#not sure i could do the same when it comes to jo's POV on his name and body tho. i hate those things bout myself for uh

[todayisafridaynight]

The bookmark tag was #holder until i think of a tag for these asks but To Be Real even I forgot what it was...

BUT YEAH thanks so much for reading and I'm glad it's :] Intelligible At Least :] obviously I would be up for reading anything that came to mind after putting you and your followers through All That but understandable... A lot of people I've shown the checklist items or pointed out specific behaviors to have actually said similar [i.e. I'm In This Picture And I Don't Like It], so I totally get what you mean, too!

I think a lot of my picks wound up being generalized trauma responses/aftereffects of abuse or neglect [hence I meandered off into just talking about Jo's father half the time], so I guess it's to be expected a lot of them don't read as being CSA-specific or are broadly relatable; it's not like he's supposed to be read that way, after all. I just wasn't able to zero in on many of the more specific ones because I've Never Seen Jo In This Situation Chief I Don't Know What He Thinks About His Name Or His Body Or Mirrors Or Sex Or Affection I Don't Know How Well Or Poorly He Sleeps [Presumably Poorly Though He Has The Second-Reddest Eyes In The Whole Game]

I don't really think I'll have anything to add though unless Infinite Wealth goes off the rails or I actually continue reading the book... so that will have to do... I originally was just riffing on RGGJo's attachment issues, self-destructiveness, and specific entwinement of sexuality/aggression/romance, and his portrayal in my fic lined up pretty closely, so I thought it'd be interesting to apply the same lens to Y7Jo...

But Yeah x2 thank you for the opportunity to talk about it and I'm Glad It's Intelligible At Least x2

THANK YOU i really should change that tag to something better... <- i will immediately forget to do so like a jackass

BUT YA OF COURSE OF COURSE i was truthful when i said it was a real good read (but once again. i have -5 speech skills so i can't properly word SHIT) and was a thorough examination of jo's trauma and how it manifests in him and how it's exhibited through his actions. ALWAYS a big fan of that :)

[star-junk]

Rating: Mature

Pairings: Alastor x ReaderOC, Vox x ReaderOC, Future Lucifer x ReaderOC

Second Person POV, Change of POV, Slow burn (or fast burn - really moving through the plot quickly), please forgive the typos.

Warnings: Dark Themes: Altered state of consciousness, possessive behavior, mention of dv, non-con elements in the future, cannibalism and just things not being nice--it's Hell.

Speaking of not nice, Alastor... still not sure if I'll go for the canon asexuality or if I'll deviate so just keep that in mind. Also, operating under assumptions on Season 2 so pls walk with me

Only Bones

Chapter 1:

“Extermination Day is canceled!”

It’s the first thing you hear emerging from the cellar under the apartment building where you and other sinners hunkered down on Exterminations Day since your arrival to Hell two years ago.

“What?” You ask, processing the news.

Your neighbors are just as confused coming up behind you. Mr. Marion, an amphibian demon stops someone passing by to ask what’s going on.

“Extermination Day is canceled, Lucifer’s daughter kicked angelic ass! They flew back to heaven with their tales between their legs!!”

Oh. Really?

Though the lack of carnage on the street seems to confirm that. Still, you walk over to the electronic store around the block to be sure and...

News666 is providing special coverage of what took place while you and your neighbor’s took cover. A growing group of demons already gathers in front of the screens featuring Carly or Harley defending her Hotel against hordes of angels. That’s, wow, that’s quite amazing. The scene then cuts to a static image of the Radio Demon doing not so well against one of the more powerful looking angels, Katie talks about that for a bit before the coverage is switched to a tiny one eyed demon. The crowd chuckles and awws as she fumbles through her interview. After getting the general gist of the current situation you hurry over to check on the shop, more immediately concerned about that than the power vacuum left the news anchors kept going on about. You hope your business was left intact, unlike last year.

Jo, is already waiting at the front of the shop leaning against the delivery van.

“Guess that deal with the cannibals is really working out, huh?” The imp says, pointing a thumb toward the store which was, in fact, left intact.

You chuckle, “Guess so. Glad you’re okay Jo.” You answer and proceed to mess his pale locks. “And how many times have I told it's not a 'deal'?"

"Hey!" He swats your hand away.

"Seems like little Ms. Morningstar saved our butts this time too, so double the win.”

"Oh man, yeah she was so badass!"

“Are you guys open today?” A mummified demon girl asks, interrupting your convo. There's more people behind her. You suppose now that they won’t be immediately double killed, people are really eager to celebrate.

You quirk an eyebrow at Jo. “You up for it, kid?”

“I don’t know, last time we took the day off after an Extermination… ” He says, inspecting his claws.

“I’ll pay you double.”

“Let me just park the van in the back.”

Great! You turn to your loyal customers. “Give us a few minutes, we should be opening soon!”

That day’s earnings were record high. You think to pay Rosie a visit to thank her for the Pie Shop’s promised protection once the dust settles and her cannibals regroup.

—------

Sometimes it surprised you to think that life in Hell was not as bad as it used to be when you first arrived. You just had to adapt.

So adapt you did. 'Stay calm, but observant and sharp' your grandmother used to say. Advice you never took too seriously in life but here, things were different.

But also the same.

A strict class hierarchy existed, with Overlords and Royalty at the very top and the rest left to suffer or get by as best they could and of course this life was meant to suck, but still… some people truly weren't that bad.

There are some demons who won’t attack or take advantage of you—not right away, at least and that meant something when this was meant to be the end of the road for everyone here. Others kept to themselves, appearing to get by just fine for the most part. You were one of those, and it had worked out for you so far. Even got a little lucky, got your business going and everything without having to step on any necks!

At night, you sometimes wondered if things could have been different in life, had you made different choices.

Been less stupid.

But what’s the use of regret, all that remains before you is the present and the hellfire of eternity before you. Harlot’s or whatever her name is was definitely delusional, it’s what you thought when news of her Hotel spread. It’s what you still think even now after its Grand Reopening.

________________________________

After the fanfare came and went, things in hell more or less remained the same, at least on the surface, but a peculiar air of uncertainty and edge remained. Even the Turf War that usually ensued Extermination Day ended swiftly with most territories staying with the same boundaries from the days before.

That was his assessment when walking around in Pentagram CIty for the first time since. The tense corners of his mouth like sharp daggers still pointed upward, even with the slowly healing wound on his torso.

Yet Alastor was pleased to learn his reputation remained mostly intact despite the… unfortunate outcome of his encounter with Adam. After all, not many could claim survival against the leader of the Exorcists. And if there were any doubts of his abilities, at least other demons were smart enough not to voice them directly to his face. The same vermin from before still showed him the same respect, the day they stopped doing that will be the day he'll worry.

His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sight of a line going around the corner.

Oh, This is new. It had been a while since he strolled through this part of the city.

Humming to himself he followed it, thinking it might be a new entertainment club or something equally—but then a sweet savory smell hit him.

It was a Pie Shop of all things!

"Apothecary Pie Shop" The sign read. Oh what a curious name for a business that was.

His back straightens, twirling his mic propmting the crowd make way but before he can set foot on the shop’s stairs, a male imp bursts out shouting at the top of his lungs:

“Folks, we’re all out of pies!” The people already gathered curse at him, some even throw trash at the poor soul. “Oh fuck you too—!” He says dodging an empty glass bottle before his eyes finally land on Alastor. “Oh shiiit!”

“Why hello there!” He greets, “I was just strolling around the neighborhood when I came upon your fine establishment. I had never seen it before so I thought I would take a look. Seems I was a bit late though.”

“No, no… I think we might still have some p-pies left for you… S-sir.” The poor imp fumbles with the doorknob behind him, hastily trying to get back inside. His display of deference puts Alastor in a magnanimous mood.

“Oh that’s quite alright, young man. No need, I’ll just be sure to stop by some other time. Bye now!” He says waving as he continues on his way.

Good to know some businesses still know how to provide good service even in Hell!

_____________________________________

Going to Cannibal Town always makes you nervous, well aware you are one of the few allowed to come and leave in one piece as promised by Rosie herself. Jo had offered to come with you, but you decided it would be best if he didn’t. Still the hungry stares you got only made you grip the van’s steering wheel tighter. The town reminded you of the suburb you moved into the last year you were alive, all order and niceties hiding something dark underneath.

Pulling up, you take out the pies as quickly as possible, in-and-out is what you aim for. You’re halfway up the path to her shop when Rosie spots you pushing the loaded utility cart.

“Oh, but if it isn't Nuria!” She calls from the porch where she's having afternoon tea with fellow company.

You wave, doing your best to show a genuine smile. “Mrs. Rosie! How do you do this hellish afternoon?”

She excuses herself from the table to come closer, her white serrated teeth framed by black lips tilt upward in a radiant smile. “Very happy to see you safe and sound after everything that has occurred, my dear!”

Your perfect opening, “Well, we have your people to thank for that, they were all over the News. Very brave and heroic.”

“Thank you for saying so, dear. They are a sturdy bunch for sure, though I must admit we did incur losses.” She says, procuring a fan to dry the tears at the corners of her eyes. "I'm just happy their sacrifice was not in vain."

And now you feel awful for bringing it up at all. “I- I’m sorry, I didn't… What I mean to say is that I came because I wanted to thank you for my shop as well.” You rush, motioning to the cart full of packaged pies. “These don’t have your preferred filling, but I hope everyone likes them all the same.”

“Aren’t you precious, Nuria, you didn’t have to go through the trouble. After all, it’s all part of the contract!” She answers, placing one slender cold hand on your shoulder. You try not to shiver.

And yeah, it was part of the contact but still. “I truly had to, Mrs. Rosie, I am eternally grateful to you for taking a chance on me.”

“Look at you,” a hand to her chest, “you sure know how to give a gal good lip service. Won’t you stay for tea? An old friend will be stopping by soon, he’s a riot! Such an entertaining character that he is! Theo, dear, would you kindly take these inside?” She wraps an arm around your shoulders already pulling you toward the porch and that’s when you have to tap out.

“I really can’t, Mrs. Rosie.” You twirl around taking the hand on your shoulders into yours as if you were about to deliver devastating news to show how terribly sorry you were. “I have to get going. We have to prep for tomorrow, a big day awaits us!”

You weren’t lying about that at least.

“Oh alright, I understand, you’re a busy woman and all.” She relents.

“Thank you, Mrs. Rosie. And should we be expecting a new shipment of ingredients for your custom orders soon?”

“Absolutely!” She winks and lets you be on your way.

It never ceased to baffle the Cannibal Overlord how such a hard working girl ended up down here. Life, or the afterlife in this case, was really unfair sometimes—but then again she still had yet to get the full story out of Nuria herself. So who knows, that would have to be tea for another day.

[fandomtherapy44]

Castiel x reader Chapter 17 Free to be you and Me

Summary: SEASON 5 WHOOOO!!!!!!!! LET's GO! So I am so excited for this season so many great episodes. There are going to be a lot more Cas and Y/n scenes. And more chapters too. I do recommend that you read my first book so you get the full Y/n Winchester build-up. Okay with out further due enjoy the second book of Love War and Grace.

Paring: Castiel X Reader

WC:3.782

Warnings: Some language, Typical Supernatural violence, Spoilers for season five of Supernatural, Emotional hurt for Y/n

divider from

Firefly Graphics

POV (Y/n)

The bar I walked into smelled like how it looked: pissy and dirty. I mean, what else do you expect from a vamp nest trap set up? I put on the tightest dress I have and the most oblivious look on my face. 

“Hey, can I please have lemonade?” I asked the bartender who clearly looked down at my dress.

“Sure thing, sweet thing.” 

I looked around and the guys were looking at me like I was a steak and I was to them as vamps. He slid the drink over to me. 

“Need anything else?” He very obviously looked down at my dress. 

“Um, I think I got a little lost. Could you maybe point me in the right direction?” All he was looking at was my chest, boobs- you could never go wrong with them. 

“Of course. I'll lead you out.” He looks at his buddy’s signaling that it won't be long till their next meal. He leads me out to the alley where Ellen and Jo were waiting. 

“Sir…there's nothing out here?” I acted clueless to distract him again.

“Sorry sweetheart, you're pretty and all, but my friends and I are hungry and frankly you shouldn't have come out here with a stranger. Now you're trapped.” I could hear him fang out and his body language became cocky. I just stare at him while Jo and Ellen come out behind him with their machates drawn. 

“Ha ha ha.” He looks confused at my laughter. 

“What the Hell is so funny bitch!?” I’m laughing so much that I practically keel over.

“Oh, just that you thought you trapped me while really we trapped you.” 

“We?” Ellen goes behind holding the handle of the machete. 

“Yeah, we.” He turns to her and at the same time she decapitates him. “You okay?” She says, concerned.

“Yeah, thanks Ellen.” 

“No problem. Now, let's go get the rest of these sons of bitches.” She picks up his head and the three of us go back into the bar. Ellen kicks in the door and throws the head through the doorway. We walked in slowly, almost like an old west movie. Dean would love this. 

“Alright who’s first?”Jo announces loudly to them. All the other Vamps scream and charge at us. I went swinging like crazy and got four of them in like a minute. I was getting a little too distracted that I didn't see one come running at me. She body checked me to the ground. I struggled to get the machete- it was just out of reach. 

“Come on!” The vampire fangs out and is about to kill me when Jo comes behind and cuts her off- literally. I shoved the now dead body off of me and noticed that I was covered in Vamps blood and a little of mine. “Thank you, Jo.” I stood up to catch my breath. 

A couple hours later we got cleaned up and were celebrating with drinks after a job. We deserved it. “I want to say a toast.” I raise my glass and Jo and Ellen follow suit. “I just want to say thank you for letting me stay with you guys for the last three weeks and to feel part of the team.” We clink our glasses together. 

“Aww sweetie of course, I can say you're my favorite Winchester… just don’t tell your brothers.” Ellen leaned down to whisper to me. I get tears in my eyes but quickly wipe them away. 

“Thank you Ellen, truly.” She love taps my arm. 

“Don’t even mention it. Now I'm going to go get a second round.” She picks up the glasses and goes to the bar when Jo and I are left alone. 

“Y/n, I gotta say it's been awesome to have you around.” I blush and look around. 

“Well it’s been good to live with girls for a change. After I’ll, I’ve been living with guys my whole life. Let me just say it's nice to go to the bathroom and the toilet seat is down.” We both chuckle. “So…how long have you liked Dean?” She looks surprised by my question. 

“What do you mean?” Jo lies straight through her teeth. 

“Jo come on, I may not be an FBI agent but I am a hunter who fakes being an FBI agent. I know when someone is lying.” She glances down at the little light down on our table and sighs. 

“Since the HH Holmes case.” I remember that, it was not fun. 

“Well if anyone can handle Dean, it’s you, and I wouldn't pick anyone else.” 

“You mean that?” She asks me hesitantly. 

“Jo, you are amazing at everything you do. I have seen you run after a vamp… for over two miles! Plus, you are smart, badass, gorgeous. If that is not an awesome girlfriend, then I don’t know what is.” 

“That means a lot Y/n.” I smile at her. 

“Just telling the truth, Jo.” 

It was the middle of my night when I get a phone call waking me up easily since I was half asleep. I grab it and answer it. “Hello?” I answered in my groggy sleepy voice. 

“Hello Y/n.” I sprung right up- it was Cas. 

“Cas how- where are you?” There was a pause then he answered in his gruff voice.

“I need to know where you are.” I go to look at the notepad to find the name of the motel we were at. 

“Uh sunset moon motel in  Massachusetts on fifth street.” I answered as quickly as possible. I wait to hear an answer. 

“Hello? Cas?” Then there was a knock on my door. I open the door and there stands my best friend, Castiel. “Hey come in.” He walks in noticing the empty beds. 

“Where’s Sam and Dean?” He asks me and I look towards the beds and sigh, my heart panging with a little pain like everytime I look at them. 

“We uh�� decided that a little time away from each other would be good, you know, to think about everything.” I sit down on the bed picking at my fingernails, a bad habit that I picked up a long time ago. “How is the God hunt going?” I asked him, still staring at hands. 

“It’s not, that's why I’m here.” That gets my attention that I stop fiddling with my nails. 

“What do you mean?” Cas sits down in the chair in front of me. 

“I need to find someone.” 

“Who?” He almost doesn't want to answer.

“The Archangel… that killed me.” Hearing that I shot straight up. 

“You want to look for the Angel who killed you!?” I started to pace back and forth with just a tiny bit of panic going through my body. “Yeah, ‘cause that sounds like a good choice!” I get sarcastic when I get worried. 

“Y/n, we are going to trap him for information.” He stayed calm and kind of made me more mad that he wasn't more scared to go against the Angel that killed him! 

“Like that’s going to be easy.” I stood still finally. He stands up in front of me. 

“I have a plan. Dean is Michael’s vessel, so if he wants to come, Raphel won’t dare hurt him.” Raphel huh, so that is the son of Bitch that killed him. 

“And you are one of the only people that will help me. So, are you going to help?” He asked me while boring his blue eyes into mine and of course, I wasn’t going to say no. 

“Cas, I will always help you. No matter what.” I gave him a small smile and he returned one back. “Now let's go find my brother.” 

Dean, Cas and I had driven all night to Waterville, Main. We stopped outside next to the police station. The three of us got out of Baby. “And we're here, why?” Dean inquired.

“A deputy sheriff laid eyes on the archangel.” Cas responded while looking at the building. 

“And he still has eyes? All right, what's the plan?” I mean, Dean had a point on the eye comment. 

“We'll...tell the officer that he witnessed an angel of the Lord, and the officer will tell us where the angel is.” Cas responded back so innocently. That it was almost cute. 

“Uh, Cas, if we did that we would be locked up and the key would be thrown away.” 

“Cas- let me explain something to you when humans want something so bad we lie.” Cas was confused.

“Why?” 

“Because that's how you become President.” He tapped Cas’s cheek in a friendly way and started to walk to the building when I went to fix Cas’s tie. “Sadly it’s the truth Cas but sometimes you have to lie.” He looks down at me, tightening his tie. 

“Do you?” Cas wonders.

“Not when I can help it.” I finished and glanced in his eyes, frozen for a second. I notice the state of both of us and snap out of it. “Come on, Dean will get his boxers in a twist if we don’t hurry up.” I practically run into the building and Dean is already talking to the officer. 

“Ahh there are my partners, Eddie Moscone and Kate Bush.” Dean pointed to Cas and me I take out my badge but Cas just stand there. We just stare at him and he catches on. He pulls out his badge and when he does it’s flip upside down. I try to hold back a laugh. Dean rolls his eyes and fixes it. “He's, uh, he's new. Mind if we ask you a few questions?” Dean said to the officer. 

“Yeah, sure. Talk here, though. Hearing's all blown to hell in this one.” Indicating his left ear. We went to sit in his office. 

“You mind just, uh, running us through what happened at the gas station?” I ask. 

“A call came in. Disturbance out at the Pump and Go on Route 4.” The three of us tuned in. 

“What of kind disturbance was it?” 

“Would not have believed my eyes if I hadn't seen it myself. We're talking a riot. Full scale.” 

“How many?” Dean chimed in. 

“Thirty, forty, in all-out kill-or-be-killed combat.” Walt exclaimed, not even believing his own words. 

“Any idea what set them off?” I ask, trying to get to the bottom of this. 

“It's angels and demons, probably.” Cas answered instead. The officer looks at him like he's wack. “They're skirmishing all over the globe.” Cas continues. 

“Come again?” The officer questioned. 

“Nothing. Nothing.” Dean tried to cover it up. 

“Demons. Demons.” And there goes Cas again. “Demons, you know, drink, adultery. We all have our demons, Walt.” Dean smoothly recovers. 

“I guess.” Walt looks at Cas weirdly. 

“Anyway. What happened next?” Dean asks. Walt thinks about it deeply. 

“Freaking explosion, that's what. They said it was one of those underground gas tanks, but, uh, I don't think so. It wasn't your usual fireball. It was, um—” Cas finished his sentence. 

“Pure white.” 

“Yeah. Gas station was leveled. Everyone was...it was just horrible. And I see this one guy, kneeling, real focused-like, not a damn scratch on him.” 

“Let me guess, he just, uh, vanished into thin air?” Dean said with confidence. 

“Uh, no, Kolchak. He's down at Saint Pete's.” It was Dean’s turn to be looked at like he was crazy.

We go to St Pete’s and let’s just say old Donnie looked like he had been through some shit. 

“I take it that's not Raphael anymore.” Dean commented a little wary.

“Just an empty vessel.” Cas answered. 

“So is this what I'm looking at if Michael jumps in my bones?” Cas pauses. 

“No, not at all. Michael is much more powerful. It'll be far worse for you.” Great, just great. We had shacked up in an abandoned house for the night. Dean and I were getting things together while Cas was getting something from Jerusalem. 

“So how is spending time with Ellen and Jo?” He asked me. 

“It’s been… good I mean it’s nice to finally to really get to know them.” 

“Good, good.” He grumbles, his feelings getting hurt but I didn’t see that. Then Cas pops into the room.

“How was Jerusalem?” I ask. He has an old looking pitcher in his hand. 

“Arid.” He puts it on the table. 

“What's that?” Dean gestured to the pitcher. 

“It's oil. It's very special. Very rare.” 

“Okay, so we trap Raphael with a nice vinaigrette?” I punch Dean gentily for being an a-hole. “So, this ritual of yours, when does it go down?”

“Sunrise.” Cas responded calmly. 

“Tell me something. You keep saying we're gonna trap this guy. Isn't that kinda like trapping a hurricane with a butterfly net?” I look at Cas. 

“No, it's harder.” 

“Do we have any chance of surviving this?” Dean asked, which was fair because the odds are not looking good for us. 

“You two do.” I stand up so quickly that my chair falls back and breaks. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean Cas?” He looks at me, almost ashamed. 

“Y/n that is what is probably going to happen, I'm just being realistic… I'm sorry.” I couldn't even believe him. 

“If you were just going to give up, why even ask me to come!?” He couldn't even answer me. “Whatever, I'm not going to be around to see it.” I start to go to my things Dean tries to stop me.

“Y/n wait-” I spun around and stared at him. 

“And how could you be fine with this!?” He had the same response as Cas which was nothing. “Why do the people I always care about always have a death wish!?” Tears were pouring out of my eyes. I go into a random room and slam it behind me. I put my ear to the door to listen in. 

“Come on Cas, she just needs some time alone.” 

“Dean I-” 

“It’s okay dude, let's go.” I hear the door close but then footsteps. 

“Y/n I really am sorry.” I lean my forehead on the door. I just wasn’t ready to talk. He senses my quietness and leaves too. I slide down the door just like a cliche in a movie.

It had been about an hour and a half since they left and finally come back. I could hear Dean he was happy and laughing. I hadn't heard that genuine laugh from him in a while. It was nice. Then there was a knock at the door. 

“Y/n, can you open the door… please?” It was Cas. I wanted to scream at him and tell him to screw off but I couldn’t for some reason, so I opened the door slowly. “Can we talk?” He asked in his soft voice. 

“Oh now you want to talk, you sure you don’t want to trick me into talking to you?” He sighed and closed the door behind him. 

“I didn’t mean to trick you- I… “ He looks down, finding the words hard to say. “I did know that most likely I will die by the end of this.” When he says it, it just made it more real. “I just wanted to spend my last night with my friend.” At that I turned and I think I see a tear falling but he quickly gets rid of it. 

“Cas, you're my friend and I would spend your last night with you, but tonight is not your last night.” He raises his head at me confused. 

“Y/n there is no ‘I’m surviving Raphel’ especially after being angry from being captured.” I take his hand and pull him into a hug. 

“I just got you back. There is no way in Hell I'm going to let you go again.” I didn’t see it but Cas let the next tear fall this time in happiness.

The sun was going to rise soon, so we went back to the hospital. I poured the oil around the empty vessel and Cas threw a match to it and it lit up with holy fire. “When the oil burns, no angel can touch or pass through the flames, or he dies.” Cas said standing back. 

“Cas, now that we've trapped him, how do we get him down?” I ask. 

“Very simple. There's, well, almost an open phone line between a vessel and his angel. One just has to know how to dial.” Cas lists a series of numbers Enochian out loud. “I'm here, Raphael. Come and get me, you little bastard.” I was so proud of him cursing out his enemy- he got taught that from me. 

“Just out of curiosity, what is the average customer wait time to speak to an archangel?” Dean quipped. 

“Be ready.” 

Eight hours later…

We had gone back to the house after spending the whole day waiting. “Guys wait.” There was Raphael standing, sucking in all the electricity to make wings. If he wasn't such a dick, I would compliment him on how cool it looked. 

“Castiel.” 

“Raphael.” they said to each other. We walk closer to him. I look him up and down, just another bully with too much authority going to his head. 

“And I thought you were supposed to be impressive. All you do is black out the room.” Raphael looks at Dean like he wants to throw a dart in his eyes. 

“And the Eastern Seaboard.” Lighting strikes outside. 

“It is a testament to my unending mercy that I do not smite you here and now.” He directed to Cas. Oh, now I was itching to stab him. 

“Or maybe you're full of shit. Maybe you're afraid God will bring Cas back to life again and smite you and your big bully bullshit. By the way, hi, I'm Y/n- I'm the one who’s going to kill you.” The three of them all stare at me. 

“How dare you threaten me, you worthless cockroach.” Time to really get him riled up just to get him closer. 

“Please, I have been called way worse by five year olds, and their insults were actually smart.” At that he almost growls, and I continue talking. “You want to talk about smart? You do remember how Zachariah snapped away your heart. Well, he doesn't have anything close to my imagination.” I chuckle at him seeing him step inside the circle. “Well I bet you didn't imagine one thing.” I have the lighter in my hand. 

“What?” He asked angrily. 

“We knew you would come, you stupid motherfucking bitch.” As I said that I threw the lighter. He looks between the three of us. 

“Don't look at me, it was his idea.” Dean said, pointing at Cas. 

“Dean!” I slap his arm. 

“Where is He?” 

“God? Didn't you hear? He's dead, Castiel. Dead. But there's no other explanation. He's gone for good.”  Cas didn’t want to believe him. 

“You're lying.” 

“Am I? Do you remember the twentieth century? Think the twenty-first is going any better? Do you think God would have let any of that happen if He were alive?” I try to study him. 

“So, let me get this straight. Daddy ‘goes on a milk run’ and you and your brothers want to spit roast the planet.” He answers me. 

“We're tired. We just want it to be over. We just want...paradise.” 

“So, what, God dies and makes you the boss and you decide you can do whatever you want?” Dean joins in. 

“Yes. And whatever we want, we get.” At that, the window burst open.

“If God is dead, why have I returned? Who brought me back?” Cas questions. 

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe Lucifer raised you?” 

“No.” 

“Think about it. He needs all the rebellious angels he can find. You know it adds up.” I grab his hand and squeeze to let him know I was behind him. 

“Let's go.” We start to walk out. 

“Castiel, I'm warning you. Do not leave me here. I will find you.” Cas turns to him in the most badass way ever. 

“Maybe one day. But today, you're my little bitch.” Cas and Dean walk away but I stay. 

“Oh by the way, I will kill you for taking my best friend away. That wasn't a tactic to trap you.” He then chuckles at me. 

“You are the one who will die for him, that sorry excuse for an angel.” I step right up against the circle. 

“Really, because from where I'm standing, he trapped you.” At that I walk out. 

Later, we were driving in the Impala, when Dean decided to break the silence. 

“You okay?” Dean asks Cas. 

“Look, I'll be the first to tell you that this little crusade of yours is nuts, but I do know a little something about missing fathers.” Dean was right. I remember how far and how long we looked. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, there were times when I was looking for my dad when all logic said that he was dead, but I knew in my heart he was still alive. Who cares what some ninja turtle says, Cas, what do you believe?” Cas sits for a sec. 

“I believe he's out there.” 

“Good. Then go find him.” 

“What about me? I don't know. Honestly, I'm good. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I am, I'm really good.”” At that I looked at him. 

“Even without your brother?” Cas asked. 

“Especially without my brother. I spent so much time worrying about the son of a bitch. I mean, I've had more fun with you in the past twenty-four hours than I've had with Sam in years, and you're not that much fun. It's funny, you know, I've been so chained to my family, but now that I'm alone, hell, I'm happy.” That brought tears to my eyes. 

“Good to know how you feel about us.”

“Cas, take me away.” Dean looked back at me and saw how hurt I was. 

“Y/n wait I didn't mean about you- wait!” Cas had already flown us off. We dropped into my motel room. 

“I can’t believe he- I-” I was at a loss for words. “How could he!-AHHH!” I kick the table, breaking it in the process. “I never asked him to-” I dropped to my knees, sobbing. Cas comes down to my level and just hugs me. “I never asked him to be there for me Cas! So how could he say that!” I sobbed into his chest. All Cas could do is just pet my head. 

“I know, I know.” I just let go.

[canirove]

Professor Rice | Chapter 9

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

Declan’s POV

I knew exactly what Mason was trying to do. I hadn’t had the chance to hang out with Veronica outside of campus except for the day when I confessed my feelings for her a week ago. And this whole idea would be great if it wasn’t for her friends. I mean, I didn’t mind Josephine because she knew what was going on. But Mike had no clue, and he was so busy fanboying over Mason that it was hard to have a normal conversation with him around.

Mason saw the way Veronica and I kept glancing at each other and decided to take one for the team.

“Mike, my guy” he said. “Why don’t we go back to the Bridge for a second so I can get you a shirt and I sign it for you?”

Is Mike going to faint? Josephine quickly grabbed his arm. She probably thought the same.

“For real?” he asked Mason.

“Sure. Josephine should come too.”

And so they went, leaving Veronica and me alone, away from nosey eyes for the first time since I opened up to her.

“And then there were two” she said.

“Mason is really smooth, huh?” I laughed.

“You could say.”

I finally had the chance to properly look at her and damn, she looked gorgeous. She wore jeans and a simple blue jumper (her attempt at wearing blue to support Chelsea, I guessed). Her hair was up in a ponytail, but little pieces had fallen from it and framed her face beautifully. She didn’t seem to be wearing much make-up, but her lips were the same shade of red Josephine had been wearing. I really want to kiss those lips.

“You’re staring” she said, waking me up from my daydreaming.

“Sorry.” I could feel the heat in my cheeks. “It’s just that you look beautiful, Veronica. I can’t help but stare.”

Now it was her time to blush. “I guess you don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Thanks. Um... I didn’t know you were coming to the match. Did you have a good time?”

“I guess. I mean, Mike is the reason why I was here. But it was quite entertaining, much better than watching it on tv. And Jo was happy to get to see her Everton crush in person.”

Her Everton crush? “Do you have any football crushes?” I asked, hoping she would say no. What if she does and then tries to get Mason to introduce her to whoever she likes?

“No, footballers aren’t my type” she said with a smile.

“I’m not your type, then?” I smirked.

“What? You’re not a footballer, Declan.” Her confused face was adorable.

“I used to be. I would be if it wasn’t for my injury.” Seve years later, and I still touch my left knee whenever my injury is mentioned.

“I didn’t know, sorry. Do you want to talk about it or is it too painful for you?”

The way she looked at me melted my heart. “No, it’s okay. I can talk about it.”

And so I told her about eighteen-year-old Declan, who was about to be given the chance to play for the senior team at West Ham. The same eighteen-year-old that was fearless and never worried about what the consequences of a bad tackle could be. Until the day one of those bad tackles twisted his knee and took away all of his chances at having a career in football.

All the operations, all the treatments… those were for nothing. They only managed to give me hope only for it to be taken away from me again and again.

I had never left school because my parents begged me to wait until I signed my professional contract to quit. Thank God they did, because it allowed me to focus on my studies and I ended up finding a career that fulfilled me. Did it fulfil me as much as football? Not even close. But the gap closed a little bit more every day.

“I’m sorry, Declan” Veronica said when I finished telling her my sad story.

I then noticed we were holding hands. Who started it? I was so lost in my story that I didn’t even notice whether it was me or her who grabbed the other one’s hands first. But it just felt so natural to do this, to hold her.

“Veronica?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?” I had to ask. I couldn’t wait any longer.

She didn’t answer. She just touched my face and brought her lips to mine before I had a chance to take the question back.

It was a slow and gentle kiss.

It was perfect.

Veronica’s POV

And just like that, I was dating my professor. Those were words I never thought I’d say.

Declan and I managed to spend as much time together as possible in the last couple of weeks. Weekends were usually spent outside of London, where we didn’t have to worry about anyone recognizing us. I also became very familiar with his office and his apartment. I didn’t want to get Jo involved in my own personal mess. She was our biggest supporter (after Mason, of course) but I already felt bad about making her part of this secret, so I tried to avoid taking the secret to our living room.

Last weekend, Declan and I decided to stay in his apartment. We both had a lot of studying and working that needed to be done. As always, I was very distracted by the sight of him wearing glasses. How could he look even hotter wearing those reading glasses? I’d probably  look like a potato with them on. Unfair.

Waking up next to him on Mondays was already a part of my weekly routine I was very fond of.

“We need to get up” I said, yawning.

“Yeah” he answered. But he also didn’t move, which always made me laugh.

Well, someone had to be the adult in the relationship, so I started to get out of bed... and then he grabbed me by the waist to put me closer to him again. “Deeeecc…” I complained.

“You can’t leave me. It’s rude” he said before kissing my neck. That IS rude. And that’s also not playing fair.

Using all of my willpower, I got out of bed and ran to the shower before I could regret my decision.

Once I was freshly showered, I met Declan at the kitchen, where a plate of pancakes was waiting for me. I knew he had asked Jo for the recipe, which is the sweetest thing but... the pancakes were pretty bad. Where is that bottle of maple syrup? It’s an emergency!

We had breakfast while we talked about our plans for the week. His cat, Winnie, tried to get my attention the whole time and well, I couldn’t say no to her.

As always, Declan dropped me off at my apartment so I could walk to class as I normally would without making anyone suspicious. And then it was time to pretend we were just a professor and a student.

We had been doing pretty well so far. Maddison asked about who I was seeing because, well, my face sort of gave it away. And I lied to her saying that it was a guy from Mike’s uni that I could only see on the weekends. I wished we hadn’t had that conversation in front of Will, since I could see how affected he was by it. Declan was also nearby when I told Maddison the lie, and I could see him biting his lip to hide a smile. He’s such a kid sometimes.

Saturday was actually a big day for us. Mason had invited all of us to his match, which meant that Declan and I were going to kind of go on a public date... but not really because Mike didn’t know about us (Jo and I talked about it and decided not to involve him until I was done with my science class), so we just had to sit next to each other and pretend that nothing weird was going on.

I really hated not being able to at least hold his hand in public.

Chelsea won comfortably and Mason even scored a couple of goals. The happiness on my boyfriend’s face when his best friend scored was so adorable I couldn’t resist kissing his cheek. Luckily, Mike was too busy celebrating to notice.

After the match, we were waiting for Mason to finish all the post-match stuff he needed to do. Despite not having been able to spend a lot of time together, Mason and I became good friends in the past few weeks. When he finally joined us, he said hi to all of us and accepted our congratulations for the win and his goals.

“Ew, your hair is wet. Get off me” I said when he hugged me.

He smirked at me before he started to move his head like a bloody dog while I screamed for him to stop. He then hugged me from behind and kissed the top of my head while Declan was dying with laughter. Literal children!

“Jo, can you save me?” And that was what she did. She held my hand on our way out of the stadium while the boys were behind us talking about the match. I could see her glancing at them with a look I couldn’t really understand.

Overall, it wasn’t the perfect situation, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. And we only had to wait another two months to be free from the fear of being discovered.

Things were going well.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Please please please can we see Joanne reacting to the Chris saves himself au???

The Chris Saves Himself AU: One | Two | Three

CW: Whumper POV, abusive family member, ableist, ableism, pet whump universe

Jo's sitting at an outdoor cafe, sipping a hot cup of fresh coffee while the ocean beats against the Hawaiian sand. She's waiting on her breakfast and has a book open in front of her she has yet to read.

The sky and the water are nearly the same blue. It's dazzling. She can't take her eyes off it.

She's here for work, helping with getting a newly-opened WRU Facility off the ground. There have been protests, of course - Hawaiians have protested WRU making inroads pretty viciously, and Jo is glad for the secret employee entrance she uses so that the residents of this place don't know who she works for. Still, WRU is paying for the extended-stay hotel and three meals a day, and her nephew's inheritance pays for the drinks.

She cuts the thought before his face can enter her mind.

She dreams about him slumped over, mumbling about how tired he was, sometimes. Once the sedatives kicked in, anyway. She'd been irritated the first round didn't seem to work, and then worried she'd accidentally overdosed him after the second.

But no. No, the Acquisitions team had assured her he would be considered in perfect condition. And her finder's fee and bonus had really emphasized that he was.

Whatever. That problem is solved.

Joanne sighs, wistful. There are already people in the water, even at dawn. She can hear laughter filtering up from the beach.

It's beautiful.

Ronnie would have loved Hawaii. They had always planned to go together, before their falling-out.

Too bad her fucking husband and stupid brat dragged her down with them. Too bad the husband was a shitheel Irish mob asshole, too bad Ronnie's son was a piece of fucking work, too bad the stupid bastard couldn't stay hidden the one time it counted...

Joanne sniffs and wipes at the corner of her eye. Grief is hard - it comes and goes. But at least Tristan isn't her problem any longer.

He's probably happy as a clam doing someone's fucking gardening somewhere. Joanne simply refuses to admit that isn't at all what he is likely to be used for. It doesn't matter.

What she doesn't know, she isn't legally responsible for.

Lost in her thoughts, Joanne doesn't notice the uniformed officers who enter the cafe behind her. She takes a photo of the morning sun as an officer holds up a photocopied piece of paper to the server behind the counter. She posts the phot to her Instagram with #islandliving is the life for me! as the server points her direction and the officer nods and thanks them for their help.

She has missed calls and texts on her phone, but she'll check those later. Jo never looks at her phone before 8 am anymore. It makes everything much more peaceful.

She sees the first couple likes trickle in as the officer speaks to his partner and the two of them head her direction.

"Joanne Botham?"

She's startled out of her thoughts by the officer's voice and looks up to blink at the woman, her straight black hair in a low ponytail and expression stern. Jo feels an instinctive beat of apprehension. "Yes, that's me. Can I help you, officer?"

The officer has an odd look to her. Not hostile, but... not friendly. "Joanne Botham, resides at 435 Janus Way, in Berras, California? Employed by WRU?"

Her heart beats faster and Jo sets her phone down. Then picks up her coffee. "Yes. Is something wrong with my house?"

"No. Do you recognize this individual?"

The officer holds up another printed out photo and Jo's stomach falls to her knees and firmly lodges there. She drops her coffee, mug shattering on the floor, ceramics and liquid everywhere. The officer doesn't even flinch.

It's her fucking nephew.

It's Tristan in a hospital bed, looks like, staring at the camera with wide uncomprehending eyes. His hair is shorter than it used to be, and there is a ring of bruising around his neck, more bruises littered over his collarbone and shoulders.

She has a sudden wild urge to say she's never seen him before. Instead, she swallows and repeats the story she's practiced over and over until she's sure she can pass any lie detector test. "Yes. That's my late sister's son, Tristan. He ran away after their deaths. I thought he was dead."

The officer doesn't argue, just nods. "I see. Well, Ms. Botham, what would you say if I told you that your nephew is alive?"

Jo looks carefully, believably surprised. "He is? Where did you find him? I looked everywhere I could think of!"

"Did you?" The way the officer asks the question tells Jo there is a piece of the puzzle she hasn't seen yet... and it won't be something she likes. "Well, you'll be relieved to hear he was found alive."

"Yes... yes, I am. Relieved."

She's furious.

That little shit is going to ruin her life all over again, isn't he? She'll set his inheritance on fire before she lets him see a dollar. WRU was supposed to make it so she never saw him again.

She should have kept him locked in his room and left him there.

"I'll fly back home right away to see him," She says, a distant ringing filling her mind. "Where is he?"

"Your nephew is receiving medical care. Let's head down to the station. I'll fill you in on the details when we get there."

"Well-... Of course, officer, but I need to call my workplace-"

"We are already in contact with WRU, Ms. Botham. They are aware that you will not be in to work today. A WRU representative will be at the station."

Joanne takes in a breath and slowly lets it out. "I... I need a lawyer, don't I?"

"That's up to you, ma'am. All we want to do is talk. Please come with me." The officer steps back and gestures. Joanne stands, and the beauty of the day is suddenly lost on her entirely.

"Am I being charged with something?" Her voice is faint, suddenly. She swallows hard. "Am I being-"

"The only charged so far are laid against Governor Oliver Branch, ma'am."

"Against who?"

"Ma'am. Please come with me." There's a hand on her elbow and Joanne stumbles along. At the counter, the server is taping this, streaming it live. Jo glances up at the television over in the corner ceiling to see a news anchor talking about a WRU-branded human pet falling out of a balcony at the California governor's mansion and the resulting scandal.

Joanne thinks of all those missed calls on her phone.

"They're blaming me, aren't they?" She asks, coming to a sudden stop on the sidewalk outside. "They're blaming me! I'm going to be the fall guy, right?"

"Get in the car, Ms. Botham," The officer says firmly. One hand moves to her hip. "We can discuss this at the station."

Joanne sees the server with their phone out, following. The stupid little ass is smiling. They think this is funny.

It occurs to Jo they knew who she worked for all along.

She turns and with wild eyes yells, "WRU knew! I did nothing wrong! They knew!"

She's going to need one hell of a lawyer.

She's going to need a miracle.

She suddenly wishes she hadn't spent so much of Tristan's money. She could've used it for her legal fees.

-

@burtlederp @finder-of-rings @endless-whump @astrobly @newandfiguringitout @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @boxboysandotherwhump @oops-its-whump @cubeswhump @whump-tr0pes @what-a-whump @whumptywhumpdump @downriver914 @whumpiary @orchidscript @nonsensical-whump @outofangband @eatyourdamnpears @whumpfessional

[thenewblackcanvas]

Reconciliation In Currency 2 l kth

Two: Tae’s POV

pairing: Sugar Daddy!Taehyung x Reader

genre: best friends to strangers, sugar daddy/sugar baby, best friends to lovers(i guess?), angst

summary:  After leaving for “better opportunities”, you come back home six years later to see the main person you left behind isn’t quite the same person and the only way to know him again is through sex and money. 

  word count: 1117

a/n: Just Taehyung’s POV to give us a bit of understanding from his side

Fuck he didn’t want to be there and he certainly didn’t want to do this.

But what else was he supposed to do? His domestic notoriety prevented him from seeking those specific companionship from brothels and such and dating was something his heart was not even remotely into. He tried to open himself up before which is ones of the reasons he is in his current predicament.

His close friend, Jungkook, was more than willing to find a solution for him. He did something similar and to his credit seemed happier than ever. 

Taehyung: I don’t know how you talked me into this. 

Jungkook: Because you sported a partial at the kissing scene in that lame movie two weeks ago

T: I TOLD YOU THAT WAS NOT A BONER

J: Sure. Either way you need to get laid. You and your “let’s hang out!” texts every two seconds are making my girl drier than your dry spell. Actually that’s a lie, she’s really into you

T: Stop. No more.

J: Just an option. *shrug emoji*

Taehyung looked at the window focusing on nothing in particular before sending another message.

T: When will she get here?

J: Soon. The appointment time is 5 minutes from now. Jimin said she’s beautiful.

T: Is she up for this?

J: …

T: Jungkook

J: Yes

T: What aren’t you telling me?

J:  She may think it’s a normal assistant interview…

T: TELL ME YOU’RE FUCKING JOKING!!

J: *typing bubbles then goes away*

T: YOU FUCKING PRICK! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?? WHIP MY DICK OUT?? 

J: That sounds like a good start

T: It sounds like sexual harassment! A woman is about to come in here looking for an honest job with an honest paycheck and you want me to give her an eyeful of my cock?

J: Well when you put it like that *shrug emoji* 

T: You’re a dumb ass 

Just as his idiot of a friend replies with a simple ‘ouch’ he hears his receptionist enter. He is too busy typing out a response to turn around.

“Sir, your 10:30 interview is here, Ms. ______”

He spins to confirm. There you stand. Almost six years of difference obvious from the person he watched walk away from him. Even if he hadn’t heard your name he would have known. Years apart wouldn’t make you a stranger to his eyes. Maybe to your friendship but he would always recognize you. 

The look on your face made it clear you had no idea he owned this company but something about the way your shock faded to delight made his heart beat in a way it hadn't since he was a teen. 

His face held nothing though. He had so many thoughts.

She is back in Korea? When did that happen?? Why didn’t she look me up? Is she going to leave again? Does she still want the jo- 

His thoughts all but halted as he looked back down at his phone. 

T: You and idiot #2 are dead 

He hadn’t noticed how close you had gotten while he threatened his friends.

“This explains the waiting area. It looks like something from your wettest art hoe dreams.” He looked up to see you holding his name placard. He could still read you like a book, seeing that you were unsure where to go from this point.

“You don’t know about my wet dreams, ________.”He surprised himself by his tone as he stood to take it from you.

You tried to stumble through a response.

“As articulate as ever I see.” He wasn’t sure why he was being this way but it continued anyway. “I won’t waste your time, Ms. _______. Do you have your resume’?”

You wordlessly handed him the professional looking paper. As he looked it over he felt bitter anger rise. Your obvious pride about the opportunities you abandoned him for.

“I can answer any questions you may-” As you tried to fill the silence he couldn’t help himself as he decided how he was going to get back at you. He ripped the paper and let it float to the ground as you screamed at him.

“There must have been a disconnect. This job isn’t one you would require this kind of experience for. I am already aware of your experience to some degree though.”

“Tae, what are you talking about?” The sadistic pleasure in your confusion was new to him but he wasn’t going to stop unless you told him to.

“I need someone.”

“I have always been here for you.”

He thought otherwise but choose to avoid an argument. “I refuse to stoop as low as some in my business so I’ve decided to opt for something mutually beneficial.”

He watched you sigh, still very confused. “Use simple words, Taehyung.”

Built up anger and need for revenge began to leak out as he leaned from where he sat on his desk to get close to your face with a smirk. “I want to fuck you, wreck you whenever I fucking feel like it, and give you money for it.”

The look on your face was almost enough to please the revenge seeking sadist inside that still saw you walking away years ago when he closed his eyes. Almost. 

“H-How are you like this? I can’t believe that came from your mouth.”

His eyes turning into burning slits. “Because you don’t know me anymore.”

“I haven’t been gone that long.”

 He straightened up, now glaring coldly. “Years, _______. Years. Looks like there were opportunities here.” He tried to maintain the façade but thinking back to that day was not pleasant.

“For YOU, Taehyung. You still aren’t getting it.” 

He watches as you pick up you torn resume’ with a small bit of remorse. “My success could have been yours too.” He says with a softness he hoped you hadn’t noticed.

“I wanted my own path not to crowd yours.”

“So you left me?”

“I obviously wasn’t gone forever!”

“How was I supposed to know that?!” He was beyond frustrated now. If you were so eager to be on your own path why were you in his office? Well he was going to show you how finding your own path was working out.

“What are you doing?”

He turned to face you. “You still want the job right?”

Second thoughts began to creep up at your silence until you finally spoke a quiet, “Yes.”

He walked up to you, getting close to your face again as he slid off his belt with a snap. “Then strip, it’s time for your interview.”

Nearly six years but it was time for you to see what you left behind.

back series masterlist next

[taylor-will-be-the-death-of-me]

Hogwarts Train

Y/N's POV

Magic. We're told that it's not real, but in my world it is very very real. Being a Potter meant that from the second I was born I was exposed to the magical world. I don't remember much but the first encounter I had with magic would forever be implanted in my mind.

Christmas of 63, I was three years old, when my dear father and brother had decided to make a mess right before the guests were arriving. So naturally my mother got so mad that if it wasn't Christmas that day, right now would be the only child with one parent. To clean up the mess they had made my mother whipped out her wand and fixed everything just in time.

But the time I knew that magic would be useful was a few years later. When I was ten years old my brother, who had just finished his first year at Hogwarts, thought it would be a good idea to chase me around with a knife and then stabbing me in the leg. I screamed so ferociously that day. I'm sure all of Scotland would have heard it. As my parents came rushing in mom started scolding James where as dad fixed me up with magic. But the scar is still there.

Now, five years later, I can proudly say that I am well versed with it. Studying at Hogwarts has truly been a magical experience. Pun intended. In first year I got sorted in the house of the badgers, Hufflepuff. My family wasn't proud, they tried to be, but alas I wasn't a Gryffindor. In that same year I made my first friend, Ethan Smith. The bleached blue eyed blond has been my fried ever since we first met on the Hogwarts Train. That day I had begged my brother to let me sit with him, but in his words 'I would embarrass him.' So I made my way further down the train and found a boy looking out of the window waving at his parents. We both got sorted in the same house. His parents were truly proud of him. But the second the old hat had said the words, I knew that I was no longer a part of the loving family I had known. The next day James did come to me and told me everything was fine, but it wasn't because that was the last conversation we had.

As I sat there in an empty compartment, waiting for Ethan to board, I couldn't help bit think ahead about this year. During the summer vacation when I got my Hogwarts letter, I found out that this year I was one of the Hufflepuff prefects. The other one being Ethan. This was standard protocol, I board the train first and then wait for Ethan to come an hour late when the train is about to leave. But this time just 15 minutes after the train came Ethan was there boarding. Oh My God!!!!! Pigs must be flying now!!

"Well well well if it isn't Ethan 'I'm always late' Smith." I started the second he entered the compartment. "How is this possible that you are not late. Am I dreaming? Is this a weird alternated reality where you're not late?"

"Oh haha you are soo funny. I'm dying" Ethan said dryly while sitting down in front of me. "And for your information I'm only here because I'm a prefect and I have to set an example."

"As if we don't already know all about what you do."

"Well at least I do something instead of sitting in one place and reading the same book again and again."

"Oh shut u-" before I could finish, the door of our compartment was opened by a stranger.

"Oh um.. I didn't know anyone was here." said the stranger looking at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It happens." Ethan said.

"Umm would you mind if I sat here? Everywhere else is full." He questioned.

"Sur-" "N-" Ethan and I started at the same time. "Sure you can." said Ethan glaring at me for what I was about to say.

"Thank you" he said as he sat down on the same seat as me. Not to close, not to far.

After sometime we were supposed to go for the orientation on how to be a prefect. As there was still some time left I started reading one of my favorite books. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. For me the book is everything I want and more. The love, the drama, the anger and Jo, if I could read one book in my whole life Little women would definitely be it.

"That's a nice book." The stranger whispered, shifting a little close to me.

"Well It's better than nice. It's astounding." I replied.

"Okay then it's astounding. But gotta say Jo and Laurie didn't belong together."

"What!" I said completely shocked. "How can you fell that! Jo and Laurie do belong together. It's Amy and Lauri who don't belong together. And don't even start on how Amy is the better sister. She clearly is not."

"You're quite opinionated." He said cracking a little smile.

"Well can't say the same about you." I said slightly angry about what he had to say. I couldn't help but admire the sound of his laughter when I finished my sentence.

He just shakes his head and goes back to the paper he was reading. That was when I took in his appearance. He had dark raven hair, a sharp jawline, a crooked nose and dark green eyes. I must have been staring for a long time cause the thing that snapped me out of my thoughts was someone clearing their throat. That someone was him.

"See something you like?" He questioned cockily. I looked away embarrassed. In the mist of all of this Ethan slightly nudged my leg with his. Looking up I saw him wiggling his eyebrows, giving me a goofy smile. Having enough of the teasing I kicked him in the shin. And as Ethan rubbed his leg, the beautiful stranger shook his head and chuckled,

Oh boy, this will be a long long ride.

[love-hatred-stuff]

Just a dream } Lim Sejun [victon]

genre: yandere, mild smut, fluff (,angst?)

warning(s): mentions of killing & stalking, suggestive!, mentions of other idols (subin&byungchan)

word count: about 3.3k

note: If u feel uncomfortable with any of the warnings above, feel free to skip! I will probably do more parts :)

I'm not that good in writing smut but I wanted it to be not too dirty, like there's sexual tension but everything is on a comfortable level

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Third person's POV

at school

Lim Sejun was your best friend, along with his stepbrother Jung Subin. You actually met Sejun through Subin.

At first only Subin was your classmate since 5th grade and you too eventually became really close. And later on, about two years, Sejun joined you because he moved here, when his Mom wanted to marry your other friends Dad.

You never never had romantic feelings for Subin, you just loved him as a friend.

But his stepbrother was something different. It wasn't like you had a crush on him, he just made you so nervous all the time.

You didn't show it, but inside you always slightly get butterflies everytime he stares at you or uses his deep voice to convince you to something.

Not to mention his looks, but he could do many things that made him get most girls attention. Though he never cared about girls except for you.

He was a rather cold person, kept most things to himself and didn't laugh very often. But when he did, it always made you happy aswell.

It was mostly you that made him giggle or smile but you never questioned it.

You were just grateful to have them as your friends. Even though the brothers fought like literally almost all the time.

But what you noticed is that Sejun was very protective over you. What you didn't know was caused by the obsession he had over you.

In the Beginning it was only a little crushing, adoring you secretly. This soon turned into serious, strong feelings, and desire that he kept inside and eventually real love.

Of course you obviously didn't know about his "little" possession, but you were everything to him and nothing would steal you from him.

Anyone that touched you inappropriately, wasn't blessed to live a long life. And he made sure of that. The killing wasn't a big deal for him, as long as you were safe it didn't matter.

School was long over, but you and Sejun were still sitting in the library to do homework and explain math to Subin when he had problems, which was like constantly.

"God, Subin! I explained this to you like a hundred times. It's Sejun's turn now, he is even smarter than me." You groaned at your friends intolerance.

You desperately looked at the dark haired boy, who sat on a chair and concentratedly wrote something on a paper.

When he was just giving you a look with a frown you sighed.

"Help your brother for gods sake! I can't do this anymore. I finished anyways, I could just go if I wanted to." You complained in a whiny manner.

Sejun still looked at you and than shortly at Subin. He shook his head.

"I'm not helping him. He has to learn himself. And he's just my stepbrother. Not my problem." He shrugged and turned to his paper.

Subin just looked absolutely cluelessly at the many numbers and even letters.

"Please Sejun! Your Mom told me to help him. She will think I'm dumb as well!" You continued, to stubborn to give up first.

"Hey!" Subin faked a hurtful look, laying his hand on his heart.

"Sorry, Binnie. But I won't explain this to you again." You touched his shoulder, smiling exclusively.

Now Sejun also noticed the contact between you too and made a noise to seperate you again and get your attention.

Your head turned to him, hoping he changed his mind.

But he just saw one thing at this moment; your thigh that was exposed because of the skirt that had slipped up 'til the beginning of you lace slip.

His eyes fixated on your beautiful legs and his mind went wild automatically. He was aroused immediately, imagining he was the one who could take it off of you.

You didn't bother to look down, where he was looking. You were just thinking he zoned out for a moment at waved your hand on front of his iced eyes.

"Sejun? Are you okay?" You wondered.

When he came back to reality he noticed how tight his jeans felt so suddenly. But managed to look up at you finally.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I will only explain this once to him, and I wanna get a treat." He wanted to compromise.

You waited a moment to process and decide if you wanted to compromise.

"Okay. What do want as your treat?" You asked innocently.

Sejun thought. How could he indirectly say that he wanted to be alone with you?

"You will go with me studiying tomorrow, after school." He grinned, secretly so excited to have you to himself for some hours.

Your eyes widened. Another study session?

"Fine, but why so obsessed with studiying? School's not everything, Junnie." You told him.

He stayed silent. If you knew what I want to do to you right now, Y/N. He thought, very aware of his bulge, growing even harder. But he couldn't do anything about it, he had to hide under the table until it would hopefully disappear.

After about half an hour, he had made everything clear for Subin. Well, supposedly. And the three of you went home.

Subin couldn't hold a moan back as he touched his boner through his black jeans. He hadn't been able to hold back the dirty thoughts of you telling him that you wanted him as much as he did. And now that he was finally home, he could release some of his inholded sexual sounds. He rarely listened to anyone but gladly would accept you as his domme.

He just loved you so much, of course he was craving for your touch. You were his only weakness at this point.

•••

the next day

You could walk to school because your house wasn't that far away. You didn't know that Sejun was always behind you, to make sure you came home safe and to enjoy your pretty features a little longer.

When you arrived and waited for you two only friends and greeted Subin happily with hug and a minute later Sejun with a sweet "Hey." Because you knew he didn't really enjoy skinship.

He greeted back politely. And thought about how pretty you looked again, although he saw you everyday in the same school uniform.

He secretly hated that the girls had to wear skirts in school. So he gave every boy who dared to look at you a second too long a warning glare to fuck off. And if they wouldn't hear, he would made sure they would never look at you again.

It was normal for him, he would keep you forever. And no one would destroy his plan.

~~

School had ended fast and you bid your goodbyes to Subin and went to the library.

You sat down next to each other and your knees would touch every now and then, making Sejun wanting to already moan your name out loud, by just this simple touch.

~~

One hour had passed and you slowly got bored, as you were just too done to concentrate on school stuff any longer.

"Sejun~" You whined, tucking on his blazer.

Holy fuck. He thought. I want you to whine my name like this again.

He tried to not look much affected and hummed as a response to you.

"I'm bored. I don't wanna study anymore. Let's just do something different, yes?" You tried to convince him with puppy eyes.

"What can we do?" He asked quietly, unsure if he would maybe be alowed to touch you a little.

"Kiss?" You said, leaning forward.

It wasn't really your intention but he could see some of your cleavage in this position. He told himself to keep control.

You laughed sweetly. He was so cute when he blushed.

You were just joking. But didn't know he was actually craving for the touch of your lips, just once. Once would be enough and he would be the luckiest man alive.

Now you frowned, he still wasn't looking away from your lips.

"Sejun, I was just jo-" You couldn't finish.

His hands snaked around your waist to sit you on his lap in a fast motion, disrupting you.

Him touching you in this way, affected you more than you wanted to admit.

"What are you doing?" You whispered.

Your butt sat on his thighs, your feet touched the ground. And your faces weren't that far away from each other either.

"I thought you were bored." His raspy voice made you feel the familiar butterflies in your stomach.

"Yeah, but what do want now?" You still whispered, so exited for his next move.

He grabbed your hips with more force, to shove you even further to his face.

A groan escaped his throat at the sudden friction he felt of your core grinding on his.

"You don't wanna know what I want to do to you Y/N."

He let his finger slide over your lower lip.

Why was he so changed all out of the blue?

He had waited for years to feel you right there where you sat on in this moment.

"Do you want me to stay still or move?" You asked as you were ready to risk it all.

You were feeling so out of this world, like someone would have drugged you. But you liked it, yeah, you enjoyed it.

"It's your choice, kitten. But be aware that if you cross a certain line I won't be able told back and take you right here, right now." He warned you in a husky voice, while breathing in all of your body right in his hands.

You let out a whiny moan at his dirty talking. You were kinda ready to get to his limits.

"It's okay, just tell me when I have to stop." You breathed out, against his neck.

As he felt your hot breath hit his exposed skin and at the same time, your hips moving into his he fekt like in heaven.

"Y/N~ah." He moaned out and threw his head back.

He felt like he would come right on the spot.

Between your movements you also let out hitched breaths at the immense pleasure your where giving and receiving, although you both still where having all your clothes on. But you forgot about that long ago.

Your bodys where still rocking together as he was watching all of your little expressions that showed on your face.

Though, at some point when you begin to settle kisses on his neck, jaw and cheeks, he couldn't hold himself back any longer and wanted to warn you again so it wouldn't escalate.

"Y/N, Y/N-ah, stop, it's too much!" He almost cried out for you.

You obeyed and stopped, panting a little.

"It's okay." You stroke his cheek. "We can continue this another time, Junnie." You promised.

His eyes flashed with exitement, as he struggled to come down from this so unreal seeming experience with you.

"I- I will just finish this work sheet. I have to calm down." Sejun told me as he got his ability to talk back.

He never thought, he would be able to find the confidence and touch you like this.

And you even agreed!

It was like a dream.

•••

Well, maybe it really was.

Sejun's POV

"Junnie, wake up!" Y/N shook me gently.

I was suddenly torned from my deep sleep. I breathed out and groaned.

I had dreamed everything?!

I felt so disappointed. I wished it would have happened in reality, it was the most pleasureable thing I had ever experienced in my life.

And it came out as just another wet dream of mine.

At this moment I told myself to be more confident and don't behave like a creep that hated skinship.

I had to be more cool with it, orherwise I would never get what I was craving for desperately.

"Are you okay, Sejun-ah?" She looked at me a bit worried as I still wasn't reacting at all.

But her voice finally brought me back to reality.

"No Y/N, I'm not okay." I answered.

"What is it?" She wondered.

I struggled to come up with an excuse, so I decided to be honest with her.

"You and me, we were here in the library and-"

"Oh, that? You weren't dreaming, Junnie. It happened."

I widened my eyes. It wasn't a dream? I blushed.

"But why did I fell asleep then?" I wanted to know, since it all didn't really made sense.

"You wanted to finish your paper to calm down. Well, it worked, you fell asleep." She explained

Suddenly I remembered. I had never dreamed. It had happened in real life.

Maybe I should consider sleeping more instead of watching her. I thought to myself, it was unacceptable to fall asleep during spending time with her.

•••

Third person's POV

You were sitting in the cafeteria of your Highschool, talking to your two guy friends.

It was a day like every other and everything was normal, except for Sejun's behaviour.

He was getting more confident in touching you but immediately blushed when he noticed that you were looking at him with a concerned face.

It was not like you lost interest or anything, you were still reacting to his teasing as intense as before. But you didn't thought he would want the two of you to keep doing these things.

Everything began two days ago in the library. He was getting more and more crazy for you each second.

Right in the moment he was secretly watching you talking to his stepbrother.

You were pure beauty in his eyes and he couldn't stop looking at your soft features and feminine body.

How you used your whole body while demonstrating something to Subin was something Sejun found absolutely adorable.

Every now and then you also glanced at him so he had to act like he wouldn't been staring at you the whole break long and mostly just nodded when you asked for his opinion or just wanted to include him in the conversation.

Sejun almost forgot to eat while being so busy admiring you.

When the bell rang for third period all the students stood up and he noticed that he wasn't the only one who didn't eat most of his food.

"Y/N you only ate your salad." Sejun walked next to you and pointed at your still full tablet with his finger.

You both were walking the same direction to put your tablets away and turn to your class after.

"Oh yeah, I'm not that hungry." You tried to explain.

But the actual reason was something else. You couldn't ignore Sejun's attentive look on you the whole time. You tried your best to ignore this weird feeling in you stomach but it was difficult when you knew that you had to endure that until you would be home.

"But you need to eat, to have enough energy for class." He pointed out while you made your way to the classroom.

Even if all his actions were meant to be innocent without any dirty intentions, it was hard for you to forget how you were sitting directly on his hard boner and could hear these pornografic sounds coming out of his mouth.

You liked how he had reacted to you in some way. Because no one ever had made you feel so wanted like he did that evening.

And you really gave your best to delete it from your memory but you just couldn't when you saw him every single day and felt how tensed he sometimes was. It reminded you of the Sejun that had called you Kitten.

You noticed you hadn't answered him yet and snapped out of your wild thoughts.

"Yes, I know but I have enough energy left. I promise, Junnie." You assured as you two arrived at the right room.

He just gave you a worried look and settled down on his seat like you did.

The three of you weren't directly seated next to each other but close, so the boys could still have an eye on you.

The teacher came in as well and the lesson began soon after.

Byungchan was sitting next to you since a few days, but you have no problem with that because he's very nice. Sometimes he would try to flirt with you and you would just act like you wouldn't know what he was doing.

He was also very handsome and popular at your school, though that hadn't had any affect on you. You just cared about the work you had to do together, nothing else.

Although... you do blushed when he made you a compliment, simply because you found it charming and sweet of him to care about how you looked.

What you didn't know was that Sejun was on the verge of killing him every single day since he sits next to you.

He even asked himself how to quickly and inconspicuously as possible have this done. So he would get rid of him finally.

He was so angry inside but told himself to keep his control awhile longer. You shouldn't suffer under his death too much so Sejun wanted to wait a little longer and threathen Byungchan first, to better stop flirting with you or else he had to be killed.

After a while the class was dismissed and for you, school had ended already. You completely had missed the time and were happy to be able to leave the school building already.

You packed your stuff and didn't even notice that Sejun was standing in front of you.

While he waited he stared down at you until he finally spoke up.

"Hey, Y/N. Do want to go eat ice-cream and hang out a bit maybe?" He asked as he restlessly scratched his neck.

You looked up, surprised to hear his voice instead of Subin's.

"Umm yeah, sure. But where's Subin?" You wanted to know, furrowing your brows and scanning the room to find you other friend.

"He had to leave early today. Mom told him to do his homework once in a lifetime." Sejun's monotonous voice was back and he was a little sad that you wanted to have Subin with you so badly.

You chuckled and put on your blazer and then your backpack, before you nodded at him to move on.

All students had left the classroom already so you were alone.

He started to shiver instead of leaving the room as he knew that he had to speak about what had happened between you two.

"Y/N.. I think we maybe need to talk." His shy self was back again.

"About what?" You asked, as you were wondering if he really would mention the incident again.

"About that day.. when you and I.." He wasn't able to finish his sentence, he was too insecure.

She probably doesn't want me to touch her anyways. Sejun thought and closed his eyes in brief.

"It's okay, Sejun-ah. We can just forget about it if you want." You patted his shoulder as you weren't really sure what to say or do.

"That's not it, Y/N. I want your permission to my touch. I want to be closer to you and not make you uncomfortable." The black haired boy looked to the ground, expecting you to be grossed out.

"You have my permission Sejun-ah, it's okay with me if you touch me more. I like it because I always enjoy your company. You have to know that, alright?" You gave him a warm smile when he finally found the courage to look at you.

He kept quite and nodded before leaving school with you.

He couldn't say it, but he deeply wanted to hold your hand.

You thought and felt the same so you just took the first step and interwined your hand with his.

You didn't expect this to be more than a close friendship but you enjoyed it anyways. As he always made you feel so safe and loved.

And Sejun was feeling like he just got everything he wanted in a matter of seconds. He would protect you, not caring about the rest of the world.

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I edited the story cover by myself but the pictures are not mine (so is the gif), credits to the owners :)

[timextoxhajima]

Love Me A Little Less: Chapter 8 - Hypocrite

LOVE ME A LITTLE LESS CHAPTER MASTERLIST

Member: (3rd person pov) arranged marriage au with Lee Juyeon

Genre: angsty wangsty

Taglist: @hyunjaethereal @sunwoowuvbot​ @suzy-rainbow​​

“Why did you come back?”

Jang Won’s consciousness had been flitting in and out of a state of being awake when Juyeon slides the door of her bathroom open, the rolling noises waking her up from her drowsy trance. 

“Sorry, just go back to sleep,” Rubbing his damp hair with a towel, the pajamas that Mr Ro managed to salvage from the Manor’s guest closet (that part of the closet used to belong to Younghoon) somehow fit him better than expected. “I know you had a long day, so.”

“It’s been a long day for the both of us so just shut up and get in bed,” Jang Won mumbles, loud enough for him to hear. Her back rests against the bolster placed in the middle of the bed, and a light clicks off somewhere in the room as Juyeon turns it off. The room was painted in a gentle mandarin shade from the nightstand lamp on his side; it reminds her of sunsets and fruit baskets. 

She feels the mattress on the extreme end sink as Juyeon shuffles in, then the room dims when he turns off the lamp on the nightstand. 

The distant chirps of crickets in the courtyard down below where the wedding was held manages to seep through the gaps of the balcony doors, and Jang Won could just barely make out the glowing ring of the moon if she pushed her head into the pillow a little more. 

“Jang Won.”

She sucks in a deep breath, eyes still fixated on the glow in the sky. “What?”

“I’m sorry.”

Surprise. Chirp. Blink. 

“What for?”

“Calling you a hypocrite.”

Jang Won turns, and Juyeon turns as well, upon hearing the shuffling. His eyes are two orbs of glass from the bare illumination from outside.

“I... can never understand how much you’ve gone through, and so I have no reason to call you that, and I’m sorry.”

“Forget it-”

“No, please,” There’s a hint of desperation in his voice that keeps her from turning away. Chirp. “I said something I cannot take back and-”

“I know. And... I’m sorry you were dragged into this mess. I really am.”

“Fruits from the same tree,” He whispers, and Jang Won can hear his gentle scoff. “Look forward to our Guatemala honeymoon. I promise you’ll have the time of your life.”

“I haven’t heard someone make a promise to me in a long, long time.”

And even in the shitty lighting, Jang Won can make out the little smile he has on his face. 

“I’ll be the new standard. Trust me.”

“That’ll probably the first and last thing I’ll do.”

Juyeon quietly chuckles in the darkness.

“Goodnight.”

“Night.”

If Jang Won had a choice, she definitely would’ve had chosen another way to last remember her mother, even if it meant the same outcome. It had been any normal day for her - school at one of the most prestigious academies. At the time, Juyeon’s name had already been spread far and wide for being both a chaebol and somewhat of a likeable personality in school. Jang Won would know, since she’s spent countless of days listening to the likes of her friends swooning about Lee Juyeon from the Stanford Academy. 

On the days they were a little bolder, they’d ask Jang Won to strike up a conversation at one of the events The Board likes to organise. Of course, being the girl she is, she doesn’t care. 

“Sure,” She’ll always say, but empty-handed she’ll return to her friends. Jang Won would be lying if she said she didn’t gain some kind of sickening pleasure from seeing disappointment wash over their faces when all she did was basically nothing.

That should’ve been the prime thing about being 16. That should’ve been it. Teasing each other about boys, boys that she couldn’t care any less about. 

That really should have been it.

But the ghastly outline of her mother’s skull had been etched into her head as the days passed, and before she could realise it, Jang Won had lost all memory of how her mother used to be like; how she even looked like within the walls of The Kim Mansion. 

Her mother belonged within the cream, marble walls of the monument erected in the corner of street where the country’s tycoons all lived in. She belonged in the safety of a living hall with a rug made from bear fur and a fireplace keeping her and the cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table warm. 

Not here. Not letting the amber strips of light pasted into the ceiling shine through her paper-thin skin, as if Jang Won couldn’t already see the blue veins under her mother’s forehead. 

The first major thing that Jang Won would never forget was watching her older brother fight with her father. That was the one time she had seen Younghoon yell at Kim Jo-Pil, as if they weren’t related, as if Kim Jo-Pil wasn’t the adult in the room.

While Jang Won wished with all her heart that she could remain angry with what her brother said, she knew that it was the best choice. Her mother was on a ticking time-bomb anyway. It had been a matter of time before she took her last breath.

Yet, for some reason, it was the one time that she had seen Younghoon been so coldly caring, and her father so warmly unbothered. The scent of the expensive, first-class hospital ward is still stuck in her nose, and probably would for the next year or so. As she listened to her brother beg her father to let her mother go peacefully, without having to live through the pain, she let her tears stain the bedsheets by her mother’s hands. 

“Won-ie.”

Jang Won looks up upon the hoarse voice, eyes tearing when she can see how resigned her mother is. The fight is no longer glimmering in her eyes, because she knows she’s fighting a lost war. 

“After this, you’ll only have your brother left, and you must promise me you will do everything you can to protect him, like he will for you.”

Jang Won shakes her head, fingers interlocking with hers, and for a split second, she’s almost afraid she could tear her skin. “No. You’ll do that for me. I’m not old enough to take care of him.”

“You’re a smart girl, Won-ie,” She manages a grin, and it tears Jang Won apart to see how hard she had to try. “I know... that this wasn’t what we wanted.”

“Yeah, it’s not,” Jang Won frowns, swallowing the chunk of tears and snot in the back of her throat. “Nobody’s gonna help me build Hera’s Manor if you don’t. What’s Younghoon gonna do? Sit by and eat popcorn?”

“He probably would, wouldn’t he?”

Jang Won can feel her lips quiver, brows furrowing and her head slowly becoming heavier. 

“Listen, Jang Won. The Board will not be kind to you, and we’ve lived by The Board for more than 7 generations. Things will not go your way but I promise you... not everyone is as venomous as we think they are. Some, yes... but not everybody is out for blood. These people will come and help you when you most need it, and you must be kind, whenever you can.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Jang Won’s voice cracks and she doesn’t notice that the bickering outside the ward has ceased. Younghoon enters alone. “Tell me this again next time. I’m not gonna remember it.”

“I’ll always be with you, whether you know it or not, okay? I love you, Hera’s princess. Oh, my little girl.”

It’s a monumental effort on Jang Won’s part to keep herself from physically doubling over as she sobbed, her mother’s hand pressed into her cheek. 

She shuts her eyes, letting her face contort into a horrid mess of emotions when her mother turns to look at her son. 

“Hoon-ie... Promise me you’ll take care of Jang Won?” She holds out an arm, and her son cannot bring himself to take it, in fear that it would be the last. 

“I’ll always take care of her anyway,” His voice cracks, only worsening the hiccups in Jang Won’s chest. “You can remind me some other time.”

And again, with more effort needed, she smiles. “Come here, my Prince Artemis.”

Younghoon feels like there are roots coming from the ground and holding him to the concrete, but he manages to drag himself to her bed, kneeling down to rest his arms on the mattress. 

“You both... have been my everything. Thank you for teaching me what love is, when I thought I’ll never know what it is. Thank you for teaching me how to be a better mother than any other role I could ever have.”

Younghoon winces and looks down. “Stop-”

“I am... so proud of the two of you, and I’ve been so lucky to have the two of you as my children. There’s nothing I would change. Absolutely nothing.”

Finally, Kim Jo-Pil enters the ward. Hands in his pockets. Eyes unable to look at the breathing corpse on the hospital bed.

“Jang Won, Younghoon, let’s go. The two of you still have school tomorrow.”

“No, wait, please,” Jang Won shakes her head, tightening her grip on her mother’s arm. Her father already has one arm around Younghoon’s shoulder, but even the most obedient son looks reluctant.

“Father, please,” Younghoon frowns, tears brimming. 

“Let us stay for the night, please?” Jang Won’s brows furrow back, pushing herself back towards the wall as her father rounds the end of the bed.

“Father,” Younghoon anxiously tails his father, now trying to get a hold of Jang Won. “Just let us stay for this one night.”

“No, your mother would not approve of you staying here tonight.”

“Mom,” Jang Won whines, wrist already being pulled. “Please...”

“Mother, please. Please, please, please let me stay.”

Juyeon halts the brush in his mouth, instantly turning to exit the bathroom. The late morning sun drizzles across the length of the room as he watches Jang Won twitch and shudder under the thick blanket.

“Younghoon... do something...”

He frowns, returning to the bathroom just to get the toothpaste foam out of his mouth. Walking around the bed, he now notices the pool of tears stained into the pillowcase beneath her cheek. Her face is puffy and her cheeks are pink from the anxiety.

It’s a pinch in his gut, when the only time he sees this vulnerability in her is in her sleep.

“Jang Won,” He whispers, resting one knee into the bed and gently tapping on her shoulder. “Hey.”

“No, no, no... don’t make us leave...”

“Jang Won.”

“Mr Lee.”

Juyeon turns to the bedroom door, surprised to see Mr Ro already entering. Automatically backing off, Juyeon watches as the butler presses a warm cloth to her cheek and shove a mini canvas into Jang Won’s hold.

It was painted, with bumps from acrylic paint, and signed Yoo Se Kyung. 

Her breath slows, but her grip around the canvas tightens, and she stops talking. Mr Ro shifts back, clearing his throat and gathering his palms before his abdomen. He bows to Juyeon, eyes plastered to the floor.

“Does this happen often?”

Mr Ro resumes his upright stance, eyes glancing at Jang Won. “Every year, around late spring into summer, it comes back to her. The memories of visiting her mother in the hospital. I wouldn’t disclose too much - that’s for her to share when she finally trusts you, but I’ve been meaning to tell you about it before you leave for your honeymoon. I just didn’t expect it to come so quick.”

Jang Won’s tears have stopped, and her grip around the canvas has loosened. Mr Ro removes the cloth and bows to Juyeon, turning on his heels to leave the bedroom.

“Mr Ro.”

The butler halts, head turning to look back over his shoulder.

“‘Finally’ trusts me?”

Mr Ro offers a weak smile. 

“I haven’t seen her share a bed with anybody, nor care so much, ever since her mother passed.”

Juyeon sighs exasperatedly, scratching the skin on his cheekbones as his eyes flit to her for a split second. “That’s only because you have nowhere to house me, and that she needs me for the marriage.”

The elder lowers his head and shakes it gently. “I’ve known Jang Won for the entire 22 years she’s been alive. Some part of her trusts you, and I know you don’t see it, but I can.”

Pity washes over Juyeon first, then pleasant surprise, and finally, obligation. Is this how it feels like to have someone you want to protect?

“Breakfast is in the dining hall. Jang Won will wake up soon and she’ll confirm the itinerary for your honeymoon in Guatemala next week.”

“Oh, did she say if I needed to be there?”

“Only if you want to. Jang Won’s instructions were to keep it optional for you in case you had other obligations to tend to.”

Mr Ro walks off after giving one final bow to Juyeon, leaving him awkward by the bed. His heart sinks when he turns to her, sound asleep and holding almost no hint that she had been previously crying, having nightmares.

It’s a punch to the gut when he realises he’ll never be able to fully comprehend her pain, and even then, he wouldn’t have the autonomy to tell her that he knows how it feels - because he doesn’t.

Sitting by her edge of the bed, his brows furrow across his forehead as he gently pushes her hair out of her face. He needs to remind himself that sympathy and pity is the last thing she would want, so he makes it a point to remember the promise he made Younghoon.

Juyeon’s care for Jang Won has far exceeded his own expectations, and thus, will far exceed hers. Unable to erase the idea of himself that Jang Won had previously implanted in his head, that he was a coward, from that conflict they had in her office the previous day made Juyeon a little more rigid and his head a little clearer. The resolution he makes to protect her will far supersede his ability to care for her.

Kim Jo-Pil’s gaze cannot be torn from the sight of Lee Juyeon, gently stroking the head of hair of his daughter. The door had been left ajar when Mr Ro left and he had partially heard the conversation between his new son-in-law. He had expected Juyeon to be colder, conservative, as poisonous as his daughter had seemed to be.

So when Juyeon touched Jang Won with the weight of feathers and cotton and looked like he was memorising all the features on her face, the exact color of every strand of her hair and making one of those silent promises in his head, Kim Jo-Pil cannot help the twist in his left eye-lid. 

He pulls away when Juyeon finally removes himself off the bed, backing away from the door and hurriedly scurrying away. Just before he can reach the stairs that lead down into the main hall, he hears the door down the corridor he was just in creak open.

“Mr Kim.”

Kim Jo-Pil stops, turning to face the source of call.

“Juyeon,” Kim Jo-Pil bows deeply. “I... Didn’t know you were staying for the night.”

“It wasn’t planned,” Juyeon shakes his head. “But... I must ask.”

Kim Jo-Pil sucks in a deep breath, already knowing what was in his head.

“Why did you come back?”

[fndmxreader]

fandom: harry potter. pairing:  remus lupin x reader | the reader simps for lupin because isn’t that all what we do daily ?  summary:   connected to the self indulgent series where the reader is a slytherin muggle born witch working alongside the teachers at hogwarts.   note: this series will bounce around a lot involving timelines, but a lot of them don’t really have a coherent story line anyway.  movie setting:  prisoner of askaban.  pov:   she/her pronouns.

you were looking off into the distance in a daze, end of pen in mouth as your writings came to a halt and instead getting caught up in thoughts.  your summer hadn’t been great,  if you were being completely honest :  your muggle friends were getting on your case regarding being missing for a year,  you knew at some point you had to pick : the wizarding world or the muggle one,   living two lives was absolutely exhausting,  living them meant being two types of people - like one example,  you had accidentally used a levitating spell to put a cup back and last minute your friend walked in, smashing on the floor as your hand flinched down to your side.

“ what was that crash ? “  “ i put the mug too close to the counter, “ you had laughed nervously, quickly walking towards the glass to pick it up “ it fell off as a result ”  “you’re clumsiness is going to be the death of you “    

that was only one of the close calls,  there were far too many to keep track of,  including dropping hints to the wizarding world in conversation, only to stutter and try and say you were referencing a bizarre indie movie from overseas. at this point you were trying to pick would it be even possible to choose a side ?  it seemed impossible just to pick one over the other,  especially knowing that no matter what route you take it would result in an empty, hollow feeling left inside of chest.    you’re not sure who you could go to for guidance,  you weren’t familiar with any muggle borns your own age,  and talking to a pureblood or half blood would go in vein,  the latter would understand to some degree,  but ultimately it’s not the same and with it being so complicated,  listening to people who barely got it would be a waste of time and only twist the knife in gut. 

 “ everyone,  i would like to introduce you to remus jo - “     that was all you really heard dumbledore say before ears blocked out the world like static,  everything beyond the screaming in your head made everything else seem like a distant hum with no tune,  a crackle of a tv that can’t quite catch signal.  your pen tapped against your bottom lip,  perching against it as you eyebrows knitted together in deep thought.   

maybe professor dumbledore could help,  he wouldn’t get it but maybe he could shred some light on the situation ? he was always good at that. 

“ miss l/n - “

perhaps it’s all just being blown out of proportion,  work leave would surely be something the muggles would understand that.  even if they are after photos, work gossip and other details - 

“ y/n “  between the firmness and the sudden block of your view as the men stepped into eyesight causes you to flinch,  reeling away from nothing in panic as you try and grasped your surroundings once more,   blinking up in a rapid succession that causes concern to flash on the two men’s faces.  it takes a moment to register where you were,  the surroundings,  what the hell was going on in general... 

“ huh ? “  your tongue pokes out to roll against your bottom lip,  eyes wide as you stared up at dumbledore,  only for sight to break away from the one your most familiar with to the new guy...    you won’t lie to yourself,  you weren’t ready for seeing someone like him,  especially in your state.  his eyes were beaming with life,  amusement dancing behind dark hues as a faint smile tugged at lips,  hands pushed far into pockets as eye contact seemed to lock,  your lips part to say something,  anything but much like before your brain seemed to short circuit,  this time for an entirely and much more embarrassing reason,  “ huh ? “ you repeated again,  cheeks coming to life with colour as you kept looking at the new guy.

“ this is professor lupin, y/n.   the new defence against the dark arts teacher - “  speaking slower now,  and you’re rather grateful for the approach because you really needed things to stop going by so quickly,  the whole world seemed to flash in front of you at lightening speed.

“ oh “ a pause,  then it really began to register “ OH ! “  it was the most beautiful example of a pin drop ever to grace hogwarts’ walls  (  yes,  dumbledore will be thinking about it years to come  )   -  you jump up rather clumsily and hold your hand out to the man  “ hi,  sorry  -  i was just ... never mind,  hi  ! “ you repeated again,  the embarrassment settling deep within bones,  making itself at home in the creases of mind that would take weeks to weave out.  but regardless of the mocking in head, you do your best to not feed it and give it anymore attention... at least for the time being.   lupins much bigger hand wraps around yours,  a firm but gentle grasp as he finally takes the moment to speak himself. 

“ that’s quite alright,  i can tell that we disturbed you.  in fact i believe we should be the ones apologising, however professor dumbledore here insisted on the introduction - “ it came easily,  between tone of his voice and the warmth of his hand, you’ve never felt safer, it was like being in a warm hug beside the fire on the night of winter;   you mentally slap yourself for acting like a teenager towards a complete stranger.   your eyes however, narrow towards dumbledore,  in a way blaming you own pathetic display on him.  a faint smile on his lips as he made up some excuse to leave the pair of you alone,  not at all hiding the way his eyes twinkled with amusement at the scene that played out. 

your hand flexed around remus’,  far too busy sending daggers at dumbledore walking away than the fact you were still holding the older man hostage,  not helping the murmured   “ ugh,  he can be such an arse sometimes - “ 

“ i believe that’s apart of the charm “ remus chimed,  your eyes moving back to his as you smiled up at him once more,  less tense than what your face was previously  “ um,   miss l/n ?  your hand - “ 

“ oh, fuck, sorry - “   instantly your arms folded across your chest,  the blush only darkening your cheeks “ i promise i’m not this socially inept,  well,  at least to this extent - “ 

“ oh,  don’t fret.  i’ve met much worse people,  i myself tend to panic in social situations.  they’re not my forte “   you shoulders relax,  though you can’t help but note that he seemed surprisingly at ease even with the confession. your eyes dance around the staff room,  much to your own relief they seemed to be back to focusing on their own work. 

“ well,  you’re doing much better than me if that’s any help.  so,  you’re teaching dark arts -  ? “ then the conversation seemed to spark to life without much spluttering after that,  eventually both sitting on the couch and bonding over lessons;  including how you got your position in the first place,   your arm rested on the back of the furniture as your body turned fully to him,  the longer the pair of you were sat there,  the more they progressed beyond work and more into personal ones, about experiences outside of hogwarts and within the walls, not helping the fits of giggles that bubbled in your chest. 

“ being a slytherin comes with the natural title of ‘dark pranks,’  most of us tend to live up to the name.  people demonise us,  so we give them a reason to continue it.  that certainly doesn’t end at our humour, i think it shows more than ever in that aspect - “ you giggled again, head shaking  “ i remember my friends putting a real snake in one of the gryffindors bed covered in animals blood, the girl panicked for weeks  -  but they started it  ! “   

“ i must say being a gryffindor myself,  i feel like i should be offended on behalf of them.  then again,  my friends here were trouble makers as well.  their pranks could... “  wrist rolled in the air,  and while there’s a hint of pain twisting in features and a haunted look that seemed to cover bright eyes,  there was still a fondness in how he spoke  “ extremely, well and truly out of hand ? “

“ ahah  ! “  it’s like a triumph,  finger pointing at the others face   “ you can hide behind the fancy wording all you want, professor.  but you gryffindors can be just as over the top as the rest of us,  if not more so ! “  he knocks your hand away from his face playfully,  grin widening as mock offence does its best to take over features.

“ firstly,  you may call me remus,  second of all,  i will agree with nothing you say,  i would never stoop so low. “ 

your heart skipped a beat at the notion. 

“ you may call me y/n, only when you admit i’m right - “ 

a nice joke to push down the giddiness of calling him by his first name the short hours of knowing him. 

“ how very slytherin of you - “ 

“ how very gryffindor of you to point that out, remus “ 

the back and forth banter eventually came to a halt, as minutes ticked by it was time to go to the great hall for food and to sort out the new years. you and remus walked in a comfortable silence,  a lightness surrounding you both as it showed in your steps, and showed in the way his lips remained locked in a subtle smile.  you were left with one feeling...  finally, dumbledore hired someone worthwhile. you would also give him a hard time for that awkward bow that he did at dinner. 

[nevergettingoverwincest]

Welcoming Committee

I needed a slightly more nuanced exploration of heaven and also needed some Bobby POV on codependent Winchesters, so here we are; 15x20 ficlet

Time passed differently in heaven. Bobby wasn’t sure if it was ten minutes or a few days ago that Ellen had finished her beer and gone inside, leaving the seat beside him empty. Long summer afternoons bled into one another, interspersed with dewy mornings and mild, starry nights in no particular chronology. That might have annoyed him, back on the mortal coil. What kind of a damn afterlife can’t even get the days right? But the gentle slip-slide of time mellowed the monotony of eternal peace. 

Gravel crunched in the parking lot and Dean Winchester was staring at him. “What memory is this?” 

“No memory, son. Jack’s done some redecorating around here. All one heaven now. Lots of familiar faces round here these days.”

Slowly, Dean approached and took the beer Bobby passed him. Poor kid’d always been reluctant to believe good news. Didn’t like getting his hopes up. He took a sip and looked at the bottle in surprise. “This tastes like the first drink my dad gave me.” 

“Good stuff?” 

“No, it was crap.” Dean huffed a laugh. “But it was awesome.” 

Bobby tipped his own bottle in acknowledgement. It figured heaven would have weak beer, come to think of it, but it went down easy on a hot day and the bottles were always cold no matter how long ago Jo had left his refill beside him. “Your daddy lives just over there. Both your parents.” 

“Huh.” Dean looked around at the Roadhouse, the forested mountains, the brilliant sky. “Jack did this?” 

“Cas helped.” 

Dean’s chin jerked around. “Cas is here? He made it out of the Empty?” 

“Yeah, Jack sorted that too. One powerful kid you got there.” 

“He ate his Wheaties alright,” Dean said. “It’s almost perfect.” 

Bobby felt himself smiling ironically. Winchesters were predictable as hell. “He’ll come along soon.” 

Dean frowned. “Not… you don’t think…?” 

“Do I think he’s going to do something stupid?” Bobby raised his eyebrows. “You mean like every other time one of you’s kicked the bucket?” 

The furrow between Dean’s eyes deepened. “He promised. He said it was okay. He promised me.” 

Bobby sighed, beer bottle sweating against his jeans. “Helluva thing to ask your brother.” 

“He’ll be okay. He has to be.” Dean was leaning forward in his chair, one leg jittering restlessly. Heaven would make you peaceful if you let it, but for a Winchester without his brother, peace wasn’t on the table. “He’s always been stronger than me,” Dean said, knuckles clenched around his bottle. 

“Is that right,” Bobby said, and drained his beer, wondering for the thousandth time how a smart boy like Dean could be so stupid. “Like I said, time is different here. Sam’ll come whenever he comes. No use fretting about it now. Why don’t you find something to do while you wait?” Bobby remembered saying the same thing to Sam when Dean was in second grade and Sam was still home all day. Your brother will be home soon, why don’t you find something to do while you wait? 

“Yeah. I should see Mom and Dad. And I’m pretty sure Cas and I need to talk.” Dean didn’t move, still glowering around at the immaculate day like it had personally offended him through a lack of Sam. Truly it was like babysitting a toddler again. Bobby nodded across the parking lot, clearing his throat to get Dean’s attention. Dean lifted his head and lit up. “I think I’ll go for a drive.” 

The gleaming car roared to life, soulful rock spilling out of the speakers. Dean waved and grinned as he pulled out onto the mountain road in a cloud of dust, childishly gleeful.  

Winchesters. Many times Bobby had cursed the day John Winchester walked into his life, but somehow, he couldn’t rest easy even in heaven until he had the full set back where he could keep an eye on them. 

The afternoon briefly lapsed into a bright mid-morning, without detouring through the intervening night, and the sun climbed high in the sky again. Jack was a sunny kid, he liked his daylight. Bobby rested his eyes for a bit, not napping no matter what Jo called it. 

The sound of the engine woke him - some time had passed, maybe an hour, maybe a week. Maybe decades, a whole lifetime. Maybe Sam had kept his promise. Maybe Dean just wanted to think so. Bobby’s empty beer bottle was still cool to the touch as if he’d just drained the last of it. The shadows on the ground had hardly moved. 

The Impala rolled to a stop and two figures got out, unfolding themselves from the car just like they’d done a hundred times in Bobby’s junkyard. Sam shaded his eyes and smiled, waving as he shut the passenger door. 

Inside the Roadhouse, someone had put Zeppelin on the jukebox. The notes of Ramble On drifted out and Bobby wondered if Ellen had seen the Winchester boys pull in, or if Jack had just designed heaven with a sensitive soundtrack. Sam and Dean ambled toward him, shadows dancing beneath their feet. They walked shoulder to shoulder just like they always had. Sam’s face was relaxed and open, and Dean was grinning brighter than the high noon sun.

[airi-p4]

Never have I ever

This fic is based on the song "Jo mai mai" from Joan Dausà, which was also one of the stories from the film 'Barcelona, nit d'estiu' (Barcelona summer night).

AO3

__________________

Luka’s POV

I get the last preparations ready for the evening. A Kitty Section reunion after… How long has it been again? My mind goes 10 years back to this exact date: Kitty Section official debut. Time sure flies, huh? We’re all grown up adults now, all of us chasing after our dreams...

Today Rose is earlier than usual. After offering me a bottle of champagne, I greet her with la bise and let her in. "Juleka will arrive shortly," she gets inside my apartment. "I ended earlier than expected today, so I thought I could help you with last minute preparations", she explains, while I put the champagne in the fridge and check to see if the ice cubes are ready for the evening. "Thanks Rose. I really appreciate your help"

The doorbell rings as the clock points at 7 PM. I open the door to Juleka. “Punctual as always” I grin, and I welcome my sister inside. "Of course" she answers, and moves to the kitchen to help her wife with the preparations, not before kissing her first. They're so cute and happy together.

Ivan and Mylene arrive some minutes later with their baby girl deeply asleep in the baby stroller. “Long time no see! How are you?" I welcome them, hugging Ivan and greeting Mylene with la bise. "How’s the baby doing?”

“She's a good girl. She won’t disturb us” Mylene says.

“She could never…” I answer with a smile and I let them in, closing the door behind them.

A few minutes pass and the doorbell rings again. I open the door to Marinette. She looks as beautiful as always, with her loose hair, and I can’t help but blush a little.

"Hello, Marinette. You come alone today?" I ask, mostly to keep my head cold, especially if Adrien accompanied her like he usually did. He was also invited as a member of Kitty Section, even if he only performed with us for a short while.

"Good evening, Luka" Marinette greets me back with a smile and reaches to kiss my cheeks for la bise . "Adrien will come later. He has some business with his father…" she explains in a low voice.

"Oh…" is the only thing I manage to say while my eyes move to look at the ring on her ring finger of her left hand, one she's touching non-stop, fidgeting. My heart aches at her sad expression.

"How's everything going?" I ask her. "Everything ok?"

I know I shouldn't have asked that. But I can't help but worry about her. Her discordant heart song waries me.

“Oh, yes. Just…" she looks at the floor, avoiding my eyes nervously and hesitantly. I lower to her eye level, in a silent question, and she talks again. “It’s nothing. Everything is fine” she assures, with a forced smile. She seems clearly uncomfortable, I notice, and I decide not to pressure her anymore: today is not a day to feel unhappy. Not when we're celebrating the reunion of Kitty Section after a while. I have the job of making everyone enjoy their time as the host and leader of the band.

I hum in answer, noticing her urge to change the topic. "That's a very pretty floral dress you're wearing. I love it"

"Oh- Thank you!” Her face lights up. “This is one of the dresses I designed for Gabriel's newest collection. I'm happy you like it. I hope it sells well” she smiles, spinning around so the middle length skirt flies and exposes up to her knees.

“It's beautiful. And it’s designed by you, so I have no doubts it will be a hit, like always" I offer her a warm smile, and she welcomes my compliments with a blush and a shy "Thank you". She seems better now and I feel slightly relieved.

“Oh, come in, don’t stay at the door” I snap out in realization as I signal her in with a gesture. I take a moment to breathe deeply and calm my obvious nerves after she thanks me and disappears inside to greet the others.

With Marinette there, and Adrien confirmed to arrive late, all the gang is reunited and ready to celebrate.

________________________________

"The food was exquisite"

"Let me try that wine"

“Your parents pastries are the best, Marinette"

"Get me one of those biscuits"

“Oh, get one for me, please!”

"Anyone want coffee? There's gin and tonic too"

Dinner has gone perfectly well and we liven up catching up and remembering stories from old times. Laughter fills the room, energetically and cheerfully, eating and drinking and in a complicity found again after a while. Adult life is busier, and it’s not easy to meet up as before, but we still have the same group complicity as always.

And, of course, music can't be left out as we all sing and play together our old band's most iconic songs: Rose and Juleka singing, Ivan and me accompanying them with improvised percussion music made with glasses and cutlery. I even use an empty bottle of champagne as a flute and everyone's mind is blown by the sounds I can produce with it. Too many hours of boredom and loneliness during tours. Marinette claps her hands and sings along too. Cute.

"Don't be so loud, you're going to wake up the baby!" Mylene shushes us, which causes everyone to giggle in a lower voice at the baby girl's adorable sleeping face.

And we play at that drinking game we used to play during summer nights: Never have I ever. Someone says ‘ Never have I ever’ and completes the sentence with something they might or might not have done, and those who have done whatever stated must drink a shot glass of alcohol.

As we continue to play, it gets dark outside.

“ Never have I ever... stolen Jagged Stone's shades from me” Marinette says, expecting to find a culprit from years ago.

Everybody exchanges looks, until Rose drinks with a giggle.

“So it was you, Rose! You said you didn’t know who it was!” she yells at her petite friend. “I had to create a new pair because of that! I was so nervous Jagged would notice!”

“Sorry, sorry! I confess! Those shades are too cool not to steal them!” Rose giggles, hiding behind Juleka. “You thief!” Marinette yells, and laughs get louder.

“Shhh…! The baby” Mylene warns again, cradling the sleeping baby in her arms.

“Sorry” we all apologize, still giggling. It really feels like time has stopped for us. Back in the summer of 10 years ago.

Suddenly, Marinette’s phone rings and the spell breaks. She moves to answer it at the balcony. “Excuse me for a moment…” All of us can see how she has an uncheerful expression on her face and worry.

“Marinette… is she ok?” Juleka, Rose and Mylene exchange a worried look. Ivan shows concern too, but remains quiet. They stay silent as soon Marinette comes back into her chair.

“Sorry, it was Adrien. He’s on his way. Should be here in a few minutes”

We nod, but all of us notice how Marinette looks sad again, and the aura of the room changes in concern. All of a sudden and out of nowhere, Juleka says:

“ Never have I ever wished to kiss Marinette”

Marinette squeaks and blushes in surprise and, at that moment, I notice how everybody takes glances at me. I look at Marinette for an instant, and then to my glass.

I hesitate. It's not like it’s a secret, is it?

Before I can decide whether to drink or not (and its implications), my sister looks at me, raising her eyebrow and adds: “And never have I ever wished for her to leave his husband”

Everyone stares at me and nobody drinks.

I sigh and try to avoid the intensity and pressure of their eyes, but that dart of poisoned words has pierced through my heart, and I have no choice but to admit it with a sip…

Dammit Juleka!

I hear some giggles and I slightly blush, discreetly covering my face with one hand to avoid meeting their eyes- especially Marinette's.

But then, unexpectedly, I see how Marinette raises her glass up and, while staring to my eyes, confidently and with a clear voice says:

“ Never have I ever thought I would be happier by your side”

I freeze.

And she approaches the glass to her lips and drinks.

[carmenxjulia]

Showrunner Duane Capizzi did an informal Q&A session with some fans in a CS chatroom. There are several question askers, all marked by name. Get some insider knowledge on the show, after the break!

Duane Capizzi:

Just checking things out! Feel like I'm poking my head through a door at a party I'm crashing haha.

Fun to see everyone hanging out and talking all good things Carmen

Can't stay long - I should have taken the code name "Crimson Phantom"

Crimson Phantom - I like the sound of that (if it's not already taken haha)

Carmen:

It's an awesome nickname! Personally I'm more of a Scarlet Santa Rosa person myself- I love that little interaction with Jules and Carmen in the special

Duane Capizzi:

Scarlet Santa Rosa! Yes, that was really cute between them. Too cute in fact.

Coach Brunt had some names for her too if i recollect

Arden:

Lambkins

Wren:

Didn't Brunt also call her Monica Santa Monica once?

Mage:

Yeah in the Boston episode

Also Josie San Jose

Arden:

I personally prefer Fedora the Explora

Duane Capizzi:

Josie yes hahaha

I can't believe we got away with Fedora the Explorer! I thought that would be noted but I'm glad we did. So funny!

Carmen is amazing! She "owns" whatever she wears, doesn't she?

Carmen:

She definitely owns Carmen Brand Outerwear

Duane Capizzi:

I'll share another tidbit though (along the lines of Carmen being a love story where everyone is in love with Carmen).

It was important for obvious reasons that the show be (among other things) about female empowerment. And we wanted to celebrate fashion of course. But it was super important to me to not fall into the "male gaze" trap. That was something I imparted to the storyboard crew and directors. It's a fine line, I know, but I think we succeeded.

Arden:

You sure did. What I adore about Carmen Sandiego is how unsexualized all the characters were while still being inclusive to different body types and races

Duane Capizzi:

Well artists love to sneak things in! So it was a little rule I had

They were mostly great about it - in all the 32 episodes, I think I asked to change only two shots for that reason. Where I had to go "ahem"

"Outerwear" sounds so peculiar but I think that's what made it work. I kept changing it back and forth and sometimes I'm surprised to see/hear it in the show. For the longest time it was "Carmen Clothiers." Did I make the right decision? Sometimes you can rework things too much and lose sight - it happens!

The one shot that leaps to mind was Shadowsan carrying her fireman style at top of 202, as they were escaping through the tunnels. Her, um, fundamentals were just a little too front and center to not fall into the "male gaze" trap. Nothing awful! It was borderline. We just adjusted the angle a bit

Julia:

My favorite most definitely has to be her formal wear from the "need for speed caper"

Duane Capizzi:

I'd have to think about my favorite outfit or top five. All her evening gowns of course!

Maybe "witch." We couldn't make it red because it would not have been a very good disguise (plus, you know: "Scarlet Witch" haha).

But let's not underestimate her signature hat/coat - I continue to be enamored with how we updated her look from the old trench coat thing.

Arden:

Not me suddenly motivated to draw Carmen in a scarlet witch outfit

Duane Capizzi:

Then you have to draw Zack as Pietro!

(or Player? Only his fingers are speedy)

Arden:

Idea: what if player (or Shadowsan) was Pietro

Duane Capizzi:

Shadowsan IS Pietro. He's so quick you never see him move.

Wren:

Shadowsan's fight with Brunt where it went slowmo and he moved fast was so cool!

Duane Capizzi:

Hey, Shadowsan is quite the fashion plate too - am I right?

I love the outfits on the show. So good! So perfect! But, I'm not being very modest am I

I really love SS in the dark trench coat. So. Bad. Ass.

Carmen:

Any thoughts on the Fashionista memory thing?

Duane Capizzi:

Fashionista, sure! What do you want to know?

Carmen:

Give me a second-

Duane Capizzi:

Thank you for noting the aesthetics on the show! Much effort, passion and vision from all involved - Chromosphere, our directors, animators, composers, sound mixers - everyone gave it all they had, it was so inspiring for all involved.

Carmen:

Was there any significance to that specific memory- Carmen defending Julia in the Fashionista Caper- being chosen as the first memory she remembered when she went outside? Like, why that scene specifically over any others for example?

(referring to the finale)

Duane Capizzi:

Oh, that! To be honest, not from me: we were just trying to do the "swirl of confused memories" like we did with Gray earlier in the season. We wanted to show that the ACME device had jostled some old memories loose and that "the girl agent with glasses" was now taking root in Carmen's rush of memories/emotions

But that specific memory, not necessarily from my POV - it could have been any number of Julia moments, like their first meeting on the train (for instance)

The director Jos Humphrey must have picked it. It worked for me!

Carmen:

We all loved that it was that specific memory that was chosen out of all Julia and Carmen moments, the fact that she remembered defending her was an added emotional experience to the already emotional finale

Duane Capizzi:

Well let's talk about the original scene in 204! On the surface just a light fun episode, but so many things came together there: Shadowsan connecting with Player; SS getting his new clothes; but the key thing was switching Julia back from doing Chief's bidding back to Carmen's side. The episode was built around the moment that Carmen pulls Julia on stage with her (I'm not kidding). That was THE moment

Carmen:

We have MANY questions... we should probably set a limit

Duane Capizzi:

Ask away - I don't mind. Honestly, Carmen is my favorite topic! I've been living, breathing, dreaming Carmen for the last 5 years! I don't think there's much to say, I think it's all there on screen. But happy to talk about it because I love to

Cam:

I have a question, what about the color theory in Carmen Sandiego? What do you think certain colors mean as in, blue, yellow, green, and red.

we have our own ideas about the colors but it would be interesting to hear from your perspective

Duane Capizzi:

Color theory! Well chromosphere color scripts every episode (!). If those haven't been shared publicly yet remind me, maybe I can get permission to do so or have them do it. They are lovely to behold.

But basically Carmen = red (duh); Vile = green; Acme = blue. That's the simple version. We started talking about that early on.

color scripts = they do thumbnail art of key scenes to share mood/emotion

we tried to NOT use red for non-Carmen scenes; and scenes where she was significant the color red would be dominant or sometimes symbolically precede her (for instance).

If you google color scripts I'm sure you will see some come up. Try Pixar color scripts for instance. There's a great Art of Pixar book with their color scripts.

Arden:

Do you think Julia is blue or purple?

Duane Capizzi:

Haha, Jules definitely purple! Cute.

Mage:

You've just confirmed the whole color theory these guys have been working on for a while.

Duane Capizzi:

I was actually being funny - is she actually color scripted purple in the series? Wow, my mind might be blown

Garfield:

Now I have a question!

Julia has great admiration and respect for Carmen. Do you think Carmen has as much respect and admiration for Julia as Julia does for her?

Duane Capizzi:

I think Julia might just be a little infatuated with Carmen (even if she hasn't fully articulated how to herself - remember, the show may be sophisticated but it's still a kids show). But mostly Julia just knows/intuits/deduces Carmen's a good guy, pretty much from the beginning. I think the two have a connection that defies space and time in some ways - look at how much they work in tandem without being in the same scenes together much of the time. I love that!

As for Carmen, of course she respects Julia: she knows Julia "gets" her, and respects Julia's smarts and mutual love of history/respect for cultures.

I love how Chase is the ultimate buzzkill for whatever might be stirring in Julia as she's watching Carmen fly away in the Pilot. She's like, "whooaa ..." Then Chase falls onto the windshield. Hilarious!

Nina:

I was actually wondering if Carmen and Julia were meant to have opposing color schemes? With Julia's original outfit I mean

Duane Capizzi:

Oh, good question about Julia's original outfit: I'd have to think about that or ask Jos or Chromosphere. J's colors ARE sort of a drabber distant cousin to Carmen's, aren't they? I think mostly we just wanted "drab workaday" colors for Interpol, knowing that both of them would eventually be slicked up as ACME Agents.

Nova:

Devineaux is immune to injuries it is the only reason why he has lasted so long in ACME and Interpol

Duane Capizzi:

Devineaux, one of my favorite lines: "I did not know you two kept in touch."

Am I right?

SelinIndigo:

I have one question:

Will we ever know Carmen's given name? Also, if you don't mind when is her birthday in this reboot?

Duane Capizzi:

Carmen's given name: never say never! But for where our series ended, I thought it would just interfere. That's not how I wanted you to remember her. It would have just been a label and spoiled her mystique IMO

Player, however: we totally messed with you! "Mr. Bouchard."

Carmen's birthday?

Hmmm.

Maybe month and day but not year: would hate to date the show

I also don't like naming ages in shows because it just gets weird with timelines and such. Or can be.

Carmen:

I made a post about this a while back— how did Carmen end up getting Julia's apartment address? did she just text her for it or straight up ask? did she find out on her own in the least stalker-y way possible? I just have so many theories- do you have any thoughts on it?

Duane Capizzi:

The apartment in the IA special? Oh that whole story was like one big dream sequence ;)

Arden:

What does the wink mean? Does Julia even live in an apartment?

Nina:

Does that mean Carmen dreamt she gave Julia roses or-

Duane Capizzi:

We played things faster and looser for fun there

Okay, I just saw what time it is. Yikes! Time flies when you're having fun. Well THANK YOU EVERYONE (for loving the show, for building this site, for being you.

[starbornvalkyrie]

prom dress

Prompt 6: “that was impressive” Fandom: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas {next-gen Nessian} Rating: T Warnings: N/A 

A/N: I wrote this in my soccer moms au (read the original story here), again in the POV of my OC, Cassian’s daughter, Joana. Enjoy!

“Hey, dad!” Joana called through the house. “I’m biking to Cheska’s house!”

She was in the process of opening the front door when she heard him yell, “Wait!” Joana closed the door and listened as her father’s heavy footsteps thudded towards her. “I’ll drive you.”

Joana rolled her eyes. “Dad, it’s a less than ten minute bike ride to the other side of the neighborhood.”

“Sure, but I’m offering you a sweat-free mode of transportation.” Joana analyzed his face. Something was off. 

“You just want to see Aunt Nesta,” she accused. 

Her dad just flashed her his trademark grin. “You bet I do.” He winked. 

“That's disgusting. Whatever, let’s go,” she mumbled as she turned away from the front door and went to the garage. She hopped up into the passenger seat of his truck and waited. And waited.

No less than ten minutes later, her father finally walked into the garage. When he got in the car, Joana gawked. “Do not tell me you changed into a fresh polo and fixed your hair just to see Aunt Nesta.” To her amusement, the hardest Commander of Prythian’s Air Force blushed. 

He still denied it. “My work shirt smelled bad,” he shrugged.

“Dad, Aunt Nesta shared a car with you after that one summer picnic when it rained and you and Uncle Rhys wrestled in the mud. I don’t think she'll mind you smelling like an office.” It’s been a month since she and Cheska walked in on them making out after their soccer game, and it was still a little weird. They still bicker like no tomorrow, they wouldn’t be “Aunt Nesta and Uncle Cass” without it, but it’s less like frenemies and more like an old married couple. Humorous and nauseating at the same time.

But if Joana were being completely honest, not all that much had changed. The Soldatos frequently infiltrate the Archeron’s and vice versa it’s as if they all live in both houses. She has to admit, the visits are more peaceful now that they don’t have to tiptoe around their parents when they’re in their fighting moods.

Five minutes later, Joana jumps out of the car before her dad even turns off the engine and runs up the front steps. She lets herself in yelling, “Honey, I’m home!” The answering squeal sounded like it was coming from the kitchen, so she made her way in that direction.

She finds Cheska and her mother in the middle of mixing ingredients for some type of pie. Banoffee, from a glance at the ingredients. Joana kisses Aunt Nesta on the cheek and swipes her finger through the batter Cheska was whisking, eliciting a “hey!” from both parties.

“This is delicious,” she said, her voice muffled around her finger.

“And off-limits until we’re done,” her best friend scolded.

“What’s the occasion?”

Cheska shrugged, and said, “We just felt like it,” and went back to whisking. After a little bit, her mom gave a pointed cough. “Oh! I almost forgot! Our prom dress came in!” Aunt Nesta groaned when Joana shrieked.

“What’s all the commotion?” The three women looked towards Joana’s dad in the kitchen archway when he spoke. Aunt Nesta put down the knife that was slicing bananas and met him for a kiss. Their daughters dutifully gagged; the adults chuckled.

“Prom dresses,” was all Aunt Nesta said.

“Say no more. Why don’t you girls go try them on? I think Nesta and I can take it from here.”

Cheska immediately jumped at the opportunity and shoved the bowl of batter in her uncle’s arms. “One condition: there is to be absolutely zero parental make out sessions within a fifteen foot radius of the pie. I’m looking at you, Soldato,” she warned before dragging a cackling Joana by the arm and up the stairs. Cheska chattered the whole way to her room.

“I couldn’t wait, so I took the dresses out of the box but left them in their bags, and oh my gods, Jo, you are going to look amazing in yours. Together, you and I are going to be the talk of prom. I know somebody is for sure going to ask you to dance.” At that, Joana pushed her friend, almost making her fall down the stairs.

“Shut up, Cheska. Even in the most bombshell of dresses, he’s not going to see me as anything other than Izzy’s ‘kid sister’.” Aunt Elain’s son, Isaiah, is on the boys’ varsity soccer team at their school. He and his friends are one year above Joana and Cheska, and Joana has had the same crush on Izzy’s best friend since she learned boys didn’t actually have cooties but was too nervous to do anything about it. Guys usually went gaga over their cheerleaders, not other soccer players.

“I’ll maybe listen to you after you try on your dress,” Cheska bargained.

When they walked into Cheska’s room, Joana was stunned. Even bunched up by the clear protective bag, her dress was gorgeous. “Fine,” she agreed, “Let’s do this!” Joana grabbed the gown and went to Cheska’s closet to change.

The dress: perfection.

How Joana looks in it: average.

“Ches, I don’t know. Does this look a little… flat to you?” She asked as she stepped out of Cheska’s closet. The gown she chose was a stunning red with a slight pink undertone. It was strapless with a form-fitting bodice that opened into an A-line skirt from the waist. The dress was meant to bring out a woman’s curves, but too bad Joana didn’t have any. “I’m a soccer player, not a model. Maybe I was a little too ambitious, I don’t think I can pull this off.”

Her best friend circled her, analyzing her from head to toe. “Hmm… I have an idea.” In her own gown--a simple, black strapless piece with a mermaid cut that, of course, looks like it was made for her--she walked out of her room to call for her mom’s help.

When Aunt Nesta saw Cheska, her eyes lined with silver, but before she could gush about her baby girl in a prom dress, Cheska pointed at Joana and said, “Fix it.”

In a similar way as her daughter moments before, Aunt Nesta circled Joana, assessing her. She left and came back with some pins, placed them in different places, then ordered Joana to slip out of it so she could work on it.

Joana remembered the stories about Aunt Nesta helping Aunt Elain with her clothes after their mother passed away, and she wondered where Aunt Feyre was at those times. While they waited, Cheska changed out of her own dress. They laid on her bed watching Gilmore Girls and talking prom details until Aunt Nesta came back.

“Try this on,” she ordered. The moment she stepped into it, Joana could tell it was a masterpiece. Zipping it up confirmed that. Aunt Nesta must have magical powers. Joana walked back into the room so she could look in the mirror. Cheska squealed, again.

Aunt Nesta had cinched the top of the skirt and added a belt to add volume around her hips, making it look like she had a bigger butt than she actually did. But what really made it the perfect dress was the slit she cut up the right side so that when she walked, it showed off her muscular legs.

“Aunt Nesta,” she breathed, her eyes lining with silver, “this is beautiful.”

“Seriously, Mom.” Cheska glanced at the clock on her nightstand. “Oh my gods you did that in less than an hour, that was impressive.”

Aunt Nesta just smirked. “Well, I had to do something to help that Snow boy see what he’s been missing out on.”

Joana whipped her head at her, eyes wide. “Wha- How did you--” she stammered.

“Mother knows best,” was all she said. With a wink, she left to join Joana’s dad in the kitchen once more.

Joana tried her best not to cry. She never had anyone to call “Mom”, but Joana couldn’t help but think that she wouldn’t mind that person being Aunt Nesta.

---

my full masterlist

---

A/N pt. 2: No, her crush is not a Snow from the Hunger Games lol. It’s Kallias and Viviane’s son.

Thanks for reading! If you’d like to be added to/taken off my general SJM tag list just send me an ask! i’m very good at losing them in the comments. love y’all!

@maddymelv​ || @lucy617​ || @tillyrubes10​ || @faerie-queen-fireheart​ || @tottenhamboys20​ || @the-third-me​ || @superspiritfestival​ || @rolltide7​ || @courtofjurdan​ || @sleeping-and-books​ || @aelinchocolatelover​ || @julemmaes​ || @sorrehnotsorryy​ || @courtofjurdan​ || @acourtofaelinbryceandfeyre​ || @darlinminds​ || @lucieisabooknerd​ || @queen-of-glass​ || @jlinez​ || @abookishfreak​ || @stardelia​ || @ladywitchling​ || @rockgirl321​ || @sjmships​ || @thewayshedreamed​ || @mamakramer​ || @meowsekai​

[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 33

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: What happens after Leo returns? (At Waystation, pt 1234)

A/N:  What is this? A new chapter? I know I probably apologize too much but still, sorry for the long wait! Writer's block is not fun, you guys. It seems that I'm getting more and more insecure about where I should take this story by each chapter, but I did get a couple of encouraging comments while I was writing it and they motivated me to keep going! Extra special shoutout to my bff Cris(sy) for both recommending me the song that eventually helped this chapter to be born, and also helping me edit yesterday because I certainly wouldn't be posting this right now without you. (((((((((huug))))))))))

Disclaimer: The song New Year's Day obviously belongs to Taylor Swift and I definitely recommend listening to it while reading this chapter (specifically the scene where it's mentioned).

Words: 3300+

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / AO3

…

Leo stayed at the park for a while longer, but eventually he knew he had to return to Waystation. The talk with Piper had made him feel a bit better, but he was still worried about how Calypso would react to his meltdown. In his opinion, she had every right to be mad. He would have to explain his behavior, but how? That was the big question.

It was already well past noon when Leo showed up at Waystation again. The building was surprisingly quiet when he entered, hoping the others were looking for him. Usually Georgina was all over the place around this time, sugar high from the chocolate she had eaten and making a mess with her new presents. Luckily, once he had removed his coat and his hat, he started hearing some clunking from the kitchen, indicating someone was there.

Instead of just bursting into the kitchen and announcing that he had returned, he stopped to watch by the doorway. Only Calypso and Georgina were in there, the younger girl chatting enthusiastically while the older one was instructing her with baking. They were standing with their backs towards the door so they couldn’t see Leo. The smell that was coming from the oven somehow felt very familiar… something he associated with Calypso. It wasn’t until she bowed down to take something out of the oven that he realized what it was. The cookies smelled the same as the cake Calypso had baked a few times at their flat, and the shampoo she used: cinnamon-y.

“Look, Georgina!” Calypso showed her the cookies. “These ended up pretty good.” It sounded like she was hesitating a bit before she continued: “Hopefully your brother will like them as well.”

“Oh, he will, Calie! He’d probably like anything you do!” Georgina noted in the straightforward style she was used to.

“But I didn’t make these alone,” Calypso reminded her. “I had a good helper.” She put the oven pan on the table and reached to ruffle the top of Georgina’s hair a bit.

“Where do you think he went, anyway?” Georgina asked. Leo wasn’t sure if he just imagined it but to him she sounded pretty worried. “I’ve not seen him that way often…”

Calypso sounded pretty cautious when she answered. “I’m sure he will be back soon. He must be tired because he’s been working a lot lately and that’s why he’s a bit on the edge… but he wouldn’t want to miss your gingerbread cookies. Hey, what color should we use to decorate these?” She turned Georgina’s focus back to the cookies again. “Do you think pink would be cute?”

“No, I want all the different colors! Blue, red, purple, green, yellow…” Georgina started listing all the colors that she could remember.

“I don’t think we have that many food color bottles here,” Calypso pointed out with amusement. “But you know, we can try to mix some together!”

“That sounds great! Hey, is pink your favorite color?” The girl asked suddenly.

“Hah, what gives me away?” Calypso chuckled. Even the apron she was currently wearing happened to be pink, although Leo knew that was probably purely coincidental because she was using one of Emmie’s aprons.

“You’re always wearing something pink and you even wanted pink gingerbread cookies,” Georgina noted while she started mixing the sugar frosting very eagerly.

“You’re a smart one, aren’t you?” Calypso teased. “I do really like pink, though. I don’t know. Maybe it reminds me of the sunsets back in my childhood home… But lately I’ve noticed that I have quite a lot of red things in my wardrobe too. But what about you? What’s your favorite color?”

Georgina gave Calypso a long and colorful answer, which Leo only half listened to. He started thinking about Calypso’s statement. He wasn’t completely dense; he had noticed that Calypso had often picked those outfits that he may have complimented at some point. But could it be that she had even started using more red because of him? Nah, he shook his head, that was a selfish way of thinking. Her outfit choices were probably purely coincidental.

Suddenly Leo realized that he had been standing there eavesdropping the girls way too long. When he was about to leave, though, he heard Georgina say: “my moms try to hide it from me, but I know that Leo is not OK. I mean, maybe he is, sometimes… but I remember that last Christmas was a lot like this one.”

“What do you mean?” Calypso asked.

“He didn’t yell at anyone, but… when he is in a bad mood he either shuts down and avoids us or is even louder than usual. But between the jokes, he doesn’t look happy at all. Moms would probably say ‘Georgie, you’re too small to understand that stuff’, but I’m not a baby anymore. This one golden haired dude visits us sometimes and he knows a lot about health things and he’s been teaching me as well. I know sometimes people get depressed, if for example something really bad has happened to them. And I think something very bad happened to big bro before he came here.”

“Yeah… sometimes things like that happen, sadly… But you know what?” Calypso said, probably attempting to sound more cheerful. “I think your brother is really trying. He cares about you so much he puts your happiness before his. He doesn’t want you to worry about him. But he’s strong, just like you, right? He’ll pull through.”

At this point Leo felt he had heard enough. He had been expecting some talk about him; after all he had just caused a scene in the middle of the present opening. But to hear Calypso talk about him that way? So sweetly? That he hadn’t expected. He had imagined she’d be mad at him after the ‘incident’ of that morning. Maybe she was just trying to be nice simply to calm Georgina down, but that he would never know.

He slowly started backing up, so that the girls wouldn’t notice his presence. However, just when he was nearly by the stairway, his foot hit a box that someone had left on the floor, making a loud noise. Cursing himself in his head, he quickly looked up to see that the sound had piqued the girls’ interest and they both tried to see where it had come from. He hid upstairs as quickly as he could, but that didn’t change the fact that Calypso most likely knew he had been listening to them.

Great, he thought, as he closed his bedroom door behind him. As if things hadn’t already been awkward enough even before this…

… (Calypso POV)

Once she was done with baking with Georgina, Calypso withdrew into her guest room for some ‘me’ time. She had a lot to think about. Leo hadn’t been around for the lunch, which meant that the Waystation group had been unusually quiet while finishing their meals. She knew everyone must have been thinking about him, but no one dared to bring him up. After the lunch, Georgina had asked Calypso to bake with her and she had agreed, welcoming the distraction. But Leo still hadn’t returned so she had started playing with the idea that she wouldn’t listen to Jo and Emmie’s advice, instead going to look for him after cleaning the kitchen. Before she had gotten that far, though, she had heard him in the hallway, but he had disappeared from there before she had time to even properly see him. However, she knew it couldn’t have been anyone else.

While she was relieved that he had finally come back, one part of her was also kind of mad that he had been eavesdropping and hadn’t even told them that he had returned. She was pretty close to just marching into his room and letting him hear it, but eventually she decided she wasn’t quite ready for that talk yet. If only there was some machine that would allow them to exchange their thoughts without the actual confrontation… But that was a naive thought, Calypso knew.

Finally, she decided that dwelling on the issues the whole day wouldn’t help anything. Since the Waystation family would get some Christmas guests for the evening, she decided that she should probably change out of her baking attire (a simple t-shirt and sweatpants) that had gotten a bit floury despite the apron that had covered it. Thankful for having taken several outfits from her flat (see, Leo, they were useful for something after all, she thought), she was drawn between blue jeans and a white blouse and a pretty 50ies style red dress she had only recently sewn for herself. It had sleeves that reached her elbows, a ribbon around the waist and a v-shaped neckline. Calypso wondered if the dress was a bit ‘too much’ for a family dinner but she liked how it had ended up looking and felt pretty confident in it. That’s why she ended up picking it instead of the more casual option. Besides, a tiny voice said in Calypso’s head, it didn’t hurt that Leo liked that color...

Tying her hair into a small braid pun and adding a ribbon around it, she was finally happy with her look. Then her gaze fell into the silver bracelet Leo had given to her that was still around her wrist. Briefly, she wondered how he’d feel about seeing it after their earlier incident, but she decided to leave it on. She had kind of expected Leo to give her something silly, like a CD of him singing Never Gonna Give You Up or chili seeds as a joke, but the jewelry box and the bracelet had been very thoughtful. Leo really knew how to surprise her – in a good way – sometimes…

Realizing that she had already been spending over an hour in her guest room, Calypso decided it was time to go back to socialize with her hosts. She heard Georgina’s voice coming from the living room and decided to go check up on her. The young girl was sitting by the piano, singing one of those more modern Christmas songs that she herself wasn’t crazy about, but somehow it sounded a lot more bearable when Georgina performed it. But what really surprised Calypso was Georgina’s pianist. Leo was sitting there next to his adoptive sister and focusing on running his fingers on the instrument. For some reason she hadn’t expected him to be musical and especially not interested in playing Christmas songs (Calypso knew he was more of a rock ‘n roll type of guy). She wasn’t sure what to think of this discovery.

Calypso had always loved music and she had even attempted to learn to play the piano with the help of a nanny for a little while, but when her dad had discovered what they did, he had immediately told them to stop. To this day, Calypso couldn’t understand why; she just assumed that maybe her beloved father hadn’t wanted her to learn something so ‘useless’. Thankfully, her voice wasn’t something her father could take from her so she had kept singing mostly out of spite, and became pretty good. Now she began wondering if Leo would ever mind teaching her to play… that was, if they were able to have a normal conversation again.

Georgina’s song ended and Calypso stepped forward to let the others know she was there, applauding the girl.

“That sounded good!” She encouraged her. “I’m not a fan of Christmas songs but you did well.”

“Thanks, Calie!” Georgina beamed at her. “Leo has told me you can sing too. Can I hear some? Please? Leo can play!”

“I… uh… wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Calypso turned to Leo. “Since when have you been playing the piano?”

Leo ignored Calypso’s first remark and replied: “Since I was a kid. Yeah, I bet you thought I’m more like a drum person or something but it was my mom’s idea I’d try this. Well? Are you gonna sing something?” He asked when Calypso remained quiet.

“I don’t really know that many Christmas songs…” she replied hesitantly. “Georgie, do you have any suggestions?”

“I love Taylor Swift’s songs!” the 9-year-old announced. “Do you know any of them?”

Calypso nearly burst out laughing. “Of course I do! She’s one of my favorite artists. But I thought we were going to sing Christmas songs.”

“Nah, I think I’ve already had enough of them,” Georgina stated. “But TS has made some holiday themed songs as well. Like New Year’s Day. I have the piano sheet for it!” The girl showed her a book she had borrowed from the library.

“You’re a real Swiftie, huh?” Calypso couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s enthusiasm. “But fine, I actually quite like that song so I could sing it.”

Leo had been following the conversation quietly but now he took the book from Georgina and eyed the sheet.

“Let me practice a little; I haven’t even heard this song before so I have no idea how to play it.”

“Sure, take your time,” Calypso said carefully. She was relieved to see that Leo was acting that calmly now despite the morning’s incident but she couldn’t help but wonder if that was just the surface. Surely he couldn’t have just completely forgotten about it? She would have to bring it up at some point, but now was not the time. Even when she attempted to read the lyrics her thoughts kept going back to him.

She was so lost in her thoughts that Leo had to raise his voice before she noticed he had stopped playing. “Hey, did you hear me? I asked if you’re ready.”

“What?” she shook her head. “Sorry. I was just wondering something. But yes, I’m ready now.”

Calypso noticed that Georgina kept looking at them curiously, but for once she didn’t say anything.

“Good. Let’s go,” Leo said in a neutral tone.

As she started singing, the lyrics started sinking into her differently than before. Suddenly she felt like she was the narrator, singing about the aftermath of a party she had attended. Even though Calypso wasn’t big on parties, and the latest one she had been in – the Halloween one – hadn’t gone ideally, when she kept picturing herself among her friends that she had gained during her time in Indianapolis, smiling, carrying their shoes because their feet hurt from the dancing, she felt… happy. Adding to that the image of spending time with Leo cleaning up their home while he made his snarky comments and probably tried to sabotage her cleaning process, she felt warm in a way she hadn’t expected. However, she tried to stop that track of thoughts because she realized what it implied. The narrator of the song was singing about her significant other, and Calypso had decided a long time ago that she shouldn’t get one.

As Leo kept playing, Calypso tried to keep her focus on his fingers running on the keys. For a while it worked; Calypso was amazed by how fast they could move, but then again, she supposed that all those years of building things with his hands really helped him develop that skill. Calypso could spot some stains on his hands from the machines he had handled that would barely leave even with soap, and the under nail area could definitely have used some proper scrubbing, but he wouldn’t have been Leo without those things. She couldn’t imagine him not fiddling with something 24/7. That was one of the reasons she admired him; she valued hard work pretty high and couldn’t imagine being with someone who was just sitting still.

”But I stay when you're lost and I'm scared and you're turning away…”

When Calypso reached that part, she felt chills go down her spine because of how well that line described her and Leo’s current situation. He felt lost because of some past traumas. She was scared of both letting him too close and losing him and everything she had gained since that fall. He had turned away from her and his family already twice that day. But there was hope; maybe, if they managed to finally communicate properly, they’d find a way to even deal with the ‘midnights’.

“Hold on to your memories, they will hold on to you.”

Calypso stopped to think about that line. At first her thoughts went to the badmemories such as the times when she had been living with her father. But when she repeated the line, she understood the song was talking about the good memories that would carry you even in your worst moments. Before she knew it, she was filled with flashbacks. Yelling at Leo after Festus broke her desk. The weird warm feeling after she saw the fixed desk. Casually spending time together; cooking, cleaning, playing, watching shows together… That time when Leo had given her the seeds of her favorite flower… The ‘therapy’ sessions… The Halloween party and the almost kiss after that… the weird tension they’d been having ever since that moment… His smiles and laughs… No matter what would happen, she would always hold those memories close to her heart.

Suddenly, Calypso knew. This wasn’t just some infatuation that would go away with time. She had learned to appreciate Leo’s company more and more, the good and the bad sides, to the point that she was now in love with him. Back in August she had thought that they would probably never get along, but to her surprise they had more in common than she had expected and he had become a big part of her life. Lonely, unsure about their futures, past traumas… that’s what tied them together. And even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to deny that what she had been afraid of had already happened.

“And I will hold onto you.”

Those five simple words made Calypso’s voice crack. With frustration she swept the corner of her eyes quickly and attempted to clear her voice for the last lines of the song.

“Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere.”

She looked up from the lyrics with blurry eyes and glanced at the boy with the piano. Some months ago, she had told herself that she wouldn’t let anyone get too close to her. But somehow Leo and all her new friends had just snuck into it, and she couldn’t imagine her life without them. She wanted them to be a permanent part of it, but with so many uncertainties in the future, could she count on it?

“What’s the matter, Cal?” Leo asked when she very clearly had difficulties pronouncing the last few words of the song.

Calypso knew the words she was going to say were probably unfair, but she couldn’t stop herself. The frustrations of that day just demanded to get out. “What’s the matter, Cal?” she mocked him. “I don’t know, Leo. You just… freak out all of a sudden and run away and then you come back and act like nothing happened?! Don’t you understand at all how worried we all are about you?!”

“I…” Leo stammered but didn’t finish his sentence.

“Well? Are you gonna explain yourself?” Calypso asked.

“Listen, you need to understand…”

“Understand what, Leo?”

Calypso waited for a little longer, but when the answer never came, she said: “You know what? Never mind. Clearly I was a fool to think that you care about us… about me the same way I care about you.”

“Calypso…”

Calypso turned her back to him and muttered: “I’m going to see if Jo and Emmie need my help with something. Do not follow me.”

In reality, Calypso withdrew into the closest bathroom and finally let the tears come.

[timextoxhajima]

Love Me A Little Less: Chapter 4 - The Guest

LOVE ME A LITTLE LESS CHAPTER MASTERLIST

Member: (3rd person pov) arranged marriage au with Lee Juyeon

Genre: angsty wangsty

Taglist: @sunwoowuvbot @hyunjaethereal​​​

“Get the guest out of my fucking office.”

Jang Won grimly knocks on the door, looking down to ensure Younghoon was carrying more than a fruit basket - a briefcase, worth half a million in cash, in case she needed to bribe a certain someone. Her eyes befall the apple sitting in the fruit basket, and she peels apart the wrapper to remove the bruised item, mindlessly hurling it into the trash can right by the lift. 

The door clicks open, the sound of the door chain reminding her that she needs to handle this one with care and caution.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hi Mrs Nam, I’m Kim Jang Won and this is--”

“I know who you are. I’m asking what you’re here for.”

“Straight to the point I see,” Jang Won cocks a brow. “Look, we don’t want to make things difficult for you, but we’d just like to find out if you happened to know anything about the body swap regarding your husband.”

Mrs Nam’s breathing gets stuck in her throat. She swallows, eyes flitting back and forth between Jang Won and Younghoon. 

“I know nothing. After he died, I visit him every month. I didn’t even know his body was moved until the news.”

Jang Won feels like she’s being strangled, all her nerves shutting down one by one like a tidal surge through her. But Younghoon tugs on the end of her blazer, out of sight, and shifts to talk to Mrs Nam instead.

“Do you mind if we come in and have a chat about it? We’d just like to know more about Mr Nam so we can figure out who did it. Don’t you at least want to know who shifted your husband’s body?”

A hint of curiosity and anger flickers in her eyes despite the slight hesitation. Mrs Nam subtly nods, head looking down but gaze still stuck to Younghoon as she gently closes the door.

“You don’t have to be in there if you don’t want to,” He murmurs, loud enough for her to hear while watching her in the corner of his eyes. 

Jang Won sniffles, finger rubbing the tip of her nose as she composes herself. The jingle of the chain being removed sounds through the door. 

“I’ll be in there because I want to, not because I can.”

The door clicks open, and Mrs Nam keeps it wide for Jang Won and Younghoon to enter. The apartment is rather neat and simple - a couple of single sofa seats around a circular table and a standing television. Pictures on the shelves framing the television. 

Drawn to the pictures first, Jang Won wanders to the photographs. 

A son, older than Younghoon, stands in most of the pictures. A degree in culinary sciences. A picture shot in Paris. Multiple pictures in Europe. A family portrait of him and his wife, Caucasian. 

Younghoon sits opposite Mrs Nam, who looks more tired and drained than anything else, like the anger from before has completely dissipated.

He glances through the pictures, aware that something must’ve caught his sister’s attention because Jang Won wasn’t being very focused now. “We just wanted to know more about him. He might’ve worked at Artemis and I’ve yet to check with his ex-colleagues but I just wanted to know if he was happy there, or if he wasn’t, did he have any... enemies?”

Mrs Nam takes in a deep breath, rubbing an eye before her hands come together on her lap. “No, he was happy, as far as I knew. The only thing he was upset about was my son moving to France and settling there. But otherwise, he was easy-going. Kind. Helpful. I can’t think of anybody who would want to deliberately shift his... body... because he had offended them.”

“I hate to be the one to suggest this but could your father have done anything to anger your son... to the point where--”

“No,” She says with such resolution, it finally tears Jang Won’s attention off the photos. “Never. Their love might’ve been tough but they’ll never do anything to hurt each other.”

Younghoon glances at his sister before returning to Mrs Nam. “So... nobody, huh?”

“None that I can think of.”

Jang Won blinks her emotions away, fingers fiddling with her rings as she looks to Younghoon. His eyes sink to the floor, licking his lips in slight anxiety as he realises they’ve hit a dead end. 

They leave the apartment with only the briefcase, and Mrs Nam closes the door before they can even walk off. The lift ride was exceptionally quiet, Younghoon merely watching Jang Won zip in and out of reality in the reflection of the lift mirrors. 

He looks over, watching the layer of tears thicken over her eyes. Reaching out and rubbing her shoulder, he contains the emotions he’s feeling, just by watching his cold-hearted sister reveal the hint of humanity in her. 

“I told you not to go in if you couldn’t.”

“And I could,” Jang Won clears her throat. “I don’t need you to baby me. It’s been a long time anyway. I’ll deal with it.”

The lift door dings open, and sees Jang Won walking out the doors, leaving Younghoon behind as she struts off. 

Unfortunately, this soft side of Jang Won remains short-lived, for Younghoon finds himself holding her back from tearing the skin off their father’s face when they reach home. 

“What the Hell is this?” Jang Won frowns, facial lines deepening in her skin when the staff is crowded in her office but none of them were moving. Her father, standing by her desk, looks up from the loaded query. 

“Ah, child! I was just waiting to--”

“Are you... moving into my office?”

Her father opens his mouth, lips wide enough for her to see her teeth when Mr Ro finally joins the party. 

“What is going on here?”

“Sir,” One of the housemaids lowers her head, almost like she was embarrassed. “Our guest-- Mr Kim... asked for us to help shift Miss Kim’s belongings out of her office. We were told not to tell you.”

Jang Won’s eyes almost double in size when she processes the words, the tips of her feet already turning to her father. Mr Ro looks up from his subordinate with distaste and disapproval, unable to believe the things he was trying to accomplish. 

“Just which part of June did you not fucking understand? Huh?” Jang Won takes one step forward, but Younghoon grabs her wrist and then wraps his palms around her upper arms. “Playing possum killed your braincells too?”

“No...! No! I wanted things to be early, smooth. So that you wouldn’t be pressured to shift out in June--”

“Bold of you to assume you’ll get it in June!” She hisses, harshly ripping herself out from Younghoon’s grip. “From now on you are a guest and a guest only. This is my house and you will touch nothing that does not belong to you.”

“Aw, come on, daughter--”

“Don’t--” She seethes, finger almost at his nose now. “Call me that. From now on, we just share the same surname... But if you want mercy on the account that I am something you created, then I’d rather you wait until I die.”

The staff in the room lower their head as she storms by them toward the door, and as dramatic as she is, she pulls the doors open and smiles widely at her staff. “A kind, kind reminder that all these people standing before you, Mr Kim Jo-Pil... they work for me. They answer to Mr Ro, and Mr Ro answers to me. So, shall you require any assistance in possibly fucking something else up... do get it to me through Mr Ro.”

She smiles sweetly, tilting her head to the side. “Now, get the guest out of my fucking office.”

The wind brushes through Juyeon’s hair relentlessly, his dark blue, almost black, locks ruffled and made messy in the wind. The yacht makes small jumps against the water, the sun reflected off the surface of the water and into his eyes, the motion of the vehicle spraying some of it onto his hands that were over the railing. 

“Are you sure you want to get yourself involved in this... Jang Won and The Board, I mean,” Sunwoo joins Juyeon by the cockpit, grabbing a bottle of Sprite and cracking the cap open. He takes a sip and smacks his lips, letting the wind do its job in his hair too. “I mean, I know it wasn’t your choice but... that stunt at the press conference last week? Damn, son.”

Juyeon smirks and scoffs, looking at Sunwoo through the lens of his sunglasses. “Maybe it was fueled by her, I don’t know... But I’d be lying if I said being at the same table with her doesn’t make me feel powerful. It feels like I could do anything I wanted as long as she was by my side and it’d... it’ll work, you know?”

“‘It’ll work’?” Sunwoo chuckles sarcastically. “You’re talking about the most powerful figure of The Board of your generation. Hell, it’s Hera’s Princess you’re dealing with here. I’m sure if you played by her rules a hundred percent, she’d buy you an island if you wanted.”

The continuous splash of the water just a few metres down the railing brings some kind of peace to Juyeon, despite the idea of being married to Kim Jang Won being tasteless.

“What about her brother? The Prince of Artemis, right? Kim Younghoon. He must’ve had something to say about Apple-Korea’s next director smooching his little sister on national TV,” Sunwoo snorts, taking another gulp of his drink. 

Juyeon shakes his head, apart from providing Sunwoo a patient smile. “I haven’t met her brother, actually. But word has it he’s the calmer of the two, which I’m actually pretty grateful for.”

“Maybe you should get acquainted with him. Get on Kim Jang Won’s good side by making friends with Kim Younghoon,” Sunwoo places the bottle back into the ice box, noticing the yacht slowing down to a halt. Juyeon peels himself off the railings, finally standing and giving his own limbs a big stretch. 

“Nah,” Juyeon shakes his head and pulls off his sunglasses, squinting away from the harsh sunlight. “The thing about Jang Won is that you shouldn’t indirectly find ways to get on her good side... you gotta do it in her face. That’s how she plays her games. Straightforward. Ruthless.”

“So like... borderline crazy and a control freak too, right?”

Juyeon snickers, pulling off his shirt to reveal the diving suit he’s got underneath. “Pretty sure if your dad came back from the dead and took over your life’s work, you would too.”

Sunwoo smirks, stripping the pieces of clothes off himself too. “Defending the missus already, I see.”

Rolling his eyes and pulling on an oxygen tank with a mask, Juyeon then glares at the younger. “Well, if she’s offering me all the cents I can count, I might as well work it to my best effort, right?”

He cocks a smug brow, giving his goggles one last adjustment before heading to the edge of the yacht. The hues of blue calm his nerves, already able to see the world of life beneath the surface. It has always been his paradise, and always will be.

“Today, we celebrate the love between two of The Board’s most powerful figures: Lee Juyeon, the next director of Apple-Korea, and The Board’s very own Hera’s Princess, Kim Jang Won. Just a last month, the return of Kim Jo-Pil shocked the country...”

Jang Won dips her finger into the glass of lemon-infused water, contorting the image of the television beyond the table and the space of the room. Still in her pajamas, she cannot find the motivation and strength to leave her bed. She can already hear the crowd bustling downstairs, getting ready for her hair, makeup, fittings--

Knock knock

“Oh, Mr Ro,” She covers her eyes, tired. The door clicks open and she groans to herself, refusing to open her eyes. “Please just kill me. I hate it. I hate all of this. Why did he have to climb out of his own grave?”

“I don’t know. His body was swapped, wasn’t it?”

The voice jolts Jang Won out of her laziness, and she sits up like she had been summoned from the dead too. 

“When did you get here?” 

Juyeon smiles, somewhat genuine, and leans against the door frame. He was already in a simple button up shirt, meant to be hidden under a gorgeous, white and silver blazer. His hair’s still wet though, his fringe covering his eyebrows and some portion of his eyes. 

Jang Won can’t help but soften at the sight of him half a foot into his room - if only Lee Juyeon knew how much her friends back in high school swooned over him. 

“Also, I don’t think killing you would be a great idea. Wouldn’t want to see you climb out of your own grave too. Family traits seem to run in the blood of the Kims.”

Jang Won rolls her eyes and crawls her way out of the bed that’s too big for her, feet finding her fluffy, cotton slippers by the bed and shuffling about the bedroom with her hair in a mess. 

“Not very good at answering questions, are you?” She sniffles, not bothering to close the bathroom door behind her as she ties her hair gracefully, pulling a hair towel over her head to keep her fringe out of her face. She hears the door click, and Juyeon appears behind her in the reflection of the mirror. 

The scent of mint from the toothpaste wafts through her nose. 

“Well,” He shrugs and leans against the doorframe again, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. “I answered yours.”

Jang Won chokes on the toothpaste foam, gripping the edges of the sink as she retches into the marble. “Your butler... Mr Ro, called me over. Offered to cover my fitting and everything for today. He said it’s on the house, or rather, yours, I suppose.”

Jang Won finishes up on her brushing, spitting out the leftover foam. “Still didn’t answer my question, y’know.”

Juyeon removes himself off the doorframe, watching her struggle by throwing her hair behind her shoulder. Some locks keep sliding back down around her neck, and her hands are already lathering some facial wash. She tuts in frustration, unable to get her hair out of the way.

Then Juyeon gently gathers her hair behind her neck, his warm fingers barely brushing against her skin. “Morning. Just about two hours ago,” He waits for Jang Won to squint at him, before she provides enough trust to shut her eyes and rub the lotion into her cheeks. 

“Mr Ro wanted to come wake you up, but something seemed to crop up with the tea and cake catering, so.”

“What? What’s wrong with the tea and cake catering? I paid good money for that bullshit,” She looks up from the sink, face smeared in some greenish-blue cream.

He grins, chuckling under his breath as she glares at him in the mirror. “Paying good money for ‘bullshit’, huh? How much did the ‘bullshit’ cost then?”

“Well,” She hesitates and frowns, creating lines in the lotion on her face. “Enough to piss me off if they don’t give me what I want.”

Leaning towards the sink, she runs her hands under the water and washes the lotion off her face.

“What company is the catering from? Need my help?”

She scoffs, waving his hand off her hair, grabbing a cotton towel and pressing it to her face. “To what? What are you gonna do? ‘Hey there, I’m the next director of Apple-Korea and I’d like my tarts and cupcakes this afternoon’.”

He leans his rear into the edge of the platform where the sink was built into, back facing the mirror while she carefully hangs the towel over the metal bar mounted into the beige marble wall. “What else would you want me to say, since that’s just exactly what I want?”

“I’on’t know, buy the company or something.”

He raises both brows in extreme shock, his lips pouting in disbelief that he should’ve been prepared for anyway. “What a solution.”

“Got a better idea?” She rolls her eyes, pulling a robe into the shower cubicle. “Also, are you going to stand there and watch me strip?”

Juyeon’s eyes flit off her instantly, hands pushing himself off the edge of the sink. “Could’ve just asked me to leave instead of being so crude.”

“Well now, I didn’t ask you to leave, I asked--”

“I know- I know what you asked-” Juyeon grimaces, blowing some air into the pockets between his teeth and lips. He sucks in a deep breath and exhales loudly through an ‘o’, giving Jang Won some kind of sadistic pleasure. “Do you ever get tired of that? Messing with people?”

Jang Won’s brown orbs rise to the ceiling, actually giving thought to the question. Her lower lip juts out as she shrugs. “Well... yeah. Yeah,” She finally nods. “But hey! I have different degrees of messing-with-people. There’s the I-kinda-wanna-mess-with-you-by-making-you-awkward kind and there’s the I-might-wanna-rebury-my-dad kind-”

“Alright, you have a nice bath.” 

Snorting, Juyeon waves her nonsense off and walks out the bathroom, sliding the door shut.