#smoking is really bad for your lungs luckily he has eight

[rad-roche]

another hot, sunless day in the Gutter

[threeletterslife]

03 | Redefining Destiny

→ previous | next

→ summary: You were convinced you were in love with him. A former member of the mafia in the states, that is. It was true love. Destiny. Until one day you wake up with a memory lapse; then that love is replaced with hatred. The thought of marriage is substituted with revenge. If your love with Jeon Jungkook really was destiny, you’d fall head over heels in love again. But if only he weren’t such a hot, goading asshole.

→ pairing/rating: jungkook x reader | PG-13

→ genre: 70% fluff, 25% crack, 5% angst | e2l!au & soulmate!au

→ warnings: profanity, graphic depictions of blood, pain and torture, brief mention of sexual activities (but yn’s too innocent to understand yikes), smoking and strip clubs

→ wordcount: 3.5k

Jungkook isn't too particularly fond of working at the burger parlor—the greasy smell of the french fries and burgers boggles his senses the more he is stuck in the hot kitchen. And just as he thought it couldn't get worse, it did. You walk in with about twenty of your annoying friends.

All of you are talking so loudly that Jungkook can hear you from his place behind the counter.

"Dude, Y/N's totally gonna get accepted."

"I mean, if she doesn't, who would, though?"

"Exactly!"

"Interning abroad is literally the best kind of experience, Y/N. You're so lucky!"

Jungkook rolls his eyes when he hears your chirpy voice. "Aw, guys! The results aren't even out yet!" you giggle. "But fingers crossed, right?"

Too bad Jungkook's on cashier duty at this time of day. Luck just was never on his side. You scrunch your brows and make a grossed-out face when you finally catch sight of Jungkook behind the counter.

"I didn't know you worked here," you say, frowning. Your army of friends rolls their eyes, murmuring their agreements about how shitty Jungkook is. "Don't know how I feel about you handling my food."

Jungkook glares at you. "I'll fucking spit in your food so you feel extra welcomed here."

You gasp, hands flying to your lips in mock shock. "Screw you, Jeon," you snort. "Hope you're having the best of luck getting laid these days." You have the audacity to give him a teasingly flirtatious wink. Jungkook almost gags.

"Fuck you. Hope your ethics grade looks immaculate," he fires back.

You almost lurch forward to hurl something at Jungkook's face, but luckily, your friends latch onto you, preventing you from hurting the pissed-off man. "Y-You know what?!" you shout, struggling in your friends' grasps. "You know the frick what, Jeon? I can always raise my ethics grade! But you can't save that horrible reputation of yours even if someone dangled a solution in front of your face!"

Jungkook's never felt this much hatred for one single person in his life. And that's saying a lot, considering he's been in the mafia for nearly seven years.

"If you don't want to order food, I suggest you leave," he says coldly, glaring at you through slitted eyes.

You don't back down. "I'm going to order, idiot—"

"Fucking order, then," Jungkook sneers.

"I was going to!" you yell. "Until you so rudely interrupted me. Ahem," you say, clearing your throat. "So, I'll have fourteen small french fries, unsalted. Eight vanilla milkshakes. Four chocolate milkshakes. One strawberry milkshake. Hold the Maraschino cherry on all of those... Um, seventeen cheeseburgers, four hamburgers... And twenty-one cups of water. Get it to me stat," you demand.

"What a hog," Jungkook scoffs under his breath.

"Excuse me?" you say. "Did you just call me a hog?"

"Yes. Why yes I did," Jungkook bites back.

"Where's your manager?" you threaten. "Do you need me to call the manager?"

Deep breath in... Deep breath out... Jungkook clenches his fists, gritting his teeth as he stays silent. No need for his manager to get involved in this craptastic madness. Although he'd love to say something snarky back to you, he can't risk his job, so Jungkook bites his lip and ignores your comment. "That'll be ₩132,465," he mumbles.

"Sorry, what? I didn't hear you," you sing.

"₩132,465," Jungkook says louder, glaring at you as you smile smugly at him. It's taking him so much control to not lunge at you and make you regret ever messing with him.

"Alright!" you giggle. "Let me just... count this out—" You pull out your wallet, which is loaded with more money than Jungkook probably has in his savings. "One... Two... Three," you begin, painstakingly slowly counting the bills as Jungkook waits impatiently.

Just to spite you, when you hand him the money, he recounts the bills so he can waste your time. The two of you glare at each other even as Jungkook hands you the receipt. You snatch it from his hands, never losing eye contact with him as you begin to walk away from the ordering counter.

Jungkook continues to glare at the back of you as you settle down with your friends in the biggest seats at the burger parlor.

God, he hates you so much. It irks him that you were so very popular as well. What the fuck did your friends even see in you?? Jungkook glares at you (as you remain oblivious) the whole time you stay.

Your friends are like your brainless followers, cheering you on for your amazing academic accomplishments. Jungkook scoffs. If he had the money you had, he'd be educationally apt, too. The only thing that keeps him from completely blowing is that he tells himself he had been richer than you at one point.

And it was true. At just the tender age of twenty-three, Jungkook had known the luxurious life of extravagant parties, shiny, black limousines and rich delicacies that melted on his tongue. He had known wealth, lived in it. But that had been taken away from him, of course. Everything he ever knew and loved had been. You were a bitch for ruining his life more than it already was ruined.

When you and your friends finally leave the parlor after hours and hours of chortling and giggling and laughing, Jungkook breathes a sigh of relief. His eyes had been starting to hurt from all that glaring. He grumbles, making his way over to your table to clean up the mess—but you and your friends were surprisingly neat eaters.

Quietly, Jungkook takes the trays and scrubs down the table, working mindlessly and quickly. But he notices something yellow and sparkly on the seats. A... handbag?

One of the girls must've left it. Jungkook sighs, finishing up his cleaning and holding up the bag with two fingers. He assumes whoever left it would come back for it... But meanwhile...

Old habits die hard, indeed. He had always been such a kleptomaniac in his Crescent days, and that still hasn't changed. He reaches his hand into the expensive-looking yellow purse and finds a phone. Huh. It looks brand-new—the latest model of the iPhone that had come out just two weeks ago. The one that cost way too much for a hunk of metal that was supposed to make calls and texts. He taps the screen, curiously and almost flings the phone away in disgust.

He's met with a lock screen photo of you taking a selfie with two other girls. Narcissistic, much? He practically throws the phone back into your bag and fishes out your high-end wallet. There are wads of bills in there, which tempts Jungkook to take just a few of them... He grits his teeth. No more stealing. Not after leaving the Crescents. Jungkook shoves the wallet back into the bag and looks around the nearly empty burger parlor.

Maybe he should just toss the purse in the trash. He'd love to see you come back into the parlor and frantically dig through the dump, breaking your precious nails and dirtying your expensive little clothes. But he sighs. He doesn't really want to stoop that low...

Jungkook tosses the purse on the counter and begins to work on closing up the parlor, scrubbing the other tables, mopping the floors and turning off the kitchen lights. The last of the customers are leaving and the place is starting to become quiet.

Until the door slams open and you walk in with a fury.

"Where is it?!" you huff.

"Parlor's closed," Jungkook scoffs. "Leave."

You ignore him, catching sight of your precious purse sitting on the counter and making a bee-line towards it. "Sunny!" you shriek.

"Sunny?" Jungkook laughs, rolling his eyes. "Did you name your fucking purse?"

You ignore him again, frantically digging through your purse and pulling out your wallet. You glare at Jungkook as you slowly begin to count the bills.

"I didn't touch anything," he lies. "Why would I steal dirty money?"

"I don't know, because you're a horrible human being?" you scoff. "At least you didn't throw it in the trash..." you mutter to yourself.

"Oh, I was going to," Jungkook says.

You glare at him before turning on your heals and strutting out of the parlor with your showy, yellow purse in hand.

Not even a fucking 'thank you.'

You might be the rudest person Jungkook's ever met. It's such a pity he's always bumping into you.

"T-Taehyung," Jungkook stutters quietly, reaching forward in the dark shadows to his dying friend.

'No,' Taehyung mouths as he catches sight of Jungkook in the darkness. 'Run for your life. I'll be fine.'

Jungkook shakes his head, tears staining his cheeks as he watches Taehyung bleed from his mouth, a steady stream of blood running down from his head too, where the intruders had kicked him.

'Leave, JK,' Taehyung pleads soundlessly. 'They don't know you're here. You still have a chance to live.'

Jungkook shakes his head again, letting out a silent sob from his lips. 'No!' he mouths aggressively. 'I'm not going to leave you.'

'If you stay with me, they'll kill you.' Taehyung gives Jungkook a bloody, toothless grin. 'I'll hold them off so you can escape. I've got a bit of strength left in me.'

'You're dying, Tae,' Jungkook sobs. 'You're dying.'

'I'm strong, JK. I think I can handle a few more knife scathings. Leave.' Taehyung bravely grins at Jungkook, but Jungkook can see the tears welling up in his friend's eyes. 'Please... leave.'

'Tae...'

'You won't forget me, right JK? But you're going to live the rest of your life without missing me too much, right JK?'

'Tae!'

Taehyung coughs up blood but keeps his signature mischievous smile on his face.

"What the fuck are you smiling about?" a gruff voice barks. He kicks Taehyung's head to the side, causing the poor man to cry out in pain. "I'll kill you slowly as you did to my friends. You'll regret you're still breathing when I'm done with you."

Jungkook holds back a choked sob. He can't watch anymore. He can't.

"LEAVE!" Taehyung shrieks, blood splattering everywhere. Jungkook knows that had been for him.

"You want me to leave, you pathetic motherfucker?" the intruder laughs. "We're in for a long ride, then."

Jungkook wakes up upside down on his bed, the blankets on the floor and the sheets completely soaked with sweat. He cries, covering his face with his hands. He cries for his best friend. He cries because he didn't save him. He cries because he had to leave him to die.

"Right, JK?"

Taehyung's playful voice echoes in Jungkook's head over and over again.

"Right, Tae," Jungkook manages to whisper against the sheets.

He is such a mess, shaking and sobbing from the memories. It almost seems like it had happened yesterday with the vividness of his dream. He wishes Taehyung were here to comfort him. Taehyung would ask if he wanted to smoke a fat blunt or take a trip to the strip club with the money he 'borrowed' from Namjoon... Taehyung would know how to comfort him. Taehyung would tell him to man-up and stop sobbing like a big baby about it.

Jungkook shudders, sniffling as he slowly gets up from his bed to find the covers that had fallen to the floor. He adjusts his pillows, wipes his tears away with the back of his hand and gets back in bed, manuring his feet so it doesn't touch the wet spot on the sheets where his tears and sweat had accumulated throughout the night. He's still breathing hard and shaking slightly from the remnants of the bad dream.

But he tries to fall back asleep by putting happy thoughts in his head. Those days when he and Taehyung had done everything together... Those days when he thought his future would be with the Crescents... Those good days...

You wake up with a loud gasp, head jerking forward as you sit up immediately. Your roommates are still sleeping soundly, thank goodness, but you can't stop the queasy feeling swelling in your stomach. Maybe your period is a whole two weeks early?? But your cycles are always regular...

The darkness of the dorm room makes you feel weirdly lonely—even with your two friends near you, sleeping in their own beds. Your alarm clock glows a magnificent shade of green; the numbers 3:27 staring back at your perplexed face. You're supposed to wake up early for a study group session in the library, and this little awakening would surely ruin your chances of ever getting to the session early for once.

You try to suppress the foreign feeling in your stomach by tucking yourself back in bed, curling up in a fetal position. Maybe you were starting to contract the stomach flu??

You're confused because sleep has never really been a problem for you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you hope lying still in the dark will help you drift back to sleep. But the attempt is futile. So you lay in bed, keeping your eyes closed as you mumble a few prayers for your friends and family. Miraculously, once you finish, you're tired again, and the weird feeling that had woken you up is gone.

It just must be one of those nights, you think before falling asleep.

You wake up at 10 a.m. in the morning with leisure. Sitting up slowly and taking the time to stretch out your arms and straighten your back. The sun is strangely high in the sky, you notice as you yawn and rub your eyes. When you finally glance over at your alarm clock, your eyes turn wide.

"Frick!" you yell as you realize you're the only person left in the dorm room. You're late to the study session... again.

In record time, you brush your teeth, tie your hair and a bun and throw on some clothes strewn on your desk chair (hoping the colors don’t clash too much) and rush out with your backpack in hand—you pray that everything you need is in there and your laptop is charged enough to last three hours.

You blindly run across your campus before reaching the library and quickly scanning the tables to see if the study group had started without you. But you recognize only one person in the study group sitting alone at your usual table in the corner behind the American literature section. He's quietly reading his notes with his laptop already perched right next to him. The way he looks up prepped and ready disgusts you.

"Jeon. Jungkook," you say, gritting your teeth as you slide in the chair across from him.

"God, no," he replies, seeing you and rolling his eyes. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" you spit back at him. "I'm in your study group. We've been in the same study group for months."

"Oh," Jungkook scoffs. "Must've slipped my mind because you're so irrelevant."

"How dare y—"

"You look like you had a rough morning," he interrupts you.

You eye him up and down, glaring at him through slitted eyes. But you self-consciously tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear, patting the bun sitting on the top of your head to make sure no stray hairs were awkwardly sticking out. Your random choice of clothes doesn't look as bad as you thought either—you'd thankfully grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a slightly wrinkled black t-shirt.

Funny that Jungkook was commenting on your obvious hastily prepared appearance when he looked just as unprepared as you.

"Well, you look like you had a rough night," you say. "Dark circles look good on you, Jeon. Ugliness suits you."

"I was up studying," he answers without missing a beat. "What were you doing? Naming your other purses?"

"Shut up."

"Whatever."

You give him one last rude look before starting to unpack your study materials. Yes! you cry in your head when your laptop wakes up with a solid 47% battery left. You slam your notebook down the table, looking at Jungkook as you do so. He acts as if he sees right through you.

"So," you sigh. "Where the heck is everyone else?"

"Would it fucking kill you to cuss?" Jungkook rolls his eyes. "I feel like I'm babysitting you." But one death threatening glare from you has him answering your question. "Maybe they ditched."

"I can't believe we're the only two responsible students," you sigh. "I expected better."

"Maybe they have something better to do than study ethics in broad daylight in a quiet, boring ol' library," Jungkook says.

"I can name a thousand things on the spot that would be better than studying ethics with you," you say. "But look where I am. I still came."

"Fine. You win a fuckin' gold star, Y/N," Jungkook says, scoffing. "What do you want me to do, give you brownie points?"

It's annoying how he never backs down to you, always having something snarky to say up his sleeve. And it boggles your mind that he's usually so quiet around everyone else. You're the only one he so actively speaks to—but you'd rather not have it that way because the longer you sit and waste your time with the insulting repartee between you and Jungkook, the more likely you would get a hemorrhage from the stress alone.

"Just—" you sigh, pausing to rest your hand on your face. "Just, shut up, Jeon. Let's study."

"That's what I wanted to do the whole time," Jungkook says. "Before you—"

"I will wack you with my textbook," you say. "Wow. Wouldn't have thought you were into pain play, Y/N," Jungkook snorts.

"Pain what?"

"Never mind," Jungkook sighs. "Whatever. Let's review the notes."

"Okay, fine," you huff. "And I recorded the professor's lecture so we can listen to that too."

Jungkook scrunches his eyebrows. "Ugh, what a try-hard."

"Excuse me?" you say, actually a bit offended. "Fine, I'm a try-hard, but unlike you, I'm gonna be so freaking successful. While you're still here, I'll be interning abroad to become a lawyer."

"Oh yeah?" Jungkook says as he raises his eyebrows. "I was already pretty fucking successful in America. Lived in a mansion... owned a high-end car..."

You snort. "What'd you do? Steal all that money?" you joke.

"You could say that," Jungkook says in a dead-serious voice.

You roll your eyes in response, amazed that he was able to take a lie that far. "I heard you dropped out of college before you came to Korea. What are you, 30 years old?"

Okay, maybe that was exaggerated. Jungkook doesn't look a day older than 22; it infuriates you that his skin is so soft and crystal clear and his hair seems to bounce up in natural curls. Dang it. Yoojung is right. It makes me madder that he's actually good-looking. You would never admit this out loud to anyone, though.

"Nice try, genius," Jungkook says. "I'm 27."

"At least you're not in your thirties," you sniffle, upturning your nose and furiously flipping in the pages of your notes to find the latest lecture.

"Is there anything wrong with dropping out?" Jungkook asks. "Damn. How far do these rumors go?"

You huff. "Rumors spread faster than wildfire. And I don't care if you dropped out or not if you can catch up on our studies now. Just ugh, I'm embarrassed I'm literally being seen with you right now. Let's hurry up and finish." "So I'm an embarrassment, now?"

"Yes. And you can't say otherwise or try to argue with me," you say, lifting one of your eyebrows. "Because I know I'm right."

"And you want to become a lawyer? If you knew you were right, you'd definitely have a better argument than that."

You let out a silent, frustrated scream in your head. "My gosh, just please, shut up," you mumble as you unlock your phone for the first time this morning to escape Jungkook's immature insults. That's when you see hundreds of unread messages.

"Oh my gosh," you groan. "Ohh my goshhh. They switched the location! And I didn't see until now!"

"What?" Jungkook says as he whips out his own phone and scrolls through his messages. "Fuck," he curses. "Why were we the only ones who didn't see this?"

"I know," you say. "It could've been me, you and someone else. Better yet, me and two other people. Anything would've been better than this." You sigh, slamming your laptop shut and shoving your study materials back into your backpack.

"Where are you going now?" Jungkook says, sighing.

You shoot him a glare. "Where do you think?" you sass before walking away without another word.

Man, Jungkook sucks, and your patience and ability to forgive is tested over and over again when you coincidentally meet him literally everywhere you go. It's infuriating. But what can you do about it?

—previous | next

—masterpost

[itty-bittle]

I know absolutely no one asked for this, but I was overcome and had to get this out of my brain. and i had to break my 4 months of writer’s block. so here’s this, i might make more! i am selling a product for which there is no demand 😌

______________________________________________________________

Nursey/Dex, 1500 words (so far)

He knew this road like the back of his hand. All of them, really, the way they sprouted and converged with one another, each leading to a building or a park or a neat row of raccoon-infested dumpsters he’d seen a thousand times. It was easier at night to see them all again, brain on autopilot as one hand worked the steering wheel, the other tucked under his thigh. It made him almost angry, the nostalgia that’d wormed itself into his chest again. He hated this fucking place. 

The only part he liked was the Persian tobacco store owner who’d sold to him since he was a scrawny 16 year old, who saw his shaved head and poorly ace bandage-bound chest, and passed the carton of cigarettes across the counter without even asking for his ID. He smoked half the pack in one sitting the first time, hoping his lungs would just shrivel up on the spot. They didn’t, he just felt sick and lightheaded his entire drive back home. He didn’t stop, though. He almost liked the way they made him feel. The nausea drew him out of his body, clenching his stomach instead of his heart for a few brief minutes. 

He was smoking now, actually. The filter of a fresh dart pinched between his index and middle fingers, stinking smoke into the ceiling of his pickup. Luckily it’d already reeked of ashtray when he bought it, so he didn’t have to feel bad about ruining the upholstery. He shifted his unused hand to steady the bottom of the steering wheel while he took a drag. No one knew he smoked, at least at Samwell. He didn’t live in the Haus so it was easy enough to hide, not that they could do anything about it if they found out. His coaches could tell him to stop, but he did well enough on the ice with black lungs already. He just knew Bitty would be disappointed in him. 

The road was quiet, like it always was after 8pm. In a town full of hicks and the elderly, everyone was busy either snorting pills or resting up for early church service. The night was mild and sweet outside his windows, insects screeching in the foliage framing either side of the road. Dangling his cigarette between his lips, Will dipped his hand outside the window, wind whipping through his fingers like silk. The headlights of the truck barely illuminated the road immediately in front, but it didn’t matter. He knew all the curves were coming before he even had to think about it. He was thinking about going to the shop, Izad was usually there well past closing and would let him in as long as he paid in cash, when his phone started buzzing against his thigh. Glancing down, he saw a facetime request from Nursey, his contact name “annoying shithead” staring back at him. Confused, he spotted a parking lot a little ways down the road and pulled in, heart thumping faster in his chest. He chalked it up to the nicotine buzz.

“What do you want?” He said once he parked, resting his phone on the middle of his steering wheel. The streetlight illuminated him just enough that Nursey couldn’t complain about not seeing his ‘stupid mug’. 

“Hello to you too, sexy Dexy.” Nursey drawled. Behind him, Will could see a gorgeous oak desk covered in every manner of clutter: dishes, books, loose papers and half-finished granola bars. “Is a man not allowed to check in on his favorite little star every once in a while?” 

“Ha ha.” Will said, flicking the ash off his cigarette where it hung out of the window, safely out of frame. “Then to what do I owe the, uh… pleasure?” 

“I missed you.” Nursey said simply, like that wasn’t enough to make Will’s throat tense up with… something. “And I wanted to ask you if you’d quit that awful job yet.” The only decent one he could get in this shitty town, Nursey meant. Will sighed, watching as the ember ate away at his tobacco. 

“No, idiot, because they pay me enough to keep gas in my truck. And it’s… I don’t know. It’s nice to do something. To have like a purpose.” Nursey nodded sagely, and something flickered across his face. He probably had a wealth of time sitting on his ass doing nothing, Will thought, and he definitely didn’t envy him. Nursey liked to keep things moving along as much as him, and Will couldn’t imagine what he’d even do if he didn’t have to worry about putting gas in his car or food in his sibling’s mouths. Nursey was probably going insane with boredom. 

“What about the lobster boat?”

Will sighed, scrubbing a hand across his face. “The hull is fucked. My uncle crashed it into a sandbar that had a few too many rocks in it. It’ll probably take him all fucking year to get around to fixing it.” The news was disappointing, but not shocking when it came. Uncle Matt had a tendency to drink a few too many when the water got still and the stars were out. Will couldn’t say he blamed him, it was lonely out there. Still, sucked that he had to spend eight hours in a sweltering mechanic shop all summer rather than on the ocean. “How’s C?” 

“He’s fine. Cait’s coming to visit him soon.” The scenery behind Nursey changed as he made his way down one of what Will assumed to many long hallways in his house. He’d never actually been, but in his mind Nursey lived in a mansion on top of a skyscraper. “How come you never visit me, babe?” Nursey pouted, little frown replaced by an easy smile when Will scoffed. 

“Because I have a job.” Will replied, deciding he didn’t care if Nursey knew his car and his hands and his breath smelled like an ashtray, he paid eight fucking dollars for the carton and he wasn’t going to waste a cigarette because Nursey liked impromptu facetime calls. Besides, Nursey was a lot of things, but he definitely wasn’t a snitch. He took a mildly shameful drag, flicking his eyes away from the screen as he pulled and exhaled. Nursey didn’t look surprised at all. 

“American Spirits. Didn’t know you were a fuckin’ tree hugger, Dexy.” Despite himself, Will smiled, taking another pull. 

“Fuck off.” Was all he said. There was silence as Nursey reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of, oddly enough, white wine. “Whoa there, big shoots. I thought your parents didn’t drink.” 

“They bought it at some fundraiser cus Ma liked the art on the bottle. I’m just going to mix it with cranberry juice, make myself a nice little rose.” Will gagged loudly, scowling at his screen while Nursey laughed. The worst part was knowing he was dead serious. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Will murmured through a mouthful of smoke. 

“Bestie withdrawals.” Nursey sighed dramatically, uncorking the bottle and dumping it into a pint glass. He waved the open neck under his nose, inhaling deeply, eyes comically rolling back in his head. “Mm, I’m getting strong notes of… let’s see… cat piss, vinegar and oh,” he inhaled again, “Hints of rubbing alcohol. Simply splendid.”

Will was giggling despite himself. He hated how much he loved Nurse’s stupid antics. “C only left four days ago, how can you already be having withdrawals?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t seen you for like, two months.” He said, and again the same feeling jumped up into the back of Will’s throat, twisting at his guts. It was weird. It was hard to tell when Nursey was being sincere about this kind of thing. All the flirting, the pet names, all of that was a joke, obviously, it had to be. But sometimes Nursey would say things so easily, like they were true, like he really did capital-m miss Will. It wasn’t that Will didn’t miss him too, of course he did, some days he’d wake up and the first thing he did was mindlessly open his phone to scroll through Nursey’s insanely long Snap stories, just to look at his face. He’d never tell him that, of course, which is why the sweet nothings Nursey would casually admit probably affected him so much. Probably. 

There was silence again as Nursey rooted around in the fridge for the juice, and Will flicked his ash out the window. 

“Y’know…” Will started, hardly believing he was saying what he was about to say. “I do have a Friday off next week. And the shop is closed…” 

“Saturday through Monday. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Nursey was grinning, the kind that made Will’s ears heat up and he had to turn his eyes to the window again, pretending he was watching something outside. 

“It’s a hell of a drive, though. You better be worth my time, Nurse.” Will said, trying to sound mean but it mostly just came out soft. He stuck his cigarette back in his mouth so he wouldn’t say anything else.

“Oh, I’ll make it worth it, William.” Nursey said, and Will didn’t even need to look to know he was waggling his eyebrows at the screen. 

“You’re paying me gas money.”

“I’ll pay for a new shitty fuckin’ pickup if you bring some of your brother’s hooch with you too.” 

[poutyyybangtan]

save me - kim jinhwan

genre: some angst, lotta fluff character pairing: kim jinhwan (ikon) x female character warnings: not much, some death a/n: this was requested and jinhwan is a cutie. this has been a psa. ayyoo. 

synopsis: 

“it would only matter if i’m your hero.”

it was a plain old thursday in the office. you were a receptionist at a hotel in the heart of seoul, one of the finest hotels there was. it’s pristine and aesthetic inside made is what helped establish it’s reputation, but the staff is what made it even better. 

you weren’t one to turn away customers who rented rooms, even when you should. you have seen your fair share of married men with women who were clearly not their wife’s, potheads looking to make the night a memory, or students looking to lose something while gaining something, too. 

and you’ve never had an issue with anyone of those customers. until tonight.

a regular couple checked in, but they looked more normal than they were. you kept receiving noise complaints from their surrounding neighbors and your manager had finally had enough. your on guard security had called in sick and so it was left to you to bang down the door and demand they either behave or leave. 

so there you were, walking down the clean, carpeted hallway, their shouts echoing down the halls. you felt your palms get nervous and sweaty, but the real anxiety didn’t kick in until you seen smoke curling up from underneath the door, a bright orange light leaking through. 

“oh no,” you murmured in worry. you pulled out your cellphone dialing 911 and began knocking on nearby doors, yelling that they needed to evacuate the floor. 

“911, what’s your emergency?”  a voice called out

“there’s a fire at the shangri-la hotel in downtown seoul. floor eight, room 810!” you call out. you could hear the screams of the woman inside and you used all your energy to throw yourself against the door. 

“hey, open up in there! let me save you!” you yelled out. as you continued to throw yourself against the door, you the woman screamed and screamed and her screams fueled your fear and the adrenaline in you made you feel stronger, and with one final throw, the door caved, the locking snapping under the pressure and swinging open. you fell onto the floor, surprised that the door actually caved, and you looked up to see the woman tied to the bed and the man sitting in the chair, the flames swallowing him whole. you crawled to the bed, remembering that oxygen was lower and that smoke rose from science class all those years back. you managed to make it to her.

“please, help me,” the woman whimpered in fear. you began to tug at the notes, the smoke filling your lungs and the heat becoming unbearable. 

“i got you. you’ll be okay,” you weakly respond. you tugged at the notes and you finally had her hands released. the lack of oxygen was starting to affect you, your head dizzy and your limbs going numb.

“seoul fire department! is there anyone in here?” a voice called out.

“over here! help, i think she’s dying!” you could hear the woman cough out. you body was half slumped atop the mattress, next to the womans body who was still undoing the knot at her feet. you could hear the voice of separate men talking to one another, then you felt your body being lifted from the floor and the rush of wind, as if someone was running while holding you. 

in a matter of seconds, you were outside and you felt the oxygen rush back into you, but you still felt dizzy and lightheaded. an oxygen masked was forced onto your mouth and nose. you inhaled the oxygen and your eyes fluttered open finally, the sun bright and casting a spotlight on the man in front of you.

“(y/n), are you okay?” the man asks you.

“how do you know my name?” you groggily ask, your voice hoarse. 

“you’re wearing a name tag,” the man chuckles. you felt yourself release a giggle and you nod.

“i’m feeling okay, but my head hurts really bad,” you say, your voice garbled because of the mask the man still had pressed against your face.

“yeah, that’ll happen. it’s the lack of oxygen that’s making it hurt,” he says. you watch him stretch his arm out and grab something. the mask is removed from your face and a water bottle is pressed to your lips.

“here, drink this, it’ll help,” the man states. you began to chug the water, making the man laugh again. you finally gesture to him that you’ve had enough and he pulls it away, placing the mask back onto your face. 

things are slowly starting to be placed back together, and you’re slowly becoming more aware of your surroundings. you realize you’re laying on a gurney, your head elevated by some pillows. you’re near an ambulance and that the man who’s helping you is a firefighter and not an emt. 

“what’s a firefighter doing resuscitating people?” you joke. the man laughs again.

“you had us all scared in there. i literally pulled you out of the fire and wanted to make sure you were okay,” the man said.

“you’re a real hero, you know that,” you laugh. he smirks and shakes his head, and then you realize, his hand his holding yours tightly, this thumb rubbing the back of your hand.

“what’s your name?” you finally ask him.

“jinhwan,” he smiles.

“well, jinhwan, thank you for saving me,” you say, clenching your hands tightly.

“i have a thing for saving damsels in distress. especially really brave ones who throw themselves into the danger,” he jokes, making you laugh.

“someone had to do it,” you shrug.

“it was dangerous, though. so please, wait for emergency responders,” jinhwan smiles.

“what? you don’t want to see me again?” you tease, and he stifels an awkward chuckle.

“not like this,” he smiles in return. he doesn’t give you much of a chance to ask him out for dinner because he pats your head twice before walking off. you’re left confused, but have no time to dwell as an actual emt pushes the gurney into the ambulance and you watch jinhwans figure walk away from you. 

-

you were released from the hospital three days after the incident and you were finally able to breath without some doctor or nurse poking or prodding at you. you were thankful for all the service you were provided while hospitalized, but you couldn’t seem to find it necessary. you only experienced minor injuries (slight asphyxiation and luckily no burns), but they were treating you like you had some serious injuries.

you had managed to deal with the insistent medical faculty with the other woman, who was named yoon-bin, in the fire. she always greeted you by thanking you, and you always had to remind her you didn’t do much, but she always ignored you and thanked you anyways. the other person to keep you entertained for those three days was jinhwan. 

he found out what hospital you were in and managed to keep you company sometimes, watching the horrible daytime television and making jokes for the fun of it. but somehow, his visits stressed you out. 

every time you teased him or slightly touched him, he would tense up and remind you at the end of his visits that he didn’t date. you were always thrown off at this (you thought you were playing it cool) and the first time it happened, you were sad, wondering if you’d ever talk to each other. but then he showed up the next day and continued like nothing was wrong, even bringing flowers with him the second time. you were cautious the second day, keeping your responses short seeing as you didn’t want annoy him. 

he noticed this and he started to feel bad. 

he didn’t mean to make you feel this way. he liked you, he truly did. he even went to the lengths as pestering the doctors and nurses to baby you, even if you weren’t severely hurt. but he couldn’t date. he promised himself when he became a firefighter that he wouldn’t be with someone because of the danger the job brought. what if one day he didn’t come home? what if he went into a burning building, and never came out? 

he, himself, wasn’t scared of dying. if he did, he wouldn’t have been a firefighter to begin with. what he was truly scared of was leaving behind the person he loved, knowing they would have to cope without him. he didn’t want to give someone the world only to have it snatched beneath him. 

plus, he had a history. he slept around. he knew it was morally wrong, but it was the only way for him to elicit some sort of feelings without them becoming permanent. and it was usually with those he saved, too. being a firefighter gave him a little leverage, bragging to women about the danger he’s experienced to sneak into their pants.

but with you it was different. he didn’t want to sneak into your pants, only to leave you high and dry. you were so much more than that. you selflessly ran into a fire to rescue someone you didn’t know. you made light of a situation that would’ve left anyone in a lifetime of therapy. but your bravery and your beauty and your humor, it made him want you. but his fear left him wondering what he should do. 

when he found out you were leaving the hospital on his third visit, he felt sad. now he didn’t have an excuse to see you without calling it a date. now he didn’t know what to do to be able to see you. it’s not like he can constantly come to your job. how suspicious would he be that he rented a room every week just to be able to call you up to the room for dumb reasons? what are the chances that you would even attend to those calls?

but he felt relieved when you walked into the fire station on a monday morning, looking as beautiful as ever, holding a box of donuts. he stood up from his table and in the firefighter lunchroom and walked over to you.

“hey, (y/n). what are you doing here?” jinhwan smiles, secretly happy at your visit.

“well, i wanted to thank you and the fire department for saving me, and the hotel, that day. since it was breakfast, i figured, ‘why not some sugar?’,” you smiled, setting the box on the table nearby.

“chow call! sugar snack!” jinhwan called out to the rest of the firefighters who were lounging around the station. they all cheered and thanked you, fighting over who gets what flavor. jinhwan shook his head at his coworkers, more so and hanbin and chanwoo who were fighting over chocolate. he grabbed your arm and pulled you to a more secluded hallway.

“what are you doing here?” jinhwan asked in shock. you felt your smile falter, and jinhwan knew it sounded meaner than it should’ve.

“i.. i uh.. wanted to see you... i know you don’t date and all, but it couldn’t hurt to--”

“no. look, (y/n), you’re really sweet and amazing and funny and--”

“for someone who says they don’t like anyone, you’re making it seem like you like me,” you ask incredulously. jinhwan sighed deeply and closed his eyes, using his hand to lean against the wall nearby. he closed his eyes and stayed real quiet, which made you think you hit a nerve. 

“look, never mind. forget i ever mentioned anything, okay? thank you, for saving me. i’ll just... go,” you murmur defeatedly. this was not what jinhwan wanted. it took him years to build up this shield of protection and it all it took for it to crack was a look from you. he couldn’t let you walk away. he didn’t know how this was going to work, but he wanted to try with you. 

“(y/n)! don’t go, okay?” jinhwan shouted from his end of the hall. you swiveled on your heel and looked at him.

“look, jinhwan. i understand. this job takes so much from you, that you’ve seen it all, but how could you torture yourself into never wanting to be happy again?” you asked, your eyes clouded with tears. 

sure, you’ve been rejected before, but not like this. it felt.. normal.. with jinhwan. it was more than just that he saved you. he showed you a care that you’ve never had before. a sense of worry could be felt every time he looked at you lying in your hospital bed. he made you feel wanted, even if he didn’t realize it himself.

“i want to give myself to you, i do. but what if one day, something goes wrong? at work? in the relationship? in me?” jinhwan sighs.

“are you scared of letting me down? jinhwan. you’re a hero. you save lives everyday! you’re needed by everyone and you never give up, no matter how hard the job gets! you’re so brave and so smart. why would you think so negatively of yourself?” you ask, slowly walking closer to him.

“i just.. am scared to lose someone because of the job. you deserve someone who you know will come home to you every night and you don’t deserve to worry if your boyfriend is safe or not,” jinhwan admits, reaching for your hand. he grabs your right one and he cradles it in his palm, never meeting your eyes. you interlock your fingers and you pull him into you.

“the world is always going to be a dangerous place. and i will always worry about you. but at least we would be with each other, facing it all together,” you offer, squeezing his hand to capture his attention. he looks up at you and smiles.

“you think we could make it work?” he asks.

“let’s go on a date first and find out,” you giggle. he chuckles at this and smiles at you. he goes to lean in when an alarm rings through the hall, causing you to jump in your spot.

“worse timing ever,” he groans. you laugh at him and kiss his lips quickly.

“go. be a hero,” you smile.

“it would only matter if i’m your hero,” he winks, being cheesy. you roll your eyes at him and push him to go, watching him run down the hall to geared up to go.

“you already are.”

[satire-please]

My Teeth Are Like Swords

Summary: Because I like the irony of Tim Drake being a fire-breathing Drake too much...

Tim waits under the huge clock at City Hall for midnight. He doesn’t know why all city halls like to sport a giant clock like it’s all the rage, but whatever. It seems like the best place for a bit of melodrama. (Besides, he’s taken tips from the best drama queen cough starts with a ‘B’ and rhymes with juice cough). The hand strikes the top and the clock booms, each gong vibrating his body underneath the clock face and finally—finally—Tim turns eighteen.

And Tim Drake Wayne gets what he’s been waiting for.

Sparks crackle under his tongue as his pupils narrow for a moment to take in the stars through the miles of smog. His skin ripples impatiently as his mother’s magic bubbles up and wakes in his bones at last. Finally, he thinks rubbing his chest at the fire that freaking hurts thank you very much right under his sternum. That’s gonna take awhile to get used to. Finally, he smiles when he looks down his shirt to see the muted glow flickering in time with his heartbeat. Ready to burn when necessary.

It's beyond totally rad.

Awaking his inner core is like being Robin for the first time again. Where everything is brand new: the sights, the smells, even the air tastes fresh with chemicals Tim can only begin to decipher coating his roof of his mouth. His heart beats hard at how exciting and dangerous it all is, just enough to make normal people run away screaming.

But then again when has he ever been normal?

Not since Mother set him on her knee to tell him what he is, what she is. Tim absentmindedly pulls off a gauntlet to claw the side of the building, trying to soothe his itching and aching nails as flashes of her pass through his mind.

Like the night when Mother thawed enough to remember her duties to her clutch egg. The eight-year-old boy fitting tight in her lap as she tends to his hands.

“We’re lucky your claws are soft enough for obsidian,” she muses as she efficiently moves from digit to digit, the volcanic glass snipping quickly. “When you’re older you'll have to grind them down with something more...durable, metal for instance, over and over to sharpen them to your liking.”

(Like he’s doing now. Augh. He’ll have to find a parking garage or something. Somewhere loud enough to cover the screeching nails on chalkboard sound, somewhere where the grooves he’s making will go unnoticed.)

The boy bounces once or twice and then bites his lip. “Mother?”

“Yes, my pet?”

“Did you marry Dad because his name was Drake?” Tim asks, looking up. There’s a scale somewhere at the base of her jaw, he just knows it.

“No.” But her tone mildly suggests otherwise. At Tim’s sceptical face she adds, “It might have made me more susceptible to his advances, however.”

“Oh my gosh, you so did.” His mom kept his dad over a pun.

Janet hums, bemused at her clutch child. What a silly thing. When his nails are done, she grooms his hair, double-checking for signs to hide. A charm or two can go a long way. Besides, she and Jack leave in the morning and it will not do for one of hers to be unkempt. Sometimes she wonders if the only reason she convinces Jack to return is for this, to sate the itch, the biting lips, the shaking of her fingers that will only stop if she checks and accounts for the hoard. Not that her human mate knows that everything in the quiet mansion is a part of her treasure.

“Are you ever going to tell Dad?”

“Tell him what?” She goes still. Her child is growing clever too fast. Not as easily placated as before.

Tim carefully moves, tracing the lone black piece that glimmers in the hollow under her ear.

She cocked her head at him, the crack her neck makes is unnatural. Her eyes flare a tiny bit bringing the purple out of them, the same purple that hides in Tim’s eyes. “No. Humans always panic.”

Tim cringes. “Always?”

“Always. And their weapons, their toys, my pet? Have gotten much, much better.” At his crestfallen face, she swoops down to press a kiss to his forehead. It burns. He knows there will be a light mark tomorrow, but he’ll still treasure it and outline where it used to be when it’s long gone. “Besides I’ve already decided to spend the rest of my days in this form with your father. Why tell him about something he’ll never see?”

The notion is irritating and Janet refuses to waste time considering it. Humans are so hard to convince. Hard to convince that the idea of your being is real and then hard to convince that you mean them no harm. Janet huffs. A dragon’s patience is not limitless.

“Well, don’t you need to tell him about me?” He peers at her through his bangs.

Janet purses her lips. “Perhaps. We do not know how your father’s blood will mix with mine. We’ll see if it’s necessary when you come of age...but I doubt when your lessons are done that you’d be so foolish to slip and reveal yourself.” A hint to fang escapes her at the thought.

Tim gulped loudly.

“Oh, stop that. Your emotions are too clear, Timothy. Remember: cold face, cold voice. Let no one know your belly’s hot.”

Tim schools his face and tries his last question. “Do you really have to go?”

“Oh, my son, one day you will understand the call to find, to take, and hoard for yourself. But never collect people, Timothy.” Her sharp nails rake carefully over his scalp. The next words are softer, almost gentle for the ruthless woman. “Humans are too hard to keep, they don’t stay where you leave them...your heart weeps when they never stay.”

(Tim should have listened. There’s an old ache beyond the fire in his veins. Steph, Kon, Bart, Bruce...Dick. Yeah. He was an idiot. Then again...he shouldn’t have thought they were his in the first place.)

She turns him and settles the young child into bed. Pats the covers and turns off the lights. “If nothing else comforts you, remember this...you and your father are the only people in my hoard.” The glow of her eyes lulls him to sleep.

And the phrase did comfort him. No matter how rare it was for her to be warm, no matter how long their ‘trips’ were, no matter how utterly alone he felt among the priceless antiques and artifacts that multiplied over the years. He had a place to belong.

He was hers.

She just wasn't...his.

In the present, he stands and shakes himself loose from the wall. The others will be coming for him soon. Or at least Dick will. Something about birthday wishes and all that. You never know what is really going to hit the vigilante as super important, though it’s funny to see him shake up the bunch of bats. Tim even thinks he saw Damian kicking wrapping paper under the bed. Dick really did a number on him.

“Drake!”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Tim smirks, and slips from the roof to meet the boy on another. (Gotta leave the evidence behind somehow, right?). He hears boots clip the side of the building with an angry huff.

Too bad Mother’s adages have their limits. The traditional favorite of ‘Eat him’ is just not going to cut it. No matter how tempting the solution is whenever Damian decides to be annoying, or vicious.

It’s regrettable sometimes.

Luckily, the boy has mellowed out from ‘let me stab you’ to ‘let me stab your insecurities’. It’s progress. Dick is so proud.

“Where have you been?” Damian snarls, getting up into Tim’s space. “Father and others have been wasting precious time looking for you everywhere. Even Grayson has cut back patrol for this ridiculous farce of a celebration.”

“Oh, did he? I didn’t get the memo.”

“Yes, you did,” the preteen hisses. “Grayson has sent text messages all day. If you say your phone has not been vibrating itself into oblivion, then you shall be the filthiest liar in my association.”

Aw, Tim feels so honored. “My phone is dead?”

Damian puffs up and Tim with his new sight can even see his face flush red in the dark. “Must you be absolutely impossible? How could you–” He freezes and sniffs the air primly. Then he turns to the man enraged. “Drake...have you been smoking?”

“Why would I be–yes.” Tim switches tracks so fast his own head spins a little. “Yes. I’ve been smoking.” Fuck, he didn’t think that effect would take place so soon. He swallows down the version of nitroglycerin lingering in his mouth awkwardly and breathes through his nose to drown his sparks. But hey, the excuse would work, huh? Even mother carried a box of cigarettes just in case.

“Alfred shall be most displeased.” Damian narrows his eyes in disapproval.

“Well, Alfred should know that I’ve turned eighteen. I’m now an official adult. Free to destroy my body in any way I choose like the Waynes before me. Be grateful that I’ve picked my vice in coffee and smoke instead of the horrible wiles of flesh...like Dick.”

The line earns him a wrinkled nose and glare. “You are completely despicable, Drake.”

“I am,” Tim continues. “But don’t you fear, you won’t catch me smoking. Ever. No secondhand smoke ruining your lungs for you.”

“How beyond gracious of you,” Damian snorts. Tim smiles. Damian pushes on his back towards the edge of the building. “Now come. Everyone is waiting for you and you will not waste my time a second more.

For that, Tim deliberately takes the long way home, just to hear Damian angrily spew curses behind him. It’s his birthday, let him have this.

He takes into account other changes in the meantime. His steps are a little quicker, his jumps higher, longer until he uses his grappling hook only as a means to not to arouse suspicion to the boy struggling to keep up behind him until Tim actually slows down to keep the distance between them short. He bets he’s stronger too, but any other tests will have to wait. He’s probably not as strong as a meta, like Kon or Clark...not like this of course, but it won’t be something to laugh at.

Like how well his skin can take a hit..or a bullet now.

Poor B. The Bats really pride themselves on being completely powerless. Using tools and toys to compete with the whole superhero community (and generally come out kicking all their asses). Tim was gonna have to work twice as hard to cover up his tracks to avoid any...realizations. It’ll take a detective to fool a detective or take a few more ‘Titan’ missions out of Gotham to keep things under wraps. Missions that are more working on the tight pinch growing between his shoulder blades that’s starting to get real annoying. After a few hours he’ll definitely have to find a place to shift soon. Shed skin and fly until light cracks over the dirty city.

Will he have the same coloring as Mother? Dark ebony scales that merge into the night? Is he the size of a horse? A house?

Tim can’t wait to find out.

“H-Hurry up, Drake!” Damian wheezes when he gets the lead for a second or two. You know, when Tim pauses enough to let him catch up.

“Coming.”

He can’t wait to see what kind of Drake he is. In his ear, he can almost hear an echo of his Mother’s voice.

‘Happy Birthday...my pet.’

Happy Birthday indeed.

[getalittlecountry]

Shape of You (6)

This is probably my favorite chapter (so far) just because I love making Nesta into someone she doesn’t want to be. 

one two three four five

Chapter 6

After we ate our pizza it was close to evening and we decided to change out of our bathing suits. Feyre wanted to have drinks on the deck and so we all decided to get dressed in warmer clothes. I had gotten the first shower and since I was already ready, I started to clean up. Cassian had gone after me. I put the last few dishes in the sink, and then turned to go up to my room.

I heard someone in the living room. I didn’t really look to see who it was, there were eight of us staying in the house. Yes for some reason my sister had invited Tomas to stay here too. Luckily he had left me alone today. Which meant I had forgotten all about him. Playing pretend with Cassian was taking up more of my mind than Tomas and his stupid games.

I barely made it up the first two steps before someone was behind me. I didn’t get a chance to turn around, because he jumped in front of me and grabbed my forearm. His grip was hard, his nails dug into my skin. If he pushed any harder he would draw blood. I struggled, opening my mouth to curse at him.

Except he pushed his hand over my lips and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly I was back in that room, when the alcohol and whatever else he had put in that cup rendered my body useless. Made me a victim of his endless games.

Tomas got real close to my face. His smile dripped with venom, “I see your perfect new boyfriend isn't here to save you, Nesta."

He pushed me towards the wall, the banister blocking me from view. My hands shook as he leaned closer, his lips almost touching my neck.

"Should I finish what I started all those nights ago? You still owe me," his finger ran down my thigh and I felt sick. I could feel my food rebelling as he spoke, as he touched me.

If I wasn't frozen, if I wasn't fighting the nauseous feeling in my stomach, I would've pushed him away. But then his bright green eyes found mine and I couldn't move. I could barely breathe as I remembered his threats. As I remembered the camera recording it all. I heard the whispers. I heard the lies.

“Hey," a door opened and Cassian's voice hit me before my knees gave out. Tomas jumped away from me, my face pale, my hands still shaking, "what are you doing?"

Tomas smiled as my fake boyfriend pulled me into his chest, "we were just catching up."

Cassian glanced around, "I don't like you. I know you're the reason she has nightmares. I don't know what you did but if I ever find out I swear you'll never look at another girl again."

Once Tomas scurried away, I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. My knees gave out and Cassian picked me up. I closed my eyes, letting him carry me into our room. I buried my face in his shirt, breathing in his clean scent. Amber, leather, pine, and smoke all mixed into one. It healed my fractured soul.

"I'm okay," I whispered as he set me down and I kept myself standing. I wouldn't let him break me. I wasn't that girl anymore. I wasn't the defenseless girl he had ruined so many years ago.

I sat down on the bed, trying to reign in my emotions. Cassian shut the door as my heart continued to pound, flashes of that night hitting me over and over again. Tomas was here, in this same house where it had all happened.

I let out a slow breath and the bed dipped down beside me. I opened my eyes and there he was. This stranger who had somehow become a comfort I sought this weekend. It was like he knew me better than anyone else here.

My hands were shaking and Cassian grabbed them. He held them gently between his, "hey you sure you're okay? He didn't hurt you?"

I shook my head, "no. He just wanted to scare me," I brought my eyes up to his, "you got there in time. Thanks Cassian."

He nodded slowly as I let out a breath. I realized we were sitting really close together on the bed. I wanted to pull back, to put some space between us. But instead my eyes fell to his lips and suddenly we were both leaning forward.

His lips were soft and steady. His arms wrapped around my waist as I moved into him. I smiled slightly as he kissed me, and I opened up for him. Kissing Cassian was like finding a piece of my broken heart among the wreckage. His lips were strong and sure, they moved with mine and his hands pulled me closer. I closed my eyes and felt a sense of safety fall over me as Cassian held me in his arms.

I felt as if I could finally breathe again. For so long I felt like I had been drowning. And suddenly Cassian was here, breathing new life, new air into my lungs.

I moved closer to him, my fingers twisting around the fabric of his shirt. I hadn't felt desire, I hadn't felt want like this in a long time. Not since everything had happened. Not since my heart had been broken and I erected those walls of stone. But kissing Cassian cracked my armor and suddenly I never wanted to stop.

We both jumped when the door opened. Feyre stood there smiling slightly as she looked at us, "oh I'm sorry I uh. We were all getting ready to head out to the deck and have some drinks. I thought I’d see if you were ready.”

Cassian didn't let me go. His thumb stroked the skin on my waist. He held me tighter, "okay," his deep voice gave nothing away, "we'll be right there."

Feyre left the door open and I pulled away, "I'm sorry. I uh. We should go."

"Nesta."

I shook my head, "I broke my own rules. I'm sorry Cassian. Let's just," I winced as I stood up and fixed my shirt, "forget this happened."

Cassian sighed as I walked out the door. But I heard him before I made it to the stairs. I heard the words he whispered to himself and I tried to ignore them.

But his words, they followed me.

"What if I don't want to forget it happened?”

*-*

Azriel was a terrible bar tender. Mostly because he let his girlfriend take over and pour the drinks. And Mor had the heaviest hand I had ever seen. My Jack and Cokes were more Jack than soda. I could feel the room pulse as I looked around. I could feel the alcohol entering my system. And if she was bad at mixing drinks, she was even worse at handing out shots. I had lost count of how many we had taken together.

But I had been keeping track of the time. Cassian hadn’t followed me to the party after I kissed him. He was still in our room, almost an hour after the incident as I called it in my head now. He was in our room, doing god knows what, because I had crossed the line. I had crossed my own line in less than a day.

I had no idea what I was thinking. I wasn’t sure why I thought after Tomas trying to attack me, kissing Cassian would make it all go away. But then, in my drunken state, I remembered the way his warm hand felt on my thigh as Tomas tried to bait me with his words. I remembered his strong arms as they held me and suddenly I knew why I wanted to kiss him.

Because having Cassian here with me. It was the first time I finally felt like I was home. Feyre turned on the music once everyone was good and buzzed. The pizza wasn’t helping me, Mor was feeding me so many shots I was going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow. But between Cassian and Tomas I wanted to shut down.

I needed to stop thinking for one night this weekend.

“Nesta!” Feyre hugged me as we danced, “I’ve missed my big sister. God you’re so happy. I haven’t seen you happy in so long,” she touched my cheek, “Cassian is a good man. He makes you happy.”

I hiccuped, both of us giggling, “yeah. He’s far too good for me.”

As if he knew we were talking about them, the doors slide open and Cassian walked out. He was wearing a black shirt that fit perfectly against his arms. A pair of light jeans that also fit perfectly against his butt. His long hair was tied up at his neck and I wanted to run my fingers through it and I pulled the band out. I bit my lips, feeling all the things I had tried to smother come to the surface. He was handsome, he was sweet.

And he was looking at me like I was the only girl in the room. It would’ve been perfect, hell it would’ve been the romantic thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. If I hadn’t been so wasted that I went and ruined the moment.

"Cassian!" I giggled as he made his way towards me. Once he was in front of me, I grabbed his hand, "my boyfriend. Come drink. We're playing a game.”

“And what game is that? Feed Nesta as much alcohol as we can?” He raised his eyebrows at Mor, who was indeed handing me another drink. Cassian leaned over and smelled it, his nose scrunching up.

I took a sip, “no. We were playing the, waiting on my boyfriend to get his slow ass down here how many drinks can I have before he’s here, game.”

“And what is the answer?”

I held up my hand, downing half the drink before I pulled the cup again. I licked my lips, the feeling of him kissing me still fresh in my memory. I took a breath, completely forgetting what we had been talking about. I squinted my eyes at him, laughter bubbling out of my mouth.

“What was the question?”

Cassian grabbed my waist as I tripped on air while standing perfectly still in front of him, "Nesta. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! We're having fun," I slurred my words as I took another drink, "Mor made drinks. She's a bad bartender."

Mor hiccuped, "I might have given her too much.”

Feyre laughed, “I think it’s safe to say we’re all light weights today. I’ve never seen my sister so drunk before.”

Cassian watched as I laughed loudly, bumping into my sister. I was never this girl. Never as carefree as I was in this moment. Because last time I had gotten drunk, Tomas had wedged between me and my sisters. Tomas had ruined what semblance of happiness I had.

Cassian sighed, "Nesta, hey look at me. Is everything okay?"

He haved his hand in front of my face. I giggled and tapped his cheek. His face was blurry, "everything is perfect, my beautiful boyfriend."

Cassian's answering smile told me he liked knowing what I said while intoxicated. He kept his hands on my hips, “okay as long as you’re sure. Can you stand without my help?”

He went to let me go and I stumbled. He sighed, “I take that as a no. Nesta, it’s been like an hour. How are you seriously this drunk?”

I sighed, “I never drink. Not after that night,” I stopped, my eyes wide as I felt my stomach roll. Cassian saw the change in me, looking around as if he could find something to shove under my chin. But then the moment passed and I let out a slow breath.

“I like when you hold me,” I whispered softly as I leaned into him, “you’re warm. You’re safe.”

Cassian was tense as I hugged him, “I like when you let me hold you, sweetheart.”

I smiled up at him, my cheeks were warm. My entire body was warm all over. I didn’t want this moment to end. I was happy, with my boyfriend. My drunk self forgot this wasn’t real and that was all that mattered for the moment. Cassian held me as if he was afraid I would break without his help.

But then the music changed as I jumped up and down.

"Cass I love this song!" I grabbed his hand and started dancing, using my glass as a microphone, "last night you were in my room. And now my bedsheets smell like you. Mmh. I hope they do. You smell good."

I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. I danced around him as I finished the drink in my hand and started to grab for another one. I giggled as he glared me, acting as if he was my keeper. Somewhere in my mind I knew not to tell the truth, I knew I shouldn’t say that he had no right to tell me what to do.

But the alcohol was making everything hazy and my tongue was loose. I took a sip of my new drink and then looked at Cassian. He looked even better when there was a scowl on his face. I touched his cheek with my knuckles.

“You’re pretty,” I said softly as the music kept playing. Before he could answer I wrapped my free arm around his neck and stood on my tip toes. I pressed my lips to his, feeling the same emotions, ten times more, that I had felt earlier when I kissed him sober. My heart opened up, my soul felt like it had found it’s home.

Cassian’s hands grabbed my waist, his entire body went stiff. I could feel the shock, the surprise as he held me, his lips moving with mine after a moments hesitation. I took in a breath, smiling as I pulled away and leaned my forehead against his.

“I like kissing you,” I hiccuped as he tried not to smile.

His brown eyes were full of that light again. That mysterious, mischievous light I had driven away when we first got here. “You taste like alcohol,” he whispered as he brushed a thumb across my bottom lip, “and I don’t mind kissing you either, Nes.”

“If only it were easier to do when I was sober,” I downed half my drink as he kept ahold of my waist. Good thing he didn’t let me go, because I stumbled and almost tripped over my own feet. I started laughing loudly, the room spinning out of control.

Cassian held me up right and then shook his head. He reached for the drink in my hand as he sighed, "Nesta. Hey. Look at me,” his eyes held mine, “I think you've had enough."

"You're not my father," I pulled my drink back, "you're not even really my-"

He hand covered my mouth, "well Nesta is done for the night. I'm going to put her to bed. We'll see you tomorrow. When she's got a massive hangover."

I hiccuped, making myself giggle. I tapped his chest playful, "I am fine."

The room swayed and I lost my balance once more, "yeah you're really fine sweetheart."

I giggled as he helped me out of the room and up the stairs. I knew I should be embarrassed, I had made a fool out of myself in front of everyone. But I didn't care. Because I felt free, I felt totally at ease with Cassian putting his arm around my waist and guiding me towards our shared room.

He opened the door and then helped me make it to the bed. I groaned as I fell onto the mattress, his big calloused hands running over my feet as he took my shoes off. He was too sweet. Too sugar sweet for someone as bitter as me.

But for some reason I looked past that. For some reason I bought into us.

"Cassian," I grabbed his hand as I laid on the bed, "thanks for looking out for me."

He smiled, "that's what boyfriends do."

I blushed, "will you. Lay with me?"

"You're sure?"

I nodded and then he slipped into the small bed behind me. I smiled as his fingers grazed my waist and then I turned to face him. I put my hand against his cheek and took in a breath.

"I've never had a boyfriend as sweet as you," I whispered, his nose scrunching from the smell of alcohol.

Cassian laughed, "good. I want to be your first."

"Mmhm. My first," my eyes started to close but I leaned in close to Cassian. My drunk mind decided for me, my lips touching his softly. The kiss was sweet and soft. His hand never left my waist.

"Sleep love," he pushed my hair out of my face, "you're going to regret this in the morning."

"Never." I whispered as I pulled myself into his chest and relaxed, "can I tell you a secret?"

Cassian's light laughter vibrated through his chest, "sure. I'll keep it until morning, when you don't remember this moment."

"I like when you call me sweetheart." I found his bright brown eyes staring at me as I looked up.

I wanted to kiss him again, but the room was starting to spin. So I laid my head back down, his fingers running lightly over the back of my head. He held me closer, as if he knew this moment was fleeting.

I felt his smile against the top of my head, "goodnight sweetheart."

I mumbled into his shirt and fell asleep to the rhythm of his thumb brushing against the small of my back. Even drunk and disoriented I knew in that moment Cassian was better than any guy I had ever met. He was someone I would never deserve.

[preoccupiedpens]

Dream Hunters Chapter 10: Great White Sharks

IT ONLY TOOK A DAY

for buyers to be interested in the sea serpent that Raijin caught. Eight in the morning, buyers already came one by one for different parts of the serpent.

            Some scales from the sea serpent were still intact. Since it can be used for jewelry and medicine, a certain guild of crafters bought the good scales for six hundred lanias. Not a bad bargain.

           Then, a restaurateur came and bought all the meat that could be salvaged from the sea serpent. Luckily, ninety percent of the serpent’s meat was of high grade. Mr. Manta was paid four thousand lanias for the meat.

           The remaining carcass and bones of the sea serpent was bought by blacksmiths to be used as materials for weapon and armor. Mr. Manta received two thousand five hundred lanias for those.

           Bu afternoon, almost all parts of the serpent was sold. Even the innards were sold to be used as bait by other fishermen. One thousand lanias were given to Mr. Manta for those.

           All in all, the whole sea serpent was sold for eight thousand and one hundred lanias. That will be enough to buy a house and lot or a brand new fishing boat still with change.

           Mr. Manta, who sold the sea serpent part by part, immediately phoned Maelstrom Tavern to notify Raijin. As soon as Raijin heard the good news, he straightaway went to Mr. Manta to receive the payment. Daisuke accompanied him since Riku and Jack were still sleeping.

           Riku received sixty precent of the total sales which was around four thousand eight hundred and sixty lanias. Mr. Manta got forty percent cut for managing to sell the whole serpent. It was a nice deal considering that Mr. Manta has always been the buyer guy of Riku. Those will still be deducted by twenty percent tax as per Port Royale’s law, which will leave Raijin around three thousand eight hundred and eighty eight lania. Still a good sum for a single catch.

           “How will you divide your money now?” asked Daisuke.

           “Well, half of it will go straight to the loan sharks. Half of the other half will go to Boris, the remainder will be mine.”

           “That will leave you around nine hundred seventy two lanias. Those loan shark, how much do you owe them?”

           “Five million lanias.”

Daisuke’s eye widened and his jaw dropped as he heard the amount.

“But my parents already paid most of it. The loan sharks told me that the remaining balance is around three hundred thousand lanias.”

           “Woah. That’s still a lot though.”

           “Well, as long as I get to catch a sea serpent, then there will be no problem.”

           And as they walk back to Maelstrom Tavern, they saw three men walking towards them.

           “Ahhh! Raijin my boy! Heard you caught another sea serpent. How do you do it?”

           “Mr. Sera. It’s quite early to see you around this place, isn’t it?”

           “Well, my men and I want some fresh air from time to time. And who is this young elf with you?”

           “Daisuke. Nice to meet you.” Said Daisuke.

           “Likewise. So, anyway Raijin my boy, you’ve got quite a lot there.”

           Daisuke wanted to step in, but Raijin held him. “The earlier the better.” Raijin smiled as he handed Sera some of the money he received.

           “Atta boy! Now c’mon boys. I want to go to the lighthouse.” Sera said as he and his lackeys left.

           As soon as Sera and his men were gone, Daisuke talked to Raijin. “You should have let me punch those bastards.”

           “Don’t try to do anything stupid, Daisuke. The Great White Sharks has been here for a very long time. Sera and his brothers were not even born yet when the Great White Sharks was formed.”

 As soon as they are back in Maelstrom Tavern, Raijin went to Boris to pay him up. Riku and Jack are already up and eating brunch.

           “Good morning, guys. Or afternoon.” Said Riku. “Anyway. where have you two been?”

           Daisuke sat down with them. “I accompanied Raijin to get his payment for the sea serpent.”

           “That was fast. Did he received a good amount?” asked Jack while munching his burger.

           “Reasonable. I guess it’s already a lot considering his job.”

           While the two were eating, Daisuke told them about the conversation he had with Raijin and Boris last night. Riku and Jack both couldn’t believe that they easily got a tip on the possible location of the statue.

           “It sounds too good to be true, but it’s the only lead we have so far.” Said Jack.

           “But going to a country with an active war, isn’t that a problem?” Riku said worryingly.

           “You’re right. For all we know, the country’s borders may be closed." replied Jack.

           “Then we’ll just sneak in.” said Daisuke.

           “It’s not that easy, you now.” Replied Riku.

           “Then let’s just think of something after we get there. It’s still three, four kingdoms away anyway.” Said Daisuke.

 The trio bid farewell to Raijin and Boris as soon as Riku and Jack finished eating. They thanked them for letting them stay and for giving them a few supplies and valuable information for their travels. They went to the town center to plan out their journey.

           “It’s still too early guys. You want to go around first before we leave the town?” Riku asked.

           “Yeah. We haven’t spent a lot of time here as well. I was thinking of going to the western side to check what’s in there.” Said Jack.

           “Isn’t the United Alliance headquarters of Port Royale found there?” said Riku.

           “Really? Then I guess I can check that out as well.”

           “How about you, Daisuke?”

           Daisuke was staring at the lighthouse on the eastern port of Port Royale. “Well, I really wanted to check that lighthouse by the cliff.”

           “OK. I wanted to visit some shops before we leave. We could use some supplies.”

           “Great. Then let’s all meet up by the fountain, front of the post office in two hours?” Jack suggested.

           “Sure.” Said Daisuke.

           “OK then. I’ll see you both later!” Riku left first.

           Daisuke and Jack waved at Riku. “Well, I’m heading this way. See you later, Daisuke.”

 As soon as Riku and Jack went to their respective destination, Daisuke went straight to the lighthouse found at the cliff east of Port Royale. The lighthouse is quite far away, so Daisuke took a while to get there.

           By the time he got there, he did not saw anyone. He was hoping to find Sera and his lackey. Too bad, Daisuke thought.

           Daisuke looked around and saw the name of the lighthouse. “Eurusyneim…”

           “House of the god of east winds, patron of sailors.”

           Daisuke flinched. He turned around and saw a young blonde man. “Oh, umm, am I not supposed to be here?”

           “Hahaha. Anyone is free to visit this old lighthouse.” Said the young man. “It is said that this was built by the second generation of people who settled here in Port Royale. They built this in honor of one of their gods called Eurusyn, and to ensure the safety of sea farers.”

           “Are you the caretaker of this lighthouse?”

           The young man chuckled. “That’s a no as well. Name’s Torai. I’m the captain of U.A. that’s stationed here. I’m just here to enjoy the fresh breeze.”

           “Yeah. Wind’s fresh up here. I’m Daisuke by the way.”

           Torai walked towards Daisuke and noticed that he is an elf. “You’re from Maria Island, correct?”

           “Umm, yeah. I’m with my friends here. Did you happen to see three guys around here?”

           “Hmmmm, not really. You’re the first one I saw here today. Are they your friends?”

           “Oh, no. Just some loan sharks.”

           “People from Great White Sharks, huh. They’re pretty nasty bunch.”

           “Yeah. My friend was even wondering why U.A. isn’t dealing with them.”

           Torai walked towards Daisuke and looked at the horizon and let out a sigh. “As much as we want to deal with them, we’re actually quite preoccupied. We’ve been dealing with constant raids from treasure hunters. And the funny part? We do not even have any treasures here.”

           “How about before? I was told that they’ve been here for a long time.”

           “I wasn’t captain that time yet. And by the time I became a captain here, we’ve already been under constant raids.”

           “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to interrogate you or something. I really just hate those guys.”

           “Hahahaha! It’s okay. Well, I hope you guys enjoy your stay here on Port Royale. We’ve got a lot to offer. Specially the ales.”

           “Hahaha! Yeah, we had a good one last night. At Maelstrom Tavern.”

           “Ooooh. Nothing beats that tavern’s owner in ales. Anyway, it’s nice meeting you, Daisuke. If you and or your friends ever need something, you can find me at the headquarters. It’s just west of Port Royale town proper.”

           “Will do.”

           Torai then jumped. As he jumped, thunder boomed from where he stood and the ground was smoking. Daisuke was surprised that Torai was now a hundred meters above. Then, another thunder boomed as Torai lunged himself towards the headquarters.

 At the Hammerhead Tavern, Hammer and his men are preparing all of their weapon.

           “Sir Hammer, everyone is prepared now. When do we leave?” said a lackey.

           “We leave before sunset. The Fishbone Hunters will arrive when the U.A. least expects it.”

           That moment, the transponder rang.

           “Brother?” said Hammer through the transponder.

           “Gyahahahaha! Brother Hammer! Are your men ready?”

           “Yes, brother. My men are always ready.”

           “Good. We’re seeing Port Royale from the horizon now. Looks like the U.A. stationed there are quite lax today.”

           “Well. There has been no attack from hunters for the past three weeks. We’ve managed to condition them by stopping any hunters that will try to enter Port Royale.”

           “Good. Then all we need is a good distraction. I assume we can rely on you and your men for that.”

           “Of course, brother. We’ll take care of that. Just make sure you and your men will get here.”

           After the call ended, the Great White Sharks continued to check their weapons for the upcoming battle.

 At the market, Riku is looking around for foods and other essentials since they lost most of their stuffs at the sea.

           Food is not a problem, she thought. They could just hunt down a deer or boar, or whatever is available on the way. What they needed are some clothes that they could use.

           While walking around, looking at the clothes, she bumped into a muscular man with a shark tattoo on his shoulder.

           “Hey! Watch where you’re going, elf!” said the muscular man.

           “Oh. I’m sorry. I was looking at the clothes.” Riku sincerely apologized.

           The other two tattooed men went around Riku.

           “Hohoho. She doesn’t look bad though, Sera.” Said the other guy the muscular man is with. He also have a tattoo of shark on his shoulder.

           “Hey! You wanna come with us?” said the other guy.

           “Hmmm, if you come with us, I could consider forgiving you.” Sera offered as the other two laughed.

           Riku has now lost her patience and started to get irritated.

           “I’m sorry, but I have more important things to do than to go with you fish brains.”

           The people around started to get nervous at the scene. Some closed their stores. Others left the area.

           “Hey! Don’t you know who we are? We’re the Great White Sharks!” said the Sera.

           “What’s the point of asking me if you’re going to answer anyway?” said Riku.

           The people who are still around laughed discreetly, But Sera saw them. Even his two lackeys tried to hold their laughter.

           Sera’s face turned red. “You’ve done it now!” He took a runestone and activated it. The runestone turned into an ax. He slashes his ax towards Riku, but Riku simply dodged. Without even using her powers, she simply kicked Sera behind his knee. As he fell on his knee, Riku kicked him on the back of his head. Sera slammed to the ground so hard that the ground cratered

           The people started to run away because of the commotion. Suddenly, someone took her hands. “Hey! What are---“

           “Let’s go! Before more of them arrive!” said Raijin.

           The two of them ran away from the area.

           “Oy! Wasn’t that the Raijin kid?!” said lackey number one.

           “I thought so too. Looks like he knows that elf girl” said lackey number two.

           “Let’s help boss Sera first.”

           “He’ll be in big trouble now.”