#once ive finished my assignments

[diagonal-queen]

happy birthday chuuya i love u. so much. i didnt get u anything because i am so busy and tired and depressed but you are NOT FORGOTTEN ON YOUR SPECIAL DAY !!!!!!!

[shurisneakers]

[hannieehaee]

OUTTA MY MIND (teaser)

18+ / mdi

summary: getting a brand new job as a senior idol's manager was scary enough on its own, but it became even worse when said idol was jeon jungkook, idol of all idols. what made it even worse? when jungkook began taking a special liking to you, damning any conflict of interest his crush on you may have had.

content: idol!au, staff!reader x idol!jungkook, jungkook is shameless about his crush on reader, but it's fine bc reader likes him back!!, reader acts hard to get bc her job is too important though boo, afab reader, banter, jk is a flirt, reader is a little bit shy, a lot of rlly wrong info about working in the industry, smut, oral (f receiving), penetrative sex, etc.

(^ no actual content warnings in the teaser)

wc: 924 (teaser); 7.7k (full fic)

release date: may 31st

or you can check it out on my ko-fi or patreon today by subscribing to either one!

a/n: ive had this in the drafts for a while but kept forgetting to finish it lol anyways i hope u guys enjoy it once it comes out<3 (also not 100% proofread oops..)

masterlist | kofi/patreon

support me through a one time tip<3

Whenever you'd tell someone you worked within the entertainment industry, – the music industry, to be precise – people always showed a little extra interest in your words, probably assuming you to be involved in the flashier aspects of it. The statement on it's own sounded exciting, enigmatic even. This would only then be followed by disappointed upon finding out your specific profession of choice, deeming it less exciting than most.

You were a manager. No, you were not an active member of the entertainment industry itself, but you were one of the many pillars necessary for the talent to create the entertainment people would always seek.

Being as young as you were, it had been hard to get to where you were so quickly. Networking had been your best friend all throughout your career, eventually landing you in your current role – one that would only open even more doors for you.

It had only been a week since you had received a call from your friend – an old friend from an internship who just so happened to be a former Hybe video producer – letting you know of a recent opening as one of the many managers at the company. Having been between gigs at the time, you jumped at the chance without a second thought. Hybe? The biggest entertainment company in Korea? You didn't need any details before agreeing.

It was a few days later in which you found out the details. The opportunity had been even more life-altering than you'd thought.

Originally, you had believed you'd end up becoming manager to one of the many brand new rookie groups in the growing company. With so many surging youth in the industry, it made sense to you that you'd be assigned such a role, not having had any prior experience within Hybe itself.

Except that wasn't the case. Having previously worked and interned at a few other South Korean entertainment companies through the years, it seemed like Hybe deemed you experienced enough to assign you the role of becoming a senior artist's manager.

Jeon Jungkook.

Senior artist had been an understatement. Those had been the words written in your contract, explaining your role in excruciating detail, yet failing to mention that your client would be Korea's most popular singer.

You couldn't lie, you were insanely intimidated by your new role. Despite being proudly skilled at your job, becoming the manager of an idol who had been in the game for longer than you'd even been out of college was a bit scary. Jungkook had gone from the absolute bottom to the top, he had most likely lived through it all by now – what kind of expertise could you offer someone who had already seen it all?

Being manager of an idol differed slightly from managing any other person. Idol companies usually handled the schedulings, bookings, and the legalities of their artists. As a manager, you somewhat took the role of a bodyguard. You were meant to show up everywhere Jungkook went and become his spokesperson – vying for him as if your life depended on it.

And now it was too late to back out – not that you actually wanted to. All paperwork had been signed, you had your own personal Hybe badge and all the benefits that came along with working at the company. Any feelings of intimidation or fear for the role would have to be put aside as you walked into the Hybe building to meet with your new client; the boy you'd have to stick by 24/7 from now on.

You weren't sure what you were expecting upon meeting him. It wasn't like there would be any special introduction, or even as if you were his sole manager; no, he actually had a few others who would occasionally aid him in the absence of his main manager, which was now you. Today was a workday for him, meaning that he likely already had a few people in supportive roles as he did whatever it was that Jeon Jungkook did while working.

Walking into the huge building, after getting lost a few times, you made your way to the seventh floor, which, as you'd been informed, had various rooms designated for photoshoots. That's where you'd find Jungkook for the first time, presumably having one of the many shoots scheduled for this week.

Having possession of his schedule made you realize how busy idol life was. Despite having no public schedules all this week, he had a packed itinerary, filled with either shoots or signings or producing sessions. You hadn't even met him yet, but you were already assured that he was overly hardworking – and you had maybe also stalked him online this past week.

It was very unlikely you'd even speak to him, seeing how busy he was. Your duty, after all, was just to be one of the many members of his team, taking care of any logistics as you went around with him, but not taking away from his time by socializing with him.

Upon entering the room, he was the first thing you noticed. Ignoring every other person working the room, your eyes focused specifically on him. It was hard not to, since he was quite literally standing under the spotlight, modeling for a camera. But it was more than that. He had an aura that filled up the room. Putting aside every stylist and photographer in the room, every staff member and intern, he was truly the epitome of main character.

Fuck. Was this going to cause trouble?

....

you can check it out today on my ko-fi or patreon by subscribing to either one!

[kyeomofhearts]

Back For More | J.WW

+ summary: while adjusting to your new life in college, you couldn't help but attract the attention of wonwoo, someone who you happen to have a history with.

+ pairing: badboy!wonwoo x fem!reader

+ word count: 2.7k

+ content: badboy!wonwoo, college au, mature language, flirting (wonwoo is a menace), jealousy. [pls let me know if i missed anything!]

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

[ᝰ.ᐟ] i hope you guys enjoy this! it's most likely going to be a two-parter so definitely let me know if you want to be added to my taglist! i would greatly appreciate it if you guys reblogged (maybe with comments too ^^) since i thrive on your guys' validation :)

You were tired, very tired.

Granted, this was your own doing. Maybe if you hadn't pushed your responsibilities to the side last night you wouldn't have had to wake up so early to study for an exam, but what's done is done. This whole college thing was not going so well, to say the least. Sure, it's only the beginning of the second semester, but you already feel exhausted by all of your class workloads.

Just ten more minutes of this boring lecture and you could finally go home and crawl into bed. But… that's only if you avoid him today. Which now that you’re thinking about it, you hope he isn’t waiting for you outside, again. That would be the last thing you needed today.

With that being said, things have felt a little weird if you were being honest. Of course, this was your first year of university, so things were bound to feel new and different. But there was something, or rather someone that was making you feel strange.

Around two weeks ago you noticed that Wonwoo, an old classmate of yours, had recently started to become a bit friendly towards you. While that normally wouldn’t be considered weird, you couldn’t help but feel skeptical about his intentions. You knew the kind of people he surrounded himself with, and especially the girls he would go after; which was the exact opposite of you. So what exactly did he want from you?

What also makes this situation more odd is that you’ve basically known Wonwoo for your whole life. Of course, you don’t actually know him, you just happened to go to the same elementary, middle, and high school (which is insane if you think about it). Acquaintance is a perfect word to describe your relationship with him, nothing more nothing less. So yeah… it’s a little weird when the guy you have been around for (almost) your whole life is suddenly trying to befriend you, there definitely had to be something wrong with him.

All you knew about Wonwoo was that he was on the more reserved and quiet side; mainly keeping to himself most of the time. His group of friends was quite the opposite of him, which always made you wonder how he even became friends with them in the first place.

Seeing how the lecture was ending soon, you started to pack your stuff; you were more than ready to dash straight out of the classroom. Having finished all of your assignments for today, you had nothing left to worry about. So once the professor had made her goodbyes, you made a straight beeline to the door, nothing was going to hold you back from your long-awaited nap. Your pace was brisk, attempting to avoid the backed-up main exit, you decided to go to the opposite door. The walk back to your apartment wasn’t too bad either, most of the time you saw it as a way to daydream and listen to music. So while you scrolled through your various playlists, you happened to miss the (very obvious) figure following you.

Wonwoo called out your name a few times until it finally dawned on him that you had your headphones on. He took a few long strides to catch up to you; he was very adamant on getting your attention this morning. With ease, he quickly plucked your headphones off of your head.

“What are we listening to today?” He said while adjusting the headphones on his head. It took you a second to fully process what he was doing. You knew he was doing it to provoke you, but you were determined to not let that happen today. So to his surprise, you simply kept walking. You figured that he would continue with his antics if you gave him the reaction that he wanted so you did the opposite, you ignored him.

What shocked him the most was seeing you pull out an old pair of earbuds and plugging them into your phone. He was dumbfounded to say the least, how were you so prepared and why were you ignoring him?

And again, he quickly caught up with a few simple steps. He took your headphones off of his head and tapped them against your shoulder.

With a tired sigh, you turned around to face him but couldn’t help but admire his face. You really didn't want to lose that ‘expressionless’ look you were going for (to help you ignore him of course), but that small smile of his was enough to crack you down. It's like he knew that it was your one weakness when it came to him. This was the most annoying part of it all. Anytime he smiled or looked at you, a tiny part inside you secretly liked it, making you crave his attention at times.

Objectively speaking, Wonwoo was very handsome. That was something you could never deny, you would even go as far as to say that he was your type but you didn't particularly like the people he called his ‘friends’ so you were stuck in a weird limbo.

“Is there something on my face, birdy?”

You scoffed at the nickname. “I told you not to call me that.”

Wonwoo’s eyes were looking straight into yours, a smirk slowly creeping up to his lips. It didn't help that he was looking really good today either, his messy hair combined with the whole biker fit did wonders for your eyes. He was about to say something before you heard your ringtone go off, evidently cutting him off.

Oh.

It was Hyunwoo. That's odd... you finished your shared project with him rather early, what could he be calling you about? Either way, you answered the random call in front of a rather annoyed Wonwoo.

"Hello?"

"Heyyy yn, I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch later today?" You couldn't help but feel your eyes widen at his sudden question. Since when did he want to hang out with you? Last time you checked he had a plethora of girls that he was talking to... maybe he was interested in you? No, you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself...

"Um... let me check if I have anything to do first. Can I call you back?" You knew that you sounded nervous but how else were you supposed to feel when the cute guy from your physics class was literally asking you to eat lunch with him?

As soon as you ended the call, you felt Wonwoo's arm snake its way down to your waist. You couldn’t help but yelp at the sudden intimate contact. Chuckling at your reaction, he leaned down, closer to your ear. “Who was that?”

"No one." You stated simply, it wasn't his business anyway.

"Hm, okay," Wonwoo rested his head on your shoulder, continuing to speak lowly in your ear. "I'll remember that birdy."

Before you could even come up with something to counter him, he decided to speak up once again.

"Well, I do have something rather important to tell you." His voice was so calm and soothing, you could honestly listen to it for hours on end if you had the chance.

"What is it?" You hoped he couldn't sense your rather, embarrassing, curiosity.

"Heard you used to have a little crush on me," his voice was evidently smug, knowing that this would surely get a rise out of you.

Which it did.

Your face burned at the memories of when you used to have a crush on Wonwoo. But, that had to be in fourth grade… so how could he have known about that? Nonetheless, you scoffed at his statement, not wanting to know that you were a little embarrassed by the sudden reminder.

“Key word, had,” you rolled your eyes at him. This did make you curious though, who could have possibly told him that? So you asked him exactly that.

“How do you even know about that?” His smile never faltered even as you lightly pushed his hand away from your waist. If anything, this made him want to touch you even more.

“I have my ways,” he stated simply. Of course, he does. You hated when he would shrug things off, now this was going to bother you for the entire week!

One thing about Wonwoo was that he has always been curious about you, this interest stemming back all the way to your elementary days. This curiosity eventually intensified in junior year of high school when you began to show your blatant distaste towards him. He just had to get to know you.

He looked down at you, his face was unreadable like always. You never knew what was going on in that mind of his.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your actual friends?" Sometimes you couldn't help but blurt out your thoughts to him even if they sounded a bit rude. His face faltered for a split second, probably caught off guard by the random question. Shoot, you really didn’t mean to say that out loud. Although, it looks like Wonwoo didn’t take any offense to your sudden question. If anything, it made him... smile?

“I am hanging out with my friend,” he stopped you to face him, “which is you.” You rolled your eyes at him. That had to be the corniest thing he has ever said to you if you were being honest. You just hated that giddy feeling he would give you any time he said something remotely cheesy.

"Ugh, you're so dumb," you groaned while checking the time on your phone. It was getting close to noon and you hadn't responded to Hyunwoo's question from earlier. Maybe it was best if you didn't go... who knows what he wanted from you. If you were being completely honest, you didn't know if you had it in you to see other people at the moment, aside from Wonwoo of course.

"Have somewhere to be?" Wonwoo asked, a hint of concern peeking through his voice.

"No, thank god, but I do have a scheduled nap to get to so if you don't mind-" you were cut off by the sound of an engine revving, making your body jump at the unexpected noise. You turned to see where the source of the commotion was coming from but then realized it was coming from a group of bikers nearby; most likely Wonwoo's friends.

Or so you thought?

Wonwoo didn't seem too pleased with the group that was getting closer to where the two of you were. On the contrary, Wonwoo looked pissed. His jaw was visibly clenched, the gentle grip he had on your waist tightened, and his eyes lost that playful spark he had earlier. You couldn't help but feel guilty for thinking about how hot Wonwoo looked when he was angry. Of course, you would never want to be on the receiving end of his anger but seeing it on the sidelines was quite... interesting.

Wait. This might actually be serious, so it's best if you leave before anything crazy happens.

"I think I'm going to head out now..." you said quietly as you tried to slip away from Wonwoo's (awfully) strong grasp.

He turned to look at you, his eyes softening once they landed on your figure. Why did they have to come and bother him at this exact moment? He knew that whatever was going to happen was not going to be pretty, but he found himself reluctant to let you go.

Before truly letting you go, he quietly asked, "Are you sure? I can take you home if you want me to." As soft as his voice was, he still managed to sound composed which was comforting considering the situation.

You nodded in response, "I don't live that far from here so it's fine, thank you for the offer though." You managed to flash him a small, awkward smile before turning away from him and heading toward the direction of your apartment. You didn't know what exactly was going on between those guys and Wonwoo but it for sure wasn't friendly. Although it wasn't exactly your issue, you couldn't help but feel worried about Wonwoo, even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes.

Much to your dismay, that scheduled nap never came your way that day.

You blame Wonwoo, how were you supposed to sleep peacefully knowing he was probably getting jumped? Okay, you might be jumping to conclusions but what else were you supposed to think about when he was visibly angry at the mere sight of those guys?

Realistically speaking, it's only been two days since that whole incident happened. Granted, you haven't seen Wonwoo since then but that could mean a lot of things.

[...]

While you were in line to get a smoothie from one of the pop-up shops near the campus, you felt a sudden tap on your shoulder.

"Did my little birdy miss me?" You felt Wonwoo say right next to your ear, his breath fanning across your earlobe. It sent a wave of tingles down your spine, making you shudder in turn. Though you weren't a fan of his spontaneous appearance.

"God, you need to stop doing that! I almost slapped you I swear-" You stopped mid-way once you turned around and saw his face. He had a few cuts on his lips and eyebrows and one big bruise across his cheek. Those guys really did a number on him.

Your eyebrows furrowed in concern, "are you okay?"

He tried to wave it off but you could tell he was bothered by your question, "It's fine, really, don't worry about it." Was he insane? How were you not going to worry when he was visibly injured?

"Were these from the guys on Tuesday?" You couldn't help but ask, where else would he get these cuts and bruises if it didn't come from them?

His demeanor immediately switched and he pushed himself away from you.

"It's none of your business so stay out of it."

"Okay." That was the only thing you said before grabbing your smoothie from the worker and quickly walking away from the shop. If he wanted to be like that then so be it. You most definitely were not going to wait for him to 'open up' by all means, he could throw himself a pity party for all you care.

"Wait-" He tried reaching for your arm but you were too quick for him. Your steps were swift, helping you create a reasonable distance between you and Wonwoo. He called out your name a few times before giving up, he didn't want to gather any unwanted attention from the people nearby. Reaching your pace, Wonwoo was finally close enough to grab your wrist and make you look at him.

"Are you seriously ignoring me?" His voice was a bit jagged, no doubt coming from the unexpected cardio you made him do to catch up to you.

Unfortunately for him, you were petty. "You said it wasn't my business, so please do not talk to me because I really do not care." You brushed past him once again this time making sure he could not grab your arms or wrists.

He exhaled in annoyance, "Look I'm sorry-" Wonwoo was mid-apology before being abruptly cut off by the voice of a guy yelling your name out loud.

Speaking of the devil, what immaculate timing.

"Hey yn! Did you still want to get food after class?" Hyunwoo jogged to where you were standing but saw how Wonwoo was still trying to talk to you.

"Sorry, were you busy with him?"

You instantly responded to Hyunwoo, "No, he was just asking for directions, but yeah I'm down for food." Like before, you made your way towards Hyunwoo, making sure to bump into Wonwoo. He couldn't help but stay frozen in place as he watched you walk to class with some random guy, jealousy slowly invading his mind.

Directions? Did she really...?

As much as Wonwoo wanted to be mad at you, he really had no one to blame but himself. The whole situation with his old group of 'friends' was really getting to him so once you popped that question it just seemed to send him over the edge. He just didn't know how far you would go to express your annoyance towards him. Now all he had to do was find a way to properly apologize to you before that Hyunwoo guy got to you first.

The only thing stopping him? He didn't have your number or any of your socials...

Part Two: II

[pupyuj]

→ “ruin our friendship.” || kim gaeul x reader fic.

— for years, gaeul has trusted your heart and tried to find whatever good you saw in your douchebag of a boyfriend, but she has had enough. and now she wants to show you that you deserve so much better...

word count: 6.9k.

dynamic: dom!kim gaeul x sub!taken!reader.

warnings: bffs-to-lovers, cheating, oral, fingering, cunnilingus, facesitting, faceriding, overstimulation, masturbation, praise kink.

requested ? : nope.

a/n: i don't even know how long this has been rotting in my drafts but SHE IS FINALLY FREE! and we have our first gaeul fic AND I HAVE OFFICIALLY WRITTEN A FIC FOR EVERY IVE MEMBER EYAYYYY 🥰💖 now i don't have to worry about possibly looking like i favor one member more than the others omg guys i can assure you i have thoughts about ive unnies all the time, the ones for yujin are just loud as FUCK. much like herself. ANYWAYS, HEHE I HAD A LOT OF FUN WRITING THIS and i hope you all love it 💕

p.s. as usual this is not proofread thoroughly so apologies in advance for any mistakes! 😭💞

ever since entering college, you and your best friend gaeul have had to match your schedules perfectly in order to hang out and even talk regularly. those assignments couldn’t finish themselves after all, as much as you hoped they did. years before, you and her would have the time of your lives shopping and visiting the many different restaurants your vast city offered, but now, everything was different. and in gaeul’s most humble opinion, your busy lives as college students wasn’t the only problem. she could name a few actually! there was her part-time job at her mechanic father’s service shop where she spends most of her time sitting on a chair and listening to middle-aged men try to woo her as they wait for their car to get fixed, and there was your side gig as some small-time coordinator in a pretty popular live house in the downtown part of the city.

but gaeul can’t exactly be angry at your jobs for pulling the two of you away from each other! what she can be angry about was you were always distracted whenever you did go out together. here’s a clear picture: you would be sitting with her in a cute coffee shop after two weeks of not being able to see each other and there gaeul is, talking about the shenanigans that happens in her classes, her dad’s shop, and her life in general. then, she’d find you spacing out, or staring at your phone—just completely ignoring her. for the first few times it happened, gaeul just thought that perhaps you were just worried about your schoolwork!

it made sense after all. you were some kind of academic overachiever that always used to nag at gaeul to finish her geometry homework during your high school days. gaeul was going to be fine with it all; she even thought about things she could tell you to soothe your head but one little peek at your phone screen ruined it all. every ounce of patience in gaeul just disappeared into thin air once she saw that you were distressed because of your stupid boyfriend’s messages.

ugh. your boyfriend.

now, gaeul wasn’t one to shit on her best friend’s lovers just because, okay? ninety-three percent of the time she has a valid reason! here’s the breakdown: your boyfriend is manipulative, abusive, possessive, and ugly. one would say that maybe he wasn’t always that way, or that maybe he’s struggling with things! well, gaeul can confirm that he has always been horrible to you and that whatever the fuck he’s dealing with doesn’t give him the excuse to be such an asshole to someone that genuinely cares for him. gaeul can’t even count how many times you’ve showed up at her doorstep in tears because of him. 

she really can’t understand why you’re still dating him. it’s been about five years since the two of you got together and really, the only good thing you got from that relationship is a ride to the campus and if you’re lucky and he actually feels like being a decent boyfriend for once, some fancy clothes. clothes that he picks out for you, and he can’t even get that shit right! he doesn’t know your style, the kind of clothes you want to wear, the brands you’ve always wanted to get clothes from, and in general, you. gaeul knows people like him all too well. people that only want you to fill a very specific void in their miserable life.

gaeul can’t stand him. you deserve so much better, you can do so much better.

and gaeul is better.

just like that, an idea pops up in gaeul’s head as she sits in a booth in her favorite diner, but she didn’t have time to think about it because she looks out the window and there you were in a pretty, pink sundress with your hair arranged in a cute braid adorned with little butterfly clips. gaeul lets out a chuckle—rei, your roommate, must’ve helped you with that. gaeul also notices that you were wearing the sneakers that the two of you bought together so you could match, which warmed her heart. even more so when she remembers that she was wearing her own pair of those sneakers too!

gaeul watched patiently as you entered the diner and greeted the waitress behind the counter like you always do. a bright smile spreads across your face once you find gaeul in your usual booth, and gaeul feels herself flashing her very own grin as you start walking faster towards her.

“hey! sorry, i’m late. i had to change my entire outfit. i didn’t think it would be so warm today.” you said, pulling gaeul into a quick hug before sitting across from her. gosh, you looked beautiful! the baby hairs that stuck to your forehead and the sides of your face only made you look even cuter, gaeul almost wanted to reach out and pinch your cheeks.

“careful. look any prettier and someone might mistake you as my girlfriend.” gaeul quipped. she finds herself grinning proudly as you laugh.

“you look dashing yourself! they probably already think you’re my boyfriend, but you’re not neglecting me for ‘a night with the boys’ so we would get found out quickly.” you sighed. you were clearly disappointed, but you covered it up with another laugh before sipping on the glass of water gaeul kindly ordered for you.

“then today is a date. he probably hasn’t taken you in one for ages, anyway.” gaeul doesn’t know if you’ll actually buy it. she wasn’t even joking! as far as she knows, his version of dates is taking you on a boring ass car ride and spoiling you with useless shit. she knows what you want on dates. she knows what you want in general. let this work.

you giggled, “true. it’s a date then.” and she doesn’t miss the shy smile on your face afterwards.

well! it looks like this was going to be easier than gaeul predicted.

as the two of you ate your lunch, you talked about school and how life has been treating you both. you were thriving for the most part! you were up to date with your coursework, your job hasn’t been too demanding or taxing, and you were able to have enough breathing space in your life to actually meet up with gaeul, like right now! it seems like the only problem in your life was your boyfriend. he hasn’t been spending too much time with you, and one would think it might be because he’s gotten busier but nope, he’s as shitty as gaeul describes him to be. he only wants to hang out with his team and his stupid friends, and he barely talks to you even in text! that asshole.

gaeul didn’t let you dwell on it all though. she absolutely detests seeing you upset. especially over that useless fucker. she distracts you with a few funny shenanigans from working in her dad’s shop, and how she has actually been doing quite well in her classes! it was clearly your influence. hell, if it weren’t for you, gaeul wouldn’t even be in college at all! you gave her direction, and now you were giving her all the motivation she needs to make it through one school day at a time.

fuck, your boyfriend was so lucky. gaeul has to let you see that he wasn’t worth anything you’re giving him. she has to pull you away and make you see that a pretty girl like you needs to feel good!

in more ways than one.

“so, boyfriend, where are we going?” you joked as you settled yourself in the passenger seat of her car. while gaeul started the engine, that was when she put her little scheme in motion.

“bowling. or rather, sending the balls to the gutter for two hours straight.” she said. bowling happens to be your favorite stress reliever, it always has been! gaeul always liked watching you as you played. even when you didn’t hit any of the pins, you still had fun. gaeul was willing to bet that your pathetic boyfriend rarely ever takes you bowling.

“god you’re the best.”

“mhm, i know.”

from then on, gaeul knew it was going to be a breeze. especially when she did get on the road and you just allowed her to put her hand on your thigh. you didn’t even notice at first, occupied with fixing your charming but unruly hair. but then gaeul lightly squeezed your thigh, caressing slowly just to test the waters, and finally, you noticed her. she was afraid that your attitude would change, but it seemed like… you liked what she was doing. and so gaeul’s hand stays in place. she took note of how you squeezed your legs together every time she caresses your skin gently, or how you would sometimes put your hand on top of hers.

the drive to the bowling alley was quiet, save for the music you’ve put on, of course. silence was a rarity between the two of you since there was always something to catch up on, things to complain and whine about, people to talk shit about, and casual conversations that have become needed just to have some sense of normality in your chaotic lives. gaeul was afraid she had made you uncomfortable because come on, she was quite literally trying to take over your boyfriend’s place! joke or not, this was bound to make you just the least bit weirded out!

imagine gaeul’s surprise when she briefly glanced over to your direction and find you looking relaxed. not even the constant buzzing of your phone was able to break your focus on the road. just like that, gaeul doesn’t stop a smile from forming on her face. forget about him.

and it seems like as soon as gaeul parked her car near the bowling alley—you did! you took gaeul’s arm and started gingerly dragging her through the doors, giggling as you did so. it was easy to secure a spot for the two of you, the place wasn’t too busy yet after all.

“two hours of this? you ready to lose, kim?” you said with a mocking smile as you approached the lane. gaeul sat back on the couches behind you, smirking as she very shamelessly checked your backside out unbeknownst to you. there was a small table in the middle of the u-shaped couch that gaeul sat on where you laid down your phone. as you busied yourself making your cute little bowling profile on the monitor near the lane, gaeul glances down at your phone that kept lighting up at it vibrated. your boyfriend was calling you, and he has sent you a dozen or more messages that you still haven’t bothered to look at.

gaeul sneers at the picture of your boyfriend on the screen. he really didn’t deserve you! luckily for him, she will happily take you off his hands. gaeul takes your phone and declines the call, smiling happily when she leaned back on the couch and continued on staring at your beautiful form. you hooked a medium-sized ball with your hand and prepared yourself—sure, you were never the best at the sport but you were to have fun and have fun only! and so you delivered the ball and hit exactly seven pins. gaeul tilts her head a bit to see the look of pure joy on your face and finds herself grinning along with you.

for once, it was not at all a bad start for you! you grabbed the smaller ball and prepared to take down the last three pins at the other end of the lane. upon staring at your near flawless little pose that especially accentuated your ass, gaeul whistles. the sound catches you off-guard and you end up messing up your throw, sending the ball into the gutter in a fit of laughter.

“you little devil.” you said, playfully glaring at your best friend who has stood up and started stretching all of her limbs.

“this is where your short-lived lucky streak ends,” gaeul pats your butt as she approaches the lane. and of course, she didn’t lie. gaeul delivers a ball and hits her first (and certainly not last!) strike. she winked at you while you stared at her, mouth agape at how she didn’t even hesitate to not go easy on you. “cat got your tongue, baby?” your best friend teased.

you don’t even notice the nickname, what with your competitive spirit alive and well. “oh, it is so on, kim gaeul!”

and for the next two hours, you and gaeul had the best time of your life in that bowling alley. the longer the two of you were together and the more you got drunk from pure joy of being with each other, gaeul got bolder. she was touching your waist, your back, and sometimes even rested her hand on your ass for more than a few seconds! you didn’t care—in fact, you were just as bad! grabbing her and pulling her close to whisper things in her ear (partly because the music would have drowned your voice, mostly because you wanted gaeul nearer), allowing her to not-so-discreetly touch you in places a best friend should definitely not, and finally, sitting on her lap, playing with the collar of her shirt and telling her to take you to her home.

exactly zero innocent intent at all, and gaeul was seemingly more than happy to comply!

on the way to gaeul’s apartment, it was noticeably… warm. both of your hearts were beating fast and loud from anticipation. gaeul yearned to feel your skin without the hindrance of your clothes getting in the way. her fingertips itched to feel goosebumps run along your arm, shoulders, and back as she touched you in ways she always dreamed of doing. her lips longed to taste yours since she knew that peach-flavored chapstick you two liked to share would taste so much sweeter if you were the direct source. gaeul wanted you, and she was going to have you—boyfriend be fucking damned.

when gaeul flipped the lock on her door, the two of you were all over each other. bags and jackets thrown to some random corners, shoes messily removed and left all over the living room area. gaeul barely twisted open the doorknob of her bedroom door, being so focused on exploring every crevice of your mouth with her tongue until she tugs you inside her room. her lips stayed locked with yours as she sat on her bed and pulled you to her lap, hiking your dress up and squeezing your ass. your moans were much, much sweeter than she imagined. she shivers at the feeling of your fingers playing with the back of her neck, her own whimpers only encouraging you to busy your hands with unbuttoning her shirt.

when you’ve successfully taken her shirt off, your dress was next. and gaeul made sure to take her sweet time with that! her hands caressed your thighs, gently squeezed your hips and even moved you so you could grind on her thigh (the cute whine she earned from that was very much appreciated!), and then her hands stayed wrapped around your waist as she placed soft kisses along your collarbone. you could feel her smile against your skin when you squeezed at her arms, knowing damn well what you wanted but refusing to give it to you because… well, if this happens to be the only time she fucks you then she might as well make it last!

finally, when gaeul was satisfied with the little marks she had left on your collarbone, she started pulling the ribbon on your back and loosened up your dress. “you made sure to look pretty for me, huh?” she asked as she watched you undress yourself. she took note of the bright blush on your cheeks under her dark stare, and it made her think that perhaps she wasn’t the only one who was thinking of fucking her best friend for the longest time. meanwhile, in your defense, it’s been quite a while since you had to dress yourself up and what better occasion to do that than hanging out with your best friend?

plus, if it got you to get fucked by the friend in question then you’d say that the two-hour preparation was worth it!

when gaeul laid you down on the bed, she noticed how you suddenly became quite tense, looking as though your boyfriend was about to come breaking down gaeul’s doors to drag you back with him. gaeul made sure to relieve you by kissing your forehead, taking your hands with hers and then putting your knuckles to her lips. “you’re safe with me, (y/n).” she whispered, pecking your knuckles gently and smiling at you. sure, it works… but the fear that bubbled up in your stomach did not go away.

“if he finds out about this…” you pull your best friend close, letting her embrace you while you wrap your arms around her neck.

gaeul scoffed arrogantly, “he won’t—”

“—if he does, i don’t know what i’ll do,” you never told gaeul that your boyfriend has been watching out for her for the longest time. he was always suspicious of gaeul, saying that he was so sure that she wanted to fuck you and make you hers. because of his suspicions (that now proved to be true), he always made sure to be annoying and text you and call you an absurd amount of times whenever you were hanging out with gaeul. he never does that when you’re out with your other friends. no. that behavior was reserved for the one person he was threatened by. “i don’t want him to hurt you.” you said. you can’t even imagine what he would do to you, let alone the girl he absolutely detests.

“he’s as dumb as a brick. i could fuck you in his own bathroom and he’d have no idea.” gaeul makes a mental note to reserve that exact scenario in the future.

you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, “you know he can very much send you to the hospital, right? he’s like, three heads taller than you!”

“three heads yet he’s still stupid enough to treat you horribly and practically give you away to me,” gaeul sneaks her hands behind you, unclasps your bra and pulls it off of you in one swift motion. your heart beats louder every second gaeul’s eyes travel downward, soaking in more and more of your naked beauty that she longed to set her eyes on forever. “i’ll teach him a thing or two about giving a pretty girl the pleasure she deserves.”

every doubt and fear you had evaporates into nothing as soon as gaeul puts her lips against your skin once again. sucking, biting, licking—anything she can do to leave marks and make you remember this night akin to a skilled painter perfecting their masterpiece with every stroke. you feel gaeul’s hand trail down your stomach and palm your soaked panties, and you had an almost automatic reaction to grind against her, blushing wildly upon hearing her chuckle at your enthusiasm. gaeul wraps her warm mouth around your nipple, your back arching at the feeling. an embarrassingly loud moan escapes your mouth when she flicks the hardened bud and presses her palm flat against your clit at the same time.

you were losing further control of your actions. grinding restlessly on gaeul’s hand for further pleasure, taking her free hand to play with your other breast, and even pushing her head impossibly closer to your chest. she was skilled with her tongue—you shuddered at the mere thought of what else she could do to you should this night go on for longer. you feel gaeul slide her hand inside your panties, only to feel your pussy with her fingers rather than fucking you immediately.

it was adorable how impatient you were. you needed and wanted to be pleasured. it must have been quite a while since you’ve gotten some action—gaeul isn’t surprised that even in sex your boyfriend can’t deliver. every flick of your nipple, every pinch to the other one, every parting of your pussy lips, and every brush against your clit, you were mewling. you would be embarrassed if you actually heard yourself but instead, all you could focus on was the little pleasure gaeul was giving you right now.

“that feel good, hon?” gaeul asks as she presses her lower palm against your clit harder than ever. she found your little nods endearing and your inability to find the words to answer her only inflates her ego, but as much as she would love to tease you all day long, she was just as desperate for you as you are for her.

“how long has it been since he’s made you cum?” she asked, slowly pulling your panties off and letting it drop to the floor. gaeul keeps her eyes fixed on you, looking for discomfort or doubt or any sign that tells her how you could be feeling about all of this. while gaeul knows that the two of you have already crossed a point of no return, she knows that if you gave yourself the time to think about all of this, you would come to your senses. in other words, you would get the fuck out of her house and never talk to her again. it would be disheartening, yes, but gaeul unfortunately knows you well enough to know that it would be possible.

to her surprise though, you seemed to have stopped caring now. you didn’t even bother to glance at your phone that was on the floor, vibrating wildly due to the amount of times you were being called by your boyfriend. you only silently beckoned for gaeul to touch you, to taste you, to claim you. and gaeul doesn’t need to be asked twice to oblige!

“he… he has never made me cum.” you admitted, looking away from the embarrassment.

“are you serious?” gaeul laughs, but then her jovial expression is replaced with an incredulous one. “you guys do have sex, right?”

“of course we do! just… h-he’s horrible at it… every time we’re done, i have to get myself off because he never can!” you covered your face in frustration, now just wondering how you actually survived years without being able to cum with your partner during the act.

“fuck, he really is worth nothing at all, huh?” gaeul cackles. ah, poor you… but you didn’t have to worry about not cumming tonight, because gaeul just now made a silent promise that she’ll make you cum as many times as you want. she lowers herself so she could be facing your pussy, all wet and ready just for her. just as gaeul was about to bury her face in between your legs, you take a hold of one of her hands and intertwine it with yours, making her heart swell with affection. she doesn’t look back up at you, knowing that the blush on her cheeks would be too noticeable. gaeul starts off giving your cunt gentle kisses and little licks—hearing you softly whimper and seeing you jolt every time the tip of her tongue so much as brush slightly around your clit gets her adrenaline going, and eventually, gaeul commits herself to eating you out.

within mere minutes of practically making out with your pussy, gael feels you put your free hand behind gaeul’s head and pushes her closer. “more…” you could barely say, too caught up with the euphoric feeling gaeul has instilled in you using her tongue alone. it takes everything in gaeul to let go of your hand to part your lips to have better access to your clit, and when you grabbed a fistful of her hair and let out a beautiful moan, gaeul knew she was doing something right.

something adorable gaeul notices is that you were extremely sensitive when it comes to your clit, more than any woman gaeul has ever been intimate with and even herself. she licks a stripe up your cunt, relishing in your taste and the way you whine her name, before sucking on your clit. it’s almost as if you’ve never had your pussy eaten out this good before! and truthfully, you really haven’t. gaeul’s own satisfied moans created a buzz in your head, letting you know just how much she loved and savored your taste with each lick. she brings a new kind of pleasure when she makes out with your clit at a gentle, slow pace. the kind of pleasure you would never find your boyfriend (or anyone else for that matter) to be giving you.

it almost makes you wonder what gaeul’s true intentions were. of course, you weren’t expecting her to be completely in love with you. if she was, the first thing she would do to show it was not making you cheat on your boyfriend with her. was she just looking for a quick hook-up? but if that was the case, she could have just grabbed some random girl instead of putting your friendship in an awkward spot like this. perhaps you were just another box in a list that she wants to check off, but that would be cruel and completely unlike the gaeul you have known since the two of you were young. with the way she was cautious with how she fucked you, touched you, and even handled you during all of this, you wanted to believe that she has some sort of undiscovered feelings towards you.

but why were you even thinking about that? did you even have feelings for her? that was a dangerous territory you never wanted to explore, not when you cherished your friendship too much. but the ‘idea’ of dating your own best friend was never really just an idea with you. not when gaeul had ten times the charm that makes your boyfriend look like some hopeless wimp. not when gaeul will forever be the person that knows you the best. not when every time she does something as simple as tell you you’re pretty, or open a door for you, or laugh at your jokes, or smile at you so handsomely, the tiniest of butterflies flutter around in your stomach.

it was a scary feeling, one that you always hoped to go away one day but these days, and especially today, it has been hard. maybe when this is over… you don’t have to run away from it anymore, because when you look at gaeul’s eyes that pierced right through yours even as she was eating you out, you can see something beyond the hunger, the lust, and the desperation.

whatever it was, you found yourself more willing to uncover it, even if it might ruin everything.

“you’re so perfect, (y/n)...” gaeul snaps you out of your trance and immediately after, she dips her tongue inside you. “you’re better off with someone else… someone who knows you better, inside and out… mmhn... don’t you agree, princess?”

you whine shamelessly, “y-yes..! ahh… with you…” now you didn’t even mean to let that slip past your lips, but gaeul seems beyond satisfied that you did. completely addicted to your taste, gaeul pulls you closer and further down the bed by your waist, your back arching with how well she was using her mouth. the pleasure gaeul brought was enough to make your thighs twitch, your legs slightly rise in the air, and your eyes to roll to the back of your head.

“you cumming soon, baby…?” gaeul asks, briefly lifting her head slightly from in between your legs. a sly smirk graced her features, knowing that the cause of your incoherence was her. it gives her the confidence to do a lot more to you, to do everything she has been wanting to do for years. you seem to notice how she had paused to stare at you, and you shoved her face back down to your core, earning a chuckle from her. gaeul pushes your thigh back, almost lifting your leg up, for better access and eats you out better than before as if that was even possible.

at this point both of your hands were on her head. you would be worried about the tight grip you had on her hair but you were way too busy on that tight knot in your stomach. you think you hear gaeul encouraging you to cum, and you can vaguely feel her palm resting on your stomach and it does help you relax a bit. enough for you to have the strength to look down at your best friend, whose eyes have always been on you this entire time. god, she was pretty… and she looked like she belonged right where she was. she didn’t give you any more time to admire her though, as a flick of her tongue on your clit sends you to a blissful orgasm.

your body softly falls backwards your bed as you throw your head back with only gaeul’s name filling the air. gaeul spends a good few seconds staring at your face—her doing. you were simply bewitching in her eyes. she made sure to take her time cleaning you up while you came down from your high, waiting patiently until you’ve caught your breath and calmed down. she sees you breathing normally and smiles before rising up, attacking your face with a barrage of kisses while you laugh and take her in your arms.

“don’t get comfortable. this is all we’re doing until morning.” gaeul, more than ready to please you all day and night long, places a wet kiss on your collarbone before sliding her hand in between your legs. she was well on her way down your core until her phone blares loudly—someone was calling her. she ignores the sound, opting to kiss down your neck while her fingers start ghosting over your clit. and just then, you turned your head and got a glimpse of the caller id on the gaeul’s screen. but gaeul sees it first and she swipes her phone away with a dark chuckle.

“w-who is it…?” you asked quietly, not wanting to alert whoever was on the other end. gaeul’s smile grows wider as she puts the caller on speaker. your heart drops to your stomach as soon as you hear the other person’s voice. 

a man. your man. your fucking boyfriend!

“are you there, kim?”

sheer panic courses within you. you tried grabbing gaeul’s hand, but she moves away, pressing a single finger against your lip. and then her mouth moves, but she doesn’t make a sound. trust me, she says silently. you kept still, trusting your best friend to not do anything stupid. of course she wouldn’t put you in any danger just to have fun, but you did worry that she would set your boyfriend off enough for him to do something to her. your heart beats loudly in your chest and goosebumps appear all over your skin. you were terrified beyond comprehension, but gaeul’s soft caresses and reassuring eyes comfort you, even just a little bit.

“what do you want?” gaeul asked, annoyed that he just had to interrupt the two of you. her hand once again travels downwards your body until she reaches your cunt. she traces your lips before inserting the smallest length of her two fingers, making you bite back a moan.

“where’s (y/n)? why isn’t she answering her phone?”

gaeul grins and plunges her fingers deep inside you, she couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh as she watched you choke out a moan. you immediately covered your mouth, pitifully glaring at your best friend but not being completely mad at her. her fingers felt too good inside you—staying perfectly still just to get you to get used to the feeling until she starts moving, slow and steady as if she herself was savoring the feeling of your cunt clench around her digits.

“what was that? is that her? are you fucking my girlfriend?!”

gaeul cackles, “you wouldn’t know what (y/n) sounds like when being fucked even if you’re the one fucking her.” she increases her pace, even nodding towards you to get you to relax and just keep trusting her because she could feel your fear. it made her angry. no one should claim to be your partner if they made you feel so afraid of them. you shouldn’t have to beg for them for their time and love either. if gaeul had known that this was what everything from back then would lead up to, then she would’ve intervened when you and your boyfriend were still just acquaintances. but there was no point in dwelling on that because she has the opportunity to make this all right.

and the correct ending to all of this was her freeing you from him, him ending up all alone, and the two of you figuring out what to do with each other.

“you bitch! i swear to god if that’s (y/n)—”

“—i’m not fucking my best friend, shithead. you should start worrying more about the fact that she’s refusing to call your lacking ass back.” gaeul watches you intently as you slowly lose most of yourself to her. moving your hips accordingly, meeting her little thrusts with eagerness that only got gaeul herself drenched. you tugged on gaeul’s top, silently asking her to get off the call already and just fuck you. and that you didn’t have to ask her twice, of course. while your boyfriend kept yelling at her, gaeul ends the call before blissfully dropping her phone to the ground.

you don’t know what came over you, but all of a sudden you wanted to see your best friend under you. tugging her down harder, catching her lips with yours in a searing kiss… feeling sick satisfaction in you when she stiffened at your sudden surge of passion, and using her shock to flip your positions over. gaeul pulls her fingers out, putting them on your hips instead and trying to keep up with the way you kissed her feverishly.

“you’re cute…” gaeul whispers, thoroughly entertained by you. ugh, those eyes. that nose, her perfect moles, her smile, that mouth… fuck. you have to feel her lips on your pussy again but this time… you wanted to be in control. you smile at your best friend as you swipe your thumb across her lips before getting in position.

“holy shit, (y/n)—”

“—shut up, man.” you cut her off with your face so warm you think you might explode. she didn’t look like she was turned off by the idea. in fact, gaeul places her hands on your thighs, looking more excited than she has ever been this entire time. “t-tell me if i’m hurting you… or anything.” you said. gaeul merely nods, eyes focused on your core. you were going to say a few more words, maybe tell her that you haven’t sat on anyone’s face in a while so you might be bad at this but gaeul couldn’t wait another second. she pulls you down, and the sound that escapes your lips when her nose bumps against your clit was simply criminal.

“ffuck…! oh, g-god…!” with one hand tightly gripping the headboard and the other holding onto a random pillow, you start riding gaeul’s face. and again, she was moaning. as if a better flavor has never graced her tongue until she got to taste you. gosh, the way you threw your head back and let every lewd sound fill the air as you rode her got gaeul clenching, but she couldn’t keep her hands off of you either. she squeezed your thighs, almost as if she was encouraging you to go faster and just use her.

“mmhgn… so good… more, please..” letting go of the pillow and the headboard, you put your hands on gaeul’s head. you ride her faster, focused on pleasing yourself and chasing another orgasm while gaeul does her work with her tongue. it was getting harder and harder to hold herself back from touching her own pussy; she was too drenched and you were simply too delicious. at this rate, she might just cum untouched! the idea of it was humiliating almost, but gaeul figured that if she made you cum hard enough then you wouldn’t even realize what had happened to her. but then again… why would she go through all that trouble?

with one hand, gaeul reaches down and unzips her jeans, sliding further down and massaging her clit through her panties. of course, you don’t see this. you don’t even hear gaeul over the sound of your whimpering and moaning—all you wanted was to use her mouth to get yourself off. you managed to open your eyes slightly, however, and looked down at gaeul. her eyes were shut off, eyebrows furrowed deeply as she diligently ate out and fingered herself at the same time. 

you heart swells as you allow yourself to etch every single facial feature of hers in your mind. you didn’t think you’d find a more fitting place for your best friend. it turns out she looked good underneath you, too! when you got distracted by admiring gaeul’s face, you felt a sting on your ass. you gasped loudly, and although it caught you off guard, you liked it. you moved your hips enthusiastically as gaeul squeezed your ass, now glaring at you to intimidate you to keep going. and it works! well, it’s not like you were going to stop just like that.

“p-pretty… you belong right here…” you said, gripping her hair tighter. gaeul moans at your words and she feels herself only clenching tighter around her own fingers. she didn’t expect to get so turned on by merely fucking you and hearing you talk to her in such a different way than usual. she pushes her tongue inside your cunt, making you scream in pleasure. gaeul’s ears ring at the sound of your voice—she was sure now that you wouldn’t dare go back to that pathetic boyfriend of yours.

you were hers now. and she has always been yours.

“gaeul… babe, i’m cumming—god…!” with one last thrust on your best friend’s face, you came. moaning blissfully in the air as gaeul allowed you to ride your orgasm out, and while she laps up your cum as best as she could, she hits a satisfying climax which grants you the perfect chance to hear a cute squeak from her. gaeul removes her hand from her panties and holds you down on her face, not entirely satisfied to let you go even though she can see that you can barely keep yourself sitting. that wasn’t going to be a problem anymore though as gaeul once again flipped your positions so you would be sitting on the bed and she would still be in between your legs.

“mmh… stop, i’m tired… please.” you shake your head weakly, gently tapping gaeul’s hand. fortunately enough, your best friend respected your wishes and stopped, opting to scoop you up in her arms instead and hug you. you laughed at how much of a mess you made on your best friend’s face, wiping all of it clean with your hands before giving her a quick kiss. gaeul doesn’t forget to get rid of her pants before staying completely still in bed with you, staring at nothing but your pretty face for minutes on end.

you think you fell asleep a couple of times, and you ended up always opening your eyes to gaeul smiling dumbly at you like a lovesick puppy. if you had known gaeul allowed herself to see you in such a different light, then you wouldn’t have wasted time trying to fall in love with a boy who did nothing good for you. but no matter, you were going to leave him, and finally, you and your best friend can work towards a more fulfilling relationship for the two of you.

“i always knew it’d be you in the end.” gaeul whispers as she leaves the tiniest and sweetest kisses on your knuckles.

the tiniest bits of fear settled in the pit of your stomach—you didn’t want your boyfriend to find out about this at all. you wanted to protect gaeul and dump his ass with as much as peace as you can manage, but you know he was going to bring her up somehow. at the end of the day, the blame should be put on you since you were the one who allowed gaeul to make those advances towards you anyway… but you knew all too well that that wouldn’t stop your boyfriend from coming up with an excuse to try and confront your best friend.

but every time you dwelled on those thoughts, gaeul somehow notices it and keeps your eyes on her. she knew she would be able to pull your attention to something else and that she does rather effortlessly. and you knew that you would be safe, as long as you were with her.

you laugh at her words, “i’m glad that you didn’t fuck me just because i’m hot and you hate my boyfriend.” you joked, earning a playful slap on the shoulder.

“no, stupid,” gaeul pulls you closer by your waist, kissing your nose. “i love you.”

[jetblack4realz]

lake days i - jake "hangman" seresin x reader

summary - when you and jake get stationed in your hometown, you decide to drag him with you to a lake day with your family - it taking a much different turn than expected.

!split into parts & takes place years and years before the uranium mission!

pt ii , pt iii , pt iv , pt v

warnings - none

word count - 5.7k

______________________________________________________________

the hawaii mission wasn't the first time you'd met jake seresin, but it was certainly the first time he caught your attention.

you both had been put in a position to compete for the mission, but in a surprise turn of events they just threw you both in. jake led, which he never let you forget, but your captain had decided that he needed you as a wingman, which you never let him forget. you knew his reputation and you'd seen it firsthand, but he was a surprisingly good partner to you. the mission was a success, of course, and you both finished out the last four months of assignment together. as your six months finished out, you found yourself hoping to be stationed with him again.

and you were.

admiral hensley called you both to his office when giving you new orders for the next 18 months and you couldn't help the small smile pulling at your lips. when you exited, hangman pulled you into his side with a laugh.

"excited to be my wingman again, sweetheart?" he asked.

"i think this time you'll find it's the other way around," you answered, winking as you laughed and pulled out of his grasp.

"we'll see about that," he said, smirking.

you both arrived in fort worth, texas with wide grins on your mouths.

"home sweet home," jake said. you hauled your bags onto your shoulders, striding off the runway and towards base. you began to walk towards the office, phone in your hand as you began typing in a local number.

"bronco," the man called with furrowed brows. "you not going to the bunks?"

"this is my home base," you replied. "i've got a place just a half hour out of here."

"how are you getting there?" he asked, quirking a brow with a simple smirk. "your boyfriend picking you up?"

you laughed, shaking your head. "don't got one. don't have time for one. my dad and brothers are coming, i haven't seen some of 'em in almost two years."

"glad you get to now," he told you with a surprisingly genuine smile. you nodded, smiling back.

"yeah, me too," you said. he nodded once before turning again, presumably to his room on base. "hey, hangman."

he turned, eyebrow raised in question.

"aren't you from texas too? anywhere around here?"

"odessa," he answered. he breathed a laugh. "so, no."

you watched each other for a few moments as you very openly debated something in your head. you breathed out slowly before finally just throwing it out there. "you like boating?"

your question caught him off guard. "boating?"

"yeah," you nodded. you quirked a brow, smirking slightly. "you ever been?"

"well, yeah," he nodded slowly. "like, twice."

"twice?" you exclaimed, shaking your head. "that's no good hangman. you should come with us this weekend. my family's property is just 45 minutes off of eagle mountain lake and we were gonna head over saturday. if you don't already have plans, we'd love to have you."

it was memorial day weekend, and your family always spent it on the lake. in light of your fresh transfer, your new admiral had granted you and jake both the monday off and you were definitely taking advantage of the three day weekend.

"you sure?" he asked, raising a brow. "i don't want to intrude. you haven't seen them in so long and i-"

"hangman, if you don't get to see your family, at least come see mine," you answered with a small smile. "they're very welcoming."

he debated for a few moments before huffing a breath. "you're very kind, bronco."

"so, that's a yes?" you asked, grinning. before he could answer, you began walking backwards to enter the office. "i'll take you back with me after shift friday! see you tomorrow!"

you mock-saluted him before turning on your heel and throwing open the door, slipping through it with an excited blush on your cheeks. hangman laughed to himself, shaking his head as he turned to make his way to the bunks. he couldn't believe you'd just invited him back to your family's house - but he couldn't say he wasn't glad you did.

"ready?" you asked, hand on your hip with a grin as jake approached you with his small dufflebag thrown over his shoulder. he nodded.

"as i'll ever be," he answered. "where you parked?"

you led him outside to a beat up brown subaru, pulling the driver's side door open. he quirked a brow as he examined the car, fingers running over the chipping paint.

"didn't imagine you a subaru gal, bronco," he mused, restraining a laugh. you rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

"i'm not. it's my mom's, she's letting me borrow it while i'm here," you answered.

"we gotta get you something better than that," he laughed. "for one, your mom outta want her car back and for two, i can't be seen in a - what year is it?"

"2005," you muttered.

"in a 2005, brown subaru outback," he said, clicking his tongue against his teeth thrice.

"oh, you can't be seen in it? i have to drive this thing to a naval airbase every day of my life," you laughed.

"we'll find you something better. with all this driving you're doing, you definitely need it," he told you. you rolled your eyes again.

"just get in the car, hangman," you said, slipping into the driver's side.

he laughed, tossing his bag in the backseat. "alright, alright."

the drive went smoothly, conversation with jake was never real difficult. as you pulled down a dirt road, passing under a large metal overhead sign announcing that it was the l/n residence jake watched it, a smile pulling at his lips.

"now before we get there, i've gotta warn you," you started, glancing at the man next to you. "all my brothers are in town for this and so are their wives and kids. it'll be a mad house, but it's all love i promise you. just, be prepared for a barrage of questions and kids wanting your attention."

"how many brothers do you have?" he asked.

"three older brothers - logan who's married to brynlee, barrett who's married to alice, and gideon who's thriving single, and two younger brothers - joshua who's married to kyrie, and darren who's 17 so he's single. and all in all, i think i have four, no five nieces and nephews. oh, but alice is pregnant with their first, so like five and a half," you answered, breathing in deeply after the long-winded explanation. you glanced at him with a nervous chuckle. "i told you, it's a lot."

he was smiling widely, shaking his head. "it sounds wonderful. really. i've got a big family too, just all sisters and brother-in-laws. i'm excited to have all those people around again."

your nervous smile softened and you nodded, pulling into the driveway. "i'm glad."

you both climbed out of the car, jake moving to grab his duffle from the back but you shook your head. "leave it, we'll take it back to mine after dinner."

"oh, right," he answered, forgetting entirely that you had your own place and that he was staying there, with you, alone. he trailed after you as you approached the beautiful oak front door.

you turned to him with a grin, hand gripping the door handle. "brace yourself, hangman."

with that, you threw the door open with a yell of, "honey, i'm home!" jake laughed as he watched three kids instantly attach themselves to your legs, the oldest little boy looking about five.

"oh my gosh, you guys are hug!" you exclaimed.

the little boy looked up at jake, his head cocked to the side in evident interest.

"auntie y/n, who's that?" he asked. just as you opened your mouth to answer, a teenager walked in with a teasing grin and answered for her.

"that's her boyfriend," he said in a sing-song tone. you rolled your eyes, whacking him in the shoulder.

"shut up, darren," you said. you picked up the five year old, turning to jake with a smile. "finn, this is jake. jake, this is logan's oldest, finn. he's five."

jake smiled, offering him a little wave. "hey, finn."

you gestured to a little girl at your feet. "and this is leila, finn's little sister. she's three." there was another girl next to leila. "and everleigh, also three. but, she's josh's." you whacked your little brother in the shoulder again, a wry smile on your lips as you tried to not laugh at his dramatic outburst of pain. "and my little brother, darren."

"hi," jake laughed. darren stretched a hand forward, grinning widely.

"welcome to the family," he teased as jake shook the boy's hand. jake laughed heartily.

"thanks, glad to be here."

introductions with the rest of the family continued in the dining room, the remaining two nephews sitting in their dad's lap.

"y/n!" the family chorused.

"hey guys," you grinned. you turned to let jake step forward, your brothers smirking at you as he did so. "everybody, this is jake seresin, my wingman on my last mission." he looked at you with raised brows and a breathy laugh, shaking his head slightly. you concealed your laughing with a slim grin, continuing. "he's gonna be spending the weekend with us."

your mother approached with a sweet smile on her face. "jake, how wonderful to meet you. y/n's told us so much."

"oh has she?" jake asked with a grin in your direction. he shook her hand gently, a small smile directed at the older woman.

"enough for us to be glad to have you," your dad chimed in. "we hear you're competitive. you good at water sports?"

"can't say i've tried any," jake laughed sheepishly. you exchanged grins with your brothers. you patted his arm.

"don't worry, we'll change that," you told him. you turned your attention back to your family. you took your time to point out each brother and sister-in-law, and your remaining two twin one year old nephews, brigham and beckham, who were josh's.

everyone was very welcoming towards him and he found his heart swelling at the experience of being with so much family. as they all conversed and ate, he began to realize where you had gotten all of your snark and sarcasm - he supposed that's what growing up with five brothers got you. but, as he watched the way your mother treated everyone and how your father ensured the teasing never reached a tipping point, he also began to understand how you tended to know the balances of things and always be cordial to others. it was a talent that slipped his mind some of the time, but in the presence of such kind people he made sure to do.

darren had taken an extreme liking to the 30-year-old, asking him all sorts of questions about what he flew, how he flew, what missions he'd been on (which he obviously couldn't tell him), and everything about the navy. this got finn excited too, the little one climbing on your lap just to lean over to jake to catch his attention.

"you do realize that i'm in the navy too, right?" you asked darren with a raised brow, pulling finn back to keep him from slipping off your knee as he held onto jake's arm. "everything he's done, i've done. you've never asked me before."

"you're not as cool, y/n," gideon teased you in response, darren laughing and nodding in agreement.

"i'd have to agree," jake said, winking at you as your brothers laughed.

"so, where are you from, jake?" your mom asked with a smile.

"odessa," he answered, matching her smile. "born and raised texan."

"good," your dad nodded. "your family still back there?"

"yes sir," jake said. "mom and sisters at least. dad died a few years back."

"sorry to hear that, son," your dad said, giving him a small nod.

"odessa," your mom hummed. "what did you say your last name was again, honey?"

"seresin," jake answered politely.

"your mom's maiden name?" she furthered. jake laughed, glancing at you momentarily.

"sorry, mom grew up in odessa," you told him with a short laugh, shooting your mom a look to stop interrogating him. "sure she's just trying to make connections."

"oh, it's fine," jake said. it was a common occurrence in texas. "she was a gilbert."

"gilbert," she repeated again. her eyes lit up. "alyssa gilbert?"

"yeah," he laughed. "you know her?"

"we went to high school together!" she cheered. "how about that? we're friends on facebook but haven't talked in years. i'll have to tell her i've got you over here, maybe they can come over sometime! have a barbeque, go to the lake. you got a lot of siblings, jake?"

"four sisters," he nodded, smiling at her enthusiasm.

"oh, wonderful! that would be so fun, wouldn't that be so wonderful y/n?" she asked, turning to you. from next to her alice and kyrie were about to burst into laughter, barrett winking at you. you pulled a thin smile, trying to avoid estranging jake because of your overly-enthusiastic mother.

"yeah, that'd be something, ma," you answered, returning your attention to the potato salad on your plate.

"i'm sure they'd love that," jake said, appeasing your mom.

after a few hours and several slices of pie, you were leading jake back out to your car. darren followed you to the door, grinning widely.

"drive safe!" he called as you threw yourself into your seat. "no fun allowed tonight! i mean it!"

you slammed your door shut, flipping him off through the window, though he could barely see it with the dim light in the car. jake laughed loudly, getting in his seat as darren returned inside. as soon as his door was shut you let out a breathy laugh.

"well, that was fun," you said. "i think they like you."

"i think they do too," he said with a small smile. "i really like them, y/n."

"i'm glad. they're my favorite people," you told him.

you reached around to buckle and he followed your lead as you backed out of the driveway.

"so, where's your place at?" he asked as you turned onto the dirt road, continuing further into the property.

"just a few minutes down the road," you answered. "my parents promised each of us some land if we wanted to build on it. the only one who doesn't have a place out here is gideon, he lives in houston. says he doesn't need it because he isn't planning on getting married and having a family anytime soon."

"oh," jake said, looking at you intently. "but, you've got a place out here."

"yeah, so what?"

"are you planning on a family anytime soon?"

you glanced at him, furrowing your brows slightly. "i was. saved up for my place since high school, got some of my dad's buddies to give me discounts, designed it, helped build it when i could while going to college. then, well, my plans changed. i dropped out of college and went into the navy, got shipped out two years later. my house was finished though, so i kept it."

he thought on your answer for a few moments. "you didn't answer my question."

"the answer is i don't know," you sighed, pulling into your garage. "would i like to have a family? sure. is it gonna happen for me? probably not. and hey, i have things to do, i love my job... life's okay for me."

you laughed shortly, looking back at your fellow aviator.

"what?" he asked.

"wasn't expecting to talk to you about that today. don't really tell people things like that."

"then why'd you tell me?"

"why'd you ask?"

you both paused, a small smile pulling at your lips before you turned away, pulling your door open. he followed suit, grabbing his bag and following you into the two-story farmhouse. it was beautiful, he had to admit.

"you designed this?" he asked, looking up at it while you turned the key.

"yep," you answered. "my pride and joy."

"that's such a texas thing," he laughed, following you inside. "you built your own house? if a girl i met at the bar said she built her own house i might just marry her right then and there."

"that's a weird thing to admit, seresin," you laughed, gesturing for him to follow you upstairs.

"what? i like a blue collar woman," he shrugged. he grinned widely. "they're usually way sexier too."

you rolled your eyes, sighing, "there's the hangman i know."

you approached the first door to your right, pushing it open. "this is you. there's a bathroom attached and you can keep your things in the dresser if you'd like. i'm just down the hall here."

he entered the room, tossing his bag on the white comforter. he looked around with a nod. "thanks bronco. i owe you one."

"you don't owe me anything," you said with a shake of your head. "well, except for a promise to try everything i tell you to tomorrow."

he laughed. "deal."

"you're in for it," you promised. "we need to meet at mom and dad's at 7, so be up by 6:30. i'll come and knock to make sure you're up."

"sounds good," he answered.

you smiled, nodding slowly as you stayed leaning in the doorway for a few moments. "i'll, uh, i'll see you in the morning. goodnight, jake."

"goodnight, y/n," he said. "thanks again. i'm excited."

"me too." you disappeared from his sight, the man leaning to watch you walk back to your room. he smiled slightly before turning back to his bag, beginning to unpack the few contents into the dresser next to the bed.

it was 6:35 when you finally rolled out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. you knew you had to get up, you just desperately didn't want to.

you pulled yourself out from under the covers, walking slowly to your closet. you grabbed the navy blue swimsuit you'd set out the night before: a longline bikini top that you knew would stay secure during water sports and matching high-waisted bottoms. you pulled a pair of denim shorts over, not bothering with a shirt.

you pulled open your door and then walked into the extremely bright hallway. with a hand blocking the light from your eyes, you approached jake's door, knocking slowly.

it was swung open quickly to reveal an all ready hangman, clad in dark blue swim shorts and a white tee shirt you were sure would be coming off as soon as water was in sight. that's how he was anytime you and the crew would lounge the beaches of hawaii and you were confident it wouldn't be any different here.

he eyed your swimsuit and you eyed his, both letting out short laughs.

"looks like we'll be twinning out there, darlin'," he teased. you shrugged.

"makes for cuter pictures," you answered, smirking. "grab your things, i'll be down in a sec."

he nodded and you turned back to grab your sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat before jogging down the stairs to find jake sitting on your counter.

"ready?" you asked. he nodded, hopping down and following you out the door and to your car.

when you pulled up to the house, darren was quick to comment on the swimsuit situation.

"and you say you aren't a couple," he said with a smirk.

"well, we're not. it's just a coincidence," you said with a roll of your eyes, pushing past him to get to where your dad was loading up the jetski and canopies.

"ouch," darren said with a laugh, turning his attention to jake. "she's in a bad mood."

jake shrugged. "it was just a coincidence."

he followed your lead and took some camping chairs from your mother, smiling graciously as he loaded them into the back of the truck. as you finished strapping down the jetski, logan pulled up with a beautiful white and blue surfboat.

you were shaken out of whatever mood darren's comment had put you in as you shook jake's arm and ran to where logan parked, jake following you with furrowed brows.

"jake," you said with a grandiose expression. "this is my pride and joy, my beautiful bluey."

"bluey?" he laughed. "you named your boat?"

"technically, it's our boat," logan corrected.

"right, but still," you shrugged. "a beautiful, 2014 cobalt surf boat, one of the first they've ever made. way better than the crappy mastercraft we used to have."

"what's wrong with a mastercraft?" jake asked, realizing very quickly that he was incredibly out of his element. logan laughed, shrugging.

"it's the honda of boats," he answered.

"ah," jake said, understanding as he nodded his head.

"alright everyone, pack it up!" your mom yelled.

as everyone piled into the two trucks and one ford explorer, jake looked at you, wondering where to go.

"there's some more seats in josh's," your mom told you, but you shrugged.

"too cramped," you answered, instead stepping onto logan's back tire and sitting down in the bed of the truck. jake grinned, following quickly and plopping down next to you.

"we got some nice privacy back here," he mused, winking at you jokingly.

you laughed, rolling your eyes. "oh yeah, take advantage of it, seresin."

"i might just," he said.

when you all pulled up to the lake, you and jake hopped out of the back.

"i'm gonna drive the boat out," you told him, "as logan backs it into the water. do you wanna just get in with me?"

"sure," he agreed, walking with you a few steps until you were at the back. "need a hand?"

you were, in fact, slightly too short to be able to get on it while it was still on the trailer. you nodded. "that'd be great, actually."

he held his hands down and boosted you up as you stepped on them, the man quickly following.

"shoes off," you instructed, slipping off your sandals and throwing them under one of the seats, jake following your lead. as you stood in front of the seat, you slid the key in and gestured for logan to back it up into the water fully.

jake watched in awe as you worked the boat expertly, yelling instructions and giving hand signals to direct your brother as far back as you needed, eventually having jake jump out to unstrap the sides and give you a little push off until you were able to turn the boat and blower on and push it out yourself. as he pulled himself back in and came up behind you, he watched the way your hands worked the steering and throttle.

"impressed, hangman?" you laughed, glancing back at him. "i'm surprised - i fly planes for a living, you think i can't drive my own boat?"

"no, i'd be disappointed if you couldn't," he laughed, sitting in the passenger seat as you pulled off the ramp and started towards your previously decided beach spot. darren was on the jetski, following you from a distance.

"just wait until we really get going," you told him with a grin. "you can be impressed then."

"counting on it, darlin'," he said.

when you found your family you let logan grab the larger anchor and tie the boat to the beach as you and jake exited the boat, your shorts and his shirt coming off before you dropped in the water.

you glanced at him before slipping into the water, refusing to blush at your friend's abs. you knew he was attractive and you knew he was toned - you'd been to the beach with him before. but still, you couldn't deny that jake seresin was a sight to see.

on the flip side, he couldn't deny that you looked good. like, really good. he'd seen you in a swimsuit before too, but he always found it difficult to keep his eyes off. you were drop dead gorgeous, he'd admit that to anyone, any day of the week - except for your family, right this moment.

not that they needed to ask. they could tell. or at least, a few of them could.

"how do you spend time with him and not just fall in love?" kyrie asked you in a hushed whisper as you dropped into a camp chair next to her. you laughed.

"he's... hangman. he's just hangman. we're friends," you shrugged.

"any chance you want to be more?" brynlee asked, wiggling her brows as alice and kyrie giggled.

"oh, keep to your own lives," you said, leaning back in your chair.

"our lives are boring, we've already got our men - you're still working on yours," kyrie said.

"i think you've already found him," alice said with a small smile. she nodded to where darren was punching around with jake, jake finally shoving him into the water where the boy tripped back and soaked himself. jake laughed loudly before getting attacked from behind by finn, turning to pretend fight the boy off.

"aw, he's so sweet y/n," brynlee said, grabbing your arm with a smile, effectively shaking you out of your trance. he had been so good with your family so far, you wondered if this was how he was normally - without all the bravado required for aviation.

"yeah, i guess he is," you mumbled. you cleared your throat, looking back at your sister-in-laws. "he's usually a lot louder and cockier than this. you'll see later while we're playing around. he's a tease."

"i think you're the tease right now," kyrie laughed. "you didn't see the way he was looking at you when you were walking up to the beach. you looked hot and he knew it honey."

"no way," you said with a shake of your head. "we're just friends."

"you might've started the weekend that way," brynlee said, standing up with a teasing smile. "but you won't end it that way."

your mouth fell open in shock as she walked to logan, scooping leila up in her arms and laughing as the three year old did. you shook your head, turning your attention to the other girls.

"she's right, you know," alice said. "don't look behind you."

and so you didn't, instead watching as the grins on their faces grew and grew until someone had grabbed your chair, lifting it from behind and making you stand. you landed on your feet, turning quickly to find jake with a grin.

"what?" you asked.

"come one, your dad's decided that me and you are going first," he told you.

"on what?" you asked. he paused.

"don't know. just, come on," he said, grabbing your hand and dragging you over to where your brothers and dad had made a group.

"what am i doing?" you asked with a laugh as you approached them.

"kneeboarding," josh answered. "easy."

and "easy" is what you told jake when you were in the middle of the lake, life jackets on, with kneeboards in your hands, just finished with giving him instructions.

"yeah," he nodded. "i got this. easy."

"you got this," you agreed with a laugh.

"but, when do i pull up on it?" he asked.

"after the boat starts going but before it gets up to speed. just - i'll tell you when," you told him, earning a nod in return.

the look on jake's face as you yelled "ready!" to logan was priceless. he was focused - so focused. maybe even more focused than you'd seen him in a jet. and as logan began moving, his face only hardened that much more.

"okay, pull yourself up!" you yelled, sliding your knees onto the back of the board and shimmying your way all the way up. you strapped the velcro strap over your thighs, settling in as the boat pulled you along before looking over at jake.

his entire board was shaking as he tried to move his knees up, his hands clutching the side desperately. eventually, he managed to get up, leaning back with a sigh and finagling with the strap.

"got it?" you called.

"yeah!" he called back as he secured it. you leaned forward, hands gripping the wide handle. before you pulled it off its knob that kept you attached to the boat, you looked at jake for affirmation. he nodded, grabbing his own and watching you as you pulled yours off, leaving just your hands on the rope keeping you to the boat.

"lean back! relax!" you said over the sound of the water, laughing as he leaned back, causing his board to twist a little and his eyes to widen as he regained balance. "good!"

he looked at you with a grin, holding his hand up in the 'hell yeah' sign, or really just 'aloha' surfer sign. you laughed and did it back. you leaned to the side, skidding up next to him.

"wanna try some tricks?" you asked.

"yeah, you go first," he said, nodding at you. you grinned.

"alright, first we'll get you to go out of the wake," you told him. "you just gotta get some momentum and lean hard. don't twist your board, just lean. watch, and if i wipe out just let go, k?"

you leaned back to your side, your board catching speed and exiting the wake. you did his little hand signal back to him with a laugh, hanging out of the wake for a while. the waves were a bit choppy that day, but you decided to still attempt what you've been wanting to since you knew you were going kneeboarding.

"watch!" you yelled, but jake's eyes had been on you the whole time anyways. you moved one hand to the side of the handle before quickly leaning, flipping around and reaching around the back to grab the handle again.

your brothers whooped in the boat as you grinned, leaning back in to enter the wake.

"pretty cool, huh?" you asked.

"i bet i could do that," he said with a shrug. "easy."

"alright then, go for it," you said teasingly. you were sure he wasn't gonna get it.

but, as he leaned out and successfully got out of the wake, which was a struggle for first-timers normally, your confidence faltered. he slid his hands to the side like you did and turned sharply, then again, and suddenly he had accomplished the goal it took you three summers as a kid to achieve.

"screw you," you laughed as he came back in next to you.

"got anything else?" he asked with a smirk.

"jump the wake," you said, nodding to the side. "get some height, seresin."

"do it at the same time," he replied.

you agreed and you both broke for opposite directions. you tried to get as much speed as you could, but just as you reached the break of the wake, your board caught and you were down.

you found the surface with a cough, glaring at the boat as it turned around to come get you. a little ways away jake was holding his board, a cocky grin on his lips as he waved at you. you rolled your eyes, grabbing your board and trying to not let him see your smile as it formed.

"what was that y/n?" josh laughed as they pulled up next to you, grabbing your board.

"i'm out of practice, okay?" you answered, pulling yourself up onto the surf deck on the back. gideon grabbed jake's board as he swam over to you.

"yeah, well he's had no practice and he still got it," your brother laughed as he set the board next to yours. jake pulled himself up next to you, grinning at you.

"you okay, sweetheart?" he asked.

"you got it?" you asked with raised brows.

"i thought you said it was hard?" he asked. your eyes widened and you searched for words, causing the man next to you to bust up laughing, as well as gideon.

"who's next?" your dad asked.

"me!" darren cheered as he jumped into the water. josh laughed and followed him in. you laughed at the boys before standing, pulling off your lifejacket and hanging the dripping wet thing off the side of the boat, gesturing for jake to give you his own. when you had buckled them to the side, you offered jake a hand which he took, letting you drag him up and to the bow of the boat. you sat back on the front, facing jake as he took the seat opposite to where brynlee was laying out with full intention of tanning. you tucked your legs by his to keep out of her way, but the man didn't look bothered.

you grabbed a towel from the compartment behind you, wiping your arms and hair before tossing it to jake. he dried his chest before balling it up and leaning on it like a pillow, laying out like brynlee.

you sat there for a few moments before standing and approaching the glove box, grabbing yours and jake's hats and glasses. you walked back up, dropping his glasses in his lap and pulling his hat down backwards on his head.

he grinned at you as you sat back down, tucking your legs to the side of him again. you pulled your hat on backwards too with a teasing grin his way.

"twins, right?" you asked. he laughed as you leaned back, settling your glasses on the bridge of your nose.

afterwards, you stared at him, eyebrows furrowing after several moments. he quirked a brow at you, finally asking, "what?"

"your glasses are cooler than mine are," you told him, jokingly pouting like finn whenever you didn't give him his goldfish crackers. you both had basic black glasses on, but his were cool, classy aviators that he definitely spent more that $15 on as opposed to your walmart ones.

this caused him to smile and he leaned forward. "here, sweetheart."

he pulled your glasses off your nose as he pulled his own off, dropping yours in his lap for a moment so he could situate his 'cool' sunglasses on your face. he pulled yours on and leaned back again, patting your leg. "better?"

"much," you laughed. out of the corner of your eye, brynlee was smirking at you both, turning back to grin at her husband when neither of you would look at her.

she pulled her phone from the cupholder next to her, flipping to the camera. she waved her hand at you guys. "scoot in, i wanna get the glasses."

you rolled your eyes with a smile, scooting from your position at the front to be perpendicular to where jake was laying, the man moving to the side to let you in before leaning towards you, an arm wrapping around your torso so as to give you more room. you looked at him briefly, his wide grin with your slightly girly glasses on his face making you laugh, your smile more legitimate than it had been before as you looked at brynlee. he rested his cheek on your head after a moment, your smile unintentionally widening again.

when she lowered her phone, you leaned over to see the picture - and it actually was really cute. the only pictures you had with jake were in your flight suits or decently drunk at a pool table, so you were kinda glad to have one normal, decently cute one now. even though you were just friends, of course.

"send that to me," you told her with a smile. you slid back to your original place, pushing jake's legs out of the way to give yourself space. he rolled his eyes at you, scoffing, but you knew he was just teasing.

you pretended not to notice how jake's hand fell back onto your leg, instead just letting the wind blow your hair around with a smile as you watched your brothers get on the kneeboards. you also pretended not to notice how the entire time they did so, jake's eyes never once travelled back to them, instead resting on you.

this was gonna be one fun trip.

[stsgluver]

𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 — gojo satoru

synopsis. libraries and gojo do not mix

wc. 1.3k

tags. rb!gojo, gojo x reader, reader is close friends with geto + shoko, gojo is described as an 'attention whore'

a/n. i might write for choso next since ive got some yuuji's older brother x babysitter ideas

series masterlist

“say it again.”

“now you’re just fishing for compliments.”

gojo’s head rested on his crossed arms as he stared up at you with those cerulean eyes that you so adored. he wore a confident grin as he shrugged off your allegations, “i’m gorgeous who wouldn’t want to compliment me?”

you scoffed, maybe a little too loudly for the student library you were currently in (they dreaded whenever you walked in with your snowy-haired boyfriend in tow since he couldn’t shut up for more than thirty seconds). “maybe someone who has three exams,” you emphasised by showing him your laptop screen with more tabs open than you could count, “in the next week and actually wants to study so they can pass.”

“my trust fund’s probably more than you could ever make working,” gojo waved a hand dismissively.

“that’s brilliant, satoru,” you deadpanned, “i’m not leeching off of you.”

“it’s not leeching, it’s love,” he said wistfully, blowing you a kiss.

you shook your head in disbelief – his parents had raised him in such a controlled environment, teaching him about his future important roles and the importance of his wealth. he’d risk it all for you and a relationship that he was not even sure was forever. well, in gojo’s mind you were forever – in his dad’s? not so much. so your boyfriend can’t exactly blame you for your hesitancy when his dad asked him at least once every week if he had broken up with you yet.

“i will never understand you.”

“but you do baby. better than anyone.” there was a sincerity in his tone, one that convinced you that he was right and you two were meant to be it for one another. he leant forward to press a quick peck on your lips, sitting himself back down far too soon for your liking. you weren’t even ashamed by how quickly he had you staring back at him with hearts in your eyes.

“this is a public space. i did not come here to see that.”

you twisted your head to see shoko grimacing with geto in tow, an unlit cigarette between her lips as she stuck her nose up at the two of you. they had just come out of their own exam and you were surprised that shoko hadn’t chosen to go and have a smoke before she met you. presumably, you took it as a sign she felt she hadn’t completely bombed out. 

pulling out the seat next to you, you excitedly gestured for your close friend to sit, having barely seen her for the last couple weeks with exams and assignment deadlines. she pushed her bag off of her shoulder, dropping down into the seat next to yours, before leaning across to steal the bag of crisps that you had next to your laptop.

“where’s my kiss, pretty boy?” geto sat down in the seat opposite gojo, an over exaggerated pout on his lips, the metal hoop on the corner of his mouth jutting out. he sent you a wink when you rolled your eyes at his usual flirting with your boyfriend. 

“see!” gojo didn’t even flinch when you elbowed him in the side because of how loud he was being. one of these days they were going to outright ban you altogether and then you would never get a moment of peace to yourself to study. “he compliments me. i wish he was my girlfriend.” 

you, again, went to hit him in the side, but this time he caught your arm, pecking your cheek quickly despite you trying to wriggle out of his gasp.

“shhh,” another student in the room hissed and gojo quietly groaned (somehow always the victim in his mind), releasing your arm and slumping down in his seat like he’d just been scolded by his mother. shoko snickered at his behaviour and the look on your face.

“can we please leave?” gojo whined a little more quietly, though not by much, resting his head on your shoulder. glancing over between the two who had just finished their exam, you let out a quiet sigh. they’d made no effort to take any materials and of their bags yet so there was no way they were going to be doing any studying now either. you were outnumbered three to one.

“depends,” you slowly closed the screen of your laptop slowly, gesturing between your boyfriend and geto opposite who raised an eyebrow. “you really want suguru to be your girlfriend instead of me? over a compliment?” you folded your arms in front of your chest, trying to not laugh as you acted serious.

geto clasped his hands together, clicking his tongue, “you hadn’t told her yet?”

gojo lifted his head from your shoulder, hesitantly glancing towards you with a grin he couldn’t hide as he (unsuccessfully) tried to shuffle his seat away from yours, “i was getting there. haven’t you seen her? she’s violent, i was scared.” 

“funny that,” you pointed a thumb at your snowy haired boyfriend, “weren’t you just offering me your trust fund?” 

that peeked shoko’s interest and she held out her hand to you, “i’ll go halfsies with you on that.”

“of course, anything for you,” you agreed, slipping your hand into hers and giving it a quick shake. shoko winked now at gojo, who’s mouth had dropped wide open at how carelessly you’d just hypothetically given away half of his money.

“woah, woah,” geto raised his hands in the air, bringing the attention back to him as hbe leant back in his chair, “this changes things dramatically. i was only ever here for the money.”

gojo gasped and stood up, overwhelmed by the consecutive betrayals, pointing an accusatory finger at his best friend, “you’re literally rich yourself. how could you use me like this?” to any random onlooker, they may have actually been convinced that he was seriously devastated by his fake mistress’ words.

“yeah but spending someone else’s money means everything’s free. i’m not asking for much, i deserve a life with no burden.” shoko stood up so she could reach across the table and give him a high five. 

gojo held out his hand, aggressively raising his fingers as he listed aloud, “i’m feeling undervalued, underappreciated, under-”

your boyfriend almost jumped out of his skin as a librarian placed a hand on his shoulder. it was almost comical at how this older woman, half the height of gojo, glared up at him. “excuse me sir, we’ve had several complaints,” though her words were formal and polite, she gritted her teeth as she spoke, narrowing her eyes at the disruptive male. if it were up to her, there’d be a large sign of his face on the door with a massive, red ‘x’ through it.

“sorry ma’am,” geto stood up and bowed his head, clearing his throat as he tried not to laugh, “we will be leaving now.” gojo nodded in agreement, slipping under the woman’s grasp and scurrying out of the room with geto close behind.

“i’m going to kill him,” you muttered, although you were still smiling as you hurriedly packed your laptop back into your bag to follow after your boyfriend. 

“all of that walking for nothing,” shoko complained as you stepped outside to see gojo and geto at the bottom of the stairs. pulling out her favourite yellow lighter from her pocket, she finally lit the cigarette she’d been teasing herself with since she’d left her exam.

once you got to the bottom of the stairs, gojo hooked his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to himself. geto stole shoko’s cigarette to take a hit, blowing out the smoke upwards before he looked between the three of you. “where to now?”

“i’m treating you all to ice cream with my hard earned money,” gojo pressed a kiss to the side of your head before lightly shoving you off of him, giggling to himself. “kidding! we’re all racing and whoever gets there last has to pay.”

taglist. @jar-03 @animeflower26 @hyori2 @ja-zz

[musicforastylesrestaurant]

Flower Crowns.

masterlist || ask my anything <3

anniversary masterlist here !!

authors note - hi!! this is the last post ill be doing for my anniversary week and this is one of my most favourite little one shots ive wrote in my opinion so i hope you enjoy, it’s a little bit dark so if that’s not your cuppa then feel free to skidadle ☺️

word count - 1k

in which, harrys your body guard because your father is a mafia boss and instead of him taking a bullet for you, you end up taking a bullet for him.

warnings - mentions of guns and shooting, mafia, vulgar language and blood.

With your books hugged close to your chest and your backpack thrown over one shoulder, The campus is bustling with students, the energy vibrant and contagious. You and your best friend Rayleigh chat animatedly, caught up in the ease of your conversation.

"I can't believe Professor Thompson assigned us another case study," Rayleigh groans, rolling her eyes. "Does he think we have no other classes?"

You laugh, adjusting your grip on your books. "I know, right? As if we didn't already have enough on our plates. But I guess it's good practice."

Rayleigh nods in agreement, her expression softening. "Yeah, you're right. Still, it's going to be a long night. Coffee later?"

"Absolutely," you reply, grinning. "I wouldn't survive without our study sessions."

As you walk through the corridors, you spot Harry leaning casually against your locker. His presence is striking, a mix of calm and vigilance that makes him stand out from the crowd. He's dressed in a plain black T-shirt and jeans, his tattooed arms crossed over his chest.

"There's your shadow," Rayleigh teases, nudging you gently.

You chuckle, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and amusement.

Rayleigh gives you a quick hug. "See you later."

"Bye, Ray," you say, waving as she heads off.

You approach your locker, where Harry straightens up as you get closer.

"Hey," you greet him, opening your locker and starting to put your things away.

"Hey," Harry replies, his voice steady and calm. "How was class?"

"Busy, as usual," you say, glancing over at him. "Professor Thompson assigned us another case study. I'm starting to think he enjoys watching us suffer."

Harry chuckles softly. "Sounds intense. Y’handling it okay?"

"Yeah, it's all part of the deal," you shrug, organizing your books. "How about you? How's standing guard duty treating you?"

He smirks. "S’a bit different from m’usual assignments, but I don't mind. Keeps me on my toes."

You finish putting your things away and close your locker, turning to face him fully. "I appreciate it, you know. Having you around makes me feel a lot safer."

Harry's expression softens slightly. "S’the goal. M’here to make sure nothing happens to you."

You nod, feeling a sense of comfort in his presence. "Thanks, H. It means a lot."

He nods in return, his gaze steady and reassuring. "Anytime. Ready to head home?"

As you walk towards your car, chatting with Harry about inconsequential things, a sense of normalcy begins to settle over you. The campus is still busy, students milling around, completely unaware of the tension that shadows your every step.

Suddenly, you notice a red dot flickering on Harry's chest. Your heart stops. Your mind races, realizing the implications—someone knows Harry is protecting you, and taking him out would make it easier for them to get to you.

Without a second thought, you push Harry out of the way. "Harry, look out!"

A gunshot rings out, splitting the air, and you feel a searing pain in your shoulder. You scream, falling to the ground in front of him.

The world spins as you hit the pavement, agony spreading through your body. Students around you scream and scatter, the chaos erupting in the once peaceful campus.

Harry is at your side in an instant, his face a mask of panic and horror.

"No, no, what have you done?" he cries, crouching down next to you. "Silly, silly girl."

A tear slips down his cheek, and your heart aches at the sight. You've never seen him cry before, not once in all the time you've known him. The anguish in his eyes is almost too much to bear.

You manage to smile weakly through the pain. "Harry... you're too pretty to cry."

"And you're too pretty to die," he replies, his voice breaking. "S’was never supposed to happen. S’my job to protect you."

He presses down on your wound, trying to stop the bleeding, his hands shaking. "Everything is going to be fine. Just hold on, help is coming."

You focus on Harry’s face, seeing the raw emotion and determination in his eyes.

"Promise me….you'll be careful," you manage to say, your voice barely audible.

"M’promise," he says fiercely, more tears falling. "But y’have to promise me you'll fight. Fight to stay with me."

You nod weakly, using every bit of strength you have left. "I'll... fight."

As the world around you blurs and fades, Harry’s face is the last thing you see, filled with raw, heartbreaking emotion. He leans closer, his voice trembling.

"I love you," he whispers, his words like a lifeline pulling you back from the brink.

Love.

You had always loved Harry, you can’t pinpoint a time when you first felt it, perhaps it was when you first met him, or when your lips first connected to his, but it was a feeling you had always felt and always would feel.

"I... love you too," you whisper back, your voice barely more than a breath. The pain is overwhelming, and you can feel yourself slipping away.

"Tell my father..." you start, struggling to get the words out. "Tell him I want a flower crown... when I'm buried."

Flower crowns had always been your thing, your mother had taught you how to make them when you were little and your father always had one in his office, as a reminder of both you at her.

His girls.

They were a symbol of your family.

Like a family crest.

Harry shakes his head fiercely, more tears spilling down his cheeks. "You're not going to get buried because you and I are going to get married and live forever. We'll have babies and grow old together."

You manage a faint smile at his words, the thought of a future with him a beautiful distraction from the pain. "Harry..."

"Stay with me," he pleads, his voice raw with emotion. "Keep your eyes open. Don't you dare close them."

[python333]

HAI! i rlly like your platonic 141 fics and I'm wondering if we could get some more dad price and/or brother gaz sleepy cuddles? :3

stretched too thin — python333

— — — —

synopsis gaz notices you overworking yourself one night and decides to step in before you end up pulling an all-nighter.

relationships platonic!gaz & gn!reader.

characters gaz.

word count 2.05k

warnings 2nd person pov [you/yours/yourself], usage of pet names [love, darling], usage of c/n [code name/call sign].

note oh my god im so sorry i disappeared for like. a month. ill try my best to not be gone for more than a week at a time, but with all of my schoolwork and just over all stress ive been experiencing lately, i dont know if ill be able to get fics out every week :< ill try my best though! please accept this fic as an apology—its another big bro gaz one!! special shoutout to everyone else who has an older sibling thats very distant with them, you and me are in the same boat fr!! also, last thing—im thinking about making a discord server where i announce when fics are being written and published and stuff, but i dunno if yall would join or anything, so if u would pls lmk!!

You haven’t left your office in five hours. 

Recently—just about two days ago—you finished up an assignment fairly quickly and, as a result, had to write a detailed report of said assignment. It went over the mission you’d gone on, and listed off every major detail you could think of, though because you just can’t give yourself a break you were constantly thinking of other details you might’ve missed even though there was little chance you’d missed anything.

The mission wasn’t anything too important, honestly. It was originally going to be a week-long camp-out reconnaissance by an enemy task force’s base, obtaining information on their schedule and what they did throughout the day and whatnot. However, only a day into the mission, the small squad of soldiers that had accompanied you saw another small military group observing the same group you’d been observing.

So, naturally, you observed them as well. Aren’t you just the best multi-tasker?

The task force eventually found out about the other group, just a day later, while your squad was still in the clear to continue your observations. So, your mission had quickly come to a close—but, because of the circumstances under which the mission had come to a close, you were required to write an extremely detailed report on the other group and the group you’d been observing.

It would be an understatement to say you were tired. You’re exhausted.

Between the non-stop writing, the coffee sitting on your desk that’s been microwaved five times and has been refilled thrice, and the uncomfortable chair you’ve sat in that you have yet to replace, you’re extremely exhausted. Your movements are sluggish, your fingers aren’t as swift on the keyboard of your computer as they usually are, and worst of all—you still have more to write. 

Your eyes stung and felt dry, your hands felt like they were going to stop working completely at any moment, and you were overall just exhausted. 

You look over at the clock on your desk, and it reads 02:28 AM, indicating that you would only have about four hours to sleep if you went to bed now. I’m too far into this report to stop now, You tell yourself, sighing as you blink slowly at your computer screen, If only my vision didn’t keep getting blurry… 

Suddenly, you hear a knock at the door. Your eyebrows furrow together in confusion, and for a second you think you’re hallucinating until the knock sounds once more. 

Reluctantly, with a voice raspy from not using it almost all day, you call out, “Come in!” 

Your voice is softer and quieter than you’d like it to be, but it doesn’t matter too much to you at this moment—at least, not in your foggy mind that still begs you for sleep, even when you have far more of your report to finish. 

The door opens with a creak, and in walks Gaz. 

“Sarg,” He greets you, not bothering to close the door behind him as he walks up to your desk, “Pleasure to see you for the first time in, what… three days?” 

“Two days and eighteen hours,” You correct him, taking a moment to crack your stiff knuckles, not taking your eyes off of your monitor, “And you know you don’t have to call me ‘sarg’ or ‘sergeant’ or anything. We’re the same rank.” 

Gaz promptly ignores you, “Right, well, anything over a day is way too long for me to go without seeing you. Why’re you all cooped up in here on your computer?”

“‘Cause I need to write a report on my assignment,” You briefly explain, before lightly goading Gaz, “Not all of us need a shit ton of attention every day like you do.” 

“Ehh,” Gaz theatrically makes a thinking face, before shrugging, “Not sure what you mean by ‘us’, but alright.” 

“By ‘us’, I mean everyone but you.” 

“Surely that doesn’t include you, right?” 

“It does.” 

Gaz gasps quietly at your reply, before dramatically responding, “Oh, you can’t be serious.”

“I absolutely can,” You hum, finally taking your eyes off of your computer screen to look up at Gaz, “Is it so hard for you to believe that I don’t need to talk to you every waking hour?” 

“It is, actually,” Gaz scoffs, “Because I know that you do need to talk to me every waking hour.” 

“Uh, no I don’t,” You childishly argue, raising an eyebrow at Gaz.

“Uh, yes you do,” Gaz immaturely argues back, crossing his arms, “Look me in the eyes and tell me that the past two days and eighteen hours haven’t been shit because I haven’t given you any attention.”

You open your mouth to form a response but quickly close it, realizing that yeah, actually, I kind of do crave his attention. 

Fuck.

“You’re not the only person that gives me attention,” You point out, hoping to find some way to change the subject.

“Sure, but you like the attention I give you the most,” Gaz hums, leaning forward to rest his crossed arms on your desk opposite of where you sit.

“You don’t know that.”

“Then tell me that I’m wrong,” Gaz challenges you.

You narrow your eyes at him, glaring at him for a moment before sighing, “You suck.”

“Maybe I suck, but you look like you haven’t slept for the past week,” Gaz points out, “You look exhausted, by the way. And dehydrated. Actually, you just look like the human embodiment of a headache.” 

“What the fuck?” 

“I mean that in the most loving, non-offensive way possible.”

“You come into my office, accuse me of needing attention from you, then you insult me by calling me the human version of a headache?”

“It wasn’t an insult!” Gaz raises his hands in surrender, before sighing, “I’m being serious. You look dead, [c/n]. You need sleep.” 

“What I need is to finish this report,” You huff out, beginning to turn your attention back to your computer, before Gaz’s hand is quickly placed on your chin and forces you to look back at him. 

“No, what you need is some rest,” Gaz argues, more serious this time, taking his hand off of your chin—something you shouldn’t miss nearly as much as you do, the warmth of his hand fading far too quickly from your face—and bringing it back to rest on the desk. 

“Maybe you need rest, Gaz.”

“Sure I do,” He shrugs, “But I’m only going to sleep if you do.” 

You raise an eyebrow at him, “Really? You’re pulling that card?”

“I am.” 

You stare at him for a moment, mentally weighing your options, before sighing and bringing your elbows up to the table so that you can place your forehead in your hands.

On one hand, if you stay in your office you can finish up your report before four and then go to sleep, and hope that you magically feel active even with just an hour or two of sleep in the morning. On the other hand, if you go to sleep now, so does Gaz, and then you both get more than just two hours of sleep. 

After another moment of consideration, you huff out a frustrated breath and mutter, “Fine.” 

Gaz smiles down at you and walks around your desk to your side of it, holding out a hand for you to grab to help yourself up from your chair and using his free hand to save your report and power off your monitor. 

You take his hand and stand up, your legs a little weak and balance iffy from sitting down for so long, but within the next few minutes you’re sure you’ll be able to properly walk. You let go of his hand once you’re positive you won’t fall over, and once he sees that you’re able to walk, Gaz silently walks towards the door of your office. Just as quietly, you follow him. 

He turns off the lights for you and lets you walk out of the office first, locking the door from the inside and closing it once you’re out. Once he’s done, he takes the lead again and you follow him down to his sleeping quarters. It’s not too long of a walk there, only two minutes at most.

Once you’re there, Gaz opens the door and lets you walk in first. Once you’re inside and Gaz has closed the door, you shrug off your camouflage patterned jacket and toe off your already loosened tan boots, leaving you in just your camouflage cargo pants and army green undershirt.

You look down at your pants with a frown, knowing from experience that sleeping in them was incredibly uncomfortable and left you regretting your whole existence the morning after, but before you could even look over at Gaz to tell him of your situation, you felt something being thrown at you. 

You immediately turn your attention to the item that had been hurled at you—the item in question being a pair of gray sweatpants, some that would probably be a little bit looser than you’d prefer on your figure—and then look over at Gaz with a questioning look. 

“Figured you wouldn’t wanna sleep in that,” Gaz shrugs, nodding to your cargo pants in response to your nonverbal confusion. 

You hum in appreciation, not wanting to talk too much at the moment, instead waiting for Gaz to look away before slipping off your pants and replacing them with the sweatpants Gaz had thrown at you. The fit isn’t as uncomfortable as you thought they’d be—they’re loose and hang low on your hips, just like you thought they would, of course, but they don’t feel nearly as weird as you thought they would.

Once you’ve tightened the strings on the waist of the pants, you get into Gaz’s bed, pulling the covers up and over yourself. Gaz quickly settles into the bed next to you, quickly getting himself comfortable under the sheets, and pulling the covers up and over his shoulders in one swift movement.

He gets closer to you, so close that his chest presses against your back and you can feel the tip of his nose ghosting over the top of your head. He wraps one arm over your body to pull you impossibly closer to him, and his other arm snakes underneath the side of your body so that both of his arms are wrapped around you.

He hums contently and his thumb rubs small circles into your clothed stomach, the action—despite being small—causing your stomach to warm up almost immediately. 

“Comfortable, darling?” Gaz asks quietly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. 

“Very,” You mumble back, trying to subtly lean your head back against Gaz in hopes of getting at least one more kiss. Noticing your efforts, he huffs out a small laugh and presses another gentle kiss right at the edge of your hairline before pressing one last one to your forehead. 

Even with the comforting atmosphere, you can’t find it within yourself to fully relax, your body still tense and stiff underneath the blanket. Gaz, just like he did with your “subtle” movements, notices and frowns. 

“Just sleep,” Gaz tiredly mumbles into the top of your head, “You have to get up in three hours. The sooner you sleep, the more sleep you get.” 

You don’t respond, instead simply sighing and forcing your eyes closed. You do have to admit, it’s nice being able to actually close your eyes for something other than blinking, and closing your eyes for longer than half a second has made you realize that they were even drier than you thought they were. 

Exhausted and ready to finally sleep, you eventually get to a point where you no longer need to force your eyes shut, and as a result, your whole body relaxes for the first time in almost six hours. 

“G’night, love,” Gaz murmurs, feeling your body relax next to his. You hum in acknowledgment of his words, not finding the energy within yourself to properly respond, instead finding yourself drifting off into a deep sleep. 

And if four hours later, Gaz wakes up and simply lies there, not waking you and instead letting you get some more sleep despite you having to be up soon, nobody has to know.

[wing-ed-thing]

... And the Beast (Yonji Vinsmoke x Reader) Part II

Synopsis: You thought your little crush on Prince Yonji was a well-kept secret. Yonji is mean enough to exploit your eagerness to please in the face of his unrelenting cruelty; the thought of actually developing a soft spot for you never even crossed his mind.

Word Count: 4.5k

Tags/Warnings: Naive!Servant!Reader, No Reader Pronouns, Canonically Mean Vinsmokes, But Reader is Kinda Into It, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Wall Punching, Language, Reader Falls First, Yonji Falls Harder

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

Notes: My draft of this story in it's entirety is over 14k... and I haven't even gotten to the scene I wanted to write.

The two of you met by mere happenstance, and it was even rarer that the library was ever docked onto an important area of Germa. Spring marked the time for a seasonal cleaning. So, like every year before, the laboratory grunts were to store old accounts in the library and perform an overhaul of laboratory references, guarded by one of Judge’s children. 

Yonji had been assigned guard duty this year, although the responsibility didn’t include much besides docking his fleet around the two storage snails. The men working in the laboratory would march back and forth carrying records and books, and you would assist in arranging your new inventory. 

Aside from the one bulky book tower, the library ship didn't comprise much. The impressive structure took up nearly the entirety of the support snail, sporting several conical turrets and a grand archway in the center. The stone arch formed a closed bridge-like structure connecting the two towers. The northern wing housed important but dated scientific records, while the southern wing stored traditional texts. 

With the bridge sitting near the eyestalks and the crew’s quarters located in the disconnected basement of the southern tower, paper took up more of the library snail than people did. 

Given how little traffic typically went through the library tower, inventory day marked your snail’s busiest day of the year. Approximately five ships anchored around you, not including the laboratory, which was attached directly to your snail. You considered yourself lucky to have soldiers and technicians helping with the sheer volume of inventory, which had been shipped in bulk and hauled onto the library snail via a lift.

Yonji’s ship had docked directly onto the library snail. You remembered when you spotted his green raid suit from the library’s grand window, barking orders and taking command of the troops below. The ensuing wave of emotion nearly knocked you off your feet, a pit of fluttering anxiety festering at the pit of your stomach as you retreated outside to greet him. 

You could recall every stone step down from the second tower and into the arch, and before you knew it, you were across the short yard. You greeted him formally and bowed. You were sure you were shaking. 

Every other member of Germa 66 had served as a guard for you in the past during this occasion. Ichiji and Niji had been assigned to you once each, while Reiju had been several times in the past. But Yonji, in all the time you had been acting as the royal library attendant, had never made an appearance before this past spring.

He didn’t regard you with much, his indifference a stark contract to your acute, starstruck trembling. You bowed politely, blathering something about your job and a promise to do it well. Yonji stared you down with nothing less than annoyance and slight disgust, which, unbeknownst to you, would mark a recurring theme. And that had been your unremarkable first meeting with the fourth prince of Germa. 

Like his siblings before him, Yonji didn’t involve himself much in your affairs. He seemed just about as interested in the reorganization process as he was in you, and you doubted that he’d even do a walkthrough when everything was finished, like Ichiji or Reiju. Instead, he busied himself with what you could only assume was his usual training regiment on the extended courtyard just outside the library window of the southern tower. 

You saw him occasionally, catching a glimpse of green as you walked back and forth between the northern and southern towers with the inventory. And to your surprise, Yonji and his men remained active from the time the library organization team began in the morning until sunset, far later than even the inventory team worked. (The inventory team rose early and stopped in the mid-afternoon.)

You sat in your usual plush chair by the window, the commotion just outside becoming a part of your nightly routine as you read your book in the glow of the sunset. You didn’t even catch yourself staring, drifting off in thought as you watched Yonji interact with the men outside. 

A little voice squeaked your name. You blinked to yourself, trying not to appear as caught off guard as you felt. The cook’s twin children sat on the velvet rug at your feet, eyes squinting in the setting sun's light. The little girl sat hunched, her hands gripping the ankles of her crossed legs, while the little boy lay sprawled out on the rug.

“Sorry, I thought I saw something outside,” you muttered a quick apology before clearing your throat to start again. “‘Well, Father, said Beauty, ‘as the Beast will accept either you or one of your daughters, I will give myself up to his fury, as it is on my account you have been involved in this trouble…’”

You continued to read aloud. Due to the archive ship’s distance from most of the larger snails, the library housed a single cook in a single, below-deck kitchen to support the small staff of you and a handful of soldiers and crew. And, like a surprising amount of non-combatant employees of Germa, the cook had children. 

However, children under the age of twelve were not allowed to roam freely within their respective parts of the caste, and once they were of working age, they were expected to learn servant’s skills. But considering the isolation of the library snail and the few staff members who stepped into the archive at all, you could afford to bend the rules a bit. But with a member of the royal family visiting, one of your many priorities was keeping the children quiet and occupied, especially after dinner.

By the time you closed your book, your voice was beginning to sound hoarse, and the sun had completely set outside. The kids on your rug yawned with drooping eyes. You peered at the clock. You had kept them for far later than you intended to, but you supposed it was better that they were a bit late to bedtime rather than getting into trouble around the ship when the prince was visiting.

“Why can’t we play outside? We usually play outside after stories, and we haven’t been outside in weeks.” the boy groaned, tensing his arms and legs in a full-body stretch before letting them hit the rug below. “We’re gonna get vitamin D deficiency and die.”

“Nice try. It’s been two days, and it’s nighttime.” 

The two children huffed. The girl stood and moved to the window to look out at the makeshift courtyard from the windowsill. She stood on her toes, barely able to peer out the glass. The boy rolled onto his stomach before pushing himself to his feet to join her. 

You quickly bolted up with them, ready to pull the two from the window. While you had no issue with the twins listening to a story in the library as the archive’s sole keeper, you anticipated that Prince Yonji might not take terribly well to being ogled at by small, unwelcome children as his battalion trained. 

But to your surprise, all of the soldiers were gone. You glanced at the clock again. You supposed that even people like Yonji had to sleep at some point. 

“C’mon, shark bites.” You set the book of stories on the round table next to your chair. “Let’s get you back downstairs.” 

The twins protested but were too tired to put up much of a fight. You scooped the boy up into your arms. He tucked his head into the nape of your neck, just about falling asleep instantly. You took the girl by the hand, ready to lead them out of the second tower and around the back to the two cellar doors leading to the servant’s quarters. 

Just as you pushed open the doors with your foot to corral the two into the hallway, you could have sworn you heard movement. You were too focused to pay it any mind.

***

It took several days for the books and files to be properly organized into their respective archives—and several evenings of extended, after-dinner storytime sessions—but as had happened every year before, the operation went smoothly. The moment he heard that everything was finished, Yonji immediately called all his men back to their respective ships to depart. 

“Master Yonji?” You trailed behind him, attempting to keep up with his wide-paced stride. Yonji paid no mind to you as he barked orders across the deck. “I don’t mean to insert myself into your affairs, but might I ask if you intend on performing a walk-through inspection? Mistress Reiju often likes to make notes concerning the new orientation to communicate with Lord Judge. And we’ve actually reoriented the delta files a level down this year—”

Yonji suddenly turned on his heel, causing you to smack into him. You recoiled, trying to resist the urge to grab at your nose. You might as well have walked straight into a wall. 

“I don’t remember asking for direction from you.”

The two of you stopped in the middle of the archway, his form barely shaded by its shadow. Yonji stared you down with his dark irises. You took a file out from under your arm. 

“I—” 

Yonji’s fist swiftly struck the wall next to your head. He had backed you up against the wall, now towering over you. The stone behind you crumbled as your knees locked together. Yonji hovered over you, letting out a steady stream of hot, irritated air from his nose. 

You were unaware of how his lips pulled slightly down and of Yonji’s rapid analysis of your face. Instead, your gaze remained solely on the gloved fist next to your head. 

That was the first time Yonji saw that spark in your eye. Your lips formed a passive line, but the shine of authentic amazement that glimmered in your gaze betrayed you. You held a crushing grip on the files in both hands, and neither you nor Yonji mistook the beat your heart skipped as fearful. 

He withdrew his fist, leaving the large divot in the stone. More fractured pieces fell, clacking on the solid ground below. 

Neither of you moved, nor did you say a word. 

You weren’t afraid of him, and Yonji should have been angered. If it were anyone else, he would have been. He stared down at you; his mouth contorted into a wolfish grin as he quickly decided he could make an exception for that stupid gleam of admiration in your eyes. You knew your place, Yonji considered, and it was marveling at his strength. 

Your fate was sealed.

***

Yonji hadn’t wanted you at his quarters the morning of his mission in Speleothem, nor did he call for you for the rest of the day. And so, for the first time in the last few months, you spent your time in the library, tending to the archive. 

You stood in the middle of the largest chamber of the southern tower, basking in the sunlight that flooded through the large window with a few books in your arms. You breathed in the smell of paper and sea air. It was a clean scent and one that you missed now that you spent so much of your time in the main castle. 

You wheeled over the rolling ladder, positioning it right next to the gap you could see a few shelves up. With the three texts tucked into your elbow, you climbed the rungs. The encyclopedias had been slightly stained by dirt and significantly roughed up by the Vinsmoke princes’ target practice, but the damage was nothing a rebinding couldn’t fix. 

The first book filled the gap on the shelf perfectly. Ichiji spent some time picking out his selection when the three princes entered your library. His intention to use the book as a part of his target practice didn’t stop him from picking out a pragmatic option: a collection of writings about early forms and types of gunpowder.

You ventured up the steps to the balcony, finding your next spot near the ceiling by the window. Niji had selected the bulkiest and hardest-to-reach text he could find within reach with the help of his jet-propelled boots. However, his efforts stopped at the very top of the stairs. Despite his intentions to torment you, his apparent curiosity seemed to fade with the effort of venturing up to the balcony. You placed the book in its spot, the compilation of weather patterns, maps, and navigational information making for a tight fit. 

Yonji had selected the last book, although his choice didn’t appear to have much reason behind it. You were sure he was going to take the book you already had out. A piece of the late queen’s collection, the completed set of folk stories and fairy tales from all four blues had a near-permanent residence next to your usual reading chair. You pulled it enough to read to the twins, if not to yourself, for nostalgia’s sake. 

You remembered how he stopped, head tilted downward, to read the book’s cover. With the two tips of his fingers, Yonji gently turned the book to face him. He had stared at it with his weight shifted to his back leg as he looped a thumb into the front belt loops of his slacks. He looked handsome, you had decided, as he stood posed in the afternoon light. 

But Yonji left the book be, instead opting for the first text he saw on the adjacent shelf: a detailed encyclopedia about birds native to the North Blue. It fit right into the space left for it. 

A gruff rumble sounded behind you. Your heart nearly jumped as you turned on your heel to see Yonji leaning against the open double doors. He cleared his throat again, pushing off the wall with his shoulder. 

“Prince Yonji!” you exclaimed, quickly bowing. “How might I be of service?”

Your heart pounded as you wondered if your eyes were deceiving you. You had been convinced that talking out of term had banished you back to the library for good, but you couldn’t help the deep pang of excited dread that came with Yonji’s rare presence in your archive. 

His eyes narrowed to the side as he approached you. The slightest pout played on his lips as he glanced around. His gaze traveled up the curved staircase to your left and along the balcony as far as his peripheral would allow. You rose from your bow.

“What information do you have on Rivulette?” he asked, and his question filled the air.

You replayed his words in your head, wondering if you heard him right. You tilted your head to the side, blinking as you tried to process what he asked of you. Of all people, Prince Yonji Vinsmoke couldn’t possibly be asking for a book— at least not in person or when he could easily search his own electronic database. (It was likely far more accessible than anything in your library, anyway. The library was extensive, but it was an archive at the end of the day.) 

“Rivulette, as in, the island?” you questioned. Yonji scoffed. With a few shakes of his head, his lashes fluttered closed. 

“Obviously.” He lifted an arm and rotated his shoulder backward to readjust how his usual white, short-sleeved button-up sat around his biceps. Yonji looked off somewhere into the room again with teeth gritted. “Do you have it or not?”

“I think we have some texts on Rivulette, but I don’t know if they’ll be what you’re looking for.” You scurried over to the rolling ladder. Yonji followed indifferently behind you, his scowl still ever-present. “It’s mostly basic geographical—”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he gruffed, standing directly beside where you moved the ladder. He did not hold it for you as you climbed the rungs. 

You stopped three steps up, conscious of his watchful gaze, as you pulled a collection of texts from one of the upper shelves. Yonji watched silently from below, although you weren’t too far above his head. At his height, you were sure that Yonji could have pulled the books himself even without the ladder. 

“I have a geographical account from about a hundred years ago, an autobiography from Rivulette’s eighth president, Brooke Waters…” You trailed off, tilting the shelved texts to allow Yonji to read the spines. You continued to rattle off the titles of the few books you had, all undoubtedly useless, especially considering the context. Yonji had to have a more extensive and relevant wealth of knowledge in his computer system. 

“What’s that one?” Yonji gestured to a text at the very end of the compilation. The spine was easily four inches thick and partially obscured behind a section of your ladder. 

“This one?” You pointed to it, glancing down at— or more accurately toward— Yonji, who rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, that one.”

“It’s an encyclopedia with information on native geography, plants, and animals—”

“Give me a summary.”

You blinked at him. Yonji stared back at you, awaiting an answer.

Oh, he was being serious.

“A summary of all the landmarks and wildlife on Rivulette… from the beginning of time?”

Yonji huffed, shifting his weight to his back leg as he pivoted slightly away from you. He ran a hand up his face into his hair with a shake of his head. When he turned back to you, he appeared to do so reluctantly, folding his fingers on his palm in a waving gesture.

“Just… bring ‘em all down,” he groaned again. Yonji placed his hands near the back of his hips, rotating his torso to stretch as he waited for you to complete your task. 

You eyed the collection of books. While the amount wasn’t necessarily as extensive as some of your other accumulations, the sum of all the spines easily amounted to an arm’s length. You began at the far end, taking two sizeable texts in your hand. You collected them in the crook of your opposite elbow before reaching back for more. 

Yonji observed your efforts with a creased brow and a judgemental dip of his lip. His hands still settled on his hips, although they had balled into scrutinous fists. 

The ladder wobbled beneath you as you piled a total of five books into your elbow, balancing yourself only by the strength in your legs. You missed Yonji’s deep scowl as he stepped toward you. 

“This is ridiculous” was about all the warning you received before you were scooped off the ladder altogether. Yonji lifted you from below, wrapping a singular, muscular arm diagonally around your hips as he effortlessly placed you on the ground below. He did so unceremoniously and easily, like your body weight— along with the small mountain of books that you nearly dropped on the floor in shock— was nothing. 

Yonji moved the ladder out of the way and reached up to grab the rest of the stack with little exertion. Much like how he had forced you out of the way, his actions were straightforward as he supported the pile under his arm. He brushed past you toward the ornate table situated (and screwed down to the floor) just a short distance behind you. 

Yonji placed his sizeable stack on the shiny wooden finish, and you put your smaller collection next to his, seeming to be playing catch-up as Yonji took a seat at the head of the table. 

“Prince Yonji—?”

“Sit.”

You immediately did as you were told, pulling out a chair adjacent to his as Yonji began to separate the books. He appeared deep in thought, studying the covers briefly before spreading them across the immediate surface. Every so often, he would flick one open to thumb through the pages, grumbling to himself before placing the text in its designated pile. 

You studied him, trying to hide your acute surprise as he craned his neck over the encyclopedia from before, his eyes pouring over the glossary. He looked out of place hunched over a large book. For his appearance and general demeanor, you had never thought Yonji to be one for the quiet accumulation of knowledge. 

He was, after all, a physical being in all senses of the word. Yonji boasted a bulky build, which strained most of his clothes, and referring to him as tall was a drastic understatement. It wasn’t difficult to see how much pride he took in being Germa 66’s offensive tank, nor was it hard to notice his immense pride in his physical prowess above all things. You didn’t recall ever seeing Yonji eager to sit still very long for anything, more interested in finding nearly anything else as an excuse to test his strength and power.

You should know. You had been the one tending to his every whim for the past few months. 

And so he sat at the edge of his chair, his forearm reaching across the top corner of his book to grip the top open and flat with a wide, sturdy grip to read. Yonji slung an ankle over his opposite knee, tilting his head at an awkward angle as he sank further into his light research. 

“Commentary.” The word carried a downward inflection like a mix between a demand and a question, but you knew better than to take it as anything less than a command. 

The single word stalled your thoughts. Yonji glanced up, his posture gradually reverting upright as he gripped the page he was on to guide the book closed slowly. Your lips parted to speak, but nothing came out. Yonji’s dark irises stared curiously into yours.

“Commentary on…?”

He leaned back in his chair and coiled his arms over his chest. The hem on the cuff of his short sleeves strained on his biceps. The hems of his clothes were always a bit too small for him, but you supposed that Germa 66 went through too many textiles to put much stake into personal tailoring. 

“I bet you’ve read every book in this goddamn room,” he said, but his words were spoken like an accusation. Yonji gestured loosely with the bob of his shoulder, glancing briefly at the thousands of books that lined the walls. 

You stared down at the encyclopedia, eyes slightly widened as you pondered the best way to answer him.

“I can’t say I’ve read an encyclopedia cover to cover, Prince Yonji,” you spoke quietly. 

Yonji let out a bellowing laugh, letting his mouth hang open wide as he threw his head back. But he cut his laughter short, reassuming his almost hunched-over position at the table with a foxlike glint in his eye. Yonji slid the large book over to you before resting his cheek in his palm. His right hand gripped the armrest of his chair, his elbow creating a ninety-degree angle.

“What do ya remember about this one?” 

The corners of his lips were upturned, not too dissimilar to how he looked when he was up to something mischievous. But the milliseconds you spent trying to figure him out only revealed the true seriousness that lingered just below the surface. 

“Sparking sparrows,” you answered quickly, still unsure as to what he was getting at. Yonji’s frame visibly sunk. The upturned corner of his lips faltered as he glanced off to the side with a deep heave of his chest. 

“Birds?” he spat.

“They’re very small but have very sharp beaks,” you offered. Yonji grew less amused by the second, although you didn’t quite understand why. But despite his evident dismay, he motioned for you to continue. You flipped through the pages quickly, pulling up the entry you were looking for. “They let off little sparks, um, and they use this electricity to terrorize wild snails. There are several accounts of them sticking their heads into transponder snail shells. They’ll actually go out of their way to—”

He shook his head with a deepening frown.

“No, what do you remember about the geography?” 

You sat at the edge of your seat, your lips pursed into a slight line. One of Yonji’s brows twitched in annoyance, and while you weren’t quite sure what he was looking for, you knew at your very core that your answer was not it.

“It’s very pretty?” You unconsciously shrunk farther away from him, which only served to sharpen your posture. You held a death grip on the lap of your uniform, pooling the fabric in your fingers. 

“Ugh, forget it.” Yonji stood suddenly and harshly, causing you to to nearly recoil back into your seat. He slammed his chair into the table, the two hard wooden surfaces coming together with a loud bang before he stalked off. He gestured to the table behind him. “Clean this shit up.”

***

Yonji didn’t like feeling stupid, although he didn’t know what to do with that information other than work off the steam. After an evening of training that was a bit more destructive than it needed to be, dinner, and then a post-workout workout, Yonji finally felt like he had reached an equilibrium. 

Yonji didn’t know what he had been thinking. And your eagerness to please, the very trait that Yonji kept you around for, had vexed him that day. You tried to piece together his ambiguous requests, but each question only served to heat his demeanor little by little in annoyance. He didn’t even know what he was looking for when he visited you in the archive, and your simple questions did little more than call attention to how silly he felt in coming to you.

In fact, by the end of his last gym session, he was convinced that it had all been a waste of time. Yonji, a top commander in Germa’s military force, had followed a lead that turned out to be a fluke. 

He could make peace with a fluke, he decided. But he had wanted to listen to his gut, and with the memories of Speleothem constantly ruminating in his head since the job, Yonji had always followed his instincts. 

But now, he stood in the penthouse office on Rivulette with his siblings. Ichiji and Niji bickered over how to best crack the encrypted snails the client hadn’t told them about in the background. Yonji couldn’t help the heavy pang that reverberated through his chest as he locked onto the window on the opposite end of the room.

He thought he had been shot by something.

“Keep it together, Yonji,” Ichiji gritted. The room was still. 

Yonji hardly heard him. His entire focus was on the small bird he spotted perched just outside the window. The bird pecked at the glass, leaving slight scratches with its shallow electric sparks. He walked over to the window, stopping just before the glass. The bird continued to peck, undaunted by the figure that loomed on the other side. The hand that Yonji held over his chest slowly rose to his mouth and over his right eye.

“Oh, man,” he breathed, glancing behind him. Ichiji and Niji continued to bicker.

Yonji turned back toward the bird, and suddenly, a whole night’s worth of thought spiraled down the drain.

Yonji opened the window.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: It would be my honor and privilege to remind everyone that Yonji stands at a whopping 194 cm (6'4"), so no one better come at me for the size difference. That man is a beast (pun intended).

And I spent an obscene amount of time making gifs to use for this series. It's not even funny.

Also, I use a grammar checker that completely messed up and started deleting random words/parts of words in the middle of the text. Please let me know if there's a crazy typo somewhere.

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

[emmkitt]

Inanimate Fansanity Fanzine Project!

Ive always wanted to organize and host a zine, i thought its be pretty cool. and since II has ended, why not take the opportunity to make an II themed zine?

For this project, we’re calling for WRITERS and ARTISTS from the II fandom!

Every major character will receive their own page in the fanzine, and there will also be room for analysis pages and for-fun content (such as games and coloring pages)

This was just a silly concept my brain conjured up, so it may or may not have the possibilty of being made physically, but when it is complete all of the digital files will be made available!

The cover will be a collaborative project and feature all of the contestants + hosts + cohosts drawn by different artists.

This project is purely for fun! Artists and writers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to partake! I will try my best to ensure everyone who signs up gets a role ^^!! The only requirement is that you must have a Discord (for contacting) and must be +13 (as per Discord usage TOS). As of right now there is also no deadline, but we do set to finish the project at least within a few months at the latest!

If you’re interested in participating, please fill out this google form! Roles will be assigned in 3 days, but you are still free to sign up even after that point in case we need extra roles filled (but know that it’s not guaranteed once the window closes)!

The discord server is here! Please join if you plan to sign up!! it makes contacting people so much easier! It is also where the fanzine roles will be given! https://discord.gg/Z6aMYnC887

You are free to join just to spectate as well!

This is probably the only post I’ll ever ask but… please reblog to help spread the word :]!!

[frustratingfantasy]

Flyboy | Chapter One

Chapter Two

Prologue: You moved to San Diego for a fresh start. You never imagined your best friend Natasha would end up there on deployment. When she asks you to come meet her at the bar, you weren’t expecting to meet a pilot who would make you question everything you’ve come to know about love.

(This is gonna be pretty much all fluff but who knows, things may escalate later on. I’d like for it to become a multi chapter slow burn).

Roller skating the beach was always your favorite thing to do. The side walks always so smooth. The warm salt air hugging you as you fly. You got a call from Natasha about an hour ago telling you to come meet her at a bar nearby. She just got into town on her assignment. Funny how you’d end up living in the town that she would get called to for her first real mission.

She had been your longest friend. Admittedly your only friend. Somehow managing to maintain the relationship through all the shifts and changes in life. You kept her informed of all the dreams you’d chase and hearts you’d break, and she kept you updated with profiles on all the new characters she’d meet and struggles she’d face in her endeavors. You were excited to see her.

As you rolled up to the bar you gave a good look to the bronco out front. You always had a soft spot for classic cars. Popping off your skates out front and slipping on some flops, you headed in. Music playing, people cheering, drunks falling. Maybe you got here a little late, you feel anxious. Dealing with intoxicated people was always easier if you started at the same time as them.

“Y/n!!” You hear a familiar voice and immediately start scanning to your left. “Hey!” Nat emerges, pushing her way pash a group of guys singing. The piano is roaring, someone really knows how to play.

“Oh my gosh I’ve missed you!” You squeeze her tight. “Wow captain, check out that sexy uniform.” You wink and salute her. Nat pushes you playfully.

“Let’s get you a drink, then I’ll introduce you to the crew I’ll be dealing with for the foreseeable future.” She nods to the bar as she speaks.

You follow Nat, noticing the music die down and the jukebox turn back on. You turn to her, “You know I get anxious meeting new people, maybe I’ll just hang out at the bar for a little.”

“Oh no, you’ll fit in just fine with this group. As if the y/n I’ve known has ever been short on personality.” Nat grabs her drink, and your elbow, and starts dragging you off the barstool. Approaching a group of naval uniforms and one... Hawaiian shirt?

Introductions were made, you taking mental note of one Bradley Bradshaw. You were terrible with names, but somehow this one you doubt you’ll forget, it rolled off the tongue quite nicely. After shaking hands and giving head nods, a tall blonde walks up behind Bradley. An introduction coming your way that Nat didn't get around to, or maybe didn't care about.

“I believe you saved the best for last Pheonix,” he pushes pash Nat with a strong arm outreached your direction. Which you take to shake, and he pulls into kiss. “Names Jake Seresin, call name Hangman.”

”Thaaaaaaats a bit more than I needed for a friendly introduction,” you say as you pull back your hand smugly. Nat chuckles in your direction. “I haven't played pool in a while,” you say raising an eyebrow at Nat.

“Girls vs… boy?” Nat says as she looks around, but hangman seems to be the only one interested in actually playing a game. Rooster back at the bar, and everyone else scattered in conversation. So you agreed to a little cutthroat.

“This ought to be good, hangman, think you can take on both the ladies at once?” Rooster crows as he walks back our direction, handing you a drink, he must have noticed you finished your first one. You felt a little flustered as you took it from his hand. He didn't ask if you wanted another one, nor told you he was getting you anything.

Hangman smirks, “ive always been a ladykiller Roos,” he turns to you, “and, ladies first.”

A scoff comes from Rooster as he goes to drink his beer. Immediately you show competence by breaking with some good force. Pool balls bouncing off every end of the table. You find yourself immediately looking at Bradley, whose one eyebrow you see raise from behind those aviators. Handing the stick to Nat and waiting your turn, you take the seat next to Bradley.

“Do all pilots wear those sunglasses?” You ask.

“They make us faster,” he answers in a playful mannor, “You grew up here?” He asks.

You give a little insight into your life and how you ended up in San Diego as well as get a little intel on the handsome pilot before returning to your game. You immediately start putting pressure on hangman, who guaranteed he’d win.

“So you wont mind agreeing to buy the entire bar a round of drinks if you lose? Since youre so sure youre going to win anyways,” You ask Hangman.

He looks around to the increasingly crowded bar, “Okay. But when you lose, I get a date.” He smiles and leans over the table, handing you back the pool stick.

“HA,” Nat laughs, “She’ll win out of sheer willpower now hangman.”

“Deal,” You agree with a smile. And in no time, you win.

Rooster yells to penny who rings the bell and announces the good news. Everyone cheers. The boys immediately start poking fun at hangman. You laugh and take back your seat next to Bradley. “Good job kid.” He gives you a wink, glasses low on his nose. Butterflies in your tummy? It’s been a while since youve had that feeling. You heard a little bit about him from Nat. All good things, he was a gentleman. She would never consider mixing romance into her work, her and Rooster become good friends over school.

You would be lying if you said you weren’t infatuated. It’s been a long time since you've been interested in anyone. You had to question if it was so smart to crush on someone who not only worked with your best friend, but was in a work field that was so demanding. You never were the type to play into a fling. You were a hopeless romantic, dreams always bigger than reality. You’ve come to know that a heart is a heavy burden.

“I’m heading home, you need a ride?” Nat says.

“No thats okay, you go. I’ll finish my drink then skate home.” You smile back at her reassuringly.

“Really, it’s getting dark. Are you sure?” Nat seems slightly concerned but also she glances over to Rooster who, gives a half smile her way. As if to reassure her that she’s leaving you in good hands.

“I know these roads better than you do and I live close by anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow. Beach day before you start your work week?” You insist.

“That doesn't sound like a bad plan, I’ll call you in the morning.” She smiles and heads out.

“From what I hear, you've got a big week ahead,” you say turning to Bradley. You notice him take off his sunglasses and scoot his chair in closer to you than before. Your heart skips a beat. “Uhm, so are you ready?” You ask.

“I’ve been ready for this. I’ve waited a lot longer than you’d think for an opportunity to prove myself,” his response is filled with confidence.

“Well it sounds like you‘re prepared. Sometimes the best opportunities take the longest to arrive.” You finish your beer, feeling a liiittttlllee tipsy. Thinking about your skates outside on the deck.

“Well isn’t that the truth,” he replies gleaming down at you. “So,” he clears his throat, “I simply can’t let you go home alone in the dark.”

“Oh? Who exactly is ‘letting’ you control anything about my nights narrative?”

“Y/n… may I please drive you home?” He asks sincerely.

“Well, i guess because you asked so nicely…” you smile. Noticing your arms touching together. He smells so good. Are you buzzing from the alcohol or from just simply sitting next to him. “Take me home, flyboy.”

A smile spreads across his face, “I already closed the tab.” Bradley gets up first and slides your chair out for you as you stand. Leading the way through the crowded bar to the door. He waves to Penny, and possibly threw a smirk to hangman who noticed you leaving with him. Opening the door for you, then picking up your skates, he walks towards the bronco.

“This is your bronco!?” You exclaimed as he opens the passenger door. Putting your skates inside on the floor. And then holding out a hand to help you into the truck.

“You excited about that lil lady?” He smiles big.

”Ive always loved Broncos, my dad was always fixing up classic cars when i was a little girl. I was admiring it on my way in!” You grab the handle and jump in eagerly, ignoring his hand out for you. He chuckles and closes the door. You give him directions to your place.

Hand out the window making waves in the air. There’s hardly any conversation on the way. It was a quick drive, but the silence was comforting. Smug. It was one of the oddest things you've ever felt. Filled with the security that only an old friend could offer, but brimmed with the excitement of connecting with a complete stranger. As you pull into the parking lot of your apartment you look at the time on the dashboard. Almost midnight.

You look over at Bradley as he shifts into park. He looks back at you. “Are you hungry?” You ask.

“Actually, I am. What’ve you got in mind?”

“Well, theres a great little 24hr diner about three blocks from here. I think it’d fit the occasion perfectly.”

“Alright,” he grins, taking the keys out of the ignition. “Show me the way.”

[jaemmphilia]

★ 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 ★ || seo c.b

★ summary: changbin has been so stressed out with the upcoming school semester. his professors are already drowning him in piles upon piles of work. and don't even get him started on his major. that's where y/n comes in. he can just sense how stressed out his poor boyfriend is, so he gets changbin's favorite food and some booze, making a date of the once stressful night.

★ characters: seo changbin, y/n

★ warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, reader is the sweetest boyf ever, vanilla sex, unprotected sex (say it with me, wrap it before you tap it), this is the softest thing ive written yet, changbin is stressed out from school, reader comforts changbin, mentions of alcohol, mentions of selling crack, changbin has body image issues in this one

★ word count: ~2.1K

★ requested?: yep, thank you @belladonna6-6-6

★ binnie's thoughts: i love domestic shit, despite not ever being in a committed relationship, so i am pretty much living my fantasies through writing... i hope you like it anyways !

★ disclaimer: this fic in absolutely NO way represents the stray kids members as people. this is just for fun, so don't take it to heart. just enjoy!

Changbin wants to drop out so badly at this moment. The semester started like two weeks ago and he wants to rip his hair out (“Babe don’t do that, we just dyed it back to a natural color after that green disaster!” He can hear your voice scolding him without you even having to be near him.). The poor boy is knee-deep in work already, and his dumb professors just keep adding to the pile. What’s he even getting out of doing all this work, anyways? A stupid piece of paper? He majors in music production, in what world will he ever need to know the formula to calculate the circumference of a triangle or whatever the hell it is? 

Changbin lets out his nth groan of the night, his face falling onto his open textbook. He feels tears behind his eyes from the frustration of it all. He wonders if he’s the only one struggling to keep up with all this work. He knows he should probably get up and move his aching legs, but the thought of falling behind on getting everything finished fills him with an anxious feeling. As he contemplates dropping out and selling crack on the street, a knock at his door causes him to open his eyes. He turns on his phone that sits beside his textbook. 10:46 p.m stares back at him. He’s a bit confused, he isn’t expecting anyone to be at his door at this time, so who could it be?

It couldn’t be Chan, he’s glued to his chair at the studio, slaving away making tracks for his music production class. It couldn’t be Jisung, either. He’s knocked out after spending the day with his long-time crush, Minho. So that really leaves only one person, but he honestly thought you would also be asleep after your shift at the campus’ daycare. Chasing kids of various ages all day is pretty draining work. 

Changbin gets up and opens his door, the stress of school and turning in half-assed assignments fleeing his body as his eyes land on your million-dollar smile. Your arms are carrying bags of all kinds, and his nose picks up the sweet smell of takeout from the joint just outside of the campus. 

“Binnie, I come bearing food and alcohol!” you sing as you make your way into his dorm. Changbin feels like he could cry. Not from frustration this time, but from happiness and love. Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect, he was close to having a mental breakdown, nothing going right for him. 

“I had a feeling you were glued to your chair, slaving away doing your work. And judging by the way you’re looking at me, my feeling was correct.” You place the bags down by the couch, and make your way to your hunky boyfriend. Standing in front of him, you wrap your arms around his neck, giving him a quick squeeze. Changbin’s hands automatically wrap around your waist, tugging you close to his warm body. He holds you tight for a few seconds longer, a silent thank you for coming to distract him from the cause of his stress. 

“You have no idea how happy I am to have you here right now. I was so close to ripping out my hair and crying in the shower with my clothes on,” Changbin mutters in your ear, his breath tickling you a bit, making you chuckle softly. 

You pull away slightly, your arms still his neck, hands clasped at the nape of his neck loosely. “I’m glad I could help, babe. Why don’t you call it a night and have a romantic date with me right here?” 

Changbin simply nods and presses a gentle kiss on your lips. He loves kissing you, it’s one of his favorite things to do with you. Kisses of any kind will always do it for him. Whether it be just a sweet peck or a full blown Frenchie, he easily becomes putty in your embrace. When things get intimate between you two, his plump lips have to be on you in some way, it really doesn’t matter to him, as long as he can smooch you as many times as he wants to.  You pull away from the kiss and your voice brings him back to reality. “I hope you’re hungry. I would be surprised if you weren’t, to be honest,” you say, making your way to the bags of food sitting on the table in front of the puke-green couch he found at the thrift store (you’ve always hated that damn couch, it’s tacky and an unflatteringly green color, you wish he would just get rid of it.). Changbin just chuckles, watching as you pull out two styrofoam boxes out of the bag. He plants his tired body on the couch, immediately sinking into the semi-comfortable cushions. He grabs the remotes to his TV and finds something for the two of you to watch while you eat. He starts up the movie when you sit beside him, cold drinks in your hands for you both.

The movie is long forgotten as you and Changbin make out lazily on the couch. His heavier body is on top of yours, his hands under your shirt, softly roaming the expanse of your chest and stomach. Any noise that leaves your mouth is muffled by Changbin’s soft and juicy lips. 

Both of you grind your lower bodies together, your clothed cocks rubbing together despite the layers in between. Changbin pulls away from your lips, chuckling at the way you chase him, trying to get more kisses from him. His thumb swipes along your swollen bottom lip, wiping the saliva left behind. “God, you’re so sexy, baby. I love everything about you, there is nothing you could do to make me not like you.” Changbin can’t help the words coming from his mouth, he’s just so drunk on your love that his mind is only thinking one thing: you. 

“Oh, Binnie. I love you so much, you’re perfect for me, love.” You reply, returning the sweet words as your hand cups his cheek gently, prompting him to connect his lips with yours once again. You hum, bringing your free hand under his loose shirt, the material pooling around his upper chest. Changbin gets the hint, pulling away from you so you can tug his shirt off. Once the shirt is discarded and forgotten, you zero in on Changbin’s impressive body. He has the nicest body you’ve ever seen in your life, he’s muscular, his skin is nice and soft like a peach, with the occasional mole littering the flesh. 

Changbin’s face warms up at your intense stare. “Baby, don’t stare, it’s embarrassing..” he mutters, his usually loud voice now soft and quiet. Your eyes flit up to look at the pools of deep brown. You’re aware of Changbin’s body image issues, he’s been very open with you about his true feelings about how he views his body. That’s why you have made it your mission to make sure this sweet boy knows that his body is perfect no matter what. 

You tell him what you always tell him when he starts feeling this way, “Binnie, whether you are skinny, fat, muscular, or squishy, you are perfect to me and I’m not with you because of your body. I’m with you because you are a genuine person with the best personality in the world. I’m with you because you love me for who I am, just like I love you for who you are.” 

Changbin can’t ignore the slight sting in his eyes and the rapid fluttering in his stomach. He truly loves you and he knows he wants to spend every waking moment of his life with you. He doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t need to. His actions speak much louder than any word he could possibly say. 

His hands strip you of your shirt, and his lips make their way all over your chest, and he makes his way to the waistband of your basketball shorts. He tugs the shorts down until they’re at your ankles. You kick the garment off, careful not to kick Changbin… again. Changbin’s eyes roam your almost naked body, his teeth toying with his bottom lip. 

“Oi, why am I almost naked while you’re sitting there with your joggers still on? Chop chop, mister!” The pout on your lips is just so cute, Changbin can’t stop the laugh bubbling from his chest. Changbin removes himself from the couch, and he walks over to where you’re laid out on the couch, and he hooks one of his arms under the back of your knees, his other arm wrapping around your back, and he lifts you up with ease. A startled noise falls out of your mouth, your arm wrapping around him in urgency. You know he would never drop you, but being picked up out of the blue has never been your thing. You allow Changbin to carry you to his room, and he carefully lays you down on his very comfy mattress, and he rids himself of his dark gray joggers.

With his hands on his hips, he cocks an eyebrow at you, “Are you happy now? We’re both equal amounts of nakedness.” 

“Hmm, you drop your boxers and I’ll drop mine. Then we’ll definitely be even.”

“Anything for you, my prince.” 

“Don’t you ever call me that again, Changbin.”

After you both are fully naked, you both allow your hands to explore each other’s bodies, even though you’ve done it a million times in the duration of your four year relationship. Changbin is kissing you softly while his hand is splitting your hole open with three fingers lodged deep inside. You’re whining into his mouth, your back arching off the bed below you. Your cock is painfully hard, the tip of it a flushed red color similar to your natural skin tone. 

Changbin pulls away from your lips, and he starts to speak to you, “I want to try a new position, baby,” you just nod at him and allow the male to adjust you the way he wants to. He pulls your body to the edge of the bed, and he stands in between your spread legs. He takes his length in his hand, pumping it a few times before he places the tip at your fluttering hole, rubbing the tip along the crack of your ass before he’s pushing past your rim. You will never get over that initial pressure of his cock sliding past your hole, it always feels weird, but that weird feeling is quickly gone as soon as Changbin’s hips snap forward. 

Changbin sets the pace, his hand on your lower stomach as his hips come in contact with the back of your thighs, the sharp sounds of skin slapping together echoes loudly in the small room. You’re letting out the prettiest noises, whines and soft chants of Changbin’s name falling past your parted lips. Changbin doesn’t speed up or slow down, he thinks this pace is just right for you both, he wants to thank you for always being there for him, and he wants the moment to last a little longer than it normally would. His length slides in and out of you, his many veins rubbing your walls in the best way. Your hand is lazily stroking your own length, your eyes rolling into the back of your head as the pleasure courses through your body. Changbin is grunting above you, his hands gripping your hips tightly, tugging your body to meet his thrusts. 

The two of you continue to fuck like that for a while, and you know Changbin is close because his grunts turn into soft whines, his name falling from his lips as his hips begin to stutter and skip. Changbin ends up pulling out you and he takes his length as well as your own length. He jerks you both off until you both spill on his hand, moaning each other's names as you finish. Changbin pants as he uses his arms to hold himself up on the bed, his legs feeling like jelly. You scoot on the bed until you’re laying normally. 

You look at Changbin as you catch your breath, a smile on your face. After sex glow looks good on Changbin, he’s all sweaty and his hair sticks to his forehead, his pupils blown wide as he comes down from his high. You watch as he wipes his hands on one of his many dirty towels that sits on the floor. Looks like you’ll have to do some laundry while he’s in class tomorrow. 

“Binnie, come cuddle with me, I’m sleepy,” You whine, your arms wide and welcoming. He just chuckles and jumps into your arms, peppering kisses all over your sweaty face, making you laugh. You would do anything for this man, and you can only hope he feels the same way.

[rose-sophia-isabella-rogers]

A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter IV - The Iron Enters the Soul

Chapter Summary: You travel to the Fold, to see your skiff setting off on its first journey. But something goes terribly wrong and it returns soon after with many dead and wounded. Not everyone is dead only thanks to a surprising revelation. Back in the Little Palace many things change.

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Ivan/Fedyor Kaminsky

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Fedyor Kaminsky, Ivan, Zoya Nazyalensky, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, Marie, Nadia Zhabin

Word Count: 4137

A/N: This chapter contains plot and dialogues from episode one to four of season one. Inspired by prompt: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089791935/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

It takes a small thing for you to finally figure it out. Suddenly, you know what exactly is needed for building a lighter and faster skiff, and you know how to make it. You even impress the King with your idea. Albeit, you're sure he has no idea what you're talking about when you introduce your idea to him and just pretends to understand that, since other smart people in the room are looking at each other in astonishment. Still, it's not that you care. You have his permission to build it.

The next days are filled with planning, sketching, work and a bit more work. You're sleeping schedule is pretty much not existing. You sleep just enough to rest, so you could continue working. Most of the times you're on Alkemi's potions that keep you focused, awake and full of energy (some Durasts even say you have now a bit too much energy).

Aleksander is, of course, worried by it and tries to talk some sense into you. But after he tries to drag you to sleep, you actually hiss at him like a very angry cat with a murderous look in your eyes. Kirigan is sure he hasn't backed out from anything as fast as this time. Or hasn't been that much scared of anyone.

The day comes, however, when the skiff is ready. You actually cry when you look at it in all its glory. Out of emotion, but mostly because you're just so glad it's finally finished and your work with it is over. Now all that remains is to take it for the first journey.

For some reason, you're not on the list of Grisha that are about to come across the Fold on the new skiff. True, Durasts don't cross it usually, but you assumed that since you're the one responsible for creating it, you'd go and supervise how it goes. Not that you're complaining. You are, however, to be present during its set off.

You arrive on the day the skiff launches. Together with Aleksander in his carriage. You jokingly ask him if he's going because he believes your new ultralight skiff is going to be a shining success or a spectacular failure. He looks you seriously in the eyes and answers he doesn't take into account the second option, because you're the one that supervised the creation of it. You blush, shut up and don't speak a word until the end of the journey.

Once you're there, Aleksander gets out of the carriage first and then helps you out. Immediately, you look at the Fold warily.

'It's your first time, isn't it?' Kirigan asks. 'Seeing it.'

'I wouldn't mind spend my life without seeing it,' you confess grimly. 'It's… massive. Much more than I've imagined. I'm really grateful I'm not the one who has to cross it.'

'Well, thanks to you, the one who do, will do it much faster now,' Aleksander says. You smile at him. You quickly stop, when a Grisha hurries to Kirigan and whispers something to him.

'The skiff launches in twenty minutes,' the Darkling says to you. 'Shall we find a good spot?'

'Might as well,' you agree. Aleksander gives some orders. Then, together you go and take your places in front of the Fold. You watch how everyone assigned for the trip get on the skiff. Soon, the gate is raised up and the sail lowered. Zoya summons the wind and the skiff moves. You're sure your heart stops for a moment when it happens.

'Don't worry,' Aleksander says, grabbing your hand. 'Everything is going to be perfectly alright. You made that skiff.'

'And that's why I'm so scared,' you admit. 'If something goes wrong… it will be my fault. Deaths of the people will be on me.'

'They're not going to die,' Kirigan says. You smile sadly.

'You can't know that,' you say, shaking your head. In silence, you watch how the skiff sails into the Fold and is swallowed by it. You exhale slowly.

'Now all we can do is wait,' Aleksander says. You nod and follow him into his tent.

You're not sure how much time has passed when it happens. But you're sure it's not much. You're standing in the entrance to Kirigan's tent, looking at the Fold. General has given up on trying to get you to stop and go back inside. Suddenly, a burst of light is seen in the Fold. You hear shouts of surprise. Your eyes open wide.

'General?' you call hesitantly. 'Either something is wrong with the new source of light David has made… or something strange is happening in the Fold…'

Aleksander comes to your side at once. He stiffens, baffled. He frowns. Together you watch how the light disappears.

'What is it?' you ask, afraid a bit.

'I don't know,' Kirigan answers. 'But I'm sure we're about to find out.'

You wait. After what seems like forever, the skiff returns, hurrying out of the Fold with a crash. It's destroyed in many places. The mission was a failure, but at least some have returned. Before Aleksander can stop you, you hurry to the skiff, to find out what happened, what went wrong. If something was wrong with the skiff… whether it was your fault…

You pass people rushing around your creation. Shouting orders, taking the wounded to the medical… taking out the dead… You hurry to the skiff. You almost crash into your friend.

'Zoya,' you say, relieved to see her alive. 'What happened?'

The Squaller grabs your arms tightly. You look at her with surprise.

'It was not your fault,' she says sternly. 'You hear me? Not your fault. Not the skiff's. It's not on you. Okay?'

'Okay,' you say quietly, nodding. You try to break free of Zoya's grip and see to the damages. But she just tightens her hold.

'Don't go yet,' she says. 'Let… Let them clean up a bit. You'd only be in their way.'

You look her in the eyes. She looks away. You know what she's trying to do. She doesn't want you to see more of the dead, more of the wounded. She doesn't want you to blame yourself for what happened to them.

'Zoya-' you start, your voice low.

'Anyway, you should go back to General's tent,' she interrupts you. You frown.

'Why is that?' you ask. Zoya glances behind her back.

'Because in a moment they're going to bring there someone who I believe is… the Sun Summoner,' she says hesitantly. You stare at her blankly. You blink and ask:

'I'm sorry… the who now?!'

*

You and Zoya reach Aleksander's tent before the (alleged) Sun Summoner. On your way there she tells you what happened and you're left speechless. You look at Kirigan, but as usual, his face is a mask void of emotion in public. So, you wait.

Finally, a young girl from the First Army is brought into the tent by two soldiers and a Healer in tow. You can see the fear in her eyes when they fall on the man in front of her, Aleksander, who's standing with his back to her by the table.

'Bring her closer,' he orders. The soldiers take the girl a few steps closer and let her go. They back away themselves. Kirigan turns around slowly and assesses her.

'Closer,' he says. She looks around, unsure, and takes one step forward.

'Well?' General asks, raising his eyebrows.

'Well, what?' the girl asks and hastily looks down. 'Sir.'

You smile slightly, already liking her. Zoya gently elbows your side and you quickly become serious.

'What are you?' Aleksander asks.

'Alina Starkov, Assistant Cartographer, Royal Corps of Surveyors,' the girls answers and you see something in her eyes. 'They're all gone. It's my fault. That's why I'm here, isn't it?'

'Answer the question,' Kirigan says, raising his hand, and leans on the desk. 'What are you?'

'A… mapmaker, sir,' Alina answers, confused. Some Grisha laugh. You clench your fist. Zoya discreetly takes your other hand and gives it a squeeze.

'Quiet,' Aleksander orders and the laughter stops. 'So who actually saw what happened? Zoya? You manned the main sail.'

'We were attacked barely two markers in,' Zoya, on whom all eyes are now, answers. 'Someone lit a lantern.'

'And?' Kirigan asks, looking at Alina, who's clearly feeling uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze.

'The Volcra went after the riflemen and our Inferni first,' Zoya goes on. 'And then there was a searing light.'

'It was her,' a soldier from the First Army says, pointing at Alina.

'Our mapmaker,' Aleksander says and tilts his head. 'Is this true? Can you… summon light?'

Alina shakes her head, scared and confused. Kirigan mimics her gesture.

'Where did you grow up?' he asks.

'Keramzin,' Alina answers.

'Hmm. And when were you tested?' Aleksander asks, but Alina doesn't answer. 'You… don't remember? Well, let us just… make certain.'

He stands up as he says it and walks to the map maker. He places his special ring on his thumb. You can see fear in Alina's eyes.

'Lift up your sleeve,' Kirigan says to her. He clouds the tent in his shadows.

'What's happening?' Alina asks, her eyes darting around.

'Your sleeve. Please,' Aleksander repeats. The cartographer lifts up her right sleeve slightly. Kirigan takes her hand and rolls it up higher. He cuts her arm… and a burst of light shots out of it and cuts through the tent. Everyone looks up at it. Alina stares at it in awe and shock.

You're stunned, too, of course. You look at Aleksander. He and the Sun Summoner (it's certain now) are looking at each other. Kirigan is smiling. She is afraid.

Aleksander lets go of her arm. She takes a few steps back, gasping.

'Take her to the Little Palace immediately,' Kirigan orders. And just like that, Alina is taken away. You stay for a moment longer inside the tent. When you get out, you see the Sun Summoner riding away in Aleksander's coach. An injured soldier is running after it, shouting her name. She's also shouting something at him from inside the coach. He doesn't reach her. You feel tears in your eyes.

Mama!

[Y/N]!

Mama!

No, please, what are you doing?!

MAMA!

'[Y/N]?' a voice pulls you out of your memories. You turn your head. Aleksander is looking at you with worry. Your look hardens. He takes a step back, surprised. You've never looked at him with such anger.

'What is it?' he asks.

'You didn't even let her say goodbye to her friends,' you say.

'She's in a great danger now, there's no time to lose,' Aleksander says. You scoff.

'I need to check on the skiff,' you say. Kirigan frowns and grabs your arm.

'[Y/N]-' he starts, but you harshly pull your arm away. You glare at him and march toward the skiff. You vent your frustration during repairing it. Some people want to help you, but quickly scatter away after seeing the murderous look in your eyes. You only look away from your work once, when you catch a glance of Aleksander riding after Alina. You scoff, still angry at him, and almost break a mast.

When you're done, on your way to the Grisha's tents you pass the First Army. You stop, noticing the man that was running after Alina. You stop and look at him. He's in a bad mood, same as you. You hesitate only a moment.

When he and his two friends notice you, they quickly stand up from their seats. You stop in front of him. You both eye each other warily. There are no warm feelings between the First and Second Armies.

'She didn't know,' you finally say. The man blinks.

'I'm sorry?' he asks.

'Miss Starkov,' you explain. 'She hasn't been hiding this from you. She was genuinely surprised during the testing. She didn't know.'

The man purses his lips. His friends exchange a look.

'She also didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to you,' you say. 'Or explaining this.'

Well, you're not sure about that. But judging how she was shouting and pounding on the coach when she saw her friend, you're pretty sure that's true.

'Thank you,' the man says after a moment, nodding. You nod back and turn to leave.

'What's your name?' the man calls after you. You stop and look behind your back.

'[Y/N] [L/N],' you answer yourself and glance at your kefta. 'A Durast.'

'Mal Oretsev,' the man introduces himself. 'A tracker.'

'Pleasure to meet you,' you say, smiling slightly. Mal opens his mouth to say something, but he stops seeing Zoya marching to you angrily.

'There you are!' she says, exasperated. 'I've just found out. Seriously? Have you really been repairing the skiff on your own the whole time?'

You glance nervously at the soldiers and see them staring at you with shock. You shrug at Zoya.

'Not my fault everyone has run off,' you answer and beam at her. 'But it's alright now. All fixed. It should be ready to go when they decide to try again.'

'One day my hair is going to turn white because of you,' Zoya says after a moment and grabs your arm. 'Come. You need sleep. And then you're going after General. No discussion. I'm setting off right now, but you need to rest.'

You do try to argue. No avail. Apparently Kirigan has left specific instructions before following the Sun Summoner. You are to be taken to the Little Palace as soon as the skiff doesn't require your presence to be fixed. But since it's already night, you're going the next day. Every Grisha agrees on that. No one wants to disobey General. Well, maybe you wouldn't mind, but you're clearly outnumbered on this one.

*

When you arrive at the Little Palace, everyone is already talking about the Sun Summoner. She's already been introduced to the King, showed him her power and has received her own kefta. She's also have had her ass kicked by Zoya. All of that you know from the rumours that travel fast in the walls. It's almost impossible to keep a secret here.

You see Alina again during supper. As usual, you arrive as one of the last. David is pleased to see you and asks you all sort of questions about the skiff and the catastrophe. And some about the Sun Summoner. The girl in question notices your arrival and looks at you with a frown, recognizing you from Kirigan's tent.

'That's [YN] [L/N],' Alina's new friend, Marie, an Inferni, says and rolls her eyes. 'General's favourite Durast.'

'Or pet, as some say,' Nadia, a Squaller and another of Alina's new friends, adds. 'No one really sees what he sees in her. But everyone knows it's better not to do something to her.'

'Why?' Alina asks, not taking her eyes off you.

'Or the punishment from General will be severe,' Marie answers. 'Honestly, all that fuss about her and she couldn't even make that ultralight skiff right.'

'There was nothing wrong with the skiff,' Alina quickly says. 'What happened… had nothing to do with the skiff.'

Marie and Nadia exchange a look but don't say anything. They finish their meal in peace and stand up to leave. At the door they almost collide with you.

'Miss Starkov,' you greet her. 'I'm glad to officially meet you. I'm [Y/N] [L/N], a Durast.'

'Pleasure,' Alina says. She's well aware of the little smirks of Nadia and Marie. You ignore them and focus on the Sun Summoner.

'I… I hope you won't think I was out of line,' you start slowly, causing Alina to frown. 'But I spoke with your friend. The one who… tried to talk to you before you left.'

Alina's eyes go wide. Nadia and Marie exchange a look.

'Is he alright?' the Sun Summoner asks. You nod.

'He's going to be fine,' you say. 'I… told him you didn't want to go before saying a proper goodbye to him. And that you didn't know. About being a Grisha.'

Alina blinks away the tears. She tries to calm down her breathing.

'What did he say?' she asks.

'He… thanked me for sharing this with him,' you answer. 'He couldn't say more, because our duties called.'

'I see,' Alina says and suddenly grabs your hand. 'Thank you. Truly.'

'Anytime, Miss Starkov,' you say and smile. 'And I mean it. The door to my room is always open for you.'

'Alina,' the Sun Summoner corrects you. You smile at her, glance at her friends who have a decency to look embarrassed, and turn to go. Only to collide with Fedyor chest.

'[Y/N],' he greets you. 'General wants to see you.'

And here goes your good mood. You force a polite smile.

'And I want the moon,' you say and walk away, leaving baffled Fedyor, Alina, Nadya and Marie. Yes, you're still angry. So, you go to the workshop to vent out your frustration on some poor piece of metal. Which maybe wasn't a good decision, since it's the first place anyone goes if they look for you. Including one certain General Kirigan.

'You know, I don't think I've known anyone who has the nerve to disobey me so barefacedly,' he says, walking to you casually.

'You must have spoiled me with your attention,' you murmur, not looking at him.

'Maybe I have,' Aleksander agrees.

'Then you can go away and not give me your attention,' you say, waving at him to go away. He raises his eyebrows. Then, he sighs.

'What have I done?' he asks, spreading his hands. 'Please, tell me.'

'I already told you,' you say, glaring at him.

'Is it about not letting Miss Starkov to say goodbye?' Aleksander asks. 'I told you already. She was in danger and could have been attacked at any moment. And she was. She almost died. She probably would have if we had waited a moment longer.'

'Do you know how she felt?' you ask, turning to face him abruptly. 'In one moment, she finds out she's a Grisha. All her world has crumbled around her. Usually, people go to someone they trust in such moments. And you… you pulled her away from them, not even letting her talk to them one last time. Do you know how she must have felt? Because I do.'

Tears shine in your eyes. Slowly, realisation downs on Aleksander. He looks at you, horrified.

'Saints, [Y/N]… I'm sorry,' he says and gulps. 'I forgot. I'm sorry.'

You blink your tears away and turn away from him. After a moment you feel him gently put his hands on your arms.

'I didn't mean to bring this memory up for you,' he says softly. 'I'm so, so sorry. Please, forgive me.'

'I know you didn't mean it,' you say a minute later and turn around with a sigh. 'I'm sorry. I overreacted.'

'No, don't be,' Aleksander says and hesitantly pulls you in for a hug. 'I know how much memories of your father upsets you. Especially the one about him taking you away from your mother.'

You let him comfort you for a moment longer. Then, you pull away.

'I missed our tea,' you say. Kirigan smiles.

'That's nothing you can't make up for,' he says and takes your hand in his. You smile back and let him take you to his chambers. All is good again between you two.

*

Alina takes you on your word and often comes to you for advice. At first, you're baffled by her interest in you. You quickly suspect she has some ulterior motives and plans to use you for something. After all, everyone else does. But you realise that with understanding how she felt and talking to her friend, you gained her eternal friendship. You're still not sure whether it's a good thing.

At the beginning, you're happy that she wants to be your friend and seeks you out. She even comes to you after one particular training with Baghra. You listen to her and nod understandingly.

'Honestly, is she such a nightmare to everyone?' she groans at one point.

'I've heard she is,' you confirm. Alina looks at you with suspicion.

'You've heard?' she repeats. 'She wasn't a nightmare to you?'

'No, for some reason my lessons with her weren't as terrible as everyone around me were talking they were,' you answer, tapping your finger on your chin in wonder. 'Maybe I got her respect after I almost killed her with my powers.'

'You did what?!' Alina asks, astonished. You don't answer her and hurry away. She chases you, demanding to hear the story. She doesn't, but you're both seen later laughing hysterically.

The days when the Sun Summoner's presence is a blessing to you come to an end at some point. You think it happens when she finally finds what was blocking her and her training with Baghra finally has some effects.

It starts when you come for your daily tea with Aleksander one day. You're surprised he's not in his chambers. You do find Fedyor there however.

'Oh, [Y/N],' he says, surprised, but quickly understand. 'You're here for your tea with General? I'm sorry to tell you he's left.'

'It's alright,' you say and head toward the table. 'I can wait.'

'He…' Fedyor stops you, clearly uncomfortable. 'He's just left. For a ride with Alina.'

You're still for a moment. You force a smile at the Heartrender.

'Thank you for telling me,' you say and head for the door. 'If you see him when he comes back, tell him I'm in the workshop.'

Aleksander doesn't come to the workshop. You don't even know when he's returned. You go to your bed with a troubled mind that night.

Sadly, it happens again. And again. And again. You can't tell how many times you've come to your daily tea not to find Kirigan there and hear he's somewhere with Alina. At some point… you simply stop coming to his chambers. He doesn't speak about it when he sees you. Your heart clenches in pain.

One day, you get out of workshop to get some fresh air. You stop dead in your tracks, seeing Aleksander walking with Alina. They're coming from the direction of Baghra's hut. And they're both smiling. Your stomach turns.

'[Y/N]?' Ivan asks with a frown, stopping by your side. You've been standing still for a few minutes now, staring at the pair with a blank face. He already considers shouting for General, thinking you're about to faint or something.

'Are you alright?' the Heartrender asks. You're silent for a moment. You watch how Alina says something and Aleksander laughs. She grins. And you mourn.

'You never know how much you love someone, until you watch them love someone else,' you say quietly. Ivan looks at you with wide eyes.

'You…?' he asks, astonished. You turn to him with a sad smile.

'Wasn't it obvious?' you ask. Ivan looks softens (which everyone believes is not possible).

'You've hid it very well,' he says quietly.

'I'm glad,' you say. Ivan hesitates.

'[Y/N]-' he starts.

'I'm not the first girl to be foolish enough to fall for General,' you interrupt him. 'And I certainly won't be the last.'

Ivan has no idea what to say. He's not the one people look for to seek comfort. Fedyor is better at that. Actually, anyone is better at that than him. He can pat you on your arm but he doubts it's going to be much help. Should he hug you? Oh, Saints, he hopes not. He'd be so awkward at this.

'I'll be fine,' you say and force a smile, knowing your friend is worried. 'I already know how to deal with a broken heart.'

You turn and start to walk away. You don't want to meet Alina and Aleksander. Not together. Not while they're laughing and giggling like teenagers in love. You love them both and don't want to hurt them with harsh words your jealous heart would surely cause you to spit out. Ivan stops you by grabbing your arm.

'Will you distance yourself from him?' he asks, knowing very well how much Kirigan needs your company. You close your eyes.

'As if I ever would manage to do that,' you say. Ivan lets you go. You hurry away and back to the Little Palace, blinking away the tears.

Your torture continues. Alina grows stronger. Aleksander spends less and less time with you. You throw yourself at work to ignore the pain in your heart. But it hardly helps. Because while you're used to people breaking your heart, it feels different with Kirigan. He actually saw you and understood you. And now he chose someone else. Once again, you're left with metals and other substances. Alone.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could.

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/133684612

[ecofear]

i'm rereading area x rn and i just finished annihilation #yourinfluence... ik u like control a lot, what draws u to him?

EEEEEEEEE I HOPE UR ENJOYING UR REREAD.... ^_^

so ive been mulling over this ask since i woke up and i've been trying to decide how seriously i take this question and thus my answer. i've decided for a sort of middle ground. i'm not gonna scream to you about him being my meow meow (which he is) but i'm also not going to take a few days to really go into depth which i was considering (going thru the entire book of authority and acceptance both and grabbing screenshots and going thru it ALLL to explain what about control i really enjoy....)

so middle ground. i'll try to be normal.

SPOILERS FOR AUTHORITY AND ACCEPTANCE INCLUDING THE ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also i talk about sex a bit

there's a lot about control i like. i think jeff is very good at making his characters detailed and complex enough that you can lose time on exploring who they are.

we can talk about how control is the trope doomed by the narrative, he was groomed from a young age to end up where he ends up. he has dreams and waking dreams of jumping into area x: his destiny is set, everything that happens to him is written in time and he cannot avoid it. he cannot fight it. he cannot control it.

control is the eyes we see the horrors of area x through. see the biologist isn't good for this, she lies to us, she changes the narrative, she excludes information, she manipulates and warps it to be exactly what she wants it to be. she controls how we view area x through her eyes. she's not our eyes.

in authority we get to see this [area x and southern reach] through the eyes of someone.. like us. john rodriquez is extremely normal. jeff purposefully gives him an extremely normal american name, there's nothing particularly unique or special about him. he watches tv, he likes chess, he jogs, he has a cat, he loved his dad, he likes to go to bars, he sleeps with attractive people when he feels like it, he dates a lot. like john is so normal man it's almost painful. but the first real thing we get with him.. is him asking his new colleagues.. the people he will become the boss of... to call him control? i know nonbinary people with less confidence in their chosen name than him.

we're immediately given this normal ass dude but something ain't quite normal but why? we learn why: spy parent and spy grandparent groom small boy into being a spy. something he doesn't align with at all. nothing about him is suited for it. in field work he fucks up because he makes him feel so confident his ego makes him sloppy. in office work he can't handle the politics and can't navigate it. he's assigned fixer because it's the only thing he can do; because he's a normal dude who can talk to people, has charisma, is pretty smart.

i like to think even his mother is very aware he's not cut out for it but she's still willing to help him, keep getting him new jobs and using her position of power and influence to save him time and time again. i think a lot about how she put him in the face of direct danger more than once, but most importantly in front of area x, knowing full well what it could do to him, but having to do this cruelty to him because he's the only person she knows well enough to know if he changes. if he stops being this nice fucking guy lol.

like think about how terrible he is at his job at director IMMEDIATELY. he's dominated and overshadowed by grace instantly, he tries to use charm on her and fails multiple times, he wants her to like him and he doesn't know how to do this but meakly submit and also say "please like me". you ever think about the stupid fucking internal thought he has? i can't remember exactly how its worded but its like "look out at this mosquito orgy and warm to me, grace".

which moves onto my next point: he's so silly. he calls his cat chorry. when he sees whitby freaking out he says "i'll come back later" and tries to leave. ?? like it's a comedy. he starts a war over a squished mosquito in his car, like grace looked out at the mosquito orgy and didn't warm to him, but instead chose to squash every chance of a relationship they had, without knowing if she did it. when in fact HE did it, he just doesn't remember. he makes a shit joke at the voice because he's mad and his best comback is turd. "you're a turd" is what john has in his back pocket.

he tries so hard not to be a fuck up but he's been groomed to enter environments where he can only fuck up because he's not built for it. bro should be at the club, basically.

i like to think about his relationships a lot, how he essentially love bombs his partners and gives them every single piece of him he can give, loves them so utterly and passionately, because he knows it's not gonna last but he wants to experience it all the same. he wants a relationship and love but the life he was given doesn't fit it. and clearly he's not terrible because his ex still tries to maintain a relationship with him, even if it's just platonic. she still cares, and that characterises him a lot. he's not a bad guy.

when he talks about how he knows he will leave them behind, that his need for secrets and to understand, to see beyond the veil, i can understand that. think about it: his mother left him all the time, disappeared for weeks, months, at a time, until she really left and it was just him and his dad. how he must have thought about her, how he longed to know what she was doing, why she was leaving him, what was so important that he would leave him and his father. as he got older, seeking this out, seeking her out, being offered the door but if he chooses to set through it there's no going back: the need to know the secret that took her away so desperately that he would do it. trapping himself in that cycle too, but it's his girlfriends he's leaving behind, and then later even chorry gets left behind, even his father gets left behind, his mother + grandfather, too.

you think about how when he packed and left his home he also left behind his fathers chessboard? that's leaving his father behind for these secrets, for the need to know. when he throws his gun into the ocean for ghost bird? growing away his grandfather, his mother, letting go of that life they groomed him for, letting go of the agent he is and becoming something new: something that will follow ghost bird to hell itself, and then at the very end: he drops chorry. the chesspiece he held on for dear life: his life. his normal, ordinary life. holding on to what he had in those evenings at home: a comfy spot on the sofa, some shitty movie and chorry on his lap. he lets go of chorry, lets chorry fall to the ground, leaves chorry behind for the ultimate secret. he needs to know.

he needs to know why he was put on this path, why he was groomed for this, why his mother left him, why he was put in the southern reach, why why why. his life was laid out for him, destiny written since his birth, a path he had no choice but to walk despite how unsuited he was. the biologist didn't go this far. no one knows what this secret holds. he has to know. it has to be him. no more secrets. no more being left in the dark. it's his turn to know everything.

i do love how it overwrites everything to him. when he gets close he doesn't think about anything else but knowing what this secret is. he doesn't think about whitbys thesis, he doesn't think about the brightness, even his love for ghost bird and his obsession with her (we'll get to that) goes out the window. he's determined if anything.

control is doomed by the narrative. and i don't think it's super obvious? if you don't remember the dream he has you won't realise that the start of authority is the end of authority: he dreams of falling, he jumps.

also back to relationships: when we're told he has one night stands and the woman he's sleeping with calls him a player and he remarks he doesn't think he's a player, which i think is very true, i think he would have a normal relationship if he was allowed to have a normal life, something very interesting is going on in that scene. did you notice? they're not having sex. he's going down on her. as she's calling him a player, he's performing oral on her. now this might not be something a lot of people pick up on especially in queer spaces: but men giving oral is not "common", as cishet men would like you to think. like think about it, a blowjob is an expectation, eating pussy is disgusting. there's many men out there who won't do it. far more than you'd think. i've been involved with a lot of cishet men in my life and they've been repulsed by vaginas, thought the idea was sickening, some were even confused i asked like pussy eating is a myth. hell there's famous men out there who refuse to eat pussy and talk about it proudly. control giving oral in that scene is a characterisation, he's happy to give, he's happy to provide, he cares about others, he cares about his partners, he doesn't see it as embarrassing or shameful or like a submission even, and since it's a one night stand he very likely enjoys it. so now we know truly, imho, what kind of normal man he really is.

i don't think these are my only reasons for liking him though. and i also understand people may really dislike him. like especially in acceptance, he was an absolute dickhead at points. he was unlikeable. he chose to try and torture and hurt ghost bird by making up fake lines in whitbys thesis. he felt awful about it, regretted it immediately, but he also never admitted it or apologised. she still forgave him. ghost bird put in work to make him more likeable at the end! but i also empathise with him a lot in the same way she does. he was not built for this, as i've been saying. no part of john rodriquez was made to survive area x. she knew that, we, the reader, should know it too. authority tells us how not cut out he is for all this, and then we see him jump. we watch him doom himself: we watch the narrative continue its descent to his demise. we read acceptance knowing he is fucked. that he is not going to survive the ending.

and boy, was i upset. reading acceptance was so hard for me. i was crying CONSTANTLY. every time i was pulled away from ghost bird and control i was ACHING to return (despite glora + saul being other characters i fucking adore, and i loved their sections more than i can say, i was taken out of them a bit by needing to know what happens to ghost bird + control!) and every time i saw the CONTROL or GHOST BIRD at the top of the screen i would VIBRATE.. and feel a bit sick.

i think a lot of liking control comes from seeing him through ghost birds eyes, and also how he sees ghost bird through his own.

think about authority again, he looks forward to seeing her. the interrogations become a sort of anchor for him to get through the day. they help. they steady the madness. ghost bird steadys the madness. that's why things noticably deteriorate when she's gone, and that's why he doesn't like when she changes. he still enters her room when she's sick despite knowing he shouldn't and regetting it because he needs her, he needs the anchor of seeing her. when she changes in personality he doesn't like it and misses when she was confrontational because he was expecting it: expecting his anchor to stay the same. when he's in the interrogation room with her everything settles: calm, white, just the two of them speaking, he feels like he has some control here, he can control this situation, grace isn't there, the former directors notes don't haunt him, whitby isn't in the corner of his eye, he's not thinking about the dead mouse and the phone. it's just him and ghost bird and he's in control. even though we know he's not, we quickly learn ghost bird has the control in their interactions and he's fooling himself.

he finds himself caring for her because that's who he is, he cares about people, he cares, so he tries to make things easier for her. he wants to help her. hell if he wasn't a mummas boy with mummas boy issues he might have tried to help her more. i think the end of the book shows that he would toss aside the agency for her, if he could (and he does). i like to think about the scene at the pond, where he wants to just talk to her, listen to her, be with her. he wants it to be a normal interaction. he wants to be her friend. to learn about her on equal ground at this point. he hits the point where he doesn't want that control with her anymore: and then he remembers he has to interrogate her because what if they're listening?

control brings me pain because i'm witnessing just a nice person be shoved into this weird ass horror scenario. i want him to go home, put on his jammies, and cuddle chorry. i want him removed from the narrative! please someone save my boy Oh no he's a bunny now.

so i hated the ending when i read it.

i hated it. i really. really.

hated it.

of course i did, i was fighting every step of the way for him to get a happy ending. i wanted him to be happy. he didn't deserve how much he was suffering, how tortured he was, he didn't deserve it.

but this is the horror. to return to an original point: he's our eyes.. into the horror.

he is the normal person, just like us, not fit for area x and all this government bullshit and alien bullshit and the bullshit, and his horror is our horror. how it warps and changes him, how his personality becomes something lesser, how he loses control entirely. how he WRESTLES for it. how he tries to fight and is crushed again and again. how he needs someone built for this to anchor him: how we return to ghost bird being the anchor, but for us too. she keeps us sane in area x.. as sane as we can be. but she's not a babysitter, it's not her job, she wants to protect, to guard, to be the warden for, but she has her own mission and she won't sacrifice it. she even tells control at the end, she gives him his full name, and tells him she cannot protect him here. he has to open his eyes. and he fucking runs. he runs.

but he runs forward. he runs past her. she lets him go and he lets her go.

he needs to know.

and that act of letting go lets area x claim him. transform him. he is no longer afraid.

see i hated this so so much. and i'm crying as i write about it. but i don't hate it anymore.

i used my sort of unhinged rabbit shit you might have seen all over tumblr to COPE. i had to go all in or i would continue to hate it and i didn't want that. i had to accept what jeff vandermeer chose for control. i had to accept his destiny.

the southern reach series is about ecofear, about ecophobia. it is about ecohorror. it is the birthplace of ecohorror to a lot of people. control is the embodiment of ecofear as a character. the fear of nature. he fights back against nature throughout the series. he denies it. refuses to accept it. we see how it destroys him, this denial.

and when he finally lets go, when he lets go of his fear, when he stops being afraid, he is transformed. the loss of human hubris. he becomes part of nature. in a very literal sense, of course. but you see my point.

i can't give myself full credit for this either, that essay i read put in a lot of work for me to help understand controls place in the story as our eyes. he is human hubris as a character.

ghost bird says he dies at the end, and i do believe her. at this point she can see far more than she could before, she is so attuned to area x that she probably knows.. everything. omnipresent, like a god, almost. i think she's just connected in a way that brings her closer to the aliens area x was made by originally - at least in my interpretation. i think if anyone would know if he survived, it would be her. if she says he's dead, he's dead.

but i don't think he's gone? or i think, in his last act, he did something. changed something, like ghost bird said.

i think that maybe when sweet little rabbit control jumped into that light, maybe time slowed down, maybe it was like a new reality entirely, he left his plane, maybe it was like a new dimension, i don't know. i think he learnt there: i think he got his understanding. i think maybe he knew more than a human could ever. let alone a rabbit. either way, we know as a rabbit he still had his thoughts: i like to think that he merged with area x in a way that made his dna part of area x, i like to think area x is alien, and him. a bit of human, a bit of earth, for this alien Thing.

and i think ghost birds theory that he made a door for them was right. we hear it from him himself, he loves her, and he never disliked grace, he was quite desperate for grace to like him in fact. i think he would have thought of them. done something for them. i wouldn't even be surprised if he was able to make it just a little less hostile to them. yknow? especially to grace, who was really just like him. just another person, but one with the strength to survive. idk. all of this is theory, ofc, and only mine, maybe.

control is a good person with flaws. he's funny, he's silly. he's caring and he is loving. he wants to be cared for and loved. he's driven by his issues with his mother, who loved him and abandoned him and hurt him, and he still forgives her. he forgets where he is and tries to be normal and people give him weird looks for it because normal isn't accepted here. we can't be friends. he knows that, doesn't stop him wanting it, doesn't stop him trying.

and boy does he try.

all he does is fucking try.

he tries and he tries and tries.

and fails.

again and again and again.

he fails.

he makes me sad. he makes me happy too.

i think it's kind of funny i've attached so hard to the most ordinary character in this series, but like i said i see him through ghost birds eyes. he's pathetic. he's pathetic and he means no harm. he's like a sad, lost little bunny rabbit who you want to protect.

do you ever think about how control says he tried so hard to get grace to run, begged her, sobbed to her, but she wouldn't move and so he ran. and then grace tells a different story, like he barely tried, like he bolted. do you ever think about how rabbits bolt as fast as their legs can go when they're afraid? do you ever think about how flighty they are?

do you think about how when the biologist came back, he tried to pull ghost bird away, but he ultimately fled? how he ran, bolted, even when it was ghost bird who he was trying to save?

do you think he's cowardly? do you think he's a coward?

do you ever think about how terrified he was in whitbys horror, those paintings, whitby curled up there, and how control stared at him? just stared? frozen, powerless? do you ever think about how rabbits stare? those wide eyes staring at you as they coil up inside for that bolt? do you ever think about how control didn't bolt, but calmly left, despite his terror?

is he a coward? or can he just read when he's truly in danger, and knows the correct response for it?

do you think he's a coward for not trying harder to save other people? do you think he should put himself in danger for them? die for them, maybe?

it makes me think about how fiction often shows us that our protagonists, or main characters, are heroes? it is the hero of the story.

he's not a hero. he's a normal, ordinary man, shoved into extraordinary circumstances. and he won't leave them. thinks he's something he's not. thinks he's made for this. he's not made for this.

the most human scene for me is when he's sobbing in his car and saying sorry over and over again. he's not a hero. he can't save you. he's just a guy.

and then he sees his mother and he thinks he can do it again. he'll go to ghost bird, he'll bring her back, she's the answer, she has to be, he can do this. he can solve this. fix this.

and then he can't. he can't do it. again he can't do it.

reminders over and over and over that he isn't fit for this.

that he wishes he was for his mother.

idk. this got really long and i can keep going. but i'm not gonna i am going to end it here. i have to for my own sanity. i doubt anyone is reading this far anyway.

i love control. he has shot his way up my favourite characters list a ridiculous amount. a lot of my love involves my love for ghost bird, too. my love for their relationship. their bond.

control is a damsel in distress who was doomed by the narrative and just needs a warm hug. you ever think about how ghost bird uses hugs to calm him? to anchor him? how she holds him. how he can only sleep if she's holding him? man. someone please get my boy out of this nightmare.

[komitomi]

Fateful Encounter. // Chapter i.

Neteyam x F!reader

prologue || chapter ii || chapter iii || chapter iv || chapter v English will be in italics from this chapter onwards! word count: 2.8k

A/N: neteyam is refered to as blue boy or just boy when he is directly interacting with the reader, however he will be refered by his name when he's not, writing in this narration is kind of difficult so it's confusing but I'll try my best to clear them up in authors notes.

After 3 months of training on Pandora, Aria decided that you were good enough to be sent out, she told you that you had to go further than your peers, towards the sun's direction, where there will be water Na'vi, and look for Jake sully there, if he isn't there, then you should form good connections with the people there.

Individual but small aircrafts have been built for you guys to travel in, you were expecting to be assigned a partner but since the number of avatars were odd you were left out to be the only one, but that didn't discourage you, you just felt alone that's all.

The aircraft was spacious, easy to control (you have received training for this too), and it didn't emit any sounds to which you were surprised with, apparently the engine was made from a material native to pandora which cancels noise, they did this so the loud sounds of engine turning doesn't scare the animals or the Na'vi.

You just packed all your stuff and threw it in your aircraft which was parked outside before heading on inside the lab, removing your oxygen mask and going towards the link units, you looked at Aria before questioning.

“Won't I be too far away from my host body? Will I still be able to move?” you ask and she immediately answers “Yes, there will only be delay in consciousness transfer, what takes 15 seconds might turn into a minute or two, however you'll be just fine considering eywa connects all things together, which means you will be able to move just as fine.” she finishes off making you nod.

One thing that you noticed was how the scientists here actually believe in the existence of eywa and acknowledge it, you thought it was just another religion like back on earth, but for the last 3 months you trained here, you saw extensive research and connection between the life of pandora, it seemed like a neural network of roots which connected all beings together, it was like a system, actual proof of an entity made you quickly change your views as well. You snapped out of your thoughts and quickly got into the link unit.

You open your eyes in the avatar body and got up, you were inside a camp, you look around and see few others waking up too, the sound of the gates opening takes your attention before you making your way to your own aircraft, it was perfectly sized for a singular avatar body to travel, it was more spacious for humans though. You get inside quickly wasting no time, you notice Miss Aria looking at you and you smile at her which she returns, you start the engine and the aircraft lifts itself off the ground, swirling the surrounding air, once you are decently far away in the sky you look down at the scientist camp before breathing deeply, “I got this.” you mutter to yourself before pressing the accelerator and setting off.

You were told to follow the sun's direction to which you obeyed and did, and after a few hours of travelling the sun started disappearing behind the big planet, you panicked until you realised you were probably close to the water civilization, after 30 minutes the sun had set completely, your aircraft turned on its automatic camouflage mode, hiding in the dark sky, you looked down and saw hundreds of islands and noticed few dim lights coming from what looked like camps on at the edge of an island.

Bingo, it seems you have reached the water Na'vi area, as you heard from others, they live on water, building tents around the flow of it rather than living on the land, you noticed how the tents are on water but they have been tied to those strong root-looking branches stabilizing them. “if I land now at night they will definitely panic and start attacking.” you mutter to yourself, you caught the forest behind the island and decided you were going to land there and show yourself in the morning when the sun is up again.

You thought you landed safely unnoticed, but a certain person had noticed your aircraft from afar and decided to follow it, even though the camouflage made it difficult for him to spot the random stars disappearing and reappearing behind your space ship made it easier for him to follow. He didn't want to alert the other navi cause it looked like there would be no more than 4 people, he can take them on easily, he took his bow ready to go but was stopped by his father, Jake.

“Where are you going son?” he asked looking at his son holding a bow, neteyam didn't want to cause panic so he simply lied “Oh, it's just nothing, I was missing the forest way of living and wanted to check the forest behind this island.” he said and Jake simply nodded, “Don't cause any trouble alright?” he said and neteyam nodded before answering “Yes sir.” He then proceeded to make his way into the forest, he had lost track of you but luckily for him you were stupid enough to make a loud thump noise.

Noise travels further at eclipse than it does during the daytime, and with his heightened senses he was able to pinpoint where you exactly were, he was currently standing on a branch of tree, above you, studying you, it seemed that it was only you alone, he didn't knew RDA would be this stupid, mentally scoffing, he lined up his arrow and bow and aimed it to shoot towards you.

You were out of the aircraft looking around and taking in the scenery, you jumping down from it was what caused neteyam to follow your noise, but other than that, you were pretty careful with your step, trying to not make much noise, neteyam watched as you walked around, changing his aim to perfectly aim at your fatal point, when you finally stopped moving he took that as an opportunity and was about to release the arrow.

That was until an atokirina (woodsprite) rested on his arrow, he was shocked was an understatement, he had no idea where it even came from, their habitat was originally in dense forests, but what was it doing in a lesser dense forest behind the reefs? Heck, this was unknown and completely new.

He lowered his bow, taking his aim away from you and watched as the seed left the arrow it was resting on and towards your direction, he watched closely, the seed was floating around you, and when you noticed it, you immediately smiled, his heart fluttered at the sight, you knew what they were, they were seeds of the spirit tree, you encountered a few back in the forest you were training in but were confused to see one here, you quickly opened your hands so it can rest there.

“Hello there, it's surprising to see you here.” you spoke to it in Na'vi, he was surprised you knew how to speak it, of course RDA did train their troops to speak Na'vi to "communicate" with them. “What are you doing here? did you follow me? this isn't a usual habitat for you guys you know.” you spoke, he was so shocked at how you were speaking so casually, do you not know what they are? they carry eywa's energy in them and they are usually interpreted as a good sign, he notices how the seed dances around in your hands before you blow it away.

Neteyam decides to stop hiding himself and jumps down from the tree he was standing on, this causes a loud thud sound making you shriek as you turn to face the blue boy, he quickly rushes over to you and covers you mouth with his hand, “you shouldnt be here” he says with a hiss, and you gulp, scared by his demeanor, your heart was beating rapidly, that noise scared the hell out of you, you thought you were dead for sure.

“m-mmph—” you try to speak but you can't because his hand was covering your mouth, he notices and retreats his hand back, you pant, trying to calm your heartbeat and breathe normally, when you finally regain your composure you look at him, his face holding a stoic expression.

“You're out here alone eh? RDA must be stupid.” he scoffs at the end, “I- i am not from RDA” you say while maintaining eye-contact with him, he looks at you confused, you take a deep breathe before explaining. “I do not work for the RDA or anything associated with it, I work for another organization called Space and Earth Resources Organization, SERO, for short,” you take a break to look at his reaction, he doesn't seem to show any kind of emotion though, just looking at you bored, before you could speak he cuts you off. “You still belong to the sky demons.” he says with a scowl, “Ouch.” you say out loud, hurt by the word demon.

“Listen, we're here to prevent RDA from destroying this planet, we are trying out very best to make RDA drop their Pandora project back on Earth, we care, which is why we established a seperate organization, to help pandora, help the life here.” you finish what you were trying to say earlier.

“Don't make me laugh, that's actually so pathetic and entitled how you sky people decide when to play a hero or the villain, we do not need your help.” he says before turning around to leave when you stop him, “Please, the planet is in danger.” you say in a desperate voice, you grabbing his arm, he turned to look at you, your sad face.

“Ugh.” he lets out a huff before glaring at you, you look up to him, “fine, come then.” he says and grabs you by your arm and starts dragging you but you start resisting and pull away, “no! I can't, it is eclipse, it will cause panic, later at daytime I will appear.” you say, you were right, although he hates to admit it, he scoffs at you and just shrugs his shoulder.

“Fine, stay here.” he says and leaves before you could say anything, confused by this encounter you make your way back to your aircraft and get inside, you open a medium sized box which was given to you by your dad before you left to Pandora, you open it and look at the contents inside it, some polaroid pictures and your deceased mom's necklace, you quickly take the necklace and tie it around your neck, the pendant falls right between your collarbones, you take the polaroids out and graze your fingers over them, the family pictures bring a smile to your face.

You slowly drift off to sleep in your avatar body, tired from the journey, but you wake up in your human body, it took longer than it usually does since the body was far away from your location, you push the lid away and get down, noticing that you were the last one to wake up.

“Did you finally reach your location?” you hear someone ask and you turn around to see Miss Aria and you simply nod, “I didn't seek out to the people yet since it is dark, didn't want them to start panicking.” you say and Aria gives you a gentle smile “Good decision.” she says.

“Come let's go eat.” she says and you smile before following her, you have to keep this body energized for you to stay longer in your avatar, you follow Aria to the dining hall located in the camp, after getting your food, you sit down to eat.

Unbeknownst to you, your avatar body was slowly being surrounded by reef forest predators, luckily you were in your aircraft which acted as a shield for you and you were safe, however one launched suddenly making the glass crack but not break.

Neteyam watched down from the tree, he never left, he just pretended to, he was actually worried for you, he wasn't sure why he was saving you either, in fact he was really annoyed.

He could just let you die, let the reef forest predators eat your avatar body and you will die but the words you told him earlier sounded promising, he hated the sky people, the only ones he tolerated were the ones who stayed behind after the first war, he wasn't particularly close with them, just on neutral terms, but still he wasn't sure why he was helping you.

Could you really help them? Is your organization really different from RDA? Or will you turn out the same and kill his people? All types of questions flooded his brain, he was too occupied with his thoughts until he heard a muffled scream and looked down, it seemed you had woken up finally realised the danger you were in.

You didn't really expect to wake up in a life threatening situation, you got jump-scared by the predator launching at you as soon as you opened your eyes in your avatar body.

You let out a scream of course, because honestly, no matter how rational of a person you are, being scared like that will rip one out but you were able to muffle it with your hand, suddenly you see an arrow hit the predator, which causes the other predators to panic, shriek and growl, until you see another arrow flying in, hitting another one, you see the blue guy from earlier jump in and growl at them, the predators realised they were powerless and scurried off in different directions, you open the aircraft and made your way down carefully.

You looked at the animals that were shot before noticing how he was chanting something, you figured out he was apologizing and asking them to rest in peace, you go up to him and clear your throat, making him turn to look at you,

“Uh thank you so—” before you can finish off thanking him he growls “This is nothing to be thankful about, it is sad, very sad, you are stupid, so stupid, poor souls had to die.” he looks down on the predator before taking it's life to end the misery.

“I am sorry, I didn't know.” you say and look down, feeling guilty but he just stares at you, “you should be, you're stupid and ignorant, like a child!” he hisses, this makes you frown, you watch him get up and make his way to the other one, “well then why did you save me? should've just let me die, the glass would've broken and they could've had a feast.” you ask annoyed, he stops midway and turns to look at you. He stares at you for a while before letting out a sigh, “Why did I save you?” he repeats your question, you nod and he gets lost in his thought process before looking up at you again.

“Because, you have a kind heart.” he says, taking you by surprise, “a kind heart?” you ask and he nods, “Yes, a kind and strong heart, wanting to care for others, like you said earlier.” he finishes off.

Before you could say anything you hear rustling around you and you notice that the people from the village had come, having heard the commotion earlier, the sun finally starts showing again, basking everything in light once again, you notice how the people here are different, they have more greenish skin and blueish eyes, they surround you and the blue boy you were with. Until you notice another blue person standing out from the rest, your heart starts beating frantically, it was jake sully, so he was here? what are you going to do now?

“What is the meaning of this?” you hear jake sully speak, and shivers run down your spine, god you were intimidated by the aura of him and the people, before you can speak the blue boy cuts you off, “Dad, I can explain.” he says you were shocked, 'dad'? he is the son of jake sully?

“You better, boy.” he says with a stern voice you watch as you watch the younger boy keep his head down, he lifts it up before looking at you and takes a deep breath.

“There has been a sign.” that's all he said before jake understood what he meant, “And what exactly was the sign?” he asks, raising his eyebrow.

“An utokirina (woodsprite).” he says making jake confused, “But their habitat is in dense forests.” he says and the boy nods, “That is what was confusing, it landed on my arrow before I was about to shoot it at her, and then floated towards her, I would never lie about this.” he says, jake is taken aback by that revelation.

You were shocked on the other hand, ‘‘he was trying to kill me? what the hell’ you have never been more thankful for that woodsprite, it legit saved you from death, otherwise you would've ended up with an arrow to your heart.

“I see.” you hear another voice say, you turn to look at him, he was much bigger with tattoos covering him.

“Take her to the tsahik.”

TAGLIST ;

@violet-19999 @siriuslysmoking @sweetirilly @neteyamforlife @boilingpots !!!