#saw that post and immediate thought of my wet cardboard boy

[lumpsbumpsandwhumps]

yeah. he is.

[cherryplasmids]

☆ the lives you’ve left behind ☆

pairing: donny donowitz x reader

fandom: inglourious basterds—post-movie sequence

anon request: hi girl! i love your writing and i was wondering if you still write for donny donowitz? if you do i was wondering if you could do an angsty one? that's all i ask, you could take that and run with it however :)

notes: the reader has a kid  — aldo is referred to the reader’s child as ‘uncle’ but that doesn’t mean they are actually related. also, aldo is married to a girl name jenny

— the child is a boy named Alex for filler purposes

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"That's your daddy," You whisper, pulling the tiny bundle of joy closer to your chest. 

The infant, swaddled in a pale yellow blanket decorated with small brown bears, yawns but does not take notice of your words. Instead, Alex twists, stretches his arms out and settles back onto your chest. Without a care in the world, he just relaxes in the warmth that you've given him. An inkling of envy flashes through you—you would do anything to be that carefree again. But the war ruined everything, including your unbridled youthful attitude. 

"Handsome, isn't he?" You question as if the little one will respond. You'd be more scared than anything if he does. You wave the 4x6 photo forward to entice your baby to look. "The most handsome man I've ever seen. Everyone thinks so too, even your uncle Aldo but he won't admit to that.

"But don't worry, baby. You'll be just as handsome and charming as your old man was." 

As if he understands, the boy babbles happily, spit freely spilling over his lips and onto his cheeks. Grabbing a Kleenex from the bedside table, you wipe his face. It doesn't deter him. He continues to express his enjoyment through spit bubbles and random giggling. Your heart swells at the sight—his happiness contagious enough to erase your woes for the night. 

When the sun rises, you'll tell Aldo all about the affection your newborn has been showing. He'll run down the street to coddle his nephew. 

You don't continue until your baby boy calms down enough to the point where spit no longer seeps out of his mouth. By then, sleepiness is taking hold of him. He gives out a deep yawn. One of his tiny hands grips your right thumb while the other curls into a fist and rubs his eyes. A smile quirks at your lips. You take that as a sign to turn in. 

“I’ll tell you about your daddy’s love for baseball tomorrow okay? I’ll even show you his prized baseball cards. but you can’t tell him or he’ll have my head.”

He’s knocked out by the time you lay him down. You pray he’ll sleep through the night, allowing you to earn to some much-needed shut-eye he’s deprived you of for months. After tucking him in, you tuck the photo of Donny under his pillow. You press a gentle kiss on his forehead, whisper a few sweet words to him, and then glide out of the room, leaving the door ajar in case he wails for your attention. You make do with this system until Jenny, Aldo's wife, takes you shopping for a baby monitor. She knows a lot more about baby care than you do.

Sleepiness is taking you hostage too with a yawn escaping your lips every 1-2 minutes but you had housework to complete before the morning arrives. Mostly just clearing out boxes of gifts the Donowitz family had sent from Boston. Some of them were open, others weren’t. Gifts like a microwave or other kitchenware were left in their respective box. You’ll deal with those on a later date. 

There’s one box, though, that remains sealed. You inspect the plain cardboard container and see a word written across one side in neat cursive. But it isn’t the penmanship that has you gasping and dropping the box in shock.

No, it’s the word 'Donny' labeled across the surface that does.

It takes a moment or two for you to shake off the shock and another to get down to the ground. Sitting cross-legged, you stare at the box as if something will pop out and yell “surprise”—a harmful prank that will send you wailing for something you no longer had.

The knife seamlessly glides across the tape and you wonder when you reached for a knife in the first place. Your body is moving on its own accord without a thought concerning your mental wellbeing. While your heart thuds painfully against your ribcage, your hands steadily tear open the cardboard overlaps. 

Taking a deep breath, you open the flaps and find a single sheet of paper covering the rest of the objects. It reads “for my darling daughter, with much love.” It’s signed “Mama Donowitz”.

Underneath the letter reveals a boatload of miscellaneous items from Donny's youth that he's shown to you with pride. His prized Lefty Grove signed baseball, favorite Wrigley's chewing gum, and his worn and torn favorite baseball glove stood out the most. Little things like that made you grin to the point where your cheeks reached your eyes. Anecdotes of Donny's childhood run through your mind—his voice echoing pure excitement. You take your time admiring each item, trying to permanently engrave them into your memory just like you had with his stories. 

Then you find Donny's baby socks, embroidered with his name in red string.  All resolve you bottled up for months disappeared instantly. You completely crumble.

You press the little socks to your chest as tears freely stream down your face and onto your neck, coating the bare skin with liquid. A wail bubbles up within you, crawling up your throat at a steady pace. But when you open your mouth to scream, nothing comes out. It dies in your throat. The only effort you can commit to is to rock back in forth, allowing sobs to shake your body. If someone saw you, they might have thought you were convulsing. They might have even called the ambulance. 

The sobs don’t stop until hours later. By the time your heart calms down from its burning thrum, exhaustion envelops you. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

           Aldo kicks some dirt on the side of the road while lighting up a Chesterfield. It doesn't take long for him to reach your house since it's down the road. He checks his wristwatch before knocking on the front door. He has about 45 minutes to meet Jenny at the factory. He'll spend 15 minutes here for coffee before leaving. You always made better coffee than his wife. 

After some knocking and no response, Aldo takes it upon himself to check through the windows. Most of them are covered by curtains but the window facing the breakfast table isn't. He peers through, searching for you and his nephew wrapped in your arms. 

Instead, he finds you on the floor with no baby in sight. 

Aldo runs to the back door and searches for the hidden key. Besides the backdoor, he digs under the false rock where he remembered he put. It’s gone. The Chesterfield falls into the hole. He crushes it out and fixes the dirt on top. As an act of impulse, he stands up, goes to the backdoor, and punches out the small window panels on the door. The glass breaks easily and shards pierce his hand just as smoothly. Just glancing at it, he can tell his flesh is free from any lingering shards. A clean slice on his wrist bleeds moderately. 

He reaches on the opposite side of the door and tugs at the locks. Not a second later, the door slams open, and you shoot up in an upright position. 

Immediately, a fury of questions spews out of Aldo's lips, blending together and becoming unintelligible to your groggy brain. 

"Is it morning already? I swear I took a five-minute na—" You see Aldo's bleeding hand and gasp, reaching out to inspect his wound. Your current position on the floor completely escaping you for a moment. Aldo lets you worry for right now. 

You drag him up to the sink and run his hand over the open water. "Will I be alright, doc?" His odd accent leaves a few letters out. It reminds you of someone you try not to think about. "Ain't seen such a wound since the war."

Briefly glancing at him, he throws a wink and you gratefully smile. "You're the bane of my existence." You take his hand out of the water to wrap it in a big Band-Aid. It has crude miniature drawings of Mickey Mouse that make Aldo question them. "Just in case either your kids or mine get hurt, they'll immediately cheer up at seeing Mickey. Band-Aid should really invest in designing their product. Who knows how much money they could make?"

Aldo agrees as you finish. "You'll see another day, lieutenant"

He crookedly grins at you and thanks you for your service. You offer him some coffee which he enthusiastically agrees too. He checks his watch as he sits down at the breakfast table. Jenny will have his head if he's late. But he doesn't worry too much about that. She'll understand once he explains what happened. 

"Mind tellin’ me why I caught a heart attack on this fine Thursday mornin’? Findin’ you sprawled out like freshly ran over roadkill?"

"Disgusting, Aldo." You say while passing him his mug of coffee. You turn around to fix yourself a toasted bagel with cream cheese. "I guess I was so tired last night that I fell asleep sorting out the gifts." You lazily wave your hand at the unsorted boxes on the floor. 

Aldo walks over to the opened box in the middle of the kitchen and grabs the socks you dropped hours ago. He looks them over and notices a letter embroidered on the top. 'D' in red thread. 

"Those are Donny's." You confirm. Aldo meets your glazed gaze. 

Aldo sucks in a quick breath. It finally clicks in his head. Jenny will understand. 

“Darlin—" You look up at him with such a depressed expression that immediately shuts him up. All he does is gather you in his arms and rests his chin on your head.

 He hears you mumble something about how small Donny's feet were before you silently cry into his chest. 

After a few seconds, Aldo's cheeks become wet with his own tears as he mourns over not only his friend but the lives he left behind. 

────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

word count: 1,661 published: august 21, 2020  edited: n/a

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

Family Fights - Chapter Two

Summary: Even the strongest bond, the most loving family, can be broken by nightmares, and the librarian is soon to learn this. As she learns sinister things about a person who she had thought was lost forever, she realizes she will need the help of another witch to get her family back.

Notes:  This is a repost. When I re read the first chapters of this fic to write the third, I realized that it was packed with grammatical errors and that the pacing was terrible. Unfortunately, I can’t (or at least i don’t know how to) edit posted chapters on ao3, but I can at least re-post a slightly better version of the chapters here.

Read the first chapter here

She was gardening outside. The moonlight illuminated her extensive flowerbed, and for the first time since she was five and dropped an acid potion on them, her roses just wouldn’t bloom. They laid wilted on the ground, the bushes not strong enough to support themselves. It was a truly macabre vision, especially with the putrid smell coming from the rotting plants. But then, the bushes began to move. The twigs began to intertwine and form a figure. Maven watched horrified as her deep red roses began to melt into blood, and the plants formed a four meters tall troll-like creature. As the blood dripped down the leaves, the librarian raised her gaze to see strings attached to her once-a-rose-bush, just the way a puppet would have. At the end of the strings, controlling the troll, was her sister. Her face bigger than the Moon, her body seeming to disappear behind the trees staring down at her with angry, green eyes and a Cheshire like grin

“You failed me.” Myra hissed. “You failed me, and I’ll never forgive you. You failed me and you shall DIE” Maven’s surroundings dropped as if made of paper, like would happen if one cut the corners of a cardboard box, giving way to nothing but darkness all around her, her sister’s legs dipping below the ground horizon, making her feel like an ant on a platform. “Myra, I’m sorry!” Maven cried, tears streaming down her face. “Sister, please come- please c-come back!” She stuttered as she dropped to her knees before the flower monster, her tears mixing with the blood on the ground. “NEVER” The Marra shouted, and with a movement of her hand, made the troll raise it’s hand, ready to strike the librarian. “Madam!” The librarian woke up with a start at the child like voice and the small hand on her shoulder. When she could focus better, the nightmare finally releasing her from its crutches, she saw a young face and long blue hair. The Hilda girl, she recognized. “Where am I?” She asked as she tried to control her beating heart. “Safe.” Came another voice, a more mature one. Johanna offered her a cup of coffee as she sat on the bed at Maven’s feet, and she happily accepted the beverage. “The kids found you this evening passed out near the woods. We didn’t know where you live, and we just couldn’t leave you there, so we brought you here. I hope you don’t mind.” “Um, no, of course I don’t. Thank you. Can you tell me exactly where you found me?” “You were lying at the gates to the Huldrawood when we went out to get a badge. Why were you there?” “You were crying in your sleep.” Hilda pointed at Maven’s puffy eyes and wet cheeks before she could answer the first question. “Are you okay?” The librarian took a deep breath and looked out of the window near the bed. “I’ll be fine.” “What happened?” Asked another kid from the other side of the room, near the girl Maven usually saw him with. So, the whole trio was there. “That’s was none of you business, kid” Maven spatted and regretted it immediately when everyone’s faces fell. They had taken her out of the streets and welcomed her into their home. The least she could do was be grateful. “I think I just lost the person I love the most.” It was obvious in the boy’s face he had come to regret his question. “Who?” Hilda asked, aiming at gentleness and failing, and Johanna glared at her. “Hilda! That’s not polite!” “No, that’s fine.” Maven said as she sipped her coffee. “It was my sister.” “Oh.” Johanna’s face filled with sympathy for the librarian. “I’m sorry for your loss. How did she die?” Maven twisted her nose. “Die? Who said anything about dying?” “W-well, but if she didn’t die maybe you can still get back to her.” The girl she recognized as the biggest bookworm in town after herself spoke for the first time, and Maven sighed. “I doubt that. She made a bad decision. And I didn’t stop her. And when I realized it, I only judged her. I promised I’d always protect her. And I failed” She spit out, choking with unshed tears. “Hey, if you don’t try, you’ll never know!” Came yet another voice. She looked at the bedside table and gaped at what she saw. “An elf?” Maven spat in surprise. “You can see him?” Hilda asked, just as surprised the librarian could see Alfur as the librarian was at seeing him. “You have signed elf paperwork?” “Well, I’ve yet to meet a witch who hasn’t”

Maven realized those were the wrong words the moment they came out of her mouth. She just couldn’t believe her carelessness; that was supposed to be kept a <em>secret</em>.

“You’re a witch?!” David asked wide-eyed, and Maven stood a little straighter. “Yes, I am.” “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Alfur chirped. “Witches are the only kind of humans elves usually get along with. No offense.” He said looking at the other people in the room. “Witch or not, it doesn’t matter. You need help. What can we do?” Johanna asked, and Maven sighed in relief as she realized that this friendship wouldn’t be ruined by ignorance as many others had been before. “I’m afraid there’s nothing to do. Nothing can undo what happened to my Myra.” Maven lifted her head abruptly, an old ritual coming to mind. “Unless...” She turned her head and faced Hilda, a plan forming on her thoughts already. “Unless what?”, the child asked. But before she could get her hopes high, Maven realized she couldn’t be selfish enough to let her wishes get in the way of a kid’s safety. “Forget it, Hildie. It’s nothing.” A heavy atmosphere intruded the room, and silence hung heavily around them. “Frida, David, your parents must be worried. Hilda, can you walk home with them?” Johanna asked softly to her child, who looked like she would oppose. Her mother lifted her eyebrows, making it clear that there would be no discussion.

“Yes, mum. I’ll take the opportunity to take twig out for a walk. Come on, guys.” The door closed behind the children, and Johanna took her gaze from them to her guest. “There is a way to help you. You just don’t want to say it.” It was more a statement then a question, and a right one. “I’ll go get us something to eat, and then we can discuss it, okay?” Maven nodded with her head hanging low, until Johanna put her hand on the librarian’s shoulder, making her look up at the slightly older woman, a blush warming her neck and creeping up to her face at the proximity. “Okay.” She whispered as her host left the room. After a few minutes of uneasy thoughts and shifting movements from Maven’s part, Johanna was back with a bowl full of cookies. Before she could even offer the snack, the librarian began speaking, wishing to end this as soon as she could. And if there was any remote chance that she could get what she needed and have her little sister back, she was taking it. “Who is the father?” She asked rather harshly. “Who is Hilda’s father.” Johanna sat down at Maven’s feet again, blushing prettily, and the librarian had to admit the colour looked rather nice on her. “I- er, I don’t know.” Maven lifted her eyebrows, surprise clearly written on her face. She’d never been one to judge people, and she was a firm believer that one could do whatever they wanted with their body, but the sweet artist hadn’t given her the impression that she was that kind of person. At Maven’s reaction, Johanna was quick to clasp her hands over her mouth, and the pink on her face turned to green. “What, NO! Oh Gods, it’s not what you’re thinking! Hilda- Hilda was adopted is what I mean!” Maven’s jaw snapped shut and she cursed herself for jumping to conclusions. The poor woman looked like she was going to faint before her. “I beg your pardon. I should have worded my doubts. So you mean you didn’t get to meet her biological parents?” “Er, no, I didn’t.” She murmured as she fiddled with a biscuit on her hand. “I found her in the woods, actually. I had gone to my grandfather’s cabin to see if I could find some inspiration. The day I ventured farther into the forest, I heard a baby weeping. Oh, Maven, she was so young and she was alone. I couldn’t leave her there. I took her in and fell in love with her.” She finished with her eyes wet.

“The two of you are perfect together. I’m glad you found each other. Does she know?” Johanna gave her a dry little laugh. “Yeah, she does. Not like it’s easy to keep something from her, anyway.” “And do you know why she was abandoned?” Maven quirked an eyebrow. “Of course not! All I know is that they were monsters if they couldn’t even care for the safety of their child!” Johanna spat and Maven could feel suppressed rage beneath her skin. The mother might not know, but the witch? Oh, the witch had seen this story a thousand times. “Let me ask you something: have you ever seen anyone other than Hilda with natural blue hair?” Johanna furrowed her brow as she searched her memory for the image of someone with such unusual hair colour. “No, I can’t say I have. But I imagine it’s some kind of genetic mutation or something? The doctors could never put their fingers on it.” Maven pinched the bridge of her nose, stressed to see the culture passed from mother to daughter amongst her kind so lost to most people. “Oh my- no, Johanna, I’m afraid it has nothing to do with genetics. Or science, even. When one is born with an unnatural hair colour, it is believed that this person has magical gifts. That they are, let’s say, prone to engage in witchcraft.” She paused for a moment, letting the other woman try to wrap her head around that information. “It can be passed down to generations... or pop in suddenly on a child coming from a non-magical family. When it happens, the children are usually abandoned, given away, mistreated, and murdered even.” Maven knew she’d gone too far when a sob erupted from the sweet artist, and she tried to give her what she hoped was a reassuring look. “Don’t fret. These things would happen on old times. Now this knowledge has been practically forgotten. Your Hilda just had the fortune of being born into a family of cruel magicphobes who happened to know of this.” Another sob came from her. “How can you say she was lucky?! It was awful what happened to her! She could have been hurt!” “Well, but instead you found her, didn’t you?” Johanna was silent again, and she stuffed her mouth with a vanilla biscuit. “Yes, I suppose I did.” She answered when she finished chewing. “But if it’s such an obvious sign, why don’t most people know about this? How come no one suspects?” Johanna gesticulated as she spoke, throwing crumbs around the room with her movements, and Maven scoffed. “Why, since they created hair dye no one can tell natural from fake hair anymore. Before it existed, witches would usually hide their hair in some way. But nowadays there’s no trouble. Some of us still keep a part of our hair natural to let others know we are one of them.” The librarian lifted her hands to her scalp, separating the hair strands so that the gaping woman in front of her could see the purple sprouting from the roots. A few moments of uncomfortable silence went by, and it was only broken when the mother opened her mouth again. “Why did you tell me all that?” “Because the only way to save my sister is if Hilda helps me” Maven answered after taking a deep breath. Johanna was silent, but she nodded in a sign for her to continue. “The Marra are a society of kinds. They seek teenagers who want more power, more control, more... freedom. They twist their minds to make them believe that spending the rest of your immortal lives giving people nightmares is the best way to live. And when they convince them of such, the adolescents go through a ritual, in which they gift their soul to the goddess Niorun, acquiring, in exchange, immortality and the ability to enter people’s dreams.” “Why would that goddess do that?” “She doesn’t know what they use their abilities for. As the goddess of dreams, Niorun thinks that the Marra’s loyalty to her comes from the desire to give pleasant dreams to others, the way she does, and not nightmares. But the point is, my sister has joined them.” Johanna lifted her head as if she’d been electrocuted, her jewel bright eyes wide awake. “Beg pardon?” She stuttered with effort. “You heard this right. My sister has joined the Marra. And that was two years ago. I- I believe that she has already performed the ritual” Maven felt the stinging of tears behind her eyes, but she refused to let them drop. “She hadn’t aged a day...” she whispered. Johanna squared her shoulders confidently. “And what can we do?” She asked in a strong, unwavering voice. “You said you needed Hilda. I’m sure she’d have no trouble in agreeing to help.” “You don’t understand!” Maven protested. “Not only is the spell we’d need to do dangerous, but the training Hilda would need would unlock her magic forever!” She hugged her legs and looked away from Johanna. “And I can’t let her hurt herself to help Myra! Best case scenario, the ritual goes smoothly but everyone looks at her like she’ll curse them!” Maven cried, unable to contain her tears any longer as she realized the depth of the situation her sister had put herself in. She only heard the gentle padding of Johanna’s feet getting lower and then higher, right before feeling her hand on her shoulder. “Here” Johanna offered a napkin and a smile as the librarian looked up at her. At that moment, Maven was painfully aware that she had broken down in front of Johanna. Wonderful. “Calm down, and talk to me. Why do you need Hilda for that spell?” “Because it requires the energy of two witches to work. That’s also what makes the spell so dangerous. There’s no way to get my sister’s soul back,” <em>unless you want to fight a goddess</em>, she added in her mind. “And so the only way to make Myra human again would be by making a new soul for her.” “Can... can only witches do that?” “Yes, I’m afraid so. Witches have more energy, and more control of it. A normal person would probably die with that spell.” Maven sighed, knowing there was no way Johanna was allowing Hilda to help her now. “And Hilda is the only witch in Trollberg?” The question was met with a nod. “You said she’d require training... can the training make the spell... safer?” Johanna had left the bed, now pacing hypnotic circles on the wooden floor. “Certainly. The better the witch can manipulate the energy and elements, the safer the spell is.” “Could you train her?” The answer took the librarian by surprise. A small spark of hope ignited in her chest. “You’d let me?” Johanna sighed. “Hilda will kill me if I don’t let her try. But if it’s been too long and we still don’t think it’s safe, I’m afraid I’ll have to put my daughter first.” Johanna had barely finished speaking before Maven had gotten up and raised her arms as if to hug her, letting them drop again as she got a hold of herself. “Thank you. So much.” The librarian whispered with true gratefulness, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and biting on her bottom lip. There was something about the woman in front of her that made her incredibly soft, and she’d have to be cautious.

“You’re welcome” Johanna smiled shyly at Maven. At any sign of danger to her family, she would make Hilda back down immediately. But why cut down all the options before even trying? Why not allow Maven a little happiness? _#_#_#_

Hilda closed the door behind her and looked around to find her mother and the librarian sitting at the table, and Twig sniffing Maven’s shoes, where he had ran to as soon as the girl had opened the door.

“Hey mum.” She said as she approached the women. The walk to her friends’ houses had been a tense affair, the three of them too immersed in their own thoughts to speak. The tension in her house, however, seemed to have dissipated.

“Hey Hilda!” Johanna greeted her with a nervous yet encouraging smile. “Are you up for an adventure?”

[fxkthatdairy]

puppy love- mrbeast

(These are the puppies :) )

         It had been five months since you married Jimmy and life has been absolutely perfect. You have been extremely happy since you met Jimmy so when you two got married it was heaven. There is one struggle though, when he is at the office or filming in other states, your small house that you shared together got extremely quiet and lonely. Sometimes Katie or Lauren would come over and you would have a girls night or you would go over to Jimmy’s moms house and hang out with your mother-in-law but when nobody was at your house you were extremely lonely. Jimmy was home but was preparing to head to Los Angeles for a video in a few days. You finally rolled out of bed and walked to your closest and grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. You also grabbed your undergarments and went and took a shower. You got out and straightened your hair, brushed your teeth, and did your normal morning routine. You the put some socks and boots on and grabbed your purse and phone and went into the living room where you found your husband on the couch watching Naruto. “Morning babe.” I said as grabbed myself a granola bar and went to make myself a to-go cup of coffee but I saw that it was already made for me. “ I made your coffee for you this morning just how you like it.” He said getting up and wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing the top of his head. You turned around and kissed him gently on the lips.

     “Thank you. You ready to go? You said grabbing the keys to your Jeep. Normally you took your car because it was not as new as Jimmy’s I8. You grabbed your wallet and jacket and threw them in the backseat of your car and threw the keys at Jimmy because you hated driving with a passion. You got in the passenger side and Jimmy began driving to the office. When you got to the office you noticed that not only was Chris’s truck there but so was Katie’s car. You noticed that all the guys were standing around a cardboard box. Jimmy parked the car and you walked over and gave Katie a hug. You then looked in the box and saw two golden lab puppies. You immediately fell in love and got on the ground and put them around you. They sniffed you curiously and the got used to you and laid down on your lap.

      “I didn’t know that you guys got new puppies.” you said as I gently petted them.

        “We didn’t. Someone dropped them off at our house because they found them and were hoping that we would find them a new home. We don’t have enough room so we brought them here and were going to see if anyone wanted to take them.” Katie said as you were petting the adorable puppies. Then you got a great idea on how you wouldn’t be lonely when Jimmy left.

    “Jimmy can we please please please please keep the puppies???” you asked pouting your lip hoping that he would say yes.

  “Sure if it is okay with Katie and Chris.” He said as he looked at Chris and Katie.

    “Yeah it is okay. As long as the are getting a home its good.” Chris said and hugged Katie goodbye because she had to head to work. You waved goodbye and put the puppies back in the box and walked inside to your office. You finally now had the chance to look at the gender of the puppies. One girl and one boy, now it was time for the names. You decided Daisy for the girl because she reminded you of a little daisy and named the boy Beast after your husbands channel. At that moment, Jimmy walked in and sat down beside you and started to play with the puppies.

          “What did you name them?” He asked as he picked up Beast who began licking his face repeatedly.

        “That one’s name is Beast after your channel and the baby girl in the box is named Daisy.” you said as you secretly took a picture of your boys because you found it extremely adorable.

        “I love the names. When we head home we’ll stop by and get them everything that they need.” He said and gave you a quick kiss before he went and got some work done

                                    A FEW HOURS LATER You and Jimmy had finally finished work and got everything in the trunk of the car. You then grabbed the box with Daisy and Beast in it and got in the passenger side. Then Jimmy drove y’all to the nearest Pet-smart and he grabbed Beast and you had Daisy as you walked inside. The first thing you guys did was get them both collars.  You got Daisy a baby pink collar and leash and Jimmy got Beast a blue collar and leash. You then got them dog tags with their names and your information on them in case they got lost. You then went and got them a lot of toys, two water and food bowls, ton of wet and dry dog food, treats, dog wash, training pads, two doggie pillows and two doggie kennels. You even snuck and bought them a few outfits for adorable pictures on Instagram. After you guys payed you loaded everything in the trunk and headed home. When you got home you made them their own little section in Jimmy and your shared bedroom. You fed them and then took them outside to go potty and gave them a treat afterwards. Before you went inside you took a picture and posted on Instagram and the caption was: Welcome Daisy and Beast to the Donaldson family. They are so adorable and I am in complete love. You then posted the picture of Jimmy and Beast and had the caption: My boys <3.  You then took the puppies inside and put them on the bed with Jimmy while you went and changed into one of Jimmy’s shirts and some spandex shorts. You climbed in the bed and the puppies snuggled into you. You turned the TV on and put on The Umbrella Academy. Jimmy put his arm behind your head as you carefully snuggled into him . Later your phone notified you that you had been tagged in a photo. Jimmy had posted a photo that was caption: My little family <3. It was a picture of you and the puppies when you first saw them and when you were snuggled in the bed. You liked the photo and commented a heart and put your phone on the charger. You then rolled over and kissed Jimmy goodnight and then you kissed your puppies on the head and slowly fell asleep with the thought of your little family on your mind.

[undertale-rho]

Post-Underearth - To Protect and Serve

William sat squarely on his knees, his hands bound behind his back with chains. Looking up and around, William thought about how some Asshole had erupted into his warehouse and beat him and his friends down to the ground, only to come back later with Frisk and some fat skeleton in tow. He turned his attention to them.

Frisk and the Asshole whispered something between each-other as the fat skeleton watched William and his two friends with sentry-esk interest. After a minute of their jabbering, Frisk looked back at William, whispered something again to the Asshole, then stood up. The skeleton then pulled out their phone and stuck it to the side of their skull. After a few minutes, he approached the two Humans again.

"The police are on their way." he said. "Let's get you two out of here."

In the next moment, all three of them vanished, leaving William and his friends alone in the warehouse.

"'ey, William," one of his friends called. "wasn't that Frisk?"

"Yeah. It was."

"Who were those with him?"

"I dunno." William shook his head, chuckling a bit. "Some new friends he made in that hole, I guess."

As soon as William finished speaking, the skeleton reappeared, carrying a hotdog.

"Hey, boneboy. Bring me anything?"

"Nah. Just got myself a weiner. I do hear that's your favorite food, though. Wanna taste?" The skeleton pulled the sausage from the bun and held it out to William suggestively, winking his right eye.

William didn't answer. Apparently taking his silence for a "no", the skeleton slotted the sausage back in the bun and continued eating. After a few minutes, the sounds of police sirens told everyone in the warehouse that the police had arrived. Once voices could be heard coming from out front, the skeleton disappeared once again.

After another minute, the large sliding door of the warehouse cracked open, and a few officers came pouring into the room.

"William?" One of the officers called.

"Down here, Phil."

Phil walked to the back of the warehouse, where William and his friends were chained up.

"Now look at wha'chu got 'urself into."

"Not my fault. Some self-righteous jackass with some strange power just barged in here and chained me down. Any tighter and it might have been nice." William chuckled.

Phil turned back to the other officers. "Unchain these three men and take 'em to the station." He turned back to William. "I'll take William with me. Danny, Andrew, you two take his friends."

Doing as directed, the officers unchained William and his friends and escorted them outside to their cruisers. Once stowed away, the officers began making their way back to the station.

"So Phil," William said after a minute. "what's going on? September has been... terrible."

"You too, huh." Phil said, lighting a cigarette as he drove. William held out his cuffed hands, and the officer gave it to him, lit another, and took a puff. "Yeah, ever since the Underground Hole went down in a massive heap of brick and metal, shit's been crazy." Phil then chuckled a bit. "But even so, it's not all been bad. Moon killed Rosa last week, so nobody will care much if you just... left your cell tomorrow."

"Rosa's dead? Heh, serves her right. That's what you get for trying to be a clean cop in this city." William said, sucking on his cigarette.

"Yeah, but there's more bad news. Seems that the Monster ambassador, or whatever the hell he is, isn't too happy with Athens's situation, and wants the city cleaned."

"You're kidding. He can't do that, can he?"

Phil took another puff. "Apparently he can. The Arista has agreed to increase clean law enforcement starting next month."

"I don't believe this. Why the hell would the ambassador give a damn what happens here? Who is this jackass anyway?"

"Some snot-nosed kid named Frisk, I think."

William jerked up upon hearing that.

"What's up. You know 'im or somethin'?"

"No." William said after a few seconds.

Phil eyed William for a second more before turning back to the road. After another minute, William spoke up again.

"So where's Steven?"

"Back at the station."

"Testing the alcohol content of various liquors, no doubt."

Phil chuckled a bit. "Nah, he's actually doing police work. Filing reports to Sparta and all that."

"Tsk. Paperwork. He drew the short-straw today, huh."

"Heheh, yeah. Wouldn't wanna be in his place today."

As the two finished talking, the police car turned into the station's parking lot. Upon parking, Phil and William stepped out of the car. William took one last suck from his cigarette before tossing it to the ground and crushing it under his boot. Phil then escorted him inside, storing him in a cell.

"I'll leave you 'ere tonight, and in the morning, I'll 'accidentally' leave the key here. Be sure you high-tail it outta here before ten."

William sat back on the hard metal slab that made up his bed, shifting the ragged beige blanket down to one side and fluffing up the mostly deflated pillow on the other.

So Frisk is the ambassador to the Monsters, huh... he thought as he took the blanket and beefed up the pillow with it. I wonder... if Frisk found them in Mount Ebott. And if so, I wonder if the Arista knew. Is that why the mountain was always off limits?

William huffed after a minute and got comfortable—at least as comfortable as he could on the hard, cold metal—and went to sleep.

William's eyes slowly slid open. It was bright out, as if it was already mid-day. Blinking a bit, William soon found that he was looking up at a monotonous pink surface. He blinked a few more times and lifted his arm to his head. Lifting his arm, he felt a strange, wet sensation leave it as it left the ground. This time lifting his head, William turned it to look down at what he was laying in, spotting the expressionless face of a woman staring up at him. Caught by surprise, William shot up and jumped away, looking back once he'd landed back in the liquid.

The woman, who was completely nude, was beneath the liquid, floating in it, though seemingly unaware of where she was. Seemingly unaware of anything, in fact, as though she were dead. Looking through the liquid, which looked to be water, William saw more women floating in it, just like the first. Some of the women had gashes carved into them, some had obvious bruising in some places, like around their neck. All of them, however, had heavy bruising covering their entire crotch. Among the women, deep in the water, were two children, standing out among the other bodies in that the children were wearing clothes. Catching sight of the children, William broke his gaze away from the water below.

"Hey Will!" a high-pitched voice said from behind him.

William immediately shot around, his eyes wide with terror. Behind him was a small boy with olive skin facing... him. Another him, that is. Another, younger William.

"Oh, hey kid. What's up?" Young-William said, smiling down at the boy.

"Look what me and Aliza made!" the boy said.

"'Aliza and I.'" Young-William corrected.

"Right. Look what Aliza and I made!"

The boy was holding a small, cardboard structure that was vaguely shaped like an animal.

"Wow," Young-William said, taking the structure. "this looks great. Is it a giraffe?"

The boy nodded. "Yup. We read about them in one of those books. Did you know that they're the tallest animal?"

"No, I had no idea."

"What? Whatever, I'll bet you did know."

Young-William chuckled. "You got me."

William stared at his younger self and the boy with wide, fearful eyes. A crash of glass pulled his attention from the pair to another vision—this one of his younger self alone in front of a sink and mirror, now cracked.

"How is this possible?" the new William said to himself. "Three years? It must have just been a dream, right? Yeah, it never happened. I'm just confusing reality. But then how does Frisk and Aliza remember too? Shared dreams?" Young-William grabbed the back of his head and propped his arms on the sides of the sink. "Arg. This is giving me a headache."

The scraping of a chair against the floor pulled William's attention to another vision. Young-William was sitting on a chair, staring down at the floor.

"Fifteen years. I think, at least." Young-William said, his tone low and his face effortlessly expressionless. "I wake up again, and it's 2010. Again. For the sixth time." Young-William let out a deep sigh. "I haven't told Frisk or Aliza that I remember too. They probably think they're crazy. Maybe I'm the crazy one. Dreams, I tell them it is. Just dreams. Why, for my own sanity?" Young-William dropped his face in his hands. "For what? Does it even matter. Does anything even matter? Why should I work to build something up if I know, someday, without any warning, it'll all just... reset?

"I'm so tired of this. I'm tired of working every day like nothing is wrong. I'm tired of pretending nothing is wrong. I'm just... tired. I'm tired of taking care of others. I'm tired of being selfless, having nothing for myself. Why don't I just indulge for once? It's not like anything would change when it all reset, right? I could probably kill myself and it wouldn't make a difference; just wake up when it all reset again." Young-William began to chuckle. "Yeah, why not. Frisk and Aliza would come back just fine when it all resets again, I could just dump them like garbage on the street. Then I'd be free to get myself killed with all the selfish indulgences I want!" His low chuckling began to rise in tone and ferocity. "It's perfect. And when it all resets again, I just tell them it was all a bad dream and that none of it actually happened, just like I've been doing anyway. It's perfect. It's perfect! It's perfect!!!"

William was drawn from the vision by the rumbling of a door behind him. Tearing his eyes from his demented self, he saw the silhouette of a child standing in the light of a tall, metal door.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, WISEASS!?" The new William shouted from between his two friends.

What the... when... was this? William thought, for once watching the vision with interest rather than terror.

The silhouetted figure stumbled forward into the room William and his friends were in.

"W-wait... Frisk!?" Vision-William said, surprised.

"What? Frisk lived through that!?" William's friend said.

"Yes, William, I did." Frisk responded coldly.

Vision-William just stared for a second, trying to compose a response. "How the hell did you survi—" He then spotted the dagger that Frisk was holding. "What's that for? You angry or something!?"

"You could say something like that." Frisk said, pulling the dagger up to his face.

"Look, bro, if this is about kicking you down that hole, I'm sorry about that. I wasn't myself."

"Just like you weren't yourself when you abandoned me and Aliza on the street like some bag of trash!? You were supposed to look after us after mom and dad died."

"I LOOKED AFTER BOTH OF YOU FOR FIFTEEN YEARS!!!" Vision-William shouted before covering his mouth.

Frisk stopped moving. "Y-you do remember!"

"What are you two idiots doing, get him!!!" Vision-William commanded his friends.

His friends dashed forward to restrain Frisk, but both were swiftly cut down by Frisk and his murderous rage. As one of his friends slowly choked on his own blood, Frisk approached Vision-William.

"W-what kind of monster are you?" He asked.

Frisk stepped closer, though as he approached, his eyes turned black and pus-like black fluid poured out of them, along with his mouth. Vision-William faded, along with the room, but Frisk remained.

William, who had so far been watching the vision with confusion, saw the disgusting deformed face of his brother and stepped back. Frisk didn't hesitate, shooting forward with great momentum and planting the knife straight into William's face.

William shot up from the metal slab, his skin cold and moist, and his breath out of control. William grabbed his chest with his hand, feeling the rapid beats of his heart as it pounded away like a war-drum.

As he slowly steadied his breathing, his heart rate slowly fell too, until it was finally running at a steady beat. Despite the pounding in his chest running slow again, his head pounded all the same, as though the heavy beats from his heart simply relocated to his brain.

Ignoring the pain, William looked around. He was still in his cell, at least he was pretty sure he was. The surrounding area was dark, though the city lights shone some light from his barred window.

As he sat in the dark, rubbing at his temples to try and alleviate the pain, his mind reviewed the day's events. How Frisk, along with some asshole and a skeleton, had delivered him and his friends to this cell. He reviewed the memory a few more times in his head before the pain finally began to lift.

"You're angry, aren't you."

A hissing whisper said.

William looked around his cell again.

"Who's there?" He asked the darkness.

"Someone who wants to help you, though if you must call me something, call me Beauty Queen."

"Beauty Queen?" William gritted his teeth. "That's a stupid name. What do you want?"

"As I said, I wish to help."

the answer came, its speaker choosing to be ignorant of the insult.

"Though as I have answered two of your questions, answer one of mine. You're angry. Angry at Frisk. Angry at yourself. Angry at the world. Your hedonistic way of life, though stemming from your nihilism, is threatened to end without your desired reset. You can't just lie your way back, and you are powerless against the whimsical nature of the universe."

"What is your question?"

"What if I could help you gain the power to perpetuate your current state of existence for as long as you want. Would you accept my help?"

"What? Power? What power?"

"The power to bend this world to your will. Even take control of when it resets, and to when it will reset to. Imagine it, you would be unstoppable. You could do anything you like."

"Anything... I like..." he said, the possibilities already sprouting in his mind.

"Don't listen to it, Will." A new voice said from the darkness.

William looked back around his cell. Even through the darkness, he could make out something that wasn't there before. Something—no, someone—new.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Jack. Pleasure to meet you."

William eyed Jack closely. He was a tall, white man with a mop of black hair clad in a long black coat.

"And what do you want, Jack?"

"What do I want? Hmm, a question that has changed as many times as I've asked it myself. Right now, I guess the answer would be to settle my debt."

"Your debt? And what would that have to do with this place? Is that why you're here?"

"In a fashion, yes. Though if you're asking if I was jailed for this debt, the answer's no. I'm still wanted."

"Then what are you doing in my cell?"

"I'm here because of you."

"Me?"

"You're at a crossroads, William. I promised someone who helped me a great deal that I would do whatever they needed, and they told me to be here at this moment, to make sure you made the right choice."

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"No, I'm not. When I spoke, you were talking to Beauty Queen, yes?"

William looked around the room, trying to find where this "Beauty Queen" had disappeared to.

"You won't find it here."

"It?"

"Beauty Queen. It's not here. It spoke directly into your mind."

William scoffed at Jack's statement.

"You don't believe me?"

"No. Why should I? Spoke directly into my mind? Are you crazy?"

Jack didn't answer. Instead, he simply brought up his hand and summoned a flame just above his palm.

"Whoa!" William yelled. "How did you do that?"

"Magic. The very same magic, in fact, that Beauty Queen was no doubt just promising you."

"If you have it, does that mean you accepted the power it gave?"

"What makes you think that? Besides, the power it gives isn't yours. It belongs to a parasite that it puts on your SOUL to feed on it."

"A parasite... on your SOUL."

"Yes. You don't believe me on the existence of a SOUL, do you?"

"No. Can't say that I do."

Jack sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't show you that. You can only see a SOUL if you've trained in magic, even slightly.

"I can tell you want this power that Beauty Queen offers, but the price for that power is far greater than you think. In order to gain it, you need to murder. This growth comes best from those close to you. The parasite will twist your reason and your purpose, until you're nothing more than a murderous machine."

"Like I care. Besides, it's not like it matters anyway. Tomorrow could never come. For all I know, I could be waking up back in 2010."

"Is that what all this is about?" Jack asked, his brow cocked. "You became what you are now because you think it'll all just erase?"

"Well why not? Everything else I did in those lost years was reverted. All those people I raped and murdered; it'll be like it never happened when it all becomes 2010 again."

"It won't become 2010 again."

William's cocky smile fell. "How do you know?"

"Because I finished what I kept resetting for."

William's eyes widened. What is he talking about!?

"I believe I owe you an apology, Will. You see, I was the one who kept making it 'become 2010 again'. And I see now why he wanted me to come here..." Jack said that last sentence more to himself than William. He then looked straight at him. "I can't reset anymore. That power has moved on. It moved on just before September started, at the end of the day the Begierde building—the Underground Hole—exploded."

"Was that you, too?"

"Yes. It was."

"But... that means you're..."

"The Mad Man. Correct."

Jack stood up. William just stared at him, slack-jawed.

"I'm not here to kill you, Will. At least not yet. I'm here to tell you to reform yourself. When the morning comes, and you 'escape', do not go back to your criminal ways. If you do, I'll know, and I'll kill you." Jack then reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden ring. "If you really do want the power Beauty Queen offers, take this. It will unlock your magical potential." He then handed the ring to William, then stepped over to the window. "I've been blocking Beauty Queen from talking while we talked. When I leave, I have no doubt that it will attempt to convince you otherwise of the things we spoke on. Do not listen to it."

As soon as Jack finished speaking, he disappeared in a flare of red energy.

William sat alone in the cell, staring down at the ring he'd been given. As soon as Jack vanished, Beauty Queen hissed in William's ear again, but he wasn't listening. Eventually, he fell back asleep, to dream on these revelations.

Previous Underearth Prologue Next

[filmflowersbangtan]

The Edge of a Dream | pt. 1

(pt. 1)

pairing: Yoongi x Reader

genre: smut mentions, slight angst

warnings: mentions of death

word count: 3.4k

summary: you just recently broke up with your boyfriend of almost three years, so you move to a small town by the ocean to start over; Yoongi is a baker getting over the death of his fiancé

a/n: this is my first posted fanfic ever!! (clap, clap, clap) So any comments would be appreciated :)   Also, this story takes place somewhere between 1985 and 1990 (I couldn’t decide so I left it ambiguous). I’ve been working on this story for a while, so this is kind of my baby, but if you have any suggestions feel free to submit them! Thanks for stopping by. 

It was a day thick with rain when you moved out of the apartment of your dreams. The rain was nonstop, and Jimin’s car was packed to the brim with all the things that you wanted to take with you. You never had a car of your own because you shared one with your boyfriend – ex-boyfriend – and you sold all your furniture. The only things that you had left were your necessities, which included a lot of books. There were more books than clothes.

Jimin and Namjoon carried the last box of your books to the car. Jimin had his nylon windbreaker tossed over the cardboard to protect your precious books, and you watched Namjoon laugh at something Jimin said from your apartment window upstairs. You wanted to smile as easily as they could, but you felt as dreary and gray as the rain. Your mood had been soggy like this for weeks, and no matter what your friends did you couldn’t dry it up. Everything reminded you of him – the color of the walls, the smell in the couch, your bed, the kitchen. This entire apartment was him. The both of you chose it together, but he left it like the both of you didn’t splatter the past two and a half years of your lives all over this place.

The apartment was empty now, and there was nothing left to pack, so you didn’t know why you couldn’t bring yourself to meet your friends downstairs. The rain made streaks on the window pane, blurring their faces, but you saw Jimin look up at your window after he slammed his nearly overflowing trunk shut. Moments later, Namjoon appeared in the open doorway.

“Hey, you ready to go?” he said.

Your chest and throat burned from holding back tears that hadn’t fallen for weeks. You didn’t know why you had this sudden ugly urge to cry. It wasn’t like this move was sudden and not well thought out. You had sat down with Namjoon, Jimin, and your sister and you all agreed that this move would’ve been good for you, especially since you were going out of the city. And selling the furniture was a bonus because you wouldn’t be carrying any crumbs that your boyfriend – no, ex-boyfriend – left behind. But now, you hugged yourself tightly. Suddenly you were bent over as if you had to vomit, but instead of throwing up you cried violently. There was a hand rubbing soothing circles between your shoulder blades, and then there were arms pulling you into a chest and into a lap.

You weren’t sure how long Namjoon cradled you like that on the floor, but Jimin joined and his hair and shirt was starting to dry.

“We don’t have to leave today if you don’t want to,” Jimin said to you, but you shook your head and wiped your face with the sleeve of your shirt.

“No, I have to. I can’t – I can’t stay here any longer,” you said, but your words were garbled from crying and hiccupping.

Namjoon gave you his jacket so that you wouldn’t get wet from the rain, and the three of you stuffed yourselves into Jimin’s tiny car cramped with your things. It was an hour and a half drive to your new place. You felt terrible that Jimin had to drive this far in the rain and that Namjoon had to be crushed in the backseat with all your things, but they didn’t seem to mind. Namjoon was snoring, so Jimin turned on the radio.

“The Flame” by Cheap Trick came on, and Jimin quickly changed the station to a more upbeat song. The rain had stopped and the clouds parted ways, so you watched the sunset over the trees that blurred together on the edges of the freeway. Jimin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to that catchy song from The Breakfast Club and hummed along to it. You turned to watch your friend as he did this. He looked so stunning in the fresh golden light of the setting sun, and he seemed to really enjoy the song, so you continued to watch him.

He smiled. “What’s up?”

You shook your head. “Nothing. Just…”

“Just?” he laughed.

You grabbed his hand from the steering wheel. He intertwined your fingers and kissed your knuckles. His hands were a little dry, but they were comfortable. Those were the hands that you had been holding ever since you were a little girl and he was a little boy and the world was too big for the both of you.

“Thank you,” you said. “For always being there.”

He glanced over at you with a smile before looking back at the road. “Ditto, love.”

Namjoon hadn’t come along until high school, and the three of you were inseparable. Three heads on one body, it seemed.

Jimin pulled up at your new place a little after sundown. It was a little duplex, and you were in the upstairs apartment. An elderly lady named Ophelia with a sprawling garden lived in the downstairs apartment, and she owned the place. She was nice enough to let you move in on such a short notice and for a lowered price too. She must’ve smelled the depression on your clothes.

Ophelia glanced out of her window briefly before Jimin turned off his car and headlights. You sighed deeply. This is it. This is the start of your new life. Right?

Namjoon jolted awake when you and Jimin got out and slammed your doors. After he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got out to stretch his legs, you all began unpacking the car.

The new apartment was much smaller than the last. There was only one bedroom this time – you had no use for two when your ex-boyfriend wasn’t there. He had had an office since he was a writer. You remembered when you two first made love in that office, him in his comfy, weathered leather chair and you on top. He had been writing all night and barely ate because he had a deadline coming soon, and you wanted to help him unwind –

“Y/N?” Namjoon said. He had a box of books in his arms that looked like it was going to fall apart from the weight of the contents inside.

You blinked. You did it again. You were thinking about your ex. “Sorry. Yeah?”

“Where do you want this?”

“In my room.”

By the time you all finished, it was almost midnight. The boys stayed over for the night and you all made pallets on the floor. Jimin was the first to fall asleep, but since Namjoon slept on the way over, he stayed up to talk with you over a glass of wine.

“Are you nervous?” he said.

You shrugged with one shoulder. “I don’t know. A little. It’s just such a big change, you know? I’ve been in the city all of my life, and now I’m here in a town where everybody probably knows each other, and I don’t know anyone.”

He nodded in understanding. “You did this for a reason, little bee. You did this so that you can move on, think clearer. The air is cleaner out here, and you’re close to the sea. I think this is good for you.” He gripped your knee gently, reassuringly. “It’s okay to be nervous, but don’t lock yourself in this apartment every day. That’ll be counterintuitive.” He smiled, flashing that adorable dimple. “Get out there and get to know the locals.”

You smiled a little. “Okay.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

They both left early the next morning because Jimin had work in the afternoon, but they didn’t depart without giving you the tightest hugs that they’d ever given you. The apartment suddenly felt so big once they were gone. That hollow sorrow began to bubble up in your chest again, so you decided to be productive to distract yourself. You cleaned. With the windows flung open to let the early spring air in, your old radio on the sill, blasting the top hits, you started taking things out of boxes and placing them wherever you thought was temporarily decent. You had no bed or even a mattress for your sheets, no food in the refrigerator, and no bookcase for your books. No couch, no television, no phone. The place did come with a washing machine – but no dryer. You knew what you had to do – shop.

The first thing you decided to do was get something to eat because shopping on an empty stomach was not ideal. The weather was perfectly cool enough for your overalls and to celebrate spring you wore your favorite thin floral sweater underneath. With your hair held up with a jumbo scrunchie, you felt good. That was something that you wouldn’t have been able to say just yesterday.

Conveniently, there was a little bakery a few blocks away from your apartment. The aroma of the fresh baked goods had your stomach clenching with hunger. You pushed through the little door with the name of the shop painted on it – Min’s Delights. You thought that was a cute name. Bells chimed when the door opened, and a warm voice called out a “hello.”

You responded with a “hello,” but you didn’t pay any attention to who said it because the shop was so cozy and cute that it took your breath away. Little handmade trinkets lined shelves and wooden stands. Unknown but beautiful paintings hung from dark brick walls. The floor was a dark wood, but nicked and creaked a little when you walked. It seemed like a floor that had been around for decades. Each table was adorned with a single, vibrant flower in a tiny hand painted vase, and the chairs to the table were all mismatched and looked as if they’d been picked up from garage sales and flea markets. You already loved this place.

“Like what you see?” a smiling voice said from behind you.

You turned around and immediately your breath hitched in your throat. The man that stood before you was breathtaking in an unreal kind of way. He had bad boy good looks but with a soft prettiness to his features, and eyes that made you feel like he already knew you and could see your soul. Dark, fluffy hair and pink, pouty lips. Pearlescent skin. Pierced ears. And oh God, he was waiting for you to say something.

“I – I – um… Yes!” Your face flared up with heat by how stupid you sounded. This was the first time that you saw an attractive male that wasn’t Jimin or Namjoon after your breakup, and all of a sudden you forgot how to speak.

“I’m happy to hear that. I’m Yoongi, the owner of this place.” He extended his hand for a shake, and like the dummy you were, you only stared at how nice and veiny his hands were until you realized that you had to shake it. You placed your sweaty hand in his cool one. He had a strong, but comforting grip.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Y/N,” you said. Finally, you were able to say something coherent.

He smiled, and you almost melted in your overalls. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” He frowned up a little, thinking about something. “I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you a tourist?”

“No, I just moved in that little apartment down the street.”

He snapped his fingers. “Ah! O’s place! She’d been renting that apartment for a while now, but the people in town tend to not move around so she was afraid that no one would take it. Lovely woman, that one.”

You liked that he called Ophelia “O” for some reason. It made you feel warm.

“But let me stop babbling, what can I do for you today?” he walked around the display counter to stand behind it. So many delicious looking items were on display: different flavors of artisan breads, fruit tarts, croissants, cannoli, artisan sandwiches… you couldn’t choose.

“I don’t know what to get they all look so delicious.”

He grinned a little at that. “Well, for breakfast, I’d choose the strawberry Danish, and I’ll whip you up a strawberry smoothie to go with that.”

“Okay, sure,” you said.

You paid for the pastry, but Yoongi said that the smoothie was “on the house,” and he gave you a wink. You couldn’t help but to gawk.

As much as you’d have liked to stay longer, you had a long day ahead of you. There were too many errands that you needed to have done by today to make your apartment seem a little less empty. You said your goodbyes and went about your way. You weren’t too worried, though. This town was small, so you would see him again.

Three days had gone by since your move. You got yourself a mattress, a telephone set, and a few groceries, but that was just about all you could afford at the time. The phone was a cheap one with a coiled cord – all of the cordless ones were out of your budget. It was simple one with a cradle and a number pad on the receiver, a little bigger than your hand. You set it up beside your mattress that you had in the living room because the thought of sleeping in a bedroom alone still frightened you and made you think about your boyfriend leaving you.

As you were folding your clothes while listening to music, there was a knock on your door. You frowned, unsure as to who it could’ve been. You knew Jimin and Namjoon had work around this time of day, so you were sure that it wasn’t them, and Ophelia already came up to give you some flowers to put in your new home earlier today.

You got up from your position on the floor and opened the door, and you audibly gasped.

“Good afternoon.” Yoongi.

“Hi,” you said. You felt sweat already beginning to prickle at your hairline.

“I know that it’s kind of creepy for me to stop by when we don’t even know each other, but I wanted to give you this just in case you haven’t eaten today.” He handed you a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. As you received it, you noticed the gold on his left ring finger that glared in the sunlight as if it was taunting you. You suddenly felt even more uncomfortable, but not in the same way as before. What was a married man doing at your door, giving you free sandwiches? What was a married man doing winking at you? You suddenly felt guilty and gross, and his cute smile wasn’t as cute as it was a few days ago. You suddenly thought of your ex, and what he did to you and you had the urge to throw the sandwich on the ground and slam the door in Yoongi’s face. But you didn’t because you were civil.

You pressed on a closed lip smile. “Thanks,” you clipped.

His eyebrows knitted together. He immediately felt the change in your demeanor. “I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”

That angered you even more. “Ask your wife that.”

He visibly winced. No, he flinched as if your words physically leapt at him. “I don’t under-” and then he made an “ah” sound as if the fact that he was married just dawned on him. His cheeks bloomed with pink and he looked down at the ground. “I can see where you would misunderstand. My wife, well, she was my fiancé. But she passed away a few years back. It’s just become habit to wear the ring every day. I forgot that I had it on, I apologize.”

You felt like such an asshole.

“No, no. You don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged. The air was thick with awkwardness, and when he opened his mouth to speak, you were afraid that he would leave, so you cut him off to say, “Would you like to come in?”

He accepted, and then he was standing awkwardly in your tiny kitchen as you poured him a glass of lemonade. You had left your resume and several job applications on the countertop and you noticed Yoongi looking at them not so subtly.

“Looking for a job?” he said as you handed him the glass. He thanked you before taking a sip.

You sighed. “Yeah. One of the downsides about moving to a new place.”

“You could work at the bakery. We could always use an extra pair of hands.”

You blinked a few times. “Really? I don’t have any experience, though.”

“I don’t mind teaching you.”

That was how you ended up with flour up to your wrists and a waist-high apron on. A poppy Janet Jackson song was playing over the radio, and your heart was in your throat as Yoongi stood behind you with his chest to your back, helping you knead the dough. The shop had closed a little over an hour ago, and it was just you and Yoongi. Little white Christmas lights hung around the place despite it being almost April, but they were the only source of light besides the one on in the kitchen where you and Yoongi were. You hadn’t been this close to a man that wasn’t a friend in a long time, and this felt…intimate.

His lips were dangerously close to your ear. “Now you have to use the heels of your hands like this-” he placed one of your hands on top of the other, pressing more weight onto the heels of them with his own hands, “-and press into the dough with your entire body.” As he showed you how to do this, you felt his muscles contracting around you and him pressing your hands down into the dough somehow felt slightly erotic, and to be honest, it made you wet. He must’ve felt how tense you became because he quickly backed off.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

You turned around to face him. You wanted him to touch you, to kiss you, to do something to you. You were craving it. Only God knows when the last time you had been touched sensually by a man.

The Janet Jackson song ended, and coincidentally, “All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You” by Heart seeped through the radio. Maybe it was the song, or maybe it was the way that you were looking at him with your chest heaving with wanting breaths, but he closed that space that he had put in between the two of you. He hesitantly reached up to touch your cheek. Your eyes fluttered shut at his warm fingertips.

“Please,” you whispered. “I want you.”

The both of you would probably regret this later. But your mind went blank when his lips made contact with the skin of your throat, collarbone, and jaw, soft as a butterfly’s wings. When his hand gripped your hip with want. When his own hips pressed into you. You threw your arms around his neck and moaned when he started to grind onto your pulsing core, his mouth planting open kisses everywhere.

He groaned and lifted you onto an empty counter. “Oh, God, I want you so badly.” He shoved your knees apart, and the both of you began to work at the buttons of the other’s jeans. You still had flour on your hands and so did he, but you didn’t care. You would probably go crazy if he kept his clothes on a second longer. Once he got your pants off, he licked his lips. “You’re already so wet.”

“Yoongi…” you moaned even though he wasn’t even touching you, just looking.

But then he looked up from your womanhood and at your face. He swallowed. He was so quiet for what felt like so long that your face began to heat up with slight embarrassment. And then he said almost too softly to hear over the radio, “I- I think you should go.”

You suddenly felt exposed with your pants on the floor and your legs open. Yoongi wouldn’t even look at you as you climbed off the counter and pulled on your jeans. “Did I do something wrong?” you said.

He sighed, and you noticed him toying with the ring on his finger. “You’re scheduled to open with Jungkook tomorrow. He’ll help you if you need more training.”

You didn’t know why tears welled up in your eyes. But this was the second time this had happened to you. Opening yourself up to someone only to be turned down with disinterest. Why had you done this? Why did you keep doing this? Didn’t you learn the first time when your boyfriend said that he didn’t love you anymore and left? You should’ve known. You wanted to scream, to hit him, to say that you didn’t want the stupid job, but you only nodded tersely and said, “Okay.”

As you left, you heard Yoongi turn off the radio, and you thought you heard him say, “I’m sorry.”

[littlebitofeverythingphff]

Chapter 35 Part One

A/N: Ok everyone! First off I apologize for all of the late replies, work has been insanely busy but I finally have time for myself so figured I would write for you guys! This is a two part series and part two will be posted TOMORROW as early as I can! I hope you enjoy these chapters. Please don’t hate me, and as always your feedback is important to me and thank you for reading!

“What?” Harry’s eyes drifted to the woman staring up at him as she silently sat in the passenger seat.

Addy’s lips gently formed a warm smile holding the prince’s gaze hostage. “Nothing Henry…” She continued to keep her eyes on Harry as he turned his attention back to the road ahead of them.

All she wanted to do was tell him about Jake; what she had recently found out about him.  A part of her knew he would already be upset with her having not told him a word about the flowers she had been receiving from her ex-boyfriend, let alone his proposal. Yet a small voice inside of her head convinced her otherwise that now was not the time to do so.

How could she be the one to add one more thing on to his plate? He was already hiding how worried he was about her in the past few weeks as they acclimated to the change of their now public relationship that included a constant presence of press in their lives.

Then there was his PTSD. Addy could sense Harry becoming more restless at night, leaving their shared bed careful not to disturb her, but Addy knew better. She knew it was getting harder for him to keep the symptoms at bay. Addy saw it in the way he responded to the sounds of a smashing plate, a loud explosion from a TV show, the general anxiety that had made him cancel his last engagement on short notice as he pretended to be ‘sick.’

How could she be so selfish and tell him that Jake was stalking her… and had been for weeks.

Flashback

Sitting in her office chair swivelling slowly back in forth, Addy was deep in thought holding the small piece of paper that came with the last set of roses a few weeks ago.

The eerie message that read….

‘He took you from me. A prince who will never love you like I do.’

Repeating those words over and over in her head, Addy knew without a doubt that it had been Jake sending her all those flowers. It had started a few days after Jake had showed up and spontaneously asked to get make together with her with a shocking proposal. One she did not need a second thought of refusing.

Adalyn had not heard from Jake since she rejected the proposal in the park. Distinctively remembering the chilling look Jake had given her prior to his departure made her stomach turn into a knot realizing how naïve she had been. How she thought that he handled the rejection so well.

All those times where she looked back over her shoulder having a sense that someone was watching her became clear as day in her mind. The moment she had swore Jake screamed her name outside her flat with the press surrounding her made her to believe that her gut feeling was right.

Jake had been stalking her for a number of weeks.

Picking up her office landline, Addy flipped over the card dialing the flower company’s number on the back. With each ring of the phone, it became harder and more difficult for her to breathe wondering how meticulous Jake had been in his planning so far.

“Hello?” An elderly sounding woman answered her call.

“Hello. I am needing some information regarding a standing delivery that has been cancelled for a few weeks.”

“Of course miss we can certainly help you with that. What is the address of delivery, I will search our records for the purchaser.”

Addy provided her the museum’s address waiting patiently on the line as she tapped her pen rhythmically on her desk. Her heart sank in her chest when the women spoke Jake’s middle and last name confirming her fears.

“Did he by chance have an address?” Adalyn quickly asked before ending the call.

“Yes. Unit 436 5280 Hallingston Boulevard.”

Her fingers began to tremble hearing the street name she passed by on numerous occasions that was on her route to get to the tube system. Addy had walked by his flat nearly every time she had gone to work giving him a closer eye on her schedule.

Shaking her mind from the thought, Addy hung up the phone and immediately ran to lock her office door. Hearing the click of the lock made her heart slow down for a second. She was safe in here for the time being.

Addy knew it was only a matter of time before Jake revealed himself.

Before Jake would stalk her once again.

End Flashback

Jake was wrong.

Jake pushed her away from him. Harry did not take her away from Jake, he did that the moment he decided to have sex with her friend Nikki. Not only did he cheat on her once, her continued the affair for an entire year acting as if nothing was going on.

Adalyn was blinded for the love she held Jake, thinking that this man who had been her rock through the ups and downs. The moment Jake asked her to marry him, had been the day after he first slept with Nikki. What used to be a day she wanted to remember for the rest of her life, was a day she now wished to forget entirely. To banish the simple memory out of her mind and replace it with one of Harry. His reason for the proposal was not of his love for her, but of guilt in his betrayal of that love.

Harry pulled her hand towards his lips, placing a quick kiss on her knuckles dragging her out of her plaguing thoughts. Turning her head to glance at Harry, she could not help but smile thinking of how lucky she was to have Harry in her life. How crazy her world had become since that day she their worlds literally collided.

Addy did not see him as just a prince, but as a friend, a lover and most of all someone who she could trust. His deep blue eyes were mesmerizing as they glanced worriedly back at her having been witness to her noticeably silent demeanor throughout their drive.

“What’s on your mind Addy?” Harry flashed his eyes forward to ensure he was still on the road as they made their way to a group of kittens Addy was bringing into the rescue’s care.

They had already planned a date night hoping to go out to a low key restaurant together for a nice meal, but when Addy got a call of abandoned kittens that were found in a dumpster she didn’t need to waste a second convincing Harry to go with her. He would do anything he could to spend more time with Addy.

“Just thinking of you.” Addy told a half truth, hoping the matter would slip away.

A smirk appeared on his lips. “Is that so?”

“Of course babe. You are never far from my mind.” Addy leaned her head down to rest on his arm giving her a chance to release a sigh of relief.

Her spoken thought made his smirk grow into a sigh. “I know you weren’t thinking of me Addy…” Harry had seen a series of concerned expressions flash across her face indicating she was not telling him the whole truth. “Whatever is on your mind, I am here when you want to tell me.” Knowing it was not his place to push Addy to tell him, all he wanted was to encourage her to trust him more.

“Thanks Harry.” Were the only words Addy managed to let her lips escape feeling a sense of guilt over lying to him.

Having arrived at the given location, Harry climbed out of the vehicle falling into step with Adalyn. His hand went to her lower back placing it there for a comforting touch. The couple went into a bakery store that had called Adalyn directly informing her that they had found a set of very young kittens in their dumpster.

The owner of the store brought Harry and Addy into the back towards a cardboard box sitting on the counter. Addy peaked in the box hearing little meows, her heart sank in her chest seeing how young they were and discarded like trash. Harry eyed her carefully as Addy pulled off her sweater.

“Take off your coat Harry.” His girlfriend pleaded weakly knowing that he would instantly comply. Harry stepped towards her, shrugging off his coat and handing it to her.

“Are they going to be ok?”  A little boy peaked around the corner asking before his father shooed him away.

“It’s alright, he can come see.” Addy encouraged the little boy, motioning him to join her and Harry.

Addy gently took each one out of the box placing them gently in Harry’s coat to keep them warm. “How young are they?” Harry concernedly asked seeing how tiny they were.

“Maybe a week, maybe less.” Addy’s eyes glanced towards him.

The little boy returned trying to stand as tall as he could to see Addy take them out. “Did you find them?” Addy motioned Harry to keep pulling the other two kittens out and to keep them warm with her sweater.

“Yes. I took the trash out for papa and heard little meows in a bag beside the dumpster.” The proud boy smiled up at Addy.

“Thank you for helping them. Would you like to give them names?” Addy hoisted the boy up on the counter.

“Can I really?” Harry tossed his head back in laughter seeing the small boys eyes become wide.

Addy leant down to whisper in Harry’s ear. “Help him out and keep them warm. I am going to see if there is any video I can get of who dumped them.”

“So what are you going to name them? Looks like we have two girls and two boys!” Harry giggled lightly before lifting his head to see a set of green eyes watching him from down the hall.

Addy could not help but watch Harry’s interaction with the small boy, seeing how silly and childish he was around the child. She loved seeing the carefree playful side of the prince, a side that had lately been buried under a pile of stress and PTSD. It made her heart swell hearing Harry’s laughter that brought an endearing smile to her lips.

A few minutes later, Addy had returned with a copy of the store’s video security in hand with a proud smile. She had video identification of the person who had left them hoping that it would lead to a potential arrest. There was no reason at all for the man to dump these vulnerable kittens that were wet and cold from the rain. He could have easily taken them to a shelter or rescue without a question, but had decided to tempt fate.

“We got names?” Addy’s hand trailed down Harry’s back landing on his ass giving it a gentle pat with a smile.

Harry handed her the last kitten making sure they were all contained in his coat before closing the passenger door. Running around the car Harry climbed in beside Addy pulling away from the bakery shop. The aroma of chocolate cake filled his car; the owner had given the couple a cake for coming in so quickly, one they were eager to jump into.

“Harry can you turn the heat all the way up, they are still cold.” Addy requested as she pulled one to her chest trying to provide more warmth to them.

“Are you going to look after them?” Harry curiously asked as he was still learning the whole operational side of her rescue.

“I wish… I have a volunteer that will keep these until they are big enough to adopt out.” Addy shifted in her seat looking down at all of them.

“People just sign up or?” Harry was genuinely curious how she managed to bring in all these animals and care for them purely on donations and fundraising.

“Well sort of babe.” A smile tugged at her lips at his interest. “There is an application and then they need some sort of references and a home check to ensure their place allows animals as well a proper place to house them. It helps tremendously if they are in a home because they get accustomed to living with people and sometimes our feral animals take longer, but at least they end up in a nice home.”

“You will have to come out to a fundraiser and meet some of them. They are all pretty amazing and are an incredible help in allowing Ainsley and I to continue to help little guys like this.” Adalyn had begun syringe feeding the small kittens with kitten formula she had brought with them thinking they would be hungry and in need of food.

“Definitely Addy. I would love too babe.” Harry chuckled at his internal thought. “Maybe I will end up with a puppy!”

Addy joined in on his laughter. “Careful it’s harder than you think! But your brother and Kate have one right?”

“Yeah they do… he’s pretty umm unique!” Clearing his throat, Harry remembered his conversation with Will and Kate. “Speaking of my brother…” He trailed off gaining Addy’s attention.

His eyes locked with a set of green eyes waiting for his next words. “Will and Kate are dying to meet you.” Harry beamed a smile seeing Addy’s eyes grow wide with fear.

Belting out laughter from deep in his chest Harry roared loudly seeing her become as anxious as he was to meet her family. Now the tables had turned and it was about time he introduced his girlfriend to his brother and sister in law.

“Relax Addy… they have been pestering me non stop to meet you.”

“I didn’t know you told your family about me…” Addy spoke in a quiet whisper.

“Addy.”

“Of course my family knows about you.” His laughter chimed through the car resulting in Addy falling into laughter with the prince.

The heat in her cheeks turned the skin into a faint blush; shaking her head lightly with a smile. Of course Harry had told his family about her, it was ridiculous of her to think otherwise but the thought that the Queen of England knew of her seemed too real for Addy to comprehend.

“I know. I just…” Addy could not find the right words to describe her thoughts. “It’s hard for me to still think that you are a prince sometimes. I forget that whenever I am with you.” Shifting in her spot, Addy was unsure of how Harry would take her next comment.

“It’s like I don’t know that side of you yet, but you are apart of all aspects of my life.” Her eyes darted towards Harry hoping that he understood where she was coming from.

Harry’s knuckles clenched tighter around the steering wheel gripping it hard. “Not all.” His voice was deep and low causing Addy to raise her eyebrow in confusion.

“What do you mean?” She leaned forward trying to get a better glimpse of his expression.

Releasing a deep sigh Harry wished he hadn’t said those words as they would lead to a bigger discussion that neither of them wanted to get into in that moment. “Forget I said anything.” He tried to turn her mind off of the topic by asking her more questions about the rescue, but Addy knew it was a tactic to distract her.

“Hold on.” Holding her hand up to quiet her boyfriend she was not ready to move on from his response. “What do you mean ‘not all’ Harry?” Addy emphasized the words.

With a low groan the prince closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose. He was about to get into it with Addy and no matter how hard he tried to get her off the topic; her stubborn personality would not allow him.

“All I am saying is that you are still holding back with me sometimes… like earlier I know something was bothering you and you wouldn’t tell me Adalyn.” Closing her eyes she could not look at Harry as he had spoken the truth.

“I could say the same thing about you Harry.” Addy defensively argued but regretted her brash statement knowing it would fuel the argument.

“What do you mean?!” His voice rose higher at her accusation.

“Afghanistan? You still won’t tell me a word about what happened Harry. I sleep beside you every night and I can hear you struggle. I feel you leave in the middle of the night so you won’t wake me up. You think I don’t notice the way you tense your body when we are watching a show and something triggers you. I know you are struggling with it and you won’t let me help you…”

Deafening silence fell between them as they both fumed in a quiet anger. Addy was looking out the window, unable to look at Harry. This conversation had been constantly played over in her mind knowing that it was close to coming to the surface.

“Addy…” Harry tried to calmly coax her to glance at him. “I can’t put that burden on you.”

“I want to know Harry.” Her head swiveled to be greeted with blue eyes waiting for the next words to leave her lips. “I want to know what happened to you over there…” Outstretching her hand she covered his giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“I want you to trust me…” Those words pulled at her heartstrings, as she too needed to trust Harry in return. How could she ask Harry to tell her about Afghanistan when she was the one hiding something in return? It was now or never, she needed to tell him about Jake.

“I want you to see that you can trust me, that we need to trust each other more because you are right Harry. I am holding something back from you and I am terrified to tell you…” Her confession made Harry’s face form a confused expression.

What exactly was she holding back? What did she mean?

“Harry uh…” Addy searched for the words to tell him. Releasing a tension filled breath Addy figured it was best to just say it.

“Jake came and saw me when you were in Afghanistan and proposed again…”

to be continued...