#okay anyway please share your thoughts goodbye and thanks for reading

[imeriayapping]

Pedro is cautious, he's always cautious when it comes to his rivals. No matter where they started that's all they are in the end. Rivals, a target to beat, someone to overtake on every chance presented to him. Pedro always tries not to get anywhere close to becoming friends just so it won't be a problem afterwards when he crushes them on his way up. Because he knows how often it doesn't work out, how it will hurt when they get angry at him for pushing till the limit.

So what to do when you start as friends? Pedro never managed to find a good answer, at first he tried his best to maintain neutrality and not let racing get between them even if it was the thing that brought them together. But at one point it gets tiresome, the effort feels too big for a relationship that is dying it's slow death.

At least that's how it looks to him.

So it's easier to convince your brain that it was never there, that he was always just a rival, that there was never anything but want to beat him. That just fully ignoring him is the most logical option until he stops being same person that you once knew.

And it works well, only takes a few averted gazes when he feels eyes on his skin and a bit of strategic stepping out of the way not to touch. Race after race his face gets blurred in Pedro's memories to the point of person next him on the podium doesn't look familiar and all goes well.

And then he gets to motogp and he doesn't even need to think about any of that. He has new goals to achieve, new heights to discover.

He's not there to make friends but somehow he finds himself a few and it feels different, not because those are "motogp stars" but because now everyone around isn't emotional teenager and personal relationships don't get shaken by on track actions as much. At very least they can just talk it out.

It all holds well and works just like he needs this system to work, season goes around without any turbulence.

And then winter break passes past him leaving Pedro absolutely unprepared for when he's sitting next to him in press conference and they are doing some stupid questions again. It takes a lot in pedro to continue his usual avoidance of others eyes with how long it was since the last time he needed to do it.

And then he gets pulled out of his thoughts when someone's phone rings loudly enough to distract everyone in the room. It gives him opportunity to catch rest of the question.

"-was gifted that wasn't racing related?"

He hears bezzecchi on other end of the platform starting to talk about some robotics dinosaurs that his friend gave to him and it's enough of a clue to understand that it's once again some unrelated question about birthday gifts. Pedro scrambles for any answer in his head, somehow pulling out dusty memory of some shark related book he was given once and takes initiative when other rider finishes talking just to fulfill his duty and move on with this conference. It continues to move along pretty ok until he hears voice on his left, somehow closer than physically possible with their sitting arrangements.

"To be honest it's a bit silly but once my friend saved up for it and gifted me Minecraft game because we both really wanted to play. Maybe it doesn't sound like much but when you are that young that effort and saving feels like a whole world"

It feels like pedro was dunked into bath gool of ice, change inside him so sudden that his head spinns. Soft tone and light laughter in words make him look up. Make him look for the first time in probably years and see.

See fermin sitting right next to him and smiling with creases around his eyes, not that visible but same as always so he remembers them. See fingers that are beating out rhythm of a catchy song that they once were singing for a week straight because it would not get out of their heads.

See fermin who is same person who he called friend, not a stranger, not just a rival, he's Fermin.

It takes just a second, small reminder of memory that happened a lifetime ago to crack everything Pedro managed to convince himself of. To start wondering if race track they build in there right after he gifted the game is still there, if fermin still uses the app at all. To start seeing person in front of him again after months of training to stop noticing.

All this turmoil happens in mere seconds but leaves pedro unprepared for the next question. And just to secure whole revelation fermin is refocusing question on himself to give pedro a bit of space to breathe, saving him in a small way that also feels familiar.

But now while whole conference is ending pedro just sits in his chair thinking about what to do with these cracked bits of his worldview that he not sure if he wants to put back together.

[blue-aconite]

let me drown || chapter V - jake's summer part II

Summary: 

Warnings: Swearing, a lil bit of angst

Word Count: 3.7k

Pairings: Bradley Bradshaw x OC (past), Jake Seresin x OC (future)

Authors Note: It's been forever since I've updated this series but we're finally getting somewhere! Minors DNI. Each chapter will be labelled with warnings individually.

Thank you to my beta @a-reader-and-a-writer, you're amazing! ♥️

California, Lemoore Naval Air Station, Spring 2019

Jake was cooling down on the treadmill after his morning workout when Javy’s name flashed across his phone. He lowered the pace on the machine as he answered the call. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“You’ll never guess what I just found out!” Javy exclaimed, a tone of excitement obvious in his voice. 

Jake rolled his eyes. “Uh, you found out Phoenix finally grew tired of your gossiping and decided to leave?”

Javy gasped on the other end. “If you’re going to be mean, I won’t tell you.”

“I’m very sorry for being so inconsiderate of your feelings, will you please share your news with me?” 

“You’re such an ass.” Javy complained and Jake could picture his best friend’s expression.

“Anyway, I found out where Bradshaw is now.” He sounded smug, like he was sharing something he shouldn’t, which was probably the case. 

But the tidbit of information intrigued Jake. Thanks to Bob, he knew something must have happened for Thea and Bradshaw to call it quits and for Bob to request a transfer across the country to get his sister away from Virginia Beach.

“Do tell.” Jake said as he looked around and found himself in a now somewhat deserted gym. Turning off the treadmill completely, he wiped it off before picking up his bag.

“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone. Nat swore me to secrecy.” Javy whispered conspiratorially, like he was leaking top-secret government information.

Jake rolled his eyes as he walked back to his bunk. “So you’re not supposed to share this with me?” Coyote hesitated for a moment, making Jake smile. “I swear that I won’t utter a word of what you’re about to tell me.” 

“No, I’m not supposed to share but now that you’ve sworn…-” Javy dragged out the ‘o’ before continuing. “He’s off the coast of Japan, with the Golden Warriors.” 

“I knew the Warriors were deploying, I spoke with Badger when I was visiting Athena and he said they were leaving after Christmas.” Jake recalled, remembering meeting up with his friend from flight school while in Virginia Beach.

They discussed the new information for a while and Jake made sure to leave Thea’s name out of it. He still didn’t know anything except for what Bob had told him. And while he knew Javy would keep his trap shut, he didn’t want to speak about something he had limited information about.

“Well, I guess they broke up? Do you know why?” Javy asked.

Jake sighed. “No. Bob just told me it was over and that Thea wasn’t doing so good.”

Coyote hummed. “Well, count me in for dinner. I haven’t seen Floyd in forever.” 

Jake promised to text the address Bob had given him before they said their goodbyes and hung up. 

It still bothered him that whatever had gone down between Thea and Rooster, Thea was the one who was suffering for it. He wanted to be there for her but he also didn’t want to push his luck. After his last message, he hadn’t reached out, deciding that he would let her decide if she wanted to continue the conversation. He wanted to let it happen on her terms. 

His stomach still fluttered whenever he thought of her but Jake tried his best to push it aside. Even if Thea’s smile made him feel like he could soar, he stayed true to his words to be her friend. 

Javy had teased him relentlessly about his crush, taking the opportunity that he was the one pining for once and not the other way around. 

Thea had texted him back but their correspondence was inconsistent at best, a few late night messages here and there. Jake was happy she wanted to speak to him at all, so he gladly told her about his day or whatever he thought she’d enjoy reading about. He’d sent some book recommendations, remembering how she had talked about how she needed to get back into reading books while they met in Virginia. 

After forwarding the address that Bob had given him to Javy, Jake decided the best way to stop obsessing over tomorrow was to just try and not think about it. He could at least try.

On the way over to the Floyd residence, Jake felt oddly nervous. He hadn’t seen Thea since his trip and he was excited. It would be nice to talk face to face instead of the texts they had exchanged. 

Javy had picked up on his nerves on the way over and snickered but Jake made sure to shut him up before they arrived. 

“Just be quiet about it, yeah? Can you do that?” He asked as they walked up to the cottage, a bottle of wine and a freshly bound bouquet for Thea. 

Javy laughed, bouncing on his toes. “You’re very adorable, Hangman. But yes, I will be quiet. I’m looking forward to meeting the girl that’s made you all cute and shit.” 

Jake retaliated by punching Javy in the arm playfully as they waited for someone to open the door. They could hear footsteps from within and after a few moments Bob opened the door, bbq tongs in one hand. 

“Hey, come on in!” He invited, beckoning them inside. “Shoes off, please. Thea has weird rules.”

“FLOYD, c’mere boy! It's been too fucking long.” Javy grabbed onto Bob before the poor man could escape, trapping him in an embrace whether Bob wanted it or not. Jake shook his head at Javy’s actions, subtly looking around the hallway. When he found no sign of Thea, he turned his focus back to Javy and Bob, only to find both of them already looking at him.

Javy was wearing a shit-eating grin while Bob was observing him with a calculated stare. It wasn’t hostile but Jake felt exposed under the older Floyds’ gaze so he held out the bottle of wine as a distraction. “Thanks for having us, man.”

Bob rolled his eyes, stepping forward to trap him in an one-armed hug. Jake returned it, careful not to crush the flowers. 

“I’m glad you could make it. Yes, you too Javy.” Bob joked as he led them into the kitchen. There were boxes in the hallway and a few more stacked against the corner of the living room. 

Bob offered them both a beer as they sat down at the kitchen island, an offhand wave towards the boxes. “Sorry about those, we haven’t really unpacked everything yet.”

“Do you live here or on base, then?” Javy asked, taking a handful of peanuts from the bowl Floyd offered.

“On base, I’m just keeping a few things here for storage. Thea doesn’t mind and most of the boxes are hers anyway.” Bob said as he grabbed a few plates from the cabinet. 

Upon closer inspection, Jake could see how bare the cottage looked. There was furniture and the like but it lacked a personal warmth. It made sense though, it hadn’t been long since the siblings arrived. 

Jake wondered how it would look after Thea put her personal touch on the place. Thea herself was so warm and kind, so maybe that was her choice of decorations too. Jake hoped he’d get to see what it looked like then.

“So, when do I get to meet this sister of yours? I’ve heard a lot, and it feels like I know her already.” Javy clapped his hands together as he looked around.

Bob pointed to the open sliding door leading into the backyard. Jake could spy a wooden deck and grass beyond that. 

“She’s outside by the grill. C’mon.” Bob took the plates with him. Jake grabbed the pitcher with water and followed him outside. 

As promised, Thea was standing behind the grill placed on the deck, staring at the ocean that could be viewed from the backyard. She looked smaller than Jake remembered, curled in on herself. His heartbeat picked up as he studied her, feeling strangely at peace now that he was in her presence again. He had missed her, despite their brief interaction last time they saw each other. 

“Tiny! Come say hello!” Bob called, breaking his sister out of whatever trance she was in. Jake could tell that her smile wasn’t genuine as she approached them, but said nothing. Javy beat him to greet her, smiling gently. 

Jake watched as Javy extended his hand and introduced himself, trading hellos. He felt uncertain about how he should approach her. She had hugged him goodbye after their roundabout of golf and lunch but he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate now. 

“Earth to Jake. Hello?”

He was broken out of his inner monologue by Javy smacking him on the chest. Jake slapped his hand away and refocused his attention on Thea. She was standing close to Bob now, almost hiding behind her brother’s 6’2 ft frame. 

His heart thudded against his chest as she smiled timidly at him. Thea didn’t speak so Jake decided to go first. “Hi, Thea. It’s nice to see you again.”

Thea awkwardly looked around, wrapping her arms around her midsection as to protect herself before greeting him. It hurt him to see her look so small.

“Hi, Jake. It’s good to see you too.” She was more soft-spoken than he remembered but when she smiled at him, Jake still felt those flutters return. 

Bob and Javy moved away towards the grill, chatting animatedly and leaving him and Thea by themselves. He wanted to ask how she was doing, how she was feeling and if there was anything he could do. But Thea beat him to speaking. 

“I picked up a few of those books you recommended.” 

While it wasn’t what Jake was looking for, Thea looked so on edge that he figured it was a safe topic for her. Revisiting his earlier attitude about space, he smiled happily. “I’m glad. I hope you enjoy them.”

Thea smiled then, a tentative small smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Crime isn’t really my thing but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to branch out.”

After hesitating, Jake decided to stop beating around the bush. He opened his mouth to ask her if something was bothering her but Bob interrupted him, calling out that the food was ready. 

Thea made a vague gesture towards the seating area. “We should join them.” She almost looked relieved to be interrupted, as if she could sense what he was about to ask her. 

DInner was pleasant, the conversation between Jake, Javy and Bob flowed easily but Jake kept an eye on Thea through the entire meal. She participated whenever Javy asked her something or Bob turned to her but she was more subdued than he remembered from his dinner with the siblings back in Virginia. 

Whatever Bradshaw had done, it had obviously done a real number on Thea. And Jake hated that. He hated that his gut feelings about the man had been correct. Bradshaw was the same man he remembered and he loathed that Thea had seemingly paid the price for his actions. She deserved better. 

“So, Bob mentioned you graduated from UPenn? Architecture, right?” Javy asked, directing his attention to Thea. 

Thea nodded, putting down her glass. “Mm. You know anything about it?”

Javy laughed, chewing on a potato. “I think my cousin’s wife is an architect and I know you guys design buildings. That’s about it.” 

They all laughed and, with some more prompting, she launched into an explanation of her degree and new workplace. She lit up when describing the project she’d been put on and it was clear that this was her passion. 

“Okay, I admit defeat. You guys do a lot more than designing buildings.” Javy mused.

“Yeah but I know that’s what most people think about when they hear the word architecture.” Thea assured him, stabbing a broccoli with her fork.

They had let Thea talk without interrupting but it felt safe to ask questions now. “What’s your focus?�� Jake asked, leaning back in his seat. 

“Focus?” Javy asked at the same time as Thea answered his question. “My main one is landscape architecture but I’ve done some projects in interior design as well.” 

Javy looked bewildered between the two of them. “There’s different fields?”

Bob snickered behind his glass, the upturn of his lips making Jake smile in return. Thea smiled as well and Javy grimaced. “I did not know that. Interesting.”

She angled her body towards Javy more, explaining the different types and what had prompted her to choose that specific field. 

Jake took the opportunity to turn his questions towards Bob. “So, how’s Taylor?”

Bob shrugged. “She’s fine.”

“You don’t sound too sure.” 

Bob faltered, shifting uneasily. “She was supposed to hand in her notice. She said she could find another job here, that she was willing to move but when I asked her about it, she admitted that she hadn’t turned it in yet - and she couldn’t give me a straight answer as to why.”

Jake’s heart went out to Bob, who was obviously struggling with this dilemma. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t understand though, you said she was coming with us.” Thea spoke up, having listened in on their side conversation.

“She’ll be here, Tiny.” Bob reassured but it didn’t sound as confident as Jake guessed Bob wanted to come off as. 

The conversation came to a halt, nobody knowing how to continue. A few moments passed before Bob spoke up. “It’s fine, you guys. Does anyone want coffee?”

They all helped clear the table, the tension from the previous conversation ebbing away. Thea shooed them from the kitchen, rinsing the dishes in the sink. Javy and Bob took her gesture to heart and headed back outside but Jake decided to linger. 

“You don’t have to stick around.” Thea busied herself with the plates, keeping her eyes on the sink. Jake leaned against the kitchen island, shrugging his shoulders.

“Figured you could use some help.”

Thea laughed, a genuine sound this time and Jake’s heart did a somersault in his chest. He immediately scolded himself silently for his reaction, keeping his face neutral. “What?”

“I know you three haven’t been around each other in a while. You really want to help me load the dishwasher instead of catching up with your friends?” Thea snorted, rinsing another plate. 

Jake rolled his eyes. “I’ll have you know my mama raised a gentleman, I’m nothing like those two heathens who just abandons a lady with chores.” 

He went for the joke, hoping that it would ease up on the slight apprehension he could feel from her. She was smiling but her body language told him she wasn’t totally at ease with him. He wondered why. 

“Hangman! Get out here!” Bob called, waving at him through the window. 

He turned towards Thea but she waved a hand in the direction of her brother. “Go. I’m almost done here. Take the mugs with you, please.” 

He did as she asked before casting one last glance her way as he left the kitchen. She didn’t notice, busy with cleaning off the counter. 

He watched her through the window, noticing how she relaxed slightly the moment she was alone. Trying to not feel hurt by Thea’s apprehension, Jake took a seat again, easily catching up with the conversation between Coyote and Bob.

No one mentioned anything when Thea didn’t join them again until he and Javy were standing on the porch, saying their goodbye’s. 

Javy trapped both Thea and Bob in a hug before either could protest, which made him smile. Jake was used to his best friend’s behaviour but Bob looked like he might have forgotten since they were all together last time. 

“Listen, don’t be a stranger! You need anything, just give us a call. If Bob can’t help you, of course. And when she gets here, I’d love for you to meet my girlfriend. I think you two would like each other.” Javy rambled, adding himself to Thea’s contacts. 

“Nat’s visiting?” 

Javy nodded happily. “In two weeks. Maybe we can all go out to dinner?”

“Sounds good! We’ll plan later.” It doesn’t go unnoticed how Bob chose to not put Thea on the spot by asking her to tag along even though the invitation was there. Jake echoed his agreement instead of saying anything and Javy immediately started planning a group chat.

Turning slightly towards Thea, Jake decided against a hug, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. “It was good to see you again. Like Javy said, if you need anything -”

“Thanks,” she interrupted, biting her lower lip, “I appreciate it. I’m glad you guys stopped by.” 

They waved their goodbyes when he’s reversing out of the driveway and Jake could feel Javy’s eyes trained on him.

“What?”

Javy shrugged. “Nothing. Thea seems nice. A bit quiet though and sad.”

He didn’t answer, instead choosing to focus on the road despite it being nearly empty. He didn’t want to think about all the reasons Thea had changed so much since he first met her. While she was still there, Jake could see how much the breakup from Bradshaw had changed her.

“But I liked her and most important of all, I can see why you’ve got a massive crush on her.”

Jake snorted. “It’s not like that.”

“Sure it isn’t. Man, she’s been the only thing you’ve talked about since visiting Oceana. And, I’ll admit, I did tell you to not get involved because she had a boyfriend and a protective older brother. Also because I didn't want to see you get hurt, y’know?” Javy had taken on a more serious tone now.

He continued without letting Jake talk. “And at the time, I was right. But maybe you should now.”

The last part made Jake turn his head, eyebrows rising. “Seriously? Were you not at the same dinner as me? She was uncomfortable around me, although I don’t know why.”

“Maybe you should ask her why? You can’t fix it if you don’t know what’s wrong.” 

Jake pulled into the parking lot, killing the engine. “I don’t want to back her into a corner and it’s not like she owes me her friendship or anything. We hung out twice and while we really clicked, something has obviously changed. I’ll see if she even wants to spend time together first before making demands.”

“You know, you’re smarter than people give you credit for. I guess you’re more than just a pretty fa - HEY!” Javy swatted his hand away as Jake tried to slap him on the side of the face, laughing as he ran away.

“I’m reporting you. You can’t go around damaging government property!” Javy cackled as he headed in the opposite direction. Jake flipped him off even though Coyote couldn’t see him.

“Sleep with one eye open, Machado!”

“I’ll talk to you later, Hangman!” was the only answer and Jake could hear him still laughing in the distance. 

Javy had sent him 10 snaps when he got back to his room but he went straight to bed, wanting to catch some much-needed sleep. 

And despite everything, Jake thought about Thea as he fell asleep.

“Can I ask you something?”

Bob shrugged. “I don’t guarantee an answer.”

Jake hesitated, sparing one moment to wonder if he should ask or just forget about it. Floyd didn't seem to notice, immersed in his phone. 

“Have you heard from Taylor?”

Bob fixed him with a stare that reminded him of his own mother, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other. “That’s not what you want to ask and we both know it. But to answer it, not really? We’ve texted back and forth but she still can’t give me a straight answer.”

“You don’t seem too worried.” Jake observed.

Bob sighed. “I am but I also have other things to think about.”

Throwing caution to the wind, Jake voiced his concern. “Like Thea?”

Bob rolled his shoulders back, cracking his neck. “I still worry about her. I thought moving here would help and it has but I guess I was being a bit too convinced it would fix everything. And the whole situation with Taylor isn’t helping, at all. I feel like I’m being stretched too thin at this point.”

Jake felt bad for his friend, wishing he could help. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I’d be down. Don’t want you to run yourself into the ground worrying about everyone.”

Bob huffed, cracking his knuckles. “I’ve been worrying about Tiny since the day she was born, it’s not going to stop anytime soon.”

He was reluctant to add to Bob’s burden but a question had been eating away at him since dinner last week. Jake had tried to let it go but he couldn’t. 

“Thea appeared a bit off at dinner. Which isn’t a surprise, considering what has happened. But I couldn’t help but notice that she seemed uneasy around me. Uncomfortable. I’ve been chalking it up to just being nervous but something has changed.” Jake spoke slowly, spilling his thoughts.

“I know it’s not my place and you said it’s not your story to tell but even I can see that whatever happened between her and Rooster has hurt her. And I just want to help.”

Jake knew he sounded a bit pathetic at the end of his rant but he didn’t care. He was worried about Thea, and Bob to an extent, and while his reputation painted him as a man who only cared about himself, Jake did care about his friends and family. 

Javy was right, he could be an asshole but not when it came to the people closest to him. 

“Do you really want to know what happened?” Bob asked, observing him with a calculated look that oddly enough made Jake sit up a bit straighter, as if he was being judged. 

He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not as much as knowing what happened but about helping and being there for your sister. I really care about her.”

Bob closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. “I’ll tell you. But you have to understand, not even I know everything. She won’t say anything but I know there are still things she hasn’t told me. But promise me one thing, same as I promised Thea concerning Rooster.”

“What did you promise?”

“I promised I’d stay out of it. That I wouldn’t go after him.”

Jake cleared his throat, trying to picture Bob hunting Bradshaw down. It wasn’t crazy but he had a hard time imagining it. But if Thea had made Bob promise not to, he would as well. “Well, I swear I won’t hunt him down.”

Bob laughed humorlessly, clenching his jaw. He was angry, Jake realised. “After I’m done telling you, you might want to.”

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[the-way-astray]

HEY so I skim read your new Keefe hate post and I have some thoughts I'd like to share (all good ones!!)

As someone who also wrote a very long essay about [a] fictional character(s) while citing the page number and book word by word, you freaking ACED it. I'm always gonna be impressed when people take the time to cite your source and give a in depth explanation about it

You're lowkey not too wrong about Keefe infantilizing Sophie. For something silly and stupid, like "Iggy ate my mallowmelt!! >:( Now im mad!!" yeah I bet Sophie would seem cute lol. But for when she's genuinely angry and pissed?? Maybe lay off a little bit dude 😭 Like cmon she can murder you with her mind- There are moments where he does talk about how powerful she is though, throughout the series, but tbh as much as he does that he probably inhantilize her too *shrug* I need to reread the series, but you are making some sense.

I need Keefe getting mad and someone asking him if he's on his period LMAOOOO

Anyways as someone who loves Keefe you're making valid points. He has his flaws, and sometimes he isn't the best person. In summary

Never post that on pinterest. Those crazy Keefe loving, Fitz hating, Sokeefe shipping 11 year olds will MURDER YOU. I will respect your opinion, but they sure don't.

(your opinion is valid and you have facts *clap and approving nod* you have my respect.)

the post in question

okay, first of all, i need this essay immediately. i literally do not care what it's about but words! lots of words! about kotlc! need.

ooh, thank you so much! i mentioned this in the post itself, but this is a rework. the quotes were originally in one post (copy-pasted from another post) and the explanation was in a reblog, which was hella annoying, so i condensed them. i suppose it does make much more sense now. and my explanation is based in the fact that i don't think people were understanding why this isn't a good thing to be saying, period, when i posted it for the first time. even without context.

yeah, keefe displays a consistent attitude of "sophie is so adorable and small and cute and ditzy and soft". seriously, if you don't believe me, read his perspective in unlocked (or don't, because i'm going to do it for you in my part two keefe rant). it's why i don't buy his accepting sophie as a leader in stellarlune (done in a very, very tell-not-show way, may i add), unless he went through some serious development in unraveled. i may have to dedicate a whole post to that topic . . . anyway, yeah, him calling her powerful and talented feels very, very, very tell-not-show, and when you look at his internal thoughts in unlocked, it portrays her very differently. i'm not a fan of the way he sees her, truly. it feels very dumbed down and uwu-ified. no quotes from unlocked have been put into the post, so i'll have to update it later, but if i included unlocked quotes, this post would be like sixteen times its length. but yeah, you should reread the series before you come to a serious opinion. i'm obviously incredibly biased.

GOODBYE I WAS CITING THAT POST BECAUSE IT GAVE OFF THE EXACT ENERGY I FEEL KEEFE GIVES OFF . . . I DON'T EVEN THINK ELVES HAVE PERIODS (please nobody bring back that cursed discussion again, please, i beg) BUT YOU'RE SO CORRECT. SOMEONE WRITE A HUMAN AU WHERE THIS HAPPENS IMMEDIATELY

yay, a level-headed keefe lover, i love you guys. lol . . . i don't plan to go on pinterest anytime soon, or ever (and i also don't even think pinterest's format even allows for a long post like this . . . ). honestly the thought would have never even crossed my mind, because keepblr is my one true love and i'd never cheat on her. but now that you mention it, it might be funny . . .

[philosophika]

Writeblr Positivity Tag

Hi @inkovert! Thank you, as always, for the tag. Just a quick shout-out; if you don't know Inkovert yet, please please please go check out their WIP, My Dearest Enemy. Also, do you like having in-depth discussions about writing with other up-and-coming authors? Participate in @inkovert's Spilled Ink Saturdays. The first session (on book-to-screen adaptations) was a lot of fun!

✦ What motivates you to write?

I agree with @inkovert. It's not that I'm motivated to write, exactly... It's more that I feel I... have to? There's a sort of internal inertia that keeps pulling me back to fiction. Maybe it's obsession? Maybe it's Maybelline? 💃😉 No, but seriously, I think it may be connected to this weird instinct I have to document things? To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, when I was in my mid-twenties, I went through a terrifying break-in. I kid you not; there was a literal man with a balaclava crouched in my shower in the middle of the night. How did I respond? By screaming, obviously. But after the screaming? I called up my boyfriend and narrated every single detail of what I saw and heard while trying to escape the house with my family. In my mind, I felt it was critical to tell him what was going on, not because I thought it would help catch the culprit(s) (we didn't know if there were more), save us from whatever bitter fate awaited, etc., but kind of in the same way people carve "I was here" into walls? If I was going to die (which was a possibility; a friend's father died in similar circumstances at around the same time), I needed someone to know what I'd seen, to know that I'd seen... So, do I write because I'd die if I didn't? No. I write because I'm going to die anyway. Because I know I'm going to die.

✦ A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud of/happy with. If not, maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them):

I can do you one better! Because @inkovert kindly tagged me, I'd like to return the favour by referring you to their Wattpad page, where you can read their current WIP, My Dearest Enemy

✦ Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them, and what are they like?

Haha, I don't know if any of the OCs in The Sorcerer's Apprentice make me smile. They all worry me a lot. By accepting an apprenticeship with the sorcerer Valeriano, Altaluna is heading straight into a nest of venomous vipers, and they are going to maim her; they are going to maim her for life. Every time she feels optimistic or wow-ed by the glitz and the glam of her new environment, I cringe internally. My poor, sweet summer child! Valeriano, on the other hand, is a monster, so it's hard to smile when thinking of him. Hmm... maybe the only character I genuinely smile around is Cucufate, the talking monkey. He's the only character whose behaviour and snide comments can be underplayed as just 'animal antics,' which means he's the only character who can get away with giving people a little of what they truly deserve. It's hard not to love him for it.

✦ What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Again, I have to agree with @inkovert. The editing process means no blank page, and no blank page means (rejoice!) no existential suffering. My first drafts are always shit and a disappointment. But my second drafts? Dost thou want to live deliciously? With the second draft, I know where I'm going, what's happening, where to trim the fat and everything I need to make the story what I wanted it to be in the first place. Usually, I downright discard the first draft and write the entire story from scratch, but better, so much better. And editing the second (or sometimes, third) draft? Pure, unadulterated bliss. Goodbye, low self-esteem, goodbye doubts; cue me some Nina Simone, why don't you?

✦ What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Editing, re-drafting. I'm good at figuring out what's wrong and have no trouble whatsoever massacring my darlings.

✦ What is something in the writeblr community that is most enjoyable?

The community! I love participating in tag & ask games, reading people's work, celebrating my mutual's triumphs, and sharing my progress. I don't have any writer friends outside of Tumblr (apart from academic writer friends, though they're a very different kettle of fish), so I really appreciate being able to log on and be met with all this creativity.

✦ A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Okay, so first thing first: I have ADHD. Any thought I have is an explosion that simultaneously sends spin-off thoughts in every imaginable direction, which, in turn, send spin-off thoughts in every imaginable direction, and so on and so forth, and on and on, until some of the spin-offs reach a dead end and their line withers, and/or I reach the limits of my capacity to hold all these thoughts in my mind and spontaneously combust. Instead of trying to fight this multi-generative tendency (this leads to a state of paralysis where I can't do anything), I've found a way to let the 'explosions' take the lead without overloading my systems, so to speak. Basically, I figured that if I stored every direction my mind went in somewhere other than my mind, I could let it do its thing without risking burnout. For that, I use MindNode, a visual brainstorming software. And let me tell you, it's been a life-saver. Now, when considering a scene, I document every possible route available to the characters and/or the setting, assign each ramification a score (for example, +1 Worldbuilding, +1 Foreshadowing, +1 Symbolism, +1 Character Development, -1 Cliché, -1 Undermines Tension, -1 Repetitive, etc.), and then choose the one with the highest score to write out. This method is obviously quite time-consuming, but it does have some unique strengths beyond helping me deal with my ADHD: (1) it ensures that there are no superfluous scenes in the grand design, (2) it ensures that all scenes are layered and fulfil multiple story functions at once, (3) it discourages going with the first option that presents itself (usually cliché, in my case), (4) it encourages out-of-the-box creative thinking, (5) and, finally, it's likely to lead to scenes that surprise you, the writer (for example, I was shocked by how many routes led to my character's death, lol). So, yeah, MindNode has been very helpful to me.

✦ A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law, etc)

I love the magic system, but I'm not sure I'll reveal anything more about it before publication than I already have in this post. You're just going to have to wait and see ;)

✦ Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

I follow TONS of talented writers on this site, among them: @inkovert, @that-chibi-writer, @tate-lin, @kingkendrick7, @ettawritesnstudies, @blind-the-winds, @aquadestinyswriting, @avrablake, @alinacapellabooks, @lordfenric-writes, @moonscribbler, @cee-grice, @sender-paulson, @sarah-sandwich, @liv-is, @athenswrites, @junypr-camus, @rubywrite, @winterandwords, @salmonandfox, @merlina87, @songsofsomnia, @words-after-midnight, @lucianinsanity, @talesofsorrowandofruin, @nanashi23, @sam-glade, @at-thezenith, @kestalsblog, @kaatiba, @theunboundwriter, and so many more!

[fioaezzu]

blog number 1: fiu's / fio's blog

table of contents:

-intro text and warm welcome

-what happened at me today?

-what did I learned from this day?

-outro

hi lovelies, are you interested to read?

intro:

hello lovelies, glad you're here to read my blog today. *smiles* please take a coffee and starts to sip, because I'll be sharing some of interesting happened today in my life!

I'm willing to read all of the comments lovelies, don't hesitate to share your day with me! have a good day.

-

what happened today?

I'm here outside, done reading a book. wonder what book I am reading? It's "I had the same dream again" it's a really nice book! you should try to read it too.

March, Second, 2024 at Frankfurt, Germany.

4:30 AM: it was a lovely day to start a good morning. I cooked one egg and prepare a hot fresh rice to eat. when I finished eating I put gears on and droves my bike. (motorcycle) I went to a cafe named Sueño. I ordered 1 latte for myself then after that I went to ride again. it was early in the morning so I started to reach 3 digits speed on my motorcycle Yamaha R1. It feels amazing riding while listening to a playlist called "Study Lo-Fi 2024" at the app "Spotify". I have met a really mascular men riding a Ducati today. he waved at me and I waved back. I didn't had a chance to ask his name because I suddenly accelerate because I was too shy and blushing that time! yeah, that's so true. I think that's why I am still single at the age of 23.

7:00 AM: I goes back at home real tired, so I took a quick nap and washes my dirty clothes. after that I watched a TV show, which really entertains me.

12:57 AM: I'm going to continue it!

after I watch some TV shows I drew könig! oh, I love könig. then after clearing my mind on sketching könig, I proceed to go out and get some fresh air.

8:00 PM: I was a bit sad realizing my life was so boring that I only live alone so I went riding again.

10:00 PM: I went home real tired... my body almost shaking as hell...

12:00 AM: I'm eating some tacos for my dinner! (oh please don't do what am I doing right now, it's unhealthy!)

what I learned today? (sharing some thoughts also)

- actually my life was a bit normal anyways but can we just tell it's peaceful? no distractions, no boys, no marriage... but I really need one... (I don't wanna die virgin! ＼⁠(⁠≧⁠ﾛ⁠≦⁠＼⁠) !)

- I am really suck also at... that thing called "love" that I never had EVER ON MY EXISTENCE! now, I am so confused how it feels like being hug, cries on someone's shoulder, being sang by someone, being able to share and open up with someone, just you know! it's so good! (until you guys broke up lol)

- okay so what you learned and I learned this day is bro don't be single it's worst. just kidding, I meant, it's way more peaceful being single like... you have no responsibility on your children, (cause you haven't f*cked yet) you can do whatever you want without limitation, (because your husband wouldn't stop you from whatcha want to do) and lastly! bro you're living alone! you prove yourself you can stand without anyone's help! omg be proud!

outro:

goodbye lovelies, I hope you enjoy that... I really hope... okay so, stay safe! ride safe! see you tomorrow!

- if you got some questions put it down at the comments!

thank you for reading, appreciate you! \(°v°)/

[stormyoceans]

SORRY BUT THE THOUGHT OF YOU CALLING PUEN 'BRAD PITT' IS HONESTLY SENDING ME I'VE BEEN LAUGHING AT IT UNINTERRUPTEDLY FOR THE PAST 24 HOURS SFJKSHFKGSJDGKFJDG

ALSO PLEASE DON’T REMIND ME ABOUT PEOPLE HATING ON PUEN FOR NOT TELLING TALAY HIS NAME IM STILL SO UPSET ABOUT IT. the way puen’s entire character journey is about identity and finally accepting himself and the life he was given, but somehow people read that as him intentionally and maliciously trying to trick and manipulate talay??????? WHEN HE LITERALLY SAYS MULTIPLE TIMES THAT HE DOESN’T ACT WHEN HE’S WITH TALAY AND THAT WITH HIM HE IS THE REAL PUEN FREE OF PRETENSES. like puen entered the movie industry when he was really young to support himself after his parents’ death and had to put a mask on ever since. like you said, i think he can hardly be blamed for wanting talay to get to know him without any preconceived notions. and i remember people complaining about puen still not telling talay his real name after a year of knowing each other, but again. THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF HIS JOURNEY. THAT’S HIS MAIN STRUGGLE AND THE LESSON HE HAS TO LEARN. for him it’s so much easier to be tun, because tun has everything he’s ever wanted: loyal friends and a loving family. hell, up until the end of episode 9, he also thought that being tun is what brought him to talay. that’s why recognizing talay as someone he already met in their original universe is so important, because it’s being PUEN that actually led him to talay. and it’s only after he says goodbye to tun’s parents and friend credits, hence shedding his identity as tun and fully accepting himself as puen, that he can be ready to tell his name to talay. and i could go on and talk about how puen’s identity has always been more about puen himself than talay, because at the end of the day talay only cared about it marginally, because talay fell in love with puen’s soul regardless of the name attached to it (LIKE MY MAN SHAKESPEAR SAID ‘A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET’), but im just. gonna shut up ;;;;;;; (as you can see i have many feelings about this ;;;;;;;;;;;)

SKDFGSKDGFSKDJGF THE SIMP MOMENT WAS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! (AND VERY RELATABLE TOO)

also the "if i can make you my wife, your gear badge is also mine" password is actually a line from SOTUS!!

seeing the kind of questions they put in the form, i think the matching system that dol and joob created was meant to match people based on how similar their tastes are, which in a way it makes sense because they always talk about portkeys in terms of compatibility, so it’s almost natural to think that people who share common interests would get along easier, but humans are so much more complex than this and as this episode shows there are a lot of different factors that contributes in building a connection with someone. puen and talay often say they don’t have anything in common, but their differences are exactly what makes them complement each other so well, and in the end they have the same approach to relationships, which is what matters the most

idk if it can help, but when it comes to the colors of the episodes maybe you could look up the symbolism attached to each colors and then go from there. like take this episode for example. green is the color of nature, which in this case is represented by the park and the labyrinth. in its most positive connotations, green symbolizes renewal, growth, vitality, and new beginnings. it’s also often used to indicate that something is safe or that you’re free to proceed, but on the other hand it can also point to inexperience. if you think about it, there’s really no better color to represent the beginning of puen and talay’s relationship and of their journey in the alternate universe

ANYWAY IM SHUTTING UP FOR REAL NOW THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POST OKAY BYE

Vice Versa rewatch ep. 2

All right here we go!

*squints trying to focus on all the Forest Green* what does it mean??? 😩

The way they said Tun just “keeps cool” these days! But what they don’t know is that he’s actually Puen who got body-swapped into another universe and of course he’s freaking out on the inside but as a celebrity he has to present well on the outside so he “keeps cool” while not knowing what the heck happened!! He must’ve been so scared that whole time 😖

And the club is pink cause that’s where Talay first fell for Puen! 🥰 He knew he wasn’t Tun from the first glance! And Talay is literally the first good thing and first light of hope in Puen’s scary new world!

I remember so many people had an issue with Puen not telling Talay his real name but honestly it makes sense to me! When I was first watching this show I’d tell my sister little summaries of each episode so I could talk them out with her after watching and I don’t remember why but I started calling Puen Brad Pitt 😅 I think I used it as an example to be like “he’s super famous in their world like Brad Pitt is in ours”. And it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to be seen with whatever opinion people have already made about him. He just wanted to be a regular person and even after Talay got to know him and fall for him that fear of knowing him as “that celebrity that I have X opinion about” was still valid! The fear of losing the love he worked hard to get was strong 😢

—Please just give me a moment to simp 😅

Shirtless Jimmy and Sea are both so gorgeous!! Look at those muscles!! 😍 and their gorgeous faces!! What I’d give to be in a 3-way hug with them!!! 🙈 Aaahhh!!! 😆

Ok thank you 😮‍💨😌—

We got the iconic “to be my wife you must endure” and “ai’Dang” quotes in this ep!

Was that password a “My Gear and Your Gown” quote now? 😁 I get it!

I’m thinking of Dol and how he must’ve felt waking up as a woman. He had to learn how to navigate the new world and how to navigate a new body. Do we think the woman he inhabited looked like that when he first switched over? Or did he cut her hair and change her wardrobe to feel more like himself? I mean there’s no telling how long you’ll be in the other world right? I don’t think it’s wrong to give the other person a temporary physical change. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a man and I’ve always thought that shape shifting into different people like Mystique from X-Men would be a cool power to have.

We got a MilkLove cameo! 😊 I hope their characters had their own beautiful love story and found their way home too!

It’s crazy how this is only episode 2 but we can already see all the ways Puen and Talay go together! Puen’s joy in finally finding someone who can explain what’s going on and Talay being so surprised that they have similar tastes and them finding each other at the end of the maze!! They’re already looking at each other with at least stars in their eyes if not yet hearts! And Puen being so flirty when he said he’d be the one “hurting” Talay! 🤭🫣 Like yeah maybe the quiz matched them with the most similar person(?) but they’re already vibing so hard it’s obvious they’re meant to be together!

I’m so bad with metaphors and stuff so I can see the colors in the episodes but I struggle to see the deeper meanings of things. I’m trying harder this time around and I can see how the shades of green match the energy of the scenes now. I’ll keep trying to notice them!

@stormyoceans 😁

[nobody-for-sure]

Language Barrier (Important Notes)

First of all, this is NOT a chapter/story update. HOWEVER, I do strongly encourage readers of my fic to take a moment to read through this, because there are a few things I wanted to address (nothing too serious for the most part, but y’know). It’s been out and linked on the masterlist for a while now; but as it’s not one of the chapters, I’m not sure how many people will find it. Therefore, I’ve linked it in a couple chapters as well, so it’s harder to overlook. So here we go.

First, I hadn't specifically stated this on Tumblr yet, but if you've checked the AO3 tags, you'll know that from the beginning, this was intended to be AFAB reader. The reader is/will be referred to with they/them pronouns, as well as Your/Their Grace; if you see anything else please let me know since this isn’t beta’d. Reader’s appearance is not discussed, and there is no sexual content in which the reader’s genitalia would be important (well, there’s no sexual content, period). However, there will be a time in which their AFAB status becomes important/obvious. If that doesn't bother you, please continue.

Second, there’s been people working on this from the beginning, but more and more readers have successfully cracked the code in terms of the languages the characters in the fic are speaking.

Frankly, I am incredibly pleased that there are people so invested in my work that they actively take the time to figure out things like this. But, with that said... if you do figure it out, pleeeease let the rest of my readers figure it out on their own; I would prefer not to have translations circulating. It's an extra (but ultimately not necessary) layer of story intended for the people who were invested enough to crack it. (In layman’s terms: if I have to suffer, so do you. :D) To anybody that works it out: I love to see your reactions to what I wrote, even (maybe especially) the translated parts, but shhhhh. To anybody that’s too lazy, thinks they’re not smart enough, or just has a life (can’t be me): I do plan to reveal my methods for you all at the end of the fic, but the people who just can’t wait that long have to figure it out for themselves. Overall, I don't expect to have any major issues since I know most readers are and/or will be respectful of this moving forward, but just bear in mind that I put a fair amount of effort into not only making actual dialogue but also going to the trouble of coding it, and I'm absolutely petty enough to make it actual gibberish if I want to.

Third, for those of you who are wondering: yes, the interludes are important; they’re not just an excuse to make a bad chat fic or a random OC. They will tie in, so do pay attention to each interaction. Seeds have been planted.

Finally, this story has been more popular than I expected, so a big thanks to everyone who reads and enjoys it, and bigger thanks to everyone who shares their thoughts on it via reblogs or comments (or even dms) because I eat those for breakfast. Seriously, it’s so helpful (and rewarding) to see what people like about your work. Anyways, I am taking requests to be added to the tag list for my fic at this time. HOWEVER, I will ONLY be accepting requests to add people to the list in the comments HERE, as people who haven't read this post and its siblings (found here and here) are not qualified to be added. (Of course, I encourage people to read them anyway, since there have been issues.)

That's all for now! Once again, I’m glad that so many people enjoy my writing, and I hope that you stick with me through this absolute train wreck of a piece, because believe me when I tell you I have plans. And you guys can’t even understand half of what’s going on. Seriously, what are you all thinking, getting invested in this. God I love you all. Okay goodbye.

[luveline]

brainwashed [Fred Weasley x reader]

tags: fluff, confessions, first kiss, reader-insert

word count: 1.5k

summary: Fred thinks you like George. Technically, you told him so. Though, technically, it’s a lie.

Brainwashed. You must have been brainwashed because you were in love with Fred Weasley.

You must be crazy, or delusional, or imperiused, or perhaps poisoned. He had beguiled himself to you.

You were as opposed to your infatuation as you were opposed to many things - like murder. And torture.

And infatuated you were. Your eyes sought him out everywhere you went. He was lovely, truly, with gorgeous brown eyes and a charming face, a quirky and honest smile. On top of all this, you loved how free he looked. Incredibly free, as though nothing could ever hold him back.

You loved him. He was going to kill you.

You picked at the roast dinner on your plate. Your appetite had dissipated the moment you'd realised you were in love with him and it had yet to return. It'd been 3 weeks.

You sighed mournfully, holding your face in your hand.

"Are you finished? We're going back to the common room," one of your friends asked.

"No, I should probably finish this, you guys go ahead."

Your friends smiled and bid you goodbye. Goodness, you wished you could stomach something, anything at all, but the only thing you'd managed in days was crackers and you'd already eaten the ones your dad had sent via owl.

Oh, how you craved a sleeve of saltines.

You poked again at the roast potatoes and gravy on your plate and frowned. Maybe you'd be better off skipping it for today anyway. Surely throwing up used more energy than what would've been gained.

You looked intensely at the grain of the table. You willed yourself to shake it off, move on with your life.

But you were in love.

Your eyes flitted to him again. He was sitting a few feet away with his brother and your friend, Lee Jordan.

You'd known Lee through your shared passion for gobstones, you'd even paired together for team matches in second and third year. Since then you'd remained friendly, often playing together when no one else was willing. A dangerous game, gobstones.

To your great misfortune, George had noticed your staring. You looked away quickly, the tops of your ears warming red. This was hardly the first time you'd been caught staring at Fred this year. Hell, this week.

You stabbed the tines of your fork into an ugly looking sprout, tempted to eat it just to look as though you couldn't possibly have been spying.

"You don't have to look so sickened, it's only a sprout," he said.

You gazed up at him pleadingly.

Fred gifted you an easy smile, sliding into the seat opposite you. His robes were ragtag and scruffy, his shirt untucked. The only thing straight was his tie, though it seemed a few good shakes from falling off.

You floundered for something to say.

"Not hungry?" he asked kindly. You looked down at your plate.

"Oh - no, not really. I'm actually feeling a bit sick."

"Yes, I'd say so. You're as green as the sprouts."

You laughed. His smile curved wider.

"So, Y/N, Lee has a theory. I've come to see if he's right, and win a few galleons, of course."

"Right," you said nervously.

Fred knocked his hand on the table. His lovely, lovely hand.

"Right," he agreed, "So, the theory. Well, please don't feel disrespected by this, it's purely theoretical, though if you do, that's alright too. I'm sure Georgie will be very flattered, as you're a stunning piece of work, though he's very happily embedded into the sides of Angelina Johnson."

"Okay," you cut him off, confused. "So, the theory?"

"Well, you fancy George, don't you?"

It took you a few seconds to catch up. "Fancy - I fancy George?" you asked, or you thought you asked. It came out flat and strangled.

Fred clicked his fingers and clambered to his feet. "Damn. I owe Lee a few quid after that one! Funny thing, I thought you fancied me. Well, see you around doll."

You were up and out of the hall before you could witness what you'd created.

-

You spent that night crying. It was more of a stress cry than a sad cry, no gasping sobs or heavy breathing, though you felt a bit light-headed when it was over.

The tears started in the shower and never quite stopped. At breakfast, you were careful to bite your lip and look up at the lights whenever you felt it coming on again.

Your eyes were puffy all through classes. Your friends shot you sneaky glances through the day. One of the guys from Hufflepuff in your charms class asked you how you were and offered you a biscuit.

It was a disaster.

You kept waiting for George to come up to you. It could go one of four ways.

1. George approaches you. Tells you that's he's flattered but definitely dating someone.

2. George approaches you. Tells you he finds your attention uncomfortable, and that he hopes you can control yourself.

3. George approaches you. Tells you he loves you too. Angelina murders you in the Gryffindor common room.

4. George approaches you. You cut him off and tell him the truth. He tells his brother. You never leave your room again.

You sighed.

Well, maybe you'd lived a nice life.

You were dismissed from lessons earlier than usual. You gathered your things in a rush and practically flew through the door, trying to turn as many corners as you could before the inevitable panic began.

"Y/L/N!"

Shit. You blanched, spinning on your hell.

"Heeeeeeyyy, George, how are you?

"I'm good. Yourself?"

"Oh, I'm fab, thanks."

"Right... so listen. I just wanted to say, I'm flattered that you fancy me, but I'm deeply in love with my girlfriend, and-"

"It's Fred. I fancy Fred."

George squinted at her, mouth still open mid-word. "But, you told Fred you liked me."

You wrung your hands together. "Yes, well. I was nervous, and I wasn't really expecting him to ask me, and-"

George laughed suddenly and loudly, startling you.

"This is brilliant. Ha! Oh my Godric." He reached forward and patted you on the shoulder. "You could've picked worse. He's very handsome; I'm sure you'll have lovely babies." He wiped a finger under his eye as though catching a falling tear.

Then he turned and began to sprint.

"I- George!" you yelped.

"Sorry!!" he shouted over his shoulder, "Twin code of honesty!"

"Twin code of being a tattletale," you said to yourself. "Twin code of ruining my life. Twin code of being absolute wankers.”

-

You were reading in a secluded section of the library when he finally found you.

"Weasley, I know you aren't of the habit, but please leave me to die shamefully of embarrassment unaccompanied."

Fred sat on the table next to your book, looking down at you.

"You told me you liked George."

"Technically, I didn't."

"You said, 'I like George', what is technical about that?"

You floundered. Closed the book and marked your page and tried not to look at him.

You failed. "Okay," you admitted, "I did say that. But I meant it more like... 'I like George?'. With a question mark. You know."

He didn't reply, though his gaze was intense.

"Like, 'I like George?'" You exaggerated your questioning tone this time.

He still didn't answer, lips pressed together tightly.

"Like-"

"If you tell me you fancy my brother one more time, I'm going to kiss you."

"You are?"

"Y/N."

"I like-"

Fred cut you off, covering your mouth with his hand. You looked up at him dolefully.

"It's almost like you want me to."

"I don't?" you asked against his hand.

"Well, can I?"

"Can you?

"You're impossible."

"Yes, you can kiss me."

He grinned, your face in his hand.

He leaned down. The air was warm between you and warmer when your lips met. He tasted like caramel.

You fed into it, pushing your hands up onto his neck and in his hair. He responded in turn, deepening the kiss with a familiarity you tried not to think of.

You wanted to be so close in that moment you pushed yourself up. The chair you sat on tumbled backwards, startling you both.

Fred only laughed, wiping the wetness from your lips.

He would kill you. You just knew it.

<3<3<3

tag list: @msmimimerton (lmk if u want to be added/removed :3)

[kiyosamu]

remember.

----♡----

pairing: rintaro suna x female reader.

genre: yandere, dark, light romance. // one shot, 4k words.

synopsis: abusive relationships can seem impossible to leave. when you open up to a classmate, your life takes a dramatic turn in the best and worst ways imaginable.

content warnings: assault, domestic abuse (not from suna), descriptions of violence, yandere themes.

----♡----

“hey, kid.” suna’s voice caught your attention as you passed by him in the university corridor. he was quiet, only speaking loud enough for you to hear right as you were walking by.

“hey, rintaro.” you stopped for a moment, refusing to look up at the tall man towering over you.

“i haven’t seen you in a while. everything okay?” he leaned against the wall and clutched a textbook to his chest. “you haven’t even been to class. kinda been missing my project partner.”

“you got my work though, right?” you asked him, partially covering your face with your hair. “i emailed it to you.”

“i did.”

“okay… good.” you cleared your throat, awkwardly shuffling and offering a suspiciously sudden goodbye.

“hey, wait-" suna grabbed your wrist to keep you from leaving. the small amount of pressure more than enough on your deep bruise to make you wince.

suna noticed your pained expression and immediately let go, stepping back.

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to hurt you. i just wanted to ask you if-“

“it’s okay!” you interrupted, knowing you’d already spoken to him for too long. you needed to get out of there before anyone noticed. “you didn’t hurt me. sorry, i have to go. bye!”

your behaviour was erratic. your speech was rushed; forced and strained with every word as you tried your best to appear normal.

unfortunately it was much harder to pretend everything was okay than you’d originally thought it’d be.

you quickly turned and headed down the hallway to drop off the assignments to your other professor. the last one you’d have to see for the day before heading home. you were almost there. so close you might not even run into him.

you’d hoped, anyway.

----♡----

after seeing your professor, you walked out into the fresh evening air. the cold stinging your cheeks and the wind pushing your hair out of your face.

your cheeks burned from the freezing air, but it was your black eye was that hurt the most.

“i’m sorry, i just lost my temper.” his words echoed in your head, “you shouldn’t have pissed me off.”

you nodded, essentially agreeing with him. it’s true, if he didn’t get mad, he wouldn’t have hit you. and why was he mad? because of something you did. so really, it was your own fault.

you were the one apologizing to him that night. doing anything you could to make it up to him. all of this with a deep purple bruise forming on your face.

when he finally left your dorm and went back to his, you were mentally exhausted. you fell asleep and woke up right before your second class of the day.

he had started forcing you to miss classes, to do everything at home and only go in to submit your work. this was for two reasons.

the first, you could spend more time with him due to your schedules. if yours was freed then you’d have more time together.

the second was to stop you from talking to other men. completely.

...and then he found out suna was your lab partner.

“i don’t want you working with him.”

“i have to. the professor is the one who chooses.”

“then work from home and submit the stuff online. that guy is a manipulator. he’s dangerous and will take advantage of you. i just know it.”

you’d never gotten that type of vibe from suna, but you obeyed your boyfriend because you didn’t want to know what would happen if you didn’t.

secretly, though, you missed class. you missed working with him. laughing, getting to know each other. he’d become a good friend over the past year and since you had the same majors, you two shared quite a few classes.

he was calm. funny and quiet, but definitely not timid. his energy made him come off tough, but not scary. if anything, he made you feel… safe.

just for those few hours you had together.

and whenever class would end, you found yourself missing that feeling.

----♡----

“i have to go to class tomorrow.” you said, refusing to make eye contact with your boyfriend who’d invited himself over to your dorm.

just like he does every. single. night.

“why? you gonna go talk to that suna guy?” he approached you, giving you a terrifying smile that you know wasn’t coming from a place of happiness.

“yuji… please.” your words were barely a whisper when you felt his fingers wrap around your throat. “my professor told me i need to start going. my grades are falling behind.”

his fingers tapped rhythmically against your skin. dancing skillfully as he toyed with the idea of choking you. you held your breath, expecting the worst.

“you should try harder.” he growled, digging his fingertips into your neck and you clenched your eyes closed. “get your grades back up so you don’t have to spend any more time with that guy.”

“okay, okay!” you grabbed onto his wrist and his eyes widened. “i will! i’ll get my grades up so i don’t need to see him anymore.”

“good girl.” he smiled, the evil expression he’d previously worn had melted away into a false image of a kind man. “always listening so well for me.”

yuji leaned in and kissed you. you kissed back, barely, but just enough for him to be satisfied and leave you alone.

“time for me to go.” he sighed as he heard the dorm advisor do a final walk through to knock on the doors and let the students know it was time for guests to leave.

“see you tomorrow?” he asked, tilting your chin up to look at him.

“sure…” you whispered. you trembled under his touch and wanted nothing more than for him to leave your sight.

“good. it’s a date.” he said happily and gave you another kiss, practically skipping down the hallway back to his own room.

you shut and locked your door, desperately wishing that was the last time you’d ever have to see him.

----♡----

“well, well, well.” suna cooed as you took your seat next to him. “as i live and breathe, i never thought i’d see the day. you finally made it to class.”

you nodded and pulled out your books.

“had to. my grades are slipping.” you sighed, looking around at the science classroom. “what are we doing today?”

“lab day.” suna said as he nudged an instruction sheet towards you. “should we put on our coats and get to it?”

“okay...”

you started to have an internal panic attack. your wrists were as bruised as the black eye you were hiding behind your hair.

suna stepped away to get your lab coats.

this would all be visible, and you didn’t want suna (or anyone) to see any of it.

you nervously approached your professor and she looked up at you with a disinterested stare.

“ma’am, i need to be excused from class today.”

“absolutely not.” she scoffed, “unless you want to fail my class, which i know you can’t afford to do, you’ll stay and do your lab.”

you opened your mouth to reply but she kept speaking.

“go put up your hair, roll up your sleeves and get your lab coat on. you should be thankful you have such a competent partner.” she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair, “actually, i think the two of you should spend some time together. he’s my top student and you definitely need some tutoring.”

“i don’t think that’s necessary-“

“mr. suna, come up here please.”

suna walked up with a confused look, unsure as to why he was being brought in to the conversation.

“something i can help with?” he asked.

“yes,” the professor smiled, “i’d like the two of you to do tutoring sessions a minimum of twice a week, an hour each time. could you do that?”

“oh, sure. i don’t mind.” he smiled, “was that all? we should get to our assignment.”

you felt backed in to a wall. of course you were okay with this, you enjoyed spending time with suna.

unfortunately, you were terrified of the repercussions.

even worse, there was nothing you could do about it.

when you got back to your table, you put your hair up and silently thought of a plan. keep your head down, don’t make eye contact. maybe he wouldn’t notice.

you rolled up your sleeves and put on your white coat. it was barely long enough to hit your wrists, but did a decent job of hiding the bruises.

the first half of the lab went well. suna explained things in a way that made it easy to comprehend and you were genuinely enjoying yourself.

until you completely forgot.

you began to pour the green liquid into the tube. suna was writing his lab report when he looked up and noticed your mistake.

“oh, hey,” he stood up, putting his hand over yours to tilt the container back up. “you need to pour it slower, like this.”

when it started to pour just as he’d wanted, he let go and you found yourself missing the brief comfort of his touch.

“good job! you did it.” suna smiled and you looked up at him with an excited expression. finally. finally you were getting something right.

when the two of you made eye contact, his smile immediately dropped into a look of concern.

“what happened to your eye?”

“oh,” you stepped back, covering it with your hand. “i fell.”

suna carefully held onto your wrist and you winced in pain. his intentions were to move your hand away from your eye, but he took immediate notice of your reaction and pushed your sleeve down.

the bruises in the shape of fingerprints stained your skin a deep purple.

“what about here?” he stepped closer. you tried to read his expression but he looked completely emotionless.

“from the same fall, i’m just clumsy.”

“and your neck?”

suna pushed back your lab coat to see the same fingerprint bruises scattered around your neck.

you were suddenly thankful you’d chosen the table in the far back end of the classroom. nobody was ever watching.

“yeah.” you said, practically a whisper. “i’m just really clumsy.”

suna leaned down and looked into your eyes.

“why don’t i believe you?”

“five more minutes!” the professor called, interrupting your intense conversation and the two of you snapped back into action.

you finished your lab report and quickly packed up your stuff before rushing out the classroom door.

suna followed closely behind.

“it’s your boyfriend, isn’t it?”

you stopped dead in your tracks and turned around to look at him. suna’s expression was no longer emotionless. he was angry.

“okay,” you sighed, grabbing his wrist to pull him to a secluded space outside. the two of you sat down under a large tree, away from everyone else.

“yuji gets upset with me and… hurts me… sometimes.” you choked out. “i haven’t told anyone because i’m scared of what he’ll do to me. i haven’t left him because i’m scared of him. i’m stuck.”

you hadn’t said these words out loud to anyone, ever, and the way they were flowing so freely had you crying before you were even aware of it.

“please don’t tell anyo-“

“i’ll take care of it.”

you looked up at him. suna looked completely calm, his voice smooth and gaze held on you.

“what do you mean?”

suna stood up and ran his hands through his hair.

“i mean i’ll take care of it.” he smiled, “see you tomorrow afternoon for tutoring?”

“wait, suna-“

“later!” he gave you a passive wave before walking back towards the university building.

----♡----

that evening you waited for yuji to come by your dorm, but he never did.

you waited for him to call you, but he didn’t.

you worried about what suna had meant. maybe he was going to talk to him, maybe even threaten him. you’d hoped he wouldn’t do that, but you really didn’t know what he was capable of.

surely the rumours about him couldn’t be true. an honour's chemistry major being involved in a more sinister, underground group that nobody even knew if it was real or made up?

he was too nice. there was no way.

----♡----

after class you headed back to your dorm to get ready for your evening. suna had asked you to meet him under the same tree from the day before. around 7pm.

you debated on calling yuji, but ultimately decided against it. maybe he’d come to his senses. maybe he was remorseful, and just wanted to move on. to leave you alone and pretend your relationship never happened.

that was what you wished for the most.

----♡----

you stepped out into the cold evening air. the wind blowing softly and brushing the hair out of your face.

you clutched your books to your chest and took a short cut through the back fields separating the dorms from the main university campus.

you checked your phone, you were early. suna would be there in about 15 minutes.

you reached down to grab your phone when it was immediately snatched from your hands.

“you did this, didn’t you?” a familiar voice snapped at you. you glanced up to see yuji, sporting a similar black eye and a bandaged cut on his cheek.

“i- no, of course not!”

he rolled his eyes at your reply, clearly not willing to listen to a word you were saying. yuji grabbed your wrists, forcing you to drop your books and pushed you against the back wall of the university.

“you did. tell me right now. everything you said. who you said it to. and why.” the look in his eyes was horrifying. scarier than any other look he’s given you before.

this made it seem like his previous bouts of anger were nothing but minor inconveniences.

“i didn’t-“

yuji pulled back, immediately hitting your chin with a hard punch that knocked your head back into the concrete wall.

“try again.”

your vision was hazy. mind blurring memories together and you couldn’t even form a proper sentence.

you felt a warm, wet sensation cascading down the back of your neck and were immediately soothed by the feeling. the warmth was comfortable, even though you didn’t know what it was from.

yuji’s hand wrapped around your throat and he pressed his forehead to yours. his fingers dug roughly into your windpipe, causing you to choke out the remaining air in your lungs. you felt yourself get sleepy, closing your eyes and letting darkness overtake you as your body went limp.

----♡----

“hey, wake up.”

snapping fingers in your face had you looking around curiously. you couldn’t focus on your surroundings. it was unclear who was with you, unclear what was happening around you, and unclear why you were there.

the sounds of multiple men. grunting, panting. speaking quietly between deep breaths and harsh exertion.

what were they doing?

“hey.” the fingers snapped in front of your face again.

“what…” was all you could manage to say. your body felt heavy. weak. you were just so tired. all you wanted to do was fall asleep. you submitted to the exhaustion, closing your eyes again.

“don’t go to sleep.” a soothing voice lifted the back of your neck, pressing something soft against your head. “stay awake and listen to me.”

“ya like beatin’ up girls, huh?”

whack

“wanna put a girl half your size in the hospital, for what? to feel like more of a man?”

whack

“a real man would never hit a woman.”

whack

“a real man would beat the shit out of losers who do hit women, right ‘tsum?”

“right. maybe we’ll even put him in the hospital.”

whack

whack

“oh, he’s gonna be there once we’re done.”

you finally recognized the last voice. it was suna.

he spoke again, his voice raspy and dark but still audible from where you were.

“i hope to fucking god you didn’t hurt her so badly that she’s knocked out…” suna trailed off and let out a small chuckle. “because there’s nothing i want more than for her to hear you cry like a little bitch when this blade goes right…”

the sound of yuji’s sudden scream was immediately muffled by what you were sure was the hand of the other man.

“…through you.”

your eyes widened and you were starting to understand what was happening.

all you could feel around you was danger.

you started to hyperventilate. panic was taking over.

“focus on me. come on, we need to get out of here.”

“who…” your head started to hurt now. badly.

“my name is osamu.” he bent down and cradled you in his arms, bringing you close to his chest and picking you up bridal style. “hold on to me if you can.”

“i’m scared…” you whispered.

“i know.” he murmured, carrying you away from the scene and back through the field. “i’ll keep you safe. we need to go to the hospital.”

“what about…”

“the only thing you need to worry about is stayin’ awake right now, okay? it’ll all be okay.” osamu’s voice was soothing. his body was warm and his strong arms supported your body in a way that made you never want to leave his hold.

you gave him a weak nod. even if you wanted to get away, you couldn’t. so you decided to trust in this man and hope for the best.

----♡----

“hey, sweetheart.” the calm voice of a nurse slowly woke you up. “you’re finally awake.”

“where…” you choked out, your throat was dry and you could barely make out where you were. it was all so… confusing.

“you’re in the hospital.” she said as she stood on her tiptoes to change the fluids on your iv pole. “you were assaulted. your injuries aren’t good but you’ll make a full recovery.”

the nurse leaned back down and held onto your hand. “you have a real knight in shining armour, you know. your boyfriend hasn’t left your side since you were admitted. he’s going to be so happy when he finds out you woke up.”

boyfriend?

your heart started to race at the thought of yuji coming in. you looked around, preparing for the worst when you heard footsteps enter the room.

“hey, sleepyhead.”

“speak of the devil.” the nurse smiled, giving your hand a squeeze. “i’ll let you two have some privacy. please press the call button if you need anything, i’ll come back and check on you soon.”

the footsteps grew closer and you heard the squeak of a chair being pulled up next to your bed. you opened your eyes to see suna giving you a compassionate smile.

“rintaro?” you whispered, “what are you doing here?”

“making sure you’re okay.” he crossed his arms, “been here since you were admitted.”

you tried your hardest to remember even coming to the hospital, but you just couldn’t. everything was gone after your head hit that wall.

“what… happened?” you asked, your eyes pleading for him to be honest.

“someone attacked you and your boyfriend.” suna leaned in, “do you not remember anything?”

“i remember yuji being upset with me…” you blinked, your mind working as hard as it could to remember something of importance. “my head hit the wall and it’s kind of fuzzy after that.”

“i see.” suna nodded.

“wait, how did you know i was in here?”

“some people mentioned an attack on campus. i got worried when you were late for our study session, and when your phone rang and you didn’t answer i felt like something was up.” he shrugged, taking a moment to think of his next words. “i called the hospital and asked if you were here, and then came right over when they confirmed it.”

“oh. okay…” you went to scratch an itch on your scalp and were met with searing pain at the slightest bit of pressure. “ow!”

“careful.” he smiled, taking your hand away from your head. “it’s gonna be sore for a while.”

“yeah…” you trailed off, trying to make sense of the situation. “what happened to yuji?”

“why do you care?”

“huh?” you glanced at suna who’s expression had turned sour.

“why do you care about what happened to him? he could've killed you.”

“i just wanted to know if he…” your voice was shaky and you tried to compose yourself. “if there was a possibility of him coming after me again.”

“not a single chance.” suna leaned over the railing of the hospital bed and took your hand. “besides, even if there was, i won’t let anything happen to you.”

----♡----

you’d found out yuji had suffered from severe injuries almost taking his life. he was beaten, stabbed, and his spinal cord suffered so much damage he was permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

while you were relieved the abuse would be over, you constantly wondered who had assaulted him.

you remembered telling suna and him saying he’d take care of it, surely that wasn’t him, right? there was no way suna could do something like that.

----♡----

months went by while you recovered from your injuries. you’d been discharged from the hospital after 3 weeks, and suna had stuck by your side every day.

“i’m happy to say you’ve essentially made a full recovery.” the doctor smiled, shaking your hand. “i’m so proud of your progress. you’re truly a walking miracle.”

“what about my memory?” you asked, “when will i remember what happened?”

“oh, you might not ever remember. you hit your head hard and from what we gather, you were unconscious.” the doctor stood up, clutching his clip board before walking out. “it’s probably for the best that you don’t remember what happened. you should focus on moving on, now. take care.”

----♡----

“well, should we celebrate?” suna asked as you walked out of the hospital together. you stopped, causing him to turn and look down at you. “what’s up?”

“i just wanted to say thank you…” you said, feeling your face getting hot. “i don’t think i could’ve done this without you.”

“you could’ve. you’re the strongest person i’ve ever met.” he leaned down, brushing the hair out of your face. the same hair that used to cover the deep bruises, now showing your true complexion. “and the most beautiful.”

you felt your heart flutter at his sudden compliment. suna’s hands found your waist and you instinctively draped your arms over his shoulders.

“you really mean that?” you asked, looking into his eyes.

“of course i do.” he smiled, leaning in to give you the long awaited kiss the two of you had been dying for. his lips were soft and you melted into his arms. he pulled away, resting his forehead on yours. “beautiful in every possible way.”

you felt tears well up as you were being complimented. the sweetest, kindest, most handsome man touching you so delicately and speaking to you with nothing but respect.

you'd completely fallen in love with him, and it was everything you ever could’ve asked for.

----♡----

a few weeks after the two of you made it official, your honeymoon phase was in full force. you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. you were experiencing your first true relationship that made you feel loved and you cherished at every moment.

one evening, you decided to go to suna’s dorm to surprise him.

knock knock

“rintaro?” you called out, opening the door to let yourself in. “are you home?”

“in here, baby.” he replied from the kitchen. he was sharing an apartment style dorm with two other men, but you hadn’t met them yet. they weren’t ever there when you were.

“we finally get to meet your girl, huh?” one of them cooed as you walked in. he had dyed blonde hair and smirked at you as you walked by. “damn, she’s a looker, huh ‘samu?”

samu… why did that sound familiar?

“don’t be such a pig.” the other boy replied. you realized they were twins when he stood up and walked over to you. he smiled, holding out his hand. “nice to meet ya, i’m osamu.”

osamu.

no.

“my name is osamu…”

it couldn’t be.

“…hold on to me if you can.”

no, no, no.

the memories of the night of the assault came flooding back to you.

it only took a moment to realize...

...it wasn’t a random assault at all.

[psapphic95]

Tumblr Snippets - Cab for Regina Mills?

So, I'm still working on Unbound and I did promise that the next thing I update on AO3 would be the second chapter. However, I had this funny little splurge in Google Docs and I thought it would be nice to share it. I plan to write a few more short, Tumblr snippets that are just a bit too short and plotless to put on AO3. Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more of this stuff!

_____

It had been a peaceful, quiet evening for Emma. Curled up on the sofa with Otis and Frosty, she had been switching between reading, watching TikTok, and colouring all evening. She was waiting for Regina’s call before she would finally go to bed. She was pleased that Mommy was out for drinks and dancing with her friends - Emma sometimes worried that Regina’s social life, beyond the friends that they shared, lacked somewhat. So, when Regina informed Emma that she and her friends from the gym, the ‘MILF brigade’ (as Emma called them) were going out on the town, she excitedly gave her recommendations for the best bars and clubs in Boston. 

It was just past 1am when Emma’s phone began buzzing on the coffee table. She had offered to pick Regina up from whatever bar she had ended up at, the quietly protective girl didn’t want her potentially intoxicated Mommy taking an Uber so late in the evening. 

The caller ID confirmed that it was Regina and Emma answered with a cheerful, “Hi, Mommy.”

“Mommy?” a confused, but familiar British accent responded. “No, Emma, this is Regina’s phone.” 

The awkward, pregnant pause that followed was almost painful. Emma’s hand covered her eyes in utter mortification as she recognised the voice of one of Regina’s friends from her spin class. 

“...Jasmine?” Emma asked hesitantly.  

“Yes? Did you think your mother was calling you?” 

“I-yes I was expecting her call and I didn’t look at the caller ID,” Emma lied with a silent prayer that Jasmine would just drop the subject. 

“Ah, okay. That makes sense,” Jasmine seemed satisfied with the answer. “Anyway, I’m just calling because Regina has had…one too many cocktails tonight and she mentioned that you were going to pick her up?” 

“Yeah, I was. Is she okay?” 

“Oh she’s fine, just a little too sloshed but I’m not sure a cab driver would let her into their car.” 

“Jesus,” Emma couldn’t help but sound a tiny bit impressed. “I’m on my way, just send me your location.” 

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

It was only a short drive to the bar that Regina and her friends were in. Pulling up in her Mommy’s Mercedes, Emma spotted Jasmine with her arm wrapped around Regina’s waist to stop her from swaying around, as well as the rest of Regina’s friends being wrangled into their respective vehicles by their partners. 

It wasn’t in Regina’s nature to get this drunk, but Emma didn’t find it worrying or concerning. It had been a while since Mommy had let off some steam, and she probably just got caught up in the conversations and dancing and accidentally drank more than she normally would. Indeed, the little girl was happy to have some material to tease her hungover Mommy with in the morning. 

Parking in front of the pair, Emma rolled down her window and leaned out slightly.

“Cab for Regina Mills?” 

Jasmine chuckled as she manoeuvred Regina towards the backseat of her car and opened the door for her. 

“Do you need a ride too, Jas?” Emma asked. 

“No no, don’t worry,” the woman reassured as she mostly managed to contain Regina’s long arms and limbs into the back seat. “My husband is coming, he’s just around the corner.” 

“I’ll see you later, Regina,” Jasmine leaned into the car and kissed Regina’s cheek goodbye. “Be good.” 

“B-bye Jasmine, see you soon…” Regina mumbled under her breath. 

“Laters, Jas. Thanks again,” Emma spoke through the open window. 

After Jasmine slammed her door shut and began walking to her husband’s car, Mommy finally managed to slur, “Hi, I’m Regina.”

Emma glanced at the rearview mirror to look at her Mommy, wrapped up in her coat and her eyelids drooping. She was no longer wearing the glasses she had left the house with, and her head was drunkenly lolling from side to side. 

‘She’s so hammered,’ Emma thought with a little shake of her head. 

“Hi, Regina?” Emma smiled.

“Are you taking me back to my house?” the brunette rubbed her hand across her face as if it would sober her up slightly. “As beautiful as you are, I have my sweet angel waiting for me at home.” 

What?

Emma’s eyes darted sideways in confusion. 

Was Mommy trying to flirt with her?

“Yes, I’m taking you home,” Emma replied slowly and cautiously as she started the car. “To your sweet angel.” 

“Yes, perfect. Perfect, thank you,” Regina’s penchant for excessive politeness was made worse by the alcohol in her system. 

With a chuckle, Emma understood just how fucked up her Mommy was. “Don’t worry about it, Regina.” 

Ignoring Emma’s comment, Regina started with another intoxicated ramble. 

“Your voice is so lovely, you know. It reminds me of my Emma.” 

"Regina, I am Em-..." the blonde stopped herself and decided to play along for her own amusement. She’d never seen someone so drunk, let alone her prim-and-proper Mommy, that they completely forget their own partner. 

This is where the saying ‘blind drunk’ must come from. 

The blonde corrected herself quickly and played the game. "I mean, I am flattered. Your girlfriend is called Emma?" 

"Yes, yes. My Emma. She's so..." Regina's voice trailed off in a dreamy slur. "She's just...everything." 

A chorus of voices in Emma’s head sang a simultaneous ‘awwwww,’ at the soft, adorable confession. 

“She sounds like a great girl,” Emma responded as she pulled up to a traffic light. 

She was driving slowly, a little faster than a crawling pace through the fairly empty back streets of Boston. Partially because she didn’t want to round corners too quickly and risk upsetting the stomach of the big drunk idiot in the back, but she was also enjoying the impromptu love confessions. 

“She is…she’s so smart. She’s so smart and pretty and kind,” Regina paused and corrected herself. “So kind but also a little mean sometimes… it’s the best” 

Emma giggled and looked up again at the rearview mirror to see Regina’s eyes still closed, but a wide, closed-mouth smile spread across her face. 

“You like it when she’s mean?” 

“God…I love it. I love her,” Regina mumbled. “Mean little demon spawn.” 

Unoffended, Emma continued the conversation, only to see what else Regina would say about her. 

“Why do you like it so much?” 

A small, almost guilty chuckle left Regina’s mouth. 

“Between you and I, nice Uber-Driver lady,” Regina’s voice was lowered and secretive. “It’s so hot when she orders me around.” 

Noted. 

“If you met her, you would understand what I mean,” the brunette added in the silence. “You should come upstairs to our house and meet her when you drop me off.” 

Quietly, Emma thanked Jasmine for calling her instead of putting Regina into an Uber. Emma wouldn't have known what to do if Regina had invited some random Uber driver to meet her whilst she was in her pyjamas, reading with Frosty. 

She’d need to talk to her Mommy about responsible drinking in the morning. 

How the tables have turned. 

“I’d love to meet her but won't she be asleep?” 

“I don’t know. She doesn't sleep well when she’s alone ‘cause she has to keep all the lights on,” Regina pointed out and then drunkenly snickered. “She's scared of the dark.”

Narrowing her eyes, Emma sounded more defensive than she intended to. “Well, scary things happen in the dark, Regina.” 

That made Regina laugh even harder until she sighed thoughtfully. 

“I hope she isn't asleep, I haven't gotten to see her properly all day and I want to give her a big kiss.” 

It was sweet how Regina could barely keep up a mutual conversation without her drunk mind steering her back to what was, apparently, her favourite topic - Emma. 

“A big kiss?” Emma chuckled at the endearing confession. 

“Yes…maybe she’ll let me kiss her pussy too, if she’s awake,” Regina nonchalantly followed up her statement with a satisfied smile, just imagining the possibility. 

“Regina!” 

For a moment, Emma was entirely startled that Regina was saying such a thing to someone that she drunkenly presumed was an Uber driver. However, given her earlier confession of her secret submissive desire to be ‘ordered around,’ by her little girl, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. 

“No, you’re right…I’ll just kiss her pussy until she wakes up,” Regina misread the surprise in Emma’s voice. “That’s such a good idea…what is your name, sorry?” 

“Ava,” the semi-lie rolled straight off Emma’s tongue.  

“Ava. Such a good idea, Ava,” Regina nodded her head and somehow slumped back into her seat even further. “Emma’s middle name is Ava…” she added, still not connecting the dots. 

The rest of the five-minute journey was silent, and Emma had fully thought the older woman had passed out after a few minutes. After parking the car, Emma got out and circled around to open Regina’s car door. The woman was, indeed, snoring lightly with her head against the window, but was jolted awake 

“Mommy? Wake up, you’re home…” 

It took a good few minutes for Regina to come to, her unstable legs taking her off balance one too many times before Emma huffed and had to literally peel her out of the car. 

“Baby girl,” the overjoyed woman sang when Emma, stronger than she looked, hoisted her up by her armpits. “I missed you.” 

“I heard,” Emma replied dryly, holding the wobbling woman close to her body so she wouldn’t trip over her heels. “I missed you too.” 

Stabilising herself with her arms around Emma’s shoulders, Mommy leaned in for a kiss, breathing heavily into Emma’s face. The sour smell of tequila and lime from the four million margaritas she had probably consumed, stung the sensitivities of Emma’s nose and as much as she wanted to pull away from the kiss, she couldn’t. Regina always kissed her when she came home smelling and tasting like cigarettes and vodka, she could at least return the same courtesy. 

Wasting no time, Mommy slid her tongue, still tasting of the salt rim of her many drinks, into Emma’s mouth. Her hands grabbed the girl’s cheeks as she laid it on her, not in the slow, dominant, controlled way she normally kissed and commanded Emma, but all mess and saliva and teeth. 

“I am going to blow your mind when we get into bed,” Regina whispered sloppily after Emma wriggled out of her grip. 

The utter, blind confidence in Regina’s voice was astounding given she could barely stand up straight. In her minds eye, Emma could see Mommy collapsing on their bed as soon as she entered their room. With a small chuckle, Emma wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist and steered them both to the door of their building. 

“Sure you are, Mommy.”

[leascorner]

j.b.b. | Marley

Summary: Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours. Her name was Marley.

Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x single mom!reader

Warnings: Mention of past and present relationships, parenting, mention of food

Word Count: 3.7k

a/n: This is my first story posted on here. I’ve been writting for +12 years now but for the last couple of years, I couldn't finish a single story. Turns out Bucky Barnes was all I needed to get over my massive writer’s block. Feedback is greatly appreciated. (Also, english is not my native language so if you spot any grammar mistake, please let me know!)

Masterlist

It all began with his friend, Sam.

On a night they were out for drinks, he had made it his mission to find someone for Bucky. Someone or anyone for the matter. He talked to everyone in the bar that night, while Bucky drank his beer, sitting at the counter. When it was clear enough that nobody there that night would keep grumpy Bucky company, Sam turned his attention on the dating app his friend had downloaded on his phone some weeks ago. He probably went through a dozen of profiles, sometimes showing the phone screen to Bucky, to what he would just respond by rolling his eyes and drinking some more beer.

That was until Sam showed him your profile. Bucky stared a second longer to the picture displayed on his phone screen than for the others. He couldn't tell what that was: the smile on your lips, the wrinkles at the side of your eyes or simply your eyes; but he couldn't get his eyes off it. Sam immediately started typing a message for you to what Bucky obviously protested. He did not need company because he was just fine on his own.

Despite his super-soldier abilities, he wasn't quick enough to take the phone from his friend's hands. The smile that appeared on Sam’s face annoyed Bucky even more. "What are you afraid of, though guy?" Sam had asked and Bucky eventually backed off, letting him do whatever he was planning on doing. There was no point in stopping Sam. He knew you wouldn't be interested anyway... To be honest, who would be? Bucky got his phone back along with a smirk from his friend. There was no answer after that, and Sam eventually found another topic to annoy the heck out of Bucky.

When he woke up the next morning, your reply notification was patiently waiting for him. For a second, he thought of deleting it, without having a look first. What did he have to lose? Gathering his courage, he opened it. Your words were as genuine as your smile and it made him grin like an idiot, though he made a mental note to later murder Sam for his poor choice of pick-up line. It took him the whole morning to be able to type an answer and another afternoon to press the ‘send’ button. It was the first text of many. Eventually, a lot of texts turned into calls; that turned into meeting up in your favorite French bakery; that turned into movies and restaurant dates.

    This was nearly one year and a half ago.

Your relationship with Bucky was cautious and steady. He liked how you would give him his space, but still being right there for him. He liked that you let him stare at you in total awe or that you always had small kind thoughts for him like when you made his eggs the way he preferred in the morning and that everything was so simple - obvious even - by your side. Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours.

Her name was Marley.

If Bucky was being honest, finding out you had a two and a half years-old daughter was quite the shock. Not that he couldn't have seen that coming; you would always make plans, your handbag was always full of snacks and hand wipes and for some reason, you would never be available between five and eight p.m. That was also what he liked about you. The stability.

The idea of being involved in a relationship with somebody that already had a child did scare him off. If he decided to continue the relationship, it would not only be a matter of breaking your heart in the process – and well, maybe his too - but breaking a child's heart too. And that more than anything, he was refusing to assume the responsibility, but he owed you that much. You knew his deepest secrets and still, you didn't run away from him. Worse, you trusted him to be around your child.

You both had a lot of discussions about him meeting Marley - Bucky even seek advice to Sam. And as for the rest of your relationship, you took it slow. It started with Bucky showing up to your Sunday walk in Central Park, feeding up the ducks and sharing snacks. You also spent some time at the carnival where he would watch you two on the carousel – sometimes joining the ride too - and he would help Marley win at pick a duck or buy her popcorn. Eventually, he would spend more time with the two of you. It started with spending at least one evening per week at your place, making dinner while watching you playing with Marley in the living room. One evening turned into two, three, five evenings per week. He still could step out if he needed. You still could spend time with your daughter where he wasn't there. You still spent time just the two of you, when Marley was asleep at night or he would take you on date nights. The routine you three put in place was nice, but Bucky wasn't planning on taking Marley’s dad place. God, he would never see himself as a dad and Marley already had one - though in Bucky's opinion, he would not be awarded father-of-the-year.

    Today, Bucky was picking Marley up from daycare.

He had done it a million times already, but this time was a little bit different. He was doing it on his own. The babysitter stood you up and you were stuck in an endless one-day meeting. You had called in utter panic, asking him to pick Marley up from daycare and taking care of her until you would be home. He had assured you he would do it and it would be fine. Now that he was standing in front of the building, he was doubting himself. He didn't know if he could do it on his own.

Another shaky sigh and Bucky entered the building. The childcare workers greeted him when he showed up at Marley's room. She was sat at one of these tiny tables making some kind of collage crafts. He planned on waiting for her to finish, just staring like he always did, before announcing himself, but Marley spotted him the second his figure appeared at the door.

"Bucky!" Marley cried out, leaving everything behind and running towards him.

"Hey Mar-Mar," he smiled. She always seemed happy to see him and Bucky wondered if she would eventually grow tired of him being always around.

After they hugged each other, Marley was called to put away her crafts and Bucky encouraged her to go do it. In the meantime, he collected her stuff - her panda backpack, shoes, and coat - so he could get her ready to leave. And he did just that when she got back to him.

"We are taking the train home. I'mna carrying you, is that okay?"

She wrapped her little arms around his neck in response and he lifted her up from the floor. After sharing goodbye to the childcare workers, they were heading home.

    On their way to the station, Marley explained in every detail what she had done at daycare that day; Bucky was listening carefully, sometimes asking questions - Carol, she is the one with the curly hair, right? Was Mark mean to you again? - but mostly he was just nodding along. They made it to the station just in time to take the 5:17 p.m. train. It was rush hour and Bucky mindfully chose to hop on one of the cars at the end of the train - the ones he knew would be the less busy at this time of the day. He had only seven stops, so he didn't sit and stood against one of the train windows. By that time, Marley had finished reporting on her day, and she was just watching around, smiling at anyone she would make eye contact with.

After the second stop, her eyes caught the sight of the dog tag around Bucky's neck. She fiddled it through his T-shirt, probably wondering what that was, before taken it out to have a closer look. In her tiny hands, the metal tag seemed to be huge. She looked up at Bucky, with bright eyes and he swore, he would do anything for these eyes.

"What is that?"

"Uh- " Bucky wasn't sure how to explain it in a way a three-years old would understand. "-Every soldier has one. It uh- has my name on it and some other information."

"Is it if you get lost?" she asked, her little eyebrows raised high on her forehead. She did understand a lot of the world around her for her age. "Mommy put a card with her name and her phone number in my bag."

"Yeah, it's something like that."

Marley smiled at him and returned her attention on the letters’ reliefs on the metal. By the fourth stop, she was resting her head on his shoulder while he was still firmly (but not too much) holding her with his left arm. She kept holding his dog tag in her tiny fist and was patiently waiting.

"She is very sweet," the old lady sat on the seat in front of them said to him before leaving the train.

He nodded shyly and looked back at the little girl in his arms. Marley looked so much like you. Her face had still some baby features, she just turned three after all, but she had the same nose and her eyes had the same color as yours. They were the same piercing eyes that when they’d look at him, he felt like they could read his soul. And she did not just look like you. She had also some of your habits and personality traits. She would always be smiling to people she didn’t know. She was always saying ‘thank you’ or ‘sorry’. She was obsessed with any kind of animal; the Sundays walks would last forever if she could pet all the dogs she encountered.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and Bucky got off the train on the seventh stop as planned. At the station, people turned on them as they passed. Maybe this was an odd sight: a man in combat boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket, carrying a small child in his arms. Especially knowing the kid in question was wearing white leggings, a red fluffy coat, and a stuffed panda backpack. Bucky didn't mind and continued his way to your place.

    Marley stayed quiet for the five minutes’ walk to your place, but once Bucky had turned on your street, she wriggled to be freed of his hold. Once her feet touched the ground, she directly ran towards a car parked not far away. She squatted down and started clicking her tongue. A ginger cat immediately came out from underneath the car.

"Careful," Bucky called out. He knew it was not recommended interacting with stray cat as they could be sick with all sorts of disease. And to be fair, it got him a little worried the cat was getting this close to Marley. He could already see her getting bitten by the cat, getting rabies, and losing her arm, or worse: dying.

"That's Gus, he lives at number 7," she said pointing at the building they stopped in front. It had the number written on it.

Gus started rubbing itself against Marley's shins and she gently petted his back. The cat then went to rub on Bucky's combat boots, also greeting him even though they never encountered before. And it continued his way to the building's porch, where it lazily lay down.

"Mommy said we could have a cat when we get a house."

"I've got a cat," Bucky stated and Marley cried out in excitement. She asked him about a hundred questions. What was its name? What was it looking like? Was it friendly? Was it sleeping in his bed with him at night? Bucky never failed to answer one of her questions and they talked about that until they made it in front of your apartment door.

    Marley was already on her way to her room when Bucky turned around after locking the door. She had removed her shoes and coat on her own and left them behind without putting them away like you would always request it.

"Uh-uh, we go wash your hands first, okay?"

After that was done, she ran to her room for good this time. Bucky went back to the living room and focused on what he could do to help you. He knew you would get home exhausted from your day at work and he did not want to have you do all the chores you usually did. It was the least he could do.

Somehow, your place was always tidier than his, and he lived on his own. In the kitchen, he found breakfast dishes in the sink and the dishwasher full of the dishes that had been cleaned the night before. That was where he would get started. He put away the dishes easily; he had been around your kitchen a lot those last months and he knew exactly where everything was. He even knew where you were hiding away the chocolate and candies; somewhere Marley didn't have access to.

"Hey Bucky, can I have snacks?"

A look at the watch sitting on his right wrist, she had still a good hour and a half before dinner and he replied positively. He wiped his hands on the dish towel resting on his shoulder and took one of these bamboo sectioned plates he just washed. He was reaching out to the first cupboards in front of him when it suddenly appeared to him, he had no idea what he could give her.

"What does your mom usually give you?" He asked Marley, turning back to her.

Marley shrugged. "Carrots and hummus." And Bucky swore this kid was eating healthier that he ever had.

He started by the fridge, looking for anything he could give to Marley. Thankfully, she wasn't a picky eater so it would be easy for him. Tonight's dinner was in it, along with some vegetables and fruits. He chose grapes because it was the only food, he could see himself eating at that time of the day.

"Grapes and uh-" he looked at the cupboards right next to the fridge "- crackers?"

Marley nodded. Bucky prepared it all on her plate, making sure there was just enough for her to be full but not too much so she would still eat dinner, and handed it to her. She carried it carefully to the living room, Bucky following behind. She had laid out all her crayons on the coffee table next to her Paw Patrol coloring book. He knew about this cartoon because it was the only one Marley ever wanted to watch, she was literally obsessed with it, and she did make him watch some episodes with her. He knew that, when she was playing alone in her room, she would usually pretend she was saving the world with them.

Bucky sat on the carpet, next to Marley, stealing one grape from her plate. She threw him a death glance but offered him some more if he would help with the coloring. He happily complied.

    Before dinner was normally bath time. Thankfully, you had said over the phone you would deal with that in the morning. For some reason, Marley did not like baths. A little bit of water in her eyes or ears was too much for her to handle and he wasn't sure he could deal with her being so upset on his own.

He still got her changed in her pajamas - she obviously chose the one with the dalmatian puppy from Paw Patrol you had agreed on buying a few weeks ago; washed her face with a cotton pad and some cleansing lotion, brushed her hair and tried the best he could to tie them in a low ponytail. You would normally braid them for the night, but this was not something Bucky mastered at all - he made a mental note to watch some tutorials on YouTube to learn though.

"Will you and mommy get married?" Marley asked out of nowhere while Bucky was carrying her back to the kitchen to have dinner.

"I don't know," he said, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I prefer you over my real daddy," Marley admitted. And it broke his heart. Bucky knew how her dad forgot about her third birthday and missed most of his custody days lately. He didn't really understand how somebody could have a child and knowingly decide not take care of them anymore.

The child in his arm was so precious. It amazed him every day how much she could comprehend of the world around her. She was smart, creative, kind. She knew what she wanted, would be very stubborn about it and would do anything to get it – you always said you didn’t understand where she got her fierce mind and Bucky laughed every time because he knew exactly from whom she had gotten it: you. You did such a good job raising her on your own. He also knew you would always choose her over him, and he had to admit, it made him fall in love even more with you.

"Even if I'd marry your mom, I still wouldn't be your daddy officially."

"To me, you would," Marley concluded as if it was as simple as that.

Living with you two permanently. Marrying you. Bucky never thought of it. He liked how this relationship was working: the kindness, the trust, the love. He loved the movie dates with you, the Sundays walks, and the evening just the three of you. He loved how simple it all was and how it made him just happy. Happiest he had been in a long time. And he wondered if he wanted more. The way his heart was fluttering in his chest made him realized, he did. He didn't know if he was ready though.

    Back to the kitchen, he put her down on her seat before getting the casserole of potato gratin out of the oven. He put a small portion in her plate, next to some chopped carrots and apple sauce he already prepared. He put it down in front of her and sat next to her.

"Will you eat with mommy?"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. They had stayed coloring her books a little too long and it was nearly her bedtime. Smiling softly, he encouraged her to eat. She did while asking some more questions on his cat in between each mouthful. How old is it? Why did you name it Alpine? Has mummy already met it? Do you think she'll like me? Turned out this little one never run out of question.

After dinner, Bucky gave her a small portion of chocolate from the special cupboard and they agreed it would be their little secret. Then, he carried her to the bathroom to brush her tiny teeth. It was started to be late for her and she was clearly fighting against sleep, the lack of it upsetting her.

"I want to see mommy," she cried, lips trembling and eyes full of tears.

"I know Mar-Mar, she'll get there soon," Bucky tried to comfort her. You hadn't text yet, meaning you weren't on your way still. He knew Marley would be asleep before you got home. "We can read a book in your bed while we wait for her, yeah?"

Marley nodded and let Bucky carry her to her bed. She had her head rested on his right shoulder the whole time. She crawled under the covers the moment her body was dropped off on the bed. She let Bucky choose the bedtime story and he chose the one he knew she liked so much.

He laid beside her gently and she immediately reached out closer to him. He wrapped his right arm around her, and her hands somehow found his dog tag again. A small kiss on her forehead and Bucky started reading the book in his left hand. Marley was listening carefully, helping him by turning the page.

At the end of the story, she was fast asleep against him, his dog tag still in her tiny fist. Bucky did not dare moving, afraid he would wake her up if he did. He observed the small child against him and listened to her soft breathes. She looked so peaceful and it made him thought of the way she had welcomed him into her life. Just like you, she had taken him as a whole; with his trauma, his insecurities, his quietness, and his staring habits. And now, she had him wrapped around his little finger. He knew deep in his guts he wouldn't let anything happen to you or your daughter. He realized that now. That made him think some more: maybe he was ready after all. And this time, he would not let happiness slip away from him.

  Bucky stayed like that until twenty minutes later, when you showed up on your daughter’s room doorstep. You looked exhausted yet still radiant. A smile had formed on your lips at the sight in front of you. It made you melt right on the spot.

"Hey," Bucky greeted you softly.

You came closer, walking on your tiptoes, careful of not waking up your daughter. You laid besides them, kissing your daughter little fist, and tucked yet another strand of hair behind her ear. You looked back at Bucky, who was intensely staring at you. His left arm was already wrapped around your shoulders, bringing you close. You kissed his jaw, making him smile gently. "Thank you for taking care of her. Did it go okay?"

"More than okay." He kissed your forehead while you snuggled closer to him. His heart could burst of the feeling of having you two near him forever.

He wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Chapter Seven: Trying for Normal (Gifts)

Prev

AO3

“You can not honestly tell me you are thinking of announcing that girl as your daughter.” Damian says, his scowl deeper than Dick had seen it in a while.

“‘That girl’ has a name, Little D. Plus she’s your sister.” Dick says, resisting the urge to nudge him. They had gotten to the point where a small nudge wasn’t a death sentence, but Damian was on edge. And a small nudge would probably not be appreciated.

“I do not care what her name is, Grayson. Since coming to Gotham she has been involved in two separate Rogue attacks. She is suspicious at best, and a nuisance at worst.” He replies, crossing his arms.

“Enough, Damian. Marinette is not a nuisance. She simply has bad luck.” Bruce says, obviously trying to defend his daughter.

“And poor self-preservation skills. Talking back to the Joker? Snarking the Riddler? For an individual with no combat training, she gets much too involved in attacks. It is idiotic.” Damian argues, shaking his head.

“It might have something to do with the Paris situation. She said she’s been at attacks before, so she must have some experience with villains. And from what I read on the Ladyblog, none of the damage in Paris lasts. She just may not realize how dangerous it is for her to do here what she would do in Paris. We just need to warn her, or, at least remind her, that Gotham is a dangerous place.” Dick says, thinking back to her reaction to the Riddler and the Joker. She was definitely more tense with the Joker, despite the fact that both villains had arrived with armed goons. Maybe she thought the Riddler was less likely to kill someone, not true. Or maybe she- Dick frowns as he remembers a key difference between the attacks.

“I just realized something.” He says with a frown.

“Care to share with the rest of the room, Dickiebird?” Jason asks, strolling in and flopping onto a chair.

“She was more tense at the attack with the Joker, she seemed to understand that it was a dangerous situation. Sure, she talked back to him, but she didn’t try to fight back or anything. But at the attack with the Riddler, he wasn’t even targeting her at first. He was targeting the boy she’d been talking to. And she was more reckless, and then she fought back. She fought well, but it was still super dangerous.” Dick rambles, pacing as he explains the predicament.

“Is there a point to this? I feel like I walked in at the wrong time.” Jason calls out from his chair, feet propped up on the table in front of him.

“My point, Jay, is that Marinette has a crush.” Dick says, shuddering at the word like it’s something disgusting. (It is, his sister is too young for crushes and boyfriends).

“Is that why she ran off with him right after the attack?” Jason asks with a smirk. Dick feels his eyes practically shoot out of his head.

“She what!?” He yells, running over to the Batcomputer to look at the security footage from the wax museum. Spots that were targeted frequently, like the wax museum, had their security footage directly linked to the Batcave. Just in case of an emergency or in case an attack happened and they needed an extra set of eyes.

“I’m sure she didn’t do anything that you wouldn’t do.” Jason teases, and Dick pales.

“Shut up, Jason!” He moans, his typing turning frantic as he scrolls through the day’s footage. He stops when he gets to the moments after the battle. When the phones of the French students had all gone off. Frowning, he watches as his sister runs up to the boy and grabs his hand, leaning in and whispering to each other before the two run out of the room. Towards the bathrooms. Oh hell no. Dick scrolls forwards, frowning when they don’t come out in five minutes. Or ten minutes. Huffing, he switches to the cameras aimed at the exits. Surely one of the cameras had to catch the pair leaving the museum. He rewinds it and watches, but...there’s nothing. They don’t leave the bathrooms and they don’t leave the museum. For the rest of the day.

“Has anyone been in contact with her since the attack?” Bruce asks from right beside him, making him jump out of his seat with a yelp.

“I don’t even have her number.” Dick says, resisting the urge to glare at his adoptive father. He might’ve had Marinette’s number had Bruce actually acted like he wanted her to be there for dinner the other day. Instead, he practically ignored her and she left. And now she was missing. Definitely missing, because she never came out of the bathroom at the museum.

“Hello, Marinette? Yes, I apologize for calling so suddenly. I was- yes. Yes, I did hear about the attack….yes, that was part of the reason I was calling. I was wondering if you would like to come to dinner at the manor. You could bring your friend, Adrien Agreste, I believe was his name. Of course. Yes. Oh no, I’ll send a car. No, no I assure you it- Marinette please. Taxis aren’t always safe after dark. Thank you. Yes, I- we’ll see you then. Goodbye.” Bruce hangs up, and Dick looks at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Just gonna suddenly invite her and her boy toy to dinner, B? What’re you gonna do, interrogate them?” He asks frowning.

“That’s the second time that Marinette has ran off after that alarm. I’ve seen videos of the situation in Paris and I’m concerned. Now go upstairs and act normal. I want all of you on your best behaviors at dinner. Damian, better than best please. No weapons.” Bruce directs before leaving the room, presumably to ask Alfred to pick up Marinette. Dick sighs and looks at his brothers.

“Well this isn’t going to be a disaster or anything.” He says. --- “Tikki this is going to be a disaster!” Marinette whines, throwing herself face first onto the bed. She tries to ignore Tikki’s amused giggle. This was not funny. This was dinner with her family that she hadn’t made a great impression on the first time. And Adrien was invited, and she wasn’t sure where the two stood but she was sure that if Dick was at dinner, he would just push Adrien farther away from her.

“I could practically hear your suffering from Adrien’s room, pigtails.” Plagg says, making Marinette sit up and glare at the Kwami.

“Are you just here to mock me?” She asks, pouting. He snorts.

“No, I’m here to tell you the kid’s on his way over here. I told him you were panicking and he practically ran out his door.” Plagg says with a chuckle. Rapid knocking on the door makes him laugh more before dropping onto the bed next to Tikki. Marinette sighs, rolling off the bed and pulling the door open, jumping forward in time to catch Adrien before he completely falls to the ground.

“Are you okay? Plagg said you were panicking, did something happen?” He asks quickly, looking her up and down. Marinette blinks, slightly taken aback by his sudden concern. It was nice, but still a lot all at once. Shaking her head, she gestures for him to come in and shuts the door behind him. Walking back over to the bed, she once again face plants and groans.

“She’s nervous because Mr. Wayne invited the two of you to dinner.” Tikki chirps, giggling when Marinette lifts her head up enough to glare at her.

“Traitor.” She says, dropping her head back down.

“If you don’t want me to go with Marinette, I won’t.” Adrien says. Marinette immediately jumps up, shaking her head rapidly.

“No, no that’s not what I meant. I just- I’m nervous about actually sitting through a dinner with them. And I’m pretty sure Dick will try and sit between us and glare at you like he did at the museum.” She admits, cursing the way her cheeks heat up. Adrien raises an eyebrow.

“He was glaring at me?” He asks, utter confusion on his face. Marinette groans, dropping her head into her hands.

“Sometimes your obliviousness is cute-”

“You think I’m cute!”

“But right now, it’s kinda making me want to scream into my pillow.” Marinette admits, giving him her signature “not amused” look. A look she usually saves for when Chat Noir is making a pun.

“Wait, why wouldn’t Dick like me?” Adrien asks, thankfully stuck on that now instead of the fact that she thinks he’s cute.

“Um, maybe because we were holding hands? Did you really not notice how he kept standing in between us the entire time we were at the museum?” Marinette asks, suddenly unsure if she’d imagined the whole thing.

“Oh no, I did. I just didn’t think it meant he didn’t like me. I’ve never really dealt with siblings before. I mean, I’ve met Nino’s little brother but...that’s about it.” Adrien says, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Marinette sighs, grinning softly.

“I don’t really have a lot of experience either, so maybe I was just imagining things.” She admits. Adrien’s shoulders instantly relax and she smiles. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“So, did you want me to come with?” He asks after a moment of silence. Marinette nods, agreeing immediately.

“Please. I don’t think I can go back there alone, not yet anyway.”

“Of course, Mari. Now, what’re you wearing?” --- The ride to Wayne Manor wasn’t as quiet as her first, with Adrien making quiet jokes and saying things to try and help keep Marinette out of her head. She was thankful that he had come with, because she was definitely going to need the emotional support to get through dinner. The car stops and Marinette sucks in a deep breath. Smoothing out her skirt nervously, Marinette glances at the small, neatly wrapped package sitting between her and Adrien. It was something she had started back when she first found out she was adopted. And that her parents didn’t know her bio dad. A scrapbook with copies of everything important from her life: baby pictures, school pictures, birth announcement, report cards, clippings from newspapers where she had won or placed in contests, pictures of her early designs and recent designs, pictures of certificates and trophies from various competitions and activities. Basically a road map of her life to be given to her bio dad so that he could get to know her. She’d written her name on the front page, with the words “daughter of Bruce Wayne and Bridgette Le” underneath. A sort of amendment to her birth announcement which listed her as the daughter of Tom and Sabine Dupain Cheng. And while she definitely was their daughter, she also wanted Mr. Wayne to know that she wanted to be his daughter too. Not just by blood, which isn’t the important part. No, she wanted to get to know him and for him to get to know her. Pushing down the intruding thoughts insisting that it was too soon and that he didn’t want her in the first place, she opens the car door and steps out, clutching the package to her chest like a safety blanket.

“Would you like me to take that for you, Miss Marinette?” Alfred asks, glancing at the package.

“Oh, no thank you Alfred. It’s for my da- er, um, Mr. Wayne. I can hang onto it.” She says with a bright smile. She could do this. Sure, it didn’t go great the last time she was here. And she was pretty sure Mr. Wayne’s youngest son could kill her and wanted to kill her. But it was fine. Everything is fine. Walking through the front door, her shoulders relax slightly when she sees Dick is the only one standing there waiting for them.

“Marinette! He cheers, rushing forward and picking her up in a hug. As in, legitimately picking her up. Okay then.

“Good to see you too.” She says, trying not to show that he’s literally suffocating her with the hug.

“Good to see you again, Dick!” Adrien says cheerfully. Marinette feels Dick tense before setting her down, his smile less bright as he looks at Adrien.

“And you. Adrien, right?” He asks, sticking his hand out for a handshake.

“Yup!” Adrien says cheerfully. Marinette watches cautiously, noticing that Dick seems to be squeezing a little too hard….and then Adrien appears to match his strength, if the look on Dick’s face is anything to go by. Marinette coughs to hide a snort, her face heating up as both boys turn to look at her.

“Uh, is it just you and Mr. Wayne tonight?” Marinette asks, choosing to ignore their awkward handshake.

“Nope! It’s me and Bruce and Alfred, of course, and Jay and Tim and Damian and Cass. Steph’s not in town and Babs is having dinner with her dad.” Dick says, and Marinette’s eyes widen. There were a lot more people in her bio dad’s family than she thought. She knew about the boys, but she hadn’t seen anything about Cass, Steph or ‘Babs’.

“I didn’t realize I had sisters too.” She says instead of voicing her insecurities. Before she only had the boys to measure up against, now she had three girls too?

“Well, the only official sister is Cass. Steph used to date Tim and she just kinda stuck around. She’s practically family at this point. And Babs and I used to date, but again, she stuck around after and now she’s practically family.” Dick explains with a grin and a shrug. Cause having your exes around isn’t awkward. Or, maybe it isn’t. She doesn’t have any exes to compare it to. Just as she starts to get lost in her thoughts, she feels Adrien brush against her gently. Reminding her that he’s there, for her, giving her the strength she needs to follow Dick into the living room. Where everyone else was sitting. Oh boy.

“Marinette, so glad you could join us. And Mr. Agreste, nice to see you again.” Bruce says, standing from his spot and moving to shake Adrien’s hand.

“You as well, M. Wayne. And please, call me Adrien. Mr. Agreste is my father.” He says, and Marinette can just barely see his wince. His father always had been his least favorite subject, no matter how much or how little they spoke of him.

“Thanks for inviting us.” Marinette says, moving the package so that she’s no longer clutching it like a lifeline. Holding it out to Mr. Wayne, she laughs at his confused face. “It’s a present.” She adds.

“Oh, well, thank you.” He says, his face unreadable. Marinette shifts her weight, glancing between him and the package, waiting for him to open it. Or properly introduce her to the rest of the family. Either option would work at this point. Glancing at Dick, she sighs in relief when he claps. At least someone was going to make the first move.

“Right, so I don’t think you got the chance to meet Jason and Damian properly when you were here the other day.” Dick says, tugging her around a still frozen Bruce in front of the two boys from the other day.

“No, I didn’t. Hi, I’m Marinette.” She says, smiling and holding out a hand to Damian first. He tuts and turns away, making Marinette’s smile fall slightly before she turns to Jason. Jason grins and shakes her hand.

“Welcome to the family, kid.” He says, before whistling. “You didn’t get B’s height, that’s for sure.” He teases, Marinette snorts, her smile turning into a teasing smirk.

“Hey, don’t count me out for my height. Ever heard the phrase, small but mighty?” She asks, crossing her arms. Jason snorts, reaching out and messing up her hair.

“Whatever you say, Pixie Pop.” He replies. She rolls her eyes and turns to the other two siblings she hadn’t met.

“Hi, you must be Tim and Cass.” She says, smiling at both of them. Tim nods, his hand twitching towards his pocket. Marinette tries not to laugh, having seen Max do the same thing when he had to socialize for any amount of time. The boy was always far more comfortable with his phone in his hand, even if he wasn’t actually looking at it. Cass smiles, and Marinette notices her hands moving. “Sorry, could you repeat that, I wasn’t watching closely.” She says. Cass’ smile widens and she nods before starting over.

“Welcome to family. Nice to meet you.” Cass signs, making Marinette beam.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” She says, eyes widening when she realizes she left Adrien alone with a frozen Mr. Wayne. Whirling around, she moved back to Adrien and tugged him forward, rolling her eyes at his surprised yelp. Honestly, he should expect this by now.

“Geeze, Princess. Give a man a warning.” He says, adjusting his shirt that she’d accidentally messed up.

“Sorry k- Adrien. Sorry. Anyway, uh, everyone this is my friend Adrien Agreste. Adrien this is Jason, Damian, Tim, Cass and you already know Dick.” Marinette introduces, gesturing to each of her new siblings. Adrien shoots a wide smile, not quite his model smile but also not quite a real one.

“Nice to meet you all.” He says.

“Marinette, I apologize. Did you want me to open this now?” Mr. Wayne asks suddenly. She turns and raises an eyebrow at his unreadable expression and the way he holds onto the present like he doesn’t know what to expect. Which is fair, considering they’d only met in person the day before.

“Oh, um, if you want to. It’s nothing big.” She says, watching nervously as he nods and unwraps it. His eyebrows twitch together as he looks at the book, obviously not yet understanding.

“Open it, B.” Dick whispers, clearly understanding the gift more than their father. Mr. Wayne nods and opens it, his unreadable expression falling into one that she...still can’t read. But it’s not emotionless anymore. As he flips through the book, a small smile creeps its way onto his face and Marinette almost cheers. That’s the most sincere look she’d ever seen on the man.

“Did you put all this together?” He asks, glancing up from the book to look at her. Marinette nods.

“When I found out I was adopted, I wanted to have something to give my bio dad. So that even if he didn’t want to see me in person, he could get to know me. When I found out you’re my, um, dad, I added some personal touches.” She says.

“And I can keep this?” He asks, and Marinette’s shocked that he sounds almost scared. As if he thinks she’ll say no and take everything back. She smiles.

“Of course. My Maman and Papa already have those pictures. These are all yours.” She says.

“Thank you, Marinette. I- This is an amazing gift.” He says. Marinette’s smile widens and her shoulders sag in relief. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be a disaster after all.

Next

Tag list: @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @jayjayspixiepop @jjmjjktth @mizzy-pop @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @waiting247 @laurcad123 @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @imarivers8 @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks

[storiesforallfandoms]

comparisons ~ machine gun kelly

word count: 2195

request?: yes!

“Can I get a Colson Baker one where you’re dating after him and Megan where you get a bunch of hate and they both defend you against the hate please”

description: when her boyfriend’s ex is one of the most beautiful actresses of this generation, she finds herself being constantly compared to her and receiving hateful messages

pairing: machine gun kelly x female!reader

warnings: swearing, hate messages, insecurities

masterlist (one, two)

There was some sort of assumption that when you start dating someone, you immediately hate their ex. That could not be further from the truth for me and Colson. In fact, Colson’s ex-girlfriend introduced us shortly after their break up, and had constantly pushed for the two of us to get together.

Megan was basically the backbone in our friendship. She pushed me to pursue my dreams in acting (as well as helped you with that since she was so much more famous than you were when you started), then she pushed me to start auditioning for bigger roles. The moment she introduced me to Colson, I knew exactly what was coming next.

“That’s weird, Meg,” I had told her. “Isn’t there, like, a girl code about dating your best friend’s ex?”

“I’m literally shoving you onto him,” she had responded. “I think you’re fine with the girl code.”

A few months after meeting, I finally caved and asked Colson out on a date. Six months later, I was still thanking Megan for giving me that push.

Shortly after making our relationship public, however, the happiness slowly came to a stop. For me, anyways. Colson, bless his heart, was blissfully ignorant to the comments his fanbase started to send me.

“yikes, he really downgraded huh?”

“how do you go from megan fox to...that?”

“guess mgk couldn’t keep up his streak of hot girlfriends”

Hate comes with fame, I knew that. I had my fair share of hate comments ever since the start. It was easy to ignore them when they were just a handful of hate comments here and there, but this was different. This was a bombardment of hate that was so heavy I could barley go online.

Colson was oblivious for a while, until he found out I had deleted all my social media accounts.

“Did you delete your Instagram babe?” he asked the minute he got home the day I had done it.

“Yeah,” I responded, nonchalantly. “I deleted all my social media.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “I just thought it’d be better for me mentally. They say being so attached to social media is bad for you or whatever.”

“But you weren’t even addicted to social media. You just liked sharing your memories - our memories.”

I shrugged again and turned back to my cooking. I wasn’t about to tell him his fans drove me off the internet. He loved his fans, I couldn’t fuck that up for him, even if what they were saying hurt me so much.

My back was to him as I cooked, so he couldn’t see my reaction when he asked, “Is it because people were comparing you to Megan?”

I froze completely. I could feel his eyes staring into the back of my head, but I just couldn’t convince myself to turn around to face him. I knew that if I did, I’d crack. I had gone too long pretending everything was okay, keeping this secret from Colson, to finally let it slip now. I just had to throw him off of his thought process.

“Where did you get that idea?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

He was next to me suddenly, holding his phone up so I could see it. On the screen was a picture of me at a red carpet just below a headline that read “(Y/F/N) deletes social media accounts amid hateful comments from boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly’s fans”.

I sighed in frustration. Of course the tabloid vultures had already written articles about it. I had only done it a few hours earlier, but they always had to be the first ones to write another story about me.

“I didn’t even know I was getting hate,” I said, trying to keep up the lie even though it was pretty obvious I had been found out. “I just decided to delete my accounts, it must be a coincidence.”

“Really? Because this article says you were receiving so much hate that you couldn’t even go into the comments on your pictures or replies on your tweets without seeing a mass amount of hate from my fans.”

I turned off the stove and turned around suddenly, abandoning my cooking completely as I quickly walked out of the kitchen and towards mine and Colson’s room. I felt a lump forming in my throat, and the last thing I wanted was for Colson to see me cry.

I wasn’t shocked to hear his footsteps coming after me. I forgot how much longer his legs were than mine, so it didn’t take long for him to catch up with me and stop me before I could get too far away. He took hold of my arm and turned me around to look at him. The moment my eyes landed on his face, it felt like someone had finally broke the dam holding back my tears.

Colson pulled me in for a hug and held me tightly as I sobbed into his chest. Every ounce of overwhelming feelings I had been bottling up for months was finally starting to come out, and I realized it was long overdue when I eventually began to grow tired from my crying.

I felt Colson pick me up and bring me to his bed. My eyes were starting to grow heavy despite how much I was fighting against them to stay awake. The minute my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

I wasn’t sure how long I was asleep, but it was obvious I had needed that rest, because when I woke up again I felt more well rested than I had in a long time.

I opened my eyes to find myself facing the window, which helped me to pinpoint that it was now nighttime as the sky was pitch black. I rolled over, expecting to find Colson asleep next to me only to find that I was alone in his bed. I was confused at first, forgetting the events that happened mere hours earlier.

I could hear a distant voice talking and was able to identify it as Colson’s. I got up from his bed and made my way towards the stairs, hearing it get louder as I stood at the top.

“I wish she would’ve told me,” he was saying. “I don’t know why she would’ve kept this a secret from me.”

“She didn’t want you upset with your fans,” came another voice. This one was distorted like it was coming from a phone. When she spoke again, I realized it was Megan’s voice. “And she’s stubborn. She was probably determined to deal with this by herself.”

“I just hate that she felt that way,” Colson sighed. “I don’t want her believing anything any of those people said to her, but I saw screenshots and fuck...they really did just bombard her with hate.”

“I know, but none of us could’ve predicted this. Your fans were so cool with us dating, I thought they’d love (Y/N) since we’re so similar.”

I sat down on the top of the stairs and peeked down enough that I could see Colson without him seeing me. He was laid out on the couch in just his sweat pants. In his hand he was holding his phone up, the other was slung over the back of his couch. I could see the guilt on his face, which broke my heart to see. I didn’t want Colson feeling guilty for something that was out of his control.

“You think what I posted will do anything?” he asked Megan.

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. When people want to hate, they just want to hate.”

Hearing that Colson had posted something made me curious. I felt around my pants for my phone, but realized I had probably left it in the room or downstairs somewhere. I was in too deep now to give myself away, but I really wanted to know what he had posted about the situation.

“Thanks for talking to me about this, Megan,” he said.

“Of course, Colson. Anytime.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Colson tossed his phone onto the coffee table and put his arm under his head. “Are you gonna come down babe?”

I wanted to ask how he knew I was there, but instead I stood from my spot and made my way down the stairs. When I entered the living room, Colson just looked up at me for a moment, almost expectantly. I smiled down at him and laid on top of him with my head on his chest. The arm that was over the back of the couch wrapped around me and he gently kissed the top of my head.

“How much did you hear?” he asked.

“Just the last bit,” I admitted. “Something about a post you made.”

Colson hummed, his chest vibrating underneath my ear as he did. “I wanted to address the issue, and I knew you wouldn’t let me do it if you were awake.”

“I still don’t like that you did it now,” I said, half joking. “Can I see the post?”

He moved his head to look down at me. “How do I know you’re not going to delete the post?”

“You don’t,” I responded. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

He smiled and reached over to grab his phone from the coffee table. He opened it and pulled up a post he had made on Instagram: it was your usual white background with text post you saw celebrities make from time to time.

It read:

“I love my fans so much. You guys are my EST family, and I’m so proud of this family that we have built over the last few years. However, it came to my attention today that some of you have been less than nice to my girlfriend to a point where she felt the need to delete her social media accounts. I will admit, I was oblivious to this at first as I am not one to go onto other people’s social media to read comments and replies, and (Y/N) kept this to herself instead of telling me about it. But now that I do know, I have to say I am beyond pissed. (Y/N) is the most beautiful girl I have ever met, inside and out. She is not Megan, and honestly - with all respect to Megan - I’m glad that she’s not. I love Megan as a friend, but truly that’s all she is to me. (Y/N) is my soulmate, the love of my life. These comparisons and jabs at her because she isn’t my ex are absolutely disgusting, especially coming from people who claim they love me as much as you guys do. Please learn how to treat the people in my life with love and respect, or else take my face out of your profile pictures and my name out of your usernames/bios as you are not a true fan of mine. From the bottom of my heart, fuck you to anyone that made my girlfriend feel like shit.”

I scrolled down to see the comments and saw that the top one was from Megan, and was already liked by Colson.

“(Y/N) is not my competition, nor is she my enemy. She is my friend and she has been since before Colson and I were ever together. The fact that people feel the need to pit two women against one another just because they both dated the same person is absolutely appalling to me. I’d like to emphasis Colson’s statement - fuck you to whoever hurt my friend.”

I handed Colson his phone back, not wanting to read any more. I could feel a lump in my throat again, but this one was from happiness. I felt so lucky to have two amazing people in my corner during a time that was otherwise very trying for me.

“I’m sorry I never told you,” I said as I rested against his chest again.

“You shouldn’t be sorry, (Y/N). I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“You don’t have any reason to be sorry either. You can’t control your fans.”

“Then neither of us will be sorry.”

I chuckled at this. For a moment we were both silent, the only sound being Colson’s heart beating under my ear. It was a soothing sound, and combined with his fingers tracing over my back, I was almost lulled back to sleep.

“I love you,” he mumbled against my hair.

I lifted my head to look at him. “What?”

“I said I love you.”

I was speechless. It was the first time he had seriously said those words and he had managed to shock me into silence with them.

He looked at me, his face slowly becoming concerned with my silence.

“I love you, too,” I finally managed.

A smile broke out across Colson’s face as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly to him. For the rest of the night, he would whisper those three words to me randomly, and I would whisper back my response every time.

[helloalycia]

my patient’s neighbour [four] // wanda maximoff

summary: taking Wanda to meet your parents wasn't the best decision in hindsight...

warning/s: none i don't think?

author's note: i’m not sure what to say other than sorry in advance oops

part one | part two | part three | part five | part six | part seven | masterlist | wattpad

The restaurant my parents chose wasn't too flashy but rather comforting and homely, with an Italian theme and matching cuisine. It was bustling with people, but it didn't take long for Wanda and I to find my parents sat at the back waiting for us.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked, glancing at her with a comforting squeeze of the hand.

"I've got you, haven't I?" she asked playfully, her accent thicker than usual as she spoke. And though she was joking, I knew there was truth to her words which sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.

"You're cute," I said with adoration, appreciating how lovely her eyes looked in the dimly-lit restaurant. "Come on."

Hand in hand, we approached my parents' table and I had hopes that tonight would go well. My parents weren't exactly intimidating – at least anyone I'd ever known hadn't got that impression – but I still worried for Wanda. Unlike her, I couldn't read minds, so I couldn't tell if she was actually looking forward to tonight or if she was just doing it for me.

"Y/N, you're here!" my mum exclaimed with a grin when she spotted me.

"I am," I said with a nervous smile, before motioning to Wanda. "And so is Wanda, my girlfriend."

"Yes, Y/N mentioned you would be coming," my mum said with a friendly smile, looking to Wanda, before motioning to the table. "Please, sit, sit."

I squeezed Wanda's hand gently before pulling out a chair for her. She smiled at me appreciatively before I took a seat beside her, facing my parents.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Wanda," my dad said with a nod. "Y/N mentioned you plenty of times when we'd call to catch up with her."

"You, too," Wanda spoke politely. "Both of you. Y/N told me that you're travelling the world, is that right?"

I leaned on my hand and glanced at Wanda, who shot me a mischievous smile. Quirking a brow, I mentally applauded her. Getting my parents to talk about their travels was an easy way of bonding with them – they would tell every server and customer in this restaurant about their travelling if they could. She'd cracked them instantly.

I'm just that good, milashka (cutie).

Trying not to laugh as her words echoed in my mind because of her powers, I leaned back into my seat and listened in as my parents went into a ramble about their ongoing adventures. This was pretty much how the rest of the evening went, as the four of us dined on expensive wine and delicious pizza. They seemed to be getting along well, with Wanda asking all the right questions and giving them her picture-perfect smile that impressed all the elders. Heck, she was even impressing me.

Naively, I appreciated how well the evening was going until my parents decided to talk to Wanda about her career.

"So, Y/N mentioned you're one of those Revengers," my mum remembered as we ate.

"Avengers," I corrected her, mildly embarrassed.

Wanda chuckled, glancing at me, before nodding. "Yes, I am. For over a year now, I've been working with them."

"Them being Iron Man, Captain America, the Black Widow...?" my dad asked, looking up as if trying to remember the rest, further embarrassing me.

"Those are the ones," Wanda quipped with a nod.

My mum hummed in response as my dad nodded before leaning back in his seat and eyeing Wanda curiously.

"I can't imagine your job is the safest," he began. "You protect people from threats, right? Keep them safe."

Wanda seemed caught off guard, but recovered quickly. "It's got it's... dangers, yes. But I can handle myself. I've got powers and I know how to use them."

"You do," my dad agreed, before his eyes flickered to me briefly. "But Y/N doesn't. She's just a regular human."

I set my fork down on my plate and looked to him calmly. "Dad, what are you saying?"

"No, it's fine," Wanda said reassuringly, resting her hand on my leg under the table. I grabbed it and held it as she continued to speak to my father. "Y/N doesn't have powers, you are correct."

"And dating an Avenger, I can imagine, must put a huge target on her back," he said with concern, and my mum nodded in agreement. "How can we be certain that she is safe?"

"Dad!"

"Your father is right, Y/N," my mum said, giving me a look, before her expression softened as she looked to a startled Wanda. "We're not implying that you're incapable, Wanda. We can clearly see that you care about our daughter. And you're a lovely person. You're pretty much perfect."

Wanda swallowed hard. "But?"

My mother frowned. "But dating you is bound to put our Y/N in danger. She could get hurt just for being involved with you, with your friends. She doesn't have powers to protect herself. And I can't imagine you're around her all the time to keep her safe."

As angry as I was at my parents for saying this stuff – even if they were saying it out of love – memories of the incident flashed to mind. They were right, but it was a risk I'd accepted when dating Wanda. What good was it doing by bringing this up now?

Noticing Wanda's silence, I spoke up instead. "I appreciate your concern, guys, but I'm an adult. I understand the danger I may be put in by being with Wanda. But I love her and I know that she is here for me if anything were to ever happen."

"We know," my father said, giving me a small nod. "We just thought we'd share our opinion anyway. It's been weighing on us for a while is all."

I sighed quietly. I couldn't exactly fault them for that.

"Anyway, never mind that," my mum said, setting down her fork. "Now that we've got that out the way, let's order some dessert, yeah? Our treat."

Nodding, I let my parents get excited as they perused the dessert menus before them. Instead, I looked to the quiet brunette beside me and saw how lost in thought she was, eyes focused on the table and stuck in a daydream.

With the hand that was holding hers, I patted her hand with my thumb to earn her attention. She looked up suddenly, questioning gaze falling to me. I frowned and quirked a brow, wondering if she was okay. She forced a smile my way, squeezing my hand reassuringly, but I didn't believe her. I also couldn't question it right in front of my parents, so I decided to speak with her later.

Dessert went by quickly as Wanda, suddenly, wasn't very talkative. I didn't know if my parents noticed, but I sure did and I felt extremely guilty. If I had known of my parents' concerns, I never would have brought Wanda to meet them tonight.

After the evening came to a close and we all stepped out of the restaurant, I expected to be going home with my parents since we lived together, but they claimed they had more plans together tonight.

"Wow, you guys have more of a social life than we do," I joked when they told me to make my own way home.

Wanda barely smiled and I felt bad.

"We'll be back in a few hours," my mum promised, before pulling me in for a hug. "Tonight was fun. A great final night before we leave tomorrow."

I returned the hug and as I gave my dad one, I heard Wanda thanking my mum for the lovely evening halfheartedly. After saying our final goodbyes, Wanda led me to her car in silence, giving me time to try and put some jumbled thoughts together coherently.

As she had been for the past hour, Wanda was quiet on the drive back to my place. Whenever I would glance in her direction, she'd be chewing on her lip and focusing on driving, though the blank expression on her face made me think that maybe she was distracted. It didn't take a genius to know she was thinking about my parents' words and I suddenly felt guilty for putting that all on her.

"I'm sorry," I blurted halfway through the journey. "I'm sorry for what they said. It wasn't fair of them, I know that. They just... they meant well, Wanda, they really did." I tucked my hands under my thighs, wincing as their words echoed in my mind. "It doesn't change anything though, y'know? We're still us. We're still okay. I don't want you to feel like anything's changed because it hasn't."

I paused, swallowing hard, and glanced her way. She didn't even look my way, still in the same position as she was before I started to speak. Looking back to the road ahead, I let out a disappointed sigh, figuring she wasn't in a talking mood. I didn't blame her, but I hoped she would have understood what I meant.

The remainder of the drive was like this, Wanda deep in thought and me huddled under an imaginary blanket of guilt. When we finally reached my house, she turned the engine off and I waited for her to say something, literally anything. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel mindlessly and I figured she was out of words for tonight.

"I'll ring you in the morning," I mumbled quietly, opening the car door. "If you want to speak, that is."

Leaving her there, I grabbed my bag and headed to the front door, but stopped when I heard her get out the car, too. Waiting, I turned around and watched as she approached me, eyebrows knitted in thought.

"Please say something," I said with pleading eyes.

She licked her lips, biting her lower lip so hard I'm surprised she didn't draw blood. Finally, she released it and looked to me with apologetic eyes.

"Your parents were right," she said.

I blinked with confusion. "What?"

She nodded, looking down at her shoes momentarily. "They were right, what they said. My life puts you in danger."

"Yeah, I know," I agreed, crossing my arms. "I knew that when I got with you, but that doesn't change anything."

She gave a disbelieving smile. "Seriously? Y/N, that changes everything."

"No, it doesn't," I told her sternly, growing frustrated. "This is the stuff you sacrifice when you love someone."

She sighed, shaking her head and looking away. "You shouldn't have to."

"But I chose to," I said, clenching my jaw.

"Don't you remember what happened last time?" she asked, stepping forward and holding my hand. "The incident?"

"We said we wouldn't talk about that," I reminded her with a low voice.

"But you remember, right? When they took you and I wasn't there? They could've hurt you!"

"Shut up!" I told her, raising my voice. Pulling my hand away from hers and taking a step back, I continued, "Why are you saying that? You came! You helped me!"

"But what if they did something to you before I got there?" she snapped. "What if I hadn't got to you on time?"

The memories came spilling into my mind, escaping the locked box I kept them in. Tears burned the corner of my eyes as I tried to think about anything else.

"You remember how scared you were?" Wanda asked, frowning at me with exasperated eyes. "You couldn't be by yourself for weeks!"

"Why are you doing this?!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "Why are you trying to frighten me?!"

"Because you should be frightened!" she retorted, stepping closer to me. Her dark green eyes were swirling storms of rage as she added, "It could happen again!"

I shoved her away from me, pinching the bridge of my nose with annoyance. Tears slipped from my eyes at the terrifying memory of what happened, what could have gone wrong, but I ignored them as I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Why the hell was she acting like this? Making me so angry at her for no reason?

"It's not even just that," she continued, jaw tensed. "How many times do I get hurt because of work and you get worried?"

"That's because I care about you," I muttered through stinging eyes.

"This will always be my life," she said, a hint of regret in her words as she looked to me. "I can't change it."

"I'm not asking you to!"

"Exactly! You're not! Which means you'll suck it up and stay with me and will live your life in constant concern for my well-being. It's not right."

I opened my mouth to respond because what she was saying was entirely stupid. But my emotions got the better of me and no words came out. Instead, my bottom lip quivered as I sucked up a breath.

"I need time to think," she suddenly said, anger disappearing from her voice and being replaced with an astute calmness.

My gaze snapped her way and through blurry vision, I watched her step back with her hands on her hips.

"So you can what – think about breaking up with me?" I said bitterly, and despite my anger, I didn't expect her to look at me with a softened expression, meaning my words were correct.

"Maybe it's better that way, Y/N," she said gently, eyes meeting mine.

I squeezed my hands together and tried to breathe through the pent-up anger that she'd caused, but the longer she stared at me, waiting for a response, the more I wanted to explode.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I muttered, scrunching my eyebrows together.

She pressed her lips together, looking away, and it only pissed me off more.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Wanda?!" I yelled. "You're quitting on our relationship because, what, you think I'm in danger? Well, news flash, honey, the worst already happened and I'm still here!"

She barely flinched as she avoided my eyes.

"You're a fucking coward!" I said, pointing at her. "If you needed an excuse to end things, you could have just said so!"

Breathing out, I wiped my tears away shakily. I expected her to argue back, to realise she'd made a mistake and regretted her words, but as I waited, I knew she was certain of her decision.

"Fine," I settled, brimming with rage. "Fuck off, Wanda."

Still, nothing.

Turning on my heel, I stormed to my front door and went through my keys with difficulty, hands shaking with anger. I heard Wanda's car door shut from behind me but didn't bother turning around. I clearly didn't need to as I heard the tyres screech against the road and knew she was gone.

Kicking my door with frustration, I found the key and opened up before heading inside and slamming the door behind me. How dare she break up with me because of something that I chose off my own back! She just gave up like we meant nothing to her, not even bothering to talk things out with me! And selfishly, she left me feeling pissed and resenting her more than I ever thought I would.

"What a bitch!" I shouted into the empty house, throwing my keys to the side harshly.

When they clinked against glass, I looked up and saw the vase of flowers Wanda had given me before dinner.

"The first and fucking last," I said dryly, before grabbing ahold of it and throwing it against the wall without thinking.

The glass shattered on impact, leaving a mess of water, flowers and small shards on the wooden floor. I looked at it, the brokenness resembling how my heart felt. As the adrenaline of my actions and previous angry words wore off, all that was left was hurt and pain and oh God, Wanda was gone. She'd left me. She'd given up.

I sank to the floor, pulling my legs up to my chest, and hugged them tightly. Stifling my cries, I dug myself into my knees and felt a pain in my heart. Why didn't she fight for us? Did she not love me enough? Was I not enough?

—

"You ignored the memes I sent you, I thought you died."

As Natasha pushed right past me and into my house, I blinked with disbelief.

"Sure, come right in," I mumbled sarcastically, closing the front door.

Following after Natasha, I found her making herself at home in the living room, plonking herself on the couch and pulling her feet up comfortably.

"You could have sent an emoji or something," she continued, giving me a knowing look. "They were some good memes."

"Well, forgive me if I wasn't in the mood," I said sourly, joining her on the couch.

Her playful smile faded as she picked up on my words. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned my elbow on the back of the couch, getting comfortable. It had been two weeks since Wanda broke up with me and in those two weeks, I hadn't been doing particularly well. I guess you could say I was still in a slump. A horrible, tiresome, angry, sadness-filled slump.

"I'm fine."

She pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to argue, but thankfully, she didn't. I was glad – the last thing I wanted was to prove that I was okay when, really, all I wanted to do was curl in a ball and suffocate under my duvet.

"I'm sorry," she said, resting her hand on mine. "If it's any consolation, I think Wanda made a huge mistake."

"Ah, so she told you," I said with a nod of realisation. I hadn't told Natasha the specifics of why we broke up, but clearly Wanda did. I guess it made sense – they were teammates. If anything, I was surprised Natasha still wanted to speak to me, instead expecting her to side with her friend.

"She did," Natasha answered. "And I think she's an idiot, but that's not my business. I just came here to make sure you were okay."

"Really? I thought you wanted to show me the memes," I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood with a small smile.

She chuckled, slapping my hand gently. "That, too... but seriously."

My smile faded as I looked down, my finger playing with my trousers distractedly. "I'm not okay, but I'll get there." I began to glare at my trousers, my anger for the witch returning. "I have to be. Because she doesn't want me anymore... fuck her."

"I'd rather not," Natasha mumbled.

Though my anger was present, making me tense like it had been the last few weeks, I couldn't help but smile at Natasha's words. Then laughter bubbled from my lips and for the first time since Wanda left, I felt momentarily happy.

"I'm glad we can still be friends," Natasha said, making me look to her with a smile. "I know that you and Wanda are over now... but I still like hanging out with you."

"Me, too," I said in agreement. "Thanks for coming to check in. You didn't have to."

"Yeah, I did." She nodded before offering me a small, encouraging smile. "You're gonna be okay, y'know."

I wanted to believe her, but despite how pissed I was at Wanda, I still loved her. And I couldn't imagine stopping, though I knew I'd have to if I was to make it through this.

—

Getting over Wanda was a difficult process. Everything I felt was a mixture of resentment, exhaustion and misery because I missed her. I missed being able to call her when I saw somebody do something stupid in public; I missed kissing her when I hadn't seen her in a long time; I missed hearing her adorable accent first thing when I woke up after she spent the night; I missed her.

Two months followed the breakup and the only time I'd see her was when she'd dodge Anna's apartment upon knowing I was going to take care of her. I guess I was glad in that sense, as it meant I wouldn't have to deal with her awkwardly. But it also made me feel like shit because it meant she didn't care about me at all. Clearly our breakup wasn't affecting her like it did with me.

And it was definitely affecting me.

I was scrolling through Instagram one day when I saw a particular post on my feed from Natasha's account. Yeah, one of the Avengers had a private Instagram account. She gave me her username when she saw me on it one day and I remember being so confused to how she had it.

"I'm an Avenger, not a hermit," was her response, and from that day onwards, we followed each other.

So, I saw a post on her Instagram and it was some goofy photo of her, Tony, Bruce and Wanda. They were posing with exaggerated smiles as Natasha grinned up front; the caption said something about working long days, but I wasn't paying much attention as, naturally, my gaze fell to Wanda.

Just like everyone else, she had a playful, exaggerated smile on her lips like nothing kept her down, but what stood out was the sling around her arm and the cast underneath. It must have happened in a mission or something and it wasn't my business, but I couldn't help but worry. Was she okay? Was she looking after herself? I wanted to text Natasha and ask, but I stopped myself.

She'd broken up with me for this very reason. I wasn't agreeing with it, but for a second, I did see why she'd made her point. It still wasn't fair though. She didn't get to make that choice for me.

We weren't together anymore, I reminded myself. She broke up with me. It had been two months and I needed to let go. If she didn't care about me, why should I waste my time and energy caring about her?

Not letting it get to me anymore, I simply liked the post before continuing my scrolling. Though I knew that deep down, her face was imprinted in my mind and I still worried for her well-being.

—

The fourth month following our breakup was when I properly saw Wanda again, excluding the times she would duck out of Anna's apartment upon my arrival to care for her. It was also the first time since the breakup that Wanda made the effort to speak to me.

I was sat eating dinner on my day off when I got a call from the hospital nearby, interrupting my meal. The nurse was explaining how Anna had fallen over and hurt her back and was now in a hospital room. She was calling me because she thought I'd like to know since I was her registered nurse and carer. I was glad to get the call, immediately pulling my shoes and coat on and rushing over there to make sure she was okay. She didn't have anyone else apart from Wanda and I – it was no question I had to go.

Though, of course, I didn't really think about the fact that Wanda may be there until I saw her there. I also didn't consider the fact that I was wearing my pyjamas when I stepped in the lift and headed to Anna's floor. Too late now.

After asking the receptionist where Anna's room was, I found Wanda hanging around it outside the door. With only Anna on my mind, I approached her and tried to hide my panic. She spotted me instantly, stopping her pacing and looking to me with tired eyes and a frown on her face.

I didn't care that she looked worried, nor that she was holding up well since we last spoke in anger. I didn't care that she'd dyed her hair a reddish-brown colour, nor that she managed to pull off both that and the whole 'loungewear' look in a place surrounded by blinding white and blue. I didn't care that my heart ached when her green eyes found mine, nor that I missed seeing her so close and not in my dreams for once. I didn't care about any of it. Or, at least, I tried to tell myself that.

"What happened?" I cut straight to the point, stopping in front of her. "Is Anna okay?"

Wanda nodded instantly. "She's fine. She tripped over her dining room chair and hurt her back. The doctors just checked her out and said it's nothing too serious, but she won't be able to walk for a while."

I pressed my lips together, feeling the panic wear off at the sound of good news. Anna had always been more than just a patient to me and the last thing I wanted was to hear she'd hurt herself badly.

"Can I see her?" I asked Wanda, quirking a brow.

"Yeah, of course," Wanda said, before looking away awkwardly. "I was just waiting out here for you. The nurse said you were coming."

I chose to say nothing as I walked past her and into Anna's room, seeing the older woman laying on a hospital bed and staring at the ceiling. When she noticed my presence, she smiled at me and motioned for me to join her side.

"It's so good to see you, milaya (sweetie)," she said happily, as I stopped by her side, "but you didn't have to come! I'm not dying."

I heard Wanda enter the room behind me, but she took a seat on the chairs opposite the bed. Ignoring her, I smiled down at Anna and grabbed her hand.

"Don't say that," I told her gently. "Of course I'm here. You're my number one priority. I had to make sure you were okay!"

Anna waved her hand in typical Anna fashion. "I've suffered worse. I'm absolutely fine."

I knew it was best not to question her, so I didn't.

"I'm glad you're both here," she said, looking between Wanda and I, making me swallow awkwardly.

Since breaking up, I hadn't mentioned it to Anna, but she wasn't stupid and she'd clearly noticed that we weren't spending time together anymore. I didn't know if Wanda had told her, but if she had, Anna never mentioned anything. Like now, she simply looked between us both with a grateful smile, unaware of how awkward we felt.

Thankfully, the awkward silence was interrupted when a doctor walked in the room. After introducing herself, I asked if I could speak to her outside about Anna and she happily obliged. She told me about Anna's condition and how it would affect the way I cared for her, especially regarding her new medication, and I asked anything and everything to make sure she was truly okay. After being reassured that she was, I thanked the doctor and returned to Anna's room, only to find Wanda and Anna in a heated a argument.

I couldn't tell what had got them so fussy as they were bickering in Russian, sentences too fast for me to comprehend with my limited knowledge of the language. It got to a point where Anna began slapping Wanda on the arm, looking angrier than ever, so I stepped between them and pulled Wanda away.

"What the hell is going on here?" I interrupted, holding Anna's slapping hand down to the bed and raising a hand to keep Wanda at bay. I looked between them, seeing the frustration in both their expressions, and asked questioningly, "Well?"

Wanda said nothing, eyes avoiding mine as usual, so I looked down to Anna who was glancing between us before spouting off into another ramble in Russian, trying to grab Wanda so she could yell at her directly. To my annoyance, Wanda tried to push past me, yelling back, and I was unfortunately caught in the middle as I attempted to keep them from ripping each other's throats out.

Thankfully, their bickering came to a halt when an unknown voice called into the room: "What is going on in here?"

I looked to the door, following the mystery voice, and saw a young woman, maybe in her thirties, standing in the doorway and looking between the three of us with confusion. I had no idea who she was, though she seemed familiar. Judging from the confusion Wanda had, she didn't seem to know either.

"Sasha," Anna breathed out with surprise, and then I realised. That was Anna's granddaughter. "What are you doing here?"

[bubblesuga]

Mahina || Part 1

Summary: Jungkook couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something drawing him to you. Like the moon tugs at the tides, he needed to be beside you. genre: smut, fluff, angst word count: 4,626 tags: idol!au, fantasy!au

When Jungkook awoke this morning, something was... different.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the air in his room seemed to have shifted slightly. He felt lighter on his feet, a sudden bounce to his step while he pulled himself off of the bed and towards the bathroom.

He brushes his teeth as usual, carefully scrubbing his tongue and admiring his reflection in the mirror. The eyebrow piercing was a good edition, he thinks. It accentuates his high brow and sparkles underneath even the dimmest light. Spritzing himself with cologne, he opens the bathroom door just in time.

"Jungkook, I made breakfast! Hurry up!"

Smiling to himself, he trots down the stairs of the far too large penthouse he and his band mates bought a couple years ago. He doesn't mind sharing with 6 other people, though. Having grown up with no siblings, he enjoys the dynamics at play when he speaks to the members. They're all his brothers, co-workers, family... He couldn't have asked for a better turn out when it came to finding a career path.

Yoongi is standing in the kitchen when Jungkook walks in, the smell of pork and kimchi filling his nose. Thanking his hyung, he grabs a bowl and starts filling up.

"You seem happy this morning," Yoongi raises an eyebrow, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Jungkook shrugs, "I just woke up in a really good mood. I feel like--" he takes a bit of his food, then speaks with his mouth full, "--something amazing is going to happen today."

"We just have rehearsals?" Yoongi's statement comes off as more of a question.

"Exactly." Jungkook says, continuing to munch on his food. Yoongi looks at the younger man and shakes his head, continuing to fry meat for the rest of the members.

"Hey, did Namjoon come home last night?" Seokjin asks as he walks into the kitchen. He takes a spot beside Jungkook on the counter, reaching into his bowl and grabbing a piece of pork belly. Jungkook attempts to push his hand away but Seokjin smacks it and grabs the meat anyway.

Yoongi shakes his head again, "Nah. He stayed at the studio last night, said something about a last minute inspiration."

Jungkook has noticed Namjoon's lack of attentiveness recently. It seems as though his head is always filled with potential themes and lyrics and beats, much more so than even in the early days of the band. He's curious about his inspiration as of late but Namjoon doesn't seem to want to give away his methods any time soon.

"He's been doing that a lot lately." Jungkook thinks outloud.

"More power to him," Seokjin says, "man works his ass off and it benefits all of us."

Yeah, it definitely does.

~*~*~

"5, 6, 7-"

Hoseok's counting is cut off by the music blasting again. It's the third run through of the new choreography, Jungkook is center and carefully watches the rest of his hyungs in the mirror. He moves to the left, following Hoseok's lead and smiling as he notices a mis-step on Jimin's part. Jimin throws his head back and yells, lifting his shirt up and wiping some of the sweat that's accumulated on his brow.

"It's okay, Jiminie," Hoseok sings, "this shit is hard."

Seokjin nods in agreement, "Yeah, what the hell happened to a laid back choreography for this come back?"

"It's the last one of the year. We gotta go out with a bang." Jungkook turns back to look at Namjoon, who chugs water in the corner of the room. "Speaking of big come backs, are you working on your mixtape?"

Namjoon laughs, "Nah, definitely not. I'm trying to get a couple more songs for the album."

"Don't we have like 14 tracks?" Taehyung speaks for the first time since rehearsal started.

"16 is better than 14." Namjoon smiles, listening to Hoseok as he calls everyone over again.

"One more time. 5, 6-"

It's then that the doors burst open and Hyun enters in. "And this is the rehearsal room containing the 7 men you will be photographing."

Jungkook's eyes travel to the person his manager is talking to, and he has to hold back a gasp. He feels the way his jaw drops, but he's unable to close his mouth while he looks at you. God, you're gorgeous. Your hair cascades down your back and your clothes cling to your body in all the right ways. Jungkook struggles to tear his eyes away, but once he sees your smile he realizes there's no way he can turn away. You're literally glowing, with god-like shining eyes. Who are you?

"Boys, this is _____. She's in charge of photography and will be around to film Bangtan Bombs, behind the scenes, or anything you all want filmed and made into content."

Jungkook repeats your name in his head five times. He whispers it to himself once while everyone else heads to you to shake your hand. Jungkook stands back, finally blinking his eyes.

You step forward after having shook the hands of everyone else, "And you're Jungkook," you smile again, "I like your tattoos. Glad you're finally willing to show them."

"T- tattoos..." Jungkook mutters pathetically as he takes your outstretched hand. You giggle, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Well, anyway. It was nice to meet you all. I'm excited to work closely with every one of you." your words are met with a chorus of 'same!' from everyone except for Jungkook.

Hyun puts a hand on your shoulder and leads you out of the room, continuing on the tour of the HYBE building. Jungkook stares after you, the doorway now long empty but he couldn't look away. You were, by far, the most beautiful woman he has ever come across. With your simple torn jeans and black t-shirt, he feels you could pull off anything you put on your body.

It's not until Yoongi speaks does Jungkook finally tear his eyes away, "Could you have been any creepier?"

"What?"

Jimin bursts into laughter, his frustration with the choreography long gone, "You were-" he takes a deep breath in between laughter, "you were staring at her like she was the last woman on the planet!"

"W- what?" Jungkook stammers.

Jimin doesn't respond, only laughing louder as he falls to the ground. Jungkook can see the hidden smirks of the rest of the members, turning his to look at everyone, "What the fuck just happened?"

"Love at first sight?" Taehyung suggests.

"More like love at first drool." Seokjin begins laughing before he even finishes his sentence, causing the rest of the members to groan at his joke.

Jungkook doesn't react to Seokjin though, as he turns to look back at the empty doorway. If love at first sight is a real thing, Jungkook just experienced it to the fullest extent.

~*~*~

Jungkook manages to continue the rest of rehearsal without a problem, except for the way his mind kept traveling back to you. Saying your name in his head again, he washes up in the gym showers. He thinks back to the way your skin seemed to be literally glowing to him, and your bright white teeth hypnotizing him.

Never in his life has he had such a short conversation with someone that had such an impact. He wants to learn everything about you, your passions, the music you like, the books you read. He hopes that you enjoy some of the same things he does, so he has an excuse to talk to you.

Though his interest in you is certainly piqued, he has to keep in mind that you are, essentially, his employee, and fantasizing about your employee is more than inappropriate.

Fantasizing might not be the right word, but he can't help and imagine conversations between the two of you. Your voice is so pretty, it's light but carries through the room. You make sure your presence is known, though with the way you shine you didn't have to try hard. He smiles to himself, closing his eyes and rinsing off the conditioner from hair. Then, he wonders what your hair looks like when it's wet.

Okay, Jungkook. That's enough.

He shakes the water off his head and wraps a towel around his body. Exiting the shower, he realizes he forgot his bag in the dance room and sighs. Checking the time on his phone, he realizes that it's after 9 pm. The odds of anyone other than the members being here is pretty slim so he can just walk his way to the rehearsal room and change in there, right?

Right.

Tightening the towel around his waist, he walks out of the gym bathroom and strolls down the hall. He scrolls through his phone while he walks, rounding the corner and hearing your voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Lee. I'm very excited to properly start tomorrow."

"We're excited to have you," Jungkook peeks his head around the corner and watches Hyun bow to you, "your work is incredible and I know Taehyung in particular loves your shooting style."

What? Taehyung knows her? Jungkook must have missed that earlier when he couldn't stop staring at you.

"Yeah! It still blows my mind that one of the bangtan boys followed my work," you let out a small, somewhat embarrassed giggle, "thank god for Instagram."

You and Hyun share a laugh, followed by a goodbye. Jungkook gasps as he sees you turn in his direction, rushing to a small doorway and pushing himself up against the wall. You can't see him like this, not already. He's nearly naked and he knows this towel isn't big enough to cover himself as well as he should in front of a stranger, so he holds his breath as your foot steps become closer... and closer... and-

"Hey Jungkook."

Fuck.

Jungkook exhales a breath and moves to tighten the towel around his waist even more. You're eyes are not scanning his body like he thought you would be. Of course, Jungkook knows that sounds cocky of him to say but he can't help but assume that that would be the outcome of this situation. Either way, his face still burns when your eyes meet his. Those gorgeous, glowing eyes.

"Were ya hiding?" you laugh, tilting your head to the side, and Jungkook realizes that he's still pressed up against the wall.

"I- I, uh-" come on Jungkook, get it together, "Sorry. I didn't want you to see me naked."

"Oh please. When humans are naked, they're at their purest forms. It's natural, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." you smile brightly, moving a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

Jungkook raises an eyebrow. Your phrasing is odd, but he doesn't question it. Instead, he swallows, "You're right, but I'm sure you wouldn't have been okay with my dick just hangin' out. Neither would the security watching the cameras."

You laugh, a proper laugh that doesn't seem to be masked by something else, and Jungkook realizes it's melodic. A fine tune singing into his ears as one of the most beautiful songs he has ever heard. It's soft, breathy, and makes him want to make you laugh for the rest of eternity.

"Either way," you say after a moment, the hint of humor still in your voice, "nothing to be ashamed of. I'll see you tomorrow, Jungkook."

Jungkook tilts his head, watching you wave and waving back as you carry your feet towards the elevators.

~*~*~

The air was even lighter this morning, and Jungkook can't help but think you play a part in his bright mood.

Following the conversation yesterday, Jungkook walked with a grin on his face to grab his clothes. You're incredibly charismatic, an stark difference to Jungkook's usual shy and laid back personality. Despite your conversations together being minimal, Jungkook feels you and him are going to be close.

Jungkook hops out of bed and styles his hair carefully. Checking his phone as he brushes his teeth, he's received a text from Taehyung apologizing because he had already left. The house sounds still, he remembers Yoongi and Seokjin opted at staying at their respective apartments tonight, wanting to be a little closer to home. Namjoon probably stayed at the studio again and Jimin and Hoseok more than likely left with Taehyung. He shrugs, making a quick protein shake and grabbing a banana before heading out of the door.

As he drives to work, he makes note at how much more productive the members have been these days. Not that they never were, but the usual slump of exhaustion that follows months of continuous promotions, rehearsals, and recording doesn't seem to be hitting anyone this time around. Surely, the explanation is the high everyone is riding from the success of Butter and Permission To dance in the west. It's motivated everyone, including Jungkook himself.

He pulls into the parking garage, rides the elevator up to the 13th floor, and steps off only to be stopped by Hoseok.

"Jungkookie!" Hoseok wraps his arms around Jungkook's neck and squeezes him tight.

"Hoseokie!" Jungkook mocks, giving a pat to the older one's back. Hoseok pulls away with a chuckle, "I guess _____ is doing behind the scene shoots today. Something about wanting to catch us in our element."

"Oh? Like individual shoots?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "she's with Yoongi in his studio right now. She told me to tell everyone to choose a thing they do on a daily basis that might be interesting to see for ARMY."

"Should I work out?" Jungkook smirks. Hoseok rolls his eyes, patting Jungkook's pecs,

"You work out enough." Smiling, he begin walking towards the commons area,

"I'm almost to where I want to be." "Whatever Jungkook, you bully us enough already." Hoseok pats Jungkook's head and walks away, leaving Jungkook to sit on the couches for a moment.

He picks up his phone and scrolls through Weverse and Twitter for a moment. Despite not being as active as people wish he could be, he does keep up with what everyone is talking about. Currently he sees excitement about their online concert from last year coming to DVD, and "JUNGKOOK'S ABS" is trending.

Yeah, he's definitely going to work out for his behind the scenes.

Holding his phone up, he snaps a quick selfie and posts it to Twitter. Once a month seems to be a good formula.

"Jungkook?" Yoongi's voice enters the room, "She's gonna shoot with Namjoon then you."

"Ah," Jungkook stands, "time to get nice and sweaty for ARMY."

"You're such a freak." Yoongi laughs, watching Jungkook leave the room.

Jungkook begins on the treadmill, listening to music and trying not to think about the fact that you're going to be photographing him while he's working out. He feels somewhat dumb, being so incredibly invested in your opinions of him already, but like yesterday proved, there was something about you that drew him in.

He speeds up the treadmill, his calves burning and his breathing quickening while he runs. It's incredible, the feeling of absolute bliss he feels after a run. When his muscles ache and his chest feels clear, he feels most at peace. Though, peace isn't difficult to come across these days. Even with the sadness of not being able to perform live like he wants to, it's not as looming as it was before. It's incredibly exhilarating to wake up not feeling like the end is near. It happened so suddenly, he's not sure what changed.

At the beginning, when they had to cancel the tour and stay in Korea, Jungkook felt as though life was never going to be the same. It was dark for everyone. He remembers Jimin crying in the bathroom after the cancellation, which caused Jungkook to start crying as well. He scrolled through social media for hours, reading the anger and frustration at those who had to return their tickets. It pained him, to see such a bleak view of the fans he adored.

Now that it's been close to 2 years, Jungkook has learned to-- for lack of a better term-- live with it. He wakes up every day and tries his hardest to live, and that's all you can do when your passion in life is ripped away from you due to an ongoing worldwide pandemic.

The gym doors slide open and Jungkook looks in the mirror to see you.

You have a camera around your neck, Jungkook recognizes it as a Canon. You close the door behind you and stop him as Jungkook starts to slow down the treadmill.

"Pretend like I'm not even here." you nearly whisper, and Jungkook has to stop himself from choking on his spit. Your voice sounded almost sultry. He can't tell if that was his imagination or if it was intentional on your part.

Jungkook shakes his head, turning up the speed just a little bit more.

He hears the shutter on your camera clicking, the action setting in full effect as he runs. You move around him, being sure not to get yourself in the mirror of the shots. The only noises in the room are his breathing and the sounds of his feet hitting the runway. It's rough, his chest heaving the more he pushes himself, but he's more interested in the way you seem to float around the room, or the fact that your hands seem dwarfed by the large camera.

It makes him wonder what your hands would look like on him.

A necklace dangles from your neck, it's gold and shines under the lights of the gym. It falls gently into the crevice of your chest, what looks like a golden moon on the end of the chain.

Again, he wonders what your skin would feel like against his.

"You gotta stop looking at the camera." you giggle.

He didn't even realize his eyes were following you. Suddenly, it's like a wave of confidence washes over him. Confidence that he was not ready for.

He swallows, taking a deep breath, "I'm not looking at the camera." Why is he saying this?

"Yes you are," you grin, "I have like 7 pictures in a row of you looking directly at the camera."

"No," he shakes his head, "I'm looking at the person holding the camera." Shut up, Jungkook. Stop talking!

"Oh?" you laugh, "what's catching your eye?"

"The necklace." what the fuck? He basically admitted to staring at your tits!

"The necklace that's right in between my tits?"

He laughs, you snap a picture.

"I guess so, I'm sorry." The usual nervousness that he would feel at an admission like that is non-existent. He feels comfortable enough to talk to you like this, and judging by the way you smile, you're comfortable with it too.

"No need to be sorry," you snap another picture, "I know they draw attention."

Jungkook nods, "They certainly do."

"What do you like about them?"

The question throws Jungkook for a loop but he doesn't let that show.

"They're perky," he explains, stopping the treadmill, "and your shirts show off the perfect amount to leave some to the imagination."

"Ah, so you're imagining my tits?"

"Yes."

You smirk, walking away. For a moment, Jungkook is scared he said too much, but it's very quickly washed away by the sound of the lock turning. "So," you begin, "you're saying that if I took off my shirt, you wouldn't be opposed to looking at me?"

Jungkook shakes his head, "I also wouldn't be opposed to touching you."

"Well," you slip off your shirt, "I'm ready."

Jungkook feels his cock twitch in his gym shorts at the sight of your bra. Of your fucking bra.

Despite the blood rushing to his cock, he shakes his head, "Oh come on, darling. You know that's not enough for me."

"Your shirt first, buddy." your eyes follow Jungkook as he grips the hem of his shirt and pulls it off. Now that there's verbal consent, your eyes roam all over his torso. He's ripped, Jungkook knows this, but under your gaze he feels like a meal. Like he's about to get devoured by you, and he can't say he's not enjoying the idea.

You reach behind you, unhooking your bra and allowing it to fall to the ground.

Jungkook's eyes widen at sight, stepping closer to you and falling to his knees. He places his nose against your torso, inhaling your scent. The sensuality of the small gasp that left your mouth fueled Jungkook. He grabs your hands and pulls you down to his level, leaning down and pressing a kiss to your lips.

It's rough and heated, all teeth and tongue. He's not used to being this way, to feeling almost primal in his movements. He gnaws at your bottom lip, eliciting another moan from you. It's high pitched and nearly whiny, proving that you're suddenly filled with as much need as he is.

"I'm gonna fuck you," Jungkook states, "right here. Right now."

"Please." you toss your head back, falling onto the padded floors of the gym. Jungkook follows suit, kissing his way down your body until he reaches your navel. Again, he presses his nose into you and inhales, you smell so damn good.

He keeps smelling, inhaling your scent as he undoes the buttons of your jeans. The less clothing there, the stronger your scent becomes. He feels insatiable, nearly ripping off your panties to get to your center.

"Fuck, you're so wet already," Jungkook groans, his voice deep with want, with need. Taking a single finger up your slit, he draws it back and sucks your juices clean, "and you taste as good as you smell."

You stare up at him with hooded eyes, holding yourself up on your elbows and spreading your legs as wide as you can. "Now that you've had a taste you might as well finish it."

Jungkook doesn't need to be told twice, diving into your soaked folds with his tongue. He moves fast but also meticulously, being sure to take note of all the places that make you moan a little louder, sink a little deeper into him. Your hand reaches down and snakes its way through his hair, tugging at the roots.

At that point, Jungkook begins to kick off his shorts without pulling away.

"Fuck, I've always wanted to fuck you," you moan in between words, "you always look so good everywhere you go."

"Yeah?" Jungkook chuckles, "did you imagine fucking me before you got hired here?"

You nod, "I couldn't help it, I knew you'd be good."

As Jungkook manages to get his shorts off, he grips ahold of his aching member. Pulling up to his knees, his thumb doesn't stop rubbing harsh circles against your clit.

"That's hot," Jungkook breathes, "I've been wanting to take you since I first saw you."

"Then do it." you demand, and a flip switches in Jungkook's brain.

He pulls his fingers away from you and leans forward, "Taste yourself."

You don't hesitate to take his fingers into your mouth, Jungkook feeling your tongue dance across the pads of his fingers. Feeling himself twitch, he strokes himself for a little bit of relief while you suck.

"Taste good?" He questions.

"Delicious."

"Good girl." He murmurs, leaning down and connecting your lips with his again. As he does so, he runs the head of his cock against your slit, enjoying the gasp you let out every time he brushes against your clit. You feel so warm, so inviting. He can taste you so well, he wants nothing more than to dive in.

So he does.

Pressing into you slowly, he feels your warmth envelope him. Your legs wrap around his hips and guide him in all the way. When he slips all the way in, you both pull away for a moan.

"So fucking good. So tight." He moves his hips achingly slow, enjoying the noises of content leaving your lips. Your moans spur him on as your tightness engulfs him yet again. He leans down and presses a kiss to your neck, your hot skin nearly burning his lips, "I don't want to hurt you."

You shake your head, "You can't hurt me. I promise."

Jungkook isn't sure what takes over him at this point, but he feels his lips begin to thrust harshly into you. He doesn't process the rest of the world, the only thing that's certain is you. You're everything that he needs to focus on now, your whines, your moans, the feeling of your legs guiding him in and out of you. He wants to take you here over and over again until the end of time, and he's never felt that about anyone before in his life.

Your lips are beginning to bruise from the rough kisses he's been laying on you, so he takes a gentle approach and sucks on your jawline. Every few thrusts, he rests his forehead against yours. Then he moves again. Then rests.

"Tell me how good I feel." you whisper against his lips, breathy.

"Baby," Jungkook's brows knit together in pleasure, "you feel so good around me. So warm. I want to cum in you and fill you up so bad. Do-n't stop squeezing- fuck."

Jungkook abandons the pace he tried to keep and slams into you, pulling you on top of him and lifting you up and down on his cock. You let out a scream as he reaches a point he hasn't touched before, your cunt tightening exponentially around him.

He latches his mouth onto your nipples, the sensitive peaks hardening against his tongue. Your nails rake down his chest while you grind against him, your ass smacking against his thighs while he begins thrusting upward.

His hands grip your hips harshly, sure enough to leave bruises by his fingertips. He feels his orgasm approaching quickly, but he needs you to cum first. He need to feel you cum around him. "Fuck," he growls through clenched teeth, "cum. I need you to cum. Cum around me, please please please!"

"I'm gonna- I'm-" your sentence is cut off by your orgasm taking over, clenching deliciously around Jungkook and pushing him over the edge. His hips stutter and he releases into you, your warmth mixing with his as he collapses onto the ground. You're both silent for a while, your chests heaving as you try to calm down. Jungkook leans up, keeping you in a hug as your knees move to either side of his hips. Neither of you make a move to pull apart, Jungkook softening inside of you but the sensitivity feels so good.

He rests his chin on your shoulder, glancing behind you and towards the mirrors. On the inner edge of each of your shoulder blades, lay two large scars. They're old, pink in color now. Jungkook reaches a finger up to trace the scars but is stopped by a knock on the door.

"Hey, I'm ready when you are _____!" Jimin's voice sounds through the gym, muffled by the door.

"Shit." You whisper, "shit, shit, shit!"

You quickly pull off of him, beginning to slip your panties and bra back on.

Jungkook flinches at the sudden loss of warmth around him, looking down at his cock and seeing a mixture of his and your cum coating his thighs. "Don't you need to clean up?" he whispers.

"I'll stop by the bathroom on the way." you murmur, now fully dressed, "thank you for that, by the way." you wink, grabbing the back of his neck and pressing a hard kiss against him. Then, you're out the door.

Jungkook is left naked on the floor, confused, and wanting to ask why exactly you have asymmetrical scars on your back.

[xtinyaurora]

hi can I request a reaction with ateez? how would they back hug their s/o? can you please make it detailed and super fluffy 🥺 thank you

Ateez reaction: Back hugs with Y/N

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➼ requested?: yes

➼ genre: fluff

➼ pairing: Ateez x neutral!reader

➼ Word-count: 2,2k+

➼ Warnings: none? Maybe pet names, neck / cheek kisses and playing with your tummy, idk. 💀 If there are any more, please let me know!

➼ Note: This is not based on their real behavior or meant to represent real life. This is simply a fan fiction and is only for the purposes of fun, it’s a hobby. Read at your own risk!

➼ A/N note: Sorry for not posting in a longer time, my metal state gets worse from day to day but I will try and give my best to update more often now. Please motivate me by giving me some feedback! 🥴 Let me know if any of you wants to be in or excluded to my taglist!

➼ Taglist: @teeztheflag @darkstarlights

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Park Seonghwa

You two were out for a date. After finishing your dinner, both of you went out to the balcony of the noble restaurant you were eating at. You had a perfect view of the city, all the shining lights adding a magical feeling to it. Seonghwa was hugging you from behind, taking in the smell of your shampoo. „It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A smile creeped on your face. „It is. Thank you for bringing me here, Hwa.” Now he was the one smiling. „Of course, honey.” He now placed a few kisses on your cheek. It felt so good, you didn’t wanted this moment to end. „Thank you, Y/N.” You slightly turned your head in his direction, wondering what he could be thankful for. „For what?” He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. „Thank you for being here with me. I’ve never been this happy before.” Your face lit up within a second, eyes shining bright. He’s so cute! „You have no idea how much I love you, Hwa.” Another smile creeped on his face. He was about to kiss you but got interrupted by one of the waiters. „Sir, I will leave the bill on the front desk at the entrance, if that’s ok?” Both of you turned around to face him, then quacking out into a laugher. The waiter seemed confused, so Seonghwa was fast to speak. „Yes, that’s totally fine, thank you.” The waiter gave you a quick nod and left. You looked at each other again, grinning. „He really ruined the moment, ha?” You nodded. „I thought this only happens in movies.”

Kim Hongjoong

A slow song was silently playing in the background. Hongjoong and you lightly swung from side to side, him pressing your back against his chest. It was late at night and you two were finally having a romantic date together. The atmosphere was so relaxing, neither of you wanting this moment to end. Hongjoongs head rested in the crook of your neck, him placing a few kisses on your soft skin every now and then. Now, an hour has passed yet you two didn’t move nor said anything. Honestly, you didn’t had to. You don’t know how but you two communicated through out your minds. Slowly, both of you got tiered. Hongjoong raised his head up and took your hand in his to pull you into your shared bedroom. You two laid down and stared at each other in the eyes. Oh, how you got lost in this this men’s eyes. But it was not only you, Joong felt the same way. He loved your eyes, it was one of his favorite things about you. Reaching up his hand to stroke your cheek, a smile appearing on your face, signaling him that you were thankful for that. Well, you were grateful for everything he has done for you, most importantly for having him in your live. Yet another time at this lovely evening, none of you had to open your mouths to let the other know how much you loved and appreciated each other.

Jeong Yunho

You felt how two arms clung around your waist, while you were washing the dishes. The person behind you then placed a kiss on top of your head and pulled you closer on his body, a smile taking place on your face. „What’s wrong puppy?” You knew that the tall male behind you blushed at that, this happening a lot of times now. „Nothing, I just missed your touch.” You pulled one of your eyebrows up. „Oh? We had a whole cuddle session just a few minutes ago.” Now a laugh left your mouth, Yunho joining you in the process. „That wasn’t enough, I need some more. Now please beautiful human creature, hurry up so I can cage you in my arms for the rest of our lives.” You felt how a bright smile was still plastered on his face, even after speaking. Shaking your head, you cleaned the last few dishes, before turning around and looking straight into the eyes of the smiling boy. Honestly, every time you were with Yunho, you were too happy. Of course you sometimes were scared for loving him so much but you knew that he would never hurt you. Yunho is some that makes sure to show his loved ones, how much he cares for them. He slowly got near your face, making you close your eyes and wait for the kiss to finally appear. When you didn’t felt his lips, you opened your eyes again and started to pout, knowing it was one of Yunhos weaknesses. So, the tall male couldn’t hold back and gave in. Taking your head in his hands, he gave you a long and loving kiss.

Kang Yeosang

After a long and exhausting day, you entered your shared apartment and made your way straight into the living room. Yeosang was laying on the couch, watching TV and eating some snacks. Both of you stared at each other without saying a word. Short after, Yeosang broke the silence. „Hey. Rough day?” You nodded your head. When he opened his arms, you jumped strait in them. Finally getting comfy, you asked if you two could watch a movie. You didn’t had to ask twice, Yeosang immediately opened Netflix and searched for a movie to watch. Once he found one, he got up to get some food. Once he returned, he pressed play and went back to his spot. He tucked you in between his arms and legs, your back pressing against his muscular body. He randomly started to play with the hem of your shirt, now a finger tracing up and down your belly. You lead yourself further into Yeosang and closed your eyes right after, not really caring about the movie anymore. It felt extremely comfortable to lay in his arms that you drifted off to sleep almost immediately. A low chuckle left him when he realized what has happened. „You are really too cute for you own good, Y/N.”

Choi San

You were running as fast as you could, your boyfriend not that far behind. All nine of you kept on shooting each other with water. It was Mingi who suggested to play this game. It was a hot summer day, so why not play around with water guns outside? „Hey, that’s not fair! You can’t protect each other!” Yelled Wooyoung, pointing at you two. „Leave us alone!” Did you yell back, while trying to splash him. He was mad because you escaped from everyone. San made a hand sign to the annoyed boy, no one really getting it except him of course. I guess it’s a Woosan thing... Anyways, Wooyoung seemed happy with whatever San was signaling him and kept on playing. At some point, your protector was nowhere to be found. You tried to look for him while you run away from the rest but then realized that not only he was missing but Woo too. „Oh no, this can’t mean something good...” You whisper to yourself. Out of nowhere, your boyfriend tightly grabbed you from behind. „Got you! Wooyoung, now!” You didn’t really made out on what was happening, you only saw how Wooyoung appeared from behind a tree next to you and aimed his water gun on you. „Goodbye, Y/N-ah.” With a grin, he splashed all of the water at you. Once he was done, San let go of you and gave his accomplices a high five. „San! What are you doing, I thought we are a team?!” You were kinda annoyed, both of them bursting out into laugher. You stormed off to the rest of the group, who seemed to have given up already. „What’s wrong Y/N?” Hongjoong noticed that your mood has fallen. „San ditched me for that brat.” Everyone busted out into laugher, you included. When the other two approached, you immediately stopped. Wooyoung stuck out his tongue, while San sat behind you and gave you a tight hug. „Don’t touch me cheater!” Again, everyone started laughing. „Come on, don’t be mad at me, baby. I will buy you some ice cream, okay?” A smirked appeared on your face. Revenge is sweet Sanie... „Guys! Free ice cream for everyone!”

Song Mingi

„Mingi, I can’t breathe.” You squeaked out while he tightly hugged you from behind. „I can’t help it, I just missed you so much!” You chuckled while rolling your eyes. „It’s been two hours since we last saw each other.” The boy looked at you with his cute googly eyes, mouth lightly agape. „So what? That’s two hours too much! This is absolutely not okay, so let me hug you please!” You gave in, knowing that he will either put on more pressure or start to cry and since you wanted neither of these things to happen, you kept quiet. You don’t really know how long it has been since you two stood outside the garden of your shared home but it was getting dark and the air started to cool off. „Mingi, can you let go now, please? I think that’s enough for today.” He snuggled himself closer on you, not letting go. „Just five more minutes, okay? I wanna enjoy sunset with you. Look, it’s so pretty!” A laugh left your mouth. He’s just too cute and pure for this world. You did watch, until the sun completely disappeared. When it was completely dark outsides, you forced the giant boy into your house, him still clinging on you. Once you reached your kitchen, you asked him to leave you alone so you could prepare dinner. „I don’t want to let go, Y/N. Please keep cuddling me! You’re so comfy!” You finally turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. „I promise I will cuddle you as much as you want once I finished cooking, okay? Now go and search for a movie that we can watch while eating, puppy.” You noticed the light tint of pink on his cheeks. Another one that gets flustered when being called pet names. Mingi obediently nodded his head and turned around to complete the task you gave him, patiently waiting for you to finish.

Jung Wooyoung

He was trying to teach you how to play a game on his ps4 and to his surprise, you were extremely good. „Whoa! How are you so good at this, Y/N?!” He asked surprised, raising his time a bit in the process. You turned your head around to wink at him, a smirk forming on your lips. You then payed your attention back on the TV and kept on playing. For the whole time, your boyfriend cheered for you. His arms were still tightly around you tho. At some point he leaned back, since you didn’t wanted to stop playing. Of course he pulled you down with him, you now laying on top him but still having a good view at the game. He started to get bored so he closed his eyes while softly stroking your belly. When he stopped, you looked back at him, finding him sleeping. You couldn’t help but smile at him. You finished the last round of the game and turned the TV off. Since you didn’t wanted to wake him up, you just snuggled yourself on Woo and pulled the blanket on your lap higher. Closing your eyes, you tried to sleep but opened them again when you felt his hand caressed your head. You tried to look at him but he stopped you by pressing you head on his chest. „Sleep. It’s late and you promised that we will go to the amusement park tomorrow.” You scoffed with a smile on your face and gave him an okay. It didn’t take long until both of you fell asleep.

Choi Jongho

„I mean, I’ve putted so much effort in this! I really don’t know why it didn’t work out. This is so unfair, like I-“ „Pshh I know Y/N, I know. Clam down. It’s not worth it to get upset about this, things like that can happen but still you can be proud of yourself because it’s such a big step to even get it done so far. It might doesn’t look like the one you wanted to creat but it’s still extremely pretty. It’s just the left arm side that’s a bit messed up but nothing too tragic, so chill. You can only do a good job when you’re relaxed and free, so take a break, okay?” You nodded your head in agreement, thank him by smiling. He then moved closer to you and hugged you from behind, the dress you were working on standing in front of you two. You worked so many hours on that dress, it costed you so much effort and yet you still messed up. It was only one damn cut. Jongho pulled you out of your working room, you still between his strong arms. „Put your shoes on. I think it’s better to go out for a walk, to get some fresh air.” You actually didn’t wanted to but I guess you have to because he sure won’t let go of you anytime soon. „Can you let go till I put them on then?” He smirkingly shook his head. „Nope, I won’t let go of you.” You rolled your eyes, trying to put your shoes on. Once you were done, the male grabbed your waist and legs, now carrying you out of your shared apartment. Oh this boy...