#show them like ten minutes of the show and then immediately pull up nana's entire blog like “okay this is ACTUALLY him”

[nullbutler]

Literally all of my irls dislike Alois. What do I do. How do I convert them (I’m not forcing them to watch the source material)

HMMMMM have you tried forcing them to read fan fiction?

I think alois is an unusually acquired taste, because most of my IRLs watched black butler when they were 12 and only vaguely remember him as the "energetic mean blond kid". That ignorance is a blessing and I'd imagine you aren't in that situation. their experience is probably more...lucid.

That being said there's little to nothing from the source that portrays him in a particularly good light (every scene is so...vaguely iffy lol like the scene where he meets Ciel? he licks him. The eye gouging scene? enough said). Fanfic is also a good outlet, and also the fight scene with him and ciel is one of my personal favorites from the show because it's literally just his personality and a sword to swing. It's one of the best digestible clips if you ABSOLUTELY MUST. The butterfly OVA is also particularly charming and puts some good insight on his character -- he also doesn't injure anyone or do anything too wild in that one (aside from setting his room on fire).

...BUT YEAH it's very difficult, because a part of liking him is being disturbed by him and then slowly having those feelings ferment into a kind of "I can't fix you but I love you in your brokenness and I wish the best for you" mindset. AT LEAST FOR ME. And it's very annoyingly difficult to convince people to enjoy a character that, at the end of the day, is more a fan amalgamation than a set in stone particularly well written person (not that our beloved traits AREN'T present, implied, or otherwise portrayed, they're just sequestered in a lot of sludge)

[charincharge]

Cruel Summer, Part 1

cruel summer masterlist

AN: It’s here. Idk what the posting schedule will be like, I have no idea what my writing schedule will be like, but... I think it’s gonna be 25ish chapters? Maybe? Who knows. It’s gonna be fun, I think. I hope. Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts. Alright... without further ado...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rowan Whitethorn is having a really horrible day. Not just the kind of bad that he can shrug off, but the kind that seeps through his skin and sinks into his bones, that permeates even the smallest thing, turning everything into a giant annoyance.

First, he missed his alarm, so his grumpy manager, Lorcan, has been even grumpier with him since he pulled through the gates of Ashryver Playland this morning. The amusement park job is less than ideal. Rowan hadn’t planned for his summer to be taking tickets and cleaning up melted ice cream cones from sweaty-faced teens – but it was the only place that called him back, and he doesn’t come from the type of family that can afford to pay his rent. So unless Rowan had wanted to spend the summer in his mom’s unairconditioned apartment, dodging set ups with her mahjong circle’s daughters, this was his only option.

It's nearly 3PM, and Rowan still hasn’t been able to take his lunch break. He knows that’s adding to his bad attitude. Rowan has a tendency to get hangry, or so his coworker Fenrys tells him. And because he was in a rush this morning, he forgot to pack his lunch. Which means he’ll have to spend money buying overpriced crap at the park.

Rowan’s also on trash duty today. Which means he gets to spend the whole day circling the park grounds with a giant broom and pan and pick up the fallen bits of funnel cake and popcorn and soda cups and dump them into the closest trash. Then, once those are full, he gets to haul the heavy bags of stinking trash all the way to the back of the park where the dumpsters are. It’s pretty much his worst nightmare. Though Rowan isn’t opposed to physical activity, he’s not super fond of smelling like rancid garbage. He tugs at the collar of the too tight uniform polo shirt stretching uncomfortably across his chest and frowns. After a bag split all over him earlier, Rowan was forced to go diving in the employee lost and found for another uniform. Apparently, the only person who’s missing a shirt is two times smaller than him. He sniffs himself and nearly gags. He can’t wait to get home and shower. He look at his watch … in … five more hours.

“Whitethorn,” Lorcan calls, crossing across the yard at him. “Take your thirty now. Then you’re taking over for Connall at the ferris wheel ‘til closing, yeah?”

Rowan barely contains a shudder upon hearing his new assignment. He hates trash, but working the ferris wheel is somehow worse. He didn’t realize until last week that’s where every middle schooler goes on their first make out date. He’s had to pull too many kids off the ride, feeling like their disapproving father as he pulled their clashing braces apart to make room for the next patrons in line. Frankly, he finds PDA disgusting. And the sight of thirteen-year-olds going at it is enough to scar him for life.

At least Rowan finally gets to eat something, though. The oppressive mid-day heat combined with hours of physical labor and no fuel has him feeling like he could keel over any second. He grunts his acknowledgement at Lorcan and makes his way to the closest concessions stand, which luckily has barely a line – I guess since it’s 3 fucking PM and not actually lunch time. Rowan is about to step forward when he feels tiny fingers poke against the back of his knees. He’s about to snap at whatever parent to keep their kid on a tighter leash when he realizes there is no parent, just a kid – and the kid is, in fact, trying to get his attention.

“Um, excuse me? Sir?” the little boy says. Rowan’s never been a sir before. He hates it.

“Yeah?”

“I think I lost my family,” he says resolutely, not sounding even a little bit scared. “Can you help me find them?”

Rowan’s stomach grumbles and his head pounds. He knows he has to return this child to his family, but he also knows he needs to eat immediately or he’s going to lose it.

“We can absolutely do that,” Rowan begins, “but I haven’t eaten all day. Do you think you can wait like… ten minutes?”

The little boy nods and sticks out his hand. “I’m Gavin and I’m five.”

“Hey, Gavin. I’m Rowan and I’m hungry.” Gavin giggles at that, and Rowan finally cracks a smile and shakes the boy’s hand.

Rowan steps up to order, thinking about what’s going to be the fastest, since his thirty minute break is going to include an unforeseen detour to security at the entryway of the park. “Can I get a hot dog, a pretzel, a cherry coke and…” He looks at the little boy next to him. “Anything for you?”

Gavin’s eyes widen with glee. “Cotton candy?!”

“…and a cotton candy.”

Rowan reluctantly hands over a $20, saying goodbye to three hours of hard work. But he has no choice. They get their food and make their way to the eating tent. Rowan keeps his eyes open for anyone looking panicked or in search of a child, but he doesn’t see anyone who fits the bill.

Rowan inhales his hot dog in record speed and takes a giant gulp of his cherry coke and immediately feels better. Sitting under the shade of the tent helps, too. The pair sit quietly and eat their food. Gavin swings his legs happily as he peels off pieces of his cotton candy, licking the sticky sugar from his fingers.

“So…” Rowan has no idea how to talk to a kid, but he figures he should ask him a few questions to figure out who to return him to, at least. “Who are you here with today? You said your family?”

Gavin nods excitedly, the sugar clearly starting to make its way through his tiny body. “Yup! My whole family is here today. My mom, my dad, Auntie Ae, Nana and Grandpa.”

“Wow.” Rowan’s heart tugs slightly. “That’s fun. Any special occasion?”

“Nope. We come every week,” Gavin says.

“Every week?” Rowan asks, his voice rising in pitch. He’s trying to do the math of the ticket prices. $30 for six family members. That’s $180. For every week of the summer…? Rowan’s mental math skills stop there, but he knows that’s a LOT more than he’s ever been able to casually throw down.

“Yup. Since I was a baby,” Gavin says. “It’s my family’s special place.”

“Think your family would adopt me?” Rowan jokes. He loves his mom a lot, and she did the absolute best job raising him, but they’ve never had a special place. His mom thinks adding guacamole to her Chipotle bowl is special. Not that Rowan disagrees. Guacamole is a perfect condiment.

Gavin finishes his last lick of cotton candy and holds his red hands up at Rowan. “I’m sticky.”

Rowan shoves the final bite of his pretzel into his mouth and stands up. “Me too. Let’s go wash our hands and then find your family. Sound good?”

Gavin nods, skipping next to Rowan, his little shoes lighting up as he matches the striding pace. They make their way to the row of porta-potties and outdoor sinks, which line the side of the park. As Rowan washes his hands, he notices Gavin struggling to reach the stream of water. Of course. He’s only five.

“Need a hand?” Rowan asks, and Gavin nods, holding his arms up to be lifted. Rowan’s arms burn, since he’s been picking up giant bags of trash all day, but he manages to keep Gavin mid-air until he’s finished cleaning the sugary crystals from his hands. He’s putting Gavin back on the ground when he hears a loud voice shrieking behind him –

“YOU! SIR, STEP AWAY FROM THE CHILD!”

Damn it.

Rowan sighs and turns, letting his hold on Gavin drop completely. This is so not what he needs right now.

“Gavin, honey, come here,” the voice calls again.

Rowan searches to see who the voice belongs to and is momentarily stunned. Gavin’s mom is… young. And hot. Her golden blonde hair is swept away from her face in a high ponytail, resting softly down her bare back, on display in a strappy yellow tank top. And her jean shorts show off her long, tanned legs. Rowan stares a beat too long because the next thing he hears is, “Gavin, earmuffs,” and suddenly the blonde woman is inches away from him, in his face and pushing at his chest with her pointed finger. She is mad.

“Stay away from this little boy, you pervert!” The woman’s eyes flare angrily as she pushes Rowan’s chest again forcefully with her finger, and he is not having any of that. He grabs her finger in his large fist and moves it away from him, making the woman stumble back slightly. Her mouth widens into a small circle as she looks up at the man grabbing her finger.

“I’m sorry, pervert?” He chuckles humorlessly. “This little boy asked for my help finding his irresponsible family. Who lost him. I work here.” Rowan uses his other hand to point to the stupid logo on the corner of his polo. “He happened to find me on my lunch break. Maybe if you’d been a more responsible mother you wouldn’t feel the need to get this worked up the guy who was clearly about to take your kid to security.”

“Mom?” the woman says, horrified and snatches back her finger. “Oh my god.” Her demeanor shifts entirely as she looks to Gavin and motions for him to uncover his ears. “Gavin, please tell this very rude man that I am way too young and cool to be your mom.”

Gavin frowns. “I don’t think he’s rude, Auntie Ae. He gave me cotton candy.”

The woman’s eyebrows shoot up in accusation. ‘You gave him cotton candy? You’re only proving my point.”

Rowan puffs out his chest defensively. “I’m sorry, is cotton candy a sex offender favorite? I wouldn’t know.”

“You clearly offered sweets to a child to lure him away from his family!” she says way too loudly, looking around and making a show of her statement.

“Quiet down!” Rowan snipes through gritted teeth. “I need to keep this job, for fuck’s sake.”

The woman smirks and steps closer. “I think your employer deserves to know you were luring children away from their families!” she exclaims dramatically, attracting the attention of a nearby security guard.

“No,” Rowan says, his voice increasing in volume as well. He’s had it up to here with this day, and this woman has grated his last nerve. “That’s not… Listen…” Rowan takes a deep breath. He really cannot lose this job. “I was starving and about to go on my lunch break when some poor lost kid asked for help finding his family. I told him he could order something with me, since I felt bad. Sorry. I’ll be sure never to be polite ever again.”

Rowan has gotten in “Auntie Ae’s” face, and he’s breathing hard. He’s worked up, and he knows it’s not her fault, but fuck this day.

“Is everything alright here, Ms. Ashryver?” the approaching security guard asks, and Rowan pales.

The woman steps back and takes a breath, her fury melting into a warm smile for the guard. “No, Frank, everything is fine. Just thanking one of our newest employees, who made friends with Gavin today.”

The guard chuckles. “He run off again?”

The woman’s eyes flash in warning and the guard shakes his head. “Ah, don’t be mad, Aelin. You did the same exact thing when you were his age. Running from ride to ride and driving your old man crazy.”

Rowan crosses his arms as the guard saunters off, and the woman turns back to him with a shy smile.

“Ashryver, hm?” Rowan asks, feeling a little ill as he pictures the large Ashryver sign that hangs over the entryway to the park.  “So, what is this, like… hazing?”

“No! I was really only going to make the one joke and then let it go,” the woman says, biting her lip guiltily and shoving her hands into her jean shorts pockets. “But then you called me his mom and I just… got carried away. I do that sometimes. I’m Aelin. Ashryver.”

“So I heard.” Rowan rolls his eyes. “You know there’s absolutely nothing funny about calling someone a predator, right? I could be arrested if the wrong person overheard that.”

“You’re making me feel very bad,” Aelin says with a grimace.

“Good,” Rowan says resolutely. “Because now I’m also late to get back to work.” He’s more than a little annoyed at how this entire exchange has played out. And even more annoyed that he can’t stop staring at Aelin’s bright blue eyes. This is the last thing he needs. He’s about to head off when –

“You’re really not going to tell me your name?” Aelin asks, tilting her head up, trying to figure Rowan out. Rowan’s about to reply when she cuts him off, not even giving him a chance. “That’s fine. I’ll find it out. I have connections, you know.”

“I’m sure you do, princess,” Rowan says. Her lips purse at the nickname, and Rowan can’t tell if she loves it or hates it.  

“See you, stranger,” she replies, dismissing him and grabbing Gavin’s hand as she walks off. Just before turning the corner, she tosses her ponytail over her shoulder and looks back. It’s only when she winks at him that Rowan realizes he’s still standing motionless, watching her go.

[a-wanderin-whirlybird]

Flight if Destiny: Prologue

(An Ever After High fic, set in an au where the evil queen decides to be a good mom. Cowritten with @offwiththeirbuds )

It was over. Finally. Robin Queen leaned against the back alley wall. Her enemy, Snow White had decided to try and do more than banish her after awakening. She tried to have Robin arrested and tossed in prison. Thankfully Robin hadn't done anything outside the realm of their story, so there was no way to arrest her. But Robin was furious. 

How dare she? Robin only did what was expected and for what? An empty, temporary marriage and a lonely future. 

She could get revenge. Get power and fame on her own and a kingdom to show up that brat Snow White!

Robin sneered, that could work! She could strike Wonderland first, it was disconnected enough from the rest of the world, no one would notice until it was too late. Or maybe she could-

Robin heaved, emptying her stomach contents on the concrete. She had gotten too excited. 

"Crap. Crap. What am I thinking?" Robin hissed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand while the other gently held her baby bump.

It was a small bump, barely showing, but it was a grounding reminder for Robin. It was so easy to lose herself to the role of Evil Queen and far safer than facing the future after her story. She felt so alone without the story now. All of her friends were just starting their stories while Robin had to start hers immediately out of High school. She was only 27. 

Narrators beyond, she was 27 and expecting! And she had considered world domination? What was she thinking??? 

She hadn't been. In that moment Robin had been scared and alone so she turned to the safety of her role. But… what safety was there in evil? Embracing it would mean she could be truly imprisoned. 

"Funny, how you reminded me I wasn't alone, and you don't even have a heart beat yet." Robin muttered to her belly. She had to be better. Better than Snow who wanted her dead or tortured, better than her mother who left her alone too young. Too focused on the Evil part of the Evil Queen. 

Robin vowed to be better. A Better Mother and Better Person. Robin stamped her foot, eyes narrowing with determination. 

"For you my Baby bird. For you I will face the world. I will be the best Mother for you…" Robin said pulling out a small slip of paper and racing to a nearby pay phone. 

The small paper had a short list of numbers. Friends from school. The top of the list was Nana Breadhouse, she may be the Gingerbread House Witch, and specialized in candy houses, but Nana also had some connections. 

The phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Nana. Its… its Robin."

"Robin?! Are you ok? I heard Snow's speech. Did she?!"

"She tried to arrest me but it didn't work. Nana I need a house Im… Nana I have a kid on the way. I wanted to- I…" Robin felt tears fall. "I almost became my Mom…"

"Oh SweetPlum. Where are you? Ill come get you. We can talk after." Nana said. Robin couldn't help but smile, Nana was the kindest woman.

"I'm in Bookend outside the Library. Ill wait here." Robin said. Her hand never left her little bump, she had to fight the urge to conquer and the little lump was helping.

"I'll be there faster than you can say Taffy, hang on love." Then Robin waited. 

It only took ten minutes for Nana to arrive, her Bubblegum punk hair made her easy to see in the rainy gloom. Nana's Broomstick landed and the plump woman raced over embracing the soaked Robin tightly. Robin held her friend dearly. 

"Oh Honey Tea, come on. Let's get you home and dry. You can tell me what your plan is after we got some food in you." 

"You're the Fairest Nana." Robin hiccuped. Her tears hadn't stopped the entire time. 

"Tell me that after you're dry and warm. Come on." Nana said, pulling Robin onto her broom. Robin leaned into Nana's back as they flew a comfortable silence filling the night air as they escaped the rain clouds and finally reached Nana's home. 

Nana silently ushered Robin inside. Trapper the huntsman was seated by the fire, rocking Nana's 1 year old Ginger. The gruff man looked concerned as Robin was sat down by the fire. 

Trapper gently placed the sleeping Ginger back in her crib and began to sign as Nana raced around. 

"Are you ok? You look awful." He signed, Robin nodded weakly, shivering in her soaked clothes. 

"Im… shaken. But ok, thank you Trap." Robin said, Trapper gave a soft smile and nodded. Only to sign some rather vicious things about their classmate Snow White. Robin shook her head. "Trap its… im not fighting back. I cant. I have a child on the way. I- I refuse to be my mother. Or worse."

"You don't have to do anything. But I could get Arthur and-" Trapper started signing only for Nana to bustle between the two and give Trapper a glare. 

"No. You are not storming the castle Trapper. If you try You get no Daughter time for a month!" Nana scolded in a whisper. Trapper shook his head but signed in agreement. 

"You both adore Ginger so much. I hope I'm as good to my baby Bird…" Robin muttered. Nana Gently pat Robin's hand. 

"You will be darling. Trapper and I have our system. I'm not denying him his ability to be in his daughter's life. And you did the right thing walking away today." Nana said. "Now I have some clothes you can use, tomorrow we can get your stuff back- Robin? Sweet Plum whats-?"

"She burned my stuff." Robin muttered, tears falling anew as she hugged herself tightly. "Snow… She. She did more than try and arrest me. She destroyed all my things. I just did my part! I just did what they expected of me…"

Nana's eyes lit aflame, fury rolling off her like an oven. 

"That, that, That witch! Disgusting. I knew Snow was Twisted but this? And she calls herself a Royal." Nana turned back to Robin, eyes softening. "We will get you new clothes and goods tomorrow. I have an extra plot of land nearby you can live on. We can design it tomorrow as well."

"Doctors appointments." Trapper signed. "We can come with you too." 

"You guys are too good to me. How can I repay you?" Robin asked sniffling.

"How about you babysit some days for us? We can always use an extra hand with Ginger and it will be good practice." Nana offered. 

"Deal."

The next day was strange. Replacing her missing clothes had been easy. Robin knew she needed maternity clothes and she wanted to move away from her old doom and gloom vibe. She wanted to be comfortable and to distance herself from the role of the Evil Queen. 

Then she saw someone she never expected to see. 

"Robin?" 

"Arthur?!" Robin had turned to see her best friend. "Look at you! Your beard came in!"

Arthur laughed, rubbing his blonde hair.

"Yeah and I finally lost the tit scars too. What are you doing this close to Camalot?" He asked. The two walked down the various aisles grabbing what they needed. 

"Oh well. I finished my story and I wanted a fresh start for me and the Baby Bird." Robin explained, Arthur sputtered.

"You're a Mom?!"

"Not yet. I'm expecting. I'm only about a month along." Robin explained giggling as Arthur started blushing. He loved kids, but never really did well with the idea of pregnancy.

"Oh wow! Uh well congrats!" Arthur said. "Uhm… you live nearby? If you do I'm sure Merlin and Giles wouldn't mind if you dropped by. Giles was really worried when news broke that your story started so early."

"That's sweet. I would love to visit. How are your Boys doing?" Robin asked. 

"Oh well… they are doing well. Milkshake is still a jackass to Giles about our relationship. But well… I'm going to propose soon. " Robin gasped.

"Really?! Oh Arty that's wonderful!" 

"Actually I was going to see if Nana knew where you were. I need your help to make it memorable." Arthur said, Robin smiled.

"Of course! You're my Best Friend Forever After. What were you thinking?" Robin asked. Arthur smiled and the two discussed proposal plans.

The next few months were a flurry of building, Reconnecting with friends and doctors. Robin had no time to stop and consider the ever disapearing urge to conquer the world. Instead it was replaced with eagerness to meet her future daughter. 

Robin got to visit Arthur, Merlin and Giles again. Her life was filling up with friends again and she felt lighter than ever. 

Then the sonogram appointment. As she had set it up her doctor had warned her, they would not allow anyone other than the father in with her. Robin was terrified. 

"Birdy whatchya doing so down?" Merlin practically chirped as he picked her up to go for the Sonogram. Robin sighed sitting beside the mage and watching the countryside roll away. 

"My doc warned me they won't let anyone but the father in with me…" Robin muttered. Merlin clicked their tongue 

"Ain't old Good King in a Nursery Home, senile out of his mind? And-" Merlin paused. The Mage was an empath and didn't need any other powers to know why Robin sank into depression when the old king was mentioned. Merlin nodded silently. 

"Fine. I'm the Dad now." Robin jolted up, turning to Merlin.

"What?! Do you honestly think they'll believe that?" Robin asked. Merlin smirked, tossing his scarf to the side. 

"They don't have too. They aren't getting rid of me. Though I'm calling back up." Merlin cooed, casting a minor sending spell before Robin could stop him. 

"Who'd you call?" Robin asked.

"The rest of the fathers!" Merlin said happily. He didn't say anymore until they arrived at the office and the two enter the waiting room. Robin was stressed, clutching her bulging stomach as Merlin went to check her in. She stood near the door, when-

"They let any old rabble in here don't they?" Robin tensed as the sniveling tones of Snow white met her ears. Robin turned. The new Queen was with her Prince, Fabian Charming and obviously expecting as well. 

"Snow." Robin hissed. 

"Queen. What are you doing here? I told them, not to accept your ilk." Snow sneered. "Or did you break in? I can arrest you for trespassing. Better yet I should have the guards toss you out. Maybe you'll get the mess- AIYYYYYYYYYY!"

Snow shrieked as her dress suddenly burst into Merlin's iconic Pink flames. Merlin sauntered up and slung an arm around Robin. She didn't realize she had been hyperventilating until then. 

Fabian put out his wife and glared at the smirking Merlin. 

"Oops, sorry I still miss fire when I get stressed ya know? And our girl is expecting our little bird, of course Im stressed." Merlin purred.

"Our?" Fabian muttered.

"Yes. Ours. Move Fabian." The Charming swung around to find Giles, Arthur and Trapper in the doorway. Arthur looked slightly mortified and Trapper looked ready for a fight. But it made Robin feel safer. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Snow hissed, shaking off the ashes of the fire. "I know none of you are the father!"

"No we all are. Because we were asked to be." Giles said calmly as Arthur pushed over to Robin and held her close. 

"No you weren't. Merlin decided." Robin muttered to Arthur who snorted. 

"You didn't say no." Arthur retaliated earning a laugh from Robin as Snow tsked.

"What ever. Just Leave, I have an appointment here!" 

"So do we." Merlin said as a nurse came up, nervously fiddling with her clipboard.

"Uhm, Ms. Queen? We are ready for you and uh… your child's fathers?" She seemed to ask if the four men were with her despite knowing the anwser. Snow went slack Jared as Robin left, surrounded by her friends. 

The panic the run in caused vanished when she saw her daughter the first time. She cried so hard, her baby Bird was healthy and growing. And Robin forgot all about Snow White.

Then her new home had been built not 2 miles from Nana's own home. Robin could easily visit and watch Ginger, who was growing so fast. 

Robin helped Arthur propose to his boyfriends. Merlin may have been a powerful mage. But Robin was the trickiest witch alive. She was able to make the moment Magical without Merlin catching on. 

And of course they said yes. The three looked radiant at their wedding. Merlin opting for a ballgown as he preferred and Giles and Arthur for a suit and armor respectively. And Robin was Arthur's Best Witch. 

Then suddenly Robin was giving birth, post ceremony. Nine months had gone by so fast. And before she knew it, Robin was holding her daughter in her Best Witch suit. She was so small and pale with a little silky tuft of black and Purple hair.

Raven Queen entered the world in Summer. Greeted by her mother and her friends. 

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Love For Love By Love Of Love

Kinda short- only 2106 words but!! Enjoy some soft Nana Boleyn!

(As in- Read Anne as Courtney!Anne, not Millie!Anne because Millie!Anne would never do any of this)

———————

Anne could hear the roars of laughter in the dressing room all the way from the bathroom she was walking out of, which made her pick up her pace so she wouldn’t miss what was going on. She couldn’t even imagine what the others were giggling about- right before she left they were trying to recover from Cathy’s beautiful comment, “Don’t fist my hoop” after Anne herself tried to fit her entire fist in the blue queen’s hoop earring, but they could have moved onto something entirely different by then. Anything could happen on a Live, especially when it was Anne, Kitty, and Cleves there. Cathy was supposed to be leveling them out, but she got roped into their antics almost instantly.

On her way back to the Live, however, something caught Anne’s attention. She stopped and peeked her head into one of the dressing rooms to see a blonde girl sitting at a desk against the far wall. Her head kept sagging downwards in the motion people did when they were nodding off but kept jerking awake, but it was clear she wasn’t all too there in reality at the moment. She was shaking, too, which made a deep maternal instinct spark inside of Anne.

Some people were surprised to find that she had such a thing, what with her gremlin-like stage persona and wild attitude that came with it, but they forgot that she had been a mother herself. Even if it was for a short time, a motherly instinct formed and the urge to care for the younger and inferior still lingered after reincarnation. Usually it only came out for Kitty, but this time felt different. When she cared for Kitty, she viewed her as a sister, but when she was looking at this girl...

It felt like she was looking at a lost child without their mother.

A child that she wanted to help.

Anne quietly stepped into the room and approached the girl- Joan, the show’s music director. Upon getting a closer look, she saw that she was, in fact, not really conscious, despite her eyelids still fluttering slightly. She was leaning over some paperwork, head bobbing in an effort to stay away that wasn’t really working for her. She didn’t come to when Anne gently nudges her side.

Anne pursed her lips, thinking. Then, without a second thought, she takes off her soft pink robe and wrapped it around Joan’s trembling shoulders.

With a small smile, Anne quietly walks out and returns to the dressing room where the Live is happening.

“What happened to your robe?” Kitty asked curiously as her cousin sat back down beside her.

“I got hot so I took it off,” Anne replied, despite it being rather chilly inside the theater. The others didn’t pay it much attention, though, and went back to their shenanigans, which apparently was now a question and answer session.

“Okay, Annie, what’s a weird fear you have?” Kitty suddenly asked, probing her cousin in the side with a bright pink nail.

“What brought this on?” Anne laughed.

“We’re doing a Q&A!” Cathy said, readjusting the phone.

“And when did that start?”

“Just now! Now answer the question!” Kitty prodded the green queen again, making her squirm away with a small laugh.

“Okay, okay! Hmm...” She thought for a moment. “I don’t think I have a fear that’s considered weird. Does not liking the texture of soggy bread count?”

“How often do you run into a situation where soggy bread is your main problem?” Cathy laughed.

“You’d be surprised!”

“Bessie is afraid of mannequins.”

All heads turned to Cleves. Question marks and laughing emojis flashed through the chat, among the huge barrage of comments from the many viewers. Kitty tilted her head while Cathy and Anne both snorted.

“Really?” Kitty giggled.

“Yeah!” Cleves nodded. “She said they made her uncomfortable. Gave her weird vibes. She doesn’t like when they’re behind her.” She tittered.

Laughter rebounded through the room at that.

“Yeah, you’re really exposing your girlfriend here, Anna,” Anne said, referencing a comment that pointed that out.

Cleves merely shrugged. “It’s my job! I’ll pay her back for it later.” She smirked and Kitty squealed, swatting at her knee, while Cathy and Anne groaned.

“Keep it PG, Anna!” Cathy barked playfully. “We have children watching!”

“Oh, shut up! We don’t do anything!”

“Oh my god,” Anne said to the side, amazed that they were actually yelling over the possibility of a couple doing a very normal thing like sex on a live with hundreds of people watching. She laughed.

And that’s when she noticed something.

Someone standing in the doorway.

It was Joan!

The girl had one hand on the doorframe, presumably to keep her balance because she was swaying slightly. Her hair was a completely mess, frizzled up like she had rubbed a balloon on her head just before walking into the room, and her eyes were half open and looked very tired. In her free hand she was holding Anne’s robe.

“Hey, Joan,” Anne greeted with a smile.

The other three turned to face the music director. The phone wasn’t angled to where the door could be seen, so confused comments were made in the chat, some even asking who “Joan” was.

“I— Hi.” Joan said after a moment. She blinked several times, probably trying to clear up her hazy vision of wake herself up a little more. “I just— I wanted to return this.” She held out the robe.

Kitty looked at her cousin confusedly. “I thought you put it away?”

Anne ignored her comment and got up to take the robe from Joan.

“I don’t know how I got it...” The girl said as she did so.

“You looked cold, so I put it around you.” Anne clarified.

Upon hearing that, Joan’s cheeks flashed pink and she looked away shyly.

“Oh. Th-thank you.” She mumbled.

“It’s no problem,” Anne glanced back at the other three. “Hey, why don’t you come sit with us?”

Joan looked surprised at the offer. Her head snapped up and her mouth opened and closed stupidly for a moment before she just nodded sheepishly. Anne grinned at her agreement and took her smaller, colder hand in her own, leading her over to where she had been sitting on the floor.

“Everyone! We have a new friend!” She announced, sitting back down at her spot. Joan kneels next to her, then fully sat down after she wasn’t told by anyone to leave.

A few comments were made about the new girl’s arrival- “Who is that?” “That’s Joan, right?” “she’s kinda cute no cap,,” “Whoaaaa she looks like Jane!!” “Why her hair so yellow tho” “is she even awake??”- but none were barking at her to leave and stop ruining the queen’s Live, which was good. Anne didn’t expect anyone to say such a thing, but you never know with the queendom.

The game of questions and answers quickly resumed. One viewer asked what everyone’s favorite animals were and after all the queens answered (“Snake!” “Owl!” “Dog!” “Also dog!”) Anne gently patted Joan’s knee, rousing her from her half asleep state.

“Huh?” Joan blinked, looking around.

“What’s your favorite animal?” Anne asked. She picked up on the girl’s obvious exhaustion and made a mental note to keep checking on her in case she got worse.

“My favorite-? Oh!” Joan finally understood. Her ears, which are adorably poking out from her unruly hair, flame red from how long it took her to process something so simple. “Umm... I like sheep.” She admitted shyly. Her hands fidget anxiously in her lap. “Hedgehogs, too.”

Anne nodded with a smile. Her heart was fluttering in a way that hadn’t happened since Elizabeth...

She thought back to when she first met Joan. The girl was so young, so thin, and so very tiny. It was a wonder she even got the job as a maid in waiting, and everyone assumed she would either end up quitting or getting removed for bad work, but she stuck around for the full three years of Anne’s reign. She was a clumsy little thing, yes. Not really good at most things- her sewing was a mess, she always managed to overcomplicate the laces on Anne’s dress when she helped her get changed, she dropped things and stumbled over her own two feet, stuttered, couldn’t really dance, and she had a hard time staying awake during court, but she was absolutely brilliant with music. Anne still remembered the first time she heard her play the harpsichord.

Ten minutes of giggles and silly questions pass. Joan is no longer answering, although her answers were sparse and whispered, so they usually went unheard. Anne turned to the girl after seeing a brief comment that said “is she asleep??” and saw that Joan had, in fact, nodded off.

In her current position, Joan was either going to slump forward and smack into the ground (which is something the poor thing would NEVER be able to live down, especially when the caught on a Live), lean back and fall over (which is something else her self esteem would drill itself into the ground for), or have really had neck and back pain when she woke up, so, without really thinking it through, Anne coiled her arms around the girl’s waist and slowly and subtly began pulling her into her grasp.

“Yikes, you’re light,” She muttered, finding it much easier to secure the music director in her lap than she was expecting. She made a second mental note to invite Joan over for dinner later so she can get something in her stomach.

Her action of moving Joan didn’t go unnoticed- the comments were blowing up with curious observations: “What is she doing??” “Anne, why are you doing that?” “whats going on?” “i just got here. what’s the tea?” “Awww!” “Mama Anne Boleyn????”

They were stupid and silly little things that people couldn’t keep to themselves. Anne just ignored them and hauled Joan completely into her lap, then began adjusting her position.

Joan was at an angle where her legs slung over one of Anne’s thighs, since she was sitting crisscross. Anne cups the back of her skull and brings her head down to rest on her chest, which is immediately nuzzled into like a kitten seeking warmth. After a momentary glance at the phone, Anne grabs her robe and wraps it around Joan, making sure her face was covered so she couldn’t be gawked at while dozing.

“So,” Anne said after her work was done. “What’s the next question?”

The other three had definitely been staring at her through the whole process, but she didn’t really care. They didn’t say anything about it, so it was fine.

“Uhh— Oh! Here’s one!” Cathy said, getting back into the swing of things. “Funniest things to happen while onstage?”

“Oh!” Cleves perked up. “That one time Bessie couldn’t stop sneezing during Heart of Stone and Jane actually stopped singing to wait for her to finish!”

“Is every answer you say going to be about her?” Kitty teased.

“Hsst!” Cleves hissed with a playful glare. “I love my girlfriend, alright! And it was funny!”

“It was,” Anne agreed. She felt something and looked down as Cathy went on to tell the story of when Maria accidentally launched one of her drumsticks across the stage. Joan was nuzzling closer to her, making adorable sleepy noises that melted her heart.

She’s just a little cuddlebug, She thought. Cuddle...sheep? Cuddlesheep? Cuddlelamb!

She slowly reached a hand under the robe to brush Joan’s cheek and the girl presses into it.

She’s so touch starved...

Anne wrapped her arms around Joan, slowly and comfortingly rubbing her back with one hand, and continued the Q&A like that.

“Secretariat was a good movie!” Cleves was arguing.

“How am I supposed to enjoy a movie that I can’t even spell the name of?!” Kitty snapped back.

“You’re just dumb!”

Kitty gasped.

“You take that back!!”

“Mmmm-!!”

The muffled noise comes from below Anne and she looks down, peeking slightly beneath the robe to see Joan’s eyes were shut tighter and she was trying to completely burrow her face into her chest. She appeared to be disturbed by all the noise.

“Hey, guys,” She said. “Can you lower your voices, please?”

The other three once again blink at her, but nod and continued the playful argument quietly. She smiled in thanks and went back to observing the sleeping girl in her arms, now rocking slowly, noting the way she was gripping the robe with one of her small, bony hands.

Anne had a feeling she wasn’t going to get the robe back, but, honestly, she didn’t really care.

[0milenct]

[7:27pm]

throughout your entire relationship with jaemin, almost two-and-a-half years, he had always been the one to spoil you. no matter how much you protested or told him it wasn’t necessary, he never listened, and as much as you loved and appreciated your boyfriend, you wanted the tables to turn. he deserved the same treatment you got, and his stubbornness irritated you, especially on days where he really deserved it.

the past few weeks had been rough, particularly for jaemin, who had been working his tail off almost non-stop in preparation for their future comeback. he would wake up at an ungodly hour, go straight to practice and work until hours after the sun had set, come home and either go straight to sleep or stay up long enough to quickly eat the leftovers from the dinner you made. you knew it was taking a toll on him, even if he didn’t admit it. he was a fighter- even when he was exhausted, he would never directly say how much comeback season drained him. it made your heartache seeing him like this, and you had to admit, the excessive amount of work he had was taking a toll on you, too. you missed having your boyfriend, and while he did still talk to you whenever he got the chance during practice and showed you the same amount of affection as he normally did when he got home late at night, it just wasn’t the same- it was the small things that you really missed, like your semi-regular movie nights and coffee dates or even just having a simple meal together.

that’s why when you heard jaemin would be getting home early, you knew it was the best opportunity to give him the treatment he deserved.

the scene was perfect: you made his favorite meal for dinner, slipped on one of his t-shirts, and put your hair in a messy bun the way you knew he liked. now the only thing left to do was wait for him to get home.

luckily for you, it only took about ten minutes of sitting on the couch scrolling through instagram before you heard the front door being unlocked.

you shot up, quickly smoothed down your (his) t-shirt making sure it was wrinkle-free, only having a second to spare before the door opened, revealing your boyfriend. he grinned at you, and before he even had the chance to close the door behind him, you were running over to him and flinging yourself into his arms.

“nana!” you exclaimed, burying your face in the crook of his neck. he laughed, dropping his bag onto the ground before wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

“hi, my baby!” he sounded so happy and excited; he always sounded like that when he first saw you after a while of being apart, and even though that was something you’d been experiencing nearly every day, it still made your heart feel like it was growing every single time.

you hugged him even tighter, breathing in his scent and immediately getting that feeling that you could only describe as home. the smell of his shampoo lingering in his hair mixed with the lavender-scented laundry detergent on his cotton shirt and cologne he used gave you a sense of familiarity and security- you wished you could turn the smell into a perfume of your own, so you’d always get that feeling, even when he was away.

surprisingly, he was the first to pull away, but only so he could press his smiling lips to your own, causing the same expression to form on your face. his hands moved up from your hips to your cheeks, while yours stayed right where they were around his neck. he was warm against your skin, and you wished you could stay like that for a little while longer, but alas, the show must go on.

you quickly moved back, causing the boy to frown. “that was too short, give me another one.”

you hummed, pretending to think for a few moments, before clicking your tongue and grinning at him. “no.” he instantly began pouting, giving you his infamous puppy-dog eyes.

“please?” you couldn’t contain your giggle, standing on your tippy-toes and giving him a quick peck on the lips. before he could begin whining again, you closed the front door, grabbed his hand and started walking towards the dining room.

“c’mon, i have a surprise for you.” his demeanor changed almost instantaneously, the look of disappointment on his face quickly being replaced by a smile.

“my baby has a surprise? for me?” he asked. you nodded in response, stepping through the doorway leading into the dining room. on the table were two plates of his favorite dinner, a lit candle in the center of the table, and cups full of his favorite drink: chocolate milk.

you turned to look at him, your heart swelling when you saw his wide grin. “what’s this?”

“i made dinner for you!” you exclaimed. “i know things have been hard lately with comeback season and all, and even though you won’t admit it, i know it’s exhausting for you, so i wanted to do something special for you because you deserve it.” his gaze met yours, his eyes sparkling and filled with surprise and happiness.

“(y/n), you didn’t have to do this for me.”

“i know, but i wanted to. you’ve been working so hard lately, and i just wanted to do something to remind you how much i love you and how proud of you i am, although i would hope that you would never forget in the first place.” you smiled. “also, i miss eating with you. it gets lonely being by myself, and since this is the only opportunity to have an at-home date night we’ll have for a while, i didn’t want to have some cheap fast food or pizza. i wanted this to be special.”

he looked back at the table for a few moments, as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing, and suddenly you were pulled into his arms once more. his face automatically buried itself in your neck, causing you to barely hear the words he already spoke so quietly: “thank you.”

you wrapped your arms around him tightly, softly caressing his back the way you knew he liked. “you’re welcome, baby.” you remained like that for a minute, and just before you were about to pull away and tell him to eat, you heard a quiet sniffle. “are you crying?”

he buried his face further into your neck. “no,” he muttered. “i’m not crying, my eyes are just sweating.”

you lightly chuckled. “what’s the matter?”

he shook his head, pulling away to wipe his tears. “nothing, i’m just-” he paused. “i love you so much. more than i could ever be able to tell you.” you smiled.

“don’t worry, i know exactly how you feel, because i feel the same way.” you leaned up to give him what was supposed to be a short kiss, however before you were able to pull away, his hand snuck its way up to your nape, applying just enough pressure and force that he was able to keep your lips connected for what he deemed to be an acceptable time. the way he always kissed you with so much love and passion never failed to leave you breathless and make your heart leap. the way he was able to convey just how much he loved you by such a simple action made you think jaemin was made specifically for you. this time, your boyfriend was the one to pull away, grinning and leading you to the dining table. “let’s eat. i don’t want it to get cold.”

you smiled. it was nice to have your boyfriend home.

~~

the two of you ate rather quickly, managing to finish your dinner much sooner than you expected (actually, jaemin practically inhaled his food, while you struggled to keep up with his pace). now, you stood behind the kitchen sink washing the remnants of your dinner down the drain. your boyfriend had practically begged you to let him help, but you were having none of it- tonight was supposed to be his night to relax, and you weren’t about to let him help with basic house chores. after a few minutes of bickering between the two of you, he reluctantly agreed to take a shower with the promise of a movie and cuddles once he got out.

just as you were putting the last plate into the dishwasher, you heard the creaking of the stairs nearby, and soon a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. jaemin’s head soon found its place in your neck, and you slightly shivered at the feeling of his damp hair tickling your bare skin.

“you look good in my clothes.” he muttered, his fingers slightly playing with the hem of his t-shirt hanging over your figure.

“did you just now notice i was wearing this?”

“sorry, i was too busy admiring your beauty to notice earlier.” you giggled, a wave of sudden heat appearing on your cheeks.

“baby,” you whined. “you’re too good to me.”

“nuh-uh” he detached himself from you, spinning you around to face him. his hand instantly found your cheek, using his thumb to caress your cheekbone. “other way around. you’re too good for me.”

“no.”

“yes.”

“no.”

“yes.”

“no.”

he laughed. “yes! stop trying to avoid my love!”

“fine.” you gave him a quick kiss on his nose. “what movie do you want to watch?”

he grinned. “you know exactly what i want to watch.”

“wall-e? again?”

“what’s wrong with wall-e? it’s cute! and it's totally us.” you raised an eyebrow.

“how is it us?”

“i’m wall-e, and you’re eve, duh.” he said. “it’s like i was living in a dirty and lonely world like him, until you came around and made everything better.” you groaned, but the smile forming on your lips gave your true feelings away. you leaned forward, letting your forehead rest on his shoulder.

“you’re so cheesy.” you muttered.

“only for you, my love.” jaemin kisses the top of your head and engulfed you in another hug. you didn’t answer for a moment, allowing yourself to completely be embraced in your incredibly goofy yet adorable boyfriend. he thought you made an impact on his life, but little did he know how you felt.

“well, in that case, maybe i’m wall-e and you’re eve, because you did the same for me.” he shook his head.

“nope. i have to be wall-e because he saves eve in the end by rescuing the plant and taking them back to earth. we’re both the knight in shining armor.” you pulled away slightly, just enough to look at him.

“now wait a second. eve was the real hero of the story, because if she hadn’t kissed wall-e, he would have stayed being that emotionless robot forever.” you stated, making his eyebrows furrow. he seemed to consider this for a moment, until he smiled.

“well, how about we go and watch it and then we’ll see who’s the true hero.” you mirrored his expression.

“you make the popcorn and i’ll start the movie?”

“deal.” your boyfriend exclaimed. you moved to go into the living room to start the movie, but before you could exit the kitchen, his hand grabbed yours and pulled you towards him once more. this time, his lips encaptured yours in the same way they did before dinner- nothing but absolute love was conveyed from the boy you had fallen completely head over heels in love with. you had always heard about the so-called “honeymoon phase” and what it was like when it ended, but with jaemin, everyday was like the honeymoon phase. he made you fall in love with him every moment you spent together, even when he didn’t try, and he never failed to let you know you did the same thing to him. he truly made you feel like the only person in the world, and because of him, you finally understood what it was like to be a disney princess and find your prince charming.

he pulled away, his cheeks flushed and his lips formed into a soft smile, and you imagined you probably looked pretty similar.

“i love you.” he said, leaning his forehead against yours. “i love you so much. i know i say it all of the time, but i feel like it doesn’t do me justice. i don’t know where i would be without you, and i know it’s selfish of me to ask, but please, don’t ever leave me. stay with me forever.”

you didn't hesitate answering. “i won’t ever leave you, nana. i promise. i love you too much to do that.” he beamed, before moving once more to give you a quick peck.

“go start the movie, okay? i’ll be there with snacks and cuddles in a minute.” you nodded.

“okay.” you smiled at him one last time before turning and walking into the living room, and while you were preparing the movie, you decided; it didn’t matter how long jaemin had to be gone for concerts, or how long he had to prepare for an upcoming comeback.

as long as he always came home to you, everything would be alright.

[luki-fanfic]

A Kingdom For A Book: Good Omens/KHR Fic

So...guess what I’ve been watching obsessively the last few weeks?  Had to try and hash some of this out before the weekend so I could concentrate on DK&T. 

A Kingdom for a Book Good Omens/Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Tsuna, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Ryohei are in Italy, having breakfast with Nono and his respective guardians when it happens.

The Tenth generation had been invited (or, translated into civilian, abducted in the dead of night the day after graduating middle school) to spend the summer break at the Vongola Mansion.  However, Hibari had been...forceful, in his refusal, while Mukuro and Chrome had declined and vanished before anyone could talk them into it.  Lambo, while excited at the idea at returning home, had refused to leave Nana alone, and had been given the ‘very important job’ of protecting the woman while the teens were away.  

Tsuna rather sorely wishes he could have traded jobs with his young lightning.  The ‘break’ part of the trip had turned out to be very apt, because tutoring on Vongola grounds was ten time worse than in Namimori, where Reborn had to at least pretend he was bound by foolish things like land ownership, Hibari’s territory issues and physics. The hitman had been enjoying every minute of Tsuna torment, to the surprise of absolutely no one.  As such, nobody is really surprised when Reborn walks in and slaps four airline tickets on the table.  

“It’s time for your Vongola Negotiation Trial,” he says, as if it explains anything.

Granted, it’s Reborn, so explanations have always been optional.  If not for the fact that the man-turned-baby-and-now-rapidly-going-through-puberty-again-teenager always landed on his feet, Tsuna would swear blindly that he just made things up on the spot.

“What’s a Vongola Negation Trial?” he asks, mostly to get things over with. If he doesn’t ask what Reborn is talking about, Yamamoto will, which will set Gokudera off on a giant rant only 2 people in the room can follow, and it’s just too early in the morning for that.

To his surprise, Nono is the one that answers, folding his hands and smiling at his heir.

“It’s a right of passage for all young mafia” he explains.  “Especially those in boss positions.  It’s a test to show your intelligence, charisma and skill at obtaining objectives.”

Yamamoto laughs and leans over to wrap an arm around Tsuna’s shoulders.

“This’ll be easy Tsuna,” he says.  “Those are some of your best qualities.”

“Hieee?”

“Don’t touch the Tenth so casually!” Gokudera hisses at the rain, before he face does some spectacular muscle rearranging to smile at Tsuna.

“But he’s right Tenth!  This will be a cakewalk for you,” he insists.

“Sawada can negotiate to the extreme!” Ryohei agrees.

“What?  But I’m not good at-”

“Regardless,” Reborn say, talking over him.  “As the future Decimo, your role will require exceptional negotiation skills. Granted, this is something you have proven to have a knack for, so this is merely a formality to prove your prowess.”

Tsuna stares at the delighted faces around him and sighs.  

As much as he wants to keep arguing, he’s acutely aware of the pointlessness of such an act.  At least a ‘negotiation trial’ probably won’t be as violent as Reborn’s usual training.  If they have to leave the country, the man can only have so long to-

Oh crap...he’s sending them to a war zone isn’t he?

“Hieee...”

The hitman pretends he doesn’t hear Tsuna’s squeak, and pulls out what appears to be a photograph from his suit pocket.

“The Ninth gave me a selection of possible outbreaks and riots that require ceasefires” he explains.  “However, as your tutor, I believe in pushing you to great things, and for that reason, I have decided to give you the toughest negotiation challenge known to man.”

Tsuna pales as he watches Nono’s guardians pale, the man himself leaning forward in something resembling horror.

“Reborn, you can’t possibly be planning to send him there...”

Tsuna watches in astonishment as every mafioso in the room steps back, the photo dropping from Reborn’s hand to the desk.

“Sawada Tsunayoshi” his tutor says.  “You must enter the shop of A.Z.Fell & Co in London, and leave with a legally purchased book.”

“...I’m sorry, what?” Tsuna says, just before the entire room erupts in full on outrage.

“Reborn, you cannot be serious-”

“There are limits to your madness-”

“At least give him a fighting chance!  A gang war in Nicaragua started a few days ago, send him there!”

Tsuna can only stare at the horrified Mafioso in pure confusion, before picking up the photograph.  It boasts an old brick building, with an older gentleman on the stair just exiting the door.  He’s dressed a good century out of fashion, but there’s a presence, even in the photo, that makes Tsuna feel he’d look more out of place in modern clothing.

“This is Mr. Fell?” he asks, once the yelling calms down.  Everyone in the room sort of glance at each other, before sagging back down into their seats.

“One of them” Nono replies.  “The book store has been open since the 1800’s, passed down his family, and has been the bane of many a collector. There are few rare texts, especially of the biblical or prophetic nature, that Fell & Co do not possess.”

“But, then why is it a bane?”

The entire room offers a mirthless chuckle.

“Because the Fell family go to extreme lengths to make sure they never part with a single volume” Coyote explains.  “It hasn’t so much as broken even since it opened.  We’re not even sure why they have the bookshop rather than just a private collection.  It’s got to be some kind of tax thing, though we’re still not sure what considering how immaculate they appear, but regardless, just because those books are in a shop, does not mean they’re for sale.”

“...Has anyone ever succeeded?” Tsuna asks.  Everyone immediately turns to Reborn, who is wearing his trademark look of smug, and Tsuna sags.

“Let me rephrase. Has anyone human ever succeeded?” he rephrases, and Reborn chuckles.

“There are stories that suggest the sixth Manachelli boss managed to make it out with a ‘wicked bible’” he tells him.  “But given that all ten known copies are currently recorded elsewhere, nobody believes it.”

“Tsunayoshi...” Nono begins.  “While I have full trust in Reborn’s decisions, I must tell you that there is no dishonour in failing this trial.  Many mafioso have failed.  Even Xanxus could not pry a volume from Fell’s hands.”

“Xanxus tried?” Tsuna squeaks, and Yamamoto gives a low whistle while Gokudera splutters.  Nono just nods.

“Nearly every family has attempted it in recent history,” Nono continues.  “As such, if you reach a point where you feel you have exhausted every avenue, please retreat, and I will insist upon a different challenge.”

The Don glances over at Reborn.

“That will be acceptable, yes?” he asks the hitman.  Reborn merely adjusts his hat.

“I have full confidence in my student,” he replies.  “But I can accept those terms.  What do you say Dame-Tsuna?”

Tsuna drops his eyes back down to the photo.  Takes in the unassuming man and the shop.

Well, at least it’s not a literal war zone.  

Looks like he’s going to London.

---

All things considered, Tsuna finds himself pleasantly surprised by London. While the architecture is western and the streets crammed with people of every colour and shape, it lacks the sheer chaotic violence that seems to encompass Italy each time he sets foot there.  Instead there’s this subconscious politeness that everyone acknowledges exists (although not necessarily acted upon) that his Japanese upbringing just finds pleasant.  While he’s certainly not about to up and move, it’s less of a culture shock than his first unchaperoned visit to Rome.  

His guardians seem to be enjoying the trip too.  Ryohei’s exuberance and yelling get him some amused looks, and Yamamoto has been taken photos since they got off the plane.  Gokudera’s had a giddy look on his face, and while he’s not mentioned anything, Tsuna spotted him grabbing a handful of pamphlets from the hotel’s tourist section regarding ghost tours.  He’ll have to remember to ask Yamamoto to ‘guard’ him one night so Gokudera doesn’t feel guilty about slipping away.

In fact, Tsuna is surprisingly optimistic about the whole thing, right up until they reach the area of Soho and gets hit with the sheer oddity of the shop.  His trio of guardians, equally enamoured by London’s streets, quickly spot the issue itself.

“How is this place still standing?” Gokudera asks, glancing around at the high street retail brands and expensive bistro bars, before turning his attention back to the dull red building that takes up a significant chunk of the corner.  “It’s got to be the only independent building on the street.”

“It’s really well located too,” Yamamoto says, pushing up on his tiptoes to look inside the windows.  “My Dad would kill for this kind of location, but there’s no one inside.  There should at least be a few window shoppers, right?”

“This is insane,” Gokudera continues muttering.  “Surely the local council would have slapped a compulsory purchase order on the owner by this point.”

Ryohei is frowning too, walking forward and frowning at a sign on the door.

“These opening times are crazy to the extreme.”  

He’s not wrong. Tsuna almost finds himself gaping at the ramblings provided.  This shop’s opening hours are the business equivalent of a 100 sided dice roll.  Judging from his expression, Gokudera can’t decide if he’s frustrated or impressed.  Yamamoto already had his phone out and snapping a photo for posterity.

Astonishingly enough though, while the opening hours are few and far between, the shop is currently open, and with a very put upon sigh, Tsuna pushes the door open and steps inside.

---

His plan is simple. Walk in, find a book that looks particularly cheap or badly damaged and then hope his intuition helps him struggle through the haggling.

Unfortunately, this plan immediately hits a snag when he walks into the shop and feels his intuition goes crazy.  There’s no danger or alarm...it just...really, really doesn’t want to be there.  It sort of does the mental equivalent of whimper and curl up into a small ball underneath a metaphysical table, and Tsuna wants to about face and walk straight out the door.

Unfortunately, that isn’t an option, because his three friends are still blocking the way, and Gokudera is already hyperventilating, eyes locked on a bookshelf that’s almost changed colour from the amount of dust.

“Is that a first edition Liver De Coloribus Coeli?” he squeaks.  “In a bookshop?”

Tsuna has absolutely no idea what a ‘liba de colour bus’ is, or what is so surprising about finding it in a bookshop, but he leaves his right hand to salivate (already the bomber has about five books in his arms, clearly forgetting the odds of leaving with any one of them), and walks around the room.

The building itself doesn’t seem dangerous, but there’s definitely something off about it.  There’s an odd damp smell that sticks in your nose and is decidedly uncomfortable.  The books themselves are in no clear order, strewn about almost haphazardly, and not a single staff member in sight...which is definitely odd considering Tsuna has it on good authority that this is a store that ‘sells’ the literary equivalent of diamonds.  There should at least be a guard, surely?

His intuition peeks out from underneath it’s metaphysical table just long enough to nudge him in the direction of a back room, but the closer he gets, the more awkward the building feels.  He tests his intuition by doing an 180 and walking towards the door, and is utterly baffled by the feeling of ‘yes! Yes! Do that!’ that follows.

“Is it just me?” Yamamoto begins as he inspects a half empty bookshelf near a window, hand rubbing the back of his neck where hair is standing on end.  “Or does this place feel really unpleasant?”

“It is extremely uncomfortable” Ryohei agrees, leaning next to the door, and that has Tsuna standing up a little straighter.  It’s one thing for his intuition to be upset, another thing entirely for Ryohei to pick up on it.

Gokudera seems to realise this as well, because he’s paused in his manic search for books to glance around the building.

“It’s as if the building itself is telling us to go away,” he concludes, and his face lights up.

“Maybe it’s a ghost?  A real, live UMA here in London.  This shop is old, it’s entirely possible.  Dammit, I should have brought some equipment!”

Yamamoto is grinning at the bomber, and Tsuna sags.  Any desire to leave has quickly vanished in the wake of ‘supernatural-oddities-are-afoot-Hayato.’

His attention is only drawn away from his storm when he hears the rather dismayed gasp that comes from the other side of the room.

‘Customers, oh dear.’

Tsuna swings round to take in the very well dressed man who looks very disappointed to see them.  

‘Ah, hello,’ Tsuna begins, frantically trying to remember his English lessons. ‘We, um, looking for, ah-’

“I speak Japanese” Mr Fell interrupts.  “But you really should leave now.  I don’t have any stock you would be interested in.”

Gokudera immediately moves forward, gesturing to the dozen books now in his hands.

‘I need all of these!’ he says in English with a grin.  ‘Name your price. I can’t believe they were all just sitting in the open.’

This just makes Mr Fell go from disappointed to horrified, and Tsuna winces.  Gokudera’s forgotten the point of this whole trip – the books must be truly incredible for his right hand to be this obsessed.  Which doesn’t bode well for anyone.

“These books aren’t for children,” Mr Fell replies.  “Please put them back where you found them.”

Gokudera’s smile vanishes.

“Are you kidding? There’s a genuine ‘Anatomy of a Chupacubra’ and ‘Fantasy of a Star’s Soliloquy’ in here.  You know how long I’ve been looking for copies of those?”

“There are extremely rare,” Mr Fell agrees.  “Which is all the more reason to put them back before you damage them.  Please, some of those volumes are fragile.”

He moves to take the books forcibly from Gokudera’s hands, and the teen moves back. Before Tsuna can even consider interjecting, Yamamoto is already slipping between the two with a smile.

“Won’t you reconsider?” he asks.  “This is a book shop, we’re book buyers. Everything can work out, don’t you think?”

Yamamoto’s easy going grin can and has eased the ire of more than one Mafioso over the years, but Mr Fell however is not included in that number.  He’s looking even more upset at being kept from his stock.

“This is doing nothing to convince me you can have ownership of such valuable items,” he says.  “Do you even know what they cost?”

“We have money,” Ryohei offers, and Mr Fell scoffs.

“Money does not buy respect or protection,” Mr Fell replies, and glares when Gokudera snorts in laughter.  

Tsuna isn’t even certain how he does it.  His intuition twinges, and he thinks he hears a finger snap, but quicker than the eye can follow, the man has plucked almost every book from the bomber’s hands, vanishing them under the counter.  Gokudera only stops gaping in shock when the man returns to grab the last few books in his hands, clutching them tightly to his chest.

“Fuck you!  I’m not leaving without them!” he swears.  Mr Fell just purses his lips.

“Yes you are.  Put them on that table this instant, or I will be forced to do something I’d rather not.”

Tsuna’s intuition spikes.  The man isn’t bluffing, and Tsuna doesn’t have the information to know exactly what he’s promising.

“Gokudera, drop them” Tsuna pleads, and while Gokudera looks at him in dismay, something in Tsuna’s face makes him capitulate.  Tsuna is far more relieved than he should be when the bomber submits, placing the books on a nearby table with almost tender care.  A hand brushes the top volume with a move one would almost call tender had it not been from Gokudera, while Yamamoto tugs at his other arm.

“I’ll be back for you,” he whispers, only to turn and scowl at Mr. Fell as he’s guided to the door.  The book owner seems quite delighted that everything went so smoothly, but Tsuna hesitates as he reaches the door.

“I can’t leave London without a book,” he tells Mr. Fell.  The man gives him a tight smile.

“Then I hope you enjoy London,” he says.  “You’ll be here for some time.”

The man moves forward and ushers Tsuna out the door.  He stumbles as he trips on the top step, only saved from falling down the lot by Ryohei, and turns to see Mr Fell lock the door and swing the sign from Open to Closed.

“What an asshole,” Gokudera growls.

“Now I get why everyone got extremely worried when we came here,” Ryohei agrees. “He’s an extremely challenging opponent.”

Tsuna nods as he pulls away from the boxer, gingerly walking down the steps.

“Lets go to the hotel,” he says.  “I think we might need to call some people.”

His friends grin as they head down the street, shoulders loosening when the realise Tsuna isn’t all that upset about getting kicked out.  To be honest, he’d have been more surprised if they hadn’t been.  It’s not like he’d expected to succeed on the first try.  

But maybe it’s time to get some more data to work with.

[thyandrawrites]

Things that happened at the con with the bnha mega group

- there was this one Kirishima cosplayer helping out a Bakugou as she fixed her costume, right. So for some reason he kneels down in front of her and holds one of her granade gauntlets as she does her thing, prompting a call of: "what's that, your version of a wedding ring?" LMFAO

- a dabi cosplayer on the first day pissing off his girlfriend, who happened to be cosplaying Shouto, and her vindicatively going: 'I'm gonna kick your ass with my fire' and immediately my friend shouto and kacchan backing her up, thus prompting her satisfied: 'fire, fire and explosions. Whatcha gonna do now, eh?' and Dabi looking at her in utter defeat, like 'this is what I have to deal with' LoL

- at lunch we were all gathered in a nook, sitting on the ground and eating our lunch, with a Dabi cosplayer standing awkwardly two meters away from all of us in true Dabi fashion (tho in his case it was because he didn't wanna get bodypainting all over our costumes, not because he was as antisocial as his character, lol)

- he was actually a super friendly and extroverted person, and kept taking videos of all of us, which, coming from a guy that was the spitting image of Dabi, complete with the best fucking goth boots and patchwork coat, was quite hilarious at first

- Hawks showing up in a floral shirt, flower necklace and rainbow fan like the retired queer icon he deserves to be

- with them there was a scarred flaming bitch cosplayer too and everyone was like: 'Fucking spoilers, man!'

- that prompted the biggest chaos ever bc suddenly all the manga readers manifested themselves and started blurting spoilers left and right (with varying degrees of seriousness) and the thing only got settled after a bakugou threatened to kick out of the group the person who was spoiling :'D (trust kacchan to know what to do)

- "Spoiler: NANA DIES" (- the nana cosplayer)

- so in that room there was this elevator that seemed to be stuck there with the doors open, right. So my friend momo looked at it and said: "we could try to recreate the gangnam style video..." and I was like: I'm not dancing. So she went: 'ok, but if we could find someone who was willing to do it... And whose character would do sth like that without it being ooc... Like... You know... Kaminari' and that was the best idea I've ever heard so I was like: please ASK HIM

- He said yes because he was a super chill dude who was always up for fun things, in true Kaminari fashion. In the end we didn't do it but it would've been so fucking funny lol

- that same Kaminari roping an entire group of 30-something people into dancing a stupid dance that everyone kept getting wrong despite it having, like, 3 whole moves

- the room being too small to fit everyone inside, Nana somehow ending up in the elevator, and then leaving with it when someone called it from downstairs, prompting the biggest fucking collective freakout I've ever seen for the next ten minutes as everyone tried to go save her

- "let's go bully Kaminari" ( - my friend who was cosplaying Jirou to me, also cosplaying Jirou)

- Realizing that I knew the guy cosplaying Mr. Compress after, like... A whole half hour of us hanging all together, bc, you know, compress literally has no skin showing (and I applaud the dedication to cosplay him when there were 35°C outside)

- one of the endeavor guys asking for a group pic with all the shoutos that were there like the greedy bitch his character is, and every single shouto looking super uncomfortable but still going with it anyway

- Dabi, showing up a little after that: "where's my dad?" me: "are you going to kill him?"

- people grabbing my jacks and pulling at them for funzies (don't touch cosplayers' stuff without consent, guys, it's shitty)

- me asking bakugou for a pic together, plugging the jack into the boots and hers and Dabi's surprised / impressed reaction when they saw that I had indeed included a way for it to do that (and thus Dabi crashing our pic, much to my delight - two faves in one photo. You go, me!)

- my own friend shouto broke her peepees. Five Peepee Man is no more. Don't tell the preschoolers.

[howsit-going-toend]

What Do YOU Want? Pt. 10

A Kwon Jiyong series ft. Kim Jiwon

Genre: Angst/Fluff *******VERY light smut

Word count: 4,500+

Summary: The most important person in the world to you can appear most often when you least expect it. But through everything, you can’t forget about you and your own happiness. Who are you happy with? Who is the best for you?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 

(A/N: All right we’re not even going to comment on the word count anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this part and hope you all enjoy reading it!)

You were grateful for Bobby’s patience as you sat in silence, unable to reply to him as your anxious mind attempted to process everything that happened in the last ten minutes. Jiyong and you had been in the same room for the first time in well over six months and only one of you knew this; the same one that remained sat in a fetal position on the ground, limbs trembling beneath a wave of uncertainty. The way he spoke about you with Bobby had your head spinning.

You needed answers.

With a deep breath, you closed your eyes and attempted to preserve your sanity amongst the chaos. “Well, I’m ready to hear it if you’re ready to tell it.”

Bobby, who had stayed kneeling before you with his eyes fixed on the ground beside him, lifted his eyes to meet yours. With a sigh, he readjusted his position to sit crisscross-applesauce and gave a half-hearted smirk in your direction. You matched it with one of your own as you continued to mentally prepare yourself for his explanation.

“Just let me explain everything before you say anything, ok?” You nodded your head in response.

“So about a week after we left to continue our tour back in May, I got a phone call from Jiyong. It was really late at night and I was so tired but he asked me…actually wait, let me back up. Sorry, so around six months ago…”

“Six months ago?!” You interjected, already on the edge of your carpeted, nonexistent seat.

“Y/N…”

“Right, sorry, I’ll shut up. Go ahead.”

“Six months ago, I ran into him here and he stopped to talk with me. So, I don’t know if you knew this, but a few fan photos got released of Jinhwan, B.I., Mino, and I at the place where we’d all meet up for drinks. Though the fans never singled you out, you’re in those photos as well. They’re low quality, but anyone who knows you well enough can tell it’s you beside us.”

Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion as you continued to listen. This was all news to you so far.

“Well, Jiyong must have seen those pictures because when he stopped to talk to me that day, like a week after they were released, he told me to look out for you for him. To please make sure you were safe.” Bobby took a pause to observe your reaction to his words but your face felt completely frozen.

“Well, I assured him that I would and then he asked if I’d do him a favor. I said of course, since he is my senior after all, but he just smiled and said nothing. I asked him what the favor was and he said there wasn’t one; he just wanted to be sure he could count on me. I just kind of walked away from that conversation completely confused after that. Until he called me in May, that is.” His eyes continued to dart between you and his hands as he made gestures to shape his sentences.

All your mind focused on now was the fact that May was when Nana Komatsu entered the picture.

What the hell could he have had to say about you?

“Like I said, it was really late and I was beat; we’d just finished a show and all I wanted to do was sleep. Hell, I’d already texted you good night, that’s how ready I was. But before I could, my phone went off and I answered it even though I didn’t recognize the number. It was Jiyong of course, and he asked if I was ready to do that favor for him.” He let out a sigh. “He asked if I would be sure to make your birthday special. He knew you wouldn’t want to make it a big deal, but… just about everything that happened that night was his idea.”

You gulped, as the redness returned to your cheeks and your lower lip began to tremble.

“I was freaking out, wanting to make the day as special for you as possible because he told me that he kind of fucked it up last year. He called me back and forth, several times for at least three days. I was worrying like crazy over what to get you until he told me that flowers were the only gift you’d ever accept. Hell, he’s the one who got in contact with our managers and personally arranged for us to fly home that day.” He paused once again before he looked up at your face in alarm.

“Y/N, please don’t cry! I should have told you sooner, I’m sorry, I’m so stupid. I didn’t want to upset you by talking about him, and you seemed so happy recently that I just couldn’t, I…”

“Bobby. It’s ok.” You pushed through the tears that had fought their way to your cheeks and interrupted his word vomit by placing a hand on one of his knees. “I’m not mad at you.” You took a deep breath. “I have no idea what to think right now, but I know that I am not mad at you. While I’m not stoked with how I found out, I’m glad that you didn’t tell me sooner.”

He looked up at you hopefully and placed his hand on yours that remained on his knee. “Really? Are you sure?”

You turned your hand to take hold of his and gave him a small smile. “I’m sure. This isn’t something I can really respond to right now. I need some time, you know? I need time to process this, if that’s all right.”

“Of course it’s all right. I understand. I’m about to be pretty busy for the next month anyways, so take all the time you need for yourself.” He responded with a glint of hope in his eyes.

“That means the world to me, Bobby. Promise me that you guys will celebrate your debut with me when it comes around?” You asked while simultaneously offering out your pinky.

He wrapped his pinky around yours and grinned. “I promise.”

You then let out an exasperated sigh and proceeded to get up. He quickly rose to grab hold of you before you could finish and lifted you on to your feet. He paused before letting go and instead wrapped his arms around you. You hugged him back tightly while the two of you stood, slowly swaying back and forth in the quiet studio.

When you pulled away from the hug, you saw Bobby glance up at the clock with a confused look on his face. As if you were capable of reading his mind, you broke the silence with a chuckle. “So, uh, I guess Mino made a run for it.” He laughed lightly in response as he brought one palm to meet his forehead.

“Now if the coast is clear, I’m going to need to cut this kidnapping short and request a ride back to my studio.” You joked to ease any tension that had resonated from the past few minutes.

“I can do that.” Bobby replied with a smile, before guiding the two of you out to the hall.

Despite taking an entire month to think everything through, nothing became any easier to understand. Just as he’d said, Bobby became extremely busy; the last leg of iKon’s tour wrapped up and was immediately followed by his and Mino’s solo debut. You didn’t see him at all through the mass of performances, rehearsals, and interviews, but it was for the best; you had enough on your mind. Jiyong’s voice haunted you every day as you tried your hardest to piece together the exact situation you two were in.

He allowed you to leave YG all those months ago without even lifting a finger. He completely ignored your attempts at contact in the weeks that lead to that moment and yet he told Bobby to look after you.

To look after you for him.

So, what? Was he encouraging the idea of you moving on to someone else? Had he accepted that any efforts towards the two of you getting back together was a lost cause, despite your attempts to communicate again? Then, he just went ahead and planned the events of your birthday; what had meant so much to you when you were under the impression that Bobby set up the whole thing. Now, you were entirely unsure how it made you feel.

Most people would probably find the idea incredibly romantic; contacting a past love’s new interest and ensuring they do right by them and fulfill the happiness they weren’t able to help preserve themselves. But in the days following the reveal of this information, there was something that ate away at you, preventing you from swooning over his gestures.

As the mornings and nights passed before your eyes, you felt incredibly confused as your mind raced with thoughts of Jiyong and Nana. Your intuition that told you they’d become a pairing had been solidified after they were spotted having dinner not very long after that photoshoot published. You’d accepted he was happy without you and reminded yourself nearly every day; but finding out what he’d said to Bobby changed everything. If they were an item, then why did it seem so important to him that your birthday was special? How did he even remember this year? Why did he care?

Did he still care?

Did you still care…?

You wiped your face with both of your hands and groaned in frustration as the thoughts and questions that haunted you every day for the past month reared their ugly heads once again. You were in your dance studio, having just dismissed your last class of the day.

With a sigh, you pressed play on your phone that was hooked up to a set of speakers and continued with the best therapy treatment you’ve ever known. As the songs passed by, one after the other, you continued to throw your limbs into the air, moving in sync with the beat. You closed your eyes and put your heart and soul into the dance, allowing every move to come naturally to you in a rhythmic freestyle.

The ninth song of your playlist ended while you stood in front of your mirror, hunched over with your hands on your knees. You remained there, relishing in the rush of endorphins as silence temporarily filled the room. The only sound that remained was that of exasperated breathing as you attempted to regain control of your pulse, until Bruno Mars’ voice broke through the quiet.

Same bed, but it feels just a little bit bigger now

Our song on the radio but it don’t sound the same

A rush of energy immediately restored itself as you ran to your phone with lightning speed. You tapped the home button to silence the song right before the chorus could start. You let out a contented sigh, thinking you dodged a bullet until you glanced down at the phone’s home screen and allowed your Instagram notifications to draw your attention elsewhere.

You ignored the feeling of déjà vu as best as you could when you saw the exceptionally high spike in notifications.

You gulped, knowing exactly whose face you were bound to see as you opened the app to investigate. What more could life throw at you at this point?

“G-Dragon’s Private Instagram Account Revealed by Hacker.”

“G-Dragon’s Private Instagram Account Gets Hacked amid Dating Rumors.”

“G-Dragon’s Private Instagram Gets Set Public by Hacker; Reveals Couple Photos with Komatsu Nana.”

Oh. That.

A fire ignited itself in your chest as you instantly took to Google to paste the handful of headlines in the search engine. You had unfollowed Jiyong’s private account long ago to avoid seeing such content and you could feel your cheeks and ears redden with anxiety as you scrolled through the articles.

Some crazed fan had taken it upon themselves to hack his private Instagram account and temporarily reset all settings to public. From there, it would seem other fans and news outlets reposted the photos. There were hundreds, sometimes hundreds of thousands of comments on every reposted picture; many of them tagged you in the hopes to gain some sort of response.

You actually felt for him, you really did. There was no excuse for this massive invasion of privacy and you could only imagine how it made him feel.

But as you glanced at the uncovered images, you couldn’t fight the strong urge to break down.

It was one thing to accept the man you once called the love of your life moving on to someone else, but it was another thing entirely to see him pictured with them. You scrolled past images of him sitting beside her at dinners and events, and past those that captured more intimate moments; one of his hand, identified by a smiley face tattoo, with his fingers intertwined in hers. As a single tear made its way down your face, you closed your eyes and sighed.

He’s happy without me, I’m-

As you began to repeat the phrase that had gotten you through the past nine months with your head held high, you were startled by your text tone. A smile found its way to your face as you saw Bobby’s name appear on your screen for the first time in weeks.

BB: Hey you. Hope you’ve been doing ok. Mino and I are going out tonight to officially celebrate our debut and would love if you came with. Miss you.

Y/N: Aish, so sappy…I miss you too though. I’m down, just gimme a time.

You’d replied almost instantly and stared back at the messages with a warmth in your chest. You concluded that you deserved to have a good night and you knew you’d always find that with Bobby. In the month of no communication between the two of you, you’d realized just how grateful you were for him. You’d spent the bulk of the year bringing happiness back into your life and knew you owed much of those efforts to him.

As you thought of Bobby and continued to observe the swarm of notifications from Instagram, bringing your mind back to those pictures, you sighed.

He’s happy without me; I’m happy without him.

You completely immersed yourself in the music that blared through the speakers of the club that night. As you continued to throw back celebratory shot after shot with Bobby, it was the booming bass that consumed you. Your fear of all sorts of confrontation had you opting out of bringing up your last conversation and instead, the two of you took to the dancefloor to move around like idiots.

There was a warmth in your chest; a combination of the bliss that came from seeing Bobby again and the alcohol that your body continuously worked to absorb.

As Psy’s “Daddy” pulsed through the club’s sound system, Bobby’s ridiculously frantic dance moves had you doubled over with laughter. You reached out to put a hand on his shoulder to still his movements, unable to take any more of the stomach pains while giggles continued to pull themselves out of you. You gestured to the bar, letting him know you were getting the two of you another round of shots. He nodded in response as he turned back to the crowd of people and continued to flail his arms in the air. You shook your head and chuckled as you made your way to the bartender.

After ordering your round, you stood with your hands supporting your weight against the bar, bobbing your head side to side along with the music. You watched as the bartender filled two small glasses while a tall figure stood at the seat beside you. You blinked as your eyes adjusted themselves to the proximity of the slender man and observed his features. You unintentionally stared at his long neck leading to jet black hair that was slicked back as he ran a hand through it and spoke to a woman in the seat next to him.

Your eyes widened as you reached an eager hand out to get his attention. You blinked once again as he turned around, allowing you to see all of his features.

“Jiyong! I’ve been looking all over for you, where have you been!?” You exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air.

Mino just stared back at you in confusion. “What did you say, Y/N?”

You paused, realizing the word that had come out of your mouth and brought both hands to your face. “Mino…I said, Mino…right? Of course I did.” You attempted to reassure yourself while Mino brought a hand to rest on your shoulder. His gaze redirected to the two shot glasses that were then placed in front of you on the bar.

In one motion, he grabbed both glasses and looked back at you with concern. “I think you’ve had enough, Y/N.” He said while taking one of the shots himself. He handed you the other glass while extending his index finger in an authoritative manner. “This is for Bobby, ok? Be safe tonight.” Panic attempted to flood your nerves as you stared back at him. “Please don’t tell him that I…”

“I won’t Y/N. I promise.” He reassured and gently ruffled your hair before turning back to continue the conversation with the other woman.

You cursed yourself for the amount you’d drank and allowing it to take such a toll on your senses. In your defense, Mino looked dangerously similar to Jiyong and just about everyone recognized this. But you knew he was right and that it was time to slow down on the booze for the night. You shook all senses of stress away before returning to Bobby, who was still spinning around sporadically on the dancefloor.

As the night progressed and you and Bobby both began to succumb to exhaustion, you decided to call a cab and return to your apartment. After literally dancing the night away, all the two of you wanted was a tall glass of water and some mindless bantering.

You both stumbled into the apartment, giggling like crazy as you made your way to the kitchen to find two glasses. You each let out a contented sigh after simultaneously taking a large gulp of water.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m beat.” You chuckled as you reached both arms up in a stretch, fatigue pulling at your body.

“Same. I don’t think I dance that much even on stage.” He returned with a similar feeling of exhaustion evident in his voice.

“You can stay over tonight if you want, you know. You’re already here after all.” You replied in a small voice, unsure if it was the most appropriate offer to make.

He looked back at you, clearly fighting the look of shock that graced his sharp features. “Would that be all right?” He asked, swaying slowly back and forth as if he was about to collapse into unconsciousness at any minute.

“Nope, that’s totally why I just offered it, right?” You teased before taking a step towards him. “Seriously though, you might as well… and I miss you staying here.” You muttered, almost in a mumble as you watched a shy smile pull at his cheeks and touch his eyes.

“I miss it too.” He replied, followed by a loud, exaggerated yawn. “So shall I get the couch set up or the floor or…?” You reached out with a chuckle and grabbed his hand before he could continue to stall. You took him with you as you both wandered to the bedroom.

“I should have a pair of sweatpants that’ll fit you, but I’m not sure if I have any shirts that are big enough.” You said while sifting through your dresser as Bobby perched himself on the bed.

“That’s cool, I can manage.” He replied with another yawn. You found a pair of sweatpants that have always been too baggy to be worn out in public and lifted yourself up while closing the bottom dresser drawer. As you turned back to the bed, you found Bobby sitting on the edge wearing just his dark jeans; his button-up had been discarded somewhere on the floor, leaving his toned upper body completely exposed as he leaned back on the bed.

“What?” He asked with a light chuckle as he caught you begin to stare. You shook your head in attempts to gain control of yourself and your now flushed cheeks before tossing the sweatpants to him. “Nothing. Just put these on while I go get changed, punk.” He grinned as you made a beeline for the bathroom with your pajamas, avoiding eye contact.

You composed yourself, throwing on an oversized t-shirt and boy shorts; your usual form of pajamas. With one last look at yourself in the mirror, you returned to the bedroom, stumbling slightly as you saw Bobby who now lay sitting up in the bed with the covers pulled up to his waist.

“Sup.” He said while you could only chuckle in response. You meandered to your side of the bed, careful to not bump into anything as the alcohol attempted to work itself out of your system.

“Hey dude.” You finally replied once you found a comfortable spot beneath the sheets.

“Somebody’s blushing. I can put my shirt back on, Y/N, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He replied, clearly amused by your sudden shyness.

“No, no, it’s fine…it’s fine.” Your voice trailed off as you couldn’t help but admire his toned physique. Alcohol always fueled your desire for skinship, but as you glanced at Bobby now, you couldn’t fight the thoughts that had you craving more.

He caught on to this in his own tipsy state as he reached a hand out to grab hold of yours. He slowly brought it to his bare chest as an audible gasp escaped your lips. You locked eyes momentarily before every voice in your head successfully convinced you to close the space between you.

You grabbed hold of his face with your other hand as your lips met his. He inhaled deeply into the kiss and brought both of his hands to either side of your face, tangling his fingers into your hair. You continued to kiss him as you readjusted your position to lay flat against his upper body.

His lips moved with yours with a longing and urgency that hadn’t graced yours in ages. You brought both of your hands to hold his face to yours as his hands began to wander; one wrapping securely around the back of your neck as the other found its way to the small of your back. A fire immediately ignited itself in your gut as the undeniable sexual tension in the room became too much to bear.

Your hand ran across his toned back and bicep; your breathing hitched in response as a small moan fought to escape you. You managed to contain it until his hand that was on the small of your back found its way to the back of your thigh. With one move, he hitched your leg around his waist and tilted his head towards you to deepen the kiss.

Your breathing became shallower as you felt his tongue graze your bottom lip. You opened your mouth to accept him while he moaned softly in approval. His hand continued to roam across the side of your body before he pulled away momentarily to lock eyes with you.

You looked back at him, lust overwhelming your senses as you lightly pushed his shoulder down and moved yourself to hover over him. You brought your legs closely to either side of him, straddling his hips as you continued to kiss him. It felt like pure ecstasy as your bodies moved together through your clothed bottom halves. Without thinking, your hips began to grind against each other as his tongue continued to explore your mouth.

He inhaled sharply before bringing his hands to the hem of your oversized pajama shirt. He pulled it up slowly, stalling in the form of a request as you quickly discarded the material to fulfill the gesture. You didn’t feel a care in the world as you sat above him, now only wearing a pair of boy shorts. You watched as his eyes raked over your upper body, licking his lips with desire before bringing your mouth back to his.

You continued to grind your hips against him, before the weight of his body pushed itself against you. In one movement, he flipped the both of you over so that he hovered over you. He broke from the kiss to trail smaller ones along your collarbone until his lips met your neck. You ran your hands along the muscles of his exposed back as your breathing became more and more sporadic with every kiss he left on the side of your neck.

As he began to grind against you again, your lower body froze as your eyes shot open. Something stilled itself in your chest as you glanced at his upper body leaning over you. Your eyes trailed along his arms as he continued to kiss your neck; his bare, tattoo-less arms.

Everything stopped.

Somehow able to feel the shift in you, Bobby stilled his movements and broke away from your neck to lock eyes with you. “Are you ok, Y/N? Do you want to stop?” He asked in a low, husky tone.

You inhaled, unaware that you’d created such an obvious change in mood, and lightly ran your hands down the sides of his arms. “Isn’t this what you want?” You asked, trying to push through your clouded vision brought on by lust and booze.

He immediately lifted himself away from you with a look of concern. “What? That doesn’t matter. That wasn’t what I asked. Y/N, what do YOU want?”

You propped your upper body up on your elbows as you looked at him in confusion. “What does that even mean?”

He dropped his head and exhaled as he removed himself from you. “I can’t do this.” He muttered while you continued to look at him in shock. “What? Bobby, no, I’m not even that drunk, I swear.”

“Y/N, that’s not it.” He said as he got off the bed and began to put his shirt back on. You watched as he secured each button, not taking a second to look at you, still topless on the bed in front of him.

With a sigh, you located your own shirt and brought the collar to your head, throwing it on as every feeling of lust and warmth exited your body. Everything was immediately replaced with concern as you looked at Bobby.

He perched himself on the edge of your bed and placed his head in his hands. “This is wrong.” He muttered.

“What? What do you mean? What’s the problem?” You asked as you crawled to his side of the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder while you awaited a response.

He let out a sigh before turning to look at you. He smiled sadly as his eyes roamed over your face before he replied. “You still love him.”