact."

He seems almost disappointed. "Yes, Boss."

They group set up to leave, and you anxiously tap your foot, knowing you should be leaving and preparing yourself.

Fuck it.

"Gally! Wait!" You jog over to him as he sorts out his WCKD uniform, just about to leave.

He looks at you as you rush to him, throwing your arms around him. He stumbles backwards, his hand coming to the small of your back.

Pulling away, you look at him and he looks at you. And, impulsively, you kiss him. He freezes momentarily, before pulling you closer and kissing you back.

"Stay alive." You mumble as you part.

Another Gally piece for you guys. This might be one of those that requires a part 2 because I have too much to get through to be doing too many long pieces and I've just finished a three part story lol.

He scoffs, smiling. "I'll try my best."

Let me know if you'd want that.

I hope you enjoyed :))

[mudhamster]

WBWNS: 16. December - Yakitori

"Yesterday, he texted me the word decisive," Izuku said as soon as he sat down next to Ochako at the edge of the skyscraper, leaning against the thin iron railing behind him. 

"Oh?"

"Why not decision?" 

"I don't know," he placed the lunch between their thighs and secured the napkin from flying away, "but to be honest, I don't really know what he's thinking anymore. He just texted me that the letter was Y, without a word."

Irritated, he had sent a photo of the food with a live location as a sign of goodwill. But Kacchan had a shift at the other end of town today, so he wouldn't notice if he gave Ochako some anyway. 

"Did you try to contribute words yourself?"

Izuku blushed shyly at the thought of his stunt in the kitchen, then mumbled "yes".

"And that didn't go so well?" Shouto bit into his pear and didn't take his eyes off him. 

"Well. It was... quite... unique."

"What did you say?" Ochako asked, lifting the first yakitori between them questioningly, but Izuku wasn't very hungry anymore. 

"I called him attractive. And ambitious and... um, amazing"

"Wooow."

"How did he react?"

Izuku rubbed his chin and tried to revive the suppressed memory, "...hardly. He asked what the hell I was doing." Ochako raised her eyebrows, "What were you doing?"

"I didn't actually do anything. Not on purpose anyway. I was sitting on the counter and Kacchan was standing in front of me and... when I wanted to hop off the counter, my belt got stuck in his apron pocket and, um... we had a bit of a close encounter".

His two friends exchanged meaningful looks. 

"How close?" Ochako breathed, holding her thumb and forefinger close together. 

"Closer." Izuku confessed, shifting uneasily on the edge of the roof at the thought. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Izuku looked anxiously towards the horizon.

"Y," Ochako murmured and stared at the small skewer of grilled meat between her fingers. The next rumble made her water bottle tremble and she dropped the food back into its packaging without even taking a bite.

"Y for yakitori."

"Eh-" at the end of the main street ahead of them, about 20 metres in the air, an explosion lit up the windows of the skyscrapers.

"You told him where you were," Shouto realised, cremated the rest of his pear and rose gracefully. Ochako also got to her knees, jumped over the railing and slapped Shouto's outstretched hand. Then she grabbed his collar, Shouto now hovering two centimetres above the gravel of the roof, and together they fled from the rapidly approaching silhouette. 

Izuku barely saw them jump off the roof on the other side of the building before something crashed into the railing to his left and right with the force of a rocket, eclipsing the sun. His heart leapt into his throat, the steel bending squeaking under the force, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut as the wind whipped hard into his face. His hand had preferred the protection of the yakitori at the last moment. Then the wind died down and he hesitantly opened one eye. 

Kacchan was crouched over him, each knee a hand's length from his shoulder, not half a metre away. When their eyes met, he casually jumped off the railing that had absorbed his momentum and landed on the stone ledge, one foot to the left and right of Izuku's knees. He stared wide-eyed at the broad red X until Katsuki leaned down to eye level, hands at the railing, and flashed him a boyish grin. 

"Why so silent?"

"I, uh," he started, his head spinning, "didn't think you'd come."

"Tch," was all Katsuki said, sinking back against the crooked railing and reaching for the food, "you should know me better than that."

[graneymar]

u and kylian are childhood friends and you and neymar are talking or whatever but kylian doesn’t know

#1. NEYBAPPÉ: JUST A FRIEND

SUMMARY: above

WARNINGS: none

PAIRINGS: Kylian x female reader friendly, Neymar x female reader romantically

"Where are you? Want to come over and watch a movie?", Kylian asked me through text. I bit my bottom lip, thinking of an excuse. Neymar sat down on the couch next to me, handing me another glass of wine, "Is anything wrong?" I sighed and pointed at my phone screen. Keeping my 'situationship' with Neymar a secret from my best friend felt like torture to me.

Kylian and I used to tell each other everything, we were like each others diaries. We grew up in the same neighbourhood and went to kindergarden and school together. He actually was like big brother to me. Back when I got bullied in school, he would always stick up for me. Whenever someone talked badly about me he'd make them shut up instantly. Sometimes he was a little too overprotective though. After I broke up with my first boyfriend of two years and Kylian found out he cheated on me, he made sure he would regret hurting me - by breaking his nose. I kind of had a thing for 'bad boys', which always led to me suffering from heartbreak and lovesickness. Since Kylian viewed me as his little precious sister he had to take care of, he slowly started hating every guy that I only laid my eyes on. I understood he was afraid I'd get hurt again, but he loved to exaggerate.

Neymar and I first met each other at Kylians birthday party and it simply clicked the very moment our eyes met. After that, the three of us would go out for dinner, attend parties or just relax at home every now and then. I always had a crush on Neymar, but I never told anyone, not even Kylian.

One night, Neymar and I accidentally bumped into each other at a club. I wasn’t able to find my friend I came with and I had more than enough drinks anyway, so he refused to let me go home alone and decided to go with me. Long story short, we ended up in bed and from that day on, we had our little 'situationship' going. Yes, of course I was developing feelings, but Neymar kept giving me mixed signals, so I assumed it wasn’t anything too serious for him. I was scared of Kylian finding out because I knew he would kill us, especially Neymar if I ended up getting hurt.

"Just don’t reply. I mean he doesn’t have to know where you are and what you are doing 24/7", Neymar shrugged it off and started playing the show we were watching. He was right, but I still felt bad for 'breaking' my best friends trust.

Drinking a few more glasses of wine, Neymar and I completely forgot about the show and were all over each other again. "Let’s go to the bedroom", he said as he pulled away, but continued to kiss my neck. I was sitting on top of him, his large hands running up and down my body. Right when I was about to get off of him after sharing one more kiss, the door bell rang. Neymar rolled his eyes. "Who the fuck…", he groaned annoyed, walking up to the door as he tried to hide the huge bulge in his pants. I sunk into the sofa, hoping we could continue where we stopped fast enough. "Hey man", I heard a familiar voice greeting him. No no no no. I jumped up, looking around to find a place to hide in, but Neymars furnishings were too simple. I couldn’t even run to hide in another room without getting noticed. My heart raced as I heard the footsteps getting closer. Fuck. "Kylian, bro, I'm not…", Neymar started, but Kylian entered the room before he could even finish, "… alone." Finishing his sentence was more than unnecessary because Kylian already stood a few metres away from me, looking at me in disbelief and confusion. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and threw Neymar an angry look. He just shrugged, meaning he couldn’t do anything about it. "Y/N, what are you doing here?" I swallowed hard, unable to find a reasonable explanation. Kylian pouted and nodded slowly, noticing our wine glasses. "I guess it’s not the first time. Is this the reason you two have been so busy lately?" I tried to answer but I was lost for words. Not only have we kept our 'affaire' a secret from him, but we absolutely neglected him too. "Take your stuff, Y/N, I'll drive you home", Kylian said, making me shake my head from right to left and repeating the action. "I- I don't want to go home." His eyes widened. "I understand you only want what’s best for me and you’re trying to protect me from getting hurt, but I am a grown woman and got to make my own decisions and if I want to stay with Ney tonight, I will. There’s nothing you can do about it, I'm sorry." Neymar softly but proudly grinned at me. Kylian breathed in and out heavily. He was obviously disappointed and mad. "Y/N, could you leave us alone for a minute? I think we should talk about it", Neymar said. I sighed loudly walking out.

I was relieved, their conversation seemed to go well, both of them speaking calmly and quiet, but a few minutes in, Kylian raised his voice, "You don't know understand, Neymar! She has been so hurt so many times, I don't want to see her suffer because you take advantage of her and end this whole thing once you get bored!"

"No, you don't understand! It’s not just sex! I- I like her, I really do. I just didn’t figure out how to tell her yet", Neymar replied, lowering his voice at the last part. I literally forgot how to breathe, my heartbeat stopped for a moment. Kylian remained silent, but chuckled a few seconds later. "Are you telling me my two best friends are probably dating in near future?" Neymar whispered something, I couldn’t tell what it was, all I heard was Kylians laughter getting louder. "Are you done?", I asked entering the living room. Kylians wide grin expressing his amusement, Neymar looked somewhat uncomfortable. Before standing up, Kylian patted Neys shoulder, but he slapped his hand away in embarrassment. "You know what, you’re right. You’re a smart, strong woman and don’t need me to protect you from everything and everyone anymore", Kylian hugged me tightly, "Just don’t forget about the other sort of protection, yeah?“ He winked and laughed as he let go of me. "Shut up", I gasped.

"Have fun", were his last words before waving us goodbye and leaving the apartment.

[lqfiles]

— nct dream as times of the day .

[ ! ] mention of anxiety and some bantering

nct dream x reader , genre — fluff , angst!

a.n ; wanted to make one of these since always and now that i have a blog i can :) idea from ( @gothsunoo )

MARK ( 이마크. ) 7:23 am

mark enters his room with his newly brewed cup of coffee in his hand. he was tired. worn out even. it was one of those days where he was stressed and couldn’t sleep. worried about his future and how his career would end. had he already reached his peak? thoughts like this made him want to disappear to a dimension where there was nothing to worry about. still, he knew that was impossible. but as his phone lit up with a notification and your name in bold letters, he thought that maybe that feeling wasn’t completely extinct. he was grateful that you knew him well enough to even sense when he was going through something. “do you want me to come over?” were the last words exchanged through the phone before you made your way to his house.

RENJUN ( 황런쥔. ) 12:15 pm

renjun knew this was a bad idea. his realisation was confirmed even more as the two of you heard the guards yell after you. after the two of you were being falsely accused of shoplifting, you had come up with the idea to just make a run for it. renjun’s initial thought was to tell you that you’re insane and to just wait. the place was heavily guarded and the shop owner wouldn’t keep his eyes off you. but as you grabbed his hand and told him it would be alright, and how you’d take all the blame if needed, he gave in. he followed you as you pushed through the guards and ran outside and it didn’t take long for the guards to run after you. so maybe it wasn’t that bad. if he got to hear your laugh and the adrenaline rush he just experienced every day, he wouldn’t mind getting used to this life style.

JENO ( 이제노. ) 16:40 pm

“jeno, i’m fucking tired.” you had whined to jeno and he let out a chuckle. “come on (—) we’ve almost hit our goal, just a few more metres.” he said as he cheered you on. he had suggested walking 2 kilometres for ‘fun’. you easily agreed as he gave you that adorable eye smile. it was your fault for thinking it wouldn’t be long of a journey and the consequences being a sore leg for the next 3 days. “i don’t think i care about that goal any longer, i’m going to die!” you said as you fell to the ground, breathing heavily. jeno laughed before he crouched down and helped you up. he wrapped your arm around his shoulder and held you by the waist. “well, we’re doing this together whether you like it or not.” and that’s how jeno helped you walk 20 more metres until you reached your destination.

HAECHAN ( 이해찬. ) 3:16 am

“you’re crazy.” you whispered as haechan dragged you by the arm and led you out the campus. he turned to you before motioning for you to shush. “crazy in a good way.” he corrected you. if you thought sneaking out at 3 in the morning while the rest of the university was sleeping was a good idea, then yes you’d call him crazy in a good way. but you didn’t. “you’re so dumb at times, what if we get caught?” you whispered back at him and he gave you a reassuring smile. “well, it was nice knowing you then. so do want to get ice cream from the corner shop or are we feeling some mac d's today?” you sent him a defeated grin and haechan could feel his own heart melt at the sight of you.

JAEMIN ( 나재민. ) 10:27 am

jaemin patted you on the back. “i’m scared, jaemin.” you had confessed to him. he knew about your anxiety and how hard it was for you to speak in front of people. “you’ll do amazing.” he encouraged you and send you a smile. “you already did well presenting it to me, you’ll do even better presenting it to the rest.” he said as he eyed your presentation that was set ready on the board. “but that’s different. you are my best friend, they are my acquaintances.” the teacher had told jaemin to sit back down by the time you had finished your sentence. “then, just imagine all these people as your hot, amazing, funny, and kind best friend, na jaemin.” he joked and you laughed, feeling much more at ease. you did exactly what he told you to and finished the presentation with the thought of him.

CHENLE ( 종천러. ) 20:35 pm

“no, not like that!” chenle cried out for the 10th time this night. you couldn’t help but giggle at the frustrated boy behind you that was trying to guide you through his favourite game. “at this point you’re doing this on purpose.” he scoffed. he took ahold of your hands and placed them on the right buttons of his playstation controller. “i’m happy you noticed.” you grin and he just lets out an exasperated sigh. “remind me again why i’m teaching you how to play this game?” he asked, re-spawning you despite his complaints. “because you like me, and you think i’m funny, and you enjoy my company, and i’m like the only best friend you-” “yeah yeah, that’s enough bragging miss ‘no idea about gaming’, don’t forget that you’re playing on my account. this is hurting my reputation and pride!” he rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back the smile that grew.

JISUNG ( 박지성. ) 22:22 pm

stargazing with you as he talked about newly found conspiracies was never boring to jisung. “all i’m saying is that the idea of reptiles living among us doesn’t sound too strange. if there are people evil enough to cause a massacre, there should at least be one person in this world that is lizard.” he tried to justify and you couldn’t help but laugh. not only because it sounded stupid, but also because of the serious look on his face as if he had studied this conspiracy for years and had witnessed it himself. “you’re a strange guy, jisung.” you turned to look at him. “how many times are you going to tell me that.” jisung muttered as he turned his back to you, presumably sulking. “as long as you keep entertaining me with these theories, i’ll continue saying it. so what did you say about people with superpowers the other day?” you asked, gently pushing his shoulder back to face you. he sighed before a soft smile replaced his sulky face. “alright, so how much do you know about gravity?”

thank you for reading!

[bxd-decisions]

◈ "RUNNING THROUGH THE MONSOON. BEYOND THE WORLD, TILL THE END OF TIME." ⸻ KAKUCHO

◈ SYNOPSIS︙ Kakucho was sent on an assassination mission, but it all went a bit wrong. And you found yourself running away with him from danger, but you and him come to love each other through it. Maybe it wasn't such a bad life.

◈ PAIRING︙ Bonten!Kakucho x afab!reader

◈ GENRE︙Bonten au, dark content, smut, fluff

◈ WORD COUNT︙ 4.8k

◈ WARNINGS︙ violence, mentions of murder, attempted murder, dark content, smut, fingering, alcohol usage, dom!Kakucho, sub!reader, fem bodied!reader unprotected sex, vaginal sex.

◈ AUTHORS NOTE︙ I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS.

REBLOGS AND FEEDBACK APPRECIATED

The sound of footsteps on the wet ground, the rain pouring down. The men walked in silence alongside Kakucho. They were just… men that worked for Bonten. He was walking with a purpose. And that purpose was to assassinate someone. 

You. 

Your apartment building was just a few more metres away. He was almost there. There were a few lights burning in several apartments. Kakucho was a patient man, but his men? Not so much, but it's not like he really worried about how impatient they were. They were just there. Just. There. 

"Can't we just go in already?" One of his men asked with impatience very much visible in his tone, which earned a glare from Kakucho who was fixing his black leather gloves. "We have to wait. There are still people in that building who are awake. We don't want to cause a scene and get caught. Do you know how Mikey will react? You'll all be dead." He said sternly, averting his gaze back to the building. 

His men went silent from his rather… sharky remark. 

— 00:12am

The rain was a bit more silent. The apartment building was also silent. More and more homes during the duration of the rainy evening got their peace and settled in bed. Now. Now was the perfect time. Kakucho gestured for his men to follow him towards the apartment building. Instead of going in the elevator, he and his men took the stairs. There were about three stories they had to climb of stairs until they got to the floor you lived on. 

"Number 23." Kakucho whispered to his men while he sauntered through the hall. About 6 apartments down, he finally got to his destination. He briefly turned to his men, "You wait out here. If anything goes wrong, you guys will go back to Mikey." He ordered them before he turned on his heel and faced the door. He attempted to pick the lock, only to see… your apartment door was unlocked. 

How naive. 

The scarred faced couldn't stop himself from letting out a quiet chuckle. He so so so slowly twisted the door knob, making sure to not even make a single sound. The door creaked however when he pushed it open, but it wasn't enough to draw any attention. At least not yet. Upon entering the apartment, his boots made a very soft thudding sound on the wooden floor with each slow step, each step in the apartment at his search for you, where he finally heard your voice behind a door, along with the sound of a shower running. You were in the shower. Singing in the shower.

You didn't even hear any noises, or suspect anything bad to happen either. It was just another peaceful night for you. You usually never locked your apartment door anyways, because the place was safe. Not once was there any kind of bad incident. You had no idea you were even on a hitlist. Why would you be anyways? You just lived a normal and peaceful life. At least you thought so. You did. But people didn't like that — for some reason. 

You turned the shower off, taking a deep breath as you inhaled the fresh smell and the steam before stepping out with your drenched body and right after, you wrapped a white, fluffy towel around your body. Your hair was wet and droplets of water fell on the ground with each step you took to the bathroom door. You reached for the knob and casually opened the door, but you had a big, big shock. 

"Don't. Don't scream." A black haired man, holding a gun in his hand — with a silencer attached to it. He was pointing the weapon at your head and the only thing you could do was nod and hold your hands up in the air with a fearful look painted on your features. "Don't hurt me please." You pleaded to the man before you. You spoke softly, and you felt so vulnerable, so nude. The only thing stopping you from being naked was the towel covering your nudity from this intruder. 

Kakucho eyed you. Not in a perverted way. But in a way that… he was unsure of what to do with you. It was easy to just pull the trigger and end you… right? It was routine for him by now. But what was stopping him now? Maybe the scared look you had on your pretty face. Or the way you looked so innocent that you wouldn't even harm a fly. He let out an irritated huff as he lowered the gun and pinched the bridge of his nose, leaving a red mark on his otherwise perfect skin. He let out a long, long sigh. "Look, I'm here to warn you. I was sent here to kill you. But you need to just… pack your things and get out of here. Far away from here where no one can find you, okay?" This was more of an order than a question and you'd be able to tell that in the tone of his stern voice. 

"What? Why are you here to kill me? Who sent you?" You finally had the guts to question this man, while your hands and arms had a very firm grip on the towel that was hiding your nudity. You had a look of confusion and fear on your beautiful face.

How could this man just barge in and order you to leave? And who the hell sent him to kill you? You were so confused by all of this and quite frankly — you were terrified too. 

"I can't just… leave."

Kakucho was pretty sure he was gonna break his nose by the amount of times he was pinching it. He let out another long sigh, "My boss, Mikey. He sent me. And you have to leave. Okay? If they find you, I'm dead too. You'll be killed too if they find out you're alive." Kakucho simply didn't have it in him to kill you. 

'what am I doing?' Mentally, he was cursing himself for being such a pussy. 

"Mikey? Who the hell is that?" Of course you didn't know who Mikey was. That cake was no surprise to him. Therefore he just shook his head. The amount of questions you were bombarding him with was giving him a headache. "It doesn't matter. Just… get out of here. For your own good." Kakucho tucked his gun away again before turning on his heel and walking to the door of your apartment. You, however, ran into your room and got yourself in some clothing. You couldn't help but to take his warning seriously, so you began packing some things. 

Kakucho left your apartment building without another word. He felt so stupid for doing what he did. If Mikey ever found out, he'd be dead. He closed the door behind him and looked at his men who still stood there with the most serious looks on their faces. "Is she dead?" One of the men asked to which Kakucho just nodded in return. He felt like this was just gonna go down hill. His gut kept on telling him that.

"Let's go and see then."

Kakucho felt like he was on a rollercoaster, and the man hated roller coasters by the way. When the man said those words, he hastily shook his head and attempted to walk past the man, "There's nothing to look at." He tried to talk him out of it. 

"Then let me go check." The man insisted and stormed past him, "Come with me and show me?" He added to which Kakucho in response grabbed onto his wrist with a firm grasp, "I said there is nothing to look at. She's dead. I blew her brains out." He gritted his teeth but the man pulled loose and barged into your apartment, with Kakucho running behind him.  

When the man stormed into your home, you were still, in a panic, packing your clothes, but you froze when the man broke your door down and stared at you dead in the eye. His icy glare said murder. You were sure it was the end for you. The look on his face made your stomach turn and your eyes widen from pure terror. "D-don't-" Your protests were silenced by Kakucho knocking the man in the back of his neck with his gun before locking his panicked eyes onto yours. 

"Come on!" He grabbed your wrist without even asking or thinking twice. He had a tight grip on you and dragged you out of your apartment, and thankfully for you, the elevator was right next to your apartment, but that wasn't exactly safe since two more of Kakucho's men remained outside of your apartment. However Kakucho had remarkable reflexes and combat skills so he kicked the men away when they tried to grab you or him and hastily got you both into the elevator. You were both running on pure adrenaline. "What are you doing?!" The elevator went down, Kakucho didn't say a word to you, as soon as the door opened he dragged you along once more, "Just follow me."

He tried to remain as calm and composed as he could. It was extremely dark, but the streets were busy. The way Kakucho pulled you along didn't go noticed by anyone though, only by the men who were on your tails. Therefore when Kakucho looked back he cursed out and tried to just run a bit faster, "Just get into the car!" Kakucho grabbed the keys from an old man before kicking him so hard he almost went flying across the street. The car door was still open so he shoved you inside and hastily got in, shutting the door and in a panic, he dropped the keys. 

"Fuck!" With his shaking hands, he searched for the keys, and finally he got hold of them and started the engine of the vehicle. Without a second thought, he drove off. He didn't care about how many traffic rules he broke. Again, he was running on pure adrenaline. He was panting heavily, "L-look… I'm sorry for this. But we're stuck together now, okay? If Bonten finds one of us, we're dead, got it?!" Kakucho yelled at you, and the panic was visible in his tone and on his face. He was still mentally cursing himself for doing this. But, it was done, guess it was something he couldn't change. He betrayed Mikey and Bonten now, and he'd now have not only the cops, but Bonten on his trail. Somehow, he'd need to keep you safe too. 

You just accepted your fate. You were stuck with this strange man. A man that apparently was formerly part of an organisation called Bonten. You heard about them on the news. But not once did you ever think you'd be involved with one of them. But now, you were and you had to accept that reality. "Okay then… What's your name?" You sat there in silence, until you finally had the courage to ask him what his name was. You needed to know. You were stuck with him now, right?

"Kakucho Hitto. You're Y/n L/n. I know." He couldn't help but to chuckle, yeah, that must have sounded very very creepy, but after all, you shouldn't have been surprised because he did break into YOUR home to assassinate YOU. So obviously he had to know simple things like your name, your age, and your address. You also, just accepted it with a nod, "Uhm… yeah. I am."

An awkward silence was casted upon the both of you. Kakucho was driving the car and seemed to have calmed down more from the panic, fear and adrenaline he experienced earlier. The same could be said for you, your breathing was more under control, and you weren't shaking like a leaf caught in a storm. 

Kakucho drove, and drove, and drove. You passed out beside him in the car out of exhaustion. But he just carried on travelling until he finally came to a stop by a large building that seemed to be a hotel. Dawn was already breaking, it had been a few long hours since he had run away with you. Kakucho looked at your sleeping form for a good minute. He still questioned himself and why he decided to save you. Why was he so stupid? He was now literally a walking target. A dead man. He just committed suicide. A suicide that would be delayed for as long as he decided to run away from his monsoon of problems and danger he caused for the both of you. But whatever, there was no use to sit around and dwell over it. He'd leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow's him. 

Kakucho slowly reached out to you and took hold of your shoulder. He began to shake you very very gently, just enough to wake you up, which surprisingly didn't take very long. 

You let out a deep breath, along with a very tired whine before opening your eyes. Your neck and back was cramping from sitting and sleeping. It was far from being comfortable to say the least. But it was better than being dead. You kept telling yourself that. "Where are we?" You looked over a Kakucho, before looking in front of you, at the hotel. Figured, a rich guy like him would book into a hotel room. 

"Are we crashing here for the night?" 

Kakucho nodded at your question, "Let's go." Kakucho opened the car door and got out of the car. He stood in front of the car and waited for you to follow suit — which you did without question. You were unsure if it was smart to just crash at a hotel when you guys had dangerous men after you, but you trusted Kakucho for some reason. Upon entering the building, Kakucho nudged you towards the counter. You looked back at him with a confused expression, "Get us a room." He muttered to which you nodded and turned back to the receptionist and gave her a smile.

Ordering the room was easy. Kakucho paid for it though. You and him got to the elevator of the hotel and went up about… 4 floors. It was again, silent. 

Kakucho kept on stealing glances at you. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful you were. How easy it was to be around you. How you seemed to keep quiet even if he dragged you through hell and back. He was fascinated by this. He was starting to understand why he made the foolish decisions that he made. It was because he didn't want to be alone, being around you somehow soothed his soul and brought him a sense of purpose. Being in Bonten? It felt like a chore, a repetitive cycle. Something he grew tired of. But now he found something new. 

The man was so lost in thought, he flinched when the elevator doors opened. He cleared his throat and gave you a reassuring smile, "Come on." He muttered, you followed him, as expected all the way to the hotel room. There was only one bed, and a couch. Kakucho was no stranger to sleeping on a couch, "I'll take the couch." Kakucho closed and locked the door and settled himself on the couch immediately after, letting out a pleased and tired groan. He was tired, very tired. 

You looked around the room with curious eyes, but the second your eyes landed on the bed, you felt yourself grow tired again, it was like an instinct took over. Like your body told you to drop everything and collapse on that damned bed, which you did do. It was so comfortable, nothing registered anymore. Not Kakucho's words mattered, all you cared for was the comfort and rest the bed gave you as you drifted off to a nice, comfortable and deep sleep. 

It felt like a routine by now. Travelling everyday with Kakucho, with no end in sight. Life was just on the run and to be completely honest, it tired you out. Here you were again. 

Kakucho and yourself had just lost your car and were running in an alleyway, away from some of Bonten's goons. "Slow down!" You yelled for Kakucho who was way faster than you. Kakucho slowed down and swiftly scooped you up in his strong arms, he began running with you, "Sorry. I forgot you can't keep up." Kakucho chuckled as he ran. The running seemed to have no end, however, finally, the running came to a stop when he found an old and abandoned warehouse. It was better than nothing. He carried you all the way inside and finally, he relieved you from.his grasp, "Well, here we are. We should be safe here for-"

Kakucho suddenly pulled you against him, and he moved against a wall when he saw a figure out of the window, searching the place. You already knew how things worked so you stayed quiet. Although, you were scared, as usual. But Kakucho was there — he could feel how you were trembling, so the man very gently held your chin with his thumb and index finger and very gently and slowly tilted your head up, so you looked into his mesmerising heterochromia eyes. He was a handsome man. Something you never really noticed until that very moment. It was like… you were unable to take your eyes off of him. He drowned all the fear and panic away that boiled in your soul. 

Kakucho was feeling a similar sensation when he looked down at the fearful eyes that slowly shifted to one that… he couldn't describe. Were you looking at him with love? Fondness? Indifference? He wasn't sure, but it gave him goosebumps and made his heart race. Kakucho couldn't stop himself any longer. It was like… the way you looked at him awakened a monsoon of love and lust that suddenly felt for you — thus, Kakucho carefully leaned down and locked his lips with yours, and he suddenly felt like… he had just returned home from a very long journey. He felt like he was sitting by a fireplace in the middle of a snowstorm… warm. Warmth that filled his cold soul and heart. 

You were rather surprised by this action of his, but you too, felt like you just found a safe haven and you couldn't stop yourself from returning the kiss with the same amounts of love and passion. Things happened. Bizarre things did. But it led you to this man who took your heart and put it back together. He had made you feel special. Safe. Wanted… when no one else did. It was a warm feeling. It burned. But in a good way. His lips tasted like honey and you felt yourself craving more and more, but sadly Kakucho had to break the kiss and ruin the moment. But he still gave you a smile when you looked up at him with those puppy eyes and blushed cheeks. 

"Just wait a little bit." Kakucho whispered before glancing out of the window for a few good seconds. It was clear. Your stalkers were gone… 

For now. 

Thus, Kakucho backed away from the wall, "Let's look around." He muttered. He was using a very very soft indoor voice — as if he was in a library. But he had to be careful. You followed Kakucho around the building before coming to a door, which would probably be the old staff room, or break room… something like that. Kakucho picked the lock and entered the room, and a smile came to his face, an immense smile. There was a bottle of scotch in there and it made him very happy. "Bingo."

Kakucho took long strides to the bottle while you stepped in and closed the door. You let out a smile because of his happiness, "Can I also have some?" You asked him, your voice barely above a whisper. Kakucho let out a chuckle, he removed the lid from the bottle and took a long sip of the scotch, the auburn liquid burned down his throat and immediately relaxed him. "Here." He held the bottle out to you which, that you gratefully took. 

The liquor tasted strong. It burned your throat and made your skin crawl — drinking wasn't really your thing, but after everything you'd been through? It was needed. You handed the bottle of the auburn liquid back to Kakucho which he just placed down on the table, thereafter he just… looked at you. His face was unreadable to you and his gaze made you slightly uneasy and filled you with wonder. "What?" You gave him a wholehearted smile. 

The smile you graced him with instantly made his heart melt. He felt like a school child who just invited his crush on a first date when you were smiling like that. Kakucho would never get bored of how everything about you resonated within him. "Nothing… I just…" Kakucho looked down at the ground with a boyish grin. He suddenly took one long step to you and without warning or hesitation he pulled you in for another loving kiss filled with all the passion and lust he possessed in his soul. He wanted you. All of you. You made his heart pound and his head spin. He just couldn't control himself any longer. And truth be told neither could you, thus — you happily returned the kiss.

Kakucho's hands had a firm grip onto your perfect hips while you had your fingers tangled into his hair. That small action awakened his lust for you even more as he pushed his tongue past your sweet lips to get a better taste of you. He backed you up, until you fell onto the only couch in the room, before getting on and hovering over you, his passion for the kiss never stopping — not even air mattered to him in that moment. Only when you broke the kiss yourself, your lungs begged for air but the way you looked at him with that lustful glow in your pretty eyes, and string of saliva that connected to your lips drove him completely mad. His lips attached themselves to your sweet neck and he left love marks all over your soft skin — marking you and claiming you as his. 

"Need you." Kakucho mumbled while he planted more kisses all over your skin and his big hands travelled all over your perfectly sculpted body, finally reaching under your shirt and letting out a low growl upon feeling your soft and warm skin on his hands. He caressed your entire torso, not even missing a spot. He made sure to take his sweet time fondling with your breasts before sliding his hands underneath your bra to feel your bare skin. 

His touches were addictive and you found yourself wanting more and more of his sinful touch, "K-kaku… more please." The arousal pooling in the lower half of your body only got worse and worse with each second he teased your delicate skin, but it soon ended when he pulled your shirt off and unclipped your bra. The clothing material scattered on the floor in an instant before you suddenly felt his soft lips wrapping around your sensitive nipple, his tongue flicking and licking it which made you squirm and moan from how good he made you feel.

He let out a low chuckle and he dipped his one hand down between your thighs and in your pants and panties, rubbing slowly circles onto your wet clit, he couldn't help but to laugh, "So need for me… hmmm?" He purred, pushing two of his long fingers into your weeping hole and pumping them in and out of you in the most delicious way. Which made you gasp from the sudden intrusion, the pleasure was addicting.

"F-fuck… go good…" you whined out, throwing your head back while you pulled and tugging on his hair. It made him grunt lowly from the delicious sting he felt on his scalp from each tug. He pumped his fingers in and out of you for a few more minutes before he pulled his fingers out and licked them clean, grinning down at you. He kissed down your torso until he got to the waistline of your jeans, he didn't ask. He knew he had your permission already, therefore he unbuttoned and unzipped your jeans before tugging them down your legs with your panties. Once he threw the clothing material down on the ground, he observed your bare legs with sheer lust. Those thighs could drive a man insane. He left how his pants got tighter and tighter against his dick it almost got painful, the way your arousal stuck to your thighs turned him ok beyond anything else. But to be honest, your whole body was just perfect for him and he grew more needy and hungry for you by every passing second. 

"Your so fucking beautiful… fuck-" Kakucho growled lowly and in a rush he began to loosen his belt and tug his pants down along with his underwear and finally freeing his rock hard cock from that painful tightness of his pant, "I need to feel you, baby." He whispered to you as he lined up with your wet entrance, he looked into your eyes, and leaned down to plant a loving kiss on your lips before pushing himself into your warmth. It made his head spin, you were tight and went and he would never get used to how delicious you felt around his cock, how you stretched open around him. 

"Fuck…" he moaned out.

The feeling of his thick cock stretching you open, it felt like you were getting split in half — but in a good way. It was like his dick was made just for you, just to fuck you and make you feel good, "K-kaku… fuck… move please… I need you"

Kakucho felt himself snapping and becoming a feral animal at the words, 'I need you.' Like you awakened his primal side which told him to ram his needy cock inside of your pretty hole — which is exactly what he did. Without any second thought, he began to move his hips against you at a rough and fast pace, immediately hitting your sweet spot over and over with each thrust of his hips. You were seeing stars from it. He made you feel so unimaginably good it was almost overwhelming but you found yourself wanting more and more. Your hands moved to his shoulders with a firm grip that left scratch marks on his skin that made him groan and moan out from the sensation.

"Keep doing that sweetheart." He whispered while his hips slammed against yours over and over with no sight in end, he was on cloud 9; and so were you. Each thrust of his hips edged you all the more closer to your very much craved high. You walled tightened around him, and he could swear that feeling was so good and he never ever wanted to stop fucking you if you felt that good, he would never stop if he could, although he couldn't ignore how he was getting closer and closer to his own peek, he couldn't help it. "I'm gonna cum." He warned you, and you nodded in agreement, "Me t-too… fuck!" With that said, your legs were shaking and you felt your orgasm hit you like a speeding train which made you squirm and your body twitch.

Your orgasm triggered his own, his dick was twitching violently and he finally broke and fell apart, shooting his seed deep inside of you with a low moan of your name, "Fuck…" His hips stuttered but he kept on moving against your, the feeling just didn't stop, but he legs finally threatened to fail him, so his movements came to a halt. He was panting hard but he smiled down at you. You looked so tired and fucked out and the same as him, you were panting. 

"I… love you" he whispered.

You smiled at him. 

"I love you too." You planted a kiss on his lips, the smile soon fading though.

Kakucho pulling you close. He just wanted to hold you close but the way your smile disappeared didn't go unnoticed by him, "What's up?"

"What happens if we ever get caught?" You asked. 

"Well, then I guess… jail. Or we're dead. But until then, we'll just run… and stick together." Kakucho pressed a kiss on your forehead. 

"But I promise I'll protect you with my life." He promised you.

TAGS: @tokyometronetwork @benkeibear @littleoanh

[a-writer-on-elm-street]

I'll Always Help You

Pairing: Stefan x GN!Reader

Summary: In which you and Damon have been feeding on people in Mystic Falls. And everything has been going great until you accidentally kill someone, so you end up calling Stefan for help.

Warnings: Mentions of blood, mentions of death.

You couldn't breathe as you stared at the body that lay on the ground in front of you. You weren't even sure how it happened. You'd only intended to do what Damon had taught you. Snatch, eat, erase.

Except you'd clearly gone too far as there was a person lying on the ground, their throat ripped open by your teeth.

As you stood there, your body trembling, you thought of Stefan. Only a few hours before this, you and Damon were sauntering out of the house to get 'lunch' and like always, Stefan didn't approve.

For years, he'd grilled you on how it was wrong to feed on people, trying relentlessly to get you adopt his way of living. But you never listened, you always chose Damon's way because it was 'fun'.

Now you were seriously regretting not listening to Stefan as your idea of fun had clearly gone too far.

You quickly pulled your phone out of your jacket pocket, the device slipping in your bloodied hands a little, and you dialled Stefan's number.

Despite Damon practically being your best friend, there was no point in calling him since he'd just brush it off like it was nothing. Unlike you, he had experience in killing people. Stefan was your only option.

You almost collapsed when you finally heard his voice down the phone. "Hello?"

"Stefan?"

"(y/n)? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I...I need your help...something...happened and I don't know what to do." You choked out, unable to keep your breathing steady as you desperately waited for him to say something.

"Where are you?"

You looked around and you managed to spot the Mystic Grill in the clearing across the street. "Uh...I'm in the woods...across from the Mystic Grill."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute."

He hung up the phone and you immediately collapsed against a tree, unable to control your panic. You knew Stefan wouldn't be long but it felt like you were waiting ages for him to arrive.

When he finally appeared in front of you, his eyes instantly focused in on the dead body in the grass.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." You cried, your chest becoming heavy as you looked over at Stefan. "I really didn't mean to...I...oh god...I...killed someone."

"No, it's okay alright?" Stefan said, his voice gentle as he stepped toward you, his hands coming up to rest on either side of your face.

"I didn't mean to." You repeated, desperately shaking your head at him.

"I know, I know. Just...go back to the house and I'll take care of the body, okay?"

You nodded, doing as he said and running back to the house.

When you got there, you immediately went over to Damon's room to get his bourbon. And you practically started chugging the bottle as you sat down in the living room, unable to wrench your thoughts away from what you'd just done.

They were dead. And you killed them. You'd never killed anyone before.

You forced the alcohol down your throat as the tears started to fall again.

But before you could completely break down, you heard someone come in the door. Looking up, you saw Stefan standing a few metres away, a pitiful look in his eyes.

Before you could say anything, he came over to you, carefully taking the bottle from your shaking hands.

"You can't let this break you." He finally said, kneeling down in front of you. "I know first hand what something like this can do to you, and it's not pretty, especially when you're a vampire."

"But...I killed someone."

"So have I...and so has Damon, and Elena, and Caroline." He listed off. "But we came back from it...well, maybe not Damon. But what you need to know is that you can come back from this, okay?"

"You dont hate me?"

He smiled at you then. "How could I hate you? You didn't mean to kill that person."

"But I would've never killed them if I just listened to you."

"Hey, you made a mistake." He assured you, his hand coming up to cup the side of your face. "And there's nothing we can do now but try to move past it."

"Will you help me?"

"Of course." He said softly, before pulling you into a hug. "I'll always help you."

[Main Masterlist]

[mchlgayser]

featuring: nagi seishiro x gn!reader

summary: unaffectionate!nagi feeling anxious of losing you to another person after his friend, Reo scared him.

contents warning: none

nana's lil notes: this is rushed, i tried my best. might have forgotten a few important details but yall can simply shrug it off

YOU WOKE UP FROM YOUR nap realizing that it's almost past six, you got up from the bleachers looking around the auditorium for your teammates and manager "Y/n!" You heard a familiar voice calling out as you briefly turns around seeing your manager, Haru.

"Here's something you can eat, a bread and some milk." He sat down letting a heavy sigh "Where's your equipment" He glance around looking for your badminton racket case, your shoes, trackers and your apparels "I handed it to (Friend Name) earlier." He hummed "Alright, it's almost time for your practice before the semi final, do your best!" You smile at him and left after throwing away the food wraps

On your way to the court, you passed by the football pitch seeing the Japan u20's practicing, you sees your friend, Reo but his other friend is nowhere in sight, you try to look around for him but your manager ushered your to hurry up and you did.

-

The practice ended like usual as you were now on the cafeteria sitting with your friends having supper, you had a bottle of protein shake and fruit salads while your friends had burgers and soft carbonated drinks "Isn't that Nagi?" You swiftly turn your head to the direction they pointed at and you saw your boyfriend along with Reo, Isagi and Bachira sitting at a table a few metres away from you, they were chatting about something and you stood up "Hey who's that burger for?" one of your friend glance and hum "That's mine, It won't be enough with just one burger y'know.."

In a quick second, you took away the burger from his grip and smile "I'll have this then, pay you later!" They were screaming at you to get back but you ignored them and walked towards Nagi's table

"Hey..." You murmured at them, Reo had his face pale white "Oh Y/n, what're you doing here?" He was glancing at Nagi from time to time but the former ignored him by playing with his bottle "Do you...Perhaps heard what we discussed about just now...?" You grinned "No, of course not, I'm just passing by to give you this." You handed your boyfriend the burger and he thanked you "How's your practice?" You nodded at him "Good...Oh anyway I heard from your coach you guys are done for the day right? Then Nagi why don't we go home together?" He stare up at you and then back down "...Yeah, sure...." You smile and silently cheering "Alright, I better get going, see you guys later!" And you left the table shoving your friend some money and chuckle "Thanks for the burger." They was glaring at you munching on the burger aggressively

-

You was waiting inside the car for your boyfriend and the door flung open "Hey!" He hummed slumping against the seat and sighed "Was today's practice tiring for you?"

"Other day's practice is also tiring for me." You giggle starting the car and smile "Well alright then, was the burger enough for you? Do you want to drop elsewhere before we got home?" He had his eyes close still and hum again "Yes and no. Just straight home please." You look at him and then back on the road "Well okay then but can I drop somewhere real quick, I need to get my package" He nodded getting comfortable at the side to take a short nap and the car halt "Wait." You got out and stood a person with a super bike behind them and helmet shielding their head

-

Nagi watch as you approached the person, you had a smile plastered on your face as the person handed you a parcel "Was this a special delivery service? Is Y/n a frequent customer? How come I didn't know?" And suddenly flashback from this evening ran past his head

"I think you have an attitude problem." Nagi stare at his friend for a brief second and huff "What are you talking about?" Reo sigh "I'm talking about you and Y/n. How could you be so cold to them...? They're a nice person" Nagi looks away murmuring incoherent words "What if they fall for someone else and break things off with you? Be good to them or you'll regret it later."

At that time, Nagi didn't really think so much about that but now seeing you with another person, smiling so gently he started to get anxious.

-

Twisting on the doorknob, the door opened and you let yourself it along with Nagi following behind "You can go and bathe first, I wanna make a call with my mana-" You were cut when Nagi had his arms around your waist from behind, he was hiding his face on the crook of your neck "N-Nagi...Are you okay....?" He hum placing a chaste kiss over your neck, you whined and turn him around "What's the matter with you?" You asked out of panic

Nagi flinched, he actually thought by now you are disgusted with his kiss but in reality you are just too flustered. It was so sudden that he kissed your neck out of nowhere as you always knew your boyfriend as the person to not like psychical touch, he backed away with his head hung low and slowly walked upstairs but you held his hand down "Wait...! I'm sorry I didn't meant to say that! I swear, I was just too stunned." He turned to look at you "So you are not disgusted by my kiss?" You shake your head left and right multiple times "Never!"

He throw himself over you and you stumbled backwards "I'm gonna keep you forever and never letting any person to take you away from me..." He whispered over your ear, you blushed and hid your face away "Like I'm ever gonna leave you."

[landoncrris]

secret heart - chapter two

mason mount x reader

SECRET HEART // MASTERLIST

word count: 3.5k

hey it’s me mason, i’m on my way now :)

When you received his message, you were sitting in the library as planned and had almost finished studying for tomorrow’s class, so his message came at just the right time. When you were done, you slowly packed up your things and headed out. You thought about going to the little café that some people had told you was down the road, as you almost fell asleep with your head on the keyboard. But before you could do that, you heard a honking next to you that made you flinch slightly, and you immediately recognised the car that stood a few metres away from you.

“Tired?” asked Mason as soon as you sat in the car with your seatbelt fastened, thinking it was plain to see. You nodded in reply and pulled out your phone to see if you had any more messages. That was when you saw Kai’s name pop up, asking you when you were coming home and if you wanted to go out for dinner with them.

“Hey, do you have any plans for today?” you asked Mason as you thought about your answer. Looking over at him, you saw him raise his eyebrows slightly before clearing his throat and looking around as he pulled out of the car park.

“No, why?”

“I just wondered if you’d like to go out for dinner with me, Kai and Sophia. You know, as a little thank you for driving me.” you explained, sure they wouldn’t mind since Mason was one of their friends anyway. Your eyes glanced back and forth between him and the road a few times as you waited for his response, knowing by now that he was probably thinking about something whenever you could see a small line form between his eyebrows.

“Isn’t that already a thank you for Kai giving me his car?” he grinned slightly and looked over at you for a moment, “Well, I guess you can take it as a thank you for saying thank you.” Your words made him let out a breathy laugh, the cute little dimples remaining on each side of his cheek as he continued to smile.

“So, is that a yes?”

“Only if you’re paying.”

“Right, because you couldn’t afford it yourself.” you didn’t catch the way he grinned at you because you were too busy looking at your phone, answering Kai and telling him that you and Mason would be joining them in about an hour. “Oh, but can we go for coffee first? Otherwise I’ll fall asleep with my head in my food.” you muttered, putting your phone back in your pocket as you heard him snort at your words.

“Sure, I know a good place.”he replied, clearing his throat once more, “By the way you said you were looking for a part-time job, right?” You frowned as you hummed in reply. You had indded told him earlier how much you wanted to find something, but everywhere you called you got the same answer. That you would have to work morning or night shifts, which of course didn’t fit in with your university schedule.

“Well... I kind of asked a friend of mine who owns the café if he could use another employee and.... you know, if you want, you can start working there next week.” he explained, his eyes once again seeming to avoid yours as he chewed on his lower lip. You just sat there speechless, not understanding why he was being so nice to you and doing you another favour even though you had only really known each other since yesterday. But at the same time you couldn’t help but feel happy that you had met him and that your brother had such a nice friend like him. Which was the only explanation for you, that he was only so nice because he was one of Kai’s closest friends.

“Really?” You had a big smile on your face so your words sounded like a whisper, but he heard them anyway and nodded in response. “But what if we two end up hating each other and I get fired because of it?” you asked, feeling like this was all too good to be true, so you tried to find a problem. But actually you just didn’t want Mason to do too much for you either, as you were afraid you would never be able to thank him properly for it.

“That’s never going to happen.” you smile at this again, though inwardly you wondered if he meant that you wouldn’t end up hating each other or that you wouldn’t get fired because of it. “Thank you so much, Mason.” you squeaked, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on his cheek, to which he laughed shakily, but you ignored it as you pulled out your phone again, telling Sophia what just happened.

When you arrived at the café Mason was talking about, you were already convinced that what he had done for you was one of the best things that could have happened to you. Mason then introduced you to the friend he was talking about, who also assured you that you could start work next Monday, and also told you that you should just come by until then to get more important information. You also met two of the other employees, two girls who, as you then found out, were also studying at the same university as you.

When you got home that evening, after getting your coffee and going out to dinner with Sophia, Kai and Mason as planned, you went into the kitchen after saying goodnight to them both. But as you lowered yourself onto one of the bar stools with the tea you had just made in front of you, you heard Sophia come back down the stairs and head for the kitchen as well.

“So...” she began, grabbing an apple from the bowl that stood between you as she stood on the other side of the kitchen island, “Mason, huh?” she added with a grin. At that your eyes met hers and you blinked repeatedly as you tried to work out what she was trying to say, albeit unsuccessfully.

“What about him?” you glanced at the time on your phone, realising you needed to get to bed soon so you wouldn’t wake up too late again, before your gaze went back to Sophia, watching her shrug.

“I think he likes you.”

“He barely even knows me.” you snorted, but she just looked at you dumbfounded. Then she sighed and came around the counter to sit next to you, “And I also think you should ask him out.”

“Yeah, that’ll never happen.” you laughed, taking a sip of your tea while still thinking about what she had said.

“Why not? You can’t tell me you don’t think he’s good looking.”

“I can’t but—”

“But?” she interrupted you, obviously intent on changing your mind. In response, you frowned, whereupon she quietly apologised. As she said, you couldn’t deny that he was handsome, anyone with a pair of eyes could see that. You also couldn’t deny that he was more than nice so far, but at the same time you already had enough problems with men in your hometown. That was also one of the reasons why you decided to study in London and not where your ex-boyfriend tried to persuade you to study.

“I just want him as a friend, you know? He seems like a good friend and that’s exactly what I need right now.” you sighed, getting up and walking to the bin to throw away the tea bag. You just heard Sophia slap her hands on the counter, hoping that she had conceded defeat, because you didn’t want to discuss it any further as you had already made up your mind.

“Fine, but I still think you should date someone.”

“Soph—”

“Y/N, come on.” she whined, knowing just from the tone of your voice and the look on your face that you were going to disagree with her again, “you wanted to have fun and enjoy your life, so why don’t you?”

“Dating only brings me drama, and I don’t need that.” You drank the rest of your tea before going to the dishwasher and putting the cup away. You turned around and stood by the counter facing her where she had been standing a few minutes ago.

“Then don’t do the serious kind of stuff. But at least do something, you know.” with that you buried your head in your hands. After your last relationship, you just wanted to be alone, no men, no drama, you thought. But she was right too, because you promised yourself to forget your old life and enjoy your new one. In the process, you came to the conclusion that you won’t look for anything, but when something happens, it happens.

“Fine.” you lifted your head again, taking your phone and heading for the door, hoping that the conversation was now over. But when you saw the smile on Sophia’s face, you already knew it wasn’t.

“So... Which name do you like better, Sascha or Nico?” which made you stop at the door and lean against it while looking at her with a confused expression on your face.

“Sascha, why?”

“Alright then, I’ll set you up with my friend Sascha- and believe me, he’s cute.” she now stood up herself and threw the rest of her apple into the bin that she had eaten during your conversation. You mumbled a small “Great” in response before heading upstairs, not wanting to give her a chance to continue the conversation. You fell straight into bed, but just before you were about to fall asleep, you got a notification. At which you mentally slapped yourself as you had forgotten to put your phone on silent. As you turned over and your eyes adjusted to the light, you saw a message from Mason, smiling at his courtesy.

hey, tomorrow at 9 again?

yeah, thanks a lot x

He drove you back and forth every other day that week until Friday, which was when he got his own car back, whereupon you could drive on your own. Which was more than exciting for you, but you already missed having someone to talk to. Especially Mason, as you enjoyed nothing more than seeing him open up more and more and learning new things about him every day.

On Friday, however, you still saw him. When you entered the house, you could immediately hear his and Kai’s voice from the living room, and what sounded like Fifa in the background. This theory proved true as soon as you entered the living room, because both of them were sitting there completely concentrated in front of the TV. They probably didn’t even hear you come home.

“Hey Mase.” you said, putting your bag on the armrest of the couch as you stood next to it. When he heard his nickname come out of your mouth for the first time, he immediately jerked his head up and gave you his usual smile. Then his attention turned back to the game and he mumbled a little “Hey”back.

“Sure don’t greet me, I’m just your brother.” Kai scoffed, to which you rolled your eyes, because you’d already seen him this morning so there was no need, he was just being dramatic as ever. You put your bag on the floor instead and sat on the armrest, right next to where Mason was sitting.

“Oh, Y/N, by the way, Tom already sent me your work schedule.” he said, as he had been getting all the information from your new boss all week, since you hadn’t found time to go there yourself yet. Another thing you were glad Mason did, because anyone else would have probably gotten annoyed and just sent them your number instead.

“And? Did you look at it?”

“Yeah, you’re usually off at 7, so there’s still plenty of time for me to annoy you.” he said with a smirk on his face that turned into a frown when you pulled his hair in response. Laughing at the hiss he let out, but his gaze didn’t once move away from the screen.

“Sorry, she’s already too busy getting annoyed by me.” you and Mason just rolled your eyes and tried to ignore his comment as usual. But as the game on the screen became a little boring for you, your attention wandered elsewhere for the first time since you arrived. You almost felt guilty that you were only now seeing the bandage around Mason’s foot, whereupon you nudged him with your arm to get his attention.

“What happened to your foot?”

“Huh?” asked Kai, lifting his head for a brief second to look at you. Which alreadt told you he hadn’t been listening at all and therefore thought you must have been talking to him. Something that happened quite often when he was in his element.

“Not you, idiot.”

“Someone stepped on my ankle in training, but luckily it’s not too bad.” he sighed as the final whistle blew, giving Kai a 2-1 win. He dropped the controller in his lap before looking up at you and assuring you with a thumbs up and a big smile that he was really fine despite his ankle.

Just as they had agreed to play another round, you heard Sophia come down the stairs and drop down on the couch next to Kai while she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’m going out with some friends tonight, do you guys want to come?” she asked, but her eyes particularly on you, looking like she wouldn’t take no for an answer. To which you, along with Mason and Kai, hummed in agreement.

“But I can’t stay long, I have a game on Sunday.” she leaned forward to whisper something in his ear, which fortunately you couldn’t hear. Because the look on his face already told you that you didn’t want to hear it anyway.

“Oh by the way, Y/N, Sascha will be there too.” Sophia said with a smug smile on her face, to which you rolled your eyes. But she also got a reaction from Mason, who raised his head and looked back and forth between the two of you, with a line between his eyebrows, as the game was obviously not that interesting anymore.

“Who is Sascha?” he asked the question while looking at Sophia, since it was she who brought up his name in the first place. But she only answered him with a shrug and still that stupid smile as she nodded over to you.

“Yes, well, I’ll go get ready.” you stood up and picked up your bag, wanting to avoid another one of those conversations. Since you still weren’t one hundred percent convinced of her plan, but if you at least tried and it didn’t work out, you could prove to her why it was a stupid idea.

“Oh, great, I’ll come with you.” she said, jumping over the couch and running after you, practically dragging you up the stairs. But luckily she only wanted to know what she should wear, instead of talking to you about it further since she knew you didn’t feel too well about it.

In the end, you both agreed on a black dress, not exactly looking the same, but it was safe to say that you both looked hot. And in the first two hours at the club Sophia had taken you to, you actually had a lot of fun. You met a lot of Sophia’s friends, even some of Mason and Kai’s teammates who they had also brought along because they knew they would get bored after a while. Although after those two hours, not only Kai went home, but Sophia too, and you were left alone with all these people.

But the person you talked to the most that night was actually Sophia’s friend Sascha, as she ended up introducing you that evening. And she wasn’t wrong when she said that he was cute, but still not very charming. Several times he interrupted you to say something about himself, or he made jokes that weren’t very funny, but maybe that was just the alcohol talking for him. You were currently all sitting at a table in the back of the club, while you didn’t even know half of the people around you.

But the one you made eye contact with most often when you looked around was Mason. Who himself had a girl clinging to his side while he only replied nicely but showed no visible sign of interest. You figured that had to be extremely annoying, because if it wasn’t for him and his name, she probably would have left again after her first pick-up line out of many didn’t work.

“Have you been listening to me?” said Sascha, tapping you on the shoulder with the hand that was around you. At that, your eyes went back to his, hoping you didn’t stare into someone’s face while you were lost in thought.

“No, sorry, what did you say?” you almost had to shout at him over the music, even though he was sitting right next to you. He chuckled and leaned forward, while pulling you closer by the shoulder so you could understand him better.

“I was wondering if you want to give me your number? You know, so I can take you out sometime.” he pulled back briefly, trying to read your expression. But you were torn between saying yes or no, because you wanted to, as he was definitely very attractive and nice, but you also didn’t want to waste your time in case he wasn’t any different when he was sober, let alone worse.

“Somewhere where we can have a proper conversation and actually get to know each other?” he spoke into your ear, his breath brushing your face as he pulled back again. At that he elicited a breathy laugh from you, for you could not deny that although he was not a smooth talker, he still knew what he was doing. You nodded and held out your hand to show him that you would give him your number. He immediately pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans with a broad smile on his face that was almost adorable to you.

After typing in your number, out of the corner of your eye you saw someone stand up and put his jacket back on. And as your eyes wandered there, you noticed that it was Mason saying goodbye to his friends and nodding to those sitting too far away before heading for the exit.

“Would you excuse me for a moment?” you smiled at Sascha, getting up and making your way out of that area you were in so you could follow where Mason was going. Causing you to take quick steps and let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding when you reached him, putting your hand on his shoulder to get him to stop. Which he did, turning around to look at you.

“Where are you going?” you asked, a pout on your lips, because he had promised to stay longer than Kai. Since he was injured anyway and couldn’t play, but you also saw how bored he looked the whole time. He had been frowning for at least an hour now, so you couldn’t blame him for going home if that was the reason.

“Home.” he shrugged, "my foot hurts, probably wasn’t the best idea to come along.” he tried to smile, but you could tell it wasn’t genuine, even after only knowing him for such a short time.

“Oh, you want me to come with you?” you asked, because it was a twenty-minute drive and you didn’t want him to go alone. Especially not when Kai and Sophia, who had invited him to come along in the first place, were already gone. But he just shook his head and put his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“Are you okay with getting home on your own?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” you looked back to the table for a moment, seeing Sascha watching the two of you. As Mason’s eyes followed yours, his expression hardened again and before you could realise it, he took another step towards the exit.

“Well then, I hope you have a nice evening.” he nodded and let his gaze wander over to the table once more before going. Leaving you there, whereupon you also made your way back to the table, but you never stopped thinking about his behaviour for the rest of the night.

[ameagrice]

Capsize

chapter nine

a tea party with Aphrodite | Fem! Reader x Percy Jackson.

Percy was…angry with you.

And he made it known.

It wasn’t up to you, suddenly, to make the decisions on this quest, despite everyone looking to you earlier. Your opinions didn’t matter, suddenly, because whenever you had an input, the answer was a snappy but you literally led us to Medusa or a hesitant and slightly sorry-looking I think we should let Annabeth handle this one from Grover. And Percy? Well, he wouldn’t even talk to you.

Was it the fact that you nearly got him killed? Possibly. But really you didn’t know. You’d saved him. You’d saved everyone. How were you to know the veiled woman was Medusa? You’d apologised on the way out, and again when you were met with silence. But…your team wasn’t so forgiving. And you dejectedly wished that you’d never come along on this quest after all. Everything had been pointing to no. But you pushed the signs anyway.

You did what you wanted.

Like always.

Except for the first time, it messed things up.

You walked behind the others as they led the way. The three of them, walking close together, and you trailing behind. You hadn’t felt this left out since wilderness therapy, when you were the only original member left at the end of the five months—stomach heavy, and heart deflated.

It was horrible to feel left out.

You listened to them discuss plans; where you could all sleep the night; how you could find somewhere reliable.

There was a good two metres between you and the others. In a way, it made you feel a little better than you didn’t have to stand next to them in awkwardness. But at the same time, you didn’t want to feel like the pushed-out one.

In the end, you came to a stop in a clearing some kids had used as a party place, in the middle of the woods. Percy volunteered to take first watch. They still hadn’t spoken to you. So you settled yourself with a blanket—reluctantly—on the ground, keeping a close watch for bugs near you, a few metres away from them, behind a boulder so you could at least have shelter from the slight breeze.

Annabeth snored. You finally had confirmation that it was her that made all the noise in the cabin at night.

Percy sat against a tree with a blanket. Grover sat the same way, staring at the sky.

And you closed your eyes, trying your best to escape the situation.

But of course, this was an unfamiliar landscape. So you were on alert. You heard the lilt and fall of Grover and Percy’s voices. Annabeth’s snoring was amplified.

But the cicadas croaking was peaceful. The thought of them on the ground near you wasn’t. But…it was enough to pull the blanket tightly over your head and curl up.

And, low and behold, everything began to quiet…

Until it didn’t.

And you found yourself under a stone, white canopy held up by four pillars carved with vines. Birds tweeted here, in this huge space of leaves and the brightest flowers you’d ever seen before. A bright sunlight lit the area beautifully. It was like Heaven.

“It’s rude to keep guests waiting, you know.”

You shrieked, your heart bouncing. You hadn’t realised somebody was with you.

A woman with blonde hair, curled and fluffy, sat in a quaint white chair, the kind you’d find in cute little cafes in posh areas. She looked kind of snooty, talk and thin, like the women in movies who were rich and got whatever they wanted.

“Sorry,” you had enough manners to say that, slowly approaching the table. It was laid out with glazed donuts on pretty chinaware with patterns around the rims. “Aren’t you Aphrodite?”

She pulled a face. You got the instinct to run. “What sort of a question is that?”

A normal one you wanted to say.

“Sorry,” you said again. This was growing tiring already. You pulled the chair out from the table and slowly took a seat, stiffly. “How come this all here?”

She took a bite of a donut. And it didn’t even get anywhere but her mouth. If that were you, you knew the sugar would have stuck to your hands and mouth, and you would have taken a bite too big to chew.

“You need help. For one, your hair looks awful. How are you supposed to gain Percy Jackson’s attention if you look like you have not brushed your hair for a week?”

You felt a pull and yelped, though nobody had touched you. You raised a hand to touch your hair…it was much, much longer. Nearly to your hips. And curly. Like, prom curly. And when you raised your hands higher, some sort of clips held the front pieces back.

Aphrodite was nodding, like an artist had finally made the finishing touches to a painting. “That’ll do it. I don’t need to do much else. You mentioned Annabeth’s eyebrows but honestly, dear, have you paid attention to your own these last few days?”

What was this, a critique fest?

A tiny sting around your forehead signalled that your eyebrows were now a lot better than they had been recently. Really, you would have done it yourself, but where was the time or materials these days?

She smiled surely and took another bite of donut before saying, “Surely he cannot ignore you now. No, I’m counting on this. I made a bet.”

You blanched. “I’m sorry?”

She waved a gloved hand. “Stop saying you’re sorry. It’s irritating. Anyhow, I think you’re doing rather well on this quest. You’ve taken the others where they needed to be. The package from your friend Percy could have been left behind, but…well, it was not me who opened it. I’m here to give you some advice.”

“Such as?”

She snapped her eyes to yours and glared. “Less of the cheek. We are not friends.”

“I’m well aware.”

Please don’t zap me please don’t zap me

Aphrodite frowned heavily. “Your mother says you have potential. And she doesn’t pay much attention to many of her children. You must be doing something right. Of course, you don’t have much longer to go. I’ll lose my money if you don’t make an impression with Percy soon.”

You frowned yourself, leaning forward slightly, elbows on the table. “Much to go until what?”

She shrugged and giggled like something was funny. “I’d make sure you celebrate your birthday memorably.”

Your heart froze. Your lungs stopped. And your blood flowed slower. “Any advice? Boy advice? Life advice?”

“Ah, boy advice,” she sighed as if something was wistful. “You have your priorities straight.”

Silence encompassed you both. She nudged the plate towards you. You picked up the bright, blood-red coated donut on the plate abs hesitantly took a bite. It was warm, as if someone had heated it up in the microwave.

Finally, as the birds began to tweet quieter, Aphrodite sighed, and looked you dead in the eyes. You lowered the donut gently, eyebrows upturned in the middle, waiting for a response.

“Show him why it should be you he chooses. You already have his attention, dear. You’ll need him in a way you can’t even begin to imagine at the moment. Keep him on your side. Keep him close.”

Something whipped your cheek. Groggily and slowly, your eyes opened. The sky was. Faint blue, still slightly dark, but light enough to see.

And above you, blinking hastily and patting your shoulder, was Grover.

You shoved him away sleepily, not awake enough yet, and sat up, trying to get your bearings.

“Oh,” he sighed heavily, sitting back on his heels. “I thought you were in a coma! And what happened to your hair! It’s grown in like four hours.”

“I was asleep for like four hours?” You mumbled, leaning forward and rubbing your eyes with the heels of your hands.

“Yes!”

“Sheesh. Felt like a minute.”

Your eyes skimmed the place. Percy was asleep over there, and Annabeth was still snoring, and the pink poodle wa—

You dropped your eyes to it again swiftly, and frowned, mouth agape. “What the fu—”

It growled and your shut your mouth, looking to Grover. He smiled timidly. “He came to me! Meet Gladiola! He’s from a rich family and has offered to help us.”

You looked the dog up and down. It growled and bared it’s teeth. You laughed, once, unamused. “Yeah, no. This dog hates me.”

The dog growled again and howled once, before blinking at Grover, whose expression faltered.

You looked from one to the other. “What did he say?”

“That he doesn’t like you.”

“Told you.”

Grover shrugged. “He said he’ll help us.”

“You already said that. But how is a dog supposed to help us out?” You looked at the poodle again, bright-pink like bubblegum. It snarled and bared it’s teeth.

“If we take him home, he said we’ll get reward money. We’ll have enough to travel with. And then we head into Las Vegas in a few days.”

Your eyes nearly bulged. “Las Vegas? Isn’t that, like, a really dodg place?”

Grover almost smiled. “Dodg?”

“It is though isn’t it? I swear that’s where people do drugs and stuff.”

“Humans do drugs everywhere. It’s not rare these days.” He sighed.

The dog barked. At first you thought it was because you were staring at it, but then a voice came from beside you.

“What’s with the poodle?” Annabeth gestured.

“This is Gladiola,” Grover explained again. “He’s offered to help us.”

And soon enough, breakfast was served. A choice of breakfast bars and water bottles. Annabeth woke up Percy, who spared you a look before ignoring you once more.

The dog didn’t like Percy, either. The two stared at one another as if they had two heads each.

“So how are we going West?” You asked lightly, finding a seat beside Grover. The dog yapped at you.

Your peers looked at one another. Percy shook his head. “Not another bus.”

“No,” said Annabeth. “There’s an Amtrak station a few miles away.”

You clasped your hands together and looked around your group. “Well,” you smiled, “looks like we’re off again.”

taglist: @Bl6o6dy @embersparklz @lilyevanswhore @rottenstyx @hawkeye12 @rory-cakes @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @marshmallow12435 @Luckydragontriumph @lantsovheiress @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol

[nyotamalfoy]

First Impressions Pt. 2

Ram Charan x fem!reader

a/n: IM SO SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE IN POSTING THIS! I actually have my last exam tomorrow and i now realise i should probably be studying for that but here we are :) this is actually a bit longer than part 1 but oh well, hope you enjoy!

again, no disrespect to his wife obv

warnings: harassment, swearing (like 2 words)

Part 1 || Part 2

-Previously-

Suddenly, she hears a voice, a very familiar voice, before feeling a presence behind her.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

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

“Ram, hurry up! Kabse wait kar rahe hai yaar hum.” (Ram, hurry up! We’ve been waiting for so long, dude.)

“You don’t need to shout Tarak, I’m right here, in front of you, not even 3 metres away,” Ram playfully glowered at him while lacing his boots up properly.

“Well, he’s not wrong though, we have been waiting for so long. Even I got ready before you and it’s my friend we’re going to see,” Alia chimed in, coming to stand next to Tarak.

“Exactly, it’s your friend and we’re meeting her for the first time. First impressions matter, you know,” Ram says in a serious voice that contrasts with the comical expression on his face.

“Are you sure it’s only that? Nothing else?” Tarak questions him accusingly, with a sly smile on his face. He had seen the way Ram’s expression had changed and watched as his face lit up when Alia showed them Y/N’s photos for the first time. Tarak knew his brother was excited to meet this girl and going by Alia’s opinion of her, she really did sound like a pure soul.

Ram stood up, all ready to go, and looked at both of them with a bored expression, “Tum dono ki bakwaas khatam ho gayi ho toh chalein?” (If both of you have finished talking bullshit, can we go?)

Tarak and Alia shared a knowing look as they watched Ram lower his head trying to hide the faint colour in his cheeks. But he played it off really cool and like his usual calm and collected self, he walked to the door and held it open for them.

“I see, chivalry is not dead,” Alia says as she thanks him and smirks to herself. 

“Shut up.”

They decided to just take Ram’s car as they were all going together anyway. He also chose to drive himself and not call his driver tonight because the restaurant wasn’t too far away from their hotel.

“Do you think she’ll like this surprise? Like we were meant to meet her tomorrow and today was just going to be you two catching up?” Ram glances at Alia in the rear-view mirror and asks her.

He had started to rethink this, what if Y/N got upset that they crashed her and Alia’s reunion? What if it got really awkward because they had nothing to talk about? What if she didn’t like him?

He was suddenly pulled back to reality when Alia replied, “Chill, yaar, we’ll tell her our whole thought process na like you guys wanted to go to the same restaurant and we were going to go together tomorrow anyway so we just thought to move it up to today. And about us catching up, tum dono humko baat nahi karne doge kya?” Her phone buzzed and she paused to read the message, then continued sarcastically, “Can you drive any slower? She’s reached there already.” (“…us catching up, won’t you two let us talk?”).

Ram shook his head with a small smile, the worry dissipating a bit after Alia’s reassurance. He just wanted to make a good first impression, he didn’t know why he cared so much but something pulled him to her, like a sort of connection which he couldn’t name yet. It was the reason why he had butterflies in his stomach just by thinking about her.

“Accha hum pohonch gaye. Tu kahan jaa raha hai!” Tarak said, his voice raising at the end as he looked at the restaurant passing by. He turned to Ram and noticed that he didn’t even hear him. He snapped his fingers in front of Ram’s face and watched as he whipped his head towards him. (“Okay, we’ve reached. Where are you going!”)

“Huh? Kya hua?” (“Huh? What happened?”)

Tarak told him that they passed the restaurant and shook his head as he turned towards Alia to make sure she witnessed the same thing he did. Judging by the smirk on her face, she was definitely thinking along the same lines as him.

They finally got out of the car and walked across the parking lot towards the door. They waited in line at the podium just like everyone else and took the time to take a look around them, pleasantly assessing their choice of place for tonight.

Ram felt a strange uneasy feeling as soon as he stepped foot inside the ambient restaurant. He couldn’t quite place a finger on it, but he knew something was off, his eyes subtly scoping out the floor and the public. He leaned over Tarak’s shoulder to glance at the blind spot in his assessment, the bar area. And he knew.

He was seldom wrong in his gut feelings and this time wasn’t an exception. Ram grit his teeth at the scene playing in front of him. People will never change, he thought as the girl leaned back uncomfortably to put some distance between her and the man, who still, if his hand placement on her back was anything to go by, hadn’t taken the hint that she wasn’t at all interested.

Ram had only taken a step out of the line to get to the bar before Tarak asked him where he was going. He nodded towards the situation without taking his eyes off of them and his eyes widened as the man turned the girl’s bar stool towards him. The girl’s face came into view, and he blanched.

“Alia, is that her?” Alia followed Ram’s line of sight and gasped. The man had his hands on Y/N’s neck, and he wasn’t showing any signs of stopping. The fear on her face was fuelling Ram’s anger. 

They were called next in line to the podium, but it fell on deaf ears as Ram started towards the bar, Alia a step behind him. Tarak quickly talked to the hostess before following his friends. He couldn’t believe that disgusting man’s audacity to harass a girl like this in a busy restaurant and he also couldn’t believe how no one else had noticed anything wrong. But then again, he wasn’t at all surprised.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ram hands were itching to straight up punch the guy, Alia’s hand on his elbow was the only thing stopping him from doing just that. He stared at the man’s hand still resting menacingly on Y/N’s neck.

“Who are you to ask me th-” The man arrogantly started to reply.

“Haath hata,” Tarak interrupted him, his voice eerily calm and his face emotionless, though you could see his eyes raging with anger. (“Move your hand.”)

“Nahi toh? Kya karloge tum log? Behen lagti hai kya tumhari?” He asked with a disgusting tone to his voice.

Ram felt the white-hot anger pulsing through his body. Alia took her hands off him and smirked at the man. “Y/N, come with me.” She watched as Y/N slowly turned her watery eyes away from the ground and looked at her. Alia helped her off the stool and slip out of the man’s hands as he watched in disbelief.

“Where do you think you’re taking her?” He held out a hand to stop them but soon found it to be a mistake as Tarak grabbed that hand and twisted it behind his back. He didn’t even get a chance to let out a scream as Ram slapped him open-handed across his face sending him straight to the floor.

Y/N watched, her lips slightly parted, as the man did not get up. Alia looked at Y/N’s face and let out a faint smile before turning her attention back to the two handsome men walking towards them leaving the sorry excuse for a human on the floor behind them unconscious.

“Are you okay?” Ram asked, snapping Y/N out of her reverie. She blinked rapidly to get back to her senses before finding the strength to answer.

“Yeah, I think,” She nodded slowly with a question mark apparent on her face. She wanted to cry thinking of the first time something like this happened and how there was no one there to save her then. But she looked at Alia standing by her side, then at Ram and Tarak and felt tears of relief building up in her eyes. “I really don’t know how to thank you guys, I-”

“Hey, hey, hey. You’re okay, we’re here now.” Tarak went to lay his hands on her shoulders to comfort her but hesitated realising that the girl had just met them for the first time and might not be comfortable with someone touching her in any way.

Thankfully for him, Alia took over and put her arm around Y/N’s shoulders shushing her softly as she sniffled and struggled to control her emotions.

Ram watched all this with an unreadable expression, he knew there was something deeper hidden within her past and this particular incident seemed to have triggered those memories. He wanted to ask her, but he knew this was not the time for that. He wanted to hug her and keep her safe in his arms forever. His hands itched to hold her, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.

Y/N slowly looked up from Alia’s shoulder and wiped her tears. She looked around and let out a sheepish laugh, still sniffling.

“Quite the first impression huh?” Y/N said turning her eyes to the floor again. “Let’s start again. Hi, I’m Y/N, really nice to meet you guys.”

Ram looked down at her hand outstretched for a handshake and his eyes shone with a hint of pity at how good she was at pushing aside her emotions. He looked back up at her eyes and let out a small smile seeing a slightly brighter tinge to them.

Tarak stared at Ram waiting for him to shake her hand, but he didn’t move a muscle. They were quite content staring into each other’s eyes. He looked at Alia and smiled mischievously, she widened her eyes and furiously shook her head at him. Tarak was not going to let this one slide, so he grabbed Y/N’s outstretched hand from where it was in front of Ram with both his hands and shook it enthusiastically. He gave a proper smile when he realised, he had been successful in grabbing both their attentions.

“Hello! My name is Tarak, very nice to meet you too!” He could feel Ram’s annoyed glare on the side of his head at which point he heard Y/N chuckle and he finally let go of her hand.

“Ram,” He put his hand out for Y/N to shake and shifted his gaze back to her, giving her a soft smile.

Y/N couldn’t believe what was happening, she was really shaking hands with one of her biggest celebrity crushes ever and he was looking at her with the cutest expression on his face. Two of her favourite celebrities had saved her from a horrifying ordeal. She tried to compose herself and be normal so as to not embarrass her friend who was the reason behind this though she knew Alia wouldn’t mind it at all.

After a while, they had finished their dinner and decided to go out for dessert. They all piled into Ram’s car and drove to an ice cream stall near a bridge.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Alia asked Tarak, pointing with her ice cream cone toward Ram and Y/N walking a bit ahead of them on the bridge.

“Probably something deep and meaningful knowing Ram,” Tarak said licking some of his ice cream that was starting to drip down.

“Yeah, I think so too, Y/N is exactly the type for all that talk.” Alia agreed, looking at her friends talking softly.

Little did they know, Ram and Y/N’s conversation was far beyond the realm of meaningful.

“No, but like, if you were actually a worm, what type would you be?” Y/N asked, licking her ice-cream, deep in thought.

“The one that grows into a butterfly,” Ram answered, nonchalantly and without any hint of a joke.

“That’s a caterpillar, but it’s cool. I’d probably be the black ones the curl in on themselves at the slightest touch.”

“Don’t all worms do that though?”

“WAIT-” Y/N’s eyes widened, and she looked up from her ice-cream.

They both looked at each other like they discovered something ground-breaking, and then the very next moment, they burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, a few metres behind them, Alia and Tarak tasted and smelled their ice creams just to check if there was even a hint of alcohol in it, for their friends had taken to sitting haphazardly on the sidewalk holding their stomachs as they laughed without a care in the world.

Alia and Tarak looked at each other then returned their knowing gazes to Ram and Y/N and they too started giggling.

“Quite the first impression indeed.”

a/n: thoughts?

tagging: @burningsheepcrown @dumdaradumdaradum @ramarajusimp @voidsteffy @sulthaaan @nerdreader @thewinchestergirl1208 @budugu @phoenix666stuff @yehsahihai @ramcharam im so sorry if i forgot someone 🥹 pls lmk if u wanna be added/removed