#not worth it i think. I'm gonna go to sleep instead. bye I love you all except for the one follower I still think is a bot fuck you

[neverendingford]

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[marvelous-imagines]

Forever and always

Johnny Lawrence x larusso reader

Request: I’m watching cobra Kai and have fallen in love with Johnny! Could you maybe do a short post on Johnny liking Daniels sister and then they meet again in cobra Kai 😱

Warnings: mild language. Angst. Fluff

I can't find the person's account that requested this👉��🥺💔

1984....

You and your family have just moved to California, now living in a small apartment complex where you and your brother are sharing a room, which was really a pain in the ass. Especially since Daniel didn't really seem keen on keeping his side tidy, it was annoying really. But you couldn't change it, no matter how bad you wanted to. But you could get out of the apartment for a while...

That's how you found yourself now, exploring the new territory with excitement. You've done been everywhere you'd thought, until you found the beach, that's where you were now. Barefoot as you walk on the beach, watching the ocean with a relaxed gaze.

Until a something hit you on the forehead, making you fall on your back with a yelp, pain instantly taking over your head. You had your eyes squeezed shut, a groan emitting from you.

"shit I think you knocked her out Johnny!" someone laughs, but you didn't care to open your eye's to see who.

"shut up asshole!" someone else says, that's when you felt someone crouched down beside you, hands gently grasping at your shoulders and giving you a gentle shake. Hand carefully pushing hair away from your now hurt forehead.

"hey, you alright?" the same voice said, you crack your eyes open and see two beautiful blue ones looking back at you with concern, his blond hair falling in front of his beautiful eyes as you feel the air being knocked from your lungs, heart skipping a beat as butterflies erupted in your belly.

This stranger was by far the most hottest stranger you've ever seen. He was handsome, beautiful, gorgeous.

"shit, can you hear me?" he asks, his voice bringing you out of your trance.

"y - yeah I'm fine - I'm okay" you stuttered out, trying to sit up, the handsome stranger helping you do so. "what the hell even happened?" you ask, watching how he let's a little smile sneak its way on his face.

"I threw my friends shoe away from him and it uh... Hit you in the face...he really hates sand..." he said trying not to laugh. You giggle a little, giving him a little grin.

"I'll have to admit, it's a little funny... But please watch where you throw stuff next time" you say with a chuckle.

"I can't make any promises sweetheart" he said, giving you a wink. You blushed, hating how handsome this man really was. His wink sending your heart into overdrive. "I'm Johnny Lawrence by the way" he stands up and offers you his hand. Which you gladly take, him helping you stand up.

"I'm y/n larusso, nice to meet you" you say rubbing at the sore spot on your forehead. Johnny looks guilty for a moment before his friends start shouting for him.

"to make it up to you for almost knocking you out, how about me and you go see a movie sometime, my treat?" he questioned, and even though you just got hit in the head you felt like you just won the lottery.

"that sounds nice, how about Friday?" you ask with a smile. Johnny gives you a smile as he stuffs his hands in his pockets, walking backwards and back to his friends.

"Friday it is" he confirmed, he set up the time and place and you felt yourself counting down the days until then.

Who would have thought being hit in the face with a shoe would have scored you a date with a handsome man?

Who would've thought that, that date would have brought you and Johnny closer, the outcome of being hit in the face making a beautiful relationship bloom. After that one movie date with Johnny there was more than one. One night you both went rollerskating another night you went mini gulfing. And after almost two weeks of dating Johnny had snuck you both into the local pool for a midnight swim. That was the night you first kissed, a night you would always remember.

You've been dating for a year, You fell so helplessly in love with him, he was sweet, loving, kind and even a gentleman. But you was the only one who saw that side of him. The only one who saw Johnny for who he really was. Everyone else saw him for his reputation, being a bully, a badass cobra Kai. They looked past his soft side that only you brought out, and looked straight at his tough guy attitude.

And even though he could be bit of an asshole and bully - especially with your brother. He wasn't really a bad guy. But you knew Daniel wouldn't agree with your relationship with Johnny, so you dated in secret. Always having dates when everyone in your house was asleep, hiding whenever you share kisses at school. Fleeting touches shared secretly, lingering gazes hidden.

But it was worth it, Johnny was worth it. And even though you knew Johnny and Daniel hated each other, you couldn't stay away from Johnny. You loved him. And the mere thought of leaving him hurt. So instead of choosing who you kept in your life, you tried keeping both. Because you knew if it ever came down to it Daniel wouldn't ever speak to you if he found out you and Johnny was a thing, that thought was painful considering you and Daniel was like twins, although he was a year older. And if Johnny knew Daniel wasn't speaking to you just because you two was dating, he'd make you runaway with him where you both could be together without someone trying to tear you apart.

You sigh at your wandering thoughts and live in the moment, that being seated in the sand, watching the ocean with Johnny's arm around you, holding you close against him you wearing his red jacket because the night wind was chilly. You've been sitting there for hours, listening to music on the boom box he brought. Talking and perhaps maybe making out.

It was nearing 2am when Johnny stood up, bringing you with him as he cups your cheek in hand and holds your hip in the other.

"we should probably get you home before you're family realize that you are gone" he muttered, face closer to yours. You smile and peck his lips before running off toward his bike. Hopping on the back and waiting for him you give him a grin.

"you better hurry slow poke!" you say, watching him run toward you with a laugh, the happiness on his face enough to cause your heart to swell.

Once he makes it to you he gives you a smirk, one hand resting on the handle bares of the bike while the other is resting on the seat behind you. He leans his face closer to yours.

"you're a tease y/n" he said, capturing your lips with his, the kiss deep and slow. His lips moving against yours perfectly. You pull away from the kiss and give him a cheeky smile.

"c'mon hot shot let's get going before Daniel wakes up for his usual kitchen raid" you joke making Johnny laugh. Hopping on the bike and listening to it roar to life. You wrapped your arms around Johnny's middle, holding him tight.

He then zooms down the road, wind blowing through your hair. You hold onto Johnny tightly, making him feel as if he was on top of the world. It didn't take long for him to slow down, before shutting the bike off. You was home, the apartment complex quiet all the lights off. You hop of the bike as Johnny stayed seated, watching you shrug off his jacket and handing it to him.

"I wish you could wear it all the time, it looks good on you" he said, taking it and putting it on.

"I think it looks pretty good on you Johnny" you replied back with a grin. He rolls his eyes and chuckles.

"you better get inside before Daniel or you're mom wakes up, my bike isn't exactly quiet" he points out causing you to sigh. "goodnight y/n"

"goodnight Johnny..." you lean in to give him one last kiss, him being the tease he is nibbles at your bottom lip. You giggle into the kiss and pull back reluctantly, Johnny smirking at you.

"I'll see you at school, bye babe" he starts up the bike as you back away slowly with a wave.

"bye Johnny, love you!" you say slightly loud over the noisy bike.

"love you too!" you watch how he gives you a wink before zooming down the road, disappearing from your sight. You sigh dreamily and head inside.

Completely oblivious to the watching eye's in your home.

You slip inside your bedroom and close the door quietly, slowly crawling in bed. As you laid down the light turns on making you jump up startled. Daniel gives you a look of disappointment. Making you instantly know that he knew.

"y'know I didn't believe Mr Miyagi when he told me that he saw you hanging around with Johnny but know I feel like a fool for not" he said, the disappointment Clear in his voice.

You sigh and hold your head in your hands. This was going to be a disaster...

"i was going to tell you -

"that's a lie" he scoffs, shaking his head. He looked angry now, he had a look of betrayal swimming in his eye's, "he's nothing but trouble y/n he's a bully! To be precise he bullies me!" now you scoff, looking up at Daniel with a annoyed look.

"I've been talking to him about that, he hasn't bathered you any now has he? he's not a bad guy Danny, he's nice, kind and he treats me like a queen! You just never give him the chance to be a nice civilized person because you instantly start going at each other's throats" you huff out, watching your brother shake his head.

"he's everything but good, did you see how he was fighting me at the tournament? He was fighting dirty!" he nearly yelled in anger, causing you to tense your jaw.

"he's different when it's just me and him, he's always so kind, so sweet...he loves me Danny, and I know you don't wanna hear it but I love him too... " you trail off knowing no matter what you say Daniel wouldn't change his mind. He didn't approve of the relationship, he didn't want you around him...

"he's a bad guy y/n, he's gonna end up breaking you're heart and I don't want that to happen to you... You deserve better" he muttered before cutting the light off and angrily going to sleep.

The next few days after that night was horrible. When you woke up you had walked into the kitchen, picking up a orange from the fruit bowl and tossing it to Daniel with a little 'think fast!' in hopes he would catch it like usual, a smile on his face. But instead he focused on his bowl of cereal and let it fall to the floor, ignoring you.

At school he didn't even look at you, wouldn't speak to you or even let you sit with him at lunch. It was painful, especially since you and Daniel was like bestfriends. He was always there for you when you needed him, a shoulder to lean on, cry on. You felt absolutely heart broken but thought perhaps he'd go back to being his normal self over time... But days turned to weeks and that's when you knew what needed to be done, no matter how hard it would be...

The room was dark, the only light being that of the moons blue hue shining through the window. You laid on your bed, watching the clock tick as you patiently wait for midnight to roll around. The cold silver locket in your hand felt heavy, your heart aching. You look down at the metal locket and sigh, flipping it open you let a little smile etch itself on your lips, the picture of you and Johnny one of your favorites, it was the night of your second date, the one where you had both went rollerskating. It was taken by Johnny, he held it further away from you both, smiling wide as you were. You close the locket as midnight had arrived, and for once you actually dread it.

Standing from the bed and slipping out the door, before you closed it Daniel spoke up making you freeze in shock that he was talking to you and fright that you had been caught.

"remember what I told you about him y/n, he's a prick, he'll kick you in the back any chance he gets" Daniel said, making a lump form in your throat. Looking down at the locket in your hand you nod.

"I won't give him the opportunity Danny..." you muttered, tears filling your eyes as you shut the door and leave the house with a heavy heart, a dark cloud lingering over your head.

The streets was empty, void of traffic or people. The star's twinkling in the night sky as the moons light danced across the ocean, waves crashing into the shore, sitting in the sand the man who stole your heart the moment you looked into his beautiful eyes...

Letting out a deep breath and wiping at your eye's in hopes the tears would go away you walk over to Johnny with a fake smile. He looks up at you with a smile.

"hey babe, before I came here I got you something" he grins up at you, holding a hand behide him and away from your sight. You felt your heart being squeezed by an unbearable pain. Out of all the nights he had to be the sweetest it just had to be now...

"oh, what it is?" you say sitting beside him, watching how he only grins wider.

"give me a kiss and it's you'res" you give him a genuine smile, leaning in and pecking his lips shortly. But that obviously wasn't enough, his pout saying it all, "what was that? That was hardly even a kiss!" he laughs, making you roll your eyes and press a more firm kiss on his lips, deciding to deepen it, relishing in the feeling of his soft lips on yours, engraving his taste into your memory as you place a hand on his jaw and pull him closer. Making him let out a noise of surprise into it, smirking as he pulls away slowly.

"how was that?" you ask teasingly. He chuckles and shows you the gift, which wasn't much honestly, just a flower, your favorite. You take it and feel your heart swell at the sweet gesture.

"johnny it's beautiful! Thank you" you kiss his cheek and decide you should give him the locket, even though you knew Johnny wouldn't even think twice about wearing a necklace, you still wanted him to have it. You pull it out of your pocket and hand it to him.

"I know you won't ever wear it, but I wanted you to have this..." you muttered, watching how he takes it and looks over it, a fond smile on his face.

"a locket?" he asks with confusion, looking inside it at the picture, "our second date..." he chuckles at the memory. He looks back up at you with a look of pure love and affection, making you feel sick to your stomach. Johnny noticed the change of mood in you and gives you a concerned look.

"what's wrong?" he placed the locket down and cups your face. You bite your bottom lip to stop it from trembling, unable to look him in the eye's.

"I - I'll always love you Johnny, no matter what... You know that right?" you say, voice cracking. He nods his head and wipes away a falling tear off your cheek. You didn't even know you was crying...

"of course, I'll always love you too y/n" he reassures you, but he only made you feel worse...

"I want to end things..." you let out your tears, your voice trembled. Johnny looks takem back by your words, shocked. He let's go of your cheek and flickers his eyes across your face, looking for any sign of anything but truth.

"what? Why?..." he questioned as he clenched his fist around the necklace in his hand. His once happy smile morphing into anger and sadness.

"we can't be together anymore... I'm sorry Johnny... I love you -

"if you loved me then you wouldn't be saying all that - bullshit!" he stood up, necklace in a vice like grip in his hand as he looked down at you with heart broken eyes, anger, betrayal.

"I'm sorry" you sob out, tears freely falling from your eye's. Johnny scoffs and shakes his head, tears swimming in a pool of anger in those beautiful blues of his, making your heart break even more.

"I should have expected this, you leading me on. You're no better then that loser brother of yours!" he yelled, taking one last look at the locket, his tears fell from his eye's making him angrily wipe them away, "love me forever eh?" he takes the locket and throws it somewhere away from you both.

You sit helplessly, crying on the beach as you watch Johnny walk away. But you knew if you had Johnny in your life your brother would never talk to you again.... It was a hard choice, and you found yourself regretting it...

2018....

You woke up with a loud groan, rolling over in bed spotting the book on your bed side table, reaching over and taking it, opening the book to see the old withered and slightly torn flower, your favorite. Although it's color was slightly gone and it was dead, you loved it. It reminded you of him.

Shutting the book you place it back on the table and stand up from your bed, deciding to begin the day with a hot shower. you gathered your clothes and head into the bathroom. After that you had a tiny breakfast and head straight to your brothers work, only to torture him a bit.

It's been years since that horrid night you broke up with Johnny, yet it still haunts you. The guilt and regret never went away, you never dated anyone after that, never got married. Although your brother would always set up blind dates for you, saying you needed someone in your life like how he had amanda, his wife.

You smile when you pull up into the auto shop, seeing the big letters of your last name plastered on the building. Parking your car and stepping out you head inside instantly spotting Daniel, who gives you a wide smile.

"well if it isn't the bum who always drops by!" he joked, hugging you. You laugh and hug him back.

"I dropped by to see if I could get my insurance this month payed off for free" you joke right back making him roll his eyes.

"no can do sis, I'm afraid you're gonna have to do that yourself" he said with a chuckle. "what are you here for though? Need a job? Because we are always hiring y/n - and I think you'd really love -

"Danny I don't need a job here" you laugh at his rambling. Daniel was always so eager to hire you, he wanted you both to work in the same field, under the same roof. But you didn't want to work at his business, although it was pretty awesome, you didn't really like the whole 'car selling and paperwork' theme. So you was a waitress at a old dinner, it didn't pay good but you wasn't poor. You knew Daniel felt slightly guilty for having so much money and a big house while you struggled to pay rent in a apartment building. That's why he made it a habit of loaning you - gifting actually, money. Even when you refused to take it.

"I actually came here to ask you about the whole dick in you're mouth thing?" you giggle at his face of horror and frustration.

"oh God you saw the billboard?" he asks with a low tone, a look of annoyance etched on his face.

"of course I saw it! I think everyone has" you laughed, almost at the point of wheezing. "I even took a picture so I can always have it as a reminder" you wheeze out, causing him to groan.

"of course you'd do that" he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"who done that anyway?" you ask, watching his expression turn from embarrassing and frustrated to conflict and deep thought.

"they didn't find him...or her..." he muttered, turning his back on you. Confused by how he just obviously lied to you, you shrug it off and understand it's a touchy subject for him, Amanda kindly texting you not to bring it up, but you did because it was to good not to.

"okay, well I hope you're day doesn't suck to bad" you stifle a laugh at your pun. He groans and shoo's you away.

"get out of here before I ban you!" you laugh loudly and complie, leaving the place. But as you walk to your car you noticed a yellow flyer on the ground. curious, you pick it up, heart skipping a beat at the word's...cobra Kai... But your heart fluttered yet is clenched with a guilt filled pain at the picture.

Johnny Lawrence in all his glory. He looked the same, a bit aged but still the handsome man who stole your heart all those years ago.

Folding the picture up you hop inside your car, deciding a little visit to this new cobra Kai dojo wasn't so bad. So starting your car and searching for the place you let your mind wander.

Was he still mad at you? Did he hate you?

Of course he did. you broke his heart for Christ's sake. He threw the locket you gave him away like it was a poisonous snake. You sigh when the building comes in sight. You park and stare at it, debating whether you should go in or not.

What if he didn't want to see you? Or what the hell would you even say?

You let out a deep dragged out breath before opening up your car door and getting out. You wanted to see him again, you needed to. So without a second thought you approached the dojo, getting ready to open the door while your head was held low.

That's when you felt a horrible pain in your nose as you fall on your back, a yelp emitting from you as you hold your hurting nose. Feeling the warm sensation of blood slowly falling from it. With eyes squeezed shut you groan.

"oh my God! Are you okay?" the familier sound of the one and only Johnny Lawrence blesses your ears. You feel his hands gently push your hair away and out of your face. "lady you're gonna have to move your hands otherwise I can't see what the hells wrong" you would have laughed at his polite yet slightly rude words if you didn't think your nose was broken.

You move them slowly and open your eyes only to be greeted with his beautiful concern filled blue ones. That's when it hit him, the realization of who you were, "y/n larusso? Is that you?" you sit up slowly and nod.

"yeah, is it just me or do you greet all women by hurting them unintentionally?" you joke, causing him to smile a small smile.

"come inside and let me check you're nose out, try stop the bleeding" he says while helping you up, leading you inside. His hold on your hand never filtered as he held it all the way to a little office typed room. Cleaning his desk off and motioning you to sit down on it. You do so and watch how he disappeared into some other room and soon returned with a few tissues and a cotton ball.

"so what brings you here? Wanting to learn some karate?" he asks with a teasing smile, wiping the blood from your nose then delicately placing the cotton ball inside the bleeding nostril.

"no, I actually saw a flyer and wanted to... See you" you muttered the last sentence but he heard. Giving you a small barely noticeable smile he crossed his arms. "it's been a while" you say with a nervous chuckle. Taking your eyes off him and looking down at your hands.

"well, since I hit you with my door how about I make it up to you and buy you a drink?" he suggests, causing you to snap your head up eagerly and nod.

"that sounds only fair" you giggle. He chuckles and reaches for his keys beside you on the table.

"then follow me" he said as he leads you out of the dojo.

In a car ride full of silence besides the classic rock playing on the radio, you both had arrived at a quiet little bar, where you both sat tucked away in a booth in the corner. A beer in both your hands as you talked and laughed like old times.

"oh God, do you remember that time when I snuck in through you're bedroom window and I didn't know you and you're brother shared room?" he asks with a laugh, the memory a hilarious one.

"you had to hide under the bed for like 5 hours before Daniel went to sleep!" you laughed, remembering how Daniel stayed up that night for hours telling you horrible jokes and stuff. Poor Johnny hiding under your bed and suffering through it with you.

"nothing will ever be as funny as that one time we went skating and you nearly broke my neck trying to push me away from you because you saw Daniel with ali" he snickered, sipping his beer as you snort.

"you wouldn't stop trying to make out with me, I thought he would for sure see us" you giggle while sipping your own beer.

"we used to have so much fun" he muttered, a nostalgic look on his face. You give him a fond smile and nod.

"y'know, I never wanted to break up with you that night..." you say, mind slightly buzzed from all the beers you've had. Not quite drunk, just more bolder with your words. "the only reason I did was because Daniel found out about us... He Stopped talking to me for days, he hated me"

That caught his attention and made him devote his full attention on you.

"he stopped talking to me, completely acting as if I didn't exist. So I knew if I didn't end things between you and me, I'd lose my only brother" you sigh, shaking your head and giving him a apologetic look. "I'm sorry I think I've had way to many -

"I kept it..." he blurted out, cutting your words short. You give him a confused look. "the locket, I went back the night after you ended things and found it" he reaches for the neckline of his shirt and pulled out the silver necklace locket.

You felt a flutter in your heart, a hope blooming inside you that perhaps maybe you still had a chance with Johnny. He smiles and flips the heart shaped pendent open, revealing the photo inside.

"you found it?" you questioned as you stood only to sit beside him, shoulders nearly touching as he shows it to you.

"of course, I didn't really throw it that far" he said while closing it, shoving it back under his shirt, "besides, even though you broke up with me I couldn't ever get you off my mind" he confessed while looking at you with those big blue eye's of his.

"likewise, I regretted that night ever since it happened" you muttered while looking away from him, feeling the guilt and heartbreak weighing down on you. Tears slowly starting to glisten in your eye's.

But Johnny gently placed his hand on your face, palm firmly pressed on your cheek as he makes you look at him.

"I understand y/n, I understand that you done that because you're brother and I aren't exactly bestfriends" he reassures you. Causing a little smile to tug at your lips. "I never stopped loving you y/n, and even though I can't stand you're brother... I'd love to take you to dinner sometime?" he asks with a little half smile.

You felt a wave of happiness wash over you, heart swelling with joy as you nod.

"of course, I'd love that" you say with a wide grin. He let's out a little chuckle, a silence falling over you two, his hand still on your cheek as he just let's his eyes roam your face with adoration.

"I missed you" he muttered, his thumb rubbing at your cheek.

"I missed you too..." you murmured, as you lean into his touch.

And as if he couldn't live without his lips on yours he brings your face closer and pressed his lips on yours. You was surprised at first but soon let your lips move with his in the familier way you missed, the kiss was enough to take your breath away. The way he nibbled at your bottom lip caused you to giggle into the kiss. Pulling away he gives you his beautiful smirk.

"I see you haven't changed a bit Johnny" you murmur with, small smile on your face.

"neither have you y/n..." he placed another kiss on your forehead as he wraps a arm around you, holding you close to him. For once in your life you feel content, happy. And there is no place you'd rather be than in Johnny's warm arms..

A/n: I know this sucks, and I'm sorry it took so long, I'm a very busy person *coughs* it's classified👀

Also I left my phone unattended, I was also in the middle of writing this here imagine, and when I came back to check on it my little sister had down this:

I laughed at this for a while 😂🤣

[miss-smutty]

The Destructive Secret

Chapter 4

Summary- You've got a secret to hide and it's going to cause complete and utter devastation. It's only so long until your lies are going to catch up to you.

Pairing- Chris Hems x Reader x Liam Hems

Word count- 2,211

Warnings- Smut, swearing, angst, cheating

18+ Only!!

Disclaimer: This is an entire work of fiction/AU and has no affiliation to real life what so ever! This is a fictional story about fictional characters who happen to share names and faces with some real people.

Posted: 29th June 2021

Taglist:- @innerpaperexpertcloud @pandaxnienke @chickensarentcheap @mostly-marvel-musings @longlostinanotherworld

>The Destructive Secret Masterlist<

"No not married but you do know her. You know her really well actually." Chris says while avoiding your gaze purposefully...

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife, silence so acute you could hear a pin drop. Liam waiting for an answer, Chris looking at his feet and you looking visibly anxious. Chris had drank way too much and now he was about to let all of your secrets loose. This isn't the way you want Liam to find out, surely Chris wouldn't be so cruel.

"I suppose you're not gonna tell me who it is?" 

"Not just yet, see how we go." He looked at you, if he so much as even looked slightly smug you would have slapped him right across his face. Instead you could see the hurt in his eyes, tears welling in the corners. You're both faced with an impossible dilemma, Chris wants you all to himself but doesn't want to lose his brother in the process and you want it all over and done with but don't want to hurt Liam. The latter of both is inevitable but you would take all the blame just so Chris didn't have to lose his brother, given the choice you would lose them both just so that didn't happen.

"Well on that note, I need to go to bed. I've gotta be up early in the morning." You avoid Chris' gaze, you're angry with him but you don't want to cause him more pain. 

"Yeah me too. I better get going. Thank you for dinner Y/N, it was lovely."

You risk a short glance at him, you're eyes softening when they meet. The moment broken when Liam speaks, reminding you where you are and who you're with right at this moment in time.

"Are you for real? You're really going to drop a bombshell like that and then leave? Fuck man." Liam runs his hand through his hair, letting air out of his cheeks exasperatedly.

"Sorry bro, I'll save the excitement for another night. I've said too much already." Chris apologises with his eyes as he passes you, his hands twitching by his side's with the need to touch you.

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

The next morning when you wake, your heart sinks knowing all the turmoil you're going to have to go through just to make it to the hotel without being spotted. All the messing about and hiding you have to do, checking in under a false name at different times. Making sure nobody follows you to the hotel and especially no one follows Chris. Getting caught checking into the same hotel would be dreadful, it wouldn't take a genius for the press to put two and two together, they wouldn't even care if it was true or not as long as they sold copies.

"Right babe, I'm ready to go." You pull your suitcase towards the door, stopping to wrap your arms around Liam.

"Have a good time, I'll see you soon." Wrapping his arms tightly around your waist and lifting your feet from the ground in a squeezy hug. "I'll miss you." 

"I'll miss you too, bye babe." 

"Bye. Love you. Let me know when you get checked in." He kisses you goodbye before watching you leave.

"Will do, Love you." You say over your shoulder, climbing into your silver, Audi convertible.

This is the part you hate the most, the part that made you question whether it was all worth it. It was, of course or you wouldn't be doing it, you wouldn't put yourself through having to pretend to be somebody else and praying your not caught by anyone. It only takes one person to notice you and Chris in the same hotel and it's over. You imagine having an affair is hard work whatever your circumstances but when your boyfriend and your lover are as famous as they are it becomes impossible. It's terrifying. 

You spent the car journey constantly checking your mirrors and making sure you weren't being followed. A huge sunhat and even bigger sunglasses covering your face as your heart beated faster than you thought was possible. A couple of laps around the hotel, making doubly sure you weren't being followed before you finally pulled into the carpark.

You had to constantly think, you couldn't let your guard drop for even a moment and it was exhausting. You were ready for it to be over and done with now, this just isn't fun anymore. Maybe you could run away together and start a new life somewhere else. Which one would you pick though? Who are you ready to give up? Would there even be an option to choose? Would Liam even be willing to forgive you if he knew you were sleeping with his brother? In love with his brother.

Your heart beating out of your chest, your fight or flight well and truly kicking in now as you walk up to the front desk. If there's any recognition in the receptionists eyes you're ready to turn right around and leave. The girl behind the desk, with long blonde hair has her eyes on the computer In front of her, thankfully not paying you much attention as you stand and wait for her to finish.

"Hi I'd like to book a room for two nights please." You stutter nervously, subconsciously checking over your shoulder while you spoke.

"Of course, is it just for yourself?" 

"Yes please, I'm just here for a work conference. I'd like a double bed if possible though, I haven't been able to sleep in a single since I was young." You giggle nervously, embarrassed that you'd told her information she isn't even slightly interested in.

"No problem, I'll see what I have for you." Her eyes barely left her computer as she spoke, she definitely didn't recognise you. The tension in your muscles relaxed a little as your eyes scanned the lobby.

"What name is it please?" She asked, one of the moments you'd been dreading. You hate lying but luckily you'd already come up with the fake name you were using, one you'd already used many times before in the exact same situation. It never gets any easier.

"Jessica Crawley." The names tumbled from your lips, names that had absolutely no meaning to you. 

"Room 101, floor 5. Is there anything else I can help you with?" 

"No thank you, that's great." The overwhelming feeling of relief at completing step one without any problems, rushes over you. Adrenaline spiking, making your legs feel like jelly.

"You're welcome, enjoy your stay. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions." The girl says, smiling sweetly at you before going back to her work.

The elevator seemed to take forever to make its way down to you, your feet shuffling as you watched the numbers above the door, counting down. The overwhelming need to get to privacy and away from the many prying eyes of the people in the lobby was severe. Most were business men and women, that were so consumed in themselves they weren't paying special attention to anyone around them. There were also young couples, making their way through the lobby, probably on their way for lunch but the people that worried you the most were the random loners sat in the armchairs scattered around the lobby. They'd chosen the perfect place to watch, some pretending to read newspapers while their eyes discreetly scanned over the top.

They were much more inquisitive, much like yourself they paid more attention to the people around them. People watchers you liked to call them, these are the sorts of people that make you nervous. They see everything, noticing any minor details, you'd spent a lifetime perfecting 'people watching' which is how you knew to be wary. You could pretty much judge a person's personality just by watching them for a couple of minutes. If anyone was to spot you it would be one of these people. You felt thankful you weren't Chris, there is absolutely no way he was going to make it to the elevator without being seen at least once.

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

Chris didn't feel quite as nervous as you, this was a every day occurance in his life, avoiding paparazzi was near impossible for him. As long as you weren't seen going in to the hotel then it wouldn't matter about him being seen. Still, he'd worn his baseball cap and sunglasses to at least try and hide his identity. He wasn't nervous about being seen but more about having to face you after his fuck up last night. Now that thought was way more intimidating to him.

Casually strolling into the hotel, he tried to ignore the whispers of the people around him. People questioning if it was really him, young girls barely out of high school giggling at the sight of him. Chris quietly prayed that he would make it up to the room without anyone asking for a photo, not that he usually minded but today all he wanted was to spend every possible minute with you as he could.

The receptionist tried to make a fuss when his identity was confirmed during check in. The pale skin of the same blonde girl who'd checked you in, had turned a rather bright shade of red when she heard Chris' sexy Australian accent. You wouldn't blame her, it still makes you swoon whenever you heard him speak.

"I'm fine honestly, I don't want any special treatment. Actually if I could get away with going completely unnoticed during my stay, I will speak to your boss myself and tell them how accomodating you'd been." 

"Oh wow, really? Thank you so much Mr Hemsworth. I will make sure nobody bothers you and if you need anything at all just give me a call, I'll make sure you won't have to leave your room for anything." Chris smiled, pretending not to notice how she seemed to be flirting with him, badly. Tossing her hair over shoulder as she insinuated not so subtly for him to let her know if he wanted any 'special' treatment. Again, you don't blame the girl, infact you would've commended her confidence.

She handed over the keys to the penthouse, watching bright eyed as he walked to the elevator, pulling out his phone as he stepped straight in. 

"Hi babe, I've booked the penthouse suite, meet me up there?" Smiling a tight lipped smile at the girl behind the desk, who was still watching him intently as the elevator doors closed.

"Ok, it isn't very inconspicuous staying in the penthouse is it?" You shouldn't be surprised, he does it everytime. You remember the first time you ever saw a penthouse and how amazed you were that it was actually bigger than your own home at the time. That was a memory you shared with Liam, all of your first times had been with Liam, the thought made your heart sink.

"I mean they knew who I was as soon as I walked in, I think it would look more suspicious if I didn't stay in a suite." Chris answered, pulling you from your thoughts.

"I suppose that's true, I'll be up soon." You could hear the sadness in your voice, something you had to snap out of before meeting Chris.

"Good because I can't wait to get my hands on you." 

Sinking back onto the spongey mattress of your bed, tiredness washing over you already. The mental exhaustion of constantly having to play games and be on your guard at all times, catching up to you as you're finally alone.

Maybe that's what you need afterall, a chance to be alone to gather your thoughts, to workout your own needs and wants without spreading your attention between the two brothers.

You make a mental list of the pros and cons of both of them knowing deep down if Liam were the one for you, you'd have never have looked twice at Chris. They were so similar in a lot of ways but completely different in others.

Liam was the sweetest man you knew, so gentle and caring, attentive to your every whim and being so young when you first got together he was everything you were looking for.

Now being a woman that has gone through so much trauma in her life that had tainted your soul, darkened it with a lust for more.

Then Chris came along, he was still sweet and caring but less attentive to your needs unless it was in the bedroom. He was cheeky and funny, drop dead gorgeous and oozing manliness effortlessly. He was fire and passion. He was more. 

If you let yourself admit it, you wanted excitement, which is how you ended up here in the first place. You didn't want perfect anymore, you wanted a man who could do wrong and then make up for it in the most fulfilling way he knew how. Just thinking about it made your pulse race, Chris had put you through hell last night and now it was time for payback. You imagined Chris only a couple of floors above you, worried about the way you were going to act when you saw him and lord knows how much you're going to make him sweat.                    

[h0neyjaehyun]

☁︎ 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 ☁︎

Summary // Tali has a heart to heart with Chan, and the Dreamies experience Tali's child like personality when she is really happy.

Characters // Talia Flores + Bang Chan (ft. Dreamies expect Mark, Doyoung)

Era / Year // October 2017

Word Count //

Bold // English

⚠️Warning⚠️ // Breakdown

"Chan its gonna be okay, its not your fault it was never your fault and never will be."

It was the middle of a survival show of the creation of Straykids, Minho not to long ago got eliminated. She went over to his house and brung him food to cheer him up and she promised him that when she had free time she would help him with singing plus rapping. Then just last night Felix got eliminated just because he couldn't speak Korean properly, deep down she felt guilty not teaching him Korean, but she was busy with schedules she couldn't. After Chan walked him to his home, she just finished practice and went to Felix's house to comfort him. He felt so guilty and her heart broke at her friend feeling guilty he couldn't speak a language.

Korean was hard to learn from an english speaker perspective. It was like the opposite of English. She striked a deal with him at least once a week she would help him with Korean, inperson or through a screen since she did have to go on tour.

After she left Felix's place after putting him to sleep. She went to the person who felt most guilty.

She went into JYP building heading towards the studio where Chan usually is. He always in there, either producing, or avoiding his problems and feelings. She heard music, it was Hellevator, she heard it replay over and over again. She knocked on the door, the music stopped and it revealed a tried Chan.

"Hey sweetie" Tali smiled at him sadly she came in and sat on one of the chairs. Chan sat down on his chair and just looked at her. Then he just started to breakdown.

"I- I- I failed the- them Tali." Chan choked up crouched down in Tali's stomach.

"No, no you didn't Chan you tried your be-"

"NO I DIDN'T, I LET THEM GET ELIMINATED TALI....its my fault, I failed them, I promised we would debut together Tali....I promised them." Chan sobbed. Promises to them meant a lot to them. So when Chan couldn't keep that promise it broke him.

"Chan its gonna be okay, its not your fault it was never your fault and never will be." Tali comforted Chan petting his hair trying to calm him down.

"They don't blame you, they don't hate you, as long as you keep trying and helping each other you guys will make it. Jyp was just nit picky. This is not your fault." Tali said cupping his face whipping the tears off his face.

"But-" "No buts Channie, come on, lets go out for a bit, and get your mind off things" Tali suggested

Chan agreed.

They packed up at went to a open store and got some food and snacks. They went to a near by play ground and stayed there for a bit talking.

"Tali?"

"Hm?"

"How do you handle it?"

"Handle what?"

"The hate?"

Tali stopped at the question. She looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean how do I handle the hate Channie?"

"Well, Ive been seeing some comments that, Im not a good leader or person and that im a f-"

"Shh hey hey, one that not true and two... I don't. Im not able to, but I don't show it. I usually distracted myself and not think about it. But they do get to me I am human."

"What about the staff?"

"Oh the staff are still asswholes to me and the Chinese line. I record whats she said about boys and me. Also that she left a member behind and got in the car instead. Honestly one more thing from her, she out." Chan laughed at her statement, but knowing she was serious. She hated when people get discriminated, she doesn't care if she does, only the people around her. So a staff member came she started acting like the boss and mistreating the chinese members which got Tali pissed.

Whether the boys or the staff know it she has a lot of power. Sm made her co-leader for a reason and that is to point out any staff mistreating members and setting them straight or firing them. They know she honest and knows how the entertainment system works. So they trust her who ever can't handle the idols or treat the idols properly and are reported by her. They will get fired so quick. So most staff that worked with her before know this and they know not to tell new staff because the staff themselves don't want a problems in the future because of another staff member.

"So one more strike huh?"Tali looked up at him.

"Yeah" she said quietly.

"How are you and Han?" Tali frozed at the boy's name.

"Fine" Chan raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine? Really that all you gonna give me?"Tali sighed at the statement.

"Well, I don't know, its just. Its hard. He didn't believe me Chan. When he promised he would be there. He left me." Tali said quietly.

Chan was saddened that she still was unsure of her friendship with the boy. He made a promise he shouldn't have and didn't believe her words and left her, then expected when she forgive him everything would go back to normal. Which did, from the outside. People who did know Tali, would know it wasnt gonna go back to normal anytime soon.

When Tali talkes to people she cares about, her eyes have this light about them. But when she is unsure of the person a doubts them she has this sheild which would take a pretty long time to get down. It took Han since 2015 to atleast get Tali to talk to him again, 2 years. She was scared.

"You know he cares about you right? That he loves you like the rest of us?"Tali looked at Chan with doubt in her eyes.

"Does he really tho?"

"Tali.." Chan went infont of her and grabbed her hands.

"He really cares about you, do you think the guy will try to make you talk with him for around 2 years for him not to care about you?"

"I- Im just scared that he won't believe me.........that he'll leave."

"Tali if he does ever hurt you, you can always drop him, you are scarily good at that" Channie joked

Tali giggled

"Chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm afraid."

"You're afraid of what?"

"I'm afraid my group is gonna do that to me....not believe me, break promises, and leave me."

"Hey they won't, as long as you trust them I believe that it won't happen." Tali was stuck in thought.

"....what if they ask about my family....what do I say?"

"...do you want them to know?" "....no"

"Then tell them your not comfortable talking about your family"

"But what if they feel hurt when they find out you guys know and not them?" Tali said filled with gulit.

Chan sighed for once not knowing how to reassure the girl. Because if he was in the group and found out that a completely different group is closer to their only female member. He would feel sad and bitter. So Chan just hugged the girl to reassure her to gonna be okay.

Tali basked in this moment knowing nothing last forever, then realized something.

"...wait a minute shouldn't this be the other way around?"

"Shh no its fine" "No its not fine switch me"

"Tali its fine"

"No-"

"I swear Talia we are not fighting about this again"

They started bickering about who comforts who then she got a phone call.

She flinched at the sound and cursed in her mind realizing what time it is and how she didnt tell ANYONE she left the house. She turned the phone and sees the ID number as Doyoung. She cursed out loud, she was really hoping it was Taeyong.

"Hey language" Chan joked, Tali just glared at him. She picked up the phone scared if there was gonna be either yelling or a scary calm Doyoung

"Hell-"

"HELLO MY ASS WHERE ARE YOU ITS 1 AM IN THE MORNING AND YOUR NOT BACK HOME YOU MIGHT BE 18 (17) BUT YOUR STILL YOUNG!" Tali cringed.

"Im at the park, I was spending time with an old friend I lost track of time sorry." Tali said sheepishly.

"Its fine just come back home the dreamies were in panick when you didn't come back to the dorms so just go there and make sure your friend takes you there....wait is it a g-"

"Omg look at the time, its getting late thanks for calling me oppa im gonna go now bye!"

"Wai-" Tali cut him off and ended the call. She knew if she said it was a guy they will go all investigative mode and try to find out who the guy is.

Chan smacked the back of her head.

"Ow what was that for?!" Talia whinced while rubbing her head.

"For worrying your members and ending the call early, Talia you should know better." Chan said jokingly, shaking his head and pointing at her.

Tali smacked his finger and made are you serious face at him.

"You can't say anything, rememb-"

"Nope, this is not the time." Chan cut her off putting his hand over her mouth and dragging her off the park to the dreamies dorm.

"We are here thanks for walking me." Tali turned and hugged Chan knowing she won't see him for awhile. Chan just gave her a warm smile.

"No problem anything for our Butterfly." Tali smiled at the nickname. Remembering all times they have been together.

"Thank you for everything Channie, I really appreciate you." Tali said still hugging him looking up at him with this light in her eyes like Chan first saw when he was able to get closer to her. He always cherished that moment because it showed that she trusted him. Her eyes just poured out her emotions, it took time to able to read them but it was all worth it, and he would do it all over again.

"Always, I will keep my promise to you, and to him." He said rubbing her head. Tali's eyes changed when she thought about him, not sad ones more like grateful. Tali let him go and she went inside and waved him goodbye.

She went up the elevator, reminiscing the old times, even though it came to an end she still had part of them left with her as she held her locket in her palm looking at a picture that she cherished so much closing it back again once she was on the floor of the dreamies apartment.

She was at the door preparing herself for either a scolding or affection, probably both.

She unlocked the door and Jaemin tackled her to the ground.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN I WAS WORRIED SICK SOMEONE HAD TAKEN YOU FROM US." Jaemin scolded her while he was squishing her. Then he picked her up and she went back on the ground by the 2 mankaes.

"Why didn't you at least text us" "Yeah I came in your room for cuddles and you weren't there." Chenle pouted while Jisung scolded. Tali giggled but she felt guilty for making them worried.

"Im sorry I didn't mean too. I was just visiting some friends I haven't seen in awhile." Tali said sheepishly.

"Wow so you left us for them wow." Haechan said with a betrayed face. Tali rolled her eyes at the boy running up to him and hugging him. He was surprised at the contact, Tali at the time wasn't big on skinship so she never really did it herself.

"Don't be a baby, I saw you all this morning and afternoon. I haven't seen them in a long time, how about this we can see a movie in my room for the night hm?" Tali pouted, she didn't want to get scolded.

The boys have never seen Tali act this cute and touchy before. They were loving it.

"Hm? How about we cook and then watch a movie?" Haechan inquired trying to see how long her cuteness will last. Her eyes brightened at the idea she let him go and clapped her hands.

"Yes pleaasee." Tali giggled. Tali was acting her age, which was the first time in forever, they didn't know how. But they were taking advantage of it.

"Lets start cooking, hm?" Jeno said while rubbing Tali's head. Tali looked him and gave him her famous smile that would literally make his hearts burst.

"Come on Tali, help me prepare~" Renjun said while grabbing Tali and gently leading her to the kitchen.

Everyone just stood in place for a couple seconds. Processing what they just witnessed.

"Hyung, what did we just witnessed?" Jisung asked

"I don't know, but I loved every single moment of that." Haechan said, Then Tali popped out with a cute apron on with Renjun behind her smiling at her fondly.

"You guys wanna help?" Tali said cutely, everyone gushed on how adorable was being. They didn't know but when ever she hangs out with Straykids she has this kid like persona come out of her and even afterwards, and thats what they are seeing, she just grew up with Nct and Straykids differently she acts an adult with Nct while Straykids she acts her age maybe a little younger. So when she left Chan she was in a happy mood and that continued to now.

They all looked at each other and then back at Tali.

"Of course Princess."

[mama-ghostie-61542]

A Thousand Lifetimes

Rated M++ for language and themes

If you recognize it--IT AIN'T MINE

Sorry for the OOC-ness

Chapter 7

Kihyun

The next day, after two fittings with costumes, two phone interviews, a shoot for an ad, and a tv spot; I finally got back to the dorms, and back to that story.

Bryn PoV--

As if today wasn't bad enough, I walked into the house to find it completely empty. The kids wandered around and I tried to field a million questions about where they were gonna sleep and what we were gonna eat. That and the meltdowns every five minutes led me to try to call my little brother. I really just needed to talk to another grown-up. As soon as I had supper figured out, I called Joey.

"Hello," said a voice on the other end of the phone.

"Ummm. Hi?"

"Oh. Hello," The voice was familiar, but it wasn't Joey.

"Is Joey close?"

"Sorry. Who?"

"Sorry. Jooheon. Kids call him 'Uncle Joey'. Guess it stuck."

"Hmm. No. You just missed him."

"Dern. Can you pass on a message?"

"Sure."

"Can you tell him to call Bryn when he gets back?"

"Oh! I didn't recognize your voice, Bryn. How are you? It's Kihyun. Joey is in the shower. Can I help you with whatever you need," I asked, biting my lip and praying she would say yes. Just the sound of her voice was both soothing and somehow able to tie me up in knots.

"Actually, I was calling to vent. I've had a particularly terrible day today. Joey is my sobriety sponsor."

"He is? Wow," I said before Honey came charging at me, his hair still wet. "I would still LOVE to talk to YOU," I shouted.

"Gimmie my phone, Kihyun."

I handed him back the phone and heard him say

"What's up, Sis?"

Though I couldn't hear exactly what was said, I could tell by the look on his face, it wasn't good.

"Really?"

Then, Honey sighed. "Lemme see what I can do from here."

"Please, let me help."

If it were possible for him to get any more pissed off, he did. "HE WHAT," he yelled. Then, he pulled the phone from his ear and said, "I need a one way ticket to Peoria International!! I'm gonna kill him. I am gonna fuckin' kill him." Next, he put the phone back to his ear, "Lemme see what I can do here, Sis," he growled as he demanded numbers and wrote them down, and then hung up.

As he started digging on the internet to find the cheapest fare, HyunWoo said, "Hold it, Hot Shot. What happened?"

"That douchbag finally left. He took everything! Even the kids stuff. He left them with NOTHING! That is why Sis was calling. He cleaned out their account and took everything. Damn lucky he couldn't touch the shop accounts or he would have cleaned them out too. Literally everything. She needs a little cash to feed the kids til Friday."

"Thank God it is Wednesday," said CK. from the far side of the room. If anyone had bothered to look, the reflection on his glasses was an Amazon cart with 37 things in it. The only time ANYONE has that many things in an Amazon cart is when they are buying groceries. However, most of those were chips or snack cakes.

Honey, Min, and HyungWon all sat down to iron out how much and what they were gonna contribute.

Silently, I picked up my bank book and palmed the slip of paper with her info on it. Only HyunWoo saw me slip out the door. He stopped me as I waited for the elevator and handed me a few bills from his own wallet before turning back towards the room.

"What," was all I could get out before he interrupted, cutting me off mid-question.

"We look out for our own," He answered before he opened the door to the dorm.

After heading to the nearest Western Union, I called the number on the slip from Honey. When she picked up, I smiled.

"Hey, Bryn, it's Kihyun. I wired you some money. Should be about $100, if everything gets exchanged right."

"Kihyun, you guys didn't have to do that. My dad was already gonna feed the kids. I just needed to talk to someone. This has got me so shaken up, I want a drink really bad. Guess I wasn't too clear with Joey."

"Really? Then why was he," I stopped as a shadow fell over me. "Well, shit. Guess who is now standing right behind me."

"Tell him to calm down."

"Bryn says to calm down. She told me to sit on you if I have to."

"Kihyun! I did not."

"I paraphrased," I laughed. "Besides, Sweets, if looks could kill, I'd be dead right about now."

"Really," she chuckled.

"Oh yeah. He is probably gonna follow me all the way to the dorm. I guess I am not allowed out on my own," I laughed.

"Why," She asked.

"I tend to do dumb things, according to others. Though they may be a little impulsive, they always work out in the end. So don't look the horse in the mouth."

"I won't."

"Good girl," I laughed, "So why did you call him, anyway?"

"I needed someone I could yell at that would not take it personal."

"I am always here. Though, I may occasionally yell back."

She laughed. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Making me laugh. I needed that. "

"Damn. I was looking forward to the screaming match. C'mon, get it started, Angelface," I said as I stopped at the stoplight and waited for the crosswalk. "Do you want me to start," I asked, then pulled the phone away and yelled.

Bringing the phone back to my face, I asked as the crosswalk lit up and I crossed the street, "How was that," I grinned.

"A 10. A fuckin' 10. Have you thought of being a Rockstar," she laughed.

I could almost hear the smile on her face, which made me laugh. Even if my throat killed me in the morning it was worth it.

"Hey, hang on a second. I want to send you something," I said as I put my phone on speaker and started the camera.

"Oh dear God, what now," she asked.

I took a short video of me sending her a kiss and sent it off. "Nothing bad."

"Ok, if you say so. Just not cool with unsolicited dick pics from strange men."

"I would not send you unsolicited dick pics, nor am I a stranger. Now, if you asked for them...Like a good girl," I started and looked over at Honey, who was looking at me with the 'better never do that' face. "Uh-oh."

"What?"

"I'm getting side eye."

She laughed and said, "I know just the look. It screams, 'You'd better not be sending photos of ANY part of your anatomy to my sister'."

"Yes," I laughed. "So how are you feeling? Better?"

"Much. Thank you."

"No problem. I'm here all week. Try the veal," I laughed. "Still want a drink," I asked.

"No. The laughs did it for me. Thank you."

"You are very welcome, Darling. So did you get the video I sent?"

"I did. That was very sweet. Thanks."

"You are very welcome, Pretty Lady. Well, we are back at the dorms."

"I should probably go then," she sighed.

"Just remember I am also available for Mitzvahs," I chuckled, which made her laugh. "Seriously, Sweetie, anytime you need a sounding board or a laugh fest, a screaming match or some naughty-Ow, Mother fucker!-I got smacked on my arm for that last bit. I am always here,"

"Thanks again. Until next time."

I paused and came VERY close to telling her how I felt but said, instead, "Again, you are welcome."

"Bye, Kihyun."

"Bye, Bryn," I breathed, then hung up.

Honey looked at me as he crossed his arms over his chest, "It took everything you had to not tell her 'I love you' didn't it?"

All I could do was nod and hope that my dreams tonight would be better than they had been.

As we got into the elevator, He said, "It was good hearing that you made her laugh."

"I love the sound of her laughter. Once I got her started, I didn't want her to stop. I think that she is just as funny as she is sweet."

"You do know that she will do one of two things, right?"

"What two things?"

"Either immediately send the money right back, or hang on to it and physically give you back every bit. She hates asking for help...of any kind," he said as he opened the door to our dorm.

"Yeah? Wonder why."

He just laughed, "Her ex-fiancée, ex-husband, and her father."

"What happened," I asked as I made us a pot of coffee.

"They all held every penny over her head. Her dad decided he wanted her out the minute she turned 18 and to do it, he threw her out the boat, so to speak. Said if she floated, she never needed help anyway; and if she sank, well, it was her own fault."

"That's abuse. Financial abuse."

"Yep. He was the kind to tell her everything she had was his, that she owned nothing; not even the clothes on her back. He comes from the 'I Own You' school of parenting. Her ex-fiancée would demand she work, then make her late, so she would lose any job she got. Then, he'd take any money she got paid and use it for crap he wanted rather than the bills she had it ear-marked for."

"Oh, tell me he didn't."

"Oh he did. Spent it on girls at the local under 21."

"Shit. He screwed around on her, didn't he?"

"Yep. Which is why if you ever think about cheating, I will castrate you myself," he growled.

Somehow I knew he would do it, and I would let him. "Don't have to worry about that. Can you tell me about her ex-husband?"

"That asshole was a piece of work. Emotionally, Mentally, and Fiscally abusive. The entire time they were together, he would pinch a penny until it died if it was something she needed, but she was expected to turn over her things and cash to him. She worked second shift in a factory; out of the house from half 1 to almost 1 am. He was in semi driver school at the time, racked up a HUGE amount of debt; I'm talking almost 40K. Constantly accused her of cheating when he had a different lot lizard every night. It's a miracle he never gave her anything."

I was disgusted by this guys behavior. To have a woman like her waiting at home and trying his best to break her.

"And that isn't even the worst of his offenses. He screamed at her one night while he was over the road, on training. She was at work, and he called her on her lunch break. The entire time, he screamed at her for having a cold sore and yelled about her cheating loud enough for her co-workers to hear. Her boss to tell her to turn off her phone; that he was tired of hearing that jerk yell at her. The guy he was learning with, told him that 'If I were her, I would be calling the lawyer first thing in the morning, after that shit.' He 'apologized' pretty quickly after that."

"Icky. I hope she ended it there."

"No. That girl has a ton of stay and No show. He ended up deployed to Egypt and told his brother about the girls there. Never thought his brother would run and tell her. She still didn't leave. You left a blister on her cheek one night and he threw her out in the snow."

"Stay and no show? I'm not sure I understand."

"Horse terms," came a voice from the doorway. I had forgotten Hoseok was staying with us while his apartment was getting the pipes fixed. "When a filly is learning to ride, it's said she is full of Show and no Stay. Meaning she looks good, but is too skittish to stand still. Sis--Well Sis may not look like much, but she has tons of loyalty to those who show her the same. She has the patience to play a 30 year long game, and the courage to weather ANY storm. But she has a problem knowing when to leave, and so she gets hurt."

"Hold up! He threw her out in the snow?!"

As Hoseok filled his own mug, he answered, "Yeah, he threw her out of the apartment in the middle of a snowstorm. Lucky her parents were in town. So if you start this with her, and you ever want out; you are gonna have to straight up tell her to go. She won't understand otherwise. She doesn't play games and has a tough time with subtly. So always be direct and honest with her."

I nodded taking it in. There was something I thought I wanted, so I asked, "How is her aegyo"

"If you are looking for overt aegyo, don't. Hers is subtle but she has got it in spades, and she doesn't even know it. It's in the way she plays, either with her guy or her kids," he said as he leaned against the counter, "It's in the subtle blush when you say or do something for her without her asking. It's in a compliment and the smiling eyes that comes with it. She has never had some of the things other girls take for granted, like a stolen kiss or flowers on her birthday. Other things, like those romantic gestures, she has only had once or twice. If I remember right, the last guy to 'play' was an FWB years and years ago, and that guy only stole one kiss, once," Honey replied.

"Don't expect her to run with girls. Most girls find her too harsh, too rough. She doesn't appreciate girls and their whiney, gossipy ways. She never wears makeup, and I have never once seen her with her nails painted. She is a guys-girl, a tom-boy through and through; wasn't made delicate. She is stronger than most people will ever know. However, her heart is extremely delicate, it's been broken and bruised so bad, even I wonder how she is still alive. So, let me tell you, right now," Hoseok said as he sat down his mug and leaned over the counter in my direction, "She may not be blood, but she is my sister."

"Hmm," I nodded. "You really don't have to worry about that," I replied. "How are you related to her again," I asked.

"Distant cousin. Her auntie married my mothers little brother, for all of five minutes. I am only gonna tell you this once, if you hurt that filly in ANY way; you wont walk again."

"Got it," I replied, cringing.

"You know that she won't ask for what she wants or needs. You are gonna need to be damned good at reading between the lines, cause she is so afraid that if she tells you what she needs, what she wants, you will do the same thing every one else has done," Honey said after a minute.

"Run," I answered nodding.

"Yep. Most men can't handle her intensity so they either run or try to turn her down to levels that they can handle without realizing that her fire isn't meant to be dimmed, but fed. She is gonna need you to be just as emotional as her, to show her that it is ok to feel again. She is very touch oriented, very tactile. So a lot of her feelings are touch related."

"I understand, Joey."

"You had better. The only reason I didn't beat the shit out of the other assholes, is that I wasn't there. If I had been, I would have had no problems with a few months in the county lock-up. And if Clark had tried that shit while I was there..."

"Really?"

"Yeah. See, the shit of it is, she fades into the background. She doesn't want all those things that other girls want. She isn't the kind to run or chase. She doesn't play games. She is also emotional. Ease into it. Don't try to love bomb her, she went through that shit with Clark and won't put up with it from you," Hoseok said, then turned to Joey, "Speaking of, did you hear what Lone Elm called him?"

Joey shook his head.

Hoseok grinned. "Elm called him a fuckin fishstick."

Joey started laughing, "Elm called him 'Fishstick'."

I looked back and forth between the two men who were holding themselves up on the counter while they laughed. "I don't get it. What-What's a fishstick?"

A hand landed on my shoulder from behind. I turned to see Changkhyun standing there, an amused look on his face.

"Fishsticks are only available in the States. They are mashed-up fish paste, about an inch wide by around six inches long, which is then breaded. Then, they are to be baked in an oven. Either they turn out soggy or they are hard as a rock; inedible either way. Which is good, because they are fuckin' gross. Nasty little things."

"Are they like the fish at Mickey's?"

"No," CK stated. "The fish there is actually decent. Fishsticks are generally served in school hot lunches on Fridays due either to religious reasons, or because they are cheap and can be purchased by the gross. At any rate, they are still inedible."

"Icky. How in the hell can people do that to their kids?"

"Not a clue. That was why I always took my lunch on Friday. Every Friday, the hot lunch was always the same thing; rock hard fishsticks, soggy tater tots, dehydrated-rehydrated mixed vegetables, and golden glow salad with mayonnaise on the top. It was the grossest meal I have ever seen in my entire life."

I shuddered to think of those poor kids. Forced to eat that nasty stuff.

After reading that, I was glad her kids never had to eat that. She fixed boxes for them. School lunches in the States sounded gross.

'Some things were ok.'

'I thought you took your lunch, Mami?'

'I did. My dad said cold lunch was cheaper. But, there was one day, once or twice a month, that I would get school lunch. They called it pork pattie day, but it was a breaded pork tenderloin on a bun. It was pretty decent. It was pretty gross the rest of the time, but that day wasn't too bad.'

'Have I watched you fix those before?'

'Not sure.'

'Are those the sandwiches where you beat the pork chops to nothing and then bread and fry them?'

'Yes.'

'Those do look pretty tasty,' I said as I dug around for what to fix the next day, so I could write it on the board. 'Hmm. Help, please. Can't figure out supper.'

'Whatcha got?'

'Hmmm. Some sausages, some tiny shrimp, and a package of chicken,' I said as I dug around in the freezer.

"You can use the shrimp and chicken in Gumbo.'

'It has been quite a while since I've had Gumbo. I've never made it before though.'

'Look it up. There are a million Gumbo recipes out there.'

'I think I will do that. Thanks, Baby. Have I told you, today, how awesome you are??'

'Yes, but I can always stand to hear it again,' she laughed.

A/N)--The above abuses......actually happened. First hand experience.

[prettymuchdolansbitch]

Award Winning | N.M.

A/N: This goes to the Anon that asked for something soft 🥺 It was solely based off this picture, enjoy 💖

Today was a big day for your boyfriend, Nick's, band. They were nominated for an award on their new EP that just came out not too long ago.

Unfortunately, Nick & the rest of the guys were advised not to bring their girlfriends to the award show so that they can be more appealing to fans. You were upset you couldn't be there to celebrate when they won, but you understood.

Nick was out all morning getting cleaned up and what not. You sat at home cleaning up some areas of the house that needed cleaning. Nick got home and didn't start to get ready til an hour before they had to leave for the red carpet.

He was running all over the house and throwing clothes everywhere. The clothes that you had just put away. "Nick, honey. Your outfit was already planned out. It's all in the closet already." You said leaning on the doorway of your shared bedroom.

His head turned so fast to you and he just smiled. "Oops. Sorry babe. I'll put everything back. Thank you thank you thank you" He ran out of the room across the hall to your walk in closet that you guys shared. Nick didn't forget to place a small kiss on your head though as he ran out of the room.

You picked the clothes up from the floor and folded them quickly and put them back in the drawers in front of you. The amount of clothes this kid has is insane. You thought to yourself.

Nick came back into the room dressed with messy hair. He put his shoes on and then ran to the bathroom to fix his hair.

You sat on the couch and waited for him to be done. Nick ran into the living room out of breath. "You ready?" You asked. "Uh yeah I should be. I think I have everything. Hard to know when your girlfriend isn't coming to make sure I have everything."

You laughed at what he said. "You just need me there to hold your shit." You grabbed your keys and walked towards the door. "No, I just need you to be there with me." He pouted and wrapped his arms around you.

"Mm, I'll be right on that couch watching everything. I'll text you if I see anything wrong" You placed a gentle kiss on his lips, but that wasn't enough for him. He pulled you back and started to kiss you hard.

"Okay, you're gonna be late, and I'm sure the boys are just waiting on your ass so they can leave" "Ugh fine." He mumbled walking out the front door.

-

You were making yourself some dinner in the kitchen while waiting to hear the boys on the TV. As soon as you heard "prettymuch" on the TV, you turned off the stove and brought your mac n cheese to the living room.

You watched the boys walk the red carpet and pose. People were already raving about them. E! had stopped the boys for an interview and you were excited for them.

"Last question, is everyone here single? New fans are dying to know" She turned the mic to them. "Actually just me and this guy are." Brandon said pointing to Zion. They both smiled. "Yeah our girlfriends are at home watching this right now." Nick said smiling at the camera. "Well, now you guys know! Congrats on the nomination and good luck!" They all said thank you and the channel cut to commercial.

An hour & a half later, it was time for the award that the boys are nominated for. You sat on your couch sweating so much. You were nervous but you knew they had this in the bag.

"And the winner is... PRETTYMUCH!" You jumped off the couch screaming to no one. "THATS MY BABYY" you screamed and recorded it on your phone.

You saw the boys all had smiles on their faces and we're hugging each other. They had some people from their team with them and hugged them as well. You watched as they all walked to the stage with big smiles. You couldn't help but tear up a little. This is their first big award ever and you were so incredibly proud of them.

Just knowing how many hours in all you didn't see Nick per day because of this EP made you even more proud. It was all worth it. And they're going on tour in a month? They really made it.

Nick grabbed the award from the presenters and held it up. Brandon was the first to speak. "We just wanna thank everyone who had a part in this EP. The fans, our team, family, everyone. It really means the world. Thank you!" He stepped back to let one of the other boys speak.

Nick came up and began to speak. "Man, this is really special to us. This is our first award ever, and this is really only because of you guys. We love you. And to my love who's at home probably crying, thank you for sticking with me through the whole process. And I think we can all say that to our ladies. Y'all special. Love you baby. Thank you guys, again" He stepped back and it didn't look like anyone else had to say anything so the camera switched to the crowd.

Nick wasn't wrong. You were bawling and didn't even notice. Everyone began tweeting you about it and your heart felt so full. You couldn't wait for him to get home.

You got a text from Izzy and she said that they were all going to the Prettymuch House to celebrate. You quickly changed and drove over. You stopped to buy a champagne bottle for Nick and the boys.

You knew Nick was going to stop at the house anyways because of the rest of the boys. So you just thought you could leave with him from there.

They got to the house and everything was crazy. Confetti and champagne was thrown everywhere. They really won the award and you were beyond ecstatic for them. Nick walked into the house and went straight to you. You hugged him and started crying again.

"I love you so so much" You said into his ear. He pulled back and looked at you. "I love you way more" He kissed your head and saw all the excitement happening behind you.

You grabbed the bottle from next to you and handed it to him. "Try not to waste half of it this time" You said reminiscing about his 21st birthday on tour when he wasted half a bottle of champagne from letting it get everywhere.

"I'll try." He shook the bottle and ripped the top off letting it explode everywhere. Nick held the bottle up to his mouth and drank some. Parker took pictures of you two while he drank.

3 hours later, you were exhausted and Nick was drunk. You didn't care though. You were happy he was bathing in blissful delight. You knew it was time to go home when you found Nick knocked out in Edwin's bed.

"C'mon baby, let's go home." He turned over to go back to sleep. "Niiicckk" You said poking his butt.

"Okay okay. Help me up." He held his hand out to you. You attempted to pull him up but instead he pulled you on top of him.

"You loser" You said as his arms naturally fell on you. "Mm, I'm your loser" He said closing his eyes again. "Indeed you are." You said smiling at him.

"Do you ever think about having kids? I mean you're fucking gorgeous, and I'm not too shabby. Our kids would be the most beautiful creatures on this planet" He rambled to you. This was the first time in the 3 years you've been dating that he talked about kids.

You were shocked because he never brought up a family before. You assumed it was the alcohol talking though. "You're soo drunk. Let's get you home" You tried to get up off of him.

"No, I mean yeah I'm drunk but it's not the alcohol talking. I really do want kids with you." You looked at him and his eyes were still closed. "We can talk tomorrow when you're sober, okay?" You said staring at his gorgeous face.

"Okay, let's go home" You rolled off of him and tried your best to help him up. You guys walked to the living room and saw only a few people left. You said bye to Edwin and Izzy as they were the only ones you really cared to say bye to. You didn't know where the rest of the boys were so.

You got home and helped Nick get out of his clothes. He had enough energy to shower and get into bed. You guys laid in bed and he immediately got on top of you. Nick laid his head on your chest and almost immediately fell asleep. "I love you mamas. Goodnight." He said placing a kiss on your boob. "Love you too sugar" You ran your hand through his hair as you felt his body get heavy with slumber.

[alwayskaysanova]

what did you think of the tvd final? it felt rushed to me and i'm even more upset now ive seen all the interviews with kevin saying it was always meant to be stelena and it feels like a slap in the face that they gave us delena but only by default and the delena we got was so lacking everything i loved about them what did you think?

it’s taken me two days to process everything i felt about that finale and i’m still not fully there yet but i’m gonna try to put my feelings down and then move on

firstly, i had a lot of fun watching it with everyone (specifically @lowsodiumfreaks bc it was hilarious) and i am really glad i got to experience this fandom one last time in all its crazy glory

(i’m tagging @insightfuldamon too bc i like yelling my feelings at jackie bc she understands and i love her for it)

immediately after the finale i was content, i was crying, i was thankful for the show and its characters, i was generally A Mess but i was happy about it

yesterday, once i’d had some sleep and a chance to properly look at the finale by watching it again without the fear of my faves dying i was…less happy with it

i’m gonna start by saying what i loved and still love;

BONNIE BENNETT BEING THE ULTIMATE HERO WE ALL KNOW SHE’S BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING

the bennett witches being fucking amazing

that steroline phonecall bc as someone who never really shipped steroline that was the first time i truly felt it and i was so upset on behalf of caroline and stefan that they didn’t even get a day of marriage before death did them part

caroline/alaric and their girls, the whole convo where alaric mentioned liz and caroline got it and chose her girls over stefan bc she knew it was the right thing to do regardless of her love for him she’ll always put her girls first AND GUYS THAT WAS SO AWESOME BC ONE OF CAROLINE’S MAIN CHARACTER POINTS WAS GETTING THE GUY AND SHE LET THE GUY GO IN THE END !!!!!

BONLENA REUNION!! both times were glorious

all the defan. all of it. amazing. the whole scene where they were trying to sacrifice themselves for each other and i didn’t want either of them to die but then damon chose to save stefan and compelled him away AND I WAS SOBBING SO HARD AND SCREAMING AT CHAR but i’d also accepted it and was so proud of damon bc it was such a great moment in his journey

and then the plot twist with stefan tricking damon and turning him human and then sacrificing himself instead AND I WAS EVEN MORE OF A MESS BC I DIDN’T WANT IT AND HISTORICALLY I HAVE HATED STEFAN BUT I DIDN’T WANT HIM TO DIE but it was beautiful that he went out saving everyone

the whole stelena goodbye was a nice nod to their relationship even though i never liked it i adored their goodbye scene

STEFAN AND LEXI AND I WAS FEELING EPIC

the little daroline scene was cute

caroline seeing elena again!! all the girl feels when they were sat on the bench

i did like all the after death reunion scenes and the nods to past characters even if it felt a little too ‘wrap it neatly in a ribbon/all the fuzzy feels/overdone’

all the donovan family feelings were beautiful

now on to the things i didn’t like;

the delena scenes were flat as hell, felt forced, disjointed and just generally Bad

we got no conversation, no last ‘i love you’, no hint of a flashforward into those supposed ‘happy, human lives’

don’t get me wrong i’m content with the endgame and my 12 year old self now feels supremely justified in all her decision makings but it was so U G H purely bc it wasn’t anything

we got the endgame in name only and i didn’t feel it

i have a suspicion most of it was to do with the very obvious bad feeling between ian and nina, though i have to give credit bc i 100% felt everything delena from nina’s side it was ian doing a terrible job which was seriously jarring after how amazing his acting was in the scene with paul when defan were debating who was gonna die

the kiss was awkward, the handholding was awkward, the looks were awkward, EVERYTHING WAS AWKWARD THEY WERE LITERALLY ON SCREEN FOR A MINUTE AND IAN COULDN’T ADULT ENOUGH TO GET THROUGH IT GOOD LORD

but whatever i’m done, it’s over, bye

/side note; the interviews afterwards mean shit to me tbh bc the writers knew that nina was leaving at the beginning of season 6 so if they had ever truly intended stelena to be endgame they had plenty of time to write it and it’s obvious they’re just throwing every fandom a bone bc delena get to claim the endgame but the interviews suggest stelena get to feel justified in thinking stelena was always meant to be

blaming nina leaving is an utterly shitty thing to do so they can fuck off with that nonsense

the bottom line is they wrote the show, they decided the relationship endgames, they CHOSE THE CHARACTER ENDGAMES

their writing is on them and they need to own their decisions and stop trying to appease everyone or shift blame to one fucking actress like she didn’t dedicate her whole damn sanity to the shit they put her through

like the fact she even came back…they didn’t deserve her that’s all i’m gonna say but then they haven’t been deserving kat graham since she arrived so…fuck them basically

/end side note

i was disappointed that there was no dalaric other than the casual mention, there was no denzo, there was no last bamon scene which was utter bullshit considering they are supposed to be best friends though i loved damon mentioning his utter faith in bonnie and i also loved how as soon as bonnie found out damon was off to sacrifice himself she was like ‘nope i’m gonna save their asses’ once again

i’m waiting for a character to embody the title of ‘Queen’ more than bonnie bennett

still waiting

like we literally got a daroline scene but no bamon scene…what. the. frick?

i don’t care for katherine or datherine or steferine so all of that was a complete waste of time for me and the fact that katherine got more than elena in terms of screen time makes me all types of bitter but once again nina owned what she was given so kudos

i’m happy bonnie’s endgame was her getting the fuck out of mystic falls and i realize that their intention with that was to portray her as strong and moving on whilst still having enzo there whenever she needs him but i also can’t ignore the inherent wrongness of the black girl who has sacrificed literally everything of herself being the one who gets the ‘on her own/off to explore the world’ storyline whilst elena gets her happily ever after with damon and caroline gets her family and the future tease of klaus (also fucking africa?? s e r i o u s l y ? ?) whilst bonnie is supposed to be content with a semi love life she can’t really have until she’s dead ! ! ! n o p e 

(like bonnie is literally the only one who ends up alone after she saved every single other character multiple times I’M SO FUCKING ANGRY THAT HER ENDGAME IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE OF EVERYONE ELSE’S LIKE ‘THANKS FOR ENSURING WE LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO GET OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTERS BUT WE’RE FINE NOW BYE’ what the fuck honestly)

but i’m white so i can’t really speak to that racist nonsense and there are hundreds of people in this fandom way more qualified to speak on that than me so i won’t say anymore on it

and then the whole ‘oh we thought maybe matt and bonnie could eventually get together but we left that up to the audience’ bullshit just bc matt’s the only guy left *barf noises*

i love matt but come on (also there wasn’t enough matt for me either)

i never really liked bonenzo but i can deal with it even though it should have been bamon until bonnie died and then i’d have been fine with delena after that bc i am of the opinion that u can have more than one epic love and to me damon was in love with both bonnie and elena and we were robbed but again w/e my multishipping ass will just have to be content with fanfiction

i hate that tyler got nothing but a tiny scene smiling at matt and holding hands with vicki bc they did that character so dirty after giving him such a fantastic journey in the early seasons

listen highkey we should’ve gotten forwood but then klaroline butted in with all its nonsense and tyler lockwood was sacrificed on the alter of shipper bullshit

I HATE THAT WE GOT NO JERLENA REUNION AND IT WASN’T EVEN HINTED AT IN THE WHOLE ‘ELENA DIED THEN REUNITED WITH HER FAMILY’ SCENE

B U L L S H I T

like superficially this finale was good as far as finale’s go, i’ve had to deal with a lot worse, but when u pick it apart and get past the glossy happily ever after sheen it’s kinda false to a lot of the relationships and characters

basically i have a lot of mixed feelings on it but i personally got enough that i can now move on without feeling entirely like i wasted 8 years of my life on the show and 12 years on these characters and relationships tho lbr they never really followed the books anyway

the thing i’m most thankful for about this show is the people i’ve met online through it and if the most i can take away from this experience is the friendships i’ve made with other fans then it’s been worth it

i know some of u won’t agree with everything i’ve said, some might not agree with any of it, but i appreciate u reading it anyway and i hope the finale meant enough to u that u can still be glad u fell into the hellhole that was tvd

[ifishouldvanish]

Nighthawks, Morningbirds

Chapter 3

Summary: Some unresolved feelings result in a bit of a meltdown. Rating: M

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Read on AO3]

Lacey French sleeping in one of his shirts is one of the most welcome sights Gold has ever woken up to. Her makeup from last night is smudged all over her cheeks and his pillowcase, her hair looks like a nest, and having her spend the night in his bed probably wasn't the best thing for this budding whatever it is between them— but it just feels so good to wake up and not be alone. To wake up next to someone who hasn't been sleeping with another man for five years. Next to someone who, for some ungodly reason, seems to actually like him and desire him.

Gods, he is going to fuck this up. How can he not fuck this up?

He scoffs. How presumptuous of him: Assuming there is anything to fuck up.

Lacey stirs and a little groan escapes her. Her eyes quickly flutter open and she already looks much more wakeful than he feels. “Hey.”

He smiles at her, convinced that if he were to reach out and touch her, she might disappear. “...Hey.”

“You're awake now.” She says, stretching her arms out and squirming up to him.

His smile widens. “I'm sorry. Did I keep you waiting?” He sneaks a glance at the alarm clock because seriously— did he? But it’s hardly a quarter past seven.

“Well, as a matter of fact…” She mumbles, leaning over and nuzzling his neck. “Yeah. You kinda did.”

“How… Terribly rude of me.” He hums. Lacey's hair falls onto his chest and in his face, and it still smells like berries and honeysuckle. She buries her face in his neck and starts kissing, or licking, or— biting?

“Ah!” He winces because that was definitely a bite, and the sharp sensation already has his cock beginning to stir. Files that particular bit of information away to consider later.

“Yeah,” She perks up with a giggle and nibbles her lip. “You could uh, make it up to me though?”

He gives her a lopsided grin. “And which of your wildest erotic fantasies might I be able to fulfill for you this morning?”

She studies him for a moment and fights back a smile. “You ever watch Highlander?”

He groans and rolls his eyes.

“I'm kidding! I'm kidding!” She laughs, swatting a hand at his shoulder and straddling over his lap. “...I just want your cock inside me again.”

For a second, he just blinks at her. Lacey is nothing, if not forward.

“...Oh.” He chuckles a little uncomfortably. Gold won't deny that he finds the prospect of being inside her again to be a very appealing one, but her enthusiasm this morning is a jarring contrast from last night and he's a bit skeptical. Nonetheless, she seems nothing short of eager now and he’s come to find that her moods are subject to turning on a dime. “Well,” he says, “I believe that could be arranged.”

“I thought so.” She shrugs, already beginning to grind her hips into him, working him up. “I was gonna wake you up with some head, but I figured you'd probably freak out on me again.”

He recalls his reaction in the car the last night and huffs out a laugh. “How considerate of you.”

“Mhmm.” She nods, stripping out of his shirt. She slides it off of her shoulders and carelessly tosses it on the floor. “I can be very considerate when I want to be.”

He lets out a groan and closes his eyes as she continues rubbing against him through his pajamas. God, it feels so good to be wanted. He reaches over to open the top drawer of the nightstand and fumbles inside for a condom.

His heart stops when he remembers he has none. Why would he? He hasn't gotten properly laid in six years.

He clears his throat. “Lacey.”

“...Yeah?”

“I don't… I don't have any protection.” He mumbles quickly in embarrassment.

She stops rolling her hips and frowns for a moment. “That's… okay? I mean— I'm like, clean, you know?”

“Lacey.”

“You can just pull out.” She shrugs. “I trust you.”

He rubs a hand over his face and sighs. “I'm glad you do, but I don't.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, it’s cool.” She says, belied by her slouching shoulders.

“...Raincheck?” He offers weakly.

Lacey smiles and leans down over him.  “I didn't think Mr Gold did rainchecks.” She teases. “That's like… requesting an extension— How do I know you're good for it?”

“Ah—” He smirks and holds up a finger. “Because I never back out of a deal.” He taps her nose, delighted when she goes cross-eyed and it scrunches adorably in response.

“Hmm. You do have a point there…” She tilts her head and thinks for a moment. “I guess if I can't get a ride on your cock, I'd be willing to settle for a ride on your face instead?” She suggests, already crawling further up his body. “You do me and I do you?”

Gold cracks a shark-like smile. “...And people say negotiation is a lost art.” He deadpans as she dips down to meet him for a kiss. Being with Lacey is so intoxicating, kissing her so dizzying, that he suddenly thinks he understands why Milah was able to carry out an affair for so long, and have seemingly so little guilt over it. It's a sobering thought that’s quickly replaced by the realization that he must look like some sort of poster child for recently divorced men who have crises and start sleeping with women half their age— if for no other reason than to assure themselves that they've still got it.

The train of thought is interrupted by a buzzing sound nearby. They stare blankly at each other until Gold manages a pointed glance at his phone where it sits idly on the nightstand. Lacey rolls her eyes and climbs off the side of the bed, fishing her own phone out of her purse.

“Ugh. It's my dad.” She scowls, setting the phone on the nightstand to continue its buzzing.

Christ, she is too young for him.

“You should answer it, dearie.” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He's becoming a goddamned lecher. Perfect.

Lacey stares at the buzzing phone again and huffs. “I guess.” She groans, snatching it up.

“Hey, dad.”

A rambling, thunderous voice erupts from the speaker and Lacey pulls the phone a few inches from her ear until it stops. Gold closes his eyes and exhales deeply. Of course Moe French would find a way to ruin his morning.

“I’m fine.” She grumbles, rolling her eyes again as she sits up comfortably in bed. “No. I'm… at a friend's. No. No. Yes, a male friend — Christ, dad!” Lacey throws her head back and sighs. “We are so not having this conversation right now! ...Dad? ...Dad. Dad, I’m hanging up! Bye! Love you! Don’t forget to take your meds!”

Her father’s voice continues to ramble from the other end of the line until Lacey hangs up and tosses her phone back on the nightstand.

“Sorry about that.” She shrugs, crawling back on top of him.

Gold just chuckles weakly. “Nothing to apologize for.” Is it possible to mean something, but not feel it?

“Anyway…” Lacey nuzzles his neck again but it’s nowhere near as enjoyable as it was five minutes ago. Fucking Moe French. “We were… negotiating,” she says with a giggle before claiming his mouth for another kiss.

Gold tries to reciprocate— he wants to—  but his mind is stuck replaying that phone call on an infinite loop. And then it hits him.

Shit. Meds. Dr Whale.

In his ambitious mood the other day, he had accepted the 9:30AM appointment on Tuesday that just happened to have opened up. Gods, he's been drinking himself to sleep for months without managing to do anything he regretted in the morning half as much as this.

“Maybe we—” With a sigh, he breaks the kiss and pulls away, not quite meeting her eyes. “Maybe we shouldn't. Actually.”

Lacey fists at the sheets and pulls them up to her chin, covering herself. “Why not?” She asks, not quite looking him in the eyes.

He can think of about a dozen reasons why not.

I’m old enough to be your father.

I’m clingy and you’ll regret having ever slept with me at all.

I still really like you and don’t want whatever this is to just be about sex.

I don’t think I can handle another person getting bored and inevitably leaving me.

Gold presses his lips into a thin line for a moment and scoffs. “I… well, I—” He sits up and smiles at her, taking her hand in his. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I promised you breakfast, is all.”

She narrows her eyes at him and smiles. “Sounds like a cop-out.”

He isn’t going to argue that.

“C’mon.” He says, patting a hand on her bottom until she takes the cue and climbs off of his lap. He swings his feet out of bed and begins rolling the stiffness out of his ankle. “What do you like? Pancakes? Omelette? Toast?”

“Hmm… Surprise me?”

He looks over his shoulder at her, where she’s buttoning his shirt back up. “Something tells me it takes a lot to surprise you.” He teases. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

 *****

 Lacey’s actually feeling pretty optimistic about today. She woke up at 5:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep— but it gave her a chance to think about their encounter with Arthur last night, and she thinks she’s figured out why he got under her skin so quickly. She couldn’t care less when a guy like Keith hounds her because she knows he ain’t worth shit. But Arthur was a complete stranger. Wear did it mean if someone who had never even seen her before could say those kinds of things to her? Does it all just follow her around like a bad smell?

It doesn’t matter. Given another chance, she’d still knock that asshole’s teeth out, because he ain’t worth shit either. Arthur might have ruined her dinner with Gold, but she'll be God damned if she'll let him ruin her morning with him. Admittedly, she’s a little disappointed that she wasn't able to properly thank him for getting her off last night— but she's sure he'll mention it later.

The breakfast Gold is putting together definitely looks and smells better than Lacey's usual bowl of Cocoa Pops. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen anyone appear so in their element in the kitchen before. But when she tried hovering over his shoulder to watch, he kept insisting, “no peeking.” All she knows is that whatever he’s making, it involves a measure of bourbon, so it has to be good.

When Lacey’s eyes aren’t fixed on Gold’s rear, they’re focused on his china cabinet. It really is a beautiful piece— when you pretend the glass isn't missing and the muntins aren't snapped and splintered. But moreover, there's the cutest little teacup sitting all by itself atop one of the shelves, and Lacey feels drawn to it. She wouldn't mind adding something like it to her own collection. It’s so dainty and delicate that it just might look perfectly rebellious sitting beside her assortment of irreverent novelty coffee mugs.

“Coffee's ready.” Gold calls out softly. “Black?”

“Mhmm.” She nods, watching as he reaches into one of the cabinets for a cup. “Hey— can I use that cup?”

He looks to where she's pointing and knits his brows together. “I… I guess.” He scowls. “If you like.”

“Cool.” She shrugs and carries it over to him so he can pour her a cupful.

“Just— be careful.” He warns. “It’s chipped.”

Lacey rolls her eyes. “I'm not that clumsy, Gold. Just gotta drink from the good side, see?” She says, tilting the cup demonstratively. Gold just smiles and returns to the stove.

Fifteen minutes and half an orgasmic plate of bourbon peach French toast later, Lacey is in fact very clumsy.

Gold keeps staring at the clock and anxiously tapping a finger on the side of his coffee mug, and quite frankly it’s terribly distracting— ’It’ being the wonderful view she has of his sharp, angular profile and the hypnotic pulsing of the tendons in his hand. She’s debating whether or not to ask him what the fuck he keeps staring at the clock for (because honestly? How rude) when she takes a fateful sip from the wrong side of the cup.

Hot coffee dribbles down her chest and onto her lap and she yelps, nearly jumping out of her seat. “Fuck!”

Gold’s eyes snap away from the clock and he lunges across the table, rushing to take the cup from her hands and almost knocking his own over in the process. “What-what-what— Are you alright?!”

She looks down at the splash of coffee on her shirt— his shirt, his perfectly white shirt— and groans. “God dammit...”

He reaches a trembling hand out to her but withdraws it quickly before making contact. “You— you're alright? You're not burned?”

“It's fine. It’s not that hot.” She says, feeling herself flush with embarrassment. “Just… whoops?”

Gold sighs and shakes his head before finally scrambling for the roll of paper towels. “I-I'm sorry—”

“It's fine—”

“Let me get that—”

“It’s fine.”

“I am so sorry.” He hastily tears a sheet off and moves to dab her chest with it but stops himself, holding the towel up in the air uselessly. “I-I don't even know why I still have that stupid thing—” He stammers.

“It's fine!”

“No, it’s my fault.” He insists, and he sounds so angry with himself. He honestly believes it. “I should have thrown that bloody thing out with the rest—”

“Gold.” She grunts, ripping the paper towel out of his hand and wiping the coffee off of her thighs. “It’s fine.”

His eyes dart frantically over her face while his mouth hangs open. He doesn't know what to do with himself.

“...I—I'm sorry?” He stammers again.

“Stop apologizing!” She snaps. “I'm over it, alright?! ...You can stop coddling me!”

Gold takes a half step back and stares blankly at her, his arms drawn tightly against his chest.

Lacey feels her face grow hot and her pulse starting to throb in her temples. Nothing says, “I'm over what happened last night,” like screaming, “I’m over it, alright!?” at somebody who's just trying to clean spilled coffee. So much for her 5:30AM revelation.

She shakes her head, closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh. “I'm sorry, it just— I’m the one who ruined your shirt, okay?”

He knits his brows together in confusion. “...I never wear white.” He says matter-of-factly.

Lacey blinks at him for a moment. “What?”

He suddenly seems to notice the way she’s staring and his cheeks grow pink. “...What?”

“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “Just forget it, alright? I made the mess. I’ll clean it up myself. I can do that much.”

“You… you don’t have to.” He says meekly.

“Well, I want to, okay?” She sighs, swiping the roll of paper towels from the table and getting on her knees. “I’m not completely fucking helpless, you know.” She mutters under her breath as she soaks the puddle up off of the floor. Her lip is trembling though and she feels the urge to cry and just how fucking embarrassing is that?

Gold clears his throat. “No,” he says. “Of course not.”

In her effort to not bust into tears over spilled coffee, she can only manage a litany of snivels and huffs.

“You—” He cuts himself off and kneels down beside her and she wishes he wouldn’t because she knows it’ll be a bitch for him to get back up because of his ankle. “I don’t think you’re helpless.” He says. “You’re strong. Much stronger than I am.”

“Don't.” Lacey shakes her head. “You were right.” She mumbles, wiping her nose with her forearm.

“Right about what?”

“That I’m full of shit!” She says, tossing the saturated paper towel across the floor. “I said I didn’t give a damn what people think, but I do!”

He doesn’t offer any assurances to her right away, but she can tell he’s trying by the way his lips are pressed together.

“Of course you do.” He says and she rolls her eyes. “B-But... the thing— it— well—” He keeps stammering and she feels so bad because he’s trying so hard and she knows she’s hardly worth the effort. “I think it’s good to give a damn.” He finally says. “You have a right to be angry. And hurt.”

Lacey scoffs and shakes her head. “If that was true, they wouldn’t have punished you for it with anger management classes.” She says bitterly.

Gold huffs out a laugh.

“No.” She says. “It’s bullshit. People like us get fucked over by assholes our whole lives but when we finally say fuck that, fuck you and stand up for ourselves, we’re the ones who get shit for it and it’s not fucking fair!”

“I know, I know.” He hushes. He takes her hand and rubs his gently thumb over her skin. The gesture itself doesn't do as much to comfort her as the realization that he's trying . That for once someone isn't just calling her a psycho bitch and running away.

“H-He talked about me like I wasn’t even there.” She snivels, wiping her running nose on her arm again. “I hate— I hate that, okay?! I fucking hate that!”

“I know,” he whispers, wrapping an arm around her. “I do too.”

Lacey's not sure whether she's talking about Arthur or Gerard at this point, or if they've just merged into one entity best defined as people who've hurt me. She buries her face in his chest and cries, and he just rubs a hand over her back.

“Shh… it's alright.”

It’s several minutes until Lacey calms down. She slowly untangles herself from his arms and wipes her cheeks.

“Better?” He asks, tucking a lock of hair away from her tear-dampened face.

She nods and takes a deep breath, staring back and the now dried puddle of coffee on the tile. “I just— I want to clean it up by myself.”

“Okay.” He gives her a weak smile. “I understand.”

Gold groans as he pulls himself off the floor, leaning heavily on the table to spare his ankle the stress. He grabs the cup again and carries it over to the sink to dump it. Lacey tears her eyes away from the floor at the sound of the coffee sloshing into the sink and babbling down the drain. He starts walking the cup over to the garbage can and she sighs.

“No.” She insists and he stops to look over his shoulder at her. “Don’t.”

“What?”

“I like it.”

“...What?” He asks again, and he's so adorably confused at this point that Lacey almost forgets to answer him.

“I like the cup.” She mumbles, climbing to her feet and taking it from his hands.

“You could have hurt yourself.”

Lacey's never seen somebody so distraught over the possibility of hurting her before, let alone so inadvertently. Spilled coffee. She spilled a half a cup of coffee and he went into panic mode. If she didn’t know any better, she might find it comical. But she does know better, and it’s actually just really sad.

“Look.” She says softly. “This cup has clearly been through some shit,” she says, smiling weakly and holding it up for him to see. “But um, you can still drink out of it. ...You know?”

He looks down at it and opens his mouth as if to protest.

“I mean... we’re kinda chipped too.” She adds shyly, her eyes focused on the cup because she can't quite bring herself to meet his eyes. “People look at us the wrong way, or say the wrong thing, and they get a lap full of coffee.”

The uncertainty finally leaves his eyes and the corner of his mouth twitches upwards into a little smile. “...Or a foot up the arse?”

Lacey bites down on her lip, trying to fight the little giggle that wants to bubble out of her. “Exactly.” She traces her finger along the notch in the cup’s rim for a moment. “I’m just not ready to be thrown out yet. Are you?”

“No. I-I suppose not.” He places his hand over hers, his thumb brushing over her own where she's picking at the chip. “We'll just… have to rinse it out and try again, hm?”

Lacey nods. “Thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for.”

 *****

 Gold insisted Lacey relax and make herself at home while he cleans the kitchen, so she hopped in the shower to wash the smell of coffee off of her body before changing into her clothes from the night before. She may have also sloshed around some mouthwash she found under the sink while she was looking for condoms to no avail.

She might still have some ruminating to do as far as that prick Arthur is concerned, but she's at least decided on one thing: she wants to sleep with Gold again— sooner rather than later, and she doesn't give a damn about whether or not she “should”. It’s different with him, she’s decided, because she actually likes him. It’s as if the two of them speak a language together that no one else understands. When she gets upset and snaps, he has this look in his eyes like he knows exactly what she’s feeling. It’s not about thanking him or wanting to return a favor. He just makes her smile and feel good and she wants to make him feel good too. The other night in her bed he was so content and at ease and she did that. Who says she couldn't do it again?

Having given up on raiding the bathroom cabinets, Lacey grabs her purse and plops onto Gold’s bed. She rummages through all of the compartments, then dumps all of its contents out in frustration. Her phone, her keys, some cash, several crumpled up gum wrappers and receipts from the liquor store, her favorite tube of lipstick, a tampon.

“Seriously?” She huffs, shoving her hand inside the bag again and groping at the now empty lining. Finally, something pointy pokes at her skin. Holding her breath, she slowly pulls it out, and she's pretty sure she can hear a choir of angels singing. “Oh, thank God!” She says with a relieved sigh, tucking the little foil packet into her bra.

Gold's still finishing up when Lacey makes it back downstairs. She should sneak up behind him and nibble his neck, but for some reason she can't bring herself to. For some reason, she’s nervous about it. Instead she just watches him with a little smile on her face and a warmth in her chest until the last plate makes it into the dishwasher and he spins around. He smiles at her, but then he looks at the fucking clock again and Lacey feels her heart drop into her stomach. Has she worn her welcome? Does he want her to leave? Can she blame him?

“I forgot, I ah, I have an appointment.” He says, wringing his hands together. “I’ll… I’ll get ready and I can drop you home on the way?”

“Oh.” On one hand, it explains his sudden infatuation with the clock. On the other, it looks like she won’t be jumping his bones after all. “Yeah. Sounds good.” She says, and he gives her a tight-lipped smile before disappearing up the stairs.

Lacey finds herself pacing around the living room. Every surface in Gold’s home is crowded merrily with antique lamps, tiny metal ornaments painted with colorful patterns, and old books bound in worn leather. She cautiously picks up one of the pieces— an enameled candlestick holder— and marvels at all of its tiny details. There’s soaring dragons and blooming lotuses in pinks and reds and greens sprawling across a field of blue.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Lacey hurries to put it back down, almost knocking over a photo frame in the process. Gold is standing in the doorway— looking criminally handsome in one of his suits— and if the way he’s leaning against the frame is any indication, he’s been standing there for some time.

“I’m sorry, it’s expensive, isn't it? I shouldn't have—”

“No, no. You’re fine.” Gold hushes, walking over and picking it back up.

Lacey slowly turns to look at it with him.  “It’s uh, really pretty.”

“Cloisonné.” He says. “Technique dates back to the ancient Middle East. They solder this thin wire into intricate patterns—” He indicates the gold strokes that make up the design with his finger, “then fill each of the spaces— the cloisons — with enamel and fire it. This particular piece is from nineteenth century China. Qing Dynasty.”

Lacey stares at it for a moment and wets her lips. Smiles. “Is that what the guy who sold it to you said?”

Gold huffs out a laugh. “You don’t trust my appraisal skills?”

She crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes at him. “Well I mean, c’mon— how do you know? ”

His lips slowly curl into a smug grin. “One simply must know what to look for, Miss French.” He says. He flips it over and taps a finger on the bottom of the base. “This here… is an imperial seal. Went out of favor at the turn of the century. Any pieces made for export after that time will say China or Made in China instead, so that dates it before 1897.”

Lacey blinks owlishly, trying not to look too impressed yet. “Okay.” She says, putting her hands on her hips. “I'm listening.”

“Now—” He winks and flips it over again to point at the thin wires that make up the shapes in the design. “If you look closely, the diameter of the wires is consistent. It doesn't get thicker in some places and thinner in others. Wrought wiring like this wasn’t used until the late Qing dynasty which, of course, was the last dynastic period before China became a republic in 1911.”

Lacey always imagined the only reason people collected antiques was because they were expensive and therefore a good way to show off how much money you have to other people who also have lots of money. But Gold is smiling brightly, dimples and all, and speaking with such a genuine passion for the history and the craftsmanship of the thing that she has no choice but to dispel the idea entirely.

In short, he's a total fucking nerd.

“You might also notice that these wires haven't been soldered at all.” He continues, holding it up to her closely. “Soldered wiring is usually riddled with imperfections— pits and dark spots, fractures from the baking process, that sort of thing. But during the eighteenth century, they started using an adhesive to lay the wire, which produced a much cleaner result like we see here.”

He’s speaking so confidently and as cute as he is when he’s a flustered, babbling mess, confidence is such a good color on him. “I have to admit—” Lacey says, bobbing her head thoughtfully, “I'm kinda getting weirdly turned on by this.”

“Ah, but there's more!” He beams. “Look at these areas of pink.”

Lacey squints at the lotus petals and frowns, not sure what she's supposed to be looking for. “Yeah, that's um… definitely pink.”

“Precisely.” He says, holding a finger up in the air. “Prior to the Qing dynasty, they didn't use pink enamel. They would use white and red within the same cloison to create the illusion of pink. Furthermore, the cloisons that form the dragons’ scales have a smooth gradation of color— another technique that wasn’t introduced until the 18th century. However, the scrolling design motif— the lotus in particular— is a trademark of the Ming dynasty.” He pauses and wets his lips. “You see, during the nineteenth century, the antique market was growing and there was a demand for pieces that replicated the Ming style. Paired with techniques developed in late Qing dynasty, a Ming design motif dates the piece quite firmly in the nineteenth century.”

“...Huh.”

“So.” He coughs and looks away shyly, a small blush rising to his cheeks. “That’s how I know.”

Lacey blinks at the piece owlishly. “...Cool.” She says with a chuckle, meeting his eyes again. “I mean, I guess it's kinda like how I can hear a few seconds of a Van Halen song and know what album it is judging by the way the guitars sound.”

He pouts thoughtfully for a moment, then lets out a little scoff. “...Aye. I suppose it is.”

“Or how you can tell a Def Leppard song from a Poison or a Whitesnake one?”

He sets the candlestick back down without taking his eyes off of her. “You'll have to enlighten me sometime.” He says, his head bobbling ever so slightly as he wiggles his brows.

“I will.” She grins, taking a step closer to him. Lacey can't think of anything she'd enjoy more than subjecting Mr Gold to her beloved, though in all honesty pretty shameful, record collection. They could order pizza, or takeout, or just whatever (she's not picky), and talk about things that aren't depressing— like her very strong opinions on what the top five guitar solos to come out of 1987 are. After all, she doesn't know the first thing about antiques, but she enjoyed listening to him talk about the history of Chinese cloisonné techniques anyway.

“You know, I uh, have some pieces from China too.” She says. “...Late twentieth, early twenty-first century?”

Gold raises a brow at her and the corner of his mouth twitches upwards into a little smirk.

“Really cool technique where they uh, make these molds and fill them with plastic?” She explains, trying not to laugh. “Allows them to produce hundreds of thousands of units that are completely identical.”

He cracks a toothy grin and inches closer to her. “Sounds incredible.”

“Yeah, it kinda is.” She snorts, wholly aware of the light, bubbling feeling in her chest. “Not gonna lie.”

His focus darts back and forth between her eyes and lips, and they lean into each other almost imperceptibly. Lacey wets her lips and lids her eyes, wanting so badly to close the gap between them.

She feels his breath land on her cheek and she goes all in, because it’s all the invitation she needs. She catches his eyes going wide as she pulls him close, but he doesn’t hesitate to respond in kind with a little moan when she traces her tongue along his lips. His hair is still a little damp when she runs her fingers through it and he smells so amazing and tastes so good and Lacey’s certain she wouldn’t mind standing there and kissing him all day long. But when they finally part to catch their breath, there’s a strange, disorienting giddiness that keeps her from doing anything more than just staring and smiling at him— and judging by the lopsided grin on his face, she’s pretty sure he feels it too.

She shifts on her feet, her eyes fixed on the knot of his tie. “You uh, sure about that appointment?” She asks. “Maybe you should call in sick.”

“That’d be a shite excuse for missing a doctor’s appointment, Miss French.”

Lacey folds her arms over her chest. “The only shite excuse I'm hearing is the one for that thing you call a sense of humor.”

He rolls his eyes, but smiles. “Says the woman who was just flirting with me over the mass production of consumer goods.”

“Well it worked, didn't it?” She laughs. “I think that says more about you than it does about me.”

“Fair enough.” He gives her a peck on the forehead, looking far too pleased with himself when she huffs and scrunches her face in response. “Now put those ridiculous things back on your feet,” he says, nodding toward her heels by the front door. “You're going to make me late.”

“Fine.” She giggles, traipsing across the floor for her shoes. “I’d hate for all of your anxiety this morning to be for nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say nothing.” He shrugs. “If there’s anything that makes me more nervous than a doctor’s appointment, it’s the company of a charming woman.”

Lacey snorts. “I think you’re full of shit.” She says.

But what she really thinks— or dares to hope— is that he isn’t.