#or i could just pretend the third season never happened and figure it out as i go along

[thypickles]

Just watched the teaser trailer and am now realizing that almost everything I thought I remembered from season 3 was from season 2 and I no longer know what's happening

[kooktrash]

UKIYO ✧ jeon Jungkook

summary: it’s the start of summer and there’s nothing better than dipping your toes in the sand and falling for a local boy who plays beach volleyball in his free time. he’s charming in a way you’ve never seen and you seem to understand each other better than one could imagine. both stuck in an awkward time of self discovery, you try to live in the moment and forget about your worries till they become too hard to ignore.

The Japanese word ukiyo (pronounced "u-key-yo") means "living in the moment" or "detached from the troubles of life".

✧ genre/au: summer romance, local beach boy!jk x city girl!y/n, [she/her, afab]

✧ 17.7k words

warnings: smut, fluff, ‘coming of age’ but they’re in their twenties, jk falls first. oral [f receiving]. unprotected bc they’re literally on a boat. hair pulling. jk is kinda rich boy. oc seems mean but she’s got mean vibes but just sassy and jk likes it. jk was previously engaged. law student jk. intimate missionary. jk is a volleyball player. think beach town vibes. his ex is kinda stuck up—all his friends are. jk is kinda lovesick puppy who needs aftercare lol

inspired by, Nicholas Sparks’ “The Last Song”

songs: tyrant — coldplay, mind over matter — young the giant, left hands free — alt-j, omg — suki waterhouse, sex drug etc — beach weather

✧

For a long time, summer was the only thing to look forward to in the year. The days were longer spent outside enjoying time with your friends and letting yourself sleep in until noon. As you grew older with more responsibilities that didn’t suddenly disappear when the temperature grew warmer, you began to lose feelings for the season. It made no difference in your life anymore and you longed for the days it would.

Maybe that’s why it was so easy for you to drop everything and leave your worries behind. A couple months in the sun, no stress, nothing holding you back.

”I still can’t believe I managed to convince you,” Your friend said for the third time in the last hour. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, again, “I still can’t believe it either, don’t make me regret it.”

Hoseok mocked you using a high pitched voice, turning the Jeep Wrangler into the driveway of a modern beach house, “How could you regret these next few weeks waking up to the waves crashing on the shore?”

”What magazine did you read that off of?” Your friend asked from the backseat, laughing to herself at his expense, “I hate when you talk corny.”

”Whatever, you guys are so ungrateful,” Hoseok jokes, pulling the car in ‘park’ and powering the engine off, “Next time I’ll invite someone else to come with—someone who I won't have to beg!���

”Boohoo,” You pretended to whine, getting out of the car and racing to get to your luggage first, “You love begging for me.”

”You wish,” He says with a scoff, “Hurry up and find your rooms, I want to get down to the beach as soon as possible.”

The beach was at its peak time of day where the sun sat the highest and almost every foot of sand was covered with people’s belongings. Not far from shore were rows of volleyball courts and crowds of people watching and as much as you wanted to avoid that busy side, it was the way to the boardwalk. You had no choice but to follow your friends in that direction. They were steps before you, already arguing about which store to go into first or what food stand you’ll go to but you were distracted by the large Ferris wheel in the back.

Maybe your focus should have been on the matches happening all around you but by the time you realized that it was too late. The white ball barely grazed your side when a tall figure headed straight into you with a loud thud.

A low grunt left your lips as you hit the sand with such a force that it physically ached for a moment. Your hands and face were practically covered in sand it was hard to acknowledge whatever gibberish your assailant spat out.

He didn’t have time to get a good look at you as he rushed to his feet, taking your arm and pulling you up abruptly, “Shit, I’m so sorry, I—“

“It’s fine,” your tone came out harsher than expected and it probably had something to do with the guy who loomed over you, and how embarrassed you felt. Up ahead your two friends were barely realizing you weren’t behind them and turning to find you, laughing once they did.

The stranger let his gaze trace over you with sudden curiosity, not at all intimidated by your attempt at a scowl. Now that he was looking at you up close, he had to admit he liked what he saw. He couldn’t help but grin nervously, “I’m sorry.”

His smile made you glare as you dusted sand off your jeans, “Really? I can’t tell.”

“I… it’s just, usually when there’s a ball flying people tend to dodge it,” he was walking backwards now as you tried leaving, he wanted to face you when he talked and it made his cocky smile all the more unbearable. You’ve just met the guy and he hadn’t given the best impression yet. Honestly, you’re just tired from the trip and you’re hungry so you blame that on your mood but you just want to escape this embarrassment of falling.

A scoff left your lips, “Are you saying that this is my fault? Maybe if you all played the game on the court, you wouldn’t have run after it.”

You were giving him attitude and yet he didn’t back down from returning it with a sweet smile.

“Jungkook!” Someone called from behind but the guy didn’t bother to even look back at the paused game. Instead he kept up with you, “You’re right, it’s partially my fault too so how can I make this up to you?”

You stopped walking, looking at him. You didn’t know him and he didn’t know you so there was no need to hold him up from his game any longer, “Don’t worry about it.”

“But I can’t go on like this,” The stranger, Jungkook, said, “Not until I know you’re not mad anymore.”

The way you rolled your eyes excited him in a good way. He wasn’t amusing enough for you and it was rare for him not to be.

“Jungkook! Come on man, the game!”

“Y/n!” Hoseok said loudly, “Hurry up, I’m starving.”

Just like that, the two of you walked away from each other and you had to tell yourself not to look back at him. You didn’t want to catch him doing the same before he went back to playing.

“Are you okay?” Hyeri asked, still laughing lightly, helping you shake off sand, “I was going to help you but then I saw you talking to that hot guy and I didn’t want to intervene.”

“So considerate,” you mumbled sarcastically, trying to hide your smile as you walked the steps up to the pier and forgot about whatever was happening on the sand.

The stranger really was attractive, and if he hadn’t toppled you over like it was nothing you might have stayed a little longer. When you spotted him below you couldn’t help but look him over. He wore a pair of blue and white striped swimming trunks and no shirt which gave you a good look at his muscular back and sleeve of tattoos. Compared to the players around him, he looked noticeably different from the rest and you kind of liked that.

“What are we eating?” You asked your friends who shrugged, still indecisive.

Hours after the sunset and Jungkook’s adrenaline from winning began to slowly settle down, he walked along the boardwalk with his partner. The two of them are trying to waste time for a while before their night plans come along.

“I know Yeaun is around here somewhere and if she’s here then that means Chae-hi isn’t far,” Jimin said looking around the crowded boardwalk while Jungkook followed behind lazily, “Which means a fun night for us so let’s find them.”

He could hear what Jimin was saying but he wasn’t truly listening. His attention had drifted away from the conversation the second he looked to the side and found a familiar silhouette in the distance. Well, not too familiar but he recognized it from when he crashed into you earlier.

You were with your friends at some jewelry stand looking over all the handmade bracelets and necklaces, such a short distance from him. He could easily make it over to you in no time.

“I don’t really want to see Yeaun,” Jungkook said, eyes trained on you. Jimin groaned in response, whipping back to his friend and shaking his head. He followed his line of sight and jumped in front of him.

“No, look over here, we’ve got plans,” Jimin said hoping to pull Jungkook’s attention away from some stranger, “We told Chae-hi and Yeaun we’d met them tonight.”

“No, you have plans, I never agreed to anything,” Jungkook said with a laugh, clearly amused. He tried to see if you were still there but when he looked back you were already walking away.

“Don’t be that way, think about me. Your best friend, who has been trying to get with Chae-hi for weeks now,” Jimin begged, making Jungkook sigh with defeat. He didn’t say anything as he motioned for Jimin to lead the way and went on with his life.

✧

There’s a story about how you found yourself moving into a beach house with your best friends for the summer. The opportunity sort of fell at your feet when Hoseok’s sister had to leave abroad for a couple months because of her job. She lived in a nice house on the beach that would need to be looked after and that’s when she decided to tell her younger brother about it.

Not long after, he came to you and Hyeri and asked if you wanted to join. It took a long time for him to convince you but when you realized how shitty life currently was back home, there was nothing holding you back.

Your first week has been fun getting to enjoy the warm water and sand between your toes. You’ve gotten into a bit of a routine in the area and you’ve begun to familiarize yourself with the roads and places. That’s probably why you were doing Hoseok a favor by helping him out today.

He’s busy taking care of some errands for his sister and asked if you could bring his car into the shop for some maintenance, considering Hyeri liked sleeping past noon, you had no choice but to agree to it all on your own.

“What can we do for you?” A guy in a dark gray button up and oil streaks across his hands asked you once you made it to the auto shop.

“Just an oil change.”

Jungkook had nearly forgotten about his encounter on the beach. There wasn’t much for him to remember anyway and he’s never been the type to hold onto something so meaningless. He carried on with his usual routine and busied himself away at work.

The shop he worked at was busy all of the time and it was a great distraction from whatever else happened in his life so he truly loved it. He loved getting to work with cars and getting his hands dirty. He worked with people he was friends with and sometimes, if he’s really lucky, someone who catches his attention will stagger in.

When he found you standing in the office with his boss signing papers he was visibly taken back. He had been too busy helping Namjoon take a wheel off a black Sedan, to notice when you came in but he was too late now. You were already finishing up whatever you were doing with Jin and leaving.

“I’ll be back,” Jungkook told Namjoon, tossing him the wrench he had been using and heading straight to the front.

You went across the street to the small diner and he had to think about this. Part of him didn’t feel the need to see you again, mostly because he was embarrassed by toppling you over and probably how he sounded. Part of him wanted to ask for your name, apologize and try and see if you’ll talk to him.

“I’m taking an early lunch,” Jungkook told him without much of a car as he hurried to clock out and leave for the diner.

You sat alone in a booth with your laptop open and scrolling through a website filled with job offers. It was partially out of boredom and a reminder that you needed to find somewhere for when you get back home. You could look for something in the field you used to study in but how far could you get with it?

“Excuse me,” he stood in front of you now, “I don’t know if you remember me from a few days ago but—“

“I remember,” you said blandly, looking up at Jungkook with a mixture of boredom and a small hint of possible curiosity. He looked very different with a shirt on, his abs weren’t as distracting but he still had an intimidating build. That’s why his pretty face surprised you under all that sweat and car grease. He was clearly one of the mechanics and has somehow made his way to you.

“Right, uh,” he swooped in to sit across from you, “I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to knock you down and sometimes when I’m playing, I kinda get a little too excited so I’m sure I was just talking and talking.”

You’re assuming he meant how he followed after you and smiled so arrogantly when you looked visibly annoyed with him. What you don’t get is why he’s apologizing again, you weren’t still upset over that.

“It’s fine,” you reminded him with a confused look, trying to read what he was really here for, “You work across the street?”

“Yeah, I’m Jungkook,” He finally introduced himself, “I saw you earlier and it was time for lunch so I came to talk to you.”

You didn’t say anything for a while and the silence wasn’t broken until the waitress came and asked what Jungkook would like. He brushed her off with a ‘Whatever she’s having’ and looked at you curiously.

“Okay,” You’re definitely not from around here because he would’ve recognized you so just who are you? He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Um, yknow, usually when someone gives you their name you say yours back.”

“Y/n,” You said distantly, “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, anything,” Jungkook sat straighter, almost reaching up to fix his hair but stopping himself. He wasn’t nervous or anything but you’re not speaking to him with the same flirtatious tone and it’s confusing him.

“What are some fun things you can do around here other than the usual tourist stuff?” You asked him suddenly, “You are a local, I assume.”

“You assume right,” Jungkook nodded as he bit his lip in thought, “I could always show you better than I can tell you.”

“You’re a funny guy, y’know?” You smiled, “But seriously, what is there to do?”

He’s pretty sure that was just a rejection so it took him a moment to bounce back from it and tried to catch himself from doing it again.

By the time the car was ready, you were paying for your meal and hurrying to leave while Jungkook ate and enjoyed the last of his break. For the rest of the day he found himself thinking about you.

He’s lived a very repetitive and predictable life. Since early childhood he’s had the same classmates and friends, and gone to the same places and events. He’s known the same girls and has hung out with the same people for years. The only time he got any sense of independence is when he was gone for law school but now that he’s done and has returned home for the sake of his family and friends, he’s reminded once again of the repetitiveness.

Maybe that’s why he’s a little excited to meet someone new. He just had a strong feeling that you were more interesting than you let on and he wanted to know more.

He didn’t know that you felt the same and had to ignore these thoughts so you wouldn’t start anything with him. Jungkook was attractive and you’ve moved on from the fall aside from the slight bruising, and you were just trying to enjoy your time. Did you really need to meet someone?

In all honesty, he didn’t seem as arrogant covered in sweat, he looked good and he seemed nice.

But did that mean you wanted to waste your time with him?

✧

It was a crush, nothing but a small, schoolboy crush that occupied his mind from time to time. In all honesty, it was easy to ignore when he got carried away in his day to day life, it’s only when he sees you or you cross his mind for the shortest of seconds, that he finds himself getting lost. He doesn’t care for the girls his best friend likes to hang around, nor does he feel the need to upturn himself out there. Lately, all he’s wanted is to be with someone who makes him forget about himself and maybe he wasn’t looking in the right places if he thought you could help.

It was wishful thinking for him to hold so much thought over a stranger who couldn’t care less to know his name, but that’s what he liked. He wondered when he would run into you again, what he might say in hopes of getting a response and what would happen after that. He even wondered if you’d be at the beach tonight while everyone told ghost stories and drank bottles of Soju one after the other.

What does he say when he finally sees you looking at him?

You spotted him first, hating how much you wanted for him to look up and see you too. He was with his friends and you had no intentions to approach him but… well, he was cute. You can’t act like he isn’t and he’s oddly charming which makes him memorable but it was a bad idea. This trip was meant to be fun with your friends and that’s it—you weren’t going to make time for strangers.

“For once we don’t have to worry about an Uber and can walk our asses home,” Hoseok said standing over a keg, “So I don’t know about you guys, but I’m blacking out tonight.”

”When has anything ever stopped you from accomplishing that?” You asked him, turning your back to the familiar stranger, “You’re never the one ordering it anyway.”

”No, he’s usually the one we’re pushing into the backseat,” Hyeri joined in on the teasing.

“Shh, why do I always feel judged by you two? Is this what friends are for?” Hoseok pretended to be hurt as he filled your cup with beer.

“She’s not from around here, is she?” Jungkook asked as he looked across at you. You haven’t noticed him—he doesn’t think—but he’s noticed you and for some reason that excited him. Well, for one specific reason and it was simply the fact that he likes you. Does he know enough about you to pinpoint this statement? No, but he knows that he feels strange when you’re around. That has to mean something. The longest relationship he’s ever been in was with Yeaun and he doesn’t remember feeling this excited to meet someone.

“How would I know?” Jimin asked when a scoff, barely bothering to look over at you. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “You rather think about her than Yeaun? You’re insane.”

“Are you sure it’s Chae-hi you like and not Yeaun? You sure do bring her up around me a lot,” Jungkook rolled his eyes.

“Isn’t it obvious? I want you to get back together with Yeaun so that Chae-hi will think about me instead of her ‘heartbroken’ friend,” Jimin handed him a cup of beer, “Take one for the team.”

“No, I don’t think so,” He chuckled, “We broke up for a reason so don’t push it.”

“Not a good reason,” Jimin mumbled under his breath but Jungkook chose to ignore it.

“There you are,” the devil herself said as she found him, “We were wondering where you two ran off, right?”

“Right,” Chae-hi agreed, “Hi Jimin.”

“So, it’s kind of boring here isn’t it?” Yeaun asked looking at Jungkook for assurance, “Plus all the low lives are starting to come in and I really don’t want to be around any of them. We were wondering if you guys wanted to come back to mine.”

“To do what?” Jimin asked while Jungkook stood back disinterested and distracted. He couldn’t even pretend to be interested when he was focused on someone else entirely.

By pure luck, he looked back to see if you were still standing where you were before and this time you locked eyes with him. Without much care for the conversation he was supposed to be in right now, he walked off while they discussed plans involving a hot tub.

“I’m starting to think you’re following me,” Jungkook first said as you nearly bumped into him in an attempt to get closer to the bonfire. He walked alongside you with ease, “First, on the court, then at my job and now here?”

That made you snort in disbelief, shaking your head and trying not to smile, “Someone seems flattered but I think you have it the wrong way.”

“As in I’m the one doing the most to run into you? No, never,” Jungkook spoke dramatically, “This is all by chance. There’s no way I could’ve seen you from over there and decided to come and talk to you instead. That would make me seem desperate, wouldn’t it?”

“It would,” you agreed, slightly amused now as you broke into a small smile, “I didn’t take you as the type.”

“Well that’s because you haven’t tried to get to know me, I’m honestly a catch,” Jungkook joked lightly, following you where you walked off to, “Or are you scared?”

“Scared? Of what?” You asked, stopping abruptly and turning to face him with furrowed brows. He couldn’t help but smirk, “Oh I don’t know… getting to know someone new. You give me the vibe that you don’t like meeting new people.”

“I love meeting new people,” You exaggerated childishly, “When they don’t fall on top of me.”

“I caught myself, so let’s not lie now,” Jungkook snorted, “Besides, who’s the one who walked into the middle of a game?”

As he said that, the two of you seemed to have drifted far enough from where the fire had been going, that you found yourself not too far from one of the volleyball nets on the shore. Jungkook looked down at you with clear amusement as you looked up at the net and he walked up to the abandoned volleyball that sat in the sand.

“Do you eat, sleep, and breathe volleyball?” You jokingly asked, finally giving Jungkook some response that implied you were interested in him even slightly.

“Only on the weekends, sometimes around noon or after work if I’m free,” Jungkook told you, picking up the ball, “Do you play?”

“No,” you told him as he began to bounce the ball back and forth between his hands. You looked back at your friends who seemed preoccupied with whatever new friends they made for the night.

“It’s easy,” Jungkook said, “There’s really only one basic rule, don’t let the ball touch the ground.”

“Are you giving me a lesson now?” You asked with slight amusement as he moved to the other side of the net, “I’m warning you, I won’t be any good at it.”

“I’ll take it easy on you,” Jungkook tossed the ball your way and although you reached out to hit it, you missed and it landed a few feet behind you. He couldn’t help but laugh, “Okay, maybe you try and throw it.”

“But how do I throw it?” You looked up the tall net wondering how you would make it over. You held it up and tried doing a practice hit while he tried teaching you.

“Just try a simple serve, you can hit it from under or thro—“

“Oh my god,” you broke out into a nervous laugh as Jungkook covered his face with his hand. The ball sat at his feet, completely oblivious to the fact it had just pummeled straight into his face. You covered your mouth in an attempt to stop laughing but you were embarrassed and couldn’t do anything but try and laugh it off, “I’m so sorry.”

“Really? I can’t tell?” Jungkook said sarcastically, sounding eerily similar to you when you first met but still playful. In all honesty, the pain wasn’t too bad but it was humiliating and the only thing he could think about is how you’re trying not to laugh, “You think it’s funny?”

“No! No, I don’t, I just um,” you tried to stop, “I just…”

“You just what?” Jungkook looked at you, slowly making his way to your side and you inadvertently began to step back, worried he might actually be upset, “You like laughing at causing other people pain?”

“Did it actually hurt?” You asked with surprise, still stepping back the closer he got.

“My ego, yeah,” he joked, “And I feel like we need to get even.”

“We did, think about it as me getting back at you for the other day!” You tried to say, feeling the edge of the ride begin to touch your feet the farther you walked from him.

“Really? So this was all part of revenge?” Jungkook asked, “I don’t think so, I suggest you run.”

“What?” You stopped to think, “Jungk—“

And it began. He kicked water at you once the tide was close again and without thinking, you jumped back. You weren’t wearing a bathing suit or anything appropriate for the water so he can’t. You’re in a simple top and flowy, long skirt, not something you wanted wet, “Don’t you dare.”

“Why? Scared of a little water?” He tried to kick water again but this time you moved back in time and he smirked, “It’s better than getting hit in the face. Will you take care of me if I get a concussion?”

You scoffed, laughing, “Don’t you wis—Jungkook!”

He ran after you as you took off in a jog and before he knew it, you were splashing water back at him, not caring about how wet you got. The night was young and you were having a good time, there wasn’t much to worry about other than making sure you got Jungkook before he could get you.

Not far from where the two of you played in the ocean with the moon reflecting against the waves, a few pairs of eyes watched you unimpressed. Jimin didn’t have much to think about the matter, he just couldn’t understand it. Why would Jungkook waste his time on someone he didn’t even know?

Yeaun was right here desperate to have him back and instead he’s wandered off with some stranger acting childish. It doesn’t make sense, and neither does the big grin on Jungkook’s face once he caught you and tackled you into the low tide, both getting drenched in water.

“Jungkook!” He ignored the call of his name as he watched you shake sand out of your hair with curiosity. You looked annoyed even if you smiled and he knows you probably are considering he pushed you into the water but you’re not cussing him out yet. You’re not screaming at him for getting you into the water so maybe it was a good sign.

“Are we even now?” You asked breathlessly as you looked forward to where your friends were and turned away from Jungkook.

“I guess, for now at least,” He teased, walking toward Jimin, “It depends on if I bruise or not.”

“I didn’t hit you that hard,” you scoffed, smiling and shaking your head in disbelief. At some point in your ascend back up the shore, Jungkook got you to finally give him your number. You didn’t question when his friend approached him, going on about something you didn’t bother listening to and turned in search for someone you knew.

“You look like you need a towel,” someone said from your right. It took you a second to realize she was talking to you, much less holding out a clean towel for you.

“Thanks,” you said, trying to wipe off some of the sand with the beach towel the stranger handed to you. Hyeri was off talking with some guy and you had no clue where Hoseok was so as of now, you were on your own here. The girl was pretty and she seemed nice enough so you didn’t mind responding to her approach.

“I’m getting sand all over it,” you tried to make some sort of conversation, “Sorry, I’m Y/n.”

“Don’t even worry about it, I’m Yeaun,” She said with a smile, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Is it that obvious?” You asked, laughing lightly. Yeaun just shrugged as she got closer to you, “Not really, but, well… there’s just some people you should always avoid.”

Your brows began to furrow with confusion, “Like?”

“No, I don’t want to start anything,” she shook her head no, “We don’t know each other and you’ll probably think I’m meddling but… okay, Jeon Jungkook.”

You didn’t say anything to that as you tried to get a good look at the girl. Yeaun was pretty with sun-kissed skin and golden hair that shone under the moonlight. She seemed soft and glowed with a brightness that felt contagious but you didn’t know her. You don’t know why she brought up Jungkook or why she even approached you so you had nothing to say back to her.

“I just mean… you’re not from around here and you seem smart,” Yeaun said sympathetically, “Jungkook’s kind of a known player and I don’t want you to fall for his tricks, trust me, he’s not worth it.”

“Trust me, it’s not like that,” you said, suddenly disinterested in conversation with her and more focused on finding your friends, “Thanks for looking out for me though.”

Yeaun watched you walk away and not bother to turn back and she had to leave like it didn’t bother her to be brushed to the side. She can’t tell if you took what she said into consideration or if you couldn’t care less and she didn’t like that. She didn’t like that she didn’t know you and she didn’t know about your relationship with Jungkook or how you know him.

✧

His life was utterly perfect to anyone who thought about it. He had the bestest of friends, the closest family, the most money and a promising future. Everything he had ever wanted was handed right to him and in a sense, it made him arrogant. It was a given that he would end up that way and maybe that’s why he’s always surrounded himself with people of the like. He didn’t despise any of his friends, just sometimes, when he listened to the conversations they would have, he wanted to disagree.

“Yeaun said you’ve been avoiding her,” Jin said as he pulled a golf club out of his bag.

”Great, now you’re talking about her too?” Jungkook asked, lining his club up with a shiny white golf ball, “I already get enough of it from my parents and Jimin.”

“Well yeah, when you suddenly call off a year long engagement with someone you’ve known all your life, people question it,” Jin said, watching Jungkook swing the club back and shoot the ball into the air, “We’re worried about you.”

“Don’t be,” Jungkook mumbled, “Besides, there’s someone else, I don’t know if you know her, her name’s Y/n.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Jin shrugged, moving his visor down to block more of the summer sun out of his eyes. He wore white golfing gloves and a pair of Raybans, making him look straight out of a country club catalog.

Jungkook sighed, growing more restless by the minute. He’s only seen you on few occasions and he’s yet to leave a good impression on you where he can ask for your number or something, “She was hanging out with this guy, I know you know him but I can’t think of his name—you dated his sister.”

“Hoseok?” Jin asked, “I remember hearing about how he was in town. How do you know this isn’t his girlfriend you’re hitting on?”

“It’s not,” Jungkook said, “I don’t think. I don’t know.”

“But what about her?” Jin asked, hopping in the passenger’s side of the golf cart, “You don’t know a thing about the girl but you like her and you’re willing to throw away your future because of it.”

“I’m not throwing anything away,” Jungkook said with a scoff, “But whatever, you don’t get it.”

He spent the evening golfing on a private course not far from the beach where you wandered around with a book in hand.

You enjoyed passing time with your friends but sometimes, you just needed time to yourself and you would find yourself wandering off on your own without much care for anything else. Your friends didn’t mind when you went off and you always made sure to tell them where you would go so there was never any problem. Ever since you got here, you’ve been doing things on your own.

“I knew I would find you around here.”

You didn’t respond at first, still debating if the person was talking to you, but one look up told you he was. Although you wanted to resist the urge to smile, you couldn’t help it.

“Stalker,” You said with a small sigh, closing your book. He didn’t say anything as he took a seat down in the sand next to you. “You’re on my turf, remember? What are you reading by the way?”

You glanced at the cover of your book, “Nothing exciting—how’d you know I was here?”

“I looked for a dark, brooding figure and assumed it was you,” Jungkook joked, “And just an fyi, my face still hurts.”

“I’m sure you've been hit worse,” You said sarcastically, sitting up and watching him get comfortable. He was dressed in a light color linen button up and shorts, the first buttons were undone and a cliche shell necklace sat perfectly against his collarbone. He was attractive and you’ve thought so since the beginning but something was holding you back.

Did you really want to waste your time on a stranger you won’t know in a few months?

“What are you doing tonight?” He asks suddenly.

“Sleeping, hopefully,” you told him, a small smile when you noticed him roll his eyes.

“It’s the summer, the sun’s out, you live on the beach—don’t look at me like that, it’s a small town. Word gets around when a new person shows up,” Jungkook said with a shrug, knowing it’s him who had been asking about you.

“You’re just solidifying my stalker allegations, should I report you?” You asked, laughing slightly.

“I’ll have you know, a lot of people would love to be stalked by me, you should feel flattered,” He nudged your knee with his.

“What? Like it’s hard? Word gets around,” You said to him, “I’ve already been warned about getting too close to you.”

Jungkook let his brows furrow as he took in what you said but it didn’t take long for it to dawn on him. As much as he wanted to act like there was no way his ex girlfriend would approach you, he knew her too well. Who else would talk down on him? Who else would feel threatened when he ignores them? What does she think she gains from telling you to stay away from him? Isn’t it his decision who he approaches and does she think you’re just going to fall in line like everyone else does?

This is the sort of thing that pisses him off. He’s not a bad guy at all, he doesn’t sleep around, he focuses on his goals, he has fun with his friends… so why?

“But if it makes you feel any better, I’m not very good at listening to what I’m told,” You finally said, standing up with your book in hand and pulling the sand-covered towel, “And I’m starving, so where’s a good place to eat around here?”

As much as he wanted to act like the cool guy and seem indifferent, he couldn’t help but break out into a grin. Without wasting another second, he got up and motioned to carry your things, “There’s a good food shack on the boardwalk. I guess I could show you around.”

“If it isn’t too much of a hassle,” You said playfully, handing him your things.

“So, I want to know, what’s a big city girl like yourself doing all the way over here?” He asked on the way up, “Or do you still want to play at being mysterious?”

You rolled your eyes, “I don't usually play games like that, I think you’ve got me confused with someone else. I just don’t talk if I have nothing to say.”

“Interesting take, I personally never know when to shut up,” Jungkook smiled, pointing up to the restaurant and walking in behind you, “But seriously, usually the tourists come to pollute our water and get away.”

“Are you always so observant? You give me the vibe that you like to watch other people,” You told him, sitting down at a high round table across from him.

“And you give me the vibe that you hate talking about yourself. Why else would you avoid every question I ask?” He asked, raising a brow making you scoff but you couldn’t deny it. When the server brought out your menus, she made sure to greet Jungkook like old friends.

“Do you really care to know?” You asked quietly.

“Why else would I ask? I’m not pretending to be interested, if that’s what you think,” Jungkook said honestly.

You didn’t say anything for a moment, looking down at the menu contemplating what to order and what to say, “Things were getting a little too complicated back home and my friend asked if I wanted to pack up my things and follow him down for the summer and I said yes.”

“How broad,” Jungkook said with a small smile, lifting a brow and waiting to see if you would add to it.

“It’s the truth,” you shrugged.

“What was complicated?” Jungkook asked.

He looked amused when you narrowed your eyes in response to his probing. “Adulting.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Jungkook shrugged, waiting for the server to come back to take your orders. He let you order first, watching the server give you a look as she listened and followed after with his own.

“How wise of you to say. What about you?” You asked him, handing the menus back and sliding your drink closer to you.

Jungkook distracted himself playing with the wrapper of his straw and shrugged, “What about me? We’ll get to me when you give me the juicy details.”

You couldn’t help but scoff, looking out the window to the view of the waves crashing against the shore, “What? I told you everything.”

He chuckled, “Barely.”

Rolling your eyes, “Rude.”

“Really?” He asked, biting back a smile.

“No. You’re actually pretty nice,” once again, you sighed, as if admitting that was hard for you.

“Nice? That’s what you tell a guy when you’re going to reject him. I just want to know more about you but there’s not much I can go with. How long are you staying?” Jungkook finally asked you.

“A couple months, are you already dreading it when I leave?” You asked, sounding sarcastic and amused.

“Maybe, you’ve left an impression despite what you might think. Crushing you under my incredible physique was destiny.” He could tell you wanted to laugh but were refusing to do so.

“Corny.”

“Funny.” He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair and making it known that he was going to wait for you however long it took.

“I had this bad roommate situation I couldn’t take anymore and my lease doesn’t end for another two months so when Hobi asked me to come with I jumped at the chance. I left my job because it’s draining me and I felt useless so I figured it’d be easier to run away to the beach and deal with it all later. Happy? I was honest.” You rushed the words, half-assed the pace.

It was his turn to narrow his eyes suspiciously but gave in, “Content. You’ll figure it out, you don’t seem like the type to wait around for things to fix themselves.”

“Really? Because that feels like what I’m doing right now. I’m all the way over here where I haven’t done anything but run into this strange guy at the beach who I think might be stalking me,” You said, joking at the end.

“No, right now you’re trying to live in the moment, nothing wrong with that,” he chuckled, ignoring your joke.

You don’t remember much of what you said to him but for some reason Jungkook was very easy to talk to. Maybe it’s because you don’t really know him or expect anything from him at all but he got you too open up to him like you’ve known him for years. In reality you didn’t know anything about him or anyone here for that matter.

“Okay, okay, enough about me. It’s your turn,” you had finally said between mouthfuls of whatever the two of you ordered and Jungkook couldn’t avoid it any longer.

“Alright, I’m… also trying to figure things out on my own. I’m used to being with certain people and doing certain things and I don’t know, at one point I kind of got fed up with everything being so predictable. I want to meet people on my own and not because they know who I am or something,” He rushed his words, “If I could, I’d move far away from here but right now I don’t think that’s an option so I settle for next best and stick it out. In all honesty, everything’s kind of been a bore until I met you, you’re different.”

You raised a brow, mirroring his earlier stance and crossing your arms over your chest, unamused, “How?”

He smirked, “I don’t know yet, I can just tell.”

You never believe a guy when he goes on about how different you are from other girls because usually they’re just full of shit. You’re not good at picking the right person so it makes you wary to believe anything he says despite how good he looks saying it.

By the time the bill came, the server made sure to sit it without checking if that’s what either of you wanted but you didn’t hesitate to reach for yours. Jungkook snatched the small slip out of your hand and hurried the server back so he could pay for it in full, giving her a tight smile, “Just one check, thanks.”

“Sure thing,” she said with a light scoff that had you looking after her with furrowed brows. Something about the way she acted left you feeling confused.

“What a good first date.” Jungkook said at the end, walking outside with you.

“This wasn’t a date,” you teased, thanking him for the meal nevertheless, “But I should probably call it a night, y’know.”

“Oh yeah, me too,” Jungkook shrugged “But if you’re not doing anything tomorrow night, we should see each other again.”

“Hm, I’ll think about it,” You said playfully, “If I’m not busy.”

“You won’t be,” He smirked, bumping your shoulder with his as the walk turned bumpy and more trail-like as he walked you home, “But why don’t you give me your number and we can talk about it more on the phone.”

“Hah, smooth guy, aren’t you?” You asked, taking his phone and typing your number in. When you got to the soft trail of greenery and sand that led up to the backyard of the beach house.

“How about we watch the last few minutes of the sun set together,” he reached for your head and stopped you before you could head up the wooden steps.

“How about you don’t kidnap my friend for the whole evening!” Hoseok shouted suddenly, tripping over his own feet as he ran out the sliding glass door that led to the pool deck, “I’ve been worried sick about Y/n.”

“Not true, he’s been sleeping!” Hyeri yelled after him, “But you’re the guy who tackled my best friend on our first day here.”

“My reputation precedes me,” Jungkook held his hands up in surrender, “I’m Jungkook. I was just asking if you guys wanted to join us and watch the sun set.”

“How aesthetic, let me grab some bottles of Soju.”

Your attempt to end your time with Jungkook failed and he seemed pleased with himself for that. He was also polite enough to try and get to know your friends too.

✧

He was having a crisis, he thinks. A real life identity crisis because for the first time in his life he thinks he likes someone—in a way he’s never liked anyone before. It’s pathetic and makes him feel so stupid because he barely knows anything about you but it’s the truth. If anything that’s what makes him like you so much. He likes that he can’t tell what you’ll say or how you’ll react to him, it’s exciting.

He just wants to know if he’s on your mind too.

“We’re still on for this weekend right?”

“What are we doing again?” The road ahead was a scenic path between mountain and sea that led all the way to this private property of his childhood home.

“Chae-hi’s birthday trip.” Jimin spoke from the passenger’s seat of the black pick-up truck his best friend paraded in when he wasn’t on his dirtbike.

“Oh, yeah I’m not going. I was thinking of taking Y/n sailing,” Jungkook said with a small smile, looking sideways, unable to miss the way Jimin stiffened and went silent. He looked back to the road, hand tightening around the steering wheel slightly, “What?”

“Nothing,” Jimin scoffed, looking out the window annoyed now. The drive was silent for a while, nothing but the low sound of music and wind blowing through the topless truck.

“What’s up with you lately?” He finally asked, “You barely know the girl and she’s all you talk about. We’ve had plans to go with everyone.”

By everyone he meant their mutual friends—not just his ex and her friend—which made things worse. He’s known them all for years and it’s hard to see them when he wants to move on and do his own thing. Jungkook tried not to let Jimin’s tone ruin his mood and sighed, “Sorry, man, but I’m not going. Are we playing later or what?”

“You sure you’re not busy with your new friends?” Jimin asked, remembering about the night Jungkook had dinner with you. He tried calling him that night to see if he wanted to go out for drinks just to be rejected because Jungkook was too busy with you and your friends.

Jungkook chuckled, “Don’t be jealous, you’ll always be first in my heart.”

“Oh fuck off,” Jimin rolled his eyes, trying to not sound bitter as he asked, “What’s your girl doing anyway?”

“Y/n’s not my girl—yet, I don’t know. She hasn’t texted back,” Jungkook said worriedly, making Jimin stare at him strangely.

It’s not that he had anything against you personally, he just doesn’t get it. You’re a complete stranger who won’t stick around so why has his best friend chosen to hang out with you so much recently. What did you have over the people he’s known all his life? What do you bring to the table?

What did you gain from being around Jungkook?

You couldn’t explain it either. All you really knew was that a cute guy who sort of annoyed you in the beginning was starting to rub off on you. You’ve come to enjoy running into him and forcing yourself to open up because he’ll listen. It made you feel weird in a good way. You wanted to think about how fun it was to be around him and ignore all the worries you’ve had recently.

Even with your close friends, you’ve long since stopped talking about the people you were interested in. It wasn’t because you didn’t trust them or want their advice but sometimes you didn’t feel the need to say anything—especially if it was harmless fun. That’s why when Hyeri approached you about Jungkook, you weren’t sure what to say.

“It’s no fair,” Hyeri picked through a crate of strawberries, dropping them into a basket, “I wanted to find a little beach boyfriend, why’d you get lucky instead.”

“What are you talking about?” You asked dumbly, following her down the aisle of produce at the farmer’s market.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Hyeri said accusingly, “Jungkook.”

“We’re just hanging out,” You said with a shrug that made her laugh, pushing her sunglasses into her hairline. You knocked against one end of a green watermelon, hoisting it in your hands and continuing past her.

“Right, is that what you called your date the other night? Just a nice early dinner with a hot guy who asked to watch the sunset with you?” She said playfully, “You like him, don’t you.”

“I don’t know him,” You insisted. Yes, you’ve talked a lot with Jungkook recently and you’ve begun to talk about real things in your lives but did that really mean anything? “Besides, in a month and a half I’ll be in my new place settling back into the old routine. It’s just fun hanging out with him, nothing more, it’d be too complicated.”

“Whatever you say,” Hyeri sighed.

You’re lying, obviously you’re lying because you do sort of like him but you didn’t want to think about it. You didn’t want to think about what you could become, you only want to think about now and how things progress. Whatever happens, happens. That’s it. Could you pretend like you have no worries aside from who you’ll run into on the beach instead?

When your phone rang, you knew immediately who it could’ve been and although Hyeri walked ahead, acting like she couldn’t hear it, she was clearly listening. When you answered Jungkook’s call, he was quick to ask about your plans for the upcoming weekend.

✧

“You want to take me sailing?”

Despite the early hours where the sun has yet to shine through, you still couldn’t wrap your mind around it. Even walking along the dock following after Jungkook who led the way through the darkness of the starry sky. “Or are you plotting my murder?”

“Which would you prefer I do?” He asked teasingly, looking back at you with a grin, “But seriously, it’ll be fun.”

Fun wasn’t waking up before the sun did, nor was it following a man you barely know out to the sea. If it weren’t for Hyeri begging you to take up his offer, you wouldn’t be here right now.

The sailing yacht was bigger than you expected with a small cabin area below deck to sleep and wash up in. You’ve never been on a sailboat before but you didn’t think they would look this nice and clean.

“This is yours?” You asked, watching him put in the arm work to undo the rope that tied the boat to the dock.

“Um, yeah,” Jungkook answered blandly, “Kinda?”

“Kinda?”

“Yeah, it’s mine,” he cleared his throat, helping you carry your bag down to the room before bringing you back up to the galley, “I used to be on a sailing team when I was in school and after I graduated I got this for my friends and I.”

“Nice,” You looked around, still in shock at the size of the sails. It was a Beneteau Oceanis 48 with such a sleek, clean look you were scared to sit on any part of it. You wanted to ask how much it was but resisted the urge to, scared you’d sound rude.

Still half asleep, you watched Jungkook set sail behind the wheel, his jacket already off and the sleeves of his linen shirt.

“Sleep a little, we’ve got time,” he said lastly.

It went easy between you two, you felt comfortable and for some reason safe with him enough to letyourself relax around him. You can't remember falling asleep but at some point you had and when you were woken up it was with him dropping anchor in the middle of the open sea.

The waves were calm, breathtaking deep blue and you could see the line of gold separating the ocean from the sky. It was beginning to warm up but you still shivered in your thin sweater, looking up feeling awestruck by the view.

"Look who's finally awake," Jungkook said softly as he secured the wheel and came over to where you sat. He grabbed his jacket — that he had grown too hot for — and placed it over your front. You took in the light scent of his cologne that lingered on the Northface and thanked him, "You said I could sleep."

"I know," he sat across from you, looking at you with a gentle look on his eyes, "I did wake you up pretty early, but look at the view. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's nice," You leaned against the edge of the seat, staring down at the dark navy blue water, almost catching your reflection in it. The line of gold was beginning to widen and a circle of light was bouncing off the ocean beautifully. "If you plan on pushing me over the edge, now's the time."

"You're dumb," he laughed, kicking your foot with his playfully. You smiled, trying not to laugh as you looked at him, "Aren't you cold?"

"No, it's hard work getting a sail boat out and I was starting to sweat," Jungkook lifted an arm, flexing it, "But these guns never fail me."

"That's too bad, I was hoping you'd want to keep me warm but I don't want you to overheat," You teased, looking at him invitingly and his eyes shifted to the open space next to you. To set it off, you even winked.

"You know what, now that you mention it, being surrounded by this sea breeze is making me a little chilly," Jungkook pretended to shiver as he got up.

"The sun's rising, I'm sure you'll warm up again really soon," You said as he sat next to you, touching your leg and making you put it on his lap.

"Who knows, I'm suddenly freezing, come closer," he rested his arm on the back of your seat, pulling you onto his lap, "I heard body heat is good to warm up."

"You can always just put your jacket on," You pretended to argue making him roll your eyes, almost sassily.

"But you look so much better in it," He brushed hair out of your face that the wind blew over, finger softly tracing the side of your face.

"I hate to admit this but... you're too good to be true," You said honestly, shifting your gaze away, "Like, too perfect."

"But I'm not," Jungkook argued quietly, "I'm just... I don't know, I'm not acting like myself—or maybe I am and haven't realized it but I think it's you. I want to impress you."

You didn't know how to respond but he didn't mind. He was more focused on the soft glimmer in your eye as you watched the sky turn a powder blue with orange, hearing the seagulls and light whooshing sound of the sails.

It's bad how affected you're leaving him and you don't even know it.

"Y/n," Jungkook tried getting your attention again, leaned his head against your shoulder. You didn't have to say anything to know what he was asking. The first soft brush of his lips against your jaw had you succumbing to his effect. He tilted your chin with the tip of his fingers, catching your lips with his, finally.

How do you describe it?

How do you explain how soft and tender his lips felt? How his fingers grazing your skin sent a shiver down your spine and how he was surprisingly very loving with his affection?

This man who you barely knew and trusted too much was making you melt in his arms, kissing you and making it feel like you've never been kissed before.

"This is bad," he mumbled against your lips, pulling back to catch his breath, eyes still closed, "I really like you."

You gave him one quick peck of a kiss, sitting up, "Tell me all about it then."

Jungkook couldn't he'll but crack a grin, licking the taste of you off his lips. He wouldn't be able to shut up if he did.

You're beautiful, stunning, truly.

Even with your face in sand or your hair a mess, a scowl or pout, just beautiful to him. It was so stupid for him to be swayed by that but it's obviously what pulled him in first.

You were so mean—he thought, at least—but it never stopped him from approaching you. It's like he knew it wasn't your intention to come off so cold and when you'd joke back with him, he could see the hint of mischief in your eyes. It made him want to push your buttons or say something he knew would get a reaction from you.

You're different and he wishes it didn't sound so stupid like he knew you would think if he ever told you but you are. You're like no one he's met—really met, beyond surface level interests or habits. You responded differently, looked at him differently, treated him different.

"I won't shut up if I do," he said honestly, "Can't I just show you, instead?"

"How suggestive," you giggled, letting him kiss you again. There was more force to it this time, like he really meant it. The first one was firm and teasing, really testing the waters when his hand disappeared into your hair to keep you from pulling away.

You were spending the golden hour of the late sunrise with Jungkook sailing on a boat in the ocean. The view was amazing and his lips were so soft.

His lip ring is surprisingly warm when it brushes your lips, and his tongue feels slick against yours. He held you closely making you feel secure and safe [?], and at one point you made it onto his lap, practically straddling him.

You pressed closer to him eagerly and the movement makes his hands travel toward your hips for support, his jacket long forgotten on the floor. The seat was hard underneath him but if he mentioned it you might pull away and that's the last thing he wanted in the moment. Jungkook liked kissing you, he liked feeling your lips trail down his jaw and toward his neck where you didn't shy away from leaving open mouth kissed against his Adam's apple or under his ear.

"Y/n—" his hands circled around you tighter, "Have you gotten a good look at the cabin?"

Your brows furrowed momentarily, looking down the short steps to the cabin door where a big bed was seen through the window, "No, want to show me?"

You began to get up from Jungkook's lap, making his hands slide off down your hip, leading you to the cabin.

Jungkook wasn’t as subtle as he hoped to be when he pressed you into his chest, peppering your shoulder with light and teasing kisses taking you further into the room. A small smile played on your lips when you turned to face him, circling your arms around his neck.

He didn’t question it when you walked him toward the bed instead, making him sit down as you kissed and straddling him once more. You were a good kissed and Jungkook could attest to that by the way your tongue slid between his lips to seek his out. It was a surprise for you to be so forward with him but he wasn’t complaining at all. If anything it made him want to take it further. He wasn’t shy with his touches anymore and you could feel his hands circle down to your butt, pressing you firmly into his lap.

It was hard to ignore his arousal from your simple make-out. It was evident in his shorts and it made you want to keep going. You began to rock your hips against him lightly, feeling his growing bulge apply pressure between your legs.

“Can we get this off?” Jungkook asked about your jacket first, feeling you miles away and when you unzipped it, you pulled off your shirt too leaving him breathless, “You’re bolder than I thought.”

“Is that a bad thing?” You asked, watching his fingers trace down your bare sides, looking at your bra and chest. His finger hooked into the hem of your jeans as if to teasingly ask if they can come off next and you gave him the go ahead, starting to unbutton his shirt for him.

“Never,” he sighed, eyes closing when your hands touched his muscular chest. His hands snuck under her jeans playing with your underwear and grinding your hips against his worn more purpose drawing out a small groan in the process.

When your hips began to move on their own, teasing his aching member, he leaned forward to kiss along your neck, finding your pulse points with ease and reaching behind you for the clasp of your bra to get it off next.

Your arms circled his neck, hugging his head close to feel his lips on your skin and moved your hips with more determined rhythm. You’d be lying if you said his kisses weren’t turning you on and sending shivers down your spine. Jungkook slid your bra off letting it hit the floor while you wrestled his opened shirt off his shoulders and hugged him in a kiss.

“You’re so sexy,” Jungkook whispered, kissing the soft mound of your breasts, “Even when I had you in the ground covered in sand that’s all I could think about.”

“And here I thought it was my personality that drew you in,” You teased, letting him finally turn you on your back beneath him. He pulled your jeans off leaving you in your small slither of panty.

“Trust me, it did,” Jungkook said, kissing along your thighs, “Hurt my feelings that the pretty girl from the beach couldn’t care less about me.”

“A real shot to your ego,” you raised your knees

Jungkook leaned forward to catch your lips in a kiss, hovering over your body, “It really was.”

A small gasp left your lips as you felt his hand trace down the curve of your sides, slipping into your underwear and feeling the soft slope of your nether region. Your thighs parted more, letting his finger tease your clit.

“I wasn’t too impressed in the beginning,” You joked, lifting your hips when you felt his finger begin to feel around your folds, surely finding where the slick began to puddle. He used the wetness to coat your clit, raising a light sigh from your lips there he swallowed in a kiss.

“I’m well aware,” Jungkook whispered against your lips. You rose your hips to meet his hand, finding some stimulation that made your body respond with raise bumps in pleasure, “What about now?”

As he asked, his coated middle finger finally pressed into your wet cunt, with his palm against your clit and grinding into it as he pushed his finger into the hilt. You dug your nails into his tatted forearm to ground yourself against the sudden feeling and holding back the loud moan that almost slipped. He smiled, clearly amused by your reaction. He maneuvered his hand around so his thumb could find your clit and with it covered in your arousal it made the slide so much easier.

Jungkook’s long finger slide into your pussy with slight restriction, curling when he pushed all the way in and finding that sweet spot that had your breath hitching and probing at it. You were at a loss for words and he loved it, it made him want to kiss you as he brought you pleasure with just his hand. He wasn’t even asking for a response anymore, he was just trying to tell you how he’s felt while he makes you feel good on an expensive sail boat in the sea.

The sunrise had long been forgotten and replaced by the thought of how good he made you feel and he was happy about that.

"Oh, fuck." You gasped, gripping his armas he hooks his finger at just the right angle. You didn’t even have to tell him that was the spot that made your toes curl, it’s like he just knew it.

"Like it?" He asked, repeating his previous action, kissing along your neck for added stimulation.

He could feel you on edge of orgasm by the way you pinched his arm but he didn’t care about the slight sting. He cared more for the glazed look in your eyes, walls tightening around his finger.

It’s like he knew exactly when the last push would be, and his pace grew more rough, ready to get you there and finally your body gave way to pleasure.

“Pretty,” Jungkook said softly, feeling your release around his hand, letting you ride out your high and pulling his hand back when you were ready. Your breathing was shallow and the sight of your breasts falling and rising with each breath was hypnotizing. When he pulled back, he couldn’t stand the constriction of his shorts anymore. Without thinking, he licked your release off his hand before yanking his shorts down along with his usual Calvin Kleins.

Jungkook didn’t say he was ready to go further, but you could tell just by the way his cock sprung free from its confines. It was pretty and long, not too think nor skinny and fit his physique perfectly. He stroked himself here and there for some friction but didn’t hurry you along. Instead, he let you catch your breath as he watched in awe at the fact that he had you in bed with him.

“Come here,” you motioned for him to come closer with your index finger and sat up, fully naked before him and getting him in the bed with you. Jungkook followed in a trance, kissing you thoughtlessly and nearly biting your lip in surprise when your fingers touched the tip of his dick, feeling the pre-cum that leaked from the slit.

You barely had your hand wrapped around his pretty cock, giving him a small jerk up his length when his fingers circled around your waist to stop you, “Not tonight.”

You tried to read the expression in his eyes but he just kissed you lovingly, “I want to feel you, all of you.”

“What a giver,” You said playfully, kissing the tip of his nose and laying back with him following after you. He held your legs apart, lining his cock at your entrance, “Can I? I’ll pull out.”

You gave a nod of your head, looking down as his cock pressed forward, aching to feel the tightness of your wet walls hugging him.

You’re not sure what came over you then, but the feel of his dick pushing past your entrance made you feel bold. Your leg hooked around his waist, pulling him forward and watching how his jaw went slack. Jungkook looked down at how eagerly you took him and his arms nearly gave out, eyes rolling as he processed the sudden pleasure.

You still needed a moment to adjust to his size and he practically fused himself to your body, trapping you beneath his muscular figure, “Fuck.”

His movements were slow at first, thrusting gently to find what felt good and what didn’t, running gentle hands over your breasts so he could feel the fullness of them. When he thrusted his hard length in, his thumbs were circled your nipples, pulling his cock out and pinching at them. Something about the leg you had around him drove him wild, feeling your territoriality over him even if there was a chance it meant nothing.

“Jungkook,” you moaned softly at a particularly harsh thrust, scratching at his back unintentionally, “Feels good.”

Something was happening inside of him that he couldn’t explain. He wanted to say things he shouldn’t, things that were too soon to admit and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself. The only other way he could stop himself from sounding like a fool was with his mouth on you and the closest thing to him were your perky nipples.

Jungkook never slowed the steady pace he set fucking you but with the added pleasure to your chest, his tongue circling around your nipple and sucking lightly, had you seeing stars. You’d nearly forgotten where you were till you looked out the windows, seeing the clear sky and the pretty water making this all feel more surreal.

Jungkook hugged you close, hand gripping your thigh and inching it higher around himself as he fucked you rougher, taking pleasure in bringing you close again and this time around he couldn’t bother being as gentle. He wanted to, he swears, but he’s so turned on by you that he couldn’t be patient at all. You didn’t even seem to mind when his hips slammed into yours, turning you to lay on your side, fucking yourself on his cock with more vigor knowing he needed release too, and let him manhandle you however he wanted. His free hand snuck into your hair, pulling slightly when he dragged you into another kiss and groaned against your lips.

Neither of you had to say anything to know you were both close, and it made you impatient. You moaned at the roughness, letting yourself get lost in the feeling unripe you couldn’t take it anymore, once again cumming with little control of yourself. He held you so roughly to his body, not letting you go as you struggled to catch your breath and you knew it was taking everything in him to not let go inside you. That’s the only thing that had you pushing away from him, trying to sneak a hand down to touch him but the second you did, his cock spilled thick cum into your hand, creamy and white. You wanted a taste badly.

Jungkook moaned your name quietly, feeling pathetic to cum so easily by your hand but he couldn’t hold back anymore. It took him longer to bounce back than you, and when he opened his eyes he caught you pressing a finger to your tongue, taking a small taste that left him shuddering.

“Don’t do that,” his voice said, raspy and tired tone.

“You did it to me,” You said, licking your finger clean, “And you made a mess.”

“Sorry,” he couldn’t help but pout, looking surprisingly cute to you even with his hair a sweaty mess and the afterglow of sex on his naked body, “Kiss?”

A grin spreads over his face when you lean in to kiss him, happily kissing you back more gently now.

“Would I sound wimpy if I said I needed a nap?” It pained him to even ask but he was suddenly so tired and relaxed in your arms. It made him feel unmanly to even think to ask but he couldn’t help it, he could lay in bed all day with you if it was an option, “We can worry about breakfast later—perhaps when it’s consider lunch or an afternoon snack.”

You laughed softly, snuggling into him further, “Let me at least clean up a little and then we can sleep for as long as you want.”

Jungkook smiled happily, letting you leave to the bathroom as he hurriedly tugged the bedding off. He wasn’t too worried about the boat, knowing he properly set anchor and the water was calm today. If anything the light rocking of the boat could lull him to sleep if you were in his arms.

“Are you sick of me yet?” Jungkook asked, watching you drift in and out of sleep as he drove away from the shipping dock. It was the evening and the hours spent in the open sun was exhausting, even with how sweet it felt. At least he thinks you might feel that way.

If he were being honest, he could still be with you longer. There hadn’t been enough hours in the day for him, “Or do you think we could still get dinner?”

“We can, but I need a shower, I’m sticky and sweaty,” You said absentmindedly, catching the way he bit his lip with a smirk that had you smacking his arm, “Don’t be gross.”

“I didn’t say anything,” He laughed, grinning as he thought about the way you said his name when you were naked in his arms, “But, I want to take you to my family home. My parents are gone for the weekend and it’s closer than my apartment.”

“Are you hiding your apartment from me?” You asked jokingly.

“No, but I live with Jimin and I want to be selfish and have you to myself longer so your place is out of the question too,” Jungkook admitted.

“And what am I supposed to wear? I didn’t really pack clothes,” You looked down at his linen shirt you currently wore, only panties underneath thinking you’d be going home after the eventful day.

“Something mine, you look good in what’s mine,” Jungkook said with a wink, “I’ll make us something nice—maybe get something ordered…”

“Oh I guess.”

You didn’t question the drive away from the houses lining the beach in his pick up truck. You stared out the window and watched the view turn more scenic would hillsides and small rocky edges, more nature-esque.

Songs played quietly that Jungkook would sometimes hum along too with a perfect pitch that had looking over at him from time to time. When he would catch you looking, he’d stop immediately and tighten his hands over the steering wheel.

He was nervous.

His family home was empty and he could go to it whenever he pleased but did he really want to bring you along? Open up another side of himself just for a few more moments alone? Did you mean this much to him?

Swallowing his nerves, he turned down a private road with tall trees and white gravel. It stretched on for a mile before ending at private gates. You sat up, slightly more aware of what was going on when he lowered his window to type in some code, hearing someone speak through an intercom, ‘Welcome home, sir.’

He could feel your eyes on him and he just smiled, “Wash up first?”

“Please,” You said, looking away, staring straight ahead at the colonial house that appeared in view. It was obscenely large with endless windows and greenery surrounding it making it all the more intimidating.

This is his family home, yours couldn’t compare.

Still, you tried not to question it.

Jungkook didn’t bother driving back to the private garage, he pulled up to the circular driveway by the fountain of a water nymph and got out of his truck, opening the door for you. It should’ve dawned on him that something was going to happen. The lights were on when no one should be home.

Still, he’s already brought you this far.

“Jungkook?”

His hand stopped at the handle of your door, just barely pulling it open but with little room for you to step out. You stopped moving instantly, watching the way he visibly stiffened, face hardening as he looked off to the distance.

“You’re here, what a surprise.”

“Mom,” he turned around immediately, “I thought you guys weren’t home.”

“Well, if you would answer the phone, when I call, you would know your father’s trip was canceled,” a women in a tweed Chanel suit and a tight smile stepped down from the entrance, “You’ve brought company?”

As if being summoned, Jungkook looked at you, motioning for you to step out and although you didn’t want you, you did—undressed and exhausted. The woman was stunning and classy like you’d never seen, somewhat taken back that she was the mother of the beach boy you’ve met.

Not to mention, it was too early to meet anyone’s parents. It made you sick to your stomach even as you smiled politely, “Hello.”

“This is Y/n,” Jungkook reached for your hand, “We were just stopping by.”

“When you thought no one was home?” She asked, making you look at him. He was grown, clearly, but still scolded and questioned like a child.

Jungkook didn’t say anything but you could feel him squeeze your hand when her eyes traveled over your barely dressed figure. He at least had on a t-shirt that was in his truck and his shorts.

“Why don’t the two of you clean up, we’re having dinner on the terrace,” She said looking unimpressed, “I’ll have a maid find you something more appropriate.”

“Oh, we don’t want to bo—“

“We have guests so don’t make a scene, I already had to make an excuse for why you wouldn’t be here, you can’t leave now. Even if you do have sudden company.”

That shut Jungkook up quicker than you’d ever seen. It wasn’t that you couldn’t catch on to what was happening, but more so you could wrap your mind around the reality of it. You moved almost as robotically as he did, sneaking into the house unsure what was going on aside from doing as told. He took you into his bedroom, pulling you in the bathroom with him and washing up. His entire demeanor changed and you didn’t know what to do.

“Should I go? I could probably get Hoseok to get me,” You told him honestly. You weren’t upset — not yet. As far as you knew, Jungkook might have a complicated relationship with his parents meeting the person he’s sleeping with, especially considering how recent things are with you. Neither of you are ready to meet the family, it’s just fun summer things. You’d say the biggest shock was that Jungkook seemed to be wealthy and likes to keep that private but does that make you worried?

“No, I want you here with me,” Jungkook said, swallowing hard and opening the door to his room, finding something folded on the edge of his bed. He handed it to you without much thought as he got dressed.

It was nothing crazy, just a light colored sundress and you had to dry off quickly so you could join him downstairs. Part of you wanted to call your friends but what would it mean if you did?

“What a surprise, brother, and I see you’ve finally brought someone new along,” an arrogant voice spoke up from the large dinner table on the terrace. It was a candle lit dinner with six guests aside from the two of you and you immediately reconciled a familiar face.

“Hello, sorry for keeping everyone waiting,” Jungkook said stiffly, “This is Y/n.”

“We’ve met,” Yeaun said when the others looked at you confused. Their greetings were bland and uncaring but you tried not to think too hard on it, “On the beach, right?”

“Yes, I remember,” You tried to smile, looking at Jungkook just as confused as everyone.

“Yeaun is a family friend,” Jungkook explained to you.

“An ex-fiancée,” His mother said coldly, making him freeze.

Why was she saying this?

“Darling,” an older version of Jungkook with salt and pepper hair said to his wife in warning.

“We’re on good terms though,” Yeaun smiled tightly, “Things have been changing recently, haven’t they?”

She asked you like you would know—like you were the reason for it but you were too stuck on what she was to care.

Ex-what?

“So, are you still going with the firm?” A woman sitting next to his brother said to him. That made his brother laugh, “He’s still playing around Jin’s auto shop.”

“Is everyone already eating? What about us?” Jungkook looked at you suddenly, “Should we get served?”

The firm? What firm? What fiancée? What was going on?

“Y/n, what about you? Are you new in town? Who are your parents?” The dad asked, making all heads turn toward you, a member of who you assumed was house staff, began to serve you and Jungkook dinner.

“Dad,” Jungkook tried to say but he didn’t get very far.

“I’m just here for the summer, I’m from the city,” You told him with a smile.

“How’d you meet?” Jungkook’s mother asked.

“On the beach,” You told her plainly. She didn’t say anything in response but you could feel the way her eyes narrowed at you like she was trying to read you. You weren’t lying or anything but it felt like she didn’t believe you. Under the table, Jungkook’s hand touched your thigh but in all honesty you didn’t even want him to touch you. It’s not anything serious, you were just confused and uncomfortable in this situation. He should’ve just taken you home or let you call Hoseok.

“A city girl, huh? You must have a big job, right? What do you do?” His brother asked.

“I’m in between work right now,” You said honestly, just as you had told Jungkook who seemed to be open to that idea and understood why. Sometimes, doing the same routine in a career you didn’t have passion anymore left you drained and you needed a change of pace. You explained this to him and he made it all feel okay so why were you being looked at strangely?

“So wasting your time over here is what you want to be doing?” His mom asked.

Jungkook took a deep breath, wanting to speak up but unsure how to do so. He obviously hasn’t told you anything but his relationship with his family is complicated. The added guests made it all the worse. Has he always been such a coward?

“That’s what it seems like,” You said bitterly, looking over at Jungkook with a cold expression.

You don’t remember much of the rest of dinner, only that you hated every second of it and how you just wanted to go home. You checked out of all conversations after a while and watched the tension between them with little interest. What you’ve learned is that Jungkook is good at keeping things from others even when he begs to know more himself.

The irony, it was annoying. By the end of dinner, you didn’t care to know what any of them had to say, much less Yeaun who everyone continued to remind you was his ex that they all loved dearly. They were saying it for a reason, like if you wanted to take her place and be with Jungkook who belonged to a group of people who won’t let outsiders in.

“Well at least she’s pretty,” you remember being told.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing Jungkook said after dinner but you didn’t bother to acknowledge him. Instead, you led the way to his truck so he could take you home.

The car ride was so eerily silent that it felt deafening. He tried and tried to talk to you but you just ignored him, not caring at all for whatever might come out of his mouth and he can’t really blame you.

“You lied to me,” You said finally, staring holes into his dashboard.

“I didn’t mean to,” Jungkook admitted, “Everything I’ve said to you is true.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes and looking out the dark window, “Just take me home.”

“Y/n,” Jungkook reached across the middle console for your hand but you crossed your arms over your chest and shifted away from him even more, “I’m sorry, we should’ve just gone somewhere el—“

“Look, it was never going to work out anyway so just take me home and we can both go on with our lives because clearly we’re nothing alike at all,” You said bitterly, “I was just dumb enough to believe we are. It’s been a long day.”

He wanted to argue but for the first time since he’s met you, he’s left silent. He’s a coward, he’s aware of that now and it felt sickening to realize it finally. He’s always been the type to do what he’s told, follow the plan his parents have set out for him and this is the first time he’s realizing how much he hates it.

When the truck pulled up to the front of your house, he began to unbuckle his belt, quietly saying, “I’ll walk you to the d—“

The car door slammed shut in the middle of his words and although he knew it was better for him to give you space, he just couldn’t. He couldn’t let you walk off on him without trying to really hear him out—just let him get his thoughts together. As pathetic as it sounds, Jungkook feels like a kid again. He feels anxious to be ignored or scolded.

Without a care for gentleness, he swung his side door open to the large truck and got down to follow after you, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t realize they would be home and if I did I wouldn’t have invited you over. I just wanted to spend more time with you.”

“That’s not the problem, Jungkook,” you said back to him, “The problem is that you’re so secretive about everything and fine, whatever, you don’t have to tell me but don’t act like you want to know anything about me then if I can’t expect the same.”

You released a sigh at his silence, turning away, “Go home.”

Your front door slammed in his face shutting him out and he could see people staring through the window; probably overhearing everything and he wanted to disappear. When had things gotten so complicated for him?

He missed the days when he didn’t have anything to worry about but now that he’s starting to see the people around him more clearly, he’s realizing he doesn’t like it at all.

✧

It took you days to think about Jungkook again, mostly because you wanted to ignore him and he was making it easy for you. He has only messaged and called a couple times before he got the hint that you don’t want to talk to him and gave up.

You can’t tell if you preferred that or wished he kept trying but you had to move on. The two of you weren’t dating, you hooked up on a boat before realizing his family are pretentious assholes and wanted nothing to do with him now.

You know he’s not his family but at the same time these are people he surrounds himself with and if he was attracted to someone like Yeaun, there was no way he was into you too. You barely know her but you know enough to see that you’re nothing alike.

“What are you looking at?” Hoseok asked, looming over your shoulder.

“Apartments, I still can’t find anything good, I think I need to go home for a few days and do some in-person tours,” You told him with a sigh, scrolling through listings, sitting alone in the beach themed living room that looked fresh out of a cape cod magazine.

“It’s not a quick commute,” He said, “Besides, I already said you can stay with me till we find you a place, there’s no rush.”

“I know, but there’s nothing better to do,” You said with a shrug.

“It’s called avoiding,” Hyeri said, sitting on the edge of the couch, “So Y/n’s probably not gonna come back if she leaves now. You’re mad at Jungkook.”

“No, I’m not,” you rolled your eyes, “That’s over and I haven’t done anything but laze around all day. I need to get my shit together.”

You just want to go home.

“What’s up with you? You’ve looked mad all day,” Jimin pointed out as he mindlessly dug his feet into the sand. He’s dragged Jungkook out after days of not seeing him but his friend couldn’t care less about the beach or hanging out with him. He actually didn't want to hang out with anyone.

“Is it the thing from the other night?” Jimin asked like it was so simple, “Yeaun was talking about it, so you’ve introduced your new girl to the family and it didn’t go so well?”

“Jimin.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you really my friend?” Jungkook asked, sitting at the bottom of one of the net posts, squinting up at the sun.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been around since you were in diapers, you’re like a brother to me,” Jimin said with a laugh, “I just don’t agree with some of the decisions you make.”

“Like?” He pressed for more.

“I don’t know, I just think you have a lot going for you and lately you’ve been acting like you don’t,” Jimin said, shrugging, “You passed the Bar Exam a while ago and instead of going to your dad’s firm you’re wasting time at Jin’s. You don’t answer the phone when your family calls and you ignore your friends for…”

“Say it.”

“For some chick you don’t know,” Jimin scoffed, “I don’t get it. It’s always been you and I, Chaehi and Yeaun. Always. Since we were kids and suddenly you break it off with one of the only girls who’s been here for you and find someone new to entertain yourself with. It’s weird.”

“Asshole,” Jungkook rolled his eyes, kicking off the ground and leaving his friend behind. He wasn’t sure where he was going but he just wanted to be alone.

Were you really just some girl? Is that what everyone thought? Yes, things had been incredibly easy with you but did that mean you weren’t anything more than a fling? As dramatic as it sounds, every interaction with you has been probably the best he’s ever had.

You’re funny, pretty, smart, and so much more than he ever imagined. You pulled him in and pushed him away in the best way possible. Of course it’s been strange getting rejected but you do it in a way that tells him to keep going. You were always there to listen to his obnoxious flirting and when he did decide to tell you anything about himself, you didn’t judge.

He’s so stupid for not doing the same. He wanted you to open up to him because he wanted to get closer to you but he didn’t allow himself to do it too. It was unfair so he understands why you’re mad but he can’t stand it.

He wants to call you but would you want to listen?

Jungkook found himself walking toward the boardwalk hoping the bustling energy from midday was enough to distract him. He thinks you remind him of something different, being somewhere different where he didn’t have to worry so much about what he did or who he was with. Jimin’s right that lately Jungkook hasn’t been doing anything to be apart of his family’s plans for him. He’s kind of been trying to live in the moment and clearly that wasn’t so bad. That’s how he met you and besides, it’s not like he hasn’t been thinking about his future. He just doesn’t see it here in this small town where everyone knows his name. He sees himself somewhere far in the city where he could just blend in with everyone else and do what he wants to do, be with who he wants to. It’s you, it’s seriously you.

You’ve opened up his eyes a little and he hates that his lack of honesty has pushed you away. He can’t even blame it on the uncomfortable dinner because if he wasn’t such a coward, he would’ve done more. He can’t deny that there’s something up with him and he has no doubt in his mind that you have something to do with it. Barely knowing you has done so much more for him than the people he’s known all his life.

Your best friends wanted you to forget about your plans on leaving, knowing you too well to believe you would come back. You’re not the type to do so. If you set your mind on leaving, even for a short time, you wouldn’t come back especially knowing you could run into Jungkook whenever. Maybe you were a coward too because all you ever wanted to do was run away when things get complicated and the last thing you had wanted was for this trip to get that way too.

They dragged you out of the house for a late lunch that you weren’t even hungry for and as a way to distract you but it did the complete opposite of that. Instead, you were brought to that restaurant you came to with Jungkook and the same server who you’ve seen now talk with a girl Yeaun was always around. They were friends and it should’ve been the first sign that you would never get him. You were never part of the plan around here, you were a step back to everyone involved with him and it made you bitter.

How’d you catch the attention of someone so unavailable?

“Come on, I haven’t bought a single thing here, I’ve been too busy working on my tan,” Hyeri said, pulling you along behind her to a clothing stand of sundresses, “We’ve got a few more weeks here, I think it’s time I fit the vibe, right?”

“Yeah,” You told her, looking through the rack of dresses absentmindedly. You wandered away just a little, to a table filled with jewelry and ran your fingers over certain metals and gems. You weren’t thinking much on what was going on around you, too distracted choosing between gold and silver to notice the person standing yards away looking stunned.

For the first time in over a week, Jungkook has found you again, on the beach, looking as breathtaking as usual. After all you’ve been avoiding him, he can’t help but hesitate. Does he approach you or not?

“Y/n?”

You looked up, brows furrowed slightly at who stood in front of you, “Yeaun.”

“Hey! How good to see you,” She smiled her usual tight smile that never quite reached her eyes. Up close you could see just how perfect she must seem to everyone from her height to her figure and tone of voice. She usually wore gold accessories and bikini tops or dresses. She was your perfect ‘Girl Next Door’ but if you paid enough attention to some of the things she said, you’d see how backhanded it all seemed.

“It was such a surprise to see you the other night. I guess none of us knew you were with Jungkook,” Yeaun said it so casually even if you could tell she was prying, “Where is he by the way?”

“Why don’t you ask his mother? The two of you seem close,” You tried not to sound bitter but you’re sure your body language gave away that you were. You searched for Hyeri who was looking at dresses on herself in the mirror and Hoseok left to get snow cones so once again, you were alone in her presence.

“Yeah, sorry about that, our parents go way back,” Yeaun said with a wave of her hand, “It’s a small town, y’know. Everyone knew we were high school sweethearts and when we got engaged everyone was so excited. You can imagine their surprise when we broke it off—sorry, you probably don’t want to hear about this again. I’m sure Jungkook has said enough.”

“It might sound strange but he doesn’t bring you up at all,” You told her, failing to say how you haven’t talked to him, “I guess he got over it a long time before anyone else did.”

“I guess so,” her stupid smile once again, “I like you, you’re good for him and I’m sorry if his family seemed closed off. They’re kind of exclusive with who they bring around. They don’t want just anyone around their sons. I’m sure you can see why, Jungkook is perfect, right? A lawyer in the making, athletic, kind…”

“Silver or gold?” You asked, holding up two different sets of earrings. She blinked in surprise, choosing one and trying to carry on, “What I mean is, he’s the whole package so everyone wants him but he also has a lot of responsibilities. If someone isn’t able to stand behind them all and support him… maybe they’re not the right fit—especially if they won’t stick around.”

You didn’t say anything for a moment, setting the earrings back down and smiling, amused by her audacity, “Who broke it off with who?”

“It was mutual.”

“Doesn’t sound like it was,” You said with a smile, beginning to walk away from her, “But don’t worry, I don’t usually like competing for someone’s attention. I guess I didn’t realize you did, so good luck.”

“Meaning?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Meaning, you’re wasting your breath talking to me because I don’t care what you have to say,” You said sweetly, “But it was so nice seeing you again, hopefully next time we’ll have something new to talk about.”

With that, you left her behind, nearly walking past Hyeri on the way, “Where you going?”

“My phone’s dying, I’m going the house,” you told her quickly, continuing to leave before anyone else could run into you.

“What’d you say to Y/n?” Jungkook asked, pushing his way through the crowds of people, getting to the stand too late and watching you walk away.

“Nothing,” Yeaun raised her hands in feigned surrender, “I was just catching up. Why so worried?”

“Where’s she going?” Jungkook asked Hyeri, ignoring Yeaun who called for him.

“To the house?” Hyeri said, confused by whatever she missed but she couldn’t even ask when Jungkook practically ran after you.

You cut through the beach instead of taking the long route down the street. You walked farther and farther away from him but he never stopped.

“Y/n! Can we talk?” He asks, catching you by surprise but you didn’t even act like it. You merely threw him a glance before walking faster.

“I’m kind of in a hurry,” You lied, stepping over the grassy parts in the white sand where you could see more residential properties.

“Look, I’m sorry. I really am, I should’ve been more up front from the beginning but I swear I didn’t keep things from you to hurt you,” Jungkook said, not stopping his pace even when he can see your house in the distance.

“It’s fine, I’m over it,” You told him, not turning back again as you looked up at the back deck of your house. You still walked closer to down the shore than the trail but you would get there soon.

“But I’m not, I… can’t stand the thought of you being done with me,” Jungkook said honestly, “Since I’ve met you all I can do is think about you and I’m kicking myself over letting you find things out in a hard way. I don’t like the way you were talked to and I should’ve said more but I didn’t and I regret it so much.”

“Jungkook, I don’t care,” you groaned, whipping around to face him, “I don’t care that you kept things from me. I don’t care that there’s something seriously wrong with your family or your ex fiancée. I don’t care if everyone thinks I’m not good enough for you and do you want to know why? Because it’s the summer and I’m not from here and it was fun to fool around in the moment but it’s too complicated now. I don't want anything to do with it. Are you getting it now? I want to go home and forget all about this.”

“You want to leave?” He asked, getting closer and closer, “And what happens then? We just never see each other again because I didn’t mean anything to you?”

“I guess if that’s how you’re seeing it—“

“Bullshit,” He scoffed, “I don’t care how long we’ve known each other or not, you want me just as much as I want you but you’re letting everything else get in the way. I’m sorry, I don’t know what else I can say or do to express that.”

“I’m leaving,” You argued, stepping away, “I’m going back to my normal life and you can go back to yours. Stop making this a bigger deal than it was.”

“What if I don’t want to? What if I think you’re the best thing to happen to me in a while and the thought of you just leaving doesn’t sit right with me? What if I say I don’t want this to just be a summer thing and I will follow you wherever you go if it means I get to talk to you more?” Jungkook kept going.

“Oh my god, Jungkook. Open your eyes! Join the real world, please!” You groaned, too frustrated to bother getting away, “We still don’t know much about each other, clearly. You live in this perfect little bubble with people who care about you and have plans for you. Why can’t you see that? Why are you wanting to throw that away for someone you barely know?”

“I’m not mad, I promise,” You tried to say, “Our lives are just too different and I’m ready to go back to mine—“

Your words were cut off by the rough pull into his arms. Jungkook’s touch was tender yet forceful, dragging your face toward his until your lips clashed messily and you kissed him back. Like a fool, you kissed him too despite everything you were saying.

It made your heart race, practically feeling his want for you and unable to help yourself from succumbing to it.

He can’t remember how long the kiss was, but long enough for his chest to grow heavy with a need to breathe that he had to pull away. His forehead rested against yours, “If you still want to leave… okay. I can’t make you stay but I really want you to, Y/n.”

You didn’t say anything, knowing you did want to leave. At this point it was more for yourself. No matter how harsh they were, they were right. You needed to get your act together and stop avoiding the problems in your life and that meant you needed to go home.

“And I promise that I’m going to see you again whether it be here or somewhere else,” Jungkook said.

FOUR WEEKS LATER

Jungkook was enamored by city life, he’s grown to learn about himself. Something about the tall skyscrapers and bustling traffic excited him like no other while other people hated them. Of course he missed the beach, surfing, volleyball, his friends… but this was for himself. He needed to do something on his own even if it meant doing something unimaginable but it was for the better.

He misses working with cars but he knows better. He put all that work into law school just so he could avoid it and do something else and he needed that to stop. Even if he didn’t work in his father’s firm, that didn’t mean he couldn’t get his foot in the door somewhere else.

After you left and all his distractions were gone, he was able to focus more on what he wanted to do. He got on his laptop to look at internships at other law firms and one day, in his endless searching, he found a small office to work in. It was in the city and it didn’t take him long to pack up his things and go to it. It started problems—of course— but it didn’t stop him, especially knowing you were somewhere here too.

You’ve barely talked since you moved back but he still misses you. He missed you and him on the beach or sailing in the sea. He misses making you laugh or roll your eyes and he wonders how you’re doing. He kept in touch with Hoseok and Hyeri after you left and when they followed suit at the end of vacation, he wanted to ask them about you but he knew better. He knows you weren’t just a fling but maybe one day you’ll come back and give it another shot.

“Iced Americano?”

“I didn’t order one,” Jungkook said as he sat alone at a table in a nice cafe. He didn’t look up until the cup was set down in front of him and when he was ready to tell the barista it wasn’t for him, he froze.

“I know, you don’t really give me ‘Coffee Drinker’ vibes but I figured it was worth a shot,” You sat down across from him.

“Are you stalking me?” He asked, dumbfounded and confused but more excited than anything. He couldn’t believe you were here, at the same place as him by chance.

“Well, I was going to ask the same, this is my usual stop before work and I’ve never seen you here before,” You said, continuing the conversation with him like it never ended.

Jungkook couldn’t help but smile, “Well, you see, I’m new to town and trying new places since this is on my way to work.”

“Is it?” You asked, “You must live around here.”

“As it turns out I do,” Jungkook cleared his throat, “It’s a recent move but one I don’t regret.”

“How are you?” You asked with a shy smile and flushed cheeks, the autumn air beginning to take over.

“Better now—after this coffee I mean,” he teased, taking a sip and scrunching his face in disgust.

You bit your lip in thought, “Actually um, it’s good I’ve run into you. I think there’s some things we should talk about but I have to get to work soon.”

“Well I still have your number, and we can always catch up over dinner?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” You smiled nervously, standing up, “Tonight?”

That made his heart race, “It’s a date.”

::.

holy shit that took forever for me to update

idk how I feel about this but also after a while I think too hard on my work and can’t look at it anymore so please lmk when you think

permanent taglist

most of u are new but I tried to include some of my old, active members of the taglist and if I forgot about u pls lmk <3

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[formulanando]

Boy, It's You I Desire | Fernando Alonso x Reader

part 1 | part 2

fem!reader x dbf! fernando

word count: 1.7k

minors dni please!

warnings: age gap, mentions of drinking, sexual innuendos, mentions of masturbation, delusion since i pretend fernando won the 2023 spanish gp

It was wrong. The deep, stirring feelings you had for Fernando. He was twenty years your senior, and had been friends with your dad for a decade and a half. You had pictures of him from his Renault days covering your bedroom when you were little, and he came to as many of your youth karting races as possible. These feelings? They had been there, transforming from a silly little crush when you were five to a tingling in your stomach when you turned sixteen. This summer was the first time you believed he felt the same.

Fernando had thought of you as a child. You were so much more than that to him, but the idea of loving you? That was wrong. Foreign. Somehow, the desire for you developed deep within him. Part of him loved the idea of having you as his secret.

Your father had met Fernando Alonso while your family was on vacation in Spain. There's a picture of you and your brothers as chubby elementary schoolers.You sitting in the sand in Oviedo with a twenty-something Fernando kneeling behind you. It is your mother’s favorite picture of her little family. Since Fernando was family to you and your two younger brothers. It sits in a wooden frame on the kitchen counter, in your family’s vacation home in Spain, where you now spend every summer. It used to feel like a happy memory, but now it seems to haunt you with what you can never have.

This summer in Oviedo felt no different than the many previous. You sat by the pool, spent time with some of your friends there, went out to eat, and occasionally went to the club. Dancing in a dark, sweaty room after a few drinks helped to ease the fact that you had not seen the older man in close to a year. It still mystified you at how you were practically in love with him. Whether it was actually him, or the figment of him your imagination romanticized, you were unsure.

Regardless, numerous boyfriends, and flings could not erase the crush that ate at the pit of your stomach. A flash of messy brown hair when you were walking downtown had your heart squeezing in your chest. Even worse, these feelings had recently crept back into play, at the dawn of the new Formula 1 season. He was your childhood crush. You reasoned that everyone had a goofy love for one of their distant relatives or parent’s friends when they were small, but at the age of twenty-three, you were unable to just write what you felt off.

Your parents had gone to see Fernando at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, and it was just you and your brothers flitting in and out of the house. They were eighteen, and sixteen, so you figured you would just stay out of each other’s way. You wished that you were able to travel with your parents to the Grand Prix, but you had never been deeply interested in autosport, and suddenly feigning interest would raise questions you felt no desire to answer. Your parents would tease you, saying you only wanted to go for Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, or Fernando’s teammate, Lance Stroll. Standing in the Aston Martin garage would have sent you over the edge. You would have embarrassed yourself trying to hide the feelings you felt to be very obvious. Interacting with Fernando in his natural environment practically would have had you purring, and pressing your thighs together. Which is obviously not something you were into happening in front of your fucking family.

You watched the race, and wished even more that you went. Max Verstappen's Red Bull had qualified ahead of the Aston Martin, but he had suffered a very convenient engine failure in the closing laps. Fernando moved into first with ease. It was his thirty-third win, coming over ten years after his last. You knew he had to feel on top of the world, winning at his home Grand Prix. The crackly radio message yells and celebrations heard on your television were nowhere near the extent of it all. You pretended to be excited to your parents on the phone, about them telling you all about the paddock, but in reality, there was only one person you really cared about.

You desired nothing more than to be the woman he finds after being the highest on the podium. The one waiting on the bed in his hotel room, ready to feel his illicit touch. The thrill you know you would feel from having him buried deep inside you, without your parents having any idea. It made you want to rush to him. You played these filthy scenarios in your head while you touched yourself, and before you fell asleep every night. And tonight would be no exception. Trying to pretend your fingers were his, after you had a few drinks to numb the intensity of what you were feeling. Desperately hoping he was lying awake, wishing he could roughly pull your hair, and capture your lips with a searing kiss. In summation: you wanted Fernando Alonso to ruin you.

You woke up the Tuesday following the race to your parents’ voices downstairs. Laughter, clinking dishes, and suitcases rolling across the tile floor awoke you earlier than expected. You laid in bed, a warm breeze flowing in from your room’s open windows. You listened, despite a grueling headache from the previous two nights’ crosses between self-care and self-pity. What you did not expect to hear was that Spanish accent dancing among your parents’ casual conversation. A sensation of overwhelming excitement and a pinch of fear mixed in your stomach. Maybe something would happen…

You knew you should have probably put something more appropriate on before you went downstairs. But Fernando seeing you in your threadbare, oversized Renault shirt and barely visible pajama shorts was worth any potential consequences. Your little ploy worked. As much as you paid attention to him, you missed the way his eyes flicked downward, roaming your chest, stopping at the top of your exposed thighs. He started to really look at you. Like you were some beautiful young woman he met at a track or club. He felt himself split, one half wanted to take you on your kitchen island, making you cry out from him. From him only, not the little boyfriend you probably had. The other half remembered who you were to him. You were one of his closest friends’ children. That truth he was unable to escape. What if he was able to bend this rule? He pushed any thought of you from his mind, and easily reentered the conversation after falling into his aforementioned daze.

You practically ran to Tío Fernando, greeting him with an overzealous hug. As you always had, you lovingly buried your face deep in his shoulder, inhaling his expensive cologne. You could have been mistaken, but it felt as if he pressed himself to you more eagerly than was technically appropriate. You were going insane, this man should be a father-figure to you. Not an older man you were objectifying to filth, though many other women would leap at the chance to.

“Hola, cariño. My favorite girl is doing well, yes?” You practically melted at the way he smiled down at you. He rubbed a small circle on your back, as he had not seen you in awhile. You had always known you were his favorite. It had been obvious since you were small. You were both fierce, stubborn, and proud. Yet you desperately held onto the possibility of something beyond the base relationship you already had. You wanted to clash with him. Fight him, and fuck him.

“Thank god you’re here! I missed my favorite tío.” You reluctantly left his warm embrace, and greeted your parents. He let out his signature laugh at your response. You felt your face burning underneath your skin, praying that a flush was not spreading across your cheeks. The conversation passing between the three other adults continued while you slowly ate breakfast. Your brothers eventually filed into the kitchen and were greeted by Fernando with quick claps on the back. Fernando was practically unable to turn his gaze away from you when there were lulls in the conversation. 

In the year that you had not seen each other, a lot had changed. Fernando looked more youthful, and less worn down after his departure from Alpine. You had seen the physical transformation on television and the internet, as every fan had. He had always been fine, but now, goddamn, you needed to watch out. Green was his color. It complemented his tanned, caramel skin, and his brown, almost hazel, eyes. 

You spent the rest of the morning, and into the early afternoon, laying by the pool as you usually did. You donned one of your prettiest, and coincidentally, smallest string bikinis to lay out and enjoy the warm Spanish sun. The sky was clear, and the air was miraculously less humid than usual. Both of your brothers and your parents had left to do something, but you had not listened when they told you their plans. Fernando was still home, but you figured he was probably busy in a meeting or debrief with his team, and you did not want to bother him any more than you already had. Now, the only noises to disturb you were a lawn mower a couple of houses away, or a car passing by the facade of your house. 

The warmth of the ground radiated from underneath the towel you were laying on, and you began to fade into a light sleep. You must have dozed off for a few minutes, as you were awoken by someone ghosting their hand across your back, having gently brushed your hair from where it had laid. You jolted upright, raising a hand to cover your eyes. They finally adjusted to the harsh afternoon sunlight once more, and you realized it was Fernando who had woken you up. He was crouching only inches away from where you had been laying. You could practically feel his breath on the side of your neck before you turned to look at him properly.

“You are going to burn if you keep laying out here like that,” He smiled, crinkles forming around his tan face. You shifted your arms to cover one another to disguise the goosebumps the small caress had given you. His focus shifted to your arms, and you were sure that he noticed exactly what you were trying to hide.

“Well, thank you for saving me from a nice tan.” You playfully rolled your eyes at him, and started to get up. Fernando quickly grabbed your arm, pulling you back down.

He sucked his tongue against his teeth to scold you. “Since you are already dressed for it,” His gaze dropped to your microscopic bikini top, where it settled for longer than it should have, “I think we should go for a swim.” Saying that you were surprised was an understatement.

“Alright.” you had not expected yourself to be so compliant, as you were not in a big swimming mood. Fuck, Fernando could make you do anything. 

—

author’s note: thank you so much for reading my first work! i don’t think this was very good, since writing fiction isn’t really my forte. but, this is my silly little hobby before i start college so whatever. the next part is coming soon and feel free to message me with ideas, if you want to be tagged, or anything like that. you are the goat for reading this :)

[raine-kai]

Several times now, I have tried to write fics with Third Prince (Ziduan) as related--by blood--to Zisheng or Shaoshang. All of them have ended up taking on some flavor of OT3, which is awkward for me since I didn't intend to stray into pseudo-incest territory, until I have had to find a workaround or scrap them.

I feel like the fact that this keeps happening is testament to how much, no matter how the show tells us that Zisheng and Ziduan are "secretly best friends", once you start unpacking that relationship in enough detail to try to write it, it becomes harder and harder to take it as strictly friendship.

Zisheng is extremely feral. He never masks his feelings. His crush on Shaoshang is self-evident from the moment they meet in episode 1, and once he sees her at the lantern festival in episode 6, the deal is sealed. Every single time that he and Shaoshang are in the same space, Zisheng's entire body is oriented toward her...with the exceptions being times when he's pretending to be scolded by the Emperor, or when he was carrying out his revenge and determined to abandon her (but accepted her help anyway, until they got stranded on that cliff).

Honestly, the number of women on this show who try to attract this man's attention when he just projects zero interest in anybody but Shaoshang—even is known to attack women who pursue him relentlessly—is...pretty astonishing and probably my biggest complaint with the story. 😂 (I feel like the women who want him are there to show us what a desirable man he is for Shaoshang, but...honestly, I think the show works just as well even without that element. That said, I do have a deep appreciation for the way that once we enter the second season, most of the "romantic rivals" are explicitly shown to only be interested in Zisheng because of his power and status.)

But even when it comes to pretending, despite all the lies and secrets, Zisheng doesn't actually lie about his feelings for the people around him--with Ziduan being the one and only exception. The reason why we are told he hates Ling Yi for most of the run of the show is a lie—not only a lie, but in fact Ling Yi's cruel divorce and abandonment of Junhua was probably a blessing for him and Junhua, because this gives them an excuse to not play nice with the man without getting suspicious.

Because Zisheng doesn't really have friends other than Ziduan, we don't really have a template for what their relationship will look like now that it can be out in the open, either. The show gives us not one single scene where they just...talk and interact naturally. Post-reveal, most of their scenes together include the emperor, who is the one leading the conversation. The exception to this is the damsel in distress rescue scene in episodes 55 and 56, where Ziduan panics over the notion that Zisheng will be dumped by Shaoshang again for wasting time saving him, and Zisheng responds by insisting he trusts Shaoshang to handle herself. (I have so many feelings about this, too many to unpack just yet which is why I haven't gif'd it yet.)

Zisheng's closest relationships other than with Shaoshang and Ziduan, are probably the following: A'Fei and A'Qi (his subordinates), Junhua and Uncle Cui (his trauma-sharing family), and the Emperor (his parental figure and sovereign). We see how gentle and caring he is with Junhua, as well as with A'Fei and A'Qi. With Uncle Cui and the Emperor, we see a far less emotive side of him, defiant and decisive and always loyal.

What is fascinating about Zisheng's relationship with Ziduan is that it matches up with none of the other relationships we see. Zisheng is never gentle in the way he handles Ziduan. Zisheng betrays Ziduan at least once to protect Shaoshang. In principle, probably we could look at his relationship to Ziduan as closest to what he shares with the Emperor, if without the same level of deference. But above all, this is the one relationship where Zisheng is able to convince everyone that he dislikes someone that, in fact, he likes very much.

The show doesn't even allow for an interpretation that by choosing to prioritize Shaoshang over that friendship, the friendship fell apart. Even though we don't see the scenes of them together, they clearly spend time together. Ziduan is with Zisheng already when we see him arrive to reunite with the Emperor. Ziduan has kept up to date with the gossip about Zisheng during his exile, and clearly has feelings about it.

The show told us they were secret best friends, so on the surface, it seems like in an AU setting Ziduan could be Zisheng's cousin, or brother, or something. But, ahem, as a person who has tried and failed to do this several times I advise going about it with care, because the more I have written them the less I am able to read it as a fully platonic friendship. Even if it is one-sided on the part of Ziduan—and here I struggle to fully expand my thoughts because I love him so much that it hurts to imagine his devotion to a friend who is entirely indifferent, and maybe only sees him as the most suitable future sovereign—there is an undercurrent of something in the way that Zisheng treats him. Maybe it's the trying to hold at arm's length a friend whose crush on him he doesn't want to unpack. Maybe it's affection of his own that is deeper than he knows what to do with.

For some reason the show couldn't even give us a shot of Zisheng really looking at Ziduan, though there are signs that he is far more at ease when Ziduan is around. The scene in episode 51, where Ziduan comes into the court to reveal the treachery of the Zuo family, for example. Zisheng has not reacted to anybody else the way he reacts to Ziduan's presence. The same goes for the proposal scene in episode 24 and the caning scene in episode 38. Ziduan's presence is part of what allows Zisheng to be as audacious as he is in these scenes--because Ziduan is secretly backing him up, though it doesn't look like this at the time.

Also, before I close out this ramble, I would like to highlight the fact that the only reason Zisheng did anything about the Luo Jitong situation was because it was upsetting Ziduan. He's known she's a problem for years. He's been perfectly happy to ignore her and let her make a fool of herself. But Ziduan gets cranky about it, and instantly Zisheng is drawing the line and making sure Luo Jitong knows it.

Add to this Ziduan's sheer meanness to Shaoshang in the book that reads as jealousy, and you get...a mess.

[clearwillow]

Happy Spooky Season Love! I'm here to ask you all about the ask game. ☺️

Let's see, let's ask 💔,⛔️, 👐, & 🧠(do our fav heroin Kagome for this one).

Oh you picked some fun ones!

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Actually yeah. Parts of Strange, Pretend You're Mine, and The Highest Bidder were heavy-hitters when I went back and reread them. The first two not so much during editing, but I put some space between writing and editing the third and oof lol

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Yep, there's been a couple. One was one that I thought would be a oneshot and then too much plot happened, I got frustrated, and ended up tabling it. I'll probably come back to it when I've got the time to properly write it, cause trying to jump between the past and present like I was really didn't do it justice. There's another one, a darker one, that I'm never going to revisit. I considered it, but the ending wouldn't be satisfactory for what horrible things happen in it.

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

For Kagome... I figured there was some way that she'd leave a sign of how her life in the past was going for her family to find. Like a time capsule of sorts. There was a lot of trial and error getting something that would be sustained for that length of time, and she'd periodically go back to the location to see if it had disappeared. There was part of her that was skeptical if it'd work, but the day she did see the hole empty, she sobbed in relief.

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Gonna drop it under a cut cause of the length, but I shared this as a Sunday Sampler on Patreon last month. Part of the Making Waves universe.

Inuyasha stared at the pink-purple stone that lay in the palm of his hand. The imitation puka shell fragments that surrounded it on either side on the cord were stark white. They were most likely the product of some corporation for seasonal aesthetic jewelry meant for tourists, but the polished stone… it was very much the real deal. The merman never thought that he’d lay his eyes on one of the Sacred Jewels of the seven seas.

He certainly never expected that his childhood friend-turned-wife would own one.

After their honeymoon, on the next available day that his family would come to the shore, the pair brought the necklace to Touga for inspection. Kagome had barely removed the necklace from its drawstring bag before the shriek from Inukimi nearly made her drop it.

“How did you get that?!” the older woman gasped.

Kagome looked confused. “I…I got it from the boardwalk…” she said slowly. “It was one of the prizes at a game booth…”

Inukimi looked like she was a step away from hyperventilating. “Sacred…Sea…b-board…walk…g-game…pr-pr –”

Touga reached up and began to rub his wife’s back, telling her to take small breaths before she caused a scene. Izayoi looked just as confused as Kagome, and both were looking to Sesshomaru for some kind of explanation. Inuyasha wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was hoping for one too. All he knew of were old tales that weren’t enough to go on.

“My mother,” he sighed, “is having a moment because – upon first look at your necklace – it resembles one of the Sacred Jewels of the seven seas. That particular stone is highly sought after and extremely rare in this day and age.”

“You know you could have been more helpful,” Inuyasha frowned. He’d already told Kagome that much.

“Perhaps you should be more specific, little brother.”

“We want to know if it’s real –”

“Do I look like a magi –”

Touga cleared his throat, ending the argument before it could get started. “What our daughter-in-law has in her possession is in fact one of the Sacred Jewels,” he spoke calmly. “It doesn’t matter how she came to be its owner. What does matter is that she has one of the most precious gifts the sea has to offer.”

Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking put out by that statement. “I’m her husband!”

“You’re second most precious,” Sesshomaru snickered.

“You’re my number one,” Kagome told Inuyasha. He perked up after that.

“Alright, the most precious gift the sea has to offer…that doesn’t have a pulse.” Touga rubbed his forehead, looking pained that he had to amend his comments in the first place. When he looked up at Kagome again, he nodded to the necklace in her hands. “That stone holds a very unique ability. If you wear it in the ocean, you will be granted the gift of the merfolk.”

[richardsphere]

Leverage Log: The Long Goodbye

So here we are, at the end of the line. Lets see how this story's original run ended. --- Oh we're stealing a cure for Sam's disease. And a picture of a Sam-aged child as well, give Nate the chance to fix his greatest failure. And just in case the audience didnt figure it out yet, Sophie spells it out to Hardison. --- Ok so the problem isnt the company, its the building they store stuff in being shared with FBI CIA and Interpol servers and everything is classified to high heaven. Also coms are being blocked.

Oh its the return of SuperAI, one of only 3 things they never defeated (alongside Sterling and the Supermarket chain as a whole). Sophie is going to book the theatre next door for her Macbeth play. Parker knows something is wrong when Nate doesnt go on a self-destructive rampage for this one.

Nate and Sophie kiss --- Back to the interrogation, we get a fake-out line (Nate is trying to convince his interrogater the con went South. or at least further South then it actually did)

Everything about this scene screams fake. And i mean both Nate and the Interrogator are lying. I've seen Nate fake enough hospitalbeds and interrogationrooms to know when one is being faked. ---

Nate reasuring Sophie that the play is part of the Con cause he knows its the secret to unlocking her powers.

They beat the steranko with the power of social engineering. --- Call back to the elevator clothing change in episode 1.

Hardison falls down the elevator. (remember, this is not what actually happened, this is the lie Nate is spinning to his interogator. Who disapointingly, isnt Sterling. Feels like he should be in the season finale) Cop carries a back-up around their knee and shoots Elliot (might have really shot him, but no way that standard cops carry shoeguns)

We're at the bridge and Parker Hardison and Elliot are dead in Flashback!Nate's memories.

Nate and sophie pull a Thelma and Louise and try the bridge-jump, car stalls on the bridge. --- Interrogation, Nate slams the table with his fists. Interrogator claims the identity of Hardison Parker and Elliot have been confirmed from the bodybags. (not like we havent faked a corpse ID before).

She leaves him, she goes to verify Elliot definitly got shot but no way a tiny shoegun is gonna beat kevlar.

She thinks they entered through the elevator shaft (my guess: they didnt, elevator is their exit. The CCTV footage of elliot getting shot is a fake) and feigned a roof access with the balloon.

Their real goal is the data on the server as well, or at least its a side-goal. (not saying nate gave up on the cure, but the cloud itself?) Interrogator admits its not a hospital room, asks what told Nate. He goes full Sherlock.

Flashback shows Parker hacking into servers (cause of course). Turns out apparently she did break in through the elevatortunnel (i still say thats a getaway, must've been a third entrance im not thinking of.) Did i just notice a shot from within a vent during Sterlings entrance? Parker is watching. --- Wait is Nate stealing the 2008 financial crisis? Thats what they're stealing. The ultimate "and the adventure continues"storyhook.

"Justice or Order, and one day you're going to have to make that choice". 9/10, guess that Interogator isnt Nate's mark Jim is, he's priming him to betray Interpol.

Turns out this is the real reason they moved to Portland. Nate had Hardison track down the weakest link in the cloud so they could steal the cloud. They're stealing THE CLOUD, and making it look credible.

The lock is biometric. But its also a STERANKO, Parker and Hardison couldnt crack it, so they're tricking Jim into opening it to get to Parker who isnt in there. The rest of the team is alive and pretending to be Interpol. Jim just opened their doors. If the file only entered the server now that means they're stealing it now otherwise they'd have mistimed the entire heist (and they're too good at that) --- Thats a convincing fake Hardison... but Jim sees through it instantly.

Sophie didnt go on stage (of course she didnt), which means she was the one performing when Investigator went to the theatre. Nate was Shooty GunGuy. Parker entered as a detective (the ballon was real) I maintain the elevator is their exit.

Anyone reached by phone was Sophie, (im stupid for not realising that sooner) I was right (they faked a failed heist to get Jim to open the servers). I was also right about the tunnels being the exit not the entry. Interrogator thinks our heroes will escape in the audience, they're actually actors.

Jim isnt stupid, "now we're even, tell Sophie to drive carefully"

"actually, Justice is always easy". Simple line, 8.75/10 --- Nate is gonna propose.

"you have always had my back... Now, be on my side" great line. 10/10.

"Did you steal it?" "No... but I'll steal the first aniversary ring" Nate knows he's fucked up, (seriously Nate, you're better then this.)

And we get an answer to the "Sophie's real name" mystery. (Laura, except it isnt) --- And we're back to the Original Leverage Speech, given by Parker (affirming my suspicion that she was Nate's successor.)

--- Good season finale. Nate is alive, Leverage International is a thing? (i dont actually know what it means, but i think i'll see when we get to the reboot series) and the adventure continues.

Gonna get myself a little break for now. But will definitely go for the sequel series at some point in the (probably very near) future.

[barclaysangel]

Andy, Junior, and Percy Jackson (Chucky season 2 rewrite fic, drabble 3/4)

Here is the third drabble! Just one more drabble will be posted on Sunday, hopefully I'll be able to write more later on. I'd prefer it if you read them in the order they are posted. PLEASE leave notes and comment what you think because comments help fuel our motivation since @streets-in-paradise and I worked on this AU together and one day, the fic will finally be written!

Thank you and enjoy! :)

Word count: 1.8K

Junior had been quiet that day. 

This wasn’t the first time that Andy has seen Junior be this quiet, not making any sarcastic remarks, jokes, or smiling just a little but it never met his eyes. It happened plenty of times already, but it didn’t make Andy any less worried whenever it did occur. 

The reasons for Junior shutting down were always different. Sometimes after a bad nightmare, he’d be quiet the next day, or it would be after opening up a little too much for the kid’s liking about his father. He’d go almost completely silent. 

But Andy knew that neither of those triggered this new episode. The night before, Junior had been talking about his mother. Bree Wheeler was still a touchy subject, even more so than her husband, but Junior talked about her this time. 

“I already enjoyed reading Greek mythology,” Junior had told Andy that night, “I was so fascinated with the stories of the Greek gods. Then my mom heard about these books and got me the first set. I was already hooked just after the first page.” 

The books Junior was referring to were all five books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, tapping his fingers on the box the books were contained in. 

Okay, yes, Junior may have mentioned once that those were one of his favorite book series. Andy knew he could’ve just gotten one, but he splurged and bought them all. He figured the kid would want something to keep him entertained when he went on his weekly supply run, rather than to resort to cutting off pieces of Chucky’s plastic skin whenever he got bored. 

“She always knew me like the back of her hand. Sometimes even better than I knew myself.” Junior was speaking kindly of his mother but his eyes and smile were melancholic. 

Andy knew how much the kid loved talking about Bree, but it wasn’t a secret that he was still taking her loss hard. How could the kid move on, even after knowing that Chucky was responsible for her sudden death and it wasn’t by her own hands? 

Junior was grieving and unable to move forward. He couldn’t blame him, he’d be the exact same way if he saw his mother die the way the kid did. Junior lost the last person in his life that truly loved him. And in a way, so did Andy. Even though the adult’s mother was still alive, he had to stay away. He couldn’t bear it if he lost her too just like how he lost Kyle. 

So it wasn’t a complete surprise when Junior went quiet the next day, running almost on autopilot. There wasn’t a lot Andy could do to bring him out of that state, just be by his side and make sure he ate. 

The eating part was never the easiest when the kid was like this, he never had an appetite and spent most of breakfast pushing the food around with his fork before actually having a few bites. But Andy still made sure Junior had some food in his system and let him know that he was there for him. 

Junior would always say he was fine or hum affirmatively whenever the adult asked if he was okay. That was never true and Andy would have to pretend that he didn’t notice how Junior would come back after collecting wood for the fire with red tinged eyes as if he had been crying. 

Andy knew that he couldn’t push him to open up. Too much pressure and the kid would snap at him, making all the work he had done to get Junior to trust him come crumbling down. He had to be patient and take things slow, just let him know that he would always be there if the kid needed to talk and let him come to Andy. 

By nighttime, Junior seemed to relax slightly. He was still quiet but began talking a little more with Andy when the older man spoke rather than just nod his head in agreement. Baby steps, but it was certainly something and he would gladly take it. 

Even though the kid seemed to be doing a little bit better, Andy still felt the need to check up on him. And that’s what he did, peering into Junior’s room since the door was still open. He was already lying down on his cot, a few blankets over him, and staring up at the ceiling. The sight was a little concerning and the adult only relaxed when Junior finally blinked, assuring that he wasn’t dead. 

After a moment, Andy lightly knocked on the door. “Can I come in?” He asked, waiting for the kid to nod before walking inside the bedroom. Andy sat down on the edge of the cot, looking over at the kid who still had his eyes trained on the ceiling. “How are you doing, kid?” 

Junior didn’t say anything for a few seconds before he shrugged his shoulders up and down. “I…I’m alive. That’s all.” 

It wasn’t much of a response, yet that was something Andy was willing to work with. “Good. I’m glad you’re alive.” He told him genuinely and caught a glimpse of the corners of Junior’s lips turning upward just slightly. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” The kid muttered and Andy took that as another win. Sometimes Junior would say something about how he wished he wasn’t alive and then chalk it up as a joke. But the adult always knew he wasn’t joking, and it would break his heart. 

However, this time he agreed with Andy’s words, which was a step in the right direction. 

The adult paused for a moment, thinking of the right things to say. “You know, if you ever wanna talk…I’m right here. I can only listen if you want. I just want you to know that you’re not alone.” 

Junior nodded, finally turning his head enough to look at Andy. “I know…I just…don’t really feel like talking right now,” he said quietly, “but…maybe tomorrow? If-if I feel better.” 

Andy sent him a reassuring smile while nodding. “Yeah, of course. It doesn’t even have to be tomorrow, it can be whenever you feel like. Okay?” 

The kid’s lips tilted upward again, another sign of improvement. “Mhm, okay…thanks.” 

“No problem, kiddo.” He told him before he happened to look over at the Percy Jackson box set that was beside the cot, leaning over to gently nudge it with the tip of his boot. “You haven’t read these yet?” 

“Not yet. I haven’t felt like reading, but I’ll get to it.” Junior said before pausing, looking like an idea came to him before he spoke again. “Can you…can you read it to me?” 

Andy paused briefly. “I don’t know about that, Junior…” 

“Please Andy?” He asked again, now pouting. 

“I don’t think I’d make a very good narrator—” 

“I don’t care, just…please?” 

The longer the adult looked at him, the more his resolve started to fall down. God, it was getting a lot harder and harder to say no to Junior. 

Finally, he sighed quietly. “Okay, what book do you want me to read?” 

The kid’s eyes twinkled in delight when Andy gave in. “The first one, ‘The Lightning Thief’. I want to feel like I’m seven years old again.” 

He smiled slightly and nodded, leaning over to pick up the first book from the box set. Once it was in his hands, Junior scooted further to the edge of the cot to give more room for Andy, allowing him to sit down comfortably with his back resting against the wall. 

While Andy wasn’t very comfortable in his narrating abilities, he just couldn’t refuse the kid, especially when he was starting to open up a little more. “Okay, kid…” he opened up the book and flipped past a couple pages until he landed on the first chapter, “‘Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher’? Holy shit, that’s how this book is gonna start?” 

“Just read it!” When Andy looked down at him, Junior was smiling. This was a real smile, his first one of the entire day. It made something in his chest feel warm. 

Well, now he just had to read it to him. 

The adult chuckled under his breath before beginning. “‘Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.’” 

And with that, Andy started reading the book. He understood what Junior meant about getting hooked after the first page because he was hooked as well. He continued reading and checking up on the kid every now and then, spotting Junior looking relaxed and smiling, giggling at any of the funny parts. 

Halfway through the second chapter, Andy peered over and noticed that the teenager had fallen asleep. He couldn’t help but to smile at the sight, noting how peaceful the kid looked as he slept. Good. He needed some peace in his life. 

Well, Andy had to make sure to be quiet as he left, he didn’t want Junior to wake up. The kid needed to get as much sleep as possible, he was still a growing boy. Maybe he’ll make some pancakes with coffee tomorrow, he knows how much Junior likes his homemade pancakes, especially when he mixed in some blueberries— 

Oh…oh shit.

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to him. As he looked at the teenager sleeping, he finally understood what the warmth that was growing inside of his chest meant. 

He saw Junior as the son he never had. 

Now, Andy always cared for the boy since the moment he basically dropped on his doorstep. And the more Junior opened up, the more he began to care for him. Junior told him about his past with his father, how Chucky manipulated him, and Andy always felt this wave of protectiveness washing over him. He had to protect him. 

Was this how his mother felt? Seeing her newborn son for the first time, holding him in her arms and willing to do anything to keep him safe? 

Junior wasn’t his child, not by blood, but Kyle wasn’t his sister by blood either. If he could see Kyle as his sister, then he could see Junior as his son. 

Andy would do everything he could to keep the kid out of harm's way. To make sure that nothing and no one will ever hurt him again. He’d give his life just to make sure Junior lived because he couldn’t bear it if he lost someone else. 

And would he burn down the world just to make sure the teenager that was a pain in his ass half the time was warm? Then he’d do it in a heartbeat. 

But for now, the adult closed the book, noting what page they were on, and placed it on the floor beside the cot. He carefully pulled the blankets up to Junior’s shoulders, watching him shift slightly but remained sleeping with the same peaceful expression. Andy smiled fondly, hoping that tomorrow would bring a better day for his kid. 

“Goodnight, Junior.”

[xmasterofmunsonx]

Hey you! I saw you are still taking request (i hope) and since i don't see that many Eddie X Powered!Reader (which i totally love) was thinking if you could do something like this? Like taking place in s4 and she also escaped the lab and is like rock chic, sarcastic but hasn't interacted with Eddie much so maybe they get to know each other at the beginning of s4 or little before and then she is the one who saves him from the bats? of course Eddie has to be all mushy for her :)) Thank you!!!

Fall on Me

Eddie Munson x powered!fem!reader

Warnings: language, upside down violence, fluff

Author’s Note: Reader escaped the Hawkins Lab and is powered! like El. This takes place in season 4, and contains spoilers so beware if you haven’t watched yet. Starts out with a lot of backstory and it’s all as best explained as I can make it. Some of these things didn’t happen, I had to make them to make this work for my writing. Thank you for this request- it really challenged me and I hope you enjoy it! ❤️

You missed your friend- phone calls and letters just weren’t enough. It was hard being the “one” left behind in Hawkins when you knew she was out in California with the Byers. Nancy, Steve, and Robin had taken you under their wing after the split happened and you felt safe with them, especially since they knew about your past, just like Eleven’s.

You understood Joyce had to leave to keep Will safe, and after El lost her powers, it made sense for them to move on and try to start a new, safer life. You had laid low- lower than El, on the radar of everyone who went to Hawkins High. You never wanted anyone to know you had powers, for fear of being the “outcast” or worse- captured again for more experiments. Because of your lack of schooling, you had been held back once making you 18 for your junior year.

It was junior year spring break for you, and you were riding along with Nancy to do some of your own investigating about some suspicious activity at your friend Max’s trailer park. The authorities let you in, and you could immediately feel a shift in the air there.

“Nancy, I haven’t been out here much- but… but I think something bad is happening again.”

You watched as Nancy’s grip tightened on the wheel, and she drove to the trailer across from the one that had been taped off with yellow police tape. You couldn’t look away, it was practically calling your name.

“We’ve got to get in there.” You said to her, as you pretended to look like you were making yourselves busy.

“But it’s a crime scene.”

“Yeah, no way. How can you tell?” You said sarcastically, and Nancy cut her eyes at you for making a joke about something so serious. “Is it the police tape or…”

“Shut it.” She slapped your arm and you faked that she had hurt you worse than she did. “You’re gonna draw attention.”

“As if us being dressed as polar opposites isn’t enough.” It was true, Nancy was well dressed as always, in her pastel palette of clothing. You always opted for the darker side of things, a pair of black jeans, black shirt and a flannel shirt were today's choice.

“While you figure out how to get in the Munson trailer, I’m gonna go talk to him. It’s his uncle.”

“Who?” You asked, securing your backpack purse onto your shoulders.

“Eddie. He’s a senior, for like, the second or third time maybe? Remember the stunt in the lunchroom the other day. Him. He’s the one wanted for this murder.”

You thought back, the dramatic scene wasn’t unusual for the boy. You played a little dumb to Nancy, you actually knew exactly who Eddie was. You’d had a small crush on him for a little while, but you didn’t want any more attention drawn to you and talking to him would get you just that. He was handsome, tall, and something about him was so interesting to you. You neared the trailer with the yellow tape, sneaking from car to car, and you made it to it completely unnoticed. You peered around the corner and the cops were more focused on Nancy’s interaction with Wayne than anything else.

You checked the back door, and it swung open entirely too easy for a crime scene. And a crime scene it was. You gagged as the door opened, the smell of old blood filling your nostrils. But something- something wasn’t right here. You looked up.

“Well, fuck me. I thought we were done here.” You saw the crack beginning to form and you knew exactly what it was. You peeked around the rest of the trailer looking for any clues- you wound up in Eddie’s bedroom, of all places. His room was disheveled, dirty, and didn’t look like the room of a killer. Just a dirty high school boy. You found nothing of interest there, and knew your time was ticking before they found you so you snuck back out and made your way over to Nancy and Mr. Munson.

“Hey Nance.” You waved at the pair sitting on the covered picnic table.

“Hey, this is Wayne, Eddie’s uncle.” Nancy introduced you two- he had kind eyes just like Eddie did. Or, from what you could tell the few times you’d run into him at school.

“Hi Wayne. I know Eddie from school. He’s a grade above me.”

“Well, probably a few, isn’t he?” He chuckled to himself a little. You saw the worry on his face and your heart twinged a little.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard. I was held back too though. They just want the best ones for a few extra years.” You smiled kindly at him and felt Nancy’s eyes on you. “Hey, listen. There is no way he did it. Nancy will make sure nothing bad is written about him- I’m sure we-someone’s going to find him soon enough. He’s probably just scared of this town starting a manhunt for him.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He sighed, rubbing his face with a tired look in his eyes.

“We can help. Won’t get anyone involved that doesn’t need it, alright?” You two left the park, and Nancy briefed you on everything Wayne had told him- about Victor Creel and how these murders had happened before.

“But Victor’s got something to do with the upside down, if this is him. In their trailer- there’s a crack in the ceiling. Looks just like another gate.”

“But El-”

“Yeah, I thought it was closed off too. But I think that’s what I felt. As we’re driving away, I don’t feel it anymore. I think another gate is opening somehow.” You sat, looking out the window of Nancy’s car as you made your way back to town.

-

“You think he’s here? Of all places?” You looked at the semi-questionable house with a boathouse beside it. “All based off of Steve’s Family Video customer base?”

“Yes. It’s gotta be here. There’s nowhere else in town he’d be.” Dustin spoke confidently, leading all of you down to the boathouse. You looked around, your surroundings were unfamiliar and you felt unsettled.

“Well, he’s not here. So let’s go!” You said within seconds of entering the decrepit boathouse.

“Not so fast, if we need anyone here- it’s you.” Steve grabbed your arm as you tried to walk away. “Please?”

“I know he’s not your friend, and he’s a little weird, but he needs our help. Your help. If you say something with the Upside Down is going on again, he needs to stick with us.” You rolled your eyes at Dustin, that little turd of a kid could be so annoying but he had the biggest heart of all of them.

“Fine. But I’m staying by the door.”

“Good, be the lookout.” Max assigned your role to you as you peeked out the door, then back to your friends as they were poking and prodding around. A loud noise happened behind you and before you knew it, Eddie was holding a broken glass up to Steve’s throat.

“Hey, uh, a little help here?” Steve looked at you, he probably wanted you to use your powers on him but you wouldn’t.

“Eddie, we’re here to help you. We’re not going to tell on you, or take you in to the cops.” You gently placed your hand on his arm and he jumped, making Steve jump again too. “Hey, put that down.”

Eddie was breathing heavily through his nostrils as he battled with what to do. You flicked your head a little, and made the bottle fly out of his hand.

“Thanks.” You said to him, and nonchalantly wiped the small dribble of blood off of your upper lip from your nose.

“Wh-what? How?” His attention was off of Steve as he followed you around like a lost puppy to the front door of the boathouse. “Are you, are you a witch?”

“Listen, someone else wanna summarize this? It gets really old.” You gestured your hands to your friends and they all looked around, “He plays D&D. C’mon, he’ll get it. But you might want to sit down.” You guided him to a chair, and he sat down as he listened to the explanation of everything. To everyone else’s surprise but yours, he believed it all.

“So you’ve got special powers?” He pointed to you as he spoke slowly.

“Yep, and I’m not afraid to use them.”

“So like-”

“I can’t read your mind, but I can get inside of it. And I can move things, I can also throw you across the lake if I had to.”

“She will, I’ve seen it happen before.” Steve spoke to Eddie, he was still in shock and a little traumatized from everything that had happened in the last day or two.

“How’d you know he plays D&D?” Max asked as the group of you, minus Eddie, were walking back to the car.

You fumbled over your words as you hid the blush that crept onto your face, “Because he’s in that club with Dustin and that’s all they do.” You stated as if it were a common fact. She looked up at you with a grin, and you nudged her to get her off of your case.

-

Days went by, more and more happened. More people were killed, and you had figured out that every time someone died by Vecna, it was opening another gate.

You and your friends were currently climbing into a boat in the middle of the lake. You had spent your day trying to locate Eddie who had run after Jason was killed in front of his eyes over the lake.

Eddie and Steve had hopped into the boat first before Nancy and Robin, and you were the last one in. Eddie held his hand out to you, and you motioned you didn’t need his help. Your foot slipped as the boat rocked and he caught you, as you landed in his lap.

“Stubborn.” He quietly muttered in your ear, sending chills down your spine.

“I’ll throw you across the lake, don’t try me.” You craned your neck back at him and smirked, before you realized you were literally sitting in his lap now for no good reason. You stood up and sat on a different bench on the boat and you all paddled out to the center of the lake, where you could see the gate glowing.

“So, why are we here, and not at the gate at Eddie’s trailer?” You asked, scratching your head.

“Because the one in his trailer isn’t big enough yet according to Max.” Steve said, stripping down to his jeans.

“And you’re gonna swim?” You asked him, as he tossed his clothes to you.

“What, you think you can do better than me?” Sighs and grumbles were heard all around the boat at your bickering.

“Who’s the one with powers? I’m going with you. You’re not going in by yourself.” You stood up, following Steve’s lead and stripping down to your sports bra and jeans, not wanting your sweater to weigh you down extra. You handed your black sweater to Eddie, “You lose this, and I’ll definitely throw your body across the lake.”

He grabbed the still warm garment of clothing from you, and tucked it under his arms. “I’d be honored.” He winked and you rolled your eyes.

The two of you had started some banter over the last little bit, your personalities meshed together better than you thought and you enjoyed his company. You wished you’d started talking to him sooner, and little did you know, he was thinking the same thing.

With a grunt, you and Steve fell through the gate onto the ground. Immediately you were being swarmed by creatures, and Steve reached for a makeshift weapon that was an oar as you fended off the ones you could with your powers. Moments later, your friends joined you and you could feel yourself growing weaker as you were exerting everything you could to get rid of the demobats.

Steve was ripping apart the bats, abandoning his oar, Robin and Nancy were pulling bats off of him, and Eddie was trying his best to whack them away too. You suddenly started to feel the blood gush from your nose- both nostrils this time and knew it wasn’t looking good for you. Closest to you was Eddie, and you yelled his name with the little bit of fight left in you before everything went black.

-

“So maybe we should try the other gate? At my house now?” You heard Eddie’s voice as you were waking up, everything felt blurry and heavy.

“Hey, she’s up.” Steve rushed over to you and helped you sit up. “You good?” You looked down at yourself- you were covered in blood and nasty Upside Down filth.

You couldn’t believe this was happening, again. You wanted your sister-like friend’s help now more than ever.

“Yeah, just not feeling my best.” You ran a hand through your dark hair and felt the mats that had formed from grime. “Everyone make it out okay?”

“You barely did.” Eddie spoke from the end of the couch, your feet were resting in his lap and you hadn’t noticed. “But I, believe it or not, saved you.” You rolled your eyes, too tired to have a comeback.

“Alright, so we’ve come up with a plan.” Nancy sat on the floor near you and explained it to you- how you were all going to get supplies, then you were going to enter through the gate at Eddie’s trailer with the rest of the kids.

“W-wait.” You spoke up, suddenly remembering something. “I-while I was out, I think I had a dream, or I saw El.” You looked up to Max. “You saw her too, didn’t you?” She shook her head.

“No, what are you talking about?” You knew she’d been seeing the clocks, and everyone knew she was Vecna’s next target. She was going to play pawn in the plan to destroy him.

“N-nevermind. I must’ve just been dreaming.”

“You stay here with Eddie, and we’ll go get everything. Then, we’ll come back and pick you two up- we need you rested, of all people.” Nancy patted your back before she walked out of the trailer.

They left Max’s house, and you settled back down into the couch. Your eyes felt heavy but you didn’t want to fall asleep. What you had seen wasn’t good, and you didn’t want it to happen again, not knowing if it was a dream or a vision of some sort.

“Your nose was bleeding the whole time you were out.” Eddie spoke, staring straight forward at the wall.

“What?”

“Yeah, I kept having to clean it for you so it didn’t get everywhere.” His eyebrows were wrinkled together, “what did you see?”

“El- Eleven. She was listening into everything. I don’t know how though, she lost her powers.”

“Maybe she’s got them back?” Eddie shrugged, you wished you could contact her but the Byers phone had been unreachable this whole time, and you knew trying to find her again would drain you too much before going into the Upside Down.

“Maybe so. Guess we’ll just have to find out.” You shrugged it off and laid your head on the backrest of the couch, looking back at Eddie. His pale skin was scratched with marks, he had dried blood and grime all over him. His jacket and vest were missing- you notice Steve had his vest on earlier but where did his jacket go?

As if he were reading your mind, he spoke up. “Jacket looks better on you. Sorry I uh, we lost that sweater you had on. I figured you’d want to be covered up some.” Blush was tinting his cheeks and you looked down- you had on his leather jacket. “I’ll make my way over to my house once they’re back to grab some more clothes.”

“Thanks.” You said, squirming into your seat a little more. “For saving me too. You were all I could see before I blacked out, I tried as hard as I could to get those bats off of you all. I just, I couldn’t do anymore than I did. I’m not as strong as El is.”

“Hey, you were pretty badass back there.” Eddie patted his hand on your legs, rubbing his thumb gently back and forth against your jeans. “I don't think any of us would’ve made it without you.”

You sat with him making small talk, the awkwardness hung in the air thick and heavy- but you couldn’t tell if it was that, or if it was the impending doom feeling of what you all were about to take on.

-

“Back again, bitches.” You said as you entered the gate through Eddie’s trailer.

“Alright, everyone know their part?”

“For the fiftieth time Nance, yes.” You rolled your eyes as you picked up your supplies. You reached to buckle your backpack onto your back, but felt a pair of hands already there.

“I got you.” Eddie buckled the clasp, then patted your shoulders. You blushed as your hands rested back on top of his, giving them a small squeeze.

“Alright, let’s go.” Steve motioned for you all to follow him once you were all ready. Your group exited the trailer, looking around at the unfortunate sight of the familiar grey, red, and flashy sky.

You heard your name being called, and you turned around to find Eddie running after you. You walked back a few steps to meet him midway.

“Yeah?” You were standing a few inches away from him, he was breathing heavy and so were you.

“Um, I just…” You raised your eyebrows at him I wanting him to finish his sentence. “Go kick some ass, yeah?” You could tell he wanted to say something else, but you didn’t pry.

“Only if you promise not to try and be a hero. This isn’t one of your games.” You poked him on the chest, and he reached up and grabbed your hand. He clutched onto it, giving it a small squeeze before raising it to his lips and placing a small kiss on your fingers.

“Promise.” He smiled at you, and you ran back to catch up with Steve, Robin, and Nancy. Robin shot you a look and you ruffled her hair.

“Shut it, Buckley.”

“You might wanna wipe that drool off your face before you slip on the puddle you’re about to make.” Steve spoke from the front of the group.

“Oh, come on! If I wasn’t saving my energy for this Vecna, I would launch all of you across this fucking town.”

Minutes in the Upside Down felt like hours, and your stomach was wrecked thinking about the fate of Dustin and Eddie being away from you. You felt pulled to them, like you needed to be with them instead of with Nancy, Robin and Steve. You were all crouched in front of the Creel house now, waiting for the moment to enter the house.

“You good?” Robin nudged you, as you two were huddled in your hiding spot.

“No, I shouldn’t be here. You all are going to be fine. Dustin and Eddie aren’t- I, I need to be with them.”

“You know more than we do.” Nancy piped in, “Go to him if it’s what you need.” You grabbed a spare handgun from Nancy, knowing that you likely wouldn’t need it but you might need it in case your powers were weakened.

“Good luck. We’ll see you on the other side.” Steve spoke as you ran back to the trailer. Within seconds of you starting your trek back, you heard it. Eddie’s guitar was sounding out over the air of creepy Hawkins, and soon the flock of bats were heading the same way as you.

“Fuck, fuck. Fuck.” You muttered out. The bats were distracted by the real noise- all was going to plan, and you would likely travel unnoticed but you weren’t sold on why you were going back now. They had the out- they had the gate to go back through if anything went wrong. You groaned as you kept running, testing your endurance as you didn’t stop. If only you could’ve made it to them a few moments sooner so you could be with them as the bats would make their attack.

You made it to the trailer to see them attacking the outside, they were paying no attention to you at all. In fact, they were disappearing into the trailer. That was not part of the plan, at all. You observed, being careful to not make yourself noticed because you didn’t want to draw attention to yourself- but where were Dustin and Eddie?

You watched as the front door to Eddie’s trailer swung open, and he grabbed a bike and pedaled as fast as he could- the flock of bats trailing behind him.

“Eddie, NO!” You screamed after him, running through the woods watching as he faded away further and further. He didn’t hear you- he couldn’t over the loud thunder and the bats making their screeches.

You caught up to him, only it was a little too late. The bats were swarming him as he was trying to kill them off one by one, and in turn, he was being attacked by them- they were ripping at him. He fell to the ground by their ripping, and he was brought to the ground accepting his fate. You held your hand out and screamed, exerting every bit of strength you could muster to attack the bats. In pairs, they were ripped off of Eddie by an invisible force, your force, and you heard Eddie’s name being called behind you- Dustin was hobbling over to you. Suddenly, the bats crashed to the ground and you two ran over to his bleeding body. You felt your nose gushing blood but you didn’t care, you collapsed on the ground, grabbing Eddie’s semi-lifeless body in your hands.

“Eddie, you- you can’t do this. You can make it. Come on.” You were puzzled as to what caused the bats to suddenly collapse, but you’d figure that out later.

“I broke my promise.” He spit out, blood pouring out of his mouth and wounds. “Henderson, I didn’t run.”

“Dustin, we’ve gotta get him some help, help me grab him up.” The two of you helped drag him back to his trailer, and ended up getting him through the gate in the ceiling.

As you landed back through to Hawkins, your body collapsed on top of Eddie’s, crying and using the rest of what powers you had left to help try to heal his wounds, then everything went black.

-

“Easy there, easy there.” You heard Eddie’s voice the calmest you’d ever heard it as you opened your eyes. You recognized the room as one in Hopper and El’s house in the woods, as you’d spent many nights here yourself, hiding with her. The door was closed, but you could hear others outside of it.

“Wh-wh-” you tried lifting your head up but gave up and snuggled back into the pillow underneath your head.

“You uh, you saved me. Like, I almost died and you saved me.” Eddie was blushing as he held your hand gently. He was tracing the veins on your hand and staring down at it. “We don’t know how you did it, but you did.”

“Is El here?” You asked, feeling that she was.

“Not even a few seconds awake and you’re already asking for her. Yeah, she’s here. Want me to go grab her?” You grasped onto Eddie’s hand and shook your head no.

“No, I’d like to sit for a little bit before everyone comes in here.” Eddie wiped a clean rag below your nose, and when he pulled it back there was some dried blood on there.

“Like a faucet, that nose of yours.” You sat up, and he helped you lean against the headboard of the bed. “They’re all itching to come take over watch, but I told them can’t leave you.”

“Who’s they?”

“Literally everyone. Joyce, El, Steve, Mike, Will, Nancy, Robin, Dustin-”

“Is Dustin okay? He hurt his foot coming back for you- I could-”

“He’s fine, he got a brace put on it.”

“Already? How long have I been out for?”

“Just like, three, maybe four days. All of Hawkins is split in half. Well, into fours. They’re saying it was an earthquake, but we all know it’s not. When Vecna got Max, the fourth gate opened up and-”

“Got Max, is she okay?”

He hesitated, “she’s in the hospital. She hasn’t woken up yet.” A silent tear slipped out of your eye as Eddie kept on talking, “El’s been switching up her time between being here and the hospital. She’s got to go undercover when she goes there, but she thinks Max might be coming around, she’s in a coma. We probably won’t know for a while. We’re hiding out here- me and you. They still want me for murder, and we can’t take you to the hospital because they know more about you now.” You knew exactly who he was referring to when he said “they”.

“So, sorry, but you’re stuck with me.” Eddie let out a nervous laugh. “I know I’m not Steve or anything, but-”

“I’d rather be stuck with you. You’ve got the better hair anyways.” You made him blush and reached for one of his curls. He’d clearly bathed since the last 4 days, as his hair was soft and falling in place like it usually was- not coated in blood and dirt anymore. “So, did I like, heal everything on you?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I mean, I’ve got some scars and some scabs but they wrapped me up, but I’ve got no internal bleeding or anything else seriously wrong from what they could tell. Thank you.” He pulled your hand to his lips again and pressed a slow, gentle kiss that gave you butterflies as his dark eyes met yours.

You didn’t know what your healing powers could fully do, but you were glad to know you had the ability.

“Ready to see anyone else?” You shook your head no again, feeling tired from being awake for just a few minutes.

“No, I’m tired and I know everyone will be overwhelming to me.” You could only imagine how everyone was going to be badgering you and asking if you’re okay, what happened, what did you need, etc. The care would be appreciated but you just weren’t quite ready.

“Here, drink some water, then you can lay back down, and we can hide in here a little longer.” Eddie handed you a bottle after he opened it, and you chugged half of it before handing it back to him. You scooted down in bed, and beckoned him to lay with you. “You sure?”

“Mhm. I don’t wanna be by myself.” He hesitated but climbed in with you, keeping a small distance between you two. You rolled onto your side and wrapped an arm around him, pulling yourself closer to him.

“This okay?” You asked his permission, and smiled into his clean shirt.

“Better than okay.” He put a hand on your head and started playing with your hair. “I think, I might like you.” He stumbled over his words.

Your cheeks burned, “I think I might like you too.”

“But don’t tell them out there. I gotta look like more of a badass than you.”

“You got a lot of catching up to do, Munson.” You gently squeezed his side as you felt your eyes closing.

“Believe me, I know.”

“And I think they might already be onto us. At least I know Robin is suspicious of me, I might not’ve been so smooth. I’ve kinda had a crush on you for a while.” You admitted to him.

“And poor Dustin’s had to listen to me talk his ear off about you for a few months too. We’ve got-”

He eagerly interrupted you, “Chemistry together, yeah I know. I didn’t even know you knew who I was.”

“How could I not? You’re so pretty, and sweet, but you’re spunky. I like that about you the most.”

“Just wait till I’m fully recharged, you won’t like that the most, I promise.” You felt him chuckle beneath you and you nuzzled into him a little more, his arm wrapped around your side and he started tracing shapes onto your soft shirt. “What happened to your jacket?” You asked, suddenly remembering you still had it on during the battle of the bats.

“We both almost died and you’re just worried about my jacket?” You nodded, “Well, it made it out just fine. Got it cleaned up and everything. Maybe if we ever are able to escape the cabin, I can take you out on a date and you can wear it, yeah?”

“Are you asking me on a date?” You picked your head up to meet his eyes that were already staring back at you.

“I am if you’ll say yes. If you’re saying no, then I’m not asking you.”

“Tricky. Hmmmm.” You pretended to have to think about the answer to his question, trying to hide your excitement. “Once we’re outta here, I’ll go on a date with you.” You watched as his eyes lit up.

“Can’t wait.”

You rested your head back down on his chest, a huge grin hidden on your face, “I can’t either.”

[kyberphilosopher]

Smile

Word Count: 3467 Requested: yes. Based off ‘505′ Warnings: strong hints to sexual disposition. Spoilers if you squint.

“I’d probably still adore you with your hands around my neck... I did last time I checked.” -Arctic Monkeys, ‘505′.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

With hoarse breath and unwavering eyes, you look up to the stars as you speak. “So, you’re really going to do it then?”

“I have to,” you hear him say. His voice has gotten far more mature and calm since the first time you’d heard him speak. Still angry and determined, but in an intelligent, adult way. Eren is a more capable person now. The only thing left to do is wait and see if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing. 

“What do you think are the chances of winning?” you question. A shooting star whizzes across the sky at that very moment, and it’s gone before you can think of a wish. 

You turn around to face him, but his eyes are already on you. Once upon a time, Eren’s eyes were emerald and teal and deep. Now they’re paler. They are cold and steady as a byproduct of who he’s become. It’s hard not to wonder what he’s thinking about when he looks at you like this, especially since he’s become harder to read over the years.

At first, Eren was one of the most insufferable people you’d ever met. He acted out so often, it was hard to see him as another person of intelligent life. You mostly just minded your business through your cadet years, usually hanging around Reiner, who was also difficult to see as intelligent life. Sometimes you and Eren would argue, but it was never passionate. You just had different world views. 

Things got better when you found out what Eren really was. Since you hadn’t made top ten, you could only choose between the Garrison Regiment, or the Scout Regiment. And with Eren’s newly discovered power showing the promise of hope, you decided on the Scouts. He liked that. 

After that, it was hard not to mature at the same time as he. Eren often blamed himself for the death and carnage that surrounded the regiment. You were solely responsible for the passing of your best friend. And after everything that happened with the government, almost dying at Shiganshina- you knew you couldn’t stand this much longer. With your relationship with Eren still budding in its early and steamy stages, he was the only one you told of your desertion. You abandoned the corps, finding a small, abandoned farm within wall Maria to hide out in. 

Eren was too tired and sick of everything to think you were being cowardly. He wanted to leave too. Maybe come with you. But Eren had plans in the works that he couldn’t leave alone. He visited you less and less. Luckily you never made a fuss. 

And now Eren wants to end the world, to save the world. How does he expect you to react to this?

“I just thought I should see you,” Eren replies. You know he’s deflecting your question. You’re not stupid. 

You nod slowly, blinking as you think. “Am I going to die?”

Your companion crosses his arms calmly. “Yes,” he tells you. 

There it is. 

“You know I can’t support you in this, right?” you tell Eren, equally as calm. 

He only replies after a moment, also in deep thought. “I know.”

You look back up to the sky, sighing out through your nose. “Why did you come, Eren? Did you want me to tell you that I think you’re doing the right thing? Or was it because you need to let out some anger? I wonder.”

“I did want to see you.”

“Do you still?”

Silence. 

“Yes.”

“And I suppose there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”

“No.”

The stars are glittering with pastel hues, like a rainbow, or kaleidoscope. Each one is a different size, bordering on different shapes, all fusing and melting together like your idea of heaven. You can barely even see the midnight color of the sky through all them. It is beautiful, but it’s also bitter. Everything is bitter, here. 

“I didn’t make myself any dinner yet,” you say. “Couldn’t think of anything.”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

When she was alive, Eren’s mother would make a soup for the family. It was creamy, hot, filled with meat and cheese at the bottom. Eren never liked soup, but he did love that dish. She was always sure to make extra for him, so that he could enjoy it for several days. And although it wasn’t until after she was gone that Eren realized he rarely ever thanked her for it, it was still one of the warmest memories Eren had. 

He fills your wooden bowl with it, being awfully generous. He knows that even though you haven’t eaten much in the last few years, you too had grown fond of the soup. He knows no matter how slowly you force it down, you are enjoying it. It burns the roof of your mouth every time, but you’ve never cared. All that matters is the creamy sauce, and the cow cooked to perfection. 

You stare at the fireplace beside you, flames cackling and licking upward. Eren sets the bowl in front of you, and takes the seat on the other side. You know he sets his long hair behind his shoulders. You’re already prepared. From your pocket, you produce a stretchy brown hair tie on the verge of snapping, handing it to him. 

“Thanks,” he says, even though this routine has happened however many times he’s seen you. 

“You’re welcome.”

The soup is as amazing as usual. You’re willing to bet Eren makes it even better than his mother did, but you dare not say it aloud. It’s creamy, perfectly seasoned. It goes down your throat, still steaming. 

“Does Mikasa know about this?” you question, taking one more delicious bite. 

“No. None of them do,” Eren answers. “Armin will figure it out soon.”

“You want me to kill ‘em?”

Eren shakes his head. To a lot of people, this would be taken as a joke. But this is nowhere near it. Your tone is too casual, too low for it to be humor of any kind. And the way the man across from you reacts- he’s thinking the same thing. 

“No.”

“How are they, then?”

Eren thinks as he takes another bite, the warmth creeping up his chest sweetly. “They’re alright for now. I don’t know for how much longer. I can’t see everything.”

“Can you see who’s next?”

He squints at his bowl as if he were angry, but his eyebrows barely move. “Sasha.” 

Sasha. She was always a good presence to have around. While she seemed like the type of person who would annoy you, it was hard to hate her. And you admired her keen intuition anyway. 

“Will you give her something for me?”

Eren nods. Then you both go back to eating for a few seconds, basking in the orange glow from the flames. 

“How are things here?” he questions after a minute. 

“The same,” you tell him. “I think the cow might die soon.”

Some people might reply with condolences, or sympathy. But your lover does not, and you do not expect him to. “I’ll get you a new one,” he says flatly, almost like a promise. You nod once.

Despite the atmosphere which can only be described as bitter, you’re glad to see Eren again. You’re glad that he’s alive, and as alright as he can be. The bed is always colder without him, heated up only by your lingering fingers that you pretend are his every other night. Whenever he leaves an article of clothing behind, usually on purpose, you hold off on washing it so it can smell like him for you as long as possible. Then there are the hair ties you keep either in your pocket or on your wrist, specifically for him. The razors in your cabinet he often didn’t even bother using. 

Even with the sullen demeanor that had managed to overtake both of you, there was at least one thing you cared about in the world still. Maybe it wasn’t the most conventional kind of caring, or the healthiest coping mechanism. But it was still caring. And all that you cared about was him. 

You knew you weren’t Eren’s first priority. You were probably second, or third. It didn’t bother you. Eren’s head was one of the first things lost when the truth was presented to him. It came back coldly and sternly, in contrast to how previously hot and impatient it had been. But by then your head had also grown colder and sterner. In simpler terms, Eren did care for you. He did love you. But he would consider letting you die if it meant achieving what he set out to do, and you knew this. 

Across the table, Eren lifts his head to look up at you as he chews slowly. The burning meal slides down his throat easily, albeit painfully. It doesn’t even register with him, his piercing eyes slowly gaining a glint from the fire light. 

You meet his eyes after a few seconds, feeling them on you. You don’t say a word, don’t even give a questioning look. You just hold him patiently, which is something the two of you find yourself doing often. 

“You can’t stop it,” Eren speaks, looking you dead in the eyes with a steady gaze. There is love behind his eyes, far behind the anger, but you can tell from the tone of voice he is trying to tell you something as if it were an order. Your lips part slightly from the intensity radiating from your lover, who doesn’t move a muscle. “You’ll be free soon.” 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Dinner ends. Eren helps clean up the dishes for you and goes to get water from your well so you can clean easier. You already know from the way his thumb brushed against your own when you took the bowls that you’ll likely be bent over the sink in a few minutes, which you don’t mind, but you wonder if he’ll be willing to be softer than usual as an apology for what he’d said earlier. 

He’d meant to scare you. You’re intelligent enough to figure that out. Even though you don’t scare easy, and you didn’t even give an extreme reaction, the look in Eren’s eyes had made your heart drop to your stomach. Sometimes you forget that Eren sees everything. Then he says something like that to remind you in the most memorable way. 

The wooden door opens and closes behind you. Boots scuff the ground for a few seconds, drawing closer and closer as something in you sparks with anticipation, as it always does. A pail of water hits the surface beside you, partially sloshing over the sides, shining silver in the moonlight from the tall window in front of you. Finally, ultra hot hands slide around your waist and push gently but tightly against where your ribs diverge. 

A jaw leans down on your right shoulder, chin poking against your collarbone. Locks of hair brush against your own, just as the hand on the left runs across your side to finally put a small band in your pocket. 

“I did miss you,” Eren’s low voice seemingly growls, his chest rumbling softly against your back. 

“I was thinking about you,” you admit with monotone, knowing your lover can read through it like as easily as a knife slices through skin. 

“I hope I didn’t worry you,” he says, though you can also read through his own tone. He probably didn’t care about worrying you. He definitely doesn’t still. 

“You didn’t.”

You place a both bowls in the sink, running your fingers over the dirty spoons. Eren’s orbs follow your movement. You can feel his chin change positions ever so slightly in the coming seconds. 

“Can you pass me the rag?” you ask, eyes focused on a piece of food on the spoon that doesn’t even exist. 

In response, Eren doesn’t pass you anything. Only his right hand gives you any kind of acknowledgement, passing from on your ribs to down lower. His fingertips skin over the erogenous zone under the waistband of your undergarments. 

“I worried about you,” Eren murmurs boldly. The hot fingertips pass under the cloth finally, pricks of stubble on his jaw scratching your neck and shoulder as he shifts. “I wanted you to be okay.” His left hand raises to grasp the breast above it. Slowly at first, then firmly, like a warning. Everything is a warning with him. 

Your head lulls back uncontrollably. The back of your hair matts up as it rolls against his own shoulder. 

“I said you worried me,” your partner grumbles. “Did you hear me?”

“No,” you lie lowly, refusing to let your voice shake despite the shiver in your throat. 

“Mm,” Eren hums in condescending understanding. A force presses against your core, which has turned burning hot and ice cold at the same time. The force pulls away, a string of something smooth and slimy following it that makes a sound draw from your lips. It’s high pitched, weak, and unstoppable. You’d be embarrassed if you weren’t so associated with Eren. 

His hand gives your breast a firm squeeze, soreness blossoming from the center. Your back arches quickly and returns lax against him, though now something pokes against your bottom that makes your eyes pop open with a new alertness. Eren’s hand gives you no time again. From your chest, it flies to your throat, holding it back with soft strictness as the other finally dips into the hot pool between your hips. 

“I worried about you.”

A strangled groan releases from between your lips again, this time fully carried up through the air. To Eren, it must sound like nothing more than music, or background noise. 

Thick cylinders pump inside you to the knuckle. They feel better than your own. They always have. 

It feels good. Full. Tight and fast and like the inside of you is quivering under the weight of something that you can’t see or hear. Eren is like a blanket supporting you from falling over, keeping you upright with his grip and his fingers buried inside of you. Prodding every angle, every spot. Not necessarily romantically, but still lovingly. He has always had this goal during intimacy. Nothing matters but communicating to you just how close he wants to be. 

“Eren,” you choke, a dribble of spit sliding from the corner of your lips. 

“Again,” he hisses in response. His fingers hit a tight spot, making every muscle in your body clench at the same time. 

You don’t say another word, your mouth hanging partially open as you focus on everything around you. And it’s all Eren Jaeger. His smell, his growls, his voice, his breathing, his chest, his muscles, his hair, his anger, his bitterness, his intelligence, his determination. It’s overwhelming. It reminds you of getting swept in one of those waves at the ocean he described to you. He’s yours. No- more likely, you’re his. End of story. 

“I said again.”

“Eren,” you moan.  

His head nuzzles into your neck comfortingly, his fingers pushing faster and harder. You can feel how warm you are, never mind how slick. And the way your own body holds around his digits every time he pulls away is enough to make you all the more warm and slick. 

But then...

What is he doing?

He had said “you’ll be free soon”. And yet, here he is, gripping you tightly as he forces you into the corner of submitting. And yes, it is hot. It arouses you as it always has. But something about it makes your stomach turn into a knot of unpleasantness, in contrast to the other one of liquid pleasure. 

“Eren,” you strain, squirming against him. 

Eren speeds up again. A grunt falls from his own mouth from his own power, and you know he’s getting off almost as much as you are. It doesn’t stop feeling good. Feeling euphoric. 

It’s getting rougher. Rougher and harder and faster, more intense. 

“Eren.”

Another gruff moan from him. 

“Eren! Stop! Stop!”

Eren’s palm softens away at once. It lifts away, his eyes opening and his hand stilling inside of you. He watches you shake as you gaze up to the ceiling, wide eyed. Your thighs sputter, entire body twitching. You didn’t cum. 

His eyes trail over you. You’ve worked up a steady sweat glistening and glowing, shivering and shaking and quaking because of him in the best way. You’re his. His partner, his friend, his ally he knows for a fact he can rely on.

“C-can we... Eren...” 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Drips of water dribbling down Eren’s temple. One of your hands are threaded in his brunette locks, holding them back so you can have an uninterrupted view. The other hand is dabbing cloth against his forehead and hairline, bathing him softly. 

He’d gone a while without bathing again. You could tell. Eren’s eyes are glued to yours, deep teal memorizing all the flecks in your own as if he hadn’t a million times over. 

Eren loves you. Dearly. He’d travel all seven hours and forty five minutes just to tell you that. He doesn’t know what made you stop earlier. He doesn’t ask. But he’s not mad. Overall, Eren understands that it doesn’t matter what you asked to stop for. You give the word, he obeys. Not because he has to, but because he loves you. 

Still, he knows something is wrong. You don’t show it. You’re steady, calm, mature, apathetic as always. But in the pit of Eren’s stomach, something brews. A warm, strange feeling of intuition and omniscience. 

“You look very pretty today,” Eren ventures, wondering only of your response. “Did I tell you that?”

Your eyes squint. “Thank you,” you reply back. 

The cloth continues to rub against his skin, cleaning something that probably doesn’t even exist. Dirt, maybe. Eren’s stopped taking care of his skin in the past few years. 

“You’re welcome.”

Your eyes squint again. This time, they gloss over with sharp wetness like glass. The eyebrows crease like a break, your bottom lip trembling as you suck it between your teeth. 

He doesn’t know what he was expecting. But your lover wasn’t expecting this. 

Eren hates when you cry. He can remember the first time he’d seen it, but not the most recent. You didn’t cry often- you were strong. Crying over something as useless and flimsy as emotions didn’t seem worth it. So what was this for? What were you about to make Eren break down inside over?

Your hand falls limply from his forehead. Shoulders hunch over in defeat, staring down at the floor as your hair covers over your face. And then the sniffles come, choked out coughs like sobs. 

Eren can see the lightest of bruises he’d left on you from earlier, but you’d never had a problem with it before. No, it was something else. But what?

Silent, your teeth grit together as you wince, tears streaming down your face inexplicably. 

“Earlier w-when you,” you gulp, snot beginning to form, “when you- I did worry a-about you. I- I don’t know why I didn’t...”

You stumble forward. Eren stands from your bath tub to catch you as you slump against him tiredly. 

“I hate it when you go.”

Eren switches positions with you, pushing you down to sit on the edge of the tub. He takes the wet rag from your hand and holds your shoulder back so he can have a good look at you. Then the cloth dabs against your own forehead, just as you had done to him. 

“I hate it here,” you sigh, a single tear drop blurring your vision as it falls finally. 

Your lover moves the cloth from your head to your cheeks, smearing the wetness into your skin and away. They moisten and dry, your eyes red and shiny. Eren tilts your head up under your jaw, creasing his brows and using the towel to clean closer to your eyes. 

“If it helps,” he says, looking straight into your eyes, “you’re crying, but I still think you look pretty.”

You’d be lying if you said that didn’t help even a little, because you love him. 

A soft smile creeps to your lips, your hands dropping in between your thighs. 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

No I didn’t reread this lmfao enjoy. Hope I did you justice anon

[calaisreno]

Always 2010

BBC Sherlock / Series 1 Stories

Sometimes I wish I could live in Series 1: no Reichenbach, no Mary, no heartbreak-- just these two idiots gradually coming together. Domestic silliness and bliss. Experiments in the kitchen, body parts in the fridge. Did anybody remember to buy milk? A cup of tea makes everything look better. Cases are solved. Conversations eventually happen.

Here is a selection of stories I've written to forget the angsty mess that was Seasons 3 and 4, to remember what it was like before. No first meetings here, just early days at 221B.

Invisible Man: It occurred to John, as he watched Sherlock smile at Victor, that maybe he hadn’t understood anything. He understood that he loved Sherlock, and thought Sherlock felt the same. But what if Sherlock had an entirely different understanding of what they meant to one another? Summary: Smarmy Victor makes John jealous; Sherlock loves only John. Ex-boyfriends, love confessions.

Normal is Boring: After a serious injury during a case, John is acting strangely. Sherlock worries. Who is this new John Watson? Hurt/comfort, love confessions, first kiss.

The Perfect Gift: John needs to think of a present for Sherlock's birthday. First, he needs to figure out what kind of relationship they're in, which is not easy when you're John Watson. Next, he needs a murder. Preferably a series of murders, seemingly unsolvable. Sherlock would like that. Love confessions, first time, surprises, serial killers.

Third Date: John Watson dates a lot of women, but never gets beyond the Third Date. Sherlock solves it. Summary: Lestrade gives relationship advice to these two; everybody figures it out. First kiss, getting together, getting arrested.

Upping the Ante: Sherlock tells lies easily. John will not be outdone. Summary: While vying to be the best pretend boyfriend, Sherlock and John eventually realise their true feelings. Fake relationship, real wedding, first time. 

Bonus AU: Eye of the Storm: Weather has become the fifth horseman of the apocalypse. Summary: Sherlock and John ride out the storm of the millenium. First kiss, getting together, sleeping bag snuggles.

[theemceebee]

A Two-Year-Late Review of Destiny 2: Beyond Light

Pray tell, why am I writing this? Can you guess? This expansion for Destiny 2 dropped like a warhead onto Destiny 2 in November of 2020, not because it blew everyone's mind, but because it took 65% of the game's previous content with it. If you don't know what I mean, it's because you probably have at least 50 IQ, so it doesn't make any sense that an expansion would take a bunch of content AWAY from a game. So, almost two years late, what's the point of the review? The newest expansion Lightfall is coming up, and Bungie made the game, and all expansions, free to play until August 30th. I stopped playing Destiny 2 about a week after the Shadowkeep expansion (released Oct 2019). Having not played in years at this point, I figured I'd give it a try. Once I was done, which was about two hours ago at this time, I thought it might be healthier to write this review, instead of perform an occult ritual to wipe my memory back to 2015. Back then, The Taken King expansion was either coming, or already out. I had optimism then. Had. Pretty ballsy for Bungie to lead off any returning players with Beyond Light, an expansion I would say ranks among the worst of Destiny's expansions. I wouldn't say it quite hits the depths of Warmind and Curse of Osiris, but when the bar's at rock-bottom you'd have to start putting real physical effort into putting it any lower. I would've sunset that nonsense, automatically granted returning players the Stasis subclass, and pretended like the game ACTUALLY started with Witch Queen. This is Bungie, though, and the only time "Bungie" and "good decision" belongs together in one sentence is when it involves not playing their game anymore. Beyond Light's plot is a reconfiguration of the Forsaken expansion. In it, a Fallen captain has vague, poorly defined ambitions about using the "Darkness," also poorly defined to date, to unite the Fallen houses. In the mean time, the gray area of morality and the line between Light and Dark is constantly spoken about. That's right, the same premise as Forsaken, but now instead of the Gambit gametype, which was great for PvP, we get the Stasis subclass, which destroyed it. Now that I think about it, Forsaken was just a successfully implemented mulligan of Destiny 1's House of Wolves DLC too, so I guess they're really stuck on rehashing the Fallen unification concept until the game dies. It's a fair gamble, because Destiny fans only have memory that stretches back to the beginning of the current DLC cycle or season. Forsaken had some personality, added to the lore in substantial ways, had a enjoyable story (though it doesn't hold up to scrutiny) and also had a ground breaking PvPvE mode Gambit, which was my favorite thing to play at the time. SPOILERS ARE COMING. YOU ARE WARNED. CHARACTER FOR THIS PLAYTHROUGH: WARLOCK, primarily using solar and lightning subclasses. Beyond Light does none of these things. It exists solely as a vehicle to give the Darkness subclass to the player. You can skip the dialogue! No, I mean it. Skip it. You will learn basically nothing that you didn’t already know about any character, and all that happens is you neutralize the villain after killing her entire cadre. At the end of the final fight, the third generation Kel of Kels is Stasis-frozen after...losing control of her powers? I think? It's never actually explained why it happens, or why your character doesn't blow her up after she's frozen. See, Stasis freezes enemies in place on contact with it's abilities. Killing them while frozen is not only possible, it detonates them violently, which can chain to other frozen enemies. Your character could just permanently neutralize the Kel right there, which would not be any different than the rampage through her ranks you already committed, included her entire chain of command. But if your character did that, Bungie wouldn't have a returning foe for the Season of Plunder, in which Eramis (the Fallen Kel that's frozen) breaks out of her icy prison. Stasis is ill-suited to the game's high mobility and high enemy counts. Typically speaking, raw lethality through either directed damage or AoE is more important, because mob enemies are not that threatening without their numbers. Its not that Stasis can't neutralize groups, it's that it does nothing that other subclasses don't already do better. The most interesting facet of it, the creation of physical barriers, is not fully explored, even though it would have allowed for some interesting abilities. For instance, imagine creating a platform sniper post that generates damage resistance to whoever is standing on it, as well as giving Cold status effects to their shots. Is that potential team synergy I see? A tool for boss nuking? No. It's a mirage. Come back to reality, this is a modern triple-A game after all. All of these things could be forgiven, and will be, because at it's core Destiny's combat is what people play it for anyway. They'll even tell you as much the instant you make a complain on anything that isn't battle-related. That's fine, and in fact if the combat is good enough, even I'll overlook all of it's worst aspects if I at least have fun shooting things. After all, I played all of Destiny 1, and Destiny 2 up until Shadowkeep. My standards for Destiny aren't high. Is running through levels with no threat to your well-being fun? Is standing on top of a box while enemies come at you, from long range, from one direction, for three waves before doing the exact same thing from the opposite direction fun? Where's the encounter design here? Linear hallways with no verticality transition you from two-level arena to two-level arena, and they mix this formula up by having you fight no less than a dozen engagements in an open, mostly flat area with no cover or obstacles at all. In many cases, I spotted parts of the arenas that weren’t being effectively used at all, in the middle of a fight. Sometimes, the enemy types thrown at the player during a fight were so basic it required little more than standing in one spot and sequentially gunning them all down as they all spawned, in front of me, with none of the support enemies that might otherwise make the fight interesting. At least force me to MOVE AROUND THE MAP. It’s like catching a plot hole of a movie at the very moment it happens. It’s jarring, and it removed me from any sense of immersion in the action.  I'm not exaggerating when I say this is one of the most braindead series of levels any FPS has ever put out. There is virtually no effort put into either the level design, or the encounters. I don't expect REAL difficulty out of normal-difficulty Destiny. It's never been a hard game, raids and nightfalls aside, but between set-piece battles and reasonably decent design of each fight, I've never thought it could be this utterly uninspired. Has Destiny always been this way? Perhaps it has, and I've just been too tuned-out to really think objectively about most of what I was playing. How can one focus on the game's core problems when you've got content sunsetting, overly aggressive pricing, and constant extra monetization (with in-game benefits by the way) in the Silver shop? Why would level design be my first thought instead of the obviously broken plot and vacant world-building? It's only now that I'm thinking that Destiny's combat might not even be THAT good, and that maybe the combat aesthetics were enough to convince me the combat was the only thing Destiny could do right. In reality, Beyond Light is the most obvious example of a problem Destiny is consistently plagued with in it's normal campaign missions. In any case, I won't be continuing my playthrough of Destiny during it's free period, because I'm reminded starkly of the core problems this game has. These problems won't be resolved just because the directors of the story can competently put together some A-to-B plotpoints for an expansion or two. Lightfall is coming, and just like with the Witch Queen, there's a big bad of the year to get hyped beyond reason for. There's the promise of some mildly interesting gimmick, there are changes that have been requested for years and only now acted on, and there are features that should have been in the game at launch that will come with Lightfall. Is the game improving? Putting a fancy saddle on a horse doesn't magically make your neglect of it's health go away. For some, however, they'll be too distracted by the saddle to see the thing's ribs clearly visible through it's dirty skin. Lucky you, Bungie, that you don't need a good game to make money - just a popular one.

[animefreak1145]

What Could Be(Adler x Bell!Reader)

Read This First

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Summary: Bell and Adler try to figure out their path from here. Everyone else can only watch in entertainment or in annoyance.

Or where Bell tries to find her feet and takes control.

Warnings/Tags: Trauma, Recovery from Trauma, Mental Anguish, Brainwashing, Manipulation, Major Character Death, Post!Solovetsky, Post-Canon, Bell!Lives, Implied Sexual Content, COD:BOCW Season 6 Outro Spoilers, COD: Vanguard Pacific Trailer Spoilers, COD: Vanguard Spoilers, Past!Stitch x Bell

A/N: Sequel Fic to What Could Never Be. Happy Anniversary to Cold War! I still want scruffy Adler S6 gifs. Also, Hudson is growing on me.

Words: 6.9k

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It’s a been few days since the interrogation that turned more into you just explaining the intricacies of Perseus to Black and Hudson and even Adler once it was established that Black deemed you useful.

From sharing the various safehouses, to the members real names, to who you believed the top three candidates that could be the next leader and what tactics they would use if they were in charge.

Two being Portnova and Kitsune. They were both dangerous and sly with their work—even more deadly due to their skills in communications and technology and with how the Numbers station can be spread through those two things, it can be a problem if either of them became Perseus. It didn’t help that they were by you when you did your codes, watching and learning from you since you were the best despite how Portnova was efficient in her own right.

The third being Jackal. Jackal was close to Naga and Stitch, but the man was volatile and unnecessarily violent when the situation didn’t call for it. His role as leader would be more explosive and you wouldn’t be surprised if Fuze would become the man’s closest confidant if it could create chaos everywhere with bombs and deaths following. Chaos mixing with the insanity of the Numbers and sleeper agents isn’t something the world needs. Especially since they have to deal with the multiple sleeper agents on the CIA’s side still and find a way to either rewire or deprogram all of them before heading out in missions.

Although your mouth and throat felt dry from all the talking, thinking to yourself you may dislike Black more than Hudson, your mood lifted when you finally exited the room to meet Adler’s approving nod at you along with his eyes gleaming to match before driving you to an apartment complex a mile away from Langley and you promptly knocking out when you thanked him and closed the door when he left after explaining when he’ll get you.

You had trouble sleeping, but you slept enough. Even if you had to quite literally shake away images of a body with a bullet in their head with a grave site having a flower inscription not far.

After that, Adler picking you up in the morning to take you to Langley and sketch out a plan with him and Hudson. Barely any time at all for a break outside eating or a cup of coffee in the room they chose to cover all of this. The room being your own conference room and might as well be your office and Adler’s new one. You heard he had his own but he’s been sticking with you all this time, the room practically just filled with nicotine and smoke if the two filled ash trays had anything to say about it that the man would have to clean up as he chose who they’ll have in the team for when they head out.

The two of you still have avoided speaking about the elephant in the room. Or rather elephants. It seems you and Adler will just keep pretending that nothing occurred and there’s nothing to speak on about the last three years or what happened three years ago. It didn’t help with how the tension of something unspoken would rise at times, when their hands would graze with passing files or writing equipment or his lighter that he had on the table that somehow got on your side. Both of you not wearing gloves able to truly feel the brush of fingers, no matter how slight and wishing for a firmer touch. Nor when the two of you would sit close together over their plan, thighs touching with shoulders grazing and you having to be mindful to not look to the side where you would feel Adler’s stare on you. Fearing what may happen if you looked and saw his handsome face close to yours, able to fully see his eyes that aren’t hidden from you from the shades he liked to use and has been hanging from the collar of his button up shirts that were apart of the uniform for the CIA.

Too soon, you would tell yourself. The memories with Perseus and Stitch not able to go away no matter how many times you tell yourself they used you like the CIA. But they didn’t quite did. Because they actually cared and laughed with you and told you past memories you’ll never be able to remember yourself and only imagine. It’s still too soon.

Adler seemed to be able to read on why you couldn’t quite meet his eyes when it was just the two of you, his lips pressing once or jaw ticking and he would get distant again.

And this is where you felt like the two of you should talk. They won’t be able to understand each other if they don’t speak on it—about your relationship with Perseus and Stitch—Adler’s mortal enemies and rivals. But, again, you wonder what is the point.

It’ll just turn to an argument.

The both of you have been cordial, even friendly with one another despite their past, and you would rather keep it. Past and present tensions aside.

“I dreamed of you.”

Besides that, your concern for Adler and his insane need for Perseus hasn’t lessened. He truly won’t give up and the amount of time the both of you just focused on those within Perseus and not the other concerns about the Numbers program and how to stop it or what Captain Butcher is focused about. You admit you’re indulging him quite heavily with everything you know, staying as late as you will it until the both of you decide to call it a day.

But when the two of you are silent and going through files, you think about Adler being reckless with his light team. About easily accepting to get back into the fray after being kidnapped and tortured not even two weeks later. To go back again without a pause after being deprogrammed.

And your concern turns to anger when you think about who would had to have ordered and given approval. For the more you thought on it, the more you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.

So when Adler stepped out the room to get more files on another floor, you took your chance with the other man in the room as you kept your eyes on the door where Adler just left.

“Sir, we need to speak about Adler.”

Hudson looked up from his file and the projector he was messing with that had a layout of a Perseus safehouse, seeing the back of your head before you turned and stared over at him—serious, and your brows pinched.

Hudson released a sigh through his nose.

“So you’ve noticed it as well.” At your nod, the man sighed again as he put the file atop the projector and crossed his arms, eyes behind black aviators on you. “He won’t stop. And with you giving all this information over, even though he knows that Perseus fucker is dead along with Stitch, it’s only made the man scramble. But he’s the best equipped when it comes to this. Even now. He’s going to stay on it. Especially if you keep feeding him.”

You frowned, turning yourself in your chair towards the man at his clear disapproval. You can already tell this conversation won’t end well.

“I don’t know what you’re accusing me of sir—“ he didn’t scoff, but he might as well have when he huffed out his nose. “—but I’m just giving information. We’re all aware that Perseus can be never ending. Kill one, five more can take the place as the head. I know if we take out the next head so soon after the last one though, they’ll scramble. That’s not what I speak on though. Adler. . . he needs someone to pull him back from doing something reckless when we’re out in missions.”

“And you think it should be you?” Your silence and stare was your answer as Hudson shook his head, saying something to himself you didn’t hear, your eyes narrowing.

“Fine. Than what happened to Sims? He can maybe cool Adler better than anyone else.”

“Retired.” Your eyes widened as Hudson placed his hands on his hips, continuing measuredly. “Has been since last year. He would’ve been part of the team to rescue Adler from Laos.”

Something doesn’t add up. Sims would’ve came right back in if he knew what happened to his oldest friend.

Your blood ran cold as your eyes focused on the severe man.

“You didn’t tell him,” you say in disbelief, Hudson turning his head at you but keeping silent as his brows furrowed. You grew tense, scowling as you put a hand to the table and half rising out of your seat. “You didn’t tell him?! Why wouldn’t—what do you think Adler must be thinking in his mind, huh? His best friend nowhere to be seen in any of the operations since he got kidnapped and tortured and—“

“Watch your tone, Bell.” Hudson warned, cooly. Your mouth clicking shut, but your scowl still on your face. “Sims stated before he didn’t wish to come back. He wanted to live a life, as much as one as he could despite everything he’s seen. His words not mine. You expect me to take that away from him?” You bit your inner cheek, watching how tense the man’s shoulders were before he spread an arm out. “Bring him back to this,” he motioned at all the files and papers strewn across the table and the projector. “Adler should’ve known better. And you need to know to not presume.”

You rose from your chair this time at that, snapping.

“How would’ve Adler gotten approval for such a mission to the mall? With a light team? If he didn’t get approval than he wouldn’t have—“

“Hold the fuck up and watch your tone, agent. You think I was aware of what Adler was doing in the ass crack of Germany?” Your brows furrowed, Hudson’s lips forming a thin knowing smile. “You did. You know what happens when you assume? No wonder you don’t fucking like me. You think I didn’t notice?” He asked in response to your slight wide of the eyes, hand gesturing to himself.

Frankly, no you didn’t. You don’t make your distaste as obvious as he does. At least, you thought. You slowly moved back to your seat, your brows heavily furrowed.

Hudson scoffed, shaking his head at you as he than sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting his arm fall back to his side after a few moments of silence.

“Adler left Berlin with his team to New Jersey without so much as a check in he was following a lead. Next thing I know, tracked down his heli with his team dead and him MIA. Where does that leave me?”

“. . .he’s off worse than we thought.” Hudson didn’t say anything to that, but you know. You put your head to your hand, rubbing your forehead as you cursed to yourself. You know Adler loves control, but to go around superiors? Just for that small hint of Perseus. He threw away his whole team just for a possible hint. Still, you’re not done with Hudson yet as you raised your head, your eyes narrowed as he met your look with a crossing of arms. “You knew though. That he was like that before the kidnapping. Yet you let him go off two weeks later after his rescue. Did you even do a mental evaluation on him?”

“You think I don’t fucking know that?” Hudson snapped, voice loud in the room as you blinked, Hudson moving a hand through his head. “We did an evaluation but maybe I should’ve ordered another one. Russ’ evals always raised some red flags but the man gets shit done. The past year he’s been more and more determined to get Perseus and now that the rug got pulled under him by finding out the man got clipped by cancer? Who knows what he’ll do?”

“Rewire his brain for one,” you muttered, your eyes moving to the side when Hudson threw you an unamused look. “But. . .wait a minute,” your eyes met Hudson’s shades. “You said past year. Since Sims left?” Hudson seemed to know where you were going with this, him cursing under his breath as you rubbed your eyes. “This goes back to what I said before, sir. He needs someone to pull him back.”

“You’re the last person that’s going to do that,” he says curtly, “You’re the Perseus that never was. A walking incarnation of his obsession. You’re not doing him any favors. And you think you can protect him from himself?”

Your gaze turned to the side, hand on your lap below the table clenching once before releasing.

Hudson never minces words. And he’s not wrong.

You wonder if Adler feels additional frustration towards you due to never really capturing you either. Or ending you.

No Perseus. No Stitch. And no you.

You released a puff of air, before looking at Hudson and clasping your hands on the table.

“Look,” you begin, focused on the man whose arms were crossed in front of him with the usual harsh visage but his gaze steady along with yours. “I feel like I need to. . . go back to what you said in the plane. The understanding.”

“One you didn’t want to agree on,” Hudson said before nodding. “You got something to add besides creating air?”

Ugh. Got it. He hated I didn’t say I would follow his orders if it was between him and Adler.

You felt your face sour before you did your best to clear it.

“Respectfully sir, I don’t mind following your orders. That’s not a problem. I’ll do what I must. Always have and always will. But listen,” you lean forward in your seat, eyes on his aviators and you could spot from the lighting that you can see his eyes from here, connecting. “When it comes down to it, I’m going to follow Adler. In anything. Just like I’ll do what I must to make sure he lives another day. And the way he’s going, he’ll have an early grave by next year. So yeah. I might be a bad choice, but know I’ll make sure he calms down.”

Hudson studied you, considering your words with a thoughtful frown. And than:

“You and Russ like to take turns and act as protector,” Hudson commented, a suspicious glance at you as your gaze didn’t waver before he sniffed. “Why? Why go so far for a man who renamed you?”

You lifted your chin, eyes glinting.

“The world needs Russell Adler.”

Hudson stared at you before he inclined his head in semblance of a nod. All that you needed for him to give the okay. A few moments later, someone knocked and a man with an eye patch came in, black hair graying and a horseshoe mustache with long sleeve button shirt and tie and dress pants to match. Your brows raising when you heard his Russian accent as him and Hudson talked about Captain Butcher and the project the old Quartermaster brought up, the both of them briefly working with one another until the Captain finds what he’s looking for. The man with the eye patch than turned towards you, you raising from your seat as Hudson introduced you to the man named Weaver and with your name.

You extended a hand and he took it as you tried not to stare and look at the man in bewilderment as you gave pleasantries.

The man, Weaver, brows rose as he turned towards Hudson next to him.

“You didn’t tell me we had a new devushka, Hudson! And here I thought I’m the only one surrounded by you stars and stripes.” To your shock, Hudson’s mouth actually lifted. Into an amused smile. You’re dreaming. Weaver turned towards you, giving you a charming smile. “Priyatno poznakomit'sya, tovarishch. Ne protiv etogo zho-pa zdes', devushka. Vsegda chto-to v zadnitse.”

Nice to meet you, comrade. Don’t mind this asshole here, young lady. He always has something up his ass.

You giggled despite yourself, Hudson throwing Weaver a flat look as he was able to understand everything while Weaver just smirked at him.

They’re close. Even though he’s. . .

You looked at Hudson in a new light, a stupefied expression on your face which Hudson scoffed at when he caught it. At least you know why his expression turned unreadable on the plane when you called yourself an Ivan.

Turns out, he just plain doesn’t like you.

You can work with that.

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“You alright?” Adler asked lowly, searching your eyes when he would glance at you before turning back to the road before him as he drove.

You were leaning forward, head on the dashboard as you sighed.

“Yeah,” you say roughly, before clearing your throat. Your sleep still seeming to be on you. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll do what I wish, kid.” Adler drawled with a cool smile. “Besides. If I won’t, who will?”

You huffed, but you were smiling as you turned your head away from him so he wouldn’t see it.

The two of you were heading to the safehouse they have in the Netherlands, you establishing that Perseus safehouse there was quite grand and intricate and they couldn’t have moved everything and everyone yet. Not only that, it could hold a hint of who the next Perseus could be. Adler chose his team, careful on who due to the trouble with the Numbers station. You’re glad Woods is along for the ride and will meet him there but saddened Mason decided to set his focus on another mission. Apparently helping out Weaver but mostly Captain Butcher about the Nazi business. Based solely on Woods words, Mason heard Nazi’s and asks how many. Which you no doubt can guess is from his past with a man called Steiner. Woods said that Mason is only going to give a small helping hand and than he might call it quits and go back home with his wife and son.

You and Adler will meet the rest of the team later.

You slept on the plane here, but not soundly sadly. Plagued by nightmares with Stitch. Adler had to shake you to wake you up, his expression one of an interesting mix of concern yet tension as he did, hand staying on your shoulder even as you blearily blinked and called his name with voice rough with sleep. But the warmth of his hand and how quiet his voice was almost made you fall asleep again. It was only how close his face was that made you pause along with your breath as Adler’s eyes darkened. You glanced at his hand and he took it away, informing you that you were talking in your sleep before moving and getting you a glass of water and pretending it didn’t happen.

Until now apparently.

A comfortable silence settled between the two of you in the car, the cold wind hitting the windows of the car as they drove in the open road with fields around them, buildings scatters in the distance. The two of you wore clothes befitting the weather here, you having a blue flight leather jacket with fur lining the collar and a black turtleneck underneath with skinny jeans and black ankle combat boots while Adler had his favorite tan jacket with a burnt orange long sleeved button and a scarf with colors of dark yellow, brown, and cream hugging his neck and khaki’s with hickory brogue boots. His hair was styled as it always was, in that side swept but you noticed he still didn’t cut it, some strands periodically going over his forehead and at times his eyes and the honey hair on the back of his neck were curling with some gray. He also decided to keep his beard, still trimmed and you can spot the gray in it as well showing his age that only made you entranced. He had his aviators over his eyes, but they were slightly down the bridge of his nose where you could see those eyes that would make you pause and stare each time they turned your way.

Somehow, this reminded you of the rare times before where you would drive around with Adler in Berlin too.

You were so lost in thought, you didn’t notice your gaze was maintained on Adler for a period of time that he felt like he needed to comment.

“Something on my face?”

You started, staring at Adler’s amused visage as you sat back in your seat and looked out the window, cheeks warm.

“Nothing.” Adler hummed, the sound making your lips form a pout as you turned back towards him. His smirk only widening and making you open your mouth. “It’s just. . .your hair looks long is all.” You gestured lamely before lowering your hands back to your lap.  Get a grip, you stupid girl. “You just look different is all.”

“Didn’t have time to cut it,” Adler carded a hand through his hair as if to show, the other staying on the wheel as you watched in envy as it went through his fingers. Get a grip. Focus. He glanced at you, palming his trimmed beard. “You got gripes about it, kid? Can see why you’d ask though. I usually leave the rugged lumberjack look to Woods. It fits him more.”

You released an amused puff out your nose, shaking your head as you turned your head against the head rest of the seat, looking through your lashes.

“No. Like I said, it’s just different. You look handsome.”

You didn’t turn away, meaning your words and wanting him to know. Adler’s amused look turning into pleased as he arched a brow and his smirk softened as he glanced at you. Although you didn’t look away, you felt your cheeks still prick and your heart skip a beat at the look.

“Gray and all?”

“Yes,” you quickly answered and cringed internally at the swift answer.

You kept your eyes on Adler though, who was studying you with his soft smirk before a thought seemed to pass by his eyes as his smirk fell. His eyes going back on the road as he let out a soft sigh.

“We’re going to have to talk, Bell.”

The shift in the air gave you a hint of what’s to come as your brows furrowed.

“About what?”

“Don’t do that,” he reprimanded quietly, peering over at you. “We’ve both been avoiding it. Using excuses by creating all these plans to hit the Collective before they can know what happened. I wanted to give you space too. So you can gather your thoughts. You’ve. . .you’ve been through a lot the past few years, Bell. And sudden info dumps on you hasn’t helped you either I imagine.”

You looked away, leaning your elbow against the car door with your hand holding your head.

“Hudson hasn’t made it any easier,” you joked, taking a page from his book.

It worked, bringing out a low chuckle from the man that tickled your senses as he focused on the road. Turning every so often as they grew closer to the scattered buildings.

“No. No, he hasn’t. But from what I’ve seen the past few days, he seems to have loosened that pipe up his ass a little. Whatever you did, seems to have worked.”

“I just trust in what Hudson would do and values,” you say, Adler’s words about trust being about control echoing in your head. Adler seemed to get what you were hinting at, based on the meaningful glance your way. You broke into a humored smile. “It’s not much difference either way. Before he looked at me as if I was scum and deserved to be stomped. Now, he might have the decency to look me in the eye before he kills me.”

Right when the words came out your mouth, you regretted it. Hitting too close no matter how the words were filled with dark wit or not. You don’t know how it would be translated.

Not well, based on Adler’s black leather gloves hand clenching on the wheel and his shoulders tensing along with the silence that fell.

Well, shit. So much for using humor to cope. Thought he would use it too. Not like it happened to him. Unless. . . does he actually regret?

The thought made you blink. You know Adler’s different compared to before, but to actually feel what he did to you and not just think on the logic and necessity behind it, it threw you for a loop.

“I saw you too.”

You’re not the only one who saw ghosts after Solovetsky. You don’t think Adler was alone in his imprisonment with Stitch and Naga.

“This is what I’m talking about,” he sighed. “We have to talk about this. Clear the air before we’re with the team. I don’t want any tension between us to blow over in front of them.”

“We won’t.” You say, defensive. “And I know you mean me but you should know that I can keep my mouth shut, Adler. Besides,” you blew out a huff as you turned back to the scenery out the window. “There’s nothing to talk about if you’re referring to three years ago. I know what you’ll say, so don’t.” You say begrudgingly.

“Do you?” He asks cooly, the languid tone causing your skin to ripple with goosebumps. “Tell me than, kid. What am I going to say?”

“That you had to. I didn’t talk for any of you when you caught me in Trabzon, because I’m in expert in keeping my mouth shut. Loyal to a man that was willing to kill millions. All for the motherland that is suffering. So, you had to take different measures. You needed what was in my head and if you didn’t do it, millions would’ve died. It was necessary. Which is fine, I get it. I would’ve done the same.” You were practically an overflowing sink with how many words were falling out from your lips. But you’ve thought about this for years. Every day. Since the cliff. You can’t even be angry. You felt pressure in your eyes and a odd lump in your throat all the same as you finally looked back at Adler, spotting his brows pinched together and his frown but outside that his countenance was unreadable. Behind those fucking glasses. “I. . .even get why you didn’t just leave me under that pile after the explosion in Solovetsky. Woods and Mason never knew before that mission. Or maybe they didn’t even know till after. But they wouldn’t have given up searching for my body. They wouldn’t have allowed. . .for me to be left behind. That’s just how they are. And you knew it. You were probably hoping I got killed somewhere along the mission though. Easy. Clean. No questions from anyone. . . all strings nicely tied and not having to get your hands more dirty.”

You felt a tear go down which you hastily swiped, determined to keep going even as your voice was tight and words tremulous. He wants you to talk, than you’ll talk. You clenched your black gloved hands on your lap as your gaze lowered to look at it, observing how the material wrinkled.

“But, that didn’t happen.” You released a shuddering breath. “It was a problem. I was a problem. I knew too much. MK-Ultra. MI6 being involved. And. . . Vietnam. . . what we—you did. Some of the missions. . . it’s best to keep it secret. We talked about that once, outside the safehouse.” You lips pulled into a melancholic smile. “We both agreed we did what must. Whatever it took. And didn’t care about what other people would call us. I think your words were “you know I can’t give a shit”. God,” you released a humorless chuckle, raising a hand to your mouth as you bit your lip to stop the slight wobble it had before continuing, “I was an idiot. But one who knew too much. I saved people sure, but what if I changed my mind? Wanted revenge? Give messages to Perseus? You didn’t know.”

Your shiny eyes moved back towards Adler, noting his tight jaw.

“No.” He said, quietly, lowly—roughly. “No, I didn’t.”

You huffed out your nose, wrapping your arms around yourself with a brittle smile.

“I wouldn’t have either. A risk you can’t control, is a risk you have to throw away. So. . . you took me to the cliffs. With the cool arctic air. Refreshing.” You can see it in your mind’s eye, as if you were there. The breeze playing with your hair and your face cold from being exposed to it. The sound of the ocean and the birds, the flowers next to your legs. And Adler, combat gear equipped and cigarette in hand before throwing it and turning towards you, prepping to grab the firearm hidden from your view. You think Adler is thinking of it too, his lips pressed like they always are when he’s in deep thought, his jaw ticking. “It. . . could’ve been worse I suppose. Could’ve killed me in the car and left me there, surrounded by machinery. Could’ve even pushed me over the cliff instead. But. You didn’t. You let me take in the scenery, the smell, your words that I actually did something—a hero. You even looked me in the eye as you did it. You. . .you killed me like I was really your friend, Russ.”

You bit your lip harshly, tightening the hold on yourself as silence reigned outside the thrum of the car with them now passing the stray buildings by the plains.

Adler released a quiet where one had to strain their ears yet strong “Fuck” before he slowly pulled off to the side of the road. Your brows furrowing in confusion as you looked around, not seeing they were close to the safehouse yet. Still off by a few miles as you understand. They should reach there before night falls but. . .

“Adler, what—“

Adler quietly shushed you, before rubbing the bridge of his nose. Than, he took off his glasses, putting it on his shirt and turned fully towards you in his seat, eyes connecting to your watery ones and holding you in place, your breath stuck in your throat.

“Keep going, Bell. I’m listening.”

“But,” you glanced at the road and back at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “The safehouse, we need to—“

“They can wait. We’ll get there eventually. You’re more important, Bell.”

If your breath was stuck before, it escaped you with that as your lips parted. You? Than this operation? Based on how his eyes bore into yours, not faltering and serious, he meant it.

You bite your bottom lip, looking away. Down towards Adler’s hand that was between the two of you, atop the center console before looking at your own hand on your lap, lightly swallowing as your eyes peered up at him through your lashes. Adler’s eyes, open for you to see and clear and soothing like a lake, patient.

“I. . . I just. . . I guess the parts where I don’t understand is, the times where it felt like it wasn’t just an act. A part you had to play for the illusion that MK-Ultra needed. Letting me take all those pictures, even though you would say I was wasting film, you didn’t stop me. You didn’t even look like you wanted to,” you say, eyes searching his as he observed you. “And always taking breaks with me—probably had to do with not letting me out of your sight but, you listened to me. Talking about my books—of Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. And we would talk. About words. Sayings. Quotes. About anything and everything. Of war. Of soldiers. If philosophers even knew what they talking about with the shit they spouted. And you—you’d get close. Very close. Where I could feel your warmth without you touching me behind me, until you did.” His chest to your back or his shoulder to your back, his breath fanning as he would lean over to look at your book. “It. . . felt like, sometimes—it was just the two of us. Just us. No title or moniker. No Perseus or anything. Just us, under the depressing gray sky of Berlin. Talking.”

You felt your eyes water again strangely. Maybe it’s because that the two of you dropped the differences between you two as well when you took those breaks.

You weren’t a Russian, the right hand of Perseus and next in line—a terrorist. And he wasn’t an American, America’s Monster and who does whatever it takes—a soldier.

You were Bell. And he was Russell.

And that’s all that mattered.

“I really,” your voice cracked, you swallowing thickly to try to fix it but your words still came out brittle as if the wind could carry them. “I really l-loved those times. And I know. . . I know you did too. So when I was bleeding out there, and you left me there. . . all I could think, all I could wonder—“ your chin wobbled as stray tears went down your face but you met Adler’s tense eyes, pained, half-closing when you put a hand atop his between you two and squeezing as he squeezed back, a crumple of a smile on your lips. “Did you have to miss? You could’ve stayed with me at least. You left me. Alone.”

Abandonment.

The root—the seed of your loyalty. The one you rarely hand.

Betrayal.

The arching large branches to protect your trunk. For you don’t think you can trust anyone again.

You turned your face away, shoulders tense and drooped, wishing to get your messy face under control as you sniffled loudly.

Adler’s hand, large and calloused under those gloves, squeezed yours just as he turned your face towards him with a touch to your chin. He thumbed your tears and tear stains away, gentle as he did it just as he rubbed the back of your hand, his face mere inches away where you can see every ridge of his scars.

“Listen to me, Bell,” he said softly, breath fanning your face due to proximity. “You weren’t just a job. You got that? Maybe at first you were. I won’t bullshit you on that. You’re right, I had a job to do and had to get it done. No matter the price. But know this,” he searched your teary face, padding the corner of your lip, “those moments? Between me and you, kid? They were real.”

Your breath shuddered, eyes closing as you brought your hand up to hold his against your chin. The heat being able to be felt through even with the gloves. The warmth feeling as if it was spreading just from the two points where your hands are touching his. Your eyes opened a hint, and all you could see was burning electric blue eyes, the sun coming from the car window hitting them in just a certain light as his lips pulled into a thin smile.

He has little flecks of green in his eyes, you think, bewitched.

“And I’m glad I missed. We’re both here.”

You chuckled, him chuckling with you, the air now clear. Who knew what would’ve happened to him if he actually got you. You bit your lip as if to hide your smile, Adler’s eyes following the movement as he inhaled deeply, his thumb going to your lip and releasing your teeth’s grip on it, your eyes wide and heart pounding.

“You keep doing that,” he says huskily and low, darkened eyes back up to yours as he swiped the leather clad thumb on your lips, “you’re going to drive me crazy, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart?

You thought dumbly, mouth feeling dry as Adler studied you, his hand between the two of you grazing up to your forearm, to your bicep, to your shoulder to cupping the space between your shoulder and your pulsing heated neck. All while he watched your flustered expression with a heated one of his own.

Your throat felt dry too, you swallowing and you licked your lips, able to taste the leather due to Adler’s thumb not leaving your mouth.

His eyes, if possible, darkened more—pupils blown wide. Matching your own eyes in dilation as he drew closer, until all you see, hear, and smell was Russell Adler whose lips brushed yours as he spoke, voice taut.

“Tell me you want this, Bell.”

You stare at him, chest heaving in shallow breaths due to blood pumping, raising a hand to his head. Brushing the styled wheat with strands of smoke tresses out of his forehead, moving your hand as if you could put the stubborn hairs behind his ear and you wish you didn’t have these gloves on to actually feel how soft his hair is like you’ve always imagined. You brought your other hand to his scarred cheek that partially covered by his facial hair, his head leaning to your touch as his breath stuttered and his eyes shuttered once before focusing on you again—all blue fire and with specks of forests.

This is all I’ve ever wanted.

Adler saw your gleaming eyes, taking the look in as he held your chin gently and kissed you, the whiskers of his beard tickling you more than pricking you. His tongue swiping and you opening up easily for him as you whimpered, grabbing the hair on the back of his neck as the hand on his scarred cheek travelled down to his chest as he tilted your head to taste you more. While you tasted him, the smoky taste of cigarettes that was just as addicting to you as the real thing. And you wanted more, your breaths quick and want growing as you pulled his bottom lip between your teeth. The man releasing a sound deep from his chest, his lips up into a smirk as he nipped at you back before pulling away, head leaning against yours with eyes alight and hand cupping the side of your neck.

“You really do want to drive me crazy, sweetheart,” he smirked, eyes soft and clouded as his other hand fixed a strand of hair that got in front of your face. “Or would you prefer moya lapooshka?” He asks before dipping his mouth back to yours again.

“Mon zaya.”

You tensed, your mood evaporating. Adler noticing as he pulled slightly back to stare at you as you looked away, your hand on his chest to back him up more as you shook your head. Mute, as if he could read you and what’s wrong with you.

Adler’s eyes narrowed, realization going through him as he let you go, releasing a sigh as he leaned against his side on the car door.

“I shouldn’t have said that. The last thing I want is you think of him.” Your brows furrowed at him as you looked up, bewildered at how he knows as Adler minutely shook his head, exhaling deeply as he frowned before looking back up at you. “Your nightmare. It was about Stitch wasn’t it?” You didn’t answer. You didn’t have to. Your gaze lowering was enough. “You were calling out for him in your sleep. Him. You used his real name though.”

You didn’t say anything, not wishing to give more reason to his agitation. He sighed again, reaching and squeezing your hand as he apologized quietly to you before letting you go. Turning the car back on and putting his aviators back on his face as you looked at him, not knowing how to explain this odd thing too as they went back on the road. You don’t know why you keep thinking of Stitch.

You didn’t love him as much as you did Adler. Clearly.

Or else he would’ve been alive instead.

You think back again, about the odd instances where you felt like the others may have known. Where Stitch knew of what you were doing. The feeling not going away.

“Tell me this,” you look at Adler, the engine of the car thrumming as they drove and Adler glanced at you, eyes searching. “Was he gentle with you?”

Your mouth parted, confused but being honest anyways.

“Only to me. Yes. He never hurt me.”

For some reason, Adler released a humorless chuckle with a matching dry smile. He shook his head to himself, hair moving as he did so as you watched, his hand tightening than loosening on the wheel. He glanced back at you, taking in your mildly concerned expression, using his free hand to thumb your abused lips before lowering it and turning back to the road.

“Good,” he uttered, and than stronger, “Good.”

▞ ▚

▞ ▚ 

 ▛ 

A/N: I realized I was making some unnecessary tension between Bell and Hudson that may be seen as something else as I was writing and briefly contemplated making this more fun but threw the idea away. 💀 Hudson is happy with Jenny and Bell is fine with Adler. But woah, is Hudson growing on me. Sorry for the small/subtle hint of Bell x Hudson. I swear I didn't mean to create that kind of tension.

Hi, Weaver! Hudson and Weaver seem close so I think Weaver will give Hudson an insult or two sometimes. And he would be extra happy to see a fellow Russian so. And I feel like Captain Butcher helping Weaver with Projekt Aether a little makes sense. And Mason helping with Nazi’s. That man wants to kill every single one—more than most. Maybe as much as Polina.

Also, Bell and Adler sure know how to make 0-100, huh? Than again, they're both crazy so. 💀 Dom!Adler might do me in. Oh my goodness. 🥵

A little more and than done! Hope you guys are enjoying!

Tell me if you wish to be tagged for my future works or to not be tagged.

Tags:@tr1ppylady @parkeepingparker @weirdoartist21 @mayaibnlaahad @salvija @kylezkie4adler @asaltryefl @stupid-stinky @aurora-windu @zombiequeennxx @writer-of-various @holy-crap-i-am-russell-adler @zulema117-blog @kylezkie4adler @darlingor

[darkpoisonouslove]

If you were to rewrite Selina as a better villain, how would you do it?

This ask has been here forever but tumblr hindered me a couple times when I tried to answer it. I hope you're still here, anon, because I finally wrote it all out in a separate document to make sure I won't lose it again. Third time's the charm.

Here are some spoilers for my Winx Club rewrite when it comes to Selina's full backstory and some of her plan in season 6. I have purposely left some points vague so as to not reveal everything I have in store but I tried to fully explain Selina's motivations, her arc and her thematic presence in relation to Bloom specifically. It's quite long so it's under the cut:

Selina’s mom was the Nymph of Earth. She wanted to protect her daughter so she left to make sure the Ancestral Witches wouldn't trace her to her daughter (they were going after all the Nymphs). After they were trapped, she went after the Wizards of the Black Circle. She was desperate after the Wizards caught Morgana because Selina and Roxy would be next. The Wizards were trapped in Obsidian but Selina's mom died, leaving behind only the source of her Nymph power.

Eldora was communicating with Selina’s mom and when she disappeared, Eldora showed up on Earth. She found Selina and decided to take her under her wing. She is the one who explains to Selina what happened to her mom after Selina figures out that her mom must have had magic. Selina wants to be led to her mom’s body but Eldora never managed to find it. She just knows that it will probably be by an underwater volcano. Selina swears she will prove herself worthy and will inherit her mother's Nymph power. She watches over Roxy for a while, especially after she cuts ties with Bloom. She despises being so different from everyone else (while Bloom clings to that even though she despises it as well) because Eldora makes her feel like she can’t be both a fairy and a normal person. It is hard to be around Bloom whose parents are so supportive of her obsession with fairies. And she can’t reveal her magic even to her best friend. She can’t pretend to be normal because she has trouble controlling her powers. She has a lot of anger and it interferes with her magic. She swears she won’t let Roxy go through the same. Selina will bring back the Earth fairies and help fix the damage the Wizards caused so that Roxy doesn’t have to bear that burden. She will not give up on that so Eldora agrees to take her to the Library of Alexandria where she can research the Nymphs and look for a way to save the Earth fairies.

Selina finds the Legendarium and takes it, hoping it might help her. Acheron promises to do that for her if she frees him. He tells her he was the one who created the Legendarium but Eldora was afraid of something so powerful–so unique–so she stole it and trapped him. Selina figures that he can indeed help her if he created an original magical artifact like the Legendarium. Acheron helps her with her fairy lessons but he’s only manipulating her to leave Eldora. Selina is unwilling at first because her mother trusted Eldora but Acheron tells her that Eldora could have trapped the Wizards of the Black Circle in the Legendarium just like she did with him so that Selina’s mom wouldn’t have had to sacrifice herself. (That’s not true – with Acheron trapped in the Legendarium, the only way to manipulate the book is if he grants you the power, which is the case with Selina.) He tells Selina that Eldora’s only teaching her magic because she feels guilty about what happened with Selina’s mom which Selina believes easily enough. And his lessons are much more fruitful anyway. Selina runs away from Eldora and goes to look for the underwater volcano where her mother’s body should be but it turns out that it’s not on Earth. It only confirms to Selina that Eldora doesn’t know what she’s doing. The dark magic Acheron’s been teaching her has been a lot easier to master, too. With time Selina figures that being a witch suits her better and that won’t be a problem when it comes to becoming the next Nymph of Earth.

Now that she’s cut ties with Eldora, Selina thinks that she doesn’t have to stick to Eldora’s rules so she wants to contact Bloom. She uses the magic mirror she pulled out of the Legendarium to see how Bloom’s doing only to hear the Trix explaining to Bloom her own backstory and origins. Acheron doesn’t believe the Dragon Fire can be controlled by someone who’s stolen it from its rightful owner so Selina suggests waiting to see how things go for the Trix. Meanwhile, she goes back to the Library of Alexandria to do some research on the Dragon Fire and Domino. Once the Trix prove it can be done, Selina needs to find out how they got their hands on the Dragon Fire. The power of the magic mirror doesn’t reach into Light Rock monastery but through observations of Bloom Selina learns that she needs the Whisperian Crystals in order to extract a spark of the Dragon Fire from her. Right as she’s planning on stealing the Crystals from where they’re currently stored, the Trix escape and get them back. Selina can’t attack them while they’re around Darkar and the Winx are always around when the Trix leave ShadowHaunt to steal the Codex parts so she doesn’t want to risk getting found out by Bloom. She’s not sure how to feel about the fact that Bloom has the god power and she has to steal it from her in order to achieve everything she’s wanted after it turned out that they could have stayed friends since Bloom is also a fairy, even if she’s not from Earth.

With the Trix getting sent to Omega, Selina looks to Domino in hopes that she might be able to draw some of the Dragon Fire essence in the core of the planet. But then the Trix and Valtor leave Omega and she thinks it might be easier to proceed with her original plan. Acheron warns her to stay away from Valtor, though. Only when Winx destroy Obsidian and inadvertently free the Wizards of the Black Circle, Selina rushes back to Earth to make sure Roxy is safe. She does so disguised as a minor snake goddess that she pulled out of the Legendarium and merged with (the way she did for the Trix in og s6) but when Winx show up she disappears because she can’t risk getting recognized by Bloom. She gets progressively angrier that because of Bloom she has to keep her distance from Roxy and can’t be there to help her. She knows what it’s like to collide with the terrifying side of magic. She hates Bloom’s approach to introducing Roxy to her origins because she can relate to how much pressure it is to bear the responsibility of bringing back the magic of an entire planet and freeing the Earth fairies. And while Bloom’s planet had suffered even worse damage, Bloom’s mission was originally just to find her own family. Selina hates Bloom’s actions when it comes to Roxy because it reminds her too much of what Eldora was doing with her – grooming her to fill the role of the next Nymph of Earth in case the Wizards ever got free. Bloom is shoving all that responsibility on Roxy’s shoulders when Selina was working hard to be the one to restore Earth to spare Roxy the same pressure that she herself felt. Not only could she keep Roxy away from most of the horribleness of the situation, but she could also carry out her own mother’s legacy. But now Bloom and the rest of Winx have taken that away from her.

Next thing she knows, the Trix are once again impossible to reach in the Andros underwater prison until they’re not. They’re working with Tritannus and Selina’s father gets mutated which makes her even more desperate to obtain her mother’s Nymph powers to help him (and everyone else Tritannus mutated) only for those to be taken by someone else in a consequence of Winx’ actions on Earth. Bloom getting Daphne back after she saved all the rest of her family and planet as well is the last straw for Selina. She had considered many times just walking up to Bloom and asking her for help. She could tell Bloom still missed her and she thought that there was a good chance Bloom would agree to give her a spark of the Dragon Fire but Acheron always convinced her that after the trauma of having it ripped away by the Trix, Bloom wouldn’t agree. Now Selina no longer cares about asking. Bloom somehow got to be both the princess of Domino and the guide that helped Roxy save Earth even though Bloom isn’t even from Earth. Selina wants to steal the Dragon Fire from Bloom like Bloom stole all her goals and dreams about her own future and that of Earth.

The good news is that the Trix are finally on the loose and Selina can get close to them but she has to be smart about it. The best way to be close enough to both Winx and the Trix to accomplish her plan is to sign up for classes at Alfea. Her fairy magic is at the perfect level of power for her to be accepted. Once Winx show up–and they will–the Trix will follow, that much is sure. Flora’s power of talking to plants is a bit of a problem for Selina because it could reveal her plan to the fairy so she tries to get rid of Flora but once Winx lose their magic to the Legendarium, that is no longer a problem. Selina allegedly rekindles her friendship with Bloom while she purposefully allows the Trix to catch her going behind Winx’ backs. She knows they’ll be intrigued and blackmail her into helping them with their plan (but she has to make sure that they won’t kill Bloom before she’s done with her which requires her to strike a very tricky balance between being useful to the Trix but not too useful). It will allow her to manipulate them into allowing her to merge their powers with those of Legendarium characters which will give her control over them. That way she can use the Whisperian Crystals and steal a spark from Bloom’s Dragon Fire. Getting found out by Bloom earlier than planned is not ideal but doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.

Selina’s main struggles in season 6 actually relate a lot to what Winx are going through. She’s afraid that she will be powerless to protect what is dear to her and because of everything that happened and Acheron’s manipulations, she believes that Winx and Bloom specifically are threats to everything she loves. Ever since she cut off contact with Bloom, she’s been lonely. Of course, most of that was Eldora’s fault because she was the one who kept her away from Bloom but Selina herself felt that Bloom could no longer understand her so it would be better for them to go their separate ways. It made them both lonely and miserable but Bloom found her friends and other people who care about her. While Selina estranged herself from Bloom and Eldora, Bloom stuck closely with Winx and kept in touch with Faragonda (even when Faragonda wasn’t honest with her, Bloom still believed she had her best interests in mind). Bloom’s had much better guidance in Daphne than Selina’s ever had from Acheron who’s isolating her very similarly to how Avalon was manipulating Bloom (something that Bloom notices once Selina’s true motivations are revealed but Selina can’t understand when she feels like Bloom is trying to take away from her her last means of having power and agency). And while Bloom is also angry at Selina for the pain she’s causing the other Winx, she understands what Selina has gone through when she didn’t have Winx of her own to pull her out of her loneliness. She doesn’t want to fight Selina when they are both living out their worst nightmares – Acheron has left Selina powerless while Bloom is once again isolated and lonely in her uniqueness of being the only one who can stop Acheron since he was freed with her power. With Bloom fighting Acheron on her own and refusing to hurt Selina, Selina has to count on the rest of Winx for help and protection and she finally gets to experience some of the love that helped Bloom overcome her loneliness. She still has a lot of negative feelings towards Bloom to work through when it comes to what happened on Earth and Bloom getting back her family while Selina’s mother is dead but she decides to try studying at CT because she feels that the community there might be just right for her. She doesn’t want to go back to Eldora or stay at Alfea which is strongly connected to her past mistakes in her mind. Besides, she likes being a witch since it doesn’t come with the pressure that being the second to last fairy on Earth put on her and Griffin’s left a good impression when she was also staying at Alfea with CT being overtaken.

[milfmacbeth]

From Ur post about wasted potential in media... What r some of your fav examples of this ^__^

hi anon! 

so when i made this post i was thinking about supernatural. other stories that are still rotting my brain even though they ended years ago and i really should be over it by now include (but aren’t limited to) the magnus archives, game of thrones, naruto, and pirates of the caribbean. all of these are stories i love(d) but they either ended badly or have some massive but easily fixable flaws which is why they drive me insane. 

the short(ish) version: (disclaimer that this is only my opinion which is of course objectively correct and should be taken as gospel)

supernatural went on for too long, ended badly, and only ever scratched the surface of everything it could’ve been

the magnus archives seasons 1-4 are damn near perfect and season 5 is… there. 

game of thrones season 8. (do i even need to say anything about this one!?)

naruto suffers because of kishimoto’s misogyny and because the wrong characters die/survive

pirates of the caribbean should’ve been a trilogy and we all know elizabeth should’ve ended up a pirate 

the unreasonably long and extremely spoilery version under the cut (you have been warned)

supernatural: by tumblr standards i’m downright normal about spn but i did watch every episode at least once and i was obsessed with it as a teen so i’m not really one to talk. i’m following someone who’s just now getting into it and who has some very good takes (specifically about dean and john), and i’m being dragged back into the fandom kicking and screaming…

 ANYWAY

supernatural starts out as a monster of the week thing but then the plot thickens and you’ve got angels and demons and lucifer and the end of the fucking world and even though the later seasons have their moments, i’m a “supernatural should’ve ended with season 5” truther. 

and don’t even get me started on the winchesters. it’s like… you have a deliciously fucked up family dynamic, including codependency, incest-subtext, and two brothers who would end the world for each other. god as an absentee father-figure who will not save you. free will. characters that have witnessed history. an angel who almost stepped on the first fish crawling out of the sea, who dragged a man out of hell and fell for him in every sense of the word. the humanity of the monstrous. the inhumanity of the divine. magic. americana. mythology. empty roads and neon signs and dilapidated motels. Death who tells dean that he will reap god when the time comes. i know i’m not being particularly coherent but no one can tell me that what we actually got was the best they could do when they had ALL THIS to work with. and the fandom gets it. the fic and meta writers get it. i’ve seen so many transcendent takes by supernatural girlies whose third eye is wide fucking open. i know it’s possible. supernatural’s problem is that it was written by straight us-american men and aired on the cw. in conclusion, make it darker and grittier and let dean say fuck. 

that being said, even though it was garbage storytelling, i will never forget the wonderful night of mass hysteria that was the 5th of november, and i almost choked laughing when i saw dean get nailed by a vampire clown and sam in the shittiest wig imaginable. probably not the intended audience reaction though. (you’re better off just ignoring that 15.20 happened at all)

the magnus archives (season 5): oh boy where do i even begin? i rarely talk about this anymore because it just makes me so angry and i’m not having any fun. i like to pretend that season 5 doesn’t exist which works excellently because while the first 4 seasons are a cohesive narrative whole, season 5 feels like it’s tacked on at the end. (“do i like this story more if i just ignore the ending happened” is a very good question to ask yourself regarding the quality of a finale).

the magnus archives season 5 has several problems, some of which don’t even concern the narrative but are instead fuckery related to the story. i’ll get those out of the way first.

first of all, the fandom is the most vile cesspit of people with no media comprehension i’ve ever had the misfortune to be in. among such hits as “why is Bad Person treated with sympathy” and “why is the horror podcast about horror and not about gay shipping”, what bothers me most are the headcanons treated as law. 

i’ve personally witnessed takes like “daisy is bad representation for butch lesbians” (daisy is not canonically a lesbian or butch. the fandom made that up), and “jon is brown therefore xyz portrayal is racist” (again, jon’s skin color is never mentioned. him being brown is just the most popular HEADcanon). why am i telling you this in this already way too long post? this might be conjecture but i really believe that if the fandom wasn’t so godawful, the story could’ve been better. the creators caved to fandom pressure. this is one of the best examples of why there needs to be a boundary between audience and creator and why the fandom should have absolutely NO say whatsoever when it comes to what happens in the story.

the other thing that’s a bit meta and not in the story per se are the promises the creators made. jonny sims said two things: 

1. the story will end in tragedy: it didn’t. the ending was ambiguous and i wanted it to leave me devastated the way the s4 finale did. instead it left me indifferent and vaguely confused. 

2. there will be no romance and if there is, it’s not going to be the focus of the story: so that was a fucking lie. season 5 is nothing but jonmartin shoved into your face for 40 episodes. a lot of aros, aces and people who were there for the horror and not for the shipping were understandably disappointed

now, as for the actual story ,i’m a “jon should’ve had a corruption arc” truther. (here's a thing i did). i think it would fit with his character development since he’s been getting more monstrous with every season. elias has been manipulating jon into becoming an avatar of the Beholding and ending the world, and jon hates him for it. jon kills elias and takes his place and if they just stuck with that, with elias being destroyed by the god he created and jon ascending to be the fucked up evil king of a ruined world. fuck, it would’ve been so good. it would’ve been so delicious i’m going insane every time i think about it. this is the secret good season 5 that lives in my head.

instead they went with parallel universes, which is a concept that you probably shouldn’t introduce 3 episodes before the ending. it’s not a bad concept at all. they could’ve done it justice. but making parallel fucking universes the thing on which your finale hinges even though you’ve barely introduced them? yeah i’m gonna go ahead and call that an ass pull. it turns out that the Web has been manipulating everyone blah blah who cares the important part is this: the Web wins. the Web gets what it wants and this could’ve worked if it was framed and presented to us LIKE A TRAGEDY. it’s not. it’s presented like a bittersweet ending. the morality of the finale is extremely protagonist-centric (and by season 5 i started to hate everyone except jon). the protagonists decide to release the Fears, dooming a potentially infinite number of people to a life of horror, but fuck those guys, right? the important thing is that the protagonists are okay. i’m going to fight jonny sims in a parking lot.

one last thing. jonmartin fucking sucks. but it doesn’t have to. jon and martin don’t know each other. they’re completely incompatible. they’re together out of guilt and circumstance. they’re dysfunctional and they’re very realistically dysfunctional. i personally ship jonelias. don’t worry this is not about a shipping war, but one thing i’ve noticed is that jonelias is fucked up in an “i’ve made you a monster and then a god. i’ve used you to bring about the apocalypse” kind of way which i’m guessing not many people have personal experience with. jonmartin is fucked up in a “we’re not communicating and we’re only together because neither of us wants to be alone” way. that’s relatable. hell, that’s depressingly common. jon doesn’t love martin, he just wants to cling to his humanity. martin doesn’t love jon, he loves the idea of jon. THAT’S POTENTIAL! take that and work with it. what did they do instead? gave me a pairing of two people who absolutely should not be together, shoved it into my face for dozens of episodes, and then portrayed jealousy and miscommunication like something cute and romantic. literally what the fuck are they on.

game of thrones: *deeep sigh* ok there are about a billion 3hour video essays detailing everything wrong with season 8 but the main things for me are:

jon is a targaryen. he’s azor ahai. his is the song of ice and fire. and NONE OF THAT FUCKING MATTERS OH MY GOD  AT LEAST LET JON DO SOMETHING LITERALLY ANYTHING EXCEPT STANDING AROUND REPEATING THE SAME TWO LINES AD NAUSEAM.

daenerys descent into madness and villainy could’ve been great if it had been properly set up instead of done in a minute (this is not an exaggeration. her character goes from “slightly mentally unstable” to “war criminal putting a city of innocent people to the torch” in ONE minute. i counted.)

i read the books and euron greyjoy is so fucking cool in the books. i don’t know who the fuck that other guy is but it certainly ain’t him.

arya killing the night king and bran becoming king. i wish i could say something funny or insightful but i genuinely have no words.

naruto: it’s been a while since i watched naruto. i’ve seen plenty of male writers being shitty but i’ve never seen misogyny drag a story down quite this much. personally, i’m done making excuses for this shit. if you can’t write women, you’re a bad writer. period. 

the problem with naruto is that the women are literally just... there. doing absolutely fuck all and being generally useless. this is not even a matter of social justice, this is a matter of storytelling. even if you’re the biggest macho dudebro around you’ll have to admit that one third of your cast standing around and being incompetent doesn’t make for a very interesting story, does it now?

and then there’s the matter of madara being nerfed in favor of kaguya. yeah… that one was an ass pull.

but what bothers me most is that the wrong characters die or don’t die respectively. some examples:

hinata should’ve died (instead of “almost died”) when pain attacked konoha. it would’ve made her sacrifice more meaningful and she would’ve come back one way or another. in my opinion she should’ve stayed dead for good because her arc was mostly done by that point and she doesn’t really do much after that except cheer on naruto (see misogyny above)

when madara fought the five kage, he almost killed all of them. keyword almost. i get that tsunade is a good healer but that fight would’ve been more meaningful if someone (literally any ONE of the kage) had actually died.

gai should’ve died. listen, you can’t build up the 8th gate as this super special technique that you can do only once because it costs your life and then not have gai die. it cheapens the entire thing. what was the fucking point? 

neji should’ve LIVED. a monumental part of his character arc was realizing that he’s worth just as much as the main family and that he doesn’t have to be subservient to hinata. and then he sacrifices himself for hinata. yeah that felt like one step forward two steps back. 

in conclusion: kishimoto needs to drink his respect women juice and learn when to kill characters and when to let them live.

pirates of the caribbean: i tend to ignore that part 4 and 5 even exist. please let the franchise die i am begging.

i don’t have that many examples of wasted potential but you can’t tell me that PIRATE KING elizabeth swann would stay on land being a good housewife. fuck no.

so yeah. i’m done. thank you for asking, this was a lot of fun to answer and i hope you enjoyed Do You Love The Color Of My Incoherent Ramblings

[alyblacklist]

Hey, I know you are not feeling the most friendly toward Red and TBL in general right now but I can't help but wonder of Red was right. I mean Liz was killed by Van Dyke (was that his name) who worked for Townsend. Townsend wanted Liz dead because of whatever Ivan Stepanov told him. I assume that was Red's big secret. If so, wasn't Red right about not telling Liz the secret. I mean she has a history of trusting people even though she doesn't know them well. Example: she trusted Jennifer after they had just met. Jennifer could have been working for an enemy yet Liz trusted her because of a biological connection (which she had no proof of). Also, blonde Kat, need I say more. She has proved that she has no sense of loyalty whatsoever betraying Red and the task force multiple times:

1.21/ 1.22 (Though, she had just found out that Red killed her father. I think that can be excused)

Season 3- she faked her death- did she not consider what she would be doing to Red, Ressler, Cooper, Aram, Samar and Dembe or did she just not care ? using gifs to make my point

Season 6- She turned Red in, nearly getting him killed and putting the TF, including herself, in danger. What if the government had decided to disavow all of them??

Season 8- She goes on the run, betraying the people who've stood by her for years and dedicates herself to killing the man who's protected her since she was a kid and has literally traded his life for hers. All of this for a woman who claims to be her mother. She values this alleged biological connection so much she ignores all the horrible things she knows blonde Kat has don.

Liz says she values honesty above all else and hates Red for not telling her things, but she constantly lies to, uses and manipulates the people she calls her family.

Opinions?

Thanks!

im posting this on my blog too.

I've gone back and forth on whether I should even answer this ask because I'm like a week late due to life events intervening but maybe I do need to say it:

I categorically and emphatically disagree with the idea that Red was EVER right in not telling Liz his secret because Liz was somehow untrustworthy. Liz resorted to trusting virtual strangers such as Jennifer and the fake Katarina only after Red repeatedly and mercilessly withheld basic information about HER OWN LIFE from her for years, all the while killing her adoptive father, admitting he "hired" her husband, killing Mr. Kaplan, killing her "mother" as far as she knew until the very end, keeping Kirk and Tom and anyone else who ever tried to get her the truth from telling her to the point that Tom died, all the while telling her it was either none of her business but done for her "protection"....I mean, come ON. She was not a child! She was a 35+ mom of a child who deserved to know why she was in all of this nebulous, supposed "danger" her whole life. She deserved to be invested in Red's plans especially when he expected her to take over his empire. What - she was supposed to do that blind to its purpose? To figure it out from that stupid letter?

Red held all the cards from day one. He allowed Dembe, and Dom and Ivan Stepanov - the important MEN in his life to know his secret and yet he couldn't bring himself to ever tell Liz. This is probably my biggest issue with the show right now. It was like everyone BUT Liz got to know "THE TRUTH." Even in the end - even after his SWORN ENEMY Townsend learned "THE TRUTH" he had to condition LIZ learning it on that stupid letter and his requirement that she KILL HIM? Who does that? Why is that in any way acceptable? We don't know. The only reasons we (the audience) were even given were a whole bunch of none of your business and I'm not sure why I can't tell her. Nothing - NOTHING - that Liz ever did supports how Red treated her in the end. Nothing except Red's colossal ego.

If the bones were really her biological father's as we have been told, she had a right to know that and why.

If Red is her biological mother as they hinted, it's even worse. And no, I still don't accept that as canon but I can't deny that's where they've left us with the teasing. Because then there is no larger motive or purpose to protect her mother or innocent third parties. Then, it is exactly as presented in 8.21/8.22 - all of this only to keep her mother (Red) hidden and Liz "safe" (an abject failure in the end). What a whole lot of death and destruction to protect a woman who wanted nothing more than to know WHY she needed to be protected. Who desperately wanted agency over her own life and deserved to have it. Who was an ADULT with a child of her own.

Even if Red is NOT her mother and is still an unrelated third man (as I hope) it's not much better. Maybe then he's at least conflicted between protecting Katarina/others while keeping Liz in the loop but this again begs the question - why enter/re-enter her life at all? Why keep her in the dark on these nebulous threats when the biggest threat ever seemed to be chasing after the mother she wasn't even aware of until AFTER Red entered her life? She was FOUR when her mother died. She was never, ever in danger unless and until the world learned she was leverage to get to Katarina, which they never would have learned had Red not done what he did for his own selfish reasons.

From where I sit, there was never, ever a good reason not to tell her why she was in danger and what her connection was to Red and to let her be a full invested player in her own future, and Agnes's future. I think Liz could have been trusted if Red would have trusted her. Yes, I get we wouldn't have a show if they had chosen to fill her in. It's the premise. But to see any part of audience defend Liz remaining in the dark after eight seasons because they just love Red/Spader so much that he can do no wrong, nope, I'm not ok with that. As things stand now, there was never a reason for Liz not to know "THE TRUTH" beyond Red's ego. And I guess that is why I cannot look forward to S9 because if he gets to prance around and pretend like nothing happened and it wasn't all his fault, and everyone happily claps while he does his thing, I will still be seething and raging. Liz deserved better. We - the audience - deserved better than for Raymond Reddington to be the "strong female character" of the Blacklist (I can't believe I actually have to type that). What a mess.

[maddiwrites]

Secrets of the Shore (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Pogues x reader, eventually JJ x reader.

Summary: This is just my rewrite of the show Outer Banks with my own twist by adding another main character which also happens to be John B’s twin sister. 

Note: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the support of my last couple of fics. All your messages have been so kind and so sweet! I’ve made a rewrite of the show with a new character that eventually falls in love with her best friend. I’m gonna be posting a new chapter three times a week. Let me know what you guys think!

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: None

Chapter 2 

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck?" John B tip toes across the middle of the roof as he sips out of the can of beer in his hand.

I lean to my right, pressing against JJ's shoulder as we sit on a construction slack used to hold construction workers as they work on the siding of the home. Scaffolding, I think it's called. I narrow my eyes at my brother, counting down the seconds until he falls.

"I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival," Pope jokes from the deck below us.

John B shrugs. He licks his finger and holds it up in the air as if he's feeling which way the wind is blowing. "Hm. Should I do it?"

"Yeah, jump." Pope holds up a power drill and points it at John B like it's a gun. "I'll shoot you on the way down."

"You'll shoot me?"

"Yep." Pope closes one eye and pretends to shoot it. "Pow!"

I roll my eyes and look forward again, letting the beer slip down my throat like a refreshing glass of water. The warm North Carolina air presses soothingly against my freshly tan skin and I bask in the sunlight. Its days like these that I like the most. Days where none of my best friends have work, we're drinking causally, and joking with one another. Even if it's on a construction site in the middle of Figure Eight. But the idea of getting caught just gives me an adrenaline rush.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," Kie says as she walks out of the unfinished house.

"Of course. Why wouldn't they?" JJ says next to me with a shrug like it's not the craziest thing that a Kook would own.

"This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess."

"I can't have cold towels."

Kie looks up at John B, shielding her eyes with the back of her hand. "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Don't spill the beer. I'm not giving you another one," JJ says.

As if on cue, John B's foot slips. Luckily he catches himself, but his beer, however, drops to it's death on the deck below. As John B steadies himself I release the breath I didn't even know I was holding. I take another greedy gulp of my warm beer to steady the nerves in my chest.

"Whoa! Oh, shit," John B curses.

"Of course you did," JJ rolls his eyes playfully. "Smooth."

"A plus, really." I glare up at my brother, feeling his mischievous smirk right back at me.

"Dumbass," Kie mutters under her breath. She looks up at me as if waiting for me to say something, but I only giggle to myself. John B can be clumsy but he's not going to accidentally kill himself.

"Hey!" I hear another voice shout behind us towards the street and front of the house. A voice that doesn't belong to any of my friends or my brother.

"Hey, uh, security's here," Pope says.

Immediately knowing what that means, I jump to my feet with the help of JJ right after he slugs the rest of his beer. A delirious grin dances along my lips as I hop down to the main deck.

"Let's wrap it up!"

"Boys are early today."

"Humpty Dumpty, let's roll!"

My legs take off after my friends through the house. Adrenaline rushes through my veins and straight to my head like a power high. I can't even feel my legs as they jump over wooden slacks and construction tools. The high from running from the police is better than any drug JJ can get his hands on, even the good stuff.

"Gary is that you?" JJ plays along before accidentally running into him, making him slip on his feet before running the other way. I grab his wrist and pull him closer to me to catch up. "Gary, good to see you man!"

I laugh as my feet land on the freshly cut grass in the front yard. "You're asking for it."

"JJ!" The obese cop chases after us, recognizing my best friend's face instantly. I'm not surprised, not even a little bit. JJ had his fair share of run-ins with the law.

"They're going out front!" I hear another cop shout. I can barley hear through the wind rushing through my ears.

We run into a tall white painted fence that blocks us from our car, better known as the Twinkie. Hopping fences is something I've learned to become better at after doing it so many times. However, I can't say the same about Pope. He's always struggled.

I swing my legs over the fence and land with a small 'oomf.' I look over my shoulder for my slow-poke friend and see him falling over the fence, landing on his side. I laugh as I pick him up by the shoulders.

JJ is waiting for us, clapping his hands like a coach on the sidelines at a football game because his players aren't running fast enough. But there's a smile on his face. "Get up, Pope, fatso's coming!"

"Hey!" The guard shouts behind me. He's halfway up the other side of the fence, but he doesn't have the strength to pull himself over completely. "Come here you little pricks!"

I hear the familiar honk coming from the van John B and I learned to drive in. My brother and Kie are waiting for us in the front seats of the Volkswagen van that would look better in the 70s than the 2020's but I love it. It fits our friend group perfectly. Plus I'd choose this car over any fancy Mercedes Tourons usually drive. The only time I've ever been in one of them is when I snuck off with a golf player from Georgia after a boneyard party. It was luxurious of course, but nothing like the Twinkie.

"Bus is leaving!" John B says as we get closer.

"Come on!" Kie yells at us from the passenger seat, banging the flat of her palm against the door.

I dive through the back first, landing on my elbows and rolling over. Pope and JJ follow less than a second later.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Gary calls after us as John B steps on the gas.

JJ leans out of the sliding side door that's still wide open. I lay on my back watching him as I try to catch my breath. His smile is contagious. For a boy who's been through hell and back, he smiles a lot, and I love every second of it.

He holds out his beer can as if he's offering it to the cop who's still trying to catch us...if he can catch up to it. "Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise. Come on, Gary!"

"Wait. Slow down. Hey! You little pricks! Hey!"

"You're gonna give him a heart attack!" Kie tries to scold him but she can't fight the smile on her lips either as she watches from the side rearview mirror.

"You're so close! You can do it. There you go. They don't pay you enough bro."

"JJ, stop. Stop!" Kie says through her laughter.

I love Kie. She always tries to keep the peace between her friends and the world itself. Always the girl who raises money for charities that protect this Earth and save animals and solve world hunger. She's going to change the world someday. Her and Pope. Maybe if they can tolerate each other, they'll do it side by side.

JJ slumps back into the van with a toothy grin. He sits next to me and pulls me up so I'm sitting up straight. He dangles his arm around my shoulder and I lean further into his side. If I could choose one position to be in for the rest of my life it would be this one.

But I'd never admit that.

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," JJ says.

I hum in response and lean back into the seat behind me and stare out the window. A view of passing vibrant green leaves takes over the window as John B drives. The scene comforts me. Summer is my favorite season. No school. Just work and friends and the Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth, some may call it.

It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. We're currently driving through Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live.

As John B drives further South, the houses get smaller and smaller, feeling more like home. This is the South side. Or as we like to call it, the Cut. Home of the working class who make a living bussing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of...drumroll, please...the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest members of the food chain.

I know... a little harsh, don't you think?

So, the downside of the Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of the Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

The second John B parks the car, the boys are gathering all their fishing gear and we set off to our next destination. The marina.

"Nice haul, dude. Look at that!" JJ teases my brother when he reels in what I think is the smallest fish I've ever seen. If it was orange, I would have thought it was my old pet goldfish from when I was six. "Been all bait for, like, three weeks."

John B pulls the fish off his hook and tosses it in JJ's direction. JJ flinches back, knocking into me and almost throwing me into the water below. That was probably my fault, though. I shouldn't be sitting on an open ledge, dangling my legs twenty feet above the water.

"Watch it, idiot!" I smack JJ upside the head after letting go of the death grip I had on his bicep when I was about to fall to my death. Well...I'd probably survive, but it would hurt like hell.

"It's not my fault you chose the most dangerous seat!" JJ retaliates.

Yeah, that's JJ. John B's best friend since the third grade, which subsequently makes him my best friend since the third grade too. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Second best surfer I know. First being me of course. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

"Yeah, Mar, you should really get down from there," Kie says, walking over to me to help me down. I decide not to put up a fight. If I'm going to break my leg, I'm gonna do it in a surfing accident or something cool, not by falling off the dock.

Kiara. Or Kie as we call her. When not saving turtles or listening to Bob Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why though. She's a rich kid, actually. Her family owns the Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash down with the tourists and my current job. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. But they like me enough to bring them money towards their restaurant. I bring in a lot of regulars. Advertising is kind of my thing. I'm pretty sure all my friends, even my brother, have a thing for her.

Kie hands me a water bottle and lays her legs across my lap. She lies down on the wooden bench and bathes in the sunlight the day still has to offer. Kie is my best friend. Best secret holder known to man, for the most part.

"I think she needs a leash," Pope adds, making me pass him a glare.

"The only thing useful about a leash is how I can strangle you with it," I say.

"Kinky," JJ says and winks at me. "That's my girl."

John B slaps JJ upside the back of his head.

I'm lucky my sunburnt skin is hiding the blush that creeps along my cheeks.

Pope glares at both JJ and I which only makes my growing smirk widen.

Pope...the brains of the operation...finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us.

"Trust me, if a leash was that easy, I would have tried a long time ago," John B mutters with a hint of a smile.

John Booker Routledge. My insufferable twin brother. Pain in my ass. Number one partner in crime. I hate him but I love him. Pretty much like any sibling relationship. We live in an old fish shack on the marsh. The Chateau as my dad use to call it. My dad disappeared at sea nine months ago looking for a shipwreck. I mean seriously, who disappears at sea these days? I miss him a lot. He may have been a little neglectful, but he took care of us the best that he could. My mom, however? She split when I was three. Last I heard she was in Colorado. At least I think it was Colorado. Honestly who knows and who cares.

Since my dad vanished, my Uncle T is supposedly my legal guardian. At the moment, he's in Mississippi, building houses which means it's just me right now, on my own, hangin' out with my brother and my friends.

Three months after my dad went missing, he was officially presumed dead. John B is more of an optimist than I am. He refuses to sign the paper and until he sees a dead body, he's not giving up. I back John B's decision, but I'm more realistic about what happened to my dad. The ocean, although my favorite place to be, is also one of the scariest.

My dad is probably dead and I will never get the closure that I want. So I'm dealing with it the best way I can, although I'm pretty sure everyone is a little worried about me, especially Kie now that John B is starting to follow in my footsteps by exhibiting reckless behavior.

But I'm getting better now. Day by Day. At least I wasn't acting like I did when my dad first left us.

                                                     ~ ~ ~

I woke up with a slap to my ankle and my head buried deep into my pillow. I groan from the abrupt living alarm clock that's now pacing my room and throwing clothes from my closet at me. It only makes me squeeze my eyes tighter in hopes for at least five more minutes of sleep.

"Seriously, Mar, we need to go. We're late." John B rips my blanket off my body, leaving me exposed in just my pajama boxer shorts and a tank top. The sudden chill sends goosebumps up my arms and legs.

"Go without me." I push myself up on my elbows and grab the clothes he threw at me. I knew meeting the social worker alone wasn't an option. Even if one of us goes to this stupid meeting, it will prove to the social worker that we're not being responsible enough to keep DCS off our backs. As far as they know, Uncle T is still living with us and keeping us safe.

"You have five minutes." John B ignores me and leaves my room, slamming my door shut.

I roll my eyes and tumble out of my soft bed. I slip on my jeans shorts and a white t shirt that I tie in a knot to make it a crop top. Underneath it I have on my plain black bikini, knowing that I will be surfing the second we get home. The News has been reporting a storm for weeks that's suppose to hit tonight. Vicious waves and crazy winds sends a thrill through my body.

We arrive to the social worker's office only two minutes late. I thought that was a sign of responsibility, but the social worker only looks at us with distaste as we sit in the two chairs in front of her desk.

"John, Marleigh, it's come to our attention that you two are unemancipated minors living on your own." Her hair is pulled back into a tight low bun and her glasses are perched on the tip of her nose. Her suit looks way too tight for comfort, like it's squeezing the life out of her.

John B scoffs and leans back into his seat as if we have nothing to worry about, but I know his heart is beating just as wildly as mine. "No....no." The social worker raises one brow in suspicion and glances in my direction to either confirm or deny what John B is saying. John B sees this and answers for me. "No."

I just shrug as a response, which only makes the social worker more weary. She leans into her desk and folds her hands on top of our folders that are piled in the middle. "I need honesty to help you. That's what we want, right?"

"Yeah. I'm being honest."

"Okay, then when is the last time you spoke to your uncle?"

John B looks down at his watch and purses his lips. "Uh...thirty-four minutes ago."

"When's the last time you saw him?"

"Two hours and...forty-three minutes ago?"

I hold myself back from rolling my eyes. It's clear on the social worker's face that she's not buying into any of John B's lies.

She sighs and turns to look at me. "We're gonna come out there tomorrow to talk to your uncle. If he's not there, we're gonna move forward with foster care." Foster care. The words make me dig my nails into the wood of the arms of the chair I'm in. The last place I ever wanna be is in foster care. I want to stay here on the island with my brother and our friends. Not with some random family who couldn't care less about us in a place I'm not familiar with. "I want to assure you, we're gonna find you a safe and loving home."

She says it like she's offering us a better life, one that we would want, one that sounds like the better option but it isn't. I ignore the worried look John B sends my way and watch the seconds go by on the clock above the door. We basically have twenty-four hours to find Uncle T or someone to be pretend to be him.

                                                  ~ ~ ~

The winds begin picking up early in the afternoon, the rain hitting by 5. On my way home from working at the Wreck, I watch people board up the windows of their stores and homes. All John B and I can do is hope that our little shack won't blow away by morning.

Unfortunately for Pope, he's at our house when John B catches me leaving the house with my board. When he tells me to stop, I'm prepared to put up a fight. I've been looking forward to surfing in this storm all day - something I can use to push the DCS lady out of my head and the promise she made that sounded more like a threat.

"You think you were gonna go out without me?" John B smirks and leads the way to the beach.

Pope follows behind us like a lost puppy, basically talking to himself as he tries to convince us that this is a bad idea. We stop at the edge of the beach. It's almost impossible to see the ocean through the wind and the rain.

"Those aren't surfable waves, bro," Pope says, squinting through the rain that splatters our faces wet.

"Says who?" I say, passing him a devious smirk and make a run for it towards the ocean.

I paddle past the choppy waves, letting the water knock me around like a feather in the wind. When I see a decent looking wave to ride, I prop myself up on my feet and stand. I lean into my board. The warmth that's taken over my body outruns the cold water I fall into when the waves crash over me. My body tumbles under the water and my board bumps against me. I try to swim back up to the surface but the current is strong. I don't know where I am and I can't see under the water. My nose burns when water rushes up my nostrils. I squeeze my eyes tight and just swim upwards in hope of reaching air. Maybe this was a bad idea, but the thrill is still keeping me excited.

I finally reach the surface after what feels like years. John B and Pope's screams are dull against the whistling wind. I hop back on my board and give the two guys a thumbs up and a wicked smile. Pope looks like he's about ready to have a heart attack and John B breathes out a sigh of relief as he paddles closer to me.

"You alright?" He asks me.

"Fine," I yell against the wind.

John B nods. He looks like he's about to say something else, but something over my shoulder catches his attention. I turn myself around, intrigued at what's he's seeing other than the water, clouds, and a bunch of rain. Then I see it. A boat that barely looks afloat, so far out that it looks like a speck against the rain.

"We should probably go," I say. I don't want John B's mind to run to what might have happened to Dad out there. Maybe he was caught by a storm like this, maybe his boat went overboard and his body is out there floating with the fishes. I don't know. The last thing I need him to do right now is speculate. Even if the same thoughts are running through my head, John B thinks he's still alive. These thoughts will keep him up all night. He doesn't move, however. "John B let's go."

                                                  ~ ~ ~

JJ is already laying on the pull out bed in my living room when I get out of the shower. JJ crashes here most days of the week. He'd much rather be here than with his drunk abusive dad. Our friends don't know the extent of how shitty his relationship really is with his dad. But I do. I found out when I was thirteen. JJ snuck through my bedroom window after a tough night with his dad. His face and torso were covered in bruises. It took everything in me not to burst out in tears right then and there. But for some reason, he trusted me of all people with his biggest secret. I cleaned him up and let him sleep in my bed with me. Every once in a while we repeat the process. Sometimes he's not even hurt, he just shows up. And I let him in because I like having him there.

I fall onto the mattress next to him and prop my head up on my hand, leaning on my elbow. I run my fingers through his hair, feeling satisfied and bubbly when he moans in response.

"When did you get here?" I ask him.

"You were in the shower. Don't worry I didn't peak, but I was tempted," He says into his pillow.

I use the same hand I had woven in his hair and punch his shoulder playfully, making him fall on his back. His lips turn up in a grin.

I lay there for a second, looking up at the ceiling. My eyes feel heavy, the events of the day officially taking over my body. I peek an eye over at JJ who's watching me carefully as if I might break under his fingertips.

"What?" I grin to myself, thankful for the darkness so he couldn't see the blush on my cheeks. Again.

"You all right?" He asks, pushing my hair out of my face so he can look straight into my eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

JJ hesitates, like he's trying to pick the right words to say. I watch him closely, studying every mark and crevice on his face. Beautiful and clear like always. Even when it's covered in bruises and blemishes, he's handsome. I could look at him all day.

"You hate storms," He says.

"I can sleep through anything," I tell him. "And I don't hate storms. They make for...eventful surfing days."

His face drops to a more serious one. "You know what I mean."

I do. Storms have never really frightened me. Not really. But ever since my dad disappeared nine months ago, I worried that he would get caught in a storm like this, that by morning there would be a knock on my door from an officer who would tell me that a dead body has washed up on shore and they ID'd him as my father. The image leaves me with nightmares on nights like tonight.

JJ's the only one who knows this.

I don't like talking about it. Like JJ, we have this in common. So instead of telling him I'm fine and him not believing me, I pull the blanket at the edge of the mattress over our bodies and tuck myself into his side, laying my head on his shoulder. A position so intimate for just us "friends." I hope he can't feel my heart pounding beneath my skin, against his side. I let my body soften against his, feeling sleep take over me. I fall into a dreamless sleep next to JJ, hoping that the storm will be gone by the time we wake up.